#look at my research boy

[malasquid]

So. I've Cracked The Code On The Appearance Changes in Side Order.

Wall of photos and such incoming.

After a lot of testing, I've discovered there are 7 different little lights and doodads that are added to Agent 8 via upgrading certain chips, each with a basic 1st tier and and upgraded 2nd tier. The 1st tier of upgrades appear after picking up two of the same chips in that changes pool (ex: 2 Homing Shots chips), with the 2nd tier appearing after picking up five of them (ex: 5 Homing Shot chips). There is no further visual indicators added for maxing chips that go beyond 5, such as Splash Damage or Rush Attack.

Full disclaimer: This is the result of researching a LOT of my own runs, so I can say this is true with about 95% certainty. If I labeled an ability chip in the wrong visual pool, please let me know!

Let's start with the basics - our control group. No Teal upgrades provide any visible changes to Agent 8 (or Pearl-bot for that matter), so I ran an all-teal palette to demonstrate.

First is likely one of the more requested visual changes - the Headset. The 1st tier sports a basic metallic earpiece, with the 2nd adding an antenna and eyepiece that match your primary ink color.

Maxing Splash Damage, Sound Wave Damage, Splash Radius, Special Charge Up, Turf Lucky Chain, Rush Knockback, and Homing Shots all provide the headset!

Next up is Ink Bubbles. The 1st tier shows transparent, slower bubbles flowing in 8's ink tank, with the bubbles being faster and more opaque in the 2nd tier.

Nabbing Poison Ink, Splat Ink Recovery, Ink Saver Sub, Ink Recovery Rate, Sticky Ink, and Explosion Knockback all provide Ink Bubbles.

Following that is the Fins. The 1st tier shows the base shackles being added to 8's boots, with the fins themselves being added for the 2nd tier.

Picking up Run Speed, Swim Speed, Rush Attack, Mobile Ink Recovery, Mobile Special Charge, and Mobile Drone Gauge all provide the Fins.

Now, moving on to the weapon upgrades!

First we have the Muzzle Lights, which appear at the muzzle of most weapons, and the sides of the brush and roller nearest the base. The 1st tier shows a circle and squares circling around the muzzle, with the 2nd tier being more exaggerated, with alternating squares and rectangles forming a hexagon pattern in the center.

These are exclusive to the Ink Damage, Main Damage (Close), and Main Damage (Distant) chips.

Next up is likely the most common visual one can see on their run - the Arrows. The 1st tier shows a circle with three arrows pointing down the weapon, with the 2nd tier adding some blowback markers behind the circle.

These are on a whopping TEN upgrades, being Splatling Barrage, Main Firing Speed, Horizontal Slash Speed, Main Range, Main Piercing, Main Ink Coverage, Rush Ink Coverage, Quick Charge, Shot Spread Reduction, and Ink Saver Main.

Last of the weapon upgrades are the Dots. The 1st tier is 3 large dots and a circle spinning at the bottom of your weapon or around your wrist, with the 2nd tier adding another circle around the dots.

These can be found on the Hindrance Damage, Ink Attack Size, Charge Storage, Moving Ink Speed, Extra Dodge Roll, Brella Cooldown, and Knockback upgrades.

And finally, my favorite little knick-knack, the Shrimp Hook. This little guy appears on your ink tank after picking up 2 matching Luck upgrades (ex: Lucky Bomb Drop, Canned Special Drop, etc), and begins to glow after picking up 5. However, the glowing effect is not visible in the post-game screen. 😔 (I would totally buy one of these if someone made one, btw)

By the way, 7 visual upgrades * 5 chips needed to max each visual is 35 chips, which is just shy of the 36 total chips you can have on one palette, which means, in theory, you could. Have every maxed visual indicator on in one run.

Just a thought. : )

#splatoon #splatoon 3 #side order #side order spoilers #agent 8 #long post #sorry i have side order brainrot #look at my research boy

[bizarreandjarring]

just an old hick goin' fishin

plus kim "i am winning at fishing. something which is both normal to want and possible to acheive" kitsuragi

ref

#I FOUND THE LINK TO THE ART I REF'D FINALLY #HARRY. FRECKLES. TRUTHER. #also i have seen too much art of them looking cool and good #i am balancing it out by making them boring middle aged men who go fishing #harry got them both the tshirts for their weekend fishing trip #and kim spent a lot of time researching fishing techniques because he has a visceral need to be competent at everything he does #harry: the point of this weekend is to get outdoors and have fun!!! kim: if i dont catch a big fish im going to drown myself in this lake #also kim: did you have to wear your sluttiest little manwhore shorts it is distracting #harry: i can take them off if you'd rather ;) #disco elysium #harry du bois #kim kitsuragi #my art

[luck-of-the-drawings]

IM SO IN LOVE WITH VAMPIRES!! and boy do i love THE SUCKENING!! VERY excited to see the misadventures of sad wet cat, sharp angry cat, and the COOLEST cat i ever did see

#jrwi fanart #jrwi show #jrwi suckening #some of these were drawn with MOUSE and others were made with my COOL NEW TABLET OOOOHYEAH!! #I JUST FINISHED EP 3 AND OOOHHH MY GGOD. OHHH MY GOOOODD IM IN LOVE WITH EACH OF THESE CHARACTERS #LIKE ARTHUR OH MMY GOOODD ARTHUR FUCKIN BENNEEETTT #SO CONFIDENT SO COOL I FUCKIN LOVE THOSE JUST. UNBREAKABLY CONSTANTLY STOIC CHARACTERS #HIS LIKE CATCH PHRASE. HIS TO-THE-FUCKING-POINT BEHAVIOR #HES LIke a hard candy with TRAGIC GOO TRAPPED INSIIDEEE he is a mollusk to me and i wanna break opEN THAT SHHHEELLL BABYYYY #AND SPEAKIN OF SHELLLSS emizel oh mmy god little guy #i KNOW hes softer than he lets on. and yet i wanna see him bite and attack more people and set things ablaze #i wanna fund his research. and by research i mean arson #AND OOHH SHILLOOO lil prince shilo hes my small baby boy whos okay with death as long as he doesnt have to see #THERES SOMETHING RRRROTTEN AT THE CORE OF THIS BEAUTIFUL APPLE PIE #AND I CANT WWWAIT TO SEE WHAT COMES OF IT #ALSO FUNFACT!! im tryin to make emizel n shilo look more similar #so if u CLOSELY LOOK u will see that their hair is similar. noses n face shapes are the same. they have Heart shapes in their bangs #also unrelated but im a lil in love with deacon keller.... i just rly like cowboys.... like i just think hes neat.... yeehaww #I ALSO LOVE KITTIEESSS ALL THE LIL KITTY SOUNDS IN THIS SHOW ARE SO CUTE... #i heard 'gray cat with round orange eyes' n immediately thought of tama from jjba. yknow the stray cat? dies and becomes magic plant?yeaaaa #cant wait for more. ill scream abt what happened in ffUUUCUKKIGNG EPSIODE 3 LATER BC OH MMY GGOOODDDD!!!! FUCK!!!!!!!!!

[artbyfuji]

rosebird. but it's just hands...

#rosebird #raven branwen #summer rose #my art #GOOD hands might i add. like damn bro i'm getting a little flustered over here 😳 was gonna put all these in a collage too butttt 😴😴 #lets not ask whats goin on in the first image. it's fineeee you know how it is with friday the 13th blood pacts. or whatever. #the vampys. the bandmates. and the totally well adjusted canon versions of themselves. life is good 🍽️ #crazy about the 3rd one personally 💥🔨 whatever. look at their big knuckles matching bracelets & black nail polish boy. #okay anyway are you two done yet. do you guys wanna compare hand sizes for research ❓🔬🔍📝

[anewp0tat0]

*kicks the door down* IM NOT LATE

Happy Birthday to our collective son!!

I feel pretty cruel for making dark art on his bday. but I mean yana said it first, it's not typically a day to celebrate. so I'm just following.. ;)

#really i just had this drawing as a WIP for a couple months now and even if i may not have polished it as much as i would have wanted to #time has left me to stay within my comfy little scrappy stile. and i think im very okay with moving on from this piece with that #kuroshitsuji #black butler #kuroshitsuji fanart #fanart #ciel phantomhive #sebastian michaelis #yea #digital art #o!ciel #happy birthday milk jug #also sorry if you can't tell what his outfit is cause neither could I. I know I should have done more deep dive research #cause those 3 reference images barely helped #also yea colors are weird but i started in greyscale which is still an interesting stragedy for me. so im not upset #i know the whole reason i drew this was because i was looking for references for a dumb lil comic #and i saw a pic of him here removing his eyepatch and got emotional cause ooohh my poor ruined boy #so now we are here #tw scopophobia #happy birthday

[skitskatdacat63]

“Do you think love can bloom even on the battlefield?”(Monaco 2010-2013)

#the caption is (mostly)a joke and i *do* think im being funny with it #but that quote just suddenly popped into my brain and I could not stop laughing #but honestly tho that is my motto for any f1 ship but particularly abt drivers on the podium being touchy #like 'yeah you just beat me but i can respect that and so im gonna hug you about it' #(yeah yeah ik them hugging probably isnt that deep but their affection to their competitors means to much to me emotionally <3) #i like that the red bull boys are always at the scene of the crime its like they started it in 2010 and then committed to it #im particularly insane about the sebson and martian ones but as always webbonso going above and beyond #nando really said fuck these weak mfs bro-hugging im gonna clutch mark like hes my lifeline even tho he just beat me #btw i did research into all of the past 24 monaco podiums for this but these had the most flavor and theyre all directly chronological #sorry ik the spain gp is practically upon us by now but im still in monaco hell #i gotta get all the monaco posts out of my system #monaco: all bangers all the time #also this was meant to just be a photo post but then i looked at the actual footage and it turned into a gifpost oops #sebastian vettel #mark webber #jenson button #nico rosberg #fernando alonso #martian #sebmark #sebson #webbonso #sico #f1 #formula 1 #monaco grand prix #monaco gp #we do a little bit of f1

[oatbugs]

my research partner and i are huddled in a blanket in paddington waiting for a too-late train i already miss you and you and you

#he keeps falling asleep almost on my shoulder and waking up and readjusting but i want to tell him its ok weve seen a lot #of each other ive seen your brainwaves you called me crying a few nights ago. research partner right now is a potentiality #friend is a certainty. i met a banker passionate about finance. he said his advice made the lives of others better and he likes the numbers #more than he likes anything else. on a high rise near canary wharf the view was wonderful and the people even moreso #he said i loved her but i spent 33 grand on her and i cant do this anymore. his voice cracked talking about her. he did love her. #and she talked softly she grabbed my hand she bought me a pack of Marlborough gold she told me to snap #the russian menthol cigarettes of the tortured polish man near us with my teeth i kept staring at her teeth #bright white and sharp. i couldnt find her heartbeat but i did find warmth and i did find her lips and i did feel #how she felt pressed against a wall. a pretty boy held my hand and i gave him my number. i couldnt stop smiling about her no matter #how many runways youve walked on how many collections youve designed how many students youve taught. senior lecturer teaches me how to do #very unethical things ethically over a double shot of vodka made by the half-persian with broken farsi. she talks softly #and she says her eyes are hazel but they appear a shade of red. pure gold on her hands and leather on her back and her fingers on my lips #(she talks softly sees through me she says something i cant hear but i wont forget the way she flies) she talked to my research partner #about the possibility of moving to sunny dubai with the rest of her family and my heart felt pierced. on her arm i traces a tattoo of a #knife passing through a rose. she told me she thought there was romance in severing so i kissed her some more. #he sat me down and asked me what i loved and i told him and he said no romance no person no tragedy will take that from you. #the room was filled with a collection of people in love with something that wasnt a person and i kept looking at her. #red eyes bitten jawline beautiful hands. it is 3 degrees Celsius my head is on his shoulder i miss my friends #we walked out the lecture hall with arms linked a photo of two years ago and we both said #jesus christ. i miss you all. and i miss logic metatheory lectures. im glad i get to stare at the depth of your eyes #i wish i had met you years ago. #crushposting

[fuckinart]

The most important factor in toxicity is the chemical structure of a substance—what it is made of, what atoms and molecules it contains and how they are arranged.

#Danny Phantom #Danny Fenton #art #comic #sketch #artists on tumblr #yeah i've decided to just post the sketches instead of the touch up because i like the former better #anyways here's Understanding Toxic Substances the comic i've been dying over for months & months now #i was researching for FOtPoD & came across this PDF & kinda got possessed by my DP hyperfixation #never drew a comic so fast before #anyway all of this was drawn in one go with like. no touching up or anything so excuse weird anatomy #other than that i think it's good for a sketch. usually for me at least one panel ends up looking super duper fucked up #i gotta also finish the black bear FOtPoD comic & also the gay marriage & boy best friends one or whatever it's called #i'd also like to finish the Laika comic even though I already wrote it into a fic to avoid making the comic #so many comics i need to make & i'm sure i'm forgetting some

[sunshinediaz]

moodboard tag game 🫧

rules: post a picture of a place, animal, plant, season, character, hobby, color, gemstone, and food that reminds you of yourself/represents you

[place: sans bois mountains, oklahoma] [animal: black bear] [plant: magnolia tree] [season: autumn] [character: eddie diaz] [hobby: writing] [color: green] [gemstone: moss agate] [food: cucumbers and onions in vinegar]

i was tagged by @puppyboybuckley, @thewolvesof1998, and @devirnis

tagging @spagheddiediaz, @jeeyuns, @exhuastedpigeon, @actualalligator, @honestlydarkprincess, and @evanbegins if any of you wanna ✨

#i tried to keep the green theme throughout but alas #i have a lot to say so please bear with me #jesse james and his gang hid in the sans bois mountains along with loads of other outlaws #i did several research projects over black bears and their reintroduction into the ouachitas #magnolia trees and flowers are my fav #fall's the best holiday and that's a photo from the road in front of my house lmao #eddie's my fav we all know this #writing of course is a hobby we all know this too #green is my favorite color and i think that's common knowledge? it's so gorgeous #MOSS AGATE IS THE PRETTIEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN LOOK AT IT #cucumbers and onions in vinegar. yum. only eat it in the summer though because i gotta have it fresh out the garden lmao #tag games

[hillerskaroyals]

T-2 days

#if you saw my last post /this/ is what i was trying to save #is it good? no. is it posted? hell yeah brother #i truly cannot believe s2 is almost here #ngl this took both more and less time than i expected #although i was supposed to be doing research instead of spending 20min trying to get pics from the new interview for this #edvin my boy i need you to turn your head sideways more often bc the pickings were truly slim #also malte i love you but PLEASE put your hands down when you turn to the side once again the pickings were slim #also everyone looks so fucking good in this video word #young royals #young royals shitpost #omar rudberg #edvin ryding #malte gårdinger #nikita uggla #frida argento #mine

[dykeinthedark]

venting in tags about gender n shit (long as hell) (u can comment and talk 2 me as always :3)

#okay so i got a really masc haircut about a month ago and i know it's just a haircut but holy shit has it changed EVERYTHING for me #like.... i've always leaned masc except 1) before i came out 2) when i was actively in love with someone who i knew liked femmes #and they always described me as a fem. because that's what i showed her. because i wanted to be with her. #but lowkey whenever i'm in a not-impressing-anyone raw-dogging-life-no-crush era i always resort to a very masc style #like masc being my default and i'd only lean fem to impress people whether it's for love or peer pressure in a specific setting #like ''dressing up'' has always been a form of drag to me. like something i HAD to do to fit in or impress my parents (scott favor core) #but ever since this haircut i've realized... i could just BE masc innately like i really don't have to be womanly if i don't want to #which i usually don't. again i have only ever dressed fem for other people. but it's not even being masc that attracts me on its own #it's like. being masc in a distinctly lesbian way. as in whenever i look in the mirror i don't wanna be like a Guy i wanna be a dyke. #like lesbian as a gender identity too sort of thing honestly. okay i've been waffling but basically i sort of want to call myself butch #but i don't know if i like... can?? if i'm allowed to??? #everyone always says it's MORE than just wearing boy clothes and not wearing makeup and having short hair (which i already do all those) #i mean i've always id'd as genderqueer because it literally just means gender weird and i experience gender in a queer way #what's probably the most telling is that my friends (all queer) CALL me a butch lesbian #like every time they do i feel really internally validated. it's not just my clothes but my personality too ig is what people tell me #i have a higher pitched voice relatively speaking but apparently the way i talk is quote ''very clockably into women'' #which?? gender euphoria asf. my best friend specifically he (gay trans guy) always uses butch to describe me very intuitively #people have also noticed that i ''transitioned'' in all aspects except hormonally. like ppl have commented and noticed my masculinzation #but at the same time i always feel rly haunted by my ex relationships because one wanted me to be more masc #(she's the one who came out as straight and would treat me like a man) which i didn't like and i didn't like playing up being fem either #bc now it feels like she (butch) won't believe me if i called myself butch too bc she remembers me being femme #idk i feel like there's her voice in my head all the time that sees everything i do through her eyes (i'm lowkey still in love) #i feel like even though this comes so naturally to me i must be putting on a performance #even though i've actually read stone butch blues and done research into the history and i truly love and id with the culture like i rly do #that im still just a sad imitation of a butch lesbian and can never really be a part of it because i used to enjoy dressing up sometimes #like it's so stupid but can i still be butch if i wore a dress to prom and i think i looked good in it?? #even though i was envious of my friends who wore suits?? that i used to try goth makeup?? that i liked long dresses?? #that i enjoyed stacked necklaces and rings on every finger??? #and tbh ALL OF THAT CAME FROM A CONCIOUS EFFORT TO FEMINIZE MYSELF IN JUNIOR YEAR OF HIGHSCHOOL WHEN I WAS 16 #because omfg it was 2 months before junior prom and i was worried that i was too masc and wanted to get comfortable with being fem

[chiropteracupola]

another silly little portrait

#em draws stuff #doctor who #jamie mccrimmon #the ongoing wrestling with eleven-year-old em (who hated this show) is not stopping me from constructing images but boy is it an odd time #fortunately my enjoyment of drawing said Silly Little Pictures continues to win out. or unfortunately. who can say. #for the vestiges of my usual self that remain I've got to say that I did not do my research on this one so if it looks weird that's why #just thought it would be fun to dress him up fancily for his era (even though all of his actual outfits are Extreme Looks™️) #and I do dearly love doing little quasi-studies off actual portraits (even if I have to wade through a hundred different ones of BPC...) #someday I will stop the horrible mind rat that shouts 'cringe!' at me and also stop procrastinating on every task. when? good question. #the mind rat is so very loud these days. go Away mind rat.

[kastillia]

Hel’s Tactician

birthday prank on @shinyv >:)

#soren #hel #fire emblem #fe heroes #shinyv #pranked!!! haha i got you so good (i hope) #actually had plans to do this back in october but y'know... life #i did my research but i still probably don't know him well enough to do this kind of thing lmao #maybe don't look too hard into the details #do look at the headband though i panicked when you said he was a red boy and not a green boy #at least ike has a red headband in One of his classes sdhjkd #also that's a completely made up tome whoops sorry #anyway happy birthday! hope you have a lovely day! thanks for being the mvp! #some of the details got lost in processing i can send you an unedited version if you'd like :^) #my art

[rexscanonwife]

NAWWW not a video ranking the dateability of tf2 mercs calling Engie BLAND and SAFE 😤😤😤

#jane journals #self insert talk #silly #🛠 my boy builds sentries 🛠 #ahfjfjg im PRETTY sure its the same guy who said aran would be a cheating partner too 🙄🙄 #like engie doesnt have an edge?? he's got edge #hes just also a GENTLEMAN and he has some sense of decency #also saying that hes bland because hes a scientist and 'spends more time on machines than talkkng to other people' is part of his edge!! #hes honestly probably on a similar level to medic when it comes to his morbid curiosity #scientific research to the point of being morally questionable is a huge facet of his character!! #he just cant resist fucking around and finding out if the mann comics are anything to go by #he looked his boss in the eye and said he was gonna BREAK HIM if he laid his hands on him 😤😤 thats not bland #and also im not like actually mad about this #really its just an excuse to talk about engie a bit sjfjgk

[comfy-whumpee]

The Forum

References events in this post. TW: modern slavery (BBU).

@neuro-whump​, @rosesareviolentlyread​, @mylifeisonthebookshelf, @pumpkin-spice-whump, @whumpsday @kira-the-whump-enthusiast

r/boxieadvice holepunch5309 two hours ago

Office pet beat up by other staff (advice)

Posting this from a throwaway so I don’t get fired. My company is a small business that has a boxie in the head office. He technically belongs to the manager but he was bought with company funds. He does hospitality, cleaning, filing and stuff. But recently the heads of department have started hurting him.

 It's a really small office, less than ten people. Boxie does a good job, works hard, but he's not that bright. Sometimes he fucks up and the guys hurt him. At first it was just small stuff, a slap or something. But he made a big mess last week with some accounts and one of them drew blood.

 I don't know if I'm overreacting. I grew up with a really shitty dad and I guess I'm sensitive to people escalating that kind of thing. Nobody else seems to have a problem with it or thinks he deserves it. Boxie ends up hiding and can't take care of himself. Even if someone helps him they're usually kinda weird about it, making him beg them or stuff.

 I feel like it's going to get worse and worse. The boss beats him up when he's stressed already. He's really helpful normally and I don't want to see him get broken. Is there anything I can do?

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  AUTOMOD 🛡✔ Pinned two hours ago

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 vivaciascar (pet owner) two hours ago

The best thing to do in a situation like this is go to the root cause. Your boxie has got tasks he doesn't know how to do. If he can't handle accounts, don't give him accounts. Let him stick to making coffee. Pets aren't designed for being in work environments without specialist training. You're already straining him with filing. Stop overloading him and the mistakes will stop too.

 somethingboromired (pet owner) two hours ago

This is the answer. He's overloaded and he can't keep up. Your team is putting too much pressure on him and he's buckling, which gets him punished, which makes him tired and hurt, making more mistakes. Remember boxies are fundamentally dumb. They shouldn't be near money and your boss could get in trouble if he lets it happen.

 pm_me_your_salads (wannabe owner) one hour ago

His problem isn't with the mistakes though, he's upset at how the others are punishing the pet. Sounds like reasonable punishment to me though, if he makes a big mistake it should be a big consequence. It's how they're trained and it's how he'll learn.

 ree4ree (pet owner) one hour ago

Jumping on top comment to point out as well that boxie already got punished for his small mistakes and he didn't learn. OP can't see that they are escalating with him because he hasn't shown improvement

 holepunch5309 48 minutes ago OP

He has training for office work and we trained him on the accounts. He does fine 99% of the time but the moment he screws up someone is beating him up. He can't take that from them forever.

 IDontEatCrab (verified handler) two hours ago

I get your concern but that's not your pet. He belongs to the company and the name on the paperwork is your boss. It's his decision what the pet gets and what's right for him. Focus on doing your job.

 Nineteen84 (ex-owner) one hour ago

Don't get fired for a boxie's sake, they're not worth it. They'll sell you up the river for praise. Take it from me.

 holepunch5309 42 minutes ago OP

Is there any way to get his ownership transferred to me or can I do anything for him as part of the company?

 Britbird03 (pet law) two hours ago

It sounds like there's things missing from your account OP. You're worried about escalating punishments, but your boss already beats him. You said in another comment that he's trained for office work, but the only company that does that is Help at Home, and they advise against giving your Boxie paperwork. Is your manager pushing him too hard, or do you have a genuine pet abuse case on your hands? I've advised on those before, please DM me if you need advice.

 holepunch5309 seven minutes ago OP

Thank you, I have

 BigAl69 (pet owner) one hour ago

Boo hoo for your pet. He fucks up, he gets hurt. It's the only way they learn. You're making the classic mistake thinking about him like a person. He's not a person. He's trained to understand orders and pain. He doesn't know anything else. He doesn't need your sympathy

 CoachCheesey (wannabe owner) 39 minutes ago

The problem isn't the punishment the problem is that he's doing accounts. Would you trust a boxie with your money? Why does your boss? Sounds like you need to ask why you're even using him for the jobs your finance team should be doing. Someone's slacking and making the boxie pick it up.

 ree4ree (pet owner) 19 minutes ago

This. Even if a pet is doing data entry or something, the finance team should still be checking what he does like any boss would do for a human employee. Even more so in fact

 cootiesmaster (multiple pets) two hours ago

This is way to vague for us to help with, what even is "drew blood"? Did they break skin on a hit or did they stab him??

 holepunch5309 36 minutes ago OP

I can't be specific because it would identify me. It was a small but deep wound. He's never had anything like that before.

-

holepunch5309 Hi.

Britbird03 Hi OP. Thanks for coming to talk. I'm not a lawyer first of all, so I won't be suing you or reporting you or anything. But I'm a welfare campaigner, and I thought I could give you some advice on what you're seeing.

holepunch5309 Ok. So what…happens?

Britbird03 Why don't you start by telling me what happened in more detail? You've realised that something is wrong, and I want to help you understand why your instincts went off today.

holepunch5309 I guess

holepunch5309 I guess it was just a shock. Not because he got hurt. Is that shitty? I was used to him getting hurt. The boss does beat him. Uses him like a stress toy punching bag. He always picked him up afterwards though, looked after him. Got hi patched upand stuff.

holepunch5309 But today it was like…everyone just left him. He was hiding and crying and he didn't do anything to fix it. I don't know if he even knows how. He was just sitting on the floor crying and I went to help him and nobody else even paid attention. And I guess I just thought…what if they do something worse sometime and I can't fix it for him? He's already got one thing that'll probably scar now.

Britbird03 Thank you for explaining. It sounds as though you're right, and things are escalating. This is the most dangerous time for a boxie. We don't have a disproportionate incident to act on, but we know one is coming.

holepunch5309 Do you think?

Britbird03 I do. It sounds as though your colleagues have been pushing boundaries and daring to see where the line is. None of them are stepping up and making things stop. Of course, you could be that person, but it can be risky to try. You're the one who has seen there's something wrong. You're not okay with what is happening. Your boxie needs someone like you looking out for him.

holepunch5309 Damn

holepunch5309 I hadn't thought about it like that. Thank you.

Britbird03 You're very welcome. There are two options ahead of you. One is safer for him, and the other is safer for you.

holepunch5309 Let me hear it

Britbird03 If you want to guarantee that your boxie won't be hurt anymore, the only way to do so is to liberate him. It is difficult to do legally, I have to warn you, but it is the safest thing for him. You may be saving his life. The alternative is to wait until something provably abusive is done to him, and report it then. But the investigations are slow and the bar you have to clear is very high. Police are very strict about what counts as abusive because of the influence of pet companies. You can do this anonymously, but it might not work to save him. And obviously, along the way, something unquestionably awful has to be done to him to give you the evidence.

holepunch5309 Those are both pretty fucked up options

Britbird03 I'm afraid that's all I can recommend within the limits of the law.

holepunch5309 What do other people do?

Britbird03 Some stay under the radar, bury their conscience, and wait it out. Others intervene, try to prosecute, and more often lose than win. A few take matters into their own hands and smuggle the boxie to a shelter or across the border.

holepunch5309 But that's illegal

Britbird03 It is. I can only imagine they see it as more important than the law. A risk worth taking.

holepunch5309 All that for a boxie. Seems weird.

Britbird03 Often those are people who recognise the human dignity of pets. It's a rare thing and arguably heroic. But as I've said, I can't suggest that. It's safer for you to follow a legal route.

holepunch5309 But

holepunch5309 Not safer for him

Britbird03 No.

-

Tyler leaned back from his laptop with a sigh, his old gaming chair creaking at the movement. The stranger was all facts, as best he could tell, mercilessly concise. The only thing people did that properly worked was liberating or smuggling them. Anything short of that and the problem didn’t go away. Maybe there would be a way to force it to court, sue for ownership or persuade Charlie to let him go, but it would be an uphill battle.

Maybe he’d just make the whole office hate him and get himself driven out of a job. Maybe he’d make things worse for Roman, making them blame him for turning one of their own against the group. Maybe he’d get the poor fucker sent back to be brain-blasted into forgetting everything and getting resold.

He had no idea what he was doing with this. He just knew that Joel stapling Roman in the hand made him feel sick at the pit of his stomach. Finding Ro in the kitchen hyperventilating about it was even worse. He couldn’t get the image out of his head. Roman had been white as a sheet, platinum hair and white shirt only adding to the sallow look of him, hand clutched to his chest with a dark line struck across his hand. The resistance of the skin against the bent metal as he’d tried to work it free with as little pain as possible. Roman’s wide, teary eyes, one brown and the other blue, fixed on him with gratitude. The hitch in his breathing. The way he’d wobbled on his feet. The red.

He would have sat there alone if Tyler hadn’t gone. He would have stayed there.

He was so stupid. He’d just made it worse with the outfit. It had been a joke, but it wasn’t a joke to Ro.

He was so fucking stupid.

He didn’t know what to do.

-

Roman had a little strip band-aid on his hand when Tyler went in the next morning. The little wound was covered up and he seemed more like his usual self. He was sitting on the floor between the desks, sorting out sections of the newspaper along with everyone’s post. He smiled at Tyler when he came by.

“Morning, Ro.”

“Good morning.”

“C’mere a second.”

Roman got up, gathering the unsorted envelopes, and followed Tyler across to his desk. He went to his knees when Tyler sat, setting his stack on his lap.

Tyler glanced around. Dillon wasn’t in yet and Phil was with Charlie. Joel was off on his far side, not yet caffeinated to the point of acknowledging anyone else. Tyler asked, “I got a question for you. I was just wondering if you like it here.”

Roman’s eyes lit up. “I do!” he affirmed brightly. “It’s wonderful here. There’s lots to do every day and I can be helpful for everyone. I’m happy to be helpful.”

Tyler frowned. He’d heard Roman say that a dozen times. He was almost certain it was a trained slogan. “That’s good. Yeah, good stuff. Is here anything that you want to make it better?” If Roman said he didn’t want to be hurt, Tyler would fight for him. That would be the line. If Roman knew what discipline was, what a real punishment felt like, if he’d been trained for that like everyone said – then he would recognise what counted as excessive, right? They wouldn’t train a Box Boy without any self-preservation.

“I…can’t think of anything,” Roman answered after a dutiful pause for thought. “I am happy. I’m sorry that you were worried.”

“Nah, not worried.” He couldn’t let that get back to the others. “Just wanted to make sure you knew you were doing a good job. Mostly. ‘Cause of yesterday, you know. Don’t let it get you down.”

“Thank you, Mr Tyler.” He seemed to be smiling again, but like he couldn’t remember how. He made those expressions sometimes, like he couldn’t just do them instinctively, they were all put on or...trained.

Tyler pretended not to notice.

“You’re a good guy,” he said, hand moving automatically to ruffle the pet’s hair. “Doing a good job.”

#bbu #pet whump #epistolary whump #reluctant whumper #box boy universe #pet whumpee #stockholm syndrome #regret #the birdhouse #tyler #roman #my fic #the research for this one was fun but i don't have reddit #so if dms look different chalk it up to bbu not being our universe ok

[themarginalthinker]

RPM

(Prompt for @ria-coolgirl, who suggested a sleepover with the boys listening to cheesy pop music! Sorry if this kinda got away from that, but hopefully you'll think it's cute lol)

Paul likes music, and wants something to keep him and everyone occupied. He decides to hit up his favorite record store.

-

Call him crazy, call him a tippy-tapping fool, but if ever one was to meet Paul Harris meandering down the Boardwalk, you'd almost have to call it dancing.

Always a tune in his head, always something playing that only he could hear the melody of. Paul danced to the beat of his own drums, and it was some damn good music if he did say so.

Such wandering, feeling the rhythm, took him lots of places. Little pop-up stores that happened over the summer months, here and gone again for the warm nights. Markets and art fairs that stayed active after sunset were fun, Marko liked those. Sometimes he'd mosey into a shop just following an idle thought, see what was about, and under the stares of the clerks (who tried their best to pretend they weren't staring) he'd make his way back out. Usually with something tucked into his jacket or pocket they weren't aware of. (Hey, you can't leave a store without getting something, that was just stupid.)

Tonight, the music in Paul's head was quiet, and disorganized, like a radio you just couldn't get to pick up a signal. It needed tuning - and he needed something to sink his (metaphorical this time) teeth into.

Streetlight Records, his haven away from haven.

Tucked neatly between two much larger buildings, the door for it almost hidden away just around the corner and in an alcove, one might have almost walked right past it. The doorway, however, was lit with garlands of twinkling lights they put out in the summer, and the base of something was humming out into the street, advertising for all who wished to open their eyes and ears, and take a chance.

Paul slips into to the doorway.

The shop was longer than it was wide, and it wasn't a whole lot of that to begin with. Along the left wall and down the straight middle isle, starting basically at the door so close you'd bump into it if you weren't careful, shelves upon shelves of LPs and EPs. Bins filled, racks a mash and collection that a vinyl dragon would go green with envy over. Some were arranged by year, others by genera. Artists' faces in posters and their album art, if they were popular enough, hung from the light strands wound around the ceiling and support beams. Under those were cases of cassettes, displays for tape recorders and the empty tapes to go with them.

The right side was a little less packed, but no less interesting. The glass case under the counter top and register boasted more gift-shoppy material, for those who only knew what played on the radio and when confronted with the font of auditory wonders before them, chose to stay in shallower waters. Racks of post cards, books of music history for the well-listened eggheads, more expensive maintenance tools for people's instruments.

And speaking of, further in the back sat displays of sound equipment for bands. Paul had spent more hours than he could reliably remember giving the old Fender some much-needed love and attention, here with lights and amps where it's rich, rolling sounds could be appreciated.

The place was a feast for anyone looking to discover something about themselves, and Paul was never satiated.

Paul slips past the immediate shelves to get to the front register, hands finding the glass surface and beginning to tap along to the muted cacophony in his head. It was deserted for the moment, but you didn't need supernatural senses to smell that someone had been here not too long ago, partaking in something that made the music sound even better. Paul leans over the desk and eyes the thick, beaded curtain that lead to the back rooms.

"Hey Randy! If you don't come out here someone's gonna come in and steal your signed Grateful Dead shirt!"

Indeed, said shirt was hanging up, proudly displayed on the wall behind the counter. It was a much prized possession - and in some real amount of danger from some fingers more sticky than not. It was also a surefire way to get the attention of a certain shop owner.

There's some sounds from behind the curtain, shuffling and maybe something falling over as someone jumped up, either at the threat or the owner of the voice issuing it. Paul hears the shout back before he can actually make out the words. If there were words being said at all.

Judging from the practically-visible cloud that follows the man who emerges from behind the curtain, it's more likely the latter.

Randy's and older dude, not 'old' but certainly a decade and a half Paul's (visible) elder. His hair is crow black, shoulder length and wavy, held back with a tie and a wrapped, psychedelic bandana. His eyes are blown to space, he's got a red press mark on his face, clearly the picture of a man getting ready to close up for the night and getting the evening come-down started a little early.

He'd probably known who had come in from the shout, but seeing him at the counter changes something in his face. How his back straightens. Eyes dart to the doorway, and then into the depths of the store. Looking for people who follow like ghosts in each other's wake.

His shoulders only relax a little when he finds it's only Paul, still looking at him expectantly. His half-smile could simply be the weed, and being tired. Paul lets it be.

"The man of the hour," Paul says, holding out a hand.

Randy huffs a laugh, and reaches out to take it, grasping it and pulling it in to touch forearms. To his credit, he no longer reacts to the cool skin as it touches him. One too many smokes - or maybe one too many touches with something like Paul to bother reacting.

"Yeah, sure. Only for you."

Paul takes his hand back and places it on his chest. "I consider it the highest honor, dude."

Randy nods a little.

These were words exchanged back and forth easily enough. Informal formalities, but a certain script maintained all the same. Like the glass counter between them. Crystal clear, but a barrier.

The shopkeep shrugs, and leans on his elbow. "Well, you got me here. What's up?"

Paul keeps drumming his fingers on the counter. A pattern only he can make sense of.

"Well, believe it or not, I'm actually not here for anything in particular," Paul says. "I'm uh. Actually looking for something along the lines of. New."

Randy blinks, cocking his head a little. "New?"

"Ya."

Believe it or not, immortality came with downsides. Well. Maybe not downsides so much as reoccurring stumbles. One of which being that the 'new' turned into 'old' faster than one would think, and even for someone who could listen to the same song on repeat for a whole day, there was a whole world of new things being made. New songs, new artists, new sounds. Collecting them to preserve perfectly forever like all the trinkets of the past stored in the cave. Immortal memory.

Randy however, looked over Paul like he'd started growing a second head. However, he knew better than to quibble. The script had run out, and Paul was looking at him expectantly. He was the expert in these things, and his customer had asked for goods.

"Well, we do got some stuff here, towards the front-"

Paul knew what Randy was pointing out, but he shakes his head. The silver bangles Marko had threaded into his hair shake with a metallic clicking, his blade of his earring glinting in the low lights. Randy stops mid-sentence, not about to waste Paul's time on the air it took to make the words. He knew better.

"Nah, man, I don't mean like, new releases. I mean just. Like. New. Somethin' different."

Something to scratch the constant itch of eternal stagnation amidst constant, unstoppable change.

Randy is silent, looking at him. There isn't much of a semblance of the polite, sleepy smile he'd been wearing earlier. Paul keeps looking right back at him, fingers drumming, drumming, drumming away at the counter. Nails clicking against the glass. Dragging.

It's only when Paul moves, shifting from one foot to the other, in a fidget, that Randy comes back into motion.

"Right. Sure. Okay, yeah, I just- hang on."

Paul nods a couple times, a little 'sure' thrown in as well as Randy moves off with maybe a little too much pep in his step, especially considering it's back behind the curtain and into another room. Where Paul's relaxed stare isn't on him the whole time.

There's the sound of boxes being moved, the clack of plastic cases - ans to ears more sensitive, dark mutterings. Paul pretends it's the rattling of the old water pipes along the ceiling.

He reaches over, to one side of the counter, and snatches up a couple jacket patches from the bins left out for sale. Marko had mentioned wanting to potentially start a new jacket project soon. Paul tucks them into his pocket.

Randy comes back after a few minutes. In his hands is a box, and in that box is a mess of things. A couple records, their sleeves looking a little battered, more than a few cassette tapes that looked much more recent, though one had a cracked case.

Paul reaches forward before Randy can say anything and pulls out something from the lot - a magazine, and from the provided pouch in the back of it, a small disc.

"Oh, I love Flexis!" Paul says, grin wide. "They're not making them much anymore."

He holds up the small, colorful record disk, and Randy's shoulders relax a little. He'd pleased the beast.

"There's not a whole lot, I think they only ran that edition with the Flexi for a while, but I had it kinda lying around, so."

Paul snorts. "What, you're using this to pawn your junk off on me, man?"

He flicks a finger at the box, tapping it rather harshly. Randy, again to his credit, doesn't flinch. But from the twitch under his eye, it's a near thing.

Paul grabs the box from him before he can try to say anything else. "I'm joshing you, dude. Jeez. You need some stronger stuff if you're this wound up. You know I'll take anything. You got good taste."

Randy lets Paul take the box from him, fingertips meeting for only a second. Paul's nails are sharp against his skin.

Paul tucks his prize under one arm. With his other, he digs into some pocket or another in his coat. From it, he produces a set of bills. He slaps them down on the countertop.

"You're a pal, Ran-the-man. Catch ya next week!"

Without waiting for Randy to open the till or count the money, or even a goodbye, Paul is already out the door. Barely a sound follows him, just the now empty store, playing its low background music under soft lighting.

When the man does blink out of his stupor, and counts the amount given to him for his motley collection of odds and ends, it's enough to make even his mouth go dry.

He doesn't ask, though. Never does. He simply straightens out the notes, and sets the stained paper in the drawer.

-

"Oh, I wanna dance with somebody! I wanna feel the heat with somebody!"

The music echoed in the main hall, the voices rising and falling with it perhaps not the most in-tune, but the enthusiasm was all that was really necessary.

David watches Star try to keep her smile down at Paul as he strikes a pose, singing into an invisible microphone, swaying her own head side to side with the melody. He lets himself smile with her.

Marko and Dwayne occupy the couch on either side of her, critiquing the performance.

"Good hip movement."

"You know, if he permed his hair, he might actually kinda look like Whitney."

"I vote eight point seven."

"No way, this is freestyle, tens across the board."

"No, there's always room for improvement."

The tall blond shimmies his way over to her, and Star can't help but let out the suppressed giggle at his exaggerated lip-syncing. She protests a fair bit as she's pulled up, and brought to the 'dance floor', her eyes flitting over to David who only raises an eyebrow, before Paul is pulling her in, spinning them around in a dance that doesn't exist and is made purely of the need to move and feel the music.

"Yeah, I wanna dance with somebody! With somebody who loves me!"

The tune in his step matching the music in his head, and all around him. Harmony.

#the lost boys #drabble #prompt #my fic #music #there was so much research for simple throw away lines lmao #on the other hand I learned a lot and might want to try looking into vinyls #it seems cool #Streetlight Records is a real place and it's in Santa Cruz! #some artistic liberties have been taken with its building description