Bone Wary @imbonewary - Tumblr Blog

Shifting Sans Chapter 1 "Winging It"

I'm finally writing about my Sans oc, Serif; I've already started posting it on Ao3 but I wanted to post it here too so, without further ado, here's the beginning of Serif's story!

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Skeleton hand is lightly alter from here

Chapter 2

Last Edit: 5.8.26

*…

*that expression that you're wearing…

*…

*you're really kind of a freak, huh?

*how many times have we fought in this hallway?

*i've lost track.

*that distant look in your eyes…

*you're just going through the motions, too.

*blast, slash, dodge, repeat…

*it's getting a little old, isn't it?

*…

*what if I did something different?

#undertale #jumbletale #alternate universe #oc #serif #sans serif #serif the sans #shifting sans #lucky papyrus #amber alphys

AbsenTale, a Gaster AU

This AU is still one of my favorites, and one I was very proud of even before revamping it. The basic idea is that instead of Gaster being erased, Sans and Papyrus did, and Gaster has to fill the roles of both brothers in the game to still hit all of the important plot points. It is so named because Sans and Pap are "absent" and must be replaced. This post is just what happens in the Underground, as I have some history for Gaster during the human/monster war, and it ends before Frisk falls, as I'll have a different post explaining how Gaster fills those roles, as well as some fun stuff that happens once they get to the surface.

But for now...

=-= =-= =-=

THE STORY SO FAR

=-= =-= =-=

#undertale #alternate universe #absentale #absent tale #gaster replaces sans and papyrus #Redacster #Vans #Vapyrus #Vap #w. d. gaster

imbonewary

InverTale, the Inverse of Undertale

I had an AU idea a while ago that I just updated and wanted to share. Then I realized I could combine it with two other ideas I haven’t looked at in a while and this has suddenly become a much bigger project than anticipated. I still have some kinks to work out, and need to update the other ideas, but this bit is ready to post now and the rest will (hopefully) be coming soon.

So.

The original concept for this AU was to use everyone’s Underswap personalities but keep them in their original Undertale positions. This means that I’d have things like an Anxious and Nerdy (Royal Scientist) Undyne trying to be Captain of the Royal Guard, so I’d have to come up with a reason why someone with a nervous personality would even want to be Royal Guard at all, let alone end up as Captain, among other weirdness. Some things fell into place fairly easily, especially Undyne and Alphys for some reason, and Grillby and Muffet worked oddly well as a flamboyant barista and a speakeasy owner tucked away in the CORE somewhere. However, I struggled with most of them, either being too similar to their swap partners for their positions to distinguish them, too similar to their Undertale or Underswap counterparts, or I couldn't find a way to make their new personality make sense with their original position.

My new premise worked much better for the odd ones, let me keep a lot of what I'd already worked out, and was honestly much easier to explain and justify as being its own AU.

I Inverted the characters.

To make these new characters the inverse of the original characters, I took a few core tenets of their Undertale personalities and found an antonym that is similar to, but still different from, their Underswap personalities, making sure they were still unique while also giving me some wiggle room to play with. I laid out all three of the loose and simplified descriptions I was working with before each character section, so hopefully that’ll make more sense once we actually start getting into it.

Thus, Inverse Undertale or InverTale.

((Not to be confused with Inverted Fate, as it’s their personalities that are inverted, not their fate. I actually don’t know much about Inverted Fate, the only commonality is in name.))

I also shifted the layout of the Underground a little, just cuz. :3

imbonewary

These last two profiles, Frisk and Flowey, have been burning a hole in my pocket while I figure out how to interact with the game plot; Frisk’s cuts off upon falling into the Underground, since I haven’t fully fleshed that out yet, and Flowey’s is a little spoiler-y, so be warned, I guess

=-= =-= =-= =-=

If Undertale Frisk was ambiguous and adaptable but determined, and Underswap Frisk was empathetic and determined but naïve, then Inverted Frisk is forthright and unyielding but perceptive.

Born a boy with the name Dieter Friskrau, they usually went by the nickname “Frisk” as shortened from their last name. Frisk had always been unapologetically themself, even though that tended to alienate them from their peers, especially as communication started to become more subtle as they all grew. They saw the nuance the other kids used and understood it well enough, but they could not fathom why they would waste so much time and energy on such an inefficient method of interaction when they could just say what they meant and move on. This did not endear them to their classmates, who often accused them of being unnecessarily blunt or having childish expectations about the world, and this only got worse in Junior High and into High School. Frisk was just starting to figure out how to act authentically while still falling within the margin of error for “acceptable public behavior” by the end of their 9th grade year, but they still had no real friends, leaving them desperately lonely.

They were traveling with their parents to celebrate the 4th of July when there was a bad car accident, which only Frisk survived, somehow only suffering superficial injuries.

Since their father’s family all still lived somewhere in Europe and their mother was estranged from her immediate family, Frisk was shipped off to live with two of their mother’s cousins in The Middle of Nowhere, South Dakota. They were wracked with survivor’s guilt and blamed themself for the accident, for distracting their parents, on top of the loneliness, depression, and suicidal ideation they were already dealing with, so they were relieved they at least had the rest of summer vacation to sort things out before attempting school again. They decided to spend time in nature one day and climbed the nearby mountain, despite warnings that it was dangerous and to stay away from it, and eventually found out why as they fell down a hole and into the Underground.

If Undertale Flowey was deceptive and curious, and Underswap Flowey was silly and authentic, then Inverted Flowey is open but broken.

A few months after the Amalgamates were revealed and the test flowers returned to the King’s garden, Flowey awoke with a confusing mess of memories and emotions. Since Asriel’s memories were most prominent, he assumed that he was Asriel somehow reborn as a flower, though this would become less clear to him as time went on.

When he first woke up, he felt scared and confused, calling for help that didn’t come until hours later. While Asgore was overcome with emotions, Flowey “felt nothing” for him, all emotions numb and distant, like echoes of what he knows he should be feeling but doesn’t, not really. Negative emotions were dim at best, but they were at least there, unlike the positive emotions that were completely absent. Frustration built the longer he spent with Asgore, losing hope that the emotions would come, and eventually culminating in Flowey discovering the ability to burrow in a desperate bid to escape, finding Toriel in the Hollow Shrine. Unfortunately, she had just as little luck helping Flowey as Asgore did and he ran away again before deciding that death was preferable to an existence without love, and successfully committed suicide. However, as he felt himself fade, he realized he didn’t actually want to die, but it was too late.

Then he woke up in the King’s garden, as if nothing had happened.

He slowly realized what he could do and began to experiment, usually taking the name “Flowey” instead of calling himself “Asriel”, but nothing could hold his attention for long; he was unable to form actual attachments, to people or experiences, beyond the “excitement” of learning something new. It was as close to a positive emotion that he had gotten since waking up as a flower and he chased it until there was nothing left to learn in the Underground. He tried to recreate that excitement, but the more he reset, the more obvious it became that it wasn’t working, and the more desperate he was to make it work anyways. He drove himself mad as timelines blended together in his memory and he could no longer tell what he had or hadn’t done at a given time, eventually staying in one timeline long enough for Frisk to fall, losing the reset power.

Now, he could be classified as a “cloud-cuckoo-lander” and often says things he shouldn’t know; whether he actually knows or could infer these things (from other timelines) or is just blurting out something random is debatable.

While he diagnosed himself with soul-less-ness, this isn’t entirely accurate. His soul is different from a monster soul or a human soul, and this made feeling emotions like he was used to difficult, but it was not impossible; however, when coupled with the memories of two traumatic deaths (Asriel’s and Chara’s) before awakening without a human or monster soul, he is actually suffering from something similar to PTSD, which has been described as leaving one dissociated, detached from their emotions, and unable to feel anything positive while negative emotions are often muted at best.

Asriel’s memories were more prominent, leading Flowey to believe he was just a revived Asriel, though this isn’t entirely accurate either. Almost all of Chara’s memories of the Underground were with Asriel, doubling up the “strength” of those memories, and since they had suppressed most of their memories of the surface, they were easily “overpowered” by the doubled memories as well, so Flowey didn’t recognize them as such. He did eventually begin to question his assumptions, though, which may have contributed to him losing his grip on reality.

#undertale #alternate universe #inverse #inverse undertale #invertale #character profiles #asriel #frisk #flowey

Pair Swap, a Random AU

So, I've been slowly chipping away at like four or five different AUs and this one just kinda distracted me for a while. I had the general idea ages ago but only recently fleshed it out enough to feel comfortable showing it off.

Focusing first on the main 6 characters, there are three pairs that are inextricably linked: Sans and Papyrus, Alphys and Undyne, and Toriel and Asgore. Most swap AUs switch their roles within these pairs, like Alphys being the Captain and Undyne being the Royal Scientist, but I decided to tie these pairs together and swap them with another pair. The obvious starting point was swapping Sans and Pap with Alphys and Undyne, making Pap the Captain and Sans the Royal Scientist, and Undyne the rookie trying to get into the Guard while Alphys is the mysterious Judge. I found some concept art (so, so long ago...) that sparked this initial concept but it felt weird leaving Asgore and Toriel alone, so I had to find a pair to swap them with as well, and bellow the cut is the result.

I've got a few ideas for other pairs to swap but I haven't fully solidified any of them, especially since there aren't a lot of pairs that are quite as solid as our core characters. Let me know if y'all have any ideas for pairs and who they might be swapped with.

#undertale #alternate universe #pair swap #I haven't decided if Serif shows up at all #let alone where he'd show up #underswap

InverTale, the Inverse of Undertale

So.

My new premise worked much better for the odd ones, let me keep a lot of what I'd already worked out, and was honestly much easier to explain and justify as being its own AU.

I Inverted the characters.

Thus, Inverse Undertale or InverTale.

((Not to be confused with Inverted Fate, as it’s their personalities that are inverted, not their fate. I actually don’t know much about Inverted Fate, the only commonality is in name.))

I also shifted the layout of the Underground a little, just cuz. :3

#undertale #alternate universe #inverse #inverse undertale #invertale #character profiles #gaster #sans #papyrus #undyne #alphys #asgore #toriel #asriel #chara

I'm finally back into Undertale! Woo!

So, in January, the idea of Danny Phantom being adopted by Batman got a stranglehold on my brain and I've been posting stuff on my side blog for a while. I also started actually writing it out and now that I've been released from Phantom Bat, I think I can finally return to Shifting Sans and actually start writing again.

I'm going to take my time, though, and maybe store up a few chapters before I actually start posting it again, but in the meantime, I think Imma start sharing random AU stuff. I've been hesitant to share it, since it could be considered spoilers for whenever Serif starts AU Hopping, as well as many of them just being half-baked ideas that haven't been refined yet, but I think I don't care about that as much anymore. I just want somewhere to post it lol.

#undertale #alternate universe #AU Hopping #Serif

kristinhateslife

commission for @imbonewary :) Serif was kewl to draw

imbonewary

Woo! They look so good! Especially the outfit you designed, I love it!

#serif #Commission

So I Like Reading Fanfics...

... and now that I have Serif, I can't help but want to put him in LITERALLY EVERYTHING. So. Here are my current ideas about how Serif would interact with the world of Ebott's Wake if he had entered the universe at the same time Doctor Aster came back, though not quite at the same place.

Alternate Universes are eventually confirmed to exist within the narrative, so I have decided to rework how much Serif's presence is going to affect the story. I was concerned about how much I could/should change but what happens next (I've finally caught up to Legacy of the Magi chapter 132) and have fewer reservations now. Serif usually sticks around a new AU for about a month to recover anyways so he can try Hopping again, so it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for him to stay for the duration of the plot, especially if he thinks he can be useful. Things don't change much until after the State of the Kingdom Address and everything associated with it.

#mostly i just want this here so i can look at it on my phone easier #shifting sans #serif #undertale #alternate universe #ebott's wake #fanfic #insert

vex-bittys

Undertale Theories: Determination and the Color Red

*This is a two part theory. The first part is a theory that you may have heard before, but it ties into the second theory, so it’s a necessary refresher. Hopefully, the second part is something new and mind-blowing. If it isn’t, then I offer you a conciliatory egg (terms and exclusions apply).

Part One

*In UNDERTALE, there are seven human SOULs, six of which we are able to see during the course of the game. We know the names and colors of these SOULs: Integrity (Blue), Perseverance (Purple), Patience (Cyan), Kindness (Green), Justice (Yellow), Bravery (Orange). Since the fallen human, Frisk’s SOUL is colored red when it appears for battle, it has long been assumed that the seventh SOUL color is Red paired with the trait of Determination.

*There are a few problems with this theory. The first issue that arises involves the SOUL colors being associated with the words. When the SOUL trait of Bravery is mentioned (during Ball Game) it appears in the color Orange. When Determination is mentioned in the game, the color used is Gold, not Red. Entry Number 5 in the True Lab describes Determination as the “will to keep living” and the “resolve to change fate.” In the game, Save Points, which epitomize Determination, are also colored Gold.

*The best evidence for the Determination SOUL being Gold rather than Red occurs when we compare this screenshot from Undertale:

*with this screenshot from Deltarune:

*Though they aren’t quite in the same order, the flowers in Deltarune correspond with the human SOULs from Undertale, and the seventh flower is Gold. This reinforces the theory that the color of Determination is Gold, not Red. So why is Frisk’s SOUL Red during battles, and why is Kris’ SOUL Red when they remove it and throw it into the cage?

*I have a theory:

Part Two

*Here’s the tea (in theory). Red is the color that a human SOUL turns when a Player is controlling it. It’s not a trait color. It’s a unique magic color not associated with a SOUL trait at all.

*The first evidence of this theory starts at the beginning of the game. You are asked to choose a name for the Fallen Human. We know the character that we play as is named Frisk, so this doesn’t really make sense, does it? If you choose the name Frisk, you activate Hard Mode, which ends at the Ruins. Odd. Unless… Frisk, the character we play, is not the same as us, the Fallen Human.

*What could this mean? It could mean that we, humans, have Fallen into Undertale… the game. This also implies that Frisk is, in fact, a nonbinary character and does not use they simply because they are our avatar.

*The next evidence involving the color Red is Ball Game. The words Ball Game appear in Red, while each SOUL trait appears in its corresponding color. You are awarded a red flag for completing the game. If you get the red flag more than once, you are reminded:

*Interestingly enough, you cannot play Ball Game in the Genocide Route. Also, in the Genocide Route, when you look in the mirror, it says “It’s me, <the name you chose>.” This seems to indicate that when you play that Route, you are doing something which does not fall into Frisk’s character since in the other Routes when Frisk looks in the mirror it says “It’s you.” Also, in the True Pacifist epilogue, once we are no longer controlling Frisk’s important decisions, the mirror says:

*The strongest evidence (in my opinion), is presented during our battles with Papyrus (and Sans), Undyne, Muffet, and Mettaton. The human SOUL changes colors and this affects how the SOUL acts in battle. It is possible that Frisk has a Gold SOUL which is colored Red because you (the Player) are controlling it. Another interesting fact is that during Undyne’s battle, the action that you cannot use (FLEE) and the strategy you (the Player) need to use to win are presented in the color Red.

*This also ties into Deltarune. When Kris rips the SOUL out of their chest, it is Red… and you (the Player) are able to move it within the cage! In Deltarune, there seem to be an awareness of a Player controlling the actions of the characters (some text which indicates that they are dissatisfied with decisions or actions). Kris may be removing the Player-controlled SOUL because they are aware of it.

*This has some interesting implications considering what happens afterwards. After our control is removed, Kris would supposedly now, finally, be in control of themself… and it’s a bit scary.

Thoughts? Comments? Feel free to weigh in.

(Hoping @nochocolate sees this even though they are not active.)

imbonewary

I have THOOOUUUGHTSSS

Kinda late to this party but I wanted to write some stuff anyways, just off the cuff. Brain to paper. This might not be polished or pretty but whatever, I'm doing it anyways.

So.

I do rather like the idea of Frisk/Chara having a gold soul, whether it's associated with Determination or not. More on this later. Probably.

I also like the implication that any soul controlled by us as the player would become red, overriding the character's natural trait, no mater what it may be. I heard a theory that red might be associated with freedom or choice, but I think Control works better in this scenario. Specifically OUR Control over the character/narrative/game/etc. This would explain why there are multiple ending in Undertale, because we have ultimate control over Frisk, while Deltarune is working towards a single ending, because we are not the only ones in control since Kris can resist our influence (to a degree) and so can Susie the few times we direct her.

This also has some interesting implications for my Shifting Sans story, so spoilers I guess?

Serif was once an "average" Sans before absorbing a piece of the genocidal human's soul; this is represented by his soul having a red teardrop shape in the middle of it. I have no intention of changing this but I might have him discover later that the red he had associated with Determination up until now was actually connected to the player and explains why he's able to exert control over his own story as much as he does, and the stories of other AUs once he figures out how to travel between them. He gains player-like abilities that someone in-universe isn't supposed to have and manages to sort of break reality by harnessing that connection.

I think that's all the thoughts I had on this for now, but this post still feels a lot shorter than I was expecting. Oh well, I might add more to this theory later.

#undertale #theory

I am suuuper writer's blocked right now, so no new chapter, but I did redraw my JumbleTale roster! I will update the blog header soon, but for now...

Here is the main cast, as they appear around the time Serif first arrives in JumbleTale!

#this post nearly got away from me TWICE lol #can't decide how much background info i should post before it's introduced in the story #undertale #jumbletale #alternate universe #serif #shifting sans #lucky papyrus #sanatos #amber alphys #hero frisk #buttercup chara #starling #doc toriel #captain asgore #oc #soul colors #soul atributes

The Alternate History of JumbleTale

So, when the monsters come to the surface, I had to answer the question of how the humans would react to them. I had already decided to use Mount Shasta as a “real world counterpart” to the game’s Mount Ebott, mostly due to some legends about an ancient, super advanced civilization living under the mountain, so it became a question of who would be the ones dealing with the monsters: the Californian state government or the United States federal government? To answer that question, I had to ask what the power dynamic was between the state(s) and the country and that is a question that is still plaguing our politics today, so I knew it wouldn’t be an easy answer. To simplify the equation, I decided it would be easier if I had more direct control over the political scene, and to that end I decided to follow the Ebott/Shasta precedent and rename everything; but to what? While things are being named, there is often a process of eliminating other potential names, so what if one of those other names was chosen instead? What would cause that alternate name to be chosen instead of the one that was chosen in our world? The conditions must have been slightly different, right? So, what were the conditions that lead to the original name and how could they have been different? This thought process lead me down a rabbit hole of creating an entire alternate history for the planet, though for this story the more important differences followed the “loss” of the Civil War.

#shifting sans #undertale #jumbletale #alternate universe #this was a lot longer than I expected lol #serif

How My Multiverse is Set Up

This is spoilers for how my multiverse functions so it'll be under the cut but I really wanted to post it anyways cuz I'm kinda proud that it came together so well. This is also for more than just Undertale but my focus is currently on Undertale anyways so it may as well be. I might update this later, possibly with an actual picture.

It always kinda bugged me that everyone kept making "Sans clones", and while I do have my own Sans character (yes, I'm a hypocrite) I decided to use different characters for some of the more common "multiverse gods", namely Ink, Error, Dream, and Nightmare.

Shifting Sans Chapter 16 "*Checks and Balances"

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapter 1 - Chapter 15 - Chapter 17

Last Edit: 5.9.26

“Is the Great Papyrus playing hooky?” the masked monster chuckled in a wispy voice, cocking their head to the side. It seemed like they were trying very hard to sound sinister and creepy but I could feel their amusement, ruining the illusion for me.

“I am most certainly not playing hooky, Bronze!” Papyrus huffed in annoyance. “I’m just helping out a friend-”

#shifting sans #undertale #jumbletale #oc #alternate universe #serif #lucky papyrus #faust #charat

velvetwyrme

Commission for @imbonewary, ft. their boy, Serif!

Thank you again! I had so much fun designing a new outfit for him ^^!!

Commission Info // Ko-Fi

imbonewary

AAAAH I'm so happy! it turned out great, especially the outfit you designed!

#commission

Shifting Sans Chapter 15 "Walking in a Winter Wonderland"

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapter 1 - Chapter 14 - Chapter 16

Last Edit: 5.9.26

Walking through Snowdin was a surreal experience.

#shifting sans #jumbletale #alternate universe #oc #serif #lucky papyrus #faust #charat

Shifting Sans Chapter 14 "Called Out"

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapter 1 - Chapter 13 - Chapter 15

Last Edit: 5.9.26

“I’ll put you on speaker,” Frisk said as he took the phone away from his ear, muttering “so I’m not the only one being yelled at.”

“where are you and who all is there?” came Sans’ exasperated voice from the phone. Despite the tone, Papyrus perked up upon hearing Sans’ voice. I don’t have time to analyze his emotional reaction, let alone mine.

“Heya, bro,” I interjected. Hopefully he’ll go easy on us if I remind him he has a brother now. “Me and Frisk are at Pap’s house with the man himself, feeding us soup ‘n sandwiches. How’re things on your end?”

“don’t change the subject, serif, i’m still mad,” Sans announced. “i literally gave you two one job, to call me at noon, and you both failed.”

#undertale #jumbletale #alternate universe #oc #shifting sans #serif #lucky papyrus #faust #charat #sains

i got my first ever tattoo :D i’m super happy with it

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

Bone Wary