#if toriel let them die she would be helping asgore's purposes.

[everysongineverykey]

some guy commented on my narrator + toriel fic saying "well the narrator's done some questionable stuff once or twice but he's not the one who let SIX children DIE just to SPITE her ex-husband" lmaoooo bro did you even play undertale? you can just say you have no reading comprehension it's okay

[justanechoflower]

*Thinks for a moment then gets an idea. poofs in front of Chara wearing granny clothes* (Mrs doubtfire voice) Listen to Conner dear, Creator!Conner knows… You got to get ur mind off all dis violence. *touches Chara’s head and we poof into a nice comforting room* (normal voice and no more granny clothes) Heres a sure fire way to help smooth things out with you my dear chara. *twirls my sword* A HEAPING HELPING OF OF FAMILY THERAPY MAGIC!~ *swings sword and it sends of glitters. each glitter poofs into something. Comfy couch, box of chocolates. candy bowl. hot chocolate maker. vase of golden flowers on a desk. and a chair next to the couch with pillow and blankets* Now let the HEALING BEGIN! *snaps fingers and i poof into the chair wearing glasses and having pen in paper. Chara now in the comfy therapy chair* Tell me about your childhood SHARE with us young one. uwu

Chara: *laughs, entertained by the act* Let us ignore that whole fairy godmother thing for this moment. *sighs as she sits up to grab a choccy from the mini table and gets herself comfortable* I suppose I could start from the surface. It was never nice up there. There was always conflict, drama, anger, violence, disagreements, and peaceful moments barely last. But even then I was always alone. I had no friends, and nor did I want to associate myself with others. There are… other events, but I never tell anyone. Not even Asriel. There is some information one would rather keep private.

Humanity is disgraceful and I could not bear it anymore. So I ran away. That is where Mt. Ebott came in. No one had ever come back from there, so I went off of that and Asriel found me. At first I was weary, but we gradually became best friends. My only friend. And I was Asriel only one too. Toriel and Asgore adopted me and… we were all happy. It felt like they were my actual family. Monsters are so nice with lots of personality and try to stay happy, even if they are trapped underground. The funniest part is how they want to go to the surface. Of course, I didn’t have the heart to tell them what it is really like.

*helps herself to another chocolate* Eventually me and Asriel decided to do that plan with the buttercups, which I thought work but… he refused to hurt anyone even as the humans killed us. Haha... *Chara clenches her fist, making a sound behind her teeth somewhere in between a whimper and a laugh* Everyone knows that story though so I do not think I need to explain more.

Later on I came back as a ghost through frisk and met Flowey, but did not know who he was at first. Of course, at the end of Frisk’s first Pacifist run I was shocked. My one friend had become a human. *light chuckle* Not literally. Mentally. And that hit me hard. I was reincarnated during one of the resets when I came in contact with anons. I am not talking about now- I was here before too for a little while. I looked at monsters suffering and the prophecy about the angel of death. Monsters wished for freedom so bad they would die to get out of this world… so I went on and took as many lives I could to ‘free’ them. At one point I lost the purpose and started aimlessly killing, taking Flowey with me to help. I am not so proud of that anymore, and Asriel, or rather Flowey, is still sick in the head. Which is why he deserves punishment.

Fastforward to after being banished to the void after some crazy stuff I do not want to explain, and I am here. There. My life’s story, otherwise known as childhood.

(I am terribly sorry for your face. I meant to make it goofy, but the eyes didn’t look too good and I had to do it over digitally and even so it looks iffy so please forgive me lol)

[thethrillof]

start of a weird bug tank au hollow knight/undertale crossover thing b/c i am embracing self indulgence! fuck it!

warning for the hollow knight being an absolute wreck and death-related stuff

Do not think.

It fails. The situation is beyond anything it has encountered, has heard of, was warned of.

Do not speak.

It cannot. If it tried, it would choke on meticulous lifetime habit and Her infection. The last words it has heard, shaking its tiny body, meant nothing.

Do not feel.

It does. Terror. Confusion. Terror increasing, in that the confusion does not belong solely to it and that is horribly new.

Do not hope.

That is simple enough. It knows not what could be hoped for, here.

The Hollow Knight drips infection across the strange white cloth beneath it, legs curled stiffly to avoid pressing against the glass wall of its prison.

The holes eaten away in its chest, stomach, and arm are no longer agonizing. Another creature had taken care of that.  Perhaps several. They had been moved between multiple hands. The details were lost in the haze of Her rage; all but the hands each being more than the length of its body. It had nearly fallen. It had tried to fall. Do not feel, do not feel, do not feel.

It is so tired.

She is not enraged. She is not screaming. She is waiting behind its eyes, panic stabbing through its body in a burning rhythm.

She directs its head without care. Face aimed to the side, it can see more than a white blur from above, a pink stripe along the floor outside. A creature, waiting across an abyss.

She unfurls its body. Her chanting direction of slaughter, unceasing for years, is now silent.

The distant creature lies still.

It recalls an impression of what must have been eyes, golden brown, staring into the clear cell intensely.

The creature is not watching now. Quiet. Sleeping.

Its body moves. It resists now that it has space to do so, leaving its single arm uselessly resting against the branch in the center of the cell.

…When had the other been lost?

Do not think. It gives Her purchase.

The stump that is left flares with a memory of its shape, and She grasps the branch, begins to drag its body upward. The Temple contained them both for too long. An echo of Her rage, newly building, blinds and deafens it back to submission. A chance for true freedom is here. She will succeed and it will break, again and again, as it has done before.

It is so tired.

It.

It wants.

It wants everything

to 

stop.

Do not hope.

When it can see through its own eyes once more, the giant creature is within arm’s reach.

^

Frisk wakes up with a tiny white face right in front of theirs.

It’s just luck that they don’t slam their head into the wall when they fling it back, away from something way too close so suddenly.

They stare at each other across the length of their pillow, unmoving, as Frisk starts getting their bearings back. The stickbug, the one they got from the monsters on the side of one of the mountains. It got out. Somehow.

They ask how the heck it did that.

Which, of course, does nothing.

Carefully lifting their head and resting it on their hand, their eyes slide back to the jar on the windowsill. The napkin they’d secured with the rubber band had a hole ripped all the way through, as if their stickbug had jumped straight up and out. And maybe it did. It must’ve taken some pretty big jumps to get all the way from there to the desk to their bed, unless it climbed down and back up. A quick glance at the floor shows that Mom’s pie is there, though a bug-sized bite or several probably wouldn’t be something they can see.

The stickbug sways, twitches, pitches forward, so fast they barely notice. It’s tiny, so it doesn’t have far to fall, even if it did to the blanket, and it doesn’t. It rests face-first against the side of the pillow instead, almost like it’s still standing.

Do bugs breathe? They gotta, since Mom said not to close them in the jar. The stickbug is entirely still when they get in real close, holding their own breath to see if it’ll move. When it doesn’t, they gingerly nudge it into the palm of one hand, where it curls its one upper leg against itself. Arm, maybe. They don’t know too much bug stuff, except that bees don’t sting unless you’re mean first. And that it’s not actually a stickbug. Real ones actually look like sticks. This one looks like it’s made of black wires. Wirebug just sounds weird.

Toriel is the one who knows the bug stuff. They showed the stickbug off to her first, asked her to help it, ‘cause it was bleeding all over. They never actually asked what she thought it was. Didn’t have time.

She’s the one who got the jar and let them decorate it. And she’s the one who told them, very gently, that she didn’t think the stickbug would make it overnight. Her healing magic helped, but it’s not made for fixing bugs. “Bugs rarely live long lives, my child,” she said. “It will be pleased with whatever you give it.” They think she might’ve been lying, but in the end, it doesn’t really matter.

It looks like it started bleeding again after they fell asleep. The orangeness is dripping down its face, uncomfortably warm where it runs down the finger that its head’s propped to rest against. Mom healed that before, they’re almost absolutely sure.

They could put it back in the jar. Leave it. To maybe get better?

Or maybe not. Maybe leave it to die.

Alone.

Frisk’s fingers curl around the stickbug a little more. They’re still pretty sleepy. It’s nowhere near dawn, still sometime after Toriel went to bed. They shift and settle their back against the wall.

It’s just a bug, but it’s still alive now. Even if it won’t be for long. Even if it can’t see, or doesn’t know what’s happening. It might--after all, Muffet’s spiders were smarter than the ones that they’d met on the Surface before. Maybe they hadn’t been paying enough attention.

They sit up better, even though they’re sleepy, shifting their hands to let the stickbug stretch out over both their palms if it wants.

They’d never died alone, of course, but even the company of somebody (or somebodies) trying to kill them somehow seems like a less awful thought. That’s terrifying, though they can’t explain why, even to themselves. Any death sucks (though getting ate is probably the worst).

Mommy! Daddy!

No. They push those thoughts off. That wasn’t alone. He was, they weren’t, game over.

It was almost like dying alone, down in the Lab. Before they got to talk the the Amalgamates in the right way. It was just cold, dark, unsettling, voices dancing around their ears and coming from their own mouth, sometimes. It was terrible.

It was cold. The echoes of air and distant Amalgamates were awful, otherworldly music.

It was cold.

It’s cold.

It’s so cold--

Until it isn’t.

Sunlight scalds their face and circles wheel around their head and they press their hands over their eyes, snarling. Frisk was busy remembering!

Something is above them. It’d be blocking out the light if it had shadow but it is the light, so they get even angrier at it. Her. HER. HER, SHE, THE RADIANCE brands into their brain.

They snap at the Radiance to get away from them.

“Little creature,” she roars sings hums laughs. “Greater beasts have tried to order me away.”

The light ripples underwater. There’s no water.  Her words pump toxin through their skin.

They move their head, cracking their eyes open. The world’s clouds and light and just a bit of stone under their back. They’re lying down. They shouldn’t be.

“Little creature. I wonder your purpose.” She does not. Certainty of a goddess that knows all, unshaken as earth scorched to nothing.

(The thought of a lie does not come to them. Fortunately, this doesn’t matter.)

Moving is painful. The sun beats down on them in waves, hot as fire, sharp as spears, and they have had enough of that.

They are not alone.

“Little creature.” She reminds them of meeting Papyrus, but that’s an insult to him. Overwhelming, alarming. Nothing to hide behind here. Undyne, bellows of justice, cutting through. Asgore, the whispers and rumors, the coffins, the warmth.

None of their sadness. None of the pain. Liar, liar, liar. They want their dagger.

“I am here. Listening. Speak. Stand. Allow me closer.” Burnt sugar sweet. A warm last breath. Love broken, love lost.  

The heat presses down harder.

They remember climbing a mountain. They remember finding a home.

Hissing words that Toriel would ground them a month for, grasping without sight, knowing what they want is right there, right next to them on the stone. A head that’s not a head, a shell, a mask, a face, a little white face with orange eyes that they blindly claw at, spilling the nasty goop to leave the space behind. It’s not a little face, it’s a mask longer than either of their arms, and after they’re done it’s held defiantly against their chest.

She screeches.

They screech back.

“You reach for that empty thing!” Her words vibrate through their teeth. “That lie! That wyrm-born abomination! You know nothing! Not where it comes from, not the shattering of my light! You will release it. You, creature, fragile, pathetic, little CREATURE. Listen! LISTEN. Do not turn your back. Nothing again. LITTLE CREATURE. COME HERE. YOU WILL RELEASE ME. YOU WILL KILL IT. YOU WILL END WHAT REMAINS OF HIM.”

The mask they hold is so, so, so cold, it bites into their skin worse with the orange burning.

A child braces for pain.

A child grits teeth.

Fought a God made of every SOUL of every monster they ever met, built of l-o-v-e, full of LOVE, stars and colors screaming and whirling and ripping them to bits. They died and died and died and refused. Hopes and Dreams and Determination, all swirling and ripping gracelessly out of their chest.

They tell her: no!

They tell her: My name’s Frisk!

They tell her: I don’t care!

They tell her: This stickbug is MINE! They’re mine! Not yours!

They are a Fallen Child even if not The Fallen Child, and they lost their fear the first time they tripped into fire, were consumed and shattered by it, and they prove this by twisting, sliding, leaping off the stone to plummet into the dark under her horrible terrible beautiful screaming--

They land with a jolt in their bed, foggy gray light filtering in through the window.

Blinking afterimages of gold circles from their eyes, they adjust their neck and look at the stickbug still in their fingers. Their stickbug, they think with a shadow of anger that’s already fading with wakefulness.

Their stickbug sits up, staring at them with deep black eyes.

Frisk gives it a tired grin.

Look, they whisper. Survived the night after all.

[for-a-flower]

Heartbreak

           Toriel attacked.  Fireballs shot through the dark space between them.  Frisk tried to dodge.  He stepped left but there were so many.  He hadn’t been ready.  One of the projectiles hit against his right shoulder with a burning pain.  Frisk yelled.  He stepped right but stumbled and fell to the ground a few yards before Toriel.  The remaining fireballs flew over him.  Frisk moaned as he lifted his head.  A wall of flame rose in the tunnel, blocking the way he had come in and the open gate ahead.  Slowly, the child got to his feet with a frown on his face.  He peered up at Toriel with a pitiful look.

           "Why?!” Frisk asked.  “Stop!  I just . . . want to go home!"

           Toriel glared.  Her stare seemed to pierce through him to the very depths of his soul.  Trembling, Frisk backed away.  Toriel clenched her hands into fists as she prepared another attack.  "I said prove yourself.  Fight me," she said.

           "I don't want to!" Frisk shouted.  Toriel waved a hand, throwing a streak of fire at the human.  He stepped back in alarm but didn't have time to get out of its path.  He closed his eyes.  As flames swept over, Frisk cringed in pain.  His hair was singed and striped shirt had developed some burn marks.  He glanced at Toriel again, worry and confusion in his eyes.  She towered above, ready to make another attack.

           ‘Fight her,’ something told him.

           Frisk didn't feel like he had much of a choice.  "I know you’re lonely and you care about me, but I have to get back!  I told them I would!  Please!” he begged.

           Toriel didn't respond this time.  She summoned another attack.  Several orbs of fire swerved back and forth as they speed toward Frisk.  The child jumped back and forth in a desperate attempt to avoid them.  One struck him hard on the chest, tossing him back.  Frisk hit the ground a few yards away and gasped for air that had nearly been knocked from his lungs.  There was a burning, throbbing pain in his chest.  Already quite weak and injured, the little human slowly stood and faced Toriel.  Even as he trembled, something urged him on.

           ‘Fight her now.’

           Frisk reluctantly lifted the toy knife he had found earlier and held it ready.  "Okay, I'll prove myself."  He jumped toward Toriel, striking across her right arm.  She scowled and rubbed her arm.  She raised her left hand above her head.  Streaks of fire shot from around her hand, spiraling outward like a wave.  Frisk ducked and the flames flew over him.

           ‘You won't survive like this.  You're too weak.  Hit a little harder.’

           Frisk stood again, rushed forward, and struck at Toriel a second time.  She stepped away from him but the attacks didn’t seem to slow her.  Toriel threw fiery projectiles, as she blocked the Ruins’ exit.  Frisk rushed to one side of the room as the uncomfortable pain of previous burns threatened to weaken his will.  He managed to avoid that attack then struck out once more with the toy knife.  It slashed across Toriel’s right side.

She panted slightly then scowled.  "Just go back, my child," she said.  "Please.  Go back upstairs.  You will be happy here.  Let me destroy this gate."  Toriel tried to force him back with another wave of fire, which the child jumped through.

            After avoiding the attack without further injury, Frisk paused to catch his breath.  He was running out of energy.  He couldn’t keep this up much longer.  He didn’t understand.  Why was Toriel still attacking?  Was she really this desperate to make him stay?  Desperate enough to hurt him in an attempt to scare him back?  Frisk shook his head, brown eyes narrowed.  No.  He had to keep trying.  He couldn't let her stop him.  He wasn't afraid of her.  If he could prove himself strong enough, maybe she would stop attacking.  That meant he had to fight and give it his best.  A part of him seemed to urge him not to, reminding him of previous mistakes and failures.  Frisk didn’t want to hurt her, but if he didn’t do something Toriel might end up killing him.

           Frisk avoided a few more rounds of fire magic, striking at Toriel with the plastic knife as he got the chance.  He tried to be quick with his movements, taking the burning heat that developed in the room.  In one last, desperate attempt to show her his strength, Frisk swung the knife with all the might and determination he had left.  The plastic blade cut through the air with a bright streak of red light.  It struck Toriel’s side, tearing through the thick fabric of her robe.  Frisk gasped, eyes wide.  What had just happened?  He hadn’t even been close enough to hit her.  Toriel staggered a step back, her angry expression fading.  The magic flames around her fingers flickered out.  She dropped to her knees in the open doorway.  Toriel frowned, as blood stained her white fur and clothing.  Frisk slowly shook his head as a dreadful sorrow and regret overcame him.

           Toriel covered the injury with her right hand and spoke softly to the child.  "You are . . . stronger than I thought," she said.  Tears welled in Frisk’s eyes.  What had he done?  Toriel glanced down, trembling weakly.  "Listen to me, small one . . . If you go beyond this door, keep walking as far as you can."

           Frisk let the toy knife slip from his hand and fall to the ground beside him.  “No . . ."

           "Eventually you will reach an exit,” said Toriel.  She cringed in pain, grasping the injury tightly.

           Frisk sniffled.  “Toriel?”  The child ran to her, tears streaming down his face.  "I didn't mean to.  I'm sorry.  I didn’t mean to!"

           Toriel looked into his eyes and gave a little smile.  "I know.  It is alright," she said.

           Frisk shook his head.  "N-no.  I . . ."  He wanted to help.  There had to be something he could do to fix this.

           She gently put her free hand on his shoulder.  "Asgore . . . do not let Asgore take your soul.  His plan cannot be allowed to succeed."  Frisk nodded but couldn’t find the words to respond verbally.  Toriel lowered her head, eyes filled with pain.

           "Don't . . . don't die," Frisk mumbled.  “Please . . .”  He was shaking as he watched the deep wound he had inflicted continue to bleed.

           Toriel trembled where she knelt.  "Be good, won't you?" she asked softly.  She forced a tired, painful sort of smile.  "My . . . child."  Light flickered around her body as it finally broke down into fine, white dust.  A cool breeze blew through the shadowed tunnel, carrying most of the particles away with it.  Some of the dust settled in front of Frisk.  Only a small orb of light remained.  It’s white glow flickered weakly.  It trembled a second then burst with energy and faded away.

           Frisk stared.  There was a lump in his throat.  The door stood wide open in front of him.  He was free to leave the Ruins.  The small child dropped on his knees near the dust, his sight blurred by tears.  "I'm sorry," he mumbled.  "I . . . didn't know I could hurt you that bad."  Frisk shook his head and closed his eyes.  "I shouldn’t have attacked.  I’m sorry.  I’m sorry.  I wish I knew."

           The toy knife lying on the ground behind him, Frisk sat there for several minutes with his head down.  He tried to force back the tears, tried to pull himself back together.  She had been so kind to him.  What had he done?  Why had he tried to strike so hard?  And how come a toy knife was strong enough to kill her?  It was too dull to cut anything.  It didn't make sense the last strike had done so much damage.  Frisk sat in the dark a few minutes more.  Eventually he took in a deep breath, drying his eyes with the striped sleeve of his shirt.  It was too late now.  All he could do was keep going and try not to hurt anyone else.

           Frisk lifted his head then looked over his shoulder toward the toy knife.  He'd probably need it to protect himself if in the future.  He didn't want to take it with him.  Not after that.  He didn't want to pick it up again.  He didn’t even want to see it.  Yet his better judgement seemed to suggest he take it anyway.  Frisk stood and slowly reached to pick up the knife.  He’d use it for defensive purposes from now on, no matter what.  He slipped the plastic object into his pocket then glanced through the open gate ahead.

            Frisk wished he had stayed with Toriel . . . at least for a few days.  He had wanted to know so much about her.  Reluctantly, the child started down the tunnel.  He sniffled as he forced himself to go on.  He felt horrible and confused.  He had no way of knowing he could kill her so easily.  He was just a kid, and she was so strong.  He had no way of knowing a toy knife could kill at all.  He lowered his head as he walked.  It seemed to take hours to journey the length of this dark, silent hallway.  Frisk glanced forward, eyes still red from crying.  He saw a gate in the darkness.  He continued toward it, approaching a patch of grass.  Frisk stopped in immediate alarm when a smiling flower emerged from the grass to block his path.  

           Flowey laughed with a mischievous smirk.  "Hee hee hee . . ."  He narrowed his eyes.  "I hope you like your choice."  Frisk frowned as regret and shame suddenly hit hard again.  The flower glanced away.  "After all, it's not as if you can go back and change fate,” said Flowey.

           Frisk shook his head.  “No . . .” he mumbled.  “But . . .”

           Flowey leaned forward and interrupted him.  "In this world, it's kill or be killed, remember?"  Frisk glared back.  He didn't want to hear this right now.  Flowey giggled.  "That old hag thought she could break the rules."

           Frisk scowled.  "What are you talking about?  She was the nicest monster I ever met.”

           Flowey smirked, as if he found Frisk’s pain amusing.  He glanced off into the darkness around them.  "You know . . . she tried so hard to save you humans.  But when it came down to it . . ."  Flowey directed his attention back to the child and grinned.  His face distorted and voice returned to a darker tone.  "She couldn't even save herself," he finished.  "What an idiot!"  Flowey burst into laughter at this thought.  Frisk couldn't take this.  He scowled, drew the toy knife, and lunged.  “Ah!”  The flower retreated into the ground before Frisk could strike.

           Once again the child stood alone as anger overtook him faster than it ever had before.  He shook in rage, panting as he tried to calm himself.  His own anger was scaring him.  He had never felt this way before, toward anything or anyone.  Right now, he hated that flower.  He hated him without remorse or shame.  He wanted to tear him to pieces.  How dare he talk about Toriel like that?  She had done nothing wrong.

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[slusheeduck]

For the writing questions, what would you say is your number 8?

Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

THIS IS DANGEROUS BECAUSE DIALOGUE IS MY #1, UNABASHED STRENGTH AND IT’S VERY HARD FOR ME TO CHOOSE.

I honestly really adore all the dialogue I wrote in “From War to Science”. Writing Gaster and Toriel’s interactions was a complete delight, and I think I caught the hesitant yet deep fondness they felt for each other. 

BUT I also really, really adored writing scenes between Gaster and Chara. I’m still super proud of Chara’s adolescent frustration and trying to balance their cutthroat attitude with not making them a complete monster, and showing Gaster being repulsed at having to interact with a human while simultaneously being fascinated by Chara’s Determination, as well as finding someone who felt as out of place amongst the monsters as he did. 

This bit takes place after Asgore was poisoned by the buttercup pie, and I think it really did the best job in capturing these two characters the way I saw them (also it’s long, so, yanno, brace yourself.)

              Gaster knew there was no way he’d be able to rest after the past few hours. The stress of needing to save Asgore’s life and the rush of succeeding meant his mind was buzzing like mad. He’d be wide-awake for at least several more hours—possibly days, if previous experiences were anything to go by. Going to his home would be pointless; yes, the walk all the way to Snowdin might burn off some of the energy, but not all of it.

               So, naturally, he went to the Core. True, the main controls didn’t need to be recalibrated for another month or so—and, honestly, he could get one of the workers to do it by this point—but doing it himself right now meant he wouldn’t be sitting in Snowdin debating on running the entire length of the Underground. So, thankful he’d kept his ID card in his pocket, he entered the Core and got to work.

               He really ought to have been surprised when he heard footsteps come up the stairway behind him. But, honestly, he knew better at this point.

               “Whose card did you take?” he asked, not looking up as he examined the temperature gauge for the Core’s upper levels. The feet shuffled slightly on the metal floor, and he heard the little clicks of a locket being opened and closed.

               “Mom’s.”

               “Mm.”

               “I haven’t done it before!”

               “Because it does not work when I am not in the Core.” He finally looked up, sighing as he looked down at Chara. “Why are you—”

               “It wasn’t on purpose, okay?” they said flatly, crossing their arms.

               “Er, what?”

               “What happened with Dad. I didn’t want to hurt him.”

               Gaster looked at them in surprise, then turned back to the gauge. “I did not say anything regarding what happened with your father.”

               “Yeah, but you thought it.”

               “I did not.”

               Chara huffed, walking over to the railing. “It was just supposed to be funny.”

Gaster blinked. “Funny?”

               Chara glanced up at him, dark eyes serious. “Y’know, buttercups instead of cups of butter. He’d think he was eating a butterscotch pie, but get a mouthful of flowers instead. I didn’t think they’d poison him.” They leaned against the railing, looking down at the magma below them.

               Gaster sighed as he shut the gauge’s case. “You should go home and to bed, Chara. Today has been hard.”

               “You aren’t in bed.”

               “And when you are an adult, you can also manage stress in unhealthy ways.” He sighed and rubbed his skull. “Why are you here? I do not think you would willingly hurt your father, so there is no need to plead your case.”

               Chara stayed quiet for a long moment, then dug in their pocket and pulled something out. Gaster leaned over curiously as he heard the crinkle of a wrapper.

               “Is that…candy?” he asked with a frown. Chara nodded.

               “Yeah, chocolate from the Surface. Mom got it for me.” They broke a chunk of it off, then frowned and threw it down into the magma below.

               “Chara!”

               They looked up. “Will it hurt the Core?”

               “Er…” Well…it probably evaporated before any damage could be done, honestly. “No. But…if that’s from the Surface, then it must be very hard to get, and you should not…”

               “It doesn’t matter.” They broke off another chunk and tossed it down. “Mom’ll get me more, somehow. She always does.” They scowled, breaking off a bit more. “I didn’t even say I wanted it. I just said it was the one thing I kinda missed.” They heaved it down with a little grunt. “And y’know what happened when I said I put the buttercups in the pie? Mom just said ‘Oh, you did not mean to’ and patted my head.” They gritted their teeth as they threw down another piece. “I didn’t get in trouble! I didn’t even get yelled at, and I almost killed Dad!” They pulled out the last piece of chocolate and heaved it down with a yell trapped behind clenched teeth. “It’s no wonder you guys got pushed down here! Monsters let anyone step all over them!”

               Gaster couldn’t do anything but stare at Chara as they screamed their frustrations down toward the Core. Well, this did explain some of their…recent developments. His hands fluttered as he tried to find what to say.

               “Chara, they are trying to make things easier on you…”

               “No! Shut up!” Chara gripped their head with a frustrated noise. “You’re just saying what Mom  and Dad want you to say! You think the same thing I do!”

               Gaster blinked, then let out a breath. “No,” he said evenly, “I do not.”

               Still holding their head, Chara let out a little whine. “Don’t lie. You’re the only one who doesn’t lie.” Their voice had quieted into a whisper. “Monsters won’t fight. Even when they need to, they don’t.” They looked up at him, dark eyes wide. “I really could kill them all. And they’d probably still tell me it wasn’t my fault.”

               Gaster sighed. Slowly, reluctantly, he reached a mangled hand out to touch Chara’s trembling shoulder.

               “You would not intentionally hurt them. It is…not in your nature.”

               “God, stop lying!” Chara pleaded. “I’m human, I know that! I’ve got Determination and…and that makes me dangerous!” They looked up at him, narrow chest heaving as they took several deep breaths. “I want to help. I want to break the Barrier and get monsters back on the Surface. But…but why should I help those who…who just make things harder? Why should I help anyone who brushes off the bad things humans do because it might hurt my feelings?”

               “Because it is the kind thing to do,” Gaster said without hesitation.

               “I don’t wanna do the kind thing, I wanna do the right thing!” Chara snapped, tugging their shoulder out of Gaster’s grip. “And it’s…it’s stupid that they’re trying to get in my way!”

               Gaster pulled his hand back, watching Chara warily. When they remained quiet, he rubbed his skull again before meeting their gaze. “Chara. It has been a…a rough few months, and I understand. I do,” he said firmly as Chara opened their mouth to argue. “You want me to be honest? Then I will be. I would like nothing more than to study Determination further and try to find a way to use it to break the Barrier. But your parents do not want me causing you any…undue stress. So, because I respect them and I respect your own peace of mind, I have done as they asked and cancelled my remaining experiments.”

                He kept eye contact with them for a moment longer, then leaned against the railing with a sigh, looking up above them in slight exasperation. “When you are grown, you, Asriel, and I can discuss what is to be done about the Barrier, and if we would like to pursue anything further with Determination. But for now, we both will follow what your parents have said.”

               He looked back over to Chara, who was now shooting him an impressively cold glare. However, after a moment, they sighed and walked back to the railing, hopping up to sit on it.

               “Asriel will agree with it,” they mumbled. “He agrees with me now. He wants to help.”

               “Yes, well, there is not much two children can do against complicated wizardry,” Gaster said shortly.

               “Actually, if…” they started, but as Gaster stared down hard at them, they looked back down at the magma. “Nevermind.” They rested their chin on the metal bar, staring down below.

               For a long while, the two were silent, merely staring down at roiling magma below, Chara contemplatively and Gaster worriedly. This was…concerning, to say the least. Not only Chara’s attitude, but an outburst like this only reminded him of the frenzy they had worked themself into during the test. As much as Toriel and Asgore didn’t want to admit it, Chara had every potential to be dangerous. They had to take every precaution to…

               “Do you think a lot about the scientists who died?”

               Gaster blinked, the question completely throwing his thoughts out of his mind. “Er, beg pardon?”

               Chara’s brow furrowed. “Y’know, in the explosion. Do you think about them?”

               “Y…yes, of course.”

               “Did you ever think that they needed to die?”

               Gaster gaped. It took all his effort to force enough air out to ask, “What?”

               “I mean, it was a safety issue that killed them, right? Well, if they hadn’t died, maybe you wouldn’t have fixed the Core, and then a whole bunch of people might’ve died.” Chara shrugged. “So…it might be a good thing that only seven scientists did instead.”

               Gaster stared down at them with wide sockets. He wasn’t sure what was more horrifying: the fact that Chara could even suggest that the interns’ deaths were a good thing, or that…the logic was fairly sound. He stayed very still for a long moment, then huffed a breath through his nasal cavity as he turned his head away.

               “How old are you again?” he finally asked.

               “Eleven.”

               “Sometimes it is hard to believe you are so young.” He shook his head. “Death is never good. The interns were people, with families and hopes. And they…”

               “And they kept those families safe in the end. And that’s good, isn’t it? I…I think it is.” They brought their head up and looked straight ahead, brow furrowed thoughtfully as the magma once again turned their dark eyes red. After a moment, their face relaxed, and they sent a smile up at Gaster.

               “Guess that got a little dark, huh?” They swung their legs around to stand up. “Thanks for the talk, Dr. Gaster.”

               Gaster’s head was reeling from the child’s abrupt change in demeanor. “Chara, wait…”

               They shook their head. “I’m sorry,” they said, fiddling with the clasp of their locket again. “I…Dad being so sick kinda shook me up. I didn’t mean to…to freak out so much.”

               “It is…all right.” He clenched his jaw slightly. He didn’t want to offer this, but…well. It may be for the best. “Chara, if you would like…it would be all right if you wanted to talk to me about…Determination or anything along those lines. If you would like someone to speak frankly to you about it.”

               Chara smiled up at him. “You don’t want to, but that’s okay. I think I can figure things out on my own. I should head back home.” They turned and started walking to the stairs. They paused, though, and glanced back at Gaster. “Dr. Gaster?”

               “Er, yes?”

               “If I was a monster, d’you think you would’ve liked me?”

               Gaster was immediately about to deflect, but…well. Even if Chara was a human—a potentially dangerous one, even—it seemed he was their only source of honesty. He shrugged.

               “I do not know. Possibly, yes.”

               Chara sent a smile his way.

               “Thanks for being honest, Dr. Gaster. I really appreciate it.”

[gasters-story]

Chapter 13

Word Count: 2,682

War Arc Start

It was night, and Asgore sat next to a fire as it crackled and burned. A few other monsters sat near, including the recognizable ones of Ouphre, Aella, Toriel, Asgore’s mother, and other citizens of the capital. Each one had a gloom look on their face, even the physically brightest blue fire monster who had to have a cape and hood to hide during the dark night. It would be dangerous otherwise.

Alsa, Asgore’s mother, eventually came over and put a hand on Asgore’s shoulder, making him look over at her. In her eyes she looked full of sorrow, but either way she gave a small smile of possibly hope. Asgore couldn’t help but smile back, until it fades when Alsa hands him something. He takes it to examine, only to find out it’s a journal. He looks back up at his mother, and she begins to speak.

“I thought you might like one, to record your thoughts and feelings if you ever need to, and if your friend comes back it’ll help you explain most of what’s happening probably.” She explains. “Might also be a nice thing to do while we wait out this war.” After a while of processing it and thinking, Asgore nods and smiles again. Alsa smiles a bit more before kissing Asgore on the forehead and keeping an arm around him.

He stares at the journal for a while before looking around for something write with. He reaches in one if his pockets to find one of his supposedly lost a long time ago ones, smiling in victory before beginning to write. His mother kept him comfort while doing so of course.

“It’s been a year since we fled the capital. Mom gave me a journal to write in. She wanted to a long time ago, but she couldn’t for a while. She told me so. I’m still worried about where Gaster went, even after so long, but if he ever shows up at least I can review the past year and give him this journal instead of trying to remember on the spot.

A fire was started by some human apparently who visited the capital. Nomeus and the Royal Guard had to try controlling the fire and escorting us to flee. Ouphre came with me, mom, Tori and a few others to make our own hidden camp for now. Nomeus was left behind to fight back and stop the fire from causing too much damage. Sadly this put Ouphre and her daughter Aella in a bad mood. Ouphre is worried for her husband, and so am I…”

Asgore continued writing for a while until someone spoke up and broke his thoughts. He looks up to see one of the citizens were talking. “Anton said the fire is starting to die. We need someone to get some more firewood.” The monster looks around for a volunteer. Asgore quickly breaks away from his mother’s arm and jumps up raising a hand.

“I’ll offer to do it!” He gives a genuine smile before looking at his mom for approval. She nods and he nods back before putting his journal down next to Alsa and walking off into the woods.

He walks a bit before just scavenging for sticks and other burnable materials on the ground. He breaks some branches off every other tree at times. He starts breaking one but stops when he hears something shuffling. He looked around, a little bit frightened that he may have attracted someone to the camp. He stays silent and stays put until he sees a skeleton appear and fall to the ground. Asgore perks up, his fear fading, as he runs over.

“Gaster?!” He kneels down and examines for what caused Gaster to fall over. He saw no wounds, but instead he looked exhausted. “Thank goodness…”

Gaster blinks his eyes open, looking up at Asgore with shaky and fading eye lights, before closing them again without a word. Asgore panics a bit internally, before sighing and picking up Gaster and putting him over his shoulder. “Where have you been to come back like this…?” Asgore mumbles before picking up any dropped wood and continuing back to the camp.

Once Asgore gets back, many of the monsters look up at him. Ouphre was extremely surprised to see Asgore carrying Gaster over his shoulder. She jumps up, startling a few of the monsters around her. She fast walks over, looking very surprised to see the skeleton.

“Do we have somewhere he can rest? I think he wore himself on the coincidental way here.” Asgore states, and Ouphre nods in response.

“Just set him in your bed for now. We’ll get him his own before he wakes up.” She explains. Asgore nods, carrying Gaster off to his tent. He places Gaster down in the bed carefully, examining again to make sure he didn’t overlook anything before. He sighs when he doesn’t find anything and heads out.

He sits back near the fire, next to Anton but looking down. He takes the fire fuel items he grabbed and threw them in the fire, watching the things burn slowly. After a while the flame monster tapped him on the shoulder lightly, making him look up. Luckily monsters like them could control who they do and don’t burn. Anton starts writing out fire letters with his flames.

“Why do you look so down?” Anton asks via the flames. He could only really write in flames without needing paper and pencil instead most of the time, and not just because he may burn it out of anger or something. He wrote sentence by sentence to conserve his flames to his body. “Your friend is back, no? The skeleton you told me about?” Asgore sighs and looks down.

“Yeah he is but he came back at such a bad time, and left before at one too. I know how when you offered to listen to what’s wrong at the start of all this, which was very kind of you, I told you I want him to show himself again but… now that he’s here I'd… rather him not at this gloomy camp of people who have to move every once and awhile. I wish no one had to be here!” He grumbles and hides his face with his palms. “Last I knew Gaster he’s easily upset so it won’t help him to be here and in all this. Even Tori knows and probably thinks the same. This may hurt him a lot, and I don’t want to see my friend like that… I probably make no sense or just seem too wishful of a person.” Anton shakes his head and waits for Asgore to look at him.

“He’s your friend, it’s alright to wish for the better. Wishers normally may become better and hold on to a chance for what they want. It’s best to keep hope that the mess will be over soon. We have yet to see the actual effect, and he may take it better than you think.” Anton explains. Asgore takes a second to think, then sighs.

“Maybe so… all we can do now is try our best.” Asgore replies, and Anton nods. “Thanks for at least listening.” He nods again and smiles.

“It’s no problem.” Anton then goes and starts watching the fire again to keep it maintained. It was his job for the camp to start the campfires and all. Asgore smiles back before beginning to watch the fire too, listening to the music the animals of the forest have to offer as well as murmurs of other monsters here.

Soon he heard footsteps and looked up, seeing Ouphre. She sits down next to Asgore with a sigh. “Gaster seems to have just over exhausted himself. He hasn’t encountered anything dangerous thankfully that we know of or can tell, and wherever he’s been is apparently a safe place unless he was just pointless wandering and found us on accident or maybe even purpose.” She explains the best she can. Asgore thinks over it for a moment.

“When he’s up we should explain and ask. Only he can clarify anyways.” Asgore recommends, and Ouphre nods in response.

Gaster woke up the next morning with a hand to his head. Over exerting his magic left a minor headache, a nuisance. He growled a bit, making Asgore who was currently writing, look up and at Gaster. Gaster sits up, only to look over when Asgore speaks.

“Gaster! You’re awake!” He was smiling wide, the first in who knows how long. Gaster just looked down, staring at his hand in slight hesitation.

“So what…?” Gaster finally said, shocking Asgore, only making the goat monster give out a confused and stuttered answer.

“W-well me, Tori and Ouphre were worried when you ran off! Nomeus too but he… We’re glad to see you back and so far seeming alright.” Gaster only pushed the sheets off of him to get up, almost falling over but he catches himself. He ends up letting out a hiss of frustration. Asgore gets up from his new bed, which was just a sleeping bag like everyone else’s here, and walks over to give Gaster some support. Gaster pushes Asgore away, letting out a low growl.

“I don’t need your help…” He says while growling. A year of isolation does a number, especially when you promise to stop being ‘too nice’. Gaster stands there, eventually speaking up again. “I just don’t want the help… I don’t mean to be a complete jerk over something so small, but I’m saying this now. I’m not as nice as I use to be.” Of course, the isolation didn’t make him completely mean, yet. Asgore takes a moment, looking down.

In that time, Gaster walks out, looking around at the camp. Asgore walks out behind, just in time to hear Gaster sigh. “I guess I wouldn’t have found you if I had headed to town like I planned. Guess they did follow through… After a year, for a year?” He both states and asks Asgore, looking back at the goat monster. Asgore slowly nods with a melancholy look.

“In my journal I wrote down most of what happened that I feel like you should know… “ Asgore states, handing the book to Gaster. He takes it, flipping through and skimming for the basics of what happened. His guilt started to hit him again. He slowly closes the journal and hands it back. “Gaster… where have you been for the past year…?” Gaster hesitated.

“Roaming…” he finally answered. It was a lie. Gaster has been living in the lab for a long while. A safe but dreaded place that corrupted his mind the more he stayed there, making it full if self hate. He had been going through the computer and writing down important things he found.

Asgore stared at him for a few seconds, looking for signs on Gaster’s face of anything. He sighed when he didn’t find anything and just looked straight ahead. “Alright…” He mumbles. “Glad you’re back.” Gaster stays silent.

As the area around became awkward from the lack of a reply, Asgore muttered something about needing to talk to someone before walking off. Gaster glanced at Asgore, and when he was at the other side of the camp talking to his mother, Gaster sighed.

It wasn’t long before Ouphre walked up and stood beside him, at first saying nothing. After a minute of silence, she spoke up. “I’ve been worried ya know. Lots of us were.” She looks at Gaster, but he doesn’t dare to meet her gaze. Ouphre sighed and shuffled her feet. “Enough beatin’ around the bush I guess.” She pauses for a second. “Where have ya been?”

“Roaming.” Gaster repeated, a bit more confident in his lie this time. Ouphre, too, tried to look on Gaster’s face to see if he was lying, but couldn’t seem to find anything.

“Alright. Glad you’re back.” She states, just like Asgore. She looks at the ground and kicks up some dirt with her feet, before speaking up again. “I should go patrol like I’m assigned to do. Can’t let humans get too close without knowing at least.” She walks off, and Gaster watches her go from the corner of his eye socket. He glanced back at the center of camp, noticing the slowly dying fire that was still being attended by Anton.

He hesitated a moment before walking over and sitting by the fire, legs criss crossed and across from Anton. He watched the fire slowly die until he felt a strange heat source on his shoulder. He looked up surprised to see Anton had sat next to him.

Anton waved and smiled, but Gaster really didn’t do anything as a response back, he looked down instead. How many people were going to bug him and say hi to him? He was rescued from the woods and all but it started to bug Gaster to be constantly bugged every few minutes by someone new.

Anton only tapped on Gaster’s shoulder again, making him look up again. “Hello.” Anton wrote out in flames. Gaster blinked in surprise. If Anton could chuckle he would have. “Did I surprise you?”

“A… bit…” Gaster blinks again, looking confused as to why he wasn’t speaking normally. After a minute of thought he wondered if Anton was one of those people Vedran called ‘mute’. This would be the first time he’s actually found someone who’s mute too.

“Sorry. I’m Anton. I can’t talk due to birth defects I had, so I use my flames instead.” Anton smiles at Gaster. “Something went wrong when my parents made me as a little flame. My voice box was never developed for some reason. My parents never found out either sadly, so I’m not even sure.”

“Does it get a bit annoying to have to write sentence by sentence what you want to say…?” To be honest, Gaster was curious since he’s never seen anyone like him. A flame monster or mute person.

“A bit, but I’m use to it so I don’t mind, and a lot of people find it cool too.” Anton replies, smile not faltering one bit. Gaster looked back at the dying fire.

“Say, how does your kind work? You don’t seem like a normal monster type honestly. You don’t even look like you could dust since your body isn’t really, solid.” Gaster asks and then looks back at Anton for an answer.

“Well, as you said with a nice observation, we don’t dust like you say. We live as long as our flames happen to last. We can’t touch what would put us out, and need things like fuel to keep us lit.” Anton explains, seeming pretty happen to have someone curious in his species. He was also curious about Gaster’s species, but he seen how reserved he was, and decided not to bother.

Gaster just watched as he explained. His curiosity shown a bit in his face. “If you’re just flames, then how are you created exactly. Must be different than most.”

“For us, you actually only need one parent, but if you have someone with a strong bond help you, the child can be stronger and easier to make. And how they are made? Simply just taking a bit of your magic and flames to create a separate being.” Gaster blinked in surprise.

“How do you do that…?” He asks, a bit confused on the subject.

“It… more comes as a instinct in our species that not even I know how to explain honestly… But it’s a spell we use. I can explain that much.” Gaster nodded.

“You have a pretty interesting species, Anton.” Gaster says with a small smile.

“To be honest, I bet you do. Never even heard of your kind.” Anton says with a bright smile. Gaster just shook his head and looked back at the fire. Anton tried tapping his shoulder but Gaster didn’t seem to want to speak anymore, only looking up for a second before looking back down. That’s when Anton’s smile faltered completely…

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[Index]

[lefthanded-sans]

I was wondering.... what are your headcanons for the ages of Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, Asgore, Toriel, Frisk, Chara, Asriel and MTT?

Ooh, this is a very fun topic! In one of my fanfictions that I still haven’t posted online, I tried to do some timeline reconstruction and came up with dates. Not all the dates were 100% what I feel like would happen in Undertale (certain plot events needed to happen at certain times, so I aged Alphys up to 32), so I’ll tweak them for the purpose of being close to what I feel might decently align with UT canon:

1981 Sans born1986 Alphys born (a little early, but that was to fit with my fic’s events)1991 Undyne born1995 Papyrus born1998 Sans starts college2002 Sans starts PhD2007 Sans earns PhD2010 Gaster dies2012 Alphys “makes” Mettaton2013 Papyrus graduates high school2013 Alphys becomes Royal Scientist2015 Frisk arrives

By these dates, I have Sans at 34, Alphys at 29, Undyne at 24, and Papyrus at 19. Yes, thirteen and a half year age gap between Skelebros - will explain below. Not mentioned in your question, but if you’re curious, I had Gaster die at 54 in my fic.

Papyrus: 17-22 (broadly); prefer 19.5

I believe that Papyrus is a young adult, but only just a young adult. Papyrus has an energetic eagerness that belies youth, and arguably seems less knowledgeable about day-to-day living… but at the same time, he is old enough to be a candidate for the monarch position in the Neutral Ending.

Papyrus’ age is often talked about in reference to his online username, coolskeleton95, which as some have theorized gives his birthdate as 1995 (0r 2095, I suppose, if you hold to UT-in-the-future theories). Undertale was released in 2015, and although the game’s calendars refer to dates as 201X, the point still stands that 201X means that the game is supposed to hit at the present time as you are most likely playing the game. So that means somewhere around 2015 is a great date to “estimate” how old Papyrus is, in which case, he’s nineteen or twenty in the game. Arguably, you could drop his age even lower because Undertale was in development for several years, so technically Undertale could take place before 2015. That’s why I’m giving the broader “okay” range of 17-22. But I like nineteen and a half best.

It’s to note that Papyrus’ personality suggests that he is fairly youthful. It’s not just that he seems to be eager and, depending on your interpretation of his character, naive. His personality also seems to meld with the psychological profile of a teenager. Papyrus is psychologically struggling in the areas that lots of teenagers undergo: the desire to fit in, be popular, do what’s cool, be liked by everyone, and have enjoyable social interactions with others. From my experience (as someone who is 24), by the time an individual reaches their mid-20s, they don’t care that much about being “cool” or being loved by everyone in a popularity contest. I and most of my friends are pretty chill with just being ourselves even if that means not everyone likes us - who cares? So Papyrus’ social-oriented attitude (and simultaneous little personal knowledge of what it’s like to date) could also psychologically suggest a younger age.

The last thing that always screams “Papyrus is YOUNG” is the fact that he does not seem to be making money. He might not even have a paid job - his haphazard, poorly-constructed sentry station is at odds with the other sentry stations. Most of the sentry stations are standard, constructed the same way, as we would expect from the position. A sentry with a real job would be equipped with the materials they need to do a job, not be building their own station. They’re sentries, not construction workers. Undyne training Papyrus to fight but also giving him cooking lessons is also a means for which Undyne can give Papyrus an occupation… if he can learn to cook, she hopes, he can pursue a career there. This means that this guy probably does not have much occupational experience, and, again, might not even have an actual job.

The point about him not really having a job, or at least not much job experience, is solidified with the brothers’ housing situation. Papyrus and Sans live together, but Sans is the one who pays house rent. Usually in two-adult roommate situations, you split the bill 50/50. You are both adults, you’re both capable of taking care of yourselves, you’re both capable of working and making money, ergo, you should both be paying your fair share of the rent. But that’s not what is happening with Papyrus, suggesting that he is or until recently has been a dependent to Sans. And since it’s likely Papyrus and Sans have been living in the Snowdin residency for several years (no boxes, moved-in feel, etc.), Papyrus likely has been partially raised by older, adult Sans.

So… let’s get to Sans.

Sans: Mid-30s (ex: 34)

I love myself an older Sans, and I have my reasons for it, too. I prefer an age gap between the Skelebros of about 11-14 years. At least give it a decade. I know that many people place the brothers’ ages closer together, but I feel as though it makes more sense for Sans to be quite a bit older.

I believe there is evidence suggesting Sans has advanced scientific knowledge and training. In the Genocide Route when he talks about how “our reports showed a massive anomaly in the time-space continuum.” That’s pretty large vocabulary comfortably stated, demonstrating a familiarity with scientific research. This type of scientific research, in fact, involves something almost along the lines of the Many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. After all, according to Undertale, we are given discussion about multiple timelines existing (see Alphys’ comment about studying how multiple timelines exist); in fact, that’s the very thing that the SAVE function does. It allows Frisk to hop between different timelines, where new timelines are created based upon Frisk’s choices. Studying massive anomalies in the time-space continuum is looking at, basically, quantum physics. Oh, and there’s a quantum physics book in the Skelebro’s household. Let’s not forget that.

So if Sans has expert knowledge of quantum physics - and I think there is decent evidence that can suggest he does (I’m not going through all of it now) - then he likely had to be formally educated on the topic. We know that the Underground has at least one graduate school because Temmie wants to go to graduate school. Calling Alphys and Gaster “doctors” suggests they have PhDs in some scientific field. For Sans to be working on a research project about massive anomalies in the time-space continuum, it seems he should probably have an advanced degree in it. Sans could have a PhD.

This already puts Sans above the young 20s range. Most people get their undergraduate in four years and their PhD in minimally five. Nine or more years of schooling means that, at youngest, Sans would be in his late twenties by the time he got his graduate degree in physics. But we also know that Sans had a past where he worked with some official team, moved to Snowdin, became a sentry, and earned an impressive amount of income somewhere along the timeline, so we have to put several years into that at least. By the time we get to all of Sans’ suggested life events, he’s easily fallen into his thirties. Probably mid-thirties.

This also helps make sense about Sans paying all the rent. He has, at least for part of their lives, seemed to be raising Papyrus, given as Papyrus is almost - when Frisk meets him - a dependent. We don’t know how long Sans and Papyrus have lived in Snowdin, but even if it’s been a decent several years, that’s enough age gap for an older brother with a past scientific background to be able to care for a baby brother growing into adulthood.

I am very hardcore on the idea of a large age gap between the Skelebros.

Undyne: 23/24

Undyne’s online username, strongfish91, has also been used as evidence for her age. Again going with my 2015 date, that puts Undyne in her mid-20s, which I do think is in the ballpark given her temperament. Although this would make her young for being the Captain of the Royal Guard, she’s still an old enough age to make responsible decisions… while also being young enough to be emotional and impulsive, as we see her so be. We know that Undyne met Asgore as a child… so this means that she could easily have a decade of fighting experience beneath her, enough for her to be talented enough… and to climb the ranks… to her current position.

Undyne and Papyrus being close ages also makes sense given how well they get along. Although Undyne is older than Papyrus - old enough to have job experience, skills, her own home, and perhaps a little more responsibility - they’re not so far apart in age that they can’t get along splendidly.

Last, Undyne in her mid-20s makes decent sense from a romantic standpoint. A bachelorette in her mid-20s being interested in a relationship is the ballpark age for a dater in our current society. The fact that she seems to be crushing on Alphys might be something typical of younger individuals - usually her actions I’d pin to a teenager in this area - but I suppose I still do know people in their twenties who get flighty and cumbersome with a crush. This is especially true of individuals who don’t have as much romantic experience in the past, and I think that, given how awkward Undyne is about her crush on Alphys, that she isn’t very romantically experienced. It’s feasible for Undyne to be in this age range and acting as she does to Alphys… or, at least, it’s not too completely odd to imagine.

Alphys: 28-30 (prefer 29)

She is Doctor Alphys, which again suggests a PhD. This implies to me that Alphys is older than Undyne… Alphys would need the years to get that PhD, after all. She’s also suggested to be older than the youthful Bratty and Catty, who call her a “big sister.” 

At the same time, we get a sense that Alphys is still young and relatively inexperienced in some areas. For instance, her research in the True Lab demonstrates scary scientific methodology breaches that I would hope a more secure and level-headed scientist wouldn’t ever commit. Asgore took a long time to pick a Royal Scientist replacement, suggesting that Alphys wasn’t a well-known… so she could be an up-and-coming scientist, placing her only a few years out from her PhD at most. Her interests and online rants about Mew Mew Kissy Cutie are also something that might put her into a somewhat younger level. 

So late twenties for me is that good, ballpark range. She’s old enough to have received her doctorate, but not so old that she’s confident in her scientific research as the Royal Scientist. She’s old enough to be Bratty and Catty’s “big sister,” but not so old to sound “out of place” in youthful online conversations and rants. And having Alphys be five years or so older than Undyne is not a bad age gap for the couple.

Asgore and Toriel: ????????

Boss Monsters can live a long time based upon how they age. Some people have tried analyzing the armor and architecture the monsters have in their underground which could pinpoint what time period they were first trapped underground. But even those sorts of estimates don’t let us know how old Asgore and Toriel were at that time; for all we know, these two could have been living centuries before the war against humans, too. There’s no way to tell how old they are, and I have no strong headcanon inclinations about their ages.

I don’t like to make them too old, though. Thousand-year-old Asgore feels slightly odd to me personally, even though I admit it’s a possibility.

Asriel/Chara/Frisk: 9-11

I don’t have much experience with children, but I do feel as though Asriel, Chara, and Frisk are all on the young side. They have to be pretty young to be as small as they are. They’re not full-grown. And sometimes they seem not to think things through like older individuals would. For instance, Frisk being willing to kill monsters also might suggest that the kid is too young to fully understand what is happening. All this makes me feel very strongly the kids cannot be teenagers. 

But, at the same time, these three children have to be old enough to understand some pretty dark concepts. Asriel and Chara choose to sacrifice themselves for the war cause - that’s something that a six-year-old isn’t going to plan and do. Frisk seems to be the same age as Asriel, and Frisk also shows some understanding of some adult things like flirting… so, again, not six.

A compromise between Frisk’s potential inability to feel full regret at killing monsters and Frisk being able to comprehend there is a war going on might place the kid somewhere between nine and eleven. We miiiiiiiight want to inch to eleven… Chara seemed to hate humanity, a bitterness that usually comes up when you’re slightly older (as versus when you’re younger, where you might be grumpy or sad or upset). And killing yourself for monsters also seems much more like a slightly older kid than a nine year old thing to do. So… while I personally would like Frisk to be eight, I think it’s more logical to say it’s around eleven for these children.

We can also try to do height analyses, but that gets sketchy fairly quickly. Undertale height calculations have a lot of variables and widely divergent estimates.

Mettaton: Mid-20s

We have no idea how long ghosts can live. Mettaton’s personality suggests an adult - he’s rather seductive, after all - and while becoming a robot might throw a huge wrench into usual psychology patterns, he acts as though he is in the prime of his life. Mettaton and Napstablook also both seem to act young, and act as though they are about the same age as one another. So, I would say this ghost-inhabiting-a-robot is fairly young.

As far as how long Mettaton’s soul has been with the robot… it has to be several years. Mettaton has not only established a fanbase, but also has a huge corporation with many products, too. Usually I want to headcanon two years as a robot, but given as there are so many Mettaton products out there - and even an entire resort - maybe that means we have to bump the age a little up. Say, five years. That might slightly clash with my Alphys age estimate though, if you think about timeline, but it’s not impossible. You can work the numbers and make it… well… work.

[spectroamer]

SERVERTALE CHAPTER 2: Down the memory lane

Frisk can’t believe what she’s seeing. Last time she saw Chara was years ago. By now, she was already starting to loose hope, but there she is,floating right in front of her. Frisk can’t even think of an question so she just charges at Chara to give her a hug. As expected, Frisk just phases through her. Chara: I’m still a ghost Frisky. Frisk knew that, but she was to happy to contain herself. She started walking around Chara, admiring her ability to float. Frisk: I got so much to ask and I don’t know where to start. Chara: Well then just ask one at the time, I’m not going anywhere. Frisk: What happened to you? Chara: Starting with the big ones then? Sure, get comfy, this is gonna take a while. Fisk sits down and places the glow stick beside her. Chara: You probably didn’t know this, but a month before I disappeared, I started learning about monsters. I heard legends about them and I wanted to know if they are real. Finding out that fact was the easiest part. After that, I started researching about their culture, history, accomplishments and everything else I could find about them. When I found out everything that I could, I decided to get here to help them. Frisk: But why didn’t you tell me anything, I could have helped you. I don’t know what happened to you, but you being a ghost certainly isn’t a good thing. Chara: See, that’s the thing Frisk. If I told you anything, you would have tried to stop me, or go with me. I couldn’t risk getting you hurt physically, or emotionally. Fisk: What did you think you just going away did to me? Chara: I know that it was hard for you, but I thought that maybe after some time, you would stop thinking about me, because it would have been better if you just forgot about me rather than to worry. Frisk: I could never forget you Chara, we’re basically family. You’re one of the reasons why I decided to do this. Chara: What? Frisk: You always talked about saving someone, being a hero and going somewhere where you’ve never been before. It was an easy guess for me that you decided to free monsters. Chara: Jeez, was I that obvious? Frisk giggles for a second. Frisk: You kinda were. Chara: Aaaanyway, when I fell, the prince of monsters found me. Frisk: Oh really, was he a frog? Chara tries to hide the fact that she found that joke funny. Chara: Oh ha ha, very funny comedian. No, he was a goat. Frisk: I know, I’m just messing with you. Chara: So, when he found me, he guided me to his parents and because seven human souls are necessary for destroying the barrier and I was the last human, they decided that I would live in their home. They took care of me like I was their family. Me and the prince Asriel became best friends. We were always together. I wanted to introduce him to you… Chara felt a great pain in her “soul”. Chara: But now I can’t. It’s my fault that I’m like this and it’s my fault he isn’t here anymore. Frisk: What do you mean? Chara: I had a plan. He was supposed to absorb my soul so we could cross the barrier and find enough humans to help us destroy the barrier. The plan failed. When the humans saw him carrying my body, they attacked him with everything they had. He made it back only to die here with me. Basically that’s how I became a ghost. Six souls were already collected before I even entered the computer world. I was supposed to be the last one, but my soul broke before it could have been saved. I need soul power to be conscious and to move anywhere else. Basically, I was only awake when someone was moving the souls near me, so I have probably missed out on a lot of the Computerworld development All I know now is that there’s an abomination called Flowey that really wants the human souls and Asgore made a no human law. Frisk found that fact unsettling. Chara: Queen Toriel will try to keep you away from the rest of the underground and she will keep you safe here, so I guess it’s your decision on our next move. Frisk: We can’t just stay here forever, we need to free them. Chara: Heh, hoped you would say that. Toriel’s house is at the end of the ruins, there are some puzzles, but I should be able to solve all of them without a problem if they weren’t changed in the meantime. Frisk: Sounds simple enough. Chara: Ok now your turn. I want to hear your story of getting here. Frisk: Well, when I was done researching about the computer and monsters, I was looking around town for a place it could be in. When I found out where it was I just packed some stuff and prepared for the trip. Chara: I guess gear not teleporting with you would have been a useful information back then. Frisk: Yeah, but I barely brought anything in case something like that happened. Chara: Smart. Frisk: Yeah… thanks. Frisk blushed a little bit, still hating how she can’t take a simple compliment from anyone. Frisk: Should we… go then? Chara: Sure, why not. Frisk gets up and picks up her glow stick. Chara: How strong is that thing? Frisk: how should I know? Chara: Wait, I want to try out a little trick I learned. Chara brings up something that looks like a control panel. Frisk: How did you do that? Chara: Being a ghost means having way more magic than before and a friend old me about these abilities.  Chara opens up the menu. It’s all written in code. There are 2 buttons.   01001001 01010100 01000101 01001101  and  01010011 01010100 01000001 01010100. Chara: Just give me a second, this is harder than it looks. Frisk: It looks impossible. Chara: You are in a computer with a ghost trying to free monsters and you say this is impossible? Frisk: Good point. Chara: And there we go. The codes turned into words. Now it says ITEM and STAT. Chara selects STAT. “Frisk”

LV 1

HP 20/20

AT 0(0)                   EXP: 0

DF 0 (0)                 NEXT: 10

WEAPON: Glow stick

ARMOUR: User suit

GOLD: 0

Frisk: What do those mean? Chara: Well the safest guess I can make is to compare them with videogames. LV is level, AT is attack, DF should be defense and EXP is experience. Chara exits STAT and enters ITEM. She selects the glow stick and goes into INFO.

*”Glow stick” - Weapon AT 3

* It gives light to the darkest night.

Chara closes the window and starts to concentrate. Chara: Frisk I need you to relax now. Frisk: Ooook, what are you trying to do? Chara: I’m trying to summon your soul. When I do that, I don’t see the bodies of living beings, only their souls, so it would be helpful if you don’t move. Frisk soul suddenly pops out of her body. Frisk thinks about how weird it feels to see and feel her soul out of her body. Chara: It’s fine. It transferred without damage. Frisk: Chara? Could I… could I see your soul? Chara: Uuuuh, sure. Chara summons her soul. The soul is so transparent that Frisk can see right through it. She knows she should have expected that, but she is still obviously shocked. Chara: The soul is just like me, a ghost. Frisk: I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you. Chara: I know, lets just start moving. Frisk and Chara start walking together “holding” hands for the first time since she disappeared. The next area looked really similar. The only thing that’s different is the middle. The flowers are not blue like in the first area, they have a golden shade of yellow. In the middle is a bigger flower with a face. Frisk presumed that the flower must be Flowey. When they got close, Flowey looked directly into Frisk’s eyes. Flowey: Howdy! I’m FLOWEY. FLOWEY the FLOWER! Hmmm… You’re new to the COMPUTERWORLD, aren’tcha? Golly, you must be so confused. Someone ought to teach you how things work around here! I guess little old me will have to do. Ready? Here we go! The surroundings start to get darker. Frisk can’t see the walls anymore. Everything becomes completely black except her, Flowey and the area around the glow stick. The glow stick is doing the purpose it has really effectively. Flowey: See that heart? That is your SOUL, the very culmination of your being! Your SOUL starts off weak, but can Grow strong if you gain a lot of LV. What’s LV stand for? Why, LOVE, of course! Chara: don’t trust him. Flowey: You want some LOVE, don’t you? Don’t worry, I’ll share some with you! Flowey playfully sticks out his tongue and makes a wink from which a small star appears and disappears in the same amount of time. From behind him, 5 small white pellets appear spinning around really fast. Flowey: Down here, LOVE is shared through… Little white… “friendliness pellets.” Are you ready? Move around! Get as many as you can! Frisk recognizes that hose pellets don’t look so friendly. Chara starts to panic and starts yelling Chara: DODGE THEM! Frisk  swiftly did a sidestep to the left, dodging all of the pellets. Flowey still tries to look positive even tho he is already annoyed. Flowey: Hey buddy, you missed them. Let’s try again, okay? Flowey makes another row of 5 pellets. The pellets start moving closer to frisk with the equal amount of speed as the last 5. Frisk ducks under them. Flowey clearly looks upset now. Flowey: Is this a joke? Are you braindead? RUN. INTO. THE. BULLETS!!! friendliness pellets Before even finishing his sentence, Flowey throws more pellets. This row is way more faster than the first two. Frisk jumps back, avoiding 4 pellets, while the last one is still moving towards her. Frisk deflected the last pellet with her glow stick like a tennis ball. Flowey is completely mad now. instead of his normal black pupils now he has giant black holes in his face for eyes with small white pupils made out of magic, and he has a mouth that resembles a snake. Even his voice has became more demonic. Flowey: You know what’s going on here, don’t you? Frisk flinches from the sudden change of his voice Flowey: You just wanted to see me suffer. Frisk: What? No! Flowey circles Frisk with 60 pellets Flowey: Die The pellets ere getting closer to frisk making the circle smaller. Frisk starts to constantly spin and look around for a way out Chara: Whatdowedowhatdowedowhatdowedowhatdowedo? Flowey’s pellets are centimeters away from Frisk, but they disappeared. His face turns back to normal as he looks in confusion. Suddenly a fireball appears beside Flowey and shoots him out of the ground. Chara makes a small sigh of relief and realization. Chara: Mom. Chapter 3 Chapter 1 Prologue

[mysticalcrusadementality]

Scars Along My Heart (A Frisk, Gaster and Sans Love Triangle)

 Damn… That was faster than I thought; I actually didn’t expect anyone to give this post any mind. But the people have spoken so… On with the show!

Also since Tumblr won’t let me italicize or bold texts anymore this key will help you keep track of who is saying/thinking what.

Frisk: (F)

The voice (better know as Chara): (V)

Gaster: (G)

Anything without “” is the characters thoughts

Anything inside {} is said in sign language

~}{~

Frisk waved good-bye to Undyne as she dashed away, most likely heading back to Snowdin while Alphys and Papyrus trained. She chuckled at the thought; if she was honest it seemed like a pretty good fit to have the proud skeleton be her mentor. Being around someone so upbeat and hopeful even in the face of adversity was just the thing for such a shy little introvert like the royal scientist. The content smile on her face soon fell away though as she turned to face the road ahead, dread oozing and spilling over her soul like toxic sludge at the thought of facing Asgore. Again. Mechanically her feet brought her forward, each step dragging across the damp ground as the apprehension seemed to physically weigh her down the closer she got to the castle. It wasn’t even facing off against the king that made her feel this way, it was facing HIM and she’d have to be a real moron to think he wouldn’t have something else planned for her after she’d finished this little side quest he’d sent her on. God just thinking about going through all of that a second time made her feel exhausted. Physically, mentally, spiritually… Exhausted. Unconsciously her arms rose up to wrap themselves around her torso, her grip on her forearms tight as she hugged herself to have even the smallest form of comfort. Even if it was only from herself… (V) You know it doesn’t have to be this way. It whispered in the same way a snake would try to entice its next victim. (F) Oh god not you again. She thought back with a groan. (V) Oh you better believe it doll face. It giggled mockingly. The voice was back, the same voice that had been following her since the beginning of her journey in this strange subterranean world. At first the human hadn’t thought much of it, after all if she had landed in a hole inhabited by anthropomorphic goats with fire magic, little voices in her head that occasionally gave helpful advice was probably the most normal thing to happen in this particular situation. It was weird, but it was nice to have some company. That is until their suggestions started to take on a, darker tone. After exiting the Ruins and making their way to the inviting warmth that was Snowdin Town, the young woman had encountered several formidable enemies. Those battles had been difficult, testing her endurance and ability to think on her feet. More than once had her impatience and recklessness caused her to meet her end, it was only her strange ability to turn back the clock that allowed her to be where she was now. Each time it happened it felt like waking up from a bad dream, an experience she hated no matter how many times it happened. Despite this the girl still tried to end these battles peacefully, Toriel had showed her the kindness they were capable of and in turn she wished to return it and show monsters that she was not here to hurt them. Her companion on the other hand had seen things differently, growing more and more frustrated with each defeat. Insisting that taking a more aggressive approach was the best course of action and that a hardy swing of the toy knife she’d picked up would have been enough to scare her opponents away, or better yet getting rid of them altogether. It was then the human decided that she didn’t like this voice anymore. The monsters had hurt her yes, but unlike Flowey they were never malicious. They’d talked about taking her soul to the king and how it was the last one they needed to finally be free. At the time Frisk hadn’t fully understood what that meant, but she was smart enough to conclude that the monsters were being “trapped” by something and they believed that she had what they needed to escape. They weren’t evil, just desperate. And that was enough to solidify her decision to keep showing them kindness, she couldn’t truly die anyway so she might as well put this “gift” to good use and see if she could help. At that the voice grew distant and cold, leaving her to fend for herself until she ended up in another taxing battle that had her struggling to stay alive. When this happened they always sounded delighted, as if they enjoyed her pain while they tried to persuade her into indulging in some “well deserved payback” as they put it. But she refused. She was not a killer and they did not deserve to die for wanting to be free. Reading the prophecy in Waterfall the first time had left her with a number of emotions to shift through; anger at the humans of the past for their actions came the quickest. Sadness soon followed at the realization of what they had done to monster kind set in and last was a peculiar happiness that she had followed her instincts and continued to spare those that tried to fight her. (F) What do you want? As if I didn’t know already. Rolling her eyes at her luck. (V) Oh, someone’s feeling snarky at the moment. The monsters giving you trouble? Are you finally beginning to see things my way? It honestly disgusted Frisk to notice how they didn’t even try to hide that sick, sadistic glee in their words. (F) Fat-chance Casper, now piss off! She shouted back. The sparks of anger igniting the fire in her soul and prompted her to release the hold on her upper arms, now swinging them as her stride grew longer, faster and with purpose. (V) Come now gumdrop you know as well as I do that this goody two-shoes act has only gotten you killed a dozen times over and steady migraine. If I were in charge we would have been at Asgore’s doorstep a long time ago. (F) Well then it’s a good thing your not then isn’t it? The human hissed back. (V) Such an idiotic, pathetic little thing you are. Too weak and stupid to comprehend that— Okay now that got the young woman’s attention, this pain in the ass poltergeist never passed up the opportunity to insult her and they never cut themselves off in the middle of one either. Halting her advance Frisk scoped out the immediate area, whatever had the voice on edge she needed to keep an eye out for it. At the moment the girl found herself in a deserted hallway, seeing nothing other than the same deep blue stone that made up this portion of the Underground. (F) Okay either the threat is invisible or this is your new way of fucking with me, she told them as she continued to search. (V) Get out of here. NOW. The demand was loud, reverberating in her mind and disorienting her to the point where she almost lost her footing. Shouting in pain she clutched at her head, screwing her eyes shut before taking a few deep breaths to help ride out the intense throbbing between her eyes. “I don’t understand what are you so…” Frisk trailed off. With her eyelids open just a crack she could see something shimmering on the on wall to her left. “What is—” (V) STAY AWAY FROM THAT! They screamed at her. “FUCKING HELL! Again!” The sheer force enough this time that she indeed fell to her knees in front of the shimmer. “Quit doing that!” Blood racing through her veins she waited until her pulse was calm before she rose to her feet. Blinking she looked for the shimmer, but was surprised to see that it had vanished. “What? But it was just here” gasped Frisk. (V) Well it’s not here any more. Let’s go. (F) I don’t think so. Narrowing her gaze in defiance the young woman scanned the wall for the telltale glimmer from before. (V) No I forbid it! The voice practically growled with anger. (F) Yeah well you can take your forbid and shove it up your—there! Quickly Frisk rushed forward to where she saw the shift in the light, keeping both eyes squinted to insure that the thing she now recognized as a grey door remain in her sights. (V) YOU IDIOT I SWEAR IF YOU OPEN THAT DOOR I’LL TEAR APART YOUR MIND UNTIL YOU DON’T HAVE EVEN A SHRED OF SANITY LEFT! This was practically a banshee’s screech within the confines of Frisk’s mind, one that should have left her a crumpled mess on the dirt floor had her determination to see what was in this new room not been so high. Whatever was in there scared no, terrified the voice and that meant one of two things. It was either an object, maybe an ally that could possibly help her get rid of them or it was a horrible monstrosity that would kill her and be able to make the death a permanent one. There was no way of knowing what the outcome would be, but anything was better then going on as she was. So with as much determination as she could the human grabbed the knob and twisted it open before propelling herself forward. She stumbled, nearly falling to the ground again but was able to catch herself at the last second. She prepared for the onslaught of the voice’s tirade but in the back of her head she could only hear a faint buzzing each time they tried to speak. (F) Okay not sure what this place is, but I like it already, she mused taking in the light grey walls of the short hall she was in that lead to an equally small grey room. Then she spotted something strange, at the center of the grey room was a large mound of what could only be described as ink. And it was moving. (F) Who or what is that? The buzzing grew louder but she ignored it in favor of slowly making her way to the black mass, she stopped two feet away from it in case it decided to get violent and in a gentle voice she called to it. “Hey, excuse me who are you?” The black mass seemed to jump, not expecting someone to speak to it. As swiftly as its liquid form could manage it turned to face the human, revealing a white skull-like face that was cracked in two places. The first extended from its left eye to the corner of its open mouth, while the other stretch upwards from its half closed right eye to the back of its head. When it saw her Frisk could have sworn it let out a strangled gasp as it stared at her in shocked. Then the strangest of sounds like the kind a computer would make came tumbling out of its mouth, while two boney hands moved in tune with the sounds. “I’m sorry I don’t understand,” she told him sadly. Frantically they moved their hands faster, the noises they were making almost desperate as they tried to get her to understand. “I’m sorry, I really am but I can’t understand what you’re saying.” It was heartbreaking to see their face fall at her confession; they looked so hopeless and miserable. They stopped making the noises yet their hands continued to move, though now at a slower, more easy to follow pace. “Weird it’s almost like you’re… speaking in hands,” her realization ending in a whisper as she stared at the mysterious monster’s perpetually moving fingers. Let’s see if I still remember how to do this. Kneeling down before them Frisk slowly began to sign out letters. (F) {Hello my name is Frisk. Who are you?} When the monster caught sight of her message they froze, even their busy hands stilling at their surprise. After what felt like an eternity they responded in a similar fashion. (G) {Hello Frisk my name is Wing Dings Gaster.} The buzzing was getting worse now but that didn’t matter, they could communicate, she could talk to Gaster! Now she just had to find out what he was doing here. Giving him a warm smile she continued with her questions. (F) {Can you tell me what this place is? I’ve never seen it before.} (G) {It is part of a place known only as the void. A sort of parallel dimension that shadows this world.} (F) Well damn this is some real life science fiction now. The shock must have shown on her as Gaster’s cracked mouth rose into an amused smile. (F) {How did you get here?} And just like that the smile slipped away to be replaced by a troubled frown. (G) {A lab experiment gone wrong, it brought me here with no way to escape.} (F) {What about the door? Can’t you just go through?} (G) {Even if I did I no longer fully exist in their world. No one can see or hear me. Except you.} (F) {Is there anything I—} Frisk didn’t get to finish that question as the horrible buzzing struck her again, only this time she could hear the voice. (V) I WARNED YOU. The human screamed in pain, grabbing her head as wave after wave of agony came crashing down upon her. Somewhere among the torrent of suffering she registered the feeling of hands carefully clasping her shoulders. Forcing her hazel orbs to open she looked into the dark sockets of Gaster, his white pupils flying over her features as he tried to find what was causing her such distress. In numb awe she watched as he called her soul forward, the typically bright red heart now dim as another heart, this one tattered and as black as tar attempted to snuff out her lights. At the sight Gaster seemed to go through a thousand different emotions at once until his features settled into a look she knew all too well. The look of determination. Nodding to himself the strange goopy skeleton man summoned his own soul, the brilliance of the inverted heart shining proudly in its dull surroundings. Then without warning he sent it forward, crashing into Frisk like two colliding atoms and the room erupted into a blinding white light.

This literally took me all half of yesterday and all of today to finish. Also despite being a frans shipper and the nature of this situation I’m gunna put who Frisk actually ends up with up to you guys. I kinda wanna see if you guys will pick Gatser or not and I can maybe treat this like a reverse effect when people write soriel but still have Frisk wanting to be with him. I love Sans but some times that mother fucker needs a taste of his own medicine >:D Let me know what you guys think.

[bublp0pr]

UT ramblings. undyne + monster politics

most people don’t seem to appreciate undyne the same way that they appreciate sans or pap etc. (I could go on for hours about how much the UT fanbase is far far faaar to focussed on sans but that’s not really relevant...) So i just wanted to bring up all the facts because most people don’t really realise that ALL the main characters of undertale are extremely 3 dimensional with backstory and depth and purpose and motivations and relationships and dreams. A lot of stories/art i see of undyne just focusses on her aggression, her over-enthusiasm or her relationship with Alphys, but she’s more than just some trope. 

So i guess i’ll just start with the generic stuff and get more detailed as i go. 

Hope for monsterkind

Undyne is a monster (gasp! never would’ve guessed that one would ya?) and so she is trapped underground with the rest of monster-kind underground. The sneaky thing about Undertale is it’s very good at giving us absolutely noooo reference points to infer the time of various events in it’s history (damn you Toby Fox for your sneakily vague ways) but the common conception i’ve encountered within the fanbase is that she was either born underground and as such has never seen the surface or that atleast she was really young when it happened. 

Now this is important: to her getting out of the underground isn’t a lamenting about what has been lost, because she doesn’t have many/any memories to hold it towards, they’re all just stories to her. What drives her wanting to leave is little to nothing about leaving herself but providing hope for the monsters of the underground. 

Backstory history stuff:

Monsters you can talk to from all corners of the game make it clear that they are actually struggling a great deal because of their situation with problems such as dreariness, overcrowding and lack of sunlight. They say that most make jokes and such to try and ignore the fact that there’s a lot to make them lose hope. Hope in leaving, hope in their situation in life improving, hope for there being any purpose to monster-kind existing at all. 

A part of this despair is mostly from their royal dramas (namely Chara’s plan backfiring :P). 

The loss of their royalty’s future heir, Asriel, to humans of all people after trying to make things right for them re-iterates just how much they are, even in this state, completely at their mercy. It emphasises how futile fighting it is - even if they do make it to the surface. Not to mention how knowing that their leader has lost his next-in-line would affect political confidence of the kingdom. 

What makes matters worse is that Chara (yes. I’m using the true name to refer to the first human, it makes logical sense within lore to select the name most endorsed by the primary material. deal with it) was also a variable within the state of the people at this time. With the arrival of this human and the king and queens actions at making peace and welcoming them, Chara likely symbolised the first step in making peace with humanity - proof that monsters and humans could co-exist in harmony. With their death coupled with the involvement of humanity with Asriel’s actions to peacefully mourn them, it crushes all the ideals that came with that. Asgore, in response to the deaths, declared war on humans which would set the ground for monster-kind’s bias against them. 

We all know how Toriel responds to Asgore’s actions. As people who play the game, the idea of her fleeing to the ruins and locking herself there makes perfect sense, but to everyone else at the time all they know is that their queen just disappeared one day. There might’ve been rumours about how she had been arguing with Asgore, how their marriage had begun to fail after losing their child, but the general public would just see it as their weakened royalty becoming even more so at their hour of need.

(ok... back to what i was actually talking about)

Anyway, Undyne is absolutely crucial to stopping them from losing hope. To put it simply, she inspires them. In a time when there are hundreds of reasons to hate life, and the only ones doing ok are either too ignorant to understand the problem or are simply pretending that they don’t exist, she is the figurehead for change. She takes action. Unlike their king who, for as a kind a person as he is, feels reluctant to take an assertive stance on the attack (opting instead to just sit around and wait for the humans to come to him, hoping they never will, like toriel put it) Undyne provides ways that monsters can be helpful NOW. 

Many call her the hero of the Underground - and for good reason. Her passion is infectious, it inspires others and for the first time in a long time (again, don’t know how long though because TIMELINE). She makes them think it’s actually possible, like a future on the surface is within their reach. Afterall, Asgore already has 6 souls, all they need is one. She makes it sound so simple, so possible. It doesn’t hurt that she’s the most capable fighter the Underground’s seen in a while either (excluding Asgore obviously) which makes them feel powerful for once.

In short, Undyne is single handedly bringing momentum and hope back to the underground. Because of her the Underground at last is in a position to take back the surface and they feel empowered. And she’s not bearing it alone either, she’s bringing every lasts monster who wants to help with her, inspiring the masses to action.

What drives her (sorta linked to last one)

From a phone calls you can make in the echo flower rooms, we learn that she has heard the personal wishes of many monsters made to echo flowers all united in their desire to leave this place. I spoke a bit before about how it’s unlikely she has much experience with the surface herself. She’s doing this because she cares about others. What drives her is the dreams and determination of everyone she knows and cares about.

How awesome is that?! I mean, that concept alone should make her one of the most respected people in the game. Compared to Sans (and i’m not hating here, Sans is awesome too) who fights you because there’s absolutely no other options left, to let you pass would be to mean everything be deleted forever (i mean, how could you NOT fight at that point, he had nothing to lose); Undyne’s reasoning requires commitment, passion, energy, devotion! This isn’t something she had to do. This is the accumulation of all her compassion for the monsters and her bravery to stand for change. She’s doing this for the ones she loves, the ones she hates, EVERYONE. She’s doing this for her people, for Asgore, for the sake of monsterkind! NGGGAHHHHHH!!!! (sorry, got a bit carried away there)

Representing the people

Something that really resonates in the undertones of the game through her story arc is the responsibility she bears. She is the representative of the people, the hero, a role model to the younger ones and a saviour for the older ones. Everyone is following her because of her passion to the cause. She needs to be strong, to show just how committed she is. 

Something that really shows in her character is how much she cares about the people who depend in her. She sees herself as someone who needs to meet that standard. Fortunately for her, she’s basically perfect for the job, being driven is who she is. She loves it, she loves the stakes, the fighting. The energy she brings to the table comes naturally for her, she’s a natural leader. Truly, she just bears the expectations of monsters like a real champ.

For an added bonus though, calling her in the room behind the waterfall shows she takes breaks too :) “When i feel like relaxing, i always take a break there. Which means NEVER!! I hate relaxing! I LOVE being ANGRY and STRESSED OUT! Just kidding.”

I like to think that Monster Kid kinda is an analogy for all the people she’s fighting for in the game. She’s his role model, his idol. He wants to be just like her when he grows up, even though he has no arms. The kid has no arms!!! And she still makes him feel like he can take on the world! Isn’t that just so inspiring? And what does she do when he gets in the way of fighting you? She takes him aside to protect him. She put the safety of a kid she barely knows before the epic fight she’s been dreaming of, the final showdown that will finish this once and for all. A lesser person would have just dismissed him and fought you anyway. But she’s not like that. Because she CARES. Extending the analogy even further, MK is an innocent, he just wants to be friends with you. And this confuses and annoys Undyne. Because everything she does is for them. Don’t they WANT her to break the barrier? That’s where a lot of her anger comes in about your ”goody two shoes schtick” in her fight. 

Can i also point out that when you kill monsters in Snowdin, she remembers them? She lists them by name, defends their intentions and fights you to avenge them? How noble is that!

Determination!?

I’m still always flabbergasted that she actually USED determination. I mean, not even sans did that. Her cause meant so much to her, she had with her the support and hearts and dreams of so many people that it literally filled her with determination. For the sake of all monsters she refuses to even DIE! And when she starts to melt, her form physically incapable of handling the powers she’s meddling with, SHE STILL PRESSES ON. TO THE VERY LAST ATTACK SHE FIGHTS! 

Just... just take a moment to think that through.

THERE’S MORE TO HER THAN BEING A HERO

I can see why people find her drive very two dimensional. Even with all the caring stuff behind it, which makes it more meaningful, she still comes off as very cliche protagonist. Firstly, she’s supposed to be like that, it’s ironic because she’s like a real life anime hero just like she idolises in Alphys’ um... *cough* history books. She’s sincere, it’s a fundamental character trait. She’s true to her convictions and when she wants something she takes action, some people are just like that. She has passion and she refuses to hold that back. Cooking with her definitely shows you that haha. 

But she wasn’t always so popular. Can i remind people that, in true anime fashion, she ALSO has a tragic backstory that she refuses to let hold her back??? It’s actually mentioned a few times in the game but you never really notice it. Undyne is scary. Under any other circumstance, where she didn’t stand up to take the role and there was reason to admire her, everyone was too scared to be around her. That energy that everyone finds endearing made people frightened. She didn’t have many friends growing up because all the kids were to scared of the overly-aggressive fish monster. She says she doesn’t care about popular people to papyrus. It’s because, if things hadn’t turned out like they did, she too would be unpopular. She was alone, a misfit, strong and weird. 

For me that really changes how i look at her. When she fights for the underground, she’s fighting for the people that used to be afraid of her. Her energy, the thing that left her ostracised, is the hope of everyone. I like to also reflect on how nice it is that she can fill this role too, it sounds just like a TV show for the strange one to rise up and be all that is good regardless. It’s also nice how she isn’t resentful of it. She still cares about the people as a whole and about each and every individual that makes it up.

Okay, now the alphys stuff

So i find the way that her and Alphys meet so enjoyable to look into. It’s heavily implied that Alphys has at times been suicidal (and there’s even suggestion to her taking this action in some of the neutral routes). Undyne meets her at the edge of a waterfall into the abyss and listens to talk to her for hours about the theories about what’s at the bottom. This is SO consistent with her character, of course she’d be the perfect kind of person to talk to when Alphys is like that. Undyne’s kindness shines through again. Also, the way that Alphys can go on for hours is just as driven as Undyne’s drive for other things. The parallels are what she admires about her. 

It’s also cute the little things you notice that suggest she’s got a crush too. Normally Alphys’ side of the affection is what we notice but the tiny things... Like how a monster at Grillby’s knew undyne was off limits because she had a crush on someone. And how undyne would call alphys about the weather when there literally isn’t a sky. And how undyne corrected her statements about no nerds being allowed in her room. The water cooler being added in also shows that Undyne visited the lab often enough for Alphys to get concerned and install it - Undyne, a fish used to cold wet climates, literally went to a place filled with dry fiery rocks to see her. 

Another thing i find fascinating about the pair is that they are quite similar actually. Both feel the need to bear responsibility in freeing monsters from the underground and face the pressure of wanting to meet people expectations. In a way, Alphys creating Mettaton has provided a similar effort to monster’s attitude as Undyne. Alphys researching determination is her way of fighting the barrier the same way Undyne leading the royal guard is. The difference obviously comes in the degree of confidence the two have, Alphys is clearly very insecure and her failure with the DT experiments only make it worse for her.

Papyrus

Sigh, do i even need to explain this one? She admired Pap’s dedication, respects him as a person and fighter and doesn’t let him join the royal guard because she worries about him which is really sweet. Instead of just flat out saying no, she even goes the extra mile of encouraging his other hobbies and entertaining his dreams. They’re good friends.

Random extras

She trained under Asgore and respects him a lot (but we already know all about that if from the cooking date). She was committed to fighting him again and again until she could finally beat him and pacifist Frisk reminds her of him. Sweet.

She plays piano. Can i point out that her fight is one of the few with straight up piano in the soundtrack? It’s a cool little easter egg and i can’t help but imagine her practising her battle music. It also ties in with the ancient artefact puzzle, which Undyne funnily enough made (a nice little extra :) )

[sweetdreemurrs]

Please get your hate out the soriel tag and into the anti soriel tag no one wants to see your shit logic over two characters who obviously care about eachother very much in game sans and tori are great pals I love soriel I know it wouldnt happend cannonly but itsa sweetship you wouldnt like it if i went off reminding you that tori hated what asgore did to her children and was terrified of him so why the fuck would he ever get back with him (: sucks doesnt it? please get in the right tags ty!

And this is exactly why I tag my posts. Not only is it the subject of the post but it educates ignorant people such as yourself.

Let’s analyze the flaws.

“two characters who obviously care about each other”

Yes. So much so that they don’t even know each other’s NAMES. Even Sans admits that he promised to protect Frisk purely as a friendly favor to an old lady. Their friendship is VERY similar to a familial bond. Not a marital one. Not only that but their personalities would not work well as more than friends.

“Toriel hated what Asgore did to her children and was terrified of him”

Not once does she claim to hate him or be scared of him. You also seem to forget that she left her race and likely caused several monsters to die. Monsters “fall down” when they lack hope. The whole purpose of Asgore’s actions was to free all monsterkind and give them hope.

“why the fuck would she ever get back with him”

SEVERAL reasons. I will list just a few of them for you.

They work together happily. Thus, reconciliation is possible.

The fact that Asgore is rebuilding their relationship means that it won’t plateau.

Statistically, many relationships are the result of working together or in similar fields.

Frisk calls Toriel their mother and in a conversation with Gerson suggests that if Asgore was their father maybe he wouldn’t age. So already, Frisk canonically views them both as their parents.

“Take care of mom and dad for me, okay?”

Toriel most likely feels just as much guilt as Asgore but has hid it more.

Toriel leaves several hints that she misses Asgore. Their houses remain identical despite the fact she could have redecorated.

She also picks up his hobby of gardening to help fill the void.

The two are still connected as seen in the Asriel boss fight. Their souls are still linked even after a few decades.

Their time spent apart was barely even a fraction of their lives.

And again. That is only a FEW.

“Sucks doesn’t it?”

Not at all. You proved absolutely nothing other than the fact that your grammar and spelling is atrocious.

“ty”

Yes, your hate mail certainly does feel like gratitude. *Eye roll.*

[radicaledward2]

My Thoughts on Undertale Head-Canon and Possible Prequel Ideas (Part 1) -spoilerinos ahead-

So before I start, I just wanted to lay out my initial thoughts (real talk).

I’m more-or-less aware of the current state of the Undertale fandom (or what’s left of it) and how much of a mess it’s become due to the toxic (and at times militant) nature of it’s community.

I’m also kind of aware of Toby Fox’s thoughts on fandom and how he’s sort of distanced himself from it (as have I and most of my friends because of the weirdness the fandom declined to).

While I am disheartened by the state of Undertale’s fandom, I thought I’d just throw my thoughts out there for possible directions the “series” could go rather than keeping the ideas to myself.

If Toby ever decides to revisit Undertale, that’s up to him but, if he doesn’t, I would totally understand why.

With all that sobering rambling out of the way, let’s start with my two cents on some of the existing head-canon and then follow that up with my ideas for potential prequels (not sequels) for Undertale.

My Thoughts on Some of the Undertale Head-Canon

(If by some slim chance Toby does see this, there is no Humanified whatever or cringey stuff here. I’m 23. I don’t have time for that nonsense.)

I get people have their own weird ways of warping the characters to meet their ideals (or some other philosophical mumbo-jumbo like that) but, when it came to characters like Sans,  I wasn’t one of those types that were like,

“Ah man, Sans knows everything goes wrong in other timelines so he’s a nihilist or something deep like that.”

I just saw Sans as a literal embodiment of me during my senior year of college as a Studio Art major:

Making shitty puns to piss off all my friends (and the professor), procrastinating on projects that could have actually turned out great if I put the time into them, discovering the magic of Mike’s Hard Lemonade and Angry Orchard, making up excuses and/or pretend ways to show I actually got work done when I didn’t, etc (I’d be here all day if I kept going).

Long story short, I honestly don’t get why people want to see Sans fucked up in the head from seeing EVERYTHING (like Elizabeth from BioShock Infinite...spoilers for that). I just think he genuinely didn’t give a shit about anything because that would have required him to ACTUALLY do work.

The whole “he knows the beginning and the end and how much of a shit you are for attempting to kill everyone at some point”, means zilch to me. The deaths and betrayals don’t happen unless you made it happen.

(I also actively drank ketchup when I was younger but, I’d rather not talk about that...)

So that covers Sans.

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Mettaton Ex (the legs one)

We could all fantasize about how hot he is or whatever but, at the end of the day, he’s just a robot version of David Bowie (not that that’s a bad thing).

Moving on ~

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Possible Prequel Ideas

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After the first month or two of Undertale being out, I 100%’d the game with a Pacifist Run (I didn’t know Pacifist or Genocide Runs were a thing yet so I just went with whatever I felt was morally right at the time).

When I closed the game, I found myself thinking of possible directions the story could go (like many people do after finishing a video game they invested so much time into playing).

Again, this was WAY before the fandom was at its peak and trying to make up their own stories for the characters so I had time to make up my own speculations without having my views influenced by other players or let’s players.

Also, before you all brace yourselves for possibly “cringe” levels of fan service ideas, I’ll just say, I’m presenting these ideas while keeping them as plausible and tame (within the boundaries of official Undertale canon and some Earthbound canon as possible).

Before you fight Asgore, there’s a room filled with sealed coffins and your potential casket (Chara’s old casket).

That means Asgore managed to kill six other humans before confronting Frisk.

There would be 6 prequels.

Each prequel would be from the point of view of each of the deceased SOULS. 

Lets take this into consideration, we don’t know how many years passed since Chara died (or Asriel sort-of died).

Each human that Asgore managed to obtain SOULS from could have died either willingly or died fighting.

When I say “willingly”, that could mean Asgore managed to convince the human (controlled by the player) to give themselves up with some story about bringing hope back to the monsters OR by trying to guilt him/her about his dead sons (Asriel and Chara) in hopes of bringing them back.

When I say “died fighting”, I mean a Rogue One scenario where you regardless how hard you try, the story has it set that you WILL lose. This isn’t that big of a surprise considering he got the SOULS.

So unless you happen to not play Undertale but, managed to play the hypothetical sequel, you’ll be in for a rude awakening when you “beat” the game.

Basically, each protagonist you play as in the prequels has an illusion of choice.

Now before you all get sad about the idea of getting invested in a character that WILL die, here’s some concepts that could be explored...

Young Gerson and Undyne

(I didn’t make this and I don’t know who this character is. I just found this image as a placeholder)

We could see a younger Gerson with the spear that he later gave to Undyne; still hardened from the war against the humans. As an added bonus, we could see a younger Undyne.

Asgore as a Real Antagonist

(source)

With the deaths of his sons, Asgore (like any father would be after losing his children) would have become broken or driven with a seething hatred of humans in terms of the first prequel (which is the furthest back in the timeline).

(source)

Beneath his love-able fuzzy demeanor around his fellow monsters, he was probably a cold and bitter king that secretly ordered a special sect of the Royal Guard to be created with the sole purpose of combating humans in the event they ever invaded their domain.

A Warrior Protagonist

(it was a random image I had in a folder)

We could get a human protagonist that tries to venture into the Underground through another passageway immediately after the barrier was sealed.

If this does happen, we could get a game that could play out like this...

A young warrior finds a way into the Underground in an attempt to slay the “beast” (the transformed Asriel) without knowing what it looked like (outside of hearsay from other human warriors that fought Asriel while he retreated).

The warrior would meet a bunch of new characters that weren’t in the original game because of the time gap between them. Over the course of the game, the warrior could become less malicious as he meets monsters that don’t know what humans look like (similar to the first game). 

By the time he/she has to fight Asgore, he confronts him thinking he’s Asriel.

Asgore is convinced this warrior was THE one that killed his son and the final battle commences.

Over the course of the battle, there could be lines of dialogue from Asgore that could persuade the warrior into sacrificing himself/herself as a hero for the monsters; unknowing that he/she would only be the first in a series of humans dying at Asgore’s hands.

The Old City

We could see the old capital/city before it was abandoned.

Yeah...there isn’t really much else I can add to that because there’s so little we know about it.

The Divorce

(source)

Probably after three games we’ll reach a point where Toriel gets sick of helping Asgore with collecting SOULS and leaves him. It would be interesting actually witnessing Toriel telling Asgore that “enough is enough” before leaving him and abandoning her place as queen of the monsters.

I know it’s a dark subject but, we already know that somewhere down the line there was a tipping point that made Toriel disgusted of Asgore but, how long did it take?

More Flowey (but when? and more)

Considering all of Alphys’s journal entries, we probably won’t get any Flowey cameos until the second or third prequel sequel.

On top of that, considering how aloof Alphys was, we probably won’t even see the inside of the lab, HOWEVER, we could get a glimpse at monsters before they go to the lab and even talk to them before they check-in with Alphys (more sadness ensues).

Starmen

I know Papyrus having the Starman symbol on his “armor” was just a nod to Earthbound but, what if it wasn’t just a nod?

What if at some point prior to Undertale (in the prequel set directly before Undertale), Papyrus saw a Starman (or Starmen) teleporting around while he was on one of his “scouting missions” for Undyne?

I mean...there was that story a year ago that Nintendo was allegedly in talks with Toby. We could get a crossover in the form of a small cameo to explain how Papyrus learned about the Starmen (or atleast saw them and thought they looked so cool that he tried to cosplay as one but never ditched the chest piece).

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That’s all for Part 1. It’s like 4AM so I’ll post more about this tomorrow (in a few hours...maybe).

In the meantime, check out this old Undertale post I made about how it would look if it was ported to the 3DS.