#krissociation

[deltarune-tomorrow]

Susie catches Kris ripping their soul and cautiously goes, “…that looked painful, dude.” The two response options are “scare her” and “reassure her”. When “Scare her” is chosen Susie responds, “it’s supposed to? …I think I get it” and when “reassure her” is chosen she says, “you DO IT ALL THE TIME??? HOW IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MAKE ME FEEL BETTER?!?!”

[abyssalmemorial]

The Deltarune fandom watching in abject horror as the game ends with Kris processing their trauma and accepting the soul, a mere representation of their cognitive dissonance, as a true part of their identity (a decade has been wasted making player slander content when we could've been discussing Kris's character complexities).

[the-glitzy-hive]

hello krissociation nation

here is my magnum opus, aka my 18 page krissociation meta i wrote. thank you to all krissociation believers on this site for helping me convert and gather my own personal feelings and thoughts about kris and deltarune as a whole. i hope my meta lives up to what the community has been sharing for a while. feel free to send me asks and questions if you so wish <3

thank you for reading!

[hectaradanger]

Depersonalization and Deltarune

So, just to start out, I'm not setting out to diagnose any characters, just to provide my own interpretation based on my own experiences and understanding. I have a lot of experience with dissociation, specifically depersonalization and derealization (DPDR). I won't go into depth about dissociation because I think it's pretty commonly understood at this point, but depersonalization is kind of like a product of chronic dissociation.

Dissociation is a tool. It's the brain's way of dealing with input that is overwhelming. It turns down the volume on the senses, emotions, and even perception of pain. It's a way of getting through the unbearable. It's typically a response to chronic stress, or trauma - if someone is going through a difficult situation, it can be a way of the brain easing the burden. But the difficult thing is that the brain can't be selective. When you get rid of the bad, you also tune out the good. We can't really decide when it comes and goes - in fact, trying to control it can often make things worse. And we can certainly see at this point where the trauma may have come from for Kris - a messy divorce, friends disappearing, bullying at school, a mother with problems with alcohol.

And here's where I think it closely ties into the themes of Deltarune. There is a weird phenomenon in DPDR where the body seems to act on its own. People describe it as feeling like a robot, or like there's someone else taking control of their actions. There's a quote in the book Overcoming Depersonalization Disorder by Fugen Neziroglu and Katharine Donnelly that I think of a lot when it comes to Deltarune (bold my own):

"When I'm around a group of people, it's like my brain checks out. I'm no longer there but somewhere slightly outside myself. I'm able to watch my reactions and to understand the feelings that should be there, but I suddenly feel that I don't have control over what I do. It's as if I've made a prior arrangement with my body about what it will do, as if my reactions are socially acceptable but aren't immediately coming from me. Feeling like you're not the one in control makes you feel that you're totally out of control, even if everything looks calm from the exterior."

So, thinking of the soul's relationship to Kris in Deltarune. It allows them to do things they ordinarily could not. They can seal dark fountains, they can shine their power on other party members to enable them to act. They can take damage. The soul can also do things that Kris may not want to do (or may not want it to do), such as in the case of the weird route. It's kind of like a Persona (the Jungian psychology concept and in the JRPG) - it takes the slings and arrows of life instead of you.

But dissociation has its costs. It runs your body at high stress levels. Your body is focused on survival. Your hunger and thirst levels go down. Your pain tolerance goes way up, and when you come back to normal whatever wear-and-tear you took without noticing will still remain. That's why whenever I see Kris absent the SOUL, it makes me think of what it can be like to come out of a dissociative state and all of your needs come flooding back. Your emotions return, you're likely in pain, you may be starving and will take whatever food you can get. And you still have a memory of all that you experienced during your dissociative episode - embarrassments, things said that you wish you could regret, it all comes flooding back. And then you might kick a trash can a dozen times.

Anyway, to reiterate I don't think that Deltarune is necessarily inspired by Toby one day reading the DSM-IV, but when it comes to human experiences it's helpful to remember that dissociation and depersonalization are a part of it - everyone has likely dissociated, and many people have likely had a time with depersonalization at least once in their lifetime. And while it can be interesting to theorize about who may have created the SOUL or what its grander purpose in the plot may be, despite its occult or science fictiony trappings, it touches on something that is very human, and that I've found very resonant with my own experiences, and has helped me to understand them.

[alicelufenia]

If I'm being honest, it feels like at this point the term "Krissociation" is just too far removed from what it really is to be usable. Not only does it describe just ONE take on a plural/system/dissociative Kris, but there are so many misconceptions, so much misinformation floating around, with so many people REFUSING to actually read what its proponents say, and instead make the wildest claims possible.

I mean for fuck's sake, people think it has something to do with JARUJARU for some reason? (by the way JaruJaru is a transphobic bitch and we don't condone a goddamn word he says)

It's why I, and the others on this blog/in this system, have been doing what we can to distance ourselves from the term. Instead we try to talk about a "Kris-focused Meta" that includes many different theories/readings/metanarratives that describe Kris's split relation to their SOUL, the only unifier is that, while they are not all strictly No Diegetic Player theories, they don't REQUIRE a diegetic player. All of our deltarune analysis centered around Kris and their SOUL is referred to as Kris Preservation Society (after the temp variable that holds the "Since chapter X" text on the stat screen). And this, likewise, is just ONE of many different Kris-focused analyses

Basically, we (ie., this system) are not using "one catchy name" to refer to all of this anymore, and instead approach each one as they are. Some focus on the existence of multiple narrators which relate to Kris's light and dark world forms. Others depict the SOUL as having an Angel/Devil Kris on their shoulders when making decisions. Others pay special attention to incorporating Gaster into the framework. Still others are okay with the player having a presence, but as an emotional connection to Kris's SOUL, rather than outright control. They're not all talking about the same things, or even interested in the same parts of the narrative, but it's all about centering Kris in the met

Edit: One thing I should have added before posting this. Everything we say here applies to this system's approach to analysis. It's totally fine if other people still want to use the term: in fact I linked to several of them above. Thanks for understanding

[mrjocrafter]

Krissociation Meta / Kris Preservation Society short reading list

Entries from the Infernocord Archives

[Editing note: I realized it could serve to get new people caught up to speed if I posted the Krissociation reading list I've been maintaining in the Infernocord Archives publicly.]

Infernocord Archives :// #meta-and-analysis

Title: Krissociation Meta / Kris Preservation Society Author: radicaldreemurrs Fandom: Deltarune Notes: An alternate lens through which to view the player/player character dynamic in Deltarune. Fixes a lot of the problems with the mainstream understanding of Deltarune. Links:

An Introduction to the Krissociation Meta by MrJoCrafter

[Notes: Here I really just go over most the basic rundown, but the real meat of this post is in the counter-arguments section, which I'm sure anyone interested could serve to read, especially before making an argument.]

An introduction to the Krissociation Meta and the Reversible 4th Wall by AliceLufenia

[Notes: @alicelufenia does an excellent job at conveying the emotional thesis behind Krissociation, more so than I could.]

Deltarune and You, analysis by normalest-lux-ever

[Notes: Ongoing, so far finished with Chapter 2. @normalest-lux-ever goes over the game, especially the narration, with a fine-tooth comb. The origin of the dual Kris narrators theory / Light and Shadow Kris.]

Kris and the Dissociative Self: A Krissociation Meta by the-glitzy-hive

[Notes: This is a really good read! I can't say enough good things about what @the-glitzy-hive did here.]

Tumblr posts tagged #krispreservationsociety by alicelufenia, chronological

[Notes: Lots of excellent ones in here.]

Tumblr posts tagged #krissociation meta by mrjocrafter, chronological

[Notes: Posts will repeat. Sorry about that. Also some of the arguments will get really stupid. You have been warned.]

Tumblr posts tagged #krissociation meta by abyssalmemorial, chronological

[Notes: If you're curious on questions like "how does Gaster fit into Krissociation" and other more lore-oriented questions, @abyssalmemorial has you covered. Read his other Deltarune theories too, while you're at it.]

"Krissociation" Meta Thread, Deltarune Unofficial Message Boards thread

[Notes: Read at your own risk. But an important piece of documentation nonetheless.]

[goddessofblood]

The Winter Newsletter sneak peak video is so fucking validating. I've been saying the Mike's are plural coded for a while but. The new cut scene makes it so explicit... i think watching it boosted my confidence in Krissociation from 90% to 99%. So excited for the next chapter.

[lylac-of-the-final-applause]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/69552401

Kris dissociates through an early morning