#lucky Asriel gets to be free from it

[pt-disconnected]

The Player glared at the Knight- after all, he was right. They had come back to see things through, to watch the conclusion. And they had no argument for that. And knowing that the Player had no argument made the Knight grin. "Now, the reason you'd come back to this extent... baffles me. Why not just go back to how you were? Why take the effort to disassociate yourself from the puppet you used?" This got an angry reaction from not just the Player, but the team of Ralseis as well. "Their name is KRIS!" they shouted, almost simultaneously. But the Lightner just chuckled. "It doesn't matter what it was. It was a puppet at the time. It couldn't make decisions on it's own." they said... only for the Player to interrupt.

"And how did you know that from where you were that whole time? You couldn't follow Kris into the Light World. You couldn't follow them into the deepest depths of the castle, where Jevil was. And those were where they showed just how much of a life they had, even when the link first formed. They weren't a puppet. They may have been a vessel of sorts, like my body is." "But they were not a puppet. Things can live without a SOUL, after all... Kris was alive the whole time. But without a SOUL, they were a blank slate, which you saw as not being alive. And while the SOUL was left without any method of normal control, that was what allowed them to live- to gain experience from their surroundings, much like what one would do in the early days of their life. Their SOUL was what allowed that to start- but, I'd say by now..." "They don't even need me anymore." The Knight looked confused, maybe even startled by the sudden show of confidence. "Wh... what in the Angel's name are you talking about?! You know nothing about SOULs! You can't possibly know anything about them!"

The Player chuckled mildly. "Sadly for you, this experiment of yours came after something else- something that bears a lot more resemblance to this world than you think. And seeing those resemblances let me piece some things together- things that work the same way here as they did in that other 'existence'. I'm uncertain whether that one was real and separate, like this one- but I know enough to see the connections."

"At this point... I don't think that the SOUL in Kris, is actually my own SOUL. It's theirs. I'm just... cutting the strings. After all, if a puppet can dance without directions from the one holding strings, then it would be able to dance just as well if there were no strings at all. But the SOUL... wasn't the strings. It was what allowed the strings to connect. But, I'm starting to see that when I cut those strings, the SOUL wasn't removed at all. If that had happened, they'd just... fade. Back into the empty shell." "But they aren't empty, they're still moving. They're still LIVING." the Player said, to confused reactions from the group. "But... how do you know that? Kris still has the SOUL, and you said it'd unlink sometime soon... you're saying it like you already unlinked!" The Knight scoffed at this. "You'll see soon enough, in the end. They're a puppet, a vessel. No more. You took their SOUL from them, and with it, their life."

"You killed Kris."

And yet, the Player just chuckled, staring down the Knight- making even the Knight uneasy.

"You know the interesting thing about messing with time..? It can change when certain events happen. And, well, my memories feel a bit changed... you reminded me to think about that not long ago, didn't you?"

The Knight went visibly pale- which, in the Dark World, spoke volumes. "...you... you..."

The Player nodded. "I already unlinked. Turns out, my past self saw everything going on, and seeing Kris like this... well, they felt guilty. They disconnected sooner than I had before this. The timeline shifted- and I'm still here. Because I felt like I could do more than just that. I wanted to see things through, like you said."

"But I already disconnected. I did it a good amount earlier than I had thought... hah, gotta love those kinds of time travel shenanigans, huh?" they said, laughing. But the Knight wasn't smiling. In fact they looked visibly angry. "Y- you..! You GAVE your SOUL to them?! Then how do YOU still have a SOUL?! It should have been either them or you!! ...What did you do?! What rule did you change when you were... out there?!" he spat, angry as a raging bull.

But the Player laughed more. "I didn't change anything, Knight. This SOUL? It's mine. Always has been. I didn't quite realize it- but turns out that even people in my world have SOULs. They just never... show up. There's no reason for them to. So when I came in here, I took my SOUL with me. And that SOUL is using strings to control this vessel whenever I'm out there."

"The SOUL in Kris is all theirs."

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

Kris was sitting on the bed in their house, waiting eagerly for the Player's SOUL to unlink, for that piece of them to be gone for good.

Nothing. Had they lied after all? But... there was no way. They were acting so genuine...

Still, something felt different. The SOUL... felt different.

Kris tried to stand up... they did.

They tried to walk to the birdcage. They did.

Open it up... done.

No resistance.

They reached out, preparing to pull out their SOUL again- bracing for the pain. But instead, it emerged as though a battle began, without the box that contained it. That was... new.

So they put it in the cage and closed it. Now they could see what was going on.

Kris began to move towards the bed. The SOUL moved in that direction, too.

That was new for sure.

They open the cage and focus some... and they got their SOUL to exit the cage on their own.

They started to move it around, up, down... left, right... and it worked. Not even a moment of hesitation or waiting- nothing inhibiting it.

And they felt free.

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

The Knight was frozen. Such an obvious observation- and it had passed right over them. "But... then how did you access the SAVE state of theirs, and cause all this?"

The Player chuckled some. "At that point, it was still Kris' SOUL, if you recall. You hadn't pulled me in, my SOUL wasn't in the equation. When you pulled me in, my SOUL was pulled in with me. And that separated your link- in fact, it weakened my connection as it was. But of course, there was still my past self to deal with. They still had connection, while I didn't."

With every explanation given, the Knight wanted to give a counterargument- but somehow, these outlandish reasons... were valid. "...you... how do you plan all this out? How are you doing all of this?"

The Player laughed. "You know, I could easily just pretend I planned this, and say something on the lines of thinking in four dimensions. But honestly? I'm just rolling with the punches. Memories changed? Cool, time to make use of that. Pulled into this place? All right then, I'll work with that. Sometimes one of the best plans is not to have one. It's impossible to predict a plan that doesn't exist. Patterns are helpful- but they may not work forever."

The Knight growled in anger. "...so all of this... all of these changes, all of this absolute CHAOS you've strewn across my carefully laid plan... all of this has just been you doing... whatever comes to mind at that moment?! All of these things you do to ruin my progress... and you're not even planning them out?"

The Player chuckled a bit. "Not a bit. I'm not willing to try and learn that much about this time travel bullshit, I just want to make use of it to get this done."

With this, the Knight was seething mad. It looked like he was ready to attack, but in his current situation, he was not only outnumbered, but the Player could easily just pull the same stunt. He wasn't prepared to fight.

But as the ground beneath them shook, his face of rage shifted... and he looked quite happy with the quakes.

"...ah, but it seems it was all in vain!" he said, almost cackling.

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

Kris was still trying out their newfound freedom- and the SOUL that belonged to them, and ONLY them this time!- when they heard knocking on the door. So they went out to where Toriel was, her already waiting for the arrival, before seeing Kris’ eyes- BROWN eyes... and as the door opened...

"Mom! Kris!"

"I'm home!"

And with that... we will reach beyond the end. The Player and Kris have separate SOULs, Kris is free- AND with a SOUL intact, interestingly enough!- the Knight has gotten his usual plans taken screwball thanks to weird time travel bullshit (love when the past changes), and the world is falling apart. Oh, and Azzy's here now too. Also one of the FEW times I will ever go beyond the Player's scope of vision- as it was something I felt needed shown. This will likely only happen more often if it makes the story a bit better- otherwise, we'll only know what the Player knows. But we'll see. I'm pretty excited to have Kris with their own SOUL, as opposed to split control with the Player. Yes, I was a bit worried about how to explain the time-travel again. But the differentiation between when the Player was in the Over World and when they were in the Light and Dark Worlds was perfect for that, as... well, they had their SOUL in the Over World with them. Why they can't SAVE and LOAD in the Over World? Good question, you get the gif! (You know the one.) I would say more about this but it's a lot to say, and would be difficult without potentially sharing possible story paths. Chaos, chaos. Hehe. It's a lot for this part, and honestly my brain was working overtime to tie it all together the best I could. I'm not even sure if there's any inconsistencies because of how much happened. If you do manage to spot any, then let me know. I'd really appreciate it and it'll help me with future parts as well. I also feel really bad because it's been essentially three months. THREE. WHOLE. MONTHS. College is annoying as all get out, and I wish I could just do this all the time. I enjoy writing, and I wish I could do it more, but with college, I often find myself doing other stuff, seeing this, wanting to do more, and then finding myself doing other stuff again. I highly appreciate the asks people send as reminders, since they show me that yes, people do still care about this. And that's kinda my motivation. Knowing people enjoy this story so much makes me honestly really happy, and makes it easier to work on this knowing that there is purpose to it. With any luck, I can get myself back into writing this more often, and we'll have a score of story parts (one score is equal to 20 for those who need to know) soon enough. If I didn't absolutely butcher this one at least. Previous Part | First Part | Next Part LynxGriffin's Paper Trail Comic (This part was almost exclusively based off of the Finale part of the original Paper Trail comic, with added portions that are unique to the story. I think this will be the last story for at least a good while that will be directly based off the comic itself. There will definitely be elements from past original comic pages used, but there's going to be more original aspects from here out. Hoo boy, I got work to do.)

[natsukumo]

I was just candle running with Asriel when turtle came. So... sunset! We sat and watched til it was finished and it was just so calming and reassuring. We talked about waiting for the sunset and watching it and I thought hey! Why not watch it 44 times (748393939 times actually) from the iconic land of sunsets? It was made possible by someone from the Sky Discord server and I am just so grateful. Lately, people have been complaining about how Sky has been becoming such an unfriendly community, but I don't want to focus on that since there are still plenty of nice people around!

Anywho, I logged in with Asriel and we held hands and together we stepped foot once again into the area of Dreams of A Little Friend. It felt so bizarre! It felt like greeting an old friend you have not seen for quite some time.

Asriel and I were just so hyped and we were losing our shit so hard hahaha the messages were just so filled with typos than usual. The last time that we were here was back in July and we didn't really get to explore much. But this time, we were free to just be our monkey selves! It has been really fun. We took plenty of pictures with the characters from the Little Prince while making stupid jokes that might be unfunny to others but are comedy gold to us XD

We sat and watched the sunset too! And it felt soooo nice watching it with a dear friend. I don't have a rose, but I have a monkey-ish fox with me and that is more than I could ever ask for XD

I've been to this exclusive area multiple times already, but for some reason this time around just feels much more special and moving. Probably because the interactions don't feel forced and I can just be honest in all aspects. It's a very special place, and I don't like to spend my time there with people whom I cannot be completely 100% comfortable with.

Honestly, I'm just having a lovely fun time here with Asriel. There is no pressure to candle run and no one else can teleport which sometimes disrupt the deep talks we would have lol. But most especially, we can AFK sleep under the starry night sky! On an asteroid! Not everybody can say that! XD

I guess it's just really lucky of me to be here with a friend that cherishes me as much as I cherish them! The fox said, "you become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." And I don't mind being responsible XD It doesn't even feel like a responsibility at all to begin with. I guess that's what being tamed truly means. Being present and hanging out together just because. Just because 🦊🌅🌻

[castletown-cafe]

Castletown Café Episode 21: QC’s Hot Cocoa

Winter is here, and the holiday season is in full swing. Hot cocoa always seems to taste especially good this time of year. There’s just something about hot cocoa in December.....

QC’s Diner in the Light World serves hot cocoa with bunny-shaped marshmallows. Kris is given a free mug by the bunny waitress (presumably QC) after talking to her. However, they can’t bring themself to take even a sip....is it a reminder of a happier time before things went wrong?

(Theory speculation and spoilers in the below paragraph!)

We still don’t know exactly what happened to the Dreemurr and the Holiday families - but what we do know is that something terrible happened involving that bunker that traumatized Kris, Dess disappeared, Asgore lost his position as a police officer and ended up divorced from Toriel, who is still mad at him. Meanwhile, Asriel is away at college....or so we think. And that bunker will be the final Dark World that Kris, Susie, and Ralsei will explore...after all, it’s being built up since Chapter 1!

(End of speculation).

Quite a dark thing to bring up during such a time of year, but for some of us, the holiday season can be a little TOO merry and bright. Regardless, gotta bring up ties to the game before I talk about the featured recipe!

This is the perfect festive recipe, and even with almond milk, it’s still creamy and delicious. Only three ingredients went into the cocoa itself: unsweetened vanilla almond milk, milk chocolate chips, and a little extra vanilla extract for even more flavor. And that’s it! No need for extra sugar when there’s already sugar in the chocolate as well as the marshmallows and whipped cream.

To add some festive flair, the sides of the marshmallows were rolled in red and green colored sugar. The same colored sugars were sprinkled on top for garnish upon serving. You can also add a little peppermint extract if you want to make your hot cocoa a peppermint hot cocoa! Or add a candy cane in for extra garnish....okay, I’m getting carried away now!

The bunny-shaped marshmallows are relatively easy to do - just find a tiny bunny-shaped cookie cutter and cut regular large marshmallows into bunny shapes. This past Spring, I was lucky enough to find these cookie cutters from Holiday Home which included a bunny shape that was just the right size for marshmallows!

Fortunately, there are other places you can look online for tiny bunny cookie cutters, such as Etsy. Or you can even make your own! Making your own, however, will have to take a lot of practice as well as precision.

QC’S HOT COCOA:

1 & 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3 marshmallows, cut into bunny shapes

Red and green decorative sugar

Whipped cream

With an approximately 1-inch to 1 and 1/2 inch bunny-shaped cookie cutter, cut 3 regular-sized (or jumbo) marshmallows into bunny shapes.

Roll the sides in colorful sugar.

Heat almond milk in a saucepan over medium heat.

Stir in milk chocolate chips and let melt, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat if necessary. 

Once chocolate has melted and incorporated into the almond milk, forming your hot cocoa, stir in vanilla extract for extra vanilla flavor.

Pour into a 12 oz mug and top with whipped cream, colorful sugar, and bunny shaped marshmallows. Enjoy!

Have a joyous and merry season, everybody!

[amethystoceandespiser]

*When Papyrus brings Frisk to his house and begins cooking pasta for Frisk (his skills have improved, thanks to Toriel)...

(Sans sits next to Frisk.)

Sans: Pal, you're lucky that Papyrus found you first, because if I found you first... You'd be dead where you stand.

(Frisk instantly runs to Papyrus.)

Papyrus: SANS!

Sans: I was joking!

Papyrus: I don't care! You shouldn't say such a cruel thing to an innocent child… even if it was a ‘joke’.

(Papyrus then brings Frisk to the kitchen, to comfort them and so they could help him make the dessert.)

(Papyrus lets Frisk sleep in his race-car bed (he’d sleep in a sleeping bag, next to Frisk), then Papyrus asks Sans to meet him in the shed, for a serious grown-up talk.)

Papyrus: Sans, I KNOW that your cruel joke wasn’t actually a joke. I might be childish sometimes, but I'm not stupid. I'm disappointed in you, brother.

Sans: ...The Kingdom needs one final soul and I would’ve made the human's death as quick as possible.

(This angers and horrifies Papyrus.)

Papyrus: Even if it would give everyone freedom, it isn’t fair that the Kingdom wants to kill and harvest the soul of an innocent child, simply because Frisk is a different species!... You know, the barrier needs human souls in order to break, but it doesn't say that the human souls have to be dead! We can easily make Frisk's soul appear, without hurting him!

Sans: Bro... Remember that humanity is the reason that we're sealed our Kingdom inside this mountain... and the reason why King Asgore's son is dead.

Papyrus: Yes, but my friend Tori told me that the first war started because a monster absorbed a human’s soul and humanity was afraid… If humanity was truly evil, the human kingdom would’ve destroyed us all, instead letting us all live down here... Sure, we're trapped, but we're still alive!

Papyrus: And that human village only destroyed Asriel, because they believed that Asriel had killed Chara… all of humanity’s actions against monsters were self-defensive… it doesn’t make their extreme actions right or okay, but I get why they did what they did!

(Papyrus got louder!)

Papyrus: EVEN IF THE HUMANS THAT SEALED US AWAY AND THE HUMANS THAT KILLED ASRIEL WERE EVIL, THAT DOESN’T MEAN ALL HUMANS ARE EVIL! WHY SHOULD HUMANITY GO EXTINCT OVER WHAT A FEW GROUPS OF THEM HAVE DONE? DOESN’T THAT MAKE US JUST AS TERRIBLE AS THE ONES THAT HURT US?… Our species is supposed to be made of love, compassion and hope… And creating another war doesn’t sound very loving and compassionate, brother…”

Sans: ... I honestly don’t want another war with humanity either bro, but the war is King Asgore’s decision… And sometimes in war, you have to pick sides… And I choose the side of my own species.

Papyrus: Wait a minute, the new war technically won't happen until the barrier is broken... And the barrier needs seven human souls, but it doesn’t need them to be dead souls... If I can convince Asgore to stop the war and to stop killing humans... Then I can use Frisk’s still living soul to break the barrier and free everyone!

Sans: Papyrus, that plan won't work... call Undyne to ‘take care’ of Frisk instead... Because I’m gonna be completely honest with you… If you try to do this plan and keep protecting Frisk, the Kingdom will see you as a traitor and a criminal… Everyone will become your enemy and I won’t be able to help you.”

Papyrus: IT’S NOT LIKE YOU EVER HELPED ME BEFORE, SANS!… Brother, please understand… I promised Tori, my best friend from the Ruins Door, that I will watch over and protect Frisk no matter what… She really cares about Frisk, and I don’t want to let her or Frisk down… BESIDES, FRISK AND HUMANITY DESERVES TO BE HAPPY, ALIVE AND FREE JUST AS MUCH AS WE DO!

(Papyrus is about to leave the shed.)

Papyrus: OH, AND SANS? ONE LAST THING… If you tell Undyne and the Royal Guard about Frisk, or become the reason that Frisk dies… I will never forgive you.

(Papyrus slams the shed’s door on a shocked Sans, and Papyrus proceeds to silently watch Frisk sleep in his race-car bed, before entering his sleeping bag.)

(Sans honestly doesn’t know what to do…)

Sans: ... Who is Tori?🚪

Holy... shit... this is some really good drama

[kits-shrine]

Character Bios

The Fallen Children- Frisk, Patience, Everhart, Honora, Bruce, Charity, Billie

They made the same debut as Chara and Asriel in a story can be found here, here and here.

Here is a picrew to give an idea of about how each of them looks.

Frisk, Soul of Determination- Frisk lead a rough life before running away and joining the children's home. Vocal cords were ruined by a cruel punishment of glass hidden in a sandwich for a supposed wrong doing as a result they cannot speak and are still slowly learning sign. Their ability to Reset is limited. They can only fix something they're immediately touching and there is a large chance it will not fix it correctly.

Patience (Patty), Soul of Patience- One of the older ones in the group, Patience puts her trait to work helping care for the younger ones. She has a slightly worn ribbon she wears. It has been offered to replace it many times but she refuses every time.

Everhart (Ever), Soul of Bravery- Ever is one of the trio of mischief makers of the group, himself, Frisk and Bruce. Wherever there is an adventure to be had or something new to try and explore you can almost be guaranteed that Ever is the first to dive in. Depending on which way his lucky bandanna is turned you know he means business.

Honora, Soul of Integrity- One of the other older children of the group, Honora helps keep everyone on the straight and narrow. Say what you mean and mean what you say with this girl. One of the things she loves to do most in her free time is practice her ballet skills.

Bruce, Soul of Perseverance- The final member of the trouble trio, Bruce is often the child you'd least suspect to get in trouble. Studious and almost always buried in a book, Bruce is a very quiet and solemn looking child. But don't let that fool you, once something catches his interest he sees it to the bitter end. On top of reading books, Bruce also keeps his own notebook on hand at all times. Both for his thoughts and to also allow Frisk to 'steal' when signing fails them.

Charity, Soul of Kindness- The youngest of the group Charity truly is a Kind Soul, always thinking about others and their happiness. She loves helping in the kitchen and while she's not allowed to do much with sharp things and heat just yet she is very good at baking and has the cutest little apron she wears when she's doing so.

Billie, Soul of Justice- Last but not least is Billie, the middle child. He loves to wear his beloved cowboy hat. Billie believes in keeping everything fair and square for anyone. While he's not as rearing to go as Ever he doesn't shy away from stepping up or stepping in when he's needed. He can't abide bullies and will fight them on sight.

Everyone's ages update!

Charity 8, Everhart and Bruce 9, Frisk 10(?), Bille 11, Honora 12, Patience 13

[sweetygirl90]

How did frisk realize they're enby?

It’s long to explain and I don’t have time right now for a comic :( So...

I made a One-Shot! I usually explain myself better by writing than drawing. I just want to clarify that this is Frisk’s personal experience, it doesn’t have to be the same as other people.

I’m a spanish speaker so... I did my best translating this! I hope it’s good. This is from Frisk POV (something like that) so I made use of “he/him” pronouns at beginning.

                                            “Don’t belong”

It was still late afternoon, Frisk knew it because the big clock that hung on the living room wall. He was lucky to have it, because guessing the time just by looking through the hole he had fallen into was not very efficient. Many trees covered the sky from there and not having a wide view of the horizon hindered him more. In other words; looking at the sky wasn’t an option.

He had fallen underground a few days ago after what he hoped was his last reset. He knew perfectly what awaited him behind the enormous door of the ruins, he knew that sooner or later he would have to venture beyond that great portal to finish what he had started by falling into that world. He had promised that this would be the last time he would restart things if he got a good result and was not forced to go back to the beginning due to a failure, but until then he wanted to prolong this as long as possible. So sure everything would work out? Maybe, but if he ended up failing he would have a chance to repeat this again.

Yes, it wasn't very responsible to keep procrastinating like that, but could they blame him for it? From his first meeting with Toriel, something told him that next to him he would find his home, a place where he belonged, and it was difficult to detach himself from that new reality.

He didn't want to leave all of it just yet. Each moment with Toriel only became more enjoyable than the last. He was beginning to placidly get used to waking up feeling the soft fur of her muzzle brushing against him when she was going to wake him up with a warm hug and a kiss, he had memorized her characteristic aroma of caramel and cinnamon, unconsciously filing himself in those smells that comforted him. He wanted to continue that home routine a little more, he wanted to enjoy it as much as he could before he got into his work.

He wanted to be just an ordinary kid before he was the hero everyone expected him to be.

"And then the prince of water and the prince of fire got married and lived happily ever after... The end!"

Frisk smiled, raising another piece of cinnamon and butterscotch pie to his mouth as he watched comfortably curled up on Toriel's lap at the illustration of both characters from the storybook. If he was honest, he was at an age where he had lost interest in children's stories a bit, but he could never turn down the woman when she offered to read him one of them and she did it with such dedication and emotion. She even sometimes interpreted the voices of the characters changing the tone, although sometimes he lent her his help with that.

Most of the repertoire of stories didn’t stray from the typical fantasy trope with princesses, princes, knights, witches and wizards but... It was curious how monsters could interpret things in so many different ways. He swore that if he had taught this book to the adults in his orphanage they would have been shocked demanding to know who the degenerate was that would write such bestiality for the children to read.

The adults saw something frightening, he for the part of him only saw two princes in love in a nice simplistic illustration. He hadn't stopped to observe until now that monsters saw these things so naturally, as if it were something from day to day. Perhaps for them the plot twists of princesses escaping from their kingdoms to marry witches was already something of a cliché.

"Ah, what a beautiful story." The monster sighed, closing the book and setting it aside. "Did you like it, my child?"

Frisk nodded smiling, letting her gently stroke his hair. He almost always heard a derogatory comment from his ghostly companion in such cases, but they had been strangely quiet, listening intently to the narration all this time.

“I loved it.”

He lifted some of the pie back to his mouth, allowing himself to be comfortably pampered by Toriel's matted hands. Frisk still could not find a way to begin to describe how much he enjoyed her continuous displays of affection, how much he loved that woman who, even with a broken heart after so many losses, had love to give to the helpless children who fell into that underworld due to misfortune. There was no space for joy in his heart after having longed for since he was aware of the unconditional love of a relative, and that even after having lost all hope she had crossed his path.

He didn't care that she was a monster, he didn't care about anything anymore. He loved Toriel, she was his mother, and he wanted to stay with her.

Yes... He would, if he managed to free them all and no one would separate him from her side.

"Glad to hear it, my dear."

Frisk sensed her genuine happiness in her blue eyes and wished she could know just by looking at him how infinitely happy she made him just sitting there, looking at him as if his mere existence meant something to be grateful for. Toriel was like that with him, she made him feel valuable just by staring at him.

How was he able to coldly grip the knife against her? How did he have that stupid primal urge to harm her? Who did he think he was to see her as if she were nothing more than a dusty pothole that he stepped on as he left the ruins?

He regretted so much... He really regretted it. Even if she was ignorant of his sins, now Frisk wanted to show that he could be worthy of her, that he could make Toriel very happy. If she wanted a perfect and loving child that is what he would give her, although it was not very difficult to get it when he willingly wanted to follow her everywhere.

When his adventure came to an end he would strive to fulfill the fantasy of a happy family. He would be obedient, well behaved, loving... He would be the perfect child, he could not miss this opportunity.

Frisk had already been rejected by so many families... His heart would not bear another rejection, much less after he had tasted the true joy and warmth of home.

No matter the cost, even if it meant suppressing that part of him that he screamed for out in the open... He would do it to preserve this illusion.

He would be a good boy… Boy… Why did it still not sound good to say it like that?

"Oh dear… Look what time it is. It will be late for us to go grocery shopping and recalibrate the puzzles in the ruins.” Toriel watched the clock strike 4:30, patted his head once more, and got up after he got off her lap with help. "I'll find the bags to go out, while you can go change, my child."

Frisk nodded and went to his room. Something that had motivated him to stay with Toriel for a few days before inevitably moving on to Snowdin was his curiosity about what was outside the house. If he remembered something well from the books, it was that the ruins were much bigger than it appeared to the naked eye, after all the monsters used to all live there before moving further into the cave and finding the other cities that today they know as Snowdin, Waterfalls, Hotland and New Home.

He had watched from the balcony that the city of Old Home stretched beyond what he had ever thought or stopped to look at. There were few monsters that from time to time walked the streets doing their daily lives, but they were enough to keep the city inhabited and sustained. Too bad he didn't have a chance to visit it and see it up close... Until today.

He searched the closet for something to wear. He hadn't changed his pajamas since he had awakened, and although he was very comfortable he admitted that it was a bad habit as a result of not leaving the house every day.

His sweater had gotten dirty the day before after getting too close to an old fountain in the ruins and falling inside. How was he to know there was mud at the bottom of the pond? The water was crystal clear, but the darkness in the corner prevented him from seeing all the details. But he wasn't that clumsy, he was sure Flowey had pushed him! Damn impatient flower. He knew how boring it was to wait for the flower to finally deign to move things forward, but he'd already warned Flowey that he didn't want to be pressured. Frisk would decide when to do it, he would not stay in the ruins forever.

He was lucky that there was some clothing of his size that Toriel could lend him. Could it be that it belonged to Prince Asriel? That made him feel a bit guilty wearing the clothes of Toriel's dead son, but since there was nothing else… There wasn't much left to choose from.

Frisk took out some things and put them on his bed so he could choose better. He knew it was just a grocery shopping outlet, but he didn't want the monsters to think that Toriel was raising a lazy person either. Never! There were many things, generally striped shirts that almost always shared the same color range. Was it customary for children in the basement to wear stripes? Monster Kid mentioned it high above, but he wasn't sure. Perhaps this was a signal for him to begin to investigate a little more in depth about monster culture.

Going back to his clothes… Nothing convinced him at all. And that he was not demanding, he alone believed that yellow and green did not suit him very well.

He looked among the things that were hanging on the hangers, there were very warm coats, hats, scarves and... An elegant tuxedo with a tie and everything. That made him smile a bit. Even in this underground life did the royal family have events where they wore elegant clothes?

His gaze then hit something he hadn't noticed so far, an immaculately white sleeveless gown hung between two coats, hidden between the two. Frisk took it off the hook curiously and leaned it against his chest to check that it was for someone small like him and yes, it was.

Why would Prince Asriel have one of these? Maybe it was a mistake. The adults were very explicit with their instructions "boys don’t wear skirts."

He himself had learned the hard way, with punishment and humiliation that it was not appropriate, no matter how much it hurt.

"Those aren’t Asriel's clothes… But mine.”

Frisk left his thoughts for a moment to turn to his ghostly companion, who crossed their arms and with a skeptical look just floated beside him.

"Asriel's clothes stayed in New Home, I think... Mom took my things with her when she fled to the ruins."

"Oh… Then it's yours."

“Yes.” They confirmed it again, now floating on their back and with their arms crossed behind their neck, giving him a look of displeasure but at the same time disinterest. “I wasn't in my plans to donate my clothes to a brat like you, but since it's not very useful to me… You can have it.”

“Cool! Thanks, Chara.” He thanked them with a smile. Chara might be a bit surprised that he had these courtesy details, but despite the fact that the human repeated that their reason for being there was to make life a mess... He couldn't help but think that being close to them was pleasant. Chara wasn't such bad company, at least not when they was trying to make him feel bad.

Frisk was about to put the dress in the closet, but then he realized something else. If it was Chara's clothes… Why would they have a dress and a tuxedo?

He unhooked this one, too, and spread both sets on the bed, set apart from the rest of the folded clothing he'd pulled out to choose from.

Maybe… The monsters didn't find these things strange either. Could that be it? His hand went to the white dress, he took it, took it with him to the mirror in the room and placed it in front of his chest to have a visualization of how he would fit it. The last time he had used something like this was when he and his best friend Emma exchanged the school uniform secretly from others, it was when after her departure she gave him said uniform to remember her, when the director of the orphanage found him wearing it, when he lost the last gift from the first girl he had ever loved, when...

When he started wondering what was wrong with him. He never hurt anyone when he wore those clothes, did he? Was Emma thinking the same thing too?

"Are you ready, dear?"

Frisk turned, surprised to find Toriel inside the room, already dressed to leave it and staring him with a calm smile. He couldn't help but start to shake and gasp when the goat's eyes focused on the dress, reflexively hiding it behind his back. She was confused.

Frisk couldn't even look into her eyes, he was terrified to do it and find himself with a disappointed or disgusted expression. It was something he had gotten used to enough by now, it was always a reason for the foster homes to decide that he was not the type of child they wanted to adopt.

"E-Eh… I just… I was just looking at what to wear and…"

He stopped abruptly when Toriel crouched down next to him and bringing one of her hands to his chin made him lift his head. She didn't look upset, she had the same peaceful glow in her gaze and that warm smile that she had seen the first day.

"Do you want to wear that dress, honey?" Frisk didn't come out of his bewilderment, but he nodded softly as Toriel got up and went to the door. "Okay, I'll be back, I'll look at for something."

Without further ado, she left the room, Frisk managed to look at Chara, who for the first time seemed to see him with some compassion, perhaps because they understood what he was feeling in those moments.

"You heard mom, don't keep her waiting."

Silently and with some anxiety, Frisk made the change of clothes. His dress was of a very soft fabric and the skirt reached below the knees. Apparently Toriel glued washes to his clothes so it wouldn't get smelling of dust and damp, because now he could smell the fragrance of laundry soap on it.

The only problem he had with this was the zipper in the back, it was difficult to make it go up without it locking in the middle of his back.

"Oh, let me help you with that, dear."

Frisk hadn't noticed that Toriel had returned, but he said nothing and allowed her to help him by zipping up.

“Don't worry, the truth is that it has always caused problems, so most of the time I had to do it.”

He assumed that she was referring to Chara indirectly, and confirmed it just by seeing the half smile that the aforementioned was trying to hide. With the dress already on, Frisk stopped to observe himself at ease in front of the mirror. He didn't look bad at all, he liked it.

Toriel touched his shoulder and offered him something. It was a country hat with a white ribbon around it and some fake flowers of the same color adorning it. Did she go looking for that for him? He didn't ask questions, he just accepted it and settled it on his head. It seemed that both things were made to go together.

"There is no sun to watch out for, but I thought you'd like it.”

Frisk looked back at his reflection and felt fear leave him suddenly. A smile crossed his face and he moved to the side for a twist that made the skirt of the dress move in the air. Toriel gave a light laugh when she saw him wearing that garment so happily.

“I look good?” He asked, doing a couple of poses that would make his mother laugh because of how exaggerated they were, but that made him feel looser from the tension of a while ago. He didn't perceive that this was a forced reaction from Toriel, she looked genuinely pleased about it. It was as if the laws of the surface didn't matter to her… Because they were underground now.

"You look gorgeous, my dear. You're a very handsome boy!"

Frisk broadened his smile for Toriel and didn't fight the urge to hug her skirt with all his might, hoping that maybe she could feel his gratitude in that little gesture. She accepted him instantly, wrapping her warm arms around him lovingly. Frisk wish she didn't notice the pair of tears of relief that stained a tiny space of her garment and then wet her snout when she gave him a pair of kisses near his eyes.

“Thanks… Mom.”

Toriel tightened the hug a little more but without hurting Frisk. He melted her heart whenever he called her that way. "You’re welcome, my little boy. If you are ready we can go now.”

When they parted, they both left the room on their way to the city of Home.

"Or dear... There are many things missing at home and I had barely noticed today. I think we will also buy you school supplies so that you can start classes at home. Better hurry up or it will get very dark by the time we're done.”

“Okay, mom.”

"I have to get you notebooks… One for each subject. I don't want you to be disorganized!"

Frisk nodded as she continued speaking. For Toriel it was already a reflection of her holding his hand every time they went out together and it didn't bother him at all.

He tightened his grip on her hand to keep her in step. She was so big that on occasion he was forced to be faster or take longer steps, this was one of those times. His heart had stopped weighing him down, replacing that suffocating sensation with freedom, feeling light with the air moving his skirt and the end of the hat's bow brushing against his shoulder every time he took a step.

He was happy.

Although something was still bothering him.

                                                                  . . .

The departure proceeded normally. Frisk and Toriel toured the city buying the groceries that were needed at home. It was not very different from the surface, there were supermarkets with electrical appliances, small shops, stalls to sell fast food, etc. They spent two hours shopping for everything on the list until they filled the bags, which Toriel could carry perfectly on her own and without any effort. Frisk wanted to help her by carrying one of hers, but this was already heavy enough that he could afford to carry one more.

They also went to buy supplies and notebooks as she said. In the old human school he could not afford to use many things because according to the director of the orphanage "it were unnecessary and a silly waste of money", which he understood perfectly, although he came to disappoint him a bit. He did not want to make Toriel spend a lot, however, he didn’t need to ask for anything, since she decided that she needed to buy him colors of all the materials available and to have (paint, watercolors, crayons, chalks, pencils, markers...) because she was afraid he would get bored at home and not have something to draw with.

They both had a good time. They talked about some things, Toriel bought him an ice cream, they decided what they would have for dinner at night, even some monsters greeted Toriel with respect —long ago he would not have understood why but now he knew it was because they remembered her as the former queen of the underground— and monster commented to her more than once that he was adorable. Toriel almost always replied "I know, isn't he a very cute boy?"

He didn't want to sound ungrateful at all, but… Something didn't feel right when he heard her say that. It was not for the compliment, throughout his life he was lucky if some adult remarked something positive about him, especially his appearance. Why now that someone did it, did he continue to feel dissatisfied? It wasn't for the compliment itself, of course not. There were times when Toriel said things like that, but... Something was left over, or maybe something was missing.

When they returned, he helped her organize the shopping and they continued with the routine. It was a bit late to leave so the rest of the duties were left to Toriel for the next day. She insisted that she go alone to recalibrate the puzzles in the ruins, but he wanted to accompany her.

It was no use being persistent because she was able to convince him to stay. She told him that she needed him to stay, as if he bathed in what she did her work then the two of them would have enough time to get ready to go out to dinner at night. It was too tempting an offer not to accept. When had he dined at a restaurant in Home? Never. Maybe at the Mettaton hotel, but he didn't count it as dinner. Sans hadn't even invited him anything!

Frisk accepted instantly, Toriel hadn't been long anyway because she was back in time to help him dry his hair. Apparently she wanted to help him get ready to go out.

For his part, it didn't bother him at all. Toriel had sat with him on the bed to brush his hair, and he was sure that she knew that it was not necessary for him to do it because he rarely ruffled, however Frisk didn’t complain, there was nothing to reproach her. Maybe she just wanted to cuddle him for a while and that's it. Would Frisk make a fuss just for that? Nah!

His mother hummed very softly as she continued her attentions. Her hands were gentle and soft, as if she were afraid to pull his hair by accident. That treatment in conjunction with her voice was the perfect recipe to relax him. If it weren't that dinner was still on the agenda, he would have already fallen asleep.

Frisk remembered again now how lucky he was to have Toriel close, but... Since yesterday he kept thinking about the same thing that had been bothering him forever, but that after yesterday became more evident. He reproached himself for letting such stupidity prevent him from enjoying his mother's affection to the fullest, but… Maybe it wasn't stupid after all.

It made him angry that he didn't understand what was tormenting him. For a boy it should be easy to rate feelings, only he was already pre-adolescent, he wasn't sure if he could continue to call himself a “boy” any longer.

What was this? Why did he feel as if something was missing? Why did he feel wrong? Every time someone made it clear that he was a boy, every time he think about himself with “he” something felt wrong. At first he thought it was due to those prohibitions that humans instilled in him just because of that, because he was a child, but even now that with Toriel he felt free of those restrictions... It was still the same.

"What’s the matter, my dear?"

His mother's voice snapped him out of his musings suddenly, but he struggled to sound like nothing was wrong. "Nothing, just... I was thinking."

“I see.” She said, always parsimonious about everything. “About what? It must be something important for you to be this overwhelmed.”

Frisk was surprised at how quickly Toriel came to that conclusion. It was his mistake to underestimate a mother's suspicion and now he was paying for it, feeling nervous that he didn't know how to explain himself.

"Nothing, it's... It's silly."

"Nothing that worries you is foolish, my dear boy. Your feelings will always be important, and sometimes to deal with it you have to know what causes that feeling.” She explained, putting the brush aside so she could better focus on it. "Talking about how you feel is sometimes helpful."

Frisk lowered his gaze not knowing what to answer her. If anything had remained in him from the adults who had cared for him, it was that those his age used to worry about nonsense, things that don’t deserve to be heard, something that would disappear under the rug. “You have no reason to feel like this. It's not important. People around the world are suffering more than you and you cry for a nonsense!” or “Boys don't cry. Stop being so girly! ” was a common sight around him. Why he would talk about what was bothering him then? Why he would bother trying to express himself? The world had taken it upon himself to let him know that it didn't matter at all, that by drowning in grief he would learn a thing or two that would serve him well in the future.

And now… It was shocking that Toriel told him that after all, if something distressed him, it wasn’t a foolish at all.

"I won't force you to tell me anything if you're not comfortable with it, Frisk. But I want you to know that if something bothers you… You can tell me, I will not judge you and I will listen to you.”

Frisk looked in front of him. In the midst of his hesitation to choose what to wear for dinner he had left the dress on the bed next to Chara's tuxedo he had found the day before. He knew that he had to choose one of the two, and not that he bothered to use one of them, but... Thinking about it too much gave him a different meaning to things.

He wanted to tell Toriel everything he was thinking, but his mind was a mess. He didn't know where to start, he didn't even understand what was happening to him! How was he going to put into words something he didn't know? It was so frustrating! Now that he was given the freedom to speak he didn't know what to say.

"I just… I don't know why sometimes… I don't know, I feel like there's something wrong with me."

Hearing his words, Toriel decided to move beside him to speak comfortably. She didn't say anything, she was still silent to give him permission to speak.

"It's like I don't belong anywhere, like I don't... Like I don't fit in. You know what I mean?"

"Uhm… I think so."

Frisk decided to continue, he knew that Toriel still did not understand where he wanted to go, even he did not know!

"It's just that... People always say you were born to be something, but... What if I don't like that something? Where I should go? Because they say that there are only two paths and nothing else, but... I don't want to choose any. I don't want the path I'm supposed to go and I don't want the second one either. They say "you are this or that" but... I think then I am nothing.”

They were both silent and he was beginning to regret having spoken. His mother surely didn’t understand what he was talking about. Frisk sighed in the midst of his frustration with a lump in his throat, he didn’t want to cry, however he could not continue with that tightness in his chest.

Frisk didn't know how far Toriel's tolerance went. What would happen if this completely exceeded it? He had to fix it but in that moment.

“I’m so sorry. I know you have treated me very well and I like it when you flatter me, but I...”

"You don't like it when I refer to you as a boy, do you?"

Frisk looked up at Toriel, still impressed at how easy it was for her to sink into his dilemma as if it were an everyday thing for her. It was just like when she found him admiring that beautiful dress, the way she looked at him hadn't changed at all.

He couldn't understand it. Why was this all right for Toriel? Why wasn't she like other human adults? Why wasn't anyone there that way? Is it that perhaps he had missed something? Why did he end up getting a caress every time he expected a slap? He couldn't find a way out of his own overwhelm and Toriel kept talking calmly, as if she had all the time in the world.

"Frisk, it's okay if you feel that way. Look, I notice how you react to everything and… I don't know how humans deal with these things, but if you think it seems strange or something bad… It doesn't.”

She paused, stroking his hair and then she got off the bed taking the dress and tuxedo. She looked at both garments for a moment and held them up in each hand.

“If you want to choose one that's fine, if you go for a different option that's fine too, if you choose both it's fine, and if you're not ready to choose something that's fine too. It's like when I want to choose cinnamon or butterscotch, I can't! So I create my own options.”

"B-But…" Frisk swallowed, hoping that would take away the lump in his throat and his confusion. "That's the problem. It's not that I'm choosing! It's not what I want, it's what I am What am I? I don't feel like I'm a girl either. So what am I? I don't have a third option.”

Toriel raised an eyebrow, perhaps as if surprised that he said that. "Uhm… Do you know what non-binary gender is, Frisk?"

He cocked his head not knowing what she was talking about, and knew that Toriel noticed because she smiled like when he was going to her with childish doubts.

“There are people who, like you, don’t see themselves as women or men, but as something different. They are not both and it is not that they are nothing, they are only on a third path among the others.” She explained patiently and put the clothes she had taken back on the bed. Frisk was watching her intently, still unable to process that there was an answer to his question. “There's nothing wrong with not being what others expect of you just because of how you look or how you are… Even for the way you were born.”

"But what about you?" He blurted out. That question had come to his mind a second ago and he felt that he would die if he didn't get an answer now. He felt very stupid saying it so suddenly, almost interrupting Toriel, but he couldn't help himself. “What do you think about it?”

"It doesn't matter what I want or think, Frisk. It is your happiness and your way of perceiving yourself. Nothing else matters than your own happiness. How you identify yourself or who you love you should know that everyone should respect it, and never apologize for being like that.”

She declared, and then moved to the basket of clean clothes she had brought with her when she came into the room. Frisk stifled a sigh when she returned to his hands the striped sweater that he had soiled days ago, and that he had missed even though he liked to change his style of dress.

"It doesn’t matter if you are a boy, a girl, or something else… You are still Frisk. That won’t change.”

An involuntary reflex made Frisk hug his sweater, and so he stayed, silent and lost in his own mind as he processed everything Toriel had said to him in his rhythm. So much information had left him somewhat perplexed, more than anything because he did not imagine that there was an option that would leave him satisfied.

"You don't have to know it now, you can keep thinking about it and take your time. I just want you to know that if it bothers you that I refer to you as a boy then I won't. And if you want me to call you by "they/them" instead of calling you by "he/him" like I did when we just met, I'll do it.”

Frisk muttered with his… No, their face still half buried in the sweater. They had a hard time letting the words come out.

“I… I think I like this third way and… “they” would be fine.”

Without having to say more, Toriel sat back on the bed with a satisfied smile. Frisk was still dizzy and dazed, not sure what to say or how to react, they could only respond to their own impulses when the woman touched their shoulder and immediately threw themself into her arms like a small child and began to cry. Toriel sighed, holding her child in a strong, protective hug, letting their crying stop on its own.

Frisk didn't know. Was they crying out of sadness because no one told them this before? Was the rage at this anguish that they carried with for years? Yes, it was all that, but it was also a cry of relief. Now they knew that they were not weird, that there was nothing wrong with them, that there were people just like them who knew how they was feeling including Chara themself.

Frisk knew then that they did have a place to belong.

They let all their tears release them from that stormy regret and let the goat's maternal affection slowly bring them back to reality, ending up warmly cradled in her embrace. They finally found the missing piece.

"I... Uh... Jeez.” They laughed through tears, still not letting go. “You must believe that so much drama just because of this gender stuff is silly.”

"I don't think gender identity discovery is silly. Maybe you don’t understand why it is so important to know it, but... I think it is difficult to judge when you don’t feel the pain in the hearts of others, much more when I know that you don’t come from this world.”

Frisk nodded with a sigh and finally pulled away from Toriel as she wiped their tears away.

"So… You know what you want to wear to dinner, my child?"

"I want to wear my sweater."

[pinkmistle06]

Fuckkkin-

Infodump about undertale. Give me all your knowledge.

*GASP*

*Pink has stars in her eyes.*

Y E S

T H A N K

THIS GONNA BE L O N G

YOU START THE FUCKING GAME AND SEE THE OPENING CUTSCENE, AND YOU SEE FUCKING TORIEL ON THERE ALONG WITH A HUMAN

THAT BEGS THE QUESTION, HOW FUCKING OLD IS GOAT MOM

I KNOW SHE’S SUPPOSED TO BE FUCKING MIDDLE AGED OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, BUT HOLY FUCK

YOU GET THROUGH THE CUTSCENE AND FIND THAT YOU FELL UNDERGROUND

OH LUCKY YOU, YOU HAPPENED TO SURVIVE A THOUSAND FOOT FALL BECAUSE YOU LANDED ON SOME FUCKING F L O W E R S

HOW THE FUCK ARE YOU ABLE TO WALK

WHO KNOWS, YOU CONTINUE ON YOUR WAY

YOU ENCOUNTER A FUCKING TALKING FLOWER

YEP, THAT’S RIGHT, HE’S A FLOWER THAT CAN TALK

FLOWEY THE FLOWER

HE FUCKING TRIES TO STAB YOU IN THE FUCKING BACK BECAUSE WHO CARES, HE’S AN EVIL FLOWER BITCH

TORIEL GOAT MOM FINDS YOU AND SAVES YOU FROM HIM, AND THEN BECOMES YOUR ADOPTIVE MOM UNTIL YOU GOTTA GO, AIGHT IMMA HEAD OUT

AND SHE SAYS NO, BECAUSE IT’S TOO DANGEROUS FOR A LITTLE HUMAN TO GO OUT THERE, DESPITE THE FACT THAT YOU SURVIVED A THOUSAND FOOT FALL AND ARE SOMEHOW NOT DEAD OR DISFIGURED IN ANY WAY

SO LIKE ANY REASONABLE ADULT WOULD, SHE FIGHTS YOU TO MAKE SURE YOU’RE STRONG ENOUGH TO SURVIVE

GET PAST GOAT MOM, FLOWEY APPEARS AND BASICALLY PULLS A BILL CYPHER WITH HIS MIND FUCKERY

GET PAST HIM

YOU FIND YOURSELF IN A SNOWY FOREST, AND THEN A SHADOW STALKS YOU UNTIL IT TELLS YOU TO SHAKE IT’S HAND

AND GUESS WHAT

IT’S FUCKING SANS THE SKELETON

DODO DO DO DODODO DODODO

YES, I AM HUMMING FUCKING MEGALOVANIA

DEAL WITH IT

HAHA FUNNY JOKE WITH HIS FUCKING WHOOPIE CUSHION IN THE HAND TRICK, IT’S ALWAYS FUCKING FUNNY

OH LOOK, HIS BROTHER IS GONNA HUNT YOU AND CAPTURE YOU AS WELL AS POSSIBLY KILL YOU

HIDE BEHIND A LAMP THAT IS CONVENIENTLY SHAPED JUST LIKE YOU

PAPYRUS STORMS IN

GOOFY SKELETON WITH A SUPERIORITY COMPLEX AND EGO

OH WAIT, NEVERMIND, HE’S A HIMBO

HE STALKS YOU THROUGHOUT SNOWDIN AND YEETS PUZZLES AT YOU UNTIL YOU GET TO SNOWDIN TOWN, ALONG WITH HIS BROTHER SANS, WHO HAPPENS TO BE THE MOST POPULAR CHARACTER IN ALL OF UNDERTALE BECAUSE HAHA FUNNY SKELETON MEGALOVANIA FUNNY BONE MAN

YOU FACE PAPYRUS

AFTER WORDS, WE GET TO DATE A SKELETON

YOU HEARD ME RIGHT, YOU GET TO HAVE A DATE WITH PAPYRUS

AFTER THE DATE

YOU GO INTO WATERFALL TO BE CONSTANTLY CHASED AND ALMOST KILLED SEVERAL TIMES BY THIS FUCKING ROYAL GUARD PERSON NAMED UNDYNE

YOU GET TO THE FINAL ENCOUNTER

STRONK LESBIAN F I S H

POUR WATER ON HER BECAUSE SHE JUST RAN THROUGH A BIT OF HOTLAND AND WAS HAVING A HEAT STROKE

GO BACK TO WATERFALL AND TO HER HOUSE

PAPYRUS BASICALLY SLAPS UNDYNE IN THE FACE WITH WORDS BECAUSE SHE DIDN’T WANNA BE FRIENDS WITH YOU

SHE TAKES THAT AS A CHALLENGE

YOU GET TO BURN HER HOUSE DOWN AND BE FRIENDS WITH HER AFTERWARDS

FUCK PACING, WE GET BACK TO HOTLAND AND INTO A LAB

WE FIND WEEB NERDY LIZARD LADY

SHE HELPS YOU THROUGH THE TRAPS MADE BY METTATON, JUST KIDDING, SHE ACTUALLY DID ALL THAT TO MAKE YOU LIKE HER BECAUSE IT LOOKED LIKE SHE WAS GUIDING YOU

YOU FACE METTATON AND FLIP A SWITCH ON HIM

AND GUESS WHAT

HE BECOMES A FUCKING SEX ROBOT

NOT REALLY, HE’S FAMILY FRIENDLY DESPITE HIS OBSESSION WITH HIS OWN LEGS

GET PAST HIM

YOU TAKE AN ELEVATOR AND TO THE CASTLE

FACE GIANT GOAT MAN WHO’S KING OF THE UNDERGROUND

WE CAN BECOME A FAMILY

SIKE, FLOWEY PULLED A BETRAYAL KILL AND FINISHED OFF ASGORE

HE ABSORBS THE SOULS AND GAME CRASHES

DUN NUN NUUUUUUUUUUUUN

NOW YOU’RE SCREAMING AS YOU ATTEMPT TO BEAT THIS MONSTROSITY, AND EVENTUALLY, THE HUMAN SOULS HELP YOU BEAT THIS ASSHOLE

RELOAD YOUR SAVE

GO BACK AND GIVE ALPHYS A LETTER FROM UNDYNE

GUESS WHAT, WE GOT LESBIANS OVER HERE

ALPHYNE FOREVER

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

TRUE LAB TIME

ALMOST DIE IN AN ELEVATOR

GET THROUGH THESE AMALGAMATES

FIND OUT FLOWEY’S ORIGINS

GO BACK UP

FACE ASGORE, AND GUESS WHAT

TORIEL HAS RETURNED

EVERYONE TELLS ASGORE NOT TO MURDER A CHILD

FLOWEY COMES AND RUINS EVERYTHING, STEALING PEOPLE’S SOULS

GUESS WHAT SHITHEADS, HE’S THE KING AND QUEEN’S DEAD SON ASRIEL

TASTE THE RAINBOW MOTHERFUCKER

SAVE THE WORLD

SAVE YOUR FRIENDS

SAVE GOAT BRO

HE FREES THE MONSTERS

G O O D E N D I N G

DO YOU WANT ME TO BADLY EXPLAIN THE GENOCIDE ROUTE TOO

[chocolatte-and-despair]

How do the boys(tale, swap, fell, swapfell and fellswap) feel about Alphys and Undyne? Both theirs and in general(if you don’t mind ofc)

(I decided to just do what they think of their own. I hope that’s fine. If you want any more, please ask away!)

UNDERTALE:

* Sans/Undertale Sans ‘ The Judge ‘ - Sans respects the job that Alphys does, but he believes that the fact that she doesn’t believe in herself gets in the way of her work and that if she only would accept his help, she could achieve so much more.

Sans never liked Undyne. He believes that she is just not good enough for Alphys. Alphys is a smart person, meanwhile, Undyne is an only muscle and no brain. Whenever he can, he tries to trash talk Undyne, even if she hasn’t ever done anything bad to him.

* Papyrus/Undertale Papyrus ‘ The Liar ‘  - Papyrus believes that Alphys is a very good person, but that she should avoid Sans. He is a very toxic person at this moment, and Alphys is very weak-willed, so he would be able to push her around, and Papyrus just doesn’t want that.

Papyrus respects Undyne and considers her one of his closest friends. It was because of her that he realized that being part of the royal guard was never something he wanted. what he wanted was to be liked by people. 

* Gaster/Undertale Gaster ‘ The Forgotten Scientist ‘ - Gaster believes that Alphys is a very talented person, and he is proud of her and what she had achieved after he had disappeared. He was worried that she won’t survive without him around, but he was glad that he was wrong about that.

Gaster knew Undyne’s father, so he is proud of Undyne too. He is very glad to see that she had reached what she always wanted. He knows that her father would be proud if he would still be around. 

* Grillby/Undertale Grillby ‘The Bartender ‘ - Grillby never got involved too much with Alphys. But from the stories that Sans tells him, he believes that she is talented. The fact that she is the royal scientist also says something.

Grillby believes that Undyne is very loud, but she is talented at what she does. If only she would be a little more understanding that drunk people are sensitive to loud sounds, that would be wonderful.

* Asgore/Undertale Asgore 'The Previous King' - Asgore feels like Alphys needs to get out of her comfort zone a little more to be able to reach her full potential. But he believes that having Undyne around her will help her become more confident.

Asgore is very proud of Undyne. Since her father had died, he took care of her. Because of that, he feels like he raised her right, seeing how justice is driven she is. He just hopes that she will keep helping everyone.

* Flowey/Undertale Flowey ' The soulless monster ' - Flowey feels close to Alphys. Even if he acted angry towards her, he is thankful to her that she saved him from a horrible fate. Of course, being a flower isn’t much better, but at least he’s alive.

Flowey absolutely hates Undyne. He believes that she isn’t good enough for Alphys. He also is very afraid of her, that’s why he avoids her whenever he does go visit Alphys.

* Asriel/Undertale Asriel ' The crybaby heir ' - Asriel is absolutely fascinated by the work that Alphys does. He never understood science all that much, but he always wanted to become someone very important to the kingdom, just like Alphys.

Asriel always thought that Undyne was the coolest person ever. He hoped to be trained under her one day, to become a strong and powerful king that would be able to rule the monster kingdom. 

* Mickey/Undertale Monster Kid ' The Undyne Fan ' - Mickey finds Alphys to be cool, but not cool enough to be with Undyne. Of course, he won’t say anything, as long as his idol is happy, but still. He really believes that Alphys isn’t good enough for Undyne.

Mickey is absolutely obsessed with Undyne. She was completely the best, and she still is. Mickey always wanted to become like her, and he knows that one day he will manage to do that.

* Ginger/Undertale Burgerpants - In a way, Ginger hates Alphys because she created a body for Mettaton. If not her, then he would be free from this slavery of a job.

Ginger honestly fears Undyne. She is the most frightening person underground, and he isn’t even sure why she is with someone like Alphys. He just hopes no one will find out how he feels towards Alphys or he will die, that’s for sure.

UNDERFELL:

* Red/Underfell Sans ‘ The Sentry’  -  Red fucking hates Alphys. Like, no offense, but the bitch is absolutely insane and he doesn’t understand why he has to work for her. Like, the reason he has even picked up drinking, was because of her treatment towards him.

Undyne is... a unique person. He believes that she is a good person, but because of Alphys, she needs to act cruelly. Undyne has a high moral compass and he cares about everyone. That’s why he respects her.

* Boss/Underfell Papyrus ‘The Guard Captain’  -  Boss believes that Alphys is a very talented woman, but he also believes that she has quite a few problems. He does believe that Undyne will be a very good influence on her.

Boss had a crush on Undyne before, but not anymore, thankfully. He believes that she is a very respectful person and one of the only good monsters underground. He wishes to become like her one day. 

* Aster/Underfell Gaster ‘ The Failed Scientist ‘ - Aster isn’t sure how to feel about Alphys. He feels resentment towards her, that she took his place, but he also needs to admit that she is quite good at her job, be it fierce, and usually puts her enjoyment before her job. 

Aster never understood why violence was needed. He believes that Undyne is a brute, that’s why he doesn’t really like her. But he won’t get in her way, especially knowing how her family reacts to people who do that. 

* Firefly/Underfell Grillby ‘ The Cold Flirt ‘ - Grillby dislikes Alphys. Because of her and her stupid experiments, he had lost quite a few clients, and he doesn’t like it one little bit. If she could just stop killing drunkards, that would be wonderful.

He believes undyne is way too uptight. If she would only loosen up a little bit, things would be better. Thankfully, she and a few of her guards do come and drink here now, which is very good. 

* Tenor/Underfell Asgore ' The Tyrant' - Tenor doesn’t care much about what Alphys does. She is insane and nothing will ever change that. As long as she doesn’t get in the way of his work, he won’t say anything. 

Tenor enjoys how loyal Undyne is. Because of her good job, no one ever dares to say or do anything against him. 

* Daffodil/Underfell Flowey ' The frightful flower ' - Daffodil fears Alphys with all that he has. The moment he could he ran away. He is so afraid of her catching him again, seeing as she is searching for him. He doesn’t want to be left alone with her again.

Undyne is frightening too, but at least she seems to have some morals. Because of that, Daffodil doesn’t exactly run from her, seeing as she doesn’t bring him to Alphys either. 

* Tuscan/Underfell Asriel ' The obsessive prince ' - Tuscan doesn’t like Alphys. He believes that the position of the royal scientist is wasted on her. Even Red could do a better job, and Tuscan hates Sans.

Tuscan always admired Undyne. He has been working hard to be able to become part of the guard and work alongside her. He knows he’s not getting the throne anytime soon, so at least, he wants to be useful.

SWAPFELL:

* Razz/Swapfell Sans ‘ The Lord ‘ -  Razz is embarrassed to admit it, but he had a crush on Alphys for a very long time. Of course, he now just respects her as his equal, but the past does embarrass him still. 

Razz doesn’t enjoy being around Undyne, but he is forced to, seeing that she is Mutt’s best friend. He tries to keep all his interactions with Undyne civil.

* Mutt/Swapfell Papyrus ‘ The Wild Dog’  - Mutt doesn’t really mind Alphys. She is Undyne’s girlfriend, and she is Razz’s only friend, so of course, Mutt could never really hate Alphys. 

Mutt likes Undyne quite a bit. They are best friends, though, he does find it weird how obsessive undyne is over him and everyone. But he isn’t exactly much better.

* Marigold/Swapfell Asgore ' The Unstable Caretaker' - Marigold finds Alphys to be very violent, and completely a brute. He does hope that she will soon be replaced by Razz, seeing as he is much better than Alphys.

Marigold finds Undyne to be quite a pleasant person to be around. He invites her to drink tea quite a bit. He would go as far as saying that the two are ever friends. 

* Pitch/Swapfell Chara ' The Cheerful ambassador ' - Pitch finds Alphys to be a cool person! The two train quite a bit, and seeing as he has so much energy to let out, he loves it! Becoming her friend was one of his best choices.

Pitch finds Undyne to be quite misunderstood. Sure, she loves to experiment on him, and he is sure that a third eye grew on his stomach, but she is quite nice outside of that! A little creepy but nice nonetheless. 

* Chartreuse/Swapfell Frisk ' The domineering prince ' - Chartreuse believes that Alphys is quite a good worker. Thought, he would want her to be crueler. If she would be, maybe then, criminals would stop doing what they do.

Undyne to him is too weak. It’s a mystery how she had survived this long. The moment that he becomes king, he will make sure that she disappears completely. He is sure that she is dragging Alphys behind too.

UNDERSWAP:

* Lucky/Underswap Sans ‘ The Manipulator’  -  Lucky enjoys being Alphys quite a bit. She is one of the only friends that he has, and that he actually enjoys being around. 

Lucky finds Undyne to be pathetic, especially with how she allowed Stretch to play with her however he wanted. Honestly, she doesn’t deserve to be with Alphys.

* Stretch/Underswap Papyrus ‘ The Puppet ‘   -  Stretch is scared of Alphys. After she broke his bones when she found out what he did to Undyne, he has been avoiding the two of them as much as possible.

Stretch and Undyne were best friends at some point until Stretch became a little too touchy. He thought that she wouldn’t mind. But getting his bones broken by Alphys was enough of an answer. 

* Dings/Underswap Gaster ‘ The RiverMan ‘ - Dings dislikes Alphys. How dare she hurt his boy? The only person that can hurt his boys is he himself, so of course he dislikes Alphys. Maybe even hates her. 

Dings hates Undyne. If only she kept quiet, and let Stretch do whatever he wanted, then he wouldn’t have gotten hurt and wouldn’t think twice before trying to do something like that again..

* Tawny/Underswap Asriel ' The friendly town guide ' - Tawny enjoys meeting with Alphys. He had only met her a few times, but she has been quite nice. He had showed her around Snowdin, and she was quite a nice to him while he was doing that.

Tawny believes that Undyne is quite a nice and smart person. He doesn’t really know her, but from the stories that Alphys has told at Muffet’s, he believes her to be good.

FELLSWAP:

* Blackberry/Fellswap Sans ‘ The WannaBe Guard ‘ - Blackberry doesn’t really like being around Alphys, but sadly, because of what his brother did, he still needs to work for the royal guard to have his crimes forgiven..

Blackberry finds Undyne to be a nice person to be around, but he tries to avoid her. She seems too similar to his brother for him to be comfortable around.

* Patch/Fellswap Papyrus ‘ The Loyal Pet ‘ - Patch doesn’t like Alphys. Because of her, his brother has been quite unhappy lately, and that never sits well with him. He’ll make sure to hurt Alphys one day.

Patch and Undyne are quite close friends, but since his brother started to work for Alphys, he has been avoiding Undyne. Though, they do talk on the phone from time to time.

[krat395]

Gorgeously Glamorous Gargalesis (Chapter 9)

Bad news and good news, folks! The bad news is that Mettaton betrayed Rocco and Lydia! He made mini Mettatons tickle their trapped feet knowing very well that the effects of his MTT massage oil haven’t quite worn off yet! But the good news is that Rex saved them! :D By distracting Mettaton, he made the glamorous robot himself lose control of the mini Mettatons without knowing that he lost control of them! Oh, and he made him lose 95% of his hearing too! And with Mettaton only able to hear sounds from very incredibly short distances, now’s the perfect time for Rocco and Lydia to strike back! ;)

 Undertale© Toby Fox.

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

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 10

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

GORGEOUSLY GLAMOROUS GARGALESIS

 Chapter 9: The Climactic “Battle”

 Once Rocco and Lydia saw Mettaton tickle torturing Rex, they stopped laughing and destroyed the nearly inactive mini Mettatons that were still holding their legs and feet in place with their magic. To completely free herself, Lydia froze the ones around her ankles solid with ice breath and then smashed them to bits with her magic arms, which she electrified with lightning magic. As for Rocco, he simply melted the ones around his ankles with acid breath. Then once they were free, Lydia, with her magic arms, summoned her two magic whips and electrified them with lightning magic as well. Electric whips! :D And she is intending to latch onto Mettaton legs with them to stun him long enough for Rocco to sneak up behind him and grab him. Good plan! But just as a precaution, Rocco summoned his two magic cleavers. Then just for dramatic effect, he extended their handles and lit them on fire. Non-lethal fire of course! He doesn't want to kill Mettaton! And neither does Lydia, who still looks like she’s two seconds away from biting someone’s face off! XD They just want to knock some sense into him as punishment for tickling a toddler in such an intense manner and for commanding miniature versions of himself to tickle their feet for 15 minutes straight after rubbing MTT massage oil on them. But unfortunately for the lizard parents, they didn't get very far. The moment they stood up off of the couch, weapons in hand, they fell and face planted into the floor like their son, MK. Due to sitting in one spot for too long and due to having their feet tickled in such an extremely intense manner after MTT massage oil rendered them more ticklish, their legs felt as if they were jelly the very second they stood on them. Apparently, they were supposed to wait a few minutes or so before trying to stand on their feet. But there was too much at stake though!

 Lydia: Eeeeeeeeeek! Oh no!  

 Rocco: Jelly legs!

 Rocco and Lydia: Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!! *shouted the lizard parents as they fell to the floor* Oooooof!!

 Upon hitting the floor, Lydia's magic arms and whips disappeared! And so did Rocco's cleavers! Yes, face planting into the floor somehow rendered both of them without weapons and Lydia without her arms. But all is not lost. They may be weaponless at the moment but they can still use their elemental magic. And luckily for them, Mettaton was too busy tickling Rex that he didn't even notice them freeing themselves from their predicaments and falling when they tried to stand up. It also helped that Asriel and MK were still being tickled by Mettaton's contraptions; since their combined laughter drowned out the sound of Rocco and Lydia talking and moving around while he was in the process of regaining his hearing after accidentally zapping his sound sensors with bolts of electricity. Yes, unlike the lizard parents, the two older monster boys weren't so lucky! Since the contraptions were built by Mettaton rather than summoned by him, the boys are forced to endure tickle torture until someone nearby can deactivate the contraptions and release them.

 Asriel and MK: AHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

 Rex: HEEHEEHEEHEEHEHEEEHEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE HEEHEEHEEHEEHEHEEEHEEHEEHEHEEHEE!!!!

 Mettaton: Hahahahahahaha! I hope you're learning your lesson, young man! *taunted Mettaton in a completely unintentional cocky manner, prompting the now free lizard parents to shoot death glares towards him*

 Rocco: Huh? Lesson? What lesson? Lydia, what's he talking about?

 Lydia: Hmmmm… I'm not sure, honey. But as his parents, we need to help him! I don't know what our baby boy did to get himself on Mettaton's "you know what" list but I can guarantee you that tickling him like that as punishment won't accomplish anything!

 Rocco: Hahahaha! I couldn't agree more! It doesn't matter what Rex did; that's no way to tickle a toddler! Not if I have anything to say about it! Then after we save Rex, we can free MK and Asriel! Our legs should be back to normal by then.

 Lydia: Oh yes! Yes, of course! You hear that, boys? Hang in there just a little longer, all right? We'll get you out!

 Asriel and MK: HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAAAAHAHAHA HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! *the boys laughed once more, still unable to speak but were at least able express their gratitude with thumbs up gestures*

 Rocco: Haha! Great! So, any ideas how to take him down? I've got one.

 Lydia: Ooh, me too!

 Rocco: Plasma discharge?

 Lydia: You read my mind! Heeheeheeheehee!

 With that said, the lizard parents did a special magical attack together. They call it a "plasma discharge" and it's an attack that involves either one or both of them firing continuous plasma beams from their mouths that lock onto victims and heat them up enough to cause a mini explosion that has a small chance of blowing them to smithereens or dust particles if used for lethal purposes! :O But the plasma beams Rocco and Lydia are using on Mettaton, however, are ones that are instead tickling the hell out of him! :D Loophole! Mettaton didn’t say that Rocco and Lydia couldn’t tickle him with magic elemental beams! XD And rather than increasing in temperature with every passing second, they are increasing in tickle intensity; from 1% all the way up to 100%! :D Like Gaster, Rocco and Lydia have tickle beams of their own but theirs however require more focus and concentration to use. And on top of all that, they can only fire one tickle beam at a time; as opposed to Gaster who can fire a plethora of tickle beams at once.

 Plasma beam tickling intensity; from 1% to 50%...

 Mettaton: Eeeeeeeeeeeek! *squealed Mettaton the moment he felt green and cyan plasma beams touch his metallic body, prompting him to stop tickling Rex* What in the world… oh… oh my… pfffffffff… Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!! *he then started laughing and giggling profusely, arching his back as tried so desperately to get back up on his feet* Ohohohoh my gohohohohohod!!! Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!! Ohohoh my gohohohohod, stohohohohohop!!! Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!! Whatehehehever that is, it tihihihihickles!!!! *he then claimed, his laughter intensifying as he fell flat on his stomach* Eeeeeeeeeek!!!! Hahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahaha!!!! It tihihihihihihickles like hehehehhehell!!!! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!!! *he squealed once more, pounding his fists and feet on the floor like a little kid throwing a temper tantrum as a means of coping with the tickle torture* Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!!! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!

 It's working! :D The plasma beams are tickling Mettaton everywhere on his body and by firing increasingly tickly plasma beams at Mettaton, Rocco and Lydia managed to save Rex from any further tickle torture from the glamorous robot himself. Rex saved his parents from the mini Mettatons and was so grateful to see them both return the favor; and the moment his tickle torture ended, he immediately stood up and ran towards his parents to express his gratitude. He wanted to give both of his parents hugs but because they were too busy tickling Mettaton with plasma beams, he decided to hug them until after they were finished instead. But while he was waiting, he got to fend off some mini Mettatons that Mettaton blindly summoned while laughing up a storm (in an attempt to stop Rocco and Lydia) and he did so with style; using his tail and the toy weapon Papyrus made for him, which turned out to be a cleaver with a blade that can split into multiple sections and be used as a heavy whip! A combination of his parents' weapons and he fought ever so valiantly with it too; almost as if he was mimicking someone else's moves rather than coming up with his own. But sadly, not one individual in the room with him saw him fight! Mettaton, who had his head down against the floor the entire time, and Asriel and MK, too teary-eyed to see anything clearly, were all too busy laughing their heads off and Rocco and Lydia were too busy concentrating on maintaining the tickle effects of their combined plasma beams to notice him! Luckily though, Rex didn't fight for any type of reward or want any credit for his noble actions. He just wanted to have fun and that's exactly what he had while he was protecting his parents (and himself) from mini Mettatons with his tail and favorite toy weapon. ;)

 Plasma beam tickling intensity; from 50% to 100%...

 Mettaton: Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahaha!!!!! Oh… Oh god… EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! *squealed Mettaton, his laughter intensifying as he inadvertently began doing the worm dance move on the floor* HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! *he laughed once more, louder this time around* OH NOHOHOHOHO! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA! OH NO, OHOHOH NO, OH NOHOHO, OH NOHOHOHOHOHO! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!! HAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!! OH MY GOD, MAKE IT STOHOHOP!! *he then pleaded through his laughter, right as he began cycling through all of his signature poses haphazardly on the floor* HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! MAHAHAHAHHAHAHAKE IT STOP, PLEEHEEHEEHEEHEEASE!! HAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!! HAHAHAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHA!!! GOD DAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAMN IT!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!! HAHAAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHHAHA!!!! GOHOHOHOHOHOHOD *BLEEP*ING DAHAHAHAHAHAMN IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!!! HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHHAAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! *he then laughed at the top of his nonexistent lungs, while on his hands and his knees looking as if he was about to pray to a higher power* OHOHOHOH MY GOHOHOHOD, I FEEHEEHEEHEEL LIKE I'M GOHOHOHOING TO BUHUHUHUHURST!!!!! HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE…

 *KABLOOEY!!!*

 It took about 90 seconds but once the tickling intensity of Rocco and Lydia's plasma beams reached 100%, a small explosion occurred, just as Rocco and Lydia predicted. But what happened to Mettaton during the explosion was something that Rocco and Lydia didn't expect. Instead of making Mettaton laugh like anyone would if the tickling intensity had been increased to 300%, it blew off his arms and legs and temporarily disabled his voice box! XD

 Mettaton: [HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!] *Mettaton laughed silently, currently unaware that only his head is attached to his torso*

 Rocco and Lydia: *horrified gasp*

 Rocco: Oh dear god, we killed him! *shuddered Rocco, sincerely and jokingly at the same time*

 Lydia: Mettaton! Young man, we're so sorry! Rocco and I had absolutely no idea something like that would happen! *shouted Lydia worriedly, concerned for Mettaton's well-being after inadvertently blowing off his limbs* Are you ok?!

 Seconds later, Lydia's question was answered once she saw Mettaton's arms moving along the floor, first towards his tickling contraptions' control panels to deactivate the contraptions and free Asriel and MK and then towards his torso to reattach to his body. And to Rocco and Lydia’s surprise, Mettaton wasn’t at all nervous or furious about his limbs being blown off of his body. How could he be? Especially now that he can control his limbs when they’re not attached to his torso! Well, his arms, anyway. Ironically, he still can’t control his legs when they’re not attached to his torso.

 Mettaton: Here, darlings. Let your big robot brother give you a “hand.” Hahahahahahaha!

 A few seconds later…

 Asriel and MK: Hahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!! *the boys continued laughing due to lingering ticklish sensations on their feet and upper bodies, while slowly getting ready to stand up and ultimately get out of the contraptions' chairs*

 Asriel: Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!! Thahahahahahahank yoohoohoou!!!! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!! Ohohohohohoh, thahahahahank yoohoohoou!!!! *snort* Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!

 MK: Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!! Hohohoholy mohohohoholy, thahahahahat wahahahas intense!!!! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!! But fuhuhuhun at the same time!!!! *squeak* Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!

 Before too long, the boys, while continuing to laugh, stood up out of the chairs, not knowing at all that their legs would feel like jelly the moment they stood up.

 Rocco and Lydia: *worried gasps* Wait, boys! Don't…

 Asriel and MK: Hahahahahahahahahaha!!! Woooooaaaaaaah!!! Oooooooof!!! Hahahahahahahahahaha!!!

 A few seconds later… after the boys stopped laughing...

 Asriel: Hey! I landed on pillows! A whole bunch of them!

 MK: Oooh! Me too! Wait, how'd these get here? *asked MK curiously, looking at his father* These weren’t here when all this craziness started. Or were they?

 Instead of face planting into the floor, Asriel and MK both face planted into two piles of soft pillows. And those pillows were there because Rex put them there when no one was looking! X3

 Rocco: Hey, it wasn’t us, champ. Your mother and I have been sitting here stretching our legs ever since, well, I guess you saw what happened. *answered Rocco, referencing the moment he and Lydia blew off Mettaton’s limbs with their plasma magic, which neither of the boys saw at the time due to watery eyes* Hmm… wait, maybe not.

 Mettaton: And it wasn’t me either. *said Mettaton while easily reattaching all four of his arms* I was concentrating on freeing both of you, remember?

 Asriel: *gasp* Then that means*

 Rex: Oooooooooooooo… *cooed Rex happily, holding his favorite toy weapon with his long tail and Darius in his right hand while making himself visible to everyone in the room* Aaaagaaagiboobabahihaaaaa! *he babbled*

 Asriel, MK, Rocco, and Lydia: REX!! *they all exclaimed excitedly*

 Mettaton: Hahahahaha! Well, well, well, if it isn't the little hero himself. *said Mettaton with a chuckle while concealing his backup arms, looking at Rex with a cheeky expression* You’ve certainly been busy this evening, haven’t you?

 Most definitely! Distracting Mettaton, fending off mini Mettatons with nothing but his tail and a toy weapon, and placing pillows on the floor?! Very impressive for a 15-month-old toddler! :D

 Lydia: Heeheeheehee! He has! Heeheeheehee! That’s Rex for you! Always such a busy little boy! Busy, busy, busy! *claimed Lydia while sliding along the floor next to Rex, seconds before picking up the toddler himself with her feet to lift him up into the air for a brief moment* Heeheeheeheehee!

 Rex: Heeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee! *Rex giggled happily in response*

 Mettaton: Hahahahaha! You’re lucky, Lizard Mom. If it wasn't for him covering my eyes, climbing on top of my head, tail whipping me, and biting my fingers, you and Lizard Dad might still be on that couch laughing your guts out.

 Rocco: Hahahahahahaha! Really? Our little Rex did all of those things? *asked Rocco curiously, though not really all that surprised by Rex's actions since Rex has actually done most of those things before on his own (Rocco's) head and shoulders* Hahahahahahaha! Wow, Mettaton! Now I understand why you felt the need to punish him. He could've gotten himself hurt if he wasn't careful!

 Lydia: Heeheeheehee! Yes, he could’ve. But he didn’t. He never does. Heeheeheeheehee! Am I right, Rex? Oh, what am I saying? Of course I am! Heeheeheeheehee! Who's my cautious little baby? You are, Rex. You are. *said Lydia in silly mommy talk, now sitting up and wiggling her toes against Rex's sides, tickling him briefly* Heeheeheeheeheeheehee!

 Rex: PFFFFF… HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEEHEEHEEHEEHEE! *SQUEAK* MAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA! *SQUEAK* HEEHEEHEEHEEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE! *Rex giggled preciously, leaning backwards and wagging his tail with ticklish glee*

 MK: Whoo! Yeah! Way to use your small size to your advantage again, buddy! *cheered MK, super proud of Rex* Whoo!  

 Asriel: And cuteness! Don’t forget that he used his cuteness to his advantage again too, dude! *Asriel chimed in, prompting MK, Rocco, Lydia, and Mettaton to snicker and look at him with “Of course you of all monsters would mention something about cuteness” expressions XD* Heeheeheeheehee!

 MK: Heeheeheeheehee! I didn't forget. I just didn't feel the need to mention it. Heeheeheeheehee! Come on, man, do I have to describe every exciting thing that happens in full detail? *asked MK rhetorically*

 Rocco: Yes. *answered Rocco with a wide sharp-toothed smile for Asriel, just for a little joke* Hahahahahahaha!

 Before anyone could say "Oh you!" to Rocco after his little joke, the notification sounds on Asriel and MK's phones went off, indicating that both of them had new text messages. But they don't have their phones on them at the moment. Instead, their phones are in a bag on the floor in the main basement closet; along with Rocco and Lydia's phones; and they're in there because Mettaton put them in there. Mettaton didn't want anyone playing games, browsing the Internet, or calling or texting anyone on their phones during his performance. Not that they would've but why take the chance?

 Asriel: Oh, hey, that was our phones!

 MK: Hehe. Yep. Let's go see our messages after we stretch our legs. *suggested MK; due to his and Asriel's current case of "jelly legs"*

 Asriel: Ooh, yeah, good idea!

 Lydia: Heeheeheehee! Or, one of us can just grab them for you. Heeheeheehee! Wait right here, boys.

 As Lydia made her way over to the closet, Rex followed her and when they got there, they were both surprised to see the lower half of Mettaton's body lying face down in the closet alongside the bag with everyone's phones.

 Lydia: Oh, so this is where Mettaton's legs ended up after that little accident. *said Lydia, grabbing the bag with everyone’s phones inside of it with her tail* Heeheeheeheehee! I was wondering where those slid off to.

 Rex: Oooooooooo! Uppygashabanudaaa!

 Lydia: Heeheeheehee! Yes, my dear, those are Mettaton's legs.

 Rex: Heeheeheehee! Hababadapadaaaaaa!

 Before too long, Rex noticed something on the backs of Mettaton's knees. Small holes that look exactly like the tail scanner on his toy box!

 Rex: Ahwadafui! Eeeeeeeeeeee! *squealed Rex excitedly after his recent discovery, loud enough that everyone outside the closet heard him*

 Mettaton: *effeminate laugh* Well, that little boy is certainly excited about something. *effeminate laugh* Hey! Lizard Mom, what's Rex so excited about?

 Then all of a sudden, Rex inserted the tip of his tail in each of the small holes in the backs of Mettaton's knees one by one and by doing so, he REMOVED METTATON'S PINK BOOTS, revealing a metallic pair of gray human-like FEET with one pink heart on the centers of each sole!

 Mettaton: *horrified gasp* O-oh m-my g-god!!! H-h-how?!?! HOW?!?! *shuddered Mettaton, curling his toes with fear after feeling his both of his boots split down the middle and leave his lower body*

 Then not even five seconds later, Mettaton felt tiny lizard fingers scribbling up and down his soles and a lizard tail sweep across his 10 toes, tickling him immensely and making him laugh at the top of his nonexistent lungs… and squeal like a girl. XD

 Mettaton: PFFFFFFF… HAHHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OHOHOH NOHOHOHO! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA! REX, DAHAHAHARLING, STOHOHOHOHOP! *pleaded Mettaton, looking at Rex from outside the closet as he tickled his feet in the closet* HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHA! STOHOHOHOP TIHIHICKLING MY FEEHEEHEEHEET! EEEEEEEEEEEEEK! HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! PLEEHEEHEEHEEHEEASE STOHOHOHOP TICKLING MY FEEHEEHEEHEEHEET! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHA!

 Just like Sans and Papyrus's legs, Mettaton's legs are capable of feeling touch long after they've been separated from his upper body and after doing some tinkering during his spare time, his legs can now reattach to his upper body like theirs too. But unlike the Skelebros, Mettaton can barely control his legs after they've been separated from his upper body. In fact, the only thing he can do is wiggle the ten toes on the two human-like feet that Asriel, MK, Rocco, Lydia, and Rex had no idea he had until today. Yes, encased in Mettaton's famous pink boots is a metallic pair of human-like feet, and under normal circumstances, Mettaton is the only one capable of removing his boots, which he always does by holding his index fingers in the holes in the backs of his knees for a few seconds. But when Alphys built Mettaton's human-like body however, she was sneaky. Due to Mettaton's love of tickle fights (at the time) and tickling feet, she installed an override program in both devices that would allow her to instantly remove his boots whenever she pleased. And all she ever had to do to activate these programs was insert the tip of her tail in the holes in the backs of his knees. But what she didn't know at the time (and is still unaware of to this day) was that the devices she installed in the backs of Mettaton's knees can actually be overridden by any lizard monster's tail; not just her own. And that was most certainly made evident the moment baby Rex removed Mettaton's boots!

 Rocco: Pfffffff… Hahahahahahahahahaha! Ohohohoh my gohohohod! *exclaimed Rocco while laughing immediately after walking over to the closet to get a better view of Rex tickling Mettaton, surprised that Metttaton has human-like feet but also finding it hilarious that he can feel his feet being tickled despite the fact that his lower body isn't currently attached to his upper body* MK, Asriel, come over here when your legs no longer feel like jelly! You boys gotta see this! Hahahahahahaha!

 It did not take Asriel and MK long to get up and walk over to the closet and once they did so, they were shocked to discover that Mettaton has human-like feet and that Rex managed to expose them.

 Asriel and MK: *gasp*

 Asriel: Good gosh golly, Mettaton!

 MK: Holy moly! You've had feet inside those boots this entire time?!

 Mettaton: HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA! YEHEHES, MK, HAHAHAHAHAHA, YEHEHEHES! *answered Mettaton through his frantic laughter* HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OHOHOHOHOH MY GOHOHOHOHOD, HAHAHAHAHA, WILL SOMEONE PLEEHEEHEEHEEASE GET REX AWAY FROHOHOHOM MY FEEHEEHEEHEET?!?! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! WE DIDN'T ROHOHOHOLL THE EXTRA CHAHAHAHAHAIR AND STOHOHOHOHOHOCKS IN YEHEHEHET! *he claimed, prompting Asriel and MK to look at Rocco and Lydia with surprised, wide-eyed expressions* EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

 Asriel: Wait, wait, wait! What?! WHAT?!?!

 MK: An extra chair and stocks?!?! What the heck is he talking about, Mom and Dad?!?!

 After being asked such a question, Rocco pulled the two older monster boys further into the closet with him, Lydia, Rex, and Mettaton's lower body and shut the door behind them. For two reasons: 1. to talk in private about something that will be happening in just a few minutes and 2. To reduce the sound of Mettaton's laughter so they can all hear each other talk.

 Rocco: Sorry, what was that? We can't hear you with the door shut! *joked Rocco, one second before closing the closet door for real* Hahahahaha! Good job, Rex! Hahahaha! That's my boy! And whatever you do, don't stop. Don't stop until one of us grabs your tail, all right, buddy? That'll be our little "code." Hahahaha! (A little payback for making those mini versions of yourself tickle our feet when you knew very well that they were more ticklish than usual, Mettaton! Hmph!)

 Mettaton: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! ROHOHOHOHOCCO, YOU JEHEHEHEHERK! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OHOHOHOPEN THAT DOOHOOHOOHOOR! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU OHOHOHOPEN THAHAHAHAHAT DOOHOOHOOR RIGHT NOHOHOHOW OR I'LL… EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! *shrieked Mettaton outside the closet the moment he felt Rex drill his tail into the dead center portion of his left sole, right into the decorative heart on his arch* HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! (*sigh* Ok, yeah, I probably deserved that.)

 Meanwhile in the closet, Rocco and Lydia took some time to inform Asriel and MK that Mettaton is willing to let both of them tickle him back. Yes, after all of that craziness the two boys went through, Mettaton is more than willing to let both of them trap him in one of his contraptions and get some sweet revenge! :D And can Rex help them? Why, of course he can! The more, the merrier! :D But... There's a catch. Mettaton is the type of lee that's more willing to let others tickle him if and only if he doesn't have to endure the tickle torture alone, hence why a third tickling contraption will be needed soon. If one or more individuals are being tickled alongside him, then he's more than happy to let others tickle him as much as they please. Ironically, it's the one and only time he doesn't want the spotlight entirely on him. XD Unless of course he doesn't have a choice; like during a one-on-one tickle fight, for example. But the thing that's about to happen in just a few minutes won't be a tickle fight of any kind. Instead, it'll be straight-up tickle torture and Mettaton is only willing to endure it if Rocco and Lydia sit alongside him and endure it with him! Those poor lizard parents! They literally just endured 15+ minutes of hellish tickle torture from mini Mettatons and right before Mettaton himself arrived, Rocco endured 10+ minutes from his wife, sons, and Asriel! But on the plus side, the effects of the MTT massage oil have probably worn off by now, meaning that their feet won't be significantly more ticklish than usual anymore. That and they happened to discover another loophole in their agreement with Mettaton. ;)

TO BE CONCLUDED...

[teffyjeffy]

Fabric Tears (Part 3)

NEXT (Coming soon to the Mystery Shack!)

PART 1

PART 2

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

ONCE UPON A TIME...

TABLE OF CONTENTS

With the sudden task to redecorate the dining room for a tea party materializing in front of everyone, an aura of calmness had settled within the Corduroy household, much to Wendy's relief, Mabel's joy, and Dipper's confusion.

First off, the winter garb finally came off, now that there was no longer the threat of a bear running away while the coats were being removed. Dan was more than happy to house them in the closet located near the entrance. The closet, which originally was only keeping plaid colored jackets in there, now had a splash of color with the trio's coats added to the rack. 

The three Corduroy brothers returned in record time with a box of Candyleaf, and whole bunch of other boxes of tea flavors. They all talked over each other with excitement, talking about how the ghostly couple were so thankful for the boy's good manners that they were allowed to the other boxes for free. Dan roared with good natured laughter and got a second kettle of water boiling.

Wendy and Mabel were taking turns between keeping an eye on Mr. SnuggleLots and setting the table up. Mabel made sure to throw a bunch of cute stickers on the tea cups. Wendy taught the bear how to play card games, and thankfully, cards were not in Mr. SnuggleLots's diet.

Dipper and Frisk were taking a break, sitting at the bottom steps of the stairway and watching Mabel, Wendy, and everyone else running around and transforming the dining room into a top quality tea set for Mabel's wild tea party plan. Dipper and Frisk were also using this opportunity to keep an eye on the pets, with Dipper holding onto Waddles, and Frisk giving lovely head scritches to Toby

"Back in the summer, I bet I would've chopped the poor bear's head off by this point or something," joked Dipper.

"I have a feeling you would've faced some resistance from Mabel if you tried that," replied Frisk, holding the torn scarf in their hands and making sure that Toby was far away enough to not consider biting it.

Dipper laughed, setting Waddles down to give himself a moment to stretch his arms. "Yeah, probably. Still though... I don't know if she would have come to this crazy conclusion to throw a tea party if she hadn't met you. Maybe instead, she'd have... pfft, I dunno, encased him in ice and shipped him off to the North Pole?"

"It feels like any scenario is possible if Mabel is behind it," teased Frisk.

"Just her, huh? Sounds like someone's picking favorites," laughed Dipper, giving the child ambassador a playful shove on the shoulder.

"Maybe I am~ Are you willing to prove to me that you are the sibling who's worth more of my attention than your sister?"

"Ohhhhhh no, don't go there. Last time Mabel and I had that kind of dispute, things got... pretty ridiculous. I've hated carpets ever since..."

"If you're going to continue being secret about your stories, you should stop hooking people in like that. I was all down for letting your story remain untold, and then you bring up this sudden hatred for carpets? You have captivated me, Dipper."

The stairway softly echoed with the barks of Toby, the snorts of Waddles, and the chuckles of Dipper and Frisk... when another sound made its way to Dipper's ears.

It sounded like... sobbing. From upstairs.

"Everything okay, Dipper?" asked Frisk with a tilt of the head. "You got awfully quiet."

"I'm going to check up on Toriel. Call me if Mabel needs me," Dipper suddenly declared, making his way up the stairs.

"Huh? Dipper, wait-" began Frisk, but Dipper was already gone. Giving a sigh of uncertainty, Frisk resumed watching the rest of the group set up the table while the pets messed around.

Dipper was able to find Wendy's room pretty quickly, having memorized to route to get there, which he was embarrassed to admit. Without thinking, we twisted the knob and opened the door.

"Toriel, what's wrong? I heard... sobbing..........."

The room was almost completely dark, the only light source in the room coming from the paused image on Wendy's television. And there, sitting on Wendy's bed, legs folded and drawn in to her chest, was Toriel; her eyes were puffy and red, there was a prominent trail of tears on both of her cheeks. Even Papyrus could have deduced that the Ex-Queen had been crying.

Not wanting to stare, Dipper shifted his attention to the television set. The image on the screen appeared to be a home recording of some sort, the kind taken with a big vintage video camera. The background depicted a well maintained house with a wooden floor and fireplace. In the foreground...

There was a little goat kid, eyes wide with wonder, and tears welling up at the bottom of those eyes. He had white soft-looking fur, a tinge of pink to his cheeks, and just... the purest smile that Dipper had ever seen. Pure enough to rival Mabel's 1000-watt grins.

Toriel's yelp of shock jolted Dipper back to the present moment.

"Dipper! I- I wasn't- that is, I didn't... I didn't anticipate that anybody would need me so soon-"

"Nonono, it's my fault, I... I thought you were in trouble and I came running in-"

They both eventually stopped talking over one another and a thick silence fell on them.

"...........I- I'll go-" Dipper started.

"No, it's-" began Toriel, her voice hitching.

...

Toriel continued. "Frisk has... told me about you. How your curiosity tends to drive you."

"Well um... it's not something I'm proud of exactly... but yeah, I'd say that description fits me."

The awkward silence returned, but this time the intensity was a little lighter.

Dipper was the one to break it this time. "Listen, you don't need to tell me anything, my curiosity should not be a factor in this-"

"I appreciate that, Dipper. But let's be honest. If I had you leave now, things will be awkward afterwards, and they'll stay awkward for who knows how long. I.... I might as well tell you, now that you've already seen it."

For one last moment, silence filled the room, the only audible sound being the buzz of the old television set.

"......please come in," finished Toriel.

Not a word was spoken as Dipper warily entered Wendy's room and shut the door behind him, submerging the room in near-total darkness once more, minus the light shining from the TV. Toriel looked down to the floor. She said nothing, but slowly lifted the paw that held the remote... and hit 'play.'

"M-mom?! You made this for me?! It's gigantic! I want it! I WANT IT I WANT IT I WANT IT!!!"

"Ha ha ha ha! I know, it looks delicious, doesn't it! But that's no excuse to forget your manners. How do you ask for things that you want, my child?"

"Mom, may I please eat the cake?"

"Nope!"

"What?!!!? B-but you said... you said that I-!"

"Aha ha ha ha! I'm just teasing you my child! Before I can let you dig in though, your father and I need to sing for you!"

"That song again?? You sing it every year though, ha ha!"

"Maybe. But it is a tradition~ And it's worth singing for you, my bundle of sunshine~"

"Stoppit mommmmmm! You're embarrassing me!"

"Hush now, little one~ And close your eyes~"

The image suddenly went dark, and Dipper realized that the lights had been switched off in the household... then the screen lit up again, by candles being lit on the cake. The light gave the goat child a very calming orange glow. He looked so... happy.

"Okay! You can open them now!"

And he did. Dipper watched him gasp... somehow, the goat child's smile managed to get even bigger.

"♫Happy Birthday to you ♫..........♫Happy Birthday to you♫.......... ♫Happy Birthday dear-"

"Asriel" mouthed Dipper.

His lips had moved before his brain, or heart, or even his voice could process it. But he just knew. This was him. This... was Asriel. The child that Frisk had tried to save... and lost.

Dipper vaguely noted that at some point, tears had welled up in his eyes and they were currently trailing down his cheeks.

"...Happy Birthday tooooooo yooouuuuuuuuu~♫ Make a wish, little one!"

The video went still again. Dipper looked up to see that Toriel had hit the remote's pause button once more, the small box silently trembling in her paw. She dropped the remote, buried her face in her tear-stained sleeves, and let out the most gut wrenching wail that Dipper had ever heard. Instinctively he wrapped his arms around her. And bless her heart, she let him.

"He.......... he was everything..." whimpered Toriel after what felt like hours of weeping in Dipper's arms. "He was full of life... every day was filled with his cries and his laughter... the plan was when he was old enough to become a prince, we were going to surprise him with a throne that was just... covered with honey suckles. Asriel always... always loved those honey suckles..."

Dipper could not say a word. What could he say? He had never endured the loss of a loved one. He came awfully close to losing Mabel at the hands of him, but unlike Toriel, Dipper got lucky. He had his great uncles to thank for protecting him and his sister. But it appeared that Toriel did not have such luck...

Toriel sniffled. "You remember earlier when Mabel said she was willing to share her candy with the coolest mom to ever walk the earth, right Dipper?"

"I remember."

She gave a sad laugh. "Well... this is the day when I remember how lousy of a mother I was. I should have seen the signs. I should have stopped him... and I didn't. I'm no cool mother. I'm not even a good one... I... I was powerless, Dipper."

All Dipper could do was tighten the hug. Nothing could be said. Toriel Dreemurr was going through something that Dipper could never fathom, and part of him hoped that he would never come to learn it.

      There was suddenly a gentle creeeeeeeeeaaaaaaak that shook the two out of their hug.

It was Frisk.

Nobody said anything for a while. All that could be heard was the clinking and clattering of silverware downstairs.

"...The tea is ready," finally spoke Frisk. "Mabel is expecting all of us to attend. I can let her know if you need more time th-"

Toriel shook her head. "N-no, I'm alright. You said tea is ready?"

"Yes, correct," affirmed Frisk. They watched as Toriel remained tense. They gave a quick glance to the television screen, before looking back to their mother.

"...The plan was to talk once this was all over, correct?" said Frisk reassuringly. "I'll tell you everything then, I promise. But first, I'd like to have some tea. Mabel will be furious if anyone lets their cup get cold."

"R-right... Yes... Yes of course," said Toriel, standing up from the bed and dusting herself off. "Tell Mabel I'll be right down."

"Yes Mom," said Frisk with a hint of a smile, disappearing from view as they climbed back down the stairs.

"Well... I'll see you downstairs Dipper," said Toriel, wiping her eyes. "Mind shutting the TV off for me?"

"I don't mind at all, Toriel. See you down there," said Dipper with a wave, watching as Toriel disappeared from his view.

There was... a lot to process from that exchange. But it would have to wait for now. Dipper reached forward to press the TV's on/off switch...

...when something on the monitor caught his eye.

The dim background made it hard to see, but Dipper swore that there, sitting in a chair, was another child.

A human child.

...

Dipper hit 'play.'

"I wish that I can stay best friends forever with-!"

"Oh come on Asriel, you wished for that last year. Wish for something else this time, sheesh."

"Hey! That was rude!" said Asriel, seeming to be both shocked and tickled by the remark. "You're such a meanie sometimes, Cha-"

And then there was static. The videotape had reached its end.

                ...

Filled with questions that he knew he'd have to wait until the right moment to ask about, Dipper turned the TV off and finally left Wendy's room.

Dipper was met with a very lively spectacle.

Dan was pouring cup after cup of various tea flavors, handing them to Mabel and Wendy (both wearing heat resistant gloves) who fanned out to place each cup in front of 11 different seats at the dining room table. Toriel had already sit herself down at one of the seats, but had opted to wait until everyone was seated before she began sipping her tea. Toby and Waddles were running around underneath the table, darting under some chairs and darting around others. The boys and Frisk were gathered in the living room, Frisk eagerly listening to a story that Marcus was telling about how he once managed get himself a gigantic fish from the lake (while Kevin and Gus acted it out in the background to hype up the tale) and all four of them were smiling and laughing. Sitting at the end of the table, his beady eyes taking in the entire scene, was Mr. SnuggleLots.

"Dipper! Welcome back!" said Mabel as she noticed her awestruck brother. She walked up to him and took him by the hands. "Welcome to the tea party! Your seat is right over here next to Mr. SnuggleLots! Don't worry, he hasn't been biting anything since he ate my half of Papyrus's scarf. Come on, this way!"

Dipper let himself be guided by Mabel as she sat him down at his seat. Now that he was at the table, he noticed all of them had a designated name. Starting from Dan's seat, and working clockwise, the seats were as follows.

Daniel

Marcus

Gus

Kevin

Toriel

Frisk

Mabel

Mr. SnuggleLots

Dipper

Wendy

Francine

...Francine? Who was-?

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE!" Hollered Dan, clinking a glass so hard that it sounded like swords clashing. "THE TEA PARTY HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN! THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING, AND ON BEHALF OF THE MABEL PINES ORGANIZATION-"

"Yes my friends, that is actually a thing!!!" piped Mabel.

"-WE HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY YOUR TIME HERE! NOW, DRINK UP!"

Everybody swarmed the table, plopping down in their designated seats and engaging in lively conversation. The Corduroys, minus Wendy, clashed their mugs together like they were beer mugs, then blew on their cups and gently sipped on them because they were actually hot mugs of tea, not cold jugs of beer. Toriel was giggling as Frisk had managed to get roped into another story that Mabel was telling to Mr. SnuggleLots, whose reactions were proving that he could always understand English like Dipper hypothesized. Looking elsewhere, the boy was pleased to notice that Toriel was looking more and more like her old self, and Wendy seemed to be lighting up from the calm but animated gathering. Dipper couldn't help but smile, happy to see that Wendy was starting to recover from her frustration from the recent lack of sleep.

But in the midst of this discussion, Dipper noticed that the seat of Francine was still vacant.

"Wondering about the empty seat, kiddo?" Wendy spoke up, Dipper tearing his gaze away from the seat to look at her.

"Um... y-yeah I suppose," said Dipper, cheeks turning the faintest shade of pink. "Is it..."

"A seat for my mom? I'm afraid so, champ," said Wendy, giving a gentle smile and taking a hearty sip of her tea now that it had cooled down enough. "Francine Corduroy. Better known by her nickname, Manly Fran."

Dipper looked down, not knowing how to reply. As he looked up, he saw Toriel on the other side. She appeared to have overheard the conversation.

"Manly Fran?" repeated Dipper.

"Yep, believe it or not, my dad was always a fan of tea time. His masculine attitude was a rather late addition. It's how he makes sure that her legacy lives on, I suppose. Though I bet that most of what he does nowadays would just make my Mom howl."

"Did she enjoy tea?" Toriel blurted, before putting a paw to her mouth. It seems she didn't mean to speak out loud.

"Oh she loved it, especially if Dad was the one who made it," Wendy gave a warm laugh. "Her adoration for it is the reason my dad didn't abandon it when she passed..." she takes her napkin and gently dabs at her eyes. "It's our way of honoring her. We do this every memorial. It is... one of my favorite nights every year. It's cool that we managed to find an excuse to do it tonight, but... it just wouldn't feel right to have it without that one empty seat, even if this one isn't for her, you know?"

"I assume that the atmosphere here is... a lot less lively during the day of her passing..." Toriel's voice quivered near the end.

"Oh, you couldn't be further from the truth," snorted Wendy in laughter. "If anything, tonight's positive vibes are subdued compared to the anniversary of her passing. The whole day is filled with stories, memories, laughs, and endless tea for anyone who asked for it. I know it seems backwards to be that jovial during a day of remembrance for a dead family member who was a part of all of our lives- and don't get me wrong, there is a fair share of crying as well- but hey... if we're gonna remember her every year, we all knew that it would be better, and healthier in the long run, to fill the day with as many smiles as there are tears."

Wendy tilted her eyes towards the ceiling. She gave a kiss to the air, gestured her mug to it, and finished the rest of her tea. "Ahhhhhh..."

"That's... that's incredible," said Toriel, wiping her eyes.

"Oh, the tea was cold enough at this point," Wendy assured. "If it was fresh from the kettle, there's no way that-"

"No, I mean... the way your family honors your late mother. It's....... I've never thought of it that way. 'As many smiles as there are tears...'"

"Words straight from my Old Lady," said Wendy, leaning back in her seat.

Toriel looked down, silent. She witnessed her reflection in the steaming liquid. She managed a smile. "Wise words to be sure. I would've loved to meet her."

"She would've loved to meet everyone here," said Wendy with a courteous smirk, before heading out of her seat to quickly pour herself a second mug.

The topic of Francine drifted off soon after, and eventually everyone was back to jovial discussions that were occasionally sprinkled with a bark or a yip. All the while, the smile on Mr. SnuggleLots's face never wavered.

About an hour and a half passed before the mood died down enough to declare that the table should be cleared off. The kids had reconvened to discuss the night.

"I guess we managed to check off almost all the boxes on your Rehabiliteddy Program™, Mabel," said Frisk.

"Oh right, I forgot that that program had multiple steps," said Dipper, proving that Mabel had relied on this program before.

"Right... we still have no idea if this guy has an owner out looking for him," reminded Mabel.

"Or whether or not the owner ever want's him back," cautioned Frisk.

"Or even whether or not the owner is a human, or a bear, or something else entirely," added Dipper.

The kids went silent, stewing in all the questions that were unanswered.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Everybody in the house froze. Toby started growling at the front door. 

"Helloooo?!" came a muffled, ragged voice of an elder woman from the other side of the door. "Pardon the disturbance! I just need to know if something passed this way! A Teddy bear to be specific! One that's alive, to be more specific!"

The kids shared a glance at Mr. SnuggleLots who was being playfully tossed around by the Corduroy brothers. Did the voice truly belong to the bear's owner?

Frisk shimmered orange for a second, deciding that there was only one way to find out. "I'll get the door."

"Wait, hang on a second, Frisk-!" tried Dipper.

But Frisk had already marched toward the door and opened it.

On the other side was a heavily hunching, stubby old woman. Her skin was heavily wrinkled and had a sickly green complexion. Her hair was gray to the point of looking white, and there was a cobweb or two that was nestled in her shabby locks. And she was wearing a tattered cloak that was decorated with two giant shadows of disembodied hands.

"Hand Witch!!!" cheered Mabel, recognizing the kind hag.

"Well welllllllllll! If it isn't the lady who helped redecorate my caaaaaaave!" dragged the delighted witch. "And the boy as welllllllll! Good to see you!!! I don't recognize the kid in the striped sweater though..."

"Wait, the Hand Witch?" said Wendy, cocking an eyebrow in bafflement. "I thought you were just some myth that Stanley cooked up to sell his overpriced molds of decapitated hands."

"Nope, he and I go way back!" said the Hand Witch proudly. "Thanks to the kind metal-teethed lady, I finally know what it's like to have a sweet heart!"

"You have a boyfriend!!?" squealed Mabel in excitement, slapping her hands to her cheeks.

"Hm? Oh no, he broke things off with me weeks ago," explained the Hand Witch, cheerfully adding, "So I boiled him up and ate his heart! Hearts are surprisingly sugary after you cook them!"

Mabel looked like her own mom told her that Santa Claus got killed in a sleigh accident. "W.... What...?"

The Hand Witch laughed awkwardly. "That was a joke. I thought I was being obvious about that, sorry. We're still together!" she continued, holding up a photo of herself smiling happily and holding hands with... a pale skinned, wrinkly man with unfocused yellow eyes, crooked brown teeth, shaggy dirty hair, and a giant gaping hole in his chest. "I did eat his heart for real, though. He's a ghoul now."

"Oh, okay then!" said Mabel, calming down quite a bit, not appearing to care about the whole eating-hearts thing. Dipper probably did though, considering how creeped out he looked.

Frisk on the other hand marched straight up to the witch and stuck their hand out. "Frisk Dreemurr, Ambassador of Monsters from the Underground. Pleased to meet you."

"Ooooooooooooooo, such delicate haaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnds~! Um, I mean, the pleasure is all mine!" said the Hand Witch, eagerly shaking Frisk's hand with both of hers. 

"Am I to understand that you are the owner of this Nocturnal Teddy Bear?" asked Frisk, seemingly unphased by the Hand Witch dragging the hand shake on for a little too long.

"Yep!" nodded the Hand Witch. "Good ol' Beelzecub is my own creation! Did you kids cross paths with him by any chance?"

"Beelze-what???" Mabel stumbled over her words, when suddenly she felt something land on her head. It was Mr. SnuggleLots, recognizing the witch.

"Ah! There he is!" exclaimed the witch. "Beelzecub! You sure gave me a work out that is only sure to worsen my distorted spine! Why'd you run off?! Was it something I said? Or did? Was it something I didn't say or do? Speak to me Beelzecub! Speak to me, even though I know you can't talk! Was it because you thought I couldn't handle raising you when you turned out to be more of a bear than I intended?!

"What do you mean by him being more of a bear than you intended?" asked Toriel, approaching the group.

"My goal was to create the most Teddy Bearish sentient Teddy Bear to ever roam Gravity Falls!" bellowed the witch, imaginary thunder and lightning booming behind her. "But what came out... acted a lot more like your average bear cub."

"So you abandoned him?!" realized Toriel.

"Absolutely not! I raised him like any well-respected mother should do! Anyone who abandons a child if they don't come out exactly like they intended was never meant to be a parent at all!"

"I mean... do the rules of parenting apply here?" said Dipper, a little perplexed by this strange scenario. "What do you think, Frisk? ....Frisk?"

Frisk suddenly shook out of their stupor. "Hm?"

"Do you think the Hand Witch should treat Mr. SnuggleLots like he's her son?" said Dipper.

"Oh um, I suppose so. She did create him and all."

"See Dipper?!" said Mabel, nudging him. "I knew that Necromancy could be used for good!"

"I'm pretty sure necromancy doesn't apply here," grumbled Dipper.

"If he knows I created him, then why did my boy run away from home???" said a downtrodden Hand Witch. "I did my best to raise him right in the three weeks that I had him..."

There was silence among the group, nobody knowing how to approach this extremely weird conundrum. Even Waddles and Toby were silent.

The silence was broken by a familiar growl from a stomach made of stuffing.

"Oh!" said the Hand Witch, noticing the Teddy bear. "Are you still hungry, Beelzecub? I have a nice plate of fresh fish waiting for you at home!"

The bear said nothing.

Mabel got up to the hag's ear. "Try calling him Mr. SnuggleLots."

"Hm? That's a weird name..." nevertheless, the Hand Witch cleared her dry throat. "Oh Mr. SnuggleLoooooooootssssssss! There's a plate of fish with your name on it if you accompany Mama back to the caaaaaaaaaaave!"

The Trio, the pets, the Corduroys, and Toriel all watched as Mr. SnuggleLots's face turned a sickly green at the mention of fish, the poor bear looking absolutely nauseous.

And everything made sense.

"Mrs. Hand Witch," said Mabel, standing straight. "I believe we know why your pet Teddy ran away from home."

Dipper stood up next. "The reason for him leaving you was not because you were a bad role model, but rather..."

"You were feeding your child literal garbage," finished Frisk.

"B-but, look at him!" pleaded the Hand Witch. "He clearly acts like a... well... huh, actually he's acting pretty much how I envisioned him to act when I made him."

Dipper paced the room, stroking his chin. "I believe that what you had been dealing with was simply a side effect of a hungry Mr. SnuggleLots. It would appear, based on our experience, that the hungrier that Mr. SnuggleLots gets, the more animalistic he becomes. And this is not unheard of; I know a great number of people who display similar behavior when they're hungry. Take Mabel for example. Mabel!"

"Present!" said Mabel, raising her hand.

"Answer honestly! Do you, or do you not, start to growl like gremlin whenever breakfast takes longer than usual to be served?"

"I do!" said Mabel. "I also start biting the table legs!"

"Now then, Ms. Hand Witch," said Dipper, pointing at the witch who was taking notes. "Would you say that Mabel's behavior is well mannered, or not?"

"It isn't," Frisk chimed in. "But it is very much a quality that defines Mabel, and should never be corrected."

Mabel couldn't help but smile at that.

"So wait, hang on," said Wendy. "You mean to tell me that all of this crazy behavior was happening because Mr. SnuggleLots was hangry?"

"You are absolutely correct, Wendy." said Dipper, before returning his focus to the friendly crone. "The point we're trying to make here, Mrs. Hand Witch, is that when you created Mr. SnuggleLots, he was born without any food in his belly. He was starving. And he left your cave because what you were feeding him is not what he eats. It isn't fish, or bugs, or even honey. It is-!"

"Fabric!" said Mabel from behind Dipper, throwing confetti out of her hands. Where she got the confetti from was information that only she knew about.

"So, all that you need to do is change what you feed him," informed Frisk with their index finger up. "If you can't get over feeding him bear-food, then do it in the form of fabric. Knit a fish-doll. Use a yellow spool of yarn in place of a beehive. Things like that. Do that on top of everything else you've been doing for him, and you should be fine."

"I see, I see!" said the Hand Witch, enchanted by the new information. "I shall update his meal planner right away! Whaddya say to that, Beelz- um, I mean, Mr. SnuggleLots? Wow, that's going to take some getting used to... Ahem, well, Mr. SnuggleLots, how 'bout it? Ready to head back to our sweet little cave?"

Mr. SnuggleLots slowly crawled up to the Hand Witch... and gently chewed on her robe. Not eating it. Just chewing it.

"Looks like he's willing to give you another chance," said Frisk smiling.

The hag cackled with glee, picking the bear up and spinning him around. "Mama has missed you sooooooooooooo much!"

Mabel smiled at the happy reunion... but try as she may, she couldn't stop herself from choking up. "I'm gonna miss you, *sniff* Mr. SnuggleLots! Don't forget about me, you- you hear me?! I forbid it!!!"

"There there, sis," soothed Dipper, patting his sister on the back. He looked back to the bear, and gave a gentle yell. "Stay out of trouble from now on, okay buddy?"

"Your mother loves you very much! You're very blessed to have someone like her!" Frisk chimed in. "Don't forget to thank her occasionally!"

The sentient Teddy smiled and nodded, giving one final wave to the kids before the door to the cabin gently shut behind him and the hag.

"Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" came the over-the-top wails of Mabel Pines.

"And here come the post-Teddy-bear Blues," sighed Dipper, giving his sister a big hug.

"Ah, so this is a normal occurrence?" asked Frisk.

"Yep," nodded the capped twin. "She is incredibly loyal to any Teddy bear she encounters. You would not believe the number of times I've had to drag her away from various Lost and Found departments because she gave them a lost Teddy bear and couldn't will herself to part with it."

"Heh," chuckled Wendy. "I guess she couldn't bear saying goodbye to any of them, huh?"

The whole room went silent. Well, almost silent; Toriel took everyone by surprise with her giggles.

"You've been hanging out with Sans too much," snarled Dipper at Wendy.

"The guy's a hoot! Shut up!" laughed Wendy.

"At- at any rate," said Toriel, composing herself, "We should be heading out."

"Wait! We should try to help Wendy out with her sleeping problems!" said Mabel, having snapped out of her state of weeping. "I was going to suggest Mr. SnuggleLots but... he's gone now..." annnnnnnnnnnd the tears resumed.

"Meh, that wouldn't have worked out," said Wendy. "It's right in his species' name: Nocturnal. He'd be up all night, and I'd be spending the whole time taking care of him, instead of getting any sleep. But... it did give me an idea. I think having a stuffed animal would help me get to sleep."

"You want a what???" called Dan, his voice becoming a calm growl.

Wendy sighed and tightened her fists. No backing out now. She was a daughter of Francine Corduroy, and dang it, she was going to act like one.

"You heard me, Dad! You all heard me! I am done with the December noise! You all wanna holler about the upcoming New Year, do it outside! The pub, the woods, the sewers, I don't care! Just do it away from me when I'm trying to sleep! As for the stuffed animal, heck yeah I want one! I've always wanted one, why not!? They're soft, they're quiet, they'll help me sleep, and they don't even cost that much, Dad!"

"Dang, she's going off," said Dipper, almost mesmerized.

"'Tis the wrath of the teenager," said Mabel with deep respect towards the red-haired girl. "A power that you and I will soon acquire for ourselves, brother."

"And... A-and...!" Wendy stammered.

The room went quiet from bated breath.

"AND IF ANY OF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT, I'LL SUPLEX YOU INTO A MOUNTAIN!!!"

There was silence. Not a peep was uttered from any of the Corduroys. Wendy simply waited, puffing and panting...

        "BWAAAAAAAAAH HAH HAH HAH!!!" Dan howled with laughter. "THAT'S MY GIRL~!"

"Pardon?" said Wendy.

"First thing tomorrow, we'll stop by the local toy store. You can pick out whichever one you want! The boys wouldn't stop pestering me about it anyway. As for the New Years noise..."

Wendy tensed up.

"Baby girl, I'm gonna be honest, it completely slipped my mind how busy you are with the shack. I promise to take the noise elsewhere. And if you ever catch me forgetting that promise, you have permission to wack me upside the head with your late mother's favorite frying pan."

"You're kidding," said Wendy with a flabbergasted smile.

"Nope, you know I don't kid around with you or any of the boys," said Dan with pride.

"Heh... thanks Dad," said Wendy sheepishly, thinking to herself, Looks like Undyne isn't boasting around when she's giving advice. I keep forgetting that she was a Captain during her time underground.

"Victory for Wendy!!!" cheered Mabel, throwing more confetti from seemingly out of nowhere.

"And with th-thaaaaaattttttt..." Toriel said before letting out a massive yawn of her own. "I believe it's time that we headed home."

As the kids, the pets, and Toriel made their way back home in their winter garb (Mabel now donning a decently lengthed spaghetti scarf thanks to Mr. SnuggleLots biting it down to size), Frisk slowed their pace, drifting away from the kids until the stoic faced child was side by side with their mother.

"Frisk?" said Toriel, curious as to why her child fell behind. 

"I knew that today was Asriel's birthday. I knew the whole time."

"!!!"

"And when I found out that you stole the living room TV, I realized it was because you were planning to spend the day alone in your room with the videotape of his birthday. I... I wanted his birthday to be a day of celebration. A day where you and Dad could come together, if only for the one day. I..."

Toriel said nothing. She just picked her child up and held them close to her as she walked. Frisk buried their face in her shoulder, their tiny hands gripping onto her robe.

"I got..." whimpered the child. "...I got so mad when I found out that you were planning to spend the day away from me... from Dad... from everyone. If anything, we could've at least helped you carry the burden of all the grief the day brings you. So... So I stole the videotape in the hope that you would abandon looking for it and spend time with us instead. I should've told you, I know... but... I was scared you'd just turn me away... I'm sorry..."

"Oh, Frisk," comforted the remorseful mother. "You don't have to apologize for anything..."

    "...except for stealing."

That earned her a muffled chuckle. Okay, good.

"I'm the one who needs to apologize here. I should have never secluded myself from the group, from Asgore, and especially from you. If you knew that today was his birthday, you must've been grieving a bit yourself. And there is no doubt that Asgore was coping with his own grief as well."

She felt Frisk silently nod against her.

"Did you overhear the conversation I was having with Wendy, Frisk?"

"...A bit."

"Well," said Toriel, giving a murmur of a giggle as she ran a paw through Frisk's hair soothingly, "She told me something that I feel silly for not considering sooner. About how the anniversary of a lost loved one should be filled with laughter, not just grief. I promise you, this is the last night where I suffer in a room by myself on my dear Asriel's birthday."

"Really?"

"I swear it, my child."

Frisk pulled back to look their mom in the eyes and smile. "Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome, my dear sweet Frisk," cooed Toriel, brushing her snout against Frisk's nose endearingly. "Would you like me to set you down?"

"Please," said Frisk. "I just remembered something I want to tell Mabel."

"Of course, sweetie," said Toriel, setting Frisk back down on the snowy ground. "I suppose we can consider this to be the end of the conversation that we both promised earlier to continue."

"Okay, Mom," said a beaming Frisk, before running up to rejoin the group and say...

"Hey Mabel, don't you owe your brother fifty dollars now or something? The owner of the bear turned out to be a witch after all."

"Huh... that's right! Alright, Mabel! Hand over the dough!"

"I don't owe you squat! I refused that deal, remember?! Frisk, you're my witness! Back me up here!"

"I plead the fifth~"

"Traitor!"

The next day was a whirlwind of activity. The Mystery Shack finally reopened, and it turned out that everyone's fear of a swarm was unwarranted, as there was no swarm. But, there was something new about the visitors that kept things interesting.

Monsters were beginning to visit the shack. Of all shapes and sizes, inhabitants of the underground were stopping buy to peruse the gift shop or experience a tour of the museum. Of notice, there was a dummy that was very brash and loud, but was very respectful when asked to shush. There was a purple spider humanoid that was creepily polite as she bought herself a few Mystery Shack Mugs™ and left a flyer on the counter for the 'First Spider Bake Sale on the Surface!' before tittering and leaving the store. There was even a humanoid cat and alligator that stopped by that Wendy just knew her ragtag of friends would get along with. 

Wendy looked like she had a face lift with how much better she looked. At Mabel's curiosity, Wendy spoke about how once this shift is over, she's heading out with her family to visit the toy store and get a toy for each of the kids, and that's when she'll be able to pick out her stuffed animal to sleep with.

"But honestly, I still have no idea what kind of stuffed animal I want right now..."

That's when a peculiar critter, with the cutest face and voice that Wendy had ever seen, passed through the door, followed by 19 lookalikes.

"Hoi! I'm Temmie! Is this the Mystewy Shack???"

Wendy knew exactly what kind of stuffed animal she wanted now.

But it wasn't just monsters showing up. Candy and Grenda finally passed through now that they could, and Mabel nearly knocked Grenda over with her pounce-hug. They spent the whole time preparing sleepovers, catching up, and promising other times to meet up that weren't sleepover-related.  

Old Man McGucket passed by as well! He needed a batch of normal AA batteries. When Dipper asked him what invention he needed the batteries for, he hooted and hollered, saying they weren't for him. They were for the alarm clock for his new lab assistant, simply named 'P.N.' Something about that name struck Dipper as familiar, but McGucket had left the store before the boy could ask him anything else.

Frisk had bumped into someone roughly their size. The other kid was in very suspicious clothing: A tiny trench coat, a fedora, and sunglasses. The only thing Frisk heard from the kid was a simple phrase spoken in a boyish, and ridiculously southern, voice. "If anyone asks, I was never here. Good day."

The Mystery Trio was certain the day was over when Wendy left with her family, flipping the sign from 'Got money? We're Open!' to 'Begone from this cursed place! We're Closed!' on her way out. But it wasn't over.

Toriel had been missing for most of the day, much to the Trio's confusion, the only clue given to them was that she had asked Stanley if there was any flour left over from the errands he was running when Tim attacked. Now, they were about to find out why.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMAN," rang Papyrus's voice. "THE EX-QUEEN OF THE UNDERGROUND HAS AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE! THE GREAT PAPYRUS ORDERS YOU TO PLEASE HALT WHATEVER IT IS YOU'RE DOING AND PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT SHE HAS TO SAY! ALSO IF SOMEONE COULD TELL WHY MY SCARF GOT SO MUCH SHORTER OVERNIGHT, THAT WOULD BE FANTASTIC-"

"As I told you, I will explain everything to you soon," a giggling Toriel promised the uptight skeleton, waiting until everyone had congregated in the living room and kitchen before continuing. "My friends, I owe you all an apology."

The whole crew went quiet as Toriel went on.

"Some of you know- and for those that don't, I apologize for holding this secret from you- that yesterday was the birthday of our departed prince of the underground, Asriel Dreemurr."

Gasps were heard all around.

"I spoke nothing of this occasion previously because I didn't want anybody to know. I wanted to grieve alone. I wasn't even willing to share the grief with my ex-husband, Asriel's father, Asgore. My time of grieving for all these years had made me grow distant and selfish."

She spared a glance to Asgore before closing her eyes, sighing, and proceeding.

"Yesterday, a chance encounter with Wendy's family opened my eyes to something. If I'm going to remember Asriel's passing for every year when his birthday comes around, I'm doing my poor child a horrible disservice by not celebrating. By not smiling. By not laughing. By not spending it with those who were close to him and the friends of those close to him.

She looked to everyone. The misty eyed Stan twins. The Papyrus who was trying his best not to shriek like a dog whistle. The Sans who looked lively for once. The Undyne and Alphys who were looking pumped as all heck. The joyous Mettaton. The smiling Napstablook. The Asgore grinning from ear to ear. And the Mystery Trio, who were slowly realizing what she was about to say next.

"So who wants to help me bake a cake?!"

As pandemonium continued to ensue in the kitchen, Toriel found a moment to pull Asgore aside. They both were now sitting quietly on the couch of the back porch.

"Everything alright?" asked Asgore.

"In the grand scheme of things, absolutely not," answered Toriel with brutal honesty. "Our child is still dead. And with him, 6 other children fell. By your cursed trident."

Asgore could only look down, well acquainted with the crushing shame that coursed through him.

"But... today is a tribute to Asriel's birthday. And you were... are... his father."

Toriel finally looked the ex-King in the eyes. "I may never forgive you for what you did after we lost Asriel. However... you were the best father a boy like him could've ever hoped for. And you continue to be that father for our little Frisk. For that... I cannot thank you enough."

"...that's all the thanks I could ever ask of you, Toriel." said Asgore with a sad smile. "I appreciate you telling me."

Despite herself, Toriel gave a small smile. "Come inside. Cake is almost ready, and I'm not going to sit and listen to your whining if you aren't quick enough to nab a piece."

"Ha ha ha, of course," beamed Asgore.

"♫♫HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOOOOOOOOOOOO YOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUU!♫♫"

The band of misfits finished the terribly sung rendition of the ancient tune. And yet, it was music to Toriel's ears.

She looked up to the ceiling, wiping her eyes and smiling.

"Make a wish, little one~"

"Mabel, Frisk, you guys go on ahead. I'll be right behind you as soon as I'm done with something!"

"Okie dokie!"

"Understood. See you in the morning, Dipper."

Dipper was just on his way to a long needed nightly rest, when he remembered a very important question he wanted to ask Toriel. This was why he approached her as she was getting ready to settle into her bed with a good book.

"Hey, Toriel?"

"Yes, Dipper?"

"In all the excitement from last night and today, I forgot that there was something I wanted to ask."

"Ha ha ha, and what would that be?"

"Yesterday night... I was watching the tape after you left, and... I couldn't help but notice that there was another child in the background."

"Another child?"

"Yeah! They were looking away from the camera a lot but I think they looked like a human... Who were they?"

Toriel gave a bemused smile. Her face was one of pure honesty, and when she answered, her words came straight from the heart.

      And that's why what she said next did not sit well with Dipper at all.

                "Dipper, sweetheart, I'm afraid I don't understand. Asriel was the only child we had in our family. I don't remember raising anyone alongside him. Who is this this other child that you claim to see?"

A day spent remembering the passing of a loved one is better went it's filled with laughter and good company. Solitude and grief is necessary, but extended doses of it can be harmful.

Credits Scene

"Tadaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" cheered the Hand Witch. "I present to you, my dearest Mr. SnuggleLots, with the first round of your new meals!"

The Teddy bear was currently seated at the table, the latter donned with a table cloth and three covered platters.

The first platter unveiled a perfectly crocheted fish, with light-blue scales made of yarn and beads for eyes.

The second platter revealed a giant spool of yellow and brown yarn, representing a beehive.

The third platter showcased a plethora of colorful beads, which symbolized different berries and bugs.

"So which one will it beeeeeeeeee?" dramatized the Hand Witch excitedly. "Take your pick! It's all up to you!"

Mr. SnuggleLots took a very decent amount of time examining all three tasty fabric-treats...

...

Before eating the tablecloth.

"Ah, I see," said the witch, dumbstruck. "You are... quite the picky eater."

Mr. SnuggleLots only smiled at her, his cheeks puffed up from the tablecloth currently in his mouth. 

.- / - --- .- ... - / - --- / - .... . / ..-. .- -- .. .-.. -.-- ---. / - --- / - .... . / .--. .-. .. -. -.-. . --..-- / -- --- ..- .-. -. . -.. / -... -.-- / .- .-.. .-.. ---. .-.-.. .- -. -.. / --- -. . / - --- / - .... . / -.-. .... .. .-.. -.. / - .... .- - / -. --- / --- -. . / -.-. .- -. / .-. . -.-. .- .-.. .-.. ---.

NEXT (Coming soon to the Mystery Shack!)

PART 1

PART 2

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

ONCE UPON A TIME...

TABLE OF CONTENTS

[undertalethingies]

Self Indulgent Self Insert Fanfic, Part One

I am sitting in my room, not doing much of anything, (as per usual) when I look up and notice that my mirror has apparently transformed into a solid wall of inky darkness as I’ve been spacing out.

And well- it’s not like I can not poke it, right? There’s a high chance I’ll seriously regret it, if my life has become the isekai it appears to be, but there’s a 100% chance I’ll regret it forever if I don’t touch it, you know?

Everyone always assumes I’m risk averse, that I like to play it safe, but the truth of the matter is I’ve just never found something I really want to take a risk with.

So, I push myself out of bed with a hand and go grab my shoes, because there’s no way in hell I’m touching something that might be a portal with no shoes on. Thankfully, I’m actually dressed for once, rather than being in my bathrobe like usual. 

Once I’ve got my shoes on, I grab my coat from where it hangs by my dresser and walk straight into what used to be my mirror. I hope my parents aren’t too worried by my disappearance. Maybe I’ll be lucky and this will be the kind of isekai that retroactively erases me from existence? That would be kind of nice, to exist without tethers.

The portal (because that’s what it is, I’m pretty sure) feels cool, but not unpleasantly so. Like when you first put on a fleece sweater and it takes a moment to warm up.

If this were a stereotypical isekai story, things would quickly become very unpleasant in this dark void, and some godlike being would reach out to grant me power beyond my wildest imaginings.

I’ve never been one to cave to expectations, though. Not even my own.

The darkness remains cool and comforting, and I continue walking forward because there’s no chance I’m going to turn back now, with so much possibility awaiting me if I only continue long enough.

Eventually, I feel as if I’ve passed some threshold, and something definably changes within me. Can’t say what, though. I’ve always kinda sucked at interpreting what my body is trying to tell me, so I’ll probably have to figure it out on my own.

At some point the darkness and walking grows boring, and so I do what I often do when bored, and curl up to go to sleep. This place isn’t cold enough for me to need a blanket, and I’ve got my coat with me anyway, so I’m fine. Sleeping on hard surfaces isn’t unpleasant, in my opinion, merely a bit annoying, since if you pick the wrong position you’ll inevitably wake up sore.

As always, consciousness takes a while to fade, so I occupy myself with grand imaginings about all the wonderful (and terrible, I’ve got anxiety okay, I can’t help it) things that might await me.

==

When I wake, it’s immediately obvious that something is different. There’s light now, for one, and for two I can feel something soft and organic beneath me. Judging by smell alone… Flowers? Waking up on a bed of flowers in a lit room… Well, I’ve always wished I could live in Undertale, if only so I could chew out the characters for bottling up their feelings so damn much. Hey, maybe if I’m lucky, that one headcanon I have about Sans secretly being a teenager will be right and I’ll be able to flirt with him without it being creepy.

Oh come on, like everyone attracted to dudes and not overly hung up about species concerns doesn’t want to kiss that guy, are you kidding me? Plus, I love puns and I’m depressed, surely we’ll get along.

Oh boy, I’m definitely going to die, huh? Thank fuck for my high pain tolerance and ridiculous resistance to trauma, am I right?

Finally, I open my eyes, because I like to wake up slow and I see no reason to alter my existing routine simply because I’ve apparently been yeeted into my favorite video game. Hey, speaking of favorite video games, will I get to visit Hollow Knight next? No, wait, that would probably suck, wouldn’t it. Ah, well.

The cave is just as beautiful as I always imagined it would be. Though it looked lovely in the game art, there’s truly nothing that can compare to seeing the sight in person, those marble pillars in a half circle around me, that single spot of sunlight in the ceiling far (far, far) above. Not to mention the lovely flowers I’m laying on at this very moment and- there’s a dead body under me, isn’t there. Is Chara going to show up, or am I left to be alone in my head?

Though their narration doesn’t actually start until you meet Flowey, in the game, so I suppose I’ll just have to wait and see.

Wait.

Wait wait wait.

Which human soul am I taking the place of right now? Because I read a fic once where the protagonist wasn’t the seventh, even if it was a fakeout, and I very much do not want to be saddled with the fate of those poor bastards.

Though, maybe I’d be able to talk my way out? There’s no one who’d call me diplomatic, for sure, but I’m pretty great at knowing exactly where to aim an insult to utterly break someone’s spirit. (Unusual skill, I’m aware, but in my defense I was bullied growing up)(I say “growing up” like I’m not still doing it, like I’m not fourteen and trapped in a world where it’s an accepted fact that the protagonist will die, and several times over, too)

My first order of business is Flowey, before I can take the time to freak out, to hold myself tight and weather the sheer panic that Toto, I am not in Kansas anymore.

I get up. I give a last fond look to the beautiful cave I’ve “fallen” into, and I walk to the next room, hoping all the while that I’m not signing my own death sentence.

Once I’m a few feet in, there he is, in all his fucking glory.

Flowey the flower, the soulless remnant of prince Asriel Dreemurr, former hope of the underground, possibly still holder of the ability to control time itself.

Yeah, I’m definitely going to mess with him. Self preservation is for losers.

“You’re a flower with a face,” I say before he can start with his usual greeting. I have it memorized anyway, so it’s not like I’m missing out on anything.

He makes his T-T face, so I know this isn’t how he thought this would go. 

“Wow, human! What gave you that impression?” Ooh, sassy. Literally his only positive trait.

“Well I have eyes, see,” I was planning  to ask him probing questions, but honestly this is just as good. His expression doesn’t change as he says his next sentence, nor does his ever cheery tone, (and holy fuck his voice is just as vaguely creepy as I’d imagined, all that childlike innocence paired with the fact that he’s a mass murderer)

“Well howdy, human with eyes! I’m Flowey, flowey the flower!” He says. I don’t interject.

“You’re clearly new to the underground, and it looks like I’m the only one around to show you how things work around here! Are you ready?” 

…

“I’m really not, to be honest. I’ve got no idea what’s going on,” So my plan here, basically, is to stall until Toriel gets here. Mostly because I’m hoping that if he doesn’t get the chance to do his betrayal, he’ll keep pretending to be nice, which will be hilarious since I’ll know he’s faking the whole time.

Admittedly, this significantly increases the likelihood that Toriel won’t come to save me when he inevitably finds a secluded place to murder me, but if I think too hard about the long term right now I’m going to scream, so.

“Well you see, human, you’ve fallen into the underground, a land inhabited by monsters! Don’t worry though, we’re quite nice,” Oh right, conversation. I wonder how much info I can get out of him…

“What’s a monster? Like, I know what it means on the surface, but that definition is pretty vague, and I don’t want to be accidentally racist,” 

His face pops back to the usual smile. (Side note: his face looks like it was drawn on with sharpie and it’s totally messing me up)

“A monster is a being made of magic!” Ok, that’s… a bit vague, but not really inaccurate. I guess he doesn’t want to get into the science, which is a damn shame, since he probably knows it backwards and forwards due to all his reset shenanigans.

“Woah, cool. Magic is real? How does it work without breaking thermodynamics?” Finally, the question I’ve always wanted to ask. If energy can’t be created, how the fuck does Toriel shoot fireballs from her hands? What is she drawing on, what is the fire burning, how hot is it, how does it keep being on fire, etc. etc. repeat for every magical display in the game.

“Well, a lot of it isn’t super understood. Scientists have mostly been pinning it on ‘dark energy’ like they do with every other phenomenon they don’t totally understand,” I wonder why he’s so willingly entertaining my time wasting antics. I know, in game, he didn’t realize he’d lost control over the timeline until after his first talk with Frisk, so maybe he’s just waiting it out to see where it goes? And then of course he must be planning other things to do with me before he takes my soul and goes to the surface…

“God, I hate dark energy in science. I know they just call it that because not much is known about it, but I’m thirsty for knowledge, you know?” Actually ‘thirsty for knowledge’ describes my mood like 90% of the time. Huh, actually, I have that in common with Flowey, right? Even if his knowledge thirst is just due to boredom.

“Hey, human, me too! Learning new things is great!” There’s a loaded sentence if i’ve ever heard one. When was the last time he learned something new? He’s supposedly read every book in the underground, but how much information from that did he actually retain?

“Isn’t it? It’s why I love Youtube so much. Free information for anyone who cares to make a few clicks!” Wait, he probably doesn’t know what Youtube is, actually.

“What’s Youtube?” He asks, cocking his head.

“It’s a service where you can upload videos or watch videos other people have uploaded,” Not the most nuanced explanation, but it’ll do for now. Before Flowey has a chance to respond, a fireball manifests next to him. 

I don’t smile because I’m pretending to be shocked, but I’m laughing my ass off on the inside. The face he makes is even more ridiculous in person.

Enter Toriel, queen of the monsters, mother of no living children.

[chemicalcindercat]

Frisk freed the monsters from the underground, completing a true-pacifist run. She was living happily on the surface with her monster family. Everything was perfect. Until it wasn't. When Frisk gets hit by a car on her way over to Sans house, everything changes. Not only does Frisk forget herself, her friends, and all of her adventures in the Underground, but something else has changed. Frisk glitches the Multiverse.

Chapter Summary: Frisk did not expect to have this many “best friends”.

Chapters (8/?): 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

Fandom: Undertale

Rating: T (For violence and hints of adult themes)

Relationships: Sans x Frisk, Underfell Sans x Frisk, Underswap Papyrus x Chara, Slight Underswap Sans x Frisk

Additional Tags: Amnesia, Lost memories, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, ...Have I mentioned there is Hurt/Comfort?, Hurt, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Goat Mom is best mom (Undertale), King Fluffy-Buns - Freeform, Sad Asgore (Undertale), Female Frisk (Undertale), Aged up Frisk (Undertale), Like duh she’s an adult i’m not a pedo, gross, Verbal Frisk, Frisk has a voice in her head, Sans is a depressed bean, Papyrus is so innocent, Frisk glitched the multiverse, oh whoops, spoiler alert, more tags will be added as we progress

"Well, Ms. Dreemurr, it would appear you have a mild case of Amnesia." The doctor said, flipping the pages on his clipboard. "You hit your head pretty hard when that car slammed into you. You're lucky it isn't worse." He looked at the worried couple standing in the corner of the room. "Her memories should be back by the end of the week. We'll keep her here for tonight, but tomorrow she can go home. She doesn't have any broken ribs, or really anything wrong except for the memory loss, which is practically unheard of for an incident like this. But anyways," The doctor turned back to the confused girl laying in the hospital bed. "If you need anything, just hit the buzzer on the bed next to you." And with that he left the room.

As soon as the doctor was gone, the couple turned to look at the girl. They were strange, the girl could tell. She couldn't remember anything past 10 minutes ago, when she woke up, but something told her that goats weren't usually able to walk, talk, and be, well, normal people.

"Um...Frisk, are you feeling well?" The woman asked, worried. The girl thought for a moment. Was she feeling fine? She honestly didn't know. How could you know if you were feeling fine, when you didn't know what fine was? She didn't know if fine for her was everything being perfect, or terrible. So instead of answering the question, she answered with a question of her own.

"'Frisk'? Is...Is that my name?"

The woman looked like she was about to break down in tears, so the man took over. "Yes, dear, that's your name. Frisk. Do you really not remember anything?" Frisk shook her head. "Well, uh...I-"

"She's your 'mom', Toriel, who you live with; He's your 'dad', Asgore, who you don't. They're divorced, you're adopted, and I'm Flowey, your 'best friend'." Frisk jumped. She had forgotten about the flower on the desk next to her that could talk.

"N-now, Asriel, that's no way to-"

"My name is Flowey." The flower corrected. Okay, Frisk was confused, to say the least. What in Asgore's name were they talking about? Before she could ask, the door slammed open, a blue fish-woman entering, with a yellow lizard-woman following behind nervously.

"Frisk!" Yelled the fish-girl, running over to the hospital bed. "We heard what happened! Are you okay? How are you feeling? Did you break anything? Because that would be cool and yet suck all at the same time. Did you finish Mew Mew: Kissy Cutie? Are you-"

"U-undyne, M-maybe we shouldn't b-bombard her with s-so many questions at o-once? Her head p-probably hurts." The lizard girl interrupted. Undyne looked at her, before looking back at Frisk.

"Oh my Asgore, I'm sorry! Are you okay? Does your head hurt? Are you-"

"Undyne, Frisk has amnesia." Toriel announced. Both Undyne and Alphys turned to look at her.

"What??" They said in unison.

"Y-you mean… Y-you don't remember us? You d-don't know who we a-are?" Alphys asked, walking over to Frisk. The human girl simply shook her head.

"I...I don't remember anything. And no, I don't know who you are. Who are you?" She asked.

"We're your anime pals!" Undyne said, putting her arm around Alphys' shoulder and grinning. Alphys blushed.

"E-every T-Tuesday you come over t-to our house and w-watch anime with us." Alphys explained. "T-this week, the newest season of M-Mew Mew: Kissy C-Cutie is airing, a-and we were going t-to watch it together. You r-really don't remember?"

Frisk looked down at her hands sadly. "No...I don't...I'm sorry."

Toriel came over and hugged Frisk. "It's okay, my child. There is no need to apologize. Do not blame yourself, child; There is nothing you can do. The doctor said by the end of the week, you'll remember, and I'm sure he is right. All we have to do is wait."

Frisk wasn't sure how she felt about this woman she couldn't remember hugging her, but she decided she kind of liked it. Besides, the lady seemed to need it more than Frisk did. Before Frisk could say anything, the lady stepped back, and the door slammed open again. At this point, Frisk was surprised it hadn't fallen off it's hinges. This time, there were two skeletons who entered the room. One was really tall, as tall as Undyne and Asgore, with a red scarf. He was also carrying what appeared to be a plate of home cooked spaghetti. The other one had a blue hoodie, and was shorter, maybe even shorter than Frisk. Once she thought about it, Frisk realized she didn't know how tall she was; She hadn't stood up yet. Would she even remember how to walk? She started panicking, wondering how she would remember to do normal, everyday stuff.

Calm down, Said a voice in her head. Quit panicking about everything.

Before Frisk could respond, the tall skeleton came over and set the plate down on the desk beside her.

"HERE YOU GO, HUMAN! THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS MADE YOU SOME YUMMY SPAGHETTI!! FEEL FREE TO EAT IT WHENEVER YOU FEEL LIKE IT, FOR IT WILL SURELY BE THE BEST! NYEH HEH HEH!" He yelled, and Frisk winced a little, not expecting it. She smiled softly at him, not knowing who he was.

I sure did have a lot of friends. She thought.

Yeah, no kidding. Said the voice in her head.

...I just wish I could remember them…

The smaller skeleton pushed past the bigger one, with a nervous grin on his face. "how ya feelin', kiddo?" He asked, his voice surprisingly deep compared to the other skeleton.

"Um...well...I-"

"NONSENSE, BROTHER. WHY ASK HOW SHE IS FEELING WHEN SHE'S IN THE HOSPITAL?" The tall skeleton interrupted. Frisk couldn't believe it. Were they really brothers? They were so different! The skeleton turned towards her. "BUT DON'T WORRY, HUMAN. I'M SURE MY SPAGHETTI WILL MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER IN NO TIME!"

"yeah, kid, eat up. boneappetite." The shorter one said. The bigger one groaned.

"UGH, SANS, DO YOU HAVE TO MAKE PUNS RIGHT NOW? YOU MIGHT GIVE THE HUMAN A HEADACHE!"

"nah, look at her, paps. she likes it, you should know that by now, ya numbskull." Oh, so I like puns? That's good to know. Even as Frisk thought this, she could immediately tell it was true. When Sans (was that his name?) made a pun, she had struggled not to laugh.

"BROTHER!!" The taller skeleton protested. "WHETHER SHE LIKES IT OR NOT, A HOSPITAL IS HARDLY THE PLACE TO MAKE PUNS!" He yelled.

"geez, paps, who broke your funny bone?" The shorter one asked, winking at Frisk and stepping closer to her. Something inside of her pulled, and she could tell that he was really close to her. "so anyways, bucko, how're you feeling?" He asked softer, so that only she would hear.

"Well, I just-"

"Heya Papyrus, how're you doing?" Asked Undyne, throwing her arm around the taller skeleton's shoulder. "I know the situation isn't the best, with Frisk and all, but are you still up for some training today?"

"YOU BET, UNDYNE!" Papyrus said loudly. "AS LONG AS THE HUMAN IS ALRIGHT, THAT IS! THE GREAT PAPYRUS MUST BE THE BEST FRIEND EVER, AND A GOOD FRIEND WOULD TAKE CARE OF HER!"

"You're right, Papyrus, but I'm her best friend! Remember?" Undyne argued.

"SUUUUUURE, YOU CAN BELIEVE THAT IF YOU WANT, BUT IT'S WRONG!"

"Guys, I-" Frisk was interrupted by Flowey, suddenly defensive.

"Whatever, you idiots can pretend that she likes you better, but I'm obviously her BeSt FrIeNd!" Flowey claimed, in a demonic voice that sent a shiver down Frisk's spine. Suddenly everyone started talking all at once, Undyne and Papyrus still arguing over Frisk, Flowey hissing at everyone, Alphys nervously asking Asgore how he's been, Toriel joining in the conversation. All of the noise, and all of the new information was really giving Frisk a migraine. She sank deeper under her blanket, trying to block everything out.

Someone grabbed Frisk's hand, and she immediately jumped and yanked her hand back, to see Sans with a look of confusion and hurt. It quickly faded back into his normal smile.

"so, kid, what is it you've been trying to say this whole time?" He asked. Frisk gulped nervously as he leaned closer to her, and she leaned away from him a bit. Doesn't this guy know anything about personal space??

"I...Well, uh...Who are you, exactly?" Frisk asked.

Everyone immediately stopped talking and turned to Frisk.

The pupils in Sans' eyes disappeared, leaving two empty eye sockets, a look of pure shock. For a couple of moments, nobody dared to say anything.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, HUMAN?" Papyrus asked, being the first to break the silence. "'WHO ARE WE?' IT IS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AND MY BROTHER SANS, YOUR-"

"frisk, what did the doctor say? what…wh...you...you really don't remember me? remember us? anything?" Sans asked, his pupils returning and studying Frisk closely.

All Frisk could do was shake her head.

"I… I have amnesia."

Before anyone could say anything, Sans was gone.

[blacksheep28]

Frisks

I do a bit of a weird thing with Underswap. I know people put Monster Kid as Temmie, but I’ve always found switching Asriel and Chara to make more sense, having Chara be the royal monster child and Asriel the human that fell, with Chara trapped as Temmie. Of course this left me with a bit of a problem: if Frisk is the one to free the Underground in Underswap, what are they like? So I did some brainstorming and came up with some various Frisks.

Undertale:

Frisk is a mute, self contained, doesn't really reach out to others for themself but does do things for others. They are very survival focused. It actually takes them a few tries to get through the Underground as it takes them a while to figure out what's necessary to break the barrier (aka a pacifist run). They don't do any genocide runs, though they have killed monsters out of frustration in some resets. They're satisfied with being around the monsters, but even though Toriel is technically their mom they remain very independent. 

They wanted to hide from their human family and were making plans to try and live on their own on the mountain.  They were pretty young and while good at taking care of themselves they hadn't really thought through the full implications of what they wanted to try. They never really got a chance to realize that trying to live on the mountain was a bad idea as their first day on the mountain they tripped and fell into a crevice on the mountain that lead to the Underground.

Underfell:

Fell Frisk was deliberately abandoned on the mountain.  while Fell Frisk is also good at taking care of themselves they also have an intense need for affection. They will disregard their own needs if they think that doing something will make another person like them. While Tale Frisk was neglected with some physical abuse Fell Frisk was emotionally and verbally abused. They often have nightmares about being abandoned and doing the wrong thing. When they realized they had been left on the mountain to die they actually jumped down the crevice to try and kill themselves so they would no longer burden the world with their presence.

Tale Frisk has some issues with letting others close to them but is slowly starting to open up while Fell Frisk basically offers their heart out to everyone they meet in the hope that this time someone will need and want them. Fell Flowey actually saved Fell Frisk's life by giving them a purpose. It didn't matter to Fell Frisk how much the monsters hurt them, they were needed. They were going to save everyone. And they cared so much about them. Breaking the barrier and bringing monsters to the Surface was the best thing they ever did. They are very clingy around Toriel.

Underswap:

Swap Frisk grew up in an orphanage.  Swap Frisk's biggest dream is of having a family, but they're getting old enough to start hearing the stories of older kids and worry they aren't ever going to be adopted out.  Swap Frisk is around 10 or 11 and they head to the mountain on their birthday because they've decided (much like Tale Frisk) that they need to learn independence. Unlike Tale Frisk who has actually learned to be independent, while Swap Frisk is pretty quiet and used to moving a lot they also aren't as independent or prepared for the realities of being on their own. They actually go through the Underground with "oh crap this is weird I've gotta get back before anyone notices I'm missing this was such a bad idea aaaaaahhhhh" except the monsters are all so weird and friendly and wanna spend time with Frisk and it's really different?

It's not like the orphanage was really bad. Frisk got lucky there, they know the horror stories. They just were one among many, and with how much they moved they never really had any friends. And now all the monsters here want to be their friend and talk to them and Asgore even wants to keep them and be their dad and this is actually really kinda overwhelming. When they learn what happened to make the queen start collecting the souls of humans they really get it. They know what it is to want a family, and hearing that Queen Toriel had her children killed aches. Queen Toriel and Asgore end up awkwardly sharing custody of them and Frisk feels spoiled that they don't just get one home and family, but two.

Swapfell Frisk:

Swapfell Frisk is from an orphanage as well, but they've kinda given up. They heard the tales about the mountain, and were vaguely curious in a morbid kind of way. Didn't really want to die, but didn't think anyone would care if they did. When they learn about monsters they actually feel themselves wanting to reach out. It's really hard for them and they spend a lot of time feeling like they've messed up, but they're trying. And the amazing part is that they're seeing the monsters respond to them. Swapfell Frisk actually expects things to end so is just trying to enjoy things as much as possible. They're really surprised when Asgore adopts them and takes them in after monsters are freed

[fireflysummers]

Delta Rune

Long story short?

I didn’t like it.

I like segments of it. 

But as a whole, I didn’t really like it. It felt empty. 

Game Meta

So before I get into any meta here about the story, I want to first focus on the story structure and its relation to Undertale. 

The Dark World phase of Delta Rune was probably the strongest. There were very few visual ties to Undertale, and I was allowed to experience it without my own preconceptions getting in the way. 

Plot wise? It was just a condensed replica of the orginal game. Zones, a mechanic for getting between them, puzzles, etc.... Which, for me, made it...boring, before long. 

The new battle mechanics were...bad. I liked the ability to interact with and take damage from the environment, but really disliked the unnecessary levels of complexity added to the battles. It was distracting and reduced the entire thing to feeling just like a GBA era game. On top of that, the ‘ACT’ options were just....dull. And bad. 

One of the strengths of Undertale was the fact that the battle system wasn’t a battle system, it was a mechanism for fleshing out and making real the NPCs within the world. Most of the NPCs of Undertale were unique in their backstory and problems, and even those with multiples of the same species (like moldsmal) were still limited in number, giving a sense of community. By making the battle system more complex, and making it easy to pacify enemies, the entire thing just got steamrolled into a lifeless version of its predecessor.

There was no weight to the actions, no sense of agency or choice. And while I acknowledge that that was by design (something I’ll touch on below when I talk about the story), it also made the Dark World segment....ultimately boring, and lacking any and all emotional punch.

It was harmless, though, and if it had just been the Dark World segment I’d have just kind of...shrugged it off as a cute little fangame made by the creator.

But. It wasn’t. 

I did not like the Light World segment.

The entire scene was antithetical to Undertale as a whole, in a way that left me deeply, deeply unsettled.

The biggest issue was this pervasive sense of...meanness in the world of light. Kris is implied to be a not great person on most days--having to be forced into visiting hospitalized long-time family friends, refusing to talk and interact with the people around them, etc... And the rest of the town mostly just tolerates them, for the sake of their parents.

But on top of that, NPCs are unkind to each other. Alphys throws away Asgore’s flowers, and is regularly mocked and ostracized by her students. Catty and Bratty speak poorly of each other for their shared interests. Characters actively seek to exclude Kris, and are eager to gossip and spread rumors. The one kind classmate in class literally implies that her mother doesn’t have time for her. Kris rejects Asgore’s hugs, and seems totally indifferent to their dad literally sleeping in dirt. Toriel is portrayed as some kind of religious extremist who is crueler to her ex-husband than in canon, where he literally resorted to murdering children. 

Contrast that with Undertale where people...cared. Admittedly, circumstances were different and a lot more extreme, but there was a deep sense of love. Catty and Bratty adore Alphys, who consider her their older sister. Asgore’s kindness makes him beloved in the community as a friend and father figure. 

On top of that, all the major characters were entirely scrubbed of any meaningful relationships. Undyne’s an excellent example here, since she’s one of the most difficult ones to befriend in the original game. What endears us to her isn’t her goofy screaming and love of violence--it’s her romantic admiration of Alphys, her familial love of Asgore, and her protectiveness of Papyrus. Scrubbed of all that and she’s just...Not Undyne.

Even among the smaller NPCs, you get that same sense of love and care, like there is a community here, and you are lucky enough to be brought into it. To be told that they care, and you matter, and in turn you want to reciprocate that kindness.

And...again, I understand that a lot of this is probably by design, but in general it just left me...unsettled, but not in a way that makes me want to know more about the current situation.  The world feels empty and cold, and overly-reliant on nostalgia to give anybody any kind of meaningful characterization.

In this world...I feel unwelcome. 

And I don’t like it.

Plot Meta

The main redeeming part of this, for me, is that general feeling that all the unsettling wrongness is by design. If we’re operating on that premise, then I submit the current theory:

This entire game is a simulation created by Chara and Gaster using the human soul (your soul) from the genocide run.

Chara Points:

The emphasis that your choices do not matter, which echoes Chara’s lines at the end of the genocide route (since when were you the one in control?)

This world seems to fit Chara’s idea of an ideal world (the monsters are free, Asriel is alive, and humanity as a whole does not exist)

Chara seems to think the world presented in Undertale is wrong and should be erased (Let us erase this pointless world and move on to the next), a sentiment that makes a lot more sense if they are actively trying to shape a new world to their own happy ending.

The feeling of wrongness makes more sense if you’re imagining a world reshaped by a child to get their ideal happy ending, only for it to go wrong and everybody to be miserable instead.

Oh yeah that...ending is a thing that happened, huh? It’s got a Thing. (I literally don’t care about the ending, it was like...weird baiting)

Gaster Points

The style of speech present on the twitter, as well as the opening screen and the game over screen fits what we know of Gaster

Weird teleportation doors and empty spaces 

That general sense that Sans seems to be calling you out on reacting too quickly/too familiarly

Calling your phone in the dark world produces that screech we associate with Gaster

Based on this, it feels like there’s a larger meta-narrative going on, but as a whole it completely failed to actually interest me. 

Conclusion

So, I’ll be frank with you.

I’m tired. I don’t have the energy to do this whole, “secret fourth episode of Sherlock” nonsense.

Which is why I’m unwilling to just blindly trust that things will improve. 

On top of that, I don’t need an improvement. Undertale was perfect the way it was, and while the world currently presented may feel more human and ‘realistic’ for being colder and less caring, but...I don’t need that. I have too much reality to feel that way about.

And maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised. But I’m afraid to hope for that, especially based on this game...

In the end I was just left...unsettled.

I hope you know what you’re doing Toby.

[kits-shrine]

Halloween Dares and Scares Pt3

(Ho boy this one is a doozy, most under the cut to save your feed. ENJOY!)

"Chara... are you ok?" Asriel ask nervously before coughing, starting to choke on the malice in the air. It started to grow as soon as Chara had started telling their story, the story of all monster kind, hate welling up in them at the memory of the betrayal they suffered. The energy of their rage and hurt was amplified under the full moon's light, absorbed by the board only to bounce back to the spirits connected to it. Building like a self contained circuit. 

"Finally.... finally after all these years they're gonna be free! We did is Az!" Chara cheered exuberantly panting unaware of the dark tendrils closing in on their ghostly form, their eyes started to glow with a red haze. "We saved them... we did it..."

"Cha-Chara... something's wro-wrong... we-we shouldn't have tricked those kids like that." the young goat monster started coughing harder, collapsing to his knees with a wheeze.

"Shhhh it's ok Asriel." Chara cooed cradling his face in their hands. "You heard them, they wanted to help. Besides," their smile grew a little manic "who cares? What's a few stupid kids lives when monsters have been trapped for so long? We did it. We saved them." their thumbs rubbed the fur on his cheeks leaving stripes of pitch in their wake. His breathing started to even out, a haze growing in his eyes to match Chara's.

"We did it? We... did it... WE DID IT!" chest heaving he stood, growing taller and taller his voice dropped deeper as he was seized by the same mania that had taken over Chara.

"Yeah we did!" Chara yelled stepped back bumping into the small Shrine's structure, causing their eyes to narrow as they gave it a baleful gaze. They shifted to look up higher and higher, hate welling up within them. "We're not done yet partner. We're going to make get even on everything that's taken them from us. What kept them trapped. And we starting with this place." with that declaration they used the energy produced by the board and the full moon to pierce the veil between the spirit world and that of the living and manifested themselves corporally. The dark energy whirled around, summoning a long wicked looking blade in Chara's hand and two curved sabers in Asriel's. They made quick work of the modest Shrine at the mountains base, leaving a pile of rumble in its wake. In unison they turned their gaze up the mountain, drawn by the power the heart held. With manic laughter they advanced up through the woods, passing by and triggering the wards to send out a message of distress to its guardian.

They rampaged through the trees, laying waste to everything in their way. The foxes of the Shrine fleeing the specters wrath. The gentle tinging of glass chimes rose as they neared the Wishing Tree at the heart of the Shrine. They were cut off by a wave of blue flames.

"That is enough." Kit's voice cut through the air as she emerged from the flames, eyes flashing and fur bristled. Her ire was doused by confusion seeing the souls in front of her, she lifted a hand to choke back a gag at the poisonous dark miasma that had consumed them. A jolt of shock ran through her as she realized just who they were. "But how... I thought you'd be locked Underground with the others. What are you doing here?" "NO! We were locked out here while they were locked down there!" Asriel snarled. "Trapped!"

"But not for much longer~" Chara sang playing with the tip of their knife. "With the seven souls we sent down tonight and by taking out whatever strange magic this place holds, we're gonna set um free." their grin grew stretched over their face.

Kit looked distraught and confused, "Wait seven souls at one time?" she shook her head. "It makes no sense, why would the magic here hold them trapped? This isn't Mt Ebott. This is Abbott! I can't even find Ebott on a map!"

Asriel slashed his saber at her impatiently causing Kit to dodge out of the way while Chara laughed. "You need a new map. The humans," they spat the word out "changed this mountains name in the last few years. Can't believe you were so stupid you didn't even notice." Chara swung their knife at Kit viciously, the glowing blade catching her Miko uniform.  

"Stop this! I'm not your enemy but I will not let you continue down this path. Look at yourselves! If you keep up this energy will destroy you." she looked at them concerned, darkness corroding them away at the edges.

"No... we're going to DESTROY YOU!" the pair roared charging forward. They rained down wave after wave of attacks at Kit, slashes from blades, bolts of energy and dark fire. Crying out their rage with every blow.

"We trusted them!"

"The monsters did nothing wrong!"

"The humans were just jealous!"

"They betrayed us. KILLED US!"

"ALL FOR NOTHING!"

Kit parried and dodged, doing her best to keep them contained. It felt like it went on for hours, maybe it did. Being spirits they had a nearly unending supply of energy fueled by their hate and rage. Kit wasn't so lucky. She regretted wasting what energy she had on her costume illusionary earlier in the morning. She enveloped the two in blue flames burning away the miasma that was eating away at their essence. She used every trick and illusion she could to block or slow them down while she tried reasoning with them.

"We have waited so long for them to be freed, but this stupid mountain... no your stupid wards kept humans from passing!" Chara snarled.

Panting Kit held out her hands beseechingly, "I didn't know! Look, you don't have to do this. If there really are seven humans down there that means the barrier will be broke soon." she hoped for the best but everything was already far off the norm... who knew what it would be like. "Your loved ones wouldn't want you to suffer like this. They would want you to be at peace."

"At peace?" Asriel shook his head, a hand going to cradle his face in pain.

 Chara looked at him in concern before turning a hate filled glare back at Kit. "And how would you know, huh? To not know anything about Ebott or the Underground, you sure seem to know a awful lot about everything else."

Kit grimaced, how was she supposed to explain the multiverse so quick? "I just do. You just have to trust m-"

Chara cut her off viciously "TRUST YOU?! Never! For all we know you or your family helped the humans trap the monsters! It's your fault they weren't released sooner. You... you traitor!" distracted by their growing rage and the corresponding darkness that was swarming back around them Kit didn't see Asriel as he rushed her, slamming her body ruthlessly into one of the thick ancient trees there, shattering it into splinters. Kit had no time to recover from the impact as she rolled narrowly dodging a hail of stars he sent.

Damn it. She didn't want to hurt them. They were children that were already hurting... but if they continued they were going to change into evil spirits forever. With no way for them to move on or be at peace. But at this rate they were going to destroy everything, including themselves. She really had no choice... 

Her bracelet glowed as she drew energy from the Shrines heart, her eyes flashed and she shifted. Not to her normal tiny fox self. But to her full kitsune fox form, from the tip of her nose to her flanks she was over five foot long, her long tails thrashing behind her adding several feet to her length. Her normal warm brown fur melted into a shimmering cream that nearly glowed in the night. Snarling she dashed forward ripping pieces of shadow that clung to the child relentlessly. Her speed and strength increased drastically, her movements a blur as she darted in and out of their range, blue flames licking all around them as they cried out in fear and pain.

A bead on Kit's bracelet cracked and her steps faltered. She wouldn't be able to stay like this for long, the power invoked was almost too much for her body to handle. She had to break the connection soon... otherwise she was going to break the promise she'd made to Mercy and the kids. After all... you can't come back if you're dead.

The spirits forms seemed to flicker between their corrupted selves and their true selves. They fell to their knees, crying out for mercy. Asriel seemed to be actively trying to shake off the darkness surrounding him while Chara just screamed over and over. "NO! NONONONONONONONO! IT CAN'T END LIKE THIS! WE HAVE TO SAVE THEM!"

Eventually Chara crumpled over weeping, the ghoulish hate faded leaving their tortured scared soul curled on the ground, while Asriel looked around in disbelief tears running down his small fuzzy cheeks.

Sighing happy the battle seemed to have been won, Kit shifted back to her normal form and gathered them into her arms holding the children close. "I'll do everything I can to help them ok?" she promised.

Sniffing Chara wrapped their arms around her "Really? You..." they leaned back to look at her with red flashing eyes "You really are stupid." Chara's grin grew as they slashed her side cruelly with the blade they hastily resummoned using the last of their hate filled energy.

Kit let out a cry of pain as she tightened her hold on them. "Alright... now you're in time OUT!" Kit bit out engulfing  them in her spirit flames, focusing on removing every trace of the miasma from the children. She hugged them tight, pushing every bit of love and care she could into them helping sooth their unrest.

As they slowly started to settle, there was a sudden deep rumble from underneath... it shook the every ground that they sat.

There was a loud shattering noise and a flash of light lit the mountain from below, followed by a smaller flash and noise that shook Kit just as much as her bracelet itself shattered. She looked around dazedly clutching the children to her, true joy filled their face as they felt it. The barrier was gone.

"we really did it..." Chara whispered, honest tears streaming down their face. Asriel sniffed and looked at Kit his form wavering "We're sorry Miss. We just wanted them to be free. We waited so, so long." He gave her a watery smile. "And now they are. Chara... let's go. We don't have to stay anymore." The human child looked at him about to argue, then sighed "You're right, we did what we wanted to." their red gaze, no longer ridden with hate turned to Kit. "...sorry. You really meant it didn't you? About helping them?"

Kit nodded and they took a deep breath and Ariel's hand into their own and they started walking, faded more and more until they were gone.

Kit pressed a hand to the wound on her side, wincing as she inspected it. The miasma from the blade was bleeding into her like a black poison. Her blue flame flickered weakly, most of her energy spent. With a groan she reached into her pocket for her phone to call for help, only to discover it had been crushed from her impact with the tree earlier.

"Ooooof course." Kit moaned struggling to her feet. The edges of her vision spotty as she determinedly placed one foot in front of the other, careful to maintain as much spirit flame as she could to combat the spreading poison in her side as she slowly made her way home. After all, she had people waiting on her. (Fin~ Everything that happened after took place @mistrealm)

First Part Second Part

[dotchi13]

Waiting for Escape

With permission of the Raggedy bitty we have in the shop I decided to type out and post her story, ever since hearing it I haven’t forgot about it. 

Rating: Light M for the warnings

Warnings: Violence, mentions of Death, forced abandonment, Please keep caution.

She had been born to a bitty shop within an orb as a Raggedy bitty. She could remember being raised by a Mafia (Mafiafell Sans) and a Swap Asriel, pampered and educated and with that she was raised to be a lady that can certainly give you a bad time if you crossed her, but could otherwise keep her composure. 

Like every bitty that lived in the shop she had desired to be adopted into a loving family that would accept her and treat her like the companion she was, as she was no pet, none of them were, though some humans didn’t seem to understand that.

When she was old enough to be put out with the others she carried herself with pride, assured in herself that she would be adopted just like the others, and sure enough a man came in, displaying anxiety in ‘his first bitty buying’ as he looked around the shop, going to the darker parts where she and the others were. Some Raggedies trembled with anxiety, but she didn’t quiver like a lamb, that would be an absolute shame to her and those who raised her. 

He eyed her with interest, asking her questions about herself and warning her he lived in a bad neighborhood, there was the possibility of someone breaking in and wanting to know if she could defend herself. 

With a display of force she had twisted her hands before flaring them out, large red and orange flames dancing from her palms practically in waves, sparkling with her magic. He seemed impressed and called to the Owner, signing papers and offering for them to come for a check in about a week from then, and dubbing her the name Gadis, Indonesian for ‘Girl’. She wasn’t quite happy with the name as she didn’t want to be treated like a child when she was a fully capable adult, but she let it slide, thinking maybe she would grow to like the name. She never did. 

All bitty shops go to great extents to gauge those that come in, and for the bitties that were sensitive they did background checks... but there was always those that managed to slip through the cracks. 

Her new Owner stopped in front of a warehouse, taking her inside and setting her cage down in the middle of what looked to be dozens of others as eyes turned to hers, tired and/or scarred as she felt her soul drop to her feet. 

She doesn’t really like talking about her first night or any of them after that, but she has nightmares of injuring many many fellow bitties, and sometimes when she loses herself in nightmares or flashbacks she starts wheezing and choking like she’s trying to breath through dust.

It was to no end of her miseries though. She found reprieve in meeting with an Asgore bitty that was Fell as she was after fights, his cage placed next to hers. They had each other’s backs, tossing each other food when one of them lost and was made to go without food. 

However they should have known they were being watched, and within barely any time her friendship with him was shattered with drugs that mimic heat. She knew it wasn’t his fault, but they couldn’t even look at each other anymore. 

Sometimes she wondered as she watched her stomach grow if she was in some kind of nightmare. So many bad things happened to her that it was almost unreal to her. 

When the time came she was put under drugs, and when she woke up nearly three days later the Asriel bitty she had was gone. She was forced to abandon him, she had never even seen his face.

And it didn’t stop with that one Asgore, Fell Sans’ and other Asgores were forced onto her to the point that she could barely feel anything anymore, and she had been forcefully made to give up her babies without her consent. 

In the last one she remembers struggling for consciousness, being pumped with the drug so many times that her body was practically building an immunity to it. 

She remembers seeing the sweet face of the Asriel bitty with his sharp teeth and wet fur, his little eyes closed before he was removed and all she could do was lift her hand and slightly burn the hand taking him. 

She hoped it left a mark, though she thinks she was too weak to do so.

She knew she wasn’t the only one suffering there, not by a longshot. 

And again, bitties were not pets.  They were intelligent beings, and she knew if she was patient enough, one of them would break free, one of them would get lucky, and if everyone else was lucky enough then they would break everyone free. 

She prayed this way for years as scars webbed her body under her fur, her other horn breaking like the one that was naturally broken during a fight with another bitty, a tooth knocked out and two fingers broken and not reset in the right place. 

She knew it could have been worse, she could have been dead, but it didn’t make everything any less painful or harmful to her. 

When one day her suffering came to an end. 

The details were fuzzy, but she remembered a skull peeking to her through the bars of her cage. 

It was a bipedal Gaster Blaster Papyrus, his claws fumbling with the latch, clawing through the magic protecting it as he seemed to know all it’s weak points, swinging the cage open before running off to go and free others as she  stumbled out, watching after him before looking to see other bitties racing towards the exit out of his hellhole, and before she could stop herself her feet were stricken to follow, meeting with their human saviors, Bitty Activists.

Nearly weeks later she had learned about the place where no fells other than Raggedies like her stayed, jumping on the change as she entered the shop that at the time had three lamias and five bitties, one a Toriel like she was on a level. 

And she cried with hugging Toriel, spilling things to her she almost never thought she would be able to tell anyone. 

As of the moment she’s in therapy and taking pills for her PTSD, and the five bitties of Murder, Horror, Killer, Nightmare and Toriel united to shed her old name, taking the new one: Dona, meaning ‘Lady’.