#lockenlode

[stillheresanctuary]

ask meme

Locke

Headcanon A:  realistic

Locke has stupid high pain tolerance, even for a Brassberry. Judging by the deep scars on much of his skeleton and how his magic adapted to make him twice as bulky, it's thought that the tolerance was learned.

Headcanon B: while it may not be realistic it is hilarious

Locke has given up entirely on the hyper masculine gender performance common amongst Brassberries. He doesn't care what he looks like, so long as he clean and comfy and covers his limbs. This has resulted in Locke unintentionally wearing attire much more suited to a grandparent or Fred Jones.

Headcanon C: heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends

He will never say it aloud, but Locke still worries that he'll be returned someday. The only one who knows this worry is Pocket.

Headcanon D: unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own.

Due to being returned so often and having survived the process so many times, Locke's magic adapted and has resulted in him having an incredibly resilient and self-reliant SOUL. He appreciates the home he now has, and the friends he's made, but unlike fresh Brassberries, he doesn't have the SOUL deep need to connect.

[stillheresanctuary]

alright, now we gotta see it How does the Crew react?

"Wha- Hey, WAIT-!"

A bright flash whited out the reception area, echoing an intense flare of magical power that had every bitty in the building immediately on high alert. Several Crew members bolted for the more sensitive and high strung Residents, checking in where they could and rushing others to safe spaces where needed, while the primary group that most frequently acted as security all rushed to the front room as quickly as short legs and teleportation would allow.

Ed was first to arrive on the scene, crimson magic flaring as he blipped into view atop the half wall that divided the reception area from the stairs, Key Largo and Locke not far behind with Code and Van right on their heels. Golden star like sparkles were just barely faded from the air, mixed with flecks of pink and green that had every bitty present lifting their metaphorical hackles.

Code leapt into the air, using his string magic like Spider-Man webbing to swing himself quickly across the room in search of bitties that might have gotten caught in whatever splashback or crossfire, while Key Largo jumped down, Sizing Up and hitting the floor with a solid thud. Locke hopped up onto his fellow Brassberry's wide shoulder, Van joining on the opposite shoulder, while Ed summoned a large, toothy Gaster Blaster, climbing on top of the construct to use as a hovering mobility.

"...anybody see where the sparkles came from?"

"Nah. Long gone. We'll hafta check the cameras."

"Wasn't It Cell's Turn At The Check In Desk?"

The tension in the atmosphere ratcheted up several degrees along with Key Largo's shoulders, his teal eye lights flaring as he grit his fangs hard enough for his jaw to creak. He quickly turned towards the desk where the Sanctuary's lone human was supposed to have been sitting, trusting his fellow bitties to keep their positions as he set to investigate.

Whatever magic had been done, it was centered on the desk, something that was made obvious by not just the concentration of dimming sparkles in the air, but also the way the air felt thick and tingly like just before a lightning strike. There was even a pale sunburst marking splashed across the wood where the magic burst had bleached part of the desktop, something that made Key Largo start to growl uneasily.

No sign of his chosen human...

A small flicker of movement, hidden by the upraised part of the desk. "Key...? That you?"

Browbones furrowed on several skulls. That... Sounded like Cell, but- Off. More echo-y, like a bitty with an immobile jaw speaking with their SOUL rather than projecting sound through their magic.

Key Largo stepped closer, a hand lifting to brace on the magic bleached desktop as he leaned over to get a better look at the other side. He felt more than heard the others joining him, and their magic collectively spiked in shock at what they found struggling to sit up amidst a mess of tumbled pens and waylaid papers.

Bright neon green eye lights with slivered cores of yellow peered up out of dark sockets which creased slightly in a slightly sheepish half smile, a skeletal hand lifting in a halfhearted wave.

"Uh, hi?"

Magic flickered -blue, gold, crimson, teal, seafoam- as all five bitties initiated a CHECK.

"What the fuck, kid?!"

The newly-minted bitty flushed, the faint green glow around their body brightening as well as coloring across their sharp cheekbones.

"Language, Ed!"

Crimson eye lights brightened, and the Edgy snorted a laugh as he directed his Gaster Blaster to lower down to the desktop, the construct vanishing as he dropped onto his own feet. The lamia-skeleton-ghost(?) huffed at him, but didn't protest when he leaned down to help them up.

It was a gesture that seemed to finally kick the others into gear, blips and flashes manifesting into the lot of them crowding around the former human to make sure they were okay.

"Are You Feeling Dizzy At All? Any Nausea Or Discomfort?"

"No, I-"

"W̷̳̘̣ͭ͆ͫhy̵͛̇̀ d̨̯̳̩ő͖ ̐͝y͢o̦̳̗͝u̠ ͓͙͋̈̀g̳̜̦ŏt͓̅ śp̨o̺̼̯t̰̭́s?͚͇͇̌ͩ͑ ͔͖͋̎Ẃa͑ͤi͢t,̸ ï̵̙̰̲ͣ̂ś t̸̝͎͉̋̄̿h̒̚a̭͉tͤ̇ fire̖̒?͙͔̓ͯ́!"

"I dunno, I think-"

"Hey, maybe we should-?"

"BACK. OFF."

Eye lights brightened and dimmed and flickered, and suddenly there were only two bitties left on the desktop with the former human, knowing better than to get between an upset, over protective Brassberry and their person. Well, besides Van, who only gave Key Largo an irritated sidelong glance before going back to gently checking over Cell's new and unusual body for any injury or damage.

Key Largo didn't bother with a return glare, his bright eye lights fixed on the slim little snake-like bitty currently giving him a tired look.

"Key, honey, was that really necessary?"

The senior Brassberry's frown deepened, and he stomped up into their bubble of personal space, that green glow slightly washing out his pineapple patterned button up as his eye lights darted over the newly formed bitty, his hands clenching into fists at his sides before he forcibly reversed the motion to reach for that exposed bone shoulder. Despite the change in appearance, Cell was still to scale, coming up to his collar bones even without legs to stand on.

An ectoplasmic hand came up to rest on his wrist, those bright green eye lights softening with understanding.

"I'm okay, Key. Startled, a little confused, but I'm not hurt. I promise."

Their SOUL hummed, louder and clearer than usual but still the same SOUL, and Key Largo's angry facade broke, his scowl collapsing into a weary frown as he pulled his chosen human person into a firm hug.

"...you're gettin' checked out by Halim and Van."

"Fair."

Van just rolled his eye lights, shaking his head.

Drama queen.

Undertale Textbox Generator Available Here.

[stillheresanctuary]

I work for the local animal welfare department, and we got called for what we thought was a dogfighting ring. It was not. It was a bitty-fighting ring. I couldn’t stop the state from euthanizing the ten or so fighting bitties, that’s the law as the view is that they can’t be rehabilitated, just like fighting dogs. But... there was a “bait bitty,” and I was able to get them to delay putting him down if I could find a rescue willing to help. 1/2

2/2 He looks to be a Horrortale Papyrus bitty. He doesn’t speak any language, just babble, but I’ve had some success with a picture board. All his teeth are broken, likely on purpose, so he need soft foods. He doesn’t like other bitties, we think he was used as both bait and a heat aid for them so he screams if they’re near, but he seems okay with humans. Anyway, I hope you can help, he doesn’t have long left. We think they just called him Bait, but maybe that should change.

- - -

A bitty fighting ring.

Fuck.

Pardon my language, but FUCK.

I’m going to have to talk to Mama and make sure she’s aware of the situation, she came to us from a similar situation and could get violent if she thinks we’re getting a fighter. I’ll get a space together for the little guy, it’s going to be difficult to properly care for him since pretty much everybody here at the Sanctuary besides myself is a type of bitty.

As for the name... Well. No body deserves to be named BAIT.

Until he feels better and decides to choose a name for himself, I’m going to go with my gut and name this little survivor after one of my favorite Irish mythological heroes- Cu Chulainn, the mighty hound of Ulster.

///

“Remember, stay out of sight until I’ve got him settled, okay? He’s scared of other bitties, pretty much the opposite of Pocket, so he’s going to be staying with us here in my room until we can figure out something better.”

“S’why y’made that house thingy?”

Cell nodded, lowering themselves down onto their knees next to the bed. Underneath, a large cardboard box had been set up much like the kennel apartments in the medbay, large enough for a nice bed and space to store clothing and personal items without feeling crowded or stuffy. Strings of tiny fairy lights were stitched through the top, giving a warm ambient glow to the comfy little space. Hopefully, the badly spooked little Horror Pap would like it...

“Okay, Brass, I’m gonna help him out of my hoodie. Could you go to your room for a little bit?”

The brassberry frowned, but nodded, moving from the desk where he had been sitting over to a ladder that went all the way to the top of a bookcase, where another box apartment had been set up, though it looked much more lived in. With their roommate out of the way, Cell hunkered down and gently reached into their sweatshirt to where the latest addition to the Center had decided to hide himself upon being given over, tucked up under Cell’s arm and making an honest attempt at melding into their turtleneck.

“Hey, Cu, you ready to see your new room? We can move it to where ever you want, but I thought you’d like the privacy under the bed.”

When the bitty didn’t respond, Cell tried not to take it personally. The Horror Pap didn’t understand really all that was going on, and had apparently never been around anyone speaking long enough to pick up any kind of language, so communication was difficult at best. So far, they had been making do with a calming vocal tone and gestures bordering on sign language, but the hardest part was trying to move the little guy without scaring or hurting him. He seemed to be really clingy and touch starved, but screamed when he was handled in any way he didn’t like, which was a frightening learning process.

Cell reached a few fingers towards the bitty, watching to make sure his eye lights were tracking, and very gently tapped him on the nearest wrist. He jolted, startled, but looked up and seemed to finally notice that it was quite a bit lighter. He clung harder, and Cell sighed, sitting back on their legs.

“It’s okay, Cu, we’ve got all night...”

Cu Chulainn the Mighty has been added to Residents.

[stillheresanctuary]

Hi, I’m back to pick up Chester the Honey Bo! I hope he’s made some friends while he was with you. I appreciate so much that you looked after him so I could see my family for the holidays. I feel like it was the right thing to do because the crowded atmosphere would have been so stressful for him. How did it go on your end?

Happy to have been able to help, I totally understand not wanting to stress out your dearest companion. I personally usually end up hiding out after the initial meet and greet at family get togethers, social anxiety is So Much Fun.

Chester was a little bummed out at first, he didn’t really want to talk to anyone for the first day, but that’s normal for any bitty, let alone a Honey Bo. We all pretty much just let him be to settle in and just made sure he got something to eat and knew he was allowed free reign on the books and other entertainment goodies. It was Brass who ended up managing to coax him out with an offer of shared holiday candies, which surprised everybody, I think including Brass himself. They ended up hanging out together for most of Chester’s stay, and I’m fairly certain between the two of them my stash of nectar lozenges will never recover.

Overall, I’m fairly certain Chester had a fun time, and I know he was a very sweet guest. He actually helped out Halim in the infirmary a couple times while doing the daily check ups, calming a few of our more skittish patients with his calm demeanor. Bobbin seemed especially taken by him, which is lovely to see, since Bobbin is still incredibly wary of anyone bigger than himself and still doesn’t trust Halim to give him a full check up and thus isn’t allowed to leave the medbay to prevent any hidden illnesses from getting to the rest of the house. Once four week round robin of colds begin passed around is enough for me, good grief.

Anyway, thank you so much for letting us provide the help you needed, and I hope you have a wonderful fresh new year!

[stillheresanctuary]

This is a mess, but my idiot aunt got me a bitty Brassberry as a “gift,” and I can’t keep him. I live in a dorm, he will get me thrown out, and my roommate is complaining that he smells and stares at her. She’s threatening to report me. Aunt Lyn won’t take him back, the store won’t take him back as he was “clearance,” and I’ve been interacting as little as possible when feeding him so he won’t bond with me, even wearing a mask so he can’t see my face, but this isn’t good for anyone involved.

Uuuugh, God, but I hate when people do this. Not you, mind, your Aunt.

People should NOT buy other people bitties for MANY reasons, chief among them being the fact that nobody REALLY knows how life is going for another person and have no idea what their home life or financial situation might be like. This particular situation is exacerbated greatly by the fact that Yanderetale bitties, Brassberries especially, require special time and attention to properly care for their needs.

Christ in a bucket, this is worse than idiot parents buying their kids bunnies on Easter…

Key and I will take it from here, I commend you for doing what you could to take care of this little guy despite the poor circumstances. I’m just sorry that either of you had to go through this in the first place.

- - -

It had been a while since Cell had dealt with any Brassberry bitties besides their own, but they remembered their research and made sure to grab Key Largo on the way back to their office-slash-bedroom. Normally, they’d go by the medbay first, but Halim was in the middle of what amounted to open heart surgery on one of the new lamia bitties and the less he was disturbed, the better the lamia’s chances of survival.

Despite everything, the Brassberry seemed to be in decent health, a little dirty and looking like he could use a meal and a nap, but his head wound was obviously recently cleaned and his eyelights were bright enough that Cell wasn’t worried about him going into a slump. Key Largo had Sized Up the moment he heard news of a fellow Brassberry coming into the Center, and he kept pace with his human as they carried the newcomer through the building. He honestly couldn’t remember the last time he’d been around another of his kind, and knew he was probably coming off as defensive with the way he hovered, but he couldn’t help it. Between his experiences with his previous owner and Cell’s inherently Kind SOUL often turning them self-sacrificing, Key wound up being more of a worrywart that he would ever care to admit.

Cell let the Brassberry off at their desk, where a bitty sized couch and coffee table had been secured next to the access for a rope and wood ladder. A laptop and an older model printer occupied a good portion of the rest of the desktop, next to a cardboard filebox that had seen better days but still had enough life in it to serve a purpose. On the other side of the desk, Key took a seat on one of the mismatched armless cushioned chairs that served as seating for visitors, while Cell set to digging through the filebox.

“Okay, so… We’re doing things a little out of order, since we can’t give you a check up right now, but we can get started on the paperwork so the city won’t ream my ass for ‘illegally housing exotic animals’.”

One could practically FEEL the air quotes around the last part of the sentence as Cell spoke, rolling their eyes with an expression like they’d smelled something gross as they pulled out two packets of paper. One packet was sized for a human sized being, but the other was much smaller for bitty hands. The new Brassberry stared as the smaller packet was offered to him, eyelights darting from the packet to the human and back.

“Go on. I’d like you to read through it so you know your rights and everything while you’re here.”

“…why?”

The Brassberry’s voice was quiet, rough with disuse, and Cell frowned a little, mentally noting the badly disguised confusion on those minute features. A glance was all it took for Key to lean forward, elbows on the desk next to the newcomer as he leaned only just into the bitty’s space.

“Cause you matter. Cause you never did anythin’ wrong. Cause you didn’t ask t’be made. Cause my human, for some asinine reason-”

“Hey-!”

“-Believes that every bitty deserves a chance at a better life, no matter who they are, what type they might be, or what they’ve had t’live through. And that includes knowing your rights as a sentient, sapient magical being.”

Key Largo’s eyelights flickered, white turning the soothing ocean teal of his magic that had given him his name, and the miniature packet was lifted with care into the Brassberry’s faintly trembling hands. 

“Read through it. Ask questions. S’what we’re here for.”

Unnamed Brassberry has been added to Residents.