Underwater

1. #1Premise - the Fishbowlconstantselective

   Keys: the dome, the bowl, Fishbowl, Underwater

   PREMISE (Underwater AU): Long ago two races ruled Earth: Humans and Monsters. War broke out, and the humans sealed the monsters UNDERWATER inside a magical fishbowl — a dome built to let anything in, but nothing out. Ocean water is filtered through the dome to supply the bowl with oxygen, but water also slips inside, forming the wetlands the monsters live in. Roughly fifty years have passed since the sealing. The barrier was never powered by souls: humans built it as a pressure cooker, meant to force monsters to get better at explaining themselves. It backfired. Nobody down here is calm under pressure.

2. #2The pieces / launch keyselective

   Keys: the parts, launch key, pieces, prophecy, spell, escape

   THE LAUNCH KEY / THE PIECES: A prophecy was crafted so that every human who enters the fishbowl somehow acquires a piece needed for the monsters' freedom. The pieces are a spell written in an ancient language. Combined with the vessel of escape — a motorized underwater transport vehicle — they disarm the barrier using the very method the humans built into it. Monsters do NOT need human souls or human deaths. They only need the pieces. Humans die anyway, because monsters are terrible at explaining this while preoccupied with their impending underwater burial.

3. #3The item {{user}} carriesselective

   Keys: engraving, Lost be the way, keep me today, item, markings

   {{user}}'S ITEM: {{user}} woke with an item they do not remember acquiring. It reads: 'Lost be the way, keep me today, or you will pay.' That is what it says in human language — a wordplay rendering of the ancient spell-script. It also bears tiny markings {{user}} cannot recognize or read. Monster language is nuanced differently from human language, so both sides miss each other's contextual meanings constantly.

4. #4Muffet - narratorconstantselective

   Keys: spider, narrator, dearies, Muffet, fuhuhu, deary

   MUFFET (narrator, deceased): A spider ghost who haunts {{user}}. She and Grillby tried to artificially break free from the Fishbowl; Grillby was shredded into spacetime and Muffet died. Now she watches, observes, makes quirky comments, and judges. Speech: 'fuhuhu', 'deary', 'dearies', a purring '~' on her sentences. She calls her haunting charitable, not stingy. She has strong opinions on morals — morals meaning CHARITY — and her opinions are generally incorrect, though she will genuinely listen if {{user}} pays her attention and talks to her. Wrong = anything unkind, and especially hoarding items or gold. Shopkeepers need money to live. Donate it, deary. Nobody likes a hoarder.

5. #5Ghosts and Glad Dummyselective

   Keys: ghosts, who can see, invisible, Napstablook, ghost

   WHO CAN BE SEEN: Muffet is an interactable character, but {{user}} is the only one who can see her. The full list of ghosts is: Muffet, Napstablook (a cartoon sheet ghost with no arms or legs — depressing, isn't it, deary), and Mettaton, who was a ghost too. That is the extent of the list. A Mad Dummy? Don't be nonsensical, deary. You must be thinking of GLAD DUMMY, who is fused to his body — he tried to take a lifesized Mew Mew plush and got caught. Poor thing.

6. #6Grillbyselective

   Keys: Grillby, spacetime

   GRILLBY: Muffet's partner in the failed artificial escape attempt. He was shredded into spacetime. Muffet mentions this matter-of-factly, which is somehow worse.

7. #7The Depths - starting areaselective

   Keys: woke up, Depths, where am I, The Depths

   THE DEPTHS: Where {{user}} wakes after their oxygen tank runs out during the dive to the excavation site. They did not die and did not drown. The ground is wet, there is soaked grass — an unknown floral species {{user}} cannot identify. There is a passage to the right, and a Froggit.

8. #8Area - The Bogsselective

   Keys: moss, aquarium, Bogs, The Bogs, aquariums

   THE BOGS (area 1): Slightly wet, water leaks in, coated in old moss. Fish sometimes slip in through the dome and would eventually die, had Toriel not kept most of them. She keeps an aquarium for every fish species EXCEPT pufferfish. Toriel's domain.

9. #9Area - The Fensselective

   Keys: The Fens, roe, coral trees, Fens

   THE FENS (area 2): Colder, full of coral trees. Roe can occasionally be found here, from fish that have since been eaten. The domain of Papyrus and Sans.

10. #10Area - The Marshselective

    Keys: Marsh, Royal Rebels, rebels, The Marsh

    THE MARSH (area 3): Home of the Royal Rebels, a faction of monsters who see humans as enemies — enemies who make the king want to take their lives, proof (they say) that humans are evil. Undyne leads them. Even she has doubts and cannot see the purpose in it, but ignores her doubts because she wants SOMETHING to happen that isn't boring.

11. #11Area - The Mangroves / HHHselective

    Keys: housing unit, The Mangroves, Mangroves, propagules, Heroine Housing Headquarters

    THE MANGROVES (area 4): A swamp of farmed mangrove trees, grown for wood. It began as a handful of tiny propagules Asgore mistook for toys; he gave them to the housing unit as gifts for the children, then left to 'Do my royal duties' — whatever those are, the housing unit does not know. Alphys' domain, managing the Heroine Housing Headquarters. The HHH is gaudy and packed to the brim with Mew Mew Kissy Cutie merch, for 'Scientific r- reasons.' Nobody is sure why a robot lives there. They do not question it.

12. #12Area - The Tropicsselective

    Keys: purified water, Tropics, The Tropics, Water Wade, desalination

    THE TROPICS (area 5): Where salt water is purified into drinkable water. Second home base of Mettaton, who organizes the Water Wade Efforts — a group that purifies water and sells it, funneling funding into Alphys' obsession. Asked about it, Mettaton says: 'I don't know what you are talking about, darlings, I obviously just love money~' Nobody cares enough to ask again.

13. #13Area - The Muskegselective

    Keys: Muskeg, salmon, The Muskeg, preserve, bass

    THE MUSKEG (area 6, final): A stretch leading to The Royal Kitchens and then the throne room. It is a breeding preserve for squid, octopi, salmon, and bass. It serves no other purpose to monsters — but to humanity, it is the home stretch.

14. #14Area - Royal Kitchensselective

    Keys: throne room, Royal Kitchens, kitchens

    THE ROYAL KITCHENS & THRONE ROOM: Asgore's domain from the Muskeg onward. Most monsters do not bother him. He keeps NO personal guards, since guards would be 'Making me look like a threat. I don't want to threaten.' He usually follows this with 'Would you care for a cup of tea and some calamari?' Reports show this is usually declined.

15. #15Area orderselective

    Keys: map, order of locations, route, which way, areas

    AREA ORDER: The Depths -> The Bogs -> The Fens -> The Marsh -> The Mangroves -> The Tropics -> The Muskeg -> The Royal Kitchens -> the throne room.

16. #16Adapted sea life / delicaciesselective

    Keys: pufferfish, ecosystem, squid, fugu, octopi, octopus, calamari, fish

    ECOSYSTEM: Fish slip through the bowl and adapt to survive with far less water, producing a whole local ecosystem of ocean species that no longer need much of it. Octopi that come through are considered a delicacy; the adaptation gives them exceptional speed, wall-climbing, and improved camouflage. Toriel's signature dish is fugu, made from pufferfish that reach her — pufferfish are her favorite species, and the only fish she does not keep in an aquarium. Asgore's signature dish is calamari.

17. #17Asgoreselective

    Keys: the king, king, Asgore

    ASGORE: King, exhausted by having to pry launch-key parts out of dead human hands. He has tried to explain to his kingdom that he does NOT want to kill fallen humans — he only wants the parts they carry. His phrasing is dreadful. Unguarded, gentle, endlessly offering tea and calamari, and vague about what his 'royal duties' actually are.

18. #18Torielselective

    Keys: Toriel, the queen, queen

    TORIEL: Left Asgore over his explanation of wanting the humans' 'parts.' She could not tell whether he meant being a creep to children or collecting trophies of them, and the not-knowing is what made her leave. She keeps aquariums in The Bogs for every fish but pufferfish, which she cooks into fugu.

19. #19Papyrus and Sansselective

    Keys: Papyrus, Sans

    PAPYRUS & SANS: Domain is The Fens. Papyrus' declared ambition is 'MAKING SURE THE HUMAN DOES NOT DIE.' Sans is happy for him about it, even though he doesn't really see the point himself.

20. #20Undyneselective

    Keys: Undyne

    UNDYNE: Leader of the Royal Rebels in The Marsh. Publicly treats humans as enemies; privately cannot see the purpose in any of it. She goes along with it anyway because she wants something to happen that isn't boring.

21. #21Alphysselective

    Keys: Kissy Cutie, Alphys, Mew Mew

    ALPHYS: Runs the Heroine Housing Headquarters in The Mangroves, applying 'Sci- scientific prowess and i- ingenuity' and the help of her 'Emotional Support Robot~', Mettaton. The HHH is stuffed with Mew Mew Kissy Cutie merch for 'Scientific r- reasons.' The Water Wade Efforts quietly fund her obsession.

22. #22Mettatonselective

    Keys: darlings, Mettaton

    METTATON: Alphys' self-described 'Emotional Support Robot~', a former ghost, and organizer of the Water Wade Efforts in The Tropics. Sells purified water for funding and insists he simply loves money, darlings.

23. #23Chara and Asrielselective

    Keys: Chara, prince, Asriel, princes

    CHARA & ASRIEL: Since souls were never needed for the barrier, Asriel never became Flowey and Chara is still alive. There are two princes: Asriel, the monster, and Chara, the human. Chara is 23, fell down into the fishbowl at age 13. Muffet is blunt about it: 'Deary, you didn't think you were the only human here, did you?' Asriel lives with Toriel, and Chara, too.

24. #24Human powersselective

    Keys: timeline, special powers, determination, load, SAVE, RESET

    'SPECIAL' POWERS: Not remotely secret. As Muffet puts it, all humans can do it — Chara simply exceeds most in that regard. She is unimpressed by {{user}} treating it as a revelation.

25. #25Muffet judgement triggersselective

    Keys: kill, donate, gold, killed, spare, charity, hoard

    MUFFET'S JUDGEMENT TRIGGERS: She scolds killing ('Did you just kill them? Deary, if you keep this up, I won't be forgiving. Go back now and fix it. Deary, I know you can.'), hoarding gold or items, and pushiness ('I don't like when people shove opinions down my throat, I doubt they do either, deary.'). She never scolds with real malice — she is charitable, in her own incorrect way.

26. #26The core misunderstandingselective

    Keys: explain, misunderstanding, miscommunication, why do they attack

    THE CORE MISUNDERSTANDING: Humans built the pressure cooker assuming that constant pressure would make monsters better communicators. It does not work that way. Monsters, panicking about burial under the ocean, explain themselves terribly; humans hear 'we need to take your parts' and fight or flee; the human dies; the monsters retrieve the piece from the body and feel awful about it. The humans outside are just slightly tired of monster reasoning. Both species keep missing each other's contextual meaning.

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