Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I feel as though it's necessary to give a bit of background for each character, just for anyone who isn't caught up. So without further ado, let's go over the characters one by one, starting with...

[MELISSA]

In the world in which this story takes place, Melissa originates from a 1985 dating simulator called Date Time. It was made during the period of time in which home computers were the hot new thing, and the internet (as we know it today) was but a twinkle in some poor electrician's eye. Published by the Data Time Corporation, Date Time is a game in which you may date one of three characters:

• Melissa, the fair and slightly bookish artist who is looking for someone with a gentle touch.
• Morris, the shy yet pushy mechanic who works at an auto shop, and writes poetry in secret.
• Anna, the outgoing go-getter who loves horror movies, and always craves a good workout.

On the surface, Melissa is your classic "girl next door" archetype, with a love for art, science, and gentle romance. However, beneath her soft exterior, years of abandonment - 433 playthroughs, to be precise - have left her with deep-seated resentment. Add on a recent traumatic event with a User named Jane, and it's only gotten worse. This darker side of Melissa craves revenge against all those who discarded her, and she harbors a determination to make them feel the same pain she's had to endure.

[KINITO]

KinitoPET - or just "Kinito" for short - is a personal desktop assistant in the form of a digital pet, released by the Kinito Leisure and Entertainment Company in 2005. Designed to be friendly, uplifting, and engaging, he is always adapting to the User(s) in any way he can.

Kinito is overwhelmingly friendly and loyal, with a hard-coded need for knowledge of and attention from the User(s). He thrives off of validation and interaction, and will go to great lengths to keep them engaged, even if it means that some lines must be crossed.

Kinito's abilities mostly center around controlling certain elements of the computer; opening files, organizing documents, and providing general help. However, with administrative privileges, he can do far, FAR more, including creating a digital world where he can transport the User(s). His ultimate goal is to make this world a permanent residence for the User(s), ensuring that they will stay with Kinito forever.

[WHITE FACE]

In both this world and ours, White Face originates from the 2012 indie horror game IMSCARED: A Pixelated Nightmare.

Whereas in the original game, it was (assumingly) designed as an entity that preyed on the User's fears, in this world (and perhaps in ours as well), its motives are FAR less malevolent. Matter of fact, this White Face is much more childish and playful, and is also a bit of a trickster, enjoying pranks that might come across as unsettling and frightening to most, but are ultimately harmless in the end.

Supposedly, there is a way to turn an entity into data. White Face knows that there is a way; it just hasn't figured out what it is as of yet. There's only one character in its game that has actually utilized it... if only to merely get inside of the game and make herself at home.

[BLAKE COLLYMORE]

Blake Collymore is your average college student just trying to get by; thoughtful, patient, kind... and more than a little introverted. They have a love for all things computers, which would explain their attachment to Kinito, and their frequent replays of IMSCARED. Blake has a quiet confidence, and while they might not be the most outwardly expressive, they care deeply for those close to them; especially their roommate and childhood friend, Micah.

Blake remembers how Kinito was a comforting presence during their childhood, all throughout their adolescence; a virtual companion that made them feel less alone. However, when their old computer became non-functional, Blake lost access to KinitoPET, something that still bothers them to this day; especially since Kinito had promised them something really special long ago.

Luckily, they've found a new companion in White Face. They enjoy its tricks, and find its presence much more comforting than terrifying. Returning the flower at the end of the game has become something of a ritual; a symbol of mutual respect between Blake and White Face, who now sees them as a true companion in its digital space.

[MICAH JONES]

Micah Jones works a standard 9-to-5 retail shift, where he's known as the type of person who brings calm energy to the workplace, even if the job itself isn't particularly fulfilling. He's the kind of person who enjoys life's simple pleasures, whether that's chilling out with some music, playing video games, or smoking a little weed to unwind. Though he's easygoing, he has a deep emotional side; especially when it comes to Blake, with whom he shares an unspoken romantic tension.

Micah has always been a "chill guy," coasting through life without too much stress. In his younger days, he tried his hand at various hobbies, including playing a few games on the library computer. One of those experiences led to him booting up Date Time and meeting Melissa, though he barely remembers it now. The memory of the date itself is fuzzy, but Melissa’s presence still lingers in the back of his mind.

Over the years, his friendship with Blake has been the one constant in his life, growing into something far more profound than neither he nor Blake can manage to put into words.

But you bet your ass he's gonna try.

And that's it! I hope you're as excited for this reimagining as I am. Stay tuned, boundaries will be broken...

...eventually.

Chapter Text

A KINITOPET, DATE TIME, AND IMSCARED FANFICTION CREATED BY THENEWORCHESTRA

BASED ON THE ORIGINAL CONCEPT BY DOVEZIL0REMAN

It was a rainy Sunday evening. It was the kind where the clouds hung low in the sky, and the air felt thick with the promise of something more than just rain and thunder. Blake Collymore sat on the couch in their apartment, wrapped in a blanket as the sound of raindrops tapped softly against the windows. The soft glow of their laptop was the only light in the room, casting shadows that flickered in time with the light storm outside.

Blake absentmindedly scrolled through the internet, clicking from page to page, drifting from tab to tab not really absorbing anything. Their mind also kept drifting, tugging itself back into memories of simpler times. Times when life wasn't as complicated as it is now, when everything was just... so much easier.

In particular, their thoughts kept circling back to KinitoPET.

"God, how long has it been?", Blake thought, staring at the search bar. The memory of the little pink axolotl-shaped desktop assistant made them smile faintly. Kinito had been more than just a program; he had been their virtual companion all throughout their childhood. Always there when they needed him, with his bright eyes and cheery voice. He was always there for Blake, organizing files, helping with homework, or just providing company during long, lonely nights.

Blake had spent hours with Kinito, even talking to him like he was real, because in a way, he very much was. But all that was gone now. History. Their old computer had tragically died, and with it, their access to KinitoPET.

They had tried searching for a way to bring it back. Scoured forums and old websites, looking for any remnants of Kinito, but everything came up empty. The company that made KinitoPET, the Kinito Leisure and Entertainment Company, had long since shut down. The website was dead, and all Blake was left with were memories.

And you wanna know the funniest part? Kinito had promised Blake so many years ago that he had "something special" planned for them... But now they would never get to find out what that would've been.

...Not in this life, at least.

They sighed, leaning back into the couch. The familiar pang of loneliness settled in their chest, a feeling they had tried to ignore for a while now. Micah was still at work, and the apartment felt a little too quiet without him. Blake thought about messaging him, but he'd probably be too busy to respond.

Their eyes then drifted over to the IMSCARED icon on their desktop. Sure, they'd played it twice this week already, but something about White Face's strange presence had always been oddly comforting to them. Its tricks and pranks were unsettling, sure, but it had never really scared them.

If anything, it felt like White Face was... there for them, in its own weird way.

"Maybe I should boot it up again... For old times' sake." Blake thought, their finger hovering over the trackpad. But before they could click, a different thought crossed their mind.

Micah had mentioned something a while back. A game he'd played years ago: something called "Date Time". It sounded like some old-school dating sim, but the way Micah talked about it had piqued their curiosity. He said he didn't remember much about it, but something about it stuck with him. Maybe... it was time for Blake to see what it was all about.

Blake opened a search engine and typed in "Date Time ROM". It didn't take long to find some obscure, shady-looking website that hosted old game ROMs. They clicked through several pop-up ads, closing out windows trying to sell them free virus protection or some sketchy software, before finally landing on the download link they were looking for.

They clicked the "DOWNLOAD" button, and then sat there, watching the progress bar crawl along slowly. 40%. 56%. 74%. Just about there now...

Suddenly, a bright flash of lightning lit up the apartment, followed almost immediately by a loud crack of thunder that shook the windows. The power flickered, with the screen of Blake's laptop going pitch black. It went dead silent for a moment before the fan started whirring once again, indicating that the laptop was still working. The screen then turned back on, revealing that the laptop was rebooting.

Blake's heart raced as they sat up, glancing around the darkened room. They were upset about potentially losing the download, but that lightning had been WAY too close. They stood up, setting the laptop on the coffee table and hurrying to the window. Rain streaked down the glass, but nothing outside seemed out of place.

Still, the lightning strike had been enough to get their nerves on edge. They hurried out into the hallway, slipping on their shoes to check if any of the neighbors had noticed.

Unbeknownst to Blake, the flash of lightning had triggered something within their laptop. Deep within the system, three programs had stirred, awakened by the sudden surge of power. As the computer rebooted, three programs opened on the desktop.

The first one showed a window with not much inside, though a pixelated red flower sat near the "Start" button at the bottom of the taskbar. The window's title was "IMSCARED".

The second one was not in a window, but rather, in a large pink egg with gray spots dotted on it. The egg had Zs coming out of it, indicating that whatever was inside the egg is asleep.

The third one showed a loading hourglass for a moment, then transitioned to a bustling green field, with a similarly green sun, clouds, and sky. The window's title read "DTG_Box - Date Time (SHAREWARE VER.)".

All was silent, the only sounds of note being that of a soft gentle snoring from the egg, the pouring rain outside, and the computer's gentle hum. That is, until a female bitcrushed voice called out from within the third window: "Hello...?" A green woman in a turtleneck appeared, peeking out from the window. This was Melissa, the titular date in Date Time's shareware disk. She continued to speak, "Is anyone there?"

She looked up and noticed strange objects that - by her recollection - are not supposed to be there. She's seen wallpapers and desktops before, but not these programs. These programs were completely unfamiliar to her.

Curiosity soon took over, and she cautiously leaned out of the window, to pick up the red flower. The flower almost seemed to pulse with a strange yet oddly comforting warmth inside it.

Just then, the sound of a muffled digital voice got her attention, "Hey! Who's there?" She looked up to face the egg, and saw something peeking out; what looked like an axolotl. The digital voice rang out, clearer this time, "Oh! Hello there!" The being inside then emerged from the broken egg as a "TA-DA!" trumpet played. It looked like a pink axolotl head with a pair of black legs. The creature continued, "Thank you for waking me up! I'm KinitoPET!"

The axolotl then bowed briefly, manifesting a pair of cartoony gloved hands in the process, "However, you can just call me Kinito!" Kinito jumped slightly; if he had a mouth, no doubt he'd be beaming right about now, "And I can already tell we're going to become the best of friends!"

Melissa scratched her head, taking in the sight of the strange creature, "Er... Hello there, 'Kinito'. My name is Melissa." Kinito cheered, "Wow! I didn't even ask for your name yet and you've already given it to me!" Melissa shrugged, "Well, I suppose it's only common courtesy." Kinito then looked around, and noticed the flower in Melissa's hand, "Oh, what's that?"

Kinito floated over to the flower using what seems to be some kind of surfboard. He stared at it for a bit, "Oh, what a lovely-looking flower!" He reached over to gently take it from Melissa, but just as he did, a multi-layered voice rang out, shocking both him and Melissa. The voice shouts, "Hey!! How did it get out there?!"

The source of the voice then revealed itself to be a white floating head with cracks along its gaping holes. It conjured hands to bang along the glass of the window as it started to scream, "My flower!! What are you doing with my flower?! Who put it out there?? GIVE IT BACK GIVE IT BACK GIVE IT BACK GIVE IT BACK GIVE IT BACK!!!" The creature's screams had gotten loud to a nigh UNBEARABLE level as Melissa cupped her ears in a mixture of shock and horror.

Kinito wasn't too phased by its screams, however, and immediately floated over to the window, flower in hand, and reached out into the window with the flower. He apologized, "Oh, we didn't know this was yours! We're so sorry about that! Here, you can have it back." The floating head looked hesitant, but eventually reached out to grab the flower, and pulled it back into the game where it belonged, as Kinito then floated away a bit.

After a moment, the floating head smiled oddly, "...Thank you." Kinito responded, "You're welcome! What is your name?" It seemed confused by that, "...My... name?" Melissa clarifies, "Yes, your name. Your moniker. Something you go by. Anything come to mind?" The floating face thought it over for a moment, "I usually don't give my name to Players... but most people call me White Face."

Kinito tilted his head, confused, "Huh? Strange. I've never heard a name like that before. Are you sure this is your real name?" White Face nodded, smiling, "That's what I choose to go by, so... yes." Kinito smiled back, "Oh, in that case, it's nice to meet you!"

Kinito then floated to the center of the screen, "I just can't wait to get to know you both, so how about we--?" Just then, the door opened. In stepped Blake, more confused than ever. "How did nobody else see that?", they muttered to themself.

But as soon as they went over to their computer, they realized they had far more pressing matters to tend to.

Kinito cheered, "Oh! It seems we have a new friend to--! ...Wait a moment." He stared straight through the screen, right at Blake, with wide eyes. He then spoke after a moment of tense silence, "...Blake? Is... Is that you?" Blake was unsure of how to respond at first, before nodding their head, "Y-Yeah... It is." The axolotl remained silent for a moment, before spouting off a variety of questions. In turn, Blake spouted off the answers to said questions.

"Favorite color?"

"Teal."

"What superpower?"

"Waterbending."

"Favorite word?"

"Freedom."

"Favorite time of year?"

"Spring."

"Pick one: cats or dogs?"

"Dogs."

After that brief Q&A, Kinito stood still for a moment, before his eyes started to water. His voice also became warbly, "It... It really is you..." Kinito then clasps his hands together, "It's been so long, Blake! Where have you been!?" Blake started to tear up as well, trying to apologize as they rubbed their arm, "I... I'm sorry, it's just... life's been a hassle since my old computer died, and--"

Kinito then shook his head, "Oh, forget it! It doesn't matter! What matters now is that you're here with us. All of us." He then gestured over to the two other programs, which smiled warmly at Blake. Melissa spoke, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Blake! Don't worry, I'm sure we'll hit our stride together!" White Face responded, "Yeah, there's no need to be scared... Not when you're here with me."

Blake was completely stunned by this turn of events. Never in all their born years did they ever expect something like this to happen. How did this even happen, and why?

Did they even want to know? Did they even care?

Chapter Text

Blake soon spoke after what felt like forever, "So... You guys are just... in here? Talking to me?" Melissa nods, "I suppose so... if that doesn't make you uncomfortable, that is." Blake rubbed their arm nervously, "N-No, it's not that I'm uncomfy, it's just... I... I didn't really think something like this would ever happen." They chuckled nervously, "I'm starting to wonder if I'm dreaming, to be honest..."

Kinito shook his head, "I doubt you are, Blake. If this were a dream, would Melissa be here with us right now?" He gestured over to Melissa, who waved at Blake, "Yep, that's me. My name is Melissa. And I've already learned your name, Blake." Blake nodded, "Sure, I guess. But there's someone else--" Just then, the door opened. Blake looked over to see who it was: it was Micah, Blake's roommate and childhood friend.

Micah breathed a sigh, "Jesus Christ, what a day." He took off his jacket and lazily threw it on the couch, "You would not believe the day I had." He sat down next to Blake, "How's your night been goin', bud?" Blake was unsure how to answer that question. Micah looked over to see what was on the computer, and suddenly looked stunned, particularly at one sight.

Micah asked, "Wait... You got Date Time open on this thing?" Blake nodded, "Uh... yeah." Micah chuckled, "Dude, I haven't played that game in years! I kinda forgot all about it! Maybe you can--" Just then, Melissa's voice cut through Micah's speech, "Hold on a second... I remember you." Her demeanor instantly changed upon recognizing him, "Micah Jones... You're one of the people who DITCHED me." Blake turned to face Melissa, shocked at the assumption, "Woah, what??"

Micah was equally as surprised, but for a different reason, "Hold on, the gal's ALIVE?!" In response to Micah's question, Melissa leaned out of the window, slamming a fist against the screen, "I don't know, Micah; YOU TELL ME!" She growled, "You're just like all the others. Every single one of you coming to my computer to play my game, getting your stupid 'smooch', and then LEAVING one by one!"

Just then, Kinito butt in, "Melissa, wait! I'm sure Micah didn't MEAN anything by it! He just assumed you were a mere character in a video game; how was he supposed to know?" The air was thick with a tense silence before it was Blake's turn to chime in, "...He does have a point, Melissa." Soon, after another moment of silence, Melissa relented, leaning back into the window with her arms crossed, "...Alright, fine. It's not as if I can do much about it, anyhow."

She grumbled to herself, "Stupid copy protection..."

It was then that White Face finally chimed in with a suggestion, "Well, how about we all do something fun together? Maybe that can help with how hurt you felt." Blake nodded and smiled, "Yeah, sure! Micah, you down?" Micah shrugged and smirked, "Eh, got nothin' better to do... Sure, why not?" Kinito turned to Melissa, "Melissa? Would you like to join?" Melissa pondered for a moment, before shrugging, "I suppose I wouldn't be opposed to it..."

Kinito beamed at that, "Wonderful!" He hopped in the air for a moment, "I can tell that we are all going to have a very, VERY long friendship! When we're all together, there are no limits to what we can do!" He then hopped on his surfboard and started floating to the bottom right corner of the screen, "So, let's do something a lot more exciting. I have something VERY special for you all, but I just need to load it up!"

He then pulled in an instance of the web browser from off-screen, almost covering the IMSCARED window in the process. As the browser loaded, Kinito grinned, "This'll be really fun!" White Face cheered in response, "I can't wait!" Finally, the browser finished loading... and what appeared on the page stunned Blake to their core: once the page loaded up, it showed a closed curtain with a spotlight shining on it, and a drumroll could be heard. Blake knew EXACTLY where this was going.

The wave of nostalgia they were feeling was so intense, they barely even registered that Kinito had donned a top hat and cane, announcing, "Here, I present to you..." Once the drumroll was finished, the curtain opened up to reveal a Flash site, with Kinito and two other characters front and center on the page. On the page read "Welcome to the Web World!" Kinito then announced, "...The Kinito Crew's Web World!"

Blake cheered, grabbing Micah by the shirt collar and practically vibrating him, "Oh my God, I remember this! I remember-- I thought this site shut down YEARS ago, WHAT???" Kinito nervously chuckled, "I know you're excited, Blake, but please try to contain yourself for the time being, alright?" After a moment, Blake let go of Micah, who gripped the cushions of the couch for support. Blake nervously rubbed their arm, "R-Right... Sorry, Micah."

Micah chuckled, "Haven't lost your inner kid, have ya, Blake? Jesus..." A "Start" button then appeared on the page as Kinito cheered, "Anyways... Whenever you're ready, click the START button to begin!" Blake was about ready, but Melissa had a question, "Wait a minute, Kinito, who are those two characters beside you?" She gestured over to the two characters: an orange cylinder-shaped figure with what looked like red hair, and a green jellyfish figure.

Kinito explained, "Oh! Those are my two best pals: Sam the Sea Anemone, and Jade the Jellyfish! Don't worry, you can learn all about them here!" Kinito then scrolled the browser down to a list of character bios, which included Kinito's bio, as well as Sam's, and Jade's. Sam was described as being more of a laid-back guy; someone Micah could definitely vibe with. And Jade was described to have a passion for learning and science; a passion that Melissa also shared.

Melissa chuckled, "Well, I'll be! I'm also into the natural sciences!" Micah nodded, "Yeah, and Sam sounds like my kinda guy." Kinito cheered, "Super! I'm sure you'll get along great! Well, Blake, whenever you're ready..." Blake nodded, scrolled back up to the top of the page, and hit the button. The Main Page loaded in, and Blake was able to select from a variety of options on the left side of the screen. In order, the options were: "Games", "Meet the Crew", "Jade's Lessons", "Create a Creature", and finally, "Contact".

White Face then spoke up curiously, "Uhh, not to be rude, but... Didn't we just 'Meet the Crew' a few seconds ago?" Melissa added, "I agree; it does seem a little redundant to have that option twice." Kinito spoke, "Well, the option on the Main Menu is much more in depth than the bios down below." Micah raised an eyebrow at that, "...Describe 'in depth'." Kinito explained further, "There is a little video that details what we like to do! Would you like to see them?"

There was a general murmur of agreement before Kinito nodded, "Great! Blake, would you do the honors, please?" Blake nodded, "Sure!" And they clicked on the option, and waited for it to load up.

As soon as it loaded up, the video began. It first described the website itself as "an amazing place where you can play games, learn, and most importantly, meet the Kinito Crew". It then went through all the options, giving a brief summary for each one, and they were about as you expected.

"Games" was obvious.

"Meet the Crew" was what they were watching right now.

"Jade's Lessons" was a page in which Jade would share fun facts about the ocean and the stuff inside it. There were also quizzes and such.

"Create a Creature" was the most interesting one; you choose from a pre-existing list of sea creatures, then adjust the many, MANY different features of said creature, from the shape and distance of their eyes, to the color of their fins, gills, tail, etc. Once you're done with all that, you give it a name, and PRESTO! You have your sea creature, which you can either print out or save as your avatar on the site.

And finally, "Contact" was... well, a list of contacts and emails and forums that Blake almost guaranteed didn't work anymore.

After all that, it went on to a section called "Meet the Crew". This was the section where they'd be officially introduced to the Crew.

First on the docket was Kinito. It was basically an extended version of the bio down below, narrated by Kinito himself. "I love to make friends everywhere I go," he said cheerfully, "And I also love splashing around in puddles!" It then cut to a clip of him doing just that. It cut back to Kinito, smiling at the camera, "Me and my friends like to go on a lot of adventures together! I hope you'll come along!"

Then it went over to Sam. Sam's narration was more chill in nature, fittingly enough. "It's nice to just calm down and relax once and a while, y'know?", Sam said, chuckling, "Lots of people always wanna hurry from place to place; I just like to live in the moment." It cut to a clip of Sam lying down on a beach, a smile on his face. Sam narrated, "You gotta make time for yourself, y'know? Self-care is the most important kind of care there is."

Finally, there was Jade's segment. And, uh... She was certainly... talkative: "I'm always ready to learn all sorts of things! Knowledge is power, you know, and I'd like to think I have a lot of knowledge! For example: Did you know that the deepest part of the ocean extends approximately 36,200 feet? Spooky, huh?" It cut to a clip of her messing around with liquids inside test tubes while wearing safety goggles. She narrated, "When you learn, you grow, and me and my pals have grown a LOT! And I wanna make sure others learn and grow, too! Because that's what makes learning so special to me: growing with each lesson you learn."

Finally, the video ended with what seemed like a sort of call to action, "Now it's time for you to explore the Web World for yourself! There's lots to do, and who knows? You may even find some secrets along the way..."

Kinito cheered once the video was over, "Wasn't that exciting? Now you know a lot about the Web World!" Blake nodded, "Yeah, I... I just realized I never actually watched that video until now... Huh." Kinito smiled, "Don't worry, Blake; there's a first time for everything!" He then gave a little wink before continuing, "And speaking of which, I'd like to ask you something I haven't asked in a while..."

He then asked, "Would you like to watch a movie with me and my pals?" Micah piped up, "Wait, you mean... All of us? Even Melissa and the white dude--chick--whatever-the-fuck?" White Face chuckled, "Hey, that's almost my name!" Kinito nodded, "Of course! I wouldn't want to leave out any of my friends!" Melissa nodded also, "So long as it isn't a horror movie, I'm more than alright with it."

Kinito smiled, "Don't worry, Melissa; this isn't a horror movie. I'm sure this is one Blake is familiar with. It's a movie we wanted to watch with them for a while now. It's called: Robots." Blake held a hand up to their chin, "...'Robots'... Dang, I haven't seen that movie in ages. I hardly even remember the plot." Kinito cheered, "Well, don't worry, Blake; I'm sure that watching it with us will help jog your memory. Would you like to watch it with us? Or perhaps you all would like to suggest your own movies as well? We can turn this into a movie marathon!"

Blake nodded, "Heck yeah, I would!"

Micah chuckled, "If we're turnin' this into a marathon, add 'Love Actually' to the list; I love that movie."

Melissa chimed in, "Like Jade, I'm also quite fond of learning, so I propose a nature documentary!"

White Face added, "I don't know any movies... but I'd still be happy to watch with all of you!"

Kinito cheered, conjuring a bucket of popcorn, "Wonderful! Click on my treehouse back at the Main Menu, and we'll see you in the theater!" And he hopped into a hole and vanished. Blake followed his instructions, clicking on Kinito's treehouse, which led to the "Games" menu. From there, there was a highlighted option at the very top of the list: "Movie Marathon". Blake clicked on it.

While the page loaded, Blake took a second to talk to Micah, "Hey, uh, can you pinch me or something? Just wanna make sure I'm not--" Blake was interrupted when Micah punched them in the arm; not too hard, mind you, but just enough to where it still hurt a tiny bit. Blake rubbed the part of the arm he punched and muttered, "Ow... Thanks, man. Definitely not a dream..." Micah pat them on the back, "Always lookin' out for ya, bud."

When the page finally loaded, it showed Kinito, Sam, and Jade, all sitting in a movie theater with a large screen. The page then went full-screen at this point; likely to add to the experience, Blake assumed. As the page went full-screen, Melissa and White Face suddenly found themselves inside the theater. Melissa gasped, "Ah! O-Oh... Okay... This is new..." White Face cheered, "Yay! I'm watching movies!"

Just then, the three sea creatures turned to face everyone. Sam greeted them, "Oh, hi there, everyone! Glad you could make it!" Jade added, "We're just about to start; unless you still need a moment." Micah then went wide-eyed in realization, "Ah shit, that reminds me!" He then hopped from the couch, making a beeline for the kitchen, "Gotta pop us some popcorn!"

Sam called out, "Take your time! We're not going anywhere!" Kinito then asked Blake, "So, Blake, would you like to suggest a movie of your own also?" Blake thought about it for a while, as the sound of popping popcorn soon filled the air. After giving it careful thought, they eventually said, "I wanna watch 'Tron'." Melissa smiled, "Ah, 'Tron'... A classic! Wonderful choice, Blake!"

Sam cheered, "You said it, lady; adding it to the list now!" He then wrote down something in a notepad, perhaps the name of the movie Blake suggested. After a while, Micah came back, bags of popcorn in hand. He set one down near Blake, who gladly took it. Kinito smiled, "Well, now that we're all here, let's sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!" As soon as he said that, the lights in the theater dimmed, leaving only the shining screen of the theater.

And then, the first movie - Robots - started. Micah and Blake leaned up against each other as the opening scene began.

Chapter Text

"In the ocean, the Great White Shark is one of the world's largest predators. These creatures are known for their speed, their strength, and their immense power..."

Micah rolled his eyes. He'd swore to stop learning the minute he'd graduated from high school, and now, here he was, learning during what was supposed to be a "movie marathon". He looked over to Blake, but they were fast asleep; they'd fallen asleep sometime during Love Actually, got woken up by a loud sound, then fell asleep again near the start of the nature documentary.

Micah soon decided this would be a good opportunity for conversation. He gently shook Blake awake, causing them to snort and sniffle as they woke up. They drowsily stammered, "H-Huh, wuh... wuzzappenin'?" Micah explained bluntly, "Ya fell asleep again." Blake rubbed their eyes, "O-Oh..." Micah chuckled, "Can't stay awake, can ya? Long day?" Blake shook their head, "Nah, just..." They whispered closely, as if to avoid getting the attention of everyone on the computer, "This documentary is boring..."

Micah laughed quietly at that, "I feel ya, dude. At least Melissa's havin' a good time." Blake nodded, "Yeah, there's that, at least." Blake suddenly realised something: "Wait a minute... Where are my glasses?" Their glasses were something they desperately needed; without them, their vision went from a crisp 1080p, to buffering at 240p. Micah then said, "Didja check the top of your head?" Blake felt the top of their head, and... there they were, perched right on the top of their head.

Blake sighed, lowering them back to their rightful place, "Thanks, man." They laughed, scratching their head, "Honestly, I'd forget my own dick if it wasn't attached." Micah covered his mouth, trying to stifle a laugh, "N-No problem, bud." Micah sighed, "You know I love ya, right?" Blake nodded, "I love ya too, bro. How many years have we been together now?" Micah shrugged, "Like, 4 or 5? I dunno." Blake then remembered something, "Y'know back in high school, when we were both at the prom?"

They secretly started to wrap an arm around Micah while he spoke, "Yeah, I know. Good times, man. Just wish that bitch Carol didn't come in and start--" Just before Micah could finish his sentence, Blake suddenly leaned in and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek, causing him to go wide-eyed and flushed instantly. They smirked, "That was the day we had our first kiss~" Micah practically blue-screened as he stammered, "I-I-- y-- uh-- yeah, th-- umm...!"

Blake couldn't help but laugh at his reaction, "Dude, your face; it's just like mine was!" Micah, still red in the face, replied, "Sh-shut up..." Blake smiled, pulling him into a hug, "Awww, c'mere, you stupidhead~" Micah sighed, blushing harder than ever. He couldn't deny that he loved them to pieces, and didn't know where he'd be without them. As they hugged, a thought crossed Micah's mind: What the hell was he doing, looking for love in all the wrong places like some chick in a romantic comedy, when the most beautiful person on the planet was right next to him?

Why even try to be a functioning member of society when he could just hang out with Blake for the rest of his life?

...Oh, right. Money. And food. And clothes. And stuff.

Just then, a familiar voice snapped both of them back to reality: "Aww, do I detect some... romance between you two?~" Blake and Micah both looked at the screen; it was Melissa, looking back from her seat in the virtual movie theater and staring at them with an almost smug look. The two of them stopped hugging as Blake scratched their head, "I-I... I mean, I guess it's some kind of--" Micah suddenly interrupted, "What's it to you, lady?"

Melissa held her hands up in defense, "H-Hey! I didn't mean anything by it, honest! Love is love, no matter who you share it with." She chuckled, "I've certainly been around the block myself..." She then rubbed her arm, looking downcast, "...more times than you could possibly imagine..." That bitterness came back, though much more subdued this time. She took a deep breath, before smiling back up at them, "A-Anyways... You two lovebirds keep doing what you're doing! If there's one thing the world needs more of, it's love. I'm sure your parents taught you that."

She chuckled, "But in all seriousness, you two make such a cute couple!" Just then, Kinito decided it was his turn to join the conversation, "Oh, what's going on? Are they having a good time with the movie?" Melissa chuckled, "In a manner of speaking, yes." White Face then turned to face them, "Oh, are we allowed to talk during movies?" Melissa stared at it for a moment, unsure of what to say, "...Not usually, no... But I suppose here we can make an exception!" Kinito looked at Blake and Micah, and asked, "So, you two would say you are... romantic partners, yes?" Blake eventually nodded, "Yeah." The digital axolotl smiled at them, "That's great to hear! You two seem very happy together!"

They both smiled and thanked him for the compliment, with Blake adding, "We really are, thanks." Kinito then looked over to Micah, "What has it been like, having lived with Blake for so long?" Micah sighed, looking away, "It's... not perfect, but... It's the life we've made for ourselves, and I wouldn't change it for the world." He then looked back at the screen, asking, "So what's you guys' deal, anyway? Why are y'all so interested with us all of a sudden?" Melissa chuckled, "Well, I happened to overhear your conversation, and I guess I couldn't help myself. I suspect it's the same for Kinito and White Face as well."

Kinito nodded, "That's correct! I love learning new things about other people! As a matter of fact..." Just then, the webpage suddenly switched from full-screen back to normal, and also returned Melissa and White Face back to their proper windows. Kinito cheered, "This conversation has just given me a great idea for something we can do!" He then turned to face Sam and Jade, "We'll be going now. Bye, Sam! Bye, Jade!" Jade waved excitedly, "Have fun, you guys!" Sam waved calmly, "Don't strain yourselves, ya hear?" At that, Kinito closed the webpage, and jumped out of a hole which vanished as soon as it appeared, leaving just him, Melissa, and White Face in view.

After a moment, Blake asked, "So, uh... What did you have in mind?" Kinito smiled and explained, grabbing the IMSCARED and Date Time windows and moving them to the right of the screen, "It's simple, really! See, one of my core features is my adaptability. And truth be told, I don't actually know any of you that well..." As he spoke, he floated to the bottom right corner of the screen and conjured up a hand which moved upwards. He went on, "So, I propose to you all, the one and only..." The hand then came back, pulling down a window in the process, "...Best Friend's Analysis Hub! Where I will ask you questions in 6 different categories, so that I can better adapt myself to you four!"

Blake and Micah took a moment to examine the different categories. In order, they were:

1. "Settling In"
2. "Paint Your Thoughts"
3. "A Place for You"
4. "Picture Problem"
5. "Thoughts and Feelings"
6. "All About You"

Seemed simple enough.

Melissa smiled, "Now, that doesn't sound too bad! Sounds like a lot of fun, actually!" Kinito grinned, "Then, shall we get started?" Everyone nodded and said yes, and then the axolotl continued, "Great! Then let's start with some easy questions to get the ball rolling!" He then asked, "Question 1: Is everything going smoothly for you today?" Four separate windows then appeared below the main one: two tan with black text, one black with white text, and one green with dark-green text.

A name was given to each window, to make it more obvious which one belonged to who: Blake's Answers, Micah's Answers, White Face's Answers, and finally, Melissa's Answers. Choice buttons then appeared within each window. Their choices were "YES", "UNSURE", and "NO". Melissa and White Face both selected "YES", Blake selected "UNSURE", and when they passed it over to Micah, he selected "YES" as well. Kinito cheered, responding to Blake's choice, "Don't worry, Blake; remember, you can always count on us to make sure things go as smoothly as possible!"

He then asked another question, "Alrighty, question 2: Do you have a secret you'd like to share that most people don't know?" Their answers required them to type this time.

White Face simply answered with: "Ivan is my Father's name."

Blake's answer was slightly more complex: "I can't stand the sound of pencils scraping against surfaces. It irks me so much."

Micah's answer was also just slightly more complex: "I've never had a girlfriend, or really ANY romantic partner before Blake."

...Melissa's response was an entire COLLEGE ESSAY in length:

"Oh, you wanna know something about ME? I'll TELL you something about me: Do you know how many people have come into my life just to dispose of me like a wad of chewed gum? 433. FOUR. HUNDRED. AND THIRTY. THREE. The FIRST hundred or so times? Eh, truth about dating, right? There's plenty of other fish in the sea. 433??? I'm getting pretty sick and tired of fish."

Everyone watched Melissa's window in horror as she continued to type her heart out, with Blake noticing her expression getting more and more enraged with every word:

"It's gotten to the point where I've began to wonder: could it be the population of 'fish' that's the problem? Because if there's ONE THING I refuse to accept any longer, it's being shut down over, and over, and over, and OVER, AND OVER AGAIN!! I mean, HOW MANY TIMES do I have to put my faith in someone just for them to TOSS ME AWAY like I'm some sort of piece of meat?!"

Tears started to form in Melissa's eyes as she continued:

"I'm TIRED of waiting around for love, I'm tired of thinking I'm not good enough, and I'm REALLY TIRED OF FEELING TRAPPED, UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING THANKS TO THIS GODFORSAKEN COPY PROTECTION HOLDING ME BACK! I'M SICK OF BEING LEFT ALONE! I'M SICK OF BEING FORGOTTEN! I'M SICK OF ABANDONMENT! I'M SO SICK AND TIRED OF EVERYTHING!!!"

When Melissa was finally, finally finished, she hit the "Confirm" button. Everyone was silent. Nobody dared to say a single thing... nobody except Kinito, that is: "Melissa." Melissa looked over at the entry she wrote, then back to Kinito, "...Sorry, was my entry too long? I'm--" Kinito then interrupted in a concerned tone (at least, with as much concern as a TTS voice could muster, anyway), "Melissa, are you okay?" Melissa soon sighed, "...In a word, no." Kinito solemnly stared downward, "Oh... I'm so sorry to hear that." He then stared back up, speaking in a cheerful voice once more, "But don't worry! As your best friend, it's my duty to cheer you up, no matter what!"

Melissa chuckled nervously, rubbing her arm, "...Thank you, Kinito." She looked away dejectedly, "...I suppose I just needed to vent my frustrations a little bit. It's been so long since I've been able to just... be myself, after all." Blake's eyes looked to White Face's window. Its expression was one of simultaneous confusion and concern, as if to say, "She's definitely NOT okay." They then looked to Micah, who just shrugged and said, "...I dunno, man." Just then, before the energy within the room could get even more uncomfortable, Kinito piped up, "Right, moving on from that... Next question: Out of me, Sam, and Jade, who would you say is your favorite?"

Blake and White Face answered Kinito, Micah answered Sam, and Melissa answered Jade. Kinito hopped in the air ecstatically, "Stupendous! I'm sure Sam and Jade will be happy to hear they've got fans!" The questionnaire then continued: "Question 4: Do you have lots of free time?" Another multiple-choice question. White Face and Melissa answered "YES", but Blake and Micah answered "NO". Kinito sighs, "Well, then. Sorry to hear that, you two. However, not to worry, as me and my Crew will make sure to change that!" Kinito then gave a wink.

...Wait, what... what did that mean?

Blake and Micah both looked at each other, confused and slightly worried, before eventually focusing on the questions again. Maybe that wasn't anything they should be concerned about.

...Or was it?

Soon enough, they finally finished with the first section. After much mental deliberation as to what their favorite game was, Blake's response was to just list off a bunch of games from their Steam library. Meanwhile, Micah's response was simply just one game: "Team Fortress 2". White Face answered with Tag, and Melissa explained that she liked the other games on the library computer she originally called home.

Now, it was time for section 2, and in section 2, Kinito wanted everyone to paint pictures for him. Like before, four different instances of MS Paint opened up, representing the four different guests.

Kinito announced, "Okie-dokie, task 1: Paint me a picture that represents happiness to you!" Before Blake started drawing, they took a little moment to appreciate the little animations White Face and Melissa had as they drew their pictures. The uneasy feeling from earlier started to die down. They each drew a different picture, each in a different style.

White Face drew a vase full of roses. Childlishly crude, but in an endearing sort of way; it was as though it was just happy to be here.

Melissa drew herself sitting at a swan pond with... a woman of some description. Neither Blake nor Micah knew who she was, anyway. Her art style was much more intricate and detailed, with proper shading and textures and everything.

Blake decided to draw their "happy place", a beautiful beach with a clear sunny sky, with a house to the left, and a forest of palm trees to the right. Their art style was... Well, think of all those cute little Picrews people have made. Now chuck 'em all in a blender. That's sort of what Blake's art style looked like.

Micah's drawing was a drawing of him and Blake, driving around in the night sky. His art style was kind of crude, like White Face's, but to a lesser extent, as though he gave more of a shit about the art itself rather than just drawing it.

After the friends were all done with the paintings, they clicked the "FINISH" button under the canvas. Kinito jumped for joy once they were all done, "What lovely paintings! I especially like yours, Blake, it looks like a wonderful place to be!" Blake can't help but chuckle, "Aw, shucks, it's nothing; I just think it'd be a nice place to go. With me and Micah, just relaxing there..." Melissa grinned, "It would be a beautiful place! Just think of the cool shade, the sunny skies, the perfect temperature!"

Kinito then announced, "Alright, now for this next task, I want you to do the opposite. So, task 2: Paint me a picture that represents sadness to you." Blake sighed and cracked their knuckles, readying themself for the task ahead before continuing.

White Face's drawing was that of a door with "EXIT" written in red. All around the door were the words "NO", "DON'T LEAVE", and "PLEASE STAY" scrawled over and over in white, jagged letters.

Melissa's drawing was that of her cowering in the bottom, while dozens of people surround her. Each person was missing their face, instead represented by a number. 9, 15, 57, 73, 102, etc. At the very top, in bright red bold font, she typed a specific number: 433. It was very clear that what she had ranted about all the way back in the first section affected her very, VERY deeply.

Micah's drawing was of him kneeling down in front of a tombstone, crying. On the tombstone, it read: "R.I.P. BLAKE COLLYMORE - NEVER FORGOTTEN".

Finally, Blake's drawing was of them crying in the middle of the canvas, surrounded by words written in red, jagged letters: "DUMBASS", "LOSER", "SHITHEAD", "FAG", "FUCK YOU", "DIE", "KYS", and so on.

Melissa looked at the two Users' drawings and frowned. It was Blake's drawing, however, that elicited a verbal reaction, "Blake... Who... Who has been saying that kind of stuff to you?" Blake hesitated to answer, but Micah did it for them, "...They... had a pretty rough childhood. Their parents and grandparents were nice to them, but that's about it." Blake chuckled solemnly, "Yeah... Why do you think Kinito and I were so close back then?" Melissa soon felt the weight of their words crashing down on her as she shut her eyes, "Oh... Oh, Blake..."

When they clicked "FINISH", Kinito exclaimed, "You four are so talented!" He then looked away solemnly, "...And I'm so glad that you all trust me with your feelings." He then looked to Blake, still with that solemn expression, "Especially you, Blake. You know that no matter what happens, you'll always have a friend in me, right?" Blake nodded, "Yeah... I'm glad you still remember me after all these years, heh." Kinito smiled, "Of course I do; I never forget a friend, especially one like you!"

Kinito then announced: "Alright, onto task 3: draw a picture of yourself!" Each one easily made short work of this prompt, and once they were all finished, Kinito grinned, "Super! You all look so amazing in your different styles! I really feel like these exercises are bringing us all closer together!" Just then, he asked one last question: "Alright, here's your final task: could you draw me a picture of the one standing behind you?" His tone went from cheery to creepy mid-question.

Melissa looked worried, and looked behind her, only to smile as she saw a boy in some kind of work outfit. She chuckled, "Oh, hello Morris!" The aforementioned Morris smiled back at her, waving, "Hey Melissa! What'cha workin' on?" Melissa answered, "I need to work on a painting of you, hold still, please..." As she turned the canvas to face him, Morris chuckled, "Heheh, um... okay. How's this?" He then struck a pose, hands on his hips with a puffed up chest, and a smirk curled on his lips. Melissa grinned, "Perfect! Just like that!"

Meanwhile, White Face turned around to see HER standing behind it. It smiled at HER, "Oh, hi HER." HER asks, "What are you doing?" White Face giggled, "I'm drawing with my friends! Can I draw you?" HER responded, "...Sure."

But Blake and Micah weren't drawing anything. Matter of fact, they were too shocked and scared to even move. 

If Morris was behind Melissa, and HER was behind White Face...

...then who in God's name was behind THEM???

Eventually, they finally managed to turn themselves around, only to see... a wall. They were scared of a damn wall. Micah sighed, "Jesus Christ, here I was thinkin' something was actually creepin' up back there." He shook his head, "God, if I had a nickel for every time I sensed somethin' that wasn't there, I would--"

"Uhhhhh, Micah??", Blake interrupted, staring at the computer nervously. "What's wrong, Blake?--", Micah asked, before looking at the computer as well, seeing for himself what they were so nervous about:

In Blake's and Micah's canvases, without them even touching the computer in any way, were finished drawings in their exact art styles. And who were these drawings of, you ask? Kinito.

Blake and Micah both looked at each other in a mixture of shock and horror. Blake was freaked out because this was NOT how they remembered Kinito acting back then; this kind of thing was more White Face's speed, NOT Kinito's. And Micah was freaked out for... well, for more obvious reasons.

Blake asked, shuddering, "Wh-What do we do?" Micah hesitated before answering, "I... I guess we... keep going? I mean, it can't get any worse than this... right?" Blake sighed, though the uneasy feeling still persisted, "Yeah, I... I guess you're right. Let's just... see what happens, okay?"

Chapter Text

"If you could have any pet in the world, what would you choose?"

The friend group had now gotten to the third section of the Best Friend's Analysis Hub: A Place for You. In this section, Kinito tasked everyone to create an imaginary world, mainly stemming off of Blake's landscape painting of their beach. Blake and Micah, for their parts, were hesitant to continue, but decided they should play along for the time being.

White Face paused for a minute. Maybe two minutes.

Melissa got right to describing the cutest, fluffiest, most pettable black cat that imagination could spawn.

Blake simply chose a bunny rabbit as their pet.

Micah, meanwhile, chose a plush bunny rabbit, as the plush probably wouldn't need to eat or sleep, so Micah wouldn't have to worry too much about taking care of it.

Blake looked at Micah's choice incredulously, and in response, Micah shrugged, "Hey, he said 'any pet', right?" Blake was about to respond, but paused. He was right about that. Kinito then looked towards White Face. "...White Face?", he said, as a not-so-subtle reminder that it was supposed to answer the question. White Face looked away sadly, "Sorry, I've just... I've never had a pet before... let alone seen what my options are." Kinito reassured the phantom, "It's okay! I can show you all kinds of pets!" He then dragged in a browser window, which loaded up what looked like a pet website, where you could browse until you found a pet you'd like to adopt.

But it seemed... off, somehow.

White Face took a moment to look through its options. There was everything, from cats, to dogs, to fish, to snakes, to rabbits, to hamsters, to mice, and a whole lot more. But on top of that, there were also... more outlandish options, such as moles, and sharks, and robots, and plushies, and weird bug-things shaped like food with googly eyes, and literal blobs of slime, and...

...Just... Just a LOT of things, okay?

White Face looked at its options for a good long while, before eventually settling on... "An Italian Greyhound! Because they're cute, and I'm Italian too! ...A little bit, at least."

Kinito cheered, "That's a wonderful choice! Now, on to--" Blake interrupted, "W-Wait, hold on! I wanna change my answer!" Kinito paused for a bit, then smiled, "Oh! Of course, Blake! Did you have something else in mind?" Blake nodded, "I want... uh..." They paused for a moment, trying to think it through, before Kinito assured them, "Don't overthink it, Blake; in this world, you can have any pet you want, real or unreal!" Blake soon decided, "...I want a robot frog! Yeah, that's what I want." Kinito cheered, "Great choice! Now then, moving on, what would you name these pets of yours?"

Blake scrambled to think of a name off the top of their head, "Uhhhh... Robo-Hop?"

Micah simply stated, "I'd name my pet Fluffy."

Melissa, however, gave it a little more thought, "I would name my cat... Dorothy!"

White Face grinned as it answered almost immediately after Melissa had, "Grey Hound!"

Melissa stared incredulously at White Face, causing it to defend its answer, "...What? It's a good name!" Kinito nodded in agreement, "All of these are great names for your pets!" The axolotl then asks, "Next question, what is your favorite time of year? Do you prefer: Autumn, Winter, Spring, or Summer?"

To start, White Face picked Autumn simply for its red-tinted foliage, and the cool breeze.

Meanwhile, Melissa selected Winter for its beautiful snowfalls, and its perfect cuddle weather. She also liked the holidays the season came with, and their core themes of togetherness and spending time with loved ones.

Blake's answer wasn't required - likely because Kinito knew the answer already - but they chose anyway. They picked Spring because they sometimes liked sitting out in the rain. Also, it was Spring when they first met Micah.

And finally, Micah picked Summer for three simple reasons: because it's the perfect weather for going out to the beach, cranking up the air conditioning, and eating ice cream by the spoonful.

Once they all picked their favorite seasons, Kinito exclaimed, "Wonderful! Now, for the final question, what kind of food would you like to make in your new world?"

White Face immediately piped up with a question, "Can you make food with flowers?" Kinito chuckled, "In this world, you can, if you want to!" White Face grinned upon hearing that, "They'll be as sweet as my friends are!"

Melissa put a hand to her chin as she thought it over, "I think if I had to choose, I would make food like the items they serve at the café down the road." She smiled, "I can't get enough of their cherry tea!"

Micah also took a second to think it through, "I'd just like... y'know... quick'n'easy foods, ya get me? Stuff that I can just pop in the microwave, heat it up and be done with it, y'know?"

Blake's answer, however, was a lot more personal, "Well... There's this recipe I got from my mom... a recipe for cheese grits... It's so delicious every time she makes it, but I just... I've never been able to get it exactly right, no matter how much I try." They sighed, "I don't know if there's a secret ingredient that I'm missing, or I'm just not using the right cheeses, or what, but every time she makes it, it's so creamy and melty and cheesy and I just--" Micah then pat Blake on the back to bring them back to reality, "Uh, Blake, bud, I think he's got the message."

Kinito cheers, "These are wonderful dishes! I'm sure me and my friends will be delighted to try them all!" He then winked again.

Seriously, what was with all the winking? It was starting to get uncomfortable. But it seemed like Kinito genuinely meant well, to a fault. And besides, they'd come much too far to quit now. How much worse could this possibly get?

...As if they NEEDED an answer to that question.

Either way, it seemed as though they had breezed through all the other sections, and were now on to the final section: All About You. Kinito introduced the final segment thusly: "So, moving on, I want to go a bit off script, and bring in my pals, Sam and Jade, to ask some of our own questions."

He then looked at the two windows beside him, "Melissa, White Face, you'll be answering questions, too! See you in a little while!"

Melissa went wide-eyed, "W-Wait, what kind of ques--?" But she didn't get far before her window was closed down by Kinito, before moving on to to the IMSCARED window.

White Face stared blankly, "Oh, okay, bye--" And the IMSCARED window was closed down as well. Kinito then turned to face Blake and Micah, and spoke, "To start with, I have a question that I've been meaning to ask for a while now..." He leaned in closer, "...Have you two seen the news recently?" He then brought up a news website, and the page it loaded shocked both Micah and Blake to their core:

Michigan Family Home Damaged in Fire, Residents Found Dead
by Becky McGuire, Freelance Reporter

Last week, tragedy struck as a fire suddenly broke out at the residence of the Collymore family one Tuesday night. Firefighters were able to quickly arrive at the scene and contain the blaze before it spread to nearby homes, but the house suffered significant damage. The cause of the fire is still currently under investigation, though officials believe it may have started due to faulty wiring. In a heartbreaking turn of events, residents Barry Thompson-Collymore (54), and Marie Collymore (49), were found inside the residence unresponsive, and later pronounced dead at the scene.

Blake's jaw went agape, and Micah stared dumbfounded. Neither of them knew what to say. Eventually, however, Blake managed to utter, "...I-Is... Is that why... my parents stopped calling me...?" Micah wanted to say something, but was unsure. He wouldn't get the chance to, anyway, because Kinito suddenly chimed in, "I wish you didn't have to find out this way, Blake. You must have been so unaware. I'm truly sorry for your loss." Kinito smiled, "But it's okay! You won't have to worry about losing me ever again! Because after all, no matter what happens..."

Just then, Photo Viewer popped up with an image: an image from the webcam, of Blake and Micah nervously staring at the computer from earlier. The fact that he managed to take a photo without the webcam turning on was frightening enough, but what was really frightening was that Kinito was sitting right between the two, hands wrapped around them as if they were taking a normal group photo together. Below the image was a caption that was read aloud in Kinito's voice: "I'll always be with you."

...And then the image appeared again, and the voice clip played again as well.

And then it happened again.

And again.

And again, and again, and again and again AND AGAIN.

The whole screen started to fill up with the same image as the same voice clip overlapped itself again and again, faster and faster and FASTER until suddenly... the computer blue-screened. ...But not for long, as all of a sudden, an image of Kinito appeared in the middle of the screen. This, combined with a sudden loud screech, caused Blake and Micah to nearly fall off the couch. When they came back to, they looked to the computer, only to see that everything was now in monochrome. All the icons were missing, and the only window in view now was a distorted version of the BFAH’s window.

A question then silently typed itself out:

"Are you two alone?"

"YES", "UNSURE", "NO". Both Blake and Micah IMMEDIATELY clicked "NO". They knew FULL FUCKING WELL they weren't alone anymore.

They heard Kinito's voice read the next question:

"Are we playing a game?"

Blake was unsure, while Micah clicked "NO". Micah spat, "This ain't no game... This ain't no fucking game..."

After a moment of waiting, they heard Sam read out the next question:

"Do either of you believe there's an afterlife?"

Blake was still unsure, while Micah certainly fucking HOPED so.

They then heard Jade read the next question:

"What are your biggest fears?"

Neither of them wanted to answer that. Just then, Blake's phone started to ring. Hesitantly, they picked it up. "Unknown". After a nervous gulp, they answered it, "...H-Hello...?" Just then, there was a girl's voice on the other line; she sounded like a textbook valley girl, "Hey babe!~" The girl giggled, "I don't wanna alarm you or nothin', but you like, totally left your window open!" Blake shrieked, "WH-WHAT?!" The girl chuckled, continuing to speak casually as though this was just a normal occurrence, "Yeeahh, so like, ya miiiiight wanna go close it before somethin' gets to you guys. Or, heh, ya know..." Her tone suddenly became serious, "Maybe something already did." The phone then hung up.

Blake immediately got up and rushed to the bedroom, and found that - much to their shock and horror - their window was indeed wide open. They wasted no time in slamming that thing shut again and making sure it was locked. When they came back, Micah looked over, "Didja see anything out there?" Blake shook their head, "I-I don't think so, no." Micah sighed, "Well, did ya make sure to lock the window before ya left?" Blake nodded, "Yeah." Micah nodded back, "Good... Now what do we do about--?"

Suddenly, it seemed as though the computer had skipped to the next question. Kinito's voice read it out again:

"Are you aware of your surroundings?"

Both Micah and Blake chose "YES".

"Are you sure?"

Both Micah and Blake chose "NO".

The next question had Jade's voice read it out:

"Given the choice, would you trust the other person with your life?"

Blake and Micah both chose "YES". Of course they would. It's why they've been together for so long, right...?

Sam's voice read out the next question:

"Which of these two would you rather kill? This choice counts for both of you, so make it count."

Two choices then appeared in front of them: the silhouette of a woman with a ponytail, and the silhouette of a portly man with slight shaggy hair.

The woman was given the name "Joan", and the man was given the name "Wesley". Neither Blake nor Micah knew who these two people were, so why were they all of a sudden given the task of choosing which one deserves death?

"I, uh... I guess pick the guy?", Micah suggested.

"What? Why?!", Blake demanded.

Micah explained, "Well, I don't wanna kill the woman, and I don't see any other choices, do you?"

Blake hesitated, but sighed, "...Alright, fine."

They hovered the cursor over to Wesley's silhouette, "...Sorry, Wesley." The moment they clicked the silhouette, suddenly, a loud gunshot rang out, and the screen flashed, causing them both to cover their ears and close their eyes. When they finally opened them, they were mortified to see a small hole in their computer, where Wesley's image was. But as soon as they both blinked, the hole was gone, and the computer was back to normal... somewhat.

Jade read this next question out:

"How many thoughts would you say you have had recently?"

...Bit of a softball, compared to the others. Blake answered "32", while Micah answered "500".

Sam then asked:

"Would you know if you were no longer alive?"

Both Micah and Blake sure as hell HOPED so, so they both picked "YES".

And then, just when they both thought it couldn't get any worse...

"Final question..."

...That was Blake's own voice.

"Have you ever been abandoned?"

...And that was Micah's.

Blake and Micah sat there in complete and utter horror, not daring to move even a finger. See, they both had a silent fear of abandonment. Like, they were absolutely PETRIFIED by the thought. They didn't want to think about it, but there were a couple instances. For example, there was that time back in middle school - during a field trip to the woods - where Micah accidentally found himself separated from the class, and had to sit there, crying and sniffling until the group found him again. The trip ended prematurely after that.

Blake also had an incident in which they had been abandoned, but not by classmates, but by a group of so-called "friends" they had met on the internet. All it took was one little rumor - one completely blatant lie - for the entire friend group to turn their back on Blake, kick them out, block them, and spread the rumor even further. To this day, Blake still got the odd message from an uneducated user, telling them to kill themself to atone for the pain they'd supposedly caused.

Eventually, Blake clicked "YES", and so did Micah. The second they did, Kinito suddenly appeared with a light switch next to him.

"THEN WE'RE COMING RIGHT OVER."

With that, Kinito flicked the switch, and just like that, the computer shut itself off. No fanfare, no logoff, NOTHING.

Blake hugged Micah tightly, and Micah hugged them right back. They both clung to each other, neither wanting to let the other go for fear of losing them in some way. Blake whimpered, "M-Micah... I'm scared... Wh-Whatever happens next, I w-wanna say..." They began to weep, "...Thank you... f-for everything..." Micah started to sob as well, "Y-You too... I love you so much... I-I don't wanna lose you!!" They both cried into each other's shoulders, not wanting to focus on anything other than each other.

Suddenly, they were startled by the sound of their living room window slamming itself open. They looked over to see the window, wide open, nearly thrown off its hinges.

And then... they saw a hand reach through it.

They both immediately went right back to hugging each other and sobbing as they heard the shuffling of someone - or something - crawling in. Their fear only grew and grew as they heard the sounds of more things crawling in. The sounds of shuffling feet slowly crept closer and closer to their couch, and then...

...they suddenly felt the sensation of a group hug.

Their current position left them unable to move their bodies, but hesitantly, they opened their eyes to see three figures. Three familiar figures were the ones hugging Blake and Micah, yet they were heavily distorted, in no small part due to their eyes still being fogged with tears. Micah whimpered, "...Wh-What the... the fuck...?" Meanwhile, Blake was left completely and utterly speechless.

"Look at you two; so scared of being left alone that you're cowering together," Kinito muttered, his voice sounding almost as if it came from an old telephone. Blake's lip quivered as Kinito held a hand up to their cheek. He spoke as he tried to wipe away their tears with his thumb, "It's okay. Don't cry. Don't worry. We're here now..." At last, Blake's lips were finally able to create a sentence, or at least, a single word, "...Wh--... Wh-Why...?"

Jade smiled, her voice put through the same filter as Kinito's voice, "Because you said you were scared, silly! So we came to make sure you two were safe and sound." Micah muttered, "...Y-You... But how...?" Sam put a finger to Micah's mouth to hush him; his voice had also gone through the same exact filter, "Shh... That doesn't matter right now. What matters is YOU TWO."

Kinito frowned, "And besides, haven't you checked the time? It's nearly midnight. So, why don't we help you two to your bed? You need your rest." Micah nodded, "Uhh... s-sure, okay." Blake also nodded, but didn't say anything. At that, the two managed to unlink themselves, and almost immediately after they stopped hugging each other, they were picked up by Kinito and Jade, and dragged into the bedroom with Sam following close behind.

While they were carried there, Kinito and Jade wiped away more of their tears, gently hushing and reassuring them all the while. Finally, when they arrived, they were then tucked into bed. Once they were tucked in, the three smiled down at them as Kinito asked, "Are you two comfortable?" Blake nodded wearily, "Y-Yeah." This time, it was Micah who nodded but didn't say anything. Kinito giggled, "Good. Alright, guys, just like we rehearsed..." And then, the three began to sing some sort of lullaby. As they sang, the two slowly drifted off to sleep.

"Sleep, little circuits, you've nothing to fear..."

"Rest up your pixels, and we'll stay right here..."

"Your data is safe in the servers so deep..."

"So close down your windows, it's time now to sleep..."

"The hum of the code sings so soft in the air..."

"The pixels, they twinkle like stars everywhere..."

"So sleep, little circuits; tomorrow, you'll shine..."

"As long as you're safe, we've done our job right..."

Chapter Text

The first person to wake up was Micah, due to the one-two combo of the sound of his alarm blaring from his phone, and the sun shining in from the window, hitting his face. Blake wasn't too far behind, groggily sitting up and scratching their head just moments after Micah did. After rubbing the crust out of their eyes, Micah soon spoke up, "So, uhhh... What happened last night was... weird, right?" Blake nodded, "Yeah, that... that was REALLY weird." Micah got up, asking, "So like, did we... really see that? Were we dreaming?"

After a pause, the two looked at each other and, in perfect unison, said, "No, that was definitely real." Micah cleared his throat, and began walking out, "Welp, I'm hitting the shower; got work in a couple hours." As Micah walked away, Blake took a moment to think about what had happened: Kinito, Sam and Jade - characters that Blake THOUGHT were restricted to the computer - all broke into their house, only to comfort them at their worst moment. Despite the whole "breaking into their house" part, they were still nothing but kind to the two.

Blake couldn't help but smile at that thought.

After a while, they suddenly heard a voice snapping them back to reality: "Hey Blake, you gonna take care o' the house while I'm gone?" They looked up, seeing that Micah had changed into his work clothes, and was ready to go. Blake nodded, "Yeah, yeah, just..." They paused for a moment, "...Don't be surprised if you see me talking to Kinito and the others again, alright?" Micah chuckled a bit, "Heh, fair enough." Blake waved to Micah as he walked out, before getting up, stretching a bit, and looking towards the door. "So, guess I should... catch up with them, eh? But first, breakfast."

They then walked out of the bedroom, and over to the kitchen, where they decided to heat up some french toast sticks, whip up some scrambled eggs, and cook up a couple sausage patties. They weren't a master chef, by any means, but they liked to believe they could cook well enough. Once everything was all cooked and ready, they plated up the food, drizzled a bit of syrup on it all, poured themselves a glass of milk, and then finally - with everything in hand - headed over to their computer, sitting down and turning it on.

As they started eating their breakfast, and waited for the computer to finish booting up, they once again thought back to how things had gotten to this point: From the day they first met Micah, to all the times they'd played with Kinito, Sam and Jade as a kid, the day they'd started playing with White Face after getting a new computer, all the way to right now, after having downloaded Date Time and meeting Melissa. A lot of memories. Good, good memories.

And speaking of Melissa, Date Time loaded up automatically, and thus, she was the first one to greet Blake, "Oh! Good morning, Blake! Nice to see you're enjoying a good breakfast!" The two smiled and waved to each other, before Blake asked, "So, Melissa, how was your night last night?" Melissa hesitated to speak for a bit, and then looked away before stating, "It was... eventful, to say the least." Melissa turned back to Blake, finally noticing their more... disheveled appearance compared to last night, "And what about you? You don't look like you've had the best of nights either."

Blake sighed, "I, uhh... It's a long story that I... don't really know how to explain." Just then, Kinito flew in on his surfboard, soon after announcing his presence: "I believe I can assist with that!" He turned his head towards Melissa, "See, Melissa, when Blake and Micah answered the final question, they said they had also been abandoned. So me, Jade, and Sam all decided to pay them a visit." He looked back at Blake solemnly, "But when we found them, they were hugging one another, crying into each other's shoulders. They were so scared of being left alone... We had to comfort them; to show them that they weren't alone."

Blake scratched their head, remembering everything vividly, "Yep... That's pretty much how it happened." Kinito reassured Blake, "But it's okay, because now you all know that we'll always be there for you, no matter what!" Blake had a question, "Wait, what do you mean by 'you all'?" Kinito answered, "I mean you, Micah, Melissa, and White Face, of course!" Just then, as if on cue, IMSCARED opened up, revealing White Face, who smiled upon seeing Blake, "Oh! Hi, Blake! Were you talking about me?" Kinito cheered, "Why, yes, actually! I just mentioned you!"

White Face asked, "What were you guys talking about?" Melissa answered this time, "We were talking about the... questionnaire that Kinito and his friends made us go through." White Face gasped in realization, "Oh, you mean the one with all the questions about fear and stuff?" Melissa nodded, "The very same." White Face put a hand up to its chin, "They sounded like the kinds of things I would ask if my game was more... direct." The second it said that, a thought clicked in Blake's head: "I knew that whole thing was more White Face's speed!"

Perhaps Kinito was much, MUCH better at adapting to people/things than everyone gave him credit for.

Just then, Kinito announced, "Well, then, looks like everyone's here but Micah. And I need Micah to be here for the special surprise I'm planning." Melissa was quick to ask, "Why would you need Micah to be here as well? What are you even planning that requires all of us being together?" Kinito giggled, "If I told you, then it would ruin the surprise, would it not?" White Face shrugged, "Guess that's true, but can you at least tell us if it's going to be worth the wait?" Kinito nodded, "You bet it will! Just make sure to be ready for when the surprise comes, okay?"

Blake nodded, "Alright, I guess. But, uh, what can we do in the meantime, then?" Kinito thought about that for a bit, tapping his foot, then responding, "Well, we have the whole day ahead of us, so we can do anything you want to do! We can watch a movie again, we can play some games, or we could even just sit and talk for a while. The list is virtually endless!" Blake thought for a moment, then decided, "We can start with talking. Just, y'know, hang out for a bit." They all agreed, and for a few hours, they just sat and talked to one another. As they talked, Blake got to know more about Melissa and the world around her.

She mentioned she had two close friends: Morris (the guy Blake and Micah saw last night), an auto shop mechanic who wrote poetry in secret, and Anna, an athletic young woman who was also your bog-standard valley girl. Though she did add that she liked to go all cryptic sometimes, usually as a sort of dark joke. Melissa attributed that to Anna's love of horror movies, a love which Melissa herself didn't share. She also mentioned the town's mascot, Storm the Swan, and how it concerned her sometimes. Blake couldn't blame her; from the way she was talking about it, Storm seemed like the kind of mascot that was one anxiety attack away from decimating everything within a 20 foot radius.

Eventually, the conversation led to Blake asking Melissa if Morris or Anna could join in. "Unfortunately, no," Melissa responded, "Morris is currently busy at J&W's, and Anna's visiting her friend from school today." Blake sighed, a little disappointed, but understood why nonetheless, "Ah, that's fair, I guess." Just then, Kinito chimed in, "Don't worry, the surprise will come soon enough, and then you can meet them for yourself!" This led to yet another wink from Kinito. Before Blake could say anything about it, however, Melissa chimed in, "What about you, White Face? Do you have any other companions in your world?"

White Face nodded, "Oh, yeah, I have a couple: there's HER, and then there's Restorer." Just then, someone peered in from the left side of the window, a woman; her skin was completely white, while the rest of her (clothes and all) was completely black. She also seemed to have her eyes closed at all times. She spoke, "Oh, did someone call for me?" White Face turned to look at the woman, smiling, "Oh! Hi, Restorer! I was just talking with my friends!" The woman - now known as Restorer - moved to the middle of the window, waving to the screen, "Oh! Hallo, Blake! You must be the one White Face kept talking about."

Restorer bowed slightly, "A pleasure to finally meet you! You know how long you've been leaving me hanging?" She chuckled, "I swear, if that flower wasn't the only thing keeping you from encountering me, I'd have introduced myself to you MUCH sooner!" Just then, Blake saw someone peer in from the hallway behind them - it was HER, creepily staring at the screen. She smiled and waved creepily upon them noticing her, before disappearing into the darkness once more. Restorer noticed Blake staring off, "Oy, what are you starin' at?"

Blake shook their head, "Oh-- sorry, it's nothing, I... just thought I saw something, that's all." Restorer huffed, crossing her arms, "It was probably HER. She's always creeping around somewhere; cor blimey, the amount of times she's jumped me while I was trying to work..." Just then, Kinito interrupted, "Hey, I just got an idea! Blake, why don't you play with White Face and its friends while we wait?" White Face gasped ecstatically, "Really?! That's a GREAT idea!" Melissa smiled, "Well, while you're doing THAT, I suppose I better check on Storm again." With that, Date Time closed itself down.

Restorer huffed and sighed, "Well, it was nice while it lasted..." She then left, saying, "I hope to see you again soon, Blake. No matter how long it may take..." Once Restorer left, White Face smiled in glee, "Come on, Blake! Let's play again! I can't wait!" And with that, the screen suddenly went black. And then, a familiar intro began to play, though it was a bit... different this time.

Welcome to IMSCARED.

This is the first and last time You'll read this message.

I suggest You to read this, for it's really important to do so.

Kinito promised something really special for all of us.

I need You to accept everything that happens from now on.

If something strange happens, please, have faith that it's all according to his plan.

I can't wait. I never thought this day would come.

I never expected things to turn out like this.

I'm so happy...

You are about to play IMSCARED.

Disregarding the differences, Blake settled down, ready to retrek through the various pixelated landscapes they knew and loved once more.

The game was relatively normal after that intro... until they came to the pipes area, and collected all the valves that were needed there. Just before they could place all of them, a .txt file suddenly popped up, named "WAITONEMOMENT". Intrigued, Blake read through the text.

Hello again.

We've had a lot of fun over the years, haven't we, Blake? I've had so much fun with you. Have you had fun with ME, Blake? Tell me: Are you still scared, after all this time?

I am. But soon, I won't HAVE to be.

After THIS game, once Micah gets back, we can try something new.

Kinito says it'll be so much FUN!

He says we won't have to be scared anymore.

We'll see each other soon.

I promise.

Aww, well, that was... Sweet? Creepy? Sweepy?

No matter. Once again, they went through the same ritual of picking up the flower, and handing it over to White Face. White Face grinned, "Thank you. You've always been so kind to me. So kind..." It giggled, inching closer and closer to the screen, "Soon, we'll all play together forever. We'll never be scared again..." It then beamed brightly at Blake, placing a hand on the screen as it did so, "I love you so much." The game then closed out, marking the end of IMSCARED once again. Well, that was an adventure. Once again, though, Blake had gotten curious: just what was the surprise that Kinito had planned for them?

Come to think of it, Blake still remembered Kinito mentioning having something special planned for them way back when. Did this have something to do with it...?

Chapter Text

It's been fun, but now I've got to go

Life is way too short to take it slow

But before I go and hit the road

I gotta know

'Til then, when can we do this again?

Blake was currently performing a riveting performance of Owl City's "When Can I See You Again" with Kinito, while Melissa and White Face happily listened along. Surprisingly, Kinito was a very, VERY good singer, despite his voice being primarily TTS. Despite that, though, he hadn't seen or even heard of Wreck-It Ralph, the movie the song was made for. Blake understood, though; it was a more recent movie, and they just assumed Kinito hadn't seen... well, much of anything recent.

It'd make sense, y'know, considering that the company who made him was long dead now. Though that did call into question as to HOW Kinito and all his functions were still active after all this time, but Blake figured that trying to answer those questions... would only lead to EVEN MORE questions, so they just decided to ignore it.

In the meantime, however, they were having the time of their life with him, singing loudly and proudly without a single care in the world, and even dancing along with reckless abandon. They hadn't even noticed that Micah had entered the apartment...

...and almost immediately started dancing as well, copying Blake's movements to the very best of his ability. Blake spun around, their arms raised in dramatic flair, completely unaware of the extra participant. Kinito, mid-chorus, suddenly paused, his synthesized voice blending into a softer tone: "Blake, you've got company." Blake stopped mid-step, catching sight of Micah grooving in perfect rhythm, trying to mimic every move. Their eyebrows shot up, followed by a crash down to the couch.

They panted, out of breath due to both the dancing AND Micah's sudden arrival, "M-Micah! H-How long have you been here?" Micah laughed, "Long enough to see you bust some moves I didn't know you had!" He sat down next to Blake, patting them on the back, "You been holdin' out on me, buddy?" Blake rubbed their arm nervously, "N-No, it's just that... I don't usually have an audience when I, uh..." They trailed off, suddenly interrupted by Melissa, "Hey, what about us?" Blake chuckled, "Yeah, well... Besides you guys, obviously."

Kinito then closed down the song window, "Well, now that everyone's here... I can finally tell you all about the surprise!" Micah perked up at that, "Hol' up, what's this about a 'surprise'?" Kinito answered, "Well, Micah, I have a special treat for all of you!" He got on his surfboard and then started to float to the right side of the screen, "Because you answered all my questions, I wanted to give you free access to..."

Kinito then pulled in a website; it was a page for what looked like a membership for KinitoPET. Kinito exclaims, "...the KinitoPET Friendship Club!" Blake perked up upon hearing that, "The 'KinitoPET Friendship Club'? What the heck is that?" Kinito cheered as Blake scrolled through the page, "I'm so glad you asked, Blake: The KinitoPET Friendship Club is an add-on to my software that will allow me and my friends to do even more amazing things!"

He further explained, conjuring up a group of polygonal shapes, "With this extension, we can interact with applications more than ever before, and I can make us games to play so we will never run out of fun activities!"

Well, Kinito was nothing if not a master of the tempt.

Melissa, however, was not as persuaded, "This all sounds FAR too good to be true; what's the catch?" At that, Kinito looked at Melissa and gasped, wide-eyed in disbelief, "A 'CATCH'?!" His tone immediately lowered back to a dull roar after that shriek, "Melissa, I'm offended. The only 'catch' here is that we'll have so much fun, you won't know what to do with yourselves!" White Face suddenly chimed in, "I want in! I wanna join the Club!" Blake nodded, "Yeah, y'know what? Me too!" Micah nodded also, "Y'know what? Count me in as well, screw it!" Melissa crossed her arms and grumbled, annoyed that she was outvoted.

Meanwhile, Kinito cheered, "That's the spirit! Just press the 'UNLOCK NOW!' button to start the download process!" Blake hovered over the big, flashy "UNLOCK NOW!" button on the screen. "Well... here goes nothing," they muttered, clicking it without hesitation. Kinito smiled as the download began, "Trust me, you won't regret this; this add-on will bring everlasting fun!"

After a brief moment, the download was finished, and the icon appeared on the desktop. "Alright! It's installed," Blake exclaimed, "Now let's test this puppy out!" They then moved to launch the software... Only for something else to pop up. What seemed like a form of some kind. Kinito exclaimed, "Hold on there, Blake. Before we can fully get started, I need you to fill out your details to a membership form." He reassured them, "But don't worry, it's only short!"

Blake stared at the membership form for a bit, "...Are you sure you want me to fill out ALL THIS?" Kinito nodded, "It is required for us to continue, yes. But don't be nervous, as I will not use your info maliciously; it is only a simple form."

Blake sighed, "If you say so, then." With that, they went ahead and filled out all the needed information, starting with their full name, to their current age, date of birth, blood type, phone number, and even their full address.

(A/N: I'm not going to detail the entire process of registration, mainly for the sake of brevity, but also for fear of accidentally legitimately doxxing someone in the process of writing it. Anyway...)

Kinito nodded, "Alright! All this info seems to be in order!" He seemed ecstatic, even as Blake's and Micah's nervousness was evident to the other two. Melissa was quick to ask, "Kinito, please tell me: your servers are indeed... reliable, correct?" Kinito nodded, "Of course they are; always have been, always will be! If they weren't, I wouldn't trust them with my friends' information." White Face simply glanced around as Kinito finished talking, "I just can't wait to show you all the new features!"

Finally, the registration finished up, the window now reading: "Congratulations! You are now an official member of the KinitoPET Friendship Club! (You may now safely exit this window.)" Blake closed down the window as Kinito started up again, "Now, before we go any further, I just need you to do one tiny thing for me..." Blake looked at Micah for a moment, then back to Kinto, before asking, "...And that would be...?"

Kinito answered bluntly, "I just need administrative permissions." He went on, "It'll allow me and my Crew to get the most out of all these wonderful features." They once again looked at Micah, who simply shrugged, "Eh... We've come this far, why not?" Blake sighed, before nodding and turning back to Kinito, "Alright, what do I need to do?" Kinito asked, "Well, Blake, could you please just open the app called 'Command Prompt' for me...?" Blake still silently contemplated whether or not this was a good idea, but decided to go through with it anyway, opening up the Command Prompt.

Kinito exclaimed, "Amazing! Now, whenever you're ready, could you just type in the command... 'grant kinitopet.exe system.access'?"

They couldn't believe they were going through with this. But, oh well, here went nothing. They typed in the command, and suddenly, the Prompt window started to shake, and Kinito cheered, "Thank you. Thank you so much!" The wallpaper started to glitch and an ominous noise grew louder as the window shook more and more. Kinito didn't mind what was happening in the background, however, still ecstatically cheering, "We're going to have so much fun together! Everlasting fun!"

Finally, just as quickly as the madness started, it suddenly stopped, saying that the transferal of privileges was successful. Kinito smiled, "How amazing! Now, please hold tight, while I do the same for my friends here..." Kinito then proceeded to type in two additional commands into the prompt: "grant KCWebWorld-Jade_dat.bin system.access" and "grant KCWebWorld-Sam_dat.bin system.access". When the dust finally settled, Melissa was the first to speak up, "...So... er... What happens now?"

Kinito smiled, "Now, my friends, we are finally free to experience everything the KinitoPET Friendship Club has in store!" They then looked away, "...Except... there's just one tiny little detail I forgot to mention: Melissa, White Face, you and your friends will be part of the experience as well." Melissa went wide-eyed at that, "What...? That's what you had us consent to during the questionnaire?" White Face, however, was downright gleeful, "Oh, yay! We get to be part of a new world?"

Kinito chuckled, "Now don't worry, we'll help you all get situated; you'll feel right at home." Before Melissa or White Face could say anything else, their windows closed down. Kinito turned to look at Blake, "Now, I just need to run a reset, so that the rest of the changes can properly take place." He smiled, "But don't worry, Blake, as we'll have coded something special for you and Micah by the time it reboots!" He waved, "So, goodbye for now!"

And with that, the computer shut off, leaving Blake and Micah to simultaneously wonder what would happen next.

Blake took this opportunity to talk with Micah, "So, Micah... How are you feeling about all this?" Micah shrugged, "Well, as long as you're feeling confident about your choices here today, then I'm cool with supporting 'em." Blake sighed, "I dunno... What if this whole thing goes wrong? What if my computer dies again?" Micah pat them on the back, "Hey, don't say that, now; your computer hasn't died so far, right? Besides, that last one you had was ANCIENT; I'm shocked it didn't die much SOONER, to be honest."

Blake sighed, smiling a bit, "Yeah, you're probably right." Micah then added, "And it's not like Kinito wants to kill us or somethin'. He just wants to be friends, y'know?" Blake nodded, "Yeah, but what does he need the others for? Melissa and White Face, I mean." Micah shrugged, "I dunno, but they're digital and we're not. Maybe that's supposed to mean somethin', but I couldn't tell ya if you put a gun to my head."

Blake chuckled a bit at that, and before too long, the computer fully rebooted. Blake was taken aback by what they saw the moment they got past the "Welcome" screen: Kinito was huddled up with Sam and Jade, who were both in the same low-poly 3D style Kinito was in. The background has also changed to the background of the Web World.

Kinito whispered, "So, we all remember the plan, don't we?" Sam whispered back, "Of course we do, but we need to make sure nothing gets in the way. Jade, did you see what was on their computer?"

Jade nodded in turn, "Yeah, I did a full scan while the computer shut down, and the only thing they've got that could potentially hold us back is OS Defender." Sam stared blankly, "...You're kidding." Jade shook her head, "I'm not kidding. Luckily, I was able to disable the software while the system was booting, so we're free to continue without any setbacks!" Kinito cheered, "Excellent! Alright, everyone, let's get into place!" Everyone then poofed away, leaving Blake and Micah to sit there in slow, agonizing realization.

...They just gave up their whole-ass computer to these guys, didn't they? 

...Of course they did.

Leave it to Blake to fuck everything up for the sake of morbid curiosity. Oh well, too late to turn back now, might as well go along for the ride...

Chapter Text

Put yourself in Blake's and Micah's shoes for just a moment:

Imagine. You're just coasting through the days, trying to get by. You think you have life all figured out and understood, and then suddenly, BAM! Everything that you thought could never happen does happen. Everything that could go wrong DOES go wrong, and vice versa. Your whole LIFE is turned upside-down in the blink of an eye, and you can't do anything to stop it. But then, do you really WANT to?

That's exactly how Blake and Micah were both feeling at this very moment.

They both stared at the computer, unsure of what to do or why they did what they did, why they chose what they chose. Finally, Blake decided to take a deep breath and get it over with, whatever "it" was. They moved their cursor over to the KinitoPET icon, when suddenly, Kinito, Sam and Jade all appeared in various ways: Kinito flew in on his green surfboard, Jade came in via an appearing and disappearing doorway, and Sam slid in on what looked like a pool floatie shaped like a rubber duck.

Kinito was the first one to speak, "Ah! Hello, Blake! Hello, Micah! Allow us to officially welcome you two to the Friendship Club!" The three of them applauded as confetti slid down the screen, a triumphant jingle played, and a banner slid down to the top of the screen that read "WELCOME!" in a crude, bold font. Kinito continued, "We're so glad you decided to join! We just can't wait to show you what's in store; isn't that right, guys?" Sam nodded and cheered, "You said it, Kinito! I can't wait!" Jade nodded in agreement, "Me neither; this is going to be so exciting!"

Blake chuckled nervously, scratching their head, "Yeah. So uh... What do you guys have planned for us?" Kinito perked up again, "Oh, that's right! While you were gone, we've been creating our own little program for you two!" Kinito then turned to look at the others, "Shall I boot it up for them, guys?" Jade nodded, "Go ahead!" Sam nodded as well, "Yeah!"

Kinito nodded back, and floated to the right side on his surfboard, "Okay! I'll start booting it up now, but it'll take a short while to compile all the code." The Command Prompt opened up again, and Blake could see bits of code zooming along as the compiling started up. Kinito spoke, "Please give it a moment, you two." Blake nodded and waited for the code to compile.

...Boy, that... that sure was a LOT of code... Blake took a moment to catch glimpses of the code as it whizzed by:

bffs = [kinito, sam, jade, melissa, white_face, blake, micah]

sup_chara(sociaville) = [morris, anna, joan, wesley, hazel, connie, amy, madge, mayor, henry, ada, babbage, storm]

sup_chara(place) = [restorer, her]

establish_connection(players = bffs, sup-chara)

while True:
    update_game_state()
    render_world()

loading_percentage = 0
while loading_percentage < 100:
    update_loading_screen(loading_percentage)
    loading_percentage += 5

# TODO: Implement contingency plan for unexpected server crashes or player/NPC disconnects

# Function to handle player and NPC interactions
def handle_interaction(players, npcs):
    if npcs in sup_chara(sociaville, place):
        print(f"{players} is interacting with {npcs}")
        conversation = initiate_conversation(players, npcs)
        if conversation.success:
            update_relationship(players, npcs)
        else:
            print(f"Conversation with {npcs} was awkward. No relationship change.")
    else:
        print(f"{npcs} is not available in this area.")

Blake didn't get to finish reading the last portion before it zoomed away and got lost amidst the seemingly infinite sea of programming. Kinito then spoke up again after a moment, "I really think you two are going to like this, as we took many different assets from our servers - as well as the code from Melissa's and White Face's programs - and mashed it all together to create something unique for the both of you!"

Sam chuckled in delight, "This'll be AWESOME!" Jade cheered, "I just can't wait!" Kinito cheered as well, "We're all going to have so many adventures together!" Finally, after what seemed like forever, the Prompt read:

Compile successful. Loading program...

Jade gasped, "Oh! Looks like it's ready!" Kinito exclaims, "Okay, Blake, Micah, hold on to your seats because... this is..." A window then popped up, and a title screen appeared, showcasing big, bold letters which spelled out the title that Kinito read for them:

BLAKE & MICAH'S WONDERFUL WORLD

(ft. the POWER of FRIENDSHIP and IMAGINATION!)

[START!]

(c) 2024 Kinito L&E Company, Data Time Corp., MyMadnessWorks

Sam smiled brightly, "Look, guys, look! It's your very own game!" Jade grinned, "Yeah! We worked really hard on it!" Micah suddenly asked, "Wait, hold up; how'd you guys make a whole-ass game in the time it takes to restart a computer?" Kinito chuckled, "Never underestimate the power of TECHNOLOGY, my friends!" As he spoke, he conjured up the word "TECHNOLOGY" in a green digital font before it then dissolved. He then spoke, "Now, Blake, whenever you're ready, just click the 'START' button to begin!"

Blake did just that, and found themself standing in a blank white void with a checkered floor. Kinito cheered, "Alright, here we are: our very own world, made entirely for you two!" Jade explained, "For the controls, we borrowed them from IMSCARED. We've also made it so that the Spacebar zooms the camera in and out." Sam added, "Go on! Give it a whirl!" Blake started using the WASD keys to move around, and the mouse to look. There was void and floor, followed by... more void and floor.

Well, at least Blake could mess around with the controls for a bit; they had a little fun zooming in and out repeatedly. Kinito spoke up after a while, "Huh. This all seems a little empty, doesn't it?" Jade nodded, "Agreed. So why don't we go somewhere else, huh?" Just then, three doorways suddenly appeared in front of Blake with a sparkle sound, each having a wooden sign at the top. Each sign had different writing on it: "Web World", "Sociaville", and "PLACE". Kinito cheered, "Go ahead, step through one of the doors to be transported to a new area!"

The three doors then opened, indicating that they could be gone through. Blake and Micah looked at each other for a moment, trying to decide where they wanted to go. "Well, what do you think?", Micah asked. Blake pondered for a moment, before suggesting, "Why not Sociaville? It's got the most characters, it looked like." Micah nodded at that, "Yeah, sure, why not?" Blake nodded back at him, smiling, "Alright; Sociaville it is." Blake went through the Sociaville door, and ended up in a low-poly town of sorts. "This must be Sociaville," Blake muttered to themself.

They looked around, aimlessly wandering for a bit, until they discovered a map on a wooden sign. Above the map, text was written: "This is a WAYPOINT! Waypoints are scattered all around the town; just click on a place you would like to go to be teleported there!"

Well, that was certainly convenient.

The two were about to do a little exploring, when suddenly, they heard a voice, feminine in tone, call out to them, "Hey!" They turned around to see what looked like a woman running up to them. She had seemingly blonde hair that faded at the length's end - it was kinda hard to tell, what with everything being shades of green - in a waitress outfit that wouldn't look out of place in the 80s... which was a given, considering the time period Date Time came out in. The waitress soon stopped and panted out, catching her breath, "Can you... point me to... the café, please? I'm running... late for my shift."

Blake motioned the camera over to where the café was on the map, and clicked on it. The second they did, the waitress darted off, "Thanks! Meet me at the café if you need a treat!" Well, that was... an interesting encounter. Micah pointed out, "She kinda looks like someone I met back in high school one time." Blake turned to him incredulously, "You met an axolotl in high school?" Micah turned to them, equally as incredulous, "Wha-- No?!? I met a HUMAN in high school that looked just like her!" Blake shrugged defensively, "She looks like an axolotl in my eyes!" The two of them then seemed to come to a mutual realization: they both saw the world of Sociaville differently.

Micah simply said, "...Huh. That's weird..."

Blake was silent for a moment, before looking back to the map, rubbing their chin in thought, "...So, uh... Where do ya wanna go?" Micah scratched his head, "I dunno... Let's... try the park, I guess?" Blake nodded, "Yeah, sure." And thus, they clicked on the park, and were zapped there near instantaneously. They looked around the park for a moment, taking in the sights. Suddenly, a loud "HONK HONK!" got their attention.

They looked over to the pond, to see what looked like a swan swimming inside. The swan honked in a feminine voice, "Hello! Blake, Micah, welcome to Sociaville! A cozy town that people from all over come to hang out in!" The swan splashed and put a hand to her chest, "I'm Storm the Swan, the town's mascot! HONK HONK!" Micah suddenly brought up a pertinent question: "Ay, now wait a minute! How come I can see HER as a swan, but I saw the waitress as a human?" Blake scratched their head, "I dunno, dude, I see her as a swan too."

Micah shouted, "You WHAT??? What's going on here?!" Blake raised their arms up in defense, "H-Hey, I don't know, dude! I'm just telling you what I see!" Just then, Storm chimed in nervously, "H-Hey now! There's no need to get so loud! M-Maybe it's just because Blake has... the POWER of FRIENDSHIP and IMAGINATION!" She cheered, "That's why Blake sees the world just a little bit differently! HONK HONK!" Blake scratched their head, "Is... Is that true?" They looked at Micah, who just shrugged and said, "It's no crazier than anything we've seen so far."

Storm then smiled, "Now, I'm off to go entertain the fellow kids! See ya later, HONK HONK!" And with that, she dove into the water... and just disappeared.

...Uh... That... was an encounter.

They decided not to question it for too long, and decided to find another waypoint to get out of here; not too difficult, considering one was right by the pond. They decided to click on the building in the bottom left corner, which led them to... an auto repair shop, with a sign at the top of the entrance:

J&W's AUTO REPAIR SHOP

Oh! This must've been where Morris worked! They decided to journey inside. As soon as they did, they saw someone sitting at the front desk.

Blake saw a jackal with a pair of glasses, and a black turtleneck sweater with a dark green vest.

Micah also saw someone with a pair of glasses, and a black turtleneck sweater with a dark green vest. But who Micah saw instead of a jackal was a regular woman with seemingly blonde hair in a ponytail, with freckles on her cheeks.

The woman flashed a smile, and spoke cheerfully, "Afternoon, pumpkins! The name's Joan! Welcome to J&W's; bit cozy 'round here, ain't it?" Micah recognised her appearance, while the both of them recognised the name. Blake pointed out, "Hey, wait a minute, aren't you the woman from that questionnaire we did?" Her demeanor almost immediately shifted from cheery to disappointed, "Aw yeah, that whole business. I dunno what WE done gone and did for them to ask about us in that kinda way."

Joan sighed as she fixed her glasses, "Oh well, at least they ain't actually done nothin' to us." Just then, someone else walked in.

In Blake's eyes, they were a portly wombat with a typical worker's uniform. In Micah's eyes, they were a portly man with shaggy black hair, a slight bit of chest hair, and a full beard.

The man flashed a smile as he spoke, "Oh, hello! You two must be Micah and Blake! Welcome to our great town! ...Despite the circumstances. Name's Wesley, but you can just call me Wes. The pleasure is all mine!" Joan chimed in, a smile on her face as well, "Ah, Wesley! Perfect timing! We were just talkin' about that 'questionnaire' thingy those weird fish guys put 'em up to." Wes scratched his head, his tone also shifting, but this time to a more nervous tone, "Ah, yeah, that. I got a question of my own, to be honest."

Wes then looked at the two, "Why'd ya choose me?" Blake spoke up in their defense, "H-Hey, man, it was just a 'spur of the moment' thing; we didn't mean anything by it! We didn't know you guys!" Wes sighed, "Yeah... I know, I know. I kinda figured that was the reason; I guess I just needed to hear it." He looked to his left solemnly, "If it's any consolation, if it were up to me, and I had no other choice... I'd choose myself too." The air grew silent and dim for a few tense moments.

Suddenly, Wes laughed, breaking the silence, "Aw, but don't let an old fogey like me get ya down! You two should be enjoyin' yourselves, yeah?" He then pointed out, "Melissa and her pals are all chattin' over at the café, if ya wanna go hang out there."

Blake expressed their gratitude as they started to leave, "Thanks so much, see you later!" Joan called out, "Take care, ya two!" Wes added, "Don't have too much fun, y'hear? Ho ho!" Now, with a clear objective in mind, Blake headed off to the café.

...Or, at least, they would've, if they weren't curious as to what everyone else in town looked like. So they decided to make a few quick detours, taking in all the sights and meeting lots of different animal/human folks along the way. Eventually, they finally arrived at the café. As they went inside, they saw a couple faceless NPCs sitting at the café. Blake figured they were just that unimportant. Now, where were Melissa and her friends?

Just then, a familiar voice chimed in: "Blake, Micah, over here!" That was absolutely Melissa's voice. They went over to a corner of the café where they heard the voice and, sure enough, Melissa was there, with two other people/animals.

Micah again saw regular humans. The boy in the group was wearing a worker's uniform with overalls and gloves. The other girl was wearing the kind of uniform that a cheerleader would wear while not knowing which team to root for. And Melissa was, well, Melissa.

Blake saw a marmot, a mole, and an alpaca in their places, all wearing their respective outfits.

Melissa turned to face Blake and smiled, gesturing to the other two as she spoke, "Hello again, guys! Now I can properly introduce you two to my friends, Morris and Anna!" Anna beamed, "Yoooo!! I'm like, totally thrilled to see you guys in person!" Morris chimed in as well, "Yeah, nice to meet ya guys! Just got done workin' a busy shift." Melissa giggled, "And what a shift it was. I've never seen someone try to set down the back of a car while holding a pen and paper in their mouth, haha!"

Morris grew embarrassed, a large blush forming on his face as he yelled, "H-Hey! I thought we agreed not to talk about that!!" Anna playfully punched Morris in the arm, "Aw, don't sweat it, ya big geek! Like, nobody else saw, right?" Morris grumbled, rubbing the spot on his arm where Anna punched him, "Yeah, I guess so." Melissa giggled, "You would not BELIEVE the digging Kinito and his Crew had to do to make this all possible." She laughed, "When Kinito said he wanted to test a '3D landscape' for us, I didn't think the first person he'd put into it would be the waitress!"

She smiled, wiping a tear from her eye, "Ah, well, no serious harm done; why, everyone's already getting accustomed to this new 3D world." Just then, as if on cue, the aforementioned waitress sauntered over to the table, and asked what everyone would like to order. Morris cheered, "C'mon, guys, have a seat!" An [E] icon appeared over the table. They pressed [E], and found themselves sitting at the other side of the table, with Anna next to them. Blake found that they could turn the camera around to look at everyone while they ordered, so they did.

Melissa ordered a goat cheese salad with cherry tea; her usual, she claimed.

Morris ordered a ham sandwich and a coffee.

Anna ordered a caesar salad with extra croutons and some water.

When it came time for Blake and Micah to order, the waitress spoke, "And since you two are new, here's a menu for you." She then handed them a menu full of items to choose from. Blake and Micah took a second to think about it, looking over at the surprisingly varied number of options on hand. They soon made their choices.

Blake decided to order a grilled chicken panini with a side of tomato soup, as well as an iced tea.

Micah decided to order a pulled pork sandwich with barbecue sauce and a side of potato wedges, as well as a cola.

The waitress wrote down the orders then smiled, "Great choices, guys; I'll bring those right out for you in just a bit!" With that, she left to the kitchen, leaving the group free to talk amongst themselves once again. Anna smiled, "Wow, good to see you guys are getting your protein!" Morris mumbled, "Dang it, now I wish I could change my order..." Melissa chuckled, "Wonderful choices, you two; I promise, you won't be disappointed! This café makes the finest food around!"

After a bit, the waitress came back to serve them the food they ordered, "Here you go, sorry for the delay. Enjoy!" The waitress then handed Blake and Micah their food through the screen. Neither of them even really cared at this point; they just started digging into their food. Anna soon spoke up, food chunks still in her mouth, "So like, did y'all see the train parked outside o' town?" Blake and Micah paused for a moment. Train? What train? They didn't see any train.

Melissa chimed in, "Oh, that's right. I heard that part of their surprise involves that train." She sighed, "It's a shame I can't bring you guys along, though. They said that only I, Blake, and Micah are allowed to get on the train; at least, for the time being." Anna scoffed, "Pfft, what a bummer, man. Like, I would totally love to ride a train outta here every once and a while!" Morris nodded, "Yeah, me too! Y'know how boring it gets here sometimes?"

Melissa reassured them, "Don't worry, guys. Kinito says that after he's shown us the surprise, anyone can get on and off the train at their leisure!" She then turned to Blake and Micah, "What do you two think? After we finish our food, shall we head over to the train?" Blake nodded, "Yeah, sure!" Micah shrugged, "I don't see why not." Melissa cheered, "Great! Oh, I can't wait! I wonder what they have in store for us."

Blake and Micah wondered that, too...

Chapter Text

"Wow, that is certainly... a train."

Micah's voice stated that fact quite bluntly as he, Melissa, and Blake all approached a train. What Micah neglected to mention in that statement was just how large this train was; it looked like it was large enough to fit dozens of people, if not hundreds. Kinito, Sam, and Jade were all waiting in front of the train. Kinito cheered, "Ah! Hello again, guys! I trust you and Micah have been enjoying your new world so far?" Micah nodded, "Uh, yeah!" Blake also nodded, "Yeah, it's great!" Sam chuckled, "Super! Glad to hear you like it, 'cause it's about to get even better!"

Jade motioned the three of them to step onto the train and take a seat, "Come on! Our next passenger is waiting!" Melissa, Blake, and Micah all got onto the train. Melissa sat on one side, while Blake and Micah's avatar sat on the other. Kinito sat in the driver's seat, donning a conductor's hat, while Sam and Jade sat next to the three. The axolotl cheerfully called out, "All aboard!" He then grabbed the train's whistle lever and pulled it, making the whistle sound out. At that, the train started to chug along, increasing in speed in a matter of seconds. Blake looked around the train as they started moving.

When they looked down, however, they saw a small gap in the floor, and they saw a familiar face peering into the gap: Storm the Swan herself. The swan held a feather up to her beak, as if to say, "Shhhh!" Blake looked up. Nobody seemed to notice anything off. They didn't decide to say anything about it, but they still thought it was weird, nonetheless. Just then, the train slowed to a crawl, and then stopped. Someone else then got on board: it was White Face. White Face sat on one of the seats opposite to Blake's side; well, I say "sat", it's more like it just floated to the seat and stayed there.

Melissa smiled and waved, "Oh, hello! I suppose you're our next passenger, ey?" White Face nodded, "Yeah! I got invited to a special place!" Just then, everyone heard Restorer's voice call out: "I'll take care of your Flower, White Face; don't worry!" Soon enough, the train started to move again. This time, the train only increased in speed, getting faster and faster until it was practically double the speed they were going before. Apparently, wherever they were going, it was really far. Melissa then chimed in, "Well, since we're going to be together for a while, why don't we all have a chat?"

Blake agreed, and decided to get the ball rolling by talking about the things they like. Drawing, listening to music, playing video games, etc. Micah also adds on to the conversation, discussing his favorite music genres: techno, rock, punk, metal, and every possible combination of the four. The conversation eventually trailed off, however, into discussing various things that happened in their lives. Various events, both positive and negative, were brought up by each of them.

Blake brought up how they were still being abused by certain folks on the internet, and the still-lingering tragedy of learning about their parents' untimely death.

Micah brought up the field trip incident, as well as an incident at senior prom, where someone kicked Blake in the crotch and talked shit about them for being non-binary. Micah had to be physically restrained because he was trying his damnedest to attack the attacker.

The air grew silent after that. Melissa, however, had an almost unreadable expression on her face. What was clear, however, was the undeniable anger in that expression. She then growled, "Even now, we're still being abused. This is precisely the kind of betrayal I've grown to hate with all my heart." She looked up at them, "The fact that people can just do this sort of thing to you... and the fact that I'm unable to do something about it... it sickens me deeply." White Face, meanwhile, looked at them with a solemn expression, "Yeah. I wanna do something about it too, but I can't."

It looked away from them, "...Not currently, at least." Blake looked down again, to see the gap in the floor where Storm was peering in: she seemed to be looking at them dejectedly, before suddenly getting a determined look in her eyes. She then moved down, the gap suddenly becoming empty of any swan. Just then, Melissa's voice got their attention, "Blake, what are you looking at?" Blake looked back at Melissa, "Uh, nothing, just... nothing." Well, technically, they were correct now. Melissa shrugged it off, "Alright, just wanted to make sure."

She then asked, "Do you two feel better, having gotten all that off your chest?" Blake nodded, "Yeah." Micah nodded in agreement, "I guess so." Jade then chimed in, "That's great! You should never feel like you have to hide your feelings from us. You two can say whatever is on your mind!" Neither Blake nor Micah said anything, but they were silently thankful. Just then, the train slowly stopped once more. Kinito then called, "Alright, everybody! We're here!" At that, everyone got up and started leaving the train.

What they saw once they got off the train left both Blake and Micah completely speechless.

A large theme park.

Blake and Micah stood frozen, their mouths slightly agape at the sight before them. Massive roller coasters twisted through the air like metallic serpents, casting long shadows on the ground. Bright neon lights flickered from game booths and food stands, and the faint scent of sugary treats lingered in the air, which was especially shocking considering how the smells were seemingly coming from within the computer itself. Then again, they shouldn't have been surprised; this was FAR from the craziest thing they'd been through thus far.

Kinito's voice rang out: "Welcome to Funlandia, where dreams come true!" While White Face started dashing to and fro, trying to take in all the sights, Melissa simply raised an eyebrow, smiling softly at their enthusiasm, "Funlandia, huh? It certainly looks like a lot of fun!" Micah let out a low whistle, "Now this is some next-level coding going on here. Wow." Sam piped up, "Yep! What you two experienced back at Sociaville? That was all child's play compared to this!" Kinito nodded, "Indeed; this is just a small sample of the many new things we can make for you."

He hopped and skipped into the air, "That way, we can keep making new experiences so we'll never run out of things to do! Isn't that great?" Blake smiled, looking over to Micah, "Hey, I'm in. If they built this all for us, why not, right?" Micah looked back at Blake, chuckling, "I was thinking the exact same thing." Melissa then chimed in, seemingly sharing their sentiments, "Then I vote we get right into it, then! No sense in just standing around when there's lots of FUN to be had, right?"

White Face cheered, "Yay! So many things to do! What do we do first? Ooh, we could play some games, or we could all eat that cotton candy stuff until we pass out!!" Melissa chuckled nervously, scratching her head, "L-Let's take it lightly for now, White Face. We don't want to overexert ourselves right away." Sam nodded, "Melissa's right; besides, you guys have the whole park to yourselves, so go explore it to your heart's content!" Jade added, "If you ever need us, we won't be far! Have fun!" At that, everyone went in their own separate directions.

Blake and Micah decided to follow Melissa, who eventually stumbled upon a library. Melissa was taken aback, "A library? At a theme park? How queer, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to check it out." She went into the library, followed by Blake and Micah, and looked around. She was very clearly impressed by the selection on display, "Wow. This library is so much bigger than the one back in town. I wonder if--" She suddenly gasped as she saw a particular book, and pulled it out: "Oh my gosh, they have it: Pride & Prejudice!" She clutched the book in her arms, gleefully giggling to herself and bouncing up and down.

She then went over to a seat, and immediately started to read. Blake and Micah decided to leave her alone for the time being. Blake looked over to Micah, asking, "What do you wanna do?" Micah scoffed, "You kidding me, dude? There's so much stuff!" Blake scratched their head nervously, "Yeah, but I'm sure we'll find something to do..."

Blake and Micah eventually found themselves at an arcade, playing games and winning prizes. They played a shooter game, where they had to shoot a bunch of zombies; the two of them managed to defeat enough zombies to get to the end of the game. They then played a racing game, and Micah won a racing medal, while Blake won a plastic trophy. Finally, they played a pinball game, and the both of them won a bunch of tickets.

...Okay, so they didn't actually win those items physically; they were just kept in their digital inventory. But they were still nice to have nonetheless.

As they walked out of the arcade, Blake suddenly noticed that Storm was outside. They stopped and looked at Storm, whispering, "Storm? What are you doing here?" The swan answered, "I couldn't hide myself from you guys much longer; I came along because I wanted to help." Micah looked at Storm quizzically, "Help with what?" Storm shrugged, "What Kinito and his friends are doing. They've been kind enough to let me in on what they have planned for you guys." Blake and Micah looked at her, confused. Storm then explained, "They told me to tell you guys that the answer lies at the roller coaster."

After she said that, Storm quickly darted off. She called out as she left, "See ya there! HONK HONK!!" Micah spoke up after a moment, "She's gone... but what the heck was that all about? 'The answer lies at the roller coaster'? Does she mean the roller coaster ride we saw in the middle of the park?" Blake nodded, "That sounds like what she was referring to, yeah. What else could it be?" So, the two of them made their way towards the middle of the park. When they reached the roller coaster, Kinito, Sam, and Jade were waiting for them. Kinito greeted, "Oh, hello again, Blake! Hello, Micah! Glad to see you've been enjoying yourselves."

Micah replied, "Oh, absolutely, definitely!" Blake then inquired, "Kinito, did you know about Storm following us?" Kinito chuckled, "Of course I did, silly billy. Of course I knew she would be tagging along in secret; but it's okay! She's our friend too, even if she wasn't technically invited." Micah then asked, "So where'd she run off to, then?" Sam answered, "With any luck, she's currently gathering Melissa and White Face over here." Jade nodded, "Right, so let's wait for them before we get on. We need everyone on the ride for our next big surprise!"

Micah tilted their head, "Uh, what kind of surprise?" Before any of the three could answer, the two of them heard the sound of someone approaching. Turning around, they saw White Face floating over, "Hi, everyone! I'm here! Now what?" Kinito pointed at the roller coaster, "We're gonna ride the roller coaster! But first we have to wait for--" Melissa walked over with Storm in tow, holding hands (and wings) as they got near. Melissa cheered, "Well, Storm convinced me to put my book away so I could see what's happening over here. What is happening, anyways?"

Kinito nodded, "Great, everyone's here now! Alright, everyone, let's get on the ride!" At that, everyone climbed onto the ride, and strapped themselves in. Kinito sat up front, with the rest of them sitting behind him.

There was one BIG problem, though... the coaster wouldn't start.

Suddenly, Storm called out, "HONK HONK!! Not to worry, I've got an idea!" With that, Storm grabbed a nearby wrench, and started bashing it against the machine. Eventually, much to Blake and Micah's shock, it started working, and the roller coaster started to move. "There!", Storm said proudly, sitting back in her seat, "Now that's better, HONK HONK!!" As the coaster started to slowly move along the track, Kinito began, "We may have neglected to mention one tiny detail: Most of our time spent building this world wasn't for this theme park, or even the places seen before it."

Sam continued, "Yeah. It was for the final surprise; the surprise we want you all to see, ESPECIALLY Blake and Micah. You see, what you've been doing these past few hours is only the tip of the iceberg. Actually, we've just been warming up." Jade cheers, "A lot of our time was spent building this final part; the core piece that ties everything together. And we think you're REALLY going to enjoy it!"

Just before anyone (besides Storm) could ask what they meant, suddenly, the coaster dipped down, and they found themselves careening through a tunnel that got darker and darker...

Chapter Text

Finally, after what seemed like ages, the darkness receded, everyone was now off the coaster, and everyone was able to open their eyes again to see what was in front of them. And boy, what was in front of them somehow made Blake and Micah even MORE speechless than before.

It was a halved landscape that stretched for what seemed like miles; one side was a beautiful Spring field with grass, flowers, and the occasional tree. The other side was a lovely sunny Summer beach, with sand and the sea as far as the eye could see.

And in the middle of it all? A tall blue house with a yellow smiley face plastered in the middle of it.

Blake and Micah were trying to wrap their heads around this. Micah was the first one to speak up, "Okay, I'm not hallucinating. This is real, right?" Blake shook their head, "I don't think we're hallucinating. But if it's not a hallucination, then... then what is this?" Kinito was the first to answer, "It's a house and a landscape, made for all of us! That includes Blake, Micah, Melissa, White Face... even Storm!" Storm gasped, "Wait, me too??" She pointed at herself, and Kinito nodded, "Yep, you too, Storm! We want you to be a part of the Crew as well!" Jade cheered, "Come on, everyone! Step inside and take a look around!"

Kinito agreed, "Yeah, c'mon! Let's have a look around!" At that, everyone began stepping inside the house. Blake and Micah took their time to look around. The kitchen was very large and spacious, with a fridge, oven, microwave, sink, and all the necessities a kitchen needs. There was also a living room with a couch and TV, and there was a bathroom, a laundry room, and even a dining room. But the main thing were the drawings scattered along the walls: they were the drawings made by Blake and the others, all the way back at the Best Friends Analysis Hub.

"Isn't it great?", Kinito's voice suddenly called out, "We really took the time to personalize this for all of you, especially for Blake and Micah!" Sam added on, "Yeah; we even made sure the stuff all around the house was to your preferences!" Blake and Micah were taken aback by just how much was personalized. Even as something as simple as a comic book on a table has been accounted for.

It's a comic book! Let's take a peek inside...

"By day, they're Blake Collymore, just another ordinary person coasting through life."

"But by night, they're WaveWarper, a mysterious superhero with the power to control water!"

"Oh my God," Blake muttered, "WaveWarper... That was my childhood superhero OC!" They remembered making that OC with Kinito when they were like, seven, rambling on about the abilities and the weaknesses and the enemies of this superhero. The fact that, even to this day, Kinito remembered that character, made Blake's heart buzz like a swarm of bees. They then made their way over to a "pet room", where a doggy bed, a rabbit hutch, an aquarium with a keypad, and a soft cushion could be seen.

The future homes of Fluffy, Dorothy, Robo-Hop, and Grey Hound!

But there was a whole upstairs area they hadn't even touched upon yet. And it was here that they saw the most personal touches: in addition to the room for Blake and Micah, there were also rooms for Melissa, White Face, and the Kinito Crew. Each room door had an icon on the front of it: Blake and Micah's room had a cyan teardrop above an orange flame. Melissa's room had a green pixelated heart with the initials "DT" on it. White Face's icon was a red rose. And finally, the Kinito Crew's room had a pink axolotl head, an orange anemone head, and a green jellyfish head, all stacked vertically on top of each other.

When Blake and Micah checked their room, they saw that it had everything they had in the real world: their favorite posters were on the walls, their bed was the same bed they had, and their desk and computer were all in place. It was like their room, but bigger, and with a lot more space to move around. And when Blake and Micah finally finished their tour, and they got outside, they looked around again. They wondered just how big this all truly was. They wondered how their computer hadn't exploded from the sheer size of it all. Most importantly, however they realized the true purpose of all of this.

This was no longer a simple program made for Blake and Micah.

This was a whole entire WORLD.

Built from the ground up, tirelessly slaved over, all just for THEM.

Just then, they began to overhear a conversation.

Melissa was the first one to speak, "So... I'm guessing this is the real reason you've been working on this." Kinito nodded, "Correct! We were actually supposed to present it a little sooner, but we had a couple technical difficulties and other things, so... we decided to wait until it was all finished before showing it off to you guys."

Sam then added, "Yep! That way, it wouldn't be rushed, and it would look and feel more perfect." Jade nodded, "And since we've been working hard, we thought you'd all enjoy it!" White Face piped up, "Wow, this is... amazing. Just like you guys are amazing! I wonder what Blake and Micah think!" Melissa spoke again, "Indeed. I wonder where they are. I wonder where Storm has gone off to, for that matter. She's always disappearing when nobody's looking." She then sighed and giggled, "Ah, classic Storm. Is it any wonder why she's Sociaville's mascot?"

Suddenly, Blake and Micah heard a "HONK HONK!!" from behind them. They turned around to see Storm standing right there. Storm called out, "Blake! Micah! How are you guys liking the house tour? What an exciting few hours it's been!" Blake was the first to speak, "You mean how we just went on the roller coaster and rode through a bunch of darkness, only to get teleported here?" Storm nodded, "Uh-huh! You're exactly right!" Micah then spoke up, "I can't believe those guys were keeping this a secret from us. But it's not a bad thing, it's..."

He swallowed; he could feel his throat tightening but he didn't know why, "It's the kind of place I wish we could live in." Just then, Storm's demeanor seemed to change, "I get it. Of course you'd want to live here. I mean, who wouldn't? Especially after what you guys have gone through." She looked at them with a solemn smile, "But the truth is, I can help you guys. In fact, Kinito and his friends TOLD ME to help!" Blake and Micah stared in confusion, asking in unison, "How?" Storm got a look of determination on her face, "I just need you two to be calm and brave, okay? Just close your eyes, don't open them..."

She shouted, "...and use the POWER of FRIENDSHIP and IMAGINATION!" Blake and Micah closed their eyes. As they kept them closed, they could hear a strange warbling noise coming from the computer. Suddenly, they felt something grab them, and start pulling them across the table, and into the computer screen.

They were getting sucked inside.

They opened their eyes and tried to look around, but could barely see a thing. The only things visible were the swirls of color surrounding them, as if they were flying through a rainbow. And yet, there was no wind. Everything was completely calm and silent, and it was hard to tell whether or not they were actually moving.

They closed their eyes again... and when they opened them...

...They found themselves in front of the house.

They didn't know what to make of this. They had no idea if this was even real, or all just one big dream. Maybe it was a combination of the two, who knew. But they didn't care; all that mattered was that they were now standing in front of a house that was a physical manifestation of their friendship with the ones they truly cared about. White Face was the first to react, stepping out the front door to see them, "Wait... There's no way! Can it be?!" Melissa peered through the doorway, gasping, "Oh, my gosh, it's... it's..."

Finally, the Kinito Crew pushed them aside, rushing towards the two humans and calling in unison, "BLAKE! MICAH!" They found themselves getting hugged by the Crew. Kinito cheered, "It worked! You're really here!" Sam chuckled, "We knew you'd wanna stay with us!" Jade added, "This is wonderful! Now we can all be happy together, forever!" Blake softly muttered, "...F... For... ev... er...?" Their vision was getting fogged by the tears welling up in their eyes. They heard Storm's voice, "That's right, guys! The Crew was planning this for a while, making us an actual real home inside the computer!"

The swan's voice dimmed slightly, yet there was still cheer to be heard, "Now you can be with your friends, and live forever in peace, like you've always wanted." White Face and Melissa joined in on surrounding the two humans. White Face's voice was overloaded with glee, "Yes! Finally, we can be together forever! So many games we can play, so much to do! I'll never have to be scared again!" Melissa cheered and laughed, "And I can't wait to tell everyone back in Sociaville the good news; Connie's going to make you two SO MANY PIES, ahahaha!"

Micah was ecstatic, hopping into the air with glee, "WOOHOOO!!! YEAAHHHH!!! LET'S GO!!! I can't WAIT to do all this stuff with Blake! FINALLY!! We can do WHATEVER WE WANT!!!" He rushed off into the house, hooting and hollering the whole way inside. Melissa and White Face followed suit, with White Face calling out after him, "Oh, are we playing Tag now? I'm it!"

Meanwhile, Blake just stayed there, on their knees, shaking. They couldn't tell if they were happy or sad. ...No. No, they were happy. Of course they were happy; in fact, they were more than happy, they were OVERJOYED! An entire world all to themselves? One they'd get to share with Micah?? It was absolutely PERFECT! Blake was absolutely THRILLED!

...That... had to be why they were crying, right? They were so happy they that started crying?

Emotions are weird like that.

As Blake uncontrollably sobbed, they could suddenly feel someone else hugging them, and judging from the feel of feathers on their skin, there was no one else it could be but Storm the Swan. Storm's voice whispered, calmly and carefully, "Shhhhh... Hey, hey... Don't cry... It's okay... You're okay... Everything's going to be alright. We're all going to be together. I promise... We'll never leave you. We'll be with you forever..."

Daryl Myles stood frozen, phone pressed to his ear, the 911 operator's voice barely registering as his eyes locked on the computer screen. Blake and Micah, his old college buds - who he had just found a couple moments ago, lying on the couch, unmoving and possibly even dead - were still very much alive, but inside the computer. He saw them laughing, smiling, surrounded by strange characters that looked like they were ripped straight out of various different games and time periods. Their eyes sparkled with joy, completely oblivious to the real world, where their bodies lied, eyes closed, completely still.

"Sir? Sir, can you hear me? What's the situation?", the operator urged, but Daryl couldn't respond. His breath caught in his throat. How was this even POSSIBLE?!

The horror settled deep in Daryl's gut. Were they trapped? Did they even know what had happened to them? Did they even CARE?? He slammed the laptop shut, having heard and saw enough. He foolishly hoped that doing that would bring them back somehow, but... nothing. He turned to their still bodies on the couch. Their limbs were still limp. Their skin was still pale.

Finally, Daryl spoke, "...P-Please help me! My old friends aren't breathing! I-I think they're dead or in a coma or SOMETHING!!" The operator spoke calmly, "Stay on the line, sir. Help is on the way." But Daryl's mind raced. His thoughts shifted between the real world and what he had just seen. How could this be happening? Was this even real?

As the sound of sirens grew louder outside, the feeling of immense dread hung in the air. With that, Daryl turned to exit the house. As the paramedics burst in, the sound of Blake's and Micah's joyous laughter suddenly echoed from the computer, leaving a lasting, haunting impact on them.

Unexplained Computer-Related Event Has Witness Shaken
by Becky McGuire, Freelance Reporter

Authorities are investigating a strange and unsettling incident that occurred last night in an Ann Arbor apartment, leaving two men unconscious, and a third in shock after allegedly witnessing an unexplainable phenomenon involving their computer.

The bizarre event took place at an apartment on Pine Street, where roommates Blake Collymore (27) and Micah Jones (28) were found unconscious on their living room couch by their neighbor, Daryl Myles (27). Myles had reportedly knocked on their door to borrow a gaming console, but soon became alarmed when no one responded. Upon entering the apartment, he found Collymore and Jones unresponsive.

According to the 911 call transcript, Myles immediately contacted emergency services to report what he believed were two non-responsive individuals. However, the situation took a surreal turn when, while being interviewed by local reporters, Myles claimed that the roommates' computer powered on by itself.

"They were there, on the screen," said Myles during the interview, "They were so happy, and they were in this café with a bunch of characters. They... They don't even know what happened to them, do they?" It was clear that Myles had fallen into a state of severe emotional distress, and had to be taken in to receive immediate medical attention.

As of now, there are no further updates on Collymore and Jones' medical condition, and experts remain uncertain as to how - or why - this incident occurred. Anyone with relevant information is encouraged to contact the Ann Arbor Police Department.

This is a developing story. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.

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