Comic under the cut:

That one neutral route ending where Papyrus is the only one who dies

Omega/Photoshop Flowey!! He’s so gross I love him

I like the symmetry in his design too (I’m super late to the Undertale party…oops).

Process and a closeup:

Not just because it’s the perfect crime after years of gamers treating Kris being in Berdly’s presence like it’s a Fate Worse Than Snowgrave (because obviously hanging out with someone you casually play games with is way worse than being forced to psychologically torment your childhood friend in a twisted parody of matrimony amirite guys), but because we’ve already seen this happen before in Undertale’s Neutral Ending.

The funny thing about this ending, or rather endings, is that the overall result is the same. Frisk walks through the archway, fade to white, cut to title, credits roll, etc. Except that etc. is where the difference lies, in the form of a post-credits phone call from Sans that will change drastically depending on your very own choices. Despite all your actions technically resulting in the same conclusion, it’s what comes after that makes a difference.

And that’s not the end of it.

Following this conversation on a route where you gained some LOVE (which is most likely what happens for first time players, before everybody found out it’s better to Not Do That), Flowey will prompt you to start from scratch and go through the underground without killing anybody.

Then even if you go out of your way to spare everyone, you still witness Asgore die, still have to fight Omega Flowey, and still get that phone call.

This isn’t enough. You don’t just have to avoid gaining LOVE… you have to gain some love.

In an ending where you have spared everybody, went on a play date with Papyrus, did cooking lessons with Undyne, and went out of your way to be nice to everyone you meet… you get the Second-Happiest Outcome, where the above cutscene is exactly the same except the phone call is a little less pessimistic.

But even this isn’t the full picture. Following this “Neutral Pacifist” ending scene, Flowey appears again with some different lines… and a prompt to instead go visit Dr Alphys and see if you can be better friends.

In hindsight, this is all part of his strategy to collect every single monster soul - but it’s a plan that involves you making your way through the True Lab, learning the truth behind Flowey’s Existence, and facing Asriel Dreemur in a final showdown that frees the monsters from the underground.

And this is all set into motion… by a date with Dr Alphys.

This adorable little Egbert-esque lizard is probably one of the most underappreciated characters in game, and I’ve hardly seen anyone recognize how important she is in the path towards a True Pacifist Ending. Heck, even her story in the Neutral Route has her bond with Frisk after distantly watching them through her computer screen, giving them instructions and guiding them through puzzles, a mindset harshly acknowledged as merely playing the role of a hero through Frisk despite knowing that it’s all just an act, and she becomes motivated to be a better person and take action towards fixing her mistakes thanks to them - a direct parallel to our own relationship with Frisk, as we project onto, grow attached to, and become inspired by them despite knowing it’s all just a video game.

So I think it’s more than a little important that earning the best ending has you go out of your way to help Dr Alphys become a better person.

And now for my main reveal.

Has anybody noticed the certain choice of words that Susie and Ralsei use when hoping things could be better?

They wonder what would have happened if they were just a bit kinder.

And gifting Berdly the plush-toy-of-discord is considered an act of “unexpected kindness”, along with his freedom from Queen’s control wire being attributed to “kindness and mercy” on our behalf.

Sure, this may be entirely coincidental. Heck, Berdly going unacknowledged by those he desperately wants to be accepted by, being considered entirely irrelevant in the eyes of the prophecy even on the weird route, doing everything purely out of a misguided belief that this is the role he’s supposed to play, interrupting a personal moment between Noelle and Susie even though deep down he just wants to belong, having his creation built for the sake of impressing Queen discarded because It Sucked yet forming the base for the thrash machine, having the freedom to make a dark fountain per committee approval before Ralsei’s cutscene interrupts and retroactively makes him look stupid for Doing The Thing Literally Everybody Else Already Wanted To Do… yeah Berdly’s just a joke character meant to be a minor thorn in your side, don’t worry about it he’s definitely irrelevant to the bigger picture.

I’m sure it’s fine to forget about him and focus on the real message of Deltarune, namely that the stories we share and the games we play together bring us closer and the bonds they create matter more than we think… except for when it comes to this one random Glasses Nerd I Guess LMAO.