#I can never settle on one way to draw Mettaton

[this-blog-is-for-good-vibes-only]

Yesterday I realized I haven’t drawn coroika in a while now, and since I got some new ink pens, I decided to do a lazy unfinished ink/pencil sketch of Bobble! Along with some undertale doodles from a while back. I hope you guys will like it!

((not sure if it’s just me but I feel like Bobblehat is the type of person to get around on roller skates))

[talesofdivergence]

WAIT

Now that I have a blog for this stuff I can finally start talking about my Bendy and the Ink Machine/Undertale crossover(?)!!!!

Alright, so the WIP title is Flowey and the Ink Machine. I don’t have the whole BG story mapped out yet, but I wanna talk about the basics!!

Alright! So.

The story/game starts with a kid (Frisk), who wonders into an abandoned animation studio on the seedy outskirts of their city. It’s rumored those who go never return, but for whatever reasons draw Frisk to the Underground in UT, they decide to go.

The first level is nearly identical to BatIM, except instead of the Dancing Devil Darling, the cartoon was about a Flower. Flowey the Dancing Flower. And his misadventures with his friends, Chara, an Angel, and Asriel, a goat boy. The “antagonists” of the show are two skeleton pilots, Sans and Papyrus, and their militaristic boss/fish person, Undyne. (Bear in mind, the names would all be changed to period appropriate).

Complete with creepy cardboard cut outs and everything, the child explores and eventually restarts the ink machine using the tokens from the six fallen children (in this case, employees I suppose? Maybe the employees children?), then gets startled by some sort of goat looking demon and falls (Asriel’s human soul form but ink demon-ified).

Now. There would be five (maybe six) levels. They’d wouldn’t be named as such, but they’d represent The Ruins, Snowdin, Waterfall, Hotland, and I haven’t decided if New Home and The Barrier should be one or two levels (but I’m leaning toward two).

The searchers, lost ones, and butcher gang members would be the side character monsters you meet throughout Undertale. You don’t have to kill them.

In the Ruins level, aka the first one after you fall, it plays out similarly to BatIM, except Toriel replaces Sammy, and instead of trying to sacrifice you, she’s trying to prevent you from going further. She knows what happens to those who continue, and wants to protect you.

After you inevitably convince her, she lets you continue on to level two, Snowdin. Sans replaces Boris, and in a very odd way, Papyrus replaces Alice. Instead of tasks, you have to complete difficult and convoluted puzzles, with the, well, lack of aid from Sans. They both mean well, they do. But the characters are almost more like their Horrortale counterparts in their levels of sanity. They’re, you know, bizarre ink-cartoon amalgamations. Obviously they’re not “okay”.

After you solve all of the puzzles, the brothers admit going forward is a death sentence, and you wind up hanging out with them for a little before resolving to continue. They warn you of the Ink Demon.

Level three would be Waterfall. Undyne replaces Norman at this point, as far as mechanics go, and you try to sneak through to the safer part of the level. If you succeed, you do not have to fight her and you can get to Hotland. Otherwise, you have to fight and abscond to continue. You are still being occasionally harassed by the other monsters and the Ink Demon.

At this point, you’ve reached not just Hotland’s level, but the cores as well, (the old ink machine), which replaces Bendyland (including all of the puzzles and whatnot). Mettaton would replace Bertrum, while the Amalgamates replace Brute Boris. They are much more ever present, and Alphys does not sick them on you as Alice does, she cannot soothe them until they are tired out from chasing or fighting you. She replaces Allison, in that regard, by saving you and guiding you to the next level. New Home. The Ink Demon is almost ever present by this point.

Sans judges/warns you in the administration office type area, and then you head the rest of the way to the Machine.

Asgore is there, claiming he will use your soul to complete the machine and save all the souls of those trapped inside it. But before you can fight him, the Ink Demon reappears, and absorbs the souls of all of the other ink creatures to become The God of Hyperdeath. You fight, blah blah blah, and he turns out to be Asriel, and he returns all of the souls to the ink beings and lets you go.

Here’s where things get grim folks.

After you spend time with everyone, the only way to save them, is to turn off the machine. They know this. And they let you. You can escape while the building is collapsing, and that, is the end of the game. Everyone is free now. Not as heartwarming as Undertale, but I’d argue it’s kinder than BatIM.

There’d be a lot more in the game to reveal the back story, but since I haven’t settled on that yet, it will remain unspecified for now lol.

And there is a geno version, but I figured I’d make a separate post for that!

So yeah!! I doubt I’ll ever get around to writing out an actual fic for this, now that I think about it. Oof. But I definitely wanna flesh out more of the story, and finalize some character designs!! (I wanna change Papyrus and Sans’ already lmao)

I’d really like for Joey and Henry at least to still play some role in this, I’m just not sure how to tie it all together yet!! But I’ll figure something out!! Eventually...

Also @maulan-reverie I figured I’d tag you in this since you’re pretty much the one responsible for it’s creation!!

[nosleepuntilvacation]

Hello... I wanna know... Do you still write Mettaton/reader fic ? And, if you do, can you write one with a nonbinary person (or a man), who want to wear some "woman" clothes, and Mettaton help him/them because sometimes he also wear dresses ? Thank you very much

I can try… I’m a cis woman, so I don’t know how well I’ll be able to handle this topic, but I’ll try to be as careful as possible. (If I slip up, please let me know, so I can fix it accordingly.)

PS: sorry this took me five-ever to write. Aside from having writer’s block, I’ve also had school to worry about, and one of my classes is especially difficult.

Below the cut: In Which a Killer Robot Helps You Express Yourself!

Mettaton, you’ve noticed, has always seemed to be a rebel of sorts.

There are some societal rules that he’s always accepted - everyone has to draw the line somewhere, after all - but there are also some rules that have made him openly question, even to the presses, why they are considered rules in the first place.

Someone criticizes him for making “artificial, soulless” synthpop instead of a more down-to-earth style of music? “Well, darling, doesn’t everyone have comfort food? I think a similar thing applies to music - and if I have to be told not to make synthpop, is it really soulless?”

Someone thinks he makes too many jokes on his shows, and that the overall tone of the shows is a little too surreal? “There are already a lot of serious shows on television; I’m filling a niche, sweetheart.”

And, of course, one of the biggest things that people question about him is his choice in fashion.

Despite making it clear that he’s a man in his heart and soul, Mettaton has always presented himself in ways that many people don’t associate with “traditional” masculinity. He wears pink high-heeled boots (and pink things in general) on a regular basis, he sometimes puts on makeup for fancy occasions, he doesn’t mind being seen doing his nails…

There have even been some times where he’s worn dresses and skirts. And not just in private, either; he’s shown up for public interviews and appeared in music videos wearing ballgowns. Of course, he’s been questioned about this more than a few times; his answers tend to range from “monsters don’t approach gender in the same way humans do” to “I just think it looks good on me” and several others depending on his mood - including at least one time where he simply said “because I can”.

You’re not sure if you’ll ever understand how he manages to be so nonchalant about it… especially since you wish you could be as bold as him.

On an otherwise uneventful day, he catches you sitting on the couch and watching some of his music videos, staring wistfully at the screen. It doesn’t take long for him to join you, slipping an arm around you.

“Captivated by my beauty, are we?” he asks; you simply nod in response. If only you knew…

This particular music video is one of the ones where he’s wearing a dress; just watching him makes it clear that he doesn’t consider this to be uncomfortable at all. To him, it’s just another piece of clothing that he will wear as he pleases, like a shirt or a hat or a pair of pants.

But that’s not what the rest of the world typically says about those kinds of clothes. Dresses, skirts, and gowns, according to them, were meant to be worn by women only - and yet Mettaton, who decidedly isn’t a woman, is so casual about wearing them.

And just like him, you also yearn to try wearing clothes like those despite not being a woman. But Mettaton makes it look so easy; maybe it’s just the stigma that’s been ingrained in your head for so long. If there weren’t as much of a stigma, and if you weren’t so worried about what other people thought of you, then maybe…?

“What’s wrong, my love?”

“Huh?” It’s only just now that you noticed you’ve tensed up - but he noticed it first, and is giving you a concerned look.  “Oh… I just have stuff on my mind.”

“Is that so?” He gently takes your hand. “Would you like to talk about it?”

At first, you’re not sure if you want to, but given that Mettaton is probably the person who is least likely to judge you for your wishes, you decide it’s best to tell him.

“I don’t know how you do it… you wear dresses and skirts like it’s the easiest thing in the world. And, well… between you and me, I wish I had the courage to pull it off like you do.” Even now, you’re still not sure how he manages to feel so comfortable wearing whatever he wants – is it just a product of his usual boldness?

He has a thoughtful look on his face as he nods; despite his nonchalance about the whole thing, he definitely seems to know that his wardrobe is a bit of an outlier as far as men’s wardrobes go. Stroking your hand with his thumb, he looks into your eyes. “Perhaps someday, everyone will see that it’s just clothes. But I can assure you, you’re not the first fan of mine who’s felt encouraged to try them on after seeing me do it.”

“Really?”

He smiles and nods. “There have been a few humans and monsters who have tried wearing dresses and skirts after watching me. Of course, we still have a ways to go before it’s universally accepted, but it’s still a start.” Just then, his face settles into contemplation. “Hmm…”

You tilt your head. “What?”

“What if I were to purchase some skirts, and maybe even a dress or two, so you could try them on?”

Your heart starts beating a little more quickly. “You… you’d really do that for me?”

He quirks an eyebrow, still smiling. “Who said I wouldn’t?” With a giggle, he leans in closely so he can whisper in your ear. “Tell me their names so I can give them a talking-to.”

You can’t help but smile, imagining him standing up for you if it ever came to that point. As much as Mettaton loves to showboat, he really does care about those he loves.

And despite your nerves, you feel just a little more sure of yourself.

Standing before the full-length mirror (adorned with pink on the edges), you study your appearance. You have one of your favorite shirts on, and below it, a new black skirt that’s long enough to cover your knees.

So far, it actually feels kind of good. You walk around in a circle; it certainly feels different from pants or shorts, but not in the bad way that makes you want to immediately take it off and put some of your old clothes back on. In fact, you find that you wouldn’t mind trying on one of the dresses that Mettaton bought for you. (He washed this skirt first so you could have something to try on while the other clothes he bought for you were in the wash.)

Knowing that Mettaton is waiting outside the bedroom and wondering about your thoughts, you decide to pay him a visit. As soon as you open the door, he lays eyes on you, and his expression soon goes from neutral to a smile.

Seeing this smile definitely fills you with a sense of relief. “…So, do you like it?”

“I think you look quite lovely as usual, darling.” He gently takes your hand. “But my main concern is, do you like it?”

Something about it feels more than a little empowering; is it the clothes themselves, or the sense of rebellion, or even something else? Despite not knowing where it comes from, you look at him and nod. “Yeah… I think I could really get used to this. Thank you so much.”

His smile only gets bigger, and he soon pulls you into a huge hug. “That’s so wonderful, darling! As long as those clothes make you feel good, go right ahead and wear them.” He kisses your forehead before looking deeply into your eyes. “And I personally think you look beautiful in them.”

Your heart feels warm inside as you return the hug…

…and he soon picks you up and sets you back down on the bed before climbing on himself so he can give you some more cuddles. You cuddle up close to him and close your eyes, both looking and feeling beautiful on the outside and inside.

You still don’t feel ready to take this out in public quite yet, but it’s still a great start – and with Mettaton by your side, you know you’ll never have to be afraid.

[canadian-buckbeaver]

Edgeberry’s Second Chance - Chapter 23 - Battle Front

MTT has shown that he is more than willing to fight his ex-lover and sweet Berry.  The question is not if Edge will spare him, but will he survive the encounter?

- I also went through and updated Chapter 22 -

If you like what I do, please leave me a kudos/like and a comment, or buy me a ko-fi!

Undeterred at the weapons, his fans cheered.  Finally MTT was showing them new tricks.  He wasn’t just up there on the stage, dancing and singing horribly, nor was he trying to tell his off-colour jokes.  Here was the real entertainment.  He was a Human Killer after all, what could two skeletons do to him?

 “STAY BEHIND ME,” Edge ordered Berry.  One of his swords came up to guard the little skeleton.  “I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HE IS NOW CAPABLE OF. STAY BEHIND ME AND, AT THE FIRST CHANCE, RUN AND HIDE.  I WILL FIND YOU LATER.”

 “But Edge… I…”

 Edge looked over at him.  “I WON’T LOSE YOU AGAIN, BERRY…. NOT TO HIM.”  There was a sincere light to his eyes.  Gone was the madman and the wild Fell warrior, the one who would dust or kill anyone at the chance of raising his LV.  Here was the monster that Berry had seen deep inside, the calm warrior, the one who only wanted to do what is right.

 There was a sound of chainsaws and Edge had just enough time to raise and cross his swords in time to catch MTT’s blow.  In his hands were two chainsaws, both smoothly purring, silver glinting in the spotlight.  The chainsaws sang and whirled desperately against the red bones as Edge’s shaking arms tried to push him back.

 * * * * *

“What’s wrong Papy~” MTT asked, “seems like you were a little distracted there.  Perhaps a little dust in the old eye socket?” he taunted, pushing forward with the machines.  Edge lost a little ground with the chainsaws, boots gauging the floor, gritting his teeth as he struggled to push the robot back.  The crowd was cheering, like a horde of hounds desperate for blood.  This was the best performance that MTT had put on in a long time.

 “BERRY…” Edge whispered, his eye lights leaving the robot’s and risking a quick glance around. The little skeleton was nowhere to be seen.  Perhaps he had taken Edge’s advice and had been able to hide.  He hated asking the little skeleton to do that, yet Berry was obviously untrained in this kind of fighting.  Berry would be more likely to survive if he hid himself away.  Edge was trained in this act of war, he knew how to act and what to do.

 He hoped so… worst comes to worst, he didn’t want Berry to see him die.

 Things were bad. He could see that MTT’s LV and stats were higher than when they had last seen each other.  They had always been high though not as high as his.  But now… now those numbers even higher than Edge’s. He was a huge, deadly threat.  And now the robot had his arms trapped by his chainsaws.  If he even moved one of the swords he risked having the metal teeth cut into him and his armour.  He briefly debated allowing it to happen, if only to give Berry time to escape, but he threw the idea away.

 No.  He was Edge, Captain of the Royal Guards, and beloved mate to Berry.  His mate tattoo still glowed with fresh magic, his bones still warm from Berry’s heat.

 He wouldn’t give up so easily.

 He was Determined.

 His hands and arms may be trapped, but when had that ever stopped him?  He had been named captain for a reason.  Taking a step forward, he angled his toes behind the robot’s. Fixing the angle of his bone attacks, he pressed himself forward.  First MTT took a small, almost tiny, step back, and then another, stumbling over Edge’s feet and causing him to let off some of the pressure of his weapons.  The crowd began to get excited.  This wasn’t going to be such a one-sided match after all. Papyrus was fighting back.

 With a great shove, Edge pushed MTT back, causing him to wobble backwards and release him. Now, with adequate distance between them, now he could show MTT exactly what he was holding back.

 Taking a charging step forward Edge cut down on MTT on an angle, nicking one of his prized chainsaws. The blow, although looked useless and merely cosmetic in nature, gave the motor a small hiccup.  Luckily the other monsters, as well as MTT, seemed to be unaware of this.  They jeered and cheered, hands clapping and feet stamping.  Exactly what go MTT riled up.  As he and MTT began to dance with his chainsaws and blows, red sparks began to fly and sizzle around them.  Metal teeth met bone, time and time again.  Their feet moved effortlessly over the floor, crossing and coming close, retreating and teasing.

 There was a slight change to their routine.  Their blows echoed louder in the hall, and they became closer to their targets, only for MTT to move out of the way in the nick of time.  He began to see it in MTT’s eyes.  The robot was now showboating, gladly showing off what moves that they could pull off together and building the crowd’s excitement…

 Or was it for a more sinister reason…?

 Faster and faster they danced.  Arms and legs were a blur of sweat and sparks.  They were equal titans in this field.  Neither one of them seemed willing to give up so easily, each of them had something that they were fighting for.  Something that, to them, meant something.

 MTT’s chainsaw, the one that Edge had damaged, was beginning to blow white smoke.  There was a stutter in its engine, its speed uneven. MTT was looking at it puzzled, the previous blow still not computing with him.  Edge flipped his sword in his hands, preparing to slice through the glass stomach that housed his borrowed soul.

 “Edge!”  A voice cried out from the crowd, drawing Edge’s attention away from the fight.  Blue! His eyes fell to the audience, looking for him…

 Realizing his mistake a second too late.

 MTT kicked him in the chance, sending him off of his feet and onto his spine.  As he grunted in pain his bones disappeared,

 And a red and yellow stiletto boot came down on his armoured chest.

 “Typical voice recording, darling.  Hopefully you don’t mind me using it.  Figured that you would at least like to hear his voice one last time before the end.” MTT smirked evilly at him, single chainsaw in his many hands now.  The crowd was frantic in its cheering, screaming for the robot to kill him.

 As MTT raised the chainsaw in triumph, Edge closed his eyes.  He thought of Berry’s open arms and large smile, complete with the hearts in his eyes…

 “BERRY…” he whispered as the chainsaw began to scream towards his soul.

 There was a thunking sound, but no pain.

 Edge’s eyes flew open and he saw the long, blue bone impaling the chainsaw into the stage, jamming the mechanisms.  MTT had looked away from Edge and four more bones shot towards him.  These bones cut through his elbows and knees, lacing through the metal like water, and skewering him to the wall behind them. It reminded Edge of those insects that were put on display for humans to look over…

 But who…

 “That was a dirty trick Mettaton.  And Edge was going to beat you fair and square.” Berry’s voice came from beside Edge, his left eye still shimmering with magic.  For a moment he resembled Cherry… “Luckily, he has me to even up the odds.”

 The robot tried to pull himself from the wall but the bones stuck him fast, even damaging his HP when he tried to move.  Instead, he settled to scowl at Berry.  “So what is it that you intend to have me do?  Write lines?  Send me into the corner or in my bedroom for a time out?  Spank me?  Because I’ve been a very naughty boy, Berry.  I could use some punishment.”

 The double meanings were not lost on Berry.  A small flush had come to his cheeks but he did not respond to them.  “And have risk you entering the land of Swap again?  I don’t think so.  How did you enter to drop off that letter?” he demanded.

 MTT only chuckled as a long, metallic tongue wiped at some loose oil.  “It was simple really.  I had long since figured out how and where Papyrus goes to visit you… it was only a matter of turning it on.”

 Edge wanted to growl. Of course… he couldn’t blame Cherry for his mistake.  He had felt eyes occasionally when he had booted up the teleporter before but had dismissed it as his own feelings of paranoia.  But rule number one…

 You can never be too careful in UnderFell.

 Berry helped Edge stand, refusing to look at the robot.  “Let’s go home.”  he said, suddenly looking tired.  “I… my brother…”

 Would probably be worried sick about him now, especially if he realized that Edge himself was with him, Edge thought.  Picking up Berry, he grabbed the blanket that he had used to wrap him in to come to UnderFell and began to carry him out.

 “And what about me, I ask again?”  MTT’s voice broke the little bubble between the two skeletons.

 Edge turned to him, scrutinising him with his clear eye lights.  It was a tempting thought to dismantle the ego-mantic but, at the same time.

 “You’re not worth it. The EXP, the LV, none of it.” Berry said, looking to him.  “There are other, more pressing and important things to worry about.”

 The crowd was becoming restless again.  Loud whispers to one another, and sinister chuckles could be heard.  “BESIDES METTA, YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN AN ACT BECOMES OBSOLETE… THEY GET THE HOOK.” Edge said before walking out the door again. Walking quickly, he and Berry had exited the hotel and were well on their way to the teleporter.  Edge didn’t dare look back or look at the faces of the audience.  

 “The hook?” Berry asked, looking up at him. “Is… is that a pun?”

 Edge shook his head just as there was a loud, glitching scream from behind them. Walking faster he pressed Berry’s skull closer to his chest, not allowing him to look back, not even once. “It’s a torturous procedure that was once only used in traitors of war…” he said simply.  “HE MAY HAVE BEEN SOLD OFF TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER, OR THEY MAY HAVE ALL RUSHED HIM.  BUT I DON’T WANT TO FIND OUT.”

 Berry looked slightly pale, his mouth posed for another question before Edge made it to the little house in UnderFell.  So many memories… memories of him and Sans as baby bones, some foggy ones of their father, Gaster.  Countless memories of watching TV or goofing off or cooking.  Good and bad, young and old, the house had been with them every step of the way.  And yet, when he looked to the little, sweet, blue skeleton in his arms, he knew that he had all that he needed.

 Without looking back at his hometown, Edge strode through the machine, holding tight to Berry. As they walked through the glowing portal, Edge magically turned it off behind them, removing a single screw and tossing it into the universe behind him.  That would be enough to prevent any further access.

 Now no one could access the sweet world of UnderSwap… and he could no longer return to where he was now a traitor, to where his life was in ruins… he had murdered a famous celebrity, probably defied the orders of the king…

 It seemed like a fair trade.

[kawaiibobatea-blog]

Chapter 04: Betrayal

All day, Papyrus had been sending him every which way to get stuff for the party tonight. Chips, dip, streamers, punch, etc. Sans hadn't asked why he didn't tell him to get all this at one time, but then again he didn't really care. His primary focus was keeping his brother happy. Other things had mattered to him at one time, but no more. It wasn't important anymore. She wasn't important anymore.

Like an old movie, his memories replayed at the grocery store. She had been standing there with that tall, blond human. Perfect from human standards. Tall, muscular, tan, all the things he wasn't or couldn't be. Another bitter smile formed on his face. He didn't care anymore, it was funny to pretend that he did. Yet, with every movement of his hand snaking around her waist in his memory, he found himself getting angrier. Now, he didn't know why.

"I hate you!"

He hasn't lied when he said that the feeling was mutual. He hated everything about her; her smile, her laugh, her clothes, her hair, face, clothes. He hated it all. Hated her personality and how she had reached out her hand to try and touch him. Without realizing it, he was scanning his bones for a burn.

Sighing, he adjusted the bags that were in his hands for what was probably the fifth time. It didn't matter what he thought or what she did. That was made abundantly clear. All he felt was anxiety and irritation that Papyrus had invited their friends to the house.

"I NOTICED YOU HAVE BEEN SAD LATELY, SANS, SO I BROUGHT EVERYONE TOGETHER TO MAKE YOU HAPPY!"

The innocence in Papyrus' eyes made his agitation dwindle down, like sand through fingers. His brother had good intentions, he always had. The younger skeleton didn't have a mean bone in his body. He was straight on good, even into his marrow.

A rip brought him from his thoughts and everything he had been holding in his bags had fallen from the bags; the strain having been too much for the flimsy plastic. He closed his sockets, looked up at the sky, and sighed. With hope, every sigh would expel some anger from his body at the day he was having.

When they were pooled at the end of the hill, he decided to walk down to gather it. Faced with everything he had bought, he was surprised the bags had lasted this long. He had bought more than he thought that he did. Kneeling down, he picked up as much as he could, stuffing some into his pockets to make sure he had to make as little trips as possible. He could always teleport back and forth, but he didn't feel like using that much magic right now.

Footsteps got closer, breaking into a run to make haste in his direction. He stopped instantly, the wound up streamers just barely in his pocket. "what do you want?" He asked when the footsteps had stopped right behind him.

"I SAW ALL THIS FALL AND BEING THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AND AWESOME BROTHER THAT I AM, I CAME TO HELP!"

That... hadn't been the voice he was expecting. Not at all. "you're right paps," Sans began hoping to distract from the fact that he had been plain out rude to his brother. "could you help me?"

"OF COURSE! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS AND BEST BROTHER! IT SAYS SO ON THE SHIRT YOU GOT ME!"

True to his word, Papyrus began gathering the rest of the fallen items. Between the two of them, they had only made one trip. He put everything down on the counters and brushed off some crushed flowers and grass. Sans stopped when he heard his brother gasp.

"BROTHER! LOOK AT THAT!"

"the flowers?"

"THEY'RE SAD!"

"sad...?" Sans looked at the flowers. Indeed, they did look sad. Then again, that was probably because they were dead.

"YES! CAN'T YOU SEE?! THEY'RE SAD BECAUSE THEY WERE CRUSHED!"

"well... i'd be sad too." Sans said and smiled gently at his brother who gathered them up one by one.

"WE MUST GIVE THEM A PROPER BURIAL!"

This wasn't anything new. He walked outside with Paps and dug a small hole with his fingers, all the while Paps looked with sadness and tears gathering in his sockets. He made sure that the hole was big enough to fit all six flowers.

"there ya go, paps. go ahead and put them to rest."

"I AM SORRY THAT MY SPAGHETTI SAUCE AND MY CHIP SAUCE CRUSHED YOU!"

"that's called 'salsa', paps."

"NOT NOW BROTHER, CAN'T YOU SEE I'M IN MOURNING!"

"you're right. how rude of me."

"I'M GLAD YOU UNDERSTAND."

A few more words of regret and sadness and the flowers were laid in their makeshift grave next to a plethora of broken acorns and torn leaves they had buried a few days prior. Sans had tried to explain that it was fall and things like this were bound to happen, but he didn't listen. They had spent hours planting all of them, and had gotten lectured when Paps had found him raking the yard.

"are you ready to go back inside?"

"YES..." They had not so much as made it back inside when Papyrus spoke again. "DO YOU THINK THEY'LL FORGIVE ME?"

"i'm sure they're in flower heaven having a good time and that they're not mad at you."

"ARE YOU SURE?"

"of course, paps."

With a great sigh, and a somewhat hung skull, Papyrus went back into the kitchen. Of course, Sans followed. He patted his brother on the back gently.

"they wouldn't want you to be sad, paps. they'd want us to continue to celebrate the party that you were going to have."

That seemed to be all that he needed to hear, because Papyrus began moving quickly in the natural habitat that was the kitchen, getting everything that he needed. Although he had tried to help, Paps had fronted him off saying that he didn't want Sans to mess anything up. So, he was assigned the role of "taste tester".

Surpringly, he had only wanted to puke from the taste a couple of times before the pasta had graduated into something that was edible, and shockingly, had grown into something that was good; on an amateur level anyway.

"I HAVE NEWS."

"okay?"

"I AM GOING TO MAKE THAT THING THAT UNDYNE TOLD ME TO NEVER TRY."

"garlic bread?"

"YES! IT SOUNDS SO EXOTIC DOESN'T IT?"

"i'm sure it is."

"WHY WOULD UNDYNE TELL ME NOT TO MAKE IT! I AM MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS!"

Now in addition to taste tester, Sans was doubling as supervisor. Not wanting to hinder his brother's emotions since he had just had a flower funeral, he lied and said that he wanted to learn from Master Chef Papyrus. Thankfully, that would give him a good view just in case the oven caught on fire... again.

It was a little crispy, bordering on burnt. Although, to his shock, it wasn't completely inedible. While Papyrus continued to make small things he didn't need supervision for, Sans hung up the small streamers and decorations.

"I'M STILL SAD YOU DIDN'T GET IT."

"we can't play piñata in the house, paps."

"WHY?"

"last time we did that, i had to fix the wall and get a new tv."

"THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE JUMPED IN MY WAY."

Sans chuckled and one by one, the blue and orange streamers decorated the house. Blue wasn't a Halloween color, but Papyrus had specifically said he wanted blue. Who was he to argue?

"almost done, paps."

"OUR FRIENDS SHOULD BE GETTING HERE SOON! I TOLD THEM TO BE HERE AT 8."

"it just turned 8:01."

Papyrus gasped just as the doorbell rang. He dashed to the door and opened it, seeing Mettaton standing there, brandishing his now perfect and complete form.

"YOU'RE LATE!"

"CORRECTION DARLING!" Mettaton said, flipping his metallic hair. "FASHIONABLY LATE!"

"NO MATTER HOW LATE YOU ARE, YOU CAN'T BEAT ME IN FASHION! I AM A FASHIONISTA!"

"paps, fashionistas are women." Sans corrected. "but, you can be whatever you want to be."

"THEN I CHOOSE TO BE A FASHIONISTA!"

"NOW THAT THAT'S SETTLED," Mettaton came in and put the burritos that he had made on the table. "I BROUGHT YOUR FAVORITE BURRITOS!"

"YES! WELL DONE!"

Sans peeked outside and saw Napstablook still standing outside, with a plate balancing on his head. "you coming in?"

"........ oh. sorry...... i didn't want to intrude." Napstablook apologized. Sans made a mental note that his apology count was at 1.

After Napstablook came in, before Papyrus could close the door, Undyne and Alphys came inside the house with a cake.

"I AM GLAD YOU'RE HERE!" Papyrus said.

"Of course! I'm always where there's good food."

"SO OF COURSE YOU WOULD COME GO MASTER CHEF PAPYEUS' HOUSE! IT ONLY MAKES SENSE! NYEH HEH HEH!"

Sans had gotten done with the streamers and was putting up the spider web and spider decorations. Truth be told, he had forgotten that today was Halloween. It was their favorite holiday, so he didn't protest when he was requested to go get the decorations.

"Dearie, I find these decorations offensive." A small voice chimed from the doorway and Muffet came in with all six of her arms full of cakes, pastries, and other cavity inducing treats.

"WHAT? WHY?"

"If you wanted spider decorations, all you had to do was ask, hehe. My friends would have been happy to oblige."

"I DIDN'T EVEN THINK OF THAT! NEXT YEAR!" Papyrus promised and helped Muffet put down the desserts.

Sans was informed that Toriel and Asgore wouldn't be coming considering that they had went out of town on a fourth honeymoon. It was alright, they needed time for themselves. He was about to go check on the oven for the additional garlic bread Papyrus was cooking before the doorbell rang.

"grillbs!" Sans smiled and welcomed his best friend in wholeheartedly. The fire elemental was excited and had brought a plethora of burgers and fries. Just behind Grillby was Jason with an arm snaked around her.

"Hey, Sans." She had begun. "We-"

Slam.

Sans shut the door in their face and turned around, seeing Grillby's disapproving glare. Papyrus came to the door and looked at Sans.

"I HEARD FRISK'S VOICE! WHAT HAPPENED?"

Ignoring Grillby's glare, Sans shrugged. "i think the door is broken. just slammed shut by itself."

"BROKEN?" Papyrus exclaimed and opened up the door and stared at a confused Jason and a slightly saddened Frisk. "THE DOOR'S BROKEN!"

"Oh, that explains it." Jason said.

"I AM GLAD YOU BROUGHT YOUR MAN FRIEND, FRISK!"

Anger. Betrayal. Nausea.

The two entered, and Sans made a point to move as far away from them as possible without drawing suspicions. "paps, mind if i invite someone?" He asked.

"YES! OF COURSE!"

Sans walked to the phone and dialed the number, a smirk on his face. This would be perfect.

[advocatewrites-blog]

Into the Unknown Part 1 Chapter 3

Into the Unknown

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

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

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

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

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

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Chapter 3

“NYOO HOO HOO…” Papyrus cried. “I CAN’T EVEN STOP SOMEONE AS WEAK AS YOU…UNDYNE’S GOING TO BE DISAPPOINTED IN ME. I’LL NEVER JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD…AND…MY FRIEND QUANTITY WILL REMAIN STAGNANT!”

Coraline watched the skeleton, unsure of what to do. Papyurs had been a much harder fight than she had anticipated, even with sans’ warning. If she lost, she may have never been able to see home again. Yet she couldn’t help but feel a stir of pity for Papyrus. It was the same kind of pity that stirred in her soul when she thought of Toriel. Toriel deserved a second chance. Maybe Papyrus did too.

“You know,” Coraline said. “When I get back to the Surface, I won’t be going back home.”

Papyrus stopped crying long enough to listen.

“I haven’t been to my real home in a long time,” said Coraline. “My family and I moved to a new home, the Pink Palace.”

“IS THAT NEAR THE KING’S HOUSE?” Papyrus asked.

“No. It’s like a set of houses,” said Coraline. “My family isn’t the only ones who live there. There’s Miss Forcible and Miss Spink, and Mr. Bobinski and the mice he’s training to sing.”

“ARE THEY ANY GOOD?”

“I’ve never heard them. But so far, they’re the only ones who’ve gotten my name right.” Coraline said. “I haven’t been able to make a single friend since I moved to the Pink Palace. Maybe…you would like to be my first?”

Papyrus turned back to her.

“REALLY!? YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE FRIENDS WITH ME???” He asked. “WELL…I GUESS I CAN MAKE AN ALLOWANCE JUST FOR YOU! WOWIE! WHO KNEW THAT ALL I NEEDED TO MAKE PALS…WAS TO GIVE PEOPLE AWFUL PUZZLES AND THEN FIGHT THEM??”

Something cold moved against Frisk’s cheeks, as gentle as moth’s wings. A voice, barely a whisper, spoke.

“Art thou—art thou alive?”

Frisk nodded.

“You poor child,” said another voice.

Frisk tilted their head in confusion.

“She left us here,” said yet another voice. “She stole our hearts and stole our souls. But she forgot about us in the dark. She has worked so hard to find a place to keep you that she has forgotten a place to keep us.”

“I walked through the scullery door,” said the first voice. “And I found myself in the parlor. But she was waiting for me. She called herself my other mamma, but I never saw my real mamma again.”

Frisk took a shaky breath as they realized what they were saying.

“It is the eyes that go first,” said the third voice. “She will steal your soul and she will take your life and all you cares’t for, and leave you in the mist and fog.”

“Flee!” said the second voice. “Flee, while there’s still air in your lungs and blood in your veins and warmth in your heart!”

The nothingness stopped. Hard stone began to form under Frisk’s feet, and Echo Flowers sprouted in the cracks. Lights, not quite stars, formed in the ceiling. A wooden bench formed in front of them. It almost looked like a room in Waterfall. Frisk wondered if it was supposed to be a room out of Waterfall that they never found.

“We must stay in the darkness,” said the first voice, their voice growing fainter than ever. “Flee while you can, but peradventure, you can find our souls…”

Frisk was alone again. They took a seat on the park bench that had formed, ignoring the rush of memories that came with it.

The Other Toriel was going to hurt them. There was no reason to doubt it.

So why did Frisk feel like the real monster?

Their foot collided with something. Frisk was shaken out of their reverie long enough to investigate. It was some kind of food, something like a quiche, somewhat burned and wrapped in foil.

“I just couldn’t handle the responsibility,” said the Echo Flower.

Frisk understood.

The shift from Snowdin Town to the Waterfall was abrupt. It was almost like Coraline had stepped into a different room. The snow quickly melted off and faded into cold earth beneath them. The cold air grew damp, and for the first time Coraline really felt like they were in the underground.

There was one thing familiar about the Waterfall, however. There was a wooden sentry station, the same kind sans had manned. It even smelled like sans’, Coraline realized, ketchup and grills.

Her stomach rumbled, and she realized the last thing she had to eat was some of Papyrus’ spaghetti. Maybe sans’ food was halfway edible.

She moved into the sentry station. True to her suspicious, it was filled with bottles of ketchup and boxes of buns. The hot dog itself, however, was…water sausage? Not something edible, at least.

The only other thing inside was a small journal, worn with use. Coraline flipped through it absently. The pages were filled, either in a language she couldn’t read or with formulas that made her head spin. She settled on one page. A drawing of a human child, detailed rather well for someone as lazy as sans. Underneath was scrawled don’t trust them, the don’t cross out heavily and the trust them underlined several times.

“heya kid.”

Coraline nearly jumped at sans’ voice. She hadn’t heard him approach again.

“though you might like your raincoat back. you won’t have much use for that sweater through waterfall.”

Coraline had nearly forgotten about the sweater. “Thanks for letting me use it. I think one of Papyrus’ attacks may have cut it a bit.”

“oh? you fought my bro?”

There was a tenseness in his voice, Coraline noticed. The kind that sounded like he didn’t know what to think.  She looked up at him, and noticed his smile stretch ever so slightly.

“He challenged me so he could capture me,” Coraline said. “I convinced him that we could be friends.”

“ah,” sans said. “yeah. my bro’s pretty cool like that. hope he didn’t give you a bad time.”

Coraline grew silent for a minute as she watched sans. He un-tensed, but only slightly. His eyesockets were still firmly focused on Coraline, in a way that she could not read. She felt her sins crawling on her back.

“Say, sans, am I the first human in the Underground?” Coraline asked.

The lights in sans’ eyes flickered for only a moment.

“nah. not that many that i’ve heard of, though,” said sans. “not sure what happened to the others.”

“Did your brother capture them?” Coraline asked.

“no. paps was a baby bones the last time a human came through here,” said sans. “hey, humans get hungry, right? care to pry me from my work and go to Grillby’s with me?

“I think I ought to get going,” said Coraline.

“alright. just let me know if you change your mind,” said sans. “i’ll be slaving away here at my checkpoint.”

“I thought your checkpoint was in front of the Ruins?” Coraline asked.

“what? you’ve never seen a guy with two jobs before?” sans asked.

Coraline waited until he had sat down at his checkpoint before waving to him and leaving. She did not feel the eye sockets leave her until she was far away.

If sans had never seen another human before, then who had he drawn in the journal? Did Papyrus not being old enough to capture a human make him not old enough to capture a human? Had the other human been captured, and if so, what became of them?

Coraline was so lost in her thoughts that she hardly noticed herself wander into the thick grass until it encompassed her vision. Every blade was at least as tall as she was, and it was impossible to see around it. She took another step forward.

“HELLO UNDYNE. I’M HERE WITH MY DAILY REPORT,” said Papyrus.

Coraline froze. She could not hear who he was talking to, but it was impossible to mistake his voice.

“UHHH…REGARDING THAT HUMAN I INFORMED YOU ABOUT EARLIER…HUH? DID I FIGHT THEM? Y-YES! OF COURSE I DID! I FOUGHT THEM VERY VALIANTLY! …WHAT? DID I CAPTURE THEM…W-WELL, NO…I TRIED VERY HARD, UNDYNE, BUT IN THE END…I FAILED. W-WHAT? YOU’RE GOING TO FIND THEM? BUT UNDYNE! YOU DON’T HAVE TO DESTRYO THEM! YOU SEE…I SEE. I WILL HELP YOU OUT IN ANY WAY I CAN.”

Papyrus hadn’t helped her at all. She was still going to be captured. That is, unless she did something about it first.

Coraline dared not to move until she heard a set of footsteps fade off into the distance. Then she ran, as fast as she could. She did not slow down even as she heard a set of footsteps behind her.

“o�H<_�2�?"

Frisk jumped. ‘Voice’ was not quite the right word for it. It was a set of sounds, vaguely in a patter that sounded like human speech.

All of a sudden, Frisk was not alone. The new person towered over them, even taller than Toriel was. Its body was covered in a heavy black cloak, the inside in a constant state of motion that made Frisk’s head spin. His face looked more like a worn mask, with two holes pouring into an eye and mouth.

Somehow, the figure managed to convey an expression of mild embarrassment. It raised its hands, nothing but bone and with two holes coming out of its palms.

It moved its hands closer, and Frisk flinched away from it. It took them a minute to realize how the hands moved.

Child? It signed. Are you all right?

Frisk didn’t know what to say. They raised their hands to sign. To wipe away the tears that were threatening to burst from their eyes. To do anything.

How did you come about here, child? The monster asked.

Frisk didn’t know what to say. They settled for making a gesture that looked as if they dropped something.

Lost? The monster asked. How did you end up lost in this world?

Lost me, Frisk said.

The monster looked like they didn’t know what to say to that. Their hands trembled slightly as they signed again.

I am here for much the same reasons, they said.

Their face did not show expression, but somehow Frisk could tell they were stepping in sensitive territory. They decided to change the subject.

What’s your name? Frisk asked.

It has been a long time since I have needed a name. The monster answered.

Everyone needs a name, even if you have to make one up yourself, said Frisk. My name’s F-R-I-S-K, but I haven’t been using that one for very long.

The monster let out a set of noises that almost, almost, sounded like a chuckle.

In life, I was known as W-D G-A-S-T-E-R. You may call me that, if you wish, They signed.

Are you a skeleton monster, WD? They asked.

Gaster nodded.

I’ve met a few skeleton monsters. P-A-P-Y-R-U-S and S-A-N-S, Frisk said. You remind me a lot of S-A-N-S.

Gaster stopped his walking. He signed something, so quick and with so many unfamiliar signs that Frisk couldn’t catch it. He caught on to their confusion, and asked again.

You have met S-A-N-S? He asked, his movements slow and fluid.

Frisk’s hands were shaking too much to sign back, so they nodded.

He is well?

kids like you…should be burning in hell.

I think I hurt him, Frisk said, once they managed to get their hands to stop shaking.

I believe I have too, Gaster let out a noise like a sigh.

Coraline ran through the Waterfall. She ran past the waterfall carrying rocks she had to dodge, ran through the puzzles that were supposed to be solved with bridge flowers, and ran over the boarded piers that connected areas of Waterfall to others. She only stopped running when she caught a ferry ride on a monster’s face. She got three gold in return.

Undyne continued to chase her.

Waterfall grew dark, but Coraline continued to run. More piers awaited her in complex patterns, making makeshift walkways for the citizens of Waterfall to get from house to house. Spears shot from the ground under her.

Undyne was getting closer.

Coraline dodged the spears that blocked her path. She ran until she could not run anymore.

Undyne was right behind her.

Coraline hardly noticed the bridge stop until it broke, already far worn from the effect of dozens of spears. Then she fell.

I understand you are hurt, said Gaster, but this place is not safe. There are many things here that will not hesitate to hurt you.

I know, Frisk admitted. But I don’t know what else I can do anymore.

Gaster did not say anything after that.

WD? What do you do when you hurt someone, but want to fix it? Frisk asked.

Gaster thought for a long time.

You do everything you can to prove you are better than that, I suppose, said Gaster.

Coraline woke up to the sounds of the phone Toriel gave her. She answered, not thinking about who would be trying to contact.

“HELLO!!! THIS IS PAPYRUS!!!”

Coraline remembered what happened the last time she saw Papyrus. “How did you get this number?”

“WELL, I DIALED EVERY NUMBER SEQUENTIALLY UNTIL I GOT YOURS!!! BUT THAT IS NOT IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW!  I HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION!”

“Does it have anything to do with Undyne?” Coraline asked.

“YES!!!” Papyrus said. “YOU ARE QUITE ASTUTE FOR A HUMAN!!! HAVE YOU MET YET!?”

“No. But I did hear you talking to her about me,” said Coraline. “I thought you didn’t want to capture me anymore!”

“I DON’T! BUT YOU SEE…” said Papyrus. “UNDYNE’S OPINION OF YOU IS QUITE…MURDERY.  I THOUGHT I MIGHT BE ABLE TO LEAD UNDYNE OFF YOUR TRAIL BY WORKING AGAINST HER!!!  THAT WAY, YOU CAN STILL MAKE IT TO THE BARRIER WITHOUT DYING AND I WILL STILL HAVE MY FRIENDS!”

The anger in Coraline’s soul faded away. She couldn’t be mad at someone who was genuinely trying their best.

“It’s a little late for that,” said Coraline. “Undyne’s already spotted me.”

“DRAT. BEING FRIENDS WITH EVERYONE IS HARD!” Papyrus said. “BUT DO NOT WORRY, HUMAN! THE GREAT PAPYRUS SHALL ENDEAVOR TO COOK UP A PLAN TO GET YOU TWO ON BETTER TERMS! THAT WAY, MY FRIEND QUANTITY WILL CONTINUE TO FLOURISH!!! NYEH HEH HEH!!!”

He hung up before Coraline could answer back.

They found themself back in the Judgement Hall. A figure lay before them. The bells chimed.

So you finally made it.

If we were really friends, you wouldn’t come back.

Frisk shook away the bad feelings. They weren’t going to be judged. They were going to make everything better.

“heya kid. wow, you got tossed pretty far, didn’t ya?” the other sans asked. “you won’t tell your mother about this, would ya?”

Frisk shook their head and joined the other sans.

“yeah. let’s get home kiddo,” said the other sans. “say, let ya wear my jacket back for 5 gold.”

Frisk decided to decline. They didn’t say anything until they were firmly out of the New Home area of the Other World.

s-a-n-s, what do you think of other T-o-r-i-a-l? They asked.

The other sans slowed down. Sweat began to form on his skull.

“well, she’s great, y’know?” said the other sans. “she made all  of this, just for you, after all.”

I think I need to go back to the Underground for a bit, and I want to know how to ask her, Frisk said.

“oh, is that all?” said the other sans. He didn’t sound relieved. “well, the best way to get her to do anything is to challenge her to a game. she won’t turn ya down.”

What kind of game? Frisk asked.

“well, you could always have a finding game,” said the other sans. “there are a lot of things here she kept hidden. just make sure you know what to look for. if you ever need a hint, i’ll be willing to give you some advice, on the house. think there are a few other monsters that’ll be willing to give you a hand if you can find them. say…past the Judgement Hall?”

Isn’t that cheating? Frisk asked.

“she ain’t above it,” said the other sans. Phalanges tapped on femur nervously. More sweat dripped from the top of his skull.

He was nervous, Frisk realized.

Thank you sans, they signed.

“no problem kiddo,” the other sans said. “i’m rooting for ya.”

They reached the home. The other sans kept his distance as Frisk entered the house, and didn’t turn to leave until they appeared in the window to sign thank you to him again.

Now came the hard part.

They found the Other Toriel in the kitchen again.

“Hello, my child. You were out for longer than I had anticipated,” said the Beldam. “Would you like to talk about it?”

How do I exit the Ruins?

[theskelejournals]

Entry 42

A few nights ago Paps and I decided to hang out at Undyne’s house. Undyne has this board game that Alphys gave her when she got back from training and we tend to play that for hours just having snacks, cracking jokes, telling stories. It's not a bad way to spend an evening. A lot better than fighting a homicidal flower, heh.

Some time passed and I left the house for a bit, saying I wanted to stretch my legs, and wandered around Waterfall for awhile. Unlike being perpetual day in Snowdin, it's always dark there with only magical plants and the crystals in the cavern's ceiling far above as light. It's really relaxing and my favorite place in all the underground.

Deciding I just wanted some quiet time to myself, I went off to visit my telescope. The Underground’s a pretty safe place, so leaving your things out isn’t ever really a risk. My telescope is always there when I need it. After teleporting there, I looked at it for a moment and then up at the ceiling crystals. Sure they weren’t stars, but the sight of them always helped my nerves. Just something about ‘em.

I “stargazed” for a while, recalling the times I'd run away there to either escape job stress or just have some time to myself. It's not a bad to spend some time, even if I've seen every crystal before. Something about it is just relaxing.

I was standing there for a little while before noise brought me back to the present, and I turned to eye a batch of echo flowers skeptically. The motion made my soul skip, and for a moment I didn’t understand why. Then a memory sprung up and it became clear, leaving me staring at the shifting, whispering flowers silently. Frozen.

Eight years ago, Gaster and I had set this telescope up. It was a gift for my 15th birthday, a year after I started “working” at the royal labs as his assistant. My birthday had been about a month before then, and with that day off, he decided we should build it. We assembled it together right in this very spot, laughing and messing around with the pieces to get it just right. When it was finally built, the both of us couldn’t stop ourselves from just looking through it and grinning. Gaster was just as excited about it as I was. It was pretty great.

Then there was noise. I heard it first, looking over curiously at the sea of shifting, glowing plants. Someone was running through the echo flowers, which wasn’t really that rare. I was just trying to see if it was someone I knew. Gaster turned too, only to suck in a breath a moment later as a head of brown hair burst through the foliage.

He was in front of me immediately. A hand stretched to the side opposite side, glowing blue, and a box of bones surrounded the human girl that had paused in front of us. She was panting, eyes wide as she stared up at my father, drawing her arms in gracefully away from the bones.

“Stay back, Sans,” he ordered hastily after I had reached forward to cling to his arm, staring as I hid behind him.

“Wait, please!” she called. “Please mister, listen--”

“I don’t know how you got here, child,” Gaster said shakily, and it was then that I noticed that despite how he stood straight, his hand was trembling. “But... I can’t allow you to step closer. You will not come near me or my son.”

“No, listen! Please sir! You’re the most human looking monster here!” Gaster paused as if struck, taken aback. Staring. “I'm not trying to hurt either of you, or anyone, please. I just want to go home. I fell, somewhere far back there, and… and I’ve avoided the dogs but please, I just want to go home.” She stopped for a moment, fighting for words, to get him to listen. “The stories can’t be completely true, right? Isn’t there another way out? I won’t tell anyone if there is, I swear! You have my word!”

I had never seen Gaster stand so still, just. Staring before. There was a long stretch of silence between them before he blinked, furrowing his brow and frowning. I'm not sure the child could see it, but there was pain in his expression.

“I’m.” He sighed, shoulders sinking, but he never moved otherwise. He held his ground, the bones still up, still shielding me with himself. “I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do for you.”

“There’s really no other way?” She asked, looking at him balefully as her own shoulders fell.

“dad?” My voice had been a whisper, but I couldn’t just stay quiet. Gaster’s jaw worked, closing his eyes tight, and he shook his head slowly before looking back up.

“The only way out of the Underground for a human is for them to take a monster soul with them through the barrier. You would have to kill to be free. Just like the rest of us.”

Her eyes stretched wide, a hand going to her mouth.

“Kill, but I… I can’t. I can’t…”

Gaster opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, the clacking of metal and barking sounded. All three of us jumped at the noise of the guards arriving.

“Dr. Gaster, sir! You caught her!” One called as the group of four approached. The girl stiffened.

“I… yes.” Keeping the bones up, Gaster turned to face them. He was still frowning.

“Did she harm you, sir? Your son?”

“No. Nothing of the sort.”

“Thank the angel,” one of the others huffed. “She’s the 5th soul we need. You can release her now, we’ll take her the rest of the way to His Majesty.”

“No,” Gaster said sharply, making me look up in surprise. Then he softened. “No… that’s quite alright.” The guards looked at him in confused shock before he looked toward me. “Sans, stay with the royal guards, alright? I’ll be back shortly.”

“Sir?” One guard inquired.

Gaster lowered his hand to his side and the bones dropped. He met the dog’s gazes, but it was forced. “Remain here until I return. I’ll escort the girl to Asgore myself.“

“Uh, yes, of course,” the same dog said slowly, brow furrowed in conflict. “Are you sure you don’t--”

“I have the situation under control,” he assured, his tone calling for no more questions. Looking toward the human girl, out of the guard’s line of sight, I saw him give her a look. It was an apology, an ask for forgiveness. Sorrow. Guilt. “Child?”

The girl stepped forward, coming to Gaster's side without a word, her eyes down. He didn’t take ahold of her to move her along or anything, he kept his hands to himself and spoke authoritatively but gently. He simply nodded, glanced at me one more time.

“I'll be back soon, son.” Then he turned and started toward Hotland. The girl stayed right by his side. She knew her fate, and even then she didn’t fight. She could have hurt us, but she didn’t. She could have ran again. But she didn’t. She could have killed anyone to break herself free.

But she didn’t.

It wasn’t until later that I heard whispers of this human’s integrity. For roughly a week, Gaster didn’t smile, didn’t really laugh. He was quiet, he did what he needed to at work, he held us close, but he was sullen. His own integrity had been challenged and left him scarred. He didn’t tell me what happened after they left, all he said was he brought her to Asgore like he said he would. But his eyes held pain, conflict. I knew my father, and he wasn’t the kind for unneeded violence. I also knew he never liked discussing matters of the barrier and the human souls before either. His conversation about meddling with DT back when the machine was mere scratches on paper helped further prove it. He never wanted to harm humans, harm anyone, in the first place. It wasn’t his nature.

My recollection was broken as a yellow monster kid in a frumpy sweater broke out from the flowers, falling on his face with a yelp. The flowers around him joined in with the sound, making me softly cringe.

“uh. you ok kid?” I asked, ignoring the words repeated seconds later. “heh. didn’t expect anyone to drop in on me here.”

“Oh!” He shoved back up on his feet, giving me a toothy, near embarrassed grin. “Yeah! I’m ok! Happens all the time! Thanks though, gotta go!” With that, the kid ran off toward the direction of Snowdin. I watched for a moment longer, then looked at my telescope, the echo flowers, then sighed. Well. That was enough activity for me.

I teleported back in front of Undyne’s house not long after. My trip for some alone time was enlightening, but it brought back things I didn’t expect. As many memories as I’d gotten back, there were still some that took me off guard.

“What took you so long, punk?” Undyne asked when I stepped back inside. “We finished the game without you.”

“oh, you know, just got a little board and started talking to the flowers.”

Pap groaned and Undyne looked like she was ready to throw her tea in my face. We started another game, one that Undyne won and Papyrus called shenanigans on, then settled down and watched one of Mettaton’s new show premieres to finish the night.

Thinking back on it, that was the only time I’ve ever seen a human. I’d heard stories sure, but I’d never seen one up close. And this girl, the young human roughly my height with a frilly pink tutu, didn’t look anything like the merciless creatures I’d heard they were. She was scared, lost, seeking help. But most of all, she was unwilling to go against her honesty, even when faced with death. I think we can all take a bit to learn from that.

The fifth one. Six if you count the fallen prince ages ago. I just hope she had fun down here while she could. Don’t know how much fun you could have running from guards, but I know after their exchange, Gaster wasn’t cruel to her. That’s not how he was. If he was fighting with anything that day, it was his own broken and torn integrity from following what he thought was right versus following orders from the King of Monsters himself. - Sans