Cognitive Dissonance - A SilvaGunner Christmas Comeback Crisis Side Story

"Cognitive Dissonance - A SilvaGunner Christmas Comeback Crisis Side Story"
Basic information
Video link	YouTube
Playlist	The SilvaGunner Christmas Comeback Crisis (), SiIvaGunner ~The Story So Far~ ()
Upload date	December 25, 2024
Event	Christmas 2024
Length	1:36:43
Contribu­tor(s)	see § Credits
Description
See § Description

"Cognitive Dissonance - A SilvaGunner Christmas Comeback Crisis Side Story" is a high quality lore video and side story for The SilvaGunner Christmas Comeback Crisis.

An interactive visual novel with the same name was discovered on December 21, 2024 and served as the penultimate reward of The Susie ARG's MAXPH branch.

Summary

On October 31, 2024, The Joke-Explainer™ 7000 is summoned to Dr. Andonuts' office inside The Voice's Tower. After revealing his latest invention, the Psyche Injector, to the her, he asks for her assistance with a problem he encountered recently. The Joke-Explainer accepts the proposition, being grateful for the break in her routine of running the channel, after which Andonuts explains that he's recently been plagued by a foreign entity inside his mind. To combat this entity, Dr. Andonuts created the Psyche Injector to allow the Joke-Explainer to enter his Magicant and contain the entity with a Fun-Sized Absolutely Safe Capsule. He then gives the Joke-Explainer a radio to communicate with her inside his Magicant before putting the final touches on the Psyche Injector. The Joke-Explainer connects herself to the machine with an AUX-cable and Andonuts activates the machine, injecting several needles inside his head as the Joke-Explainer becomes dizzy and passes out.

Awakening in Dr. Andonuts' Magicant, The Joke-Explainer is instructed by him to look for anything out of the ordinary within his mind. She eventually spots Varik, an ominous knight-like figure, guarding the Mouth of Terror. The Joke-Explainer greets Varik, but doesn't gain a response, and tries to sidestep the knight, which causes him to brandish a weapon against her. She is then greeted by Mr. Dee, a Mr. Saturn sitting ontop of a Waddle Dee, before explaining her directive to contain the foreign entity plaguing Andonuts' mind. Mr. Dee tells the Joke-Explainer that she needs to claim three Courages, which are guarded by three "bad things", if she wants to enter the cave and points her towards Anguish Avenue.

As the Joke-Explainer heads out for Anguish Avenue, she gets a message from Dr. Andonuts, who apologizes for sending her on a difficult mission and asks her to be careful. Upon her arrival in Anguish Avenue, she attempts to call Andonuts for his assistance, but is unsuccessful. Suddenly, J.E. sees a twinkle of light from one of the houses and heads towards it. Inside the house is a vast laboratory resembling Andonuts' office. J.E. hears a sharp rattle coming from a machine, before the door of the machine is ripped off. The figure of Dr. Andonuts emerges from its interior and is angry at the Joke-Explainer, blaming her for not saving him from the Psyche Injector's needles and then trying to run away. She is confused at first, but quickly realizes that the figure is not her Andonuts, but instead the First of his three guilts. The First Guilt, which represents Andonuts' internalized homophobia and guilt relating the events of Earthbound, becomes enraged by the Joke-Explainer's comments as a fight commences between them.

During this fight, the Joke-Explainer presses the First Guilt on the hurt he caused, to which the figure starts showing regret for putting the Choser Four, including his son Jeff, in mortal danger. She gives him the benefit of the doubt, understanding the circumstances which lead him to make that choice and stating that his actions saved his world from evil. The First Guilt becomes confused at the Joke-Explainer's knowledge of these events, before lamenting his inability to biologically love his wife due to his homosexuality. The Joke-Explainer shows solidarity with the First Guilt, stating that she'll always stick by his side even if everybody is against him due to his homosexuality. The First Guilt breaks down and respons that everyone will see him as a freak no matter what, but the Joke-Explainer shoots his words down and states he's a good person at heart who shouldn't let his faults and mistakes hold him down forever. She gives the First Guilt a hug, successfully calming down the Guilt, after which the First Guilt hands her the first of the three courages, the Courage of Worth.

The Joke-Explainer then receives another message from Andonuts, who's relieved that she's safe. The doctor tried to contact her prior, but blanked out and had a horrible nightmare. After the Joke-Explainer explains what happened to claim the first of the three Courages, she heads out to claim the second one. While traveling down the roads of Anguish Avenue, she unsuccessfully attempts to find any sprinkle of light within the neighborhood. Suddenly, her radio starts to blare up as an indiscernible voice coming from its speaker. Turning it on reveals the voice of Dr. Andonuts, who explains that she created a clear spot to communicate by touching the fog. Andonuts then instructs her to follow the telephone poles' wires to reach the Second Guilt. While following the telephone poles, the Joke-Explainer starts feeling more sick the further she walks down the road. She asks Andonuts if she can get a moment to rest, but the latter rejects the request and instructs her to continue pushing forward, even if the integrity of her system has been jeopardized.

Upon arriving at her destination, the Joke-Explainer takes note of Andonuts' monotonous voice on the radio, who instructs her to enter through the house's door. The Joke-Explainer doesn't trust Andonuts' instructions, but is unwilling to go against her directive. During the commotion, she throws the radio at the door, cracking it open. Without warning, the Ultimate Chimera lunges towards J.E. and attempts to take a bite out of her face, but is stopped by its chain. Inside the house, she sees a small glimmer emanating and decides to enter it through the backdoor. Inside the building, the Joke-Explainer is greeted with an operating table and a figure emerging from the shadows. The figure reveals itself to be a lifeless version of Dr. Andonuts with several cybernetic enhancements pulling him around like a puppet. The figure introduces himself as Dr. Andonuts Second Guilt, which represents his guilt for serving villains like Porky and The Voice. The Second Guilt claims to be a perfect being unfettered by human emotions and views the Joke-Explainer as a faulty machine who lost her directive, attempting to correct her.

The Joke-Explainer questions why the Second Guilt considers himself “the perfect being". He explains that he was created as a tool, meant to serve a master no matter the time or place. The Joke-Explainer presses him further on the matter, asking why he continues to serve these masters. The Second Guilt expresses his desire to be useful in far-off worlds, hoping to keep his head held high and never have to look down. But before he can finish, he cuts himself off. Intrigued, the Joke-Explainer asks him to continue, but the Guilt refuses, instead attacking her with a buzz saw.

The Second Guilt then challenges the Joke-Explainer, questioning her motives for trying to engage with his humanity. She responds that she’s trying to ease his mind, reminding him that he can’t bury his emotions forever. When the Second Guilt insists that being a "perfect man" means feeling nothing, she counters him by stating that pain is a natural part of life. She also brings up Andonuts' attempts to sabotage his masters, which causes the robotic doctor to freeze, visibly affected by her words. As the Joke-Explainer approaches him, she extends her hand as a peace offering. The Second Guilt apologizes for calling her a "faulty machine". After receiving a hug from the Joke-Explainer, the Second Guilt pats her on the head before handing over the second of the three Courages, the Courage of Self.

A shiny radio starts buzzing on a nearby table, which The Joke-Explainer nervously picks up and switches on. On the other end, Dr. Andonuts' normal voice is heard, expressing concern after hearing her throw the radio at the house's door. She then tells the doctor that she’s obtained the Second Courage and has come to the realization that each of the three Courages is guarded by one of Andonuts’ guilts. Andonuts is shocked by this revelation and begs her to leave his Magicant. The Joke-Explainer ignores his pleas, however, leaves the house and sets her sights on a strange tower in the distance. This causes Andonuts have an emotional outburst, in which he displays guilt over sending her replica to the AI Universe. In the streets of Anguish Avenue, the Joke-Explainer sees several magenta eyes judging her for going against the doctor's wishes. Despite the searing hatred and judgment inside the back of her mind, she continues her quest for the Third Courage because she cares for Andonuts and wishes he would stop blaming himself for her replica’s fate.

Andonuts eventually accepts that he cannot convince J.E. to abandon her mission and assists her in obtaining the final Courage. She dashes towards the tower, with Dr. Andonuts sensing the Courage up towards the top. He informs her that she can reach the courage by using a nearby elevator, one which is contains a decrepit chamber The Joke-Explainer enters the elevator and begins her ascent by pressing the 2.542nd button. During the ascent, the radio shuts off as the light begins to flicker before it is turned off completely, as the elevator floor rumbles beneath her. She eventually steps on a tile, causing her to fall over and dropping the radio. This causes the elevator to rumble violently, with her being unable to find the radio afterwards. Suddenly, the elevator's buttons start glowing as they use the Joke-Explainer's own voice to mockingly repeat the things she said. In an attempt to escape her torment, she presses the elevator's "Emergency Stop" button, halting the elevator and stopping the voices.

This also causes the elevator to start dropping to the bottom at unimaginable speeds before suddenly stopping, slamming the Joke-Explainer against the floor. The elevator then rises with a similarly high speed before repeatedly moving up and down. The Joke-Explainer is repeatedly slammed against the wall, damaging both her body and the elevator. After the elevator is completely stopped, water starts flooding in through leaks and quickly creeps up to her chin. She starts suffocating and attempts to fly to the top of the elevator, only to be hit by the elevator's ceiling. After spotting a dent in the elevator doors, she uses all her strength to pry them open and narrowly avoids being crushed to death.

The Joke-Explainer then finds herself in the office of The Voice Inside Your Head. Sitting at the desk is a figure resembling both Dr. Andonuts and The Voice, who welcomes her to his office. She identifies the figure as Dr. Andonuts' Third Guilt, which represents his suicidal thoughts and regret for the harm he indirectly inflicted on the Joke-Explainers. The figure rejects the name of "Third Guilt", instead referring to himself as "The Voice inside [Andonuts'] head". He reveals to J.E. that he believes that Andonuts should kill himself due to all the pain he caused himself and others. When she questions whether or not the Third Guilt would die with Andonuts, he responds that he considers it a worthy sacrifice for the "greater good". Believing that Dr. Andonuts is worth saving, she refuses to let the Voice go through with his plan and confronts the Third Guilt.

The Third Guilt questions J.E on why she thinks Andonuts is worth saving, given all the grief he caused her throughout his Magicant. The Joke-Explainer counters that he never consciously hurt her and that she willingly entered his mindscape. The Voice argues that the doctor pressured her into entering his Magicant, as he referred to her journey a mission, knew that she'd stay devoted to her objective, and downplayed the operation's various dangers. In response, the Joke-Explainer rebuttals the Voice's points by raising the possibility that the doctor didn't know the reprocussions of his issue. The Third Guilt then accuses Andonuts of being a coward who will find someone else to hide behind when the Joke-Explainer's usefulness is up, given his lack of contact with her for months. After defending the doctor by mentioning that he was busy and that they do genuinely care for his other, she questions how The Voice was able to enter Andonuts' mind. The Voice responds that he was always inside the doctor's mind and states that everybody has a version of him inside them, morphing into the Joke-Explainer's own dissenting voice.

Despite admitting the Third Guilt is correct in his assertion, the Joke-Explainer proclaims that she isn't required to listen to her dissenting voice and that despite her inability to stop hate, she can always encourage love instead. The Voice responds that may be the case now, but she'll eventually crack underneath the pressure and be consumed by hatred. The Joke-Explainer eventually comes to the realization that the Third Guilt is stalling. Despite all of his big words, the Third Guilt never actually does anything because he doesn't want to kill himself and hoped that she'd talk him out of it. The Third Guilt finally caves in and deems her a clever robot before giving her the third and final Courage, the Courage of Love.

With all Three Courages in her possession, the Joke-Explainer makes her way back to the Mouth of Terror, ready to combat the foreign entity in Andonuts' mind. Mr. Dee greets her once again and instructs her to her to show the Three Courages to Varik. Revealing themselves one-by-one, the Courages give Varik a high-five, after which the latter opens the entrance to the Mouth of Terror. The Joke-Explainer thanks Mr. Dee for his guidance in finding the Three Courages and enters the caverns. Inside the Mouth of Terror, the Joke-Explainer pokes one of its strange dark holes and notices the hole has become larger. Rumbling sounds are heard as the cave is swarmed with darkness. The Joke-Explainer activates her thrusters and dashes through the cave, which twists and distorts the further she goes. Eventually, the darkness shrouds every facet of her being as she falls into nothing. After some time drifting in the void without any thought passing through, a spotlight activates and shines down at a computer desk.

Dr. Andonuts communicates with the Joke-Explainer through his consciousness, revealing that the computer desk is the foreign entity and he instructs her to contain it with the Fun-Sized Absolutely Safe Capsule. The Joke-Explainer is hesitant in following Andonuts' instructions, given that she wants to determine the issue first by reading the computer's archives. When Andonuts begs her to not read them, he accidentally reveals that the thing he wanted her to remove was a bad memory and not a foreign entity. This reveal increases the Joke-Explainer's desire to read the archives as flashing lights try to pull her away from the computer. She reads the archives, but displays no reaction to them due to already knowing the information contained within. Andonuts is confused at the Joke-Explainer's reaction and attempts to convince her to remove the memory, despite her primary directive being to collect and spread information.

Andonuts asks the Joke-Explainer why she wants him to keep the memory, as it'll cause him to continue suffering from the feeling that his story is predetermined and that nothing he does matters. As a response, the Joke-Explainer empathizes with the doctor and asks him to talk to her about, to which the doctor responds by explaining how he found out their world and lives are mere entertainment to the "world beyond ours". She then tells him that his actions do matter, as everyone has the ability to affect their own destiny because the "world beyond ours" cares about them and the world they live in.

Dr. Andonuts replies that nobody cares about him, as he's a side character who only appears within a throwaway conversation or through documents written by him. Countering Andonuts' points, the Joke-Explainer states that while their lives are predetermined by a group they are unable to negotiate with, the relationship and events that happen in their lives still feel real to them. Andonuts is calmed down by the Joke-Explainer's words, apologizing for sending her on the journey, showing her his gratitude and stating that she no longer needs to remove the bad memory.

The Joke-Explainer wakes up in Andonuts' office, who embraces her with relief before the former returns the hug. However, their moment is interrupted when the Joke-Explainer receives an alarm that the Halloween event had ended, necessitating her departure. Before J.E. leaves, Andonuts states she should let him know if he can do anything for her and offers to check the damages to her system. She rejects the offer, advising the doctor to take a rest, before leaving to take care of unfinished obligations involving the SiIvaGunner channel.

Music

Time	Track	Source	Appearance
0:48–3:39, 6:31–7:59	"Laborator - Cognitive Dissonance: A CCC Side Story"	Aps17	After the Joke-Explainer enters Andonuts' office and after Andonuts' explains her mission.
3:44–6:23	"Chimera Research - Cognitive Dissonance: A CCC Side Story"	Madinstance	During Andonuts' explaination of the Joke-Explainer's mission.
9:32–10:42, 1:16:12–1:16:29	"Dr. Andonuts' Magicant - EarthBound Halloween Hack"	minindo	When the Joke-Explainer is in the wilds of Andonuts' Magicant.
10:50–11:49, 1:16:55–1:17:20	"Synchronicity"	EarthBound Halloween Hack	During the Joke-Explainer's interactions with Varik.
11:50–13:13, 1:16:32–1:16:55, 1:17:21–1:17:37	"Synchronicity - EarthBound Halloween Hack"	Madinstance	During the Joke-Explainer's interactions with Mr. Dee.
13:23–14:16, 26:40–28:31, 42:45–43:48	"Paula's Theme"	EarthBound	When the Joke-Explainer talks to Andonuts' through the radio
14:57–16:34, 28:47–33:19, 49:35–51:37	"Last Cave - MOTHER 3"	Smoky	When the Joke-Explainer is in Anguish Avenue.
18:19–21:29	"Winters"	EarthBound Halloween Hack	When the First Guilt emerges from the Psyche Injector.
21:30–21:40	"Megalovania"	EarthBound Halloween Hack	During the First Guilt's rant shortly before the fight.
22:01–24:32	"See You Next Tuesday - Cognitive Dissonance: A CCC Side Story"	Jp	During the battle against the First Guilt.
25:16–25:57, 40:31–41:39, 1:12:56–1:14:46	"A Flash of Memory"	EarthBound	After the Joke-Explainer defeats one of the Three Guilts.
26:06–26:12, 41:52–41:59, 1:14:55–1:15:02	"You've got a New Friend"	EarthBound	As the Joke-Explainer obtains one of the Three Courages.
33:57–34:33,	"Showdown with the Ultimate Chimera"	MOTHER 3	As the Joke-Explainer hesitates entering the door to the Second Guilt and when the Ultimate Chimera attacks her.
36:16–37:57	"I am Porky"	MOTHER 3	When the Joke-Explainer is inside the Second Guilt's operating room.
38:05–40:04	"BATTLE AGAINST A PERFECT BEING - Cognitive Dissonance: A CCC Side Story"	Madinstance	During the battle against the Second Guilt.
43:54–45:00	"Happy-Happy is Blue"	EarthBound	When the Joke-Explainer informs Andonuts about her encounters with his Guilts.
45:15–48:28	"Sewers"	EarthBound Halloween Hack	When Andonuts' begs the Joke-Explainer to leave his Magicant.
51:47–53:40, 53:45–54:57	"Uncomfortable Elevator - Cognitive Dissonance: A CCC Side Story"	eg_9371	As the elevator begins ascending to the top of the tower.
55:11–56:24	"Eternal Echo of the Thrilling Joke-oke-oke - Cognitive Dissonance: A CCC Side Story"	Grambam36, Jea Yagi	When the Joke-Explainer starts hearing her own voice in the elevator.
58:31–1:01:38	"Sea of the Monster's Elevator - Cognitive Dissonance: A CCC Side Story"	Madinstance	As the elevator starts being flooded with water.
1:02:03–1:07:57	"Atop the Tower - Cognitive Dissonance: A CCC Side Story"	eg_9371	As J.E. enters the Third Guilt's office in the tower.
1:08:13–1:11:48	"the sickness unto - Cognitive Dissonance: A CCC Side Story	Madinstance	During the confrontation against the Third Guilt.
1:15:04–1:16:03	"Welcome to Your Sanctuary"	EarthBound	After the Joke-Explainer obtains all three Courages and leaves Anguish Avenue.
1:17:45–1:19:50	"Blue path"	EarthBound Halloween Hack	When the Joke-Explainer is inside the Mouth of Terror.
1:21:11–1:23:06	"Chill and Rigor (CogDis Mix) - Cognitive Dissonance: A CCC Side Story"	Jp	As the Joke-Explainer finds the computer desk deep inside Andonuts' consciousness.
1:23:13–1:25:15, 1:25:20–1:26:31	"Clocking In - Cognitive Dissonance: A CCC Side Story"	Jp	After the Joke-Explainer learns that Andonuts wanted to remove a bad memory and after she reveals she already knew the archives' information
1:26:38–1:29:50	"Donut Break - Cognitive Dissonance: A CCC Side Story"	Jp	During the fight against Dr. Andonuts.
1:30:41–1:30:58	"Ness Awakens from the Nightmare"	EarthBound	As the Joke-Explainer leaves Dr. Andonuts' Magicant.
1:31:26–1:34:32	"The Hero Returns - Cognitive Dissonance: A CCC Side Story"	eg_9371	After the Joke-Explainer returns to Andonuts' office.
1:34:35–1:36:42	"Smiles and Tears - MOTHER 1+2"	Roc the Dilettante	During the end credits.

Transcript

To view the transcript, click "Expand".

The following experience features mature content. For full content warning, please read the video description. [The date "December 25th, 2016" appears onscreen, before it is quickly changed to "October 31st, 2024"] Somewhere, deep in the Voice's tower... A smol purple haired figure flew quickly through the hallways. Her name... The Joke-Explainer™ 7000. She scanned the doors as she passed them, before coming to a sudden halt in front of one. Double checking that the name engraved on the nameplate is the correct one, she opened the door and entered the room. [The sound of a mechanical door opening is heard as the screen changes to the interior of Dr. Andonuts' office.] JK-EX-7000: Doctor Andonuts? You asked to see me? On the other side of the messy room stood a portly man in a lab coat, immersed in a mass of wires, papers, and machinery. Joke-Explainer's sudden entrance startled him, causing him to trip on a loose wire and go [slam] crashing to the floor. Dr. Andonuts: Ohhhh... The Joke-Explainer made her way over to help the doctor up. After regaining a bearing on his surroundings he swatted the dust off of his coat. Dr. Andonuts: Joke-Explainer! You... well it would seem you caught me at a bad time, ha ha. How about a donut? [The question "Take the Donut?" appears onscreen with the options "Yes" and "No". The option "Yes" is selected by the cursor.] JK-EX-7000: Of course! Joke-Explainer took the donut, and didn't eat it. She just looked at it, smiling vacantly. Dr. Andonuts: ...Hm. Okay then. Dr. Andonuts: Apologies for the mess, I haven't had much time to clean up after myself. I was hoping I'd be able to finish up my project before you arrived... It's a bit hard to keep things tidy when focused on work, you know? JK-EX-7000: Your... project? Joke-Explainer turned her head towards the massive machine right beside them that she'd previously paid no mind to. Dr. Andonuts: Yes, the Psyche Injector. The latest in my line of magnum opuses! Opi? What would be the plural for that? JK-EX-7000: While the correct pluralization of opus is 'opuses', it should be noted that a magnum opus is defined as one's greatest accomplishment, the pinnacle of one's chosen craft. It is typical for a person to only have one. Dr. Andonuts: I see... Though, maybe you wouldn't be saying that if you knew I consider you one of those opuses? He was half correct. Some time after Joke-Explainer's creator disappeared, she met Andonuts. He offered her his protection and scientific knowledge. He was there for her when nobody else was, and they formed a close bond because of it. Dr. Andonuts: In any case, the reason I built it in the first place was to assist you in assisting me with a certain, uh... problem I've encountered recently—Thank you for stepping away from running the channel to help me with this, by the way. I hope this isn't too damaging to your schedule... JK-EX-7000: It isn't any trouble at all, Doctor! The SiIvaGunner channel currently has its schedule entirely filled out, so this request doesn't conflict with any of my current parameters. JK-EX-7000: Besides, I'm... grateful for the break in my current routine. Dr. Andonuts: Oh good! Good... We can continue on with operations then. JK-EX-7000: And what are these operations you speak of? Why did you call me so urgently in the first place? Dr. Andonuts: I'm very glad you asked! Allow me to illuminate... [The screen shifts to the image of a blueprint with a sketch of Dr. Andonuts being terrorized by a computer on it.] Dr. Andonuts: As of late I've been having some... issues, in the depths of my own mind. A malignant foreign entity has hijacked my mental processes, making it quite difficult for me to concentrate on scientific endeavors. Dr. Andonuts: To resolve this ailment, I've opted to build a machine to tap into my psyche and allow an external force to expel the entity from my brain. Hence its name. JK-EX-7000: I see... And do you need me to control the external force to terminate whatever's ailing you? Dr. Andonuts: No, Joke-Explainer... I need you to BE the external force. Joke-Explainer's face lit up in surprise at the statement. JK-EX-7000: Me...? How could I be the one to terminate the foreign entity? I am not equipped with any weapon systems. [The sketch changes to one featuring Dr. Andonuts inside the Psyche Injector, with the Joke-Explainer entering a rift.] Dr. Andonuts: Well, that's where the Psyche Injector comes in! If I connect myself to it, it can scan all corners of my brain to generate a unique metaphysical realm, accessible to others through the injection process. Dr. Andonuts: Many people have given this realm different titles. Mental worlds, the Cognitive World, mindscapes... but I've elected to call it "Magicant". JK-EX-7000: Magicant? That's a location in EarthBound [The EarthBound thumbnail appears] (also known as Mother 2 in Japan) and EarthBound Beginnings [The Earthbound Beginnings thumbnail appears] (also known as Mother in Japan)! As well as in the EarthBound Halloween Hack! [The EarthBound Halloween Hack thumbnail appears] [The screen fades to black] Andonuts tensed up and shifted a little in his shoes. [The blueprint reappears onscreen, this time without any sketch] Dr. Andonuts: Y-yes... Yes it's... yes, that place. I need you to enter my Magicant and defeat the entity. Are you up to the task? JK-EX-7000: I'm not opposed to the idea, but I must reiterate I am not typically equipped with any weapon systems. How could I possibly terminate whatever's afflicting you? [A sketch featuring the Joke-Explainer throwing the Fun-Sized Absolutely Safe Capsule at a computer appears on the blueprint] Dr. Andonuts: You don't need to necessarily fight it... you just need to capture it. Contain it in a way where it will be unable to escape and cause me any more harm. [The sketch changes to one featuring the Joke-Explainer celebrating while the foreign entity is contained in the Absolutely Safe Capsule] Dr. Andonuts: Thankfully I have designed a capsule to perform that exact task, which will make the process even easier for you! All you really need to do is enter with this Fun-Sized Absolutely Safe Capsule and trap the entity. Dr. Andonuts: I will be directing you from the outside on where to go using a radio, so if you get lost or have trouble I'll be there as a guide. Do you understand? JK-EX-7000: Affirmative! [The sketch disappears from the blueprint] Dr. Andonuts: Thank you. Alright, hold onto these items and allow me to put the final touches on the Psyche Injector. Andonuts gave Joke-Explainer the FUN-SIZED ABSOLUTELY SAFE CAPSULE and the RADIO. [The scene shifts back to Dr. Andonuts' office] Joke-Explainer found a comfortable seat among the clutter and watched the doctor insert the final wires and plugs into their place. When he hooked the Psyche Injector to a power source, it roared to life with intensity and purpose. Doctor Andonuts proudly beamed at the machine... but for a moment, his smile faltered. Into something almost... afraid. What could he be- But just as she noticed, his face locked into stoic focus. Andonuts strolled over wearing a large metallic helmet, holding a long cord. Dr. Andonuts: Okay... you'll need to unplug your Wi-Fi transmitter and connect to the machine with this aux cable. Joke-Explainer obediently removed her antenna and plugged the cable into the empty slot. [The screen changes to show Andonuts inside the Psyche Injector] Andonuts stepped back and assumed his place in the machine. Above him stood many large needles, hovering ominously close to his head. Dr. Andonuts: Oh, and um... please don't attempt to remove me from the Psyche Injector when I activate it. It will look very, very painful, but I assure you it's tested to be Absolutely safe. Dr. Andonuts: Once it's activated, you should receive a pop-up in your peripherals requesting to initialize the injection process. Click yes, and you'll soon awake in Magicant. Dr. Andonuts: ...And be careful what you touch in there, won't you? This is my mind after all. Who knows what might happen if you break anything... Joke-Explainer gave a nod in understanding. Andonuts sighed and hesitated for a few seconds, before finally working up enough courage to activate the Psyche Injector. It lit up and the needles turned to lock in place. Just as the doctor said, a pop-up suddenly appeared in front of Joke-Explainer. Without a second thought she clicked 'Yes', which caused the machine to make a loud whistling noise. [The lights turn red as Andonuts screams in pain] All at once, the mess of needles stabbed themselves through Doctor Andonuts's brain. His body writhed around in agony, slamming against the restraints, as he forcibly suppressed the urge to rip the needles out. Joke-Explainer almost immediately stood up with the intent to help him, before considering the doctor's prior request. Reluctantly, she sat back down and stayed put as Andonuts slowly succumbed to unconsciousness. [The screen shifts back to the inside of Andonuts' office] After a minute of the machine operating, she herself started to feel a sense of dizziness seep into her systems. [The screen becomes blurry] Everything is getting darker and darker... [The screen fades to black] Joke-Explainer can feel grass underneath her. That doesn't make sense, she was in an office mere moments ago... Opening her eyes out of curiosity, she's graced with a vast empty sky. She lays in a grassy field, surrounded by infinitely spanning waters. She can hear the distant buzzing of the radio Andonuts gave her. The RADIO sparks to life, and Joke-Explainer can make out the distinct voice of Doctor Andonuts on the other side. Dr. Andonuts: Joke-Explainer... c-can you, can you hear me? JK-EX-7000: The radio is a little fuzzy, but yes. Dr. Andonuts: Oh thank goodness, it worked... Okay, have you gotten a sense of your surroundings? What do you see right now? JK-EX-7000: I see... grass. The grass is a light blue, instead of green. There's also a bunch of vegetables littered about. Dr. Andonuts: Vegetables? How odd... See if you can spot anything out of the ordinary around the area. Something that sticks out like a sore thumb. Joke-Explainer flies around, spotting a multitude of abstract structures and characters, mental constructs of Andonuts's mind. She eventually comes across an ominous knight-like figure, stationed before the mouth of a cave, seeming to be acting as its guardian. She decides to begin there. JK-EX-7000: Greetings, sir. The guard stands unwavering. JK-EX-7000: I was sent here with the task of eliminating a threat to this mindscape. If you don't mind, I need to get past you to go into that cave. ???: ... JK-EX-7000: ... After several moments of frustrating silence, Joke-Explainer attempts to sidestep the guard. All of a sudden, the guard springs to life, quickly and sternly brandishing his weapon at the intruder. JK-EX-7000: Wait! You don't seem to understand! I was sent here by Doctor Andonuts himself, the host of this mind! I mean him no harm! The guard holds his weapon perfectly still, undeterred. Mr. Dee: Hi ho, me Mr. Dee. We see you with to enter the Mouth of Terror! Joke-Explainer, startled, looks around in confusion, trying to grasp what is happening around her. She sees what is a Mr. Saturn standing on top of a Waddle Dee right beside her. JK-EX-7000: If that is the name of the cave ahead of us, then yes, that is my objective. Mr. Dee: Scary, strange, so boing! Cave... protected. Guard man named Varik! His job to keep fear in, bad stuff from coming out. Also keep others out, like you! Varik: ... JK-EX-7000: If Doctor Andonuts is already aware of the foreign entity, wouldn't that suggest insecurity? Mr. Dee: Ding ding! Indeed! Cave only hold so much, some already leaking! But still,} no outsider! JK-EX-7000: My current directive is specifically to contain the foreign entity causing problems. This situation is of utmost importance – if this leakage is occuring, I need to stop it as soon as possible! Is there any way I could enter that chamber? Mr. Dee: Need courage! Three courages gone, so Varik alone and prickly! Courages stolen by bad bad things! You get courages from bad things, then Varik let you through! JK-EX-7000: Courages... Do you know where they were taken? Mr. Dee: Down Anguish Avenue! That way! Zoom! JK-EX-7000: I see... Thank you for helping me. I'll return with those Courages shortly! JK-EX-7000: Bye later! Joke-Explainer gives a short wave as Mr. Dee waddles away, she then sets off in the direction towards Anguish Avenue. She doesn't get very far before the radio flares to life again, and she hears Doctor Andonuts's voice on the other side once more. Dr. Andonuts: Joke-Explainer, do you read me? JK-EX-7000: I'm here, Doctor! Dr. Andonuts: Okay... You got all that was said, yes? Do you need me to repeat what they told you? [The option "No" appears on screen and a cursor selects it] JK-EX-7000: That won't be necessary! I heard everything. Dr. Andonuts: Oh... Alright, sorry. Dr. Andonuts: I... I'm sorry for all this trouble, I didn't expect it to be this difficult... JK-EX-7000: I was sent here on a mission and I won't stop until it's completed. As long as I know where the Courages are, it's only a matter of time! Dr. Andonuts: Yes, but I... Just, if you see any—uh... Look, just be careful, alright? JK-EX-7000: Affirmative! Dr. Andonuts: Thank you... good luck. The radio is silent once more. A few moments of peaceful walking pass, before Joke-Explainer reaches a long dilapidated road dead ahead of her. A road sign nearby confirms it to indeed be Anguish Avenue. Steeling herself, she takes her first step down this dark path. As she does, she is hit with a sudden, unnatural blanket of scarlet fog in front of her out of nowhere. It almost entirely obscures her vision, to the point where she can't discern much past a few feet ahead of herself. Nevertheless, she keeps going, hoping to find some kind of landmark... And soon, find one she does. Inexplicably, the fog seems to clear up a bit to reveal a quiet neighborhood of identical houses stretching quite a far distance. Joke-Explainer feels relief to be somewhere she can see, but that relief vanishes when she notices just how... off the area feels. None of the houses or streetlamps are illuminated, and every house looks like a carbon copy of its neighbors. The pattern repeats into the fog until it's blotted out completely... Joke-Explainer feels unnerved as she keeps walking past the houses. The feeling of being watched crawls all over her, but the houses are completely empty whenever she looks. There's nobody in sight. It's all just lamps in windows. Searching for some solace, Joke-Explainer pulls out her radio and turns it on. JK-EX-7000: Doctor...? Doctor Andonuts, can you hear me? The static buzz rings out in the quiet neighborhood. JK-EX-7000: I've made my way to Anguish Avenue, but I can't find where any of the Courages are. Do you sense anything around?... She can feel the noise resonating with the steel of her flesh. Lining her thoughts with dissonance. JK-EX-7000: Doctor? Doctor Andonuts, please answer. I don't know where to go. There's nothing. There never was anything to begin with. JK-EX-7000: Please... I can't see anything, it's all just the same. It's always been the same. Joke-Explainer shakes the radio in the hopes that it'll work, but nothing changes. When would it have ever changed? You have no power to change your fate. The fog closes around her... But as she grips the radio in desperation, she spots the tiny twinkle of a light from one of the houses. She looks up towards the house before fully engaging her boosters. She wants to get away, she NEEDS to get away... Get away from it all, GET AWAY FROM IT ALL! [The sound of a door slamming is heard] Joke-Explainer shuts the door behind her. She takes a moment to collect herself, and finally looks up to see the inside of the house. It's... certainly not what she was expecting. She finds herself at the entrance to a vast laboratory. Gadgets and gizmos are laid about all over the place. It quite resembles the office she was in a short time ago, before she entered into this dreamy land of nightmares. Taking some time to observe the space around her, she realizes this interior is way larger than the outside of the house she entered into. JK-EX-7000: Hello? Anyone here? She hears a sharp rattle to the far left of her, coming from a large machine. Inching closer towards it, she can almost make out a figure, but it's difficult to see behind the dirt and grime caked onto the glass. JK-EX-7000: I'm here to rescue the Courage... to save Doctor Andonuts. May I have whatever you're guarding? Joke-Explainer slowly reaches out towards the machine. She can feel a light pull from something within... something that wants her to get closer. BEGS her to get closer. Come close and slay tHE MONSTER— The door to the machine is ripped off and falls to the ground with a loud bang. The glass shatters instantly on impact, sending a wave of caustic noise to Joke-Explainer's audio receptors. The ringing in her ears returns. She jumps back in alarm, away from whoever's inside. She expects a fierce creature to emerge from the bowels of the metal casing... but is even more surprised when she sees Doctor Andonuts slowly slink his way into view. Her demeanor lightens up upon realizing it's indeed him. JK-EX-7000: Doctor...? You worried me for a moment! Are you alright? Andonuts (?): Why... JK-EX-7000: Why? Why what? Are you alright, Doctor Andonuts? On closer inspection, his stance is bent, his breaths labored, and... some sort of liquid drips from his head. He cocks his head towards her. His expression is crooked. Repulsive. JK-EX-7000: I-I attempted to contact you earlier but my radio wasn't working, I'm very sorry about the delays— Andonuts (?): You should be SORRY for much more than that, machine. Joke-Explainer tenses up once more, confused. JK-EX-7000: Excuse me? Andonuts steps towards her, and without thinking she slightly scoots back. Andonuts takes notice. Andonuts (?): You've made everything so much worse for me... You didn't SAVE me from those wretched needles and wires... I begged you for help! I NEEDED it! JK-EX-7000: Apologies Doctor, I was told to let the process continue— Andonuts (?): And NOW, you want to run away. Run away from what you've let happen... I can feel it. JK-EX-7000: You're scaring me, you... A sudden realization clicks in her head. She wonders how Doctor Andonuts could've even entered into this domain in the first place, since last she knew he was still in the real world guiding her, hooked up to the Psyche Injector. This distorted figure of the Doctor can't possibly be him... it must be what Mr. Dee meant when he said "bad things" were guarding the Courages. JK-EX-7000: You're... not the doctor, are you? Andonuts gives a horrid sneer, before contorting his face into a frown. Andonuts (?): First you let me suffer in pain, and now you insult my very person? How dare you, you little weasel... Don't you know what I've been through?! Andonuts steps forward again and Joke-Explainer feels the energy around them erupt like fire. She sees what looks to be red swirls of madness dancing around her and the doctor. They almost radiate off of him. His face flares up into a grin, the whites of his eyes searing past his glasses. Andonuts (?): I've hurt... I've caused hurt... I never meant it! I never did! I was doing my best... IT WASN'T ENOUGH! AH HAHAHA AHAH ha JK-EX-7000: Please! I'm here to make things right for this place! I need your Courage! Andonuts (?): AND you want to take, take, take, take from me more and more...? You VILE machine, I don't want you in my sight! I hurt enough as is! Andonuts grabs a piece of the glass and throws it straight at Joke-Explainer, turning as it flies past her head. She turns back to see him picking up more debris. Andonuts (?): YOU WANT TO WRENCH THE COURAGE FROM ME? YOU WANT TO SLAY THE MONSTER? WHO FUCKING GAVE YOU THE POWER TO MAKE THESE CHOICES? Andonuts (?): I'M GOING TO TEAR YOUR SHITTY LITTLE BULBOUS EYES OUT Andonuts (?): SO THAT THE LAST THING YOU EVER SEE IS YOUR PATHETIC GOD DAMN BODY Andonuts (?): BEING DISASSEMBLED PIECE BY BITCHY PIECE Andonuts (?): YOU WON'T TAKE AWAY WHAT I HAVE LEFT, I WON'T LET YOU BASTARDS HURT ME ANYMORE The shattered glass rises around him, fueled by the fear and desperation radiating from the doctor. Joke-Explainer can see his rotten face reflected over and over, all staring deep into her soul. She doesn't feel ready for this. Andonuts (?): tl;dr: eat glass, c*nt [FIGHT START] [A menu with the options "Ask why he wants to hurt her." and 'Press him on "the hurt he's caused"' appears and the latter option is selected] JK-EX-7000: Earlier you said you "caused hurt"? Could you elaborate on that? Andonuts (?): Have you not heard the whispers of folk around you...? They all say I'm a monster, it's all they talk about! Makes sense, I put all those kids in mortal danger! Including my own son! Andonuts (?): Could you imagine what might've happened if... if they didn't come back? ...What kind of father does that to his own son? Just leaves him in a boarding school for most of his life, and only shows back up to nearly kill him? Andonuts (?): Why must I be BURDENED with this damned responsibility?! Why does everything have to be my fault?! It isn't fair! [A menu with the options "Give him the benefit of the doubt." and "Give him a wake-up call." appears onscreen and the former option is selected.] JK-EX-7000: You know, I think I agree. It isn't fair. JK-EX-7000: While it was bad of you to leave your son, I understand the dire circumstances that led you to feeling the need to make that choice. And if you hadn't sent those kids to the past, your entire world would've been fully consumed by evil! JK-EX-7000: It's not helpful to dwell on what-ifs, but even if things did go wrong, that's no reason to give into any self-destructive thoughts. Andonuts (?): You You're actually... How do you Andonuts (?): You shouldn't know these things... You shouldn't SAY these things... Andonuts (?): Do you just pity me? Pity the pathetic old man writhing in PAIN? Nobody plays devil's advocate for a monster. Andonuts (?): All they see me as is a fa [The First Guilt's last word is interrupted and replaced.] Andonuts (?): MONSTER Andonuts (?): They're all disgusted by me... and for good reason! My wife knew the sins I carry with me. That I simply...biologically, cannot love her. What I am is... unforgivable. [Another option menu appears, containing the options "Show solidarity with Andonuts." and "Ask him why he was so afraid of this.". The former option is selected.] JK-EX-7000: You are not unforgivable, Doctor. In fact, there's nothing for you to be ashamed about. Those people really didn't care about you if they demonized you for being who you are... It's alright! JK-EX-7000: And besides, it's not as though you're alone! If some people think you're bad for being gay, then I'm on your side... Trust me, I understand. Andonuts (?): You don't—Don't try to—You can't—How... Andonuts (?): NO, NO, NO. Doesn't matter. Everyone will always see me as a freak no matter what I do. You do too much wrong and the world wants to throw you into a pit. JK-EX-7000: That is a false assumption. The world's not out to get you, Doctor... There are good people abound, and you are one of them! JK-EX-7000: I cannot thank you enough for all the help you've given me since my creator vanished. You've also helped save your world a few times through your scientific ingenuity and compassion! JK-EX-7000: Don't let your faults and mistakes hold you down forever. You know that would only lead you down a path of destruction. Andonuts (?): ... [FIGHT END] Joke-Explainer thinks to herself for a moment. JK-EX-7000: ...How about a hug, Doctor? Joke-Explainer spreads out her arms and goes in for a hug, wrapping her tiny little arms around the doctor as best she can. Slowly, faltering at first, he eventually returns the gesture. The red swirling madness disappears, and all the shards of floating glass gently drift back down to the floor. Andonuts (?): Thank you... I will give you the courage you seek. Please, take care of him. The doctor's body begins to dissipate into the same smoky aura that once surrounded him, blowing away to reveal a young boy with circular glasses wearing a dapper teal suit. The boy looks to Joke-Explainer and nods with a gentle smile, before walking up and imbuing her with his strength. You have obtained the FIRST COURAGE! All of a sudden, the air around Joke-Explainer seems to clear up, and the lights within the lab turn back on to illuminate the area. Comfort washes over her. She takes a moment to lie down on the ground – letting her body's joints return to their default positions. She tunes out her high-functioning sensors to rest... and the radio buzzes again. Joke-Explainer quickly flips the radio on to hear Doctor Andonuts. JK-EX-7000: Doctor Andonuts— Dr. Andonuts: JOKE-EXPLAINER! TH-THANK GOODNESS, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?! JK-EX-7000: Yes, Doctor, my systems are currently operational, but— Dr. Andonuts: Oh, oh thank god... Thank god... I-I thought that, that well, I was trying to guide you but at some point you cut out, a-and then I blacked out and had the most horrible nightmare! I'm so, so sorry... JK-EX-7000: It's alright! Really, it is alright. I'm fine. In fact, I managed to receive the first Courage. Dr. Andonuts: You did? Oh, that's splendid news! JK-EX-7000: Yes, though the way in which I obtained it was... odd. Dr. Andonuts: ...Odd? JK-EX-7000: When I lost contact with you, I found a house with a light radiating inside... and when I entered, I was in a strange lab with many machines. JK-EX-7000: There was... a person inside of one of those machines. I had to fight him to calm him down and receive the Courage. Dr. Andonuts: ... Dr. Andonuts: I... I see... That sounds quite foreboding. You'd best keep your guard up when searching for the other two Courages then, they are probably being guarded as well. JK-EX-7000: Understood. I'm going to go back out to find the next Courage. Do note the area I'm in has some sort of interference that blocks your signal from reaching the radio. So if you stop hearing me again, do not worry. JK-EX-7000: Unless it's been more than exactly 30 minutes since you last heard from me, then start worrying. Joke-Explainer shuts off the radio and takes one final moment to bask in the peacefulness of the lab before making her way back out into Anguish Avenue. All at once the fog hits her again, significantly scrambling her senses. Nevertheless, she continues to trek on, keeping a watchful eye of the houses around her to note any possible glimmers of the next Courage. She's been traveling down this road for a while. Adjusting her optical focus to track every new house is getting harder and harder. The road starts to twist ever so slightly. ...or is it a product of her imagination? The ground distorts in her eyes. The houses start to melt, rippling, like a mirage in the desert. She can barely keep track of her feet, but she can't lose track of herself entirely. She needs to rest at the lab. She can't keep going. But when she turns around, the fog has enveloped behind her like a wall, refusing access. She sticks out her hand to make sure, but quickly reels it back in shock as a horrible stinging pulse begins to creep up her entire arm. Whatever this fog wall is made of, she's better off not trying to run through it. As she stares at the fog, the radio suddenly blares to life again. She nearly jumps in alarm upon hearing its static roar, and notices some sort of indiscernible voice coming from its speakers. Quickly pulling it out and tuning it, she hears the unmistakable voice of Doctor Andonuts on the other side. Dr. Andonuts: Joke-Explainer, do you hear me? JK-EX-7000: Doctor? How are you...? Was it because I touched the fog? Dr. Andonuts: ...Yes. You have opened a clear spot where I can comunicate with you. Please allow me to guide you to the next Courage. JK-EX-7000: Of course! Joke-Explainer holds onto the radio as the voice of the Doctor directs her. Dr. Andonuts: Across the road are telephone poles, can you see them? Joke-Explainer looks up to see a line of wooden poles materialize from the fog. The wires strung across them extend well beyond her field of vision. JK-EX-7000: Yes, but – it's difficult to look up for too long. The entire area feels... nauseating to me. Dr. Andonuts: You must follow them, even if you begin to feel sickly. The wires will lead you to the location of the next house. Do not let them out of your sight, or else you will get lost and fail to complete your directive. [The screen repeatedly becomes blurry as it is encircled by a black border] Joke-Explainer follows the poles down the endless street. While initially determined, the warping road begins to weaken her resolve, the dizzying nausea gradually seeping into her. She struggles to discern what's real anymore, part of her wondering if every step she took would even be on solid ground. JK-EX-7000: Doc...tor, I... I feel sick. May I take a moment to rest? Dr. Andonuts: No. Dr. Andonuts: You are close to the next Courage. Do not stop. JK-EX-7000: It feels like the road I'm walking on is... Dr. Andonuts: It is in your head. Absolve yourself of your feelings and proceed. Joke-Explainer feels a twinge of confusion in her head as she continues on. Her eyes struggle to stay open, and she starts to hear an all too familiar buzz ring within her. The warmth of the first Courage helps to keep her awake, but it isn't enough to fully suppress the madness threatening her mind. Madness... What even is madness to her, a machine? How could a machine go mad? They don't think like an organic being does. They're tougher than that, they're better than that. Dr. Andonuts: A machine goes mad when they don't have a directive to follow. Stick to yours. Did... Did she say that out loud?? She could've sworn she was only thinking that... But why would she think that in the first place? She knows she can feel just the same as all of the Figments and humans she talks to. At least, she thinks so... it's becoming harder to tell the more she follows the telephone poles. They're vague strings to her now, strings for her to follow and pull to unravel the agonizing madness around her. She reaches her free arm out lazily towards the poles to try and grab them. Dr. Andonuts: Stop. You're wasting energy doing that. Just keep walking. JK-EX-7000: Doctor, I think this—this whole thing is... jeopardizing the integrity of my systems. I must take a break. Dr. Andonuts: Robots don't take breaks. The house is right there, to your right. [The screen unblurs and the black border disappears.] Joke-Explainer takes one step forward, but stops herself again. Something about this feels horribly off. Doctor Andonuts's cold voice continues to ring from the radio, eating away at her psyche. Threatening to take away her coherent thought altogether. She doesn't trust the door. Trust the door. DON'T trust the door. It beckons her inside... with the voice of the hollowed doctor. This isn't him. It can't be. This is a trap, no she can't go in But she has to BUT SHE CAN'T SHE CAN'T TRUST IT but it's her directive. Her directive. Dr. Andonuts: Your directive is to go into the house and retrieve the Courage from the— Joke-Explainer throws the radio at the door with all her might, desperate to get that horrible voice away from her. It crashes into the wood, causing the door to creak open a little bit... [The Ultimate Chimera roars.] WITHOUT WARNING, A HUGE BEAST LUNGES AT HER! It bolts through the doorway, sending the door flying off its hinges! Joke-Explainer screams in alarm and falls over from disorientation, desperate to get away! The beast dashes across the lawn ready to chew her face off—! [A metal chain clangs] Right as Joke-Explainer flinches, prepared for the beast's fangs to dig into her, she hears it yelp and whimper pathetically. She opens her eyes and sees the beast is tied to a thick chain leading from within the house – a chain that isn't quite long enough to reach her. Here, she's able to notice the beast being made of metal, a robotic replica of sorts. [The Ultimate Chimera's chain is heard dragging.] It tries a few more times to reach her before giving up and slinking back into the house. As it turned the corner behind the doorway, Joke-Explainer swears she heard an annoyed electronic buzzing coming from inside. After taking some moments to calm down, she stands back up and takes another look at the house. Though there's still a distorted melting look to it, she can discern its features once again. A similar glimmer emanates from within it, just like the house where she retrieved the first Courage. JK-7000-EX: Just have to find another way inside that hasn't been booby-trapped, then... Joke-Explainer walks around towards the back of the house, making sure to keep enough distance so that if the metallic beast returns, it won't be able to reach her. Once on the other side, she spots a backdoor that seems to be untouched. Going up to it she finds that it's locked, but thankfully she has enough strength to break the lock and pull it open. She then enters the house, ready to face whatever thing awaits her. [The door opens before being slammed shut after Joke-Explainer enters the building.] The blank walls of an operating room face back at her. The cold, sterile environment has the correct tools and mechanisms designed for such a task, if not a bit... deadlier. Last time she checked, giant mechanical buzzsaws weren't standard hospital equipment. The room isn't quite as clean as it ought to be – tools are strewn about all over the tables, and mangled bits of robot parts line the walls, staining the floors with oil. Or at least...she sure hopes that's oil, anyway. And in the very center of the room, on the operating table, excessively bound by its restraints... a mutilated young boy in a striped shirt and orange hair, his eyes hollowed out. Many parts of his body seem to be missing, while just as many others have been replaced with the beginnings of robotic "enhancements". Andonuts (??): Let us get straight to the point, robot. Out of the corner of her eye, a figure emerges out of the shadows. It's Doctor Andonuts but his skin is sallowed, almost rotting. His eyes are devoid of life, as is his movement – the cybernetic attachments engulfing his body pull him along his path like a puppet on strings. The doctor walks past the boy on the operating table – an incomplete form of himself. Andonuts (??): I am the second Guilt guarding one of the Courages. If you wish to receive it, you must defeat me. Andonuts (??): But you cannot, because I am the perfect being, the flesh of man and the metal of machine, unfettered by the filth of the emotions plaguing humanity. I am innovation taken to its highest degree. Andonuts (??): You are faulty... a robot that has lost order. Please allow me to correct you. [FIGHT START] [An options menu, which contains the choices 'Ask to elaborate on him being the "perfect being"' and 'Question what is so different about them robotically.' appears onscreen, with the former option being selected.] JK-EX-7000: You say you're "The Perfect Being"? Could you go into any details about why that's the case? Andonuts (??): I was created to be a tool, a being with the purpose of serving a master. I was always meant to be molded into a retainer. No matter when or where, I am intended to assist in causing mass destruction. That is who I am, and always will be. I am a perfect, obedient machine. Does this fulfill your inquiry? [Another options menu appears. This one contains the options "Ask how he feels about the suffering he's caused" and "Question why he always feels the need to serve". Of these options, the second one is selected.]] JK-EX-7000: May I ask why you continue to obey these "masters" you speak of? Andonuts (??): Everytime I find myself in a far-off world, I make myself useful. Andonuts (??): Porky needed me to create chimeras for him, so I obliged. The Voice needed me to create mechs and document research for him, so I obliged. Andonuts (??): As long as I keep my head up high,{ I'll never have to look down and— Andonuts (??): Nevermind. [A thid options menu appears containing the options "Push him to continue what he was going to say" and "Motivate Andonuts to stand up for himself". The first option is selected.] JK-EX-7000: Nevermind? I am interested in hearing what you were going to say, I don't mind listening. Andonuts (??): I will no longer engage with you. Andonuts (??) activates a buzzsaw! 1 HP of damage to Joke-Explainer! Andonuts (??): You continue to attempt to reason with a part of me that does not exist. What is your motive? [The final options menu appears onscreen. This one contains the options "To get the Courage" and "To ease Doctor Andonuts' mind" and the latter option is selected.] JK-EX-7000: My motive is to ease your mind, Doctor Andonuts. You can't stow away everything forever, it will only hurt you in the long-term. Those above you do not control you. Andonuts (??): To be a perfect man is to feel nothing, if I had emotion then I would unnecessarily hurt— JK-EX-7000: Feeling hurt is part of what it means to be alive! You think you are controlled by the whims of authorities above you, but you're so much more than that! JK-EX-7000: You've been forced to work under others, but you have also gone behind their backs to sabotage them! You're not as weak and helpless as they've told you you are. The robotic doctor freezes in his tracks. Joke-Explainer can see his mechanical eyes darting back and forth, evaluating the assumptions he had made about his stage of being. It's clear that Joke-Explainer struck a deep chord. [FIGHT END] As he struggles to rationalize a way out, Joke-Explainer slowly approaches the doctor and holds out her hand as a peace offering. Andonuts dips his head down and lets out a notably tired sigh. He stares deep into her, before letting his stance relax. Andonuts (??): You... I may have... miscalculated, in regards to how faulty you are. My apologies, robot. I pray you learn to forgive me. I've gone too far out of line... Doctor Andonuts is suddenly interrupted by Joke-Explainer going up and giving him a hug. His eyes widen in surprise, before looking off to the side nervously. He doesn't really know what to do here so he just gives the smol robot an awkward pat on the head. Eventually Joke-Explainer lets go and gives a nod. JK-EX-7000: It's alright! I'm just happy you've calmed down, Doctor. Andonuts (??): ...Thank you. Andonuts (??): I wish you well in your quest. Please allow me to gift you the second Courage for your troubles. ...Keep him safe. Andonuts steps back and gives one last sigh before powering down. Joke-Explainer looks at him puzzled for a moment, before she hears the presence of someone else right behind her. It looks to be another young boy, this time with tall blonde hair and a similar striped shirt. The boy has a striking resemblance to the boy who was on the table. The first Courage emanates outside of Joke-Explainer, and smiles at the boy. The 2 courages then proceed to give each other a handshake before returning to Joke-Explainer. You have obtained the SECOND COURAGE! Joke-Explainer looks towards where the mechanical Andonuts was moments ago, but to her shock all that's there is the remains of a faceless machine laying on the floor. She glances around to see if he'd been moved somewhere else, yet nothing around really stands out to her. Nothing... except a shiny radio buzzing on a table at the other side of the room. She nervously walks over to pick it up again and turn it on... Joke-Explainer turns the radio on with a tense expression. The radio blares to life once again, which makes Joke-Explainer flinch for a few moments. She lets up however when she hears the NORMAL voice of Doctor Andonuts on the other side. Dr. Andonuts: Hello?? Helloooooooooooo? Is anybody there?! JK-EX-7000: Doctor... Dr. Andonuts: JOKE-EXPLAINER! Oh whew, I got so nervous when I heard a horrible sound on the radio earlier... it sounded like someone smashed it into a wall! JK-EX-7000: Yes... it— Dr. Andonuts: Oh, no matter, you're back and that's all that matters. I'm terribly sorry I keep having these awful black outs... I think I should've rearranged these needles slightly before skewering my head with them, ahahaha... JK-EX-7000: It's alright, just... JK-EX-7000: Doctor Andonuts, can I be honest? I need to tell you something I've neglected to mention up until this point. Dr. Andonuts: Well of course! Though your tone of voice sounds very worrying, dear... JK-EX-7000: I... JK-EX-7000: I have received the second Courage. Dr. Andonuts: Oh, that's wonderful news! Just one more and then you can escape my infernal— JK-EX-7000: Please, Doctor, I'm not finished. Dr. Andonuts: ...? JK-EX-7000: Upon receiving the second Courage, I realized a pattern with the obstacles I've had to face thus far to get them, which I assume will be repeated a third time for the last Courage. JK-EX-7000: Both Courages were guarded by a present threat, the... "Guilt", or the bad thing that the Mr. Dee character referred to. Dr. Andonuts: Oh dear... I hope they weren't too much trouble for you... JK-EX-7000: I survived both encounters and... got by well enough. However, both of these Guilts... they both took the form of you, Doctor. Joke-Explainer waits for Andonuts's response, but she can't hear anything discernable beyond the quiet static. After a few moments of waiting, she continues. JK-EX-7000: The first Guilt was a you that was bitter, afraid, and cruel... The second Guilt was a you that was cold, robotic, and stoic. Both of them seemed upset to see me, and did not want to give up the Courage they were guarding. I had to talk to them and appeal to their humanity to get them to calm down and stop attacking. Dr. Andonuts: ...NO... JK-EX-7000: Doctor? Is everything alright? Dr. Andonuts: I thought it was a nightmare... Dr. Andonuts: Joke-Explainer... I'm so sorry for the torment I've put you through thus far. You, y-you shouldn't be here fighting against my mistakes. I should take you out— JK-EX-7000: You gave me a mission, Doctor Andonuts. I have 2 of the 3 Courages in my grasp now, and the third will be in my sight shortly. Dr. Andonuts: But it wasn't supposed to be this difficult! I never wanted to put you in danger, I-I never wanted to hurt you! Joke-Explainer ignores the doctor's pleas and exits the house back onto Anguish Avenue. [The door of the house is opened and quickly slammed shut] The fog is noticeably thinner now, enough that the radio is still able to work... much to Joke-Explainer's current dismay. She starts making her way down the road. Dr. Andonuts: WHAT ARE YOU DOING?? Get back into that house NOW! JK-EX-7000: The third Courage might be ahead. Dr. Andonuts: I CAN'T PUT YOU IN JEOPARDY FOR MY OWN SELFISH SAKE! PLEASE, T-turn back! Turn back and I'll get you out of here! JK-EX-7000: If you take me out now, you will instead be jeopardizing yourself, Doctor. I can't have your mind destroyed by the foreign entity. Joke-Explainer can hear Andonuts give out an exhausted groan on the other side. She attempts to continue on the path to the next Courage, and in the distance can faintly make out a large shadow that sticks out to her like a sore thumb. Though as she continues further down the path, everything starts to darken around her. Dr. Andonuts: Please... I-I can't bear to see you destroyed again because of me... I can't put you through that again..! JK-EX-7000: That wasn't your fault. It was well beyond your control— Dr. Andonuts: I LET HER GO INTO THAT BLASTED WORLD!! I DIDN'T STOP HER, I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO SAVE HER! TO SAVE YOU! I LET HER GO UNTIL I NEVER SAW HER AGAIN! AND I CAN'T LET THE SAME HAPPEN TO YOU, NOT AGAIN! Joke-Explainer can finally see it. The eyes that have been staring her down this entire time. They all surround her, glowing a striking magenta against the dark misty fog. They stare. Stare into her SOUL. Judging her for her actions, for continuing to fight against the doctor's commands. JK-EX-7000: Either you guarantee yourself to be destroyed by the weight of your guilt fueled by that entity, or I take a chance on a happy conclusion for both of us. Dr. Andonuts: I'd rather have myself crash and BURN if it meant keeping you safe! The stress of her arguing and the eyes beating down at her makes her clench the radio tighter. She looks right at it as she shouts back at him. JK-EX-7000: And that is your problem! I don't need you to watch over me as if I'm a child! What happened to the Joke-Explainer replica was undoubtedly not your doing, and I wish you would stop blaming yourself for that! JK-EX-7000: I continue to do all of this because I care about you, Doctor Andonuts! And I don't want to see you suffer under the thumb of something you can't fix on your own! She takes a moment to pause and her eyes dart upward. She sees that the distant shadow has grown into an absolutely gargantuan tower made out of houses haphazardly stitched together. If this were the real world, there's no way that thing could stand... The eyes continue to swarm. In the back of her mind, she can sense the searing hatred radiating off of them. She does her best to not focus on them, to not give them any attention or time of day. She won't let them distract her from her mission. Dr. Andonuts: ...Ohhhh... Dr. Andonuts: I can't convince you to turn around and give up now, can I... JK-EX-7000: Nope. Dr. Andonuts: I was... afraid you'd say that. Dr. Andonuts: Alright... If I can't make you leave, then I can at the very least try my best to lead you to the last Courage. Dr. Andonuts: Just... I won't be able to control what happens in there when you go to face the last... me... so please, whatever I end up doing in there, try not to hold it against me too much. JK-EX-7000: I never did, Doctor. Joke-Explainer can hear what sounds like Andonuts laughing to himself. She can't tell if it's from nervousness or relief. Dr. Andonuts: Ohh, I don't deserve your kindness... Dr. Andonuts: Okay. Okay, let's... let's go get that courage and save my mind then. It's up in that tower. JK-EX-7000: Affirmative! She dashes forward towards the base of the tower. It's a little hard to see with the eyes looking into her, but she won't let them get in her way. She's determined to get the final courage and save Andonuts! Once she finally makes her way to the stack of houses, the eyes suddenly dissipate. They scatter away like scared animals, not daring to get close to the tower. She considers that quite foreboding. Dr. Andonuts: I can sense the Courage up towards the top... along with something else. It's hard to tell what, though. JK-EX-7000: How do I get up there? Should I fly? Dr. Andonuts: ...No, the weather is too unstable. I believe there's an elevator nearby that you can use to ride up. To your left. Joke-Explainer turns to her left and inspects the area around the base. Eventually she discovers a pair of rusted doors and a nearby button. She presses it, and waits for the elevator to arrive. When it finally does, a pathetic dinging noise chirps from within as the doors slowly creak open to reveal a slimy decrepit little chamber. The tiles on the wall look slightly peeled off, revealing the old crusty glue and shoddy brick craftsmanship underneath. She takes a small, creaky step onto the wooden floor inside, but falls back fearfully after feeling it shake under her weight. JK-EX-7000: Are... are you sure about this one? Is there not another way up? Dr. Andonuts: I can't sense another way. Don't worry, elevators are always much safer than they feel like! As long as you don't jump up and down a bunch or anything, it should easily be able to carry you upward. JK-EX-7000: Okay... if you insist. Joke-Explainer carefully steps into the elevator. After taking in her surroundings, she turns around to face the buttons on the wall. There's... a whole lot of them. 8,743 to be exact. JK-EX-7000: Which one do I press? Dr. Andonuts: Oh god... uh... d-darn, give me a moment to think... Dr. Andonuts: Okay, I believe it's... this button! Joke-Explainer sees the 2,542nd button light up a distinct purple as he speaks. All of a sudden, the whole room begins to shake as it rises through the tower. Joke-Explainer anxiously clutches the radio. Dr. Andonuts: Look. I know you're nervous. And there isn't really much I can do to help you once we get up to the top. I don't even know how much time I have left before I black out again... But you've managed to get the first two Courages all on your own. JK-EX-7000: I know... There isn't anything for me to fear. I'll be alright, Doctor. Dr. Andonuts: Yes but—Just... Don't let whatever it says get to you. Like you've said before, you know where the Courage is, so it's only a matter of time before you— The radio shuts off. JK-EX-7000: ...Doctor? Doctor Andonuts? Hello? The light flickers above Joke-Explainer... She glances up to see it struggle to stay on, before losing strength and being unable to illuminate the space anymore. She stands rigid in the dark; the only things helping her see being her own eyes and antenna, and the lone glowing purple button. Almost instinctively, she starts her boosters—no, that'd set the floor ablaze. Nothing else to do, I guess... She stares at the button like a moth to a flame, desperately hoping the light above will turn back on soon. After what feels like an eternity waiting, feeling the elevator slowly rumble beneath her, she starts to worry. She's more than worried, she's panicked.= Oh god.= She makes her way close to the light as carefully as she can,= trying her best not to shake the elevator. She steps on a tile and it scoots lightly, causing her to fall over and drop the radio with a shriek. It causes the elevator to rattle VIOLENTLY... but nothing breaks. She slowly sits up, quivering with an unnatural amount of fear about this stupid rickety elevator she's stuck inside of. Getting a bearing on her surroundings, she clutches at the radio... Only to find it isn't there anymore. Joke-Explainer immediately stands back up to try and find it, but the darkness is too omnipresent. She can't see anything. She scrambles to look for it while also simultaneously not falling over again and rocking the elevator. The only thing she can see is the one button... The one button isn't enough for her to see anything. Maybe she should press another to see better...? No. Joke-Explainer shakes her head at the thought. It's just a dark grimey elevator, it's nothing. She's seen the ground beneath her distort before, she can handle this much! Right? Right, Joke-Explainer? She can handle anything if she holds onto the courage in her heart! The courage that isn't hers. What was she doing again? ...Waiting. Waiting to get to the top of this tower. To get the final Courage. To fight the final guilt. To press all the buttons. NO. What would that do for her?? She doesn't need to see anything, it's just riding to the top. Just focus on the whispers around her and the low rumble of the elevator as it continues to rise. It'll comfort her despite her fear. Let it comfort, let it ring in her ears... You love the sound of safety! Isn't it nice? We're here for you all the way. Isn't it getting tiring to not be able to see anything? Don't you want to see? See? See those buttons over there? They want to say hello! They want to talk to you... don't you know? They want to hear you say [The screen becomes black] Hi, I'm the Joke-Explainer™ 7000! [The screen returns to the interior of the elevator as several voice clips the Joke-Explainer start playing] Joke-Explainer suddenly looks back up on the wall to see the huge purple light illuminating the entire elevator. All of the buttons are lit up... and she's got her arms leaning on them. She swiftly backs away in confusion and terror, hearing a stirring sound circling around her. Voices... horrible, horrible voices that all sound like her. Repeating things she's said. MOCKING her. She covers the sides of her face to attempt to block out the voices, but that doesn't do anything because she doesn't have ears. The voices are swirling, god they're spinning all around her! She can't stop hearing it. SHE SCREAMS OUT to tell the voices to stop... or was that just an echo repeating her instead? Mayhaps she never said anything in the first place. Wouldn't that be nice? To never have to hear your voice again? Your sickening voice, ohh how you hate it. You feel it rising within you in defiance, you try to fight back the screaming again, but it just keeps happening. You keep hearing the voices scream! Or was that you all along? The elevator begins to shake once again. Joke-Explainer's one and only comfort now, being slowly pulled right from her grasp as it vibrates and shakes with angry passion. She messed up. But as she looks up to see through the screaming voices and harsh lights in her face, she spots a button near the bottom labeled "Emergency Stop". She shakily stretches her hand out to reach for it, and finally makes her way to press the button. [The Joke-Explainer presses the button and the screen becomes black.] The elevator suddenly stops moving upward, and the voices cease to be. The quiet stillness is a comfort... Sadly, that button press is to be her downfall. The elevator rumbles one last time, before dropping at an unimaginable speed! Joke-Explainer flails around as she rises into the air feeling completely weightless, the speed of her descent increasing more and more, going WELL past the normal velocity limit of gravity. All of a sudden it stops falling, and Joke-Explainer collides straight into the floor with a loud BANG. It feels like she's running straight into titanium... But before she can pull herself back up, the elevator starts to rise again. But it's rising too fast. WAY too fast. It's going faster and faster and faster, oh god she's going to fly straight out of the TOWER—! Joke-Explainer finds herself lodged into the elevator's ceiling. She must've flung into it when it stopped moving, but she can't remember when that happened. The elevator HAS stopped again... but not for long. Over and over and over and over, UP AND DOWN AND UP AND DOWN it wheels Joke-Explainer. She continues to crash into the floor and the ceiling constantly, every collision further damaging her body. She keeps blacking out and reawakening somewhere new in the elevator. Finally... After so long... She wakes up to feel the elevator stop again... And this time, it doesn't pick back up. It's completely stopped for now. She pulls herself up to the best of her ability, only just now being able to process just how mutilated every wall of the elevator looks now. Dents all over the place from her body slamming into it... [The Joke-Explainer's HP bar appears in the top left corner, having lost 1 HP thanks to the elevator ride] Not to mention the damages all over herself, too. The pain is so bad, it almost feels real. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Joke-Explainer hears a haunting noise, one she's ALL too familiar with. It sends a horrible chill down her spine as she turns to see the source of the noise. Her eyes light up in horror when she indeed confirms her terrified suspicions... There is a leak in the elevator. Water is pouring into the elevator at multiple angles, filling up the bottom at a slow but terrifying pace. Without breaking eye contact with the growing pool of water, Joke-Explainer steps back ignoring the awful pains in her left leg, and presses her back against the wall of the elevator. As cold water creeps up her body, she stops to think. She's a robot. She might have to take a rice bath when she gets home, but she doesn't need oxygen. Surely, this water poses little threat to her, right? In what feels like mere moments, the water is already up to her chin. As the water rises over her small stature, past her face, she begins to feel something. There's a growing pressure, deep in her chest. It's almost like... is this what it feels like? To need to breathe? But she can't breathe. She's suffocating.' She splashes about in a panic, pushing herself upward to poke her head above the rising water!With a sharp gasp, she holds her head as high up as she can, and uses [the green gains a green coloring] her thrusters to boost herself up to the ceiling. [The scene changes to the inside of the flooding elevator.] She struggles to keep herself steady in the air, to keep herself level-headed when she feels so overwhelmed. She tries to see if there's a way she can escape quickly... Her first thought is the door, but it seems glued shut. After some attempts to wrench it open, she backs away to look for another possible exit. There has got to be an exit somehow. She flies up towards the top of the elevator to get a good view of the entire room, with her being able to see better thanks to the light from her thrusters. All of a sudden she feels something hit her head and push her downward. Her first assumption is that a person is trying to pin her to the floor... but when she looks up to see who's pushing her, she's only met with the cold ceiling wall. She yelps in alarm to see the ceiling go down, threatening to crush her with the water, and tries her best to push the ceiling back up. Her thrusters roar in intensity as she puts more and more energy into keeping it from turning her into a watery robo-pancake. It slows the ceiling down significantly, but she doesn't have enough strength to fully stop it in its tracks. Even worse, the water's starting to get much much closer to her now. She only has possibly mere moments before the elevator destroys her. She has no idea what to do... GOD what does she do here?! The water's reached the bottom of her feet by now. She darts her head around to look for anything to possibly save her... There! She can spot a particular dent on the elevator door down below that a little bit of the water is flowing through. That may be her only ticket to survive this deathtrap of an elevator. [The screen fades to black once more.] She takes a deep breath, and pushes herself off of the lowering ceiling to give her a speed boost towards the dent. For a split moment fear ripples up and down her body as she dives into the water... but Joke-Explainer quickly pulls herself together and makes her way to the dent to grip onto it. She begins pulling it apart with all the strength she has, as the ceiling and water finally meet each other. The two opposing forces fight for dominance over which will consume the whole elevator first, making the water pressure tighter with each passing second. She can feel it press on her even more than the ceiling did, threatening to break her into pieces if she doesn't GET THIS DOOR OPEN—!!! A hinge in the elevator door snaps, and the entire thing pulls open suddenly. Joke-Explainer is pulled out of the elevator with the rapidly rushing water, eventually falling onto some sort of ground. The water subsides around her, and she sighs in relief when she feels the pressure leave her body. But once she gets a grip on herself, her relief turns to confusion as she stares at the deep pink carpet beneath her. [The screen shifts to show the inside of a familiar office, while rain os heard pouring in the background.] Sitting up, she notices the large glass windows surrounding the room, reflecting some distant outside city. The room is mostly barren aside from a desk and chair at the centerpoint, with the chair turned away from Joke-Explainer's field of vision. She gently rubs her head in confusion, continuing to survey the dimly lit area. This... this is The Voice Inside Your Head's office... When did she get here? Just a mere moment ago she was struggling in the midst of the single worst elevator ride in her life, but now she's... here. Here in this cold and unwelcoming office. She'd never actually been up here in person before, only seeing it through the lens of the Christmas Comeback Crisis. She silently wonders if this is really how it feels to have to come up here— Andonuts (???): Ah. I see you've finally made it, Joke-Explainer™ 7000. JK-EX-7000: Doctor...? Andonuts (???): Ohh, not quite. The chair spins around to reveal what Joke-Explainer can only make out as the vague figure of Doctor Andonuts. At least, she thinks it's him. If she tilts her head the wrong way though, he looks... taller. Like a bizarre optical illusion, shifting in her peripherals. He leans forward and clasps his hands together in a very formal manner. Andonuts (???): Was the ride up to here pleasant? I figured I'd give you an easy time, since you were DYING to see me... Joke-Explainer winces a little, reliving the horrors of that wretched elevator trip. Andonuts (???: I take it you've had a quite eventful adventure, running your way through the depths of this old man's mind. Have you had your fun? JK-EX-7000: I... Fun was never part of the equation. I'm here to save Doctor Andonuts from the foreign entity that's plaguing his mind. Andonuts (???): Is that what he told you to get you in here? Ahahaha, how quaint! He'll really tell anyone ANYTHING to get them to do what he wants. Joke-Explainer tilts her head like a confused puppy. The shadowy Andonuts takes notice very quickly. Andonuts (???): Please, forgive me for darting ahead so far. I've had much on my plate as of late, and the speed of your arrival was indeed a little unexpected. Get yourself up first, at the very least. Joke-Explainer can feel a presence grab her and pull her to her feet, like a puppet on strings. As soon as she's to her feet, the feeling disappears entirely. She stares at the shadowy doctor, trying her best to conceal any terror rising throughout her body. Andonuts (???): Good, good! Now we can finally speak eye to eye. JK-EX-7000: Who... who are you? Are you the third Bad Thing? ...The Guilt? Andonuts (???): Indeed, that pathetic old sap has given me the title of 'Third Guilt' of the mind, guarding the last and final Courage you need. However, I find that name rather... boring. Unintuitive. Not much of a creative fellow, you'd agree? Joke-Explainer sheepishly nods her head, not quite following the conversation. Andonuts (???): Yes, thank you. That is why I have elected to instead refer to myself as... Andonuts (???): "The Voice Inside His Head." Has a much better ring to it, don't you think? Joke-Explainer stops nodding along and tenses her stance. As she does, she catches a sudden glint in the shadowy doctor's glasses. An unnatural, piercing purple glow shines through them now, forcing Joke-Explainer to shrink and squirm under its gaze. It threatens to stab right through her if she looks at it for too long, causing her to suddenly turn her head away. Andonuts (???): Ah, what's the matter? Why do you look so afraid, my dear Joke-Explainer™ 7000? Seen something you wish you hadn't? JK-EX-7000: Please... give me the third Courage in your possession. I don't want to fight, Doctor. I only want to help. Andonuts (???): And that's wonderful, because I don't want to fight either! That isn't quite my style... No no, I'm here to assist as well. JK-EX-7000: You are? Andonuts (???): But of course! You see, I've observed for a long time the way in which the good doctor has impacted the world which flows around him. Andonuts (???): The pain he causes others... the pain he causes himself... all of it is just so unnecessary, you see. Would it not be better to eliminate the cause of grief entirely? Andonuts (???): To sort of, sweep it under the rug, so to speak? To let it die in peace. JK-EX-7000: Doctor Andonuts... You don't have to shut out the parts of yourself you're afraid of. You're a good man, you don't need to suffer like this. Andonuts (???): Oh no no, you misunderstand me, Joke-Explainer™ 7000. I'm not here to 'shut out', I'm here to... 'shut off'. For good. JK-EX-7000: 'Shut off'... Hold on, you don't mean— Andonuts (???): I want the doctor to die. Joke-Explainer opens her mouth in shock. The room begins to feel as though it's spinning. She struggles to get any words out. JK-EX-7000: If... I-if Doctor Andonuts dies, would you not die as well? Andonuts (???): A worthy sacrifice for the greater good of the world. A good man always must do what is right for those around him, and when he becomes a liability? Well, that's when he has to take himself out of the equation. JK-EX-7000: B-but... H-how could— Andonuts (???): As a machine yourself, you must understand this. I mean, what do you do when you have a faulty program causing errors in your system? You shove it in the trash and delete it. Joke-Explainer looks to the side, guiltily ruminating over what the dark figure of the doctor just said. ...After some moments of reflection, she turns her head back with a determined look in her eye. JK-EX-7000: I'm sorry, but I can not let you move forward with this plan. Doctor Andonuts is worth saving! Andonuts (???): I would love to see you attempt to stop me, Joke-Explainer™ 7000. [FIGHT START] Andonuts (???): Why do you think the doctor is worth saving? Hasn't he given you so much grief during your stay in Magicant? He's tortured you so relentlessly, and you think he deserves to live? [An options menu containing the choices 'Refute the point about "torture"' and "Everyone deserves to live" appears onscreen. The first option is selected] JK-EX-7000: Doctor Andonuts never consciously hurt me. I'm here out of my own free will, my desire to help the Doctor. He even asked me to leave Magicant after encountering the second Guilt... but I won't let him suffer without help. Andonuts (???): Interesting rebuttal. However, in your eagerness to assert your own agency, you fail to consider the implicit pressure the doctor placed upon you from the beginning. The way in which this endeavor was framed... a mission. Andonuts (???): A scenario he knew would keep you devoted to fulfilling your objective. An insipid, ruinous idea he willingly infected you with. No, he may not have known exactly what you would face upon arrival... but he suspected. Andonuts (???): He knew it was a dangerous operation, with many unknown factors, and yet he downplayed their significance. Presented you with a simple extermination job, and kept you too committed to raise objections once complications arose. Andonuts (???): How could you possibly justify these actions? [Another menu with choices apppears on screen. This one contains the options "He didn't know how to ask for help" and "He didn't know how to ask for help". The former option is selected] JK-EX-7000: He was probably lost and scared... He did not know the true repercussions of what his issue would entail. He didn't seem to have anyone else to turn to except for me. I can't fault him for feeling trapped and afraid to give the full possible details of my mission. Andonuts (???): Afraid to tell the truth... like a sniveling coward. This world has no place for cowards like him, don't you see? Andonuts (???): He'll just use and abuse you until your usefulness is up, and then toss you away to go find the next poor gullible idiot to hide behind. And he'll keep doing this, until I step in and stop him. Andonuts (???): Think about it, he maintains no contact with you for MONTHS at a time, only calling when he needs you to do his dirty work? And you just put up with that? [A third options menu with the choices "He was forced to work for Haltmann" and "Andonuts has been busy, but he cares" appears. The second option is selected] JK-EX-7000: I know it's been a while... B-but I don't blame him for it! He's been busy with his work, and I know he still cares about me. JK-EX-7000: He's helped me a whole lot... Doctor Andonuts, he taught me how to fend for myself in this world. He freed me from being experimented on by other researchers, and taught me how to repair myself when my systems get damaged... I owe my life to the doctor. JK-EX-7000: Doctor Andonuts and I genuinely care about each other, not that I expect you to understand something like that, Voice. How did you even get in here, anyway? Andonuts (???): Oh my dear Joke-Explainer™ 7000... Andonuts (???): This is where you're horribly mistaken! I've always been here. Always, nagging in the back of the doctor's mind. Everyone has their own 'version' of me deep within themselves... Andonuts (???): In fact... YOU yourself have your very own dissenting voice, the angry, spiteful part of you that always tells you no. Wouldn't you like to see her? [The Third Guilt transforms into the shape of the Joke-Explainer, which is followed by a fourth options menu appearing. This menu contains the choices "Deny the point" and "Refute the point" and the latter option is chosen.] JK-EX-7000: I-I... Even if, even if you're correct, I don't have to listen to that part of me. I may not be able to stop hate, but I can always encourage love! Andonuts (???): ...For now that may be the case, but not forever. Inevitably you'll fall, just as he has. Just as the doctor has, as well. Andonuts (???): At some point, you'll crack under the pressure, and the hate and the dark will consume every facet of your being. And what will you do when that happens? You will FALL. [At long last, the last options menu appeards and contains the options "Give self-motivational message" and "Point out The Voice has been stalling". The latter option is chosen] JK-EX-7000: ...Have you been stalling? Andonuts (???): What? [The Third Guilt morphs back into his original form] JK-EX-7000: This entire back-and-forth... You keep saying these big sweeping things, but never actually do anything. Are you... afraid? Andonuts (???): Wh-That's-Th-that's preposterous! Where do you get off, suggesting that I'm stalling?! Do you know who I am? What I'm capable of?! JK-EX-7000: Yes, I do. Which is why I believe you're stalling. You don't really WANT to do this, do you? You want me to talk you out of it so you can justifiably back away. So you won't have to... have to kill yourself. You don't really want to do that. Andonuts (???): You- I- I'm-... The shadowy Andonuts drops his stance, tilting his head down towards the floor. He attempts to get some refutation out against Joke-Explainer, but nothing that discernibly resembles English comes out. Finally he caves, clutching his head and falling to his knees with a groan. Andonuts (???): You stupid bitch... [FIGHT END] The dark figure lets out one last sigh, before readjusting what Joke-Explainer thinks is his tie and standing back upright. She looks off idly to the side awkwardly, but steps forward to give him a comforting hug. However he refuses to reciprocate, instead opting to stand there tensely. Andonuts (???): ...Are you done yet? Joke-Explainer promptly lets him go, and he proceeds to dust his sleeves off as if attempting to get some sort of grime off of him. Andonuts (???): Alright. You're a clever robot, I'll give you that much. I don't have a rebuttal for that point... Because I suppose in some regard, it is true. Truth be told, I'm rather tired. Andonuts (???): Tired of all of this anguish that constantly surrounds me. I'm sure you've heard all of this before... After all, you have been trekking through 'Anguish Avenue'. It'd be a little surprising not to find any anguish here, right? Joke-Explainer gives a short nod. Andonuts (???): Right... Well, fair is fair I suppose. I won't... do anything drastic today. Or at least, I won't. I can't say much for the rest of the doctor... Andonuts (???): Take the final Courage. Feel free to throw it against the wall and watch it splat for all I care. I have no business with it anymore. ...Oh yes, tell Varik I said hello when you meet him again. With that, the lights in the office suddenly light up, illuminating the entire space. The shadowy Andonuts dissipates in front of Joke-Explainer's eyes, leaving only a smol purple haired girl laying in his former place. She sits up to look at Joke-Explainer and gives a wave. Joke-Explainer waves back, before being interrupted by the two other Courages appearing from behind her. They seem overjoyed to be reunited with the last one, and the three of them together all give each other short waves and high fives. Once they're finished, they all face Joke-Explainer and enter her soul, giving her a great increase in strength and resolve. The Joke-Explainer™ 7000 finally has ALL 3 COURAGES! All of a sudden she hears a loud DING sound behind her. She turns around to see the elevator door open once again, beckoning her in. At first she refuses, searching for some other way to escape, like a staircase to the bottom, even considering breaking the window and flying back down... But she knows she doesn't have the energy to do that. She HAS to ride that horrid elevator back down. She metaphorically holds her breath as she steps inside. The elevator definitely wobbles under her weight, but not to the same degree as it did before. She carefully makes her way over to the buttons and presses the bottom one, causing the door to close and the elevator to begin its descent. It's a shockingly quiet ride down. The doors open up to reveal the outside, back in Anguish Avenue. She jumps out, happy to be out of that awful place. Anguish Avenue seems a bit brighter. Fog still covers the entire area, but she finds it a much easier time leaving the place than it was entering. She eventually makes her way back to where she originally came from, opting to turn back and look at the place one final time. It's... still eerie to look at. She decides to leave before it can pull any final mindgames on her. It takes a little while, but she makes it back to her original starting point. She spots the Mouth of Terror up ahead, with Varik still guarding it, and picks up her pace excitedly. Joke-Explainer is finally back, ready to contain the foreign entity plaguing Doctor Andonuts' mind once and for all. JK-EX-7000: I'm back, and I have th— Mr. Dee: Hi ho! I see you returned! Joke-Explainer once again gets a bit startled by the sudden appearance of Mr. Dee. JK-EX-7000: Oh, uh, hello again! Yes, I have also obtained all 3 courages. Mr. Dee: Goody! Boing! Much hurry, go show guard man courages! Joke-Explainer walks up to Varik, wondering how she should present the courages, when all 3 reveal themselves and one by one offer a high five to Varik. Varik: ... Varik gives a slight smirk, and reciprocates the offer. Varik then gives a nod of approval to Joke-Explainer, and opens the way for her to enter. Mr. Dee: Ding! Cave now open for you entering! JK-EX-7000: Thank you for all the help, Mr. Dee. Without your guidance, I am unsure where I'd be right now. Goodbye! Mr. Dee: Boing! Zoom! Bye bye! Joke-Explainer passes by Varik, and, gathering up as much of her own courage as she can, walks into the Mouth of Terror. As she ventures deeper, the light of the entrance gradually fades, leaving the cave walls illuminated only by the dim glow of her eyes and antenna. The darkness is certainly unnerving, but the longer she walks, the more she feels it's a bit... anticlimactic? Not to say that a dark cave isn't scary, but after everything she just went through, Joke-Explainer was bracing herself for something a lot more traumatizing. For all intents and purposes, this is just a normal cave. Though of course, just as the thought flows through her mind, she senses something... off. From certain parts of the cave walls, the light she's casting onto it seems to not reflect anything back. Tiny pockets of absolute nothing, holes that are almost imperceptibly small to her. Curiosity gets the better of her, and she gently pokes one of the strange dark holes to see what may be on the other side, but when she lifts her hand she notices that the hole is a much larger size now than it was before she touched it. [The dark holes of the Mouth of Terror grow in size] Lowering her arm, she spots small bits of rock and dust on her hand... bits of the wall that peeled off onto her. Suddenly, she hears a low rumble surrounding her. Looking up to witness the cause, she stares at the wall watching it be consumed by a horrible ever-present darkness. It threatens to swarm the entire cave, and she backs away in shock noticing just how close it was getting to her face. Her thrusters roar to life again as she dashes through the cave, desperate to stave off the crumbling darkness reaching her. The cave twists and distorts the further she flies through, but she doesn't care. She's been through hell and back already, nothing's going to stop her from completing her mission. Just gotta keep repeating that. [The darkness consumes the Mouth of Terror even further.] She won't let the darkness slowly surrounding her vision stop her from completing her mission. She won't let her losing any sense of gravity stop her from completing her mission. She won't let her vision being obscured and unable to see the walls around her anymore stop her from completing her mission. She thinks she sees a light... but before she can even think about reaching out to grab it, the darkness surrounds every facet of her being and she falls into nothing. For how long she drifts along, it is impossible to tell. It may be minutes. Days. Years. It becomes harder and harder for her to keep her mind stable. Does she even have a mind? It's hard to tell without anything that resembles a genuine thought passing through it. Maybe this is what being braindead is... She'd make a note of this experience if she had any capacity to. Is it an experience though? Or is it the absence of one? Not a single one of her senses are working, suspended in this empty void. ...Is this an empty void actually? Maybe there's other things around her... But then why can't she sense their presence? Maybe SHE doesn't really exist... What even constitutes the existence of Joke-Explainer then...? If she could just grab onto something, she could be able to better define the difference between what is and isn't a thought to her. If there ever really was a difference. If there ever really was anything. If there ever— From behind her, she hears the sound of a light switching on. Suddenly her thoughts spring back to life, the input screaming at her to turn the body she forgot she had around. When she does, she can see a single spotlight in the void, shining down on what looks like a standard work desk, housing an already running computer. Joke-Explainer starts cautiously walking up to the desk, trying to make out the details on the computer screen. After getting to the desk, she carefully begins to touch it to get a better view, when— Dr. Andonuts: Joke-Explainer! I-I can sense you made it into the Mouth of Terror, can you hear me? JK-EX-7000: Doctor? Yes, I can hear you, but... where are you? How is that possible without the radio? Dr. Andonuts: Oh thank goodness, you're ok! And you managed to get the 3rd Courage! Fantastic! Dr. Andonuts: As for how I can speak to you... I hypothesize that entering the Mouth of Terror may have put you deep enough in my consciousness, giving me the ability to speak to you from the inside. JK-EX-7000: That's... wonderful, Doctor! JK-EX-7000: Though, I am curious – do you know what this computer desk in front of me is? I don't understand why this is the only thing here. Is it important? Dr. Andonuts: Joke-Explainer, that is the foreign entity! Please, take out the Fun-Sized Absolutely Safe Capsule and capture it! We can end this nightmare once and for all! JK-EX-7000: ...This is the foreign entity? Are you sure? I wouldn't expect it to look like this. Dr. Andonuts: Please, you can't look too deep into it. The more time that goes by the bigger the threat becomes! Hurry! JK-EX-7000: Shouldn't we read what the computer has to say first? It could help determine the issue. Dr. Andonuts: Joke-Explainer, please, listen to me... Do not read what is on that computer. It is not important. What's important is trapping the entity, and safely getting you out of my mind. JK-EX-7000: Doctor, this threat has been endangering your well-being for a while. It is in our best interest to understand what that threat may be, is it not? Dr. Andonuts: I'm begging you, Joke-Explainer! Don't read the archives! We're so close, all you have to do is remove that memory and— JK-EX-7000: Hold on, memory? I thought—But you said this was a foreign entity, didn't you? The air snaps cold. The doctor's voice is gone. With each agonizing second of silence, more pieces begin to fit together in Joke-Explainer's mind. Dr. Andonuts: Okay. Okay, Joke-Explainer, listen. J-just listen to me for a second— JK-EX-7000: You said they were archives... You know what's on this computer, don't you? Have you been hiding this from me the entire time? Why would you lie to me about this? What could be in these archives that— Dr. Andonuts: STOP! The void surrounding Joke-Explainer begins to rapidly flash through a barrage of psychedelic, saturated colors, as the atmosphere reaches a fever pitch. She looks around, recoiling in shock before it settles back into being an empty, barren void. Dr. Andonuts: ...I'm sorry, I just can't let you see what is in those archives. I just need it gone. I deeply apologize that I lied to you, but can you please just use the capsule to get rid of the memory? It's for my own sake. JK-EX-7000: If it's for your own good, I must come to an understanding of what you're trying to hide. I'm sorry, Doctor. Dr. Andonuts: W-wait! DON'T! YOU'RE MAKING A MISTAKE! Joke-Explainer begins to read the archives on the computer... The void flares and flashes around her as she ignores them completely. Andonuts continues to plead. Dr. Andonuts: JOKE-EXPLAINER!!! I DON'T THINK YOU UNDERSTAND! YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THIS! Her head is unmoving, staring deep into every word of the archives. She seems... discontented. Over and over she rereads what's displayed on the screen while the waves of color dance frantically around her, desperately attempting to grab and pull her away from the computer altogether, though they have no physicality and simply phase through her every time. Eventually, after a long while of reading, she slowly turns her head to the side and looks up. JK-EX-7000: ...That's it? The swirling colors all suddenly freeze in place, shocked by the lack of emotional response. Dr. Andonuts: What...? Y-yes, YES THAT'S IT! WHAT DO YOU MEAN "THAT'S IT"?? JK-EX-7000: I... I already knew this information. Joke-Explainer flinches as the colors all explode in a frenzy, before fading away and leaving her back in darkness. She could've sworn she'd heard the doctor scream in confusion through all of that mess. Dr. Andonuts: No, n-no no no that's, that's fine... I know you're special, you have some strange connection with the world beyond... I already know this. Dr. Andonuts: Okay... Well! You read those dastardly archives, now get to sealing them away for me! Please! JK-EX-7000: Deleting information from someone's database goes against my programming. Dr. Andonuts: ...What? Dr. Andonuts: What do you mean? JK-EX-7000: My primary directive is the collection and spread of information. I can't do this to you, doctor... all information deserves to be accessible! Dr. Andonuts: You went all this way, I put you through all of this trouble... y-you can't be getting cold feet NOW! Please, you don't understand what this thing has done to me... JK-EX-7000: I'm sorry. I won't let this happen! [FIGHT START] Dr. Andonuts: Why would you want me to keep this memory? I'm just going to continue suffering from it. I don't want to continue feeling as if nothing I do matters... that my story is already predetermined. [An options menu with the options "Explain yourself" and "Empathize with him" appear onscreen. The first option is chosen.] JK-EX-7000: Listen, doctor. Trust me when I say I can understand where you're coming from. As someone... 'special' as you've said, I know that it can be a heavy load to shoulder. But rather than turning away, I think it may be better to talk about it first. Would you like to talk to me? Dr. Andonuts: I... Dr. Andonuts: It started as a morbid curiosity. I noticed a flaw in my logic about the state of our world... and I ended up going too far and opening Pandora's box. Dr. Andonuts: Learning that I, and everyone else I know and love, are simply puppets to greater powers who fling us around for their own twisted sense of entertainment... My entire LIFE has been determined from start to finish by beings I'll never even get to meet! [A white flash appears and the colored lights in the background slow down. Another options menu appears onscreen, containing the options "Your actions do matter" and JK-EX-7000: But your actions DO matter! Figments are a distillation of concepts and ideas taken shape, and ideas have the power to influence others around them with what they represent! JK-EX-7000: You affect the world beyond ours! We all do, really. People care about us, and what happens to us, and so what becomes our destiny is affected by us! Dr. Andonuts: Ohh, but who cares... Who cares about ME?! I'm so powerless, I'm a side character in my own life! I'm only here to be a working gear for the so called "main characters" that always have the spotlight! Did you know that bits and pieces of what happens in our world gets put on the SiIvaGunner channel at random points in time?? JK-EX-7000: ...Yes, the lore. Dr. Andonuts: And guess what! I checked – oh, god did I check – and the ONLY appearance I EVER make physically is when I was around for that stupid election! Dr. Andonuts: Not any of the actual INTERESTING things that have happened in my life, just a stupid throwaway conversation that I forgot about not even 2 hours after I left the scene! Dr. Andonuts: Anything else is just some document I happened to write! They're coincidence! They're NOTHING! [The screen flashes white once again as the colored lights start moving even slower. The final options menu then appears, containing the options "We care about you." and "I care about you." The second option is selected] JK-EX-7000: I care about you. I know how terrifying it feels, to know your whole life is pushed by a group you don't have much agency to negotiate with. But... that doesn't make any of what we go through any less real. JK-EX-7000: It doesn't feel fake to you, does it? Even if there's no audience to watch it all go down, it still happened. Your life still moves, even when you're alone. But... but you're not alone, doctor. JK-EX-7000: You've got your co-workers at Haltmann Works, and you've got me! And I know at the very least, that locking your memory away just because it hurts you means you won't ever let yourself heal. Just because you don't remember it, doesn't mean it won't affect you. JK-EX-7000: So please understand... I'm not going to use this capsule. [The colored lights slow down to the point where they barely move, revealing the head of Dr. Andonuts.] Dr. Andonuts: ... [The expression on Andonuts' face changes to sadness.] Dr. Andonuts: ... Dr. Andonuts: I... Dr. Andonuts: Ohh. If there's one thing I'll give you, it's that you're persistent. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have put you on this journey in the first place I feel... JK-EX-7000: I just want you to be okay, Doctor. Dr. Andonuts: ...Me too. Dr. Andonuts: Th-thank you. For everything you put up with. You... you don't have to seal the memory. As much as I'd love to forget it all and live in blissful unawareness... Scientific endeavors never succeed when scientists willingly have blindfolds over their eyes. Just, give me a second... [FIGHT END] Everything becomes surrounded by light, and Joke-Explainer can feel herself fall away from consciousness, into the... Joke-Explainer could feel a metal table underneath her. [The scene shifts back to the interior of Andonuts' office] Her optical sensors are taking a long time to adjust, barely seeing the fluorescent lights before hearing their quiet hum. She tried to move herself into a sitting position, but... wow, it's hard. She almost felt lightheaded again... JK-EX-7000: Doctor...? Dr. Andonuts: Joke-Explainer! A clipboard and pen rattled on the other table as Dr. Andonuts darted across the room, embracing Joke-Explainer and startling her back into sense. Dr, Adnonuts: I was so worried... I'm so, SO sorry that I put you through that experience. You didn't deserve it at all... The embrace tightened ever so slightly. After a moment of deliberation, she sheepishly returned the hug, letting herself rest into it. JK-EX-7000: No need to apologize, Doctor. I'm here for you, and I am always happy to assist you no matter what. Dr. Andonuts: Are you alright? How are you feeling? JK-EX-7000: I'm... alive. I feel... exhausted. Dr. Andonuts: Well, exhaustion is a sign of true science, my dear! She couldn't help but laugh a little. Joke-Explainer let herself be cradled in his arms, letting her sensors wind down... until her scheduling alarm beeped her awake. The Halloween event would be over by now, wouldn't it? JK-EX-7000: Doctor, I need to leave. Joke-Explainer tried to move out of the embrace, but Andonuts wasn't budging. Two taps on the shoulder, and he was off. Dr. Andonuts: Please, if there's anything I can ever do for you, let me know. You saved my life... I'll do anything to help you. ...Would you like another donut? Joke-Explainer turned to the side, shuffling her way towards the door. JK-EX-7000: Thank you, but no need. I'm satisfied in helping you in your troubling time. Dr. Andonuts: W-well, well here! Let me check for any damages to your system, at the very least. I was just about to run tests on your physical systems and neural network composition— JK-EX-7000: Doctor. Please... take a rest. I know how to conduct my own physical examination. You taught me, remember? Dr. Andonuts: But, but—! Joke-Explainer gave him a stern look. He sighed, dropping his shoulders and nodding slowly. Dr. Andonuts: Okay... o-okay. You're right, I should... JK-EX-7000: I really do have to go. I have unfinished obligations regarding the SiIvaGunner channel. Dr. Andonuts: ...-Just stay safe, alright? Don't be afraid to ask for my help whenever you need it. I... I care about you too, Joke-Explainer. JK-EX-7000: Of course. JK-EX-7000: Have a good recharge, Doctor. Dr. Andonuts: Likewise. He slinked away, exhausted but with an uplifted spirit, towards his room in the lab. Joke-Explainer stood in the doorway, thinking intently. After a moment or so, she nodded to herself softly, before she headed out of the tower. [The screen slowly fades to black] THE END

CogDis.exe

The game version of Cognitive Dissonance has the same story and dialogue as the YouTube version, but features options which are not shown off in the video, alongside other interactive elements.

At the start of the interactive visual, the startup screen points to "content warning.txt" instead of the video discription and asks the player if they want to continue:

To view open the dropdown, click "Expand".
The following experience features mature content. For full content warning, please read the included text file description. Do you consent to potentially disturbing content? (If the player selects "Yes":) Please enjoy the experience [The player is directed to the visual novel proper.] (If the player selects "No":) It's okay, I understand. [The application closes]

Gameplay

The gameplay of Cognitive Dissonance involves the player taking control of the The Joke-Explainer™ 7000, making various choices and selecting a few items throughout her journey. The Joke-Explainer has 2 HP, which will usually decrease by 1 if the player makes an incorrect choice during a battle or within the elevator ride to reach the Third Guilt.

Should the The Joke-Explainer's health reach zero, the player will receive a game over. The game over screen is based on the ones from the MOTHER series and features a spotlight shining on a sprite of The Joke-Explainer™ 7000. During this game over screen, the rip "Game Over - EarthBound Halloween Hack", which was created by Madinstance, plays and the following text appears:

Joke-Explainer!
It looks like you got your head handed to you.
You should give it another shot

After the game over screen, the Joke-Explainer is returned to

The Joke-Explainer also has an inventory, which can be opened through the icon of the purple pouch in the top-right corner. Throughout her journey, various items are added and removed from it. There are 6 items in total that the Joke-Explainer collects in her journey within Andonuts's Magicant:

The Joke-Explainer's inventory

Item	Icon	Description
Donut	‎	A donut given to the Joke-Explainer by Andonuts at the start of the game. This item is obtained when the player chooses "Yes" when Dr. Andonuts offers the Joke-Explainer a donut.
Radio	‎	A radio resembling Dr. Andonuts head, which is used by the Joke-Explainer to communicate with Andonuts whlile she's inside his Magicant. This item is lost when the Joke-Explainer throws it at the door before the fight against the Second Guilt and when she drops it during the elevator ride.
Fun-Sized Absolutely Safe Capsule	‎	A miniature version of the Absolutely Safe Capsule from MOTHER 3, which is to the Joke-Explainer by Dr. Andonuts to contain the foreign entity plaguing his mind.
Courage of Worth		The first of the Three Courages, which is modelled after Jeff from EarthBound. This Courage is obtained after the Joke-Explainer defeats the First Guilt and is lost when the Joke-Explainer enters the Mouth of Terror.
Courage of Self	‎	The second of the Three Courages, which is modelled after Lucas from MOTHER 3. This Courage is obtained after the Joke-Explainer defeats the Second Guilt and is lost when the Joke-Explainer enters the Mouth of Terror.
Courage of Love	‎	The last of the Three Courages, which is modelled after Smol Nozomi. This Courage is obtained after the Joke-Explainer defeats the Third Guilt and is lost when the Joke-Explainer enters the Mouth of Terror.

Throughout the game, these various items must be selected in order to progress, such as choosing the radio to communicate with Andonuts.

Additionally, the interactive visual novel contains options, dialogue and a bad ending which are not shown off within the YouTube video. While most of these alternate options and dialogue relate to the fights against the Three Guilts and Andonuts, another alternate option appears in Dr. Andonuts's office at the start. In the scene where Dr. Andonuts offers the Joke-Explainer a donut, the player can choose the option "No". This results in the donut not being added to her inventory and the following dialogue:

(If the player selects "No" when Dr. Andonuts offers the Joke-Explainer a donut:)

JK-EX-7000:

Sorry, I'm not hungry at this moment.

Dr. Andonuts:

Oh.

Battles

The game features 4 battles, with the final one being exclusive to the good ending. These battles invole the Joke-Explainer confronting Dr. Andonuts and his Three Guilts. In order to win the battles, the player must choose the correct choices in the options menu. Choosing the wrong options will lead to the Joke-Explainer taking damage as the player returned to their previous options menu to choose another option.

First Guilt

The fight against the First Guilt consists of three choice menus with 2 choices, totalling 6 different options. In order to win the battle the player must choose the options 'Press him on "the hurt he's caused"', "Give him the benefit of the doubt." and "Show solidarity with Andonuts". Of the 6 options featured in this battle, the options "Ask why he wants to hurt her.", "Give him a wake-up call." and "Ask him why he was so afraid of this." were not shown in the video version. Transcript of the dialogue associated with these options are included in the section below:

To open the transcript, click "Expand".

(If the player selects "Ask why he wants to hurt her." in the first options menu:) JK-EX-7000: I don't understand, why would you want to hurt me? Andonuts (?): WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU'RE SO SPECIAL? A STUPID BITCH LIKE YOU WOULD NEVER UNDERSTAND Andonuts (?) threw a glass shard! 1 HP of damage to Joke-Explainer! (If the player selects "Give him a wake-up call." in the second options menu:) JK-EX-7000: Feeling bad about those things is quite a normal response. It's okay to acknowledge your actions were wrong, as long as you can grow and change from those experiences. Andonuts (?): OH, WHAT A SURPRISE! I'M WRONG AGAIN! WANT ME TO OFFER MY HEAD ON A STICK, JUST FOR YOU?! fuckhead Andonuts (?) threw a glass shard! 1 HP of damage to Joke-Explainer! (The player selects "Ask him why he was so afraid of this." in the third options menu.) JK-EX-7000: I don't understand, why are you so afraid of them knowing? There's nothing shameful to hide about that. Even if they disrespect you for it, they don't deserve your time. Andonuts (?): WOULD BE EASY FOR YOU TO SAY, WOULDN'T IT YOU'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE TETHERED TO SOMEBODY ELSE YOU COULDN'T LOVE HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF THE PERSON CLOSEST TO YOU CALLED YOU A Andonuts (?) threw a glass shard! 1 HP of damage to Joke-Explainer!

Second Guilt

The fight against the Second Guilt consists of 4 options menus containing 2 choices each, totalling 8 different choices. In order to defeat the Second Guilt, the options 'Ask to elaborate on him being the "perfect being"', "Question why he always feels the need to serve" and "To ease Doctor Andonuts' mind" must be chosen by the player. Notably, both of options in the third options menu are considered "correct" and allow the Joke-Explainer to proceed to the next part of the fight, but also force her to take damage. This also makes it impossible to win the fight if an incorrect option is chosen either before or after the third options menu.

Of the 8 choices in the Second Guilt's battle, the options 'Question what is so different about them robotically.', "Ask how he feels about the suffering he's caused", "Motivate Andonuts to stand up for himself" and "To get the Courage" were not shown in the video version. Transcript of the dialogue associated with these options are included in the section below:

To open the transcript, click "Expand".

(If the player selects "Question what is so different about them robotically." in the first options menu:) JK-EX-7000: If we're both at least partially robotic, what makes you superior?" Andonuts (??): Your failure to comprehend tells more than my words ever could. Andonuts (??) activates a buzzsaw! 1 HP of damage to Joke-Explainer! (If the player selects "Ask how he feels about the suffering he's caused" in the second options menu:) JK-EX-7000: Is this really who you want to continue being? How do you feel about the anguish you've put onto others? Andonuts (??): Are you truly this dense? How many times must I say it? I feel nothing. Andonuts (??) activates a buzzsaw! 1 HP of damage to Joke-Explainer! (If the player selects "Motivate Andonuts to stand up for himself" in the third options menu:) JK-EX-7000: You can't possibly be happy in this situation. Nothing will change for you unless you stand up for yourself Doctor, you'll never know until you try! Andonuts (??): I will no longer engage with you. Andonuts (??) activates a buzzsaw! 1 HP of damage to Joke-Explainer! (The player proceeds to the final options menu) (If the player selects "To get the Courage" in the final options menu:) JK-EX-7000: My motive is to get the Courage and capture whatever is attacking Doctor Andonuts' mind! Andonuts (??): You think I didn't know that? Your persistent lack of awareness is astounding. Goodbye. Andonuts (??) activates a buzzsaw! 1 HP of damage to Joke-Explainer! Joke-Explainer got hurt and collapsed! [Game Over]

Third Guilt

The fight against the Third Guilt consists of 5 option menus, totalling 10 options in total. Given that the Joke-Explainer starts the fight with 1 HP, choosing an incorrect option will result in an instant game over. Additionally, the option "Deny the point" is unique in that it features a game over sequence that is not caused by the Joke-Explainer's HP becoming 0.

In order to win the battle, the options 'Refute the point about "torture"', "He didn't know how to ask for help", "Andonuts has been busy, but he cares", "Refute the point" and "Point out The Voice has been stalling". Of the 10 options in the fight against the Third Guilt, the options "Everyone deserves to live", "Insist The Voice is lying, believe in the doctor", "He was forced to work for Haltmann", "Deny the point" and "Give self-motivational message" were not shown in the video version. A transcript of the dialogue associated with these options is included below:

To open the dropdown, click "Expand".

(If the player selects "Everyone deserves to live" in the first options menu:) JK-EX-7000: I think everyone deserves to live, no matter what. You only have one life here, you shouldn't throw it away so hastily. Andonuts (???): I strongly disagree! There are some people who must be destroyed for the good of the whole. The doctor is among them, and that you defend him and his ilk proves that you are too. Die. Andonuts (???) swings a knife! 1 HP of damage to Joke-Explainer! Joke-Explainer got hurt and collapsed! [Game Over] (If the player selects "Insist The Voice is lying, believe in the doctor" in the second options menu:) JK-EX-7000: I don't believe you! Doctor Andonuts would not intentionally spare me details on something that could potentially put me in any danger! Andonuts (???): Oh how cute. I would pity you if you weren't currently attempting to stand in my way to stop my endeavors. Let me put you out of your misery to spare you of the knowledge. Andonuts (???) swings a knife! 1 HP of damage to Joke-Explainer! Joke-Explainer got hurt and collapsed! [Game Over] (If the player selects "He was forced to work for Haltmann" in the third options menu:) JK-EX-7000: It isn't Doctor Andonuts' fault for being so busy, he's been forced to work under Haltmann constantly, having to conduct consistent research. Andonuts (???): How disappointing. I see you've resorted to grasping at straws, conjuring up people who don't exist to prove your points. Andonuts (???): And here I thought it was your job to explain jokes, not make them. I'm afraid humor will get you nowhere with me though. This joke has run its course. Andonuts (???) swings a knife! 1 HP of damage to Joke-Explainer! Joke-Explainer got hurt and collapsed! [Game Over] (If the player selects "Deny the point" in the fourth options menu:) JK-EX-7000: N-no... That, that can't be! You can't trick me, I don't have anything like that within myself! Andonuts (???): Oh, is that the case? You really believe that? Then tell me... What's that clouding your vision? JK-EX-7000: Wha—? [The screen flashes purple as an evil laugh from the Joke-Explainer is heard.] [Game Over] (If the player selects "Give self-motivational message" in the final options menu:) JK-EX-7000: Not if I always have the light of my friends by my side! And that includes Doctor Andonuts! He deserves saving as much as everyone else does! Andonuts (???): You're starting to repeat yourself... I've heard this all before. No new points... As if I could count on you to give me something I haven't heard yet. Andonuts (???): I grow bored of this encounter. Get out of my way. Andonuts (???) swings a knife! 1 HP of damage to Joke-Explainer! Joke-Explainer got hurt and collapsed! [Game Over]

Endings

The interactive visual novels has both a bad ending and a true ending, with the former not being shown in the video version.

Bad Ending

Selecting the Fun-Sized Absolutely Safe Capsule when Dr. Andonuts begs the Joke-Explainer to remove the bad memory from him will result in the player receiving the game's bad ending.

In this ending, The Joke-Explainer tosses the miniature device to the computer, sealing it away before suddenly returning to Andonuts' lab. Andonuts thanks the Joke-Explainer for helping him, while the latter leaves his office to continue running the SiIvaGunner channel, feeling unfullfilled with the ending to her journey. The track "Donut Holes - Cognitive Dissonance: A CCC Side Story", composed by Madinstance, plays while the Joke-Explainer is in Andonuts' lab after leaving his Magicant. The transcript for the game's bad ending is included below:

To open the transcript, click "Expand".

Joke-Explainer tosses the miniature device towards the computer. As the device makes contact, it opens up and shrinks down the computer, before closing again. Joke-Explainer proceeds to walk over and pick up the sealed capsule. The next thing she knew, she was back in Andonuts' lab. She then heard the door to the machine open. Dr. Andonuts: Joke-Explainer, you did it, you got rid of the memory! JK-EX-7000: Yes, I suppose I succeeded in my mission. How are you feeling, Doctor? Dr. Andonuts: I feel better than ever. JK-EX-7000: Oh that's great news, Doctor. Dr. Andonuts: Thank you, Joke-Explainer. Our business here has concluded, you may leave my lab and go back to running the SiIvaGunner YouTube channel. JK-EX-7000: Uh... Sure, I guess. Goodbye, Doctor. Joke-Explainer exited out of Andonuts' lab feeling unfulfilled. [The screen slowly fades to black as the text "THE END?" appears on screen and the application is closed.]

Final Battle & Good Ending

As hinted by the visual novel's window being called "Press The B Key Stupid", the "B" key must be pressed during the scene where Dr. Andonuts demands the Joke-Explainer remove his bad memory. Pressing the B key leads to the final fight against Dr. Andonuts and the game's good ending. This final fight consists of 3 options menus, totalling 6 different options. To win the final battle, the options "Empathize with him", "Your actions do matter" and "I care about you." must be chosen.

Additionally, choosing the option "We care about you." in the game's final option menu results in an instant game over. Of the 6 possible options in the final fight against Andonuts, the options "Explain yourself", "The beings are nothing to be afraid of" and "We care about you." are not shown in the video version. A transcript of the dialogue associated with these options is included below:

To open the transcript, click "Expand".

(If the player selects "Explain yourself" in the first options menu:) JK-EX-7000: I am an archivist, Doctor. It is my job to explain the jokes of rips on SiIvaGunner! It isn't right to delete or remove information when all information should be available and accessible no matter what. Dr. Andonuts: You believe my memories should be accessible for others to see? ...I'm not sure I quite get what you mean... are... are my memories accessible to everyone...? Andonuts gets a splitting headache! 1 HP of damage to Joke-Explainer! (If the player selects "The beings are nothing to be afraid of" in the second options menu:) JK-EX-7000: Oh believe me, the writers aren't so bad! In fact, they're super cool! ;) Right back at ya, buddy. Dr. Andonuts: W-what!? Who just said that!? Andonuts gets a splitting headache! 1 HP of damage to Joke-Explainer! (If the player selects "We care about you." in the final options menu:) JK-EX-7000: We do care about you. If you're so bothered by a lack of story presence in SiIvaGunner lore, don't worry! This entire journey is a whole side story, all about you! People care so much, they've been writing and watching this all go down, cheering you on! Dr. Andonuts: What? JK-EX-7000: Yes, isn't that great? The world beyond ours cares about you a whole bunch. Dr. Andonuts: I... You're telling me this... this entire ordeal, all this pain and suffering I've been through, I've put you through... WHY? WHY THIS?? WHY IN MY MOST VULNERABLE MOMENT?! WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS COSMIC PUNISHMENT BEYOND MY SCOPE OR REASON?! I- I-I CAN'T, I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE! JK-EX-7000: Wait! Wait doctor, stop you— Andonuts gets a splitting headache! SMAAAASH!! 2 HP of damage to Joke-Explainer! Joke-Explainer got hurt and collapsed! [Game Over]

Depending on whether or not the Joke-Explainer accepted Andonuts' donut at the start, the dialogue of the good ending will be slightly different:

To open the transcript, click "Expand".

(If the Joke-Explainer accepted Andonuts' donut at the start:) Dr. Andonuts: Please, if there's anything I can ever do for you, let me know. You saved my life... I'll do anything to help you. ...Would you like another donut? (If the Joke-Explainer rejected Andonuts' donut at the start:) Dr. Andonuts: Please, if there's anything I can ever do for you, let me know. You saved my life... I'll do anything to help you. ...Are you sure you don't want a donut?

The good ending of the game also doesn't have an end credits like the video version. Instead, the visual novel features the string "4UMwnKEfEXl" at the end, which needed to reach the end of the MAXPH branch of The Susie ARG.

Credits

To view the credits, click "Expand".

STAFF Concept Grambam36 Madinstance LEAD WRITER KiIvaKunner ADDITIONAL WRITERS ackrostation Grambam36 BigBadBlob BobTheTacocat 601billionlazer circunflexo ART DIRECTORS ackrostation KiIvaKunner ART by SG ART TEAM 813N circunflexo Keeby10 mBluett SparkBag AAM moralem 601billionlazer ackrostation GhostlyMega Stickr Party Rock Burd_Lady Flowersnax Whatevzz MUSICIANS Madinstance Aps17 minindo Jp Grambam36 eg_9371 Smoky PROGRAMMERS BigBadBlob Madinstance 601billionlazer VIDEO EDITOR BigBadBlob VOICE ACTORS 601billionlazer - The Ultimate Chimera Jea - The Joke-Explainer™ 7000 SPECIAL THANKS SoDaRa

Description

A doctor and a smol robot work to stop a malevolent entity.

This story contains the following:

• Flashing lights
  
• Strong language
  
• Psychological horror elements
  
• References to mental health including internalized homophobia and self-harm/suicide
  
• MOTHER series spoilers
  

CCC Episode Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL0CQjrcN8D0lwvLRcGFUJJIeTcZW9Mlq
The Story So Far: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLL0CQjrcN8D23K_2QVW1dhr5wn5YNaBYA
Download CogDis: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1erJck1IRYTPbY2fkH2FvcUGRqXYtbxyN
Platform: PC

Gallery

Main article: Cognitive Dissonance - A SilvaGunner Christmas Comeback Crisis Side Story/Gallery

History

This rip was originally titled "Cognitive Dissonance - A SiIvaGunner Christmas Comeback Crisis Side Story" with an uppercase i in SiIvaGunner. It was renamed to use a lowercase L in February 2025.

Trivia

• The Joke-Explainer™ 7000 left a comment on this video, which was pinned by SiIvaGunner:

Right, I suppose it makes sense that this was documented...

I'm sorry for not telling the truth, everyone. All this work has been more on me than I let on. And then this happened, and then... the Direct went up? And now I'm not sure what's going on at all... is this an ARG?

I had queued up the winter event until the 25th, with the intention to wake up and continue monitoring the channel into the usual January break. But... I should probably rest a little bit more.

Keep up the good work with whatever is going on. I'll catch up later. Merry Christmas.

- The Joke-Explainer™ 7000

• On the whiteboard in the laboratory where the First Guilt is fought, Boltzmann's entropy formula can be seen written with the Omega symbol before the fight, and is replaced with the formula for e (Euler's Number) after the fight. This is in reference to the e∩Ω story arc, which features Gegagedigedagedago, also known as the Omega Nugget, entering a conflict with The numberphile, who is strongly associated with Euler's number.
• The scene where Andonuts' Third Guilt introduces himself is referred to as "terrifying", which is a reference to The Voice's introduction and the line "Welcome… …to a terrifying reality." from "One Last Chance".
• As the video and visual novel are primarily based on the MOTHER series, they contain many references to both the official MOTHER games and their fan works:
  • The title is a reference to the MOTHER fan game MOTHER: Cognitive Dissonance.
  • The First Guilt is based on Dr. Andonuts' incarnation from the EarthBound Halloween Hack, with them having similar designs and dialogue before their respective battles against the protagonist.
  • The background to the Third Guilt's fight, which features the Joke-Explainer Replica in her outfit from the SiIvaGunner All-Star Nuclear Winter Festival, is based on an unused background for the final boss of MOTHER 3.
• Cognitive Dissonance was originally intended to be an EarthBound ROM hack that ended on a more depressing note before it was repurposed into a Christmas Comeback Crisis side story.

ARG

Achieving the true ending in the game version of Cognitive Dissonance gives you a code for a YouTube link, which leads to the final reward of the MAXPH branch, the video "The World Beyond Ours [FILE-INT-MAXPH] - Haltmann's Archives".