#a lot of people wanted them to more go into asriel's story

[akanemnon]

Intermission... (Quickly cobbled together this mini-comic to make the next one not seem as abrupt)

FIRST - PREVIOUS - NEXT

MASTERPOST (for the full series / FAQ / reference sheets)

[carlyraejepsans]

UTY!Flowey, "lore" and how to criticize a fan prequel without being an insufferable pedantic, a guide by Biscia.

(for my muskless fellows, here's a transcript of my thread on Undertale Yellow that I posted on Twitter. enjoy!)

There's this really frustrating attitude in fan spaces i like to call "lorepilling" where people are substantially more concerned with encyclopedic knowledge of details & minutiae (so called "lore") in place of full-text thematic/narrative analysis as if the two are mutually interchangeable.

It's especially common in large franchises and story heavy videogames, and it's like... Are You Treating This Piece Of Art Like A Trivia Battle Or Are You Treating It Like A Story

This is coming from a person who is also deeply autistic about UTDR trivia btw, I'm just saying that when it comes to transformative *stories*, depending on the impact it has on character, themes, and narrative structure... lore is expendable.

Ultimately this is why most of the UTY criticism i see (on twitter specifically) falls flat. What does it matter if "lore" means Flowey couldn't chronologically be there when the justice human fell, as long as the game narratively justified his presence in the story in a compelling way?

The real criticism, in the end, is that it didn't.

He's a plot central, main cast character from the canon returning in a cast of mostly OCs and what does he have to show for it? An admittedly sick boss battle in 1/3 endings, sure but... not much else. He has no significant "presence" in the story, no tie, interaction, or even just... an opinion on the rest of the cast. Which is a huge miss when Flowey's meta role is to be Thee completionist player mirror. He's the OG lorepilled UT fan! He's an opinionated little shit!

This isn't to say that UTY *didn't* engage w/ his metanarrative. When me and @a-town-called-hometown first started playing the game (we were both skeptical of Flowey's inclusion), he immediately said "It would be really cool if they made it so this has been going on for a while and Clover has no idea". Which is precisely what the game did in the neutral ending, and what I will openly say was the most well written & well executed part of this game's story...

...a part we almost didn't see, because the pacifist ending disappointed us so much we lost all will to replay.

To put it in the words of my friend Mel @clowwwnbytes, there's a deafening hollowness to UTY Flowey's motivations & core principles where his guilt towards Chara—and resulting black and white thinking—should be. You're telling me Mr Kill-or-be-killed, "sacrificing yourself to do the right thing is stupid", would stand there after 1000s of failed attempts to make Clover survive, look on as they make the same mistake Asriel he did, and fondly call them friend? Cue the guitar, roll the credits?

He would lose it. Oh my god he would lose his goddamn mind, he would throw the nastiest temper tantrum in the world. Are you serious? How dare you. How DARE you. All this effort, all my patience, and you just let yourself DIE for a few worthless idiots? I should've let you ROT!

*clears throat* sorry got a bit too into character. as i was saying.

I can understand a UT prequel wanting to distance itself from the canon Chara storyline in order to form its own identity, but then turning around and choosing Insane About Chara The Character™ for a sidekick is... far from optimal. In the end, Flowey comes across as underutilized and inconsistent, with a whole lot of wasted potential.

This is an issue I have with UTY's character writing (original AND returning) and story structure as a whole. Lots of inconsistent character arcs, tonal dissonance, overuse of situational sadness... it's an amateurish work, after all, and you can feel it. There's no shame in that.

(Though, there ARE some issues that i take more seriously with its writing, especially when it comes to its two main female characters—Ceroba's lack of narrative agency and depth borders on misogynistic writing imo. But that's a topic for another day)

Over all, UTY was an incredible piece of collaborative transformative work, with gorgeous art and a genuinely incredible OST, which... would have benefited from more experienced writers. But hey, you can only ever learn by trying!

For all it could've been a better story, it certainly did not fail to entertain: both when my friend was playing it, and after in our many discussions of its writing, its faults and how it could've been improved (royal scientist!ceroba character fix you will always be famous. to ME!)

I'm sure this project served as an incredible source of experience for the developers: as individual creators AND as a team. I look forward to their future projects!

but also if i have to see another person say UTY is better than Undertale i might turn into The Jonker.

end of the essay! really couldn't stand any of the pedantic ""criticism"" I'd seen of this fangame so far, so i had to say my piece as someone more versed in analysis. happy to elaborate on anything in the replies or in my inbox!

[squidpedia]

HI I’M PEDIA, MASTERPOST DOWN BELOW BUT HOLD ON REALLY QUICK READ MY FAQ:

Boundaries on reposting, dubbing, and pfp’s?

Dubs and reposts are ok just let me know please so i can check it out (and give credit duh)! Send it to my inbox or dm’s or something, anything, pleaseeee I’d want to see!!!!! PFP’s also don’t need permission, just include credit somewhere like your bio!

Do you like [other show/video/series]?

Maybe! All my my non utdr fanart goes to @squidpedias-fanart so maybe check/ask there?

I sent you an ask a while ago/tagged you in a post but you never responded, did I upset you somehow?

NOOOOOOOOOOOO I’M JUST AWFUL AT RESPONDING TO ASKSSS OR TEND TO MISS A LOT OF NOTIFICATIONS I’M SORRYYYYYY YOUREE FINEEEEEE. ITS YOU AND LIKE 150 OTHER PEOPLE I PROMMY IM JUST TERRIBLE. don’t be afraid to rb it and tag me in the rb again, sorry for that!

I also sent you a dm but didn’t get a responce

Ohhhhhhhh yyeeeeahhhhhh😬my bad you’re far from alone and I’m sorry. I respond a lot more to people with inquiries or if they want to inform about something, but like otherwise when it comes to just chatting I prefer to limit that to my mutuals sorry! Really, really should’ve stated that sooner.

I liked this drawing concept you made. Can I make fanart, redraw it in my style, or make something inspired by it?

YEAH!!!! Flattered and happy I inspired you in that way!! Just 1) tag and credit me, because I would be so sad if I didn’t see and would love love love to rb it and 2) if it’s a redraw, try to link back to original post if possible (but I forget to mention that a lot so that second part isn’t as big of a deal)

What about writing fics?

A FEW OF YOU ARE WILD FOR THAT BUT YEAH GO OFF?????? Still let me know, give credit, tag me if possible, clarify any questions you have in the dm’s if you want! Id be happy to elaborate on literally anything!

What other socials do you have?

I have a Youtube, Twitter (for lurking only at this point), Instagram , Bluesky, and a Switch (SW-2670-2211-5056) (thats not a social but you should crash my splatoon lobbies)

Do you have any oc’s or personal works?

@an-unconscious-effort-comic and @dragontry-comic (neither stories are connected to each other and are their own projects)

Pronouns?

Any

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UTDR/UTY COMICS MASTERPOST

(uty comics are highlighted in orange if you’re more interested in the strictly undertale comics)

Clover’s Memories (ongoing - i prommy)

(12/4 - today i had the realization that maybe i should just redraw some of the panels if i hate looking at them so much to the point that i cant even finish coloring the lineart. So i did that! Yayyyyyy)

Silence | Memory 1 | Memory 2 | Memory 2.5 Coming Soon | Sound | Memory 3 | Discrepancy | Memory 4 | Static

Clover’s Hat (post revive au)

Part 1 /// Part 2 /// Bonus

Kanako Integrity Duo (really short mini doodle comics)

Reconciliation // Introductions // Ceroba // Chujin

Miscellaneous:

Kris and Clover Interaction // Clover’s Sacrifice // Frisk vs. Clover’s POV // Clover Tells Martlet a Secret // Who’s Your Friend? // Pipe Down // Family Visit // Unwell // Letter // Humor // Gamer // They // Kicked Out // It Keeps Happening // What’s In A Name // Clover’s Nightmare (i’ll probably make a cleaner version later) // Banter // Time

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TAGS:

#Happily Ever After and Then Some (HEAaTS?) -> everyone lives au (based on the events of undertale and uty) including chara, flowey/asriel gets his body back, fallen kids, where i offer very limited explanation for why or how because it simply makes me really self-conscious to try to come up with reasoning and really i just want to imagine these characters in fun and interesting scenarios. Theyre all alive, just go with it and have fun! Note this is not a comic series or anything, i just like doodling random scenarios sometimes. So a few comics, some doodles, whatever is fun rn for me

#Phantom integrity au -> someone sent an ask once about what if clover’s narrator was integrity. It’s a fun idea to explore and where I got the concept of Lilac’s design for! It’s not something I think about very often plotwise but I like drawing ghosty lilac. Ps if you wanna make your own content based off this concept, please go for it!! You don’t even have to use lilac, i call it the phantom integrity au and not narra lilac just in case someone wants to yoink the concept for their own integrity. I think that’d be awesome :)

#Deltarune Orange -> went crazy one too many 5am mornings in a row and started cooking this

#Fallen Kids -> all posts talking about my designs and thoughts for the other 6 human souls and also clover is there too hi clover. Its mostly lilac sorry

#Pedias art -> self explanatory

#Other peoples art -> you should check them out please 🥺

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[stainedglassthreads]

One thing I think I just realized is, in addition to being dissatisfied with how stories deal with Toriel’s grief compared to Asgore’s and Asriel’s, and how I don’t see many instances of Toriel and Asgore’s quarrel being addressed in a way that satisfied me... I don’t think I see that many AUs that quite get the responsibility Asgore feels... right.

Yes, I’ve seen several that portray his grief, depression, and how badly he doesn’t want to be in this position well, even if it’s disappointing how not everyone seems to be aware of what you learn about him in a Neutral run where you’ve previously killed Flowey. A lot of people can get aspects of his characterization very well, the broken man, the goofy dad, the intimidating monarch. But I think the reason I don’t see people capture the weight of his responsibility quite as well in fanfics and comics is... well. Oddly enough it’s in the way the monsters treat him.

It’s not just the fandom that has issues with idolizing or demonizing characters. It’s also the Kingdom of Monsters themselves--and they all idolize Asgore. Yes, he’s a very grounded and compassionate individual who invites his subjects to share all their problems with him, and who Papyrus insists will just let you pass through the Barrier. But he’s also a bit of the subject of a cult of personality for his subjects. When they say he’ll absorb seven souls and become a GOD, it’s not an expression of his arrogance, but rather their own adoration. While out-of-universe the Angel is generally agreed to be either Asriel or Chara(or us), in-universe I wouldn’t be surprised if Asgore was considered the Angel.

It’s not long now. King Asgore will let us go. King Asgore will give us hope. King Asgore will save us all.

Yes, individual monsters may want to collect a human soul for their own individual wants and desires. But it’s only the capture of a human soul, or using a single soul for their own benefit, that they really aspire to. (With the exception of Toriel, who wants no souls, and Flowey, who is Flowey.) Of those area bosses who earnestly try to take just one soul, Papyrus and Undyne both want to hand you over to Asgore, and Mettaton wants to protect humanity FROM Asgore. Literally everyone in the Underground seems to fully believe that Asgore will be the one taking all the Souls and fulfilling his promises, and all are content. (Again, barring Toriel, MTT, Flowey.) No one seems to ever doubt he’ll do as he says, even his ex-wife, and no one’s greedy to take the power for themselves or take the burden of being a savior for themself, except his kid who has both a God Complex and a Savior Complex.

With Chara, and with Asgore. They take a person and turn them into a representation of something More than any singular person could ever be. And then in the worst route Chara does it again, to themself. Asgore is freedom and salvation and retribution itself, and everyone including the woman who was once married to him agrees and reinforces the role. Chara is the feeling of a number going up, and the fandom agrees and reinforces the role.

And I dunno. There are fics and AUs where Asgore never lost his kids and always remained an affable, friendly guy. There are AUs where Asgore is the main antagonist and an awful villain with few redeeming qualities. There are fics and AUs where Asgore gets to recover in a post-pacifist setting. But I’m not sure any fics or AUs have ever quite captured how everyone else just talks about the guy, for me. Toriel is simply ‘intimidating’. But Asgore is a GOD.

[reverssentiment]

What are the salient features of Asriel, post-canon, that keep us from "saving" him from life alone in the Underground?

He's soulless (a practical problem),

he'll soon return to being a flower (a practical problem) and would prefer that you think of him like this rather than Flowey (a personal and interpersonal problem), and

he's decided to stay and tend the grave of the fallen child (and this is not really a problem at all; rather, a decision, which the boundary conditions of Undertale require us to respect).

There is a lot of UT post-canon fic out there which treats all these as practical problems. Frisk can just get a soul from somewhere, throw Alphys technobabble or soul arcanobabble at the body issue; get Flowey in therapy; and... also get Flowey in therapy for that last one, because his decision isn't really legitimate, in save-the-goat stories. It's self-harm. Which, personally, is both understandable and missing the point of one of the game's core themes: no matter how many times you restart the story, there are things you can't do; you are not getting a 100% Complete Perfect Pacifist where even Asriel is saved, and it's okay to be wistful about it, but you still need to put down the controller eventually. Getting him to the surface happens a lot in fic, because we all want the goldenest ending, but it could never happen in canon and we just have to live with it. It's thematically potent and I'd lose a lot of respect for Undertale's commitment to its story if you could circumvent it.

(Incidentally, this feels to me like it stems from the same ideas as making "* I have places to be" the wrong answer, a giving-in to Frisk's self-sacrificing, self-disregarding nature which must be corrected. Sometimes, you have to let people live and make their own decisions, outside the boundaries of the story's frame. Your perspective only goes so far.)

...now, fluffier, more sympathetically-traumatized Asriel, on the other hand...!

Ralsei's woes in Deltarune are very visibly the same kind of isolation as what Asriel's dealing with at the end of Undertale, but a) it's worse (a whole lifetime of waiting in a very deliberately empty, lifeless, three-screen-long kingdom) and b) he's stuck there for purely practical reasons. Darkners can't enter the Light World without becoming objects. He never made a decision to be here.

It's not something we can technobabble our way out of right now, but we're only in Chapter 2, right? We can save him, in a way we can't save Asriel: the deadlock we can't resolve has been removed; we don't really have to think about his preferences any more, because the preferences that kept us from helping him and left him stuck in the Underground I mean Dark World are just gone.

His issues are also much more obvious from the get-go, and seem designed to be something we talk him out of – not Asriel's decision to stay by his lost friend's grave, with a weight of meaning and feeling behind it, but hero worship, subservience, religious dedication to the Prophecy and self-image issues, all clear and visible dysfunctions. Giving Asriel therapy has left the realm of fanfiction and wish fulfillment and become part of canon... and the real disagreements we had with UT!Asriel over what he was and meant and deserved have become simple roadblocks for DR!Asriel whoops I mean Ralsei, things we have to help him through. Practical problems where the solution is friendship speech + therapy.

To make a slightly heavy-handed comparison, Ralsei saying we exist to serve Lightners and gratefully referring to himself as Kris's lackey is Anthy saying I'm the Rose Bride because I like it. It's the kind of reason we're inclined to reflexively overrule without working to deal with it at its root. Ralsei is Asriel, minus the irreconcilable and bittersweet parts, someone whose objections to being helped have either been removed or simplified down until we can feel good about disabusing him of them. He's our wish fulfillment in the way that candy on trees might be Susie's and a city of shining lights might be Noelle's and Giant Arcade Consoles might be Berdly's: an Asriel you can help, who you can make go to therapy and deal with the problems that keep him from caring for himself; who'll shut up, comply and let himself be saved.

...so the fact that Kris – whose personal issues are opaque, complex, and frustrating; who appears to be actively hiding parts of their life and motives from us; who clearly doesn't want our help or an improved social life at the expense of their agency – finds him so distasteful might not just be because he's a parody of their brother or Secretly Evil or whatever. If Ralsei is "the kid they're supposed to be" it's not just his fluff and horns!

[spidertroupeart]

Not gonna lie, we need more GOOD UNDERTALE AU outcodes... ya' know, the guys who go around the multiverse doing stuff with their own specific goals

I mean, we definitely have them, but it's sad that the last "Big" outcode to ever reach a greater audience was this sad mistake of an Error clone.

I mean, I'd highly suggest looking into stuff like Stitchau, Poppy's story, the ALIVE AU and No!sansverse (which is basically a take on the sansverse that de-sansifies the OUTCODE sanses, this sad sack of rooftop swordsman brainrot included), but it's unfortunate this guy gets more publicity than these three... we need more input from the community.

I don't want to insult or spread hate about undertale outcodes, AUs, or what have you; a lot of them were made by people who were genuinely trying to do something interesting- and unfortunately, everyone's favourite character at the time (and still the majority of the fandom's, probably) was Sans, so he always got the most attention. I can't complain a lot about that, considering I myself am also incredibly guilty of favouritism.

What I think is that a lot of what people were doing could be better expressed and made more interesting if different characters were used, and it didn't become a confusing mess of "Wait. Who's from where??" for me, personally. My brain is very small and can only handle so much.

But, along those lines, I'll share my thoughts that went into Ink!Chara and Ink!Asriel, to try and better make a point- the void, or anti-void, whatever it may be, is a neat concept, but I never really understood it myself- so I kind of made my own interpretation of it with my minimal knowledge.

The whole thing behind these two was that it's stated in-game that no one knows what would happen if a human and monster soul fused- so for all we know, the fusion could be incredibly unstable. Perhaps game-breaking. And along the lines of not knowing what would happen, it's even less known what would happen upon defeat- considering that a monster soul cannot persist for long after death (provided said monster is a boss monster), and a human's can persist for God knows how long.

What if this contradiction led to a huge bug in the already unstable game, and in order to save itself from a crash, the game just. Completely drops the souls? Shoves them out of the way to get everything working again once they were no longer active. We know for a fact that both Chara and Asriel (now Flowey's) souls are seemingly gone, so why not do something with that?

Ink!Chara and Ink!Asriel are separate entities from basegame Chara and Flowey, in that they are their souls and only their souls. My point is.

There are so many ways to make these outcodes more interesting (at least to me) just by using different characters and throwing things at the wall. Once again, nothing against the originals; without them I wouldn't even be having these ideas.

Apologies for this long and unstructured ramble, I've been wanting to properly talk about my inks for a while now lmao

[lynxgriffin]

How can Paper Trail end, when Kris didn't even enter the seventh Dark World? The justification you gave for ending it there is that "what happens next is... not for the player to know". But the SOUL wasn't destroyed, only severed, so what's stopping them from continuing to observe? You didn't need to give a justification at all. (ask continued)

(continuation) Isn't the timing of the SOUL gaining control of Kris awfully convenient? Why does Gaster think he knows when the story will end? After all, its actual ending was premature, from his point of view. Why didn't you give a transcript for Lemon Ralsei's prophecy? And how did he get those scars? One more Paper Trail ask: do the soul traits of each prince have any relation to the content of their diary entry? Because if they do, I can't spot it. I lied, heres another PT ask: is there any real reason why the princes can travel between dark worlds and combine, or is it just some bullshit power they get from being connected to Kris?

Geez okay so that's a whole lot of PT and DOFP critical asks. I'm just going to do all of those at once because I don't want to spread that out over six asks. Maybe uh...next time try and consolidate those?

The whole idea is that the player can't observe the world of Deltarune without that connection to Kris. If that connection is severed, then so is the ability to observe and interact with that world.

Gaster thinks that he understands the player well enough to believe that they will not let go of Kris until they know what happens. The player choosing to let go of Kris without knowing what happens is unexpected for him, so yes, from his point of view, it is premature.

If you mean when Gaster got his scars, he just got them over the course of his work. He's clearly not working safely!

I can't remember, but I think I did give a transcript? If not, people were able to work out what Lairse's legend was, anyway.

The soul traits for the princes relate to the feelings/behavior that Asriel expresses through the diary entries, and specifically link up to how the souls move. For example, for Eslira, his worries over what Kris is doing -> Eslira's fear of a human lightner -> he tends to isolate himself and stay in one place -> teal soul is "don't move, and you won't get hurt."

And all of the princes can do that by the end when enough connections have been established between them, and because they're special compared to how other Darkners work. It probably would not have worked early on in the adventure, even if they did know how to do it.

DOFP ask - Why does Greatest Dog's save file date back to just before they joined the guard? At the time, GD wouldn't have DT, so my assumption is that the save file updates on its own, but you need DT in order to LOAD. But why is that the last time it updated? What does Greater Dog mean when they the first subject's "face was different"? Did they have a blaster... GRAFTED onto their face? Why?

Greatest Dog mentions this in the story: this was the day he was supposed to get his special armor, and he wanted to remember this day forever. Even if he has no direct control over his save file, that's still something that would stick as "important! save here!"

You see in a flashback that the monster is wearing a mask akin to the machinery that looks like a Gaster blaster. This gives the idea that the mask/machinery altered their face, although this wasn't intentional on Gaster's part.

[angelxd-3303]

Tw: kind of a vent, mention of depression and anxiety.

I'm sure you've all noticed by now that I haven't been posting a whole lot as of late. To be honest, I've kind of been avoiding this blog, not because of anything my followers did, but mainly because I kind of lost the meaning of my art.

I started using Tumblr exclusively to use the messaging feature to chat with my partner four years ago, but decided to share some of my art, just for fun. I wanted to make people happy, wanted to use my art and writing to not only convey how I felt and what I was experiencing, but to help those going through something similar feel heard and seen. I feel like I have achieved that, in some cases, and it makes me feel good to know that I've made someone's day, or that my writing made them feel understood.

As time progressed though, I began to feel like I had an obligation. Art and writing began to feel more like a chore, and that combined with my resurfacing depression and anxiety made it nearly impossible to even pick up the pencil. It seemed more draining than anything, and the art I did make I didn't share because it reflected my mental state in a deep and personal way.

Tldr, I'm sorry to all the people who have been waiting for updates to my stories, or more Mario content in general, or answers to their asks. It's not that I don't want to finish them, or make more content. It's just that I've realized that my lack of motivation is coming from the fact that I'm making art that I think others want, and not art that I want.

I've been rediscovering Undertale lately, reminded of how amazing the game is and how deep the storyline is, and I want to make more content for that. I'm big into weirdcore and would like to explore it as a style. I want to revisit Dhmis and expand on their story. There's so much I wanna do, but I've been holding myself back and trying to make myself as enthusiastic about Mario as I was before. The truth is, hyperfixations come and go for me, and that's ok. Mario will probably come back here and there, but I'm gonna try to focus on the stuff that I wanna do, because that's when my art is best, and when I feel the best making it. I can't tell you how satisfying it was to draw that piece with Asriel and his parents! I was into Undertale when it first blew up, my friend and I, but left when the fandom began to get toxic. It's so sad to me how disturbed it was, but now I'm much wiser with regards to internet safety, and I know to avoid certain things.

It's very nostalgic for me to rediscover the game, the music I listened to on loop years ago, the amazing artists who had a pure and genuine love for the characters, all of it.

In short, Mario isn't gone, they're just off enjoying their happy ending for awhile before they feel like visiting again. Again, I hope you all understand, and can find content you love from my blog! From now on though, I'm gonna try to avoid forcing myself to make content I don't love. Because from the beginning my art has been an escape that made me happy. If it doesn't make me happy, what's the point lol?

I love and appreciate you all so much,and I hope you can understand this word vomit. Hope you all have a lovely day.

[wlwdwtys]

Chara and Papyrus post Fake Pacifist friendship

Okay okay but hear me out. Undertale au where after genocide, frisk does pacifist and at the end, once they've settled on the surface, Chara takes control of Frisk's body. At first slowly. Papyrus is the first to recognise the differences and to figure out that this is a different person, not just Frisk acting weirdly (combined with the Papyrus being smarter than he lets on). He doesn't remember the genocide and he notices the new person acting standoffish, preferring to watch from the shadows. Papyrus joins them, trying to cheer them up and in the process figure out as much information as possible about this new person. They've had experience with the people not being who they say they are before (Frisk told them about Flowey and Asriel being the same person and the whole story.). So Papyrus tries to figure out why is this new person overtaking Frisk's body, why is Frisk distressed by this, is this new person dangerous and what can possibly help Frisk without harming the other person. Chara can't fully overtake Frisk yet because of the whole determination thing, it takes time, it's a slow process. Plus Chara just secretly wants to be with the monsters a bit. Even if they all think that Chara is Frisk, it's still nice, seeing their family, even through the lense of dehumanisation. Maybe they don't have to kill everyone quite yet. They have to wait anyways so why not give themselves a little more freedom? Papyrus and Chara start to slowly bond. At first Chara completely pushes him away, genuinely not really caring, plus viewing him through the fog of objectification (viewing him as a tool. Just another soon-to-be dead monster.) but eventually Papyrus starts gaining their sympathy. He figures out what Chara actually likes, trying to see through all the masks. He brings them chocolate, helps them to spend more time with Toriel and Asgore, listens to them talk about flowers, although Chara is hesitant, but then they start to rant like a complete nerd. Papyrus counts that as an absolute win. He has experience being friends with dangerous sociopaths (Flowey) so I think it'd make sense that he manages to befriend them. But eventually Chara starts to overtake Frisk more and more and gathers enough power to get their plan over with. Kill everyone. Take revenge for their pain and suffering. Be the devil that everyone thinks they are. They are standing near their bed, holding the golden medallion and the true knife in their hands when Papyrus finds them. He immediately understands that something is wrong, that true knife couldn't mean anything good. Chara hesitantly looks up, the images of his death flashing in their mind. First victim. First obstacle to get over. And then they'll be unstoppable. But they just can't bring themselves to. They tell Papyrus about who they really are. About Frisk's determination during the genocide run bringing them back, about the genocide they helped commit, about the bloodlust they felt, about the deal. They ask Papyrus if he hates them now. If he hates them because they killed all of his friends once before and are on the verge of doing it again. Papyrus asks about their past, the time they lived with the Dreemurs, before the death, about their life with the humans before the fall. Chara is surprised but tells him anyways, getting emotional as the wholesome and the sad memories bring back the emotions. At the end of their talk, Papyrus concludes that they are a kid who did a lot of bad things but that doesn't mean that they can't change. He says that even though he doesn't remember his previous death, that he meant what he said then. That they can always change. That he will not hate them for trying to get better. Never. Chara manages to drop down their walls for a moment, giving in and hugging Papyrus and crying. From that point on Chara tries to fix what they've done and all of that good healing shit. Also they go to the underground at some point to chat with Flowey because he might just be the only one besides Frisk to actually understand Chara. So.. yup.

[superbecky]

Meet Aislinn - Soriel Fanchild

>Please do not re-post or use my work in any way without my permission! Re-blogging is ok. Thanks!<

(CHARACTER INFO BELOW!)

My "first" art post of the year! Honestly, this kind of art is something I always shied away from making, at least regarding posting it online… but, I guess here we are! Nothing wrong with going into the new year trying out something new. Allow me to introduce to you, Aislinn! She is my attempt at an Undertale fankid for Toriel x Sans (because yes, Soriel is amazing and I love it so much).

The concept of this character actually dates back years ago as a little collaboration between me and a family member. I never was planning to make her known about, but during Soriel Week 2023 (so back in August), I decided why not? Thus, I started updating her design and did a sketch. However, during that time Soriel Week 2023 was ending and I got too busy until I eventually forgot about this kiddo. That is, until a few days ago when I got inspired by that same family member and decided “you know what, sure let’s just do this for fun”! So yeah, here she is!

I did have fun drawing/designing her, but I also think it is a little bit tricky when creating fan characters because, at least for me, I want them to feel like a natural inclusion to the world they are supposed to be from. I think overall I did good though at this goal!

Anyways, if you are interested in hearing more about her character, the family/story dynamics, and my design process, then keep on reading! Otherwise, I think she turned out cute and this was a fun little project to work on! I wouldn’t be opposed to drawing her again or even with other family members, but I think it will ultimately depend on if people would want to see that. Oh, and if you have any questions about her you want to ask that I don’t have answered below, then feel free to ask me! C:

🤍💙💜🤍💙💜 So… if you are reading this, then you are wanting to learn more, yeah? Well, buckle up because boy do I have a lot to share! Does Aislinn exist within an AU/alternate timeline? Well, I feel it would be more appropriate to consider her inclusion as being part of an alternative timeline because it’s more so my head canons/my take on a possibility of what could happen after the events of a pacifist timeline if Toriel and Sans end up together. Like, there isn’t anything drastically changed to what we know from canon other than me throwing some head canons into a pacifist timeline, so it feels incorrect to me to call it an AU. Do I have a name then for this alternate timeline? I guess if anything, you could consider her inclusion as a follow up to the stories/events told in my other Undertale alternative timeline, Scrapbooktale. Why the name Aislinn? Why not use a font for her name? Well, technically if you google “Aislinn font”, there is a font that I think fits her pretty well. But basically, Aislinn’s name means “dream or vision”, which I felt tied back to things in Undertale like “hopes and dreams” (Asriel) and just how like I feel that with monster kind being freed, they are able to pursue their dreams. Toriel and Sans are both shown to be very family-oriented, so why wouldn’t a possible dream of theirs be to extend their family? That’s where my inspiration came from. Her nicknames are Linn and Linny. Does she speak using a font like Sans and Papyrus?  Nope. More information regarding your design process for her?

So going into more details regarding her physical design, her head and part of her neck is completely bone like Sans and her hands are also skeletal. The only thing on her face that has fur is her little floofy eyebrows! The rest of her body is more like Toriels. She wears a big, green headband/bow as I decided that I wanted to give her some sort of visual element that would give the illusion of ears. I knew that I wanted to give her horns, but instead of just giving her horns that look like what Toriel has, I thought it would be cool to give her horns that resemble Sanses Gaster Blasters. Her eyes in shape are more like her moms, but they are just more so glowing pupils like Sans has (or in her case, glowing ring lights). Her eye color has a slight blue tint to it as I was inspired by Toriel’s official Nendroid design, which has blue eyes. One of Aislinn's most treasured items is her gold flower hair clip that was given to her by Frisk. She always keeps it clipped on her favorite headband/bow.

How old is she? How tall is she?

I find it hard to give an exact age for her because how monsters age is a bit… unknown in terms of canon? But if I had to give her some sort of age, Aislinn is 5 years old, and I think Frisk would be roughly 14 years old around this time. As for her height... well she is just a lil kiddo, so of course she is rather short! I imagine when she gets older though, she would be taller than Frisk. What is her personality? Likes and Dislikes?

Aislinn is cautious and sometimes can come off as shy. While she loves her family, their antics definitely freak her out from time to time.

She is very polite thanks mainly to Toriel. Sans tries to loosen her up a bit, but it is something Aislinn just can’t help!

She tends to keep to herself.

She can be very curious and playful, but won’t do anything that she deems unsafe (unless convinced). Because of her age though, she still struggles with understanding sometimes what is actually considered safe and unsafe.

Her favorite color is green, and her favorite food is snail pizza.

Some of her hobbies include playing with her toy trumpet, drawing, reading and hearing stories, and playing/hanging out with Frisk.

She likes puns and jokes. However, she is terrible at making them.

Aislinn dislikes fighting and dangerous situations. She also does not enjoy getting super messy.

Aislinn and Frisk's Relationship

Aislinn idolizes Frisk. Even though she has a hard time understanding them sometimes (especially regarding all the shenanigans Frisk seems to get into) Aislinn still thinks that Frisk is the coolest person in the world. She loves hearing about Frisk’s adventures, especially the ones of their time Underground. Even though Frisk has a hard time understanding kids close to their age or younger, they still enjoy hanging out with Aislinn and sometimes envy her naïve nature. When Aislinn was a baby, though initially excited, Frisk ended up having a hard time of feeling like the "lesser child" since they are adopted and struggle with self worth. Luckily, thanks to Sans and Toriel, Frisk began to learn over time that they are just as loved and cared for as Aislinn. Though sometimes, they may fall back into this mindset. On the other hand, Aislinn sometimes feels like she isn't good enough compared to Frisk. After all, she is the sibling of the human who changed history by freeing monster kind! Aislinn and Frisk really do love each other though at the end of the day. Aislinn and Sanses Relationship

I am someone who head canons that Sans raised Papyrus and later on helped to raise Frisk after marrying Toriel. By the time Aislinn comes into the picture, Sans is a natural at the whole dad thing... or at least, he likes to hope so. For Sans, it definitely helps to have such a cool wife by his side and to have a kid this time around who is a lot more chilled out. Sans finds that raising Aislinn has actually been way easier than raising Papyrus, and especially Frisk mainly due to Aislinn staying out of trouble. That being said, Sans sometimes worries that he is not doing enough with Aislinn considering how much he seems to be keeping an eye on Frisk, because wow that kid is always getting into trouble and next thing he knows he is asking "uh kid, how did you end up flooding the bathroom... again"? He does make an effort though to make sure that Aislinn knows that he cares for her, and he tries to set aside time from all of the commotion around the house just for her. Though Aislinn is terrible at telling joke, Sans will always be proud at her attempt to tell one. Sans is the one who got Aislinn into trying out a musical instrument (her toy trumpet). He also came up with her nicknames Linn and Linny. Sans will call her baby bones, just as he did for Papyrus and still does for Frisk.

Aislinn and Toriel's Relationship

Aislinn really looks up to Toriel with how she presents herself. Graceful, polite, elegant, and sometimes just goofy. While Sans may be stuck watching Frisk all the time from almost doing god knows what, Toriel is the one who makes sure to keep more of an eye on Aislinn. Toriel enjoys teaching Aislinn things throughout the day, such as "72 uses for snails". Aislinn loves it when Toriel reads her stories, even if sometimes she does not understand what the heck is even going on in said story. When it comes to needing emotional support, Aislinn will usually go to Toriel first.

Aislinn's Magic Her magic consists of fire magic that is shaped like bones (so instead of a typical fire ball, it’s a “fire ball” that is bone shaped)! She has no blasters like Sans, nor can she teleport like he does. She can however use dark blue magic (gravity manipulation) like Sans. She can only use this magic to make someone still for a small amount of time. She cannot use this magic to push or move anyone. Aislinn also has the ability to use green (healing) magic, but is not really good at it. The most she can heal is up to 0.5-1hp, but over time as she gets older and learns her magic better, she will be able to heal just as well as Toriel does! At her current age, Aislinn's magic is still pretty weak and she is still learning how to use it properly.

🤍💙💜🤍💙💜

PHEW! Ok, I think that is all the main information I wanted to cover. But yeah, if you have any questions or want to learn more, then please feel free to ask! 💜

[the-writing-mobster]

were there any fic ideas you never ended up writing that you regret not doing?

also, do you have any other undertale ships? {:

Ah! Thank you for the ask dear heart! Let's see...

Of course I have fics that are still deep in my drafts, and I also have a few unfinished fics currently published ON Ao3.

I don't really regret not publishing certain fics because it's not really a matter of if more than it is a matter of when. A few of these old ideas just need way more fleshing out and just aren't ready for the limelight.

And that "not if but when" mindset is carried over to my unfinished fics as well, like Baby Face and YWIW.

They'll eventually be completed. (Although tbh, I'm not so sure about ywiw now, may have to go and really take a good long look at that one and the goals I want to achieve with it. For YWIW, I guess I regret some of the choices I made with Frisk's character arc. Like I accidentally walked back on things that I shouldn't have. Sequels are hard, y'all.)

—

Now for my other UT ships? Hmmmm...

I'm gonna come out the gate swinging and say that I, first and foremost do not ship Asgore and Toriel. I think their dynamic is more interesting as a divorced couple. Boom. That'll stir the pot some.

(I have a lot of weird UT ships tbh)

Now, moving on to what I actually ship:

Asriel x Papyrus / Papsriel / Boneblossom

This stems more from how I wrote their dynamic in wdyw part 4 + ywiw. See, when Frisk and Sans are off doing hard main character work, Papyrus and Asriel were alone together a lot, working through both of their collective daddy issues together (their fathers were big ole villains and they were consoling each other about their relationships with their fathers, it was actually very sweet) Ergo, I began to ship.

But also, if you look at the game, there are instances of Asriel and Papyrus befriending, and Asriel manipulating him, or growing fond of Papyrus in his own way as Flowey. Yeah there's the problem of "well technically Asriel is a child!" Which like... Okay, he's also dead and immortal at the same time. In wdyw he died at an older age so... 🤷🏻‍♀️ It depends on where you take the story. I could also just ship them platonically. So yeah!

Undyne x Alphys / Alphyne

This one is obvious. They're canon. They're beautiful. I love gay people. I love lesbians. I am a gay people. I am a lesbian. I love them.

Also, low-key, I also just like to explore more of their dynamic than just lovey dovey sapphic stuff. The highs and the lows. And they're perfect to do that with.

Nick x Sans / Nicecream Guy x Sans

This one is unorthodox, but it's because of Baby Face. They're so gay in that fic like it's unbelievable. If not Sans, then definitely Nick. Like they've definitely explored each other's bodies at least once.

Also in wdyw, they have a more complex, complicated friendship since they're more like long lost friends, and the whole "you betrayed our ideals by joining Asgore's military" and Nick "you joined a rebellion that will never win, you've doomed yourself to martyrdom." Sans saving Nick from prison & the purge, ugh, they're so complex, I love em!

Nick is definitely gay. I know we were pushing for Alick but honestly... That boy is gay. And I really believe that. I think the only better pairing for him would be Napstablook, or... And I guess I'll concede to years of shipping before me... Burgerpants/Bryan. Because Bryan has that like, newly joined rebellion, starry eyes, just found out his crush was brutally murdered by one of Muffet's assassins, etc, and then there's Nick, shining hero of the revolution. I think it could work really well.

Muffet x Toriel / Muffriel / Spiderscotch

Bro even the name screams lesbian, wtf? This is like Everlark's alternative ship name being peenis.

BRO THEY LIVE IN THE RUINS TOGETHER, MUFFET SET UP SHOP IN THE RUINS. TORIEL BAKES PIES AND MUFFET BAKES FUCKED UP SPIDER DONUTS. THEY'RE A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN. (And I'm purely talking about classic, but who's to say that wdyw Muffet wasn't sneaking into the queen's chambers after killing her own husband and poisoning Toriel's daughter right under her nose? UGH THE DRAMA!!!!)

Ugh, I love my gay ships.

Anyway, Toriel is the sweet, albeit very flawed, old money, cottage core wife, and Muffet is the manipulative, borderline Machiavellian, macabre, new money, goth wife and they're PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER. I've never been more serious in my life.

Anyway, those are my UT ships that are not Frans. Don't come for me, I know they're unconventional (except for Alphyne) but I love them each dearly.

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Old pencil drawing I did:

[spotaus]

💙Pinned Post 💙

Hey folks! I'm Spotty/Spot/Spotaus, I'm an artist just doin' art things! I go by any pronouns (<- nb/a-gender/general gender tom-foolery. When in doubt, go with they/them) and I'm ace. I've got this side-blog running for UTMV posts I wanna reblog, as well as my personal art for old/ongoing projects!

If ya want to see my art, check #Spot!Drawn

Yes, I do take Requests, and they are Open

This blog is a Side Account! If you are followed by @spotlightstudios that is me! We might be mutuals, but it only shows properly on my end :')

[Info about Projects, AUs, and OCs below the cut!]

Projects:

If you see me posting about these, they're personal projects! (Usually a solo-act, but a few have co-creators.)

#Eternal Ashes is a 2nd Gen story about the ship-children of the Multiverse! Kane, elder son of Reaper and Geno, is killed in a battle between the Star Sanses and Night's Gang. This send the multiverse into a forced truce to avoid more crossfire killing, and Reaper's wrath... Only, Reset, Reaper and Geno's younger son, isn't satisfied with his brother's death. He and Orchid (daughter of Error and Nightmare) team up to bring Kane back to life, and end up settling into motion a multiverse-wide murder spree that spans years.

#DoppleTale is an AU I finally brought to existence recently. The monsters of the underground are all shapeshifters who fed on human flesh, until they were locked away in the mountain. With Humans becoming rarer by the day the monsters feast on Monster Candy and practice desperately to perfect their human disguises (which only get worse the less they remember what humans look like). <- This story is #Pretender!Sans 's origin au!

#Catacombtale is the oldest remaining AU that I have. It follows the story of a Human Hero who is sent to the catacombs of Mt. Ebbott to face the gods trapped within. Of course, sone if the gods are helpful, others can't forgive humanity for dethroning them. (Most of the story is pre-entrapment lore, with worldbuilding and a focus on #Ichor!Sans, my special-est tired old immortal guy who loves mortals more than he should on every given occassion.)

#Ec-4o.verse is a multiverse world (kingdomtale style?) where the earth, in a stage of Robot/Monster/Human co-existance suddenly went into a war. It wiped out a lot of people and places, and sent the world into chaos. Ec4o.verse follows Blue, a young mechanic (Techie) who's skilled in the old ways of robot repair and creation, uncovering the secrets of what started the war he's known all his life. (<- This one is both my pfp, and I draw dustedafterdeath for it pretty regularly.)

#DreamEater AU A self-indulgent Fresh × Dream fic where Dream is hit by an attack during battle that paralyzes his body. But never fear! Your trusty parasite was looking for a new host anyways! Fresh bites into Dream's soul and then realizes he will never run out of magic, so he just sticks around! Pilots Dream's body while also helping him through his Savior Complex trauma! You can also find info under the tag #Tulpa as that is their combined name/identity towards the end of the story.

#New Age AU An au inspired by Real Age AU by @ancha-aus that is set in a land of kings and queens. Night, tyrant ruler of the land, accompanied by his loyal band of murderous knights, finds himself back at Age 13, the Age he was when he first ate the apple of prophecy. Without the power, he's struggling to keep his twin at a safe distance + maintain control. (Very much Found Family here :])

The New Age Masterpost can be found here.

#Timeless AU A story of the underground. What if Dr. Gaster was alive? And living? And raised Sans and Papyrus? And Revived Asriel successfully? And was madly in love with Asgore, and got w/ him after Toriel left? Yeah, it answers all these questions. Basically, Gaster is an unintentional father to all the beloved cast in the Underground, and Asriel grows up with Sans and Paps as brothers.

Then, of course, there's my persona, N!

If you see this skeleton around, it's just my insert! N (in reflection of me) goes by she/they/he pronouns and is a menace. Most often you'll see doodles of her with my oc Ichor, Killer, or my moots personas (such as Ancha!).

And for the record:

Yes, I do takes requests (They're currently open! Send me an Ask w/ an AU, Oc (<-with ref), or UTDR character!) but I don't always actually complete them. Motivation as a uni student is few and far between.

Yes, you can draw my ocs. I don't think anyone would, but you're welcome to if you get the urge! Just, be sure to tag me! (And obviously don't claim them as your own. That'd be shitty.)

Yes, I do chat. I'm a very anxious person, tho. If you start a conversation or tag response or smth, I'll be ecstatic!

This blog is (as far as I know) going to remain SFW. I don't intend on reblogging nor creating graphic content, especially not of these god damn skeletons, so this is more or less a safe space 👍

[lisa972kdlz]

(It's translated from French, I hope there aren't too many syntax errors ^^" In any case, enjoy your reading !)

Dreamtale Theories:

Here's a list of a few theories about the Dreamtale Lore, this story leaving some very interesting gaps to try and fill. Philosophical and scientific thoughts helpt me to concretise these ideas, but although I've been inspired by them, it's not with these points of view I'm going to develop, but rather a purely artistic point of view. Little by little, philosophy and science have been lost in my ramblings, giving way to imaginations that seemed to fit together. Artists imagine. They cheat, they lie, they don't care much for concrete realities. In the end, the only science I get into position on is the elements of the Dreamtale canon, at least those I've managed to pick out. Perhaps I've missed some information that would disprove these hypotheses, in which case it would be courteous of you to let me know.

On a more chill note, say I'm just a teenager with a overflowing mind who loves to come up with crazy theories with whatever I can get my hands on, and I write this mainly for fun ^^

In fact, I don't think for a second I'm right, so I don't know if I can call those theories... Maybe speculation ideas about Dreamtale I wanted to share? Almost headcanons, but still based on concrete elements of the canon.

So let's go, first theory!

☁︎ Canon/Fanon:

For starters, why do I insist so much on canonicity? Because when it comes to Dreamtale, the boundary between Fanon and Canon is not always well understood, given that there are a lot of preconceived ideas on the subject.

The fact is, I see Dreamtale's Fanon and Canon as two completely separate worlds. And yet, understand that I hate adhering to variants of this and that for anything and everything. The idea of viscerally separating the Canon and Fanon sides of an oeuvre makes no sense to me, especially in an open world where each universe is a piece of a larger puzzle, where the world we're presented with is meant to be a huge playground.

And at this stage, if we do that with this universe, we could do the same for all the existing stories, no? Nevertheless, for THIS world and this world in particular, I think it's important.

For there is a crucial difference between C!Dreamtale and F!Dreamtale, a difference that completely alters the interpretation of the oeuvre. Fanon doesn't just make a few interpretative changes... He changes the very nature of a character: Corrupted Nightmare. And that, well... It's a bit complicated not to separate the two, especially when the Fanon version is so popular... Canon, he is dead and his body belongs to another character who has his own personality and background. Fanon, he's alive. Trapped, imprisoned, manipulated, split into two personalities (Night and Mare) or fundamentally evil, depending on the case, but alive.

Night is experiencing a bit of Asriel syndrome: it was because Undertale fans couldn't accept his death that the first AU's were created. And for Dreamtale, there was such misunderstanding about this (Because reading the Prologue, everyone agreed that Corrupted Nightmare was...well... Nightmare), that the majority think this is official. (It has to be said, it wasn't evident let me reassure you...)

To this we can add the fact that most of the time, in very fanon fanfics and fancomics, the other two trees don't exist or are never mentioned, that Corrupted (I refuse to call him "Nightmare" simply because he isn't Nightmare) isn't a real person or doesn't exist at all, that Dreamtale is an AU of Undertale, so made up of codes like the other AU's, but all that still depends on people's interpretation and knowledge of the real Dreamtale.

To put it more bluntly, and if the boundary's still unclear: F!Dreamtale is a part of the Undertale Multiverse, while C!Dreamtale is its own universe.

Since I like both aspects equally, and in order to get everyone on the same page, I've come up with a mini theory:

Dreamtale Fanon, being the Dreamtale developed by fans based on the belief that Corrupted Nightmare is more or less Night, has strayed so far from its original story (it focuses more on the "broken brothers" relationship of the twins, their mutual development and their relationships with the characters of the Undertale fandom), that over time, by putting down roots in the world of Undertale and through the influence of the creators, Dreamtale would have "split." This double would then have merged with the codes of the Undertale Multiverse, because Dreamtale was so well integrated into it that this version of it ended up becoming imprinted on the very core and codes. That's why, in F!Dreamtale, we don't always mention the other trees, since they never joined the Undertale Multiverse. Even we NEVER mention them in Dreamtale's AU's like Swapdream or the alternative Multiverses like Dreamswap, Swapverse, etc. That's why Dream and Nightmare exist in the alternative Multiverses,AU's and not the rest (Vampireverse, Empireverse, Minuscultale and so on).

The result is two Dreamtales:

The Canon Dreamtale, which belongs to Joku,

The Fanon Dreamtale, which belongs to the Fandom Joku too.

Well yeah, it's still Dreamtale, so it still belongs to Joku, no matter what haters want ◖눈ᴥ눈◗

Duh.

Also, this definitely doesn't prevent fanfics from being based on C!Dreamtale, it's even advisable to give it the prominence it deserves. Hence the idea of completely separating these versions, because fans can make fanfics about the Canon, and although it's fanon, it won't be similar to the F!Dreamtale version at all.

Two worlds taking different thematic paths created on the uncertainty of Night's death (like a "Schrodinger's Night" ͡° ͜ · ͡°).

Next theory!

☁︎ Tree of Feelings/Creators link:

This is a question I picked up when wondering about Dream and Corrupted's various attacks. Where Dream needs a body to hold him together, Corrupted has so many black apples that he can physically hold himself together without a body, and more or less correctly. Do positive and negative energies function differently? Is it because Corrupted has more apples that he holds on better? What is positive and negative energy in Dreamtale's Lore?

At the beginning, I'd started from the principle that Energy with a big E, being what makes up absolutely all existing things, humans and monsters alike, could be used by Dream and Corrupted to be converted into either magical energy or physical energy. As Dream only holds one apple and enjoys a body, he'd mindlessly convert his energy into magical energy, which is why he has a soul similar to human's souls and why he's able to heal as green magic does, or cause damage as white magic does. For Corrupted's part, possessing no body of his own and having amassed enough power from his hundreds of apples, he would have to convert negative energy into physical energy. This would require a great deal of power and would therefore explain why, despite he's stronger than Dream, he's not 999X stronger than him. He already uses a lot of his energy simply... Holding on without melting.

I also theorised that if one of them were to acquire all the apples, not only would it have a stable body, but it would also be able to convert this energy as it saw fit. Corrupted could then generate magical attacks AND have a physical body.

The trouble is... Dreamtale isn't actually part of Undertale. So there's no Magic,Physics duality. And even assuming that Dream converts that energy into magical energy because he's unconsciously copying the way his adopted world works, he's still canonically attacking with positive energy and not MAGIC made from positive energy. Energy comes in many forms, but I don't think he can control it in such a pure form...

All this can still hold together, but what bothers me most is that pure Energy would have... A positive side and a negative side? And what's more, related to feelings? Why not, but I'm not really pleased with.

Dream and Corrupted's energy is material, palpable. Of course, we could stop at the fact that it's just a magical energy like we find everywhere in stories and not ask ourselves any more questions.

But I love wracking my brains to find answers to questions that no one wonder, so I'll keep going èwé–

What kind of energy would this refer to? Not energy in the scientific sense, because that's independent of any emotion, whereas in Dreamtale, positive energy, for example, is directly linked to positive feelings.

Because tree of FEELINGS–

The most plausible thing I found with is that positive and negative energies are linked to the spiritual energy: auras, meditation, etc. Proof of its existence is fairly hazy in the world of creators. But in the world of fiction...? What if? This energy of consciousness exists, whether it's real or not. And if it's not in the real world, as long as there are people who believe in it, then it's in the world of fiction. What if the fruits of the tree of feelings were the material manifestation of this spiritual energy produced by the consciousness of the creators? Just as a world is created by a creative mind, what about Dream and Nightmare were the guardians of the feelings of fiction as the direct embodiment of the emotions that creators instil in their work? This could be the reason why Dreamtale isn't made up of codes, because it's the direct embodiment of a philosophy and not just another fictional universe among many.

I can't decide whether it's too obvious or too far-fetched ^^". It was the concept in Underverse that made me think of it... There are references between what Nightmare implies in 0.6 and creators tearing up their own universes because they're filled with negative emotions. Underverse isn't canon, but there's nothing to stop this idea of the creator,feeling link being applied to Dreamtale.

Especially as it allows us to imagine something even bigger that could work in relation to the three trees...

But before that, a little theory about Corrupted, because the more we learn about him, the more this character becomes... Mysterious.

☁︎ Something is rotten in the state of Dreamtale :

Ever since I knew that the three trees were part not of the Undertale Multiverse but of all the other Multiverses, I've been wondering why it should be Corrupted who embodies absolute Evil and not someone else. After all, we know plenty of evil lords, don't we? Isn't it a bit pretentious to claim him to be above everyone else?

But one detail, one nuance, makes all the difference.

By definition, Corrupted does not embody Evil, but negative feelings. He embodies them because he has become their guardian, their bearer. What I'm trying to say is that black apples and evil are not linked... Black apples are not fundamentally evil. They have no conscience; they are neutral, they exist for balance and have a purpose of their own.

No, Corrupted is Evil for another reason. He's Evil because he's simply wicked. If the personification of negative feelings is evil, it's not because the negative emotions or the apples are mean, but because they are themselves corrupted, alienated by a consciousness that manipulates them irresponsibly. Why would the Entity feel hatred? Hatred and not despair or dread? Because he was already filled with hatred, or because he has a fighting personality that allows him to exploit this emotion for its dark projects. Is it a sign that Corrupted isn't worthy of being their carrier? After all, he's not their basic guardian; it was Nim, then Nightmare.

In this way, that doesn't prevent him from being THE allegory on the scale of all dimensions (or of a large area of dimensions, if you don't like the idea that Dreamtale is linked to all fictional universes) , because the role relating to negative FEELINGS in a neutral behaviour is rather original. He's an allegory of negative feelings that doesn't need to be, and that gives a false image of what negative feelings actually are; the pejorative and common image we have of them. In reality, negative feelings are neither good nor bad; they mean no harm to others. The one who wishes them harm is the Entity, Corrupted.

He's a simple villain who has got his hands on power that doesn't belong to him and is out of control with.

...

Maybe not a 'simple' villain either?

Because, another theory, I think that Corrupted is this fourth guardian that Joku mentioned. Firstly because I don't know who else he could be, but also because he knows about the other dimensions outside Undertale. How would he know if he didn't come from outside? Who else would this fourth guardian be, and why would Joku mention him? What's more, a number of elements fit together with this theory, notably his strategy of manipulating Nim (Nim is far from stupid, and he probably wouldn't have succeeded so easily if he didn't already know a little about her), in order to create Dream and Nightmare, dividing positivity and negativity to undermine the pillars of balance, all with the aim of finding a carnal envelope and taking possession of the Tree of Feelings...

Like a plan that has been fine-tuned for years and years... Add to this the anecdote that the tree guardians are not the original guardians and that Nim learnt something awful about them before leaving for Undertale, and you'd think there was a rotten menace already pulling the strings in the shadows, long before our dear twins were born.

So what is Corrupted looking for? What's his ultimate plan? To spread negativity across all dimensions and reign supreme as a Living God?

A fine programme... But what if we took his ambitions one step further?

☁︎ Feelings, Life, Magic:

Why three trees? Why THESE three trees? Why place them at the centre of the Multiverse? Why are feelings, life and magic at the heart of the worlds? What link can we make between them?

Feelings, well ok, that works... Life and death, logical... Magic? Why magic? Magic isn't a necessary element in the Multiverse, sometimes it doesn't even exist... Why a tree of Magic and not a tree of Souls, or a tree of Virtues and Sins, for example? Undertale is very closely linked to magic, but that's not the case for all worlds...

This is where we come back to the idea that apples are the materialised forms of the feelings creators apply to their work... Does this also work with Magic and Life? Yes, it does. Trees don't just take care of Feelings, Life and Death and Magic... They reflect what creators need to create.

Feelings, as we've said, are exactly what it takes to find inspiration, to feed the imagination like maintain fire. As long as the feelings remain, so do the passion and inspiration.

Life, on the other hand, is quite simply what enables a work to exist, to remain. Life is the nest in which the spirit bathes, gathering together the experiences of the creator, housing and preserving them. You could also say that the more lives there are to witness a work, the more real a work is.

Inspiration, yes... The environment, all right... But what is needed to create something out of nothing? To make the unreal real? The immaterial material?

Nothing more than a little magic ✨ !

Not the kind of magic you find in fiction with wizards and pseudo-scientific logic, no... Magic in the sense of believing in something irrational. To believe that these worlds exist, to have faith without needing proof. Accepting imagination. Not in a religious connotation, but in the sense: Magic = Consenting Suspension of Disbelief.

Feelings: The fuel.

Life: The oxygen.

Magic: The spark.

Fire triangle is complete.

What if these three trees were the equivalent of the Triforce of Creation itself? Feelings to stimulate, Life to sustain, Magic to materialize.

What would happen if, by some mischance, an ill-intentioned person managed to seize the power of these three trees? What would be the consequences? In the end, perhaps this mysterious Entity wants more than just the golden apple in Dream's care?

And if these three trees work very well together, what would the fourth guardian be doing?

Would he be the original guardian?

Or the exact opposite of Creation: Destruction and Nothingness?

(Voilà! I hope theses theories will have interested you ^^ And you, what do you think? Do you have theories about what's going to happen in the Dreamtale sequel?)

Dreamtale belongs to @jokublog

[clonerightsagenda]

HDM episode 5:

Will and his mom have a pretty nice home considering they only receive a "subsistence" payment from John Parry's trust.

As stated before, I wasn't expecting this much Will content in season 1, but I suppose it makes sense because a lot of the harassment and bullying is described as things that were happening to him prior to the events of the book, and obviously we can't do narrative exposition dumps on screen. Although they sure are trying with the Prophecy Voiceover in this episode. Don't care for that.

More added-in tension between Lyra and the gyptians for some reason.

Additional Farder Coram/Serafina drama, although I suppose Lyra could've just not been privy to it in the book. His story that she wanted to tear the universe apart over the death of their son while he wanted to peacefully mourn and that's what split them up is weird, though, given that in the books Serafina mentions that witches accept that the men and sons in their lives are brief, fleeting things.

I always imagined the witches riding cloud pine branches like broomsticks but Serafina Just Does That, I guess

The true most important foreshadowing of this episode... Will's omelette.

So much stress for his mother who struggles with mental illness (OCD? depression? schizophrenia?) but also there are actually people out to get her. And even her loving son assumes she's delusional. (Liked the detail of her realizing someone had been in the house because the cat was stuck outside. Amateurs. Chekhov's Moxie... she will fire again.)

Pan is embracing their Arctic vacation and being an Arctic fox. Warm

The sewing machine is a great hiding place, honestly, because I bet no hired goon would ever think to look there.

I don't object to switching Tony out for Billy as the severed child Lyra finds - it lets us see the impact of the child's death - but I *am* annoyed that they cut out the villagers' and rescue party's revulsion. Everyone (including the people who came to rescue them) instinctively retreating from a severed child because they're so horrified by their mutilation was really memorable, as is Lyra furiously telling them to stop. Most of all, I'm mad that they took out the dried fish and we lost the moments of the villagers trying to ask her to pay for the fish (are you fucking kidding me) and Lyra's reaction to the rescue party taking the fish away. That's the part of the book that makes me tear up, and I'm disappointed that it wasn't there. It was all he had to hold on to!!!

Iorek: This shit is getting dark. I'm out.

Had to look this up because I was confused (again, just reread the book! Almost like chowing down on an entire novel in an afternoon doesn't always give you perfect recall) but as I thought I remembered, before Asriel tears a hole between the worlds, all man-made doorways passed through Citigazze, including the ones Boreal used. However, they've got him walking directly between his world and ours. To simplify things, I guess?

I mentioned "oh this is going to be a dark episode. well, this is kind of a dark series" which made me think, the first book involves Lyra looking for Roger, and she loses him. The second book is Will looking for his father, and he loses him. At least TGC has the wins of destroying Bolvangar and defeating Iofur. TSK really does not have any wins at all.

[ilyrouxls]

Amusement Parks Have Rouxls Too

Rouxls Kaard x Reader

(Fluff, Gender-Neutral Reader, Not Canon AU idk, Y/n used)

Your sibling Kris forces you to join them with their friends and Rouxls to go to the Amusement Park. Chaos, failed flirting attempts, jealousy, and disaster oh my!

You awake early on this Saturday morning to grey clouds covering the city, and cold air nipping at the people outside. A morning like this called for a warm beverage and a pile of blankets. Settling for hot cocoa, you feel excited thinking about everything you won’t have to do today. You stir the packet of Cocoa mix into a warm glass of water. No college, no chores, no work, and no terrible coworkers. It’s only 10am, so you still have a lot of time to waste indulging in doing nothing. It’s perfect for the first day of Winter Break. Of course, until Kris had decided to text you.

“Y/n. come to the amusement park with us.’ So unspecific, per usual of your texts with Kris. They seemed to have a knack for never telling you the full details while at the same time also leaving you on read. Sipping on the steaming cocoa, you write back a response; ‘1. Lol. why? 2. Who is going? 3. Why??’ Kris is always a handful for you, but you love them to death. When you had decided to move out, you chose to not move far so that you could still see them easily. You're glad that you had chosen to do that considering after you moved out, Asriel soon did as well. Asriel is sadly much farther away than you, so Kris began taking the bus to see you. You appreciate it a lot more than you’d ever admit. You both weren’t really close when you were younger, so it’s nice that you’re closer nowadays.

‘Ralsei, Susie, Noelle, Berdly, Lancer, me. The usual. Rouxls is gonna be there too. Meet us at 11.’ You sigh, Kris didn’t even give you an option to not go. And now if you don’t show up you’ll look like an asshole. Damn it, they’ve got you cornered.

On the flip side, Rouxls will be there. Your feelings for him are… complicated. He’s annoying, obnoxious, and quite frankly outright irritating. But these traits are why you’re madly in love with him. If you look past the three previously named traits, he’s genuinely sweet and caring. Especially towards his adopted son Lancer, aka his lesser son. You don’t really know the story between them because you've never asked; it seemed too personal when you first met him and now it seems like it’s too late in the friendship to ask. Rouxls certainly is an interesting character, you can’t tell if he likes you or not. He always calls you a puny small worme or a peon, or other names along those lines.

You drink the last of your cocoa, wash the mug, and think of the pros and cons of going. Cons; Being in a crowded Amusement park, scary rollercoaster rides, tons of people, and annoying kids. Pros; The Fun Gang, hanging around Kris, an opportunity to romance Rouxls…….

‘I’ll get ready, see ya soon.’

Your face feels hot, this could actually work out if you play your kaards right. The amusement park is the perfect place for you two to get closer. It almost makes you giddy thinking about it. Correction, it actually does make you giddy. You smile as you go to shower and tidy yourself up.

Showering is easy but picking out an outfit is hard. You want to impress Rouxls by looking your best, but not too overdressed. You want to be comfy, but not under dressed... It’s an overly complicated process, but eventually you pick something to your liking. You pack a bag with a thin blanket, so you all can sit in the grass at lunch of course, and your wallet. Soon enough, you drive over to the amusement park, planning your ‘devious’ plan.

The local amusement park isn’t far from the city you live in, but it’s a little farther to get to from where Kris lives. Your parents, Toriel and Asgore of course, used to take the family during the Winter and Spring a lot. Asriel always wanted to play the games to earn prizes but Kris wanted to ride all the rides. So you guys always did both. Kris won all the prizes, but got forced to share against their will. Asriel would get sick from Roller Coasters, but still went on them so as to not ruin the fun. You never weren’t much into games at the time and were too scared to go on the rides. What you enjoyed the most was the atmosphere; sitting in the grass, enjoying your family's presence, and watching the sunset at night. But besides that, you liked cheering both of your siblings on! The good old days of youth. One thing that’s definitely changed is that you would totally play the games now.

Soon enough you arrive at the amusement park and you already feel your anxiety kick in. There’s a lot of people, scary rides, and Rouxls Kaard here. That’s a lot of things that are scary. ‘Where r u? I'm here’ You send Kris the text, and try to gain the balls to go out. You take a deep breath and get out with your bag and head toward the entrance. You feel a buzz in your pocket and pull out your phone to read what Kris said while you stand in line. ‘Already got entrance tickets, trying to buy tickets for rides and games atm.’ You smile, it’s been a bit since you’ve seen Kris. They honestly brighten your day when you see them.

Going up to the entrance to buy tickets, you see a skeleton snoring at the ticket booth. “Uhm… excuse me..” You say, hoping to get their attention. The skeleton stirs and looks up to you, but keeps their head in their arms. “Oh, hey-o. Wanna ticket or somethin’?” His voice was monotone yet he kept a tight grin on his face, a bit friendly but a bit unnerving at the same. You hope he’s actually an employee, but his attire wasn't exactly a uniform.

Blindly trusting the suspicious guy, you nod your head. You were similar to Kris, not one for conversation but more in a socially awkward way. You pull out your money and put it on the counter. You focus your gaze into the park while the worker, if he even is a worker at all, gets your ticket. There's a chance you just gave your money to a scammer. You look past the gates and there in the distance you can see the Fun Squad!

… Oh no.

The scene before you plays out like this; Kris and Susie are shaking the ticket machine, Ralsei is frantically trying to stop them, Berdly is standing a couple feet away trying to act like he doesn’t know them, Noelle is at a different ticket machine, Lancer is hanging onto the machine gleefully, and Rouxls defeatedly sitting on the ground with his head in his hands. Oh boy, today is gonna be a long day. “Know 'em?” The worker at the ticket booth asks you. You make a face, knowing the fate in store for you when you walk in, "Yeah." He hands you your ticket and you thank him before going in.

“Guys don’t go breaking the ticket machine please... We just got here, we can't get kicked out yet!” You say, walking up to the group. “Ah! Finally, the assistance has arivedetheth.” Rouxls stands up and exclaims exasperatedly; it seems like he already tried to stop Kris and Susie. Kris and Susie stop shaking the machine and Kris runs up to you, giving you the biggest hug. Smiling, you hug back and ask, “So, what’s the issue with the ticket machine?”

Susie rolls her eyes and walks over to you. “We thought if we shook it hard enough the tickets would come flying out and we would save our money.” You can’t help but laugh a little because that makes sense now. "Don't worry, I got enough tickets for everyone while you guys were... doing what you did." Noelle says, tickets in hand. Seems like she was the only one with a brain. She hands out tickets to everyone, what a saint she is. As the Fun Gang begins to move towards the rides they desire, you fall a little back to walk with Rouxls. For no particular reason of course. “So, what made you want to tag along Rouxls?” You imagine the reason was probably that he wanted to watch Lancer, but you still ask regardless just so you have something to talk about. “Well, I wasn’t planning on attending, but I heardeth thou were going to be here and decidetheth to join along to so thou shall not be watching these little worms alone.” You don’t know whether to feel flattered that he cares for your well-being or offended for calling them worms. It makes you wonder whether Kris asked Rouxls to come by pretending you were already going, and vice-versa for yourself. What a trickster they are, if it was purposeful. “Aw, that’s sweet of you to tag along for me. Thank you, I appreciate it. The kids aren’t worms though.” You giggle, looking at your feet instead of him. He chuckles in response and you both walk in silence.

Soon enough the kids found the first roller coaster they wanted to ride on. The start of your master plan began to set in motion, or so you were hoping. You wanted to pull a few super smooth moves on Rouxls, but you were, conveniently, inconvenienced every time you tried. The first inconvenience was when you tried to ask Rouxls to get on the rollercoaster in the same cart as you. But he declined, saying something along the lines of rollercoasters was for worms and that he would never. The look on his face gave it away though, he was scared of them. So you were you so it was kind of a good thing. Instead you decided to join him watching the kids ride their rollercoaster. You were excited to get alone time with Rouxls until your second inconvenience happened. Ralsei wasn't able to handle the roller coaster and the poor little guy got sick, so he sat with you both for the rest of the rides. It reminded you of when Asriel got sick from roller coasters all the time when you were kids. You did feel bad for Ralsei, but you were also secretly cursing him for accidentally ruining your alone time.

After the last ride ends and everyone gets off the ride, you ask, “Okay everyone, are we getting hungry?” You get a collection of answers such as, “Hell yeah!” and, “Yes please.” Pretty obvious who those two answers came from. Kris takes the lead and shows everyone the way to the food and snack portion of the park. The stands around you smell delicious and the food looks great, but you can only think of one thing. Cotton candy. It’s been years since you’ve had authentic amusement park cotton candy, and it was the only food on your mind.

Seeing the stand in the distance, you start to veer away from the group with it being the only thing on your mind. “Huh? Y/n, where are you going?” Noelle's voice calls out from behind you, and you point at the booth. Heading over to it, you notice the man running the stand is the previous man from the entrance ticket booth.

“I thought you worked at the ticket booth?” You ask him when you get to the front of the line. The guy looks up and his grin seemingly gets wider. “Ha, I s’pose I multitask. It’s a skele-ton of work though.” He winks, and you can’t help but laugh a little at the pun but also cringe at it. “Oh I bet, sounds like you get worked down to the bone.” He snorts at equally cringey pun while you hand him the money, and he starts making your cotton candy. “Didn't read you as the type to like puns.” You look at him a bit confused. “Are you a professional at knowing whether someone likes puns or not?” He chuckles, "Perhaps." You roll your eyes and laugh. He hands you your cotton candy and you turn to walk back to the group.

After you turn around, you notice all the kids are playing tag on an empty grass hill nearby. Rouxls is standing nearby but instead of watching them, he's watching you. When your gaze meets his, he turns and watches the kids. You could imagine it but it seemed weird that he was watching you, his face looks a bit angry too. Was he mad that... you got cotton candy? Maybe he wanted some too. Putting that aside, you walk back to the group. The kids are all playing a seemingly intense game of tag, but it looks like they got themselves some snacks and put it in a pile nearby. You walk toward Rouxls and say, “Sorry about that, it took a little bit. I’ve got a blanket for us all to sit on.” He doesn't say anything, but you set your bag down and grab the blanket you packed and lay it on the ground. Rouxls sits on one end while you sit on the other, eating a bit of your cotton candy. Awkward silence ensues.

…

“So, did thou know the man at that stand? Thee both seemedeth.. uhm.. quiteth friendly.” The question broke the silence but didn't make any sense. “Oh, no not really. He was also the guy running the ticket stand. Kinda weird to be running both areas right? He was also making some cheesy puns.” Rouxls makes a hm sound in reply, leaving you with more questions than answers. Rouxls' weird attitude made it seemed like he could be jealous of the way you acted with the ticker stand slash food stand worker. But that's too cliche to be true, right?

You want to break the tension but you’re not sure how to with the way he's shut your previous conversation down. Staring at the yummy sugary treat you hold in your hand, an idea sparks to life in that brain of yours. Slowly, and hopefully not noticeably, you scoot your way closer to Rouxls. In a matter of seconds you’re so close that the both of you are almost touching arms. He doesn’t seem to notice thankfully, he’s staring at the kids but it seems like he’s actually spacing out. “Have you ever had cotton candy before, Rouxls?” You ask, finally breaking the silence. He jumps at your voice and turns to you in a surprised manner. He was definitely spacing out based on the slightly shocked expression he holds. “A-Ah, I didn’t realize you- thou got so.. close. No, I hath never had whatever thou speak of. He almost broke his façade but he picked it back up quickly... you always knew he probably exaggerated or faked his way of speaking. You smile and push the cotton candy close to his face and say, “It’s called ‘cotton candy’, and you should try some! I’m sure you’ll enjoy it, basically it’s sugar that gets heated up into liquid and then spun into this like uh, soft cloud threads? I’m not sure how to describe it but you should try it.”

His cheeks flush a dark blue in a way that makes it seem like he could be blushing, but you’re not sure. “Are you sure? Isn’t it yours?” You nod your head, and he hesitates for a second but then he takes a surprisingly good sized bite out of the cotton candy and his eyes light up in delight. “Mm, tch-at is pretty, mm, good.” He mumbles, mouth full of cotton candy. You can’t help but giggle at his cute behavior. He glares at you, but it seems playful enough that you don’t mind. You pull the cotton candy back to you and take a bite, then bring it back to him to eat. From an outside perspective it probably seems like you two are a couple. You don’t mind at all, you hope he doesn’t mind either.

The kids finally tire out and join you both on the blanket to eat their lunch. You all share some laughs, and before long lunch passes by and the real fun begins. Susie suggests you go to the arcade, and of course you all agree. When you get there, Berdly loudly exclaims, "We should do a competition to see who is the best overall gamer! I know you all know I am undoubtedly the best, but I'm sure you're all eager to try to beat me." Ignoring his gloating for a second, that actually sounds pretty fun. "Sure, can I go against you first?" You ask him, you can't wait to kick this kid's ass. Berdly smirks and picks out some random shooter game. The others begin to pick out their competition and go to other games. While you get ready to start your epic match against Berdly, Rouxls walks over to you. "I am admittedethly not good with video games, so I wisheth thee luck on winning. I have no doubth that thou shall win." Even though you were sure he was just being nice, your heart can't help but flutter that he went out of his way to wish you luck. You played against Berdly a few times, and let's just say you won by a long shot. Even though Rouxls said he wasn't good at video games, you managed to get him to play a couple of games with you. He did pretty well for his first time, only struggling every once in a while. Then Kris joined in and basically annihilated everyone. They always did have a knack for games, always winning while barely putting in effort to it. These events have led up to now, where you’re all surrounding Kris and Susie, the last competitor against Kris. They’re playing Dance Dance Revolution and both of them are trying their hardest to win. Who knew Susie was this good at dancing, she was really holding out against Kris. Everyone was cheering for who they thought was going to win. You could hear Noelle cheering for Susie the loudest though, how cute.

The song was just about to end with Susie winning when suddenly she missed a note. The game flashed with a finish sign and showed their scores. Kris won by barely a smidge of points. “GODDAMN IT KRIS, I WAS ABOUT TO WIN!” Susie exclaims and in a fit of rage punched the screen, smashing it. Everyone stands in shock and you hear someone shout, “Hey! What do you think you're doing!” Looking to where you heard the shout, you see a guy who looks to be the manager and a couple security guards running towards you all quickly. In a rush of panic you yell, “RUN AND HIDE!!”

You all run out of the arcade, scrambling in different directions to hide on various attractions. You pause in the middle of a crowd outside the arcade unsure where to go, when a hand grabs yours and drags you along with them. Startled, you look and see Rouxls is the one who grabbed you. You both run towards the nearest ride to hide, the Ferris wheel. The worker, obviously clueless to the previous arcade incident, lets you into the box and starts the ride up. You take a seat to catch your breath.

Rouxls sits next to you, in the same state as you. “That was quiteth… hah.. an exciting and scary predicamenteth.” You nod your head feverishly in agreement. Pulling out your phone, you send a quick text to Kris informing them that Rouxls and you escaped to the Ferris wheel and that everyone should meet up in 10-15 minutes at the front. You know it's a bit annoying that you all have to hide out for that long, but it's better safe than sorry in case the guards go to the gate now. They don't text back yet, and you hope they're okay along with everyone else.

Suddenly, realization hits you in the face. Rouxls and you are alone. In a Ferris wheel. By yourselves. Alone. Did you mention alone? Your face warms up and your body starts to feel uncomfortably sweaty. Even though you were trying to woo him from the start and this is the perfect place. But now that it's happening with no interruptions this time, it's making your body feel like it wants to collapse and yet always throw yourself out of the window. You feel too scared to make a move so instead you decide to look out the window. You didn’t realize how long you all were playing arcade games until you looked, the sun is already setting behind the clouds. It was beautiful, it had already passed the orangey stage and was now in the darker stages. Dark purples, pinks, and light blues painted the sky. Some stars even started showing up.

“Rouxls! Look at the sunset, it’s beautiful right now.” You lean back into your seat to allow Rouxls to see the sunset from your window. Instead of looking from where he was sitting next to you, he scoots closer and leans over you to see the sunset. He stretches out his arm putting his hand on your thigh and his other hand on your shoulder to steady himself. His face lights up looking at the sky, and he smiles peacefully. You blush and oh my god do you want to kiss him right there and then, but you don’t want to interrupt the moment. He looks absolutely stunning in the lighting, the sun dimly reflecting against him, enhancing his features perfectly and making his hair look angelic. You try not to stare but you can’t help it.

Rouxls turns his head away from the sunset and instead looks at you. Your eyes meet and slowly Rouxls leans closer to you. He’s so close you can feel his shaky breaths against your face. To say you were freaking out in your head was an understatement, your thoughts were running a million miles a minute. You’ve been wanting to kiss him for months now, and it felt like it was about to happen. You want to make the move, but you feel frozen staring into his eyes. Rouxls makes the first move, and finally seals the gap and kisses you. It takes a moment, but you reciprocate the kiss and put your arms around his neck while he moves his hand from your shoulder up to hold your face. His lips feel soft and taste sweet, the flavor of cotton candy still lingering on his lips even after all this time. You both pull apart and you feel a little winded. “I apl- aplogizeth for not asking to kiss thou.. I couldn’th help myself.” Rouxls trips up a little on his words, but you understood what he said. “It’s okay, I’ve been wanting to kiss you for months- I mean it’s okay yeah don’t worry. Don't think about what I just said.” You accidentally overshare that little tidbit of info and try to laugh it off nervously. Rouxls smiles and kisses your cheek, which reassures you that he didn’t mind.

A minute or two passes, and Ferris wheel finally brings you both to the bottom to get off. Rouxls stands up and holds out his hand gentlemanly for you. You take his hand and hold it tightly, and he leads you off the Ferris wheel. With your free hand, you take out your phone and see Kris has texted a few times updating the situation.

‘Okay, I got stuck in a ball pit. A security guard is near me.’ (8:21pm) ‘The security guard just walked past me.’ (8:28pm) ‘THE SECURITY GUARD ALMOST SAW ME’ (8:34pm) ‘IM RUNING RNW OMG HE IS RUNIGB AFTER ME I WILL HAVE TO’ (8:35pm) ‘Sorry for the typos and not finishing my sentence. I’m safe now, we’re all here at the entrance except Rouxls and you.’ (8:39pm) ‘We’re leaving without you two with mom. If I see that you're both in the news for getting arrested, we aren’t gonna bail you out lol. And I'll print out your mugshot and hang it up in the house.’ (8:45pm).

You can’t help but laugh at the series of texts Kris sent. You update them that you’re okay and that Rouxls and you got stuck on the Ferris wheel. You shiver, now that the adrenaline is gone you realize how cold the night has gotten. Rouxls looks at you at you concerned and you say, "Sorry, don't worry. I'm just a little cold." He smiles and replies, "Ah, I see. It does seemeth to have gotten quite cold from when we hadth first arrivedeth. If you are cold dear, then taketh my coat." Rouxls lets go of your hand and takes off his coat, handing it to you. Although flustered, you take it gratefully and put it on. The coat is warm since he had been just wearing it, and is stops you're shivers in a matter of seconds, the jacket was a bit big on you but you didn’t care. You grab his hand again, already missing the feeling of it. “Thank you for the jacket, you’re never getting it back ever again. The kids left with my mom, so it’s just you and me. We better get to the parking lot quickly before security recognizes us.” You tell him and the both of you speed walk and get to the parking lot quickly. As you approach your car Rouxls suddenly stops. “Are you okay? What’s up?” You ask concerned, still holding his hand. “Uhm.. I just realizedth that thy mother took me here with Lancer, it was convenienth at the time to not take two cars...”

…

“Oh.”

“Luckily Lancer is with them. I think they’re all going to have a sleepover, I heard them mention it earlier at lunch.” You say and Rouxls sighs in relief that Lancer will be okay. While wondering how Rouxls will get home, a thought crosses your mind. You tug on his hand to get his attention, “Hey, wanna have a sleepover of our own? You can stay at my apartment for the night and then in the morning I can take you to pick up Lancer and take you both home.” Your face heats up, while your offer is meant to be innocent, your thoughts can’t help but imagine some not so innocent scenarios.

Rouxls looks surprised by your offer and you hope you didn’t over step. “I mean of- of course you don't have to, I can just take you home instead and then you can do your own things. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable-“ Rouxls cuts off your rambling by squeezing your hand reassuringly. You stop and look at him, and he leans down to kiss your cheek. “Don’t fret dear, I would love to stayeth over at thy home.” You smile, happy that he wasn’t offended and happy that he actually accepted your offer. You turn toward your car and you pull him close, walking hand in hand together.

“Alright then, let’s go!”

(Orginally posted on AO3 9-12-22, 4551 words)

(Based off of a dream I had January 2022. In the dream I had, instead of sharing cotton candy it was a bowl of white rice and I was feeding it to Rouxls. Just plain white rice. Not on a grassy hill, no no no we were just below the Ferris wheel on the concrete for no reason. Then Kris, Susie, and Ralsei come over and get all mad that we were sitting and eating because we were supposed to be in the arcade playing games. So yeah that dream inspired this lol)

[kuvvydraws]

I have had a lovely time reading up on solitale lore! So many interesting things we are learning about the world and the characters in it through Praetorius and Laudaris. As an ask, in relation to those cuddling sessions, as well as his lil thing with scent, how would he react when his sig other (in courting) begins wearing scents he is favourable towards, carefully picked out to also be favourable to how they usually smell? and an ask for Laudaris, what's his current opinion on the character that broke the Barrier? Actually what is their both opinions on them, and the Court's opinion on them?

You're very hardworking because there's indeed a lot of lore, mostly about Praetorius, with some hints at a bigger universe here and there XD good job!

About Praetorius and scent: he would prefer his SO to wear their natural scent, no need to mask it. He understands the social impulse of wanting to smell more appealing or enticing to others, and gets why one would like to change the way they smell or present themselves a little from time to time. He does! But he's also a monster with a sensitive sense of smell, who inhabits a Castle where the rest of the people either stink like chores and servitude or purposefully stink themselves up with copious amounts of perfumes and other scents to become more appealing for the Court lifestyle. Scents can be deceiving and too much of anything would end up clogging his skull, so Praetorius doesn't really like perfumes. Natural scents are much more personal, difficult to mimic, and even intimate.

He does enjoy the smell of certain things, like crisp paper, fresh ink, or cold stone. They're mostly associates with good memories or moments of peace, so he tends to favor them. As many monsters trapped in a cave for centuries, he actively dislikes the smell of petrichor, which many humans favor. Even after Surfacing, he doesn't really get it, but he'd start missing it until he gets used to not being Underground, which would take him a lot longer than he'd like to admit.

★

Regarding the human who broke the Barrier, since it's a swapfell type of AU, we can pinpoint Chara for that role, with Frisk being the first Fallen Child and sibling to late Prince Asriel.

As the story goes, Frisk perishes, Asriel dies with them, and monsters lose HOPE while imprisoned, until Queen Toriel comes up with the plan to harvest human SOULs and gather their power to break the Barrier, consequently causing her separation from Asgore.

I could go on a tangent about how the Barrier broke and what that implied for monsterkind and for the memory of Gaster after how his mistake condemned a whole species to remain trapped, but the truth is I don't have a solution for that just yet, so I'd ramble aimlessly.

The first thought monsters have after finding a human again is to take their SOUL, to start over collecting them all, no matter how much or how long it takes. And then, the Barrier is gone, the child thrives on with their new adopted dad, monsters gain their happy ending and the world broadens impossible.

The Court would be the easiest case. The Queen needed an heir, and who better than their liberator? The Crown acolytes are a sadistic bunch, ready to tear into each other, and for a while the crowd was divided - some wanted to resume the SOUL collecting, some others wanted to give the child a chance and see what would happen. If it hadn't been for Asgore's brief return to the Castle to ensure Chara would have been treated right, their SOUL would be in a container and their body disposed off as fast as a sneeze. As all things evolve, after Surfacing, everyone was suddenly on board with letting the child live on, be cherished and grow up as free as the rest of them, as if they hadn't been ready to dangle them over a pit of snakes as the smallest turn of the wind.

For Praetorius, they're a means towards redemption. He could never let go of the guilt of trapping monsters forever because of his Father's mistake. He didn't directly destroy the SOULs but all his life he felt responsible for it, aware that no matter how hard he worked to improve the Underground, he could never make up for the freedom monsters would never get. He keeps them in mind in a careful way, planning and scheming around them, as to not distort the tentative equilibrium their presence has gifted monsters. He's not very comfortable around them, regardless of how grateful he feels about them falling and not perishing on their way to the Castle.

Laudaris? He just went a little bit insane and rolled with it. His mind was never quite the same after his Father messed up the SOULs. The experiment changed everyone Underground, but Laudaris is particularly sensitive to SOUL, and he might have been over for a quick visit after he caught word in how his dad had been holed up in his lab for weeks. He was a witness to his horrible crime, which is why he was appointed to be the Judge in his trial - not only as a key witness but also as a test of loyalty from the Court. He never had the opportunity to Spare Gaster, he never could have. And again, the SOULs self imploding in the equivalent of existential fireworks did something to him.

From that day on, Laudaris was always a bit out of sorts, a bit unstable and unreliable, a bit too intense, a bit too bleak. He rides his highs as hard as he rides his lows, and all that could be an explanation on why he thinks he was stuck in a resetting loop for ages, until the anomaly new child fell Underground. Not that he's ever going to share his thoughts on that matter. In the end, he just had to keep a careful socket on them, threaten them a little and let them struggle their way up to the Royals to fight their case. Maybe he helped them last time. Or the time after that. Or the one before those two? He doesn't quite remember. Did the child kill anyone? He has a feeling they did, but that last time, the real last time, their SOUL was spotless, and they did break the Barrier... Ah, everything is so confusing, this is why he doesn't bother to keep track of timelines!