What Papyrus Allows Us To Know - Intelligence
this is a little bit of a script for a potential video i have coming up Eventually! sharing because i really like this bit of it so far:
It is interesting how he doesn’t hide his intelligence when it comes to his ability to make physical things, like complex puzzles and paintings. However, he hides a lot of his knowledge of the world around him. Like I said earlier, he lies about knowing what a lab is and about what happens to humans when they face Asgore. The difference between how much he shows what he’s capable of doing versus what he’s capable of knowing can be summed up perfectly in this piece of narration: “The bookshelf is filled with complex tomes about puzzle creation… And children's books.” We as the player are shown amazing things that Papyrus is capable of, like making an invisible electricity maze, but after each and every amazing feat- something comedic happens that often makes Papyrus seem more childlike and dumb! Like getting electrocuted by his own puzzle. This is really important when getting to know how “The Great Papyrus” works and why it’s such a convincing persona. By acting aloof, unaware, and “childish” according to others’ standards, many monsters and players alike often don’t even notice how brilliant he is. I think that this is why Papyrus used to be known primarily as Sans’ innocent younger brother because so many people did not look beyond what he presented himself as. Again, I’m not saying that he canonically remembers resets, is secretly Super Duper Depressed, or anything like that, but it is really clear in just what his motives are and the little details of his dialogue that he is a lot less egotistical and a lot more perceptive than he lets on.
