So I saw a video about Deltarune character's Pokémon types, and I heavily disagreed with most choices. So I thought I'd do my own version but just for the main Undertale characters for now. Obviously, this list isn't objective or the "correct" one, I just thought it'd be a fun exercise. Going in character introduction order:
Frisk: By far the hardest character in the game to decide for, and I have some interesting takes. First of all, obviously the type I will choose varies on each route. What will likely be the most surprising take here is that Frisk should be a Dragon type. HEAR ME OUT. Humans in the Underground are legendary and powerful creatures which managed to slay most of their kind and seal them away before most people ever existed. That fits with the Dragon type (of course Frisk would be a Normal type on the surface). So what about dual typing? Well for neutral I'd say there is none. For No Mercy, that's easy, Dark type. Yveltal immediately comes to mind as basically a god of death, so Dark seems like a given. The Pacifist route is really torn between two, Psychic or Fairy. Frisk is able to magically reach out to other souls and utilises making dreams a reality in the Asriel boss fight, all quintessential psychic type powers. But broadly, with Fairy type seemingly being associated with magic and life, I think TP Frisk should be Dragon/Fairy.
TLDR for Frisk: Neutral: Dragon, NM: Dragon/Dark, TP: Dragon/Fairy.
Flowey: A pretty easy call for Grass/Dark type. Flowey loves to break the rules of the game, and use dirty tactics, the main thing Dark type is known for. Oh and Flowey is a flower, so Grass type. You could try to argue for Ghost type, but Flowey is more of a case of resurrection, and doesn't even have a soul. To get it out of the way, Omega Flowey is Grass/Bird type (if you know, you know).
Toriel: Most of Toriel's attacks, like her ex husband, use fire balls, so Fire is a necessity. As for her remaining type, there's two options. Fairy type is most associated with the home, with activities like cooking being heavily associated with the type. However, Toriel also has a very good case for the Dragon type, as she is an incredibly powerful creature and a boss monster. I lean towards Dragon/Fire but this could go either way.
Nabstablook: Just a very chill ghost. With his sound associations and plain appearance, I think we actually have a case for Normal/Ghost here. He's the most normal ghost you could imagine and also a music creator, with the normal type also doubling as a sound type. So Normal/Ghost it is.
Sans: Also an interesting type. In Pokémon, bones are typically associated with the Ground typing, because y'know... where are most bones? But I have two reasons for not granting this. First, Sans bleeds, which means he definitely isn't just a skeleton. Secondly, there are two FAR better typings. Sans is known for breaking the rules routinely, so again the Dark type fits incredibly well. Sans is also the only enemy in the game which effectively has an ability which poisons you, so that also fits very well. So I'd give Sans the Dark/Poison type.
Papyrus: Actually quite difficult, as he is in many ways the opposite of Sans. We know Papyrus seeks to be a powerful combatant, and arguably already is one, so the Fighting type works well here. The second type can be difficult though. The cooking aspect of his character could point to Fire, but he lives in a cold environment. We could do Ground for Pokémon's bone association, which is what I favour. In fact, ironically, this combination makes Papyrus have double Super Effective STAB against Sans, which is kinda funny. So Papyrus is Fighting/Ground.
Grillby: Fire/Fairy. A being composed of pure fire who is hospitable and friendly.
Snowy/Snowdin Miscellaneous: Most of the monsters here are some variety of Ice and Normal typing. Shouldn't have to explain this one, it's kinda obvious why.
Undyne: Water/Fighting feels exceedingly obvious here, but how could it not be? She's a fish knight. This is just a little easy.
Monster Kid: Normal. Moving on.
Gerson: Both due to him being a tortoise, and being seemingly a treasure hunter searching the ground of the waterfall, I'd say Ground is a safe bet. But with Deltarune in mind giving us more of an idea of a prime Gerson, I'll also give him Fighting. So Ground-Fighting.
Temmies: Cannot think of a single other type than Normal, sadly.
The duck: Water/Flying, look at the little guy go.
Mad Dummy: Ghost/Dark type. Evil ghost possessing an object out for revenge is a pretty clear call for both the Ghost and Dark typing.
Alphys: There is a good argument for Psychic/Electric here, but I'm hesitant. Alphys isn't really next level intelligence, compared to Metagross as an AI, or Alakazam with an IQ in the four digits, Alphys is more of a normal achievable sort of intelligence. So I'm leaning Normal/Electric here, as she is still defined by the technology she uses.
Mettaton: While on the surface being an overt option for Electric/Steel, things aren't quite as they seem with Mettaton. Mettaton is a ghost possessing a robot body, pretty much necessitating the Ghost typing. As for whether we pick Steel or Electric is far more tricky. Mettaton's steel body makes them close to impenetrable, but Mettaton uses lightning bolt attacks. I'm going with Ghost/Steel, but Ghost/Electric is just as good an option.
Asgore: Dragon/Fire type is simply just the correct take. Again, mainly uses fireball moves, while also being a large imposing creature. Fighting could be argued for, but Asgore is actually defined by his reluctance to fight, unlike Gerson or Undyne, so this type fits best.
The Amalgamates: All Bird type, again, if you know you know.
Asriel: Dragon/Psychic type. Interesting pick I know. But you see, Mew and Mewtwo as mono-psychic types are said to have the DNA of every single Pokémon within them, not unlike Asriel having absorbed every monster in the Underground. Dragon type to match with his parents and because giant imposing god. Fairy also wouldn't be a bad pick, but unfortunately you can't have three types.
Chara: Ghost/Poison type. Only can be met after you kill everyone, and seemingly a ghost with no physical form. Considering their entire role in the game is corrupting things, poison fits here nicely.
Here's a couple drawings of my little shit, also known as Chaotic Blueberry. He's one of my characters I draw the most. He's just a little guy. He also has a ton of variants; you'll see them soon.
So, I'm still very hyperfixated on Portal, and one of the more mysterious and cool aspects of the series' connection to Half-Life. The apparent stand off between GLaDOS and The Combine.
I have my own theory about why the two don't seem to be willing to engage with each other. Spoilers of course for Half-Life 1+2, and Portal 1+2.
Let's start with the beginning of this connection, and what makes it so interesting. In Portal 1, GLaDOS realises Chell's motivation is to escape, and says this in response:
"Are you trying to escape? [chuckle] Things have changed since the last time you left the building. What's going on out there will make you wish you were back in here. I have an infinite capacity for knowledge, and even I'm not sure what's going on outside."
It's probably in one of the top five most memorable quotes in the game due to how menacing it is. The main antagonist of a game referencing the possibility of a greater evil which lies beyond if they perish is incredibly menacing.
But to the point, GLaDOS does not know what is going on above ground, but is aware of something happening. How has she reached this conclusion? It's surprisingly simple. When GLaDOS murdered the entire research facility of Aperture Science, nobody came. The second most noteworthy and famous research facility in the United States vanishes in a day, and nobody looks to investigate?
It's likely GLaDOS was not only expecting but preparing for an incursion into Aperture, but that never came, meaning something else must've happened which took the focus away from Aperture. As for this unseen catastrophe, GLaDOS had reached the conclusion that she was the reason Aperture was spared being attacked.
"All I know is I'm the only thing standing between us and them. Well, I was. Unless you have a plan for building some supercomputer parts in a big hurry, this place isn't going to be safe much longer."
I believe this is half true, and as for why, we need to switch to the perspective of the US government/United Nations. Considering the Bring Your Daughter to Work Day event going on at Aperture, it's likely that at least the daughters of Aperture's researchers are reported missing within the first couple of days, and they were likely preparing to investigate the disappearances in Aperture.
Then the Resonance Cascade occurs. The entire world is thrown into chaos and destruction, and the entire world's governments are incredibly preoccupied with re-establishing order in this seeming apocalypse. And in the midst of doing so, The Combine attacks Earth, forcing humanity to capitulate within seven hours.
This sees the Combine become the rulers of Earth, installing human collaborators, but directly controlling the planet. There is no doubt within this process, they learn of Aperture Science. Like Black Mesa, the organisation which caused the Resonance Cascade which enabled the Combine's invasion, Aperture Science is an experimental research facility funded by the US government. This begs the question, why do they not try to take over Aperture and use their technology?
This would be a worthwhile investment for them, Aperture is clearly an advanced research facility which was creating technology which, if they succeeded in creating it, would be comparable to their own (Aperture were really just breaking the laws of physics by the time GLaDOS took over). So it's not like there's no motivation for doing so. Hell, the threat of a resistance cell forming in Aperture should be unacceptable to an empire which is trying to conquer and subjugate an entire planet.
And it's not like Aperture's location was incredibly secret. Newspapers reported on the salt mine being purchased, and with the signs warning of what to do in case of a government inspection, it's likely the US government knew as well. So what possible reason do they have to not conquer Aperture?
Like I said, I believe GLaDOS is technically correct. She is the reason that the Combine doesn't invade, and I feel like looking at their perspective can help us to know why. Let's say you're an interdimensional empire which just conquered a planet. Your invasion was largely enabled by a research facility you now control causing an apocalyptic event, which they barely managed to keep under control before you arrived.
With all the information of the governments of Earth in your hands, you learn of a competitor to this research facility. You learn they too were experimenting with portal technology, that they were on the bleeding edge of scientific discovery, but that they went completely silent just about a week before you arrived on Earth.
Unlike the Black Mesa Incident, not a single person escaped this facility, there is no explanation as to why every single person who entered the facility never returned, but it's been over a week and there's no news. A reasonable conclusion could be made that whatever happened in Aperture was worse than the Resonance Cascade, and that in order to keep it contained, nobody was allowed to escape.
Now if you're in The Combine's shoes, are you going to kick that hornets nest and investigate what happened in Aperture Science? Are you going to open that Pandora's Box of possibilities? From my perspective, I imagine the fear of the unknown which GLaDOS uses when telling Chell about the outside being dangerous, is the exact same fear keeping The Combine from waltzing into Aperture and becoming even more powerful than they were before. Neither side knowing what the other has in store for them.
I do admit there is a second possible reason, which does make some sense but requires the Combine to have a very strong understanding of Aperture Science. They concluded that they couldn't invade. Now my biggest issue with this is the many years which GLaDOS, and thus most of Aperture, was completely offline yet completely left unscathed, but I think it bears mentioning.
I genuinely cannot see a scenario where The Combine successfully capture Aperture Science. The facility runs kilometers underground, has an advanced Artificial Intelligence constantly monitoring and managing the entire facility, and has technology which The Combine don't have an easy counter for.
Aperture Science is somewhat stupid overpowered in this regard. They could probably have conquered the entire world with their technology if they so chose (specifically post-GLaDOS Aperture). They're basically untouchable with how deep underground they are, and can mass produce an army which cannot really be resisted in the long run. Not to mention what would happen to any army battalions unfortunate enough to be met with a portal to the moon at their feet.
Anyways, there's my two cents on probably the most interesting mystery about the two franchises sharing the same universe. I do believe fear of the unknown is genuinely why Aperture remains untouched for decades, even without GLaDOS to guard it.
