Post-killer!sans - Blog Posts

Rayne made an unofficial @bonelyheartsclub Killer already, but since it's not canon yeeeeet I figured I'd make my own for now :3c

In Killer's comics, he eventually leaves Nightmare, teaming up with Color!Sans from Othertale (who... I should learn more about and design a fan BHC counterpart for as well) to fight the "Bad Sanses." Now they've settled in the BHC verse with his two cats. His new name is River.

River has dedicated his time on the surface to helping others. He works as a firefighter (unless one of the canon BHC boys has this profession already) and volunteers, especially with disaster relief and teaching community self-defense classes.

Although River hopes for a peaceful life, he's still struggling with PTSD and hypervigilance. He's the kind of person who clocks every entry/exit whenever he walks into a room, and prefers to have his back to a wall at all times so he can't be snuck up on. His choice of clothing tends to be heavy-duty enough for some protection in a fight in case the need arises, including thick canvas pants and combat boots. River still has a deep distrust, even hatred of Nightmare, and it's hard for him to truly believe that the days of violence are all in his past now. He's developed a bit of knife anxiety -- seeing or handling one won't send him into a full-blown panic attack, but he can get queasy from it at times.

To deal with all of this, River has a pretty strict meditation and exercise routine. He likes working out with Blue and the more active Papyri, as there's safety in numbers and he enjoys the energetic company. He went through a period of near asceticism due to guilt, abstaining from anything that was for pleasure or indulgence, but he's finally coming out of his shell a little more and letting himself enjoy life again, eating junk food, taking naps, etc. in moderation.

In relationships, I'll die on the hill of Rahaf's "he's a very romantic guy" joke.  He can be over the top, but loves making his partner feel loved. 💖

Designs for what I call "Post-Killer" Sans, inspired by thinking about @rahafwabas 's second comic on Killer's origin, where he's re-programmed by Chara. The one on the left from an "interrupted" Bad Timeline (a timeline where Killer helped Chara or the Bad Sanses), and the one on the right from a Good Timeline (a timeline where he killed Chara). More information about them under the cut~!

The "interrupted" Bad Timeline is one where someone partially undoes Chara's programming. Because this version fully became "Killer" and murdered his friends and family, the person who rescues him leaves him a little bit of Determination -- as Alphys describes it: "The will to live. The resolve to change fate."

If he were turned fully back into "Sans," he might destroy himself in despair after what he's done. However, the Determination is contained safely inside his soul now.

This "Post-Killer" doesn't feel that he is still Sans, and so he goes by Z now. When people ask him what it stands for, he'll give them a different answer every time. He dresses very differently to distinguish himself from the skeleton he used to be, and though he can manifest his eye lights, he prefers to leave them off, because it gives him an air of ~mystery.~ However, he'll use them when he wants to express himself in a more forceful way, and sometimes they'll appear on their own when he feels a powerful emotion.

Although he doesn't see himself as Sans, some of Sans's core personality remains. Z is still a jokester and a prankster who enjoys having a good time with the people around him. He's more of a chatterbox, though, as well as more optimistic and willing to do things in self-interest. Z likes to present himself with a certain amount of swagger and very much enjoys flirting, especially with his S/O(s). He's very romantic and wants them to feel swept off their feet even if they've been together for a long time.

The Sans from the Good Timeline never fully succumbed to Chara's re-programming and never killed anyone, although it was very difficult for him. With the help of his loved ones, he's able to either resist the urge to gain LV, or is restrained when he's overcome until he can get control over himself once more. Together, they come up with a plan to defeat Chara. After Sans kills them, he uses their soul along with the other six to break the barrier, allowing the monsters to return to the surface.

Before leaving, Alphys uses the DT Extraction Machine to remove the extra Determination from Sans's soul. It hasn't quite fully gone back to its former shape, and Sans still feels the effects of the reprogramming sometimes. He has trouble making decisions -- when asked what he wants, his mind sometimes goes blank, and he genuinely doesn't know how to answer. His emotions also aren't as strong as they used to be, but they're still present -- just quieter.

For a while, Sans goes through a period of wondering if he is "really Sans" again, aware that his programming was still changed and that he's just one of a version of various Sanses. [Art of him during his recovery period.] However, in the end he decides that yes, he IS still Sans -- it's who he wants to be. Now that everyone's free from the resets and have a future to look forward to, he also feels a little more optimistic and energetic, and likes to dress in brighter colors than he used to.

[Although he just calls himself "Sans," as a nickname I refer to him as "Sans Avec," to distinguish him from the other Post-Killer and from Classic Sans.]

Both Z and Sans Avec have stains from the black overflow of Determination that used to leak from their eyes. Sans A. sometimes likes to put cosmetic glitter over his to make it look more like an intentional style choice.

Rough design concept for a Post-Killer!Sans after a Good Timeline of Something New. We never got to see what @rahafwabas [Killer's creator] would have done, but I like to imagine that with the help of his loved ones, Sans killed Chara, and was able to have the Determination extracted from his SOUL with the DT extraction machine after using Chara's SOUL with the other six break the barrier. He's not completely back to the way he was before his code was tampered with, but he's recovering and looking forward to the future. (Yes that's basically a snuggie and cutoff sweats. He's probably not going to wear them forever as his new signature look, but the man deserves to be extra comfy for a while.)