Future Refused

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Future Refused starts off when Stack, a heavily tattooed, somewhat antisocial troper finds an odd message on an old VHS tape and decides to post it and find out which of his friends is playing a prank on him. Before long, he starts to realize that the tape seems to be legitimate, and the oddly worded warning seems to be referring to a certain urban legend.

Tropes used in Future Refused include:

"It's like we're all dealing with the same thing, but worlds apart."

  • Oh Crap: "Those weren't stilts."
  • Our Monsters Are Different: Stack notes that, despite surface similarities, the various folks recording their encounters with Slendy seem to be facing different versions of the Slender Man, if not distinct creatures.
  • Recurring Dreams: Stack mentions early on that he's suffered from night terrors for most of his life. After finding the tape, he starts having one of something chasing him through a forest. Until he trips to find himself face-to-face with a Creepy Child as the thing behind him starts straightening its tie and adjusting its lapels.
  • Shout-Out: Due to the series Leaning on the Fourth Wall, they're all over the place.
    • The title itself is a reference to the Game Over screen of Chrono Trigger.
    • It's heavily implied that the "old cartoon" Stack was looking for when he found the first tape was none other than Candle Cove.
    • Early in the series, both the titular ring and Operator symbol pop up frequently. In fact, their appearance on the tape that started the whole thing is the reason Stack assumes it's a just a prank.
    • Stack has mentioned getting in touch with both Noah and Zytherys, both of whom he seems to consider dealing with the real deal.
    • See Face Palm above.
    • While the dream Stack describes to John is VERY similar to what Evan from Everyman HYBRID describes, Word of God states that the child is actually a reference to one of the entries from SCP Foundation.
    • In one episode, he wears a Freddy Krueger sweater.
  • True Companions: As the series goes on, it seems more and more like everyone we meet is a one of Stack's True Companions.
  • Wham! Line: "I have ghosts of my own."