+ ENTRANCEWAY TEST DRIVE MEME +

[vitaelamorte]

HAS THIS EVER HAPPENED TO YOU?!

You have isolated your victim to study it at length, seeking to become them. You are nearly satisfied you know your chosen subject, ready to take on its form, leaving the poor soul to rot. You crave bottomlessly to be more, more powerful, more skilled, more inspired, and being them will be so much more interesting.

They will tell you what they think, they will tell you what they feel, they will tell you what they see. Are all these shapes useful? Will they let you know them? Will they tell you more about them?

For you must see more. You have not yet seen enough. You must rise--



--to the occasion at the

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Chara | Undertale

[fulllifeconsequences]

[* NETWORK. Video.]

[A child appears. Rosy-cheeked. Smiling. Positively cherubic. A video camera is a familiar item to them. Briefly, they consider doing the creepy face. Let it be caught on film just one time. For someone in particular.

But this is no time for that sort of mischievous behaviour. There is a new world here. One full of novel, pristine possibilities. Ready to be chewed up and swallowed. And first impressions are important, are they not? So the child points the camera at themselves, steady and smooth, and smiles their lovely, charming smile.]

Greetings. I am Chara.

I'm looking for something. Someone. They have stolen three items that should belong to me.

The first is a knife. The second, a locket. The third... a SOUL. I miss these things very much. Please help me take them back.


[* ACTION. Mansion grounds.]

[They are awake. That is not new. But they are awake, and that is. They flex fingers that are undeniably their own, calloused and scarred and scraped as they are. They run their palms over a striped sweater, and the colours are just right. Green and yellow, like the flowers they love so much. There are bandages on their body. Old ones. So very, very old. They...

Ah. They are finally in control.

The first thing they do is find a weapon. Grab a stick off a tree and wrench and twist and pry until it finally comes free. Then, they begin to walk. Their feet crunch over snow as fluffy and pure as Snowdin's, and they are the one who feels the cold. Their lungs take in breaths, exhale cold curls of vapor like a dragon hissing out smoke. They walk almost mechanically, ignoring paths and pacing pointlessly and doubling back on themselves, but with a greedy, visceral light in their dull eyes, because the experience is theirs, and theirs alone.

All that remains now. Is to wait. For EXP, or for information. They aren't picky. As long as it's interesting. As long as it's finally something new.]

[determinedest]

[For however many mirrors the mansion's interior has, maybe it isn't so odd to see their doppelganger wandering around the grounds. Except - except that isn't the right color shirt, and that expression...

This is the part of them they always want to deny.

This is the part of them they weren't entirely sure existed.

The demon that comes when you call its name.

Their motions are darkly familiar. Frisk remembers those timelines where they did the same thing. The memory wrenches at their gut.

They can't wait for anyone to stumble across them like this, no matter who or what they might be. No human or monster deserves that fate. So Frisk squares their shoulders, sucks in a taut breath, and steps into their path.]

It's not like that here.

[fulllifeconsequences]

[The refrain that their relationship is built on, try as Frisk may to ignore it:]

* It's you!

[How does one pronounce an asterisk? The same way one pronounces redness, presumably: something felt, not said. A certain familiarity in Chara's tone. Like even now, separate and distinct, they can still strive to push Frisk one way or another.

Are they surprised to see Frisk here? Did they perhaps expect that regaining themselves would come at the price of overwriting Frisk's existence? Well. Who can say? Chara's not telling. That sweet, painted smile reveals nothing.

They raise their stick. Whip it into the open palm of their free hand. It stings. They feel. The slap of striking flesh echoes in the snowy air.]

Not like what, exactly? I can't read your mind, Frisk.

[Chara laughs. A funny joke, is it not?

Just as funny, surely, as the words that will spill out of Frisk next.]

[determinedest]

There's nothing like that here. No EXP. No LOVE.

[They haven't yet gathered the determination necessary to form a SAVE. They're a little afraid to try it. What if it doesn't work? What happens then? If they die here, do they go back - back Underground?

They don't want to find out.

Chara seems utterly unsurprised to see them. That in and of itself isn't terribly surprising. It might've been more surprising if they'd actually been surprised.]

[fulllifeconsequences]

Are you so sure of that?

[Maybe a new game has started, but some rules never change. An enemy appears before you. You destroy them. You become stronger. Your will overcomes theirs. You win. Even if they're no longer pooling their Determination with Frisk's, even if they're no longer leeching off a much more intact SOUL, they're certain of that.

Kill or be killed. That rule is the same everywhere.

They cannot see a SAVE point. This interests them. Surely Frisk would have wanted to prepare before an encounter like this. How different is this place, they wonder?]

You have some things I wish to claim. Shall we test your ideas out? Would you like to return what is rightfully mine? That knife. That locket. They must be growing heavy, if you have no need for things like LOVE.

[They extend the stick, pointing like a sword. A conductor's baton, ready to direct. What an interesting idea they've had! Would Frisk surrender their weapon, their armor? Leave themselves defenseless? Or are they afraid of EXP and LOVE still? It's a very big thought to swallow, allowing yourself to be vulnerable.

And the alternative... taking them by force. An even more interesting idea. Would Frisk resist? Perhaps they would jump at the chance to finally beat back the voice they tried to ignore. To crush that undesirable self into submission.]

[determinedest]

They're not yours.

[The knife, they're certain, belonged to Asriel. Belonged, past tense. That stays true no matter what timeline they're in. But the locket...

...did it belong to Chara? They never asked. No one ever said.

They wrap fingers protectively around the locket, the warmth, the faint pulse of it beating. It's all they have as a reminder of the Underground. They can't just relinquish it.]

You'd just use them to hurt people.

[fulllifeconsequences]

[Chara's smile grows.

Not yours, Frisk says. They can almost feel the locket beating around Frisk's fingers, as if they were Chara's fingers instead.

Best friends forever.

The knife. The object they waited so long to curl their fingers around. At last.

Before Frisk has even finished speaking, Chara is taking a step forward, hand white-knuckled around the stick. The world around them does not change, but within Chara, they can almost feel things distorting, slowing down. A heart entirely of their own begins to beat, adrenaline begins to stir in a body that they never thought they would win back.]

They're not yours, Frisk.

I was not the one who used them for something like that, was I? Weren't you the one in control? Aren't you the one using them to hurt?

[Another step. Resolute. Focused. Determined.]

Your choice.

[♥ Give them back      Use them to hurt Chara]

[NETWORK] Where's my tears made of gold bruh

[bestfriendsforever]

[It's a blessing, if only a small one, that there is no creepy face. Of all the things that Asriel thinks he can handle right now- that isn't one of them.

They can hardly handle the look on their face as is, taking several deep breaths before fumbling to respond. A video camera is also familiar to him. As is blocking off the camera aspect of it, so only his voice filters through.

What's it hiding, really?

Absolutely nothing.]

Greetings, Chara.

[An awkward pause. Of all the things they could say right now; everything that went unsaid. A million accusations, a million apologies, a million I missed yous...]

Steal...

Steal isn't the right word.

[That's the best he can manage.]

I'M CRYING THEM RIGHT NOW

[fulllifeconsequences]

[They can't feel a thing, of course. That voice means nothing, even though they recognize it. It doesn't hurt at all.

There's no sense of betrayal. No wounded trust. None of the agony of being replaced with someone better. The friend he always wished he had.

When that voice hesitantly reaches them, they aren't even surprised. They've already heard it a thousand times over: been gone a long time, not the nicest person, so on and so forth.

Best friends forever, a locket that is no longer theirs proclaims. Ha.]

You have a very strange definition of forever, Asriel.

[bestfriendsforever]

[The bottom of his stomach drops out.]

Ha....do I?

[This was.

A mistake, wasn't it? Of course they're mad. It doesn't change the fact that he still thinks he made the right decision; but the right decision doesn't mean everyone gets a happy ending.

And it doesn't mean that he can't feel (feel? feel) remorse, about the way it ended. And all the consequences that came after. Like the one where he lost his best friend?

That one smarts.]

You have a very strange definition of saving everyone, Chara.

[fulllifeconsequences]

You were never supposed to die too.

[How novel. How new. The sweet, soft prince. The crybaby. Hitting where it hurts. Twisting the knife. Even after all this time, even with a SOUL again... he's still the only one who understands Chara!]

All you had to do was close your eyes and let me do all the hard work. I would have kept you safe from all of them. I would have cut every last one down.

All you had to do was trust me.

But you never did, did you? I wasn't good enough. I wasn't what you wanted me to be.

[bestfriendsforever]

That's not what I'm saying!

[Whoops. His thumb slips. Sure enough, Asriel understands how to block a camera's point of view; it doesn't mean he actually knows how to turn it off. As much the crybaby as remembered; he already looks like he's on the brink of tears.]

Just six, right?! Just six. You told me; just six. If...if I'd closed my eyes? And then?

It wasn't supposed to be like that. Just six. Not everyone.

[Why would he ever put anyone through what he'd been feeling at the time without a good reason?

...Why would he ever put anyone through what he'd been feeling.]

It was wrong. Mom was right; it's not right to kill someone, just so we could be free...

I did trust you. But...

[fulllifeconsequences]

Asʀɪᴇʟ.

There are a lot of Floweys in the world.

[He knew it too. It wasn't just shame that made him hide, Chara's sure of it. He didn't care one iota about taking care of flowers. He just didn't want to face the reality.]

Do you think humanity will be overjoyed to see monsters again? That they'll welcome every single one without an ounce of fear? That they've all miraculously gotten over their fear of their SOULs being stolen?

Do you really think Frisk's answer was so much better.

Someone else got those six for them. Someone else who will never know their names, or how much your mother loved them, or how haunted your father is by what he did. And I suppose none of them will ever mention those six dead bodies to anyone on the surface? I suppose they don't really count, do they? No, this solution was bloodless.

Peaceful.

So much better than what Chara tried to do.

SCREAM - network

[krmvgivv]

....how did someone take your soul?

[Dipper understands how a body could be taken, but a soul is you. At least, it is if it's what he thinks it is. Honestly, it's all a little more theological than he generally gets. But if a soul is your personality and actual self, it shouldn't be able to be taken. If it's something else, he's.... really not sure how that would work. Either way, it seems worth asking about.]

greetigns

[fulllifeconsequences]

A bargain unfulfilled.

[One not even made yet. Someone was hiding from the inevitability of destroying everything. Someone thought they could see what there was to see, then abort before they had to suffer any consequences. Someone got scared!]

I did as they wanted. I paid in blood and dust. I defeated their enemies, so they could survive. Took more and more control upon myself. And yet...

They undid everything. You must be able to imagine my suffering. I could only watch through their eyes as they acted. They took my family. They took my things. They took everything. Tried to pretend I did not exist.

As you can understand, I'm feeling. Perhaps a little bitter.

CONTINUES SCREAMING

[krmvgivv]

[This talk of bargains and blood and dust and defeating enemies is... unsettling. Dipper is suddenly less sure this really is another kid. On the other hand, being able to only watch as someone does things, fools your family and tries to destroy something you love... that's something he does sympathize with.

So he's not sure exactly which side this guy is coming from, and not sure how he feels about it.]

That sounds... rough. Not sure how much you can do about it here, though.

mm yes this is the proper reaction to chara

[fulllifeconsequences]

I'm certain I can do something. I'm no longer a mere passenger.

[They raise a hand, stare down at their palm. Slowly clench and unclench their fingers. Everything moves exactly as they will it to. It's all undeniably theirs. Their control is absolute. No longer has to be fought for.]

Why else would a forgotten creature like me awaken here? I'm very certain that nobody called me. Nobody wanted me here for their own sake.

I have no doubt dipper will learn that the hard way

[krmvgivv]

What do you mean, "forgotten creature?" [That's... a weird way to put it.]

This is Wonderland. People wake up here all the time. So far I haven't been able to see the power, but I will. [He's determined.] ...anyway, I'm Dipper. I can answer any questions you have.

[Though it'd be cool if you acted a little less creepy....]

gosh no I'm certain they'll be Lovely Wonderful Friends. surely. definitely.

[fulllifeconsequences]

[Determination. One of the few things that reaches Chara anymore. Their smile, if anything, grows a shade more angelic.]

I mean that I am supposed to be dead. The last person left who uttered my name has thrown it away.

[And speaking of being dead... well. That. Is a question of its own. Time to act a little less creepy!]

Tell me. What happens to people when they die here?

[oh wait did you say less creepy whoops my bad]

[video] WELL HELLO THERE MURDERCHILD

[punful]

[Even over video, there's something horribly familiar about this kid. And that's what really sucks, is that there's never full recognition or remembrance, just...a feeling. A sense of familiarity. This kid only looks like Frisk in a passing sort of way, and for a second Sans can let himself believe that this kid has nothing to do with his world at all.]

[But they way they say "SOUL"...]

[If Frisk's here, this kid can't be...also here, right? They can't really be...separate. He really doesn't understand how that's supposed to work. It's supposed to always just be Frisk, just the one kid, sometimes with other people at the helm. Right?]

don't think you're gonna find a spare soul around here, kid.

[Let's just start easy. Maybe he's wrong. God he hopes he's wrong.]

[He's almost never wrong.]

OH GOODY IT'S THEIR FAVOURITE SKELEMAN

[fulllifeconsequences]

[Well! Look who it is!

And here is a marvelous world of possibility, all stretching before Chara. Sans has never seen them. The real them. He's not here to offer judgment. Chara... Chara could be anyone.

Chara could be the sweet, innocent human who blames it all on some other, evil child. Wouldn't it be fun, to see how Frisk likes that? Chara remembers it all, too. The good food, the good friends, the bad laughs. The double order of fries. The double order of burg. Ketchup or none. A broken machine. That bad time? That can be someone else's bad time.

But... does it even matter what they do? They're above consequences. Have been for so long. Nothing they do has meaning, good or bad. So why waste time on tricks and honeyed words here?

It would be much more fun to watch Sans squirm.]

No? I would think a monster would know how to find a spare SOUL better than anyone.

the skeleman whose skelemun forgot to close the /small tag 8)

[punful]

[Welp.]

[That answers that question.]

[His expression shifts almost imperceptibly, his grin turning slightly strained, his eyelights shrinking a little.]

ah. so it's you. the other one.

[Sans always objectively knew that infinite timelines means that literally everything is possible, but this...this isn't something he ever expected. You get kind of used to everything being at least a little bit predictable when you're stuck in a time loop, even when you can't ever fully remember previous cycles. Sans can handle the unpredictability of Wonderland, mostly because he's been here for months now without any sign of a Reset, but now...]

[Well, this really changes things, doesn't it?]

i'm not really in the soul trade, though. i'm a hot dog guy. and it's like i said: you're not gonna find a spare soul around here.

that reply is running away from chara it is Very Wise

[fulllifeconsequences]

["The other one." How cute.

* I was there first.

They tilt the camera playfully, though their own sweet little smile doesn't alter one bit. They've seen that face of his plenty of times. Too many times. Exhausted, startled, gratingly triumphant... they can read those paper-thin grins.

Is that fear, they wonder... or is it relief?

Your scapegoat is here, Sans. How lucky for you and your weary conscience.]

What a shame. If there are none to spare. Then perhaps.

I will just have to take someone else's.

chara do you want to acquire a less than pleasant temporal moment

[punful]

[If he was honest, it's both, but Sans is rarely honest. If this...kid is here, then everyone is in danger. Not just Papyrus, but Frisk too. It's kind of insane--Frisk being in danger from something that should technically be another aspect of Frisk's self.]

[Not to mention all the dozens of unrelated people here. Random humans who might be inclined to trust a child who is very good at playing innocent.

humans can't take the souls of other humans, you know. but then again...

[He lets his eyelights go out.]

you're not really human, are you?

uh oh impending

[fulllifeconsequences]

[A complete and utter lack of reaction to the chilling sight of empty sockets. The same hollow look that "Frisk" sometimes gives Sans when they first meet, when he tries his whoopie cushion gag.

Been there. Seen that.

They can make their eyes go big and dark and empty too, Sans, but you don't see them showing off, do you?]

Perhaps not. But it would be nice of me to keep pretending to be one. Would it not?

After all. There's an awful lot of space between you and I right now. Who knows who I could run into? Who knows what I could make them believe.

[A taunt. A challenge. Got any shortcuts, skeleman? Brave enough to take action? Or perhaps it would be comfier to wait, again, until there is nothing left that is even worth fighting for.]