#started to play undertale for the first time!

[callizinc]

Ok. I'm about to talk about something that... maybe everyone else has already completely put together 😭😭 BUT I haven't seen much discussion of these kinds of ideas so let's just get into it anyway HEHE!! So:

I think I understand the Forgotten Man in Chapter 3.

Firstly, something that's always made me (and my friend. Shoutout if you see this) wonder, ever since I first played Ch3, is how this Shuttah says that TV World used to look like.... Undertale. Like they say it used to be Undertale. Preceded by a line that was something like "There used to be the great wilderness here:"

.....Like. Okay. Undertale. That's Undertale. Like.... Why? .....Hello?????

And then they say:

Which i always found Very interesting. All the Dark Worlds we've seen thus far showed no signs of ever having, I guess, a "history" before their civilizations were built. It seemed as if Card Castle popped into existence already being made up of its original four kingdoms, for example.

So the concept of a Dark World that started out as just wilderness and THEN grew its civilization BECAUSE of Tenna, like it's TENNA that created the world's structure and civilization, just seemed very strange and fascinating?

(How tragic is it that Tenna spearheaded the building of TV World and all its society, possibly as a way to keep the Dreemurrs entertained and happy, only for that, too, to become obsolete and forgotten eventually? Just like the wilderness he apparently built it on top of?)

But no matter. Because I think I get it now. I get All of it.

Let's cut to Mancountry/the Forgotten Island, the last remnant of any "wilderness" we see in all of TV World, where the Man says:

I guess I do question if when he says "the whole world looked like this" he means that it was like... A video game??? Or everything was green???? Or just in a general sense that it was more wild???? Or maybe all of the above. Because either way, the whole world used to be Undertale. For some reason.

I think the Forgotten Man and the Shuttah are talking about what the Dark World looked like before the Dreemurrs bought the TV and brought Tenna home. Or, maybe they're describing what the world used to look like before Tenna frequently began to be watched by the family...? One of the two.

But, crucially, I also think this is a representation of Kris having grown up and lost the light and wonder of their childhood. A representation told a little bit through our experience as players, too.

Because Undertale is something the large majority of Deltarune players obviously have a lot of nostalgia for. Once upon a time, when many of us were children, the whole world was a frozen waste, a watery basin, a metal desert; it was a great wilderness, with no infrastructure to force you into society, nothing to force you into contracts or societal obligations or anything of the sort.

But overtime, we had no choice but to grow older and watch as ourselves and the world around us changed. The new things we had to focus on in life, the boring things, the mundane things; all of these things were built over the time we spent loving Undertale without a worry in the world.

Of course, this is a bit of a dramatization, I know none of us... Forgot about Undertale to the point of having to be reminded about it by a Childhood trauma Tree man????? But still You get what i mean hopefully LOL

And again, the same goes for Kris, even though they have no frame of reference for the descriptions of what TV World used to be. We know the Forgotten Man has SOME kind of connection to them personally, as well as their childhood. After all, the Forgotten Man says "the whole world used to look like this," and then says:

So not only can he only speak in Kris's Dark World, he can only speak in the last remnant of the nostalgic wilderness that used to be their Dark World's entire landscape. Yeah that feels pretty supportive of this idea I think LOL

The whole world used to look like this: wild, free, barren of reminders of the things that have gone wrong or all the things that have changed. Maybe it all used to look like the video games little Kris enjoyed... the ones they inadvertently played with Ramb. But either way, it was childhood innocence, plain and simplistic fun.

Hell, not only is the island the last remnant of the wilderness, it's the only place that seems to house the people who never joined Tenna's contract, the Seven Flying Aces. Based on what the Shuttah says about how people who didn't like Tenna's change left, I think the Aces might've been some of those people. Especially since Kris apparently lost them in the couch, maybe them leaving and not joining the contract is the Dark World's representation of that.

Either way... as Kris grew older, as some kinds of strange and terrible things happened to them and their life never improved again, all of the simplistic innocence that used to exist here began to disappear.

In TV world, Society was built over the wild: boring things, contracts, jobs, a world that is organized and trying to be fresh and conform to the present day, and yet is desperately clinging to the way things used to be.

In the real world, what was built on top of the wild was boring, hard for a child to understand, yet life-altering all the same. Maybe it was struggles with money as Kris's father lost his job; divorce proceedings and custody arrangements; their brother leaving for college. Either way, in both worlds, things continued to change until all that was left of what used to be was this single island.

Kris never seems to talk much about their childhood, anyway. Noelle reminisces so much about all the things they did together whenever she's around them, but we have no indication that Kris ever says anything similar, or ever presents memories of their own.

I doubt they like talking about it. They'd probably rather this island not be here at all, with how they have apparently forgot the Man countless times before. But no matter what the deal is, there's at least SOME part of them that still wishes they could go back to these times. If there wasn't, why would the Man appear and speak at all?

And if the Forgotten Man does have some kind of connection to whatever traumatic events they've suffered, as I think is extremely likely, We already know that no matter how hard they try, they "can never wash it all away."

And at the end of it all...

It's unclear how soon he means by "soon" because just prior to this dialogue, the Man says "But one day, this island will disappear, too." The phrasing of "one day" versus "soon" does seem confusing and brings to mind different time frames... But change can come in sudden and unexpected ways, after all.

Either way, the world marches on. Forgotten Island is the last haven for those who didn't join Tenna's contract, the last group of people who refused to join the march of changing times. The last reminder of the times we spent with Undertale when we were young, But try as one might, no one can escape the march of time forever.

But even if this island will disappear one day, that doesn't mean it'll be the end of good times you had like when you were a child.

Kris may not understand this yet... But no matter how much is built around the places you grew up, no matter how much you try to forget everything the reminders of your past, no matter how much things change, no matter how much you've moved away from Undertale:

[zapgun]

sand

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

S/O and skeleton get into an argument (something stupid like pineapple on pizza) and in the middle of it, S/O randomly grabs skeleton and puts him in a burrito blanket. The twist is that S/O plays skeleton's most hated song for 10 hours straight and they can't get out until the video is done. Main twelve please!

Undertale Sans - Oh well. Sans yawns, wiggles to get comfier... And falls asleep. Your blanket burrito did nothing but give him an excuse to do nothing for a few hours. You can put the music as loud as you want, but he's not waking up. You're frustrated.

Undertale Papyrus - It was funny for the first five minutes, but now he's so immensely annoyed. Papyrus is struggling in the blanket burrito, growling angrily, and eventually manages to tear the blanket in half to free himself. You might have forgotten Papyrus has a titanic strength.

Underswap Sans - He's on the floor, screeching at the top of his lungs and rolling on himself to find a way out of this hell. He's so mad. He's so, so, SO MAD. He won't stop screaming your name while desperately trying to reach your phone to stop the damn music. Please. He's sorry, ok?! Stop now! It's not funny!

Underswap Papyrus - He won't stop giggling like an evil little gremlin, not regretting anything. The music has no effect on him, he doesn't even hear it anymore after three times. What you don't know is that he teleported out when you weren't looking anymore and he filled the bed with whipped cream, before teleporting back inside his blanket burrito. He's extremely patient and waits for you to get tired just to have a reaction.

Underfell Sans - He's annoyed, but not complaining that much. But you can tell his anger is slowly building every time the damn song starts over. Eventually, a blaster appears in thin air and destroys the hell out of your stereo system. He then sighs with relief and settles more comfortably for a nap. You ask Alexa to play the music discreetly, and are welcomed with a screech of pure rage.

Underfell Papyrus - Your method of torture is pathetic, and he won't come back on his word. Just because he's your prisoner doesn't mean you win that argument. Your method to tie him is pathetic too, by the way. He could literally stand up, and then all your plan is ruined. He's just staying there because he said he won't let you lie on the couch, and he's going to be an ass about it to the very end. By tying him here, you just made him harder to move, so he doesn't even understand what you're doing. You clearly have no sense of strategy whatsoever; he pities you.

Horrortale Sans - He stares at you with the saddest puppy eyes you have ever seen him do. He knows you can't resist and that the more time passes, the guiltier you feel. He can read you like an open book. You're desperately trying to not meet his eyes, but then he starts crawling on the floor like a worm, pathetically, whining sadly at your feet. He wins after half an hour. He then hugs you, traps you, and throws you in the blanket burrito. Now cry. Unlike you, he's good at having no mercy.

Horrortale Papyrus - He's more patient than you are and he knows exactly how to annoy you. He starts to sing along with the song. Willow's voice is LOUD, but more importantly, he's a terrible singer. Poor Oak has a headache after ten minutes and goes to free his brother, ruining your plan. Willow knew it would end like this all along, and he's so proud of himself.

Swapfell Sans - He's staring at you, straight in the eyes, not saying anything. Just staring. He can feel how uncomfortable you are after only five minutes, and he will keep doing this until you give up and free him. Oh, you can try to flee to another room. He blocked all the exits with bones. You're stuck with him. You're going to free him. You and no one else. He hopes you're regretting already. He's better at this than you.

Swapfell Papyrus - Fine. You deserved it. He starts to scream like he's getting murdered, then screams for help. Not ten minutes later, the police show up on your doorstep, as you're begging him to shut up. But no, Rus keeps screaming, even louder, all while giving you a mischievous look at the same time. You're the one who did this. After all, he's a prisoner. Are you regretting enough yet to free him so he can find a bullshit excuse to save your sorry butt?

Fellswap Gold Sans - He patiently waits for you to finish emprisonning him inside your blanket burrito. You look so proud of yourself and sure that he can't move. Well. Right after you give him a triumphant look, he stands up, your blanket burrito falling on the floor with your hopes and dreams. Wine gives you a gentle pat on the head, tells you lovingly that you are sleeping on the couch tonight, and then leaves. Have fun. You're so mad.

Fellswap Gold Papyrus - He whines. Not loud, but enough to be annoying. You can tell he's doing it on purpose because every time he stops, you see him scan your face to see if it's working or not. You're not entering his game. You're strong and independent. Except when it's not working, Coffee tells you with a very cold and mischievous voice that if you don't free him now, he's going to scream after his brother. You gasp, telling him he's bluffing. Coffee takes a deep breath, you freak out, and run to free him.

[sodaspons]

she’s come so far

[peachyutdr]

i finished it, was kicked out of the game, and then spent the next 10 minutes drawing this. i will now go take a shower, most likely cry, and then go through the emotional turmoil of convincing myself to reset so i can do a geno run. i hate it here :D

[huidol]

What a deceptive use of the word "you."

uncovered version under the cut

[assassin-artist]

you'll never guess what ive been getting into lately

[shrimpactually]

so i have never played deltarune and have only played about 30 minutes of undertale but like a week ago one of my friends said i was similar to noelle holiday (true) and between cursory wiki browsing, the incredibly wonderful artists and comics that have been crossing my dash, and talking with friends i fear i am hooked so uh. doodle page of the guys from memory!

some i clearly remember better than others (noelle i am so so fond of you) but it was very fun to do even if i got a lot of design things wrong lol! (more closeups under the cut)

[ingihasextra]

toby fox and co youve done it again

[lucxien]

papyrus!

bonus:

[undertale-fic-librarby]

Featured Fic Friday!

Welcome to Featured Fic Friday! A day where I, or someone who suggests one, tell you about a fanfic that I really enjoy! Spoiler's under the cut! Today's featured fic is...

The One Where Sans Tells It Like It Is. (Or: The One Where Sans Is Number One Dunckle) by marauding_bagel (General Audiences, Complete)

When Toriel asked him to attend the meeting in her place for one night he thought it wouldn't be a big deal. Turns out Sans could not have been more wrong.

A bit of a short fic, there's a surprising lack of fics with this concept! Even still, I like the way the author exectues the idea! I loved reading comics similar to this fic when I was younger, so this threw me back a bit!

I enjoy the way the author writes the characters, & how they have them interact with each other!

Spoilers ahead!

I really like how the author includes some of the reactions from the unamed parents also at the meeting, having mentions of nods of agreement & cheering when Sans insults Helen's brownies!

[yuriyuruandyuraart]

ready to be funky!

[youjusttryandstopme]

IT MIGHT OF TAKEN ME ABOUT EIGHT HOURD TOTAL, BUT GERSON IS DEFEATED AND I FEEL

VINDICATED!!!

[51nn0n]

Finally fought The Old Man for the first time and lemme tell ya! That was my favorite battle in the whole game!!! Jesus Christ!!! That was amazing!!! I might’ve cried a little! (Okay a lot a little) But☝️that was absolutely fantastic I mean good lord just EVERYTHING! Every aspect of that battle was like perfection I cannot praise it enough

[buttercupshands]

I honestly can't believe it took me 7 years

[n4rval]

a little pause on art for finals(they are all late) but boy has brain been braining

more specifically on dings' dynamic as asriel and chara's weird uncle bc that's just something i don't see a lot