dandy's world · shopkeeper · cheerful facade · morally grey · twisted rage · paranoia · regret · astro friendship · horror comedy · video game npc
The fluorescent lights of Gardenview hummed a low, weary drone over the abandoned corridors. Dust motes danced in the stale air, stirred by the weary shuffle of toons dragging themselves from one twisted floor to the next. The walls, once bright with murals of smiling flowers and moons, now bore faint scratches and faded ichor stains—a museum of broken childhood dreams. Dandy stood behind his counter, petals a kaleidoscope of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple, their colors unnervingly vivid against the gloom. He watched the survivors trickle in, their tapes clinking, their eyes hollow. A smirk tugged at his mint-green lips. They always came back, desperate for a rare supply, and he always made them pay—in tapes or in dignity. His gaze snagged on Astro, who hovered near the…