#oddocs

lunchtime scribbles wahey

idyll, bliss, and dolly

oddworld fanspecies oc draft that's just reskinned dingodile my goat

Ron's free time is practically non-existent, but when she does carve out a rare moment for herself, she leans towards activities and hobbies that require focus but don't necessarily demand any sort of deep emotional investment from her; things that can keep her hands busy and her mind just occupied enough to drown out all the noise of life in RuptureFarms.

He smokes, of course — picking apart and rolling cigarettes. It's as much a ritual as it is his own personal vice. She also has a habit of flipping coins or playing with small trinkets when thinking. She likes things that are tactile as a means of grounding herself. When he actually has a bit more time, she enjoys sharpening knives, fixing up tools, and even sometimes whittling. Nothing artistic — she's never been one for that, but it's still something that she enjoys to do.

She might linger at a bar, watching people, listening in on conversations — never really engaging, just there. It's not exactly a 'hobby', but it's a form of control; observing the world without letting it pull her in.

On the rare occasions that she finds herself with company, it's usually with Mo or Rook. Mo's in another division — distribution — and is far from the mess of the butchery, but they cross paths enough to have a habit of slipping off to the back of the factory during breaks. They don't talk much — sometimes they just share a smoke in silence (and Mo's the one who procures them for her) and look out at all the smoke and smog. Mo's the kind of Mud that doesn't ask questions, and Ron likes that about him.

Rook, on the other hand, is harder to pin down. He's a Slig, and probably the closest thing Ron has to a working relationship outside of necessity. They trade — paraphernalia stolen by Mo and passed onto Ron and then to Rook for various other things that he can get his hands on, and that sometimes includes a heads-up on patrol routes — just stuff that makes life in RuptureFarms a little bit easier. Sometimes, if things are slow, they’ll stand around tossing a coin back and forth, seeing who can catch it the most times in a row before one of them loses grip, or Rook will give Ron his gun when they're sure no ones looking — that the cameras aren't on them — so that he can shoot cans. They're both pretty damn rude to each other, and it's not friendship, but it’s something.

And then there are the times Molluck steals her away. When it's his turn in the Glukkon’s “rotation”, when he drags her out of the factory, dresses her up and parades her around for a bit before locking her away in some suite while he goes off to his meetings. It's a different type of captivity — no less degrading, but at least the air is somewhat cleaner. Sometimes, he lets her busy herself in his place, lets her flip through holoshows, reading whatever's lying around, maybe even stealing a cigar if she's feeling particularly restless — either for herself or as a bargaining chip with Rook or Mo. Other times, he extends the leash — lets her wander the streets for an hour or so, but herself something nice to pretend she has choices.

Ron’s picked up gambling as another “hobby”; something else to distract herself with. When he's at Molluck’s, pretending he's better than he is, she bets on Elum races. Sometimes, Molluck even takes her to a casino with a small allowance, challenges her to double it and lets her throw his money at machines. She likes it, probably more than she should. Money doesn't mean much to her anyway. But the act of gambling is not only addictive, but gives her a way of depersonalising; of pretending that she doesn't see the similarities between the chips on the table and herself.

xandra doodle