RIVER

So, as many may know, Underlust was pretty much a +18 au for drawing nsfw of the characters, which there is nothing wrong exactly, BUT I actually think there was a lot of potential for this au that was just… Not used.

In my reimagined I intend to keep SOME elements but most of the stuff will be rewritten or just full on discarded.

Be mindful of the trigger warnings! I don't intend to go in depth on any of them but there will be mentions.

Anyway! Let 's begin!

Frisk:

Frisk is the protagonist of this story. They are 20 years old and was born with partial blindness, being able to see mostly blurry images when things are farther apart. Frisk grew up in an orphanage as their mom died at birth, their father fleeing once he heard. They were very much isolated from the other kids, mostly just reading alone as it was difficult to play with the others with their poor vision.  That was, until they met Chara. The both of them quickly became friends. Chara always encouraged Frisk to not care that the others didn't want to hang out with them, they are better off without them. It was clear to both that they were soulmates, what kind it didn't matter to them. As long as they were together they were unstoppable… … When Frisk was 17, Chara took their own life. Frisk could never understand why. What happened? How could they not notice? If they noticed, maybe they could have done SOMETHING… But they didn't… They kept living, but the guilty never left them. They left the orphanage at 18, but life just got harder. All they could think about is how they weren't supposed to be doing this alone. So maybe… Would it be better to just follow their partner? Frisk climbed the mountain many said it was the end of any and all hope. And right when their body ached and they found the opening, they let all the weight of their body leave them, falling into the unknown. But instead of meeting their doom, they are saved by a tiny rose named Rosie. He helps them get up and when he learned about their poor sight made worse by the dim light, he latched himself on their shoulder to guide them through the catacombs. And so, our story officially begins. Frisk will start meeting every single one of the cast, and having in mind the guilt that followed them by not being able to save Chara, Frisk will do anything in their power to help them deal with their problems. While maybe, learning to deal with their own demons in the process…

And that's it for our protagonist! I think you guys can already tell the new direction this version of the story would take ^^

So before I tell you guys about the other character, I need to explain to you guys a bit of world building I've thought of!

World building:

The year is 20xx. Monsters have been trapped for thousands of years and hope has been glowing dimmer as time goes on. As so the children have been getting each passing day more and more rare. The king and the council would do their best to guide the kingdom, but after the death of the king's newborn he has fallen deep into a depression, being unable to actually make any calls. Leaving all the power to the council to call all the shots. The council, however, didn't quite have the people's best interest. Problems kept arising and each time with less and less answers. The council knew that if they wanted to stay with the power, they needed the population to focus on something else.  And what better than a common enemy? They hit the most sensitive spot of the monsters, the lack of children. The biggest mystery they had without an answer, well, up until now. The council created a false answer, faking studies and data thanks to one of the members who happened to be the royal scientist, saying that the reason the monsters had such a low birth rate was because of monsters borns from two same gendered parents.  They said, each time a monster was born from two monsters of the same gender, the offspring had a lower chance of giving birth. And generation and generation of this, piling up. The monsters got where they are now. The population was horrified, the lie was set. The council watched as they created an enemy the population could hate, and it wasn't them. Same gender pairs were fine just as long it was a fling, but couples were frown upon. The monsters already have such a lack of children! How could you have a partner with the same gender as you? Are you trying to have an offspring with even less of a chance of having future babies?? The underground kept growing and expanding, everything got more and more expensive and the monsters suffered.  Everyday, madness and corruption invaded their souls, making them just a spitting image of the ones once were their enemies. Each day, they got more human.

Now that you all understand the world they live in, we can go over the rest of the characters ^^

Toriel:

Toriel, the queen of the underground. She once was one of the fiercest warriors known, not because of her attacks but because of the way she inspired all monsters. That was, until she gave birth to her kid, only for them to turn to dust in her arms. She felt like she failed everyone, not only her family, but her kingdom as well. She failed to give them an heir. She failed to give them hope of a future. The queen left the castle, too ashamed and hurt to continue with such responsibility. She moved to the ruins and opened a humble abode, where she would teach other mothers how to take care of their children. Helping them keep the most precious thing she lost. When Frisk meets her, their goal will be to help her understand that she is more than this horrible loss, and even though being a mother is amazing, she is still first and foremost a person. A person who also deserves love. Once they understand each other, Toriel explains to Frisk the rules of the world and gives them a striped shirt.  Most monsters don't know what a human is but all monsters know that someone wearing a striped shirt is a kid. And children are extremely precious to all monsters. So Toriel hopes this will keep them safe.

Undyne:

Undyne is a soldier from the royal guard, she has been training to get in since she was little once she heard the horrible stories she heard about the war, wanting to make a difference. Unfortunately for her, the task was difficult. No matter how much she worked, how much effort she put into being better, her peers looked down at her. And now, a random skeleton comes from Snowding and suddenly he's the “talented prodigy” and the next big promise to make it to captain of the royal guard? Fuck no. So she works even harder than before, she needs to be the toughest soldier from the royal guard. She has to not show any defect. But that is difficult when on top of everything, she found herself taking a liking to the short yellow lizard who happens to be the royal scientist… She knows how frowned that would be. So she pushes these feelings aside… When Frisk meets her, they will help her see that she shouldn't hide any part of her because of others. That her feelings and not being strong all the time is what makes her… Her… Undyne will finally find someone she can open up to, be honest about her frustration and fears and not get judged because of it. A friend…

Alphys:

Alphys became the royal scientist a long time after the other one pretty much disappeared. No one knows what happened to him, he just never showed up again and it's as if no one wants to talk about him anymore. Either way, the position was open, and it stayed open for many years, only having a few occupants who didn't last long. Well, Alphys got the job!  And she thinks she knows why no one wants to stay, as it is a lot of responsibility and a small pay grade… Which is odd… As she is pretty sure the previous scientist was well off… Anyway, the important thing is that SHE wasn't. It wasn't bad in any way, it was actually ok… But she felt small, not really appreciated monetarily nor socially. That is, until she received a proposition from a raggedy cat who also wanted a better life. He explained that they could team up, as the medicine Alphys can produce would be very appropriated by other kinds of people. Alphys knew it was wrong. And she refused, at first at least… Soon temptation became too much to avoid. Oh how she wished she had enough money for this nice shirt, oh how she wished she could have one of those fancy cars, oh how she wished she could go to this five star restaurant… “Just one time” She said. And then she wouldn't sell anything else. One time… Two times… Three times… She lost count by now. The guilt slowly faded away as she just got a nicer life. Yeah, she still hid it was her, the producer of the biggest dealer in hometown but she didn't care. She felt like she was finally doing something big! That is, until the numbers of deaths by overdose slowly start to rise among monsters. At first, she tried to ignore it. But as the numbers started to rise she just couldn't deny it anymore. It was her fault. She caused this. She IS causing it. And as much as she wanted to stop she just… Can't. She is just in too deep now, she can't stop. Yet she cries every night, telling herself how much of a bad person she is. This is all her fault. She hurts people.  When Frisk meets her, they will help her see that there is still hope for her. That even though she did a bad thing she can still change! She can be a good person, if she just tries…  They believe in her, maybe she can believe in herself, too…

Mettaton:

Mettaton’s story is pretty much the same as the canon Underlust. The hopeful ghost meets the royal scientist in the dump one day and she promises him a body. Mettaton becomes a star among monsters. But with light, darkness surrounds…  The star was desired by those who watched him, but desire can become dangerous. A poison of entitlement and arrogance. So they took what they believed was their right. They broke the star… Mettaton was never the same after that. He asked Alphys to make his robot body less revealing, he hid himself from everyone, he could never look at himself in the mirror again. He knew what people said about him. How it was his fault that happened. That he was the one that showed himself and made them desire, and some days… He thought that they were right… Mettaton did his best to continue his show, to continue his dream. But was it really worth it? Sometimes he thought that wasn't the case… So every time he received those flowers, those cards, he cried. Hugging them close to his chest. Frisk knew from their skeleton friend the robot's story, and encouraged him to meet Mettaton. It was a slow process, a scary one, even. Mettaton was already so hurt, it was hard to believe the two of them were genuine. But Frisk helped him see that there were still good people in this underground. People that care about him. So he does his best to still have hope, him and the skeleton start hanging out more and more and even form a kind of partnership. It is still scary… Mettaton isn't sure if it will ever not be… But he has hope things will get better.

Papyrus & Sans:

The two brothers were sons of the previous royal scientist, W.D. Gaster. They were the result of an experiment to try and make children, unfortunately, Gaster deemed the experiment as too unstable and simply not worth the trouble. Either way, Sans and his younger brother were born from that. Any good parent would never say they have a favorite child, Gaster however, is not a good parent. He made it clear how much he believed his older son to be a failure, all stats measured as one… Now, Papyrus… Gaster had big dreams for Papyrus. It soon became obvious that the scientist would pour all his expectations and hopes into Papyrus while the older brother got all his frustrations and regrets. Papyrus was quickly put in training to become a royal guard, having taken special care so he would grow up to be a strong monster. And the younger brother took that to heart even after their father was gone. He trained and did his best, and suddenly everyone was counting on him. Even his brother. Sans more than anyone encouraged Papyrus, saying how it was obvious he would be the one to become leader of the royal guard.  But Papyrus never wanted that… He never got the chance to choose what he wanted to be. His father was the one that told him he would be a soldier and then his brother encouraged him. And Papyrus just doesn't have the heart to tell his brother the truth… And even if he did… He still knows that being a soldier is the best way he can guarantee his brother is safe… To compensate for when they were children… And Papyrus couldn't protect him. Sans was very different when he was a kid, it is to be expected when one suffers so much on the hand of the one that was supposed to protect him. Yet despite everything he would smile at his brother and tell him everything would be ok. Papyrus remembers his brother looking at the clock and noticing the time. He was late… That was never good. He remembers Sans taking his hand and guiding him to his bedroom, helping Papyrus set into his bed, telling the younger one a bedtime story. He remembers both of them tense and scared. Sans patted his head, clinking their skulls together in a good night kiss. He remembers his brother pleading with Papyrus to promise to only open the door when Sans comes to get him. Papyrus promises, like he does every night. And he knows he will regret it in the morning. Sans smiles, getting up and walking towards the door, closing it behind him and locking it up. The key being slided from under the door so only Papyrus can get it… … He wishes he didn't remember the sounds every time he goes to bed…  So Papyrus protects his brother. He trains. He gets stronger. And one day, he will make up to him, he will be able to tell him he is sorry for everything… Sans was very different when he was a kid. Quiet, weak, always wearing hoodies. He needed to, his father demanded him to hide the marks of hits he himself left on his bones. Sans always thought it would be easier to just not hit him but oh well…  No matter what he did, it seemed like nothing was enough. And he never told anyone. Because he was scared. Every goddamn night he came late Sans just wished he didn't come home at all… It was never the case though…

Some nights he just got yelled at, while others… He is broken down to his core, left alone to pick up the pieces… He could never understand how his own father could do such things, but as he himself said, Sans was just property. He was just meant for that. To be used and someday he will be discarted… One day, he got too scared as he heard the door open. The thought of the many hands, digging, staining his bones. He just couldn't. So he ran to his only friend. But the next day, he knew he had messed up, he had left Papyrus alone with him. So he went back, and for the first time, his father welcomed him with warmth in his voice. “I knew you would be back…” He whispered in his ear. … Next time Papyrus wasn't home. Sans paid the price for what he did… But this time, it was too much for him to handle when he came back to his own body. He broke down in front of a teacher, told her everything. He wished he didn't. Gaster took him to the lab one day, told he had found out, and told Sans… His teacher's dust was in his hands.  And now, he would join her. When Sans felt his neck vertebrates being squeezed and twisted, close to snapping. He snapped instead. The next thing he remembers is the door opening, the king Asgore looking at his crying form and a pile of dust in front of him. So, Sans decided to live his life differently when he grew up. He wore whatever he wanted, he was loud, flirted. He wanted to be perceived, he knew the way he acted made him desirable, enough to make people of the bar he attended to make a bet to see whoever could “score him”. And he just didn't. Care. Because now, he was strong enough to be able to deny them, and to hurt them if he wanted. Everytime he told someone off it was… Cathartic… He doesn't care that he's putting himself in dangerous situations on purpose. He doesn't care about the names people gave him.  He would continue partying and drinking and taking as many pills as it takes to maybe, just maybe the voices in his ear telling him that his father was right about him will finally shut up. Well, whenever Frisk comes around, they will help Papyrus to be true to himself, help him see that as honorable and genuine his reasons are, he can't allow himself to suffer just for the sake of others. He is stronger when he is happy with himself, not when he is miserable. While with Sans… Well, he is just not ready to start any healing process, and Frisk doesn't push him. But he does appreciate them helping his brother, thanking them to help him see how much strain Papyrus was putting on himself.

Grillby:

Grillby is the owner of a very famous club in Snowding. He spent his whole life watching people around him destroy themselves and just not listening to him when he tried to help. And things just get worse when he develops feelings for his favorite patreon and best friend. He does his best to protect him, but he knows he can't. Grillby never fully committed, he was never fully truthful with himself.  The fire elemental would put on a mask, showing everyone how sturdy and capable he was, but he knows it isn't true. But he also feels he is incapable of doing anything. How could just one monster change anything in this world? It's impossible. So he just sits back from behind the bar, watching and never interacting. Frisk however, helps him see that is not true, yes, one monster can't change the world, but he doesn't need to. If he is able to change a single thing, as small as it is, it will all be worth it.

Asgore:

The king consumed by grief and guilt. He is unable to rule, unable to do anything. That is, until he found that small skeleton, shaking and scared. Once the king found out the horrible things his previous scientist did he was enraged. After a long time he finally made all remember why he was the king. W.D. Gaster is to be forgotten. His name erased from their history, left to rot on his insignificance. Obviously, the other members of the council didn't understand, they questioned him, where even was the scientist anyway? But the king was firm. And soon, they learned not to question. Asgore adopted the young skeleton, together with his younger brother. He did his best to accommodate them despite everything. Even if he felt inadequate to be any kind of father figure…  It was a hard process, both kids were fragile, especially the older one, but he did his best. And they both grew up. Once they were old enough to leave, they did. They still call him from time to time, his older one visiting him frequently thanks to his “shortcuts”, and he couldn't love them more… But he knew deep down they weren't really his kids… His kid died at birth… Asgore he… The skeletons didn't come from his soul… They are not truly his, and he could never truly be their father... Right? And now, after everything, they have word that a human has fallen into the underground. The council want to use their soul so king Asgore could have an actual heir. A being half human and half monster, the most powerful being that has ever been seen, perhaps strong enough to break the barrier keeping them underground. And the king is conflicted, he is supposed to do what is best for his people, and a monarch would bring hope to his citizens… But he doesn't want to take the human's soul… He is lost. He is alone. He is hopeless. And he just doesn't know what to do…

The end:

When it is time to face the king, Frisk and Rosie go on their own, ready for whatever the king decides is the right thing. When they arrive, they talk. The king offers them tea and brings them to the garden of roses, telling both about his late child.  Frisk also tells him about their late friend, being empathetic with the king's pain. They explain that they were ready for it to be over, but it wasn't. They were here, and if their life could serve for something, they would like to be for something good like bringing hope for the people, and if that was the case, they would happily die… But at this point, Toriel; Papyrus; Mettaton; Undyne and Alphys arrive. They confront the king and the human, explaining how important they were for them, and how much Frisk helped them be true to themselves. Telling both how much more important the human's life is than what they give themselves credit for. The king was conflicted still, but at this point Sans arrives. He tells Asgore how the human managed to give hope for someone who didn't want it. And he asks his father to please, don't listen to the council. Spare the human's life. With that, Asgore decides it. Frisk life is too valuable to be lost by a foolish dream. 

Everyone is happy, hugging the human and singing them praises. But at this point, the members of the council arrive, they tell the king they knew he would disappoint them. The guards move, circling the group. Asgore and Toriel attempt to call them off but they don't listen. They belong to the council for some time now. The whole group is captured and tossed into the dungeon, just until the council decides what to do with the human soul.  But, Rosie the rose finally lets go of Frisk's arm, promising he would get help. He slips between the cracks of the stone walls, his soul full of the hope the others had for him. And when the council returns, ready to take Frisk's soul, the castle is invaded. Led by Rosie, all the other monsters the human helped came to everyone's rescue.  They managed to overthrow the council, freeing the captured monsters and human. The king and queen made a formal speech, thanking Frisk for their kindness and for giving them all hope.  Weeks after. Life still wasn't perfect, but it was a little better. Monster were happier and now with the queen back, life conditions were better. Alphys working on another way to break the barrier when she and Undyne find out they are carrying a souling. Of course, it felt obvious now. Monsters souls are made from hope, so when the parents had so little hope to give, they were unable to create a child… But having the answer for it didn't mean it would be able to be fixed out of nowhere, but it was a start. A start of something new. Something beautiful.  Frisk knew it. And they would do their best to help everyone along the way, and everyone would be there to help them. They can't help but smile, maybe Chara would be proud of them… Either way, no matter how hard it would be, they had hope. Things will get better.

Comments and Funfacts:

I imagine Papyrus and Mettaton’s relationship on this reimagine to be queerplatonic! Papyrus being aroace

My main goal with Mettaton and Sans’s storyline is so that they would parallel each other, of how that kind of trauma could make the victim respond and the difference between healthy and unhealthy coping mechanisms (Having a support system vs abusing narcotic substances)

Where Frisk fell, there would be many tombs from other humans, and the only reason they survived was because Rosie healed them

Toriel and Asgore were never really in love, they had a lot of care for each other but not in a romantic sense, so when Toriel returns to be the queen they are also platonic 

Alphys was Sans's dealer and they would get into an argument later in the story when she cuts him off

And I think that's it! This was a lot so thank you if you read this far! ^^ If you have any questions please feel free to ask them and I'll do my best to answer them! 

Also some funfacts about him since it'll take a while for me to go back to him (and my multiverse) again;

His brother is named Razz, taken from the word Razzmatazz (i may or may not love that word-)

All of monsterkind got recently released from the underground, so there's a LOT on tension going on, right beside some prejudice because of old tales about monsters.

He used to be a scientist when he was still underground, things changed and he started to work at Grillby's to earn money to raise his brother.

There's a lot more, but it'll be best for me to finish his au first to THEN answer and give more fun facts qjdhjwhd

. . . . . ☆ . . . . .

[Original Lust belongs to the AU Community