#halloween event 2024

[rollinouttahere-writes]

Hi hope it’s not to late to request a yandere vampire Ace who finds out his mortal darling is pregnant ~ please (if pregnancy makes you uncomfortable maybe reader is just very ill instead ) ,also hi hope your doing ok 👌

Vampire Ace x AFAB Reader

3.8k words

Summary: You find yourself in a precarious situation as you discover you're pregnant with your vampire boyfriend's child. You know you need to talk to him about it, but how?

Warnings: pregnancy, menstruation mention, lightly suggestive references, yandere elements, controlling boyfriend

While it was most certainly embarrassing to admit to, you had a vampire phase as a teenager. You got swept up in the popularity of vampire romance novels and the movies and TV shows that accompanied them, and it was pretty much your entire personality for a few years there. 

Dark times. Cringey times. 

However, these were also very impressionable times if your current situation was anything to go off of. If anyone would have told you back then that you would one day achieve your dream of bewitching a vampire into falling in love with you, you would have laughed in their face. Well, okay, no. You would have squealed and kicked your feet in the air. But after you got past that phase, then you would have laughed. Mostly because up to that point, you had been under the impression that vampires were works of fiction.

But then you met Ace. It happened when you were on a solo road trip. You needed some time away from everything and wanted to start fresh somewhere new, so what better way to scope out a new place than to drive around the country until you found a place that spoke to you? It seemed like a good idea, and by most accounts it was, but there was one major flaw in your plan. You didn’t know how to perform maintenance on your car, which is a pretty glaring issue when your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere at night. You had no signal, so you were left poking and prodding at the stuff under the hood of your car in hopes that it would magically come back to life. 

It didn’t take long for you to give up and realize that you were probably only going to do more harm than good. You considered walking until you either found a town or got a signal, but you didn’t want to do that at night. Just as you were about to get back into your car to sleep until morning, you saw the headlights of a vehicle coming down the road. You waved your arms as the vehicle, a large motorhome, drew closer. Honestly, you hadn’t expected the person to actually pull over, but he did, and that’s how you met Ace.

One thing led to another, and he went from being just some guy who helped you out in your time of need, to your boyfriend. It was something of a whirlwind romance, moving at a startling pace that would surely leave your parents clutching their pearls, but when you know you know.

That, and there’s just something about someone trusting you enough to admit to being a creature of legend that makes one’s heart flutter.

Ace was a far cry from the vampire love interests you read about as a teen. Rather than living in a gothic castle in the countryside, or skulking around a high school, he lived in an old RV that he traveled the country in. It was an interesting set up, that’s for sure. All of the windows are covered by several layers of thick curtains. The windshield also had a cover put up during daylight, as well as several thick curtains isolating the cab from the rest of the camper. He would drive and explore at night, then retreat into the darkened parts of the RV during the day.

Thanks to you adapting to his nocturnal lifestyle, you would usually be up all night with him while he drives and sleep with him during the day. From what you understood, he didn’t really need to sleep, but he claims that it feels nice and he likes to do it anyway. Despite that, you would usually wake up to find him absent from the bedroom and entertaining himself in the main part of the camper while he waited for you to wake up or for night to come, whichever came first.

However, sometimes you would find yourself driving during the day. Mostly when there was something time sensitive that Ace wanted to go to and if you guys were falling behind; a common occurrence with how much he loved to take his time exploring every place he went. When that happened, you would stay up during the day to drive while he hid away in the bedroom. These days were spent with him loudly bemoaning how terrible and crushing the loneliness was as if y’all were separated by miles and he wasn’t actively facetiming you. Being highly dramatic was perhaps his most stereotypical vampiric trait.

Today was one of those days where you were up driving for him. There was a music festival coming up this weekend that he really wanted to go to, but it was still several states away. You honestly don’t mind the day driving. It’s nice to get natural vitamin D instead of relying exclusively on supplements. Ace had been keeping you company via facetime for a few hours, but he had nodded off about an hour ago.

Having a moment to yourself was nice, doubly so when you have a lot on your mind. You made a very shocking discovery recently, one that you hadn’t thought was ever going to be a problem for you. Though, maybe that was because you weren’t exactly an expert on vampires and how their bodies work.

Because really, how were you supposed to know that pregnancy was on the table when you were seeing a vampire? Sure, some of those vampire shows and books covered this, but it was always treated like something that could never ever happen, and that if it did, it was a freak incident. 

The relationship was still very young, neither of you had ever discussed children. You were still young, and you assumed that him not using any protection was a silent indicator that you didn’t have anything to worry about. Surely he would have used it or talked to you about contraception if it was something he was concerned about, right? Wrong, apparently. 

As far as you could tell, you were only around six or so weeks into your pregnancy if your period tracker was accurate. You haven’t been able to go to a real doctor yet, but the pregnancy tests you took all came back positive. The tests were stuffed into the same drawer you kept your menstrual supplies in after you had finished having a silent mental breakdown. You still needed time to figure out how to break the news to Ace.

Would he be happy? Pissed? Would he freak out because the hybrid baby will be a superpowered freak of nature that will kill you? You had literally nothing to work with. Since you two have never discussed children, he’s also never told you about what a hybrid could potentially look like, and that was just you assuming that he knew. You were completely in the dark, and it was terrifying. You needed reassurance, but you had no one to get it from.

You heave a sigh as you shake your head and force yourself back into the present moment. There was an exit coming up on the interstate advertising the local amenities. A quick glance down at the fuel gauge confirmed that it was about time for you to stop and get gas. The turn signal is flicked on as you merge into the exit only lane. 

It only takes a couple of minutes for you to navigate your way to the nearby gas station and park at a pump. Your phone starts to ring before the RV has even come to a complete stop. You shift it into park and turn the engine off before answering.

“Is everything alright? Why are we stopping?” Ace’s sleep-addled voice came through the phone.

“Everything’s fine, we just needed gas. I’m going to run into the station to use the bathroom and maybe get an energy drink.” You stretch as you stand up, holding your cell between your shoulder and ear as your joints crackle and pop after spending hours seated.

“Are you getting tired? Just find a place for us to park until night, don’t force yourself to stay awake.” 

His consideration for you made your chest feel warm and fuzzy despite your anxiety. “I don’t mind, I know you’ve been looking forward to that festival.”

“It’s just a festival, there will be more of those. There’s only one of you, I don’t want you getting burnt out or hurt because of me. Just find a place to park, okay?” His words were sweet, but his tone left no room for debate.

A quiet sigh escapes you as you admit defeat, “Alright, I’ll ask the cashier if there’s a campground or something around here.”

“Good. Besides, I’ve been missing you. I don’t think I can wait until night to see you again.” His playful, flirty tone makes you smile.

You giggle softly as you make your way to the door, “I miss you, too, baby. See you in a bit, love you.”

“I love you more. Could you close the cab curtain before you go?”

“Of course,” You quickly spin on your heels and pull the dividing curtains shut. After one last exchange of “I love you’s”, you hang up and exit the RV. The fresh air, even while tinged with the scent of fuel, is pleasant after being cooped up in a vehicle all day. You quickly walk around to the gas pump and start refueling. While you’re leaned against the camper and waiting for the tank to fill, you can hear Ace moving around inside. It was relatively common for him to take advantage of these pit stops to get out of the bedroom and stretch his legs. You’re not sure why he wouldn’t just wait until after you got to the nearest campground, but whatever. It’s no skin off your back.

The gas pump loudly clicks off. You push yourself off the camper and hang it up before heading inside to relieve yourself and pay for the gas. The door chimes quietly and a young cashier with glasses casually greets you before returning her attention to the coffee machine she’s refilling, looking as if she would rather be anywhere but here.

You follow the sign pointing you to the single person bathroom and slip inside. The lights are dim and flickering, and the harsh scent of cleaning chemicals assaults your senses, though you suppose that it’s better than the alternative. You quickly do your business and wash your hands. You look into the mirror at your reflection, taking in your appearance. The “pregnancy glow” that so many people talk about was nowhere to be found in your humble opinion. All that you see is an exhausted, stressed out woman.

But staring headlong into your reflection isn’t going to help anything. You rip off some paper towels from the dispenser and dry your hands before leaving the restroom. Rather than going straight to the counter to pay for the fuel, you wander around the aisles, debating if you want any snacks or drinks.

The section of the refrigerators with energy drinks in it catches your eye. Now that you’re thinking about it, you suppose you couldn’t have actually gotten one of these anyway. You’re far from an expert on pregnancy do’s and don’t’s, but you’re pretty sure that energy drinks are a hard no. Caffeine is a no-no in general, you think. Damn, that probably means no coffee or soda either. You shoot a half-hearted glare down at your abdomen, internally cursing how you’re already having to make sacrifices for something the size of a grape, if that.

With a somewhat heavy heart, you grab a bottle of juice and peruse the candy aisle, grabbing a couple of things you had been craving lately, then go to the counter to check out. The cashier is already behind it, leaning against the counter with her chin propped up on her fist. She straightens up when she sees you approaching and plasters on a less than convincing customer service smile, “Good afternoon. You had the gas outside, right?”

“Yep, at pump…” your brain draws a total blank. Now that you’re thinking about it, you’re not sure you ever even looked, “Uh, whichever one has the RV in front of it.”

The cashier takes a quick glance at a screen showing the pumps outside while quickly scanning the few things you brought to the counter. She presses a button on the register to add the gas, then reads you the total.

You pull out some cash from your pocket and hand her enough to cover it. While she’s getting your change, you remember that you were supposed to ask if there were any campgrounds in town. You clear your throat, “Hey, do you know if there’s a campground around these parts?” 

She glances at you, then fishes out the rest of your change from the drawer, “Yeah. It’s on the other end of town. There are a couple of signs for it.” Her hand extends and drops the coins into your open palm.

“Cool, thank you. Have a nice day.” You smile politely as you grab your items.

The cashier chuckles dryly at your comment, “Yeah… you, too.”

Not wanting to make Ace wait much longer, you promptly exit the gas station and hurry back to the RV. You get to the door and knock three times to give Ace a chance to run back to the bedroom. This was a rule established between you two so as to prevent you from accidentally torching your dear boyfriend with sunlight. You listen closely, but you don’t hear anything. After a moment, you crack open the door, assuming that he must have already gone into the room.

The juice and candy are set in the kitchenette, and you call out to Ace, “There’s a campground here in town, it should only take a minute or two to get there.” You wait for a response, but hear nothing. You frown and look up at the bedroom door, “Ace?”

“I heard you.”

His voice is muffled, but that does nothing to hide how curt his tone was. Your heart sank immediately and anxiety clouded your mind. Where did this mood shift come from? He was just saying that he loved you a few minutes ago. What happened while you were gone?

As much as you wanted to burst into the bedroom and confront him here and now, you knew that was a bad idea. You needed to park somewhere where you wouldn’t have to worry about being intruded upon. You swallow thickly, then get back in the driver seat. The RV is started and you hurry to your destination, trying to ignore the growing nausea in your stomach. Whether it was the pregnancy or the stress was anyone’s guess. You just hoped you could get this thing parked before you had to throw up. Morning sickness hadn’t been much of a problem for you yet beyond occasional bouts of nausea, and you were really hoping it would stay that way.

In a few minutes, you’re at the campground and the RV is parked and turned off. Your hands are sweating as you push the windshield cover into place, then close the cab’s curtain. You turn on the artificial lights, then take a deep breath, “You can come out now.”

The second the words leave your mouth, the bedroom door is practically ripped off its hinges from how hard Ace forced it open. His face is contorted in anger, and you’re sure it would be flushed red if he were still a human. 

Instinctually, you take a step back from him, not expecting such an aggressive entrance. Your eyes frantically search his face and body for any clues as to where this was coming from, only to lock onto some things clutched in one of his hands. Your heart leapt up into your throat.

Oh no.

“How long were you planning on keeping this from me?” His words are sharp and dripping with venom.

“I- I-”

“You what?! I can trust you with knowing that I’m a fucking vampire, but you don’t trust me enough to tell me that you’re pregnant?!” The gap between you was closed quickly as he strode up to you. The positive pregnancy tests were thrown to the floor and scattered as Ace’s hands locked onto your biceps and pulled you even closer to him.

Your hands push on his heaving chest, but he doesn’t budge. You’re fully panicking now as your mind scrambles to find anything you could say to assuage him, “I was going to tell you! I promise!”

“When? How long have you known?” Ace’s lip pulled back into a snarl, showing off his enlarged fangs.

“Not even a week! It’s only been a few days, Ace!” All the other words on your tongue die as the fluctuating hormones and mounting stress collides inside you and breaks the dam holding back your boiling emotions. Hot tears bubble to the surface and pour down your face as choked sobs come out, carrying the jumbled words lodged in your throat, “I didn’t know what to do! I was scared!”

More sobs tear out of you as you completely fall apart. Ace never yelled at you, and you were absolutely not in the state of mind to handle this happening now. This was precisely why you hadn’t told him yet. This was the reaction you were afraid of.

Ace’s hands loosened their grip on your arms, “Shit…”

His hands let go of you, then he wrapped his arms around you, cradling your frame to his chest. “Wait, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. Of course you’re scared, I should have figured as much.” His words come out hushed, but at a frantic pace as he tries to calm you down. In an instant, his arms drop down enough to lift you up off the floor while he continues to whisper assurances into your ear.

Despite his attempt at comfort, you were too distressed to accept his words. “I should have told you… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong, I’m the one that jumped to conclusions.” Ace was having none of your attempt to take the blame back. 

You hadn’t even realized he had been moving until you heard the bedroom door close and fell onto the bed while held in Ace’s arms. You sniffle loudly and look up at him, though that was pointless. He hadn’t bothered turning on the lamp, so you had no idea what emotions his face held. You’re sure that was intentional on his part. One of his hands strokes your hair while the other holds you tight to him.

When he doesn’t show any indication of intending to speak, you take the lead, “Are you mad?”

“I’m not mad at you. I just lost my cool for a second there.”

While the answer was sweet, it wasn’t exactly what you were looking for. “Not at me. Are you mad about… the baby?”

Ace stiffened and held you tighter. Your heart pounded in your chest as you waited for his response. The hand in your hair tangled into it to push your face into his neck, while the other hand clutched your hip.

After what felt like an eternity, he speaks quietly, “I’m not… mad about the baby either.”

Another silence falls over the room, one that you would break again, “Did you know that this could happen?”

This time, his answer was quick, “No.”

“So you don’t know what’s going to come next, do you?”

His arms tighten around you even more, “I don’t.”

The silence returned, though it felt much more tense and uncomfortable now. Your voice is just barely audible as you speak again, “I’m scared.”

“I… It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure something out. I’m here for you.”

Those words were what you had been needing to hear since the beginning. Finally, you feel relaxed enough to return his embrace and melt into him, soaking up his reassuring, albeit physically cold, presence. “I love you.”

Ace presses a kiss to the top of your head, “I love you more.”

For a while, you two take solace in each other’s companionship. That hadn’t gone exactly how you would have liked, but you feel happy with the current resolution, even if a lot is still up in the air. At least you know that Ace has your back no matter what.

Still, all the emotions that had burst within you earlier remained in there, bouncing around and making you feel antsy. You could stand to get some fresh air and walk it off. You squeeze Ace, then pull away a little. Even though you may not be able to see him, you know that he can see you perfectly.

“I think going for a walk would do me some good. I need some fresh air.”

“Oh… Yeah, of course,” Ace’s hold doesn’t loosen even a little bit. “We’ll go for a walk after the sun goes down.” With that, he pulls you back to him snugly. 

You sigh softly and squirm in his arms, “I meant now. The sunlight will probably be good for me.”

“But I won’t be able to go with you. Just wait.” His voice took on something of a stern edge.

“I’ve gone for plenty of walks by myself before, Ace. I won’t be gone long.”

Ace sighs deeply and keeps a firm grip on you. He speaks in a low tone, “Yeah, well last time you went for a walk, you weren’t carrying a half-vampire spawn in you. You’re done going for walks during the day or doing anything alone. I’m not risking a hunter finding you like this, especially not when I’ll be powerless to even follow you.”

While Ace being protective was hardly anything new, this was a lot even by his standards. “That’s a little extreme. I can’t just stay cooped up for months.”

“I don’t care if you think it’s extreme, this is just what we’re doing now.”

“But-”

Your face is abruptly grabbed and brought closer to Ace’s face. His nose brushes against yours as your cheeks are squished together. The chilled air of his breath fans out across your face as he speaks, “This is not up for debate. Drop it.”

“... Okay. I’m sorry. I’ll drop it.” The desire to plead your case was certainly burning within you, but you could tell that you weren’t going to make any headway with Ace today. You sigh in an exasperated manner as you’re pulled back into his embrace.

This has been a lot for him to take in in one day. You’re sure that he’ll calm down after everything has a chance to sink in. You just need to be patient. It’s not like he’s going to hold you hostage inside a camper for the entire duration of your pregnancy. He would never go that far… At least you hope.

[fazcadeemployee69]

"Trick or treat!"

(They're dressed as a ghost)

[fenicenera83]

De Romanus Coven Halloween Event:

DAY 1: Theme -> Vampires

1- Prompt-> Thirst/Claudia

[asktowa]

Cat? Cat!

Towa woke up from his nap in the Jabberwock fields like usual, but this time, something felt…different. He was a lot closer to the ground than he remembered. And why did he feel more mischievous than usual? Hold on, he had to check something real quick.

He lifted his arm. Squishy toe beans? Check!

He looked down at his tummy. Cute primordial pouch? Check!

He looked behind himself. Pretty fluffy tail? Check!

Yep. After meticulous research, it seemed he has turned into a cat.

Completely unbothered, Towa did a real big stretch, then trotted happily out of the safari park. He decided he was going to start causing problems on purpose, haha! No one can stop him now!!!

. . .But first he was going to chase this butterfly.

;hello towa cat is here for the time being ! feel free to interact with this lil kitty !!! ofc you can still interact with regular towa too, just gotta specify which one you’re talking to !! :3

[princess-of-the-corner]

Rena Rouge's face appears on the camera.

"Welcome to Team Miraculous' Annual Halloween Party!" Rena said.

"Murder, mystery, the macabre!" Tigress added.

"Spooky Scary Skeletons!" Pigella and Carapace began singing.

"Hallowed be thy ween!" Roi singe shouted.

Half the group snickered, half gave him a weary look.

"What?" he asked.

"Well," Chat Noir said. "At l;east things can't go as wrong as the last years parties."

An off-screen cackling breaks through. "Taint of newt and scum of pond! Thou shalt become the guise thou donned!"

.....

"You had to say something, didn't you?" Ladybug asked.

"You know the misfortune part of 'black cat' really comes out on this kinda day," Chat sighed.

"Didn't we just do this trope back at the convention?" Wolfhound asked.

"We did," Pegasus nodded. "But that fight didn't last long. Knowing this, it will last at least the day."

"Plus not all of us were there for that," Falun Feather said.

"I have a question," Capricorn began. "We're still in our Hero Costumes because of that 'costume fashion show' idea-"

"It would've been fun," Arashi said.

"But how are we going to be affected if we don't have costumes?" they asked.

"I can already feel Time Anomalies involved, so it's probably pulling from different universes.," Bunnyx said.

On cue, the Magic altered them. Each taking on more beastly appearances. Though their Hero costumes seemed to disappear, the Glamours are in place so no one can tell who they are.

[saitama-division]

Hypmic Halloween Shuffle Album Vol. 1

1. This Is Halloween

Performed By:

Sayaka “Rhopalocera” Miyuki

Shisuta “The Saint” Heisha

Kensaku “Dr. K Tone” Morimoto

Chinami “Oracle” Chinen

Sanyu “MC Rogue” Inouye

Anika “Rush Hour” Kiyozaki

Sakura “Renegade” Kito

Keiko “Mangaka” Yumi

Yuriko “Black Dahlia” Kuromiya

2. Horrorism

Performed By:

Yuuya “ARROW” Kanata

Ryūnosuke “Fist N Fury” Sekiguchi

Ryuko “Mista Z.B.” Umemoto

Issey “MC Nik3” Nishizawa

3. Pumpkin Patch Party

Performed By:

Sen “NIX”

Saigo “Tsukumogami” Fuyugami

Jack “Heed” Verrill

Iwao “TRIXT4R” Masuda

4. Tricks & Treats

Performed By:

Aiko “Aamon” Shinomiya

Masuzō “Malphas” Shinomiya

5. Alter Ego (Jekyll Solo)

6. Zombies Attack!

Performed By:

Criss “Paradox” Hiromi

Taria “Misfit” Chinen

Mina “Mina Murray” Nakayama

Kotono “Shiki” Ohara

Shian “Ready or Not” Meizono

Ming “Miss Ming” Kawanoe

Kureha “Eclipse” Koizumi

7. Spooky Spectacular

Performed By:

Yorii “Sireen” Sakuma

Elliot “MC Nanashi” Shimizu

Mai “Shuiro” Yousei

Daiki “PALADIN” Kamiyama

Atlas Kazanari

Asahi “SWEET-T” Tomoharu

8. Helter Spider

Performed By:

Kyō “Neptune” Sakuma

Takumi “GUTS” Wakaba

Karada “Nike” Kessaku

Rashaad “Straight Up” Young

9. Love to Die For

Performed By:

Yorii “Sireen” Sakuma

Zakari “Icarus” Hiroya

10. Strange Party Night (Paradox Solo)

@shinagawa-division @edogawa-division @toyama-division @suginami-division @uenodivision @aoyama-division @roppongi-division @okinawa-division @akihabara-division03 @akihabaradivision @setagaya-division @shizuokadivision @naradivision @naha-division @sapporo-division @oita-division @obihiro-division @sendaidivision @fukuokadivision1 @fukuokanodivision @ota-division @aichi-division @nagasaki-division

[chibiclem]

"Hetaween 2024 Day 1 : The boy and the skinwalker

@hetaween-event

Sypnosis : Younger America had been roaming all in what will be his territory, discovering innocently the wildest part of the North continent. But along with beauty, he had found some more sinister reality he could probably not comprehend fully at the time.

May be he forgot later about all the danger he had to face to stay alive...

(Fortunately, a certain Navajo personification intervene before things got ugly!)

*****

Hey there! Hetaween is such a huge help for inspiration to me, I really wanted to participate. Unfortunately, I could only do a few arts because i'm too busy being an adult and not being able to do it on time! (And discovering a new drawing app too is quite the changer) \;u;/

So for the first "prompt" it was about psychological horror, witches and bones. I've completely threw up the psychological part of it I guess haha!

I actually did 'serious' research about "Skinwalkers", which are some renegate sorcerers of Navajo's culture, able to change apparence into an animal (mainly coyote), having been ostricized because of their reprehensible behaviours ( like canibalism as an exemple).

But I could only found one serious study on internet : a thesis called "The (Mis)representation of the Navajo Skinwalker in Online Horror fiction", by Matt Vasek. There might be others not accessible in some historically and sociology library somewhere.

Anyway, skinwalkers are underrepresented in images, so I had to use coyote/wolf references to draw one. (I might put the links later if you're interested)

****

[shinagawa-division]

Babies' First Halloween!

“Today’s the daaaaay!”

“Yeah! It’s Halloween! We finally get to go outside!”

“Kasumi, stop pushing!”

“Jin-chan! You’re stepping on my cape!”

Miki Shino huffed and pouted as she and her siblings piled into the living room of their home, adjusting her dress and fixing the crown on her head, she joined them as Kasumi and Anjin were raving about finally getting out of the house and seeing the human world…officially, that is, without the threat of Mama and Papa grounding them for weeks.

Kasumi Shino kept pushing her witch hat up and away from her eyes, it was a tad too big but she insisted on wearing it, stating that she could always use it when her bag got too full of candy, her dress was practically the opposite of her older sister’s, gothic and in her favorite colors, black and purple, out of all of them, she had been the most excited about the holiday, not only was she going to finally see the outside world she was so curious of but today was the one night of the year that she could do her usual tricks and pranks and not get scolded for it, well, at least not too much.

Anjin Shino had wiped some fake blood on his face, the way he was grinning so wide was bordering on creepy despite his young age, his killer mask lay not too far from him. Much like his big sister, he too was excited to celebrate his first halloween, his costume was not too bad for a last minute change, he was originally going to be a prince to match his big sister Miki but had begged and pleaded with Uncle A.R.K. to take him shopping for a different costume, not wanting to be stuck wearing frills and bows for the whole night, he had no doubt that Kasumi would’ve made fun of him for looking so soft and gentle.

Heizou Shino was putting the final touches on his costume, fixing his cape and making sure his fangs were glued on securely, even grabbing some leftover blood Anjin had to wipe on his own face. Naturally, it was Kasumi’s idea to have him dress as something scary like a vampire but Heizou wanted to dress up his way instead of the horrifying creature that his older sister was thinking of. He made a scary face in the mirror before bursting into giggles, the infectious excitement was also getting to him, then again, he was always giddy to spend time with Mama, especially since she was going to spend the whole day and night with them and won’t have to leave early.

And finally, there was the oldest, Miki herself. To no one’s surprise, she had taken to dressing like a princess with the help of her mama and auntie Aiko, she had tried on dress after dress before settling on a pink and frilly one with lots of sparkles and cute bows, she remembered the squeals and compliments she got when making her decision and Miki had been eagerly waiting until today to finally wear her costume. It would’ve been perfect, had Kasumi not spray painted her once golden crown black because it was “too shiny” in her opinion, Papa had to put them separate rooms with how much they fought over that.

“I’m gonna get so much candy.” Anjin proudly boasted, holding up his large empty sack that he planned on filling to the brim by the end of the night.

Kasumi rolled her eyes and snickered. “You mean we are gonna get the most candy, chocolate, gummies, taffy, you name it! Siblings, tonight, we shall feast!” The child ended her speech by putting her hands in the air in triumph causing Anjin to do the same and chant “feast! feast! feast!”

Heizou clutched his own basket close to him and looked up in wonder. “What do you think Mama and Papa will be dressed as?”

Miki sat next to her little brother and beamed brightly. “I heard Mama talking about wearing matching costumes with Papa! I bet they’ll look so cute!” She gushed however, all her words did was make Heizou frown, eyes flashing with jealousy as he crossed his arms. “No fair…why does Papa get to dress up with Mama…”

Miki could only sigh and smile as she comforted her brother, “Hei-chan…”

“Who cares about that, the most important thing is that we get to see the human world! Isn’t that exciting?!” Kasumi butted in as she bounced on the couch, violet eyes twinkling in excitement and mischief at the opportunity to cause trouble.

“Yeah! It’s gonna be so different from Cyberspace and we get to see actual humans!” Like always, her partner in crime, Anjin was right behind her, the two of them gushed and theorized on what they might see once they get outside.

Miki couldn’t help but narrow her eyes at them, unamused. “You say this like you two don’t keep sneaking off to visit Mama, Papa, Uncle A.R.K., and Auntie Aiko all the time though, you guys seen more of the human world than the rest of us.”

Kasumi stuck out her tongue at her older sister, not at all deterred by her attempt to bring down her spirits. “That’s different though! Mama and Papa made us bodies that we can be in! So we get to see and feel everything instead of watching everything from a phone!”

Heizou perked up at that, his earlier sour mood immediately dissipated as he eagerly exclaimed, “We can see what Mama looks like as a human and give her lots of hugs!” He grinned.

Anjin cocked an eyebrow, confused. “What about Papa? We can do all that stuff with him too.” He questioned and Heizou looked at his little brother like he had sprouted cat ears out of nowhere. “Eh? Why would I do that?”

Miki, Kasumi, and Anjin just weirdly looked at Heizou as he continued to happily list off all the things he can do with his Mama and only his Mama, completely disregarding their Papa.

Miki gasped and jumped up from her seat on the couch as she had received a message from Papa saying that he and Mama were arriving soon. “Guys! Guys!” She exclaimed, grabbing her siblings attention as she waved her arms around. “They’re coming! Mama and Papa are almost here!”

That seemed to light a fire under the others as they immediately scrambled to get their things, bags, baskets, accessories, anything they needed to take with them to the outside world.

— Later —

The place was dark when Malphas and A.D.A. opened the door to their home, after flipping on the lights, they were confused to see that the living room was completely empty. The married couple thought for sure that they would be bombarded with four hyperactive children demanding and pushing them to “let’s go already!”

At first they panicked a little, thinking that the kids had left without them or, god forbid, someone had broken into the house and took them. They were about to go on a rampage until Malphas had caught sight of a trail of…webs leading to one of the bedrooms. He grabbed A.D.A.’s attention and the two of them shared a look before smiling fondly at each other, their children were just too adorable for their own good.

Malphas placed a finger to his lips, signaling that they need to stay quiet as he and A.D.A. follow the web trail all the way to the bedroom. Grabbing and twisting the doorknob, the parents swung the door open, ready and prepared to face what was surely a juvenile jumpscare from their precious babies but was taken off guard by how empty the room was, no traces of small children anywhere.

“What-“ Malphas started but was quickly cut off by a war cry from above.

“Now!”

Before either mother or father could react, a giant web had came down upon them, trapping them in a cage of silk. Of course, there was no real damage, sure the web was long but it didn’t have the strength or stickiness that a full grown spider hybrid would have, Malphas and A.D.A. could easily climb out of it but they were too distracted by a choir of laughter coming from above.

Sure enough, as they looked up, they finally found their children all dressed up and hanging from the ceiling, except for Kasumi who was being held by Miki. They all had huge smiles on their faces, feeling proud for having successfully pranked Mama and Papa before they lowered themselves back down to the ground and the four of them made a scary pose (which was honestly more cute than terrifying) before simultaneously cheering.

"Happy Halloween!"

@edogawa-division

[rollinouttahere-writes]

Yandere Frankenstein's Creature Zoro x blind baker reader

The amount of yearning in my heart while writing this was unreal. Oh, to be a humble baker in a cozy cottage with a misunderstood monster husband. I will probably come back to this to add more later.

Blind Faith

Frankenstein's Creature Zoro x Blind GN Reader

6k words

Summary: Life as a lone baker is difficult, but you luck out one morning when a stranger offers to do some work for you in exchange for food. Set in 1820's America.

Warnings: yandere if you squint but Zoro is subtle so it largely flies under the radar from reader's perspective, mentions of serious illness and death common to the era

Like many mornings, the sensation of sunlight filtering in through the windows and warming your face was what stirred you from your sleep. For a moment, you bask in the warmth of it while nestling deeper into your quilts as the crisp autumn air nips at your nose. You take a deep breath, then force yourself to rise from your bed. If you were going to get anything accomplished today, you needed to get up and get the fire going in the beehive oven outside now.

Before even attempting to get yourself readied for the day, you trudge outside to start the fire. Wind blows through your hair and whips at your clothes. It’s got some force behind it, but not to the point of being a hindrance. The path to the oven has long since been memorized, and your hand instinctively reaches for where the handle to the iron door is and pulls it open. You stick your hand in, and you’re happy to find that the embers are still warm. With any luck, you’ll be able to rekindle the fire and save yourself at least one hassle this morning. 

You hurry back to the cottage and feel around for the tools you’ll need. Your fingers brush over the bellow and poker and latch onto them. You exit your home, stopping briefly at the porch to grab an armful of firewood. Much to your chagrin, you’re reminded of how low your firewood supply has gotten when you’re forced to crouch all the way down to even feel any. You need to chop some more, but you’ll worry about that later.

Once you’re back at the oven, you push in one log, then stir the coals and embers with your poker, listening closely as they crackle gently. You drop the poker and switch to using the bellow to feed the embers the precious air that they crave. They pop and crackle louder, and you can feel more heat coming out of the oven. Then, finally, you can smell the wood burning. You load the rest of the logs into the oven one by one, prodding the coals and wood to encourage the fire to spread until a strong wave of heat is emitting from the opening. Satisfied that the fire will be able to keep itself going on its own now, you close the door and head back inside.

A similar process is repeated indoors with your fireplace, and after you have both fires taken care of, you finally focus on getting yourself ready for the day. While you fasten on your clothing, you go through a mental list of tasks that need to be done. While you wait for the oven to warm, you’ll have to get the bread dough prepared now so that it’s properly risen by the time it’s hot enough. Before that, you need to fetch some water from the nearby stream. Then you’ll tend to the chickens and cows outside. At some point today you’ll need to find the time to chop firewood, but you have no idea where exactly such time is hiding. So much to do, so little time, and absolutely no help.

You’re startled from your thoughts by a loud, firm knocking at your door. It gives you pause. The townsfolk knew that you wouldn’t have anything ready for them so early. When everything was done, you would load it into a cart to sell it in the town square, so you had no idea why someone would be here now, or frankly, at all.

Another series of knocks rings out from the front door, this time pushing you into action. You go to the door, a short trip given the small size of your cottage, wondering who could be here and for what purpose. You pull open the door, ready to greet them, only for whoever is outside to grab the handle and close the door again. For a moment, you’re stunned into silence from the unusual action. Before you can ask what on earth they hope to accomplish by shutting your own door in your face, your visitor speaks through the door.

“Don’t come out. Just listen to me.” The voice is deep and masculine. Based on how high up his voice is coming from, you can tell that this man must be awfully tall.

The request is odd, but you choose to indulge him. “Very well… Might I ask what you’re here for? I just awoke, I don’t have anything baked yet.”

“I saw you outside just now. I can see that you’re low on firewood, and I was hoping you might be willing to trade me food in turn for me chopping wood for you.”

His offer comes as a relief to you. What a perfect occurrence this was! Now you wouldn’t be fighting to make the time to do this task yourself. While you didn’t have the money to pay someone for such work, you could easily spare some food for this stranger.

“It doesn’t have to be much, I’ll take table scraps. Anything. Please consider my offer.” The man’s tone took on a hint of desperation this time around, making you feel a twinge of guilt in your heart for causing him unnecessary stress.

“Oh, no, I couldn’t just give you scraps. I’ll make sure you have a proper meal and then some if you would do that for me.” You’re quick to assure him, not wanting him to think that you would be so unappreciative of his generous offer.

A sigh of relief comes through the door, followed by a dull thud from the top of the door, “Thank you, I promise you that I’ll cut as much firewood as you could possibly need. I just have one more request to make.”

“What would that be?”

The once desperate and wary manner of speech is gone, and has become much more stern, “You need to stay inside until I’m done, and you can’t look out the windows either.” 

For a moment, you’re left speechless by his request, but you quickly find your voice, “I apologize, but I simply can’t abide by that. I have duties today that require for me to be outside. I-”

He cuts you off, now sounding frantic, “I’ll do those for you, too. Just tell me what to do.” 

“Why are you so insistent on this? I can assure you that I won’t get in your way.” As much as you want to accept his help, his behavior was rapidly becoming ridiculous. 

“You can’t look at me. I won’t do this for you if you see me.”

Again, you pause. Then you laugh. “Well, if that’s all you’re concerned of, then you can rest your heart.” You chuckle again and take his silence as your cue to keep talking, “You must not be from around here.”

“I… I’m not. I don’t understand what that has to do with anything.”

Rather than using your words, you take advantage of his guard being down to wrench the door open. You can hear him stumble and catch himself on the doorway. The wood of the porch and door creak loudly under his weight, and you can hear his breathing stop as he freezes in place. You face where you believe his face to be, hoping that you’re “looking” at him.

“It does have something to do with this conversation. If all that you’re fretting over is being seen, then you have nothing to fear from me. I am quite blind, as you -and only you- can see.”

You stand in the doorway, giving him a chance to take in what you said. You can tell that he’s very close to you now, likely hanging over you. Not only can you feel his body heat radiating off of him, but your senses are flooded by his scent. Overwhelmingly, he smelled like musk and sweat, as if he had just finished a long, laborious day of work. Alongside that, his smell reminded you of the woods. Earthy, but also carrying the distinct smell of moss. Under all that was a much shaper, less natural scent. It stung your nose and tickled the back of your throat like a potent alcohol, but stronger. 

After a few seconds of silence between you two, you can feel the rush of air in front of your face, presumably from him waving his hand in front of it. A few more seconds passed, and you heard him quietly mumble, “You can’t see me…” It’s said as a statement rather than a question, but you nod in confirmation anyway.

Wood creaks again, and suddenly his voice is closer, now coming from above your head, “And it’s just you here?”

“That is correct. I’m not quite sure what it is you’re trying to hide by not being seen, but I can promise you that your secret is safe with me.” You make an effort to keep your voice jovial, not wanting to give this anxious man any reason to be doubtful or wary of you. You hold out your hand in front of you, “Now then, do we have a deal? Firewood for food?”

There is a moment of silence, then a surprisingly large hand encases yours. It’s rough and calloused, and you’re certain that you can feel scar tissue on it. His voice is quiet, “Yes, we have a deal.” He shakes your hand, and you find it to be a remarkably gentle handshake given his apparent size. It feels like he could easily shake your entire self with one hand if he so pleased, but he doesn’t. He releases you, and you can hear the doorframe groan as he pushes himself off of it, “I’ll get started on it now.”

“Wait,” Your hand blindly juts out to grab onto him, this time landing on his wrist. Your fingers ghost over what feels like even more scar tissue, and you briefly wonder if that is what he was so worried about being seen. You can’t be sure, but you figure it’s best not to call attention to it, so you continue, “I would like to know the name of the man helping me.”

“You… want to know my name?” The way he says it makes it seem like this is the first time he’s ever been asked for his name. You nod, gently encouraging him to share it. He pauses for reasons unknown to you, then speaks again, “Zoro… you can call me that.”

“Very well. Thank you, Zoro. Your help couldn’t have come at a better time. The ax is in the shed over where the chickens are. I need to go fetch some water now, but I’ll be around after that if you require any help.” With that said, you grab the pails by the door and slip past him to go to the stream.

The path to the stream has long since been memorized. As a child, you would tag along with whichever member of your family was sent to gather water that day. You even had your own much smaller pail to bring with back then so that you could participate. There were plenty of days where you would come back with an almost -and sometimes fully- empty bucket because you shook it about too much while walking, or because you tripped over an object you couldn’t see coming. Fortunately, you’ve gotten much better at keeping steady and catching yourself when you stumble over the years.

Insects and birds chatter and sing around you as you go deeper into the forested area behind your family’s home, and before long, you can hear the bubbling rush of water coming from the stream. You close in on it, taking smaller, more cautious steps to ensure you don’t walk past the bank and into the water. Once the ground becomes more soft and unsteady, you know that you’re close enough and hold out a pail while bending down, allowing the water to flow into it. You set the first one on the bank next to you, then fill the next. As soon as they’re both filled, you pick up one in each hand and begin the walk back home. The buckets are heavy now, but at least you don’t have far to go.

By the time you’re out of the woods, you can hear the familiar sound of wood splitting as an ax cuts through it. It’s quite nice to only be listening to such an act rather than doing it yourself for once. You’ve been alone for a few years now ever since your father passed from consumption. Your mother had died years prior after letting herself waste away when your youngest sibling suffered a fatal bout of scarlet fever. Your remaining siblings had filtered out one by one, searching for better opportunities elsewhere. While you missed them terribly, you couldn’t bring yourself to resent them for leaving. Life as a humble baker was a meager existence. Your father would often go to the city for long periods of time to work industrial jobs just to make ends meet while your mother baked for the town.

Your brothers and sisters tried to convince you to join them, no doubt fretting over how you would handle life on your own considering your condition, but you’re nothing if not resilient. Your parents taught you well how to survive on your own, and the local townsfolk are kind enough to help you with the odd task that does absolutely require sight.

From the sound of it, Zoro is doing just fine on his own, so you leave him be and go inside your home. The pails of water are left by the front door, and you go into the kitchen area to gather everything you’ll need to make bread. The oven outside still needs a couple of hours to reach the proper temperature, but the house is cold this time of year, so the dough will need extra time to rise. 

Using a small bowl, you scoop out what feels like the appropriate amount of water for your task, then set it in the hot embers in the fireplace to warm up so the yeast will be able to thrive in it. While the water warms, you slip back outside to toss some more logs into the oven. You crouch down to grab the few remaining logs that should still be there from this morning, but you’re surprised to find the pile noticeably higher than you remembered it being. Had you missed some, or had Zoro really made this much progress in such a short time? You feel around a bit more, and sure enough, the log store is half full.

Well then. He’s certainly earning his meal. You’ll have to get started on his food as soon as the bread dough is taken care of at the rate he’s going. 

Realizing that you’re working against the clock, you make quick work of hauling an armful of logs to the oven and pushing them inside. Once you’re back indoors, you mix together the flour and salt for the bread, then check the temperature of the water. Finding it suitable, you mix in sugar and yeast and leave it to activate. While it’s doing that, you make your way down to the cellar to grab some vegetables and meat. The cold air of the cellar chills you, prompting you to pull your clothes around you tighter. You use your apron to hold the vegetables you’ll need, then open the cask you had recently stored some brined meat in. 

While you don’t know what Zoro’s tastes are when it comes to food, you assume he can’t be picky if he was begging for scraps. You think he’ll appreciate a hearty venison pie after working so hard.

You exit the cellar, and you’re about to go back inside when you hear your chickens milling about and clucking. You curse internally and rush into the house to drop the ingredients on the table. The surprise of Zoro’s arrival completely threw you off your usual schedule and your duties to the farm animals slipped your mind. You feel around for the bucket containing yesterday’s scraps, then make haste to the chicken coop. While the chickens primarily forage for their own food by eating the weeds and insects on the property, you know that they enjoy the scraps.

The chickens crowd around you as soon as they see the bucket, clucking excitedly and pecking at your shoes and clothes in what you’re going to assume is an expression of affection rather than impatience. You turn over the bucket and scatter its contents as best you can, instantly making the birds disperse so they can get their fill. While they’re happily eating, you open the panels on the coop to gather any eggs laid since you last checked and place them in the now empty bucket. There weren’t that many eggs today, but you have plenty in the home already, so it’s hardly a problem.

Once the chickens are tended to, you go over to the barn housing your cattle. They’re largely fed by grazing in the pasture, only being supplemented with hay during the winter. All that you need to do pressingly is let them out into the pasture. You’ll have to come out and milk the lactating cows later because they most certainly won’t let you do that until after they’ve had a chance to graze.

Climbing over the fence is an easy task for you after years of repetition. The bucket is left on the other side, and you find your way to the barn doors and unlatch them, allowing them to swing open. The cattle waste no time and exit the barn, lowing quietly as they walk past you with little acknowledgment. At least until you feel something bump against your stomach with some force. Enough to make you sway, but not so much as to lose your footing. You chuckle and reach down to pet the excitable calf.

“Good morning. Is this your way of telling me that I took too long?” You scratch the calf’s head as it moos and bumps against you repeatedly. You only had three calves this spring, but this one by far was the most friendly. She always stops to try and get you to play with her before catching up with her mother after.

She nudges you a few more times before running off to either find her mother or try to get the other calves to play. You leave the pasture and walk along the fence until you can find the bucket, then finally head back to your cottage to resume your baking. The shortest path back takes you past the stump where you usually cut firewood, and you can clearly hear Zoro continuing to plug away at the task.

As you draw near, you call out to your helper, “Is everything going well out here?”

The consistent chopping ceases. His breathing is labored, and he takes a moment to catch his breath before answering, “Yes, everything is fine.”

“That’s lovely. I really appreciate what you’re doing for me. It’s hard to make time to do this myself.” You continue walking until you’re roughly in front of him. “I hope you like venison, I’m making a pie for you.”

You can hear his hands tighten around the wooden handle of the ax. “You… You’re making a pie? For me?”

His surprise confuses you. “Of course. That was our deal, was it not? You’re chopping my firewood, and I’m making you a meal.”

Zoro falls silent as he seemingly takes the time to mull over your words, then vocalizes why he was surprised, “I didn’t think you were going to make me something. I had expected to be given raw ingredients at best.”

“What kind of baker do you take me for?” Your hands settle on your hips and you huff indignantly. “I’m already making food as it is, why wouldn’t I take the time to make something for you?”

Grass crunches under his feet as he shifts between them, “I don’t have an answer for that. Sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you.”

The genuine confusion and remorse in his voice gives you pause and tugs at your heart. Just what has he been through to be so cynical towards people? You sigh and shift the bucket of eggs to your other hand, “Don’t apologize, I’m not truly upset.” You reach out and wave your hand around until it finds purchase on his arm, “I’m going to provide you a hot meal in exchange for your help. Not ingredients, nor table scraps, a meal. It will take some time for everything to be ready, but you’re welcome to come inside once you’re done out here until it’s finished, then we can eat.”

“We? You want to eat… together?” 

“Yes? I don’t see why not. Unless you have somewhere you need to be, in which case I’m more than willing to let you take it with you so long as you bring the dishes back.” You hadn’t even considered that he may have other commitments to tend to.

For once, his answer comes quickly. His voice is almost bashful, “No! I mean, no. I have nowhere else to be. I want to eat here if you’ll let me.”

“Of course I will. I wouldn’t have offered if I didn't really want to. I look forward to you joining me for dinner.”

Zoro says something else just above a whisper, though you can’t quite decipher it. He clears his throat, then speaks at a more audible level, “Yes. I look forward to it as well.” You can hear the scrape of wood being placed on the stump to cut it and take that as your sign to leave him be, and the chopping of wood resumes shortly thereafter. 

It’ll take a few hours for all of the food to be prepared, so you get started right away. The bread dough is mixed together and set on the mantle of the fireplace to rise. After that, you prepare some pie and tart crusts, then focus on prepping the various fillings for them. Most of the fillings were fruit based, but then you also had to prepare the venison pie separately. 

A three-legged spider pan is set by the fire with some lard in it to warm up, and you fill a pot with water and potatoes and hang it over the fire with the pot crane. While waiting for the pan to warm and the water to boil, you clean and chop everything you need for the filling. Onions, parsnips, carrots, mushroom, and venison are all mixed together and seasoned in a bowl, then poured into the now sizzling pan with some beef stock. As it all cooks, your mouth waters from the onslaught of delicious smells within your house.

After a few minutes of searing the vegetables and meat, you remove the pan from the fire and scrape its contents back into the bowl. The filling is then poured into an empty pie tin and covered with the remaining crust. You carry it back to the fireplace and set your dutch oven over some hot coals before placing the pie inside. The lid is put in place and covered with additional coals and embers, and you leave it be to bake. Normally, you would use the beehive oven outside to bake your pies, but you chose to use the dutch oven today since the other one will likely be too full when everything else is set inside.

Once everything that you planned to sell was prepared, you begin carrying it out to the oven. The loaves of bread went in first, followed by the pies, and then the small tarts. Fire licks at your hands as you push everything in with your peel, but your skin has long since grown accustomed to such heat. You finish loading the oven and close the hatch.

You take a moment to listen to your surroundings and find that you can’t hear Zoro chopping wood anymore, so he’s likely finished by now. Dinner should be completed soon, so that works out well. You go over to where the log store is and stick your hands in to see how much wood he cut only to find it overflowing. Not only is it filled to the brim, you can feel logs placed on top of as well as around it. You had heard him coming and going to the log store while you were inside, but you hadn’t realized just how much it had added up until now. You’re beginning to question if one meal truly suffices for this much work. Perhaps you’ll let him take an additional fruit pie as well.

It’s unclear where exactly he is presently, but you’re sure he’ll make himself known sooner rather than later. In the meantime, you return to your kitchen to put the finishing touches on the meal. The pot containing the potatoes is drained and you set to work mashing them with some butter, salt, and pepper.

Heavy footsteps approach the cottage, stalling momentarily before climbing up the stairs. There’s a knock on the door, much softer now than it was this morning.

“Just let yourself in!” You call out over your shoulder.

There is some hesitation from Zoro, then the door is pushed open and he steps inside. The door falls shut behind him, and he remains close to it, not yet venturing into the small home. He’s an awfully sheepish man, you’ve noticed.

“Go ahead and sit at the table, dinner is almost ready.” The potatoes feel consistently mashed by now, so you switch out the masher for a serving spoon and walk over to the table to set it down.

Floorboards groan under each step he takes as he accepts your invitation to sit down. The legs of the chair scrape across the floor as he pulls it out, then sits down. You fetch some plates, mugs, and silverware to set the table with. Zoro remains silent as you get everything in place, so you decide to make an effort to converse with him, “Thank you for taking care of the firewood for me. I ought to be set for a while now.”

“It was nothing…” Zoro’s voice is quiet and somewhat tense.

“Oh, hush. You did a great deal of work for me, take credit for it.” You reach out to pat his shoulder reassuringly. Unfortunately, you failed to take his seemingly staggering height into account. Your fingers brushed against his chest, missing his shoulder by a wide margin. It would be polite to readjust and move your hand, but you’re struck by something. “You’re not wearing a shirt. Aren’t you cold?” Winter may not be upon you yet, but the autumn air was already quite chilly.

Zoro shifts in his seat, prompting you to pull your hand back. His fingers drum against the table as he answers your question, “Don’t have one.”

“You don’t have a single shirt? Oh, that won’t do at all, you’ll catch your death out there. One moment.” You excuse yourself to the other side of the cottage. Your home is one single large room. The kitchen that doubles as a living area is on the side closest to the door, while a couple of beds are pressed up against the wall on the other side. When the house was still full, your parents slept in one while you and all your siblings piled into the other. Now it was just you sleeping in your siblings’ shared bed while your parents’ bed was left empty.

Your father’s old clothes were stored under his bed. You crouch down and feel around until you can feel the basket they’re stored in. It’s pulled out, and you rummage through the clothes until your fingers skim over the coarse wool of your father’s shirt. You pull it out and run your hands over the article to confirm that it is indeed the one you were looking for. Nostalgic memories of clutching your father’s clothes while he carried you to and fro as a child flooded your mind, though you’re quick to dismiss them. Your guest is cold and you would hate to keep him waiting.

The basket is kicked back under the bed as you return to Zoro’s side and present him with the shirt. “Here, try this on. My father wasn’t quite as sturdy as you, but I’m hopeful that it will suit you.”

His hands brush yours as he takes it from you. The fabric rustles quietly as he pulls it on. After a moment, you hear him murmur to himself, “It’s warm…”

“So it fits? I’m relieved to hear that. You’re welcome to keep it.”

“You are okay with that?” There is an element of surprise to his voice.

“I am. I’m sure my father would have wanted his old clothes to find further use. It is yours to keep.” You place your hand on his shoulder, successfully this time, and squeeze it gently. The fabric of the shirt is taut on his frame, but you assume it must fit at least somewhat comfortably if he wants to keep it.

You release his shoulder and go over to the fireplace. The venison pie should be ready by now, and you don’t want to make him go hungry any longer than necessary. You use a hook to pull the lid off the dutch oven, then pull the pie out after covering your hands with rags. The pie is placed at the approximate center of the table. “I’ll get us something to drink, and then we can eat.”

The plot of land your family owns is rife with apple trees, so you’re never lacking in apple cider. You grab one of the bottles of alcohol from the cupboard, as well as something to cut the pie with, then return to the table. You feel for the mugs, then pour a generous serving into each. The plates are loaded with food next, with Zoro’s portion being particularly large after how hard he worked today. You set his plate in front of him, then sit down across from him with your own.

In the time it took you to sit down, he had already begun to eat. The speed with which his utensils scrape against his plate indicates to you that he was absolutely ravenous, as well as seemingly unbothered by how hot the food may still be. You eat your meal at a slower pace, enjoying the savory pie and potatoes. Making conversation now feels like it would be a wasted effort. Zoro is clearly not going to want to entertain one while he’s eating like a starved man.

As the scrapes and sound of chewing slow, then eventually stop, you speak up, “Was it to your liking?” The question is asked half in jest. Partially because he ate it in what felt like seconds, but mostly because you’re fairly certain that he hardly had a chance to taste any of it.

“That was the best thing I’ve ever tasted.”

The genuinity of the statement strikes your heart and warms it. A smile tugs at your lips. This was far from your first compliment on your food given your profession, but the sheer conviction and reverence in his voice made it feel different. You swallow your food, then respond, “I’m glad. You’re welcome to seconds if you’re still hungry.”

Much to your relief, he forgoes questioning you for once and simply helps himself to more. You can hear him resume eating again, though at a significantly less frantic pace. After a moment, Zoro clears his throat, “I wanted to ask something of you.”

“Yes? Is there something you need?” It’s relieving that he’s finally starting to be more forthcoming after getting some food in him.

“I… I don’t have anywhere to stay. I was wondering if you would allow me to sleep in the shed. I’ll work for it. I can do whatever you need me to do. I’ll cut as much firewood as you could ever need, I’ll hunt for you, do chores for you, anything.”

“The shed? Surely you noticed the hole in the roof.” You can’t see, but even you can feel the elements coming through where the roof caved in at.

“I won’t complain. Please… Please consider it. I swear on my life that I won’t burden you. I’ll stay out of your way.”

All that you can do is balk at his request. To be so desperate and destitute that you would plead and beg just to sleep in a dilapidated shed is a level of poverty that even your poor family hadn’t known. “I can’t in good conscience let you sleep in the shed.”

His protest comes immediately, laced with pain and desperation, “Please-”

“There is an empty bed in the home. If you’re willing to bunk with a stranger, I would allow you to stay here.”

The room falls silent, and then his voice shakes as he speaks again, “You’ll let me stay in your home? In a bed?” From the way he utters the words, you almost wonder if he’s never been permitted to sleep in a bed before. Your mind whirls with questions as to how such circumstances could occur, but you quickly realize that this moment isn’t suitable for such pondering. Zoro needs an answer, and it would be cruel, in your opinion, to make him wait for it.

“I recognize that it is unusual to offer this to a stranger, but you’ve been mild mannered thus far. That, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t struggling to maintain everything around here on my own ever since my siblings left. Your help would be deeply appreciated if this arrangement is truly what you want.” You’re certain that your siblings would have a conniption if they were aware of the deal you’re making right now, but they aren’t here. The only interaction you have with them anymore is when you get one of your customers to read aloud the letters they send you. It’s unlikely that they’ll ever even know of him.

Both of your hands are abruptly encased in two much larger hands. Zoro clutches your hands like a lifeline, “That is what I want. I’ll be in your debt if you allow it.”

“There’s no need for such dramatic language. It’s hardly a debt if you’re working for your stay.” You gently squeeze his hand back.

“You don’t understand what exactly you’re doing for me… it means more than you know.”

“Then I suppose we have a deal, don’t we?”

Zoro lets out a shuddering breath as his grasp on your hands loosens, “Thank you. You won’t regret this.” He relinquishes your hands fully, and his chair creaks as he settles back into it.

Dinner resumes in a comfortable silence. This is certainly an interesting change in your life, but you have faith in this person. Zoro seems like an earnest man who has faced more than his share of strife, but you think that he’ll fit in well around here. He’s definitely most skittish about being seen, but you’re hopeful that as time goes by and he becomes more comfortable that you’ll be able to introduce him to the locals. You think the socialization would do him some good.

But, that will come at a later date. The excursion you’ll make into town after dinner to sell today’s goods will have to be a solo trip, but that’s fine. You’ve done such a task more times than you can count. The only difference today is that you’ll have someone to come home to. For now, you choose to focus on your new company and feel thankful for the positive change that you’re confident he will bring to it.

[fazcadeemployee69]

"Trick or Treat?"

the tall figure looks down at you, its gaze curious.

[its literally a void monster (no dsaf ref here) so um]

[ Candy obtained! ×1 ]

I'm not quite sure if its a good idea to eat this one...

[akihabaradivision]

Happy Halloween! 🎃

Keiko - Queen Sevada

"Hi there! You like my Halloween costume? I'm cosplaying as another character from my manga, Queen Sevada of the Hilaterra Kingdom. Truthfully, she was only supposed to be a minor character that appeared only a few times, but... I wasn't expecting her to be so popular! I'd thought her daughter would be more acceptable, but people seem to dislike her, for some reason. I wonder why... Anyway, I made some treats for Halloween for you to enjoy. Take some, and have a good night!

You received a treat!

Golden Crunch. These sweet, soft pieces of sponge toffee are honey-flavored, making you hum in delight. You wonder if you can't convince Keiko to give you the recipe for it so you can enjoy these again in the future...

Criss - Wandering Spirit

"...Oh? What's that? I hear... voices? ...A visitor? What are... you doing here? Are you another treasure hunter, here to try to make off with my family's gold like all the others? If so, I'll warn you now, I won... oh, you're not? Then... what did you...? ...You... you wish to speak to me? But... why? ...You find me interesting? Well, that's nice! Okay, we talk some more. But first, I want you to have this for being such a good friend!"

You received a treat!

Ectoplasm Jelly. Although you're a little hesitant to put it in your mouth, it turns out this "ectoplasm" is really just sour jellies that make your face pucker up as you suck on it.

Nikki - Alien

"...Hmm? Oh, hey. ...Yeah, I'm dressed as an alien, or an extraterrestrial life form, if you want to be specific. I've always been fascinated by outer space and the secrets it holds. Many people think I'm weird or dumb for believing in aliens, but... well, I don't think I need to tell you what I think of those people. I mean, with how wide the universe is, whose to say there aren't aliens out there? But whatever. Anyway, here. I've my fill of sugar for one night. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going back to looking at the stars through my telescope."

You received a treat!

Cosmic Clusters. These "clusters" are small pieces of milk chocolate filled with peanuts, nougat, and caramel that do taste pretty "out of this world".

[asktowa]

luna was walking through the fields of jabberwock she had not seen Towa in a while which was strange because normally she saw him everywhere so she came to jabberwock to look for him "Towa are you here, where the hell is he normally he's easy to find"

@/investigator-luna

((I want cat Towa give him to me))

Towa was chilling in a tree taking a nice little cat nap when he heard the voice of his beloved Dandelion calling out to him. He instantly perked up and scrambled to get out of the tree, nearly falling flat on his face before he darted towards his favorite girl.

“~~~ ♪ !!!” He meowed brokenly to get her attention and began to rub against her legs when he caught up to her.

@investigator-luna

[princess-of-the-corner]

Ask HC: What did you all turn into?

Ladybug: "Uh. Hm. Guessing by the horns, wings, and tail that I'm some sort of Demon? Would be more freaked out if we didn't already get the 'demons aren't all evil' speech from Guy."

Chat: "Some kind of cat creature, but I feel like there's more to it."

Rena: "Well a fox, but I have two tails so.... probably a kitsune?"

Carapace: "Yeah the white wings and glowing halo are a touch on the nose. Pretty sure I'm not dead though?"

Honeybee: "To be honest other than craving hands apparently I haven't noticed any changes? I think my teeth are bigger though."

Petite Souris: "I.... some kind of giant bird, I think?"

Minotaurox: "Surprisingly not following my Hero Name, but my depth perception is trashed."

Tigress: "Hm. I'm thinking some kind of merfolk?"

Viperion: "Sirens. We have the fancier fins. Please refrain from singing."

Bunnyx: "Yeah the lion ears and tail plus wings? I've been in the museum long enough to know how the Sphinx works."

Arashi: "And as we have seen the Dragon Witch many times, I am aware of what Dragons look like in their 'midform' as well."

Pegasus: "I.... I think I died? I have concerns about going back to normal...."

Capricorn: "Well no one's looking at me directly, but I'm not dead? I think I'm just invisible."

Wolfhound: "Uh. Hm. I'd say 'Demon' thanks to the features, but I don't think it'd make me the same thing Ladybug is?"

Pigellla: *mad cackling as she notices the single horn and set of pony ears on her head*

Talon: "Huh. I think we're in a 'werewolf but there's no Full Moon' situation? I have the furry stuff."

[minato-division01]

Happy Halloween! 🎃

Nadya - Mad Scientist

"...Once again, I am forced by my colleague, Aika, to participate in this inane and idiotic tradition of dressing up for this equally inane holiday. I told my shameless friend I'd dress up, but not to expect much from my "costume". Truthfully, what I'm wearing now is no different than my regular attire. It just lacks less... blood. But I digress. Now take this and begone from my lab, unless you fancy as being my next test subject."

You received a treat!

Eyeball Gumballs. At first, you nearly scream in shock as you are given what looks like a real human eyeball. But upon closer inspection, it turns out to just be a somewhat hard piece of gum candy decorated to look like an eyeball. ...Thank goodness.

Meari - Vampyr

"What up, bitches?! You here to gawk at my costume, or what? Truthfully, this is somewhat similar to an outfit I'm going to be wearing in my band's next music video, 'Bloodsucker', which is obviously about a vampire. Of course, if you were a true fan of my band's music, I wouldn't need to explain to you what the fuck its all about. But, like the Doc, I know not all of us can be true connoisseurs of good music. But anyway, here. I guess you can have this. Now, get lost, unless you fancy this vampire to bleed you dry..."

You received a treat!

Nocturnal Bites. These are just pieces of dark chocolate molded in the shape of bats. Although normally dark chocolate can tastes pretty bitter, the fact that they're from a heavy metal star makes them taste pretty good.

Aika - Succubus

"...Knock knock. ...Hello there, love! Do you mind if I enter your dreams tonight? ...What's wrong? Scared? Oh no, please don't be afraid. In here, you are the master. Me, I'm little more than your servant. No, your slave. I'm made to obey and do whatever it is you desire of me. I will never judge you or be upset about any request you give. My sole purpose is simply to fulfill all your hidden fantasies. ...You wish to partake of my body? Of course! But first... please take this treat I've brought with me. ...What is it you ask? Nothing, really. Just something to ensure that the dream you're in never ends..."

You received a treat!

Temptation Treats. Different-flavored chocolate truffles filled with a strawberry filling. As you bite into one, you feel tired all of a sudden, and feel like you'd never want to wake up from the mesmerizing dream...

Special thanks to @saitama-division for the girls' Halloween outfits!

[nakanodivision]

Happy Halloween from BittaSweetz

“Well, well, don’t we look CUTE this year! I seriously lucked out when choosing our costumes this year, I’m like, such a genius!”

“ Tons of people go as kitsunes every year, Ririko, I don’t think we’re all that special. *yawns* Seriously, why does all the fun stuff have to be at night? I still have class tomorrow..”

“ Well, I personally think that Ririko - senpai’s idea was wonderful! I mean, it wasn’t an easy task making ears and tails for the three of us, but I’m glad that I chose to make them! Some of the other ones online were..for lack of a better word, tacky, hehe..”

“Riiight? Plus, all my followers REALLY seemed to like this year’s Halloween post! Just look at all those likes!! I’m like, getting my fifteen minutes of fame here, girls!”

“Ririko, you’re a country-wide superstar, of course you’re gonna get a couple of thousand likes on a Halloween post- Ah, look what we have here..”

“A visitor! Good evening, and Happy Halloween! As you can see, the three of us have decided to dress as kitsune this year.”

“Yeah, like, almost every division is doing group costumes this year, so I thought it’d be cute to hop on the trend! Ah, I almost forgot, the candy! Here, have your pick of the pile!☆~”

You received a treat!

Gummy Masks: Cherry - flavored gummies that resemble the traditional fox mask. When bitten into, you’d notice the jelly filling inside each gummy, leaving you with an almost cinnamon- like aftertaste in your mouth.

“Man, I worked hard on the candies this year, so you better enjoy it. Or..not, I can’t really control your preferences.”

You received a treat!

White Chocolate Tails: Nuggets of White Chocolate shaped into fox tails. The chocolate has a milky, soft texture that almost melts in your mouth, and you can tell that there was plenty of blood, sweat and tears put into each piece.

“I bought these sweets from the best confectionery I could find in Nakano, so I do hope you enjoy these thoroughly. May you have a happy Halloween!”

You received a treat!

Red Bean Wagashi : A traditional wagashi with a red bean paste filling. The mild flavor mixed with the soft , sweet outside layer of the treat make it perfect for those who aren’t all that adamant of overly sweet things.

[saitama-division]

Attention Everyone!

As I’m sure you all are aware right now, it is October! Which means that Halloween is right around the corner! Much like last year, I am here to announce that if you are planning to participate in this year’s Halloween event, you have approximately 16 days to prepare your costumes and what different types of treats (or tricks if you’re feeling particularly mischievous this year) to hand out. I will also be notifying everyone a week before the event starts as a final warning.

Now, in case this is your first time joining in or if you need a refresher about what the Hypmic OC Halloween Event is about, it is basically just…

Throughout the month of October or the week leading up to Halloween (your choice), you can set up an OC Ask/Prompt list for small headcanons or even scenarios, of course, these must be horror and/or Halloween related.

On Halloween, you can make a post detailing your OCs Halloween costumes as well as a line of dialogue pretty much saying whatever they want, quite simple.

Along with your OCs costumes, you have the option of either giving out a treat or trick, a treat obviously being candy or some other sweet treat you can either make up or give a name brand like Hersheys or Butterfingers. As for a trick, you can make up a prank, something simple but if you want to go the extra mile than feel free to do so note that I will not take responsibility for any and all prank wars that may or may not happen from this

It is completely optional but you can personally send other Division Blogs a special treat or specific trick of your own as a way to really celebrate with the community. Again, this is completely optional and you are not obligated to do so if you really don’t want to.

You can choose to make a costume for your OCs via Picrew, Neka, or if you so wish, you may draw your OCs costumes. However, if any of those options are unavailable for some reason than you can ask @saitama-division / @shinagawa-division (aka Me) to make you a costume, all you have to do is tell me what they’re going as (even better if you send in a reference photo) and I’ll try my best to replicate it as accurately as possible. This applies strictly to females as the dress up game I use to create outfit is highly on the feminine side, if you still wish to send in a male OC regardless, I’ll do the best I can do but please do not expect them to turn out as masculine as possible, chances are they’ll look very androgynous or straight up a femboy.

If you have any questions or inquiries about the event just DM me @saitama-division or @shinagawa-division and I’ll try my best to answer them.

Thank You and Happy Halloween!

🎃💀👻😈