Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-29788596-20160906011125/@comment-25078513-20170513202330

We honestly don't know that much about Chara's motivations and true history, pre falling. I do think the 'flavor text' theory is a pretty strong one (plus fun) but there a few things that people draw from that that may not be totally accurate.

For instance, the previously mentioned video suggests the description of the ribbon proves she was abused. The description actually plays toward what we learn from the Library about how monsters attack and vulnerablity is attached to their emotions, their desire to hurt, and those of the person attacking them (EXP and LOVE also work this way. The less affected by violence you are the more you can take and dish out). Monsters ability to attack literally drops if they find you cuter. Could it also indicate she was abused on the surface? Maybe, but we don't know.

We do know she made some evil choices. We're given many hints, both subtle and explicit that something is fundamentally off with her, the creepy face she would make with Asriel, the way she hated humanity, the fact that she came up with that plan to kill herself and then, apparently, murder 6 humans (I suppose it's possible that Asriel and Chara might have planned to take already dying or willing human souls before they were attacked...but I doubt it). At the very least, Chara comes across as a very distrubed child. That doesn't mean she was hopeless had she survived to get help or some sort of demon child. But she clearly had issues the Dreemurrs simply didn't realize. She wasn't incapable of nice, loving gestures (that sweater, etc.) and a lot of flavor text does give her pause, like seeing the family frame photo in the genocide run.

I do agree that what she becomes at the end of the genocide route is not her 'default.' You the player 'teach' her that path. Still, it's through that path that she slowly gains control over Frisk and the game itself. She embraces the power that path gives her and ends up killing her adoptive family. You guide her down that path, but she goes along with it. Although she does call you out for your failure to see the consequences of your actions.

Of course if you don't take that path perhaps they do get a degree of redemption, seeing the better side of both monsters and humanity and the damage her own choices made.

Okay, I just referred to Chara as a she through most of the post before remembering the game refers to Chara as They in order to let the player fill in their own gender. I'm just...not going to go back and edit that post right now so forgive me.