Written on 17/1/2025
Teen & Up, Jake English & GCATavrosprite Nitram
> Go back?Game constructions don’t usually sleep.
In the natural ways, at least. People can still hack them to fall asleep and temporarily deactivate them, through code, glitches, and in one particular case, mind control.
That means game constructions don’t dream naturally, either. It’s not like waking up on your dream moon upon falling unconscious in the real world, nor finding yourself in a dreambubble. They’re nothing like the sweet dreams from sopor slime, nor the daymares from the lack of it, either.
They are of a bright blue sky, white clouds fixed to their positions in the abyss, a big green spirograph design in the middle of it all, and a progress bar just below it. All of it looks to be frozen and stuck in time, similar to a lagging Sburb loading screen, GCATavrosprite finds.
All Tavros can see is just that, the loading screen. If he tries to look in any other direction but forward, it’s almost like the screen follows his gaze. He can’t look down to see his hands and body or move it, if it even still exists. It’s almost like he stopped having a body altogether.
Tavros does know whats going on in the outside world, though. It’s one of the few benefits of being a sprite. An internal clock deep within his programming tells him that it’s been exactly 28 days, 7 hours, 13 minutes, and 10 seconds since the Ultimate Reward was redeemed and the new universe was entered, while frequent notifications inform him of how his friends are starting to rebuild society, piece by piece.
Good for them, Tavros thinks. He hopes they’re having fun, despite the fact that he isn’t. The strange shenanigans his friends get up to can make for decent entertainment, but it isn’t always enough.
None of it is enough when compared to the rare times Tavros can break through the sensory deprivation. Because by then, he could feel for and listen to what happens around him. He could feel people comb through his hair, wrap him in warm blankets, and the cold air as it breezes through his fur. He could hear idle chatter, shuffling and stepping around, and people talking to him.
Speaking of people talking to him...
Tavros recognizes that voice. It’s Jake, as usual. Not that he’s complaining. Jake visits Tavros often and can talk for hours on end, making him good company. Even if his fellow Page doesn’t always make that much sense when he has such a tendency to ramble, it’s always a nice day when Jake comes around.
Tavros gets it, he really does. In his experience, other people and the entire world can make being awake feel very overwhelming, and sometimes, all you can do to get a break from it is to sleep. Perhaps it’s not the best solution to things, but it does make things feel less painful.
And then all goes quiet. As bittersweet it is to admit, yes, Tavros agrees, it is pretty sad. A lot of things are sad, actually.
It’s sad that things ended up this way. It’s sad that Tavros ended up this way. Unconscious, unrealized, unchanged, and the same disappointment he always was. It’s even sadder that Jake feels like he’s the same, when— from what Tavros has heard —he’s done a lot of important and helpful things in his life. Jake shouldn’t feel that way.
At least Jake has Tavros, despite the sadness of everything. Maybe that means something. No, it definitely means something. It’s good to not be all alone, and there’s meaning in friendship, companionship, and the like. Tavros is sure of it.
Jake starts crying, muffled and quiet sobs. Oh no. Tavros wishes he could comfort him, give him a pat on the back, or wrap his arms around him in a hug. If only he was awake.
...The loading screen goes completely black. Tavros begins to feel drowsy and heavy— not as weightless and non-existent as he did before. Huh, that’s new. What’s going on?
Confused, and for the first time in a long while, Tavros opens his eyes— only for them to sting as they are blinded shortly after. Grimacing, he shuts them closed. He’s definitely waiting until his eyes get used to being eyes, again.
He can't help but wonder if he truly woke up. It isn't too out of the question to think that he might be seeing things, or that he's started dreaming like he used to. It can't be that easy to wake up after days of being comatose, either. Right?
Tavros croaks out a weak reply, voice raspy after weeks of inactivity. Kind of embarrassing, but it’ll do. He opens his eyes the slightest bit, allowing them to readjust to the brightness. Not that there’s a lot of light— as, save for an inch of daylight coming in from the gap in this room’s curtain door, it’s very dark in his small room.
Jake suddenly stands up from the bedside chair in surprise, lifting his glasses to wipe away a the tears he shed... Bedside chair? Oh, wow, they made Tavros a bed, just for him! One that takes account of his horn span, too. Man, this is great.
As Jake fully processes that, yes, Tavros is indeed awake, Tavros takes in one deep breath and closes his eyes in relaxation, burying himself further in his beddings. All is peaceful, and he’s very glad to be awake, until...
There’s a sudden itch in Tavros’s nose, and his eyes begin to water. Oh no. Not this again.
The sprite covers his nose and mouth with his paws, trying his best to not sneeze. Wait, paws? Right, he has paws now. Of which are covered in his own feline fur. Well, fuck.
Jake, panicked, storms out of the room, leaving the curtain open behind him and yelling for a medical professional. Meanwhile, Tavros is left to his own devices, finding himself in a sudden sneezing fit. Turns out he's still allergic to cats, even after all this time. What a bummer.
Jake steps back into the room, a short carapacian following him in and politely offering Tavros a handkerchief. Tavros takes it and covers his nose as they begin to talk with Jake about possible treatments and prescriptions. The human looks at the sprite with a pitiful and apologetic frown on his face, and Tavros tries his best to smile in reassurance. Only for him to sneeze, over and over again... Oh well.