to the people in the notes making the argument that every combination of letters is a word in some language: sure. but you’ll want to at the least know what that word is! naming your character detergent in another language is pretty different from naming your character slut in another language
your advice is flawed, the real solution is to intentionally name characters and things readily recognizable things from another language (a theme is optional)
for example, name every magical thing in your setting after a food
I laughed way too hard at myself for bristling at the description of kal-toh like my dude, just cos Tuvok is the best Vulcan since Spock does not mean Vulcan Jenga is cool
1. I can say the words "abuse", "trauma", and "flashback" out loud without feeling like a guilty liar
2. I'm angry and I don't feel bad about it
3. Accidentally discovered a personal boundary halfway through asserting it
4. I said something confident as a joke and someone agreed with me
5. Oh shit I *enjoy* things
6. I'm angry and it feels really really good
7. I genuinely think this person is a moron and I have no desire to rationalize their stupid choices
8. I'm a good person, actually
9. Just realized that the minor thing I thought I was upset about is actually a placeholder for the really old thing I'm *actually* upset about and suddenly the new thing isn't such a big deal
10. "Same trauma!" *fist bump*
11. Self-deprecation makes me uncomfortable, actually
12. Fuck it, I deserve nice shit I don't need
13. I fucked something up and I'm not a bad person, literally just moving on
14. Wild that I don't feel like apologizing
15. This thing that gave me a panic attack once is only uncomfortable now, fuckin righteous
16. I'm ugly in public cause I don't need to impress anyone and I literally do not care
[Image Description: an Undertale chat box that says “CANON UNIVERSE” at its center. Surrounding it is radar on its left, and CRIME measurers and a Friendship bar from the Dating Hub on its right. End I.D.]
[Image Description: A bar graph titled “CANON CHARACTER SHIP PREFERENCES”. From left (greatest) to right (least): Alphyne, with 1641 who CONSUME it and 435 who CREATE it; Soriel, with 802 consumers and 188 creators; Papyton, with 725 consumers and 150 creators; Sansby, with 644 consumers and 140 creators; RG01/RG02, 555 consumers and 48 creators; Nicepants, 515 consumers and 61 creators; Kingdings, 445 consumers and 74 creators; Grillster, 438 consumers and 97 creators; Dogamy/Dogaressa, 427 consumers and 38 creators; Frans, 342 consumers and 107 creators; Fontcest, 310 consumers and 136 creators; Charisk, 289 consumers and 77 creators; Sanster, 271 consumers and 85 creators; Chasriel, with 212 consumers and 41 creators; Sansgoriel, 204 consumers and 32 creators; Mettaton/Sans, 127 consumers and 22 creators; Other Ships, 735 consumers and 459 creators; No Ships, 340 consumers and 1581 creators; there were 141 consumers and 117 creators who preferred not to answer. End I.D.]
Alphyne (Alphys/Undyne), as the only major canon ship confirmed in the game, understandably had the highest number of votes in the consumption category, with 61.9% of fans enjoying content about them. They also ranked highest among the specifically stated ships in the creation category, at 16.4%. (As a reminder, ship content created could be in the form of fics, art, comics, videos, or other forms of media.) The “other ships” option, while having only half the votes that Alphyne did in the consumption category, narrowly beat out Alphyne in the creation category (at 17.3%). These two questions in the survey came before the reader insert and AU ships. The “other ships” option in the survey was specifically labeled as “rarepair or ship not listed here,” without clarifying that it still only referred to canon character ships, so it is possible that content creators voted for that option in reference to reader insert or AU ships. Of course, it could also mean that the total of all rarepair ships surpasses the one major ship in the game. It is impossible to tell for sure without gathering more data.
Regardless, Alphyne is still very popular, and deservedly so. Alphyne is unique as one of the first wlw romances in popular media. In the free-response questions about favorite characters and favorite things about the game, many fans brought up the impact that Alphyne had on them. One responder said, “I think Alphys/Undyne helped me accept myself as a lesbian.” The true pacifist ending of the game cannot be reached without Undyne and Alphys confessing their feelings, and the player themself helps them to do so. All of these factors likely contribute to the interest that fans have in their relationship.
Of the ships that are not present in canon, Soriel (Sans/Toriel) ranked the highest in both the consumption and creation categories, followed by Papyton (Papyrus/Mettaton) and Sansby (Sans/Grillby).
[More analysis of these ships under the cut. Also contains mentions of Fontcest.]
Soriel’s popularity is unsurprising given their interactions in canon. Sans’s friendship with Toriel cannot be missed on any route, as he talks about her in the ending phone calls, even choosing to stay with her in the Exiled Queen ending. He also mentions her at the MTT resort if you choose to have dinner with him, which is a scene that many fans of the game love. And, of course, there is the unforgettable pacifist ending, where they meet in person for the first time while Asgore cries in the background. While none of these interactions are inherently romantic, they certainly have a deep friendship that fans can choose to make into something more.
Interestingly, Papyton is the only one of these top four ships that has not had a direct interaction in-game, though Papyrus’s admiration for Mettaton can be inferred from tidbits scattered throughout his battle (MTT brand anime powder, etc.), his date (action figures of various sexy robots), and his phone calls (“HE’S MY FAVORITE SEXY RECTANGLE!”). This ship also may have the appeal of giving both Papyrus and Mettaton a love interest, particularly if fans also ship Alphyne and Soriel at the same time. Papyrus and Mettaton both have bold, flamboyant personalities that have potential to go well together in fanworks where they have the opportunity to interact.
Sansby ranked number four, being the only popular canon ship to include a minor character. Grillby is interesting in that he only says one line in the game (“...good job.”), yet he has a large fan following in his own right. Sans jokes with him, and even if Grillby does not respond verbally, there is room for fans to headcanon a relationship between them.
The fifth ranking ship depends on whether you choose to sort by the ships fans choose to consume, or the ships fans choose to create. Royal Guard 01/Royal Guard 02 is the fifth most popular ship for consuming content, but they only have 48 responders (1.8%) who enjoy creating content about them. They are memorable and enjoyable side characters, but fans have not latched onto them and given them backstories like Grillby. In sorting by ships fans create content for, Fontcest (Sans/Papyrus) was the fifth most popular (at 5.1%). This did not come as a surprise, since discarding reader and AU ships, Fontcest has the second most tagged fics on AO3 (after Alphyne). Since Papyrus and Sans are the two most popular Undertale characters by far, is it inevitable that some fans will ship them regardless of their status as siblings.
The popularity of Sans, Papyrus, and ships involving the two becomes even more apparent in the next section: reader insert ships.
Shipping Analysis Navigation:
1. Introduction, limitations, and methods
2. Canon Character Ships (you are here)
3. Reader Insert Ships
4. AU Character Ships (to be posted)
5. Overall Shipping Comparisons (to be posted)
really hope we are still using the Haunted Doll trope decades from now, and that instead of continuing to use creepy ceramic dolls from the 1940s, they update it to creepy cabbage patch kids from the 1980s
my friend just told me that there's a secret second dashboard that solely contains posts from people you've turned on post notifications for, and when i click the link in the messages it opens it within the tumblr app, so the tumblr app also has a secret second dashboard for post notification blogs, and the only way to access it is to open the link for it within the app.
for my fellow psychotics who struggle with thinking someone is in their house, a method I’ve found that really works are these guys:
i put them on my front door and anytime it opens they ring. that way if i think someone has broken in or i see someone who isn’t there i can think back to if the bells have rung, and if they haven’t i can assure myself it’s not real. obviously it’s not fool proof, like if you are prone to auditory hallucinations, but it has really helped me calm down in time to avoid major psychotic breaks. it’s a real lifesaver
[ID: an adjustable door security bar. the bar is white metal with notches to adjust the length, one end is a square black plastic foot on the ground and the other is a curved black piece of plastic that rests below the doorknob. /end ID]
door security bars are pretty inexpensive (I got mine at target for like $25, but they also sell them at home depot, lowes, lots of places like that) & it has helped my paranoia so much since moving into my new place bc I can just. look at the door, & if the bar’s still there, I know no one has been in.
jbbartram-illu
blakekathryn
2087
origamiaround
vaporwave
andulkaphoto
