Talk:Chara/@comment-27613007-20160115041135

I kind of don't buy into the theory that Chara is just a horribly misunderstood child that grew up to hate humans and wanted revenge. It just doesn't make sense both in terms of what we learn in the game and the way the story of Undertale works. Wall of text incoming. Sorry for that. Spoilers and possible bad English ahead!

First off, there is no ingame hint that Chara/the Fallen Human has ever suffered through injustice at the hand of humans or monsters and therefore has some sort of relatable motive for wiping out all of humanity. The one and only thing that could possibly be interpreted in that way is what Asriel says at the end of the ruins: that they never talked about the reason why they hated humanity so much. Saying that this hate must have been the result of trauma is a bit of a stretch, though. It might just have been an inherent quality Chara's been born with, they might not have been able to vocalize their thoughts, or they simply didn't want to draw attention to that fact, so that they could maintain their facade of an innocent child and keep plotting undisturbed. There are considerably more hints that they are a textbook sociopath, though, and all that happened when they were actually alive. They do not feel love or empathy. They use other people as pawns to achieve their goals, even if it means taking over their very being. (-> when Asriel absorbed Chara's soul, they tried to take over their combined body with no regard to what would happen to Asriel. And being a passenger in your own body that does horrible things is some major nightmare fuel.) That kind of malicious, incredibly callous and calculating behavior just doesn't look like something a hurt and vengeful child would do to me. And just in case you wonder, it is possible for young children to exhibit those traits, in fact research suggests that sociopathy is already present at a very young age.

Next, there's the narrative and theme of the game. We already have one character that is conflicted, corrupted and more or less the helpless mind of a child trapped in a twisted, warped being, someone who tried to be nice and ended up being the destroyer of worlds out of sheer boredom or desperation. Yep, I'm talking about Flowey. And he does a damn good job at fulfilling that position in the cast. But I really see no reason why the story would need another character just like that.

As a villain, however, Chara makes perfect sense, and I think the story actually needs this kind of "pure destructive evil" in order to have the impact it has. The underlying message of the game is that our decisions matter, not who we are now, and that our actions decide who we turn out to be in the end (Are you a Frisk? Or Chara?). Even in the Genocide Route some monsters will tell you that you can still choose to be a better person, and that they believe in you. Unless you choose to continue to the point where you become the ultimate evil, and, well, that's when Chara takes over the control and you can only watch in silence while the story comes to the most horrific end...

Last point... well, it's more of a personal remark, kind of. Feel free to skip this paragraph as I'm more or less rambling by now. Anyway: I've grown pretty weary of people reading mental disorders or abuse into characters' backstories in order to make them more relatable, or to find an excuse for the way they behave, or because it gives you more feels than someone who's just being a huge a'hole for the hell of it. Yes, those people do exist. And at any rate: being a victim doesn't give you a free pass at being a perpetrator, and it doesn't make you an awe-inspiring someone who deserves pity no matter what. The things that do make you an interesting, relatable person are the choices you make, regardless of who you are. I think that's pretty great actually, because it means that whatever you had to go through, you are free to choose something better for your future. If you deliberately decide to cause grief and havoc, though... there really isn't much that can be done about you, I guess.