#deltarune analysis

In the Holiday house vents segment, you can listen in on Asgore talking about how "this time" he'll prove his innocence. This seems to imply that he has some sort of imminent plan, which is part of why I assumed that he would be making a dark fountain, or at least he was involved with the EAFOG conspiracy (especially because he was in Carol's room looking at her corkboard at the time).

What's weird, then, is that in chapter 5 he doesn't make the dark fountain; furthermore, he apparently doesn't even know who made the Flower King dark world, seeing as he plots to murder/capture them and does not murder/capture Kris. Sure, he gets to work on studying the dark world for his own ends, but I highly doubt his plan was just to gamble on someone opening a dark fountain in his shop and then work from there.

So I wonder: what was his actual plan? Was his plan interrupted by Kris making the Flower Kingdom, and if so, was that intentional on Kris's part? Did Carol catch on that Asgore was snooping, and/or that he was betraying the EAFOG, and have Kris set him up to be kidnapped? Or was this all according to- all according to plant?

How much does Asgore even know? It's not like we get to read much of his notes. Does he even know how a dark fountain is made? If he was kidnapped for knowing too much, was what he knew actually enough to cause problems for the EAFOG? Does he know about the Soul? Why does he say "home is where the heart is" like it has a double meaning, is it just to fuck with me specifically? IS CAROL FUCKING MY DAD????

I don't have answers. Just a lot of questions, which I bet will be answered in chapter 6. Just... gotta... hurry up... and wait.

Asgore mentions that an incident happened one day that caused him to feel extreme guilt. He mentions in chapter 4 (I think) that all he wanted to do was protect everyone. He wants to prove that he did the right thing. But we also know from chapter 5 that no one blames him for what happened.

So we know that:

Something happened that threatened Hometown enough that Asgore felt the need to protect everyone

He made some sort of decision that he believes was correct but also caused something bad to happen

He believes that the Dark World is involved but can’t prove it

No one blamed him for what happened, but he felt that they held him responsible for it

He became obsessed with the Dark World and proving that he was right

He found a black shard during his investigation

His obsession alienated him from his wife and children, leading to his divorce

He was removed from the police force, though it’s unclear if this was a punishment for whatever decision he made or if he wasn’t able to perform his duties after becoming obsessed with uncovering the truth

What could have happened in Hometown that was bad enough to drive Asgore to prove his innocence but not bad enough for anyone to think he was guilty in the first place?

I think a lot of folks have assumed that the bad thing had to do with Dess’s disappearance. But Dess didn’t disappear; she left. How could that be Asgore’s fault? And if it was, why would Rudy and Carol continue to associate with him if he had somehow caused their daughter to leave?

We know that there is pain behind Dess’s absence. Her room is preserved and no one is allowed to go in; the implication is that nothing in the room should be changed. Noelle is terrified of her mother seeing someone else touching Dess’s guitar. Noelle doesn’t know the shelter code is in the guitar, but she’s still afraid of her mother’s reaction, meaning that she’s expecting Carol to be upset because of the guitar itself. If Dess was just backpacking across Europe, I don’t think there would be as much weight behind her belongings.

Did Dess leave before or after the incident? Did the incident even have anything to do with her or was she tangentially affected enough to leave?

There’s also the possibility that Noelle only believes that Dess left and the people around her are hiding a more tragic truth. That would beg the question: what does the rest of Hometown believe? Does everyone but Noelle know that Dess didn’t leave on her own? Or are a select few keeping that secret from the whole town?

We know that Carol and Kris are scheming something together that involves opening multiple Dark Fountains. We know Carol is aware of the Soul. We know Carol is letting Asgore work at her home, but it’s unclear if she’s also involved in his investigation. We know Carol investigates the shelter on her own, as Rudy states in chapter 5. So if anyone is keeping a secret, it would be those three. But Asgore doesn’t appear to know about the connection between Carol and Kris, so there could be another level of deception happening.

There’s also the fact that Kris doesn’t have their own Soul. Kris physically suffers when they take out the red Soul they do have, so we know that there isn’t a second Soul of their own in their body. We the Player can control the Soul and by extension, Kris; the presence of the red Soul in their body gives us that control. Kris must remove the Soul from their body to act on their own and it’s clearly not an easy or pleasant thing to do. They forcefully fling the Soul into the birdcage and the gift boxes, which indicates at least frustration if not outright hostility towards it. Kris does not like the Soul. They don’t see it as part of themselves.

So what happened to their Soul? There are so many things that must be somehow related:

The Incident

Dess’s disappearance

Asgore’s fall and obsession

Kris, the Soul, and Carol

The Dark Fountains

The Darkness under Hometown

The Shelter

The Roaring Knight

The Prophecy

If I had to take a wild guess, the danger to Hometown that Asgore was trying to prevent has its roots (no pun intended) in the Dark World’s existence. Asgore prevented the disaster by somehow sealing the Dark World away, maybe in the shelter.

Dess is missing because of the Dark Worlds—either she was swallowed by them or willingly went in and didn’t or can’t come out. It could be that she entered the Dark World and Asgore, feeling pressure to save his town, knowingly sealed it before she was able to escape.

Kris was somehow involved and feels responsible, so they’re working with Carol to save her by causing the Roaring; perhaps covering the whole world in Darkness will make it possible for Dess to return. They have to keep this plan between them for obvious reasons. The Soul is necessary to do this. Kris somehow removed or lost their own Soul to become a vessel for the Player.

Maybe Kris wandered into the Dark World first and Dess went in to save them? So now they feel indebted to her and are willing to go to great lengths to save her, too.

…

It's super super interesting to me that the Knight has been attempting to kidnap everyone involved in the "boundaries" of Hometown:

Toriel, monarch at the world's peak

Undyne, upkeeper of the western barrier

Asgore, last guardian of the lake

Meanwhile, the Knight themselves is connected to the shelter, i.e. Hometown's roots and the furthest possible place we can currently reach (excluding weird route)

When you look at the map, it becomes really clear that these four all control either the very edges of Hometown, or one of the ways out. Indeed, the two people the Knight successfully kidnapped are the ones who guard Hometown's two potential exits.

So what?

Well, what if the Knight is trying to expand the boundaries of Hometown?

Through the lens of device theory (which is practically canon atp), we see that the light and dark worlds are very, very similar. The key part being that Hometown has a past from before the device in which it was able to interact with other parts of the world.

And, after the device is activated, Hometown is constrained. The internet goes out. Gerson's fans can't send their fanmail. The roads are blocked.

Doesn't this sound the same as dark world denizens having communicated with each other? Having pasts together despite the boundaries created by the dark world?

Remember Queen's plan (which she mentioned was based off the Knight's actions) - to expand the dark world. To escape the boundaries of the library, and cover the world in darkness.

What if, by taking away these guardians, the Knight is trying to expand the light world? To try and escape the device's boundaries?

To push away WORLD'S EDGE? Push it so far that the device envelops the whole world, and so there is no EDGE? To create a new world entirely?

The Roaring may be a thematic parallel to this, a result of this, or it might be a way to make this happen. Either way, the Knight is probably aware.

Look at this through the lens of Dess Knight. Noelle desperately wants to escape hometown (one way or another.) She's been promised by her sister that someday, she'll be taken somewhere much better.

Why wouldn't Dess try to expand the world? Why wouldn't Dess want to help her sister, who is trapped inside everyone's expectations of her?

If Noelle is placed in the role of the angel, this is indeed creating an ANGEL'S HEAVEN.

(This theory doesn't work with Carol or Rudy Knight, since Carol wants to keep everything close, while Rudy represents one of the core themes of the game that I'll get onto in a bit.)

Anyways. Let's say the Knight explains their plan. This creates a conflict for each person in the Fun Gang.

Kris represents the past, and desiring a return to it. At first glance, destroying WORLD'S EDGE and causing the Roaring seems to be against their interests, but it also means that Asriel can come back. It's not particularly Hometown itself that Kris cares for, it's their relationships - "exploring the woods behind the graveyard with Noelle, Dess and Azzy" is something brought up as a fond memory for them. We can also see this desire for unchanging relationships with their reaction to Susie and Noelle getting closer.

However, they will struggle to accept this because it potentially means abandoning Susie in favour of Noelle, or abandoning Noelle in favour of Susie. And we've seen that they really don't want to lose either of them. Similarly, it means abandoning Hometown, which they still grew up in. It means abandoning many of the people there they love, including their parents (who have to get kidnapped for this plan). They will, at some point, refuse to lose anything else.

Susie represents the present, and wanting nothing to change. This is best demonstrated in ch4, when she talks about "not having an ending" and wanting to continue her adventures with Kris. If the world is expanded and/or the Roaring happens, she can continue her adventures with Kris. She can explore the new world alongside them, as well as with Ralsei and the other people she's grown to care about. She's only really against the Knight because they're kidnapping people, and so if she learns what the plan is, she might even go over to the Knight's side. (I'm certain of this. Even if everything else I say is wrong, I'm 1225% sure Susie will at some point be VERY tempted to work with the Knight.)

However, she'll learn that while the escapist fantasies of the dark world may feel like "home", and her current situation seems pretty good, she can't rely on it staying the same forever. At some point, she'll find out Kris is working with the Knight. At some point, Castle Town will be gone. Hell, this already happened with Toriel - someone she thought was amazing turned out to be just as much of a flawed person as anyone else. While it may hurt, it will help her move on. And allowing space for the real world in her life will help her get closer to Noelle - she may even need to pull Noelle out of the dark world herself, if it's something Dess designed specifically for her.

Ralsei represents the future, and a fear of it. He desperately wants to change the prophecy, but doesn't think it's possible - especially not by himself. If the Roaring happens, but there's no WORLD'S EDGE for heroes to appear at, then the final tragedy may be averted. He can continue his adventures without needing to worry about what comes next, or feeling guilty that everyone's stepping towards the ending.

However, she's already started to see that the future can change. That she doesn't have to be what the prophecy defines her as, that she can work out for herself what being "Ralsei-like" even means. And she trusts that Kris and Susie can also change it. She doesn't need the Knight to keep everything the same forever. If the Roaring happens, she certainly won't be willing to become a statue - not anymore. Not now she knows she's allowed to desire.

However, I suspect everyone will fall back into their old ways of thinking. (Both because this is a good way of showing progression when they change, and because their arcs haven't quite reached the point I'm describing yet.) There wil be some kind of tacit agreement from the Fun Gang, and the Knight will be allowed to try and carry out their plan. They'll cut down the police tape and try to let everyone into the outside world.

However...

We'll see what's beyond the edge of Hometown. And that'll be a fat lot of nothing.

After all, Gerson said "the story grew too grand, and was left unfinished". Queen's rollercoaster was also unfinished, and everyone fell into the trash zone.

Similarly, there won't be anything beyond Hometown's boundaries. It's very likely (imo) that everyone will fall down, where the forest would grow, and end up in the depths. Much like how Weird Route makes us fall under the map, we'll fall down from the other end of Hometown and end up in the depths. That's why we skip to ch7 in Weird Route - because ch6 will just take us to the same place more slowly.

What happens from then onwards...? Who knows. It'll be left to the youth to write with their own hope.

We, the soul, are doing the same thing as the Knight in the Weird Route - trying to break the boundaries of Hometown (or reaching WORLD'S EDGE), and ending up falling underneath into the Depths.

But I suspect DELTARUNE's final message will be against this idea - will be against constantly trying to overwrite the world with something new. A lot of the deal with Ralsei (especially noticeable with Tenna) is "once something has fulfilled its purpose, that's it. something new has to replace it." Hometown is old and tired. It feels small. Compared to the dark worlds, it really isn't great.

But, constantly rejecting the past and trying to create something new over the top of it also isn't the way to go. Instead, you should look closely at what you've already seen. Perhaps there's a new detail you've never noticed before. Perhaps there's another person you didn't really get to know. Perhaps they love you, and you love them.

If Undertale was warning about becoming obsessed - about doing the same thing over and over, just to see every detail - then Deltarune is warning about not caring for what is already there.

Susie may not have had any faith in Hometown at the start, but she's met many new people - some through escapist dark worlds, but she's also started seeing the appeal of the light world. Even those tiny moments of light are starting to add up. She has hope crossed on her heart, and she can make that hope a reality, and not just a dark world fantasy. The dark worlds helped her, and once she escapes her dependency on them, she won't forget them.

Noelle may constantly be looking for something different and better, but she's learning that she can stand up for herself and take control of her own life without changing the good bits, too. This is why Rudy Knight doesn't work with this theory - he represents the support of a loved one, the love of the current world that exists in spite of its harshness (Carol). Noelle, along with Susie, will choose the things that make them happy, and also won't forget.

Ralsei may have thought that she had no worth beyond what is demanded of her, with only Kris and Susie being worth anything, but she's starting to learn to care for herself as well. She can see what she isn't, and what she is, and start to love herself. Similarly, she's learning to genuinely love her friends, too, instead of just being "nice" all the time and calling that friendship. She won't forget her own desires.

And Kris. Kris. Kris desperately loves this world and the people in it, but feels as though they have no choice but to replace it with something different. Hopefully, by the end of the story, they'll learn that they're allowed to love this current world without abandoning and betraying what they're leaving behind. They won't forget.

This is why a lot of the gameplay is about secrets. You're encouraged to do multiple playthroughs. You're encouraged to fight the secret bosses, you're encouraged to find the shadow crystals, and you're encouraged to collect the eggs. You love this world, so don't abandon it immediately once you've seen its end. Maybe you can go back and find a new meaning.

Meanwhile, you're discouraged from doing the Weird Route because it actively spits in the face of this idea. It says, "I've seen it all, and I'm not satisfied. I can't accept the current world, nor the ending I've reached. So I will replace it with something new." And while it's a demonstration of love - you love this world enough to try and put your own influence into it - it's also a rejection of all the love you've been shown by the world in turn.

It's saying you don't trust the Fun Gang to reach a happy ending. It's saying that this current world is obsolete. It's saying "There's something better than this world, just beyond what we can see. And I will reach it, and forget about whatever I've seen so far. Because this world has reached it's conclusion, why should I care it's maintained?"

In the Weird Route, you forget the people that made this world worth seeing in the first place. You forget...

And that's why the Weird Route cannot possibly, ever, lead to a happy ending. Even if the final tragedy is averted, forgetting what came before can only bring pain.

In conclusion, Deltarune's final message is, "Don't Forget." Even if you move on to something else, and the world changes, don't forget what you loved. Don't paint it over with the newest thing, just because it's all over now. Keep it with you, and it will light up the dark.

WOWIE that was a long post that just came from "hm what connections do the Knight victims have"

I didn't even include like half of the stuff I could have, like the connections to the themes of freedom and how Sans plays a role in this, but I figured just sticking to the basics and only focusing on the main trio and Noelle was best to reduce wordcount

Anyways I hope you enjoyed my ch6+7 spoilers hehehe

I don't think I got everything right - I feel like I'm not including the Roaring very well in this theory, so I'm interested to see your thoughts about this!