#stage 2!killer

Stage 1 is touch starved as all Hell and is desperate for any positive interaction. However, he also struggles with it, both because every time someone approaches him, even if it's a friend, he has to fight the expectation of harm, and also because he's afraid the closeness may trigger one of the higher Stages (and he's then scared that they're the ones who are gonna go down the violent path).

There is nothing he wants more and less than a hug.

He probably has to introduce touch very slowly even once he's with Color. Start with fingers brushing against each other, leaning shoulder to shoulder, a head path here and there. Things like that.

Stage 2 feels rather detached from their body. They're overall rather indifferent to touch. Likely only paying attention to it when it hurts (that's why sometimes they find themselves craving the pain, it helps them stay grounded. It is not, in this case, a healthy coping mechanism. Stage 2 refuses to set proper boundaries and take care of their needs. It is not a priority for them. And they're hella self-destructive).

They tend to allow touch if they can gain something from it (be it a feeling of control from trying to suppress their trauma responses to certain types of touch, or tying someone to them).

If anyone ever doubted that they need a therapist, well, they do.

Stage 3 is pretty much a cat. As long as you play by its rules, you're both gonna be happy. If you do anything it doesn't approve of, you're getting bit. Hard. Stage 3 to me is mostly nonverbal (it often is unable to speak because of the condition of its soul and the panic needed to trigger the switch. It is not a choice for it not to speak, it genuinely cannot) so the bite is all the communication whoever is brave enough to cuddle it is gonna get that they did something wrong.

That said, one is mostly safe as long as they avoid the chest area (where the soul usually rests), the face (with the teeth so close, the temptation to bite just because it can is too strong to resist), and any fresh injuries.

It is not easy to gain enough of its trust to even get it to allow you close enough though. It doesn't matter how much Stage 3 may recognize that it needs support and closeness to keep the body healthy, its priority is fighting off the danger always. But Color and, in time, the rest of Chromatic Crew probably manage it.

Stage 4 is, without a doubt, the most compliant. At least toward whoever it identifies as its master, although if whoever that is orders it to stay still and let someone else touch it, it would. Stage 4 is, above all else, obedient. It likely does not even know if it likes touch or not, nor if it wants it or not. Not because it's in any way stupid, just because it doesn't see itself as a person, but as a tool. And tools don't have preferences, so why let itself wonder about such pointless things?

Any attempt at establishing its personhood is gonna be met with extreme resistance and likely also panic if it comes from its master-figure. The desire to obey them would end up in conflict with the orders of everyone that came before and if the two are too conflicting, Stage 4 is always gonna default to following Chara's orders as they were the one who molded it.

Killer but he wants a new name and the Stages but they want their own names too. Probably wouldn't happen but there's always a slim chance they'd explore the notion far into the future of love and safety and where they learn to cut themselves some slack.

They probably would still collectively go by Killer, but have a list of names and nicknames along with it, like K, Kay, Kat, Strawberry, Krill, something related to a comfort of his or just a name he happens to like or finds funny.

But each Stage separately might still subscribe to the numbers pattern of names, particularly Stage 2 because that's my favorite motherfucker right now. Maybe he just likes being called Two in many languages, Dos being his most favorite.

Stage 3 I don't think would care about the names thing, but surprisingly Stage 4 is receptive to words in morse code in which it can communicate nonverbally and while it doesn't assign itself a name preference, perhaps it ends every message with a particular pattern or signal. It could be a vague sign it likes the look of or maybe a tune or specific sound.

Stage 1 would be the most indecisive of if they even want a name change or just another name seeing as they carry the bulk of the guilt for their past and have to fight themself to stop looking for punishments, death, or isolation. But if I look through this with the angelkin!Killer lens, perhaps he'd like something with a theme related to that (can't think of specific examples) or maybe a gemstone like Onyx or Ruby (playing off of dragonkin!Color's attachment to shiny priceless things)

{Something New AU Art-no ship}

Closeups 𓏲𝄢

[Killer Sans Art]