#chapter 3 theory

[lavendersartistry]

I'm currently thinking way too hard on this but I have a theory for Poppy Playtime

Stella is the Protagonist

I have this theory because let's all think about this:

She cared a lot for the kids

She was highly unaware of the experimentations (Chapt. 3 VHS)

She's a higher up

I mainly look back to the VHS because Stella was expecting for a adoption file, NOT a experimentation file for the kid that was adopted. Also she was in shock about finding out about what actually goes on in the factory

So maybe Stella, after getting this realization, called in sick as a way to be far away from the factory up until the Hour of Joy

Looks like I'm changing the worker protagonist for Matron in the Playhouse

[stainedglassthreads]

Do you think that the next secret boss could be based on the flowers in trash thrown away by Toriel? The flowers do fit in the whole abandonment theme that the secret bosses all share too

Hm. I honestly hadn't considered much who the next secret boss could be, but depending on how much of Toriel's house and Hometown is encompassed by the Dark World, it's plausible. Especially with how suspicious the soul bouquet is. Good catch.

I don't know if it's guaranteed, though. Most of the Dark Worlds have been place we couldn't access in the Light World until the fountain was gone. Toriel's house is very easily explorable, with the exception of one locked room and the unplugged TV. Could be that plugging the tv was the equivalent of 'opening the door'. Not to mention, most of the secret bosses have been kinda skippable one-off things isolated from the rest of the chapter and not necessary to advance, and if Toriel becomes a party member or accompanies the fun gang... I feel like this fight would have some kind of lasting impact on her-- for better or for worse.

Because let's consider something that would set Flower Bouquet apart from other Darkners-- while both Card Kingdom and Cyber World share a theme of 'abandonment' as well (King wanting to rage against the Lightners who abandoned him, the internet going out and Queen being concerned for the Lightners), this boss fight(or Toriel in TV Dark World in general) would be the first on-screen instance of a Darkner interacting with the specific Lightner who purposefully abandoned them.

Of course, not to say that Toriel throwing away the bouquet or unplugging the tv was as bad as abandoning the Kingdom of Monsters, or being too scared and heartbroken( of losing another child or of having to kill Asgore, you decide) to go with them to confront Asgore. (And even then I tend to be just a little more sympathetic toward Toriel, honestly) If the tv wasn't seeing much use, then unplugging it saves energy, and as someone who's had people ignore me when I say 'I don't want to be in a romantic relationship', she can set as firm boundaries with Asgore as she damn well pleases. But it makes me wonder a lot what that interaction would be like-- joy that their 'Queen', the Lightner who gave them purpose, has returned? Confusion and begging to know what they did wrong? Rage that she was away for so long and now returns, not even recognizing them or where she is?

On the note of parallels... If the Bouquet does turn out to be the Secret Boss, the Secret Boss' location always seems to be under the final area. Below Card Castle for Jevil, below Queen's Mansion for Spamton. I imagine Bouquet's basement would resemble a garbage dump, which calls to mind the Golden Flower bed in Waterfall's Garbage Dump. This isn't the only thing from Undertale that may be references, tho-- of course there's the Grey Door and Clam Girl, as Gaster seems more... active... in Deltarune than in Undertale. And also... there's the Umbrella Statue.

I've heard some people note it looks quite similar to the central Titan, from when Ralsei was describing the Roaring.