undertale & deltarune fic masterlist

[feralphoenix]

reposting so that it'll be editable... any fic or series marked "undertail" is intended for an 18+ audience.

series you can only use your own You cannot use someone else’s fire; you can only use your own. And in order to do that, you must first be willing to believe you have it.       - Audre Lorde Or: Snapshots from a world where Chara and Asriel lived. AO3 series hub | pixiv log 1, pixiv log 2 →I. someone else's fire They close their eyes and nod. They’re only very small, like you, but you think they look poised, holy, in the low light. “I’m counting on you to help me, then.” Chara lifts their chin, raising their eyelids halfway to look at you directly. “We should get started now. Before anyone has a chance to suspect.” Or: Five times Chara successfully convinced Asriel not to tell anyone, and one time— →II. somebody out there needs you Things aren’t okay. You’re not okay. You don’t think you’ve ever been, and your baseline’s changed again, and you’re still trying to figure out where things stand. But you’re still here, somehow, and you have Asriel, and you don’t know why but Asgore and Toriel still tolerate your presence. There are days that—better is too strong a term, maybe, but they’re passable. Or: Chara has a very bad week and makes a friend. →III. love does not make me gentle or kind The idea of you having to take the throne still feels like a bad joke. Your mom and dad have been the monarchs forever, and some part of you assumed they always would be, even though you know better. You hate even the thought of having to be responsible for the whole kingdom, because what happens when you mess things up? Taking care of Chara, having them need you—that’s all you’ve ever wanted, it’s enough for you. Or: Asriel's misadventures with princehood, responsibility, and generally being an adult. →IV. the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul Try as you might, you still need him. You’re useless without him. And—you love him, you do; you like to think that you would have chosen Asriel anyway, even without all this. He supports you, treasures you, makes you laugh, makes you feel safe. But the more you think about just how dependent on him you are, the more exhausted you become. If he is a bastion of safety, then you are the ivy wrapped around the walls. You may very well pull him down with you, in the end. Or: Chara comes to a decision and meets some resistance.     →IV-i. live inside a green moment [Undertail]       You can’t keep your hands to yourself.       Or: Chara and Asriel enjoy a brief respite. →V. a wish you tell a star and no one else Worrying about the future has been familiar to you for the past while: It’s a little hard to ignore when your coronation is only months away instead of years. The underground feels stiflingly small at times, but there are a lot of monsters (and, okay, a handful of humans too) who live here, and those are an awful lot of people to feel responsible for. Or: Asriel procrastinates on an important task, discovers the magic of friendship, and faces his upcoming coronation. →VI. you in your veil and your pale white dress It’s been five years, after all—Asgore and Toriel have all but faded into the background when it comes to politics, and Asriel isn’t completely overwhelmed with kingship anymore. His parents are ready to retire for real, and you’re as ready as you’re ever going to be to step up to take their place, and you have the time and the gold to devote to a wedding ceremony. That means that it’s time now for you and Asriel to finally, finally be married. Or: Chara attempts to process some things while dealing with wedding planning.     →VI-i. seal our lips until we're found [Undertail]       This isn’t about comparing anatomy; it’s about Chara being able to feel safe in their own living       space, in their own skin. It doesn’t come easy for them, and you know why that is and how hard       they’ve had to fight to get to this point.       Or: Asriel and Chara explore their new privacy. →VII. under my skin, there will be flowers “Asgore and Toriel have sealed off the old capital,” you say. “The monsters there are safe. We’ll have to alert Undyne and the Royal Guard. Have Rufus stay in Snowdin instead of reporting for work in Hotland or Waterfall—she may respond better to a human than to a monster. Everyone knows well enough what humans look like to not mistake this one for a monster child, but just in case, send out a message for civilians to keep a safe distance and not aggress unless absolutely necessary.” Or: Chara faces their greatest challenge yet as a monarch of the underground. →VIII. to rest in crypts and wake in gardens There’s a very small part of you that’s almost—annoyed at the way they’re pulling you along, expecting you to keep going when you’re already so tired. But you’re also annoyed at the part of you that’s grateful for them whisking you through this strange place, because you have so little to keep you going otherwise. Didn’t you climb the mountain in the first place, fling yourself into that hole, because you were so sure that there was nothing left? Or: Frisk survives a long fall and figures out what comes next. →IX. we light ourselves up from the deepest of pits “Tra la la,” says the Riverperson cheerfully, startling you out of your negative spiral. “Great rewards await after great trials, and the greatest approaches. Hmm… what sort of rewards could be waiting after that…?” As usual with their weirdly apropos non sequiturs, you’re not sure whether you ought to be heartened or creeped out. Or: Asriel and the fallen humans prepare to break the Barrier. how they felt after the flood The Crystal Gems have left their home behind, choosing instead to live near Beach City with its population of Earthling humans and monsters. Frisk, a Calcite born late from one of Earth's kindergartens, is their newest member; despite this, they find themself at the heart of the team as their companions try to cope with losses suffered before Frisk joined them. AO3 series hub | tumblr tag →I. the sun like a morning moon The clock is on the wall behind you, right where they’re probably looking, and you hug them tighter and wish for the thousandth millionth time that there was something you could do to fix all this. There isn’t. When the rest of their family is off on missions, Frisk and Chara are left to look after the temple, and each other. →II. songbirds singing before the sun has fully risen You’re paying so much attention to your footing, and the crash of the waves is so blissfully loud, that you don’t realize you’ve got company until a young voice from behind you says “Yo!” While the other gems deal with their own crises, Frisk finds relief from their own responsibilities in a new friend. →III. let none be the noose Chara still has bad days, now and again. They still push you away when things get to be too bad for you to handle by yourself, and that still hurts, but at least you have MK to distract you when that happens. You haven’t formed Willemite for a long time now, it seems. You do your best not to let that bother you. MK learns about fusion, and Frisk and Chara have a sorely needed talk. →IV. far away from you the whole world is growing old “Why do—” Chara starts from next to you, tension open in their voice, but when you and MK swivel around to look at them they fall silent immediately, even clapping a hand over their mouth. “What were you gonna say, dude?” MK asks. “Never mind,” Chara says stiffly. “I think it was… probably rude.” A sleepover at MK's turns into an Earthling Culture 101 lesson, and Chara in particular gets some culture shock. the away game [Undertail] Fifteen years or so post-game, Asriel is monsters' face in politics, Frisk is their highest-profile ambassador… and Chara is a knitwear artist with an online shop whose incapacitating terror of human strangers keeps them housebound while their partners' demanding jobs often mean they're out of state or overseas. This is only one of many strains on their polyamorous relationship, alongside their conflicting emotional and sexual needs, and their individual struggles with mental illness and disability. At the end of the day, though, the three of them are very in love (and very horny!), and are determined to do their best by each other no matter what—even when adult responsibilities keep them physically apart. AO3 series hub →I. a cotton candy taste that suits the lavender of your voice Chara does not deal well with being left home alone for an entire month while Frisk and Asriel are away on ambassador business; thankfully, when their partners get home, they're more than happy to make it up to them. →II. a rose, blooming, dying, in your lungs Sometimes, Asriel needs help in ways that only Frisk can provide. →III. till my thighs are steeped in burning flowers Frisk wants to try something that is both important to them and easier proposed than actually done. Chara is both patient and receptive. →IV. isn't that just peachy Frisk wears a very cheeky pair of tights under their suit just to get Asriel's goat. It works. →V. in some soft time just a moment Asriel is home on a long break, for once; Chara intends to enjoy the situation while it lasts. →VI. with their honeyed heaviness, their lush trembling Everyone is home, and everyone is very self-indulgent, and Frisk could not be happier with this situation. →VII. beauty despite daylight Sometimes things go wrong. →VIII. lightning striking the pine Frisk returns from a long work trip stressed out and especially needy. Chara is touch-starved and ready for affection. How serendipitous! →IX. and you, whose voice is soft as a turned page, Asriel still has several days' worth of political business trip to weather before he can return home, but at least Chara is up to keep him company long-distance. →X. and you, whose voice is soft as a turned page, At times, Frisk desperately needs a vacation from their own brain. Tonight Asriel's got the situation covered. →XI. Almost frost but softer, almost ash but wholer. An airport mix-up leaves Frisk and Asriel up a creek. Chara steps up. a heart is no king's throne Sharing a body and a soul also means sharing a mind; sharing a mind means no privacy, no boundaries, nowhere to escape even if you need time to yourself, means memories and emotions spilling over and no way to control it. This by itself is a situation that's very much beyond a couple of fucked-up ten-year-olds' capacity to navigate in any sort of healthy manner, let alone while they're both trying to serve in the role of plucky rpg hero, so it's very lucky for them that they've got a kind player to help steer them. AO3 series hub →I. don't you let the thunder in It's not having to share the same body that's the hard part. →II. with frostbit hands and snowblind souls Frisk and Chara encounter some technical difficulties in Snowdin. →III. brontide & petrichor Frisk and Chara encounter Undyne and debate methods. →IV. graves in the abstract Chara and Frisk find a stained apron and get meta about ghosts. →V. a country of shadows Frisk and Chara contemplate the void. →VI. goldfloss stars in fiberglass hearts Chara and Frisk reach an ending. →VII. the secrets we planted are no longer rotting Frisk and the player flip the table. we were faster on our feet A scrapbook of Frisk, Chara, and Asriel's postcanon teen years, told in holidays. AO3 series hub →I. remember weather by the voice of the wheel The end of the year is not quite living up to its promise, and Asriel is feeling a little... spiteful. (This is, astoundingly, less ominous than it sounds.) →II. blossoms and books, those solaces of sorrow Ostensibly, you’re spending Hanukkah at Asgore’s because he hasn’t had holiday visitation time in a while, and Toriel is busy with grading papers and writing lesson plans and planning bigger and better things for the monster school. The real reason is rather more sobering than that. →III. sit in the grass and be tender all day Frisk tries to celebrate a favorite holiday for the first time in years, and help Chara reconnect while they're at it. →IV. between the words, beneath language Frisk practices breaking a bad habit with the help of a beloved hobby. →V. a hundred roots silently drinking Frisk prepares to fast for Yom Kippur, which will definitely be a complete non-event and go totally smoothly, any and all tragic backstory notwithstanding, and no one will have any sort of cause for concern. →VI. commas of care Chara chooses to decline an invitation. Asriel mixes up his priorities and puts both feet in it. Frisk is sick of being put in the middle when their partners argue. Alternatively: The one where the trio almost doesn't do Purim. →VII. I shall shape for myself a new heart from salt and mud Chara lays some groundwork and enjoys a recent purchase. more than 50,000 words gongs that put the town into a song [Undertail; ongoing] The two enmeshed cities at the foot of Mt Ebott, called Spiral City by those who live there, is known as the place where humans once chose mercy and established peace with monsterkind. Yet nowadays relations between the two peoples, never easy, are beginning to regain their old tension. Chara already has their plate full just trying to keep afloat financially and navigate their complex and delicate relationship with noblemonster Asriel Dreemurr, their childhood friend. They don't aspire any higher than staying unnoticed, maintaining their independence, and moving out of their shitty apartment as soon as feasible. But a series of upheavals will set them on a course where staying uninvolved in Spiral City's unrest is no longer possible. 10,000 - 50,000 words receding into indefinite rain Choose a quiet place, a ruins, a house no more a house, under whose stone archway I stood one day to duck the rain.       - Li-Young Lee, "With Ruins" Five years after the monsters go free, Toriel and Frisk receive an unexpected visit. lost for a thousand miles One afternoon in the talk therapy waiting room, Sans and Asgore have a moment. The Eggscellent Adventures of Undyne and Alphys [Undertail] A few unrelated shorts on the general theme of Undyne and Alphys having some eggsciting new life adventures postcanon. their words become metallic spangles shivering the air. I’m not one of you squeaks the shattered sapling, blackened by lightning. (...) Will I forget the way home? the third blurts.       - Amy Gerstler, "Bon Courage" The B-side to an old crowd favorite. 5000 - 10,000 words with my heart uncrossed If you’re just looking for a place to stay… just ask!!! You don’t need to fight me!!!       - Your host, Papyrus a cracked bell, or a torn heart What is there to say to this, to an eleven-year-old child whose life was once golden and blessed, who feels compelled to shoulder every possible misery he can find out of some twisted sense of penance? All is not yet well on the surface, and for Asriel's sake, it's up to Frisk and Chara to fix things, or at least make their best effort. like ships had come home in me It’s bright in the room with the curtains half-open, so your reflection is squinting, but you can still see that your left eye is red. You rest your hand on the rim of Flowey’s pot, and in the mirror you see him raise a dubious brow at the portrait you three make. “It’s us,” Chara observes through your mouth. Flowey shrugs his little leaf arms, like can’t argue with that I guess. You smile. dirt to your memories It's been a long time since the Barrier broke and monsters went free, and everything seems to be peaceful and safe. But Sans... well. He needs to be sure, that's all. and they recognized each other like italics [Undertail] Sometimes Sans misses sex, but the dating scene and romantic relationships are more emotional labor than he's up to dealing with, and hookups are too much hassle and riskier than he likes too. Luckily for him, he's got a horny best friend who agrees with him on all above counts, as well as the obvious solution. All that's left is to give being friends with benefits a try and see if they like it. So, uh, no romo or anything, but he really does love Toriel from the bone-tom of his heart. night falls from my neck like silver arrows, very gently [Undertail] Sans and Asgore go toy shopping. only then i am clean [Undertail] Susie and Kris have nothing better to do than make out in the woods, but today what should be a tender moment between good friends keeps getting interrupted with flashes of disquiet. Susie's not sure what to think. 1000 - 5000 words the place I stop and you begin "It has already been used several times."       - Info text for the Bandage bon courage From the outside, the rain shelter looks so small—nowhere near as big and lonely as it felt the first day you sat there. You take a deep breath and try to avoid the sinking feeling of weight settling over your whole body. It’s only been a few days. You have food and everything. It’s going to be fine. (But nobody came.) Here all that was, was frail to bear a heart. This morning, Toriel and your friends were talking about surface business, exodus business, the stages in which you’ll move everyone outside and how to establish Frisk as ambassador. So today, too, you hide in the garden, doing repetitions with your knife. The day of departure draws closer. Chara gets anxious. world comes pouring through Alphys reunites with some old friends on the way home from taking care of business. for darkling green Asriel has a question for Undyne. worth a thousand Asriel, Chara, and their beat-up old camcorder. bright on a gray background When a bad brain weather day threatens to sabotage your babysitting plans, it's up to your girlfriend to come to the rescue. a door ajar on the top floor Frisk wakes up in a familiar place. Good Company Chara's piano lessons continue. Undyne has an idea. lord of red, lord of gold You're nine, and they're thirteen. You're eleven, and they're seven. You're ten, and so are they. Frisk and Chara, from different angles. evoke the stars above Bloody fingers stretch toward the last book, a photo album. Then shiver, shiver, and withdraw. It's the end. joy of our desiring It's winter holiday season, which to two thirds of the Dreemurr household usually signifies suffering. Thankfully, this year Frisk has a brilliant plan. the gratitude of bladed things * (It's a family photograph.) * (Everyone is smiling.) sunlight on a bed of dark roses An attempt was made. Chara has regrets. tether Alphys is having a rough night, and as everyone knows, misery loves company. drawn to a light nobody else saw Chara and Asriel: on nomenclature, on wishing selfishly, on first crushes. there are a lot of secrets under my bed “Don’t ask me to pick the little weirdo’s brain to tell you how their logic works, because I don’t know a god damn thing,” he told you. Then he sighed and tucked his cigarette back into his mouth, inhaling long and slow. Smoke-smell mingled with the odors of fast food and lava when he breathed out. “The problem now is, now that they’re not murdering everything in sight anymore, we’re stuck with them because they had to go and imprint on me like some weird baby animal. What the fuck are we supposed to do with them now?” The one where Burgerpants and the Nice Cream Guy adopt Chara. the first shoots of green after a wildfire Long after the underground has gone empty, Flowey the Flower gets a visit from the last person he would expect. It gets worse. that moment is a waterfall [Undertail] In which Alphys and Undyne enjoy the Mew Mew visual novel, among other things. all their words for glory In which Alphys gets the opportunity to further study DT poisoning; or, it's all fun and games until somebody loses an eye. the kind of love of which I speak A brief chronicle of events leading to the birth of Asriel Dreemurr. with an uneven synchronicity Frisk and Chara and players of all stripes. the light dappled through glass On a rainy afternoon, Frisk and Asgore make strawberry jam. i wanna visit the future and dance in a field of light! Toriel, young noblewoman and knight aspirant of the kingdom of monsters, returns from an unsuccessful errand to find the prince having a good sulk. the way the corner cuts your lips No school means no magic closet portal to another world, and no magic closet portal to another world means no visiting all your other friends. You make do. worn things Noelle Holiday is doing just fine. the sweet, still woods Whatever happened to that other Noelle Holiday, in that other world? (Whatever will happen to her in this one?) like summer gives to the rain Ralsei shares some breakfast with his fellow legendary heroes after they spend the night. less than 1000 words green beneath the rime Even so, you will remember this moment: No matter how many years pass, no matter what form you take. (in absence of) a comfortable rhythm In which a boss fight is probably not the best time to worry yourself sick over your backseat driver's uncharacteristic radio silence. beep In which Chara discovers Asriel's paw pads. in the dream that matters Asgore tries on his new sweater.