hadriel_logs | Event Log: Oh Shit (B side)

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Event Log: Oh Shit (B side)

Who: All the characters in Group B
What: The event log for Group B
Where: The right side of the city
When: The evening of March 28th-April 9th
Warnings: You're safe! But you're starving. Soon enough you'll be attacked by monsters, which will probably change both of those.

March 28th brings many changes into the city. First of all, that loving, dopey feeling? Gone. But you don't have too much time to mourn your affectionate side because, in addition to the humiliation of being voted in last, Love is also getting their personalized event overshadowed by the first major citywide disaster of Hadriel.

On the evening of the 28th, the city splits itself into two for some reason, isolating the left and right halves of the city. In the right half, if anyone tried to figure out where the other half of the city went, they'd find themselves staring down a massive rock wall- which is unfortunate, because this is the unlucky side without Hope. That means that after the split occurs, the lights flicker and die, the network takes far longer to get up, and what few stores there are will no longer be stocked with food.

The first two are solved within a couple of extra hours- dim lighting and profoundly glitchy network access will be created, particularly when attempting to contact anyone on the other side of the city. As if that isn't enough, without Hope there is no new food being stocked in the stores at first, and what is there isn't exactly being kept fresh and will run out within just a couple of days. Eventually, Love will try to substitute a replacement, but the bulk necessary to actually effectively feed everyone just isn't there, so enjoy your prolonged starvation!

That seems to be the main thing to worry about it until March 30th when the monsters begin to push and prod at Confusion's ineffective barriers and break through into the main city, where delicious meals (read: you) await them. The flow of monsters from the bestiary into the caves will seem almost unending, as we're stocked up on 18 months worth of them (and any/all offspring they may have created during that time).

Try to hunt some of them if you can, but watch out for the poisonous ones! It won't take long for hunger and thirst to start to settle in, so you might want to act fast. Additionally, since Hope is not present, there will be no revivals until the end of the event. You can deal with a minor permadeath setting, right?

► This log covers March 28th-April 9th.
► Feel free to make your own logs as well
► Please tag headers of threads with content warnings where they apply
► Please put your character's name and open/closed in the subject line of your starters!
► If you die of starvation or animal mauling, please let us know here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[It is pointless chatter, but at the same time it isn't.

Chara doesn't know if they can or cannot learn magic. Toriel had given them lessons to teach them about bullets and the ways Monsters communicated with it. But nothing beyond that. Didn't give themselves a chance.

So. If they learned magic maybe--

...but they shouldn't get their hopes up.]

Are the Gods not willing to accommodate?

I asked Sorrow if the orchard could supply somethin' of the magic persuasion, but no dice. He ain't real fond of me, it turns out.

[Coupled with a wink. He looks over the last of the scattered remnants of machinery, scavenged from whatever surrounding buildings they might've already been to. Some of 'em could still be handy; he wouldn't know. Alphys is the expert, not him.]

You mind carryin' the rest to the lab? I was headin' back over there anyhow.

[Subtle? Not exactly. But at least it's sincere.]

I see.

[Well the Gods were closer to humans in terms of charateristics then what one would expect of a divine being, so it make sense that they'd have those they liked and disliked. Then again, from what Chara had seen of Sorrow, he didn't appear to like anyone.

Still, it's something to keep in mind.

Also they know what Sans is doing. Not one of his most subtle plans to keep them out of trouble. Although after foiling their plan to Erase themselves, the standards for 'subtle plans' have been raised. You know, if Chara had standards.]

...fine.

[They'll bring it over. But they're not going to stay either.]

[It's far from perfect. But if it gets 'em to safety for a little while, allows some distance between what happened prior to now and what might down the road, then it's worth it.]

Thanks. Best to keep some hands free, just in case. Y'know?

[Not that he'll say it. A wink and one last rattling clink as he adjusts his armful, and he shuffles on out. Could potentially take a shortcut, but he's supposed to be conservin' his energy here, and in any case, that'd defeat the whole purpose.]

[Hopefully he is not under the impression it will make them forget. They can't go over or under the wall. The Gods asked for fear to power said God.

And if that's what it took to bring Frisk and Asriel, they'll do it. And hopefully they won't have to keep the promise they made with Fear. There's only so many times you can do an underground genocide before it becomes old.]

It makes sense. You may have to keep an eye out for me.

[All they have right now is the Real Knife and that requires a hand. Not that Chara couldn't simply drop what they were carrying to draw it, but sometimes all it took was a second.

But regardless, they'll grab what Sans doesn't take and follows him out of the shop.]

For you?

[He rumbles the words out easily, with the low, dismissive inflection that most of his inane commentary gets. They're on edge, they're angry, they're scared, and for once, he's in the position to recognize that.

He lets 'em down. It's what he does. He lets everybody down, at some point or another.

But if it's time to do better, then here's what he can do. He can make sure they don't kill themself trying to wage a one-child war against the gods. He can make sure they don't kill themself goin' up against every damn creature down here. He can make sure they live through this, however the hell long it'll last.

He can do that much.]

I'll keep an eyesocket out for anything out to eat'cha. How 'bout that?

Yes. I'm not capable of levitating my weapon.

[It'd be interesting to see but not workable. They were capable of the feat of killing Sans, not copying his magic.
They can't do it again.
The world long beat Sans to the punch. It let them down and then refused their last request to make their death simple. There's no point in trying to put the teeth back into someone's mouth after they got knocked out.

There's no way to put out a fire without something getting burned. That's all.]

...I appreciate it.

[Yet he keeps trying. Despite everything, he keeps trying.

I cannot understand these feelings any longer.

Perhaps that alone Chara can agree with their double.]

[It ain't much, but in the wake of everything that's been going wrong today? He'll take what he can get, even if that's little more than table scraps. About all they can afford, time like this.]

We'll figure this out. Once the network's back, we can check up on Asriel and Frisk. Make sure they're all right. Yeah?

[It ain't much at all, no. But it gives 'em a reason to stick around in the short-term, and maybe not go chargin' off without a second thought as to their own personal safety.]

[Guess everyone has to tighten their belts - physically and metaphorically - this time. This was proving to be more dangerous than the doubles event. It wasn't a matter of being too slow to get to Frisk and Asriel but because there simply wasn't any way of getting to them. Cut off, just like Chara tried to cut themselves from existence. Just like that moment when they saw their double standing over a pile of dust and a broken flower.

Smiling. Its always smiling. And so they smile a little, even a finger that is hidden out of Sans's sight is pressing against a sharp corner. The skin will break in a moment if it - they - keep going.

But hey. Accidents happen.]

Yes. I will also lend a hand, where I can.

[They'll head out afterwards. What exactly they'll do when they're outside...? Who knows. The wall isn't an option so they'll have to find something else.]

[It don't occur to him to look for a thing like that. Hard to imagine what might motivate someone to go down that kinda route when he don't have much of a familiarity with the concept of pain to start with - not aside from faint flashes of what it was like to be cleaved down in two, and the roaring, agonizing memory of his double's body undergoing the protracted process of explosive decompression.

That was, uh, a pretty unique instance. Let's just say.]

Guard's mobilizing and everything. Or, uh...you can stick around the clinic, if that's more your speed. Help people.

[They can do a lot more good than they've given themself credit for; that much he knows for certain.]

[Perhaps this is them taking advantage of him not knowing. Having 1 HP meant things were all or nothing for Sans. Certainly Chara knew the extremes - caused those extremes - but he couldn't put pressure on a finger until the bone cracked a little. Couldn't hide away those little things that you couldn't come up with an reason for. Just like Chara never owned a cat, they weren't so careless to walk into---

The skin breaks and they have to fiddle with the things in their hands to make it look like all they're doing is adjusting their grip. Say something sarcastic.]

Because I am so good at helping people. It may be easier if I am elsewhere.

[Safer, for others. Can you imagine them being a positive influence on someone? Ahahaha.]

I dunno. You don't tend to give yourself much credit, kid.

[The implication there being that they could, if they really wanted to. But, hey, shouldn't ask the impossible, right? Know your own limits, and the limits of reality. That's just how it's gotta be.]

There's perimeters that need guardin', stuff like that. I figure most people're gonna be usin' a buddy system.

[He's actually got no idea if that's the case. Call it another one of his subtle hints.]

Pride isn't a sin I wish to be accused of having too much of. Wraith suits me much better.

[Probably why they got along with Rage for the hot minute they spoke. A need to murder Fear, something to take a swing at for taking away something of theirs. Even though that brought up far to many awful memories to the forefront.

But there's a saying that makes it all clear why Chara thinks that way.]

Perhaps. And maybe with a buddy I will have even less of a chance of making mistakes. No more climbing and falling off of walls for me.

[A poor way of putting it, but they can read in-between the lines of what Sans is saying. Find someone who could put a leash on your stupid ideas.

Or at least, that's what Chara thinks it sounds like.]

Big difference between "pride" and "self-esteem," pal.

[Mm-hm. Look who's talking, right? But since when has Sans ever followed his own advice? He don't make a habit of listening to hypocrites, after all. And he knows exactly what that makes him.

No "falling" from walls, yeah. A lesser chance of making "mistakes." He drones out a faint chuckle, though there ain't much mirth to it.]

Might be hard to believe, but yeah, I actually like you a lot more alive than dead.

[Chara had a pretty good retort for his first comment. Sarcasm to them was a weapon to be wield when blades didn't work and for all that Chara and Sans's double went back and forward on their inability to kill him, they didn't have a problem with this method of "attack".

A pre-school argument on the matter of pride and self-esteem. How fitting, considering what they know about fights in the playground.

But Sans continues and it dies before it's out of Chara's mouth. "Hard to believe". Yes. They've been over this. Easier to believe the bad rather than the good, take the double's words over the original's, ect.

Changing the SOUL of one like them was impossible. While the demon was metaphorical nowadays it still was there. It always would be, taking familiar, tall and detested shapes.

They had been possessed by a Fear Demon, after all. LV 20 wasn't absolute, nor was it the scariest thing in the room.]

I hope you are prepared for disappointment then, seeing how I am deader than a door nail back home. But I suppose being here "doesn't count" or something.

[They're being mean. But sometimes being mean was better than the alternative. Better than finding out that someone wants a creature like Chara in their world.]

[Sure, they're being mean. All things considered, he'd expect nothing less. A sharp tongue, a counter-retort, a willingness to judge him for his own sins; in a lotta ways, they're exactly what he needed. Someone who could call him out on his shit, instead of lettin' it lie there. Someone who could tell him when he was messing things up, instead of grinning and bearing it.]

Yeah, that ain't gonna work. I'm pretty sure I've disappointed you more than you've ever disappointed me, bud.

[Sans stopped bein' scared of a little thing like "disappointment" a long time ago.]

It is not a matter of it "not working" or one person being more disappointing than another. I am no longer alive in that world. Those are the facts.

[Case closed, book shut and end of story. No happy ending for them. Chara had made sure their death would be carved in their own veins. Millions of sins aside, the only thing they regret about their chosen method was that Asriel and his family had to witness it.

That's all Chara has to say about that.]

Hey, neither am I. We could form a club. Make T-shirts.

[Apparently they ain't the only ones, either. And there might be a potential way back, for him, or a temporary detour from the inevitability of whatever leads up to seein' his face scored out in scribbled lines of red. Bottom line, there ain't much of anything worth going home to.

There's Papyrus. There's always Papyrus. But he's got a Sans who's better off with him, happily livin' on the surface together. The right Sans.]

Plenty alive here, ain'tcha?

[Chara ignores his quip about t-shirts - even if that sense of humor rings familiar from the anon event - to focus on the rest.]

You of all people should know how I feel about that Sans.

[Nobody tries to Erase themselves for kicks or falls off a wall with no guarantee that the person below would catch them. A child walks into the cauldron of hell for a reason. Not a good one or a bad one but for a reason.

A violent death didn't keep them in the ground and while they will never resent the person who woke them, it didn't magically make these feelings go away. It never will.]

[Well, yeah. That's just the bottom line, ain't it? They ain't exactly happy to be here. Best ending possible for them, in their mind, seems to be simply scrubbing themself from existence, with Frisk alongside them. Make it so they never happened. Hands clasped at the edge of their world, wiping the slate clean.

Never that simple. Not 'round here.

Much as they're helpin' him now, much as things might be shakily approaching the same level of "okay" they once had, he knows better than to assume it'll all be fine and dandy, that it'll all blow over. Things don't blow over with kids who take every bad hand they've been dealt and quietly refuse to fold.]

And? You're here now, kid.

[Only - whose fault is that, exactly?]

I mean, hey. Could be worse, right?

["Could be worse." he says, like Chara didn't want whatever that worst was. Simply taking a walk off a short pier wasn't enough. You had to scrub them off the map, burn their body and purify whatever remained.

But they're not particularly religious so it likely wouldn't work. Still, that was the best way to put down a demon. Find that perfect End that would finally let them rest.]

It could be better.

[There's no point in debating what Chara thought 'better' was. Not here, not anywhere. Just let go of them. There's very few positive things Chara had done to make Sans's life better, or anyone else's.]

But you are free to think whatever you like.

Sure.

[He inclines his skull faintly in acknowledgment. Could be better. It always could be. Don't mean it will. Calls to mind an old joke. One that didn't really go over so well the first time.

Second time's the charm?]

Just sayin'. You got mass and volume, y'know? You impact things, same as anyone else.

Know what that means?

[Chara doesn't laugh at the joke. They hadn't heard it before but they can figure out the punchline before Sans says it.]

I did not picture you as one with a fondness for cheesy lines. I have a presence here but I cannot quite say I have enriched many lives positively.

[There is that ending that saw them all smiling....but Chara is not that child. They'll probably never be.]

[That just spoils the punchline. You matter, only they nip that notion thoroughly in the bud. Or try to.]

'Cept you're probably the only person here who's done right by Frisk since the beginning. And you can contest that all you like, if y'want.

But for what it's worth? I don't doubt that they needed that.

[It's better to cut these things off before they begin. Chara knows the dangers of loving them and Sans has experienced it at the hands of his double.

They only asked for it once. Never again.]

I have my reasons for that. [Personal reasons they won't explain, a SOUL-to-SOUL connection.] And you know I will not contest the things I have done for them.

[It's not just the fact that Frisk is Chara's Partner. Frisk was someone who saw not just a SOUL to save but someone they sat down on a couch with for hours and simply talked with. Someone who knew they needed to let go but also how to hold on.]

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[cw for tiny self-harm]

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cw probably continuing

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