Could we get some romance headcanons for your gaster boys? And maybe also the undergloom boys if you feel like it? I'm rereading sweat treats and it's making me feel very soft<3
Somehow I’m always surprised when someone asks about my weirdos, but hey!
Some romance hcs about Sunny (Gastertale Sans), Aster (Gastertale Papyrus), Ash (Undergloom Sans), and Yrus (Undergloom Papyrus)!
Starting with Sunny…much like his (nick)namesake, he brightens up every time he lays eye-sockets on you.
Sure, sure, most everyone will get a smile on their face and little thrill of happiness when they see their partner, but he takes it to the next level. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been out of his sight for five days, five hours, or five minutes, it’s the same reaction every time. He perks up and grins big, eye-lights aglow like he’s just so excited that it’s you!
And he is, that’s exactly what’s going through his head—there you are, that’s you, he’s so happy to see you and it doesn’t matter if he just saw you, the thrill is fresh for him every single time.
That might be at least part of the reason that he’s always dragging you around, introducing you to everyone he knows and then some.
Whether you’re shy or a social butterfly yourself, it seems to be one of his favorite activities to bring you around with him and as quickly as possible, jump to the part where he gets to say, “hey, have you met my partner?” and tell his friends your name and what you do and stuff you’re good at.
Is he bragging? Well, maybe a little, but mostly he’s just trying to showcase you, all the things about you that he thinks are cool and that all his friends and acquaintances should know so they’ll see how cool you are… and maybe they’ll be your friends and acquaintances too.
He wants you to be comfortable and appreciated in all the circles he runs in, because more places you fit in means more time he can have hanging out with you in those places, and obviously he wants that!
He shows a lot of his affection with closeness, and if that weren’t already obvious to people from all of the above, they’ll definitely get the message when he always seems to have a hand on you somewhere whenever you’re together.
He loves the hand-in-the-back-pocket thing, sliding up under a jacket to touch your back, fingers riding up a shirt hem to hook into your belt-loop… Believe it or not, there’s nothing possessive or even lusty in the way he does it. His intention is purely about making contact, mingling the two of you and making a package deal that can’t be pulled apart as easily as taking a step back.
It definitely adds a few seconds of disentangling every time you need to go to the bathroom or something, but it’s a hard habit to try and break him of since as soon as you’re in range he just wants nothing more than to reach out and touch you.
As for his twin, Aster…
Well, he’s not quite as touchy-feely with his partner, but he has plenty of ways of his own to make your relationship status abundantly clear.
For example, the pictures he’s always taking.
He loves taking photos—occasionally just of you, but preferably of the both of you—pretty much anytime you go anywhere together. It can be as special an occasion as an anniversary dinner or as casual as coffee by a nice fountain and either way, inevitably, he’ll try to draw you in and snap a quick pic.
If you’re camera-shy and need a bit of prep to be sure you’re ready, that’s fine, and he has no intention of posting anything for anybody else to see. He wants the photos more for himself than anything else, getting to pull them up whenever he wants and think fondly of the time you spent together; a visual record of times you enjoyed each other’s company.
He's a far more sentimental and emotionally-driven man than his demeanor might suggest, which is to say that it maybe shouldn’t be as surprising as it is that he’ll often sing to you.
Admittedly, he’s not…especially musically inclined. He rarely stays on key (and occasionally flubs lyrics to whatever he heard that makes more sense to him), but aside from that he has a pleasant-sounding voice and he likes to use it to woo you, when the mood is right.
It’s nothing like a full serenade, rarely more than a romantic lyric or two crooned in your ear or belted out to you across the kitchen, but it usually does the trick to make you smile or get warm in the face, so he counts it as a win.
That sentimental nature of his even bleeds through into his unconscious, so you may also find a whole slew of sweet nothings waiting for you if get him talking while he’s half-asleep.
Granted, you probably won’t understand it, since it’ll be in Wingdings—glottal, guttural, sounds that seem incompatible with any kind of language and probably nothing human vocal chords can replicate…but he’s a skeleton, and it’s the first language he ever spoke, and he hasn’t forgotten as much as he’s pushed it down.
But, he’s the sort of person who takes awhile to really wake up when he wakes up, and before conscious thought gets involved in the whole matter, a whole lot of romantic, poetic nonsense can slip through the gates: that you’re brilliant, wonderful, more radiant even than the sun and he’d gladly suffer years—no, decades—no, centuries more in darkness if he only had you by his side…
You may not find that out, though. If he hasn’t totally forgotten what he’s said by the time he’s alert enough to switch to a tongue you understand, he might be too embarrassed to repeat it. 😳
Moving onto Ash…
Well, it’s not a secret that he’s a tired guy, actually chronically so, and that keeps him seated or reclining pretty often.
So ‘pretty often’ is how much you’ll find him leaned up against you, or laying on top of you, or just otherwise smooshing his way into your space. Consider yourself his favorite personal pillow—because you are—and anytime you’re sitting or laying close enough to where he’s doing the same, he’s bound to remind you of that.
To him, you’re comfort and support and safety all in one, so it’s really just natural instinct for him to flop over into your lap, or rest his skull on your shoulder. He can fall asleep on you real quick too if you’re not careful, so be wary of getting trapped if you have anything urgent you might need to do!
Another things about him is that he’s very cozy, rarely without a couple layers of sweaters and/or hoodies. You’d think that’d make him a prime target for the time-honored tradition of boyfriend-hoodie theft—y’know, since he has so many.
You’re in for an Uno Reverse, though, because he’ll be stealing your hoodies if you ever make the mistake of leaving him unattended with them. He’s got a million and one excuses for it, if you protest—he was cold, he thought it was his, he just wanted to see if it’d fit—and a pair of entirely-too-effective puppy-dog eye-sockets when he asks if you want him to give it back, so you may not get some of them returned until laundry day at the earliest.
He’s not unreasonable, though, and can certainly be negotiated with. It might be worth proposing a partner-hoodie hostage exchange program to get some of his in return for the ones he nabs from you. He wouldn’t be opposed to making some kind of arrangement there!
And speaking of arrangements…
He loves music. He loves you. It makes perfect sense to him to combine his loves together somehow, and his favorite way to do that is by making mixtapes for you.
Anyone can make a Spotify playlist and send you a link, but he’s a traditionalist. If he’s going to cobble together a collection of songs that make him think all the best warm and fuzzy thoughts about you, he’s going to do it right—CDs burned on his own laptop with notes in sharpie scrawled atop the disk, set in jewel cases plastered with stickers and all the badly-doodled hearts and stars and clouds you could ever ask for.
It may be cheesy, but he puts a ton of thought into the song choices and what order they play in, to the point that each disk is pretty much a love-letter in polycarbonate plastic form, so be sure to listen close every time he adds another to your collection.
Last but certainly not least, Yrus!
He’s fantastic for your ego, for one thing.
No matter how long he’s been with you, he’s always affected by you—deeply, intensely, visibly. A simple touch to his hand is enough to make him start stumbling over his words, and even just a little peck on the cheek will turn him into a blushing, flustered mess.
You’re just so attractive, and so wonderful, and the thing you want to spend your time and attention and affection on…is him?! Oh, he can’t get over that, and he never will!
Your love is like a sunrise to him—just because it happens every day doesn’t make it any less miraculous, or him any less lucky to be able to see it.
He feels so lucky every moment he gets to be with you, and because of that, he wants so badly to be able to make you happy, to provide for you and make you feel as seen and cared for as you deserve.
Cooking is probably the biggest way in which he tries to do that. Probably one of the first things he ever tried to learn about you was your favorite meal, so that he could make it for you and not only that, but perfect it.
Whether it’s the most time-consuming, complex dish to make or a quick and easy snack, he’ll learn it and go through as much trial and error as needed to get it exactly how you like it the most.
He wants his version of whatever it is to be your favorite, and to be able to make it for you whenever you need it the most.
It’s just how he loves…
You might not realize it right away, but the truest measure of how much he loves you won’t be in anything he does for you, or how he reacts to you, or even in what he says.
It’ll be in silence.
He spends so much of his time trying to help everyone, trying to do everything and be cheerful and positive and entertaining, all the time.
But with you…maybe he doesn’t have to.
Maybe with you, he can just be, without having to fill every silence with conversation, without having to constantly try to impress you, without having to stay on his feet and play host to you, because you’re no longer a guest in his home—you are his home.
When he starts allowing those slow, quiet moments to happen, that’s when you’ll know this thing is forever.
Hello Poppy! I hope you slept well! Here is the reminder you requested to create a mob au hc post like the cowboy post. Have a wonderful day!
Thank you, it’s finally time! I’m gonna put it under a cut immediately because having twenty skeletons makes every post with all of them automatically a long one!
Full disclaimer-- none of the boys are bosses, that falls on the monarch(s) of their universes... but that doesn’t mean they don’t have their own roles to play~
(Warnings: mentions of crime, drugs, violence, sex, brief sexism [probably not the way you’d think] and ableism, plus all the usual mob-tropes I may have forgotten to mention)
Sans (Undertale): He’s a...humble purveyor of items, quality goods produced economically in order to pass those savings on to the crafty consumer who might not want to pay full, exorbitant price for ‘name-brand’ luxuries... Yeah, he’s the ‘you wanna buy a watch?’ guy and he spends most of his days (strategically) wandering around the city looking for customers to hock knockoff, lookalike watches, wallets and bags to. The fuzz know him by name but can never seem to find anything to hold him on, so he’s mostly just a harmless nuisance to be shooed along elsewhere if there’s been any complaints. (He’s real good at making friendly conversation with the law enforcement and keeping all eyes on him, and frankly, if there were any real shady business going on somewhere nearby... well, the cops certainly wouldn’t know about it, too busy hustling him along down the street, now would they?)
Papyrus (Undertale): An upstanding citizen, unlike his brother who’s always in some little trouble with the law or other. He is gainfully employed at a fitness center, and he commutes there by car, because paid for his license to operate one and practiced his driving skills and saved up until he could afford a very beautiful, shiny car of his own! It’s a very nice vehicle...so nice, even, that he doesn’t like to drive it for...recreational outings with friends, in case the paint might get scuffed. That’s why his friends let him borrow their cars when they go out, and let him drive very fast (but safely!) all over the city, even at strange hours or by ‘suspicious’ locations. He’s certainly never seen anything suspicious going on, he just waits outside, and if he happens to keep a First Aid kit in his glove-box, that’s just taking precautions, isn’t it? Accidents happen, you know! (He’s the best getaway driver in town and he knows it, but plausible deniability--the less he ‘knows,’ the better.)
Sky (Underswap Sans): Just your average, ordinary businessman, running a nice little bar for average, ordinary folks of all kinds. Well... he co-owns the place with a buddy of his, Grillby, but Grillbz is a free spirit and a real man about town, so really most of the ‘running’ is down to him. And he loves it! So many people (monsters and humans) to meet and chat with and serve... human food and alcohol, of course. Monster food and alcohol isn’t legalized yet to serve to humans, and a black mark like that against his little establishment would be just awful. He adheres fully to the rules and regulations set forth by human governmental agencies, no magic in anything he passes across the counter, skeleton’s honor! ...Total bullshit, obviously-- he’s running a speakeasy for humans who want to partake in a little monster food or booze, because it’s not harmful to humans and that makes it an even stupider regulation than prohibition was. Grillby taught him most of the menu and cooks on the rare occasions he’s in, while Sky handles the liquid menu and keeps an eye-socket out for snitches and inspectors trying to catch him in the act. He’s never missed a rat yet.
Paps (Underswap Papyrus): He works at his brother’s place. In the back. Only part-time, though, Sky’s got it mostly buttoned up there, so Paps has a lot of leisure time to wander around the city, hit up his favorite joints, chat with friends--and strangers that can become friends, he’s a friendly sorta guy. And if he’s ever seen sharing a cigarette or two with one of those friends, of course it’ll be a totally normal tobacco cigarette, and no exchange of money or anything else incriminating about the interaction. ...Doggo is the one that does the deals, he’s got the Dog Treat supply and a client base that’s steadily starting to include humans--but since Dog Treats are classed as Monster Consumables and illegal to distribute to humans, in spite of being non-addictive, only mildly affective, and non-irritant to lungs, things get a little more convoluted. Paps hits up Doggo at Muffet’s (a wholly monster establishment) for the Dog Treats and a client list, ‘refurbishes’ the Treats to resemble cigarettes, and then meets up with anybody who prepaid for their order real casual-like to fence ‘em. He gets a little cut of the profits, and a discount when he’s picking up for pleasure instead of business--like a (slightly) more illegal girl scout cookie racket.
Jasper (Underfell Sans): Him? He’s just an average joe in all respects. He’s got a little auto shop, spends his days tuning up cars and bikes and such as the like, and most evenings out having fun with anybody else who’s out looking to have a good time--food and drink and maybe a little gambling, but small games, low stakes, for charity, yanno? Nothing illegal, he’d freely assure anyone concerned about the law. Yep, he’s a perfectly normal, law-abiding citizen...as far as anyone can tell. If he does a little work on the side, when specifically requested to, by perhaps one of his monarchs or one of the parties they’d approved to ask for his...services... Well, he’s certainly too quick and clean about it to leave any hard evidence behind, and he’s always far away from...whatever may have happened...with too many witnesses all in agreement that he was there and couldn’t have been anywhere else, unless he could somehow make it across town in the blink of an eye. (His side-gig is as a hitman. He keeps his shortcut ability very tightly under wraps to make for perfect alibis, and takes his targets out with magic bullets which he can disappear afterwards. If he’s ever somehow implicated in anything, he’s happy to point out to the nice officers that he doesn’t even own a weapon. They’re free to look, but all they’ll find is a set of knuckledusters he keeps on his person, purely for protection--and look how shiny the brass is, never even been used, officers! Guess they’ve got nothing on him, after all...)
Pyre (Underfell Papyrus): A law-abiding citizen. He must be--surely one can’t get more law-abiding than a lawyer...right? He actually does keep his (lack of) nose clean, but studying the convoluted mess that is human law doesn’t leave time for much else--even when your studies are funded by royalty and you’re given everything you need to open up your own practice as soon as you’ve passed the bar. Still, his skill and knowledge in arguing the law is very valuable and his services are in high demand, so he’s well-compensated for his chosen career and lives his life outside of it both comfortably and legally. His clients...are innocent until proven guilty and it would be an extreme failing of his duty to give any of them anything less than his best in the courtroom, regardless of their character, their associations, and what they happen to have been accused of. (Yeah, he’s a mob lawyer, used almost exclusively by Asgore and Toriel to protect them and anyone they send to him and all of their collective...interests. He respects the law, but values justice above it, so in spite of having a lot of clients who are definitely criminals in one way or another, he has no trouble sleeping at night.)
Mal (Swapfell Sans): He’s an accountant, nothing more, nothing less. ...For Toriel, of course, so he’s paid well for his services. And he has quite a head for numbers and figures, so he plays the stock market and does quite well there, too, smart investments and reading the writing on the wall, and all that. It’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for his very healthy finances and his lavish lifestyle--fur coats, fine suits, fancy cars, shiny gold pocket-watches-- it’s all expensive and almost over the top, but hey, he is the money-man and all the numbers check out. It seems that he’s just very good at handling and investing his capital, it’s no wonder the monster-queen herself hired him on... (He is, of course, running several money laundering schemes at any given time, taking all the less-than-legally-obtained money earned by constituents of the [former] Empire and layering it through official channels to make it look legal in such a convoluted, complex web that it doesn’t raise any significant red flags. He’s got his claws in a lot of pies, and he takes what he needs off the top to live a little luxuriously, with Toriel’s knowledge and permission-- a perk for the necessary service he provides.) Whatever else may be true, it’s a simple fact that he’s very, very good at his job.
Rus (Swapfell Papyrus): With the lucrative career his brother has, the lucky SOB doesn’t have to work a day in his life if he doesn’t want to, but he’s using the safety net to pursue his passion in art. Subjective as it is, it’s hard to say if he’s really any good, but people seem to like what he produces well-enough--not a household name, but people passionate about the subject might recognize his work and his pieces sell with at least moderate success. For all that it’s probably not going to make him famous or rich(er than his brother), he’s dedicated to his craft and regularly makes bulk purchases of his supplies, canvas and reams of paper and paint and ink and the like, to keep up his steady work and art sales. He seems like an altogether normal and down-to-earth sort of guy, nothing suspicious about him at all. (He’s a counterfeiter and works in tandem with his brother--they even hit a Bureau together to lift a set of plates for the one and only active crime he was involved in--and his art is just a really good cover for why he needs so much ink and paper and other supplies on a regular basis. He does love and care about his art career, that part’s not fake, but he’s also got a good eye-socket for detail and steady hands to replicate it, and if fake human money that looks really real can help monsters, he doesn’t really see why he shouldn’t.)
Slate (Horrortale Sans): He’s...been through a lot. All monsters have, really, but he was hit kind of especially hard and... Whatever Gerson, or Undyne, or whoever’s running things now up on the Surface are getting involved in...he doesn’t really want any part of it. He gets regular stipends for some unspecified ‘service’ he performed for the Queen, Underground, and while no human (alive) knows what that was, it’s apparently enough to live off of relatively comfortably without being employed himself. He has a nice little place with his brother on the outskirts of the city and he lives there quietly, peacefully. He rarely goes into town, just the occasional walkabout, stopping at restaurants or scoping out the architecture. (Part of his one concession to being left out of whatever illegal, mob-type business may or may not be going on: he needs a good mental map of the city and at least a few landmarks that he’ll definitely remember, because he’s the emergency evac should...anything...go especially south. The house phone doesn’t ring too often in the middle of the night, but when it does, he needs to know where he needs to be, and quick.)
Papy (Horrortale Papyrus): He’s, ah... not involved in any ‘business’ either, but he does spend a little more time out of the house, at the local hospital. He was allowed to make a study of human medicine and become a nurse by Very Special Exception--mostly due to some friends (or at least one) in high places, and some very backwards human attitudes about parts that constitute a ‘man’ and how a skeleton without any parts could perhaps be allowed into nursing--and he’s proven himself a valuable member of staff and even made friends with all of his coworkers. He’s happy at his job, and with his life, and returns home to his quiet, peaceful house every night with a smile. (He has a go-bag ready by the phone for those late night calls, though, full of healing items and medical equipment he may have subtly nicked from the hospital, just so he has everything he needs to treat a monster or a friendly human that may have gotten hurt...somehow...and for reasons they have no need to specify, can’t risk going to a doctor.)
Ash (Undergloom Sans): Just a poor street musician...or at least, that’s what most people figure, ‘cause he doesn’t dress too well and the trombone he plays while sitting out on the sidewalk looks like it’s probably the nicest thing he owns. He gets a couple bucks from time to time, but rarely any second glances, and that... That works in his favor. You’d be surprised how much people talk about when they think nobody’s listening (or at least...nobody important) and he can pick up a lot of interesting information of what’s going on in the city just by setting up in the right spot and waiting for folks to talk business. He’s pretty quiet when he’s not tooting the ol’ horn and great at blending into the background, and that’s made him the guy to go to when you want to know something--like how much somebody else knows, or if there are any plans in place for say, a raid or a sting or some kind. (Law enforcement is the worst about keeping proprietary information ‘proprietary’ when they think their only audience is some nobody monster bum sleeping on a bench...) He’s also got something of a whole information network going on with the actual homeless people in the city, since he gives great tips about places who are hiring or somewhere to get a meal or a bed for the night and he always gives his earnings from busking to those who need it more than him. He’s paid for the service he provides and he’s got a home to go back to, it just seems right that the music-money goes to help somebody else.
Yrus (Undergloom Papyrus): He works as a nanny for the Queen! Not too long ago, she might’ve opted to just stay home and look after her newly adopted child herself, while Asgore handled business with the humans, but... They’re freshly split now, and Toriel wants to be just as involved in things as Asgore as much as she wants to s l o w l y ease into being a full-time mother again. Yrus is the solution, already fond of little Frisk and a very warm and trustworthy soul who stayed bright even in the gloom of the Underground. He happily takes the job when asked and splits his time between supervising and caring for Frisk, and tutoring them in all the important subjects (math, history, magic, et cetera). He finds he has a passion for teaching and thinks he might go into that someday, when Frisk is older and Toriel has a little more time and confidence to no longer need him as a buffer. (Whatever it is, specifically, that takes up so much of Toriel’s time and keeps her out so late that he sometimes has to wait around well past Frisk’s bedtime for her to come back and ask after them... Yrus couldn’t fathom a guess and isn’t going to ask any questions. That would definitely be out of his scope as a simple child-minder and even if he knew anything, it would be an extreme violation of the family’s privacy for him to tell tales, which he’s happy to point out to anyone with a lot of questions for somebody so close to two of the Dreemurrs.)
Brick (Horrorfell Sans): He’s on his brother’s payroll. It seemed like the best way to kill two birds with one stone: he’s a big, scary-looking wall of bone who isn’t well suited to a regular-joe sorta job, and his bro’s a very high-profile guy who needs somebody big and scary-looking to stand next to him and be a deterrent. Nepotism, maybe, but they’ve been looking after each other their whole lives already and it’s something Brick knows he can do--he’d do it for free, but if King thinks it’s better (and safer) to have it as his job description, he’s probably right, so Brick’ll take the paycheck for it. King’s also very likely the only one who could stop him if he...lost control...somewhere out and about, so sticking close to him makes Brick feel better and hey, maybe they’re actually killing three birds with this stone of an arrangement. Still, he mostly just goes about town with King, standing around and watching his back and staring people down when he needs to while his brother carries on with his conversations and business. He hardly ever has to do anymore than that...almost never. (One of his favorite places to go is a little hole-in-the-wall craft shop, where King always pretends to take longer than he needs so Brick can peruse the yarn and try to pick up a little sign language from the nice old deaf lady who owns the place.)
King (Horrorfell Papyrus): Yes, yes, he’s very high profile--he did lead monsterkind for a time, getting everyone up to the Surface and settled there--but he’s since stepped down. He’s retired, and anything his successor may be involved in... surely, he couldn’t say. He and Toriel are barely in contact and the money he receives from her on the regular is a gift of goodwill, mostly for medical expenses (his leg, and his brother’s...well). All he does these days is collect for a charity, a pet project of his, Monster Reparations. Lots of people give such generous donations when he goes around to ask for them, maybe impressed a little by his fame, but he can’t feel too terribly about using it for such a worthy cause... (It’s a thinly veiled protection racket and the people and businesses who buy into it tend not to fall victim to ‘mysterious’ criminal activity. Toriel may be officially calling the shots now, but King, as the monster who put her back there, is in a very unique position of power in having her ear, an unofficial underboss totally off the books. Some ‘donate’ more than necessary when he comes collecting, hoping to earn preferential treatment, and sometimes they get it and sometimes they don’t--it’s entirely down to King’s opinion of them personally. ...The old woman who runs the craft store pays about half the going rate, and the immigrant who imports the miniature trees he likes gets a heavy discount, too. The deli-owner he overheard hurling discriminatory epithets at a customer, however, pays triple. You get the idea.)
Merc (Horrorswap Sans): He’s a researcher. Highly confidential, he’s sworn to secrecy and even mentioning that he’s being funded by Elder King Shroomba is pushing the boundaries of what he’s allowed to talk about. Still, he has his own facility, and several assistants, monster volunteers and sometimes human ones--but they have to sign papers swearing not to talk about what goes on in the lab, too. From what they are allowed to say, the gist is just that it didn’t seem like anything sinister was going on; not even a blood-draw... Merc seems pretty happy to leave at the end of every day, though, and whenever it comes up, he talks very fondly about being able to finish the project. (He’s researching DT, specifically how it can be used to enhance monster physiology and make them more resistant to damage from intent. Merc’s misadventure with DT destabilized him, but from 1HP he’s now more durable than ever, and his second attempt with his brother had less dramatic but still noticeable and successful results. The king wants that safety net for more monsters, especially ones who are on the front lines of...potentially less than legal dealings...who could really be at risk. Merc is reluctant, but with the stipulation of informed, willing volunteers for DT extraction and infusion, he can’t bring himself to turn down the resources and funding to research his own condition and bring the possibility of being normal again ever closer. He still has a hard time with the idea of ‘enhancing’ monsters, but the fact that it’s at least being done safely, willingly, and with a whole team behind it this time helps a lot.)
Ell (Horrorswap Papyrus): He’s in a wheelchair but not letting it keep him down, and he’s running a modest little newspaper stand on the corner--papers and magazines and cheap books--nothing all that special but boy, what an inspiration, good for him that he’s got a job and can run the place by himself! All kinds come and go from his stand, and sometimes he closes it up for a little bit in the middle of the day to take a...er...roll, with some people who must be friends of his, but he’s never gone too long, so nobody says anything to the poor guy about the inconvenience. He’s a dedicated businessman, or trying to be; won’t even let people help him with those heavy-looking boxes of deliveries he gets, and for a fella with no legs, he seems to be doing his best! (...The whole thing is a low-key smuggling operation and he is making bank off it. There’s a system of code-words in place related to the publications he sells for a ‘customer’ to indicate whether they’re buying or selling, and what--magic consumables, stolen/hot items, imported goods, the works--and where and when they want things to go down. There’s even hidden compartments in his custom-built wheelchair for some of the riskier stuff, because he knows no cop in their right mind would force a guy with no legs out of his chair just to search it with witnesses around. And that’s presuming any law enforcement were to even catch wise to his set-up, which he kind of doubts: he’s sly and subtle and even if he weren’t, he knows people see the chair before they see him. Why not take advantage of that?)
Pitch (Horrorswapfell Sans): He makes his living as a boxer, and a subsequent minor celebrity. Pretty much any match he’s in is an exhibition match--not just a monster, not just a little guy (...relatively), but a short skeleton monster who’s blind, wow! You don’t see that every day, that’s a spectacle! Plenty of ‘ooh’s and ‘ahh’s in the packed stands every night the sightless skeleton scrapper is in the ring and nobody can figure out how he bobs and weaves so well that he hardly ever gets hit. He loses some matches, that’s to be expected, even for a ‘normal’ fighter, but hey, people love an underdog story, so when he wins, it’s an uproar every time. (For his part, Pitch hates most of his ‘fans’ who think of him the same way they probably think of a silly little dog who learned a funny trick, but the fame in general, and the thrill of the fight... Those are enough to keep him in the ring. Just... maybe not quite enough to keep him fighting clean. He’s as dirty as sportsmen come and he and a few other monsters regularly play his own odds with the bookies: he’ll subtly use magic to cheat and stay in longer, or go down when he could easily keep fighting, whatever’s more profitable with the over/under from match to match. If he’s going to be a circus act doing what he loves, he may as well get hazard pay for his dignity... and y’know, a couple of idiots who think being able to fight is a ‘trick’ because you’re blind aren’t nearly so annoying when you’re being driven away from them in a luxury car, to your expensive house in the hills decked out with all the amenities.)
Nemo (Horrorswapfell Papyrus): He’s got a place he looks after, keeps things running. Just a small joint, nothing fancy, a little cabaret variety show type place--singing, dancing, drinks on tap, that kinda thing. After dark, some of the...performances... might get a little more risqué, stuff that titillates like burlesque and striptease, but rest assured, his permits are all in order and everything’s on the up and up. Nothing illegal whatsoever going on here, just a bit of singing and dancing and everybody having a good time. (Most of the performers are sex workers--monsters, but some humans too--and patrons can negotiate private shows or off-the-clock ‘meetings’ at their discretion. Nemo opts to not know too much of the details of what his dancers do when he’s not looking, for legal reasons, but he makes sure they have a safe place to do it, are paid for their services, and don’t have repeat problem-patrons if any slip through. Being one of the gentlemen running such an establishment in the city that doesn’t happen to touch or steal from or mistreat the performers, his place is the place to get hired if that’s your line of work. He’s mostly just happy to be able to provide the job security and the job safety for a group that really seems to catch a lot of hell up here on the Surface just for how they make their money.)
Sunny (Gastertale Sans): He’s a busy guy, bouncing around from place to place, job to job... Being so scattered, you might think he’d be having money troubles by now, but while he may not be the type to stick with one thing and stay there for a good few years, nobody who knows him would say he’s unreliable--he’s the type of guy that you can give him a call anytime and if you need help, he’ll be right over, and he’ll get the job done well, too! Of course he lives with his fancypants brother, and the King and Queen probably spot him a loan or two now and then, since they’re friendly, so all in all, no one really wonders how he makes enough money to live so comfortably. The answer’s right there in their face...isn’t it? (Yes and no. He is the kind of guy you can call anytime to get a job done, and he will do it well, but the money he gets from Asgore and Toriel is less of a ‘loan’ and more of a ‘payment for services rendered.’ He’s a cleaner, the guy you call to make things go away, things that aren’t supposed to be there: stains, papers, weapons, evidence... He’ll get rid of it for you, and if you need a convincing coverup or an alibi for...whatever it is that you weren’t there doing, he’ll take care of that, too. If somebody’s calling him up for his special brand of help, they probably just want to put it all behind them and forget all about that nasty business. He’s happy to facilitate--after all, what are friends for?)
Aster (Gastertale Papyrus): Like his brother, he gets on well with the King and Queen. (They both feel like they’ve known the monarchs much longer than they actually have...somehow...) But in any case, unlike his brother, Aster is very well-organized and thoughtful, so he’s a natural choice as an...advisor, of sorts, when monsters surfaced and it was...decided that perhaps there would be some...activities and...ways of doing things that...should remain unknown to the humans. Not unknown to Aster: he keeps track of everything, reminding the monarchs of little details they may have forgotten, pointing out things they may not have noticed, making educated suggestions for courses of action with likely positive outcomes based on past experiences... He’s the linchpin between Asgore and Toriel that makes them terrifyingly more efficient than they would be without him, a consigliere-equivalent who certainly isn’t a boss himself, but he has the bosses’ trust and their ears and that makes him a person of great interest. But...no one can get anything useful out of him: he’s loyal, above all, and much as he values truth, he also realizes that perhaps not everyone deserves to know the full truth of everything, especially not those who might use that truth to bring some sort of harm or misfortune to his friends...or to monsterkind at large. ...And trying to directly seize his extensive notes on the private and personal business-doings of the Dreemurrs is an even more doomed endeavor--he writes them all in a strange jumble of symbols that no one’s ever seen, and the code-breakers never have it long enough to decipher anything useful before its back in his hands, reclaimed quite speedily after unlawful seizure of private property containing confidential information. Lots of well-meaning law enforcement have their sights set on him as some sort of criminal white whale, but the simile is all too accurate-- they’ll never catch him, and even if they do, there’ll be nothing to hold him on. He simply has too many friends (and family members) in very high, very useful places.
ok poppy i'm rereading some of your stuff and reading about proposals and my hopelessly romantic ass needs, NEEDS, to know how the new bois would propose to their s/o.
*cracks knuckles*
Romance ahoy!
Ash (Undergloom Sans): Pretty mundane, all things considered, he’s not really an over-the-top sorta guy. By the time he proposes, you’ve almost definitely had at least a handful casual conversations about getting hitched, just to make sure you’re on the same page about the idea. And then, you find the ring, hidden at the bottom of a basket of fries at Grillby’s (because of course it’s at Grillby’s) and the question in his eye-lights when you look back up at him. He won’t say it out loud, he wants you to have the out of shoving it back at him or maybe just quietly taking it if you’re not up for a scene--but if you lick the grease and salt off that puppy and slip it on your finger, you’re already in the best place to celebrate your engagement with all your friends and family!
Yrus (Undergloom Papyrus): Paralyzed by indecision on how to ask you, quite frankly. You’re his s/o, and very special and important to him, so he wants it to be perfect, exactly what you want... but how??? He spends months looking up proposal ideas, asking friends and family for advice, practically stressing himself to tears over how much he wants this to happen but just can’t decide on how to do it! You’re almost guaranteed to find out about it before he follows through on anything, and honestly, you should probably propose on his behalf. The tears will finally come then, but they’ll be happy ones, and hopefully the two of you can laugh about it later that it was his idea and he had everything ready, but you had to be the one to ask just to make it happen.
Brick (Horrorfell Sans): Once he’s decided that he really wants to be with you on a permanent basis, he’d like to make the proposal really special and memorable for you… but he doesn’t really have any ideas. He’s…not the most creative, or spontaneous, and everything he’s come up with feels boring or clichéd… In the end, the only thing he can think of is to just... rehearse and memorize a little speech-- the usual pre-proposal stuff, like what you mean to him, how much he loves you, the future he wants to have with you... He writes it all down, everything he wants to say to you, and drills it, over and over until he’s got every word down perfectly with no pauses or wrong signs or stand-in-words for what he actually means, like there usually are when you talk to him. When the time comes, it’s the skeleton-equivalent of muscle memory and he delivers his speech perfectly, flawlessly for you, ending on the classic ‘will you marry me?’ and watching carefully for your answer. (If it’s ‘yes,’ you can bet he’ll still remember the speech, word for word, years later and be able to repeat it to you whenever you ask-- your fifth, tenth, twentieth anniversary and beyond.)
King (Horrorfell Papyrus): Probably disappointing, honestly. He’s a very restrained and understated type of person, not the type to make a fuss, even about this. Honestly, you’ll be with him so long and so harmoniously that everyone you know will be assuming you’re already married before he’s ever said anything to you about it. And then, one day... he tells you that he’s looked into it and that it’d be relatively easy to make things official, he already knows the forms to fill out and the pieces of identification you’ll need, if that’s something you’d like to do. Not...very romantic...definitely not much of a wow factor... but you might feel at least a little flutter if you agree, because he’ll take your hand and press the back of it to his teeth and follow it up with, “GOOD. LET’S GET ON WITH FOREVER, THEN.” And he does mean that-- he only plans on marrying once, and you’re it for him.
Merc (Horrorswap Sans): You’ll find him in the kitchen, getting a little baking done. He’ll tell you, straight-faced and straight to your face, that he’s making a proposal cake...and ask if you’d like to help. You’ll probably assume it’s a paid project of his, for a client, and he’ll encourage your misunderstanding every step of the way. (Bonus points if you happen to have any comments--positive or negative--about the guy who’s proposing to his datemate with a cake!) The two of you will be flirting and cooperating and having a nice afternoon together making this cake--mixing the batter, putting on the frosting, carefully decorating it-- and it probably won’t occur to you that every part of it, from the flavors to the colors are exactly to your tastes... at least, not until he’s piping ‘Will You Marry Me’ on top and then spells out your name. The cheeky son of a bitch got you to help him bake your own proposal. He’ll slide the cake over to you with a patient smile while he waits for it to click, and to hear your answer to the question.
Ell (Horrorswap Papyrus): He’s definitely going to take a long time to get around to it, lots of hesitating and talking himself into and out of it. You’ll mostly likely be cuddled together, in the middle of the night, when he can’t wait anymore and nudges you awake to ask how you feel about doing something stupid. (It’s a prime opportunity for an ‘I’m doing you, aren’t I?’ joke, and honestly that might loosen a little bit of the tension for him if you’re quick enough on the draw to make it.) He’ll hem and haw and talk around it for awhile if you choose to probe into what he had in mind, but he’ll go for broke sooner or later and say that it’s marrying him, that he was thinking about. The stupid thing. That he...wondered if you would...do... He has a ring, which he fishes out from underneath the pillow, but the self-consciousness will start hitting him around then, and he probably won’t be able to look you in the eye as he sheepishly nudges it at you, waiting for your answer. If it just so happens to be ‘yes,’ well... he’ll probably be smiling into your shoulder all night and well into the morning.
Pitch (Horrorswapfell Sans): He wants an organic moment and he’ll wait as long as he needs to for a natural, intimate moment where it just feels right to ask. It’ll probably be a morning, early but not so early that the sun isn’t coming through the windows and making everything feel warm and pleasant as you start the day. Domesticity in its purest form, he’d most like to catch you getting some chores done with a little music playing, the perfect excuse to sweep you into a playful, spontaneous waltz across the floor... And somewhere between the twirling and the laughter and the kisses ruined by smiling, there it is--“MARRY ME...” No ring, no collar, and no real plan for what you might say after, but you can figure that out together, can’t you?
Nemo (Horrorswapfell Papyrus): He pops the question as far from home as possible, out in the great big world. The specific location isn’t important to him, it could be anywhere as long as it’s beautiful and new to him and he’s all the way out there with you. He may not have intended to come on vacation just to do this, so he’s definitely not prepared, but it reminds him how far he’s come and how he never could’ve predicted he’d end up here, with all this, and that inspires him; giving him the confidence to propose without hesitation. He’ll take your hand in his, look you in the eye, and just ask: “will you marry me?” He just...knows that it’s something that he wants and he hopes that you feel the same way.
Sunny (Gastertale Sans): Guaranteed to be a spur of the moment thing, completely off-the-cuff. After you’ve been together awhile, after it’s clear that you two are a Serious Thing and probably in it for the long haul, it could happen pretty much anytime, anywhere... but probably on some adventure you’re on, whether that’s an aimless drive to nowhere, a ‘hey I’ve never done that before, let’s do it’ outing, or even just hitting up a convenience store for snacks in the middle of the night. You’ll just be laughing, having a good time together, living in the moment, and he’ll catch your eye and… “hey. let’s get married!” Spontaneous, but not thoughtless-- if he says it, he means it completely, so there’s no need to worry about him taking it back. He’s just too excited about the idea to not tell you about it immediately, as soon as it pops into his head. Still, he won’t be offended if you doubt the offer at first, and he’d be very happy to talk it out with you--where it came from, how he feels about you, why he wants it-- until you believe him and can maybe start thinking about an answer to give him. Take your time, he can wait, as long as it’s with you!
Aster (Gastertale Papyrus): His is very much the Traditional Romantic Proposal-- a meaningful location for the both of you (where you met, first date, first said ‘I love you’, take your pick) where you can recreate that lovely evening with each other’s company and your fond nostalgia. You’ll probably have the sense that it’s coming long before he ever actually asks, but he won’t be hurried along for anything. You’re making memories here and everything in its own time! The biggest difference from his and the Traditional Romantic Proposal is that when it is finally time to pop the question, he won’t go down on one knee. He won’t do anything that might draw unnecessary attention to himself and to you, and won’t involve anyone else in this—no friends and family, no helpful waiters hiding rings, no spectators gawking at you in passing. This moment isn’t for sharing, it belongs to just the two of you: no pressure, no judgment, and no expectations, just a very simple, earnest question, asked with your hand in his. Before you’ve decided, he wants you to be comfortable enough to choose wholly without influence... and if your answer to the question is something to be celebrated, if your choice is him... Well, he’s happy to share that with anyone and everyone you please.
would you consider updating the pet names post for the new guys? (specifically, what names they'd call their s/o) pitch calling his s/o "pet" and "kitten" in sweet treats had me WEAK...
Why yes, I can accommodate this request!
Ash (Undergloom Sans): Doesn’t lean too much on pet-names, they’re cute but a little too cutesy to be dropping all over the place willy-nilly, y’know? If he’s feeling a little goofy, he might call you ‘lover’ and really ham it up with an exaggeratedly “seductive” tone, just to make you laugh. ...But genuinely, privately, in his head and intimate moments with you, you’re definitely ‘bright-eyes.’
Yrus (Undergloom Papyrus): Very thoughtless about his pet-names, never really intentionally dropped--they just sort of happen-- and he’d get very flustered if you called him on it. ‘Dear-heart’ is a favorite and one he’ll use a little more indiscriminately (earlier in the relationship and occasionally in non-romantic contexts too), but when he’s distracted and casually drops a ‘sugarplum’ on you, that’s when you know he’s in deep.
Brick (Horrorfell Sans): When he’s talking about or to you, he loves to bring his first two claws to his chin and flick them down: ‘cute,’ literally, but ‘cutie’ in intention. He just thinks you’re adorable and he’s gotta make sure you know it. He’s also fond of giving the back of his hand a couple flicks to call you ‘pumpkin,’ since you’re just as cute and tasty as one. ;3 (He’ll probably also have a unique sign that he uses to stand in for your name in conversation, like ASL users tend to but that’ll be based off of your own unique traits, so unfortunately, I can’t tell you what that’d be!)
King (Horrorfell Papyrus): Almost never uses pet-names, they’re definitely too soft and he feels far more vulnerable using them than he’d like to be, so you’d have to be pretty far into the relationship before he’s willing to call you his ‘jewel’ to your face. You may be married by the time he lets the even more intimate ‘my heart’ slip out, but by then it’s definitely too much the truth (as he feels it) to feel embarrassed by.
Merc (Horrorswap Sans): Still fond of ‘darling’ and the ever classic ‘dear,’ when he’s being wholly sincere, but when he’s feeling playful, he gets a little more...adventurous. Pet-names are an easy way for him to fool around and be silly with you, even while maintaining The Façade, so you can go ahead and imagine any goofy, over the top, disgusting pet-name and he’ll probably say it at some point: ‘pookie,’ ‘snookums,’ ‘sugar-pie,’ ‘pudding pop,’ ‘cupcake,’ he has no shame and he’ll say it all...with a perfectly straight expression and even tone that just makes it funnier. He’ll tone it down if you ask, but he thinks it’s hilarious and would love to keep doing it.
Ell (Horrorswap Papyrus): Definitely not big on pet-names, they don’t come naturally to him and that makes them feel forced and not genuine enough when he does try to use them, so mostly he...doesn’t. But if you’re perceptive, if you’re really listening to him, you might notice that when you meet up with him, or if you surprise him, or you wake up together and he looks over at you, the first thing he says is starting to always be the same: “hey, you...” It doesn’t look like much written out, but when you hear it, when you see how he looks at you warmer and warmer every time... the more he says it, the more that ‘you’ sounds like ‘everything.’
Pitch (Horrorswapfell Sans): ‘Dear’ is a favorite still, as is the occasional ‘dearest,’ but when he’s feeling especially affectionate, yes, he’s very likely to call you ‘kitten,’ cute and feisty and very beloved. ‘Pet’ is the one you get when he’s cheeky and in the mood to tease-- he likes the possessive note of it about as much as he likes the chance it might rile you up a little and make you want to tease back. Rest assured, though, it’s all in good fun!
Nemo (Horrorswapfell Papyrus): Not all that verbal, so the pet-names are a little sparse too, just by extension. He will call you ‘beautiful’ often--whether you think of yourself as beautiful or not, you are to him, so of course he’ll want to tell you so sometimes--but that’s about it. ...Unless you count non-verbal pet-names, that is. Once you’re eased into the relationship far enough that the touch-barrier has been broken, you might notice that he likes to trace idle patterns on you with his claws, and if you really pay attention to what he’s tracing, you might also notice that the patterns aren’t always idle. Sometimes it’ll be your name, or a certain l-word, or maybe just a few little heart/soul-shapes to stand in for the same thing. You could call him on it and he’d be a little embarrassed, but he wouldn’t deny it, and unless you really hated it, he wouldn’t stop either. It’s just how he feels.
Sunny (Gastertale Sans): Calls you ‘kid’ romantically. You might also get some similar words, like ‘bro’ or ‘dude’ with the exact same sentiment, but ‘kid’ is the favorite, in spite of definitely being kind of old fashioned in comparison. He just... likes it, and in general the combination of casual, friendly terms with deeper, more genuine sentiment. If he’s feeling extra flirty, he might slip in a ‘sweets’ on you, but mostly, it’s ‘heya kid, what’s up?’ and ‘c’mere kid,’ and ‘damn, kid, you’re amazing... <3′
Aster (Gastertale Papyrus): A relatively traditional sort of fellow, he prefers some of the more classic terms of endearment himself, but tends to only use them in private. He’ll say them with some degree of playful exaggeration when you’re early in the relationship, but the longer it goes on, the more genuine the words will be. Still, getting hit with an earnest, gentlemanly ‘beloved’ for the first time might be a bit of a surprise if you’re not ready for it, and the errant ‘dove’ will probably hit just the same-- he’s extra fond of that one, actually, so he might hold it out for special occasions, or until he’s really sure you’re both a solid thing. But if you are, best get used to that now, because that’s what you have to look forward to! UwU
If headcannons for the newer skellies are still open, could you talk about how they act with a SO on their period? Mine hit kinda hard and going back and reading that post was a lovely little distraction.
They are! Sorry it took me a hot minute to get to this, but with a partner on their period...
Ash (Undergloom Sans): Definitely on cuddle-duty, hoping to get you to take it easy and nap with him on the couch...or in bed, wherever you might wanna nap is fine. He’s also pretty likely to lay his skull on your lower belly and nuzzle, hoping it helps. He doesn’t really know what he’s supposed to do, but he’d at least like you to be comfy, if you can be!
Yrus (Undergloom Papyrus): He’ll probably fret around you a little bit, maybe more than he needs to, but... he’s a caretaker kind of personality, he doesn’t like to see people he cares about in any kind of distress, and he’s not going to be able to quell the urge to Do Something. He’ll light a nice scented candle for you and set you up somewhere comfortable and then disappear into the kitchen to make your favorite home-cooked meal-- it’s how he shows his love!
Brick (Horrorfell Sans): Absolutely lost, not really sure what you need or how to help, but his first reaction is to pick you up, for some reason. So that’s what he’ll do, and then he just kind of...doesn’t put you down... at least, not until you absolutely need to be down, like a bathroom break or something. He feels better about the whole thing if he’s holding onto you and carrying you around, so best to just let him be your chauffeur for a bit to at least let him feel like he’s helping you. Hopefully he is...?
King (Horrorfell Papyrus): Doesn’t seem all too impressed or sympathetic with any symptoms you might be experiencing, maybe even a little visibly disgusted with any, uh...evidence... But he never comments on it, and there always seems to be a snack or a water bottle within reach that you definitely didn’t put there yourself, and whenever he goes out, he’s sure to ask if there’s anything you want while he’s going, he won’t make a second trip later if you change your mind, you know. So maybe he cares more than he lets on.
Merc (Horrorswap Sans): Probably the most casual about it, doesn’t seem phased at all when and if he’s made aware that you’re on your cycle. It’s a fact of life for about half of all humans, a totally normal process and everything. Still, he will ask if there’s anything he can do to make it a little easier on you and fulfill just about any request without complaint. To him, helping you out when you need him is a totally normal process, too.
Ell (Horrorswap Papyrus): He is so awkward and stupid about it. It’s not malicious in any way, but everything he knows about human cycles is from human media and that’s...obviously a pretty bad teacher. He’ll be kind of weird and hesitant around you while he tries to figure out what your period Does to you, somehow both skirting around you and hovering--unsure if you want him to stay with you or stay away from you. He’s well-meaning enough, he wants whatever you want, just be straight with him about it and communicate clearly what you need and how you feel, and he’ll gradually become more normal around you.
Pitch (Horrorswapfell Sans): Definitely sympathetic, but not about to let you wallow in any pain or discomfort you might be experiencing. He’s still got a knack for green magic, even after everything, and he’ll offer it to you freely to ease what he can. Also very likely to draw you a steaming hot, luxurious bubble bath, if you’d care for a soak and a bit of pampering. (He wouldn’t be opposed to joining you, either, but he’d fully respect your wishes for a little solo me-time, if that’s what you’d prefer!)
Nemo (Horrorswapfell Papyrus): Stars, he gets clingy. Normally, he likes to keep a bit of distance, even if it’s small, but when you’re on your cycle--especially if you’ve got some rough symptoms--he’s practically on you the whole time. He’ll only want to leave you long enough to cook and do chores for you, and even then, he’ll probably check in often or try to keep you in his line of sight if he can. He feels like he can’t really help you, since he can’t make your body stop doing what it’s doing and he can’t take the pain/discomfort/unpleasantness from you, so he at least wants to be on hand, if nothing else. Good luck shooing him away!
Sunny (Gastertale Sans): Empathetic in a big way, seeing you uncomfortable and hurting, he can practically feel it himself, so he really wants to help, or at least distract you, if he can. He’ll offer just about anything he can think of to see if any of it sounds good to you--taking a walk, watching some TV, go for a drive, get some ice cream, or maybe just take a nap???--and if anything strikes your fancy, he’ll make it happen! If you pick a sedentary activity, though, you should expect to have his hands wrapped around your middle and trying to knead away any cramps or pressure you might be having. He’s good with his hands and if he can put those fingers to use for you now, nothing would make him happier.
Aster (Gastertale Papyrus): Your first handful of periods around him aren’t going to be great. They won’t be bad either, but definitely nothing you would even notice from him. He hardly even seems aware of what’s going on with you beyond, y’know, basic consideration of you as a person and as his datemate... It’s not until a few in that you realize you were wrong. He was aware, very aware, and in fact, far from doing nothing, he’s actually been hard at work the whole time--collecting data, preparing. The next time your period hits, he’s ready, providing you with everything you need as you need it, sometimes even before. Your supplies are stocked up and neatly organized, medication is provided in sync with the ebb and flow of your symptoms, all of your most craved treats are in the kitchen or sometimes even already in his hand to be passed over to you at the perfect moment... He’d probably give you a weird look if you called him your Period Fairy, or even, fondly, your Menstruation Wizard, but it kind of feels appropriate with how he’s boiled taking care of you down to such an exact science.
Scars/distinguishing marks: Pronounced and apparently permanent shadows beneath his sockets, even when well-rested
Preferred Style: Convenience cozy, everything he wears is picked to fit the criteria of being easy to put on and comfortable enough to sleep in—soft and warm is a (preferred) bonus, but not necessarily a requirement. His chronic fatigue makes it so that he can and usually will fall asleep just about anywhere and he doesn’t always have the time or energy to change. Easier to just have a whole wardrobe of clothes that can do double-duty. Favors heather fabric, the black-and-white spectrum, and washed out colors.
Outerwear: Hoodies of all kinds, pullovers and zippered alike; fleece is a big favorite, especially in the lining.
Top: Oversized t-shirts and tunics, a good mix of shirts bought a couple sizes too big and shirts intentionally designed to be loosely fitting. Sweaters to wear over them, but under his hoodie; mostly basic crew-neck pullovers but knitwear isn’t out of the question as long as it’s nothing especially complex in terms of design.
Bottom: More sweatpants than anyone probably really needs to own, especially because he has a few favorite pairs and almost always wears one of them. He likes the thicker ones, generally, and the ones with the elastic at the ankle, and of course fuzz or fleece on the inside is a bonus. He owns some pajama pants too, in black-and-white flannel and silly patterns (like skull-and-crossbones), but those don’t get out as much
Footwear: Slippers, naturally; fuzzy inside is great as usual, but he likes the outside to be more just…normal fabric, and the soles should have some decent grip on them since he’s pretty much wearing them everywhere
Trademark accessory/accessories: Not really any one thing in particular, but taken as a whole, definitely his layers! With all the padding he piles onto his bones, he tends to look even chubbier than Sanses already tend to look
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Nickname: Yrus (Undergloom Papyrus)
Height: 1’4” taller than you (OR 6’3”)
Eye-lights: None (magic otherwise manifests pearl gray [#DEE4DB])
Magic Specialty: Blue
Scars/distinguishing marks: None
Preferred Style: Sunshine academia dark academia eat your heart out, he’s all about the scholarly, nerdy kind of aesthetic and thinks it’s a genuinely very cool Look. He’s right, it is! Especially the way he does it, which is to keep the traditional forms but ditch the dark stuffiness and aim for bright and light instead. Favors neutral tones (like white, beige, tan) and nature colors (like yellow, green, blue).
Outerwear: When the occasion calls for outerwear, he’s got lots of knitwear ready, especially cardigans and sweater-vests. No patterns more complicated than a simple rib, he’s a simple man!
Top: Button shirts, mostly, but a few loosely fit sweaters (v-necks, notch-necks, and cowl necks). The only short-sleeved shirts he owns are a couple of polos, but he almost never wears them, long sleeves are his preference!
Bottom: Pleated pants, lots of slacks and khakis in their ranks. A few pairs of jeans, one a decently fashionable pair of gray skinny jeans, but the rest are mom jeans so…there’s that.
Footwear: A very healthy collection of dress shoes—oxfords, loafers, derbies—and a few pairs of nice leather Chelsea boots for when he needs something a little more all-purpose.
Trademark accessory/accessories: His sweater-vests are a big one! He’s a little slimmer in the chest and shoulders than most Papyri tend to be, and his favorite fashion statement tends to accentuate that in a very nice way. The other is probably his glasses—with round and rimless lenses—they’re a bold choice (in his mind) and for all that he’s not typically bold, he thinks they’re pretty cool.
can we get an update on the body insecurities with a human s/o for the new boys, if you're up for it?
This one? You bet!
Ash (Undergloom Sans): There’s nothing about his body that he’s particularly self-conscious of, actually. ...But there’s also nothing about his body that he’s particularly proud of. It’s...fine, it does all the things a body is supposed to do, more or less, but it’s just...there. Not bad, but not good either. He’s very much the type of person who’s mentally drawn a line between himself and his body, thinking of them as separate things, and the qualities of the latter have nothing to do with the former. He can say honestly that there’s nothing he hates about his body, but the fact that there’s nothing he especially likes about it either is probably not ideal. He’d almost certainly benefit from his s/o helping him learn a little self-love to nudge that pointed neutrality into something positive, and to give him at least one or two things he could actively like about the bones that carry him around from place to place.
Yrus (Undergloom Papyrus): Much as he knows it’s a silly thing to worry about, he tends to fret about falling short of human standards of masculinity, at least as they’re broadly, popularly defined. All the things that men are ‘supposed to be’--big, strong, athletic, tough, et cetera--are things that he...isn’t. He’s on the taller side so he’s got that going for him, but he’s not all that strong, physically, and his hobbies are...pretty domestic. He loves cooking and cleaning, books and scented candles, nature and knowledge! And of course, he knows all about the concept of toxic masculinity and that striving to be anything at all but what he is would only harm him, but with a human s/o, who was born in and brought up around those ideas and stereotypes, he sometimes wonders if that...matters to them??? If he’s...maybe not being all the man they want or need him to be??? A frank conversation about all of that would do wonders to put at least most of those fears to rest, but it’s definitely a topic for his s/o to be a little tactful and sensitive about it!
Brick (Horrorfell Sans): Most of the physical consequences of Everything that happened Underground don’t make him feel self-conscious at all. His size, the hole in his head, the pins in his jaw, they all make him look cool and scary as hell, and he almost looks at them all as a point of pride that he survived everything thrown his way. Even only being able to manifest one eye-light is really not that big a deal to him and doesn’t really register as anything to dwell on. But... there is one thing... He really doesn’t like the cracks in his vertebrae. He thinks they’re ugly and even after all this time, they still look fresh and raw and feeling eyes on them, or catching a glimpse of them himself in the mirror makes him feel entirely too exposed. Human docs couldn’t figure out a permanent way to fill them in without restricting his range of motion or further agitating his magic, and he quickly got to the point where he couldn’t take all the poking and prodding around his neck trying to figure something out and just wanted to get on with life. There are a lot of turtlenecks in his wardrobe and any attention paid to that particular spot by his s/o is best kept short and sweet.
King (Horrorfell Papyrus): You’d think it would be his scars still, or even his missing leg. But it’s neither. It’s not something he’d ever express in a million years, but his biggest insecurity is that he... kind of hates the way he looks in clothes. Not all clothes--he has a few expensive, tailored suits he’s very fond of, however rarely he gets the occasion to wear them these days--but most everything else... He doesn’t have a problem with his body as much as he has a problem with the way clothes that weren’t designed with his proportions in mind make his body look, and on the surface, among humans, that’s just about all of them. Half the shirts he tries on look like ill-fitting crop-tops and even the longest pants end up being capris when he tries to buy off the rack and it’s...frustrating that he can’t just buy something and look good in it right away. Because of that, he has a relatively small closet and tends to wear things that cover him up as much as possible, in dark colors (always black if possible), finding that it accentuates his height and slimness and blends his long limbs and torso into himself to look less odd. He’d probably be happier if he just bought everything he liked and then had it tailored to him, so he could branch out more into some of the types of things he used to wear, but that much tailoring would be expensive and for something he looks on as a vanity... He’s resistant, feeling like there’s just more important things to save and use the money for, like food, medical expenses, actual necessities... A little (a lot) of persuasion from a s/o to treat himself to more than just a mere handful of outfits that he likes and that fit correctly might be helpful in getting him to indulge.
Merc (Horrorswap Sans): Pretty obvious, he’s most self-conscious about the fact that sometimes he’s not altogether solid. Humans especially don’t seem to think too highly of things that are slimy, goopy, and drippy and caught at the wrong time, he’s all of the above. He doesn’t like the thought of anyone, but especially his s/o being grossed out by him, thinking he’s disgusting or creepy or downright disturbing because he couldn’t keep enough of a handle on his emotions to stay solid and normal. He doesn’t particularly love his eye-lights either, formerly just blue but now ringed with bright, burning red. The color combo can be...intense... and though he isn’t aware of it, he’s definitely been a bit conditioned lately into not making as much direct eye-contact with people as he used to, subconsciously noticing the better, more relaxed response he gets when he looks down or slightly to the side instead. But if we’re talking post-DT integration, when his form is stable and his eye-lights are pink......... he’s not insecure about a damn thing--he worked hard to get his body back and he loves and appreciates every inch of it.
Ell (Horrorswap Papyrus): He tends to expend more energy worrying and being insecure about his personality than anything physical, quite frankly, but if there were something physical...well, even more obvious than his brother, he’s missing a couple limbs and it’s just a bit too fresh for him to be totally comfortable with it yet. There’s a lot he misses and a lot he’s still getting used to doing differently and a lot of mental and emotional baggage from the circumstances that led to him not having legs and he hasn’t really dealt with any of it. As a result, he tends to be self-conscious about anything he can’t do the way he used to before, or any time being in a wheelchair turns something that would be routine for anyone else into an Ordeal... It gets better the more he heals and copes with what happened, and especially when he acknowledges that he does want to try prostheses, even if it means committing to all the time, effort, (metaphorical) blood, (not metaphorical) sweat, and tears that’ll take, but until then... yeah, it’s his lack of legs and wondering if his s/o wouldn’t be happier or at least find it easier to be with a guy who just had two legs and didn’t need to see a prosthetist to get them.
Pitch (Horrorswapfell Sans): Unapologetic about himself--his scars, his blunt(er) claws, his blindness--but with a human s/o especially, there is one thing he’s at least a little hesitant about. It’s the hole in his face, jagged and dark and unsightly...he assumes. It’s not like he’s ever seen it for himself, but he’s certainly felt a change in atmosphere in the past whenever its been exposed and he can only assume it’s disturbing to look at. When disturbing people is not his end-goal, he tries to keep the hole (mostly) covered with a pair of blind-glasses, and that will definitely be the case with his s/o, too... at least until he can suss out their unique reaction to his injury. If it doesn’t bother them, he’s happy to do away with the glasses in private, but the last thing he wants is to make his datemate uncomfortable and if the sight of his wholly uncovered face has that effect... Perhaps it’s for the best to keep them on, then...
Nemo (Horrorswapfell Papyrus): He’s really conscious of his exaggerated startled response at what feels like every little thing. It isn’t, and it’s wholly understandable and maybe even expected for what he went through Underground (especially those last few weeks), but it frustrates him a lot, especially when he gets a s/o. There’s someone he likes, someone he wants to get to know better and to be close to, and they’re right there, but all they have to do is move too fast or do something he wasn’t ready for and his automatic reaction is to flinch or reel back like they were about to...attack him or something! It’s absolutely a case of his mind knowing one thing and his body knowing another and he hasn’t yet figured out how to make the two of them share notes and realize that one of them might have some more up-to-date information than the other. There’ll be lots of nervous apologizing over it until he gets past thinking that they’re probably one disproportionate flinch from deciding he’s a little too high maintenance to make things work.
Sunny (Gastertale Sans): If he could change anything about himself, it would be his hands--or at least, just the holes in the middle of them. Looking through his palms is a very visceral, inescapable reminder that he used to be...or was part of??? somebody else, and that attachment to an identity he no longer owns nor wants makes him a little uncomfortable. He wants to forget all about that stuff and what little he does remember of That Time and just be who he is now without having to think about the past. Still, it’s... always right there, whenever he looks down at his own hands, and some days that’s harder to deal with than others. He knows the circular holes in his palms are probably really cool and interesting to his human s/o, but at the same time, he kind of hopes they don’t pay overly much attention to that part of them. He’s trying to just let his hands be... his hands, and to not attach a whole lot of weird baggage to them. And on days when that doesn’t quite pan out, he’s got all kinds of pockets and gloves and busywork to keep them out of sight, out of mind.
Aster (Gastertale Papyrus): He tends to spend more time in front of the mirror, tracing the asymmetrical cracks in his skull, than he would ever care to admit. He’s not sure why he dwells on them as much as he does, his brother has them too and doesn’t seem to care about his, but... He doesn’t know what they are, or why they’re there...or how he got them and when...or if they were always there and he...they??? had just been born with them. Maybe he frets and grumbles about them because of what they represent--how much of his...their past was lost when they, as separate beings, came to be, even in spite of sharing what they do know and remember. The life and times of W.D. Gaster are a mystery that can never be completely solved, and that loss bugs him. The cracks make him especially insecure because anyone can see them, right there on his face, and ask what they are or where they came from, and he’ll have no answer, just like he wouldn’t have one for a hundred other completely normal and reasonable questions someone could ask him about his life Before. He definitely dreads and overthinks how to answer those questions from a s/o, in a way that doesn’t either make them think he’s lying to avoid being honest with them or freak them out with too much of a very crazy and unbelievable story too soon. It’s a hard hypothetical balance to strike, and maybe if he didn’t have ‘please ask me something about my past’ essentially written on his face, he’d have more time to figure out how to do it best...
