[The cut away the fat, so to speak. Trim things down. Pare them to something easily understood. Speak frankly, because they've already served as the linchpin that will kill him; what more could they possibly do to contribute?]
You forgave them. They will never forgive themselves, nor will they believe that you have chosen to forgive them freely and without purpose. Because they have learned to live in a world where all things are conditional, and thus, not even forgiveness is deserved.
[So why did he choose to forgive them?
Because it made him feel better. Because it granted him the illusion that, for a brief moment in time, he could feel as though he had done the right thing. He could feel good and terribly nice about himself.
Forgiveness, like love, is a selfish emotion.
It always will be.]
No attempt to forgive humanity will ever lessen what they are and what they've done. It will do nothing; nothing but grant me the pointless illusion that, for one moment in time, I've achieved some manner of enlightenment and become an acceptable sort of victim.
What do I possibly stand to gain in lying to myself?
[The sort of person who goes from an irritant to something admirable. Because an angry child is to be scorned, to be feared, their trials to be dismissed. You're making things up for attention, Chara. You shouldn't lie to grown-ups, Chara.
Perhaps it did make me feel better. But I didn't do it for me. Say what you will, but I really didn't. I did it because I don't want to see Asriel hurt. He's just a child.
[He can't say Frisk--he hasn't tried hard enough with them. When they had been caught in the madness of their own disk-tampering, he'd backed off. No...no, he hadn't just backed off. He'd run away because they intimidated him.
...He owed Frisk more than that, but at the moment, one friend at a time was all he could aspire to.]
As for you, I don't want you to forgive humanity. I would not ask such a thing of you, because you sound as if you have a reason for hating them. That reason is not my business. But clearly you have it. I think that if you decided, not to lie to yourself, but to accept that not every single person is cut from the same negative cloth...you might find yourself surprised.
[After that point, the robot lets his eye slip shut. He's tired. Talking about things like this was exhausting in a way that being constantly plugged in wouldn't alleviate. He will still listen, of course.]
It's louder, this time, more earnest. They laugh, the sound ripped from their throat, churning in their stomach. Why don't you try not being a horrifying abomination formed from determination and pure hatred? Why don't you just open your eyes, and stop being so unreasonable, Chara? What an unfortunate, ridiculous thing that silly demon and their irrational hatred of everything is, getting in the way of everyone having a nice and productive life!]
How very enlightened of you, sir! I'll get right to work on improving my negative mindset!
[At any other point, Mettaton might meet their sarcasm with his own, escalating the situation into something regrettable. But not this time. Instead, he keeps his response simple. And genuine.
He's not laughing. He does wait for them to finish though.]
You don't have to. You do not have to do anything that you don't want to, least of all because I might want it from you. In the grand scheme...my opinions are not important enough to dictate your actions, Chara.
[His words are even quieter than before, though still audible.]
[They are the humble servant. They are warped by the world, and they become the thing it wishes of them. The demon. The instrument of its own destruction. The villain, playing the all-consuming role. The future of humans and monsters. The End to that future.
Clasped hands, staring over the edge of the cauldron to hell.]
[For a child who insists on following the expectations placed on them, Chara certainly does rebel quite often against those expectations. Hell, they rebel against themselves too.
It's so tiring to be in proximity to. Chara, please.]
Hell, the world is rather pointless nowadays anyhow.
[Haha, where the fuck did that come from? Though to be fair, the prerequisite of falling down is to actually be in that bad a mental state, so can he really be blamed for being so negative?]
[A perfect, painted smile. Practically scripted, ha ha. Because there are certain flags, are there not, certain triggers that generate trees upon trees of dialogue. And only in one are pointless worlds mentioned.
Not that he would know. Not that he should. But Mettaton has been inserting himself into all manner of narratives that do not concern him, these days. What's one more?]
It seems that you and I are in rare agreement there.
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no subject
[The cut away the fat, so to speak. Trim things down. Pare them to something easily understood. Speak frankly, because they've already served as the linchpin that will kill him; what more could they possibly do to contribute?]
You forgave them. They will never forgive themselves, nor will they believe that you have chosen to forgive them freely and without purpose. Because they have learned to live in a world where all things are conditional, and thus, not even forgiveness is deserved.
[So why did he choose to forgive them?
Because it made him feel better. Because it granted him the illusion that, for a brief moment in time, he could feel as though he had done the right thing. He could feel good and terribly nice about himself.
Forgiveness, like love, is a selfish emotion.
It always will be.]
No attempt to forgive humanity will ever lessen what they are and what they've done. It will do nothing; nothing but grant me the pointless illusion that, for one moment in time, I've achieved some manner of enlightenment and become an acceptable sort of victim.
What do I possibly stand to gain in lying to myself?
[The sort of person who goes from an irritant to something admirable. Because an angry child is to be scorned, to be feared, their trials to be dismissed. You're making things up for attention, Chara. You shouldn't lie to grown-ups, Chara.
But a peaceable one?
Why, they are an angel.]
no subject
[He can't say Frisk--he hasn't tried hard enough with them. When they had been caught in the madness of their own disk-tampering, he'd backed off. No...no, he hadn't just backed off. He'd run away because they intimidated him.
...He owed Frisk more than that, but at the moment, one friend at a time was all he could aspire to.]
As for you, I don't want you to forgive humanity. I would not ask such a thing of you, because you sound as if you have a reason for hating them. That reason is not my business. But clearly you have it. I think that if you decided, not to lie to yourself, but to accept that not every single person is cut from the same negative cloth...you might find yourself surprised.
[After that point, the robot lets his eye slip shut. He's tired. Talking about things like this was exhausting in a way that being constantly plugged in wouldn't alleviate. He will still listen, of course.]
no subject
It's louder, this time, more earnest. They laugh, the sound ripped from their throat, churning in their stomach. Why don't you try not being a horrifying abomination formed from determination and pure hatred? Why don't you just open your eyes, and stop being so unreasonable, Chara? What an unfortunate, ridiculous thing that silly demon and their irrational hatred of everything is, getting in the way of everyone having a nice and productive life!]
How very enlightened of you, sir! I'll get right to work on improving my negative mindset!
no subject
He's not laughing. He does wait for them to finish though.]
You don't have to. You do not have to do anything that you don't want to, least of all because I might want it from you. In the grand scheme...my opinions are not important enough to dictate your actions, Chara.
[His words are even quieter than before, though still audible.]
no subject
[They are the humble servant. They are warped by the world, and they become the thing it wishes of them. The demon. The instrument of its own destruction. The villain, playing the all-consuming role. The future of humans and monsters. The End to that future.
Clasped hands, staring over the edge of the cauldron to hell.]
no subject
[For a child who insists on following the expectations placed on them, Chara certainly does rebel quite often against those expectations. Hell, they rebel against themselves too.
It's so tiring to be in proximity to. Chara, please.]
Hell, the world is rather pointless nowadays anyhow.
[Haha, where the fuck did that come from? Though to be fair, the prerequisite of falling down is to actually be in that bad a mental state, so can he really be blamed for being so negative?]
no subject
Not that he would know. Not that he should. But Mettaton has been inserting himself into all manner of narratives that do not concern him, these days. What's one more?]
It seems that you and I are in rare agreement there.