An imperfect machine

@star-pup01 says that the Angel is a creature with bones

feverly making this shit just because i saw this

Finally got around releasing the blender and FBX file, you can get them right here:

And then when it's revealed that there's a whole ass plan with Carol and the Knight which involves the soul (YOU), somehow that doesn't raise any red flags as to who might have robbed your autonomy.

Do you all understand the meaning of "the cage", or are you still caught in ch2 eras of thinking? Someone did get robbed of their autonomy during Goner Maker, and you're the only one who never got a choice.

If you ever quit, the world ends.

If you ever give up, you leave three teenagers to die in the dark.

There's nuance to how much agency each character has in this narrative, but some of you start at the conclusion that "Kris was robbed of their autonomy and is your victim" and work backwards instead of looking at the narrative as a whole.

I need to very gently try to let some of you down here, because not a single thing in your dynamic between you and Kris is your fault.

We have known, since Chapter 4, that the Kris-Carol-Knight trio are the most likely candidates for intercepting our soul during Goner Maker, and the only ones with a motive to do so. The game has used constant symbolism as well to emphasize this. Kris is not your hapless puppet. You are in a cage.

It is interesting how many in the fanbase believe themselves to be the only one who is truly free, when you're trapped behind bars yourself.

During Kris' little planning session with Carol (and the Knight but no one will believe me that the red text is a different person so I'll shut up about that), the soul is explicitly mentioned as a factor that needs to be taken into consideration. It's part of their plan, or at least a factor that needs to be mitigated.

I find it fascinating how much the fanbase believes that they are the ones in control. Kris has the final say in what you do. Kris has the final say in what you attempt to say. At any point, Kris has the ability to rip out your soul to achieve their own devices like making Dark Worlds for their Roaring Crew. All the while, you are shoved into boxes, trash cans, and... what's that again? A cage? Where have we seen this before?

Well that can't be good.

Not to mention that the wagon is called "Your Ride" explicitly in the ch5 narration, further emphasizing your relationship with Kris.

Ultimately, you cannot help Susie and Ralsei in a way that matters. Attempting to reveal the Knight, get Shelter codes, or even fight against the Knight at all is met with resistance from Kris, because you're going against their designs. The only time they will even slightly work with you is when their friends are already hurt.

If we're not part of their plan, then we're certainly being contained and filtered along a path so that we're not an issue. What's the best way to contain someone with the capacity to go off the beaten path? Put them inside someone who is already beholden to a promise.

They have a cage in their room, which further indicates that they were ready for us. Carol talks to Kris and us in a fascinating way which almost acknowledges our predicament.

These are not the words of someone who is scared or unknowing of what is going on with Kris. These are the words of someone who is confident enough to call attention to the soul without feeling threatened in the slightest.

Because the cage is working just. As. Intended.

This was the point of the original post. You had your own vessel. You had your own name. You had your own aspirations, gifts, and appearance that you were ready to show to the world, and it was all stolen from you. When we found out who the likely culprit of this was, and Kris is a part of this gang, it becomes clear that they were never unwillingly possessed. Kris made a calculated decision to partake in being the cage. You can argue about how much of that was their decision, how much of it came from guilt, and how much they were coerced by Carol or the Knight to do so. We do not know that yet though. All we know is that they are in a plan which involves us, and this plan has more than likely been in place before we got here. Kris plugged in the TV between ch1 and 2, after all. They already knew what they were doing.

Kris was not unwillingly possessed. You were unwillingly caged, and a lot of you appear to believe that you need to "earn" Kris' forgiveness for something that they did to you.

How on earth is that fair?

Kris used their agency to take away ours. Kris is the one who can constantly regain their own agency by ripping out the soul. Kris is the one who always has a firmer grip on what we say and do. Kris is the one being seen as making all of the friends and doing all of the good things no matter how much we try. Kris is the one betraying each and every one of their friends while slamming us into a garbage can. Kris makes continuous, constant choices in this narrative while yours never matter.

Who was really robbed of their agency here?

This is not to say that there isn't rich narrative stakes to explore where Kris starts to feel like they'll be nothing to their friends without the soul. This is not to say that there aren't stakes to Kris' friends finding out that they've been lying and deceitful. This is not to say that the question of identity surrounding Kris and our relationship isn't important.

It is to say that none of this was your fault, and you are just dealing with the hand you were dealt by Kris. Are we really that bad for wanting to be more than a damn battery to seal Dark Fountains? Are we really that bad for having that stolen from us and doing everything in our power to struggle?

Kris hurt us, and I am going to say it with my full chest, they are the person who should be seeking out forgiveness after all of this. If the game forces us to "reconcile" where Kris does not put in the effort, then it did not understand its own themes.

If you subscribe to the idea that we are too distant to befriend them, too above everything to be friends, too undeserving of having your own existence in this world because of what you are really, then you have failed the Deltarune Litmus Test, because this parallels Ralsei's plotline exactly. You cannot say those things about the Player and get away with it when the relationship between "reality" and "fiction" exists within universe and is constantly drawn into question. If you told Susie that her friendships with Darkners meant nothing really because she's too far above them, she'd kick your fucking ass.

I believe @mayax81 said it (if I'm wrong my bad I can't find the post), and I don't want to take credit for this thought, but if the soul was ripped from a named character and forced into Kris, then people would be a lot more critical of Kris' actions within the narrative. Instead, because it's us, people suddenly treat what is happening as "fine" and how "we need to earn their forgiveness" when they stole our one means of identity and take every opportunity to make sure we're only doing what they want.

Headwear for @star-pup01 's Angel :D