#i think i’m cryptid monster or vague humanoid shape

[lindendragon]

Another Subcon au idea, I just love them ok.

Going off the popular headcanon that Snatcher only started stealing souls because he had to to counter Vanessa and keep her from freezing everything, which, along with his initial trauma, caused him to go mad. What if Vanessa, after her whole flash-freeze of Subcon, just chilled (ha) and left Subcon alone to sulk in her manor? The Prince/Snatcher doesn't need to steal souls because of that. So, none of that, but the Prince still finds out about his new soul-snatching abilities either by going a little feral on some poor lost sap's warm soul the first time he sees someone who isn't dead, similar to fedoraspooky's headcanons, or he accidentally snatches and eats the soul of someone who wants to kill him because he's a "monster", another thing I took from a fic. He, of course, feels bad for his first murder, and vows never to do it again, until… well, you'll see soon enough. The occasional animal soul is enough to keep him going. As tempting as it is to make himself more powerful, what he has now is enough to take care of his subjects as long as Vanessa doesn't come out, which she, judging by everything, probably won't, so it's fine.

So this au is basically Snatcher if he had morals and wasn't evil.

He still has the same trauma and other emotional issues people generaly headcanon him with, more specifically Doodledrawstings' and Fedoraspooky's and other's headcanons. In short, he still builds up walls, doesn't ever want to be vulnerable or get attached to anyone ever again. He hates who he used to be and blames himself for not seeing the red flags of his and Vanessa's relationship. He does not want to be reminded of the past in any way. Moonjumper like the one from Doodledrawsthings' au exists and Snatcher, despite being a better and more mentally stable person in this au, still hates him for being a reminder of his past self and drives him away. He's basically just hiding behind his smile and morbid jokes all the time while dying on the inside. Depending on his mood, he is either the easily irritable grouch we see in canon or a complete jokester.

Now to the specifics

There's still people coming to the forest and potentially going to the manor and getting killed by Vanessa, not to mention they disrupt the peace here, so Snatcher decides to scare them off.

At first it's just the classic "I am a scary ghost, get out of my forest", but after a while he decides to have some fun with it.

When he's feeling up for it, he and his minions prank and mess with the trespassers.

Occasionally, he'll give out contracts for small chores before letting the contactor go, but only to trespassers he really doesn't like, like those that are deliberately trying to harm his forest.

Sometimes he will act like the Beta version of Snatcher and steal a few pons here and there, never much. He then uses that money to buy himself or his minions something (he shapeshifts and wears a disguise on the rare occasions he goes outside the forest).

His favorite thing to do to a trespasser is to make minor special effects with his powers while chanting ominously about their sins. Scares the crap out of people and sends them running every time. Sometimes people even crack and admit things they have done and beg for mercy. If that happens, Snatcher will usually call them out on it and send them away with the threat that he will know if they don't make up for their mistakes because he knows all (he doesn't). So suffice to say, some people have been straightened out by the experience. But it's not all fun and games. Sometimes the things people have admitted to are, to avoid specification, simply heinous. At that point, Snatcher decides "Screw it, I'm finishing them off and eating their soul." People this bad, or at least, those that admit to it, rarely appear, but it happens, and Snatcher feels that the world is better off without them. At least that's a somewhat humane way of procuring souls.

On a lighter note, sometimes he just chants ominously about tax evasion or something, and sometimes the prospect of it, and not just the spookyness, genuinely scares the Mafia goons.

Honestly the Mafia goons are the most common targets of his more silly pranks

One day someone dropped their phone while they were running away, and after messing around with it for a bit Snatcher finds out how it works. There were memes on that phone and he also manages to get on the internet and it all goes downhill from here.

Mafia goon, to others: Let's face it, Mafia is stranded-

Mafia goons: Look, blueberries!

Snatcher, in a vaguely humanoid but noodly form, shaking the branch while standing on it: Oh my god, my berries.

Mafia goons:*terrified screaming*

Snatcher:*exaggerated giggling*

Some guy, filming himself while walking through the forest: Hey guys we're going through this forest that is supposedly haunted. Apparently some girl died here when she was like nine or something.

Snatcher, in the shape of a little girl: I'm eleven so shut the peck up.

Snatcher, popping out of the bushes: Vsauce, Michael here. How fast can you run?

Someone, walking through the forest, but then they hear, in the distance "hee hee", every once in a while it repeats, coming closer and closer, I mean it, just this jerk, going "hee hee" in Michael Jackson's voice

The stolen mail delivery service is still going strong in this au

When Hat Kid arrives he does the classic "scary ghost" thing this time, but more child-friendly, cause he still doesn't want to severely traumatize kids, so he's a little gentler with them. Hat Kid is not as scared as Snatcher thinks she should be and she won't leave. Snatcher has to physically throw her out of the forest, but every time she goes back and insists on getting her Time pieces back. It's when she says that she detects a Time piece in the direction of Vanessa's manor that he finally snaps

Snatcher then iniciates a boss fight where he pretends that he is going to kill her, hoping that will scare her off.

Hat Kid, of course, beats him and makes him allow her to get the Time pieces. Snatcher is still reluctant, but after what she pulled off, he has hope that she will survive Vanessa (on the outside he still acts like he doesn't care about her safety though).

After Hat Kid gets all her Time pieces, Snatcher approaches her with the "Get out" contact, which Hat Kid promptly scribbles on like in canon and tries to get Snatcher to be her BFF. Since in this au, Snatcher has no leverage over her in the form of her soul or her Time pieces, he allows her to visit the forest as long as she signs a contract to never go near the manor again, which Hat Kid signs right away this time, because darn, that lady is scary.

Hat Kid visits a few more times, and Snatcher finds himself getting attached.

Wow, he kept a somewhat professional relationship with his minions for 300 years (sure, he fixes their plush bodies and messes with trespassers together with them and gives them mail and buys them little gifts, but that was more like how a king treats his subjects, or so he tells himself) and then this kid comes along and throws it out the window.

Of course he is in denial for a while, can't let himself be vulnerable, can't indulge in this, that opportunity was gone the moment he died, he is a scary ghost

Nah he's dad now

Snatcher goes from being forest cryptid to still being forest cryptid but with 200 adoptive ghost children and one alive alien child, two if bow exists, whatever your headcanon is.

Btw if you wanna ask me about my au's, you can do so, but I probably won't answer till july when exams are over idk.