#guffie

Back on my Secrets of the Machine posting again. This game needs more love. Little bit more positivity for Ragtime Guffie. I figure Ericka and he would get along quite well despite their differences, and she's probably run into him either at the hotel or on visits to the game. Ericka's a friendly soul who's been isolated on her own much of her life and is actually a good boss and showman. So I could see her being a much needed ray of light for Guffie. And Guffie...he's proper but not strict. He's not in the game much but he seems a harmless, friendly soul. Definitely deserves a break and a chance to get out of The Drawing Room sometimes. Which Ericka can definitely relate to.

So here's a lil bit of fluff inspired by the scene with Stan at the end of HT3. Ericka showing off a bit of dramatic flair welcoming Guffie to the hotel in a parrallel of HIS greeting to the Old Time Theater in game, much to his appreciation. Bonus: Little Simon and Lucy behind the desk, "helping" their mom greet the guests. (It's a family business, and Ericka definitely seems to the type to bring her kids to work to be close to them.) Lucy nicknames Guffie "Beans" here as I've heard many players do in Commentary Playthroughs since he wears a bean can on his head. I think Guffie would kinda like it. Lucy and Simon's clothes I referenced from Monster's Inc and Nightmare Before Christmas clothes I saw at Walmart earlier that day.

Another bonus: Ragtime Guffie probably paid in Slugs and faded away after turning around with the key, much like in the game.

Pansexual & Agender, and is perfectly fine with any pronouns

He's a descendant of a plague doctor doll (links for context)

Camilla got him his iconic chili pepper shirt as a gift for their anniversary

He and Camilla have 4 children and all of them would hatch from eggs. 3 of them are little feathered plague doctor beasties like Gonzo (one black, one grey, one white), but they act way more avian like their mom (chirping, flapping, pecking etc) . the 4th would look mostly like Gonzo, but covered in bright blue feathers and would be a total daredevil like Gonzo. Gonzo laid the 4th egg.

YEEEESSS

YEEEEEEEESSSS

YEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS

THANK YOU FOR THE ASK, BUDDY! I really appreciate it! I wanted to do a series of doodles showing GiGi's dynamic with the group better uwu He's everyone's mom.

bfhelwhb @peapod20001 here’s the posseee XD As size reference, these babies are short with Guffie, the tallest, being 4 ft 2 in. GiGi is 2ft. Babies.

Ok this will be long to explain. oof. Here’s the backstory explanation: Link. Now… here’s the descriptions!

Guffie: Big and radiating dumb energy. Rodeo-clown. The clumsiest of the bunch but also the hardiest so it’s ok. The youngest, along with Ahem (one of the last created). Their owner was a little boy who treated him well, even going as far as calling them his brother. But he got sick. He didn’t recover. His parents threw Guffie out out of grief, taking them to a park and leaving them behind (oof, Jesse from Toy Story 2 flashbacks here lol). Guffie was scared, and thought for sure they would come back so they waited. And waited. Never seeing them again. Then they found the other clowns, and they convinced them to join. Guffie still holds hope that their owner’s parents will find them, and the clowns let them keep that fantasy. They all know the truth, though.

Phooey: Jester. The first one made after the original 22. They are shy and easily frightened. They had the hardest past. Their owner was a sadistic person who purchased them for the sole purpose of causing pain. They lived in terror for years before finally getting the guts to run away. They still have nightmares, and heavily fear running into their owner one day. So they wear a pathetic disguise in the form of a paper taped to their face. 

Laugher: The oldest, being one of the original 22 along with GiGi. Has always had a drier sense of humor than the others. Was the hardest to sell out of the original bunch because of it, and once they finally got a home… it was great! After being looked over so many times, they finally felt seen. And loved, and appreciated. It was great! Until the father and sole-provider of the family got laid off. They needed money…. and clowns sell well. Laugher had forgotten they were only an item. They were sold. And after struggling with the new family, they were sold again. And again. And again. Ten homes, with the eleventh being an old man with a love of collecting toys. He wasn’t long for the world. As soon as he died, Laugher was done with giving humans a try. They left before people noticed the old man’s death, and became the clown that started the posse. They found Gigi. Then Phooey. Then Guffie And finally, Ahem. They are everyone’s caretaker, their leader, and they do their job with love and care. They would do anything for them. For their design, I looked at the classic ‘sad clown’ paintings lol. Just a poor, hobo kinda look.

Ahem: Mime lol. They are mute, and expression-ly stunted. Very out of practice with communication skills. This is due to their lack of interaction for years because they were purchased for the sole purpose of being a collectible. Kept in a box, in isolation for a decade. They were starved. A lot of their soul has leaked out because of this, but they were lucky. Once the clown’s price skyrocketed, they were sold and packed. Unfortunately, their box got lost on the transportation and they ended up in a ditch. While out rummaging, Guffie opened up the box and found them. The clowns were horrified at how low their soul was, they couldn’t even move! They made it a priority to feed and keep feeding Ahem with show-after show-after show, dragging them along like a puppet until they gained enough to stand on their own. They still have trouble using their body, and they can’t express themselves very well, but the posse do their best to keep them healthy and alive. 

GiGi: A classic lil circus clown. The smallest, and made out of the cuddliest materials. They had the easiest past of them all. They were pampered and adored, bought to be a rich woman’s plaything. They lived happily together for years, but tragedy struck. There was an accident with their transportation while they vacationed somewhere far from their home, and in the confusion, their owner was taken away and they were left behind in the crash. Waking up alone and confused, they could only roam the streets, asking anyone for their owner’s location, with no answers ever given. In their naivety, they were almost picked up by someone shady, but Laugher got to them in time. They’ve stuck to Laugher ever since, and through the years, they have stayed a ray of hope and positivity for better days to come. They truly believe one day they’ll get adopted once more, much to Laugher’s annoyance. 

But their situation keeps getting worse instead.

~~ Some footnotes on relationship specifics:

Guffie, Phooey and Ahem are bffs and stick together. Guffie and Phooey met first, and Guffie, as the biggest, became Phooey’s go to shield to hide behind. Guffie doesn’t mind. When Ahem joined, Guffie made it their mission to get Ahem to smile, but their attempts usually go wrong. Phooey has taken to following them, if only to keep Guffie from accidentally shattering the poor Ahem in their clumsiness. 

Hi I am submitting this because,,,,, it’s not my best work but I’ll draw em better later I promise hnsoshshsvshssv

I’m just practicing yes that’s what I’m going with, it looks bad cus it’s practice

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Here’s the Guffie I promised @peapod20001

Was gonna write an actual story snippet like with GiGi’s, but it was taking way too long so have the cliffnotes version instead, like I always do ;o;

- Guffaw was bought by a high-middle class family for the parent’s only child. His name was Esteban and he was six. They had always spoiled him, buying him all the toys he’d ever want and taking him around everywhere to see the sights and make new friends. He was a friendly and outgoign child. But when he showed symptoms of a sickness at the age of five, his parents became overprotective. They kept him indoors now always, and never let him see anyone from outside. He was miserable surrounded by toys. His parents didn’t know how to better help him. They considered a pet, but there were so many risks involved with fur and manageability! They needed something more low maintenance. Then they heard about the clowns.

- They splurged and picked out Guffaw due to his size being close to their child’s. Guffaw was excited as he was brought home, but Esteban was more so. Esteban finally had a companion. And he was given the nickname Guffie. They grew inseparable quick, to the point where Esteban didn’t see him as a toy. Guffie was his brother. His best friend. As the days kept going, Esteban’s parents got more and more lenient on Esteban’s requests for Guffie too. They would save him a spot in the table, buy them matching clothes, and got to the point of letting Guffie slip up and call them Mom and Dad. They were a family.

- But though the warm moments of the year were good, there were cold ones too. Esteban wasn’t getting better. He was getting weaker. Guffie never pushed Esteban but the boy would make himself move around anyways. Esteban still had so much ideas for their games. He wanted to play them all out. But his hands would shake. His coughing always stopped his words. His vision blurred. His parents made bedtime earlier. Esteban hated losing more time. 

- After a fight with his parents over not wanting to sleep yet, Esteban curled under his blanket crying, Guffie hugging him from beside. Esteban confessed to feeling scared. All Guffie could do to respond was to hug him closer. Giffie knew nothing about death or pain, but seeing Esteban hurt everyday made him feel bad. Guffie just couldn’t understand.

- Esteban was taken away one night, as he began breathing too heavily. He never came back. Through the many doors open and shut, Guffie stayed locked in Esteban’s room, not knowing what was happening. Waiting for Esteban or his parents to enter and explain. Days turned to weeks. Months flew by. A funeral had been had but still, the parents could not bear to open their son’s room. Finally, at half a year, they agreed to it. And Guffie stood up to warily greet them.

- There was no more familiar warmth. The night was still. Guffie’s questions ignored. They hurt too much. The parents talked amongst themselves on what to do. They could sell him. Clowns cost so much. Through their hushed and cracking voices, Guffie continued pressing. “Where was Esteban? What had happened? Mom? .... Dad...?” They stopped their talking when Guffie called them something they hadnt been called in months. They looked at him. Once. Then the father went to get his jacket.

- Guffie was going to the park. Guffie thought the night was a dangerous time to be out. That’s what his parents always told him and Esteban anyways. Dad said it was ok, though. So Guffie got into the car. The night was still. Guffie spotted an owl. His side of the door was open and he was let out. “We need you to.... go find the treasure we buried.” Dad’s words seemed unsure. Guffie was confused, but a bit of excitement was creeping back up. A game? “Is this a competition? Is Esteban looking too?” Dad flinches. He gets back into the car. “Look for the treasure,” he repeats. “But.. where are you going?” Guffie asks. No answer. He starts the car. “Dad...?” It moves. Out the park it goes. Alone in the dark. Guffie did the only thing he was left to do. Search.

- He had searched everywhere he could, but now he was in a part of the big park he was unfamiliar with. Guffie realized he was lost. He did what responsible kids would do. He stopped under a streetlamp and decided to wait for someone to find him. And he waited. Night passed, day came. People strolled by. Some would stop to look at him. Guffie would ask them if they knew about his family. Or the treasure. No one gave him answers. So Guffie continued to wait. For weeks. For a month. There had been a few close calls for Guffie. Some kids were mean. Others tried to take him away from his spot. But he had to be good. His family would come for him. Esteban wouldn’t leave him. Then it was two months.

- Phooey was the one who ran into him first. Phooey was terrified, Guffie had been so still, he had thought he was a statue. Phooey leaned on him, hoping to hide behind him as the lamp above them flickered. Feeling his touch, Guffie repeated his well rehearsed questions. “Do you know about the treasure? Or about my family?” Phooey screamed and flew back, his yells bringing out GiGi and Laugher. They saw the morose clown. They immediately flocked to him. Laugher lended him his coat. GiGi was quick to lean beside him. Phooey awkwardly hung behind him, not trusting the newbie. When asked again, Laugher questioned Guffie on who his family was. Guffie explained. Esteban. Mom and Dad. They were his family. Hearing more stories, Laugher pieced together the tragedy. And he was the one to explain to Guffie the real meaning of death. The lamp finally gave out. No more light left. 

- Guffie was hit. But... what about Mom and Dad? Did they die too? Laugher didn’t like this. He was going to have to strike another blow. As he opened his mouth to explain, GiGi jumped in instead. They aren’t dead. But they may also be looking for him! Laugher was left speechless. GiGi and Guffie continued, building off eachother. GiGi was looking for his owner too. They could look for them together! Guffie was hesitant at first, but he gave in thanks to GiGi’s insistance and friendliness. Guffie felt he could trust them. And Laugher. Laugher didn’t like this. False sense of hope. But seeing Guffie’s first smile with them, getting up and dusting himself off. Laugher couldn’t burst that bubble.

Jaxine Sprei Katun Mickey Guffie Uk. 100 Small Single