In a world where life boils down to ‘take or be taken’, and violence is the answer to every problem, one small group of monsters has made a stand against the status quo and founded a village where kindness and peace rule. Hidden away in the depths of Snowdin forest, their very existence is a secret that hangs by a thread, threatened by the oppressive government they have fled, and the long arm of the Royal Guard.
I wasn’t planning on writing in my journal this week, but after some serious nudging from Nox I caved and here we are. Apparently we’re supposed to write about the nice things too, not just the shitty stuff.
Traditionally speaking, Gyftmas is riddled with bad memories for just about everyone, especially out here in Snowdin. You don’t hear much about it in the Capital beyond the occasional memorial event for people lost to that horrible bastard, Gyftrot.
The last few years, though, we’ve really gone out of our way to say ‘fuck it’ and party it up to help lighten the mood and distract us from the awfulness unfolding in the woods outside. Not even I go out around Gyftmas, so the partying and cooking and...together time helps alleviate the boredom. All that food though… I was half afraid I wasn’t going to be able to fly when I went out earlier for the first time in a few days.
So much gingerbread…
We added a gift exchange to the roster this year, which was actually pretty fun. Most of what little we have around here we share, but we had people pick names from a hat and make a gift for that person. The anticipation was a fun change of pace, and it’s always nice to have something to really call yours, you know? I actually got a pretty nice fishing pole out of it! I mean, I’ve never really been into fishing, but I guess I might as well pick it up now. Fish is definitely something we don’t get a lot of here in Haven, so it’d make for a nice change of pace at least.
So, yeah, we drank, ate, and made merry for four days (I get the feeling it’s gonna expand to five next year, just you freaking watch), and then today I finally went out on patrol again.
The forest closer to town was torn all to hell, though whether they actually managed to track down Gyftrot or just wrecked it themselves chasing around in the dark is beyond me. I told Nox to hold off on going out there for awhile anyways. I know some of the trees are hurting, but if all that damage people did is suddenly gone that close to town, it’s bound to drag attention in this general direction, and that’s the last thing we need.
Especially with the dogs being so restless.
I don’t know what’s going on in town, but Dogamy and Dogaressa have actually been out patrolling again, and that’s never good news. It’s been awhile, since they lost their last captain, though I can’t see that they’ve gotten a new one… who knows. The rest of the dogs have been out and about too, but they’re not much of a threat when you’ve got a pair of wings and keep to the treetops like I do. Still, I’m gonna have to start doing thorough checks before I let Nox or any of the others go out.
Hopefully I’m just being paranoid, but… I dunno, feels like change is in the air, and it stinks.
Heyyyy Journal, long time no see. I probably shouldn’t put you down for over a week if I’m gonna make this a habit, huh…?
Woops. Sorry about that.
Excuse time:
… honestly, I forgot for a couple days.
It’s just not routine, you know? It feels… weird, taking this time to myself, pretty unnatural if I’m being honest. Which, I mean, you are my journal, there’s no point in lying to you unless I feel like lying to myself.
Anyways, then I got guilty about it for a couple days, put it off longer…
… The reason I came back now, though?
Gyftmas is finally over.
We always hunker down for the week around it - Snowdin’s the town it originated in, after all, and even they get people from the Capital who come and join in the hunt for Gyftrot. Too many people are about, and even though most of them don’t venture to the Lower Levels thanks to how cold it is, it’s still too risky - and there are a lot of LV-happy monsters about, far too ready to kill *anyone* they see hanging about, especially in a forest.
But on the plus side… a couple years ago we started our own tradition. The village meeting we introduced the idea at had mixed reactions, as a few too many of us have seen Gyftmas in all its terrible, dusty origins - but we figured that there can’t be much better way to handle some of our own issues and the pressure of laying particularly low for a week than taking Gyftmas and turning it into something nice.
And besides - when it comes down to it, I’ve never met a single monster whose truly willing to turn down a feast and alcohol.
That part at least is going well - the first year was just the one day, and we said screw it - invited everyone in town to the dining hall and just… cooked whatever everyone wanted, broke out the liquor, and had a really good time. The next year we had been able to salvage up a human jukebox - yeah, I was surprised too - and we ended up extending it to a two day event with the ending being the big feast party. The first day we had all-morning baking going on, and though there’s only a small group of kids in Haven, they got the idea to try one of those human customs. Gingerpeople, I think? So we did Gingermonsters - it took all morning for us to get the recipe right, but the kids had a lot of fun and we might’ve ended up eating a pound of cookie dough between us all, so… good times.
Now it’s four days long, and we try to focus on our little community and just… living, celebrating the fact that we found and built a home, one that’s warm, one that we can share better times with. One that’s about.. Finding hope. Not just surviving, you know? There’s a few monsters from this past year that definitely were on the sidelines for the first couple days, but… by the feast, they had warmed up, and one or two even got into the dancing once they had enough alcohol.
The middle of the final day, before the big party, we kinda did a… gift exchange. Everyone made something, and everyone got to walk away with one present - it’s our first year doing it, but…
… I really want to keep this tradition going.
If there’s a day where everyone in Haven can hear Gyftmas and think of this instead of the horrible hunt it is out there...?
… Heh. I probably shouldn’t get my hopes up too fast.
Journals are terrible and I hate them. Somehow, I don’t remember how exactly, Nox and I wound up agreeing that’d it’d probably be a good idea for us both to start keeping one so we don’t wind up hogging the echoflower room just detailing...stuff we go through.
Not a whole lot going on lately, honestly. Nox has been out rearranging the woods again just to keep things confusing for any random monsters that happen to wander too close for comfort. Granted, getting anywhere near to Haven takes a helluva walk, but you never know. Better safe than sorry, in my experience.
The dogs have been sticking close to Snowdin lately, which is fine by me. They’re all technically part of the royal guard, but most of them are so damn bad at their jobs it’s kinda hard hard not to feel bad for them. Still, I’m here for incompetent guards. Over the years I’ve noticed that the Capital tends to send their dim bulbs and general fuck-ups out here to the boonies to keep them out of trouble.
That and people who pissed off someone important. Those generally wind up transferring elsewhere after too long, though, so that’s fine too. Ladder climbers are the last type of guard we need nosing around out here.
So, yeah, quiet is just fine by me…
The longer things keep quiet, though, the more on edge I feel. Like I’m waiting for the other boot to drop because, inevitably, it always does.
Question is, how hard’s it gonna hit when it lands?
… Yeah, this is about as weird as I figured it would be.
I know Jo and I agreed we’d start journaling to sort through our thoughts and all, otherwise we’d probably end up spending at least an hour a day in the echoflower cavern doing that kinda self-therapy… and that’s probably not a good look, heh. Granted, that is why I grew the echoflowers in there - it’s really helped everyone have a place to share without fear of being judged, to just talk through their issues and feel heard - especially those who don’t feel comfortable being open with others yet…
Which, let’s be honest, is everyone who ends up here.
Hell, it’s everyone Underground.
… In any case, I don’t wanna be taking up so much space in there too much, and it’s true we need a place to sort through our thoughts and experiences. Plus, who knows, maybe having this sort of personal record will prove handy. Stars know I wish I could remember that damn combination of flowers that made the center square smell like cider and fresh rainfall a few years back… that was a good combination.
Am I rambling too much?
I don’t know how to this, clearly.
…
I just made a little leaf to mark your pages. I wonder what kind of tree you used to be… I chose a birch leaf, since you’re my journal and all. Hope that’s not weird.
It feels wrong to crease the corners, is all. Paper comes from trees after all - gotta respect your roots.
…
…...
Yeah, maybe jokes like that are why I should write in you instead of speaking these thoughts, heheh.
You know, earlier I was doing my usual rounds through the forest, but I’ve started pushing out wider again… I do some reshuffling of the trees orientation on my way out, but at least once or twice a year I push out to the greater forest as a whole. I usually stick to the closer twelve miles of forest from Haven’s entrance or so, since I can work through that better and more thoroughly, and that’s more than enough usually… but to keep furthering the now-settled lore of these forests being the kind you can’t return from - well, I make sure to reorient all of it periodically.
It does take a while, of course. But I’m reorienting the landscape, too - shifting the roots under the ground, subtly tilting the slope, making courses that you subconsciously are inclined to follow - helping disorient people and loop them back out of the forest over time. I’ve gotta be thorough.
Not that we’re too concerned. Not about the Royal Guard snooping about, anyways - for being a bunch of literal guard dogs, I’m a little concerned that they couldn’t sniff their way out of an igloo. I mean I don’t want to talk too much shit about their abilities, I’m sure they’ve got their own concerns, but, uh, I’m definitely pretty delighted that they’re that incompetent.
But still, stragglers show up, y’know? Either those thinking they might find some stronger LV up for grabs in such a supposedly-dangerous forest… or those truly looking to lose themselves.
We can’t let them find Haven.
And hey, it’s nice to push farther than usual. The cold doesn’t bother me much of course, though my leaves do get a little frosty. Just adds to the camoflauge, though, right? I tend to get pretty nicely caught up in my work, anyways - in a strange way, the forest feels like it knows me now.
It’s not alive, of course, not in the monster way. But my magic’s in every one of those trees, now - as much as they keep us protected and hidden, I help keep them alive and healthy, giving them a boost as they shift their roots at my call, rearrange their boughs, their entire trunks shifting to a new orientation and place - never the same, never traceable.
… The Underground can be… such a dark place. But Haven, and our people here… the forest outside, responding with its own version of life when I need it to… and Jo - well… it’s all hope, isn’t it? Pure and simple.
It’s why I can’t accept take or be taken. Even in the darkest of caverns down here… there’s a spark of hope to be shared. Always.
You just have to be willing to share it first.
Heh.
Heal or be healed… maybe?
… something like that.
Anyways, I better wrap this up here. Fuku’ll have my horns if I’m late for deciding what this month’s menu’ll be - I know she’s had her soul set on strawberries for the crop set, too, so I’ll grow her a little plant for her own sill before I head out.
… You know, Journal… even as complicated as I’m very, very aware it all is...
Why wouldn’t you prefer spreading happiness, over LoVe…?
It was always cold in Snowdin, eternally winterlocked as it was, but the temperature in the furthest reaches of the surrounding forest was downright brutal. While the town in which the majority of the area’s population resided was located in one of the highest points, the stretch of woods over which Jo currently soared was one of the lowest. Lightly clad in a leather jacket and loose pants as she was, however, the intense cold barely registered for the winged monster, leaving her ideally suited for patrolling the area around the home she and her sister had built for themselves.
Well, not just themselves. Not these days. Their little hideaway in the deepest reaches of Snowdin forest had blossomed into a thriving community over the last seven years, and it was Jo’s job to make sure it remained a closely guarded secret from outside forces that could never approve of the pacifistic lifestyle they had chosen.
(More under the cut)
One of the very few who could navigate the ever-shifting forest without trouble, Jo turned on wingtip and made for the familiar waterfall that disguised the entrance to the series of side caverns she and Nox had claimed for their own. Rather than landing and navigating the somewhat treacherous and difficult to locate path that lead to the secret entrance, Jo tucked her wings and allowed momentum to carry her through the narrow opening behind the waterfall.
Once on the other side, the monster flared her wings and landed neatly on both feet, then gave herself a solid shake to dislodge the water that clung to her fur and feathers.
The path before her was narrow and difficult to distinguish in the dark, but once Jo had taken a moment to shrink her wings to a more manageable size, she was able to navigate it easily. Years of doing so without a light allowed her to memorize every twist and turn until light returned, pouring into the narrow space from the open one beyond.
The cavern into which she stepped was immense, and significantly warmer than the greater chamber from which she had travelled. If it was the darkest depths of a brutal winter night out in Snowdin proper, within Haven it was a mild spring day, and the surrounding flora had responded accordingly.
Silver barked birch trees, barren in the world outside were in full leaf here in Haven. Grass flourished, flowers bloomed...it was quite the lovely sight; a riot of color after an endless expanse of white and gray and blue.
It was all her sister Nox’s doing of course. Her unique magic allowed her to manipulate the seasons to her whim there within the place where she had sunk so much magic deep into the earth over the years. She was also the one responsible for the constant, disorienting shifting of the forest outside that deterred outsiders from finding their way to the hidden entrance of their home. Together they had made their home an impenetrable fortress that had yet to be discovered, let alone breached.
Jo stretched her wings briefly and smiled to herself before she started walking down the path between the trees, enjoying the sweet scent of the warm air after so long in the cold. Overhead, the massive collection of glowing crystals she had amassed with some difficulty from Waterfall glowed brightly, much like she’d always imagined the sun would, which had been her goal in designing the thing. It hung hundreds of feet in the air over the center of the village towards which she now walked, wondering absently just where it was her sister had gotten to.
------
The fire crackled softly in front of Nox, purple and dancing brightly like the flames of the fire elemental girl that had donated it. It swirled around the large harvested crystal that served as its magical anchor, secured as the centerpiece above a simply designed but intricately carved stone fountain. It was only two tiers, but the lower of the tiers had two opposite spots in which the water gently flowed over the side and into a glowing cyan creek that ran through the town center from the fountain's base.
The fountain itself had been a joint effort several years back involving a particularly troubled newcomer and some of the long-term residents. The newcomer had been one who, even a few months in, had barely opened up in spite of their obvious desire for a peaceful life. Nox had been worried about them and their mental state - everyone here had their baggage, of course, but some found it hard to bear, and harder yet to release it enough to stay… stable. In the end, she had asked around and conveniently decided that perhaps their village needed a fountain in the center, surrounded by a new lush garden filled with the villagers’ favorite flowers. A fountain that could surely only be completed with the help of the reticent monster.
It had been a form of art therapy, in the end; working with other monsters had warmed the troubled newcomer’s soul and helped them find a place in their little community.
Now Nox was working on a fresh addition to the natural garden in the cobbled town center, aiming to better foster the feeling of the spring season she was keeping up currently. Her magic was working to form a cherry blossom tree that curved half over the fountain; the usual lush grass she was fond of at its base for the villagers to be able to relax on and watch the petals drift.
She crouched while she worked, two of her hands splayed against the soft grass, the third gently rising above the tree to coax its progress as it grew and twisted and broadened, branches swirling and veining outwards like an inkdrop in water. Petals unfurled slowly at first, as if waking up from a deep slumber and stretching, fanning into their blossoms, and then developed quickly from there. Nox smiled softly to herself as the tree’s growth slowed at last, now nearly at its traditional full height of 25 feet.
She'd have to check on it daily and coax it along for a while, but it was worth the extra time investment with how much the villagers had liked it last year.
Nox made a sound of approval as she nodded her head, then drew her hands back to herself and stood, shaking out the leaves that formed her hair. They were a soft, light green right now for the season, one of her favorites.
Waving at a passing villager who had apparently stopped to watch her work, Nox then grinned brightly when she received a pleased thumbs up from the monster - a stone-based woman who had lost the ability to speak in a terrible battle long before she had become a part of the village. The woman continued on her way, clearly making her way towards the main dining hall that was one of the focal points of the buildings curving around the town center.
Before she could decide whether to try to squeeze in some time working with the echoflower cavern before dinner or not, she felt the slightest tell of the shifting of air behind her and immediately ducked.
She sprang up and turned around just as quickly, a crafty grin on her face as she looked up at her sister, who was pulling a wing back from having almost playfully bowled her over with a sweep of it.
"C'mon Jo, I just grew these leaves," she said and laughed, shaking her head with a fluff of her leaf-comprised hair to free it from the tangle of her horns. "Not all of us can have moss-soft fur that looks flawless when you wake up like some people.” She perked then, stepping slightly to the side as her hands shifted. “But hey, whaddya think-?"
She gestured behind her to the cherry blossoms in full bloom, a few petals drifting serenely from its branches. The sparkle to the green of her eyes' focus was bright, her excitement to reveal one of her sister's favorite trees poorly, if at all, hidden.
Jo just snorted at her sister’s antics and glanced up at the tree in question. She admired it for a moment with a half-smile lighting her pale features. Cherry trees really were her favorite. They seemed to breathe serenity into the very air around them, and the carpet of pink petals they left behind always brought back fond memories of outings to the park at the heart of the capital. Nox was too young to remember them, but despite the sorry end their family had met, Jo treasured the memory of those happy days before things had gone to hell.
The monster turned back to her little sister and quirked a brow, smile widening enough to flash a few of the longer fangs in her double-hinged jaw. “You been in the anime again or something?”
Nox made an offended noise and swatted at Jo, who fended it off with the deft sweep of a wing and a merry laugh. “It’s very pretty!” the older monster said when her sister made to hit her again, only to relent at the admission.
“Damn right!” the tree monster grumbled, making Jo chuckle again.
“C’mon, let’s hit up the dining hall and see what’s for dinner.”
((Excerpt written collaboratively by @jolie-in-the-underground and @nighttimepixels ))
General Abilities/Use: Healing is her strong suit, as is her ability to manipulate/grow/shift plant life. She can also make shields not much larger than her body using a crafted plane of green magic summoned between her three hands, but it takes more concentration and effort.
Personality:
Good-natured, easy-going & friendly, and compassionate to a fault.
Adores puzzles & jokes, and likes to work with her hands.
Very observant regarding people’s emotions; she’s very good at reading people and picking up on their needs for this, which has been a double-edged sword throughout her life.
Doesn’t get mad easily, but will get troublingly frustrated - particularly at people being relentlessly cruel or mean-spirited.
The one thing guaranteed to make her mad is to truly attempt to harm Jo; this extends to the strange family they’ve built with the residents of their village as well, but it is the strongest with her sister.
(( character designed by myself, @nighttimepixels. ))
Name: Jo
Age: Late twenties-early thirties
Height: 6’0”
Magic:
Primary Color: Yellow
Secondary Color: Orange
Manifests as: Yellow as feathers or a golden cord/rope. Orange as an aura around her.
General Abilities/Use: Yellow primary attack is laser/plasma feathers she can launch or wield like a sword. She can also use like a lasso or to form a cord to bind people physically and magically. Orange acts as a short term speed boost.
Personality:
Prone to sarcasm and general saltiness, but has a good sense of humor.
Chatty with people she is close to, but prone to thoughtful silence around others, preferring to listen rather than talk.
Slow to anger, but rage nigh unstoppable when she gets there.
Protective as hell. Interfere with anyone she’s claimed as hers and get the full brunt of her wrath.
((character designed by myself, @jolie-in-the-underground ))
This blog is a joint creative project between @jolie-in-the-underground and @nighttimepixels! It is the story of Haven, a secret, pacifist village hidden deep in the forests of Snowdin in the Swapfell version of the Underground told via a series of ‘dear diary’ style posts and chapter-style excerpts. The story follows Jo and Nox, the founders of Haven and its dedicated protectors.
Who are Jo and Nox?
Jo and Nox are @jolie-in-the-underground and @nighttimepixels’s respective monstersonas within the Swapfell universe!
What’s their backstory?
Jo and Nox are sisters who were originally raised in the capital. Their mother was a scientist and their father was in the Royal Guard, affording them royal protection and an unusually idyllic childhood few others in their world could claim to have had. Unfortunately, it all came crashing down not long after Jo reached adulthood, and Nox was still a teenager. Together they were forced to flee the price put on their heads by the Royal Guard and eventually found refuge in Snowdin. After living on the fringes of society for some time, they found a hidden series of caverns in the distant depths of the forest and set to converting it into their new home.
Over the next seven years they not only expanded their home, but their family as well. Slowly but surely, and with help from a friend within the Royal Guard itself, other like-minded monsters joined their blossoming community. Now Haven thrives in secret under their dedicated care, though one wonders how long such an idyllic life can survive in such a dark and violent world.
How is this different from ‘normal’ Swapfell?
For the most part, it isn’t. Swapfell: Haven is more just an addition to that general AU and our interpretation of it. That said, this is our interpretation of the Swapfell AU, which I know will differ from plenty of people’s. For one thing, Sans is neither a child nor childlike (or even particularly small, lol), and there is no fontcest whatsoever. That said, this story’s ships are Sans/Jo and Papyrus/Nox. If you have a problem with character/oc ships, please kindly leave now, any negative comments will not be responded to or acknowledged.
Will [x character] be showing up?
If they’re one of the ‘main’ characters from Undertale, then most likely, yes! Sans and Papyrus will be the first of them to show up.
What about Frisk/Chara?
They have not yet fallen into the Underground.
Can we send in asks for Jo and Nox?
For the sake of keeping things organized, asks will remain closed on this blog, but you can send them (as well as other characters as we open them up for questions) to the ask-specific blog we made, @ask-sfhaven! This blog will remain exclusively story content centric for ease in reader browsing.
Can we do/submit fanart of Swapfell: Haven?
Abso-friggin-lutely! However, again, for the sake of keeping things organized, please submit to/tag @ask-sfhaven!
Can we do/submit fanfic of Swapfell: Haven?
Please do NOT write fanfic for Swapfell: Haven! This story is a joint project between Jolie and Night, and we have lots of awesome things planned! Do us a favor and give us a chance to make it happen XD That, plus Jo and Nox are our monstersonas so...while we love fanart, please don’t write about us, hah, that’s just awkward. 8’D
