Is anime real? Depends on the genre.
A bad slice of life can be realistic in its setting, yet unrealistic in its human interaction.
A good slice of life can be set in a fantastical setting, yet be realistic in its application.
Right now you might be in an ‘action adventure’ with some ‘mystery’ elements. Add a sprinkling of ‘Psychological Drama’, considering your current antagonist.
The tower collapsed under its own weight.
Wakeup call: a whole tower! Gone in a blink!
A chill of fear and awe crawled across your skin.
FIGHT - ACT - ITEM - MERCY
MERCY, you can’t escape.
ITEM, you don’t have any items to use.
ACT, no further explanation needed.
FIGHT…
You miss your trusty knife. But now’s not the time to follow the path of the Gungnir.
You’re a Magus. You’ll do this the Magus way, through and through.
You switched out the FIGHT option.
MARK - ACT - ITEM - MERCY
…Selecting MARK overwhelmed you with options. It’s a freaking skill tree.
Seven colours? Each of them with alternate functions?
The Red branch was easy enough to grasp. Without a charge, you plant a Mark of your will. When charged, it releases a powerful Determination supernova.
Huh. So that means all the other colours have their charged versions as well…
Wonder what you could do with those.
“Focus, Frisky!”
Cenna’s warning snapped you back to action. It’s just in time to witness Sans’ next attempt of raining skeletal hell.
Three spirals of fingerbones surrounded him.
Outer layer, white.
Middle layer, cyan.
Inner layer, orange.
Damage on collision, damage when moving, damage when not moving--
Cenna grabbed you by the waist. Next thing you know, the bones began their dance.
They spread. Scattered. Each type at different speeds. Formed hypnotic vortexes that remind you of chrysanthemums.
The two of you squeezed between the gaps. Moving, stopping, then moving again. Those toxic bones almost nicked you!
Why no shields, sis?
“Not yet,” Cenna answered. “Even in Ascension, they ain’t gonna last forever. Using it right now will be a waste.”
Right. They provide protection, but they also expand her ‘hitbox’ by a good margin.
The last of the flowery patterns passed behind you.
“Sounds like you played shmups before,” noted Cenna. “The non-fans wouldn’t use those terms to describe our situation.”
You nodded. It’s one of your favourite genres. Super difficult after a certain point. Understandable why it’s not popular with the rest of the kids.
“Hah. Papa would be proud of ya.”
Sans interrupted your conversation.
“Touching, but don’t think you should get distracted by nostalgia.”
Here comes the next attack. Blasters everywhere. You held your breath as they prepared to fire.
The both of you flew upwards, zipping around to dodge a lightshow of hurt. Thank goodness for 3D space. But how long before Sans corners you? You’re starting to panic a bit.
“Frisky,” Cenna instructed. “Stick your hand into my left coat pocket. Hurry.”
So you did. There’s… an earpiece and a crystal pendant?
* ITEM
* Earpiece * Crystal Pendant.
You equipped them both.
“Connection successful: Greetings, Crimson Keeper Frisk.”
It’s a lady! She reminds you of a mother-computer. Firm, robotic, yet gentle.
“I am Lady Lucidia of House Berendin, The Magus Association’s official Chronographer. I’m also Judge Thyme’s personal Tactician.”
A Tactician?!
Ohemgee! Is she gonna supply you with cool tips for you to escape this predicament?
“Negative: I’m afraid as long Sans can hear us, we are unable to formulate our counterattack.”
“However, that doesn’t mean you are unable to gather information.”
“Other than Papyrus, you’re the person closest to Sans Serif. Knowing what a DEMON values the most is one way to find their weakness.”
What does Sans value? He values Papyrus! Right?
Cenna raised an eyebrow. “Sorry to burst your bubble, Frisky. But what exactly about Papyrus does he value? We gotta be specific.”
She drew her arrow and let it go.
It struck Sans right through his skull. Dusted. Though, The Seraph System already worked to put him back together.
In the meantime, you had a moment of silence. No bullets or lasers to dodge.
You pondered.
And pondered.
And pondered some more…
It’s no good. You’re drawing a total blank!
“Proposition: Marks are a window to one’s heart. Example: Chara. With their obsession on knives, it wouldn’t surprise me if their Mark would take that particular shape.”
“However, knives serve as more than weapons. They’re an essential tool for cooking, butchering, leatherworking, farming, and so on. Countless life activities depend on it. Without this sharp edge, societies won’t exist.”
You recalled the whole buttercup incident and the length they’re willing to suffer for victory… perhaps Chara just wanted to be ‘Indispensable’.
…You hope your babbling made sense.
“Indeed. Now consider Sans Serif: he’s slothful to the point of poor hygiene. His diet is beyond questionable. And he cares little about the thoughts of others, for better or for worse. And yet, he’s risking a death sentence on calculated gambles of motive unknown.”
“What then is the meaning of the ‘Seraph’? Angels are created in service to God. One hypothesis states Papyrus fulfils the deity role in question. I’m inclined to agree. As would Cenna.”
“Heads up!” Your big sis warned. “He's back. Get ready for the next round!”
…You can’t keep repeating the same phase forever. He’s the one with the infinite continue coin. Not Cenna.
You had to do something.
If communicating with Lady Lucidia will put all your plans out in the open. Maybe… you had to think one up on your own.
* MARK
* Yellow
You slapped a Yellow Star on your palm. Be Determined!
Here comes another army of Blasters. You scrunched your brows and took aim.
Rapid bullets of magic shot out. Smashed through the cannons without problems.
Wow, they’re way stronger than those you conjured in Mettaton’s debut.
Sans noticed your efforts. Tried to trouble you with more complex patterns of poisonous bones.
Hmph! You had a bajillion practice on those!
You maneuvered between the gaps, seeking an opening. And…
There! You found your window. You fired a shot square at his direction.
He dodged it.
No matter! There’s other opportunities.
You fired.
And fired.
And--
Argh dammit he dodged all of them!
Cenna noticed your frustration. “Yo, Frisky. You ain’t gonna land a hit that way.”
Why not?
“You’re way, way too obvious. Shooting is about more than having good vision and finding an opening. There’s a whole bunch of other things involved. Like… judging movements based on habits.”
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
You watched her draw her bow. At that very instant, Sans started to sweat.
The skeleton knew he’s in trouble. Tried to obscure his trail with erratic teleports.
Upon the decisive moment, Cenna let her arrow fly.
It’s a clean hit! He’s a scattering pile of clothes and dust yet again.
Jaw, drop. You couldn’t wrap your head around it. How? Somehow, she perceived the exact timing where Sans couldn’t escape at all.
Lady Lucidia then said: “Query: Judge Caraway, I do not understand your lack of follow-up.”
Huh?
“You’re waiting for Sans Serif to reform. By battle logistics, you have the capability to shoot twice. Once at the wielder, once more at the Trap Harvester.”
…The lady’s right.
Cenna put up a nervous grin. “C’mon Lucy. You’re the last person I need to explain my actions to, yeah?”
“Query.”
“Okay, okay. I get ya. I’m… I’m done with setting bad examples. Not gonna take the easy way out. As long there’s hope, I’m sticking to Frisky’s way.”
“…Acknowledged. Sir Grillenn shared similar sentiments.”
They’re going through all this trouble because of you?
Thanks, sis…
“Warning: Crimson Keeper Frisk. Don’t be lulled by mercy. Sans Serif grows more powerful by the second.”
You understand.
He’s back for the umpteenth time. Okay gals! You have a plan. If it works, he’s gonna get stuffed into jail.
“That’s what I like to hear!” said Cenna. “So, what’s my role here?”
You tell her to proceed as usual. The difference will be on your actions alone.
“Right on it.”
The aerial dogfight between Seer and Vanquisher spun across the pitch-black sky. You’re determined to wait for the right moment with Patience, like in that Ball Game all the way back in Snowdin.
Even if Sans sees the outcome, he might not be able to react to it. Papyrus being exhibit A of this theory.
You concentrated on your defense until the might of Justice smote the skeleton out of the air.
* MARK
* Charged Orange
Rocket mode, activate!
Orange magic propelled you towards the falling remains.
You know that the Seraph System has too much Determination for you to Mark as-is. But, if you could yank the Trap Harvester out, you’ll leave him high and dry. It’s the ultimate nerf-bat!
The device was right before you.
Yes!
You can do this!
Just. Grab. It.
Alas, the bracer slipped away at the last moment. You had misjudged the reach of your arms versus the rate of his revival.
Next, everything went black for that one second.
Oh no. It's that time-skip power of his at work.
You broke out of the spell through sheer conscious will. You’re amazed that it works to begin with.
But Sans already had his blade held high over your head, ready to strike for blood.
* MARK
* Charged Green
You conjured a shield around yourself. The force of impact combined with the lack of friction sent you hurling downwards.
“Frisky!!!”
Cenna’s scream kicked your mental defenses into second gear. You’re NOT going to smash into the ground like an anime protagonist.
* MARK
* Charged Orange
You darted away from danger.
Phew. Good thing your existing Blue Star grants you a good sense of balance. Really wouldn’t want to accidentally propel yourself toward the planetoid.
You returned to your sister’s side.
“Good lord Frisky, you okay?”
“Requesting Status Update: Are you fine?”
Both ladies popped their questions at the same time.
You told them that you’re just a little shaken. And, super frustrated.
Darn.
You can’t run away…
You can’t MARK or FIGHT either…
Hmm. If that’s the case, there’s one thing left to do!
* ACT
* Check * Talk
You tell Sans that you want to talk.
Sans raised his brow at you in near-disbelief.
“Really?” he asked. “Right now?”
What’s so weird about that? You’re Frisk, the person who set the Underground free by refusing to FIGHT.
“Welp. I have nothing to say.”
With a wave of his hand, more bones materialized in midair. He added a mix of long and short ones to his repertoire. Now it’s spinning like a sunflower’s head.
You clung close to your sister and started the maneuvering procedure.
One of the longer bones nicked the edge of your sleeve. Another sliced through the base of Cenna’s coat and cut off the ends of your hair!
That was a super, super, super close shave.
You told Cenna to remain on the defensive. You’re gonna try talking to him again.
“…Determined aren’t ya, Frisky?”
You nodded.
* ACT
* Check * Talk
You tried to talk again, but Lady Lucidia halted you.
“Query: Sans Serif, aren’t you going to attempt to rewind time again?”
Sans shook his head. “Nah. That timeline’s a dead end. No point in going back there.”
Then, why? Why keep on fighting?
He winked back. “Hey, hey. Where’s the fun in spoilers? All you need to know is that I still need a ton more DT to make the magic happen.”
“Request: Confront Sans Serif about his new Eye.”
You suddenly gained a new option.
* ACT
* Check * Talk
* Confront
Here goes nothing.
* Confront
You puffed your cheeks and yelled at him. He DOES have something to say! Instead of keeping it to himself, let it out!
“Can you even comprehend it?” Sans snickered.
Maybe you can’t. But the skelly lady will! You trust her smarts.
“I know you can hear me, Sans Serif,” she said. “Life is full of new discoveries. As you’re aware, the Red Eye never existed in a natural state. We know what the other Six Aspects are capable of. How they synergize with other virtues.”
“Now here we are… observing a new frontier of science. I’m sure you have plenty to say about this subject.”
Sans began to… get super excited? His face lightened up, akin to a kid who found another nerd to geek out with.
“Wow. I’m not used to have anyone THAT interested in my research. I mean, there’s Gaster. But we don’t exactly get along. You, lady? I respect you.”
“It's as you say. Each Aspect has a known Seer-specific power, summarized in keywords. Let’s review…”
“Ascertain.”
Cyan spells filled the space. They’re fast and ironically erratic, demanding Patience from those they fly through. You unconsciously held your breath in an attempt to stay completely still.
“Reach.”
Orange bones marched forth with Bravery. Cenna made sure you stayed close to her as she kept moving in the opposite direction. Made one big circle.
“Archive.”
Grams spawned around you. When they activated, you and Cenna got trapped in dangerous purple nets.
There’s no choice but to Persevere.
“Appraise.”
Skulls of doom circled around. Then the maws of Justice opened. No escape!
But your Magus sister hugged you tight. She summoned her shields. You heard them cracking when the firing squad hammered against the protective layer.
At last, it’s done. It seems that the mayhem destroyed the netting too.
“Restore.”
He rained down leaves of Kindness. They don't hurt and are… quite refreshing.
You feel super uneasy. It’s like he’s preparing for the grand finale.
“Reinforce.”
Sans reached out his left hand. You heard a fizzle coming from Cenna’s boots.
“The wingboots!” She exclaimed.
With their Integrity compromised, your sister could no longer float.
You quickly grabbed her by the arms. Put more Determination into your Blue Star. While you did so, she conjured a bunch of those string drones. They secured a binding net between you two.
Yet, you’re still descending… FAST. As a fully-grown adult, she outweighs you by far.
To see her legs pulled straight down toward the half-broken planetoid below… it made your hands go clammy.
“Urgent: make another Mark on Cenna! Make her float like you!”
How?! Can you make duplicates? There’s no limit?
“Multiple Marks of the same colour can exist at a time. They can even be applied on the same person. You noticed that in the battle with Judge Thyme, yes?”
But… you’re not her husband!
How can you be sure? If it fails, you might both end up falling to your doom.
Besides, your hands were occupied. And you don’t dare to let go.
You’re trying your best to counter her weight, to be the reverse-anchor.
Cenna asked, “You think you can plant a Mark using your head? Like, literally?”
It’s worth a shot.
“Be Brave, Frisky. You can do it.”
* MARK
* Orange
Strength empowered your arms. You’re ready.
After taking a deep breath, Cenna made a huge swing with her legs. The return momentum was large enough to help her pull her entire body upwards.
You readied yourself for a whooping headbutt.
* MARK
* Charged Blue
It’s a success! A Blue Star got firmly planted on Cenna’s chest.
…Though, that blow really winded her. It’s still one of your headbutts in the end. They’re not to be trifled with.
“Thanks Frisky.” she said, “Knew you could do it…”
Two more coughs. Cenna tried her best to smile.
You turned to Sans again. Oh, you’re fuming so hard.
“Heh. That was actually really cool,” he said. “Did not foresee that. I could have stopped the moment. But, nah, that’s no fun. Besides, I learned something new too.”
“Anyway, that’s all the stock colours. So, what about our brand new shade? Red. Which ‘Keyword’ gets the concept of Determination down to the bone?”
Lucidia replied, “Hypothesis: It’s ‘hope’ is it not? The drive for a better tomorrow.”
“That’s your personal delusion, lady.” Sans replied, “Sounds sweet, but also kinda strange. Why would you care about a better world that you don’t get to live in? Cra-zey.”
You heard a small gasp over the microphone.
“HEY!!!” Cenna flipped out so hard, you got a startle.
She readied her bow. Teeth, grinding.
“Look, Mister Chronograph, I salute you for raising the Cinnamon Roll all on your own. But you know JACK SHIT about Lucy! Drag her through the mud one more time, and--!”
“Judge Caraway, please stand down.”
Her voice shook a tiny bit. What unmentionable things happened in the past? You’re worried for Lady Lucidia.
”…Query: Sans Serif, what is your conclusion? What is the ‘Keyword’?”
“The keyword is… Dream.”
The Seraph System charged red. He pointed his arm towards you and…
…Fired a beam of time-freezing light.
Your sister pushed you aside with everything she got.
No!!!
It’s too late. The beam came into contact and encased her in the world’s strongest prison. Her eye-wide alarm, sealed in place.
You tried to punch her out with your fists.
It’s useless. Useless. Useless. Useless.
“…Heh. Guess she learned her lesson,” said Sans. “Once upon a time, she dropped her baby sibling into foster care. That coward.”
“Now she’s living her ‘Dream’ to be the best big sister. Protecting lil’ Frisky at all cost.”
Regret filled your heart.
If only you trusted her sooner.
All those wasted days doubting her intentions.
Why? Why is Sans doing this?
“To prove a point, really. Dreams are closer to lies, you see. They’re possible goals that may or may not ever be achievable. Maybe sometimes you can get away with denying reality. More often than not, it bites you in the hind.”
“Let’s see. What’s yours…” he breathed a nostalgic sigh. “Welp, guess it never changed. You want to save everyone. One way or another. Including dirty ol’ me.”
“Say, Frisk. What does it mean to ‘save’ someone? Is it just keeping them out of trouble? Giving hugs to console them from poor life choices?”
By stopping them from doing bad things, duh!
“What is ‘bad’, then? When it hurts others? What does it mean to ‘hurt’ someone? There are some humans out there who think that giving birth is an evil of itself.”
“Heh. I can understand the reasoning. You may never know if your kid turns out to be a great guy like our Paps… or absolute trash like me. It’s all a mad gamble.”
No, Sans! Stop!
You had enough of self-depreciating talk from Alphys! Just stop this!
“Hey. I’m being honest here.”
* ACT
* Vent * Rage
* Flip table * FFFFF
That’s a lie!!!
Does he care about the universe?
No!
Does he care about nature and whatever??
No!
Does he care about other people???
No!
Does he care about himself????
Hell no!!!
He doesn’t give a shit about anything! His goddamn nihilism is more annoying than Jerry ever was!
If nothing fucking matters, why the hell is he now so damn DETERMINED?!?
He didn’t even give two shits when you killed Papyrus! All he did was to condemn you as a ‘dirty brother killer’. And then what? Let you go???
The only time he actually moved his bony butt was when you threatened existence itself! Even then, his god-brother Papyrus was already DEAD! Why bother?!
“…Mysterious, right?”
Mysterious his ass!
YOU are gonna tell him EXACTLY what it means!
He’s just SCARED!
Putting on such big talk about being the last defender, while in reality he’s just afraid of The End!
“What am I even supposed to be afraid of?” he asked back.
Losing everything The Great Papyrus ever loved! From spaghetti to dinosaur oatmeal to awesome cars. Nevermind the people!
He IS too good for this world.
There are indeed many who would jump on the closest opportunity to take advantage of his kindness.
Flowey did it! You did that too!
But Papyrus would have wanted Sans to let his offenders live.
Despite their cruelty.
Despite their failure.
Despite his absence.
It’s ALWAYS live and let live!
The End? Now THAT’s a problem! It would utterly destroy everything Papyrus stands for!
“Yup. You’re right. Heh. Guess it really takes one to know one.”
You watched him tap the screen. You knew he didn’t require manual input. He’s doing this for spectacle’s sake: an announcement to everyone watching.
“‘The Angel…’” he declared, “‘The One Who Has Seen The Surface’… they will return. And the underground will go empty.’”
“Mom knew about the Prophecy. Heard of Gaster’s tales of human myth. Named me after an angel… I guess she really thought I’d make the cut. Quite a disappointment, dontcha think?”
He stopped fiddling. A strange aura grew around him. Made sure to he put up his hoodie.
“Welp. If you all insist I’m a bone-a-fide Seraph, I might as well turn into my namesake.”
A great burst of light then flashed. You shielded your face with your arms.
You last witnessed this when Asriel went Hyperdeath.
When the light cleared, you gazed upon the results of his transformation.
White fire flared not from the socket, but around him. It burned forever like a sacred torch.
Gone was the casual slop. He’s wearing angel’s robes, true to form. It made his mended blue hoodie become a proper cowl.
Six wings of bone had sprouted from his back. A grand succession of plumage hung from the skeletal frames. On each, a motif of eyes adorned their vanes.
And then they…
….They blinked. That’s when a deep sense of horror smacked you across the head.
Every single ‘feather’ is a Seer’s Eye!
SANS SERAPH
The true ‘End Boss’ has finally reared its ugly head.
You’re convinced now…
It’s not that ‘anime is real’. Rather, reality is just a game.