#utdr meta

[the-irreverend]

You know, seeing all the "Valentine's Day" drawings Toby Fox made on his Twitter account has helped remind me of something: we are EXTREMELY lucky that Toby Fox's talent is equalled by his dedication and care for his fanbase.

[gasterofficial]

Me and some buds from an utdr server are working on a document compiling everything from this year’s undertale anniversary spamton sweepstakes event! It’s still a work in progress but we’re including screenshots and links to content archived through the wayback machine. Here’s the link for anybody who’s interested.

[midnightfox450]

Thinking about the general state of Mettaton in deltarune. Like he doesn't "haunt the narrative" but he is definitely narratively A Ghost. You can't see him and probably never will and what little we have of him is unrecognizable at first glance. But his general impression is still there, the history of him. Your internet habits are all that are left of you when you're a perpetual shut-in, after all.

He's spoken about in vague hushed whispers by shopkeepers and no one else. He is a ghost story. He still has unfinished business. But the vessel he's supposed to be haunting is already occupied. The stage lights are shattered (NEO is known for its high defense [What even is NEO?]).

We went to a computer world and in next chapter we'll literally be going to a TV one. And he wont be there. Toriel and Undyne and maybe even Napstablook will probably be there but he won't.

[springbloggy]

Mini Deltarune theories I have that are not quite big enough for a true post, but interesting to note. In order of most confident to least.

Ralsei is luring the lightners to the Dark World in order to trap them

In chapter 2, Ralsei creates rooms for Kris and Susie that "they can go to no matter what is happening outside". Unlike Queen's rooms, which are guesses based on search results, Kris and Susie's rooms are accurate to an unsettling degree. Not only is Kris' room identical to their light world counterpart, but it also has all of Asriel's trophies on their side of the room with Asriel's side gone, a reflection of their potential secret desire to no longer be under Asriel's shadow. Similarly, Susie's excitement on even having a room suggests that Ralsei could know what Susie's light world home life is like or lack thereof if she's homeless.

By creating these rooms, Ralsei is fulfilling the lightners secret desires and judging on his phrasing, wants them to go there in order to avoid whatever is happening "outside" the dark world. By doing so, he is effectively strengthening their desire to stay in the dark world so they can't escape.

Chapter 3 isn't going to be Undyne or Napstablook, it's Asgore

Chapter 3 taking place in Kris' home with the fountain being created by Kris suggests to me that the world may mostly involve whatever the Dreemur family drama entailed, which would include Asgore who was the former chief of police. Not only that, but the combination of Toriel having troubles calling the police and the station being closed in a preview for chapter 4 suggests to me that Mayor Holiday could have closed the station during the night of chapter 3 after they failed to catch the mysterious criminal wrecking Hometown, leaving Asgore as the only character left who might want to resume his policeman duties when Toriel's call is made. It is also more fitting for Toriel to kill Asgore in the hypothetical chance the Snowgrave route continues with her as she already dislikes Asgore and possibly blames him for Dess' disappearance. Speaking of...

Asgore really was involved

There's a lot of weird forshadowing on an "evil Santa". Lancer believes that "ho ho ho", a laugh associated with the mystical Christmas gift bearer, being an evil laugh. Noelle is also scared of Santa and it's revealed in Undertale that Asgore dressed up as Santa to give gifts to the monsters. All of this seems setup to me that Asgore really was somehow involved in letting Dess disappear, something that may be revealed during Chapter 3's Snowgrave route.

Dess is ruder than she appears

This is a more playing by expectations theory, however there's certain lines and implications that become interesting once looked under the lens of this theory.

It's revealed that Dess once beat Kris with a wiffle ball bat for scaring Noelle by telling her that ICE-E "eats kids". This puts a precedent that Dess has at least somewhat violent impulses in order to protect her sister, even in situations that don't need it. It's also a bit odd that unlike Asriel, no one in the hometown mentions Dess after her disappearance except for Noelle. Even Berdly, Noelle's best friend, doesn't bring her up. It could be that the hometowners may not want to hurt Noelle by reminding her of the disappearance, however since she's so open about talking about Dess to even new kid Susie it may be another reason why the hometown doesn't mention her. It's possible that the simularities to Dess and Susie (both are horror loving, somewhat violent, tomboys) are deliberate and are setting up the reveal that Dess is/was actually a bully and a future scene with Noelle may parallel the scene in Undertale where Asriel reminisces that Chara wasn't that good of a person.

Gaster blasters are named after Gaster, but not created by him

If you spare Papyrus in Undertale after an aborted Genocide run, he will say this.

The most common theory is that the "Special Attack" would be a Gaster Blaster. What's interesting to me is the phrasing "my Special Attack", which suggests that Papyrus owns this attack and it could have been unique to him before Sans or the annoying dog stole it. If Gaster Blasters are really his unique attack, it could mean that Papyrus created the Blasters and named them after Gaster, rather than the fandom interpretation that Gaster made the Blasters then gave them away.

There might not be a singular "Knight" because anyone can dream

At the end of each chapter, the characters ask if the dark world adventure they had was some sort of dream. Since anyone can fall asleep and dream, it's possible the game is setting up that trying to seal the fountains is impossible because anyone can dream and thus become their own "knight".

[everythingbrainrot]

TW: mention of abuse/child abuse and mention of suicide

haven't seen many people talk about chara's potential need for "purpose." like:

"At first, I was so confused. Our plan had failed, hadn't it? Why was I brought back to life? … You. With your guidance. I realized the purpose of my reincarnation. Power. Together, we eradicated the enemy and became strong."

how many people would come back to life and think, "what am i supposed to do with this?" instead of "why has this happened and what do *i want* to do with it?" purpose is a very specific word choice here.

it makes me wonder if chara is someone who is defined by a lack of autonomy in their life. probably linking to the angel prophecy, though also probably going back even further to their original life on the surface world. assuming they were mistreated, this hints they were very closely controlled by their human guardians. and then to fall down, be accepted by a loving family, and then hear of the angel from the surface who's supposed to set the monsters free?

this makes sense as to why they'd even kill themselves to help set monsterkind free. because it's their grand, prophesised "purpose." and, failing that but coming back to life, surely there must be a "purpose of [their] reincarnation"?

well, watching frisk/the player at work, they can either learn to trust in kindness, mercy and love, forgiving asriel and hopefully forgetting the whole "purpose" talk (hm. susie deltarune quote) OR be shown that they were not only right to use violence, they in fact should use it against everyone, they have been wronged and humans and monsters must suffer for it, they must attain power so they can eliminate this wretched world.

and they can't unsee what you've done, the purpose you've shown them, so they will use your soul to carry it out again on a post-no-mercy pacifist run.

thinking about it, they do also talk in a very grand way. not like flowey, who acts menacing and sinister and taunts you constantly. they talk very calmly (in a no-mercy playthrough) thinking about the world in a very "the grand scheme of things" way, a rotten thing that needs to be destroyed. i think, if someone believed their purpose was to destroy an entire world, they would come to speak about it and talk and think in that sort of way.

i think it adds a lot of depth to chara. they're not just an angry kid who can be swayed so easily by what you show them. they're someone who has defined themselves by a need for purpose, to do whatever they were destined to do.

it also shows, that no matter how calm and confident they seem, that they are a kid who latches on to whoever shows them love or alliance.

[stainedglassthreads]

Comprehensive List of Significant UTDR Characters with Six-Letter Names:

Flowey Asriel Toriel Asgore Ralsei Noelle Lancer Gaster Gerson Alphys Undyne Rouxls

I dunno. It's not a world-shattering revelation or part of a grand theory, and 'Dreemurr' and 'Holiday' sure don't have just six letters, I just think considering utdr's connection to Homestuck, it's maybe a neat subtle reference. Or maybe pure coincidence. Others have probably noticed before but it's just really fun to suddenly notice something for yourself.

[megaderping]

Time and time again, people have tried to discredit Alphys' work in the Determination Experiments by crediting at least some of the True Lab entries to Gaster. A recent theory making the rounds has once again misled people into taking this as fact, and in this video, I take a critical look at the entries to prove that Alphys wrote all of them as well as debunking several of the arguments used to claim that Gaster was involved. Sources include both Undertale and Deltarune, the Undertale Gaster twitter takeovers, the Legends of Localization book, and the recent Valentines newsletter. My goal in this video is to put this argument to rest, as it relies on many cherrypicked pieces of information that really don't hold up under scrutiny and are a disservice to Alphys and Gaster both.

[inbarfink]

Any analysis of how Undertale deals with Pacifism and how it tries to guide the Player towards it has to take a deep look at Papyrus. Because Papyrus is the one character in the game who will never kill, the one actual ‘True Pacifist’ in the game’s main cast. 

I mean, the Player can be an even bigger Pacifist. Papyrus does still FIGHT, and the Player can get through an entire run without draining a single sliver of HP. But… they can also be the world’s biggest murderbastard and literally stab reality to death. 

Toriel would very much like to not kill, but she is also fully capable of doing so.

Same with Asgore, but he has a lot more actual blood on his hands. Undyne and Mettaton are both fully 100% willing to kill to accomplish their goals. Sans is non-violent in most runs because he’s too lazy and depressed to do anything, and when he is motivated into actions - it is in the form of a FIGHT to the death. Alphys… the timeline is a bit fuzzy cause both she and Mettaton love lying so much, but it seems like she did sincerely add deadly weapons to Mettaton cause killing humans would make him more 'useful' and then had second thoughts once she developed a parasocial relationship with the Human Child and THEN she and Mettaton started hatching their little play-acting plan. I think??

With Papyrus there is NONE of this ambiguity, we know for sure - no matter what timeline or what may come - The Great Papyrus will always choose MERCY.

And the interesting thing about that is on a Meta-Sense, Papyrus is a very rare example of the game giving MERCY towards the Player. 

Because the game starts out being really obtuse with the Sparing mechanic and how it works. If you want to be a Pacifist in Undertale from the get-go, you’re gonna have to work for it. You're gonna have to figure it out on your own and commit to it and believe that it's possible. It's basically a test of your own belief in non-violence and your moral integrity. Then, the RUINS end with the Toriel boss battle - in a way, that’s probably the hardest Sparing puzzle in the whole game. And it’s very very easy to accidentally kill her. (I’d almost say that’s the intention of the battle, to try to goad the Player into Resetting so they can see how the game remembers across RESETs)

And then we have Papyrus, and it’s not just that his ‘Sparing Puzzle’ is something as simple as outlasting him and letting him run out of dialogue - and it’s not just that he’s the only boss that will just give up and let you continue if you lose to him enough times. it’s also that, just as Papyrus is the only boss incapable of accidentally killing the Player - he’s also the only boss that the player is incapable of accidentally killing.

(Okay, fine, to be pedantic, there’s also Asgore)

I mean, the Player can certainly kill him if they want to - but draining Papyrus’s HP just makes him skip through his battle dialogue right to the end of it. It’s designed in such a way that, no matter what Route you're on and no matter what approach you take with Papyrus - you will always end up on this screen.

Unlike basically any other Monster in this game, including the major boss battle just before him - you can’t kill Papyrus accidently. You can't kill him without also having Sparing him as an option. The game kinda treats killing Papyrus as one of the Worst Things You Can Do because killing Papyrus will always be a deliberate, considered action done to a person who will not kill you and who has stopped wanting to FIGHT and has extended a hand of Mercy. With the game clearly communicating what you need to do to Spare him at that moment.

And that means that - even if you killed before, even if you don’t have the patience of a True Pacifist, even if you spent all this time in the game without even trying to engage with the Sparing mechanic… as long as you don’t want to be a Huge Rat Bastard, the game is basically gifting you with the very very easy option to not be. Being a Pacifist in Undertale is usually a challenge - a puzzle to be solved, a test to pass. But as long as you aren’t intentionally trying to be the Worst Person - the game is basically giving you Papyrus. 

If you accept his Mercy, you are accepting the game’s Mercy. That sort of benefit-of-the-doubt assumption that maybe all of the LOVE you might have accumulated so far was all due to honest mistakes or panic or an attempt in self-defense. That you still deserve this one chance to prove that you are not intentionally, maliciously cruel - or at least not like the Worst Person in the World. Even if you did kill before, you still deserve at least one friend.

And Sparing Papyrus leads you to his wonderful Hangout/Dating Sequence and to his Phone Calls and they all add so much wholesome charm to the Undertale experience and no matter what happens Papyrus will always think the best of the Player and he will always trust them and it also makes Sans also kinda your buddy by default. And more than just adding a little bit of wholesome charm into even the more LOVE-filled Playthroughs, I think this is meant to try and incentivize these players into trying out the Mercy mechanic a bit more.

Whatever it’s, like, for future playthroughs or Resetting the game right there to try a True Pacifist Run right there and then or just trying to be a little kinder for the rest of this current playthrough - especially since there’s an emphasis about the close friendship Papyrus has with the upcoming boss Undyne, and to a lesser extent with his idol and next-next boss battle Mettaton. It’s like “well, if you didn’t figure out how to spare before, this is how you do it? And isn’t it nice to have a friend? Isn’t it nice to not have to kill this lovable skeleton man? You should do this more often wink wink nudge nudge!”

And it’s like… all of Papyrus’ loved ones care about him so much but they also look down on his pacifism. They see his inability to kill and desire to make friends as simple naivete and that’s why all tend to hide the truth from him all the time. About what will happen to the Human he will capture, about what his new Human friend might’ve done, about the fact that they view him as so naïve. 

They admire it on some level, that’s why they want to protect it, but they also see it as a weakness which is why they want to protect it by lying to him all the time. But, you know, Undyne says that if Papyrus goes into battle he’ll be ‘ripped into little smiling shreds’ and that is certainly what happens every time a Player chooses to refuse Papyrus’ Mercy and the game’s Mercy and press that FIGHT button…

But have you thought about all the times that doesn’t happen? All the careless or violent players who were offered that skeletal hand of friendship, accepted it and then carried that offered kindness forward for the rest of the game? All the players motivated to do good for the sake of their buddy Papyrus? All the Murder Routes stopped because the player just didn’t have it in them to kill someone who believes in them so earnestly?

Like, no, it’s not a surefire thing - especially since Papyrus has so much less narrative power than the Actual Unkillable Time God that is the Player. But it happened, and it happened many many times to many players. Papyrus offered Mercy, the game offered Mercy. And much like Frisk’s Pacifism, it comes from a place of seeing the honest goodness in your ‘enemy’ and can inspire them to become a better person - this little sparkle of goodness being passed forwards. 

And I think that’s beautiful, even if it didn’t happen in every timeline. Any potential future where Papyrus’ kindness can have such an effect on the Player and thus the entire trajectory of the Underground validates his kindness and pacifism on some level - even if there are also always the potential worlds that it backfires completely. 

And there’s also one other way in which the Great Papyrus Proves Pacifism Pays. One that is a bit more practical, perhaps. And one that Papyrus himself is not even aware of. 

Papyrus’ boss battle can be a surprisingly challenging one specifically because he is the only one who doesn’t kill the Player.

Like there is a reason why Papyrus will just offer you to skip his Fight after you lose to him three times, because if he didn’t do that - there’s an honest risk that the Player can get stuck in a much stuckier way than anywhere else in the game. 

Because, like, for basically any other character in the game, being killed is the Worst Thing that could ever happen to them. For everyone except the actual Player Character because we are an Actual Unkillable Time God and dying is nothing more than a minor annoyance that sets you back to your last SAVE Point. So, leaving aside Papyrus’ admirably kind intentions - there is not much material difference from the Player’s perspective between getting Captured and getting a more traditional GAME OVER. Except…

Except getting Captured does not undo everything that happened in your inventory during the battle. In every other Undertale battle, if you use all of your items but still lose - the GAME OVER at least means you get your stuff back. But because Papyrus doesn’t kill you, any healing item you’ve used during the battle is still used. I have watched so many Undertale Let’s Players waste all of their valuable items on their first Papyrus battle and then have to face him again without them and thus do even worse in their second go… and then their third go... and thankfully then Papyrus offers them to skip the fight.

And while that technically can be circumvented by just manually closing the game and opening it back again on their pre-battle SAVE Point, a lot of players are gonna reflexively Save over it if they pop over to the Shop or the Snowed Inn before their second attempt at the battle. If Papyrus didn’t offer that chance to skip his battle, it could’ve easily become a softlock situation for a huge chunk of players - because he doesn’t kill the Player.

Most of Undertale deals with the value of non-violence from a standpoint of morality and kindness and personal connections. Since most people do die when they get killed. But when dealing with an Unkillable Time God like the Player, Papyrus proves that not-killing might actually be the most practical solution.

Of course, it doesn’t seem like Papyrus is aware of any of this. From his perspective, he is just offering genuine mercy to a being just as ephemeral as he is. But it accidentally turned into one of the most effective methods of blocking the Player’s way… at least he didn’t offer us an opt out so soon after that. 

And it’s interesting when comparing him to how his brother Sans - one of the few people actually aware of the existence of SAVEs and RESETs - deals with the Player. Because the Sans boss battle at the end of the Murder Route is entirely based on the concept that death is nothing but an annoyance to the Player. Sans is less trying to kill the Player (the way Undyne the Undying did), he is simply trying to annoy the Player into a ragequit. But he is still killing the Player.

Now imagine a Sans battle where he has all of his usual annoying tricks, but also instead of killing you - he captures you just like his brother would’ve in a happier timeline. And while it’s not a fool-proof plan to stop the Player in their tracks - he could very easily stick them in that sort of softlock situation where they have to battle him again and again without any Healing Items. Forcing them to either abandon the game or RESET the whole world back the way it was - just like Sans wants them too. 

But instead, by killing the Player, he is just allowing that perfect second-third-fourth-fifth-sixth-try where they get all of their Stuff back. And he does actually knows that. And why doesn’t he do that? (Speaking here from an in-universe character study perspective. Obviously the Doylist answer is that the game doesn’t want to Softlock you even in the most deliberately-frustrating part of the game).

Maybe, even though he intellectually knows that killing the Player will be of no help - he still does it because he wants to. Because he just wants to get back at the evil murderous monster that took his brother from him and destroyed his entire world even if he knows it’s actually ineffective. And this thirst for bloodshed is, ironically, blinding him from a new exciting way to actually practically stop that murderous bastard who is themself motivated entirely by bloodshed. 

Maybe he just can’t do something like that. Reducing an enemy to exactly one HP and then stopping is not a feat anyone else in the game is capable of pulling off - even the ones who would obviously use such a thing (like Toriel or a Player with a Pacifist intentions). Maybe it’s something that requires a lot of hard practice and discipline and carefulness, that Sans never thought to put in because he didn’t see it as a useful skill the way Papyrus did. 

Maybe that wouldn’t have worked anyways. After all, and that’s something I kinda touched on in a previous Overly Long Rambly Hot Take - Sans’ War of Attrition against the Player is greatly helped by the fact he can’t remember every single previous try and so he can’t get exhausted the way the Player can get. Obviously, without a GAME OVER induced RESET that will not apply. Which is especially notable because… Sans’ laziness is literally what brings him down at the end of that Boss Battle. 

So maybe, while Papyrus, as long as you decline his offer to skip the battle, is capable of offering just the same Battle as before over and over and over again.... It’s possible that Sans just won’t be able to pull off two or three or more battles of the same intensity and difficulty in a row without a RESET to undo his own exhaustion. 

But I think it’s at least worth considering the option, y’know? That after all this time of viewing Papyrus’ kindness as sweet-and-yet-kinda-foolish-naïveté - that exact viewpoint made Sans overlook the perfect solution to dealing with his little Murderous Time God problem. Cause he just never considered that while killing might be fully morally justifiable in this situation and very very satisfying, that does not necessarily mean it is actually the most practical solution. And that maybe, in a weirdly twisted way, Pacifism WAS the answer.  

[prism-forgone]

a bit obsessed with the fact that kris seems to have a knife on their person at all times (not just their room, chapter 2 confirms that) and yet, it's not in their weapon slot, or even their inventory, it's like they're withholding it from the player. it's their knife, you can't have it

[prodigaldaughteralice]

am I the only one losing my goddamn mind about this

nowhere in the underground has green grass

Hometown has green grass

obviously many other places also have green grass but aaaaaaaaaaa

[akanemnon]

An ending

[gasterofficial]

when slowed down 50%, “pianpian.mp3″ from the new kris_dreemurr_kris page bears a STRIKING resemblance to gaster’s theme, being in the same key though the third note in pianpian.mp3 is a half step away from the third note in gaster’s theme.

[midnightfox450]

Love undertale and deltarune and the stanley parable and the beginner's guide. Love games that have you sit down and think about what you've done. Love games that just want you to feel normal about them. Love games that beg you to stop playing them over and over and over again but still give you new content on successive playthroughs because they know you'll do it anyway. Love games that assert that participating in someone else's creation is more than just an act of love, it can be an act of invasion, of violation. LOVE METAFICTION IN MY VIDEO GAMES!!!!!

[springbloggy]

Steve Theory - an analysis on a peculiar love letter

Another odd theory from me! This one is based on the recent newsletter.

See, for a while, the top leading theories for chapter 3's superboss was either a character inspired by Toy Story's woody or Sonic the hedgehog. Those are pretty decent theories, but I think this newsletter has a new smoking gun that blows both of those out of the water.

I think that people were on the right track of the third superboss being based off a childhood character, but it isn't woody or sonic, it's Steve from Blue's Clues (and a bit of other similar hosts).

For this theory, I will be calling the character Mike, you will see why soon.

Let's analyze Mike's letter shall we? Bit by bit.

But hey, first off, isn't it a bit odd that this reveal is in the form of a Valentine's letter? Yes, that was the most recent holiday, but previous holidays that the newsletter aligned with weren't this overt. Why present this info via love letter?

Well, this is, I believe the first clue (blue's clue if you will). What segment is Blue's Clues (and other childhood shows like it) known for? A mail time segment.

Mike may have been a tv character, but he knew that the screen wasn't the only way for fans to reach him. Mail Time was an important segment in his show, and right now he needs mail time the most. But why? Well, let's follow Mike's letter and find out.

The first clue is the distinction of the spelling of Delta Rune, with a space. I believe Mike is aware of the importance of the prophecy in the deltarune universe as well as the real world player's wait to fulfill this prophecy. If Mike truly was a Steve-like character, it would explain how he knows both, as the interactive aspect of his show would make Mike forcibly aware of a greater world outside of his show while still having to abide to the rules and storylines of that show.

Another note is how Mike isn't sure if it's the Old Year or New Year, which could reflect both how Feburary isn't close to being a "new year" anymore but also Mike's show being in reruns, where the passage of time is artificial and determined by what networks choose to broadcast.

Here is the most interesting tie to theory, Mike doesn't know what Valentine's Day is. This is odd because Valentine's Day is a common holiday, but in a children's show often times names of holidays will be changed in order for people of many religions to appreciate the episode. Something infamously parodied in Clone High.

So Mike wouldn't know Valentine's Day, he'd know it by another name.

Below his thoughts on Valentine's Day, he asks the viewer a question in a similar manner that Steve (or similar hosts) would.

Much like Steve at the beginning of an episode, Mike asks the viewer of the letter for help to find his forgotten friend. In fact, subtracted the odd feel of the letter, one can easily imagine a children's show where the main character is trying to find someone he forgot about in a lighthearted tone.

The top is interesting because the real-life viewer of this letter wouldn't respond out loud (unless you did, which uh, good ig?). But you know who would? The children voice overs used in these interactive shows. They are still there with Mike, even after his show (presumably) ended.

This seems like a silly joke a preschool host would make, poking fun at daily self care lessons for children. But it also reminds me of another children's host before Steve, the king of children's hosts, Mr. Rodgers.

Putting on the coat could be a reference to how Mr. Rodgers began his show by putting on his sweater, Mike is beginning his adventure with the viewers/players by having them put on their coats with him.

You may have noticed me skipping the text at the top of the letter, this is because I wanted to group these two notes together. I think the letter being "illegible" and Mike misspelling goodbye goes together. I think these are both hints of Mike not being a grown adult, but rather a young child who can barely write and spell writing this letter. It's similar to the writing seen in Disney's Winnie the Pooh movies.

This would make Mike fit right in with modern preschool hosts such as Dora, Bluey, and the kids from Cocomelon. A younger character ensures that younger viewers will be more engaged with the show and its various lessons.

The final note of this letter takes on a different meaning when you view it under the lens of a preschool show. Once an object, like a letter, is no longer needed to be around, writers will simply just have the object go away then stay on screen.

So now the larger theory, this is a bit of a stretch mind you, but these are all of the pointers I think of.

So wait, you're saying this is Mike?

Yes, I do believe this is the same Mike Spamton thinks so fondly about.

There's two reasons why I think this is the case. The first is his name, all the bosses and superbosses so far have had outlandish names: Jevil, Spamton, Lancer, King, and Queen. Mike sticks out like a sore thumb. Unless he was a character that was created for the sole point of being relatable to the audience, and thus shares a normal name that most people have to enforce that.

The second is this quote

This quote becomes scary if attribute it to this theoretical version of Mike. Think about it, you meet a kind man or child who hosts a preschool show, he's kind, warm, trusting. Wouldn't hurt a fly. But then he suddenly backstabs you.

So how did Mike and Spamton know each other? I think Mike (or the producers of Mike's show) gave Spamton the greatest publicity any salesman could, he made Spamton his show's sponsor.

Once Spamton stopped earning profits, Mike (or his producers) dropped him as a sponsor, leaving Spamton blindsided as a result. Maybe Mike didn't intend to hurt Spamton's feelings, but it was too late by then and Spamton hasn't reached out since.

The Missing Friend

So does that make Spamton Mike's missing friend? I don't think so. I think Mike's missing friend is actually his equivalent to Blue from Blue's Clues or Boots from Dora. A friend he's never without in universe, until one day, they suddenly disappear without a trace. Maybe the loss of Mike's friend parallels that of Noelle losing Dess or Kris missing Asriel from College. Both being events that force both of these characters to grow up and move on in life even if they don't want to. Unlike these two however, Mike will do anything to find this friend, and with some advice from a certain someone, Mike knows what exactly to do.

Take the player's SOUL.

Mike's lack of control

Mike's lack of control is pretty simple yet terrifying. Mike is not only controlled by the in-universe response of yelling children like Steve, but he's also controlled by the whims of the network, forever being taken on and off air, repeated, and more throughout time. I personally believe Mike's show has been long cancelled ever since the sudden disappearance of his friend, yet he's forced to relive moments through reruns. Thus losing track of time itself. This is the secondary reason why Mike wants the player's soul besides a promise to find his lost friend, all he wants is a normal life again, where he doesn't have to relive moments and just hang out with his cartoony friends.

Even if you don't believe in this theory (it is all an admitted stretch based off of one letter), I hope this provided an interesting and entertaining read!

[acerikuz]

There's something about the chapter 1 that's been bothering me for quite a long time, and I don't think I've ever really seen the implications of it discussed...

(images have alt text)

... Someone locked Kris and Susie in the closet.

The above dialogue happens if you try to go back to the closet once you return to the light world. You could potentially argue that the door just slammed bc of the nature of dark worlds or whatever and that the door was only locked to give a narrative excuse to not let us back in, but...

...This is the flavour text when you try to go back into the closet after being 'banished' by Ralsei at the start of chapter 2.

...And this is the flavour text if you try to go back into the computer lab after you leave cyber world.

This makes it... Really clear that the end of chapter 1 is an exception. It does call to question who could've locked them in and why - did someone really want them to go to castle town (the Knight perhaps)?

It could even be something as innocent as a classmate (or alphys) going along with the classic trope of locking two people in a room until they sort out their issues with each other, but since it also seems like Noelle and Berdly were set up by someone creating a dark fountain in the library while they were sleeping in there (they had time to get their books out before ending up in the dark world after all), it's... Interesting. Maybe something to keep in mind for future chapters 🤔

[stainedglassthreads]

Realization. I’ve noticed before that Asriel and Ralsei’s demeanors and impacts seem almost inverse of each other: even when Asriel’s been gone for months, Hometown can’t stop talking about how much they miss him, and how each resident had some unique and memorable bond with him, while a lot of Darkners, and even Noelle and Berdly, just don’t even register that Ralsei is there.

But it’s not just their confidence, affability, and memorability that’s reversed. It’s how memorable they are compared to Kris.

In Hometown, Kris isn’t exactly neglected, but they do seem to come second or have difficulties in a lot of ways. There was everyone in class partnering up before they arrived in Chapter 1, Snowdrake and MK talking behind their back in Chapter 2, Berdly calling Kris the third-smartest person in the class, Noelle and Kris being friends but drifting apart, the way everyone in Hometown won’t stop reminiscing about Asriel when talking to Kris, talking about their personal bonds with Asriel, or what Kris and Asriel used to do.

But in the Dark World, that’s completely reversed. No longer is it Kris standing in Asriel’s shadow, now it’s Ralsei standing in Kris’ shadow. Now everyone focuses on and addresses Kris, while ignoring and forgetting Ralsei, or treating him as a tag-along.

I’m wondering if this is meant to symbolize something. Or if it does, I’m wondering what, exactly, it does. Is Ralsei reflective of Kris themself, as some believe? Is Ralsei a reflection of how Kris sees themself, always content to support the cooler and more likeable Asriel, always awkward and blending into the background? Does their theorized discomfort with Ralsei imply self-loathing? Or do they want to be the cooler and more likeable sibling instead of Asriel, and have him be the supportive tagalong for a change? Is Ralsei created by their desire to be someone’s ‘number 1’ instead of being everyone’s ‘number 2’?

Either way, I hope it gets explored and explained in future chapters. Especially if Asriel comes home before the final chapter. I want to see Ralsei develop more into his own person, but I’d also love to see Kris and Ralsei’s interactions prompt Kris to have a serious talk with Asriel if he comes home.