The Bard of Hope
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There once was a young skeleton named Papyrus.
He was rather lanky, and he insisted on wearing a peculiar outfit made of plastic and fabric.
But that was not what made him unique.
It was his beliefs that drew the attention of many.
In his youth, Papyrus lived with his brother and his uncle.
The uncle was a very smart man with a head full of wonderous ideas.
The brother was also a very smart man, and he aspired to be a hardworking, productive member of society.
And Papyrus looked up to them both.
One day, there was an accident.
The uncle vanished, and the brother was left to raise his younger sibling.
"WHERE IS OUR UNCLE, DEAR BROTHER?" asked Papyrus.
The brother took one look at his sibling's face… and decided that he could not tell him that their uncle had passed away.
The brother deluded himself into thinking that he could handle the weight of the entire world on his shoulders… as long as Papyrus remained innocent and naïve.
But the brother was the one who was truly naïve… for Papyrus already knew the truth.
And thus, the brother's hope was destroyed.
A few years later, Papyrus knocked on the front door of the Captain of the Royal Guard, because he wished to join the Royal Guard.
One thing led to another, and the Captain eventually stated that Papyrus could join the Royal Guard… if he could capture a human.
The Captain believed that this was the perfect way to let Papyrus down gently without crushing his hope.
The Captain did not want Papyrus to join the Royal Guard.
She believed that Papyrus would be unsuited for battle, because he would make the mistake of attempting to befriend his foes instead of killing them.
But what the Captain didn't realize… was that she was setting him up to fail.
She believed that a snipe hunt would be the best way to keep him distracted.
For she did not consider the possibility of a human child wandering their way into Snowdin Town.
And if Papyrus had ever died at the hands of a human… then it would have been her responsibility.
Because she had put him in that situation to begin with.
All because of her refusal to be honest with a skeleton who seemed too naïve to understand the concept of murder.
Which was a pointless endeavor, for Papyrus already knew that she had an intense desire to murder humans.
And instead of taking responsibility for that blunder, she would opt to blame everything on the human, instead.
And thus, the Captain's hope was destroyed.
A little while after that, a human child fell into the Underground.
The child killed many monsters, because they had died at the hands of monsters… many times.
But whenever they tried to speak up about the matter, nobody would listen to them.
Because nobody cares about what a human has to say.
Eventually, the child was given the choice of striking down Papyrus, who stood in their way.
"I BELIEVE THAT ANYONE CAN BE A GOOD PERSON, IF THEY TRY."
The child considered this, then shook their head.
"It's not that simple. It's never that simple, because the world has never been that simple."
"WHAT MAKES YOU SAY THAT?"
"Because… people kill each other all the time for any number of reasons… regardless of species. Do you really think that one instance of sparing is going to fix everything that's wrong with the world?"
"I SUPPOSE THAT IT PROBABLY WOULDN'T FIX EVERYTHING, BUT I'M NOT CONCERNED WITH THAT AT THE MOMENT. ALL I CARE ABOUT IS FINDING A PEACEFUL SOLUTION TO THE CONFLICT IN FRONT OF ME."
"Hmph. Spoken like a true hero of justice." the child spat.
The child considered killing Papyrus, but decided not to.
"WOWIE, YOU DIDN'T DO A VIOLENCE! SEE, DOESN'T THIS MAKE YOU FEEL WONDERFUL?"
"No, not really."
"OH… WHAT MAKES YOU SAY THAT?"
"Because this doesn't solve anything. It doesn't change the fact that your friends and neighbors have killed me over a hundred times already, and not one person has apologized for what they've done. Where's the justice is that?"
Papyrus had no response to that question.
"You see? It's not that easy, isn't it. At this point, I'm not motivated by hatred or pity. I just find you annoying and irritating and obnoxious, because you can't answer any of the important questions that have plagued me for so many years."
The child walked away, leaving Papyrus along with his thoughts.
And so, the child's hope had been destroyed.
The world can be a very dismal place at times.
It contains death, murder, betrayal, misery, suffering, poverty, cruelty, revenge, racism, bigoty, prejudice, and so many other awful things.
Horrible things that have plagued the world since the dawn of time.
People have spent centuries talking about these problems… but no one has found a lasting solution.
It's enough to drive someone mad.
But to pretend that those things don't exist… is an exercise in futility.
You can close your eyes, stick your fingerbones in your ear sockets and ignore everything bad in life until the day you die.
And for what?
The world will simply move on… with or without you.
Bards do not destroy their aspect through their actions or intentions.
It is merely a consequence of the Bard's existence, as their very presence allows destruction to occur.
It would be remiss of you to forget that.
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