revisedgrthe2nd

[revisedgrthe2nd]

"It Tries Its Best" - A Deltarune Oneshot - 332 Words

Kris wasn't particularly good at reading people. Especially people that weren't people, like whatever this... thing, inside them is. But there were still certain things they'd been able to pick up on, from all the choices it's made. For instance: It cared deeply, about this world. Of course, that doesn't make it any better in Kris' eyes, puppeteering them should negate all of that, but still, they... Even outside of the pacifism, it's always trying to lift others up. Telling Ralsei to think for himself, and that it's okay not to smile, messing around, and having fun with Susie, or comforting Noelle and trying to be her wingman.

Not throttling Berdly. Really, it was too kind.

Its relentless enthusiasm for every one and every thing, they can feel it. The excitement and concern and passion, it all resonates so strongly in Kris' soul. It even, for reasons unbeknownst to them, is making an effort to befriend Kris, as well. It answered Tenna's questions about them flawlessly, and has tried, on several occasions, to endear Susie to them. To make sure they have friends. Reconnecting old bridges, like with Noelle.

And yet it won't. Let. Go. Every night, they still have to rip it out of their system, lock it away, and go to sleep with a chilling void, in their chest. Just so they can sleep normally, because trying to pass out without being able to move your arms or legs is hell. Is there a reason it's stuck around? Can it even leave?

...

It doesn't matter. They're home. Sans is there. Life is a big, confusing mess, and they're locking their SOUL away for the umpteenth time, laying sprawled out on the bed. Their eyes drifts over to the red glow, from their bird cage. It's been shuffling back and forth against the side of it, miming an attempt to bust out, though not actually hitting anything. Which is a little funny, but. They're too tired to laugh.

Their eyes close.

* ( You find a hyperlink, at the bottom of this fic... )

https://archiveofourown.org/works/66285013

* ( It appears to be working. )

[revisedgrthe2nd]

hi :D

oh hello-

[revisedgrthe2nd]

@awkwardlyflustered you seein' this sh*t?

You guys wanna know my favorite fact?

Who am I kidding of course you do.

I love cashews. Not cause they taste good, not cause they look cool.

But because they grow one at a time on a small fruit called a cashew apple and I think it’s the funniest thing IN THE WORLD.

A WHOLE FRUIT GROWS FOR ONE LITTLE CASHEW

The best part is it looks fake!!! It’s like some fake cartoon! They grow on the bottom and it looks like someone who was trying to gaslight you into thinking a cashew grows like this

I swear on my life this is 100% how they grow. It’s ridiculous. Look at them. Look it’s so dumb lookit. One cashew. One.

(Anyway I have a keychain from Nicaragua that has a cashew apple on it and everyone asks me what it is and I get to tell them that cashews are the worlds goofiest nut and I love it)

[revisedgrthe2nd]

(puts finger on my earpiece) i am being told the funny timeloop rpg In Stars and Time has sold ✨ 100,000 units worldwide ✨ accross all platforms. what the crab

thank you for your support??!?!?!?!! this number is too big i do not know how to react to this. thank you

[revisedgrthe2nd]

A compilation of (hopefully) every Undertale emote on Steam. More below the cut.

-With Descriptions-

-Standalone-

-Preview Images-

[revisedgrthe2nd]

I Thought I Was A Goner

~An In Stars and Time Fic~

AO3 version here.

Summary:

All you can think of is a hand, grip tightening, blood seeping through cracks in the gauntlet.

Hah, hah... The thought terrifies you.

Or: Goner Kid event, but ISAT.

Siffrin's eye shoots open, heart beating a mile a minute as their overwhelming desire to 'MOVE, JUST MOVE, DO SOMETHING' culminates in a hand swatting at the air, pathetically. Their arm falls limp right after. They were back. They'd managed to loop back, but Bonnie-! They were too late! He was too late, and Bon- They shoot up from their spot, marching down the path, stopping only when they see Mirabelle. "Oh, Siffrin-!" She starts, cheerfully.

"Hey, Mira." He cuts her off, trying to sound calm. "Have you seen Bonnie?" They need to. He needs to.

"Bonnie...?" She cocks her head to the side. "They're... Over by the veggie fields, aren't they?" Not enough. He needs confirmation.

"Thanks." He walks off, not stopping even as she tries to get their attention. All that matters is making sure Bonnie's okay, this entire loop can burn to the ground, otherwise. Realistically, they knew. Time looped back, Bon-bon's safe and sound, but... ...The air feels colder than usual. He thinks there are fewer birds about, though they can't recall how many were here to begin with. Everything just feels wrong. ...They reach the field quick enough. "Bonnie." The kid doesn't move, for a moment. Then they glance over their shoulder.

"hey-" They do a double take. "...frin? Are you okay?" They're fine. He's fine. "You look... Really tired." Siffrin can feel the tension in their face drop slightly, a halfhearted grin forming, despite himself. "Did what the king do to me scare you that badly...?" The tension returns, having tripled as every hair on his body stands on end.

He sputters. "Wh- Bonnie, what?"

"The King," they say, as if that answers any of the questions he has. "He... Crushed me. Are you scared?" They stop leaning on the fence, turning to face him fully. Their face... is... How the Change God looked, when they took Loops' form. "Did you think, when you asked Mirabelle about me, that she wouldn't know who you were talking about?" They're talking so strangely. And the look on their face...

Siffrin places a hand on his dagger, but thinks better of pulling it out. "You're not them," he says, brow furrowed.

Bonnie(?) ignores him. "Did you think I was gone?" He feels water drip down his forehead. There's no rain, nor is he sweating. They step toward him. "What's wrong? Aren't you happy? I'm here. Safe. Sound. Really, it's the others you should be worrying yourself over."

Siffrins' grip on his dagger tightens as Bonnie(?) approaches. "...Others?" They don't answer him immediately. There's a few agonizing seconds of dead silence. Then...

"Loop number ninety seven, timeline number one thousand two hundred and three. You've died seventy three times, were frozen by tears and/or sadnesses seventeen times, and looped back of your own accord for the remaining seven." Siffrin steps back, eyes widened. He struggles to even comprehend all of that, the sheer magnitude. They're cut out of their thoughts before a spiral can occur by the next thing to leave Bonnie(?)'s mouth. "What happened to those timelines, Siffrin?" Suddenly, the magnitude feels more akin to a boulder placed atop their shoulders. "What fate do you think befell those versions of you? Of everyone?" Their attention is torn between thoughts of everyone being forced to fend for themselves after their passing, and Bonnie(?)'s continued approach. His arm wavers and shakes, not steady enough to grab hold of dagger's hilt. "Where are they, 'frin? Did they cease to exist? Odile? Isabeau? Mirabelle? ...Me?" They stop, mere inches from him, though too short to be up in his face.

...

Silence. As they stare with limp eyes. "Bonnie-" Siffrin begins, not knowing what else to really say.

...

...

...They open their mouth.

"Who's Bonnie?" In a flicker, everything shifts. They're back over by the fence, the birds return in force, the wind blow briskly, and warmly, and Siffrin can't help but tear up. Even as Bonnie looks at them, all they feel is pure dread hanging over them. Even as they ask if he's okay. Even as they realize he's not. Even as they bring him to Mira, who brings him to the Clocktower, who has him rest early today even though after what just happened the likeliness of a peaceful rest remains zero. Even after sleeping, entering the House, enduring snack time after snack time of not being able to look Bonnie in the face, after making it to the King and slicing him to shreds whenever he so much as glances at Bonnie... The thought couldn't leave their head. 'What happened to them?'

They start encountering... Echoes, they'll call them. They start encountering echoes, a few loops after this encounter. In similar places they'd been before, doing similar things, from previous loops. Sans their party, strangely. It only serves to hammer it home, like a chisel being taken to their brain, 'what happened', 'what happened to them', 'what have you done'... As their echo distorts and fades, having given their group a saddening smile, all eyes turn to him. They feel a tug on their stomach, but fear grinds it to a halt-! If they loop back, what happens? What's going to happen to their family? The past few times were out of necessity, but this... Well...

He steels himself. But even as the group approaches, the pulling sensation never leaves them completely. It gnaws at their insides, much the same manner Bonnie(?)'s question gnaws at their mind... There would be no more unnecessary looping, this, he would make certain of. To create as few timelines as possible where his party were defenseless, and killed, that should have been his goal from the beginning!

But, he reasons, it's fine. They know now, they won't. Make. That. Mistake. Again.

...

...'What happened to them?"

[revisedgrthe2nd]

Shattered Across Games

~An In Stars and Time Fic~

AO3 version here.

Summary:

* But something changed.

Or: Mysteryman FUN event, but in ISAT.

[Loop #66, FUN: 77]

The lightless, dreary walls of the House are a blur as Siffrin marches through the third floor with efficiency. They’d wager this is their thirtieth time through, with how routine it had become. Certainly more, actually, but any attempt at guessing higher left them feeling sick. They had just finished obliterating the crest-holding sadness, ready to take the item and open the way to the Keyknife. They nearly do, holding the crest out, feeling it react. But they zone back in just enough to realize. There's a third path. One dead ahead of them, covered in a row of tears just like the correct path off to their left.

They look at it. Then the other hall. Then back at it. And they purse their lips. It would be a waste not to investigate something this blatantly new, but at the same time, the proper lead they're chasing would have to be put on the back burner. Then again! It's not like paths just. Appear like that, right? With no reason?? What if it wasn't there, next loop? If it came so suddenly, it could disappear too, right?

Some concerned looks from the others encourage them to make their decision, holding out the crest, and erasing the tears blocking the way. Worst case, they could loop back, and write it off as a dead-end. They step into the newly-cleared hallway, followed closely by their family. The floor here had a gradient effect, both in shade, and in material, transitioning to metal more and more the further they walked. It was as smooth as the frozen floors of the House, though louder, their shoes making metallic clanks with each step.

They glance behind themself at the Funny Noises Appreciation… Crew? They're gone. Their entire family’s missing, in just a blink. Siffrin was alone. They whip their head around, calling out. "Isa?! Mira?!" Nobody responds. "...Odile?? .......Bonnie?" But nobody came. They wait a moment. Still nothing. The way they came in had become a metallic wall, so there was no way out. There didn't seem to be any tears, and their dagger wasn't seeming too appealing, so looping back wouldn't happen.

There was no easy way back, in death or by foot, so… They take out their hand, calling Loop. The loud cacophony of noise that rattles around their head startles them into throwing their hand back down, ending the call. So that wasn’t happening either, that was fine! This was fine, everything was fine, they were just… All alone, in a part of the House they’d never seen before, it’d be okay!

All they could do was press on, which they did, already missing their family’s (and Loop’s) support. This part of the House was dark. Hard to navigate. It almost seemed unfinished, the way furniture was scattered about, some not fitting the aesthetic, and others shoved haphazardly through walls. Floating words, random holes into the void, near-impossible climbs... Suddenly, Siffrin’s glad Bonnie’s not here for this, they’d surely have gotten themselves hurt. They play with their coin to pass the time, flipping it in the air for a while, mentally tallying how many times it lands on each side.

There weren’t any sadnesses, which they were thankful for, but their absence only aided the surreal feeling that coated everything. Unease, dread, a hint of foreboding… This was building up to something, it felt like. What that was, though, remained to be seen.

Finally, after ten minutes or so of hopping on tables to scale walls to reach doors to cross bottomless pits to advance even a fraction of a room, Siffrin arrives at something decidedly different. A tall door, perfectly between darkless and lightless in shade. It stuck out like a sore thumb, not even matching the light level of the room. They grab the knob without hesitation, twisting, and pushing. Then when that doesn't work, they pull, swinging the door wide open, and stepping inside!

It's a near empty room, the same shade as the door. There's a weapons rack against the back wall, directly in front of Siffrin, with a tall, strange... Thing? Person? Sadness? Standing in front of it, turned away from them. It’s slouched over, the top of its head(?) barely poking out above its shoulders. Its body is fully lightless, its head the opposite. They would mistake it for being frozen in time, if it weren’t for the faint rise and fall of its torso. They approach. "Hey," he says, when it doesn't react to his steps. There's no response. "Hey," they repeat, louder. Nothing.

They step around to its side. The creature has two cracks near its eyes, one going up, the other down. Its grin is wide, though otherwise, its face is restful. Its eyes are… Perfectly hollow. Siffrin reaches out, tapping it on the shoulder.

…!!!

The figure tenses up, back straightening, eyes darting over to them, and head spinning to match. The look of terror on its cracked, broken face causes dread to run down Siffrin's spine, moments before the creature vanishes. Just... Into thin air, the same way their family did! They freeze, eyes rapidly darting around the area it once occupied, processing what just happened. Silence hangs over like a knife. They put a hand on the weapon rack, breathing as well as they can. In… And out. Phewwwwww! Something on the floor catches their eye, and they glance down, still stunned into motionlessness by the encounter.

It's an egg. Just a normal egg, do they even have chickens in Dormont? Plenty of birds, but this is undoubtedly a chicken egg. ...Hm. Bonbon could make something with this, they think. He crouches, slowly, pocketing the egg. Then, he stands, also slowly. They look at the weapon rack, trying to draw their mind off of that face. Most of the weapons don’t budge, but the one that does, catches their eye the most. It’s a dull blade, perfect for cutting plants, or vines. Could use some sharpening, but… They grab it, and shove it into their pocket.

Siffrin sighs to himself, doing one last breathing exercise, fear delicately subsiding. He turns around, walking over to the door. Twist the knob, push, step outside, and-  "...Sif? You okay?" They blink.

They’re back in the proper House, moments before using the star crest on the phantom path that, true to its monichor, is now missing. "I, uh, think you're facing the wrong way to be using that." He glances over his shoulder at Isabeau, who is, in turn, staring at them worriedly. He blinks again, looking at the star crest in his hand. ...Then gingerly tosses it into the correct row of tears.

"Having troubles with perception, Siffrin?" Odile adds.

He shakes his head. "No, I'm good, just spaced out." They smirk. "No need to get teary-eyed over me, Odile.~" Predictably, Isa has to stop himself from doubling over in laughter, and everyone else groans. Mira, ever the pun-based wildcard, has to stifle a laugh, this time. Success! "Let's go," they say. Their family didn't seem to remember anything, and it hardly mattered, in the end. They didn't discover more info about the loops, nor the king, and all they found was a new dagger, plus some food. They check their pocket. The egg's still on them, so they'd have to remember to hand that to Bonnie during the next snack break. ...Aaaaaand they have something to talk to Loop about, now, assuming they saw all of that.

But! That could wait. They still have a lead, and by the Universe, they are going to follow it as far as it can take them. ...No matter how many strange distractions get in their way. Right now, they could just… chalk this up to a bad dream, and move on. They have a country to save, and a loop to break, preferably in that order. They’re Determined to see it through.

[revisedgrthe2nd]

happy 9th anniversary undertale!!!

[revisedgrthe2nd]

~Adrift~ An Original Short Story

Word Count: 328

Summary: The multiverse is a large place. Many lives, and experiences, each unique in their perspective, and brimming with possibility. But possibility… Brews trouble. And that's where 99 steps in.

More of a writing-prompt-sized opening to a story than anything, but I had an idea I liked, so I wrote something for it.

99's eyes shoot open, darting about his surroundings, the after-effects of adrenaline still acting upon his mind. He looks at his hands (we have no hands), checks his pulse (don't have that either), then his watch (we weren't even wearing that when we messed up), and his breathing gradually steadies itself. He grasps at his chest (we don't have a physical form). He- He pauses.

The panic wears off slowly, and he's able to take things in more clearly. He's… Adrift, again. Back in the nothingness between worlds. And his form is more of a lack-thereof; reduced to incorporeality. That… Well, that could only mean one thing.

Did we fail? He questions, to himself. With no mind to contain the thought, it echoes all around. He feels a tug.

(we did)

Oh. Silence fills the void. I'm-

(don't) (won't help us now to feel sorry about it) (only thing we can do is)

Do better next time, 99 finishes. Right. He mimics a sigh, just eager to get to the next universe. He tries not think about it. About the life he just ruined. Ruined beyond what it already was, anyway, that person was in quite the dire state when he took over. With their guidance, it was easy to survive, but… 99 had grown reliant on them, and-

(what happened to not thinking about it)?

He does his best approximation of a blink, given his non-form, then agrees with an echoey hum. Sorry. Are we almost-?

(yes)

Alright then. The two return to peaceful quiet, anticipation steadily rising. Every new universe they entered, it was always a strange sight to behold, and so excitement was no rare commodity, even in the build-up between ventures. 99 could see the barrier between the void and this new universe come into view. They were always the same: a spattering of dark hues, wild and free, endlessly shifting into many a new form. Almost reminded him of himself, in a way.

The wall comes closer, or perhaps, he came closer to it. It was hard to tell, but the semantics mattered little as his very soul reached out. With all his might, 99 tugs, pulling and reeling himself in. His entire “body” was pressed up against it, slowly melding into the colors, until…

…His eyes flutter open. He wears a grin, thankful to be able to feel his arms, and legs, and head. He even welcomed the exhaustion of maintaining a physical form, just happy to be feeling anything. But that was neither here nor there.

(get up) (we have a life to save).

And so, he does.

[revisedgrthe2nd]

Dr.Kel Audio Log Day(s) 1-5

Hello you fancy people! Tumblr likes to take audio stuff and crank the volume up so be aware of that!

I had this idea while playing on the recent patch. So I did just that! Just kinda what happens during the day of the game in the style of an in character log. There are so many fun and random events that can happen so I also wanted to document them!

Bear in mind there may/will be spoilers for story events and the random events so listen with caution fellow researcher!

So yeah, hope it tickles someones fancy!

[revisedgrthe2nd]

Possession PSA.

Thank you @ferronickel for giving me this crack head idea.

[revisedgrthe2nd]

So many questions... so little answers

FIRST - PREVIOUS - NEXT

MASTERPOST (for the full series / FAQ / reference sheets)

[revisedgrthe2nd]

Intro Post ™

Almost slipped my mind to make one of these, but here it is. Heya! I'm Samantha, a fic writer, and my pronouns are she/her. I'm into a few different fandoms, though at the time of writing this, I've only written for one of them. Hope to change that soon, though! Oh, and I don't really do commissions. I mean in the future I'll figure out what to do with that, but until then, you can just… I dunno, throw ideas at me and I may or may not do them.

The fandoms I'm a part of, in no particular order:

— Undertale (and many of its AU's) — Deltarune (and some of its AU's) — In Stars and Time — Sonic The Hedgehog (IDW Comic Ver.) — OneShot — The SCP Universe (mostly the normal “canon”, not stuff like ad astra per aspera or broken masquerade) — Gravity Falls

And a few more that I'm in, but don't feel toooo comfortable writing for, just yet:

— Omori — OFF — FNaF — Steven Universe — Resident Evil — Murder Drones — TADC

Can you tell what my favorite type of game is?

Anywho, with the introductions out of the way, below is a master list of fics or other projects that are either in-progress, or complete. It's a bit of a short list right now, but that'll change one day!

- One-shots -

— Maybe You'll Change — Undertale — Just your standard end-of-Genocide-Route tale. I used this to practice writing.

— Adrift — Original — A super short under-400-word opening to a story that I really liked the idea of, but I don't have it in me to do more with right now. So I figured I'd share it with others.

— Shattered Across Games — ISAT — The Mysteryman event, except it's In Stars and Time.

— I Thought I Was A Goner — ISAT — Goner Kid event, but ISAT.

- Multi-Chapter Stories -

— COMMUNITY — (Currently not released!) The Roaring, just a day before the festival… What irony.

- Miscellaneous Projects -

— myworld.dfmap — A custom series of maps for the online Undertale MMORPG called DONTFORGET Connected! The first room is currently released, along with some… Interesting… Bonuses. If you like flavor text and aimless wandering, then this is probably right up your alley!

(Psst, link to my buymeacoffee here!)

[revisedgrthe2nd]

Custom DONTFORGET Connected Map

Lil' blurry, because I can't screenshot the full-screen version of the game. Anyway, room 1's done, onto the next. This is playable, so if you're a fan of flavor text and walking around... Well. Here ya go? I guess?? Just place the three map files into your Maps folder, which should be located wherever you store the game. From there, head to Offline mode. Open your cell phone. Go to editor. Go to Load Custom Map. Then select myworld.dfmap.

[revisedgrthe2nd]

Sans did ur mom

[revisedgrthe2nd]

~Maybe You'll Change~ An Undertale Fic

* Determination.

Word Count: 3922

Character Count: 22258

TW'S/CW's: Heavy usage of a knife, repeated main character death, and mild-to-sometimes-slightly-intense gore as well as violence.

Summary: Frisk had come far, now. From the Ruins, all the way to the end, they had grown so immeasurably powerful. And they could tell the end was approaching. They felt it, deep in their very SOUL. What was Flowey saying? It didn't matter. …He seemed scared. Good. He disappeared into the ground again. That's fine. There's barely anywhere left for him to run. With Flowey temporarily out of their way, they step into the glistening hall.

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

Golden rays cast themselves over the corridor, entering from a myriad of stained-glass murals on the left wall. Pillars line the hall, each with their own small pocket of shadow, protecting anything within from sight. And yet, this did not completely hide the individual standing at the end of the room—not that he was trying to be stealthy. Frisk would normally feel a mixture of apprehension and excitement, at the prospect of their journey reaching its end. And once upon a time, they did.

But their actions. Their LV. Their EXP. It stained their SOUL and clouded their mind. There was no joy, in this sure victory. Just a hollow, empty feeling. They were getting stronger. They reach out and touch the golden star before them, so vibrant, and elegant. There was nothing. No words of encouragement or affirmations of Determination. They SAVE. It was time.

Frisk marches down the final corridor, like a soldier into battle, each step rhythmic and practiced, from their endless search for monsters to slay. It takes what feels like an eternity to reach the shadowy figure, whose identity they already know. They make no reaction when Sans steps out from the dark, and greets them with a smile. “heya.” They thought about attacking Sans right then and there. But… Still. A part of them is curious as to what he has to say, given everything they've done. If this is to be their judgement, like so many times before… Yes. This would be very, very interesting.

“you've been busy, huh?” He continues. To no response. “…so. i've got a question for ya.” He closes his eyes, deep in thought, before finally letting out what he yearned to ask. “do you think... that even the worst person, can change? that everyone can be a good person, if they just try?” What was he doing? It was almost laughable, his attempt at appealing to the anomaly's humanity. Pathetic. All Frisk answers with is a step forward, and a brandish of their knife.

“right.” Sans sighs, after hearing their footstep, almost certainly having expected that. Still. An admirable attempt, Frisk had to admit. Everyone was dead, and this skeleton still had the gall to parrot his late brothers' words. “well, here's a better question.” The monster opens his eyes. They're entirely hollow. A face Frisk had seen once before, way back in Snowdin. God, how it scared them, back then. Almost made them give up entirely on this path. Now? There was no room for fear. Only power.

“d o y o u w a n n a h a v e a b a d t i m e ?” Frisk raises an eyebrow, faint enough that even they don't realize it. “'cause if you take another step forward, you are really not going to like what happens next."

Frisk steps forward immediately, accepting the challenge in earnest. Their face, for the briefest of moments, even contained... A faint smile. But it was gone, before either party could register its existence.

Sans shrugs, closing both eyes once more. “welp. sorry, old lady.” A part of Frisk not belonging to them bubbles in anger, for a moment, at the reference to Toriel. But it subsides quickly enough. His eyes open. Not hollow, and yet, the expression conveys about as much disappointment. “this is why i never make promises.” Sans pauses for a moment, letting the silence convey the hell the human has wrought. But he continues. The only path is forward, and stalling wouldn't be tolerated for much longer. “it's... a beautiful day, outside.” Dust is scattered across the underground, Frisk internally finishes. And the surface will be draped in ash. “birds are singing,” horrid funerary knells. “flowers are blooming,” living the remainder of their lives in the dark. “and on days like these, kids like you…”

The world grows darker, for just a moment. “s h o u l d b e b u r n i n g i n h e l l .” That, at least, Frisk could agree on. Taking this as their cue to start, Frisk lunges toward Sans, swinging their knife! But as the blade careens through the air, their momentum halts, and the swing finishes mere inches away from the skeleton's chest. Their SOUL had been turned blue. Sans flicks his hand forward, causing Frisk's SOUL, and by extension, them, to be sent flying back to the end of the corridor they had arrived from. They slam into the wall, gritting their teeth from the pain, as they feel tiny trails of blood drip down the back of their head.

The wall begins to crack further, and before they can react, bones jut out, impaling them all throughout. Their torso and legs are pierced; their arms have barely been spared, and their skull is just a little too thick to be stabbed so easily. They can feel their energy and HP, draining at a rapid pace, from the attack. Mercifully, the bones retreat into the wall after another few moments, leaving Frisk to fall to the ground, bloody and riddled with holes. And only a few seconds into the fight, too.

This would be fun, they thought. Slowly, but surely, they push themselves off the floor, gripping their knife ever tighter as they rise and make a mad dash down the corridor. But they don't get very far before another onslaught of bones begins to assault them, stabbing out of the walls near Sans and flying down the golden hall, creating a zigzag pattern that Frisk expertly runs through. They only suffer a minor cut on their calf near the end.

By the time he ran out of bones, Frisk was mere feet away. They select FIGHT from their little wheel of actions, but don't get the chance to lunge again. Time seems to slow, as a dragon-looking skull appears between them, charging something in its mouth. With no ability to correct themselves out of the line of fire, Frisk braces for the attack! A white-hot laser slams into them. Their skin is scorched, burned, and torn, until they are eventually completely eviscerated. They now lie on the floor, a tattered, flaming corpse. Their SOUL rises from their chest, red, and glistening. It snaps in half, in a crooked, uneven manner. It shatters into thousands of pieces.

FILE 1 LOADED

Frisk was back in the corridor, right where they had saved. For a good few moments, they're just… Still. Processing what had happened. Replaying the few seconds it had taken them to die, over, and over, and over again, baffled. They expected a challenge. They expected Asgore to be their final obstacle, ten times worse than Undyne ever was. But no. That role was taken. By Sans the Fucking Skeleton. They sigh, disappointed, and yet, with an ever-slowly-building sense of… Excitement? They hadn't felt that since Undyne harnessed the power of Determination against them.

Regardless of this rising feeling, the more potent emotion dominates their face. Scowling all the way down the corridor, Sans steps from the shadows once again. He starts talking, and Frisk begins to zone out, until they hear his first few words. “heya. you look... frustrated about something.” This catches their attention, and the change in expression, as subtle as it may be, doesn't go unnoticed by the skeleton.

His eyes go hollow, once more. “guess i'm pretty good at my job, huh?” He closes his eyes again, ready to start the same spiel as last time. … Hopefully.

“it's a beautiful day outside. birds are singing,” he throws his hand out of his pocket, turning Frisk's SOUL blue like last time, and flinging them to the opposite end of the corridor. Anticipating what to do now, although still heavily caught off guard, Frisk manages to leap away just in time to avoid being impaled. Gravity returns to normal. Significantly less injured than last time, Frisk rushes down the corridor, dodging the zigzag bones, and taking their time even after getting within slashing distance of Sans. Sure enough, the skull- blaster? -appears, charging its laser. Frisk tactically rolls to the side, before bumping into another skull right at the end.

'Shit' is all that courses through their mind, as the skull discharges its laser right into their side, sending them flying to the other wall, and severely burning them. Their skin flakes, and scorches, as the flame spreads up their arm, said limb having taken the brunt of the attack. It was now nearly useless, the nerves were damaged, and the blade had slipped from their grasp due to this. There was no pain. They had forsaken that weakness somewhere around LV. 10 or 12. But still, it was definitely a pain. They were never good with their left hand, but it's their only choice, as they slip down the wall, and take the dagger once more. Only to be completely engulfed by another laser right after. They really needed to pay more attention, they thought, as their body was once again obliterated. Their SOUL shatters.

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They return to the end of the corridor, quickly turning ninety degrees to the left, and stomping their way back down to Sans. He wears a shit-eating grin, not too different from his usual one. In fact, it might be his normal look, Frisk wasn't a stickler for details. Not anymore. All that mattered was wiping it off his skull, by any. Means. Necessary. They tune back in, right as he starts going on whatever tangent he feels like, this time. “heya. that look on your face… that's the look of someone who's died two times in a row.” He closes his eyes, as Frisk tightens their grip on the knife.

“suffice to say, you look really… unsatisfied. heh. alright then.” Opened eyes. Hollow, once again.

“wanna help me make it a third?” Cue the battle, as the opening attack repeats with 1-to-1 levels of accuracy with all other attempts before. They get scraped by the bones that stab from the wall at the beginning, but only enough to take- they check their hp -ten damage. This motherfucker dealt ten damage from less than a second of contact. They were barely even cut, yet it's like their blood is finding any and all ways to escape their body, as if the rate at which they bled out was just… Tripled. This entire scenario would've been unthinkable even five, ten, or twenty minutes ago. Sans had a strange effect applied to his attacks, had complicated patterns, had fucking lasers…

Luckily, they get a reprieve from thinking about that clusterfuck of a situation. Sans' attack had ended. After three deaths. Horrible start, but could be worse. Sans speaks up, again. “huh." He shrugs, winking at Frisk. “always wondered why nobody ever used their strongest attack first.” And he's smart, to top off the list of ways Frisk is screwed over, here. But it doesn't matter. He could have every possible advantage given to him on a silver platter, and none of it would save him, because Frisk was not about to give up. Their Determination- as well as their willingness to beat this joke of a character -was all they needed. Infinite attempts mean that anything with a possibility higher than zero is effectively a guarantee, and Frisk was about to prove that.

Just, y'know… Had to die. A lot. Who knows? Maybe the fight would end in one hit! After all, they had just gotten their strongest weapon yet, it'd be strange for this skeleton to resist it. Not that he hadn't been full of surprises today, but as Frisk rushed forward, knife brandished, they knew hope was essential. They swing their dull blade through the air, meeting their mark with a heavy... ...Nothing. They strike open air. Sans had sidestepped their attack, and in his place, in big, bold lettering, “MISS” appears. It doesn't stay for long, disappearing by the time they recover from their failed strike.

“what, did'ja expect me to just stand there and take it?" He winks. Again. That godforsaken wink… Frisk's body almost moves on its own when they apply pressure to the ground, rocketing toward the annoying skeleton. They strike again. And he dodges. Again. Another strike. He dodges. They go for another slice. Their blade does hit something, though it's not Sans' rib cage. The implement gets stuck between two bones, which rose up and met Frisk's strike perfectly, trapping the weapon firmly.

They let go, leaping backward as their survival instincts kicked in. They were right to do so, as a bone burst through the floor, right where they were standing. Frisk furrows their brow slightly, thinking on the fly to find a plan of attack. They step around the bone that they'd narrowly just avoided, dash forward, and crouch into a slide. They thrust their foot into one of the bones that held their blade, and caught it on the way down. Slice, slice, slice, as they use their momentum to spring back to a standing position. Sans was out of range for the first hit and ducked under the second. When he did, a bone launched from behind where his head was. It didn't pierce Frisk's skull, thankfully, but it certainly left them rattled after slamming into their face.

They fall back onto the ground, stunned, and shocked. There's a blinding light above them. They roll to the right, narrowly avoiding a blaster that fires directly at where they just were. The vapor, or plasma, or whatever it is, spreads out slightly from the impact site, catching Frisk on the arm, and lowering their HP further. 57/92, from the smack to the face, and the brief contact with hot death. This fight would take forever, if things continued in this manner, but luckily, Frisk had gotten over the shock factor. Now all that was left was his death.

…But Frisk, having spent too much time pondering, was finally struck with a lethal blow. One bone. Right through the heart. A part of them felt frustrated, and even disappointed, having left themselves so open like that. But it was for the best. A clean slate, to do things over again, now that they knew what to expect. They fall to their knees. And then they die.

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They walk to Sans. Whatever he says doesn't matter. They dodged his first attack. Flawlessly, this time, having gotten the general patterns down pat. And then, the real fight begins. Sans was… Formidable. If his first attack didn't prove that to Frisk, the onslaught of tricks and surprise attacks certainly did. He took after his brother, like that. Or… Was it the other way around? No time to ponder that, Frisk is dead. Again.

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Skip Sans' dialogue. Dodge the first attack. Get a little farther, avoiding his moves with learned and practiced motions. As long as they took the same actions, so did Sans, and that means, they could easily learn how to overcome this joke. This cruel, twisted, sick joke of a monster. What was Sans talking about, now? Timelines? And how, after a certain point, every single one just… Ends? Fascinating. But they were never a fan of science fiction. And besides, if that was true, then that means Frisk had already won. So why was he delaying the inevitable...?

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Frisk hated Sans' platform attacks. Where the floor was overrun with bones and the only safety was a green-outlined black platform, which took them through a deadly gauntlet of bones and attacks. That's what just killed them—the movement, forcing them to stumble right into a laser. They don't let Sans finish his “judgement”, this time, not that it matters. He stops them before he has to expend any stamina dodging. And that's what this had come down to—a war of attrition. They just had to outlast this comedian, and then they would be done.

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Frisk hated Sans' attacks.

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Frisk hated Sans' ass-pull of a move that was the "blaster".

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Frisk hated this. Dying, over and over and over and over and over and over-

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But the one thing Frisk hated more than that… Was h i m. And that hate was what kept them going, all the way until Sans started to… Sweat? A few deaths ago, Frisk would've questioned it, but now? They just take the time to rest. Sans starts to speak again, and considering the sudden change in demeanor, Frisk decides to listen as the mood takes a drastic shift.

“…hey. kid.” He pauses for a moment. There was no response from the human. As usual.

He continues. "you ever get the feeling that, maybe, once upon a time, you could've done better?” Oh, god, was he really trying this again? Appealing to their humanity, or whatever?

“No.” Frisk's answer was blunt, but the fact that Sans got one at all came as a bit of a surprise to both parties.

“right. right… well. your face says otherwise. that's a look of recognition. or, at least, it was.” Sans is winking again. Frisk tightens their grip.

“i think… that not only could you have done better, but at some point…" Sans' expression shifts to one of worried understanding.

“…you did." A crack forms on the hilt of their knife. Their grip can't tighten any further, but they certainly try, to the point of their hand shaking.

“kiddo, 's your responsibility to do the 'right thing'. don't you remember it all? the puzzles, the good food, the bad laughs… the nice friends?” Wait, did he… Actually remember? Frisk thought only Flowey and themself could do that!

“don't you remember me? remember us? what we all shared, together, under the open sun?” Every word brings another memory to their mind. All the friends they made. And the happy life they lived, for a time, on the surface. They had… Fun.

“please. if you're listening to me, even a little... just put that weapon down. we don't have to fight. from one friend, to another... please.” They step forward after he stops talking, out of instinct, but moments later, they grow rigid. Sans… Remembered. They… What… How…? They look down at their dust-stained hands, their expression reflecting in the blade… The monster remains caked on nearly every inch of their skin. And they realized the grief Sans must be feeling. What… What were they doing? Their grip loosens, a little. Toriel, Papyrus, Undyne, Mettaton… They'd killed them all. They had killed their own fucking mom, why- The blade tumbled from their hands. It hits the floor, with a discordant clank.

They collapsed to their knees. They feel every sin, every LV, and every EXP crawling up their spine. It was almost too much to bear, with Frisk digging their nails into the floor, actually piercing some concrete or whatever it was made from, and pulling at it as though it were as malleable as sand. The material is crushed into a fine dust, in their hands. It floats away, carried by a soft breeze, much like every other speck of dust they'd spread through their travels.

Frisk doesn't dare to say anything. What is there to say, other than “I'm sorry”? And it's not like “sorry” is going to bring those dead monsters back. They could RESET. And upon remembering the power that brought them to this point in the first place, they immediately decide that's what they're going to do. As soon as… They do right by Sans. And accept his MERCY. Frisk is hesitant to stand, again. But they do. After a time. No matter how hard they try, the tears just won't come, but Sans can see the despair and desperation on their face.

Frisk brings out their little action wheel, cycling left once from FIGHT, to reach MERCY. They tap it, and hit Spare. Sans seems… Surprised, for a moment. But this surprise is swiftly suppressed. He smiles. “wow. didn't think you had it in ya, kid. after all that.” Frisk can't bring themselves to meet his gaze.

“i know how hard this must be, for you. to go back on everything you've worked up and throw it all away, at the last moment. but…” They try anyway. And partially succeed.

“i want you to know…” Sans steps forward.

“i won't let it go to waste.” He opens his arms, and winks.

“…c'mere, pal.” Frisk doesn't wait even a moment, rushing into Sans' arms immediately. They grab at his jacket, holding the hood tight, resting their face on his shoulder. The tears finally, mercifully, came, streaming down their cheeks and staining parts of the skeleton's apparel. It felt… Good. To just cry, like this. The agony they felt with each and every kill finally catching up to them, and exiting infinitely faster than it was gained. For a moment, everything felt… Okay, again. Like they were living in that Pacifist timeline they had, before. Like Sans… Understood. Everything was okay.

Then, they felt it. It barely even felt like a prick in their chest, and yet, looking down… A full-sharpened bone had been shoved through their heart. Their strength almost immediately fades, their knees buckling, causing them to fall over, landing on their side, and swiftly bleeding out. How they weren't dead yet was… A miracle. Sans stands over them, smiling, winking, and shrugging—the usual. What he said next, however, was entirely unexpected. “geeeetttttttttt dunked on!” Frisk was baffled, what little energy they had left being expended on this confusion.

“if we're really friends…” Hollow eyes, again.

“you won't come back.” And then… Frisk was dead. No fanfare. Nothing. Just…

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…Back in the corridor. At their Save Point. Silent and motionless, Frisk stood in the same spot for what was probably a good ten minutes. Just… Processing. Replaying the moment over, and over, and over, and over again in their head. The change in mood, the convincing plea from Sans, Frisk accepting it, Sans' betrayal kill… Sans, spare, death, Sans, spare, death, Sans, spare, death, until eventually… Frisk starts to laugh. At first, a low chuckle that quickly erupts into a cacophony of giggling! Sans… Just flipped the tables, on them. Sparing them, only to stab them in the back—that's exactly what they did! How poetic, honestly, bravo to that lazybones for even thinking to do that!

Alright, Frisk had to admit, this… It was the greatest joke Sans had ever told. They weren't upset. That would imply they had been wronged, but really, they got exactly what they deserved. Sans… Deserved this victory. That was the type of bold move that was so stupid that it actually worked. And Frisk had at least some respect for that. They summon the RESET button, right at their fingertips, still smiling from Sans' annoyingly effective prank, their laughter now a low rumble. “You win,” is all they utter, before hitting the button. The entire universe is enveloped in a white glow, and then… It all starts over.