#nemo's writing

[nemo-draco]

Having thoughts about Doey being not simply an amalgamation of Jack, Kevin, and Matthew with clear lines and control, but one being born out of that unwilling and traumatic ordeal. He has traits from each, some scant memories and sensory experiences from Before, but now he's not them, he's Him, and now he has to live with that. That three kids went into making him who he is, and they're kind of present but not, and now he's Doey, but who is Doey but this horrible start, this compounded pain and misery that still is trying desperately to be good. But is that his desire, or is it one of the boys? Will he ever get out from under that shadow, could he ever be forgiven for the terrible things that happened to make him or because he was new and confused and didn't know better?

He tries to be cheerful, because that's what's needed and sometimes even in hell there are kids being kids, doing silly stuff and cracking jokes, but it's hard to square with, because Something Horrible happened and...he's the only one left standing. The scientists aren't there, Harley's gone after Playtime falls. Who is there left to blame but himself?

Anyway, my AUs have some fun stuff going on.

[nemowritesstuff]

@flashfictionfridayofficial

229 words under the cut, based on the prompt "Can We Kiss." No trigger or content warnings.

"Can we kiss?"

I always feel so alone around her, so alert yet so vulnerable. No matter the clothes, the venue, the time, she finds me and whispers those words. A threat. A flirt. A challenge.

It begins the same way it always does. Methodical and slow, matching each other's movements. Stilettos require a certain level of agility and skill to be used effectively. We are both masters; the display is little more than a signal that we are about to begin.

We fall into rhythmic movements. Back and forth, side to side, turns and spins. It's almost habitual how I move with her. Sometimes I wonder if she is even trying, but it only takes a second's distraction to prove she is trying to best me with all her skill.

I lose all track of time. All that matters is her, in this moment. Our bodies so close, our breaths perfectly in sync, our eyes locked and unwavering. My mirror and my opposite in every way that matters.

It ends. We both breathe hard. She looks at me, smiling. I can't help but feel disarmed before her. But the kiss never comes.

She slips away. I lose her in a sea of people. There is nothing more to do than wait until I am once again vulnerable, when I can hear her whisper once again.

"Can we kiss?"

[nemo-draco]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28943577/chapters/170397403

Finally got this chapter done! Thanks to @thedemonscrawler for the animation clip that helped put some gas in the tank when writing, I still come back to look at it every now and again.

Seeing as I already posted a preview, wanted to do something different and show a commission I took out from @charlieslowartsies a while ago. I already had a particular scene written out and they did a lovely job translating it from words to art. I'm not certain if there are still commissions available, but I would strongly recommend having a look at their art, as they do a fantastic job and have a BATIM AU of their own that very much deserves all the love!

[nemo-draco]

Re-Purposed Thoughts

- Huggy being a Gremlin. Aislinn’s the only one who can really talk him down, though a large part of that is just letting him be a Little Crazy. Kissy also has a bit of pull as far as getting Huggy to calm down.

- Doey getting to be around people that are his own maturity level or above, actually being A Kid for once. Thanks to Aislinn, he's introduced to 80s-90s animated Disney and falls in love with the music.

- Hugs hugs HUGS

- The Wuggies will occasionally swarm people they like. Huggy just surrenders. Doey might try to hug them back if he's not too worried about hurting them.

-Lucas is going from bisected to Lieutenant Dan, i.e., he's basically missing his legs from upper thigh down. Will drag himself around the house. Doey gets antsy when he does this and will repeatedly offer to carry the other Bigger Body around. Lucas only sometimes takes the help, he does want to be more independent.

- First few weeks after Playtime Co were spent in the living room watching movies and mostly chilling, as well as keeping a close eye on the news to see what folks were saying about the factory. Movie roster was a mix of animated and live action. The kids were given a ton of trivia about different movies/actors in the meantime.

- Doey has gone from 900lbs of dough to under 700. Blame Proto and his apparent desire to bump off potential problems. His body is tender during the first month, particularly around his back and shoulders, and he intermittently feels 'floaty', like someone would if they’d suffered a traumatic injury. It fades with time, the only lingering aftereffects being a sort of raised ridging on his shoulders and back, like what you would get if you tore a piece of play dough in half.

- Theo hides in the attic for a lot of the first few months. Aislinn makes a habit of going up there to give him meals and check on him.

- Huggy being nonchalantly referred to as Aislinn’s "guard dog" or "shadow". After how things ended in the factory, he's protective.

- Doey being the Mom friend, especially when he realizes that folks like Aislinn have their own issues. He gets plenty of caring back though, the adults of the house entreating him to take breaks and look out for himself too.

- Aislinn lives in an old house with her younger brother, and two other friends, one of whom works as a nurse at a hospital. While she was initially apologetic about dropping a whole bunch of traumatized kids into the equation, everyone kinda collectively went "well, screw Playtime, our kids now".

- Aislinn finds an android body in the Doctor’s area that has a crafted brain, nicknamed Alpha. Ultimately though, she is a relatively chill sort that hits it off pretty well with Doey, especially after they leave. After some deliberation, she chose the name Dani.

[nemo-draco]

Re-Purposed AU Incorrect Quotes

Huggy Wuggy: [texting] CALL 911!

Doey [texting] WHY?! WHAT'S HAPPENING?! WHAT'S THE DEAL?!

Doey: [still texting, five minutes later] HELLO?! [no response, he calls:] ANSWER ME, WHAT'S HAPPENING?!

Huggy Wuggy: [on the call] We're good, nevermind.

Doey: What happened?! What was going on?

Huggy Wuggy: It doesn't matter, we're fine.

Doey: It DOES matter! What made you send a message like that?!

Huggy Wuggy: [pull out to show Huggy standing on top of a large, dead Bron]

^^^

Aislinn: Guys, if I don’t need to know the scary numbers, please do not tell me the scary numbers.

^^^

Aislinn: Doctor, you have taken advantage of the kids, and you are going to the special hell. Reserved for child molesters and people who talk in the theater.

[Later, as a potential pre-mortem one-liner]

Aislinn: The special hell, Doctor.

^^^

Doey: If you put a milkshake in one yard and cracked open a cold one in another which yard would the boys go to?

Huggy Wuggy: Schrodinger’s boys.

DogDay/Lucas: Oh god.

Doey: What about cracking open a cold milkshake?

CatNap/Theodore: [with the gravitas of a professor] As we all know, the milkshake brings the boys to the yard. The presence of the boys is a prerequisite for the cracking open of a cold one, but cold ones do not have any inherent boy-attracting abilities. Milkshakes, however, do. All else being equal, the boys would proceed to the milkshake yard. While it is possible to announce the presence of cold ones in the hope of attracting some boys, the pull of the milkshake is much more powerful by comparison.

Aislinn: [as she's walking by] Mind you, ALL of this nonsense hinges on whether or not the boys are back in town.

^^^

DogDay/Lucas: Why are we lying on the ground in the driveway?

Doey: You got knocked out so I laid down next to you so everyone would think we were just chilling.

^^^

Doey: [as little, multi-colored Wuggies are running around him in circles] You are all very tiny...an' cute…[kids WHOOSH past him again]...but you are so rowdy…

Yellow Wuggy/Bui: [out of breath but so energized] I got ZOOMIES! WILL NEVER CEASE!

Doey: [waits for the kids' next pass and gently snags them, lifting them up off the ground]

Yellow Wuggy/Bui: [little legs kicking for a bit] I-I’m gonna--- [Runs out of energy right there, falling asleep in Doey's hands.]

^^^

Doey: [throwing open the door to Huggy's room] WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF— [Huggy Wuggy is very clearly sprawled on his bed, limbs all over the place as he lies facedown.] Oh no. You’re depressed. [grabs Huggy's arm, lifting his hand off of the bed and letting it drop] Uh, okay, c’mon. [picks up the other toy in a bridal carry] We’re gonna go get some ice cream and chicken nuggies. And yes, you can have the toy before the chicken nuggies—

Huggy Wuggy: [stunned by the fact that he’s been picked up] I-I don’t need the—

Doey: Yep you do, c’mon.

^^^

DogDay/Lucas: Why were you trying to go so fast?! Where were you even going?!

CatNap/Theodore: Hell.

Aislinn: Don’t say that, Theo. 

CatNap/Theodore: Oh, sorry. Not Hell. Mexico. 

^^^

DogDay/Lucas: [after finding Huggy, visibly swaying and slurring his words] A-Are you drunk?

Huggy Wuggy: [staring off into space as he answers] Yeah, very. 

^^^

Huggy Wuggy: [with a dead inside expression] I don’t have any soul left to be crushed. 

^^^

Aislinn: [on the phone to a friend] How do you get Play Dough out of…well, it’s kinda everywhere. Let’s start with carpets.

Doey: [from the other room] I'm sorry!

^^^

Aislinn: [after something relatively minor and embarrassing] I’m done. I’m done. Goodbye veneer of class and dignity, it was nice knowing you. 

^^^

Huggy Wuggy: [in his bed, whispering so he doesn’t wake up the others] Stupid birds chirping at four in the morning. The sun isn’t rising yet, you hellspawn. Go back to your nests.

^^^

Huggy Wuggy: [after tearing his way through multiple little feral Critters and a few bigger ones] On a scale from one to ten I am at biblical violence. 

^^^

Aislinn: Alright, Doey, remember, we have to be quiet.

Doey: Ninja mode activated.

^^^

Aislinn: I’m running on two hours of sleep, just spent six minutes staring at the back of my hand thinking about how I don’t really know it all that well. 

^^^

DogDay/Lucas: Okay, but if you die you have to get “I should’ve listened to Lucas” carved into your tombstone.

^^^

Huggy Wuggy: [to Aislinn, after an outing] I mean, I didn’t break anything, I didn’t bite anyone, and I didn’t get lost. Aren’t you proud of me?

Aislinn: [grinning quietly] Yes, I am, you goof. C’mere.

^^^

Purple Wuggy/Corcra: [clearly in a cranky mood] Wanna take a nap!

Huggy Wuggy: You wanna take a nap?

Purple Wuggy/Corcra: [crawls into Huggy's lap] Gonna take a nap here!

Huggy Wuggy: [he is just endlessly amused at this] Okay, take a nap right there.

Purple Wuggy/Corcra: [curls up, snuggles in] G'night…

^^^

Huggy Wuggy: Why are you following me?

Purple Wuggy/Corcra: I'll always follow you around!

Huggy Wuggy: I see. But you know, sometimes people wanna be alone. [whirls around with a pleading face] So wait for me back where you were, okay?!

Purple Wuggy/Corcra: [you can see his brain circling, circling...] Got it!

Huggy Wuggy: Good kid. [gets up to leave, only for Corcra to continue to follow him, whirls back around now very angry and frustrated] DO YOU UNDERSTAND?! [grabs Corcra and forcibly brings the little Wuggy to a hiding spot, plunking him down and continuing:] You wait here! I'll be back soon! [stomps off, more quietly to himself as he goes:] He could be eaten!

^^^

Baba Chops: And who are these losers?

DogDay/Lucas: We, sir—

Baba Chops: I’m a woman. 

Doey: [reaching over to cover the Critter kids' eyes] Ouch.

^^^

Lil'CatNap: [after having been separated from Doey] Doey!

Doey: Kid! [IMMEDIATELY RACES OVER AND PICKS HIM UP] Where were you, I was so worried...don’t you ever run away from me again, young man! [Bitty CatNap's giggling, Doey hugs the little purple kitten] I’m so glad you’re okay...

^^^

DogDay: It’s okay, Aislinn, we have faith in you.

Aislinn: [genuinely confused] Why?

^^^

Aislinn: [a bit breathlessly] I’m just having a lot of anxiety, y'know? 

Doey: [immediate concern] What’s wrong?

Aislinn: Nothing really, this is just how life is for me.

Doey: [quietly scoots over and gives her a hug] 

^^^

Aislinn: [in a rare moment] Shit.

Doey: Watch your language. 

Aislinn: I was. You should've heard what I was thinking.

^^^

[DogDay is talking to Doey, gets a tap on his shoulder and turns around to see Huggy and Theo all standing there with completely serious looks on their faces, covered in mud.] 

CatNap/Theodore: A fifty three, my brother, in the absence of your watchful guidance we appear to be covered in mud. 

Huggy Wuggy: [like he’s beseeching some all-knowing sage] Help us, brother, what can we do? 

DogDay/Lucas: [guys, he is so done] Have you tried, not being covered in mud? [turns back to Doey, is talking for a few minutes before there’s another tap on his shoulder, turns back to Huggy and Theo, both of whom look like they just hurriedly went under the garden hose]

Huggy Wuggy: Okay, so the good news is we’re not covered in mud anymore.

[Doey is on the ground, dying. DogDay just stares at the both of them.]

^^^

The Prototype: [to a slightly monsterfied Doey] And that leaves you, all alone. 

Doey: [struggling against the liquid nitrogen and saw pinning him in place] YOU KILLED MY FRIENDS!!

The Prototype: [briefly turns off the nitrogen] Yes, your friends, let’s talk about them. They didn’t have to be there. 

Doey: H-Huh---?

The Prototype: You could have taken them somewhere else in the factory. Instead you stayed here, where it was dangerous. You left them there. And they could have run, but they stayed for you.

Doey: I WAS TRYING TO HELP THEM!!

The Prototype: So you were, and look at these results! You see, all of this, is your fault. [is about to pull the lever and restart the nitrogen, cue a GrabPack hand slamming down and forcing him to withdraw]

Aislinn: [had been standing above and overheard the whole thing] What makes you think YOU CAN TREAT HIM LIKE THAT?!

^^^

Doey: [at the Wuggies] So, you think you can just tilt your heads and I'll give you whatever you want? Because you're absolutely right. [Starts baby-talking] You want snacks? You want my soul? You want my undying loyalty? You got it, lil' guys!

^^^

Doey: If you were offered $50,000, but the person you hate gets $100,000, would you take it?

Huggy Wuggy: Of course. Why wouldn’t I want $150,000?

Doey: [doing the math] Huggy, no---

^^^

Black Wuggy/Dubh: [while having to be stopped from shenanigans] YOUR ILL-CONSIDERED ALLEGIANCE FORFEITS YOUR RIGHT TO DIGNITY!!!

^^^

[In Playtime, the group is semi-scavenging for parts/food, Aislinn wanders a bit further away. We suddenly hear a loud screech, Huggy, DogDay, and Doey all looking up as Aislinn comes sprinting back around the corner.]

Aislinn: WHY AREN’T YOU RUNNING YET?!

[And here comes a horde of feral Critters right on her heels, everyone bolts.]

^^^

Aislinn: You know you gotta re-evaluate your life when the first thought that comes to mind after you wake up is 'at least I'm still alive'.

^^^

Doey: [to Huggy Wuggy] Hey, no judgements. You know me. Chinese food vent sessions are safe places.

^^^

Huggy Wuggy: The eagles won last night.

Aislinn: Oh, did you watch the game last night? [Turns around, instant 8O]

Huggy Wuggy: [covered in loose blood and scratches] What game?

^^^

Gray Wuggy/Liath: [trying something new] At first it was unpleasant, ‘cause my brain didn’t know what was going on.

^^^

[Aislinn and Corcra working on a puzzle]

Aislinn: ...It's a lot to take in, so don't worry if you---.

Purple Wuggy/Corcra: [sudden realization] Ah! AHHHHHHH!

Aislinn: What?! What?!

Purple Wuggy/Corcra: So this! [Points to a spot] And this! [Points at another spot] Make it do this!

Aislinn: [starting to smile] Yeah?

Purple Wuggy/Corcra: And you do this to get that---!

Aislinn: [excitement sure is infectious] Yeah, yeah?!

Purple Wuggy/Corcra: SO THEN TO SOLVE IT YOU DO THIS!

Aislinn: YES!!!

Purple Wuggy/Corcra: I KNEW IT!! I knew, I knew!

Aislinn: [swings the kiddo around, grinning like a loon] You did!

^^^

Doey: Hey! Nobody’s cuter than our kids!

DogDay/Lucas: Doey, I agree, but I think we might be a bit biased…

Doey: Well, if I could take out somebody else’s eyes and put them in my sockets I would but to me they’re adorable. [picks up the Critters and the Wuggies] Lookit these faces and tell me they’re not adorable!

DogDay/Lucas: They absolutely are. [to the little ones] Hey, kids. 

Purple Wuggy/Corcra: [as Lil'CatNap waves] Hi. 

^^^

CatNap/Theodore: Truly, setting his coat on fire was an accident. He should be grateful that I put it out by throwing him into the lake.

^^^

Doey: So, Huggy, can you tell everyone how good I am?

Huggy Wuggy: Uh...why? 

Doey: [flustered doughman] Because you like me, iunno…

Huggy Wuggy: Well, yeah, I do, I just wanna know why you want me to tell everyone.

Doey: Well, sometimes it feels good to have someone just sing your praises, I dunno. I mean, everybody’s not a big strong ox like you. [he starts to slump, mumbling:] Emotionally sometimes some of us it gets to us, okay,  an’ we need to hear something good about ourselves to feel okay…

Huggy Wuggy: Okay, fine. [draws himself up with dramatic gravitas and declares:] You have GOOD ARMS.

Doey: [He kind of just stares before his eyes go all sparkly and he gets a big grin on his face.] You mean it?!

Huggy Wuggy: I mean it. An’ I don’t mean it to be mean, I mean it to mean it. So there. [grabs Doey and starts to give him a noogie]

^^^

CatNap/Theodore: God gave me chronic depression because if my ambitions went unchecked, I would have bested him in hand-to-hand combat.

^^^

Huggy Wuggy: I’m sending good vibes your way. They’re coming. There’s nothing you can do to stop them. 

Doey: …That is the most threatening way I’ve ever been cheered up.

^^^

Doey: [to the others, after they accidentally walk within range of a beehive, offering them refuge] C’mere, I’ll protect you. Besides I’ve been stuck so many times by stuff I’m immune. GO AHEAD AND STING ME, BEES! IT DOES NOTHING!

^^^

Aislinn: [running over to Theo] We have a problem…!

CatNap/Theodore: [barely missing a beat] Alright, you get the body bag, and meet me out back. I know a good stretch of land no one will think to check. 

Aislinn: Uh, what do you think emergency means?

CatNap/Theodore: [comes over with a shovel, putting a hand on Aislinn's shoulder] It doesn’t matter. No one will ever know.

^^^

Huggy Wuggy: In my defense, I was left unsupervised. 

DogDay/Lucas: Wait, wasn’t Doey with you?

Doey: ...In my defense, I was also left unsupervised.

^^^

Huggy Wuggy: [as the Wuggies and Critters are running around] Ah, the pitter-patter of tiny feet. SHUT UP! ONE OF YOU IS GONNA FALL DOWN AND DIE AND I’M NOT CLEANING IT UP!

^^^

Dr. Harley Sawyer: If I'm really as evil as you say I am, then may God strike me down where I stand.

[Lightning strikes him]

Dr. Harley Sawyer: [smug snake mode] Nice try. Next time, give it your A-game.

^^^

Aislinn: [while in a very dangerous situation with Huggy, DogDay, and the Wuggies, gets an idea] Hey, you guys know how I sometimes have really good ideas?

DogDay/Lucas: [as Huggy nods] Yeah?

Aislinn: [handing the Wuggies to Huggy] I'm sorry. [Runs out from cover] HEY LOOK AT ME I'M A TARGET!!!

^^^

Huggy Wuggy: Someone ever tries to kill you, you try to kill 'em right back!

^^^

Huggy Wuggy: Mercy is the mark of a great man. [punts what's left of Harley's brain] Guess I'm just a good man. [smacks it against the wall] Well, I'm all right.

^^^

Doey: [genuine concern] What's wrong, Huggy? You tired?

Huggy Wuggy: Yeah…

Doey: You need to sleep?

Huggy Wuggy: Mmhmm, pr'bly…

Doey: You need a one way ticket to Sleepytime Junction?

Huggy Wuggy: Huh? [Doey giggles] Doey…

Doey: [softly singing] Somebody’s takin’ a train to Sleepytime Junction…

Huggy Wuggy: [muffled because he’s pressing his face into the table] Doey, go away…

Doey: [still singing softly] Somebody is so tired he can barely function…

Huggy Wuggy: Stop.

Doey: [still soft] So he’s hoppin’ on that train to Sleepytime Junction…

Huggy Wuggy: [half laughing, half despairing] I hate you so much…

Doey: [soft] Somebody’s takin’ a train to Sleepytime Junction...[RAMPS UP THE VOLUME] ALL ABOOAARD, CRIES THE ENGINEER, SLEEPYTIME JUNCTION IS SO NEAR!~

Huggy Wuggy: WHY RIGHT INTO MY EAR YOU SUCK I HATE YOU SO MUCH….!

^^^

Doey: Ah, no, it’s not your problem. If you burden your friends then soon you won’t have any. 

Aislinn: ...Y'know, that's actually what friends are for, believe it or not.

^^^

Huggy Wuggy: [about various happenings in Playtime] I have a question, for God…[takes a deep breath and screams to the heavens] WHY?!!!

^^^

Dr. Harley Sawyer: Pathetic. Whimpering, mewling, useless.

Aislinn: [she is beaten up and done with your shit, doc] I know you are but what am I?

Dr. Harley Sawyer:...What?

^^^

CatNap/Theodore: Earth to Lucas, are your feet wet? Can you see the pyramids?

DogDay/Lucas: [nonplussed staring]

CatNap/Theodore: Because you are standing knee-deep in de Nile.

^^^

Dr. Harley Sawyer: You just made the last mistake of your life.

Aislinn: God, I wish.

^^^

Aislinn: [hearing some of the feral toys in another room] I tell you, there sure is some kind of a party going on over here, just not sure that it’s the kind of party I wanna be invited to.

^^^

Huggy Wuggy: You... have a face.

Kissy Missy: Yes. Yes, I do.

Huggy Wuggy: I mean, a nice face. You have a very nice face.

Kissy Missy: Thanks, I think?

Huggy Wuggy: Please accept my attempts to give you a compliment. I don't know what I'm doing.

^^^

Huggy Wuggy:  Please, Doey. After everything we went through together. You can't do this.

Doey: I'm sorry, Huggy.

Huggy Wuggy: I'm begging you. Don't do it.

Doey: It has to be done. [placing a draw-4 card] Uno.

^^^

Aislinn: I’m just a little rundown, that’s all.

Doey: [he recognizes the code word for ‘sad’] Hey, it’s okay! I have emotional jumper cables! I’ll boost you. Just attach like so… [and he wraps his arms around her shoulders, pulling her in for a warm, bracing hug] 

Aislinn: [processing what in the heck is happening here, before:] Doey, this is a hug.

Doey: Is it working?

Aislinn: [trying and failing not to smile] …Thank you. 

Doey: [extra squeeze] I’ll take that as a yes.

^^^

CatNap/Theodore: [talking to any of the others] Just because I give you crap doesn't mean I hate you. If I hated you, I wouldn't talk to you at all.

^^^

CatNap/Theodore: [to the group] Everything around you turns into a disaster. So, obviously, I'm coming with you.

^^^

Aislinn: Hey, Theo, if you ever want--- 

CatNap/Theodore: I would rather bleed out on the floor than talk about my feelings, thank you.

^^^

DogDay/Lucas: I promised Aislinn we wouldn’t be doing anything stupid!

CatNap/Theodore: Now why would you lie to her like that?

^^^

DogDay/Lucas: Opinions on pulp in orange juice?

Kissy Missy: I don’t mind pulp.

Aislinn: If I wanted to chew, I’d just eat an orange.

Doey: I love my fruit sludge.

DogDay/Lucas: Why do you all love pulp so much. It feels like you’re drinking guts.

Huggy Wuggy: I like my enemies the way I like my juice. Beaten into PULP.

CatNap/Theo: I don't like orange juice.

^^^

Aislinn: English is a difficult language. It can be understood through tough thorough thought, though.

CatNap/Theodore: You need to stop.

^^^

Black Wuggy/Dubh: What are you gonna do with that big bat? Gonna hit me? Better make it count. Better make it hurt. Better kill me in one shot.

^^^

Aislinn: My autobiography will be exactly three chapters worth of the phrase ‘I should have thought this through’ typed over and over and over. 

^^^

Aislinn: [rating pain] I feel like I got hit by a car, but not a big car. Maybe like a small one, like a Beetle. I feel like I got hit by a Beetle.

^^^

Purple Wuggy/Corcra: I know what drawing is. You think something, and then you draw a line around your think.

^^^

Black Wuggy/Dubh: Can I have candy?

Huggy Wuggy: What did Aislinn say?

Black Wuggy/Dubh: No.

Huggy Wuggy: So why would I let you?

Black Wuggy/Dubh: She's not the boss of you.

Huggy Wuggy: [internally] It's a trap.

^^^

Huggy Wuggy: [singing] Hey, how you doin’, well I’m doin’ just fine, I lied, I’m dead inside.~

^^^

Aislinn: I didn’t think I’d get the chance to give you this. Good job!

Huggy Wuggy: You’re giving me a sticker? 

Aislinn: Not just any sticker, it’s a sticker of a cat saying ‘Me-Wow’.

Huggy Wuggy:...I’m not five…

Aislinn: Fine, I’ll take it back.

Huggy Wuggy: Hey, I earned this, back off!

^^^

Huggy Wuggy: Has anyone stopped to wonder how we’re still alive? 

Doey: Oh yeah. 

CatNap/Theodore: All the time. 

DogDay/Lucas: By all likelihood, I know I shouldn’t be.

^^^

Aislinn: [to the Prototype] Not my kids, you bastard.

^^^

Huggy Wuggy: If anyone gives you trouble, just smack 'em.

Doey: Smack 'em?

Huggy Wuggy: You know, politely.

[nemo-draco]

Thinking About OATD's Plot Again

Though this time from the thought of it just being a story. Namely Orion's story. Everything up until Hypatia shows up is presumably his own train of thought, barring the one edit Hypatia provokes regarding kid Orion being able to see the future. ...So, does this mean he also came up with Dark sacrificing himself, apropos of nothing? It's a really negative way to supposedly conclude the tale, and one that Hypatia...kind of doesn't seem to grasp the weight of completely given how her 'fix' is to resurrect Dark from kid Orion's memories. Which isn't bad, if anything that's kind of what you'd expect of a child that hasn't had to deal with death before. It's not really a failing of Hypatia, she's all of around ten. Unless there is some event that brings it to the forefront, most people in the modern era haven't had a ton of experience when it comes to someone dying except in perhaps a passing sense.

Which makes it seem stranger that that's where Orion's mind went as far as how to resolve the whole issue with Dark's conflict. That as far as the adult Orion is concerned, the notion of a character just noping out of the narrative entirely is a potential response. Granted, Dark's whole situation is a little screwed up; he's basically ridiculed, stereotyped, and at times even mislabeled for doing what he was made to do. And Orion seems to have something of a wary fascination with the idea of death and dying immediately off. It's presented in a similarly unaware, childlike way, but its there. Death and the unknown become synonymous, because that's how Orion views them. Probably then as well as now.

It's not clear if he's had experience as far as someone dying, but he's definitely a bit more knowledgeable now. There's this tinge of adult cynicism that makes its way in with Dark basically committing suicide on-screen, this reminder that sometimes the ending isn't happy, because that's not how things are in real life. He's supposedly already got signs of a kind of cynicism in childhood (Nihilism vs Existentialism for Kids, in the sequence right before he brings up this fear of the unknown), if his depiction in the story is accurate.

There's also the notion of what role Dark plays in the tale, which I think is a bit more than just that of a deuteragonist. When looking at his personality, I couldn't help noticing how he's a shadow archetype of the younger Orion. He's big where Orion is small, idealistic where Orion is cynical, friendly and open-minded where Orion is wary and closed off, the comparisons abound, really. He doesn't completely slot into these comparisons, he's definitely not naïve regarding life, though instead of sitting stuck, he wants to enact change on what he views as unfair.

Which makes what happens to him...really something. This friendly, wide-eyed, desperate for change personality basically does the equivalent of throwing himself in front of a train when confronted with the notion of being alone for the rest of his (in the story) immortal life. Which makes me go back again to the notion of Orion as a storyteller and what he might've been drawing from to both create the character of Dark and follow that tale to what he seems to consider a logical conclusion.

There's also the fact that the adult Orion plays a similar role for Hypatia to what Dark plays for the younger version of Orion: a person that presents an alternative idea and POV. They even go on a little journey together. Wonder if, in his own way, the adult version of Orion is a composite of both his child-self and pieces of Dark. It's some definite food for thought.

[nemo-draco]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Writing Snippet:

"Jafar?!" The call immediately had both the aforementioned sorcerer and his slave straightening. The man hurried to close the door to his more secret chambers as he threw a pointed look in the scarlet ifrit's direction, a gesture indicating that the jinni should not listen if he knew what was good for him. With a shimmer the slave disappeared, just in time for Jasmine to cross the threshold. However what both had failed to notice was that Iago had been coming out from the hidden room, and had gotten stuck when the door closed.

A soft croak was the only sound the parrot could make, easily missed by the two humans. But someone did take notice, golden magic briefly flickering behind Jafar as a pair of invisible hands slid into the open gap and tried to pull.

"Ah, Princess. How may I be of service to you?" Jafar asked, bowing just enough to be respectful without exposing the odd slit in the wall being him. Not that Jasmine had much of a mind to look around the room, or notice any odd gaps in the wall. Instead, her entire focus was for the vizier, and the task she had set for herself.

"The guards just took a boy from the market, on your orders."

Not that it took Jafar long to realize just who the princess was talking about, and, well, there was no sense in beating round the bush. Besides he did have a contingency planned in case anyone started asking any inconvenient questions. As the princess would soon discover…

"Your father has charged me with keeping peace in Agrabah, Princess. The boy was a criminal."

[nemo-draco]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Preview:

He knew his name. His name was Ryan, Ryan Charlton. He played instruments for Joey Drew Studios, the guitar, the sax, and the piano.

He was also sure that Joey Drew Studios was the reason he was in this situation right now.

That being that he was currently sitting in a cell in what looked like a grimy old basement. Which would have been pretty bad in and of itself, though at the very least he wasn't alone.

There was a complication though with that last bit, as while he wasn't alone, his current company was, well, a bit closer than he'd like. As in, they were both currently sharing a part of his…brain? Mind? Consciousness? Perhaps all three.

Ryan knew he also looked leagues different than he remembered. The canine snout poking out from the front of his face was a dead giveaway for that. He also had one extra set of arms than he remembered having, though that might have also had something to do with the people he was, again, currently sharing his mind with.