UT Month Day 10: Snowdin
“Here we are in Snowdin!” Chara did jazz hands while presenting Frisk with the small settlement. “When monsterkind first ventured forth from the Ruins, some monsters with thick warm fur to keep them safe from frostbite settled down among the white powdered snow. How is it snowing down here? We don’t know. And we don’t need to! I still want to, though.”
Yes, on the subject of I– Frisk thought. But as usual, Chara kept talking instead of elaborating about themself, at all. Not that Frisk was going to pressure Chara to talk about things they didn’t want too, but for some reason Chara rarely lingered on themself or their feelings, focusing most of their sentences on Frisk. “You” was prized highly over “I.”
“Now,” muttered Chara, “Listen closely. Monsters come in all different shapes and sizes and subspecies. Some are more humanoid than others. They’ll probably think you’re just another monster, at least in town. Or, so I hope. Be careful, though.”
Frisk nodded, tracing their fingers across the “Welcome to Snowdin!” sign before entering the store. A small ringlet of silver bells hung on the door, clinking welcomingly as Frisk stepped into the cozy wooden room. Behind the counter stood a purple bunny monster. Frisk waved, stomach fidgeting a bit with nerves. Would this monster lady fight them right-here-right-now if they were recognized as human?
“Hello traveller, how can I help you?” she greeted them cheerily. Chara gave a sigh of relief and Frisk grinned.
“Can I–have one–of those?” requested Frisk, pointing to the warm, sugary-looking, bunny-shaped cinnamon bun in the display case.
“Certainly, if you can pay for it,” agreed the store lady, politely ignoring Frisk’s stutter as she bagged up the cinnamon bunny. Frisk rooted around their pocket, praying they could afford some food. Lucky for them, they had just enough to pay for it!
“There goes the last of our money,” commented Chara apprehensively. “Well, you do need to eat…”
Frisk started digging in right away, heedless to the sugary stickiness getting on their face, sweater sleeves, and even in their hair. Their young age led to messy eating.
“So–what’s–some town–his–story?” asked Frisk.
The store lady didn’t seem to judge Frisk for their messy eating. “Think back to your history class…A long time ago, monsters lived in the Ruins back there in the forest,” explained the store lady. “Long story short, we all decided to leave the Ruins and head for the end of the caverns. Along the way, some fuzzy folk decided they liked the cold and set up camp in Snowdin.”
It’s just like you were telling me! Frisk thought at Chara. Chara nodded, as if listening for some detail they couldn’t find.
“Oh, and don't think about trying to explore the Ruins… The door’s been locked for ages. So unless you’re a ghost or can burrow through the door, forget about it!”
Chara, maybe we should try heading there! Most of the time in the books I’ve read or games I’ve played if there’s somewhere you’re told you can’t go to, you should go there!
“Frisk, remember? The Ruins was where Toriel lived. You just left there.”
Oh yeah. Frisk took another bite and chewed more slowly. I forgot what it was called.
“What should–I do–in Snow–din?” asked Frisk.
“You want to know what to do here in Snowdin? Grillby’s has food, and the library has information. If you’re tired, you can take a nap at the inn. It’s right next door–my sister runs it.”
“Oh, con–gratu–lat–ions!” stuttered Frisk.
“Having a sister isn’t really meant to be something you say ‘Congratulations’ for, just for social reference,” Chara noted absently.
Frisk nodded impatiently.
The store lady went on. “And if you’re bored, you can sit outside and watch those wacky skeletons do their thing. There’s two of ‘em. Brothers, I think. They just showed up one day and…asserted themselves. The town has gotten a lot more interesting since then.”
Frisk giggled. I know all about the skeleton brothers. Frisk shoved the last of their cinnamon bunny in their mouth and licked their fingers clean. They ran their tongue over their teeth and tried to squeeze out any remaining pieces of food. When they were satisfied that their mouth was finally devoid of all the syrupy deliciousness, for better or for worse, they asked, “How’s life?”
“Life is the same as usual.” For once, the store lady looked slightly discouraged. “A little claustrophobic. But…we all know deep down that freedom is coming, don’t we?” She smiled gently. Frisk tucked their dark hair behind their ears reverently as the store lady continued in a soft tone of voice. “As long as we got that hope, we can grit our teeth and face the same struggles, day after day…That’s life, ain’t it?”
Frisk nodded. Without a word they waved goodbye and exited the shop.
I feel bad for her, Frisk told Chara.
Chara nodded, looking a tad uncomfortable.
I feel guilty, added Frisk.
Chara flitted their gaze over Frisk’s face and sighed. “Listen to me. Look at me and listen to me. I never thought in a million years I’d be saying anything like this, but…”
They referenced themself directly almost five times, marvelled Frisk. I think that’s a new record!
“It’s not your fault for being born human.” A brief pause, a deep breath from Chara. “You are not obligated to give your soul to anyone or any cause if you want to keep living. You do not belong to a prophecy. You belong to yourself. You. Don’t. Owe. Them. Anything. They’re trying to kill you. The situation has changed.”
I guess so.
“You know so. Now, who’s ready to explore Snowdin?!”
I’m ready to explore Snowdin!!!
“Good!”
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One: I love the way you draw chara
Two: I'm kinda curious, how long do you imagine chara was in the underground for before they died?
Much appreciated!! Nobody will believe me when i say this, but they are my favorite to draw, nearly tied with frisk being a close second place (both are long overdue for their own timelines or “comp of times ive drawn them” posts). Clover is somewhere around 4th place at this point, still fun to draw but their hair has just stopped making sense to me in recent weeks
My headcannon is that they fell into the underground around the age of 10-11, and died at around late 13. So that’s roughly about 2-3 years.
(Fun fact: when i had to explain some of the fallen children lore to karma before, she accidentally mentioned an idea where like all the fallen children had regular eyecolors. And then they passed through the barrier on the fall down and something something made contact with magic, making their eyes reflect their soul trait. Looks in a mirror like. Um. My eyes are RED now???????
I thought this was such a fun idea and this is why i find it fun to color pre-underground clover and chara’s eyes as just brown)
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Some Mikey and Sydney Paper Parallels in Season One of The Bear—a few of notes:
Mikey’s death notice and Sydney’s resume both appear in the pilot episode of the series. Mikey’s appear first, informing us of a loss. The bible verse in context refers to a most faithful servant Daniel who is judged ‘innocent’ by God and freed from a lion’s den. The first line of the verse reads “My God hath sent his angel…”
A scene or two later Sydney appears in the kitchen with a resume in hand, effectively a proof of life.
Both Mikey and Sydney leave recipes for Carmy to find. Both of those frames are from the last episode of Season One. Do with that what you will.
The shot of Sydney walking in + the close-up of Carmy’s reaction so purposefully mirrors that flashback of Mikey in the kitchen looking back at Carmy. The latter evokes the idea that this may be Carmy’s last memory of his brother: in the kitchen, a flash of a smile, his back to him. The harsh bright yellow light seems like it might expand any minute and completely envelop this memory until it’s blank and forgotten; maybe this memory is close to fading and the bright light ahead of Mikey has come to take him. Carmy looks a little lost.
Meanwhile, when Sydney walks in the image is clearer—Carmy is clearer and more certain. It is his face that lights up and fills the frame. Set in a kitchen, and met with a similar flash of a smile, here Carmy is seeing a new kind of hope. Sydney returns and brings in the possibility of a future, a salvation from the ruins of his brother and the bones of his life’s work. Again: “My God hath sent his angel…”
As if a little bow to wrap it up, only with Sydney alongside him does Carmy make his and his brother’s dream come to life. The drawing escapes its frame, becomes three-dimensional, it gains a name. The dream becomes real because of Sydney.
P.S. Of course Sydney’s arc and meaning as a character does not revolve around the Berzattos. She has her own histories and pain as seen in these parallels, however thematically she serves as a kind of index to Mikey. Her being new to that kitchen reminds us of what is old, what has passed. Though Mikey kinda lives through her ambition, Sydney lives NOW. She is symbolic of a future. She is *the* future. And because of what she symbolizes, we want Carmy to propel himself forward and join her. Jury’s still out on that.
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