#fran rants

We all know that Leif tends to use the royal we to refer to himself, ever since the start. Except in one scene. Once Team Snakemouth has uncovered the secrets of the laboratory, and they've beaten Zommoth, they witness recordings showing the cordycepsbeing discarded and taking Leif's body. For ease of writing this, I will refer to the entity uncovered as a "they".

The first time "Leif" breaks out of his speech pattern is to say "I am a failure".Then they proceed to explain what they have gathered. They were meant to be a Zommoth prototype, take a body and wield it to their will. Yet for reasons we do not know the details of, they failed to do so, being discarded. They did, however, end up attaching themself to a moth that had died in the area: Leif.

It is then explained that because of this, they were able to have access to Leif's memories: what he cared about, where he lived, who he was. And in this time, after so long, They are convinced that everything Leif has is now theirs. After all isn't that what they're meant to do? They take over the host body, they become it and pilot it to their will.

Except, in a way, their will is alligning with Leif's.

Well... they can't really know for sure, Leif is gone. But they see a world outside, they see people and causes he cared about, and once given an opportunity to discover it all, how could they deny their wish to look for it? Leif was caught in a situation that ended his life, but... if someone could do fulfill all he had left to do, if someone knew him better than anyone could from the outside, why would they not try to honor him?

But how can yoou know for sure? And that's a question that can't be truly answered.

I think, when we read "we" from "Leif of Team Snakemouth", what we see is this new entity, who knows deep down it's not Leif, but who knows what he did and who wants to do the right thing, speaking for both. They can't really replace him, this knowledge is dreadful, and yet, it's the best they can do. They can't be apart, or what's left of Leif is going to be gone. What's left of themself is going to be gone, too.

And they both want to live, because they have both found a reason to stay.

Vi and Kabbu are so important in this journey too. They met "Leif of Team Snakemouth", and they like that bug. This Leif isn't even pretending anything. They follow what they would do, based on what Leif has left for them, and all the new experiences they have. But it's still a difficult position to be in because they have... simply taken Leif's place.

Vi and Kabbu are accepting of this situation. They never met the moth that died in Snakemouth, but they know the one who... who became their friend. To them, that is Leif.

And yet for the Leif in front of them, it's harder to reconcile. What they have left is to honor Leif. See what he would have liked to see, do what he would have liked to do, and maybe, one day, give his family the closure they need.

This Leif is now two wills, that have found a way to stick together. The old Leif has started a story, that the New Leif is resuming. And now, knowing the truth and seeing the acceptance of friends, Leif can move on. He can be himself, be both of them, be someone that made it out of the cave.

Susie is one of the three chosen heroes in the prophecy, and she's pretty much the heart of the team. She's known for her strength, her straightforward attitude, her harsh manners and her strong will. She's also quite perceptive of other people's feelings, actually., but we'll get there later. In town she's a weird girl and seemingly everyone hates her.

Chapter one focuses on her character, and while she is initially reluctant to participate in the adventure and fulfill the role that's placed upon her, she comes to change her mind. She starts off not respecting Kris or Ralsei's opinions, attacks people on sight, and tries to be intimidating to get her way.

Thing is, Lancer admires that of her. And that is what causes Susie to grow. She doesn't change to please anyone else, it's not what she wants to do. People hate her anyways, so why should she do what they want? It won't make a difference. What her friendhsip with Lancer provides is not only acceptance of who she is but also admiration. Susie doesn't have a great ego, quite the contrary. To me it feels like she thought she was unlovable. So any sort of validation is refreshing and welcome.

And all those good feelings come crushing down when Lancer gets the $&% squad in jail, which leads to Susie wanting to get free, and beat her enemies up. But the reason Lancer acted that way was to protect both his friends and his family, knowing that a fight between them was fated. Susie only reconsiders her fighting style once she realizes she doesn't actually want to hurt Lancer because she cares about him, and if she needs to find another way to face the king, she's willing to ask Ralsei and Susie for guidance. She joins the party on her own terms.

Now, looking at these two allows us to see the way Susie acts when she's with people who do want her around. She's not forcing herself to be different for them, she's opening herself to other options, because she understands what's at stakes and her concern overwights her own attitude.

BUT HERE IS WHEN THINGS GET INTERESTING.

You know how Susie puts up this image of a tough girl who will slice you in half if you wrong her? Well, she's totally capable of that, but I don't think she's violent. At least not by her own choice. She's a little harsh, true. But I feel like her more intimidating side is partly a result of the treatment she gets from other people.

"In town she's a weird girl and seemingly everyone hates her. " Hometown is implied to be a pretty small place, one in which most poeple know each other. Kris is known for being the only human in town, that kind of sets them apart. Susie has a similar reputation too. People say she's rude, she's agressive, loud, a bad project partner, and so on. You know what's really weird? Nobody has seen her beat up someone (this is an MK quote said in ch1 after leaving the dark world iirc). She seems more like a dog that barks but doesn't bite (does that idiom exist in english? whatever).

Most of the things she gets accused of are either rumors or stuff that gets blown out of proportion. One anecdote is that she was lurking around her classmates while they played with a ball, and when it reached her she kicked it, but it went too far and hit Undyne instead, getting the kids in trouble. The assumption is that she did it because she's an asshole because of course she is. But like, the act itself could totally be accidental. I hardly know anyone who's never done something awkward by accident. But when that's your only impression of someone, it gets hard to embrace it.

Now, if you have people who think you're mean, its not uncommon to cope with it by being more intimidating and pushing people away, which is what I think she did. Why should she care about changing people's mind when they won't even treat her right? Yeah, that makes no sense. The only exception is Noelle, annd it's because she's always been kind to her.

She has a strong will and it takes a while for her to admit she can be flexible, but if she wants to, she can decide to change. Lancer presents an option, Kris and Ralsei are there for her to show her how. And she does, and cherishes the good company.

BUT THIS DOESN'T END HERE.

Susie is a key part of Deltarune, and I think she'll play abig part on Kris's arc too. Susie can somehow overwrite our decisions. She is a part of the party as long as she wants to, she won't wear armor she doesn't want, she won't go to certain places and she will take the lead at times, taking Ralsei across the city.

Susie is also quite perceptive. She immediately notices that somethng's off with Kris and Noelle in the weird route. She can tell when Kris isn't being honest, and she's likely aware of what others think of her, which only enforces the way she acts in town. But I think that this perception is what will let her realize the control the player is having over Kris, and through her determination to break the rules, she is the one capable of opposing the player's will. If she has her heart on the right place, which I think she does,

Every major battle in Undertale has its quirks and I think that Papyrus' is my favorite in that regard. You see... all the battles in a neutral run have an element of mystery that allows you to keep going without your actions having much consequences. Not even Alphys, who's been watching you throughout all of it can see that battle, because it happens in the middle of a foggy area. However the tone of the game changes instantly if you kill him. Snowdin town has a different atmosphere. Even people who never knew Papyrus feel something changed. Sans stops rooting for you and judges you deeply for it (and with good reason, we'll get there later!). Undyne is heartbroken, and at the start of her battle she can't even say he's dead. She knows him, the way he acts, how he treats people, and she can't even begin to understand just what YOU did to him. Let alone WHY. Papyrus, who thought of himself as someone lonely, who always did his best, leaves an incredible mark. If Toriel's alive, trying to rule again won't work because your actions have shown monsters once again that humans can't be trusted in any way.

And the thing is, all the hate you receive? It's completely deserved. Because Papyrus doesn't kill you. NEVER. He sends you to the shed. Yeah, it's not suitable for a human child, true. But we gotta take into account that no human has fallen in a very long time and what they know is very little. But he tries to make the experience fun, he makes puzzles that are fun. that have hints on them and that are completely fair. Sure, he's kinda brutal at times (colored tile, electricity maze, the gauntlet of deadly terror (idk if i spelt that right) but he would never do irrepairable damage on purpose.

In fact, he is good at keeping things in control: Papyrus doesn't let you kill him before stopping the battle. If you were a kid in Frisk's position it is understandable that you'd be scared and attack those who hurt you. Perhaps even kill a few enemies. Papyrus is battling you to stop you, mostly, but he doesn't put his soul into it. He knows the limits. So, if he sees risk..., either for yourself (by getting hurt until the last bit of HP), or himself (by attacking himseveral turns), he will spare you. He will offer to lay down his attacks and let you go. If you reject that. Can you say again that you're acting out of self defense? Can you say that you only kill to survive? I don't think so. So say, if you had a special power wouldn't it be your responsibility to do the right thing?" Yes? Then why'd you kill him?

And it doesn't stop at that. The thing with him is that he's the one that makes you feel welcome. Without this guy, Undyne wouldn't be your friend, let alone Alphys. He is a cohesive force and makes sure that not only Frisk is okay, but that they have someone to rely on. Even in the worst possible timeline, where he knows that everyone else is scared of you because of your actions, where he is AWARE of what you've done, he offers to help. He lets you make the choice not to go into battle, to change your path. To save you from a life of conflict and fear. Of course he's scared. But if it works...? Perhaps not only did he save people who would have become your victims but he saves YOU from ruining your life that way. It's not perfect. It doesn't take away the horrible things you did... but it is something. It is a choice YOU can make... so you better choose well.

Besides that? Man, I love the way he speaks aslkdjaskl It's pretty cool to see his odd patterns, which don't feel too odd most of the time, and can be quite illustrative to learn new words if you're not an english speaker heheheh. Also he's the type of person that one can vibe well easily, because he's smart and has a lot of ideas to share and that lifts your spirits!

I actually like the mystery behind his character. I like that it exists, that he kind of breaks rules all the time and it passes as just one of his quirks. But I also love that he's not just a backstory? So often I feel like characters are defined by their angst and past that you have to uncover like a mystery... that I feel like just getting someone that feels like a friend is super nice. There is no need to explain everything about him. He just is, and I think it's pretty great.

Of course don't let me stop you or anyone from theorizing. But it still feels nice to see someone being defined by their present actions rather than who they were in the past or what happened to them.