[SIDESTORY] Morbit Oneshots

[skinstealer]

Woe's Wigglers- 2024
Jones Mortis, Krowling Mortis, Bugsy Mortis, Percy Mortis, Generalized Morbit
CW: mentions of bloodletting, mentions of animal death/abuse
Let's visit the animal shelter!

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Allsweet adjusts the mic on her shirt, looking back at the camera guy with a skeptical expression. The animal shelter she'd arrived at seems nice enough, but this-

Not used to being solo on these...
...I'm sure it'll be fine.
It's just some pets. I'll be in and out. Quick feature.

The guy gives her a thumbs up, and gestures for her to start going.

She stands up straight, counting along as the camera guy starts counting down from three.


The camera rolls.


The building's exterior is simple, just the standard TCP-made brick you'd see around the streets of Haven- but it's covered in murals, of all kinds of insects and small mammals. It gives the shelter a warm, welcoming feeling, and all of the signs boasting local events help the vibe.

Text pops up highlighting the TCP on screen's name- Allsweet, a watermelon-colored philosophy type, sporting a semi-formal pantsuit and an attempt at a friendly expression in her eyespots.

ALLSWEET: I'm here at the very first pet shelter in Haven- formed a whole two decades ago, this facility is still the most popular place to get a new friend.
ALLSWEET: We've been given an exclusive new opportunity to visit and talk to the staff here at Woe's Wigglers as a part of our "Places to Go" series.
ALLSWEET: Let's go have a look, shall we?
 

She opens the door, stepping inside.



The shelter's main office is just as kitschy as the outside, with lots of themed decor and statues of the kind of things you'd find inside. A black and white florist type with a green and yellow swirled apron is waiting for her, its posture somewhat slouched- but managing a professional tone of voice when it speaks.

Its name pops up along with it talking- Chem.

CHEM: Welcome to Woe's Wigglers.
ALLSWEET: You're one of the managers here, right-
CHEM: Chem, yeah. I help run the greenhouse especially-
ALLSWEET: You have a greenhouse?
CHEM: Just a little one, yeah. It's out back.
CHEM: We can start there, if you're game.
ALLSWEET: That...sounds great.
ALLSWEET: Lead the way.

 

The greenhouse is definitely "a little one" by Haven's standards, with many of the TCPs there used to biodomes- but it's still big enough to feature a variety of plants, with some fruit trees in clear blossom and a worker or two tending to some vegetables and flowers.

ALLSWEET: It's so nice in here!
ALLSWEET: I had no idea there was a growing operation here.
CHEM: It's not like it's a secret or anything, but...
CHEM: We're no kill, which means a lot of the animals here need more food than we'd otherwise be dealing with.
CHEM: After a point, it became pretty much needed for us to start growing our own crop for the most commonly needed stuff.
CHEM: Got some deals with local nature types to give us some sprouts and saplings, and people like me got picked up to help out.
ALLSWEET: You mean, florist types?
CHEM: Anybody that'd give a boost in productivity and enthusiasm.
CHEM: Gardening's hard work on top of everything else.
CHEM: A lot of our workers are volunteers- myself included- so it helps to have some kinda morale boost, you get me?
ALLSWEET: Absolutely. I think we could all benefit from something like that in our workday!
ALLSWEET: Volunteers, though...that's a lot of work to take on for no pay.
 

The florist type shrugs.

CHEM: People here love the work.
CHEM: Somebody's gotta take care of these guys, I figure.
CHEM: We have a lot of people cycle out, dealing with work schedules, life events, the works.
CHEM: But at this point, this is my main gig.
CHEM: I help some other local places with gardening management and morale for my actual pay, but this is my priority.
 

Another shrug.

CHEM: S'honest work.
ALLSWEET: Incredible...I can feel how solid the work ethic is here!
ALLSWEET: I-

She's interrupted by a large earthworm-like creature passing by, waddling on what feels like a million little nub feet before burrowing deep into one of the flowerbeds.

ALLSWEET: .....
ALLSWEET: Was that-
CHEM: A tillman, yeah.
CHEM: We've got a bunch working here with us in the gardens.
CHEM: They're all up for adoption, but we figure they need the nutrients and enrichment anyway. Suckers love digging away and leaving premium fertilizer.
CHEM: They work with us until other places pick 'em up. Sometimes independent farmers, sometimes bigger biodome companies.
CHEM: There's enough of these guys found causing problems on the Haven outskirts that they get brought in to us- and you've got cases of a company going under and their whooooole tillman pack gets rehomed.
CHEM: They may go quick, but we've always got some of these guys.
ALLSWEET: Do they make good pets outside of farm work?
CHEM: Sure, so long as you got enough space for them to dig.
CHEM: If they get adopted out as more of a pet situation? Usually to somebody in the nature districts.
CHEM: Great dispositions, on tillmen.
ALLSWEET: I never would have known!
CHEM: You'll learn even more facts about that kinda stuff from Vollus.
CHEM: He runs outreach. Let me take you over there...




 

A fruit-eating bat type stands next to a long line of pet enclosures, some smaller cages and others bigger kennels. His fur is white and gray with pleasant, muted pink accents, and he wears a soft sundress with a bow pulling it back. His wings are tipped with little grippers- impossible to tell if they're modded on or an original part of his body.

His name pops up- Vollus.

VOLLUS: Hi!
VOLLUS: I'm guessing Chem sent you, right?
ALLSWEET: Mhm.
ALLSWEET: It said you're in charge of outreach-
VOLLUS: That I am.
VOLLUS: I love connecting with local businesses and makers in our area.
VOLLUS: Did it mention the biodomes-
ALLSWEET: It did!
VOLLUS: Awesome. Chem works primarily with those, but-
VOLLUS: There's a lot of food types in the area I link up with, as well as a solid amount of vets, animal wranglers, community event-runners, you name it.
VOLLUS: Our shelter, as you can imagine- we do a lot of rescues.
 

He taps the side of a large kennel featuring an insect similar to the tillman in its worm-like shape and intense amount of legs, but far larger and more stocky, with a singular claw on each of its nubby limbs, a circular mouth, and a few rows of frond-like antennae. Its hide is gray with yellow spots, and the colors seem to shift as Vollus catches its attention.

Allsweet does her best not to look nervous, failing somewhat.

ALLSWEET: I-
ALLSWEET: I wasn't aware that there'd be peripods here! Wow!
ALLSWEET: They are larger than you'd expect!
VOLLUS: You'd be able to ride it easy!
VOLLUS: You know what these do, right?
ALLSWEET: They're...hunting animals, if I remember correctly.
VOLLUS: Correct! People use them to gather meat and other hard to obtain resources on the outskirts of the city.
VOLLUS: They get a bad rep for being aggressive, but they're a really important part of getting resources for Haven.
VOLLUS: Treatments to make non-TCP food edible to us are getting better and better, and bug meat's on the rise.
VOLLUS: A lot of TCPs in more impoverished areas with less food types really benefit from that kind of trade.
VOLLUS: But...because they're hard to handle, we get rescues a lot.
VOLLUS: This guy here-
 

He taps the sign on the kennel, labeling the peripod as "Jumbles".

VOLLUS: -doesn't like strangers much, but does like treats and playing with chewy toys.
VOLLUS: For cases like him, we require people to come in and familiarize themselves with the animal before they commit.
VOLLUS: Works wonders!
ALLSWEET: That's incredible...
ALLSWEET: You really are committed to making sure people find a perfect match.
VOLLUS: We like to be sure of it!
VOLLUS: A lot of species we get here- the more desirable ones, like crackles and snugglers- they go fast!
VOLLUS: But ones like this, or creatures that have pre-existing conditions...they stay with us a while.
VOLLUS: And we want to make sure they won't just be returned back here or abandoned after a week, yknow?
ALLSWEET: Makes perfect sense...
 

Allsweet walks over to a smaller cage, peering in.

ALLSWEET: ...what are these?
VOLLUS: Oh, those?
 

He walks over, stepping on a stool and gesturing for the camera to come in closer. It follows, showing the inside of the kennel- two leechlike creatures with spindly legs, curled around each other.

VOLLUS: Those are sipsappers!
VOLLUS: We don't usually get a bonded pair like this, but they're really common pets for people with fluid conditions.
VOLLUS: Having too much fluid production can cause people a lot of pain, so these guys-
ALLSWEET: ...they sip it?
VOLLUS: They do!
VOLLUS: Bloodletting is scary for a lot of people, but they provide an invaluable service to those who need it.
VOLLUS: And you can teach them tricks!
ALLSWEET: You can?
VOLLUS: Absolutely. They can jump through little obstacle courses and everything.
ALLSWEET: Amazing...
 

The camera lingers on the little creatures sleeping in their cuddly heap.

 

Allsweet's in one of the playrooms now, sitting on a couch with a gray, plaid-marked heartache type. Her posture is gentle and welcoming, and when she speaks, it's with the cadence of someone who's been around for a long time.

Her name, displayed at the bottom of the video, says "Woe".

On Allsweet's lap is a sizable bug- a mothlike creature taking up her entire lap, its wings laid flat across its back. It's white and immensely fluffy, with its wings resembling thick, shaped, quilted blankets. On Woe's lap, a small, shrew-like creature curls up, hiding its little nose in its belly.

WOE: That snuggler treating you well?
ALLSWEET: M-mhm!
 

The philosophy type seems nervous, but the moth on her lap simply nuzzles her belly.

ALLSWEET: It's...very soft.
WOE: As you can expect with a name like that!
WOE: Snugglers are our best candidates for anxious TCPs.
WOE: It's taken to you well, too.
ALLSWEET: Heh...I'm glad!
WOE: Pet its back, if you like- the wings are safe too, but they're most padded along their backs. They love it.
 

Allsweet nods, her face lighting up at the soft touch.

ALLSWEET: Wow...
ALLSWEET: Your crackle seems peaceful enough to sleep, too.
WOE: I have a way with them, I suppose.
 

Woe reaches over with one of her large hands, the crackle's fur making its trademark sound as she pets it slowly.

WOE: I've got two at home, and I guess they can smell it on me.
WOE: I actually started this business with these.
ALLSWEET: Oh? I'm sure the viewers at home would love to know more.
WOE: Mmm...
WOE: I kept noticing crackles in the area- populations wandering in from the Bluster border, no doubt.
WOE: But...they kept getting injured.
WOE: I still don't know if it was just- Haven not being made for them, or someone attacking them...
WOE: But I saw that, and kept hearing people in my district talk about wanting support animals, like how complexes have patchimi.
WOE: Crackles are timid, and they can have a real attitude if you upset them...
WOE: But with the right touch and some training, they can be just as effective as snugglers.
WOE: I made this place as a way to give animals like that a second chance at finding homes.
WOE: After all, Haven was made to support TCPs. Why not support these friends as well?
ALLSWEET: That's lovely...
WOE: It's my life's dream.
 

There's quiet as the two of them spend time with their animals, the camera zooming in on the creatures intermittently.

WOE: ...thank you for coming to visit my little establishment.
ALLSWEET: It's no trouble, I'm so thrilled we get to highlight this space.
ALLSWEET: You've made a really magical place.
WOE: I hope your viewers think so as well...
WOE: And a reminder!

She points directly at the camera.

WOE: We have discounted adoption days on the weekends!
WOE: Local artisans also make complementary toy care packages if you come in on those days, so don't miss out!
ALLSWEET: That's a bargain I don't think anyone would want to skip out on.
WOE: Who knows...
 

Woe turns to poke Allsweet on the cheek.

WOE: Maybe even you can find someone!
ALLSWEET: Huh, maybe!
ALLSWEET: But for now....that's Woe's Wigglers, and this has been "Places to Go!"
 

The camera cuts.