#we spent like 2 hours building and then destroying these abominations

[giddlygoat]

today, me and my sibling made death battle machines and pitted them against each other. the one with the ninjas piloting is called “wu’s team building exercise” and the one with the flaming tit on top is called “diarrhea johnson’s freedom-licious nutbuster 3000”.

diarrhea johnson’s machine can only go in one direction [circle] and wu’s teambuilding exercise can only go in every direction all at once. it has 11 wheels and 6 joints/swivels for maximum teamwork difficulty. kai is in charge of main steering from his post on top of the double-decker couch, and due to an error in lower-couch capacity calculations, the secondary steering mechanism had to be moved to the very front of the vehicle last-minute, but lloyd is braving it like a champ. cole is on back right steering and zane mirrors him with back left steering. wu’s job is to hold The Skull.

in the end, diarrhea johnson won with only a single illegal nuclear rocket booster knocked off from the impact, and wu’s team building exercise was broken into 4 pieces. among the detached was the expresso machine/main and only engine in the back that jay was put in charge of constant monitoring, as well as the emergency shut down explosion button [and only form of breaks] on the very back of the vehicle. lloyd was flung across the floor and hit the dishwasher head on. he is still in the ICU. however, when the illegal nuclear rocket booster was knocked off of mr johnson’s vehicle, it also set off a nuclear explosion and rendered everywhere within a 100 mile radius an instant-death zone. diarrhea johnson did not survive. however, we concluded that the ninja are probably fine, because they are only glowing green, and as everyone knows, lloyd’s power glows green, so nothing is out of the ordinary. 

perhaps most impressive of all is that The Skull was not once knocked from wu’s hand. truly a legendary battle was had today, but i think the true hero here does not lie in the winner - but in each of us. 

[youllallriseintheink]

Angel of the Ink Machine, chapter 2: Compromise

The premise of this AU is simple: Sammy leaves the studio instead of Henry, and as a result, Joey needs a new partner in crime. He finds one in Allison. Power struggles, sacrifices, passion, ecstasy and tragedy ensues.

---

Allison’s first few weeks at Joey Drew Studios had been interesting, to say the least. Joey had introduced her to the music room on her first day, and all had seemed to go well. The next day, however, just as she was setting things up in her recording booth, a small, blonde woman who hadn’t been around the day before had come in to interrupt her. Apparently, the last voice actress for the part of Alice Angel- Susie Campbell- had been away the previous day and hadn’t been told that she’d been replaced. The poor woman was heartbroken, and Allison had felt bad for taking a role that was essentially meaningless to her from someone who clearly cared much more about it.

That pity only lasted until Allison realized that half of the music department had taken a disliking to her, seemingly overnight. It was hard to tell how much of that was their loyalty to Susie and how much of that was just their regular standoffish-ness. Either way, Allison didn’t much care for the whole high school-level cattiness of it. Any friends she’d make in this studio would be outside the music department.

Voice acting was fine. Dating Joey was wonderful. She hadn’t gotten to play with the ink machine yet, but they’d done other magic together. She didn’t care for his secretiveness about his plans for the machine worked, though, and after a while she decided to seek out answers on her own.

Her first thought was to ask the man who was building the machine, Thomas Connor. He said that he didn’t know how this thing was supposed to work and didn’t want to, and sure as hell wouldn’t tell some random music department kid if he did. She asked his assistant, Wally Franks, who told her a round-a-bout tale about how he’d drawn up the first blueprint. This was not information Allison could use.

There was one other person she could ask, but it was a long shot. Despite her best efforts, Allison hadn’t fully avoided the high school nonsense of the music room, and she knew the reputation that their projectionist, Norman Polk had as a keeper of unknowable secrets. Allison thought that they were being ridiculous, but it was worth a shot, and he was open enough about meeting with her over lunch one day.

“So, you’re working with Joey Drew on the magical stuff,” he said. It wasn’t a question.

“Uh, yes. Does everyone know?”

Norman laughed a little. “Most people here don’t even know that magic is real. Anyhow, I assume that you came to me because you’re interested in knowing some kind of secret?” If he was annoyed about the new girl knowing his reputation, he didn’t show it. If anything, he seemed amused.

“Yes. Honestly, I just want to know as much about Joey as I can. Especially anything that has to do with magic, and the ink machine.”

“Well, I guess telling you can’t be any more dangerous than him keeping it from you. Follow me.”

“You want to know a secret about Joey?” Norman asked as they walked, “he hires people he thinks are vulnerable and down on their luck. So Joey Drew Studios has some teenagers working here, some people with disabilities from the war, and a lot more non-whites and queer people than you’d expect. Not a secret, just a pattern I’ve noticed. But I know that what you want is real secrets.”

Norman took her to a room labelled, “The Archives.” Within it was hundreds of audio logs in locked glass containers. “Joey audio-records us,” Norman explained. “I don’t know his purposes for it, but he clearly does it a whole lot. The glass bins are locked, obviously, but I stole one off his desk a couple days ago. Wanna hear it?” The man’s face had gone from proud and amused to dead-serious.

“Sure...”

Norman pressed the button, and the audio log played. It was Joey Drew speaking to Thomas Connor. They were talking about how to change Bendy from a soulless abomination into a lovable cartoon, and it ended with Joey promising that if these things are soulless, he would get them a soul. After all, I own thousands of them.

“You wanna know what I think? I think that Joey is great at preying upon the desperate. And quite recently, he made a person desperate to be a cartoon character again. So, Allison. I don’t know what your role in this magical business is, but if you can help it, don’t let Joey hurt Susie Campbell- she’s my fiancé. I’ve already told her to be careful around Mr. Joey Drew, but...”

Allison was struggling to take this in. Joey wanted to kill people for this project? That was insane! And yet, some of those pentagrams in the basement had looked awfully large. “I’m sure he doesn’t mean that he wants to murder people. But I’ll talk to him, Norman. I promise. And I do have power over him, so you can count on me!”

---

Allison kept her promise, and brought it up the next time she was at Joey’s house.

“Joey. I need you to tell me right now if this ink machine project involves killing people.”

Joey immediately tensed. He’d been thinking for weeks of a way to break that to Allison that wouldn’t make her run for the hills. “Not... killing. I mean, they’ll still be alive. It’s more like putting them in another body. Yes, the process does involve causing their old body to bleed out, but their consciousness will still be there- probably.”

“Probably?” her face was remarkably calm, given the circumstances.

“I’ve tested the machine on rodents. None of them came out physically resembling a cartoon- only your potion lets me do that. But some of them came out acting like rodents, some of them came out acting like cartoon characters, and some of them went berserk. I’m trying to figure out how to make more of them come out as either rodents or cartoons. If the person retains their personality, they could basically be actors. And if they come out with the cartoon personality, well...”

The more Joey spoke, the more withering Allison’s glare became. “Okay. None of that. I’m not going to destroy people for this. Going forwards, only retaining the consciousness is considered a good outcome. Capisce?”

“Okay,” Joey said, starting to regret letting Allison into the project.

“And I assume that you were going to tell the sacrifices exactly what’s going to happen to them beforehand?”

“Well... Allison, how many people do you think would do this if we were to tell them everything? I was going to tell them that they’d go to sleep and then wake up as the cartoon character they want to be.”

Allison shook her head and appeared to think things over a moment. “You know what, Joey? I’ll do this. But we can’t do it without my potion, so we’re going to do it on my terms. You understand? So, here are my terms: one, we test that machine. We test it on rodents until we have at least 70% of them coming out acting like rodents. Alright? Two, don’t sacrifice anyone without my permission. Ever. And three: I want to be the one who talks people into becoming sacrifices. I have a silver tongue, too, and I don’t trust you to be honest with people. Those are the terms. Take them or leave them.”

“I’ll... I’ll take them. But Allison, if you’re going to have this much power over the project, I need you to show that you’re loyal to it.”

Allison smiled. “Of course. I’m sure that we could work something out!”

---

“What do you think- can you break the lock, Wally? I can’t believe I locked myself out like this.”

“Hmm... Well, Shawn has been tryin' to teach me how to pick a lock. I could try.” Wally got to work on the door and had busted it open within two minutes.

“Alright! Thanks, Wally.” Joey handed Wally the 20$ he’d promised him. They parted ways, and then Joey got to work scouring Allison’s house for that potion recipe.

It was nine weeks and four days after Joey had agreed to Allison’s terms. Six weeks, and only now were they making their first human sacrifice. Worse, they’d wasted hundreds of dollars worth of pet store rodents and a few dozen hours spent altering their ritual. They’d gotten those rodents to turn into toons- mostly perfect toons- that acted like animals at a high enough rate to satisfy Allison, and now Allison was headed to Susie’s apartment to talk her into becoming their sacrifice. Joey wished he could be there, making sure that Allison was doing it right and not scaring Susie away from the idea in the name of honesty. But the one benefit to this situation was knowing that Allison wouldn’t be here, and that after this she would be headed straight to the studio- he wasn’t leaving this place without that potion recipe, and thus full power over the project.

Joey checked all the obvious places like cupboards and drawers, paged through binders full of recipes for various potions and food items, and then checked the obvious “hiding place” places, such as under her bed, under rugs, and so on. It didn’t help that Allison’s house was rather cluttered. For all Joey knew, he could have missed the recipe while sorting through the various papers on the kitchen table. He checked his watch and learned that he’d spent too long here and had supposed to be at the studio an hour ago. Well, he had to give up and leave sometime. Before he left though, he went back to one of Allison’s recipe binders, where Joey had bookmarked a page labelled, “Memory spell? Failed.” He tore out the page. Allison clearly wasn’t the best at creating spells, but seeing it had given Joey an idea of something he could add to the ink machine rituals. It would take at best a few weeks to perfect, but what if he could control what the sacrifices remembered and forgot? There were so many potential uses...

---

Norman had been right about Susie being desperate to be Alice again. Susie had been furious when Allison had showed up at her apartment, but once Allison had said the words, “Joey and I want to make you Alice again. We agreed that you’re the best person for the job,” she’d broken down in tears.

“D-do you mean that?”

“Of course I do! It was the plan from the very beginning. Susie, no one is as well-suited to being Alice Angel than you are. Now, I’ll still be her voice actress, but you’re going to make history- trust me, people will remember you as Alice for decades after this. Joey found an improvised means to bring you closer to Alice than any actress ever has been to a character. The process will seem scary, but Joey will help you, I’ll be there every step of the way. I’m pretty excited myself, honestly! No one’s ever done this before. So, are you with us?”

“Well, that sounds... too good to be true. I mean, even just getting my role back would be nice wonderful, but here you are promising me fame and all of that... But you’re being awfully vague about it. What exactly do you have planned?”

“Come with me to the studio. It has to be seen to be believed.”

[dr-nwo-blog]

Dossier: Don’t Keep the Bear Waiting | Chapter Two

[ ♪ ♪ ♪ ]

Once Youko had finished explaining what happened, the Agents were left with more questions than answers. Regardless, there was not much they could do right now about the Scrapbooker’s mystery assailant. After all, Sorakuma summoned them and it wasn’t a wise idea to keep him waiting. 

With a few Agents hanging back to make sure Youko wasn’t alone, all 17 of them entered the Video Tour Room. Inside, Sorakuma stood on a table next to the flat screen TV that was displaying the same distorted vacation video. Set up in front of it were 17 plastic seats. This couldn’t be good.

“Jeez what took you jerks so long to get here! My time is precious you know, it’s rude to keep your host waiting!! Hurry up and take a seat, I’m not even sure you deserve a surprise at all!”

Oh dear god let that be true...

“Juuuuuuust kidding! I would never do that to you adowable wittle agents!”

Damn it.

It was possible that a few of the Agents wished to grill Sorakuma about the fact that he had summoned Youko last night, however, they had nary a chance. Sorakuma was now clapping loudly at them to get into their seats.

“You all joined with the Future Foundation for your own reasons, I’m sure. But, it’s clear that you didn’t do it just for self preservation. No way, if that was the case then you wouldn’t have cared about helping others! Would have been better for you to join the other side. So, I don’t care how ya spin it, I know ya all got hearts in there and you care about what happens to innocent people!”

Sorakuma’s grin was sinister and plain awful to look at. You could tell that he was taking pleasure in every moment he spent torturing the Agents. With his words hanging in the air, Sorakuma pulled out a TV remote and pressed a button. All of a sudden the screen displayed two different towns. 

But they weren’t towns that were unrecognizable. After all, these Agents had been working with the Future Foundation for a very long time. They could see the Foundation flags hung on the makeshift barriers and walls surrounding the settlement...

These were Foundation Safe Zones. 

“These once prosperous villages have now been organised into designated ‘Safe Zones’ for people seeking to flee the horrors of the Tragedy. Sure, they may be a little crowded now, but the refugees here grow their own food, have plenty of drinking water and make a living trading gear and scrap in their marketplaces to scavengers! The only reason they are safe is thanks to the constant guard and protection from the Future Foundation!”

The screens zoom into the towns. Someone there must be filming this in real time. The Agents see worn out civilians going about their daily business in the town. Most of the buildings are worn; some of them destroyed. People are doing heavy lifting and trying to keep the streets clean. Children dart around their feet playing games in the street. You also see Future Foundation Agents, some of them recognizable from your time in HQ. They are helping the people as best as they can, but it’s clear to see they are low on numbers.

“You may be asking why I’m showing you this, hmm? Well, as you all know, the whole point of you being here is to participate in a killing game. Since Naragachi-san blew your chances with the first motive, I figured it was high time I started giving you something a little more... real. It’s time to test your loyalty, Agents!”

Sorakuma pressed another button on the remote and the TV cut to... frankly, a horrific and disturbing sight.

[ CW: mild cartoon horror (from official Dangan Ronpa Art) ]

It showed a black and white screen of a Monokuma, frantically trying to hold back a door filled with some of the most disturbing and feared enemies that the Foundation had ever encountered in the field...

Junk Monokuma.

“I’m sure you’re all familiar with the Junk Monokuma. Without a doubt, you’ve likely encountered one of these bad boys out in the field. An amalgamation abomination of destroyed Monokuma parts! The fiercest and most violent Kuma around! Ahh-- I’m weak at the knees!!!”

Sorakuma started to laugh. The Junk Monokuma on the screen were getting more and more agitated. 

“Kyahaha! I’m sure you’ve figured it out! That’s right, unless you kill a fellow agent, I’m gonna release the Junk Monokuma into both of these Safe Zones!! And believe me, they will slaughter everyone. However, if you do kill, then the killer gets to choose only one town to save, damning the other one to the Junk Monokuma. Of course, this one is time limited. You have 48 Hours to kill. If not, then both towns will be ransacked.”

There was a tense silence in the Video room. This time, they were on a time limit, and if they didn’t complete the task at hand -- that being murdering a fellow agent -- then hundreds of innocent people were going to die a horrible death.

Sorakuma hopped off his chair and started to walk out the room, cackling between words.

“I’m gonna leave this running as further motivation! Oh, and I forgot to mention -- You should be aware that there is someone special to each of you in these Safe Zones. It should be an even split, half and half. How fortunate for me, huh? It’s like my birthday!”

And with that, Sorakuma was gone, leaving the Agents feeling certainly a lot worse than they did when they woke up this morning.

48 hours

17 agents

2 safe zones

It wasn’t just about escape anymore.

[ Task: The motive has been released! Continue threading as normal, but the public channels should be up to date with what has just transpired! Feel free to post reactions, and maybe it’s a good idea to look into what happened to Youko? Either way, we are now open for volunteers for either killers or victims this chapter! Good luck! ]

[charllieeldridge]

Top 8 Best Places to Visit in Manila: A Guide for Travellers

If you are travelling to the Philippines, it’s likely that your first port of call will be Manila. While it’s largely a city overshadowed by the far more popular destinations within the same Philippines archipelago, the attractions and places to visit in Manila are plentiful.

Metro Manila is the metropolitan region surrounding the capital, Manila City. This region itself is composed of no less than 16 cities, all portraying a unique character. Although each possesses a different charm making them worthy of a visit, the older historic town is where most of the top places to visit in Manila are centred.

  The Philippines was for many centuries a Spanish colony, and it comes as no surprise that the more historical places to visit in Manila have a Spanish flair, be it in the architecture, religion, or simply in the street name.

The top places to visit in Manila are mostly within walking distance of each other. If you are set on exploring the city by foot, you should also check out this post on a walkable day tour of Manila City.

1. Rizal Park 

Named after the country’s national hero, inclusive of a huge commemorative monument, this park is a welcome relief from the hustle and bustle and traffic which plagues the city. Spread over an area of 58 hectares, this urban park has as a centerpiece the tallest flagpole in the Philippines (32m) commemorating the country’s independence.

The park is divided into three sections, with the middle section considered as the park proper, and home to an artificial lagoon equipped with a dancing fountain. The lower side of the park incorporates the Manila Ocean Park.

*Note: Goats On The Road doesn’t condone the captivity and cruelty of animals, and doesn’t agree with visiting aquariums and zoos. We urge you to be aware of where your tourism dollars are being spent. To learn more about being a responsible travellers, see our article here.

Entrance to the park itself is free and unrestricted, but at the sides, one can find a number of curated themed gardens which are worth visiting. The highlight amongst these is the Orchidarium which showcases the country’s rich variety of orchids alongside a butterfly pavilion.

The park is one of the more popular places to visit in Manila and you should expect the place to be very busy, particularly on Sundays and public holidays.

Looking for more articles about the Philippines?

Best Palawan Resorts in the Philippines

Top 10 Beaches to Visit in the Philippines

Solo Traveller’s Guide to Palawan

2. Arroceros Forest Park

It’s no secret that the city of Manila has a lot of traffic, and traffic pollution. To get away from that smog, head to the Arroceros Forest Park, an incredible green space in the city.

This 2.2-hectare (5.4-acre) park offers a breath of fresh air due to its 8,000 plants and 61 types of trees. Here you’ll find couples, families and solo wanderers just enjoying the natural beauty.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed and wondering where to go in Manila to get some peace and quiet, the Arroceros Forest Park is the best place to do just that. The park is open from 7:30am to 6:00pm. 

3. Intramuros (one of the best places to visit in Manila)

Intramuros, which literally translates to ‘within the walls’, is the fortified historical centre within Manila city. Within its perimeter, you’ll find both the Manila Cathedral and Fort Santiago, the latter forming part of the same defensive structure. The whole area is mostly closed off to vehicles, reserved only for residents and special permit holders.

Parts of the original wall structures are still visible, although the city itself was punished considerably in WW2. It is estimated that only 5% of the original buildings survived, and just about 40% of the wall was left intact.

Nevertheless, recognising the historical importance of the site, the government of the Philippines set up the ‘Intramuros Administration’, tasked with restoring and maintaining the buildings and the surrounding walls. They are doing a good job, making Intramuros one of the best places to visit in Manila.

4. Fort Santiago

Currently guarding the banks of a heavily polluted and stinky Pasig River, the fort has an even darker history. Named after St. James, the patron saint of Spain, the fort originally protected the regional Spanish authorities during their rule, and was an important centre for the international spice trade.

Over the years, the fort, moat and adjacent Intramuros walls have seen multiple alterations, particularly during the American rule, which saw the moat converted to a strategically important … golf course! The oddly sited abomination is still pretty active today.

The darkest period for the fort came during WW2. The Japanese Imperial Army used the cellars to keep prisoners of war in inhumane conditions, before slaughtering all closer to the end of the war. The cells have recently been refurbished and are open for visitation.

On the grounds of the fort, you may notice a trail of stainless steel footprints. More recently, at the turn of the 20th century, the fort was the location where the national hero and demigod Jose Rizal was imprisoned until his execution.

A mock-up of his cell has been reconstructed and the footprints indicate his last steps from the cell out of the fort towards his execution spot.

Where to Stay in Manila

Here is a list of the top 3 rated, affordable properties in Manila. Click on the links and check them out for yourself!

Gwentop Condotel at One Metropolitan Place Condominium – From $27 / Night, Rating 9.6. Click here to see the latest price on Booking.com

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Affordable Luxury Scandinavian Studio – From $58 / Night, Rating 9.8. Click here to see the latest price on Booking.com

Affordable Luxury Scandinavian Studio 3

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jKSUITES Manila Condos – From $78 / Night, Rating 9.4. Click here to see the latest price on Booking.com

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☞ Click here to see all accommodation options available in Manila on Booking.com

5. Manila Cathedral

Commanding great views from the Fort Santiago park, and situated in the Plaza de Roma (formerly Plaza Mayor), roughly in the middle of Intramuros, the next item on the top places to visit in Manila is the Manila Cathedral.

  The elements were never very kind to the original sixteenth-century building. On several occasions and over the centuries the church has been destroyed by various natural calamities. It has always been painstakingly rebuilt by dedicated parishioners, even after WW2 when all but parts of the facade were flattened.

If you are wandering around the area at noon, the belfry is equipped with a carillon mechanism operating seven bells to some sweet tunes. The Cathedral was visited in 2015 by Pope Francis in what marked a huge event for a very Catholic Philippines.

6. Quiapo Church and the Black Nazarene

Another religious-themed landmark on the list of best places to visit in Manila is the statue of the Black Nazarene (Nazareno Negro). Together with the ‘Santo Nino’ statue in Cebu city, it’s the most revered religious icon in the Philippines.

The statue is thought to be miraculous at the touch. It was carved from mesquite, a dark wood, and depicts a dark Jesus on his way to the crucifixion. It has resided in the Quiapo church, known as the minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene since the 18th century, and is open for veneration twenty-four hours a day.

  Indeed, the basilica never closes, acting as an after-hours shelter for the homeless. The place is cleaned early every morning and re-adopted as a place for veneration.

A small market that is set up just outside of the Basilica in Plaza Miranda sells mini reproductions of the statue as souvenirs. It is also home to more pagan activities like fortune-telling, magic potions and card reading.

7. Explore the Streets of Binondo (Chinatown)

It seems all major cities have their own piece of China, yet few can lay a claim to having the first Chinatown in the world. Established in the late sixteenth century, it was the Spanish who located this settlement for Chinese Catholics. It’s close to the Quiapo church, and not too far from Intramuros, allowing them to keep a watchful eye on their neighbour.

As with any respectable Chinatown, the tight roads frolic with all kinds of culinary adventures. You’ll also find busy fruit and vegetable markets, many cheap gadgets and original-imitation designer brands. All of this makes Binondo one of the most interesting places to visit in Manila.

Be warned though, the place can get very busy, and pickpocketing episodes are very common.

Binondo is also home to the Minor Basilica of Sto. Lorenzo Ruiz, dedicated to the Philippine’s first saint. As is the case with most of the churches in the Philippines, the landmark has been subjected to a history of earthquakes and calamities. WW2 was also again not too kind on this area.

8. Manila Waterfront

Last on this list of places to visit in Manila is a fitting conclusion to a busy few days exploring the city. Walk down to the Manila Bay waterfront and enjoy a relaxed stroll whilst chasing the amazing sunset. Enjoy interacting with the locals who will be eager to snap a picture with you, and discover the treasure that is Filipino hospitality.

The waterfront also offers many opportunities for adventurous foodies, as the street food is plentiful, and sometimes mysterious.

Ready to explore these must-visit places in Manila?

After spending some time in the remote areas, islands and beaches of the Philippines, Manila is the perfect spot for catching up with society. As with any respectable capital, it is a fast-paced city, struggling between deeply rooted tradition and an urge for modernisation.

This struggle creates many contrasts, the huge and modern mega malls on one side, versus poorer shacks a few blocks away. Combine all this with the city’s very rich historical background, and you get an almost surreal experience which is hard to ignore.

You will either love Manila or hate it, there’s really no in-between. But to help ensure you get a well-rounded picture of the city, make sure to check out the places to visit above. 

 Images in this article are courtesy of Shutterstock.com.

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[youllallriseintheink]

Audrey and the Dark Revival, chapter 2: Open Loop

Audrey and the Dark Revival is intended as a sequel series for Bendy and the Ink Machine. May the actual sequel come out soon and completely blow mine out of the water.

This one is where the plot gets real.

Also, I’m using a few of @mwolf0epsilon‘s fantastic monster designs, and plan on using more of them in the future.

---

When Allison removed Audrey’s blindfold, they are on separate sides of a metal door. The door had once been for a now-defunct meat freezer in an industrial kitchen, but it was now defunct, as the lack of cold and the massive, albeit boarded-up, hole in the door told her.

“Sorry about that,” Allison said, “It’s hard to trust anyone around here. I’d normally have just kept an eye on you and let you be, but you have no idea how valuable humans are down here. I really couldn’t just let you go. If you could help us, I would owe you the world. Of course, the fact that you’re on Nathan’s side could cause some challenges... but let’s at least try to work something out.”

“Woah, wait...” Audrey said, “I’m not on Nathan’s side. I’ve been here half an hour and I already regret coming. Nathan and I aren’t on good terms... Anyhow, what I really want is information. What is this place? What are you? And why are humans so valuable?”

“For a long time, I didn’t know what this place was either. Then, a few years ago, I found an audio log from Nathan Arch explaining it. A man named Joey Drew made this place. It’s a representation of how he feels about his failures as an animation visionary- that’s what most of this place is, anyhow. He didn’t create the people. They’re people he murdered, or who got poisoned. Part of the reason this place exists is as a storage device for them. A lot of the space isn’t his creation, either. This place used to be a lot smaller, and after it had been around a few years, Joey Drew put it in a time loop. The only reason I escaped it is because the ink demon chased me into one of Nathan’s areas. The new areas- they aren’t affected by the loop!” Allison’s face brightened considerably. “For a while I thought that the spell was breaking. That it was the world opening up to us! Tom told me otherwise, but I was sure.” Allison darkened again, and Tom laid a hand over her shoulder. “Then, over time, Tom and I kept running into worse and worse monsters. The world has expanded... but it’s also gotten darker, and more crowded. So, Tom and I took to doing what we’ve always done- survive, and look for solutions. We found your father’s lair, complete with new monsters coming out of it. But no toon could ever get into it- it’s defended by ink canons made to melt any other creature of this realm who comes close. And since there were no humans around who were up for the task... since then we’ve just been surviving. Waiting on a hero. Audrey, will you help us to get your father out of here before he makes this place any more of a nightmare?”

Audrey was overwhelmed. “I- I’d love to. But I’m just a random civilian. I don’t know how to fight monsters. I don’t know the lay of the land.”

“Well, you’ll have to learn that if you want to survive here, whether you want to be a saviour or not. I can teach you to fight, and the names of monsters.” Tom whispered something in Allison’s ear. “And there is another human in this realm. If you won’t be our hero, maybe you can convince him to be. He’s proficient at combat and knows the place like the back of his hand!”

Audrey was silent for a while, weighing her options. A part of her didn’t see much other choice. While she had no reason to believe these strangers, they were clearly strong, and the world was clearly dangerous, and she wanted them on her side. And if they were telling the truth and could lead her to Nathan, all the better. “I’ll do it,” she decided.

“Excellent,” Allison beamed, smiling excitedly, and they let her out. After gearing up in the industrial kitchen that they’d made into a base (complete with cots and even a fish tank, Audrey noticed), they headed out. Allison led- she clearly knew the lay of the land. Along the way, she pointed out a number of monsters. She pulled Audrey away from a ledge, warning of the balls of wool, horns, and hooves that might ram her over the edge. From a safe distance, they witnessed a huge, quasi-canine abomination with hooks for hands dragging an exhausted, monkey-looking abomination into a puddle of ink, in which it dissolved. Allison called these creatures “rammers,” “catchers,” and “pipers” respectively. Along the way, there were also opportunities for Audrey to practice using her shock powers with Tom and Allison as back-up. She was getting quite proficient.

Finally, they arrived at what appeared to be a storage area for amusement park equipment- “Bendyland,” as Audrey learned about it from tapes. Just past a roller coaster ride was some sort of ethereal boundary. Their side of the boundary was the some dark, gloomy blue-toned white that everything in this realm had been. The other side of the boundary was somewhat better lit and sepia-toned. “That’s the area affected by the loops,” Allison explained. “And Henry- the other human- will be passing through there.”

“Great,” Audrey replied, clicking the button of a tape recorder that she’d found sitting on a workbench.

The death of the Great Bertrum Piedmont was a tragedy, truly. He was a great boss. But I’m not so sure about sticking around. Seems like there’s been an awful lot of murders among the Bendyland staff since then... and yet the rides keep gettin’ made faster than ever. It’s like they build themselves after the lights go out. I have half a mind to go pokin’ around... but I don’t have that much of a death wish.

Suddenly the roller coaster began to rattle. A piece of the tracks disconnected and swiveled towards the trio, and a duck-shaped cart hurtled towards them, sending them scattering to avoid being crushed. The duck carts- approximately a dozen of them- split off in different directions, going to various spaces in the vast, area-consuming roller coaster. Tom found a round, foundational bolt, and barked to get Allison’s attention before smashing it with his metal first. Allison turned to Audrey, who was attempting to shock a duck to little effect. “Audrey!” she shouted, “find the foundational bolts!”

“What?” Audrey yelled back, dodging out of the way of a duck.

“These!” Allison yelled, stabbing one opposite to the one Tom had destroyed. The entire section of roller coaster collapsed, falling onto another and taking it out with it like dominoes.

“Okay!” Audrey called out, before returning to the weave of dodging ducks, never staying in any one place too long, and finding foundational bots to takeout with her lightening powers. Her power’s range was very useful, but she still needed to constantly be on the move. When the carnival music finally stopped, Audrey looked around her to assure that there were no more pieces of roller coaster left to destroy. Then, she collapsed, first sitting, and then sprawling out on the floor.

Allison rushed over. “You okay?” she asked.

Audrey nodded. “Tired.” She wasn’t used to this kind of activity, but took solace in the fact that even Allison and Tom seemed pretty worn out.

“Well, you’re in luck. A break is the next thing on our to-do list.” Allison helped Audrey up, and they went over to a little selection of carnival games. “Henry will come over here. It’s a part of his loops. It could be five minutes or days. In the meantime, this room has no monsters, so we might as well relax. Wanna see if you can beat me at this shooting game?”

With that, the three of them spent the next couple hours playing games and hanging out. “Wait-” Allison said after Audrey had shared a little story, “You have memories of the outside. You can tell us about the outside!”

Audrey reached for Allison’s wrist. “Well, sure, I-”

As soon as Audrey made skin contact with Allison, Allison’s face went into blank shock. Audrey’s first instinct was to look behind her, but there was nothing there.

“Allison? Allison?”

“Give me a moment. Oh my God. I remember everything.”

“Sorry. Nathan gives me powers like this. He’s probably trying to sabotage us somehow.”

“How could this possibly be sabotage?” Allison beamed, smiling widely. “I don’t know anything about Nathan. Maybe he’s stuck and wants to escape. But this is great. You could work your magic on Henry this way! Speaking of which- over there!” Allison pointed to the entrance of Bendyland.

Through it, a man emerged. It wasn’t the hero that Allison had promised. The man looked to be in his mid-fifties, and was fairly athletic but nothing special. More notably, he was stained head to toe in ink, and had an extremely bored, weary expression on his face. He saw the trio, but ignored their presence entirely and plodded over to one of the games.

“You first, Audrey" Allison whispered, “He’ll think that we’re a hallucination, but he’s never seen you before. I guess I should tell you now, though- he’s not the man he once was. These time loops have damaged him greatly.”

Audrey headed over to him and the other two followed. Allison grabbed his arm, which Henry still didn’t react to, simply trying to play the game despite Allison hanging off of him. Audrey touched him, and he spasmed out, gasping, but afterwards went right back to his game. 

“Henry, this is not a hallucination. Come with us,” Audrey said.

“Yes you are, Allison,” Henry sighed, still looking at the game, “you aren’t from this part of the loop.”

“Henry. You’ve never seen me before,” Audrey said.

Henry turned to her. “You’re right. I haven’t seen you. Sorry, my memory’s a little... spotty, although after what you just did to me...” Henry drifted off into space. “Maybe you aren’t a hallucination. So... what do you want?”

Considering the revelation he’d just had, the man’s voice conveyed considerably little emotion. Audrey chose her next words carefully.

“Henry, we can’t get you out of the studio- not yet, anyhow. But we can get you out of this time loop if you come with us. And we need your help.”

“Henry, come with us and we’ll save Boris" Allison added, “We know a way into chamber he’s being kept in.”

Henry’s eyes immediately lit up. “I’ll come!,” he said, showing the first signs of hope and life that Audrey had seen in him. “If we can do that, then I’ll know this is real!”