My interpretation of a Corrupted Ink Sans AU:
NOTE:
I decided to challenge myself into making an evil Ink Sans AU. Here’s my rough concept attempt, but I want any form of criticism or thoughts in case if I portrayed anything regarding Ink’s implied ADHD in a negative way!
I might go back & rewrite some of this later since I wrote this without any second thoughts or sleep. I would love to see people’s theories on this AU idea for now though! Fill free to send asks for clarification or extra questions / facts.
Swap = Blue / Underswap Sans
By negativity zombies / creature, I’m referring to these things from Dreamtale canon:
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PART 1:
It starts off with the Ink sans we all know & love. The protector of AUs. He is often spotted holding back Error as Swap & Dream save others. He once even saved Dream from Nightmare, fighting him for hours before others arrived.
Some say the star sanses are still foolishly attempting to stop Error peacefully. There was a rumor from a monster who claimed that they witnessed Ink gladly speaking to Error in Outertale. “It’s… almost as if they were best friends” they said. But this rumor was quickly dismissed.
Some across the multiverse say that Ink has no empathy like most floweys, others say that if he protects the AUs, he has to have some good intentions. But one thought is present within all their minds. One that most out-codes agree with. That Ink is not to be fully trusted. He’s a souless monster. That he doesn’t work hard enough.
Error is still not destroying anymore, maybe damaging AUs, Nightmare still continues to corrupt them, & genocide routes are ongoing that should be stopped by the star sanses. If Swap & Dream can’t stop them, Ink could.
(They don’t know that with the less variety of routes, the less paints that Ink receives…)
Ink, filled with doubt, begins questioning if his emotions are real or only artificial. If his morals are really his own. If he was able to become emotionless but still able to move, would he betray the multiverse? Would he hurt his 3 best friends & family?
Dream, Swap, his 2 Gaster father figures, & even Error (in his own way) assure him that yes- his emotions are real, Dream can even feel them. His personality & identity is different from the emotions within the vials. But the fear & stress of not being a good enough protector- of not being a good enough friend to Dream because of Nightmare’s existence- nearly shatters his non-existent soul.
…
Everything changed when the star sanses once again fight against Nightmare & Killer. Ink becomes separated, forced to confront Nightmare in a horrible situation. But Nightmare can sense Ink’s emotions too.
“Don’t you see Ink? No one appreciates your efforts. They all see you as a true monster, just like me. I know you hate them. They don’t deserve a protector.” Nightmare glances at Ink’s vials.
Ink refused Nightmare’s offer to join him. Nightmare only wants endless suffering. He forced Killer to join him. Ink remains frustrated that he doesn’t have positivity magic like Dream to kill off Nightmare for good. Doubts still linger in his mind…
He doesn’t notice how some of his paints have tiny black droplets. When he refuels his creation magic & drinks all his paints after the fight, he only briefly thinks he had far too much of the red & blue vials.
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PART 2:
It is only a few weeks later- when Nightmare corrupts so many AUs in such a fast rate that black puddles of negativity magic begin to pollute the lakes in the doodlesphere- that Ink realizes something’s bad going on. Despite his fear of becoming emotionless & facing the equivalent of death, he decides to refuel the vials less often, unsure of how Nightmare’s magic could affect them. This negativity magic pollution only affects a few islands & lakes, but Dream & Swap become increasingly worried of the situation. Meanwhile, Ink’s Gaster father figures try to script something in their AU that can work as a substitute for the vials.
With Nightmare getting increasingly stronger with each fight, Ink recruits more members to the star sanses, but it’s not enough. One day, during a long battle that causes Ink to be low on paints, Swap is caught by Nightmare’s tendrils as he aims to stab his soul. In a 1 second decision, Ink makes his worst mistake.
He grabs Swap & takes them into the doodlesphere. Swap survives the battle with only 1 hp. They wind up in one of the small floating islands, but the few islands filled with Nightmare’s negative energy.
Ink created healing food & supplies before looking around. The low gravity of the doodlesphere should make him able to travel to another island with a normal, non-negativity polluted lake. But the jump is far, Ink is tired from the fight. From the lack of paints, he’s slowly starting to become unable to move.
But Ink at that moment didn’t care what happened to him once he ran out of paints. He would never drink the paints with Nightmare’s negativity magic & endanger Swap.
Although no one can enter the doodlesphere as long as Ink grants them permission, his intense fear for Swap’s life was enough for Nightmare to discover a special loophole.
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PART 3:
A few minutes had passed. Ink ignores the whispers from the lake. He ignored the fact that it sounded like Nightmare because that would be impossible. Nightmare can’t get in the doodlesph- Swap finally started to wake up. Still on quite low hp, but alive. Ink focussed on Swap’s codes, his soul was only a little cracked. He will-
“INK! BEHIND Y-“
Those negativity zombies made from Nightmare rushed towards Ink, taking the form of him as Ink rolled to the side. He used broomie for melee attacks, not wanting to use up anymore paints. But his efforts at dodging were slow. Not wanting to risk the creature harming Swap, he tried to move the fight farther away (& as a result, closer to the lake without Ink really thinking the plan through), only for negativity tendrils from the lake to rise, grabbing & pulling Ink inside.
Ink drinked the paints but it was wrong. The vials normally made him feel a variety of emotions: Happiness, anger, sadness, disgust, fear, confusion, etc. But with Nightmare’s magic inside, he felt fear, pain, suffering, sadness, betrayal, rage, HATE.
…
Ink was out of normal paints.
Ink woke up. The lake must had became a one-way portal of some sort because of Nightmare.
Nightmare almost killed Swap.
“YOU almost killed Swap” Nightmare smiled.
Ink looked up after noticing he was now lying on what looked like a void of darkness. Nightmare was right in front of him. Ink felt Nightmare’s aura get stronger but he couldn’t find the energy to attack.
Ink hated Nightmare.
Ink hated how he nearly failed to save Swap. He hated how he failed Dream.
“Why would you hate the one that SAVED you? Everyone in the multiverse refuses to understand you & your friend’s pain. How many times have they sat back & watched as you fought to protect their homes? How many times have they blamed others deaths on you and my brother?”
Ink was the protector of AUs. But he hated how the people in most AUs treated his friends. Treated him.
“They wanted everything to be resolved by you. They said you were soulless, but you DO feel real emotions. Don’t you hate them?”
Ink felt sadness, betrayal, rage. He hated the ones who brought harm no matter how many times they helped in return.
“And Dream vanished when you needed him the most. He was never your friend. He only used you as a weapon to have an easier time attacking me.”
He didn’t fully hate Dream, but all the negativity clouded his thoughts. He looked at Killer’s soul, who was hiding in the distance & briefly wondered if this was how he felt when he first accepted Nightmare’s deal. But the thought vanished.
“They don’t deserve mercy….”
He wanted
answers
justice
suffering
revenge
Dream, his friend
THE POSITIVITY APPLE
“…right?”
Ink’s vials were now filled with paints, but also the same negativity.
Ink gave an answer & blinked.
Nightmare blinked.
Ink- no, Nightmare- or, Ink? smiled.
____ stood up.
