[ID: Drawing of Outer and Swap with their foreheads resting against each other bearing content expressions. Outer has their hand on Swap’s cheek. The background is a solid white. /End ID.]
midnight doodle i just did bc im still getting used to drawing on my ipad again
so of course i drew these two (theyre taking over my brain) in their downtime they probably sit in silence and hold each other and (keyboard smash)
scrapping my gallery for starryknights stuff rn grgrhr
im also greatly crippled by “talks a lot” and “listens intently” dynamic bc the same dynamic is there with my horror/outer doodle from forever ago (i dont think i shared it actually?)
[ID: A drawing of Swap and Outer linked at the elbows. Swap is talking enthusiastically while moving his hand while Outer has a content smile, listening. /End ID.]
Im asking you to go feral and explain swap x outer [3
Do what you must ,,úчù,,
going to self indulgent here and explain why i think a specific song i placed into their playlist makes me think of them. it’s pretty long (like ten minutes) but the mental imagery always captivates me
it’s the thought of swap being alone. someone different in the face of the multiverse. bc he’s the ‘old one out’ in a (very literal) sense. there are so many variations of ‘swap’ out there. even a bastardized version that was caused by a popular series of misconceptions.
the repetition of “hey space cadet” followed by some form of declaration of loneliness. im going to be breaking down the entire song here! or at least the lyrics that are significant to me lol
It is 2014 and I have no idea what is going on in my life
Heavily vibes based. leaning into swap’s (or outer’s) confusion regarding the multiverse. kind of plays into how old their aus are respectively
Hello hello hello hello -> I got a little drunk before I came here
outer or swap being introduced to the multiverse in some way. being hopeful or wary. their perception of the multiverse being VERY narrow. the echoing "hello"s could signify the other outcodes greeting them or other past residents of aus. also plays into sans' "knowing more than he lets on" trait where they probably had some idea of alternate universes existing before being directly introduced to them
frozen margaritas in Austin -> the birthplace and deathplace of Elvis
really just vibes. imagining them talking to out-codes (namely dream or error) and becoming more warmed up to the multiverse. visiting the omega timeline too
(and I’m so far away from home) -> (route seven)
the slow pace of it up to here makes me think of swap or outer or both missing their homes. possibly missing their narrow view of the universe. missing when the world (still endlessly big) was a little smaller
Hey, space cadet. you can’t hang out with your friends, even when you are with them
to me is about swap joining/formulating the star sanses with their first multiverse friends. but the connection they NEED isn’t there. the connections theyre craving arent there. dream themself is still getting used to forming those deep connections or refuses to due to the influence of their aura and the potential codependency that may develop due to it. and ink is not looking to view these guys as more than "characters" (for his mental safety tbh)
Hey, space cadet. you’re gonna need a lot of love but not the kind you’re thinking of
swap wants that connection though, he wants friends that he can go to and hang out with. he's desperate for that validation and acceptance, as someone that's so different. he wasn't taken seriously (enough to become part of the guard) in his universe so why did he expect differently here
and the times when i feel fine -> had to come and write this song
swap possibly sorting through their feelings. he begins seeking out other friends, or places he can relax outside of his home universe. at this point he knows of error and their interests. or outertale was mentioned at some point. either way, he seeks comfort in that universe
hey, space cadet. didn’t think it’d be this far but that’s the price for being a star
this is swap directly communicating his feelings to outer after forming that bond. outer themself rarely left their home universe, opting to welcome monsters that visit the place. outertale is like a tourist stop in that way or at least a place frequently visited by others. it took some time for outer to move past cagey and distrustful to being more open (which isnt by much)
i met you through the television screen. i fell in love with the guy smiling at the audience. and now this love is praecox feeling. and now this love is aspect dawning
swap thinking about ink. possibly learning about ink’s ‘mentality’ and how he only sees them all as ‘characters’. swap’s idolization of dream too! believing that they had the full picture for everything.
swap saw these two as gods almost. beings higher than him. their treatment of their relationship (not deepening their bond past 'coworkers') didnt help to dissuade swap's initial idolization, causing it to snowball into something more severe and possibly toxic.
i can also see this as swap developing a crush on dream but thats pretty 'straight-from-the-lyrics' to me. and i personally view them as best friends
hello hello hello hello -> we should fit like a glove and a hand
swap witnessing the star sanses fall apart possibly! being so upset bc their best friends’ conflicting moralities drove them apart thus, dissolving the group
after this, swap has nowhere to go. he doesnt have a 'job' anymore and his interest in becoming part of the guard in his home universe is so small in comparison to what he was before. he retreats to outertale or the omega timeline to think
Hey, space cadet. The things you see inside your head. You'd better make other plans instead
It's alright to want to dream. It doesn't mean reality is mean, oh
outer or papyrus or dream or swap himself telling swap to let go of his past expectations but to experience the multiverse for what it is
Hey, space cadet. it’s time to show them what you can. what can you do, man, what can you do?
they could be talking to either. outer’s space based powers and magic. swap’s general potential and how theyre underestimated GREATLY
Love isn't love enough -> Love isn't love even at all -> At all, at all, at all
No real explanation abt why this fits besides vibes again. swap struggling with abandoning this mentality and outer bearing witness to it (also dropping my headcanons: swap is ace and outer is aro)
(Space cadet, you are now crashing in space. You've waited for this, now, you're off)
(Kind of a side tangent) But blueberror to me. Swap being Error-d leads to swap letting go of his expectations and past attachments. either protecting aus or destroying them with this new turning point
Hey, space cadet…
this final ‘echo’ at the end just SINGS starryknights to me. the longing, the grief, the agony and the comfort they can seek in each other. the audio for it says so much more
this felt like a mostly swap to outer dump though. outer mostly stayed within their universe and didnt develop that many multiverse affecting friends (like dream or ink or error) outer mainly hangs out with sans, fell, swap, horror, dance and epic at the very least.
error is around too but they dont exactly talk too much. silent acknowledgment and mutual "youre alright" relationship. i can definitely see outer drawing someone like nightmare to them bc of the quiet atmosphere and lack of an ulterior motive
also outer being friends with another character that mostly sticks to their home universe: ccino :3
im trying to think of what i could possibly talk about for starryknights specifically. like why do i even like them? it isnt purely vibes? even if a large amount of it is vibes based. might be due to how i see swap and outer specifically. these are two characters that i find can be widely different from interpretation to interpretation and that greatly fascinates me
swap can easily be brushed aside as “sans if he was hyper and masked his depression” while outer can be easily brushed aside as “sans in space!!” which i feel removes their nuance.
because yes they can be those things but saying theyre Just that makes the world seem flat and uninteresting
imo a majority of their fame comes from who theyre grouped with. how well they can mesh with others and contribute to a story. not discrediting any solo swap or outer fans bc !!! i love these two on their own as well
a tip of my personal interpretation of outer takes into account how they can see the stars everyday. how stars are everywhere in how they dress and possibly their culture too. how the beautiful becomes mundane. which can then create conflict with a character (swap in this case) being ECSTATIC about the stars and how everything he can only dream of is right here. how swap can make outer see the beauty that lies in space because awe swap holds in the stars. and this is where my words devolve into textual screaming bc this dynamic actually rocks. someone who’s unaware of the privilege they have and someone else that marvels in all that they dont have
NO BUT WAIT. think abt how different things would be depending on the swap. star!swap. berror!swap (to become blueberror). or just swap. maybe a swap situated in the omega timeline. im thinking about loss again arent i? first anything geno or error related now this
i imagine, fundamentally, swap and outer are underrated characters in their own right.
swap for the longest time was overlooked and recieved the early fandom "papyrus treatment" where he was infantalized and made out to be obsessed with cooking one particular food (tacos for some reason) and just generally not taken seriously AT ALL
outer is more seen as a reskin of undertale which is entire fair!! the au makes little changes to the story aside from "oh theyre in space now! aesthetic!" and a lot of people like it but a majority of outer's attention is on their beauty yk?
but thats why i like pairing them up together; platonically or otherwise
i initially paired these two up on a whim for my multiverse rewrite (forgetverse) bc i couldnt think of a partner for swap since dream and ink were with each other. for au reasons, there was no star poly but hey! outer!
this specific version of swap knows about the state of their world and is no longer connected to it (resides in the omega timeline probably) and volunteered to help dream and ink thus forming the star sanses.
swap is still heavily under-estimated and 'baby-ied' unintentionally by dream. ink holds the mindset that swap is a character thats playing his part and even if their connection does deepen to the point of being friends, ink still holds that disconnect. ink still unintentionally keeps swap at a distance.
swap noticies this and is hurt by it but he doesnt have anyone to really GO to to talk about it
swap is loosely connected to error at this point and has passed through outertale a few times. swap still holds that desire to see the surface (the REAL surface) but this open sky is a fun alternative. he didnt have a rocket bed for nothing. expect one day, his view is blocked out by a familiar face
the two talk more. swap vents about how overlooked he is and even if outer doesnt "get it" get it, swap at least has a friend outside of his "job". they get closer. swap notices things about outer like how they fidget or how they talk in an unintentionally flat way or how their tone rarely rises or falls. outer notices just how much "more" swap is than them. more energetic, more enthusiastic, more ambitious, just. more.
and they adore that charm swap has. they adore how he manages to see the light in everything. he adores how he can see a part of himself being happier when he's around him.
swap finds comfort in outer's calm. outer finds energy in swap's anxiety. it's a balance. it's nice
theyre just happy together in a way that drives me mad. i love them so much
Get Your Orders In! Just Click My Profile Link to get the set of Magi and Maret, the Starry Knights! For a friend , for yourself or even for that guy you see walking around talking to himself because now he’ll have two new friends to talk too! The Starry Knights are the keepers of The Outside and you will definitely need their help if you ever find yourself there. Produced by @unrulyind and @sideshowcollectibles . #craola #gregsimkins #giftideas #presents #christmas #hanukkah #starryknights #starryknightdramaclub https://www.instagram.com/p/B5_AskOB2wg/?igshid=170bvt9vr13yj