#flameingdarkness

@ncanspeak said: YEAH LOGAN, YOU’VE BROKEN THE POOR BABY!!!

Anonymous said: Roman, PLEASE be running off to tell Anxiety that his box was invisible and soundproof to Patton PLEASE

Anonymous said: Well, I think they managed to break Anxiety :/

Anonymous said: I dont know if at this point his panic attack will be a good thing because Logan might ask for help because feeling or if it’ll be a bad thing where Roman exploits his weakness

@hotchocolatehugs said: ALRIGHT LOGAN YOU’D BETTER GO SPEAK TO VIRGIL, BEFORE YOU CAUSE HIM ANY MORE TRAUMA!

@10moonymhrivertam said: Guys please be careful with Virgil I think he’s about to go catatonic…just be gentle and maybe don’t deride his function so much? THOMAS PLEASE FUCK SOMETHING UP SOONER RATHER THAN LATER

@skeletonsloverockcandy said: Lo and Ro please make sure Anxiety’s ok, please reassure him about what happened, poor boy is likely having a panic attack.

Anonymous said: How could they! Now they’ll either find the aftermath a shell of an ALREADY broken man or find him in the middle of his crisis! Shame on both you boys!

Anonymous said: Roman, Logan, you better be ready to comfort a tiny Anxiety! I don’t care if you don’t like him or if it doesn’t mean anything in the end but you both caused this so you gotta do the damage control. (I love this story so much! I am so invested in this!)

Anonymous said: I’m all for the Virgil angst that is coming from Logan’s “mistake” >:] He is going to cry? Please make Virgil cry and I’ll give my soul to you

By the time they arrived, Anxiety looked as though he had already gone through several different stages of grief, his eyes red and puffy and his knuckles bruised. Even the bed was a mess of discarded blankets, halfway off its frame. Now, though, the anxious seemed settled firmly on anger.

“Oh, look who’s here.” He spat as he paced back and forth in front of them, more scathing than they’d heard in a while. Roman winced, and Logan opened his mouth, but Anxiety wasn’t about to let them get a word in edgewise. “Off laughing at the great joke you pulled? Convincing me you were going to let me go after a measly week, ha! Were you placing bets on how long it would take me to realize that Patton was in on it the whole time?” 

“Anxiety-”

“I don’t want to hear anything you have to say! You lied to my face.” Anxiety snarled at Logan, lip curling up to bare his teeth in a gesture that would have made Roman reach for his sword normally. Like this, it just made him feel a strange sort of pity.  

“I did not lie.” Logan said, and lowered the walls of the box. For the first time, the small side didn’t even flinch at being surrounded, something unhinged and desperate in his glare. 

“You did. You did! The jig is up, I watched- I saw Patton come in here. I-” His voice cracked, and he bit his bottom lip so hard that it began to bleed before continuing. “He looked right at me and didn’t look even a little surprised. He brought an entire meal in for me, like… like I’m a prized show animal or something.”

The tiny side flung an arm out to gesture to the plate sitting on the desk nearby, and even that small movement seemed to exhaust him. He leaned heavily against the glass, and now that he wasn’t in motion, Roman could see the way his whole body was shaking. 

“I did not lie then, and I’m not lying now.” Logan said, holding a hand up when Anxiety opened his mouth. “Please at least allow me to explain before you reject my words.” 

Anxiety quieted, though it seemed less because of Logan’s request and more because he simply didn’t have the energy to yell any more.

“Patton did not react because he did not see you when he entered the room. The box I have designed is meant to conceal you from any prying eyes. If someone enters my room without my permission or knowledge, it is camouflaged and muted, meaning there is almost no way for a side to know you are there. This was a feature I added with the Duke in mind, but it applies to Patton as well. We still have not informed him of your situation.” 

@the-opal-essence said: Oh no! That’s worse. That is so much worse! Is Virgil going to say anything in front of Roman and Logan about him now believing Patton is in on the experiment? Will they correct him or let him hold onto this belief for the sake of the experiment? It might make him less likely to try and escape if he feels no one is on his side.

Anonymous said: No no no, virgil, he didn’t see you, he’s worried about he, he doesn’t know what’s happening virgil. Please don’t look at Patton in a bad light. He really does care. He’s just super distracted and out of it for some reason.

@skeletonsloverockcandy said: Virgil I think Logan did something to the box and Patton simply didn’t see you, he is the logical side after all, he would’ve ensured a back up plan. So I don’t think Patton knows, I think he was just worried about you and Logan and that’s why he came in the room. I mean, it’s not like Patton to just ignore someone, if he’d known you were there he would have acknowledged you at least.

@pansy-chic27213 said: Virgil, Logan soundproofed the box. Patton couldn’t hear you, and he was trying to be a good friend and bring you some dinner (because Logan said he’s been bring your meals to you, to prevent Patton from getting suspicious). I also think that Patton couldn’t see the box. If that’s true, he was completely unaware you were there, but it also means that he cares about you and is NOT complicit in your entrapment. We just gotta figure out a way to make him see the box. Does the box have a roof?

@flameingdarkness said: Hey there Virgil, you need to breathe, okay? In for 4, hold for 7, out for 8. As many tries as you need and as many times as you need. I know this looks bad, but lets not jump to conclusions, alright? Besides that, we’re all here for you! You have allies. We want to help you in any and every way we can! Remember, no matter what happens, you are not alone in this.

Virgil’s ears rang as he turned the explanation over and over in his mind, poking a thousand little holes in it. He couldn’t believe him, couldn’t trust them, either of them, to be honest. 

But he wanted to. He wanted to so badly, bad enough that his throat closed up and his eyes began to water painfully. He turned away from them, running that dreaded moment through his mind for the thousandth time. 

Patton hadn’t even looked at him. His eyes had passed right over him, as though- as though he wasn’t even there. As though he was invisible.  

The fragile hope in his chest grew despite his best efforts to smother it. He could never have imagined Patton being so cruel, after all. He was in charge of everything Thomas aspired to be, guiding him towards the right thing to do. Him being stuck like this against his will, defenseless and vulnerable- that couldn’t be right. 

Could it? 

Logan cleared his throat, making his head snap up slightly, suddenly aware of the lack of barriers between him and the other Sides. “I can only provide the facts. What you choose to believe is up to you, Anxiety.” 

“Speaking of, the facts right now are that Pat is waiting for us alone.” Roman said, elbowing Logan. “After being late for breakfast because of Anxiety, I think the least we can do is show up to dinner early.”

Logan nodded, and slid the plate Patton had left closer to Virgil in one smooth motion. He backed up a few steps belatedly, and then watched as those near-invisible walls closed up over him again, hiding him away. 

Theories and conjecture as of page 22. While there is a lot of variety, I’m surprised by how many of you independently come to similar conclusions!

But bodies float!

Yes, it could!

That is true. What do you think?

I like how this theory assumes Chara is going to murder Frisk, but is still called a “Good” Chara theory.

@skeletonsloverockcandy​ said: Well Logan, what do you want to know? Also tell Roman to be more gentle next time, he kind of manhandled Anxiety a bit too much and he might have gotten hurt because of that

Anonymous said: I think Virgil's gonna pass out at some point. Either because of stress, panic/anxiety attack, lack of sleep from not feeling safe enough to sleep or from the pain of broken ribs if logan and roman keep going like that. I just hope patton finds out soon and comes to the rescue.

((warning: this one gets heavy & virgil panics))

“Firstly, am I correct in assuming that you’ve experienced this phenomenon before under the same circumstances?” Logan asked, gesturing to Virgil’s size. Virgil nodded slightly. “Alright, I’d like to know the longest you’ve maintained this size in the past.”

“Not this long.” He shot back automatically. Logan gave him a look, and he relented grumpily. “I normally get back to normal within half a day. Thomas gets anxious whenever he lays down to sleep. Gives him too much time to think.” He tapped his temple in emphasis. The corner of Logan’s mouth twitched, a motion so small he may have missed it if he was bigger.

“I believe more time to think would be beneficial for Thomas, to be quite honest. Perhaps if you had diverted your efforts towards preventing more of his future impulses rather than lingering on his past decisions, we would have gotten along better earlier.” Logan said, thoughtfully. 

Virgil shrugged, pretending he wasn’t a little stung. “Best way to prevent a future impulse is to make sure he’s so embarrassed he regrets even thinking of it. It’s not like he has much of a penchant for listening to you.” 

Logan’s lips thinned slightly, and Virgil shoved his hands in his pockets nervously. When the logical Side spoke, however, it was careful and measured. “I do not think your methods are the easiest or most efficient way of deterring our host, however, this is not the time for a debate. Since we are past the normal amount of time, we should first check that nothing has changed. Are you feeling any pain or abnormal sensations?” 

Not because of his size. At least, not directly. “... No.” He lied.

Logan pushed his glasses up. “You paused.” 

Shit. “I thought it was a weird question. Don’t you know that Dark Sides can’t even feel pain?” Virgil claimed, blurting the first excuse that came to mind. Logan drew back, a little startled.

“Oh. I did not.” He responded, eyes lit up with curiosity. “I wonder... would physical wounds appear on you? Or are you simply invulnerable?” 

Shit. “I’m not a nerd, I don’t pay attention to stuff like that.” Virgil looked away, hoping his dismissal could drop the subject. 

“Ah. Well, in that case...” A shadow dropped over him, and his head jerked up in time to see Logan’s hand pass through the glass as though it didn’t even exist. 

He was so startled by the movement that he didn’t manage to back up fast enough, and found precise fingers pinching him again, ignoring his wiggling. He winced as he was pulled through the glass, half-expecting to hit it full on, but there was barely a whisper of feeling as Logan brought him out of the box and lifted him to eye level. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” Virgil asked sharply, tone contrasting the way his fingers were desperately dug into Logan’s thumb for security. Being this high up at the behest of another, completely at their mercy, never got less nerve-wracking. 

Logan glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes, rifling through a drawer. “Hold on, let me simply- ah, found it.” 

His other hand lifted, and in it, a scalpel. The blood drained from Virgil’s face so fast that he felt faint, and Logan’s words became white noise in his ears as his breathing grew quick and shallow. He’d fucked up, he’d fucked up and now he was going to be a live dissection subject because it was only logical to use something that couldn’t feel pain, right? 

Logan lifted his hand slightly, light reflecting off his glasses and obscuring his eyes, light glinting off the edge of the metal blade, and Virgil’s self-control snapped. 

“I LIED, I LIED, I WAS LYING, PLEASE, STOP!” He yelled, voice cracking halfway through the plea. The hands stilled around him, but he continued to stare fixedly at the scalpel until it was lowered out of sight. Sound began to filter back in past his pounding heart.

“... lie about that?” He could see Logan’s eyes now, creased with something like concern or anger. He shook his head, and immediately regretted it as the world spun around him. 

“I don’t- I don’t...” Before he could even finish forming the thought, he blacked out.  

@pansy-chic27213 said: While a glass box certainly could be very safe from the outside world, Logan, please consider that the inside is probably very slippery. You should probably provide Virgil some kind of soft floor, and eventually a bed (I vote for a stuffed spider, kinda like a bean bag). And please make sure he eats! He hasn’t done so since you and Roman abducted him! And he needs water, please! (And probably also a weighted blanket by this point). I am willing to additional “pleases.”

Anonymous said: Virgil, maybe Logan will be easier on you if you tell him about your injuries?? He did ask! He shouldn't have squeezed you just because you were hungry! >:(

@flameingdarkness said: There are plenty of kinds of torture Lo, and can occur whether you intend it to or not. And besides all that, abduction isn't exactly great for mental health. I'm just saying, when it turns out Anxiety really is important to Thomas, you don't want to hurt him in any way you can't easily rectify. Could you at least make him a little more comfortable in there? Give him a pillow or something?

@skeletonsloverockcandy said: Logan you should give Anxiety a health evaluation to see how he’s doing, it’s only logical 🖖🏼

Logan was already alarmed at the sudden change in demeanor, but that was nothing compared to when Anxiety went completely limp and boneless in his hand. He set the Side down on his table lightly, disoriented. How had this happened? 

He’d simply expressed a desire to figure out the answer to his earlier question by pricking Anxiety’s finger with the smallest blade he had, but clearly something had been miscommunicated. 

As he pulled his hand out from under the tiny figure, his hoodie tugged up, revealing a bare patch of skin. He wouldn’t have paid it much mind, except for the clear purple blemish that marred it. Biting his lip, Logan muttered an apology before carefully pulling the hoodie up to his neck, revealing a horrific sight. 

Rings of heavy bruising circled around his torso, with small patches of blood spots under the skin at several points. What was worse was that beneath those, he could make out patches of green and yellow, older bruises that were beginning to heal. Multiple layers of the injuries, all in the same arrangement... 

He laid his fingers across the marks, his touch feather-light. They aligned perfectly, and he felt a strong surge of anger with both Roman... and himself. If this was the harshness with which he’d experienced their treatment, it was no wonder he was so embittered with them. Logan himself had put pressure on these exact points when he was concerned about the tiny Side crying out for Patton, probably exacerbating the pain significantly. Why hadn’t Anxiety told them? Him, at least, if not Roman? 

Touching his hands to the base of the box, he concentrated, forming a small, blanket and pillow-laden bed in the corner of it. In his attempt to create a comforting place for the tiny Side, he had accidentally manifested Patton’s bed, which was admittedly slightly embarrassing but he wasn’t willing to waste any more time. As delicately as possible, he picked Anxiety up, frowning at how delicate the unconscious Side looked. Has he even slept? 

He placed Anxiety in the bed, making sure his neck was properly placed for optimal muscle relaxation, and then pulled a handkerchief-sized blanket over him and placed a summoned ice pack on top. He set a mental timer for fifteen minutes, and stalked out the door.     

Anonymous said: Why do I feel like the fact that Logan conjured a tiny version of Patton’s bed for Virgil is gonna result in Angst?

@skeletonsloverockcandy said: Virgil, are you awake? How are you doing?

Anonymous said: For when he wakes up: Virgil, how are you feeling? Are you okay? -🐌

@pansy-chic27213 said: Also, can someone give Virgil an ice pack, please? He’s a little differently abled at the moment and needs some TLC.

Virgil woke up with a shudder, his mind full of half-formed nightmares involving sharp blades and mad scientists and his own insides. When he opened his eyes, though, all he could see was the star-dotted ceiling. Still Logan’s room, then. 

He tried to sit up and found that his body was weighed down, arms pinned. Immediately, the blood drained from his face. Was he restrained? Strapped down to an examination table? He craned his neck and saw… 

An ice pack. He was covered in a plastic blue ice pack, heavy enough that it weighed him down immensely. His torso was pretty numb, now that he was thinking about it. Was that a method of preparing dissection subjects or something?

No, he was in a bed, too. There was no reason to put him in a bed, was there? It’d just get blood all over the sheets. That would be a shame, since they were covered in little puppy paw prints. 

Wait, he knew these sheets. Not personally, of course, but he wasn’t above spying on the other sides, and he knew that Patton would often invite the other two over for sleepovers. Was this… Patton’s bed? It certainly looked like it.

He turned his head to the right as far as he could while pinned by a giant ice pack. Nope, still Logan’s giant room warped slightly by the glass container. Logan must have summoned it for… some reason. He felt the tiny flare of hope that maybe Patton had rescued him die down, and sighed. At least there weren’t any giants present as far as he could see. 

As though summoned by his positive thought, the door handle twisted, and Virgil felt his odd sense of calm shatter like glass. He strained against the ice pack again, this time managing to shift it enough to start wiggling out from under it. 

“Anxiety?” Logan asked, and he paused, halfway to sitting up. Good enough. Better than facing them laying on his back, at least. He leaned back on his hands to look up at him.

“What’s with all this- Princey?” His casual effect was ruined as he blinked, startled at the other giant in the room. The creative Side had an odd expression on his face, and Virgil looked back to Logan with suspicion. “What… How long was I out? Are you handing me off already?” 

He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to feel dread or relief. 

“No, it has been under half an hour since you fainted.” Logan reached out, and Virgil shrank back slightly as the glass walls unfolded around him. He narrowed his eyes. 

“Then what’s the big idea?” 

“Anxiety, would you mind removing your hoodie?” Logan asked, and Virgil resisted the urge to cover his chest like a demure dame. 

“What? Why? No.” 

“I need you to expose your injuries in order to treat them.” Logan responded, undeterred. Virgil’s eyes widened. Logan saw?

“Were you stripping me while I was unconscious? What the hell, Specs?” He drew himself further out from under the ice pack with some difficulty, hurriedly scrambling off the bed to stand. His ribs twinged with the movement, and he saw Roman open his mouth as though he wanted to speak. Logan beat him to it.

“No, not intentionally. Still, I did notice, and in order to apologize for my… earlier, upsetting actions, I have brought first aid supplies. And Roman, since he’s the one responsible for most of your injuries.” 

Roman spluttered, but Virgil was too confused to really enjoy it. “What? No, I’m fine.”

@flameingdarkness said: Why didn’t Anxiety tell you? I’m sorry, is that a real question? He doesn’t trust you, obviously, and why should he? All you’ve done so far is take away his autonomy, and shown nothing but disdain for his opinion on any of this. Heck, he thought you hated him not five minutes ago.

@beautifully-terribly said: @Logan and Roman, have y’all considered the possibility that part of the reason he’s lied to you is because y’all haven’t really done anything to win his trust? You all weren’t really on casual speaking terms even before Virgil shrank, and now you expect him to be open and honest with you, at a time when he’s at his most vulnerable? You both seriously need to re-evaluate how your actions affect Virgil. Perhaps you should bring some Morality to this point, but at the very least, self-reflection.

@the-opal-essence said: Logan, you should make a mini obstacle course. To study how Virgil’s change in height affected him physically. Solving mazes could also test him mentally. Maybe have him only get his meals after testing? Could take some time for Virgil to give in and do the tests at first. (Virgil get choice of test + food, or neither. Not much of a choice there. I really hope that Logan doesn’t treat Virgil entirely like a lab rat. Could do something with Pavlovian response eventually?)

Logan raised an eyebrow in a way that made Virgil want to hide behind something to avoid his gaze. “Please forgive me if I don’t quite believe you. You have shown that you are willing to go to great lengths to avoid sharing knowledge.” 

A flash of irritation. “Gee, I wonder why.” 

“No matter your grudge against us, you should still communicate with us!” Roman cried, cutting into the conversation dramatically. “Tell us when you’re hungry or thirsty or in pain! For your own benefit, if nothing else!” 

“Oh, sure, like you won’t take advantage of that.” He bit out sarcastically. “I say I’m hungry and I get fed, sure. Until you want me to answer your questions, or run rat mazes, or until I try to escape and you need a punishment.”

“We wouldn’t-” 

Virgil cut Roman off sharply. “You wouldn’t, huh? What do you call squeezing me every time I say something you disagree with? What do you call kidnapping me in the first place?” 

Roman’s mouth snapped shut. Logan averted his gaze. Virgil wanted to feel victorious at winning the argument, but he only felt bitter and tired. He sat down on the floor, leaning against the bed frame. 

“Stop acting like I have a choice in this. I know what you think of me. You’re going to keep me here until you can ‘prove’ that Thomas is fine without me, and then you’ll use that to justify treating me like a caged hamster for the rest of my existence, at best. I’m not cooperating with you on anything. If you want me healthy so badly, maybe you should just put me back in my room where I belong.” He spat, turning his head away from them and receding further into his hoodie. 

Anonymous said: Hey Logan! How’re you today? Do you have any interesting facts you wanna talk about?

Anonymous said: Good morning, Logan. How does Thomas seem to be doing so far? ~🌸

I have been carefully monitoring our host, and so far I’ve seen no notable changes in behavior. Of course, it has been under a full day, so it is much too soon to draw any conclusions based on such a small data sample.” Logan quieted for a moment as he passed the stairwell. 

Virgil could smell the familiar aroma of breakfast and hear Patton’s humming just a floor away. He took a deep breath of cinnamon pancake smell, and then had it forced out of him by a warning press of Logan’s fingers. He blinked for a moment, disoriented, and then realized the logical Side thought he was inhaling to yell out for Patton. He… probably should have done that. 

No helping it now though. He could barely inhale with such pressure on his sternum. 

@flameingdarkness said: Oh good, Logan! I know you probably wont believe me Virgil, but he’s really not that scary! I can understand why you’d feel that way though, as your only real experience of him so far is him agreeing to this…‘experiment’. Which is, uh. Bad. But try to give him a chance? It’ll probably be your best bet. (And to the fellow askers, please be aware of Virgil’s current view of Logan. I know we want to get the boi medical attention, but having Logan all up in his space is probably not a good idea rn

Virgil shuddered as they passed into Logan’s room. He’d never been in here before, and he’d always envisioned it as a laboratory-like space where Logan was lit from below by ominously bubbling chemicals. 

… To be fair to him, the other Dark Sides talked about Logan a lot. He should have known it would be exaggerated. The room was certainly less extravagant than Roman’s.

Instead, the room seemed fairly normal, if definitely nerdy. Logan set him down on the desk, and he immediately backed up a few steps. The logical side considered for a moment, and then pressed a hand to the table. With barely a whisper, glass rose up and around him, forming a thick box about the size of a crate with ventilation at the top.