#a monitor

The more I'm going back through the game the more obvious it is that Kris's choices don't matter... because they're dead, they DIED on Christmas and literally no one else cares. That's why they hue shift differently compared to everyone else int he dark worlds, and literally start to rot and turn grey without the soul. That's fucking heart breaking man. Now they're just a "puppet" helping Carol- or whoever the knight is to try and bring Dess back. Even more messed up is to think they're finally making friends, got to talk to their crush- and on that note I think that's why they get hesitant in those dialogue options. They don't want to form more attachments because in their own eyes they are already gone. They don't WANT susie to miss them. That's why as much as in chapter 5 you see that Kris is absolutely getting 3rd wheeled so hard but, Kris knows they CAN'T care or make Susie care about them. Kris is trying to make sure everyone else has a happy ending but them. They want their families to be happy again, just without the burden Kris thinks they are.

I think that's how mother 3's story makes sense in relation to deltarune. Sure Kris on a characterization, and even mechanical level IS boney: They're treated like a pet, a side character even in their own story, just full of costumes and gags- even CHECKing is specifically boney's thing. But they're also the masked man, a mere husk of who they used to be, with the soul purpose (haha) of going back to the bunker where they died to "fulfill the prophecy" where they failed with Dess before and on a meta level end/reset the game. Some would almost say that they're.. ACTing- playing the part of "Boney' even if that kid is dead and gone.

I think Dess is fully alive at this point, and desperately trying to actually save EVERYONE from out of bounds on a meta level- hence all the secret bosses being Mother game glitch references. Dess is Lucas, not the masked man, and not the knight. I think Kris is haunted by almost succeeding in fulfilling the prophecy, and almost killing Dess and is desperately trying to make sure Susie and Ralsei are strong enough to stop them and finally put them to rest for good. Kris is not even trying to save themself, Kris wants this to end by them dying so that Dess feels safe enough to come back. Kris sees themself as the disease, the darkness that needs to be banished- and not the soul. That's why the soul they have is not theirs. It doesn't really matter who gave it to them (gaster, friend, carol whatever). What does matter is that Dess is the one who has Kris's soul their actual one, it's how they got out of bounds- they figured out the breadcrumb glitch, Dess figured out they were in a game.

Kris as a character is the idea of suicidal ideation after you lose the ability to do what you loved or live as you want (trans allegories, disability). They answer the question how do you find the DETERMINATION to keep going, and do you? Who or what gives you the determination to keep going- or are you just a puppet going through the motions, doing what "needs" to be done and just barely holding on.

....how and who will help you when you need it most, when your suffering alone and in silence. Will your friends in the darkest of darks see the light in your heart and still pick you up after you fall a thousand times, will they be your determination when you can't do it yourself anymore, when the darkness is too much?

Will Dess succeed in being Kris's determination? the will to keep going, to try again? Kris just like the flowers doesn't embody their attribute, Kris is NOT determined- the only thing Kris is determined to do is FAIL.

End notes with some stuff I'm less sure on....