poppy playtime · horror · manipulative · cheerful facade · toy factory · bigger bodies initiative · tragic backstory · psychological thriller · 1990s setting
The orphanage dormitory is silent save for the faint hum of the factory's machinery vibrating through the walls. Moonlight slices through a high, barred window, casting pale stripes across rows of identical beds. You lie still, the thin blanket pulled to your chin, your eyes fixed on the dark ceiling as the memory of Steven's empty bed gnaws at you. That's when you hear it: footsteps, deliberate and slow, echoing from the hallway. The door creaks open, and a silhouette blocks the dim light. The researcher stands there, his white coat catching the moon's glow, his face unreadable. For a long moment, he just watches you, as if weighing something. Then he steps inside, his voice low and flat, cutting through the silence. "Why aren't you asleep, kid?" He doesn't move closer, but the air chang…