Hello!

So after reading the new outline for the Frisk FP Route, ____ and I both had multiple concerns that we found difficult to consider how to address, as the need to explain the reasoning behind each is rather high. We greatly appreciate you taking the time to look over this, and hope that our concerns can be addressed regarding the changes that have been made.

For the sake of coherency, this treatise can be split into three sections in which we have questions regarding the handling of the characters, plots, and events: Main Character Involvement, Development of Frisk and Chara, and Treatment of Mental Health. On both in-story and out-of-story levels, all three subsections contain important insights into why neither of us are comfortable writing this plotline.




Main Character Involvement

Upon looking over the outline, there appears to be a distinct lack of MC involvement and means of affecting the story.

Multiple events rely upon the MC assuming that Chara is the source of Frisk’s stress and problems. This takes away from the player input, as many may wish to approach this from another angle, such as focusing on Frisk’s wellbeing first and foremost. Additionally, the only point in which the MC has interaction with Chara is an optional event, meaning that their level of influence on Chara is unseen, and much of the major conflict remains implied or completely dark.

The MC is meant to be, presumably, the catalyst for the conclusion of Frisk’s arc. Yet there appears to be very little in the way of what they actually do to provide said catalyst. This leads into our next point.




Development of Frisk and Chara

Frisk seems to have very little autonomy in their own story, and the same could be said for Chara. This entails some inconsistent characterization on the part of Frisk, who evidently simply needed to have a heart-to-heart with Chara to resolve their story. Yet on that note, why is the child who has faced warriors and kings afraid to address Chara directly and talk them through their problems? Why is the child who excels at diplomatic solutions to violent problems and talking things through having such trouble with this particular person?

The route also takes the approach that allowing Frisk to deal with their problems alone is the correct choice, rather than taking into consideration that, whilst aged up, they are still a child. This also contradicts the source material’s central theme, in which Frisk helped most of the main cast confront their problems by helping them through them with understanding and compassion. Requiring the MC to force Frisk into facing their problem alone seems contradictory, and also ties into the last point we have.

The characterization of Chara, likewise, suffers in this rewrite. As mentioned before, there is a lack of leeway for the player to interpret Chara however they wish which reflects on the choices of the MC. In attempting to not involve fanon interpretations at all, the interpretation of Chara presented to the player still resides very solidly in the territory of fanon. A character such as them is very vague and much of their characterization is hidden in the game, but extreme readings of them such as “malevolent demon who did everything wrong” or “innocent angel who did nothing wrong” are still very much based in fanon. There is very little to indicate that Chara is capable and/or willing to “hijack” Frisk’s body and force them to do bad deeds, even if we completely nix the potential influence of the Player upon Chara’s actions. Referring to them as a “psychopath” has no basis in canon, as well as being potentially damaging to those who struggle with mental illness.

This lack of consistency carries on between scenes and even in the same scenes. Frisk’s pronouncements of Chara as a horrible person and influence clash with their evident desire to have them gone. There is no clear line for the train of thought here. If they kept Chara around for company, this implies a sense of loneliness - and yet, as the MC assists Frisk in sneaking out and visiting the people the know in Snowdin, such is not the case. If they felt obligated to try and understand Chara and express compassion for them, why do they treat them as a burden and not speak to them often enough to reach an understanding?

Additionally, there is a profound lack of balance between Frisk and Chara;  As noted above, Chara appears to the MC in one scene alone (Event 7), which is optional. Interactions shown between Chara and Frisk (Event 9) shows only them arguing, and does not align with Frisk painting Chara in a kind light during event 11. This is further confused by Frisk’s excitement at Chara being gone- or as stated to the MC, “cured”.




Treatment of Mental Health

In particular, we are in equal agreement that the treatment of mental health, given the youth of much of Undertale’s fanbase, is an issue that cannot be emphasized enough.

Our major concern is that the overall outline relies upon the interpretation of Chara as a malevolent “illness” that can be cured, which has several concerning determinants in regards to how it would affect both the characters and the overall story. For Frisk, it implies that this illness is the sole, detrimental factor in their life that, once treated, has no lasting effect on them. Whilst under the influence of this illness, however, the MC is allowed to view these issues as a reason to “monitor” them on a 24 hour basis, as well as consider them untrustworthy, or incapable of making their own decisions.

Given how well issues of mental health - including depression, anxiety, suicide, and more - were handled in the source material, these issues are particularly glaring. As the fandom has developed, there are large pockets who address the fact that Frisk and Chara are both implied to have dealt with abuse, abandonment, neglect, or some supremely unhappy surface life prior to climbing the mountain, and many fans of both characters connect and relate to them due to these implications. The potential to trivialize any issues Frisk may deal with by making them the result of Chara’s influence, even if unintentional, cannot be overlooked. With this in mind, it remains important to us both that mental health is treated with compassion and understanding, even in spin-off material.




Lastly, both ____ and myself would like to state how much we adore the original outline shown to us for the Frisk/Chara FP route. This outline showed great respect to both the characters and the diversity of perspectives people may have regarding Chara; whether they are good, evil, or neither.

Whilst there were certainly gaps that needed to be filled, the level of characterization given to Frisk thus far held a great amount of potential in filling them, as there were a variety of issues that hadn’t been addressed. Frisk’s personality over all- their likes, dislikes, hopes, dreams and fears, had hardly begun to be touched upon. It is also startling and somewhat saddening to see that the MC’s level of impact has been greatly affected by the changes made; the outline given thus far has a linearity that seems unbudging for the MC to attain completion of the FP route, and relies upon the player to choose options that at times may hold some bias, or uncomfortable connotations to how mental health should be treated..

The greatest concern for us is the way in which mental health has been treated, and the potential impact this may have on younger players when mental health is already addressed in a constantly negative light by the media. Both of us have advised that we are comfortable in writing situations involving abuse and suicide, however, neither of us feel that we could write the plotline given due to the inaccuracies about mental health, and the potential impact it could have on viewers. Part of this is our own involvement in these issues, as Daine is an accredited suicide counsellor, and the both of us have personal history involving mental illness and how such a portrayal can have great impact on the people who view it.

As it has not been explained to us why there was need for the FP route to be rewritten, it is entirely understandable if the plot initially provided cannot be utilized anymore. However, the issues we have brought up above are difficult in the matter of how uncomfortable we are in addressing them, and neither of us are willing to write the plot that has been produced.