#evolved from there

[risky-witchy]

CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR DELTARUNE CHAPTERS 3 and 4

Long ass post using the Deltarune OST and motifs as a basis for theories, specifically about Dess, her relationship with Kris, and the implications of what it all means

This might be all over the place but I have to get all of this out somewhere. This is a working theory and includes the theory that Dess is the Knight, however I do not go in depth into that part of the theory

Thinking about the Deltarune OST, specifically Raise Your Bat. This is the song that you play with Susie and Ralsei in the Lightners Live band minigame. In the segment directly before you play this minigame, Tenna brings up December and calls her a ‘musical prodigy’, and even jokes about bringing her back. There are very few times Dess gets name dropped in all of Deltarune, and I don’t think that it’s a coincidence that she gets mentioned right before you play a song called Raise Your Bat, given that elsewhere in the game you can find a picture with December in it, holding a bat and that the Knight has what looks like a bat as a weapon. My theory is that Tenna brings up Dess before this song plays because Dess is the one who wrote the song. There’s a specific lyric ‘and your futures lost its rights’ that could be referencing Dess and her potential role as the Knight, and the whole Prophecy Has Been Foretold, No Escape type thing.

I had to go back and look at the lyrics because every time I play the minigame I get too focused on doing good lol BUT for the most part, Ralsei changes the lyrics after remarking that they might be ‘inappropriate’, which is another reason why I think Dess wrote the song. However, there is a specific set of lyrics that don’t get changed:

‘Come follow me into the dark, with your heart as the ark which shall shine you the way // Because I’m with you in the dark with your heart as my mark which shall guide you the way, through the waves’

We have heard some of these lyrics before, in Don’t Forget, the song that plays in the end credits of chapter one, and the last song on chapter one’s OST. ‘I’m with you in the dark’ is used in both songs and interestingly enough, the melody that is sung with these lyrics are from the melody of Lost Girl, from chapter 2. What’s even MORE interesting is that the specific section of Lost Girl that is sampled is the section that contains Gasters Theme.

If my theory about Dess writing Raise Your Bat is correct, then this would draw a connection from Dess to Don’t Forget, potentially with Dess being the one who sings it. Musical prodigy, after all. I feel like this has basis because Don’t Forget isn’t in the play through of the game, but the end credits. It feels akin to the unused text you can find in the code of the game, there but overlooked. Dess is trying to communicate in whatever way she can, but she’s lost in the game itself. I think further evidence of this is the appearance of Gasters theme in Raise Your Bat, as he is also ‘lost’ in the game, a character who once existed but has disappeared from some tragedy.

Now, here’s where things get very theory heavy, and rely based on my own ideas of how things fit together. Hear me out. The full lyrics of Don’t Forget are as follows:

‘When the light is running low, and the shadows start to grow, and the places that you know seem like fantasy // there’s a light inside your soul that’s still shining in the cold with the truth, the promise in our hearts. Don’t forget, I’m with you in the dark.’

Now, may I call your attention to the end of chapter 4, if you aren’t doing the weird route:

Based on both of these lines being paralleled beautifully to Don’t Forget, if Dess truly is the singer in Don’t Forget, then this implies that Dess is the Knight. It also implies that Dess and Kris made a promise to each other, and I think it revolves around Noelle and the prophecy. That would also mean that Dess and Kris knew about the Dark World before the events of Deltarune chapter one occur.

We the player do not know the whole prophecy. Ralsei knows it all, Susie knows the end, and we might assume that Kris does not know the end because we the player do not get to see it. However I think Kris knows much more than they are letting on. Chapter 4 implies that Kris could have a preexisting relationship with the Knight and may be actively working with them, based on us overhearing the phone call in the Holiday’s kitchen, as well as the scene when fighting the Knight, if it’s a no hit run, Kris will cough, the Knight turns, and the fight ends. This all falls into place if the Knight really is Dess. Kris and Dess have made some kind of promise, and are working together to do… something.

I have seen a few people talk about the prophecy in light of everything revealed in chapter 4, and how they believe that Susie is not the intended hero of the prophecy but rather Noelle. the silhouette we see of ‘the girl’ the prophecy mentions has been noted to also fit a silhouette of Noelle, and the description we see could easily apply to her. Noelle is clearly very important to the story and it’s highly likely she is the intended lightener, along with Kris, in the prophecy.

I think the promise Dess and Kris made was to protect Noelle from whatever terrible ending Susie saw and Ralsei knows. I think that they are working together to create a different ending, and Kris either can’t or doesn’t want to get anyone else involved, so they keep it to themselves, despite genuinely caring for both other members of their party. I think this is a reason why Kris gets so upset when we the player force them to go through with Snowgrave, because Kris knows what happens at the end, if Noelle is involved.

[pangur-and-grim]

[clumsypuppy]

wait for me

[chalkrub]

dinosaur in a lab coat - would you trust her with operating the centrifuge

[ohposhers]

shitpost based off of something that happened when I was watching my buddy play Chao Island smhhh

[leminaus]

red and vee :)

[demaparbat-hp]

In your Spitfire AU between Azula gaslight gatekeep girlboss attitude and Lu Ten II big puppy eyes they’re unstoppable duo

Woe betide those who stand in their way to greatness (aka Zuzu).

[starry-bi-sky]

im being hit with The Visions again

the Vision this time is a "homeless danny in gotham" au except its pre-robin Batman again because im on a batdad kick. --------------------

Danny finds a car.

Which-- isn't, like, anything super interesting or impressive. It's Gotham, it's a big city. There's cars on every corner, can't throw a stick without hitting one somewhere. And then setting off the alarm.

But-! It's a car, and it's past midnight-- or he thinks it might be past midnight, it's late enough to be. He doesn't have a watch and he left his phone at Vlad's; asshole put a tracker on it after the last time Danny ran off.

It's been over a month since, it's a new record -- last time it took just over two weeks for Vlad to find him and drag him back to the mansion. This time, Danny ran further. Left the state and everything. See how long it takes Vlad to find him now, hah.

People go missing all the time in Gotham.

Anyways-- there's a car, and it's midnight, and it's parked in an alleyway. Danny would've called it invisible with the way he pretty much trips over it, phasing through the wall of the building beside it and not watching where he's going, but it's not. So he doesn't.

Danny runs into the hood and nearly faceplants right into the darn thing with an 'oomph', hands catching himself on the metal as a flash of irritation flashes hot through his gut. It doesn't hurt or anything, but getting the wind knocked out of you sucks always, and he's tired and hungry, and as a result not in the best state of mind.

He's just about to sink his foot into the side of the wheel -- it wouldn't do anything, he's not that big of an asshole, but it's the principle -- when he stops.

Danny pauses.

He takes a step back, holding his hands out 'n' everything, and examines the car. He squints, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the darkness, considering the closest streetlight is twenty feet that way and positioned in a way that none of the light is hitting it.

Danny would not call himself a car guy. He doesn't think he counts, considering his size and lack of everything. But, but, he knows his way around a few cars, and he had an old obsession with older models when he was little that kinda petered out of existence after his accident. Had a bunch of little car models sitting on one of his shelves back in Amity, and Dad offered to get his hands on an old car for the two of them to fix up together so it'd be ready for Danny when he got his license.

...Anyways.

Point is: Danny can appreciate an old car, and this car has an older -- albeit obviously modified, if the matte paneling and plated wheels meant anything -- look to it. That kind of flat top went out of style years ago, and it's got this kinda rectangular look Danny doesn't see often these days on modern cars.

Other than the electrical cars, but he doesn't think those count. That's boxy, not rectangular.

Danny frowns, tilts his hands down, and leans back further as if that will let him get a better look at this thing. "...What model is this?" He mutters, it's hard to tell in this lighting.

Wait, he should see if there's anyone in the car. It's not running or anything, and nobody's come out to yell at him -- or shoot him -- but, still. People are crazy in Gotham, crazier than they've ever been in Amity. The last thing he needs to do is piss off some guy from the mob.

Danny peers into the window and-- there's no window, okay. Well, no window, and no driver. Some idiot left their car unprotected and without windows, in Gotham?

He pulls on the door handle just to be annoying -- it doesn't budge. Okay, maybe not that stupid. Especially since Danny didn't even see it until he was quite literally running into it.

So. Not that stupid.

Danny looks around warily, pulling his hoodie around him tighter, and then starts circling the car slowly. Like a vulture. No license plate; shocker. Hear how shocked he is? Clutching his pearls right now.

"Reinforced bumper. Cool." he says, er- whispers, really, quiet enough that it doesn't even echo. Danny squats in front of the car and runs his hands over the -- what, should he even call this a bumper? It's bigger than his head, and it's covering the grille. He picks at these... things on the side that remind him of leather straps. Probably to keep this bumper up? Like a ratchet strap?

Danny leans back until his butt hits the ground and he can sit back properly, propping himself up on his hands -- maybe not a good idea. There's probably broken glass somewhere here and he doesn't wanna pick shards out of his palms, again. It's like popping the world's most annoying zit depending on if it gets under the skin.

(He could always just phase them out, but the picking gives him something to do. It doesn't hurt that much.)

Eh. It'll be fine.

With one knee propped up, Danny looks the front up and down, and furrows his brows. The style kinda reminds him of a dodger, especially with the placement and style of the headlights. He plants his hands on the concrete -- hissing when he feels something cut into his palms, ow, there's that glass he was talking about -- and leans down to look under the car.

Hm, nothing jutting out that much. Looks pretty normal. Good space between the bottom and the ground.

He gets up and circles the side again, brushing whatever pebbles or glass that could've stuck into his skin off. He's really curious about where the owner got matte plating for it, or if it's just a wrap. The silhouette's definitely sixties or seventies; too angular for the eighties and fifties.

...There's no one here, Danny looks around again just to make sure, cranes his ears to catch anything. Nope, just the typical quiet rumbling of Gotham's underbelly. It kinda reminds him of Amity, or-- no. No, it reminds him of the quiet groan of the Zone.

That's far more comforting, he thinks. Danny's never really liked Amity all that much.

Back to the car: there's no one around, so Danny folds his arms against the side of the door and sticks his head inside the window. No keys in the ignition, should've figured.

Not like Danny was planning on stealing the car anyways -- anyone capable of modifying a car into this kinda beast -- or paying someone to modify -- was not someone he wanted to piss off. Danny's an orphan, not stupid.

Ignore the fact that he's got his head stuck through the window. The interior isn't anything interesting, but the seats are made of leather, which is nice. Must be a pain in the summer or winter, but leather is cool, and gets stains out better than cloth.

No stick shift though, he's a little disappointed.

Danny presses his mouth into a line and then slants it, humming in the back of his throat. Honestly, he's kinda tempted to crawl in and go to sleep. The leather seats look really inviting, and he's been sleeping on the ground or on park benches for weeks, and the car is really well hidden. No need to worry about being kidnapped.

But, it still belongs to someone. And they're probably using it for something shady. They'll come back for it eventually, so he should get this gawking over with anyways.

And, and-- and. He wants to get a look at that fucking engine. 'Cause holy shit!

Danny pulls his head out of the window and half-dances over to the back, his hand curling around one of the bars as a grin spreads across his face. Now, Danny hates Christmas, but this, this is like it came early and good for once.

"You could smuggle moonshine with this thing," Danny says to himself, grinning ear to ear and running his hands over the edge of the metal. The car is too conspicuous for backroads driving, but the engine, wow. What a thing of beauty.

One of Auntie's friends would probably know what engine it is -- or what type of engine it's based off of, it could very well be a bunch of different engines frankenstein'd together. Danny doesn't recognize it.

Which means it could be illegal. Again, what a shocker. In Gotham? He's clutching his pearls.

Fully satisfied with himself, Danny dances around to the front again and holds his hands out. He makes an 'L' with both hands and shuts one eye, getting the car within the frame of his fingers like he's about to take a picture.

"I rate you," Danny makes a camera shutter sound and mimics taking a photo, "one cool fuckin' car."

"Thank you."

Danny doesn't scream. He does not. He's taught himself better since ghosts started popping up in Amity, and honestly he deserves some credit for that considering they only started popping up over half a year ago.

He does, however, gasp. And he gasps hard, the type that has a high chance of giving you the hiccups afterwards; the painful, chest-thumping kind. Danny slams both hands over his mouth and stumbles backwards, eyes wide and his heart kicking into the fifth gear in his ears.

Bleeding out from the shadows is a man entirely drenched in black, Danny can hardly make out his silhouette and barely catches the white glints of his eyes. Fear like a prey animal burns in his lungs, wild and rabid, Danny has half a mind to bolt.

His ghost sense didn't go off, which might just be the most terrifying thing.

The man doesn't move any more than a step, just enough that Danny can barely see him, but he can feel him watching him. Shit. Shit. He should've never stuck around.

His hands are still over his mouth, Danny, shaking, flutters them open, "How-- h-- how--" he wheezes, "how long have you been standing there?"

[fuckyeahchinesefashion]

OP: Those carps actually can make the jump.

Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate鲤鱼跳龙门liyu tiao longmen—A famous Chinese legend about perseverance and transformation. According to the myth, brave carps swim upstream against strong currents to reach the Longmen (Dragon Gate) waterfall on the Yellow River. If a carp successfully leaps over the gate, it transforms into a powerful dragon, symbolizing overcoming obstacles to achieve greatness. 

[daftpatience]

hes a handsome butch to me

[soni-dragon]

leaf sheep ghosties

[norrthie]

couldnt sleep so opened sai i havent opened in years and started sketching whatever came to mind. well guess who came to mind first

[haliaiii]

Tatsuya’s turn (p5 x p2 au)

[bunnygirllover45]

Johann's very rushed info sheet.

[raconteur-wanpi]

Are you tired of me pointing out the Sanji & Usopp parallels yet? Well too bad! Here's more.

Gee, I wonder why Sanji, the guy who was told by his family he should "just leave" for being weak when he was a kid, got so upset when Luffy was about to tell Usopp, who was clearly feeling insecure for being the "weak" one of the group, to "just leave".