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wanderingbleats · 2 months ago

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Two possible reasons for Kris making more Dark Fountains with regard to this theory come to mind:

Kris is trying to pull more Lightners into the Dark Worlds so that they will get rooms in Castle Town. Saving more Darkners could be part of it, but I think they're likely more concerned about Toriel, etc.

Kris isn't onboard with Ralsei's plan, especially with Asriel away at college, and is trying to derail or delay it. (I'm... not entirely sure how making more fountains would do that, though.)

Honestly, Kris's actions at the end of Chapter 2 are still a mystery to me. Pulling out the player SOUL just to create a Dark Fountain, then doing... something with it? (Putting it back in...?)

...I feel like I'm going to need more information to get a good feel for what exactly they're planning.

At the time of this post, Deltarune Chapters 3 and 4 are a few days away from releasing. With that being the case, I'd like to post my own speculation about what might happen in the coming chapters. The first few observations are ones I made back in 2018, and more of them were made after Chapter 2 released.

I call this Ark Theory.

A few things to say before I post this, though: 1) I am not actively involved in the Deltarune theory scene, or very active online in general. I haven't seen anyone post anything like this, but for all I know this is old news. (Though, if that's the case, maybe it will be interesting that someone else came to this conclusion?) 2) This is speculation. I'm not 100% certain about any of this, obviously. That… that should go without saying, but even from what little exposure I have, I've seen people get weird about theory crafting…

Anyway, I think it will be fun to have this on record, regardless of if it's completely right or completely wrong. Or, just as likely, some parts could be right and some parts could be wrong.

So, I will start with my observations.

OBSERVATION: The prophecy only says one world will be saved.

My first observation was one I made shortly after Chapter 1 came out. In the "Legend" prophecy, there are two lines that come very close together.

"Three HEROES appear at WORLDS' edge."

Please note the placement of the apostrophe in "WORLDS' edge". This is a plural-- the intersecting edge of multiple worlds. But just a few lines later…

…"the WORLD saved from destruction." That's singular.

It seems very suspect that these two lines come so close together. Especially with WORLD in all capital letters in both cases, it draws comparison, and the fact that it goes from plural to singular is unnerving. Looking at the phrasing literally, this prophecy involves multiple worlds, but only explicitly says that one world will be saved. This does not necessarily mean that only one world will be saved, but it is all the prophecy definitively promises.

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OBSERVATION: Ralsei believes the prophecy is infallible, but that Kris's choices still matter.

Just before Kris and Ralsei go through the Great Door, Ralsei says something a little odd. He says that the journey has been foretold exactly by the prophecy, but that Kris's choices still matter. That's a contradiction, right?

Ah, not necessarily! Things can still matter even if they don't change anything. What "matters" and doesn't matter isn't necessarily based in a purely utilitarian or consequentialist sense. It is possible for actions to matter even if they are in some sense "futile".

…except…

Ralsei specifically says the result will or won't be favorable depending on Kris's actions! Even more specifically, he says he fears the story won't have a happy ending if they FIGHT!

This does appear to be a contradiction. Perhaps the big events of the prophecy are bound to happen, but there is some possibility to change smaller details? We've already seen that in Chapters 1 and 2. The endings of each Chapter appear to be "the same" no matter what you do, but the context of what these endings mean can be drastically different depending on the details.

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OBSERVATION: Ralsei insists on pacifism even though killing is (usually) impossible in Deltarune.

Regarding Ralsei's above insistence that Kris's choices matter, he says that it is specifically Kris's choice to use violence or not that will determine whether the ending is happy or not. And that's a little strange given how Deltarune's story doesn't seem to change much whether you're violent or not. In fact, until the Weird Route was discovered, killing was impossible.

I had noticed this in Chapter 1, but figuring it out fully was impossible at that time. It was only with Chapter 2's release that practicing nonviolence had a tangible effect: Now you recruit enemies by sparing them. This is a pretty major gameplay mechanic that anyone who's played Chapter 2 is familiar with, so I don't think I need to belabor this one.

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OBSERVATION: Ralsei seems to be planning something, but is selective about who he reveals the information to.

Speaking of things I don't need to belabor, it's incredibly obvious that Ralsei is up to something. We all know this. We've all seen the line over and over since Chapter 1's release. But for the sake of completeness:

When Ralsei and Kris are locked up in the Card Castle dungeon, Ralsei waits until the player is focusing on Susie before talking to Kris. When we return, he's saying "So that's why, OK, Kris?" The common interpretation that he intentionally shooed the player out so he could say something to Kris privately feels so likely that I'd be surprised if it weren't the case.

(I would also like to note, however, that Ralsei seems to be actively trying to get the player's attention in ways the other characters won't necessarily notice? If he's the one who named the Castle Town after the player-- which is likely, since he's the prince-- there doesn't seem any reason to do that except to say "Hey, I know you're there, and I want you to know I know you're there!" This isn't particularly related to this specific theory, but does point to a recurring pattern of Ralsei revealing information selectively to different people.)

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OBSERVATION: There has been foreshadowing regarding rain stretching back to Undertale, and continuing into Deltarune.

There have been recurring references to rain in both Undertale and Deltarune, but none of the proposed reasons for these references have been satisfying to me. In Undertale, during the dinner scene with Sans where he reflects on the possible futility of Frisk's adventure, the track "It's Raining Somewhere Else" plays. It also plays inside Sans's secret lab. Note that both of these scenes have themes of the futility of trying to return to something from the past.

The name "It's Raining Somewhere Else" is never fully explained. One of the most common interpretations back in the day was that it was either referring to the surface (because, although it is "raining" in Waterfall, it's explicitly noted that the Underground does not have true weather (and besides, it doesn't make sense to name the song after that?)) or the theorized "original timeline" Sans came from. I don't quite ascribe to either of those, but the latter is closer to what I think may have happened, which I will get into later.

Also in Undertale, if you encounter Goner Kid, you can bring them an umbrella. If you do this, they note that it's not raining, and then say that it does make them feel better about all this. I can't recall ever seeing a theory that really explained this dialogue.

The rain-related lines continued into Deltarune, becoming at this point what I strongly suspect to be foreshadowing. At the beginning of Chapter 1, Toriel notes that the weather is lovely, and says…

"I hope it stays this way when ASRIEL visits next week."

This doesn't explicitly say anything about rain, but people usually equate the lack of rain to "nice weather". She's hoping it won't be raining when Asriel comes home. This line is fairly innocuous on its own, but stands out if you're already primed to wonder what the deal with "rain" is, as I've been doing since 2015…

And of course, one of the preview screenshots for Chapter 3 or 4 depicts it raining in Hometown.

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OBSERVATION: Ralsei's Dark World is the only world we know of where everyone can survive.

As Lancer dramatically demonstrates in Chapter 2, not every world is suitable for everyone. Not only do Darkners appear to be inanimate objects in the Light World (although they may still "exist" in some sense? This is yet unclear.), but also Darkners cannot exist in Dark Worlds where they "don't belong". We're shown the effect of this when Lancer turns to stone in the Cyber World.

Lightners do not appear to have any such restrictions. They can come and go from Dark Worlds as they please. It appears they can survive in Dark Worlds and Light Worlds alike.

What this means is that there is only one world where everyone can survive: Ralsei's Dark World, thanks to its Grand Fountain. This world can hold everyone: native inhabitants (of whom Ralsei appears to be the only one), Darkners from other Dark Worlds, and Lightners. In fact, Ralsei is actively in the process of preparing space for all of these groups.

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OBSERVATION: Ralsei is building rooms not only for Darkners from Dark Worlds whose fountains are closing, but also for Lightners.

Because of the above, it is clear why Ralsei is building rooms in his Dark World for the other Darkners. But why is he building rooms for Lightners, like Kris and Susie? Yes, they're his friends, and he is a prince with a big castle. That would be reason enough. But supposing he did have some other reason, what would it be?

The reason he gives is that he wants them to have "a place [they] can go… no matter what's happening outside." This seems to parallel the common theory that the Dark Worlds represent fantasy and escapism. But also, Ralsei has been shown to have knowledge of events yet to come, through prophecy. It could be that he has reason to believe they will need a place to go, when the "what's happening outside" comes.

…In fact, this has an odd parallel with Queen's Mansion. She has rooms for Lightners, too, but she's planning to conquer the world. So…?

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…So. With all of the above in mind, here is my conclusion:

CONCLUSION: The true nature of the prophecy is that all worlds except one will be destroyed. The Light World specifically will be destroyed in a flood.

I do not know if the flood will be literal rain or a "Rain of Darkness". I also do not know if this is the same thing as The Roaring. But with the above observations, it seems to me that one potential thing that could connect all of them is the destruction of the Light World in a flood. And, since Ralsei's is only world where everyone can go to take shelter from the rain, it would make sense that he would prepare space for everyone there.

If the Light World is destroyed, it may become impossible to create new Dark Worlds, given the nature of Darkners as manifestations of physical objects from the Light World. So, it would be essential to recruit as many Darkners as possible before the flood in order to save them. In short: One world saved, with violence or non-violence making a tangible difference in the context of what it actually means for that world to be saved. And Ralsei?

He is building an ark.

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…some additional speculation arising from this theory is below. These are things that rely perhaps on less solid reasoning, but could potentially work with this theory:

SUB-CONCLUSION: Ralsei may be orchestrating things to ensure that his world is the one that survives.

Perhaps the prophecy is unclear about which world survives? If that's the case, Ralsei might be doing everything in his power to make sure his is the surviving world. This would explain the selective revelation of information. He knows that meddling in this way makes him responsible for what happens to the other worlds, and that he could be seen as the villain because of this.

Worse, someone could throw a wrench in his plan if they're not totally onboard. But Kris, being the one who seals the fountains, is critical to enacting it. It would make sense for Ralsei to explain his reasoning to them. ("So that's why, okay, Kris?")

With all of this said, I do not believe this is out of malice but out of wholehearted belief in the prophecy and that this is the only way to save as many people as possible. Please do not mistake this for me casting Ralsei in a harsh light. I love him, even if I think he may be up to something questionable.

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SUB-CONCLUSION: Not all characters will be saved.

…an ark is a shelter. It does not guarantee salvation for everyone. And there are certain characters who I feel are particularly vulnerable to destruction from the flood: in particular, the Deltarune equivalents of the Gaster Followers and Monster Kid.

I know people are tired of Gaster-related theories at this point, but I really do think Goner Kid's lines point to this as a possibility. Why does Goner Kid feel better when you bring them an umbrella? Well, they were just talking about watching the world moving on with no one having any memory of them. Providing them "shelter from the rain", even though it's not raining, is proof that you remember them, right? Or at least that's how they see it.

…Admittedly, it would be rather weird for part of a dramatic apocalyptic event to have the destruction of extremely minor NPCs like the Deltarune Gaster Followers as part of it, but I dunno what to say about that.

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SUB-CONCLUSION: Sans might flee to the Undertale universe during the rain.

There are some theories pointing to Sans being from the Deltarune universe originally that I really don't have the time or inclination to go over here. But briefly: it's theorized the broken machine in his lab was an attempt to get back to where he originally came from, and his lab also has a picture of three smiling people with the words "don't forget". Since "It's Raining Somewhere Else" plays both in the lab and in the scene where Sans is talking about how it's not so bad in the Underground, this could match. (This conclusion is one I haven't given much thought to and am not particularly convinced of. But it did cross my mind, so I wanted to note it.)

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Now, with that all said, there are a few issues with this theory that I know of. As I said at the beginning, this is speculation. I'm not making definitive claims, and I'm not trying to "convince" anyone of anything. There may well be more issues with the theory than this, but here are a few that come to mind for me:

POTENTIAL ISSUES

1) There's a pretty solid case that the Dark Worlds represent fantasy and possibly escapism. It seems a little weird to me that the story would set that up, and then go on to have the plot involve escaping to the Dark World to get shelter from a literal apocalypse? It's not impossible for that to happen, but at this time I'm finding it hard to think of a resolution to this that fits the way Toby seems to tell stories.

2) You might notice that I did not mention The Knight even once in the course of this theory. That's because I did not see a way it could connect! And that's kind of weird, considering how critical The Knight appears to be, I think. Maybe it would be the one that starts the rain? Also, what the heck is the Angel's Heaven? That's another major part of the prophecy, and I've got nothing on that either.

3) I made an assumption that Lightners can survive in the Dark Worlds, but can they actually? They don't turn to stone, but Susie mentions that nothing she eats seems to "count" in the Dark Worlds. Do Lightners get sustenance from Dark World food? Would they all starve if the Light World was destroyed?

4) Ralsei reveres Lightners as something akin to gods, right? If he's building an ark and willing to sacrifice the Light World, wouldn't that mean sacrificing untold numbers of Lightners beyond the borders of Hometown? That seems odd to the point that it's difficult to reconcile with what we know about him. (Although, he does mention in his speech about The Roaring that he considers Darkners to be indispensable to Lightners' wellbeing… Maybe he thinks it's critical that both exist, no matter the numerical cost?)

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That's all. I'm looking forward to seeing if any of my questions get answered in the coming chapters, and if my speculation is on base. (Also, I am terrified for Asriel's life if I am right about this!)

Thanks for reading!

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wanderingbleats · 2 months ago

Text

I call this Ark Theory.

Anyway, I think it will be fun to have this on record, regardless of if it's completely right or completely wrong. Or, just as likely, some parts could be right and some parts could be wrong.

So, I will start with my observations.

OBSERVATION: The prophecy only says one world will be saved.

My first observation was one I made shortly after Chapter 1 came out. In the "Legend" prophecy, there are two lines that come very close together.

"Three HEROES appear at WORLDS' edge."

Please note the placement of the apostrophe in "WORLDS' edge". This is a plural-- the intersecting edge of multiple worlds. But just a few lines later…

…"the WORLD saved from destruction." That's singular.

-----

OBSERVATION: Ralsei believes the prophecy is infallible, but that Kris's choices still matter.

…except…

Ralsei specifically says the result will or won't be favorable depending on Kris's actions! Even more specifically, he says he fears the story won't have a happy ending if they FIGHT!

-----

OBSERVATION: Ralsei insists on pacifism even though killing is (usually) impossible in Deltarune.

-----

OBSERVATION: Ralsei seems to be planning something, but is selective about who he reveals the information to.

-----

OBSERVATION: There has been foreshadowing regarding rain stretching back to Undertale, and continuing into Deltarune.

"I hope it stays this way when ASRIEL visits next week."

And of course, one of the preview screenshots for Chapter 3 or 4 depicts it raining in Hometown.

-----

OBSERVATION: Ralsei's Dark World is the only world we know of where everyone can survive.

Lightners do not appear to have any such restrictions. They can come and go from Dark Worlds as they please. It appears they can survive in Dark Worlds and Light Worlds alike.

-----

OBSERVATION: Ralsei is building rooms not only for Darkners from Dark Worlds whose fountains are closing, but also for Lightners.

…In fact, this has an odd parallel with Queen's Mansion. She has rooms for Lightners, too, but she's planning to conquer the world. So…?

-----

…So. With all of the above in mind, here is my conclusion:

CONCLUSION: The true nature of the prophecy is that all worlds except one will be destroyed. The Light World specifically will be destroyed in a flood.

He is building an ark.

-----

…some additional speculation arising from this theory is below. These are things that rely perhaps on less solid reasoning, but could potentially work with this theory:

SUB-CONCLUSION: Ralsei may be orchestrating things to ensure that his world is the one that survives.

-----

SUB-CONCLUSION: Not all characters will be saved.

…Admittedly, it would be rather weird for a dramatic apocalyptic event to have the destruction of extremely minor NPCs like the Deltarune Gaster Followers as part of it, but I dunno what to say about that.

-----

SUB-CONCLUSION: Sans might flee to the Undertale universe during the rain.

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POTENTIAL ISSUES

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Thanks for reading!

#deltarune #fan theory #kris #ralsei #susie

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