Hello there, everyone! It’s time for the first major After Ebott update! Between the two choices that I provided regarding the next update, it seems that most people were interested in setting details. So then, let’s start there. Hit “Keep reading” to see what’s up!

Before I get into what our old friends are up to, I’d like to address one question in particular I received, concerning the current state of the Kingdom of Monsters. The answer is… a bit complicated.

Although some time has passed since the ending of Undertale, it really hasn’t been all that long in the grand scheme of things. The political process for such an unprecedented event as the sudden re-emergence of monsters takes quite a bit of time. Further complicating matters is that there’s no unanimous consensus on the part of the monsters themselves about what the appropriate action to take is.

At one extreme, you have those who wish for the Kingdom of Monsters to be a fully sovereign state, unchanged from the way it was in the Underground… just on the surface now. These people feel that after years of unjust imprisonment, it’s only fair that the human governments cede land to them so that they can expand their kingdom out into the surface, free of human influence.

On the other extreme, there are those who wish for the complete dissolution of the Kingdom of Monsters. Those who take this view tend to believe that the Kingdom was merely born out of necessity– that it was a symptom of their imprisonment, and that they never wanted to be so isolationist in the first place. They wish to integrate with the humans fully, and be granted full citizenship under the already existing governments of the surface.

And then there are those who fall in between the two extremes, who wish for monsters to retain at least some sovereignty while still being able to integrate with the humans. Think something along the lines of how states in the USA have certain sovereign rights, while still being subject to federal laws. Because this approach isn’t so cut and dried, implementation of such a setup is a bit difficult. That said, it’s arguably the most popular option, and one that is supported by many of the most prominent monsters.

So, who’s right? Who’s wrong, if anyone? And even if you believe that one side has the best idea, who’s to say that the humans will go along with it? It’s not a simple issue. Ultimately, it will rely on the efforts of the new ambassador to see any of these ideas to fruition.

In the meantime, though, the monsters have to live somewhere. And that somewhere is a city a few miles south of Mt. Ebott! They’ve been granted some building rights by the local municipal government (GOLD goes a long way), and some monsters have started establishing their own dwellings, while others have been living in the city proper. Let’s go ahead and take a look at the current status of our friends– in particular, the six monsters you SAVED from their corrupted Lost Soul states in the final battle with Asriel. …And Frisk themself, of course!

Toriel has bought a nice little home in the suburbs, not too far from her brand new school. This house might be a bit on the small side, but it’s packed full of warmth… and books. She’s been delighted to have easy access to all of the human books she’s missed out on over the long ages of imprisonment! It’s a bit difficult to find new ones when you’re living under self-imposed exile in the RUINS, after all.

On top of that, Toriel’s been keeping herself quite busy. She’s established a school with the hopes of planting the seeds of knowledge in her young students, as well as fostering a healthy and growing relationship between the monsters and the humans of the surface. But for the time being, even though she and Asgore are separated, she still officially retains her title of Queen of the Monsters. In addition to her teaching duties, she also has lots of work to do with administrative roles and diplomatic relations with the humans. That’s… a lot on her plate. It’s tough, but so is she! Hang in there, Toriel!

Asgore lives in the suburbs too. His house is perhaps a bit grander and more ostentatious than Toriel’s, but don’t think that he’s merely flaunting his kingly status. He wants that extra space for a very specific reason… To have room for his magnificent and lovingly maintained gardens. He also set up a room for tea ceremonies, after Alphys told him about them and he decided they sounded quite “neato.”

Asgore has been trying hard to mend his relationship with Toriel, and, as we’ve seen, he lends some of his time to tending the grounds of the school. This actually isn’t too different from what he’s used to. Even in the Underground, he would frequently lend his time to doing little things here and there for his citizens, after all. But like Toriel, he is also quite busy. He’s still the King of the Monsters, and he is considered the face of all monsterkind to many humans. Although he is overjoyed with the hope that has been restored to his people, he realizes that the current situation is somewhat tenuous, and he can’t help but have some worries…

And here are Papyrus and Sans! The skeleton brothers live in… um… …their old house from Snowdin?

…Well, all right then. Things haven’t changed much with these two. Papyrus has been hard at work on his new job! You know. The one he said he was taking on at the end of Undertale! What was it again…? Hum, anyway. While his dreams of joining the Royal Guard may have been dashed by the conclusion of the war between humans and monsters, that doesn’t mean he’s given up. The end of one dream just means the opportunity for the start of another, as far as he’s concerned! And Sans? Why, he’s being lazy as usual, of course. Oh, that Sans… Always slacking off. Right? …

Alphys doesn’t live in a lab anymore. Instead, she shares an apartment with Undyne in the inner city area! It’s a little bit smaller than what either of them are used to, especially now that they’re living together, but neither of them mind. Even if it’s just a little apartment, it’s *their* place. That’s all that matters. …Alphys doesn’t let Undyne cook anything, though.

Undyne isn’t quite sure what to do with herself now that the Royal Guard has been effectively dissolved. While the situation is great on the whole, a big part of her identity was her role as Captain of the Guard, and adjusting to a world without that has been a bit hard on her. But she’ll be okay, and she’ll figure out something else to do. In the meantime, she’s been teaching gym classes at Toriel’s school.

As for Alphys, since she was fired from her Royal Scientist position, she has moved on to working in a lab based in the city. While there, she’s been working on some interesting projects to help ease the integration of humans and monsters into the same society. The human scientists have been fascinated by the way she can weave magic into her projects, and the applications of that are providing some very exciting new avenues of research.

And finally, Frisk! I actually don’t want to make too many assumptions about the choices that players made during their Undertale runs, so Frisk’s living arrangements aren’t predetermined. Early in the game, I will provide a dialogue choice so that players can pick their preferred option. If you so choose, Frisk can live with Toriel! Or perhaps they live elsewhere, and are merely here to visit. This won’t change the game much, but I really want people to be able to hew as close to their versions of the events as possible.

Frisk has been having an interesting time since their return to the surface. They’ve practically gained celebrity status as the human who brought the monsters back. They’re thought of as a hero by most, and rumors about their adventures in the Underground have spread like wildfire across the surface. They’ve also been rather busy. Whether they chose to be the ambassador of the monsters or not, their status and fame has made them an important arbitrator in monster-human relations issues. Pretty impressive for a child. …But their friends have noticed that ever since they returned to the surface, they occasionally seem a bit strange, as though their thoughts are elsewhere. And they have begun an odd study, all by themself…

…Incidentally, it would be pretty silly to give a child a house of their own, right? It strikes me as a very irresponsible action. Who would ever think to do such a thing?

…Whew! There was actually a lot more to go over in this post than I had expected. Now, I know there are a lot of important characters I didn’t cover, including a certain someone that I’m sure many of you are very curious about. But unfortunately, there’s only so much I can do at one time… and regarding that person … Well, if I said too much about him, it would ruin the surprise, wouldn’t it?

Thanks for reading! In the next update, we’ll be going over gameplay mechanics, with a particular focus on the battle system. Dr. Alphys has been working on a useful device that will help you out in your conflicts on the surface. We’ll get to see what that is next time! Until then, everyone!