[D40]

[espigeon]

Hm, weird question, but: does the 'collective unconscious' sound familiar to anyone? When you were in your original reality did you ever dream about places and events you weren't there for? Especially about being in space and probably speaking in Russian or English, if you've got equivalent languages and people have actually been in space I mean.

How about shared dreams? Probably not super common, any of these, maybe once a month? Thanks.

...and, okay. If you could choose somewhere to go for the next stop, what would it be like? I'm unsurprisingly kinda into the idea of a talking bird world. With treehouses. Didn't I hear the Carnival went to one years ago? Anyone been there who can crush my dreams now and say it was terrible?

Comments

[spaghettimonster]

That's a lot of questions! Let me tackle the big one first. Upfront, and head on...

I don't think it sounds familiar. Not as a real thing that anybody knows about. But, I dream so rarely, with so many bad dreams among them... I hope they're not shared.

[He coughs an emphatic subject-changing sound.]

What was the other question? Where I want us to go next?

[espigeon]

I'm curious! That's fair enough, though.

[The skeleton's world either doesn't have an Earthmind or it has different influences, he reasons.]

Yeah, sure. What would that place be like, what would be especially good about it?

[spaghettimonster]

I have to say... Somewhere that the machines aren't all breaking down. Maintenance in this station is terrible!

[He could have so many words with the managers of that place, if he weren't stubbornly sticking mostly to the carnival.]

And somewhere that we're ourselves, and that's not too odd. Maybe... somewhere with skeletons! And robots! And other familiar sorts of faces.

...Skeletons who aren't dead people. Or are friendly dead people.

[espigeon]

[Julien laughs.]

Somewhere without a lot of machines, or with them but they're all nice and not buggy?

Yeah that sounds pretty good honestly, very uh... there's a holiday where I'm from that's basically about celebrating with people's friendly skeleton ancestors. That'd be kinda nice.

[spaghettimonster]

Oh my god? What a perfect holiday... I want to celebrate that!

And, bug-free machines can celebrate it with us.

[espigeon]

It's a really nice holiday! Lots of food, marigolds everywhere, uh, attractively patterned skulls, this one skeleton lady with a sweet giant hat... I mean, where I'm from the ancestors showing up to party are more a metaphor, but if they have that holiday on other worlds there's probably one where it's more real.

The machines can celebrate older models and the people who helped build them. Set up a nice shrine to Ada Lovelace. Yeah, I'd bring flowers to that.

[spaghettimonster]

Attractively patterned skulls, huh? What makes a skull attractively patterned? Don't tell me face markings... would make me a looker?!

[espigeon]

Colors and lineweight! Also symmetry and good use of negative space.

Well I don't know. You could always try face paint!

[spaghettimonster]

Wow! If ever I'm wooing someone... I'll have to try it!

Maybe not before then. Unless... I'm in the mood to be a heartbreaker.

[espigeon]

Well, practice makes perfect, doesn't it? If you ever want to try it out, uh, I do makeup.

[Though he's never colored up a skull Day of the Dead style and would have to practice himself.]

[spaghettimonster]

You do? How convenient! But, hmm... So long as you're sure you won't fall in love with me. I can only be so many peoples' wingman!

[Frisk's lovelife has gone far from him, he hopes, though it's hard to do any planning when he's out away in the cosmos. Not to mention, Papyrus probably doesn't have enough wings to be a wingman for Julien...]

[espigeon]

Heh. I can't make promises! My love is free and goes wandering sometimes in places where I don't want it and it isn't welcome. But it is unlikely! I've only ever fallen in love with someone when I've known them for a good while.

[Something like that, anyway, he's not getting into the whole deal.]

[spaghettimonster]

[Papyrus hesitates a good few seconds. On the one hand, artistic expression that could lead to a more fulfilled and cultured skeletal life! On the other hand, the dread of heartbreak.]

That's... probably okay. But I'm keeping a watch out for that kind of thing. It just can't happen!

[espigeon]

I'll do my best. Life's a series of risks sometimes, though! Are you brave enough to go out knowing this hazard exists?

[spaghettimonster]

Yeah! I am! I'm sure I could let you down gently. Especially with all this time to prepare!

And speaking of preparations... Do I need to prepare for face painting?

[espigeon]

Oh good! Controlled risk is the way to go, I've always thought. I'll be sure to try and raise my standards so high no on in the Carnival can possibly meet them, just in case.

Have your face washed and dried, maybe wear a shirt that can get some washable paint on it? There are fabrics that you can wash stuff right back out of and there are some that just stain tragically and are never the same again.

[spaghettimonster]

[He hums a skeptical little sound at the mention of raising standards that high, and drops it at the practical advice.]

Too true! I stopped washing anybody else's clothes ages ago. Challenges like that... they're so demoralizing! Anything I can't wash in the shower is just too finicky.

[espigeon]

[This kinda makes Julien, a fashion-minded person, cringe a bit.]

Oh. Well, if that works for you! I prefer using the washing machine and doing a little bit of dry spot cleaning, but, I do have a job where stains are usually just of a few kinds.

[spaghettimonster]

[Sorry, Julien. Papyrus is fastidious about cleaning, and with his job he probably showers twice a day... but his notions of fashion are by a whole other standard. Ask him about basketball shoulderpads someday.]

I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, even among the janitors... It's not about the stains. But, it's so convenient, if you're wearing the same outfit every day. As I've done, from time to time.

[espigeon]

[The same outfit, every day! Horrors! This is what he fights against when newbies join the carnival!]

I can see that! Two things done at once, it's efficient. And [does he really want to know this] is it hung out to dry or made such that it dries in motion?

[spaghettimonster]

[The hardworking wardrobe staff is out there, fighting the good fight... And then there's Papyrus, customizing plain clothing to have cool descriptive phrases on the chest.]

Oh, in motion! I wore my battle body right out of the shower. [He probably could have gone commando, but then Sans might have followed suit, and that's a terrible solution to his brother's laundry issues.] A little wringing, so it was only damp, and then the combination of warm bones and airflow between them... The only obstacle was going outside! Frozen attire just isn't comfortable. So I stayed inside to dry.

[espigeon]

[The thought of the wrinkles alone! He may have to sit down.]

I'd worry about it getting stiff air-drying, but I guess it depends on how much you'd move around. You'd have to miss out on the feeling of putting on something fresh out of the dryer, but, the plus side is no gas bill for running it?

[spaghettimonster]

[Papyrus would offer a fan if he knew. Who knew that, to some, his own upkeep could be as alarming as his brother's is to him? The battlebody's been in storage since before coming here, in favor of clothing from the carnival or various of their stops... But cumulative damage to the fabric is probably also a factor.]

Gas bill...? Don't tell me... humans have strange taxes after all? When I've looked forward to tackling surface finances, someday.

[espigeon]

[Julien's pretty well keeping it out of his voice, at least. He's remarkably good at controlling how he sounds.]

Sorry. Human taxes can get pretty abtruse sometimes. Finance is one of those things I just prefer not to think about when I don't have to.

[spaghettimonster]

Oh no! Well, there's no need for a reminder now. So put thoughts of snowball taxes and gas bills out of your mind. Monsters don't pay that one anyway, most heating appliances are just powered by fire magic.

[Probably a lot of stuff here at the carnival is powered by magic, too.]