METAL CRUSHER

Tv Static Dreams...

He knows this must be freaking them out. He'll make it up to them-- in spades. Cross his heart. They just... have to work past the rocky part.

As they approach they could feel the static was growing oppressive, it seems to shift as if reacting to them, even on the screen ever so subtly, it reached for them, as if the very static cling was trying to pull them nearer. In the dark world, his antennas stand on end. He knows they know his name-- he knows they told them it. All they have to do... is...

" Yes! " " yes! " " YES! " " corrr-rect! " " Ding-ding-ding! " Its all an assortment of gameshows. A clapping audience fills the screen. Instead of more static, it cuts to a newly selected contestant excitably getting up and wading through a clapping crowd, congratulatory jazz music playing them all the way to the stage. However, the second the contestant began to speak to the host, the screen cuts to a near dead silent blank and piercing blue, white recording info pixelated upon the screen, something whirring within the television until... it abruptly cuts to the footage they fed him, of the festival outside.

The shaky and homemade footage from the view of the parade passing by the window dances warm light across the room, the muffled sound of festivities outside and the march of familiar faces, and the rustle of golden trees against a setting sun. And yet the person filming, one can't help but notice, does not seem to join them.

Soon, something resembling captions began to appear at the bottom of the screen, however with the way it appears, it resembles somebody manually typing. Slowly, silently, over the footage, the television-- Tenna begins to speak to them directly.

I V E N E V E R S E E N T H E F E S T I V A L B E F O R E. T H A N K Y O U. F O R S H O W I N G M E Y O U R W O R L D.

For a brief moment the peaceful footage was left to play, but soon one more message follows the rest.

Is their TV actually sentient? Oh god, please, this isn't happening.

They're so on edge, yet at the same time, they shouldn't be — since they've had this TV for a while now... They could chalk it up to aging technology and ignore this whole thing, but— um. Whoa?

The abrupt cut of the cheering and shouting to almost total silence added to the eerie vibes. Hapstablook watched the screen skeptically, tension heightened, and they were even drawing back a little. Their voice of reason is being drowned out by the TV's weird behavior.  Seriously, where is that damn remote!!? Wouldn't it make this whole thing even worse if they saw the remote and ...?

Squinting at the screen, they're able to make out the film being played. Well, seeing as the TV can play this regularly... clearly, it works properly. They don't know how they feel about the likely chances of their TV being sentient, actually being ... possible. Oh god, what's happening? The captions??

Thank you for showing me your world.

...Aw. Hapstablook can't help but smile, the tiniest smile, as they watch the footage play through. They don't remember feeling this peaceful when recording everything. "Heh... Oh. Well." How endearing, Tenna seemed to have cherished the recording. To Hapstablook, it's ... nothing special. They didn't really get to totally enjoy all of what the festivities had to offer. But, if Tenna enjoyed it- "There's more where... that...-"

I want to return the favor.