Zone d'Ombre

A fanfiction presented as a fake Visual Novel, inspired by the Underverse.🔞​

[zonedombre]

Zone d’Ombre is a webserie presented as a fake Visual Novel, inspired by the Underverse.

The story will be told through "gameplay" videos, along with complementary posts on this Tumblr.

" We follow the Bad Sanses during the time of rising conflict and tension with the Star Sanses. " Genres: Seinen, Horror, Psychological, Drama, Family, Humor, Romance, Action, Slice of Life, Magic, Mystery, Adventure.

The POV will shift often. You'll meet Fern : a new member of the Bad Sanses and their medic, whose origins remain mysterious. All of them are the MC.

❓​ Ask Box : Open ! Rules -> here If you want to catch up, the answered question are -> here ✅​ Episode Progress Updates -> here

▶️​ Episode list :

Pilot Episode

Episode 1

💬​ Slice of Life bonus posts (in order) :

F is for...

📄​ Character Sheets :

Nightmare 🐙​

Killer 🔪​ | Horror 🪓​ | Dust ​🧣​ | Fern ​🌿

Cross ⚔️​ (coming soon) | Error 🍫 (coming soon)

Dream ☀️​ (coming soon) | Ink 🖌️ (coming soon) | Blue 🌟​ (coming soon)

more incoming...

‼️​ This story is not recommended for sensitive audiences.

Trigger Warnings: Strong language, blood, physical & psychological violence, sharp objects, needles, occasional jumpscares, heavy topics (su*cide, depression, mental illness, disorders, identity issues, cult, mind control, body horror, dysmorphia...).

For any questions or requests, feel free to send a message to my DMs or drop something in the ask box ! An FAQ will be added soon.

✨​ Credits :

🤎​ @shinyeclair – Writing, video editing, some sound design, asset searching, assets creation, sprite linearts+colors+alt expressions

🧡​ @erineas – Base sketches for all sprites+alt poses+alt outfits, consultant, support and advice

💜​ @unnamedcrane – Consultant, support and advice

[r3db3ans]

He's not mean. I promise.

Oc Fern from @zonedombre

[zonedombre]

I love this so SO MUCH gurl, you have no idea 😭😭

[inkz123]

Father, theyre fighting again :[

[zonedombre]

Haiya! I'm curious..

It seems Nightmare is a bit aggressive and manipulative when it comes to Fern. (As the others while they see him as their boss, seem a bit more laid back when it comes to him, however, in the Episode, Fern still looked rather cautious around Nightmare)

When it comes to Fern and how he acts, if she were to do something wrong or mess up, and Nightmare attacked her out of anger (purposefully), would the others stand there while it happened? They don't seem to act the same way Nightmare does, so would they step in to protect Fern or would Nightmare being their boss overwrite their feelings to help Fern?

(I hope this makes sense, sorry if it doesn't!)

Marvelous question !

Not exactly aggressive, but definitely dominant and manipulative. That's just who he is with everyone.

Really good observation, by the way. The guys are definitely a bit more laid-back around him because of their personalities, the fact that they've known Nightmare for much longer, and the way they personally see him. Fern is the newcomer, so naturally she reacts differently.

__________________________________________

Your question actually makes a lot of sense, so don't worry !

Nightmare would never lay a hand on Fern, even if she made a serious mistake.

Simply because he knows the others would react very badly to it, and he'd lose a huge amount of respect and credibility. It would be completely counterproductive if he wants everyone to keep obeying him without question and continue seeing him as a serious leader and savior figure.

That decision applies to the others too.

In the past, Nightmare has been physically violent. I can't really say more than that though, since those details belong to the very important Flashback arc.

At some point, he stopped, mostly because he realized exactly what I mentioned above. Even after 500 years, you're never too old to learn. And being a leader isn't something you magically know how to do.

So instead, Nightmare relies on much subtler ways of controlling people :

Guilt-tripping. Gaslighting. Lying. Pressing on emotional triggers. Threats... or sometimes he'll simply agree with them, flatter them, and make them feel understood to build trust before asking them to accept something much worse afterward. Repeat and repeat...

That's exactly what happened in Episode 1 when Nightmare suddenly agreed to Fern's request. It definitely wasn't out of kindness.

As for the almost... ""tender"" moment they share right afterward, I'll leave that completely open to interpretation.

Fern goes from fear, to affection, then straight into a full-on panic response. It probably feels really strange at first, but it's there to show just how deeply Nightmare has gotten into her head.

[zonedombre]

bruh I was so overwhelmed lately I forgot to post this gorgeous commission on Tumblr too for pride month 😭​

Fern is Questioning until she comes out later in the series ! Like many questioning people, she needs time to explore what she's feeling. There's nothing wrong with moving through uncertainty, experimenting, or taking the time to deeply reflect on yourself. The result is often all the more meaningful when someone finally understands how they identify, how they love, and how they want to be loved. Questioning people deserve patience, support, and protection within the community. They matter just as much. ​🫰​ I don’t speak about the other characters’ orientations because even though they all got a slight rewrite specific to Zone d’Ombre, they don’t belong to me and I don’t feel like choosing something specific for them. Feel free to interpret them however you like, or stick to their canon information ! They are what they are. They can become whoever they want. Change pronouns, love and sleep with whoever they want. They can just as much choose not to do anything at all. It’s none of my business. They are free. You’ll see that for yourselves in the series hehe ~ !

​🎨​ @spritz-exe ​🖤 MWAH ~ 💋​

[zonedombre]

i've got an interesting question!! what is the least favourite medical procedure for all of the team that Fern had to deal with? as in like a procedure theyd rather never experience (also so excited for episode 2 but please rest well also!!)

As for Fern, she's fine with all of it. Nothing really grosses her out or shocks her. But that's mostly because it's them, you know.

The least favorite medical procedure : Talking. Just... talking.

Because, go tell the buddy you literally live with straight in the eye sockets that you've had diarrhea for three days straight (including the color and smell) or that you've got a pimple on your dick, hemorrhoids, or literally any other embarrassing medical question. With DETAILS.

It's absolute hell for them. Fern stays pro and always respects doctor-patient confidentiality... Even if she randomly cackles later when the memory pops back into her head 😭​

Nightmare and Dust tend to squirm and hiss at her during checkups. Horror's sweet, but absolutely terrified of needles. Killer's pretty chill, just yapping.

The procedure they'd rather never experience : Anything involving their ass or their junk. Hell no. They pray every single day they'll never need her for that. And if they ever do... nah, they'll just go see another doctor.

Yeah. that's probably for the best. 😐​

[zonedombre]

Check back on this post from time to time for progress updates ! 28/06/2026 Episode 2

Synopsis: After the first episode where we followed Fern and Nightmare during the MTT’s absence, it’s now their turn to take over the whole episode. Get to know the iconic trio better, together and one by one, explore new rooms in the castle, and learn a bunch of interesting details that will be very useful later on.

✅​ 6/9 scenes for Episode 2 are ready.

⏱️ Episode 2 will probably end up being around 30 minutes long at most.

📅 I would like to finish the episode before the end of June or in early July and then edit the fun bonus episode before posting everything. Or maybe the bonus after, we'll see.

If all goes well, Episode 2 will also be released with its ending sequence, wee ~ !

This is an episode I'm putting a lot of care into, both in the writing and the editing, since it deals with some pretty sensitive topics. Thank you for your patience !

[zonedombre]

the tags made me think again but im aware this might be super spoiler worthy so i wont try to pry deep: is Fern's story being about self-acceptance because of her general backstory or her early times with the gang?

Both, but mostly her backstory.

[zonedombre]

Haiya! I absolutely adore Fern and her dynamic with the skele-hooligans! Would we be allowed to make fanart and fancomics? Of our ocs interacting with Fern? (Specifically as strangers or old friends/family?)

I also wanted to know if you can give us any backstory on Fern? (She's so cool!) Like how she met the group! I might have not scrolled far enough to find the lore if its already been explained so I apologize!

Hiiiii!! Thank you so much, I'm really happy you adore her 🥹​💚​🥹​

Of course you all can ! Feel free to treat Fern like any other Underverse OC. She was made for exactly that, so have fun with her ! Just like Error, Swap, Horror, Fell!Papyrus, Xtale!Undyne, etc... It'll make even more sense once the missing puzzle piece is revealed. Fanart, comics, interactions with other Underverse OCs or personal OCs, have fun !! ❤️‍🔥​ As for her backstory, I've already shared a little bit in the bio on her original post, which you can find here, but I don't mind giving you a few extra spoiler-free details ! (Sorry if some of these are super vague, they're hiding some pretty important plot points.)

She was found by Nightmare* in the Anti-Void 2 years ago, unconscious and with a severe skull injury. They don't know how, but she does.

She explains that she woke up in the Anti-Void "alone, lost, with absolutely no memories of a previous life." 🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿

She appeared exactly as she was, in the body of a young adult female skeleton monster, wearing a different outfit and remembering only her former name.

Seeing the potential in her healing magic, her unusual Gaster Blasters, and her vulnerable state, Nightmare decided to take her under his wing.

He trained her in [biiiiiiiip] for [biiiiiip biiiiip] before [biiiip biiiiip] for [biiiiiip biiiiiip], renaming her "Fern" himself before bringing her to the castle and introducing her to the team. 🌿​🌿​🌿​🌿​🌿​

A full year passes. That year will be explored in a dedicated flashback arc showing how everyone ended up on Nightmare's side and how the relationships within the group were built (first between the MTT without Fern, then with Fern). This arc is gonna be very important and useful.

The story currently takes place during her second year. So technically, Fern is only 2 years old, despite mentally and physically being in her mid-twenties.

Nightmare and the Bad Sanses are literally the first and only people she's ever known. Nightmare and Error were the first faces she ever saw. 🌿​🌿​🌿​🌿​🌿​

She was essentially raised by men and has quite literally never done anything else with her life besides her job : completing missions, training, fulfilling her responsibilities, and taking care of the team's physical/mental health 24/7.

That might sound exhausting, even miserable... but Fern genuinely loves what she does. She deeply cares about most of her teammates and wholeheartedly believes in the future Nightmare is trying to build.

Her team is her absolute top priority. Because they're all she has.

[zonedombre]

so seeing Fern go around the castle to collect Nightmare's stuff made me realize that the castle is BIG as hell

how do they keep the castle from not rotting away? i mean like, do they all have specific chores to do each day meticulously or does Nightmare's own magic have something to do with it? because thinking about it a place that big would need tons of maintenance and cleaning

Hi ! Sorry it took me a while to answer your question ! It was actually something I needed to think through for the story, so you were literally inside my head haha ! I love that kind of questions because they're so satisfying to answer ~ 🤌​

YES, the castle is HUGE ! You'll keep discovering new rooms, and it'll take a while before you've seen the whole place. I also plan on making and posting a full floor plan !

Nightmare does indeed use magic, more specifically grey magic objects. (temporary or definitive name) 🔮​ They're items/gadgets infused with magic (black magic, white magic, etc.), the kind you can find during the "modern" era of Underverse (and that Alphys is very capable of making). ​⌛​Back when Nightmare lived 500 years ago in Dreamtale AND during the era of the great war against humans in the Undertale timelines, that kind of magical technology didn't exist, or at least not in such an advanced and efficient form.

If the term "grey magic" sounds confusing, that's totally normal. It'll all be explained in Episode 3.

🏰​ Nightmare places these items in the most important rooms and lets them capture/repel/destroy dust (lol), dirt, and moisture to always keep everything clean and fresh. 🪙​ Since Nightmare is a cheapskate, though, not every room gets one. The team's bedrooms for example : used and unused ones, don't have them. His own bedroom does have one, though 😑​

If he ever needs one of those rooms cleaned, he'll simply order one of his henchmen to do it. And even when he doesn't need the room cleaned, well, if someone screws up, he'll absolutely send them to scrub it from top to bottom as punishment.

[zonedombre]

What each of the boys will do if fern was wearing a outfit they never expected her to wear, like a some type of dress making her look cute or more beautiful?

Can't wait for episode 2 btw ✨️

Aww thanks for your question and your interest ! Episode 2 is going extremely well, you can expect it in early July along with bonus episode 2 🤞​

Woah, second question I’ve received that preshots things planned in the series ! You guys are too good 👀​

And yes, Fern will indeed wear a dress/outfit that's very different from what she normally wears (in a casual context, not a formal one yet).

Their reactions :

🪓Horror would be in SO HAPPY ! He already sees Fern as one of the "cutest and most precious things in existence", so seeing her all adorable in a pretty dress would make him go crazy. Hands on his cheeks, squealing and stomping his feet ~ Horror has a veeeeeery personal vision of Fern because of... well, you'll find out why someday ! 🔪Killer would be de-light-ed and would take tons of pictures of her. He loves seeing Fern try clothes other than her usual outfit : not just for eye candy (we know the animal, huh), but mostly because it lets her try things, test styles and therefore feel more fulfilled in her body and the way she sees herself. Fern happy and thriving is even prettier than any dress. He knows what it’s like to feel uncomfortable with yourself... 🧣 Dust would be vaguely surprised, then move on quickly. Not because he doesn’t care, but because he thinks almost everything suits Fern anyway. So no matter the outfit, it changes nothing. But he wouldn’t admit that even with a knife to his throat. 🐙​Nightmare would be fairly pleased. With his royal upbringing and somewhat old-fashioned mindset, he's a big believer in elegance, refinement, and good taste. So seeing her dressed up and looking polished would only reinforce his personal satisfaction in the skeleton he "forged." A real lady who can match his standards. Yes, he'll always find a way to make everything about himself.

[zonedombre]

not exactly sure if you referred to nightmare in that one tag but why doesnt nightmare like his handwriting? or whoever that person is?

Yes, I was indeed referring to Nightmare in the tag, sorry for the confusion ! And thank you for picking up on that tag bc I didn’t put it there randomly 🔍​

Nightmare considers his handwriting too "delicate". The truth is, he already had that handwriting before his corruption, back when he was... well, his former self. It reminds him of a period of his life, and a version of himself, that he'd rather distance himself from as much as possible. Smother. Bury. He tried to change his handwriting many times, without success. That’s why the font chosen for Nightmare’s handwriting may seem a little too "round". Almost "cute" for his character.

In Zone d'Ombre, every detail counts.

Be wary of everything I say and everything you see, whether it's on Tumblr or in the episodes.

[zonedombre]

quick ask for all of the guys available:

Can we see their handwriting? (definitely wont judge them.... 👀)

OKAY so it's actually really funny that you're asking me this because their handwriting is literally going to show up in Episode 2 !

Well, everyone else's except Nightmare's !

So for now, I'll leave you with his pwetty pwetty handwriting, and as for the others, you'll get to see them in Episode 2, which is coming very soon ~ ✨

Spoiler: Killer's handwriting is absolute ass.

[zonedombre]

" (𝖨) 𝖿𝗈𝗎𝗇𝖽 𝗒𝗈𝗎. 𝖨 𝗌𝗁𝖺𝗉𝖾𝖽 𝗒𝗈𝗎. 𝖨 𝗇𝖺𝗆𝖾𝖽 𝗒𝗈𝗎. 𝖨 𝗈𝗐𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎. "

🎨 by DolceAmore69 | ⏯️​ Video & Visual in the middle by me

❗ These art & video are meant to portray a toxic relationship involving psychological control over a vulnerable person, not to romanticize it. Thankfully, this relationship is destined to evolve in a positive way (platonic or romantic, both work), but it will remain difficult to watch throughout parts of the series. Please remember that Zone d'Ombre is intended for a mature audience.

[zonedombre]

a question i had in mind since i believe it is kinda related to personality:

what is all of the castle groups favourite ice cream flavours?

Sorry it took so much time, I'm suuuper overwhelmed lately ! 😖​🙏​

[mini-shrimp14]

Commission for @zonedombre

[zonedombre]

Thank you so so much again ! 🥺🥺

[binkandaus123]

this is so incomplete but I wanted to share what I made😆😆 @zonedombre I alr posted on my TikTok but why not tumblr too? It’s been a minute

[zonedombre]

ONCE AGAIN IT'S ALREADY SO SOOOOOO PRETTY !!!! I LOVE EVERYTHING !!! THANK YOUUUUUUU !! 😭​​✨​✨​​​🥺​​✨​​​🥹​​✨​✨​