The Conversations These People Have Are SO Deranged. In The Span Of A Single Page

Kim Dokja had the chance to give himself a happy ending to his story. At the beginning of ORV, there would've been no happier ending to his life than being alone reading TWSA without any bodily needs or any responsibilities forever. The end of ORV was a book ending for Kim Dokja's character arc.

But he didn't take it. He didn't take it because he loved his companions too much. In the 9th scenario, Kim Dokja referred to love as being the farthest thing from him. By the 99th scenario, he's been so loved and he's loved in return. And so, that love corrupted his ending. His perfect ending was no longer perfect because of the 50% of him that had been irrevocably changed from his time in the scenarios.

It was that 50% he just needed to cut out of himself. He was quite literally half a man before he became Kim Dokja of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint. If he had simply cut out that part of him and gave that to his companions, he could've returned to who he was at the start of the scenarios. He could've been happy and content with being the Oldest Dream. And eventually, he would have been found and picked up Secretive Plotter and the 999 crew. We know this, because we saw it.

But he didn't do this. Kim Dokja could not let go. To properly be the Oldest Dream, he had to only love one particular story. But Kim Dokja had more to love than just one story. He loved so many more stories. He loved THEIR story where he had existed with them. And, selfishly, Kim Dokja held onto a little bit more because he did not want to forget his companions. He didn't want to forget his friends, his children, his relationship with his mother, his adoptive parents, and the life they'd had.

And in doing so, he unintentionally created ripples in the happy ending. He poked a hole in that story. Because 49% was not 50%. 2% of a difference meant that the Kim Dokja that the others kept was never going to survive, as he was still an avatar and could not live without Star Stream. And Kim Dokja in the train could not be content in his isolation because he longed for those he could no longer see even as he denied himself his own omniscient powers to look in on them whenever he wanted.

The Fourth Wall berated Han Sooyoung and Yoo Joonghyuk for ruining the ending of the story, but that wasn't entirely true. It was, as everything was, Kim Dokja's fault in the end.

Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint's greatest tragedy is that Kim Dokja was loved. Because without that love, he could've been the ideal god of that world, and eventually everyone would've been granted the "happiest ending" (even if, as we saw with World of Zero and with Han Sooyoung and Yoo Joonghyuk's discontent, that's not necessarily true). But because he felt love, Kim Dokja could not be a god. He was just a human.

i think the near-extinction of people making fun, deep and/or unique interactive text-based browser games, projects and stories is catastrophic to the internet. i'm talking pre-itch.io era, nothing against it.

there are a lot of fun ones listed here and here but for the most part, they were made years ago and are now a dying breed. i get why. there's no money in it. factoring in the cost of web hosting and servers, it probably costs money. it's just sad that it's a dying art form.

anyway, here's some of my favorite browser-based interactive projects and games, if you're into that kind of thing. 90% of them are on the lists that i linked above.

A Better World - create an alternate history timeline

Alter Ego - abandonware birth-to-death life simulator game

Seedship - text-based game about colonizing a new planet

Sandboxels or ThisIsSand - free-falling sand physics games

Little Alchemy 2 - combine various elements to make new ones

Infinite Craft - kind of the same as Little Alchemy

ZenGM - simulate sports

Tamajoji - browser-based tamagotchi

IFDB - interactive fiction database (text adventure games)

Written Realms - more text adventure games with a user interface

The Cafe & Diner - mystery game

The New Campaign Trail - US presidential campaign game

Money Simulator - simulate financial decisions

Genesis - text-based adventure/fantasy game

Level 13 - text-based science fiction adventure game

Miniconomy - player driven economy game

Checkbox Olympics - games involving clicking checkboxes

BrantSteele.net - game show and Hunger Games simulators

Murder Games - fight to the death simulator by Orteil

Cookie Clicker - different but felt weird not including it. by Orteil.

if you're ever thinking about making a niche project that only a select number of individuals will be nerdy enough to enjoy, keep in mind i've been playing some of these games off and on for 20~ years (Alter Ego, for example). quite literally a lifetime of replayability.

Whumpril 2025 approaches!

Rules:

Anyone can participate.

Any media form is allowed (art, fic, gifs, music, whatever).

AI-generated content is NOT permitted.

You can participate however much or as little as you want, no pressure to complete every single day.

You can post your work anywhere on the internet, Tumblr, Ao3, etc.

Tag potential triggers and NSFW accordingly.

If you want to be counted as an official participant and have the chance to be featured on the blog, post your content during the month of April. You can still use the prompt list after April ends.

I can’t guarantee that every single work will be featured but I’ll try to reblog as many as I can.

To increase your chances of being featured here, tag your post with the event name and the prompt of the day that you used (For example: #whumpril2025, #whumprilday1, #hug) 

You can also @ the blog, @whumpril.

Full write-up of the prompts can be found under the cut!

Whumpril 2025 Prompts:

Hug

Lies

Sore

Threat

Neglect

Distrust

Restless

Burnout

Stranded

Bandages

Grounding

Dislocation

Head Injury

Lost/Found

Belittlement

Waterlogged

Interrogation

Mood Swings

Fetal Position

“You’re next.”

Stage(s) of Grief

Dehumanization

“Don’t you dare.”

Sensory Overload

Too Weak to Stand

The Kind One Snaps

Tossing and Turning

Inexperienced Caretaker

“Get your hands off them!”

“You’re/I’m not going anywhere.”

Alternative Prompts:

If there’s a prompt above you don’t feel inspired or comfortable doing, you can switch it out with one of these alternatives!

X-Rays

Hazing

Clammy

Trampled

Cowardice

Unsanitary

Congestion

Silent Tears

Falsely Accused

Slammed into Wall

Missed Medication

Heimlich Maneuver

 “Why won’t you believe me?”

Thank you for being born

Happy birthday hsy!

here’s the thing it’s like an integral part of orv, in my opinion, is that to some degree it will be hostile to the reader. every reader. people who come for the number go up power leveling will be put through s&s’ philosophical agenda/literary conspiracy board, people who come for the overarching themes and narratives have to sit through fucking capture the flag arc and other such agonies. do not tell me of a fan of orv who enjoyed every development every aspect every word I will not believe you.

[Image ID in alt text.]

Was rereading chapter 463 today. He one hundred percent deserved that lightning bolt.

‘The best form of brainwashing was repeating yourself’ I’m dying. So will he.

This may not be exactly what you were imagining, but:

The Kim Dokja Company receive a strange scenario, but the titular leader isn’t being as truthful as he may (not) seem.

It came early in the morning.

[Sub-Scenario - Cause and Consequence

Type: Sub Scenario

Difficulty: F-S

Clear Condition(s): A member of your nebula will swap positions with a version of their past or future self from a significant life event. Work out what this event is.

Time Limit: 24 hours

Reward: 10 000 coins

Penalty for Failure: The member of your nebula remains lost in time]

An emergency meeting was called.

“Kim Dokja, what do you know about this scenario?” Inexplicably, Han Sooyoung and Kim Dokja were the first two to arrive. Han Sooyoung was unable to sleep and thus was lingering in the communal space, while Kim Dokja had most likely been ignoring his needs in favour of scenario planning in his nearby room

After the fact that this world was from from a novel had been revealed, the two could be more open about where their information came from, and Han Sooyoung took the opportunity to freely discuss what they would do.

Kim Dokja did not respond to Han Sooyoung’s question, instead seeming to grow more pale in his already sickly pallor.

Now she looked again though, she realised something was off. His face, while normally rather blurry, was now shrouded to the point where it looked like static covered it, and his usually well-fitted coat was now hanging onto his shrunken frame.

Disturbed, Han Sooyoung walked over to be in front of him.

“Hey, do you know where you are?” If what Han Sooyoung thought had happened was true, it would probably be best to tread with caution. A ‘significant’ event, was likely to be a traumatic one, and given how Kim Dokja had reacted when they saw Song Minwoo…

Reaching over to grab his shoulder, Kim Dokja finally reacted.

“W-We’re in the apocalypse, aren’t we?”

“We are, have you read a book called Ways of Survival?”

Despite it all, the man seemed to grow even paler, and after some slight hesitation, gave a small nod.

So he was old enough to know about WoS. The man in front of her couldn’t be from the future because the Kim Dokja she knew… he was never this… this small.

This man looked weak, defenceless, nothing like the confident man she has gotten to know. He was shaking where he stood and there was a line of sweat on what she could see of his brow.

Before she could interrogate him further, the door slammed open with a sharp thud.

It was the rest of the company, though Yoo Joonghyuk was notably missing, due to the fact that he had taken a far-away hidden scenario in the lull between main scenarios, and was still travelling back after completing it.

“Do either of you know which one of us it is?” Jung Heewon said as soon as she entered the room, looking ruffled from the sword training she had been doing with Lee Jihye, who spoke next.

“We have a problem if Master got it, he might have been in the middle of a fight when the message got sent.” There were flames in both of their eyes from the ‘Demon Slaying’ skill, the embers not quite dead yet from the recent use of it.

Kim Dokja nervously raises his hand, “I think I have it, is it the…” He pauses to check, “‘Cause and Consequence’ scenario?”

“What does your window read?” The more information the better, and if this normally tricky man was choosing to be cooperative, then Han Sooyoung would take all the advantages she could get.

“It says that-” A lightning strike of probability strikes where he stood. He appeared to have sensed something amiss because he stopped talking and dove out of the way only a short time before it hit.

Lee Hyunsung jumped to help Kim Dokja up as soon as Han Sooyoung had gotten him up again. She pondered, whatever constellation had suggested this scenario obviously didn’t want the details to be let out. What kind of constellation was strong enough to send a concentrated bolt of probability though…

“It doesn’t want me to say.” Kim Dokja said, his tone lacking the shake that had been present since this past-self of his had arrived. Instead it sounded defeated, as if he had given up on trying to be understood.

What had he gone through to get to this point… What time did he come from?

~(*-*)~

Yoo Joonghyuk had been enjoying a pleasant morning in the apocalypse. He had just finished a monster hunting hidden scenario, and his companion had been messaging him throughout the night about upcoming plans.

He was cooking some monster meat over the fire when a scenario arrived.

[Sub-Scenario - Cause and Consequence]

Quickly, he finished what he was doing and activated ‘Red Phoenix Shunpo’ to sprint back to the Industrial Complex. Kim Dokja’s messages had cut off abruptly before the notification arrived.

When he got there, not slamming the door due to it already being open, he saw the rest of the group crowded around a figure wearing a white coat.

His quieter than normal entrance had not yet been noticed by the group, and as he pushed through to get to the cloaked figure, he abruptly stopped.

The figure met eyes with him, and he saw galaxies upon galaxies crowded into teared up eyes. Losing himself to the ethereal gaze, Yoo Joonghyuk felt a presence that had long been absent, with only echoes of it through his ‘Regression’ stigma.

It was the connection of sponsor and incarnation. Yoo Joonghyuk felt the connection gently shifting through his mind, as if looking through papers, and he didn’t fight it because it felt just like Kim Dokja’s skill when he possessed him.

\(0_0)/

Han Sooyoung was still trying to figure out what was happening. Kim Dokja didn’t look young enough to be from when WoS first came out, but he was not the age he was when the scenarios started.

The situation got worse after Yoo Joonghyuk arrived. He must have rushed from wherever he was to get here, but he arrived near silently and suddenly went still the second he got a look at the other Kim Dokja’s staticky face.

Both of them were completely unmoving, just staring at each other unresponsive to any other stimuli. Han Sooyoung went to shake Kim Dokja but stopped when probability sparks flared around the two of them, backing away so as to not get hit as well.

Suddenly, the two leaders dropped to their knees on floor. Kim Dokja curled into a ball, clawing at his face, tears streaming down it. Yoo Joonghyuk just had this look of awe on his unexpressive face, staring in wonder at Kim Dokja.

This was not good, with the two people who feasibly knew the most out of commission. Working herself up to try again, Han Sooyoung walked over to Yoo Joonghyuk and covered his eyes.

If he only got like this when he looked at Kim Dokja, then maybe making it so he couldn’t look anymore would help? This seemed to work as Yoo Joonghyuk’s expression went back to its normal scowl, though he still seemed a little bit out of it.

“Bastard, what made you do that!?” He didn’t respond, instead he pulled Han Sooyoung’s hand away from his face and activated the skill ‘Eye of the Sage’ with his head turned away from the prone man still on the floor, now positively covered in sparks.

With a flick of just his eyes he looks at Kim Dokja before looking away again, seeming to not want a repeat of what just happened. There were sparks around his eye, which had started to tear up from pain.

“His skill is still active, it won’t let me look at his stats.”

That can’t make sense, if the Kim Dokja in front of them hadn’t partaken in the scenarios then he wouldn’t have any skills… perhaps they didn’t just swap places, but also swapped skills, in which case they hopefully the Kim Dokja from the present was okay, given his lackluster combat skills and reliance on coins.

Deciding to leave this for later, Han Sooyoung went to comfort the crying man, keeping wary of the probability.

End for now but may be more

Past/future swap with KDJ but instead of his middle school self, he swaps with 51% and 51% has to deal with /gasp/ EMOTIONS

so i don't know if I've posted about this before, but considering that the basis of power in the star stream is the kind of stories you have, and that the stories you have lock you into a continual repeat of those stories, it is intensely important to gather stories that have the right sort of themes and utility for what you're trying to do. you don't want your achilles heel to be something you don't know how to manage, and you want your strengths to be something you can easily command.

kim dokja, trying to overturn the star stream, is gathering stories with a theme of deconstruction and rebellion. intensely, intensely useful for overturning the order of the world, but more critically, also useful for ensuring the stories themselves won't rule him to quite the extent other constellation's stories do. when a theme of a story is deconstruction, you can tear it down and remake it as many times as you need to in order to achieve your goals.

(this does get out of hand a bit later with the torch that swallowed the myth. we'll discuss it when it comes lmao)

equally important that his founding stories also have themes of saving the downtrodden and working together with them. he wants to see this world overturned, but more importantly, he wants his companions to make it to the end. these are all building themes that will ensure he tells the exact kind of story he wants to tell!

his sanctuary

DELETE THIS POST