[TOY] Plaything

[skinstealer]

POLKA DOT: Dysmorphia as some kind of drug…you say that like you deal with it yourself, or something.
POLKA DOT: Why not spill the beans on that?
 

Laurie blinks his beady eyes.

LAURIE: Well, I was more expecting you to ask about other people wanting to turn into monsters and such, but-
LAURIE: I suppose I have my own issues as well, yes.
LAURIE:  Not! With turning into a monster per se.
LAURIE: Dysmorphia tends to go hand in hand with dysphoria, and I deal with that a fair bit.
POLKA DOT: You lost me.
LAURIE: Hmm, how do I put this…
LAURIE: When I came to in the Store, I was labelled as a “girl toy”- most Bean Buddies have some kind of gendering in their tag poems, and that’s what I got slapped with.
LAURIE: I liked the clothes found in the aisles I was born in, but when people called me all kinds of feminine words, it just didn’t stick with me.
LAURIE: Not until I got to the real world and started using them in a way that felt good, anyhow.
LAURIE: I don’t mind being called a girl now, just…on my own terms.
LAURIE: Girl, but as a performance.
LAURIE: A lot of people refer to what I do as drag, but I personally prefer crossdressing. It feels…right.
LAURIE: Since starting the Place, I’ve tried to be especially welcoming to toys who need a space for that kind of thing.
LAURIE: Whether it’s wanting to become a monster or play around with gender and their own body, anyone who messes with their presentation is welcome under my roof.
 

You think back to your time Cross put you in a corset, imagining the changed shape it gave you…

POLKA DOT: Yeah. I think I get it.
POLKA DOT: I’m happy being a…whatever I am, a girl, I guess?
POLKA DOT: But…there’s been stuff I’ve done that makes me feel extra good about it.
POLKA DOT: Does that count?
LAURIE: Mmmhm.
LAURIE: Anything that gives you that little rush.
LAURIE: Ah, look-!
 

He gestures with his cane to an upcoming building, two stories made of molded plastic bricks with some kind of colored flag in one of the windows.

LAURIE: Bold of him to put those up…
LAURIE: But here we are! Featherweight’s!
LAURIE: Looks like the narrative thought that was a good point to end on, eh?
LAURIE: About time, I could use a sit down…
 

Even with his bad leg, he manages to lead the way, holding the door open for you.

 

The space inside is absolutely covered in work in progress garments, reams of fabric stacked high enough to reach the ceiling. Something about it fills you with a sense of wonder-

How much stuff could you make here?!

LAURIE: Featherweight, we’re here!
 

The voice that follows is muffled, a stork bean buddy barely managing to poke his head out from behind a pile of supplies.

????: We? Who’s-
????: Ah!
????: You’ve brought a guest.
????: Is this…the Silk Ribbon I’ve heard about?
LAURIE: The one and only.
 

As the stork steps out of the mess, you notice two things immediately-

One, he’s wearing a cute, strappy outfit, decked out in suspenders and a pleated skirt.

Two, he is tall.

He extends a wing, his expression soft.

FEATHERWEIGHT: Pleasure to meet you.
FEATHERWEIGHT: Willow’s told me so much.