Over the last month or so, I have played through all of Deltarune. I've fallen in love with this game, its world and the people who live in it. Every sprite, every line of dialogue, every vocal blurb has been a joy to experience. I've laughed so hard I fell out of my chair, I've cried until I can't see anything anymore. But that's not what I want to talk about today. You've heard all of this before.
I'm here to talk about the Flower Man
After I had finished chapter 4, I was riding the high of the Hammer of Justice. What the song meant for Susie, Gerson and their relationship to each other and their friends and family. I was crying every time I listened to it, I was so surprised at how powerful it was. It meant so much to me as someone who can really relate to Susie. Flower Man takes all of this and cranks it up to 11.
It took me a few listens to a vocal version and going over the lyrics more closely to actually see what was going on with it. The conclusion that I came to is probably pretty obvious to those who are obsessed with it like I am, and it broke my heart: this song is not about Flowery, it's about Asgore and how much his flowers love him for taking care of them.
Asgore has not been a good person for basically all of Deltarune. He's been a kinda bum dad, a very clingy ex-husband, but everything he's done has been genuine. He does what he does because he's a bumbling oaf that loves his family from the deepest depths of his heart, he just can't figure out why nothing he's done has worked. And it's driven him insane.
It's revealed throughout a couple chapters that Asgore used to be the chief of police, and that he's spent years trying to crack a case that fell through. He was driven mad by it, a child lost their life (everyone theorizes that it's December Holiday) and he's had this chain tied to him since. He's believed that everyone has blamed him for this, so he's trying extra hard to make himself out to be the good guy. But nobody *actually* blames him for it. He's just been in his own head this entire time.
During these years, he's lost almost everything. The only thing that stood with him was the flowers he had given to Toriel and kept happy and healthy all these years. It was all he had, and he loved them like his own children. And that love manifested when the fountain sprang up under his shop.
I LOVE all of the flowers. Seth is fucking annoying, but the brainiac is kinda supposed to cause friction. Aqua is a lovable psychopath, Green just wants to make people happy with their food, Orange wants to be seen as a big, strong Human, and Blue and Yellow are somehow the gayest bitches in a story that had Noelle and Susie talk about wanting to listen to each-others' heartbeats IN THE SAME CHAPTER.
The worst part about all of this, all of the times where the gang and the flowers have gotten in each-others' way is that: neither side was an enemy of the other.
Seth was trying to fight you because he thought it was what he was supposed to do, Flowery *told* him that it was for Asgore's sake and Seth is a naïve kid. Of course he's gonna do what he's told. Aqua was just doing it because she's insane, likes violence and wanted a friend. Green NEVER attacks you, they just give you food and then leave. Orange, Yellow and Blue only fight due to misunderstandings. One is due to an angsty girl wanting to be seen as more of a threat than she looks, and the other is because Yellow is stupid and tripping over himself and his sense of justice. NONE of the flowers were actually fighting you to defeat you of their own free will. Flowery's overwhelming need to provide a world where Asgore could be happy again was just the same as Asgore. He was completely misguided, but was doing everything genuinely. He wanted Asgore to be happy again, and the flowers wanted to pay Asgore back for the years of love he showed them.
Flowery and Kris came to a mutual understanding in the end. After they fought each other into states of immobility, Asgore rushed to Kris's side. Of course he would, that's his CHILD. Asgore always cared about his family, Flowery just didn't want to admit it to himself. He never wanted to hurt Kris. He did everything he did to try and make Asgore happy. He sacrificed himself to try and save Asgore, and to protect Kris, Susie and Ralsei. He only wanted to show his love, his own way.
"Could I do something to make him laugh?
Inside my little chamber made of glass"
This line right here gives the whole game away. Flowery and the others just wanted Asgore to smile again. A real smile, not the fake one he put on for looks to try and make his family feel better. The flowers just wanted to see a real smile from their dad again, and for the family to be happy.
