#Papyrus knows what the point of the mask is

[obamerht]

wooo two new pages, I’m nearing to the end of the first chapter of HeartTale, I know this isin’t well polished and stuff, but I’m getting a proper drawing tablet and with it I’ll also get a better drawing program, so I hope the quality will soon increase:]

[llamagoddessofficial]

I'm on my knees for any more crumbs with prison AU therapist Mc and Sans 🙏 the more equal(?) dynamic is just so good And to the anon that brought it up—I love you

I'll do you one better. Here's some crumbs for ALL of them

Since she's not a nurse, this Mc doesn't have a very strong stomach. Stories of Skull's crimes sometimes make her physically ill.

Generally, Sans and Mc's 'sessions' can be quite pleasant. They talk about current events, how things are going. It's only once she starts trying to explore his feelings that he starts toying with her.

... Red teases her a lot. She tries not to react to it, it's unprofessional, but he can always tell when he's flustering her. He gets this infuriating smug grin.

Since Red is a high risk prisoner, he has to have one hand cuffed to a table during therapy. He often complains that he wishes he could be cuffed alone in a room with her in different circumstances. What Mc doesn't realise is that, considering his strength, the cuffs are basically for decoration- Red just pretends he can't break out of them so she feels more comfortable alone in a room with a massive skeleton monster who openly displays interest in her.

Sans doesn't require cuffs in his sessions. And the only time he was cuffed, he snapped them 'accidentally' to make a point. It just makes it all the more nervewracking for Mc.

Skull doesn't know she's his therapist. He thinks she just really cares about him. That's why she keeps coming back to see him, right?

Red isn't the only flirt. Sans is a lot more forward in this AU, considering she knows the truth about his nature. Granted, Sans being 'clear' about something is still incredibly cryptic, but he enjoys the shock in her eyes whenever he calmly flirts with her.

Red's flirting is warm, sincere, and never crosses the line... it leaves her flushed and (though she'd never admit it) flattered. Sans' flirting is nervewracking. It makes her feel like she's a mouse, and Sans is a cat playfully batting at her, capable of clawing her to death at any moment.

Skull gains bits and pieces of speech back a lot faster with her. Unfortunately, that means he's learning how to terrify the guards. It used to be that Skull would just scream or snarl, but now he likes to say broken ominous sentences to guards he doesn't like to see them shit their pants.

He's also figured out that, when he's really upset and angry, if he screams her name enough someone will send her. It's not a great lesson to learn... but it's better than him deciding to attack people.

Whenever Mc tries to get Skull to do therapeutic art with her, he just draws the same thing over and over. The art is scribbly thanks to his tremor, but it always looks like three people; a tall skeleton, a shorter skeleton, and a human. He draws them in various positions- standing together, sitting around a table, sitting on a couch. She suspects one skeleton is him and the human could be her, but she doesn't know who the tall skeleton is.

(It's him, her, and Papyrus. His family)

Sans, for all his power and control, gets ratty and jealous when she treats other people. The first time he hears her laugh is when she realises that was why he's being moody.

She'd never seen him so delighted before.

Sans likes when she dodges his conversational traps. He'll try to lure her into talking about herself, revealing information to him, but she won't fall for it and always turns it back on him. There's not much he's been able to glean from her. It's always so fun, to play with someone who knows what they're doing.

Again, she'll never admit it. But Mc is fascinated by Sans. Most serial killers are delusional and kinda pathetic, but Sans is as if all the stereotypes of the 'genius mastermind serial killer' were true. She gets to be up close and personal, see how he works; she gets to watch his mask rise and fall in real time.

Of course, he knows she's fascinated. He uses it to keep her coming back. He's fascinated with her, too~

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

for the harsher skellis! what's their first moment of true vulnerability in front of their s/o like? who pushes them away and who can embrace it?

Underfell Sans - The first time you witnessed some monsters mocking his LV and threatening to make him shut up for good if he keeps playing the big boy, and Red actually deciding to shut up as they have really high LV and he's scared they might actually kill him and his S/O. S/O tries to reach to him after this, but Red simply shakes it off like it's nothing. He doesn't want to talk about it.

Underfell Papyrus - Well clearly the first time he disappeared for three days and came back with several big injuries as he got kidnapped by his rivals. He's going to snap at you first when you ask what happened, but there's a high chance he just breaks down if you keep pushing. He's so tired of all of this.

Horrortale Sans - You finding out about his past Underground, maybe because someone told you. When you ask him if it's true he ate humans, he simply shuts down, not wanting to look at you anymore. He's pretty sure you'll dump him and give up on him so why even try. He struggles a lot with talking about what happened.

Horrortale Papyrus - Same as his brother, the first time you discovered the truth and realized sweet gentle Willow did pretty horrible things in the past. Willow breaks down immediately, begging you to let him explain. He doesn't want to lose you, but he can't... He can't hide the truth anymore. He needs you to listen to him before taking any decision.

Horrorswap Sans - Probably him breaking down as he's watching himself in the mirror. If you surprise him, he will get defensive really fast and push you away. It's none of your business.

Horrorswap Papyrus - Well, one of the first big panic attacks probably, where poor Pumpkin can attack anyone by fear, even you or his brother. Once the attack passes though, there's a high chance he just clings to you and refuses to let go. He needs comfort :(

Horrorfell Sans - Calling him out for hiding food in his room or in random places. He can get really aggressive if you point it out because yeah, he still has deep troubles with food and he refuses to see someone to help him. He'll apologize, but later. He doesn't like it though.

Horrorfell Papyrus - The first time you caught him being so mad at people jogging in the park and trying to hide it because his stupid legs are paralyzed. If you talk, he's going to explode, but just putting a hand on his shoulder and saying nothing will soothe him enough to calm down.

Swapfell Sans - Well, clearly the first time you witness him doing something horrible for the Queen like executing a prisoner and struggling with all he has to keep a neutral face and not breaking down. Or Toriel straight up insulting him for nothing just because she's in a bad mood. Or Toriel calling him at 3 a.m. so he brings her something not caring about the fact he has a life too. If you talk to him about how Toriel is abusing him, you'll see the Captain's mask cracks up and there's a high chance poor Nox just breaks down completely in your arms. He's so tired. He wants it to stop. He hates his job so much, that it's harder and harder for him to shut up about this. He needs help so desperately.

Swapfell Papyrus - You asking if it's him who drank the beer in the fridge. You didn't expect him to suddenly get mad at you for no apparent reason and scream that his addictions are gone and that it's none of your business. You're quite speechless. When he realizes your question was genuine, he gets mad at himself because it's not your fault, you wouldn't know about this. And now he said too much so maybe it's time he tells you about how bad his addictions were Underground. He doesn't want to hide it anymore.

Fellswap Gold Sans - It's really rare to see him express anything really. And if you catch the glimpse of an emotion, he immediately stiffens and gets defensive about this. There's no first time of him being vulnerable because he's not staying in that state more than two seconds, really. He only breaks down when no one is home.

Fellswap Gold Papyrus - The first time you witness him being bullied in the street by some monsters for being the General's brother, and Coffee simply accepting it. When you ask if he's ok, he hugs you tight and refuses to answer. He doesn't want to talk about that. The less you know, the better you're protected.

Mafiatale Sans - You didn't think the brothers were close until Creeper got shot and you had to take care of a very freaked out Demon. Poor guy is completely lost without his brother and he clings to his S/O for comfort because he's so so scared.

Mafiatale Papyrus - He usually kills people without blinking, but that one time a contract asked to kill a child and you saw Creeper hesitated, and then refused to do it. He refuses to talk about it with you. He can't do it, that's all. Deal with it.

Mafiafell Sans - The first time he returns home completely drunk and breaks down in your arms, saying how much he hates his job and that he hopes he'll die soon to not have to deal more with it. When he's clear again and you try to talk about this, he hesitates, then starts to explain to you how bad he feels about the mafia, or at least he tells you about the mafia if he didn't do it already. He can't hide it anymore, even though it makes the both of you targets.

Mafiafell Papyrus - The first time he fell a mission and you saw how much he's scared of Asgore. Torpedo has huge pressure on his shoulders as the adopted heir of the Mafia's leader, and any failure is severely punished. When you try to talk to him, he screams that he doesn't want Asgore to kill you for failing and to let him take care of this. That's the first time you realize being close to him might be more dangerous than you thought.

Error Sans - Probably asking him why he didn't erase your world if he hates all the AUs, and washing him crash and crash again as he suddenly has to face his feelings. He teleports out of here and goes to hide in the Antivoid to flee this talk.

Dustale Sans - The first time you found him staring at his scarf in silence. When you ask him what's wrong, he stares at you and leaves. He needs to be alone for a few moments.

Killer Sans - When you tell him that for someone who's not supposed to feel anything, he looks quite happy today. He immediately shuts down and gets defensive. Shut up, he's not Sans anymore. You don't know what you're talking about.

Disbelief Papyrus - The first time he woke up from a nightmare screaming his brother's name. He breaks down in your arms and hugs you tight, and he will talk about Sans all night long with you.

[sariels-world-ella]

Can we see more characters from UTY if they were in Sw!Fallenswap? (I think you're Ceroba design and AU's lore is very cool btw)

Sure and thanks! I'll even expand on each of them, though none of it is 100% canon to Sw!Fallenswap, and thought up quickly as they aren't canon.

I couldn't settle on a Azimuth Dalv design but I did make a pacifist route Starlo design, he reminds me of a power ranger for some reason? (It's probably the mask.)

I had to do some math to get it to fit in the Timeline, get everyone's ages and get Martlet's life expectancy and to get Dalv's persumed age by finding the life expectancy of a Fox Anthropomorphic (there is an equation I use to find life expectancies of all the Anthropomorphic races) to see if it lines up in the timeline for Kanako's grandparents to be alive in 1013, as that is the most notable year in the timeline where Anthropomorphics did kill a bunch of Undeads matching Fallen!Dalv's description on why he has beef with the Ketsukanes (though Dalv never mentioned a year). The life expectancy number came out to be 950, then by adding Ceroba's age of 39 (assuming either Ceroba or Chujin's parent(s) had their child near the end of their lifespan) minusing it by 1985, got me 996 which did check out timeline wise.

Character notes:

Clover Notes: Clover doesn't change much from their UTY appearance, changes are they are much more verbal, Clover can save and load, doesn't have Flowey/Temmie because Temmie wasn't made animate until the 90s and they carry around a Polaroid Camera (which was very popular in the 80s), which there are certain spots that you can take a picture of giving you the Achievement "Picture Perfect" and doing them all gives you the achievement "Photographer's Eye"

Clover will become a Myling with the other souls and kill Ultra Temmie in Chara's non-canon neutral ending still. Clover is one of the 11 characters known to be from Gen X.

Unlike Genocide UTY Clover, Genocide Fallen!Clover does die still, due to Sans ripping Clover's heart out and eating it before Clover was able to shoot Toriel, meaning the Clover’s Genocide Route in Sw!Fallenswap could technically be canon if it wasn't directly stated Sans only killed Patience, Bravery, and Perseverance.

The fact Sans was able to sneak up on Clover implies he was expecting Clover to show up, even though Clover managed to enter the castle undetected, so it's likely Dalv conversed with Sans beforehand.

Since Temmie didn't exist yet when Clover was alive, you can wait for Asgore to drop a rope for you gaining the Achievement “Patience is Virtue”, which will cause you to skip the Martlet fight and proceed like normal Undertale except you have to sneak out of ruins which is difficult but worth it as you also skip most of Snowdin as well, because Papyrus saves you from Sans and teleports Clover away,  Papyrus gives you a medallion and tells Clover to show it to Dalv and say “Papyrus sent you” which can skip the Dalv fight (if you so wish) which will get you straight to the portion of attempting to travel to Hotland, the medallion can actually also be used to instantly spare MOST random encounter enemies which will give you the achievement “VIP”

If you don't wait for Asgore to drop the rope the playthrough plays similarly to UTY, but without Flowey or Temmie, if you do a genocide route Dalv won't shapeshift into a wolf and swim you down the river, instead The Boatman (Wingding Gaster) does, but Clover still ends up falling off the dam, but instead of Sans causing a wave from striking a bone wall into the water, Wingding purposely knocks you off the dam knowing what you did.

Either way, you wash up on a Dunes’ shore on 1 HP, which makes the medallion very useful to have if you waited for Asgore to return and got the medallion from Papyrus as it can instantly spare most enemies, so you won't get killed by them before you reach a save point.

Martlet Notes: She's a hermit that lived in the ruins before they were abandoned, she met Chujin before and due to her age she is old enough to have met the Integrity soul who fell down in 1936. She likes jigsaw and logic puzzles, as well as reading textbooks.

She's the only known character from the Cavalier Generation. Her personality seems to be a blend of her original personality and Dalv's

Dalv notes:

Dalv (or Sir Alucard by Ceroba and Officer Alucard by Starlo) His personality is similar to his original and Martlet's, the most notable difference between his personality and UTY!Dalv’s personality is that Fallen!Dalv has much more of a spine when it comes to advocating for himself and speaking his mind, he is much more willing to stand his ground and overall is much more brave, he is also much more willing to use profanity, albeit not in English, usually in Romanian or Monstarian when speaking to another Monster (adult monster that is, as he doesn't swear at children).

Judging by the fact he is stationed in Snowdin but doesn't wear the Snowdin Guard Armor, means he was either off duty when he ran into Clover or not apart of the Snowdin police force, but he is also not wearing a deltarune so being off duty is more likely.

He has beef with The Ketsukanes due to Kanako's Grandparents role in the 1013 Mass Undead Racial Cleansing, but doesn't have that same resentment towards Kanako as she tried to right the wrongs. Judging by the fact Dalv mentioned having parents and a younger sibling, it means Dalv is either a traditional variant (parents are the Elden Variant) as Elden Variants are naturally spawned, or Ancient variant if his parents were Ancestral Undead (once Elves)

Dalv is seen to shapeshift into a bat and a wolf before, bat when trying to escape with Clover and when they dropped over a waterfall and a wolf when swimming in the river with Clover on his back to try to get to Hotland.

As a Vampire, like all Undeads, he does have telekinesis and teleportation, so in his fight Blue Soul Mode is used for some attacks. Instead of Puzzles in Snowdin, he sets up riddles due to his love of storytelling.

It’s implied Dalv likely conversed with Sans before the Azimuth Dalv fight due to the fact Sans was able to ambush Clover before Clover could kill Toriel, which isn't unlikely as they are both on the royal guard and Dalv seems to be on a first name basis with Sans as Dalv said “Sans, you're a tâmpit!" instead of “Sir Gaster, you're a tâmpit!” (tâmpit which in this case means "asshole" in Romanian) when Sans causes Dalv and Clover to get washed over the dam, this is notable because Royal Guards only refer to each other by first name if A.) They don't have one (which Sans does, it's “Gaster”) or B.) They are on frequent speaking terms outside of the Royal Guard, this means Dalv and Sans must converse frequently outside of guard duty to know each other's first names.

Genocide phases:

Dalv is in his normal form, and his fight is a harder version of his pacifist/neutral fight

When Dalv gets low on HP he injects something (either DETERMINATION or SPITE) into himself, which turns him into Azimuth Dalv

Once killed Dalv's Shade spawns, like all Shades in Sw!Fallenswap, it has high attack and defense but only one HP, meaning you have to do all the shots perfectly with the wild revolver to actually kill him, any mistake won't be enough damage to get through the Shade's Defense.

He seems to inject himself with either DETERMINATION or SPITE at the end of Genocide, due to the fact in that scenario DETERMINATION will turn a monster into a Draugr and races in the Undead Monster Type will not have that reaction to DETERMINATION but neither would SPITE as it creates a Shade after dying and doesn't put them into a temporary state, so it's unknown what caused that reaction, but it's still likely SPITE instead which explains why Dalv was able to handle it so easily and not melt as SPITE destroys light mana in a Monster’s soul while DETERMINATION melts it, but since Undead Souls have Dark Mana instead, SPITE doesn't harm their soul. It also explains why phase 3 Dalv is a Shade. It is also more likely to be SPITE instead of DETERMINATION, as that would be easier to acquire, only way Dalv would get his hands on DETERMINATION is if he extracted it from Undyne, though he does know her, Undyne would likely try to stop Clover herself. The way Dalv could get his hands on SPITE would be extracting it from Sans or another Undead, though Dalv did call Sans an asshole and Sans did cause a massive wave which caused Dalv and Clover to get washed over the dam and fall into the Dunes area in a Pacifist and neutral run, Sans would likely be willing to extract SPITE from himself to give to Dalv, and not go and fight Clover instead like Undyne would, as he is more likely to stay at New Home to defend Toriel which Sans does successfully in Clover's genocide run as he does very graphically and violently kill Clover.

Starlo Notes: he seems to work with Ceroba in some way, despite not being in the royal guard, he is either a part of the boomer generation or Silent generation in the case Starlo is a year older than Ceroba. Like his original counterpart, he had a crush on Ceroba and knew her since childhood, though unlike his UTY!Counterpart as he doesn't have this North Star Persona, he is more open about his nerdy side and seems to be rather intelligent when figuring out how to defeat the robots in Steamworks. Since Starlo has no attachment to Kanako's robots, killing Axis or Guardener will not abort the pacifist route, he's just relieved you made it out okay.

His personality is similar to UTY, but his temperament seems much more like UTY!Ceroba, he injected Chujin with the serum made from the Kindness Soul, because Chujin tricked Starlo into injecting Kanako's concoction into Chujin thinking it as harmless leaving Starlo into believing he accidentally killed Chujin, but he never told Ceroba this. Starlo also only tries to kill Clover as a mercy-kill-last-resort type thing because if Clover makes it to Toriel, Toriel will burn Clover alive resulting in a painful death, if Clover isn't handed over to Toriel, Clover will die of heart failure due to vitamin D deficiency, and if Clover somehow manages to kill Toriel the underground will possibly go into anarchy, so Starlo attempts to kill Clover in Pacifist route realizing these 3 outcomes.

Ceroba notes: Ceroba (or Sherif Ketsukane by Dalv) is an abrasive personality, and unlike UTY!Starlo she is affiliated with the Royal Guard, as Sherif and Dune's Police Chief are the same occupation in the Dunes region of the Underground, and unlike UTY!Starlo but like UTY!Ceroba, she has an antagonistic role. Ceroba will lash out at Clover if you kill Starlo, but Dalv will call her out as a hypocrite, as she was willing to condone murder of other people's loved ones, causing a short  altercation between the two, which Dalv does end up over powering Ceroba pushing her off the edge, which she survives after being found by some other royal guards.

Kanako Notes: Kanako was an intern, to whomever J.A River's Successor and Undyne's predecessor was and got cryogenically frozen, due to Undyne being non observant and the true lab access keycard being lost, it's unlikely Kanako will ever be found.

Kanako got her internship at 14 years old by submitting her idea of Steamworks to be a backup power supply if the core ever breaks, the robots were made in collaboration with a younger Undyne who was also an intern between 16-18 years old at the time.

Kanako wanted to make amends with Dalv Alucard as her ancestors killed his family during a massacre and wishes to right that wrong, which makes Kanako the only Ketsukane that Dalv doesn't have beef with.

Chujin notes: Very little is known about Chujin other than he tricked Starlo into administering the serum and that Chujin was a stay-at-home parent, we also know he's not a boss monster like he was in UTY, as Boss Monster is a specific race of Monster and not category. We also know like Ceroba and  unlike Kanako, he is unwilling to try to make amends for his ancestors wrongdoings in the 1013 Mass Undead Racial Cleansing, as implied by what Kanako said to Dalv, further supported by Ceroba's predisposition of hating Dalv. We can assume he had a lot of faith in Kanako's abilities as he was willing to try her concoction on himself, which ended his life and due to Undyne not being the Royal Scientist yet, he wasn't used in Undyne's experiments and died in hospice.

[tev-the-random]

So the thing that gets me about Starlo — the thing that really gets me — is how much this guy hates himself.

It's not something you notice the first time you're playing, because he's so confident and enthusiastic. He'd almost be cool if he wasn't such a dork. But after replaying the game with the context of where he came from, — and I'll admit, after reading some very interesting, in-depth fanfics and analysis about him, I'll try to link them if I find them again — his character becomes a bit... blurred. How much of this is Starlo, and how much of it is North Star?

Because- because the whole point of his sheriff persona is that he gets to be someone else, isn't it? When he's out there rootin' and tootin', acting out his hero fantasies and trying to imitate the characters from the westerns he admires, he becomes someone much cooler than himself. North Star is everything Starlo wishes he was: the fearless leader, the cunning cowboy, the confident sheriff who saves lives and wrangles bandits and hangs out with humans. Not just some nobody farmer who could disappear in the corn field without anyone noticing, not the son who wastes his time on daydreams.

He craves praise so deeply. That's the big difference between Star and Papyrus, I think, because Papyrus is just so unapologetically himself, while Star... he starts spending more and more time with this mask of greatness he made himself. Because people like North Star. Not Starlo.

North Star is a real sheriff. Not Starlo.

North Star is the one who brings help and hope and fun to monsters. Not Starlo.

North Star is the one worthy of being appreciated. Not Starlo.

And like... he wants to be liked so badly. So much effort is put into making sure North Star is good enough that Starlo tends to assume people hate him. He assumes his parents hate his life choices (they don't; they're proud of him and know he cares), he assumes Clover will laugh at him when he shows his face to them (they don't; despite everything, it's still him), he assumes the reason he fell out with his friends is because he wasn't a good enough sheriff (he knows damn well it wasn't actually Clover's fault, he's not THAT stupid. But he's still desperately grasping at the last pieces of his shattered persona, so if he just works harder, if he does what a real sheriff does and captures this human, then everything will be alright, won't it?)

I really wish we could have gotten more insight on Starlo's relationships and personality before the whole Wild East thing consumed him. Ceroba and the Feisty Five say they miss the old Starlo, but we never really get to know who the old Starlo was. And I don't think he knows either.

Wake the hell up, Star. People started liking you before you were North Star. Go eat some corn and calm down.

Point is, the impostor syndrome goes hard and that's such a mood. He was supposed to be the cool and silly cowboy guy, what the fuck–

[sukifoof]

sometimes i think about the way asriel interacts with people and how he seems to believe that theres like. rules to friendship or something of the sort. maybe not Rules exactly but he seems to think there's a Correct way to act. he needs to do everything Right so he can get his Happy Ending. and the thing that really gets me about that is we only see him directly talk to two (2) people and that's chara and frisk. with chara it's like he's desperately trying to be as nice as possible and he just kind of goes along with whatever they say to keep them as a friend, and that only breaks once he feels like he's done something wrong (an example would be when he goes to asgore after getting scared by them). and how he says "i'd Never doubt You chara" despite obviously doubting this plan is so. yeah he's a people pleaser alright.

and Then there's frisk. flowey doesn't seem to see a point in befriending them for several reasons whether it's jealousy or an uncomfortable reminder of who he lost or that they remind him of himself. he talks to them as if he's thinking out loud, talking to himself. the only times he slips back into that persona is when he's trying to get the player to do what he wants like "oh maybe She has the key to your happiness :)" and this is Exactly why he NEVER believes anyone when they're genuinely kind to him. he thinks it MUST be an act because he thinks that's what his kindness is. he's so firm in his belief that he Must be terrible that he could never be genuinely kind or genuinely care about anyone. he's stuck in this cycle of self hatred from grief and his inability to Stop Masking For One Day Of His Life

so then it makes me think really hard about the way he interacts with papyrus. papyrus is really interesting cuz he's genuinely kind without just letting people do whatever they want to him. he has his boundaries and flowey knows how he'd respond to anything he says. and papyrus pretty much goes "wowww cant believe u would say that about urself" whenever anyone's a jerk to him which i'm SURE was amusing to flowey. we don't know much about how they talk to each other but they can probably understand each other's loneliness but i also think a lot about how sans says that flowey gives him praise and predictions. it just makes me wonder if he's Once Again falling back into his people pleaser habits with those he's fond of out of fear of losing them even though he knows how papyrus would react if he Was a jerk

flowey believing he can't feel and that this is so horrible of him is probably a result of him masking his whole life whether it's as the prince or someones friend and going "oh god this isnt really Me... what Is really me and did the Nice me die along with chara???" i just think. he's so unbelievably traumatized and clearly autistic (and probably has ocd tbh) and he doesn't know how to deal with it when he's done something that results in an unhappy end. that's Also why he blames himself so much he just thinks if he just did everything right everything would have turned out right. he's so well written in every aspect and it always makes me happy to see a well written character that i can relate to as someone with both ptsd and autism... thank u flowey i love u

[batter-sempai]

Hi! I'm a big fan of Papyrus conspiracies, excpically as someone who LOVES to theorise about the mysteriously upbeat side character. I'm not sure if these things has been mentioned before but... I would like to put my two cents in.

No eyelights. Canonically, San's eye lights disapepar when he is too angry at the player to keep up his smiling mask. But Papyrus NEVER has eyelights, just a goofy human eyeball thing when he's being expecially silly. But. Never. Any. Eyelights. I feel like this is important.

If Sans was a scientist prior to everything else, wouldn't it have been strange to live in Snowdin? I mean, there is the River Person and San's shortcuts, but it doesn't make much sense. Sooo, at some point it would have been reasonable for them to have lived in Hotland.

The lack of astrick before the text when he talks. I don't know why it is like that but it just is Strange and I want to know more. WHAT COULD IT MEAN? I am sure it means SOMETHING.

Attracts cyrptids/time gods like flies to honey. The Annoying Dog, Flowey, the River Person that nobody else seems to know about. Flowey isn't the only one that seems to find this "naive child" strangely interesting.

As much as it is a crucial part of his character, it is strange that he forgives mass murderers. What kind of "brutal guy" is he to think even THESE people can do better? Or is it just that he remembers that they have proven that they can be?

The Gauntlet of Deadly Terror. Not enough talk about this in the Undertale fandom in my opinion. What the hell, Papyrus, why did you make that? He only realises that Undyne would be a better aduience than Chara AFTER he makes it. Golf. Harmless puzzle games. Confusing and vague "puzzle". GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR.

Thank you for reading thought my little rant about HIM. He's just such a mystery to me and I love him.

Hi there, thank you so much for the ask. ^^ And I'm so sorry for the late reply.

I miss getting Papyrus theory asks, so this was really nice to receive. ;w;

I have seen some of these before, but it's really nice to have them compiled into an ask like this, anon. Papyrus has a lot of very unusual things about him, like Sans does. I love the asterisks bit because it really is strange that he's the only one who never uses asterisks. He also does attract a lot of god-like beings, and even Flowey seems fond of him.

My theory on the part where he forgives you is because he did something terrible in the past and tried to be better, but who knows? We barely know about his past. Even with Sans, at least we know he's a scientist.

I also think that the skelebros used to live in Hotland, something must have happened there which resulted in Papyrus hating Hotland.

I love the Gauntlet of Deadly Terror, I think that's why Undyne calls him a "brutal guy", because he's perfectly capable of making some pretty deadly stuff like that. ^^

Thanks again for the ask, anon! I love getting asks about Papyrus and Undertale in general. I haven't gotten asks like this in years, so it's nice.

[bigoltrashpile]

There's not much written about Slasher! Papyrus (Chess), but he is still one of my absolute favorites; that's how great of a character that you have created!💜 I just love the idea of a Papyrus making puzzles that are dangerous and actually hard to get out of. It also does not help that I love puzzles, mazes, and solving mystery board games!

May I request the moment where after going on multiple dates, Chess confesses to Y/N?

Okay I know that I have like thirty other requests that I need to do but I love Chess so much that I just have to do this one asdkfjlasdf Also, I'm not sure if you meant confess as in "I love you" or confess as in "I'm a murderer," so I'm gonna go with the second one because that's more dramatic lmao

Chess looked around his home nervously. He had invited you over for a "ROMANTIC NIGHT THAT WILL KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF!" Which was true! The dining room was lit by candles, the curtains were drawn, and he had made a delicious dinner, including all your favorites. However, he had ulterior motives.

Tonight was the night he was going to tell you. He is the Jigsaw Killer.

Sans had tried to talk him out of it multiple times. "ya got a good thing goin'," Sans had argued. "i don't want ya to lose 'em just because they have 'morals'." He had made finger quotes around the last word.

"WE HAVE MORALS TOO!"

"yeah, sure, but the non-killing type of morals."

Sans had brought up a good point, but Papyrus knew that he couldn't keep this part of his life secret forever. Much better to hear it from him, rather than for you to put the pieces together yourself.

Besides, that's why he had some...failsafes in place. The chloroform rag in his pocket seemed to weigh heavy.

Finally, a knock on the door. Immediately, Papyrus put on his cheerful, carefree mask. He opened the door, and beamed down at you.

"WELCOME! I HOPE YOU'RE READY FOR THE GREATEST DINNER YOUR TASTE BUDS HAVE EVER BEHELD!" he announced dramatically.

You laughed softly. Stars, Papyrus loved your laugh. "I sure am! Thanks for this, by the way, you're always so thoughtful."

Papyrus tried to hide how flustered he was by your compliments. "I KNOW, I'M THE GREATEST!"

"You sure are!" Gently, you tugged Papyrus down to your level and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

Now blushing profusely, Papyrus led you to the table. He wanted to make everything as nice as possible before he dropped...admittedly a pretty big bombshell on you. Despite his best efforts to treat you as well as he could, his nervousness was clearly shining through.

About halfway through your dinner, you finally brought it up. "You seem worried," you probed carefully. "Is something wrong?" You looked away anxiously. "Is something wrong with...us?"

YES, ER, NO, I MEAN..." Papyrus groaned and put his head in his hands. "WHAT I MEAN IS, IT'S NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU! YOU'RE WONDERFUL!!" He reached across the table and grabbed your hands. "IT'S...ME."

You frowned. "Are you cheating on me?"

"NO!!!! I WOULD NEVER!" Papyrus was aghast that you would even think such a thing. "I LOVE YOU!"

Your shoulders relaxed. "I love you too. But if it's not that, then what's the problem?"

"WELL, UM..." Papyrus was sweating now.

"You can tell me anything," you said gently.

Papyrus took a deep breath. ".....I'M THE JIGSAW KILLER."

There was a long moment of silence. Then, you started to laugh. Hard.

"THAT...WAS NOT THE REACTION I WAS EXPECTING."

You wiped a tear from your eye, still giggling a bit. "Oh come on, Papyrus! You? A killer? You're too sweet!"

"WELL, YES, I AM, BUT-"

"I would expect something like this from Sans, but you? You really had me going!"

You chuckled, clearly expecting Papyrus to join in. Instead, Papyrus let his cheerful mask drop. He stared you down with a deadly serious gaze.

After a moment, you stopped. "Oh my god...you're for real. You actually mean it."

Papyrus stood, stalking slowly around the table. "I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE 'FOR REAL' IN MY LIFE." He put his hand on the back of your chair, effectively pinning you to the furniture. "But I Would Never, Ever Hurt You."

Despite his words, Papyrus easily recognized the terror in your eyes. It was an all-too familiar expression that he had never wanted to see on you. Your breath was fast now, and Papyrus could practically hear your panicked heartbeat. "H-how can I trust you?"

"It's Still Me, My Darling," Papyrus said gently. "I Haven't Changed! But Now You Know The Truth."

"You're a murderer!"

"I Help People!" Papyrus was fighting hard to keep his voice calm and level. "I Clean Up The Filth That Lives Among Us!"

Papyrus gently pushed some hair away from your face. Usually, you would lean into his touch, but now, you flinched away. "I Keep You Safe, My Love. You Never Have To Be Afraid Around Me."

Reluctantly, Papyrus stepped back. The candlelight flickered, casting eerie shadows across his face. He held his arms out, as if for a hug. "What Do You Say?"

For a long, long moment, you just stared. Then, in a blink, you jumped up and sprinted for the door.

Papyrus sighed. "How Disappointing."

You slammed against the door, and almost screamed when you realized that it was firmly locked. "I Thought You Could Help Us. You Have Such Wonderful Ideas! You're So Creative! You Could Have Helped Us Make The World Better."

"Please, Papyrus, let me go," you stammered.

"I'm Sorry, But I Can't. Not Until You Learn To Accept This." You attempted to open a window, only to find that there was a magic barrier around it, making you unable to even touch it.

Papyrus saw your muscles tense, ready to fight. However, before you could turn around or even scream, Papyrus grabbed you tight and held the chloroform rag to your face.

"It's Alright, Just Relax," Papyrus whispered in your ear. "Sleep, My Darling."

You were obviously holding your breath as you struggled in his arms, but before long, you were forced to take in a breath. Papyrus waited, counting carefully in his head, until you went limp. Carefully, he adjusted so that he was holding you bridal style. "I'm Sorry," he whispered. "But This Is The Only Way We Can Be Together."

Without jostling you too much, Papyrus carried you to the basement. He had prepared a room for you, just in case. It was as nice as he could make it, complete with a bed, a bookcase, and even some of your favorite video games and movies. It was nice to be able to put his talents into making something non-deadly for once, though there were still plenty of traps in case you tried anything once you woke up.

As if you were made of glass, Papyrus set you on the bed. He pressed a kiss to your forehead. "Now We'll Be Together. Forever."

[childofthewargod]

"𝙸𝚝'𝚜 𝚊 𝙲𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚗 𝙴𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝"

(TW!: Mentions of blood, possibly some dark thoughts, heavy-ish character death)

Crimson staining what were once normal painted gloves, not from spray paint or acrylic paint, crimson from someone dear, to be specific. The sky becomes differing shades of blue, yet the concrete ground is red. Light blue webs connecting with gray buildings, subtle twips resounding the supposed silence. 

The words she used were signs of what would occur, “te voy amar para siempre”, this doesn’t seem like forever. Forever doesn’t require blue and red lights, tape saying ‘crime scene do not cross’, that’s not forever, that’s the end. 

Praying to whoever was up there, praying that what was happening is nothing but a mere dream. Something that he can brush off, a bit of laughter when looking back at it. 

The sirens were what put him back in reality.

Plump lips meeting those of hers, a goodbye kiss, el ultimo beso. To hear his laugh she’ll never be able to, to feel his hands on her cheeks she’ll never be able to, to smell his vanilla scent she’ll never be able to. For she wasn't breathing the same air as he was anymore. 

His parents knew just how much, how long, he’s loved her. They never knew, however, what was going on in her head. No matter the kisses, the hugs, the affection wouldn’t heal the scars. 

Fingers intertwined with each other, pressing their lips on their knuckles, a gentle breeze passing by then going. 

“Miles, the hardest thing about this job is you can’t save everybody.”

That was supposed to apply when he lost his uncle, it wasn’t supposed to apply to his fiancée. The mere thought of experiencing another loss, losing her, it hurt. 

No, no this wasn’t what you may have thought it might’ve been. 

It’s not any better, though.

The deep voice he uses to mask himself further, it wasn’t there when his father wouldn’t let him see her. He never got physical with his parents, always well mannered and wouldn’t dare to push them. He couldn’t stop himself. He pushed his father, pushed his father to the side, to cross the tape.

To see her again, to see her mask removed. 

‘An accident’ as they called it, this wasn’t an accident. A sacrifice, that’s what they should’ve called it. He knew, he knew how selfless she was, putting everything above her. 

He couldn’t cry, couldn’t cry out loud knowing his father might hear, might recognize his son. He could only look at her, could only hold her with the glass eyes of his mask not going back to its original size. Her eyes were losing its spark day by day, today, it was completely gone. 

And it’s like back when he was 13, holding the hand of his uncle in the Spider-Man suit that didn’t fit him. 

“Just keep going.”

Without her? 

It wasn't supposed to end like this, she could've done a different strategy to avoid it. It's nice to be selfless, to care about those around you, it can be too nice. 

It's not always a superpower, it's a weakness at times. A weakness the culprit took advantage of, the bullet piercing right where it has always hurt. 

Her heart. 

Is this what he felt, to see his life slip away from him between his fingers, to fall into a hibernation that would last more than the winter months. Death would join, it would cradle you in its arms like a mother would with her infant. Was that what he went through as well? 

To witness it was something distinctive to experiencing it yourself, yet the same. To feel it, to hear it and smell it. Everything hurt, that's what he must've thought, too. It's not the same, though it was painful. 

The golden trim around her finger, shining beautifully underneath the street lamp. It's as though she is going through it once more. It's familiar to her. 

Could it be that death has paid her a visit before, that it has held her in its cold embrace more than once? That her name was written on its scroll of old papyrus, it has reached its point of knowing her well. 

She had these thoughts, mentally unwell would be what she told him, thinking through the years it might get better. It did, for a while, at least. She hadn't thought that far, for she was content with what she used to call her life. Before it was taken from her. 

Death shows no mercy, it's cold, cruel and often it's unpredictable. Death is harsh and death is… Well, death. And it can be quick, it can be fast, but it will always be painful. And this hurt, it hurt but for different reasons. It hurts, because she's leaving against her will. She couldn't decide for herself, not when the scythe to reap her soul was in her back. 

She didn't have a choice, this wasn't her decision to make, it was in the hands of the multiverse. Her life was connected with webs, weaved into its design until it was dusted away. Leaving her nowhere to climb on. 

“Being spiderman is a sacrifice, that's the job. That's what you signed up for.”

This wasn't what she signed up for. 

“I can do both, spiderman always-”

“Not always.”

They were right. 

Achoo @fallingwaynes @intriq oh oops my finger slipped.

[tanetime]

Finally got around to updating these ref sheets.

This is Wyneer, my main DST mod chara! (Pronounced Win-EER.)

He's an actor seeking a purpose in his life. Considering himself talentless, he gains perks and abilities by crafting and wearing masks and acting out the personality the mask portrays. He'll call them "characters" if you ask, but in the Constant, nothing is that simple...

His hobbies include eating all of the sweet foods in the base and creeping people out by standing idly while staring into space.

I'll post more about the masks themselves when I finish their art.

More info about his backstory and his mod under the cut.

Seeking Talent

A soft-spoken, eccentric man with a flair for the dramatic, Wyneer Elliott-Llewellyn is a Shakespearean actor desperately seeking a purpose in life. As his aimlessness led him to believe his life thus far had been wasted, he began to dream of starting anew as somebody else, fashioning masks to wear in private to bring his ailing mind relief. His desperation to escape his life led him to making a deal with a mysterious voice that called to him from his radio one day, claiming to know what his purpose was... That deal brought him to the Constant and has left him trapped there ever since. The deal also led to the creepy mask he wears being stuck to his face, but he doesn’t really mind.

Perks and Quirks:

Crafts his own masks

Skilled at method acting - Wyneer changes his perks depending on the mask worn

Has an erratic body and mind - Wyneer's stats change depending on the mask worn

Sensitive to fire and water - Wyneer takes extra damage from fire. Being above 80% wetness causes periodic damage. Being near open flames or being in the rain makes Wyneer nervous, causing his sanity to drain.

By default, Wyneer has no beneficial unique attributes or abilities. He instead temporarily gains perks and quirks depending on which of his masks he is currently wearing. Wearing a mask changes his appearance and dialogue.

He enters the Constant with several sheets of papyrus and some rope, and already knows how to craft these items.

Masks:

Wyneer's masks have a lot of effects. These descriptions are simplified for the sake of brevity.

Blank Mask (papyrus + rope) Does nothing and cannot be worn. Used to create masks.

Fright n Flight Mask (blank mask + nightmare fuel + sanity points) Induces insanity and greatly boosts movement speed, at the cost of greatly reducing attack power.

Laborious Mask (blank mask + grass + twigs) Lowers Wyneer’s max hunger stat and causes him to become hungry much faster. The fuller Wyneer’s hunger meter is, the faster he is at work-related tasks.

Brave Face (blank mask + flint + marble) Armour that lowers Wyneer’s max health in exchange for higher base damage. The closer to death Wyneer is, the stronger and more resistant to insanity he becomes.

About Face (blank mask + gold + bone shards) Armour that functions as a one-man band when sanity is above 50%. When below, Wyneer is regarded as a ‘monster’ by neutral mobs. Having followers or taking damage lowers sanity, but landing a killing blow on an enemy raises it.

Azure Mask (blank mask + blue gems + azure feathers) Makes Wyneer near-immune to freezing, but causes him to radiate extreme cold. This causes Wyneer to overheat faster and worsens his pyrophobia. Enemies that attack Wyneer are frozen.

Crimson Mask (blank mask + red gems + crimson feathers) Makes Wyneer near-immune to overheating, but causes him to radiate extreme heat. This causes Wyneer to freeze faster and worsens his aquaphobia. Enemies that attack Wyneer are sometimes set on fire.

Jet Black Mask (blank mask + purple gems + jet feathers) Raises Wyneer’s max sanity. Wyneer does less damage with normal weapons, but his proficiency with shadow weapons increases with his current sanity. Wyneer can spend sanity to put enemies to sleep.

Saffron Mask (blank mask + yellow gems + saffron feathers) Radiates light and boosts movement speed. Wyneer does less damage, but all damage he does is electrified. Enemies that attack Wyneer are shocked with electricity.

Nightmare Face (blank mask + thulecite + thulecite medallion) Combines the effects of thulecite medallion/crown/armour/etc. and gives off light depending on the current nightmare cycle. On the surface, it tracks his sanity instead.

Radiant Face (blank mask + moon rock + moon glass) A protective and durable piece of armour that changes appearance based on the moon's phase. As the moon rock coating disappears, it becomes less protective, but begins to draw on the moon's power to hone its attacking prowess. In the caves, it does not change.

Through his eventual Skilltree, Wyneer gains four new masks that are talked about here.

That's all! There's a lot of nuance to do with how his masks actually function in the game since I balance him quite rigorously, but that's better left to talking about the masks individually hahaha. Hope someone out there enjoys my brainworms.

[natedogx15]

Miraculous Descendent Chapter 62: The Ancient Desert King

Previous Chapter

In the museum, Sabrina is still searching for a hint about the Miraculous on the papyrus Barkk pointed to. However, the lighting isn't helping her much. Nate and Adrien look at different papyrus to find the same hint as she does this. Chloe looks bored as she looks over a golden coffin. However, the four's inspection stops when they hear panic inside the museum. They quickly turn around to see a museum employee blowing their whistle to alert everyone.

"There's an Akuma in the museum! Everyone needs to get out of here!" The employee shouts in a panicky manner as Pharaoh turns the corner and reveals himself to the four teens.

Jalil's new form is that of a tall, muscular individual with pitch-black skin and a golden human pharaoh mask with glowing cyan eyes, a cobra ornament on the top front of it, and a necklace littered with beads and gems. Surrounding the eyes of the mask is a black domino mask-like design. With it, he also has golden arm bands, wrist bands, and anklets. The scarab necklace around his neck also changed. It became a lighter shade of blue with bird-like wings spreading around it and a golden sun disk above it.

Pharaoh sees the employee blowing his whistle while telling people to leave, and civilians panic when they see him.

"Thoth, give me time!" Pharaoh exclaims as he raises his arms and looks to the roof.

Suddenly, the mask changes form and looks like a baboon while losing the cobra ornament. He then puts his hands almost together and creates a bubble of golden energy before throwing it at the employee, trapping him. While trapped in it, his body is seemingly in a form of stasis. Pharaoh then launches more golden bubbles at different panicking civilians and trapping them.

He's about to do the same to Adrien before Nate tackles the other teen out of the way. The two teens then crawl off the floor behind an exhibit while Sabrina and Chloe do the same.

"You okay?" Nate asks him as they hide behind a coffin.

"Y-yeah, thanks." Adrien stutters slightly from his panic as he tries to figure out what happened.

"I really need to stop leaving the hotel at this point. I can't seem to go anywhere without an Akuma showing up." Nate jokingly tells Adrien before ducking to his knees when a bubble passes them.

"I wouldn't say that. This is still better than being locked up in my house." Adrien tells him as he tries to figure out how to escape and transform.

"Get out of here faster!" Pharaoh suddenly shouts as he telekinetically sends the bubbles out of the museum so they're not in his way.

He then walks toward Tutankhamun's scepter and has it float toward him. Adrien takes the chance to run and manages to pass Pharaoh without being seen. Sabrina doesn't do the same, though. She feels it's still too risky. While Adrien runs for it, Nate sends a quick SOS to Marinette, letting her know what's happening and telling her to rush over here.

When Adrien turns the corner and sees it's empty, he smiles as Plagg appears.

"Huh, not going to lie. I didn't expect this. I probably should have, though. Maybe Nooroo told his wielder about the exhibit too, and the wielder hopes it'll give him a hint about the current Ladybug." Plagg says casually as he leans past the corner and stares at Pharaoh.

"Can he actually do that?!" Adrien asks in alarm.

"No. Not to my knowledge. It's a very loose connection at best." Plagg explains as he turns to Adrien with a shrug.

Hearing this causes Adrien to sigh in relief before deciding to intervene.

"It's time to transform. Plagg, claws out." Adrien states as he raises his ring.

Plagg flies into the ring, and Cat Noir quickly turns the corner with a practiced grin.

"You know, there are better ways to be a part of the exhibit than stealing it." He tells Pharaoh while inwardly happy about the joke.

Pharaoh turns around, and Cat Noir becomes slightly more nervous as he stares into the glaring cyan eyes of the baboon mask. This nervousness grows when the museum's security system activates, and iron bars drop behind him, trapping him with Pharaoh.

"I'm not stealing this. It was stolen from me, and I'm just claiming back what's rightfully mine." Pharaoh claims, causing Cat Noir to blink at him in surprise while Chloe raises an eyebrow.

"Does he think he's the real pharaoh? Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. This is one of the most delusional Akumas yet." She whispers in annoyance as she glares at Pharaoh.

"Not the time, Chloe," Sabrina tells the girl as she looks for a chance to run for it while Cat Noir distracts Pharaoh.

Pharaoh's mask morphs back into its human shape as he stares at the hero. While it does, Cat Noir pulls out his baton and glares at Cat Noir.

"I think you might need a hit in the head to set you straight." Cat Noir tells him as he charges at the villain.

He suddenly swings a fair distance from Pharaoh and extends his baton to get a quick sneak attack. But Pharaoh raises a hand between him and the baton and grabs it. As he holds the other end of the baton, he shouts.

"Sekhmet, give me strength!"

His golden masks into a lioness, and his strength seems to grow. With this newfound power, Pharaoh tosses Cat Noir into a wall with enough force to leave his indent on a papyrus.

"Ow. I wonder if this is what it feels like to fight Majesta?" Cat Noir groans as he slides off the wall.

The other three teens in the room winch when they see this.

"That looks like it hurt." Nate absently mutters.

Pharaoh doesn't hear him and walks straight to the iron bars. With the lioness mask still on, he grabs the bars and bends them to give him more room to exit. When Cat Noir gets up and sees this, he panics and rushes after the villain.

"Stop!" Cat Noir orders.

Pharaoh does stop. However, only to turn around and rebend the bars back into place, trapping the teens inside. He then raises his hands in the air and shouts.

"Horus, give me flight!"

His golden mask turns into a hawk. He then floats before flying out of the museum at high speed. Once outside the Louvre, he flies up and stares at all the civilians surrounding it.

"It's time for the next phase. Who is worthy of being the sacrifice to the sun god?" Pharaoh asks as he searches for someone specific.

Unluckily, Alya is heading toward the Louvre as he's searching, planning to take pictures of the Egyptian exhibit for her blog to try and get more followers and give her a chance to focus on something besides Hawkmoth's hint. When Pharaoh sees her, he immediately dives toward her and lands before her, causing her to fall to the ground in shock and fear.

Pharaoh crouches before her and grabs her by the jaw while examining her features.

"Your face. To think I would find you so soon. Fate has placed you in my path, telling me I'm right!" Pharaoh announces before slinging Alya over his shoulder, causing the girl to kick and hit him.

"Watch the threads, buddy. Let me go!" Alya orders as she continues to struggle.

Just then, Cat Noir runs out of the museum and glares at Pharaoh when he realizes one of his classmates is in his clutches.

"Are you seriously hiding behind a hostage? That's weak!" He angrily shouts at Pharaoh while glaring at the villain.

Pharaoh turns to Cat Noir, and the hero can feel himself getting glared at.

"I'm way more powerful than you are. I have no need for a hostage. But I do require her." Pharaoh announces before shouting.

"Anubis, bring me mummies!" After saying this, his mask turns into a jackal, and he stares at the civilians sticking around to record the fight or wondering if this is a publicity stunt.

Cat Noir is confused by his action before his eyes widen in shock when golden lasers shoot from the mask's eyes and hit a civilian, turning them into a mummy. Pharaoh then repeats this process while Cat Noir is in shock before the hero charges at him.

"Stop!" Cat Noir shouts desperately as he charges at the villain.

He extends his baton behind him to close the distance between him and Pharaoh while also getting some height before shrinking it and going for a downward strike on the villain. But like before, Pharaoh grabs the baton to stop his attack before throwing him to the side.

"Pathetic. And you call yourself a warrior. You've grown weak. Neither you nor my nemesis will stop me like you did five thousand years ago." Pharaoh announces as he stares at Cat Noir.

After saying this, a rubber ball strikes him in the back of the head, causing him to stumble forward. He then turns around to see Canine glaring at him as the ball bounces back into her hand.

"How dare you strike a king?" Pharaoh asks in anger before shooting lasers at the heroine. However, Canine easily avoids them with her enhanced agility, and Pharaoh's focus on her gives Cat Noir a chance to charge at him and slam his hand into the ground under him.

"Black Hole!" He shouts, trapping Pharaoh's feet in his power as it expands under Pharaoh's feet.

"What!?" Pharaoh shouts in alarm.

"Gotcha." Cat Noir says with a grin.

"Nice work, Cat Noir!" Canine praises as Alya cheers while filming this whole confrontation.

"Did you see that, folks? Cat Noir and Canine just captured the villain." Alya says excitedly while having the camera focus on her face.

However, this excitement is short-lived with Pharaoh's words.

"Sekhmet, give me strength!" Pharaoh orders as his mask morphs back into a lioness, and he slams into the ground around Cat Noir's power with his enhanced strength.

The ground shatters and is blown away by Pharaoh's strength, disrupting Black Hole and causing the power to fizzle under the Akuma.

The heroes are in shock at this display of power. They're not the only ones, though. Anyone watching Alya's livestream is, too.

Luckily, someone important is watching right now. A group consisting of Marinette, Alix, Kim, Max, Nathaniel, Ondine, and Nino are enjoying some of the lunch that Kim got. As they're enjoying it, Nino has his phone out and watches Alya's livestream.

"Oh man, this new Akuma is crazy!" Nino shouts in shock as he stands up in surprise.

"New Akuma?!" Marinette urgently asks as she slams her hands on the table while leaving her seat to look at Nino's phone.

"Yeah. Cat Noir and Canine are fighting some kind of living pharaoh near the Louvre." Nino says while showing Marinette his phone.

Marinette stares at it in shock before quickly rushing to find somewhere to transform.

"What's got her in such a panic?" Kim asks with a raised eyebrow as she watches her run.

"I'm uncertain. But it seems she can give you a run for your money, Kim." Max states as he observes her speed.

"Ha, no way. I know for a fact I could beat her in a race. She doesn't look like the athletic type." Kim tells him with a grin.

Alix watches Marinette go, neither she nor anyone else at the table noticing her bracelet glowing again.

Marinette quickly dives into an alley, and Tikki appears.

"We need to hurry over there, Tikki. Hopefully, the others are handling the situation well." Marinette hopes before transforming.

Back with Cat Noir and Canine. The two aren't handling the situation well. Pharaoh seems to be taking them more seriously now and orders some of his mummies to distract the two while the rest bring him civilians to turn into more mummies or hold Alya so both hands are free. 

He's trying to hit the heroes while still in Sekhmet form, but the two manage to avoid his strikes. The problem is that this form seems to have strengthened his durability, causing none of their attacks to work against him. Not even Canine's rubber ball is working against him.

The two soon get distracted by the sound of a scream, and they instinctively turn their heads to see a family getting dragged toward Pharaoh by his mummies. This moment of distraction lets Pharaoh slam a fist into Cat Noir's side, sending the hero flying. He tries to hit Canine, too. But the heroine ducks under his punch and rolls to the side. She then decides to activate one of her powers.

"Command!" She shouts as Pharaoh turns around to attack her again before she says something else.

"Freeze!" She shouts, causing orange-tinted soundwaves toward the villain and causing his body to involuntarily freeze mid-step toward Canine.

Seeing her chance, Canine throws her rubber ball at the mummies, hitting one in the head and causing it to bounce into the other mummy's head. The force from the attack causes the mummies to drop the family and gives them a chance to run off.

Canine winches at this, feeling sorry for having to do that since she knows the mummies are ordinary people. She doesn't have long to think about it, though. She has to duck under Pharaoh's fist as the villain powers through Canine's power with Sekhmet's strength to attack her.

"Freeze!" Canine shouts again to try and force him to stop, but now it's only slowing him down instead of outright stopping him like before.

"You cannot order a king," Pharaoh tells her as he continues pushing through her power before getting hit in the head by Cat Noir's baton.

"That was for the punch! You hit harder than Stoneheart!" Cat Noir shouts at the villain while glaring at him.

Pharaoh growls and wants to charge at Cat Noir but can't because of Canine's spell. Having enough of this, he decides to stop wasting.

"I don't have time to waste fighting you two. I need to prepare the ritual." Pharaoh announces before breaking the spell and quickly changing his mask into Horus.

With that, the Akuma flies off at high speed. A few seconds later, Ladybug appears in the opposite direction.

"Hey, Ladybug. It looks like you're the last to appear again." Cat Noir laughs somewhat awkwardly, causing Ladybug to apologize.

"I'm so sorry. I only just learned that you guys were fighting." Ladybug tells them.

"It's fine, Ladybug. You're here, at least. It seems like the Akuma can change their mask into different forms. Each mask gives a different power." Canine explains, having analyzed the Akuma mid-fight.

"Yeah. It's like a better version of your Seamstress since he can constantly change it. There was a lion mask that gave him strength, a bird mask that let him fly, a monkey mask that traps people in bubbles, and a jackal mask that turns people into mummies." Cat Noir explains while counting the masks off with his fingers.

"Didn't you hear the names he was shouting before he transformed? Those were all Egyptian gods." Canine adds.

"I mean, he does think he's an ancient pharaoh." Cat Noir shrugs.

"Do you guys know what he might be after?" Ladybug asks them urgently, wanting to stop him as soon as possible.

"He mentioned something about a ritual." Cat Noir states, causing Canine's eyes to widen as she realizes what Pharaoh is planning.

"He probably wants to finish that ritual on the papyrus!" She shouts before running into the museum.

"Where are you going?" Ladybug asks in worry as she and Cat Noir follow her.

Canine runs into the Egyptian exhibit and notices the iron bars are still bent from when Cat Noir escaped. He had used his baton to bend the bars by extending it. She crawls through them and enters the exhibit to see the papyrus missing. The other heroes soon join her, and Cat Noir notices the same thing.

"Wasn't there something here before?" Cat Noir asks while motioning toward where the papyrus used to be.

"Yeah. A papyrus with a ritual on it. Pharaoh is probably going to try and perform it." Canine tells them.

"What was the ritual?" Ladybug asks in worry.

"Apparently, it's to bring the dead back to life." Canine reveals, much to Ladybug's shock.

With Pharaoh. The Akuma is in a more populated area and uses his Anubis form to turn more people into mummies. While he's doing this, Alya is watching, trapped in the clutches of two mummies, as another set of them walks past her while carrying the papyrus. As the papyrus passes her, Alya notices something, thanks to the sunlight.

One of the smaller pictures on the papyrus has the symbol of a woman spinning a yo-yo.

"Hey! Is that woman holding a yo-yo?" Alya shouts her question toward Pharaoh.

Pharaoh turns his attention toward her and notices what she's staring at.

"Yes. That is a depiction of my long-time nemesis, Ladybug." Pharaoh claims, surprising Alya.

"But that papyrus has to be over a thousand years old," Alya states, causing Pharaoh to nod again.

"You're right. Five thousand years ago, she stopped me from completing the ritual to resurrect Nefertiti. However, she and her allies will not be so lucky this time. I've already nearly completed all the necessary preparations." Pharaoh promises before going back to turning civilians into mummies while leaving Alya with something else to think about.

Back with the heroes, Canine and Cat Noir try to remember the steps to completing the ritual while Ladybug is busy figuring out where Pharaoh is.

"I found him. He's a few blocks away and is turning people into mummies." Ladybug informs the two after checking her yo-yo.

"Alright. Let's go." Cat Noir nods, and Canine adds.

"We may not have a lot of time before Alya is sacrificed." She claims, causing Ladybug to look at her in surprise.

"Alya is what?" She asks worriedly.

"Oh yeah, Pharaoh plans to use her as the sacrifice to revive Nefertiti." Cat Noir says upon realizing they forgot to mention that.

"We need to hurry," Ladybug states, not wanting one of her classmates to be sacrificed.

The three heroes rush out of the museum and head toward Pharaoh. Ladybug takes the liberty of grabbing Canine by her waist and using her yo-yo to zip them across buildings while Cat Noir uses his baton. In what seems like no time, the three lands on a rooftop near where Pharaoh is. He and his army of mummies are seemingly heading back to the Louvre.

"Why are they heading back?" Cat Noir questions in confusion.

"I don't know." Canine says suspiciously as her eyes narrow at the moving army.

"Do you two know where his butterfly is?" Ladybug asks them as she observes Pharaoh.

"I think it's in that necklace." Cat Noir gestures to his chest as if there is something there.

Ladybug nods, and Canine can see she's thinking about something.

"What are you planning, Ladybug?" She asks the other heroine.

Ladybug turns to her and Cat Noir with a somewhat joking smile.

"I was just thinking, since we're dealing with mummies, it would be right to give them a burial." She jokes, causing Canine to look at her in confusion.

Cat Noir looks the same, but after a couple of confused blinks, he realizes what she's talking about and grins.

"Oh. This is going to be awesome." He tells Canine, who's even more confused now.

Ladybug takes a few steps back so Pharaoh doesn't notice what she's doing before saying.

"Seamstress."

Light envelops her, and her costume changes into a familiar suit.

"Eath Seams." She announces when the transformation ends, and she's in her yellow trenchcoat with a yellow black-polka-dotted mask.

Canine blinks in surprise at Ladybug's choice before deciding to ask something else.

"Wouldn't it have been better to use Reverse Seams and turn the mummies back into people?"

"That forms a bit unpredictable, and I don't know what would happen if we used it against Pharaoh's mask-changing ability. So, I don't want to use that against him." Ladybug quickly explains to her, causing Canine to nod.

"Alright. So, what's the plan?" Canine asks.

"I'll keep the mummies away from you guys with my powers. You need to use Fetch to get the pendant from him." Ladybug tells Canine, causing the girl to nod.

Ladybug then looks to Cat Noir.

"Try and help her as best you can," Ladybug tells him.

"You've got it. It shouldn't be too hard. Right? All we have to do is get the pendant and not fight him." Cat Noir laughs in slight nervousness as he remembers when he and Canine fought Pharaoh head-on.

"I'll do what I can to help you guys, but I also have to save Alya," Ladybug promises.

"Alright." Canine says before she and Cat Noir prepare to jump down when Ladybug gives the signal.

And that signal soon comes in the form of Ladybug raising her black-gloved hands and the ground under the army trembling before rising in tsunami-like waves, pushing the mummies away from their master. However, it also drags Alya and the papyrus with them.

"Woah! What is happening!? Help!" Alya panics as she's being swept up with the mummies.

Luckily, a hand of earth forms under her, lifting her out of danger and next to Ladybug.

"Glad that worked," Ladybug mutters in relief as Alya looks around in shock before seeing Ladybug and grinning.

"Oh my god, guys. I just got rescued by Ladybug. In style, too. I was literally in her grasp." Alya says to her livestream excitedly, having kept it going after she got captured.

She then runs next to the heroine and films the fight between Canine, Cat Noir, and Pharaoh. Like Ladybug said, she's keeping the mummies from interfering by manipulating the earth to form walls they can't climb over. This leaves Pharaoh alone to deal with the two on the ground and Ladybug.

Cat Noir jumps at Pharaoh and goes to hit him with his baton. Pharaoh tries to grab it, but Cat Noir immediately retracts it.

"I'm not falling for that again!" He yells at Pharaoh before backing away.

Confused, Pharaoh tries to figure out why he's backing away before remembering Canine and turning around to see the girl throw her rubber ball at him. The rubber ball almost hits the pendant but barely lands under it. The impact is enough to cause him to bend over slightly and hold his chest in pain.

"How dare you strike a king," Pharaoh grunts before changing his mask.

"Thoth, give me time!" He shouts as the mask morphs into a baboon, and Pharaoh creates golden bubbles to try and trap the two.

However, Ladybug uses her powers to pull out chunks of the ground before throwing them at the bubbles, making them useless against the other heroes.

"Curse you, Ladybug! You and your new allies will not stop me like you did five thousand years ago!" Pharaoh angrily shouts at Ladybug as his mask morphs into a hawk, and he tries to fly at her.

But Ladybug acts quickly again by crossing her arms and causing columns of earth to fly out of the ground and trap Pharaoh. Ladybug glares as she focuses harder and creates more columns to try and contain him.

"Hurry!" Ladybug urgently shouts at the two as she can feel Pharaoh try and escape through her connection with the ground.

The other two heroes run along the columns right as Pharaoh breaks through them using Sekhmet's strength.

Cat Noir jumps at Pharaoh and grabs him by the head, covering his eyes.

"Get off me!" Pharaoh roars as Canine runs at him and hits the pendent with her rubber ball. She then tries to grab it with her free hand, but Pharaoh grabs Cat Noir and throws him at Canine.

The two hit the ground, but it's already too late.

"Fetch!" Canine shouts from the ground with Cat Noir lying atop her.

Her rubber ball flies at Pharaoh and hits his pendant before they fly back to Canine in a bright orange orb of light.

"No!" Pharaoh angrily shouts as the ball returns to Canine with the necklace, and she takes the chance to break its pendant.

As she breaks it, Ladybug jumps down and captures it with her yo-yo as Pharaoh de-transforms. In a swift, practiced motion, she activates Miraculous Ladybug to fix the city. Doing this causes the ground she manipulated to return to normal, and Jalil rests on his knees in the middle of the three heroes.

"Ugh, what happened?" Jalil asks as he holds his head and looks around.

"You may have gone a bit far in trying to test your theory." Cat Noir tells him.

Next Chapter

[beatrice-reden-official]

Ok ok so

GLaDOS:

Her main colours are white and black, of course. Her eyes, the lacing and accents on her clothes, and the lines on her knee high boots are orange

SHE WEARS A CORSET HER WAIST IS SNATCHED!!!! She wears a straight, long white dress with a slit up the side, a labcoat, and white knee high boots.

She usually wears a helmet that resembles her usual face, but under that she has long, straight white hair.

She also wears black gloves

Tallest person here

Also most expressive, body language is very important to her. She's also very flexible.

Femme lesbian. Obviously.

B.O.S.S.

My man is R O U N D. Sir is built is like a ball.

His main colour is orange-red, and yellow. He wears a pinstripe suit in those colours. His tophat is also those colours.

His face is usually shaded by his tophat and he does smoke. He has a mask that looks like his screen, but under that he has red-orange eyes, and no visible hair.

Big smile. Huge smile. He's pretty devious.

He's like. A few inches shorter than GLaDOS.

I need to emphasize how big this guy is. He is huge. He makes himself big too he takes up a lot of space on purpose.

Uses little body language, but is very verbally expressive.

Butch lesbian. Obviously.

Commander Tartar

Main colours are bluish green, silver and yellow. And black. Most varied colour out of everyone. He wears an Admiral outfit (think Napoleon) just without the tri-point hat

Wears silver rubber gloves, and big silver boots (think Papyrus)

He also usually wears a helmet that looks like his phone, and underneath he just looks like a normal ass guy with gold eyes and very fluffy silver hair. He also has sanitization goo stored in his helmet and if the helmet is damaged it will leak out.

Shortest guy here. Everyone bullies him for it. They also bully him because he likes humans.

He's actually pretty expressive with his body language, but can end up looking sort of awkward because he over acts.

Lil Hal

How everyone draws him. You know.

Hal 2000 (2001)

His main colours are black, silver and red. Red is just for that pop of colour. He wears a formal suit that has pipes like a space suit.

He always. Always wears his helmet, which makes his head look like how he looks in the movie.

Mid-height. He actually seems to blend into walls.

Not expressive at all. Not in his voice or his actions.

Autism.

AM (I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream)

He is here. Someone drew him as a bird man and that's. That's what's in my head. Lmao.

Edgar (Electric Dreams)

He is mostly green and yellow, but wears bright primary colours! He wears a hoodie with a yellow smiley shirt underneath, and brown cargo pants with silly socks. He also has a plug tail.

He has a TV head type head. It is covered in stickers, mostly heart or smiley face stickers. Underneath he has brown hair that covers his eyes.

He's a little shorter than Hal, but taller than Tartar.

Almost as expressive as GLaDOS! He's silly as hell!!!!

Okay i agree with all of this and it is very epic and poggers and amazing and i really like it!! Especially GLaDOS and B.O.S.S because those bitches silly. But absolutely with no ofense and all respect i have some notes on Lil Hal i would like to share if i am allowed to do so-Bibi

[deltaruminations]

i didn’t want to keep reblogging that ch.1 game over post over and over so here are some more comments from other users that i thought were really cool and wanted to share/expand on

@determinators

Gaster knowing personally of Chara when they died is something i hadn't really considered in any depth and it's SO interesting and i can't stop thinking about it now

my current (admittedly convoluted) line of thinking is that G originated in the Deltarune universe, and his strong desire to un-doom its timeline is motivated in part because it's his home and he feels a sense of duty (maybe because of past actions) to the people in it -- especially the kids, maybe kris in particular (again, for any number of possible Reasons). i think Egg as a symbol of young, vulnerable life being given out to teenagers represents a gesture of nurturing (even if a very weird/unsettling one from the recipient's POV lol), and when we consider the repeated references to eggs not hatching...

so from there, if we hold that G hopped over to UT at some point (maybe with the "followers"? maybe to flee the Roaring?), and was royal scientist when chara was still alive... holy shit dude.

given just the sheer similarities between kris & chara (and especially if we believe kris & chara to be instances of the same character "model"), the idea that he was able to see kris alive "again" in some form before having to experience their terrible death and the fall of "darkness" a second time... i could see that driving him to a point where he might just feel like he has nothing left to lose, you know?

idk there’s so much i’d like to say but i feel like i’m veering a little too far into speculative fanfic territory whenever i start getting into it. but imo the G/chara parallels definitely seem to be there thematically and i think there’s potential for narrative significance to it as well (is G maybe taking extra interest in Kris in Deltarune the game in part due to what he saw happen to chara in undertale, and/or his particular sympathy for chara because of how his own well-meaning past choices led to harm like theirs did, and/or how his own inaction/indecision in the Undertale universe factored into them making their big mistakes in the first place? is anything about that ethically fraught from kris deltarune’s POV???)

@abandoned-quiche & @torchiiko

one of the things i find so interesting is that he doesn't just say they're wonderful — those statements are among the very few times he ever breaks from his "script." they’re among the only moments of spontaneity we see from him in the whole introduction sequence.

if you pick someone else’s name, even "sans" or "papyrus" or "asgore" or "gerson," he just says HM WHAT A COWINKYDINK. and if you give one of the kids’ names to the vessel alone, he responds similarly neutrally, as if he knows that because you’re giving that name to the "character," you already have some amount of meta knowledge and therefore have already "met" them as a character. he even said on twitter that he knew we were looking for him — he knows we’ve played undertale, and that might be why he’s seeking us out in the first place.

possible masking for personal reasons aside, if we consider that we’re participants in a "survey" or test case, that kind of neutrality is both polite & professional and necessary. whatever biases he personally has, he needs to minimize his betrayal of them, because that could influence the behavior he seems to be attempting to study. and if he’s aware of our (from his POV) tremendous metaphysical power and knowledge, then i think he might be just as skeptical of us as we are of him.

and yet, if you give yourself one of the main lightner kids’ names, he seemingly assumes it really is a coincidence and he just completely breaks. he is so excited for you to meet Kris, Noelle, and Susie for what he thinks is the first time that he can’t stop himself from telling us how very, very wonderful he thinks they are. it’s like he pauses from taking a note, looks up from his clipboard, and says, "NOELLE, YOU SAY. I HAPPEN TO KNOW OF A NOELLE MYSELF." he doesn’t just like these kids, he likes them so much that despite his best efforts he just can’t hide it.

the only other seemingly spontaneous moments occur when we give ourselves his name (discussed below) or when we give the vessel and creator identical names ("OF COURSE OF COURSE. OF COURSE THEY ARE THE SAME.").

@cogentsummoner

YES the name thing is something i’ve been thinking about a lot too.

to explain that more for anyone who’s unfamiliar: in the intro/"GONERMAKER," G ends the survey session as soon as the last letter of his name ("GASTER") is typed. he doesn’t wait for you to submit it, and he doesn’t ask you to change it to something else, he fully just takes the player out of the session. as soon as he sees his full name, he removes you (and, it’s worth noting, himself) from the situation.

this could be taken many ways, but i definitely think "startled" is accurate regardless of anything else. beyond that, it could be skepticism wrt your meta knowledge of him, as discussed before, but we’ve also established that he knows we likely know who he is. he knows we were looking for him. i also don’t think such spontaneity and haste would be expected to follow from skepticism, frustration, or fatigue alone.

PERSONALLY i believe that confronting his own name brings up deep discomfort for him (for, again, whatever Reasons). just seeing it causes him to panic. it causes him to break beyond affection for certain kids and even grief/disappointment after a game over. whatever it stirs in him makes him feel so exposed that he can’t even allow us to be present for it. note that while he doesn’t return us to menu/title after dying, he does that exact thing in response to seeing his name.

maybe interesting to note, "WINGDINGS" and the like don’t cause any particular reaction. it’s just "GASTER" that sets him off.

the survey sequence in general is very very interesting. why does G even give us a character creator in the first place? i know everyone’s already talked about "choices don’t matter" with the discarding from a thematic perspective but could there be narrative/characterization potentials as well? if G’s trying to help the player, his collaborator & participant, feel comfortable, what does the offer of a customized "vessel" say about what he values, what makes him feel comfortable or uneasy?

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

How would every skeleton feel about, and deal with it when his S/O lies to him? Would he be aware of when they lie to him?

Undertale Sans - Oh, he knows. Sans is really good at reading people's faces, he knows when you're lying. He usually acts like he doesn't mind to not pressuring you to talk, but he will start to be less forgiving if you lie to him a lot of times in a short period of time, as he feels like you don't trust him enough to talk. That's usually when the mask falls and he asks straight to tell him the truth.

Undertale Papyrus - He has trust issues because many people have wronged him before. So yeah, he can tell, and it hurts every time. He still acts like nothing, because he doesn't want to force you to talk, but the more it lasts and the more distrustful he will get. People lying to him makes him very uncomfortable because a lot of people often treat him like some naive child who would not understand the problem, which is one of his triggers and can even become a dealbreaker. If he feels you keep lying to him, you might discover Papyrus can be really cold when he wants it.

Underswap Sans - He's really good at detecting lies from complete strangers, because of his job. However, he tends to trust his partner blindly. It's not like he doesn't see you're lying to me, but his mind kinda ignores it because he keeps convincing himself it's nothing. He knows you'll talk to him eventually... Right?

Underswap Papyrus - He feels it right away through his hyperempathy. When you're troubled, he's troubled so he calls you out really fast. You really can't lie to him, even if you try really hard. He has a too strong connection with his S/O for that.

Underfell Sans - He can tell something is off but he usually don't push it enough to find out you're lying to him. You're his whole world so Red trusts his S/O 100%. He knows you'll talk to him if something is wrong. It's not like he can say anything anyway because he's an expert at lying to your face.

Underfell Papyrus - His rule is that you two can hide things from each other as long as it doesn't hurt the other somehow. You can lie all you want about little things, but if it concerns your health or your safety, for example, he wants to be there for you. He does (or at least tries to) do the same. He knows when you lie though. He just pretends he didn't see anything.

Horrortale Sans - Because of his bad memory, it's easy to make him confused or forget you were lying. But Oak knows really fast something is wrong and can get pushy to know what. He doesn't like secrets or surprises. He better not catch you trying to divert his attention from you to make him forget faster because that will make him mad.

Horrortale Papyrus - He knows when you're lying and it's stressing him out so much he can just randomly start to stress cook, making up a thousand scenarii in his head to understand what's going on. He doesn't want to push, but there's a point he can't just stay silent anymore and he will force your hand to know what's wrong. He hates when people hide things from him, that's literally because people hid things from him that he is in this state.

Swapfell Sans - Oh he can tell, but he understands you don't want to talk to him about them as well. But don't get mad when Nox starts to confess things worrying him to someone else, because he's copying you and adapting to how you react. It's just how he is.

Swapfell Papyrus - He can't blame you as he's a big lier as well. Rus lies a lot because he doesn't like to show his vulnerabilities, often distracting you with puns and bad pranks. So yeah, he can perfectly understand you doing the same and he won't push, mainly by fear of you calling him out. Half of the time, he doesn't know you're lying anyway, he struggles to take things seriously.

Fellswap Gold Sans - He can tell you're lying, but you'll never know he knows. However, Wine doesn't like not knowing things so he's going to investigate behind your back, just to be sure you're not hiding something important from him. If he can resolve things without you knowing, he will do it.

Fellswap Gold Papyrus - He can tell something is off but he immediately thinks that's his fault and usually goes to hide in his closet or something to stress out by himself. He doesn't really know when you're lying, it's just your corporal language stressing him out.

[twentydaysofdrabbles]

The Concierge Lies In Wait (Part 50B)

If you didn't know that the world had been turned on its head, you would not have suspected anything had changed.

From your roost on the third floor overlooking the lobby, you watch as guests filter in and out of the Hotel foyer, coming and going from the reception desk and the escalators. All seems normal.

Except you know better.

The 'gold club members' are tense, their hands flinching to their pockets whenever a mobile phone buzzes or trills. Their eyes flick to the glass doors every so often, lingering on men and women who wear grey of any shade.

All this you take in with an even, dead gaze, your hands loose by your sides, your form partially concealed from view by a pillar. Papyrus stands behind you, arms crossed over his chest, hat pulled low over his masked eyes, his scarf pulled up high. He looks like an ominous shadow behind you, cloaked entirely in the shadow of the pillar.

You can feel him behind you, acutely so, the mild rise and fall of his chest making the hair on the back of your neck stand from how close he is to you. Which is interesting, you think. Do magical skeleton monsters need to breathe?

It's not a thought that lingers for long, however, as something makes you look at the entrance. A man comes through the doors, dark in complexion, dressed for the outdoors, with a dog trailing by his sided. Ah, the Tracker. You had a feeling he would get here quick; the bounty on John Wick's head has drawn out every single soldier of fortune from the woodwork.

But unlike the other guests in the lobby, other similar soldiers of fortune, his eyes alone snap up to your spot. Hm, sharp. As expected.

You're fairly well obscured by the dimly lit corridor and the pillar, but you're sure he has at least caught sight of your shoulder, perhaps your profile. Papyrus is hidden at an angle; you're not worried he has been seen. No doubt you're far away enough that he would struggle to make out your features, but most 'gold club members' are able to recognise you on sight.

It seems he is able to do the same, as his eyes widen briefly before he turns his eyes back front. As if he realises he has seen something he shouldn't have. Still acting as if he had not seen anything, he engages with Akira in conversation, and that is the point where you turn your attention away from him and to the lobby in general.

Koji comes out to work the lobby some time later, accompanied by three men in neat suits. You're mollified to see that two of them are your men, blending in seamlessly with Koji's actual personal bodyguard.

You watch him do his rounds, greeting guests, shaking hands with others. And then you see Akira join him as they wander up the escalators and disappear from view.

"DO YOU ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR, OR ARE WE SIMPLY STANDING HERE HOPING FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN?" Papyrus grumps and shifts from foot to foot, peering over your head to look down at the lobby with an annoyed air.

Ah yes. Tilting your head, you fold your hands in front of your belly, looking up at him to meet those crimson eye lights. "They will come."

He grumbles and shakes his head, stretching out one leg and then the other. "WE HAVE BEEN WAITING USELESSLY ALL DAY WITH NO SIGN OF THESE MYRMIDONS AND--"

The hair on the back of your neck stands, the back of your head itches, and you whirl around quickly to look at the front doors. Several men and women in matching grey suits come through, their steps sharp and pointed. On a mission.

On instinct, you press your back up against the pillar, an arm extended to usher Papyrus beside you and into the shadows. At the same time, your phone vibrates silently in your coat pocket. That's not a good sign.

With the slightest of movements, your phone is slipped out. The screen is dim, but bright enough for you to see a message from an unsaved number.

Osaka Continental Hotel Deconsecrated By order of the Marquis de Gramont

Fuck.

You look up to see Papyrus' eyes trained on the grey-clad soldiers. He looks serious, even if his face is concealed by the mask. Since he's focused on the lobby, you're at liberty to look down at your phone as a follow up message comes through.

Caine sighted at Osaka Continental.

Oh this is just getting worse and worse. It would be vain to hope that he is not affiliated with the Marquis' men.

Down below, whatever the leader says to Akira causes her to whisper to a bellboy and then to sweep away. It's difficult to see from so far away, but you can just about make out the movement of their lips.

"Please evacuate everyone...discreetly."

Smart girl.

You can see how some in the lobby stiffen and tense the longer the grey-clad soldiers remain, the longer that the reception desk remains empty. At last, a voice comes through the PA system, informing guests that the Hotel is closing temporarily for some work to be done.

"And so it begins," you murmur softly, the PA system covering the sound of your voice.

Soon enough, Koji himself comes down the escalator. But this time, without Akira. You can only imagine a few reasons why he would do so. Perhaps...

With an observant gaze, you watch as the men exchange words. Counting the number of grey-clad Myrmidons dotting the lobby. There are more than you had expected.

"THEY ARE WELL PREPARED. THEY EXPECTED A FIGHT," Papyrus comments lowly, his magic bound tightly to keep his voice from reverberating in its usual way.

"Koji-sama is a warrior of no small repute," you say quietly in turn, watching as Caine, predator among predators all clad in black, slips through the sea of grey to stand before Koji. "But so is that one."

"LETHAL?"

"Very."

But there will be more. So many more. Best not to linger here.

With a silent gesture, you lead Papyrus back through the shadows and to a service hallway. "We should circle around to eliminate small packs of soldiers before joining the main fight," you say once the door is closed securely behind you. "They will be overwhelmed before long."

Papyrus seems to grit his teeth. "IF THEY ARE OUTNUMBERED, IT WOULD BE SENSIBLE TO HELP THEM FIGHT! I AM NO COWARD AND NEITHER ARE YOU."

Shaking your head, you hold a hand up. "You might not answer to the Continental Hotel, but I hope that your respect for me will compel you to listen, Papyrus." The skeleton monster takes a deep breath, but nods. You continue, "The two of us will do little in a front line fight. We will do better by thinning out their ranks before we meet up with Koji or Akira."

Papyrus seems to think, then he nods, his mask shifting as though he opens his maw to speak.

Suddenly, the service hallway is plunged into darkness. But only for a split second.

Papyrus' crimson eye light glow bright, hovering in the darkness like afterimages as he whirls to look back at the way you came. Just as quickly as it turned dark, dim green lights come on.

"The fight has started," you note quietly, jerking your head for him to follow you. "Come."

"FINE, THAT'S NOT THE WORST TACTICAL DECISION I'VE HEARD," he sniffs, but follows you nonetheless.

What a backhanded compliment.

"Why thank you," you say without blinking. Papyrus just grunts in response, as if to say it wasn't a compliment.

You can hear muted gunfire and shouts filtering in from the direction of the lobby, though the walls and door muffle them considerably. "Quickly," you murmur, going from a swift walk to a quick trot.

This route takes you past the kitchen and the pantry; you remember Akira pointing it out. You also remember her pointing out weapon caches and hiding spots if you ever needed them. But beyond that, you remember the layout fairly well.

Heavier footsteps thunder in front of you, followed by a lighter, almost silent pair, and you find yourself rounding the corner into a small squadron of four fully armored, fully armed soldiers.

So it begins.

A smile slowly spreads across your face. Your heartbeat quickens. Your blood heats. Yes. Yes! The sharp and precise movement of your body loosens up as you relax into your stride, fingertips reaching for the hidden mechanism to release the blades of your gauntlet.

Cold metal shoots out and clicks into place over the back of your hand. Broad and strong and lethally sharp. Your heart, your blade, sings for blood, their blood, and you will oblige.

You don't look over your shoulder at Papyrus, but you don't need to. You trust he will do what he needs to do.

The soldiers notice you only a split second before you barrel into their legs in a blur of red and silver, their guns tipping down to pepper you with bullets. They had no fear for friendly fire - their armour is too well made - but you had no fear that their bullets would meet their target.

Bullets thud into your back and shoulders, but none of them penetrate the thick tactical lining of your clothes as you loop your arms underneath the legs of two of them.

Yanking and heaving and throwing them onto their backs, you angle your blades as you free your arms from the tangle of knees and legs. Like a hot knife through butter, or in this case like a lethally sharp knife through the thick but plateless fabric covering the backs of their knees, you slice apart their ligaments in a fraction of a heartbeat. Cloth and flesh and connective tissue give way to your strength, to the sharp edge of your blade, and you immediately feel the difference in the way they hold their legs.

Like any human would, trained assassins and soldiers or not, both soldiers flinch and writhe in pain. Giving you the window of opportunity to plant your blades into the groin of one, then the other. You're certain that you have severed an artery or a vein or two, considering the vast amounts of blood starting to pool under them as they writhe weakly and cry out in pain.

But...just to be sure.

A blade-mounted punch to the throat not only serves to crush structures in the neck from the sheer force of the punch, but also to introduce a deep wound that lets blood pump out at an alarming rate. The same is repeated for the other poor soldier in short order, removing both soldiers from the battlefield as they wheeze out their last breaths.

Your part done, you look up and find Papyrus in the midst of crushing a soldier's helmeted head in his huge hands, the other one already crumpled to the ground behind him. He looks up at you through his mask as he squishes the soldier's head, helmet and all, between his palms, looking for all the world like an avatar of death clad in a smart suit and fedora.

You're not afforded much time to admire the brutality of his strength, or his strategy, and so you nod in approval. "Well done, Papyrus. We should--"

More footsteps. Lighter. Several. More than four.

You furrow your brows. This must be Koji. But you take no chances, blades lifted.

"Stop them," a stern voice orders in Japanese.

Koji.

You straighten up, blades still bared, and lead Papyrus around the corner to find Koji retrieving some gear for himself and his men. Two sumo wrestlers charge forward into the other part of the kitchen, presumably to guard the way. Four of your staff nod at you, two from Koji's guard, the other two from the kitchen, and you direct them with silent signals to remain in their current formations.

"Shimazu-sama," you call out gently, taking advantage of the lull in the fighting to speak to the man.

"Concierge," Koji barks, coming up to you after accepting a sheathed katana from one of the kitchen staff. With a resolute expression, he looks at you seriously. "Concierge, no matter what happens this night, you must make sure Akira lives." His tone brooks no disobedience.

You know he loves his daughter more than anything in the world. Know that he rues the day he allowed his daughter more than a peripheral role in his Hotel. So you bow, an acknowledgement of an order from management. "Understood." Straightening up, you wave toward the path out of the kitchen where his guards await. "Go, we will secure the rear."

Papyrus steps up behind you. A silent support at your shoulder and nearly casting a shadow upon the much shorter Koji.

Koji looks up at the gloved, hooded and masked Papyrus, a slight frown on his face as he carefully takes in the otherworldly nature of the disguised skeleton monster. After a moment, he murmurs, "You are one of them."

Papyrus' hackles raise. You frown at Koji, but say nothing.

The Japanese manager raises a hand in a calming gesture. "I mean no offence," then he glances at the way he came. "They had one with them, too."

...What?

[soaked-ghost]

mhhhhh now that I think about it, ink's gaster dads do him a huge deservice in terms of his character, any character arc he could have and what he is supposed to represent in general and I'm not joking

I'm mostly talking in terms of writing an actual story that involves ink growing in some way or at least have his character explored in depth

cuz we know ink has a LOT of issues, and most of those issues (in my point of view) could literally be solved if he had a family, since what I think he truly needs is people he could see as equals AND actually care about

BUT. ink already has a family. like he just has one. and it's super jarring.

It's not a family we see him gradually form while changing along the way, no in his canon written lore, he just has two dads like it's nothing. he just has a loving family and that's that. nothing more to it

Not only that but I straight up do not see what a self-centered egotistical ass like ink sees in those two gasters. genuinely.

The thing with him having a family from the get go is that it literally goes against what he's supposed to be in my opinion?

Ink is a sans without a papyrus. he's a sans without the warm community that sans in undertale has. the community that helps ut!sans in his day to day life even despite his nihilism and depression.

But. the point of ink. is that he doesn't have that. and that's why he's an emotionally stupid jerk.

so. literally what purpose do those two gaster dads serv?? since ink is still very much a jerk with and without them

Ink is really the type of guy that you envy a little. he looks like he has everything, but no.

my guy doesn't have a soul or an au to call his own, why out of nowhere would he have just a nice family like that? you had the ideas RIGHT THERE to make a mess of a character that hides behind a mask that 'has it all together'... but instead you choose to put a cute ship onto his story instead...

C'mon.......