“  that’s all, folks! ”

Here, our choices do matter. We can hurt people. We can free or destroy Spamton, who parallels Mettaton. We can literally kill one of Kris’s classmates.

Our choices matter here.

But...at the same time...no, they don’t.

When we see Berdley and Queen on the rollercoaster, Berdley tries to convince Kris to join their side.

And if we select “join,”

Then the battle begins as normal.

This is played for laughs, but it happens more seriously much later-game, post Spamton Neo:

If we select no here, Kris...yells it.

They indicate here that they are very much NOT fine, no matter WHAT we say.

Kris.

The quiet kid.

Who doesn’t talk.

Kris YELLS.

We as the player are not Kris. We’re separate, just like how Frisk isn’t Chara.

This is perfectly illustrated at the end of the Snowgrave route, when listening to Noelle.

That’s us. It was our voice that Noelle heard. 

She goes on:

Our influence on Kris, OUR Soul, is a new development. Kris doesn’t act the way we make them act usually.

Kris plays pranks on Noelle and Toriel. 

Kris loves their brother and has him carry them to school.

Kris drinks hot cocoa and ice skates.

Does Kris eat moss? Does Kris lick flavor text? Does Kris hug fluffy strangers?

How much of our play is actually Kris?

Let’s rewind a little.

We don’t see much, if any, deviation from what we want in Chapter 1. Kris does as they’re told, the game plays as usual, right up until the end.

This is not us. This is Kris, free of their soul, acting of their own accord.

There were no orders here.

Now let’s throw the gameplay out of the equation and look at this narratively.

Kris is being controlled by an outside force. Their feet walk wherever they’re told, their battles go however they’re ordered. They’re pulled into a destiny, and the heroes of destiny rarely get a say in the matter. Do we ask Link if he wants to save Hyrule? Or Amaterasu if she wants to beat Orochi?

But it’s necessary. The hero saves the day, because the alternative is to let the world around them burn.

Kris accepts this at first. They’re a hero. They’re a Lightner. They’re meant to save the world, to keep balance between the light and the dark.

But...

The way this is framed is important. Ralsei doesn’t say “I believe your choices are important.”

He says “Kris, I believe YOUR choices are important, too.”

You’re a puppet to destiny. But how you feel about that destiny SHOULD matter.

Ralsei doesn’t know Kris is our vessel. But that’s how Kris takes it.

They sit on it. They stew. In the back of their mind, throughout all of Chapter 1.

At the end of Chapter 1, they decide to act on it.

You’re right. My choices ARE important.

You’re not me. I’ll do what I want, even if it hurts.

I’m not trapped here with you, YOU’RE trapped here with ME.

This is a pivotal point for Kris. This is when they decide to fight back, to be themselves.

Despite everything, it’s still Kris.

Then, Chapter 2.

We see Kris resist in the Dark World, at any point they can, whenever we do something they don’t want.

We see a positive reaction to threats to kill them.

Then there’s post-Spamton and Berdley above. But one notable exception—

—is whenever Noelle is in the room.

We’re awful to Noelle in the Snowgrave route. We have to force her to do things.

Get the ring.

Use your magic.

Proceed.

It feels...bad. But Kris doesn’t offer any resistance here whatsoever. This is our voice, in this moment, and it’s the one Noelle claims to have heard later.

This is what Kris hears from us.

Every single choice, these are the orders we give.

Walk.

Attack.

Speak.

Proceed.

Kris’s rebellion around Ralsei and Susie is a cry for help. But their lack of one around Noelle does the exact same thing.

Something is wrong with me. Why can’t you see it?

The game makes it easy to forget that Susie and Ralsei aren’t Kris’s best friends. They only got on good terms with Susie yesterday, and they and Ralsei only just met.

But Noelle?

Noelle would notice something was up, surely.

These are their choices. This is their rebellion.

“Your choices don’t matter,” we say in Chapter 1. “You do what I say, you’re my vessel.”

“Your choices don’t matter,” Kris replies in Chapter 2. “You can make me do things, but I control what people see of me.”

There’s no resistance in the Snowgrave route. Kris is both hoping Noelle notices, and letting her see the puppetmaster behind their actions. She heard us.

She heard us.

And then, Chapter 3.

Toriel couldn’t leave the house. She'll meet the Darkners.

Kris trapped her here.

She knows Kris. Better than anyone. And she LOVES Kris, genuinely.

Don’t leave me, Mom.

You’ll see that something’s wrong with me...right?