Apparently if you want to be a pro speedrunner in Deltarune, it’s imperative that you utilize a technique called “Lesbian Skip.” What’s the deal with that? It’s very straightforward actually.
During the final day of Awesome Games Done Quick 2022, the online speedrunning charity event, speedrunner Shayy utilized the curiously named strategy at around the 22-minute mark of his Deltarune run. Obviously, a strategy with a name like Lesbian Skip begs for further explanation.
In chapter two of Toby Fox’s 2018 RPG Deltarune, Kris, the game’s main protagonist, is approached by ally/healer Ralsei and asked if they are curious about what happened to Susie, their tank. If you click the “Wondering ‘’ option, you view a scene where she saves Noelle, her not-so-secret admirer, from being attacked by werewires. What follows is a romantic scene of the pair riding a ferris wheel in Cyber City, where the tsundere Susie admits to showing favoritism toward Noelle because she gave her a candy cane pencil on the first day of school.
It’s a great scene that a lot of players enjoy. But as the phrase “lesbian skip” suggests, speedrunners should air on the side of indifference and choose “Don’t Care” when answering Ralsei’s question. Which is not to imply that speedrunners are heartless or don’t care about Susie’s well-being, but the werewire rescue and subsequent ferris wheel scene go on for roughly 10 minutes.
While a 10-minute lovey-dovey scene of two people who are obviously into each other might be must-see content in normal circumstances, it’s detrimental for speedrunning purposes.
Shayy agreed with this sentiment while demonstrating the technique’s usefulness and commiserating with Suselle shippers during his AGDQ speedrun.
“Unlike the main route, Lesbian Skip is actually mandatory here. We can’t ever watch what they do,” he said. “The game doesn’t give us an option to, so that’s how you know that this route is absolutely pure evil.”