#chara dreemurr my beloved | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

idiotic-b-gilson · 2 months

Text

The Prank Theory: Or, Why Toby won't make an explicit announcement that Kris' pronouns are they/them despite that obviously being canon.

Disclaimer: people who use they/them for Kris are NOT the butt of the joke here. Although calling it a prank might be a little misleading to begin with, you'll see why.

I know for a fact, judging from my dashboard, that I am not alone in being mad at people misgendering the humans of Undertale and Deltarune (although, I will admit I used to be part of the problem up until quite recently). And we all wish for Toby to just go out and publicly announce that Kris, Frisk, and Chara use they/them only, that Mad Mew Mew is canonically transfem, etc., just to stop all the misgendering. It would certainly be nice and very helpful for the LGBTQ community. However, after giving it some thought, I've come to the conclusion that it most likely cannot happen, and the reason why is the Prank Theory. Treat it as an explanation, but not an excuse.

I came up with Prank Theory over something that's completely unrelated to the above, funnily enough. You see, I have this headcanon that Asriel Dreemurr is not cisgender. I'm not entirely sure what his gender is, but he's not cis male for sure. And I've seen a variety of different takes on this concept. For example, AUs like (Ask) Fallen Royalty by @starlightshore present Asriel as having transitioned in a more feminine direction ((A)FR specifically describes her gender as feminine nonbinary). Others still write Asriel (chiefly the Deltarune one) as transgender male (I've mostly seen that take in NSFW fanfics on AO3, which is a shame cuz it has great potential beyond that. Please tell me where I can find more). Other others still, like my beloved mutual @sukifoof, have proposed that Asriel might be agender. And, let me be clear about something: those are all great ideas, and I love them. But I started to wonder, which of these ideas is the closest to canon? Like, if we also factor in authorial intent, which of these options would fit under it, and which ones wouldn't? That was when I came up with Prank Theory, as a way to kind of imagine at least one aspect of said authorial intent.

Spoiler alert, according to Prank Theory any kind of transfeminine Asriel is incompatible with canon, but again I want to make it clear that that doesn't mean I think they're "wrong" or "bad" or anything like that, and I want to reiterate my endorsement of writing Asriel this way. Besides, my theory could be completely wrong, so...

So, after all that stuff, what does the Prank Theory actually say? Well, in summary: Undertale and Deltarune are some of the most "woke" video games ever made, but conservatives and reactionaries don't seem to have realized that yet, funnily enough. Now, calling it a prank is a wee bit misleading, since it implies that tricking right-wingers into loving a video game with a very progressive setting and message was at least part of what Toby intended. And I don't believe that's the case. He simply makes video games he wants to make, and they just happen to reflect his views on the world, and these views just happen to fly over the heads of some people.

This in and of itself would probably not make it a huge problem for Toby to put in one of his newsletters, or even in an X (as in, former Twitter) post, a correction regarding the genders of his characters. However it does start to become a problem when you factor in that the UTDR community has hundreds of thousands of people in it (although as of the March 2024 it might be a rather liberal estimate), and many of them would be quite pissed off if the video game they like had "suddenly" "gone woke" (ignorant of the fact that both it, and its main creator have been openly "woke" the whole time). And that is a problem in the current environment, because it means that Toby, as well as other people on the UTDR dev team, would be at a significant risk of hate and harassment, which in the Year of Our Lord 2024 could lead to Angel knows what.

On a more cynical capitalist (and much more speculative) level, attracting political controversy this way could sour Toby's relationship with big video game companies which have (as far as I know) played an important part in why Toby's got basically unlimited resources to work on the game of his fever dreams. They saw the widespread, universal acclaim that UT, DR1 and DR2 received, and drew the conclusion that DR3-4 (and the future chapters) will also get a similar reception, and they will get great returns no matter how much money they pour into it. This belief could be shaken if Toby attracted the ire of his transphobic fans by correcting their misgendering of his characters, and thus limiting the reach Chapters 3 and 4 would otherwise have (but again, this is pure speculation, I'm not an economist, nor do I know how much companies like Nintendo have actually invested in Deltarune. So I could be, like, way off).

And that is, in the end, why I believe Toby Fox will not make a statement regarding the canon gender of any UTDR character, at least not while Deltarune is still in development. After it's finished I think he might feel free enough to take that step. But we'll have to see.

Now, I don't know if I'm right. I feel pretty confident in my own theory, but there's a good chance I missed something. So, if I did, please lemme know. In the meantime, let's hope Toby will disprove my theory soon and set things right. And I'll see you around.

#gilson originals #text post #undertale #deltarune #utdr #long post #prank theory #the prank theory #toby fox

33 notes · View notes

guthrie-odonto · 3 months

Text

Chapter 3 still hasn't been released yet, which can only mean one thing... we can still speculate and have fun ideas as to who the fan-favorite Secret Skrunkly Boss™ will be! In my case, I have a mix of multiple common theories: The runningest, rip-roarin'est raptor this side of the Pixos, Chonery the Cowboy! (pronounced similar to "Connor" and "canary")

Once the beloved star of a simultaneous kids show and computer/video game (think like Dora the Explorer but inverse/a video game would be seen as a show in the dark world), Chonery even knew Ralsei at one point, the two being good friends and going on all sorts of fun adventures before Ralsei ended up leaving for his princely duties in a way, Chonery was the Chara/Kris to Ralsei's Asriel.... One day, Chonery would be told by some stranger (through mail, like how some shows would have fan mail segments) that their show would come to an end, as cowboy shows tend to go. At first, they just saw it as a chance to give one final great perfomance and proudly watch as his successors carried on in their role. But...

Nobody came...

Nobody did anything with them, no director/screenwriter/controller gave any commands, nothing was done with the sets he once performed on, nobody even came back for props. Eventually, the mysterious entity they had been in contact stopped writing to them, his last note being about the truth of this world paired with a shadow crystal and a poncho constructed from pure darkness, information so core-rattling that it left literal scars on their eyes. Being left alone without a spotlight, without light, without anything more than darkness for so long, cursed with the so-called freedom of abandonment beyond their control, even their color left them; but that's just how cowboy shows are... right? The one place they ended up finding solace in was the deep caverns of the fossil mines and the remains found within. Might not seem like the place for a spunky buckeroo to be in, but perhaps they saw a bit of themselves in the extinct creatures after all, they were certain that they too were a Goner.... And besides. If a canary sings in a mineshaft and nobody is around to hear it... why would it mean that there's something wrong?

Then, after the dark fountain that had been seeded was opened, Chonery noticed that some visitors had shown up in his little ghost town. Not just any visitors, but genuine, bonafide lightners! It wasn't enough to completely bounce them back, but the sight of Lighters of all entities visiting their little patch of NOTHING was enough to bring some hue to Chonery's shaded face. And if that wasn't enough, his old friend "Rip-Roaring Rally" subsequently arrived, having detected the dark presence that had been spawned in the Dreemurr household. After being filled in on the situation, Chonery even volunteered to join the party as someone who knows the ins and outs of this particular dark world as well as being just as knowledgeable on matters of darkness and lore as Ralsei (in battle, Chonery and Ralsei would act together as a single party member). And what's more, they didn't even ask for anything in return, not even a chance to get the airtime they'd gone so long without it's not like a dead bud walking such as themselves had any reason to breathe anymore. But Chonery would have an idea for a project he'd make for the fun gang, one that they suggest Kris and the player could help out on by obtaining the six power cathodes split amongst the two big factions of the dark world, the gangs led by Mike and Tenna respectively. This, of course, is the buildup for the secret boss fight, but it was also... oh, it was an idea. a great idea.

It was a simply WONDERFUL IDEA.

for some meta, behind the scenes notes: Chonery (a portmanteau of Chara, Goner, Flowey, and canary–as in "canary in a coal mine") is obviously a mix of Chara and Flowey in allusions, paralleling how Ralsei was in Chapter 1 and being the Ralsei version of Chara. (doesn't hurt that it means they have eye scars that match Photoshop Flowey and look like a face in the Memoryhead enemy from Undertale) In addition, they also draw on the popular cowboy/woody theory, with the video game aspect being from the sonic theory crafted by @right-brain-left-brain as well as the semi-common idea that the chapter 3 secret boss could be inspired by how Asriel had an attachment to Yoshi and felt enough guilt over pulling the "Yoshi down the pit" trick to confess to it in church–hence why they're specifically a raptor (plus it fits the sonic angle because what's more 90s and cool than a dinosaur?) Also, the secret bosses all have some kind of speech quirk (Jevil's repetition, Spamton's advertisment interruptions) and have actual voice lines somewhere, so what'd those be for lil' ol' Chonery here? They'd be both. That's right, instead of a written speech quirk, all their dialogue would come with voice acting (almost as if they're capable of not just speaking to Kris and the others, but to the player). As for what object they're formed from: The trashed flowers from Asgore? The bootleg video game controller? Kris' feelings of the once-happy (or at least relatively stable) state of the Dreemurr family overall, now a shadow of what it used to be? Who's to say.

Even with all their knowledge on the truth of this world and what darkners become in the light world, Chonery isn't so sure themselves...

#I suppose they could also have holes in their hands like LBRB said for the Gaster/Mystery Man design trait #Just here they've come to mournful terms with the percieved fact that freedom is an impossibility if not a lie-unable to be held #amber's post #my art #deltarune #deltarune chapter 3 #deltarune oc #secret boss #flowey #woody theory #sonic theory #deltarune theory #yes I'm doing Utahraptor Susie; bite me

14 notes · View notes

im-not-here-im-dead · 1 year

Note

perhaps.... flowey and/or undyne?

(very tempted to ask about asgore but)

hi! this is several months late! i apologize!

ask game

anyways, i’ll start with flowey

first impression

not too different from most of the fandom’s impression of him. little more than a weird two-dimensional villain character. i didn’t even realize that he is not a separate person from asriel for a good while. like, come on. there was a whole dramatic twist and everything. it should not have taken me as long as it did. (the fandom didn’t exactly help though -_-)

impression now

he is my favoritest boy in the whole entire world and, in my opinion, the best character in the game (though chara is still my personal favorite). it’s sad to see him get watered down to just “evil flower” and “poor little goat kid”, cause there’s so much more to him. he’s a fantastic character and he means so much to me.

favorite moment

i can’t chose between these:

“…why are you being……so nice to me? I just can’t understand…”

“I’m not ready for this to end. I’m not ready for you to leave. I’m not ready to say goodbye to someone like you again…”

in the true route you don’t have to forgive him, but you can still comfort him

when he talks to “chara” when you try to reset after the true ending, showing that he truly cares about frisk and the others and that he’s grown as a person and that he’s ready to say goodbye to his lost sibling

when he takes care of toriel in the ruins

matching red scarves

idea for a story

sometimes i wonder what would happen if he ended up being the sole surviving dreemurr and the king of the underground… hmm.

on a more lighthearted note, i would really like to see him form a sibling bond with undyne as well as frisk. it would absolutely melt my metaphorical heart. big sister undyne my beloved <3

unpopular opinion

flowey is NOT emotionless! where the heck did people get that idea???

hello???? he is THE MOST emotional character in the game!!

him staying a flower isn’t a bad ending for him. and not being able to feel love doesn’t make him any worse or less of a person. he doesn’t need to be ‘fixed’. he needs support and guidance. the only thing i think could happen if he suddenly returned to his original form is cause him to panic because he’s not ready to let anyone else (especially his parents) know who he is. i don’t think either ending is worse exactly. they both have a lot of potential that often sadly falls by the wayside because of common perceptions of ‘flowey’ and ‘asriel’ that wouldn’t be so pervasive if people had a better understanding of his character. so anyways, yes. it is okay that flowey doesn’t feel love. —signed, a real life loveless person

i think the loss of his soul and him being reincarnated as a golden flower is a metaphor for how his grief/trauma/actions/etc. have changed him as a person rather than him. literally being a different person. others have said it better than me, but, like, the only time he kinda separates himself from his past identity is in the true route, and i think he does it mostly out of shame. he wanted ‘asriel’ to be remembered fondly and put to rest because he can never again be that same sweet, innocent, loving, little boy everyone knew him as. if his parents found out who he was and what he had done, surely they’d be devastated and disgusted with him. if chara was alive to see what a disappointment of a friend and brother he was, surely they would be too. why would they not? he can never redeem himself. he can never be worthy of mercy. (he just can’t understand). so he plays the villain, the sinner, the good-for-nothing, the miserable creature, the one who came back wrong, because he just can’t reconcile himself with the fact that he’s still that same person, just changed and evolved over timelines. frisk has seen who he is. the good, the bad, and the ugly. and yet they still see him as a person, worthy of mercy and a second chance at life, despite everything (it’s still you)

favorite relationship

i’d say the ‘relationship’ between him and the player (aka: me specifically because flowey is already supposed to mirror the protagonist, but he and i have so much in common it’s scary so that makes things really interesting) but i dunno if that counts, so i’ll say his friendship with papyrus.

favorite headcanon

one of my favorite flowey headcanons is that the first soul rebellion in the omega flowey battle was staged. it just adds a whole nother layer to fight.

also the headcanon that he needs glasses. the world needs more pictures of flowey wearing glasses.

now undyneeeeeeee

first impression

i always thought she was cool, though i wasn’t as invested in her character because i was more focused on other characters (papyrus and chara to be exact)

impression now

she is totally awesome and definitely one of the coolest characters in the game, but i’m starting to realize and appreciate more and more that she is not larger than life. she has her own flaws and insecurities that make her complex and real. it took me while for me to get a feel for her character, but this fic series certainly helped a lot. it’s one of my all time favorites and i highly recommend it (heed the warnings though. it gets pretty rough)

favorite moment

ah. this is. another really hard choice.

that moment of cognitive dissonance when frisk gives her water after she collapses from the heat

the scene where frisk visits her house and she slowly begins to realize that she might be wrong about them and lets her guard down and opens up to them

at the end of the undying battle when she’s on the verge of death but still smiling triumphantly

those are just the ones off the top of my head. there’s probably more that i’m forgetting. she’s got a lot of great moments

“Don’t ask me what a grooty is!”

idea for a story

i really want to know her origin story. where did she come from? who were her parents? what was her childhood like? i am putting my hands on her shoulders and i am shaking her like a rag doll. i want to know. everything.

unpopular opinion

she absolutely should have been the fan favorite instead of sans. i don’t know what happened but i am very confused as to how she isn’t way more popular than him. no hate to sans by the way. he’s a great character and he deserves to be popular. undyne is still outrageously underrated and i will never not be mad about her getting overshadowed and watered down by the fandom at large.

favorite relationship

man i dunno. i’m stuck between papyrus, alphys, and asgore (i also think her and toriel’s dynamic has so much underutilized potential).

favorite headcanon

my favorite headcanon about her is that she’s autistic. because she is. so autistic. and you cannot convince me otherwise.

yes thank you i am grateful for any excuse to talk about asgore

first impression

i didn’t really think about him all that much, but it always made me sad when i saw people hating on him or treating him like a joke. i knew he wasn’t the greatest person, but he wasn’t a bad person either. i always liked his design too. very nice and fluffy.

impression now

………this man has been plaguing my adhd-ridden mind for the past year and BY GOLLY has it been a miserable experience for all parties involved. if i’m being completely honest here, out of all of the characters from undertale and deltarune, asgore has had the most emotional impact on me. haha. you’d THINK it’d be chara, or flowey, or… hell, even berdly! BUT NOOOO, KING FLUFFYBOY HAD TO CAUSE ME MORE EMOTIONAL DAMAGE THAN ANY OTHER FICTIONAL CHARACTER BARRING GOD HIMSELF. and, yes, most of that emotional damage was because of that one scene from that one neutral route (which i’m still not sure if i’m ready to talk about directly), but also because of literally everything else. literally everything about this guy makes me want to burst into tears. and part of what makes his story so painful for me is that i relate so many of his struggles. i’ll spare you the details, but i just see SO MUCH of myself in him, and it means so much to me to know that he gets better. pain and suffering aside, i just think he’s a really fascinating character and i care about him a lot.

favorite moment

okay, at first i thought of the moment where he destroys the mercy button (which is still a phenomenal moment) but, then i took a good look at another scene.

in his regular battle, he bows his head, hiding his face in shadow, resolved to kill or be killed, but giving frisk every chance he can think of to ensure that they are not the one who is killed.

but in his lost soul battle, frisk looks him in the eyes and promises him that they won’t hurt him. no matter what. that moment shakes me to my very core.

idea for a story

i really want to explore what would happen if frisk were to absorb his soul and cross the barrier to find a way free monsterkind peacefully.

unpopular opinion

asgore is not a Hawaiian-pattern shirt guy. he is a floral-pattern shirt guy.

favorite relationship

him and chara!! (him and frisk is a very close second) i LIVE for the parallels.

favorite headcanon

i like to think that he became king at a really young age basically right after the war happened and his parents left huge shoes to fill. i mean, his tendency to laud his children as the hope for everyone’s future when they weren’t ready for the responsibility had to have come from somewhere, right?

(i don’t think he was a child king, but i can’t see him having been more than a young adult when he was coronated. old enough that it would have been legal, but young enough that he was still grossly underprepared and largely depended on others for guidance in executive decisions. writing laws and giving orders had never been his forte. his strengths lied more in giving speeches, helping with manual tasks, providing moral support/comfort/encouragement, connecting with his people personally. he was always very good at being part of a community, but he was never an excellent ruler)

okay i’m tired byeeeeee

i really want to explore what would happen if frisk was to absorb his soul and go to the surface in search for a way to unite humans and monsters and break the barrier. i have a whole bunch of ideas for this, but unfortunately i have so many other works in progress that starting on this now will just add to the ever-growing pile

Unpopular opinion

asgore is not a hawaiian pattern shirt guy. he is a floral pattern shirt guy. i said what i said. feel free to unfollow me for this /joking

Favorite relationship

him and chara (him and frisk is a very close second). i live for the parallels

Favorite headcanon

i like to think that he was became king at a young age pretty much right after monsters had been imprisoned underground and his parents left huge shoes to fill. i don’t think he was a child king, but i can’t see him being more than 18 or 19 when it happened. i mean, his habit of lauding his children as the hope for everyone’s future when they weren’t ready for the responsibility couldn’t have come from nowhere, could it?

#utdr #undertale #flowey asriel #flowey #flowey undertale #asriel #asriel dreemurr #asriel undertale #undyne #undyne undertale #asgore #asgore dreemurr #asgore undertale #safeutdr #utdr thoughts #undertale no mercy #long post #angst warning #asks

30 notes · View notes