#i forgot to mention they both also have connections with alphys

[justali-anne]

Sans and Flowey are such foils.

Like, they have a lot more in common than you'd think.

They're both trolls, they both have a sort of "silly/serious" switch (Sans' one is more obvious, Flowey switches between his "nice"/silly persona and his sadist/nihilistic self), they're both aware of timelines and resets (albeit to different extents), and then there's their connections with Papyrus. Even their introductions sound the same!

I mean, come on, they were CLEARLY intended to be foils!

You know what would be interesting? A story about the very beginning of the resets. As in, Flowey's resets. And it switches POV between the two of them, and we get to watch them slowly break down into what they are today.

Until one of them no longer cares about anyONE, and the other no longer cares about anyTHING.

That would be interesting to see.

[rosehippiefield]

I saw somebody has done Yttd cast in Undertale before but I want to share some ideas about which Yttd character could act as which Undertale character. Of course, there's too many monsters so this is mainly about bosses and minibosses. Also this is long and yttd characters are sometimes repeated as they can serve several roles.

Sara is great for the role of Frisk simply because she has capacity both for sparing and killing. Goddess of Victory or Angel of Death, who will she choose to be? And without a doubt Sara is DETERMINED (Or there's another variant, Kanna, a kind child that will find approach to everybody. However, I don't see anybody trying to kill her there, as well as her even having a thought about killing.)

Kai can be Toriel for several reasons: he is housemaker, he is tied to Sara, so in this AU he can become her guardian for some time. Moreover, Kai has notable bond with Q-Taro and Gashu, both of which could fit Asgore. Imagine him betraying Asunaro and making sure humans survive. Or arguing with Q-Taro about morals.

Depending on the story Shin could match Napstablook when he's being his meek shy self. Just listening to music, not feeling up to anything, creating akward situations and lying on the floor. I can picture him doing it. Additionally, Ranmaru has similar vibe. Not the type to communicate with many, true introvert with deep insecurities... Why not?

Keiji is definitely Sans and I can't see it otherwise (well there could be other options but still I love Keiji as Sans). He is constantly tired, a bit lazy, has a fair share of mysteries, same ambience I would say. Keiji loves pushing responsibility onto Sara due to his trauma and consequent self-hate, Sans does nothing in genocide until the very end wheт majority is dead. Plus who is better to judge our protagonist than a policeman?

Joe is Papyrus, I don't make the rules... Well, Gin could act as Papurus as well, but let's at first talk about Joe. He is nice and funny, he befriends Sara easily, he literally can't kill her. He can have a brotherly relationship with Keiji considering "Mr. Policeman is Joe's dad" theory. The only downside is Papyrus can be killed and I don't see Sara killing her bestie in any way, even for survival. Maybe he is a doll and no longer a human?..

As to Gin, he is better as Monster kid in my mind. Curious, energetic teenager that admires strong, reliable and absolutely cool Reko (who's Undyne). Gin really trusts Sara, he is naїve to the point of believing her even in genocide route. Or maybe an annoing dog is also appliable, as Gin's stims include barking (and his desing, his Meow chan that is allegedly a dog) and the dogsong is perfect theme for Gin.

So, Reko as Undyne. Strong in every sense, fighting for her people's sake, brave, plays piano... Not to mention her relationship with Nao-the-Alphys. The thing is, would Reko kill a human for her people? Maybe not, she is quite kind. Especially if said human is Sara. Unless there is some misunderstanding... (I actually would argue Sara is a better fit for Undyne as she is samurai woman fighter type and she can be colder).

I haven't mention dummies before, but I totally picture Anzu as Temmie. Cute, sweet, funny, just good old Temmie.

I nerly forgot about Mad Dummy! In my book Ranger fits the bill here: an artifitial being that is really jealous of humans and hates them for it. He's sarcastic, extremelly rude, ready to kill. Also imagine that in the Ruins we encounter Dummy of Sei that Kai is keeping due to grief and memories, but now it ends up here as Ranger with consciousness but no soul.

Then we move to Hotland. Nao is a good Alphys in my book: a bit dependent, insecure, still striving to become better. Plus I want to give Mishima a Gaster role, so they share connection. (On the second thought, Safalin would make a compelling Alphys as well: she is actually a scientist, she has far more self-deprication as crying doll, she has many sceletons in the closet with questionable experiments).

There's little info on Gaster as well as on Mishima. Royal scientist whose genuis was unparalleled and that fell in lava (burning again?). Though Meister, whose role is still unclear, may look more like Gaster and have the same air of mystery.

For Muffet there are two worthy candidates: Mai and Maple. Both are acquainted with cuisine, both are extra sweet with their words, I think both can be persuasive about the product (it's Mai's profession, and you can't refuse to drink tea in disscussion room so Maple's capable of it as well). And of course you should never underestimate either of girls.

Mettaton... the star of the show, daring, flashy, attractive... Alice was in the band, his desing (in usual sprites just hair) is quite colorful, not to mention his physique, so why not? That would mean interesting relationship with Reko, who's his neighbor. Plus he could be a doll as Mettaton is an artifitially created robot. Maybe Nao/Safalin/whoever's Alphys created him to help Reko, they reconciled and Alice found his own path.

We are nearing the end. Asgore is morally gray character who killed children, regrets it but ready to repeat the deed for the sake of his country. As was mentioned previosly, either Q-Taro or Gashu could fit his role: Q-Taro because of appearance, kindhearted nature but ability to commit not the most ethical actions. I can also insert joke about killing kids (no matter how you interpret Q-Taro's words in the first main game, part of fandom will bring it up). Gashu had done even more morally reprehensible things for his "community" Asunaro. Plus, Gashu literally had a foster child that died (Sei, Ranger's inspiration).

I didn't mention Flowey because his story blossoms only in the end and depending on the person I replace him with the story becomes drastically different. The first one is Shin because firstly, I am biased toward him, secondly, Asriel essentially is bound to return to his flower form (kind of 0% to be truly happy), thirdly, they were both inicially kinder and due to horrible circumstances became worse. But yet they can become better. Moreover, roses. Maybe Kanna here was killed, and from sheer grief Shin turned into a rose? Alternatively, Ranger matches as well: he can't feel positive emotions just as Flowey doesn't feel them (I don't remember specifics but something along these lines). Plus, Sei was killed being a small kid just like Asriel and he has familial connections to Kai-the-Toriel and Gashu-the-Asgore (this sounds extra weird, nobody here is shipped of course. Just in case).

What about the souls and remaining dead people? I think some of the dead could be these souls: Kurumada as Bravery (he is boxer and this soul has gloves), Megumi or Mr. Policeman as Justice (police is supposed to make sure justice prevails), Hayasaka as Perseverance (he looks a bit nerdy and has glasses), Hinako as... Patience? (the real one), Kanna if dead can definitely be Kindness, Kugie as Integrity? Honestly, we know little about these guys so the arrangement can vary a lot.

Finaly, Chara. Maybe I'll do their character an injustice, but imagine them as Midori. When Frisk Sara is in the end of genocide, she sees Midori, a demon that is resurrected by her cruelty. He enjoyed every bit of it. Plus, then dynamic Chara Midori and Asriel Shin becomes quite intriguing (and messed up). Or maybe Kanna could be Chara as well, a kid that met a friend (or foster brother. Oh even a real one) in the underground and then died.

[saintheartwing]

Undertales of Friendship: Befriend the Man Who Speaks in Hands

Whilst Princess Luna and Fluttershy had been checking in on Frisk, Alphys was checking in on the local school where Toriel and Undyne were teaching. With sunny skies casting soft rays of sunlight down onto the grassy fields around the red building, Alphys hung back, watching as Undyne the Mer-Woman did a few flexes of her scaly muscles, giving the kids a big, fanged grin. Her red ponytail flicked back and forth in the wind as Toriel stood nearby, paws clasped together as she stood by Ms. Cheerilee, Undyne holding up an arm and flexing. "Alright, lil' fillies! You know why you're here? Cuz it's gym class day and that means you get ME. And you know what we're gonna do?"

"No, but I got a feeling you're about to tell us." Diamond Tiara remarked, the pink-furred little filly cringing slightly as Undyne gave her a slight stink eye with her one good eye.

"You bet your flank I am! It's time for fifty laps around the school yard, hollering about how great we are!" The yellow-eyed monster proclaimed. "We're gonna!" She roared, flexing. "GET!" Another flex. "BUFF!"

"More like "fluff"." Diamond Tiara sighed as she looked down at her stubby little hooves, hanging her head as the other kids glanced at each other, then shrugged, deciding that hey, they like yelling! Why not?

"ROCK SOLID, BABY!" Undyne cried out dramatically, flexing her arms some more as the kids began running around the school yard, hair whipping through the air as the wind blew, the part-time gym teacher and part time royal-guard-member smiling in delight as Toriel giggled. "Ahhh. You were right, Tori. Nothing's more satisfying than leaving an impact on a child's life." She reasoned. "Especially when you can do that by bench-pressing them."

"I am amazed at how quickly you connected to them." Ms. Cheerilee said with a happy smile, nodding her head in agreement as Toriel nodded as well. "You're clearly a natural gym teacher."

"Well, it's my job as the current Head of Asgore's Royal Guard to decide what weenies get into the guard. Drilling them into shape! Kicking butt, taking names! The louder I yell, the more they'll learn!" She laughed. "Well, actually, it's really about the stick." She said, wagging a clawed finger in the air. "I'm a very carrot and stick approach...though mostly 80% stick."

"When do you use the carrot?" Cheerilee inquired.

"When I'm cooking, of course." Undyne remarked cheerily. "Nah, I'm almost all stick there too! I use the carrot when I can tell a student isn't ready for the full treatment. Papyrus used to get the carrot a lot." She added with a sigh. "He was just too...nice...to be in the royal guard. But now it's good to see that he's unlocked his full potential by focusing his gifts! Now..." Undyne struck a pose. "To go join the kids! Hup hup hup!" She took off running, Toriel giggling a little as she and Cheerilee turned, seeing Alphys slightly hiding behind a nearby bush.

"Oh, Alphys, why are you hiding?"

"Sorry. Force of habit." The yellow-scaled, dinosaur-esque monster nervously remarked with a small smile. "I'll go talk to her after she's done. But I also wanted to see you too, Ms. Toriel. How have you been?"

"I've thoroughly enjoyed teaching here for the ponies in Equestria." Toriel admitted with a big smile. "It's always heartening to see others willing to learn what I have to impart, and I've worked out an exhaustive curriculum with Cheerilee. Tomorrow the children will be learning about mathematics. Tragically, many of them find it boring, so I devised a way to get them interested."

"How?"

Toriel whipped out a basket of scones, grinning from fuzzy ear to fuzzy ear, Cheerilee clasping her hooves together in delight. "I have about...thirty scones. I think it's a simple matter of division and subtraction! With the end result naturally becoming zero." She laughed, Alphys smiling in agreement as Cheerilee trotted off to go join Undyne in the laps. It was FUN to run around, hooting about how great you were. However, the good times were soon over as a very-serious-looking Princess Luna descended from the skies, Fluttershy by her side as they quickly raced over to Alphys, Toriel staring in surprise. "Oh! Your majesty."

"Your majesty." Princess Luna responded in turn with a calm nod back.

"Oh, I'm not the queen anymore." Toriel remarked with a shake of her head. "Those days are behind me, I believe. But you look as though you've seen a ghost. Whatever is the matter?"

Fluttershy tapped her hooves together, head slightly bowed, pink mane sloughed down. "Um...we think that an imposter Sans has kidnapped Frisk!" She managed to blurt out.

"We worried it might be a changeling, but changeling magic is a distinctly sickening green color, and this was a deep, royal blue that we saw the imposter using to lift Frisk up." Princess Luna added, Toriel having dropped the basket of scones as they scattered all about the floor, the words "Kidnapped Frisk" making her mouth hang open so wide you could have fit a beach ball into it. Alphys began quivering, almost having a panic attack as Princess Luna continued, sweat dribbling down Alphys's brow as the words "Magic" and "Royal blue" began to echo in her mind. "Is there a monster that can imitate people's appearance-"

"Royal Blue Magic?" Alphys whispered out, eyes going wider and wider.

She could hear the music echoing out from the room, and walked down the long, dark green hallway. A guitar was playing a fairly simple, and very iconic chord, an all-too-familiar voice echoing out through the laboratory as she got closer and closer. Pushing open the set of double doors ever-so-slightly, Alphys peeked inside, an enormous bony mass rising up higher and higher, growing larger and larger as pieces were added to it, all suspended in a royal blue aura of pure, raw power.

Her dear friend was playing away at the grey guitar, a red headband around his head twisting about as he played harder and harder, the chords now joined with riffs, the song getting progressively more metal. The bony pieces began to form into a more definite shape, that of a gigantic, huge skull that was very bestial in design, almost draconic in its visage as he sang loudly and proudly, a look of clear joy on his bony face. A black line rose up from his right eye, going up his skull whilst another line rose down from his left eye, down to his mouth as he toothily grinned.

"And the science gets done, and you make a neat gun for the people who are still aliiiiiive!" W.D Gaster sang out. "GASTER." Alphys realized, Toriel's body stiffening as her eyes widened as well, Alphys's claws flying to her cheeks. "Oh my God oh my God oh my God!"

"Gaster...Sans, the real Sans, mentioned him. He was their brother, the former Royal Scientist, correct? We heard he was scattered across time and space." Fluttershy asked, clearly confused as she tilted her head to the side, Princess Luna looking from Toriel to Alphys as Alphys adjusted her glasses.

"Yes, Gaster was the former royal scientist before me, and Sans and I both worked alongside him. He was brilliant, REALLY brilliant! Also kind of a goof sometimes. Guess it runs in the family." The dinosaur-esque monster sighed. "And yeah, he used to be with us until he fell into his machine, a device we had made to time travel. We wanted to use it to go back in time and prevent the Monster/Human War from ever happening, but there was an accident and he got scattered. But royal blue magic...nobody else could lift people but Sans and Paps, let alone have magic tinted like that!"

"I cannot believe I just...forgot about him." Toriel murmured. "He was so dear to us, especially before the War."

"What was life like before the war?" Princess Luna inquired, Toriel now looking very, VERY guiltily down.

"Well, er...Asgore's father had...that is, Dr. Gaster was the Royal Scientist for HIM to, and was asked to study human souls and prove whether the old legend we'd had passed down from our ancestors was true. He wanted to learn if monsters could absorb souls. Before it wasn't something we knew we could really do, it was just a myth to us, but then-" Toriel flinched.

"Ohhhh." Princess Luna cringed at the implication. "Oh MY."

"How...how did he remove the souls?" Fluttershy asked.

Silence from the two monsters as they quietly and nervously looked away, Princess Luna sighing sadly. "I shall not judge you. I did awful things myself when I allowed resentment and hatred into my heart and became Night Mare Moon. I almost caused 1000 years of darkness and doomed all of Equestria. We've all done things we regret and wish we could take back."

"Indeed, we have." Toriel quietly sighed. "But I cannot let Gaster harm my child. Do you know where he took him?" She asked.

"Not exactly..." Fluttershy quietly admitted as she bit her lip. "But we thought we could ask you two, see if you knew anything about him that could help us learn about where he might go."

"If you truly were his friend for so long, he might try to reach out to you, would he not?" Princess Luna asked of Alphys as she nodded, slightly wringing her hands. "And if so...I have a plan."

...

...

...

... "Sans" approached Alphys as she sat on a bench in the park, sipping on some soda, trying not to look worked up as he sat down next to her. "heya, Alphys. how's it hangin'?"

"Oh, I'm fine! How are you?" She asked in her slightly nasally voice, cringing a bit.

"...fine myself."

"Fine, fine. It's good that you're fine."

"yeeeep." "Yes, we're both feeling fine. It's fine to feel fine isn't."

"yes, it's...it's fine."

"Yes, we're both feeling fine! Yep! Both! Feeling! Fine!" Alphys said with a big smile, quivering slightly as "Sans" calmly waited. One...two...

"GAAAAH!" She groaned out, hanging her head. "I feel sick!"

"you think I can't tell when you're lying to me?" Gaster's voice rang out from Sans's form. "Alphys, come with me. You can have it done willingly or by force. Your choice."

"Just tell me where Frisk is." Alphys mumbled softly, head bowed as "Sans" took her shoulder and patted it.

"I haven't harmed him, I assure you. Now..."

A blink, a woosh, shooting through a tunnel of stars...and then, there they were, in Princess Luna and Celestia's old castle, Gaster now in his true form as he waltzed over to the sleeping Frisk, who was lying down on a nearby table as he gestured at the boy. "I've got both Papyrus and Sans within me, their entire being helping to constitute myself. With you and the human, all the pieces of me will be complete. I'll no longer be a shell of myself, Alphys. Can you understand how lonely it feels, just helpless, barely able to do anything but...watch? Watch as everyone forgets about you, and all that you did amounts to near nothing? To know that despite how hard you worked to help others, they remember nothing of you?"

"That is just not true." Alphys said, shaking her head. "They DO remember. I know Sans does. He even told a bad pun about you, Doctor."

"Do not stand on ceremony, Alphys, we've known each other for decades, you needn't call me-" Gaster stiffened as he suddenly swept towards "Alphys", and held a hand up, her body shrouded in Blue as her soul was made manifest...

"I THOUGHT you were a bit too light when we were teleporting. Who are you really?" He asked the imposter as the charade faded away in a soft burst of starlight, and Princess Luna now stood there, tall and proud.

"The others were told to hone in on me when my illusionary spell faded. They shall be here shortly." She reasoned. "Let the child and those you have absorbed go."

"I only want to be whole again." Gaster reasoned. "You should understand. You were locked away within yourself, helpless, unable to do naught but watch as Night Mare Moon made use of your body." He quietly intoned, his eyes slightly narrowing as he paced around her, sliding smoothly like a snake. "Imagine a world where everything functions perfectly without you. Where you are less than nothing. Where you are HELPLESS and able to do nothing but watch. You endured that. And you'd condemn me!?"

"No. What happened to you was wrong. Don't take it out on an innocent." Night Mare Moon insisted.

"Take it out? The process isn't painful." Gaster cooed. "It's actually quite pleasant, if not slightly surprising. Come...let me demonstrate!" He proclaimed, shooting towards her, black shadows stretching off his body as Luna's horn lit up. Bluish/purple light coalesced around it as she erected a shield, the shadows trying to pierce through it like needles trying to pop a bubble. Gaster rose high, high into the air before he held his long arms up, slamming them down on the shield just as Luna shot forth, slamming into his chest and knocking him back.

The shadows of his body caught him and re-righted him as she launched waves of blue and purple magic at him, Gaster sliding left and right as he grinned, giving her a small wink. "Do you believe I am going to stand there and let you hit me? No." He remarked, making gestures with his hands as bones shot from the ground, cascading towards her like a landslide. Luna flew up, up through the air as he made more odd gestures with his hands, the bones shooting at her as he shook his head back and forth. "You are only delaying the inevitable." He quietly sighed.

"Let them g-go!"

He turned, seeing Alphys was sitting atop of a yellow-furred pony, Toriel standing nearby as she folded her arms over her chest, Gaster lowering the shadows that were raised on their hackles around him, looking them over. "Ahh, you came, Alphys. You, Papyrus, Sans, Frisk..." Gaster said, clapping his hands as he shifted from himself to Papyrus, then Sans, then back to his normal form as he bounced his head back and forth. "All the pieces...pieces...pieces of me."

"Doctor, we know you want to be whole again." Toriel said softly, Frisk letting out a quiet moan as he rose up from the table. He hadn't been having any nightmares since Gaster had taken him, but he was still shocked out of his mind to see Gaster standing tall in front of the others. "But you needn't harm others to be happy. And absorbing them into yourself is taking away their freedom. It isn't right to harm others in the name of freeing others, that's the very thing I fought against."

"My former majesty, please understand. I am a shell of my former self. An echo. This is the only way to regain my form." Gaster spoke longingly.

"Not necessarily." Alphys offered. "Toriel has something that could help. We just needed Princess Luna to stall you."

Toriel launched something through the air, Gaster catching it in one bony, holed hand...looking down at the Lazarus Lapis in his grip as his body was bathed over in the green healing magic within. His eye sockets filled with the light, growing larger and larger, letting out a gasp as Sans and Papyrus slid out from the folds of his cloaked jacket, flopping onto the grassy floor below as Princess Luna quickly pulled them away, Frisk ducking under the table...

And then everything went white, and Frisk now saw Dr. Gaster standing alone in a dark abyss, his back turned, head slightly bowed as Frisk approached, nervously holding out a hand and taking the skeletal monster's cloak. "Um...mister Gaster?"

"...doctor." Doctor Gaster said, his voice having the less harsh, rusty echo to it that it had possessed, yet still somehow haunting and faintly reverberating in the infinite abyssal expanse of black around them. "Dr. Gaster. And...would that this would be enough." He said, slowly turning around, revealing a small White heart floating right in his chest, Frisk gasping. It had been cut in half, and the other half connected to it was the stone itself, the heart faintly pumping as Gaster mournfully stared down at Frisk. "The Lazarus Lapis is designed to resonate with your Soul. To connect with it to bring back your physical body, and all that comes with it. But I only had half a soul. And that means only half the work is done. My physical form is returned, my abilities with them. But that...that is all."

He closed his eyes, shaking his head back and forth. "I am everything and nothing. Everywhere and nowhere. I can't...feel anything but echoes. Not even with this making up part of me."

"I'm sorry." Frisk said, gently hugging the doctor as the skeletal monster stiffened slightly before gently kneeling down, Frisk feeling him wrapping his cloak/jacket around him much like how Sans sometimes liked to do to tuck Frisk away, nice and snug.

"Ha ha...you know, that...that does make me feel better about this." The doctor quietly whispered, Frisk feeling something gently landing on his forehead. Drip...drop. Drip...

Drop...

Drip...

...drop.

"Thank you."

A gentle, soft warmth spreading over him, as the infinite black settled in...

"...please. Forget about me."

And then Frisk was back in the castle with the others as they slowly rose up, rubbing their heads as they looked around, Sans blinking slowly. "whuh...what just happened?"

"...I don't know where to begin." Frisk admitted, looking off in the distance, a white figure faintly similar to himself standing there before shifting, changing shape...vanishing into the distance.

...

...

...

... "So he's...gone?" Princess Celestia asked of Sans as he and Papyrus stood in the throne room, Celestia steepling her hooves, her face filled with concern as she looked back at them.

"we think he has his physical form back, but anything else is just...kinda not really there at all." Sans sighed. "he's a real nowhere man now."

"MY POOR BROTHER. I WISH THERE WAS SOMETHING I COULD DO TO HELP. WHEN I WAS INSIDE OF HIM, I COULD FEEL AN ENDLESS SADNESS SWALLOWING ME..." Papyrus murmured, clutching himself, shivering slightly as he closed his eyes, Princess Celestia biting into her lip. This was a concern indeed.

"Someone who can teleport, become invisible, change shape...he could be anyone and anywhere." She whispered softly, Sans shrugging before suddenly shivering, feeling as though familiar eyes were upon him. He thought he saw a crack running up the eye of one of the guards on either side of the Princess, looking away and flinching. When he turned back, the guard was normal, and he sighed, a maid servant couple bringing in some cake for them, specially made by Muffet for the upcoming anniversary of Celestia and Luna's ascension to the throne. "We should keep an eye out for him. But for now, let us celebrate early. Celebrate having you two back with us. It would be horrible to lose two dear friends."

"yeah, probably best not to talk about Gaster for now." Sans said, a maidservant slicing off a piece of vanilla-frosted cake for him, giving him a slice that had a little pink rose on it as he gulped, swearing he saw a crack running up HER eye as well. Or was it on Papyrus's? Or Celestia's? Or his own reflection in the mirrors that lined the hall, or-

Sans shook his head. "yeah...better not. after all..."

He shuddered.

"it's rude to talk about someone who's listening."

[undertalethingies]

The Third Worst Day

Loosely inspired by the ninth chapter of @undertalethingems Unexpected Guests comic, and by the end of John Mulaney’s Delta Airlines bit. (“In fact, we’re gonna frame you for MURDER! [...] ~Because we’re Delta Airlines, and life is a fucking nightmare~”)

Sans was not having the shittiest day of his life, because everyone was on the surface and Frisk was being nice this timeline. 

The second shittiest day, though- well, no, not that either, technically speaking. Nothing was on fire except maybe Undyne’s house underground, and that just because no one could be bothered to put it out when everyone was moving to the surface anyway. (Please don’t ask about the second shittiest day of Sans’ life, he will not tell you and will instead have flashbacks)

Ugh, it was really indicative that this BS only ranked third.

So, the curtain opens on the third shittiest day of Sans’ life, and maybe, like, the eighth worst thing to ever happen to him.

What could be bad enough to rank on Sans’ top ten worst days list, though? (which is a list he actually made once, as a joke, and then he looked at it and kind of wanted to cry, before laughing instead because that’s just how Sans copes with things)

Well, you see, he was being framed for murder.

Flowey, specifically, was currently attempting to frame him for the death of the old royal scientist, W.D Gaster, who Sans had met maybe once in his entire life.

Admittedly, the fact that he actually remembered said meeting, and that there had been a previous royal scientist at all, was highly unusual.

He didn’t remember for anywhere close to the reasons Flowey was insinuating, though. No, the reason Sans remembered the old royal scientist had very little to do with the scientist himself and a lot more to do with how remembering across timelines was triggered in the first place.

Cross-timeline memory retention (which are the Official Science Words for it) was triggered by high levels of Determination. No more, no less. And Sans had very high DT levels for a monster. It was pretty much the only reason he’d managed to make it to adulthood with just a single point of HP to his name. (Undyne remembered a bit too, he suspected, though he’d never called her on it)

So the reason Sans remembered the existence of Gaster was the same reason he had what little knowledge he did of the RESETs, though he remembered far less of those, due to having fewer triggers for the memories to resurface. (The fact that no one knew who had built the CORE had been enough for Sans’ mind to fill in the blanks)

Flowey was saying that Sans remembered because he’d known the guy, which was just flat out wrong. The weed was insinuating that Sans couldn’t possibly due the things he did without being a scientist, which was partially true, and finally accusing him of killing Gaster, either to steal his research or because Sans was the Judge, (Nice of Flowey to out him, the little shit) which was blatant slander.

Sans could see that the others (excluding Alphys, who knew the story was bullshit) didn’t want to believe what Flowey was saying, but he could also see that, despite that fact, he was still convincing them.

Flowey, after all, was a very skilled liar. Especially when it came to convincing people of crazy backstories he’d concocted on the spot. It made sense, since he’d had rather a lot of practice.

As Flowey finished his story, Sans looked at Alphys. He texted her a question about an old promise he’d made to her that was suddenly not one he was sure he should keep. (He’d do it anyway, if she asked, but breaking it would make disproving Flowey’s allegations that much easier.)

“And that’s why- are you on your PHONE?” Flowey interrupted himself, looking hilariously offended for someone who was actively framing a guy for murder.

“Is that how little you care? You killed him and you can’t even be bothered to hear out the allegation?” Oh, so that’s how he was playing it. Sans narrowed his eyes, just a bit, before responding.

“eh, you looked like you were having fun. wouldn’t want to interrupt, ya know?” Earlier in the conversation, when Sans was still actively participating, Flowey had interrupted him several times. Alphys snickered at his jab, and hit the send button on her phone.

Sans checked the text, and inwardly sighed in relief. Seemed like he could take the easy way out here.

“Sans, please put away your phone. This is a serious conversation,” Toriel said. Sans supposed he had to agree to disagree on that one. This wasn’t much of a conversation at all as much as it was Flowey using his knowledge to manipulate the room in a way that allowed him to frame Sans for murder.

“yeah, don’t worry, tori. it was relevant,” She looked as if she doubted that, but she didn’t say anything. Sans sent Alphys a quick thank-you and stuck the offending device back in his pocket. He turned to look at Flowey, who probably would have shrunk from the ice in his gaze if Flowey had ever bothered to figure out how to read his expressions.

“so, you done, pal?” There were several winces around the room at the vitriol present in his tone, but none of them belonged to Flowey.

“Yeah, I think I’ve made my point pretty clear!” Flowey looked positively cheerful at the thought.

“good, ‘cause i’m getting pretty tired of hearing you speak. don’t want a repeat of the last time you tried something like this, right?” Last time Flowey had attempted something like this with Sans present, the weed had still been in control of the timeline. Sans had killed him before he could even finish his speech.

“Ha! You wouldn’t dare! Not when Frisk is-” Flowey cut himself off before he could dig all three of them (four of them?) into a hole they really wouldn’t be able to talk their way out of. Frisk shot him a glare, with an expression that said they’d probably kill Flowey themselves, if he didn’t shut his trap. The weed gulped audibly.

“A-anyway! Are you gonna explain yourself, trashbag?” Papyrus made the same pinched expression he always did when Flowey used that particular moniker.

“heh. sure, why not,” Sans’ grin turned predatory. 

“i’m not gonna bother asking you to back your claims with evidence, since we both know you don’t actually have any,” Flowey narrowed his eyes, probably thinking of a thousand ways to justify that, but Sans continued without giving a chance.

“you’re right that i used to be a scientist, so kudos for that, i guess. my leaving the field had nothing to do with gaster, though. it actually happened quite a while after that,” Sans preferred not to talk about this, but with Flowey forcing his hand, it seemed like the simplest solution.

“my leaving had nothing to do with gaster, and everything to do with the experiments that got alph fired,”

--

When Sans had been younger and more optimistic, he’d wanted to be a scientist more than anything in the world. He’d spend hours combing through the dump for old textbooks, and the few he found, he’d pore over until he had them practically memorized.

So when an ad went out saying that the new royal scientist was looking for an assistant, he’d jumped at the opportunity. Sans had spent hours studying for the required tests, barely even eating in his complete dedication to the task before him.

Sans didn’t know whether he’d had the highest score, or if he’d been selected for his blue magic, (a rare ability that was extremely useful for engineering) or if had simply been because he lived so close to the lab at the time, but he got the job. He’d celebrated for a day straight, and would probably have irritated the hell out of Papyrus if they’d been living together at the time. (Sans was in that young adult phase where he lived alone in a shitty apartment because he was trying to be independent)

When he’d first met Alphys, he was not ashamed to admit to having geeked out a bit. She was considered one of the greatest minds of their generation, after all. 

He’d tried to keep it to a minimum, though, (correctly) figuring that she wouldn’t have much use for him as an assistant if he was too busy with hero worship to contribute anything.

Though they’d been awkward together at first, they’d quickly warmed up to each other, and soon at least half of the new innovations exiting the lab had their roots in Sans’ ideas as much as Alph’s.

Quickly enough, they’d become best friends.

And then…

Then had come the Determination experiments.

Both Alphys and Sans had agreed it would be best not to allow the amalgamates out of the True Lab. Alphys had confined herself to her workplace, moving in a bed and her anime collection so she’d only have to leave for the occasional grocery run.

Sans had kept his status as her assistant under wraps, though, so he didn’t have to worry about being cornered by the victims’ families like she did. Papyrus had mentioned recently that he was looking for someone to go in halfsies with him on a housing lease in Snowdin, so Sans did what he did best, and ran away from his problems, packing his stuff and moving just about as far from Hotland as it was possible to get without entering the Ruins.

He and Alph stayed friends, though. When you’re the only two people who know about a catastrophic disaster like that, it kinda brings you together.

--

Sans finished his explanation with a nod to Alphys, before saying,

“and as for gaster, the only connection i’ve got to the guy is that i named an attack after him in honor of his scientific prowess,”

The room was silent for a few moments as everyone thought through his words. Suddenly, Flowey said,

“Yeah, that’s all well and good, but how did you even know about him? Everyone else forgot he ever existed!” Sans smiled secretively.

“probably the same way you do, asriel,” Let no one say he couldn’t give as good as he got. If Sans had to share his backstory, well.

Might as well take the flower down with him.

[kingdomoftyto]

Some stream-of-consciousness Delta Rune thoughts from before I went to bed last night:

While the Darkners are charming as hell and I easily got swept up in the whimsy of their world, the transition back to the Light World was deeply, deeply disturbing to me. Like, I suspected it might be a parallel/alt universe from the moment Kris woke up, but Undyne cackling "Who the hell is Alphys?" was like an actual punch to the gut. Same with Bratty and Catty not being friends. And the Guards no-homoing by the lake. I don't know where the story might lead from here, but at this point the happy little monster town feels more alien and unsettling than the Dark World.

Papyrus' glaring absence is also disturbing. INCREASINGLY so the more I think about it. Someone in the Dark World (Clover?) mentioned “spaghetti and tennis balls” at one point and it set off some alarms in my head related to this

I know Asgore deserves everything that comes to him but it's still weirdly uncomfortable seeing his life in such casual shambles

Noelle is A+. Fluffy boi is A+++.

My brain won't stop circling back to the fact that the teaser tweets mirrored the secret Lab Entry Number 17. As in, Dr Gaster. The CORE. Does the CORE (or... did he “fall into” another "machine" entirely??) have a connection with the parallel universes? Is it related to the Fountain?? I have a VERY strong hunch the two structures are connected.

Where the fuck have I seen Lancer's design before??? He looks SO. goddang. familiar.

I need to go back through the entire thing from the beginning because I didn’t beat the optional boss--I fought him once and died horribly, so i decided to move on and turn back for him right when I reached the point of no return, but I accidentally crossed it without realizing. I'll get you next time, little harlequin bastard.

Putting in the same name for both the character and yourself at the beginning causes the narrator to say, "Obviously. Obviously. Obviously. Obviously. They're the same." And I found that... incredibly unsettling. More than that intro already was to begin with

That ENDING.......... Just what the fuck. Like, 1) IS Kris actually "Chara"??? It's so unclear to me what’s going on with the goat family in this world. 2) What is all this talk of choices not mattering? What does it mean that the player controls this particular child, who was such an important and powerful and DARK entity in the first game?? 3) No seriously what the fuck??? They?? Ripped their own SOUL out???????? Why and HOW and WHAT THE F U C K

... oH I ALMOST FORGOT THE ABSOLUTELY CHILLING ELEVATOR DOOR TO HELL OUT IN THE WOODS??????? TOBY PLS

And the fact that it plays the horrendous and terrifying noise of what I think plays when viewing Entry Number 17 when you use the Cell Phone in the Dark World?????? I almost had a heart attack, then got really hype, then got just as unsettled the second time I tried it and never so much as touched that item again for the rest of the game gdhsajfds

[paddie-ut]

A Gaster Blaster’s Understanding of Love

AO3 Link

Summary:  GB loves his master and wants him to be happy. GB sees that a certain tall, furry goat monster makes his master happy and can feel it through the connection he has to his master’s soul. GB decides to take matters into his own jaws, despite not really understanding this new sort of love his master is feeling. 

(Written for the Soriel Discord’s Valentines Day Event. A retrospective of Sans’ and Toriel’s relationship through the eyes of the skeleton’s loyal weapon, and said weapon’s attempts to understand it.)

Relationships: Sans/Toriel with a little bit of Undyne and Alphys mentioned. 

Genre: Mostly Humor with a touch of Angst too

Fic Type: One Shot, Gaster Blaster POV, First Person

Rating: General (light mentions of death/the Geno run) 

Also, check Topaz’s equally adorable take on the same concept!: Tumblr AO3

Love is in a strange thing to me. At least, the kind of love that has been on my mind lately. It is not a thing that my kind get to experience for ourselves. At least, I don’t think so, there are not many of us to compare in any case… But I know about the love of friendship and the love of family. I know because I feel it through my connection to my Master’s soul, every time he experiences it. That love is simple to understand, and is good and happy. I know about the bad kind of love too, though. The LOVE that is not really love, but the opposite. The LOVE that… hurts my master. Even that is more understandable to me though, than what I experience through Master’s soul whenever he is around a certain nice lady named Tori.

But oh, I’m getting ahead of myself. I’ve learned from my master that introductions are important. My name is GB, it is short for “Gaster Blaster.” Because that is what I am, a Gaster Blaster. Master says he is lazy with names and that is why my name is simple. But I think it is really because he named me when we were both only babybones. I am… a weapon. Well, Master usually calls me a “buddy” or a “pal” but I am still a weapon too. A weapon he can call upon whenever he has need of me. It is my job to protect my Master, and use my powerful laser attack to defeat those who would cause him harm. It is a really important job, because even though Master is wonderful and great, he is also very weak. I’ve seen other monsters get hit with lots of attacks and be fine… but if Master even gets hit with one attack, like what happened with that human…

……

Sorry, I don’t like to think about that day. Or… any of those days. You see, Master may seem funny and happy, and he can be really good at being both sometimes! But most of the time… he’s actually not very happy at all. Because of the bad times with the human… Because of the other bad times with the Flower. Because of the way everyone forgets the bad times except me and Master. Because of the one who made me, who I am named for… I know my Master is hurting because I am attuned to his soul. I feel what Master feels, even when I am not summoned out from my pocket dimension. I am always with my Master, feeling what he does. And I hardly ever feel happy.

That is why I was taken aback, when Master began telling jokes with a mysterious lady behind a door. I felt a… new sort of love develop within Master. It started out feeling the same way that me and Master love his friends, like Grillby and Alphys, and I was happy for Master for making a new friend! That is very rare for him, because of the bad times. But then as time went on, the love he felt for this… “door lady.” It kept on changing, into something neither of us had felt before. A new kind of love. It still wasn’t that different from the friend kind of love yet, just a little more… exciting? secretive? Sorry if that’s vague but, understanding these kinds of things does not come easy to me.

But I did understand one thing clearly, this door lady made my Master happy. And it was the real kind of happy, not the kind he and I both fake for each other and the other people he loves. I was glad for Master that this door lady made him happy in this new way, but also confused. Me and Master love Papyrus more than anything, and that is the family love, the strongest love. But even though master never even saw the door lady, only heard her voice, that love he felt for her grew. It grew until it was stronger than the friend love, and grew more until she had somehow reached second place in Master’s soul… In a manner of speaking. It was puzzling to me, because until now, Master only loved those he could see. Now he loved someone who was just a voice, someone who wouldn’t even share her name.

Don’t get me wrong! I loved the door lady. Of course I did, I loved her just as my Master loved her. She was very funny and nice, and always good at making Master laugh. And they were real laughs, just like the real kind of happy. If I could have met the door lady while out at Master’s side, I would have given her a lot of nuzzles to say thank you! But all that didn’t mean I wasn’t still confused when Master did so much because of the door lady’s influence. He bought pasta shaped like snails, because she liked to eat snails. He started a sock collection just like the one she talked about having. He spent hours thinking of new puns to tell her. He even tried baking a pie like the ones she mentioned baking a lot! It turned out kind of lumpy and burnt, but she was still so happy when he told her about it.

My Master doesn’t usually do things like that. He is usually very demotivated and would rather sleep or slack off than do anything else. Papyrus says my Master is lazy, and maybe it’s a little true. But I know that the reason my Master doesn’t like to do things is because of the bad times making him feel… bad, even when things are not so bad. But not even the bad times stopped Master from going to see the door lady. Even when she forgot him, he would go back and start over again. That is usually one of the things that makes Master feel worst of all. I could feel that did hurt him like usual, but he still did it every time! That is what really got to me most of all. The door lady… was really important to master. He loved her with something stronger than friend love, and almost as strong as family love. A new love. It made me sad for Master, that he might never get to meet the door lady or learn her name.

But things changed after a while, because during one of the bad times, Papyrus was killed by the human. Master was… alone and not even I could hope to comfort him. He and I didn’t feel anything, not even sad really. Somehow… that feeling always feels worse than being sad though. It feels like the feeling we experience before… we both turn to dust. The only good thing about that bad time, was that we learned who the door lady was, and it was shocking! The door lady was the Queen! I am not great at remembering the story exactly, but she was the queen who used to rule with the king that my master likes to call fluffybuns. But something really bad happened, and she left to live alone behind the door. Master wasn’t as shocked as I thought he’d be to find out who the door lady was. Maybe because he was still feeling that bad empty feeling too much to care.

But even though it wasn’t the happy meeting I wanted it to be for Master, it was still a good moment when the two met for the first time. She is a tall monster covered in white fur with long ears and horns on her head. Kind of like a smaller version of the king with no golden mane. She has pretty red eyes too, at least that is what master has said to himself when he thinks no one is listening. Master learned her name was Toriel, but he always calls her Tori. She did something shocking during that meeting, she let Master stay in the place behind the door with her. They were both hurting during that bad time, but they were able to help each other. Sometimes that meant they helped each other feel the real kind of happy, but they also helped each other feel the real kind of sad too. Master’s love for her grew a lot during that bad time, and even though he wanted it to end so Papyrus would come back, it still hurt him when the time finally came. I was sad too. I missed her just as Master did.

I was still confused by it though, it was just so different from any other kind of love Master had experienced! But I was no longer skeptical after that. I wanted Master and Tori to be able to see each other again, to make them both happy, and to learn more about this new kind of love! And even though the next few bad times that came did not involve Master getting to meet Tori, not so long ago, there was finally a… well… a good time? I guess that is the best way to put it. The human finally was nice to Master and everyone else, and everyone got to go free. The surface is wonderful! I remember when Master first sent me out to enjoy the sunlight. I could have darted around through the warm, fresh, open air forever! I even fired a celebratory blast into the sky, but then Master scolded me. Don’t tell him I said this… but I still thought it was fun.

Anyway, the sun and beautiful sky aren’t the only great things that came with being freed. Master also got to meet Tori again! And it was better this time, because they weren’t as sad as before. Now she, Papyrus, Master, the human and the flower all live together in a cozy house up here. It is very different from Master’s old house, or the place where Tori used to live, but still very nice. Master and Tori spend a lot of time together now, and can do much more than just talk through a door. I even got to come out and meet Tori myself many times!

During our first meeting, I immediately darted over and gave her lots of nuzzles to say thank you for making Master happy. Also because that is what Master wanted to do, to show her that kind of affection, but didn’t for some reason. He doesn’t do a lot of things he wants to do. Oddly, he scolded me again for cuddling up to Tori, feeling very embarrassed. I don’t know why exactly, after all Tori was happy to pet me and compliment me for being so friendly. I think it has something to do with this new kind of love he feels for her. It makes Master act strangely in a lot of different ways.

But being with Tori and the others on the surface has made Master much happier now, even though he still hurts a lot over the bad times, and is scared they will come back. The human is friendly now, but me and Master are still afraid of them. One time they tried to pet me, and I growled at them, because I remembered how they had… hurt Master. Master scolded me again for this, but he is scared of the human too, so I don’t know why. I guess he wants to try and make friends with them now, so they won’t hurt everyone again. Same with the flower, but he is not as scary anymore. He cannot make the bad times come back like the human can.

Since things have been going well so far though, I decided recently to come up with a plan. I want Master to feel the real kind of happy again, as much as he can… And this new love he feels for Tori, it brings out that side of him on a consistent basis. I may not have always been able to protect Master… But I think I have a plan on how I can help him be happier.

You see, I heard something interesting during my last time out and about, when Alphys and Undyne were visiting. They mentioned that a human holiday about love was coming up soon. I know about holidays, like Gyftmas and the one when Master helped Papyrus make his favorite outfit. But this holiday was about love, and it made me think more and more about the special new love Master felt for Tori. So I decided to learn more, and followed the lizard and fish monster around for a bit after that. I am not the best hider, but I managed to keep hidden behind the couch long enough to hear the rest of their conversation, and then witness something… interesting.

The two talked about how “couples” are supposed to do things together on that day, and give each other presents. Then they leaned close and… kissed. I had seen kissing before, mostly from the two dog guards back in Snowdin, but I never gave it much thought. I thought it was just a dog thing. But seeing Undyne and Alphys kiss made me realize the truth. Kissing was something that those who were in love did. The kind of love the dog guards and the fish and lizard monster had for each other. The kind of love Master had for Tori! It made more sense, even though I still didn’t really understand it, but I saw how happy Undyne and Alphys were after they kissed. It was the real kind of happy. The really real kind of happy! That is what I want for my Master.

So on this love holiday, I am to enact my plan. I will get Master and Tori to do the kiss. That will make them both happy! And then they can be a “couple” just like Undyne and Alphys and the dogs! Even if I still don’t totally understand this mysterious new type of love, I will do this for my Master. Because he deserves to be happy, even if he doesn’t think so most of the time.

The first step of the plan is to get them together, which isn’t too hard, since they like to be together a lot. They are together right now in fact, chatting outside while Tori is collecting snails off of a tree. Probaby to eat later… The next step is to get Master to let me out of the pocket dimension. This is also rather easy, as I can will up the magic to summon myself if need be, Master must simply allow it. He does, even if he sends me a confused look for it. I float there and pretend to simply want to fly around for a bit. He still eyes me with an air of confusion but shrugs after a moment, just telling me not to wander too far before turning back to talk with Tori. I giggle to myself for my cleverness, but not out loud though. Secretly.

From there I must simply wait for the ideal moment. I circle around the two slowly, pretending to be casually enjoying the sunshine and looking away when one of them gives me a suspicious glance. It takes a while for the moment to come, and I grumble softly in impatience, but only once. Master told me patience was important after all, especially during the bad times. So it must be important in the good times too. Finally, after what feels like forever, Tori kneels down in the grass in front of Master to show him a very big snail she’s found. This is what I have been waiting for!

You see, Master is very small, and could not properly perform the kiss on Tori if she was standing at her full height. But like this, they are far closer to the same level and I can make up for the difference easily. So, using all my practiced speed and agility, I dart down behind Master in an instant and take hold of his hood in my jaws. Then, before he can do anything else, I gently pull him up and over the short necessary distance to press his face against Tori’s face, just like I saw Undyne and Alphys do! And it works perfectly! Master does not have the right kind of mouth to do the exact same thing as the other “couples” I’ve seen, but his mouth is touching hers and it looks good enough to me.

Both of them react in intense surprise, going totally stiff. This makes me confused, that isn’t the same reaction that I saw with the other kissing. They both have colorful faces now though, so that’s a good sign. Master’s face often turns blue like that when he’s around Tori, and now its bluer than ever! I purr as I hold Master there and wait to feel that wonderful new kind of love from his soul, and the real kind of happiness. But instead, right then, I only feel a little of that love, and it is mostly buried under embarrassment and shock. I suddenly feel myself being wrenched back and I drop Master out of my jaws in surprise. I realize he has taken hold of me with his magic. He isn’t looking at me, instead holding me still with one hand while franticly apologizing to Tori, sweating a lot and still very blue faced. But apologizing is only something you do when you do something bad…

Have I… made Master do something bad? Tori does not look mad, maybe surprised and even… amused? But not mad… Why was Master apologizing then? Suddenly he turns to me, and even though he’s still embarrassed, he has that look in his eye, the look that means I’m in trouble… and I feel a spark of anger from him. All my excitement for my plan disappears and I just feel bad and embarrassed like Master. In a moment of panic, I use all my strength to tear myself away from his magic and dart for the house. I don’t want to face the harsh scolding, especially if what I did was enough to make Master this embarrassed. Master will be even more disappointed in me for running away, but I can’t help it. I just feel too bad to stay.

The door is still open, so I fly into the house and duck behind the couch, shivering shamefully. I can still feel Master’s embarrassment, even though the distance I put between us has lessened our connection. I lay there and whine softly, even though I am not supposed to do that now that I am not a babybones. I know Master will come after me and be angry, and now that I am alone I fully realize the potential cost of my actions. I hate it when Master is upset with me… I hate when I make Master upset instead of happy. It is very rare that I do, but it hurts every time. Master has enough to be sad and hurt about, I hate being the cause of anything more. If I was more honorable I would return to Master and take my scolding like a proper blaster. But I feel too bad to do anything, so I just stay where I am and shiver.

Master and Tori do not come back in for a long time, and I stay hidden behind the couch. I begin to wonder if I have messed up really bad, like when I accidentally flew through the window to get inside our new house instead of waiting by the door like I am supposed to. They stay out so long that the sun goes down, and i can feel the magic used to summon me waning. Soon I will be stuck back in the pocket dimension, and maybe Master will be so angry at me once the embarrassment goes away that he will not allow me out ever again. I whine sadly at that thought, feeling as though I had failed my Master yet again.

But then I notice something, in the weakened connection I still have to Master’s soul, I do not feel much of that embarrassment anymore. It’s still there, but faint, and instead, that new love is there again and a touch of happiness. I float up off the floor a bit, caught up in the idea that maybe my plan hadn’t totally failed after all. As I do though, I feel all those feelings grow stronger and stronger, until suddenly I hear the sound of footsteps approaching from outside. I yelp and retreat back further by instinct, listening with renewed shivering as Master and Tori enter and shut the door behind them.

Apparently my hiding skills were not as good as I thought, because Master called me out in no time at all.

“i know you’re back there gb.” He says, in a surprisingly not angry voice. “come on out.”

I let out a whine of defeat, but accept my fate and drift over the couch to settle on the cushions in front of Master. Even though he looks and feels not angry, I still feel as though he will scold me and avert my gaze with shame. But Master is suddenly petting my muzzle, and I feel him restore my magic levels again. Blinking, I look up at him in surprise.

“it’s okay buddy.” Master says to me, grinning weakly. “i think… i get what you were trying to do.”

I perk up at that, tilting my head with curiosity. Only then do I notice Tori at Master’s side, and how close they are standing to each other. It makes me wonder what happened between them after I left. They don’t look that embarrassed anymore, in fact, they both look happy, as Master soul tells me so. Maybe… I didn’t mess up as badly as I thought?

“I suppose we should thank him in a way though, should we not?” Tori says, smiling at Master.

He looks at her with an expression I don’t quite understand, but I feel another spark of that new love from his soul. So I think it is a good expression, even if his face turns a little blue again before looking back at me.

“yah… thanks gb. but don’t ever do anything like that again, got it?”

I nod quickly, enough to shake the couch a little. I am still confused on whether I did a good or bad thing. Maybe it was a little of both… But that is also confusing. Nonetheless, I am just happy not to be scolded and I will be sure to keep Master’s words in mind for the future. Tori giggles a bit for some reason, maybe at the way I shook the couch… Then she leans down to give me a pet as well.

“Thank you, my friend” Tori says to me in her soft, nice voice. “Your actions were not ideal, but they were the kiss-centive we both needed to finally figure things out between us.”

Her words confuse me a bit, especially that one weird word. I guess that it was probably one of those “puns” Master and her love so much. But I understand that she’s happy and praising me, so I rumble with a deep purr.

Then Master and Tori sit on either side of me, easier since I shrank a little in size from the earlier lack of magic. Then they lay their hands over top of my muzzle. As I watch, they move their hands over to each other and interlock their fingers, Master’s small, bony fingers fitting snugly between Tori’s big furry ones. I recognize the action! It is not a kiss… but it still something I have seen “couples” do. And in that moment, I feel that new love from Master more than ever before, warming us both to our cores. With it comes a rush of that real happiness, just as wonderful to feel from him as I had hoped for. I purr louder, eye sockets narrowing a bit in contentment, and they both respond with quiet laughter.

I may not fully understand this new kind of love Master feels for Tori. But with the happiness that I can feel mixing with it within Master’s soul, I know it’s definitely something I can get used to. I have helped make my Master happy, not to mention Tori as well! And that is more than enough for me.

[advocatewrites-blog]

Into the Unknown Part 3 Chapter 2

Into the Unknown

Fandom: Undertale, Coraline (book), Over the Garden Wall, Paranorman, Gravity Falls (season 2)

Characters: Frisk, Norman B., Dipper P., Mabel P., Coraline J., Wirt, Greg, the Cat, the Frog; Sans, Toriel, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, Asgore,; the Other Mother, the Beast, Agatha P., Bill Cipher, Asriel D., Chara D.,

Pairings: Not the focus. Alphys/Undyne, with mentions of Papyrus/Mettaton, sans/Toriel/Asgore, and Wirt/Sara. Due to the nature of Undertale and the dating segments, there is also interpretable Papyrus/Wirt, Undyne/Mabel, Alphys/Dipper, Napstablook/Norman, Mettaton/Norman, Mettaton/Mabel, Sans/Dipper, Sans/Norman, and Sans/Greg.

Rated a high +K for violence, mild language, horrific elements that may be disturbing to younger readers,  mentions of child abuse and bullying, character death that is sometimes permanent, and mentions of suicide that may be triggering. These elements remain relatively unchanged from their source material, which most all are for children, but discretion is advised nonetheless.

Disclaimer: Undertale was created and owned by Toby Fox. Coraline was created by Neil Gaiman and owned by Bloomsbury and Laika. Over the Garden Wall was created by Patrick McHale and owned by Cartoon Network. Paranorman was created by Sam Fell and Chris Butler and owned by Laika. Gravity Falls was created by Alex Hirsch and owned by Disney. Any other work mentioned or homage are property of their respective owners. This is a fan-made, nonprofit work that only seeks to entertain. Please support the original franchises.

Start from beginning / Previous chapter / Next chapter

Chapter 2

It became clear quickly that Mrs. Babcock was not the only ghost in Blithe’s Hollow. Just stepping out the door, Frisk found themselves in a world of people surrounding in green auras. Most were human. Most wore the signs they carried with them when they died, from skin worn with age or necks still connected to the nooses that hung them. All saw Frisk staring at them and greeted them with a smile and a handshake, especially as Mrs. Babcock approached them.

Most also saw Mrs. Babcock and changed their tone to the kind adults used when they though children couldn’t hear them. Mrs. Babcock responded back and changed her tone to the kind adults used when they were done discussing something and wanted to end the conversation as politely as possible. There was only one person Mrs. Babcock bothered to stop and have a conversation with.  It was another ghost that probably was as old as Mrs. Babcock when she died, but her body was far more wrung and frail.

Frisk did not pay attention to the entire conversation. They changed their tone to the kind adults use and children recognize as not worth their time to eavesdrop. Besides, they had found a ghost dog.

There was a skeleton outside the door of the Ruins. This did not surprise Norman as much as he thought it would. Skeletons were more likely to be monsters than flowers or goats. The skeleton was not as scary as he should be, either. No cracks in the skull, or guts spilling from the ribcage…he was even wearing a turtleneck underneath his hoodie.

The skeleton monster actually seemed to be more surprised by Norman than Norman was of him. A world of emotions passed behind the skeleton’s rather expressive eyesockets before Norman could really put together what he was seeing. By the time Norman found himself able to talk again, the skeleton had beat him to it.

“just one of you this time, huh?”

“Uh…yes?”

“great. let’s see if we can’t get one of those other lamps to work for ya.”

In a lot of ways, Frisk could understand why Monsterkind held the Dump in such high regard. After all, where else would the anime end up? It was the only way they had left to see what was happening on the Surface.

What they could not understand was how one managed to live in a house and a dump simultaneously. Even the old house by Blook Acres was in better condition than the one Mrs. Babcock led them to. It sat on the edge of town, far enough away that nobody would think to find it. It barely stood on its own; wood beams falling off and tarps replaced roofing.

Mrs. Babcock appeared to have the same reservations Frisk did. She appeared for just her moment to wrinkle her nose at the things she could not smell, before looking down at Frisk and giving them an encouraging nod.

Frisk summoned their determination and knocked on the door.

There was an audible thud as the occupant jumped at the sound.

“Who’s there!” A grizzle voice called from inside. “I’m warning you, I already withstood a hummus attack! I’m made of steel!”

“Calm down, John, it’s just us!” said Mrs. Babcock.

There was a moment of silence. The door creaked open. Two bright blue eyes, virturally hidden under thick black eyebrows, stared at the two.

“Elaine,” the occupant said. “Never thought you’d be here.”

“Well, never thought I would need to come in,” said Mrs. Babcock. “Now would you let us in? We’ll catch our death out here.”

The eyes drifted down to Frisk. “And what’s that?”

Frisk waved.

“I literally just had a stroke; I don’t have time for this…thing!”

“Listen,” said Mrs. Babcock. “I know how you feel about me, but you’re the only one left who can help them out. I mean look at them! They’re not even Norman’s age yet!”

The blue eyes focused on Frisk closer. The door swung open, revealing the face and body attached. The occupant looked just as old and ghastly as Mrs. Babcock did. The only thing that stopped Frisk from thinking he was a ghost was the lack of green air about him.

“They can see you,” said the man.

“Yes,” said Mrs. Babcock. “We don’t know how yet, but it has to do something with Norman.”

“And where is Norman?” The man asked.

Mrs. Babcock fell silent at that. Both eyes were on Frisk.

Frisk signed gone with a hesitant shrug.

The man looked towards Mrs. Babcock for confirmation.

“Whatever they did to end up here, they think it sent Norman back,” said Mrs. Babcock. “We need your help.”

The man stopped his staring only to dissolve in a fit of coughs that did not sound like they were natural. “I don’t have any time left. If Norman’s gone…then you’ll do.”

Frisk found themself being pulled up into the air and carried into the house. They were put on a desk before they could complain. A book was thrust into their arms.

“At sunset tonight, take this to the place where the Witch is buried,” The man collapsed into another coughing fit. He fell to the floor, and then he stopped moving altogether.

Before they could move, a fog of green formed where the man had stood.

“Ya got that, kid?” The man asked.

Frisk nodded.

“Good! The world’s counting on you! I’m free!”

The house lit up as the ghost of Mr. Prenderghast laid itself to rest.

When monsters died, their bodies turned to dust. Their souls shattered. There was no real mess to have to take care of. Frisk wished they did not know that.

Humans were different. They realized that as they stared at the body.

“He’s the groundskeeper for the cemetery; he’s bound to have made some sort of arrangement,” said Mrs. Babcock, though Frisk could tell she was mostly talking to herself. “You shouldn’t have to be the one to call him in, kid. They’ll find him eventually.”

Frisk had not thought of that yet. Their attention was on the book that had been shoved in their arms. It was even older than the man, and resembled more one of the books Aunti Whispers had. They opened it up, and were surprised to find illustrations inside. Gorgeous pictures, only slightly diminished by the age of the book, of princes and princesses. The page showed the most signs of use, with dog-eared corners and notes scribbled in runes and chicken-scratch notes that Frisk could not read if they tried. It took Frisk some time to figure out the fancy calligraphy of the title: The Tale of Sleeping Beauty.

They switched the book for the notebook and asked Mrs. Babcock where the cemetery was.

“YOU’VE TAUGHT ME A LOT, HUMAN. I HEREBY GRANT YOU PERMISSION TO PASS THROUGH! “ said Papyrus. “AND I’LL GIVE YOU DIRECTIONS TO THE SURFACE! CONTINUE FORWARD UNTIL YOU REACH THE END OF THE CAVERN. THEN, WHEN YOU REACH THE CAPITOL, CROSS THE BARRIER. THAT’S THE MAGICAL SEAL TRAPPING US ALL UNDERGROUND. ANYTHING CAN ENTER THROUGH IT, BUT NOTHING CAN EXIT…EXCEPT SOMEONE WITH A POWERFUL SOUL.”

“Like me?” Norman asked.

“ LIKE YOU!!!” said Papyrus. “THAT’S WHY THE KING WANTS TO AQUIRE A HUMAN. HE WANTS TO OPEN THE BARRIER WITH SOUL POWER. THEN US MONSTERS CAN RETURN TO THE SURFACE! OH, I ALMOST FORGOT TO TELL YOU…

“TO CROSS THE BARRIER, YOU WILL HAVE TO PASS…THROUGH THE KING’S CASTLE. THE KING OF ALL MONSTERS…ASGORE DREEMURR.”

A chill ran up Norman’s back, and he was sure it was not because of the chill of Snowdin. Papyrus’ tone had shifted in a way Norman did not think possible from the happy skeleton.

“HE’S…WELL…HE’S A BIG FUZZY PUSHOVER!” said Papyrus. “EVERYBODY LOVES THAT GUY! I AM CERTAIN IF YOU JUST SAY…’EXCUSE ME, MR. DREEMURR, CAN I PLEASE GO HOME?’ HE’LL GUIDE YOU RIGHT TO THE BARRIER HIMSELF! ANYWAY!!! THAT’S ENOUGH TALKING!!! I’LL BE AT HOME BEING A COOL FRIEND!!!”

Papyrus moved back towards his house in a pattern Norman could not describe with words, laughing along the way. It took Norman a bit longer to process what Papyrus had said and move again.

He would have to fight the King of All Monsters. He was willing to bet it would not be as easy as Papyrus had been.

The new area started abruptly, like he had just stepped into a doorway into another room. It was vastly different than Snowdin, with bare cave walls and an uncomfortable humidity that had him tugging at his jacket.

“hey kid.”

Sans sat at another checkpoint station that looked remarkably like his old one, even down to the snow on the roof. For just a moment, Norman tried to figure out why it was there and how it hadn’t melted yet.

“thinkin’ of headin’ to grillby’s. wanna join me?”

Norman was about to decline when he realized the last decent thing he had to eat was the Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie, and that was a long time ago. If he was going to get close to the King of All Monsters, he would have to eat something.

“Uh, sure…”

“great. c’mon, i know a shortcut.”

It did not really feel like it took them long to get to the cemetery. It felt a lot longer to Frisk.

The Cat was there waiting for them. He rushed to Frisk in a move that looked a lot more like he wanted to get his paws off the damp earth rather than greet them, growled at Mrs. Babcock as the specter took shape, and jumped up onto Frisk’s shoulders. Never once did he speak. Frisk was not sure if they should expect him to, since he only spoke when there was no one else to listen, but it was strange nonetheless. They would have preferred another voice.

It did not take them long to find the graves that Mr. Prenderghast was talking about. It was sunset, time to read the story.

They opened up to the book to the heavily marked paged and looked up. What were they supposed to do? Read it aloud? They knew their voice was not going to work, even if they tried.

“What is it that you’re doing?” The Cat asked.

They didn’t exactly have time to explain. They held the book up for him the way they would their notebook.

“I really don’t read your language unless it’s you trying to say something,” said the Cat. “And I would prefer not to unless you tell me what’s going on.”

Frisk turned around. Mrs. Babcock was not there to read it for them.

The sun dipped below the horizon, and sets of skeletal hands shot from the ground.

Norman was not entirely sure how they had gotten to the bar, only that they were as they turned the corner.

“pretty neat shortcut, huh?” sans asked.

Norman did not have time to answer. Everyone in the bar had taken to greeting sans. He followed sans sheepishly towards the bar and took one of the stools.

“so what sounds good, kid?”

“Uh…a burger?”

“alright. grillz, two orders of burg.”

The bartender, who looked like his entire body was made of fire, gave the two a scrutinizing look before disappearing into the back.

“so, kid…”

The atmosphere of the bar grew heavy.

“do you know anything about a talking flower?”

Author’s Note: I am unusually proud of that anime line. That is the best thing I have ever written.

[funsizedkola]

Activation

Summary: The power to bring great change does not always guarantee the ability to last long. And sometimes, it pays to be prepared.

Charcters: Frisk (Reader), Chara

Warnings: Mentions of death and violence.

This is my entry for @bonelynomore‘s 500 Followers Celebration Contest! It’s an idea I’ve had for a while now. Not really original since I’ve found out about one or two other works that considered this, but I decided to give my own take nonetheless. :D

There’s a difference between death from a monster and death from a human. Both are unpleasant in their own ways, but at least the pain is felt in a different way. When you’re HP goes down to zero, you feel your entire self shatter and disappear from reality itself, to another place that you’re not sure is entirely real or a figment of your imagination before you hear the words of a grieved king begging you to continue.

While you had sought death when you fell down, you did not think that you would go through it multiple times.

Nor did you expect to have been able to get used to the feeling. It’s funny how you’ve become more confident in facing perilous situations when the power to turn back time is in your grasp.You’d be lying if you said you weren’t tempted to take it to the next level, to really go back and see how the story can change.

After all, the real person in control is you, no longer the flower who was humbled into letting you take the reigns of deciding the fate of Monsterkind after finally remembering what it’s like to have a soul of your own.

But no matter what suggestions were whispered in your ear, no matter what actions you found yourself carrying out like a marionette crafted for destruction, knowing what taking a life is like from both perspectives pushed you into retelling the story once again, to face your fears of going back to the Surface and tread on unfamiliar territory once again.

It was difficult to ignore the RESET button with every threat and obstacle that would appear in the way of the happy ending that you worked for. It was a worry that you couldn’t talk to many people about. And the ease you thought you had about the many times your soul shattered eventually came back to haunt you in the form of nightmares, along with the memories of what you were once compelled to do. How could you explain this to your adoptive mother or father who have seen and lived through too much than they would of wished for?

You tried looking for Flowey whenever you felt the need to go back to the mountain and just take comfort in the familiar territory of the hidden kingdom, but the only golden flowers you’ve found were the silent blossoms that adorned the throne room of your father and the grave of the first child him and the previous queen had accepted from outside their race. If he really ever wished to see you again, no doubt he would question whether you had better things to do.

In the end the person you could most confide in was Sans, and even then you knew there were lines you had to carefully avoid crossing. He always smiled, but as you learned from even in your first venture to the king, that didn’t always mean that he was happy. Still, the times you ended up venting your fears and reoccurring memories that frightened you even back when it was from a timeline of assumed peace seemed to help him accept you as what you forgot what you always were and may always be. A kid. And while he hardly revealed much about himself aside from a look at a secret lab harboring pictures and confusing blueprints and a covered up machine, you felt that in his own way he has opened up to you.

But then again sometimes you can’t always been sure when it comes to that enigma of a comedian. But you were fine with that.

Because that’s something you’re learning to live with. The fact that not everything will be okay through and through, and that not everyone is willing to to like who you are or what they perceive you to be.

After all! With friends like these-

“-shooter has been apprehended and taken into custody, but the real worry-”

-who needs-

“-condition is critical despite efforts to save the life of-”

-enemies.

…

…

…

“I-It’s gonna be alright Frisk. W-We’ll take c-c-care of you! N… No matter what. T-Things will turn out okay… hopefully…”

…

…

…

Here’s the thing about experiencing death at the hands of a human. It in no way feels pleasant or surreal. There’s no magic, no real connection to the soul until you’ve bleed enough. It hurts too much and also feels so cold when you’re feeling more of the ground you’ve fallen upon and the bullet that pierced into you’re chest, feeling more strain from your physical heart rather than the soul that will soon shatter and disappear out of sight from the many eyes looking upon you’re body as yours slowly close in slumber, like they once had long ago when you’ve intentionally fallen down the mountain.

It feels worse than any previous death you’ve ever gone through.

Whiteness.

What once was pitch black had subtly shifted into shades of grey before soon enough light had surrounded you. It was… different than you expected. You were used to the black void that would engulf you whenever you were on your way to the other side, but perhaps… this is what awaits you when you can no longer prolong your lifespan.

Not really what you’re used to… But it’s not bad.

… Wait.

Mom. Undyne. Papyrus. What happened to-

*They are fine.

…

You know that voice.

* … Greetings.

You could feel them. Like you had before when you were young, but somehow you were even more aware of their presence. How you felt that they were behind you. Turning around, your shoulders tensed in case you had to be ready. If you had to stand defiant against those red eyes that once has been covered in black matter that would drip down their rosy cheeks.

Those eyes met yours… with a shimmer to them.

* You. Idiot.

* Chara…

* Admittedly, you went pretty far this run. You turned, what, eighteen this year? Ready to go to college and everything, right?

* It’s… really you.

* Maybe you can say I Told You So with how you only needed to rely on SAVES and LOADS, but that doesn’t change the fact that YOU STILL-

* [ACT] Hug

They stiffened in your arms, frozen as tears soon dropped onto your shoulder, a show that they are currently not the demon that had been ready to erase the world. It didn’t take long for them to hug you back. The last time you two were face to face, you both had the appearances of children no older than eight that nonetheless had at least one point held what seemed to be the weight of the world in your hands.

But now their outward age seemed to mirror yours, a reflection on how a decade passed since that fateful day that spanned multiple timelines.

* How come I can see you again…?

A choked attempt to speak was muffled in your shoulder before they took a deep breath before stepping back a few steps. Their eyes had a hard look to them that reminded you of one your mother gave you a few times.

* Because you are now nearly like me.

It took you a couple of seconds… but it soon dawned on you. At your realization they looked away, their bangs now shadowing their expression.

The only reply needed to confirm this was a slow nod.

… It finally happened. You couldn’t reach the LOAD button in time. The chance to escape death was no longer there. And now you’re on the other side of the door that can no longer stay unlocked for you to return to your life. Hands tightened on Chara��s arms as the will to stay upright wavered. Staggering, you stumbled forth until your head rested against their chest, overcome with shock. Their grasp on you adjusted until it felt like they were shielding you, arms around a no longer physical body.

* ……… And everyone else?

* …. They are alive. They apprehended the one who shot you.

Trembling now as reality continued sinking in, you felt yourself being lowered until the both of you were on your knees, what is seemingly the ground beneath you feeling like suspended air that sent more of a chill across your entire being.

* The doctors tried saving you… but your body failed before they could do anything.

Your family is alive. They are not in danger. They’re safe. Over and over again you chanted that to yourself, as if that would be enough to satisfy you. But the memory of your final death had you drawing in haggard breaths as you remembered the last eyes you looked at being the frantic look of that man who just needed to walk up to you with a concealed gun behind their back in a matter of seconds before pulling the trigger.

Tears of your own dampened Chara’s sweater as you began to giggle hysterically. After all you went through, it just took one act, not even a FIGHT, to prevent you from relying on your determination soon enough.

* Going against humans is not like FIGHTing monsters. The connection to your soul is not as strong. Not as aware. And thus all the more deadly. If he decided to target someone else maybe you would of had the time to LOAD. But since he went for you…

As usual they were telling the truth in a matter of fact way of speaking, even if the edge to their voice betrayed their true thoughts. Taking a deep breath to attempt to calm yourself, you sat down as you pulled away a bit. Shoulders slumped, you just stared at your knees that were covered by denim and brightly colored patches of fabric that had been sewn onto them. You remembered when you decided to add them onto your jeans on a whim when tears appeared from the result of rambunctious adventures with your family.

*…. I didn’t know how far I would be able to go… or that if the end would arrive at all…

Silence is all that could follow after that. It was eerie the lack of noise that surround the two humans who at points in time were so crucial to the history and futures of monsters and humans alike. Strangely enough, if you concentrated enough you could hear the sound of… beeping… Brow furrowing, your head tilted as if to crane your ear towards the noise.

* Alphys and Sans made sure to contain your soul before it shattered. That’s why you have not fully crossed over yet.

Eyes widening, you snapped your neck up to look back at your once deemed partner. A cross between frustration and relief showed through their frown and creased brow.

* On one hand I can see why they would not want to give up on you. But on the other hand I don’t see how they can fix you.

As if their words were clearing the fog, you could feel yourself suspended in the air, yet surrounded by something… solid. Something that felt… secure. Is this how those previous children that were killed felt when their souls were contained in those glass containers? You gave a wry smile as you gave a small shake of your head. And you thought you were supposed to be the determined one. It didn’t last though as you took thought to this situation.

The body your soul was in could no longer be used. So as far as you can see, the only option is to either stay in the hands of your well meaning friends or…

* How is it like?

* …?

* Being dead.

At that question they raised an eyebrow before pursing their lips and shrugging.

* Honestly I am not entirely sure yet. I did not… let myself fully pass on. At first I was too tied to my own grave to even go beyond the Barrier until you came around. After that…

* … Were you waiting for me?

* No! I just- You couldn’t- There was-

Pinching the bridge of their nose, they took a moment to collect themselves. You bit back the urge to laugh a bit at how flustered they looked until a wavering look pierced you again.

* I wanted to see if you were right. In continuing what you claimed was the Best Ending for everyone. If you and everyone else would be… better off without me.

* … You and Asriel could of joined us. I wouldn’t of minded.

The sigh they gave showed they believed otherwise.

* You know that even as Flowey he wouldn’t be able to face mother and father again with how you have proven us wrong. And someone had to look after him. He’s hopeless on his own.

So they gave him company… that was a relief. At least they had their best friend. You quietly gave your thanks before receiving a look of ‘Of course, what else would I have done???’ That made you laugh for a short moment before feeling solemn again.

Here sat two fallen humans that had their souls slip from the realm of the living, with neither having yet to pass on to the true end of death. It was comforting that you were not alone. Were you ready to see if the both of you can make that leap to follow those six children that had accepted peace when the Barrier was destroyed?

That… you were not certain of yet.

* How much did you see outside the Underground?

* … Parts of it.

* I guessed as much. You want me to tell you all about it?

For the first time since you were reunited with them, they smiled with more of a glimmer to their eyes.

* Why not. We have all the time we could need for now.

It was hard to tell how much time had passed. What little you could feel on the surroundings of where your soul is being kept didn’t even have the sound of a ticking clock. But you felt like you would be going nowhere for the time being, so you relaxed some more and told Chara as much as you could remember.

How scary it was to finally move forward without knowing what could happen next. How monsters and humans made history together with you in the center. Balancing being an ambassador and a kid that still had to turn in math homework on time and still managed to break records on flirting one friendship at a time. The joy you felt at seeing the dreams of your friends come true one by one (Mom being a teacher with Dad as the school’s gardener, Papyrus finally riding the convertible of his dreams, knowing that Sans was grinning like never before as you both looked at the stars, Alphys making breakthroughs in science with her supportive girlfriend becoming a police officer to be envied, and so much more) and how that made you feel more at peace with your decision.

It felt so good to finally talk about everything to someone, no walls needed to be put up for the sake of keeping secrets. The feeling that a weight had been lifted off your chest when you confessed about the nightmares and inner struggles of what kept haunting you. And Chara listened with hardly any fuss, aside from looks of guilt that they hide by looking away, the two of you having moved to sit side by side.

That isn’t to say that there weren’t tears. Sometimes you could not help but get choked up at how it finally is over. All you’ve done and paved the way for the sake of your friends and family has now reach the end for how much you can influence with your own two hands. It was hard to accept, yet so relieving, yet so guilt inducing at how much relief you felt.

* Normally I would be alright with this… But now you are reminding me too much of how big of a crybaby Asriel was.

You could only respond with a watery laugh as you wiped away the new set of tears you shed. By now the two of you were holding hands to help ground one another. Chara did not talk much about themselves, but you can figure out by now that it was hard for them too. They had their own burdens to bear as well with being the shell of a once alive human that is vulnerable to turn from a wandering ghost to a menacing demon with only the emotions of what is left of their soul to guide them.

* … I still don’t know if I want to go yet. I know I can try seeing what it would be like but…

* … Yeah… I still don’t know if I’m ready yet.

Another episode of silence proceeded as the two of you pondered over everything that had been said and done.

* Flowey still needs someone looking after him.

*Well I suddenly found myself with a lot of free time.

* You are still stuck in containment.

* I’ll find a way out. I’m DETERMINED to.

“N-Now Sans!”

You made a show of puffing out your chest which only made Chara roll their eyes.

* Well at least you are finally more like yourself.

* Give me a break, it takes a while to get used to the fact that I might as well be dead.

That silenced them before they nudged you.

* A bit of advice. Even I have trouble accepting it sometimes.

* Oh, great. Thanks for the heads up.

That sparked more chuckles that grew into full blown laughter. Oh how surreal it feels to know that it will never feel real again. You feel back onto the ground as you embraced this feeling of ironic humor as the laughter just grew louder and louder. Till you were on the verge of hysterics as the buzzing in your center tickled some more, like a physical hand trying to grab hold-

Gasping. You were gasping now. You were feeling death once again, but feeling life as well, the whiteness you’ve been staring that was above, at all angles, darkening back to that black, black setting that reminded you of when you died more times than you could remember as a child-

* Frisk?!

Chara, they’re still here, looking down at you in fear like before, causing you to feel scared as well, whywhywhywhy-

“-mon kid, c’mon, we’re rootin’ for you-”

A change went over their expression, one of utter shock and disbelief as they froze. They whipped their head to the side as if looking at something before turning back, eyes hard and showing hardening will that had you wondering if you ever looked like that before. Hands gripped on your shoulders as their drew in closer.

* Stay. Determined.

You were trembling once again, unsure of how you can do such a thing when like this. As if reading your thoughts, Chara’s expression softened.

* It will be fine. You know why Frisk?

Tear once again threatening to burst forth, you managed to hold onto their wrists in an attempt to calm yourself.

* W-Why?

A smile then overtook their expression, matching their rosy dimples and eyes that also were welling up with tears.

* Because it’s not over for you yet.

You then finally heard it. Voices. Pleads for you to come back. To turn around and return to them. Feeling tears drop onto your cheeks, the pull that tugged you away from this place felt more like a hand guiding you, like how one person would show you around a new world that you would call home.

And with that, you smiled as well.

* You better come back to us.

Because this moment…

* Because someone really cares about you too.

fills you with…

D E T E R M I N A T I O N

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

You weren’t sure that you were alive.

It felt a bit more like you were… tied to something. But it can’t be your body. It felt too stiff to be one. Too… cumbersome?

You try turning your head… Still feels weird.

When you finally open your eyes, you see gray. Gray with a shine to it. Lit up by fluorescent lights. Okay. This is certainly not the white void. But… was it normal to suddenly see a close up of the ceiling? Wait… your vision is backing away from it now.

Zoom in.

Zoom out.

Zoom in.

Zoom out.

What.

As if realization sunk in, you jerked into an immediate upright position. Posters. Motivational posters with bad puns on them. (Donut give up? Really?)

You look down. It looked like you wearing a plain shirt and pair of yoga pants over grey… arms… and legs…

It was too much. Swinging your suddenly strong (metallic, robotic, artificial) legs over the cot onto the floor, you froze before pushing yourself to stand before stumbling. Managing to reach what looked like an IV pole, you grabbed onto it before you could fall over. Before hearing a crunch and seeing that your fingers (plated, shiny, overpowered) have ended up bending it in your grasp. You could only look at it in numbed shock before sinking down onto the linoleum floor.

That was a good word. Numb. You felt numb all over.

* I guess Alphys did not have enough time to paint your new body.

A yelp echoed the empty room as you nearly let yourself collapse from all this insanity.

* Calm down. I’m still here. And you are still alive. Technically.

“W-What do you mean technically?”

* The only thing about this body that is you is your soul, which has managed to possess this vessel. Like Mettatton. They found a way for you to be corporeal.

“… They built me a robot body… an actual… robot… body…”

Something on your arm caught your eye. Bringing it up to your optics, you noticed an engraving on it.

Functional Relief Invulnerable Soul Keeper

“… FRISK.”

* Wonder how long it took them to get that acronym.

You noticed that you could hear distant footsteps and the drag of a tail that sounded a lot like a certain ex-Royal Scientist, along with the softened trail of someone wearing soft shoes that you could swear were slippers.

The fact that you could hear them from a farther distance despite the closed door that they were heading towards just added more and more questions that you will be able to ask. An airy laugh that had an electric echo to it escaped and you slumped once again on the floor, this time in acceptance. Because as far as life changing events go…

Creak

“… F-Frisk…?”

… this is one you can certainly live with.

Raising your head to meet the eyes of your family again, you gave your best bewildered smile while giving a wave.

“So… should I say thanks for giving me a hand, or for an entire body?”