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Turning Noelle Holiday into Mrs. Player: A 7000-word Analysis on Snowgrave's theme of Heteronormativity

CW: discussions of heteronomativity, aphobia, nbphobia, sexism, self-harm, etc.

Artwork belongs to @kazyulia

As a genre that makes fear its primary focus, it’s no surprise that horror lends itself well to tackling the social, societal, and systemic horrors that incite fear and dread in us in the real world. The Invisible Man 2019 uses its concept to explore the harrowing struggles that abuse survivors face. Books like The Ballad of Black Tom and Ring Shout use cosmic horror to tackle the racism and xenophobia that the very founder of the genre expressed in his works. Hell, last December I rewatched Black Christmas (the original, obviously), a classic slasher movie that became famous for discussing the issue of abortion after Roe v. Wade came into force.

These works of fiction fall under the umbrella I like to call systemic horror. Systemic horror goes beyond simply having an antagonist with a prejudice or bigotry. It uses its themes, concepts, and characters to comment on real-world oppression and its effects on individuals and the communities/identities they’re part of, and that's typically accomplished by having the object of horror embody/represent that oppression in some way.

Perhaps my favourite example of systemic horror comes from a work of fiction that never really comes to mind when we think of horror fiction. And if you’ve read the title of this post, you will know that, of course, it is the video game Deltarune and how it handles the topic of heteronormativity in the Snowgrave Run.

Seeing how Deltarune is set in a queer utopia where every human uses they/them pronouns and cisheterosexual people are as prevalent as smallpox after 1977, one would think that Deltarune wouldn’t have much to say regarding gender-based oppression. It’s a shame because Snowgrave does have a good deal to say, and it does so EXCEPTIONALLY well, as one would expect from our Lord and Saviour, Toby Fox. So it is a bit surprising you don’t see that many people discussing it, even on Tumblr.

I believe this is the case for two reasons. Firstly, Snowgraves' commentary is executed with an exceptional degree of subtlety and therefore doesn’t stand out as much as, say, Black Christmas’s commentary on abortion rights. But I think perhaps the biggest reason the topic of heteronormativity isn’t discussed that much in the Deltarune fandom is because when it is, *sigh* it isn’t handled very well.

Chapter 1: The Myth of "Snowgrave Kriselle"

Now, of course, we cannot talk about heteronormativity in the weird route without discussing the ramifications it has on Kris’s relationship with Noelle, and because people perceive it as Noelle being forced into a romantic relationship with Kris, most people would attribute said heteronormativity to Kriselle.

On the surface, Kriselle looks like a perfectly normal ship between a sapphic deer and her non-binary childhood friend, reconnecting after years of being apart. But if you look deeper into things, you will find that if you look past that, you will find that Kriselle is not as wholesome as you think it is...

...IT'S EVEN BETTER!

Yeah, I know this may come as a shock to you, but as it turns out, Kris and Noelle’s healthy relationship is in fact *GAAAASSSSSP* A PERFECTLY HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP!!!!

And to those of you who will bring up the events of Snowgrave as an argument to the contrary, there are two rules you should follow when talking about how heteronormativity relates to Kriselle.

Rule #1) Forget it.

Rule #2) Just forget it.

I’ll get right to the point: the argument that Kriselle is implicated for the heteronormativity/toxicity in Snowgrave might just be the SINGLE WORST TAKE ever to plague the Deltarune fandom. Even worse than, “Toriel is a neglectful drunk.” Even worse than, “Kris is evil/abusive/sociopathic.” Yes, even worse than “Suselle is toxic.”

There is NOTHING EVEN REMOTELY HETERONORMATIVE about Kris and Noelle being an item.

End. Of. Story.

I really shouldn’t have to explain to anyone why the mere IDEA that a relationship between an enby character and a lesbian character is “hetslop/hetcoded/comphet” in any way, shape, or form is, at best, completely out of touch with reality, and at worst, OUTRIGHT DANGEROUS.

And make no mistake, this misreading regarding Snowgrave and Kriselle has had a very detrimental effect on Deltarune shipping discourse. Because not only do Kriselle fans have to put up with baseless accusations that they’re “fetishizing abuse” and shit, not only it deters people from becoming Kriselle fans because they think that being pro-Kriselle means being pro-Weird Route. But it's also been a boon for TERFs and gendercrits who want to use it to propagate the notion that pairings involving sapphic and enby characters are “unqueer” or “lesbian erasure” (who also treat Suselle as some bastion of cis purity or something, much to the chagrin of ACTUAL Suselle fans).

And listen, if you’re the kind of person that’s against romantically shipping Noelle and Kris because you see Kris as aroace and/or dig (queer)platonic Kriselle more than the romantic version, then more power to you! There is nothing, AND I MEAN NOTHING, wrong with asserting that Kris and Noelle’s relationship won’t develop into anything romantic and that it’s better off that way. And I’m sure you’d understand why an aroace person like myself would take issue with the idea that Kris and Noelle’s relationship can only be at its best when it’s romantic, and that a (queer)platonic Kriselle can’t be as deep and meaningful.

But for the love of whatever natural, divine, or demonic, force made this batshit crazy universe, please don’t cite the Weird Route as a reason for not being a Kriselle fan. You honestly don’t need to! And do not effing try to argue that the heteronormativity in Snowgrave is in any way the fault of Kriselle. Or that the Weird Route is saying that it’s wrong to ship Kriselle or ship Kris in general. And look. I get that not everything that brings up heteronormativity’s relation to Kriselle in Snowgrave does so for the sake of bashing Kriselle fans and/or propagating TERF rhetoric. But regardless of how much good faith/intentions you have, it’s still rooted in a fundamental misreading of the events of the game. Because the truth is, Snowgrave isn’t actually about Noelle being forced into a relationship with Kris!

You’re forcing Noelle to be with YOU, who is “role-playing” as Kris!

Yeah! The term “Snowgrave Kriselle” is a huge misnomer. Just as pyrite is a fraudulent imitation of gold, the abusive pseudo-romance of Snowgrave is a fraudulent imitation of Kriselle, a Fool’s Kriselle if you will. Because it gives the appearance of Kriselle when in reality, it’s actually SOULELLE!!! And that fact should have been very clear after watching THAT ONE SCENE in Chapter 4!

And before I dive further into Deltarune’s commentary on heteronormativity, we need to talk a little about why it did so in the first place.

Chapter 2: Slay the Dragon, Save the Princess

All right, now stop me if you’ve heard this one before. An oh-so-noble cishet male knight embarks on a quest to slay a faceless evil and, in return, is rewarded with a personality-less female character who’s nothing more than a prize for winning the game.

Yes, chances are you’ve probably seen this cringe-inducing, cliche-ridden BS time and time again. And the sad fact is, it’s something that the RPG genre can be made to lend itself to quite well. The whole idea of RPGs is that you don’t just “play” the main character, you get to pretend to be the main character as if you’re actually there, hence the term ROLE-PLAYING game. That’s why you see conventions like character customization, multiple dialogue options, and branching paths in RPGs more than any other gaming subgenre. Additionally, there is also an element of power fantasy to be found in RPGs, as there is a certain thrill in jacking up your stats as you dominate and eradicate every obstacle that comes in your way (which, interestingly enough, happens to be what Undertale deconstructed). And consequently, the POWER fantasy of the RPG experience ends up meshing very cishet male fantasy, as it “enhances” it by making it seem as if you were fulfilling it yourself, especially given how heteronormativity is centred around gaining power and overpowering. So not surprisingly, many early RPGS tended to feed into the reactionary cliches and tropes I mentioned earlier. And you can see these things being reflected and perpetuated in media that takes inspiration from the RPG. Just look at the Isekai genre in anime, which typically features fantasy RPG elements. Those shows lean hard (and I mean HARD) into the male fantasy as it features overpowered protags wiping out everything without a sweat while being fawned over by a harem of women.

So much to our collective chagrin, heteronormativity isn’t exactly uncommon in RPGs. So when Deltarune got around to deconstructing the RPG genre and the various conventions that were part of it, the heteronormativity that was part of it was deconstructed as well.

What makes Undertale and Deltarune UTTERLY GENIUS is how they deconstruct RPG tropes, mechanics, and themes, traditionally by making them a part of the game world itself. And my favourite way it does that is by making YOU, the person sitting at the screen, a character in the story! It’s why we were always making fun of people who said the No Mercy Run was all Chara’s fault.

You see, the brilliant thing is you cannot step into the shoes of the human protagonists of UTDR the same way you can do so with Crono from Chrono Trigger or Commander Shepherd from Mass Effect, because you’re already in your own shoes, and so are the people that have to put up with you stepping into their shoes! We see this central theme demonstrated in Undertale with how Frisk and Chara demonstrate that they’re not the usual empty vessels for you to self-insert into. And while Undertale walked with this theme, Deltarune would run with it. As we see, Kris consistently demonstrates awareness of the control you exert over them, how they feel about said control, and how they attempt to rail against it!

So how does this all tie into Snowgrave and heteronormativity?

Chapter 3: It was NEVER about Love...

Artwork belongs to @goomyloid

If you asked me how I would describe a relationship, it would be a balancing act. It involves more than just keeping your partner happy, content, and with all of their needs met. The ideal relationship is also about ensuring that you and your partner exist in perfect equality and balance with each other. And this is achieved through being honest and open with each other, being mindful and understanding of the other’s perspectives and experiences, and perhaps most importantly, respecting their identity and their ability to act and think for themselves.

Not surprisingly, heteronormativity (and the patriarchy that acts as its benefactor) takes all of these things that make a healthy relationship and wipes its ass with them.

There’s a very good reason that the term “treating women like objects” is such a VERY fitting description of Cisheteropatriarchy as a whole. Because objects are not supposed to think or act for themselves; they’re only meant to exist for your pleasure and your benefit. They're meant to submit to all control and manipulation you exert over them without expecting anything back in return, not even so much as a thank-you. You don’t strive to keep them “in good condition” out of concern for the object’s welfare, but out of concern for how its condition would affect your welfare. And what do you do with an object that doesn’t do what you want it to do? You get frustrated with it. Angry with it. You scold, berate, and demean it to make it do what you want. You try to “fix” it so it better serves your interests. And when all else fails, you throw it away and forget about it like it was nothing. And it’s perfectly acceptable and justifiable to do all of that because objects are never meant to be treated as persons. How can you be so stupid as to pretend that these “things” are in any way equal to you?!

But of course, you are not objects. You are people. And you sure as hell don’t want to be treated as such. So the system has to do everything else to destroy any notion that you/others should be treated as people. And that is accomplished through systematically breaking you down mentally, psychologically, emotionally, and physically, whilst ripping away all agency and erasing all identity, so that you can be moulded into what it sees fit. Because that's what heteronormativity is: an abusive partner in culture form. And by doing all of that to Kris and Noelle in the Weird Route; by forcing Noelle to be with you through your ruinous control over Kris, you the player, come to embody the evils of heteronormativity.

And that’s why Deltarune's deconstruction hit so damn hard. Because you’re imposing heteronormativity upon a narrative that is completely antithetical to it; imposing oppressive gender roles and constructs upon characters that are hurt the most by it!

Chapter 4: Getting Stronger...

Remember that scary AF episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender with the waterbender who can control you by bending the blood inside your body? Our control over Kris is like a deluxe version of that, as we can control what they do and what they say. But our control is limited to an extent as they can control HOW they say and do said things, as well as how they feel about it (I.e. feeling confused about taking Ralsei/Noelle to the festival, or biting their hand if we make them say they’ll never play piano again). But that’s not to say that your control doesn’t have a negative affect on them because it most certainly does, especially on their sense of self.

And we see the severe toll it takes on Kris' mental and emotional health as the game goes on. One of the best ways this is demonstrated is the mirror in Toriel’s house. If you check the mirror in Chapter 1 the flavour text will say “It’s only you.” But in the next chapter the flavour text will read “It’s what they call you,” illustrating how the longer they remain in your control, the worse you make it for them.

It’s also what makes the flavour text in Chapter 4 so poignant, because it shows that even though their sense of identity is still being negatively affected, they can still count on Susie to help them get through it, showing us just how much Susie means to Kris. It’s for that reason that you see them act on their own volition more when they’re with her, whether it be drinking church juice, giving her a flower to eat, smiling at her at the diner, and so on!

It goes without saying that agency and identity are deeply intertwined with and practically inseparable from each other like Yin and Yang, and so as you would expect, damaging Kris’ ability to ACT for themselves will negatively affect how they SEE themselves.

It’s for that reason why heteronormativity (like all oppressive systems) is hellbent on controlling how people express themselves! Because by controlling how you act and express yourself, it can control how you see yourself! And so if your identity has been diminished, suppressed, and/or forced to be given up, that puts the system in a perfect position to hollow it out and replace it with what it wants to impose on you. And, of course, it is exactly what you do to Kris in every sense of the word in Snowgrave, as what you force them to do brings a whole new meaning to the phrase “breaking character.”

As you force Kris to go against everything they stand for through your cruelty and malice (because it should be obvious by now that they DO NOT WANT THIS AT ALL), the negative effect you already have on their identity is magnified. So as a result, your control over them grows like a cancer, mutating your puppeteering into full-on demonic possession. And then eventually, that cancer metastasizes into someplace else, or rather someone else: Noelle.

As a consequence, the SOUL not only becomes an instrument through which you wield control… it starts to express and vocalize a hunger for control. It develops a mind of its own, a mind that reflects and echoes the heteronormative mentality you instilled in it when you engaged in Snowgrave.

We see this demonstrated in the dialogue that we select when the Run starts in chapter 2.

There’s a very good reason why this 7-letter word became so infamous and a perfect representation of the horrors of the Weird Route. Because the cold, unnatural, detached, and inhuman way of responding is meant to drive home how Kris is losing their grip on their humanity and identity as you start to overpower them. In fact, Berdly and Noelle make that point clear as they’re both completely baffled and confused upon hearing it, because no person would talk like that, not even a complete weirdo like Kris!

We see another instance of this earlier, when we reach the Ferris Wheel sign: after Noelle declines their first offer to ride on the Ferris wheel, the dialogue says “Noelle will ride with me” instead of “I will ride with you.”

When you compare the two, you can definitely tell how one feels much more detached and unnatural than the other. The way Noelle is addressed in the THIRD PERSON emphasizes that you have so little regard for her agency or personhood, rather than that she’s not even deserving of being addressed directly as you would to any person. You’ve made it clear that you no longer see Noelle as a person, but as property that only exists for your pleasure and power. It’s the same detachment and inhumanity that caused you to see the monsters of the underground as nothing more than sources of EXP and LV.

And make no mistake, we see the Player's Soul demonstrate that it has a voice of its own, such as here when Noelle can still hear Kris even after they’ve been downed. And during the Spamton Neo fight, when you say that YOU are calling for help after Kris tries and fails to do so!

So the SOUL isn’t merely an instrument. It can manifest a will and voice of its own. But at the end of the day you are still responsible for what it’s been doing, because all the SOUL is doing is echoing a desire to do things that your ordering it to carry it out, and better accomplish them. I guess in a way you can compare them a little to Chara and Frisk in the No Mercy Run as forcing them to walk the dark path cultivates in them the desire to keep walking it.

Chapter 5: I now pronounce you...

Now, I’m sure there’s a question that’s been lingering at the back of your mind, and goes something like “Hey, Wait a minute! How can I be guilty of forcing Noelle into a heteronormative relationship with myself if I’m not a cishet male?” Well, let me ask you something. If I endorse JK Rowling’s pugnacious aphobic tweet(s), is it not aphobic for me to do that because I happen to be aroace myself? Or is supporting Autism Speaks not ableist because I’m autistic?

I think the fact that you can’t give the Vessel or the SOUL a gender identity is meant to represent how it ultimately doesn’t matter who you are because what you’re putting Kris and Noelle through and the relationship you force them into is very much in line with heteronormativity.

And what elevates the toxic and twisted pseudo-romance of Snowgrave above just simply an toxic/abusive relationship, is that your actions, the effect they have on Kris and Noelle, and how it relates to their gender identities, as well as the subtext, motifs, and themes underlying them, call to mind or parallel the malice and cruelty that heteronormativity inflicts in the real world.

And Snowgrave’s most noteworthy motif connected to heteronormativity is, you guessed it, marriage.

Of all the weapons sexism and heteronormativity employ to keep everyone under its heel, marriage to has always been one of its favourites. We see this manifest in a wide variety of ways. From the way cuckoldry is used as an insult by reactionaries. The way unmarried and divorced women are treated with neglect, suspicion, contempt, and outright hostility. And of course, how married women are typically addressed as “Mrs. [husband’s name]”.

And of course, heteronormativity tries to convince you that conforming to it guarantees you a whole and happy life. And that’s precisely what you do to Noelle throughout Chapter 2.

Throughout the Chapter, Noelle tries to comfort herself by telling herself that Kris is doing all this out-of-character stuff to help her get stronger. You can’t blame her. This poor girl has spent much of her life at the mercy of her mother’s overbearing and, dare I say, abusive parenting, as well as being unable to stand up for herself. So their childhood friend coming along to not only be with her again, but to help her gain the strength she yearned for, sounds too good to be true.

You’ll see this sentiment echoed in the flavour text as well, as the save points will read “You and Noelle were filled with power.”

Because it was never about love. Heteronormativity is NEVER about love. It was and always will be about power and power alone.

Say what you will about Chara, but at least their hunger for power was driven by a desire to ensure the freedom of their loved ones and to protect them from harm (not to mention their trauma at the hands of humans and witnessing humankind's oppression of monsterkind all but vindicated that hunger for power). But you, on the other hand, are seeking power to TAKE AWAY someone’s freedom and to protect your CONTROL over the people in your clutches.

And of course Noelle is still going to continue to accept all of this because you’ve MADE her believe that this is the only way she can be happy and strong, no many people she has to hurt, and no matter how much she has to hurt herself.

How fitting it is that the last ring you make her wear is one made entirely of thorns. And how much more fitting is it that when it’s put on her, she’s completely silent. Because that is how women like her should always be for you in this kind of relationship you’ve forced her into: submissive, meek, and completely unable to speak to herself.

Chapter 6: "I'll make you all watch from the chair!!!"

In the cruel and cutthroat game of heteronormativity, the girl/woman is the prize and reward you're entitled to for “winning the game”. And like in every game, you’re not only expected to claim your prize, but also to keep it. You’re not supposed to let others have her just as you wouldn’t share your sports trophy with the rival team. You need to protect your title (or, rather, your entitlement) from the “competition,” and in this case, the competition is literally anyone who wants to be in a relationship with Noelle and Kris.

Nothing epitomizes this principle more than the fact that making Soullelle a reality will affect every other pairing involving Kris and Noelle for the worse. And interestingly enough, pretty much all of those pairings are queer pairings.

For starters, take a look at Kralsei and Krusie. Thanks to their unwilling partnership with the Player, as well as with Carol and the Knight (assuming they’re not the same person), Kris has been put into an extremely compromised position, as they can’t be genuinely open to Ralsei or Susie. In Snowgrave, that position gets even worse thanks to the harm you’re inflicting upon them and Noelle. Because Kris cannot bear to tell Susie and Ralsei the truth about what is happening to them and to Noelle, or WHO is doing it, Susie and Ralsei can't give them the help and support they so desperately need. And because Kris isn’t being completely open to Susie and Ralsei, they and their relationships with them suffer as a result!

And of course, it’s that much worse for Suselle, especially in Chapter 4. The Holiday Manor scene is such a critical juncture, not just because of what it does for Noelle’s relationship with Susie, but also for her as a person, which is accomplished thanks to Susie. Things like telling Berdly to frick off and playing Dess’s guitar against her mother’s wishes play a hugely critical role in Noelle’s growth as a person, giving her the strength and courage to stand up for herself and up to her mother, allowing her to free herself from the problematic, people-pleasing mindset that her upbringing has instilled in her. But in Snowgrave, that doesn’t happen. If you hadn’t started the Weird Route in the first place Kris wouldn’t have needed to undo the damage you’ve done to Noelle, and if they didn’t need to do that, then Noelle wouldn’t have asked for Kris to talk alone with them in their room, which isolates them both from Susie and leaves both of them at your mercy. And the result is that not only do you deny Noelle the opportunity to build her strength, resolve, and relationship with her future girlfriend… you all but destroy it. And considering how she was THANKING YOU for putting the Thorn Ring back on her and was looking forward to seeing Kris, I think it’s safe to say that you’ve had an extremely detrimental effect on her relationship with Susie. I dread to see how things will play out when she sees Susie again next Chapter.

But even though your naval attack on these ships has left Krusie, Kralsei, and Suselle badly listing, they’re not completely dead in the water. Meanwhile, every ship involving Berdly has been completely capsized. I don’t feel too bad for Berdelle because that ship wasn’t exactly seaworthy if you catch my drift (forgive me for all the ship puns), but Kerdly is like top-tier yaoi! And thanks to you, it’s now doomed yaoi! Being frozen in Cyber World means he can’t admit his love for Kris over the phone in Chapter 4, and eventually realizes he had literally no chance with Susie and Noelle, and should’ve saved all of that rizz for the gamer of his dreams!

But of course all of that pales in comparison to the fate that befalls Kriselle. What makes Snowgrave so absolutely vile isn’t just that you’re forcing Noelle into a relationship with you. It's that you’re doing that while “role-playing” as someone else, using the love she has for Kris against her! Your heteronormative actions are like a carcinogen taking this perfectly healthy and perfectly queer relationship and mutating it into something nightmarish, toxic, and extremely harmful for the people in it. Regardless of whether or not Kris and Noelle have romantic feelings for each other, it’s very clear that they care about each other very deeply and want to be close again as much as they were before, if not more so!

[SIDE NOTE: if I might detour a little bit to offer my two cents on the whole aroace Kris debate, especially since I’m aroace myself. To be frank, despite all of the evidence presented by both sides, I honestly don’t think there’s any conclusive proof that it is canon, but I also believe there’s nothing that conclusively disproves it either. I know some argue that confirming Kris to be aroace would add a lot to Snowgrave's message/themes because, y’know, an aroace character being forced into a relationship with that disregards and erases their asexuality and aromaticism, which is something I can relate to as I’ve had to deal with my fair share of Allo/Amato/Heteronormative BS myself. But honestly, I firmly believe that the impact of Snowgrave wouldn’t be lessened in any way if Kris were pansexual, lesbian, or any other queer sexuality.]

As I said before, calling Snowgrave the “Kriselle Route” is a massive misnomer because what you're doing is ANTI-Kriselle, not pro-Kriselle!!! Instead of allowing these kids to discover, understand, and develop their feelings for each other; instead of being allowed to connect with each other on their own accord; instead of being allowed to rekindle their relationship and possibly develop it into something more ON THEIR OWN TERMS, you turn them into playthings to live out some cruel fantasy that not only disregards their consent and agency but also systematically erases their queer identities.

You destroy this perfectly healthy relationship JUST SO YOU COULD PRETEND TO BE IN ONE!!!

Chapter 7: Consummation

Artwork belongs to @hellspawnmotel

Now, before I begin, I just wanted to give you a warning that since I will be discussing the bedroom scene, I will be discussing the topic of SA. So just a heads up, as I will be discussing some heavy subject matter, not just SA, but also self-harm and self-destruction.

Now I’m sure some of you were wondering why there was even a discussion about SA in the wake of chapter 4’s release.

When the screen goes black after the Thorn Ring is forced back onto Noelle, a brief animation flashes for a moment: a rose losing its petals.

As most of you know, the term deflowering is used to refer to when someone has lost their virginity, and given the context of when this happens, you can see why this discussion of SA happened. I recommend checking out @hellspawnmotel as they have some very great dissertations on the subject.

Make no mistake, the horrific violence inflicted upon Noelle and Kris was not some random and spontaneous act of aggression. It was calculated, deliberate, and done with a very clear intent. And even though the imagery of a rose being deflowered has since been removed after an update, I do not think it’s a coincidence that Toby Fox chose to use that animation at that exact moment. Especially since your action and the effect it has upon your victims tie into the themes of heteronormativity.

In marriage there is this principle called consummation, and what it basically means is to make the marriage “complete” and “indissoluble” as the act makes the husband and wife “one flesh”. And the way consummation is typically accomplished… is through intercourse.

We see this theme being demonstrated in the terrible aftermath of this scene, where, after you force the Thorn Ring back upon her, she THANKS you. Not only that, but when Carol rings up Kris at the end of the Chapter, she’ll tell them that Noelle is looking forward to meeting them (much to Kris’s absolute horror).

Let me ask you something: why do you think that after you reveal yourself to Noelle, the SOUL doesn’t just immediately put the Thorn Ring into her? Why does it take its time responding to Noelle and reading her mind before it finally does so? Is it because the SOUL was unable to be quicker and more efficient? Or perhaps because... it WANTED to take its time.

Don’t you understand what this means? The SOUL doesn’t just not care about what it’s doing to Noelle… it enjoys it.

It gets a thrill of causing her distress. It revels in making her feel fear. It savours every moment in making her powerless.

An abuser strives to make their targets as powerless as possible as to ensure they have full control over them. And that’s exactly what the SOUL is doing to her. It’s reading everything she’s thinking and then giving you what you need to respond with to break her down.

Of course, the SOUL is not telling her the truth about what happened the day before so that she can get herself the help she needs; it’s telling her the truth to make her believe that there is no help coming her way. The whole time, there was not a single moment that you weren’t in control. That it wasn’t their dear friend doing some elaborate prank or some misguided plan to empower or protect her. It was YOU all along. And no one, NOT ANYONE, is going to help her, not her parents, her classmates, Susie, Kris, or anyone that cares about her. And by demonstrating the power to read her own mind, you show her that not even her own private thoughts are safe; that she’s not only unable to act for herself, but also that she can’t even think for herself. That she is completely and utterly within your power… just like Kris. And of course we cannot overlook Kris, as they’re no less of a victim in all of this.

Just as I believe the SOUL is conscious of what it’s doing to Noelle I also very much believe it is also aware of what it’s doing to Kris, it wants to do it, and enjoys doing so. The violence and all of the emotional abuse leading up to it isn’t just to reassert control over Noelle, it’s also to punish Kris for refusing to conform to it.

Because how dare they try to reclaim their life, their humanity, and their individuality. How dare they try to be an actual person instead of the empty RPG vessel for you to self-insert into for the sake of your power-fantasy. How dare they try to undo everything you’ve done to make Noelle yours by removing that Thorn Ring you worked so hard to get. How dare they try to reclaim their relationship with Noelle instead of letting you pretend to be in one with her.

You are above this insolent little freak in every conceivable way. They were given to YOU as your Vessel. YOUR PROPERTY. And it’s through your efforts and RPG heroics that Noelle should be the reward you're entitled to; the princess to be yours after completing the quest!

You can’t let this act of defiance go unpunished! You can’t let this flame of rebellion grow and burn away everything you’ve worked for! You can’t let this little shit COMPLETELY EMASCULATE you by claiming YOUR GIRL! You can’t afford let them make YOU the one who’s watching from the chair!

You need to reassert your dominance! You need to tighten your grip; press down your heel! You show them they are not above consequences!

So you punish them in the worst way possible. They tried to break her free, so you break her. And to make it hurt that much more you do it with Kris’s own two hands. And you make them watch every moment of it; make them witness every fruitless attempt Noelle makes to compose herself; make them hear every vain and desperate plea she makes to them.

As I said before, over the course of the Weird Route, your control has been growing like a cancer, becoming more vocal, more aggressive, more domineering. And here, the cancer mutates yet again.

Whatever resistance Kris could’ve mustered beforehand about why you made them say and do is now gone. The energy that radiates from Kris after you reveal yourself to Noelle and the way their body changes is meant to indicate that your control over them has reached a new echelon. They no longer have the smaller bit of control over their body. Their voice has been replaced by the cold, detached, and inhuman voice of the SOUL that Noelle found so terrifying. And all the dialogue options are provided by the SOUL itself.

Can you even begin to comprehend how terrible and painful it must be for Kris to have some nameless entity completely hijack their own person, and then make them watch helplessly as they use their own body to emotionally and physically abuse their closest friend? How do you think they felt hearing her say, “Didn’t you want to protect me?” knowing that they did, and it still wasn’t enough? How do you think they felt hearing her thank them after what you, the player, did to her?

And that brings us to the aftermath: the scene where they go all out on us in the washroom.

It’s hard not to feel some satisfaction watching them get back at you for the terrible things you’ve done and let out all of their rage onto us. But while we may feel satisfaction as their attacks on the SOUL indulge the hypocritical pity we feel for them and Noelle, for Kris, it’s literally killing them.

If you check the menu after Kris stops attacking the SOUL, you will notice an alarming detail: their attack on the SOUL has left their HP completely halved. They knew attacking the SOUL would hurt them, and yet they did it anyway. And remember, the only reason they stopped was that Asgore checked up on them.

It makes me think back to this moment from Hazbin Hotel:

And this scene from Nimona:

Just like Angel Dust, Nimona, and countless other victims of abuse, persecution, and oppression, they’ve endured too much for too long that they believe that self-destruction is the only way out of this. You’ve destroyed their and Noelle’s life so much that they feel like the only way to escape your control is to end their life. You’ve pushed them to the edge so much that they feel they have no choice but to jump off, because Kris has truly lost all hope of saving themselves and their loved ones. You’ve disempowered them so much that they feel like this is the only way they can truly guarantee the safety of their friends and family.

Of course they don’t want to make this truly awful choice! Of course they know this would break the hearts of everyone they care about! But what other choice do they have? What would happen if Noelle weren’t enough for them? What would happen if they set their sights on Susie, Ralsei, Asriel, their parents, their classmates, the Darkners, or anyone else in their hometown?! How would this entity retaliate against them if Kris tried to resist them any further, save Noelle, or tell anyone the truth of what’s happening? If they couldn’t protect Noelle, then how can they protect all of them?

Maybe Kris was hurting themselves and trying to end their life, not just to protect them from your control, but perhaps because they think it’s their fault. That they allowed this to happen because there is a part of them that wants this, and because of that, they deserve all of this

“This wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t visited her house. This would have happened if I hadn’t made Dess go missing. This would have happened if Mom and Dad had never adopted me.”

“Maybe what ERAM said before. Maybe the truth is that I wasn't completely powerless all along, and it just allowed it to happen because there truly is a part of me that enjoys this. Maybe I pulled all of those pranks on Noelle because I actually do like seeing her afraid and hurt, and that’s why I’m allowing this to happen now. Then she was right to stop being my friend. Maybe Susie was right back then. Maybe when I disappear, everyone will finally realize how happy they were without me. Noelle, Mom, Dad, Azzy, Susie, Ralsei, everyone.”

And to think that only a moment ago, when they looked at themselves and Susie in the mirror of their own house, they were thinking that no matter what happened, whoever they were, things were going to be okay.

Conclusion

So… there you have it. That’s the end of my little essay. Well, maybe little isn’t is right word considering this is 7000+ words long, which for me is kinda funny as it’s longer than 90% the papers I’ve written for University.

But there’s so much I want to talk about regarding heteronormativity and Snowgrave. How Spamton matters in all of this and how his experiences and struggles shaped his pro-Snowgrave agenda. How the doomed yuri of Kriselle in the Weird Route contrasts with the not-so doomed yuri of Suselle and Krusie in the Normal Route. The complicity of Carol Holiday as she not only made Kris the golden child of her family, but also wants Kris to go out with her daughter. Not to mention how she embodies Snowgrave because she’s obsessed with the past and cold AF. Or how about heteronormativity’s relevance in the Deltarune fandom; how it manifests itself in things like those pugnacious memes about Noelle “watching from the chair” or how TERFs weaponize Snowgrave’s commentary on heteronormativity to attack Kriselle and its fans.

Perhaps I’ll talk about all that in due time, but I’m also very eager to hear what you have to say about this, whether it be in your comments, reblogs, and whatever original posts you make about the subject. At the end of the day, I have my own biases and limitations, so it’s never a bad thing to hear from some other perspectives!

And as I said before, you're free to share whatever insights, observations, or critiques you have to offer.

Perhaps I will revise this when each Chapter gets released, and like you, I’m dreading to see what will become of Snowgrave in the coming Chapters. After how the last Chapter ended, things will probably get worse before they get better.

But rest assured, they will get better. And despite everything, Kris and Noelle will find healing: for themselves, for each other, and for their relationship (with some help from the purple dinosaur they both have a massive crush on!)

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