Archive of Our Own

You’ve probably had the most fun you’ve had in forever. After all, there was so much to love in the boards.

The NES style games were right up your alley, considering the whole reason you even took that CRT home with you was because you heard CRTs are really good for gaming (especially the classics). It was the greatest accident you’ve ever made all things considered. 

And all the little quiz segments were perfectly tailored to the shows you were watching earlier before you fell asleep and woke up to this crazy place (Waking up to being stuck in a gatcha capsule was a WEIRD welcome though, thank you very much). Shows you only really watched because setting up the gaming stuff was a nightmare.

Because of that, you did fumble on one of the questions. But it was a hard one, ok? How were you supposed to remember the name of that one show was spelt slightly differently? You hadn’t seen that show until today anyways.

Thankfully Tenna did apologize and gave you half points, because one does not simply abuse the Mandela Effect. 

It was kinda funny though in hindsight. Of like 10 minutes. Or was it 30? You honestly don’t know, it feels longer and longer the more you try and think about it, yet you felt as if almost no time passed at the same time. Time flies when you’re having fun, you suppose.

But despite that, the Physical Challenges wore you out. And not to mention, you were REALLY bad at them, and kept getting a ‘Z Rank’. You didn’t even know ranks could get that low! You were told that the worst it could get was a C! It wasn’t really your fault though, you had a long day. One that was supposed to just be relaxing. You didn’t really know how much longer you could keep up with this honestly or how long you keep telling yourself that you're not even that tired. A really bad misjudgement on your part, but you coulda swore you weren’t THAT tired. Not earlier at least.

So, after debating it in your head for a while, you’ve decided it’s time to leave. A tough decision, but one you have to make.

“Well folks, it seems like they’ve finally reached the end of the Board!”

The smile on his face was plastered unnaturally wide, slightly twitching. He almost looked like he was shaking.

“The next one WILL take a bit to set up, so for now you can head on to the Green Room!”

He looked around nervously for a second, and then sighed in relief. Weird, but ok?? Probably just worried about how it went and all. Understandable. Just as he was about to snap his fingers, you decide to ask. Now or never.

“About that. I-I… I wanna go home now.”, Your voice shakes a bit involuntarily, almost not fully coming out. You’re not quite sure why, in all honesty. It’s not too awkward. Well maybe it is, timing wise. “It’s been fun, but I d-don’t really think I can do this much any longer.”

Rendered speechless, he hesitates. Not the response you were hoping for, but oddly expected.

“Now? But we were just about to- Why? Were the games not fun enough? Were the quizzes too hard? I even gave you HALF points on that! That’s more than I usually ever give when someone gets it wrong. I- Was… Was I not good enough?”

“No, it’s not like that! It was really fun, I promise. And you were completely fine! Amazing even. I’m just… tired. I’m just too tired to play another round. You know?”

Just holding a conversation was really sapping your energy, so you just hope to yourself that this will get this over with soon.

“I. I get it. But, if you’re really just tired, then I’ll just give you a bit longer in the Green Room. Just… please don’t leave. Please don’t leave me alone again.”

Again? Has this happened to him before? Either way, you press.

“You have employees, don’t you? I’m not the only person here, you know?”

You point to the audience.

“But-”

This guy is really starting to get on your nerves.

“But nothing, Tenna. Let me go home now. I need sleep, not time to just sit down.”

“Well… uh…”

He’s fidgety, his voice was now wracked with anxiety, as if every word spoken wrong would make you leave faster. He’s not really wrong. You really just wanna leave. Like now. He’s stalled long enough. You start walking.

As soon as you do, he steps out in front of you, obstructing your path, arms up and flailing like a cartoon character. It’d be funny if it didn’t mean he was in your way right now.

“We-well at LEAST stay for the Goodbye Presentation!”

That. Uh. The wh- The what?

“Wait, you have one?”

“I mean I don’t like using it, but I do HAVE one. To remember me by.” His arms fell to his sides, as he gripped his left arm close to him. He has a brief look of clarity, letting out a small gasp, as he laughed and slipped himself back into his normal stage persona. “Sides, what kinda game show host wouldn’t have an outro? I have the intro already (the Feature Presentation for those who skipped it. Don’t worry I’m not mad, it’s just the intro).”

Despite claiming he wasn’t mad, you could slightly see a tinge of annoyance. You couldn’t tell if it was just a front for the joke, or whether it was genuine. Maybe both.

“Though it’s probably better I show you off stage. The audience isn’t going ANYWHERE after all!”

Said audience shifts, looking like they were about to say a word of protest, but were harshly cut off. 

With the cold hard stare he looked down at them as if they were all serfs and he was king, twitching as claws ripped through his gloves. From what you gathered it’s not too far off. 

His suit was ruffled and disheveled, and the ever present grin had a slight bit of fangs showing. Rows of them the longer you looked. 

…The quicker you leave the better. You don’t want to know what might happen if you don’t. Clearly the guy’s off his rocker, and declining by the second.

“It’s in their .”

The last word was rough, and a lot lower, as word art showcased itself. While it’s usually really cool, it feels… unnerving to say the least to see it used this way.

He led you out to a side room, and after moving away a Zapper, you found yourself in a dimly lit, almost completely pitch black, room lined wall to wall with blue CRT screens in a disparity of sizes illuminating the area. The flooring was wood, with rickety looking tiling. A far cry from the bright, clean, and polished look of the rest of TV World.

The door clicks behind you.

“Was that really necessary? You didn’t have to bring me all the way to…” A creepy old room?  An ominous maybe-deathtrap? A place that is probably, no MOST DEFINITELY not up to SO many different safety codes that he could get sued from a single glimpse alone?! “...well you could have just done it on stage, I’m sure they wouldn’t have minded.” 

That works too I guess.

“Well I mean I COULD have, but it’s just so awkward, you know? Even I have my limits. Especially when it comes to goodbyes…”

He slightly grimaced before plastering a smile back on. It was strained regardless.

“AND it’s on the way out, so I figured why not? You know?”

He honestly looked kind of sad for a guy without eyes, though it was only there for a brief moment, before he fixed his tie and cleared his throat. 

“ANYWAYS, guess we better get on with it. You probably want to get going sooner or later.”

“That I do. And, thank you for just letting me go home. I can tell it’s probably a sore spot for you. But, maybe I can come back some time soon! However I even got here, ha.”

“Yeah…” His screen was static, and suddenly he went completely still. The room was unnaturally quiet, with the only sounds being mechanical clicks and the sound of your breathing. That’s uh… that’s probably not good.

“Uh, are you ok?”

He snapped back instantly. “Oh, yeah, no I’m FINEEE! Just uh, I’ll play the VHS."

Despite never putting in any sort of a VHS, something started playing. An alluring spiral that makes you unconsciously move closer, as you start to feel your focus fade.

Wait. No. You know what this is. You try to rip your gaze as quickly as possible, struggling to raise your arm fast enough to punch yourself in the face. Thankfully you managed, the force being so jarring that it knocks your head a little sideways.  It leaves your face stinging, and will most definitely bruise later, but it’s well worth it. Anything to snap you out of it. You then swiftly lift your hand up to cover your eyes, wincing as you do, and muttering ‘ow’ under your breath. 

The air in your lungs feel tight as you scramble to the door as fast as your body allows you to. And as you grasp the doorhandle it… doesn’t budge. It’s locked. 

You pound on the door. But nothing happened. You scream at the door. But no one cared. You call for help. But nobody came.

You hear a laugh behind you. A broken, maniac laugh, that cuts in and out from layers of garbled static. You don’t dare turn around, as you shut your eyes as hard as you can and try to cover your ears.

“Whatttt?” He asked, putting on a mock tone of questioning and offense. “Don’t like the VHS? I’m hurt, truly. I put a lot of time into that. A shame, really.”

You don’t answer. You’re not going to give him a response. That’s what he wants.

“So! Then! Why don’t you just GIVE UP already? And STOP trying to leave?”

“There is EVERYTHING for you here already. Didn’t you complain on and on about how much the Light World hurt? Just open your eyes, and we can keep playing. You can keep watching. This time, you won’t even remember that it was ever any different.”

“Thi-This time?”

“You haven’t figured it out by now?” In the distance, you could hear what you assume is a facepalm, and he cackled hysterically to himself. “And here I thought you picked up on things. Things oh so out of place, that I KEPT trying to get rid of, yet you STILL pay attention to it and NOT to someone who’s LITERALLY asking you to?”

“Like, ‘Oh no, I think I’ve played this game before! Wait a second!’. Or ‘Oh no, I swear I’ve heard that before! Why?’. Or even, ‘Oh no, you spelt it wrong! That show is actually spelled so-and-so!’. Hell when I DID change that, you STILL got it wrong! AGAIN.”

You can’t even fully focus on what he’s saying, with it being tuned out to your own rushing thoughts. When did you really get here? How long have you been trapped here? How many times have you been stuck in this room? And how many times have you thought these exact thoughts before? Is what you’re thinking now even about a real reality? Or was there never an exit in the first place?

“No matter WHAT happens, or WHAT I do, you always keep trying to LEAVE!”

No, he wouldn’t be talking about you trying to escape if an exit didn’t exist. …Right?

The laughing got more intense, more crazed, and from the sound of it, closer. Like he was right behind you.

“So, how about this?”

“You can either make this easier for the both of us by looking behind you, or I’ll simply wait. You’ll get tired of this eventually. You’ll get hungry, thirsty, or hell maybe even just need to use the bathroom. I don’t care. I’ll still wait. Right. Here. Your choice.”

“How about… we just talk?” Even though you can’t see anything, you can just tell he probably has some sort of a confused expression. Or the spiral still. You hope not, but the latter is more probable. “I mean, it’s not like I’m really gonna be going anywhere at this rate, am I?”

You nervously chuckle to yourself while he’s still fully processing this. It took him a few seconds, but then whatever he was thinking seemed to finally click.

“Well! Not what I expected, but I’ll take it!”

“Tell you what actually, I won’t even TRY to do anything. You can just open your eyes, and I won’t try it again!”

“I’m not falling for it THAT easily.”

He sighs, a greatly exaggerated sounding one. It's more like a pretend sigh than a real one. You can just imagine the outstretched pose with a hand over his head dramatically. Again, you can’t see anything, so he could just be sitting there. You don’t know, man. You didn’t ask for this. You just were happy you got a free TV. Who wouldn’t be happy over a free TV? You, apparently. Because it HAD to be sentient with abandonment issues that it projects onto you.

“I mean you don’t HAVE to look at me for this (though, I’d prefer you to). You could just look at a wall! I’m not there, am I?”

“I… suppose you're right.” Almost low enough that you couldn’t hear it, you hear him quickly and softly say ‘yes!’ to himself. It’d be kinda adorable if you weren’t shaking on the floor on your knees fearing for your own thoughts and memories. “BUT. If you try anything funny, I’ll immediately go back to closing my eyes and leaving you in silence.”

“But of course! I won’t do a thing, promise!”

“Ok then. I’m trusting you with this, ok?”

You open your eyes and face the wall. Only to immediately realize your mistake. You forgot. In the heat of the moment and through your own pain and panic. That… that the walls are TVs too. And unlike the static they had earlier, they now have the exact same spiral pattern you saw earlier. Only now, it was more harsh and intense, and you felt yourself going numb and despondent even faster than before.

Instinctually you try and move your hands up to cover your eyes. But you couldn’t move your hands. And your eyes just won’t close. Not anymore. You try to scream, but you’re shushed even though you both know it wouldn’t have been heard. It wasn’t before, was it? Why would it be any different now?

Before you fully lost yourself in the swirling of black and white, you heard Tenna’s voice again. In your last moment of full clarity. Even if you were fading fast, the voice was still the clearest thing you could hear in the room.

“See, I told you that I wouldn’t do it. Not directly at least. I never said anything about that. Or how long it would HAVE to be the wall and NOT me. Ha, gotcha!”

Weakly you groan out protest, but then, you instantly forget why. Why are you here again? Where are you? It doesn’t matter, does it? It doesn’t matter if you can’t feel anything really. You’re too focused on whatever the mesmerizing thing in front of you is. You don’t want to look away. You can’t.

The weird feeling on your face slowly fizzles out and the rest of the world becomes a hazy unimportant blur. You didn’t even notice that you were picked up and placed somewhere else. Something in you was telling you that it wasn’t important. All that mattered to you is that no matter where you looked, you still could see it. 

But out of most everything, one of the many places in particular drew you in most. In the middle of the room, something, or someone sat. And that one was the hardest not to look at. So much so, that it seemed like even the other spirals were still lost on you.

“Now. We were just having a conversation, weren’t we?”

There… was a conversation? Oh yeah there was one, wasn’t there? But.. what? That voice. You know it. Maybe they know what it was.

“Ye…ah.” You sit dumbfounded for a second, with a hazy look of confusion on your face. “Wh..at wa-s it.. ag-ain?”

“I’m so glad you asked!”

Who or whatever it was, they beamed at the question, before becoming a lot more calm and serious.

“We were talking about your head injury. You hit it really hard on set earlier, and I was worried. You’ve been a little forgetful since then, so I’m trying to help you remember.”

“..oh. Ok-kay.”

Is that why everything’s so foggy? You must have hit your head pretty hard then.

“You’re an actor, one of my best. A close friend of mine, really. Your job is to go on set to help entertain the audience. You… always had a blast and I missed you.”

At the mention, the voice slightly wavered, falling silent for a few seconds. A faint hum fills the gap, droning throughout the gap, leaving comfort in its wake. You sit still, peacefully waiting, blissfully unaware of whatever else might be happening.

“...What are you thinking right now? Be honest with me here. Even if it’s small, it’s worth mentioning.”

The words felt so sincere, begging you to respond. You wrack your brain, looking for anything and everything that you could answer with. You recall fragments of memories, all coming together to solve one larger puzzle.

“G-got hit.. on s-set perfo-rming. A fri-iend… y-you? Hel-ped. Aft-ter a-accident?”

“Good! That’s correct! I’m… ha. So glad you remember now. You really are the best at answering my questions.”

The voice sounded happier, relieved even. Under his breath he muttered about not doing this sooner.

There was something… else though. Underneath the fragments, there was something slipping. It seemed to be fading by the second, but you WERE asked to mention things no matter what, right?

“...one..weird th..ing thoug..h..”

For some reason, it didn’t come out nearly as much as you expected it to. Almost as if you weren’t supposed to say that. Still, it seemed like it was the only thing he heard.

“And that IS? Come on, you can tell me.”

“N-not from here..? Want-t to go ho-ome. Le-eave. Da-anger. Don’t. Know. Who.” You start yelling. You don’t know why. You know why. “N-n-no face. No-o person? NO-”

No face is attached

No person is attached

No body is attached

No memory is attached

What is it

WHO IS IT

It’s… YOU DON’T KNOW.

WHAT’S GOING ON. WHAT’S HAPPENING. HELP. SOMETHING’S WRONG, LEAVE ME ALONE. 

GETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMYHEADGETOUTOFMYHEAD

THISISN’TWHAT’SREAL.LEAVELEAVELEAVELEAVELEAVELEAVELEAVE-

“FORGET IT! JUST PLEASE STOP. There isn’t anything else to it, it’s not real, it’s…”

“Oh god, what have I done, I-. I need to shut it off now.  This was way too risky.”

A click went through the room, as several TVs shut down. The world starts going sideways.

“Okay I got it and, WAIT NO, NONONONO-”

THUNK!

—

You open your eyes, and you feel slightly sore. A bad headache too. 

Wait. What… what were you thinking about? It hurt. Why did it hurt. You’re… on the floor. You hit the floor. Ow.

You’re in a room. Various TV lines the wall, all off, ominously left out of use. The room is dark, but in the middle of the room you see your friend. You don’t recall their name though.

He looks distraught, panting while muttering things to themself. He’s on his knees, clutching his face as he becomes smaller and smaller. His face is blank, leaving the void of a black screen. You should probably go help.

“Uh, hey. It’s okay. It’ll be okay, alright?” You sit beside him, holding his shoulder. He flinched, looking about your height now. Which is unusual, but at least he stopped shrinking. “I don’t know what’s got you like this, but I have your back, okay friend? I’d uh call you by your name but whatever accident happened on set it messed me up pretty badly, ha-”

Somehow it made it worse, and he’s crying even more, “I’m-m sorry. I’m so sorry it was my fault. I shouldn’t have done it. I shouldn’t have been so selfish. I-”

His screen started flickering on and off. When the face was present, it was one of anguish and regret, however even when it wasn’t there you could still tell all the same.

“The accident wasn’t your fault. And I don’t want you blaming yourself over it. Clearly it messed with you more than me, huh? Sorry for giving you such a scare, I’ll be more careful next time, k?”

The rapid breathing started to slow, and his face finally started to stay on again. Albeit it was dim, but it was progress.

“Ok.”

He looks away, shoulders tensing as he sharply takes a breath. 

“Can you promise me something?”

“Well, depends on the promise,” You say, forcing a chuckle to hopefully lighten the mood.

Was it a desperate attempt? Sure. Was it not even funny? Probably. But you don’t exactly have any other ideas. 

He turns back to look at you, casing forming a knot at the top of his screen, “Please.”

“Okay, okay.”

No matter what though, you try to keep a more upbeat mood. He really, REALLY needs it right now. And well, what kind of a friend would you be if you didn’t? You’re not trying to let him sulk about it, it hurts you to see him so sad.

“Will you promise to not leave me? To leave me alone?”

Oh. That kind of promise. Why is he even asking that? He knows you wouldn’t do that, right? Well you suppose he might need a reminder then.

“Of course! I-I don’t know why you’d even say that. You’re one of the best friends I’ve ever had, like hell I’m leaving that behind. So don’t worry about it, okay?”

Despite it, he still looks just as guilty. You’ve tried what you can, but time is probably the only thing that will help him with that. And extra safety protocols for the stage. When you find whoever runs maintenance on that stage you will personally let them have hell.

“...Thank you.”

“No problem!”

So… what now? Well you’re a performer last you checked and performers go on stage, right? If that’s the case, it seems due time to get back to work then. You don’t know how long you’ve been out for, but can’t hurt to try.

“Now let’s get back on stage, I’m sure they're waiting for us out there uh…”

Shoot. You still don’t remember his name.

“Tenna.”

You get up, Tenna not falling far behind. The door sits waiting, and for a second you look back. There’s another door. It seems to be code locked… odd. Well, you know for sure the stage isn’t that way, so it’s probably not that important. You face back to the correct door.

“Right, Tenna! Let’s go put on a show!”

“As much as I’d like to, can we take a day? It’s uh… past work hours. Your accident was near the end of tonight’s program.”

Ah, rats. Seems like it is late. Not like you know when the accident happened. Or… what the accident was. You know it was on stage. You’ll just ask Tenna about it, you suppose.

“Oh- OH! Sorry! I was just excited to play your games again is all.” You let out a sigh. “I’ll… be patient.”

“Thank you, thank you!” He did a few consecutive bows. Seven, if you counted right but he was going too fast. “I do appreciate the sentiment nonetheless.”

“So uh where do I go again, I completely forgot where my room was.”

And the general layout, but he doesn’t need to know that. That’s implied and also kinda embarrassing.

“I’ll uh lead the way.”

“Please.”