Our story takes place in a reimagined version of SwapFell, based on the Purple variant. A Victorian Underground inspired by 19th-century England and Europe. Without modern technology like smartphones or televisions.
Sans (Black/Nox/Milord, etc) and Papyrus (Money/Cash, etc) are part of the aristocracy and live in a modest manor inherited from Gaster (along with his fortune) after his disappearance. They also live with their butler, a new character created for the occasion (he just needs a name now, I love him).
Sans works as a judge at the royal court and is often called upon to assist the Royal Guard in solving various mysteries that go beyond their abilities. Papyrus enjoys the family fortune while indulging in the pleasures of life, keeping up his habits of theft and petty crime. He sometimes tags along with his brother on investigations as a sidekick (even though he's just as clever and useful despite his attitude).
👇 Background story, Trivias (there's a lot) & Close-up without the braid ! Have fun !
Her fall is quite mysterious. She woke up amnesiac, her head injured and doesn’t remember how she got there… or even her life before. Just her first name and that she was "escaping" from something, or someone? Esha doesn’t mention her encounter with Asgore and Flowey. Once out of the Ruins, shocked, terrified, and traumatized, she runs off into the Snowdin forest to live alone as a hermit.
Only a year later, rumors start to spread about a solitary monster who’s impossible to approach. Covered in leaves, mud, and branches and screeching like an owl... They even a unique magic to "freeze" and repel anyone who comes near her hut. Locals start calling them "The Mad Owl" (very creative). The Royal Guard got their butts kicked trying to approach them. The Queen having better things to do, it ends up being Gerson Boom who gets sent in. Because this "bullshit’s gone on long enough".
Being more clever and experienced, Gerson manages to get close and uncover the truth: The Mad Owl is actually a young human adult.
Gerson doesn’t feel right handing over a filthy, malnourished girl to the Royal Guard right away, so he brings her home. After cleaning her up and feeding her, he quickly realizes something’s wrong with Esha alongside her amnesia: she’s completely lost her mind. Her behavior isn’t exactly dangerous… just pretty odd and unpredictable. Gerson ends up growing unintentionally attached to her.
When word gets out that there’s a human in the Underground, of course the order is to execute her on sight. Gerson opposes it and invokes a "massive war debt" that Toriel owes him. What it is exactly is still unknown, but it’s big enough to allow Esha to coexist in the Underground, as long as she behaves.
She lives with Gerson above his shop in Waterfall. He becomes her legal guardian and, despite himself, a kind of awesome grandpa. First one to lay a finger on his "little mushroom" is in for it !
Esha works in Gerson’s shop as an assistant and handles deliveries. This version of his shop sells magical and voodoo artifacts, along with a bunch of items related to spiritism, exorcism, and various spiritual beliefs. There’s also a load of creepy, weird stuff that looks straight out of a curiosity cabinet.
She meets Sans and Papyrus after delivering something to their manor, and from that point on, she almost never leaves them alone. Much to their dismay.
Trivias
She’s the second and last Esha to have fallen into the Underground as an adult (along with Outer).
Her signature flower is the white anemone.
She sometimes joins the Skeleton brothers’ investigations without their consent or because she ends up being surprisingly helpful thanks to her SOUL magic and other "skills."
Her mood shifts fast. She can go from calm to zoomies in a split second. From joy to tears… But overall, she stays active, super curious, and unpredictable. Anger is something extremely rare in her. It just doesn’t stick to her.
🩵
Esha flips between childlike immaturity and adult-level awareness, showing surprising wisdom and sharp analysis. You never know what version of her you’re gonna get.
Esha has post-traumatic nervous tics. Twitchy shoulders, a trembling eyelid, fingers that stretch, twist and spasm… all of it mixed with her strange smile and eerie giggles gives her the vibe of a horror movie character. It disgusts most people. Her tics get worse and painful when she’s anxious, scared, or sad. It’s best to calm her down before she hurts herself.
She loves playing tricks and spooking people. No one gets how she’s so sneaky or how she just pops up out of nowhere. It’s not rare to see her crawling on the ceiling of the walls like some kind of cryptid or possessed thing...
She’s the only Esha who’ll be caught between Sans and Papyrus romantically. Since both the universe and her character are inspired by the 2000s–2010s wave of Victorian, gothic, and vampire-themed works, love triangles were all the rage and I’m leaning all the way into the cheesy cliché. Pick your favorite !
🩵
She’s obsessed with shiny things and gemstones. She makes jewelry and accessories in her own little workshop and sells them at Gerson’s shop. He markets them as "protection and luck talismans" to trick customers. They’re pretty, so they sell well.
Esha is hated pretty much everywhere in the Underground and gets harassed a lot. Monsters don’t dare hit her, afraid of her magic, but they don’t hold back on insults, throwing things at her, or even spitting on her. Esha doesn’t react to what she goes through, and since she’s almost always smiling, it’s hard to tell what she’s actually feeling. She says she understands why they act that way and that "it’s okay." Her SOUL isn't one of PATIENCE for nothing.
Sans is absolutely drained by her. But Papyrus finds her fun and often drags her along to cause chaos. The brothers were pretty cruel to her at first, but eventually softened up. Still, they’ll slip out mean or psychophobic remarks now and then. They fear what they don’t understand. But deep down, they care about their little cryptid. It’s not rare to see them letting Esha hang around, just to enjoy her presence, watch her "exist", or listen to her talk about literally everything.
🩵
Esha always keeps wrapped candy in her pockets so that when Papyrus tries to pickpocket her (which happens a lot), he at least gets the satisfaction of finding something to steal.
The butler doesn’t show it, but he’s very fond of her. They get along well. He’s admitted that he wishes he had "a daughter like her."
It’s highly recommended not to underestimate her. If she ever needs to dust a monster to protect herself or someone she loves, she’ll do it without hesitation. But those are the only times she’d ever resort to violence. Otherwise, she’s pacifistic.
She likes to mess with people by lying about how she fell into the Underground. The story changes every time someone asks, and each version is either totally ridiculous or stupidly epic !
!! IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT HER CHARACTER !! :
She loves the brothers so much she sometimes "borrows" a piece or two of their clothing just to keep their scent in her room. It comforts her. Honestly, we could say she’s obsessed with them.
This Esha is not a character made to romanticize madness. She is a goofy and spooky character, but her story and behavior are grounded in the harsh, painful realities of mental illness and post-traumatic stress.
Through her, the goal is not to make mental illness "quirky" or "cute" (yeah she acts cute, she IS cute, but I’m talking about the global idea behind her creation), but to highlight how much patience, empathy, and understanding people like her actually need. She is a mirror held up to our ability to support those society marginalizes, reminding us that pain does not make someone less human, and instability does not make someone unworthy of care and respect.
Living in prolonged isolation, enduring constant fear, judgment, and rejection, Esha presents symptoms consistent with severe PTSD, tics, intrusive thoughts, dissociation, and compulsive behaviors.
