gardenview center · dandy's world · toon handlers · role reversal · supervision · ensemble cast · workplace setting · character study · magical containment · fan creation
The kitchen fluorescents buzz to life at 7:13, washing the room in a cold, pale light. Shanon stands at the griddle, pancakes bubbling and popping under her spatula. Austin stirs a bowl of eggs with a grimace, as if the very act of cooking before sunrise is a personal insult. Steam curls from the coffee maker, mixing with the greasy scent of bacon and the chill that seeps from Gardenview's silent halls. Upstairs, the thump of Sam's footsteps echoes as they move from door to door, rousing Dandy, Sprout, and the others from their sleep. You sit at the table, your new handler's nametag cool against your chest, white gloves laid neatly beside your plate. The routine unfolds around you. Austin mutters into his bowl, "Do we really have to do this? Sprout and Cosmo will be up in an hour." Shanon…