(okay. so uh. i have to post this a second time because my friend was worried that i’ll get doxxed because the google doc shows my name. soooooooo…yeah😅)
(please be nice. i know i’m not the best writer, so it won’t be as amazing. but just be nice. please)
Accidentally pissing off your mom wasn’t fun, especially in Zora’s case. She hated the way their neurodivergent traits came to play on how she had interactions with others. Sometimes it would go well, sometimes there would be misunderstandings.
She was currently sitting in their living room with the light turned off, sipping some hot chocolate with Carly in their lap. She was resting on the couch with a dejected expression, watching a Minecraft ARG of their choosing. She got into them recently and has grown fond of the creator’s creativity and storytelling. She couldn’t help but be invested in the tale to the point of thinking it was real. To be honest, it was mainly for background noise. She tried to distract themself from not crying. She didn’t like it. The tightness in their chess, how heavy their heart felt, how uneven their breath became.
She always felt the pain. She always heard their degrading thoughts tell them how stupid she was, how she’ll never make their mother happy even if she tried. She knew that already, but no matter how many times she said it to themself, the more disheartened she felt. Tears streamed down their face and she held Carly closer to their chest. Their bottom lip quivered and their vision blurred from their tears.
Why couldn’t she just be normal?
After finishing their drink, she decided to take a nap. When she woke up, Carly wasn’t there. She knew that she was either on the couch somewhere else or on the floor.
She lifted their blanket and searched the sofa. Nothing. Time to look at the floor. She peered down and low and behold, Carly’s head was peeking out from under the furniture, her pure smile making Zora’s heart soften. What made it drop was when she was slowly pulled under the sofa. The girl quickly scrambled off the couch, bending down.
Dark. She couldn’t see anything under there. She reached out, feeling for their beloved companion. But she paled when their hand was grabbed. She didn’t have time to speak before she was pulled under, letting a shrill scream escape their throat.
After falling through a black void, Zora fell on their stomach with a loud thud. She groaned, rolling onto their back. “Fuck, that hurt”, She moaned, their lips shaped in a scowl. She eventually stood up, shaking their hair.
Now, where was Carly? She took a step forward and felt something soft under their foot.
When she looked down, she gasped at the sight of Carly’s squished face. She moved their foot, scooping their beloved doll. “Carly! I’m so sorry!”
She fixed the girlscout’s hair and face before hugging her. “I’m so so sorry. You know I’ll never hurt you intentionally, right?”
She looked down at her, feeling tears well in their eyes again. What if Carly was mad at them too? She didn’t want to make her mad of all things, even though she had no idea what she was thinking or feeling. She was a doll after all. But…she couldn’t help but imagine that Carly did feel something, that Carly was thinking something. Zora hoped that it wasn’t anything towards anger. Anything but that.
A bright, loud spotlight suddenly shined above Zora and Carly, making the girl flinch. Their shoulders rose as she shrunk in their spot.
“Wow!! What an AMAZING performance!!”, A booming voice spoke. A passionate applause came from an audience Zora couldn’t see.
“The audience was brought to TEARS!!”
Sunflowers were thrown at Zora’s feet from the hidden onlookers. Everything was loud. The light was loud. The person’s voice was LOUD. “Do not worry, you lovely contestant! You are going to have a FANTASTIC TIME!! Mike, PLAY THE VHS!!”
A chair poofed behind Zora and the figure eagerly sat them down, patting their head. An old TV conjured in front of them and a black VHS was inserted in the slot. A highly stimulating video began to play, making Zora’s overstimulation spike. She’s sure this host didn’t mean any harm, but man was he doing a lot.
Near the end of it, the host began to speak again, this time even louder. Zora’s breath quickened, their face was scrunched up in discomfort, their mind was racing, their hands tangled in their hair as their vision blurred from renewed tears.
“The sensation of your screen, the show that makes you SCREAM! SAY IT WITH ME FOLKS!!--”
Everything went quiet like when you would pause a movie.
Zora was now on a stage, the chair and TV long gone. She was on their knees with their hands over their ears along hot tears streaming down their cheeks. Sadly, she couldn’t hold onto Carly at the same time, so she was on the floor again. The stage had a tan wooden floor that was glowing from more spotlights. A dark blue screen was behind the girl that had moving stars twinkling excitedly along with an eye-catching logo that said: Mr. Tenna’s Marvelous Mystery Board TV Time!
Looming above Zora was a figure with a gray TV head with antennas pointing to the ceiling. The screen was white with a pointy nose sticking out and a mouth almost spelling out ‘TV’.They wore a snazzy red suit with coattails, a yellow tie, black dress pants, shiny yellow heeled shoes, and puffy white gloves. To finish the look, a shimmering gold ‘TV’ was written on the left side of their suit.
Despite not having any eyes or eyebrows, his expression was still somber but also befuddled. Zora continued to cry softly as their tears fell on the stage. The audience seemed to be saddened as well. The figure that was around five times Zora’s height made slow steps towards the frightened Lightner before crouching down. He anxiously reached out his hand, placing it on Zora’s back. The girl felt a soothing sensation on that said part which helped them calm their buzzing nerves.
Eventually, Zora sat up and gasped at the sight before them.
“U-Uh…” He was…incredibly tall. Huge. Zora felt a bit intimidated.
“Hello”, She greeted softly. The audience couldn’t help but awe.
The figure found his smile again.
“Hello, lovely contestant!”, The enthusiastic man (Was he a man?? Probably) said back. His voice was toned down a little to keep Zora relaxed.
“It seems my sudden flare gave you quite the scare! I’m incredibly sorry!”
Zora smiled at his unintentional rhyme. “It’s okay. I’m sorry I ruined the mood. You were…kind of loud.”
“You ruined nothing, little sunflower!”, The host reassured, booping Zora’s nose with his index finger. “Now that you’re feeling alright, we can now resume the show!!”
“YES! You are on the greatest show on earth: Mr. Tenna’s Marvelous Mystery Board!! Answer CRAAAAAZY questions, pass Physical Challenges, and you’ll get to win Tv-Tastic PRIZES!!”
The host started to list out the rewards at a fast pace with flashing lights coordinating with his words. Zora tried to keep up, but she gave up after he said the third prize. “AND THAT’S!! NOT!! ALL!!”
Zora yelped when the host grabbed them, setting them on his shoulder. “Hey, Doctor Tennaville! What’s today's prescription?”
Zora watched another host appear wearing a black suit, a silver bowtie, and a silver hat that was tilted on the side of his head. Other than that, he was basically a double of the showman Zora was sitting on. “Why, it looks like a prescription for…ONE GRAND PRIZE?!”
“That’s right, folks! Today’s Grand Prize is this season’s most POPULAR item!! Encased in our patented MYSTERY BALL, this Dark World’s ONE AND GREATEST TREASURE!!"
Zora slid down the man’s arm, landing on their feet. She was then turned around, looking at the host’s mischievous expression. “Betcha wanna know what’s inside, don’t ya?!”
The animated presenter then looked at the audience before Zora could respond, his tone hyping up the crowd more. “Well, great news, CADOOS and CADETTES!! EVERYTHING can be YOURS! All you have to do is…WIN!!!”
The audience cheered, hollered, and hooted as the host bowed so fast that it was basically a blur. Colorful flowers were thrown at his feet. Zora reluctantly copied him, though she wasn’t as quick. A thermostat looking object appeared at the side of the stage with bold word spelling Fun! at the bottom. Tenna pointed at it while hitting an exaggerated pose.
“WOW!! I’ve never seen the Fun-O-Meter like this in a LOOOOONG TIME!!”
Eventually, the crowd died down and Zora stopped bowing. Tenna whipped around to look at them, grinning. “Well, what do you think, dear contestant?!”
“Uh, it sounds like fun!”, Zora replied, smiling a little. “But, who’s Mr. Tenna??”
The audience laughed wholeheartedly. The figure couldn’t help but chuckle warmly.
“Well, dear contestant, that’s ME!! Mr. Ant Tenna!”
Ah. Antenna. That’s hilarious.
Tenna struck a pose you couldn’t look away from after saying his name with so much confidence and enthusiasm that you could fill it in a jar and keep it for yourself.
Zora snickered, beginning to giggle at last. This whole situation was hilarious. Who wouldn’t laugh? Tenna audibly gasped.
“It seems we have made the contestant LAUGH, wonderful viewers! Look at those adorable chipped front teeth, that cute smile!”
The audience awed like they were seeing an adorable animal. Zora immediately felt shy.
Tenna used his free hand to help Zora stand and give Carly to them. He then took their hand, giving them a twirl. “That cute smile is gonna look EVEN BETTER when you get ready backstage!”
Zora was taken to said place and was in a dressing room of their own, looking at their new outfit in the mirror. She must’ve been wearing it ever since she fell into…whatever this place is. Along with their shorts, boots, and fingerless gloves, she wore a short sleeved red shirt with a yellow collar and red and yellow wrist cuffs. Sticking out of their curly hair were devil horns; the left one was yellow while the right was dark red. A devilish tail swished softly behind them almost like a cat. She was pleased that she was their very own demon like she always imagined she was. Carly was sitting against a Tenna lamp, the glow from the lightbulb resting on her hair and face. The Lightner gave her a look before picking her up.
“This must be what Mettaton feels whenever he does these types of things”, Zora mumbled to their companion, who was washed and donned into her own clothing by Tenna’s employees. She had a strange smell of warm milk and cookies. Zora flinched when she heard an excited knock. She quickly got out of their chair and opened the entrance. Tenna was in the doorway, kneeling down so he was Zora’s height.
“Hello, fellow contestant!”, Tenna greeted them with his wide grin. “Are you finished getting all dolled up?”
“I think so. Thanks for washing Carly. She smells really nice.”
“That’s WONDERFUL!! I can’t have your darling girl scout looking plain on TV Time! That wouldn’t do, not at all!!”
Zora found themself smiling, their hand unconsciously petting Carly’s head. “Thanks. She’s very special to me. I had her for a long time.”
“I see! She looks like she’s ready for anything! I mean, look at those badges! How did she get so much?!”
“I guess you can say lots of hard work”, Zora giggled. “But anyway, I’m ready.”
Tenna’s smile grew as he pulled out of the room, shutting the door behind them. “ALRIGHT! Mike, get the lights!!”
The lights were cut off instantly. Audience members whispered to one another, the noise dripping with anticipation. Suddenly, a spotlight shined on Tenna, making the chatter dissolve. “Ladies and gentlemen! Boys, girls, and ALLLLL the germs! Please give a warm welcome…TO OUR STAR CONTESTANT!!”
The house lights came on and the audience cheered as Zora did a gracious bow on the stage with Carly in one arm.
“Everyone! Please cheer her--”
…There was silence along with a couple of crickets.
“Oh, right. They don’t know your name! I know it of course, but that’s besides the point!”
With a snap of Tenna’s finger, a pink stand with a star at the bottom landed in front of Zora. Wait, how does Tenna know their name? “Beautiful contestant, please type out your name for the crowd!!”
Using the keypad, Zora used it to press the letters Z, O, R, and A.
When they finished, she pressed the enter button. “And now, here’s the amazing animated dancer and strawberry enthusiast: ZORA!!”
Zora’s name appeared on the screen on their stand. The crowd whooped. Zora gave them a sheepish smile and wave.
(“Don’t ask them where the peach cobbler is”), Tenna joked with the crowd, pointing at the girl teasingly. The audience laughed in response.
“Now that our star is properly introduced, Mike! The board please!!”
On a big screen behind Zora and Tenna displayed a soft world with engorged clouds. They almost looked like pillows. “Today’s ‘GAME’ Show will be…a VIRTUAL ADVENTURE through Sleepy Isles! Zora will use their CUTTING EDGE, PROPRIETARY CONTROLLER PAD to control FANTASY VERSIONS of themself in a world so real, you and them will forget IT’S NOT!!”
Many ‘ooo’s and ‘aaaah’s came from the audience as Tenna spoke. “On their quest they will fight BATTLES…quiz QUIZZES...gain POINTS…and maybe find ways to get into a peaceful rest!”
Zora turned around to look at the screen and then at Carly nervously. She had so many questions and didn’t know where to begin. How does Tenna know them? What is the Dark World? How was she going to get home?
I guess she’ll just have to find out after the game.
“Now, don’t TOUCH THAT DIAL, and don’t STOP THOSE SMILES!! Because…IT’S!! TV!! TIIIIIIIIIIME!!”
The lights went out and Zora was now in a game room when the lights came on. She and Tenna were sitting side by side on a large brown couch eyeing a tall, wide, and large screen showing the start of the game. Zora’s controller was plugged up into the console by a red wire. “Are you ready to venture through the wonderful world of TV TIME?!”
“Sure”, Zora simply answered, nodding their head.
Zora played the game with Tenna occasionally giving some commentary. Zora learned that in the game, this was a world of Nap Time which was a city in the Sleepy Isles that specialized in making sure the people living there would have peaceful dreams and sleep. Sounds like a place Sans would enjoy.
Eventually, Tenna left to go get snacks by the girl’s request and Zora paused the game, setting their controller beside them. She grabbed Carly who was resting against Zora’s thigh, setting her on their lap. She then looked back at the screen and began to space out. The memory of their mom yelling was still fresh.
I guess even here, Zora couldn’t escape their mom.
Tenna entered the room minutes later, holding a basket of Dark World treats. “Oh, Zora!! Your wonderful host has returned with your requested snacks!”, He announced, looking their way. He frowned when she didn’t respond. “Zora??”
“Hm?” Zora perked up, blinking rapidly before their eyes landed on the basket. “Oh, right! My snacks. Thank you.”
Tenna sat back down beside Zora, handing them their treats. Zora ate quietly, their head aimed at their legs. “...What’s wrong?”, Tenna asked, his video terminal cast in worry.
There was a pause. “Everything is fine. Sort of. It’s just…something happened at home with my mom. I made her mad again. And every time something happens that makes me get sad, I just…space out and think about the moment over and over again, like I’m replaying it. But I don’t want to replay. I want to skip it and move on. But…this happens.”
Zora laughed softly. “I didn’t even mean to make her angry. It’s all because of my stupid brain every time. She doesn’t deserve a…slow processing daughter. She deserves someone sharper, someone smarter, someone…useful. But she doesn’t have that. She has me.”
Tenna frowned, his antennas hanging low like wilted flowers. “And now I’m here bringing the mood down with my stupid problem, and I have so many questions but I don’t wanna bother you or make you mad because you have a job to do that’s entertaining so many people in this place! But, here I am; this sad girl who doesn’t deserve to be on your cool show.”
Zora sniffled, hugging Carly close as she began to cry again. Tenna paled.
His contestant wasn’t supposed to be sad. She was in the best show in the world: TV Time! She shouldn’t be sad! Ever! Tenna quickly rushed over to them, gathering the Lightner in his arms. “N-Now, now, dear sunflower! It’s gonna be okay!”, Tenna stammered, rubbing their back frantically. “What do you need? A limited edition Ant Tenna plushie? A family car? A sunflower bath curtain?”
Zora didn’t answer, continuing to weep. Tenna began to panic. “MIKE!! MIKE, CODE BLUE! CODE BLUE!! THE CONTESTANT IS SAD AND I’M OUT OF OPTIONS!!”
The TV man started to race around the room, making sure to keep Zora close to his chest so she wouldn’t fall. Lightner's cries ceased and she looked up at the frantic host in surprise. “CANCEL THE BOARD!! CANCEL THE SHOW!! CANCEL MY KIDS!! CANCEL MY SANITY!!”
Tenna froze in a pose like he was in a cartoon when he heard Zora cackling madly. It was his turn to look surprised as he looked down at them. “W-What…what are you doing??”
Zora laughed madly like he said the greatest joke known to man. Tenna caught his breath and started to laugh with them. “You gave me quite the scare, dear contestant!”, Tenna snorted, lifting Zora higher so she was up to his face. “What made you laugh so hard??”
“Uhh…you running around and screaming ‘code blue’.”
There was another beat of silence before Tenna grinned scampishly. He then set Zora on his shoulder before she could ask what he was doing. “CODE BLUE!! CODE BLUE!! CODE BLUE BLUE BLUE--”
He began to run around the room again with his hands placed firmly on Zora’s sides so she wouldn’t fall. Once again, Zora cackled up a storm, holding onto Tenna’s antennae gently. She was laughing so much that she forgot why she was sad. It was like it evaporated into thin air.
She was here with a silly TV host that wanted to make them smile. That’s not so bad.
Zora resumed the game, did their first battle, recruited Darkners, and eventually finished the board. The crowd was ecstatic as they watched the Lightner, cheering as they finished. It was now time for the Physical Challenges, something Zora was nervous about. She didn’t want to mess up too much in front of the audience. They’ll get bored and make Tenna’s job harder.
When the lights turned on, Zora was shocked to see that she was in the middle of a forest with a red camping tent sitting behind them. Both Zora and Carly were wearing camping attire and Tenna slid over to Zora’s side, grinning ear to ear. On his head was a small campfire. “It’s time to get those marshmallows and gram crackers, folks! Today’s Physical Challenge…is CAMPING!!”
“Nope! Oh, Zora. The way you would always dream about being in the wilderness sitting in your own tent. Now you can do it here while doing a challenge!”
“Oh! That sounds cool. How do I do the challenge??”
“I’m glad you asked, lovely sunflower”, Tenna beamed, pulling out a card from his suit’s pocket. “Now, scary animals are trying to get into your cozy tent to steal your yummy s’mores you made for your trip! Use your flashlight to scare them off. But sometimes, they might steal innocent little Carly! You have to use your voice to let out a vicious roar to get ‘em to scram! Lastly, I might come by to bring over some more s’mores to restock your supply! If you scare me away by mistake, the game is automatically over! Get as many points as you can before the time runs out.”
“Uh, okay. I think I can do it!”
“ALRIGHT! Don’t touch that dial or those s’mores because…IT’S!! TV!! TIIIIIIIIIIME!!”
The Physical Challenge began! Zora was off to a great start after a while but got a couple of their s’mores taken away from time to time. Tenna was surprised at how well Zora could identify him. He had to get creative if he wanted to trick Zora. The time was slowly running out but the Lightner scored some pretty good points.
She let out another roar to a raccoon, watching it skitter off. “And that is another 100 points!”, The host announced. The crowd let out another of their many joyous cheers. Zora hid back in their tent, holding Carly under their arm.
“We’re doing pretty well, Carly! We got lots of points too.”
There was a rustle outside the encampment and the Lightner swiftly grabbed their light before popping out the tent. “Gotcha!!”
The crowd let out gasps when they saw that she didn’t point at an animal like usual. It was Tenna wearing an adorable bear onesie. Tenna ran away with an exaggerated scream and the game immediately ended. “Dammit!”, Zora laughed at themself. “He got me.”
“Indeed I did, dear contestant!”, Tenna beamed as he appeared again, wearing his usual outfit. How did he change out of that onesie that quickly? “Those animals were really shaking in their boots, don’t you think?”, The host asked them, bending down to their height. Zora nodded.
“Don’t you think that was fun? You would always have that big smile when you watch those camp videos and talk to Impact about how nice it would be to be out here in the wild.”
Wait, how does he know Impact? That’s another question to ask later.
“That was the greatest, UNFORGETTABLE show in prime time! Mike, give us the results OF THE BOARD!!”
The results tallied the battles, the points gained from said battles, and the score from the Physical Challenge. All together, she got a nice A-Rank! She was taken back to the stage and she eyed the rank with excited eyes while standing behind their stand. “Wow! An A-Rank! That’s pretty great.”
Zora gave the crowd a big smile. “Well, uh, see you next episode!”
The audience gave a delighted applause as the credits rolled. Now that the game is over, Zora can focus on how to get home. She yawned, feeling a sudden fatigue weigh on them. After a minute or two, the cheers and claps were muffled and everything went black.
When she woke up, she realized she was being carried. She let out a soft groan as she stirred. “Did you wake up, dear sunflower?”, Tenna hummed, rubbing their back. She nodded.
“To get you somewhere to sleep! You were nodding off at your stand.”
Zora yawned, snuggling close to Tenna more. He smelled of cologne.
“You’re quite the fighter! Who taught you those skilled moves?”
“My family. Well, my second family.”
She yawned again. “…How do you know Impact?”
The host chuckled. “You watch me every time you watch TV, silly!”
“I’m your TV in the Light World, you see! I see you and your friends all the time!”
That explains why he knows Impact. Zora took a pause to fully process the words. “So…you’ve been watching me for a long time, huh?”
“That’s right, lovely Lightner! How else do I know what things you like to watch?”
“Huh. So…in this place, you’re this. But in my world, you’re just my TV. Wow.”
There was another pause before Zora sat up, looking up at the host. “...If I fall asleep again, could you stay?”, The Lightner softly asked. Tenna saw the plea in their big brown eyes. Though, he had to get himself undressed and ready for another episode if Zora returns.
But those eyes…they were too cute to resist. Tenna chuckled, shaking his head.
“Fine, fine”, He replied in faux annoyance. Zora grinned and snuggled into him again.
The soft click of Tenna’s shoes and the way his other hand rubbed their back made their eyes grow heavier and heavier. Their shoulders were no longer tense and their mind had nothing to say. Finally, she fell asleep.
Zora’s eyes opened and she sat up, letting out a yawn. She was back on the couch with Carly sitting on their lap. Tenna wasn’t there, only Mettaton. The glamorous robot smiled.
“Hello, darling. I’m sorry to wake you up, but I wanted to ask something.”
“What’s up?”, Zora said, rubbing their eye.
“I know your mom made you sad, so I wanted to ask if you wanted to go out. We can go wherever you want.”
Zora’s fatigue was swept away, now replaced with happiness. “Okay! That sounds good.”
“Wonderful! You should start getting dressed.”
“I wanna do something real quick!”
Zora quickly slipped off the couch with Carly in her arms, walking over to the TV. She carried Carly with one hand and used the other to pet the top of the TV.
“Thanks, Tenna.” She gave the top a gentle kiss before pulling their hand away.
Mettaton tilted his head, looking befuddled. “What was that for?”
Zora walked over to him, smiling a little. “I wanted to say thanks to Tenna.”
“Yeah! I went to this super cool place, mom! The TV, Tenna, was this cool ass TV host! He was tall and he was wearing this snazzy red suit like what you would wear for your News channel!”
Zora ranted to Mettaton about the host as they exited the living room. The TV turned on, softly glowed for a moment, before it turned off.
