I absolutely love this alvin line in chapter 2, he says “He made a turn into telling stories as a means to entertain his children. That such a story, created for such a simple purpose, could blossom into such a large, wonderful, world changing thing. That is the majesty of words, kris.” I feel like this is regarding the game and how this story has turned into something that really means a lot to so many players. Which While I believe this theme is tied to the story it could also be Toby giving us a little thank you as well.
OH I totally forgot about that line but it’s so good.. ok I wasn’t going to elaborate but now I will lol. Not super long
Like you said, I think this is a story about stories and how they affect not just the fictional characters but the real people experiencing them. One phrase that is interesting to me relating to this theme is “the pen is mightier than the sword”.. if gerson was an author who uses “pens” and a knight usually uses “swords”, I think the knight is a storyteller more than a warrior. the act of creating a dark world is like creating a new story with characters who have retroactive histories (darkners). And you have the option to escape into fictional worlds, but the healthy thing to do most of all, is to live your real life while also taking valuable lessons from the fiction you love. Like how Susie learns about friendship from her dark world experiences, and has finally started reach out to others in her everyday life because of that! But she hasn’t yet realized that these two worlds can’t coexist if the dark is as powerful as or more powerful than the light, or else everyone will suffer. (In-universe, the roaring.. and as a metaphor for reality, you shut yourself away from real connections in favor of fantasy.) And hopefully kris will learn how to live for themself too. (Themself.. and their friends!!)
That’s why I think the point of this story is definitely not to make us feel bad for playing a game. In-universe, it seems that Gaster is connecting with real people so that we can finish the story. Maybe he wants us to help the people he considers “very very wonderful.” Nobody can move on with their lives until it’s finished, especially kris, and most of all the primary storyteller Toby himself, who has been trying to share this story he’s clearly passionate about for years!!😅
but of course “there’s something more important than reaching the end:” the memories and friends we made along the way that we can take with us into the future, and change the world.. Yay🤠
