So there's something I just realized through reading this that I really love about Sans and Papyrus. Sans says, "“I think you don’t actually wanna hurt anyone, kid,” Sans says. “But I think if my bro wasn’t so tough, you woulda been scared enough to do something you’d regret later.”" I'm talking mostly about the second part, where he calls his brother tough. Later on, he calls him cool. (This is all extremely standard for Sans, since he clearly idolizes his brother.) While I was reading this I realized that one of the greatest things about these two is that Sans doesn't see Papyrus' raw strength as what makes him cool, even though sure, he's pretty physically strong, and Sans probably admires his dedication and enthusiasm in general. What he's talking about here is Papyrus' strength of spirit, specifically the strength and integrity of his kindness, and the words he has to describe it are 'tough' and 'cool'.
Idk, this is all pretty standard for Sans in general, but it was while reading this that it really clicked, and the part that got me was the way he talked about it. Those qualities are commonly seen as 'good' in RL, but I hear people using 'tough' and 'cool' to describe long-term people qualities a lot more commonly, whereas 'kindness' is otherwise reserved for saints and specific instances of behavior, if it's used at all. I like the way Sans talks about this, since this kind of kindness should be identified and admired more often, rather than being treated as soon-to-disappear idealism.
Like I said, this characterization of Sans isn't new, and Sans has his own issues with idealizing Papyrus, but--yeah.
In other things that were great about this chapter.... I kind of loved the whole thing. Does Papyrus always sit in the sidecar while they're both riding, or was that just a this-time-so-he-can-hold-Frisk kind of thing? When it was first mentioned I pictured Sans chilling there instead, but I also love the image of Papyrus squeezed into the sidecar with his knees sticking out. It's silly, and also fitting. Not that the entire scene was happy, of course; Frisk in their panic attack was extremely sobering, and the fact that Sans chalked it up to car sickness made me mumblingly agree with Frisk's spite afterwards. (That line where Frisk was considering whether or not San's face was weak to knives, btw--like its' been said above, that was an unusually vicious thought for them, and I like it. Frisk and whatever outside influences they have are responsible for any No Mercy runs happening out there, and it doesn't just come out of nowhere. Frisk has almost always had the option to be cruel when they fight, and it persists throughout the game.)
I also really liked Sans and Frisk's conversation. Sans was noticing their silence since at least last chapter, and as casual as he keep things, he's also not exactly one to hide from heavy subjects if they're important and time dependent. (The whole warning off of Frisk from fighting Papyrus if you're on or have done a No Mercy run comes to mind.) Also, the freakin Grillby's. It's made me hungry for Five Guys, and I don't usually ever even like burgers.
One last thing. You're probably not going to answer this, since it might or might not be plot related later, but does Frisk have their ability to reset here?
Your observations about Sans and Papyrus make me really happy, because yes, they are the best skelebros and YES, Papyrus has SUCH strength of heart and kindness and it's really wonderful, and that I've managed to capture it in such a way as to inspire such a comment makes me really glad! :D
Also yes, Papyrus always sits in the sidecar when they're both riding. :D It's not shown here, and might not make it into the fic at all, but he definitely has his red sports car in this universe; the dinky motorcycle belongs to Sans. The image of Papyrus squeezed in the sidecar is literally my only motivation for this. 8)
And yeah! Depending on how you play, Frisk isn't necessarily a pacifist at first, or always, or ever. Much as I LOVE the sweet, wouldn't-hurt-a-fly (also hella precocious) characterization of Frisk that seems to dominate fandom--and is, I think, backed up by the canonical actions in a pacifist run--it might not be how Frisk starts out, or reflective of their entire thought process. And dialogue options with Papyrus do have options to be cruel, even though Papyrus is so precious he interprets whatever you say in the best light possible.
You have correctly predicted that my answer to your question will be a non-answer along the lines of, only future chapters will tell~
Happy New Year's to you, too! And thank you again for this comment. :D
From what I've seen, it seems like the hurtful acts and comments (as well as sometimes other stuff, like the snowpoff comments) tend to get attributed by the fandom to Chara. Which is nice, in a way, since it humanizes the "demon child". But it also reduces Frisk's known characterization to "wouldn't hurt a fly" and "flirts with everything", which really is not a lot to work with.
I'll admit I've caught myself calling this story's Frisk "Chara" a few times.
Regardless of who they are, I love the kid in this story. They're a good kid, but with every reason to be angry and violent, and a real need not to be.
Comment on They Say The Fire Goes Out On A Star Long Before We Know
Zalein on Chapter 5 Sat 02 Jan 2016 09:44PM UTC
Last Edited Sat 02 Jan 2016 09:51PM UTC
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inverts on Chapter 5 Sun 03 Jan 2016 04:28AM UTC
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Psychadelico on Chapter 5 Sat 16 Jan 2016 04:48AM UTC
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