#monster kid is sort of the same deal? undyne uses they/them for them

[everysongineverykey]

i dunno it kinda bothers me sometimes to see characters who are referred to with they/them pronouns in games described as "ambiguously gendered" or "gender left unclear" or "gender unstated" by fans and stuff like. yeah absolutely they are sometimes that. sometimes the creator had a gender in mind for them while creating them and just didn't think to talk about it in the game. but also, like. sometimes characters can just be nonbinary? and it makes me kinda sad that everyone's first reaction to they/them pronouns in games is "oh, they have a binary gender, it's just up to the player/not stated in-game".

[a-snow-decahedron]

Befriending the enemy

Versión en español: Leer en AO3 / Leer en Tumblr

Summary: After Alphys confesses her feelings towards Undyne, she realizes that while the truth is hard to hear, it is better to say it. Papyrus listens.

Set in a true pacifist route, on the way to meet up eveyone else in new home.

Words: 2335

Read on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31130111

Undyne was a monster that always faced her problems head-on. Or so she thought. Feelings were never her strong suit. And that day left her with some complex feelings.

A human showed up in Snowdin during the morning, closing the Ruins' door behind them. They wore a striped shirt, like every other monster child, but their soul shone red with power: it was the last soul needed to break the barrier, and she was determined to capture them and be the hero that freed monsterkind. It wasn't about honor as much as it was about justice for all the pain that monsters had gone through for generations.

But it was just a kid, a thought insisted, and she repressed it. Duty calls, and she wouldn't step back. The Canine Unit in Snowdin forest tried to stop them, yet all of them were unable to capture the human. Undyne feared the worst, that this child had killed them, but every monster that had encountered the human so far said they were kind, and never hurt anyone. She was livid. She knew humans couldn't be trusted, they could turn your allies against you like in those animes Alphys had shown her. So her frustration grew as the day went by.

Papyrus and his brother were no exception to the rule. The tall skeleton reported to her on the way to Waterfall that he had let the human go, after befriending them. He tried to stop her, telling her that she didn't need to get their soul. All of this just confirmed in her mind why he could never be part of the royal guard. What is the human had not shown mercy? The idea repulsed her, but so did extending monsters' wait to reach the Surface. So despite her friend's words and the apparent pacifist attitude the human had, she didn't give up on her goal.

She encountered them a few times in Waterfall, followed closely by another kid. Were they friends? Oh, the nerve of that human, to get someone else to fight their battles. Her anger grew after every time they managed to scape her attacks. Until finally, the monster kid left to go home and she fought the human. Their resilience was astounding and they could dodge her attacks like they had seen it all before. Despite making their soul green, they found the chance to flee like a coward towards Hotland. In the end, she couldn't keep up with her armor. She didn't want to admit it, but the water that human had given her gave her strength to go home. A moment of weakness. She was just glad the child had decided to pity her.

At her house, she meditated about everything she'd seen. The truth was that she was exhausted, and not knowing how to deal with her thoughts, she started playing piano. A while later she heard a knock on the door and Papyrus walked in, as was expected, but he brought the human child along. Against her better judgement, she let them both in. The following events still replayed on her head. How could she go from trying to defeat her enemy to a hang out at her house? How did that go so horribly well and so horribly wrong at the same time? She didn't have any answers, but one thing was certain, that child had proved her expectations wrong, and had flipped her view on quite some things.

Undyne now sat on the green couch at the skeleton brother's house. And now her thoughts gravitated toawards yet another revelation. Alphys liked her. The same way she liked Alphys back. Saying the truth had been hard for her, that was obvious and the Waterfall monster could relate too. Undyne was a monster that always faced her problems head-on but feelings were never her strong suit. Another idea presented itself on her head. Sure she was hot-headed and impulsive, but after such an eventful day it was impossible not tot take some time to think and make sense of everything.

She suddenly heard the door hit the wall as Ppayrus made his way inside the house. Despite being all bones, his expression showed deep worry. "UNDYNE! YOU MUST COME WITH ME NOW!" He said, extending his hand.

"What's wrong, Papyrus? Did the punk call again? Are they lost?" She stood up in a moment, ready to follow the skeleton.

Papyrus shook his head "THE HUMAN IS ON THEIR WAY TO NEW HOME! BUT WE CAN'T LET THEM FACE ASGORE, WE MUST STOP THIS, MAYBE WE CAN CONVINCE THEM NOT TO FIGHT" He replied, some distressed slipping through his voice. "I CALLED ALPHYS AND MY BROTHER TOO, THEY WILL BE MEETING US AHEAD, BUT WE MUST HURRY"

Undyne didn't doubt for a second about how her friend knew that, so she followed Papyrus toawrds the door and they went to the Riverperson. who was fortunately waiting for passengers in Snowdin. They both sat and took the ride. After a few moments, Papyrus noted her silence, and asked "YOU SEEM QUIETER THAN USUAL."

She was about to shrug and brush it off with some excuse, but something else took over her and instead she said "Hey, Papyrus? I gotta tell you something."

"WHAT IS IT? ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT THE HUMAN AND THE KING? I ASSURE YOU WITH THE GREAT PAPYRUS'S SKILLS AND YOUR STRENGTH WE WILL STOP THE CONFLICT BEFORE IT EVEN BEGINS"

"Well, yes, but i wanted to talk about something else..." What? We're really doing this Undyne? Oh darn it there is no way to stop now.

His eyesocket were staring right through her. "IF THIS IS ABOUT ALPHYS, I THINK OUR TRAINING NEEDS MORE T-"

"Fuhuhu, well, it's not exactly about her, that's still got my magic all shocked, but she got me thinking about some things..." Her gaze turned to the side, avoiding facing him. "Thing is, being honest isn't always easy, you know? I wasn't able to confess to Alphys on my own without the punk's help. She struggled with being sincere too. And maybe part of the truth hurt, I don't know if I can look at anime the same way again— But that's not the point!" Papyrus's mismatched eyesockets looked even more uneven when he raised his browbone, letting her continue. "I... have not been the most honest with you, and i want to put an end to it."

"BUT UNDYNE, YOU'VE SHOWN ME MORE SIDES OF YOURSELF THAN YOU SHOW MOST PEOPLE! NOT EVERYONE KNOWS YOUR PASSION FOR ALL SORTS OF MUSIC, OR HAS TRIED YOUR COOKING! AND CERTAINLY I AM HONORED TO BE YOUR TRUSTED FRIEND! SO WHAT IS MAKING YOU THINK THESE THINGS?" Undyne's soul sank like it had been turned blue. She took a breath, to give herself some extra time to plan her words.

"Dude, I... don't know how you'll take this."

"GO AHEAD, THE GREAT PAPYRUS KNOWS WELL WHAT TO DO IN DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS"

She exhaled, no going back now: "I was never intending to let you in the Royal Guard."

His smile dropped, but before she could apologize, he simply asked "WAS I NOT SKILLED ENOUGH?"

"No, you... it's not about ability. Dude, you're one of the toughest monsters I've trained with, you can take blow after blow and still keep on fighting." She sighed. "But I thought you were too innocent and naive and—"

"WELL I SURE APPRECIATE THE COMPLIMENT, BUT I FAIL TO UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM"

"You know the Royal Guard's goal was to capture a human and take their soul to King Asgore, right?" He nodded. "Right, but to do that we'd have to kill them, and humans would resist to that. Anyone would. Humans are powerful, and they can hurt many monsters trying to fight for their life. Some of them may beg for mercy, and trick us into trusting them only to betray us later."

"BUT THIS HUMAN IS NICE."

"Yeah, but we didn't know that when they showed up."

"SO WHAT?, EVERYONE HAS THE CAPACITY TO BE GOOD, I WOULD GIVE THEM THE CHANCE TO PROVE THEMSELVES."

"And that's the problem! They could take advantage of that! I don't want to see you being shattered into smiling pieces because of some enemy with bad intentions!"

"SO YOU THINK I SHOULD HAVE JUST KILLED THEM."

"It's the duty of the royal guard!" Undyne let out a sigh, feeling awful for the things she said.

Papyrus stared at her, empty sockets facing her one seeing eye. His thoughts, unclear. He stayed quiet longer than it was normal for him, but then he frowned and spoke. "UNDYNE, DO YOU THINK I CAN'T DEFEND MYSELF?"

She considered the question, then shook her head. "I don't know... I just don't want you to get hurt. That someone comes and crashes your hopes and betrays you. The Royal Guard must never hesitate. The hopes and dreams of monsters depend on us."

"DO YOU THINK THE HUMAN HAS WISHES TOO?"

"What? Of course I do! Well... I do, now that I've seen how determined they are, and their good heart."

"THEN WOULDN'T IT BE UNFAIR TO DESTROY THEM LIKE THAT?"

"But what if other humans are evil?"

"WHAT IF THEY'RE NOT? I'M SURE YOUR EXECTATIONS HAVE BEEN PROVEN WRONG LATELY. MINE HAVE. I NEVER THOUGHT SOMEONE COULD SHARE MY PASSION FOR PUZZLES AND HOMECOOKED FOOD AS SINCERELY AS THAT HUMAN." Undyne raised an eyebrow, curious about the skeleton's reasoning. He kept going "I HAVE MADE A NEW FRIEND BY BEING BRAVE AND OPEN TO SEE WHO THEY REALLY ARE. AND NOW THAT I KNOW WHAT IS AT STAKE I CANNOT LET THE VIOLENCE HAPPEN AGAINST THEM OR ANYONE."

"I see what you mean, but we can't let then just leave, it's their life, at the cost of the freedom of our kind. And ensuring we do that for monsters is what is needed to be part of the guard."

"THEN YOU SHOULDN'T BE A PART OF THE GUARD ANYMORE EITHER."

His words hit her like the hardest walls of the caverns. There, that's the issue that had plagued her mind all afternoon. It surprised her how the topic had gone from being sincere to Papyrus about her expectations, to talking about the right thing to do. The worst part is that he was right. How could she, the Captain of the Guard, give up on her duty? Shouldn't she set an example? But now the thoght of going after the human kid just made the magic within her whirl uncomfortably. She could feel the humid atmosphere of the Waterfall tunnels all around her.

"I DID NOT MEAN TO BE RUDE, UNDYNE." Papyrus hesitated on his next words, but she interrupted him.

"No, you're right after all. I befriended the enemy."

"AND THEY TURNED OUT TO BE DIFFERENT THAN YOU EXPECTED." She nodded.

"UNDYNE. I KNOW WHO I KNOW, AND I KNOW YOU KNOW WHO YOU KNOW. WELL...." He cleared his non-existent throat, then resumed his speech. "TO PUT IT IN BETTER WORDS, THERE ARE PEOPLE WE KNOW WELL. BUT IT'S BECAUSE WE GAVE THEM THE CHANCE, AND THEY USED IT TO BE GOOD"

Then he pointed at her, and kept going. "YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE DOING THE RIGHT THING, TAKING THEIR SOUL. BUT THAT'S NOT THE CASE ANYMORE, DON'T YOU SEE? WE'RE GOING STRAIGHT TO THE KING'S CASTLE TO STOP THIS NONSENSE!"

Undyne was atypically silent after his words. Who was this guy? Did he always put that much thouught on things? Had she misjudged him? "Woah Papyrus, you really are sure about this. But you're right, i'm on board with you now." She grinned, showing all her teeth "I gotta say, you impress me, can't believe how i changed in a single day thanks to your actions."

"THANK YOU, I AM A SKELETON THAT LIVES TO SURPASS ANY GIVEN STANDARD." He wore his usual grin, and his eyes shone with pride.

"That's the guy I know!" She was getting close to tackle him in a hug when the Riverperson turned and told them they arrived to their destination.

"Come again sometime, tra la la..." Undyne pulled some coins from her pocket and gave them to the monster as tips. They didn´t charge for the ride, but any compensation was more than appreciated.

"NOW LET'S HEAD TO THE ELEVATORS, THE SOONER WE GET OUT OF HOTLAND THE SOONER WE WILL ARRIVE!"

"Hey, Papyrus?" He turned around to face Undyne as she walked to reach him. "Thank you."

"WHAT FOR?"

"For giving us the chance to do the right thing." While she pressed the button to call the elevator she asked: "Hey, one last thing, how do you... feel about what i told you?"

"WELL, IT DOES PUT OUR PREVIOUS ONE-ON-ONE TRAINING IN A NEW LIGHT, FOR SURE" He lifted his gloved hand, to wait for a moment, as he said the next words: "BUT I APPRECIATE KNOWING THE TRUTH, AND NOW WE CAN FORGET THE AWKWARD MOMENT AS IF IT NEVER HAPPENED, LIKE THE GOOD FRIEND I AM"

"Don't you feel bad about it?"

"WELL, I CAN'T SAY I DON'T, BUT I FORGIVE YOU, AS LONG AS WE SAY THE TRUTH TO EACH OTHER FROM NOW ON"

"Papyrus, you're something else." They both laughed as they got off the elevator.

"UNDYNE, I HAVE ONE LAST QUESTION" The skeleton fidgeted with his gloves, but a smirk was forming on his face. "IF THE ROYAL GUARD STOPS BEING ABOUT HUNTING HUMANS, DO YOU THINK ASGORE COULD GIVE ME A POSITION IN THE GUARD?"

"Fuhuhuhu, you bet! But first we have to make sure he and the punk don't kill each other because of some old unfair conflict." And with that said, they both sprinted on their path to the MTT resort.

Undyne was a monster that always faced her problems head-on. Or so she thought. Feelings were never her strong suit. But friends could alwyas subvert her expectations and be there to support her in those moments of doubt.

[spirit-shroud]

what are some roles that have been largely changed for cityrune? since you said queen was an influencer now :]

hi ty for asking me im vibrating. havent gotten to talk about this au now for three years and now that chapter 2 is like real and this time i can like........draw occasionally and i have more understanding of nuance...... [grips table] [screams]

this isnt quite what you asked but heres what's everyone from chapter 1 has been Up To with a little bit of context (and under a read more bc it got LENGTHY):

kris - professional stay at home teen (they live w/ asgore n help run the flower shop sometimes. this decision was entirely bc i dont like toriel). was wrongly diagnosed w Sudden Soul Rejection when they were incredibly young and given an experimental transplanted soul as a replacement. it works for them fine, give or take having to see gaster once a month for checkups. but sometimes the soul makes them skittish n decides they're going to sit in front of the pc and play 30 consecutive hours of a certain simulation game and not even let them drown people in the pool. if it were entirely up to them, they'd be like. passing out on the sofa to documentaries about bigfoot. or practicing cool knife tricks to impress their friends at their next tabletop meetup

- EDITED IN: the soul is kind of their friend. they are wearing a hypothetical get along shirt. most of the time, they agree on actions and things to do. tends to refer to themself + their soul as we/us which originally was just something they did in their head but they kept slipping in speech/text n just became a Thing of how they talk. switches to 'I/Me' whenever smth is wrong.

- also edited in: they believe the soul they have is their original soul bc nobody has told them otherwise. whenever theyre like 'oh yeah we think about our soul n view it as a separate entity to us like. all the time. it likes to hurt if we make too many choices it doesn't seem to like and kind of forces us to be a toned down version of what we want to be but thats just how souls are haha' and everyone is like.... 'Hey Kris That's Really Not How It Is.' theyre like. 'huh. gonna ignore that for now' - this was going to be a plot point

toriel - head of H0MEWOR1D (H01)'s department of education; kind of lost her roots as a simple math teacher as she was pushed into a lot of power she didn't even really seek out. divorced asgore over some miscommunications in their relationship; also loosely as a result of grief from asriel's death

asgore - the same. runs a lil flower/gift shop. people come in more to talk with him than to buy flowers most of the time, though

asriel Flowey - he's back in flower form, thanks to the government an accident. causes a lot of technology glitches wherever he goes, and wants revenge. isn't sure how to go about it. asriel "died" around 8 years before the story takes place and kris still misses him and refuses to even THINK about even the IDEA of calling someone their sibling after what happened, just in case it somehow happens a second time

susie - more of the same really. she spends most of her time either at grillby's (she's sort of become his assistant n helps with opening/closing. it just happened) or getting into low-stakes trouble w/ kris

noelle - she's in the city's equivalent of college and shes so tired. shes So Abysmally Tired n got kinda pushed 2 follow in her mom's footsteps. she's rarely around anymore except through text or on monsters & mages (dnd) night. (however.........she will come back w/ a long break n hang out w everyone again)

berdly - tbh i didnt even consider berdly when i made the au initially. idk what he's doing. probably in a similar situation to noelle??? canonically got kicked out of the M&M group due to clashes w/ other players but lurks in their group chat to posts memes sometimes

didnt rly think of any other of kris' classmates (+ their families) after ch1 and probably will continue to not, until chs 3-5 come out and i gotta whip up roles and histories for like. a lotta guys all of a sudden. i also forgot about noelle's parents

sans - runs a convenience store that everyone kind of thinks is a front, but also it has really cheap snacks and the local teens make a point of stopping there after school. so essentially, more of the same papyrus - similar to ut. is a very polite and sweet boy but you'll know when he's coming

grillby - he's back. he runs a bar like back in ut but the cozy vibes and weird-for-a-bar hours keep attracting kids who need parents, so half of his menu is comprised of overly sweet mocktails. usually only frequented by monsters

QC - same as usual. has a "rivalry" with grillbz but, theyre besties and have a book club

mettaton - he's real and he's back. he's similar to how he is back in ut w/ his EX body. likes to hang out at grillby's and talk to unsuspecting fans. has a show for everything

napstablook - similar to how they are in ut. helps mtt with making music sometimes. doesn't leave the house too often, but spends a lot of time posting on undernet

undyne - unfortunately. more of the same. she is a cop in the monster district. i am also upset by this but couldn't think of anything better for her

alphys - a doctor studying under dr. gaster in the hopes she'll one day take over his research. she spends most of her time as a nurse with a bigger title, though, and blocks out the weirdness of her job with anime.

gaster - weird guy. H01's top soul researcher and resident House wannabe. trying to manufacture the ultimate soul that can be controlled with simple internal switches, but so far he's only had 1 (very limited) success with a certain human. monsters just melt, and darkners just sorta......get weird... he's onto Something, though.

ralsei - lonely boy with some very strange hobbies. popular on UnderNet for poetry, baking videos, and general cryptid vibe. is the DM for the monsters & mages group (also seems to think everything is actually very fine in H01 when it is very much not)

lancer - about the same. professional Round Boy. lives w/ rouxls full time. follows susie around like a lost puppy and calls himself her "underling."

rouxls - runs a hotel/casino kind of deal where the objective Bad Guys hang out, and usually ends up doing any of the spade king's paperwork.

spade king - mafia godfather. kind of a dick. don't play cards with him

seam - works with the spade king as his right hand cat more or less because they have for a lot of years and are in that 'sunk cost fallacy' zone. thinks of retiring to a quiet life in the monster section of town like, daily

jevil - used to work with the spade king, but got imprisoned for Crimes. got weird after The Accident (separate from asriel's accident)

temmies (all) - dont really get mentioned except offhandedly but they run the monster space station. so far, are the only monsters who have ever been to space.

as far as chapter 2 goes:

yeah i dont have much so far for characters. in the original version of the au i accidentally made darkners as a whole just kinda..... not great? like all sorts of weird organized crime ties n sort of going out of their way to be A Problem to the city (not even in like. a revolution way. in a working against them but with the same goals kinda way). with the whole context it worked At The Time, bc i just had the spade king to look to as a villain, and also in this au the darkners are just trying to survive a world that ultimately was not built for them (that humans think they own, and monsters sort of... seeing this and wondering what it'll mean for them whichever one wins), but w/ new info abt how the dark world works n more guys to work with i want to kind of. edit the vibe a bit. like yea darkners will ultimately do whatever it takes to take over H01, but maybe in a better way than like. idk. all this. it doesnt have to be peaceful or anything it just has to be more adaptable as we meet more kinds of darkners

however yeah i thought up 'queen as some sort of childless mommy blogger/influencer' and that completely revived all memory i had of this au. she should be on mtt's talkshow. also she sells collectible wine glasses w/ her likeness

spamton is another one of gaster's failed soul experiments, but he hasn't melted yet, and seems............fine? sort of. so he hasn't gotten decommissioned yet. he does want to give you malware tho. hot monster singles in your area n all that

im blanking on the rest of the guys but i hope any of this was comprehensible

[cluelessnamelessao3]

But It’s Not Funny

4. But I Can’t Stop Laughing

You stood in the backroom, washing out a water bowl that one of the dogs had managed to tip the entire contents of their food bowl into. It had turned the dry kibble into a gross gravy-like mush. Plus, it didn’t exactly smell great either, so it needed to be dealt with now. Right now, because you were not ready to deal with smelling that rancid stink for another minute more.

“You’re like a Chihuahua,” Frisk said suddenly, causing your hands to still as your brow furrowed with confusion.

You blinked at them, your face growing warm. Your eyes were narrowed and indignant. You weren’t sure you liked being compared to a small, yappy dog.

“What?” you exclaimed, “I am not!”

“You’re just so small and angry. Like a Chihuahua! You even shake like one…” They were giggling, their face hidden behind their hands and you were trying your best not to look too offended.

“I’m not even that small! You’re the same size as me, punk!”

Frisk giggled again, “Yeah, but I’m, like, sixteen! And hoowww old are you?” They sang, wiggling their eyebrows at you with a smirk on their face.

“Okay, okay, like-sixteen, go put this bowl back in the kennel, please.” You were trying and failing to sound stern, and they made a face which had you laughing a second later. As they left, they turned to sign a quick apology for teasing you, but you shook your head, a small smile still stuck on your face.

The door rang and you turned, expecting… not… that.

You blanched at the sight but tried not to let your discomfort show as you mumbled out a weak “Hello! How can I help you?”

The mass in front of you shivered and wiggled—the skin on its face (well, you assumed that was its face) quivered slightly and a gaping hole appeared in the middle. The creature seemed to be panting heavily and their shaking increased as you stepped out from behind the counter.

It had… so many legs. The head was distinctly dog-like with large, pointed ears and something akin to a snout. There appeared to be a tail on the back of it, and between each leg looked to be the outline of a dog—but you weren’t sure. It was too hard to tell with how constantly the form seemed to shift and move and change.

You approached it slowly, trying to hide your queasiness by being friendly. You cooed at it, gesturing it to come closer.

It seemed to like that and bounded up to you within seconds, its odd, tail-like protrusion wagging sporadically, flicking specks of whatever substance made this creature up all over your store.

You laid your palm out flat in front of its face and…

The thing practically swallowed your hand whole. You were about to scream in terror when suddenly your hand reappeared from the mass with a wet pop… just covered in a thick layer of some sort of grey ooze. It was becoming harder and harder not to throw up.

As you tried to hold back your gags at the unpleasant presence of the creature, you noticed a familiar figure standing behind the shifting mass of goop that somewhat resembled a dog.

“Sans?” You squeaked, almost in disbelief.

“In the flesh… or should I say sans the flesh.” He winked cheekily and you furrowed your brows, “That’s your cue to uh, laugh, or, yanno, emote at all?” Then, seemingly more to himself he whispered, “Kid sure knows how to pick ‘em.”

You frowned, “I’m still here, and can definitely hear you.”

He shrugged, definitely not apologetic in the least, “Sorry, kiddo, just findin’ it hard to tickle your funny bone.”

Your mouth twitched and you fought the urge to laugh—He’d been rude to you! There was no way you were going to start giggling just because of a few dumb jokes. Instead, you chose to question the… creature… he’d brought with them.

“So, uh, do they have a name?”

At that moment though, Frisk popped their head out from the backroom and squealed with excitement.

“ENDOGENY!”

The quivering mass responded to Frisk’s voice by shaking even more violently than they were before, you swear you could see pieces of slime rolling off of them and splattering onto the floor. Each time it did though, it collected itself back into the creature’s—Endogeny’s form.

Sans, saved from answering your question, watched as you interacted with Frisk. It was interesting—you were interesting. But at least Frisk seemed to like you. He felt an ounce of regret; he’d reacted badly upon seeing you and he knew he hadn’t made the best impression on you, but it was too late to fix that. Fate would sort itself out anyway. That was what it always did.

It turned out that cleaning the amalgamation, Endogeny, wasn’t as hard as it seemed. Their skin was like wet clay, somewhat malleable and pliable, or maybe they were more like the silly putty you used to play with as a kid. The water tended to bounce right off of them, so you opted to use a dry shampoo on their fur—or lack thereof.

Sans watched the entire time and you tried not to feel too awkward as you and Frisk worked. He wasn’t necessarily doing anything wrong, but you could feel his eyes on you. It was wearing on your patience and eventually you turned around, an angry flush on your face, and snapped, “Take a picture, it lasts longer.”

He smirked. You resisted the urge to throw something at him.

It was almost a relief to see him go.

 The rest of the day went pretty smoothly and soon you found yourself packing up to leave.

“So, Frisk, shall I take you home?”

They nodded, a smile on their tanned face, “Actually, we’re gonna go to Paps’ house, I’m staying the night over there!”

“Ah, okay, kiddo. Then, let’s go, yeah?” You grabbed Luna’s leash in one hand and Frisk’s hand in the other. In your short time of knowing the kid, you felt oddly protective of them. You were pretty sure you’d fight a bitch for this kid if the need ever arose. Though, you weren’t even that much older than them, you shouldn’t really be considering them a kid anymore.

As if echoing your thoughts, they spoke up indignantly, “I’m not a kid! I’m nearly an ADULT!”

You laughed as the two of you left the shop, “That’s what a KID would say!” It took all of your willpower not to smirk at them and their flushed face. They were too fun to tease. It was like being with the little sibling you’d never had.

Frisk chatted with you about their family the entire walk to Papyrus’ place, even mentioning a sibling of theirs that… apparently, wasn’t even a sibling. They weren’t even really a human—nor a monster. You’d never really questioned Frisk’s family, nor their mother that by all means could not possibly be their biological mother.

There would never be a more perfect time to ask than now, “Hmm, so, uh, how’d you meet… er, I mean, like, Toriel is your adoptive parent, right?”

They shrugged, “Yeah, I guess so, they’re more like my real momma than… my mother was…” Their voice trailed off and when you looked over at them, they seemed to be deep in thought. Gently, you reached out and tapped their shoulder.

“It’s okay, I’m glad you have Toriel. Found family can be better than the biological. So, uh, tell me about your brother… Asriel, right?”

They nodded, the haunted look in their eyes replaced with a much more affectionate expression, “Yeah! My brother Asriel is really great… Though, uh, he likes to be called Flowey now… And I mean, he’s also a flower, but like, it’s not a big deal!”

You’d have to keep that in mind—Flowey, not Asriel. Also, what? He wasn’t a human? And he wasn’t a goat monster? He was a fucking flower? Was he conscious? Sentient? You weren’t sure… “I’ll have to meet him sometime. Maybe we can have a little picnic with your mother and your brother next week!”

Frisk agreed enthusiastically, their smile wider than ever. ‘I want to do that soon!’ They signed quickly.

You’d begun to notice in the two weeks that you’d been working with them that Frisk tended to switch to sign language when they got overly excited.

“I’d love to meet more of your family and spend some time with them!”

A comfortable silence fell between the two of you as you continued to walk. Frisk led you into a short alleyway and out onto a different street… a very familiar street… it took you a second to realize this was in the same neighbourhood as your apartment complex.

You got a sinking feeling in your gut as Frisk led you directly toward your building, but you were relieved—probably a little too relieved when you realized they didn’t actually live in your building, but rather just a block or so to the right of where you stayed.

You liked to have your space, even if you liked Papyrus a lot.

“Do you have family?” Frisk’s voice knocked you from your thoughts and you took a moment to blink at them confusedly.

“Uhhh, y-yeah… I… uh do.” You weren’t really keen on talking about them… There wasn’t much to say other than the fact that you didn’t exactly ‘get along’ with your family. You were, for all intents and purposes, completely estranged from them. Your father was neglectful, drowning his sorrows in alcohol, and your stepmother was hateful. She blamed you for a lot of things—she even blamed you for your own trauma.

You sighed, “They’re fine, I guess… I have a dad, a stepmom, and a stepbrother. My… my mother died when I was younger.”

Frisk nodded solemnly, seeming to consider your words carefully before asking, “Can I meet them someday? They can’t be that bad if they made you.”

You were saved from having to answer when Papyrus burst through the front door of his house, “OH WOWIE! I knew we had the TINY HUMAN coming over! But I didn’t think that they were going to bring the OTHER TINY HUMAN over TOO!”

He lunged toward you, arms outstretched, and you instinctively took a step back, fear swirling in your stomach. He seemed to take the cue, though, because he suddenly seemed a lot more subdued as he mumbled out a quick apology, “Sorry SMALL human, I forgot that you do not wish to be TOUCHED!”

You nodded meekly, and awkwardly patted his shoulder—or rather, his forearm, you couldn’t reach his shoulder. “It’s nice to see you again, Paps, maybe you, Undyne, and I could hang out again sometime.”

Frisk whined petulantly and you smiled affectionately, “Well of course Frisk is coming too, that’s just a given! It’s no party without little boss, here.”

The three of you chatted amiably for a moment before the two of them waved goodbye and headed into the house. You carefully picked your way down the stairs, hands in your pockets, Luna’s leash dragging on the ground beside you.

You were feeling weird—almost jealous? You wanted to head in and join them, maybe sit down for a cup of tea and talk for a while. You wanted to share stories of family and friends, gossip about nightmare costumers at the groomer’s shop, or complain about noisy neighbours. It’d been such a long time since you’d just hung out with someone for the fun of it—not counting the unplanned hangout with Undyne and Papyrus earlier this week.

You’d lost contact with most of your friends, either because they had given up on you, or because you’d isolated yourself; it was hard to tell who was at fault for your solitude. But that wasn’t right, because no, blame couldn’t be ladled out at your discretion. Everything that had happened was a matter of choice—you’d chosen the path your life was on… even if you hadn’t meant for it to turn out this way…

You hadn’t known the consequences. You hadn’t been prepared for them.

Luna pushed her wet nose into your limp hand, and you blinked, suddenly realizing you were still standing by the front steps of Papyrus’ house. Your face flushed with embarrassment. You hurriedly reached down to scoop up Luna’s leash.

Some days it just like your head got away from you and you found yourself staring into space as you thought and thought and thought and the thoughts kept getting thought and it was nonstop. Half the time it wasn’t until someone called your name, or Luna noticed and got your attention that you would snap out of it.

Time flew by when you were like that. It was so hard for you to get out of your own head when you started to overthink.

“Hey, kid!” A deep drawling voice rang out and you flinched, “Sorry, heh, I just saw you out here… I just got off work and was headin’ home. Were you droppin’ the little kiddo off?”

It was Sans, he was in his typical faded blue jacket with its fluffy white fur hood, the black athletic shorts he wore contrasting hugely with the bright white of his bones. It connected, at that moment, that you were just standing in front of his house. You knew Papyrus had a sibling, although you hadn’t realised it was Sans.

You nodded in answer, still feeling odd from your lapse in attention earlier.

He seemed to sense something was wrong, “Hey, it’s gettin’ kind of late, how about I walk ya home?”

You shrugged, "I can manage, it’s fine..." you trailed off, noticing the look of worry on his face.

“Look, to patella ya the truth, I think we got off on the wrong foot… So uh, throw me a bone here and I’ll take ya home?” He looked so awkward there as he sheepishly scratched the back of his neck, that you couldn’t help but take pity on him.

“Yeah… uh, sure… I’d, uh, be bonely on my own,” you giggled helplessly at the end of your own joke.

The expression on his face made it all the better as his eyes widened and he let out a most unattractive snort.

“That’s good, that’s real’ good,” he chuckled.

“Well, I mean…” you chewed your lower lip, thinking for a moment, “if you like puns so much, I happen to know a skele-ton of skele-puns.”

He laughed and gestured for you to start walking. The two of you made your way down the sidewalk giggling all the while as you swapped jokes back and forth.

All too soon you ended up at the front of your apartment building.

You were just about to head inside before Sans stopped you, “Hey uhm, I made kind of a shitty first impression… sorry ‘bout that, kid… Yeah, like, really sorry for being kind of rude…”

You waved a hand dismissively, “No, sorry, yeah, you’re totally fine… uh, don’t worry about it at all. Besides, I could have been nicer, right? Sorry… Er, I mean, I’m sorry as well…”

He chuckled softly, the smile on his face much softer than you’d seen it before, “No bones about it, I was a real numbskull.”

“Nah, don’t be sorry! I’m sorry, just, uh, let’s start over, how about?”

He nodded, looking slightly relieved.

You were just about to head inside once again when he stopped you once more. If anything, he looked even more nervous than he did when he’d asked to walk you home. “So uh, I was wondering… as, heh, a way to ‘start over’…”

He took a deep breath, like he was mentally preparing himself for something big; you waited with bated breath.

“Look, I lost my number, can I have yours?”

You snorted before you could stop yourself and clapped a hand over your mouth as you giggled, “That is the worst come on I’ve ever heard.”

You could have sworn there was a light blue dusting on his cheeks, but when you took a closer look, it was gone, and his mildly embarrassed expression was replaced with the typical easy grin. You held out your hand, gesturing for his phone and he handed it to you.

You settled for the name “NOT Tiny Human” and typed your contact information in, “There you have it… Just don’t, uh, text me at like three in the morning and we should be good—or do, I mean, I’m not your boss.”

He snickered and for the third time that night you said your goodbyes, this time actually making it inside. When you turned around to wave one last time, he was gone.

[skelebonecentral]

Hothouse Rose Chapter 3

you meet the boys. well, most of them

words under cut

It’s less than five minutes, and you’ve managed to find your class ring from high school, showing Papyrus all the icons on it, when someone calls, “PAPYRUS, DEAR!”

“IN HERE, CHARM!” Papy calls back, and you turn to see a skeleton in a leotard and bright pink leather boots looking in. Well, his leotard also had a huge hole cut in the center, showing his ribs and the sheet of toned ecto-flesh that matched his boots to a T. Other than that, he looked like he and Papyrus had pulled lots out of the same gene pool for sure. He looked more like Papyrus than even Sans did.

“Ah! And this must be Y/N,” he came into the room and gently took your hand, bowing and kissing it in one go, “My name is Charm, and I’m so elated to finally meet you.”

You’re a little shocked, still, but clear your throat, “Y-yeah, it’s nice to meet you, too.”

There’s a bit of a shift to your right, and you see someone who looks like a more awake and confident version of Sans looking forlornly at your soot-covered sheets, “Oh, this poor satin is ruined…” As Charm backs away, they look up and run over, “Sweetheart, you’re even more gorgeous than I imagined! I’m Boa, Papyrus’ cousin, and oooh, you’re going to be a dream to make clothes for! I’ve never had a human model before and this is going to be amazing!”

He was wearing a bright blue button-down shirt that had been tailored with a very snatched waist and open shoulders, as well as a matching feather boa (ah, his namesake maybe?) around his shoulders, echoing the color of the upside-down hearts that were his eye lights. His pants were red denim capris, and a purple pillbox hat sporting three feathers sat jauntily on top of his skull.

“BOA, AS MUCH AS I LOVE THE IDEA OF MY DATEMATE IN LOVELY HANDMADE CLOTHES, THEY’RE HAVING A CRISIS AT THE MOMENT, SO MAYBE LATER?” Papyrus gently pulls his cousin away and you just smile. Thank stars for Papyrus.

“Oh, right, sorry.” Boa bops himself on the skull gently and sticks out a sparkling baby-blue tongue. It reminds you of how you found out about skeleton’s making ectoplasm bodies, from Papyrus doing the same thing when you laughed about a candy turning your tongue orange. He’d grinned and showed you his, that it was orange all the time, and you were amazed.

Papyrus gathers his cousins close to his ‘talking corner’ where he’d spoken on the phone, “ALRIGHT. THE GAMEPLAN THUS FAR IS THAT BOA HELPS ME FIGURE OUT WHAT FABRIC THINGS CAN BE SALVAGED AND I’LL DEAL WITH THE OTHER OBJECTS SINCE I’M USED TO UNDYNE’S HOUSE CATCHING FIRE ALL THE TIME. CHARM, YOU TAKE Y/N OUTSIDE SO THEY DON’T GET OVERWHELMED WITH THE LOSS AND MAYBE GET TO KNOW THEM? THEY’RE YOUR HOUSEMATE NOW, TOO, SO IT’S A GOOD IDEA!”

“And does that mean I get a turn to be one on one with Y/n later?” Boa asked, and Papyrus nodded, “Alright, that works for me!”

Charm chuckled, then separated from them and offered you his hand, letting you notice the sleeve of his outfit was tied by a band to his middle finger, “Alright, dear, let me take you to the yard and we’ll find a sitting place to talk a bit.”

“There’s a stump in the backyard, kind of a good seat along with the one deck chair…if it’s still there,” you offer, and he nods, steering you out of the collapsed side wall and to the back, letting you take the stump and he perches on the edge of the smoke-smelling chair since one arm has melted slightly, being made of plastic.

“Alright, Y/n, you already know I’m Papyrus’ cousin, and I know you’re his datemate, but we’re otherwise strangers. Let’s change that. Twenty questions?” Charm asked and you snort a bit.

“Sure. Why not? I’ll go first. What do you do for work?”

He smiled, “I’m a masseuse, I work at the massage parlor in the shops across from campus. Of course, that’s only since I came here, but it’s good work. What about you? What paid the rent here?” He crossed one leg over the other at the knee, using his hands to hold that leg steady. He sat straight as a board, just like Papyrus did.

“Well, I work for the main library. I mostly check in returns, make sure they’re not damaged, that kind of thing. I started off as a part timer, but last semester they hired me full time and I’m really liking it.” You had to call in to work, too. But that was tomorrow. “Okay, how are you finding the town? Is it anything like Snowdin? I know that’s where Papyrus comes from, I guess you do, too?”

Charm nodded, “Well, we’re from very different backgrounds, but no, it’s not like home at all. So many humans, so much isolation from other people. It’s very different up here. But I do like it. All the space, all the life and light and sound. It’s exciting. Now, I want to know,” he grinned as he tilted his head a bit, “What’s University like? I’ve never been, but humans seem to think it’s a very exciting time of self discovery. Is it rumor or truth?”

Finally getting used to the smell of smoke, you laugh without coughing now, “Ah, well, that depends on who’s talking. For me, it’s been more about discovering other people. I spent most of my childhood just being with my family since I was an awkward kid, so I’m making friends…though it’s ended up mostly making monster friends. Humans are weird, even to other humans.”

Humming a bit, Charm seems to consider it, then asks, “And your love life? That’s the thing about university I’m curious about. Well, human love in general is fascinating to me.”

You blush, feeling awkward now, “Uh…I didn’t date, before Papyrus. So um…I don’t have one? Never have?”

He blinks, then sighs, one hand being slapped over his sockets “Oh stars, no wonder he had to call me to ask if you could move in. You’re both hermit crabs all closed up in shells. Good grief.”

A spark of irritation ignites in your chest, “Well, that and he’s a polite person. You don’t just throw someone into a home and say ‘okay they live here now’ without asking the other people who live there. That would be horrid and incredibly insulting to everyone. A breach of privacy.”

Charm winces, nodding, “I didn’t think about it that way. Privacy wasn’t a big thing in my home, my brother and I just brought people in as we saw fit but…that’s no excuse for upsetting you. I’m sorry.”

Oh, you hadn’t meant to get an apology about it. “N-no, I…I got mad for no reason. I guess it’s the stress, you’re fine, Charm. I just am very private, about most everything, so it sort of panics me to think I’d have to suddenly…without warning deal with another person I didn’t know. I can understand why one of you didn’t want to let me in and I’m kind of scared to go if we’re honest.”

Something in his expression shifted, and Charm smiled warmly as he settled into a more basic sitting position, putting his leg down as he cooed, “Oh, human, I’m very sorry for overstepping then. It’s still so new for me, I forget people keep their walls up out of self-protection. You deserve to be comfortable, and there’s no need to be frightened. I won’t be snooping in your room or things once we get you home, and neither will Boa or my brother. Or Boa’s brother, now that I think about it, since he’s just as private. Our own little hermit, Sweet-pea is.”

“His name is Sweet-pea?” you smile a little, “All of you have such unique names, I really like them.”

Charm gets a bit of his confident glow back, “Oh, yes, thank you. They’re nicknames, actually, since we either didn’t like or didn’t want to use our real ones. Sans and Papyrus are the only ones going by legal names in our house.” He laughs a bit, sounding very much like Papyrus, if softer than normal.

“That’s cool. I knew a lot of kids that didn’t go by their full name, or went by middle names or something. It’s pretty common, especially if there’s more than one kid with the same name in a class.”

His sockets crinkle, “Well, that’s something I didn’t know. It’s rather fun talking to you, you know? I see how you charmed my cousin so completely now.”

You just blush. So many compliments…

---

“Papyrus, really, there’s nothing to be done! Alphys might be able to fix the computer, and we can dry the books, but I don’t know about the rest of this stuff. We’d have to call a professional conservator.” Boa frowned. “Human furniture isn’t made to hold up against water and soot like monster manufactured stuff.”

“I KNOW BUT…I JUST FEEL LIKE I FAILED THEM.” Papyrus slumps as he drops the ruined sweater he’d been holding. “AFTER SAYING I’D HELP, AND I HAVE TO TELL THEM IT’S USELESS.”

Boa sighed and touched his arm gently, “But you did help. You got them out there with Charm, away from this mess and all the soot and grime that could hurt their human body, and you called in the only expert you knew.” Seeing that Papyrus was crying, he moved in front, holding both Papyrus’ hands, “I know it hurts, but remember, they love you and trust you to make good choices for them. They wouldn’t have asked you to be with them during this time otherwise!”

He just nodded, “I’M JUST KIND OF OVERWHELMED WITH EVERYTHING. IT’S JUST SO SAD THEY’VE LOST SO MUCH, AND I DON’T KNOW IF THEY’RE GOING TO LIKE IT AT OUR HOUSE. I’M SCARED WHIP MIGHT SCARE THEM OFF, OR…”

Boa quirked his mouth, finishing the sentence, “Or any of the rest of us with our predilection toward pleasure. Because you’re both shy little virgins despite our best efforts on trying to help!”

“BOA!”

“No, it’s true!” Boa grinned, purposefully taking this thread to get Papyrus away from being sad, “We’re all about being sexy scary skeletons! Oh, look at me!” He took a sensual pose and pouted, “Aren’t I terrifying being an inch shorter than your human and covered in feathers! Look at my very obvious boner that’s always there because I’m so sexy! Are you looking, Papyrus?” He’s teasing, expression bright as he tries not to giggle, and Papryus groans and covers his face from blushing.

“BOA, I GET IT. I’M A NERVOUS NELLIE, ESPECIALLY COMPARED TO ALL OF YOU, BUT THEY’RE VERY IMPORTANT TO ME! ALSO YOU’RE LUCKY I CAN FEEL YOUR INTENT OR I’D THINK YOU WERE HURT BY WHAT I SAID.”

Stopping his posturing, Boa waltzed back to his side and let his laughter out, “Oh, Papyrus, I’m sorry. I know reading people isn’t as easy for you as other monsters, but I had to make you smile. I did do that, didn’t I?”

He’s peeking around Papyrus’ hands, but beams as they’re lowered and a put-upon grin is on the taller skeleton’s face, “YOU DID AND I’M MAD ABOUT IT!”

“That’s my good cousin. Now, we’ll find someone reputable to help with this, but in the meantime, let’s pack everything that’s in one piece up carefully and get Y/n back to our house,” eye lights sparkling, Boa sets about doing just that, pulling various cardboard boxes out of his inventory and carefully placing things inside. “And of course we’re going to pay for the cleaning and such. Poor Y/n is still paying for school, after all. I remember how expensive that proposition was, and that was in the Underground!”

“I DO AGREE, BUT REMEMBER THAT JUST BECAUSE READER ISN’T RICH DOESN’T MEAN THEY’RE HELPLESS. HUMAN ECONOMICS ARE VERY STRANGE, BUT THEY LIKE TRYING TO MAKE IT ON THEIR OWN. I ALREADY HAD THAT TALKING TO, SO I’M GIVING YOU THE SHORT VERISON. THEY SEE US BUYING THEIR EVERY WHIM AS DEGRADING AND INFANTILIZING. SO DON’T,” Papyrus cringed internally thinking about the dressing down he got when the gold exchange finally came in. His idea of pampering was your idea of pity and it did NOT go over well. Your first fight, actually, and he was so glad you forgave him for the misstep when he explained where he was coming from. He didn’t try to buy everything for you, just gifts for special occasions, and you bought your own everything.

Boa blinked a bit, then nodded, “Oh, of course. I can understand that mindset. But…but they will let us help them a little, right? They at least have to buy new clothes…” His eyes lit up brighter, “Oh, that can be my turn! Charm got them this couple of hours and I get to take them shopping. I won’t!” he saw Papyrus’ mouth opening, “I won’t buy everything for them, but I will convince them to let us go halvesies as my welcome home present for them. That’s fair, right?”

“I…SUPPOSE SO, YES. OKAY.” Papyrus looked around the room, where he and y/n had spent so much time, where he’d first asked them to date, and felt incredibly down. Now it was just the memories left,  the place stolen from them in moments. “JUST ASK THEIR PERMISSION FIRST. ABOUT PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING.”

Boa took his hand and smiled, “Certainly. Now let’s go get your datemate.”

--

Boa eagerly ran out and giggled when he saw what was happening.

Charm was carefully massaging you as you sat on the deck chair, skilled hands having already turned you to putty as he worked out all your stress.

“I SEE YOU TWO GOT ALONG WELL,” Papyrus is very glad someone was helping you relax, and you did look much happier. “CHARM, THANK YOU FOR HELPING. WE’VE GOT WHAT WE’RE GOING TO SEND FOR CLEANING PACKED UP, AND WE’LL HAVE SOMEONE REVIEW THE FURNITURE ONCE WE DO SOME RESEARCH.” He then turned to you, as you opened your eyes, looking half asleep, “I’M AFRAID WE CAN’T LET YOU HAVE ANY OF THE CLOTHES, THOUGH. THEY’RE ALL WET AND/OR COVERED IN SOOT.”

A flash of worry, and Boa stepped up, “But! I thought maybe me and you could go shopping to get you things to hold you over. And I could buy some of it as your welcome home present~” He grins, and you relax a little.

“Aren’t you a fabrics expert? You aren’t going to like what I buy. I’m not fashionable. If it doesn’t have a fun picture or saying on it, I usually don’t buy it.”

Hands in the air like a surrendering general, Boa nodded, “It’s true, I make fashion, sew it together every day, but Y/n, dear, you’re Papyrus’ datemate, and I would rather you be comfy than stylish. Besides, how will I know what you like to wear if I don’t see what you pick yourself? Comfort is just as important as appearance, you know!”

“Human fashion doesn’t work that way, but I’m glad you think so,” you reluctantly leave your position of bliss and get up, brushing off your clothes. “Papy, are you sure you don’t want to come with me?”

“I’D LOVE TO, BUT CHARM AND I ARE GOING TO HEAD HOME AND GET YOUR ROOM READY FOR YOU. WE’VE GOT SOME STORED FURNITURE TO PUT BACK TOGETHER AND A DEEP CLEAN OF THE ROOM AND ALL COMMUNAL SPACES TO DO!” He did come over and nuzzle his teeth to your forehead gently, “BUT I TRUST BOA TO TAKE CARE OF YOU, AND I’LL BE A PHONE CALL AWAY IF YOU NEED ME, ALRIGHT?”

“Okay. You take care and don’t overdo yourself. I want you being safe more than I want a new room,” you did worry when he started doing projects. He was strong, but you weren’t sure where his limit was and preferred being cautious about it.

“I PROMISE! CHARM IS GOING TO HELP ME, RIGHT?” He looks to his cousin, who nods happily.

“I do love a good furniture assembly. Now, you two behave and I’ll see you both when you come home.” He gave you a squeeze, then did the same to Boa before heading to the front yard.

Sighing, you motioned for Boa to follow you to the street. Both you and Papyrus had been too upset last night to drive, so your car was still sitting in the driveway, undamaged. It was a nice little thing, navy blue Taurus with a few years on it, and you sank with a sigh into the familiar seat.

“Oooh, your car is so sweet! A little sedan, so family friendly. I love it.” Boa slipped into the passenger seat and clicked his belt on happily. “Nice choice, very forward thinking.”

“What? This was one of my Aunt’s car. She gifted it to me so I could drive around school.”

“Oh.” Boa blinked, then shrugged, “Still, if you and Papy do have kids, you have the room.”

“Boa!” You blushed, glad you’d only started the engine and not pulled out onto the street, “What is with you and Charm saying all these things about my relationship with Papyrus! We’re dating, we’re not anywhere close to thinking about children!”

Boa seemed to realize something and looked horrified, “Oh stars, I’m sorry! Kids are all people I knew thought about in relationships and I didn’t realize! It was different here! I’m sorry!” His voice got small, nervous, “It’s just so different here, and I don’t know what’s appropriate outside the house yet since most of the others think like that, too. I really don’t mean to overstep.”

Steadying breaths in and out, and you shook it off, “It’s okay. There’s going to be culture differences, I get that, and I’m going to try and be understanding.” You finally got started down the road, heading to the local Poplar, a big box store and your preferred shopping experience. “So, the goal of relationships underground was more about kids than love?”

“Oh, well…kind of? Short term ones were, anyway,” Boa thinks for a moment. “There was just this pervasive idea that the end goal of any relationship was to have kids. Not that there were many kids even so, but it was still a big deal and the whole town would help raise the cutie, but…love was more reserved for older folks who were done giving their all to increase the population.”

You blinked a bit. Papyrus had told you, early on, that the Underground was way too crowded by the time Frisk set them all free. The Capitol was overflowing into the other areas of the underground, and there were worries about what would happen when everywhere was full. But? Well, you weren’t exactly in a place to call out the hypocrisies in a different society than your own. “Huh. Interesting. I’m not good at conversation, so you tell me whether you want me to talk about how humans do things now or if you want more questions on your end of things.”

He giggled, and it sounded utterly adorable, “Well, I’d like to know about humans. Your relationships aren’t all about babies?”

“Oh heck no. Most folks my age would rather jump off a bridge than have kids willingly,” you snort. “I mean, outside of a marriage, having a kid would be really hard and upsetting. You don’t have the money, you don’t have a partner to support you and the kid, you don’t have two families worth of folks who’d maybe watch the kid while you work…nah, we mostly have kids as an obligation after marriage because it’s EXPECTED that you have them.”

The silence in the passenger seat makes you look over once you’re at a stop light and Boa looks grey from how much color his skull has lost.

“Boa? Did I go too ham on you? Is…is it that shocking?” you didn’t think about it, just spouting out what you thought and your view on the subject.

He just nodded, “I…first the implication that people are having children against their will is terrifying, secondly, what….how do…is the community unsupportive of people who are single but have children?”

“Kind of, yeah. Most of those people are either divorced, or had kids before they were married, and most of them are women.” You sigh, “Society up here tends to look down on women if they do anything, but especially if you aren’t ‘pure’ or whatever and have kids out of marriage. For some reason that I never understood, the idea that a woman had sex with someone without getting married to them first is scandalous and her having a child she can’t support is seen as just punishment. I don’t get it. Not at all.”

You pull into the parking lot and park in a far slot, turning to Boa. He’s shaking, the rattling of his bones very audible. “I’m sorry if this is hard for you to learn, but I just want to make that clear to you so you can know when some human says something nasty about that subject. It’s evil, it’s messed up, and I hate it, but it’s how things are on the surface right this moment. I hope it changes soon.”

Boa sniffles, then unbuckles his belt and hugs you tight. He doesn’t speak, not for a long time, but he does hold you and you can’t fault him. Stars, coming from a world where kids were supported by everyone to a world where people genuinely didn’t care if a child was well cared for or not must be horrible. Poor guy.

After a while, he calms down and finally talks, “No wonder Sans has kept us all close to the house. I’m kind of glad my brother isn’t out here exposed to that kind of warped thinking.” He searches your face for a moment, then sighs, “But you’re good. You genuinely love Papyrus, I can tell. Thank stars he found someone whose mind isn’t full of such negativity.”

Letting him go takes some doing, since you don’t want to, but you manage it, “I know. With how much he likes platonic cuddling, people could have really hurt him if he wasn’t just such a ray of sunshine. I’m very lucky to have him, too.”

Boa nodded, then opened his door, “Okay, enough culture shock for today! Now we focus on you and your wonderful new wardrobe. Or at least a week’s worth of clothes? I’m sure between Papyrus, Sans, Charm, and I, we can find a good conservator and get your things fixed and cleaned by then.”

That works for you, and you get out and lock the door behind you. The two of you walk into the shop and Boa looks eager now, all gloom gone and his bones gleaming white again. “OH, Y/n, there are so many options! They’re all a little conservative for my taste but they’re sure to work for you.”

Laughing, you nod and get to work. Clothes shopping is always tedious for you, but you at least know that comfy shirts are one size and dress shirts are a different one, at least at this store. Your everyday shirts are your basic graphic t’s, or maybe a colorful gradient of your favorite hues, and your dressy outfits consist of black pants or slacks and a fancy shirt. You went through the wracks of clothes, choosing seven comfy shirts, seven casual shirts, and three fancy ones. Then you went to the bottoms, picking out four pairs of jeans, black dress pants, and a pair of black slacks. Boa didn’t say much, just watching you, occasionally humming.

Then you got some more sleepwear, since MTT pajamas were nice but couldn’t be worn every night for the whole of your stay with the skeletons. So, you got some warm pajamas, and some cool ones. Four of each kind. All of them had pants because you were going to be living in a house with other people, thus you had to wear pants at all times in case others entered your space without warning. No flashing people.

But as you turned and headed toward the check out, Boa grabbed your arm, “Whoa! Human, where are you going? You didn’t even try any of them on to see if they fit right!”

“I…don’t care?” you were confused. You’d always bought clothes this way. “Trying on clothes just makes me feel bad, and I’d rather do it in my own home. I can bring them back for better sizes if they don’t fit.”

His eye lights widened, mouth ajar. Then he got a very stern look on his face, “I’m sorry, but as a tailor I can’t allow you to settle for bad fits. We’re going to the changing room, and you’re going to show me what you have there. I’ll tell you if it’s good or not, and we’ll make the exchange here. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right the first time!”

A man in an aisle across from you yelled, “Hey, monster tart! Leave them alone!”

You yelled back without even thinking, “Fuck off, asshat, that’s my roommate!”

He glared at you, then turned away and left you alone. Boa looked sort of deflated, though, and you had to ask, “Hey, are you okay? I’m sorry he called you names.”

“Oh, no…with what you told me about humans, he’s entirely correct but…it did hurt to feel how much he hated me. Um…” He was fidgeting with his feathers, wrapping them tighter around his neck.

“Let’s get to the changing rooms, okay?” you smile. It was worth you being a little self-conscious if it made up for this horrible interruption of your time with Boa.

He nodded, working up a smile again, and taking you back to the changing rooms.

It took a long time, putting on each of your outfits and coming out to show Boa. You knew what size you usually wore, but he still had to peruse your clothes in a circle before he agreed that any given item was probably the best ‘off the rack’ fit you were going to get. You did have to wave him off when he asked about your underthings.

“Nope! I’ll buy them after I send you to the car. I’m not letting you see those.”

“Huh? But foundation garments are important to fit! I’m guessing you have your best set on since you were on a date before the fire bu-“

“Boa! Personal space rules!”

“Oh. Oh right, you have those here,” he looked very frustrated, but sighed, “Okay. I’m going to be understanding of the ‘cultural difference’ too, and let you keep your foundations private even if I don’t understand why. You humored me, so I’ll do the same. I’m sorry I hit a nerve again.”

“Okay. Apology accepted.” You felt like that Jurassic Park guy fending off raptors, even if it was just Boa. “Okay. Here are my keys, go wait for me. Feel free to turn on the radio or air conditioning or whatever you need while you wait.”

Taking the keys, he suddenly seemed in awe, “Oh…oh wow, you really trust me! A car is a big investment and you gave me your keys!” He giggled and took off, waving at you as he went. Seems that little gesture was enough to brighten him back up fully.

Taking a deep breath, you turn back and go to pick up some packs of underwear and sportswear. Even if you did want to keep these garments private, it felt weirdly empty without the colorful skeleton next to you.

--

Boa was bopping along to some bubblegum pop when you get back to the car. You put your bags in the trunk, which he dutifully pops for you, and then come back to the front and get in the driver’s seat.

“I really didn’t meant to step on your toes at any point, Y/n,” he looked sheepish as you started the engine, “but I want to thank you so much for defending me. Papyrus really has chosen a wonderful person, if you’d stand up to someone else when we’re barely acquainted.”

“That’s just being decent, Boa. I shouldn’t need thanks for doing the right thing, but I do appreciate you helping me with my clothes so I feel like we’re even.” You couldn’t have the endless thanks. It made you squirm, someone praising you for something that just came automatically. Papyrus had learned not to go overboard quickly, and you really hoped Boa would, too.

“Alright, but I hope you don’t mind me talking you up to my brother when we get home.” Boa looked out the window and sighed, “As different as things are, I really want Sweet-pea to see the surface. Um, that’s his name, my brother.”

“Charm told me about him. He’s a homebody, right?”

Boa nodded, “He had a pretty bad relationship that made him…reclusive. I try to get him to go out, but the porch is about the limit at this point. And not even the front porch either…”

“Well, if he’s half as good a person as you are, then I’m sure I’ll adore him,” you might as well encourage him, after all. He was a fascinating little skeleton, and his energy really made you happy. That and just how vibrant he was. That cute little blue star painted on his right cheek and the little jewel you saw (glued?) on the front of his neck vertebra were adorable. “Now, you’re going to direct me to the house?”

“Oh! Yes. Here let me look, I’m a visual direction giver.”

--

The neighborhood the skeletons lived in was full of ostentatious mansions. It used to be part of the Greek life in the university, but had fallen out of grace and now was owned by the richer folks around town or had been turned into high end apartments. You marvelled at the nice gated carpark that your new home had, as well as the white columns and dark grey roof contrasting with the bright red brick. You could see faded areas above the door, where the Greek letters of the former owners resided, but if you squinted, it looked a bit like a sideways skull-and-crossbones. You liked that.

“We’re back, everyone!” Boa called, and there was a sudden surge of magic that left you tingling.

You were used to this by now. “Hi, Sans,” you smile as you look to your right, and there he is, standing right next to you looking exhausted. Well, more than usual.

“heya, pal.” He looked you over for a moment, then hugged you tight. “sorry, just felt like it. was still worried sick all last night.”

You hug him back and feel warm inside, “Sans, you know I appreciate that you care about me so much, but I don’t want you hurting yourself doing it. Remember, you are allowed to relax.”

“you taking Dr. Kevin’s job?”

“No. I am not your therapist, you dork,” You still kissed the top of his skull though, since he was hiding his face in your shoulder. “I’m your friend.”

“yeah, okay.”

Patting his back for a bit, he finally let go, “okay, I’ll stop monopolizing the human, as my bro is sure to say if I don’t stop.”

“I’d also say it!” Boa had his hands on his hips, looking smugly at Sans, “But it was just too cute to see you actually showing an emotion other than tired.”

“I’M COMING!” Came Papyrus’ voice from the staircase further back in the large entry hall you were standing in. There were beautiful wooden designs in the floor, lovely geometric patterns of squares and diamonds and other shapes, and a small Moroccan style chandelier above made of white smoked glass and gold scrollwork. The golden wood of the floor was matched by the slightly curved staircase that led up to the second floor (where you assumed the beds were) and where your dear Papyrus was currently bounding down.

Your giggles bounced off the high white walls as he spun you, making you glad you slipped off your shoes while looking about, “I MISSED YOU!”

“You just saw me a couple of hours ago!”

“THAT FELT LIKE FOREVER WHEN I’M SO EAGER FOR YOU TO SEE HOW CHARM AND I HAVE SET UP YOUR ROOM!”

Charm was at the top of the stairs, smiling as he leaned over, “Boa, did you make sure they did good picking out their new clothes?”

“I did! I made them try everything on first, but they wouldn’t let me help with foundation garments!” Boa gestured helplessly at you as Papyrus set you down, looking confused.

“Before you even ask, he means underthings,” you might as well warn them.

Sans, who was in the corner, turned bright navy blue all over his skull, and you grinned, “That’s how I reacted when he tried to help pick them out.”

Charm just smiled wider, “Oh, Y/n, so shy but so lovely. Has Papyrus even seen your ‘foundations’?”

“I DON’T THINK THAT’S APPROPRIATE!” the mentioned skeleton clears his ‘throat’ loudly and then pulls you toward the stairs, even grabbing the bags of your clothes with one hand, “SO, LET'S GO SEE YOUR NEW ROOM INSTEAD!”

Up the stairs you go as Boa and Charm laugh, and you hug Papyrus when he stops in front of the last door on the left of the corridor, “Hey, at least I know why you were going stir crazy when they first got here now.”

“YES, WELL, SMALL BLESSINGS.” He gave your head a pat and gestured to the door, “LET’S TAKE A LOOK?”

“Yes, let’s,” you let go and open the door, gasping.

The room itself is a nice size, though you realize it was probably meant for two students to share, but you get it to yourself, with the full bed sitting low on the floor and covered in a swirling rainbow sheet set. The walls were a soft yellow that felt like an early summer morning, and the floor was covered in a mocha carpet that felt so nice under your feet. “Papyrus, this is wonderful.”

“I TRIED TO MAKE IT NICE FOR YOU,” he points at the bed, but you’re guessing he means the mattress, “WE HAD THAT IN CASE FRISK’S HUMAN MOM WANTED TO STAY WHEN WE HAVE A SLEEPOVER. BUT WE NEVER USED IT AT THE OLD HOUSE SO WE BROUGHT IT HERE AND…WELL, IT WORKED OUT. CHARM AND BOA HAD ALREADY BOUGHT THE SHEETS BY THE TIME I GOT HERE,  AND THE REST OF THE FURNITURE,” being a lovely cherry wood wardrobe that matched the bed frame, chest of drawers, and bedside table, “WAS IN OUR HOUSE FOREVER AND I DON’T KNOW WHY. THE WARDROBE HAD A BUNCH OF OLD LAB COATS, SO I GUESS IT WAS SANS’ AT SOME POINT? BUT IT’S ALL CLEAN AND SHINED NOW.”

It didn’t strike you as likely that these classy, rather old-fashioned pieces would be something Sans owned, but why else would there be lab coats in it? But you didn’t mind either way. “This is amazing! I’m just…” You throw up your hands dramatically, “Look at it! It’s so beautiful and perfect and…and oh my gosh this is my room.” You start sniffling and put your hands over your mouth. You hate how emotional you are about this, all of this, but it was to be expected, wasn’t it? Losing your home only to gain a beautiful room in your boyfriend’s house and at least two new…friends? Would Charm and Boa count as friends yet? You weren’t sure but you did like both of them quite a bit.

Carefully, Papyrus lifted you up and set you on the bed, using his softest voice as he gets on his knees in front of you and holds your hands, “Just let out anything you need to, love. I was so happy to put all this together for you, and knowing I get to see you every morning now is so exciting. I know you need your space to process, because stars knows I would, so I’ll let you put your things away. I do have to go to work for a bit, but I will be back by six tonight.”

“Okay,” You give him a kiss, giggling wetly, “I just have so many emotions right now, but I’ll sort them out while I put my stuff away.”

A cry of outrage from downstairs, “THEY TRICKED ME INTO LETTING THEM BUY EVERYTHING!!!” and you laugh.

“DID YOU REALLY?” Papyrus looked at you as he got up.

“It wasn’t intentional, but yes.” You grin, “He had to leave before I bought the private stuff! I didn’t even think about Boa’s offer until just now.”

Papy scoffs, but he smiles, “YOU’RE CHEEKY, YOU ARE. BUT IT’S ONE OF THE THINGS I LOVE ABOUT YOU. ONE OF QUITE A LOT!” Stepping to the door, he sighs wistfully, “ALRIGHT. I’LL GO NOW, BUT WE’LL CELEBRATE YOUR HOMECOMING WITH A GOOD DINNER TONIGHT. I LOVE YOU!”

“Love you, too!” you call as he walks out, and you wipe your eyes before taking the bags  of your clothes and starting the process of ripping off tags.

--

You don’t know what to do now. You’re done putting your clothes away, you feel a little more emotionally stable, but you don’t want to leave your room. So here you are, sitting on the carpet, staring out the window on the back wall (though it’s the front of the house so…?)

There’s a knock on your door, and being used to Sans, you ask, “Who’s there?”

“maya”

That’s a new voice. Kind of soft like Sans’, more in his range than Papyrus’, but lighter and slightly higher. “Maya who?”

“maya come in and meet my new housemate?”

“Okay.” You look at the door as it opens, and are interested when it’s someone that looks like Sans but seems to be wearing a dancer’s outfit under a pimp coat. He’s got a black tanktop on that’s cropped just under his ribs, with a bright blue heart in the middle of it, purple ecto down to the wings of his hips, which stick out over his tight black capris. He chuckles and his sockets even crinkle a little as he smiles.

“heya. I’m charm’s older brother. name’s sugar.”

“Sugar and Charm…you two sound like a breakfast cereal.” He snorts and covers his mouth, laughing a little.

“I mean, mornings aren’t really my things, but midnight snacks are good for me. so you’re the human that has little innocent papyrus all flustered all the time, right? heh, it’s pretty cute. Gives my bro lots to work with on learning how things work around humans, so I have to thank you.” Sugar gestures a little, “can I come in?”

“Oh, yeah, sit anywhere. I spent hours with your brother earlier, you’re more than welcome.” You still don’t feel quite like this is actually YOUR room, even if you know it is objectively. It’ll take a while to set in, so you don’t feel intruded on.

“yeah, he told me you two had a good chat. Also told me you were one of the most tense people he’s ever massaged,” Sugar plopped onto the floor next to you, his purple jacket with blue fur trim flaring out around him, the heeled boots matching said fur clicking as he put the bottoms together, “but I can get that. you’ve been through a lot.”

“Yeah…I really appreciated him doing that massage for me. It helped me not be teary while I was out buying clothes with Boa. Nobody wants to cry in public,” you shrug, and Sugar nods.

“hehe, you’re right. and boa’s going to get you back for not letting him spoil you on that. dunno how, but he’s going to do something extravagant to get you to accept his gesture of friendship,” He’s amused, you can tell by the glitter in his purple heart eye lights. Sans gets the same glitter when he’s about to tell a horrible pun just to make Papyrus react.

“Oh, I don’t doubt it from that outrage I heard earlier. But I do hope he realizes he can be my friend without gifts?” You look at Sugar and he nods.

“yeah, but that’s one of his love languages, gift giving. Me, I’m a cuddler, but he likes seeing his friends and family get happy about cool presents,” Sugar leaned on his hands in front of him, “so, what about you, y/n? what do you do to show folks you care?”

Thinking, you giggle, “Well, I guess Boa and I have gift giving in common, but I also like to just say it. Papyrus and I have been saying ‘I love you’ since before we were even dating. Yeah, he said it first, but I think he’d probably have stopped if I hadn’t kept going. It’s just so easy to say, when you believe it.”

“ah, a vocal one. That’s good. other than my brother, nobody else is really verbal with their feelings. That’ll be nice, hearing you and pap being so cute.” He chuckled, “ah, well, I also heard you like languages. How many are you fluent in?”

“oh,” you blush, “uh…I just started my language classes last semester, so just the one. I really would like to have at least five that I can read and understand, even if I can’t speak well or maybe write it if it’s something like Thai or Mandarin.”

“That’s a pretty cool goal,” Sugar thought about it. “so what do you plan to do with that job wise?”

“I want to translate, maybe for children’s books? Some of my favorites growing up came from Germany originally and I’d love to find something great and bring it to other people,” the thought of your career dream makes you perk up more. “What about you, Sugar? I know Charm is a massage person, but what do you do for work?”

He blinked, then laughed, “Oh, I’m an entertainer. I dance mostly, but I don’t think you’d like it.”

“Why not?” you think seeing one of the skeletons dancing would be a great time. You always thought watching Sans or Papyrus move was just fascinating.

“well,” he smirked a bit, “you enjoy strip clubs?”

You felt how big your eyes became as the heat burned your face, “Oh god no!”

He laughs, “See? It pays nice, since I found a reputable place, and I feel good about what I do, but for someone as sheltered as you, I figured you’d not like it.” Getting up, he sighs, “but it’s no harm done, sweetie. I just wanted to introduce myself and say I was glad we’re able to help you out when you’re down.” With a wave and a grin, he flounces out of the room, and you blink in mild shock.

Were….were you sheltered? You hadn’t thought so, you thought you were okay and reactions like yours were normal, but you supposed you could be wrong. Thinking back to what Boa had told you, you start to wonder.

--

Well, time to go see if you can borrow some of Papyrus’ text books. Thankfully, you were both taking Spanish right now, so even your language text book could be borrowed. You wanted to at least know you could put your hands on it when needed.

You’d gotten the idea an hour after Sugar left, when you were bored of pondering your state of sheltered-or-not, and now you opened your door and scurried over to Papyrus’ room. It was always spotless, or it had been the times you’d been over before the Sans incident. It was weird, realizing you hadn’t been back to his house since then.

His new room was set up just like his old one, about the same size, too, and you found his bookshelf easily. It was right against the wall opposite the door, after all. So you sat on his floor and started looking at the last lesson you remembered.

You were immersed in your studies, curiously glancing at future lessons, when a deep, gravelly voice said, “well well well, we got ourselves a little mouse in papyrus’ room.”

A squeak came out of your mouth, and when you looked up you did not feel reassured. Yes, it was a skeleton, like you’d been expecting, but he was so different than any you’d met before. His teeth were sharp, every one of them, and one was replaced with gold. A huge red dog collar hung around his neck, gold spikes all over, and he wore the tattered remains of a white muscle shirt around his chest. His most obvious features was the thick red ecto that spilled over the top of his black denim shorts and out the bottoms in hefty red thighs tapering off at the knee.

“Y-you’re one of his cousins, right? I’m Y/n,” it wasn’t supposed to come out so nervous, but this guy looked like he could crush you in fifty different ways.

His grin turned a little more into a smirk, “thought so. Name’s spice, sweet cheeks.” He came in and sat himself on Papyrus’ bed. “now, what exactly are ya doin’ in here with these books?”

“Mine are damaged from the fire, so I was looking over our lessons,” why did he make you feel like you’d done something horrible just by the look on his face?

“oh. yeah, forgot about that. heh, well, ain’t that cute?” He had his elbows on his knees, hands hanging between them as he leaned over to look at you, “really are a little bookworm, huh? sansy said you’re the one who got pap to go to school in the first place. wonder how that happened?”

“I really don’t know, but he seemed interested before I talked about what I do at school.” You didn’t like how his eye lights were analyzing every move you made, or maybe they were roaming over you, you didn’t know.

“yeah, sounds about right.” he leans back a bit, scratching at his cheekbone. “sugar said you an’ pap are peas in a pod, all shy’n shit about sex.”

“SHHH!!!” you are instantly on edge, looking at the wide open door and the skeleton who seems to have no boundaries.

He laughs hard, “Oh! Oh he was right! hahaha, oh shit, you’re turnin’ into’a tomato!”

Covering your face, you feel the fluster turning into tears because you can’t handle it, to the point you don’t notice when Spice stopped laughing and went quiet.

“hey, human. hey, you okay?”

You shook your head, and he groaned, “shit, I fucked it up. I was just tryin’ ta tease ya, an’ then I go and make ya upset. Geeze, no wonder I can’t get a date. ‘m sorry, okay? please don’t be upset or pap and sansy’ll probably dust me. wait, that’s manipulative, shit!”

He got up and ran out, and you heard a door shut down the hall. It took you a few moments to contain your fluster, but you finished your cry and gathered up the textbooks. You’d do your studying in your own room now until Papyrus got home.

Still, you’d now met four out of six of Papyrus’ cousins. And you remembered that one of them had voted against you staying. Was that Spice? Or was it one of the two you hadn’t met?

[undertale-a1ien]

Okay but uh, what are the other characters in Crack's AU like? owo

I said quite a bit about Gaster, Papy (either way Im making a reference sheet for both of them in the near future), and Alphys so Ima skip them for now:

I'll get into details in a sec but most of them were devastated when Alphys told them that Sans "died" but they almost immediately turned their backs on him when he killed Alphys and Papyrus (since he refuses to talk to any of them and keeps himself locked up in his house)

The rest of it is pretty long so it'll be under the cut:

Undyne: A year or two before the whole escaping the lab thing went down she actually stepped down from her position as the leader of the Royal Guard to give it to Papyrus. During that time she was pretty much the same and maybe a little bit more "extra" so she can keep Papy's spirits up. After the escape took place she pretty much made it her life's mission to make Crack pay. She was the leader of the group of monsters that went to Crack's house to kill him. Of course that failed and Undyne walked away from that with a messed up arm (Crack blasted it because she was trying to summon a spear) and a couple more friends dead. That happening really messed her up emotionally and she defintaly dropped her "punk" and "overconfident" attitude and got more serious and overall less happy. She never does go back to being the Captain of the Royal Guard and ends up starting her own little group that's more or less an anti-Crack squad. They end up attacking Crack about 4 more times before he leaves the au for good (aka he finishes the machine that lets him do that)

Mettaton: Because Alphys never let Mettaton go into the secret lab, he truly believes that Crack killed Alphys for literally no reason. The last they heard of Crack was that Alphys tried to save his life and failed. So Mettaton truely thinks that Crack is some sort of vengeful spirit/demon (not in a religious way) that came back into the world to kill ~everyone who wronged him~ and that he’s using his old house as like a base of operations. He was one of the first people to join Undyne’s group and is pretty much her right-hand man. Mettaton totally dropped the whole “wanting to be a preformer” thing and he is *WAY* less overdramatic.

Asgore: He’s... not doing well,,, First he lost his two kids (Chara and Asriel), His wife left him, He ordered the entire underground to kill any human that falls and now has the weight of 6 child souls on his back, he “loses” his royal judge (Sans), the person he’s been training since she was little pretty much just left the royal guard, and THEN his royal scientist and the new royal guard captain just got killed by the person he thought was dead... (That was such a long sentence-) So yeah, he’s mostly become a recluse and spends all his time taking care of his garden and trying to pretend that his life isn’t crumbling around him.

Toriel: After Alphys first kidnapped Crack she just thought that the funny stranger that kept coming just got bored of her... Sure, it’s a bit of a bummer but she doesn’t have time to deal with that! She needs to be prepared if another child falls! She more or less drowns herself in making the Ruins as safe and welcoming as possible. At one point or another she just has nothing left to do... So she starts befriending the local monsters! Soon she knows all of them by name and has more friends than ever! All in all, whatever human that falls into the underground is in for a fun and welcoming time! ^u^ (Maybe this time the human wouldn’t want to leave...)

Flowey: He’s very, very confused... No other timeline has been like this one... When Papyrus first told him that Sans went missing he just thought that the comedian was just playing a prank on his brother or something. But after Alphys said that he was dead... He got suspicious... He would *know* if Sans died. Heck, Flowey also hangs out in waterfall which is ~supposedly~ where Sans died... So he follows Alphys back to the lab- Stuff just isn't lining up... Then he finds him. He sees Sans in Alphys lab and he sees what Alphys is doing to him. But he doesn’t try to fix. Sure, he tell Papyrus that he should join the guard to make sure this “doesn’t happen to anyone else” but he doesn’t tell anyone what he saw. In general, he acts a bit more openly self-aware because he *knows* that something is wrong with this timeline. Other than that he is just the same old Flowey that we know and love UuU

Welp that’s all I’ma do for now, These personalities aren’t really set in stone but there all I got for now ‘^u^. Sorry if there a bit all over the place- I’m not the best at formatting ;-;

[suzyundertale]

Non-binary characters in Undertale and Deltarune

A lot of people don’t notice this, but there are several major characters in Undertale that are referred to exclusively with they/them pronouns. In this post, I’ll go over them, and I’ll explain why so many non-binary people identify with them.

Napstablook and Monster Kid

Both Napstablook and Monster Kid are referred to only with they/them pronouns. This suggests that they are non-binary.

Of course, even with characters being exclusively referred to with they/them, there will be people who say it’s intentionally “ambiguous”, or an oversight, or what have you.

Fortunately, we have definitive evidence this isn’t the case.

In the first printing of the official Undertale art book, featuring commentary from Toby Fox himself, these two characters were mistakenly referred to with he/him pronouns.

However, when this was pointed out to Toby, he told me that it was a typo and it would be fixed in the next run - which it promptly was.

This serves as confirmation that referring to these two with he/him pronouns is incorrect, and they/them are the correct pronouns.

Frisk

Frisk is the protagonist and player character of Undertale. It’s worth noting that, for the majority of Undertale, you’re definitely supposed to think that Frisk is a player self-insert character, a blank slate for you to project yourself onto. You’re tricked into thinking you name them, and they have an ambiguous skin color and gender.

However, in the True Pacifist ending, it’s revealed that they have their own name: Frisk.

This reveal also serves as a reveal that Frisk isn’t you, or an in-game representation of you. They’re their own person. They’re a character that exists within this universe. It’s always been just them. Not you or anyone else.

I mean, why would a character who’s meant to be “you” have their own name? Toby never calls Frisk “Frisk” in merchandise or interviews, simply calling them “The Human”, because their name is a major spoiler for the True Pacifist ending. It’s quite easy to only call them “The Human”, he has no trouble doing it now, so if they’re meant to be “you”, there’s no reason to give them a name at all.

In the True Pacifist ending, after Asriel returns everyone’s SOULs, everyone magically learns Frisk’s name (except Napstablook, who closed their blinds upon seeing the flash of light.) Suddenly, everyone knows who Frisk is.

And… all of their friends still use they/them pronouns for them.

If they’re clearly meant to be not you, then surely it would be easier for Toby to hammer in that point by suddenly having everyone refer to Frisk with different pronouns. But he doesn’t, because Frisk isn’t a girl or a boy. Because the monsters were never wrong to use they/them for Frisk. Those were always their pronouns, and they still are.

Chara

Chara is the character we name at the beginning of Undertale. However, this doesn’t mean that they literally are you.

Chara has their own backstory - they had a family, they had likes and dislikes. They’re not meant to be an in-game representation of the player. If they were, there’s about a million better ways Toby could have done that. Like, you know, not giving them a clearly defined backstory and personality. Why would someone who’s supposed to be “the player” be so… different from so many people? A lot of people don’t like chocolate or flowers or knives. Actually, I’d guess that most people don’t like all of those things at once. But Chara does.

In any case, Chara is referred to exclusively with they/them or, occasionally, it/its pronouns. Their own brother, Asriel - their best friend and undoubtedly the person they were closest to -  uses only they/them pronouns when speaking of them.

Kris

From the very beginning of Deltarune, it’s made very clear that Kris is NOT a self-insert of any kind, even more clear than Frisk and Chara. Whether you believe the red SOUL is literally the player or not, Kris is clearly their own person fighting against someone for control of their body. They have their own clearly defined personality, likes and dislikes, etc. I really don’t think there’s any way to reasonably argue that Kris is meant to be a representation of the player. You don’t get to choose anything about them. Their personality, their likes and dislikes, their hobbies, their past, all of that is set in stone.

So why, then, would their gender be up to player interpretation? Why would that be the one single thing we get to decide about Kris? It, quite simply, does not make any sense.

Seam

Seam is a lot less obvious than the other ones - but if you play through Deltarune, you might notice something about all the dialogue where people refer to Seam.

Seam is never referred to with any pronouns. The way it’s written seems very deliberate, in my opinion, so I don’t think that this is a coincidence. 

In the real world, some non-binary people elect to use no pronouns, as well, and ask to be only referred to by name. Seam may be representation for this. Honestly, I think it’s really great of Toby to include a character that doesn’t use pronouns. All the other non-binary characters in Undertale and Deltarune use they/them, but that’s not always the case for real non-binary people. In real life, non-binary people can use all sorts of pronouns, or no pronouns at all.

At first it may seem confusing or difficult to not use any pronouns to refer to someone. But if you reread this section, you’ll notice I’ve never used any third-person pronouns. It took a bit of thinking, but it’s actually quite easy once you get used to it!

--

Kris, Frisk, and Chara are never explicitly stated to be non-binary. That’s true. Some people make the argument that because it’s never explicitly stated, it can’t be canon. That is not true at all. To demonstrate this, I will use an example from Undertale.

Take Alphys. From the Mettaton Quiz Show segment of Undertale, we can learn that Alphys has a crush on both Undyne, a woman, and Asgore, a man. Therefore, Alphys is canonically bisexual. Alphys herself never states that she is bisexual. No one else ever says that Alphys is bisexual. In fact, the word “bisexual” is never used once in Undertale at all. But Alphys being bisexual is still canon.

Therefore, it’s possible for Kris, Frisk, and Chara to be canonically non-binary without it ever being outright stated.

But why? Wouldn’t it be easier for Toby to explicitly state it? Sure, maybe it would be easier to write - but that doesn’t mean it’s better writing. Finding a way to somehow mention a character’s gender would most likely come across as forced and unnatural. After all, most people don’t openly discuss their gender or sexuality in everyday situations.

So, Kris doesn’t need to explicitly say “I’m non-binary and use they/them pronouns” to be a character who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. They just… are. The same goes, of course, for Frisk and Chara.

They’re only ever referred to with they/them pronouns by close friends and family, and we’re given no reason to believe they’re anything other than non-binary. There’s absolutely no reason to use any pronouns other than they/them for these characters.

If you meet someone in real life, and notice that everyone around you is only using they/them pronouns for that person… well, it’s pretty safe to assume that person is non-binary. Even if you never hear anyone say “This Person Is Non-binary”, you don’t have an excuse to start calling them a he or a she. It’s the same with the kids.

The fact is that Frisk and Kris are no different than other video game protagonists. No one tries to argue that Ninten or Ness or Lucas are girls. No one tries to argue that Samus is a boy. It’s only when the protagonist is non-binary that people try to argue otherwise.

Why?

Some people may ask, well, why is this important? Why can’t I just headcanon them as whatever I want? They’re not even real!

Well, you see, non-binary characters are really rare in fiction. Especially as a protagonist, and especially a human protagonist. When you see a non-binary or genderless character in fiction, it’s usually going to be something non-human, like an alien, or otherwise non-sentient, like a robot. This happens a lot, and it dehumanizes actual non-binary people. Even worse, transgender characters in fiction in general are often treated like jokes, or something to make fun of. Like they’re not even a person.

So, to a non-binary person, to see a non-binary protagonist who’s a human being, like them, is.. very important. It’s something you might not understand if you’ve grown up seeing people like yourself on TV or in games or books all the time. It brings comfort to non-binary people to see someone like themself in such a popular video game. It gives them reassurance that “yes, we do exist”, as many people in the real world deny the existence of non-binary people. In both Undertale and Deltarune, no one makes a big deal of Frisk or Chara or Kris being non-binary. No one ever challenges it. No one ever misgenders them. And that’s incredibly comforting for so many non-binary people. For once, for once, they can be immersed in a world where people like them are unanimously accepted, and treated with respect.

That’s why so many non-binary people feel hurt when they see people in fandom misgendering the kids, as well. It’s a denial of their identities, it’s a denial that non-binary people exist in the Undertale and Deltarune universes. Even though it’s just a fictional character, it can still impact your view of actual non-binary people - if you can’t even respect a fictional character’s pronouns, what does that say about how you treat real people?

In addition, a lot of trans and non-binary people in the Undertale fandom are harassed over this. When they try to defend Kris, Frisk, and Chara’s pronouns, people will inevitably throw hate at them. People who identify with these characters are met with mockery and hostility. Unfortunately, there are transphobic people in the Undertale fandom. Misgendering the kids validates those people. It tells those people, “even if someone uses only they/them pronouns, it’s okay to call them a he or a she.” It tells them, “you’re right to think these people are unreasonable. you’re right to think these people don’t exist.” And that’s wrong. That’s not true at all.

[hummingbirdstars]

I’m gonna create an AU

I think I’m gonna make an Undertale AU. Has anyone already used the name HelperTale? I hope not, because I want to!

So, the basis of HelperTale is that monsters and humans in that universe are distinctly aware of the multiverse, and try to stay as up-to-date on it as possible. As I have a lot to talk about, the rest will be under a read more bar.

Some kids are born with Aptitudes, where they can get special jobs and livelihoods based on the AU’s part as a multiversal helper. 

One Aptitude is for Protecting the Home, where they are guards and protect the AU’s inhabitants from viruses (Fresh), corruption, and destruction. 

Coding Aptitudes, for another, can be put into several categories- one to help hide the AU’s code (mainly from Error) and creating firewalls to keep their world safe. Another Coding Aptitude would be Searching, where those with that Aptitude would scour the Mutliverse for those in dire need of Helping.

And this brings us to the main point of the AU- Helping. Helpers are categorized into four, and are placed in groups of four. The first is the Coder, someone with a mix of Helping and Coding Aptitude. These Coders take in all the cries for help and find the first one that their group can safely handle. The second is the Imposter, someone with incredibly good acting skills who can go and take the place of the person calling for help- just for a little while, so they can recuperate. The third is the Healer, who stays in the Home AU and cares for the healing person- from the other AU, the one who called for help- still with me? The final person in this group of four is the Backup, someone who’s mastered all three Aptitudes, so they can take over in case someone of the other three is busy.

Backstory is something I’m still coming up with, but I have a few ideas. First, Aptitudes only pop up when a kid turns 8 years old. At this point, the Seekers (another Aptitude, where they spend years honing their senses so they can detect other Aptitudes) will go to the house of the child and look at their Aptitude. Depending on what it is, the kid will go to one of several special Villages as a new home, a new life. They can still chat with their families, but only those with Aptitude may know where the Villages are.

Second, children spend their entire childhoods in their Village. Every single kid gets a little USB slot (special-made for the AU) installed in their skull. This is in case someone gets corrupted while on a mission or on their duty, it heals and restores everything. These slots are covered up with code, and only the kid can wipe away the code on their own head, nobody else’s.

Third, anybody can cry for Help. It’s meant to have that same feeling the Player has in Undertale, you know, the *You call out for help, but nobody comes. Except those in HelperTale do their best to make sure that somebody comes. But you can only use this once in your life, probably some sort of bull-crap code destiny thing that combines with all the other powerful AUs- if it’s truly a life-changing thing, that a lot of things depend on it but the person making the choice is a wild-card, that would constitute for a Cry For Help. Humans, Monsters, it doesn’t matter.

Fourth, once someone cries for Help, their world’s data (and their personal data) is given to a Coder who can help. The Imposter will plug in that data through the USB and temporarily remove their own personal memories, to properly play the part. Time will be frozen thanks to Determination. The Imposter will take the place of the person who cried for help- let’s call this super depressed person who needs help Zach, for simplicity- will take the place of Zach, and Zach will be brought to HelperTale.

The Coder will watch the progress of the Imposter- if they can eliminate what was hurting Zach, they will do it. While the Imposter lives out Zach’s life, so nobody thinks anything’s wrong, the Healer will take care of Zach and fix him up the best they can. This means mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and any other way needed. Once Zach is all healed up, the Coder will send a message to the Imposter- who by that time is hopefully in a good enough state of mind in Zach’s life to take it- and if all goes well, time will be frozen again. Zach will be given a very in-depth rundown of what went on in their absence, and Zach and the Imposter will switch places. The Imposter will regain their own memories, and Zach will be put in HelperTale’s logbook.

Of course, not every ‘job’ can go as smoothly as I just described. A lot of things can happen, and these things usually depend on the state of the AU. Imposters can get hurt, killed, tortured, and more. This is what they sign up for, using their Aptitude to help others. If the Imposter is compromised, the Backup will take the Imposter’s place, and the Healer will help both the Imposter and Zach.

But if monsters and humans are so different, how can Imposters look like them? Coding again, years of acting and specialized classes, and learning how to do everything imaginable, just in case. Magic is flexible, the world runs on code, and every single person with Aptitude at some point must be able to learn every single kind of magic. Yes, every single kind. Because of this, everybody is more-or-less equal, and thanks to knowledge and opportunity, there was never a war and Monsters and Humans are completely equal.

(I may even create a comic based off of this, if I get a drawing tablet- I even have ideas for the main ‘cast’, including my own OC who would be a Healer- who could also, with small modifications, act as an Undyne if need be!)

Sans: would have an identical twin. They would be Comic Sans (Sans, main ‘character’ like everyone is used to) and Sans Serif (personality of Underswap Sans). They are completely identical, but Comic has glasses and Serif strongly enjoys his bandana. They have twin Aptitudes of Helping. Comic is the Imposter of his group, and Serif is the Backup.

Papyrus: There is no Papyrus, not really, instead his name is Times New Roman, Roman for short. He’s snooty and arrogant, because he’s good at his job (being a Papyrus) and he knows it. Given an accident or two and a character arc, he could end up being a very likeable character indeed. He is not in the Sans’ group, but in his group he is the Imposter. In school, he was very popular. 

Alphys: Her name would be Ally here, and she’d be tinted more green than yellow. Again, if she needed to play an Alphys, simple enough. She has a Coding/Helping Aptitude, and is in the same group as the twin Sanses. 

Undyne: The younger sister of my OC, and has a crush on Ally. She has a Protecting Aptitude, and takes pride in her virus-destroying capabilities. Thanks to how thorough she is, she is swapped out between the AU itself, and protecting Villages. She’s well-traveled, still brash at times, but very open and accepting.

Toriel: Red Magic (Determination and Time) teacher. Called Miss Tu-Toriel because of how wonderful she is. Is the collective Mom of the Helping Village, and takes her duties very seriously. Very old, very strong, and is the last line of defense if anything gets into the Village. Offers cooking classes as an extra-curricular- after all, there are plenty of worlds out there, this one included, where cooking is a valuable skill, is it not?

Asgore: Teaches Cyan and Orange (Stopping and Moving) Teacher. Is called the Dad of the Helping Village. Never fought with Toriel, and is happily married to her with their children (Asriel, Frisk, Chara, and Kris). He enjoys gardening, and offers it as an extra-curricular- after all, there are plenty of AUs that deal with plants, and I’m not simply talking about the Floweys!

Asriel: Different entity to Flowey- Flowey’s are rather different, I’ll get to them in a minute. He has fire magic, primarily. As an adult, he teaches basic classes on all seven main types of magic. Also teaches yoga, is surprisingly flexible. 

Chara: They teach classes about dealing with LV and EXP, on both ends of the spectrum and everything in-between. They also teach classes in dealing with murderers, and using words to their advantage. Can be bribed into extra Determination classes with chocolate.

Frisk: They teach classes in code and rule-breaking, such as manipulating souls and buttons and the like. They also teach classes that talk about dealing with any kind of mental illness, whether seeing them or pretending to have them, or actually having them. They are very kind and well-liked, but are terrifying when they actually get mad.

Kris: They are the Caretaker. If an Imposter is in a bad spot, they can usually count on Kris to create a distraction (somehow) and help them get out. Kris is powerful, and gives fighting lessons. They have never been beaten, ever, not in anybody’s memory.

Gaster: Has a Seeking Aptitude, but has an affinity for Coding. As a result, he invents all sorts of things that have to do with Aptitude, hoping either to speed up or slow down the process- nobody knows why. Is the older brother to the Sans twins, and was devastated when they popped up with twin Helping Aptitudes. He sees them more often than their parents, but it’s the thought that counts!!

Flowey: Floweys are all over the place. They are made of different flowers so most can’t leave, but those who look even vaguely like buttercups usually have an Aptitude. No matter what, every single Flowey has to have a flower name, it’s tradition. 

I’ll probably come up with more, but this is what I have for now!

[huds-hub]

THE POSITIVE & NEGATIVE; MUN & MUSE - MEME

FILL OUT & REPOST ♥ This meme definitely favors canons more, but I hope OC’s still can make it somehow work with their own lore, and lil’ fandom of friends & mutuals. Multi-Muses pick the muse you are the most invested in atm.

Stolen from @mrfunnybone. Since this meme has a bias for canon muses, I’m tagging two of my favorite canon writers that I know didn’t fill this out yet: @soulcoerced and @spearslinger (I wonder if a fellow Undyne RPer has a different take on some of these questions? ^^;;). For everyone else, feel free to steal it and tag me if you do! I’m curious to see how OC muns answer some of these questions...

MY MUSE IS:   CANON / oc / au / canon-divergent / fandomless / complicated [[ The adult version of my muse is canon, but her teenage equivalent is not present anywhere in Undertale / Deltarune. So, uh… canon but kind of complicated I guess??? I like describing my muse as canon-wise. My Deltarune fishies are undoubtedly AUs at most, canon-divergent at least. ]]

[[ Mun’s note: I’m going to cheat on this. For the next 8 questions, I’ll answer for both Undyne as my teen muse AND regular adult canon Undertale Undyne. My thoughts on her counts as something, right? My muse is based on canon! ]]

Is your character popular in the fandom? YES / NO / IDK [[ Undyne’s character to the rest of the fandom is unpopular (compared to Sans, Chara, Gaster, etc…). It’s a shame, because her dialogue portraits alone would make great meme fodder. HOWEVER, among Undyne fans, I notice there’s an interest in depicting her early years because she’s one of the few cast members who’s had their childhood explicitly mentioned. ]]

Is your character considered hot™ in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK [[ She’d better not be, because my muse is a  C H I L D. As far as I’ve seen, canon adult Undyne is depicted more often as a ‘badass’ than a ‘sexy fish.’ ]]

Is your character considered strong in the fandom?  YES / NO / IDK [[ Younger Undyne is definitely interpreted to be a determined, tough kid. Of course it’s the same for adult canon Undyne. It’s basically her most distinct character trait. ]]

Are they underrated?  YES / NO / IDK [[ Lordy, Undyne as a whole is entirely underrated by the fandom... ]]

Were they relevant for the main story?  YES / NO [[ OMG... you’re gonna get me started. I’m marking ‘no’ on this question because this is supposed to be about my aged-down muse. But Undyne... sweet violent Undyne’s very important to Undertale’s story! *fangirling START* Besides being the mid-point antagonist in the game, Undyne adds a layer of the theme of DETERMINATION to the game and how it can manifest in monsters if their bodies are strong enough to handle it. In an allegorical sense, she represents extremism in reaction to oppression and how that passion can take on the form of extreme love or extreme hatred depending on circumstance. So HELL YEAH she’s important to the main story of the game! AAAHILoveThisFish!! *fangirling END* ]]

Were they relevant for the main character? YES / NO / THEY’RE THE PROTAG. [[ Same as the previous answer for my teen Undyne: begrudgingly marking this with a ‘no’... It’s a YES for canon Undyne. In all routes, original game’s Undyne is the first character who is purposefully trying to kill the Player. Players can’t get the best ending without helping her hook up with Alphys and not incurring her wrath by killing any monster. In the worst ending, she’s one of the two antagonists that put up enough of a fight to make any player abort the Genocide Route. ]]

Are they widely known in their world? YES / NO [[ My muse WANTS to be significant to her world. In the original game, Undyne’s only mentioned by others in Snowdin and Waterfall (not counting Alphys in Hotland). She’s described as a “local hero” by Gerson. I get a sense she’s not exactly famous to the people in the entire Underground compared to, say, Mettaton. ]]

How’s their reputation?  GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL [[ Oof. Pretty sure my teen fish annoys the residence of Waterfall for being a loud-mouthed little scamp. The only reason she’s not considered ‘bad’ is because it’s pent-up energy and misguidedness, not flat-out cruelty. In canon, it seems like the people who talk about Undyne do it in either a positive or neutral light. You have Monster Kid, Papyrus, and Onionsan singing her praises. The Royal Guard members respect her. Asgore thought of her well enough to have her lead his military. Uhh, for a neutral instance, I remember an NPC in Snowdin saying she’s “loud, rude, and beats up anybody who gets in her way” (I don’t remember the exact quote). To weigh this more on the side of my muse, I’ll mark this answer as ‘neutral.’ ]]

HOW STRICTLY DO YOU FOLLOW CANON?  [[ Since I have an aged-down character, canon is literally my END GOAL! I gave her a “starting point” on her journey to the determined, dedicated, and excitable warrior fish we all know and love from the game. I filled in the gaps from there, using parts of her past mentioned in the game to glue the headcanons together. Deciding what she was like when she was younger – What’s her family background? What aspects about her changed as she matures? What internal and external conflicts would she deal with as a teen? – THAT’S the non-canon part. My Deltarune AUs are… different. Canon is my end goal too, but the timelines are all wonky to fit the needs of wanting to interact with the Fun Gang. LOL ]]

SELL YOUR MUSE! AKA TRY TO LIST EVERYTHING, WHICH MAKES YOUR MUSE INTERESTING IN YOUR OPINION TO MAKE THEM SPICY FOR YOUR MUTUALS.   [[ This kid is spunky, loyal, compassionate of the plight of her people, and will see through anything she sets her mind to, despite life’s barriers. She’s got a lot of pent-up energy and is searching for what she can do with it to help her achieve her goal of setting Monsterkind free! ]]

NOW THE OPPOSITE, LIST EVERYTHING WHY YOUR MUSE COULD NOT BE SO INTERESTING (EVEN IF YOU MAY NOT AGREE, WHAT DOES THE FANDOM PERHAPS THINK?).  [[ The teen fishy has a streak of selfishness and short-sightedness. Being honest, Undyne would be a racial supremacist if she existed in real life. Big yikes. Also, she’s willingly being trained as a child soldier. Another big yikes right there. ]]

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO RP YOUR MUSE?   [[ Ages ago, I RPed the adult version of Undyne, which resulted in a bunch of headcanons for her past. I had no desire to RP any of them after it ended. A year later, I commissioned an artist for a Gerson vs. teen Undyne piece. That single-handedly made me want to get back into RPing again. ]]

WHAT KEEPS YOUR INSPIRATION GOING?   [[ My fellow RPers wanting to interact with this silly fishy! When I first started, I expected my interest to peter out over the months. I didn’t expect many RPers wanting to interact with an aged-down character. But here I am, wanting to expand my headcanons further and making AUs so I’m not limited to canon. ^^ It’s all thanks to you guys!! ]]

SOME MORE PERSONAL QUESTIONS FOR THE MUN.

Give your mutuals some insight about the way you are in some matters, which could lead them to get more comfortable with you or perhaps not.

Do you think you give your character justice?  YES / NO / I SINCERELY HOPE I DO?

Do you frequently write headcanons?  YES / NO / SORT OF?     [[ I should do it more often TBH. But I find showing them via story-telling more fulfilling than just explicitly explaining them in posts. Plus, it gives me more leeway if I’m still playing around with an idea. ;) ]]

Do you sometimes write drabbles?  YES / NO  [[ I’m not counting the three pending drabbles until I finish them. ^^;; ]]

Do you think a lot about your Muse during the day? YES / NO [[ She finds a way to bother me! Usually in the form of sudden inspiration for how to respond to RPs. ]]

Are you confident in your portrayal? YES / NO / SORT OF? [[ Sometimes I wonder if I forgot some aspect about Undyne that’s in canon, or unintentionally exaggerating other less-important aspects of her other characteristics… ]]

Are you confident in your writing?  YES / NO / SORT OF? [[ Generally, yes. But I do have my days when I suffer from low self-confidence. ]]

Are you a sensitive person?  YES / NO. / SORT OF? [[ It depends on what’s meant by that. I’m sensitive to other people’s feelings, so I don’t intend to sound rude OOC, even if I’m expressing something negative about something I think the other did. If this is referring to being sensitive about events in RPs… my sensitivity is equivalent to that of being invested in any work of fiction. I know it’s not reality. I can pull away from the fictional world and it won’t bring down my real life. ]]

DO YOU ACCEPT CRITICISM WELL ABOUT YOUR PORTRAYAL?   [[ If it’s given in good faith and is constructive, sure. ]]

DO YOU LIKE QUESTIONS, WHICH HELP YOU EXPLORE YOUR CHARACTER?   [[ Hell yeah, give them to me! ]]

IF SOMEONE DISAGREES TO A HEADCANON OF YOURS, DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY?  [[ It depends if they want to tell me. I don’t mind either way. Personally, I like hearing other people’s interpretations! ]]

IF SOMEONE DISAGREES WITH YOUR PORTRAYAL, HOW WOULD YOU TAKE IT?   [[ *shrug* It doesn’t matter as long as they don’t harass me. ]]

IF SOMEONE REALLY HATES YOUR CHARACTER, HOW DO YOU TAKE IT?   [[ I’d just ignore it. They don’t need to interact or follow me. If my muse really is a bother to them, they can block my account. ]]

ARE YOU OKAY WITH PEOPLE POINTING OUT YOUR GRAMMATICAL ERRORS?   [[ I hope my grammar’s good enough, or else my English degree studies went to waste! But yeah, sure. Fun fact: explaining grammar rules so people can avoid major errors in the future is more helpful than nit-picking insignificant errors without explanations. ]]

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE EASY GOING AS A MUN?   [[ As long as fellow RPers aren’t being rude OOC, don’t break any serious rules, or do something that I mention are personal triggers to me, I am easy-going! RPing is fun and it should stay that way for everybody involved! ]]

[morethanithoughtofficialblog]

Chapter 4: A slight hint of hope

In which the future looks brighter than you may think

*Your POV*

I found myself writing down a letter to the president, technically begging him to let monsters be truly free. Again. I was starting to ask myself why I even try. Again. This the seventeenth letter I've written to him, and yet, he won't listen.

Then I told myself that I shouldn't be thinking like this. That a lot of monsters had their hope on me, therefore, I should try harder.

I smiled, knowing that this was my inner dialogue every single day. And yet, I still have it, no matter what I'm doing. This is one of the few things that amaze me these days.

It's been a while since I have met them. Maybe a month or two; maybe even more. Ever since then, we've been talking for hours in my office every single day. I kinda like it. It gives me the feeling that I'm not alone in the world.

But then again, they'll probably leave once this is over. Or maybe not. Who knows?

They all have been awfully nice to me. Nicely than a lot of humans have ever been. This is one of the thousand reasons I keep writing to the president.

Maaaaaybe I should return to my cheery self. I'm being quite serious, haven't I?

No one can blame, though. I hate to admit it, but this issue is worrying me more than I expected. At first, the case was interesting, yes, but now it's kinda overwhelming, knowing that I'm dealing with a weak point; discrimination.

I just hope I don't end up like Rosa Parks after this. But that's just me being stubborn. Again.

Before my mind could get more depressive, though, I heard someone knock the door. I mentally groaned, with the feeling that I was gonna get a shitty opinion for the trillionth time.

"Come in"

"Wow, that's for sure the sourest answer you've given me, sweetie. That's quite the record!"

A smile crept onto my face. I recognize that voice anywhere!

She slammed the fricking door open like it was some sort of drama movie (which it's exactly what her life is) and posed dramatically. She was wearing sunglasses (even if it was cloudy outside), a fancy-yet-casual blouse, and some skinny jeans. Not to mention the usual high heels that make her bigger than a fucking tree. Oh, how not to miss her?

"Hello, beautiful!" She exclaimed before kissing my cheek on a french-greeting style "You look EXHAUSTED! But, hey, at least you are wearing makeup. Now THAT'S progress!"

"Mailey, I've been wearing makeup daily ever since I got this job"

"Wait..." she paused slightly, then let out a fake gasp. "YOU HAVEN'T BEEN WEARING IT VOLUNTARILY?!"

I giggled way louder than I wanted to, but I didn't mind. Mailey's has always managed to put me in such a good mood, all thanks to her cocky attitude. I haven't seen her for months, so I just really missed her. But I probably said that already. Oh well.

"Oh, (Y/N) darling!" She clapped her hands together in such a girly and unnatural way I almost lose it "Let's go to a café! I don't want to chat in such a sad and old place!"

"Uh, eh... you know what? A break would be great" I hesitantly answered, thinking that I just could clear my mind for a while. I actually haven't done that since I was a preteen, soooo... yeah...

"Wonderful! Let's get going! Just one thing... we will go to Starbucks!"

"Seriously?"

"You know I don't like Dunkin' Donuts, sweetheart. I don't tolerate that bitter taste you normally choose"

"And you know I don't tolerate that overwhelming sweetness you choose every time"

She took a pause and put down briefly her sunglasses, staring at me in fake shock. Oh, I know how much she hates Dunkin' Donuts, but Starbucks simply sucks!

"Well, I'll be the one paying, so I think it's fair" she teasingly added with a huge, goofy grin on her face.

Shit, she got me.

...

Oh well.

"Hmm. Guess you won this time, huh?" I answered, throwing my arms in defeat. She made a victory pose, and I silently giggled. I shouldn't be feeling this lonely since monsters visited today, right?

Well, guess what.

They didn't.

But I'm not complaining since I'm the one who told them not to come for today, arguing that they should take a break from leaving and coming. Some of them didn't think twice and accepted, which made me feel kinda bad. How stubborn have I been to actually keep them coming so often without a chance to take a breath?

...and that's why I also needed a break. Because I was about to become a fucking mess. Leave the tears for the night, (Y/N).

And so I left. Good thing I was doing extra hours, or else, I would have been crying after some time being all alone.

Sometimes I wonder if I can call myself a proper 20 years old adult. I mean, I'm quite mature at some things, but in others, I almost feel like I'm a 5 years old brat.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Frisk's POV*

It feels kinda weird not meeting (Y/N) today. Sure, I was getting exhausted of the daily routine, but know... I feel like something's missing. And that something is (Y/N).

We actually haven't been doing much in this little house, since we are really crowded in here. Yes, it has two floors, but we are more than 10 people, and it's starting to get on my nerves. Not even the orphanage felt this crowded.

But, hey, at least I'm with my friends and family and not with some random kids pushing each other. I think this is pretty much ok, I guess.

Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door. Excited, I quickly ran to get it, and a smile flashed on my face. Emily, the daughter of the kind owners, has come for her weekly visit. Even Sans seemed eager to receive her, noticing his white pinpricks turn brighter.

She's 10 years old, so her voice is quite soft and pretty. I think she's on her school's choir and musical group, which it's totally cool. She has golden, twirly hair that gets not too long below her shoulders, and tends to wear a lot of dresses.

We were friends in the orphanage, so I know a thing or two more than the monsters do.

"Hi, kind creatures!" she chirped happily, making all of us grin wider. We returned the greeting quickly, which just made her giggle.

"I brought some gifts for you!" she added, clearly excited. I couldn't help myself, so I ended up drawing a small smile upon my lips. I'm always happy with her. She's just too kind and innocent, like the cinnamon roll Papyrus. I really missed her when I went on my trip to the Underground.

We all gathered in a circle, and watch with awe the food she brought us.

"Finally something new!" Undyne exclaimed with joy, hugging the little girl.

She also brought action figures for Papyrus, some clothes for all of us, some beautiful earrings to Toriel, and a book for Sans. Oh, so that's why he was eager, huh? I just remembered that she gives Sans a book every week, which he normally ends in the night after her visit. Then he just keeps rereading it until Emily comes again. It's fun to see him stress over a single book, though. One day he almost broke down when he found out that it was an open ending. Or, how he calls them, a 'fuck-the-reader's-mind-and-soul' ending.

"thanks, kid" he muttered, trying to hide his excitement and failing miserably. I smirked quietly, and he shrugged it off with a shy smile. I don't get this guy; but that's fine, I guess.

She decided to stay with us for the night, clearly feeling bored at her house. I understand, though. When you live in an orphanage you are never lonely, but if they suddenly adopt you with no other kids, it feels weird.

And so, we ended up planning the perfect game for a sleepover: pillow fighting. I was teaming up with Flowey (I forced him to play) and Emily. The other team was formed by Papyrus, Undyne, and Sans... who was just lazily resting on a pillow. And, naturally, Papyrus groaned when he noticed.

"BROTHER! GET UP, YOU LAZYBONES, AND HELP US BUILD A FORT! I DON'T PRETEND TO LOSE ONLY FOR YOUR LAZINESS!"

"sorry, bro. guess my laziness-"

"SANS"

"-rattled your bones"

"SAAAAAAAAAAAANS!!!!!!"

When I was about to protest, Asgore's cellphone started to ring.

And before he took it, I saw the ID caller...

And it was (Y/N)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Your POV*

I was listening to Mailey's plans for the future. Apparently, her boyfriend has an apartment in San Diego, and she wants to go with him. She says that her future is better in there and blah blah blah. I certainly don't think that's the reason she wants to go, but hey, I can't judge.

I slowly took a sip from my coffee, being the bitterest I could find. And, somehow, it was still sweet. Goddamnit.

If Mailey goes away, then... my life will be pretty much the same, actually. Yes, I will miss her, but we are not best friends and we didn't see each other frequently in the past. Still, I will have fewer people to casually tell my secrets and some of my problems. Now I have less than half of the friends I had in high school. Great.

But, well, she has changed. A lot. Yes, she still makes me laugh with her self-security, but it's not the same. She has lost that... simpleness she had. Now she posts on Instagram every day, she wants to be an influencer, and hell, she even put herself some pink strips on her blonde hair. Maybe I miss seeing that dorky part of her. She's just, well... different. I shouldn't be thinking like that, but it's true.

I was about to hide my face so Mailey couldn't take a picture of me when I received a call. Wow, no one can have a break these days, right?

The number wasn't part of my contacts, which was weird, but I decided to answer anyway. Not for being a good person, but as an excuse to calm Mailey the fuck down.

"Hello, this is (Y/N) (L/N). How can I help you?"

"Hello, (Y/N)... may I have a word with you?" a rough and familiar voice answered, which immediately put me nervous. Who is this guy?

"...I'm sorry sir, but could you specify who are you? We may have talked before, but I just can't remem-"

"Of course we have talked, miss (Y/N)" he interrupted, and I silently gulped "Actually, you wanted to discuss something with me, isn't that right?"

No way-

"I'm the president, miss (L/N). You have caught my interest with your detailed arguments, saying that monsters deserve a chance to grow in society. Or did I just called the wrong person?"

I stood there in shock for a few seconds, then made my way out of Starbucks to hear better. Keep your cool, (Y/N), and everything will be alright.

"You are totally right, Mr. President. I'm the one who sent those letters."

"Great. Now, let's discuss a few things, ok?"

"Of course sir".

I listened carefully, searching for any hints of hatred or irony in his voice. Instead, I just heard interest in the way he mentioned my arguments.

Eventually, we gave each other a quick-yet-formal goodbye, and I immediately called Asgore.

This is a serious business.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Asgore's POV*

My mind was thinking the worst when I saw (Y/N)'s ID on my phone. I saw that others were worried, too. Could this be the end? Are we going back to the Underground, after all those years of waiting?

I picked up reluctantly, watching the expectant reaction of my wi- Toriel, the expectant reaction of Toriel.

"Oh, hello (Y/N)!" I exclaimed, trying to keep my hopes high enough for everyone. "How has been your day?"

"It's been fine, thank you. How has been yours?" She bluntly answered, sounding like she was... distant.

Let's just hope it isn't what I'm thinking.

"It's been good, (Y/N). Anyways, how can I help you, young one?"

She didn't answer immediately. Actually, she remained still for a long time. The only thing I could hear was her breathing, and my positive smile was turning into a nervous one.

"Asgore, we have something we need to discuss"

And my smile dropped.

[skeletorific]

Hey! I read your dissertation on Underfell and Swapfell and I was wondering how Flowey/Temmie fits into the mix. Are they still violent like their regular tale counterparts? I feel like I haven't seen as much about them in terms of their accepted characterizations.

I know i said no new asks but mmmmmf this is juicy

Underfell

Alright, so the general au concept has it that Flowey is pretty much the only person willing to ally with Frisk right out the gate. What this looks like is gonna vary from person to person, but here’s how I see Flowey in this AU.

Undertale Flowey clearly developed a proclivity towards violence, but I’d argue that’s symptomatic of his boredom more than anything else. He mentions going through various resets, and only after a lot of variations of doing nice things, like saving people and befriending them, did he decide to start mixing it up by killing people off. Its the joint privilege/curse of the RESET power. Ebott is a peaceful world filled with people simply living their lives, and in that context, after you’ve figured out what everyone’s deal is, not much is stimulating beyond “how fucked up can I make this”. In many ways, Undertale Flowey’s experience of the world is meant to act in parallel to the Players. At first, you just want to figure everyone out, find out how to get a good ending, while only later do you start abusing the resets to wipe out their memories of whatever fucked up thing you did.

I’d compare Underfell Flowey’s experience more closely with something like Dark Souls.

By the time whatever was left of Asriel woke up in Flowey, the world of Underfell had already become grimmer, more violent. I imagine that he ended up using dozens upon dozens of resets just to figure out a way to get out of the lab without getting crushed by one of Alphys’ Amalgamates or other lab defenses. And that was within the relatively isolated confines of the Lab. Once he finally figured out how to get out and hit the save point outside of her Lab, there was any number of unknowns that he has to confront.

Think about how you end up playing a really challenging videogame. Yes, technically resets are a privilege that keeps you from dying totally. But its not a privilege in the same way it is in Undertale. When you play Dark Souls, you’re not using your time to fuck around and try attacking the few non-hostile NPCs you find, abusing the lack of consequences. Instead, you try to make it through dying as few times as possible, using the knowledge gained in your last life to make it a bit further this time. Flowey is still technically powerful, yes, but he’s hanging on by a thread. He hasn’t become the delusional little god-prince we see in Undertale because he simply hasn’t had the space to become bored. When Frisk falls, he’s hiding out in the Ruins because the Ruins is an easier place to lose yourself in. He clings to Frisk because they are one of the few people who won’t attack a stranger on sight, and agrees to help them because he just wants out of this mountain.

To be clear, this wouldn’t necessarily make Flowey a good person. He’s still SOULless and still lacks the empathy and deeper emotions that Undertale Flowey lacked. In the early stages, I imagine he very much encourages Frisk to attack assailants, even offering advice on their weakpoints that he’s managed to pick up. Because in his mind, survival at all costs is the ultimate good. Death, while less final for him and Frisk than it is for most people, is still a scary setback, and especially since Frisk’s Determination has taken the RESET ability from him, he’s terrified of being killed off. However, much like for the other residents of Underfell, the child’s compassion is contagious for Flowey. While it takes some time, he eventually does his best to aid Frisk in their quest to save everyone, and even commends them for it closer to the end. In a Genocide run, however, he likely will still aid them, albeit showing great trepidation at killing Asgore and Toriel (who despite everything are still his parents). Ultimately he’ll serve as a sort of compass for the Player’s own choices.

Swapfell

Theeeeeeeere was a reason I didn’t include Temmie in my original post. The swaps as regard Asriel are…..confused. To say the least. The most common swap is with Monster Kid, but I’ve frankly always found this confusing. Like, the goat family has just a random lizard kid as their first child, and in the meantime another goat kid is wandering around? I’ve seen some versions try to explain this as MK and Frisk both being adopted, but Asriel was a biological child that was born later. Ultimately though I find this whole crisscross to be more confusion than its worth.

So, my tendency for the swap in this case is cheating a bit, but bear with me. Chara is the Player Character. Frisk is the first Fallen Human. Asriel….is still the Prince. But the swap for Asriel isn’t so much his location in the world. Instead, its in his role. In my head, the Temmie character that serves as the antagonist in Underswap and the ally in Swapfell, holds not Asriel’s memories….but Frisk’s. Meanwhile, Asriel takes on the role of Chara in Undertale. He appears to you at the end of a genocide route in Underswap to congratulate you on finally making him understand. That the only way to save his people…is to free them from this existence. He also takes on the role of narrator throughout your journey.

So, with that in mind, Temmie then houses the excess DT and basic memories of Frisk. Differentiating them from Flowey is a tricky issue, especially as Frisk didn’t really have a set personality. However, I tend to view Frisk, regardless of universe, as a person very susceptible to emotions and primarily oriented around relationships. This becomes trickier without their SOUL, but in contrast to Flowey’s playful spite, I imagine Temmie as more openly belligerent, but also more deeply compassionate with the player in the Photoshop fight. 

Swapfell Temmie, like Underfell Flowey, is an ally to the player character rather than the primary antagonist. To mix in this idea of relationship and passions, I see Temmie as bonding more quickly to the player’s ideology (whether it be Pacifism or Genocide), and more inclined to tell them to run away rather than stand and fight. This can be both good and bad. SF!Temmie doesn’t try to insist on the player killing off a Froggit in the ruins, for instance, but when Alphys collapses outside Undyne’s lab, I imagine they beg the player to leave her to die. They are more cowardly, but are also more open about their care for the Player. SOULlessness seems to entail a lack of emotions, but as we see from Undertale Flowey, it doesn’t mean they are devoid of feeling or incapable of bonding. I imagine the ghost of who Frisk used to be still ways heavily on SF!Temmie, and as a result they’re a tenacious, but timid ally. 

[specialmindz]

“NYEH HEE HEE HEE!”

“*Sigh* Why...why do you do this? You know that’s not right.”

“...I’s ready to go Daddy...”

“No. No you’re not.”

“I’s ready to pay in da’ snow...”

“We’re visiting the king,” said Gaster, taking Papyrus’s boots and putting them on correctly.

He should be doing this himself.

“The king in the snow pace?”

“No.”

“He building a snowman?”

“NO.”

“alphys is sick baby bro,” said Sans opening a cabinet. “so i have to help dad work for the next few days. the king volunteered to babysit you for a while-”

“HE GONNA SIT ON DA’ BABY?!”

“no pap-”

“HE GONNA SIT ON DA’ BABY!”

“papyrus…”

“YOU GOTS TO TELL HIM I’S NOT AN EGG BIG BUTHER!”

“what...?”

“You gots to tell him I’s not an egg! The king be reeeaal tall and stuff so when he sees a tiny skelly baby such as myself, he only see mah bald widdle baby head and he probably think ‘wowie, I find-ed a tiny widdle egg on mah doorstep! I bet there be a baby chicken inside...I bedder sit on it, or is gonna get cold-”

“you’re wearing clothes bro.”

“Yeah, but he can’t sees em’ cause’ he too big...Imma draw a smiley face on my head. Where the markers be?”

“You’re not allowed to have markers.”  

“Dat don’t mean I doesn’t need em’. Baby is NOT a butt-plug.”

“what’s a butt-plug?”

Gaster sighed, already exhausted. He didn’t want to bring Papyrus all the way to New Home, and he wanted to leave him there even less. King Asgore was the Underground’s only hope of escape at the moment...the only solid one at least. He was Gaster’s safety net of sorts if Sans turned out to be unable to teleport his brother past the barrier. Without the king, the royal scientist would be an even bigger nervous wreck then he was now, but no one else was willing to watch Papyrus and there was no way on earth the little troublemaker would leave them alone while they worked. 

Picking up the baby bones with his wingdings so as to avoid being bitten, he looked the infant in the eye. “His Highness is very lonely Papyrus,” he said gravely. “and what’s worse is he doesn’t know the full extent of your horrendous behavior. That means he’s going to be spending a lot of time with you rather than simply leaving you to play his lost children’s video games; that being said, you need to be kind to him. If he dies, there will be no one strong enough to wield the human souls and break the barrier, understand?”

“Ooooh! Fluffy Buns gonna pay wit da’ baby?!”

“yep, so be nice to him bro. no hitting, no biting, no tearing anything up-”

“Okay, okay. I’s gonna be nice and quiet and just read books like a good bae.”

“NO BOOKS. Do you hear me? NONE. Do not read him ANY stories. He can read to you, but do NOT read to him, do I make myself clear?” 

The last thing I need is an hour-long phone call from the old fool trying to find the right words to tell me how to raise my child.

Gaster got a lot of those from the queen long ago if he remembered correctly and they annoyed him to no end. Not just because she took forever to get to the point, but because she refused to even consider the possibility that HER kids were the ones that needed a talking to. In her eyes, it was always Gaster’s fault, not her precious Asriel or Chara. 

Even though Papyrus spent most of his time around those two and I’M always working, it’s still somehow more likely MY influence, right. 

I do wonder though, whatever happened to the old hag?

I know she abandoned her husband and the kingdom, but where exactly did she run off to?

“I can pay wit da’ snails?”

“You’ll do what he asks you to do.”

Papyrus blew a raspberry in the scientist’s direction, splattering him with drool.

“NYEH HEE HEE HEE HEE!”

“have fun baby bro, and tell me everything when you get back okay? maybe if you’re reeeeally good, the king will help you get into daycare!”

“Absolutely not,” said Gaster, placing the baby bones under his arm. “sending him to daycare is out of the question with its current management.”

“huh? why? what’s wrong with undyne’s mom?”

His father shook his head. “I know the woman who works there personally. She uses her child’s temper as a tool for suing parents who leave their children at the daycare she now runs. Whenever Undyne throws a tantrum and hurts someone there, her mother accuses the parents of child abuse, claiming that despite Undyne’s reputation, the children keep trying to play with her because their parents order them to. She has the king completely convinced that they’re getting their kids hurt on purpose so they can sue her. It’s a complete lie of course, she used to work at the lab pulling the same money-grubbing stunts until I fired her.” 

And this was BEFORE the Underground was such a poverty pot.

No doubt she’ll try to use Papyrus somehow, wretched woman…

“Her husband fought and died in the war and so Asgore not only sees her as a lover of children who does everything in her power to enrich their lives, but also sympathizes with her. He sees her as a single-parent with a troubled child living in a bad economy and thinks she’s selfless and kind, when in reality she’s as greedy as they come.”     

“well...she can’t go doing that forever and ever and ever though right? even if everyone’s poor, the king will eventually figure out she’s lying. he can’t believe the ENTIRE underground’s out to rob her.” 

Even if everybody IS poor, he should know he’s being punked. Not EVERYONE is gonna gang up on ONE person, especially if they need that person to watch their kids.

“He’ll figure it out eventually, yes...but for now, Papyrus needs you. He’s better behaved when you’re watching him anyway; now I expect the beakers to be in place by the time I get back Sans-”

“Nyeh? Snas not gonna tellyport da’ baby?”

“nope. dad wants to make me do all the prep work and use your trip to asgore’s as an excuse.”

Gaster rolled his eyes and left the lab. There was no point in retorting, Sans would never understand how lucky he was compared to the other children in the Underground. Unlike them and himself, he wasn’t a victim of poverty and no amount of arguing on Gaster’s part would rid the boy of the entitled attitude that came with living comfortably.  

Lazy ungrateful brat...he really thinks every kid sits on their ass all day while their parents work. Preposterous. Back in MY day, we used to work in mines and factories at his age and both places were messier than the Nursery. We spent most of the money we earned on medicine just so we could work more and he’s complaining about setting up a few beakers...? 

“I thought Sans Serifs made up for their lack of strength with superior intellect, but clearly I was wrong. Damn that Charles Dickens and his god-awful Oliver Twist novel! If Sans hadn’t gotten ahold of that book-”

“To be, or not to be! Nyeh hee hee!”

“That’s Shakespeare.”

“I has look-ed upon all da’ universe has to hold of horror, and even the skies of spring and flowers of summer must ever afterward be poison to me.” 

“And that’s Lovercraft.”

“Waz Lovecafe?”

“Dr. Seuss for adults; you know what it is, you just quoted it.”

“Is mac and cheese?”

“YOU JUST QUOTED IT.”

“Yeah, but maybe I read-ed it off the box?”

 “I highly doubt any form of Kraft Mac and Cheese would put the words ‘horror’ and ‘poison’ on their box,” said Gaster tightening his grip on the baby bones. The spring platforms were dangerous in Hotland when you were carrying things. It made him (and a lot of other people he imagined) wish that the elevators were better maintained as good food was only really found at the Resort or in Snowdin. That meant people who lived in Waterfall not only had to brave the harsh climate of Hotland, but also somehow carry their groceries back home across the springboards if ever the elevators were to break down, which was often...and today.

“WHEEEEEEE! DO A FLIP DADDY!”

Despite the overpopulation problem, there just weren’t many people who knew anything about complex machinery. Some monsters knew about the compromise Asgore had made with the humans long ago, but most did not. The deal was if he worked together with them to destroy the Horrors, they would refrain from mass genocide and settle for the monster’s self-imprisonment within Mt. Ebott. The king, in his cowardice, took the agreement and kept it secret from all his people, aside from the handful of Boss monsters he needed to raise the barrier itself...Boss monsters that had to put the barrier up from the outside in order to get it to work, which resulted in their destruction. His Highness, claiming the reason for the team up was because the Horrors posed a bigger threat to the earth, was left with weak monsters of all sorts with different backgrounds. None were prepared for Mt. Ebott. They weren’t a group of scientists, engineers, or soldiers, they were simply confused citizens who were one day told to gather inside a mountain by their king before being sealed inside and fed a bunch of lies.

There’s no one left down here who knows how to fix the elevators except me now, thanks to Papyrus. Asgore’s lucky I was already in here before this place was sealed, or he’d have quite a problem.

It would’ve been nice if he could go back to what he was doing BEFORE the monster came to Mt. Ebott and began piling work on top of him. He wanted and had been studying the strange climate changes within the mountain, trying to hypothesize if the volcanic activity had anything to do with the strange weather and if the source of all magic really stemmed from the Earth’s core, or if it was just a chemical reaction; but it had been so long since he’d seen his notes, he doubted they hadn’t already been chewed up by the hellspawn under his arm. Luckily, skeletons had the lifespan of a monster, and Asgore not only knew about the lack of educated monsters in the Underground, but was doing something about it, putting emphasis on certain subjects in schools and introducing the students to daily logic puzzles so that the next generation would be more tech savvy. It would take a while, but by the time most of the children in the Underground reached adulthood, most of them would know the basics of at LEAST electrical engineering and be able to fix those damn elevators.

If Sans didn’t have one hp I’d absolutely enroll him, but I need someone to watch Papyrus and he’d most likely be killed by one of those bratty school children. He’s too shy, small, and weak to be near anyone immature...I can’t risk it. Especially when I’m so swamped with work.

“It almost makes me want to try again...make a new clone and split it in half, this time the RIGHT way...but if I make another mistake, I’ll have FOUR children...”

“Nyeh?! You’s gonna make more babies?!”

“Absolutely not.”

“I wish to have a widdle sister. Not like Snas, I mean a REAL sissy-”

“Sans is the closest thing to a girl that will ever come near you, and I can say that with the utmost confidence.”

“Undyne a girl...”

“You heard what I said.”

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

“Who there?”

“What?”

“Snas say, when he do dat, I’s supposed to say ‘who there.”

“...”

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

“Who there?”

“Stop that.”

Opening the door, Asgore greeted the two with a warm smile. “Welcome Gaster, I’m so glad you decided to bring your little one in person rather than having Sans simply teleport him here.” He bent down until he was eye level with Papyrus. “You’re looking adorable as ever Papyrus, it’s nice to see you too! You look like you’ve gotten a bit bigger since we last saw each other, ho ho ho!”

“You too.”

“PAPYRUS! I’m so sorry your Highness-”

“Oh don’t worry about it, I’m sure he means well.”

“NYEH HEE HEE!”

Handing Papyrus to Asgore, Gaster frowned as he watched the baby bones snuggle into the king’s chest...a tactic the infant usually used to distract the people he was trying to steal from.

“Get your wingdings out of his pocket. I told you to behave yourself!”

“He’s only curious my friend! I remember when my little Chara was still alive, they used to go through everything-”

“Where all da’ monies at? You’s a king aren’t you? You’s supposed to be wich!” 

“Ho ho ho, you’ve got your brother’s sense of humor I see!” 

“YOU’S NOT FUNNY!”

“We’re gonna have such a fun day!”

“ERRRNNN!”

“Alright, I’m heading off. I’ll return for Papyrus as soon as you call me,” said Gaster turning to leave.

“As soon as I call you?”

“Correct. When you reach the point where you no longer wish to watch him, give me a call and I’ll pick him up. One, two days would be nice, or whenever you feel like your life is in danger-”

“NYEHHHHHHH!”

“Ah! Oh dear, it’s alright little one, I’m sure he was only joking,” said the king, bobbing the infant up and down in his arms.

“He’s not upset. He’s only crying because that’s what babies do when their parents leave for work, or in my case, to go shopping. Papyrus will do what’s expected of other babies, as long as you’re watching him, in order to convince you he’s a normal infant…despite his exceptional talents. If he gets hungry, simply leave him by himself and he’ll fetch his own food, in fact, leaving him to his own devices is probably the best thing to do in general, especially if you’re at a loss.”

“Leave him by himself? That’s madness! I know he’s not a monster Mr. Wingdings and so should thus be raised differently, but my house is built for large creatures…my cabinets may as well be closets in his eyes! What if he gets into my cleaning supplies? He could be poisoned!”

“I’s going straight for da’ soap!”

“NO you’re not. He’s not your Highness. Remember, he’s a natural born liar and unfortunately, another trait he shares with his brother is he’s very attention-seeking.”

“Is you seeking mah foot up yo’ ass? Cause’ dat’s what it sounds like douche Daddy…”

Gaster didn’t respond. He simply turned and left, leaving behind a very confused and concerned king.

“We’s gonna read a book Fluffy Buns? Daddy said I could read alllll the books I wanted while I’s here…”

“Um…s-sure…” said Asgore, carrying the Horror into the living room. He sat down into his chair and watched as the baby bones used his wingdings to grab a random book from the shelf, all the while struggling to shake the uneasy feeling that had been steadily growing within him since he picked the infant up.

He was familiar with Horrors…he had fought them in the war after all, but he had little to no experience with their children. Apparently, the majority of baby bones were supposedly more intelligent than monster babies, though it did differ with each infant and had a lot to do with their typing. Verbal Fonts, which is what Papyrus was if he recalled, were the first to learn language and so were able to hold entire conversations at a very young age; entire coherent conversations. While other children struggled with multiple lisps, Verbal Fonts would speak clearly and be careful to only alter their speech enough to sound cute and maintain the love of the adults around them.

An intelligent infant is a dangerous thing…combine that with Papyrus’s ability and my love for children in general, and I’m at even greater risk.

I must be very careful of what I say…

“So Papyrus, if I recall correctly, each time you’ve visited my home you’ve crawled straight for my children’s room to play. We’ve never really gotten to know one another, have we?”

Papyrus stopped flipping through the book. “Nyeh?”  

“Why don’t you tell me about yourself little one?”

The baby bones looked at his book and then back at the king as if he were unsure of what to say. For a moment Asgore thought he wasn’t going to speak at all; perhaps talking to Papyrus like an adult wasn’t the best idea. Gaster DID say he tended to act like a regular baby in front of others…

Did I make a mistake?

“*Ahem* My name be Papyrus and I’s two years old,” said the baby bones holding up two fingers. “I enjoy cuhwering, long crawls on da’ beach, and my big Buther’s company…his peasants I mean, he not own a company.”

“Heh heh ha ha!”

“As for my own endevors, I help the Underground by selling cheap affordable drugs to junkies so they overdose and die…or I WOULD do dat, if SOMEBODY would stop cutting off my supply.”

“…”

“Dat someone be YOU Fluffy Buns…”

“…I would appreciate it if you’d get out of the drug trade Papyrus,” said Asgore averting his eyes.

“Well I would appeciate it if you’d stop fuking wit my job security, NYEH!” Papyrus threw the book he was holding onto the floor. It didn’t have any pictures, so it was basically useless.

Not something meant for babies anyway.

“Dis book suck! Where da’ pictures at Fluffy Buns? You get dis from the weird part of the library?”

“Seriously Papyrus, about your job-”

“One time I went to the library to get some books for Snas, and I found a book just like this…cept’ it wasn’t like this, it was all soft like a blankey!” exclaimed the tiny skeleton hugging his Highnesses beard.

“Papyrus.”

“Dis book was weird as hell Mr. Buns! I open it up and it had zippers and buttons in it! BUTTONS! Who puts buttons in a book? They didn’t do nothing either! I undid the zipper AND the buttons and there no pockets or nothin’. What dat spose’ to teach the baby? How that edgy-cation-al? I thought it would at LEAST have pockets with stuff in em’ but it didn’t have CWAP!” yelled the baby kicking his tiny legs.

“…”

“I talked to Dirt-Butt about dis and he said the book was a met-a-phor about life. He said is supposed to teach you that life is full of disappointment and people who look for free hand-outs deserve to BE disappointed-”

“What? No!” cried Asgore horrified. “The book you’re describing is most likely a sensory book. It’s a book that acts as a toy for-who is this ‘Dirt-Butt?’ Why would he say something like that to you?!”

What kind of-

“…I thought it was deep.” Papyrus picked the abandoned book back up. “Dis a meta-book too? What it mean?”

“It…it doesn’t mean anything. It’s a book about snails.”

“I think it mean…exercising yo’ ima-gin-ation be more important than relying on someone else’s. Dat’s why it don’t gots pictures. Is saying ‘exercise your ima-gin-ation and make yo’ own pictures. Make your own books wit pictures so OTHER peoples can enjoy them. Give back to da’ community.’ What you think Fluffy Buns?”

“I think it’s a book about snails.”

CA-CLACK!

Papyrus dropped the book again.

“…”

“I liked dat book, is easy to read.”

“You didn’t read it.”

“There was dis one meta-book I find-ed that I still can’t read dough. Is hard like dis one, made of wood, but it had weird stuffs inside dat was scratchy and rubbery and foamy and-”

“That’s another sensory book. Babies are supposed to touch the things inside the book to learn what they feel like.”

“Even the dead kitty?!”

“Dead kitty?”

What?

“There be a page inside that say ‘kitty’s are soft, feel how soft the kitty is?’ and there be fur sticking out page! I touched it and it was real fur Fluffy Buns! Someone squished a cat in a book and put it on the shelf!”

“No.”

“They squished it flat like Undyne…”

“No, also don’t talk about Undyne’s chest like that…it’s not nice.”

“Why not? She do! I ask her one time, ‘hey Fish-Lady, where your boobs be? Yo’ muder gots boobs, so where yours?’ and she go, ‘I don’t know, I think they ran away while I’s sweeping. My mama keeps hers in a hammock cage thing so they don’t get away, but she never bought me one cause’ she cheap.”

Asgore rubbed at his temples as if trying to will away a headache. He didn’t know if it was Papyrus’s seemingly boundless energy, continuous change in subject matter, or lack of listening skills, but the boss monster was feeling more and more drained as the conversation continued.

He expected a Verbal Font to be a chatterbox of sorts, but he didn’t expect it to physically affect him. It felt as if his mind were currently running a marathon whilst leaving his body behind.

Perhaps I’m just getting old, it’s not as if Asriel didn’t ask a million questions when HE was younger after all…though he wasn’t anywhere NEAR as bad as this. I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised however, toddlers are one thing, but babies are quite another; they know even LESS about the world around them. Everything is new and exciting for a baby, so of course a Verbal Font like Papyrus is going to want to talk nonstop about even the smallest of occurrences.

Peeking through his fingers, the king watched Papyrus chatter on, seemingly oblivious to the world around him.

Stars above, I can only imagine how tired Mr. Wingdings must be on a regular basis. Perhaps I’ve been pushing him too hard with all these demands…as important as they are, his children should come first.

“…So I say, ‘you needs boobs Fish-Lady for your footure babies! Erybody knows muder milk be the most nutritious!’ and then she did dat thing where her eyes get real big and her voice get loud and she scream, ‘OH MY GOD! WHAT IF SOMEONE STOLE MY BOOBIES WHILE I WAS SWEEPING SO THEY COULD HAVE FREE MILK?! WE MUST CAPTURE THESE VILLAINS AND BRING THEM TO JUSTICE!”

Asgore brought his hands down. “Was this last week?”

“Nyeh? I don’t know, why?”

“Because I got a lot of complaints about Undyne last week. That’s why.”

“Then yep, probably, cause’ she and I went around asking people bout’ her boobs and she beat up lossa people. The ones who laughed. She said only bad guys laugh at the unfor-tune-ate.”

“That’s,” the king groaned pitifully. “That’s not a good reason to assault people…”

“Is good enough for her.”

“I CAN SEE THAT,” said Asgore loudly before quickly catching himself and correcting his volume. “How about I make us some tea?” Getting up, he sat the baby bones on the chair behind him and headed towards the kitchen, a tactic he often used whenever he was in an uncomfortable situation, however he didn’t miss the glare the little Horror shot him on his way there.

“Babies don’t dwink tea! Babies dwink MILK! Dat’s why Undyne’s boobies be so important! Why you no listen?”

“I’m listening…”

“No you’re not, you weave right in da’ middle of mah story!”

“You’ve told many stories already, why not take a break?”

“A bake? I don’t need no bake! I gots to pactice my font daily or I’ll be weak when I gets big!”

His Highness glanced over his shoulder, placing a full kettle of water on the stove. “I see…so these stories of yours are a way for you to practice your lying without suffering any severe long-term consequences. I suppose it’s safe to assume then that most of what you’ve said about Undyne’s…rampage, is entirely false?”

“I doesn’t remember ERYTHING she say, or the EXACT words she used, but I’s still telling the tooth. I’s a good bae, ya’ know? I help Undyne when she was feeling sad about not finding her boobies even dough I didn’t have to. I told her mah Daddy could make her some new boobs wit his science and then she was happy, all cause’ of me.”

“Your father eh? So if I call your father, he’ll tell me the same thing?”

“Yep. I aspect so. He the one who solved da’ mystery of the missing boobies too! My Daddy a hero even dough he suck.”

“Right.” The king stood in near the stove watching the kettle, he was torn between going back to the living room and hiding in the kitchen. He WANTED to keep listening to Papyrus, but he was tired and the infant’s loud high-pitched voice was becoming unbearable. He wasn’t sure how much helium Gaster was pumping into that baby’s room, but it sounded lethal, which was too bad because one of the few things Asgore took pride in was the fact that he was a much better listener than his wife. He loved her, but he was all too aware of her awful tendency to jump to conclusions before hearing an entire story and how much pain it could bring others, so he made it a point to do better. To BE better. It was almost like a secret and silent competition of sorts where he would struggle to become the prince’s favorite parent…though it was embarrassing to admit and deep down, he knew it wasn’t right.

There was even a shameful time when he went overboard and blamed her a bit for their children’s deaths, though he NEVER said anything about it verbally. As king, he had to work most of the time to maintain the Underground, especially considering the shape it was currently in, which meant TORIEL was in charge of watching the children throughout the day. He didn’t know exactly WHEN Asriel left for the human village, but there was a time when he suspected it was while his wife was supposed to be keeping an eye on them. The idea should have made angry or sad, but instead he only felt an embarrassing sense of triumph that he hated himself for.

That is, until Gaster set him straight one night at Grillby’s.

“Don’t be a fool. Your child left in the middle of the night; it was no one’s fault, much less your own, unless you make a habit out of watching your offspring sleep.”

“How can you be so sure? We don’t have cameras around our house OR the barrier.”

“Common sense. Her Highness homeschools them in the morning so it’d be impossible to leave at that time and had the prince left in the afternoon, it would have taken him hours to traverse his way down the mountain due to the unfamiliar terrain and to even FIND the village. He’d only be able to reach it by nightfall when most of the humans sleep.”

“I…I see.”

“You’ve spent most of your life in the countryside, you must know what it’s like. The small villages that dot such places usually comprise of farmers…an early to bed, early to rise type of people. There’s little to no chance that there’d be enough of them awake to swarm your son, unless he left in the middle of the night and arrived at the village in the morning. Blaming yourself is irrational behavior, as is drinking away your day at the bar.”

“Y-You’re right…thank you.”

“…Then I tell Undyne to use her cute voice cause’ my stink Daddy don’t look up from his papers, but she still scu it up. She go ‘peas mister science man, can you make me some new boobies? I needs em’ for my wife and kids.” Papyrus shook his head. “Stupid Fish-Lady, I told her she stupid too. Wives don’t need milk, BABIES need milk, but she call me a clown fish and told me to shut my cwap mouth. ‘You doesn’t know ANYTHING stupid baby! I saw my mama use milk for her coffee and big people LOVE coffee, so he gonna feel bad for mah wife and kids and give me boobs for a bargain!”

“…I’m curious as to what your father’s response was.”

“Daddy told her dat she took after her muder and to ask HER where her boobies were.”

Asgore nodded, though the baby couldn’t see him.

Ahh, the old ask-your-mother response. I remember using that many a time.

If he recalled however, it never ended well. Passing uncomfortable situations like that onto his wife proved to be...problematic, as the queen was stubborn in her ways.    

“I do hope you didn’t bother that poor woman Papyrus.”

“Nyeh? Poor?” Papyrus looked confused. “She not poor! Undyne’s muder wich! I knows cause’ she gots vases with no flowers in them. I asked her why that be and she said it was none of my beeswax and to not come in her house when the door be locked…I think she sold Undyne’s boobies Mr. Buns, but I can’t proves nothing…I think dat’s what Daddy was trying to tell us.”

“I assure you, she did nothing of the sort-”

“Can I borrow yo’ boobs Fluffy? You doesn’t need them no more right? You give them to Undyne?”

“I don’t…I don’t have those things,” said Asgore, wincing as he heard the pitter patter of tiny boots headed towards the kitchen.

“You look like you do…” said the baby peeking around the corner.

“WELL I DON’T.”

“But you look like you do…hey, what chu doing?” asked Papyrus tilting his head.

Picking up the infant, Asgore began carrying the Horror towards the room he was currently renovating. “Why don’t we go play a game while the water’s boiling, hm? I’m sure you’d rather spend time playing than talking to an old man like me. I’ll even play with you! How’s that sound?”

“Annoying…”

“Ho ho ho!”

As his Highness began to set up the game counsel (something that had to be done every time his children played a game), Papyrus glanced around the room, the previous conversation forgotten. Nothing had really changed since he’d last been in here…in a sense anyway. Chara and Asriel had always been very competitive and it continuously resulted in the destruction of everything in the area except the game counsels they were using. The place itself was a mess of broken toys like the Nursery, but there were scorch marks every which way and bits of splintered wood from destroyed furniture. To his right he could see something that may have once been a table of sorts, so he imagined the princes might have been eating and gaming in the same place; a practice he THOUGHT their mother had banned long ago due to the stains on the wall from food that had no doubt been thrown in a rage after one of the children’s gaming sessions.

Despite spending so much time together, the two had personality traits that contrasted greatly with one another. Asriel was a coward and Chara wasn’t.

That being said, the little goat monster had a tendency to use underhanded tactics to win games when he saw he was losing, such as complaining to their mother about Chara killing Yoshi so he could keep his high score in Mario, or pretending to “accidently” pull his controller out of its socket so his loss wouldn’t count. It infuriated Chara, who was much more mature when gaming, and it often led to violent fights and ultimately their games being taken away for a week or so while the king and queen had the game room repaired.

As a baby that valued courage more than most, Asriel’s behavior disgusted Papyrus, but he stayed quiet about it while he was over. After all, the baby was a guest and no one was perfect. He suspected that Asriel’s parents and environment in general played a big part in feeding his friend’s cowardice, that and monster babies weren’t like skelly babies. They didn’t seem to have the natural instinct Papyrus had to try and grow up properly. They weren’t born with a sense of discipline or ambition; In fact, from what he DID see, all monster babies did was sit around and wait for others to do things for them. He knew because they didn’t change when they became toddlers or even children like Asriel. They still spent all day playing for fun and making demands instead of practicing their magic or trying to intentionally learn new things.

“They spoiled.”

“Hm?” Asgore turned from the counsel and looked around. “Yes, I suppose we did spoil our children a bit. There are times when I wonder in fact, if they’d still be alive if I had been stricter with them…made them afraid to leave the house without permission.” He chuckled and sat on the floor next to Papyrus. “Then again, children will be children and Asriel shared his mother’s stubbornness. He’d of left no matter what I threatened him with.”    

Papyrus took up a Gamecube controller and glanced doubtfully at the king. “You know how to pay dis game, or is you gonna be an old person da’ whole time?”

“Excuse me? I set up the game-box didn’t I? Just because I’m old, doesn’t mean ALL technology eludes me young man!” Turning on the game, they watched through the cinematics until only the title screen SUPER SMASH BROS MELEE remained with the words “PRESS START” fading in and out at the bottom.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…Why isn’t it starting?”

“See dat button in the middle of the controller there?”

“Which button?”

“The only one in da’ middle. The one that say ‘start.”

“This one?”

“Pess it.”

Asgore pressed the start button and they were taken to another screen with multiple choices that immediately made the infant regret keeping quiet about the choice of game.

“So this is that Super Smashing Fighters game you all love so much! Look at all these options…since I’m a ‘noob’ heh heh heh, I think I need some training…what does ‘1-P’ mean?”

“Go to ‘VS. Mode.”

“Alright…oh. Oh I see,” said Asgore as he was taken to the character screen. “Going straight to the game are we? You’re like Asriel it seems. You don’t want to give me a chance to learn how to play, you just want to win.”

“No Fluffy.”

“You wish to take advantage of my old age and lack of understanding.”

“No. We’s gonna fight as a team. Pick yo’ peoples.”

“OH! OH I KNOW THIS MONSTER! IT’S PIKACHU!”

“Pick yo’ peoples.”

“How do I pick Pikachu?”

Taking the controller from Asgore, Papyrus hovered over the yellow mouse and pressed the ‘A’ button. “You see dis button Mr. Buns? See how it gween like a stop light? Think of dis button as the ‘yes button’ If you want something you use the ‘yes button’ to get it. The red button here be the ‘no button’ if you don’t want something, you pess the ‘no button’ kay’? Cause’ red be a bad color dat means STOP like a stop sign.”

“What?”

“Use dis to pick stuff and dis to go back.”

“Oh alright.”

So as to avoid more annoyances, Papyrus went ahead and made the proper arrangements for their team battle, choosing Kirby as his character.

“Dis game needs more babies…”

“Papyrus. Papyrus look.” Asgore pressed a button on his controller. “He’s got a little hat, ho ho ho!”

“…”

“Aren’t you going to dress up your pink guy?”

“He don’t get clothes till he eat you.”

“Oh my goodness, there’s a princess in the game! Papyrus choose the princess, I bet she has nice clothes…oh no wait, be Pichu! That’s Pikachu’s baby right? We can be a family of fighters!”

“Pichu sucks.”

“But we can be father and son and-”

Papyrus quickly changed his character to Pichu and put Princess Peach and Kirby in the other two slots as their opponents. “Okay, there. I’s Pichu. We pay now?”

“Does he have any-”

The baby bones changed his costume.

“How adorable! This game is so very very cute! I don’t see why Tori had such a problem with it…maybe she didn’t know about the outfits? She had a habit of making mountains out of mole hills that woman…how do we proceed?”

Pressing ‘Start’ they made it to the stage selection screen where, thankfully, the king immediately chose the one with the giant pokeball on it, having apparently recognized the object from an old video series his children had found miraculously intact at the Dump.

As the game began, Papyrus’s annoyance faded a bit as he watched Asgore test out the controls without asking about them. He may not have known much about technology, but obviously his battle instincts transferred into the game, as he seemed to instinctively know not to distract Papyrus during the fight…that is…until he noticed their opponents where no match for the Horror.

“How do I catch you?”

“Nyeh?”

“How do I catch Pichu? Every time I throw these pokeball things at you they turn out to have someone in them already. Where are the empty ones, or how do I empty them out before catching you?”

“DON’T CATCH DA’ BABY!”

“You’ll be safe in the pokeball. It’s part of a grand strategy-”

“Dis not Pokemon! Dis MELEE! You just supposed to kill da’ pencess and the pink bae-”

“What? Killing?! This is a FIGHTING game Papyrus, we’re supposed to be JUST fighting, not killing!” His highness grumbled in frustration as the princess sent him flying into the abyss.

BOOSH!

“Is just a game Mr. Buns.”

“There are more important things in life than winning, child. Don’t-DON’T YOU PICK UP THAT HAMMER PAPYRUS! Did you not get in trouble for using such a thing in real life?!”

BOOSH!

Once again, Pikachu met his end to a frying pan.

The baby bones patted the king’s arm in an attempt to comfort the agitated monster. “Don’t be mad Fluffy, you do bedder next time!”

“What? I’m not angry! I’m not angry and that’s not the point!”

“You are. You’s mad cause’ the pencess be kicking you in your asshole.”

“She’s not-she’s not beating me, I’m letting her win because she’s a woman. It’s not good to hit women Papyrus, that’s not how a gentleman behaves!”

“Liar. She kick yo’ ass and now you’s mad.”

“I’m NOT angry. There’s nothing to be ANGRY about! This isn’t even a real GAME child! I told you I didn’t know how to play, so I need training. This game doesn’t count, it’s merely a learning experience!”

“A learning ah-sperience?”

“Quite.”

“Hm…then perhaps during dis game you can learn to be less of a bitch.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…What?”

“I’m calling your father.”  

“Nyeh? Why? What I do?”

“You’re using naughty words and doing naughty things.”

“Ohhh, you wanna cry to my Daddy cause’ you feel embarrassed and you wants time to get good.”

“That’s not what I said!”

“You wanna send baby home so you can pactice.”

“Absolutely not!”

REEEEEEEEEE!  

“Oh look, yo’ tea be done! Now you can go to da’ kitchen and peetend mah Daddy just called to check up on things!”

“PERHAPS HE WILL CALL!”

CA-THUM!

As Asgore stormed away, slamming the door behind him, Papyrus crawled over to the prince’s toy chest to scavenge for new crayons to take home with him.

It was unfortunate that Asgore and Asriel were so very much alike when it came to anything competitive, but that didn’t mean he and Papyrus couldn’t get along in general. He had had a good time talking to the king and even though he was mad, the infant wasn’t worried in the slightest. His Highness was upset, but he wouldn’t stay that way forever. Despite the fact that he was definitely going home, he knew he and the king would play again some other day and the baby was looking forward to it.

And as for Asgore himself, he decided allowing Papyrus to ingest a bit of soap wasn’t the worst idea in the world.

Merry Christmas everyone! Sorry for the wait, I had a computer error that erased ALL of my progress. Even if I did make the one month deadline, this still should have been done earlier, so I made it longer as compensation. 

Also I finished another chapter of Fonttale 3, so there’s that too. I hope you all have a good holiday with your loved ones and remember to cherish them while they’re still around.

On another important note, I’ve no idea who drew this, but appreciate it’s existence. I tried looking it up through reverse image searching, but after it showed me a ton of results and I clicked on one, Norton freaked out and warned me that it had just blocked something...so if you want to know who drew this, reverse image search is NOT the way to go, otherwise you’ll risk your shit. Just thought I’d warn people who don’t have computer protection. 

[krat395]

Spooky Scary Funny Bone Ticklers (Chapter 1)

This story serves as a direct follow-up to “Tickle… or Be Tickled.” In this story, which takes place one day after its predecessor, Frisk, Chara, Asriel, and MK spend an entire day and night together bonding with their two favorite wacky skeletons, Sans and Papyrus. And judging by the title of the story, it sounds like Sans and Papyrus are going to be doing something rather crazy, something that’s bound to cause lots and lots of laughter. But before we dive into that, let’s take some time to meet 2 new characters. ;) 

Undertale© Toby Fox.

*********************************************

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

********************************************* 

SPOOKY SCARY FUNNY BONE TICKLERS

Chapter 1: More Lizards?! MK and Alphys Aren’t the Only Ones?!

 It is a Sunday morning, one day before the first day of Frisk, Chara, Asriel, and MK’s final week of school. And on this particular day, the four children themselves will be spending time with their favorite skeleton duo, Sans and Papyrus aka the Skelebros, and they will be leaving with them as soon as MK’s mother arrives to drop off MK’s younger sister. In addition to being like an older brother to two human children, MK is a biological brother to a young deadpan, spooky, cynical, and mysterious lizard girl named Gracie. As an early birthday present, Gracie wants to spend a few hours alone with Gaster, which is the reason why she will be arriving to see all of them very soon. And it should also be noted that Gracie is not the sister that says mean things to MK. MK has more than one sister and that role goes to his 22-year-old half-sister (same father, different mother).

 Right now, MK, the Dreemurr kids, and the Skelebros are chilling in Alphys and Undyne’s living room with Gaster, who arrived earlier this morning, as they wait for MK’s younger sister to arrive. Undyne got back from a short vacation the previous day and to celebrate her return home, Alphys, the Skelebros, the Dreemurr Kids, and MK threw her a welcome back party and then all of them stayed overnight. MK’s younger sister isn’t well acquainted with Alphys and Undyne like MK is, so she did not attend the party.

 Frisk: Boy, we sure are excited to spend time with you today, Sans and Papyrus.

 Chara: Haha! I’ll say. And man, it kinda sucks that you won’t be joining us Gaster. Don’t get me wrong though. I completely understand your situation. *stated Chara a bit disappointedly while playing with MK’s feet and toes*

 MK: Oh, heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!!! Chara, heeheeheeheeheeheeheehee, careful, heeheeheeheeheeheehee, that tickles! Heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!!! *giggled MK preciously in response to Chara accidentally touching his right middle toe in such a way that it tickled him*

 Alphys and Undyne have 2 couches and a love seat in their living room. On one couch is MK, Chara, and Papyrus; on the other couch is Asriel, Frisk, and Sans; and on the loveseat is Gaster. And at this very moment, MK has his feet in Chara’s lap. Why? Because Chara has a rather strong foot fetish and she wants to learn how to control it in front of a large crowd. And she feels that having MK’s scaly feet placed in her lap while others are watching is the best way to do it. Now, under normal circumstances, this would be a fairly simple task for Chara. But in this case however, not so much; because Chara likes MK’s feet a lot and finds them extremely cute, meaning that whenever she stares at them for too long, she loses all sense of control and starts worshipping them and/or smothering herself with them; like she did last Wednesday in front of Frisk and Blooky… and a few hours after tickling Alphys with MK last Friday night… and for a little while last night before going to bed. So far, she’s doing fairly well controlling herself; even if her face is noticeably red with blush at the moment. Well, at least it matches the color of her eyes; sort of. Yeah, Chara has red eyes.

 Gaster: I know you do, Chara. That little girl’s wanted to spend time alone with me for quite some time now. And hopefully by the end of the day, she’ll see that I’m not such a bad guy.

 Although she is not one of Gaster’s followers, MK’s younger sister, Gracie, has idolized Gaster ever since she was about 4 years old. But due to taking the “Never meet your heroes!” phrase very seriously however, she was very hesitant to actually meet Gaster. She was extremely worried that he would be a completely different person than that of who she thought he was and often dreaded what would happen if she made any type of interaction with him because of it. But, after lots and lots of convincing from her older brother, MK, she finally brought herself to meet the legendary scientist himself. There was just one catch though. MK had to be with her at all times. And that was perfectly fine because MK loves his sister very much and always felt much obliged to be by her side supporting her every step of the way. But today however, MK’s sister is taking a huge step by spending a day with Gaster… WITHOUT MK!! After all, she’s going to be turning 10 soon and she believes that it’s finally time for her to start “growing up” despite the fact that she’s already quite mature for her age. And she feels that the best way to do that is to do things that she finds very, very frightening.

 Asriel: Pfft. Bad guy?! “Uncle” Gaster, you’re anything but a bad guy!

 MK: Haha! You got that right, Az! And Gaster, you be sure to make this day very special day for her, ok, dude? *stated MK while wiggling and splaying his six toes in Chara’s lap, unintentionally teasing Chara with every passing second*

 Gaster: Hehehe. I will, MK. I know how important tenth birthdays are to your family. I’ll be sure to do my absolute best to make this day unforgettable for her.

 MK: Oh, I have no doubts about that, Gaster. *sniffles* My little sis is growing up so fast. *sniffles* Making a grown-up decision like that; *sniffles* almost brings a tear to my eye. *sniffles*

 Then Chara, just looking for an excuse to tickle MK’s feet pulled her rainbow feather out of her pocket and said after locking the young lizard boy’s feet into a “death grip” with her left arm,

 Chara: Oh, MK… not if I have anything to say about it! Heeheeheeheeheeheeheehee~!! *giggled Chara teasingly as she began stroking MK’s left foot with her rainbow feather, eliciting preciously frantic laughter and squeaks from the young reptilian boy in response*

 MK: PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF, FWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHA!!!! NOHOHOHOHOHOHHOHOHOHO, CHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHARA, *squeak* HAHAHAHAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! NOHOHOHOHOHOHOOT THE FEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHATHER!!!! *MK pleaded* EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! *squeak* OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO PLEEHEEHEEHEEEHEEHEEASE, NOHOHOHOHOHOT THE FEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEATHER!!!! GAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! IT TIIIIIICKLES TOO MUCH!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!! YAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!!!!

 Chara: Heeheeheeheeheeheehee!! Of course it does, Lizzy Boy! You are ludicrously feather ticklish after all! Heeheeheeheeheeheehee!! Coochie coochie coo! *teased Chara as she switched over to MK’s right foot with her rainbow feather* Coochie coochie coo!

 It’s true, he is! MK is so feather ticklish on his feet that just one feather stroke is always enough to send the young reptilian boy himself over the edge with frantic laughter! Frantic laughter that’s almost on par with Asriel, Toriel, and Asgore’s laughter whenever their feet get tickled by a single feather! And Chara is well aware of that too. Very well aware! ;) MK’s scaly feet are Chara’s favorite spots to tickle after all. Especially with the rainbow feather… that she stole from MK’s mother, Lydia, a few weeks ago during sixth grade art class!

 MK: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!! CHAHAHAHAHAHAHARA, *squeak* PLEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEASE STOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOP!!!! *pleaded MK once again, wiggling his six scaly toes frantically with every passing second as a means of dealing with the tickles from Chara’s feather* HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! I CAHAHAHAHAHAHAN’T TAKE ANYMORE TIHIHIHIHIHIHIHICKLING!!!! *squeak* FWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!!!!

 ???: Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!! Is someone tickling my little honey puff in there? *asked a certain female lizard monster while walking into the living room with Alphys and Undyne, causing Chara to stop tickling MK for the time being*

 That voice. Not only does it sound like that of a young lady but it is also the voice of a beautiful female lizard monster. But it wasn’t Alphys’s voice though. No. Instead, it was the voice of a light yellow 36-year-old armless female lizard monster; a barefoot lizard monster of thin-build with long brown hair in place of head spikes wearing a burgundy ankle-length dress (it has no arm holes), a burgundy ribbon in her hair, and a burgundy ribbon on her tail. …MK’S MOTHER, LYDIA, the art teacher at Toriel’s elementary school!! :D

 MK: *excited gasp* Mom!! You’re here!! *shouted MK excitedly*

 Lydia: Heeheeheehee!! Hi there, honey puff. *said Lydia cutely to her son, MK* Mommy’s missed you. Heeheeheehee!!

 MK: Heeheeheehee!! I’ve missed you too, Mom. Even though it’s only been like a little less than 2 days. Hehe! Anyway, how are you?

 Lydia: Oh, I can’t complain. Heeheehee!!

 Seconds later, Lydia noticed her son’s feet in Chara’s lap and asked,

 Lydia: Awwwwwww! Was Chara tickling your little tootsie cuties just now, honey puff?

 Chara: Heeheeheehee!! Why, yes, I was, Lydia. And with this feather no less. *Chara answered for MK while holding up her rainbow feather for Lydia to see* Heeheeheehee!!

 Lydia: *gasp* Oh my goodness; Chara, my dear, where did you get that feather? *asked Lydia cheekily, VERY cheekily, as if she knew that Chara stole the feather from her at one point when she wasn’t looking*

 Uh oh! Looks like Chara got busted!! :O

 Chara: (OH CRAP!!) Um, uh, I-I, um, well, you see, uh, uh, um… *sigh* I can’t lie. I stole it from your box of feathers during art class a few weeks ago, Lydia. …I’m sorry. *Chara apologized with a sad look on her face moments before offering to give the feather back to Lydia* …Here, you can have it back if you want.

 Lydia: …Oh, no, no, I don’t want it back, dear. …You hang onto it. I insist.

 Chara: R-Really? But I stole it. I-It’s not right to s-steal anything f-from anyone.  

 Lydia: Pfft. Chara, please, it’s just a feather; albeit a very beautiful feather but still a feather nonetheless. …Heck, if anyone deserves to have it, it’s you, my dear. *assured Lydia with a heart-warming smile*

 Chara: You, you mean it?

 Lydia: Absolutely! That is unless you don’t think you’re worthy enough to “wield its power.” *teased Lydia* Heeheeheeheehee!!

 Chara: Wait, what do you mean by that? *asked Chara confusedly, not entirely sure what Lydia’s trying to tell her*

 Lydia: Oh, I think you already know, my dear. Heeheeheehee!! *wink wink*

 After seeing Lydia wink at her, Chara figured out what she wanted her to do. :)

 Chara: Ohhhhhhhh, ok, I get it now! You want me to tickle something with it. …Hmm, how about this extremely cute pair of ticklish scaly feet? *asked Chara cheekily, acknowledging MK’s feet, which are still resting in her lap*

 Lydia: Heeheeheehee!! Oh yes, for sure, my dear. And here, I’ll help you.

 Seconds later, Lydia pulled a burgundy feather, something she carries with her practically everywhere, out of her dress pocket with her tail and then used that burgundy feather to tickle MK’s left foot, dragging it across every inch of his sole, wiggling it teasingly in between his toes, twiddling it masterfully under his toes, etc. while Chara focuses on his right foot with her rainbow feather. …Like MK, Lydia has a tail and she knows how to use it! ;) And she should considering the fact that she has no arms. …Right? ;)

 MK: PFFFFFFFFFFF, HAHAHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! OHOHOHOHOHOHHOHOHOHO GOHOHOHOHOHOD, NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!!!! *squeak* HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOT TWO FEHEHEHEHEHEHEATHERS!!!!!! *MK pleaded through his hysterical laughter as he tried to pull his feet out of Chara’s “death grip” but to no avail* EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!!! HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA AHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! MOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOM, CHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHARA, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, STOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOP!!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!!! GAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!!!!!!

 Alphys: Heeheeheeheehee!! Yes! Feather tickles for the win! Heeheeheeheehee!!

 Undyne: (OH…MY…GOD! TOO CUTE! HE’S TOO CUTE!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! X3) *squealed Undyne to herself while trying as hard as possible not to accidentally squeal out loud*

 As Chara and Lydia tickle MK together, everyone else is sitting and standing idly by watching them in action with large smiles on their faces. And out of all of the individuals that are currently in the living room, Undyne is having the hardest time containing herself. Undyne ABSOLUTELY LOVES adorable things and she finds MK’s laughter and expressions while being tickled in a fun way beyond adorable to the point that all she wants to do is squee with massive amounts of delight… like that of a schoolgirl. It’s a trait of hers that’s all part of her cute side, a side of Undyne that only Alphys knows about… for now at least; because if Undyne can’t manage to contain herself, she will wind up revealing her cute side to everyone by squeeing incredibly loudly. And she doesn’t want to do that! Not today anyway! …But soon though. Soon she wants to reveal her cute side to everyone… as well as her love of tickling and being tickled. And she feels that the best way to start revealing both of those things is to invite MK and the Dreemurr kids over to her house one at time and have tickle fights with them… starting with MK! ;)

 MK: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! *MK continued laughing and giggling as feather plumes continuously grazed his super sensitive soles, prompting him to use his own tail to try and stop the feather tickles entirely* EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!! GAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! *squeak* HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!!!!!

 Seconds later, MK accidentally smacked his mother in the stomach with his tail, prompting his mother to teasingly say something to him that she tells his baby brother, Rex, on a daily basis,

 Lydia: Hey! Don’t you tail-whip me, young man! *said Lydia very teasingly* Naughty lizard! Do you need me to tickle your belly too? Because I think you do! Heeheeheeheeheehee!!

 MK: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! UM, NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO, HAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHA, THAHAHAHAHAT’S OK, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, I’M GOOHOOHOOHOOD!!!!! *replied MK as Chara and Lydia continued tickling his feet with feathers* GAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHEEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!!!!!

 Lydia: No you’re not, honey. …Not until you get some belly tickles from my toesies. *teased Lydia in a singsongy voice*

 Moments later, and while continuing to tickle MK’s right foot with the burgundy feather she’s holding with her tail, Lydia lifted her right leg off of the floor and began tickling MK’s belly with all three toes on her right foot. All while balancing herself on her left leg! Unlike MK, Lydia has outstanding balance. That’s pretty impressive for someone that has no arms! :D

 MK: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!!!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! *MK laughed even more hysterically, prompting him to wrap his tail around his mother’s right leg as a means of dealing with the new ticklish sensations he was receiving* MOHOHOHOHHOHOM, NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!!!!!! *MK pleaded* HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! DOHOHOHOHOHOHOUHOHOHOHOON’T TIIIIIICKLE ME WITH YOHOHOHOHOHHOUR TOHOHOHOHOHOHOESIES TOO!!!!!!! *MK pleaded again as he began wiggling and squiggling adorably on the couch* FWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!!!!! GAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!!!!!!!!

 Undyne: (OH NO!! Now she’s tickling his belly with her toes?!! HOLY *BLEEP* that’s SOOOOO ADOOOOOOORABLE!! Even more adorable than the feather tickles!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! Oh no, Oh no, OH NO, I-I’m, I’m about to…) *thought Undyne to herself right before sprinting upstairs to her bedroom with blazing speed to squee into one of her pillows*

 Alphys: (Heeheeheeheehee!! Oh, Undyne. Heeheeheeheeheehee!!) *thought Alphys to herself as she followed Undyne upstairs to help her recover from her most recent cute attack*

 90 seconds later…

 MK: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!! HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!!!!!

 Lydia: Heeheeheeheeheehee!! Ok, my dear, I think that’s enough tickles… for now. *said Lydia to Chara* Heeheeheeheeheehee!!

 At that moment, Lydia stopped tickling MK entirely. But Chara on the other hand continued tickling MK with her rainbow feather.

 MK: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! *MK laughed and squealed as Chara continued grazing his right sole and sawing in between the three toes on his right foot with the plume of her rainbow feather* CHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHARA, WHAHAHAHAHAHAHAT ARE YOU DOOHOOHOOHOOING?!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! MY MOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOM SAID TO STOHOHOHOHOHOHOP!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!! GAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!!!!

 Chara: ………

 MK: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

 But Chara did not listen. Instead, she began tickling both of MK’s feet with her rainbow feather. And quite possibly due to how much she likes MK’s feet, she continued doing so for about 90 additional seconds, grazing both of his soles with the feather plume, sawing back and forth in between his toes with the feather plume, drawing on his soles with the feather quill, etc.

 90 seconds later…

 MK: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! CHAHAHAHAHAHAHARA, PLEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEASE STOHOHOHOOHOHOP TICKLING MY FEEHEEHEEHEEHEET!!!! FWEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE~!!!!

 Lydia: Mmm, yes, my dear, please stop! *demanded Lydia politely as she began tickling Chara’s neck with her tail in an attempt to get her to stop tickling MK* That’s enough tickles for the time being!

 Chara: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA! LYDIA, STOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOP! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA! OK, OK, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, I’M SORRY! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I’LL STOP NOHOHOHOHOW! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

 And she did too. After being tickled by Lydia, Chara released MK’s feet from her “death grip” and then hugged MK as a means of apologizing to him.

 MK: Awwwwww! It’s ok, Chara. I forgive you. No need to feel sad. *stated MK as he hugged Chara back*

 A few seconds later, Undyne and Alphys came back downstairs. And in their arms, they were carrying some of Alphys’s paintings to show to Lydia, someone that gives Alphys art lessons whenever she finds the time to do so.

 Lydia: *excited gasp* Oh my goodness, Alphys! You painted more pictures?!

 Alphys: I did, Lydia. And with help from your personal lessons and Patty’s videos, I think they look pretty decent.

 Papyrus: Ohhhhhh. That’s why you ran upstairs so quickly, Undyne. You were grabbing Alphys’s paintings for her so she could show them to MK’s mother, the art expert.

 Undyne: Um, yeah; yeah, that’s totally why I ran upstairs, Papy. I REALLY wanted Lydia to see my little lizard weeaboo’s *coughs 3 times* I-I mean, my girlfriend’s paintings. *lied Undyne* Ehehehehehehehe.

 Moments later, MK realized something out of the ordinary. His little sis wasn’t anywhere in plain sight!

 MK: Wait, wait a second; where’s my little sis?! *asked MK very worriedly as he got up off of the couch he was sitting on to try and find his little sis* Mom, did you forget to bring her with you?!

 But then, right as MK took off walking in Gaster’s direction; a gray lizard girl showed up out of nowhere and scared the crap out of him! Why, she scared him so much that she caused him to leap right into Gaster’s arms!

TO BE CONTINUED...

[nightshade-imagines]

Heya !! How are you ? :3c Teen!Sibling time 8D Reader and [character] didn't say yet they see each other like siblings. One day, as the three of them are walking down the street, a group of teenagers come of nowhere and start laughing. "Oh look, it's the freak ! They're friends with monsters !" Reader frown, crossing their arms and stepping in front of [character] "They aren't my friends." 1/2

I’ve always been a sucker for those types of moments! Also, sort of my first time writing for Underswap Alphys!

(Note: For any of the Fells, experiencing any kind of familia/platonic relationship with anyone outside you’re real family is confusing (especially if it’s a human). The main problem being the mind set of: This person has no biological connection to me, we are not bound by blood or magic but I continue to stay close to them, this person hardly serves any useful purpose to me for me to be risking anything for them, but I do it anyway, this person offers me no essential elements to my survival but I keep them around anyways and this person does things that others would be dead for doing but I let them go with a laugh. This mindset is what makes it so hard, for the Fells and it often leaves them dumbfounded. At least when it comes to romance they understand that if nothing else, it’s just a monsters natural reaction to hormones an all that crap, so that is why Underground, romance was more accepted than just keeping someone around because you’re really good friends with them.)

⭐UT Papyrus: Papyrus was initially dumbstruck by those kids’ rude behaviour and was about to step up and correct them when you quickly moved in front of him. Your first reply caught him totally by surprise and he stammered out an uncertain and questioning response, “HUMAN, WHAT DO YOU MEAN I’M NO-” But he was quickly cut off by your follow up statement and gave you a look of disapproval, “HUMAN! SUCH LANGUAGE IS NOT NECESSARY AND BESIDES I’M SURE THAT THEY…”, he freezes mid sentence and his eyes snap open in realization at what you just said, “AWWW, HUMAN!”, he pulls you into a hug and there seems to be a light blush dusting his cheek as he bears the most genuine smile than you’ve ever seen. “I-I SEE YOU AS FAMILY TO, HUMAN.” You hug him back and he seems to pull you even closers and you giggle, “THIS IS WONDERFUL! I’VE…I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A BIG BROTHER! I MEAN I GUESS SANS IS TECHNICALLY SMALLER THAN ME, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!”, “Heh, of course.” The two of you completely forgot about the entire reason this conversation started and the bully’s were left sanding there watching your display until one of them spoke up again, “Uh, gross!” You and Papyrus payed no mind to the comment as Papyrus continued to chatter excitedly about how he was going to be the best big brother ever and something about reaching maximum “friendship power”. “*Gasp* HUMAN, WE MUST INFORM SANS OF THIS NEW DEVELOPMENT AT ONCE, HE’S GOING TO BE HAPPY AS WELL, THOUGH HE WILL PROBABLY BE TO LAZY TO SHOW IT!” You laughed to yourself again as Papyrus bolted back to his house with you in his arms. Needless to say, you were pretty sure that that defiantly wasn’t the outcome the bully’s were hoping for.

⭐UF Sans: Red sensed the hostility in the bullies’ souls when they approached you and readied his magic just in case they tried anything. While their attack may not have been physical it still pissed him off. This certainly wasn’t the first time he had seen or heard about you getting trouble for hanging out with him and his brother but you never seemed fazed by it. It was amazing in itself that you not only willingly put up with his brothers “eccentric” personality but you did so with undying determination. Like, even though both of them were huge jerks at times, you held tight to the light you saw in them even if it meant you got dragged through the mud to keep your grip. These thoughts raced through his mind in split second and he bared his teeth in a smirk. These kids were either really brave or really stupid to be messing with you while he was there, he’d put his money on the latter. “Freak huh? Well see who’s the freak after I’m done with yah.” He took a step forward only to be blocked by you, “Hey, what’s the deal, kid?” His eyes widen for a moment at your response to the bullies but before he was hit with any form of indignation, you ad your follow up. At first, he could only smirk at the bullies’ obvious surprise at your threat, then what you said really sank in. Family? You actually saw him and his brother as family? That……what? Did he feel the same way? Now that he thought of it, it seemed almost like his brother thought of you that way already. While Boss would never openly admit it, Red knew his brother had an unusually strong soft spot for this human. Heck, just the other day you were freakin’ holding onto Paps piggy back ride style and peppering the top of his skull with kisses just to fluster him! Never once did Boss make any violent move towards her and was rendered totally helpless. Red had to admit, it was pretty hilarious to watch The Great and Terrible Papyrus flail around with a beet red face as he tried to reach his back and pull you off all while spouting out empty threats. It finally ended when you blew a huge raspberry onto the side of his face, dropped off his back and booked it down the hall with Boss chasing close behind. It didn’t take long at all for him to catch you and carry you back out over his shoulder as you continued to giggle your head off, It reminded Red so much of how he used to mess with Boss when they were younger. After a rant from Boss, her “punishment” for “assaulting” The Great and Terrible Papyrus was taste testing his newest recipe, which in itself wasn’t bad considering Boss was an ace in the kitchen, but he tended to remake the dish over and over again until it was up to his standards. “NOW, HUMAN, WOULD YOU SAY THIS ONE IS BETTER THAN THE LAST?”, “Yeah, sure.” “WOULD YOU SAY THAT THIS ONE IS THE BEST SO FAR?”, “Yep, paps, you nailed it!” Boss leaned in closer and examined your every expression, “SO YOU’RE SAYING THAT THERE IS NO POSSIBLE WAY FOR ME TO MAKE IT ANY MORE PERFECT THAN IT ALREADY IS?”, “I-uh…yes?”, “I DON’T BELIEVE TO YOU, BACK TO THE STOVE I MUST TRY AGAIN!”, “*Sigh*.” Heh, poor kid, any longer and you probably woulda’ gone into a food coma. That’s an over exaggeration of course but you defiantly crashed on the couch afterwards, apparently humans do that to. *Snirk* The look on your face, “Heh, I guess you really couldn’t stomach that much pasta”, “Sans, please stop talking…”, “You can’t really blame paps for remakin’ it so many times, just thing of all the pastabilities!”, “Sans, I’m going to die on your couch now.”, “Alright, alright, I’ll short-cut ya home later.” You just offered a small thankful groan in response before going limp on the couch and Red chuckled. Thinking back to that made him feel a strange fondness in his chest. Guess I have a soft spot for you as well, kid, you really were something else. Heh heh…heh…did some human seriously fall into his and his brother’s life and end up becoming a part of their family? Finally realising that he had been reminiscing far to long, he snapped out of his trance and turned back to the situation at hand. He wasn’t sure what exactly happened while he wasn’t paying attention but things certainly seemed to be heating up and he mentally slapped himself for just standing there while you dealt with these jerks. One of the bully’s actually swung at you and Red immediately jumped into action and grabbed their wrist in a tight grip. He started at their hand for a minute then slowly turned his head to look at them. His left eye lit up and a sharp, sadistic smile snapped onto his face, he defiantly looked terrifying as he spoke, “You did not just do that…” The bully stammered in fear and tried to pull his wrist away with no avail, “Oh, now you’re in trouble!”. The bully continued to stammer out fearfully as Red pulled him closer and their faces were almost touching. Red smiled again as he whispered to them, “Or, you could apologize and run away with your tail between you legs like a good little boy”, Red turned to you and winked. The bully quickly nodded and looked to you before quickly apologising and Red let go of his wrist, “Now run!”, the bully immediately turned tail and booked it out if there and Red turned around to you again with a proud look on his face. The two of you just smiled at each other for a few minutes before bursting out in laughter, “Did you see the look on that guys face when when you caught his fist, priceless!”, “Ha, yeah, and the way his “buddies” took off the second we started to fight back!“, ”What a bunch of jerks! It’s kind if a shame though I wanted to be the one to teach them a lesson, but thanks, Sans, for standing up for me.“ “Hey, don’t worry about it, kid, you’ll get your chance.” The laughter died down and you flashed him a real smile and he hesitated for a second, “And, uh, kid, about what you said, about us being yer family…"He looked away, “I don’t…not feel the same way”, you smirked, “Do you want to try that without the double negative?”. “Nope!”, Red turned and resumed walking the way you were earlier, “C'mon, the Boss is gonna be pissed if we’re late for dinner again”, you jogged to catch up to him, “Okay, Okay race you there…bro!”, you laughed and rushed ahead of him quickly as he looked at you in shock that then morphed into a smile, *sigh* this soft spot is gonna be the death of me.

⭐US Alphys: Alphys wrapped an arm around your neck and gave you a noogie as she excitedly talked about some new anime she and Undyne started watching. It still kind of amazed you that someone as hardcore and intense as Alphys would be into girly animé and other cute, fluffy stuff (or kawaii as she called it). You just smiled to yourself at the thought when you noticed some kids walking towards you. After they spoke, Alphys snarled at there words, “You wanna try saying that again, punk!” You stepped in front of her and she turned to you in shock at your response but that quickly turned to a sly smile when you finished and she stepped up beside. Despite being considerably shorter, she still managed to look threatening. Alphys looked up to you and winked with her good eye and there was a look of uncertainly in the bullies’ eyes as they all took a step back when she spoke up, “What say the both of us us teach these chumps a lesson?”, you returned her sly smile, “It would be my pleasure!”

(Oh also, I noticed that I messed up a little on this ask I did earlier: https://nightshade-imagines.tumblr.com/post/168212653238/heya-how-are-you-3-sf-brossibling-time-so#notes and posted the ruff draft instead of the final version so I went back and corrected a few things. It was just some grammar mistakes and a few rewordings that were supposed to be in the final version.)

[topazshadowwolf]

The Door (Chapter 13)

An Undertale Fanfiction by: Topaz Shadowwolf Undertale is owned by: Toby Fox Setting: Post neutral run when Papyrus dies with chapter intros being before the child fell. Relationships: Sans and Toriel is the main focus, with a little bit of Undyne and Alphys Rating: I’m thinking Teen? Heads up: There is some depressed thoughts, feelings of worthlessness/wanting to die, mention of major character death, and the occasional bad word. Oh, and flowey being flowey, so you know, psychological/physical trauma. I really don’t want to say much more since I really don’t want to spoil anything further down the road…

You can read it on AO3! Here is Ch 12 Ch 11 Ch 10 Ch 9 Ch 8 Ch 7 Ch 6 Ch 5 Ch 4 Ch 3, Ch 2, and Ch 1on Tumbler.

Random thoughts from the writer about this chapter: The Door has a beta reader now! (YEAH!) So that's fun. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this.

Chapter 13: A preamble down memory lane

 “Honestly, I don’t think I have ever seen a froggit that small before,” Toriel said, smiling as she recounted her story. “Most monsters in the Ruins avoid me, I suppose I never really had the chance to see it until then.”

“why’d they do that? you’ve got to be the best conversationalist there,” her friend inquired before he added with a chuckle, “no offense to your moldsmal neighbors.”

Toriel hummed to buy time to think, as well as avoid an awkward silence. She hadn’t told her friend much about herself. This is only the third time they had chatted after sharing jokes, and mostly it had been small anecdotal stories for him to share with his brother. How much did she want him to know about her? “Ah, well, you see… I didn’t make that good of an impression on the monsters living here when I moved in.”

“okay,” he said. He could have pressed for more, but she was happy he didn’t. Perhaps he sensed she didn’t feel like discussing the matter. But then, he seems rather private himself, and maybe he just didn’t want to intrude on her privacy.

“Now… where was I?” with that out of the way, she tapped her chin as she put herself back into story mode.

“smallest froggit,” her friend offered.

“Right, so there it was. Just this small green froggit, hopping along after the others, and I just couldn’t help myself but smile. I don’t think it was young; just small and cute,” She smiled.

“heh,” was the response, and it was not one of his humor-filled chuckles. She wasn’t sure, but she worried something she said upset him.

“Friend?”

“yeah?”

She steeled herself. He has yet to say a word about himself. Out of respect, she has not asked. After all, they were just strangers talking through a door. But, she really was worried that he was angry about something she said. Strangers or not, she had started considering him her friend. It bothered her that he went from happy and jovial to… well, she wasn’t sure. “Did I offend you?”

“what?” he sounded shocked, maybe she was overreacting? Afraid she jumped to a conclusion over a simple response, she bit her lip. This wasn’t the first time she just got an idea in her head and made an assumption. Maybe he just didn’t find her story that interesting, and now here she was making a big deal out of a simple chuckle.

“I’m sorry, I just… you didn’t sound happy,” She decided to just be honest about it.

“oh, uh… heh…,” now he was stalling. Was he upset?

Silence fell between them, and she worried she may have just bothered him more, “Dishes?”

“uh... you see…,” again silence. She figured that perhaps she should just give him a moment to think about how he wanted to respond. So, this time she waited, and her wait was rewarded, “i… i’m kind of… ‘space efficient,’ ‘vertically challenged,’ or ‘compact sized’ myself. And when i was younger i heard it a lot… anyway, after a while,being called cute for being small so many times, it kind of… gets tiring. so, i guess i sympathize with that little froggit, forever doomed to be the “cute” one of the group for being ‘height deficient.’” He tried to end it in a humorous tone, but she can tell he was hurting from the ‘small and cute’ comment.

She made a mental note, if she ever met him in person, to avoid using the word cute to describe him physically. “I’m sorry, my friend,” she wished he could see her apologetic smile.

“no worries,” she heard him shift a little, possibly to shrug. “it’s nothing really.”

“No, it upsets you,” she insisted.

“it’s a common thing though. i can’t ask you to just stop.”

“My friend, I do not wish to be pushy on this matter; but, if it bothers you in the slightest, I’d rather not do it again. Yes, it is common, but I understand that it is an annoyance to you,” Toriel stated and heard him chuckle on the other side.

“alright, thanks,” he sounded happy again.

“You are welcome, my ‘travel sized’ friend,” she hoped he didn’t mind that slight bit of teasing.

His laughter that followed hinted he didn’t, “don’t think i’ve heard that one before.”

  Sans woke, curled up in bed with Tori at his back. Not wanting to get up just yet, he remained still, lightly dozing. It was nice to wake peacefully like this, compared to the restless sleep from before. It was all thanks to the wonderful woman pressed against his back too, or so he chose to believe.

Tori’s rhythmic breathing had relaxed and grounded his mind. It allowed him to stay focused on the subtle movements her body made and kept his thoughts from venturing into the conversation from yesterday. Or worse, the darker areas of his mind, which is plagued with overall confusion about what really has happened in his life or lives.

Do other timelines count as another life? Are the Sans, or Sanses, from those timelines him, or an alternate him? If they were alternate hims, does that mean he was killed by the flower or did it kill the other, not really hims?

There was a slight pause in Tori’s breathing before she sighed. Feeling and hearing her chest fill with air dragged him back to the present and he soaked in the feel of her movement as she exhaled.

Thanks to her, he didn’t have to think about that, or anything else. He didn’t want to think of the kid or the flower. He didn’t want to think about his own death or what could have possibly happened had everything ended. No, he was done with that. Every part of him just wanted to be surrounded with the here and now, into Toriel.

… The book…

No, he didn’t even want to think about that right now, either.

Sans rolled over in Tori’s arms. He felt her shift, but not wake. Pleased with this, he buried his face in her fur. Like some sort of pie scented drug, he took in Tori’s scent, letting the thoughts of the events prior to this moment fade away. He wasn’t going to cry…

Nope, he wasn’t…

…

Okay, so he was, but that’s alright. That book meant so much to the brothers; so, of course, it would affect him this much. It meant he still cared that he’d feel his soul ache at its sight. And that’s a good thing, ...right?

Yes, it was, Papyrus was his dear little brother, and very important to him. The day he stopped caring about Papyrus is the day he hoped he stopped existing.

All this decided, he accepted his fate and stopped trying to hold back his tears. Toriel shifted again and pulled him in closer, somehow finding some previously unknown millimeter that separated them. That loving, large, paw-like hand began to pet the back of his skull in such a gentle manner. She didn’t offer any questions about why he was crying, or if he was okay. Perhaps she somehow understood. It wouldn’t be too far-fetched, considering all their talks… she did see the book in his hands after all. Instead, she started to hum some song.

At some point, he must have drifted off to sleep as he found himself waking up again, this time alone. Not fully, he could hear Tori moving around the room. Still, the bed didn’t feel right without her there. Fog from a waking mind clouded his thoughts, but he sat up slowly, stretched, and yawned. Tori looked over at him from the table in the room and smiled, “Good to see you’re finally up, Sleepy Bones,” He could see the concern on her face, and wondered what troubled her. “Feeling any better?”

She had to know how difficult the other day was for him, on top of everything else. That must be the source of her worry.

“yeah, heh. how long was i out?” He asked as he spotted food at the table. The pang of hunger radiated through his bones; he slid out of bed and wandered over to eat.

“A whole day, give or take an hour or two,” Tori said.

Sans balked at this at first. He has slept a long time before, but never that long, “you’ve goat to be kidding me, tori.”

“It’s no fibula, Sansy,” she teased as he gave her a playful glare, “In that time I talked more with Alphys, and she did bring by some things for us to wear. I had informed her that we just had what we are currently wearing.”

“huh,” Sans said quietly, unsure if that last bit was a good or bad thing. He’s going to guess bad based on some of the things Alphys had convinced him to wear in the past.

Well… he didn’t mind too much, so long as it was within the confines of her lab, and not where others could see him. He has his whole “lazy-slob-of-a-cool-comedian” act to keep up. Dressing as a “galactic hero” from some random anime, that he admittedly enjoyed, does not count. That… or being a temporary model for her to make one of her own outfits, due to their height being nearly the same. Though he highly doubted she would have given him one of those to wear. Thank the angel and all things good in the world for that. Still, knowing her, he can’t help but pause and inwardly grimace as he wondered just what it was that the yellow dinosaur had in store for him.

“Sans?” Tori asked, tilting her head at him in that manner that is so endearing that it’s hard to look at her.

With a lazy shrug, he sat at the table, “will be interesting to see what she provided.” When he glanced back at Tori, she still had a puzzled look, but he offered a grin and a wink with his right eye, which elicited a smile from her that he clearly saw with his left.

After they ate they cleaned themselves up. Tori stepped out of the bathroom to fetch the new clothes as Sans looked at himself in the mirror. He had to admit, the sleep had done him some good. He looked less tired, and the darkness around his eyes had mostly vanished. Still, there was the unending look of exhaustion that plagued him.

When Tori reappeared, he could see she was blushing under her fur. That didn’t bode well, and he couldn’t help but worry again about what Alphys brought. He steeled himself, as he tried to prepare for the worst. “Sans…,” Toriel started hesitantly, “I’ll give you some of it to put on, but… I want you to close your eyes for the last of it.”

“t, what did she bring?”

“P-please Sans, I would... actually like to see you in this,” She looked away then back at him. There was a hint of nervousness and blush was still showing from under her fur. Like that, she looked too cute to say “no” to, not that denying her anything is ever easy.

With a reluctant sigh, he relented, “alright, tori.”

He put on a pair of light grey shorts with cyan blue lines running down the sides and along the pockets. Then a white short sleeve t-shirt. So far nothing seemed out of the ordinary. In fact, Alphys was kind enough to provide him with a new pair of white fuzzy slippers, which was nice. But now he was about to figure out what this last part was.

With a deep breath, he prepared himself for the worst and closed his eye sockets. Tori put on what felt like a normal hoodie. This confused him as he was unsure why she would want him to close his eye sockets over this. She pulled up the hood and he heard her step back and make a squeaking noise as if holding back some other sound she wanted to make. That made him wince and he opened his eyes and looked in the mirror.

It was a hoodie, light gray like the pants with cyan stripes along the back and on the hood like tiger striping. It would have looked cool if it wasn’t for the two, obvious, cat ears on the hood and the cat-like tail attached to the back.

Yup, there was that now familiar feeling of embarrassment creeping in. He understood that sound Tori held back was most likely a sound reserved for women when they look at something “cute.” It was hard enough being short. People automatically turn to the word cute when describing anything smaller than ordinary. Things like this just add to it.

And now he could see his blushing matches the stupid markings on the hoodie, much as his eye would when it glows cyan. Wincing slightly, he glanced at Tori. She was covering her mouth and smiling. He sighed and closed his eyes, cleared his thoughts, then looked in the mirror again. Giving in, he pulled the hood down to block out the vision. He’ll tolerate this… for her, and only her. “what’d she bring for you?”

“Oh, wait here, I’ll go put it on,” She walked out of the room while adding, “I’m not sure how it will look on me.”

Shoving his hands in his pockets he looked back in the mirror as he waited. He wondered what Alphys was trying to play at with this. As he thought about it, in the long run, he didn’t mind wearing this for Tori if it made her happy. Shrugging slightly, he turned a bit, looked at himself, and sighed. He didn’t look bad; if you can get past the annoying cuteness of it. But there was no way in hell he was going to let Undyne see him like this. She clearly already didn’t think he had any self-respect, and this would just add to that thought. Not that she was far off. He had it, he just stopped caring about it.

“Um, okay, I’m ready…,” Tori called. Sans walked out of the bathroom, prepared to see what over the top cute thing Alphys supplied Tori with. But what he saw would have stopped his heart if he had one. Instead, it caused his soul to freeze then feel as though it was having a spasm.

She was in a very elegant white dress. It was lightly accented with silver and gold around the sleeves, neckline, and flowing bottom. Around her waist is an elegant golden chain with a watch hanging from it on her right hip. The dress perfectly showed her figure while maintaining Tori’s usual elevated level of modesty. Tori looked at him shyly. Even as a queen she never wore anything like this before, preferring plain clothes, “How do I look?”

This was a struggle. He tried to speak but no words came out. He coached himself to get it together as he heard himself rattle a little. The rattle, as annoying and childish as it was, helped calm his nerves and he smiled at her, “it looks beautiful on you, tori.”

“Do you think it’s too much?” She asked, spinning slightly. The dress had a spot for her tail to be seen. The dresses Tori wears in the ruins cover her short, fluffy tail. He liked seeing it, really; and, he was happy most of her pajamas have space for it. But, in this dress, it ended up being that last thing that caused him to start feeling unsteady. She was just that beautiful.

Well, she was always that beautiful. She just hid it under layers of loose hanging clothes, and self-conscious worries of being too old to dress this way.

Raising a hand to his mouth he took a step back. He felt his magic in his face, and the world was being filtered out by its hum. He struggled to clear his nonexistent throat to utter a quiet reply, “n-no tori.” The room was spinning, and his already empty skull was feeling lighter than normal. He cleared his throat again and looked down, “i, uh, think i’m going to sit because i’m about to fall for you.”

“Sans, are you alright?” She asked as she hurried over and knelt beside him. He felt her pull the hood off his head and start to touch his skull. He didn’t fight it, letting himself rattle again as he covered his face with his hands. “Oh my,” She said before he felt her lift him and place him on her lap.

“tori, why? why do you love me?” He lowered his hands and looked at her, “you deserve so much better. you’re so… so… everything wonderful in this world. so, why would you ever want to put up with me?”

She hugged him tight to herself, “I don’t put up with you, Sans, I love you. You make me so happy.” She loosened her grip and pulled the hood back over his head and smiled, “You’re my personal Cheshire cat.”

Ah, that’s what he was supposed to be.

“ah, wonderland, that the theme alphys was going for… so i guess you’re the white queen… or rabbit… both?” Sans looked at the watch with thoughtfulness, “i read those books to pap a long time ago, so i’m a bit rusty with them. but i think she was going for both.” He then sighed and looked up at Tori again, “alright, i’ll wear this out of the room as long as you help me avoid undyne. so, uh, if i take a short cut and leave you seemingly alone with her, don’t worry, i’m just out of sight. i won't leave you. i promise.”

Tori frowned a little, “I’m sorry if I got in between you two. I’m sure you’d both be closer if I wasn’t here.”

“not really, t. the only thing that kept us from killing each other all these years was pap. our personalities just don’t mesh well. she’s all energetic, motivated, and aggressive while I’m laid back, lazy, and punny.”

They sat a moment longer, which gave Sans the time he needed to calm his magic. Once he felt stable, Sans stood and stretched his arms up to maximize stretching out his back as much as possible. This action caused a few good pops from his spine, relieving some tension.

Toriel giggled, and when Sans smiled back at her she said in an amused tone, “I’m beginning to think you’re more cat like than you know.” He looked away as she stood, and considered what she said. Okay, she had him there. Based on what he knows of cats, he did have a cat personality. She didn’t let him think long though, as she continued, “Well, Alphys was hoping you’d go through the True Lab with her. I figured you could, after we stop off in the Ruins to get our things. I asked if I could come and she said it was fine with her as long as you’re fine with it.”

Sans thought for a moment. She must have sent the amalgamates home then or she was hoping Sans would say ‘no.’ Welp, if it was the latter, she should know that he won’t say ‘no’ to Tori that easy. She must have since she did send the hoodie, “i’m feline with it. a-fur all, i did purrmise to tell you about myself; and, there is a distinct pawsability something may come up while we are there.”

Tori was laughing, and she reached out for his hand which he willingly gave, “Oh the tails you may tell.”

  He just wanted to stay. Forget the rest of the underground, other than Grillby and Alphys, he really didn’t care what was going on out there. Well, maybe Undyne too, even if there were bitter feelings. Still, he tried hiding this, though he was sure Toriel could see right through him. He was, after all, just bone.

If he was inclined to place a wager, he’d bet she felt the same. The main difference is, Tori has a sense of duty. Sans, on the other hand, was not above just running away. At one time, responsibility really meant something to him, but life saw an end to that. For now, he will let Tori’s integrity guide him, and avoid pressuring her to go against her conscience. After all, that sounds like a lot of work.

Knowing what he should do, Sans ambled down to the room he had called his own prior to sharing with Tori. While he had somewhat moved in with her, the move was not complete. He suspected that was to keep his messes out of her space. Honestly, he was fine with that. It took a while to gather the few things he called his own. He was tempted to leave most of it, though, he’d be the worst pet rock owner if he left Geode behind. And there were the clothes Tori insisted on getting him. He wasn’t about to waste her money by leaving them behind. In the end, he packed up more things he ever thought he would. He chuckled to himself at the oddity of this. It was uncomfortable in a way, as he was never one for worrying about his own things.

Things can disappear...

He opted to ignore that thought and started toward the sitting room. Tori should need longer, he figured, so he would wait. Though, he should check to make sure she didn’t need help first. He paused at her room, or their room. It was still mostly Tori’s, but she insisted he started using it more. Memories of the nights they spent here did cause an ache in his soul. That feeling vanished as he saw Tori sitting on her bed, tear matted fur under her eyes.

“hey, tori?” but she didn’t reply or look at him. Instead, her gaze was focused on a book. As he got closer he saw it was a photo album, within, were a series of smiling faces. All young and most human, save for one monster, which he could see a clear resemblance. It didn’t take much thought to figure out that was her son, Asriel. Sans looked from the album and back up to her, he understood now what was wrong. This house had been where she had lived with those human children for varying degrees of time. Leaving was not going to be easy, even if it ended up being good for her.

He remembered her being subdued when she came to the kingdom to rule after Asgore’s death. Had she felt these feelings before, during that time? She went from one place filled with painful memories to another, then back again only to repeat the process yet again. Well, this time she is not alone.

Sans walked closer and climbed up on the bed next to her. Finally, he saw her head move slightly, acknowledging him being there, though she did not say anything. He just leaned against her and closed his eye sockets. He wrapped an arm around her back the best he could, just being there for her seemed like the best opinion.

Tori seemed to accept it as he felt her lean slightly into him, though he regretted he was not bigger, so she would feel able to lean on him more. They sat in silence until Tori finally felt ready to talk, “Thank you, Sans.”

“don’t mention it, tori,” he replied.

“Was it hard for you when you left home?”

“heh,” Sans sighed and shook his head, “in a way, but i really didn’t want to go home. not to an empty, quiet house that i was used to being full of a happy, loud brother.”

They sat in silence again before Tori nodded, “I understand that, I might have felt that way if I was in the same situation.”

“i heard someone say that how we all grieve is different, t. that includes when we grieve too. took a while before i properly did,” Sans sighed.

“It is continual. I’m not going to be able to wake up one morning and never shed a tear ever again for Chara, Asriel, or any of my children. But,” she closed the photo album with a shuddering sigh, “I can now move forward.”

Sans watched as she stood and placed the book in her bag to go with her. In that moment she looked so stoic and elegant. She wasn’t just physically strong, that was clear to see. When she looked up at him, with a smile, he smiled back. His grin must have been a little weird as he saw her snout wrinkle a little as she held back a giggle.

He tried to shift the focus, “so, uh, want help packing?”

“No, I think I’ve got it. Thank you for asking. But, please stay, I need the company,” she looked happy save for a hint of sorrow in her eyes. It was masked well enough that to most it would be easy to overlook, but he spotted it.

“sure thing, t,” he offered a reassuring smile and stayed with her as she finished collecting her things.

He sat and watched, patient as always, as she worked. Then again, patience is easy when it is doubly easy to fall asleep. It was Toriel touching his cheek that woke him up. He hadn’t meant to drift off like that.

“Hello, dear one,” she said, lowering her head down, looking at him eye to eye.

“heya, tori,” he smiled back at her, lost in her eyes.

They had kiss plenty of times before; so, when Toriel leaned in close that was what Sans was expecting to happen. What he hadn’t expected was her nose to nuzzle over his nasal bone and cavity. Nor was he expecting how it would feel. How warm, soft, velvety, and ticklish it would be as her nose rubbed where his would have been. It felt good. He chuckled and tried to nuzzle back, though he doubted it would have even half of the same effect. Still, it caused her to continue and even push him over on to his back, not that he would ever mind.

It wasn’t until they were both a fit of giggles did the nuzzling stop. They remained on the bed, on top of the sheets. Tori was cuddling him so close that he had no option but to cuddle back. Again, he wasn’t about to mind. It felt good. It felt like home. If only…

If only Papyrus was alive…

And at least one of the kids for Tori. All would be great, but one didn’t seem too much to ask for. Yet, each one became lost to her, one way or another. It didn’t seem fair. Sans thought he was a good brother. He’d never admit to great, but good? Sure. And Tori? She had to be the greatest mother down here. Despite these facts, Sans was sans a brother and Tori, a child.

Sans managed to free his left arm from her embrace so he could pet Tori’s ear. In response, she started to laugh, which sent shivers through him. No matter how many times he heard that sound, it was always beautiful. Every “ha”, every undignified snort, and every adorable bleat just felt like a grand piece of artwork.

They stayed like that until, eventually, Tori’s sense of responsibility caught up with her.

  With one of Sans’s shortcuts, they were in front of the laboratory of Dr. Alphys in no time. Sans was about to knock but Toriel put a hand on his shoulder and smiled, “I’ve got one, may I?”

She smiled big as he took a step back and gestured toward the door in a half bow to let her know it was all hers. Knocking twice she heard a voice within call, “W-who is it?”

“Purr,” Toriel called back.

She heard footsteps as Dr. Alphys walked closer, obvious confusion in her voice as she replied, “Wait, w-what? Purr who?”

“Purr-haps you could open the door be-fur too long?” Toriel smiled as she heard Sans holding back a snicker beside her.

“i figured it was about time for us to get hare, so white don’t you let us in,” Sans added and the two laughed.

Alphys opened the door, allowing them to enter. Toriel was amazed as she walked in and looked around the lab. Other than the mess here and there, especially around the computer desk, it looked impressive. She looked back to Alphys to say something, but she noticed Sans was staring at the Doctor. His hood obscured his face, but she had an idea of what it looked like as Alphys avoided looking at him.

“Sans?” She said, trying to get his attention from the Doctor.

It worked, and he turned to face her. She is sure his eye sockets were not lit as his head turned. But, by the time he finished turning his head, they were. Frowning, she wondered what that was about, “yes, my queen?”

“S-Sans!” Toriel felt herself blush.

“what?” He said as he walked over to her, “right al? she’s a mix of the white queen and the white rabbit.” Alphys nodded slightly, her scales a slight pink around her face, but he wasn’t paying attention. He must have noticed he caused Toriel to feel flustered and decided to play with that a bit as she had done to him in the past. “so, if i’m your cheshire cat, as i seem to remember you saying,” he said before purposefully rubbing against Toriel’s side while making a purring like sound, “then you’re my queen.”

There was a squealing like sound coming from the part of the room Alphys was in. Toriel saw her face scales were a red color now and her hands were pressed, palms together in front of her snout. Sans had flinched and froze in place, his face showing signs of sudden regret. Slowly he turned to face Alphys, his voice made an eerie echoing sound as he said, “D O N ’ T”

There was an odd, twisted grin on Alphys face, “I dare you to stop me.”

Toriel was confused by what was going on between them. She looked down at Sans who is palming his face muttering something to himself. Alphys, on the other hand, was giggling as if gleefully enjoying Sans’s embarrassment. “I think I’m missing something,” Toriel finally said, admitting she was at a complete loss.

“al likes to write what is called ‘fanfiction.’ the only problem is, she has a bad habit of not just writing about fictional characters, but also real people,” Sans said as he slowly pulled his hand down from his face, “and i, stupidly, and without thinking, just threw fuel onto that fire.”

“Oh,” Toriel said before what Sans told her fully sunk in, “Oooooh…” She stood there quietly as a guilty feeling washed over her, “May… may I read it?”

“what?!” Sans said, his voice getting surprisingly loud for him.

“Of course!” Alphys clapped happily and sprang into action, practically skipping across the lab to them as she rattled on almost incoherently about the fiction she was working on. She then blushed, again as she offered Toriel a small stack of printed papers that she had placed in a folder, “um, well... I-I won’t say anymore a-about it... Um… if you w-want to do some proofreading, well, uh... that would be, erm, appreciated.”

“I can do that, thank you,” Toriel smiled, glancing in the folder and making a mental note of the story’s title, The Door. How fitting.

“you really shouldn’t encourage her,” Sans sighed.

Chuckling, Toriel reached over and lightly tugged on one of the false ears on Sans’s hood. She saw one of his hands reach up and tug down on the hood to cover his face as he looked away. A patient smile crossed her mouth, feeling herself blush as she watched him. Setting the folder to the side to pick up when they leave, she turned back to Sans, who was still averting his eye lights. She could understand that all of this together has been hard on his ego, and decided to ease back a little bit… after they get to the lab. Reaching down she hugged him and lifted him up. He chuckled, and she felt him start to relax, “Now, as some may say, ‘to the lab!’” In her head, she heard a voice she thought she remembered saying that, but with far more enthusiasm. As to who the owner of that voice was, she couldn’t remember.

Alphys giggled and led the way to the elevator, “E-excuse the mess. I, um, don’t go down there m-much. I’ve also k-kept most of it locked off… so, uh… I haven’t seen i-it in a while.” She stepped off the elevator and flicked on a light. Pausing, Alphys looked back at Sans, “I-I’ve been, um, thinking of the f-fact you used to work here. And, um… w-well, I think I k-kind of remember t-that. Yet, I don’t? I remember being an i-intern here, and, um… that’s it. I don’t remember what I worked on then.”

“you and pretty much everyone underground,” Sans put a hand on Toriel’s shoulder, signaling he wanted to be put down. She carefully set him down and Sans took her hand to escort her off the elevator.

“How is that?” Toriel asked, “I remember that there was a royal scientist before Alphys, but I also have no memory of them.”

Sans let go of her hand and looked around the room. He shuffled towards a door as if by memory and looked about to open it when Alphys quickly moved over and started to unlock it for him. He looked back at Toriel as he waited, “who made the core? something so important, surely every monster in the underground would know the name of the person who invited our energy source.”

Toriel started to speak but stopped, she had never thought of that before, and her mind was drawing a blank. What Sans said made sense, and yet no matter how hard she tried she could not think of the name of the person who created the CORE. She looked at Alphys who was deep in thought.

Both herself and Alphys looked to Sans whose eyes darkened before he gave a low, humorless chuckle and walked through the door. No, humorless wasn’t the right word for that one. It was more of a tired chuckle, one she might have heard from a monster who wanted to acknowledge that they found something humorous but was too tired to laugh. That caused Toriel to give pause, remembering what he had said. All the things he ends up remembering, and yet this is another thing that he alone seems to be the sole keeper.

“his name was dr. w.d. gaster. he was a brilliant man, though a little off kilter at times, especially when he had a big idea in his head. i remember... working with him… i remember what some of our projects were about though, in a hazy, foggy way. i knew him as a person too, and i remember that i knew him, but my memories of him are cloudy and weak.” Walking down the halls he ran his bony fingers along the wall and looked around. His voice seemed at peace, yet his body seemed tense; as if expecting something bad to happen at any moment.

His cautiousness lead her to feel uneasy. “it’s funny, i remember having some of the happiest memories i can’t remember here… and yet… there is a nagging feeling… not sure, it just feels like something bad happened,” He looked back at Toriel and Alphys, “weird, huh?”

Toriel looked around. The halls were a neutral, sterile white color that made the area bright but not warm. There were doors spread along the walls, some labeled as the office of one person’s or another's. She wondered if one of them would be Sans’s, and what state he would have left it in.

“Sans, w-what happened to Dr. Gaster?” Alphys asked quietly.

The skeleton stopped and shrugged, “one of those things i don’t remember, but i think it was an accident. if i had to guess it was with our, uh, time and space experiments.”

“Time and space?” Toriel heard herself ask. She bit her lip, curious but at the same time unsure he wanted to talk about it as she could hear a heaviness in his tone.

“yeah, see, gaster discovered what we just called ‘shortcuts.’  and he wondered if it would be possible to apply what we learned, about moving through space, to time. we did, kind of, but we needed to do so on a much larger scale. for what, eh, i don’t remember, but i do remember he was the type to ask why after he invented something,” Sans shrugged and looked at Alphys, “so, we made a machine to do that with, though i don’t remember it working. anyway, he somehow wrote himself out of history in every way possible. it’d make sense to me if that was the project,” Sans then frowned, “but, uh, i’m not sure. he might have just fallen in the core for all i know. always wondered why he never put safety rails up.

“so, al, what did you need me for?” Sans put his hands in his pockets, wearing a smile on his face. But his voice told a different story. As even toned as he may believe he was keeping it, she didn’t hear the happiness his smile claimed. Months of just knowing him by voice alone had taught her that. It wasn’t that he was upset or scared. He just looked emotionally tired being here. Perhaps, having memories that he wished to, but couldn’t, remember was weighing on him. Or perhaps there were things he didn’t want to remember? No, she highly doubted the latter. She wasn’t sure why, but that didn’t feel right.

Alphys waved for him to follow and they walked down the hall chatting about matters she had to admit to herself she knew nothing about. Toriel noticed at one-point Sans glancing back at her as if checking to make sure she was alright. She smiled back at him and he winked before returning his full attention to Alphys.

As they walked past a hallway, Toriel came to a stop. A feeling of…

anger?

Or was it just annoyance or frustration?

She had been here before. She knew this hallway well, having been emotionally charged at the time she had walked down it. Toriel turned to call to Sans and Alphys, but they were so lost in their own conversation she held her tongue. Splitting off didn’t seem like the smartest idea. Yet, she felt the need to venture down this path and try to remember what it was she had been doing, or why she had been there.

No more thought had been put into which option she should take, as her feet had already started.

  Eventually Sans stopped at a set of doors labeled ‘Lab A-1.’

“There are a few things in here I don’t u-understand,” Alphys opened the door, “if you could, um, shed some l-light on what some of this is...”

“i’ll do my best al, but you’re asking a photon of me,” Sans walked in and looked around the large lab. It almost hurt, as he felt a flood of nostalgia that he struggled to understand. It felt like home, or, at least, a second home. He needed time to let these feeling calm down in his soul, and took a moment to relax. In the process, he ran a finger over a work table before examining the dust. He couldn’t help but snort as he held back laughter while a voice in his head yelled out, “UNACCEPTABLE! How can one make a mess working if there is already a mess made?!”

With a sigh, Sans put his hand back in his pocket and turned to Alphys, “where do you want me to start?”

“How about this?” Alphys asked, pointing to a pod-shaped object.

Upon seeing it, Sans couldn’t help but grin as he walked over. Ah, the memories he couldn’t remember. All he knew was that he was happy working on this, and what it was for. They really were going to try; they had an idea and thought it might solve everything. He walked over to an odd machine and walked around it. His sockets scanned it over with care, making sure it had made it through sitting in this dark and lonely place without a scratch. This was just the first attempt though; the second attempt was in his lab for safekeeping.

“this is the ‘time and space pod,’” Sans finally said as he placed a hand on it with reverence. “i wanted to make it more rectangular, paint it blue, and call it the tardis, after the machine in that human show, dr. who.”

“H-how would I know, I never saw it,” Alphys replied.

That shocked Sans and he looked at her, “no, that’s the name of… you haven’t seen it? i never showed you a single episode?”

“N-no?” Alphys gave him that smile that said, ‘you could have, but if so I didn’t like it and don’t remember it.’

Sans sighed and shook his head, “Seriously? Of all the geeky, human things you're into you’ve never heard of it?” When Dr. Alphys shrugged he looked back at the machine and patted it twice, “best store this somewhere under ‘bad idea’ unless we can clear it of the ‘possibly killed pops’ charges”

“Pops?”  Alphys looked at him in surprise.

Sans paused, noticing what he just said. It came out of his mouth so naturally too. ‘pops.’ Come to think of it, he had, in talking with Papyrus, said “dadster” a few times, instead of Gaster. Papyrus had suggested the notion of them being related...

Still, Alphys was staring at him and expecting a reply. He wasn’t sure he was fully ready to commit to the idea and just shrugged. Not to his surprise, Alphys folded her arms, “Really? You have n-no idea why you called him ‘Pops’ just then?”

“none,” he replied, feigning disinterest. It is a matter to think about later when he wasn’t already being bombarded by other emotions. He glanced over to see how Toriel was taking his avoidance of the question.

…

“uh... where’s tori?”

Alphys looked around, “oh, oh my, we must have… o-oh dear... W-well, there is n-nothing in the lab that can hurt her.”

That didn’t matter to him, and he couldn’t help but fear the worst. There was too much here he no longer knew. He walked to the lab entrance and looked up and down the hall, “tori?” She was nowhere to be seen and he heard no reply.

She was right behind them, when did she fall behind or disappear?

“tori!” he started back down the hall, the only sound in response was the patter of Alphys’s feet behind him.

He stopped at an open office to look in, as well as some of the other labs, all the while he still called for her. Alphys was right, it was safe here, now… in theory. No… it isn’t safe. There could still be things in this lab that could hurt someone who didn’t know any better. “TORI!” he hated raising his voice that loud, but he felt he had to.

A hand landed on his shoulder and he looked back to see Alphys, “Sans! Y-you need to calm down.” Alphys waved a hand in the air to direct his attention to above himself. When he looked he could see two blasters hovering over him.

He unsummoned them while uttering a curse under his breath. He’ll admit, he got more worked up than needed. He won’t find Toriel like this. Still, it isn’t safe, what was so dangerous here he wasn’t fully sure, but it wasn’t safe.

“Now, let’s look, I’m sure we’ll find her,” Alphys offered a reassuring smile. Normally, it is the other way around, with Sans calming her down. It felt weird having their roles reversed.

“heh.... yeah,” Sans tried to relax and the two started their search.

  Toriel stared at the wall ahead of her. The path she took somehow lead to a dead end that seemed to be random compared to how the rest of the lab was designed. Every hall she saw before had a purpose and lead somewhere. This one, though, was the only exception. Granted, there might have been plans for something to be here at one point that wasn’t finished. So, all there was in front of her was a wall.

She touched the wall, running her hand over it. Her head hurt as she tried to think, trying to recall the feeling she had. There really should be something else here, but she had no idea what. And trying to remember was exhausting to the point that she felt she needed to lie down. She patted the wall and started to turn back.

Sure, she reached a dead end, but she now knew she had been here before. That the little notion in her head was more than that. While she didn’t find what she had split off to look for, it did reassure her to know this new fact. Why had she been here, and why had she been so angry? Those are the next questions she will have to answer. But just trying to think about them made her head feel sharp, radiating pain from her temples. After she’s had a chance to rest, she’ll try again.

“tori!” Toriel heard Sans’s voice and looked up to see the skeleton jogging over, which was a rare sight. As he approached she could feel his magic was on edge, and she couldn’t help but feel guilty. Clearly, she had caused him to worry, which had not been her intent.

Once he was close she embraced him and sighed, “I’m sorry, I was chasing a memory and only found a headache.”

“D-do you need something for it?” Alphys asked, walking closer.

With some thought, Toriel nodded, “I think so.” Alphys told her where she could find the med kit upstairs. Within it, she would find painkillers, and the Doctor invited her to just sit and close her eyes if needed.

Sans confirmed that it won’t take them much longer and for her to just rest if her head was hurting. Though, as she turned to leave, Alphys spoke up, “Oh! One other thing.”

“Yes?” Toriel asked, looking back at the two. Sans was also looking at Alphys as if wondering what it was she had to say.

“It s-seems,” Alphys got a mischievous look on her face which did not get a happy response from Sans, who now looked worried and concerned. The Doctor ignored him though and continued without a care, “that Gaster is Sans’s father.”

“al, we don’t know that for sure,” Sans looked annoyed.

“You called him ‘Pops’,” Alphys huffed, “why else w-would you do that!”

The two started to have a small dispute over what that could mean. Toriel couldn’t follow it, as her head fogged with memories struggling to surface. Something about that was trying to draw information to the forefront, but it couldn’t. All it did was make her head feel even worse.

“tori, you okay?”

Tori didn’t remember kneeling down, but Sans was there beside her, holding her hand and looking at her with worried eye sockets. She smiled, but the room spun around her, adding a dizzying feeling to her disorientation.

“I just need to take care of this headache and lie down,” Toriel smiled at him the best she could.

“i can take us back if you want,” Sans offered, but she shook her head.

“I know, but really, I think I just need a moment. You said you won’t be much longer. That should be enough for me to feel well enough to go back to the castle.”

Sans looked at her, she could tell his sockets were searching for any hint that she may change her mind. Once he was satisfied, he nodded. He helped her up the best he could, and she made her way to the elevator. Once upstairs she found the med kit, took two pills and found a quiet place to sit. Today has not been an easy one. No wonder her head was starting to hurt.

She looked down at the dress and sighed. It was a very nice dress, but it just felt too modern for her. But, Sans clearly liked it, so she will endure it a while longer. If it meant seeing him practically buckle in on himself every time she smiled at him, it was worth it.

Toriel started to close her eyes when she remembered the story Alphys had been writing. When her body felt like it could withstand getting back up, Toriel retrieved the folder and settled back to read. For now, she intended to read only until her head hurt too much, or she decided she couldn’t take anymore.

 He stood with his back to the Ruin door, as he had done plenty of times before. The wind rushed by him, carrying a haunting tone as it moved through the trees. Snow drifting down, dancing around him. Most monsters avoid the doors of the past, but not him. They had become a game, a toy of his amusement. Today, though, they would become more.

“knock knock,” he said, in his usual quiet, masculine, deep tone of voice. One would hardly think anyone would hear it, the start of his joke. But someone did.

“Who’s there,” came the reply. Soft, sweet, and filled with feminine grace.

It startled him. And he jumped as if the doors had shocked him. The look in his eyes was a mix of panic and intrigue. Never before had he thought his knocking would be answered. There was hesitation. Perhaps he heard wrong? Needing to get out pent up energy, he shifted his feet while rubbing the back of his neck, “dishes.”

“Dishes who?” the voice replied.

He was still unsure what to think of this occurrence. It had to be a fluke. It just seemed unreal that someone would be here. “dishes a really bad joke,” he said, as he tried to settle back into his rhythm.

Just as he had started to relax she laughed, and what a laugh it was. Again, he was startled, but what he was unaware of was the faint hint of blush painting his cheekbones. His smile widened as he chuckled back. It was just them, their laughter, and the unknown camera in the bushes. Originally set to look for humans, it now captured their budding romance, under the watchful gaze of the great scientist, who would guard this love from those who would stop it.

 The writing didn’t seem bad, a bit dramatic for her taste, but it brought back memories of when they had met at the Ruin doors. She smiled while reading it, seeing his reaction clearly drawn out in her mind by Alphys’s words. It felt like him, though she didn’t believe there was a high likelihood that he was blushing at her first laugh.

End of Chapter notes:  ... This chapter started with me going "I want to dress Sans up as a cat." That's really the only thought that went into it at the start. This is the type of sophisticated logic that goes into my chapter planning, folks. Also, keep in mind, that I actually wrote this BEFORE posting the first chapter. Since then, I have seen many artists decide to dress Sans up as a cat. So, I am clearly NOT the only who thinks this is something that should happen.

[hiverforesteevee]

Undertale Fridge Highlights

My favorite entries from Undertale’s Fridge page on TV Tropes

Some of these entries may be edited/abridged/modified, but for the most part, these are copy/pasted directly from the page.  I didn’t write any of these, I just compiled them here for my own amusement.  Go to the site for even more intelligence and insight on this precious game!

SPOILERS

·        When you first meet Toriel, she introduces herself by saying "greetings". Who else introduces themself like that? Chara!

·        All of the human SOULs have a certain color associated with them, and the player character's SOUL is colored red. The PC is also the only human to survive their journey through the underground. When dealing with the light spectrum, red is the color with the longest wavelength—that is, to say, out of all the colors, red is the one that travels the farthest.

·        At first, Flowey's tendency to say things like "Howdy!" and "golly" seem to be there only to enforce his Faux Affably Evil act until you meet Asgore, who speaks in a similar manner, and learn that he's Asriel/Flowey's father.

·        Flowey the Flower is kind of an uninspired name. Looks like Asriel inherited his father's Giver of Lame Names trait.

·        If you kill Flowey during a Neutral run, on subsequent runs through the game, he doesn't appear throughout the game until the end. This could be interpreted as a permadeath of sorts, except that he shows up anyway to destroy Asgore's SOUL after the latter sacrifices himself. So what's going on? One of the possible endgame conversations with Flowey (in a run where you have not previously killed him) gives a possible answer: Flowey mentions that Sans caused him his "fair share of resets", but if you talk to Sans, he's never seen Flowey, and thinks his brother's conversations with a flower involved an Echo Flower. So Flowey's deliberately been avoiding Sans because Sans is a danger to him...and after you killed him in the previous ending, he's now started avoiding YOU for the same reason.

·        Asriel's final form looks a bit abstract and attacks with rainbows, stars, a huge laser, and they all have attack names. Considering his age when he died, it starts to make sense that his ultimate form is closer to what an 8-year-old would see in a Saturday morning cartoon villain and makes it all the more tragic.

·        During the battle with Flowey's final form, Flowey regains the power to save and load, meaning he's the only boss in the game that could actually kill you for good if he felt like it... but he doesn't. He keeps bringing you back with that power so he can keep killing you. Why? He's been unbelievably bored with the Underground for goodness knows how long...and finding out how many different ways he can kill you is the first exciting thing to happen to him in ages. The fact his true form is a child makes this make even more sense: Flowey is a child who'd gotten bored with his entire toy box and is now obsessed with his brand new toy: you.

·        Asriel's name is a combination of his parents' names, Asgore and Toriel... because Asgore is terrible at naming things. It was probably the only thing he could come up with. (Another rationalization would be that Asgore just followed the Germanic naming convention of combining the parents' names to name the child.)

·        "Three out of four grey rocks recommend that you push them." Literally. You have to ask the fourth one to move.

·        Toriel, a very motherly character, has the track "Fallen Down" for her non-battle theme. Guess what game the instruments in that song come from? EarthBound, aka MOTHER 2.

·        If you interpret Frisk as having parents before falling down, then Toriel is Mother (number) 2.

·        Why are the Ruins' puzzles activated in the beginning? Because the field of flowers the player character landed on is the Fallen Child's grave, and Toriel doesn't want people messing with it.

·        Toriel seems weaker than Asgore, with simpler attack patterns and no flashy weapons, but she knocks him away easily in the True Pacifist ending. Why is that? Because she was treating you with kid gloves to scare you back into staying with her. She even weakens her attacks and deliberately misses you when your HP gets too low.  She actually has the same stats as Asgore: 80 ATK, 80 DEF. Another sign that Toriel is holding back in her fight is in her attack that opens with her hand going across the soul box with fire trailing it. If the hand hits the child's soul (implying that Toriel physically hit the child) the attack immediately stops.

·        Why are Toriel's socks considered scandalous? Because she's a Barefoot Cartoon Animal. Socks in general seem to be an 'inappropriate' article of clothing in this universe. If you hum with Shyren, monsters show up to make it a concert and toss their socks at you.

·        Toriel is overprotective of Frisk because she lost two children in one night.

·        Toriel says she wants you to prove you're strong enough to survive before engaging the battle, yet even if you've been treating the game like a typical RPG and killing every encounter thus far (but not going full Genocide in the sense that you're deliberately seeking out everything), bringing yourself to hurt her isn't easy. She's not just testing if you're strong enough physically, but mentally as well — all the fighting power and ability in the world won't help you if you're not willing to make use of it, so she wants to know if you'd be willing to fight someone who's been nothing but kind to you if your life depended on it. If you can kill someone under those circumstances, then you can take on anyone, so she knows she won't have to worry about you.  It seems to be a major reason she lets you go even if you simply stand your ground and don't fight back. By refusing to back down, you've shown a different kind of strength—the resolve to stand up and face danger head-on.

·        Sans and Papyrus are named after typefaces that get a lot of hate in the design world for being overused. Similarly, the characters get little respect when they show up (they're upset at their limited appearance in the demo, and the narrator shuts them down in the Steam Greenlight trailer). Their personalities are also based on the common perceptions of those typefaces. Comic Sans is used when businesses try to appear friendly (but end up looking lazy) and Papyrus is used to make something seem more meaningful and important than it really is. Their personalities also extend to the typography of their speech — the excessively enthusiastic Papyrus is all capital letters and exclamation marks. Even if he means well, he is trying a little too hard. Sans, on the other hand, is too lazy to even capitalize properly (except in certain... instances). Even their physical appearance resembles their namesakes: a short, stocky, casual-looking buddy, and a tall fellow trying to look important.

·        Not to mention Sans... is a comic. And in a No Mercy run, he loses all his comedic intent and his font changes to 8bitoperator. On top of that, it's a sans serif font, which is also a semi-homophone for 'seraph,' an angelic rank. What are angels often depicted doing? Opposing the demonic forces of evil.

·        Undyne mentions that Papyrus has everything it takes to be a member of the Royal Guard, but refuses him on account on him being 'too nice'. It shows in his stats, too — Papyrus has 8 ATK and 2 DEF; the only boss monsters he's weaker than on a Pacifist run are Toriel (who has 80 ATK and DEF, but is holding back) and Asgore (who also has 80 ATK and DEF, but is also holding back (albeit not as much as Toriel) and can be talked down into holding back further). Undyne herself has 7 ATK and a DEF score of zero, and Mettaton EX has 8 ATK and 1 DEF.

·        On the No Mercy path, when Papyrus dies, he asks the player to keep moving forward out of the hope that they'll change their ways. Meanwhile, Sans makes an effort to stop the player in their tracks. They're orange and blue respectively. What do orange and blue attacks do?

·        While Papyrus' CHECK text in the No Mercy route describes him as "forgettable", out of any other monster you can kill, Papyrus gets mentioned the most. Undyne drops all of her energetic theatrics and coldly promises to kill you. Sans, meanwhile, drops out of the game entirely should you kill Papyrus until the very end of the game, where he delivers a much more scathing judgement than he would even if you'd killed every monster except Papyrus. (He'll also refuse to make fun of your level if you keep reloading before the judgement, and won't congratulate you for any self-imposed challenges in the end-of-game phone call.)

·        If you call Papyrus outside of Alphys' lab, he, being Papyrus, winds up pronouncing it "Labrador-y" and wonders if that means there are dogs inside of it. Sans chimes in with a wink that he wouldn't rule it out. The True Lab has Endogeny, meaning Sans knows, at the very least, the dog sentries' parents never left Alphys' lab, though he doesn't drop any hints that he knows their fate.

·        During the Papyrus date, if you look in the sink drawer, you find the Annoying Dog stealing a bone, and after Papyrus fails to catch him, Sans comes out of his room and plays a Trombone. Yes, a TromBONE.

·        Papyrus' comment about needing 12 more followers to get a 2-digit number makes sense when you remember that hexidecimal notation is common in computers, suggesting he has 4 friends online.

·        Sans killing you after you spare him seems trollish of him, but it's pretty much sweet karma. You killed his brother when he was sparing you, so he was just showing you the utter betrayal he felt.

·        Sans' speech during the You Are Not Alone segment before the True Pacifist final boss seems to pretty much be Sans being Sans, but look a bit deeper at his wording, "What, you still haven't beaten this guy yet?" Since he can observe timelines, he's probably aware that the one he's in is one that keeps going after Frisk leaves the Underground, so while the others are egging you on in their belief in you, Sans is doing it because he knows as an absolute certainty that you'll win.

·        Examining the dog couple's hut in Snowdin, you'll find coloured definitions of the threat levels — White, Blue, and Red; however, the word Red is actually coloured green. Dogs are red-green colourblind.

·        When you talk to Papyrus during his date or hangout, he talks about how Sans tried making a "quiche" with a sugary substance instead of egg. In other words, pie. An early indicator that he knows Toriel.

·        Sans being the first character you encounter in Snowdin may seem a bit odd at first, until you remember that Toriel asked him to protect any humans who came through his area. He even comes up to you from behind — meaning he was walking away from the Ruins! He didn't just passively accept Toriel's request; he was waiting for you from the start!

·        Papyrus' plan of calling every cell phone to find Frisk's number seems ludicrous at first glance. On the overworld where there are millions of cell phones, it would certainly be this way. In the underworld, however, there are far fewer active lines: if you consider that Mettaton, the underworld's greatest superstar, only has three dozen fans, it seems likely that there are no more than 20 or 30 cell phones active overall. It would then be easy for him to request the underworld's client list using Undyne's authority "in an effort to find the human" and call every single number. Papyrus would need 30 minutes at most to find the right one.

·        The fact that Papyrus never lets the player drop below 1 HP, even by accident. Remember who has 1 HP in total? It makes sense that Papyrus, more than any other monster, is used to being very careful not to hurt someone else.

·        You can buy the Tough Glove from the shopkeep in Snowdin, even though you get it for free inside the first dimensional box you find. If each weapon belonged to a previous human, why is this the only one you can acquire two of? Because it's actually a pair of gloves, left and right.

·        Undyne has more DEF without her armor than with because the only time you fight her without her armor, you've already gone to immense lengths to spare and befriend her (which, by the way, is only possible if you've been a pacifist to everyone else, too). The protagonist can't muster the ill will to do her any real harm.

·        The music that plays during Undyne's death on the Neutral run is a mix of her regular theme and "Battle Against A True Hero." She's trying to muster the determination to take on her Undying form like on Genocide, but because of that lingering doubt that you might still be a good person on the inside, she can't do it. You might have brought Undyne's HP to zero, but it was her own internal conflict that killed her.

·        Napstablook's name makes little sense when you first meet them, but when you get to their house, you discover they're a music aficionado. They're a Napster bloke.   You also first encounter them when they're pretending to sleep and blocking your way, preventing you from progressing. Naps-ta-block.

·        Undyne's death animations in any run always involve her beginning to melt. It's apparent that Undyne truly is badass enough to delay her own death, making her the only monster in the whole underground capable of generating her own Determination. Unfortunately, she's still a monster, so while it lets her revive multiple times for a short while, it ultimately causes her body to melt just like the Amalgamates after she uses it for too long.

·        In a more literal case of Fridge Brilliance than most: Undyne's "hot fridge" might seem like a bad idea... unless you've spoken to the toothy monster at Grillby's and remember that monster food doesn't spoil. For monsters, whether a fridge is cold or hot really is just a matter of preference.

·        Why does Mettaton NEO go down so easily in a Genocide Run? When you think about it, it's very likely he was a rushed production on Alphys' part. To elaborate, Mettaton has an infatuation for the human world, so there's no way he would ask Alphys to intentionally turn him into a human-killing machine from the get-go unless absolutely necessary, and when Frisk started to gain an advantage over Undyne the Undying, that was probably the point when she deemed things went to shit, forcing her to make some last-minute adjustments to Mettaton whilst also evacuating the monster population.

·        Killing Mettaton NEO nets you a metric ton of EXP, enough to raise your LOVE to 19. Until now, you've been slaughtering dogs, bugs, slime, seahorses, airplanes, and sentient fire, with the most humanized monster being a goat woman and a fish woman. Aside from his arm cannon, Mettaton NEO looks extremely closely like a human, and your willingness to cut him down shows how willing you are to kill an actual human.

·        The quiz question about smooching a ghost seems odd until you realize Mettaton is a former ghost himself, so this might be flirting.

·        It makes sense that Alphys, based on a lizard, has a lab/home in Hotland, the warmest part of the underground. Lizards are, like all reptiles, cold-blooded and need to spend time in the warmth to not freeze to death.

·        Why did Asgore destroy the "Mercy" button? ... Because after all he's done, he feels that he doesn't deserve mercy.

·        Alternatively, in destroying the option for mercy, he's desperately trying to force you into attacking him, in the hopes that it'll give him some measure of a reason to hate you, so that he can (attempt to) bear the burden of killing you, a child. Same reason he doesn't meet your gaze in battle. He doesn't want to see you as a living being with feelings and compassion like him because it would make it all the more difficult for him to bring himself to kill you.

·        Eating Toriel's pie lowers Asgore's ATK and DEF stats. On an obvious level, this is due to being reminded of her... but it could also be partly because, if you have the pie, it means that Toriel cared about you. Asgore may have realized that, in attempting to avenge the children he'd shared with Toriel, he may essentially have to kill one of her own children.

·        Trying to talk to Asgore on a non-pacifist, non-Genocide run results in the game commenting "But there was nothing to say". You can't bring yourself to try and convince Asgore to spare you, because you too were responsible for another's death in order to escape the underground.

·        You go through Autumn (the Ruins), Winter (Snowdin), Spring (Waterfall), and Summer (Hotland) in perfect order. Waterfall is filled with water, and is smack-dab in the middle of Snowdin and Hotland. The heat radiating from Hotland most likely allowed for any ice or snow in Waterfall to melt.

·        Meta Fridge with the Toriel Plush—the official plush contains a small plush "Soul" inside of it, but the only way you'd see it is to cut open the plush. From a business standpoint, adding such a thing would seem like a waste of time and resources for something most consumers wouldn't get to see, since few would be willing to damage something so cute that they paid for. Why is it there then? It ties in perfectly with the theme of the game—how far are you willing to go to see every last secret for yourself?

·        Why does Flowey take multiple hits to kill, despite Chara being at the height of their killing intent? People may assume it's because he's an actual flower instead of being made of magic, but look at him just before the act. His face takes on the appearance of Asriel, the only person Chara may still have affection for at this point. It's possible their killing intent is weaker for him than any other monster.

·        Why is Mettaton NEO so easy to kill? Because he was meant to be a HUMAN eradication robot. By the time you reach him, you're not really human. Speaking of which, that's why Sans gets the first turn in his boss fight, that's why he is able to dodge attacks when nobody else could, that's why he is able to grant fake mercy, and that's why he is able to pause the fight just so you can't kill him. Think about it — you always get the first turn, you're able to dodge attacks (heck, it's even possible to beat Sans without getting hit ONCE), you're able to make monsters sparable and THEN kill them, and you're able to pause the fight so the enemy cannot attack you for a short span of time until you do something. Yup. At that point, Sans is more of a human player character than you are. You aren't fighting Sans. Sans is fighting you.

·        The Song That Might Play When You Fight Sans doesn't play in the battle because it's Sans' battle theme, a supercharged remix of his Leitmotif, including elements of Papyrus' battle theme and Gaster's theme. Instead, the admittedly awesome track Megalovania plays. Megalovania isn't his theme, it's YOURS. YOU are the Final Boss and he's trying to stop you from triggering The End of the World as We Know It.

·        Why does the True Pacifist run require, well, being a True Pacifist? Because it involves succeeding in destroying the barrier, which requires the power of 7 human SOULS. Since they only have 6, the only conventional way to get the 7th would be if Frisk died, which just isn't going to happen. It's mentioned that human SOULS are so powerful that it would take the SOULS of every monster in the underground to match one. That's literal — Flowey's backup plan when 6 SOULs aren't enough to defeat you is to gain an artificial 7th by absorbing every single monster and getting the power of a God without yours. If you kill even a single monster, he can't complete that plan because he wouldn't have enough power to create a false 7th SOUL.

·        If the player doesn't complete the True Lab portion of the game, the player is shunted into a Neutral Path. The Amalgamates must be freed for Flowey/Asriel to make the 7th soul. Without them, he simply doesn't have enough monster SOU Ls to create the 7th soul from scratch. The True Pacifist route requires befriending ALL monsters and freeing ALL monster souls in the Underground, not just those who are easily accessed during normal gameplay.  On a similar note, you're only told to go to the True Lab on a True Pacifist run; not on a Neutral — one death, even accidental, bars you from it. If the Amalgamates really are necessary to create that false 7th soul, then Flowey only feels safe having you go there if you go out of your way to avoid killing anyone no matter what. Anyone less than a Friend to All Living Things would likely take one look at those monstrosities and think something along the lines of "Kill It with Fire", which would ruin Flowey's plan. He needs to make absolutely sure there's no risk of you killing them before he can tell Papyrus to send you there.

·        To beat you during a No Mercy run, Sans has to go out of his way to use an Interface Screw — when his regular attacks fail, that is. You turn the tables and do the exact same thing to him, attacking twice in one turn after physically moving the box confining your heart over your FIGHT button.

·        Another reason might be that in the fight interface, every entity (human or monster) can use one attack per turn. It is not you who deliver the final blow: it's the Fallen Child, who never used their turn. This is confirmed by the fact that the killing blow isn't delivered via the player's actions — it just happens.

·        This, along with how he hobbles offscreen after defeat, is his way of making sure Frisk/Chara (who are, at this point in the game, a sociopathic mass-murderer) doesn't get the satisfaction of watching him suffer in his final moments. This fits, since the entire point of a No Mercy route is that it's unsatisfying and dull, with your only victories being hollow at best. Sans is by far the longest and most unfairly hard battle in the entire game, and when you finally get a hit in, he doesn't cry, lament his defeat, or drop his permanent grin. He just says "don't say I didn't warn you", climbs to his feet, and calmly staggers away, acting like you didn't just hand his ass to him.

·        During a No Mercy run, Asgore asks "What kind of monster are you...?" The obvious implication is that he's briefly mistaken you for one of his own kind, since it's commented several times throughout the game that you've ceased to appear human. The less obvious one is that this statement is not addressed to the character.

·        The message shown when you die to Asriel but automatically revive right away works as a Stealth Pun: it can mean either that Frisk's SOUL refused to give in, or that their SOUL re-fused back together from two halves.

·        Determination is the power of unflinching resolve that persists against all odds. The word can also be read as "de-termination", which means negation of death. It is the in-game power letting a SOUL do just that. This double meaning aptly describes those who refuse to die, such as Frisk and the player themselves.

·        One of the biggest complaints about the No Mercy path is that it can be very grindy at times. That's part of the point. Some people aren't morally opposed to murder or killing under various circumstances. And many moral codes, including Christianity, posit that any deed, no matter how wicked, vile, or destructive it may be, cannot be considered a sin unless it was committed with full knowledge of the immorality of the act and the damage it could cause — accidental evil isn't true evil. Undertale's No Mercy route works on similar premises. The encounters slow down the more you kill to illustrate that you, the player, are hunting them down and murdering them in cold blood. If you simply kill everything you encounter without going out of your way to Leave No Survivors, you get a neutral ending — there's still some room for the benefit of the doubt, that you could have been doing it in ignorance or self-defense. This makes it so that there is absolutely no way to get the No Mercy ending by mistake, or even by intention unless you're going about it knowingly (since even if you start on it, you can back out more or less at any time).

·        If you get a True Pacifist ending but ended up fleeing from some monsters instead of sparing them, their outcomes listed in the credits are different (on top of them being in white rather than yellow, letting you know who you missed). Since you act as the main link between Monsters and Humans, you probably help everyone find their place in the human world, but if you didn't befriend them in order to spare them, you don't know them as well as you could and thus can't find them their perfect calling with what little you do know about them.

·        At the tail end of the "date" with Alphys, you're put into the same moral dilemma that you just had to help Alphys conquer — when Undyne asks if Alphys was joking about anime not being real (as in non-fiction) and asks you for confirmation, do you lie to keep her happy or be honest but break her heart? The choice might seem inconsequential in the short-term, and it's largely Played for Laughs, but considering that if you're on this date, you're likely on your way to getting the monsters to the surface, she's going to find out and have to deal with that paradigm shift eventually. Yet despite just teaching Alphys it's better to be honest up front, a lot of players are inclined to tell Undyne anime is real the first time through and not think twice (or justify it by telling themselves it's real in the sense that it exists, even though that's not what Undyne's asking). It's a lot easier to tell someone to be honest than to be honest yourself, isn't it?  Another interpretation could be that, at least in the Undertale universe, anime is real. Think about it for a moment: the player character is a determinator capable of shrugging off death simply by refusing to die and finds themselves in a world where both magic and monsters exist. The backstory speaks of an ancient war between the humans and monsters which eventually led to the latter being sealed underground for what was probably centuries at least. The final battle of the Neutral and Pacifist Routes involves the tragically villainous antagonist gaining the power of an eldritch abomination/outright godhood only to be bested by the seemingly inferior protagonist. A well-meaning, but misguided scientist ends up creating horrific (though largely harmless) chimeric beings due to her research into ways to overcome death going horribly right, and also ends up creating the Big Bad the same way. And then, of course, there's Undyne herself. While she may have been largely inspired by the anime Alphys showed her, she definitely fits the bill for a Stock Shonen Hero. Oh, and there's time travel with all the complex goodness that entails. At this point, you aren't really lying when you tell her anime is real. After all, you're living in one.

·        The idea that Frisk is a pacifist makes more sense considering their starting equipment, the Stick and the Bandage. Neither have bonuses to the traditional stats, but have alternate uses. The Stick is used in many fights to facilitate sparing the opponent, usually dog monsters, but can be used to spare Madjick, a late-game enemy, and Mettaton to gain a significant boost in ratings. The bandage can be used as a healing item, healing only 10 HP, which would be only useful in a Pacifist or otherwise low LV run. Also, if you keep it equipped, it lets you run away from fights on the first turn, something useful if you can't figure out how to spare a certain enemy, but don't want to kill them either.

·        When you face Asgore at the end of a Genocide run, despite Undyne claiming that Alphys saw her defeat and would subsequently warn Asgore about you, Asgore is completely unprepared. Seems like a case of Idiot Ball, but consider that Alphys probably specifically said that a dangerous human was approaching. When you meet him, Asgore asks what kind of monster you are — he doesn't recognize you as a human and therefore doesn't realize that you're the one Alphys warned him about.

·        What animal are Toriel and Asgore based on? Goats. What (or who) plays an important role in their stories? Their kids.

·        In order to complete a True Pacifist run, you don't just need Determination, you need every mentioned trait. Patience—Not letting yourself get frustrated or aggravated with how other monsters treat you. Bravery—Taking the time to spare every monster can sometimes require you to face them longer than you would if you just attacked, so by putting the extra time and effort to spare them, you're not taking the cowardly way out. Perseverance—Enduring every harsh attack and word throughout your trek through the underground. Integrity—Never violating Thou Shalt Not Kill no matter how justified you'd be in fighting back in self-defense. Kindness—What you show to every monster. Justice—The run ends with you giving the monsters the fate they truly deserve.

·        It should be noted that Undyne, the underground's greatest active warrior, has a will to kill that makes her fairly unique among monsters, even more powerful ones like Sans and Asgore. She also seems to be the only monster to possess Determination. Despite her Fantastic Racism, she became monsterkind's hero by expressing human qualities.

·        The developers suggest that the desire to kill everything might be dormant in every single one of us. We all could end up in a mentality of "kill or be killed" and unless we make a conscious effort to be kind to others, we might become something that will even frighten a monster.

·        "Let us erase this pointless world, and move on to the next." The Fallen Child’s not just remarking that the world doesn't have meaning anymore- it's literally pointless. There are no more points left to earn in the game, because you've already killed every monster in the Underground.

·        Why does Sans use so many blue and gravity-based attacks in his fight? Well, think back — who's the first boss to use gravity, or "blue " attacks? Papyrus. Of course Sans is going to use them a lot — either he originally developed the move and acted as a Stealth Mentor to his brother, or his brother actually did develop the technique first, and Sans thought the technique was the coolest thing in the world. Knowing how much Sans loves his brother, it's not too far of a stretch for Sans to have taken Blue SOUL techniques to the absolute limit as a way of remembering him. Also, as Laser-Guided Karma for killing the person he cared for most in the world.

·        Why does Toriel show up during the True Pacifist Ending, when visiting the True Lab doesn't actually change anything relevant to her? Actually, it does. If you visit the True Lab before fighting Asgore, it gives her much more time to rethink her decision and set out after you. This was even foreshadowed at the very beginning of the game. During the combat tutorial, Toriel told you to stall for time, and she will come to resolve the conflict. By visiting the True Lab, you're stalling for time so Toriel can rethink everything and go after you to New Home, and it pays off when you encounter Asgore. Toriel does come to resolve the conflict by blasting Asgore away.

·        During the date/hangout with Undyne, there's a scene where she tells you to project your worst enemy onto some vegetables and then punch them. You then have the option to pound "strong" or "wimpy". Selecting "wimpy" makes you pet the vegetable — something you truly would do to your worst enemy on a pacifist run, given the chance. Alternatively, selecting "Strong" merely results in you pushing the vegetable over. As a pacifist, you're unable to muster any strength to fight.

·        Why is New Home so grey and lifeless-looking? Imagine yourself as a father of two, with a loving wife and hope for the future. Now imagine you lose both children in one night, make a rash promise in great anger, and accidentally drive away your wife, who leaves in disgust. You're now alone with the responsibility to continue forth with your anger-made promise, alone, against your very nature, all to try and give hope to the grieving masses. A long, slow plan that, while it does move closer to fruition, every death from it is entirely YOUR FAULT. At least in your own mind. It's any wonder Asgore can even do his daily activities... but then again, that might be how he stays sane. The color left New Home the second Asgore's loved ones did.

·        The opening with a child (we never see their face) climbing Mt. Ebott takes place in "201X". Toriel has an "old" calendar that's labelled "201x." That's not Frisk we see falling in the opening, that's the Fallen Child. Confirmed in the No Mercy route by the Fallen Child as "The day I came here." Additionally, If you look at the shirt of the person in the opening, their clothes don't match up with Frisk's; there's only one stripe on the shirt. They do match up with the shirt that the Fallen Child wears in flashbacks and the Genocide ending.

·        Mettaton gives you extra points for complimenting his legs in the essay, and uses some leg-based attacks. As either a ghost or a box-on-wheel robot, he has never had legs before, so of course he is excited about them!

·        Asgore seems like a walking Satanic Archetype, between the weapon he uses, mythology surrounding him, and goat-like appearance, but it becomes clear within ten seconds of meeting him that none of them are applicable to him as a person. That in mind, recall that Monsters existing with humans was fact that turned into myth with the passage of time, it's incredibly likely that over the years, humanity took a measure of Written by the Winners and, requiring a designated villain, that any religions that formed probably used him as their devil figure as an attempt to demonize the monsters further and justify the fact they were the ones that started the war. In other words, he doesn't fit into a Satan-like role, but the Satan-like role was created around him.

·        Bratty and Catty are found in an alley. Bratty is an Alley-gator, and Catty is an Alley-cat, while both act like V-alley girls.

·        Why exactly did Toriel block Undyne and Alphys' first kiss despite everything you have experienced in the Underground? Note how she says "the human" instead of "the child". Perhaps it's because you are a human, a race of beings who have systematically hurt and killed people who have relationships of two men or women, even some of the nicest people have in history. She wasn't preventing loss of innocence, she was protecting them from being hurt by you overreacting out of disgust or offense. Sure, humanity is a lot more tolerant now, but with how little of human culture monsters know outside of what flows into a trash heap, they wouldn't have any way of knowing they've moved past homophobia being an acceptable standard.

·        Why does Chara have to describe everything? Frisk's eyes are closed or squinted for whatever reason. Frisk has poor eyesight, apparently.

·        The most overlooked bit is that most people usually get the meaning for Toriel's name but wonder why the player/Frisk can't call Toriel anytime after they leave the Ruins. Well, who goes BACK to the tutorial after they finish it?

·        The battle against Undyne looks a lot like a Dance Dance Revolution stage. By the time you fight her, the best equipments you can have are the Ballet Shoes and the Old Tutu.

·        Why is the best armor obtained by paying for shopkeep Temmie's college? Because Temmie's the Author Avatar of one of the game's main creators. You're bribing one of the creators of the game to make it easier for you!

·        The dusty toys at Home. It's easy to get chills because, especially after a No Mercy run, you know quite well that dust equals death, but all the dust you encounter is the immediate result of monster-slaying (for instance, the Old Tutu is remarkably dusty and suggests that the human who wore it originally killed at least one monster). But then recall how monster funerals work: they scatter the ashes of dead loved ones over their favorite things. Those are Asriel's ashes. His parents gathered up the ashes from the golden flowers and scattered them on his toys, not realizing that his consciousness had already gone into the flower bed. Even worse: no one has touched them since it happened, Asgore still has his children's room enshrined, showing that he's still deeply grieving them.

·        With 1 of each stat, Sans is listed as likely the weakest enemy in the game, but considering how powerful he is against the player in-game, this would sound like Blatant Lies, right? However, the things that make Sans so powerful against the player probably wouldn't work as well against other monsters. His Gaster Blasters not only do draining damage, but are also implied to only do damage based on negative karma. Even the worst monsters are more along the lines of just aggressive or jerkish, and none of them can really be called evil. Not only that, but most have more than enough HP to survive against hits from the blasters even if they could be damaged. Sans is also able to dodge all of your attacks, but why wouldn't he be able to when the main attack used by a player by that point is a straightforward slash? Many monsters have much more complex attacks that Sans would never have as easy of a time dodging, and with 1 HP it would only take a tap from even a weak attack to do him in. Sans really is the weakest monster, if he's only being compared to other monsters.

·        The final boss of the Pacifist path never requires you to use the FIGHT button. The final boss of the Genocide path never requires you to use the ACT command. And the final boss of the neutral path requires both of them to defeat.

·        Why can't you get the Temmie Armour in a Genocide run? Well, the population of Snowdin would at that point be either dead or evacuated, leaving the “Librarby” completely empty, which is the only place even remotely resembling the "colleg" that an aspiring and prospective Temmie could go to. Two other possibilities: Either even Temmies can recognize at this point that helping you is a bad idea(note that in the colleg's place is some premium Temmie Flakes that cost the same. An attempt to scam you, perhaps?), or anyone who's sticking with the Genocide route at this point wouldn't be that generous anyway—even if the option is still there in-universe, the PC isn't seeing or registering the option because they can't comprehend the idea of helping a monster.

·        Asriel's 'rainbow trail' in the fights against him is very prominent and most of his attacks feature rainbow colors. It's not really a rainbow though. It cycles through every color except red, because Asriel doesn't have Frisk's red SOUL.