#finding frankie fanfic

[127lovegalaxyperson]

I thought of sth hh

The contestant:I always think that you are a butterfly

Real Frankie:Really, because you think I am pretty?

The contestant(looks in disgusted):No.....you got too many eyes on me....

Real Frankie:.....

The contestant:*holds a bat*and they don't live long

No robots are hurt during this conversation, I hope.

Fun fact:butterflies have 6000 eyes

[cartoon-buffoon]

Short fanfic that I randomly made when being bored outta my mind during classes:

"ROUND 2"

Featuring: Monster Frankie & The Lucky Contestant!

Lucky burst through the doors out of one of the play areas into the maintenance tunnels used by staff. Despite currently being winded from parkour, this season was off to a great start. Unlike last time where they were chased at every opportunity by mascots, their only respite being puzzles which they would have to exercise their authentic skills to use, Lucky had ran into no such obstacles. The starting line was an honest to God starting line that all four contestants used, Lucky actually competed with three others this time around rather than being a sole survivor. Well, they competed at first.

For some reason the further they got the more strange occurrences occured. Certain puzzles were already finished, vent openings were busted open and some parkour challenges like the rotating logs were turned off and stagnant. Now this could have been all dismissed as a simple case of the other Frankie forgetting to reset everything but Lucky couldn't help but shake the feeling something sinister was afoot. One by one each of the other contestants vanished, at first it was contestant 2 who they assumed just wondered off but after contestant 1 went missing it became clear something wasn't right. Lucky and contestant number 4 continued to run side by side by each other but not to long ago in a section where they had to crawl through the vents did Lucky find themselves all alone. Just like the previous season they were now running along, by themselves with their only company being the occasional directions from Frankie over the intercom. Of course any questions asked to the rabbit would be simply dismiss so they didn't even bother. Instead they carried on, running just for the sake of the game.

"Long time no see"

Lucky stopped running, a voice oddly familiar interrupting their train of thought. They couldn't make out who was speaking but the voice came from all the way down the hall. With both the mask obstructing their vision, and the general darkness of the area they could barely make out a vague silhouette, no bigger than three foot.

"Who's there?" Lucky asked, their voice reverberating off the walls.

"Aww come on, don'tcha recognize lil ol' me?"

Lucky could finally see who was talking, their body coming partially into view. They could only see the red shoes and floppy ears that protruded from the shadows but it was more than enough to deduce who it was. It was Frankie—but not the one watching the cameras. The voice was all different and while the other Frankie was small in comparison to the monster this one was small. By what they could see, it was a version of the rabbit similar in appearance to the proper mascot of the place.

"uhh.." Lucky struggled for words "I mean... you're a Frankie? Not one I've met yet at least..."

"Oh you've met me alright, I think we're all too acquainted if you ask me!" The rabbit spat.

The words were spoken with such harshness that Lucky was taken aback. So far his tone seemed eerie but held a sort of warmness but it was clear whoever this Frankie was he was no friend. Lucky pondered who on earth this rabbit could be, was this the obstacle the other Frankie said? After Henry's head popped and the killer was incinerated they needed something to make the game interesting once again. Lucky thought nothing of it, after all what could be worse than being chased by a 10 feet tall killer rabbit? Whatever the new obstacle would be would be a major upgrade in safety and easier to manage.

At least that's what they thought.

The Frankie had stepped into the light showing himself proper and it suddenly made so much sense all of a sudden. With a crazed smile and coated in blood ear to shoe they stood, glaring at Lucky with nothing but contempt. Red shoes and gloves held a much darker hue than what they should have been, grey fur was frizzled and messed, even the black top-hat they wore looked like it was partially torn from a struggle that had happened. The most striking part of this Frankie was his eyes, they glowed a bright red and held the fury of somebody craving vengeance. The fury of somebody who had lost at their own game. The fury of somebody who was burnt to a crisp and came back with even more murderous intent than the first time.

"Those other three put up quite the fight" Frankie said with a chuckle and finger wag "This new body ain't as strong as my old one but it DEFINITELY does its job" Frankie stretched one of their robotic limbs back into the darkness. Like a snakes body it slithered into the black until he found what he was searching for "I understand the issue though, I understand it all! Hehehe"

SPLAT

A line of disembodied heads with their faces covered by rabbit masks were thrown at Lucky's feet. A chain had been plunged right through all three keeping them in a neat row, from the top of the firsts' skull down to the third's neck-hole the bloodied metal made a soft rattle next to the loud splat that the heads made when they were thrown. Even though they were masked Lucky could tell who the heads belonged to, the lifeless eyes that hung open barely visible through the black of the mask's pupils was a perfect match to the previous competitors who went missing suddenly.

"Ya see–they fought! They prolonged it, I didn't WANT to do that to them but they just wouldn't accept it and tried and tried and tried, and tried to fight back all because I'm SMALL!" Frankie grasped at his ears and tugged them down, his words frantic and rushed as he grit his teeth and glared down at the heads "they didn't play the game right! They tried to cheat! DIRTY FUCKING CHEATERS EACH AND EVERYONE OF THEM!" His eyes snapped up to Lucky, their trembling body making him smile "but you? Noooo, you play the game right! That's what I like about you!" Frankie walked forward as one of his arms searched for something else in the darkness "one of my favorite things about you is how you don't try to fight back! You know the rules and your role, I chase, you run, I try to catch, and if I do catch you tyen I get to rip out that heart that should have stopped beating LONG AGO!"

shing

Lucky stepped back, finally seeing what Frankie had grabbed a hold of.

"But it's fine! We can fix that heartbeat of yours" Frankie said as he brandished the bloody steel of an axe. With a smirk on his face he pressed the blade to his face, letting the sharp edge drag against his synthetic skin causing a mysterious black liquid to dribble out "now I think we've talked enough, what say we get started on that rematch that I'm just DYING to have!?"

Lucky took a step backwards, their heat racing in their chest. They couldn't believe it, they didn't want to believe it. After the first time they believed they would never see that Frankie again, well I mean they weren't seeing that Frankie exactly but whatever this was was way worse! Why the hell did he get a new body? Who the hell gave him a body? Lucky didn't know, all that they knew is that their legs were carrying them in the exact opposite direction the second they realized the space between them and Frankie was minimal. They prayed that this new body of his was as slow as the old one although by the murderous chuckle that the rabbit gave it was clear he was more than capable of covering distance. Still, Lucky ran as fast as their legs could take them while Frankie laughed and laughed.

[fr00t-snacc]

Guys the brainrot got so fuckin bad I had to write a fic:

I WILL warn you guys that this fic is explicit, what you see on those tags is what will happen so if you’re not trying to see a super freaky Frankie x Reader I am so sorry XD

[toons-inkwell]

SSKKKSSSTTT—We interrupt your usual Finding "Frankie" AU fic programming to present this star-crossed lovers Lucky Contestant X Monster Frankie fic titled:

LUCK-STRUCK

WARNINGS: Death, (somewhat) graphic violence, suicide talk/themes, and a good deal of cussing

Summary: Monster Frankie and Lucky are at the end of the line. The audience has grown bored of the same thing every season but neither are ready to say goodbye. With the uncertainty of what will happen, who will live, and what will come after, they take a second to look back on what they had before stepping out and giving the audience one final grand finale before finally understanding what went unspoken. (Author's notes in reblogs)

Slow, long strides were matched with short small steps down the waxed floor of a corridor. The long and spacious hallway was occupied by two different creatures, both of vastly different origins. One was a vicious temperamental killer, this bloodthirsty attitude dwelled within the mascot of the very area they were in, Frankie. Frankie wasn't just any mascot though, although he did represent the place with his imagery plastered just about everywhere, he was also responsible for its closure and current condition. Season after season, he was the sadist responsible for the death of hundreds as he remained undefeated in a twisted game show started by people lusting for money. Countless poor souls tempted by greed stepped inside only to have their dreams crushed by this monstrous rabbit, sometimes it was more than their dreams being crushed. Gutted, squished, decapitated, torn to bits, if you could imagine a gruesome demise there was a good chance Frankie was the one to give it to someone just for the fun of it. Oh god did he have fun with it. He was the star, the namesake of the entire thing with his role being the ruthless monster people tuned in or betted on to end lives. A beast created to kill with not one escaping his springy clutches.

Or at least, he was.

Besides him was the small masked human who was almost a victim to Frankie's bloodlust. Running, jumping, sliding, rail grinding, they did everything in their power to live once they made it to the parkour palace. They had expected to be chased by killer mascots but what they never anticipated was how good it would feel. Although they found themselves winded, scared, with the hairs on their body on edge each time something ran after them, they found it exhilarating. Initially coming for a reason they now looked back on and thought silly, the lucky contestant found something so much better in the twisted show.

It was them living that infuriated Frankie, even looking down at the human they could remember the day the contestant showed up. They were told to wait to kill them and holy fuck was it hard. He had the perfect opportunity to snag them in a vent, he could have so easily shoved their face into the rotating blades of a fan making a fine red mist out of the fragile human. Instead the *other* Frankie gave him specific instructions to keep the contestant alive, to let them go to at least boost ratings a bit before ending them. It was aggravating, it was his show, he shouldn't have had to share it with anyone and he made his opinion quickly apparent by disobeying orders. If that smiley bastard didn't interfere when he wasn't looking he would have succeeded in crushing that pest under his foot too, instead the contestant got by using sheer luck to escape. When that fucking prick showed his face again and tried to help the contestant once more, Frankie was quick to put an end to it. They had reached the end and he—unwillingly—went along with the plan. The contestant was at Hexa-Havoc meaning they werr all his, his to kill, his to rip apart in front of the cameras, it was his right to make them a martyr by displaying their organs across brightly colored hexagons to teach any future contestants what would happen if they dare FUCKED with HIS gameshow!

Instead the reverse happened. He was made a god damn fool in front of over 20,000 people with that audience count only rising each second. Thousands witnessed that costumed weirdo who randomly appeared dash back and forth, dodging him as the timer ticked down. Eventually once the lever lock timer was up the contestant lunged for it, barely any ground to stand on left. From the sky rained the sentient time bombs that were the little noob-noobs and then it was all over. Frankie's life flashed before his eyes, each and every human he killed and the different ways they screamed under their mask embedded into his memory. Their fearful eyes that were once such a delight now mocking him as he descended into a burning inferno that was in the pit of the parkour palace. His transmitted screams rang out from above, the TVs showing the screaming face of a cartoon variant of him as his body began to superheat and melt, and it was all because of that one contestant who had luck on his side. As he watched the contestant get saved from the same fate, them lucky enough to cling onto one of the precariously placed rails above the incinerator, he vowed to not only get his revenge but to take back all that he lost.

And next season, sure enough, he had the chance. It was a surprise to the rabbit but the contestant came back, this time with a whole lot less uncertainty in their actions much to his displeasure. Frankie never did get the chance to enact his revenge, the contestant once more proved to be more than capable of outplaying him. Season after season it repeated, a game with both parties trying to one-up the other and make it so the other would end up losing. Frankie had won for so long that after each loss he felt emotions surface he didn't even know he had, anger, bitterness, hate, it all brewed next to the constant humiliation in front of the audience that once applauded him and screamed his name as he eviscerated all those in his sight. Simultaneously, he also felt something else. Just like the pain he felt upon burning for the first time, the contestant's slowly shifting attitude and actions after the seasons intrigued him as it was all so new. He had plenty of chances to kill the person that proved to be a thorn in his side when off camera, but at the same time he didn't wish to. It was odd but actually trying to win stirred something in him, it was the same feeling the contestant got when being chased. It was a sort of unique thrill they shared with each other, their disdain and hatred slowly changing while the game did too. New obstacles were installed, parts of the parkour palace were renovated, the game was kept fresh with their rivalry enticing people to watch. What started off as a simple game to Frankie and as nothing more than a chance at something else to the contestant became something truly special to the two. Frankie found someone to actually challenge him and the contestant found a new identity as the people's champ. *Lucky* is what they called him, it's what Frankie—both of them—called him. It was something that the contestant embraced and a name Frankie soon found himself thinking about, even when the cameras stopped rolling.

The two came to a halt, both stopping to sit in the dead center of the hallway, neither wanting to go through giant doors with a sign above reading "season finale". No cameras were placed around, just powered off TVs allowing them a small shred of privacy and break. They wouldn't want to be caught dead this close to each other and not in their game of chase, but as it stood neither wished to run. Like the oncoming freeze of winter they both could sense something different in the air, something that neither had a good feeling about. The silence was deafening and both acted out of the norm of their usual circumstances, both predator and prey having a moment of respite.

With a nervous twitch Frankie eventually made the first move, his head turning to look over at a powered off TV mounted on a wall behind him. With less than a thought given he projected his consciousness to it, the much cuter cartoon version of the body he wore manifesting on it drawing Lucky's attention. Unlike the first time they saw the cartoon Frankie on screen, he held no madness in his eyes, instead it was just a somber gaze that shared the sentiment of worry.

["So... This is it huh?"]

Lucky looked downwards, breaking eye contact and nodding "guess so..."

Frankie grimaced, the one on the screen showing emotions whilst his physical body remained in that permanent grin. The silence filled the air once more and it became discomforting, neither wishing to be alone with their thoughts. If there wasn't something to focus on both Frankie and Lucky started to think about what would come next, the thought of after being scarier than the toothy rabbit with a thirst for blood. It was Frankie himself who was scared most by it, quick to speak just to pad time.

["... You think there's a god?"]

Lucky perked up, the question catching them off guard "what?"

["Ya know, god? You believe in one"]

"Uhh... Not really?..." Lucky trailed off and looked at the TV screen, Frankie seemingly wishing for a genuine response which prompted him to continue "I mean... Maybe? I can't say there's definitely not a god but there's no also no proof saying there is...why do you ask?"

["Ehh, I dunno"] Frankie shrugged, his physical body mirroring his movements on screen ["just a thought I suppose, as an AI I really don't think I should have a say on whether a god or not exists, but I know you humans pray to them and I've heard a whole lotta prayers while I–" he made a ripping gesture with his hands ["–ya know?"]

"mmm... Yeah, I hear you" Lucky fiddled with the costume they wore, the fabric sticking to their sweat laced skin underneath "I gotta wonder, do... Do you, uhh... Ever feel bad or anything?" He paused, unsure how to word it without sounding harsh or antagonistic "ya know...for the people you kill?"

["No... Well–not exactly? I mean, I certainly don't feel bad, I just wonder why they risked their lives in the first place?”] Frankie rubbed his chin, the sound his metal finger made making Lucky grimace under the mask ["It just doesn't make"]

"What doesn't make sense?"

["well if the people I kill risk their lives for a measly 5 million then come ooonnn~! They either gotta be a crook, stupid, or suicidal!"] Frankie counted on his fingers each adjective before he rolled his eyes ["I don't care about you humans that much but even I am smart enough to know 5 million dollars isn't going make the average person think they can avoid death where no one else could!"]

"Well, what if they have a family? Being desperate is a reason why a lot of people do things for cash"

["Well that makes even less sense! Why would you attempt to lose your life if you got people relying on you? It'd make more sense to kill someone else before trying to kill yourself for money"] Frankie's spring neck slowly started to extend towards the contestant ["which makes me wonder...]" Now looming over the human, Frankie lowered his face close to Lucky, the smell of rotten flesh still fresh ["which are you?..."]

Lucky squinted their eyes and glared at the rabbit, unphased by the familiar smell and sight "what are you getting at?"

["Well it's just you don't take ANY of the money!"] Frankie's head snapped back to its original position, bobbing ever so slightly on its spring ["If you had a family to feed you'd take it without a second thought and leave, if you were suicidal you'd just let me kill you, that just leaves you either being some criminal on the run with this being your only safety, or plain stupid"]

Lucky chuckled and gave a dismissive wave "heh, well I know I'm stupid for staying but as for why I found this place in the first place?..." They looked towards the big door awaiting them both, it's presence making any humor vanish "... It really was because I couldn't think of any better way to go out, after all dying live in front of thousands is a whole lot better than tying a noose around my neck"

["So why is it that you ran? Why didn't you just let me kill you, I don't know if you could tell but I wasn't really keen on listening to the asshole watching the cameras"]

"Yeah... I could tell real fast you didn't care if I made it to the end..." Lucky grumbled before registering the question. With a small bit of thought they answered, their voice cracking from a small bit of uncertainty in their own words "I suppose it was just instinct? I did think the money would be nice but I didn't really think I'd last long... When I heard about–" the gestured to the surroundings "–this I watched a few clips online to see what exactly I was getting into, upon finding out barely anybody made it past the lobby let alone the first obstacle course I just said fuck it, blew a few grand on your crap cereal, and when I actually got here I got ready to die..."

Frankie's ears twitched, by his cartoon version's face filled with intrigue ["...And then?"]

Lucky took a second to recuperate their scattered thoughts. The fear they felt, the hopeless knowledge of what would happen when they walked in through those doors and put on the suit was still so fresh even after years. With a sigh they began to speak again, their words holding the same confidence that grew in them overtime.

"I found it... Fun" they met Frankie's gaze, the blue lights of the rabbit's eyes a lot easier to look at than the headache inducing fluorescent lights above "I know I'm crazy but when you were chasing me it felt like I actually had a purpose, obviously my body just wanted to not die, basic science behind survival and all that, but after the initial fear started to fade and I could begin to think clearly I wanted more, it's why I kept going, it's why I didn't stop and give up, it's why I kept trying to get to the end and managing to outrun you"

["Atatata!"] Frankie sputtered ["let's get the story straight here, I "LET you live, reminder that the other called me back when I was so capable of killing you"]

"Oh of course, it's not like after when Henry was close to killing me you just couldn't let your fragile ego be broken so you tried to catch me when he was attempting to kill me as well" Lucky stood up, a snort was given as they recounted the past "oh! Oh! Can't forget 'STOP MESSING UP MY FUCKING GAMESHOW!' can we!?"

Frankie sat back, watching the human he could so easily crush begin to laugh. Way back when if anyone dared to mock him in such a way he would be quick to put them in their place, not even the other wouldn't be safe if they acted in such a manner. Frankie couldn't help but feel different when Lucky did it, like he actually liked getting mocked? It was strange, but it was sort of nice knowing his little outburst was memorable, that Lucky still recalled their first interaction. It gave him a sense of nostalgia that he had never had before.

["... You know, I actually liked it when you ran"]

Lucky's laughter was cut short, the words making him sputter and cough "CUGH! ugh! Wh-what!?"

Frankie covered his mouth and snickered ["I said: I actually liked it when you ran"] he shrugged ["you're the first little fucker who ever gave me a run for my money, well— I guess the company's money, but my point still stands, you were the first to make the game a bit more interesting and made me think about actually winning rather than just coming up with new execution strategies"]

"Ahh yes, I'm sooooo~ grateful I made you think about killing me rather than coming up with whatever sick shit you thought about before"

["You should be, you should also be grateful I never caught you because if I did I would of found out real fast if my springs were durable enough to be used as guillotine"] Frankie flicked the spring that acted as his arm ["there's a good chance they would of just painfully dug into your skin and strangled you, but I believe anything can be used to cut if you try hard enough"]

As grim as it sounded, and as genuine of a threat as it was, both cracked up laughing. It was dark, but to them it was playful. Death was really always how they played, it was the foundation of what they built and what kept their interactions interesting. As the time ticked by, and the laughter subsided, both knew the borrowed time they ran on had to be given back. If they spent too long out of the camera's view they knew the other would creep in with a camera to catch their bonding moment. Both would rather be caught dead than having the audience know of them. It was a bit more than fondness of course, although neither wanted to admit it. Instead they looked towards the glaring pink elephant in the room. A pressing issue that only grew more pressing by the moment, the one that spurred them to stop and talk in the first place, the aforementioned end. It was a bitter truth neither wanted to face, but an unavoidable one that Frankie spoke about, the warmth in his voice vanishing.

["... They didn't bother making a new suit for me this time around..."]

Lucky joined the rabbit in his unease "The other one told me already, turns out seeing me win is getting boring" They sighed and began to raise their voice "How could they take it out on you though? Why wouldn't they just kill me instead of replacing you?"

["Hell if I know"] Frankie shrugged and got to his feet, with a huff he shook his head ["that fake bastard nearly got scrapped by the higher-ups and he barely gets a say in how the show goes, my best guess is the reason why they don't just get rid of you is the same reason this entire show started in the first place, humans being the greedy fuckers they are are willing to find the cheapest solution to any problem"] a deep rumbling growl came out from Frankie's physical body, one of the few noises he was capable of making ["hay, maybe you'll find it fun getting chased by whatever new horrifying fuck takes my place, I'm sure the higher-ups will think of something, like maybe a person with a etch-a-sketch for a head"]

Both looked at each other before chuckling. The very idea that anything could replace Frankie and his brutal ways was hilarious. After all, what would this show be without Frankie? Sure Deputy Duck and Henry were there, but Deputy Duck wasn't really an obstacle and Henry could be easily avoided if you didn't irritate him with his telephones. The show was centered around the rabbit mascot, it was named Finding Frankie. Without Frankie it wouldn't be the same no matter what and with the way the rabbit spoke about the future off-put Lucky. It caught him off guard"

"Heh... What uhh... What makes you assume you'll lose?"

["Hmm?"] Frankie's head twisted to look down at Lucky, his ears twitching as he wondered if he heard correctly ["what? Do you really think I'll win this time around?"] He scoffed ["you've been beating me since you first got here, why is this season gonna be any different? We'll do Hexa-Havoc, you'll beat me, I'll fall, you'll catch the rail, collect the money and keep playing, it always ends like that no matter what"]

"You don't know that" Lucky said quickly.

Looking back down from where they came from, the whirr of buzzsaws that were dangerously close to their being made Lucky think about just how close they were to death. They were still close to death, but they didn't fear it. Not now at least.

"Can't be flawless always right? I was bound to slip up eventually... Make a wrong step, maybe trip... It'd be so easy for me to just make one simple mistake and fall..."

Frankie glared at Lucky and crouched down to face him, even his cartoon version had its face zoomed in on to accentuate its attitude ["what are you saying?"]

"Nothing, nothing at all" Lucky began to walk forward, the sounds of their footsteps echoing off the walls "just that maybe this will be the time you actually get me"

Frankie's face dropped hearing the human's words. Although they didn't say it outright, he knew what they were insinuating. The talk about death, not having purpose and the inevitable end made it all too clear the message. He didn't expect for the human to try and sacrifice themselves, and as much as he would have loved to continue owning the show, he didn't want to. Never once would he expect a human of all things to pity him and he was quick to make his opinion known. He couldn't let Lucky give up, it didn't feel right to them and it certainly didn't feel right to be without them.

["You hold the fuck up!"] He snatched up the human, making sure not to crush them in his metal grasp but still make sure they couldn't squirm out ["You can't just lose on purpose!"]

"Who says I was gonna loseon purpose?"

["YOU WERE IMPLYING IT!"] Frankie stamped his foot on the ground, the cartoon version getting sudden flames in his eyes ["I'd rather be awake and have some fuck-head mechanics the company send dismantle me bit by bit than just let you throw away your spot in the show"]

"I DON'T WANT A SPOT IN THIS FUCKED UP SHOW!" Lucky felt themselves tear up under the mask, the material underneath becoming damp "the reason why I never took the money is because I never wanted it! I want to continue running! Continue playing, but it won't be the same without you!" They choked on a sob, their voice cracking as they pressed a hand to their pulsing heart "I won't be able to continue if you don't come back..."

Frankie didn't have a heart but those words pained his virtual feelings all the same. His grip faltered and Lucky dropped to the ground. The human turned away and removed their mask, beginning to wipe their tears off their unseen face. Whenever the rabbit saw any other cry he'd laugh, mock their pain before biting their head off. Instead he found himself also tearing up, or at least the virtual display which was a true depiction of how he felt. With a quick wipe of his own tears—his physical body wiping nothing—he placed his giant hand on Lucky's shoulder, the size difference would be comical in any circumstance other than the one they found themselves in.

["I don't think I'll be able to continue without you either..."] Frankie grumbled, trying his best to hold back any more emotions as he pulled away ["as much as it sucks, It's just how things gotta be..."]

Lucky sniffled and swallowed a ball of spit that built in their throat "I guess so..." They looked downwards at the mask in their hand, it felt more familiar than their real face "if... If this is the last time we see each other, than I guess I won't lose anything letting you see what I always hid"

Frankie's eyes widened as Lucky began to turn around ["ATATA! NO! NO!" He twirled his torso around, his feet staying in the same place as his springs twisted to make him face away [“keep the mask on! I don't wanna see it!"]

"..." Lucky raised an eyebrow before slowly placing the mask back on "you don't wanna see my face?"

["see your face!? Why the hell would I wanna see that!"] Frankie crossed his arms and let himself snap back around after he heard Lucky's mask be fastened ["If I never see your face I get to know that I look better than you"] he said with a smug grin as he adjusted his bowtie.

"Really?" Lucky snorted and placed a hand on the hip "I think it's safe to say there's not a deformity, defect, or skin condition that could make me look worse than you, and I ain't talking about what's actually standing here”

Frankie flinched back, his ears sagged as he looked at his cartoon appearance which he prided himself on ["wow... You REALLY know how to push my buttons don'tcha?"]

"It's what throws you off your game, makes ya sloppy during chases"

["Oh! Well, ain't you just a lovely cheating cunt!"] Frankie chuckled and let his neck drop his head, with a face that was now upside down he let out another growl and stared down Lucky ["let's not do that this time, capiche? I want a good clean game, none of your little cheating and riling me up, no goofing off or not taking it seriously, and certainly no going easy on me so you can fulfill a death wish"]

"Rules go two ways Frankie, I know for a doubt sometimes you don't run as fast as you could when chasing me, why don't you show everyone why it's called Finding Frankie instead of being just a sore loser"

Lucky pressed one of his gloved fingers to Frankie's nose. Much to their surprise a distinct robotic voice line came from his body, a giddly little chuckle that rang out to both their shock. Lucky couldn't believe such a thing was built into the toothy monster and Frankie didn't think anyone would find out.

["Oh.... Okay!"] His head slingshotted back to its original position and he began to march off ["I'm gonna have so much FUN killing you!"]

"not if I send your sorry ass into the fire!" Lucky yelled after them.

"hay moron! Look at the screen!"

Lucky looked upwards, he usually looked at the rabbit themselves rather than the avatar they used to speak. Although their body was out of sight, their cartoon appearance could more than aptly send a message. With his little rabbit toon body bouncing, Frankie made a cranking gesture with one hand as the other slowly flipped them the bird. Once the gesture was fully given Frankie gave a mock face of shock before vanishing.

Lucky quickly yelled back down the hallway "FUCK YOU TOO! GET READY TO EAT SHIT DUMBASS!"

With their respective taunts spurring them on, both raced to the arena. Lucky wasted no time in kicking down the doors to the season finale and sprinting down the familiar corridor to the final game, Hexa-Havoc. It was a path they had walked before, but never once ran. Just as the show was about to change, so did their attitude towards everything, no longer somber, they eagerly jumped down onto the colorful hexagons to get into the ring. With an unseen smile on their face they witnessed Frankie join them, hurling himself into the ring with a lunge intent on already killing. It was a game they had played countless times, the showrunners incapable of thinking anything more climatic. It was fine, it just meant they had seasons worth of experience to play to the best of their abilities.

And played they did.

Methodical, careful, deliberate in each and every movement they moved. What once was a sloppy frantic chase with falling platforms became a graceful rehearsed dance of two parties in a game with the odds stacked against both. Lucky and Frankie both made it apparent they weren't going easy, Lucky was careful to jump on every other platform conserving as much space as possible within each level. Frankie's jumps which were once used to merely catch up were now used to eliminate and were made with deadly accuracy. Each time the giant rabbit hopped up Lucky had to slide away else they'd be as flat as the platforms they ran on. It was refreshing and even with the intial diminishing views the sheer skill both displayed began to attract new watchers. Numbers rose as the time fell, more and more people tuned in to see what was once a chase become something so much more. The chat, unseen to both, exploded with new people wondering if this was the constant quality, meanwhile old viewers were astonished at how both acted. It was something they had never seen from either, old and new watchers alike were left starstruck as they witnessed time the climax to the show they mindlessly tuned into on the dark web.

["our show just reached a world record for death shows across the world! It's at a million views!"] The other Frankie yelled over the intercom ["the lever is now unlocked! With this many viewers the prize money may QUADRU–"]

SSSSKKKSSSTTT

Frankie hacked both the intercom and televisions scattered around the arena. His cartoon appearance held a familiar flame in his eyes but unlike the past it held no rage or crazed desire for death. Instead his gaze fixated on Lucky and the way they ran. The human locked eyes with the screen and knew it was a fire of passion.

["SHUT IT DIPSHIT! THIS IS OUR SHOW! WE SAY WHEN IT ENDS!"]

Wait—Our show?

It didn't matter if Lucky heard correctly or not, the show carried on with both not even finishing with the second level of platforms. Lucky didn't even give the noob-noob release a glance, instead their attention was given in full to Frankie and their reaching hands. The rabbit repeatedly swiped as they marched towards what they once considered a victim. Now with both near the end, their fates currently uncertain, they felt that same something that only Lucky managed to give them. When he finally managed to corner them only to be met with them slipping between his legs and keep running did he have a rough idea of what it was. It was a feeling Lucky too shared, it was one that made their blood pump and heart pound louder than any scream that could be given by the million people cheering them both on at once. Some of the viewers wanted Lucky to die, finally have the champ meet his end and descend down into hell, meanwhile some rooted for the fragile human to best the monstrous rabbit that was responsible for murdering a large portion of people. Neither really cared what the audience wanted, both were having the time of their life and it only got better once 0 platforms remained on the second level.

Down to the third and final level, both could barely feel the heat looming below as they continued. Even if machine, Frankie's body started to overheat in the same manner Lucky's began to exhaust. Movements became a lot less graceful as they became literally one step closer to the end each moment. Raw and tired, Frankie stopped jumping and instead focused solely on grabbing and Lucky stopped sliding, it was too damn effort and with no safety net it was too damn dangerous. The desperate huff of a masked individual and the creak of mechanical rabbit's joints replaced the dubstep track that played during the finale. The soundtrack wasn't intended to be played this long, but considering Frankie and Lucky never intended to feel such deep things about each other it was safe to say life was full of surprises. It certainly was a surprise to both how much they thoroughly enjoyed it. Each step ignited past memories of doing this very thing, only with a lot less of a rush this time around. It was these memories that flashed before them as the game eventually came to a complete stop. The show reached its peak with both Lucky and Frankie on their final platform, both had given it their all yet it didn't change their fate.

["Game over... Goodbye, Lucky"]

Lucky was left speechless as he looked to see Frankie on the screen shed a tear through grit teeth. Just like their very first encounter and subsequent encounters they fell down into the incinerator below. Useless merchandise, bits of garbage, and the old clothes and remains of past contestants were piled around the hellish flames that were at the center of the parkour palace. The smell of burnt flesh filled Lucky's nostrils, the past 3 contestants who didn't make it as far as him invading his senses. Frankie knew this was his end and couldn't accept anything less than what he got. Initially wishing for nothing more than to remain the top dog who racked up views as they killed Frankie was happy he was dethroned. Not only happy but overjoyed he could play with his lucky little contestant one last time before he would die. The grind rail couldn't support his weight and from past attempts trying to claw out only extended the pain, it was futile but he was okay with it. The smile on his body's face would be genuine as he watched his contestant above grab onto the rail. Saving themselves just as they had saved themselves countless times before.

Only this time they didn't.

In a shocking display that made chat and the other watching erupt into screams Lucky actually missed the railing. They themselves didn't know if it was on purpose, after all just as they said you can't go so many seasons and not make a misplay. But was it really a misplay? They meant it when they said they wouldn't be able to go on with Frankie, but would it really mean they would accept death with him? They didn't know. All that they did know was that no end could have been better.

Even with Frankie holding them against his metal body, the flames only making it hotter, they didn't regret a second. No screams were made as they gazed into each other's eyes, Frankie's bright blue piercing the surrounding red and staring deep into the masked covered one's of Lucky's. Metal melded into flesh that was seared black, the pain of which would make any scream out or writhe in pain. Instead Lucky just kept their vision focused forward towards Frankie, the rabbit doing the same as he fought with his circuits which wanted to shut off. It hurt, it hurt like hell, but it would pale in comparison for either to live another second without seeing the other. Memories of all the fun they had, even if it was built in the foundation of death, were looked down upon fondly as the end came by the millisecond. Tears which were almost immediately evaporated tried to roll down burnt flesh, and if he was capable Frankie would return the human gesture if not limited by his metallic body. The rabbit's tears were in the same vein as the human's, he wasn't sad but rather was overjoyed he wouldn't be alone. He *did* wish for Lucky to survive, move on, continue living without him. But maybe this was their fates. Their true fates. It took so long for both to finally realize what they was truly special and would never again happen, but maybe it was for the best. Hatred that sprouted into fondness, fondness which grew into care, care which bloomed into love was now fully understood by both. Frankie, happy he managed to find such a silly human emotion in his life filled with death and Lucky, grateful they were ironically saved from their depressing life by the very thing that wanted to kill them, closed their eyes. They embraced each other for what would be the first and last time in their lives as the fire covered them, shielding their love from prying eyes. It was an end, but one both could accept. Even as Lucky's brain began to melt they still thought about the name given to them and how each time Frankie called them that—even out of anger—it made their hate race in a way no chase could. It repeated, stuck on loop as their life came to an end.

Lucky

...

"Lucky"

...?

"Lucky!"

...?!

"LUCKY!"

!

Lucky's name being screamed made them jump up and look around at their surroundings, their heart not stopping for a second. It scared the hell out of them and they couldn't understand, what just happened? Their head was pounding, their body was all warm—wait! Weren't they on fire and dying a second ago? No. Of course not, why the heck would they be on fire? The sun was shining down, it was warm, pleasant, like a comforting blanket. Where the hell would fire come from? In fact, where would dying even come from!?

"LUCKY!"

Lucky spun around, their floppy ears instinctively laying flat at the sound of a loud noise "huh!?"

There running through a flower filled meadow was a familiar sight. Robotic prosthetic limbs attached to the body of one small grayish furry rabbit with lop-ears, bowtie, and magician hat. It was Frankie, it was their Frankie.

"THERE YOU ARE!" The rabbit yelled as he wagged his finger at Lucky "where the hell were you! I was looking around for ages, I thought you fucking DIED!"

"Ugh... Sorry" Lucky groaned and pressed a paw to their forehead, the sight of their hand made them flinch for some reason but they shook it off "think I tripped and got knocked out or something... would explain why I feel like I got a whole lotta head trauma"

"Knocked out!?" Frankie repeated, their nose twitching as they inspected the other rabbit "oh god! I– I didn't know! Do you need to stop? Go to the ER?"

"ER!? And let YOU win!?" Lucky scoffed and shoved the other rabbit playfully, a smile playing on their lips "fat chance magic boy, round 2 is starting now!"

Frankie shrugged "eh, if you say you're alright I ain't gonna push the issue" the rabbit tapped his foot against the ground "so, you wanna be the tagger or tagee this time around? Pick the option that WON'T make you accidentally crack your skull open"

"I didn't crack my damn skull open!" Lucky said as they thumped his paw into the dirt. With a low growl they suddenly stopped and began to think of the game they played that had been interrupted by them falling unconscious "hmm... You know, I think I wanna go back to being it"

"Ughhh..." Frankie's limbs extended and limply laid on the ground, his entire body unraveling to express his disdain "you're **ALWAYS** it! That round was the first time I got to be it in forever!"

"Welp, I guess we can just go back home and sleep, you can take the couch or course–"

Frankie stood back up "You're a bitch ya know that?"

"A bitch who's your lover, may I remind you?" Lucky leaned in close, pressing their snout close to Frankie's.

Seeing that stupid smile on Lucky's face made Frankie roll his eyes "fine! You're it!, gimme a 30 second head start this time okay?"

"Fine–" Lucky quickly grabbed the rabbit and pulled him into a kiss.

Frankie's eyes went wide and tensed up, his body slowly melting into Lucky's grasp before realizing what they were doing "wait! No!"

"20 seconds left~"

"You can't fucking do that!" Frankie blushed, his cheek fur magically turning red as per toon rules "you're cheating!"

"19... 18..." They kept counting.

"AH!"

Frankie stumbled away and quickly began to break into a sprint. They would certainly get back at Lucky for the sly move but pushed revenge out of his mind. For now they would appreciate their rabbit partner, even if they were a dirty cheater.

Looking back Frankie locked eyes with Lucky. The smiling rabbit still counting as they watched him run. It was the start to another one of their games, a game that would eventually end like all things would. For now they wouldn't think about the end, for now they'd just be happy and enjoy what time they had.

[cartoon-buffoon]

Whoops! I dropped something here that totally isn't the start of a fanfic I'm writing! Woes me!

(I will admit it's a cringe OC X Canon story set in an AU I created and the next chapter features an OC that most people won't care about but I'm trying to at least tell a story about self discovery to avoid making it just be self indulgent)

Okay. Finding frankie is here. Bring on the fics.

[fandommadnessthings]

Update on the "Apples and Carrots Steaks" fanfic y'all! (⁠◕⁠ᴗ⁠◕⁠✿⁠)

HOW THE FUCK DO YOU DO THIS FANFIC THING BRO MY WRITING IS ASS!!!!!!

CAN'T EVEN LOOK AT MY GRAMMAR WITHOUT PHYSICALLY DYING INSIDE!!!!

[starsfic]

The Week After, Chapter 2: Day 1

Summary: Short one, because it was mostly sleeping.

They woke up on a couch.

It was an old couch in what looked to be the remains of a small break room. The lights were turned off, leaving only some light to peer through the cracks of the open door, so few details could be seen, like the dust that clung here and there and the plastic chairs surrounding about two tables. What they could see was the age of the room, left to rot unlike the pristine parkour palace.

…Well, almost pristine.

They pulled out their phone and winced at the lack of response. Hopefully, they got their purse back, it had their phone charger in it. There was a clock on the wall, but as they squinted, they realized they couldn’t see.

Oh. Wait. They weren’t wearing their glasses.

Morgan had to wonder how long they had been asleep to not notice that fact first. They stood up and reached around. After a bit of fumbling in the dark, they found their glasses. The sport strap was still on. They pulled it on and realized about four things.

The clock was a Frankie clock, the position of his arms suggesting it was eight in the evening. Someone had taken off the Frankie onesie, leaving them in the gym shorts and tank they had come in, the floor freezing through their socked feet, with the shoes next to the couch. There was a McDonald’s bag sitting next to where their glasses had been, faint warmth still coming off. The third thing was that Frankie was standing in the corner of the room next to the door, staring at them.

They stared at each other. It was just like when they stumbled across him the first time. He had been staring at the cameras and then slowly turned towards them. Morgan had been too baffled and just a touch scared to think of running as he straightened up and then suddenly burst to life-

“Oh good!” he said, clapping his hands. “You’re not dead!”

Morgan stared. “Were- were you worried I was?” they asked.

“Well, to be fair, you did pass out on me very suddenly,” he said, reaching over and turning on the light. They felt a hiss come out at the sudden invasion of light, blinking colors out of their vision. “That was very rude of you, dear.”

“Sorry,” they said, unsure of what else to say. When their parents or siblings had said something similar, they had always felt a rush of anger that meant that their house was filled with yelling. Instead, shame rushed up, foreign in their body. “I think it was because I was suddenly out of a life-threatening situation.” To be fair, Morgan had been running around for hours, avoiding danger like Death had an arrest warrant for them. It had been exciting, but also exhausting. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“Hm,” Frankie said.

Morgan decided to move to the next topic. “Did you buy me McDonald’s?”

“No, the staff who came by did,” Frankie sounded very pleased by this. “The movers wanted to give you a reward for surviving. They left your stuff by the entrance, by the way.” There was a pause. “I didn’t know you were a fan.”

“Stop it,” Morgan said, reaching into the bag. And, wow, they had gotten them a bunch of stuff. Their mouth began to water at the smell of hotcakes. They couldn’t remember the last time they splurged and bought any kind of takeout. The past few months had been full of the cursed cereal that had the texture of packing peanuts and, after a few months of eating it straight, tasted like medicinal grape.

Frankie paused as they didn’t even bother with a knife and fork, yanking shreds of the pancakes off and shoving it in. “No,” he finally said, maniac glee lining his voice. “You did me a favor by living. So you have to deal with me.”

“What do you mean?” Morgan asked around a mouthful of fries. They needed to slow down, but they were so fucking hungry.

“They were going to get rid of me,” Frankie explained and Morgan had to stop at that. “After this season, they were going to scrap me and recast the position because with the show only lasting a few minutes.” The mania suggested this was an unusual amount of trauma dumping, so they just shut their mouth. “But now I’m getting upgrades that that brat got years ago!” He laughed, gripping his fists together.

…well then.

“I’m glad for you?”

“You should be!” Frankie said, turning and opening the door. “I’m glad you’re not dead. If you need to replace your bandages, there should be a first aid kit in the cabinet. Bye!” And with that, he slammed the door behind him. There was a pause and then he opened the door. “By the way, you do have some tax paperwork to fill. Apparently, it’s very illegal to not pay you for all you’ve done.”

“Isn’t it also illegal to host death games in the first place?”

Frankie chuckled. “Yes! But the IRS doesn’t ask questions about murder.” And with that, he slammed the door shut.

Morgan blinked and then sighed.

They could worry about that later.

[craftyjellyfishcat]

*Hacks this up like a hairball*

[unfinishedmural]

Just watched a playthrough of Finding Frankie, and now I really wanna write something for it. I'm not sure when, but when I do, it will have the Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies tag, and the somebody in question will be Henry Hotline. Bro did NOT deserve that. He only attacked the Contestant because 1) they were hurting him, and 2) he would've been killed if he didn't. As soon as he realized that the Contestant's actions were actually helping him, he risked his life to give them a gift. And thE PRODUCERS BLEW HIM UP??? What was their plan there??? Now they have to either make another Henry, or create an entirely new character, wasting a good chunk of their newly-revived funding. And for what? Because he broke character for five seconds? I just want him to be happy, man.

[kathyrealmstales]

I did it again, I wrote fanfiction. At least I finished it this time. Have fun!

[127lovegalaxyperson]

I FINALLY KNOW HOW TO POST AO3 NOW

YIPPPPPPP

anyways, full version below

...

'Huh?Where am I?'

As Henry Hotline slowly opens his eyes,he sees Monster Frankie, the contestant ,the Real Frankie and Deputy Duck in a minecart.</p>

'Guys,the phone finally awakes from his beauty sleep'

As Henry look towards the screen of Deputy Duck with Cartoon Frankie inside, Real Frankie looks over to him.</p>

'Henry !You haver finally awake, guys, I guess that all our efforts in saving him didn't gone to waste.'

With his optimistic voice,Monster Frankie gives a low growl to him.The contestant looks towards Henry but Henry doesn't know his reaction as he was seeing him with his mask.

'What's going on in-'

'YOU STILL WANNA CHAT ABOUT IT ' cartoon Frankie shouted.'GO AND HELP THEM'

Henry was confused, why would they all worked together? As Monster Frankie tries to kill the contestant, so as the Cartoon Frankie for ruining his gameshow.And now they are all together with him in a minecart.He didn't knew what to do or happened, but he knows......

Before another thought popping of of his head,the phone rang, making him annoyed,and when he tries to pick up the phone....

'NO!' all of them shouted and put their hands on the phone, forcing Henry not to pick it up.The contestant immediately sealed the phone with duck tape and taps him with some werid code.All of them are confused but Henry seems to know that he said:

'No matter what happens, DON'T pick up the phone,or we will all be in chaos.'

Later on, the contestant went to the front of the minecart where Deputy Duck and Cartoon Frankie lies, lightly pushes the Real Frankie from them and use Deputy Duck to scan the place while they were on the minecart.Then shows signals to the two Frankies that there are three switches, on the two sides and the ceiling, Henry felt werid as he knows them well, and he knew that BOTH of them doesn't like to be ordered (the real one doesn't show it ) ,but now not only they didn't kill the contestant, they nodded and prepared for the signal that the contestant as he raises his hand.

Three ,two ,one!Both of them had a tacit agreement and knew where were their positions. The real one lifts the ceiling one and the monsters lifts the rest.As the gate opens,the minecart continues to side down to the railroad.

Henry cannot understand what's going on, from the biggest enemies , now are each other's biggest allies .

'I couldn't understand what's going on !' Henry asked.

'YOU REALLY WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT NOW!' the Cartoon one said.'WE ARE ALL IN GRAVE DANGER, EVEN YOU, AND NOW WE ARE TRYING TO ESCAPE IT ,and I don't know why DO WE HAD A MINECART WITH RAILROADS INSIDE THE FACILITY!' As he angrily looks towards to the real Frankie.

'Told you that this would be useful.' He replied.

Henry then looks at the contestant going back to the back of the minecart, tell the monster one that they are slowing down . The monster one didn't hesitate about what he said and began to push the minecart with his hands . Henry felt even more confused. A robot who can kill people in seconds and doesn't like to be ordered, listen to a normal person, who would just die in a simple game ? How is it possible?

'Em.... Henry?' The real one turns his head towards him.

'Can you stop thinking for a second and START HELPING US'

As his voice turns even mad. Henry didn't hesitate as well and began to look for things in the minecart,thinking about what he could do.But what? How could he know what to do if he didn't know what has happened when he blacks out? Then Henry found something.....

'NOOB NOOBS?!' Henry replied in surprise.

'HOW ARE THEY IN HER-'

Without saying another word, the contestant took his and threw it outside the cart. Explosion sound was heard,Henry began to fell scared about what might happened but now he knew that he shouldn't waste more time thinking of it, took 2 Noob Noobs and gave one to the contestant and start throwing them.

They began to throw more until the contestant warns him not to throw too much as they will ended up losing them all,so Henry went back to the middle of the cart and give the noob noobs to the contestant.

'That’s the spirit. ' the real one said in a cheerful voice.

'It would be more helpful and efficient if you DO SOMETHING. '

the cartoon and Henry shouted at him.

'I am!' the real one replied. 'look!' As he was holding the tool box and a laptop. He was checking the security cameras to look for the thing that chases them. The contestant holds for a while. Threw the noob noob that he was holding, tells Henry not to give more to him and went to Deputy Duck to check more switches.

As he expected, there was a lever needs to be pull the open the gate,but it's too close to the gate itself, they will get crash into it as the cart was going too fast.

'Em....guys?' Henry said as they all looked at the gate. Before the contestant could say anything.

'CRACK'

the gate opens and they all went through it safe,but not all....

Chapter 2 might come soon

[cartoon-buffoon]

It's not too early for a Finding Frankie AU is it? OF FUCKING COURSE NOT BECAUSE MY AUTISM IS AUTISMING! Anyways here's a basic lore dump for some exposition behind a fanfic I'm writing that's a finding Frankie AU with the entire story being an OC x Canon fic but with some actual seriousness added to it to avoid it being totally cringe.

I TRIED to keep it somewhat similar to the lore of the main game while also adding my unique spin on it. "Real Frankie" aka Frank in this fic is gonna take on a more direct antagonist role as compared to the game where he just sits back and watches, only ever helping when it's convenient for him. Also I'm praying this game isn't gonna be another choo choo Charles situation where the game is REALLY TALKED ABOUT FOR A MONTH, and then the fandom is dead because everybody loses interest and the only ones that remain are the people hyperfixated on it.... I'm praying.

[tryan-a-bex]

Space Buns

Inspired by Art by @paprotkarotka (on Tumblr and Twitter). The art is included in the text!

It was a quiet Tuesday evening. Dream was attending to his duties, and Hob figured he’d better spend some time on his duties as well. Therefore, he was sitting in his usual spot at the New Inn, with his usual drink and his usual pen, grading papers, as usual. As he finally put down the last paper (with a sigh of relief), the door chimed and he glanced up. The new arrival was decidedly not the usual patron for the New Inn. For some reason, a little girl with pink hair in two little buns, accompanied by a large white dog, had just walked in. Hob signaled to his staff that he’d take care of it, and slowly approached as the little girl started intently around the pub. Her eyes locked on a back booth, where a cute couple were obviously absorbed in their romantic night out. This, Hob could already tell, was going to be interesting.

“Hey there!” he said, coming to rest at a safe distance, with his posture as non-threatening as possible. “Are those your parents?”

The little girl scowled at him for the interruption, then did a double-take and looked directly at him, intensely. Hob felt that her gaze was piercing to his very soul, so he was careful to focus on how very non-threatening and helpful he wanted to be.

“They left Anya behind!” she objected. “I wanted to see the kissy-kissy!” Hob swallowed a laugh, seeing how serious this was to her.

“You know,” he said, hunkering down to scratch behind the big dog’s ears, “most parents don’t really want their kids to watch them kissing.”

“Huh,” she sighed. “I know, but they are going to mess it up! They don’t get it!”

Hob was a bit confused by that, but figured he could go on to the next important point.

“Surely they left you with a babysitter, or some other adult?” Since the babysitter wasn’t in sight, he began to shepherd them toward a table near the door. No need to interrupt that gorgeous couple if the intended caretaker was about to walk in any moment.

“Franky is stupid.” The little girl was very definite about her opinion. Once again, Hob was very careful not to laugh at something that was so serious to her.

“Well, it so happens that I’m done my work for the evening, so if you want to sit with me for a bit until Franky gets here, we could do that. Would you like some water?”

“I like some hot chocolate. Do you have peanuts?”

“It so happens that we do!” Hob could tell he’d won a friend for life with that, as he signaled the bartender for a hot chocolate and some peanuts.

“I’m Hob,” he said as she settled into a chair, “and this is a very fine dog.” He smiled at the dog and petted it some more—it was very appreciative of the attention, its tail thumping the floor gently and its tongue hanging out in a big doggy smile.

“He is a good spy dog! His name is Bond. I am Anya,” the child volunteered.

Hob considered warning her not to give her name to strangers. She seemed very self-sufficient for a little one of her size. Suddenly a small hand fell on his head where he squatted beside the table.

“You are not strange, you are good. You have peanuts. Your hair is very soft and pretty.”

Hob almost choked on his laugh this time. It wasn’t every day someone other than Dream told him he had soft, pretty hair.

The bartender came by with their peanuts and hot chocolate, and considerately brought Hob’s drink and papers as well. Hob took a seat as Anya tucked in to her hot chocolate and peanuts. She polished them off in record time—not in hunger, but in enjoyment of a special treat. Then she started to wiggle and glance toward her parents again. They were sitting closer and closer, and Hob really hoped the babysitter would turn up before he had to ask them to get a room. In the meantime, though, he needed something to entertain their precocious daughter for a few more minutes. Maybe she liked to draw?

“Anya doesn’t like drawing. Anya’s not very good at it. Anya’s good at putting hair in buns. You should let me put your hair up.” Anya nodded decisively and began to dig in her pockets, while Hob took a minute to get his bearings. He wasn’t used to being ordered around by such a little one. It wouldn’t hurt, though, he supposed.

He took a seat on the floor by her chair, and Bond promptly put his head in Hob’s lap. As Hob gave him scritches again, he felt tiny hands descend on his head and begin stroking and pulling. It seemed like only a couple moments later that she had used the two elastics she’d pulled out of her pockets to hold his hair in two cute messy-man-space buns. He wondered if she always carried extra elastics in her pockets. It would make sense, he guessed, if she had to fix her own buns during the day.

“A spy is always prepared!” she proclaimed in a slightly ominous voice. Confused again, Hob glanced up at her.

At that very moment, the door banged open loudly. A frantic looking man ran in, looking around wildly until he suddenly spotted Anya. Ah, the babysitter, stupid Franky, Hob thought. Just as he noticed that Franky looked angry rather than worried, he realized that Anya had retreated behind him and Bond was standing and growing threateningly. How to manage this without interrupting the sexy parents? Hob wondered.

“Anya!” Franky yelled. Hob stepped around Bond and held his hands out warningly.

“Is there a problem here?” he asked, using all his de-escalation skills.

“That stupid kid ran off! I can’t get in trouble with the boss!” Franky exclaimed quietly, looking around and also spotting the couple in the back corner.

Hob scowled at him and glanced toward Anya.

“Look, mate, I don’t want any trouble, but I’m having a hard time convincing myself to hand over a little girl to someone who not only lost her but now looks like he wants to hit her, and who she is looking pretty scared of.”

“What am I gonna tell the boss, though?” Franky whined.

They all glanced over at the boss’ table, where Anya’s parents had finally succumbed to the charms of the evening and were making out like teenagers.

“Kissy-kissy,” Anya sighed, with hearts in her eyes.

“Oh, God,” Franky grumbled, looking away.

Hob forgot to look away, he was so busy day-dreaming about his own lover.

At last, the two broke apart and sighed, as though a long battle was finally won. Coming to their senses and looking around, the woman suddenly snapped to her feet.

“Anya!” she yelled, vaulting over the table towards them.

“Franky!” the man shouted, as he stood and turned their way.

“I’m in for it now…” Franky moaned.

“Mama!” Anya exclaimed, reaching her arms up with a bright, happy smile. Mama swooped her up and turned to glare at Hob. He was struck by a jolt of fear like he hadn’t felt since the last time he was fighting for his life. This woman was dangerous!

“Hob is nice, Mama!” Anya said, putting her hand on her mama’s cheek. “He gave me peanuts and hot chocolate, and let me put his hair up!” The woman moved her glare to Hob‘s hair, and seeing the buns that matched her daughter’s, her face softened and she smiled shyly at Hob.

“Thank you for taking care of Anya! I’m Yor, her mama.”

“I can see that!” Hob said with a brilliant smile. This was someone he would be quite comfortable sending Anya home with. They obviously adored each other, and she seemed very capable (he was already starting to forget that she’d been utterly terrifying only a moment earlier).

The man now stretched his hand out to Hob.

“I’m Loid. Thank you for taking care of Anya.”

As Hob shook his hand, he leaned in to ask “May I speak with you for a moment?”

Loid turned aside with him as Yor and Anya left the New Inn, Bond at their side and Franky slinking behind.

“Loid,” Hob began, “I’m not sure how to tell you this. When Franky came in, Anya seemed scared of him. And when I told him off for scaring her, he seemed scared of you. I don’t know what’s going on with your family, and it’s none of my business. But if it wasn’t for how strong Yor is and the love between her and Anya, I’d be threatening to keep an eye on her. In fact, I may still check on her.”

Loid, though, had gotten stars in his eyes at the mention of Yor’s strength, and it took him a moment to gather his thoughts.

“Hm. Yes,” he responded at last. “I thank you again for your care of my family. I will take care of it. I will go easy on Franky, but perhaps I will keep him in his proper position instead of making him babysit. It’s not his area of expertise, and Anya is not the easiest child. I will make sure Yor and Anya visit you occasionally, so you know they are happy and safe. Hm. Perhaps you’d be willing to babysit again? The buns are quite cute.”

Hob sighed, but, to be honest, he was already looking forward to having space buns again some day.

Next, Anya meets Dream.

[toons-inkwell]

Finding "Frankie" AU. Chapter: 2

Warnings: Body horror? (Idk if you have a good imagination like me stuff like this does become horrifying in retrospect).

words: 6,411 (check first reblog for author's notes as well as Toon's design if interested).

Rain trickled down from the sky as Toon made his way out of a parking lot and into the confines of a small grocery store located on the edge of a very sketchy neighborhood. A sliding glass door opened with a ding to greet him, a loud box fan triggered and the sound of the air blasting him drew the cashier's attention. Burying his attention into the ground, he avoided anyone else like the plague and shuffled past what few prying eyes that would watch him. Cameras looked on overhead and he took a quick glance at them before completely dismissing their presence. Thankfully all but one were inactive, the only camera that was actually on was the one aimed at the checkout to ensure no employees were stealing from the register. The ones placed around the store were mere dummy props intended to deter thieves, the store didn't have the proper funds nor actual care to purchase real cameras to protect goods that would almost definitely disappear in such an impoverished area. With the only other person in the store being isles down and the cashier quickly going back to distracting themselves with their phone, Toon slid into the small cramped cereal section of the store and let his flesh disguise slip to take a breath.

Faux skin melted off into tar black ink and molded itself back in the blink of an eye. With a breath of relief Toon looked in the reflection of a puddle that had formed on the waxy grocery floor from the water dripping off his hoodie. With a grimace he pressed his glove-like hand to his snout and examined what he looked like, or at least what he felt comfortable looking like. It was weird to say the least but unlike the human disguise he wore in public the appearance of his anthropomorphic animal look was something that he didn't *totally* hate looking at. It felt like something he could safely look like and pretend to be without being horribly sick to his stomach, once again he didn't exactly like it but it did its job. Taking a further look at himself, Toon tilted his head and stared at his face to make sure he got everything right, he didn't wish to forget the only face he could stand looking back at him in a reflection.

Long rat snout: check. Fluffy spike-like fur on his cheeks: check. Black stripe running vertical across his eyes and head: check. Black triangle nose: check. Long floppy ears: check. Piecut pupils located in a conjoined eye that also acted like brow: check. It still felt like there was something missing though…

squeak

Toon jumped out of his skin as his big ears picked up the sound of a shopping cart’s wheel roll close. Thankfully jumping out of his skin was just what he wished to happen. In an instant his face shifted into his human form, what once was a weird looking rat-rabbit hybrid now went back to being a normal—if you could call his freakish appearance normal—man. Out of the corner of his eyes he spotted someone looking down the aisle at him, staring for an unknown reason. It made his heart sink and a small voice in his head tried to make him panic. The idea someone saw him without his disguise made him tremble but he did his best to not draw anymore attention himself. Trying his best to also not look like some druggie or otherwise lunatic, the disguised RatBit rubbed his chin and stared at the cereal boxes on the shelf.

“Which one to get… which one to get…” he murmured, feigning interest in the cereal.

Out of the corner of his vision he stared at some shopper who had stopped whatever they were doing and looked directly at him. Eyes bore into the side of his head and he held his breath, doing his best to give a genuine nonchalant smile only to fail miserably and look even more disturbed. Maybe shifting back into his RatBit look was a bad idea now that he was looking at it, it was probably a better idea to just keep his human disguise on until he went back home, even if it did disgust him. Besides, he did come to the grocery store with the intent to buy food after all. He admittedly didn't have much to his name, his hoodie pocket filled with a crumpled 5 dollar bill was all he had at the moment. It wasn't much but it was money he could spend and it would hopefully be enough to buy himself something to hold him over until he could get some more.

Releasing his breath, Toon stood up and no longer pretended to look at the cereal. With the presence of whoever was staring at him being dismissed, he surveyed the breakfast goods lined up on the shelf ready to take away what little he had left. Oatmeal, prepackaged pancake batter, the main allure of course being the several boxes of cereal that took up 1/3rd of the shelf towards the end. There wasn't much variety, it was a very ghetto store so stock was limited. The entire lower shelf consisted of some very bland honey coated cereal called JoyHoops which Toon passed over almost instantly. The two upper shelves were what caught his eye, more colorful boxes depicting a cartoon mascot chicken with the words “Morning Crunch” were what he was drawn to. Naturally preferring to look like an anthropomorphic animal himself he was enticed to buy the one with more childish marketing, one box specifically called out to him louder than the rest though. There sitting by its lonesome surrounded by different brands was a light blue cereal box sporting a lop-eared rabbit with a hat and magic wand.

“Frankie's Fruit Flakes…” Toon read aloud.

Toon reached out and grabbed the box, his hand brushing against the cold metal shelf making him shiver. Much to both his suprise and delight the box was strangely heavy for a cereal box. In comparison to the JoyHoops and Morning Crunch brands, the Frankie box held a tad bit more girth in both its packaging and feel. Toon picked up the other boxes just to make sure he wasn't going crazy and yup, sure enough the box holding colorful frosted fruit flavored flakes with marshmallows would probably be the best bang for his buck. He wasn't exactly a bargain shopper—he probably should have been—but he still knew buying this one would give him the best bang for his buck. Besides, he did have an odd fascination with the mascot of the cereal. His eyes sparkled seeing the friendly smile of the rabbit that had lured him in. It was just a capitalist and predatorial way to trick small kids into consuming their product, but it still worked on the disguised rodent and he began to feel a weird sense of nostalgia for a childhood he never had. Considering he was only partially a rabbit it wasn't really a vain thought to think the mascot was in some way cute, was it?

“Um excuse me?”

Toon froze up and felt his stomach tie into a knot, someone had spoken remarkably close to him. He prayed it was just someone talking to someone else but he could hear it was not only close but directed right at him. With a feeling of unease he tilted his head towards whoever this person was but suddenly felt a whole lot less anxious.

“... What the–?”

Sitting there was one entire shopping cart loaded over to the brim with boxes upon boxes of Frankie’s Fruit Flakes. The baby blue boxes were in one giant mountain, unevenly placed and all clumped together with a select few looking like they were about to fall to the side. Toon was immediately taken aback by the sheer absurdity of the sight and his mouth hung open as his eyes snapped to the man who called out to him.

“Um… can I help you?” he asked.

“Yeah I was just wondering if I could maybe have that?” The man pointed to the box Toon held in his palms “I already asked for all the boxes they had in the back and I was just coming to get what they had on the shelves so–” The man opened his palm as if expecting Toon to hand it over.

Being the nervous creature he was, he initially would have given up the cereal box just to avoid anything. Something about the box drew him in though, he didn't wish to depart with it at all. It was stupid to cause such a scene simply because he liked the mascot, but he did find it first as such he felt at least a little entitled to it. Toon swallowed a ball of spit that had built up in his throat and got ready to speak, doing his best to steel himself to reply concisely.

“...no…” Toon said as he clutched the box, pressing it close to his chest “I uhh–kinda want it? I'm hungry?”

Desperation filled the man’s eyes seeing Toon hold it. He took a step closer and reached into his pocket to retrieve a wallet which he flipped through in a panic “okay, yeah no, I get that I just REALLY need that box, I'd be willing to pay you if you let me have that, I know this may be a lot to ask it's just something I need right now”

Toon slowly crept backwards, his voice got softer and his gaze was averted back down to the floor “Um n-no, sorry I just want this?”

“Please, I'll give you a hundred dollars for it I just REALLY need it” The man took a few more steps closing the already limited amount of distance there was. Toon did his best to look away but had a handful of cash shoved in his face, the man still ever so insistent “Please– 500! 500 dollars!”

Toon let out a small squeak and covered his mouth. He had nowhere else to go and he found his back pressed against one of the cold walls of the store. Trying not to let anymore sounds slip he spoke with his voice now shrill and frightened “I'm really sorry, but I'm just taking this one box only and you have–”

drip

“Uh–.... Oh fuck…”

Toon could very clearly see a small drop of ink had fallen down off his face and onto the floor below. The hanging bay lights gave the small droplet a glint and for a split second Toon saw his disguised face completely malformed. His nose had shifted off to the side, his pupils were dilated and pitch black, worst of all most of his skin had started to droop like a very thick face mask about to be washed off. His entire disguise was coming undone and he looked like some misshapen wax figure that had gone out too long in the summer sun. The silence was deafening and even if Toon couldn't see the man’s face he knew he was getting a look of disgust. He had to get out, go far, far away.

The disguise he wore slipped away with his nerves, more drops of black fell onto the floor and Toon stumbled past the man. “I'm sorry, I'm just gonna take this and go” he mumbled.

“WAIT! Please give me that box!”

The man reached out towards Toon and time seemed to slow. For a split second in that moment Toon stood completely still, this random person grabbing at his hoodie making him react like a deer in headlights. The cearl box felt like nothing in his hands as they went numb, although not actually having blood nor a heartbeat he nonetheless heard a pounding in his ears that went off like sirens. His entire body felt like it was on the verge of collapsing as his mind raced, the finish line on his thought process telling him to do one and only thing:

Run

It was a spur of the moment thing. It was stupid and Toon cursed himself internally for doing such a moronic act but he couldn't help himself. The second his brain told him to, he ran, ran right out the store and into the cold rain. He could hear the shouting from the cashier, man. and the grocery store anti theft alarm but he never once cared to look back. His body had begun to melt with the human face he wore coming off, his body reverting his visage to its primordial state of pitch black with small glowing white dots. Puddles of water splashed and muddied his feet as he dashed through them, even his shoes were apart of the human disguised and those two began to deform. He deeply prayed no one saw him running through the parking lot, clutching a box of cereal like his life depended on it. When he first arrived to the store the rain was a light sprinkle that was almost pleasant, now it was a complete torrential downpour with the dark clouds casting shadows everything under them.

By the time the adrenaline—or at least his bodies’ version of it—wore off the pain began to set in. Toon had run 3 blocks straight, never once looking behind himself until now. A ragged sigh of relief flew out between his lips which were almost completely melted together. The disguise was almost completely gone but he couldn't care less as he found himself alone.

”The fuck was that guy’s problem?” He thought, his mouth currently incapable of speaking.

Taking a quick look around Toon tried to calm himself, assessing his surroundings to the best of his abilities. He was in not too unfamiliar territory, there was an abandoned warehouse, residential apartments, and even a few suburban houses that had long developed rot since they were in use. Potholes lined the black asphalt streets that were only made blacker by the rain which drenched everything and even the lights set up on the sidewalk to give people the comfort of safety at night in such a dangerous area held nothing but dead bulbs. To say the scenery was dreary would be an understatement, it was plain old depressing giving an unnerving sense of isolation. Even most of the residential apartment buildings were abandoned with a possible select few having tenants in them. The exact reason for such an abandonment of an area was the fact this was the part of town that was simply neglected, stricken with poverty and homeless; it was much easier for city officials to merely ignore this entire area rather than invest money to improve it. It was a sad reality but one the sentient ink creature came to understand not too long after waking up. They simply wanted nothing to do with any of this area. Well, most of this area.

With a pull of his hoodie drawstrings Toon hid himself and carried on, his feet still aching and heart palpitating. He was no longer in danger but the weird interaction was going to be engraved into his brain for the next week, at minimum. It was so odd, and for what? This weird frosted flaky cereal with marshmallows in it? He looked at the box and couldn't find what was so special about it, it was family size and heavy?... That was about it? The RatBit was just an honest to God loss on what the hell could be so special that someone would be willing to pay 10 times the amount the box cost if he handed it over. It was a box—a bit heavy sure but still—a box of cereal. Was this some sort of limited edition type thing and this dude was just a hoarder buying up every box the store had? All questions that would go unanswered, there really wasn't any logic he could apply to why the man had so many boxes in his cart and wanted this one as well. Toon just dismissed it as another bizarre display of man’s lunacy at its finest and left it at that.

Doing his oh so hardest to shove that out of his mind, Toon finally looked up when he was approaching his neighborhood. With only a quick glance given towards both ends of the road he made a direct beeline across the street to his home. A small concrete studio that was once used by animators one and a half stories high awaited him with its door partially hung open, big letters that once used to shine bright were just as broken and dull as everything else hung on the front part of the building. What was left of the old sign specifically held deep significance to the disguised ink creature, whatever the building was called had been lost to time leaving no letters other than “toon” as a label. The entire thing he held dearly but for him but it was the sign that gave his name, it was one of the few things he had when he awoke.

Toon finally got out of the rain and stepped inside with the cereal box he held in tow. Once inside he slammed the door behind him, the hinges filled with rust made an awful scraping sound and he prayed it would stay closed. The building lacked locks—because Toon broke them when he awoke—so he resorted to blocking all the entrances as a way to keep out unwanted guests. Today was different though, today he had no care and didn't bother blocking the main entrance. Instead he walked all the way over to the small part of the building he fashioned into a somewhat livable area and flicked on the lights. His sole company of roaches that infested the building skittered out of sight into unseen cracks and crevices, a sight that most would find revolting had become all too commonplace. He didn't care about the roaches or any other insects that lived with him, what he cared about and was focused on was a small box that sat on a table. Inside of the box rested small bits of drawings, doodles, and scraps of film reels that had been cut out focused on singular cartoon character from the 30s. This was Toon’s reference for his face, it's what he found when he awoke and quickly grew to acclimate to. It was something that felt familiar in an odd way and he had a connection to, he liked to believe those drawings were him, or at least apart of him.

Alas the reconnection with his body was short-lived. A small red envelope he had forgotten about was stuffed into the box by the RatBit earlier that week poked out.

”SHIT! I forgot about that!”

Toon swiped the envelope and he let out a gurgled groan reading the words “URGENT” on it addressed to some fake name he utilized. While the place appeared abandoned on the outside he was lucky enough to abuse the systems enough to be able to make a claim to owning it, squatters rights and all that. The unfortunate part of this was the fact that if he wanted to continue owning it it meant paying what property taxes that would be sent to his address and fake name. Another tragic detail was the fact that he had the unfortunate luck of dwelling in the only building actually wanting to be changed. He couldn't remember when but a couple months back he was offered a very miniscule amount of cash for his residence, they wanted to turn the old studio into some store or something. Toon didn't pick up on the exact details and time muddied them in his mind, but what he could clearly remember was the bottom line of them wanting to demolish and remodel the only place that he could call home. Needless to say he rejected the offer in an instant, but now that he was getting letters in the mail regarding the building he knew that if he missed one more payment he'd be evicted and no doubt the walls that were filled with unknown amounts of history would be wiped clean. Toon felt bitter towards the entire situation and looking within his pocket which held a 5 dollar bill he'd have to go back and give up just made him feel worse. He cursed himself for not taking the money the man offered if he gave up that box, but he'd rather die than go back desperate for the cash.

Between that bullshit that happened at the store, his current hunger, and now the revelation of this letter resurfacing it felt like life was becoming all too much and hectic. He just needed to gather his thoughts, take a breath, and take one thing at a time. Right now he was going to focus on the thing preventing him from taking a breath, the fact that his face was just a blank slate of ink with 2 glowing eyes. Toon tossed the envelope to the side and picked up one of the more intact drawings of the cartoon studio’s mascot, his face shifting to mimic what he saw.

Long snout, fluffy spike-like fur on his cheeks, black stripe running vertical across his eyes, black triangle nose, long floppy ears, pecut pupils located in a conjoined eye that also acted like brow, tuft of fur on his head—

“THAT'S WHAT IT WAS!” he exclaimed, the earlier feeling of something amiss being answered.

Toon licked his fingers and pressed them to his forehead, the fur beneath his fingertips melted allowing him to quickly mold it into a type of cow-lick before it hardened back into soft white fur. While he was at it he also ditched the pants he wore and added a few more details to his body based on the design papers he held. His hands kept the look of gloves but from his fingers and palms grew grey digital pads mimicking paws, his feet did the same. Sopping wet shoes covered in small bits of dirt and debris from outsidewere now white furry paws that he was quick to wipe on the ground. One final detail he added to his body was a monochromatic rat tail that emerged from his behind. With his body reshaped into that of the cartoon character he looked over at a small mirror he had hung up, it's glass cracked from him accidentally dropping it with the first attempt at trying to mount it on the wall.

Sure enough looking back was the cartoon character that probably was the studio he lived in’s mascot. He did do research on the place he dwelled in, a trip to the public library allowed him to look up what this place was but it netted minimal results. It was a small indie studio run by a group of friends who wanted to draw, it held no actual details regarding any creations that came from it nor any sort of report why it closed. All Toon knew was that the people who founded it were long dead since the 60s all that remained from them being a shelter, a few drawings he could use as an identity, a face and–”

gggggrrrrrrowwwe

–Hunger…

Toon groaned and lifted up his hoodie to look at his body, his inky stomach caving in on itself. Unlike his limbs which held proper fur on them his body was just a smooth inky shape vaguely resembling a torso of androgynous appearance although it became more unstable and harder to maintain with each day it was deprived of nutrients. Thankfully in his grasp he held the family sized cereal box, he'd have to ration it out until he could afford more food and perhaps it wasn't the most nutritious considering the box did sneakily hold small facts on the side stating it's high sugar contents, but it was still food. Food he could happily munch on. who needed milk? All he needed was the tasty flavor of the dry–

“tape?!”

Toon’s fur stood up and he retracted his hand, a VHS tape in his grasp. He was beyond confused and immediately noticed most of the weight the cereal box held vanished when he pulled out what was clearly not a bag full of cereal out. Heck, there wasn't even a bag the cereal was held in, the fruit flakes were just stuffed in with the tape leaving them crushed at the bottom. Instead of a nice box of cereal all he got was some stupid tape that took up 2/3rds of the box leaving him with barely anything.

“... What?” He muttered in disbelief “wha–WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS!?”

The RatBit buried his entire snout into the box to see what he had left. It was about a single bowl’s worth, definitely nowhere near what he thought he was getting nor what he should be getting for what he paid for. Well, he didn't pay for it and had to actually go back and give them the money, BUT STILL!

“I thought these things came with toys not whatever the hell this is!? What the fuck is this bullshit!”

Toon unlodged his snout from the box and firmly gripped the tape. He had effectively been robbed and all he had for food was a few handfuls of stale cereal and some shitty tape to show for it. He wanted to get mad, lash out and throw the tape against the wall letting it smash into thousands of little pieces before using his teeth to bite through the celluloid film reels. Just do anything to express his anger and what was soon becoming grief as he realized he wasted what little he had for a singular serving of food. But he couldn't. With everything that happened and what was going to happen with the place he lived in he honestly couldn't care anymore. Everything was becoming too exhausting and he'd just do what he'd always do, take the problem on the chin and try to press on even if he was feeling mad and on the verge of tears.

Toon let out a sigh, trying his best to relieve his frustration. His ears were drooped downwards and he looked at the tape in his hands. This actually snapped him out of his rage, the tape had the clear image of that cute cartoon rabbit on it in the background with the big words “PLAY ME!” in the foreground. Under it was small text which he had to squint to see. “Finding Frankie, season:1” it read in very small text. Now while it was neat having a piece of physical media of a TV show come with a box of cereal, Toon still felt pissed considering he bought cereal. He expected to get you know—maybe cereal!?

“Well… I guess I might as well watch this, nothing else to do after all and I ain't going back to the store while that weirdo is probably still there” Toon threw his hands up in the air in a fit, a few bits of the colorful flakes and marshmallows flew out of the box and he sighed.

After scooping what fell out back into the box Toon shuffled over to a storage closet that he knew kept small pieces of hardware from its hay day. Admittedly a cartoon studio from the 30s having a VCR in a closet was a bit bizarre but considering Toon also found his red hoodie in the building he just assumed there was an attempt to bring this place to life or turn it into something else before it was scrapped. Whatever the case he had a small CRT TV and a VCR which he dragged back into the livable area and plugged it in into an outlet. A small spark emerged making the RatBit flinch back, a side effect of the power being haphazardly directly connected to another building’s power grid. It was dangerous—and highly illegal—but it worked and allowed Toon to not only turn on lights, but now watch whatever was on the thing that had tricked him. Unlike the weight of the box, the tape didn't lie to him and was actually what it claimed to be and be a cartoon aired with the intent to educate kids and in no way garner an adult’s entertainment.

Oddly enough though, Toon did find entertainment in it. The show enamored him, probably because of the rabbit character, and he found himself sat on the floor with his pie cut eyes glued to the TV. With the box in his hands he rummaged around and scooped out a handful of the cereal. It was definitely stale, the taste comparable to that of fruit flavored dust that left an unpleasant aftertaste. Toon’s face scrunched up as he chewed but he knew he would be fine, he couldn't get sick like humans did. The horrible taste quickly became barely noticeable with each minute that ticked by, the rodent’s attention becoming more and more absorbed into what the television displayed.

“Finding Frankie” was the title just as the name on the VHS indicated. It starred the mascot of the cereal brand and the one plastered on the cover of the tape, a small lop-eared magician rabbit. The cartoon was very formulaic in its setup, usually the episode would start with Frankie attempting to impress unnamed characters with his magic trick only for something disastrous to happen and he'd rope in another character by the name of Henry Hotline who had a telephone for anyead to help him fix it before a third character named Deputy Duck with a tablet body found out what he did. A common gag in the show would be Frankie making himself “disappear” as a magic trick only to reappear in the background, whenever this would happen Henry Hotline would break the fourth wall and ask the audience to help him find Frankie which is probably where the title came from. After the initial 20 or so minutes of Frankie and his animated hijinks the show would then switch to a live action format, a man in a Frankie suit would come from off screen and greet a bunch of children and with the help of a tablet modeled to look like Deputy Duck they'd advocate for kids to exercise or whatever message the animated segment built. After the show there would also be one bonus segment, no longer than 5 minutes in length. It was a bit called “Calling Henry Hotline!” with the gist of it being an animated Henry would be sitting in what looked like some sorta kid version of a talk show setup where his head would ring and he'd pick up the phone listening to some question from a child. The questions ranged from life advice like how to deal with bullies or what to do if you break something all the way to questions about the characters in the Finding Frankie world. In a bit of charming characterization from the creators Henry would always initially answer these questions with intentionally poor, sarcastic or downright misleading advice, often saying the direct opposite of what one should do only for the quack of Deputy Duck to come off screen prompting him to reluctantly give a more helpful answer.

It was generic, childish, and oftentimes cheesy but dear god was Toon so fascinated with it all.

The little rodent never once looked away, not even bothering with pretending to need to blink. The world seemed to fade away and he subconsciously munched on the stale cereal with laser focus on the incredibly charming character of Frankie. He didn't know why but whenever the animated rabbit would be on screen he felt that odd feeling deep within his inky body that he felt at the store. It was a sort of bubbling and warmth that he never had felt before and saved him from reality. It allowed him to dissociate from all of it, the poverty stricken area, the bad tasting dry food being shoved into his muzzle, what happened at the store, the oncoming threat of his home being taken away, and even the discomfort he felt from merely existing. All of it just ceased to exist when Frankie would stretch with his mechanical limbs to climb something, bounce around or pull a human out of a hat. The Henry segment was humorous and the live action segment was delightful, but it was always those first 20 minutes at the very start of the episode that would force Toon to patiently sit and wait till the next played. Episode after episode he watched solely for the endearing rabbit that would make him feel a special sort of way.

All good things had to come to an end, eventually Toon’s bad luck came to tackle him to the ground. For some inexplicable reason the show he suddenly grown an attachment too started to not feel like itself. The animation segment in the very beginning was shortened down to 10 minutes with plots feeling a lot more rushed and nonsensical, the animation following along as it became very choppy with numerous errors made along the way. Henry’s 5 minute segment was removed, or at least it might as well have been. The telephone head no longer answered questions but now simply advertised products, one of these products being the very cereal the rodent found the tape in. The absolute worst was the live action segment that took up most of the cartoon’s runtime. What originally was supposed to be an educational segment intended to teach kids a lesson that would connect in some way to the animated part was now tried to be the entertaining part. It was filled with mediocre jokes or physical gags that would have been a thousand times better in an animated and more exaggerated format. The creepiest part of all of this though was the suit. The original Frankie suit was nowhere to be seen and now it was just this one mascot costume that resembled Frankie but was definitely not his cute magician rabbit. It had a permanent smile on its face with large teeth, beady eyes and movements that were stiff. The entire thing just got worse and Toon was forced to watch the death of something he had just fell in love with not to long ago. Thankfully it was only the last batch of episodes that had this horrendous format, once over the rodent couldn't help but feel worse. All the joy, happiness, and charm he garnered from Frankie and his show had its throat slit in front of him and like always he just had to take it.

When the final episode finished Toon stood up witnessing what was probably the most devastating event of the day “well… that was nice? M-most of it…” he said, the bright side not exactly shining the brightest.

With a melancholic smile he reached forward to eject the tape, his hand faltering the second he heard some extra footage that made his ears perk up.

”[CONGRATULATIONS! If you are watching this that means you are one of the only FOUR lucky people around the world who have the honor of participating in a gameshow located in the WORLD’S largest indoor trampoline, water, and parkour park!]”

Toon’s arm slowly lowered and he watched the screen. Real footage of a place that Henry advertised showed on screen as well as a few shots of what the indoor parts of the entertainment park looked like. It all went by so fast he could barely make out the scenery expect for a sign that read “Frankie’s Parkour Palace” which the camera lingered on.

”[To participate in this thrilling adventure simply bring the season one VHS you found in your winning box of Frankie’s Fruit Flakes to our main location in order to have a chance at winning FIVE MILLION DOLLARS!]”

The world lurched to a halt and Toon's eyes turned into small dots “five– five– five–”

The rodent continued to stutter as the tape continued with its message.

”[With over three stories of action-packed parkour obstacle courses, this is sure to be a gameshow you won't NEVER forget!]” The announcer suddenly spoke rapidly, his voice quieter and easily missable to the untrained ear ”[FindingFrankieanditsbrandtakesnoliabilityforanydeathdismembermenttraumaorotherwiseadverseeffectsthatmaycomefromparticipatinginthisgameshowmust beeighteenyearsoroldertoenterinvitationisnon-eligibleifanyoneotherthanthewinnerismadeawareofitsexistencewewillfindout]” and just like that it spoke loud again ”[We hope to see you there, lucky contestant…]”

Toon blinked slowly, his face blank. Quite literally blank, the ink that made up his expressions had dripped off and was a puddle on the floor.

The rodent was quick to bend down and smear the ink back on, reshaping his face as he gave breathless mutters, the shock of everything making him forget how to breath “holy fuck, holy fuck, holy fuck, HOLY FUCK!” black ink streaked down his face from his eyes, this time out of joy.

He could hardly believe his luck, no wonder that man wanted the box at the store he was trying to find the winning tape. He didn't though, instead Toon managed to find it and he was thankful to gods he didn't even believe in for allowing him a chance to change the horrid streak of luck that always befallen him. Ideas of what he could do swarmed in his mind, with a million dollars he'd be able to eat a proper meal for once in his life not once but probably an entire year or maybe two. With the remaining millions he could fix up the crappy building he called home. Heck, with all that cash he could go one step beyond and kick the place back into working order, hiring animators to come and make a new cartoon starring the character he took the form of. Maybe those creatives would be able to make changes to the design he found himself drawn to. Maybe they could be the ones to design him a body that he'd be able to be comfortable with.

All these thoughts put a big giddy smile on his face. Rewinding backwards to find the exact location of wherever this place would be, Toon began to mentally brace himself for whatever this game show would entail. This was a chance to not only better but entirely change his situation. It was a chance he was not willing to waste.

[bisexualmultifandommess]

My mum started rewatching Rizzoli & Isles and I remember when I was younger I really shipped Maura and Frankie and was really disappointed when the show didn’t go with it because I felt like they had chemistry (I didn’t really know that was the word at the time lol) and I liked them a lot.

[starsfic]

Finding Frankie AU where an urban explorer named Ed finds himself one of the contestants in Frankie's Parkour Palace, and a mysterious entity seems to have infiltrated the studio's computer system with the apparent goal of keeping Ed as safe as it can. No one seems to know who or what this entity is, but its meddling acts always seem to be heralded by a short jingle: G F-G-F E.

The Contestant came to a screeching stop as another door slammed in their face, cutting them off from their prey. Without a care for the cameras, they pressed the Bluetooth in their ear.

"Frankie, what the hell is going on?!"

"I, uh, I'm not quite sure, my dear!" Their cohort sounded frazzled, paired with the sound of keys typing. "But he's heading to Deputy Duck's section, so-"

The next second, a loud jingle played over the intercoms, loud enough that the Contestant had to cut the connection. It wasn't fast enough. The piano keys of GFGFE made their ears ring enough that they took a step back.

Ever since Contestant 2, named Ed apparently, had come onto the show, it was like everything had fallen apart. Something had infiltrated the parkour palace's entire system, and it was dedicated to keeping this guy safe as he ran around the place. Morgan could respect the attempted cheating, but the infuriating part was that Ed seemed as baffled as they were about the entire thing and was more dedicated to finding a way out.

They were not going to lose to this idiot.

The Bluetooth reconnected.

"My dear? There's a raccoon."

"Mark its location, I'll get it later," they huffed, turning and marching towards the nearest vent. It wouldn't be the first time some pest had broken in. "Where is-"

"I mean," Frankie said, voice getting just a bit higher. "The raccoon is the one in the system."

The Contestant paused. "What?"

"HI!"

The yell made them drop the vent cover, whirling around. Next to them was one of the screens showing the chat responding to the show. Last they looked, it was full of confused anons, both enjoying the twist to the show and getting really annoyed at how it was dragging on. Now, it was blank, all except for a purple raccoon in a red bandana, smiling placidly at them like the greeter at an amusement park.

"...hi?"

"I don't like you." The raccoon said it so sweetly that the Contestant wasn't sure how to react. "If you hurt my friend, you won't like what me and my friends will do to you."

And with that ominous message, the raccoon disappeared. The chat screen remained blank and empty.

Over the intercoms, the jingle played, followed by what sounded like a scream of frustration from Frankie.

The Contestant had no time to react to that. They opened up the vent and slipped in, feeling the weight of the hunting knife on their side.

They had a show to win and a loser to deal with.