* despite everything, it's still you.

[actxfdetermination]

a low activity, 18+ 𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐄 & 𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐔𝐍𝐄 multimuse. as narrated by ghost, 30 years old, italian, any pronouns. sideblog of ghostories.

this blog will contain spoilers for both games and a lot of triggering content depending on the muse. reader discretion is adviced.

rules / muses / prompts

ut/dr blogroll. * asgore : @brckenmercy * spamton : @dismisscd * tenna : @rebuildthestage

please note! i'm still playing deltarune, and i'm currently in the first half of chapter 4! almost there! i'm trying to avoid spoilers, so until i'm on the same page as everyone else i'm avoiding following any ut/dr blogs. you can still send me anything you like, i will still reply! but if i don't follow back, it's for this reason!

[mcflymemes]

PROMPTS FOR WORKAHOLIC CHARACTERS WHO PUSH THEMSELVES TOO HARD *  assorted dialogue, adjust as necessary

there's still a lot of work to be done.

i'm not finished with it yet.

i can't give up just yet.

there's nothing noble about working yourself to death.

you think i can't handle this myself?

there's not enough hours in the day.

i realize you think you have to do this.

working like this helps me think.

i'll sleep when i'm dead.

your work ethic scares me sometimes.

i don't need your help.

do you ever sleep?

they need me.

no matter how hard you work, it won't bring them back.

do you realize how crazy that sounds?

i'm not stopping until this is done.

you need to slow down.

i feel like i'm wasting my life.

have you ever taken a vacation?

i can handle this on my own.

i'm nothing without my work.

you're going to get sick if you keep going like this.

you've proven your point.

you're going to work yourself to death.

there are worse ways to spend a life.

you can't keep going at this pace.

i don't have time to rest.

it needs to be done.

do you have any healthy coping mechanisms, by any chance?

there's no time to waste.

i think it's time for you to take a break.

everything was going great until you stopped me.

i can't sleep yet. not until this is done.

i'm the only one who can do this.

at least let me help you.

if i just focus on my work, i don't have to think about anything else.

i'm not asking you to take a break, i'm telling you.

did you really have to interrupt like that?

i'm not budging.

it's my life's work.

you're not going to convince me otherwise.

when was the last time you slept?

i'll help you finish the job if you promise to get some rest.

you're practically falling asleep standing up.

you can finish this in the morning.

let me get you to bed.

don't you get it? it's over!

working yourself to death isn't going to fix anything.

if i don't do it, no one else will.

i wish you would take some time to rest.

i'm not taking a break, if that's what you're asking.

you just broke my concentration, thank you very much.

i'm not going to bed.

i don't know how to quit.

they're counting on me.

too many people rely on me.

i can't disappoint them.

you need a vacation.

i wish you would just listen to me and slow down.

your eye bags have eye bags.

all right, that's it. i'm putting my foot down.

no more excuses.

what do you get out of this? this overworking thing?

without my work... i'm nothing.

no one else is going to step in.

i don't care about me. i care about them.

we have unfinished business.

if i stop now, it'll be like giving up.

i'm a perfectionist. it's in my nature.

better to pour myself into my work than something else.

i wish you would go easy on yourself.

this is very unhealthy.

[actxfdetermination]

muses.

all muses that appear in undertale as well can be roleplayed in that game if requested! knowing myself and how much i'm loving deltarune, if no indication is given, i'll default on the deltarune verse. this list contains spoilers of deltarune.

› soul / a silent act of determination. › noelle / it's a dream. right? › berdley / this valiant warrior of brave intelligence will be your knight in glow in the dark armor! › sans / birds are singing; flowers are blooming. › burgerpants / i can't go to hell. i'm out of vacation days.

› lancer / not to call a spade a spade. but he's a spade. › king of spades / to my people i am a hero. to you? I'M THE BAD GUY! › jevil / the air crackles with freedom! › k_k / it's short for cakes! › swatch / don't be blue. we're here for you. › ramb / that's what YOU want chum! freedom! › lanino / the weather always sticks together! › pluey / mike is definitely a cat! › gerson / - / no tag yet because i'm waiting to finish chapter 4 >:3c

[actxfdetermination]

@actxfmercy / kris Lies down on the floor... drags themselves forward.... ketchup all over them, bleeding. . . . . . . "Noelle... it's... too late... for--" - and they suddenly LAUNCH themselves at her, zombie style!

« K-K-Kris, come onnn...!! » She knows this game. Kris already did it once. She shouldn't be scared by it! Noelle knows exactly that they aren't injured, that they're perfectly fine, that that's ketchup and that they will jumpscare her if she lets her guard down even for just a second. She knows! She knows extremely well!...

... and yet, she's there, shaking like a leaf and with tears in her eyes, because that scene is just like a horror movie: she know it's not real, but the image is so scary and explicit that she's terrified. She's laughing nervously and keeps drawing back, her hands in front of her to protect herself from the scare that is going to happen, sh-she just knows it's about to happen...! And yet, when it does happen, it still takes her by surprise, and she jumps and screams at the top of her lungs, turning and running for a second or two before managing to stop herself.

She turns back to Kris that she's crying so hard that her laughter just seem like sobs, amused but trembling like a leaf.

« Kris, y-y-you JERK...!! » she yells - scared, yet playfully -, closing tight her eyes in the utter terror that they'll just jump on her again. « I t-t-told you it s-scares me!! C-come onnnn...!! »

[actxfmercy]

@actxfdetermination ► Jevil:

« OH, BUT SEE, IT IS A GAME, GAME!! WE MET, WE DANCED, IT WAS IN A BOX, BOX! FULL OF CABLES AND LIGHT AND OTHER GAMES, GAMES! EVEN NOW... YOU KNOW... IT'S STILL A GAME, YOU SEE? IT'S NOT MOVING, IT'S JUST WRITTEN, BUT IT'S STILL... A GAME. AFTER ALL, ALL... SHOULDN'T WE HAVE ALREADY SAID, BYE-BYE? :) »

Kris' sword finds the jester's throat before the SOUL could stop them. It doesn't slice, it doesn't hurt. The blade is pressed dangerously close, but both the teen and the thing inside them know that they wouldn't make things get too far.

Hopefully, Jevil doesn't. He might realize by that action alone that his words dug deeper than he probably thought they would, but that's about it.

It's a game, the jester says. We're all puppets, Spamton kept repeating before. Words they kept hearing, words that hurt a little more everytime, words echoed by that parody of a SOUL that they met before.

Despite their act, Kris' expression, save for the fire in their eyes, remains completely empty. They stay still. It forces them to, unsure of what to do.

Guess the ball is still in Jevil's side.

[actxfdetermination]

Oh, the sword they press against my throat! Apologies, dear writer, I'll take care of myself from now. :)

They jump on me ( oh, what a grace! ), and the blade touches the skin of my throat, so willing to cut, but never quite there. It is blocking them, see see?? I can't help myself! It is too fun, fun! It makes me laugh, laugh!! So I laugh, I laugh uncontrollably, my tail swings left and right and I wait for some words, but they never come, come, because what can you tell me, eh?? What can you tell me, when you know I'm perfectly right?? I laugh and laugh, my hands rest on the blade like it isn't scary at all.

It is sharp and hurting, because of course it is, and I do not attempt to push it away - no, no, it wouldn't be fun, fun! My fingers close around the blade instead, as if I want to keep it there, right there, near my throat and near my life and near my death, and I tilt my head to look, look better! They're so curious. Did they understand, understand? The game, game?

« NO MOVE, MOVE? » I use the small arrows to make myself say, because up to now this is all between you and me, watcher! But now they need to know, so I need to talk, and I make myself talk. « THE GAME CAN'T CONTINUE IF YOU DO NOT MOVE, MOVE! SHOULD I PLAY FOR YOU, YOU? MOVE A PIECE? CHECKMATE? COME ON, COME ON! IT WON'T BE FUN, FUN, FOR THOSE WHO READ, READ! DO SOMETHING, DO SOMETHING! »

[actxfmercy]

"YEAH?

AND WITH THAT I MEANT THREE SOCKS???? NOT AN ENTIRE ROOM?"

He fell quiet for a second, the unarmed hand resting on his hips-- er. His pelvis? As he looked around, trying to ignore the shiver he felt running up his spine as soon as he landed his eye sockets on the area around him rather than his brother. It made him feel... odd. Uncomfortably odd. Or oddly uncomfortable, for reasons he can't truly understand.

Or remember, for the matter.

The weird sense of dejà-vù didn't seem to leave.

"...AND IF YOU HAD TO BRING A ROOM.", he forces himself to continue after a second, again lifting the empty hand to point an accusatory finger to the smaller skeleton "YOU COULD'VE BROUGHT YOUR OWN INSTEAD OF LEAVING THAT JOB TO UNDYNE AND I! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH THAT SMELLED?!"

Another moment of quiet. Another quick glance at the lab.

He frowns.

"WELL. I WON'T PRY ABOUT THIS WHOLE THING IF YOU WANT ME TO. BUT YOU COULD'VE AT LEAST ASKED TO PARK THIS HERE!"

[actxfdetermination]

Papyrus is uneasy, and his attempts at ignoring the feeling only make it more evident on his features. There is not much Sans can do to fix it, what's done is done - but that's his brother, and the thought that so often lifted responsibility from his shoulders now make guilt weight so much more. He knows how careful he is when cleaning ( him never doing it definitely an accomplice of that ). He should have been more thoughtful. The "hide in plain sight" tactic never worked well with Papyrus ( well, almost never ), it was naive of him to forget.

The accusatory finger points in his direction, and as always, all those thoughts get pushed and hidden behind the most chill of smiles. He takes a good look at the finger, then at Papyrus. And shrugs. « you two seemed to have fun. i didn't want to interrupt. » he replies, with his voice so near to laughing it starts trembling.

He hoped that the conversation had moved on at this point, but Papyrus shots another uneasy glance at the lab, and he doesn't feel like laughing anymore. His smile stays, but for once he lowers his gaze with just a hint of everything he's feeling. « yeah... you're right, paps. i'm sorry. »

[actxfmercy]

Two eyes blink. A thousand more accompany that simple action, followed by a chuckle. Or a simple breath?

Laughing hurts. It hurt for a long while.

Sans' tone makes things loud and clear. He knows, right? He certainly knows. How interesting. It happened less and less, every timeline felt like one in which he was never born.

Of course, knowing full well that's impossible. He's inevitable, in the same way little more other characters were. Sans. The Human. Lately, he started to notice the Flower Prince. ❄︎☟︎☜︎ 🏱︎☹︎✌︎✡︎☜︎☼︎📬︎

"I don't really want anything.", Gaster(s) admit, giving a quick shrug as they look away from the skeleton, getting lost in the light coming from the windows. Felt warm. Fake as usual. "If not... knowing what's going on, here." The head remains on the windows, the eyes return to Sans. "The last SOUL you judged. What was its color."

[actxfdetermination]

The Gaster in front of him talks deliberately slow, moves just as slowly. Sans can't but wonder if that is a tactic to make their encounter nerve-wracking; because if that's the case, he might be disappointed by his reaction. That's his usual tactic, and you can't beat a master at his own game. So he waits, patiently - lazily, a yawn escaping his mouth and not covered in the slightest.

Eventually, main Gaster finally talks, making him scoff. I don't really want anything. Yeah, sure. Sans blinks tiredly, and keeps waiting, knowing that part two is going to arrive unprompted. And indeed, here it comes. If not... knowing what's going on, here.

« man... good question. i wish i knew. » he can't but answer, half amused by his own words. He gave up fully understanding so long ago, he works mostly on intuition by now. And his instinct works so, so well. With the SOULs he judges. With this soul(s) inhabiting the corridor.

He knows there's a part three about to happen. And it happens. The last SOUL you judged. What was its color.

Sans' smile widens, a wicked smile of someone knowing the dialogue would have taken this turn - hoping for it, even. Hoping for things to go even worse. He has so much rage stuffed in himself. He wants so much to let it all out.

« oh, would't you like to know. »

[gettingthanks]

yes, i agree with you. the movie was a mess. but what if i tell you that i roleplay an extremely canon divergent 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐍𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐎 from that movie that we shall not even mention, because i really loved his concept? hello, it's ghost yet again, with another blog! made out of pure self indulgence as a reward for me for getting past a few really stressful days. like or reblog to spread the word, please! thank you! this is a sideblog - i follow from ghostories!

[actxfdetermination]

Respond to the following prompts out of character.

tagged by @timedticket a few weeks ago! <3

NAME |  currently i go by ghost or harbour, but i couldn't care less for a name honestly sjfkg. real name is silvia!

PRONOUNS | any is fine! i think i'm slowly starting to lean on preferring he/they but really, just like names i couldn't care less. <3

MOST ACTIVE MUSES |  it might not seem because i'm not really present in general, but! peppino @thousandmarch, sly @hcpekind, and i think gemini and geppetto @speaktruly are the two i feel the most on that multimuse. give me just a little time and asgore and spamton ( @brckenmercy and @dismisscd ) are probably going to jump up the ranks.

PREFERRED COMMUNICATION | discord, definitely, because tumblr ims tend to be a bit unreliable, and i'm not on tumblr everyday. discord tends to be a bit more trustworthy for me.

EXPERIENCE / HOW MANY YEARS |  i've been roleplaying since i went to elementary school so A LOT. i think i'm getting around 18 years of writing? i started via e-mail, then forums, then facebook, then tumblr.

FLUFF, ANGST, OR SMUT |  absolutely not smut because it makes me uncomfortable, but fluff and angst? sign me in. :) lately i'm tending a lot on the angst because i'm also processing a lot through my turns, but i will always love some fluff. <3

LONG OR SHORT REPLIES | i always start a turn saying "i will write a couple paragraphs!" and then end up writing an entire novel SJFKG. i just love to write and get so easily carried away, i almost always write long replies. <3 but i don't care about the length tbh, any kind on reply is good for me!

PLOTS OR MEMES |  both are super okay for me! i love to plot and prefer it but going with a meme and rolling with it has lead me to a lot of interesting stuff. <3

PET PEEVES |  mmh, honestly i'm really chill with almost everything. i guess mostly it's a matter of pushing me to reply faster, and/or guilt-tripping me because i haven't been fast to reply? i learnt to say a hard no to interacting with people who are just impatient, reminding me of a thread is not a problem but when people try to make me feel like a terrible person because i haven't been replying quickly i draw the line. like, come on. i reply slowly to EVERYONE.

ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSE | depends on the muse, i roleplay so many different people, haha! but many of them tend to share at least one trait with me, so i guess you can see a bit of me in every single muse.

TIME TO WRITE | man. whenever i have time i just take out my notebook and start writing, and then sooner or later i get to a pc and transcribe the turn. i wish i had a specific hour to dedicate to writing.

tagging: CRIMES. steal it from me. >:)

[actxfdetermination]

i appear. i fix the blogs. ... i hopefully don't disappear again.

updates: - moved asgore and spamton to their own blogs, because i've made them so much different from canon that i prefer to keep them separated. blogs are still empty if not for the pinned, but ready to go, and i'll make sure to write stuff as soon as possible. they are now respectively at @brckenmercy (MY URL IS BACK BABY) and @dismisscd. - changed slightly the muses list over here. somehow, berdley managed to get in the roster. i can't explain how it happened. he's here now. - still at chapter two of my replay, and then i'll finally get to chapter three and four! thank you for your patience with the slowest gamer of all time (me). <3

[actxfdetermination]

[ sighs, as they take the sketchbook to start sketching an alternate design for spamton because their head exploded with ideas today ]

[actxfmercy]

How long as it been since last time they felt so at ease? Too long. Way too long. Susie's smile widens, and they find themselves relax, their back digging into the soft sofa like it didn't in years.

This felt nice. Dangerously so. Their friend kept rambling about a plan they weren't fully sure she was genuine about, but they wouldn't mind actually following, and even if a part of them knows that this happiness isn't meant to last - never did, never will -, they allow themselves to experience it.

It. Allowed them to experience it. Not a surprise. It liked both Susie and Ralsei before they could, after all.

... ...they're overthinking this. Just have fun, Kris.

"We can get in a plane if we sneak in the luggage cargo plane."

We're having fun, now. We are having fun.

"Then we take over and get in Area 51. With. The plane."

[actxfdetermination]

Oh SHIT, Kris is on fire today!! You wouldn't know what is it, but they seem more relaxed and morally creative than usual today. Or is it just you?

Regardless, your grin widens in a delighted snarl, and you have to almost choke yourself to avoid bursting into a laugh. Your fist beats on the knee before your finger jabs in their direction. To be a very loud creature when you have to keep as quiet as possible is truly a torture.

* Holy shit, you're a genious. A genious!! * Your mum has enough luggages, right? Maybe we can steal one from your dad?

I mean, they could be asking - and say the absolute truth, obviously - but, come on. Where's the fun in that?

* I bet on YouTube there is at least one freak that posted a tutorial about how to pilot a plane, right? Guess it's easy as shit! * Or else we crash. * ON area 51. * And become LEGENDS.

[aedearly]

✎ㅤ. . .ㅤ𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑫𝑪𝑨𝑵𝑶𝑵 𝑸𝑼𝑬𝑺𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺.

₊˚⊹ ㅤa collection of character analysis/headcanon questions to learn more about your character and your partners'! writing/headcanon prompts requested by anonymous. feel free to edit these as you see fit.

[ 🖐️ ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat do their hands feel like: soft, calloused, trembling ? [ ☂️ ]ㅤ.ㅤdo they crave touch or fear it ? [ 🎐 ]ㅤ.ㅤdo they have a sound, like a song or voice, that they associate with peace ? [ 🕊️ ]ㅤ.ㅤwhen did they feel the safest ? [ 💤 ]ㅤ.ㅤhow do they sleep ? curled up, sprawled, holding onto something ? [ 🦇 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat is a fear they never talk about ? [ 🔒 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat is a secret they’ve sworn never to tell ? [ 🪢 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhen was the last time they broke a promise ? [ 🫳 ]ㅤ.ㅤwho do they feel they owe, but never paid back ? [ 💼 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat do they always carry with them ? [ 🧨 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat’s the quickest way to set them off, even if they hide it well ? [ ⛓️ ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat does guilt feel like to them ? [ 💢 ]ㅤ.ㅤwho have they never forgiven and never will ? [ 🩸 ]ㅤ.ㅤis there something or someone that, if lost, would break them ? [ 🌧️ ]ㅤ.ㅤis there a pain they refuse to heal from ? [ 🪞 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhen have they looked at their reflection and hated what they saw ? [ 📿 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat superstition or ritual do they cling to ? [ 🌊 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhen was the last time they cried ? [ 🐾 ]ㅤ.ㅤdo animals like them instinctively ? [ 🪶 ]ㅤ.ㅤhow do they laugh ? [ 🫀 ]ㅤ.ㅤwho taught them what love is ? did it hurt ? [ 💭 ]ㅤ.ㅤdo they believe they’re worthy of being loved ? [ 🎀 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat is their main love language ? [ 🔦 ]ㅤ.ㅤwho do they search for ? [ 📜 ]ㅤ.ㅤis there a story they love sharing with others ? [ 🌒 ]ㅤ.ㅤdo they have a dream or goal they have given up on ? [ 🕯️ ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat memory do they replay when they’re alone ? [ 🌪️ ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat’s the one choice they regret (not) making ? [ 🧩 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat’s a truth about themselves they refuse to admit ? [ 🍻 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat kind of drunk are they ? [ ✉️ ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat kind of letter would they write but never send ? [ 🗡️ ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat is a scar that they have but never talk about ? [ 🕸️ ]ㅤ.ㅤdo they have a favourite lie they like to hear ? [ 🪦 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat would they want on their gravestone but never admit aloud ? [ 🎱 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat kind of future do they crave, and who’s in it ? [ 🌀 ]ㅤ.ㅤdo they have a recurring dream or nightmare ? [ 🍃 ]ㅤ.ㅤdo they feel like they belong ? [ ⚓ ]ㅤ.ㅤwhat does “home” mean to them ? [ 🧭 ]ㅤ.ㅤwhere would they go if they could disappear tomorrow ?

[actxfmercy]

@actxfdetermination ► spamton to kris? but perhaps a different spamton? one that seems... sane? perhaps? /

* « C-can you stop staring at me? You're. You're really freaking me out. »

Genuinely, what the fuck. Kris stopped on their track - no, in fact, the Soul itself did, both staring in disbelief at the. Puppet. Thing. In front of them. The human frowned, looked back, then to that guy once again.

You know. The guy who threatened them and tried to rip the "heart-shaped object" out of their chest with a force that would've left them in the same trashcan he was living. No biggie.

At least this one doesn't seem to smell as bad.

...you know what? Nope. They're not dealing with this nonsense. There's already enough stupid messes to deal with, Spamton could wai--

♥ You're freaking me out.

"You're freaking me out."

Thanks for goddamn nothing.

[actxfdetermination]

💚 act : [[ ACTION NOT FOUND ]] try again?

NO. No. No no no, of all the things that could happen today, not this. Not now, okay?! You're already stressed enough, and too behind schedule to deal with a child staring at you like you're mad! You're not mad!! It's not covered by sanitary assurance!! Y-you'd be FIRED!!

* Th—! Then go away!! This is m — my office, okay?! You're transpassing! J-just go away!

You wave them off your office - if the cardboard box you're sitting in like a stray cat, with nothing but a phone, can be called that. The office ( the actual office ) is behind you, behind the back exit from which you've been literally thrown out who knows how long ago. You're on a very tight schedule, yet time started to shift uncontrollably and you keep losing track of it - and without the office's calendar and clock, you can't seem to get back on track.

... is it why they took you out with the trash? Am... I useless...?

💚 act : breathe breathe bre[[ GAIN CONTROL ]] command failed. try again?

I had that thought so many times, but this time it his me worse than usual. Why? Why is it? Is... is it the kid? Is this kid doing something to me? What is happening around me what is happening to mYou stare at the kid, your eyes suddenly filling with tears. Your hands are trembling so much that when you pick up the receiver, it almost falls through your fingers. It's not even ringing. No one is calling. But you pick it up anyway. Why? Shouldn't I?

* I have to work. * G... go away, okay? * I'm lat-te.

[actxfmercy]

@actxfdetermination ► sans to your papyrus if you feel like it :3c /

[ CAUGHT ]: sender finds receiver somewhere they aren't supposed to be.

It's less a matter of not supposed to be there, and more a matter of not really wanting to. Or a matter of the place not being supposed to be there, anyway.

Once they arrived to the surface, Papyrus made sure to prepare most of the baggages since Sans, as always, made sure to do the bare minimum. Got the dog, got the trombone, got a pair of socks -- "that's enough", he said, just to get an old bag of chips once Papyrus yelled at him to bring at least something else. And then he disappeared, apparently, for the most part, to find the best bar and befriend the locals ( something he, allegedly, didn't have any problems doing! ) before popping up as soon as things were done, to place said pair of socks on a corner and noclip in his room. As happy as Papyrus was for his brother, he would've LOVED a little more cooperation!

So, finding the small lab behind their house all of a sudden during his weekly cleaning montage - the exact same one he had in Snowdin, one that he got in once just to immediately skedaddle away! -, was a surprise. There's no way Sans actually managed to bring all that nonsense on the surface without being noticed by anyone -- heck, he was certain that the door that led him to the lab was an empty closet up until then.

A broom held tight in his hands, he stepped in carefully, still, genuinely confused. A bit tense.

That is, until his brother caught his attention with a little 'hey' that ALMOST. made him jump.

"SANS!", he gasps, the grip on the broom tightening a little more "YOU-- WHAT IS THIS?! HOW DID THIS FIT IN YOUR POCKETS?!"

[actxfdetermination]

Oh, bless Papyrus and his naive, never ending energy. He took care of all the complicated part of moving ( as to say, all of it ) and has given you the possibility to chill in your blissful laziness. And, well, move the only part of the house your brother didn't have to know about. Papyrus saw the laboratory once, and you thought that it was more than enough - wouldn't want to give him the stress of having to move all of that, hey? Especially in a secret room. That was supposed to stay secret.

Bless you, Paps. You and your attention at cleaning so well, that made you found what shouldn't be found.

Now. Everyone would have panicked, surely. You, though? Nah. True to your chill choice of living, finding the closet open and your brother in it, tense and - snorts - armed, makes you bury your hands in the sweatshirt's pockets and casually lean on the doorframe, taking a few moments to admire Papyrus' movements - truly a talent in the royal guard - before calling him with your "hey". You almost have to choke yourself to avoid bursting into laughing when he gets so scared.

* paps. * you told me to bring more than a sock. * also, very large pockets.

[actxfmercy]

@actxfdetermination ► Sans

he got to the corridor, because when something tells you to go there, you don't question. you know better. you just do it. even when the corridor is empty - because it is not empty, and you know it very, very well. you can't but smile. tiredly. * heh. took you long enough.

He managed to reach Sans.

This Sans. Close, but not quite. Gaster could see some similarities with his. He could also see plenty of differences. Too many to ignore. Too many to believe they crossed paths yet, or that he's just a grown, different, more mature version of one he met before.

Any version of him, anyway. Versions currently bubbling in the darkest parts of the Corridor, barely holding itself in shape.

Too close to the Surface to manifest in its true power.

"Apologies. Never been good with... time."

Twenty-four minutes, fifty-seven seconds. Enough time to make this interaction interesting.

"Neither were you. Most of the times. I appreciate the punctuality, this time."

[actxfdetermination]

Hah. A joke. An attempt at one, anyway. Your patience is already getting low with this one alone. Not that you're going to show it, of course. You never showed anything to anyone - why getting them worried about something so difficult to explain. mh? -, and you certainly aren't starting now. Not here. Not with him.

Or should you say them?

Because you don't need to see them to know they are there: all those other Gasters in the dark, watching and holding each other tight. Silent like a barely kept scream. You blink tiredly at them, unseen but felt, showing them the only thing you always show to everyone: your smile, calm and wide and knowing. And obviously fake. That'll have to be enough for them. You aren't going to make a single bit of more effort. You're not sure they deserve it.

* oh, i've never been bad with time. * just lazy.

You talk as you return to look at the Gaster in front of you - the main one, you suppose -, shrugging. Perhaps it sounds like you've just made a joke? But you're being as honest as you'll ever be - just like you are immediately after, as your voice lowers to almost a growl.

* i wasn't for you. * what do you want?

[actxfmercy]

@actxfdetermination ► Asgore

slowly, calmly, yet voice slightly tense. hands holding the trident, ready for the fight against who he knows it's there, yet can't still see in the dark, darker, yet darker room. ❛ can you remember how you died? ❜

he lift a finger.

A single finger, to keep the quiet.

Gaster doesn't even turn. He takes in the words, welcomes them. Lets them linger, get lost in the shadows.

" d i e d ? "

His own voice lingers. Waits, slowly, making sure that Asgore understood, loud and clear, that those words - that voice - was for him, and him alone.

"wouldn't call it death. wouldn't call it a rebirth either. it's just an experiment in progress."

just then he tilts his head, looks at the king. Up, down, slowly.

"Now, which one will you be? The king -- THE CHILD MURDERER? The father -- THE TERRIBLE HUSBAND? Perhaps the tyrant? The fallen? The guardian of the Ruins? speak q u i c k l y. I don't have much time in this reality."

[actxfdetermination]

💚 act : AGORE

You can't say how you know of the creature's presence - how you know it's him in the first place. Why did you ask him if he remembered how he died, of all things. But those words felt exactly as the ones needed to be said in that very moment, as if this is not the first time this encounter happened, as if you're just experiencing this again, somehow. Like a script being acted for the umpteenth time. It's all so eerly familiar, in a way that makes you shiver in discomfort, yet your grip on the trident grows stronger and more determined. These are the kind of things you've always worked to protect your people from - both from your reign and the Light World -. This one feeling so familiar only gives you the advantage of instincitvely knowing what to do.

... you sincerely hope so, at least. Because when the other defines his own death as an experiment in progress, it makes you shiver even more.

Those eyes on you feel like they can pierce through your armor and leave you unprotected under his judgement, words harsh and violent, threatening to choke you like the noose from the gallows. And he asks who you are - which one you are, giving you a list like he's checking the boxes of an ongoing experiment you are part of without your consent. And every definition... they make your stomach twist in discomfort, trheaten to make you vomit out of pure anxiety. Because you've dreamed of each and every one of them, at least once. You know you have. And you've always done your best to bury those dreams in your mind, forget about them - but how could you, when they felt more similar to memories than simple dreams...?

You shake your head. No, no - don't let him in your head.

* I'm none of them.

Perhaps it comes too quickly as a negation, almost interrupting the other in his speech on how he doesn't have long in this reality. You don't want to hear it. It makes you feel sick.

* I'm the Flower King, protector of the Flowers Realm in the Dark World.

You usually say your own name, too - it's kind, it's normal. You want your guest to feel at home, not intimidated by your presence - but this time it doesn't want to come out of your lips. It's... it's like it doesn't want to be known by the other, as if it gained a conscience, and it is scared. Though you have the terrible sensation that the visitor already knows it, way too well.

* Satisfied? I have been quick. * You can leave now, I believe.