/you can call me Tonton or Match/ /18 and any pronouns/ /like to dump my drawings in this account/ this is a sideblog I can't follow back anyone damnnit
Alr so hi guys I need help specifically from the undertale au community about the aus because I've recently got back into it and I pretty much forgot everything about it and I’ve been trying to research it so can you guys just give me some rundowns of the main ones? Like: fellswap red or gold underswap LIKE ANYYY I know about the underfell bc of the doc recently updated but I just want like a rundown of the aus please and thank you p.s also what is the difference between fellswap and swapfell? p.s part 2: also what is the disbelief au and x thank you ◡̈
I always wanted to make a post like this because I see that many people are also really confused. ITS GONNA BE LONG LMAO
So basically...
Swapfell= what if Underswap characters was living in a world like Underfell? How would this effect them?
Fellswap= what if Underfell characters was swapped with each other? How would this effect them?
SWAPFELL AND FELLSWAP ARE NOT AU'S, THEY ARE CONCEPTS.
The word Swapfell/Fellswap is actually a CONCEPT, these are not AU's, these are just the name of the CONCEPTS.
And the difference between these two CONCEPTS: is YOUR take on the concept and how YOU made it into a AU.
Also because, Underswap was always a concept that was up to YOUR take since it became a Community AU.
If you want to know the AU's that were made with the Swapfell/Fellswap concepts, you need to look at:
Fellswap GOLD, Swapfell RED, Swapfell PURPLE. these are the only main Swapfell/Fellswap's.
the color names are used to identify the AU's more easily! Simple as that!
if you see people using the tags swapfell gold/fellswap red/fellswap purple but when you check its the same main au designs and not somebody elses take, just know that person is also confused lmao
Fellswap AU's:
The creator of the Fellswap concept and the creator of the first Fellswap AU is @.blackggggum, they name their AU as Fellswap Gold too.
If you want to learn more about FSG you can check @.fellswap-gold, the creator of Fellswap GOLD runs it.
But basically FSG was heavily inspired by George Orwell's 1984 novel and Communist Russia, the AU is about getting silenced, oppressed and being have to live in a chaotic world just like in 1984 because of the manipulative goverment (Toriel is the Goverment, she is the authority).
So far FSG is the most different AU of all Swapfell/Fellswap AU's.
And the creator of FSG also is a big fan of Swapfell Red and Swapfell Purple, they have a post that shows you the difference.
Here:
💬 16 🔁 1041 ❤️ 6353 · I'm so sorry for the conflicts these days，and trying my best to fix everything！
P1 in English
P2 in Japanese
P3 i
They also have this post to show the WORLD DIFFERENCE between the AU's ( Swapfell Purple and Fellswap Gold included).
💬 6 🔁 106 ❤️ 1223 · I guess when people ask about the difference between Swapfell and Fellswap, theyre asking on how the ywo AUs are diffe
Swapfell AU's:
Swapfell Red (not the first Swapfell) has became a community AU, theres NOTHING canon about the world build and characters, only the designs, especially Papyrus and Sans' design. So again it's up to you, your take.
Swapfell Purple (the first Swapfell concept and AU) is lost because the creator quit a long time ago but you can find archived media from @.utmconservator, just search the tag #swapfell/#fellswap or if you want to see the posts that the actual creator of Swapfell Purple had, just search the creator's tag #kkhoppang, that's the creator.
But don't forget that Swapfell Purple was actually about Undyne x Alphys, the creator Kkhoppang's favorite ship, but people paid more attention to Sans and Payrus which made Kkhoppang quit if I remember right. Such a valid reason if you ask me.
The creator of Fellswap Gold has few posts about Swapfell Purple! And if you want to see fanmade content you can check @.nishimori38 's amazing take on the AU as a comic, you can find translations!
Other than these three AU's, there are no other Swapfell/Fellswap AU's.
I hope this can help you with Swapfell/Fellswap!
I don't know much about disbelief, I'm sorry!
and about X, I think you mean Dusttrust X and Finality? If I understood you correctly I can also talk about that!
>Sans isn't scared of spiders, just simply doesn't likes them much.
>Of course, he doesn't dislike Muffet because she's a spider, they actually talk together when Papyrus falls a sleep at MUFFET'S and Sans goes there to pick him up.
Muffet gives Sans a donut and a drink (maybe coffe), both his favorite flavor.
And they just chit-chat, it turns out they get along well, not so suprising.
>But they don't become close friends, just a friend you can talk together with when everything is quiet for a little while.
What would Papyrus have done with the Chara if Asgore hadn't asked to look after him?
In my opinion, he wouldn’t do the whole: “you’d be dead where you stand” threat at the dinner table
He’s a papyrus in a “sans” styled role. Not a Papyrus that is MEANT to be sans.
He would still believe in you no matter what. He would still protect you even if Asgore didn’t say anything behind that door.
Hell I think he wouldn’t even judge you at the very end of your journey in whatever the last corridor equivalent is in Underswap
No, what the Great Papyrus would do if he was in sans’ role was be your friend till the very end, even if you killed everyone.
He’d be pissed and angry at you, yeah. But he would still hold out hope that you could at least change. Even more so than sans in Undertale’s genocide route.
He’s a chiller more laidback version of Undertale’s Papyrus. Not a straight up sans clone.
❥Summary: Papyrus thinks he’s being kind. He thinks that by ending your brief, beautiful "situationship," he’s sparing you from the wreckage of his own guarded soul and the threat of Chara's power. He’s trying to prevent a loss that hasn't happened yet. Now, with three other timelines crashing into theirs, the Underswap brothers are no longer the only ones in the house. As the air grows thick with magic and protective instincts, Papyrus realizes that "letting you go" was a lie he told himself to survive, but when he's ready to take you back it might just be too late.
❥︎Author notes: Hello everyone, I'm back from my break with the next chapter. Thank you to everyone who has been patient. Due to the poll results Red and Edge have more of a role on this chapter, future polls will be created so keep an eye out for them. I hope you enjoy ❤️
The morning sun filtered through your curtains, hitting your face and waking you up. You didn't move immediately. Blue was still fast asleep beside you, his arm draped over your waist like a lead weight.
You learned that skeleton monsters are dense and waking up under his arm felt like being pinned by a very warm, very heavy statue. You nudged him. "Blue, wake up."
He let out a low, vibrating groan, his eye sockets squeezed tight. He didn't budge, just subconsciously tightened his grip, pulling you flush against him. You had to physically peel his arm off, feeling the solid, heavy resistance of bone against your side. He mumbled something unintelligible and flopped onto his back, his jaw slightly slack.
You slipped out of bed, grabbed fresh clothes, and got yourself together before heading downstairs.
The smell of freshly brewed coffee hit you before you even reached the bottom step.
In the kitchen, the atmosphere was already tense. Edge was towering over your counter, aggressively monitoring your coffee maker. Mutt was leaning against the side of your refrigerator, in one hand a cup of coffee, in the other a rolled-up magazine tapping rhythmically against his thigh, looking thoroughly unimpressed.
You cleared your throat as you stepped onto the linoleum. "Morning. Nice to see you found the kitchen."
Edge didn’t look back, his red scarf shifting as he reached for a mug.
You watched them for a moment then sighed and pulled a third mug from the cabinet, filling it with the dark roast. Soon you realized both skeletons were drinking it straight so you pulled a carton of creamer from the fridge. You held it up, gesturing toward Mutt. "Cream?"
Mutt waved a lazy hand. "Nah. Don't touch the stuff."
You turned the carton toward Edge. To your surprise, the tall, spiked skeleton hesitated, then gave a stiff, jerky nod. "A minor splash. To temper the acidity."
Mutt’s tap-tapping stopped instantly. Both of his eye sockets popped wide open as he stared at his alternate self. "You're taking cream? You put sweet shit in your fuel?"
Edge’s skull flushed slightly. He snatched the carton from your hand, pouring an aggressive splash into his coffee. "Some of us have standards about the way things taste, now silence yourself before I grind your bones like they're coffee grounds!"
Mutt just snorted, leaning his head back against the fridge.
You took a slow sip of your own coffee, looking between the two of them. "You know, I’m starting to notice a trend here. Is Sans not a morning person any universe?"
Mutt and Edge both paused, turning their heads to look at you. They gave you an identical, flat, unblinking deadpan.
Eventually you decided to start on breakfast, you pulled out eggs, butter, and cheese, "I'm making omelets. Anyone want one?"
Edge stepped forward, setting his mug down with a clack. "If a meal is to be prepared under this roof, it will be done with proper execution. Allow me."
You raised an eyebrow, surprised by the offer, but stepped aside and handed him the cutting board and a chef's knife. "Be my guest."
Any doubts you had vanished within seconds. Edge took the knife and began dicing ham and peppers precisely. You realized he was scary good with a knife.
As the butter began to sizzle in the pan and the smell of food filled the air, the rest of the house finally began to wake up.
A series of heavy, uncoordinated footsteps echoed from the stairs and the hall. The Sanses stumbled into the kitchen one by one, looking thoroughly disheveled. Blue was the first one up, wearing oversized blue sleep shorts and a wrinkled t-shirt, his eye sockets half-lidded with sleep.
The moment he saw you at the stove, a soft smile broke across his face. He walked straight over to your side, and rested an arm over your shoulder. He leaned in slightly, sleepily watching the eggs bubble in the pan. "Morning," he mumbled, his voice rougher and deeper than usual from sleep.
"Morning, sleepyhead," you murmured, your heart doing a strange, nervous flip at his sudden proximity.
After him, Red shuffled in, scratching his ribs and groaning. He eyed the stove, then leaned heavily against Edge’s shoulder. "Hey. When’s it gonna be done, Boss? Starvin' here."
Edge’s knife slammed into the cutting board with a loud *thwack*. "Step away from me, you worthless sack of grease” Red just chuckled raspy, not looking intimidated at all.
Before the brothers could escalate, Black stepped into the kitchen, straightening the collar of his dark shirt. He took one look at the pans and huffed. "Move aside, amateurs. A culinary talent such as mine should not be wasted." He smoothly took the spatula from your hand, immediately adjusting the burner heat.
For a few minutes, the kitchen felt almost normal. It was chaotic, loud, and crowded, but it was mundane. It felt like a regular, busy morning and you were starting to enjoy the extra company.
Then the front back clicked open.
Tension settled immediately Honey walked in, followed closely by Sans and Papyrus.
Honey didn't look like he had slept at all. His orange hoodie looked rumpled, his shoulders were tense.
"We need to talk," Honey said, his voice cutting through the kitchen chatter.
Everyone gathered around the small dining table, the freshly made plates of food suddenly ignored. Honey rubbed the back of his neck, leaning heavily against the wall.
"We haven't made any progress," Honey admitted flatly. "Me and Sans spent the night tearing into the machine's code and the magical core. Nothing. We don't know how it fired up, we don't know what triggered the specific coordinate locks, and right now, we don't even know where to start to reverse it." Sans nodded slowly from his chair, a serious look on his face that didn't match his permanent grin. "It's locked down tight, we worked on it for hours and got nowhere.”
A heavy silence fell over the room.
Honey sighed, pulling his hands out of his pockets. "Look, logistically, this is gonna get expensive. I still have a massive amount of gold saved up from our time in the Underground, human banks convert it easily enough. I'll cover the food, the space, whatever we need."
You leaned forward. "Honey, I have a good chunk of savings put away from my art sales and work. I can help cover-"
"No," Honey interrupted, his voice dropping into a sharp, unyielding tone that brooked no argument. He didn't even look at you. "Absolutely not. This is our problem. You're not spending a single cent of your money on this."
You bit the inside of your cheek, feeling that familiar wall he always put up. "It’s still on the table," you said firmly, staring right at him until his eye lights flickered toward you. "If you ever need it, it's there."
He didn't answer.
Blue broke the sudden tension, straightening up in his chair with his usual determined air. "Well! Since we don't have an immediate solution, we should plan for the present. I think that for now, we should plan for everyone to stay in this universe long-term"
Instantly, the table erupted.
"Stay here?!" Black barked, slamming a fist down. "In this soft, pathetic reality? Absolutely not!"
"are you out of your skull, blue?" Red muttered, shaking his head.
Edge let out a growl of protest, while Mutt just groaned loudly.
Blue completely ignored the outburst, pressing forward with logistics. "Quiet, everyone! We must be practical! If we can't figure out how to work the machine, then we need to figure out how to make you all staying here work. I suggest looking into getting a larger house to start at least something with more than five rooms so everyone has proper quarters." He then casually reached out, gesturing directly to you. "Though, I suppose you could just share a room with me, so that saves us some space!"
You froze, your entire body going completely stiff.
Across the table, Honey gave a single, slow, tight nod, his jaw clenching as he turned his face completely toward the window, refusing to look at either of you.
Red’s smile widened into a smirk. He looked back and forth between you and Blue, a low, knowing chuckle vibrating in his chest.
Blue, completely oblivious to the sudden drop in atmospheric pressure, just began humming to himself as he reached for a piece of toast.
When breakfast finally ended, Honey, Sans, and Papyrus headed back to their house next door to continue dealing with the machine.
You stayed in the kitchen, watching Blue scribble a grocery list on the counter.
You felt yourself starting to overthink, did Blue think you were dating? Or did he just fully anticipate that you were going to be very soon?
You began reviewing the evidence in your head, a cold sweat breaking out. You had given him all the signs, hadn’t you? You hung out constantly, you never pushed him away, you had just spent the night sleeping in the same bed, and hell, he kept a spare change of clothes at your house. To someone who loved as deeply and openly as Blue, those were massive green lights.
"Hey, Blue?" you asked softly, leaning against the doorframe.
"Yes, human?" he beamed, not looking up from his paper.
"About what you said at breakfast... about us sharing a room in a new house."
Blue stopped writing. He blinked once, twice, and then suddenly, his entire skull flushed glowing neon blue. He slammed his hand directly over his face socket, a loud *smack* echoing through the kitchen.
"Oh my god" he gasped, his voice muffled behind his gloves. "I... I didn't even realize what I insinuated, I am so incredibly sorry. I was focused on space optimization and keeping you close where it’s safe, I didn't mean to imply anything like that"
He pulled his hands away, looking up at you with absolute honesty, his blue eye lights wide and vulnerable.
"But..." Blue hesitated, swallowing hard. "If I am being entirely honest with you... I would like to date you. I know things have been... confusing, especially with whatever happened between you and my brother. But I promise you, I will treat you so well. I would cherish you. But if you aren't ready, or if you don't want things between us to change, that is completely okay! I never, ever want you to feel pressured by me."
You forced yourself to nod, keeping your face completely neutral, your voice steady as you managed to squeak out, "Thanks, Blue. I appreciate you telling me. Let's just... take things a step at a time, okay?"
"Of course," he said brightly, clearly relieved.
You left the kitchen with a smile that somehow stayed on your face until you reached the hallway, then it vanished.
The rest of the day blurred together.
You tried to distract yourself, you tried to start on chores, pick up after your guests, but every few minutes, your thoughts wandered back to Blue.
“I would cherish you.”
The words refused to leave your head. You believed him, that was the problem.
Honey had cared too. You knew he had. But caring hadn't stopped him from walking away. If you let yourself fall for Blue and somehow history repeated itself...
You squeezed your eyes shut.
You weren't afraid of dating him.
You were afraid of losing him.
By evening, the house felt too small. Blue had been in and out all day, coming back with arms full of groceries, extra blankets, and necessities. The constant movement, combined with Black, Red, and Edge occupying your living room, was suffocating. You needed to escape.
You walked into the living room, grabbing your jacket. "Hey. Tell Blue I went out to Grillby's. I'll be back soon."
Red’s skull snapped up from the couch. "Grillby's?" His single red eye light flared with sudden intensity. "Sweetheart. Dollface. You gotta take me with you. I'd kill for some Grillby's right now, I'm serious too."
You were too exhausted to argue. "Fine. Whatever. Let's go."
Edge immediately stood up, his armor clanking loudly. "I am coming as well. I refuse to let my idiot brother wander unsupervised. He will undoubtedly cause an incident and give us unwanted attention."
You nodded and thought about logistics "We're walking," you muttered, opening the front door. "Edge, you're way too tall and spiky for my car anyway. Luckily, it's close."
The walk was quiet, save for Red occasionally muttering complaints. When you arrived, Edge took one look at the sign and stopped dead on the pavement outside.
"I shall wait out here," Edge declared, crossing his arms firmly. "I despise greasy, low-class establishments. The mere aroma degrades my standards."
"Suit yourself," you said, pushing the door open.
Inside, the bar was warm, smelling of smoke and wood. Red let out a low, appreciative whistle as he slid onto a stool next to you. "Heh. Look at that. Just like home. Same crappy lighting, same smell."
The elemental bartender flame flared in greeting. You ordered a heavy drink for yourself, then turned to Red. "Want one? Consider it a welcome gift to a different universe."
"Don't mind if I do, dollface," Red purred, leaning his elbow on the bar and propping his skull in his hand. He looked at you, his red eye light tracing your face.
"So, does a pretty little thing like you often come to a joint like this alone? Or do you take the boyscout with you"
You took a long sip of your drink. "Nah, Blue hates this place. Me and Honey used to go here but we don't hang out on our own much anymore”
He chuckled, unbothered. "What the hell is the deal with you and those two anyways?”
You groaned, rubbing your temples. "It's complicated."
"No shit," Red laughed hoarsely. "So, what's the play? You want to be with either of 'em?"
You sighed, the alcohol starting to loosen your thoughts. "Honey? No. We... tried. He broke it off. He put up a wall and left me behind. Blue... maybe. He told me today he wants to date me. He's amazing, but... I don't know. I'm terrified."
Red was thoroughly buzzed at this point, his eye light swirling slightly. He let out a dark chuckle, leaning in close enough that you could smell the sharp, smoky magic on his breath. "Heh. Tell me, doll... who’s making you pick between just those two anyway? Especially now that your options just doubled twice over." He gave you a slow, deliberate wink. "Hell, I'd even throw my hat in the ring. You’re a lot better company than the trash back home."
You let out a loud, sudden laugh, the alcohol hitting your system hard now. "Shut up, Red," you giggled, your vision swimming slightly.
But as you closed the tab and stood up on shaky legs, his words stuck in your head.
The moment you stumbled out into the cool night air, your knees buckled. You were completely wasted.
Edge let out a loud, echoing groan of annoyance. "Incompetent fools! Both of you!"
Before you could even register what was happening, Edge reached down. With one massive, red-gloved arm, he scooped you up effortlessly, tucking you against his armored side like a sack of groceries. With his other hand, he grabbed a heavily slurring Red by the back of his fur collar, literally dragging him along the pavement.
You didn't care. In your drunken haze, you felt comfortable enough. You looked up at Edge’s sharp jawline, giggling loudly as your words slurred together. "Edge... oh my god, you're... so strong. Look at you. You're so cool looking... I love the leather. And the heeled boots... you're just... you're so badass..."
Edge’s entire skull went crimson. "Silence, human!" he barked, his voice cracking slightly with embarrassment. "You are intoxicated and speaking nonsense! Do not address me until you're sober!"
He marched faster, completely ignoring your giggles, dragging his brother who was muttering incoherent song lyrics behind them.
When the front door burst open, Blue was pacing the living room floor, looking frantic. The moment he saw Edge carry you in, he ran forward, hovering over you instantly.
"What happened?! Are they okay?!" Blue asked, gently, taking you from Edge’s arms and bracing your weight against his shoulder.
"They both are entirely intoxicated," Edge snarled, throwing Red onto the living room couch like a pile of dirty laundry. Mutt, who was lying on the floor under a blanket, let out a loud, raspy snort.
Soon Blue helped you to your room upstairs, leaving everyone else.
Edge stood still for a moment, his arms were crossed and he was deep in thought. “... I will admit, the human is... tolerable. In fact, I quite like them. I think I shall take them back with me as my personal companion when we return to our universe.”
Black stiffened instantly. His eye sockets narrowed into sharp slits. "Absolutely not. I was already formulating a plan to bring the human back to my domain. Their compliance and assistance would be highly valued under my rule."
Mutt cracked an eye socket, his deep, gravelly voice cutting through the room with sudden, icy seriousness. "Both of you are absolute idiots. That's a terrible idea. They would get killed within five minutes in either of our worlds, and you know it."
The room went quiet. The lightheartedness vanished, replaced by the grim reality of the worlds they left behind.
Black slowly looked down at his book, his grip tightening on the pages. "To be honest..." he muttered quietly, "I am starting to think... I want to stay here."
Nobody disagreed.
Upstairs, Blue gently guided you into your bedroom, shutting out the heavy silence of the downstairs. He helped you sit on the edge of the bed, carefully removing your shoes before heading to fetch a cold glass of water.
He came back, kneeling down in front of you and pressing the cool glass into your hands. He looked up at you, his blue eye lights filled with a soft worry.
"Did... did all of this multiverse stuff stress you out that much?" Blue asked softly, his voice full of self-reproach. "Is that why you went out to drink like that?"
You stared down at him, your vision blurry, the alcohol stripping away every single filter you had left. You shook your head slowly, a heavy, painful tear slipping down your cheek.
"No..." you slurred honestly, your voice cracking. "It wasn't them... it was a future with you."
Blue froze. The hand resting on your knee went entirely still.
"You're... you're so amazing, Blue," you mumbled, your hands trembling around the glass. "You're perfect. You're so good, and you'd treat me so well... and that's why... that's why it's gonna hurt so bad if you break my heart." Your voice cracked and Blue’s expression completely melted.
The shock in his face dissolved into tenderness. He carefully took the glass from your hands, setting it on the nightstand, and then slid onto the bed beside you.
He wrapped his arms around you, pulling you tightly against his chest, burying his skull into your hair.
"I won't," he whispered.
You didn't respond. The darkness finally pulled you under, and you passed out cold in his arms before you could hear the desperation in his voice.
Blue shifted your weight gently, pulling the heavy blankets up over your shoulders until you were tucked comfortably against him. He stayed awake, his arms locked securely around you, staring blankly into the room.
He listened to your breathing, his mind spinning.
A part of him wondered if your reaction had anything to do with his brother.
Swapfell Papyrus and Underswap Papyrus Dynamic Headcanons
Their dynamic really feels like two high school friends. One of them is openly unhinged, the other is similar at his core but hides it better, mostly letting it slip only when he is around him. Normally, Swap is pretty calm and chill, but because of Swapfell’s influence, it starts to change him a little. He becomes more mischievous, more willing to play along.
“Ugh, I tried out a ouija board last night and tried talking to a dead hooker, but she didn’t answer. Fuckin’ bitch.”
They are the kind of duo where you would only label one of them as unhinged and crazy, that being Swapfell, since he is the one who shows it openly. But Swap can be just as mischievous and just as much of an asshat as Swapfell with enough exposure, especially when he is around him long enough and gets dragged into Swapfell’s bullshit.
Even then, Swap is still the one who stays more rational. Whether he is getting pulled into things by Swapfell or doing them on his own, he still ends up being the clearer thinker in their friendship. That is mostly because of how stupid and impulsive Swapfell can be with his actions and decision making.
Stretch knows deep down what kind of person Swapfell really is. He knows how to check stats after all, and he can see his soul. And the soul never lies, his father always said. He sees past the facade Swapfell puts up.
They both struggle with addiction, but they handle it very differently. That struggle is actually how they met. Stretch was outside smoking one night after the other AUs had arrived, and he ended up catching Swapfell outside as well.
From there, they slowly started bonding over time. It escalated from just smoking and hanging out to doing other things together. Stretch might unknowingly be the reason Swapfell is slowly getting better at decision making, especially compared to how he is with some of his other counterparts.
Swapfell does consider Stretch a bit of a pussy, mostly because he refuses to do the exact same reckless things he does. He hates how rational and nerdy Stretch can be, especially when Stretch is actively trying to stop him from making things worse with his decisions
But like any addict, Swapfell is too deep to properly care whether what he is doing is right or wrong.
He just does what makes him feel good, the same way he always did back in the Underground. Still, he never fully drops Stretch. He likes his company, at least from time to time.
Sometimes Stretch has to take small breaks from the friendship when Swapfell becomes too much. Even so, he tries to keep the friendship steady. He sets boundaries, talks things out, and tries to communicate.
But because they grew up in two very different worlds, that difference constantly affects their relationship. Swapfell relied on cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol to escape conflicts.
Whenever Stretch tries to confront him seriously, Swapfell either does not listen or just responds with “yeah yeah whatever,” trying to end the conversation as quickly as possible. He pretends to take it seriously, but he never really does. No one back in his world ever did any of that for him, so it feels unreal, or even stupid, to him. He needs a lot of time just to get used to the basics.
Whenever Swapfell is alone in his room and thinks about their friendship, his thoughts spiral. He replays the things Stretch has done for him. In his world, that kind of behavior would have meant betrayal, or that someone wanted something in exchange. But that never comes.
As he exhales cigarette smoke, he tries to suppress the itching feeling in his soul. He reaches for one of his drug stashes instead. Still, he has started changing small parts of his routine. He does not always use at the same times he used to.
He does not go out every single night to smoke weed through his window anymore. He still does sometimes, but not every time the urge hits.
He relapses, sure, but there are also moments where he does not. That difference matters, even if he hates admitting it. Ugh. He needs a smoke.
Stretch has to endure and face many awkward, uncomfortable, and sometimes harsh situations. He has a lot of patience, but even that patience can run out under certain circumstances. Still, he holds on.
If Swapfell were to meet some of his old friends from the Underground, and they noticed even the slightest change in him since arriving on the surface and becoming friends with Stretch, especially the slow steps away from his addictions, he would immediately get defensive.
He would try to prove them wrong, no matter what it took. He hates the idea of being called soft. It is a reflex, and it is something he will not be able to shake for a long time.
His mood swings can be brutal. He can suddenly turn mean, unpredictable, and become a complete asshole. At the same time, he is used to rapid changes, so he adapts quickly to situations despite his mood. He knows he is an asshole.
Maybe he does, maybe he does not. Maybe he just does not care. Stretch, being who he is, has learned how to handle these situations much better than he would have if he had met Swapfell earlier. He stays patient. But even the slightest emotional shift in Stretch is enough to set Swapfell off, leading to constant teasing, mocking, and pushing.
Swapfell lives his life chasing what makes him happy, or at least what he learned is supposed to make people happy. He does not fully realize what he is doing to the people around him. Or maybe he does. Or maybe he does not care. It is impossible to tell.
That behavior might end up ruining his friendship with Stretch. The small itch in his soul that started appearing when he spent time with Stretch becomes more noticeable, more irritating. It makes him feel like he should be doing something else, something that does not cause that feeling.
Because of the environment Swapfell grew up in, surrounded by people who used sex, drugs, and alcohol as coping mechanisms, his priorities are warped. When conversations with Stretch turn deeper, he sometimes does not really care about the emotional side of it. What he cares about is the fact that he might finally have a chance to sleep with Stretch.
He does not understand that when he gets comfortable with Stretch, through things like cuddling, he cannot stop himself from teasing. His thoughts immediately drift into something sexual. Even something as small as resting his head on Stretch’s shoulder sends his mind spiraling.
He cannot avoid those thoughts. They show up everywhere, especially in moments involving affection. The moment they appear, that itchy softness in his soul disappears, replaced by something more needy, more sexual.
Stretch is genuinely trying his best to keep Swapfell away from his old habits, maybe even trying too hard. He does not want him to fall into a rabbit hole that could ultimately kill him. Stretch has not personally been in those exact places, but he has seen what happens when someone else falls into them. He does not want that future for Swapfell.
So really, give a round of applause to Stretch’s patience.
