Webcomic / A Dreamer Reborn

The Arc Symbol for Asriel and Frisk's combined SOUL

And after countless tries...I knew there was only one way. I once thought it was something I couldn't bring myself to do... But... no matter how much you denied it. I could see your hand reaching out to mine, for every single moment we were together. You were always just out of reach.
...but for this last time, I found the DETERMINATION to reach just a bit farther. And hold onto you, with everything I have. And after all we've been through. After all we've done together. I won't let go.
I refuse to.

—Frisk explaining why he gave his SOUL to Asriel.

Massive unmarked Undertale spoilers below. You have been warned.

Undertale has gotten an enormous fanbase seemingly overnight. And with it, there have been many fanfics created for it describing a myriad of Alternate Universe Fic ideas. One of the strongest thus far is based on a Tumblr page which tells a different story out of the True Pacifist Route: A Dreamer Reborn.

In A Dreamer Reborn, Frisk decides to sacrifice himself by granting his SOUL to Asriel Dreemurr, the son of Asgore and Toriel, so he can keep his form and return to the surface with the rest of the monsters.

It's all told in short comics and stories (with, as for now, three long stories) that are separated in three Arcs.

The first Arc, Undertale, starts with Frisk's sacrifice and tells how he and Asriel came back to the castle and joined back with the others. It's separated into two long stories:

• "The Choice": Features one last battle between Asriel/Frisk and Chara, as the latter attempts to use Frisk's now-dead body to return to life himself. This story was written twice — first as a series of short comics, and later a Retconned version featuring an animated battle sequence.
• "The Mistake": Features Asriel/Frisk drawn into a battle with Sans (who believes Asriel took Frisk's SOUL by force), and also having to confront their inner demons from playing the game for so long.

The second Arc, Overtale: Childhood tells how Asriel and the monsters adapt to their new life on the Surface. This Arc features the third long story, "The King", where Gerson tells an old story of how Asriel's parents, Asgore and Toriel, met.

The third Arc, Overtale: Adulthood, is like the second one, but with Asriel/Frisk as adults (or at least teenagers).

All stories are available in the Story Archive. Many fans have also created supporting content, including YouTube videos providing voice acting to chapters, and fan art.

The story and art are by Blake Hudson using the Pen Name "Fatz Geronimo".

Fatz is now working on The End, the fourth and final long story, which is actually a playable game. It features an adult Asriel/Frisk being attacked by Gaster.

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A Dreamer Reborn provides examples of:

• Achievements in Ignorance: In one of the bonus "adult Asriel" comics, apparently, Papyrus has trained in jogging so much that not even the laws of physics can beat him at jogging. Case and point? He ends up running so fast he runs into the sky. Not fly, but run.
• A Friend in Need: In the end, Asriel realizes that Chara needs help, and starts doing things like assuring that it'll be okay, and giving their "enemy" a hug.
• Alas, Poor Villain: Chara.
• And I Must Scream: This is implied to be what it was like for Chara during all those genocide runs.
• Arc Symbol: The combined SOUL of Frisk and Asriel, which is a red heart with a white heart within.
• Art Shift: During the remade version of "The Return", the comic format suddenly switches to a turn-based Undertale-styled battle between Asriel and Chara.
• Because You Were Nice to Me: Chara reveals the entire reason that they attacked the surface with Asriel's body was because Toriel, Asgore, and Asriel were such great family, and Chara already hated humanity so much, that Chara came to the conclusion that killing humanity would be the best way to truly repay the monsters for their great kindness.
• Bittersweet Ending: This seems to be the major reason this story even happened. Frisk was so bothered by not being able to save Asriel from his fate that he played the game over and over. Eventually, he decided he would subvert this ending altogether and came up with a new solution.
• But Thou Must!: Played with. At one point, Asriel hands his homework to the teacher, who is actually fairly cute. Asriel seems to think so, and Frisk really seems to think so, as the only option Asriel is given is "Flirt" over and over.
• Can't Get Away with Nuthin': In a tumblr question, a user asked Asriel if he has found Sans sleeping in any other weird places (similar to how Sans simply fell out of his closet in an earlier comic and he had been sleeping). We are then shown Asriel trying to steal a cookie, only for Sans to come up behind him and ask what he's doing. Asriel tries to sneak a drink from Toriel's wine cabinet, and Sans is sleeping in the cabinet and catches him. Asriel is then in class and deciding whether to cheat or not, and he opens his desk to find Sans in it. Asriel then notes, in text, that Sans isn't always sleeping in these weird places.
• Died in Your Arms Tonight: Happens at the very end of the Chara fight (both versions), as Asriel hugs Chara in his final moments as they fade.
• Early-Installment Weirdness: Early strips explicitly refer to Frisk with male pronouns, while later comics switch to the they/them dichotomy established by Toby Fox (or at least Fanon depending on your sources). Fatz later went on to explain that this was because the comic was inspired by a male Undertale player who reportedly kept playing the game over and over in an attempt to save Asriel, and as a result, Fatz projected his gender onto Frisk.
• Even the Guys Want Him: Asgore, if Gerson and Frisk(?) are any indication. Inverted, as Undyne also makes it clear that she finds him attractive.
• Face Death with Dignity: Chara in the new version of "The Return." After the battle between him and Asriel, the two of them have a friendly heart-to-heart and Chara accepts their death calmly and with a smile.
• Face Palm: One attempt later...
• Fix Fic: One of the most popular yet undertaken for Undertale. However, it's better classified as a Fan Sequel, as it's revealed in "The Mistake" that Frisk went through the same quest over and over in order to find a way to save Asriel.
  • The same goes for Chara. Instead of the popular WMG that Chara was pretty much behind the whole intent of a Genocide run, the fic pretty much shows that they were brought back from the dead unwillingly, at the body of someone who was killing their old friends left and right against their wishes. Which gives a tone of Pay Evil unto Evil on the original's Genocide Ending.
• Fourth-Wall Mail Slot: Several comics are Asriel responding to tumblr questions.
• Good Is Not Nice: Frisk may still be his pacifist self, but he sure isn't above taking pot-shots at Asriel from time to time. Case in point:
  Frisk: You inform Asriel he is a total wuss.
• Grand Finale: The End serves as one to the fanfic. To get a scope of just how grand it is — the main verse is a series of comics. The most ambitious project prior to The End was the mockup battle between Asriel and Chara done in the style of the game. This project takes that, turns it up, and allows you to play it.
• Happily Ever After: The entire reason Frisk sacrificed himself for Asriel. Despite his sacrifice, Frisk still gets to live on in Asriel, and Asriel gets to help Chara pass on, not to mention Asriel gets reunited with his parents. All in all, Frisk gets everything he wants.
• Heel–Face Turn: Having learned from his mistakes in Undertale, Asriel does not plan on making the same mistakes.
• He Is All Grown Up: The third story arc focuses on an older Asriel.
• Heroic Sacrifice: The reason Asriel gets to live is because Frisk essentially gives up his life for Asriel to continue his own.
• Hidden Eyes: Chara throughout most of their battle.
• Humans Are the Real Monsters: Chara shows that they have hundreds of Frisk souls from various genocide runs, and tries to explain to Asriel that this is who Frisk really is. Furthermore, Asriel and Chara are shown in a flashback, where Chara laments being a human due to their terrible nature, while Asriel and the other monsters are essentially more human to them than any human ever could be.
• Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Much like Seinfeld and The Amazing World of Gumball, each major story starts with a "The".
• I Just Want to Have Friends: Chara seems to not want to be a sadistic monster, and is so tired of killing people. A hug from Asriel finally lets Chara finally be at peace and stop.
• "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Inverted in "The Mistake": Asriel/Frisk have to convince Sans that their arrangement was entirely voluntary, and Frisk's body did not die in vain. They figure out a way to do that.
• Interface Screw: Frisk defeated Chara by destroying the FIGHT option, disabling Chara's ability to take his SOUL and Asriel's body in combat, dooming Chara to die with Frisk's body.
  • This is later Retconned in the new version of "The Return", although it still happens in a different way. In the new version of "The Return," Chara continually attacks Asriel with a combination of the Genocide Frisk souls and his knife, knocking Asriel down to 1 HP. However, he cannot bring himself to land the final blow, and the moment he drops the knife is when the FIGHT option shatters of its own accord.
  • The self-destruction of the FIGHT option on the new version of "The Return" could also be a possible symbolic representation of Chara losing the will to hurt.
• Leaning on the Fourth Wall: During the battle in "The Return", Chara starts using the souls of other versions of Frisk from "other timelines", each with their own different interpretations. It's implied that these souls are the in-game SOULs of real-life players who went through the Genocide run and gave their SOUL to Chara. The only thing the souls have in common is that they're all given to Chara at the end of their respective Genocide runs.
• Mythology Gag: Sans uses part of his pre-fight speech in the "Genocide" route when talking to Asriel in the Last Corridor during "The Mistake":
  i never get the chance to, uh "take in" this place, if that makes sense. birds are singing. flowers are blooming. perfect weather for a picnic. but... kinda hard to enjoy a picnic when you find your best friend buried six feet under. yeah, that'd put a damper on your plans, huh?
• My God, What Have I Done?: Chara's "I can't."
• Neck Snap: A self-inflicted, Played for Laughs example has Asriel seeing if he can still rotate his head all the way around. Smash Cut to him sitting in the ER with a neck brace.
• Overly Long Gag: Invoked when Frisk cooks the Instant Noodles to pause the battle with Sans, enabling him to help Asriel face his demons.
• Playing a Tree: Flower, actually. Asriel doesn't take it well.

• Redemption Equals Death: At the very least, Chara knows Asriel didn't hate him/her in the end.
• RPG Mechanics 'Verse: No surprise since the series is based on an RPG; however, the Chara boss fight is the greatest example.
• Sharing a Body: Frisk and Asriel share the latter's body. Unlike Asriel's problems with Chara in Undertale, Frisk and Asriel seem to get along very well together.
• Shown Their Work: If the reader watches the Chara Boss Fight video and pays attention, they'll see each one of Chara's attacks prior to the Frisk hearts is him using every single obtainable weapon in the game.
• Something Only They Would Say: Sans finally accepts Asriel's story of Frisk willingly giving him his SOUL when he gives him back his second secret codeword, "I am the legendary fartmaster." The only way for Frisk to know it is to have encountered Sans in the judgement hall at least three times on a pacifist run.
• Sword over Head: An (anti) villainous example. Chara eventually has Asriel at their mercy — he has barely a single hitpoint of health left, they're poised over him with a knife, he's helpless to stop them killing him… and then:
  "I... I... I can't."
• The Ageless: Asriel mentions that his parents are finally aging again now that he's alive, which is a clear sign of the author doing their homework.
• Took a Level in Kindness: It isn't certain if Asriel is getting this from Frisk or simply grew up, but either way, Asriel has taken a note from Frisk's playbook and defeats his opponent with a mixture of power and mercy, preferring to befriend rather than outright defeat.
• Too Much Information: Asriel is embarrassed by some parts of Gerson's story of Asgore and Toriel. Frisk doesn't help matters.
  Gerson: Sorry kiddo. I can't help that yer dad is hot. Gotta tell it like it is.
  Undyne: He's got a point, Asriel.
  Frisk: Yeah your dad IS hot.
• Troll: Frisk and Asriel love each other, but they're not above being this towards each other (especially Frisk).
• Yandere: A platonic example. Chara wants to be together with Asriel again, even if it takes everything, and they mean everything.
• You Are Not Alone: Asriel gives Chara a hug, and doesn't let Chara die alone.

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