re: the "transforming into an item to free himself" post, I always thought there was a pretty stark difference in the messages from NEOs pacifist and violent route endings, even if the text's the same. In both cases, Spamton gifts Kris his 'strength' - but in the route where he accepts their friendship and resolves to work together to reach his freedom, his 'strength' is the Dealmakers: An item representing his ability to reach out and form deals - to form connections - especially the ones he made with Kris. Ultimately, a strength based around all the effort he spent to work towards his goals and how he never gave up, even in hopeless situations. In the route where he tries to call on more and more power until the NEO body explodes, violently, (ultimately proving he's fated to be weak without someone else's help) - his `strength` is the PuppetScarf: The strings that held him in place, reaching down to bind him, something external - something he had no control over. A strength based on acceptance of success + failure as something granted by a third party - he's implying the only strength he has, the only thing that made him strong at all, is those strings. Makes you wonder if PuppetScarf Spamton really broke out of what trapped him by becoming an item, or if he just lost hope... I could be reading too much into the throwaway post-boss items, tbh. I mean, its not like your choices matter in Deltarune. ... right?
ooo that’s a good point. I think you’re right about “puppetscarf Spamton” completely giving into his fate.