Aethergate - Tumblr Posts

if she thought about it too hard, too long, she was sure she'd start crying again.

she'd been doing that a lot lately, with too big feelings in a too small body, it'd been something inherent to her long before Gaster's disappearance.

though, Alphys often thought of it in herself like a childish quirk, the equivalent perhaps of a toddler throwing a tantrum ━ however untrue that is, however harsh it might be to her capability ━ when those feelings became too much to contain so easily, rippling out as though intent to fill the cracks and grooves of her scales and the place she'd made home, smooth it out until there was nothing but that heart in her hands.

however, Gaster's return and simultaneous remembrance felt like one of the few instances where it was justified. almost expected.

they'd been calling it his disappearance ; the sentiment present but still the wrong word, she knew, because it implied someone knew it was missing. she wished she did. she wished she did. it wouldn't have mattered what it took, she'd have tried it. maybe that's why its for the better that she hadn't, rather than her being the only one mindfully aware. ━━━ it would've drove her insane more than it wouldn't. the guilt of not knowing doesn't die so easily, though, and neither does the longing to have helped them sooner.

many years of missing them built up into one sudden recollection. she could, and has, likened it to being stabbed.

maybe that's why she tries to avoid the consideration as her claws fiddle with ceramics ━ something she often does not bother with, when the bare-minimum is good enough ━ because it would be too easy to invoke again. maybe thats why the offer was so simple, just getting coffee with him, instead of lingering in the old memories the labs would bring her.

still; this, somehow, still feels indefinitely, undefineably familiar. she is trying not to think about it.

“i- y-yeah! i am too-! i mean- being w-wrong is never a good feeling, but it's.. pretty nice i-i'd think, h-here! with how ━ uh ━ e-everything turned out-!“

her neck twitches ━ a quirk of hers she's had forever, the snap of the jaw jutting forwards in uncontrolled muscle movement ━ as she sets out the cups. the room is cleaner than Alphys almost ever is or was; imperfect, perhaps haphazard, but better. if Gaster was to look closely, it'd notice the heads of wires peeking just barely out of drawers, edges of paper leveraging ever-so-slightly between shelves just into view ━━ one of the cabinets hangs awkwardly on its hinge, broken once, a clean then jagged scar of a slice through the almost-center of the wood, repaired with thick ductape. you could see the indents where her claws began carving at the top layer of the wood or shredding at the tape, depending on which was unfortunate enough to be in her way.

her hands twitch when the coffee-maker plays an off-tune jingle, and she reaches over. only heating water, with an array of teas lined crookedly on the countertop, and an unopened bag of ground coffee which looked expensive.

she couldn't remember which he liked best out of all of them. she'd spent days researching the best coffee she could get her hands on before offering, just in case.

”h-how have you been ━ um ━ b-b-both in general a-and adjusting wise-? w-w-well, i don't know if there's a ━ a lot to adjust to, p-persay? b-b-but━“ she trails off, aimless, unable to resolve the sentence the way she wants to.

"oh-! s-sorry, i should've asked before━ what w-would you prefer-?"

@quillheel asked ; ❛ i never thought i’d see you again . ❜ / to gaster, from alphys !

A wide smile rests on his skull, clearly overjoyed to see her once more. He's been overjoyed to see everyone once again, but Alphys is someone he was looking forwards to seeing most. Much has happened since their last real meeting, and he's more than aware of that fact. He can only hope that doesn't prevent them from resuming the friendship they once had.

"In all honesty, I was of the same mind.. until recently, that is. I am glad to be wrong."

💌 :)?

send 💌 or ( `LOVE LETTER` ) for me to write one thing i like about you // ALWAYS ACCEPTING <3

I know the meme says 'one thing about xyz' for each topic but i am making my own rules I'm just gonna go hog wild <3

First off: your interpretations are GENUINELY really nice!!! I REALLY enjoy your portrayals of Gaster, Bendy, Anakin, Spock, the list goes on!!! Even muses I don't know the source material of, like Luka, I wind up REALLY liking!! I love all of them, they have a very lively feeling to them which i genuinely from the bottom of my heart LOVE, I LOVE watching them engage in other threads or on the dash even when its not involving myself, they feel so packed full of energy and sincerity all the damn time and you (and as a result Them) are SO fucking funny that it adds to it, especially in dash shit because I'll see you crack jokes like a motherfucker but it Still be in character and it's wild to me!!!! it's almost magical!

there's just this charismatic vibe to your writing & characterizations and this human sincerity to all your characters without feeling out of turn for any of them and I love the way they bounce off the walls with your writing style accompanying it Super nicely and I just!!! I really love reading it, I wish I could interact more/find more excuses to interact but brain's dumb but I still LOVE it /gen

And on top of that, you yourself as a mun are incredibly nice even if I'm not the best with starting conversations, your fucking HILARIOUS (you have No idea how many times a joke you've made in a random IC post on my dash has made me Loose My Shit laughing), your enjoyment of things is genuinely almost infectious, like!!! You're genuinely just great!!! Even If I don't know you that well, I'm REALLY glad we wound up meeting!!! <3 <3 <3

@aethergate // starter call!

The walls felt thin, bleeding him out, bleeding it in.

━ this is how it always felt, since he was fast; too fast; and the bars came down, in the spinning dark. A carnival of something and the something else, lines dug in the world, platforms emerging from the oily depth, the static, the━

dare not speak a devils name. ( were they the devil? he can't remember. a concept foreign, lost to him, lost to the world; too. )

the sound, however, is familiar. the shimmer-shatter of noise breaking, colliding, of realities asunder. the Knight made the same. a thousand terrible calls, an orchestra, o apocalypse...

perhaps the same. perhaps not. but the guest, the guest was free. freer than them. unbound, unbound, unravelled. stitch by stitch, they did not belong, did they? perhaps he was nary the person to ask of belonging at all, a past weighted upon his haunches, half-gone. envy did not rise to meet the lonely jester at the other's freedom, only inquiry, only a swishing tail, only a smile. to be so free, they've learned, is to be alone. how terrible, terrible! a fate they've both met, he must imagine. how unconquerable for the other, he imagines as well.

a spine bends back, up, ears pinned backwards and bright needle-felt eyes zero in like pinpricks. Darkness made them wide and lantern-like, before excitement made them thin again; like the blinking of a light, like the eyes of a beast; how curious it was, it was, indeed!

" OH WHO, WHO, DOES THIS DARKNESS BRING? " a voice like bells, crunched metal, something worn and still ringing; viscerally unlike the world the Other came from. laughter, the head tilts, the neck soft. " A LIGHTNER? A DARKNER? NAY, YOU ARE NEITHER. OH, LONESOME THING, WHAT INDEED DOES THIS DARKNESS BRING? "

The King smiles, and the corners of his eyes crinkle with their age. ━ He seemed tired lately, more than usual, pitch-hued eyes almost darker under the weight of a particularly bad month. It, half the reason for his usual insistence upon their meetings to falter, buckling under the strain & expectancy & anticipation in the dark ruins a home no longer a home but rather a building he was bound to, in a way; some months were worse than others. always, some were worse than others.

but as he hauled himself from the depths he dredged, claws dragging trenches and still yet not the lowest he's hit in years past, this was a pleasant respite. a brighter shine takes to his eyes at the admission of happiness, of enjoying his company, and the recognition. ━ ever attentive, he'd expect nothing less, even if Asgore tried not to put much expectancy on Gaster at all, if he could help it. he knew the weight, unintentional or otherwise. He knew it very well.

" That it is! Good eye, Doctor! ━━ Or rather, good mouth? " his Majesty laughs at the strange phrasing, however more correct it may be, before continuing. " Lately, I'd been experimenting myself with mixtures and ingredients. "

Asgore shifts his hold on the small teacup, held with mostly his fingers, head bowing as his horns angle upwards as if sharing something truly intriguing. ━ to him, it was, even if that weariness still persisted in weighing him down, not as excited as he usually would be to disclose such recent tea-making.

" You recall the Bridge Flowers in Waterfall's caverns, yes? Pink, sturdy things! " He poorly draws the outline of the petals with a claw as though it'd make it any easier to remember, that is, if Gaster needed the reminder at all. " I'd taken to incorporating them, both petals and leaf, and discovering the best combinations. As it turns out, they can be surprisingly versatile! "

He raises his cup in gesture, careful not to spill. " It has a flowery heat to it, does it not? It seems the colder the brew becomes, the more nutty in flavor. It pairs nicely with many things, but this one, I've found, is my favorite. "

As though remembering himself, Asgore pulls back slightly, his passion however mild in its dampened state beheld upon the herbs is quieted. A guilt emerges, tucked into the lines of his features. " Ah, but I am rambling. Tell me, how have you been? I apologize for my unavailability, as you'd mentioned... It is nice, however, to rejoin you over a cup. Please, do go on. "

@quillheel asked ; ❛ someone’s in a good mood today , i see . ❜ from asgore to gaster !

Ah - it'd been staring again, hadn't it? Now that it's been pointed out, it can tell a smiles spread across its skull. It.. had been a while since they'd last spoken, and it finds itself rather enjoying their chat. It's quick to compose itself once more, placing its teacup on the table before signing its response.

"Yes - it has been quite some time since we have seen each other last. I.. suppose I am just glad, to be conversing and having tea with you once more. Is this a new blend?"

They feel as though a wire threatening to snap, and it all feels too familiar.

━ the world around them thrums with a life that threatens to suffocate them. they have suffocated it in the past. perhaps this is how they recognize the pressure it places upon them. perhaps they are only feeling what it is everyone else feels under this godforsaken mountain : the weight of miles on their shoulders. the weight of magic. thick in the air, it threatens again. empty threats, but their windpipe rattles with anticipation in motion.

pacing. movement. to never stop, a future or present of paperwork endless but as is their will, such is one of their many fatal flaws, is it not? ━ to be so determined, to be so capable. such not to disallow failure, but rather, to disallow retreat.

they will do this. they must do this. this is who they are.

their death lies waiting for them, and they, waiting for it. eventually, they will win. how it is always an eventually.

the mountain is no longer there. it has not been in a long time. ━ a falsehood their mind forgoes, the threads they've lived and will live tangling on themselves, the brain not meant to contain memories to the caliber of which they know and keep and never shed ━ they feel slightly lightheaded with their own existence; a rattle, shiver, stop. ( you're being spoken to. answer. his voice ringing like hollow bells. )

you are in the hall. the grey wallpaper reminds you of winter. you cannot remember to which house it belongs anymore. ( toriel's, asgore's, the home they are yet to live, the home they were born in / a never-ending absolution of places of your past, places of your future, and place you are in; always leaving sooner than you expect. )

" There is, but not like━ " not like this, not like you, not like us. " ━not with them. " is how they choose to conclude, hands running through hair, dark eyes closed. tense like a lightning rod waiting in the negative air for that positive strike. tense like a storm cloud, cotton ball, cheek bone. maybe its him they're waiting for. intuition like a signal they're tuning into, when the frequency is right. his world, the one they don't belong to, the one he's stuck in. or maybe not. the world shivers in double-vision. they can't tell if they see him at all.

" I don't want to put this onto them. " I can't put this onto them. " There are strength in numbers, but I'm the support beam, they're the tenants, right? I keep them up so they can live. I keep them... " they trail with an inhale, realization striking cold the back of their throat of how selfish that sounded; as though they needed them. they didn't. that's one of the hard parts.

" Sorry, " like trying to atone for a mistake and speed past it all at once, no less sincere in the effort regardless " I'm just a little stressed. Give it an hour. it's not your problem to deal with me. " ━ I'm not acting the way I should with you, the way I want you to see me, even if you've already seen too much.

@quillheel asked ; ❛ this isn’t our fight , Gaster . it’s my fight . ❜ from Frisk to Gaster !

It cannot help the solemn expression that crosses its face at those words. They are ones that have been used far too many times. He has his.. reservations about the human - he has seen what they are capable of, both at their best and worst. But there is merit in the fact that they settled for the happier ending. It must take solace in that.

And such moral conundrums are not solved by this mentality. Feeling the need that everything rests solely on ones own shoulders can lead to a worse condition. That, and perhaps they have endured enough fighting.

"And why must that be the case? Is there not strength in numbers?"