#tdoj

[icanexplainwhythisnameisbad]

decade of joy: Baba chops side story

Minor recap of Baba’s lore in the au (made by @decadeofjoy-au ) (to be clear I made the character lore, the AU was made by them )

Baba after being made but before the hour of joy took joy in playing “pranks” on the critters (maiming them & trying to hurt them )

it went on for months until she went over the edge and straight up tried or kill dogday, she was sedated by catnap’s red smoke and while she was unconscious The Doctor had yarnaby drag her down to the labs where he modified her

she was never the same again, losing pretty much her entire self and becoming another one of the doctor’s pets

now she Carries out his orders when told sometimes watching the critters from afar in similar positions when she used to torture them

And that’s her backstory anyway onto the actual story

(I haven’t written for this AU in months so if Anybodies outta character that’s on me & this can be redone at a later date )

characters

main - baba

minor - dogday, Catnap, harley Sawyer, yarnaby, Azure, A.I.

(Azure is made by @decadeofjoy-au , A.I. by me )

-\/\/\/\/\/-

baba had no idea what went wrong. It was a usual day, atleast the closest thing to a day this deep in the factory, for her. Playing her usual tricks like a bucket of bricks on top of a door in the hospital, or a tripwire ontop of a flight of stairs

her latest and greatest prank Involved dogday and a knife

she chased him all across the factory, finally Cornering him. Just as she was about to gut him… red smoke filled the air around her.

the last thing she ever saw was dogday backing away.

-\/\/- [pov switch now it’s 3rd person] -/\/\-

Harley watched this from the cameras, noting the sheep’s potential usefulness. He ordered yarnaby to drag the unconscious sheep to the labs, where improvements could be made.

it was a long process, but Baba was certainly changed…

nothing like the violent sociopathic sheep before, now an obedient pet much like yarnaby no memories of what it was like before, maybe a few faint feelings. but nothing concrete.

-/\/\/\/\/\- (time skip to the present day) -\/\/\/\/\/-

A.I. : “Wow… just wow… I kinda knew Baba was different before but I wasn’t expecting that…”

Azure: “what do you think happened after… after she was gassed like that?…”

A.I.: “I don’t really know, but something must’ve happened to cause that kinda change… but I doubt we’ll ever find out… I wonder why this tape was just lying here? next to this conveniently placed TV in the room we stopped in?”

(Not my best work not by a longshot, but I had the idea and felt the urge to write it. whether or not this is good enough to be canon is up for debate, but since I wrote this at 12:30 at night I don’t think I should say If it’s good or not )

[icanexplainwhythisnameisbad]

dumb Decade of Joy AU poll

@decadeofjoy-au

since I can’t put a poll in an ask this is the next best thing

which OC (of mine) do you think could win in a fight with sandman

Ms Moondust

Monkey Bars

Petals

The Not-Quite-Dead

Gray

Hero

Voting ended onMay 4, 2025

I’m morbidly curious cause depending on who. Most would think wins a fight I might try to write (part of) an encounter (not necessarily a fight but still) between the winner &sandman (the winner’s half of the encounter atleast)

as for when or how these encounters would happen

it would definitely vary on who wins

either way this is a poll

[corelex]

A Rose's Beauty

Synopsis: Rosalie and Miss Delight help a woman with the adoption process. However, after a spat between the woman and the two co-workers, Rosalie opens something about her past.

Setting: Playcare – 2001

TW/CW: Mentions of bullying/harassment, implied sexism via enforcement of gender norms

Playcare looks busy as it is filled with soon-to-be parents looking to adopt a child. One aspect that Playtime Co., or rather the newly-run Playtime Co., is known for is its mission to take care of orphans and prepare them for adoption by their upcoming loving parents. Many toys greet the parents and guide them into the adoption process.

A woman approaches a blonde teacher and a raven butler in Home Sweet Home. “Excuse me, can you two help me with the adoption process?” “No problem, miss! We will help you in adopting your new kid. The name’s Miss Delight,” the blonde teacher replies. Miss Delight then explains to the soon-to-be mother about the paperwork and assessment to see if she is fit to be a good adoptive parent.

The woman notices the tall raven butler standing beside the teacher. “Seems to be a fine young gentleman,” she thought. “Sir, are you also helping around in this area?” she asked the butler. She expects a suave, male voice but to her surprise, a woman’s voice comes out. The raven responds, “Oh no, I’m a woman, but yes, I do provide help here in Playcare. My name is Rosalie.”

This realization confuses the woman when she realizes that Rosalie is a woman despite her masculine appearance. “This can’t be right, a woman isn’t supposed to look like that,” she thought. That confusion turns into anger when the raven does not fit what a lady expects to look like. 

The woman goes on a spiteful rant against Rosalie, talking about how she needs to wear dresses, grow her hair long, and wear make-up, not dressing and looking like a man. Rosalie remains still while the woman keeps screaming at her. Miss Delight attempts to break up the fight, “Now, now miss! I know Rosalie may not look feminine, but she is fine and help-” “And as for you!” The woman redirects her anger towards the teacher.

“I expected better from you, Miss Delight! How can you have someone like her walking around and talking to children, especially young girls?! She’s a bad role model for them of what a real lady looks like!” the woman keeps complaining about Rosalie, leaving the teacher frozen. Mommy Long Legs notices the commotion caused by the woman that Miss Delight and Rosalie are caught in and gently approaches the three. 

“Now, now, what’s the matter here?” Mommy cuts the woman’s rant. “Are you looking for a kid to adopt and care for? No worries, Miss Payne will help you with the process!” Mommy, or rather Marie, takes the woman aside to another part of Playcare, leaving the two to recover from the situation. “Whew! Thank goodness Marie helped us with that. Well, it’s not an adoption day without those kinds of parents, right Rosalie?” Rosalie remains unresponsive to Miss Delight’s remark about the situation they experienced and seems to space out.

“Hello? Rosalie? Are you there?” The teacher tugs on Rosalie’s arm, and that snaps her out of her frozen reaction. The raven looks around and directs her attention to the teacher who brought her back to conscious thought. “Rosalie, are you okay?” Miss Delight’s face is filled with concern and worry. The butler takes a little time to give her answer, “Uh…I’m fine…for now?” Her sullen voice states otherwise. 

“Look Rosalie, what we have experienced is pretty normal when we are open for adoption; some adults are really like that. It’s a pain in the neck, I know, but it is what it is.” “It’s not that I’m shaken about…” “Then, what is it?” Miss Delight responds with a confused expression. Rosalie tilts her head and walks towards a private room. Miss Delight catches this and follows her to that room.

“It’s what she says to me, Miss Delight.” “That...” the teacher pauses to find some other words to soften the blow but has none, so she goes straight to the point, “You don’t look like a real woman?” Rosalie subtly nods to her question. “That wasn’t the first time someone treated me like that…” The phrase intrigues yet shocks the teacher.

“Before I arrived in Playtime Co. and experienced well…all of this, I wasn’t well-liked by my peers and some adults.” “Why is that, Rosalie?” “Because of what I used to wear and look, Miss Delight.” This still raises questions for the teacher.

“I wore leather jackets, jeans, boots, and print t-shirts of my favorite bands,” the raven explains. “Sounds like you looked like a punk back then,” Miss Delight retorts. Rosalie looks at her, and the teacher now realizes that she might have offended the butler. "Oh sorry, I don’t mean to insult you-” “It’s fine and you were right, I did look like a punk back then. I even wear some makeup that makes me look like a rockstar!”

“Seems like you are into rock bands,” said Miss Delight. “I am! I loved their music and style when I was a teen! It made me inspired to play my own music and make one for myself.” Rosalie’s passionate statement made Miss Delight smile as she likes it when someone proudly talks about their interests. “Unfortunately, they didn’t really like my appearance and interests since they viewed rock bands, rock music, and anyone who looks punk as…demonic…” This slightly saddens the teacher as Rosalie seems to like this kind of stuff.

“They didn’t treat me well before, always leaving me out, insulting me. Hell, even one adult said to me that I am the Devil tempting young kids to sin because of what I look like and am into.” That account shocks Miss Delight as she begins to visualize the harassment that Rosalie went through when she was young and it makes her heart ache. Who even has the audacity to say that to a young teen?! 

“It’s not the same as being scolded for not looking like a real woman, but…” Rosalie begins to tear up as she feels anguish from the past that makes her feel like an abomination, a monster, a demon, or whatever the hell they used to call her back then. “It still hurts.” 

Rosalie’s experience mortifies the blonde teacher. No kid deserves to undergo that just because they are different from their peers. It sends shivers down her spine knowing that there are teens like Rosalie in Home Sweet Home. Will their peers outside Playtime Co. accept them for who they are, or will they go through harassment like Rosalie did? And don’t get her started about the thought of whether their soon-to-be parents will accept them or not.

“I am truly sorry that you have to go through all of that, Rosalie. I hope your father accepted you for who you are,” Miss Delight expresses her sympathy to Rosalie. “Oh, he did, and it is the only good thing that I experienced. At least my dad doesn’t mind who I am.” This relieves the teacher knowing that she has at least a good parent by her side. “Though, I wonder…what if she’s right?”

“Huh?” Miss Delight was befuddled by Rosalie's claim. “What if I’m truly a bad role model for kids and they started to dress like me-” “Rosalie-” “and when they are sent out of the building, they might be harassed like I was-” “Rosalie-” “Oh God, I doomed them, didn’t I-"

“Rosalie!”

Miss Delight finally snaps her out of her anxiety-ridden ramble.

“What that woman said to you was unacceptable. It doesn’t matter if you look feminine or not, ‘normal’ or punk; what matters is if you are a good person, and indeed, you are! Plus, the kids are really lucky to have someone like you! It’s not every day they have a cool raven butler as their special guest in class,” the teacher’s words comfort Rosalie.

“Plus, the kids really like you for who you are and what you look like! It inspired them to be themselves and not care what anyone says about them. They enjoy being around you! One could say that they enjoy being around you too much.” That last sentence made Rosalie chuckle, knowing that some orphans, mostly teens, have a crush on her.

Delight puts both of her hands on Rosalie’s shoulders to further drive the point. “You are fine for who you are, Rosalie, and nothing is ever gonna change that.” Her words of encouragement bring Rosalie to happy tears and hugs Miss Delight, with the teacher reciprocating. It is nice to know that besides her father, Dupin Lupin, some loved her for who she is. The two release each other from the embrace.

“At least thanks to you, we finally know she isn’t suited to be a parent,” Miss Delight tries to make light of the situation. Rosalie chuckles at the teacher’s jab, knowing that she is right: no child would ever want to have a closed-minded parent like that woman.

“Heh heh…yeah,” Rosalie remarks. “Well, should we go back out helping them with the process?” “You can stay here, Rosalie, I’ll be the one to go out. I wouldn’t want you to be hurt again,” Miss Delight replies, wanting her co-worker to rest for a bit after a stressful experience.

“But how would we know if they are suited to be good adoptive parents? They must be fine with me, so we know that they are accepting,” Rosalie jokes about her supposed “role” in the adoption process. “In all seriousness, I’ll be fine. Who cares what they say about me when I have you, Dad, and some people on my side?” Rosalie’s words made the teacher smile, knowing that she made this experience bearable for the raven. “Alright, come along with me, Rosalie.”

The duo then goes out of the room, ready to help any soon-to-be parent in adopting a child. Hopefully, some of them are more open-minded than the previous one…

[icanexplainwhythisnameisbad]

my decade of joy challenge

this is something I’ve had planned for a while.

to explain, a long time ago I was fixated on this roblox poppy fangame that had gotten taken down and remade to be original

they were doing contests with submissions to replace the characters

so back then I made a bunch (as well as original characters for if they went back to original characters)

but when they started wanting basic skin ideas and me not wanting to delete them all (plus my fixation on the decade of joy AU )

I had this idea to pick a bunch of my best drawings fix them up a bit and make a challenge where I give 3 of them to everyone who participates and they can give them actual personalities, redesign them. etc

i have ALOT of them…

THE RULES

-you MUST reply to this to get the 3 characters (not just liking the post you HAVE TO REPLY.)

-you can’t pick who you get. they’ll be given at random

-you can’t re-invent the characters from the ground up. you can make small changes but what you receive is the base

-these guys are small (like around a mini-handyman’s size give or take ) while not a RULE it’s important to note.

-for the names: if they don’t have a name you can give them a name. if they do … nope :/

-the deadline is next Saturday, but if atleast 3 people participate in this. it will get extended a few days

-but in general have fun

EDIT! with how 3 people are (well technically 2 and 1 was considering it (I think…) ) doing this I’m extending the deadline from next Saturday to the Wednesday after that so 4 more days :D

(Also if you saw that deadline rule say 5 people… no you didn’t 🫵😐(joke))

[wildsparrows]

Lonnie and Zacker Side-Story: Part 3

Shadows Neath The Great Deep

(@icanexplainwhythisnameisbad helped me with this! AU belongs to @decadeofjoy-au and divider belongs to @sister-lucifer)

Character used:

Alon Habagat-deadzonedenizen

Zacker-icanexplainwhythisnameisbad

Maury Serge-TDOJ(mentioned)

Orion Asteria-TDOJ(mentioned)

Hixel Pixel-TDOJ(mentioned)

“Look, I don't know what else to tell you.” The toy robot remarked, gripping the keylogger in his fist. “They probably just scared him off like they usually do with the others.”

“Scared him off?” The young orphan questioned, gliding towards the door to lean on it. “What do you mean?”

“How the hell am I supposed to explain this can of worms…” Zacker sighed. Never did he think there’d come a time where he had to explain the truth to an orphan. “There's this thing we do where we scare a kid off when they turn eighteen. Because if they don't leave, then…”

Lonnie raised a brow, urging him to continue. “Then?”

“They'll-” Zacker hesitated, carefully choosing his words. “They'll get…demoted and- Hold on…”

He stopped mid-sentence, noticing a discrepancy.

“... Maury's eighteenth birthday is still two weeks away.” The robot murmured to himself, slowly walking as he tried to make sense of this realization. “They wouldn't demote him this early, right? Was that what the last meeting was about? All I know is something happened to Hixel and-”

“You're giving me a lot of fragmented intel here.” Lonnie snarked, pressing his ear against the door to make sure nobody was listening, before pushing himself off. “Maury was demoted, how exactly?”

“...What I can tell you for now is that he’s still here, in the factory. Somewhere…further down.” Warned the toy. “My advice, stay clear of that place. Unless you want to join him. Him and the rest of us, that is.”

Lonnie narrowed his eyes at the toy, not exactly liking the vagueness of his answers. It’s understandable, he figured. Glancing at the locked doorknob, Lonnie assumed Zacker was more worried of any unwanted eavesdroppers than even he was.

The orphan’s hand reached a button hidden in his headphones, triggering the jammer…and an unexpected sharp migraine attack at the unexpecting toy.

“AgH!!”

Zacker fell on his knees, gripping his head like his life depended on it. Lonnie stepped back in shock, turning the jammer function off. The migraine finally stopped, letting Zacker recover before prompting himself up.

“Stop- doing that.”

“Noted…” Lonnie replied, remaining confusion still evident in his voice as he tried to understand this apparent side-effect. “Sorry, I…thought you were being vague cuz you didn’t want anyone hearing.”

“How is that supposed to help?” The robot sharply whispered. “How does giving me all those speech interruptions and migraines help with eavesdroppers?”

“It's a jammer.” Lonnie clarified in a deadpanned tone. “How was I supposed to know it would do that to you?”

“You- That's supposed to-?! Ugh…” Zacker mentally cursed, but at least he knew the cause behind all his speech problems now. “The truth. You want the truth, right?”

“I think I've made that incredibly clear, yeah.” Lonnie confirmed with a straight face.

“...Fine.”

Zacker prompted himself on the bed and beckoned Lonnie to come closer. The latter leaned in as the former whispered everything he needed to know. The entire time, Lonnie furrowed his brows, not sure how to absorb everything being told to him. The robot eventually pulled away, leaving the boy completely baffled.

“Then, if you're with them, then why are you leaving keyloggers in their equipment?” He glared at Zacker suspiciously.

“... Let's just call it unfinished business.” Was all the toy told him.

“And you're okay with telling me all of this?” Lonnie asked. “Wouldn't your…superiors disapprove?”

“I may be working with them, but that doesn't mean I have to do everything they say. My business doesn't concern them.” Zacker simply stated. “All I'm asking from you is that you keep this to yourself.”

Zacker subtly threatened Lonnie, pressing a finger against where the robot’s lips would've been.

“You didn’t hear this from me.”

...

That was a day ago. Now, Lonnie stood in front of Orion's door, recalling what just happened back at the school. After everything he now knows, does he really want the others to involve themselves? Don't get him wrong, he was still having a hard time believing what Zacker told him.

Experiments, torture, and everything else that would've made any sane person go green in disgust. A can of worms isn't enough to describe what Zacker told him, this was a pit of vipers. Still, Lonnie had to be skeptical. That was...a very bold claim after all. For all he knew, it could all be this fabricated lie.

Still, one thing’s for certain.

He had to tread with caution.

[wildsparrows]

Lonnie and Zacker Side Story: Part 2

Asahan Mo At Malalim...

(Icanexplainwhythisnameisbad helped me with this! Part of the @decadeofjoy-au)

Alon Habagat-DeadZoneDenizen

Maury Serge-TDOJ(Mentioned)

Mr. Shortcake-TDOJ(Brief Appearance)

Icarus Tank-TDOJ(Mentioned)

Zacker-icanexplainwhythisnameisbad

Vile-Icanexplainwhythisnameisbad(Mentioned)

Beartrap Bernie-Icanexplainwhythisnameisbad(Mentioned)

Calvin Construt-a-bot-just-a-freak40(Mentioned)

Hoppy Hopscotch-Canon(Brief Appearance)

Craftycorn-Canon

Dr. Bruno White-Canon

Ms. Brooks-Canon

Samuel Lee-Canon(mentioned)

The ride back to Playcare was mostly silent. Less orphans and more toys this time. Hoppy was restlessly bouncing her leg and Mr. Shortcake was repeatedly squeezing his arm as some sort of stress relief. Lonnie couldn’t help but think. 

Maury? Adopted? Something about this just felt so…sudden. Putting his headphones on, he listened not to a song, but to an audio. One he transferred from a VHS tape he stole from one of his ‘sleepwalks’.

The audio started with children celebrating in the background. Two adult voices spoke amongst themselves as the background noise continued.

“Ah, and here they all are.” One of the voices, a more masculine one, spoke. 

Answering him was the other voice, a more feminine one.

“Well of course, they’d never miss this!”

Two children then seemingly approached them, as two younger voices erupted in excitement.

"Who is it, Ms. Brooks? Who's going away?"

"Tell us! Tell us!"

Ms. Brooks then shushed them in the audio. "This week, Dr. White here has selected our very own Samuel Lee!"

The children in the audio then erupted into cheers, presumably congratulating this Samuel Lee kid. The caretaker, Ms. Brooks, then spoke up to get their attention.

"Now, before he goes, let's all give Sam one last goodbye, shall we? With me. One... Two... Three!"

"Goodbye, Sam!" A chorus of voices farewelled, and the audio ended.

Lonnie sighed, taking his headphones off. Apparently there actually used to be human workers here, if the names are anything to go off of. But what stuck out to him is that the caretakers would actually inform the other orphans beforehand if one of them’s getting adopted. He and the others? They were given no such announcement.

One exit from the Train Station, he then stopped in front of the Playtime Express. One thing that always struck as odd to him was why the letters of the word Playtime seemed to have fresher paint, compared to the flaking yellow of the word Express. Did the ride used to have a different name?

Saving that thought for another time, he boarded the cable car and made his way back to Home Sweet Home. Well- not without bumping into Craftycorn.

Maury’s textbook fell on the floor, and drawings flew and scattered about. The two immediately knelt down to gather the things, Lonnie even helping Crafty with getting the scattered drawings back. Once he managed to put them in an organized stack, he stood up with the textbook and handed the stack back to the plush unicorn.

“Oh god, I-I am so sorry, I should’ve watched where I was going!” Lonnie scolded himself, to which Crafty just waved her hoof to calm him down.

“No, no, I wasn’t watching either!” She admitted, thanking him as he handed the stack and added it to her own. “Sorry ‘bout that. I’ve just been a bit more scatterbrained recently.”

“No, I get it!” Lonnie faked an assuring smile. “Anyone would be tense after that scream. Say…”

He tilted his head.

“What was that about…?”

“Erm-” Crafty laughed nervously, unconsciously holding the stack of drawings tighter. Shoot- what was the excuse they used again? “It was just some acting from the theater!” She quickly blurted out, opting for Vile’s explanation instead. “Y-Yeah, it’s for a future play, I think?”

“It is?” Lonnie asked further, knowing for sure that wasn’t the case. “I wasn’t told. I should ask Vile and Calvin if I need to start practicing for any background music I need to play.” He paused for a minute, before asking another question.

“By the way, do you know where Maury is?”

Crafty then froze. After all, it was only a while ago that she directed Maury to the room where he…She snapped herself out of her thoughts, before thinking of another lie.

“Well, he aged out…” She spat out the first lie she could think of. “He turned eighteen today, so we had no choice but to let him leave…”

Yeah, no, Lonnie was definitely being lied to. Was he adopted, or did he age out? Pick one. He couldn’t have been both. There was this inconsistency that Lonnie would’ve guessed became more evident thanks to the increased stress from the screams that the toys seemed to be actively lying about. It seems it was that tension that put them all on edge and made them less…convincing.

“Oh…that’s a shame…” Lonnie sighed, then walked past the plush unicorn. “I guess I’ll just leave his textbook in his room.”

“Of course!” Crafty smiled. Well, not like she could move her face in any other way. She was just glad that Lonnie seemingly bought her lie, as she went her own way.

Swinging Maury’s door open, Lonnie finds…his belongings all still being there. Things that he wouldn’t leave without, he was sure of it. 

Everything looks completely untouched from when Maury was still here. Lonnie was sure of that, because the guy asked him to help with his homework the day before.

Something wasn’t just off, something else was completely afoot here…

Opening the textbook and taking a quick snap on one of the pages, he left said textbook on the desk and left the room. One walk later, he arrived in his and closed the door, sitting on his bed and turning his laptop on. 

Turning his jammer on and flexing his fingers, he began typing and scrolling, letting time pass before finally getting access into Playcare’s database. Adopted or aged out, there should be a file out there for Maury’s circumstances. 

Somewhere here, in either the list of transition plans or the list of guardianship documents. Lonnie scrolled, every former orphan’s documents from both lists. And yet…

Maury's document wasn’t anywhere.

Now, come to think of it, neither was this Samuel kid. But he could at least excuse that for the factory not having that kind of technology yet.

Regardless, something happened to Maury.

Something happened to Maury, and the toys know...

They know...and they're lying about it.

...

What else are they hiding..?

Meanwhile, just outside the room, in the hallways. The mayhem from earlier left the small robot no less stressed than the other caretakers. Sounds of footsteps meet the cotton carpet, with Zacker just glad that everything's taken care of.

Distracting himself from Icarus’ earlier scoldings about how he repairs the computers, he hummed a tune from a game he heard of, once upon a time. Pshh- Not doing it right? Please, what does Icarus even know about computers? He couldn’t even tell the difference between a keylogging device and a regular charger. Then again- he’s not complaining.

Passing by each orphan’s doors, he stopped in front of one in particular. Painted in navy and with a decorative green fishing net on top, he saw his reflection through the golden glint of the doorknob. That kid…Ever since that kid with those fish-pants showed up, Zacker’s been having this little speech interruption problem. It’s either the random phrases interrupting him mid-talking, or just absolute ear-grating static.

‘I really hate that bear trap…’ He thought.

Shaking the thoughts away, he continued to hum and was about to walk past the door. Instead, his humming was once again interrupted by a sudden “[FREE SPY THRILLER MOVIE NO VIRUS-]”

He halted with wide eyes. “WHAT?! AGAIN?!” He made haste farther from the door as he gripped his fists. “Seriously, where is that coming from?!-” Zacker blurted out. Then he stopped, making a heel-turn and fixating his eyes on that navy door. That’s it, he was getting to the bottom of this!

The sudden louder footsteps didn’t fall on deaf ears either. Lonnie paused his typing with his own eyes focused on the turning doorknob. He knew whose voice that belonged to. There was only one toy who had that speech problem. Snapping the laptop shut, he stood up and acted quickly.

Swinging the door open, Zacker expected to find Lonnie lounging on his bed. But what greeted him instead was an empty pitch black room, devoid of any life. Cautiously walking into the room, Zacker looked in both directions, then back at the door at the sudden sound of it shutting and locking.

With no light from the hallways to illuminate his vision, his eyes automatically casted a faint white glow. A slight creak from the hammock chair made him turn to look there, except there was nothing but a cushion and a plush toy. The faint glow didn’t help with the already ominous atmosphere, further amplified by the subtle ticking of the clock and the soft blow of the air conditioner.

“Geez kid, I know you’re here.” Zacker snarked, expecting this sort of stunt from another toy or experiment, and not an orphan. “No need for all this theatrics.”

“And I believe this belongs to you.”

Zacker shone the faint beam of light at the mirror, revealing the owner of the voice. Lonnie sat on his bed, holding a keylogging device between two fingers. The toy jolted back, shocked at how the hell the kid got his hands on one of his devices.

“...And you know that, how?” Zacker held back a snarl.

“It was you that Icarus was complaining about when he was repairing those computers, y’know?” Lonnie remarked slyly, his voice taking a slightly deeper tone than his seemingly peppy one. “And look at all these keyloggers I keep finding while helping him.”

“Don’t worry.” Lonnie then smirked, tossing the keylogger for Zacker to catch. “I didn’t tell him.”

Zacker caught the keylogger effortlessly, staring at it in his hands then staring back at the orphan.

“...What do you want?”

Lonnie’s smirk fell into a more serious frown.

“Answers.”

[wildsparrows]

Lonnie and Zacker Side Story: Part 1

Kapag Ang Dagat Ay Tahimik...

This is deadzonedenizen, I'm just in my PPT sideblog. Also no, this isn't canon to the fledglings AU-

Set during @decadeofjoy-au's Maury Serge side story: Happy Birthday!

(Icanexplainwhythisnameisbad helped me with this!)

Alon Habagat-DeadZoneDenizen

Maria Harper-TDOJ(Mentioned)

Azure Nilson-TDOJ(Mentioned)

Maury Serge-TDOJ(Mentioned)

Orion Asteria-TDOJ(Brief Appearance)

Hixel Pixel-TDOJ(Mentioned)

Antsy Antilope-TDOJ(Mentioned)

Mr. Sandman-TDOJ(Distant screams from part 17 of the canon story)

Caleb-icanexplainwhythisnameisbad(Mentioned)

Zack Danielwoods-icanexplainwhythisnameisbad(Brief Appearance)

A.I.-icanexplainwhythisnameisbad(Mentioned)

Commander Cinnatart-icanexplainwhythisnameisbad(Mentioned)

Silencer/Nostalgia Nancy-icanexplainwhythisnameisbad(Mentioned)

Aether F. Beaumus-Stallia abiarts(Brief Appearance)

Usher Pyper-Stallia abiarts(Mentioned)

Mangus J. Harper-Anewbieartist356(Mentioned)

Silas The Scorpion-Anewbieartist356(Mentioned)

Miss Delight-Canon(Brief Appearance)

Mommy Long Legs-Canon

Huggy Wuggy-Canon(Mentioned)

Catnap-Canon(Mentioned)

Doey The Doughman-Canon(Mentioned)

The Prototype-Canon(Mentioned)

Lonnie had many reasons to be suspicious of this place.

The toys’ so-called dress-codes, Caleb’s conspiracy theories, Maggie’s hiding spots, Zack’s dad’s whereabouts, the other generals, in Cinnatart’s words, Icarus spotting keylogging devices in places where they shouldn’t…

Whatever the hell this Theater Incident is…

But Lonnie allowed it to slide. He had his own little unfinished business to take care of, which he planned on getting back to later. Right now, he just had to sit through this Geometry lesson Miss Delight was teaching. Were there only…five of them in class right now? 

Yeah, it was just him, Maury, Zack, Aether, and Orion…He’s known about Maria and Caleb being missing for a while now, Usher’s dislike of the teachers, and Maggie’s dislike of the toys in general…But Azure? Well, Maria’s apparently like a sister to her, so her disappearance might’ve affected her in some way…

Lonnie had his own priorities. And if there’s one thing that he learned in his workfield…

It’s to learn when not to get involved.

And by whatever god that still hasn’t abandoned this doomed timeline yet, if he really does need to get involved, then let there be a sign.

“Class dismissed! You all have a delightful day!”

And that’s the cue. Upon Miss Delight’s greeting, the students began packing up their things, with Lonnie not being exempt from that. But not before giving him one last glance at his own geometry notes. He can’t exactly say he remembers much of the lessons than when he first learned of it, but the refresher was nice. 

His writing was tiny and only included the keywords and all, as if made to fit as much information as possible…and ironically also using up the remaining space for doodles of jellyfish and other sea creatures…

Shoving the notebook back in his worn down backpack, he slung it over his shoulders before leaving. Hmm…seems like everyone already left. Looks like it’s his turn to turn off both the AC and the lights. Scanning the room, the place was full of color and decorations that you’d think you’d only see in the Preschool wing of the school. Honestly, that seemed to be a recurring theme with the factory itself. They really want to drive home the fun kiddy aspect of this place.

Waltzing to where the AC was, he passed Maury’s chair and…spotted his Geometry book? Did he leave it? Out of curiosity, Lonnie opened the book. Looks like he tends to underline keywords with pencil instead of using the traditional highlighter. Probably to leave the option to erase any irrelevant info. 

There’s other small notes regarding the lessons scattered about in the pages, though it seems like not much effort was put into it. Some of the writings were smudged too. Lonnie can imagine Maury accidentally smudging it with the side of his palm a lot.

Regardless, there’s nothing here of much use. It’s probably better to return it. Shutting the lights in the room, he stepped out of the classroom to leave, passing through the hallways as he did. 

Sticker-filled lockers line from end to end in said hallway, though leaving the textbook in Maury’s wasn’t much of an option. Not without knowing his padlock’s password. Instead, he heeded no mind and exited the school, planning to go to the Game Station. 

That’s apparently where Maury usually goes after school. A bit inconvenient since you still have to use the Playtime Express and the Train Station to get there from Playcare, but whatever. Gives him the excuse to familiarize himself with the factory more instead of just Playcare.

Boarding Playtime Express’s cable car, he moved some of the non-living mini-critters to sit on one of the seats, letting himself lean on the back cushions for that sweet sweet back relief. He then stared at the TV in the corner. 

It played mostly the same Playtime Co. cartoons that played when he was first being toured around by the toys. According to the other orphans, that’s all it ever played. Well, apparently not always, as far as what Zack accidentally slipped up. Totally not ominous whatsoever, that kid…

Then he arrived at the Train Station. 

Not too eventful. Sharing seats with mostly toys and the occasional younger orphan here, he stared at one of the windows, spotting security cameras through the reflection without giving himself away to the cameras themselves. Alright then. 

Most of the toys were either completely tense, or absolutely exhausted. While the orphans, mostly younger ones, were talking amongst themselves about whatever new games Maury had planned for them next. Everything was mostly fine, until…

This- ear shattering scream rang out.

The train suddenly erupted into a frenzy. The younger orphans jumped out of their seats, the exhausted toys were quickly woken out of their daze, and the tense ones stood up to calm the situation down. And if that wasn’t enough, muffled shouts from somewhere in the factory followed soon after.

“WHAT!? NO!!! QUIT RUNNIN’ SO I CAN GRAB YOU!! DON’T YALL KNOW WHAT HE'S GON DO TO ME!? I CAN'T GO THROUGH THAT AGAIN!!! NOT AGAIN PLEASE!!”

All of the toys simultaneously froze. Did they recognize that voice? Some of them shared shocked glances, while others covered the orphans’ ears. Although they didn’t bother with Lonnie, assuming his headphones are still playing.

But…

“NONONONO!!! PLEASE!!! GET BACK HERE!! WHY ARE YOU TWO SO….FUCKIN’ SELFISH!?!? CAN’T YA’LL SEE WHAT YOU’RE DOIN’?!?” The voice pleaded. “NONE OF THIS WOULDA HAPPENED IF YOU TWO BRATS HAD JUST STAYED PUT IN PLAYCARE!"

He heard it all.

"IF YOU HAD JUST STAYED THERE YOU COULDA LEFT! WOULD THAT HAVE BEEN SO FUCKIN’ HARD!? HIXEL’S DEAD." The voice continued to ring out from who knows where. "THE FOUR LEADS MIGHT DIE…and IM GON GET SENT BACK TO THE TRENCHES AND ITS ALL. YOUR. FAULT!!!”

He heard everything…

“N-no…NO NOT AGAIN! PLEASE! PLEASE, MAN! I TRIED MY BEST! JUST NOT AGAIN! A.I.!?, NANCY!?, ANTSY- SILAS!! HELP ME!!! I DONT WANNA-”

What in the ever-loving hadal zone was that?! The scream was loud enough to cause the lights to flicker, and the commotion was even starting to rock the train a bit. Lonnie stood up and held onto the grab handles as tight as he could until the dust finally settled, and whoever was conducting the train had no choice but to stop to an abrupt halt.

…Well, not that far of a walk away from the Game Station, Lonnie guessed.

As he walked the entire time, he couldn’t help but think of what that was about. Two brats? Maria and Caleb? Hixel? Like the toy robot? There’s four leads? Well, he knows about Mommy and Doey being two of them thanks to Cinnatart, but who are the others? Who are they, and who are those names the voice mentioned at the end? The trenches? D-did that person who screamed die…?

Who’s…this he…that’s threatening him…?

One walk to the Game Station later, and he arrived to see other younger orphans telling the ones Lonnie shared a train ride with not to bother with Maury’s next game. Something about being unable to find him?

‘Don’t tell me I had to deal with all of that for nothing…’ Lonnie thought.

Why is he even spending all of this effort looking for one person, when he could’ve just left the textbook in Maury’s room at Home Sweet Home? He knew he told himself it’s for familiarizing himself more, but he’s starting to think of all the better times he could’ve done that. In the corner of Lonnie’s eye, he then found a certain head toy in pink. Great, maybe Miss Long Legs knows where the missing boy is.

“Excuse me- Miss Long Legs?”

The toy flinched, before turning around to face him. 

“Yes, dear?”

Seems even she was tense. Was this about Maria and Caleb’s whereabouts? Makes sense, he figured. The first seventy-two hours are the most critical when looking for a missing person, and how many days has it been since those two’s disappearances? Nevertheless, Lonnie feigned ignorance and tilted his head.

“Umm- I can’t help but notice how on edge you and the others have been, and- I don’t think that scream really helped.” He pointed out. “Is it about Maria and Caleb?”

Mommy’s breath went unsteady for a minute, looking at the other orphans at the Game Station. Why did she even agree on letting Azure go? She should’ve stayed with the others while the other three searched for Maria and Caleb! What- just because A.I. vouched for her? That meeting left here really tense, and the sands of time are only further running out. Regardless, she forced a smile.

“Well yes, b-but rest assured, we will find them!” She tried to convince Lonnie…and herself. The last thing she needed was another orphan conducting their own search party. “But enough about that, what brings you here, Lonnie dear-”

“You guys already contacted the authorities about it, right?” Lonnie raised an eyebrow. “You don’t have to do this all on your own. The factory is really big and all, and I’m sure the police can help-”

“No! No, umm-” Mommy cleared her throat. “What I meant to say is, we’ve got it all taken care of! Now, as I was saying…”

“What brings you here, Lonnie dear?”

Lonnie hid his rising suspicions under his oblivious facade, before presenting Maury’s geometry book in his hands.

“I was wondering where Maury is? He left his textbook in class, and I wanted to return it to him.” He filled Mommy in, then glanced at the disappointed younger orphans. “I’ve overheard from the younger kids that he’s not here, when he usually has all these games planned.”

Mommy blinked in surprise, internally forcing herself to think of an explanation. “Oh! Well you see-” She momentarily looked at the Train Station’s waiting area, where she last saw Maury before leaving to eat lunch, and…

“He’s- He’s been adopted!” She lied. “He’s found a new home, with a wonderful new pair of parents!” She tried to make a convincing laugh, wincing internally at how it came out.

“Adopted?” Lonnie echoed, catching the toy’s failed attempt at subtlety. One that Mommy would hope he’d excuse for stress from the two missing kids. But at this point, Lonnie’s only getting more suspicious from here on out. “Oh, that’s great for him! I’m just a bit disappointed that I didn’t get to know him more before he left. Oh well…”

“Looks like I’m just gonna have to leave this in his room.” He slouched in feigned disappointment, holding the book back to his chest. “Take care, Miss Long Legs!”

Mommy nodded in return, watching in worry as Lonnie disappeared from her sight. She fidgeted with her plastic fingers, unable to shake off the jitters from her spine. Five days…

That’s all they have…

--

Part 2's first draft is already done, I'm just waiting for Zacker's owner to give me the green light since that's when Zacker actually shows up. Oh, and fun fact! If you can't tell by the title, Lonnie's Filipino! His full name is Haiyan M.(Maalon) Habagat, so take those name meanings in that context🤭

[corelex]

Dupin Lupin (Experiment 2081)

Age: 59 (during the Decade of Joy); 69 (currently in 2005) Gender: Male (he/him) Height: 7 ft 2 in (Smaller Body/default form); 16 ft (Bigger Body/monster form) Voice Claim: Detective Zag Wylde from Angel Hare (Joey Sourlis)

Dupin Lupin (Experiment 2081) is a living toy made from an adult man named David Allan. He is an investigator looking for the people who went missing in Playtime Co., which includes his daughter, Mackenzie. The Prototype originally wants him dead but now wants him to work for Playtime Co. because of Rosalie’s persuasion.

David was fully captured in 1999 when he dropped the investigation after an interrogation with the Prototype when it forced him to unless The Prototype would kill Mackenzie—now Rosalie. He is transformed in the same year and a week after the interrogation.

The scientists used Dogday's design from the Smiling Critters and modified it to designate him for security, resembling a gray wolf. Additionally, they designed him with detective attire, complete with a trenchcoat, hat, and tie. Like his daughter, Dupin is a Shifting Body, capable of changing his size.

Dupin mainly works in security to scout areas and catch intruders. He also works as a caretaker in Playcare because of his experience as a father.