I hope you find money in the pocket of a jacket you haven't worn in a while.
I hope you hit every green light on your way to wherever you're going.
I hope you have your phone charger work perfectly at every single angle.
May your favorite snack always be in stock when you have a craving.
May you always find the "long side" of the blanket on the first try.
May your "Caps Lock" never be on when you're typing your last password attempt.
May you always find a close parking spot when it’s raining.
May your laundry always come out with no missing socks.
May your favorite song come on the radio just as you pull out of your driveway.
Both boss fights were pretty easy, No I am NOT fighting whatever mutant thing is
Also the reason why my avatar is censored is because I've had experiences back in my A03 Era where I put my avatar in and people found me BY JUST MY AVATAR. I used to have my joins on for people that I accidentally unfriended or something and they literally KEPT FOLLOWING ME THROUGH GAMES AND HARASSING ME TO POST A NEW CHAPTER
also there was an anon who asked me if I finished the chapter already if so if I could give tips on the last fight so it's below the cut
Partial Spoilers (?) below
if you need any tips just keep spamming focus and ice dagger, let Cassie do the DMG, and make sure to dodge everything.
at least keep her hp 70+ and whenever she's stunned and she's on a pretty good hp level, focus twice (if your solo)
The stuff I used that were pretty important are:
My stats during this fight were
30 BP
80 HP
5 SP
4x deep focus - pit floor 40/ banished knight shop/ the Bux shop/ Vermillion village
Prayer card - green goop shop below the helicopter, only use when in need.
Item+ (I think that's the name?) - from Bux shop, gives multiplier to items used so like hp+ and sp+
Optional:
Resurrect card - this one is almost in every shop.
HAPPY SP - almost every shop too
Feel fine - EVERYWHERE
Charge defense
Bodyguard
Defend+
The items I had on during the time were
1 medkit - from zuka in Vermillion village
2 smoked trouts - trout + lemon
2 Shark fin soup - can be bought from the trinity food shop/ cook shark.
Me squinting at ‘waiting , waiting drives you crazy’ pt 2: ..yup they’d be a parent figure to prettypriincess outside of game rounds.
Like I just genuinely feel as if they’d just become her parent in a way and maybe a parent figure for bluudude and coolkidd too. They were supposed to be a parent and not one of these killers is sane enough to take care of children without getting angry easily.
This could also be a lead for more angst
Teehee
You will be called teehee anon from now on because i couldn't ignore this one.
Since you used to write for poppy playtime (on A03 or Wattpad I assume) I assume you still are in touch with the game yes?
What's your opinion about the people who are liking the prototype/Ollie
People who romantically like him when they are 18+, generally I see them as well. Pedophiles, if they didn't know? It's fine, there's like only one tape talking about it anyways there's a chance they couldn't find it. I mean, I guess it's fine if they are shipping it with another child? As long as it isn't anything like child porn or something.
I mean, for AUs that have him as an adult is fine i guess? As long as he acts mature or looks mature, because if you age him up into an adult and he still acts the same as before, it's more like saying you aged a child up without changing anything so you have an excuse to keep liking them without any changes.
For people who just like him for his design or lore I can see the appeal, he's pretty cool in design and lore or interactions.
So to summarize, it's generally only okay to ship with a child like puppy love or something, NO CHILD PORN. if it's platonic or something it's entirely fine.
But I suggest, if you do NOT like something, commenting on their posts or blogs are genuinely futile. Because if they manage to survive the shame of writing it (IF it's bad) I assure you, they WILL survive your comments. Just block them, and go.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR — CAN’T I EVEN DREAM?
A/N: there is only one more chapter guys! I’ll be taking my time to make it the best I possibly can, but plan to release it this Friday (April 3rd)! Hopefully you guys don’t hate me too much after this chapter lol.
chapter one | chapter two | chapter three | chapter four | chapter five | chapter six | chapter seven | chapter eight | chapter nine | chapter ten | chapter eleven | chapter twelve | chapter thirteen | chapter fourteen | chapter fifteen | chapter sixteen | chapter seventeen | chapter eighteen | chapter nineteen | chapter twenty | chapter twenty one | chapter twenty two | chapter twenty three | chapter twenty four |
You felt absolutely hideous the next morning.
You hadn’t slept well at all. Your arm burned and your neck ached from the way you’d been bent in your sleep. The bed felt empty and Harley’s side was cold from his absence.
After all the time you’d spent together over the past year, waking up alone felt stranger than you could’ve ever imagined. Instead of waking up to such a beautiful face, you were awoken by the sound of complete silence, your body forcing you awake.
The light flooding through the windows was gloomy.
You’d woken up later than usual, you’d noticed. It wasn’t five o’clock anymore, instead a crisp six. Normally, you could rely on Harley—but with him staying overnight at the factory, that was a privilege you hadn’t received this morning.
The morning passed by unbearably slow. You couldn’t wait to get back to Harley, and even the factory. Most mornings you preferred to sleep in, not even wanting to get up and leave the house for work.
Yet, that changed today.
You were so eager to see his face that you stormed out of the house without breakfast. Your stomach grumbled angrily, but you ignored the strange sensation completely.
Harley was more important than some stupid body function.
The drive to the facility is rather short, but reminiscent of your first year of employment at Playtime. Before Harley, you’d always left your apartment around this time, 6:30 AM, instead of arriving then. Sure, you’d barely beat the clock every single day, but it was better than loitering around dumbly in the labs as you wait for your shift to begin.
Then, your mind flickers to the doctor. Regrettably.
You almost wondered if you’d forced him into an overnight shift. Did you even search for him hard enough? You swallow, trying to dislodge the sudden lump in your throat. The guilt made your head bow and your shoulders slump pathetically, like a sad puppy dog.
Your unfocused mind barely even recognizes the distance between your house and the factory. It’s like a flash. One moment you’re stepping out the door, and the next you're inside the factory, mindlessly searching for any indication of Harley’s presence.
Your shoes clack against the vibrant linoleum tiles, making your way to the elevator. You look straight ahead, hardly even acknowledging your coworkers.
Not Ms. Harper who’s likely already smoking her third cigarette. She’d picked up the habit after Marie had been adopted. You knew she was happy deep down, just like you’d been, but you were also aware of how desperately she wanted to adopt Marie herself. She viewed her like a daughter, and hadn’t quite been the same since.
Not Preston either. The scientist passes you, nearly bumping your shoulder as he exits the very lift you’re headed to. He must’ve just come up from the labs. If you still aren’t able to find Harley, you can surely ask him. He must know what’s going on.
He was given a ‘pity’ promotion by Leith after his wife tragically died last year. She’d surprised him at work and suffered a fatal heart attack while on company property.
Like many of your coworkers, you speculated that the promotion was to shut Dr. Willard up.
You heavily sympathized with them—Claire Harper and Preston—slowly relating with them more and more by the day. You’ve begun to lose sight of the meaning in your life without your favorite doctor’s occupancy. The thought of him not being there one day makes your heart sink to the floor, dead.
It was a silly thought, that life—and time itself, would stop moving if he were to disappear, but it felt very real. To you, at least.
“Dr. White!” You call the scientist's name, trailing closely behind him. He’d popped out of a room, likely surgical, as you were walking down the hallway. If anybody was to know where your beloved fiancé was, it would be him.
Not Stella, not Preston, not even the head of innovation, Leith Pierre himself—though you were sure Dr. White would relay the information to him if he ever had the time.
He was a busy man, and the scientists in the labs and the toy designers from the innovation wing rarely crossed paths.
Strangely enough, you would often find more scientists in the Playcare than you ever would anywhere else. Sometimes the labs would be completely abandoned, the scientists all taking a ‘field trip’ up to visit the children.
Whether they were recruiting future scientists, or helping out in the school by teaching science classes, you would never know. But even you had to admit that you were curious.
Yet, while unfortunate for your curiosity, the scientists were buzzing with conversation today. The operation rooms were filled with busy scientists and their interns who weaved in and out of each room, carrying tools and the strange substances created in the labs.
Dr. White wasn’t a part of this madness, though. In fact, it seemed like he was just escaping it. He looked tired, exhausted even. You’d never seen him like this before. Most scientists understood the human body’s necessity for a replenishing sleep.
Harley did not.
“Dr. White,” You pant, catching up to the doctor. He simply gives you a solemn stare. He isn’t in a rush, but you doubt you’re the person he really wants to speak to at the moment. “I’m sorry to bother you.” You say, catching your breath as he fixes the lapels in his lab coat.
“You’re never a bother.” He smiled; but it was tranquil and it did not reach his tired eyes. At least you weren’t a disturbance.
“You’re too kind.” You smile back at him. You almost wonder how he ever kept up with Dr. Sawyer’s short temper—but you don’t have time to ask silly questions right now. You have to find your future husband.
“Did you happen to see Dr. Sawyer on your morning rounds?”
“No, I did not.” Dr. White says, hehe mop of curly brown hair that rested upon his head shook stiffly. “The last time I spoke with Dr. Sawyer was Wednesday afternoon.”
“What?” You ask, incredulously. “But you just spoke with him yesterday.” He’d pulled Harley out of his office when you were busy discussing wedding details for something ‘important’ and hadn’t returned him.
“I believe you’re misremembering.” Dr. White says plainly, in a tone that indicates you’re wasting his precious time.
“No.” You declare. “It was you and Stella. You wanted to speak with him about something important while Stella brought me to her office.” You explain, desperate to make him remember the truth.
Why didn’t he remember?
“I’m afraid I was in a meeting at that time, and Ms. Greyber was busy hosting an adoption celebration for the orphans.” You clutch your head, scanning through your memories to prove to yourself that it wasn’t just a surreal fever dream.
But you couldn’t. Your mind was dizzy; and it was becoming harder for you to concentrate by the minute. You felt an unexplainable pressure growing in your head. A migraine, no doubt.
“Are you sure you didn’t hit your head, doctor?”
“No I-” It was useless to argue. You didn’t need to look crazy in front of your husband’s trusted protégé and risk ruining his reputation along with your own. “Never mind.” You say, masking your annoyance with an artificial smile. It doesn’t quite reach your eyes, mirroring Dr. White’s, but it’s good enough.
“Have a good day, doctor.” Dr. White dismisses himself, falling back into his regular path, leaving you all alone in the hallway, hands at your sides awkwardly. Well shit.
Perhaps you could go to Stella or Leith?
Although Leith would probably be better in this situation. Stella acted weird yesterday, and you’d rather speak to a condescending, sneaky, cynical Leith Pierre than delve into your drama with her.
It was strange, in all honesty.
You could never catch a break from Greyber. She would act completely normal one moment, luring you into a sense of comfort—and then trap you against her desk, pulling you excruciatingly close the next. Was she bipolar? Who the hell knows. You didn’t want to be involved with her anymore, if you could help it.
Unfortunately, she was an executive. Your superior. If she wanted to be around you, she could change schedules so that was a possibility. You could barely even bear to enter the Playcare to visit the orphans, knowing Stella could be in there waiting for you.
It sounded silly, you realize. But you were faithful to your fiancé, and you didn’t appreciate Stella’s advances. Her feelings never really went away, but you don’t owe her anything just because you broke her heart TWO YEARS AGO.
You deserved a break, and visiting Pierre would hopefully grant you a reprieve.
You sigh, changing the direction of your feet and marching off towards the elevator. Again. Leith’s office was on the second floor. It was actually above ground, unlike a majority of the factory, which seemed to dig into the center of the earth.
Well, not really. You don’t think that’s possible. It’s fun to joke about, though.
You walk as fast as your feet will carry you, successfully catching an elevator filled with scientists in their white lab coats. Four men and three women. The men are wearing matching black ties and blue collar shirts. One has an elegant pen black in his pocket, you recognize it as the same brand Harley uses.
The women wear dark colored flats and matching black pants. Unlike the men, they don’t wear blue shirts beneath their industrial lab coats. One wears yellow, another wears pink. The third woman wears a striped purple and green blouse. All three have their hair elegantly tied back in ponytails or tight buns, grim expressions on their faces.
You sigh, checking your watch, a habit that has become all too regular lately. You almost felt naked without the device. It had been a gift from Harley last Christmas, after he’d realized how old your previous one was. It was complete with an elegant brown strap and golden rim, giving it a more refined and polished look.
7:35 AM, the watch reads. You sigh, realizing how long the day ahead of you is. Eleven hours and twenty five minutes remaining—but you’ll survive. You always do.
You reach Leith’s office a few minutes later, out of breath. You’d run there, deciding it was better to speak with him sooner than later. You didn’t want Harley to find you before you found him. You needed to prepare yourself for an infuriated monologue from the doctor, in case you actually had left him.
That would be fun.
“Leith?” You knock on the executives door. It was wooden, just like Elliot Ludwig’s. The two men either had very similar tastes—or Pierre was attempting to become more like his predecessor. He was chosen as the next head of Playtime Co. for a reason.
If he hadn’t, who knows where the company would be. On the edge of financial ruin?
Leith had never been Ludwig’s first choice, that honor had gone to his daughter, Poppy. Yes, the same one the doll is named after. He loved that girl with all his heart. The older employees sometimes spoke of how he brought the little orphan girl into the factory, allowing her to play while he worked tirelessly in his office.
And then she got sick.
Despite his vast wealth, there was nothing Elliot could do to save the little girl. It took a large toll on him. The way your older coworkers spoke of him was nothing like the Elliot Ludwig you’d seen wandering around the factory. You only saw him a few times. Most days he didn’t come into work, and when he did, he was always holed up in his office.
He died the same year you were hired.
However, he was a large inspiration to Pierre. He even had a painting in his office of the founder, you notice as you gently crack the door open. Unfortunately, the executive is nowhere in sight, likely ordering around low ranking employees.
One of his favorite activities was screaming at production employees when a toy would come out unsellable. Whether it was a misshapen toy, distorted face, or even a single wrong stitch, it didn’t matter. He let out all his anger and wrath upon them—and he had a temper that rivaled Harley’s, which was already tough to beat.
You’re 90% sure he wouldn’t appreciate you entering his office uninvited.
But if you explained that you were just waiting to speak with him, maybe he’d understand! He was engaged once, it was broken off, but you’re sure he’d understand how worried you can be for your fiancé. Maybe he’ll even connect you with the warden and allow you to look through the security cameras until you find him.
It was far fetched, but the only hope you had. It’s not like he could just disappear from the factory overnight.
While you wait, the silence consumes you. You can’t help but look around, curiosity invading your system. Leith’s office is filled with Playtime Co. mementos: plaques of achievement, pictures of Ludwig, even a miniature golden statue of Poppy Playtime herself. Each rests upon a hickory shelf that matches the light colored wood that lines the walls.
In the center of the room is Leith’s polished wooden desk. It’s one of the fanciest you’ve yet to see. You hadn’t been in Ritterman’s office, but you doubted it could live up to this marvel.
The back of the office features three large built-in bookshelves. They hold dozens of books, and pictures of what you assume to be Pierre’s family. He wasn’t married or a father, but had a nephew that he adored.
You assumed that was why he worked at Playtime Co. instead of just a stereotypical office job. He could’ve become an executive just as easily at any other company, but you liked to think he was reminded of his nephew in the orphans—and he could give said nephew free toys!
If you and Harley ever did decide to have children, Playtime Co. would be the ideal workplace. Despite your concerns in the past (and thoughts of leaving the company), you didn’t mind staying anymore. Things were going well, so why change it all now?
That is, until you see Leith’s filing cabinet. There ought to be something in there that answers your questions about the company's ‘secrets’.
Your curiosity urges you to explore. It’s insanely risky, but you don’t see Pierre coming anytime soon. Your heart beats faster. You’re scared, but now that you’re in his office, you can’t not peek inside. You practically have to now! It’s just there in the open.
Your feet move unwillingly, as your brain feebly attempts to think through the slight anxiety pounding steadily in your chest. It’s what you wanted, you remind yourself. The chance to find the truth. So why was the panic choking you?
This is bad, this is very bad, the voice in your head repeated again and again. You don’t listen, opting to ignore the way your brain warns you. You weren’t thinking with your head anymore, only your heart.
There was nothing in there that could be too bad.
You open the first drawer. It’s nothing exciting, just some unfinished paperwork Pierre would likely file later today. It’s funny, he complains about your fiancé’s late deadlines, yet has a full drawer that consists solely of his own unfinished work. Hypocrite.
The second, third, and fourth drawer is all about the employees. He has miniature folders on each of them in alphabetical order. You scan past both Harley’s name and your own. There’s someone residing in the fourth drawer you’re much more interested in.
You pull out the folder. It has a golden sticker on the label, labeling it as an executive file. It’s significantly larger than the others. Instead of a few pages of paperwork, it’s almost the size of a small book.
Stella Greyber
Age: 37. DOB: 2/2/1957.
Besides learning that she’s the youngest executive, the rest of her file is filled with mindless details like her ethnicity and height. Those don’t really matter when concerning what you’re searching for. Unfortunately, there’s nothing of interest except a small, green VHS tape that falls out of the folder when you shake it a little too hard.
You place it in the Sony Trinitron hanging in the corner from the ceiling. To your surprise, you hear the voices of Leith and Stella.
Though, in hindsight, you should’ve expected it.
“So, Ms. Greyber,” The voice of Leith Pierre rings throughout the otherwise silent room. “Have you considered what we talked about?” He asks, not giving you any context clues whatsoever. It’s clear he wanted this to confuse anyone who wasn’t supposed to stumble upon it.
“Yes, Mr. Pierre” Stella speaks calmly, albeit with a small nervousness in her tone. “I won’t lie,” She pauses. You wish you could see the screen, if only to see her body language. The black screen was making it harder to decipher. “I was at a loss for words at first.”
“The information hit me pretty hard.” She pauses again and Leith clears his throat. “I felt so…badly. I still do.” There was the sweet Stella you used to know. What happened? “For the ones that go through the…uhm, testing.”
“You really care about them.” Leith says flatly, stating his observations. Care about who, exactly? The orphans? The employees? Or was this something completely unrelated?
“It hurts to see them hurt.” Stella speaks slowly. It’s clear she’s watching her words, as if scared to say something wrong to her fellow executive. “I…I don’t think there’s any way around that feeling.” She slowly inhales.
“But…I did some soul searching.” Well damn, why could present Stella do that? “And, I got to thinking about the bigger picture. About what your researchers wrote.”
“And?” Leith interrogates, looking for a specific answer. But what?
“Well,” Stella swallows anxiously. “The work itself, what you’ve all been able to do?” She changes her tone, almost sounding like an excited child. “It’s nothing short of a miracle.” She says, voice filled with awe and a rare sense of wonder you rarely see nowadays.
“I know you have more goals to hit, but even as is, just wow.” The female executive is truly amazed now. Even during the time you’ve spent with her, you’d never heard her speak like that. “Do they know…when it’ll be fully ready?”
“We’re still working out the timeline.” Leith replies.
Stella hums. “I see.”
“You know-” Leith begins, before being cut off by TV static. The tape ends abruptly, not even attempting to finish. Had you jammed it in too hard? You groan in frustration. Of course now of all times the universe has decided to punish you.
You sigh, marching back over to the filing cabinet. There was one last drawer you hadn’t checked. It was at the very bottom, labeled ‘B.B.I.’ Strangely enough, it was the only one with a label. Could Playtime Co. seriously not afford a label maker? Or was Leith Pierre just lazy?
Either could’ve been the case.
You hastily open the bottom drawer, intrigued. To your absolute surprise, each one was labeled with ‘B.B. initiative’ followed by an experiment number. This wasn’t just a random Playtime Co. secret, this was the Bigger Bodies Initiative, something you’d been curious about since the beginning of your employment four years ago.
Four years. Four years of waiting, four years of wondering—and it all leads up to this. The Bigger Bodies Initiative…
The name stirs something inside you, something that begins to claw its way toward the surface, something you knew you didn't want to face.
But as you carefully extract one of the Manila folders from Leith’s steel cabinet, you can’t help yourself. The unconcealed interest has infected your brain. Curiosity killed the cat, they say, but you’re too careful. Leith isn’t going to return to his office anytime soon anyways.
Plus, there’s no time better than the present, right?
