[ Okay, so...that was unexpected. Dipper shoots Chara a look of mixed surprise and uncertainty. There's a lot he could ask about couched in that contextless vignette, but he has a feeling that won't get him anywhere. As curious as he is, the train of this conversation isn't about Chara's past.
He swallows, diverting his gaze back to their path. ]
I don't know. I'm sure they could, and would if you made the case strong enough for it. But that's not really the question you should be asking. Why do you hate humanity so much, anyway?
Everyone always asks me that. [ They blow out softly, focusing on their hands. ] They never like the answer, either. "Not all humans." You're not going to be any different.
To be fair, most people don't like hearing why someone thinks their entire race is horrible. [ Humanity had had its fair share of atrocities. He knows that. But it had done a lot of good things, too.
Somehow, he doesn't think that argument would work on them. ]
I'm not going to try and change your mind about it. I'm just curious.
[ And that's the honest truth. If Chara goes on hating humanity, it's all the same to him as long as they don't try to hurt any of his friends. He has no reason to suspect they would, though. ]
[ Well, that's unexpected. Chara reaches up to tug the golden heart locket out of their shirt, playing with it as they talk. ]
Humans don't care about anyone but themselves. They start pointless wars and fights, they pick on people they think are weaker so they can feel stronger, they turn a blind eye to things that seem too troublesome to them. [ This is probably all true of them, too, but Chara is the biggest hypocrite this side of the city. ] Even the ones that seem nice aren't. They're just waiting for you to slip up so they can stab you in the back or laugh in your face.
[ They're waiting for that particular one to happen with Frisk, with Hajime, with a number of other humans that've been remotely friendly to them. ]
[ He shoots a cursory glance at the locket. Must be something important to them from home. He can't exactly say they're wrong about their accusations. Humans were guilty of all those things. They turn a blind eye - this he knows too well.
But it's not that simple. Nothing is. ]
Uhuh. Sooooo, I guess that means you don't do any of that stuff, do you?
[ CHARA IS SUPER NICE AND PERFECT ALL THE TIME, RIGHT... ]
Nope. [ Or not to the extreme other humans do, in their mind.
The people who get on the wrong end of their stick deserve to be there, so to speak. ] That's why the king thought I'd be a good ambassador between monsters and humans.
I'm dead in my world, how do you think it worked out?
[ ...well. ] I figured he wanted me to be an ambassador--he called me "the hope of humans and monsters," it's really dumb--but it never would've happened. Monsters were sealed under the mountain after they understandably lost a war to humans. [ Chara tightens their grip on their locket, narrowing their eyes. ] In my world, a monster's strength is based on how much they want to fight you. After a time, they just want to stop, either because their foe is too strong for them--and humans usually are, our SOULs just are--or because they never really wanted to fight in the first place.
Anyway, there's a barrier thanks to that war all that time ago. A monster would need a human's SOUL to pass through it, since theirs isn't strong enough, and they'd need a good many more to actually break it.
And we were gonna get them, and free the monsters, and kill every single human in the world, just me and Asriel, and then monsters could live on the surface without fear-- [ ah, there it goes again.
They hush up, lips pursing, and tuck the locket back under their sweater. ]
I don't know what the king was thinking, saying I was a hope for humans and monsters, since nothing can get through that barrier without a little help.
[ He listens intently, mind whirring like its putting together a puzzle and Chara lays down the pieces. The context explains some things, and he can start to glean why they might hate humanity so much, if they were raised by monsters who were oppressed by humans like that. It's a story the begs the obvious question - if Chara was a human, how did they get into the monster kingdom in the first place? But there's something more immediate he wants to ask.
He stops walking. They're close to the camp now, but he figures once they get there, Chara will stop being so chatty. ]
[ He'd be right; they'd clam right up, and they'll probably be hunkering down away from him and his friends until they're good enough to go off on their own again.
Relying on humans doesn't settle well with them, still. Chara stops short of him, glancing over. ]
A powerful SOUL, like a human's. Boss Monsters have pretty strong SOULs, but they're still no match for one of ours. [ Ours. ] A normal monster's wouldn't work because it disappears right after they turn to dust, but both boss monsters' and humans' persist for a few seconds after death...
but neither of them would ever kill a human, especially not when the only human they had was one of their beloved children. [ Them, adopted and kept safe. ]
...and he wanted more answers, because he knows they won't be talking anymore when they reach it. Chara gives him a Look and starts ahead again, head raised up like a prideful little shit. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
He swallows, diverting his gaze back to their path. ]
I don't know. I'm sure they could, and would if you made the case strong enough for it. But that's not really the question you should be asking. Why do you hate humanity so much, anyway?
[ Aren't they human, too? ]
no subject
Everyone always asks me that. [ They blow out softly, focusing on their hands. ] They never like the answer, either. "Not all humans." You're not going to be any different.
no subject
Somehow, he doesn't think that argument would work on them. ]
I'm not going to try and change your mind about it. I'm just curious.
[ And that's the honest truth. If Chara goes on hating humanity, it's all the same to him as long as they don't try to hurt any of his friends. He has no reason to suspect they would, though. ]
no subject
Humans don't care about anyone but themselves. They start pointless wars and fights, they pick on people they think are weaker so they can feel stronger, they turn a blind eye to things that seem too troublesome to them. [ This is probably all true of them, too, but Chara is the biggest hypocrite this side of the city. ] Even the ones that seem nice aren't. They're just waiting for you to slip up so they can stab you in the back or laugh in your face.
[ They're waiting for that particular one to happen with Frisk, with Hajime, with a number of other humans that've been remotely friendly to them. ]
no subject
But it's not that simple. Nothing is. ]
Uhuh. Sooooo, I guess that means you don't do any of that stuff, do you?
[ CHARA IS SUPER NICE AND PERFECT ALL THE TIME, RIGHT... ]
no subject
The people who get on the wrong end of their stick deserve to be there, so to speak. ] That's why the king thought I'd be a good ambassador between monsters and humans.
no subject
Wait, there's a kingdom of monsters where you're from? [ Hnnnnng he wants to ask more about he needs to know everything about a monster kingdom-
KEEP IT TOGETHER, PINES. ]
How'd that work out? Being an ambassador, I mean.
no subject
[ ...well. ] I figured he wanted me to be an ambassador--he called me "the hope of humans and monsters," it's really dumb--but it never would've happened. Monsters were sealed under the mountain after they understandably lost a war to humans. [ Chara tightens their grip on their locket, narrowing their eyes. ] In my world, a monster's strength is based on how much they want to fight you. After a time, they just want to stop, either because their foe is too strong for them--and humans usually are, our SOULs just are--or because they never really wanted to fight in the first place.
Anyway, there's a barrier thanks to that war all that time ago. A monster would need a human's SOUL to pass through it, since theirs isn't strong enough, and they'd need a good many more to actually break it.
And we were gonna get them, and free the monsters, and kill every single human in the world, just me and Asriel, and then monsters could live on the surface without fear-- [ ah, there it goes again.
They hush up, lips pursing, and tuck the locket back under their sweater. ]
I don't know what the king was thinking, saying I was a hope for humans and monsters, since nothing can get through that barrier without a little help.
no subject
He stops walking. They're close to the camp now, but he figures once they get there, Chara will stop being so chatty. ]
What kind of help?
no subject
Relying on humans doesn't settle well with them, still. Chara stops short of him, glancing over. ]
A powerful SOUL, like a human's. Boss Monsters have pretty strong SOULs, but they're still no match for one of ours. [ Ours. ] A normal monster's wouldn't work because it disappears right after they turn to dust, but both boss monsters' and humans' persist for a few seconds after death...
but neither of them would ever kill a human, especially not when the only human they had was one of their beloved children. [ Them, adopted and kept safe. ]
So I took matters into my own hands.
[ ... ]
Why'd we stop?
no subject
How did they take matters into their own hands to get through the barrier? He can hazard a guess, but...
Ah, well, shoot. If he wanted to ask more, he might have missed his chance to now. ]
Uh. Camp's just past that street sign.
no subject
...and he wanted more answers, because he knows they won't be talking anymore when they reach it. Chara gives him a Look and starts ahead again, head raised up like a prideful little shit. ]
Then let's get going, Pines. I'm tired.
no subject
Right. Whatever.