Eye3 - Tumblr Posts

This misconception probably comes from the save points displaying the text 'Determination.' on the genocide route only. Plus the genocide boss battles are insanely difficult. Sans' battle requires you to move around with no end in sight for an entire 13 minutes before he is the one that gives up.

But although the genocide route definitely requires Determination to complete, it doesn't give you any, because you have nothing to hope for. Nothing to dream of except another dialogue box.

Also I have a wack headcanon that the eye of any Sans displays the colour of his two dominant traits: In this case Justice and Patience. The original Ask!Dusttale says "one day he gained determination to remember the resets" (The AU doesn't give any reason for this) so now Determination has become a major trait. As Dust started killing monsters, he lost the yellow of Justice, letting the red of Determination take its place. Killing monsters did not give him more DT, it just removed Justice.

Killer has no explanation lol. Still like him though.

It's really funny to think about Dusttale and Dust-adjacent AUs and how they use wacky "LV = power = Determination" logic...

and then there's Undertale's Mercy route, where the human can heal themself, reduce the damage they take, form healing items, SAVE their friends' souls, and straight up refuse to die outright to someone that's essentially a god through their own determination...

all without having to harm anyone.