// DR CHAPTER 4 MINOR SPOILERS
Is it me or is writing a better world way harder than writing a dystopian world?
I was thinking about the 5 dollar lunch special at QCās Diner that Kris and Susie could get in Deltarune Ch. 4. Five dollars for two whole meals? For two people? AND QC throws in a free sundae for Susie?? Not to mention Kris being able to get a hot chocolate from QC in Ch. 1ā¦ ON THE HOUSE???
Now I know Hometown is a small place, and QC is friendly with Kris since Asriel Deltarune moved away. However, it got me thinking: surely the world of Deltarune is a nicer one if you can get a five dollar lunch for two, right?
I want to write the world of Deltarune beyond Hometown for @asriels-college-life-dr to be a nicer world than ours, so that our target audience of young adults (18-35) can enjoy a little escapism fromā¦ whatever our worldās got going on.
So I got to researching, and Iāve got a few answers to my initial question.
1. Its way easier to point out whats wrong in our world than to propose a solution.
2. A world thatās too āutopianā implies little to no conflict, meaning there isnāt much to write about.
3. Everyoneās got an idea of what a better world looks like, and some will disagree with whatever you envision, no matter what.
Therefore, my interpretation of the world of Deltarune in @asriels-college-life-dr needs to be one that is ābetterā in some ways, but still has enough flaws to generate conflicts worth writing about. For exampleā¦
- Being able to afford a decent, respectable living on a job paying minimum wage, like a waitress in a diner. This means that there are still jobs, money, wages, and all that, but that promise of a good life with hard work is at least a reality compared to whatever we have now.
- Cost of living, goods, and services being way more affordable for the least wealthy in society. A lunch for two for 5 dollars, groceries not breaking the bankā¦ Maybe thereās still rent and landlords, but prices are down enough to keep rents reasonable for even the poorest.
- A society that majority accepts queer people, though this feels given in a world where humans and monsters live in peace. There could still be pockets of this society where queerness is not accepted or more ātraditionalā values dominate, but at least theyāre the exception and not the rule.
- A society that prioritises public good over profit. Maybe they donāt have billionaires because their economic system distributes wealth more evenly, and shareholder primacy is curtailed by their culture or government regulations. Maybe technology isnāt as advanced as in our world because progress is slower and more measured, with no rush for market share or stock prices.
- A society where young people get to worry about self-esteem, connection, and legacy instead of survival with basic needs or finances. Asriel wonāt have to worry about student loans or becoming homeless, so he can worry about his anxieties over his past instead!
I could think about what isnāt present in this version of Deltaruneās world:
- Social media thatās pervasive enough to be its own 2nd reality ā welcome back Web 1.0!!
- Whatever medical insurance hellscape the US has going on, in favor of a more universal scheme like Australiaās
Now, I could go on with this list, and a lot of these arenāt even going to be the subject of episodes in a slice of life Deltarune comic.
However, I feel like I owe it to the folks in this fandom that want to imagine a a nicer world, to write one that holds up somewhat.
Its gonna be harder to write a better world than a dystopia, but I want to try anyway.
