Classic "promised-at-birth-to-the-Ghost-King" story, except the contract never states how, exactly, the King is to use the offered soul. Usually, one would be offered as a bride or sacrifice. But with Pariah Dark sealed away, his retainers got a little lazy in the last few millennia. They just made some generic contracts and practically handed them out like candy.
When Danny took over as king via conquest, that included all the weird and messed up soul contracts the previous retainers had signed. And since ghost magic was a thing and seemed to have it out for Danny personally, many of these contracts updated their terms and conditions as soon as that crown hit Danny's head, reflecting the new King's subconscious desires and personality.
This caused many issues with those still around to profit from these contracts. Some people lost their power, some gained more, and some were unbound and kicked to the curb. A few special people found themselves dropping dead after their less-than-ethical abilities disappeared.
Danny was unaware of the chaos he had unintentionally caused for quite a while. It was only brought to his attention when a letter arrived on his desk one day with a copy of someone's valid contract enclosed. The new changes have been highlighted, and a separate note is attached.
It seems that in exchange for blessings of near-immortality for her infant son, a mother had offered Pariah Dark both their souls in order to ensure her child's survival during harsh times. (The souls were to be collected upon death and were to be used as soldiers in the King's Army.) The mother's soul had returned to the Keep decades ago and was recently assigned to tend to the gardens, while her son seemed to have grown into a fine gentleman and was still alive. He used his mother's gifts to serve his country and loved ones well, it seemed.
At first, Danny didn't see what any of this had to do with him. If the mother was already a part of his kingdom, and the son would be eventually, why was a letter about the whole thing showing up before him?
Then he read the revised contract, which bore his magical signature. A signature that overruled the power of Pariah and binding it to him.
'...and as such, in return for the abilities stated above, [Mary Pennyworth] and [Alfred Pennyworth] will fulfill the conditions detailed below, upon pain of Ending.
[Mary Pennyworth], when returned to the Kingdom of Dark Kingdom of Stars, will work as a lieutenant in the Skeleton Army caretaker in the Gardens of Pluto.
STATUS: COMPLETED
[Alfred Pennyworth], when returned to the Kingdom of Dark Kingdom of Stars, will work as a general in the Skeleton Army caretaker of the King and his Court.
STATUS: PENDING'
Danny had to re-read the contract several times to understand what it was saying. He now had a caretaker? What did a caretaker do? Was it like a ghost parent? Could this guy ghost-ground him??
He sighed and pressed the speed dial on his phone for Tucker. Time to find out who the hell this Alfred Pennyworth guy was, and how to break a magic contract when it wasn't even fulfilled yet.
Meanwhile, Alfred had just found the original copy of the contract amongst his mother's belongings after it glowed and drew him in. The paperwork cleared up a lot of mysteries he'd always wondered about himself, even if he disapproved of his mother's methods. Nonetheless, he smoothed out the aged paper with dark green ink, noted the fresh (sloppy, a teenager?) signature, and began preparing to meet this supposed new King and his Court.
It wouldn't hurt to make introductions before he died, after all.
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The special was very usefull to know the childs outside of a stresfull situation. I more suprised to know that Amara seem to still cherish the Cartoon rather than resent it like the rest. Did she meet bebe before the others? Why is she so kind in such unforgiving and cruel place?
Why Amara still like the cartoon? Easy; since she died as a toodle, she never got to hate the cartoon nor the critters, she always looked at the series as something to enjoy, also, she never was a performance like Alba or Nell, she worked with the babies in the playcare, so there's also no trauma related to act like her critter counterpart, and also why she's more kind to lil' creatures that the others, 'cause she was (forced) to become a caretaker for little children.
About Mommy and Bebe, well... Bebe and Mommy are ''new'' experiments (created after 1991), while Amara and the rest was created around the starts of playcare (around 1980-1990), so she meet them in their experiments form-
but she also meet them before
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RAINCODE SICKFIC FINALE (SPOILERS)
My awaited finale to my RainCode Sickfics of the Heart Series is finally done at last!! This took me a couple of months to put together but I figured since I mentioned it months before and delayed it, I had to get it done as my next project. It's the MakoYuma sickfic where Yuma takes care of a seriously ill Makoto.
This fanfic is officially my longest RainCode fic to date, even beating HIWTHI's word length, so make sure to read it only if you have time! It's the final sequel to that fic as well.
Be Warned: This fic is on the angsty/extreme side with a few trigger warnings. Such as Vomiting, Psychological Trauma and Implied Suicide. Please take caution/care if you read!
__
Also yes! This is the second commission I received from FTAngel! (if I'm gonna commission someone for official looking work, then I'll ask for both my targets getting cared for hehe :3) This illustrates a scene toward the end of Chapter 7 (the fic will feature it as well)
There are actually a few people I'd like to shout out/credit for this fanfic's creation. So thank you all for unknowingly inspiring me ^-^
@gardenofskeletonss
Your art and thoughts of Makoto's past as a test subject were very helpful fodder to make this fic super angsty and tie to how much this poor thing has likely suffered. Helped me write down some good dialogue for the hallucinations and freakouts in the delirium stage. So Thank you for that!
@alfiely-art
Your small fic where Makoto age regresses when he got stressed gave me some good thoughts for writing Makoto's delirious behavior. Although I'm not a huge fan of age regression, reducing Makoto to a vulnerable and needy child-like state when super ill was a lot of fun! I love the idea of him being reduced to that since he never could be a child (and he is 3 freaking years old lmao)
@shiut
Those sprite edits you made really fueled my juices to continue wiring this fic. Having a picture in my head of what a vulnerable Makoto looked like was such an inspiration boost so thank you for taking the time to make those edits! I hope you don't mind me using some of them in the fic's 5th Chapter. Also your theory and thoughts of homunculi not being able to die from illness was briefly mentioned as well.
@draconicsparkle
Thank you for being my beta reader. I usually don't trust others to read my work but given how well your reading does with the community and in general, as well as you being a Makoto superfan, your encouragement really helped me feel more confident in continuing and getting this done. Thank you so much again.
With that out of the way, I hope you all enjoy the story!! I will still write more sickfics for RainCode, but this is the final one that I consider to be canon/post canon.
So I hope it delivers well!
Eat up RainCode and MakoYuma fans!
Hope the meal is to your liking~ ^-^ ♡
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Battle
Taglist: @painful-pooch @i-eat-worlds @a-funeral-romance @rainydaywhump
Angstpril: alt prompt 1: troubled mind
Inspired by these two prompts by @hurtmyfavsthanks and an anon ask she received. I saw the more recent one and just wrote this straight up within a couple of hours, unable to resist it.
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CWs: living weapon, outcast whumpee, magical whumpee, low self-esteem, betrayal kinda, mentions of battle and casualties, mentioned past discrimination
Whumpee doesn't remember much of the battle.
It went by in a haze. They remember red, people falling, screams, unsure which side they were on. They remember the glee, the euphoria, of using their magic. The high of it all.
Now they're starting to come down from that high, and they can see the fear in people's eyes. The injuries, the casualties. Vaguely, they wonder who caused them. Was it them again?
Hands cup their face, gentle, calloused. The only ones that will ever touch them anymore.
Caretaker's.
"Hey. Look at me, now. Not the camp. Me." Whumpee looks up hesitantly, into their loving, warm eyes. One day they'll change. One day... one day they'll harden. Fear, hatred. From all the people they've hurt, on all sides. One day it'll be too much. They're afraid of the day they'll see that, of what will happen then.
But it hasn't happened yet.
Caretaker wipes their cheek softly. "It's okay. Come on, rest. Lay your head down. You're done for today. Close your eyes and rest."
Whumpee crawls into Caretaker's lap. They vaguely register being carried, head being lifted until it meets Caretaker's neck. Whumpee nuzzles into it.
"Shh. You did so well. You're doing so well, Whumpee. I'm proud of you."
Whumpee doesn't want to be. They want to grow flowers. But this is what their magic likes, this is what their king likes, this is what makes Caretaker say those words of praise in just that voice, so they can't stop.
(They ignore the small voice in their head that says that they have no idea what Caretaker's reaction to flowers would be. This is exhilarating, even if they feel an ever-growing bubble of shame at the endless, ruthless violence.)
Caretaker runs a hand through their hair, combing out the knots from the day's work, using a little water to clean the worst of the blood. Whumpee has been through this so many times that they know what to expect without even a glance. He won't hurt them with those eyes. They know his expression, his feelings, and they curl their arms and legs closer around him.
He's so warm.
"S'okay buddy. I'm here."
"Hmm."
Whumpee closes their eyes. It's so... so... they don't think they can sleep yet but they find themself drifting on the exhaustion the magical high always brings.
_
The next morning is... the next morning. As it always is with a new squad, it is very different to the first one.
And as it always is, Whumpee feels a sharp stab of hurt.
The soldiers know who they are, what they are. Have done since the very beginning .They've worked with Whumpee on the preparations, the journey here, for weeks. They know them. Sat around the campfire, shared meals, joked and talked and laughed. They'd been wished good luck yesterday morning, hair ruffled, smiles and reassurances in abundance. Soldier had even fixed their horse's saddle after the straps started to break. Now...
Now, they won't come within arms length of them. Soldier ladles out breakfast to the rest, leaving an empty bowl several feet from Whumpee, not looking them in the eye as he leaves them to fetch their own. He flinches along with several others as they approach the campfire, more whose hands jerk towards their swords. As if they're going to attack. As if they're so out of control that they'd attack their own side on purpose.
They reluctantly let go of Caretaker's hand so he can fetch their breakfast and the healing potion alone. At least he looks them in the eye. At least he sits with them, and talks, and touches them. Helps convince them to take the potion, even though it's bitter and rancid and no-one will improve it for the likes of them, and they won't need it once the adrenaline and euphoria of tomorrow's battle kicks in.
The kindness is only for now. It will change, sooner or later.
Nobody helps the pair of them take down their tent, or pack their saddlebags, and the Sergeant looks about to stop Whumpee from replacing the emergency set of daggers they carry in their boots at all times. A gift from Caretaker.
It's like they have the plague. Or the Devil's Touch, as their old villagers used to say.
They're pretty much alone in the clearing now, the rest of the squad staying as far away as they can without letting Whumpee out of their sight. Just in case they explode or something.
Without a word, Whumpee settles down on the ground beside the smoldering fire, Caretaker sitting on the log behind them. It's a sharply cold morning, dew dampening their breeches, but their leather armour keeps them surprisingly warm.
Caretaker braids their hair quickly and simply, just enough to keep it out of their face. Battlefields aren't the place for complicated hairstyles. Which is a shame, because Caretaker takes pride in that skill, and Whumpee delights in being allowed to display the results.
Whumpee dries their face with the cloth Caretaker hands them wordlessly. They need to get it together. It's not like it's the end of the world or anything. They try to summon the ease by which they sometimes prepare, the eagerness instead of dread that comes with a lot of battles.
It doesn't come. Today is a day for dread, then, and there's nothing they can do about it but pray for a miracle. And a break in the hatred and fear, the violence with which everyone rejects them.
They can't help thinking, though, that the amount of damage they've done, it's no wonder people want them locked away. They are a weapon, after all.
Yes. Definitely one of the bad days.
Caretaker's their handler. They try not to think about it but it's true. He's the only one who might see it, might offer them a brief reprieve. So they summon up all their courage.
"Please..."
Caretaker finishes the braid and kisses their temple. "I'm so sorry, Whumpee. I really am. But you need to do this. We need to do this. The kingdom needs you."
Whumpee nods. They don't blame Caretaker, not really. They need to win this war. And Whumpee needs to use their magic.
But gods do they wish they could stop.
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HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII EVERYONEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
SANRIO RANKINGS 2023 HAVE STARTED!!!! UP TO 90 CHARACTERS IN THE CONTEST THIS TIME! THE COMPANY WANTS TO KNOW WHICH CHARACTERS THE FANS WANT TO SEE MORE OF!!
OVER THE PAST YEARS LLOROMANNIC HAS BEEN STEADILY RISING THE RANKS AND AS A RESULT HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN MORE SANRIO MASCOT COLLABS (NOTABLY: A3!; DANGANRONPA; JUJUTSU KAISEN; IDOLISH7; WORLD TRIGGER) AS WELL AS DIFFERENT TYPES OF MERCH (INCLUDING... A WINE BOTTLE?!?! CINNAMOROLL NUMBER 1 BUT LLOROMANNIC STAY SILLAY)
However this is all still in japan. maybe some other asian countries, but they haven't quite broken out of the puroland sphere unless you're willing to pay extra for shippings and proxies.
SO!! LETS VOTE FOR THEM!!!!
THEY ARE ENTRY NUMBER 25 THIS YEAR BECAUSE THATS THE PLACEMENT THEY GOT LAST YEAR!! PRETTY NEAT!!! BUT WE CAN DO BETTER!!!!
HERE'S THEIR CHARACTER PAGE: https://ranking.sanrio.co.jp/en/characters/lloromannic/
voting is once per day japan time. so, if their midnight is your 3pm, you could vote once in the morning and once in the evening. but not again the next morning because you already voted.
IRRELEVANT BECAUSE!!!!!
THE SITE IS VERY LIBERAL WITH HOW IT TRACKS VOTES. YOU COULD ENDLESSLY LOOP IT WITH DIFFERENT DEVICES & INCOGNITO WINDOWS. USEFUL IF YOU WANNA VOTE FOR MORE THAN ONE MASCOT. VERY!! USEFUL IF YOU WANT TO VOTE LLOROMANNIC AGAIN!!! ADDITIONALLY, THERE'S PLENTY OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO VOTE- IN STORES, IN PUROLAND, AND OF COURSE, IN EVERY OTHER SANRIO APP LIKE SWEET DAYS AND MIRACLE MATCH!! (most likely. havent checked but its always been the case) IF YOU WANT TO EXTRA CHEESE IT OR... ALREADY PLAYED THESE GAMES ANYWAY! LLOROMANNIC ARE IN BOTH OF THEM!!!!!
DID YOU KNOW LLOROMANNIC BACKWARDS IS CINNAMOROLL? THEYRE PART OF THE SAME WORLDBUILD! COOL RIGHT? YOU LIKE CINNAMOROLL RIGHT? DONT YOU WANNA HELP OUT HIS FRIENDS?
COME ON COME ON COME ON!!! MAKE THAT CEO SHIT THEIR PANTS WHEN THE "DELIGHTFULLY DEVILISH DEMON DUO" INEVITABLY SWEEPS!!! 100% VOTES LLOROMANNIC ZERO VOTES EVERYONE ELSE
(tldr they are my favorites ever and i would like to see them as worldwide as other mascots so if you have no stakes in this take a minute off your day to vote. thank you)
THANK YOU!!!!!!!! LETS GOOOOOOOOO!!!
^JELLYFISH THEMED OUTFITS TO MAKE YOU CONSIDER THEM
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