So, something I've been thinking about is how the mantle holder handles the fight and the dialogue surrounding obtaining the Shadowmantle, combined with the materials from the thank you arg, and mantle holder's interacting with Kris are... interesting.
Kris... oh... Kris...
Is it fun, Kris?
Playing around like this...
That's why you're searching for them, aren't you?
The SHADOW CRYSTALs...
... and the SHADOW MANTLE that I'm holding!
Do you honestly think it'll get you what you want...?
... no, part of you is just... enjoying this, isn't it?
(note that the parts bolded here only are said if you already did the Weird Route in 2.) -> The same part of you that enjoyed yesterday.
Knowing you could say it wasn't really you.
Oh, don't make that sour face.
I can see in the dark, you know!
The question is...
Can you?
And then, the post fight conversation!
There! That's what I wanted to see!
Flickering red, like pretty little flames...
Your eyes can't hide it, Kris. Without play...
The knife grows dull.
Haha... well, enough of that! We both have work to do!
So if you want this MANTLE, hurry up and take it...
If you can reach it!
The fact the mantle holder gives you something that helps a good amount against The Knight, the fact the voice/gaster actively hints at the fact you can obtain it if you lose a lot:
YOU ARE MISSING
SOMETHING
IMPORTANT.YOU WON'T WIN
LIKE THIS.STILL...
WILL YOU
PERSIST?
There's something that is very fascinating about the general 'Kris is working with the Knight' stuff when combined with the kind of... playful adversarial nature of the mantle holder, and especially with the 'We both have work to do.' thing.
That's the crux of it; with the way things are phrased, I'm actually... not entirely sure that The Knight is part of funny wingding's faction, despite the memes. If anything, when it comes to the shadow crystals, gaster/the voice seems extremely interested in the idea of you beating the knight! Like if you almost beat the knight and lose at the last second, he says this:
INCREDIBLE.
I FELT IT THERE
SHINING.
YOUR POWER.
A LITTLE FURTHER
Mantle holder's 'we Both have work to do' can be read as Kris working alongside the mantle holder, but... with how so much of the Thank You arg is handled, and how snide some of the responses there are, am I overthinking when I say that I could very easily read the 'both have work to do' thing is a snide 'yeah so unlike you Kris 'lets open a dark world in my house' Dreemurr, I have a JOB that isn't '1000 betrayals of Susie. kicks sand in your face, but the sand is cats.' dig at Kris' entire weird double agent thing. Still helps, still gives the mantle afterwards! But...
It feels a little spiteful. A lot of the mantle holder's dialogue is like that.
Either mantle is sarcastic and a little >:3 here, OR... I guess mantle holder could be Susie's strongest warrior, but the 'too late' response kind of dashes that for me, and the fact they lead you down the path a bit on the sword route also feels contrary.
People can feel free to throw in their two cents, btw, this is me thinking out loud a bit.
ME
