starlightshore:

hey toby explain if the spiders are monsters. explain if the snails are monsters because some DO seem to be monsters. we know some are absorbed by asriel, they have to be monsters unless you’re implying animal snails have souls that got absorbed? no? i didn’t think so. at least some are monsters right? what is going on there. what is happening. is muffet a cannibal. are the snails monsters. is it cannibalism if toriel eats monster snails or is this a animal hierarchy situation like how fish eat smaller fish. these questions haunt me i hate this

i think what constitutes whether or not a creature is a monster is whether or not they have physical matter vs magic. monsters are made up entirely of magic which is why they turn to dust when killed. we know from flowey that the dust can leave an imprint on things. i propose this.
the snails and spiders ARE real snails and spiders, but theyve been given some small level of awareness due to magic but they are not monsters as they are composed of physical matter.