#Also me realizing in real time just how old Gaster is to be a single father all of a sudden lol

[sysig]

Twin skeletons need twin carriers (Patreon)

[evilspamtonology]

Okay, I've cooked lunch. Let's get to real cooking now.

Basically once every few years I like watching a 100% playthrough of Majora's Mask (usually that ancient commentated one by Zelda Dungeon but this year I opted for a single video 10 hour no-commentary HD mod playthrough), and this year as I was practicing this tradition I started reflecting upon what I like about MM. It's not just that its themes are more reflective of death, it's not just that everything in it is written in a way to always culminate in the end of the 72 hours. What I like the most about it is how compact it is compared to OoT. The lack of Hyrule Fields means that everything in Termina is closer together. It feels like a more closed, more comfortable experience than the vast expanse of Hyrule.

Another thing I really like, and that's more coincidental than anything, is that the models and characters are all more or less the same as in Ocarina of Time, but they all have completely different roles and relationships to one another, although not exactly that much different from OoT. This is what made my synapses fire up at 1 A.M. to post the sentence "I think Undertale is Majoras Mask for Deltarune's Ocarina of Time" nine hours later after i wokeup

Here's my reasoning: I mostly understand Majora's Mask as an allegory for Link's existential crisis and his way of coping with loss and change from the end of OoT when he chooses to continue being a child. Termina is all centered around the idea of imminent impact, imminent change, something you can't control and yet will still come, the end of a world as you know it and beginning of something you don't know. That's a very vivid picture of what Link might be feeling during OoT, realizing he's not a fairy boy and becoming a knight for a princess and being part of a prophecy that perpetuates for generations and having to defeat the literal incarnation of evil who is a huge buff man and having to grow up and travel through time and link's like 12. That's a lot of change in an incredibly small amount of time. Of course Link'll be thinking about it for a while.

So, taking the interpretation that Majora's Mask is allegorical, I circle this back to Undertale and Deltarune: I think Undertale too is some sort of allegory for Deltarune. Deltarune is obviously the more expansive game of the two, has been worked on the longest and was intended to come first. All of the characters that appear in Undertale are present in Deltarune in more... Let's say grounded roles, and sometimes less idealistic than in Undertale. To illustrate my point:

"divorced mom and dad" -> "mom who lives in isolation and dad who lives far away and also they're the royals"

"suddenly there new grocery shop owner and his little brother who i wanna befriend so bad" -> "two cool skeleton brothers who showed up out of nowhere that everyone likes and who are your best friends"

"old man who died long ago who was beloved by all that you've never met" -> "old man who is still alive who tells you cool stories and is super smart and fun to hang with"

et cetera

Add onto this the concept that Undertale is a comfortable and safe game, which is something I really like. When I first played it, Undertale made me nostalgic for something I've never experienced; nostalgia without a subject. Finally, after 8 slutty, slutty years, I figured out why. It makes me nostalgic for a time in your infancy where you understand the world as friendly, because you're still too small to have experienced much more than your own home. Everyone is looking out for you and nobody wants to harm you. Undertale feels so comfortable to me because I know no characters in that game are dangerous due to bad intentions (which is another part of my disdain for evil gaster headcanons but i'm getting ahead of myself there), and I know that most of the characters, when they are threatening, are just putting on a show to interact with you (I promise you, if you play Undertale with the mindset that all of the monsters are either humoring or babysitting Frisk it turns into such an amusing little game). And in that regard, it's very contrastant how different Deltarune is. Deltarune is more mature in that sense – in the idea that there are ill intentioned people in the world, people who are not giving themselves the responsibility to be nice to kids and teens, a world that is more complex than a teenager would wish it to be.

So, in summation, Undertale appears to be an allegorical, idealized, safe world based on the world of Deltarune. Whether this means that Frisk is a representation of Kris from their own perspective, or something else, I don't think we have the information to figure out yet. But what would this mean for their unrelated-ness?

I do believe that when Toby let everyone know that Undertale and Deltarune were Unrelated, I don't think he meant it "completely". I think he meant it in a way to stop people from viewing them in a linear way, as in, one is a sequel to the other, in which the same logic and lore would apply. I think Undertale and Deltarune are related in either of two ways:

Undertale is fictional inside of Deltarune (thus, it actually has 3 levels of fictionality which is something I wanna talk about some other day)

Undertale is a rearranging of the Deltarune universe (if you're a homestuck girlie, effectively a post-scratch universe), in which some relationships and worldly rules are maintained and some are reworked towards a specific goal.

I think that, by the time Chapter 7 is published, we will have the answer to this, but for now, there's not enough canon info out there to draw any conclusion, including the one this same theory brings up: What is Undertale an allegory for?

(personally, I think it'd fit within the themes of escapism and idealization turned into unhealtiness, as well as the wish every older teen/young adult has to return to childhood, but that's again a topic for another post)

But yeah. This is why Deltarune is Ocarina of Time and Undertale is Majora's Mask. Enjoy the meal.

Do you see my vision?

[shazos]

Rouxls is Hiding Something Big: A Deltarune Theory

FORENOTE- For some needed context, it may help reading my previous Deltarune theory here for important details that I will cover in this post. (My previous theory provides notable evidence on why Gaster is indeed the “Knight” figure talked about by multiple characters in Deltarune.)

Now, this is going to sound crazy. But after much time of poring over and analyzing Deltarune, I have come to a conclusion. One that I’ve been convinced of for awhile now. Something that’s been lying right under all of our noses without many of us even realizing it. We have all been bamboozled. Hoodwinked. Tricked. Why, you may ask?

Because the comically stupid and inept Duke of Puzzles is actually... not an idiot. No, he’s the complete opposite. He is a downright mastermind.

As collective players, we are all falling into the same trap once again. Putting faith into a character’s preconceived personality !

When their true personality turns out the complete opposite of what we expected...

It is here, my evidence for this claim begins—and we delve into the true identity of Rouxls Kaard. Buckle up everyone, cause this one’s gonna be a fun ride. 👀

So, to spill the beans up front, and get it over with. I believe Rouxls Kaards identity... is none other than W.D. Gaster in disguise.

Now. I didn’t immediately become invested in this theory—I was skeptical at first like everyone else. But, once I began examining Deltarune and all of its characters a bit closer...things weren’t exactly adding up about the Duke of Puzzles.

Point #1: Anagrams

I initially began to become suspicious of Rouxls Kaard because of his odd name. Sure, it is a play on the words of the term, “Rules card”. But it is spelt in such a peculiar way. If it were just simply a play on words, I think that there would be a much better way of going about spelling it rather than just jumbling a bunch of random letters together. There is a very intriguing reddit post found here that goes more into depth about his name that ties well into my theory. The thing that stood out to me in particular, is that Rouxls’s name is actually also an anagram for “A Dark Soul RX”, (with the left over RX typically being used in terms relating to doctors/medicine.) Not only is Gaster a Doctor, but he’s also always associated with darkness and the research of souls. Toby loves his anagrams—so I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if this was intentional. But it doesn’t end there.

I’ve noticed that Toby Fox has a tendency to tease certain things about his games through merch. And wouldn’t you know it—he has in fact, a particular item on fangamer of a “dark heart.” One which description describes the Angel’s Prophecy. Hm...

But let’s back on track onto my second observation, shall we?

Point #2: The Physical Resemblance to Gaster

Now, there seems to be some interesting foreshadowing related to inverted colors in Deltarune. Before Ralsei takes his hat off, he appears black. But once he takes his hat off, voila, his colors are inverted, and he is revealed to actually be a white goat highly resembling Asriel.

In addition, the entire Dark World is literally just. An inverted version of a normal world.

The Dark World could have hypothetically been the created world/experiment that Gaster had fallen into in the first place. After all, his experiment had to do with “darkness”, and “negative” photons--AKA the Dark Fountains, and the negatively/inverted landscapes of the Dark World.

And how does Rouxls Kaard appear inverted anyways? Well, he looks like THIS.

He even has the strange dangling lip thing—which another character said to directly resemble Gaster, Seam, has as well:

In addition, if you look at Rouxls’ text-box profile very closely, his eye colors are actually mismatched which is a rather interesting detail!

Point # 3: His Accent is Extremely put on.

I think anybody that has read any sort of Shakespearean/Old English writing, can instantly realize that Rouxls is as bad as imitating an Old English accent as a high-schooler reading Hamlet for the first time. Rouxls absolutely butchers it. He practically adds eth, and est at the end of any word he chooses, and calls the job done. What is even more interesting though, is when he gets nervous or panicked, he drops the act all together and talks normally.

Point #4: He is Pretending to be Dumb; His Puzzles are Actually Impressive!

I found it intriguing how there are countless puzzle traps in all the forest areas and in the Card Castle prison that were actually very well done. You have to flip the spades, diamonds, hearts, etc to unlock doors, and open secret chests. They require a decent amount of thinking skills, and are actually competent. But who made them?? Oddly enough if you observe one of them in the forest areas, it appears that Rouxls Kaard vandalized one of the puzzles to make it harder for the player to beat it—which further implies that he actually indeed made those puzzles himself. This shows that Rouxls is much more competent than only being able to make a single box shove puzzle that is comically easy. Where else do we see a place full of plenty of rather well made puzzles + traps seen? All throughout the Core in Undertale—a place which Gaster himself created!

Point #5: Rouxls IS Aware the World is a Game--AKA DON’T FORGET TO READ NPC DIALOGUE FOLKS!

I think it is well aware by now that Rouxls likely wants us as the players to underestimate him--and deem him a fool so we wouldn’t bat an eye at what he’s actually up to. But the most biggest give away to this is something that I have surprisingly seen no one mention at all. And oh boy, it is the most damning evidence that Rouxls is no idiot to be trifled with.

To the left of Seam’s shop, there can be found a little group of former puzzle-makers that used to live at Card Castle, until they were fired and replaced with Rouxls Kaard. They are now all out of a job, and are just barely scraping by since the Spade King didn’t give them any severance pay. However, Rouxls Kaard offered them a way to get money--by selling the tutorials he made.

These tutorials go over TP, stats, information about Susie, Ralsei,  and Kris. Rouxls Kaard has never once met any of the players yet--and he knows everything about them. He knows about stats. He knows the world is a game.

HOW??

In addition, when you talk to Rouxls in his shop, he calls you three the Heroes of Legend. He is well aware of the Angel’s Prophecy. He knows.

Whenever any character in the world of Undertale & Deltarune knows that the world is a game, it is an instant red-flag. It goes to show that they know much more than they let on. Flowey and Sans are big examples of this in Undertale. Pure hearted, dorky idiots that we trust earlier in the game--but wind up seeing the real side of them later on.

...So why should we treat Rouxls any differently?

Point #6: The “Control Crown”

Something that I immediately thought was kind of weird, was the fact that Rouxls Kaard was able to control the K. Round with a “Control Crown” device. If he is so stupid, how was he able to create a full on mechanical device that can brainwash a life-form into being violent/cause it to triple in size?! That is genius material right there!

But things start to take on a much darker side when you begin to look at the subtext of this realization, which I will get to in a moment...

First of all, Seam claimed these exact words.

The remaining king was the Spade King-- as the King of Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs are seen to be locked up in the Dungeon. Therefore, the Spade King put the Knight, and his strange son into power. IF it were the Spade King in power, the dialogue box WOULD have said “himself”. Therefore, the Knight, and his strange son were put in place to control the kingdom. And who are they?

Gaster/Rouxls Kaard, and Lancer.

Evidence to back this up:

Lancer calls Rouxls his “Lesser Dad”. And Rouxls calls Lancer, his Strange little darling/son.

The Spade King is not in charge. During his boss-fight, he states that he obeys the word of the Knight.

If you observe more of Lancer’s dialogue in the scene right before the gang enters Card Castle, he states that his dad, (Spade King), recently forced his troops to listen to Lancer instead. Therefore, Lancer is by all respects actually second in command to the Knight.

One of Rouxls main interests is...Lawmaking. Even though he is just supposedly an innocent Duke of Puzzles.

Another one of Rouxls main interests is...Cages, and long strolls in the dungeon... 

There are innocent puzzle-makers locked up in the Prison who are terrified--they were arrested for the simple act of making a puzzle without a license. HM, I wonder who could have possibly locked them up? *Wink wink nudge nudge*

And what ties this all together, is perhaps the most obscure, tiniest detail that no one would have likely observed on a first play-through. If you go to the first floor of Card Castle and click the description tablet next to the elevator to the Prison, it claims that the Prison used to just be a Basement Which Just Happened to Have a Lot of Cages. This is backed up by the caged animals in the basement, who say that they miss the “good old days” when they used to be the only ones there in cages, and not a bunch of people behind bars.

In summary, Rouxls is locking up a bunch of innocent people, and playing nice to our faces. He IS the knight. And he is not to be underestimated.

Point #7: Rouxls’ Plan is Already Set in Place

The part where this theory gets a little dark, ties back to my mentioning of the control crown earlier.

If you observe the throne room, it looks like it was recently torn apart in a sort of...conflict.

Why was the Spade King the only king left un-caged to begin with? Why wasn’t he locked up too?

Well...Rouxls Kaard needed someone to put him in charge. But not only that—he needed a scapegoat. Someone to blame. Someone to be “The Bad Guy” for the Heroes to fight.

The Spade King...is actually innocent. He is obeying the Knight, because he is being controlled by a Control Crown. The throne room is in ruins because the Spade King likely fought against this at first, but Rouxls won and successfully put the Spade King under his command. I thought it was strange how the King was so...violent. So irredeemably evil, and even murderous toward his own son Lancer. Yes, it could be argued that this is indeed his true personality, that he is a complete, abusive jerk. But, the whole ending battle of Deltarune chapter 1 feels so...set up in a way? It feels so starkly good vs evil, black and white. Almost like a play.

And oh boy. I think I was onto something.

If you pay close attention to the fight with the Spade King, there is a brief moment at the beginning where he is completely shrouded in shadow. Except. For. His. Crown. It glows stark white in comparison to himself. Like a Chekov’s Gun if you will.

And even more interesting, in the supposed good/pacifist ending, the Spade King is locked up in Prison, the other three kings are still locked up in cages, everyone else is freed, and Rouxls and Lancer now have full control of the kingdom...

Guys. We just played right into Gaster’s hands.

Point #8: Seam Knows that Rouxls is the Knight...

The final observation that genuinely makes me convinced in this theory, is a small detail I noticed at the end of the Pacifist run of Deltarune. Once you have beaten the game, and all of the prisoners are freed, everyone comes to celebrate at Card Castle for your victory. Everyone, except for Seam. That is because Seam knows what the “Strange Knight” did to Jevil. He knows who the Strange Knight is. And he knows what the Knight’s true intentions are.

Point #9: Extra Tidbits I noticed:

When compared to the other denizens of card castle, Rouxls seems out of place. He is the one vaguely humanoid character among a bunch of card and chess themed Darkners. 

His puzzle is... too easy.

Rouxls is oddly excited about overthrowing the king/taking his place. 

Rouxls is well versed in calligraphy of all things. (Relation to fonts + letters.)

Rouxls “sparkles” have an odd resemblance to the shining save states...?

He makes pop culture references, such as ones seen here and here. Could just be random throwaway jokes, but often times more “aware” characters such as Sans and Papyrus are keen on breaking the fourth wall at times/making references to relate with the audience.

His hair looks strangely out of place. Especially the hairline which is really receded to an unnatural degree on the left side. It’s a wig guys...

He gets a suspiciously new position for no reason at all. In any normal situation, he would be extremely unqualified for it if he were as stupid as he makes himself out to be.

Rouxls is literally wearing armor, akin to a medieval knights.

If you pay close attention, Rouxls has a few very subtle similar speech patterns to Gaster. They both occasionally repeat words twice. They both use the words wonderful and truly a lot, etc.

When Kris and the gang beat the K. Round, Rouxls said it was just to test their abilities.

Rouxls theme has leitmotifs from Gaster’s theme.

End of discussion. Deltarune’s finale is legit going to be Gaster getting his wig snatched.

[cerysdelaney]

Hello! This is Sugar! Wanted to let you know I think you are an amazing writer and I believe in you! I had a quick question for you tho, how/when did you know this was what you wanted to do?

Sending you love!!💚💚💚

Short answer: This has been a long and broken path. Wanting something and making it happen was a series of false starts and self reflection.

But I have always loved storytelling. So here’s my long answer:

I started making OCs for my favorite shows since I can remember. They were all originally self inserts with powers or alterations. To name a few, I had a best friend to Sonic, a sixth Power Ranger, and an immortal being of the Force that helps Luke on his journey. There were so many.

My first fanfic was in Harry Potter, and… well… I don’t know if anyone remembers Fanfiction.Net and it’s toxicity level in the 90s… (who knows, maybe it’s never changed?) But my tiny little 12-year-old-written self-insert was eaten alive and spit out to die slowly. I had like 12 views, no likes, and 3 comments of vile cruelty.

So then I only wrote for my friends. I created a multiverse combining OCs from Dragonball Z to Star Wars… Gundam Wing to Harry Potter… Xanth to Xena and Hercules. I made their descendants, lore, etc. But it was all for my friends’ eyes alone.

In high school, I went to Creative Writing summer camps (which I later became a camp counselor in… Ah, summer jobs…). In college, one of my majors was English with an emphasis on Creative Writing. But I did realize I had another calling by then too. One that was a bit more stable. And, honestly, Creative Writing courses killed my drive to write. I was looked down on for aspiring to be a “genre writer.” And it’s crazy to think I listened to them, but I did… except once…

In my senior year of college, for my last story, I wrote about Lucifer’s fall from the perspective of the fallen angel himself. It was inspired by John Milton’s Paradise Lost (which I had taken an entire course on) and my own battle with my faith, Catholicism. I had been an active member in the church, but in college I finally let myself explore parts of me I didn’t before. I had sex. I let myself finally acknowledge that I wasn’t straight. I had more sex with everyone. I dated guys and girls, non binary and trans. And I became an outsider to the world I once knew. All that taken into perspective, I felt for a character who used to be so close to God’s right hand, and then loses his position because of choices that didn’t fall in line with the teachings. So I wrote from my heart in a tale as old as patriarchy.

And no one in class made a goddamn negative critique.

I don’t know how many of you out there have ever taken a creative writing class, but I still can’t put into words how shocking it was to not receive even a single red note. Not even that pretentious jackass who was already published in multiple online magazines had any comment for improvement. Instead, what was supposed to be a fifteen minute round robin of commentary became an hour long conversation about how jarringly relatable Satan is as a protagonist. Some were grappling with God as a tyrant. Others enjoyed the juxtaposition of Jesus and Satan. It was awesome. It was fun. It was everything I wished a my entire four years had been: talking about ideas.

But then I didn’t get a single call back from any graduate schools when I decided to use that piece and genre fiction in my portfolio. So I focused instead on the job I did get that does the other thing I love.

And I stopped writing.

Fast forward almost ten years. I’m now married, career secure, and looking to have a baby. I haven’t grappled with the fact that I love sex but have married an asexual man who I love beyond words. I’m also going into heat. (That’s a more honest way to describe the “ticking clock” everyone talks about as you near your 30s and then get into it. Holy hell ovulation is a hungry beast).

I needed an outlet, and it couldn’t be private. I was already too private. At the same time as I’m grappling with this, a friend introduced me to this deliciously dark character of Gaster in Undertale, and I just… started writing.

I created an AO3 account under the name Dark Crystal Demon and I let myself write whatever I wanted to write. I wrote rape by plants and ghosts. I wrote about women with dicks. Myself with a dick. I wrote about BDSM and Master/Pet play and It. Felt. So. Good.

I feel alive writing whatever I want because I can’t be whatever I want in real life. I honestly can’t. I’m highly respected in my career, but that all goes away if I reveal an account like this. I want to keep the career I have. So welcome to my secret den of dreams and nightmares. I’m very good at decorating closets I find myself hiding in.

I didn’t plan on writing for others, but my love for pleasuring others has definitely intermingled with my love for writing erotic content. Most of the time I write for me, but there are a few of you in my DMs who know when I’m writing for you ^_~ I can’t help but tease you. I adore you so.

Teasing friends made me realize I like world building around people’s desires. So that’s when I started taking commissions. But balancing family, career, and writing has been difficult these last five years. You all who have been with me for a while have seen my giant hiatuses in fanfics, etc.

During this pandemic I realized I wanted to finally give writing it’s chance. Instead of taking another career-advancing task, I decided to stay where I am in my job. So for the first time in a very long time, I can finally use my free time for my hobby and not extra work. (Can I just say, making a calendar for when I’m going to work on different fics, commissions, Master Classes, and erotic articles is exhilarating.)

So here I am. Told you it was a long story. Communities in writing are just like relationships, some are abusive and treat you poorly. I got lucky and found one that has let me be me. That’s why, when I tell you all I appreciate your support, it’s coming from the center of my soul. Thank you for letting me be me, especially you, Sugar. You are a very cherished supporter. 💜

[secret-time-is-here]

An Error’s Journey

Chapter 7

Previous - First - Next

Soon after everyone got the cure, Ace was able to bring them all up onto the surface. Everyone was stunned, as they all saw the real stars for the first time under the dim light of the moon. For the night, they stayed in tents, although many struggled to sleep and even more stayed outside to marvel at the stars.

Sci and Lust were two of those people.

With Sci laying on his back, and Lust cuddled into his side, they gazed at the galaxies above them, but despite the beauty, he couldn’t focus on it.

Why was Core so bent on pushing him down a specific path? What’s with the warnings? What about Lust’s hesitation?

“...Are you alright, darling?” Lust softly asked, Sci sat up, shrugging. “How about we go somewhere more private and talk?”

Sci nodded, and Lust pulled him up, and they walked away from the main campground until it was nearly out of sight. Only dots of color in the distance. They sat down across from each other, and finally, Lust broke the silence.

“What’s wrong?”

“...Is there a bigger plot I don’t know about?” Lust didn’t meet his eyes, “...Lust? Lust, please-”

“I want to tell you.” Tears bubbled in his eyes, and Lust held his arms tight around himself, “I want to tell you so damn much, but I can’t. I’ve already told you before… and you spent lifetimes searching for a different answer that you never found.”

Lust began to quietly cry, still not meeting Sci’s eyes. “...I can’t let you make the same mistake again.”

Unsure, Sci slowly got closer, and carefully hugged his lover, laying them both back down on the grass, holding Lust close.

“I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m s-sorry-” Sci let him repeat the apology over and over until Lust had no more tears.

“Thanks for being honest, Lusty.”

“Pfft, that’s a dumb nickname.”

“Well, I don’t think it is.” Sci maneuvered Lust so they were looking each other in the eyes, “While the word lust in a reference to sin in some religions and to desire, I also see it as passion. Like your passion for everything and anything.”

Lust began to smile, “You have the passion to keep your brother safe. Passion to help the underground. Passion to keep me protected… I trust you. I don’t care if I never learn what this background plot is anymore, just promise me that we can reach a good ending.”

“I promise.”

-----

Now with his main dilemma mostly answered and his project finished, he began to focus on the small problems in his life again. Things like why his father, Gaster, is so invested in everyone.

A year ago Gaster barely talked to anyone, despite Sci sharing a lab with him as well as living with him along with Papyrus, not a single word was shared. It wasn’t an unwelcome change, nor was it instant, but it was certainly a surprise.

It’s funny how things have changed, Sci working late hours while Gaster began to use up his many vacation days by spending time with their King and Queen. Although Gaster began to pull Sci out of work as well, spending time with him too.

Today, Gaster had pulled him out of their lab and down to Snowdin, taking him to their storage house. They sat in the living space of the house, watching old movies on the TV and drinking hot cocoa together.

He looked over to his father who was smiling happily, taking a drink from his cup now and then. He broke the silence.

“Dad?” Gaster looked over at him, “Why are you doing all this?”

...I made a mistake. Taking others for granted. I didn’t spend time with you or your brother, or our coworkers, or our Royals, or anyone in general. I didn’t spend time with Chara or Asriel, and now I regret it. Gaster signed, avoiding eye contact like Lust had.

“You started spending time with us months ago, even before their death.” Sans pointed out.

...I suppose you’re right. Sans continued to stare, There’s that first for knowledge again. Gaster chuckled awkwardly, ...In truth, I did realize my mistake, although I’ll admit it was with outside help. I don’t have much time left, Sans, and I want to make the most of it.

“You’re part of this plot too?”

Yes, I am. Sci stood up, beginning to leave, was everyone plotting behind his back? Sans… listen to Core’s warnings. Please. Don’t regret as I have.

“...Is there anything you can tell me at all?”

...If you learn when to let go, to not regret, and to fix your mistake, you can reach a happy ending; it won’t be without loss or depression, but it will end happily.

Sans sat back down, closer to his father, and hugged him close. Gaster held him back as they sat in silence.

-

All characters belong to their respected creators

[anomalytale]

Part 2 - Snowdin and the Amalgamate

[[strap in folks, this is gonna be long]]

As soon as you leave the ruins, you are confronted with a subversion of the cutscene in which Sans approaches you for the first time in Undertale. This time, you're the one stalking him. When you reach his sentry station, an encounter starts. He is unaware of your presence. One thing that strikes you about him is that his battle sprite is still black and white and is in Undertale's lower resolution.

-(PACIFIST RUN)-

You pat sans on the shoulder, he says "how many times do I have to tell you to keep your paws off my bones?" before turning around. he is briefly startled. he summons 10 Gaster blasters, but then regains his composure. "heh...ah ah. nah." The blasters disappear. "not even gonna give you the satisfaction." he winks and leaves the battle.

You can find him at his sentry station, where he says he doesn't really have anything to do since the anomaly (aside from overseeing the operations in the ruins) and he can finally relax. Flowey pops out and greets Sans, causing him to flinch again: “i can’t make the same joke twice. so, uh. I’m going to grillby’s”.

[[Going into the forest, you’d encounter monsters I showcased in the snowdin pack. Not much to explain since that pack gave a very in depth look at monsters and group encounter dynamics.I guess I should explain the amalgamate somewhat.]]

The Amalgamate, an amalgamate of all amalgamates, is loose in the forest and will appear as a random encounter. It’s unkillable; only way to end the encounter is fleeing. They always attack first.

[[still love these guys]]

There's not much else to the area as most monsters are afraid of leaving their home in fear of encountering the Amalgamate. Firedrake being the exception as they recognize him as their son, as well as their son's friends as, well...friends (Jerry not included).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yIZgtvk2qc

Snowdin Town is lively as ever. As soon as you get there you experience a cutscene showing the D.O.G.S. returning and a casually dressed Asgore asking them if they have any news of Toriel. Dog duo replies that the explosion that engulfed the Ruins was centered on Toriel’s home. Asgore thanks them and leaves for Grillby's, defeated.

Overworld npcs are fairly similar as they couldn't absorb Frisk's soul. Some shed some more light on the world and events. You learn that Papyrus has left for the capital as he is now second in command of the Demon Squad, the institution that replaced the Royal Guard. Also, more info on the ruins disaster: Asgore left New Home in search of Toriel as soon as he received news of the disaster, which allowed Undyne and Alphys to take over the Capital and proclaim themselves as new rulers. Spoder has followed you out of the ruins, and comments on how fresh the air is, something they had seemingly never felt.

Sans leaves his sentry station and can be found in his home as well as Grillby's. He won't leave these 2 places ever and has a few 4th wall breaks where he asks if you are expecting him to follow you around, but makes it clear he wants nothing to do with you. He also informs Asgore has been living in his home. Talking to Asgore reveals that while he and Sans had never been friends, they've grown a lot closer since the ruins disaster. You can find him at Sans's home later, where he wishes he'd let him sleep in Papyrus's room instead of the couch, but makes it clear he's not complaining and he's glad he found someone who doesn't think he's worthless. He also tells you he's afraid of harming you because he killed countless humans, one of them just a week before you showed up. The Royal Guard was disappointed in learning he didn't have the strength to absorb the human souls, freeing them instead. He was overthrown without even resisting.

[[unfortunately i have no art of asgore, just imagine deltarune asgore's sprite here]]

Talking to Flowey, he would tell you that, as much as he enjoyed messing with him, he hates seeing Asgore down and that maybe he would be happier if they met; even if he knows he won’t feel anything in return. However he’s afraid of what he might say. You can encourage him to do so, after which you can watch an optional cutscene in which Flowey reveals his real identity to Asgore. His first reaction is disbelief, but then as he realizes Flowey is really Asriel, he is overtaken by Joy. He hugs the flower disregarding the thorns. “After all this time, I started to give up. I forgot there’s more to life than...loss.” Asgore says, tears in his eyes. Flowey asks if he doesn’t care that he’s in a different form now, but Asgore shakes his head.

After the moment is over, Flowey tells you that maybe the soul in his possession has allowed him to feel again. He thanks you for believing in him and giving him a second chance after what he did in the ruins (you obtain his memento item). Sans barges in and there’s a funny sitcom bit where he hates flowey but doesn’t want to hurt his old, grieving boss’s feelings. [[i just made this part up i thought it would be funny]]

If you try to leave for Waterfall, Sans will block your way. "maybe I've been too harsh on you. you're not a human, are you? i can feel it in your soul. damn. you're...them. i never thought i'd see the day. in front of you lies a path of pain, death and darkness. but you have to be strong. just...please go easy on my brother. he doesn't understand what he's doing."

"and another thing... r u n ."

-BOSS: THE AMALGAMATE (pacifist)-

The amalgamate charges at you, using multiple attacks at once. The only way forward is to run (akin to Undyne's pacifist battle in UT). After a few turns, they will be slowed down by the blizzard, at which point they'll give up. You're free to leave for Waterfall.

-BOSS END-

-(GENOCIDE RUN)-

You stab sans in the back. He staggers forward. "father...we did it" are his last words, before vanishing into dust.

In genocide, there is not much to do. The Amalgamate will come to rescue firedrake and his friends, at which point you'll have to run. The only way to complete the route, however, is to spare no one, so if you proceed without killing them, The Shadow will appear and end you.

Snowdin is deserted. If you head east, you'll find Asgore blocking your path. "Sans and I were supposed to meet at Grillby's 10 minutes ago. He is never late. He told me not to confront anyone but...killing is the only thing I know how to do. Whatever you are...prepare yourself."

-BOSS: ASGORE AND AMALGAMATE-

[[concept art of amalgamate in which they look like an eggplant]]

Asgore uses similar attacks as his UT battle. However, after a few turns, a loud, distorted howl interrupts the fight. Amalgamate joins in. "Are you here to rub salt in the wound?" "Or...YOU! What have you done to the children?! YOU...YOU DEMON!" Amalgamate and Asgore attack in sync. However the old monster is no match for Wally. "Sans...I should have listened." he turns into dust. You can then run away from the fight.

-BOSS END-

Amalgamate will keep following you into the snowstorm area. With a single ice spell, you can freeze them allowing you to shatter them, killing the abomination for good. You can then proceed to Waterfall.

[canadian-buckbeaver]

Edgeberry’s Second Chance - Chapter 23 - Battle Front

MTT has shown that he is more than willing to fight his ex-lover and sweet Berry.  The question is not if Edge will spare him, but will he survive the encounter?

- I also went through and updated Chapter 22 -

If you like what I do, please leave me a kudos/like and a comment, or buy me a ko-fi!

Undeterred at the weapons, his fans cheered.  Finally MTT was showing them new tricks.  He wasn’t just up there on the stage, dancing and singing horribly, nor was he trying to tell his off-colour jokes.  Here was the real entertainment.  He was a Human Killer after all, what could two skeletons do to him?

 “STAY BEHIND ME,” Edge ordered Berry.  One of his swords came up to guard the little skeleton.  “I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HE IS NOW CAPABLE OF. STAY BEHIND ME AND, AT THE FIRST CHANCE, RUN AND HIDE.  I WILL FIND YOU LATER.”

 “But Edge… I…”

 Edge looked over at him.  “I WON’T LOSE YOU AGAIN, BERRY…. NOT TO HIM.”  There was a sincere light to his eyes.  Gone was the madman and the wild Fell warrior, the one who would dust or kill anyone at the chance of raising his LV.  Here was the monster that Berry had seen deep inside, the calm warrior, the one who only wanted to do what is right.

 There was a sound of chainsaws and Edge had just enough time to raise and cross his swords in time to catch MTT’s blow.  In his hands were two chainsaws, both smoothly purring, silver glinting in the spotlight.  The chainsaws sang and whirled desperately against the red bones as Edge’s shaking arms tried to push him back.

 * * * * *

“What’s wrong Papy~” MTT asked, “seems like you were a little distracted there.  Perhaps a little dust in the old eye socket?” he taunted, pushing forward with the machines.  Edge lost a little ground with the chainsaws, boots gauging the floor, gritting his teeth as he struggled to push the robot back.  The crowd was cheering, like a horde of hounds desperate for blood.  This was the best performance that MTT had put on in a long time.

 “BERRY…” Edge whispered, his eye lights leaving the robot’s and risking a quick glance around. The little skeleton was nowhere to be seen.  Perhaps he had taken Edge’s advice and had been able to hide.  He hated asking the little skeleton to do that, yet Berry was obviously untrained in this kind of fighting.  Berry would be more likely to survive if he hid himself away.  Edge was trained in this act of war, he knew how to act and what to do.

 He hoped so… worst comes to worst, he didn’t want Berry to see him die.

 Things were bad. He could see that MTT’s LV and stats were higher than when they had last seen each other.  They had always been high though not as high as his.  But now… now those numbers even higher than Edge’s. He was a huge, deadly threat.  And now the robot had his arms trapped by his chainsaws.  If he even moved one of the swords he risked having the metal teeth cut into him and his armour.  He briefly debated allowing it to happen, if only to give Berry time to escape, but he threw the idea away.

 No.  He was Edge, Captain of the Royal Guards, and beloved mate to Berry.  His mate tattoo still glowed with fresh magic, his bones still warm from Berry’s heat.

 He wouldn’t give up so easily.

 He was Determined.

 His hands and arms may be trapped, but when had that ever stopped him?  He had been named captain for a reason.  Taking a step forward, he angled his toes behind the robot’s. Fixing the angle of his bone attacks, he pressed himself forward.  First MTT took a small, almost tiny, step back, and then another, stumbling over Edge’s feet and causing him to let off some of the pressure of his weapons.  The crowd began to get excited.  This wasn’t going to be such a one-sided match after all. Papyrus was fighting back.

 With a great shove, Edge pushed MTT back, causing him to wobble backwards and release him. Now, with adequate distance between them, now he could show MTT exactly what he was holding back.

 Taking a charging step forward Edge cut down on MTT on an angle, nicking one of his prized chainsaws. The blow, although looked useless and merely cosmetic in nature, gave the motor a small hiccup.  Luckily the other monsters, as well as MTT, seemed to be unaware of this.  They jeered and cheered, hands clapping and feet stamping.  Exactly what go MTT riled up.  As he and MTT began to dance with his chainsaws and blows, red sparks began to fly and sizzle around them.  Metal teeth met bone, time and time again.  Their feet moved effortlessly over the floor, crossing and coming close, retreating and teasing.

 There was a slight change to their routine.  Their blows echoed louder in the hall, and they became closer to their targets, only for MTT to move out of the way in the nick of time.  He began to see it in MTT’s eyes.  The robot was now showboating, gladly showing off what moves that they could pull off together and building the crowd’s excitement…

 Or was it for a more sinister reason…?

 Faster and faster they danced.  Arms and legs were a blur of sweat and sparks.  They were equal titans in this field.  Neither one of them seemed willing to give up so easily, each of them had something that they were fighting for.  Something that, to them, meant something.

 MTT’s chainsaw, the one that Edge had damaged, was beginning to blow white smoke.  There was a stutter in its engine, its speed uneven. MTT was looking at it puzzled, the previous blow still not computing with him.  Edge flipped his sword in his hands, preparing to slice through the glass stomach that housed his borrowed soul.

 “Edge!”  A voice cried out from the crowd, drawing Edge’s attention away from the fight.  Blue! His eyes fell to the audience, looking for him…

 Realizing his mistake a second too late.

 MTT kicked him in the chance, sending him off of his feet and onto his spine.  As he grunted in pain his bones disappeared,

 And a red and yellow stiletto boot came down on his armoured chest.

 “Typical voice recording, darling.  Hopefully you don’t mind me using it.  Figured that you would at least like to hear his voice one last time before the end.” MTT smirked evilly at him, single chainsaw in his many hands now.  The crowd was frantic in its cheering, screaming for the robot to kill him.

 As MTT raised the chainsaw in triumph, Edge closed his eyes.  He thought of Berry’s open arms and large smile, complete with the hearts in his eyes…

 “BERRY…” he whispered as the chainsaw began to scream towards his soul.

 There was a thunking sound, but no pain.

 Edge’s eyes flew open and he saw the long, blue bone impaling the chainsaw into the stage, jamming the mechanisms.  MTT had looked away from Edge and four more bones shot towards him.  These bones cut through his elbows and knees, lacing through the metal like water, and skewering him to the wall behind them. It reminded Edge of those insects that were put on display for humans to look over…

 But who…

 “That was a dirty trick Mettaton.  And Edge was going to beat you fair and square.” Berry’s voice came from beside Edge, his left eye still shimmering with magic.  For a moment he resembled Cherry… “Luckily, he has me to even up the odds.”

 The robot tried to pull himself from the wall but the bones stuck him fast, even damaging his HP when he tried to move.  Instead, he settled to scowl at Berry.  “So what is it that you intend to have me do?  Write lines?  Send me into the corner or in my bedroom for a time out?  Spank me?  Because I’ve been a very naughty boy, Berry.  I could use some punishment.”

 The double meanings were not lost on Berry.  A small flush had come to his cheeks but he did not respond to them.  “And have risk you entering the land of Swap again?  I don’t think so.  How did you enter to drop off that letter?” he demanded.

 MTT only chuckled as a long, metallic tongue wiped at some loose oil.  “It was simple really.  I had long since figured out how and where Papyrus goes to visit you… it was only a matter of turning it on.”

 Edge wanted to growl. Of course… he couldn’t blame Cherry for his mistake.  He had felt eyes occasionally when he had booted up the teleporter before but had dismissed it as his own feelings of paranoia.  But rule number one…

 You can never be too careful in UnderFell.

 Berry helped Edge stand, refusing to look at the robot.  “Let’s go home.”  he said, suddenly looking tired.  “I… my brother…”

 Would probably be worried sick about him now, especially if he realized that Edge himself was with him, Edge thought.  Picking up Berry, he grabbed the blanket that he had used to wrap him in to come to UnderFell and began to carry him out.

 “And what about me, I ask again?”  MTT’s voice broke the little bubble between the two skeletons.

 Edge turned to him, scrutinising him with his clear eye lights.  It was a tempting thought to dismantle the ego-mantic but, at the same time.

 “You’re not worth it. The EXP, the LV, none of it.” Berry said, looking to him.  “There are other, more pressing and important things to worry about.”

 The crowd was becoming restless again.  Loud whispers to one another, and sinister chuckles could be heard.  “BESIDES METTA, YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN AN ACT BECOMES OBSOLETE… THEY GET THE HOOK.” Edge said before walking out the door again. Walking quickly, he and Berry had exited the hotel and were well on their way to the teleporter.  Edge didn’t dare look back or look at the faces of the audience.  

 “The hook?” Berry asked, looking up at him. “Is… is that a pun?”

 Edge shook his head just as there was a loud, glitching scream from behind them. Walking faster he pressed Berry’s skull closer to his chest, not allowing him to look back, not even once. “It’s a torturous procedure that was once only used in traitors of war…” he said simply.  “HE MAY HAVE BEEN SOLD OFF TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER, OR THEY MAY HAVE ALL RUSHED HIM.  BUT I DON’T WANT TO FIND OUT.”

 Berry looked slightly pale, his mouth posed for another question before Edge made it to the little house in UnderFell.  So many memories… memories of him and Sans as baby bones, some foggy ones of their father, Gaster.  Countless memories of watching TV or goofing off or cooking.  Good and bad, young and old, the house had been with them every step of the way.  And yet, when he looked to the little, sweet, blue skeleton in his arms, he knew that he had all that he needed.

 Without looking back at his hometown, Edge strode through the machine, holding tight to Berry. As they walked through the glowing portal, Edge magically turned it off behind them, removing a single screw and tossing it into the universe behind him.  That would be enough to prevent any further access.

 Now no one could access the sweet world of UnderSwap… and he could no longer return to where he was now a traitor, to where his life was in ruins… he had murdered a famous celebrity, probably defied the orders of the king…

 It seemed like a fair trade.