Tatamomi's Deltarune Brainrot

BONUS:

This suggests, on some level, that he knows that Kris's motivations aren't as straightforward as they might initially appear.

But the absolute crucial thing about this entire exchange, which I feel is the strongest example of his gentleness and patience with them, is when, even when he doesn't have the whole picture, even considering how bad it COULD be, Ralsei still chooses to believe in and trust Kris to do the right thing. He doesn't admonish, he doesn't cast judgment, he doesn't moralise or transactionalise - he simply gives them space to be... Kris.

It's the most current throughline of his treatment of them from the very start of their time together, where he lets them act out, or make mistakes, and responds with as much grace and understanding as he can muster. To somebody like Kris, caught in so many different webs and designs that aren't entirely their own, Ralsei's words and behaviours towards them must feel like a sanctuary.

related: how might this be understood in or rejected by a krispreservation framework

I think the only major difference is, "Kris's SOUL is taken" would be synonymous with "gets fucking sacrificed". Which we're still very confident in after this chapter (they were visibly pale after just a few hours without it)

Although we're less confident that their sacrifice comes from the Final Tragedy. That seems to be focused heavily on Susie (specifically on The Girl), given both Ralsei's urgency in hiding it from her specifically, and how much Susie is focusing on Noelle, yet is hesitant to say the L-word around her. That's right, Lesbian Love, which finds its way

The original plan between Kris and the Knight was likely for Susie to die as part of the Tragedy. That's why the Knight warns Kris about their promise when Susie declares her intentions to change it. Because without Susie, the Tragedy may instead fall upon Noelle. I think, regardless of who the Knight is or what they've become, they'll at least want Noelle to be safe. The only fountain they've been confirmed to make was the Noelle Goes to the City Like Her Sister Promised World, after all

I think if there's a Kris sacrifice in the works, it'd be something they try to do on their own, using their SOUL, and DEEP AGONIZING YEARNING, to die in her place. Which could fulfill the "Love finds its way" requirement (although I'm still not sure how much the Prophecy can be "rules lawyered" in the leadup to its predictions. So far it is only the aftermaths that can be mitigated)

All I'm saying is, there's zero chance a Kris sacrifice isn't literally in the works, either as part of their original plan with the Knight, or with Carol/on their own. I'm personally still hoping out that the Knight isn't gunning for Kris as a sacrifice, if only because even after the Final Tragedy is revealed, they still seem to be on fairly good terms (the whole "another hand pressed against yours" seeming more like they're both resigned to a fate they can't defy) and only invokes Kris's Promise in response to Susie's desire to change the Final Tragedy

So I guess to sum that up:

Knight wants Final Tragedy to play out (ie. Susie gets it the worst)

Kris wants it to fall on them (potentially preparing to sacrifice themself to do it)

Susie doesn't want it to happen at all

Carol... might be a bystander in this. Like, after seeing Asgore being just as in the dark about the Kris/Knight conspiracy as anyone else, I'm not even sure she's as involved anymore. Or if she still is, she was hiding stuff even from Asgore, who had access to her conspiracy board and everything, which seems unfitting because where else is she going to put her most sensitive findings except in her own room?

Like Having multiple crushes is just what being a teenager is like.

I knew a guy when I was a teen that tracked his multiple crushes on a graph, for crying out loud.

This little line from the Festival voting both if you vote for Kris and Noelle as Festival Monarchs is one of the most underrated Noelle moments in the whole game, and it both melts my heart and completely shatters it all at the same time.

After voting for both of them, Noelle will reminisce about how Kris and Noelle always tried to vote for themselves, even though they were encouraged to vote for Dess and Asriel. And after that, she'll put down her and Kris's name as well and say how Kris deserves to win.

It really shows that, even after finally getting to be with her future wife, she still cares so much about Kris that she's willing to support them even to the point of joining them to lead the couple's parade. It also shows that, in a way, she wants them to find love and companionship for themselves. And perhaps hopes that Kris will care about her (again) as much as she loves and cares about Susie.

But what makes this so sad is that, well, note how she says "THEY deserve to win" instead of "WE deserve to win." In my view, it shows that even after all they did to give her a good time in the festival, and above all, support her romance with Susie, she still thinks that Kris wouldn't want to stand alongside her on the couples parade, and that just like before, she and Kris won't get to be crowned because part of her still thinks Kris has moved on from her.