#and i don't see how it's FUN to cast moral judgement on the way other people like their food

[citadelofswords]

ay. i should really know better than to reblog food opinion polls and suchlike, because i fucking hate food debates with every fiber of my being

[jess-the-vampire]

One reason people might think of arofam Philip as a "good" person could be because of comparison to canon Belos. So while arofam Philip is a deeply flawed person who has struggled and screwed up but nevertheless learns and tries to become better, set him next to canon Belos and he looks like an absolute angel.

true

i mean he had to be this way for the sake of making him likable, it would be hard to do a swap with eda, where he'd HAVE to be one of the main protagonists, and keep him JUST as bad.

i mean, i'm sure that's an idea that can be done, but it wasn't what i was going for, again, i made this au as a joke at first.

Also i think some people tend to have a strong reaction to the very concept of him having any kind of redemption, even if it's being explored in an au. I was directly told once i was being blocked because belos was a father figure to hunter in my work, i'm not even sure if this person even knew any of the context of it being an au but they took one look at it and blocked me immediately.

moderate your own fandom i know, but the fact they went from wanting to follow me to wanting to block me how they did, gives off the impression i'm being judged for it.

and that probably would go for a lot of other people, anyone who follows the au knows au philip has done some BAD stuff, he's not some perfect angel and i never intended for him to be so.

but if you are someone who just sees "Belos is a nice person in this, BLOCK", you might be making quick judgements and jumping the gun a bit.

it's why i say "Context matters", and why i very clearly mark my work under the au in the tags

you don't have to LIKE belos in the show, that's fine, but i think it's important to not let that dislike impact how you treat other creators.

Aus are a great way to explore and try new dynamics, they're like a fun sandbox where you can try the most wild concepts, those concepts might not appeal to you and that's ok, but also let's not treat every au as a sign of anyone's morality and feelings towards the canon cast.

at no point did i want a redemption story for philip in canon, the fact he has one in the au and improves doesn't really change that. It's just been a fun ride to explore his trauma and explore a redemption of some kind within this sandbox for me.

and i'm not the only one who finds some enjoyment in that, clearly.

[some-pers0n]

Watching the last four episodes of the demon show against my better judgement. Gonna be an annoying live-blog post full of rambling.

Okay so maybe a quarter/halfway through the fifth episode (when they introduce Lucifer) and so far? Eh. I think it's an interesting direction to take Lucifer's character. I'm not against making Lucifer a sympathetic role, especially since the story is taking a more "Lucifer was cast out of heaven for not complying with heaven's rules and morals" path, but it feels a little...odd. I look at this guy and don't think of him as any different than the overlords. It reminds me of Bee in a way, where it feels like they should be more, well, grand? I need a moment to think more about him though.

I also think it's kinda really awkward to introduce the concept of Alastor being a father-figure to Charlie considering they have had maybe three conversations and none of them were even remotely close to lukewarm in attitude. It feels forced and unnatural. The show barely shows any of them really interact and form bonds and connections. The only ones who I feel have any sort of bond are Vaggie and Charlie, and Angel Dust and Husk. Alastor is just kinda this character who doesn't really do anything.

Again, the show feels like fanfic. It feels like the show expects us to already be familiar with these characters, their dynamic, and general role in the story. To an outsider, this beat of Alastor feeling like a father-figure to Charlie is extremely out of left field. Hell, for most people who are fans of the show it feels odd. The show is pretty much only made for people who are already familiarized with these characters. It doesn't spend time setting up relationships, since it assumes we already know how they interact.

Anyways, enough rambling. Lemme unpause it so they can finish their little song.

Okay I unpaused it for all of like three seconds but I need to complain a little again. I'm not a character designer or artist, nor do I really think that the character designs are they fun to talk about (other than them being extremely animator unfriendly), but Lucifer's wings should be a little more...detailed? They feel blank and boring. I think they should have more gold or something. Anyways back to show.

If I may, I also do think that the show generally introduces wayyyyy too many characters for its own good. I think it should've stuck with a smaller cast. Way smaller. Most of these overlords and new characters could've been cut and nothing would really change. It feels really bloated and, again, feels like fanfic. The show expects us to already know these characters and doesn't really introduce them or give proper time to, well, be characters.

Oh yay Alastor exposition.

I do with Alastor was actually allowed to be batshit crazy and blow up things. I think it would be better if we were shown why we should fear Alastor. Why Alastor is this big scary guy. See him kill people. See him slaughter and completely level buildings without breaking a sweat. So far? I don't really feel anything about him. He's not scary. He's nothing, really.

Oh I've seen this scene of Husk and Alastor before.

God I wish there were more scenes of this happening. Literally just more of this place. Even more scary though. More of this. Please and thank you. Actually makes him interesting to watch.

Okay the joke about "loan sharks" is actually cute and fun. I like that.

Oh my god is Alastor going to do something????

FUCKING FINALLY LETS GO!!!

NO FUCK OFF DADDY ISSUES PLOT LET ME SEE ALASTOR KILL

NOOOOOOOOO PLEASE I WANT TO SEE MORE

Mimzy bothering Alastor about him caring about the hotel makes me think of that one theory that Lilith is forcing Alastor to do this. There's clearly some higher power that is forcing Alastor to comply and help with this, as said with Husk just a couple minutes ago. Lilith has been missing for a couple years and now recently Alastor is back. They've gotta be linked in some way.

Okay Lucifer sing your song about how heaven is evil and how you love your daughter.

I've mentioned it before, but I think the reveal of heaven being evil was shown way too early for its own good. I think they should've withheld it for a while. Revealing that, no, heaven is corrupt and bad in the very first episode kills any sort of tension or concern. We already know that heaven is corrupt and bad. That they don't believe in redeeming sinners and they'll just kill them all cause it's a) fun and b) to control them. Perhaps in a later episode it should've been revealed in its entirety.

Okay considering how Lilith took away Charlie from Lucifer, which is framed as being a sad thing, I'm certain Lilith is now going to be a villainous character. At least antagonistic. This is a Vivziepop show we're talking about here. So what does that exactly mean?

That was a pretty cute song not gonna lie.

Heaven time!!

I was already spoiled about Vaggie being a fallen angel, but I do think that it's a pretty decent reveal. I think it'd be better if the show had more time to-- OH THIS IS THE EPISODE WITH CHERRI BOMB??

God Cherri is such an animator unfriendly design it hurts. Why does she have so many edges and dots.

Don't tell me this is when the Sir Pentious SA joke happens. Please.

God I still can't believe they made Saint Peter into a blue-eyed blonde hair white guy. Viv only knows how to design one type of male character.

Heaven looks pretty neat so far. Interesting to see it finally.

I wonder if they'll ever bring up how Molly is in heaven. Or Angel Dust's other family in general.

I'mma be real: I think the exterminator designs should've been kept as what they look like. They look cool as hell with their masks on.

Anyways, reveal time.

I wonder if Vaggie is the angel who that one girl a couple episodes ago said she killed. Or if she just took credit. Or if it's another angel.

Court time.

HELP THE DICTIONARY JOKE-- okay that one's pretty funny.

Again, I think heaven should be more pretentious and weary about swearing and generally acting "like a sinner". I get that Adam was the first sinner and his whole thing is that he's an old bigoted white dude, but I feel like heaven should at least react to him swearing. Be all like: "!! you can't say that!!" or just generally be really uptight about it. I dunno. I think it'd be cute and fun.

Aw Sir Pentious :] He's so sweet

But oohhh noo Angel :(

WHY DOES EVERYONE REACT TO CHARLIE SWEARING BUT NOT ADAM??? WHUH??? Okay, okay, playing devil's advocate here, but maybe Charlie is more judged because she's from hell and it's commentary on how angels and sinners aren't that different and yet the sinners are judged more...but like...c'mon man...

NIFTY HELP DHUAWHDI--

Sir Pentious sweetheart no..

Don't tell me this is where the Sir Pentious SA joke happens now. I love you Sir Pentious please.

FUCK NONONONONONONONONONO NO GET HIM OUT OF THERE NO FUCK NO LITERALLY WHY IS THERE A JOKE ABOUT THIS RIGHT AFTER THE WHOLE VAL STUFF-- HE'S LITERALLY RIGHT HERE AND THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT ANGEL'S TRAUMA RIGHT AFTER A SA JOKE?????

Jesus that slap drew blood

?? Whuh? They don't even know what constitutes a sinner and a angel? ...okay devil's advocate again, but maybe it's still with the commentary about the church and whatnot.

I do like the idea of heaven not being aware of the exterminations though. Again, theme of the church hurting those who they deem to be sinners (aka addicts, queer people, or just generally anybody who isn't a straight, white guy with zero mental illness).

Okay final two episodes time.

Aw Sir Pentious :]

Alright Alastor go get your queer-platonic partner and go and sort this all out

Okay honestly? If this whole scene came before the dad Alastor thingy, I could believe it. A one-on-one conversation with Charlie and Alastor with him looking out for her.

Okay so it's been cleared up, Carmilla did kill an angel. Probably with her blessed weapons considering how angel weapons seem to hurt each other (as shown with Vaggie)

Sir Pentious and his goons are the only characters I care about

Ayyy Alastor's queer-platonic-partner

Aw that's a cute ace reference. Ace in the hole. Adorable

I do like Rosie. She's kinda neat

I do wonder what the logistics are behind Vaggie being latina if she's seemingly heavenborn. Maybe she's not and human souls can become exterminators. Though, Adam did say he named her, which sounds like she's heavenborn.

The cannibal town is funny. I like Susan. Ol' prick

Die girlies are fighting

Yep angelic weapons kill angels

Ooh I like this song

Oh this is cute, Carmilla is teaching Vaggie how to be a better fighter. I always like this cute. Adorable actually

C'mon Charlie tell the old queer about your relationship problems.

Rosie is so sweet and fun I love her

Hey okay why is this conversation actually not that bad? I like this interaction quite a bit. Rosie is really sweet and charming and lovely and she does tell Charlie to love and trust Vaggie in a way that's not really forced. I like it.

God dammnit I like a friendship in the demon show (Rosie and Alastor)

I like the idea that all of these cannibals dress like they're from the prohibition era.

I also like the idea that this one cannibal town is capable of taking down the exterminators.

Aww the girlies :)

I actually like this episode quite a bit. There's no glaring flaws or anything. It's a fun and cute episode that sets up the climax. Probably my favourite episode of the series thus far

Final episode lets go

Alright Vox what do you want now?

SIR PENTIOUS THE SILLY!!

Angel sobering up a bit is pretty nice though. The show does get a bit better. Those first couple of episodes are pretty rough.

God finally they kissed

Hi angels

Aw I like all of their battle attire

Alastor please be cool and do something menacing and fun

I do like this final battel thus far. Seems pretty earned. This later half is a lot better paced than the first half. Feels nicer.

vox what

You can definitely see the inspiration from that one villain from The Princess and the Frog here in this fight between them.

I THOUGHT HE CALLED HER "FAGATHA" HELPPPPP

?? Does Angel's arms just grow out of him at will?

I'm personally not really vibing with Cherri/Pentious, but eh it's fine it's meh

Fake-out death calling it now

Oh FINALLY Charlie is turning into a demon mode

???? HELP THAT SCREECH WAS SUCH LOW QUALITY IT WAS PEAKING THE MIC HELDWHAUIDHWUIAHUI--

Final confrontation between Vaggie and Lute lets go

Was that a snout on Charlie I saw?

I saw people complaining about their blood being "piss coloured" on Twitter, but honestly golden blood goes so hard. I love ichor so much. It's always so cool

Okay sparing somebody so they have to live with knowing that you gave them mercy goes hard

Oh hey, deus-ex-lucifer

I think Adam still would've been cooler if that WAS his face and not just a mask. Also if Adam wasn't a generic white guy. He needs curly hair

OH SHUT UP-- okay, fine, mercy. Mercy is fine. Mercy is the entire show's point. Redemption and not killing a person. I think it should've been better paced though.

Don't tell me Nifty killed him-- oh for fuck's sake. I hate this trope of the comedic relief character killing the bad guy. It's not funny and it feels underserved

Boo hoo song about how Sir Pentious is totally dead. He's not. He's still alive, I know it

So the V's are obviously going to be the main villains next season

Hey Alastor

I still don't think Sir Pentious is dead. You can't convince me show. He's alive

I KNEW IT!! HE'S REDEEMED TOO??? WAS THAT THE FAMILY GUY DEAD POSE??

Oh is this Lilith?

Yeah it's Lilith.

Alright, thoughts:

I think it's a decent show all around. Would I casually recommend it to people? Absolutely not. I still believe the biggest flaw is how the show is based around you already knowing these characters and the context around everything. It makes it extremely unappealing towards casual viewers and only really makes it watchable to people who've already seen the pilot, Helluva Boss, and know a bit about Vivziepop lore.

The writing is hit-or-miss. Pacing and mood whiplash is certainly an issue. I think the show has a general lack of focus in the first couple of episodes especially, though it does pick itself up a lot by episode six once it focuses on the heaven VS hell plot.

I find most of the characters to be stale and iffy. Alastor I think suffers the most since he's obviously this character you're supposed to like and find just as cool as Viv does, but he isn't really doing it for me. He feels forced and unnatural.

Despite Viv claiming it to be a female-lead show, I still feel like it spends infinitely more time giving more depth and character to the male cast than it does with the female ones. The male cast gets more complicated stories than Charlie and Vaggie, which kinda sucks.

Overall? Not bad. I wish the season had twelve episodes instead so it could be better paced, but ah well.

[undertale-data]

[Image Description: An Undertale chat box that has “WHY FANS LOVE UNDERTALE” at its center. Next to it are a line chart and an Egg from the Dating Hub on its left, and a CRIME measurer (also from the Dating Hub) on its right. End I.D.]

[Image Description: a pie chart titled, “LEVEL OF LOVE FOR UNDERTALE.” The textbox on the top right reads, “On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the least and 10 being the highest, how much do fans enjoy Undertale?” From the top going clockwise, 12 or 0% chose 5 and below; 23 or 1% chose 6; 98, or 4%, chose 7; 325, or 12%, chose 8; 529, or 20%, chose 9; and 1664, or 63%, chose 10. End I.D.]

It’s clear from all of the data analyzed so far that fans who took the time to answer our survey love Undertale. It is unlikely that they would have taken the time to answer so many questions if they had not, and even less likely that they would have come across our survey in the first place. Naturally, it comes as no surprise that 63% of our responders gave their love for Undertale a score of ten out of ten. 95% gave their love for Undertale a score of eight or higher, and only 12 responders responded with five or below, a number so small that their responses had to be lumped together to be visible on the pie chart. Of those, only 3 responders gave their love for Undertale a score of 1, and based on those responders’ other answers, it is likely that they were only intending to troll. We are very fortunate that the vast majority of responders took the survey seriously, enough so that responses like this are barely a blip in the data.

Now, for our final analysis post of the event, we will delve into the reasons that fans love Undertale so dearly.

(Essay and highlights under the cut.)

There have been countless essays on the impact that Undertale has had on people’s lives. I can hardly add more on the subject than what has already been said, but I hope this summary can provide a brief overview of what stood out among the over two thousand answers given in response to this survey. That said, due to the sheer volume of answers, I could not read every single one in depth—however, I did skim all of them, and some that stood out or were representative of several responses have been highlighted below. If you would like to see what every fan who consented to share their response had to say, you may view the full list of responses here. Note that these responses have not been edited in any way. This document may take a long time to load, as it is over 100 pages long.

(Warnings for mentions of suicidal thoughts in the following essay.)

Several responders loved the theme of choices mattering in Undertale. Whether people played the pacifist, merciless, or neutral routes, they enjoyed how the game reacted to their actions. For some, it even made them consider their own morality. One touching response explained the impact that the theme of mercy made on them. “I realized that Mercy isn't something that's given to those who deserve it. Flowey didn't deserve it. I don't deserve it myself. Shoot, we ALL need Mercy in our lives.” Many fans left similar comments about how the themes of Undertale made them better people.

Undertale changed how its fans treat others, and it also changed how fans treat themselves. The theme of staying determined and the messages of hope in the game were a light to a very large portion of fans. I cannot list all of the fans who said that Undertale helped them out of a dark place, or that they would not be alive if not for Undertale. “DETERMINATION became a metaphor for not killing myself at a really rough time in my life and I’ll always cherish that. Undertale isn’t afraid to go to really dark places but at the same time holds on so tight to its hope.”

Undertale brought fans together in unexpected ways. Some said they met friends or significant others through the fandom. “I wouldn't have met my now husband without Undertale,” one fan said. A different fan who is non-native English speaking mentioned that the game and the fan community helped them to learn English.

It would be impossible to discuss Undertale without mentioning the fan community. Whether for good or bad, many responders mentioned the fandom in their responses. Overall the feelings towards the fandom seem positive, though many made references to “toxic” parts of the fandom without specifying which parts they consider toxic. Others rejected the idea of toxicity in fandom. One response said: “[SLAMS FIST ON DESK] I KNOW MOST PEOPLE SAY THE FANDOM IS TOXIC AND CRINGE OR WHATEVER BUT OH MY GOD. The Undertale fandom, both the UTMV and the actual UT fandom, has been so much fun to be a part of. I've met countless friends because of our shared interest in something related to the game! The art people create can be breathtaking and so inspirational, and the fanfics are so so good!! I've seen people write incredible things for this fandom and it's what made me continue writing!”

One thing that makes the Undertale fandom unique is the way it embraces various AUs. Some fans are tired of AU content, but the majority of responses show a love for the creativity behind AUs. “Roll your eyes at the 50th AU Sans all you want, it's encouraging people to step outside the boundaries of fanart and pushing people to make their own ideas! I mean, hell, it was how I gained the confidence to start making my own original content.” The lack of a judgemental atmosphere seems present in the AU community, according to the responses we saw. There is an interesting balance between AU and canon (sometimes referred to as “classic”) content that another responder pointed out: “The fandom helped keep the game alive all these years, with all of its AUs. Although personally, I always enjoyed AUs that kept characters as close to the classic material as possible (dancetale, outertale) I do appreciate the creativity of the fandom. They almost created entirely new stories with new characters of their own! If it weren't for those people, the Undertale fandom would have probably not been as active as it is now. I do feel like we're getting a resurgence of classic content now too! (In 2021)”

Regardless of the many AUs the fandom has created over the years, the original game of Undertale still feels like home for many fans. They wished they could reclaim the feeling of playing the game again for the first time, but even though we can’t reset time in real life, there is still a special feeling for fans each time they play Undertale. One fan said, “Even the best fics I've read can't capture that feeling of nostalgia/almost-"coming home" that comes with hearing the music and talking to the characters.” This feeling is one that can be cherished time and time again. In the words of another responder: “It always feels welcoming like home or like comfort food that I never grow tired of no matter how many times I go to it.” Others pointed out the strength of the found family trope in Undertale, which likely contributes to this feeling of “home” as well.

As mentioned briefly earlier, the music is part of what makes Undertale feel like home for fans. Even when responses focused on other aspects of the game, many would throw in a comment about the soundtrack at the end. One comment focused on the music said “IT'S SO GOOD like I will literally go through the entire thing over and over and not be bored with it. It makes my monkey brain so happy you have no idea.” Like with the game itself, the music has incredible replay value, an amazing feat considering most of the tracks use the same few motifs. “I think what I like the most about Undertale is how the music attaches you to the story,” another responder said. “They're simple melodies that stick with you throughout the whole game, and they can remind you of both good and bad times.”

If the music sticks with fans in their hearts, then the game’s lore sticks with fans in their minds. Even six years after the release of Undertale, fans are still creating new theories and digging up new secrets. The way the game breaks the fourth wall in particular intrigued many fans and has stuck out through all these years. The awareness that the game shows for the RPG genre makes it memorable. The game plays with the player’s expectations and turns them on their heads, all while reminding the player that they’re in a game. There are few other games that do this on such a large scale, so it’s no surprise that fans cite this as one of their favorite things about Undertale.

Lastly, the LGBT+ representation in Undertale has been a huge draw for fans. Especially in 2015, the sheer volume of non-cishet characters was unprecedented, as one fan pointed out: “It's practically unheard of to see so MANY from just one source, especially during its heyday in 2015-16. Hell, you can't even GET the true pacifist ending without helping two gay couples hook up. It's really nice to see all of them being accepted for who they are and not judged for their sexuality or gender, at least in-canon.” The LGBT+ cast including Frisk, Chara, Napstablook, Monster Kid, Mettaton, Alphys, and Undyne each connected with fans in unique ways. It’s clear how important this is from responses such as: “There are canon nonbinary characters 🥺. i have never seen representation of myself before.” “It made me gay and trans so thanks for that.”

Once again I am overwhelmed with just how much there is to say about Undertale. One responder really understood when they compared Undertale to an iceberg, explaining that there are so many layers to the game that there is something for everyone: “everyone can find something to enjoy in the lore/game regardless of what kind of fan they are! Being able to appeal to various types of fans—from simple happy shipper people to deep dive lorediggers—is the mark of the coolest games!” I would have to agree with them.

It’s been six years, and despite everything, it’s still you. Thank you for reading, participating in this survey, and above all, staying determined.

Highlights:

DETERMINATION became a metaphor for not killing myself at a really rough time in my life and I’ll always cherish that. Undertale isn’t afraid to go to really dark places but at the same time holds on so tight to its hope.

I think the coolest thing was having the opportunity to watch the AU community grow from its bare roots. It's nearly insane how big and complex it's gotten, unlike anything I'd ever seen before. Roll your eyes at the 50th AU Sans all you want, it's encouraging people to step outside the boundaries of fanart and pushing people to make their own ideas! I mean, hell, it was how I gained the confidence to start making my own original content.

i love how the lgbt rep is so naturalized... there are just gay people! and its nobodys business!

The music is my go to answer, but what I really really REALLY love is how the minor characters have so much personality to them when you talk to them. They aren't incredibly important to the overall story, but they're all so likeable and diverse that you just can't help but like them immediately!

I think it was the first videogame I have played that broke the fourth wall that much. Of course there has been other videogames that broke it but just for one or two tongue-in-cheek jokes. The guilt of killing mama goat was also something intense as well that I appreciated as an experience and that I didn't think a videogame could cause on someone.

I love how no character can be seen as completely bad! Everyone builds up Asgore as some horrible villain, but he turns out to be a 'fuzzy pushover' who's broken and just wants his family back by the time you meet him. Then you think Flowey's an irredeemable killer who engineered the suffering of the monsters across many timelines, and he is... but he also used to be the kind and beloved Prince Asriel Dreemurr, traumatized by his death and subsequent rebirth, projecting his best friend onto you.

The fact that choices matter in the game. Your first playthrough and getting the golden ending for the first time. I can never replicate those feelings again, wish I could erase my memories and replay the game from the start.

I wouldn't have met my now husband without Undertale.

(Toxic parts of the fandom aside) The community is possibly one of the kindest I've ever met. Cringe culture is completely dead, and I feel like I can be myself. I felt a very close connection to many of the characters, and I loved consuming content about them when I was in a rough patch in my life.

just everything, the whole game has just impacted my life so much. i know it sounds really lame, but when the game first came out, i would purposely put my hands in my pockets and sway slightly, like sans' idle animation. of course i dont do that anymore haha, but undertale still really impacts me to this day, and i wouldnt have it any other way :)

it made me gay and trans so thanks for that

I realized that Mercy isn't something that's given to those who deserve it. Flowey didn't deserve it. I don't deserve it myself. Shoot, we ALL need Mercy in our lives.

The thing I love most about Undertale is no matter how many times I play or watch a playthrough it always makes me genuinely happy. It always feels welcoming like home or like comfort food that I never grow tired of no matter how many times I go to it. Toriel still makes me feel all warm and cozy in her home, the Skelebros always make me laugh, and I still cry on the inside watching Frisk comforting Asriel. And on the flip side the No Mercy run still invokes the negative emotions in me as well. In short Undertale just feels like a second home to me and I always wish I could stay.

The reader inserts are my favorite way to decompress after a hard day

I think Undertale helped me discover my love for 8-bit games, and made me realize how IMPORTANT music is in video games.

the worldbuilding and character design are my favorite parts of the main game apart from the music! I’m also a huge fan of the random AU music- not for like underswap or underfell i like the stuff where someone makes a megalovania for a random au where gru from despicable me replaces sans as the character. i think its funny

Just... the vibe, honestly? Even the best fics I've read can't capture that feeling of nostalgia/almost-"coming home" that comes with hearing the music and talking to the characters.

there are canon nonbinary characters 🥺. i have never seen representation of myself before.

[SLAMS FIST ON DESK] I KNOW MOST PEOPLE SAY THE FANDOM IS TOXIC AND CRINGE OR WHATEVER BUT OH MY GOD. The Undertale fandom, both the UTMV and the actual UT fandom, has been so much fun to be a part of. I've met countless friends because of our shared interest in something related to the game! The art people create can be breathtaking and so inspirational, and the fanfics are so so good!! I've seen people write incredible things for this fandom and it's what made me continue writing!

There's a scene where Frisk (the player) is going towards what is presumably going to be their death. They will fight Asgore and he will use their human soul to break the barrier and free his people. The music, despite the player's impending doom, is... triumphant. You are not the triumphant one here, and yet, the score invites you to experience the monsters' joy and happiness as they tell you the tale of their subjugation. The monsters are going to be free. This is their victory, but they don't hate you or want you to die. They're just... happy. That scene has always struck me very deeply. I feel it represents the best parts of Undertale.

I loved how well thought out the Geno route was. It really made me feel like I was doing something horrible, and the characters were very obviously reacting to dire circumstances.

I dunno? I like Undertale for it's characters, story, music, secrets and many more. I am not good with Headcanons but I also like the neutral endings and how different they can depending on who you spare and kill

I was very bad at english before, i thought i couldn't progress because i was very shy and not confident. But my sibling and i wanted to have the best experience with this game so we wanted to play it in english. It's this game and the fandom which helped me to make huge progress in english !

THE SOUNDTRACK. IT'S SO GOOD like I will literally go through the entire thing over and over and not be bored with it. It makes my monkey brain so happy you have no idea.

to avoid writing an essay i will say one word. Mettaton

It is like Toby specifically made the games to fit the iceberg meme and it's awesome, everyone can find something to enjoy in the lore/game regardless of what kind of fan they are! Being able to appeal to various types of fans - from simple happy shipper people to deep dive lorediggers is the mark of the coolest games!

I love almost everything about Undertale as a game on its own. The music, the art and especially the characters and how they interact. They made me feel at home. Undertale means a huge amount to me. (I even got a tattoo of the castle when you and MK walk together!) The fandom helped keep the game alive all these years, with all of its AUs. Although personally, I always enjoyed AUs that kept characters as close to the classic material as possible (dancetale, outertale) I do appreciate the creativity of the fandom. They almost created entirely new stories with new characters of their own! If it weren't for those people, the Undertake fandom would have probably not been as active as it is now. I do feel like we're getting a resurgence of classic content now too! (In 2021)

the mystery. toby fox refused to give answers to anything and i think thats very sexy of him.

I just feel guilty for liking it so much when I'm in my 30's. But I recently got diagnosed with ASD, so I guess it explains things a bit. Many ppl consider Papyrus to be neurodivergent, and some adult fans are too, so seeing that makes me feel a bit better.

i think about "Despite everything, it's still you" everyday of my life.

I like how it's just as funny as it can be serious. All routes are this way. I laughed as much as I cried when I played the Pacifist route and then once I opened the game again and Flowey was telling me to let them be happy, I immediately turned off the game. I somehow felt bad.

The Found Family Trope

The True Pacifist Ending is just...man. And the fanworks about saving everyone even when the game doesn't let you? MANNNNNN

I think what I like the most about Undertale is how the music attaches you to the story. They're simple melodies that stick with you throughout the whole game, and they can remind you of both good and bad times.

there's honestly a LOT to love about this game, but i think one of my favorite things about it is just how many lgbt+ characters there are??? i can think of alphys, undyne, frisk, chara, mettaton, napstablook, monster kid, asgore, mad mew mew, the dress lion, the royal guards, and arguably even papyrus off of the top of my head, but im sure i'm forgetting a few from just undertale alone (there's even MORE in deltarune)!! it's practically unheard of to see so MANY from just one source, especially during its heyday in 2015-16. hell, you can't even GET the true pacifist ending without helping two gay couples hook up. it's really nice to see all of them being accepted for who they are and not judged for their sexuality or gender, at least in-canon.

[Image description: A wordcloud in the shape of the capitalized word UNDERTALE. The text is white on a black background, and uses the font found in the game. Some of the most visible words are: Game, Love, Music, Life, AU, Store, Friend, and Feel, which represent the most common words in the essays people wrote about their love for the game. End of ID]

[blodreina-noumou]

3, 10, 11, 19, 23 for the salt ask thing! you don't have to answer every single number if you dont want to.

Ahhh, thank you so much! I love being salty about this show, almost as much as I just love the show in general, so I will absolutely answer all of them!

3. Have you ever unfollowed someone over a fandom opinion?

100% yes. The whole point of tumblr is to curate your dashboard so you get to see lots of cool shit that you personally enjoy, that you want to share with people who have followed you because they, presumably, also enjoy that cool shit. So I’m not following a ton of Be//arke shippers (though there are exceptions, they know who they are 💛), I don’t follow people who don’t like Octavia, etc. Every so often, I’ll follow a blog for a bit, not realize that they’re super into something I’m not into, or hate something I love, and then I unfollow them. Easy peasy.

It’s not a big deal. Follow and unfollow at will. The less attention to you pay to the number of followers you have, the better you will feel. Focus instead on finding your people, and then you won’t end up unfollowing anyone at all!

10. Most disliked arc? Why?

I already answered this one, but I’ve got more.

Another arc I didn’t love was the s6 “rescue Clarke” arc. At the end of the day, that shit was filler. And while I loved so much about the mindscape episode, a lot of the “science” behind how Clarke controlled Josephine’s finger, how they accessed each other’s memories, mind drives in general, etc, really just pushed me out of my suspension of disbelief.

This show is guilty of that a lot - I guess this was just the first time I actually knew about the subject at hand to notice enough to care.

I did love Josephine, though. I know they never would’ve done it, but on some level, I was kinda hoping she’d stick around, and Clarke would stay gone, and everybody would have to adapt to the new reality. I think that would’ve been more interesting than what we got, as much as I loved certain highlights.

11. Is there an unpopular character you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

Ontari, while a monster, was fun. Sometimes I don’t want a morally gray antagonist - sometimes I want a straight-up heinous bitch; a selfish, cruel villain. There was really nothing she wouldn’t do to become Heda, and that made her really interesting, and gave her very specific, singular goals, that complicated s3 in a fun way. I think they really squandered that by having her take the Chip, but that’s another rant for another day. I wouldn’t want to hang out with Ontari, but she provided so much potential for a love-to-hate type of character. 

19. What is the one thing you hate most about your fandom?

I already answered this one, but yet again, I’m a well of salt. (A salt well?) Anyways...

I think we all, myself included, have a tendency to make snap judgments about shippers we don’t agree with, or character stans we don’t agree with. When we find out someone doesn’t like a character, we tend to lump them in with everyone else who feels that way, and I think that can be really limiting. Wanting to only follow people who ship what you ship is fine, to an extent, that’s a part of curating your dashboard. But there’s this weird exclusionary, Us vs. Them, Clexas vs. Bellarkes thing that happens a lot, and it’s not a good look for any of us.

23. Unpopular character you love?

I think Echo still unfortunately qualifies, which I will never understand.

(I do understand, it’s because she cockblocked Be//arke. Oh, wait, I’m doing that judgemental thing, shit.)

I was always intrigued by Echo, being a full sucker for anything related to the grounders and especially grounder women. I was so excited when they brought her back for 3, and then 4, and then finally gave her a full cast member status at 5. I think she’s totally deserving of it. Echo represents a lot of aspects of grounder culture that were key to seasons 2 and 3 - stoicism, loyalty to your people, and immediate retribution for threats or deaths against you and yours.

Echo’s mercilessness in battle is only matched by the passion in her heart. I love how calm, patient, and cunning she is. I only hope we’ll get to see her find a very happy ending in s7 - ideally with Bellamy, but if she survives and is able to thrive at all, I’ll be happy.

Thank you again, anon!