#in safe confinement of a video game world

[onlyancunin]

One of the runs I currently do is reloaded save of my fav durge V (Violet, but she hates that name), where she ascended Astarion.

I think it unlocked something in me, I spent like 4 h yesterday just straight out murdering people in Baldurs Gate. Elfsong Tavern looks like a borscht, comparable only to the intestined interiors of the Moonrise Towers or decadently decaying decor of the Bhaal Temple.

And of course this knucklehead showed up which reminded me to grab the chef's grab on my way out (also Minthara lmao):

Screw the plot, this is my plot now. I thought Ascended Astarion was bad but somehow I think I'm even worse.

Baldur's Gate prepare because I'm really having a taste for beetroots.

P.S. Yes AA told V she needs to "look presentable now" and coerced her to put on a dress, fix her makeup and wear her hair down. He likes it better that way and it conceals the "ugly scar on her face". Funny how it never bothered him before.

[axeeglitter]

Thank you Aunty!

Kevin stood at the bottom of the stairs, his fingers nervously fidgeting with the edge of his hoodie. The faint hum of the video game console came from his brother’s room upstairs—his game console, the one he hadn’t seen in over a week. Tom, his older brother, had broken his own during one of his infamous rage fits and, as usual, had claimed Kevin’s without asking. Now, Kevin had to muster the courage to go into the lion’s den to retrieve what was rightfully his.

It had always been like this. Tom dominated the house, dominated everything—whether it was sports, academics, or the social scene, Tom excelled effortlessly while Kevin faded into the background. Kevin had learned to keep his head down, to avoid confrontation, and find solace in his small, private world of video games and fantasy. In the confines of his bedroom, Kevin could indulge in the quiet, inner life that made him feel safe. But that was hard to do without it.

Kevin was the exact opposite of his brother. He didn’t exhale cockiness or manly attitude. He was someone kind, a good friend, someone that everybody could rely on. He was good in classes and next year he’ll become the Teacher Assistant and own a small salary with it. Even if he didn’t have a lot of muscles or hair on his chest like his brother, he was someone pleasant to look at with sparkling eyes and a vivid smile. Yes, Kevin was a good person, but most of all, Kevin hated the attitude of his bully of a brother. He himself had been his brother’s target for long years before he was done and moved on to another target, a gay shy nerdy kid named Jared 3 years younger than himself that was into witchy and supernatural stuff.

Kevin hesitated, one foot on the first step. His heart pounded at the thought of what might happen if Tom caught him sneaking into his room. Maybe he'd yell. Maybe he'd mock him. Maybe he’d find some new way to make Kevin’s life miserable. Tom was a master at that—never outright cruel, but always managing to twist Kevin’s words, make him feel small, insignificant. There was nothing Kevin hated more than that feeling, that constant reminder that he was the lesser sibling.

But there was no way he could go another day without his controller. He clenched his fists and forced himself to move, taking each step with caution, his footsteps barely audible on the carpeted stairs. The faint sound of the game drifted from under Tom’s door, making Kevin’s stomach tighten.

When he reached the door, he paused, listening for any signs that Tom was in the room. Silence, aside from the repetitive hum of the game. Kevin bit his lip, heart racing as he quietly turned the knob and pushed the door open just a crack. Tom’s room was a mess—clothes strewn across the floor, half-empty energy drink cans stacked on his desk, the air thick with the smell of sweat and cologne. But Tom wasn’t in there. The game on the TV was paused, but the controller lay on the bed, completely unattended.

“Thank God”, Kevin breathed a sigh of relief and stepped inside, tiptoeing over to the bed where the controller lay. He grabbed it, feeling the familiar weight in his hands. This would only take a second. He’d be in and out, no confrontation, no awkward run-ins.

As he turned to leave, something caught his eye—a strange shimmer in the corner of the room, like a flicker of light reflecting off a surface that shouldn’t be there. Kevin froze, his fingers tightening around the controller. He wasn’t alone.

At first, he thought it might be Tom, playing some kind of prank. But as the shimmer grew brighter, Kevin’s heart skipped a beat. The light twisted and warped in the air, forming into the shape of a person—a woman, draped in a long, tattered cloak. Her face was obscured by shadows, but her eyes glowed with an unnatural light.

Kevin’s throat tightened. Who the hell was she? And how had she just appeared out of nowhere?

The woman stepped forward, her gaze fixed on him, and her lips curled into a sneer. “Tom,” she spat, her voice sharp and full of venom. “I’ve been looking for you.”

Kevin blinked, his mind scrambling to make sense of what was happening. “I—I’m not—”

The woman cut him off, raising her hand with a flick of her wrist. “Enough of your lies, boy.” Her voice was ice-cold, and Kevin felt a chill run down his spine. “You think you can bully my nephew, torment him day after day, and face no consequences? Well, not anymore.”

Panic surged through Kevin as a strange green light began to pulse from her hand, swirling around her fingers like smoke. “She thinks I’m Tom!” His heart raced, and he stumbled backward, nearly tripping over Tom’s bed in his haste to explain. “No, wait! I’m not Tom! You’ve got the wrong—”

The words barely left his mouth before the green light shot forward, curling around his body like a vine. Kevin gasped, his limbs locking in place as the magic constricted him, tightening around his chest and pulling him toward the woman. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe. His fingers twitched uselessly around the controller as the light dragged him across the room.

“Please!” Kevin’s voice cracked with desperation. “I’m not him! You don’t understand!”

But the woman’s expression only darkened, her eyes empty of emotions and looking in the distance as she was too focused on her doings to hear what Kevin had to say. “You’re a coward, Tom. Always running, always hiding behind that smug arrogance. But today, you’ll pay for what you’ve done.”

Before Kevin could plead again, the green light flared brightly, enveloping him completely. The world around him shifted, twisting and warping in a blur of colors and shapes. Kevin’s stomach lurched as he was flung backward onto Tom’s bedroom walls, his body hurtling through space and crashing into the poster covered wall. Under his weight, Kevin started to feel a new sensation, it was like the wall was become softer. He tried to move his hands when he felt a weird slimy sensation on his fingers but couldn’t.

Kevin’s heart skipped a beat as he realized what was happening. He wasn’t just crashing into the poster—he was being pulled into one.

“No! No, stop!” Kevin’s voice echoed in the small room as his body was sucked into the glossy surface of the poster, his limbs flailing uselessly as he tried to hold on to anything, anything that could anchor him. But there was nothing. The room blurred and twisted until all that remained was the image of Kevin screaming face stuck on the poster, standing tall, unmovable. With a faint Thud, the controller fell back on the bed like nothing happened.

For a moment, everything was dark. Kevin’s body felt weightless, like he was floating in some kind of void. He couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, couldn’t even breathe. Panic gnawed at him, but it was muted by the disorienting stillness that surrounded him.

Then, the pain began.

It started slowly—just a dull ache in his arms and legs, like the feeling of a pulled muscle. But it didn’t stop there. The ache grew, spreading through his entire body, the pain sharpening as his muscles began to stretch and contort. Kevin wanted to scream, but his mouth wouldn’t open. He couldn’t even close his eyes to block out the horror of what was happening to him.

He looked down, his vision fuzzy and distorted, and what he saw sent a jolt of terror through him. His hands—they weren’t his hands anymore. The fingers were longer, thicker, and his palms had broadened, veins rising beneath the skin. His once-slender fingers swelled with muscle, the bones inside them shifting painfully as they transformed into something stronger, more powerful.

His arms followed suit, the muscles bulging beneath his skin, his biceps and forearms thickening and expanding, forcing his small frame into a body that was nothing like his own. His shoulders broadened, his chest ballooning out as his pecs swelled into two thick slabs of muscle. His ribcage expanded, forcing his torso into a shape that was foreign, alien.

Kevin’s skin burned as the transformation continued, his limbs contorting painfully as they grew larger, thicker. His thighs swelled with muscle, his calves bulging as his legs were reshaped into powerful pillars of strength. His clothes melted away, dissolving into nothingness, leaving his new body exposed. But the exposure was brief. In their place, something new began to form.

Black and blue leather straps snaked around his chest, tightening as they wrapped around his bulging pecs. The harness constricted, digging into his skin, the leather pulling taut across his now-muscular frame. Kevin wanted to tear it off, to scream, but his body wouldn’t respond. He was locked in place, trapped in this new form.

His jeans were next to go, dissolving into thin air as his thighs grew even larger. Kevin’s heart raced as the sensation of the cold darkness enveloped his bottom half. There, tilting down, his cock started to grow in length. Kevin started to feel all his nerve system going overstimulation as new connections were created. His balls were next as they started to grow and bulge larger and bigger. Kevin could feel all his cum moving around in his new upgraded nuts. In the room, the witch was still looking at the transformation going on, hearing all of Kevin’s mind complaints and loving what she was seeing. As Kevin felt pleasure coming from his newly upgraded dick, she flicked her wrist and snapped her hands. Suddenly, Kevin felt the sensation of the leather return, this time wrapping around his hips, forming a tight jockstrap that pressed snug against his skin. The straps bit into his waist, holding him in place, restricting his movements. Kevin felt his new semi hard dick constricted into this tick thick jockstrap, feeling his sensitive cockhead rubbing on it. But as his vision cleared out, he saw the witch looking at him in front of him. It was like looking into a window straight into his brother’s room. There he saw her, calm, happy. As he tried to beg for his freedom once more, he saw something that froze his blood. With one more snap and a smile from her, Kevin felt the pressure in the jockstrap disappear. It was like his hard on was gone. But as he was feeling better, that’s when he felt even worse. All of a sudden, his exposed ass felt penetrated and he was feeling like his cock was fucking something hot and wet. Kevin tried to scream understanding what it meant. He didn’t know how it was possible, but Kevin was fucking himself with his new improved sensitive cock into his new tight ass. With every movement, Kevin felt the orgasm coming closer and closer but never reaching it. With every movement, his dick was fucking his virgin prostate and sending him waves of euphoria. But Kevin’s face never shown any signs of this, he was standing there, immobile, frozen into a body that wasn’t his in a situation that shouldn’t be possible.

Kevin tried to please one more time but this time all he felt was a new wave of pain as the last remaining thing of his true identity started to change as well—his face.

Kevin could feel the bones in his jaw shifting, his cheekbones rising, his chin sharpening. His nose straightened, his lips grew fuller, and his eyes narrowed into a commanding gaze. His hair darkened, growing longer and falling into thick locks that framed his new face. His vision blurred as his eyes shifted position to better suit his new identity. His brows thickened and his shin grew a faint stubble that would stay like that permanently. Then, all around his body, he stated to feel tingling as hair started to grow. A faint happy trail leading to a hairy groin, hairy and musky pits that emitted a thick pungent scent all around him and slightly hairy legs that led to his new improved size 16 feet. The only thing remaining from his previous self were his eyes. Even a witch has her limit and the eyes are the mirror of the soul, and Kevin’s soul was now trapped in this new reality of his. The transformation was complete. He was no longer Kevin. He was the man from the poster.

A deep, primal panic surged through him. “I’m not Tom! I’m not Tom!” The thought screamed in his mind, but his body refused to move, refused to respond. He was frozen, locked in the same pose as the man from the poster, his muscular body rigid, his face a mask of dominance.

Kevin’s world was now flat, two-dimensional, a glossy image on a piece of paper. He could see, he could think, but he couldn’t move, couldn’t escape. He was trapped, a prisoner in the body of a fantasy.

The woman’s voice echoed through the void, her cruel laughter filling his mind. “Look at you now, Tom. Trapped in the perfect body, forever stuck on a wall where you can’t hurt anyone else. A fitting punishment for someone who took pleasure in causing pain. Enjoy eternity watching the one you enjoyed bullying!”

Kevin’s mind screamed in terror, but there was no one left to hear. With one last snap of her fingers, the poster with Kevin in it started to disintegrate into dust that flew out of the room by the window. On the other side of the city, in Jared’s bedroom, a poster appeared on his walls with a note on it “Found this at the store, thought you might like it, XOXO Aunty”.

Jared’s face illuminated as he turned around to see the new poster materialize on his wall with the note. “This one is perfect!” he told himself as he sat on his bed imagining what he would do with someone like in the picture as his hand slide down his pants. “Thank you Aunty!”. Jared would never know that his new favorite jerk off material had Kevin’s soul trapped in it forced to watch Jared jerk off to his picture day after day, night after night, looking the days goes by and the sleepless night pass. No, Jared would never know that Kevin was at the wrong place at the wrong time and he was now trapped in this new reality of his, or that Kevin was forced to fuck himself forever while trying to free himself from this hell. In Tom’s bedroom, the witch smiled as she heard a tingling in her left hear, meaning that the poster had arrived perfectly at his new home. She smiled as she flicked her wrist one more time smiling as she disappeared into green and dark hue, like nothing never happened.

______________________________________________________________

Hey eveyrone! Hope you'll like this new original story. Halloween is jsut around the corner so I thought why not start to play a bit with witches, curses and pretty much anything Halloween themed. As always, feel free to reach out to me if you want or send me me messages or DM with story ideas you'd like to see me write. I love reading your messages and I'll try to answer them all (as much as I can). Take care of yourselves and see you soon!

[myfandomrealitea]

ok I’ll be honest, I was one of the people who approached your safe space post with the mindset “yeah, but…” like, I now whole-heartedly agree that there should absolutely be fandom spaces devoid of real world issues. We all need our spaces to rest and relax. I think I just felt weird about your post because previously ive been in fandom spaces which did operate on the (perfectly fine) rule of ‘no politics’…but ‘politics’ would also include talking about a gay ship or any queer headcannons.

That obviously wasn’t fair to you because you obviously didn’t mean that w/ your post, but I can personally see as to why some people would feel that way if they were in similar fandom spaces. I do still want to reiterate I do agree with your post and I think some of the rebloggers took it…a bit far? Like Jesus Christ some of y’all need to eat a snickers. I also think some of the wording like “bitching about world issues” and “whining about their shitty parents” might’ve thrown me off but that’s not your fault and really a non-issue 🤷🏽‍♀️

you can delete this ask if you want I really won’t mind, I think I can just see as to why there were so many ‘yeah, but…’ rebloggers.

I actually really appreciate asks like this. For a multitude of reasons, but also because it gives really good insight and outer perspective for both me and other people who are aware of or involved in the discussion.

I think what a lot of people don't yet grasp about me is that while I may hold an opposing view to yours (general, not directed), in the vast majority of cases I still very much understand why people would think the way they do and where that thought process comes from and goes.

Its very, very easy to fall into the mindset of thinking that not helping when you have the ability to makes you a bad person or however in/directly causes suffering. Its very easy to be in the mindset of one single individual making a magnitude of difference.

I fully and genuinely understand and comprehend a lot of the points being brought up.

I just don't agree with them and hold a different outlook on those issues.

For example:

Talking about enjoying a queer ship to me is not 'political' in the sense that, personally, if you're a homophobe and upset by generic conversations about queer people, I really could not give a fuck. And if you raise objections to me talking about two dudes kissing, I'm simply going to remove you from my space because clearly it is not beneficial for either of us to share it. And I made it.

Its obviously very very much down to personal discretion to decide where that line is and what that bracket encompasses, but I think the most universal aspect of that safe space post was trying to get people to understand that forcing others to suffer in solidarity isn't activism and that strangers are not obligated to allow you to use them as support and a dumping ground for your needs.

Spreading around videos of people's dead loved ones isn't activism.

Spamming taglines and buzzwords on completely unrelated posts and videos isn't activism.

Relying on complete strangers for emotional and mental support and regulation while dumping vulnerable, graphic, personal information on them is neither safe nor healthy.

People are not obligated to smother or confine their happiness because of your misery. If you're having a bad day you have no right to tell other people they can't be happy in front of you.

A lot of people, mostly white knighters and people of color took the post as "a white privileged pig saying its okay to let racism slide because you want to play your video games" (actual hate mail I received) and that's so laughably and wildly far from the actual basis of the post.

I've had bigots in my servers before. Homophobes or racists who've slipped through the cracks.

You know what happens when they say something homophobic or racist?

They're immediately removed, blocked and reported, and their information is placed in a private document I keep. I issue an apology to the members of the server for their actions, and life goes on.

People are, of course, entitled to take the post as they see fit. They're entitled to their own perspectives and opinions. I'm more than happy to simply focus on the people who have taken support, guidance and solace in the post.

[leechiourdes]

I have an idea based on a last night: where I Eat Pasta for Breakfast was a 16-bit horror-thriller RPG video game (developed by Sega for some reason) with a very detailed combat system and a very plot-driven narrative with a lot of intrigue and a really really insanely good soundtrack that had a similar sound to the Undertale OST.

When Lazari first meets Slender in the woods instead of just going with him, you take control of her as the player character and fight the Slenderman as the first battle in the game for the tutorial on the combat system. Obviously you lose and you go with him anyway, but Slender remains wary of you (Lazari) for the rest of the game and her decision to fight him influences the endings.

Speaking of endings, from there the story can go into multiple different endings, none of which being particularly good:

The Bad Ending, where Slender decides that the only way to keep Lazari safe from Zalgo and his associates is to trap her in the Mansion and never allow her to leave

The Worse Ending, which is basically the same as the Bad Ending, but instead of being trapped inside the Mansion but being freely allowed to move around the building, Lazari is confined to one room and only occasionally given food

The Terrible Ending, where Lazari is straight up killed by Slender in the very end order to avoid her landing into the hands of Zalgo, thinking that there's no other way to save himself or the people close to him

The Dreadful Ending, where Lazari is thrown out the window by EJ and she is saved by Sadiya as usual, but Sadiya decides to hand Lazari back to Zalgo, and Lazari, finally thinking that she has a place where she truly belongs, has her sense of self and identity discarded by Zalgo as she's slowly turned into a mindless subservient puppet for him that does whatever he wants, brutally killing and eating Slender and his allies, who previously were kind to her and gave her shelter when she was abandoned

and finally, and possibly the most pleasant,

The Evil Ending, where Lazari makes a deal with Evil to get rid of her demonic Zalgoid-half, live life as a normal human and make it so that none of this ever happened, but in exchange, she sacrifices the lives and existences of Slender and his allies. Lazari is reborn in another world as a pure human and lives as a happy child, but in transporting herself to this ideal world and getting rid of Slender and Co. back her her old one, her old universe soon falls to Zalgo without Slender constantly pushing him back, and he destroys the entire previous world, with the implication that he will soon be going after Lazari's new ideal world next.

[stranded-labyrinth]

i was going to start this as a joke, but you know what? i'm serious about it now.

yes, i am going to ask you to imagine Will and Hannibal playing Minecraft together.

it gets brought up in a session by Hannibal, who has it on his tablet since another patient kept talking about it, and he figured he would take a closer look to understand what they were telling him. he immediately sees it as an opportunity, a calm thought experiment that couldn't be taken as manipulation.

and so, he asks Will to create a world with him, asking the question, "In a world where you could do just about anything, free of real world consequences, what would you do?"

Will, of course, takes to fishing and collecting tamed wolves. that was to be expected. it was also to be expected, if difficult to watch, when he cried after one of his wolves burned to death in lava.

Hannibal soon finds himself building their home, since Will would often forget that he does actually need to try to survive in this game. Will gets caught up in other tasks, collecting raw materials for the two.

Will smacks him away when Hannibal tries to take down the dirt hut Will built. it would seem Will was rather sentimental about many things in this game.

Hannibal is entertained that Will seems reluctant to slaughter any of the farm animals they've procured in-game, even for the sake of food. Hannibal, of course, takes up the butchering, and most of the food-based crafting recipes. he almost constantly asks about Will's hunger bar.

Hannibal knew by then that people often did horrid things in this game, tormenting villagers, spawning loads of animals into a confined space, etc. he wondered what acts of cruelty Will would eventually do in this game. it becomes difficult to imagine, though, when Hannibal's in-game character gets smacked by Will for even accidentally hitting an innocent creature.

Will exclusively slays the monsters the game has to offer. he finds he has a difficult time killing Endermen unless necessary (as in, he accidentally looked one in the eye and they rushed at him immediately), as he's become rather fond of them. they hate eye contact as much as he does.

eventually, Hannibal has built the two a beautiful home, as decorated as he could make it. Will thought it was hilarious how luxurious Hannibal had insisted on making it, as though he couldn't even thrive in a video game without living in a mansion. he does find himself a bit flattered that Hannibal took the time to try to mesh the two's tastes as best as he could, even in a game.

the little world went quiet when Will was away in the BSCHI.

during a session with Bedelia, Hannibal admits to still feeding the little tamed wolves Will loved so much. Will wanted his real dogs taken care of, he would want these ones cared for as well.

when Will returns home, Hannibal logs on, wondering if Will went to his virtual happy place. the virtual happy place they'd made together.

Hannibal finds the entire manor he'd built aflame, most of the blocks long vanished after burning away. a distance away, Will's wolves are safely kept in a dirt hut that's been there since the first day.

he logs off, acknowledging the message. "the light of friendship won't touch us for a million years," Will had said to him before. he does wonder what Will is going to do with the little world.

Hannibal finds himself checking back on the world daily, and discovers no change. he decides to place a single poppy flower where the manor used to be, a flower that he knows to symbolize consolation, remembrance, death, and hope for a peaceful future.

a week later, the day that's always meant to be Will's session with him, Hannibal opens his tablet to find that the world has been deleted.

[justalittlestarguy]

Small Collection of Deltarune Musings

I see people constantly posting their Deltarune theories online so I decided to post mine in a corner of the internet.

Toby Fox & Deltarune's Origins

I feel like people when theorizing about Deltarune largely overlook how Deltarune came to be... it's enormously important to the timeline of events. We have to remember that Toby doesn't really compromise on ideas - I think it's a safe to assume that Deltarune of the past is largely still what Deltarune of now is.

Let's go over the facts real quick.

The idea for Deltarune came to Toby Fox in a dream he had in 2011 while he was at college. In the dream, he saw the ending to a video game and was determined to create it. Fox was also inspired by a collection of playing card designs posted on Tumblr by artist Kanotynes. Development of the game started in 2012, although it was abandoned before Fox created the first room.

(Source: Wikipedia page on Deltarune, cites a Nintendo article on Ch. 1)

We have to remember that Deltarune is the original. This is my core problem with people theorizing about Deltarune in the context of Undertale. While as an audience that is all we are privy to regarding Toby's world, we have to remember that Undertale came from Deltarune, not the other way around. If anything would refer to Undertale, that's either Toby messing with his audience or means something different in this context.

Deltarune is an AU to Undertale in one sense, but in many others, it's a prequel. I am in the full belief that Deltarune's events are before Undertale could ever happen. If Undertale and Deltarune were in the same universe, Undertale would 100% happen after it, but I don't think Toby was lying when he said that the events are largely unrelated.

In fact, I don't think Toby has ever once lied about his details about Deltarune. "They are connected in a sense" and "they are not in the same universe" can both be true at once. Toby is not even necessarily lying by omission, but moreso that as an audience we could not realistically grasp the timeline from a meta perspective. The only real outlier is "Deltarune is meant to be played by fans of Undertale" as expressly retroactive, and I think this is because Undertale fans will get something new out of his characters.

I think that the timeline largely explains a lot of factors that people theorize about and can't quite get to the bottom of, including...

W. D. Gaster

People talk about the fact that Gaster's fingerprints are all over Deltarune's narrative, and Andrew Cunningham went over all of Gaster's leitmotivic theories very well, better than I ever could. Like most Deltarune theorycrafting videos though, I got stuck on one line from the video, when talking about April 2012 (the song).

For April 2012... I don't know man. Even if Toby Fox crawled out from under my bed and handed me a ratified document professing that the quote here was 100% intentional, what would that really tell us beyond the fact that Gaster's theme has existed since at least 11 years ago? It would be interesting, sure, but not particularly insightful.

My liege Cunningham I must respectfully disagree. I believe that April 2012, if a real Gaster quote, actually tells us a lot about Gaster and why he's all over Deltarune. In terms of concrete information about plot details, the answer is small, but definitive. After all, Gaster escaping his confinement as "merely unused content that people love fan speculation over" would be quite interesting itself. We assume that he will show up, but aside from ANOTHER HIM, there's very little reason for him to.

...By the way, has anyone ever wondered why Gaster went unused in the first place?

I think people just think about it at the surface level. Gaster is unused, or died before the events of Undertale (or worse). He's got NPCs that refer to him in very vague ways, and he's a particularly hidden trinket of lore. When Toby anticipated people datamining the game, he didn't really hide his existence there all that much as some other things.

But if we remember that Deltarune was the original idea, that Undertale later springboarded off of, then I think that makes Gaster a lot more interesting. I don't think Gaster was EVER meant to be a part of Undertale's story in a major way. He's a Deltarune character that snuck his way into Undertale as an easter egg.

I do have a small shred of evidence to support this as well, with another character that gets explicitly mentioned in Undertale in a small capacity... Rudy, Noelle's father. ...At least in the alarm clock dialogue.

Rudy, similarly to Gaster, seemingly dies before the events of Undertale could ever take place, but still existed there. Largely, many of the characters are still the same or have counterparts in Undertale. Gaster being Ultra Hidden still had a presence there, and I think some of people's musings on connections to other characters have merit, but for the wrong reasons. (Being related to the skelebros with another font and Sans' machine are interesting notes, especially given that we haven't actually seen Papyrus in Deltarune yet...)

Chara & Deltarune's Release Schedule

I similarly think that Deltarune being a meta-prequel makes people talking about Chara also make sense. The idea of Chara and Kris being largely separate characters makes sense in a traditional story, and we largely lack evidence for it aside from a tease in Chapter 1. However, let's consider a new meta-detail: Deltarune's intentional release schedule.

When we played through Deltarune (known at the time as SURVEY_PROGRAM), we were left with two big twists. The first... the scene at the end where Kris seems to form a Chara-like grin with a knife, and throws our red heart into the birdcage. This is an obvious tease on Toby's part. There was little subtlety here, but it gave a lot of questions. The second is that THIS IS CHAPTER 1, not a demo.

Fast forward to the height of COVID, and Toby decides on a whim to release Chapter 2. This was...expressly NOT planned. Deltarune was meant to be in our hands in any close-to-complete form with the release of CHAPTER FIVE. So we are effectively given a peer into foreshadowing that wasn't even meant to be seen by us until we could continue further.

This is important because there are a few elements that Chapter 2 starts delivering upon but doesn't entirely go through with:

Kris as a "[Heart] on a [Chain]"

Anything involving the "Weird" route, straight up didn't exist in Ch. 1

A couple more Gaster-y details than Chapter 1

Spamton seemingly hints at the next few bosses

("WE DON'T NEED [Easels] OR [CRTs]"... seemingly implying our Ch. 3 Dark Crystal holder is a TV, and our Ch. 4 Dark Crystal holder is an easel [art related?])

("WE DON'T NEED ANY [Man, Woman, or Child] AT HALF PRICE" ...could mean a lot more, but seemingly refers to Chapter 5 in some way like the others, as he goes on about Mike afterwards.)

So what does all this mean for the Chara "reveal" at the end of Chapter 1? We were supposed to see it from the start, unlike Chapter 2, so where does that leave us?

Toby is intentionally setting an expectation.

I think Kris and Chara are related in more ways, but more explicitly, I think Kris' story is more pivotal to Undertale than one may think. We have to remember a few details about Chara.

1) Before Chara became everyone's favorite diagetic narrator, Chara was a kid who lived in a monster family. No more, no less. There's no reason to think Chara was insane before effectively escaping the narrative.

2) Chara still had a fascination with a few things in common with Kris. Knives and chocolate being a couple of them, and Asriel rounding it out. Asriel is Kris' big sibling, except a bit more literal this time compared to Chara.

3) Kris and Chara (as well as Frisk) are all intentionally non-binary or potentially agender altogether. Kris goes by they/them, and both Chara and Frisk never have explicit genders either, though that can be argued to be for other purposes such as character immersion (any/all).

4) Chara is a similarly deeply troubled individual as Kris, suffering from mental conditions that Toriel and Asgore are not very good at helping them get through. This leads to disastrous consequences when Chara takes their own life in Undertale.

So what does this mean for Kris?

I think many people assumed correctly when saying that Kris is Chara, but I believe it's more accurate to say that Kris IS Chara in Undertale, but with a new role.

Kris, Chara, and CONTROL.

We all understand at this point that Kris has a troubled relationship with autonomy, given that the player guides their actions during the plot of Deltarune. But if Kris is related to Chara, then we can ask a question - what do the two have in common?

Well for one thing, they both exercise a desire for control.

In a similar vein to Cunningham's video, I once watched a video talking about [Hyperlink Blocked] that was quite interesting, and I thought there was one theory as to what it was that doesn't get enough attention. (at around 50:50, I'm going to use some select quotes here)

Control Theory [...] Kris and Spamton both want control, and it makes sense that Spamton would offer this to Kris as a reward. [...] However, the one noticeable weak spot in this theory is in Snowgrave. You could argue that Kris is taking control of their life, but they are really not. If anything, they are robbing Noelle of her control, which isn't the same thing.

The line in question substituting Hyperlink Blocked in this context is:

"NO, I GET IT! IT'S YOU AND THAT [Hochi Mama]! YOU'VE BEEN [Making], HAVEN'T YOU! YOU'VE BEEN MAKING [Control]!! AND NOW THAT YOU HAVE YOUR OWN SUPPLY, YOU DON'T NEED ME!!!"

I respect Jabu's actual theory a lot on this one. [LOVE] in the context of Undertale makes a lot of sense and fills just about every quota. However, that's in the context of Undertale's terminology. We can't limit ourselves to just that. I don't think [LOVE] gets extra brownie points for just tying into Undertale, expressly for the reasons I've stated before. Deltarune's ideas came before Undertale's, and while some concepts are linked, they are not all the same. (See: the concept of a human SOUL and Determination not lining up either.)

Jabu has a point about Control, but only from a healthy mindset point of view. We have to consider the mindset and shoes of someone who lacks control.

Take... a controlling mother. One who lacks control over a lot of aspects of her life for one reason or another, and demands perfection from herself. One coping mechanism, no matter how wrong, is trying to seize the control over her sons. It's a way she can exercise having control over something in her life. It gives her room to have agency, even at the expense of her sons' agency. She could force her son to go to college, because she can't imagine any other path for him, and she never GAVE him a choice.

...Anyways.

This anecdotal example isn't just for shits and giggles. I really do want people to look in the shoes of someone who is deeply troubled by a lack of control and examine the Weird route with that in mind. Many people troubled by this go on to become manipulative people, or exercising their agency by using someone else's. In the weird route, Kris manipulating Noelle becomes his coping mechanism, and you enable their behavior with your actions.

So what does this mean for the normal route? Obviously it's at least a bit more healthy, and as a result I do expect (and look forward to) Kris butting heads with the player, not just as a way of coping or fighting back, but to wrestle control of the narrative for their own at some point. I don't think Kris becomes a villain in this context, but I do expect them to become an antagonist if the player is considered the protagonist.

All this lines up well for Kris, but then what is Chara? We know that Chara works through the player for the [Genocide] route in Undertale (its own "Weird" route) and that by the end Chara has taken full control away from the player. This is a Chara that never had the opportunity that Kris had to turn things around. This is a Chara fundamentally broken by their lack of control, and abuses it every chance they get once they do obtain it. And to top it all off, you hand it right to them at the end. They even exercise their control over the narrative with the creepy extra scene if you perform a Pacifist route on the same file as a Genocide route was previously completed.

...hey, isn't that similar to Kris' actions and Susie's actions that the player never has direct control over? Weird. Even expressly against the player's wishes too? Interesting.

Conclusion / TL;DR

The summation of my theorycrafting is built on the knowledge that Deltarune came first, and that Undertale builds off of this info, not the other way around. Many people theorycraft assuming the inverse relationship due to Undertale releasing first, but no one seems to ever step into the developer's shoes.

I believe this:

Kris and Chara ARE expressly related and not just for surface level observations - they both tell us something about **control**

Gaster is a Deltarune character that Toby knew would be important, but got scrapped for Undertale so it can tell its own story. He was left unused in Undertale because he was never meant to be an important part of it.

A lot of Chapter 2's foreshadowing is expressly information we are *not supposed to have* due to Deltarune's intended release schedule and for that reason is very volatile.

Deltarune is a meta-prequel to Undertale. Deltarune's ideas not only came first, but are the original, and if anything Undertale is a spiritual successor to what Deltarune will eventually become. As fucked up as that timing sounds.

Anyway like and subscribe for more stupidity

[popcorn-plots]

Day 1: Helpless | 100 words | Wong reflects on being sick. | Ao3 | Tumblr

Day 2: Solitary confinement | 100 words | Stephen Strange laments. | Ao3 | Tumblr

Day 3: "Bit down on this" | 689 words | Sherlo-- Stephen gets injured on a casemission. Watson Wong to the rescue. | Ao3 | Tumblr

Day 4/5: Obedience/Rope burns | 932 words | Stephen and Wong are held captive in their own home in a robbery gone wrong (mostly). | Ao3 | Tumblr

Day 6: "You lied to me." | 500 words | Tony confronts Stephen about a choice he made. A choice that ruined both their lives. | Ao3 | Tumblr

Day 7: Suffering in silence. | 150 words | Stephen Strange was fine. | Ao3 | Tumblr

Day 8: "Why won't it stop?" | 200 words | Stephen Strange breaks after using Atlantean Black Magic. | Ao3 | Tumblr

Day 9: Bees | 1128 words | America gets stung by a bee. Stephen comforts her when she admits her biggest fear. | Ao3 | Tumblr

Day 10: Killing in self-defense | 100 words | Stephen Strange is found guilty. | Ao3 | Tumblr

Day 11: Time loop | 100 words | Tony Stark is stuck in a time loop. | Ao3 | Tumblr

Day 12: Semi-conscious | 741 words | Stephen has a nightmare in the library, one he didn't quite wake up from until he was safe in Wong's arms. | Ao3 | Tumblr

Day 13: "You weren't supposed to get hurt." | 176 words | Stephen watches his daughter grow up. | Ao3 | Tumblr

Day 14: Blood-stained tiles | 59 words | Wong reflects on his husbands death. | Ao3 | Tumblr

Day 15: "Who did this to you?" | 150 words | Stephen visits a grave. | Ao3 | Tumblr

Day 16: Alt -- "I love you." | 903 words | Stephen plays the bait in a mission to take out a group of rogue sorcerers. Wong intervenes and feelings are felt. | Ao3 | Tumblr

Day 17: Hostage situation | 694 words | Strange or the people of New York. Tough decision. Who lives, who dies…. You are playing a delicate game, Sorcerer Supreme. You decide who survives. Play God, just for a second, or we destroy your planet. Your choice, Sorcerer Supreme. You have 24 hours to decide. | Ao3 | Tumblr

Day 18: Alt -- Found footage | 756 words | A video is posted about Stephen Strange and the death of his sister, Donna. Stephen watches his old high school bullies vandalize his locker -- and his well-being. | Ao3 | Tumblr

Day 19: "Please don't." | 100 words | Stephen and Eugene’s relationship is all but healthy. So when Stephen gets home and finds his father drinking, he tries to avoid him at all costs... but avoiding Eugene is near impossible when you’re the one he’s angry at. | Ao3 | Tumblr

Day 20: Truth serum | 367 words | Stephen ingests a truth serum. The students of Kamar-Taj are curious, but some take it a bit too far. | Ao3 | Tumblr

Day 21: Unresponsive | 567 words | Tony finds Stephen nearly dead, barely breathing, an empty bottle of painkillers just out of reach. | Ao3 | Tumblr

Day 22: Alt -- CPR | 866 words | Tony Stark has a heart attack during an event. Peter performs CPR with the help of a mysterious stranger. | Ao3 | Tumblr

Day 23: Presumed dead | 200 words | With the cloak returning from the fight alone and radiating sadness, one could only assume the worst. | Ao3 | Tumblr

Day 24: "I'm doing this because I care about you." | 261 words | Wong is not the person he once was. | Ao3 | Tumblr

Day 25: Waterboarding | 1110 words | Stephen Strange is part of the .1% of the world's population that can see their soulmate's experiences. Great for Tony Stark, not so great for Stephen when his soulmate gets waterboarded in the middle of Stephen's shift. | Ao3 | Tumblr

Day 26: "Help them." | 375 words | Stephen knows he's going to die. Why waste time on him when others need it more? | Ao3 | Tumblr

Day 27: Left for dead | 455 words | The Illuminati on Earth-838 don't kill Stephen Strange. They maroon him on Titan, alone and stripped of his magic.

Stephen doesn't believe this is punishment enough for his crimes. | Ao3 | Tumblr

Day 28: "No... not like this."/Alt -- last words | 500 words | Wong finally confesses his feelings for Stephen... just as he's dying in the man's arms. | Ao3 | Tumblr

Day 29: Not allowed to die/Alt -- immortality | 682 words | Stephen Strange is cursed. | Ao3 | Tumblr

Guys we did it. We finished Febuwhump!

[medicbrainrot]

i pray with the devil you rest in peace (divinity, part 2)

As a result of the success of the mission, everyone had been given a few days leave to rest and recuperate. Simon and Artemis had decided to spend their leave together, using the quiet days to spend some time together, in a calm, relaxed environment. 

After a chill night watching movies and playing video games, Simon and Artemis had fallen asleep cuddling on his bed, enjoying a restful evening together. 

Simon was fast asleep on the bed, a soft smile on his face as his chest rose and fell with his breathing. Both of them were dressed for comfort, Simon in a black t-shirt and sweatpants, Artemis in pajama pants and one of Simon’s hoodies. 

Simon rolled over in his sleep, pulling Artemis closer to him. His arm was draped around her back, tucking his face into her neck. He sighs, nuzzling into her.

Artemis was having a dream…no, a nightmare. She feels like she can’t breathe. The memory of the enemy soldier’s knife pressed against her throat causes her to whimper in her sleep.

Her whimpering rouses Simon from the confines of sleep, and he pulls back slightly to look at her. He starts gently running his fingers through her hair, leaning up to kiss her forehead, trying to provide any semblance of comfort during the nightmare she’s experiencing.

“Shh…everything’s okay now… I promise you’re safe, I’ll always protect you. Just like I did then.” He whispers softly.

“No…please…let me go…” She mumbles quietly, a frown marring her features.

“Hey, hey, It’s okay.” He gently pulled her closer to him, putting a hand on her shoulder and leaning her against him. His voice was warm and soft, soft and comforting. 

“You’re safe. You’re safe, okay? He’s gone. He’s gone and he’s not coming back.” Simon tried to keep his voice steady as he comforted Artemis, trying to keep any notes of panic out. He kept his arms tightly around her, trying to help her. “You’re okay, I’m right here.”

Her hand reached up to scratch at the wound across her throat. “Simon… Simon… please… help.” She whimpers, scratching at her neck.

He grabbed her hand with one one of his one, pulling it away, placing it against his chest. “Don’t touch it, sweetheart. You’ll undo the bandages, Temi.”

His voice remained gentle, but he was starting to worry. “Artemis, you’re going to be alright. I’m here. You’re okay.”

She starts hyperventilating, the nightmare getting worse. “Please… help me… please.” She whimpers, tears beginning to escape from her closed eyes.

“It’s okay, it’s okay…” Simon soothed her, trying to quell his own panic. “I’m here, I’m here, it’s okay.” He held her tightly as he tried to soothe her back to a steady breathing rate. “You’re going to be okay, I promise. I’ll keep you safe.”

Simon continues to try to comfort her as she cries, when a thought hits him like a bolt of lightning. 

He took a deep breath before speaking. “Artemis, sweetheart, wake up.” He shook her shoulder gently. “Come on, it’s okay, wake up, love.”

Between Simon calling her name and the gentle rocking of her body, Artemis woke up in a gasp, her eyes filling with tears. 

“Hey… it’s okay. You’re okay.” He soothed as he looked at her, eyes wide and tearful, his own eyes filled with worry. “I’m here, Temi, I’m here. You’re safe.” He pulled her close, resting her head on his chest. “It’s okay, you’re safe.”

She buries her head in Simon’s chest as she lets out a few quiet sobs. “He had me… he was gonna…”

“I know.” Simon whispers, holding onto her tightly, wanting nothing more than to comfort her. “But you’re safe now. I won’t let anyone hurt you. He can’t hurt you again.”

He repeated softly, holding her tight as she cried. “It’s okay, you’re safe, I’m here.”

“You’re here.” She repeated in a whisper. “You’re here.”

“I’m here.” He repeated back to her, his voice gentle. He didn’t ever want to see her get hurt again, and all he wanted right now was to give her all the comfort in the world.

“I’m not going anywhere, I promise. He won’t hurt you ever again, Artemis. Never again…”

As her sobs started to subside, the tension in her body started to release. 

Simon let out a soft sigh as he felt her body start to relax. She was safe, and she was out of that terrifying nightmare. He kept his arms securely around her, and leaned his head up to press a kiss into her hair. “Do you know what I'm most worried about?” He asks softly, pressing another gentle kiss to her head.

“What?” She whispers. 

“You.” He replies quietly. Simon stroked a gentle hand down her back, trying to let her know that he was there, that she was safe, and that he would keep her safe. She couldn’t see it, but his expression was filled with worry and concern for her. Simon just wants to keep his Artemis safe.

“I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” He whispers.

“I’m okay.” She whispers back. “It was just a nightmare.”

“I know.” He brushes his hand up and down her back again before pressing another kiss to her hair. “You’re safe now. You’re going to be okay.”

“I’m safe.” She repeats. “I’m okay.”

Simon pulled away from the hug for a moment to look into her eyes, trying to get a gauge on how she was feeling. He smiled gently, squeezing her in reassurance. “You’re okay.” He whispered, pressing her body into his again, softly stroking her hair and her back.

He never wanted something like that to happen to her again. He silently vowed to always be a safe place for her, to always protect her. “You’re okay, you’re safe, I’m here.” 

“I’m okay, I’m safe, you’re here.” She mumbled sleepily.

Simon sighed in relief when he heard Artemis repeat her answer again, happy to hear that she had calmed down again. “I’m here Artemis, I’ll always be here.”

He held her close, running his hand up and down her back, over and over. He softly kissed the top of her head again, before whispering, “I love you.”

“...love you…” She mumbled back, already half asleep.

Simon smiled gently, leaning in to press a kiss to her forehead. “I love you, Artemis.”

He was content to fall asleep again with her wrapped in his arms, wanting nothing more than for that moment to last forever. All he wanted was an eternal moment of peace with the two of them together, after everything they’ve been through. 

A/N: Thanks for reading! Likes, reblogs, and feedback are appreciated!

Masterlist

[fearthetallman]

Krang Pie Final Chapter

Warnings: mentions of torture, Bishop being a jerk, alien possession, battle, intense gore, unhygienic and amateur surgery

[first][previous]

Chapter 11

Leo regretted not leaving behind an explanation for his dad and best friend but he had other priorities to worry about. He sighed heavily, looking at the giant building before him. Time to go talk to one of his least favorite humans in the entire world. Opening up a portal, he stepped inside, reappearing in a fancy and well-furnished office, the leather chair turned around. He walked up to the desk with no hesitation.

“We need to talk.” He told the back of the chair. The click of guns taking their safety off echoed all around him, more than a dozen red dots pointed at him.

The chair finally swiveled around, revealing a tall and lean man, sunglasses on despite the lack of any sunlight. “Hello, Leonardo. Such a pleasant welcome to see you again. Did you change your mind about you and your brothers giving up their bodies for science?”

“Hardly, Bishop.” He snapped, leaning closer despite the way the guns were aimed and ready. “I need to ask you something confidential.”

The man made a slight wave of his hand and the guns were relaxed, the room emptying. “What is it you need? It had better be good, I have a meeting with the president in ten minutes. He’s not a fan of mutants. Thinks you smell stinky.”

Leo ignored the prodding and immature insults, not in the mood for games. “Somehow a krang got back on earth. I need to know for sure that the key to the prison dimension is somewhere the krang can never access.”

Bishop sighed. “Doubting me already? I have the most high-tech security system of anyone in this century. To insinuate anyone could sneak past our defenses is laughable.”

“I got in pretty easy.” Leo reminded the man, irritation lacing his voice.

Bishop turned around a laptop, revealing a video of the turtle outside the building, just a few minutes prior. “That’s because I let you in.”

Leo grumbled, crossing his arms. “Whatever. Just show me the key so I can make sure it’s safe.”

***

The krang hiding in Mikey listened to Leo’s conversation with great interest. Such a shame the turtle hadn’t checked his medical pack for the microphone and tracking device placed on it. As much as he hated that purple one, he certainly had made things easier. The krang listened closely, already mapping the building as they walked through it.

He stuck to the shadows, staying in alleyways and avoiding the light when possible. He really should have chosen a human to infect instead of these mutant freaks that the population was so afraid of. But beggars couldn’t be choosers.

It was still a bit difficult to control this body. So many different working parts. It had been quite a while since he’d done this as well, the carnivorous plant take-over a distant memory. But he had a long way to walk. Quite a while to get good at it. He wondered how he was going to torture that accursed blue turtle next. Maybe he would make this turtle body eat him. The thought put a smile on his face.

***

Leo and Bishop descended a myriad of stairs, passing multiple locks, DNA tests and passwords that made the process extra long and annoying. Around the 12 consecutive DNA test, Leo was more than a little testy.

“Are we almost there? I have to get back to my family soon.” He didn’t add his silent worry that he hoped he’d still have a family to get back to.

“Patience, my beloved mutant. Patience.”

Ten minutes later, and they were in a sealed off area deep within the belly of the building. It was a very confined space with large glass windows that loomed around the walls. There was large machinery on the ceiling with metal arms that made this place look more like a torture chamber than a safe. The large medical berth covered in dark stains didn’t help either.

But there in the center on a pedestal was the prison dimension key, just as ominous as the day he’d had to use it. Leo knocked on one of the windows experimentally. “And you’re sure this thing will hold?”

“Positive.” Bishop gave a lazy smile as he leaned against the door frame, his unnerving robotic eye peeking from behind the sunglasses. “Nothing gets in here and nothing gets out.”

Leo raised a brow. “Not even with my portals?”

“Once the area is locked, not even mystic weaponry can escape.” He shrugged. “I have the krang technology to thank for that.”

Leo nodded solemnly, face still devoid of any lightheartedness in the presence of this scientist cyborg. This was part of the reason he didn’t want to trust Bishop. The man openly admitted he had means to immobilize his brothers with that grin on his face. But he had no choice. Leo walked over to the key, the unnerving face on it staring back at him. Safe, for now.

Bishop walked out, giving a half-hearted wave of his hand as he left the door open. “Stay as long as you like. Just make sure to lock the door when you leave. Don’t want to bring in a draft.”

Leo sighed, looking at the key. He may have messed it up once before, but there was no way he was letting the krang get ahold of it again.

No sooner had the thought cross his mind did something slam into his chest, knocking him to the ground. He landed hard on his shoulder, gasping for air, lungs struggling to hold any.

Michelangelo stood above him, mouth stretched in a mockery of a smile, tentacles peeking from his teeth as the krang didn’t bother to hide its presence anymore. “So nice of you to do all of the work for me, earthling.”

“No…” Leo protested weakly, propping himself up on his elbows but unable to move any more than that.

The mutant stepped closer, a greedy glee in his gait. He reached over to the key, laughing as he did. He loved these stupid, gullible earthlings. Instead of meeting solid material, however, it wavered when his hands touched it, meeting air.

“What?” He swiped his fingers through it. The image wavered before disappearing.

Leo finally stood up, backing away with a cocky grin. “The good old feeding false information through the tracker bit. I’ve been using that one on Donnie for years. Now we’re going to rip that little parasite right out of you, mi hermano!”

The creature screeched, tentacles erupting from his mouth, ready to fight. Leo grabbed at the door handle to get back to safety. But it didn’t open. Leo slammed his fist on the door. “We had a deal, Bishop! I bring the krang and you extract it for your stupid little experiments.”

Bishop appeared, safely behind one of the glass panels. “Yes, well. Little detail in the fine print. I never said I would get you out of there.”

Panic started to bubble in Leo’s stomach and he hit the door as desperately as he could. An electric shock soon stopped him, letting out a cry of pain as he stumbled back. Blue electricity lit around the room, giving an eerie glow.

“Away from the walls, please. I hate cleaning blood off of them.” Bishop chuckled.

“You two faced lying cyberman reject!” Leo yelled at him. “I never should have trusted you!”

He didn’t have long to worry about it, however, as Michelangelo launched himself at the red slider turtle, making him jump to avoid attack.

“You seem like you have your hands full, Leonardo. Might want to keep an eye on him.”

The mutant hybrid hissed, body jerking around but much more collected and aggressive than before. It swiped at Leo with its hands, each strike holding enough force to crack a skull. Leo dodged, backing up. He tried opening a portal with his sword. Nothing happened. Freaking Bishop.

Leo jumped atop the pedestal, trying to buy some time to think. “How am I supposed to get the krang out of him? You promised me you could take it out.”

“Oh I did.” Bishop agreed. “And you do have a surgeon in there. One of the best swordsmen in all of New York.”

Leo’s stomach sank as he looked down at his own two swords. Bishop wasn’t just unhinged, he was downright sadistic. Something grabbed Leo’s ankle and he was yanked down. His face slammed into the metal floor, stars dancing in his vision. He shook it off, slicing sideways and cutting off the offending tentacle.

The monster screeched, appendage writhing on the ground before falling still. The krang didn’t have enough energy to split apart anymore. Standing back up, Leo wiped blood away from his eyes, adrenaline simmering through his veins. They circled each other for a moment, each sizing the other up.

Then, as though a bell had been rung, they both dashed into an attack.

The creature threw a flurry of punches, each one blocked by Leo’s arm. It moved with incredible force but still jilted like an infested puppet.

“I bet you’re mad you didn’t get Raph, aren’t you?” Leo taunted as he deflected another blow. “Fistfights were never Mikey’s thing.”

It screeched, spittle splattering across Leo’s face. He grabbed its arm, throwing it over his shoulder. Before he could pin it, however, his legs were knocked out from under him. It pounced on him, fingernails digging into his skin. He barely felt them, throwing his weight so he rolled on top of it. It writhed, bucking and throwing him off.

It was only a second before it lunged at him again. He brought his swords up, handles deflecting the blow. Inside its mouth, a tentacle lashed out, cutting his cheek and only narrowly missing his eye. That brought very uncomfortable parallels he’d rather not think of right now.

He kneed the creature in the side. Instead of taking it in stride, it fell over, clutching its side and moaning in pain. Lights clicked on in Leo’s brain.

“Bishop!” Leo called out, not even wondering if said man was still here. “Where is his stomach?”

Sure enough, his voice did come a second later, Bishop frowning behind the glass. “I dunno. What am I, a doctor? Probably in his middle somewhere. Duh.”

Leo was starting to wish he’d trapped Bishop in here with him. “Tell me specifically where his stomach is. The organ! I need to try something. Just look it up on one of your scanner thingies please!”

The krang was starting to recover. Bishop sighed. “The things I do for possible scientific dissection.”

The creature hissed, standing up. Leo’s heart jumped in his throat. “Bishop! Hurry!”

“Fine, fine. I’m doing it. I hate Gen Z, you’re all so impatient.” Bishop grumbled with all the enthusiasm of a 13-year-old brushing their teeth. “Ehhh it’s on the right, below his heart.”

Leo knew what he had to do. He stood up, the creature watching him as it braced itself for another attack. His swords clattered onto the ground. Weaponless, he held out his arms. “Mikey, I just want to let you know, that I don’t want to hurt you.”

The creature paused but then charged at him. Without hesitation, Leo redirected the attack, slamming his brother into the ground.

“But I will if I have to.” He finished.

It squirmed, struggling under the weight that had it pinned down. It wouldn’t be able to beat Leo in just a test of strength like this. The tentacles retracted from the mouth, allowing it to speak easier and use his brother's voice. “Do you want to know what your precious little brother thought of you?”

The creature reached back, clawing Leo’s arm. His grip loosened and it wriggled away, landing a hit on his stomach as if for revenge.

“He thought you were weak! Pathetic!” The monstrosity snarled. “Some sniveling shell of yourself that needed to be coddled because of how useless you are now.”

It threw another hit, one Leo reacted to slower than before. He stumbled back. “You don’t know anything about him.”

Its face split into a malicious grin. “Oh but I do. We spent so many hours together. Him and I, working on becoming just like the mighty krang!”

Leo tried to reach for its face but it easily evaded, forcing Leo to back up even more. “Mikey. Just listen to me for a moment, okay?”

It screeched, mouth open so wide that Michelangelo’s lips bled. “Your brother is gone! Your attempts to ‘reach him’ are pathetic drivel!”

Leo nearly tripped, backing into a long black slab, some mockery of a hospital bed in a torture room. He was backed into a corner. He took a shaky breath. “I know you were just trying to help. I’m not mad at you.”

The creature showed no hint of what it once was. It picked up one of Leo’s swords. He didn’t try to run. The sword raised high above the creature’s head.

Before it could swing down, however, Leo reached up and shifted its mask.

The blindness couldn’t have lasted longer than a second but that was all he needed. He knocked the sword away. Once off balance, he grabbed the mutant’s arm, swinging it over onto the slab. He untied the mask.

“What do you think you’re doing, you miserable wretch?” It snarled, moving to get up before Leo slammed it down again.

He took the bandana and bound its hands, tying it to the berth. It writhed and kicked but Leo merely reached for his sword, using his weight to keep his brother from moving away.

“I’m not giving up on you Mikey!” The krang had infested Mikey’s stomach, his very inner lining. Bishop had already told him the only way to get the krang out was to cut it out in its nesting space. He raised the sword.

“No! Have you gone mad?!” It almost sounded terrified.

Leo pressed on, plunging the sword onto his brother’s shelled stomach, pressing hard to get past the plastron. Blood gushed out, a small line at first and then a pool flooding out. The creature screamed, a sound so human it was hard to believe it was an alien.

“I never needed someone who could fix me.” He continued explaining, blade cutting through the flesh and fluids, a sickly squelching sound. Something bulged amid the gore, something beyond the gushing blood. He sliced it open. The krang burst through, a pink blob with eyes and teeth, more nerves attached than its larger counterpart. It cried out, trying to hide amidst the organs. “Because no matter what happens and no matter how badly you screw up…”

His sword was too bulky and he couldn’t risk cutting Mikey up anymore. He dropped it, clattering to the ground and painting the floor in more red. He plunged his hand into the mess, biting his tongue to try and fight back the bile. “I’m never going to abandon you! You’re my brother and no matter how many times you push me or struggle to be the person you used to be, I am never giving up on you. That was all I needed from you!”

His wrist was swallowed by the blood and organs, taut intestines entangling his hand as he pushed past them. But his fingers found purchase, the writhing creature caught in his grip. He pulled as hard as he could, strings of flesh and nerves ripping apart. Both Mikey and the creature screamed in agony. It didn’t give easy. But the parasite finally separated from his brother.

Leo fell backwards with it, breathing heavily as the creature bit and slapped at him in vain. He took only a moment to make sure he wouldn’t vomit before he addressed the audience who had watched the violent debacle. “Bishop. You had better patch up my brother and make sure he lives or else I’m going to get rid of your precious krang specimen.”

***

Mikey was in pain. That was one of the first things he was aware of, even before he was aware of himself. Not just the sharp burning in his abdomen but also the dull ache in his head, his arms, his everywhere. He struggled against the weight of sleep, fighting every step of the way to just open his eyes. His vision was a little too white and blinding, so he blinked a few times to get used to it. Leo’s face was full of worry and nervousness, his smile strained at the edges.

“Hey. How you feeling, Mikey?”

It only took him a few seconds to remember everything. To remember how he’d endangered everyone by trying to handle the krang himself.

“Leo.” Hot tears filled his eyes and he sat up on the bed, ignoring the screaming pain. “Leo, I’m so sorry.”

He held open his arms and they were in a hug instantly. Leo gave his younger brother a gentle squeeze, making sure to be careful with his injuries.

“I forgive you, Mikey. I meant what I said earlier.”

In some kinder universe he wouldn’t have been aware of the damage he had caused once the krang took over. But not here. Every agonizing second and sensation of hurting his family was catalogued in his memory. He held tight to Leo, sobs barely contained.

“Come on. Let’s get you home, big man.”

Mikey was thankfully still able to walk, although he was so weak he had to lean heavily against his brother.

Bishop waved them off as they left. “Pleasure doing business with you boys.”

Leo scoffed but otherwise let it go. Mikey kept his free arm firmly around his sides.

“My stomach still hurts so bad.” He hated how he sounded like he was whiny and ungrateful. But he couldn’t stand the thought of keeping anymore secrets, even a small one like how much pain he was in.

“I know, Miguel. It’s probably going to hurt for a long while.” There was sympathy in the slider’s eyes but still a soft smile on his face. “Bishop has the most advanced medicine he could steal. Considering what happened in there, you should probably be dead.”

Guilt settled on Mikey like a blanket, suffocating but also familiar. Leo picked up on the tension he unintentionally created and gentled bumped his younger brother with his arm.

“But I’m glad you’re not.” He finished.

“I’m sorry Leo. For making this whole mess. I thought I was protecting you.” His chest still burned from all the memories. He tried to distract himself from all the emotion he was feeling by asking a niggling question he’d had. “Did you really just give him that krang? I mean, I wasn’t really all that attached—” He watched Leo struggle not to make a joke “…I don’t care what happens to it, but I don’t want to help Bishop any more than I have to.”

His older brother grinned. “Don’t worry. Little detail in the fine print. I said I would let him have his experiment. I never said I would leave it for him alive.”

Mikey mirrored his smile before he got choked up again, trying not to cry. He’d forgotten how much of a crybaby he was without the krang infestation. “I’m scared to go back, Leo. I didn’t just hurt you. I hurt everyone. Nothing is going to be the same.”

Leo nudged him with his shoulder. “Hey. Come on. We go through those changes at least once a month. Nothing ever stays the same for long.”

Mikey nodded, trying to rub away his tears that just kept coming. Leo really wasn’t the best at being sincere in moments like these. That was Mikey’s thing. So he just slung his arm around his little brother as they headed home.

There were even more tears when they arrived (mostly from Raph), hugs and a very long lecture (also from Raph). Their home was still a mess, things overturned and quite a few chores that they had intended to finish last minute before Splinter and April came back. But all in all, it was good to be home.

They all smiled until they heard an angry voice ring out. “Boys! What happened to my favorite cushion?!”

[hexagonalhavoc]

Can I request The reader asking Sado for Cuddles

Safety Net 

Sado x Reader

[Author’s Note: Sado 🥺🥺🥺]

     There were many pockets scattered across the digital world. Old or deleted games lost to time were turned into safe havens for video game characters with no other place to go other than the cruel confines of their game. 

You aren’t quite sure how strong your girlfriend is but she managed to create this place for the both of you while you weren’t hopping from game to game. Its form was constantly changing most likely from a lack of stability but that didn’t matter to you. If anything, it showed off your love’s impression strength and dedication.

It almost felt like the both of you were living the life you always dreamed of. You lazed in bed, limbs sprawled out carelessly. The sound of Sado’s humming kept you awake. It wasn’t like you wanted to go back to sleep anyways but you weren’t ready to start the day either.

 Sado on the other hand was a go-getter.

There was a lot your beloved didn’t tell you. You knew that there would always be a part of her that you’ll never see but that doesn’t stop you from giving her all of your trust. Even when she was away in a game she wasn’t meant to be in, doing things beyond your understanding, you trust her. You knew you weren’t as capable as she was but you wished you could still help her out. The work she did was never ending and it seemed she was more tired than usual. 

Her movements were sluggish and her hair was tousled with the small ponytail beginning to fall out on its own. The space she created for the both of you had shrank in size and occasionally spiders would scatter out of her sleeves and on one rare occasion, her mouth. 

It was an understatement to say you were concerned. You don’t know where she had gone when you were peacefully sleeping but whatever happened left her with barely enough energy to keep her physical form stable. You had always viewed Sado as some untouchable entity, a being with enough power to rearrange the stars if she wished. You wonder if she thought that about herself because she hardly took time to rest. You didn’t want to figure out how much longer it might take her before she crumbled underneath the weight of fatigue. 

Sado isn’t as perceptive as she usually is as she assumes you’re still asleep. Not wanting to wake you, she doesn’t bid you goodbye as she walks past the bed. She halts when she feels a hand grip the back of her shirt. 

“Yes dear?” Despite sounding completely out of it, she still smiles at you sweetly. She turns to face you and your grip on her shirt is replaced with her hand sliding into yours. 

“I think you should stay and rest.” Your request feels more like a plead as you sit up and look her in the eyes. You don’t even bother trying to hide your concern, you want her to know that you’re worried about her. If she’s going to treat herself this poorly she needs to know how much it hurts you. 

Sado’s resolve crumbles as she sits on the bed beside you. You wrap your arms around her shoulders and slowly pull her down with you. Usually she’s the one who holds you like this but now you think it’s her turn to feel loved and protected. You take her hat off and place it on the side. Your hands slowly undo the side ponytail, making sure not to tug on her hair. You rarely see her like this with her hair framing her face as it rests on her shoulders. 

You cautiously run a hand through her hair, letting your hand bury itself in the dark strands. A hand on your wrist stops you from retracting it and she looks up at you with a sense of peace you’ve never seen in her eyes before. “Keep your hand there, it feels nice.” Her head rests on your chest as she closes her eye. Even the pressure of her body leaning against yours felt special. Knowing that she trusts you so much makes your heart feel warm. 

You’d do anything to see her look this relaxed all the time. You’d take on anything if it meant she could rest easy if only for a moment. You wonder if this is what Sado thinks when she’s holding you close, looking down at you with the same adoration you’re looking at her with. 

Her hair isn’t long enough to braid but you try anyways, your fingers interweaving themselves in the strands. Her hair is surprisingly soft. With her hair down you can see how fine it is. 

Sado’s breathing begins to even out and when you look at her face you realize that she fell asleep. You smile and adjust the blanket so that it’s on top of her. The sight of her peaceful slumber makes you yawn as you lay back down next to her. You try not to make noise or move her too much as you don’t want to disturb her sleep. Luckily for you seems to be out like a light. You wonder if she’s normally a heavy sleeper or if she just really trusts you. 

You know that the world beyond this place is a tragic one, you know that you’ll face hardships. But for now you’re able to forget about that and sleep with the one you love closest to you.

[labyrinthoftartarus]

Omori- The Trauma Experience.

Please play audio and video at the given stanzas for the entire experience. Each video and audio contributes heavily to the content. If viewed without them, the content can be confusing/unreadable. You must view the videos of the photo albums. TW- Discussions about mental health, depression, suicide, and death.

Please play music in the given stanzas for a better experience.

Close, your eyes, you'll be here soon.

onetwothreefourfiveminuites sometimes I really want to sleep but I can't do it.

Close your eyes. Everything is going to be okay.

How do you overcome trauma when you are constantly reminded of the experience?

Over

And over again?

How do you overcome the trauma of a situation caused by you when the mere thought of it

Absolutely breaks you?

It is simple. You forget.

You forget it ever happened. You sink into everlasting grief with no recollection of what had transpired. You are at peace. You do not fear the consequences of being reminded of what you have done.

But really, is forgetting...worth it?

Or should I remember my trauma to overcome it?

Omori is a game about remembering when you are trying to forget.

It forces you to accept your trauma and not hide from it. You don't expect anyone to forgive you for your mistakes because the greatest thing you have done is forgive yourself.

Omori aptly captures the psychological effect of trauma and depicts mental illness perfectly. In the gameplay, Omori incorporates visuals, audio, and other elements to make it seem like it was happening to us. Every mental stab at Omori feels like it is directed toward us. Omori perfectly captures how mental illness is experienced through its immersive gameplay, creating an outstanding masterpiece.

In Omori, just like in the real world, you navigate through the real world and your mind to uncover bits and bits of your trauma while going through intense repercussions. You persist along with Omori and overcome your trauma.

You overcome something.

The gameplay works in both the mind and real life of a boy named Sunny, the protagonist in the game.

The truth about his trauma is hidden by Omori, his alter ego. Omori tries to "protect" Sunny from his trauma by never allowing him to think beyond his comfort zone.

Omori is a figment of Sunny's brain, represented by a 12-year-old version of Sunny- when Sunny encountered his trauma. Omori travels in the various parts of Sunny's mind-

The Whitespace is a safe space made by Omori to escape when something triggers Sunny's trauma.

The Headspace- A place in Sunny's imagination wherein he finds the old version of his friends.

███ Space, █████ Space 1 and 2, where █████ ██ ████████ ███ ████ █████ █████ ████████ ███ ██████ █████ █████ █████ ██ ████ ███ ████ ████████ █████ ██ ████ ██████

And, without further ado, let us begin our journey.

Welcome to White Space.

You have been living here for as long as you can remember.

Omori starts off by introducing a pixelated, intriguing figure named Omori. Omori is a young boy confined to a dull, ominous room called the White Space. This room seems like a void, except with this seemingly mundane yet disturbing setup of basic necessities- a laptop with all your entries, a sketchbook containing a few of Omori's artworks, a box of tissues to wipe away all your tears, a black lightbulb, Mewo the cat and a locked door.

The White Space is an unsettling room you are first introduced to in this game. It is an empty space wherein you simply exist. That's it. You stay alive in the white room- not live life.

An emptiness, a home without warmth. A place to survive but not to live.

To leave this infinite space of nothing but white matter, you search around and get a shiny knife. Interesting. It could be a weapon! You happily exit the locked door, which seems to have unlocked once the blade miraculously finds its way into your hands.

White Space isn't reality. It is a corner in the protagonist's mind that is restricted from other parts of his brain and reality. It is a hiding place where he is protected from his troubling past. Nothing can get him here.

White space, Omori.

As soon as you leave Whitespace, you arrive at this new fabulous world decked with neon colors and vibrant hues.

Aerial map of Headspace.

Unlike bland and boring whitespace, Headspace is happy, cheery, silly, and fun. Omori meets up with all of his friends here in Headspace. We meet Mari, Omori's older sister. She's kind, thoughtful, charming, and sweet. We meet Hero, the 'brother' figure- a good-natured, patient guy who happens to be Mari's boyfriend. We meet Kel, Hero's younger brother, a silly little goofball who is fun and energetic. We meet Aubery, a feisty, adorable little girl(Omori seems to have a soft corner for her- I wonder!). Finally, we meet Basil, a shy, sweet and sensitive guy who adores nature.

Omori and his friends. Top(from left to right)- Mari, Hero. Bottom- Kel, Basil, Omori, Aubery.

In Headspace, Sunny's dream world, everything is perfect. You and your friends go on adventures and defeat monsters with your teamwork. In a world with your multi-hued friends, even Omori, the depressing black-and-white personification of a younger Sunny, appears happy.

Basil's photo album, headspace.

Or so, you thought.

Sunny in the real world, haunted by something.

Welcome to reality.

Mari is dead. Hero, just like Sunny, is depressed and hasn't left his home in ages. Kel tries his best to be optimistic and persuades Sunny out of his house for the first time in four years. Aubery isn't the sweet kid anymore but a bully with new friends. Basil is still shy yet depressed.

Basil's photo album in the real world, before Mari's death.

Everything changed ever since Mari committed suicide. Everything has broken apart. Sunny truly cared about his sister, Mari, who was gone forever.

The sun shone brighter when she was here.

Sunny lost everything from the moment Mari committed suicide. He also started to get haunted...by something.

Throughout the game, Sunny(and Omori) stumble across various absurd entities labeled by something each representing one of Sunny's fears(stairs, drowning, spiders, etc.). Sunny uses tactics such as breathing, calming down and persisting, to get through his fears.

3 DAYS LEFT.

In headspace, Kel and Aubery get into a fight and accidentally knock out Basil's photo album, comprising the photos Basil took of their friends. As they group the photographs together, Basil suddenly panics, and upon taking one photo, his eyes fill with intense fear. A black shadow forms behind Basil as he screams out and disappears into the void.

Mari!

Omori and his friends search for Basil, occasionally battling villains and exploring headspace. However, as time goes on, Omori's friends slowly forget Basil.

No bandage can stifle an eternal wound... And there will be a time when its influence will bleed through.

Omori hides the truth, the truth behind this fabricated world of Headspace, and the truth behind his past. However, no bandage can stifle an eternal wound, and there will be one day when all will fall apart.

What happened to Sunny?

What happened to his friends?

Why is Omori living in a fabricated lie in Sunny's mind?

What happened? What is the truth?

███████ to Black Space.

The whole of headspace is a representation of Sunny's mind.

The Headspace forms Sunny's imagination, dreams, and wishes, built specially by Omori to hide his trauma. It includes the conscious part of Sunny's mind.

The Whitespace forms the part of Sunny's mind where he can isolate himself from any potentially disturbing thoughts.

As Omori ventures into headspace, we often stumble upon more intriguing, morbid segments of Sunny's mind. We see strange creatures, strange entities, trying, trying to tell us the truth.

We reach Blackspace, the subconscious of Sunny's mind. This is where the truth about Sunny's past lies.

However, blackspace is neither friendly nor easily navigable. It is an intangible, absurd world with zero coherencies whatsoever. It simply does not make any sense. It is a bizarre reality, composed of fragments of the truth.

Black Space.

The doors in Blackspace are non-linear and have a warped existence, interconnecting and often "seeping" into Headspace. Each room holds a personification of Omori(Sunny)'s deepest, darkest fears.

Strange, bizarre creatures are found in Blackspace.

Above are just a few examples of Blackspace rooms.

In Blackspace, we can see cryptic forms of Mari(popularly known as Hellmari), disembodied versions of Omori's friends, harmful signs and symbols, and yet, the most disturbing thing would be Omori constantly brutally stabbing a shadow Basil when he attempts to tell the truth.

But...what is the meaning of all this?

Sunny's Trauma.

As we move further into the game, we realize how there is something, something dark and horrifying trying to tell us the truth. However, no matter how close we get, we are teleported back to White Space, the supposed safe spot, wherein nothing can potentially harm us.

PTSD

Omori is Sunny's guardian from the truth regarding his trauma. It is, without question, that Sunny suffers from PTSD. Omori experiences several flashbacks throughout the game.

In most cases, people with trauma experience its repercussions not by a fully-fledged memory but by flashes or fragments of the memory. It can appear in form of reminders of the event, noises, short memories, etc.

Memories, dreams, and flashbacks – You might have distressing memories, dreams, or nightmares about the event. You might also experience the event as if it is happening again (this is known as a flashback). Sunny often has flashbacks and flashes of the event. Feeling upset when reminded of the event – You might feel particularly upset when you are near where the event happened or in an environment that reminds you of the event. Sunny has major emotional outbursts(he attacks Basil in real life) when reminded of his trauma. Avoiding feelings and situations – You might avoid memories, thoughts, feelings, things, people, and places associated with the event. Sunny avoids thoughts or events that remind him of his trauma by forgetting his memories deliberately and living out a fantasy. Loss of memory – You might be unable to remember parts of the event. Sunny has an evident loss of memory(dissociative amnesia). Difficult feelings – These can include: feeling negative about yourself, others, or the world blaming yourself or others for what happened negative emotions like fear, horror, anger, guilt, or shame being unable to feel happiness, satisfaction, or love toward others Self-explanatory. Changes in the way you act – These can include: not doing or being interested in things you used to enjoy feeling detached from other people acting in ways that are reckless or self-destructive being angry and aggressive towards people or things being hypervigilant, or ‘on guard’ This includes not spending time with friends, acting destructive(trying to hurt Basil), and not playing the violin he used to play.

Depression

Sunny undeniably suffers from Depression, as shown by his refusal to leave his house and the violently horrifying thoughts(especially in blackspace) we witness during our journey with Omori.

Anxiety

Sunny also suffers from severe anxiety, as depicted by encountering spiders, staircases, and water bodies in the gameplay. Sunny sort of seizes up, and we have to...

Persist, breathe, and overcome.

Dissociative Amnesia

Sunny seems to be suffering from Dissociative Amnesia, a condition wherein you forget certain parts of a traumatic event. Omori shields Sunny from the truth about his trauma, making him completely unaware of it.

Dissociative amnesia is a condition in which you can't remember important information about your life. This forgetting may be limited to certain specific areas (thematic) or may include much of your life history and/or identity (general).

Dissociative Identity Disorder(DID)

Sunny might also be suffering from DID, which is apparent in the "split personality" Sunny seems to have- one of the real-life 16-year-old Sunny and the other of a 12-year-old avatar of Omori.

Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a mental health condition. Someone with DID has multiple, distinct personalities. The various identities control a person's behavior at different times. The condition can cause memory loss, delusions, or depression. DID is usually caused by past trauma.

Omori enters a Red room filled with arm-shaped thrones, where he sits, ruling over Sunny's consciousness. This is when the truth about Omori slowly dawns on us...

Omori is Sunny's guardian, the mastermind behind this whole world. He attempts to protect Sunny from the repressed truth about his trauma, mercilessly killing those who wish to tell the truth to Sunny, like Basil, for instance. Omori is not a friend but the final boss, and if Sunny succeeds in defeating Omori, he can finally realize...

The truth.

Headspace was built over Blackspace by Omori to seal up its influences. Sunny, who dwelled in Blackspace for a while following his traumatic event, chose to "forget" himself and create a new version of himself who'd protect him-Omori.

The onset of war within oneself.

The final battle between Omori and Sunny heavily symbolizes something we all struggle with- a conflict within oneself.

When Sunny demands the truth, Omori refuses, as the truth could hurt Sunny. However, only with the truth can Sunny move forward, forward from his 12-year-old self and his friends from four years ago.

The fight between Sunny and Omori represents two sides of the same coin- a part of Sunny wants to know the truth, while a part of him wants to escape from it. Part of Sunny desires to grow, while the other part wants to stay 12 forever in his fantasy world.

To recover from trauma, the best way is to remember and learn how to live with it.

Acceptance – Learning to accept that though you can’t change what has happened, you can think differently about the event, the world, and your life. Remembering the event – Remembering what happened without being overwhelmed by fear and distress. You will be able to think about what happened when you want to, rather than through intrusive thoughts or flashbacks. Putting your experiences into words – Talking about what happened so that your mind can store the memories away, and move on to other things. Feeling safer – Helping you to feel more in control of your feelings. This can help you to feel safer, so you won’t need to avoid the memories as much.

Sunny uses his innocent and younger self to feel secure. His 12-year-old self, hurt excessively by his trauma, is now embodied as his protector, who still dwells in his childhood world.

Using his tactics, Sunny defeats Omori in the end by persisting, focusing and breathing- finally overcoming his phobia and trauma. He smashes the black lightbulb in Whitespace and there, he realizes.

The truth.

Ever since Mari started playing the piano, Sunny felt lonely and separated from his older sister. He decided to learn the violin gifted to him by his friends in order to spend more time with Mari.

Soon enough, it became tiresome. Sunny felt like a burden on Mari with the constant mistakes he made. His violin practice made him spend less time with his friends, which made him feel miserable.

Mari and Sunny were about to perform a duet together when they got into an argument at the top of the stairs. Sunny threw the violin in rage, breaking it into pieces. When Mari argued, Sunny pushed her off the stairs.

Mari broke her neck and lay at the bottom of the stairs in a huddle, dead. Sunny, in a panic, dragged Mari to his room. Basil, who arrived at the right time, on witnessing this situation, decided to help Sunny frame it as a suicide and help Sunny out, who was racked with guilt and fear.

They hanged her limp body on a tree. Sunny looked back and saw dead Mari's eye, staring into him. It quickly transfigured into the something he always feared.

Do you want to continue? Yes.

Sunny performs his last duet with Mari. The piece starts off with a beautiful piano serenade and ends with a weeping, shivering, imperfect melody of a violin, indicating the sheer perfection Mari had, while Sunny lacked.

The final duet(Enable Audio).

Sunny forgives himself.

In the ending hospital scene, a very bruised Sunny and Basil meet each other, ready to admit the truth. How does it matter, truly, if others forgive him and Basil when they both forgive themselves?

In the end, Sunny and Basil accepted their fate and decided to forgive themselves and each other. They overcame and moved on.

Sometimes you do a bad thing, but that doesn’t make you a bad person. Forgive yourself.

Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed it, make sure to watch this video. I have taken most of my inspiration for this project from here.

[rin-and-jade]

hey it's pop again, I already technically posted this in a comment section on a YouTube video but I just need to tell you too.

when I was little, I used to get yelled at a lot. I never did go to school, so I never did have that time away from home other kids got, I never was social. I was holed up In our house, for most of my life. still am, the only sense if actual no strings attached freedom I get is from the internet.

I am able to be who I want on here without the anger, and yelling. or the "why are you just sitting there? you could be doing anything!" or "you stupid kid, you know you can do better" or "DO BETTER" or "GET UP AND OUT DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE!" or just anything.

I just don't like the feelings, I feel so guilty about nothing! I wanna vomit and cry and scream for no reason!

I feel like anything I do is judged and if I make a slight mistake I'm ridiculed. they all still get angry about my past mistakes.

it wasn't even anything bad! everything I've done has ended up okay, no one has groomed me, no one has verbally abused me on here, they actually like what I have to say. they give me space and time to talk.

my stutter came back, I didn't realise at first. but now it's just in my head, I stutter and go over my words again and again. and I don't know why.

I've been doing the best I possibly can, I clean, I cook, I do my chores and fold the clothes, I take care of my siblings, I take care of the dog I don't want to take care of. (I love her, but we literally agreed that I wouldn't have to do any dog chores since it gives me hives and asthma and I just can't deal with it.)

I try so FUNKING HARD, and I barely get any credit for it. if I truly moved out, they would be so lost without me.

I want to move out, and see the world and just BE something. I want to DO something that's not just staying confined in my room or only going out when they go out.

I want that smidgeon of freedom, I just can't grasp. so here I am, again. on the internet the only "safe" place I know these days. I can't read a book and distract myself from my parents arguments, I don't have the space to play music without headphones, I can't watch tv or the sort because the TV is in the places where they argue.

so all I have is this, this little text. to quench my thirst of being "abused" or "mistreated" I don't even know anymore.

I love them, dearly. but I just can't spend the rest of my life stuck to them like glue, I know my siblings will be confused and sad. but I just NEED to free myself, I need to be in charge of where and when I can go.

I want to do walks, I want to aimlessly walk malls, I want to work a job or just maybe die.

it's just overwhelming, I want that freedom. and I want to go to my own home, meet people. fall in love, make something of myself. 

make mistakes I'm proud of, and funk up bad. go to THERAPY, god I just want that.

but I'm just stuck in a cycle I can't escape, maybe one day I will. and I'll cry many tears and walk my small stupid apartment, and put up posters and play online games. and talk with people I don't know, and just exist in the way I want to.

find people like me, and go to arcades and spend my pocket money on it. I wander the world, learn a language! I want to do so much and yet I'm trapped.

but one day I'll leave, one day I'll be on my own and it will be so nice.

-pop

Wanna add that never do i have the privilege to express my anger as its always fought back with more anger, like goddamnit how can you be mad and i listen when you can't accept a tinge??

Anyway, as you're independent, you'll do good living alone and working alone one day,, do all the things you want and meet anyone you want. Just remember going as a lone wolf will also have it's troubles so atleast find/have someone to trust along the way.

An absolute survivor, go slay sir/maam.

- j

[glowing-blue-feathermage]

I posted 2,311 times in 2022

That's 2,311 more posts than 2021!

121 posts created (5%)

2,190 posts reblogged (95%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@justcallmecappy

@potatowitch

@tea42

@sulky-valkyrie

@barbex

I tagged 2,156 of my posts in 2022

Only 7% of my posts had no tags

#anders - 794 posts

#fenris - 375 posts

#dragon age - 324 posts

#fenders - 250 posts

#handers - 183 posts

#hawke - 158 posts

#dragon age 2 - 118 posts

#justice - 78 posts

#fenhawke - 65 posts

#😍😍😍 - 62 posts

Longest Tag: 117 characters

#it should not be forgotten that justice was part of anders for every one of those 7 years anders protested peacefully

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

I've been thinking so much the last couple of days about Anders trying to give his pillow to Varric before the Chantry Boom. Anders thought he was going to die, was prepared for it and was making his peace. Offering this pillow to Varric was offering him a piece of himself, a memory, evidence that he was here once, a way to remember him. Varric just makes a face and rejects it and it makes me so sad to imagine Anders just left it there in the sewers, unwanted. He goes on to knowingly paint himself as a murderer, as a perpetual monster in many eyes, and does so probably thinking that no one will remember the mage who made it through years of abuse only to become a healer who for years sacrificed warmth, comfort, and material possessions to care for total strangers. And then went to die for total strangers so they have a chance to be free and equal and not have to live in fear like he has his whole life. I just want to crawl into this game, take his pillow for safekeeping, hug him, head into war at his side, and then give his pillow back when we find a safe harbor in the storm. I despair that I can't do this, so thank the Maker that Hawke can do it for me.

140 notes - Posted February 23, 2022

#4

Jos Lavellan, my Inquisitor, by GreyEnchanter!

145 notes - Posted July 5, 2022

#3

Writing fanfic based on video games is so much fun. You can be writing about the characters and the locations and then also go hang out with them and run around in the town you just wrote about and talk to that person that's in your fic.

219 notes - Posted May 19, 2022

#2

I just like thinking about what an actual badass Anders is.

1. He managed to escape on his own, with no conspirators, from a locked, heavily guarded prison not once, not twice, but seven times.

2. He survived on his own for sometimes months at a time outside the Circle with no experience of the world, no money, no possessions, and no practical survival skills, since there was no reason to teach these things to mages.

3. He had the mental fortitude to survive with his sanity AND his compassion for others intact after being held in solitary confinement for an entire year. He knew this punishment, paramount to torture, was on the table then and he STILL had the courage and determination to escape again.

4. He fought and killed Darkspawn on his own before the Warden found him.

5. He survived the Joining, which most do not. He became a Grey Warden and, by default, a Battlemage. He is a force to be reckoned with even before hosting a spirit of Justice and cited as an incredibly gifted spirit healer, which is a rare power.

6. He survives incredible hardship in Kirkwall on his own before he meets Hawke and friends. He deals with and overcomes poverty, starvation, the violent underbelly of Kirkwall, and the constant threat of templars.

7. Even when he knows that the Darktown Healer is no secret, he defies the templars and continues to run his clinic. He is willing to fight and kill for this sanctuary.

8. He inspires and is a vessel for a whole ass spirit of Justice. He can't be killed like a normal man can. He can be run through with a sword and simply pull it out and keep going.

9. He spends years actively defying people who want him dead or worse, instead of hiding, putting his life on the line for other mages.

10. He 👏🏻 is 👏🏻 still 👏🏻 compassionate 👏🏻 after 👏🏻 decades 👏🏻 of 👏🏻 abuse.

312 notes - Posted April 4, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I just. Feel really grateful for fanfiction. For everyone that writes it, everyone that reads it, everyone that shares their random feelings about characters and events and lore, or leaves a comment or a tag. What an amazing and intertwined community we live in, inspiring and being inspired by one another to create and consume things for no other reason than that it makes us happy.

1,470 notes - Posted May 1, 2022

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[viact1]

Confined Space Safety: How viAct Keeps Workers Safe with AI-Driven Solutions

A lot of value can be put into the safety of workers in any industry that presents risk in its daily operations, such as manufacturing, construction, mining, food & beverage, and smart cities. This is not a simple matter when employees are confined to small spaces, which usually harbour hazardous conditions. Any tank, pipeline, manhole, or tunnel can easily turn out toxic and even fatal without good monitoring and safeguards.

Here, the Asian industries find their remedy through AI-based solutions from viAct. As Asian industries gradually adapt to using AI to gain a better efficiency level in operations and higher safety measures, the Confined Space Safety System is changing the face of monitoring dangerous environments in business operations. In this blog, you will explore how we are enhancing safety, lowering accidents, and increasing productivity in one of the most precarious working conditions in the world.

The Growing Need for Confined Space Safety

Confined spaces are an integral part of many industries but always a place of hidden dangers. These include toxic atmospheres, fire, drowning, and extreme temperatures. An in-depth analysis of work site safety highlights how confined space work has the highest fatality-to-injury ratio of all industrial activities, with estimated fatalities ranging from around 0.05 to 0.08 per 100,000 employees.

Why AI in Confined Space Safety?

AI is not just buzz; it is a game-changer in confined space safety, as AI-driven systems offer real-time monitoring, instant alerts, and deep analytics that would prevent accidents in the first place. AI can spot hazards, detect abnormalities, and even predict potential problems before they become disastrous, without constant human oversight.

With the integration of AI in its Confined Space Safety System, viAct enables businesses to stay ahead while making workers safer and more productive. Now, let us shift to the core features and benefits of viAct's Confined Space Safety System.

How viAct keeps workers safe: 

Key Features

1. Real-time Monitoring with viMov

Its system comprises the first mobile AI safety monitoring solution for confined space work, known as viMov The device achieves high mobility and ease of portability in changing worksites. Using viMov, the confined space worker does not have to be equipped with any individual censoring devices to be monitored by the safety officers. All that is needed are some fairly straightforward steps which include:

Capture the data with viMov.

Process video with AI technology from viAct.

Worker safety can be monitored at any time, anywhere.

A streamlined process will save time and money through a reduction in up to 90% of operations, in fact, viMov has a battery life of up to 50 hours, suitable for both remote and or power-deficient locations

2. Instant Alerts and Emergency Response

Safety is all about speed; and for viAct, there is no greater deliverance than its instant alert system. Be it hazardous atmosphere, fire risk or unauthorized entry, the employees at the site receive an immediate alarm from viMov, which light and sound devices installed on-site, gives them. Besides, the safety officers are also provided with mobile alerts through SMS and email which ensures faster response towards the situation of crisis created.

Such real-time alerts can thus help an organization mitigate potential accidents before they escalate, enhancing higher safety standards in risky setups.

3. Hazard Detection by AI

The confined space safety system developed by viAct relies on AI technology and has been created to detect a wide range of dangers, from toxic gas to extreme temperatures. Danger zone intrusions are also monitored, and only access to safe zones is allowed for the workers. Analyzing the movement and environment of a worker, the AI of viAct gets businesses ahead of possible accidents by predicting risks.

4. Cost-Effective Safety Solution

Another of the most significant advantages that will be achieved if AI is integrated into safety systems is cost-saving. Installation of the Confined Space Safety System saves firms millions of dollars since it simplifies safety procedures, shortens inspection time, and does not require labour inputs in complicated, high-priced manual systems. Companies can optimize their use of resources and concentrate on aggregate productivity when the detection and warning of dangers becomes automatic.

The Future of AI-Driven Safety Systems

The more the industries become AI-powered, the more the benefits will multiply. And it is exactly where viAct stands ahead in changing the tide - fitting businesses with the tools they need to bring safety standards up, determine unpredictable accidents down, and make operations much more efficient. It is not all about saving lives; there will be better growth and stability with the embracing of AI.

Conclusion

If your company wants to be better at confining workplace safety and can take advantage of artificial intelligence-powered solutions that enable more efficient outcomes, then we can enable such a situation with its tools and expertise. Red Zone Managementto Confined Space Monitoring - ViAct's AI systems are there to enable businesses to operate safely, reduce risks, and earn more profits.

Upgrade the safety standard of your company by requesting a demo to discover how our Confined Space Safety System can make a difference in your operations today.

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[reneehesano]

Combatting Cyberbullying: Strategies to Protect Children in the Digital Age

In today's increasingly connected world, the Internet plays a central role in the lives of children and adolescents. While it offers vast opportunities for learning, communication, and entertainment, it also opens the door to a darker side: cyberbullying. This form of online harassment can have severe and long-lasting effects on young people, making it crucial for parents, educators, and communities to work together to prevent and address it. Understanding the nature of cyberbullying and implementing effective strategies to combat it is essential in creating a safer digital environment for our children.

What is Cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying refers to the use of digital technologies to harass, threaten, or humiliate someone, often repeatedly. It can occur on social media platforms, messaging apps, gaming communities, and other online spaces where children interact. Unlike traditional bullying, which is often confined to specific locations like schools, cyberbullying can happen anytime and anywhere, making it an ever-present threat.

Common forms of cyberbullying include sending abusive or threatening messages, spreading lies or rumors online, sharing embarrassing photos or videos without consent, and creating fake profiles to impersonate and discredit someone. The anonymity provided by the Internet often encourages bullies, leading to more aggressive and harmful behavior. The public nature of online platforms can also amplify the impact, as harmful content can quickly spread and be seen by a large audience.

The Psychological Effects on Children

The impact of cyberbullying on children's mental health can be devastating. Victims often experience intense feelings of fear, shame, and isolation. The constant exposure to negative messages can erode their self-esteem, leading to anxiety, depression, and, in severe cases, suicidal thoughts. Unlike face-to-face bullying, where there may be some respite when the child is away from the bully, cyberbullying can be relentless, following the victim everywhere they go.

The effects of cyberbullying can extend beyond the immediate emotional toll. It can disrupt a child's academic performance, social relationships, and overall well-being. The fear of being judged or further harassed can cause victims to withdraw from social activities, leading to loneliness and a sense of helplessness.

Parental Involvement: Key to Prevention

Parents play a crucial role in preventing and addressing cyberbullying. Open communication is the foundation of a strong parent-child relationship, and parents need to talk to their children about the potential dangers of the Internet. Discussing what cyberbullying is, why it's harmful, and how to respond to it can empower children to protect themselves and others.

Monitoring children's online activities is also important, though it should be done in a way that respects their privacy and fosters trust. Parents should stay informed about the websites and apps their children use and encourage them to share their experiences online, both positive and negative. Parents can help their children navigate the digital world safely by being involved and supportive.

It's also important for parents to set a good example of online behavior. Children often model their actions after the adults in their lives, so demonstrating kindness, empathy, and respect in all online and offline interactions can encourage them to do the same.

School's Role in Combating Cyberbullying

Schools are on the front lines of addressing cyberbullying. Educators need to be aware of the signs of cyberbullying and know how to intervene effectively. Schools should have clear policies for handling incidents of cyberbullying, including procedures for reporting, investigating, and disciplining those involved.

Incorporating lessons on digital citizenship and online safety into the curriculum can help students understand the importance of responsible online behavior. These lessons should cover topics such as the impact of cyberbullying, the importance of empathy, and the consequences of spreading harmful content online. Schools can help create a culture of respect and kindness by educating students about these issues.

Peer support programs can also be beneficial. Students may feel more comfortable talking to their peers about issues like cyberbullying, so creating opportunities for them to support one another can make a significant difference. Schools should also provide resources for students who are affected by cyberbullying, including counseling services and safe spaces where they can seek help.

Legal Protections and Policy Initiatives

Legal measures are an essential component of the fight against cyberbullying. Many states have enacted laws that address cyberbullying, requiring schools to have anti-bullying policies and procedures in place. These laws often provide a framework for schools to follow when dealing with cyberbullying incidents, helping to ensure that all students are protected.

However, enforcing these laws can be challenging, especially when it comes to identifying and prosecuting cyberbullies who operate anonymously. Policymakers must continue to update and refine legislation to keep pace with technological advancements and ensure victims have access to justice.

In addition to state laws, there is a growing recognition of the need for social media platforms and technology companies to take a more active role in preventing cyberbullying. By implementing robust reporting mechanisms, swiftly removing harmful content, and enforcing community guidelines, these companies can help create a safer online environment for everyone.

Empowering Children to Stand Up Against Cyberbullying

Empowering children to stand up against cyberbullying is crucial in addressing this issue. Teaching children how to recognize cyberbullying and providing strategies to respond effectively can help them protect themselves and others. Encouraging them to speak out when they see someone being bullied and to support their peers who are victims can create a positive ripple effect.

Building resilience in children is also essential. By helping them develop a strong sense of self-worth and teaching them how to cope with adversity, parents and educators can reduce the emotional impact of cyberbullying. Resilient children are better equipped to handle negative experiences and are more likely to seek help when needed.

Cyberbullying is a pervasive issue that demands attention from all corners of society. By working together—parents, educators, policymakers, and children themselves—we can create a safer digital environment where all young people can thrive. Through education, open communication, and strong legal protections, we can combat cyberbullying and ensure that our children are supported and protected as they navigate the online world.

[aesopsoul]

holiday niche

(nov. 29 2021)

our holidays used to be spectacular, a gigantic event that lasted until the next week, having the time of our lives with endless gifts, wonderful food at all times of the day, and the best part? family. 

now, i’m not one that is extremely immersed within the family, like my other kin. as time progressed, however, i’ve come to conclude that i adore observing and absorbing my family and their little niches that only occur in the holiday season. 

as the years come and go, holiday gatherings have dwindled down to just my parents and sister, my grandparents and aunt.

which i believe my family has agreed to be just enough.

i suppose the best way to define our little cluster of a family is "tight-knit." i never knew much of the family drama until fairly recently, and i learned that there’s a pretty good reason we don’t visit cousin jennifer and don’t go out of our way to see her snot nose kids, either. every member of our family has something slightly off with them, that seems to come out more often than not during the season of giving. 

my aunt’s favorite aspect of the season is seeing my sister, me and my father, she loves to talk to us and only us.

it's always has been that way. we won’t even have the time to take our shoes off or to put down the food we brought with us before she swoops in to take us to her bedroom and watch the newest funny video she’s found online.

her room, while a bit cramped, is a safe place. lit mostly by natural light, candles, and a single lamp, it’s cozy and safe. incense burning and the sound of water filtering through a mini rock formation that sits on her dresser, her posters from korean bands and japanese films covering her walls from corner to corner, polaroids and printed family photos from the 2000s, her rabbits, and scenery stuck in her mirror that sits on her vanity, in which is covered in multiple hairbrushes, korean skincare, miniature figurines, and a stack of photos not yet hung up. the floor pillows and blankets covering the carpeted floor offer a sense of comfort, since we all can’t fit on her twin sized bed safely anymore. 

if we weren’t hanging in her bedroom, it would be the kitchen/dining room that we all would be in. my grandmother seemingly permanently stuck within the confines of the kitchen, whether it be by the counter or over the sink, i would sit on the barstools or stand by the oven and talk to keep company, telling of my recent affairs with the general public between my jobs as a barista and a cashier, there are always quite the characters. my grandparents tend to not leave the house as much, simply with their fear of the current global pandemic and world affairs (as well as my grandma never getting her license renewed), my aunt takes them on outings as often as she can, depending on her insufferable job at the county police force. my grandma always tells me that she’s glad im able to relay the funny and bizarre aspects of the world to her as often as i can, and always says “oh im glad i don’t work, i simply would not be able to handle it!! people suck.” and while she is right that people do suck, i also love seeing people and how they get excited about whipped cream on a hot chocolate or the polite chuckle in response to kids crying in the cart behind them.

i love being around people and just observing them.

with dinner drawing near, my grandma always calls out to the rest of us, despite the fact that we’re all still in the dining room,

“now go grab something to drink!”

and we listen, my sister and i head to the finished basement to the mini fridge; stocked with sodas, chocolate milks, and waters. selecting a sevenup or sunkist, we are offered a glass by my grandma for such high-end drinks. 

once we are all seated at the table, and food is passed around, my grandpa- seated at the head of the table- asks my father- who is seated at the other end- if he had caught the game last night. it never mattered what the game was; basketball, baseball, or football, my dad’s response was always “i saw half of it, turned it off whenever we were so far gone there was no chance.” and with a hum in response from my grandpa, he would divulge into a play-by-play to my dad of the final moments of the game, regardless if the points were 45-2, with our designated team being the 2. With always the dreaded questions of how school or work has been lately, i love to tell of the fun characters that come into the coffee shop in town, or how my classmates still don’t know the difference between your and you’re. treading lightly on the current political climate, since so many of us have such opposite views, it’s better to just sigh dramatically and go “it’s been rough” and leave it at that.

the clinks of forks and knives against the fine china as someone gets up to get another helping out of the linked crockpots, dinner slows until the final fork stops. in which we are left to clean up and talk of anything new and exciting that’s left to discuss, as my grandmother retreats to the kitchen, and my aunt, sister and me into her bedroom, we let the adults talk until it’s time for dessert of either a pie, cake, or an array of small treats. either way, the main aspect that always brings us back to harmony is food. and nobody knows it better than my grandmother. 

regardless of the season or time of year, there is the comfortable routine that is always brought on by the smaller part of our family, and frankly, im glad we stopped with the overwhelming amount of family within one place. the stuffy air, and the lacked avoidance of political and social talk. perhaps it was always meant to be this way.