#could you imagine if something like that happened with undyne but with her eye

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

papyrus and delta are (adopted) twins and are attempting a twin switch! who notices?

I took the Undertale characters for this one! As a reminder for the newcomers, Delta is Disbelief Papyrus.

Undertale Sans - He knows immediately but plays along. He knows his brother(s) too well, and Delta always looks a little sadder than his Papyrus. But both of them are having fun right now so he won't ruin the fun. He pretends to be shocked when Papyrus "appears" at two places at once. How could that even happen O:

Undertale Toriel - She can tell something is not normal because Papyrus acts weird and is very insistent, but she doesn't notice the switch. Instead, she insists on checking on him to make sure he's not sick because you don't joke with these things. They wanted to have fun, they won a doctor's appointment instead... That happened.

Undertale Asgore - He doesn't know Papyrus enough to make the difference. Sure, he found that odd that Papyrus was in the kitchen when he saw him two seconds earlier in the living room, but he knows Sans better and Sans always does the weirdest thing so maybe all skeletons can? He's not judging.

Undertale Undyne - She almost falls for it, but eventually, she notices something is weird with Papyrus and suddenly gasps when she realizes it's not the good Papyrus. Now, that means she gets revenge twice as hard! Both Papyrus are now running for their life as Undyne is determined to kick both their asses.

Undertale Alphys - She notices immediately and ruins their little prank. Alphys had to make sure Delta was fine after he arrived, and she knows his bone structure by heart, and it's slightly different from Papyrus' one. That's quite awkward when she says that out loud in front of them, Undyne and Sans. She says nevermind and leaves the room to hide in the toilets.

Undertale Frisk - That's easy. Frisk flirts with them. Delta rolls his eyes, Papyrus plays along. Busted in ten seconds. Both Papyrus are impressed, but the kid won one battle, not the war. They will try again, and again until they succeed to prank them.

Undertale Chara - They're uncomfortable and wondering why Papyrus won't leave them alone when it's clear they don't want to hang out right now. They try to chase them away gently, but when a second Papyrus comes in the room saying he's bored, Chara is speechless. Uh???? What? They ask for explanations, but before they can, both Papyrus are gone. Did they imagine all of this? What was in their tea? Oh god, they didn't drink golden flower tea and poisoned themselves again, right?

Undertale Mettatton - He knows. Immediately. Delta thinks it's weird that Mettaton knows them so much when they're clearly not hanging out together that much. That's when he turned around and found a bright red Papyrus avoiding his stare at all costs. Oh. Welp. It seems Alphys is not the only bone structure connoisseur after all.

Undertale Gaster - He completely falls for it to the point Papyrus wonders if he should be offended by that or not lol. I mean, it's his father??? Uh. Maybe he should try this with two Sans to see if it's just him. That's awkward.

Undertale Grillby - He's going crazy. He just served Papyrus a milkshake. He went into the kitchen but when he went back, he found Papyrus... waiting for his milkshake? Maybe he just forgot, so he serves him another milkshake. But then he came back from the kitchen and he found Papyrus waiting for his milkshake again. When he finally understands what's wrong after like ten milkshakes, he's so disappointed with Papyrus lol. He's used to this with Sans, but him? He feels so betrayed.

Undertale Muffet - They tried to play the same trick they did at Grillby's in her bakery. Muffet notices and charges the donuts twice their prices as revenge. Ah... They tried...

Undertale Burgerpants - The two Papyrus are appearing and disappearing in random places while he's working. After an hour, Burgerpants has a mental breakdown and starts to break everything in the studio, just screaming in anger. Why can't he have one normal day of work in his life? Why everyone hates him?! Mettaton finds him later curling up in a cupboard, crying, hugging a broom.

Undertale Flowey - It's not that hard? They're clearly two different people and he knows that because he's their bestie. You can't fool him, even with a swap of clothes! He's too clever! ... Too bad they actually didn't swap their clothes. Flowey refuses to believe them and locks them both in his roots until they tell him they are the right Papyruses. But really, he got it wrong. Flowey is still so mad about it.

Undertale Gerson - Man, he's too old for this. He can't see that good already, why would you do this to him? He locks the door of his shop and forces them to mop the floor while he's lecturing them about pranking old people.

[voidandabyssal]

Can I get add the swap and swapfell brothers to the Amalgam request? Maybe even Horrortale?

Of course you can! here's the link to the first amalgram post! I'll just do the Swap and SwapFell brothers for now though.

Blue:

when you go missing he's the first to notice. Both of you text pretty frequently when your not around each other (which is pretty rare in of itself). He visits your home, then your job, then any other areas your known to frequently vist. Getting more and more worried as you remain missing for longer and don't respond to his calls.

He calls Stretch out to help with looking for you, his brother knows a lot of people so they'd both find out pretty soon that you were last seen visiting Undyne.

Blue decides to sneak into Undyne's lab. Though he does think the best, "probably just some medical check up you forgot to tell him about. Nothing big!"

Immediately goes to comforting you when he does find you.

Keeps hugging you even when you try and push him away, apologising for melting over him.

He confronts Undyne he confesses to hiding both yourself and the rest of the amalgamites away.

Blue calls in Alphys to help deal with the situation and re-unite everyone. Then he and Stretch take you back home. He promises to help you in any way.

He tries to do what you want, if you want to find a cure, then he's recruiting Stretch, even a regretful Undyne to the cause. You just want to learn to live again? Yep and he's by your side every step of the way

Stretch:

Immediately suspicious when you just disappear. That's unusual for you. He asks around and finds that a few of his bar friends saw you and Undyne together. Weird, especially cause you don't really know her.

He shoots a text to Undyne asking her where you are. When she starts acting weird, changing subject, ignoring phone calls, asking dumb questions, he gets really suspicious

He goes down into the old lab his father used to work in. Guessing that Undyne still uses it.

Imagine his surprise (and horror) when he finds you, malformed, melting and in constant pain.

He carries you up and confronts Undyne. It's not a confrontation that goes well...

Of course Undyne is heartbroken and riddled with guilt. She had never thought that determination could do something like that.

Stretch keeps you in the lab. Hoping that with him and Undyne's intelligence, a cure could be found quickly.

He grabs things from your home that he knows would comfort you. Blankets, clothes, books, anything that keeps you stable and happy.

Somehow still manages to make time for cuddles.

Black (SF Sans)

boy if you even think you're leaving his eyesight!!!

seriously tho, I can only imagine Black would ever let someone like, euugh, Undyne, if you were in serious trouble.

Likely you had some serious health issues, or maybe you even fell down.

Whatever the case, he was desperate to help you and Undyne's kind of the only qualified doctor they have left. So off you go...

yeah, it doesn't go well. Black genuinely tries to murder Undyne. He takes this not only as a slight against you, but as action against him.

You're under HIS protection, meaning when someone fucks with you, they fuck with him.

Mutt steps in and manages to calm his brother down, pointing out that Undyne may actually be one of the only people to be able to help you.

Black keeps a VERY close eye on you. If you haven't already moved in with him, you are now!

Tasks his brother with keeping you safe when he has to leave.

Mutt (SF Papyrus):

probably the one to fuck up this time, ngl.

He was actually apart of the royal scientists before he left it. Like Black, he wouldn't want any science experiment stuff going on and he tries to keep you seperate from it.

We don't always get what we want though, from one reason to another, bad timing, thoughtless decisions, etc. You ended up overdosing from two much determination.

the guilt almost cracks his soul in two. He can't look you in the eye after what happened.

Keeps you hidden away in the true lab, occasionally popping in when he's either really drunk, high, or holding some new serum that's supposed to cure you.

Poor boy already struggled with substance abuse, this just makes it worse.

When he shortcuts in drunk; he just cries, holding your malformed body and crying apologies and begging for forgiveness.

Then he disappears in the morning when he wakes up hungover as hell and realises what he'd done.

[punsmaster69]

1/JAN/20XX

Sans has been taking note of each of the "firsts" of the new year.

"Good morning."

"g'mornin."

"first waking up of the year."

"Papyrus said you woke up multiple times last night."

"first waking up at a semi-normal time of the year."

"I WOULD NOT CONSIDER FOUR THIRTY A NORMAL TIME TO WAKE."

"first scolding of the year."

"HARDLY!!"

"first irritated look of the year."

"........."

"first irritated 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 of the year."

"JUST COME GET SOMETHING TO EAT ALREADY."

"first breakfast of the year."

"ENOUGH WITH THAT!"

"first sudden whip around to glare at me of the year."

"Someone shut this trashbag up already!!"

"..."

"first insult of the year."

"QUIT HAVING FIRSTS OF THE YEAR AND START HAVING FIRSTS OF YOUR FOOD, SANS."

Sans laughs and he jokes, but it is to cover up how he doesn't feel well, I'm certain.

It's hard to not to realize how he's picking at his food, and wobbling a little when he stands. Quietly sighing all too often, and getting worn out faster than is usual.

I suppose it's entirely fair.

His eye reactivating was quite a bit like a scar being reopened before it could fully heal, I would imagine.

That usually does not bode well for someone already struggling with the treatment process.

I really do feel terrible for inciting this at all. Papyrus is beating himself up about that happening just as I am.

Efforts to comfort him feel as if I were trying to reassure my own self a little as well.

Frisk seems to have picked up on Sans' slightly tired demeanor, being far less energetic than usual. They've much more easily settled for quiet activities.

Flowey has been a bit less scathing towards Sans, for which I am thankful.

I overheard Papyrus discussing with Alphys another potential visit to the doctor to assure that everything will be alright.

Undyne...

I am not sure she knows what she can do directly for Sans. (Her methods of helping before are certainly not repeatable with his current state.)

That said, calming Papyrus down - usually giving him something to laugh about every once in a while - has become her way of contributing.

...

First 'notes on a stressful situation' of the year...?

First.

First.

First.

It hardly looks like a word anymore.

[chartoris]

DELTARUNE PREDICTION TIME

I hope I finish this post before the anniversary of chapter 1 (nothing else notable happens on that day) I'm putting my 100% correct theories+ predictions here just in case Toby decides to release chapter 3 alone for some reason (I personally think he's releasing just 3 and 4 together next year), but who knows with that dog.

CHAPTER 3

As everyone else thinks, it's safe to say that the dark world in chapter 3 is probably gonna be TV themed. With different areas going through different channels.

THE BOSS

I don't think we can predict who exactly the main villain is yet based off of one thing Jevil said about a queen in one line. But it would make sense if it were some fucked up game show host guy. Maybe since the Spade King represents Susie's dad, and Queen represents a mother, the chapter 3 boss could represent that estranged uncle that nobody really talks about.

Also Tenna is probably the guy that betrayed Spamton. Not Mike.

THE SHADOWMEN

They're just gonna be silly litle guys.

THE WEATHER CHANNEL

Also sily.

THE POLICE

Since Toriel called the police and Kris left the door opened, I think that either Undyne shows up, or Napstablook shows up wearing Undyne's Undertale armor. Both of which would be awesome sauce.

NOELLE

No idea if she'll show up in the chapter. But I also have no clue why else the Lost Girl theme was in that unused sneaking section. Yes I'm still thinking about this.

THE END

I believe that chapter 3 might end with Kris sealing the fountain. Like you walk up, that sickass guitar riff plays, the screen fades to white, and the chapter ends (assuming it releases with chapter 4). Imagine how relieving it would be that the chapter doesn't have to end on a massive cliffhanger!

CHAPTER 4

Based on the screenshots we got for the 2022 status update, I don't think chapter 4 will have a dark world. It seems like a nice intermission chapter to just hang out with Susie in Hometown for a couple hours. We could get more insight into the residents of the town, as well as some lore.

i'm a huge fan of rain so this seems like the best the game will ever get.

I think its possible that Toby might have changed his might about releasing 3-5 together, and that he might just release 3 and 4. Assuming this chapter is just in the light world, it would probably be a lot faster to develop. No enemies, no battles, just cutscenes.

Keep in mind, I just took one programming class 5 years ago, so I'm not the ultimate authority on game design. But if it is easier to develop, I think we could see chapters 3+4 next fall.

I don't really have any other predictions for chapter 4 since all we have are a few screenshots, and even less for the future chapters. So I'm just going to talk about other general things in the game.

THE BUNKER

Gaster is afoot. Also maybe Dess or something idk yet. Oh and a dark fountain too. Maybe even the supply closet one.

DARK WORLDS

I don't think EVERY room with double doors is going to be a dark world, especially considering that Toby can just retcon them in between chapters, so I like to go off of narrative significance.

I think there will totally be a dark world in the church, considering the Dreemurr family has a significant amount of history with it, as well as the interesting thing you could do with it. Like a giant pipe organ castle or something.

There probably won't be a dark world in Ice-E's, unless something super traumatizing happened to Kris there when they were a kid. But I still have my eye on that Ice-E guy. Something fishy is absolutely going on with him.

why is he so big

Asgore's flower shop seems like a really good place for a dark world, and I need to see what the golden flower darkener would be. The empty fridge could even be like the ice palace from Dragon Blazers.

THE HOLIDAYS

Rudy is most likely going to die. I really don't want him to but unfortunately it would be really good for the story. Noelle would be forced to stand up to her mom like she did to Queen.

Also Noelle's mom's name is probably either Clarice or Carol.

WEIRD ROUTE

Its likely that not every chapter will have a weird route. I think they are more tied to Noelle's presence, due to her affinity for video game glitches when she was younger. Especially because it seems like the route itself isn't supposed to happen in the game world. And the weird route is a way to break out of the whole "your choices don't matter" thing. You might even be able to save Rudy in the route, at the cost of Noelle's mental state and every other horrible thing you may have to do.

THE KNIGHT

I don't think the Knight will be the main antagonist. It might get revealed relatively early (like chapter 5), unless its Gaster or something. The actual main antagonist of the game will be either the Roaring Titans or the Angel.

THE ROARING

This is probably gonna happen at some point. Ralsei leaves for ONE minute and someone opens a dark fountain in a dark world. Can't have shit.

holy hell they look so badass

Also penumbra phantasm final boss theme. make it happen toby.

[lil-purple-mouse-writes]

Deltarune Slumber Party Au Part 2

Happy New Years Eve everyone! I decided to get this one posted before the year was over. Sorry it's late, school kept me busy.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this!

Summary: In order to avoid a god awful field trip, Susie and Kris sneak off of the bus and into the school so they can spend there time in the Dark World with their friends. However, they are discovered by Noelle and Berdly, but why are they here?

Word count 1252-ish and CW for swear words.

[You ask Noelle and Berdly what THEY are doing here]

"Yeah, what ARE you two doing here?" Susie questioned.

10 Minutes Prior

"And that, Noelle, is why the original Dark Souls will always be better than Dark Souls 2. However; if we look at the Diablo Series- OW!" Berdly rubbed the back of his head, someone had thrown an apple core at him. Berdly spun around, but couldn't find who had done it. "Neanderthals, all of them."

Noelle stifled her chuckle. It wasn't polite to laugh, but it was still funny.

I have an idea of who did it, she thought.

Noelle looked back at Susie, who was punching Kris in the arm. They seemed to be talking about something, but Noelle couldn't hear over everyone in the bus.

What are those idiots doing back there?" Berdly asked aloud.

"I dunno, looks like they're just playing to me," Noelle replied.

"I bet they're scheming something..." Noelle could only guess what Berdly was imagining, "They might be planning to run away from the field trip, or maybe even... ROB THE BANK!"

Noelle rolled her eyes, "Come on, don't be dumb."

"You're right, Officer Undyne would never let something like that happen."

"And..this town doesn't even HAVE a bank..."

Besides, aren't you afraid of her? Noelle kept that thought to herself.

Miss Alphys stood at the front of the bus and took the microphone from the driver, "E-excuse me," The feedback from the mic nearly defended Noelle. The bus was finally quiet. "Th-than you. Now I am going to go around and take everyone's attendance A-AND permission forms. P-please have them ready by the time I get to your seats, and...please don't trip me this time."

As Miss Alphys began her descent down the aisle the rambunctious noise picked up again. Noelle looked back to try and get Kris and Susie's attention. They would get into trouble if they were caught roughhousing on the bus.

but they were gone.

In fact, Noelle was only able to catch a glimpse of Kris's hair as the two ran out the back door of the bus. The door shutting quietly behind them.

"What the-"

"What's wrong?" Berdly asked.

"Susie and Kris just left." Noelle answered.

"Huh?" Berdly turned towards the back of the bus and shook his head.

Berdly kicked his feet up onto the seat in front of him, accidentally kicking Catti in the back of the head. "I don't see why that is such a bad thing, Noelle. We'll probably have a better time without them here."

"But they could get into trouble, I don't think-"

"Do what you want, Noelle, I'm not going to stop you...Berdly interrupted.

Noelle stared at her friend for a moment before gathering her things. Glancing up the aisle to see Miss Alphys stopped a little ways ahead of them, trying to calm down Temmie, who apparently lost egg. As quietly as she could, Noelle made her way to the back of the bus and snuck off.

"-It's not our responsibility to take care of a couple or C students anyways. Now, where was I- Hey, wait!" Berdly scrambled to gather his things, grumbling as he did so. "Oh at least let me finish my train of thought!"

Present

"We're just here to get you two back on the bus before Miss Alphys catches you," Noelle answered.

"Technically, we could all get into trouble because of the two of you." Berdly stated.

"Dude, you really could've just stayed on the bus and ignored us. Why did you come anyway? Can you not handle being alone for 5 minuets?" Susie replied.

"I-I only came to take Noelle back to the bus, she's the one who wanted to help you two!"

"Whatever, Nerdly." Susie flicked Berdly's glasses off center.

Noelle sighed, "Come on everyone, lets go back to the bus-"

"Hello...is anybody here?" Miss Alphy's voice echoed throughout the halls. " I-I definitely heard someone. There s-should be absolutely no students in the school a-at this time."

"Shit." Susie whispered. "Quick, into the closet!"

Kris looked between Susie, Noelle, and Berdly.

"Oh no, we're gonna get into trouble. Kris, what do we-KRIS."

[You give Noelle and Berdly a peace sign before ducking into the closet.]

"K-Kris!"

"Noelle, Berdly, are you two in here?" Miss Alphys asked.

"Crap, we need to get out of here. Noelle, I think we should- NOELLE!?"

Noelle peaked out from behind the closet door, "Th-there is a lot of space in here." She laughed weakly.

"What the..get out of there, I'm sure Miss Alphys will understand that we only came in here to bring those idiots back out to the bus."

"Maybe the kids aren't in here after all, I don't remember getting their permission forms."

Berdly walked over to Noelle, "See, she doesn't even know if we are supposed to be on the bus. Lets just sneak back on and-"

"M-maybe someone snuck inside of the school to vandalize it! I-I should go call Officer U-Undyne!"

...

Berdly pushed Noelle into the closet, "Let's see just how big that closet really is. Move it, MOVE IT!"

"Hold on, Berdly!"

The two hit the floor of the closet, taking Kris and Susie with them. The door closed shut behind them.

"SORRY!"

"Shit, Berdly, move your leg!"

[You tell Susie that is YOUR leg]

"Shit, my bad."

Susie helped Noelle sit up, Noelle helped Berdly up. Kris decided to lay down on the miscellaneous papers.

"Why are there so many papers on the floor...and can someone please turn the lights on? I can't see anything." Berdly complained, wiping the dust off of his shirt.

[You tell Berdly he can, if he can find the light switch.]

"Wow, the supply closet is bigger than I remember being." Noelle said.

"Yeah, pretty cozy." Susie sat down next to Kris.

"So...Now would you two like to come back to the bus?" Noelle asked.

"Hell no. Did you hear Alphys? She doesn't even know if we're supposed to be on the field trip. I bet she thinks we're staying home. Bus has probably already left by now." Susie replied.

"So, what do we do now?"

[wait.]

"Huh?"

"Well, Kris and I are gonna stay here. I guess you guys can head out and do whatever you want. We're just gonna sit here and wait." Susie scratched the back of her head.

Berdly tried to open the door, weakly attempting to push it open, "Ha ha, trust me, we are trying to do just that." Berdly threw himself at the door, only to stumble and land beak first into the hard metal. "What the-"

"But, what if we...uhm...wanted to come with you guys..."It came out more like a question than a statement. Noelle sat down next to Kris and Susie.

"Uh...guys." Berdly said.

[You tell Noelle that is a bad idea.]

"Guys."

"And why would that be? You guys are just sitting here." Noelle asked.

"Is the floor shaking or am I crazy?" Berdly shook Noelle's shoulder, but she ignored him.

"No, Kris is right. You guys would just be so bored here with us, you guys should just-"

"GUYS!" WHAT, BERDLY!?"

"Why is the floor shaking!"

Suddenly the floor began violently shaking. Noelle leaned against the wall attempting to steady herself. Berdly fell against the closet door.

"FINALLY, TOOK LONG ENOUGH!" Susie shouted.

Without warning the floor collapsed, Noelle screamed as the four were swallowed by the ebony abyss below them.

Sorry about the ending feeling rushed, but I was struggling to find a way to write it. If ya'll have any advice, I would appreciate it.

Anyway, I hope ya'll enjoyed it and have a fun/safe New Years Eve!

[bobateaboo]

wrote a lil oneshot!! (posted here on ao3) this one features Horror Au Sans and Papyrus, specifically a very early timeline showing of mine and @andizoidart 's skeleshifter pairing of them! their shapeshifting doesn't really come into play much (or at all) in this story, but I promise you they both eventually get out and get their happy endings! TW; attack, injury

Papyrus had known it was dangerous venturing so far out, but there was nothing left to eat in snowdin.

He should have known better. He should have known a LOT better, after the last encounter with Undyne. She didn’t have enough magic left to summon her usual spears -no one had enough for attacks like that, at this point- but no one thought her incapable. She’d threatened to bash the skull of anyone who came close to her or her wife ever again.

He guessed that just, after so many years of Undyne protecting the entire underground, of her being so willing to take hits so that average monsters didn’t have to, of relying on her as the safest person in the underground… he guessed that she was just threatening for the point of a threat. Papyrus had known Undyne for.. For… for a lot of years, he couldn’t imagine her hurting someone unless she had no other choice.

So they had gone to Waterfall to collect reeds, him and Sans. They were barely edible, tasting sour if you got a good pick and jaw-achingly bitter if you got a bad one, but they were something. Anything. They’d split up to comb through them, looking out for any stalks that hadn’t gone yellow and dry. Papyrus wasn’t having much luck yet; he’d found a few, but not enough. Maybe if he could steam the old dry ones…?

There was a noise somewhere between a gunshot and a cracked egg. A pause. And then a scream.

Papyrus ran around the corner so fast the damp earth raked away to the stone underneath as he skidded to a stop, drawing in a strangled gasp at what he saw.

Sans was on the ground, curled around himself to have his arms over his skull. There was marrow seeping out, drenching the fabric, tainting the mud below as he shivered and twitched, moaning in agony. A blue spear was stuck into one eye socket, and out the other side of his skull, before it fizzled away, leaving only the sickening crack.

And above him, stood Undyne, haggard and dirty, clutching the bag he had been collecting reeds in in one hand. She has used the last of her magic, just for the special honor of cracking Sans’ skull open like an egg.

They made eye contact.

And Undyne ran.

Papyrus was running, his brother shaking in his arms, pressing his scarf to his head as he tried to slow the bleeding. You’re meant to keep pressure, right? He nearly retched when instead of pressing the fabric against sturdy, smooth bone, the fabric pressed into his skull, shards flaking away into dust as Sans screamed again. He had to keep moving, he had to go, he had to get back now- 

* * *

Oddly enough, Sans was fairly certain Papyrus was acting more “himself” now than he was before the incident.

He was waking up early again, dragging Sans out of bed at ungodly hours of the morning like he had done before everyone started to run out of food, stamping down the fatigue in his sockets as he went through his patrols.

Sans… tried to keep up. He could, for the most part! It just… took longer. Took longer to realize what was happening, to get his mouth to form words, to get out full sentences….

Papyrus was willing to wait, though. And when he could finally push out a quip about whatever conflict being because someone had a “bone… pick….” he could see his face light up for just a moment before he groaned at the laziness of the pun, missing parts although it may be.

He still couldn’t get his other eye to light back up. He couldn’t see out of that socket, it was just… dark. Papyrus had been somewhat squeamish about the eye he still had when he had first woken up after the incident, something about the color, but they had never kept many mirrors around.

Oddly enough, though, he was pretty sure the crack had messed up something else about his sight. It was weird, but… did Papyrus seem taller? With more teeth? Did his spine look more crooked? Why did everything on the ground suddenly seem further away, like he’d grown into a more hulking figure?

…

Were his own phalanges getting sharper?

[aikoiya]

“KEEP IN MIND, AS MUCH AS YOU GUYS DISLIKE TORI… SHE’S THE REASON WHY MY PASTA FINALLY TASTES AS GREAT AS ME!” How would Sans + Undyne + Alphys all react to learning that ‘Tori’ (who they don’t know is the Queen) had improved Papyrus’ cooking skills? 💀🍽️🍝

Honestly? I'm not sure. Give me a bit to think about it.

They'd definitely be stunned for a moment & sort of chastised at the fact that they'd been caught in a pack of lies.

They might argue that they were trying to spare his feelings, to which he might reinforce the fact that he's not made of glass. Question them on how they thought that he'd improve if he never got honest & constructive criticism? Then telling them that there are ways to tell the truth in a way that isn't jerkish.

And, he might not say it out loud, but he might think in his mind that they were both very cowardly.

Keep in mind, I do think that Papyrus is very forgiving, but would only do so if he believed that someone was really & genuinely sorry & admitted as much. In this way, his own stubbornness & theirs could end up butting heads until one of them gives.

Now, while I think that Sans would give up the quickest, he wouldn't be genuine in it & would cling, unshakingly, to his own prejudices for a good long time. So, provided that Pap clocked this fact, he still might not forgive him for a while.

On the other hand, I see Undyne as being more likely to have doubts about her convictions first, but would keep ramming her head against the wall in stubbornness, not wanting to admit this fact to anyone. Not even herself. So, very deep in denial.

I think that it'd take the very foundations of their beliefs being utterly shattered in a single fell swoop to change their minds. Something incontrovertible. I'm talking proof that they can see with their actual eyes & hear with their actual ears.

For Undyne, it might be the Amalgamates & the realization of what Alphys & Sans did to make this atrocity possible. After all, it's implied that the bodies of the humans were dissected as there were 7 morgue coolers in the True Lab. Not to mention that the souls had their Determination extracted then injected into the fallen down monsters. Add to this the proof that human souls retain their sentience after death (as per the Flowey battle) & the implication is that Alphys & Sans has been torturing these kids for who knows how long.

I could even see Undyne having a panic attack over it.

Just an eff ton of dark stuff.

Which, BTW, that's another thing I didn't like about the monsters. It's told that the soul holds everything that makes you, you, but they treat the human souls like simple batteries.

It's possible that, since their own souls crumble immediately upon death, that they are unaware that human souls retain a degree of awareness & sentience after death. (Again, as shown by the Flowey battle. The human souls are literally the only ones in the game to come to Frisk's aid when they call.) Maybe it doesn't even occur to them because, in their own minds. You die, you're done. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. So, it's possible that it doesn't even cross their minds that humans are just fundamentally different.

Which is possibly how they're all so okay with what's happening. Ignorance. Possibly even denial. Like, I don't doubt that some monsters have thought about it & there are likely even those who are vocal about it. However, I definitely think that many would try to brush the thought away & ignore it to protect themselves.

I can't even imagine the reaction if they were to be confronted with the truth.

Keep in mind that it's nearly impossible for humans to do something like this to monsters (without the help of another monster) as far as we know. As such, it isn't likely that many humans have ever committed these crimes against monsters & if they have, it'd all be kept hidden (I'm talking black market dealings) & would definitely not just be the humans faults. Because from what we're told, humans can't draw out souls. Meaning this wouldn't be a case of what goes around comes around or karma.

I mean, it's possible, but we only have confirmation that monsters can.

Either way, with the information we currently have, this is an evil that could not be facilitated without a monster.

Sure, Sans could try to justify it by saying that if humans could do it, then they would've, but then he'd basically be "reading people's minds" & crucifying them before they've even done anything. Also, just saying that doesn't make it okay to do it themselves & I think that Undyne would realize this.

It's Alphys that I don't think would ever have an issue with Tori. Though, she'd certainly be surprised. It's possible that she'd take all this talk of honesty to heart, but in the end, is too much of a coward to admit anything until very late.

[meglyfer]

Forgot to share the rest of this, my bad

This Alphys is heavely inspired on Core!Friskr, so that probably already tells you a lot

Anyways, before I get down to explaining:

TW: SUICIDE MENTION

(Also, VEEEEEERY long post ahead)

In a part of the game (don't remember exactly where, sorry), Undyne mentions she met Alphys at the dumpstare in Waterfall. More specifically, she says that she saw her near the border of a waterfall, and that she "saved her from accidentally falling". From the whole dialogue and what we learn about Alphys later on in the game and all her insecurities, it is heavely implied that she was trying to take her own life, but Undyne, without knowing her true intentions, stopped her from doing so

Now, imagine, what if instead of doing it in Waterfall where Undyne would stop her, she decided to go somewhere closer, like for example, the Core

Just like a certain mystery man, Alphys gets earased from the timeline, and the universe desperately tries to fill in the gap that was created when she dissapeared (and here's where the concept for just one character railed off into a whole AU, BUT FIRST WE FOCUS ON THE GIRLIE)

At first Alphys was stuck in the void, that's where she met Gaster and other people that had fallen into the Core. Turns out people's worries about how someone might fall in there were right, and she felt stupid for thinking "Well the Core has been standing for years, and no one has fallen in yet, so it doesn't seem likely for something like that to happen", but Gaster calms her down saying that he made the same mistake as her, and that it wasn't her fault, that she had no way to know what would happen, after all, the universe itself was hiding all the incidents with the Core

After that she starts paniking. She needs to go back, this is even worse than living her pathetic life. She may have wanted death, because it meant the end of all things, but this wasn't it. Sure, she had cease to exist, but she was still concious, she could still see what was happening in the real world, and how she was now an outsider to it. Her attempts of reaching out start making small fractures in reality: phone calls from unknown numbers that when picked up only make weird souns, TVs suddendly going static with the vague sound of someone calling for help, notes appearing on computers' destokps saying things like "is anny0ne th ree ?." "ca can you h ar mme?" "iT ''s $o cOoold" "do U rembember mE ME-'?", etc. There has been some rumors in Snowdin of people who get lost in its forest, they say that a monochrome dinasour monster helped them get out of there, pointing at the direction they should follow. Those few who tried to touch them say that she tried to scream, but no noise came out of her mouth, then started melting, and dissapeared in the blink of an eye

Eventually, she's able to escape

She can't go back to her timeline; the universe recognises her code as something it has been erased, and so, unable to delete her again, it tries to kick her out as soon as she enters. Instead, she's able to explore the multiverse

I had some trouble thinking about what would be Alhpys' role in the multiverse, as I didn't want her to just be Core!Frisk 2 but Lisa Simpson flavoured, but I think I have kinda figured it out. She of course is found by Core, who offers her to stay on the Omega Timeline with more people like her, which she accepts as she is desperate to be around other people besides those trapped in the void

Alphys has currently three objectives: 1_ Fix the code of her timeline so she can go back to it 2_ Fix whatever the hell is wrong with the Core that keeps deleting people out of existance (Not just from her universe, but from every universe) 3_ Help people

I know "help people" is very vague, and that's why I'm explaining it here. She helps guide those who are lost, either physically or mentally, just like she used to do in the woods of Snowdin. Those who are lost in the way of, they have lost everything, she guides them to Core, as she knows they know better than her about what to do in those situations. But also, she is focused on preventing people to become like her, erased from their worlds (Either by falling into the Core, weird things with resets, whatever the hell happened to most Error characters, etc)

Personality wise, she's still Alphys to her core, but of course stuff like this changes a person. She has become more anxious and a perfectionist, she thinks that she can't dare make a mistake now that she has seen what those mistakes can do. Because of this, she's always on edge, and since her code corruption made her more unstable, she may be quick to jump to anger unlike other Alphyses (She then feels bad and overly apologises for snapping at people for so little)

Her abilities (besides travelling between AUs) include manipulating technology, teleportation, going through walls and other solid objects, and do small jumps in time either forward or backwards (This last ability happens involuntarely, and no matter how much she tries she's unable to control it. Fortunatelly for her, this is something that very very very rarely hapens). These powers are all directly connected to her innestability

Some other fun fact about her: · Just like Fatal_Error, her speach bubbles are messy and difficult to understand (though she is far more easier to understand than poor Fatal over here) · Her image may start melting when she's upset, paniking or stresssing out · She still loves anime, and watches it in the OT with other monsters that live there · Refuses to go to therapy because "I'm not even that fucked up, other people have it worse, lol" (Girl, you literally killed yourself) · She tends to pop out of nowhere, acting like she has been there the whole time (Kinda like Core)

But what happened to her AU? To the empty space she left behind?

Like the very basic Undertale fan that I am, I have replaced Alphys' place in the laboratory with Sans, but I want him to kinda suck at it. I always liked to think that Sans was kind of like Alphys' assistant in the game, so now having him as the main and only scientist, he starts to question himself. "Has the job always been this difficult? How was I able to do all those things? Why does it feel like there's a missing pair of hands helping around here? When did I do any of this?" Don't get me wrong, Sans is a smart guy! But there's a reason why he was the assistant

And then there's the amalgamate problem. He... he couldn't have done that, could he? No, of course not! These entries, they have no name, and he definitely doesn't remember doing this out of all things. Must have been the past royal scientist... whoever they are, and now it is his problem to deal with. He asked Asgore about who had been the previous royal scientist, but he couldn't remember who it was, nor why they needed a replacement. He also mentioned having a deja vu

Sans' issue in the story wouldn't be Alphys' struggle of feeling like a fraud, but instead, he fears the gap in his memory and the unability to keep up with his job. He, more than anyone, has the feeling that there's something missing, and starts believing he has a mental illeness that affects his memory, but all results with multiple doctors say that he's perfectly fine, and that's what's making him go nuts the most. All this research, it clearly isn't his, not only he has no memory of doing so, but he's also unable to recreate it, so why do all these papers have his name on them? He wants to believe the doctors, but he can't, because he can feel the chunk of his brain that has been ripped away from him

Most other characters remain mostly the same as they didn't have such a strong connection to Alphys until the events of the game, but there are two that have been affected by the changes in the universe

If we talk about Sans, then we must talk about Papyrus. Contrary to what happens in UT, here, Papyrus constantly tells Sans that he should rest, take a break. He sees how his brother is over working himself and stressing out, barely taking an eye of his work. This has gone as far as him going to Sans' lab at night because he hasn't arrived home yet, only to find that he has falled asleep while working. Sans tells him that he's fine, that he doesn't need to worry about him, but Paps isn't blind nor stupid, and he sees how he's clearly not fine. Not only is he tired from his job, but he can also see how there's something else bothering him, but isn't sure what it is. If only Sans would open up to him and accept his help (Fun fact, in the events of the game the only reason why Sans is in Snowdin to do his shinanigans with Paps, is because that was one of the few times Papyrus was able to convince him to take a break. He does however leave when the human gets to Snowdin town as he has to get back to his work)

The other character affected by this is Mettaton, but not in the way you'd think. As I mentioned before, the way Alphys tries to communicate with her timeline is through electrical devices, and one of those devices is Mettaton's body. Since she was the one to build the thing, it is easier for her to get in contact with it. Alphys and Mettaton constantly talk in Mettaton's mind; he is the only person who she can make direct contact with. Mettaton, like everyone else, doesn't remember Alphys, but he's very aware of her existance, somewhere, not in this reality. He also is very kin to believe that she was part of this world, not only because some of the things she says make sense and coincide with this universe, but also because, just like Sans, he can feel the gap in his memory, and Alphys fits so well in it. They become friends and bond over the same things as they did originally, but their relationship is more complicated to mantain since Alphy's conection keeps turning on and off

Alphys' and Mettaton's relationship also affect how things in Hotland play out. As we know, the reason Mettaton originally went after the human was because Alphys wanted to act as their hero, but of course, without Alphys in the ecuation trying to feel like a hero, Mettaton wouldn't attack the human, and all the puzzles in Hotland would be turned off as Sans doesn't see a reason to keep them on, inconveniencing people. However, as someone who is outside of time and space, Alphys knows about the resets and saves, and thus she doesn't trust the human, she considers them a threat to her world. Because of this, she activates all the puzzles in Hotland, hoping that they will push the human into the Core and end their existance, and informs Mettaton about the threat, so that he can act on it. But, he likes to think that there's some good in the kid, so all their encounters throught the game are like tests to determine whether they are a friend or foe, and depending on their actions, their final battle will either be just an act to entertain the public, or an actual attempt to be rid of them. Meanwhile, you've got Sans freaking out all over the place because a bunch of dangerous puzzles activated out of nowhere, can't turn them off, and Mettaton has gone all crazy robot mode with not apparent explenation. Jesus Christ lady, you really have no idea how hard it is to keep up that promise of keeping the human alive! (In a genocide timeline Sans himself goes like "Nah dude, fuck that kid" and activates all the puzzles while telling Mettaton to go for the throat)

Also, yes, the fact that Alphys knows about Frisk's resets means that she's also aware of Flowey's. Poor little guy, he has shat his pants a bunch of times when stumbling against her, and he has also gone a bit nuts trying to figure out who she is and where did she come from

I think this is all I have to say about this AU for now If you have any ideas (or any ideas for the name) you can send them to my askbox I'll draw her some other day

Also, I am so sorry for splitting up the lesbians </3 (I'm sure I can find her some Undyne in the OT for her to make out though, if that's what you want)

Edit: I have chosen a name for the AU. "Missing Piece Tale" (I know, super creative /s), or just MPTale for short

I just had a great idea for an Alphys outcode

[a-snow-decahedron]

Learn to Dodge

Ok but imagine being Frisk and sucking at dodging bullets

it's 3 am im not apologizing for this.

warning for Frisk cursing a lot, because they deserve it and also because it's really funny to think the only reason they don't have dialogue is because it would change the rating of the game

sans: haven't i done a great job protecting you?

sans: i mean, look at yourself, you haven't died a single time

sans: hey, what's that look supposed to mean? am i wrong?

Frisk: That's such bullshit.

sans: language, bucko.

Frisk: No you shut up! I died so many times i can't count and you didn't do shit a single time.

sans: you did what-

Frisk: yeah you fucking heard me. I get to swear all i want after that.

sans: *realization hitting him like a brick* look, kid, there's a lot to unpack here. but first, when did u die?

Frisk: Oh now you care, don't you? Pretty much everyone's killed me at least once. I died like 10 times to Undyne alone and you were fucking napping!

sans: *lowkey feeling regret at his words* wait... everyone? even my bro?

Frisk: nah, Papyrus' cool. Still scared the crap out of me the first time he captured me. He's a little lost about humans but he's got the spirit.

sans: the dogi?

Frisk: 3 times

sans: Greater dog?

Frisk: twice

sans: alright, i guess that's valid. but i can't think of anyone else that could do some serious damage kid. seriously, did ya die to some teens? to jerry? to a woshua?

Frisk: Say that last name again and i'm throwing a chair.

sans: oh boy, how much didja die...

Frisk: Sans, look at me in the eyes. I'm opening them wide for you. Look at me, at my armor.

sans: what about it.

Frisk: you know temmie village?

sans: yeah

Frisk: Tem sells this armor for so much money you could pay your tab at Grillby's

sans: did u pick up a fight to get the money. come on kiddo, of course you got hurt doing that.

Frisk: I'm not done yet. So outside the village there's this dark as fuck maze and it's filled with Woshues and Moldbyggs and all. But every time I died, Sans. Every time you let my soul break into little tiny pieces. Temmie sold the armor for cheaper.

sans: how the he...ck would temmie know how many times you died?

sans, to himself: i could visit the village for research, bet they know something i don't

Frisk: Hey bonehead, wanna know how much it cost?

sans: sure, go ahead

Frisk: it started at like 4500 G. I already died a few times beforehand so it was probably more expensive than that. But that fucking maze is worse than my old neighborhood in the surface, man. I died so much the price got to 1400G I think.

sans: holy crap.

Frisk: it was still too much yknow, every time I died I lost my progress so I had to keep saving every penny I got. Anyways, see what I'm wearing? How much do you think it cost?

sans: uh... 500G

Frisk: close enough, 750, it didn't go lower than that. Before you ask: no, I did not die on purpose to find out.

sans: ...

sans: how many HP do humans have?

Frisk: I learnt what HP was like yesterday, I don't think I can tell you. I have 20.

sans: ok yeah that's low. i figured you'd have like 200 at least

Frisk: I know that if I kill people it somehow increases but that's awful so next time I came back to life after dying I was back to before I murdered someone. I chose to do as much as possible to never kill again on purpose or by accident.

sans: wow, kid. you really are, uh, determined.

sans: hold on, so you can travel back in time

Frisk: *shrugs* I guess? Still hurts a fucking lot when it happens after I die. but I think I can try at will.

sans: buddy, let's do something. you can come back to a few minutes on the past right?

Frisk: Yeah

sans: ok, so hear me out. i made a codeword some time ago, so if someone tells it to me i know they're a time traveler. get closer (whisper, whisper)

Frisk: Sans what the fuck.

sans: i hope you come back and tell it to me.

--one loaded SAVE later--

Frisk: hey you told me to tell you this and if it's a fucking joke i'm going feral.

sans: language, bucko.

Frisk: (whisper, whisper)

sans: who told you this? what a liar. *Frisk's eye twitches* but yeah that's a codeword. come closer, to really gain my trust you need another code (whimsper, whimsper).

Frisk: Oh for fuck's sake.

--Another loaded SAVE file later--

sans: hey, kiddo what's with that look

Frisk: This better be the last fucking codeword or I'm going insane

sans: language, bucko.

Frisk: *says the codeword*

sans: oh, so that's what you meant. It kinda explains a lot.

Frisk: Sans listen, I'm so fucking done of doing this. Let's just go eat, ok? Time traveling doesn't help wtih my hunger, and I reaally need to take my time to just explain what just happened because I know you got questions.

sans: *mentally preparing* here we go

-- some eplanations later --

sans: wow, kid. i'm impressed. for one thing i believe you. you knew what i was about to do before i did it.

sans: and, uh, guess i can't really make the past go away for you even if i don't remember that happening but... i'll do better, ok?

Frisk: Can I really trust you?

sans: you said your stats were low, mine are even worse so it's not like i can defend u without dusting myself in the process... but we can practice dodging, until you get better. and that armor's gonna help a lot too.

Frisk: For real?

sans: yeah, i made a promise after all. i gotta do a better job at keeping it.

sans: hey, buddy... you have not told this to anyone right? you haven't told the door lady.

Frisk: No fucking way. She also killed me once, telling her would destroy her. And I think she was trying not to hurt me too but somehow I managed to walk into her flames.

sans: ... why do you trust her?

Frisk: I don't know... it's complicated. She has good intentions. Better than some people on the Surface, anyways.

sans: you are a special kid, you know that? alright buddy, we can keep talking outside. let's take a breath and then do some training. even folks with low HP like us can find a way to survive. howzabout that?

Frisk: I guess... that's alright. Yeah, that can work.

* * *

[smells-like-mettaton]

Perhaps #5 (Hold my Hand) with Papyton for the fic ask game if you are still doing it?

(I hope you're okay with me writing this as a sequel to one of my other papyton fics! This could still be read on its own, but it will make more sense if you read the first chapter. If you don't want to, just know that the part in italics at the beginning is from a fanfic that Alphys wrote.)

The Greatest Fanfiction of All: The Sequel

Rating: T Word Count: 1687 Read on AO3: here

---

Papyrus’s hands are warm. Of course they are. Theyre always covered in gloves. Not even Mettaton, his boyfriend of one month and thirteen days, knows what his bony phalanges look like beneath the plush red fabric.

But tonight, that's going to change.

xxx

Exactly one month and thirteen days had passed since Mettaton had read the beginning of Alphys’s “papyton” fanfiction. It also happened to be one month and thirteen days since Papyrus had agreed to be his boyfriend, sending him on a magical journey of love and romance.

That journey had given him plenty of new perspectives and discoveries. Yet the mystery of what lie under Papryus’s gloves was not one of them.

He sat next to Mettaton on their usual bench at the center of the hedge maze. The sky was dark with stormclouds, which kept any stray spectators away from the park. Papyrus was prepared, as usual; a tall MTT-Brand Umbrella leaned against his femur. Nothing and no one would ruin this moment.

Now Mettaton just needed to have the moment. Preferably without resorting to calling Alphys and Frisk again.

“METTATON? IS SOMETHING THE MATTER?” Papyrus asked, his browbone furrowing in concern.

Mettaton’s fingers were already laced through his; Mettaton rubbed his thumb against the back of Papyrus’s glove.

“Well. It is a very special day, darling.” Special enough that Mettaton had worn the outfit Papyrus loved most—a cropped shirt that said COOL ROBOT and galaxy-print leggings that hugged his metallic thighs. Papyrus himself had worn a bright Tetris shirt and shorts that exposed his gleaming femurs.

“IT IS?” Papyrus blinked. “IS THERE A SALE ON RIGATONI? BECAUSE I THOUGHT THAT STARTED NEXT WEEK.”

“Hm? Oh—not that I know of, but I will keep that in mind.” He imagined creating a pasta bouquet for Papyrus, and a smile graced his lips. “Today is the one month and thirteen day anniversary of our glamorous romance.”

“WOWIE! TIME FLIES WHEN YOU’RE DATING A HOT ROBOT!” Papyrus grinned, pressing his teeth to Mettaton’s cheek in a close approximation of a kiss. “HAPPY ONE MONTH AND THIRTEEN DAYS, METTATON! IS THERE A SPECIAL WAY YOU WANT TO CELEBRATE?”

It was perfect. Mettaton couldn’t have set it up better if he tried.

“Actually…” He turned Papyrus’s hand over, examining every seam and stitch in his crimson glove. “I was hoping to see your hands. I know they’re just as handsome as the rest of you.”

He winked, and a light blush spread across Papyrus’s cheekbones.

“MY HANDS? I’D GLOVE TO! BUT, ERM…” His fingers disentangled from Mettatons, instead fidgeting nervously with the hem of his right glove. “I DON’T KNOW THAT YOU WOULD FIND THEM AS UNBEARABLY ATTRACTIVE AS THE REST OF ME.”

Coming from Papyrus, that was practically a statement of self-loathing. Guilt bubbled in Mettaton’s soul-tank.

“Beautiful.” He grasped the top of his boyfriend’s arms and squeezed them gently. “There is not a bone in your body that I would not find attractive. Of course, I will not ask you to perform if you are suffering stage fright, but I do think you shine so much brighter in the light.”

Papyrus smiled a little, though his browbone was still turned upward with worry.

"IF YOU'RE SURE…"

"Positive as my ratings, darling."

Papyrus nodded slowly. "I TRUST YOU, METTATON."

Those words were like ambrosia to Mettaton's soul. He would do anything to remain worthy of his boyfriend's trust.

"PLEASE, JUST… DON'T BE FRIGHTENED, ALRIGHT?"

Mettaton couldn't imagine anything about Papyrus being frightening.

Then, with agonizing care, Papyrus peeled off his gloves. And Mettaton understood.

The bones of his hands were scorched an ashen gray, nearly black. Hairline cracks laced through them like spiderwebs. Mettaton was half afraid that if he touched them, they would crumble to dust.

"I'M FINE, REALLY!" Papyrus must have noticed the look on his face, no matter how quickly Mettaton had schooled his expression. "THESE BURNS ARE SO OLD, I BARELY NOTICE THEY'RE THERE!"

His grin was strained. Mettaton wanted nothing more than to reach out and squeeze his hand, but he didn't dare.

"They don't hurt?" Mettaton asked, then winced. He could've phrased that more tactfully. It was probably better than asking how on earth the injury had happened, at least.

"WELL… THEY ARE A BIT SENSITIVE WITHOUT MY GLOVES. THEY HAVE HEALING MAGIC, YOU SEE." Papyrus held out one of his red gloves, his expression turning to one of pride. "SANS DID THE SEWING, AND I DID THE ENCHANTMENT."

"No wonder you love them so much." Mettaton smiled. It was adorable how much Papyrus loved his brother. Their love had inspired Mettaton to finally patch up his relationship with Blooky and Mew Mew.

Papyrus smiled back, running a charred fingertip fondly over the fabric. "WOULD YOU… LIKE TO TRY ONE ON?"

"Me?" Mettaton blinked.

"OF COURSE! WOULDN'T YOU LIKE TO EXPERIENCE THE GREAT PAPYRUS'S LEGENDARY HEALING MAGIC FIRSTHAND?"

Mettaton chuckled at the pun. "How could I possibly refuse?"

He slipped off his white gloves, revealing the unsightly bolts in his own fingers. He hardly felt self-conscious about that after seeing Papyrus's hands, though.

Papyrus's glove fit like a dream. Like holding his hand, only from the inside. Warmth seeped from the fabric into his metal joints, slipping through his cracks like sweet oil.

"This is… quite the enchantment," he breathed.

Papyrus couldn’t be in pain with that much healing magic caressing his bones. But on the other hand, even the constant healing magic had failed to permanently erase the scars. Mettaton still wasn’t too familiar with physical injuries, but surely that wasn’t normal, right?

Papyrus’s wink sounded like magical glitter."WHAT CAN I SAY? I'M VERY ENCHANTING."

He looked just as bright as ever. Just as energetic, as full of life.

Just as beautiful, inside and out.

"That you are, darling." Mettaton kissed his cheek.

Papyrus pulled his left glove back onto his hand, then twined his fingers with Mettaton's. Red on red, warmth on warmth Their hands matched perfectly.

"YOU PROBABLY HAVE SOME QUESTIONS," Papyrus said quietly.

Mettaton's eye flickered to Papyrus's bare right hand before returning to his eyesockets.

"You don't have to tell me anything you don't feel comfortable with, darling."

Mettaton was curious of course. If this injury had been caused by another monster, they would face the wrath of a true killer robot. Knowing Papyrus, though, he had probably forgiven whoever was responsible.

"I ALWAYS FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH YOU." He smiled. "AND IT IS… NICE. TO HAVE SOMEONE BESIDES SANS KNOW THIS."

"No one else knows?" Mettaton’s eyes widened. He'd thought Undyne would have found out, whether Papyrus told her on purpose or she burned off his gloves during one of their cooking lessons.

"I AM A SKELETON OF MANY SECRETS." Papyrus winked again. This time it sounded like tinkling bells. "IT HELPS THAT NO ONE ELSE REMEMBERS THE ACCIDENT, THOUGH."

An accident. No one had hurt Papyrus on purpose.

Mettaton sighed in relief, powering down his killer robot protocols.

"I WAS HELPING MY DAD WITH HIS WORK ON THE CORE. I ALWAYS CALIBRATED THE PUZZLES WHILE HE CALIBRATED THE GEOTHERMAL POWER LEVELS."

Papyrus looked down at their tangled hands, his expression distant.

"I STILL DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED. ON THE DAYS SANS REMEMBERS, HE PROMISES THAT IT WASN'T MY FAULT. THAT DAD WAS TOO CARELESS. BUT THERE WAS AN EXPLOSION, AND DAD, HE… HE FELL…"

Something in Mettaton crushed as Papyrus's voice cracked.

"I WAS LUCKIER. THE BLAST ONLY GOT MY HANDS." The smile returned.

"Papyrus…"

Mettaton didn't know what to say. What could he say? Ghosts didn't have parents. His cousins were his family, but he couldn't imagine them dying, either. Blooky physically couldn't.

But this wasn't about him! It was about Papyrus, who had lost his father and scarred his hands and still counted himself lucky.

"DON'T BE SAD, METTATON. IT WAS A LONG TIME AGO. LONGER THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE."

Papyrus looked into his eyes, and for a moment, Mettaton saw something old. Mettaton had been alive—albeit as a ghost—for nearly two centuries. Right now, though, Mettaton wondered if Papyrus was even older than that.

"I suppose so,” he reluctantly admitted. “I don't even remember an explosion at the CORE."

"OH, THAT'S NORMAL. APPARENTLY DAD WAS RATHER FORGETTABLE." His smile was sad. "EVEN SANS DOESN'T ALWAYS REMEMBER HIM. BUT I… WELL."

He closed his blackened fist.

"IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO FORGET."

Mettaton opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Luckily, it didn’t seem like Papyrus was looking for a response.

“WHEW! ALL THIS HONESTY IS EXHAUSTING!!” Sweat beaded on his skull. “DO YOU WANT TO GO GET NICE CREAMS?”

“Of course, darling, but—are you sure that you’re okay?” Mettaton couldn’t help the concern in his voice. It wasn’t every day that he unlocked his boyfriend’s tragic backstory.

And here he’d been so concerned about something as trivial as holding hands. He truly was as selfish as everyone believed.

“PLEASE, DON’T WORRY ABOUT ME,” Papyrus said firmly. His hand gave Mettaton’s a tight squeeze. “I MEANT IT WHEN I SAID IT WAS LONG AGO. PRACTICALLY A DIFFERENT LIFETIME. I ONLY TOLD YOU SO THAT YOU WOULD KNOW HOW MUCH I TRUST YOU.”

Trust. Mettaton trusted Papyrus, too. Trusted that he didn’t need Mettaton to coddle him. Trusted that if he wanted Mettaton’s help, he would ask for it.

“I… thank you, darling.” Ghostly tears welled in his eyes. “Your trust means everything to me.”

“WELL THEN!” Papyrus’s grin turned mischievous. “I TRUST YOU TO KISS ME UNTIL I CAN’T BREATHE!”

Mettaton’s fans whirred and whirred. The sound was quickly drowned out by the raindrops that began to fall and fizzle on his shoulder pads.

“Darling, you’re a skeleton. You don’t have lungs.”

“NEITHER DO YOU.” Papyrus twirled the umbrella before popping it open, protecting Mettaton from the threat of short-circuiting.

(From the rain, at least.)

“You truly know how to give me a challenge, darling.” Mettaton cuddled closer, reaching up to brush his red-gloved hand against Papyrus’s cheekbone.

“ONLY BECAUSE I KNOW YOU’LL RISE TO IT!”

Mettaton grinned back, and that was exactly what he did.

[jamestrmtx]

Fairytale Complex - [Undertale | Sans x Reader]

[Gender Neutral, Frisk's Parent Reader | Slow Burn]

Chapter Twenty Two | Another Medium (Part 2 of 4)

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"Hurry, ren. We're gonna be late!"

You smile down at Frisk and watch as they tug at the edge of your shirt to try pulling you along with them.

The door's left open, and even though those meant to pick you up for the event aren't here yet, they still urge you to go outside and wait.

"It's only seven, honey." Your thoughts drift back to your video call and Sans's most recent text message, letting you know half an hour later that he'd be here soon. "We've got a few minutes left." You grab their hand and put a stop to their energy, facing their eyes. "Are you that excited about starting school?"

They nod and grin wide. "Even more, if you're gonna be working there, too!"

Your smile falls as you remember the folder Sans had given you. It had been thrown into the farthest corner of your bookshelf that same day, and you'd been too reluctant to look at it any more ever since. You didn't want to take their kindness and help for granted, just as much as you didn't want to forget about your reasons for learning more about monsters. Your godmother was right in terms of you needing to understand them more, so you've established it upon yourself to bring that up during your first, official date night with the skeleton. Understanding the changes being made to the Underground could aid you with the slim chance of finding a way to either halt or delay it from becoming a big tourist attraction, and you could finally be more clear and upfront about your feelings related to the dream -- even if all of that was easier said than done. Not only had you crossed far too many boundaries with him already, but you were still keeping your dubious relationship with him, all while continuing to be wary of him and everyone else for their past. The subtle but no less irate light to his gaze when having your aunt bring up the the Judgement Hall had been more than sufficient for you to try something -- or at least, assist him and every other monster with that process.

In short, hypocrisy's absorbing you bit by bit, and today's your very first attempt at trying to break free from that. Whether you succeed or not doesn't matter. Giving it a shot, on the contrary, does. Even the slightest amount of closure achieved with your research could help in setting your thoughts straight, and -- perhaps -- to finally stop yourself from comparing monsterkind with Jerry.

To put it this way: you couldn't allow yourself one thing if you were allowing the other to continue happening.

After all, why were you willing to engage in a relationship with someone like Sans, when you were still far from forgiving and much less forgetting Jerry over abandoning Frisk for so many years?

Why were you willing to befriend someone like Alphys, who'd been close to ending up in jail due to the failed experiments made on those of her own kind?

Why were you willing to book a night at Mettaton's hotel, knowing he'd once set Frisk into danger greater than any other monster you knew had -- Undyne being a close second?

Even someone like Papyrus brought harm to them once!

"Ren," Frisk calls out, tugging your hand. "You look angry. Are... Are you okay?"

You nod and let out a breath, composing yourself. "I'm fine, honey."

"Are you still thinking about avenging me?"

Your eyes shoot wide open at that, and you can't avoid suspecting they might have the capability of reading your mind.

Regardless of their word choice, you were -- in a sense -- wanting to avenge them from anyone who'd once caused them harm, be it Jerry, the monsters, or the loud and nosy neighbour from next door wondering why Frisk enjoyed playing with action figures just as much as they did playing with princesses.

"Ren!"

Hearing their whine of concern, you snap out of it and look down to see they've let go of your hand, both their arms now outstretched and in wait for your embrace.

"Do you want a hug?"

Your smile returns at that, albeit a bit more melancholic compared to the first time. You get down to their height and pull them in for a hug, sighing when you have them safe in your hold; it feels right to have them close and in your care, no matter how much your mind insists otherwise. The question you brought up back at the Judgement Hall still feels like the most subconscious part of your mind had possessed you, insisting you turn back to how you used to be after Frisk's fall.

"You don't need to protect me that much!" they say, letting go. "I... I know all the monsters well, so I'd tell you if any one of them's bugging me. You don't need to hate them for my sake, and you don't have to compare them to dad, either." Without a doubt, if humans still had the capability of using magic and spells, you would label them a mind reader. "You should get to know them on your own first, and not just based on who they are to me. Because if that's really all up to me, then the only one I don't really like much is..."

At that, they stop; they bring a finger to their chin and tap it twice, delving deep in their thoughts along the way.

"Huh..." Frisk taps their chin again and their gaze turns furrowed, scrunching up the more they think about it. "I mean, I don't really know if I dislike any of them... I just know I wanna have friends!"

You're compelled -- if not, urged -- to argue against that, though your heart stops you from spilling any of those thoughts out. Still, your mind attempts to push through it. Personal feelings couldn't cloud your judgement, if that meant it could bring harm to your child.

"Even if they-"

Hearing the engine rumbling as Papyrus parks close by the sidewalk is a blessing in and of itself; the aforementioned date night with his brother can't get here any sooner. You need to sort your thoughts out once and for all. Almost half a year of waltzing with the seemingly never-ending issue of Frisk's journey and the bonds they made through it was far too much. If you were slowly making friends with those same people too, then you needed to stop this at once. No matter how much you wanted to avoid said confrontation, that had to be done -- for both CPS and reasons beyond.

"You're right." You huff, bring a hand to your forehead, and go lower to massage the brim of your nose. Not a moment after, you fix your glasses, look back to their side, and form a smile. "Thank you, dear."

• • •

You close your eyes just before the monster presses a damp cotton ball to your wound.

Isopropyl makes it sting immediately, yet you're too busy with your thoughts to care about it that much.

"You okay?" Sans asks, meeting your eyes when you open them. "You've been quiet since we got 'ere."

"I'm okay, but..." You think back to how you greeted him with a wave, right as you did with his brother. While the monster before you didn't seem to mind it, you can't avoid the thought of how you used to be with Jerry. It was easier to be more affectionate back then, and it was easier still greeting him with a kiss -- be it a simple one on the cheek or a quick one on the lips. Now, you can't so much as imagine the prospect of doing that with your new partner without overthinking or feeling stressed about it. "I was wondering if we... if we should maybe keep our relationship private -- f- for now?"

He finishes wrapping the bandages and fixes them tight before replying with, "That's fine with me. Did you watch the video?"

"No, I'm..." You grow short of breath at the thought of how many people have likely seen it by now -- how many times it's been shared, and how many more discussions and heated arguments have revolved around it. "I'm too scared to."

You can't bring yourself to look at him any longer, so his expression falls unknown as he suggests watching it together, a question you answer to with a quiet and mumbled 'sure'.

Sans proceeds with a nod and stores all the items used back into the first aid kit before taking out his phone, settling down in bed, and holding your hand with his free one. "Really sure?" he asks, squeezing it once. You reply with an even quieter 'yes' and watch in silence as he clicks on the link sent by what you assume is several people, based on how Undyne, Brenda, and even the man from the train station -- now his friend and your co-worker -- have messaged him the same information, all three left unread. The one he chooses is farther back and dated with yesterday, this one sent by Jerry.

It plays in an instant and the first thing to appear is Asgore's garden, while murmurs are what compose the audio as the one filming shows himself around a field of trampled flowers, these now a mess of broken pots, thrashed earth, and missing rocks. A few others make him company and engage in small talk, though it ends quickly when one of them shouts for everyone to 'get over here quick'. The group does as told, leading for the cameraman to rush along with them out of the garden and into the Judgement Hall. The audio grows quiet as he ventures further, steps and voices now discreet as he films a fuzzy image of two people sitting at one of the benches laid around, with the exception that one sits on top and has their arms wrapped firm and tight around the other. Multiple people urge the cameraman to approach the scene more, making him show you and Sans kissing, albeit of a blurry quality with how much he has to zoom in so as to not be caught. Even the noise is recorded with how silent everything else is, this one mostly composed of hitched breaths and clothing shuffling against each other as you hug him closer. Thankfully, no kissing noises are recorded, something you assume is due to him having a shapeable skull rather than lips, along with how slow and careful your actions are.

The video ends when the kiss does, and it leaves you in the same silence created right before clicking on it.

Regardless, Sans opens up the page it was posted on to reveal more information about the creator.

'Am I the only one who sees something wrong with this stuff? This is the future that awaits us, if we continue to act as if we can live peacefully with these people. Opposing these changes is necessary, if we wish to keep our normalcy. Casual make outs with a being so far from human shouldn't be the norm of our world', reads the caption.

Below, some of the replies read from ones saying the poster isn't the only one who shares those thoughts, to ones who've taken the time to write an entire paragraph about the situation.

'🤢🤮'

'Absolutely not.'

'No, you're not. This is outright hideous.'

'Click here to see my 👄 HOT 🔥 noods 🍝: www.uhohspaghettios.xd'

'Wow, this is just like 1984.'

'Next thing you know, we'll be the ones living in the Underground.'

'I need eye bleach ASAP!!! 😱'

'Yeah, no. Hard pass on whatever the hell I just watched. Why did you even film this?'

'That skeleman is nothing but a closeted cradle-robber. Anyone who's met (Y/N) knows how naïve and childish they are, and them dating someone like that screams bad news. Forget that he's a monster, people! What's more important here's how he's got a liking for them despite that gap -- both mentally AND physically. He should be ashamed for bringing their reputation even further down with this video. At this point, I have trouble believing they'll ever recover from all this.'

'...Ok, but...... Am I the only one who finds this kinda.................. Hot? 👀💦'

'Of course, even a monster would try to have his way with someone like them. Look at how they're dressed!'

'To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand how wrong this stuff is. The degeneracy infesting the Surface nowadays is extremely subtle, and without a solid knowledge of social sciences, most of the immorality will go over a typical person's head. There's also the skeleton's nihilistic outlook, which is deftly woven into his characterisation -- his personal philosophy draws heavily from George Orwell literature, for instance. People like us understand this stuff; we have the intellectual capacity to truly appreciate the depths of these social rejects, to realise that they're not just ridiculous -- they say something deep about LIFE and SOCIETY. As a consequence, people who see nothing wrong with this truly ARE idiots -- of course they wouldn't appreciate, for instance, the humour in the skeleton's existential catchphrase "Genocide is wrong", which itself is a cryptic reference to Er*n Yeag*r from Att*ck on Tit*n. I'm smirking right now, just imagining one of those addlepated simpletons scratching their heads in confusion as our fight against this backwards evolution unfolds itself on their phone screens. What fools... How I pity anyone who disagrees with you and tries to defend this behaviour. 😂'

At the bottom of it all, a neglected comment reads:

'Not only are you and your companions trespassing in an unsafe location, but your recording shows clear evidence you were damaging former King Asgore Dreemurr's property. You have also chosen to film these people without their knowledge despite them being in a private area, and uploaded the footage to a massive social media platform, as well. This is punishable by law, and I will not hesitate to stand for these people, if they decide to file a lawsuit against you.'

What stands out the most goes beyond the commenter's name, as his profile picture is what captures your attention first, regardless of how well-dressed he appears in the image and how small it is without clicking on it. Sans seems to share the same thought as you, as he clicks on the man's account without thinking twice. It takes some time to load, but when it does, your mouth gapes and you find yourself at a complete loss for words.

'Gerardo "Jerry" Gonzalez Gutierrez del Valle. Family practice lawyer since 20XX. Co-founder of the first Alcohol and Smoking Helpline for monsters. Former quarterback for Ebott U's Football League,' his bio reads.

You're overcome by what feels like an hour of silence before you can process what you've read. The age-old experience of reviewing material from your textbook at three thirty in the morning arrives when you try to read through his profile a second time, then a third. Even his pictures are difficult to process, these a variety of him posing with his co-workers at the newly-opened helpline building, screenshots of his progress with quitting alcohol and his strike of days and months sober, images of him in different suits, and -- last but not least -- a couple of Throwback Thursdays from his glory days, featuring both high school and college memories. It's hard to decide which feeling out of multiple is stronger than the rest, as jealousy combines with the slightest thing you expect out of this discovery: being reminded of the good ol' days. Guilt arrives next when growing aware of your current relationship with the one sitting next to you, even if it's only the thought of how happy you used to be with the man in those pictures before everything went haywire.

"You're... You're seeing this too, right?"

You hear him chuckle and see him agree with a nod, though you can't exactly fall back down to Earth again; were this a dream, you would accept it as such.

"Yeah." The monster looks you over once before adding, "And am I imagining it, or did I catch you smilin' at 'im just now?" He winks.

"So you're telling me you're really not surprised by this, at all?"

"...Touché."

You stand up and give your back to him, irked by his assumption despite him being nothing close to serious about it. "But, please don't think I still like him." Your hands turn into fists at the thought of going back with someone like him, no matter his current intentions. "I still haven't forgiven him, and I still..." Bile rises to your throat as your stomach churns wildly. "I still hate him." Then, you take a pause to gather strength. "And maybe that's a strong word, b- but... It's hard for me to forget that's the same man who once accused me for every little thing that wasn't 'normal' with Frisk, from them running away the first time, to them refusing to call him dad -- even when I never prevented them from visiting him, and e- even when he stopped visiting them first." Your chest shakes as you huff. "I... I still dislike him, and I really hate that I remembered good things about him just now."

Your mouth refuses to shut up and makes you continue on with, "So if I still can't forgive him, how can I make a decision for CPS with so many of you and in so short of a time? I still can't decide what to do, no... no matter how much I've learnt about everyone else." Your throat turns dry, and you find it difficult to swallow. "Hell, it was only yesterday I finally gave into one of my doubts. I thought it twice before asking if you wanted to kiss, but it'd been in my mind for a long while before that."

"You're sayin' the kiss was you decidin' to trust me?"

"Yes."

He scoots closer to your side and furrows his gaze.

"Even after that dream, and even though I started it?"

"Y... Yes." You do the same as him and smile. "I trust you, and... And I know the dream's likely just me overthinking this. One thing's spilling the truth when you're drunk, and one thing's getting... too caught up in your fears -- to the point where you have these warped dreams about someone else, no matter how much they mean to you."

His irises soften in their light, and a hint of culpability seems to fall on him. "Then I'm sorry for bringin' your ex into this." You sit back down with him and hold his hand again. "It wasn't right."

"It's okay."

"Doesn't look that way."

Before you know it, you're held by your lower back, pulled close, and brought down in bed.

He stays on top, gaze focused on yours rather than on your lips or anywhere else suggesting something more.

"Have you found that help yet? Counseling, I mean." His gaze remains the same despite having changed topics so abruptly. "How're ya doin', puddin'?"

"Bubbles and Brenda suggested two recently, but I... I still haven't gotten around to calling either one of them."

"Want me to make you company while you try that now? We've got time."

"...Kiss me first, please?"

He lowers more and presses his teeth to your neck.

"Gladly."

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• • •

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[thelibrarbian]

Alright. Alright, he could do this. He was the Great Papyrus, he knew how to fix bones, he knew how to heal, and Fell wasn't– His HP was stable now. There was no need to panic. It was fine.

Or: Underfell Papyrus is injured on patrol and four skeletons deal with the aftermath.

---

Rating: T

Tags: Platonic Edgepuff, Multiverse Shenanigans, Injury Recovery, Hurt/Comfort, Graphic Description of Injuries, Healing Magic, Papyrus Tries His Best, Everyone Needs A Hug, Eventual Fluff

Chapter word count: 1944

---

I wrote a thing!

I started working on this for Camp NaNo in April. It was supposed to be a one-shot... it did not want to stay a one-shot :’D

Read on Ao3

or below the cut:

Papyrus rarely slept.

For all the unusualness that this night was about to bring, in this regard it was perfectly normal. It was 1:30 in the morning and Papyrus was wide awake, sitting up against the headboard of his race car-shaped bed and scribbling increasingly intricate puzzle designs into a notebook when he was interrupted by an urgent knocking from the front door.

He silently sprinted down the stairs on sock-clad feet - he didn't want to wake his brother, after all - wondering who could be visiting them this early in the day. Most monsters he knew did not share his sleep schedule (or non-sleep schedule, as the case may be) - the most likely explanation was that Undyne had burned down her house again with a midnight snack.

He skidded to a halt at the door, reaching for the handle. The knocking hadn't stopped; if anything, in the few moments it had taken Papyrus to come downstairs and open the door, it had only grown in intensity.

The monster on the other side was not Undyne.

And Papyrus realized that something was very, very wrong.

He only caught one glimpse of the sharp-toothed, fur-hooded version of his brother before he was pushed aside without so much as a 'hello' as Red staggered past him. It was rare for their parallel universe doubles to visit unannounced, but that surprise quickly faded when Papyrus' eyes fell on the second, larger monster that Red was dragging more than carrying inside. 

To say that Fell looked bad would have been an understatement. He was hanging limply in Red's hold, his armor dented and torn open in places, and even though his clothes covered most of where Papyrus suspected the worst injuries to be, what he could see of the damage was bad enough. He thought he could make out several spots of something dark in the snow, leading from the basement to the front door, and he firmly decided to think about it later. Or not at all. 

Thick beads of sweat were clinging to Red's forehead as he panted, visibly struggling to hold onto his brother. With a rather undignified noise of alarm, Papyrus sprung into action, helping Red to bring Fell into the living room and lower the tall monster to the ground. Cleaning, too, was something to worry about later. 

He saw Red open his mouth, looking as if the next sentence was taking him a lot of effort to get out, then took one glance at Fell's plummeting HP and didn't wait to hear whatever Red was going to say. A second later he was crouching next to his unconscious alternate, his hands on his breastplate - stars, that piece of armor was not supposed to bend this way! - and pushing healing magic into him.

Papyrus was proud to proclaim that he had trained and mastered every aspect of magic at his disposal. He was a formidable fighter and a more than competent healer, but even so, whatever had happened to Fell was almost past Papyrus' abilities. Trying to stop his HP from falling felt as if he was attempting to catch running water with his hands. Which! Was not quite as impossible as it initially seemed, but it took all his concentration to bring the damage down to a slow trickle. He thanked the stars for having blessed him with such a large pool of magic reserves - he did not want to imagine running out in the middle of this. 

Just when he thought he was starting to get things under control and could think about asking what in Asgore's name had happened to them, there was a soft huff next to him, then an equally soft thump as, in the corner of his eye, Red slumped to the ground. 

"Oh no, not you too!" Papyrus reached out to catch him, but he wasn't quite fast enough - at least the carpet Red had landed on was soft - and as soon as his concentration on the healing slipped, Fell's HP started plummeting again. 

Papyrus was not panicking! Solely for the reason that he absolutely could not afford to panic right now! He sent one desperate pulse of green magic in Red's direction before placing both hands on Fell again.

"SANS!!" There was a very small part of him that felt bad for waking his brother at one-something in the morning, but the majority of Papyrus was painfully aware that he did not have nearly enough hands to handle this situation alone. It took a few long seconds (during which Papyrus was absolutely not panicking as he tried to stabilize Fell's HP and prayed that Red wasn't about to dust in the meantime) before he heard shuffling steps upstairs.

"bro, what's-" There was a pregnant pause as Sans, thank the stars, seemed to figure out for himself what was going on. A second later, the familiar sound of a shortcut right next to Papyrus announced that his brother had foregone the stairs entirely on his way down.

Papyrus had no time to watch what exactly Sans was doing, but from the corner of his eye, he noticed him crouching down next to Red for a minute before he got up and disappeared somewhere behind Papyrus. A few moments later, the front door fell shut and the key clicked in the lock. Sans didn't say anything, for which Papyrus was grateful - he couldn't get distracted at the moment. He also didn't seem particularly panicked about Red's state, which Papyrus could only take to mean that his brother's alternate was not about to dust right there and then. 

Sans wandered off again to somewhere, and Papyrus returned his full attention to Fell. It took a few more minutes before his HP wasn't dropping any further, and Papyrus finally dared to let his magic fade out.

"don't suppose you know what happened to them?" came Sans' voice from somewhere in front of Papyrus.

"No." He checked Fell again before he dared to look up, first at his brother, then at the unconscious Red next to him. The latter had been arranged into a more comfortable position, a cushion from the couch under his head. "Is Red alright? No, forget that question, what am I saying, obviously he would not be taking an impromptu nap on our living room floor if he was-"

"he should be fine," Sans reassured him before Papyrus could work himself further into his not-panic. "he isn't hurt, just exhausted. one shortcut too many, if i had to guess." He rubbed the back of his head. "'m gonna take him upstairs so he can sleep on a mattress, but… thought you could use a hand here first." He nodded towards the unconscious Fell.

Papyrus relaxed marginally. "Thank you, brother." It was only then that he noticed the first-aid kit on the ground in front of him that Sans must have brought with unusual, but very welcome helpfulness. "And yes, actually - an additional appendage or two would certainly make things easier." He carefully inspected Fell's armor, looking for a way to take it off with the least amount of movement possible.

His caution turned out to be justified. As he and Sans started removing the armor, Papyrus got the disturbing impression that the breastplate was most of what was currently holding Fell's ribcage together. It almost seemed like a miracle when they eventually managed to get the dented pieces of metal off him without causing any further damage.

Sans was looking vaguely nauseous. 

The undershirt came off much more easily than the armor, mostly because Papyrus declared it unsalvageable after one look and had no qualms about simply cutting it apart. After his earlier struggle just to get him stabilized, Papyrus knew that what he was about to see would be… not good. He braced himself before he pulled the fabric aside, barely hearing Sans' muttered curse next to him. 

He… had not been aware of just how many scars his counterpart had. Not that Fell usually made any attempts to hide them, but it was only now that Papyrus realized that almost every bone he could see was marked in some way. But those injuries were old, and he didn't let himself linger on them when there were much more pressing matters.

The right side of Fell's torso was a mess. There was barely a rib that wasn't broken, cracked, or bruised. Where the largest dent in the armor had been, a section of his ribcage was caved in entirely, the bone fragments just barely held together by magic. At least the healing magic had served to stop the bleeding, though, so Papyrus moved on, wanting to get a full picture first. 

Fell's arms were smeared with something that could be either blood or marrow, but the cracks and cuts he found there were relatively minor by comparison. (He decided that it was not the right moment to speculate how much of the blood had belonged to someone else.) The same was true for the rest of the injuries - they were numerous but small, as if Fell had been caught in the middle of a tight bullet pattern, but aside from the ribs nothing looked immediately concerning - until Papyrus reached his legs and found one tibia snapped cleanly in half. 

Sans had gone completely silent. When Papyrus glanced over, his sockets had gone dark and he looked like he was about to throw up.

"Sans?" 

No response.

Papyrus swallowed dryly. "Brother?" he said, reaching out to touch his shoulder. 

Sans jumped slightly, blinking rapidly before his eye lights reappeared - tiny specks of light in his sockets that immediately darted over to Papyrus. "y-yeah? sorry, think i spaced out for a moment." His gaze flicked briefly to the unconscious skeletons on the floor again, then back to Papyrus. "what now?" 

"First of all -" Papyrus gently squeezed Sans' shoulder, meeting his eye. "It's going to be okay, brother. This is nothing we can't handle." He adamantly refused to believe anything else. "Okay?" 

"'kay." 

"Secondly… If you could bring some water and clean towels, that would be much appreciated."

Sans gave a nod and disappeared, returning shortly after with the requested items and a mask of calmness plastered onto his face. If Papyrus hadn't seen him just a minute ago, it might have been convincing.

"Thank you." Papyrus looked his brother over. "I believe Red has been napping on the floor for long enough," he said.

Sans paused for a second before a look of understanding passed over his face. "right." He didn't take the out that Papyrus was trying to give him. Instead of taking Red upstairs and staying there with him, he only lifted him onto the couch and loosely draped a blanket over him before returning to Papyrus' side. 

"I am quite certain that I can handle this myself, if you would rather be elsewhere," Papyrus felt the need to clarify. 

"'course you can, bro." Sans crouched down next to him. "but an extra hand would help, right? 'm fine, really. just got a bit rattled there for a sec."

Papyrus rolled his eyes, more out of habit than anything else, and Sans' permanent smile became a bit more genuine.

"just tell me what to do." He wiggled his fingers. "extra hands at your service."

Alright. Alright, he could do this. He was the Great Papyrus, he knew how to fix bones, he knew how to heal, and Fell wasn't– His HP was stable now. There was no need to panic. It was fine. And Sans was helping, so it was doubly fine.

He took a deep breath, grabbed the first-aid kit, and got to work.

[owlheartt]

HAHA Hey suckers I lied Star Sanses Extended chapter 1 done NOW (link to it on AO3)

It was quite the normal day.

Unfortunately. The Great Papyrus was bored. He had already recalibrated his puzzles twice, made pasta 3 times, scolded his brother 4 times, and was trying to figure out what to do 5 and 6 times (because threes are overused) when something happened. Well, not really. Sans took one of his shortcuts to appear right behind Papyrus, something he did often to try and surprise him. Have no fear, Papyrus can’t be surprised, so his brother never succeeded.

Papyrus turned around, ready to scold his brother for not simply walking. Really, his sentry station wasn’t that far from Papyrus’s. Except… that wasn’t Sans. It was! But, well, he looked different.

“SANS? BROTHER, YOU DON’T HAVE TO DRESS UP AS ME TO FEEL AS GREAT. I KNOW YOU’RE TRYING YOUR BEST.” Sans was wearing a chest plate with a light gray t-shirt peeking out. There was a bright blue scarf wrapped around his neck, tied back rather effectively into a bow. It fit him, but Papyrus felt that scarves look better when they can flow dramatically in the wind. He had on gloves that looked identical to Papyrus’s but in the same blue as his scarf. And, interestingly enough, his eyes were not his regular white but light blue. “THAT IS BETTER THAN YOUR USUAL ATTIRE THOUGH, SO I THANK YOU FOR TRYING.”

“AH,” the smaller skeleton said. He looked a bit uncomfortable. Sans was never uncomfortable around Papyrus unless he was hiding something.

“SANS? IS THERE SOMETHING YOU NEED TO TELL ME? IF YOU WANT INTO THE ROYAL GUARD, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO TELL UNDYNE!!” Papyrus gave his brother a toothy grin (what else can he give him? Skeletons can’t hide their teeth, silly) in the hopes of comforting him. But still, Sans shook his head. Ah well, if his brother wanted to keep another secret-

“I’M ACTUALLY NOT YOUR BROTHER,” Sans (not Sans? Stary Sans? Blue Sans?) looked down before straightening himself. Now that this skeleton mentioned that he wasn’t Papyrus’s brother, the bigger skeleton noticed how much different he sounded. For one, those definitely sounded like all caps. Sans hated speaking in all caps, though he’d told Papyrus that it made him sound much more commanding. Next, his posture was much better. Sans had a terrible habit of slouching. His eyelights were also a cyan color, like a lighter shade of Sans’s magic.

“IF YOU’RE NOT MY BROTHER…” Papyrus scrunched up his face. This, was a puzzle. A puzzle he intended to solve all on his own. He stared down at the skeleton, who appeared to be bracing himself.

“WOWZERS, IT’S A LOT HARDER THAN I THOUGHT TO TALK TO AN ALTERNATE VERSION OF MY BROTHER,” Not Sans smiled awkwardly and looked away before quickly forcing himself to look back at Papyrus. Papyrus paused, trying to fit in what Blue Sans just called him.

“AN… ALTERNATE VERSION OF YOUR BROTHER?” Papyrus felt ridiculous repeating back what not Sans said, but he couldn’t help it. What did he mean by alternate version? Papyrus vaguely recalled a training session with Undyne. They liked to chat while they were sparring, and this particular time Undyne mentioned something Alphys was studying in her free time. “AUs.” She said. After a bit of questioning, Undyne revealed that AU was an abbreviation of Alternate Universe, but she hadn’t really been listening beyond that. Papyrus despised abbreviations, and found it so frustrating that Undyne and Sans were so intent on using them, that the words had stuck with him despite their vagueness. “ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT ALTERNATE UNIVERSES?”

Not Sans perked up, his eye lights popping into stars. His smile went from awkward to excited as he began to talk.

“YES, I AM! HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THEM? USUALLY PAPYRUSES AREN’T AWARE OF THEM, BUT IF YOU ALREADY KNOW OF THEM THAT WILL MAKE THIS MUCH EASIER!”

“I’M AFRAID MY KNOWLEDGE IS LACKING. IT WAS MENTIONED BRIEFLY BY MY FANTASTIC FRIEND UNDYNE, BUT SHE DIDN’T KNOW MUCH EITHER.” Papyrus announced, slightly embarrassed. The blue Sans faltered, but quickly regained his energy.

“ALTERNATE UNIVERSES ARE EXACTLY WHAT THEY SOUND LIKE! THEY ARE ALTERNATE VERSIONS OF THIS WORLD. MINE IS CALLED ‘UNDERSWAP,’ YOU AND I HAVE SWITCHED PERSONALITIES THERE, SO REALLY, WE’RE THE SAME.” Not Sans concluded, looking adequately proud of himself for such a well worded explanation.

“…I SEE. WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE THEN, NOT SANS?” Papyrus inquired. There was also the question of how Not Sans got here, but Papyrus was certain he would learn in due time.

“BLUEBERRY IS FINE! I’M A PART OF A GROUP OF SANSES CALLED THE ‘STAR SANSES’ SO MY FRIENDS AND I ALL HAVE NICKNAMES.” Nicknames, Papyrus’s worst enemy. Blueberry didn’t seem to mind though, despite him supposedly being an alternate version of Papyrus. “BUT TO GET TO THE POINT- I AM HERE BECAUSE I NEED TO ASK A FAVOR OF YOU, CLASSIC PAPYRUS.”

“IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD A TITLE TO MY NAME, THE GREAT WOULD BE BETTER, THANK YOU.” Papyrus announced, not sure what Blueberry meant by “classic.”

“NO, NO. CLASSIC IS A REFERENCE TO YOUR TIMELINE. YOUR TIMELINE IS THE ORIGINAL, SO IT’S LABELED ‘CLASSIC.’ I’M AFRAID MULTIPLE PAPYRUS USE ‘THE GREAT’ SO IT’S NOT AS DEFINING. IF YOU HAVE A DIFFERENT SUGGESTION, I’D BE OPEN FOR HEARING IT?” Blueberry sounded apologetic. Papyrus, meanwhile, was thinking hard. What other title would he like? Classic just didn’t suit him. He had to admit, Blueberry’s reasoning was sound. It might be better than coming up with his own. Still, if he could figure out a better one…

“THEN YOU CAN CALL ME COOL GUY INSTEAD!” Papyrus announced proudly. Blueberry hesitated then smiled.

“A NAME TO MATCH YOUR PERSONALITY? FANTASTIC! IGNORING THE FACT THAT I’M COOLER THAN YOU, IT’S PERFECT!” Blueberry concluded. Papyrus was tempted to correct him, but he could guess that it wouldn’t go so well. They were alternate versions of each other after all, so it would be difficult to discover who was cooler (it was obviously Papyrus though).

“ANYWAYS,” Papyrus said. “YOU MENTIONED A FAVOR? I’M FANTASTIC AT DOING FAVORS, AND I’D LOVE TO HELP YOU. WHAT DO YOU NEED?”

“MY FRIENDS AND I HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT JOB. WE PROTECT THE MULTIVERSE FROM AN EVIL GROUP CALLED THE ‘BAD SANSES.’ THEY’VE BEEN SUPER ACTIVE LATELY, AND DREAM THINKS THEY’LL ATTACK TODAY. UNFORTUNATELY, I’M BUSY ALL OF TODAY. I’M WORRIED ALPHYS WON’T THINK I’M FIT FOR THE GAUD OF I MISS A TRAINING SESSION, AND TODAY’S IS PLANNED TO LAST UNTIL LATE TONIGHT.” Papyrus had to hold back laughs picturing the short scientist holding one of Undyne’s spears with an eyepatch stuck on. He couldn’t seem to make it look anything short of ridiculous.

“BUT! BACK TO THE FAVOR, I WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD TAKE MY PLACE TODAY. IF YOU’RE BUSY TOO, I UNDERSTAND.” Blueberry concluded.

“IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT JOB. WHY DO YOU STILL WANT TO BE A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD? DOESN’T BEING A STAR SANS GIVE YOU ALL THE LOVE AND AFFECTION YOU COULD DESIRE?” Papyrus said haltingly. Star Sanses protected the whole multiverse, the Royal Guard just protects the underground. If that didn’t give Blueberry enough love… What hope did Papyrus have?

“WELL, IT DOES, BUT…” Blueberry took a deep breath. “I HAVEN’T SHARED WHAT I DO WITH MY TIMELINE YET. IT’S KIND OF A HUGE SECRET. I’M THE ONLY MULTIVERSAL BEING WHO ISN’T AN OUTCODE. IT’S NOT SOMETHING INCODES ARE SUPPOSED TO KNOW ABOUT. THERE AREN’T REALLY RULES BUT…” Blueberry trailed off, looking a bit upset.

“I’M SORRY I PUSHED. DOES THAT MEAN I’M NOT ALLOWED TO TELL ANYONE? MY BROTHER IS REALLY GOOD AT KEEPING SECRETS, MAY I TELL HIM?” Both brothers kept secrets from each other. Papyrus had his share, and he knew Sans had a pile. They had recently talked about trying to be more open with each other, and Papyrus wasn’t sure how he could keep his brother’s trust if he made a new secret. It was important to prevent new secrets from forming.

“LIKE I SAID, THERE ARE NO SPECIFIC RULES. IT’S JUST WHAT YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH. BUT I WILL ASK THAT YOU COMMIT TO BEING ONE OF US BEFORE YOU TELL HIM,” Blueberry said firmly.

“OF COURSE! I WON’T LET YOU DOWN! HOW DO I HELP THOUGH? I’M NOT EVEN SURE HOW TO LEAVE MY TIMELINE.” Papyrus admitted. Blueberry looked relieved, and he stuck out his hand.

“I’M AFRAID I CAN’T OPEN MULTIVERSAL SHORT CUTS MYSELF, BUT IF YOU’D TAKE MY HAND MY FRIEND CAN BRING US OUT!” Blueberry widened his grin, and Papyrus reached out to grab his hand. There was a moment of stillness, where it was just the two of them in a snow covered forest. Some snow flurries falling from branches above. Papyrus shifted, the pause was uncomfortable. Just as Blueberry began to frown, a warm, distinctly yellow feeling began to spread through Papyrus’s bones. Blueberry even seemed to be glowing with the magic. Then pop, and he was somewhere new. It felt like a small jerk on his SOUL, more abrupt than his brother’s short cuts around the underground.

Speaking of, this wasn’t like anything Papyrus had seen in the underground. It was a large space with an orange gradient. It looked… undefinable, in the sense that it didn’t end. There were papers with small dancing images, and a number of them looked like Papyrus and his friends. Some were held up by strings while others hovered around the islands that floated about. It was a very dream-like place, like something Papyrus had imagined. It has been a long time since he dreamt something so serene, which was the only reason he could believe what he was seeing.

“Sorry about that Blue-” a new voice spoke, sounding a bit out of breath. Papyrus turned to find a golden Sans, laced with the same magic that brought him and Blueberry here. He had his hand wrapped tightly around another Sans. This one was incredibly short, he looked like a child compared to Papyrus (Not to fear! The Great Papyrus was fantastic with children!). He had a brush taller than him strapped to his back, and his outfit was all kinds of decorated- like a superhero! Both Sanses were.

“IT’S FINE. IS… IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT HERE?” Blueberry regarded the Golden Sans’s grip on the Sans with a brush. Oh dear, so many Sanses. Someone who wasn’t as brilliant as Papyrus might not be able to follow!

“Uh, yep!” The golden Sans smiled, but he looked a bit too stressed. The brush Sans, however, snapped his full attention to Papyrus. His eyelights bounced between color and shapes before finally landing on a bright sky-blue shaped as a triangle and a Royal purple as a star.

“HELLO!!!!! I’m Ink!!!!” Ink struggled out of the gold Sans’s gasp and bounced overs to Papyrus. It was disturbing how little he resembled Papyrus’s brother. “I’m the protector of the Multiverse!! You’re Classic Paps, right?!” Ink grinned wildly as Papyrus avoided cringing.

“HELLO, INK. PLEASE DON’T CALL ME PAPS, OR CLASSIC FOR THAT MATTER. BUT WOWIE, PROTECTOR OF THE MULTIVERSE SOUNDS LIKE SUCH A BIG JOB!” Papyrus couldn’t help but be in awe of Ink’s title. It sounded more important than Head of the Royal Guard. Ink’s grin grew and his purple eyelight turned yellow. He looked like he was about to respond, but the gold Sans cut him off.

“Yep, super big job, which is why he has us to keep him on track. Anyways, hello, my name is Dream. I’m the guardian of positivity. If you don’t want us calling you Classic, what should we call you?” Dream kept his smile up, but he looked exhausted.

“HE WANTS TO BE CALLED COOL GUY.” Blueberry announced. Dream managed to look more worn out before responding.

“That’s… a fun nickname. But this needs to be like a substitute for your real name? Just, please pick something different.” Dream sounded incredibly firm, and Papyrus didn’t want to wear him out anymore. So he listened.

“WHAT ABOUT COOL BONES?” Papyrus’s smile faltered as Dream’s eyelights flickered out.

“Papyrus, please, be serious.” Papyrus had been serious, but he decided not to mention it. “Just- here, think about our names for a moment? Ink, Blue, Dream,” Dream pause, looking up at Papyrus hopefully. Papyrus did his best to reconsider. He could find an alternate version of his name? Translate it into another language perhaps. There was also the history of the word itself, which he and Sans had searched up late one brotherly bonding night. While the word papyrus is a plant, it’s also a form of paper in Ancient Egypt. Paper has simply so many uses, and it’s so incredibly important (and obnoxiously underrated). The Great Papyrus wouldn’t mind being called Paper.

“I CAN BE PAPER!” He offered, and Dream relaxed into a more genuine smile.

“Oooh!!! Like the paper to my ink!!!” Ink grinned, absolutely delighted.

“No, actually-“ Papyrus (Paper?) tried to correct him. With all the meaning behind his choice, he wanted to give it the proper glory.

“WELCOME TO THE STAR SANSES, PAPER!!!” Blueberry said, cutting Papyrus off. He tried to place his hand on Papyrus’s shoulder, but after discovering he couldn’t reach Blueberry settled for patting Papyrus’s back.

“THANK YOU NEW FRIEND!!” Papyrus widened his smile, reveling in the fact that he had made not one, not two, but THREE new friends in less than an hour. He couldn’t wait to tell his brother.

“NOW THAT WE’VE GOT THAT OUT OF THE WAY,” Blueberry said, “I HAVE TO HEAD HOME, ALPHYS IS EXPECTING ME. GOOD LUCK PAPER!” Blueberry threw a glance at Dream, then he lit up with the same golden hue as last time and disappeared. Ink’s eyelights flashed to a different color as he focused again on Papyrus, who had noticed by now that Ink’s attention was short and his focus quickly shifted.

“So, buddy, what do you wanna do now?” Ink leaned forward, almost as if bowing, and he bounced a little on his heels before performing some kind of trick jump and landing on an island floating a few feet up. He was now roughly at Papyrus’s socket-level.

“We tell Papyrus how this is going to go.” Dream said, cutting Ink off. Ink frowned, one eyelight flipping to a purple question mark while the other changed to a dim reddish-orange square.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN?” Papyrus wiggled his fingers, the fabric of his gloves rubbing. Dream sounded awfully serious, a stark contrast to Ink’s carefree nature.

“Blue’s already learned how to deal with… the Bad Sanses. Since we already know what does and doesn’t work, I’d rather skip the hard-learned lessons.” Dream gave a weak smile at the end, while Ink stuck out a rainbow colored tongue, nearly pouting.

“...WHAT MIGHT THOSE BE?” Papyrus began to worry for the first time since he accepted Blueberry’s offer.

“First of all, Blue’s already tried speeches.”

“MAYBE THEY JUST NEED MORE, OR HE HASN’T FOUND THE RIGHT ONE!” Papyrus said. Dream winced.

“Maybe, but we don’t have the time to give the speeches, and more often than not the Bad Sanses don’t even listen, they murder while you talk.” Dream said, the spot where his eyebrows would be tilting up.

“MURDER?” Papyrus faltered.

“Did Blue forget to tell you?” Ink asked. He had plopped down and was lying on his back with his skull dangling off his island, looking far too relaxed.

“TELL ME WHAT.” Papyrus didn’t want to guess this time. Dust isn’t a puzzle he ever wanted to solve.

“Our role as Guardians of the Multiverse is to protect timelines from being destroyed. The way that happens is the Bad Sanses wipe through the entire Underground, killing anyone and everyone they meet. Once they’ve killed enough, the timeline is unstable enough for them to destroy it directly.” Dream sighed, his shoulders slumping.

“Or so we think. Timelines are weird, and there could be a whole slew of reasons for how things work!! It’s really interesting. I’ve been wanting to study it all but- OOH A BUTTERFLY!!!” Ink said, jumping up to chase the shiny indigo insect. Even though Ink didn’t finish his sentence, Papyrus could get a sense of why he wasn’t learning anything. Ignoring the eccentric skeleton, Dream just looked sad. He was staring down at the ground, one hand wrapped tightly around the fabric above his SOUL.

“WHAT HAPPENS IF WE DON’T GET THERE IN TIME?” Papyrus tried to say it softly, but he could never figure out how to speak in lowercase. At least it still sounded caring.

“The entire timeline dies.” Dream sighed. He looked up, finally seeing Papyrus’s expression. “Ah! Don’t worry though!! We win a lot!! I’m just trying to explain why I need you to listen to me!!” Dream waved his hands about, trying to dispel the dark mood that had settled.

“THAT’S ALRIGHT. YOU WERE BEING HONEST. IT’S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND ALL OF THE PIECES OF OUR JOB. I’M GLAD YOU TOLD ME.” Papyrus crouched so as to come eye to eye with Dream. He used this tactic with his brother whenever Sans was upset. Papyrus had found that it’s easier to talk to someone who’s right there with you. Papyrus reached out his gloved hands, and wrapped the bright, cheery red around Dream’s hands. Papyrus realized for the first time that Dream wore gloves too. Maybe he was a swapped version of Papyrus like Blueberry. Papyrus made a note to ask him later, when he was feeling better.

“Thank you, Paper.” Dream took a deep breath before continuing. “We pride ourselves in not killing anyone, ever. Not even the Bad Sanses. A tactic we like to use is trapping them. Blueberry does that the most, because he has the most magic to spare, so you’ll be using a lot of blue magic. Is that ok?”

“ABSOLUTELY!! I HAVE FANTASTIC CONTROL OF MY MAGIC, YOU DON’T NEED TO WORRY.”

“The butterfly flew away.” Ink said, butting in. He had a pout again. Papyrus leaned toward Dream a little and whispered to him.

“DOES… DOES HE PAY ATTENTION ENOUGH TO NOT GET HURT?” Papyrus was genuinely worried, but Dream burst out laughing. His grin widened as he turned toward Ink, who had begun to… eat… grass..?

“Most of the time.” Dream said, not particularly reassuring.

[noplotnostory]

The Multiverse Migration

I love skeleharem fics.

Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut you gotta admit, it seems a little short-sighted to go falling in love with a gaggle of skelemen when they’re all actively trying to leave. Like, polyamory is becoming more common in skeleharem fics because nobody wants to actually choose any of the skeletons over their brother and/or alternative selves, but that means that you, the Reader, are entering a relationship with several individuals who plan to go their separate ways into DIFFERENT PLANES OF EXISTENCE.

Even without the polyamory angle, if you choose someone that didn’t come from the world that you already have a life in, one of you is going to have to make a very difficult decision.

Some fics have given the skeletons other excuses to flex their science muscles by keeping an eye on interdimensional mishaps (usually somehow related to whatever brought them all into the same world, to begin with), which--I’ll admit--does provide a reason for them to keep doing what they’re doing without necessarily wanting to leave as well as some interesting plot potential. Personally, though, I would like to see a skeleharem fic where the skeletons in question have more reasons make new lives where they are than just being stuck or liking something about the new locale (including the Reader).

I once considered writing a scene where a couple of Sanses, whilst still in their separate universes of origin, get in contact with each other to discuss the upcoming move that would result in the potential set-up for a skeleharem fic (that I never had any intentions of actually writing, sorry~). The scene would discuss these points:

The skelebros of UnderSwap, SwapFell and UnderFell are all migrating to the world of UnderTale.

In UnderSwap, the skelebros are pretty much the only survivors. US!Papyrus doesn’t like to think about whatever happened, while US!Sans simultaneously doesn’t want to talk about it in front of any Papyri and refuses to leave his Papyrus’s side for longer than a couple minutes at a time.

In SwapFell, everyone’s pretty much alive, but SF!Toriel is considerably stricter in how the Underground is run, more invested in the prospect of war and downright ruthless with preparing her own people for combat when compared to UF!Asgore. The SwapFell skelebros are technically under less immediate duress than the Swap or Fell bros, but SF!Sans still thinks the move would be best for his Papyrus’s safety. SF!Paps (being a Papyrus and considering that I believe all the AU characters should be the same at SOUL-level) just couldn’t bring himself to keep his mouth shut around their version of Muffet or Undyne, who wants to go with him but won’t leave without Alphys, who wants to do whatever makes Undyne happy but is conflicted about leaving Catty and Bratty behind, etc, etc. The scene in question would be SF!Sans and UT!Sans discussing how many people could be brought over and how to talk SF!Paps down to a nice, manageable number, since SF!Sans is having a difficult time convincing him to just pack up and go.

In UnderFell, Toriel and Undyne are dead, resulting in a Mettaton Ending. But in UnderFell. (Regardless of if you headcanon UF!Mettaton character as a more homicidal and sadistic version of his Tale counterpart or as a hated and abused outlet of the Underground’s aggression, the result of him suddenly having so much power and using it in the manner described in that ending of UnderTale is not pretty.)

Nothing against the other AUs--I love a lot of them!--but I tend to mentally organize the AUs by their relationships to these main four worlds and ever since I saw the different versions of NyuBlackNeko’s Mob AU, I just can’t picture a multiverse situation where both UnderSwap and UnderFell exist but SwapFell and four variations of every other AU don’t (like in @optima-chama’s remake of It Feels Better When I’m Dancing or this DanceTale pic that made me cackle when I saw it).

(Well...technically I can imagine UnderSwap and UnderFell or UnderTale and SwapFell existing if the other two don’t, but that kinda limits what other AUs make sense...)

That’s a lot of AUs.

That’s a lot of skelebros to keep track of.

Pile on every AU you find interesting in groups of four variations of each to keep that model (as I would because I keep my hoarded piles of magazines I’ll never read in neat, organized piles, thank you) and that’s probably too many to squeeze in any meaningful character interactions/development.

(Also, yes. Swap-verse Alphyses are more likely to keep secrets from their Queens than non-Swap-verse Undynes are from their Kings.)

https://archiveofourown.org/comments/194355103

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12590324/chapters/43717367

[everysongineverykey]

my problem with the toriel hate!

okay, i’m all for being critical of characters, but like. i think some people are getting a bit mixed up? for lack of a better term? when it comes to toriel and asgore’s mistakes in canon, specifically when talking about toriel leaving the throne after the kids died? a take i’m seeing a lot in fandom is that toriel is somehow as bad as asgore in how she dealt with that, and that just doesn’t sit right with me for multiple reasons. let me break it down (and let me be clear, this is just my opinion and i don’t care what you believe, this is just something that’s been bugging me personally):

i’m fed up, basically, with people getting unreasonably mad at toriel for leaving the throne after both her children died horribly in one night. an argument i see a lot is that it was cowardly and/or selfish of her to leave the throne because it was at a time where asgore and the kingdom needed her most, but, uh, that’s literally not true. first of all, like, one of her children has just wasted away to nothing before her eyes, and the other has been brutally murdered. in the same night. that’s a shitton to bear, but if it was left at that, then, yeah, it probably would be shitty of her to leave, if not for the fact that she left specifically because asgore immediately decided to declare war. she left because she could see that his mind was made up on this, and she was pretty rightfully disgusted with him- i mean, if my husband decided it would be a good idea to blindly order the murder of seven random people (and later an entire race), i think i’d leave him too. and i’ve seen people claim that it was toriel’s job to “teach” him why that was wrong, as if not murdering innocent people is some complicated moral lesson that people need to be taught??? it’s not toriel’s job to hold her husband’s hand while he murders seven children one after the other. i get that asgore was grieving. i do. i get that the murder of your two children is a lot to deal with. but toriel was going through that right beside him, and she still maintained her kind and forgiving nature, even despite her position of leadership and her reputation for being “the brains behind the throne”. she literally left in order to dedicate her life to protecting the humans that fell down from then on, trying to keep them safe- it’s not like she was taking a vacation. imagine what could’ve happened had she managed to protect those children, and they’d grown into adults in the underground! they could’ve potentially started an era of reformed peace between humans and monsters, and their souls could’ve been used to break the barrier once they died of old age- but that’s an entirely different post. 

i don’t think asgore as a character is irredeemable- i think he’s done some bad shit, but i recognize he genuinely regrets it and wants to do better, so all in all i think he’s no better or worse than alphys or undyne or any other morally grey character in undertale. i just think that toriel’s culpability in this very trying situation is often overplayed for reasons i don’t get. i’m not looking for a flame war here, it’s just something that’s been bugging me for a while.

[undertalethingems]

Bark at the Moon Chapter 13: Undaunted

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Or read on my Ao3>

Rating, Setting: Gen, Pre-canon

Chapter Warnings: None

Chapter Summary: Undyne's the heroine who never gives up--she's not about to lose that title now.

The search parties had mostly given up after only a few weeks, but Undyne wouldn't. She couldn't, not after the months of trouble her friends had been put through. She didn't care if she lost her place as captain, she didn't care what it meant for her career--two monsters under her watch had been treated horribly after suffering long enough already, and she couldn't rest until she knew for sure what had befallen them. Asgore had been understanding when she'd explained the situation, but others might talk... Well, she'd let 'em. If they had a problem with how she spent her time, they could take it up with her--so far, no one had.

Dressed in a heavy coat to ward off the cold, most of Undyne's days the last month had been spent scouring the wilderness. She worked the forest systematically, keeping track of how much ground she'd covered and which direction hadn't been explored. She drew on everything she knew, every instinct and shred of knowledge and ounce of determination, and kept going. They had to be out here somewhere.

She crested a low hill, and hooted triumphantly--there! Clear as a pond in Waterfall, a trackway. They were old, but fresher than any of the ones around town--and she didn't know of anyone or anything else that would leave such tracks. Four digits in front, three in back, thin and always tipped by claws--the only thing that came close were the various icedrakes, but they were bipeds. As long as she followed these, she'd find something--she was sure of it. She powered forward, legs carrying her faster and faster until she was almost running--

Something impacted her. She pitched forward with a grunt, landing roughly in loose brush, only to be hauled up by her backpack and shaken. She dropped roughly to the ground, and yelped as her arm was pinned and her assailant tried to pull the backpack off again. She rolled and kicked out to knock her attacker's leg from under them, and glimpsed that not only was said leg made of bone, it was broken.

Her strike connected. The creature shrieked and darted off, pausing briefly a few yards away to stare at her hollowly with orange eyes. Then it dashed off again, and Undyne scrambled to pursue. She'd found something alright, and it made her soul twist painfully.

"Papyrus! Wait! I wanna help!"

She chased after him, weaving through the brush and trees breathlessly; even with an injured arm he was easily outpacing her and it wasn't long before she'd lost sight of him. She continued following his tracks--but the new trail petered out by going off a cliff. She skidded to a halt, panting; Undyne knew Papyrus had incredible jumping abilities so he hadn't just fallen however far down that was. She'd lost him. She grit her teeth, then punched the nearest tree in frustration. Chunks of snow rained from its branches, smattering around her with little splats--the only sound aside from her ragged breathing. She'd been so close...! If she'd gotten in range she could have used a green attack, and then... well. It didn't matter now--he'd gotten away. But her frown softened as a thought occurred to her. At least she knew he was alive.

But...

He'd attacked her, and though they'd stared at one another, he hadn't seemed to recognize her at all. She'd seen only the wary gaze of an animal in those orange lights. He'd slipped... and it seemed worse this time. Back when he'd pounced on her in the hidden cave, he at least knew she was a friend and was playing with her. She rotated her arm, feeling out the lingering soreness from the scuffle--this time, he'd held back, but not much. She had to find him again, and break him out of this like she said she would. She made a face--hopefully it wouldn't involve any actual breaking.

She had to find him again, and Sans, but it was getting late and she wasn't prepared for a night in the forest. She glanced back up, looking out over the valley black with thick, hardy evergreens and cut by a rushing river. They were out there, somewhere...

She stomped her foot with a grunt, and shouted as loud as she could. "Papyrus! I'm coming back tomorrow! Don't be late, y'hear me?! And bring your lazy excuse for a brother too, got it?!"

She glared, listening to her words echo and hoping, somehow, she'd hear a reply. But it was getting too cold. She turned and retraced her steps until she finally came back to the road. After everything that had happened, the rest of the journey to get home felt so long... maybe she'd just stay at the Snowed Inn again. It was always clean and cozy, and they had the best cinnamon buns. Yeah. That sounded relaxing. She could use the peace and quiet to come up with a gameplan that wasn't just 'wander in the woods until she found her friend'. She needed to do better than that. Papyrus--whether he knew it or not anymore--was counting on her.

But she'd done everything she could today--after a full day in it, the cold was really biting at her scales. She grit her teeth and pulled her coat tighter against the icy breeze. Just a bit farther...! She sighed with relief when the warm lights of town finally poked through the trees. She'd take Snowdin's cold over Hotland any day, but the thought of taking a hot shower before snuggling under cozy blankets sounded like the nicest thing right now.

Once she'd gotten settled into her room for the night, she called Alphys.

"O-oh, hello, C-Captain Undyne," she stammered on the other end of the line, and Undyne felt her heart do little flips.

"Hey Doctor Alphys! Um, I was wondering... if... er, if you could help me with something," she started--more awkwardly than she wanted it to sound, ugh. "I've uh--I've got a case I'm working on and--well--I was hoping you--um--"

"I-I'd love to!" Alphys said quickly, and there was the sound of ruffling papers. "It's th-the case of the b-beast, right? Only, it wasn't a beast it was the skeleton brothers--I had no idea transforming monsters were real, it's just like this show I've been watching where it turns out the main character's best friends are really--WHOOPS spoilers ha ha ha... Um... Is it... that case?"

Undyne coughed. "Yeah. I'm... trying to find them. I saw Papyrus today."

"O-oh! Th-that's good! ... Right?"

Undyne sighed. "Yeah, but... it was like he didn't recognize me at all."

"O-oh..."

"Yeah. I've seen him do this, where he acts... different. More like a wild animal, I guess... He kinda reminds me of the dogs, but then when he stretches it's more like a cat, and then if he's watching something it's kinda like a bird--anyway, the point is, he stops acting like Papyrus. I mean, you can still tell it's him in there, but... I've been able to snap him out of it before, but this time... I dunno. He seems like... like he's really in deep."

"Hmm..." Alphys was quiet as she thought; it took a while, but Undyne didn't mind--she was enjoying just having her on the phone.

"W-well," she finally started, and it sounded like she adjusted her glasses. "Based on what little information you gave me, I can only guess so much, b-but... um, I only have like one episode of this show, b-but, one of the characters loses his memories, and seems like a totally different person until his friends spend enough time talking about things they all did together. I don't know if that would really work--i-it's kind of silly, saying it out l-loud now, um, nevermind--"'

"No! No, I think that might be exactly it," Undyne said quickly; of course it was something obvious like that! Man, Alphys really had a problem with confidence sometimes--she had the best ideas. "I was just gonna go out and like, tackle him, but now I think I should do that... AND tell him about all the other times I have too!"

Alphys managed a weak laugh. "Th-that... seems like it's worth a shot. T-tell me if it works, okay?"

"Of course! Thank you so much--um, I might ask you for more help again soon, okay? Actually... Back when he was... still in town, Papyrus seemed really bothered by the fact he was stuck in his beast form. You think you could, I dunno, rig up some science thing to scan his magic and see if something's going on with it?"

"I-I could certainly try," Alphys replied, and Undyne heard a sound like she was tapping her chin. "I wish I could have looked into it before they transformed so I'd have a baseline to compare it to, b-but, I guess I'll have to use regular monsters as a control... I-if their bodies can change so drastically, I can only imagine what their souls are doing, and that could explain why their mental states change as well... I'll have to see what the literature says about endomagical structure and regulation... O-oh, sorry, I'm rambling--you're probably busy, that was probably really boring--"

Undyne scoffed. "I mean, I can't exactly weigh in, but I love when you talk science stuff. Now, when you get into jargon, then I'm really lost."

She loved when she talked any stuff, but science was a topic Alphys could happily discuss at length. Even if she didn't understand, Undyne could listen to her for hours. She just liked seeing Alphys happy.

"Y-yeah, ha ha... I don't know enough about this to get into any jargon yet, b-but trust me, there's gonna be jargon eventually."

"There always is," Undyne teased, then turned serious. "Well hey, listen--I'm really glad you want to help. These guys have been trying to deal with it on their own this whole time, and... needless to say it hasn't worked out. I'll do everything I can, but... I think we need someone who can really look into this once I get them back."

"Yeah... I-I... I'll do my best," Alphys replied quietly. "Let me know when... when you find them."

"Oh yeah, for sure. So, uh... cool. Uh. Talk to you later....?"

"Yeah! O-oh, um, okay, bye!"

She hung up, and rolled onto her back. Alphys was so smart--such an obvious solution to helping the brothers remember themselves hadn't even crossed Undyne's mind. She'd give it a shot for sure. And then, once they were back, Alphys could use science to help them figure out what was up with them being stuck... It was nice to feel like maybe things might work out. Undyne had tried not to be hard on herself, but she felt like she'd let the brothers down.

Maybe she should have let Papyrus help with the investigation after all, before things had gotten so out of hand that the townsfolk were ready to attack on sight. But it was too late--she had to face this head-on and not get bogged down with regrets. She'd take Alphys' advice and try getting through to her friends tomorrow.