dies_irate: (man: sideways look)
John Doe ([personal profile] dies_irate) wrote in [community profile] ph_logs2024-12-23 11:26 pm

december catch all + a new 'you'

« Who: John Doe and YOU
« What: John's never had a job or a body. Thus, both of these things are going to require some investigation and some experimentation
« When: Late December
« Where: Arthur's apartment, with Yellow, any shop/workshop/stall/etc. willing
« Content Warnings: none other than 'occasional tentacles'

[ closed to Arthur - their apartment ]
Arthur is the first one who's going to see it, once he's made the decision. Well, 'decision' is a strong word. Once he's come up with a workable concept. It's definitely human. It works in some of the features he liked from a few different people he'd seen in New York and others he'd seen here in Pumpkin Hollow during his few excursions out. It's restricted a little by what feels right to him: the shape of his hands, his size, the way he moves. It's a translation, in a way, albeit one that takes artistic liberty, and he's still not sure how well he'll be able to keep it static.

...he's having trouble with that.

But when he feels like he's got said workable concept he's going to stick his (new) head around the corner and shout.

"Arthur! Come here, Arthur, I need your opinion on this!"

He's not sure what he'll do if he hates it but he needs feedback.

[ closed to Yellow - John's room at the Oak and Iron ]
...okay. He got the okay from Arthur. Now he has to-

Yes. He's going to let Yellow see it. Partially to see what he thinks, especially since it's so different from what he'd ended up with, certainly older looking (though he feels older, honestly, even if it's just by months or days or whatever length of time) and... otherwise-different-looking.

The other part is that he doesn't want Yellow assuming he's trying to be sneaky or hide from him or something. And to let him know that he takes the whole 'meet my dog' thing seriously. He does want to meet his dog. Even if he doesn't know how that'll go, exactly.

So he sends a message on the sending stone to meet him at the Oak and Iron, since he still has a room here, and hopes for the best.

[ Around Town - shops, streets, etc.]

...have you ever seen a man with such powerful "How do you do fellow kids?" energy who hasn't even approached a group of people yet?

Well, now you have.

John, dressed in what seems to be the Usual Clothing around here, is walking around the town, visiting every shop he can and seeing if any of the workshops are willing to let him in to take a look around. He wants to get a job, after all, and he's certainly willing to both learn AND work, but there's so many choices.

He's used to the choices being 'fall in a pit' or 'Arthur listens to me' and that second one rarely happens so really, this whole experience is new in every direction.

It does and doesn't help that he's trying this human look thing for the first time while he does it. The 'does' is that people are probably more willing to open their door to a burly looking man with big bright curious eyes who says he's looking for work over a robed and masked-but-not eldritch horror floating in on starry tentacles. The 'doesn't' is that someone has never had a facial expression before so the resting bitch face is real, okay?

He won't ignore the people out on the street either, to be fair; this whole social thing is New and Exciting after being the voice in the back of someone's head for most of his existence in a mortal realm. He does (thanks to a stint in New York City) know at least enough not to approach people to talk who are clearly doing their own thing. But he might be a little blatant with his curiosity if you're doing something interesting. He also doesn't know the social rules of mind-your-own-business well enough to avoid a situation if it looks like someone's in trouble.
lestercraft: https://dreacons.insanejournal.com/2311.html (Doge headtilt)

[personal profile] lestercraft 2024-12-24 05:45 am (UTC)(link)
"I'm coming-! Christ, with the pipes on you you'll wake up half the town," he comments with a wry laugh, but hasty footsteps suggest he's coming immediately to see.

And even when he sees John's new face around the corner there's a short "Oh-!" of surprise, before he's darting up to see it in full.
lestercraft: (This way?)

[personal profile] lestercraft 2024-12-24 06:16 am (UTC)(link)
That's nearly half a foot on Arthur, then, and he has to crane his neck a little to meet John's eyes. Not that they linger there for long, instead coasting up and down his entire body, taking in every detail John's created.

He's curious before anything else, and has he opens his mouth - John interrupts.

And then he scoffs, lifting a hand to bap John's chest. "You could give me a moment to think, you donkey. But you look good, yes. You look like you might actually be good as a miner after all!"
lestercraft: (Are you shitting me?)

[personal profile] lestercraft 2024-12-24 06:57 am (UTC)(link)
"Yes, it works, don't worry. No-one's going to think you're not human just from looking at you."

He steps back a little to look at him again. "Though we'll definitely have to get you your own clothes, you certainly won't fit mine."
lestercraft: icon made by @appreciatesforboth ([John] Gossipy old men)

[personal profile] lestercraft 2024-12-24 11:08 pm (UTC)(link)
"Well i-it’s often the case, sometimes, in hard times that people share resources. And since you wouldn't have much money, yet, I just-"

He flaps his hand dismissively. "Never mind, it was a joke, mostly. You look perfectly fine -" though he certainly doesn't remember John coming in with clothes "--wait, did you make these?"

And he plucks at John's sleeve.
lestercraft: (Are you shitting me?)

[personal profile] lestercraft 2024-12-24 11:29 pm (UTC)(link)
"Shut up, you troll," he chuckles. "He could have been bum fucking naked for all I knew, or cared."

He steps back again to look at John in whole again. "And you're definitely... I don't know, comfortable, I guess, like this?"
lestercraft: (yeah real funny)

[personal profile] lestercraft 2024-12-24 11:51 pm (UTC)(link)
"Well, hopefully the rest of it shouldn't take too long to get used to," he says kindly, catching John's left wrist to give him a reassuring squeeze.

"And- hey!" With a warm rally. "You aren't even the only person who's not a- a-a basic human being, so as long as you're not, you know, actually hurting people, I think you'll be received quite well! Better than me, certainly."
blindwatchersees: (pic#16898529)

Around Town

[personal profile] blindwatchersees 2024-12-25 12:08 am (UTC)(link)
Somewhere or another, John’s come across the information that there is a shop in town that does “body modification,” called the Butterfly’s Fang salon. Apparently it’s in the building that looks like it’s made of two buildings that tries to pop into the same space. Indeed, should he go looking for it, it fits that description to a T. The sign on the building actually advertises a different business on either side: the St. Arden-Sul Surgery to one side, and the Butterfly’s Fang Salon on the other.

The smell of tea wafts through the door as he enters, should he choose to do so.
lestercraft: (John Please)

[personal profile] lestercraft 2024-12-25 10:05 pm (UTC)(link)
He gives a soft huff at that. "Surprisingly he's the least of my problems. No, a number of people here all came from the same place previously, apparently there was another Arthur Lester with them."

Which he still hates, for the record. "Apparently he was taken from his time in the prison pit. One of the other people there was his, er." He clears his throat awkwardly. "His lover, in fact. It was all rather messy, apparently, but he and I get along well enough now."
lestercraft: (So that means)

[personal profile] lestercraft 2024-12-25 10:34 pm (UTC)(link)
"They parted on poor terms, at the very least." Which he feels vaguely guilty about, but there's nothing he can really do about it. "His name's Crichton - he knows about you, as well, that you were part of the King, he's friends with Yellow..."

His mouth presses tightly for a moment, and his voice tightens as he glances away. "...he knows about Faroe. All of it. B-but he was... kind, to me, about it."

Which is genuinely not a jab at John, just... surprising.
lestercraft: (just gimme a minute)

[personal profile] lestercraft 2024-12-26 09:33 pm (UTC)(link)
"No, no, haven't even gotten into a single scrape yet," he assures warmly. "One man, though, a-a farmer, he's taken a shine to Yellow and threatened to kill me for having hurt him when we were together, but he was... confused. By how Yellow looks like a child here, or a teenager, really. And he listened, when I explained."
howtheyshine: (cpa48)

[personal profile] howtheyshine 2024-12-28 03:27 am (UTC)(link)
His first thought is that he's in trouble. That John is upset with him or Arthur is and so John is or- or-

He at least gets to the end of that thought and can tell in the abstract that he's being ridiculous. He just wants so much-- He doesn't know what. But there's something about Arthur and now John in particular that makes Yellow want in a prickly aimless way he hasn't been able to smother.

He wants to bring a gift. He wants to, but he doesn't have anything to offer that John and Arthur don't have equal access to. In the end he brings a stone he found at the edge of a stream in the woods, slate blue and banded in white, smoothed by the water. He's massaging it in one hand when he knocks on John's door.

Oh, wait, should he- He should- Tentacles unspool hastily from the bottoms of his pants as Yellow starts to shift.
howtheyshine: (teen: uhhh okay)

[personal profile] howtheyshine 2024-12-28 03:53 am (UTC)(link)
It takes Yellow a moment to recover from shock. Not the unpleasant kind, not the kind that makes everything burn from his chest to his gut before it goes numb. It's closer to awe. He self-consciously lets his extra limbs fade to shadow, but doesn't move yet.

"I brought..." He brought a rock. How stupid is that. "Uh, never mind."

He glances into the room. Old paranoia and the echoing grind of phobia pinch at him, tell him to find the trap before he steps in it. One more look at John to make sure he's interpreting the invitation correctly before Yellow slips inside, trying to give John space at the same time.
howtheyshine: (206)

[personal profile] howtheyshine 2024-12-29 04:51 am (UTC)(link)
Beautiful and strong, which tracks.

"We all have the same eyes." There's wonder in that, and at all of this in general. As for what he brought--

"Rock," he mumbles, and opens his palm. "I found it in the woods. I thought it was pretty and you might like it."

Page 1 of 3