#darkners

[internetskiff]

I've been thinking about Deltarune's graveyard a bit

For one this is very very clearly like.. Darkner setup. Whatever the religion practiced in the town is, it involves burying people with items that symbolize them in order to "Connect them to the divine". It's a bit funny, but I think this is basically the only time Lightner culture seems to even remotely recognize Darkners so far. A connecting thread between the two cultures however is the "Angel", but what is certainly odd is that while in the town's religion the Angel seems to be painted as a benevolent figure, Darkner legend very blatantly calls the three heroes to "banish the Angel's Heaven" - which implies it isn't a good thing, and gives this Angel entity an undertone of maliciousness I would say. Sort of parallels Undertale's meaning of the Delta Rune, where some monsters believed the Angel would wipe the Underground out, and others believed they would shatter the barrier, except in this case the ones who believe the Angel to be malevolent are also literal tools to be used by people who hold the exact opposite belief. I've seen people theorize that one of the Lightners is the Angel but my current theory is that The Roaring is the fountains opening some sort of gateway which will create a direct connection with this Angel entity. Perhaps it's a titan - hell, perhaps it's the central titan shown in the Roaring cutscene, - or perhaps the titans are it's servants. But I'm going off on a bit of a tangent. What's interesting to me is that the only time Darkners have been utilized in Lightner culture so far is in a ritual that quite literally involves burying them into the ground, into complete darkness where they're destined to eventually end up forgotten. Doesn't seem like Muttler's or Shyra's graves have been getting any bouquets over the course of the 2 chapters - hell, so far I don't think we have seen any monsters that could be Shyra's friends or relatives. Point being, how do Darkners with Shadow Crystals seem to come about? Perhaps 2 isn't exactly a pattern, but something both Jevil and Spamton share as a recurring theme in their plots is that they have both been forgotten and cast away into a place no one will find unless they know who and what they're looking for. An eye should definitely be kept on these graves, because I have a suspicion those objects aren't going to stay buried for long.

[raregildraws]

I love Ralsei more everyday

[auroraborealis43210]

A bunch of darkners

[pixelthetoons]

Goofy Darkner concepts!!

[damiel-of-real]

darkners based off shit i can see around me

[deltaruneinfuturetimes]

Darkners

Darkners are interesting beings. Being objects, and being brought to life with the will of a FOUNTAIN. However, those FOUNTAINs that brought them back to life no longer exist. Yet they still reside... in a place not known by many. Something not known by people is that Darkners cannot physically age. ... Sort of.

A young Darkner, can age physically. However, once reaching adulthood, they cannot age, keeping them in the same form until the end of time. This applies to Darkners who were already adults, too. They might not be able to age physically, but they still age mentally. (Best way to look at it with this is pretty much Toriel and Asgore in Undertale where they cannot age) ... This rule does not apply to one specific Darkner, though. The "King" Of Darkness. While other Darkners cannot age physically past a certain point, Ralsei, The "King" Of Darkness, can. However, he does not perish, he just keeps aging. And eventually...

He grows in size, to the point of being as big as a TITAN. Previous Darkners, from many many many years ago, still remain, due to them not being able to age physically. Do ALL of them survive? There's no way of confirming that... > END OF LOG.

[boytoyforever]

You know, me and my friends on discord did a small GameTheory ™ about what chapter 3 could be for Deltarune, and one of them said the secret boss could be a flower, specifically a rose, be there was a bouquet of them in their trash can, but I think it would be nice if because of the small changing of the flavor text of what is in Asriel's dresser when picking different save slots could change the secret boss

[petra-creat0r]

Phrög.

[dkniade]

Deltarune’s Darkners are like, personifications of objects but with lots of existential dread and cosmic horror huh

I’ve played a bit more of Deltarune and I wonder if I should make a Darkner OC haha (tbh the creation/creator theme already exists in many of my OCs so it wouldn’t be difficult)

[sonyashnik]

Hey guys

What about to start this year with darkner,who in light world is a dreamcatcher

[raregildraws]

Fun fact about me: If I was a Darkner in Deltarune, my Light World item would most likely be a well loved cat toy

[auroraborealis43210]

Dice Darkners. Their friends with the Switch Darkners.

[thekitsdontwork]

So, others have already observed this, but I want to get my thoughts down...

The relationship between Lightners and Darkners mirrors the relationship that we, the players, have with the game.

Darkners are not real in the same way Lightners are. They tend to be simpler, sillier, have easier problems to deal with. On some level they exist to serve Lightners, not as a subjugated class of people like we might find in the real world, but rather in the same way the toys in Toy Story serve their kids. This comparison was explicitly called out in the Spamton Sweepstakes.

But this lack of realness doesn't mean we can't care about them. No, the Darkners are still very important to the Lightners, and interacting with them makes Suzie and Kris's lives better in the real world. Bonding over the dark world builds a friendship between them that continues after the game is over. It's a positive, transformative experience.

That's the exact same dynamic that we have with Deltarune. Kris and Suzie, Noelle, and all the others aren't real. But being fictional doesn't mean they aren't important, and that doesn't mean they don't matter. Haven't we all been changed for the better by knowing them?

And I actually think that this is a concession to the fanbase, post-Undertale. You see, a big part of Undertale, thematically, is the need to let go of fictional worlds and characters once their time is done. The game characterizes excessive attachment to fiction as sinister. The inability to let go leads us to the Genocide route. But in Deltarune, we find a counterpoint: a model of healthy attachment to fiction.

[damiel-of-real]

darkners based off maths equipment

[sseitansatan]