"... Fine. If you want to see a monster so bad..."

"... I'll show you what a real monster looks like."

this was mostly me wanting to share the design for my Deltarune Monsterswap AU's monster Kris as they appear in the Dark World, but it also doubles as a little something else: a glimpse into one possible Weird Route. the Kris of this AU isn't bound to Player choice... and thus far less defenseless against their whims.

the question is: what does it take to make a good dog bite?

[DOGSONG INTENSIFIES]

here's a few more Deltarune Monsterswap Kris doodles, and this time I'll toss a handful of related headcanons and tidbits below the cut!

- Kris's origins are unknown prior to Asriel finding them digging around in trash cans in front of the house when they were tiny; they seemed to have been living on their own for a while, eating anything they could get their paws on and avoiding strangers. they might not remember their time on the streets, but they still have a habit of eating weird things-- even when they're not really hungry. if you offer it to them they WILL eat it, that is both a promise and a threat.

- they initially didn't like to communicate outside of a variety of dog noises, and for the first couple years the Dreemurrs weren't actually sure if they could talk at all. they still tend to prefer growls, barks, and whines though, since many sounds used in everyday speech are a bit difficult for them to make and their paws lack the dexterity(and 1 finger) for some sign language. they can still talk though with a bit of effort, and may write out responses or spell in ASL if they're struggling too much with pronunciation. they struggle worse when frustrated or upset due to trying to speak through a growl.

- more of Kris's behaviors carry over from dogs and wolves than just their sounds and appearance; seeing if Susie's head can fit in their mouth once they're pals isn't just a goofy joke (though it's definitely a goofy joke on her part). it's actually their weird attempt at nibbling like a wolf-- a sign of affection and friendliness. nobody in Hometown actually knows enough about wolves to pick up on that, though, so they don't try it with anyone other than Susie since they know she won't panic. she just thinks it's the silliest thing ever.

- Kris is actually a monster loosely based on 'el cadejo,' a mythical dog spirit from Central America. whereas dark-furred cadejos are believed to be malevolent and dangerous beings, white-furred ones are seen as benevolent protectors and guides. their color palette swap between dark and light world references this; in the light world they have dark brown and tan fur with red eyes, but in the dark world they're white and silver-furred with blue eyes. notably, the dark cadejo is also associated with the devil-- paralleling Kris's devil horns they wore as a child. and likewise, their benevolent side is associated with angels, in line with the 'angel' that may or may not be the Player.