determinedest | ic inbox

i know

so these are

[They're...Resets? Not Reloads? Are--it's hard to tell the difference sometimes, and it's been--hell, a year since--]

[But you can't Reset in Wonderland. You can Reload or rewind, but not--it's not possible. Wonderland wouldn't allow such a thing, right? Unless Wonderland itself...]

[But there's already an event on. All this water. This isn't an Underground thing, unless someone's channeling Waterfall, and even then the contextual clues just don't--add up.]

[Can two events happen at the same time? Has that even ever happened before?]

[He's probably wondered this already today, hasn't he.]

i don't understand.

[He's supposed to. He's supposed to be the guy who knows things.]

can you save at all?

RESET.

[It's what it has to be. Doesn't it? A LOAD is deliberate. So is a RESET but - that's something more permanent, isn't it? It's something that circumvents all else, ERASEs your efforts to control time the way you could before. Your SAVE never existed. Nothing exists but the need to Continue.]

When you RESET it's like you never SAVED weve tried it but when it starts over again it's like we never SAVED at all

[They can SAVE. They can. They've felt it lay into place. It's just that they can't - LOAD once time starts itself over.]

ive never been on this side of it

[They're sorry.

They're sorry.]

[It's Resets. Resets are happening in Wonderland. They're actually happening. And they're happening concurrent with a completely separate event.]

[This. This makes no sense.]

so this is from the underground

it's two events at once?

[How is this even possible?]

[Doesn't matter, because this is happening. It had to happen eventually, so that part isn't so surprising. Given how many people are here from the Underground, it was only a matter of time.]

[But no one's supposed to remember Resets or even Reloads, and these events are memory-based. So how could--?]

[Oh.]

[Oh. It makes sense, doesn't it.]

so this is mine

[He was the first one here.]

this is my fault

[People were already going to suffocate or drown just because of the first part of the event, but now they'll have Resets to contend with. Everyone is experiencing this, all of Wonderland. For once, it's not just him. These Resets are going to undo people's efforts at escaping to safety.]

[People could die because of this. Because of his memories.]

[Frisk and Chara have never been on this side of it.]

[They've never been on this side of it.]

[They--]

kid don't

don't worry about that part now

listen, the more it happens the more you'll get used to it

you'll be able to retain a bit more each time

[Probably. Probably, right? All that Determination's gotta count for something, right?]

you gotta just roll with it

it might help if you repeat things to yourself? like a script

and just focus on surviving

if you or chara need my help let me know

i've still got my shortcuts.

[Two at once. Is that possible? Apparently, yes. This isn't like Waterfall at all, or even the lab situated underneath the surface building. This isn't - they've never drowned before. A new and thrilling sort of death to add to their resume, ha ha!

...that's not funny.

Maybe they'll do better at remembering, recalling. They already could tell that the closet wouldn't work, without even opening it. Or not opening it this time. This is how it feels. They did this. They did this to him every day. The snagging, juddering wrench of time spinning back on itself, the world settling all back to zero.]

What if it is us

[They're not doing it, they said, but - what if they're not doing it intentionally? Is this what they are? The powerhouse, the catalyst?]

What if its using us

What if its making us do this

frisk come on it couldn't be

that's not how the events work

and you can't just reset without even knowing, right?

[Right?]

[Right?]

Never had a choice before

RESET or CONTINUE

[They never had a choice. They couldn't just Stop, just Stop. Never learned how to QUIT, but that was never an option to begin with, in more ways than one. No one ever offered that to them.

No one ever let them QUIT.]

have to stay detrmined

it's okay kid

it's just wonderland messing with us like always

something from the underground had to happen eventually

and i was the first one here so

[So he's pretty sure he knows who's really to blame, if anyone can really be blamed for the whims of Wonderland.]

just

try not to worry too much about it

you and chara look after each other

and stay alive

[A lengthy pause elapses before they answer him. No way to make things better, not right now. They'll just...they'll make things worse, and neither of them are in a state to be comforting each other and assuring one another of how little they are to blame for this.

They could be the catalyst. It could still be their fault.

The special power.

It's what they were fighting so hard to stop, wasn't it?]

You too

Dont need to breathe right

exactly. i'll be fine

i'll have to jump rooms at least once to keep 4 safe but that's simple enough

plus i've got hotdogs and cat food

[Maybe he can...cheer them up a bit?]

you know it turns out cat food isn't half bad

it's got a purrfect crunch to it

[That takes them a moment to register. They stare at the text for a long moment before their focus returns, and they can peer at the tiny black words on the screen as they appear.

He's...he's really trying. For all the panic that's drained their throat dry and sent their heart pounding, he's really trying.]

lol

[That's a lie. They aren't laughing at all.]

please be careful

[It's something. It's something, even if it's just acknowledgement.]

[They'll talk about all this later, he's sure, but for now...]

heh

you too frisk

[There's...no answer after that. They'll have to talk about this later, they're sure. They're not looking forward to it. They - can't look "forward" at all right now, really.

Ha ha.

...that's not funny.

None of this really is.]

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