#like the barnaby & wally Playing scribbles!

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

misc oldish scribbles i found of these two being Sweet <3

[unowneyenon]

EDIT: i made this list only a little while ago and ever since then SO MANY FINDINGS ARE OUT!!!! OMG EVERYONE IS SO SMART!!! this list is VERY VERY SMALL ANS A LITTLE OUTDATED!!! for the more updated version, go to my profile and it’s the pinned post!!!!!

🏡 The Welcome Home Update Discovery List!🏡

DISCLAIMER🏡 this edit is a HUGE WIP right now and i edit this post very frequently! VERY. i can find new material very fast, which makes it hard to publish it all fast!

hello neighbors! the new welcome home update just released and i hopped on in immediately—i made a post about it literally 10 minutes ago. since then, i’ve already found MORE and MORE content!! thus, to share this information with the fandom and also help others find how to access some of this information (of which nobody else has really posted about yet AT THE MOMENT I AM TYPING THIS) i’ve decided to create a big update masterlist of everything me and others have found it this update it will be updated regularly and will be pinned on my acc! happy findings! (ps: please boost this if u can i want to solve mysteries with this hellsite!!)

🏡videos!🏡

side note—it appears all the main glitchy videos with the voice actors can be found by clicking on the numerous bugs around the site! SIDE side notes—i don’t use a computer to access welcome home, so maybe there is a way to do this on a computer. on the front page wayyyyy at the bottom near the count of how many people have visited the site, there’s a beetle i cant click on that just SCREAMS “click me!” PLEASE someone click it because it will not be me

the spider — found on the top right of the “stickers” page, this video goes through a conversation between barnaby & julie, with julie saying really bad jokes in attempt to be funny (she’s is but she isn’t at the same time! i love corny jokes so she’s funny in my eyes). also, something i’ve noticed throughout these videos appears to be that wally is in many, if not all of them. he’s just nonverbal and does not speak. at ALL. but he is in them. barnaby actively talks to a person beside from julie, and at the end, julie says a sentence that ends with “… wasn’t it wally?” asking for his opinion. BUT BUT BUT the video cuts and glitches off as soon as she says wally! it’s very similar to how all these videos end!!

the praying mantis — found at the bottom of the “about us” page, clicking on a little preying mantis will lead you to a video of sally and julie rehearsing for a play! idk if it has any deep meaning yet (besides the random deep voice at the end) but it’s so silly!!!! like julie is so silly i love her!!!! (TW minor glitching and weird deep voice at end which is sorta a pattern in the vids)

the fly — found on the page titled “welcome home” and can be accessed by clicking on a fly that appears on screen. this video depicts frank and barnaby’s voices, discussing frank’s flowers in his garden. the video itself shows what appears to be a smashed orange/pumpkin thing in a woodsy area, as (what i think looks like) a face looms in the background (TW sorta loud noises and glitching!

🏡audios!!🏡

both of these audios are of wally speaking directly to the listener, and can be found on the “welcome home” titled page (at least that’s where i found them) by clicking on crayon-drawn flowers shown here:

yellow flower — depicts wally asking the listener “what are you waiting for? to hear from me again? hahaha! that means you can hear me.” , as a heartbeat noise is heard in the background (it’s not as creepy as it sounds i promise)

red and blue flowers — wally saying; “that’s what an eye looks like. my eyes are black. what color are yours?” as a heartbeat noise plays in the background

house scribble — found DIRECTLY on the front page like as soon as you enter the site. wally says; “there you are! welcome home! hahaha” he’s so silly imo

the star — found on the stickers page by clicking the star scribble. this one kinda scared me a LITTLE with what was happening on screen but wally says: “do you like to draw? i do. do you know how to draw an eye? first, you draw a circle. then, you draw a smaller circle inside. then, you color it in.” this one’s really cool go watch it and you’ll see!

🏡other stuff i noticed (WIP)!!🏡

in the “spider” video, julie says to barnaby that her joke will “knock your [barnaby’s] head off!” which is funny, but not the haha way. because there is art made by clown illustrations of barnaby, who’s head is rolled on the floor

like. ITS RIGHT INBETWEEN HIS LEGS ON THE FLOOR. HIS HEAD IS OFF

[annoyingbelieverballoon]

Turnabout of feelings.

(Enemies to Lovers)  (Welcome Home is a wonderful ARG made by Clown illustrations)

Wally darling x Human! Reader.

Word count: 1773. (warning! English isn’t my first language) part 1/3

You were sitting on the carpeted floors of Home. Beside you, Wally Darling was scribbling in the guestbook. Coming into this world of puppets and sunshine was a shock at first. You'd think you'd get accustomed to all the nice neighbours that tolerate and appreciate you more than 90% of humanity, but... Wally darling. The bastard that dragged you here the reason why you can never rest easy, Wally Darling.

He's aloof and innocent in front of others, but you know better. You've seen the eyes on the walls. The notes scattered around the neighbourhood... You've even ventured into the depths of Home. You couldn't say a thing to the others, though. That's how Barnaby and Eddie died last time. That's how you almost died as well.

The two sides of Wally contrasted harshly. It's as if they were two completely different puppets. One was childlike in nature and inquisitive. The other was knowledgeable and all-knowing. Horrifying. You saw how he ate and how he could easily wipe your existence from the neighbourhood if he wanted.

That's why you had to play nice and be a good neighbour. You don't know how many times the other neighbours have died, and you don't want to join them. "Is something the matter, neighbour?"

You were pulled away into the pitch-black eyes of Wally. His eyes dilate whenever he looks at you. You've been staring at him for the entirety of your inner monologue. You tore your eyes away and continued doodling on paper.

Wally repeated his question. He never got an answer. Home creaked and banged to divert Wally's attention. You've always gotten along with Home well. It was alive. Something welcome in this land of eternal sunshine and plush embraces.

Sometimes, if you'd listen hard enough, you'd hear a drumming. Like a heartbeat, it was a comforting sound, unlike the violent bangs on the door and the sounds of screaming outside late at night. You never understood home; you tried learning Morse code, but it wasn't your forte. Home was helpful, though, watchful and obviously a servant to Wally but still caring in a way. You can count on one hand how many times they saved you from certain death.

Your masterpiece was finished, or well, not at all, but you got tired of doodling and simply pushed the paper and art supplies away. Wally moved over to the drawing and inspected it. Spirals and eyes Much like the ones he liked to draw. For a moment, the more violent side of him surfaced, but he quickly put the drawing away and started talking. "What a good artist you are, neighbour!" You half-heartedly listened to his praise. You attempted a conversation once more,

"Why bring me here?" You get ignored.

You sigh and rest your head on the floor. Your head springs up when a quiet whisper leaves Wally's lips.

"What was that?"

"What was what, neighbour?"

Wally stood up and dusted himself off; he then extended a hand towards you.

You both walked out of home; a sunny day awaited you two. Such is the usual weather in this world.

It was run... 32? 35. Each run would be disturbed by you or Wally. And each time you’d lose a bit of yourself with it. You remember a time when you attacked the friendly neighbours at Welcome Home. Wally probably remembers as well. You had enough sanity to stop yourself, however, unlike the man who walks beside you. Wally’s 3-foot stature held your hand as he dragged you onward; his strength was at least superhuman.

You were approaching Howdy’s bodega. The place was pretty crowded today. seemed like an event.

The wind chimes rang as you entered. Howdy was chatting away with Sally and Barnaby. Talking funny business again, it seemed.

"Oh! There you are, Wally! And it’s a pleasure to see our new neighbour with you again!"

"Hello barnaby…. Hello Julie-"

Barnaby looked at his best friend and laughed.

"What a ‘coin’cidence that you joined us, little buddy!".

Howdy laughed heartily at the joke, and Wally tilted his head in confusion.

"…Hello howdy"

"What’s so funny, neighbours?"

Sally explains that they all found a coin whilst walking in the neighbourhood today.

"Can I see it?" You speak, gathering the attention of the room around you.

You inspected the coin closely, and Wally went nonverbal as the other three steered the conversation.

"It’s something out of a noir film, almost!" Sally exclaims

Well, hopefully not! I’d rather not become the neighbourhood’s funniest grey dog!"

"Ohoho! This almost calls for an investigation! I’m sure Jewls would love to hear this! Don’t you think so, walls?"

Wally is startled from his thoughts; his eyes dilate.

"Julie? I think Julie would like a new game to play." Wally smiles.

"Don’t you think so, neighbour?"

"Sure." You were mostly focused on the coin in your hand. That right there was a Franklin half dollar, produced in the 1960s.

Shabby quality, covered in dirt.

Money from your world... being here? As far as you knew, brands from your world didn’t exist here. Seeing as how Howdy sells Brickero’s cereal and cups of Joe that are just diluted orange juice and Breenberry ice cream, whatever that was,

The bodega quiets down a little, and Barnaby cracks another joke. You never laugh. It’s not that you didn’t like these puppets. They were nice. Sweet. Caring. But they were dead. As far as you knew, nobody here was real. Except maybe for Wally and Home. It left a bitter aftertaste.

"Well, my fellows and fellays! Would you care to purchase anything?"

"Wally needs red and green paint, and I need something edible."

"Didn't know you started speaking for each other? Wowie, I feel heartbroken... I can't believe my little buddy got a new best friend!" Barnaby half-joked.

"We’re not friends." -

"We’re the best of friends. -

Sally couldn’t help but giggle.

Wally was still gripping your arm; you had to play nice for now.

Howdy handed you your things in a paper bag and cashed them in on three jokes and a little quip.

You were the one usually telling most of the jokes, and Wally would have to practise for half a day for a single joke.

"What do you call a sad coffee? A depresso," your execution was lacking, but today was too tiresome to put in any effort.

Howdy chuckled but then gave Wally an expectant look.

"What about you walls? Got any jokes? Cracks? Quips?"

"I do"

"You do? Well, let’s hear it then!"

Wally straightened up his posture, tightening the ascot around his plush neck.

"Why did Barnaby get arrested? Because he’s a serial licker."

The execution was made funnier by Wally’s monotone voice.

"Ohohohoho! You never disappoint, dear fellow!"

"Put the other joke and quip on my tab." Barnaby winked at Wally, who smiled up at his best friend.

"We’ll be going now." You walked out as Wally said goodbye to each individual one by one.

"Oh! And don’t forget about the rehearsal later today, dearie!" Sally yelled out to you.

Right, the rehearsal. A play about... a pastry princess? Queen? Who knows… Julie’s the princess, you’re playing as the love interest, and Frank is the king of marshmallows or something.

Speaking of Frank, Frank Frankly was in front of you, face-first into the mud after getting toppled by Eddie. You laughed at that, getting another harsh tug from Wally. Right, laughing at misery was not neighborly.

You and Wally helped Frank and Eddie. It took quite a bit to tug the clumsy mailman up, or maybe it’s just your lack of arm strength.

Frank Frankly gave Eddie a harsh look, though it softened immediately after the mailman apologised. It was clear the two were soft on each other. If this wasn’t proof enough, then the many times one sacrificed themselves to save the other are. It used to sting at first, seeing the two go through the heartbreak and loss.

Wally held your hand and smiled. You looked down at the puppet and sneered. An ugly look on you, he’d say, and you couldn’t care less.

Frank starts talking, thankfully.

"My my, what a day... At least my tomatoes aren’t ruined. Be careful, won’t you next time, Mr.Dear?"

"Agh, sorry Frank I didn’t mean to, I swear. God, I should’ve been more careful delivering those packages. Luckily, nothing broke!"

"Who are you delivering these boxes to, neighbour?" Wally asks, looking at the many boxes on the ground.

Oh, I’m delivering these to the bodega! Howdy’s got a large shipment this week."

Hmm, well, I did need to go there to get more fertiliser for my plants. I’ll join you, Mr. Dear." Frank picks up some of the smaller boxes for Eddie. It was a kind thing, and Eddie thanked Frank --- not without insisting on carrying the boxes himself, of course. Frank simply hushed him and smiled, and Eddie smiled back.

"Won’t you join us? Mr.darling and-"

"No. We just left the bodega, actually," Wally explains.

Oh, alright then! Have a good day, you two!" Frank and Eddie head off.

You continue onward. Home’s following eyes are a comfort at times. Now? Not so much... Wally was staring at you intently as you walked. The creep had a love for eye contact, much to your dismay.

The sky had a reddish hue, never a good sign. You turn to look at Home.

Wait a moment. Where did Home go?

Where they had stood was a hole of black, looking infinitely deep and with a spiral surrounding its edges. An eye opens, a hand grabs your leg; it has five fingers, and as soon as you blink, everything goes back to normal.

"What’s wrong, neighbour?"

You were lying on the plush grass with Wally. Julie was to your right.

You grabbed Wally by the throat; he had done it again. Used his weird eldritch abilities to skip the day along.

Wally’s eyes dilated as black sludge left his mouth.

Julie screamed.

Fuck, there went another run. You were so sick of this. So very tired.

You drifted off again, and you knew you'd wake up again inside of Home. Wally will greet you in the morning, and you'll go through this day again, over and over, until you get it right. Until it goes perfectly.

Huh… Now that you dwell on it, you think he whispered ‘sorry’. Perhaps there’s a hidden third side to this strange puppet.

[thats-not-okie-dokie]

I turned myself into a puppet!

In other words, meet my puppetsona for Welcome Home. This is Oaksley, a shy and imaginitive nerd who writes novels for a living. He runs a library with shelves absolutely lined to the brim with books. Though, he has a hard time enforcing any due dates for late books because he hates confrontation and would rather jump off a cliff than have an argument with someone. He's the introverted type who likes to hide away in a good book and curl up by a fireplace. That's not to say he isn't a team player, because he can easily be dragged into things by the other neighbours. He's lenient to a fault and insecure about himself and his actions. He couldn't crack a joke on the spot to save his life, but he will absolutely infodump for hours if given the chance

As for his dynamics with the other neighbours, I have the full list:

Barnaby would be constantly making bad puns about poetry and book titles, and sometimes visits his library just to make jokes about the titles and covers, much to Oaksley's chagrin, since he does not have an inside voice. It disturbs anyone else who is quietly reading in there, but he can't build up the courage to kick Barnaby out, since he does occasionally say something he finds funny and checks out joke books in the end. Oaksley's tried riding on his unicycle once (because Barnaby kept egging him on until he relented) and crashed into one of the neighbour's houses. He hasn't tried since, and almost broke his nose because of that

Wally is a fellow artist, so they gravitate towards each other whenever either of them are low on inspiration. As seen above, Oaksley will read a part of his latest story out loud and Wally will paint what is described. Wally has tried to show Oaksley how to draw before, and he sometimes scribbles on his papers when he gets bored because of this. Wally's always excited to see these sketches. They have a mutual agreement to go and ask for help together if something is wrong or if either of them have a problem. Wally helps Oaksley feel less alone as an introvert and gently nudges him to advocate for himself. Wally is one of the few neighbours Oaksley actively goes and visits first instead of being approached by them instead.

Frank and him get along pretty well, and he's a frequent visitor at the library. Think of a favourite customer sort of deal. He's the non-fiction to Oaksley's fiction, and they get into friendly debates often, especially when Oaksley's reading him a manuscript of his stories. Frank points out every scientific inaccuracy and Oaksley justifies them, usually by explaining it away as magic or that it HAS to happen for the plot to move forward. Frank voluntarily helps him organise the library books when others mess the shelves up

Sally barges in to drag Oaksley into her plays sometimes, and he doesn't like it. He's a writer, not an actor, and she's constantly telling him to be more expressive and confident in his performances. He'd much rather stick to the sidelines and watch other neighbours perform. Sometimes, she'll steal his glasses, because she finds that he's more expressive without them. In reality, it just makes him freak out because he can barely see anything. She manages to reach the end of his slow temper the most often. They don't get along that well. On occasion, he does ask Sally for writing advice for character dialogue, since she can act out what's being said and they can guage if it sounds natural, and she makes suggestions for changes. Mostly, he tries to avoid her as much as possible in fear of being picked on

Julie is similar, but Oaksley tolerates her a LOT more. He's not big into physical activity and games, but her energy manages to get to him, and it makes him more outgoing and willing to try them. He loves when they settle down for board games or word scrambles. She's like the extroverted friend who carries Oaksley outside and gets him to go to places besides the library or quiet spots. She's the reason he managed to get to know every neighbour well, since she introduced him to everyone when he first got to the neighbourhood and left NO room for awkward avoidance or hesitation. They can be found together if Julie disappears for a while

Poppy treat him like a son. He always gets some of her freshly baked cookies, and he never manages to startle her because of his soft spoken voice and attitude. Though she can be very overprotective because of this, and he has to reassure her that he can do things on his own. He gets a lot of hats and scarves from her, often inspired by the stories he tells. They write and knit together by a fireplace in comfortable silence as music plays from a radio. He visits her whenever he needs to have a break, and Poppy's happy to oblige

Eddie is someone he doesn't get to see as much, since he's constantly running around, but he requests for more notebook paper from his post office whenever his stack runs out. It's a nightmare for Eddie at times when he's particularly inspired and in the zone. They are both very scared of bugs, so they can relate to each other a LOT whenever one of them startles or leaves a room because they noticed one crawling around somewhere nearby. I imagine that Oaksley used to work for Eddie as an assistant before he founded his library, so they know each other very well as co-workers

Howdy gives him a hard time when he comes around to his shop. Oaksley can't crack jokes in an instant like Barnaby can, and he always needs a few minutes to come up with one. They often fall flat, and Howdy just gives him what he's buying out of pity because Oaksley starts getting really flustered that he can't get it right. Howdy is quite intimidating to him. He talks fast, and he has a hard time comprehending everything that he says all at once. He'll blankly blink at Howdy after he says a big paragraph of words and stutters a response out. Howdy will often compare how he reacts to Wally, because he just stares, but he's very thankful that he's not an apple thief like the former

[glitch-in-the-code]

Y’all know the doodles Wally leaves on the guestbook? Here’s what the text says if you inspect them! (4/3/23)

Page 8: Party hat: ‘I am your favorite too. Im very happy.’ Hearts: ‘i told him. he said hes flattered. i dont know what anyone is talking about.’ Shoe: ‘its very hard.’

Page 7: TV: ‘is it me.’ Eyes: ‘hahaha’ Cookie: ‘i could not find them. i will look harder.’ Flower: ‘dont be afraid.’ Barnaby: ‘what is your father.’ Paint Bucket: ‘paint’ Hearts: ‘i love you too.’ Confetti: ‘im your favorite. that makes me happy. then you.’

Page 6: Blue square red x: ‘i cant reach them_im sorry.’ Sun and clouds: ‘everyone is happy.’ Red scribble: ‘no memory.’ Wally :): ‘our name.’ Stylish fish: ‘rat.’ Envelope: ‘Valentine. I will tell her.’ Spiral: ‘Scratch harder.’ Butterfly: ‘I dont know either.’ Yellow Flowers(?): ‘i like yellow too. im yellow. sally is yellow. franks nose is yellow.’ Question marks: ‘why are you fibbing. you are not here. i dont see you. please do not lie to me.’ Clock: ‘Its not time yet. im looking.’ Hat: ‘Love him. You remember’

Page 5: Red eye: ‘no. a puppet.’ Heart with face: ‘you will.’ Music notes: ‘are you singing.’ Phone: ‘then answer me.’ Snail: ‘do you like frank.’ Flower: ‘YahooYippieeYahooYippiee.’

Page 4: Red heart with face: ‘im the most most’ Net: ‘oh I understand! we are playing! i have you!’ Tic Tac Toe: ‘you do. i am so happy.’ Home with rain: ‘i have seen them before. do they like eachother’ Blue smilely face: ‘no. I am wally. I am your friend.’ Muticolor hearts: ‘we are friends!’ Bandaid: ‘youll be okay!’ Cat: ‘Kittycat. famous. tv.’ Horns: ‘Oh you are not julie. I will tell julie. So much family!’

Page 3: Welcome mat: ‘you wipe your shoes here!’ Wally: ‘thank you Cherry! I think I am pretty too!’ Smilely with flowers: ‘who is this’ Grocery bag: ‘do he sell his heart’ Home: ‘howse_howse’ Hand: ‘i will help you neighbor’ Pufferfish: ‘thank you. Katie!’ Butterfly: ‘frank. i will tell frank..’ Flower: ‘you will come with me’ Bug: ‘i will tell frank for you. the big will look like this’ TV: ‘tvtvtv’ Sideways heart: ‘this is a heart ._.’ Hello: ‘hello. you see this.’

Page 2: Bed with stars: ‘goodnight neighbor’ Pig: ‘i am a puppet! i am your favorite!’ Eddie: ‘eddie is a friend i like him too. he runs too much’ Home: ‘i love home. home is my friend’ Barnaby: ‘i do not know what clown is. i asked frank. he said barnaby. here is barnaby’ TV: ‘you are on tv!’ Sideways smilely: ‘we are happy. do you look like this_’ Mutiple Hearts: ‘i love you i love you.’ Muticolor spiral: ‘so you will know i am looking at you neighbor. i am talking to you.’ Sally: ‘i know sally’ Worm: ‘i do not know what wiggle is. barnaby said it was this’ Flower: ‘i promise i will tell her’ Envelope: ‘i will mail him a letter for you’ Butterfly: ‘here is a bug for you neighbor’ Hello: ‘i can hear you neighbor’ Julie: ‘julie is my friend too’ Catapiller: ‘do you see howdy now_’

Page 1: Clown face: ‘its okay to frown you are still my friend’ Home: ‘homed!’ Clover: ‘you are lucky! come by often neighbor’ Frank: ‘i love frank too. he frowns. i think he is funny’ [0:: ‘i like your nose’ Poppy: ‘poppy is big i love her too’ Red spiral: ‘hello neighbor’ Rainbow: ‘here you go’ Apple: ‘its a apple!’ Smiley face: ‘you don’t like me neighbor_’ Hearts: ‘our neighbors are here! thank you too neighbor’ Bug: ‘i love bugs’ Stars: ‘sally is that you’ :): “hello. why are you smiling this way. ill keep you company neighbor’ Flower: ‘thank you i hope you think it is beautiful’ Smiley face: ‘with me neighbor’ Barnaby: ‘honk honk haha’ Poppy: ‘i like poppy too neighbor’ Heart: ‘thank you’

Notes: The big red heart, drum, blue flower, cutlery, and thinking cloud on page 6 do not have any alt. text. Most of page five does not have any alt. text either.

[handibrain]

Title: Dinner Date

Summary: Howdy and his new partner go on a date, and the neighbors helped plan it! Unfortunately, it goes as well as you think it would.

Author’s Note: This is a Howdy x OC fic for my friend! I have two in conjunction to this one, but you don’t need to read them to understand this one at all. The character Lady belongs to my friend Gemlight and Paula belongs to me(In case there is any confusion, Paula is not dating anyone and she is disabled(a wheelchair user))

Warnings: None? Questionable food choices from Frank and Sally, and the mention of a curfew related to a theory about day and night.

Howdy tugged at the collar of his suit. It was unusual for him to wear one, he almost always exclusively wore his button up shirt with an apron over top, not something fancy.

He heard a soft knock on his door from Lady, asking if he was ready yet, she didn’t want to be late. Howdy looked at himself in the mirror a few more moments, anxiously fiddling with his bow tie before sighing.

“Yes, I’m ready. I must apologize, I must admit I’m-“ Howdy began, but stopped once opening the door and seeing Lady.

His face lit up in blush at how beautiful she looked, she smiled up at him in return.

“What, do I look nice?” She teased, spinning around once.

“Oh, uhm, yes! You look quite gorgeous, actually!” Howdy responded, fiddling with his hands.

Lady grabbed a hold of one and led him out of the store and into the neighborhood. He could spot a section decorated like an outdoor restaurant with a couple of the neighbors standing around.

It honestly made him go to mush, his gasp on her hand softened. The neighborhood didn’t hold many big events, other than a birthday or one of Sally’s big plays, and seeing them all set up for their date made him even more happy inside.

From where he was he could spot Frank and Wally dressed up as waiters and… was that Barnady at one of the tables? Howdy scowled at the sight of the dog. It wasn’t his date! What could he possibly be doing at a table?

“Lady, did you by any chance invite Barnaby?” He asked, leaning down some.

“No, he invited himself but promised he couldn’t get in the way.” She laughed, recalling the memory.

As they neared, Wally walked towards them with his ever present smile.

“Hello! Would you like to be seated?” He asked.

“We would!” Lady replied, letting go of Howdy’s hand.

“Right this way then!” Wally nodded.

Wally walked them the short distance to the only table there. Well, the only table not occupied by Barnaby, that is.

When they both sat down Frank handed them both a menu that consisted of only a couple of items: spaghetti, “food in gelatin”, lasagna, bread, and something scribbled out in crayon.

Frank walked away to go into one of the nearby homes, presumably to get glasses of water for the two. When Howdy turned to give his order, he noticed how tall Wally was in accordance with the table.

Wally was just as tall as the table, his pompadour the only part of him showing. Howdy wondered if he was just staring at the tablecloth or was looking up at them, but when he moved some to take a better look he realized Wally was indeed just staring directly at the cloth.

Lady noticed too, and looked at Howdy before turning back.

“Are you ready to order?” Wally asked, looking up at Lady quickly.

“Oh!” Lady startled, forgetting her order at the suddenness of Wally speaking.

“I- uh- Spaghetti, please, Wally.” She said with a nervous smile.

“Me too.” Howdy agreed.

Wally blinked at them both then walked off without a word in the direction Frank went before.

The two stared before bursting out laughing, but Howdy stopped when he heard Barnaby laugh along behind him.

“What are you laughing at?” He asked, a fake smile on his face.

“Oh, nothin’.” Barnaby waved off.

Howdy now saw Paula in a chair next to Barnaby, she was sitting on books in order to reach the table. She was looking off into the forest area, seemingly thinking about something according to the face she was making. She quickly snapped out of her thoughts, however, and waved at Howdy.

“Do they really need to be here?” Howdy asked in a hushed voice, turning towards Lady.

“Of course they do, they’re our friends!” She responded, her voice not nearly as quiet, however.

Frank and Julie came out with two vastly different meals despite being the same order. Howdy also noted how they didn’t get any water, which he decided to not mention.

Frank was holding a plate of spaghetti suspended in gelatin while Julie had her rendition normal, all except for what seemed to be marshmallows and sprinkles on top.

The two sat down their plates, the gelatin for Howdy and marshmallow sprinkle for Lady.

“Thank you so much for this, Julie!” Lady thanked, looking incredibly genuine.

“You are so welcome! I hope you enjoy it, I worked very hard on it!” Julie said, flapping her hands slightly.

“Yes, and thank you, Frank.” Howdy nodded.

“You’re welcome, I do hope you enjoy!” Frank replied with a curt bow.

When the two others left back into the house Howdy and Lady looked at their plates.

“I don’t think I’m going to eat this.” They both said at the same time before laughing.

“Say, want to ditch this place?” Howdy asked, pointing his thumb towards the clearest area to watch the sunset.

“Yeah, probably best if we don’t eat this.” Lady laughed.

They walked hand in hand and looked up at the sky, it was an array of oranges and pinks. A truly rare sight to behold in the neighborhood.

“Almost as pretty as you are.” Howdy said.

Lady didn’t respond, she didn’t need to. After a moment she leaned against him, Howdy wrapping one set of arms around her as they watched.

The moment was interrupted by Paula and Barnaby cheering for Howdy from their table.

“Why you- go somewhere else or something!” Howdy shouted.

Paula laughed so hard she fell off the stack of books onto the ground, Barnaby jumping out of his seat to help her. Howdy looked back at the scene while Lady watched the two’s antics a bit longer.

“Don’t mind them, Howdy.” Lady laughed.

Howdy made a noise of disapproval in response.

As it got darker the other neighbors cleaned up and started heading back inside. Home alerted Howdy and Lady to the curfew by making various sounds.

“Alright, alright. We’re going back home.” Howdy acknowledged.

Howdy felt particularly bold, scooping Lady up in a bridal carry and brought her over to his shop.

“Wow, so forward!” Lady teased.

Howdy was caught so off guard he couldn’t formulate a proper response, so settled on staying quiet, which made Lady smile triumphantly.

Howdy unlocked his store momentarily so the two could slip inside to get to his room in the back.

“I hope you’re alright sleeping in my bed, I didn’t really think about it until now, actually.” Howdy confessed.

“Perfectly fine, Howdy.” Lady replied, taking off her shoes.

As they got settled into bed, Howdy was thankful she was ok with it. If they went back to Lady’s place he would have woken up to a sore back due to Lady’s bed being so small.

In the morning, Lady helped Howdy get the store ready for customers. Howdy usually did this alone, and didn’t fancy any help, but Lady’s company was a welcome change to his routine.

As Howdy was placing a couple cans onto the shelf, he heard a faint knock on the glass door. When he turned, he let out a deep sigh at Paula right outside with a smug look.

Howdy opened the door, standing in the doorway.

“What do you want? We aren’t open yet, you know.” He said.

“Did you two love birds sleep well?” She asked with a smirk before breaking into laughter.

Howdy pushed Paula’s wheelchair away from the door with a tired expression.

“Where we goin’, boss?” Paula asked, pretending to get comfy.

As howdy let go and started to walk away, Paula made a sound of confusion.

“Howdy?” Paula questioned, moving the wheelchair to face him.

“Bye, Paula.” Howdy deadpanned.

Paula let out some quips as Howdy walked back into the store. Paula just waved her hand in dismissal and wheeled away towards Wally to do some bubble painting, no need to pester him more, she realized.

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

I'm so sorry I'm pretty sure your bard au is supposed to be serious but oh my god I couldn't help but get strong Men In Tights and Monty Python and the Holy Grail vibes

Especially bc of Barnaby I would not put it past him to make a "your mom's a hamster" reference

no no it Is very silly. how can it not be when you've got the neighbors as the characters? silly central. ALSO YOU'RE SO RIGHT VERY STRONG MP&HG VIBES I FUCKING LOVE THAT MOVIE HERE'S SOME REFERENCES

but it is also real. when it's silly its silly and when it's serious!

it's serious.

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

heyyyy who wants some lowish-resolution Lights Out angst scribbles before i go sleep!!!

(gonna put this under the cut bc im not sure if it can be considered spoiler-y or not? does this au even Have spoilers if there's no shared cohesive plot yet? who knows! i'm doing this impulsively i don't know what i'm doing ever! ! i like drawing characters in distress and anguish! thank you!)

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

Ok, this is mostly bc I realized we've only seen Sally being passive, but how is she able to hypothetically rip apart larger puppets limb from limb? (if the captions with Howdy hold water with other puppets)

(Slight Mutilation Warning Ahead: Puppet Edition)

they absolutely hold So Much water! it's a combination of a couple things!

a) Nightlight!Sally is really Strong. i'd liken to her to a chimp, as much as i hate them. despite being smaller than people, they're absurdly powerful. when it comes to Her, this comes from a mix of hysterical strength and something Else i've been pondering but don't want to solidify yet, so shh dont worry bout it. it's also much easier to tear fleece & cotton/stuffing than, uh, Biological materials.

b) none of the puppets are really prepared for violence? they've lived in an idyllic world where true, visceral violence likely hasn't even been a Thought in anyone's minds. like, you watch videos of people get attacked by like... raccoons or rats and they visibly Lose because they panic! they aren't prepared! they don't wanna fight! so the much smaller creature wins. They Don't Know How To Fight, Or Fight Back.

b.1) also, Nightlight!Sally is still... Sally. she's still their dear friend. i know that if a close friend attacked me, i'm not sure i'd be able to bring myself to do much other than defend/flee. i wouldn't wanna hurt them even if it meant protecting myself. hence why Wally avoids all confrontation with her & can't protect his friends from her. he can't hurt his neighbor.

b.2) there's also the shock factor. imagine you wake up from a pleasant dream to an absolute nightmare reality. Boom, automatically thrown way off your rhythm. then one of your close buddies looks Fuckin Weird, Are You Okay? and other crazy shit is happening! you're freaking out!! then your Close Friend Who's Off is suddenly slashing at you and BOOM, your arm's gone & your entire brain is scrambled from shock and fear and "?!?!?!?!?!". plus, i doubt the puppets know they're full of stuffing. seeing yourself sliced open and white fluff spilling out has gotta be just. so Unpleasant on principle.

c):

CLAWS BABEY! RIP TEAR AND SHRED! those sharp grippers are perfect for piercing and ripping! puppet fleece is Paper to her!

her fighting method is attack wildly until the threat stops making noise! it's very hard to defend oneself from it! imagine those cartoon bits where a cat attacks someone and its just a Flurry of Unbeatable Violence

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

most nights kinda suck. but sometimes youre relaxing in a nice motel and one of the tv channels is playing 9-1-1 episodes <3 and everything feels like it'll be okay for a few hours <3