| “ | NYEH HEH HEH!!! | ” |
–PAPYRUS | ||
PAPYRUS (/pəˈpaɪrəs/ pə-PY-rəs) IS THE BROTHER OF SANS AND A MAJOR CHARACTER IN UNDERTALE. HIS FORMER MOTIVE IS TO CAPTURE A HUMAN SO HE CAN BECOME A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD, AND FINALLY HAVE FRIENDS AND POPULARITY!!!
APPEARANCE[]
PAPYRUS IS A TALL, PERHAPS ANATOMICALLY INACCURATE SKELETON, WITH A SKULL MORE VERTICAL AND GEOMETRIC THAN HIS BROTHER. BEING SKELETAL, MANY OF HIS EXPRESSIONS INCORPORATE A TOOTHY GRIN. HIS EYES RESEMBLE VERTICAL SLITS; HIS SKELETAL PSEUDO-BROWS FORM MOST OF HIS EXPRESSIONS, AS WELL AS THE CORNERS OF HIS MOUTH. HE HAS EYEBALLS WHICH SHOW AT TIMES WHEN HE IS EXPERIENCING STRONG EMOTIONS!
IN-GAME BATTLE[]
FOR MOST OF HIS IN-GAME APPEARANCES, HE WEARS HIS "BATTLE BODY," AN OUTFIT THAT HE CREATED FOR A COSTUME PARTY!!! IT CONSISTS OF A WHITE CHEST PLATE WITH GOLD TRIM, COQUELICOT GLOVES WITH A GOLDEN TRIM, BLUE BRIEFS WITH A GOLDEN BELT, AND KNEE-HIGH COQUELICOT BOOTS! A SYMBOL THAT RESEMBLES THAT OF STARMAN FROM THE MOTHER SERIES ADORNS THE CHESTPLATE! HE ALSO WEARS A SHORT, ORANGE-RED CAPE!
COOL DUDE[]
HALFWAY THROUGH THE DATE/HANGOUT WITH PAPYRUS, HE CHANGES INTO HIS "SECRET STYLE": A BACKWARD BASEBALL CAP, A T-SHIRT THAT READS "COOL DUDE," SMALL SHORTS WITH BUTTONS, GLOVES WITH STRIPED TRIM, KNEE-HIGH SOCKS, AND SNEAKERS!!! HE ALSO WEARS BASKETBALLS ON HIS SHOULDERS, LIKELY METTATON'S MTT-BRAND FASHIONBALL!
JOGBOY[]
DURING THE "DATE" WITH ALPHYS, PAPYRUS ARRIVES WEARING A SWEATBAND, SHORTS, AND A T-SHIRT THAT READS "JOGBOY," WITH HEARTS ON THE PAULDRONS. HE STILL WEARS HIS BOOTS, GLOVES, AND SCARF!
PERSONALITY[]
PAPYRUS IS A FLAMBOYANT SKELETON WHO PRESENTS A CONFIDENT, CHARISMATIC IMAGE OF HIMSELF!!! HE WORKS HARD AND, DESPITE HIS BRASH PERSONALITY, IS KIND AT HEART. HE IS OPTIMISTIC, BRAVE, AND CONSIDERATE EVEN WHEN THE PROTAGONIST BEHEADS HIM IN THE GENOCIDE ROUTE. HE IS ALSO OCCASIONALLY OBLIVIOUS AND NONOBSERVANT, BUT CAN BE CUNNING AT TIMES, AS SEEN WHEN HE USES REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY TO TRICK UNDYNE INTO BEFRIENDING THE PROTAGONIST! HE SHOWS GREAT BRAVERY AS EVEN IN THE FACE OF POTENTIALLY IMMINENT DEATH, HE DROPS HIS GUARD AND SPARES THE PROTAGONIST IN HOPES OF DRIVING THEM DOWN A BETTER PATH!
PAPYRUS BELIEVES IN OTHERS JUST AS MUCH AS HE BELIEVES IN HIMSELF! HE HAS SO MUCH FAITH IN HIS ABILITIES THAT HE WAITED OUTSIDE OF UNDYNE'S HOUSE ALL NIGHT AND BEGGED HER TO ACCEPT HIM INTO THE ROYAL GUARD!!! SEEING HIS PERSISTENCE, UNDYNE OFFERED TO TRAIN HIM, BUT INSTEAD GAVE HIM COOKING LESSONS. HIS CONFIDENCE IN HIMSELF AND OTHERS IS SO GREAT THAT HE INTERPRETS DIRECT INSULTS TOWARDS HIM AS THE PROTAGONIST TRYING TO MAKE THEMSELVES LOOK BAD SO HE CAN HURT THEM EASIER, RATHER THAN THE POSSIBILITY THAT THEY DISLIKE HIM.
HE COOKS SPAGHETTI FROM TIME TO TIME, THOUGH MANY CHARACTERS SEEM TO THINK THAT HE IS NOT VERY GOOD AT IT. ONE OF THE REASONS FOR THIS IS BECAUSE PAPYRUS NEVER ATE SPAGHETTI HIMSELF TO COMPLETE THE CHEF'S GUIDEBOOK TO COOKING BY TASTING THEIR CREATION BEFORE SERVING! HE, THEREFORE, COOKS SPAGHETTI ONLY BECAUSE EVERYONE ELSE LOVES TO EAT IT, INDICATING HE DOES NOT PLAY FAVORITES. HE LOVES PUZZLES AND JAPES, AS SHOWN BY THE NUMEROUS PUZZLES HE PREPARES FOR THE PROTAGONIST AS WELL AS HIS COLLECTION OF "COMPLEX TOMES ABOUT PUZZLE CREATION." THOUGH ADVANCED PUZZLES MAY SEEM CEREBRAL, PAPYRUS ALSO ENJOYS CHILDREN'S BOOKS AND IS SOMEWHAT CHILDISH WITH THE DECORATION OF HIS ROOM. HE ALSO COLLECTS ACTION FIGURES!
HE HAS SOME UNEXPECTED SKILLS BESIDES COOKING HOWEVER, SUCH AS CONSISTENTLY HIGH-CALIBER ARTISTIC PROWESS FROM THINGS SUCH AS: BEING ABLE TO PAINT A ROCK FORMATION TO LOOK EXACTLY LIKE A BRIDGE, CREATING A SNOW SCULPTURE TO LOOK JUST LIKE HIMSELF BUT WITH MUSCULATURE, TO THE VARIOUS PUZZLE DESIGNS HE CREATES FOR THE PROTAGONIST!!! HE ALSO HAS A PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY FOR PHONE CALLS, AND THE ABILITY TO PERFORM PHYSICS-BREAKING ACROBATICS!
PAPYRUS SEEMS TO BE STRANGELY UNCONCERNED ABOUT HIS OWN DEATH, COMICALLY STATING THAT "AT LEAST I STILL HAVE MY HEAD." RIGHT BEFORE DYING. HE HAS MENTIONED IN A PHONE CALL THAT HE WOULD LIKE TO MEET DEATH, ALTHOUGH THE MEANING OF THIS IS UNKNOWN.
PAPYRUS ALSO WATCHES METTATON'S TV SHOWS, AND ADMIRES METTATON SO MUCH THAT HE WOULD MOVE TO HOTLAND, A REGION THAT HE HATES.
PAPYRUS IS IMPLIED TO HAVE A DEEP LONELINESS AS HE WANTS TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD IN ORDER TO BE POPULAR, AND THEREFORE, LOVED! PAPYRUS IS SHOWN TO NOT GET NEARLY AS MUCH POSITIVE ATTENTION (OR ANY ATTENTION FOR THAT MATTER) FROM THE PEOPLE OF SNOWDIN COMPARED TO HIS MUCH CALMER AND MORE AMIABLE BROTHER, SANS. THIS IS FURTHER IMPLIED BY THEIR MAILBOXES IN WHICH SANS'S IS PACKED WITH JUNK MAIL, WHILE PAPYRUS'S MAILBOX HAS ONLY EMPTINESS, EVEN PROMPTING HIM TO CLAIM THAT IT IS "[HIS] EMPTINESS, NOT YOURS." PAPYRUS EXCLAIMS TO THE HUMAN THAT HE HAS NEVER COME ACROSS SOMEONE WHO IS SO MUCH LIKE HIM IN TASTE, PASSION, AND SKILL. HE FURTHER EXCLAIMS THAT HE "[DOESN'T] EVER WONDER WHAT HAVING LOTS OF FRIENDS IS LIKE." CLEARLY PROJECTING HIS LACK OF SAID FRIENDS. THIS DESIRE TO BE FAVORED AMONGST THE CROWD RUNS SO DEEP THAT PAPYRUS WILL CHANGE HIS OPINION ON SOMETHING ON THE SPOT JUST TO GEL IN WITH THE MAJORITY, LIKE WITH HIS OPINION ON GRILLBY'S. AND THIS DESPERATION FOR A TRUE FRIEND LEADS FLOWEY TO EASILY MANIPULATE PAPYRUS INTO CALLING THE PROTAGONIST'S FRIENDS TO THE BARRIER ROOM, ALTHOUGH WHETHER OR NOT FLOWEY CONSIDERS PAPYRUS A FRIEND IS VAGUE.PAPYRUS IS ALSO SHOWN TO HAVE A LEVEL OF KINDNESS AND UNDERSTANDING THAT NO OTHER CHARACTER IN THE GAME POSSESSES, AS IN BATTLE HE NEVER KILLS THE PROTAGONIST, ALWAYS LEAVING THEM WITH 1 HP! THIS LEVEL OF PHILANTHROPY IS EMPHASIZED IN THE KING PAPYRUS ENDING IN WHICH PAPYRUS IS THE ONLY LEADER TO TAKE UP A LEVEL OF JUDGEMENT UPON FALLEN HUMANS THAT IS TO NOT JUDGE THEM AS ALL GOOD OR BAD, AND THAT THEY GET PUZZLES EITHER WAY! THIS LEVEL OF KINDNESS IS MOST SHOCKINGLY PRESENTED IN THE GENOCIDE ROUTE, WHERE PAPYRUS'S MERCY IS OFTEN A DECIDING FACTOR FOR THE PROTAGONIST TO ABORT THE ROUTE.
TRIVIA[]
- PAPYRUS'S FAVORITE FOOD IS NOT ACTUALLY SPAGHETTI, BUT IS RATHER THE OATMEAL WITH DINOSAUR EGGS!