#I'll be introducing the characters one by one

[todaslocas]

Ok, we need to talk about Ramb

This is something that's been brewing in my head for a while and I need to get it out there ASAP, I learned my lesson last time (last time being when I predicted Carol or Dess would be the Knight but said nothing about it online because I assumed we wouldn't even be seeing them until Chapter 5. If you think I'm making this up, I also predicted Carol would be a more likely candidate of the 2. I can admit my mistakes).

So... Ramb. This guy was teased all the way back in the first Spamton Sweepstakes. His name is even the link to the Green Room teaser we see on the website, deltarune.com/ramb/

And then when we got the new pages a month or so before release, we got another page that links from this one, deltarune.com/romb/ which ultimately leads you here:

The name of that page is "No one will shed a tear for him." Going into the chapter, whoever "Ramb" was, they were clearly going to be a pretty big deal. But then we go through the chapter, and...

Yeah. He was a lot less important than he was set up to be.

Or was he?

See, people started noticing weird things about him. For one thing, he brings up freedom quite a bit.

He makes this weird comment midway through the chapter:

He's also the person to introduce you to the secret, more open original version of the board games, which ultimately grants you the shadow mantle from this funky lookin fella:

Plus there's the name of the Romb page, "No one will shed a tear for him," which we now know is associated with Ramb. The figure 8 movement of the link around the screen matches how this guy moves in his boss fight, and the ultimate message about needing the mantle to get the crystal is foreshadowing this exact fight.

The fandom came to one conclusion: Not only was Ramb the one we fought for the shadow mantle, he was the original secret boss of Chapter 3. We escaped Tenna too early for the Knight to be able to give him the crystal.

(Page name: "YOU'RE EARLY!")

I'll tell you, this blew me away when I first heard about it. It made the entire Knight fight make total sense, it's why they had a shadow crystal on them, why they don't fit any of the previous secret boss criteria when even Gerson fits them; the freedom talk, the theme, even the theme of being discarded, as dead remains are usually either burnt and scattered or buried.

So this begs the question: why did Toby do this? Why go through all this trouble to set up a character who ultimately doesn't have all that much impact on the story, who's basically a side character in their own quest?

Here I'm gonna start referencing The Device Theory by Mollystars. If you haven't seen it yet, go watch it if you have 10 hours to spare. Even after these previous chapters it still holds up pretty well and is still the single best theory I've seen on the game yet.

In this theory, Molly proposes that Toby's statement of "There's something more important than reaching the end" isn't just about connecting to the world and the characters or some other metaphorical message. There's something in the middle of the game we need to do to be able to see what this game is really trying to do, possibly by using an item or some piece of knowledge gained in Chapter 7. And, well, we're here! Chapter 4 is the middle of the game, where is it? What are we missing?

Is there... any indication that we are missing something?

YES.

(Playthrough footage from Shirrako)

Key phrase being "By the time we got here." Ralsei saying "Our fate is already decided" isn't just about the prophecy, getting to this point in the story, the point where Susie sees how the prophecy is going to end, is the point of no return. At this point, their fates are truly sealed.

This is when Molly's theory became back to me. This is the point in the story where we're supposed to change things. Maybe Susie isn't supposed to see the end of the prophecy, maybe she wasn't supposed to shatter it, I don't know. Whatever it was, it's too late.

Let's go back to Ramb, starting with one of the newer pages on the website, Deltarune.com/chapter5/

Initially I wasn't super convinced by Molly's theory about what the sizes of the chapter numbers indicate. I mean, clearly whether or not they're visible corresponds to whether or not they have a weird route, but Molly proposes that the size represents how much you're able to veer the story off course. What else could you do to veer the story off course except go through a weird route?

But then the chapter came out, and it still didn't really make sense to me. Sure, there are allusions to the weird route and even the Undertale genocide route. But how does that correspond to the size of the chapter numbers? Is it how much the weird route is referenced? How much of a role it plays with the secret bosses? I still had no idea. But thinking about it now, I can't help but think of Ramb, as well as the name of the page. "back."

I don't think Ramb was just made by Toby as a red herring or the way we get the shadow mantle. After all, Seam says it may be impossible to defeat the next secret boss without it, but...

People like Super3559 are actually insane. It's clearly possible.

I think Ramb will play a much more important role later on, and whatever that is, we will need the shadow mantle. Eram was just a warmup. My prediction is that in order to change the story, in order to have true freedom over our fate, for whatever reason, we will need to fight Ramb.

[virtie333]

Your top 3 with Poe and BB8?

My baby and his baby...

Obviously, the top will always be one of my all time favorite moments in the sequel trilogy...

I also love earlier in The Last Jedi when BB is trying tell Poe about Finn and Poe's reaction to it.

Then there is the moment very early in the first movie, when you recognize how much they care about each other. Both characters were just introduced, but you already know the would do anything for the other.

"I'll come back for you!"

Just the fact that BB8 can do a little chirp in a scene and Poe will respond immediately, letting us know he's always paying attention to his droid...

I love them sooooo much!

[splashsans]

★ 100 FOLLOWERS ★

100 follower special - Celebration & Big Exciting News 🗞️✨

After many months since I first introduced Splash Sans to the UTMV community, Splash had officially received 100 FOLLOWERS! 💫

This is exciting news as I've finally made one dream come true. To let people know my character exists. And 100 of you guys, following me is amazing!

Almost everyday, I would check my notifications and activities to see what's happening at the moment all these past months and I finally was able to reach 100 followers. I feel like it's a big accomplishment as I honestly thought no one would really be this interested in my characters until I suddenly started getting a bunch of followers and likes...(Mostly because of my fanart of Sanses like Stitch or Mimic) and introducing Villain Splashy was also very helpful as I got plenty of fanart of him afterwards!

Every time I received fanart from others or had someone draw Splashy, I put them in a folder in my photos, saving every single one so I can keep them forever and ever as a reminder that there are people out there who like my creations! <3

I thank all of you for all of your support and love, you all are amazing and I hope Splash Sans will continue his journey through the months! 🥰

Corrupted Eyes: 🕳️

And more even bigger exciting news...✨

After I receive the votes, the Idea is now officially an AU, but also a big story, featuring Splash Sans and other characters I'll introduce later!

There will soon be info: ℹ️ about Corrupted Eyes on a Tumblr Account I'll make specifically for this AU!

Once again, I thank all of you for all of the love and support you have given us! A bright future awaits us!! 🌟

[nohomie]

Character intro:

Wally

Extra lore dump below

So yeah, Vampires are special because theyre actually manmade.

Vampires where created centuries ago, long before Human and Mythic agreed to live together peacefully. There were still fights between the two and Humanity was on the losing end. It was due to this that led to some royal family trying to play god and turn themselves into a mythic only for it to cause disaster and destruction.

Fun fact, the term vampire stems from their place of origin, Vamais. While not all vampires come from there, there are few that still exist who once lived in Vamais. You can easily tell if a vampire was once a Vami from their unique facial features (no visible nose and facial hair, not even eyebrows) and striking blue hair.

[princema-k]

Detective Layton, Case 1: The Living Museum

Our story begins for our detective and her assistant at The Natural History Museum; reports are pouring in from visitors all over that the exhibits have come alive! Dinosaurs walking, artifacts randomly moving, and paintings blinking and melting before everyone's very eyes! Naturally, it's up to the Detective Layton and Emmy to solve the case once and for all. Can they solve the mystery of the Living Museum?!

(au info/flora | emmy)

(PLEASE IGNORE THE FACT I SPELLED MUSEUM WRONG IN THE PIC OK TAHNKS)

[housemdork]

house md rewatch: 1x22, "honeymoon"

somehow one of the show's tamest season finales still ended up rocking my world.

an episode full of actions speaking louder than words, making it an excellent season one send-off, if you ask me. this one has excellent synergy with the pilot, despite how radically things have changed in the last 21 installments. wilson agrees that house cares about him based on his actions, and in 1x22, house spends the whole episode working in spite of his words to express his love to stacy through caring for mark. even though he can't stand the guy. good one, david shore and co.

3 separate notes i want to make from the top of the episode:

have there always been at least 3 red mugs? i swear we've only seen 1 so far, but one of the earliest scenes showcases 3.

the first drugging incident is in the books! along with their goofy "you dosed me/them/him" lingo.

wilson immediately maxed out his season 1 hypocrisy scale when he told house to "treat the husband. stay away from the wife." just because you abandon your wife all the time does NOT make you the right person to distribute relationship advice. idiot.

my general thoughts on stacy are very positive - i cannot think of a better past love interest for house, nor can i think of anyone who could give a better performance than sela ward. the way she still fits in with house doesn't lessen house's strong characterization thus far, and her screen time feels interesting and warranted throughout. the way she shuts him down when he asks about potential infidelity here gives the instant impression that house cannot mess with her like he does with just about everyone else:

most importantly, what i like about stacy are the ways she problematizes the ethics, or lack thereof, that we've become adjusted to under the Greg House Regime. she strong-arms people all the time as a lawyer, but in a completely opposite venue as house. in her world, there are grey areas abound; she just has to navigate through them all to reach a favorable conclusion. from our experience in 1x21, this was a major point of contention between them, and i think it's a really clever way of showing 2 different life paths manifested in 2 wildly different people with similar moral codes.

but something doesn't sit right (intentionally so): are their understandings of, and respect for, patient autonomy the same?

that house never fights her on this point gives us a superficial answer, at least: yes. stacy demands that house make mark, her current husband, go through a highly dangerous test in the same way that house would have strong-armed any other patient into doing the same thing. he can't refute this point when she throws it in his face, and goes so far as to accuse house of wishing mark would die (more ofc to come of that later):

but, subliminally, there's 2 key differences at play here: stacy hasn't known house that much post-infarction, so she hasn't seen the full impact that her middle-ground medical decision had on him, and now she's advocating for the dangerous procedure, whereas amidst house's infarction, she wanted the more fool-proof, cautious option. they make a nod to the former point when she comments about house bouncing his cane: "some people would find that annoying."

i don't think stacy is aware of this irony - and who would be while their husband is dying of freak brain matter and nerve degeneration? she's operating from a place of love for mark and arguing - in a rather courtroom-esque way, begging house to forego the legal consequences - for him to do something drastic. when he gives in, we see a flash of house's most dangerous side.

this was the least surprising "plot twist" yet btw. house md writers i'm not idiot. i knew he had that Look in his eye and was gonna do it.

it's such a weird moment; house was choosing to be safe by not directly threatening mark's life with a dangerous test, but he was doing it out of selfishness. this highlights a persistent conflict of morals that reappears all over the show. these 2 make a pretty dangerous duo lol.

personally, i'd be lying if i said stacy's disregard for house's choice about his infarction didn't bother me, and i LOVE the discomfort that generates within me as a viewer. i have to hold house to that same standard, but we've been so endeared to his character over time that it's textually difficult to maintain that integrity. maybe it's something to do with how we're taught to consider house as god, too, no matter how often he fails us/the show emotionally? much to think about.

next, i want to highlight this moment of fellow solidarity:

this speaks louder than dozens of words ever could about where the fellows are at emotionally. despite the ways in which they're all like house and all the ways he's influenced them, they can still identify his tipping point. this in and of itself is a small act of love, i'd argue, and we can extrapolate that:

chase, despite being so deep in the shitter with house post-vogler, still cares enough for him to prevent him from making this crazy choice.

foreman hasn't been so corrupted by house as to abandon his morals; he's stood firm against the mini-house accusations by being so consistently upstanding.

cameron can see through house, like she's been trying to all along, and knows that a large chunk of his current motivations are not for mark's benefit.

they each have unique insights into house's breakdown in 1x22 based on their unique relationships to him, all condensed into this brief "three musketeers" formation. love to see it, the fruit of 22 episodes' worth of writerly labor.

circling back to stacy (sorry for how disorganized this recap is!), there's an interesting comparison to make between stacy and wilson's function in this episode. stacy enables house to act on his craziest, instinctive impulses, whereas wilson is demanding the exact opposite - that he keep everything repressed for the sake of the patient. ofc, the highest irony is that, had house done that, mark would have died. this episode doesn't feature wilson's enabling crimes (those haven't come up that much this season, i don't think), but more so acts as a precursor for what's to come on that front.

but i would be VERY REMISS if i didn't mention a scene that i had nearly forgotten about myself that had me open-mouthed, thinking about The Future of this show and of These Two:

something should go here about the sign above wilson's shoulder. very no-turning-back. a nod to how he's quite literally leaving his wife for house here?

wilson gets to do one of my favorite things here: be house's moral compass on the subject he's the least trustworthy about - relationships. but i think this exchange highlights why house comes to wilson with his feelings about mark and stacy; wilson's own imperfections lets the vulnerability come easier. house admits that he was glad that mark's tests were inconclusive, that mark is "probably a great guy...and some part of me wants him to die. i'm just not sure if it's because i want to be with her or if it's because i want her to suffer."

that stacy picks up on this very fact later in the episode speaks to how well she knows house; that house tells wilson and not her shows the high regard that holds her in. that wilson doesn't respond says a lot. in an episode where everyone's voices are especially loud, and when wilson has already scolded house on this whole unraveling stacy debacle, his silence is peaceful...

...and a little bit prophetic. (4x16 spoilers) this reminds me a hell of a lot of a future, much more serious dilemma wherein a certain Broken Moral Compass asks his best friend to undergo a highly dangerous treatment to save someone else whom he loves. it's not perfect, but there's definitely a parallel to be drawn here: does wilson wish for house to undergo the life-threatening brain surgery just to save amber, or is there a small amount of selfishness there that wants to see house suffer? once again, much to think about! check back when i finally get to season 4 lol.

regardless, what i find compelling above all else is how wilson's silence helps prompt house to act above his words -- even though the subsequent actions are exactly the opposite of what wilson had been advising house to do thus far! no matter what his feelings may be about stacy and mark, he solves the case in the end, undoing his previous commitment to wait "for something to change." it was an obvious scapegoat when he said that to stacy, coming from the man who rejects all notions of change.

wilson's influence is even visually represented, too. when house returns to mark's hospital room, determined now to do the crazy thing and give him the dangerous treatment, we get a very brief shot of the teddy bear that wilson sent stacy and mark (he's so annoying lol):

lastly, i liked the step 1x22 took in throwing one of the show's background themes into the spotlight: house's neediness.

we've seen traces of it growing throughout the season, especially in how he tries to maintain order among the fellows, keeping them at his side while also self-sabotaging. it's clear to anyone that he can be exhausting to be around, but stacy confirms that this exhaustion extends well into his romantic/intimate relationships as well. according to her, while he is The One: "i was lonely. with mark, there's room for me."

OOF.

this somewhat contradicts what i said earlier about stacy not knowing house as he is now; like she told cameron, he's been This Way for a while - this also has interesting implications for wilson's comment during "detox" about whether house's changing behavior is "just the leg" or not. the antisocial behavior predates the infarction - very important in the Gregory House Timeline, and i think it actually endears us to him even more. and the mystery just got deeper, too.

in stacy's POV, he's always been needy. the relationship was always consuming, all about him. and as we well know, this isn't a trend that goes away. each of the fellows will grow apart from house, though at different paces and for very different reasons, and his future romantic relationships do the same, too.

but there IS someone who has a house-shaped hole in their heart, someone who defies the relationships that house has worn out thus far and will wear out in the future, someone that goes so far as to say that we "can't really choose who our friends are" because house fits that empty space too well.

"my wife's gonna kill me. we're having company. she cooked."

"i got mark's latest bloodwork. he's not responding to treatment."

"i'm sorry."

stacy was completely right to say that her relationship with house was too all-consuming; we see that play out again in the first half of season 2. but we also lay the seeds for what happens when there are 2 people, stricken with that same neediness dilemma, who are balanced perfectly for the other person, no matter how toxic things may become.

are there more things i could talk about? absolutely! i think i'll be doing an overall season recap, so i can evaluate some more atp. for now, happy end of season 1. wow, has the show transformed!! i'm sure that the final shot of the season being house contemplatively downing some vicodin isn't foreshadowing how his addiction becomes much more destructive in season 2...

HE'S SO SEASON 5 HERE.

[nouverx]

Guys maybe it's time for me to introduce my ocs 💥

Lehti is my main oc and the protagonist!! I created him in 2019 and he's the one I drew the most in my life. He's a human, though he doesn't look like one. He's very ostracised from society because of his appearance and his disability, the other humans even want him dead for reasons I can't really explain yet. He can't have any real job so he lives of thievery and decided to actively become a menace to society as vengeance 😈

Melek is his sign language translator/interpretor! She is his voice and his ears. She was an homeless orphan, he took her in and provides her housing and food in exchange of her services. She follows him around everywhere to translate everything for him. She wears a mask because helping out Lehti one way or another is seen as treason and is punishable by death by the other humans, so he makes her wear it to protect her identity.

At first their relationship was only transactional, with time they became more like siblings.

Maybe one day I'll turn those ocs into a real fantasy story, who knows

Some more rambling about my ocs teehee

Lehti is very fun but also enigmatic. He doesn't seem to mind being a wanted man, even pulls of the theatrics when he's being chased. He's very similar to Lupin the Third in that regard, very playful, loves the attention and likes to taunt and have fun while thieving. He has very low empathy and doesn't really get sad or angry easily. It's like "Oh everyone wants me dead for no reason? Fun!" kind of chaotic neutral. He does have a darker/more sadistic side sometimes when interacting with the humans, so he might be motivated by vengeance in a deeper level 🤷 who knows

Also he's transmasc!! If that wasn't obvious enough lol. Medical transition isn't a thing in their fantasy universe, but it's ok he's not dysphoric or anything. He gets misgendered a lot but Melek is the only one who hears it and she always corrects people so it's a win for him

I don't usually take the time to post or talk about my ocs because I always end up brainrotting about something else, I really want to try and draw them more!

Melek on the other hand is very timid. She doesn't speak much outside of her job and was really just following him around like a shadow at the beginning. She didn't really have any goal in life before and was just surviving, now that she has a more "secure" situation (aka not having to worry about food or housing anymore), she's learning how to enjoy life again and even create a future for herself. I love her and she's a character that I'd love to develop more!

[paintpanic]

Resurrection AU: Joronia

Upon coming back from the dead, Joronia is currently staying with Taranza, the only person in Dream Land she knows. She is sleeping on his couch in his small home in Dream Land.

She remembers everything she felt and did while corrupted, which she feels terrible about. She's taking the initiative to find everyone she's personally wronged and make it up to them however she's able, which will be very difficult and embarrassing for her.

Joronia is energetic and driven, but a bit haughty. She's struggling to adjust to the life of a relative commoner, having been raised in a palace with every need of hers met. Joronia's very outgoing, but she struggles at connecting with other people.

Her biggest worry is about her friendship with Taranza, and whether it can be repaired after everything she's done.

(AU explanation here!)

[tagarilaghost]

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / SE5 (you are here)

I do in fact regularly gaslight my friends for their own good.

I can't have them suspecting the truth after all. (aka continuation of @the-cr0w 's playthrough)

[atalienart]

"Wysoki i szczupły, K. był kwintesencją elegancji, od nienagannego ubioru, szytego według najnowszej mody, przez starannie ułożone, piaskowe włosy, po sposób w jaki się trzymał."

[burningcheese-merchant]

The relationship between Burning spice and Pepper Jack reminds me terribly of the relationship between CrowFeather and Breezepelt

of warrior cats

you just inspired by them?

Oh my God... Jesus, Mary and Joseph... Warrior Cats........ Got sent back in time like 15 years with this ask. I feel so old right now.... Live footage here

No actually, I wasn't thinking of Crowfeather and Breezepelt 😅😅😅 in all honesty I've been taking a lot of inspiration for Burning Spice and Pepper Jack's relationship from Kratos and Atreus from God of War (4 and 5). The sort of redemption arc/change of heart and post-redemption attitude/behavior I gave Spice in my canon bears a bit of resemblance to how Kratos behaves in GoW, and while I was imagining his relationship with Jack I remembered what Kratos goes through with his own son and realized I could maybe learn from that and see how I could make my version work with these two characters instead. Former mass-murdering, vengeful lunatic who's calmed down and realized the error of his ways and is just trying to carve out a decent life with his new family, having some issues connecting with his son because they're so different from each other in so many ways, and also because the father is hiding the truth of his dark past out of shame and fear of what the son will say and think. (Obviously I don't want to just straight up rip off GoW, just take inspiration haha. I think I've made my own take unique enough that I don't have to worry about it much)

I do want to draw Spice and Jack dressed up as Kratos and Atreus one of these days though :P maybe for Halloween or something. Gonna title it "God of Destruction" instead of God of War. It'll be cool I promise

... Chat, should I try to depict the family as cats from Warrior Cats now? I'm getting hit with nostalgia so fucking hard rn

[windslar]

current project: streamline my editing process

[cirrus-grey]

Georgie sounds like she may be without a Melanie and I am devastated.

[befuddled-calico-whump]

The Revenge Stream: Part One

contains: Vic Shepard, red room setting, whumper turned whumpee, violence, beating, noncon nudity/forced stripping, adult language, third person POV

next

•

Normally it's common sense to avoid random links that pop up in your inbox.

Everything about it screams virus, from the restricted sender, to the jumbled string of letters and symbols that make up the link itself, to the subject line, a simple “gift for you”. Normally, you'd delete it immediately. Maybe report it as spam. But something holds you back. A single line in the message body.

Anyone for vengeance?

You're intrigued. It's not the typical line a scammer might use. After a few minutes spent wrestling with your own common sense, you decide to do the probably stupid thing and click on the hyperlink. The pull of your curiosity is just too strong to be ignored.

The link leads to a simple website with a layout that's almost laughably bad. Any sense of design is nonexistent, and the sole feature of the page appears to be some sort of livestream. Its screen is dark, but the timestamp in the corner is moving. Whatever camera it's attached to, it's rolling.

What is this? You wait a minute, watching the clock tick upwards, but nothing changes. Silence and a dark screen. Definitely not worth the risk of a virus.

Just as you're about to call it quits and close the tab, the screen floods with light.

A gloved hand fills the frame, holding what looks like a lense cap, silhouetted against a background of barren concrete. As the hand moves away, the room comes into focus, revealing a figure at its center.

It appears to be a man, barefoot and tied to a chair. He's slumped forward, graying hair obscuring his face.

You know you should feel dread. Panic, even. But instead, your interest only grows, and you find yourself holding your breath as the camera steadies. There's a small pop, and the audio of the feed crackles to life.

“This thing on?” a voice says, its owner stepping into frame. They're dressed in light grey sweatpants with a matching hoodie, a white mask obscuring their face.  “We've got oh… fifty, fifty-five guests by my count. Seems like a good place to start.” They move to the man in the chair, taking a fistful of his hair and yanking his head back, angling his face towards the camera. He's gagged with a twisted strand of cord, and his face is a bit cut up, but he seems alert. And pissed.

“Ladies and gentlemen, meet Victor Shepard. If you're watching this, it's because he's fucked up your life in some way. Maybe he killed a loved one. Maybe he destroyed your company, or provided blackmail material that ruined your reputation. I dunno. Jack of all trades, this one.” They loosen their grip, and Shepard's head drops. 

“Point is, I'm here to make him pay. For you.” You can almost hear them grin behind the mask.

Your hands clench, eyes glued to the monitor screen. Fuck. This is a red room stream, isn't it? And a personal one at that. While this reveal should have you reaching for your phone and dialing 9-1-1, you almost feel… excited. You want to see more. Even if the link reaching your inbox was a fluke, there's no way you're backing out.

“Well,” the masked figure continues. “Let's get this party started, huh? What's up first?”

In the corner of the screen, a poll appears.

Strip him, reads the first option.

Rough him up, the second one says. A timer is kicking down beneath the buttons. Fifty-nine seconds.

Should you click one? Does it make you complacent if you do? You’d almost feel better if you didn't, like you're just an innocent bystander, watching something you have no real power to stop. And that makes it okay, right?

Before you can finish justifying it to yourself, the poll ends. ‘Strip him’ is the victor, fifty votes to eighteen.

The masked figure moves out of frame again, and you hear them click their tongue. “Hope you're not shy, big guy.”

When they move back into view of the camera, they're holding a knife.

“Gonna have to cut some of the ropes, but I'm not too worried about it.” They grab the camera, rotating it to face the rest of the room, and for the first time you see its other occupants, two figures clad in the same grey as the speaker. They're also masked, and each of them holds an assault rifle at the ready.

“Michael and Uriel over here got me covered if he tries anything. Really hope he doesn't though. I do wanna give you a show.”

As they spin the camera back around, you catch a split second glimpse of the speaker's working area. A slim laptop surrounded by what looks like a bunch of weapons and power tools. If those are all for Shepard, you don't doubt they will indeed be putting on a show.

They re-steady the camera and step back onscreen, closing in on the man in the chair. Their knife slides through the ropes around his chest with ease, and they fall to the ground in a heap. The figure shifts so they're not blocking Shepard from the camera's view, then begins a slice down the middle of his shirt.

They cut away the cloth—chest, shoulders, arms—before moving to his pants, but Shepard doesn't struggle. If anything, his body language seems calm. Placid, even, though when you catch a glimpse of his eyes you can see a sharp anger. You imagine the only thing keeping him in place right now is the gunmen on the other side of the room.

The pile of discarded scraps beside the chair grows, and soon the captive is stark naked. Under his clothes, his body is all lean muscle and old scars, the dark silhouette of some kind of bird tattooed on his chest. You don't doubt what the speaker—the host—said before. This guy seems pretty capable of ruining lives.

The host steps back, admiring their work. “There we go. A canvas at the ready. Shall we move on? What tool should I grab?”

In the corner of your screen, another poll appears.

Electric sander.

Switch.

Seeing an electric sander listed as a potential torture tool makes your stomach twist, but you can't tell if it's disgust or excitement that’s behind the feeling. Again, you only watch as the timer ticks down.

Three…

Two…

One…

To your relief, (or is it disappointment?) the switch comes out ahead.

Behind the mask, the host’s excitement seems to grow.

“Ohoho, we have a winner,” they say, and you hear a light clattering offscreen. When they step back in front of the camera, they're holding the chosen tool; a thick, stiff strip of leather, metal studding one end. They give it a test swish through the air. The sound gets no reaction from Shepard.

“How many do you think he's good for? The metal bits are gonna leave a mark.” The host moves behind the camera, and from their comments, you can guess they're reading through viewer feedback.

“Ten? I'd call that light. Oh, twenty five is more like it— a hundred?” They whistle. “Okay, that might be a bit high. The night is young.”

You scan your monitor screen. In the top corner, there's a little message icon, which you assume is how everyone else is communicating with the host. You briefly consider dropping a request of your own, but then they speak up.

“Let's go with fifty. Happy medium, eh?”

Your eyes dart back down, and you watch as they stroll towards Shepard, smacking the switch lightly against their gloved palm as they move.

“Brace for impact,” they say cheerfully, before cracking the implement across Shepard's chest. His head snaps backwards, a pained noise escaping him.

One. A giddiness is growing in your chest, eager to count down until the man's first scream. The host seems just as energized as you, attacking Shepard’s torso like they're beating dirt out of a rug.

Several seconds pass before they come to a stop, winded. Their arm drops, and they sidestep, letting the camera take in Shepard. His torso is covered in welts, bleeding in some places where the studs broke skin. Aside from a few pained hisses and grunts, he's been silent.

“Fuck,” the host says. “I lost count. What was that? Was that fifty? Forty five?”

They shake their arms, as if to loosen their shoulders.

“We'll call it forty.”

Snap!

The switch comes down, this time cracking across Shepard's face. You wince at the impact. That's gotta hurt. The host continues the attack. Their strokes seem slower now, not as sharp, but they're aiming high, striking him across the nose, cheek, collarbone. Forty eight actually drags a yelp out of the man as metal collides with a welt on his cheekbone, and your heart leaps at the sound.

Forty nine swipes the corner of his mouth, drawing blood, and then…

“Cincuenta,” says the host, letting the switch drop. “Not impressed, hm Vicky? We can change that.” They stroll to their workstation, and you hear the clatter of the switch’s metal tip hitting the table.

A moment later, a third poll appears on the screen.

Whip him, says the first button.

Cut off his tattoo, says the second. 

Holy fuck. That seems a bit extreme, but… fun? Maybe? The guy's a piece of shit, right? He probably deserves much worse. Right?

“Cast your votes,” the host’s voice rings out, and you watch as the poll goes live, the clock suddenly ticking backwards.

“What do you think will make him scream?”

•

[ferronite]

Got distracted writing chapter 1 and now its almost 5am but before i go collapse I actually managed to start writing and one(1) person asked for it so:

(I would appreciate feedback but also this prologue was finished at like 3:30 am so. please be nice to me ;-;)

On Faded Gold and Starless Skies [title subject to change]

Prologue

Chapter 1 ->

A grating mechanical whirr echoes throughout the grey room, rebounding off of the plated walls and metal floor to create a cacophonous clamor. From behind the safety of the reinforced glass, three figures wait with bated breath for whatever may follow.

The whirring finally fades, and is replaced by a deafening silence. Seconds pass. Then a minute. Then two. As the silence stretches onwards to the third, one of the three behind the glass begins to edge sideways. Before they can reach the desk positioned against the wall, however-

Ding!

The silence is broken by a lone bell chime.

“Test passed.”

There is a pause as the figures note down the success of this experiment, but before long their gazes have returned to that which lies beyond the glass barrier.

“Commencing the next trial.”

Despite their words, not a single change can be observed in the room. All is quiet, with no movement to be seen – nothing seems to have changed about the room itself, either. But after a minute that seems to last an eternity, a strange, distorted ringing echoes through the silence. And then-

Nothingness. Darkness. The void, cut through by a shifting blue and a myriad of glimmering lights. A landscape that is both unnervingly alien and strangely familiar. The ticking of a clock resounding in the distance. A voice, or perhaps several, emanating from nowhere – or perhaps from everywhere – its words echoing throughout the space, overlapping each other to create an incomprehensible and yet enchanting chorus. The landscape contorts. Swirls in on itself. The innumerable specks of light converge, forming a lone star that eclipses all else. It seems to demand attention. The ticking grows louder, faster.

A hand, outstretched towards that brilliant light. Everything else fades from view. The star is all that exists here. Nothing else matters. Reaching towards that star, the ticking picks up further. A moment of contact. Warmth. Jarring, yet not unpleasant. The star pulses. It is contemplating. The warmth increases to a searing heat as it thinks. The star grows brighter, the ticking increasing in volume. There is a brief, blinding flash of light, a burning heat. It has made its decision.

The star collapses in on itself.

In its absence, darkness rushes in once more.

Falling. The black abyss of the void. There is nothing here, anymore. Nothing but the ticking of a clock. The endless dark expanse. The falling. The sounds of people shouting. They are drowned out by the ticking. It has grown deafening now. Feverish. Erratic.

Tick-tick-tick-tick-tick

It keeps growing faster, louder.

Tickticktickticktickticktick-

The sound continues to grow. There is no distinction anymore. It has formed a singular never-ending beat. Drowned out everything else. So, what could come next, except…

Nothingness.