This is the chat that outlined most of the ideas for the Android Henry AU and while a number of little details have stayed the same, a lot of them have also been changed.
If you want to know what’s changed, what’s stayed the same, or want to see a particular scene/idea drawn up, let me know!!!
Rose-cut Strawberry: I know this channel was probably more for RP crossovers, and I don't know much about the game Connorbot came from, but this idea for an AU of some form is really appealing to me.
I really like the questioning of what makes someone "human" in stories with Cyborgs or Androids.
Best examples, all Megaman comics/manga and the many versions of the Cyborg 009 series
Even if we don't play with this as an RP, can we play with it as an AU??
Henry being and Android, but still being the Creator for the Toons?
Adopt-A-Fusion: that
would be fun
Rose-cut Strawberry: Yeah, I want to talk more about this (and learn a bit more about the Detroit Androids in the process) so can we talk about it?
Adopt-A-Fusion: maybe after work or tomorrow, gotta lotta other stuff to juggle atm
Rose-cut Strawberry: kk
@anyone I know Mango finds this idea interesting, anyone else?
❤'s The Heart: I like it!
Rose-cut Strawberry: I still wanna brainstorm this but I Mango isn't on yet and I don't know enough about Cyberlife Androids to start by myself.
❤'s The Heart: Yeah same ^^;
Rose-cut Strawberry: I read the wiki article for Cyberlife, but it mostly talked about the company.
Holy shit, Conner can die a lot in his game.
And for a lot of different reasons
I have no words for that.
❤'s The Heart: Well then
Rose-cut Strawberry: I’m reading the wiki and holy shit can he die a lot.
There are, like, four different ways he can die in just the first chapter
Adopt-A-Fusion: cyberlife androids are basically walking talking amazon alexas. i recommend watching gameplay of the game to do research, jacksepticeye had a great run
❤'s The Heart: I keep meaning to ^^;
Rose-cut Strawberry: One thing I want to see is Henry completely missing the social/emotional cue for something and needing to have it explained to him.
❤'s The Heart: You just described me
and that sounds adorable
Rose-cut Strawberry: For one idea for this; Henry being a Deviant and having to leave the country to escape being deactivated as why he left the studio.
Like, possibly Joey hiring/commissioning him from Cyberlife as an extra animator.
Which is actually the starting point of the studio's financial problems, but Joey had thought the amount he could get Henry to work would make up for the amount of money spent to get him.
Adopt-A-Fusion: hhhhhyes
❤'s The Heart: PRECIOUS ROBOT MAN
Rose-cut Strawberry: But then he finds out Henry can actually be creative and decided he can exploit that since Henry can't actually be treated as a 'human' in terms of the legal jargon at the time.
❤'s The Heart: D: poor boy
Rose-cut Strawberry: But then Henry starts Deviating from his original programming limits (which made him 'friendly' but stunted in terms of interacting with his co-workers, good at running animation programs, and in possession of rather generic animation skills of his own) such as developing deeper connections with the humans in the studio, and even coming to understand that Joey is using him.
But, as an Android, there isn't really anything he can do.
Until he reaches the point where he does something that flys in the face of his programming.
❤'s The Heart: :0!! I LOVE THIS!!!
Rose-cut Strawberry: One of the things Androids aren't supposed to be able to do (generally) is fight or use weapons, so I want to say a fight of some kind happens and instead of sitting back and doing nothing, Henry ends up getting involved.
Adopt-A-Fusion: Henry being a custom made Android
❤'s The Heart: If conspiracy theorist Shawn was in this AU he would think Henry was human. He acts like everyone else is making crazy theories for once
What would that entail?
Rose-cut Strawberry: No, everyone is told from that start that Henry's an Android.
The thing on his temple would make it kind of obvious.
Shawn would be trying to figure out why Joey wanted and Android.
Adopt-A-Fusion: consider Henry being sort of a prototype for a speciality-type android, meaning a higher chance of programming errors and a greater chance of deviancy
Rose-cut Strawberry: Oooo~ I like that idea
❤'s The Heart: I still find the idea funny. Maybe Shawn was out sick on Henry's first day. He thinks Henry is just another employee
Rose-cut Strawberry: Then he spots the glowing circle on Henry's temple and is like "Holy shit"
Adopt-A-Fusion: and he's told "oh, we got a new Android" and he just starts theorizing that everyone but Henry is an android in disguise
Rose-cut Strawberry: pfft
Or "Drew is gonna replace us all with Androids!"
❤'s The Heart: Half of what's funny about him is he's oblivious as fuck. He doesn't notice for months
After ages of theorizing, he's talking to Henry about it and Henry points it out
Shawn becoming really good friends with Henry while he thinks he's a human, or at least he considers them good friends, even if Henry's programming doesn't exactly allow him to make connections to the employees just yet
Rose-cut Strawberry: “What are you talking about Mr Flynn? I've always been an Android."
Adopt-A-Fusion: awwwwww yes
Rose-cut Strawberry: He's just "Is there anything else I can help you with Mr Flynn?"
❤'s The Heart: Shawn rambles at him all the time. He just thinks Henry is a good listener
Rose-cut Strawberry: Though, if we go with the "No one notices he's an Android" route, it could be that Shawn finds out Henry isn't getting paid and hunts down Grant to find out why their best animator isn't getting his damn checks. And then that's how everyone finds out.
❤'s The Heart: Shawn helps him escape when he has to leave the studio
Rose-cut Strawberry: YES
The fight, Henry gets involved when someone breaks into the studio while he and a few other employees are staying late.
❤'s The Heart: Where does Henry go when the studio is closed?
Rose-cut Strawberry: Oh, erm...
Let's just go with Joey making a living space in the studio. (I don't think he'd pay to get Henry an apartment, and there was nothing in the Wiki's about Androids having their own places to live)
anyways, someone breaks in and turns out to be pretty violent when he finds out he's not alone.
❤'s The Heart: :0
Rose-cut Strawberry: Henry gets dismissed because his uniform marks him as an android and therefore a non-threat, but Grant (the guy running financing and probably in possession of the keys to the safe), Shawn, and Norman are a very different story.
So the fight breaks out, and the thief is armed which makes him dangerous
❤'s The Heart: Shawn gets hit pretty bad
and something just snaps
and Henry attacks the thief
Rose-cut Strawberry: Henry lashes out with a 2x4 and conks the guy upside the head.
HARD
❤'s The Heart: Later Shawn jokes around saying how good a friend Henry is if he'd override his programming for him
Rose-cut Strawberry: Probably
But, defence of another human or no, Henry still deviated from his programming and attacked a human.
But it gets convoluted from there.
On one hand; he saved someone's life
On another; He attacked someone
❤'s The Heart: Poor guy :(
Rose-cut Strawberry: And he panics a little (again, not something an Android should be capable of) because Deviating can lead to Deactivation
❤'s The Heart: Save him
Rose-cut Strawberry: That's kind of what Shawn and the others end up doing. They help get things in order for Henry to leave the country for one with less stringent laws towards Androids.
❤'s The Heart: Comfort the robot
Rose-cut Strawberry: Joey only finds out what happened after the fact.
By then Joey has noticed that Henry was becoming a Deviant but never did anything about it because he was getting even better work out of him.
And he is not happy when he finds out Henry has left.
But he would have been just as displeased if Cyberlife had Deactivated him.
Joey gets curious about just how human Androids are becoming, and that leads into the magic stuff (but possibly more cyberpunk than in-game)
❤'s The Heart: Ooo
Rose-cut Strawberry: Henry flounders for a good long while, since he's so used to having orders and jobs, and isn't really sure of what to do with himself.
I supposed this could be when Linda shows up for sure, who can be a graphic designer looking for help.
She doesn't expect an Android to be one of her applicants but finds he's actually pretty good and gives him the job.
❤'s The Heart: Aww :)
Rose-cut Strawberry: Fast forward 20 to 30 years and Henry gets the Letter
(and yes, it needs to be capitalized)
❤'s The Heart: Of course, it does!
It's important
Rose-cut Strawberry: Henry is feeling safe enough to come back (laws and policies have changed), so he decides he's overdue for a visit to his friends if they still live near the studio.
The studio had closed down due to debt and "mysterious circumstances" but he thought that at least a few of his old coworkers probably still lived in the area.
He has no idea what he's walking into
❤'s The Heart: D’:
Rose-cut Strawberry: MANGO
WHAT DO YOU THINK SO FAR?
❤'s The Heart: this is so goooood
Adopt-A-Fusion: I LOVE IT
Rose-cut Strawberry: YAY
I fully admit that I picture the aesthetic being a lot like Doberart's Rise of Bendy AU
f*ck, I don't know how to continue
Seriously I don't know how to continue, someone give me an idea. Please
❤'s The Heart: Sorry ^^;
Rose-cut Strawberry: Here's a thought, how do the rest of the staff feel about their Android coworker?
What do you guys think?
Adopt-A-Fusion: some people are probably indifferent, at least one person is a dick about it
Rose-cut Strawberry: Possibly two of them.
I want Bertrum to be one, he just very set in treating Henry as a machine or an appliance.
Wally kinda likes him, because if he asks Henry is willing to help him out with stuff.
❤'s The Heart: Ooo yes
Rose-cut Strawberry: What about others, we already decided Shawn likes him
❤'s The Heart: Sammy is indifferent
Rose-cut Strawberry: Yes, he doesn't mind the Android, but he doesn't hate him either.
He just focusses on his work
Pre-Deviant; there are a lot of coworkers who are indifferent because they find androids unsettling but have no real reason to hate them.
❤'s The Heart: Wally is one of those at first, but Henry grows on him
Rose-cut Strawberry: Like I said, he comes to like him because Henry is always willing to help when asked.
What about Susie?
Or Thomas?
Or even Norman?
❤'s The Heart: Thomas is indifferent. He's indifferent about everyone
Norman likes him
Rose-cut Strawberry: Any ideas for Susie?
Adopt-A-Fusion: I don’t know
:(
Rose-cut Strawberry: Norman thinks he's a nice guy, even if he's an android. They chat with each other at times.
Thomas sees him as a machine, but he generally likes machines, so he treats Henry about the same as he treats normal people.
But he also makes sure the studio is stocked with stuff to help Henry if he gets injured or needs to refill his "blood" levels (they have a term for the special blue fluids used for android blood but I can't remember it right now)
Susie...
Let's go with her mostly avoiding Henry.
❤'s The Heart: She's a bit creeped out
Rose-cut Strawberry: Like the fact that he doesn't emote as much as a human bothers her, but she doesn't really hate him or be rude. So she tries to just avoid him.
Which is fairly easy since they work in different sections of the studio.
Grant has a stronger dislike of Henry, but it's not as much about him being an android and more because of how much Joey ended up using of the studio's budget to buy him.
But the way he treats is more Begrudging then honestly hostile.
Eventually, he appreciates having Henry around when the android offers to help him with paperwork (computer brains are helpful for long and complicated math equations)
Should Allison be working at the studio at this time?
Not as Alice's Voice Actor but maybe just another female voice actor at the studio?
❤'s The Heart: Sure, why not
I love the stuff with Grant
Rose-cut Strawberry: Allison is one of those people who finds androids fascinating.
Like, with how close they can emulate humans
She goes out of her way to talk to Henry, sometimes throwing out non-sequesters just to see how he'll respond.
She supports the idea of Androids getting more rights but is quiet about it since it's not a very popular opinion.
❤'s The Heart: Shawn asks him questions all the time about being an android
Rose-cut Strawberry: A lot of them boil down to "I don't really know, that's just how I was programmed" or "You would have to check Cyberlife's policies for that."
A lot of employees are of the opinion that Henry is a good robo-boy.
A lot of them are mostly indifferent towards Android, but Henry's programming results in him growing on them after a while.
❤'s The Heart: More than half of the employees: PROTECC
Rose-cut Strawberry: I don't know about more than half, but definitely a good percentage of them don't want bad things to happen to their android
❤'s The Heart; A good percentage of the employees: PROTECC
Rose-cut Strawberry: I want to say Henry gets hurt at least once in the studio, enough to end up spooking the others pretty bad.
❤'s The Heart: YES
Rose-cut Strawberry: @Adopt-A-Fusion We need a scenario for an injured Android Animator, and ideas?
Adopt-A-Fusion: nope
Rose-cut Strawberry: drat.
❤'s The Heart: An accident of some sort
Rose-cut Strawberry: Yes, but the question is what?
There's no ink machine at that time, otherwise, I'd say something involving the equipment for it.
❤'s The Heart: a pipe exploding maybe
Not like an ink pipe, just a regular one
Rose-cut Strawberry: Or a falling project- no, tech's different the projectors would be too light to do any serious damage.
Wait, Bertrum's here
He uses major equipment for the theme park stuff.
(he has too)
❤'s The Heart: Yes!
Rose-cut Strawberry: So maybe something comes loose when Henry is dragged off to help with something and hits him.
It doesn't do enough to "kill" him, but it ends up doing some pretty heavy damage.
Which takes another huge chunk from the Studio's finances, but everyone who actually likes Henry is too worried about the android's condition to be too bothered by it.
Grant is worried too, but also rips into Bertrum because "What if that had been a human employee?! It would have killed them! Do you have any idea what a lawsuit would have done to us?!"
❤'s The Heart: Poor Hen needs repairs
Rose-cut Strawberry: That's where Lacie becomes really helpful (previously she treated Henry like he was a person who just had trouble connecting with people), she knows all the technical jargon to get the shit that’s needed to fix Henry and what to do to get him stable while they waited for it to be ready.
❤'s The Heart: :D
Rose-cut Strawberry: A lot of the employees tear into Bertrum, since the accident was due to him lapsing in safety protocols, which means anyone who had been at the sight had been at risk of being injured. And androids could take more damage then a human, so if Henry was that injured, it would have been outright lethal to a human.
Can we talk more about the relationship between Joey and Android Hen
❤'s The Heart: YES PLEASE
Rose-cut Strawberry: I don't really know where to go with that, other than needing the relationship between the two to seem well enough (to Henry) to justify Joey writing "Your old pal" in the letter, while still leaving him scummy enough to justify disliking him.
Henry didn't become a deviant because he was being abused by his... Owner (i guess), he became one because he was ready and willing to protect his coworkers who had (probably) been slowly affecting his programming by just treating him like a person and encouraging him to be more like them.
❤'s The Heart: :)
Rose-cut Strawberry: I need an idea for shit that would seem nice to an Android, but be seen as really deceitful/scummy to a human.
❤'s The Heart: I suppose being given a place to live, but it's just like a closet or something
Rose-cut Strawberry: A former storage room in the studio. (so literally never leaves the studio)
❤'s The Heart: Yep
Poor guy :(
Rose-cut Strawberry: But he doesn't know any better, because he's an Android that's basically fresh out of the shop and Joey is the one who purchased him and is, therefore, his "owner"
He's literally a "possession" in the eyes of the law.
But Joey doesn't really treat him badly. Like how people can get attached to their stuff (like Roombas) and treat them like little people while still seeing them as a possession. Henry gets treated fairly well, but not really as a person.
❤'s The Heart: More like a cute little pet, or a child
Rose-cut Strawberry: Pretty much, yeah.
❤'s The Heart: The fact that the employees treat him differently is a bit confusing to him
Rose-cut Strawberry: He is very confused by it. But does his best to keep working.
❤'s The Heart: Eventually, he starts to realize he likes how the employees treat him more
Rose-cut Strawberry: But just the fact that he was making those choices showed that he was starting to deviate.
Android's aren't supposed to feel anything.
'Pain' was the only exception since it warned if something in their systems was damaged, but even then it only showed up if they actually were hurt.
❤'s The Heart: Hence why it takes him a while to start feeling that way
To start feeling at all
Rose-cut Strawberry: It starts with him doing something because he wants to. A very minor thing that Joey never really noticed or paid attention to at the time.
Like
Ooo~ Like putting a Cutout in the corner he works in.
He has no real reason for it.
He just wants it there.
Joey thinks he's using it as a spare reference, or to make his desk seem more comfortable to other workers.
But no. It's there because he decided he wanted it there.
❤'s The Heart: PRECIOUS BOY
Rose-cut Strawberry: He amasses a collection of knickknacks from around the studio.
A broken/improperly made clock he decided to fix
❤'s The Heart: A magpie robot
Rose-cut Strawberry: A plush toy that was accidentally made the wrong color (or a prototype/concept toy Shawn may have given him)
Yes, he basically starts out as a Magpie
Those are the signs of him becoming Deviant.
But they're so... not noticeable
❤'s The Heart: Hhhh i need to watch this gaaame
Rose-cut Strawberry: No one even realizes it's happening
❤'s The Heart: Not even Henry
Rose-cut Strawberry: Henry has at least one toy of Bendy, Boris, and Alice; A trio of Butcher Gang toys (since Joey scrapped the idea of making official toys of them); a couple posters where the images and colors were offset during printing; the clock...
OH, the others notice the slight magpie-ness, but they think it's something closer to "Make sure things are kept for the future"
Shawn is the only one thinking he's becoming Deviant. It's the only time he's ever been right.
He brings in a fold-up bookcase thingy so that Henry can display some of his knickknacks. Shawn gets it as a present during Christmas or something.
❤'s The Heart: Aww :')
Consider: the employees treating Henry's first day as his birthday
Rose-cut Strawberry: No, they ask him what day he was actually activated and that becomes his birthday.
❤'s The Heart: Yes!! Presents for the boy!!
Shawn is the first one to see him smile and he teases him about how cute it is for a week
Rose-cut Strawberry: No one who wants to get him a gift is sure what to give, and Shawn ends up 'leading the charge' so to speak.
Henry just sort of blinks at the teasing at first because he doesn't really know what embarrassment is.
❤'s The Heart: He gets lots of little knickknacks
Rose-cut Strawberry: Weird thought for Shawn to ask when he sees Henry drinking Thirium (the blue stuff that's basically blood for androids)
Shawn; "So... Do androids count as some kind of weird-arse techno vampires then? I mean, technically speaking, you're basically drinking your own blood."
Henry; "I... Am not sure how to answer that. This is just how I top off the levels of Thirium in my body."
❤'s The Heart: Their friendship is the greatest it makes me so happy QuQ
Rose-cut Strawberry: It's kinda like Shawn and Toon!Wally's tbh
Only without the psycho-vivisecting Joey.
❤'s The Heart: Yes!
Rose-cut Strawberry: Wally asks questions like to.
Once he gets used to Henry, he's actually really curious about how he works.
Wally; "So, since yer blood is blue, does that mean you if could blush, yer face would turn blue-tinted?"
Henry; "Possibly. Though, as an Android, there really isn't anything in my systems that would cause an irregularity in my thirium levels that would equate to a 'blush', as you call it.."
(Sorry androids seem to be science-sy and formal in their speech/answers so I keep having to take a moment to think about how, exactly, Henry would respond.)
For the longest time, Henry doesn't understand sarcasm.
He answers everything with complete seriousness.
❤'s The Heart: I love how he talks
It's adorable
Rose-cut Strawberry: Ooo~ Idea
He learns how to recognize and understand sarcasm from Sammy.
Just by listening and watching him.
❤'s The Heart: Yes absolutely
He never quite understands it entirely
Rose-cut Strawberry: Oh, there's an idea, Android Henry is one of those non-Cyberlife Androids.
Which means he was/could have meant that he was more likely to deviate than any Cyberlife Androids.
❤'s The Heart: Oh neat
Joey wanted an android, Grant said they couldn't afford it, their compromise was getting a knock-off
Rose-cut Strawberry: But it still took a big chunk out of their budget.
Goof Noir: I JUST READ THIS I LOVE IT SM
Rose-cut Strawberry: Thank you!
❤'s The Heart: :D :D
Rose-cut Strawberry: Deep breath
The more I think about it, the more the idea of Henry being an Android could actually fit the game.
Like, in the game, Henry seems to always need to have a mission/task of some kind as he goes.
And he keeps count of all the tasks given to him (like the gears and ink globs)
And he has little notifications when he completes tasks, even without Alice talking to him.
I know those are all just normal game mechanics, but they could be incorporated into an Android really easily.
❤'s The Heart: :0
I love it
Rose-cut Strawberry: And Henry being able to "see" missing machinery/piping/etc fits for that kind of 'construction" stuff appearing.
Pre/Reconstruction. that's what I meant.
More thoughts on Android Henry, it actually causes a certain amount of sense with Henry's "deaths" in game. All of the magic is built around humans, which he is not.
So while he is affected by the ink it can't actually get hold over him like everyone else.
❤'s The Heart: Ooooo
Rose-cut Strawberry: The ink is like "What is this?? Is it person?? Is it thing?? Should I be trying to take this or should I be making shit like it???"
(BC the ink seems to be able to actually create inanimate things/non-organic things just fine)
Like the pipes and the radios and such.
It only seems to have trouble making "living" things.
And Android Henry, by the definition given by Joey, was not a "Living" thing.
❤'s The Heart: :0
Rose-cut Strawberry: Well, he's not made with flesh and blood; he doesn't have the organs found in humans and animals; he doesn't really need to sleep or eat (even if he goes into rest/sleep mode every once in a while to save power/kill time); he doesn't have any bone or cartilage in his make-up
He's about as far from the make-up of his coworkers and the toons as one can get.
Even if his appearance is hardly different from others.
I kinda want to talk more about Android Henry, or even start writing for it, but I don't know what to talk about/start with...
❤'s The Heart: Same :(
I wish I had ideas
Adopt-A-Fusion: id contribute but brain doesn’t want to dbh
Rose-cut Strawberry: It doesn't have to be strictly dbh, it could just be ideas for how the story would start out.
I'd say the story would start after Henry got the actual letter, with the past stuff being done as flashbacks or stories.
I feel like it would be best for Henry to have some kind of companion for this story...
I would love to talk more about the Android Henry AU, but I have no idea what to do about it.
❤'s The Heart: Joey just... Shopping around for bootlegs is amazing
Rose-cut Strawberry: Hey guys, remember Android Henry?
I DREW HIM
❤'s The Heart: I’VE MISSED HIM
Adopt-A-Fusion: Good boy
Rose-cut Strawberry: He's wearing his android jacket, but he ripped off/removed all the decals and such from it.
❤'s The Heart: I wish we could talk more about his au but I don't know much about dbh (other than apparently people hate it now??) and I don't have any ideas
Rose-cut Strawberry: So? Who cares if we don't know shit about it, doesn't mean we can't play in the sandbox anyway.
Besides, that's what reading Wikipedia synopsizes is for.
❤'s The Heart: Oh that's very true
Rose-cut Strawberry: Hnnnn... I ideas for stuff to draw for Android Henry, anyone have any?
@here
Any have suggestions?
I really want to make more art to show this AU off.
❤'s The Heart: I’m sorry I don't ^^;
Sorry I meant to reply to this yesterday
Rose-cut Strawberry: Is okay.
If something occurs to you, feel free to mention it.
i have to ask, what of the monsterous "bendy" in this au?
Oh, he’s definitely, definitely still a thing in this AU. He’s callous, thinks too much of himself, and sees the other ink creatures around him as resources more than as people. Almost like someone else we’ve heard...And now I have a definite idea for how to add Norman to the mix of Redesigns :>c
henry in a suit makes me swoon, holy hell. also, your henry in general is just really attractive, every time i see a drawing of him from you on my dash makes me smile
A very happy birthday to my friend @lepetiteinkmango! Enjoy this little snippet, as per your request! Takes place pre-A Creator’s Heart, featuring Buddy, who belongs to @upperstories.
Henry woke up to an intense throbbing headache, meaning from the moment he opened his eyes, he was in a sour mood. The fact that he was crumpled on the floor in one of the studio’s larger rooms didn’t help matters.
Joey appeared in his field of vision, and if Henry’s memory served him correctly, there was only one logical response to the sight of his friend’s face.
Being groggy and disoriented didn’t stop Henry from snapping his fist out, right into Joey’s nose.
Mercifully, Joey vanished out of his sight from the force of the impact.
“I can’t believe,” Henry said, groaning as he pushed himself up, “that you would use me for a ritual after I plainly told you not to.”
Clutching his bleeding nose, Joey shrugged. “You’re fine, aren’t you?”
“Not the point. I said no rituals or sacrifices, especially not using me, and what do you do— literally the day after I told you that, no less? You drug my coffee and drag me here.”
They glared at each other, though Henry knew his friend well enough to see that he was sorry for what he’d done. Maybe not regretful, but sorry.
Joey broke first. Gesturing at his bloody face, he said, “I guess I deserved this.”
Henry snorted. “You definitely deserved that.” He stepped over to where Joey was still sitting on the ground and crouched. “Now let me check to make sure I didn’t break anything.”
Smiling slightly, Joey asked, “If you didn’t, are you gonna hit me again?”
“Depends on if your ritual worked, because my head is killing me, and I’ll be rightly pissed if it was all for nothing in the end.”
Right on cue, the Ink Machine gave a great groaning heave and spit out a glob of ink. They stared at it.
“I think it’s moving,” Joey whispered. “It’s supposed to be Bendy, but it might still need some tweaks.”
The shapeless blob slowly resolved itself into distinct limbs, and they only had a momentary glimpse of pie-cut eyes before the little toon released a staticky sort of shriek and bolted behind the Machine.
Joey sighed.
Angry as he was with his friend about deliberately drugging his coffee to use him in a potentially dangerous ritual, Henry knew Joey hadn’t been having the best time of it lately. Stress in all corners of his life meant his decision-making skills were more lacking than usual, and since Henry was truly okay— headache aside— he was feeling mostly forgiving. Especially since it looked like he’d managed to break Joey’s nose again.
He stood up and waved Joey towards the door. “Go see the nurse. I’ll take care of things here.”
Pushing himself to his feet, Joey grimaced. “I hate going to see the her.”
“You’re the reason we need an on-site nurse in the first place.”
“But you spend more time in there than anyone—”
“Yeah, because of you. Now go.”
Grumbling all the way, Joey trudged out of the room, leaving Henry alone with whoever had just been brought to life.
Henry took a deep breath before slowly making his way to where the toon had disappeared to. Trying to be deliberately loud without being intimidating, he made sure to keep his movements calm.
“Hello?”
A panicked squeak came from somewhere in the shadows.
“Hey, it’s all right. I’m not gonna hurt you.” Henry crouched down. “I’m sorry if we scared you, kiddo. We didn’t mean to.”
Movement, cautious and wary, but towards him nonetheless. Progress.
“My name’s Henry,” he said. “The idiot who just left was Joey. He won’t hurt you either.”
Finally, the small toon emerged into the light. He looked a lot like Bendy, with only a few differences here and there.
“Look at that,” Henry said, smiling gently at him. “You’ve got my eye color.”
The toon squeaked at him, wringing his tail— another difference— between his fingerless hands.
Henry held out his palm, careful not to get too close or move too quickly. The toon glanced back and forth between his hand and his face.
Sitting down all the way, criss-crossing his legs, Henry wiggled his fingers. “C’mon little buddy, how about a hug? Hugs are nice.”
He didn’t know if it was what he said or not, but the toon inched forward the rest of the way until Henry could gently guide him up into his arms.
“You need a name, I suppose,” he said as his new friend tucked himself against Henry’s chest. “It wouldn’t be fair to you to try and squeeze you into Bendy’s role. You’re your own person— er, toon. What do you say, buddy?”
He squirmed in Henry’s embrace, though not to try and escape it. Expecting another squeak, Henry’s eyebrows shot up when instead, the toon spoke in a whisper, “Buddy.”
“Buddy?”
Henry felt him nod. “Yes, me.”
Beaming, Henry held him away from his body for a moment, to proudly say, “Then I’m very pleased to meet you, Buddy. Welcome to the studio.”
i have to say, i am loving your benry au to bits so far. the art style is so nice, and i'm always a sucker for bendy!henry. can't wait to see what's next!
there’s definitely more to go! it just might take a little bit… comics are labor-intensive! Thank you for reading!!
