#good power

[caretaker-au]

Wow. So, I had kinda stopped reading this story around when it switched from comic to text (not really for that reason, though: I just kinda forgot about it tbh)

I never gave myself the time to read it again, for some reason.

And then, today, I saw a tumblr notification from this blog and remembered how much I loved this story, and so I decided to start reading it again from the beginning.

When I finished binge-reading the whole thing, I realized that, by pure luck, I decided to read it again a few hours after the story was finished posting, somehow.

And that ending... it was so good, so amazing, and so... unexpected? (I don't really know what I expected tbh)

I love seeing the character developments. The way Asriel realized that his relationship with Chara was toxic, and the way Frisk just kept being themself despite everything, despite a power so strong, a responsibility so great that it lead Chara to start manipulating everyone, thinking it was for the greater good. The way Chara eventually understood how wrong their actions were, accepted Asriel getting away from them, apologized to Frisk and ended up freeing the souls, which goes against everything they have planned for decades.

This story was a beautiful journey, and I'm glad I saw it through to the end. It's really a wonderful, well-written and amazing experience.

Thank you for this. 😁 ❤

Oh, btw, since this is technically supposed to be an ask, I've been curious: was the only point of Chara's watch to make sure they always knew the exact time of their SAVEs? So that they could plan accordingly?

Thank you for joining us on this long journey! Messages like this make it all so worth it. I think binging is the best way to read it. After all, the whole story takes place in one evening (kinda)!

And yes, Chara used their watch to keep track of when they were saving! It did not give them any special power, but it did help with planning. 

Chara isn’t wearing a watch when they meet Frisk because we didn’t design them with one the battery on their last watch wore out, but their phone serves as a decent way to keep track in the meantime.

[janime6]

[nochocolate]

Also, to add to that long-ish submission, assuming the narrator Chara theory is true, how did they know what the power to resolve fate is called? By the looks of things, it was named by Alphys, who first called it "determination." And the narrator wasn't just saying we're determined, but that we're literally filled with it. So unless this was just a big coincidence, or unless the DT experiments really were started by Gaster, I see no other way for this to make sense. (ps. read my submission :) )

(undertale spoilers)

Nothing implies that Chara knows that the “power to resolve fate” is called “determination.” Rather, to be “filled with determination” is a common phrase in English. It is meant to describe an intense feeling of motivation, not a literal filling of “DT.”

In Undertale, determination has symbolic significance. Determination is a literary motif, appearing at Save Points, Game Overs, and in much of the dialogue. It’s only in the true lab that Alphys reveals she calls the power she extracted from the souls “determination.” This gives “determination” a second meaning as a literal substance, giving further significance to determination’s role in Undertale.

It’s possible that “determination” is something both Chara and Alphys picked up from Asgore. At Chara’s deathbed, he pleaded with Chara to “stay determined.”

VHS Tape 5

Game Over screen

Furthermore, there is nothing that indicates or supports the idea that Chara would have been involved with any of Gaster’s experiments. After all, Gaster would have no reason to extract determination from Chara’s soul, and there was no other human when Chara was alive. Chara would not have learned about determination from Gaster.

In short, it is somewhat of a coincidence, but would more accurately be called a literary motif: a reoccurring element that has symbolic (and in this case, also literal) significance in the story of Undertale.

[justintaco]

[caretaker-au]

the “congrats on finally finishing it” asks!

we got such a huge outpouring of support upon posting the final chapter of caretaker, and it really warms the soul. we’ve answered some separately here and there, but there are so many we are electing to put the a bunch into one post! we couldn’t fit them all in one post so we’ll be following up with another later!

Thank you! Yes, when we are ready we’ll share a teaser for upcoming content and where it will be posted. Until then, enjoy the bonus caretaker content!

Thanks! We look forward to seeing your improved art!~

Thank you! I just want to say, butterflygon gets the award for the most consistently accurate theories/predictions throughout the whole story. 👏

Being a sweet old lady is just what Toriel does best!

Fortunately in this AU Asriel gets a happy ending~

thank you so much for everything, everyone. if you sent a nice ask and it’s not featured here, we’ll get it into the next one!

[caretaker-au]

thank you all for the wonderful and sweet messages 😭

[caretaker-au]

Hello! I wanted to ask how do you think Chara would react to seeing the classic Undertale AU? a world where he is dead and Asriel is an insane flower and Chara is stuck to frisk as a narrator, I think his reaction would be pretty funny. Love the story by the way! By far one of the best Undertale AUs in recent times and I can't wait to see more of it!

I think caretaker-Chara would be absolutely livid. Asriel ruined everything, (AGAIN) wasted Chara’s sacrifice, and now--100 years later--is a FLOWER? Pathetic.

Thanks for the love! Please look forward to the final chapter!