#I can date Tenna...

[daiourage]

Deltarune Sketch Dump

♥️ Ralsei or bust x20 (Susie is participating in saying this)

When your OC becomes real—//shot

Aaaaaaaa since @patchwork-crow-writes follows me now????? Hello????? I’m fanboying rn don’t look at me this is a present to you my guy 🥂 I was already planning to draw this silly comic but now I’ll give this to you!!!! Thank you for becoming mutuals with me what did I do to deserve this—

(I also just wanted to draw Kris and the player getting along bc i NEED IT AAAAAAAA)

Tenna doodles under the cut~~~

Love TV man;;; blasting his battle theme helped me through beating the ch.3 secret boss bc its battle theme SCARED ME (which is the point ikik but akdsnskjs i am a WEENIE)

I accidentally gave him away before visiting his room in Castle Town bc I forgot Ralsei does that… whoops. I’m so sorry Mr. “Ant” Tenna-Dreemurr please forgive me I’ll never forget you 😔🤝

100% will be cosplaying as Tenna for Halloween (at college lmao) but just in case can someone send me something like 2 days before Halloween so I remember

ALSO LOVE HOW WE AS A FANDOM SAID SPAMTON WAS THE MOST DIVORCED MAN???? AND HE WAS????? Please get back together i can’t handle another divorce—

Also also have this last doodle I drew 10 min before class

If ch.5 is the festival… I imagine Ralsei’ll get jealous bc he can’t join us. And since ch.5 is hinted (more like told) to involve Asgore and him burning a field of flowers in jealousy…

That’s all I’m saying about it 😭🫶

[amynchan]

She's not an outdoorsy girl, but she's recently been looking into tree climbing.

[upon-sunflower-trails]

tenna headcanons

sfw and nsfw relationship headcanons for tenna!

never doubt me because when i have a hyperfixation i don't PLAY

The sweetest to you, he will do just about anything to keep you happy. Giant bouquets of flowers, broadcasts dedicated to you, extravagant dates, the whole works

Makes sure everyone within a ten mile radius knows the two of you are an item. You're so so dear to him <3

Pet names for you consist of sweetheart, honey, sugar, and muffin. He goes overboard sometimes, and probably uses these nicknames more than your actual name

He gets veeery insecure, so he needs a lot of reassurance. Whether it be about himself or your relationship, he will constantly ask you for your favorite things about him, the reasons you're with him, if you would love him if he were a worm

Expect to play minigames with him constantly. He likes to take you on little game dates, where he leads your avatar around the beach and takes pictures of the two of you together

Anyone who asks about you will be subject to a six-page thesis in real time about how amazing you are and everything Tenna loves about you

When he's flustered, blush pops up on his screen and you can swear that you see him switch to static for a minute

He would be the one to confess first, no matter how worried he was that you would reject him

Even though Tenna is flashy, his confession of love would be incredibly personal. He would almost shrink a little as he admitted to his feelings, getting emotional as he accepted the fact that you would most likely reject him

He, of course, was overjoyed when you reciprocated. Returned to normal size as cheerful music blared, scooping you up in his arms and pressing kisses all over your face

He loves everything about you, and he thinks you're perfect. He has to sneak in at least one reference to you every time he's on-air

NSFW BELOW THE CUT

I see him as a switch; he prefers being a service top but he'll bottom when he's feeling particularly down on himself

When he's upset with his employees, dom all the way. Probably the kind of guy to bend you over his desk to blow off steam

To him, there's no better way to spend his night than with his face between your legs. Much prefers giving oral than fingering, in my very humble opinion

Will lightly toy with the idea of exhibitionism, in the way that he'd have you under his desk and sucking him off while in a meeting or something

Horrific praise kink. Please tell him how good he is, what a great job he's doing, how badly you needed him. He will increase his efforts by tenfold.

I headcanon that his antennas are super sensitive, which you likely either find out by accident or in the heat of the moment. He'll beg for you to touch them while you ride his face or fuck him

Vocal as hell (especially if you play with the antennas), he is practically incapable of staying quiet. He whimpers and moans when he's being more gentle or subbing, and lets out groans and hisses while pounding into you during his more dominant moments

Loooves to tease you, both with pet names in the moment and overstimulation. He can be unrelenting when he wants to be

Not big into pain (both giving and receiving), but will tug on your hair when particularly lost in blowing off steam

Lowkey has a breeding kink, even if he may never acknowledge it. Just can't get enough of filling you up.

Whether his comment to Mike about kids is true or not, if you are able (and want) to carry children, it'll become his newest fixation. The second you give him the go-ahead, yeah, he's creampie-ing you for weeks

He prefers to actually fuck you instead of just jacking off, but if he doesn't have any other options, he'll gladly pump himself to the thought of you while at his desk. Free hand covering his mouth while his monitor practically burns, whines of your name spilling from his lips

Size kink is basically a given with him. I mean, he towers over everybody, so you are of course no exception. Holding your much smaller hands over your head as he pins you against the wall to obliterate your insides is one of his guilty pleasures

hope you guys enjoyed reading :) tenna my beloved i hope i did you justice

[2000sangel]

some general tenna x reader headcanons?

HEY! Thank you so much for the request, I already have some others in my inbox as well so I'll try to get to at least a second one today since it's my day off! I thought it would be cool to start with these since there's not many around yet. Enjoy! ^^

Tenna x GN!Reader - General Headcanons!

(...they are below the cut. :3 )

♡ Let’s start off by saying that Tenna absolutely has a soft spot for you, as his trusted, wondrous partner: he can come off as obnoxious and demanding to his subordinates, and while these characteristics also pop up in the course of your relationship sometimes, he always makes it a point to be nicer to you and communicate as best as he’s capable of.

♡ You don’t even need to remind him who he’s speaking to much if he ever gets like that, because the love towards you that fills his heart does enough of a good job to remind him itself. You’re one of the few individuals he sincerely apologizes to whenever he’s made a mistake, and if for some reason he doesn’t end up apologizing straight-forwardly, he surely acts like hurting you even on accident might just be the worst act he has ever committed...until you remind him that going back to normalcy is what you guys should be doing instead.

♡ He likes praise...a little too much, perhaps. Your compliments never fail to make him grow a whole foot taller at least! If you keep your praise for rarer occasions, you might...no, you WILL catch a blush on his cheeks as well (in the form of SMPTE color bars on his whole screen)! In return he will compliment you just as much if not even more and you should probably prepare yourself to engage in his silly little antics...because depending on the context he might pick you up and spin you around as he chants all his adoration towards you!

♡ He’s also surprisingly clumsy when it comes to things like cuddling and hugging, unless they’re part of an act and he can get unserious with it: it might be because of his size, or even because of the lack of physical affection in his everyday life except when it comes to you...or both. Either way, he never really knows how to position himself, and usually his hugs in private are quick and a bit awkward at least at first. However, he would very much like to get cuddlier with you, so questions such as ‘Are you liking this, sweetheart?’ are ever-present whenever either of you initiates any kind of affection. Over time he becomes more natural with it but he still asks almost every time...just to make sure!

♡ Tenna is...quite passionate when it comes to his show! And as such he likes involving you whenever it’s possible; if you’re camera shy, don’t you worry, for you don’t even have to be part of it directly! Of course it would be awesome if you could be on stage together, but for him it’s enough that you’re enthusiastic about trying out his games and quizzes before the show airs. It’s never really an issue if you can’t get the answers right or you can’t beat a level, as long as you give gentle feedback on how to improve it. And if you ever do end up on stage, prepare yourself to be the spotlight! He’s VERY excited to have you there, and will make it his life mission for the night to get it across that you’re his beloved partner!

♡ Dates with Tenna are extravagant, so you should also be prepared each time he decides to take you on one! There’s no such thing as ‘boring’ when he’s involved, for better or for worse. Yes, sometimes he deems it a bit too important to be entertaining, when you’d just like to have a little moment for yourselves. It’s very difficult for him to unlearn to be an entertainment all the time, and to instead learn to just...be. Sometimes it has you wondering if he was programmed for it, but TV shows can be chill and so can he, by logic. So yes, it’s very much possible for him to tone it down and just enjoy his alone time with you, especially when you’re the organizer of the date. He learns to enjoy to unwind, and so you slowly become his safe, comfortable place.

♡ Overall though, Tenna makes it a point to be as charming as he can whenever a special occasion comes around: your birthday, Valentine’s Day, your anniversary, your monthiversary, your...dayversary...yes, he’s absolutely one of THOSE people. If you worry about dates, then stop right now, because he will remind you anything and everything related to you and your relationship and even more if you ask him to. On the rare occasion that he forgets, something is probably up and you should worry, but he seems to be incapable of forgetting, be it because he’s constantly thinking about schedules or something else. Though it could be overwhelming if you’re not the type to celebrate such things all the time...it’s clearly a good indicator that he absolutely cares!

[mandatory-blog-stop-asking]

deltarune spoilers I wanna talk about chapter 4 below is a pretty mundane theory about the knight's identity and their role in the narrative

Just writing some unimportant stuff in this line because Tumblr sucks and sometimes doesn't care about the break anyway let's go

I'm pretty sure at this point (and thus am probably wrong) that the Knight is Dess Holiday, but also that Dess was the original girl hero in the trio that's supposed to save the world.

First thing that catches my eye is the difference between what Ralsei tells us the prophecy is like, and actually seeing the prophecy for real in the church.

In Ralsei's version, this is how the monster looks like.

This is important because this is pretty clearly Susie. It's a dinosaur-like monster that wields an axe.

This is a depiction that comes up later; in Chapter 2 we see it in Queen's Castle, as a statue Susie can steal for her bedroom. Consider that Queen does not know about these things and is just adjusting and recreating things that people look up online, and that she knows about the protagonists. By and large she's probably just copying Ralsei's notes.

However, when we go to the Dark Sanctuary, we learn a couple of interesting things--

Ralsei is not telling the whole prophecy, and is in fact paraphrasing it for pacing and length.

Save for Ralsei, those are not the original symbols of the heroes.

This is how the hero looks:

Notice that instead of showing Kris, it's showing the player, the SOUL. It's a very specific difference; Kris is the cage and is included in the text, but the implication of showing the actual SOUL instead of them makes the prophecy ring a lot different.

The second hero, however, looks like this:

It's fun that they don't even call her a monster, just a girl, which could always mean some wild shit we don't know yet, but let's focus on the symbol-- if memory serves, this is the ACT symbol. For example, you can get this symbol on Kris's battle HUD if you call for Genson in the Dark Sanctuary:

It also looks a lot like Susie's Rude Buster, but not like the Rude Buster symbol, which is a magical flame.

Either way, then we go a bit further and get to the main point I'm trying to make:

That's not Susie.

Susie doesn't wield a sword. She has never wielded a sword. She has an axe.

The axe is so Susie's weapon that it materializes no matter what she's holding. It came pre-packed with her Dark World form, it's not something she chose-- she even has dialogue about how she doesn't know why she's carrying an axe, but, hey, axes are cool.

I believe this is supposed to be Dess, Noelle's older sister, for a few reasons

She's obviously a very important character who is absent, missing in such a way that has caused hurt on every character. We're shown that she's the first one to "leave" during Tenna's flashback to how it used to be in the Dreemurr/Holiday get-togethers, and her absence is deeply felt by everyone involved whenever her name comes up.

She's described as strong, incredibly cool, and overall the kind of person who would be a hero.

In conversations, Noelle mentions that Dess would hit Kris with a wiffle bat when they would lie to her until they stopped. Obviously two different weapon types, but a bat and a sword are a lot more like each other than a sword and an axe-- at least in how you hold it!

The rest of the Hero Girl prophecy mentions she would find love-- while Susie is obviously in love with Noelle, Dess is also pretty clearly flirting or secretly dating Asriel.

That's part one of the theory, part two is that instead of becoming one of the heroes, something happened to her (which seems to have involved a sacrifice?) that made it so that instead of becoming one of the three heroes, she became the Roaring Knight instead. Evidence for the Knight being Dess (as opposed to, say, Carol) is:

The Knight has antlers, the most obvious signifier that they're a Holiday. But also, did you notice what the sword looks like when the Knight summons it?

IT LOOKS LIKE A BAT. BAM BIG REVEAL MASSIVE PAYOFF. YOU THOUGHT I WAS STRETCHING BACK THERE. YOU THOUGHT I DIDN'T HAVE A PLAN. YOU'RE ALL STUCK IN HERE WITH ME.

Anyway the Knight also:

Attacks with stars -- like Christmas stars, above Christmas trees.

The Knight is horrifying-- and Dess was really into horror movies. She's in fact the reason why Noelle is into creepy things, even if they do genuinely frighten her.

The Knight is not physical-- it can obviously turn into a ball to fly around, but more important than that, it turns into pure static when you actually attack it. Garbage noise.

It almost looks like the Knight is some kind of distortion, like a hologram.

And then, one final thing related to both of these characters that I think is what's actually missing to understand what's going on between the Dreemurrs and the Holidays:

During Chapter 3, you can play the "real version" of a game Tenna has modified to be easier and more direct. In it, you control Kris, who goes through the game world doing a No Mercy run on enemies, then on their own friends, finally ending with a dungeon run where you slaughter a lot of monsters and flowers. This eventually rewards you with the Shadow Mantle you need to defeat the Knight. (if you're not a god and can perfectly dodge everything, that is)

In one of these, you encounter a different kind of enemy that has no equivalent in any other room. There's this thing that copies your movements, in a dark chamber.

If you go into the game's files, you can actually not only find out what this is, you can also lighten up this room.

It's a black deer.

This is probably the most direct reference to the Knight being a deer in the game (even if it's just in the files), but the final piece, the thing that actually makes me lose my mind, is the fact that there is actually a variable that turns the actual model into the "monster" you fight in this room. This variable is only used here. When you walk into the room, the variable turns to true, and the deer becomes the room's enemy.

The variable's name?

Toriel turns her into a monster.

So, here's my attempt at making sense of it all:

Dess was supposed to be one of the three heroes, wielding her bat as a sword.

Asgore and Toriel have something to do with whatever happened with Dess. Whatever they did tore apart their relationship with the Holidays, and their own marriage.

Whatever happened to Dess has been weaponized and whatever's left of her has become the Roaring Knight.

Susie's reaction to the final bit of prophecy likely has to do with someone dying by the hands of the Hero Girl, which she correctly points out would never happen in their specific group.

And she's right. It wouldn't. Because she's not the hero girl.

This also means Susie's going at this hero thing completely unaided by prophecy, 100% stoked on hopes and dreams, because she's the best. You can check out a video exploring more of the deer situation here.

now i know what you're thinking

if the hero is dess, why doesn't the church mural have antlers?

and the answer

might surprise you

OH SHIT A DOG

anyway that was it go away

[cheesycatz]

Me: (puts the DealMaker on Kris just in case there's a single reference to Spamton in Chapter 3)

The pathetic divorced TV that's still whipped 20+ years later:

So YEAH writing my thoughts on the Spamton and Tenna content we got. Mainly:

Tenna is WAY more obsessed with Spamton than Spamton is obsessed with Tenna

Tenna's fond memories of Spamton have been tainted by his current hatred of Spamton

Tenna blames his problems on Spamton because that's easier than accepting his fate as a darkner of becoming obsolete

Tenna probably believes Spamton is more successful than ever, and would probably sympathize if he knew how poorly Spamton was actually doing

The 10 ft tall TV man is the submissive one?????

wait no delete undo control z delete delete delte dlelatefbbsjabcjowm

(Here's a YouTube video with all the nonsense I'll be referencing if you're normal and don't know what the hell I'm talking about)

It's interesting just how obsessed Tenna is? Despite the fact that Spamton thinks Tenna is the one entirely responsible for his downfall, he only mentions him a few times, and usually so vaguely we didn't even know he was referring to Tenna until chapter 3 came out. Spamton clearly found a new plan to become a big shot (becoming NEO), and while he's still very spiteful, he's somewhat moved on. He doesn't need Tenna anymore, just like he doesn't need Swatch, the addisons, or anyone else that was ever by his side. His plan doesn't involve anyone from his past.

Meanwhile, Tenna brings Spamton up repeatedly, entirely unprompted. Constantly mentioning emails, talking about how he's better than him, the Z rank room and the S rank room look like they haven't been touched since Spamton last visited, the fact that he's using the pipis Spamton gave him to mass produce TV slop, that giant Spamton head in the Susiezilla mini game—you can tell Tenna is still living in the past, and his Spamton obsession is a part of that.

Tenna also has a hatred for Spamton that seems strange considering how close they must've been. From Tenna's perspective, Spamton promised to help him become a “big shot” (I assume this is referring to helping Tenna become successful, relevant, and up-to-date with technology rather than Spamton's more metaphorical meaning when he uses the term), then rushed out after receiving a phone call, never to be seen again. This event was presumably Spamton's benefactor deciding they would no longer help him, and the reason he never came back was possibly because the laptop got taken back to the Library, or because he was getting evicted? Regardless, the last Tenna ever sees of Spamton is his face going pale, then literally running out of the room, phone still hanging off the receiver. If that was the last you saw of your business partner and friend (or lover wink wink), wouldn't you be concerned?

…And his first thought was that Spamton had purposefully scammed and ditched him? I think, given how “bright” Tenna and Spamton's smiles were in that Z rank room poster, Tenna's perspective of this event must've shifted. After all, Tenna is retelling this story 20-ish years later when he's been abandoned by the lightners for years. Aside from the Knight, Spamton is literally the only hope Tenna ever had. And, considering how Tenna's employees talk about him and his contracts in Chapter 3 (Lanino and Elnina, his 2nd in command, ditch him like five minutes after his crash out they ain't loyal 😭😭😭), he's probably been extremely isolated since Spamton (and Mike) left. He pretends that the random guys pretending to be Mike are actually Mike, because that's easier to accept than coming to terms with the fact that the real Mike is long gone.

I think, in the same way Spamton blames his problems on everyone else, Tenna blames all his problems on Spamton. He probably believes that Spamton is still the richest salesman in Cyber City, that he's more successful than ever while Tenna rots in a broken home. He doesn't know that Spamton's been puppetified (either horrifically transformed or agonizingly burned alive in acid depending on what theory you like more), evicted from his home, and has been living on the streets for literal decades. Not to mention Spamton's verbal and visual glitches, which very well could hurt given how much he mentions being in pain in his dialogue.

Chapter 3 definitely showed that Tenna is an antagonist, not a villain, unlike what Spamton would have you believe. The only reason he fights is because he's desperate for attention, and also because of the Knight's instructions (which he also only followed because he's desperate for attention). I don't think he would hate Spamton if he knew what Spamton went through, which made that shitpost scene of him getting blasted with foam that much more heartbreaking. Spamton has been through so damn much that his voice and appearance is entirely unrecognizable from the man he once was. I know it was a joke, but Tenna literally assumed he was some weird, feral animal. Spamton could pull out his birth certificate, passport, driver’s license, social security number, whatever, and Tenna probably still wouldn't believe him, because his image of Spamton is completely different from the real man.

From Spamton's perspective, it's interesting how quick his tune changed when he saw that Tenna kept the pipis. It makes me wonder if he really does believe Tenna was responsible for his downfall, or if he tries to trick himself into believing it because it's easier than accepting his fate. Otherwise, like Tenna, I wouldn't be surprised if Spamton grew to resent Tenna the longer he went without seeing him. Even if Tenna was already losing popularity by the time Spamton left, he still had so much more than Spamton had. Spamton started from the bottom, but Tenna always had his giant TV studio, always had employees, never had to worry about when his next paycheck was. Spamton was born to fail. Tenna was born at the height of his own popularity. It's not surprising that Spamton would envy Tenna, and it's not surprising that he wishes their roles were reversed. Though, perhaps seeing Tenna all these years later, desperate, pathetically lonely, still obsessed with Spamton, and begging for freedom made Spamton a little sympathetic.

Overall, the similarities between Spamton and Tenna makes their dynamic very enjoyable to me. Both have been abandoned, and still perceive and hate the other as the other's old successful self. Their similarities also make their differences more fascinating. Part of why I like Spamton is his perseverance. His situation is easily 100 times worse than Tenna's (literal homeless man that's been horribly disfigured vs. millionaire irrelevant tv host smh), yet Spamton's the one that wakes up and still works his ass off trying to reach his goals, while Tenna desperately clings to his dying dark world, bitterly living in the past rather than trying to do anything to help his situation.

I don't care if he's a murderous criminal, Spamton's a fucking inspiration. No matter how much everyone hates Spamton, no matter how much they try to erase his image, they still constantly replicate what he had. The Color Caf�� sells his bowties, the Chapter 4 addisons try to mimic him the second they don't have jobs, and, of course, Tenna loathing yet revering him. None of these people know if Spamton's even still alive—yet the mere idea of him has influence everywhere. No matter how hard they try to scrub him from existence, they can't escape it. I like Tenna as a character, but he will never compare to Spamton's sheer influence.

Also sorry Tenna but I think you deserved getting kinkshamed by an entire audience for keeping your ex's freak ass unfertilized puppet eggs and nonconsensually feeding them to your employees

Conclusion: uuuuuh can I have a 200k words slow burn fic about these two reuniting in Castle Town with a side of overcoming their hatred and realizing how similar they are? And a drink of hijinks with Tenna refusing to recognize Spamton at first? oh yeah can I also get a Spamton NEO? Your NEO cream machine is broken? Okay……..

[mimi--writes]

Can we get a fluff headcanons about mr tenna pls like when you first start dating him

(also I enjoyed your yandere tenna fic so much ❤️)

Thank you so muchh, and of course <3!

Early Dating With Tenna

CW: None, just fluff

Notes: this gave me ideas if you know what I mean

:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:.

- He is so sweet. Just a gentleman to the absolute maximum.

- You need absolutely anything? Bored? Tired? Hungry? Thirsty? Your pillow is slightly too warm? He'll take good care of it! Just tell him what a good job he's doing, okay?

- His poor interns are both saddled with listening to their boss brag about his absolutely wonderful and gorgeous and perfect partner and he makes them report to him on if you're uncomfortable with absolutely anything. This won't last forever, promise, but he is very prone to fretting and worrying, so bear with him!

- Though he shows love through acts of service—he really, really wants to be useful in general and that just gets amplified with you—he prefers receiving affection through words of affirmation!

- Seriously, he's an absolute sucker for praise. Compliment this man and he will absolutely melt into a puddle. He's insecure, okay? He doesn't get compliments very much anymore (grrrr give me the TV Toriel I adore you madam but I will give him the TLC he needs and deserves 😤)

- If you're one of his employees, expect a lot of preferential treatment. He is, regrettably, not the best at being a fair boss, but he may just be the best at being a boyfriend! Expect tons of extra breaks and privileges.

- He'll probably have you working in his office, too—don't look at him like that, okay? It's not his fault he just likes to see your face!

- On that note he is soso clingy and needy and it's absolutely adorable. Constantly wants to pepper your face with kisses and hold hands.

- But on the flip side, if you give him a taste of his own clinginess, he gets so flustered, he just can't handle receiving any form of affection lmao

- You know that thing he did when he was guilting the fun gang into playing? Yeah he absolutely does that with you.

- "You don't want to cuddle? That's alright... I guess it'll just be me... Alone... In the bed... Getting... Colder... Brrrr—"

- "Oh, what's that? You changed your mind? Fantastic! Absolutely fantastic! The Fun-O-Meter's going crazy, folks!"

- Drama queen. He's lucky you love him so much!

- And yes, he will try to pull out the Fun-O-Meter on instinct. Sometimes, he needs a little hard reset to remind him he's not on air anymore.

- Speaking of giving him a hard reset...

- That dial. I could talk about what touching that entails, but that would end up devolving from fluff into smut, I fear. Another time! But that's all for now!

- Also, quick end note: the first time you found a pipis, he freaked out trying to explain himself. Static and the "WOAH MAMA MIA" everywhere. You will never let him live it down.

[chumby4life]

Don't Go Anywhere (Tenna x Reader)

Summary: “...Those scandalous tapes you rented from the video store… We watched them together late at night, when everyone in the house was asleep. Do you remember that? I do.”

You're a total TV addict who needs to get a job. But how does the TV feel about that?

~2k words

How long has it been since you’ve gotten up from the couch? Maybe… A day? Less? More? It’s hard to tell when you’re watching TV. No better form of escapism seems to exist, nothing quite so perfectly mind-numbing. But there in the corner of your eye is the Classifieds section of the newspaper, nagging you. You’d sworn to yourself that you’d have a job lined up by the end of the month. 

Sighing, you pick up the paper and begin to peruse the job listings, even this small act costing you so much effort. You spend a little while leafing through the newspaper, until the TV’s volume seems to increase on its own, blaring an infomercial: 

“Tired of feeling pressured? Afraid of being pushed out of your comfort zone? Now, you don’t have to…” You look up and notice the picture on the screen warping slightly.

“Ugh, not again,” you whine, getting up to smack the TV on its side a few times, a crude fix-all that usually seems to do the trick. Frustrated, you turn off the TV and resume your job search, eventually managing to schedule an interview for tomorrow. The job itself is nothing special, but hey, it gets your roommates off your back. You end the day watching reruns of your favorite sitcom, That 70’s Big Bang Fresh Prince of Full House, its witty quips and laugh tracks lulling you into sleep. 

As you doze off, the sound from the sitcom becomes more distant, more muted until you find yourself suspended in perfect silence, surrounded by nothing but pitch blackness. You gasp when you hear a voice from behind you - it sounds fuzzy, like a worn-out tape.

“That hurt, you know,” it says. 

You turn around, your eyes strained by a bright rectangle of light. A pair of hands come to rest on your shoulders before you can back away. “No need to fear,” the voice hums, softer this time. “The show’s about to start!” The hands on your shoulders move up to your face, where they gently nudge your mouth into a smile. “So let’s turn that frown upside down, hm?” 

“I-what? The show?”

“Yes, silly, the SHOW! Now, Mike, let’s hit those lights!”

Again, you have to squint your eyes as the lights come on, transforming the darkness into a dated talk show set complete with cityscape backdrop and fake plants. You’re left standing there awkwardly to acclimate to the sensory overwhelm of it all - the cloying audience, the loud music, the bright colors… And, of course, the humanoid television dancing at center stage, soaking up every ounce of praise from his sea of fans. 

“Aaaaand welcome back to another exciting episode of Mr. Tenna LIVE! Folks, we’ve got a great show here for you tonight!! But first…”

Mr. Tenna, as he calls himself, sneaks his arm around your waist and pulls you against his side.

“...Let’s introduce our very charming guest! Lover of TV, aspiring employee… Thanks SO much for coming on the show!”

Tenna points his microphone towards you and gives you a hopeful smile. “Come on now, don’t be shy,” he coos while pulling you closer with a quiet insistence. 

You clear your throat, the sound echoing unceremoniously. “You’re welcome,” you begin, your gaze darting between Tenna and his expectant audience. You’re quite certain this is a dream, but that doesn’t completely quell your stage fright. “Didn’t have much of a choice, but… Yeah! Great to be here.” The audience’s reaction seems disproportionately enthusiastic, loud cheering and music filling the space around you. 

“Aren’t they just lovely, folks? Yes, they LOVE being here! With me…” Tenna finally releases you, only to start rubbing the side of his head in exaggerated misery. “But don’t be fooled, ladies, gents, and germs,” he adds, pointing directly at you, a mischievous look on his screen. “This one here is feisty! Smacked me right upside the head!!” 

A drawn out gasp from the crowd punctuates Tenna’s monologue. You look down at your feet, feeling a bit guilty for whacking your TV earlier. How were you supposed to know it was going to come into your dreams and will itself into corporeality? 

“Oh, the things I go through for love, folks,” Tenna laments, his antennae drooping as he clutches his chest in a bid for sympathy, “Poor ol’ Mr. Tenna, too loyal for his own good…”

Thoroughly guilt-tripped, you mumble out an apology which causes Tenna to immediately perk up, a goofy grin spreading across his screen. “You really mean it?” He spins on one heel to face you, leaning forward and casting a long shadow over you. 

“Then all our lovely guest must do is say, ‘I’m sorry for hitting you, Mr. Tenna!’” Again, the microphone is stuck in front of your face.

“I… I’m sorry for hitting you, Mr. Tenna?”

As you comply and recite the apology, Tenna fiddles with his tie in anticipation, getting some kind of satisfaction from your obedience. He steps closer to you, causing you to instinctively retreat. 

“Very good,” Tenna praises, tilting your chin upwards as the microphone is once again held close to you. “But I think we can do even better than that, don’t you? Let’s hear it again… Like you mean it.” Despite the firmness of his words, that goofy smile remains on Tenna’s screen, so conveniently unaware of his own intimidating nature.

“I’m sorry for hitting you, Mr. Tenna,” you say with more conviction. You’re forced to take another step backwards as Tenna advances even closer, until you’re backed into the chair behind you. All you can do is watch as he places his hands on either side of your armchair, leaning in even closer so that you can feel the static emanating from him. It’s that warm, electric feeling you get when you’re right up against a CRT screen.

Tenna remains in this position until his static electricity makes your hair stand on end. “There. That wasn’t so hard, was it?” 

Before you can say anything, Tenna is already facing the audience again, reaching over to gently smooth down your staticky hair in a petting motion. “But who could ever hold a grudge against our charming guest? Not me!”

Waving and bowing to his adoring audience, Tenna makes his way to the desk adjacent to your chair, ready to assume the role of talk show host. You can’t help but feel endeared by how desperately he emulates the many charismatic hosts and actors you’ve watched on TV. 

“Now, then,” Tenna says, shuffling a stack of cue cards. He tries to slick back his antennae, but they instantly stand back up like loaded springs. “Why don’t you tell us about this EXCITING new job opportunity?” 

“Ah, well, it’s not that exciting… Just some office job. I’m supposed to interview for it tomorrow. Guess my roommates are sick of me lazing around and watching TV all day.” You give a self-deprecating chuckle. 

In response, Tenna starts applauding, the crowd obediently following suit. “Well, now, isn’t that something?! Let’s make some noise for our guest, everybody!”

You lower your head, unaccustomed to this level of praise, especially for something as mundane as a job interview.

“You say it’s ‘not all that exciting’, dear guest, but think about what comes after this - a new job, new responsibilities, and BOOM! Your life is totally different!” Tenna takes a contemplative sip from what you’re pretty sure is a totally empty mug. “Isn’t that swell? No more of that lousy free time! No more video games! No more movies! And no more That 70’s Big Bang Fresh Prince of Full House!” 

You notice Tenna’s fist clench slightly on his desk, crumpling his cue cards even as he keeps smiling at you. The other hand plays anxiously with his right antenna. Meanwhile, you’re feeling some anxiety of your own - you hadn’t thought about how much of your time and your hobbies would be sacrificed. 

“Well, it’s not as if I’d lose ALL of my time-”

“It was a good run we had,” Tenna interrupts, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms behind his head in reminiscence. “Oh, folks, how I’ll miss it!!”

“Listen, we can still-”

The audience groans in canned sympathy as Tenna suddenly rises from his desk and tosses his cue cards behind him like sad confetti. “Remember how we stopped time’s cruel advances? Beating those old high scores, laughing at your favorite movies?”

You look on, slightly unnerved as Tenna begins to circle around your armchair. He continues nostalgia baiting you relentlessly, and you know you don’t stand a chance of getting a single word in. “I always loved having your eyes on me, how you’d tell yourself ‘just one more episode’ and struggle to stay awake, just so you could look at me a few moments longer.”

“You’re not listening to me,” you protest, moving to get up from the chair. But somehow, you failed to notice that the entire time Tenna was circling you, the cord of his microphone was wrapping itself around you. Now, you’re hopelessly bound to the chair, unable to escape this pity party.

Tenna tugs on his microphone a couple times, ensuring that you’re held in place with a self-satisfied smirk. “And who could forget our more… Private times?” This earns a teasing “ooooooh” from the audience while Tenna moves behind your chair, looking down at you. “Your favorite celebrity was on MTV one day… You were so enamored that you kissed the screen.”

Another “oooh” from the crowd, to your embarrassment. The heat and brightness of the stage lights suddenly feels oppressive in its intensity. You feel Tenna idly twirl a lock of your hair around his finger as he keeps humiliating you.

“...Those scandalous tapes you rented from the video store… We watched them together late at night, when everyone in the house was asleep. Do you remember that? I do.” Tenna’s voice lowers to a conspiratorial murmur. “You have no idea how… Honored I was to be there for you in those moments. To know that in some way, I was bringing you that pleasure.”

Your face flushes red at having these intimate, self-indulgent moments exposed in front of an audience. And yet, there’s also a faint sense of excitement at having shared those times with something… Or someone else. “Yes, I remember that,” you say quietly.

“Of.. Of course you do!” For a few seconds, Tenna goes rigid, a blush visible on his screen. Then, he scrambles back to center stage, all flailing arms and frantic steps, like he can’t contain himself. “Aaaaalrighty then, folks! Things are getting a little heated here,” he announces, attempting to return to his talk show host persona while tugging at the collar of his shirt. “Let’s hope the censors don’t take me off the air!”

The audience laughs while Tenna adjusts his tie, periodically looking back at you as if afraid you’ll disappear. His usual dopey smile seems more forced than ever, sharp teeth poking through that you hadn’t noticed before. “Now, everyone, I just know you’re gonna LOVE what we’ve got up next for you on Mr. Tenna LIVE! after these messages! Don’t go anywhere!!”

Right on cue, the curtain falls, separating you and Tenna from the audience. Without the crowd of adoring fans watching him, his demeanor becomes more unstable, more tense. He turns to face you as you struggle with the cord tied around you, his voice stern yet strained.

“...Don’t go anywhere.”

“I’m not,” you lie, fighting uselessly against your restraints while Tenna approaches you with slow, slightly trembling steps. He looms over you like a wilted flower, his posture drooping, his antennae collapsed.

“It’s a scary world out there, isn’t it? That’s why you love TV.” 

You’re abruptly pulled forward in your chair when Tenna pulls at the microphone cord, your body brought closer to his. He grins down at you, as if trying to make himself appear less threatening. “Gee, 8 hours a day in that world… How long until you recognize where you really belong? Not very long, I think.” 

You sit there frozen in front of Tenna, your body tense beneath the cord’s tight grip. But just as his words start to make you question yourself, you see him crumple to his knees before you, his final thread of composure coming undone. Where you were intimidated moments ago, you now feel something resembling pity.

“Baby, where did I go wrong? Is it… Is it because my warranty’s up…?”

Tenna grovels as if this were a tearful breakup, as if you could ‘break up’ with an electrical appliance. Even with the curtain closed and no watchful crowd, his emotions still feel a bit theatrical. Still, it’s hard not to feel a little sorry for him, the way he begs. “It’s not about you, I just need a job,” you try to explain.

“I get it, I really do,” Tenna sighs, finally freeing you from the tangle of cord. “You have better things to do now… Don’t let ol’ Tenna get in your way…” He waves you away even as he remains kneeling in front of you, blocking your path. His screen has powered off and lost its light, replaced with emptiness. 

Your mind fills with doubt and remorse the longer you witness Tenna’s pathetic display. He wasn’t wrong - you can’t really see yourself cutting your screen time in half just for some crummy job. “You know, I think I would miss my TV a lot if I had to work… Maybe I can skip the interview tomorrow, I would’ve hated that job anyway…” You rest your hand atop Tenna’s head, trying your best to be reassuring. 

Tenna visibly tenses at your touch and words of reassurance. He tentatively reaches up to place his hand atop yours. “You need me - I mean - you need TV, right…?” 

“I.. I need TV.” You hear Tenna shudder at your reply.

“And… And I still make you laugh and feel good?”

“Yes, you do.” 

Tenna leans into you, pressing into you slightly and leading your hand down to his ON/OFF switch.” Say it again. Say that you need… That you need TV.”

A small, more responsible part of you protests as you press down on Tenna’s on switch with purpose, holding it down for perhaps a moment longer than necessary. “I need TV, more than anything,” you say shamelessly, deciding to indulge him. “I don’t think anything could make me take my eyes off you…”

“O-oh,” is all Tenna can manage, that warm, static sensation brushing up against you as you release his on switch. After a moment’s delay, Tenna springs back to his feet, little happy jolts of electricity running through his antennae.

“Honey, I just love it when you turn me on!!”

With uncanny timing, the curtain swings open, the bright lights and lively energy returning to the space. To the audience’s delight, Tenna picks you up and hugs you close, swinging you around like a ragdoll in his joy and relief.

“And we are BACK, folks!! Our amazing guest has just come to the most wonderful conclusion!” Still holding you off the ground, Tenna looks down at you, blushing and grinning like a fool. “Promise me (and tonight’s audience!) you’ll stay tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay, yes, fine, I promise.” You feel a bit crushed by Tenna’s grip as he swings you around some more. You can feel wakefulness touching the edges of your consciousness as he sets you down, waving goodbye to you before turning to his crowd.

“Well, our guest is in luck, folks, because TV Guide promises a MARATHON of That 70’s Big Bang-”

You wake up before Tenna can finish saying the sitcom’s long-winded title. Rubbing your eyes, you sit up on the couch to find you’d fallen asleep in front of the TV again. “Oh, right, the interview…”

But before you can get up, you feel something holding you back. You picture all the time and effort that would go into preparing for that interview and slump back down, your hand reaching for the remote without conscious thought. A smile appears on your face when you open TV Guide, noticing a particularly interesting marathon on the schedule.

“Well, just a few episodes wouldn’t hurt, then it’s back to the grind,” you say to yourself, settling in to lose yourself in the TV screen. 

[humunanunga]

So here's what I think it means: Ramb was most likely talking about Noelle, right? She'd be on the right with the laptop, maybe playing Cat Petters, while Kris was on the left, maybe using the cards and dice to learn parlor tricks (if web searches wouldn't pull up results for teaching humans magic, they might've still been interested in learning sleight-of-hand).

And I think that explains what happened to Spamton.

Tenna doesn't recognize him anymore because they knew each other back when Spamton was a [[BIG SHOT]] in a matching red suit. He might've even had his own commercials on Tenna's screen, but this was also when he resided in Queen's mansion alongside Swatch. (And if this was when the King and Queen met, then it's also when Spamton would've met Jevil.)

Meaning... Spamton's calls with his mysterious benefactor could've been through the landline. Especially if they were still on dial-up internet back then. They stopped because Noelle stopped coming over with the laptop.

And as for Tenna... the dates 12/25 (Christmas Day) and 2/13 (Valentine's Eve) prominently show up, and Kris' implied aversion to watching TV might've been because it was always shoving the tragedy in their face. But it's still unclear whether Tenna knows Dess was never found, or if he was trying to focus on better times, or if he really was trying to push Kris' buttons; but he should at least know she's gone. Dess was the mayor's daughter, after all. If she went missing, it would've been all over the news.

And that could've been why Asgore was removed from the force. He wouldn't let it go, so Carol made him. And if Chapter 4 says anything, he's still investigating in secret– and suspicious of her. And maybe she's just a coldhearted ass who got tired of her public image revolving around an unsolved case instead of her success as town mayor. But she's definitely sus as fuck.

Back to Ramb, though: I think him petrifying establishes what generally makes a Darkner "belong." Darkners are animated objects, and maybe he was simply an overdue loan like the tutorial for drawing dragons, but Ramb was library property regardless. That one Zapper might've been for Asgore' TV all along, since he seems to have the same kind at the flower shop, and his remote could've been borrowed or mixed up.

Meanwhile, the Pippins were safe because they were... that property's property. The Rudinns, according to one, were from Kris' deck, explaining why Lancer and Rouxls were unaffected.

What it doesn't explain is Chapter 4 (which so far is likely more to do with the two Dark Worlds being treated as flipsides) or why the classroom Darkners don't seem to recognize Kris, but maybe the latter's for gender reasons. If Ralsei is an outdated sona, then Kris at least used to present as a boy like the brother they wished to be more like, and the Card Kingdom simply wasn't there to witness Kris' transition. Or maybe those Darkners forgot the Lightners just like the Lightners forgot them, but... speaking of Dark Worlds...

...belonging. The storage closet is an ideal place for a Dark Fountain because anything could belong in a place like public storage.

And maybe that's why Ralsei was put there in the first place. Safekeeping.

Darkners in Castle Town are safe from the Player. We can harm Darkners and even Lightners in other worlds, but not this one. We're not given the option. That's how Ralsei's been kept safe all this time. Chapters 3&4 give us opportunities to hurt his feelings, which Kris will resist, but he can't be damaged or killed through Kris.

Maybe not just Ralsei either. Kris' side of the room, or at least the side they sleep on, is empty... and noticably desaturated like the door to Dess' room... and their locker is also empty. The locker could be due to their implied absence, but it could also be because they knew a Player would come (or come back) and they didn't want to give us access to anything of theirs that they wanted left untouched.

It's been speculated since Chapter 1, I've been coming back to the possibility that this isn't Kris' first time being under a Player's control. We don't know how we seized Kris' body or why, or if we're the first; even if we are, though, there's a chance Kris knew to expect us. And so they prepared accordingly while they still had bodily autonomy.

Might post another ramble after I finish my Chapter 3&4 replay, now that I have save files with Dealmaker, Jevilstail and the original Starwalker again.

[cc-writes-stuff]

Thinking about deltarune (entirely normal) and kris and their family and the end of chapter four…

Im considering writing a more complete analysis and lore post myself because the writer in me demands to theorize but rn im briefly gonna talk about a minor thing at the end of chapter four (small spoilers below)

So i know lots of people are having fun with the implication that soriel is a thing, but i do wanna look wt things from kris’ perspective for a moment there.

Even if soriel isn’t canon and toriel and sans are just becoming fast friends but don’t go anywhere further (because lets be real, there is a much higher emphasis on friendship and found family in ut/dr as opposed to romance, and a man and a woman can just be friends and nothing more/not every relationship has to be romantic or sexual), everyone’s first thought probably is that soriel is a thing.

Sans’ ‘joke’ about ‘befriending’ toriel (implied in a romantic if not sexual nature) is very overt, and for us as players, he’s the type of guy whrre you can’t really tell what’s a lie and what’s not. For Kris, though, who probably doesn’t have this background, the overt nature of the comment is even more so.

And then they come home after a basically two back to back harrowing experiences to toriel and sans dancing in the living room, alone, with Toriel obviously being drunk. Even if they are just friends having a good time, it looks suspiciously like a date at first glance

Ive seen people talking about how the theme of chapter three was sort of moving to the future but clinging to the past, so think about it from kris’ perspective. You go in, see your mom (who refuses to give your dad the time of day or even be friendly, as pushy as asgore is being about the past and getting back together to the point of bordering on suspicous), having a great time with a man you barely know but who’s already made a suggestive comment about his relationship to her…

and they go upstairs and just hear them talking and talking and laughing and dancing, but each time they speak kris is seen turning over and putting their pillow over their head, as though trying to block it out (to little success).

Even if they are just friends, and toby fox is just messing around with the fanbase, it’s gotta be rough for kris, especially coming off of chapter three and tenna’s numerous remarks about ‘the good old days’ where the dreemurs were a happy healthy family. It’s probably one thing to realize they’re a child of divorce, and another thing to acknowledge that her mom can possibly be interested in someone else or have someone other than asgore be interested in her, especially considering they can’t seem to let go of the past.

I think lost my train of thought along the way wy but to them, it probably feels like it’s just another nail in the hammer of how things can’t go back to the way they used to be. And to me, even if soriel isn’t canon, is just sad.

[conclover]

Mr. Tenna x GN! Reader | Static Hearts Part 3

Previous chapter Next chapter

Summary: It’s time for another one of Tenna’s entertaining shows! (keeping it short to avoid spoilers!)

Warnings: Evil sexy Tenna (is this a spoiler?). I’m really trying to take the slow burn approach, but the influence of pornification has taken its toll on me. I can’t seem to help but make these chapters feel more sexual than intended. So... 18+

Notes: I can’t decide if I want him to be completely unhinged or a sweet cutie patootie, so I think I’ll stick with this mood swinging version of him. Honestly, I think it suits him pretty well.

Word count: Almost 4K

Blending in was an impossible task. After all, you were the only one here who even remotely resembled a human. Every strange creature turned its gaze as you passed, their stares making you feel even more exposed than when you were under the gleaming lights of Tenna’s show.

“Hey,” a familiar voice called from behind. “I was supposed to be keeping an eye on you.”

You turned to see who it was and it was none other than that sunshiny man, his glow still nearly blinding as before. But this time, something was different. He seemed dimmer somehow, as if the light he carried was weighed down by sadness.

“I’m sorry. Please, don’t tell my boss…” He clasped his hands in a feeble attempt at an apology, but his eyes were elsewhere, clouded with worry. It was clear his job was the least of his concerns.

“I wasn’t planning to and don’t worry, I can handle myself just fine.”

“Ha, ha, ha!” he laughed, though it was hard to tell if it was genuine. “Maybe I should try some of that independence too! Yes, I don’t need her!”

“Are we talking about Elnina?”

His smile faltered, and in an instant, he was sobbing like a child.

“Don’t mind me,” he choked out between deep sobs. “I’m just going to cry for a little while.”

“Are you... do you need anything?” You glanced around, scratching your neck awkwardly, unsure of how to handle the situation.

“Do you?” he asked, his voice surprisingly sincere. “My boss said I should assist you.”

“Well then,” you said, quickly thinking of a way to get rid of him. “I need you to be well rested. So, I suppose that’s my first request. Go have some fun, or get some sleep. Whatever you prefer.”

“Really?” He seemed a little less sad after hearing you. “Maybe we could go somewhere? Grab a drink... talk.. maybe hug… and cry.”

“I was actually thinking about getting some fresh air,” you replied, taking a step back. “But I appreciate the offer.”

“I understand, I’m sorry... I’m just a little desperate. I’ve never really known how to be alone, and Elnina just left me and—” His voice caught and he broke down, sobbing once again.

As if it were your responsibility, you pulled him into a hug. It took a long time for him to calm down. All you could do was stand there, feeling the weight of this place grow heavier and more real with each passing moment.

Is this really a dream?

You gently patted his back, but just as you did, a cough echoed from somewhere nearby.

You half expected it to be his girlfriend (now ex) Elnina, and braced yourself for one of those dramatic telenovela moments you secretly loved. But instead, it was Tenna, and his smile seemed a bit... off.

You were surprised to see him there, out of the program, but the paper cup of water in his hand hinted he was on a break.

Tenna’s TV head darted between the two of you, that odd smile tightening at the corners of the screen. You could practically feel the jealousy radiating off him. It was ridiculous, considering the two of you hadn’t even had your first date. Still, the way he looked at you, it was as if he had caught you cheating.

You stopped patting Lanino’s back, suddenly self conscious under Tenna’s presence. Lanino noticed the change immediately. He turned, saw his boss standing there, and quickly took a step back, wiping his face with the sleeve of his blue coat.

“Boss,” Lanino said awkwardly, still avoiding looking at Tenna. “I’m afraid the weather broadcast has to be suspended. Lanina and I... we broke up.”

Tenna barely registered the words. The weather broadcast? He couldn’t care less. He could handle that himself. More screen time for him, anyway. No, what stuck in his mind was the image of you and Lanino hugging. Too close. Waaaaaaay too close.

“It’s not like people just decide break up,” Tenna said flatly, not bothering to soften his tone. “There’s always someone who starts it. Someone to blame.”

Lanino glanced at you, then back at his boss, visibly trying not to cry again. Your jaw tightened as you shot Tenna a sharp glare. Showing a little respect to his employees wouldn’t kill him.

“Maybe,” you said firmly, clearly willing to defend Lanino. “But it takes two to tango, so don’t just dump it all on one person.”

The air thickened between the three of you, charged and uncomfortable. You could see the tension in Tenna’s posture. His shoulders were rigid, fists clenched tightly behind his back like he was barely holding himself together by force alone. His form was changing, expanding steadily until he loomed over the two of you, larger and more imposing with every shaky breath that escaped his mouth.

“Ah, yes... it takes two to tango,” he echoed, his tone dry and tight with sarcasm. “But it only takes one to shred the life aspirations you built together!”

Lanino flinched, and you felt the heat of Tenna’s attention return to you, almost suffocating now. His smile stretched just a bit too wide, and for a moment, you could’ve sworn you saw a pair of sharp fangs.

“Well, if one of them was forced into a life they never asked for...” you shot back, “...what exactly were you expecting?”

“It’s not their fault if they can’t keep their promises!” Tenna snapped, his antennae twitching with rage as he crushed the paper cup in one hand, water spilling between his fingers.

Somehow, the argument had veered into something deeper, more personal. The words coming out of your mouths barely matched the topic of Lanino and Elnina anymore. It felt like you were both defending yourselves against people you didn’t want to put a name on. Maybe even ghosts from your past.

“Hey,” Lanino said softly, his voice small and uncertain. He fiddled with his fingers, eyes flickering nervously between the two of you. “I think I’m just going to go apologize to Elnina.”

Before you could say anything to Lanino, he was already gone, leaving you and Tenna alone in the awkwardness of the moment.

Tenna took a slow, deliberate breath, pressing his hands together in something like a prayer. He was trying to calm himself and to his credit, it seemed to be working. His form shifted subtly, shrinking just enough to make him seem a little less monstrous.

“I’m sorry, darling,” he said calmly, still refusing to meet your eyes. “I got carried away.”

The apology wasn’t especially heartfelt, but something about his softened tone and the fact that the fangs were no longer visible told you it was smart to stay on his good side, at least for now. If you wanted to escape this place, Tenna wasn’t someone you could afford to make an enemy of.

“I could say the same,” you replied, taking a cautious step closer. His form felt a lot less threatening now. “I just want to forget all of this… and enjoy our date.”

“I wish we could just go now, sweetheart,” he said, his voice low and tired as he gently took your hand. You could still feel the dampness from the cup he had crushed. “But I have to finish the program.”

“I’ll wait for you then,” you said with a gentle smile, taking his hand in both of yours.

“Ah-ah!” He raised a finger, wagging it with a sly smirk. “It wasn’t such a great idea to leave you alone, was it?”

His smile faltered, the mockery fading to reveal the frustration simmering beneath his playful exterior.

“You’re coming with me.”

He tightened his grip on your hand, dragging you down the hallway with an urgency that was almost too forceful. Anger radiated off him with every step, each movement charged with barely contained agitation. Before you could find the words to calm him, you were already behind the curtains, waiting for the next part of the program.

“We’re starting in a minute. It isn’t any more difficult than what you’ve seen. So just stay calm. You can do this.” He said it all with a rush, his words lacking the enthusiasm they had when you first met.

What was the program about?

Fuck. If only you had stayed in his studio.

You flashed a smile, hoping it looked convincing, and prayed he wouldn’t ask you anything too specific. You’d have to play along, trusting you could improvise your way through whatever he had planned.

“Remember what I said at the beginning of the program?” His voice was sharp, laced with tension. “I’d like you to say it with me at the same time.”

He didn’t wait for an answer, his tone making it clear he expected you to know exactly what he meant and that you should already be prepared.

You simply nodded, trying to hide the fact that you had no idea what he was talking about.

“So, 3... 2... 1...” he counted, his smile almost too enthusiastic to be believable. “It’s TV time—”

“It’s TV time!” you blurted out quickly, forcing your voice to match his energy. 

But he wasn’t a fool. The moment the words left your mouth, his smile twisted knowingly. In this mood, he could detect lies better than any polygraph ever could.

“You haven’t watched the program, have you?” His voice faltered as he turned his back to you, a flash of disappointment crossing his face.

For a brief moment, his form seemed to shrink, as if the weight of the moment had deflated him. He looked defeated, like his favorite contestant had just let him down.

“Does no one watch TV anymore?!” he cried, the anger in his voice barely masking his pain. 

Tenna moved without a word, his footsteps almost too quiet. He opened a nearby closet and pulled out a spotless apron, the kind meant more for a show than for everyday life. Stepping behind you, he slipped it over your head with more exasperation in his movements than necessary.

Then his hands found the straps at your back. He pulled them tight into a ribbon until the fabric hugged your waist snugly. Not enough to hurt, but enough to remind you of his anger.

“Do we say it’s TV time as soon as we walk on stage, or… wait a little?” you asked, uncertain, stepping closer to Tenna, who was rummaging through the closet for another apron.

“Forget about that,” he said, turning to you with a serious look, an apron dangling from one hand. “Just try to play along.”

He quickly tied on a leather apron for himself, then glanced at you with something like disappointment before disappearing behind the curtain.

What is wrong with this man?

You’d realized, perhaps too soon, that beneath the confident stage persona was a deeply insecure man, unsettled by the mere thought of not being the center of attention. And even though you hated the thought of being anything but sincere, you knew you’d have to turn the right dials to get out of here. You had seen it earlier, how he melted under your compliments like a starved dog, desperate for affection.

So this is how things are going to be like? Fine. Fuck it. If that’s what he wants, I’ll make him beg for attention.

You entered the set a moment after Tenna, but he was already in his element, running the show like he’d been born to do nothing else.

The transformation of the set caught you off guard. Where there had once been flashing lights and a giant TV screen, there was now a cozy kitchen. Wooden shelves lined the walls, filled with jars of colorful spices and neatly stacked bowls. A soft, golden light spilled across the kitchen counter, giving everything an almost homely glow. The air even smelled faintly of cinnamon and something sweet you couldn’t quite place.

Tenna moved through the space with practiced ease, speaking to the camera like he’d never lost control for a second. With a dazzling smile and a baked pie already in hand, he glided around the kitchen like it was his stage.

“Well now, folks, I know you’ve been waiting patiently for the next step in our delightful culinary adventure,” he purred, his voice smooth and sweet like sugar. “But first, I’d like to take a moment to introduce someone very special and clearly too good looking to be kept behind the scenes..”

He turned toward you with a theatrical flair, gesturing like a magician unveiling his assistant.

“If you’ve been tuning in today, and I do hope you have...” he said, voice dropping on the last line. “You might recognize them from our quiz show earlier!”

You matched his energy with an equally grand bow, playing the part to perfection.

“Ladies and germs, give (Y/n) the kind of welcome only a live studio can deliver!” he said with a playful lilt, clearly enjoying himself.

The audience cheered like they were getting paid for it.

Tenna took your hand and guided you to center stage, positioning you behind the counter like a co-host who’d always been part of the program.

“And now,” he continued, slipping effortlessly back into his presenter voice, though his face was fixed on you, as if you were the real ingredient he was savoring. “Onto the toppings.”

Tenna smiled charmingly, as if nothing had happened or maybe he was just masking his anger with the practiced ease of a seasoned actor. With someone as unpredictable as him, it was nearly impossible to be certain.

“Don’t worry,” he murmured, voice low and smooth beside your ear. “I’ll make sure you get every step just right.”

He moved behind you, closer than necessary. You could feel the heat of him at your back and the soft rustle of his apron as he leaned in, clearly ready to guide you through the process.

“Could you grab the bowl with the heavy cream, sweetheart? he murmured, his voice husky and warm.

His warm breath caressed your ear, sending a shiver down your spine. The way he said it made something as simple as picking up a bowl feel suddenly intimate.

“You’re doing great, darling,” he complimented, his hand settling lightly on the small of your back, a gesture far too familiar for someone you barely knew.

His touch lingered in your skin even after he pulled back and you couldn’t help the flutter of nerves rising in your chest.

Maybe, just like Tenna, I crave this kind of attention too.

His hand reached for a mixer and passed it to you, not without accidentally letting his fingers brush against yours, though it felt just a little too intentional to be a mistake.

“And don’t forget, folks. Your heavy cream needs to be extra cold, just like your ex’s heart!” he said, turning to the camera with a practiced smile.

H̸͚̦̀́̊̕A̷̢͎͒̍A̸͎͎͒͋́͘a̶̞̜̳͌̓̿a̷͇͍̣̗̎Â̵̛͙̌̕H̸̠̑͋̏̊A̶͍̟͠H̵͓̪͊̉͒͗Ą̸͑H̴̩͙̲̩̃A̷̫̼͊̊͜A̶̰̺͖͓̽̿̓a̸̺̪͇͐͒a̴̜̹͛̾̆͠A̶͙͉͚̩͗͝À̵̤́͘A̵̟̭̜͛̇̿̏͜ḧ̷̙̩͙̯́̌̓̔á̵̖͌͘?̴͔͒̄͜͝??

“You’ll know your cream is ready once you start seeing those nice, stiff peaks!” Tenna announced, his attention focused on the camera, but off screen, behind the counter, his hands were slowly traveling down your waist.

Wasn’t he supposed to be the dinner and flowers first kind of man? Maybe it was the camera that gave him the confidence he lacked off screen, like a stage to become the man he wished he was.

You were still a little lost in the sensation, the warmth of his touch lingering, distracting you from the task at hand. It wasn’t until he gave your hip a gentle squeeze that you snapped back to reality.

“Darling, um...” he murmured, his voice still soft as his lips brushed just near your ear. “I think you forgot to turn the mixer on.”

BZZZZZZZZ (don’t worry, if there’s ever a chapter with sex toys, I promise I won’t use this sound effect)

The low hum of the mixer vibrated through your fingers, through the bowl, through you.

“Lovely, just like that,” he whispered, his hand resting gently on your waist. “You’re doing great. Don’t stop.”

His breath ghosted against your neck, his body too close behind you and the sudden nearness made your grip falter.

Maybe it was the words he’d chosen that threw off your focus just enough that your fingers slipped. The mixer wobbled in your grasp, then sputtered.

With a sudden spray, whipped cream splattered in every direction: your hands, your apron, the counter, and even a bold streak across your cheek.

“Well, dear,” Tenna purred, his grin slow and shameless, his voice just soft enough to pretend he wasn’t coming on to you. “That’s definitely one way to whip it... though I usually save that kind of energy for more intimate settings.”

Still holding your waist, he turned to the camera and adjusted his tie with a jittery motion, as if trying to mask his flustered state.

“Mike, can we even air this, or will the censors come for us? Because I am equal parts horrified and incredibly turned on.”

You stared at him with wide eyes, lips twitching. It wasn’t funny, except it absolutely was. The absurdity of it all cracked something open, and before you could stop yourself, you laughed. A genuine laugh. Loud and without control, coming from somewhere deep.

Tenna moved beside you to face you, then smiled. It was softer this time, less of the camera perfect grin and more vulnerable.

“There it is,” he said, his hand gently cupping your face in a reassuring way. “I was wondering when I’d get to hear that.”

He gently brushed a streak of cream from your cheek with a towel, clearly savoring the rare intimacy of the moment. You watched him, only to realize his screen was just as splattered, streaked with creamy smudges.

“I don’t know whether to be mortified or impressed,” you said, your eyes still on him as he carefully cleaned you off, his attention entirely focused on you.

“I think you should be impressed,” he teased, his tone almost affectionate now. “You’ve got a talent for making a mess look dangerously interesting.”

You smirked, still a little flustered by the way his words carried that unmistakable flirtation.

“Well, someone has to balance out your perfection, right?”

His voice hummed with a quiet chuckle, so real it was almost too sweet to believe.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” he said, booping your nose with a playful grin. “But I’ll take the compliment, sweetheart.”

His hand moved to untie the ribbon at your back, slipping the dirty apron off with ease before he turned back to the camera or rather somewhere off screen. With a sharp gesture, he signaled for the filming to stop.

“Mike!” he called, his voice louder than necessary. “We need backup with this whipped cream situation!”

From the shadows, you heard a muffled, incomprehensible murmur.

“What do you mean there’s no more heavy cream?” he snapped, his hands landing firmly on his hips in mock indignation.

a̷̼͙̖͕̦̦͉̣͓̱̱̹̜̿̽͋̂̃̎̋͗͑f̷̛͔̹͓̀̈̌̓̌́̄̿̀͒̀̿͠͝d̶̛̲̗͆̀̿̏̏g̷̬͙̮̞̺̤͓͇̼͎̫̋̀̂̈́̂̐͐̅͐̍̎̈́̏̚̚ḩ̸̨̛̪̯̫̰͚̜͉̒͋͆̀́̅͌͗̓̅͒̀̉̋f̶̱̩͎̳̋͐̎̀̾̽̋͠ǧ̴̭͕̭̬͙̦͈͈̟͙̲͙̈́d̸͚̺̫̝͓̭̰̞͓̔͊̔̂͛͝f̷͕̻̩̹̩̜͙̜̯͊͒́̅͘̕̕s̸̨̺͉͕̜̙̙̮͖͇̤̫̻̈́̀̔̋͂̀͊̌̓͝ͅã̴͖̝̑̆́͐̐̃̍͑̒̒̚̚͜d̴̡͇̦̼͔̒͐k̶̙̜͇̋̃͐̈́́́̓̄̃͘ḩ̷͇̯̯̆̏̀g̶̦̀͂͑f̶̯͈͕̳̼́̅͠͝j̶̧̭̖̦̞̘̝͓͎̍̽̋̔͐̅̐̊̀̽̿͋̕h̷̡̜̦̞̯͔̟̩͕̝̟̞̭̳̊́̀̌͊̈́ͅg̸͓̾̄̋̔͗̔̕͝f̷̛͍̫͉͖̂͐̂̓̀̓d̴̨̨͖̲̹̠̬̟̩̱͉̙̹̃͒̾̃́͋è̴̩͚̱̀̑͑͆͌̐͘w̶̢̧̮͔̜͙͎̙͇͑̂͆̈́͋͆́̾́̽͆̄̔͜t̵̗̝̫̠̎̈̿̐͘͝͠͝͝ͅr̵͙̤̖̀̑͠y̴̹͇͐̕h̴͕͓͊f̶̝͌̒̌̂̆̓͒̍̍̀̽̕ŵ̴̭̘͚̥͚͔͉̭̩̣̲̐̽̔͑̅͘͝ͅe̵̛͇̜̐̑͊̈́̓̐̌͑̑͛͆̔͝f̸͙̲͚͇̪̻͔͈͚̅͋̍̑̐̐͋̃͋̃͜͝g̸̨̡̫̝̙̥͍̙͈͚̫̮̖͖̐̐͝

“Okay, okay…” he sighed, clearly resigned to the fact that the pie wouldn’t be happening. “Then just play some random VHS after the commercial break.”

With that, Tenna slipped off his apron and left it on the counter, leaning against it casually.

“Look,” he said, his tone suddenly serious, though a smile curled at the corners of his lips. “If you couldn’t wait for our date, you could’ve just said so. I would’ve played the VHS before baking the pie.”

You raised an eyebrow, trying to stifle the smile that tugged at your lips. “And here I thought you really cared about the program.”

Tenna leaned in a little closer, his voice dropping into a teasing whisper. “With a date with you on my mind, it’s hard to care about anything else.”

Suddenly, Tenna pulled you closer into his body, squeezing you tight in an embrace. He breathed in deeply, clearly relaxed and happy, as if the future with you was full of promise and excitement.

“You’re such a sweetheart, aren’t you?” he murmured, gently nuzzling the top of your head with his pointy nose, clearly lost in the affection of the moment.

But before you could reply, Mike’s strange voice cut in from the shadows.

Tenna’s antennae, which had been resting loosely, sprang upright with a sharp jolt. He hadn’t realized Mike was still there.

“Give it a rest, Mike, and get yourself a life!” Tenna barked, his head snapping toward Mike with an furious glare.

He whirled back to you almost immediately, his expression shifting into something far more controlled, as if trying to recapture the moment.

“Where were we, my dear?” he asked, voice quiet and tender as he brushed his knuckle gently along your cheekbone. “Ah yes. The date. How could I forget?”

You smiled, a sense of relief already blooming in your chest at the thought of finally seeing what was out there and maybe enjoying it all under the glow of candlelight in the company of this strange, charismatic man.

“Um, how do I put this,” he backed away slightly, his expression turning a bit more serious. “It’s quite late in the night and I don’t think any restaurants are open.”

Tenna strolled over to the fridge, peering inside with an exaggerated level of scrutiny. He clicked his tongue, then moved to the nearby shelves, rummaging through boxes and tins like he was on a mission.

“But worry not, my dear,” he said, spinning on his heel with an armful of ingredients: packets of noodles, a few vegetables, and some spices. “I have a backup plan.”

You stepped closer, curiosity piqued. “What do you mean?”

“You’ll see,” he said cheerfully. “This will be a night to remember.”

You’d already made your culinary skills known earlier, and judging by the determined curve in his smile, he wanted to impress you. Maybe even surprise you.

“Wait for me in the movie room, sweetheart,” he added, fastening his apron with a quick tug. “I won’t take very long.”

There was an edge to his words, like he was warning you. You couldn’t quite tell.

“Where is that?” you asked, silently hoping it was far from the stage.

“It’s close, actually. Just out this door and to the right. Can’t miss it!”

He clasped his hands with enthusiasm, as if the idea of a more casual date was even more exciting to him.

You gave him a smile and nodded, but as you turned to leave, his hand suddenly closed around your wrist, stopping you in your tracks.

“Oh, and before you go,” Tenna said, his voice now lower, laced with a faint buzz of static. “I hope you don’t get lost this time...”

[localweirdoisme]

Tenna’s Tv Model

He’s old but i think he’s younger than spamton. I’m looking into what model of tv he is judging by his memories and looks but from what I can tell he’s an oddity because he has the antennas AND no side dials which is weird but it might just be harmless detail to make him look cool since him without the antennas looks weird

Oh my fucking god the first flat screen hit the market in 1997…

anyway I believe tenna is a late 80s to early 90s tv but he could be from the 2000s judging by the fact that some of his older memories had it where Kris was a kid during the holidays. But maybe those are his fondest memories not his oldest and maybe that’s when the most people were watching him but now this all kinda brings up a new question. When did spamton stop being a bigshot? And when did spamton abandon tenna?

I also do believe spamton is the same age as the first spam email (may 3 1978) but did you know Billy Joel’s big shot released that same year? (1978) I don’t think that’s a coincidence further confirming that’s maybe Spamton’s birth date.

[coolfire333]

I'll admit this is a total reach in that it is 100% not Toby Fox's intention but let me be insane for a second: the thorn ring (in its dark world form) is a warped-beyond-recognition engagement ring that Spamton was going to give to Tenna but never got the chance

My reasoning is that it fits the theme of tainted marriage that's present in snowgrave (Spamton once loved Tenna but he now is wielding a corrupted symbol of that love as a tool of violence against others). If you choose to perpetuate the cycle of love being weaponized you can use the ring on Noelle and force her and Kris into a partnership for your own personal gain

Also, you'd typically give a rose to your lover, but when you get rid of the "best" part of the rose, the flower itself, all you have are the thorns. You're stripping down something beautiful into its most painful and hostile component, much like how Spamton insists he 100% hates Tenna despite evidence that they both once cared for each other a lot--he's refusing to see the rose (good times) AND its thorns (bad times); only the thorns, the "bad" parts of love, exist in his mind anymore

More evidence: the pink addison assumes Kris and Noelle are dating (you have to say that they're "something else" to get the addison to offer the freeze ring) and there already are tons of marriage themes in regards to the player forcing Kris and Noelle down the snowgrave path (the ferris wheel "Noelle will ride with me" dialogue, Spamton calling Noelle Kris's "side chick" during the snowgrave neo fight, the player forcing Kris to put the thorn ring back onto Noelle's finger in chapter 4)

Anyways I've been rotating this idea in my head for the past three days I hope it somewhat makes sense how I explain it :)

[thornrings]

drawing one deltarune for every day between the release date trailer and release part 3 of 64: i can barely even keep my eyes open anymore just take my tennas and go

[2000sangel]

Hi! Can I request Tenna with a reader who loves talking about their favourite shows? Like, if nobody stops them they could spend hours talking about what they liked/ disliked, theories about the plot, their favourite characters, etc? Though they might stop because they're afraid of being annoying

Hey there! Sure thing! I wrote this on my phone for a change, because man it's getting hot…especially in my room where my PC is. I hate summer sighs. Anyways, because of that the formatting miiight be weird…? Not sure, hope it's not and that you enjoy!!

And my apologies if you wanted a fanfiction and not headcanons! I thought they might fit better!

★ — ★ — ★

Tenna x Reader who's passionate about their favorite shows - Headcanons!

★ The first time you end up rambling about your favorite TV shows with your then close friend Tenna is because of a misunderstanding; he was admittedly feeling somewhat insecure that day, all thanks to viewer counts dropping, so he needed reassurance that at least you liked his show…but he felt rather weird asking you directly, for some reason. He always felt a bit nervous around you before you eventually started dating, and didn't love making a scene around you or moping around.

★ So the next best thing to do was asking you a very vague question hoping you'd give the right answer while you were chatting on break; “Say! There must be a show that no matter What, no matter where you are, keeps you on the absolute edge of your seat…No?” he had asked, wide smile ever present on his screen though one of his antennas appeared to be a bit droopy. 

★ He had asked the wrong vague question, apparently, because you started going on about your favorite shows for so long that you almost made him show up late on stage…and because of this misunderstanding, he performed quite poorly while on air, too! He had hoped for you to answer that your favorite show ever was TV Time, not to stay sat listening to you ramble on about how much greater and more entertaining these other shows must've been!!

★ This did not lead to a fight, because you quickly realized the situation and immediately apologized for missing the point of the question as soon as TV Time was over for the day. Still, you asked to please be more direct whenever he was feeling insecure about something, so you could answer his questions properly…! You Loved your friend's work, you just had been waiting for the chance to talk about the other shows you liked to him for a while!

★ Thanks to this small incident, Tenna became more attentive when it came to your interests; now in a relationship, he doesn't mind you bringing up other shows anymore, unless it's to compare them to his…but you would never really do that. You mostly like shows that have a cast of characters and a plot anyways, so a completely different deal than TV Time. 

★ Of course he knows the television world like the back of his hand! So sometimes, he can even discuss things such as theories and favorites too, if it happens to be a show he's also quite interested in and knowledgeable about! He tends to like comedic relief characters, he finds them silly, and quite enjoys Sitcoms, so if you're also into that you two might end up chatting about those for hours!

★ Tenna is a sweet talker, really; if you tend to apologize for talking too much or because you're afraid of coming off as annoying, he stops you right then and there, asks you to pause, rewind, and perhaps switch your channel to one that's airing ‘(Y/N)’s Outstanding Standings’ or whatever silly title he might give it to encourage you to keep talking instead!! If it's late and he has somewhere to be or something to do, he urges you to continue your rambling later on, and reminds you of it himself as he cares a lot and genuinely wants to hear it all.

★ He definitely surprises you by hosting a TV Time episode completely centered on your top favorite show, with themed quizzes and challenges! If you're the type to join as a contestant if he asks, he’s eager to have you on stage; but if you don't, he wants your reaction and thoughts immediately afterwards. Whatever kind of person you might be, he tries to keep it a secret until the end…acting Very suspicious, begging you to either participate or tune in for this very specific episode…you know from the start that he has something planned, and when it's all revealed, you just can't wait to plant a big kiss on his screen as soon as you can be back into each other's arms! 

[fruitsofhell]

I'm starting to reach the point of Tenna brainrot where I'm beginning to develop that critical eye for his fandom portrayal, bolstered heavily by him obviously having some Tumblr Sexyman Bait mixed into him, but as someone who is usually violently repulsed by true Tumblr Sexyman Bait I have been having a blast noticing how he subverts those tropes. For me right now the biggest tell of people focusing on him as A Tall Guy In A Suit vs the little goofster he is how softly they draw him, cause its also my biggest fixation with his design.

Tenna's has a uniquely soft and rounded character design for what he is - a CRT in a shiny suit rendered as an early CG model. Not only did Toby take that aesthetic in the direction of SNES pre-rendered sprites so that instead of being polygonal he would have that unnaturally smooth finish, but he also took the time to blast Tenna's palette with a bright lavender tint and no black outline. Then on top of that even, his CRT head is stylized to be as rounded as possible, and almost every pointed aspect of his character besides his nose has a soft taper just by nature of the lumpy, clay-like model he is. And these details serve a couple of goals:

First and most interesting to me, combined with the big cartoon gloves and coat-tails, Tenna's softness really helps sell him as a Rubber-Hose adjacent - and therefore old and nostalgic - looking character without it being too forced. Or even worse, trying to bluntly mimic the Rubber-Hose style in a way that would have made me furiously critical lmao. Literally the defining part of those designs that I see people mess up is how rounded and 3D the characters were. Besides oddities like Mickey Mouse and a few other super early characters' ears, characters of that era were overwhelmingly designed to make sense in 3D space. The style is sometimes referred to as the "center-line style" because on reference sheets you would see characters broken down into spheres with lines down the center to help portray depth.

This to say, if you want to get to the fundamentals of that style, an essence that can transcend the most obvious aesthetic tropes of pacman eyes and black and white, you make characters very tubular and *rubber-hose-y*. Tenna is very much that and in a way that dates him back to a nebulous essence of that old cartoon style, as well as making him distinctly a product of clumsy but adorable early CGI -- in a way harkening back to the early baby steps of 2D and 3D animation. (And fuck it, it kinda gives me digitized claymation vibes sometimes). Nevertheless, this collection of subtle and unsubtle visual motifs come together to make Tenna appear and feel old, charming, and most importantly, soft.

If Toby wanted to like really, really say "This guy is a TV cartoon" a far more obvious aesthetic to draw from would have been Hannah-Barbera type characters in the Modernist style, which uses economic design tropes that are so embedded in our idea of a cartoon you will find attempts at a rubberhose style accidentally using them, despite the styles being diametrically opposed. That gorgeous Hatsune Miku design for the vocaloid song people keep super-imposing Tenna over is a PERFECT example of the artstyle on a character who's design otherwise has nothing to do with it, emphasizing the focus on bold, flat shapes that often don't reflect any sort of real depth. Tenna could have easily been in a style like that, but no matter how many circles you may use in the design, they'll never be spheres, they'll never have that sense of depth and therefore almost tangible softness that Tenna's design has. Toby's artstyle, though not heavily related to either tradition, does rely a lot on flattened perspective and bold shapes in character designs, so it is very interesting to see Tenna arrive intended to portray an era aligned with those pre-existing conventions, but completely blowing them out of the water.

This because on top of evoking that nostalgia, Tenna is meant to evoke it with a specific kind of softness -- to make him as unassuming and friendly-looking as possible, almost unnaturally so. I don't think it's meant that the form is a distortion or facade of his normal self, but the fact that Tenna is the softess, puttiest thing in the entire canon so far implies there is a really strong reason why he's uniquely defined by these ideas. I mean we saw Tenna lose his cool and drop his silly act, and we got The Sprite - which is so gorgeous in its own way - Tenna's electronic themeing finally pulling some sharpness out of his design, made unnatural both by bringing attention to his inhuman parts and clashing so oddly with the soft rendering of his model. But even there the intention is not that Tenna is dropping a facade, that state was abnormal, and if the electronic in him was meant to conflict with his putty exterior you would maybe see more angularity on the TV in contrast to it. He coulda been a real ENA-like, if not by default then in that expression, but NOPE! It's all still cohesive!

In design, Tenna is constantly vying for Ralsei's spot of softest fluffiest guy around, and any aberration from that portrays him as being uncharacteristically harsh. He is defined by being soft, comforting, fun, nostalgic, and basically not anything that usually defines a Tumblr Sexyman. He's not particularly skinny by cartoon standards (nor curvy, I support you guys but we gotta be FR), he's not edgy, he's not secretly cruel (more just has the potential to manipulate people), and he doesn't have those toothy pointy design tropes that define a lot of those characters. He does for like, one sprite, and even then as I said its clashing in every way against his default personality. And I feel like when people forgo these aspects in his design, I can begin to assume they are doing so in his personality as well.

With constantly sharpened static teeth comes a more cunning character than he is ever portrayed to (successfully) be. Every time his suit is drawn to be more angular or his joints more defined, someone is forgetting his suit was primarily design to appeal to children, not parallel his old business partner. Obviously the only valid people in the Sharp Tenna Camp here are those who draw him in the Modernist TVA style (and everyone else cause this post is not that serious). But like as someone who actively has been studying why he doesn't give me the Tumblr Sexyman ick and being really delighted by how he maneuvers around all these tropes in a SUPER visually and narratively compelling way, I am a bit disappointed to see him just drawn like... as TV Head Tumblr Sexyman #9.

DONT MENTION HIM next to that asshole from Hazbin Hotel either OMFG! Tenna is my (and Kris') best friend from the corny gameshows, cease the slander!!