I feel like a lot of your Mettaton disdain wouldn't be here hadn't it been for the fandom and the complete lack of depth and dignity that has been put in his fanwork. I see that characters like Sans and Papyrus (especially Sans, or as I call him "Sains"), who are always given complex and dark backstories, are much easier to follow and enjoy.Ā
But I hate them both, again mostly because of the fandom (so much so that in one of my stories I elevated an AU!Sans to villain status, granted a complex villain, but a villain nonetheless), and based upon this, I suggest two routes to deal with this.Ā
The first would be taking the flaws of the character and going all-out. What I hate about Sans is his laziness, his lack of care for the world besides his brother and Frisk, his ridiculously tragic fanon backstories (while Mettaton's backstories are always happy-peppy with a loving family and no struggle whatsoever), his sense of humor and his tendency to give up - which contrast to Mettaton's dedication, varied sense of humor, energy and love for the whole underground, for his fans and family. So, in my Mettaton-centric works, I push upon these aspects to make Sans into the nuisance/antagonist I intend him to be. Even though it'd break my heart to see yet another occasion to finally have a dignified Mettaton character fly away, you can in fact make him into an unlikable figure. Not necessarily an antagonist, but just someone that the characters don't like having around. Even a comedic foil.Ā
The second route would be the older way I dealt with my Sans hatred - back when it was still mild disdain. I would tweak the flaws and make him into a somewhat-tolerable character. Make him less lazy, less family-centered and less of an intolerable Gary Stu saint.Ā
Personally, if I had to make a Mettaton character for an AU where Undyne is the princess, I would pile the angst on. There would be a sad backstory, a very unstable economic situation, or just a lack of purpose.Ā
Don't fall into the trap that because a character has privileges, they have to be a terrible person. You're writing an AU about a princess - what's so different from a star? But if you really are bothered by his wealth and status, strip it away from him. Either set it in an environment where he never made it big, or where he couldn't even try because he was forced to do something else, like enroll in the Royal Guard or work a humble job - at the palace, like a chambermaid - to keep his struggling family stable. This in turn would either justify his vanity as a coping mechanism for his humiliation and lack of appeal in life, or strip that away too.Ā
I feel like seeing Mettaton as nothing but vain and wealthy is a very limited point of view, again, probably influenced by the thankless "constantly horny and nothing else" roles he gets in many fan works. In the game, he has a dedication to his duty and his fans that pushes him to give up the very thing he has worked for years on end just to keep them hopeful and relieved with his presence. In the Genocide ending, he sacrifices his own life just in the hope that the monster that has slaughtered Undyne would back off from his kin and from humanity. Unlike Sans, he didn't wait until there was nothing left to lose - there was something to lose, and he chose to go anyway because there was a mild chance for things to end up differently.Ā
Even in the infamous king ending (that I still consider a bad choice) he takes over a very delicate duty he was not ready for, just because the people need it. He wasn't fit for it, but he still did it.Ā
So, if there's a chance for this one to be the only UT comic in which Mettaton is portrayed in a dignified, complex, even tragic if we're feeling it way, this mustn't slip away from us. If there's anything you need feel free to ask me.Ā
gracieabrams
tangentwithtanner
discoholicmusic
areudirty
turnnoffyourmind
jimmyeatworldofficial
romaincrisis