Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

So, we discussed why the majority (if not all) of Kralsei’s criticism either has no arguments in the canon at best or is invented on the fly with a sole intend of shunning the shipping down at worst. However, you would be correct to claim that this doesn’t necessarily prove Kralsei is a good shipping by itself, and especially not the canonical one. In order to understand why Kralsei matters, we should look at Deltarune’s main themes more closely and see how they are connected to Kris and Ralsei. Here, the theme of identity comes to mind as the easiest one to pick, since the game invokes it in the Goner Maker at the very beginning, and it plays a crucial part for Kris in particular.

Think about it this way: what is known about real Kris, exactly? Not much, some might argue. The most prevalent notion within the community leads us to believe they are just a creepy kid next door, but why is that so? We can correctly recognize that Kris feels deeply unhappy, struggles with self-harm and can’t fully accept themselves as a human based on a few vague hints— but are incapable of looking past the surface-level characterization. It is true that Kris is known as a troublemaker, but reducing their personality to a single character trait is very redundant, especially when considering Susie and Noelle. They both start their journeys as fairy simple characters—a bully and a meek girl respectively—but grew over the course of adventures and reveal deeply-hidden traits that were there all along.

We don’t really see a lot of character-defining scenes for Kris themselves: more often than not, they act independently only to tease someone or pull another prank. People speculate Chapter 3 will be the time for them to shine, as its Dark World is based on Dreemurr’s residence, though it’s still rather strange to see that happen so late in the story. Unless, we have actually seen something more in Kris already?

The established pattern dictates that characterization presented within the Light World is not the one we should strife for, and, paradoxically, it’s the Dark World that brings the best out of monsters and people alike. So, what Kris did without the Player’s input while their adventures were happening, exactly?

In Chapter 1, they were pacifist as might be easily observed throughout the story:

1. When Kris acts in battle, the flavor text is rich and diverse: they joke around, compliment, reason with enemies and flirt— never threat anyone or appear to be disinterested in a peaceful resolution.
2. When Susie splits from the party to become a bad guy, the choice to join her isn’t even presented; if it was an option Kris could—would—take, the game had multiple ways to force them to play the hero anyway.
3. When Lancer asks Kris and Ralsei for help, they do so without the Player’s input.
4. When Susie and Lancer challenge Kris to fight, the option to refuse is briefly highlighted before being disregarded.
5. When Spade King is confronted, Kris bows to protect Lancer and sheds their weapon to spare the King after the fight.
6. When Susie is attacked, Kris jumps to her defense.

Most crucially of all, the game defaults to the Pacifist Route if the Player starts Chapter 2 without a save file— while being in control of themselves, Kris refuses to fight.

Chapter 2 doesn’t have such a luxury for now (and, considering how much bigger it is, I’m not sure it could be neglected that way), but it also presents a lot more reactions from Kris while making choices. Let us start with a pretty low-hanging fruit: the Weird Route. Kris can never initiate it themselves, it’s only with Noelle the Player gets an option to force her, not Kris, use magic to freeze Darkners. From now on, it is pretty obvious that Kris desperately tries to abort the route; after telling the Addison “We are something more” and urging Noelle to get the ring, all choices capable of ending the Weird Route prematurely have two exact options: a cold ‘Proceed’ or an unusually warm reassurance. Even before that, an optional dialogue at the Ferris Wheel poster has a strange choice: the Player may push the relationship aspect forward or… apologize? Considering that the line is absent from the Normal Route, it becomes clear what exactly Kris wants to apologies for.

It’s obvious that Kris objects to this path and desperately tries to voice their opinion, especially just before the fight with Berdly: Kris “protecting” Noelle from him has little to no sense, therefore they address the Player specifically with little autonomy they have. Furthermore, Susie notices that Kris looks hurt after finding Ralsei and her, and Noelle mentions how Kris acted unlike themselves after the Weird Route or if it was aborted by dialogue choices prematurely. When Ralsei prompts Kris to send the Player to Susie and Noelle, Kris refuses: they do not want this malevolent entity to spy on their friends, not after what it did.

There are, however, other scenes showing Kris’ true character:

1. They eagerly jump to another adventure in the computer lab.
2. When they hear Noelle calling for help and see her abducted, they go to her without the Player’s input.
3. When Susie is injured after falling from the trash pile, Kris moves to her.
4. They appear genuinely hurt after the Player tried to play a dangerous prank on Noelle.
5. When Noelle asks Kris to distract Queen, they move to do so.
6. They attempted to protect Noelle from Queen before taking the car to ‘search’ for her anyway.
7. When Kris hears the scream Susie presumes to come from Ralsei, they rush to his defense.
8. When Queen captures Berdly and Noelle, Kris doesn’t hesitate to draw their weapon at her.
9. And, as was established already, they were desperately trying to abort the Weird Route.

I brought up the fact Kris dislikes Asriel’s friends a few times before— and not without a reason. While claiming brotherly complex is always an option, I believe there is something else at play here: Kris despises them for being, to put it mildly, not the greatest people. Bratty openly bragged about using Kris and toying with Asriel’s feelings while ridiculing their mother (she also claims that living with Asriel made Kris "weird"), Catty, besides also being involved with Asriel, told that she doesn't want to help Kris despite jokingly calling herself their aunt, Pizzapants shared a fantasy of hanging out with Asriel and dumped his petty grievances on Kris— and none of them actually says something nice about Asriel himself, their friend they supposedly miss.

From the additional dialogue at the Town Hall, we know that Kris tried to report Alphys to the mayor herself for some reason, and their exchange with Undyne always prompts them to tell about potentially dangerous Dark Worlds. Asgore continues his attempts to sway Tories, making her even more angry and discontent and dragging Kris through their divorce, which may explain why Kris doesn’t really visit him. As evident by his reaction in Chapter 1, they don’t interact much: Asgore appears overjoyed and locks Kris in a strangling embrace.

While talking to Mr. Society about Spade King, Kris says that they have the power to topple him— even as early as the half-way point of Chapter 1, Kris is ready to dethrone a tyrant.

Also notice one insignificant enough detail: if the Player pranks Noelle at the electrical field, she pranks Kris back. Yet, despite their mischievous character, famous for pulling a variety of creepy pranks, they appear genuinely upset. Kris would have never tried to hurt Noelle, and now is getting a payback for a cruel joke made by someone else.

Kris has a very strong sense of justice, that is what I am trying to say.

That doesn’t mean Kris’ judgment is perfect or doesn’t have its blind spots (Susie really bullied Kris alone, so they could let it slide), but it’s clear that they have strong convictions and their own moral compass. Ironically enough, such an attitude perfectly explains why Kris would open the Dark Fountain: whatever their goal may be, they believe it’s worth risking a terrible calamity.

If Kris, let us say, was at fault for December’s disappearance, they would have never forgiven themselves and never ceased thinking about her, and with the knowledge of the Dark Fountains they finally have means to start their search. After all, what is the price of a single life against the fate of the entire world? It’s everything.

It also could explain why Kris would open the Fountain even after the Weird Route: they feel responsible for the carnage and want to do something, anything, to make it right, to justify the pain inflicted and to find any way to get rid of the Player once and for all. Besides, of course, still subscribing to their initial motive.

‘Kris is looking for December’ is the most probable explanation I can think of now, as creating the Fountain for an adventure with friends doesn’t go that well with Kris’ character— even if they try to mend relation with Toriel as well (which isn’t really supported by evidence). Showing the Dark World to Undyne is also a ridiculous motive: they can always lead her to the supply closet.

There are some evidence to suggest Kris and Noelle had connection to the Dark World before, which ties to the mystery of Dess as well:

1. Kris had a save file in the Dark World before their journey began.
2. Kris had an understanding of how to manipulate the Dark World they created in Chapter 2.
3. Noelle was communicating with Spamton and the Egg Man.
4. Noelle recognized some elements of the Dark World as ‘nostalgic’ and made no connection to Dragon Blazers like during her first battle.
5. Noelle clearly has troubles remembering traumatic events happening in the Dark World, even if they took place just recently.

It worth noting that this particular motive is still an assumption based on speculations rather than facts, but there is another thing that should be brought up: a good story. If Dess isn’t the person trying to reach someone through the game’s code, it would be a very underwhelming development that effectively duplicates a character for no reason. If Dess’ disappearance isn’t connected to Kris, there is little reason for them to grow so distant to Noelle and her family. If Dess was just a runaway teen, there is no reason to shroud her character in mystery.

Nothing of it directly proves that Kris is looking for December, however, and I won’t be surprised if following chapters present us another possible motive for them. Even an egotistical desire of creating new adventures could be somewhat possible, considering that Kris likes Susie a lot, spends time with her predominantly in Dark Worlds and doesn’t really enjoy their regular life in the Light World.

Another interesting detail is that Kris is kind and friendly, contrary to their gloomy demeanor. All the flavor text while sparing Darkners is about befriending them, educating them, flirting with them or helping them— even though they are supposed to be the enemies. If Kris is ordered to ‘Lecture’ Rudinn, they will even teach them about the importance of kindness.

Kris can’t stand Monster Kid talking bad about Susie and has no interest in talking to Catty or Bratty, who complain about each other behind their backs. Likewise, they dislike Berdly who isn’t acting like a good friend to Noelle. However, they are quick to help Lancer to impress Susie in the name of the friendship— all without the Player’s input.

Kris is also sarcastic when talking to his adversaries like Queen and Berdly, but honest with friends: they can confess to Noelle that Susie slammed them intro lockers, even though they like her, and just risked their life standing up for her.

Speaking of friends, Kris is very protective of them: they shield Susie from Spade King, protect Noelle from Queen and rush to Ralsei’s defense when they assume he’s captured. Moreover, it’s pretty evident that Kris is terrified of Spamton and desperately want to escape him— that is why they never allow their friends to visit both his shop and Queen’s basement. The same logic carries on to the Weird Route: Kris doesn’t want the Player to see Noelle, so they keep them at bay.

Kris is a hero—a noble knight, if you will—and that is who they really are.

Ralsei’s character, on the other hand, is much less straightforward. We don’t know of his past, see little of his present and can only speculate about his future— even more so than about Kris’. I believe Ralsei being the horned headband Kris used to wear is the only possible theory for now, perfectly explaining his predicaments.

He looks like a member of the Dreemurr family, he wears the color green, he has close connection to Kris and shares some of their themes, he knows Kris used to frequently play video games, he has a positive view of Noelle despite never interacting with her, and he has reddish horns. Unlike other Darkners, Ralsei brings up his struggle with identity: he doesn’t know what “being Ralsei-like” even means.

Going too much intro the details will perhaps evokes more speculations, but the facts we know for certain aren’t that many:

1. Kris wore the horned headband to fit in with their family.
2. Kris lost or abandoned their headband years ago.
3. Kris was really close to their brother Asriel, and his name is an anagram to Ralsei (perhaps continuing the trend of Dreemurrs being bad with names?)
4. Kris struggled with their identity, like Ralsei is struggling now.

Accidentally or not, Ralsei was created by Kris, and not just inherited their issues but gain some more. Not only Ralsei is an alternative version of Kris very roughly speaking, but also a Darkner who believes serving Lightners is his utmost priority.

His attitude toward Kris in particular needs no introduction: Ralsei constantly praises them, urges them to act for themselves, allows them to lead the way and claims to know real them. We already discussed who real Kris Dreemurr is, so it’s not a surprise Ralsei feels such deep emotions… but how did he learn? While him knowing of Kris could be explained by their shared past, Susie arrived at Hometown just recently and clearly had no prior history with either Dreemurrs or the Dark World.

There may be various possible theories boiling down to the same conclusion: Ralsei has a way to peek intro the Light World. Considering his remarkable ability to travel between Dark Worlds, it’s not a stretch to assume there is a lot about Ralsei we still don’t know. His presentation, diegetic at least to other Darkners, clearly shows Susie as she looks like, so he must have had a glimpse on her recently. Interestingly enough, he banishes Kris and Susie until they complete their homework (how would he know?)— and arrives in the Cyber World only after they already jumped in. Perhaps, his way is less of ‘sensing’ the dark presence and more of observing it?

As cute as Gaster being Ralsei’s guardian sounds, I don’t believe in that theory: his solitude is one of his defining traits, and the Prophecy being “whispered by time and space” had multiple ways of reaching Ralsei without direct interference. I also don’t believe in theory of Kris orchestrating the Prophecy themselves, as it makes them opening a Dark Fountain after the Weird Route ever so stranger (besides not having convincing evidence anyway).

Regardless, Ralsei observing Kris and Susie could explain many things: him knowing their names and appearances, him ready to meet them before his castle, him having a bias in favor of heroic Kris but against egoistical Susie, him claiming that attacking the cake “sounds like [something] Susie [would do]”, him having a different attitude toward the Player than other Darkners have. His ability to sent the Player away may also be a variation of that power, but it’s a very dubious argument.

Ralsei knows real Kris, and he is being honest by claiming as much: he grew to love his gloomy knight with strong morals and a heart of gold, especially during Chapter 1 where Kris acts like a friendly hero without the Player’s control.

Ralsei himself is a pacifist, but we saw him understanding that violence can be an option as early as the tutorial, and he takes the lesson to heart after defeating Spade King. Chapter 2 continues the trend by introducing ‘PuppetScarf’ as a weapon: it raises Ralsei’s attack greatly but costs him magic.

Not only that, we also saw scenes of him ordering Lightners around, like when he sent Kris and Susie to study or stopped Berdly from creating another Dark Fountain. In fact, Berdly is more crucial for Ralsei’s development than anyone would have thought: he is a Lightner who was actively engaging with a plan to create more Dark Fountains, who attacked his friends multiple times, who is so self-centered and annoying Darkners evade him, who out of all characters visiting the Dark World (or implied to visit in the future) has the worst relationship with both Kris and Susie. Ralsei is surprised if Kris decides to give a gift to Berdly and doesn’t even offer to heal him after the battle with Queen— perhaps he took Spade King’s battle too close after all.

With Chapter 3 taking Toriel along for the ride, I expect the conflict between Ralsei and Lightners to deepen. Being an adult woman and Kris’ mother, Toriel would try to lead the way despite Ralsei’s protest and his insistence on Kris’ uniqueness. Thus, Ralsei would see first-hand that serving the Lightners may not be the greatest ambition, especially if the said Lightners are working against his goal of averting the end of the world.

His awkward personality, some may call suspicious outright, is also perfectly explained by his upbringing: not only Ralsei was created by asocial Kris, he spent years in complete solitude after that. But it doesn’t mean his character will stay the same, does it?

Ralsei learning new ideas about his own importance, pacifism and personal relationships definitely changed him, and I’d argue we can this these changes already. He is much bolder with his friends, more inclined to hit on Kris, less considerate when standing up to his enemies (which he was perfectly capable of doing before), outright demanding respect from his subjects and accepting people for real them instead of their idolized versions. The latest may be even more important in regards to Kralsei and Ralsei himself: being a prophesied hero would surely take a tool on him.

Speaking of it, what is his ultimate goal of banishing the Angel’s Heaven? How can he follow the Prophecy while encouraging Kris to be themselves? Why is Ralsei so keen on praising Kris and making them the leader? What are their secret conversations for? Why does he withhold the information? Why would Ralsei never address the Player themselves?

While reading this as Ralsei’s affection toward the Player is an interesting idea, I’ve already discussed before why I find the reasoning for it lacking; meanwhile I ran through all the dialogue where Ralsei addresses Kris and saw no sufficient evidence to claim that he is actively talking to the Player, let alone confusing them with Kris. I also don’t think Ralsei is doing it for the sake of the Prophecy— I highly doubt that flirting with a human is its integral part, and there is no reason for being so vague about Kris’ role… unless he is perfectly honest with Kris and muddies the waters because of someone else.

I believe I have a coherent explanation: Ralsei is working against the Player, the Angel he needs to banish.

If the Player is the Angel, it perfectly explains everything: why Ralsei would be so keen on supporting Kris’ leading role and individuality despite the set Prophecy, why he would have secret conversations with Kris, why he is withholding information from the Player, and why he has no desire to address an entity he is supposed to banish. Remember: a terrible calamity already began according to the Prophecy, and what event literally starts the game? The Player connecting to the world of Deltarune.

Let us discuss my arguments in more details:

The Player is the Angel in Deltarune.

I don’t think that particular theory is that groundbreaking for the community, but it’s necessarily to expand on it nevertheless.

The Angel is a deity celebrated by monsters in both Undertale and Deltarune, with its legend holding an unclear meaning for now. We knew of its dual nature for quite some time of course— the Angel can ‘free’ monsters from the Underground by vastly different means— but it’s not definitely proven to carry on to Deltarune. Most importantly of all, the Angel is known in the Dark World as well, uniquely claiming presence in both worlds.

The Player observes them all from their perspective, literally looking at them from above, and has the ability to control their very lives as they please, which is especially clear with Kris. Considering how closely the themes of destiny and choices are linked to the story, with allusions to puppets, toys and even beads marching on a set path made clear, the Player serving as a divine being only further reinforces the idea. Especially so considering characters’ attitude: Kris has complicated relations with religion and struggles for control, Susie never mentions it and isn’t responsive to the Player’s commands, Ralsei is hostile to the Angel and secretly works against them while keeping his facade, and Noelle who treats religion most seriously out of her friends is the easiest one for the Player to claim.

Nevertheless, the Angel’s light is shinning on them all regardless, just like the Soul’s light shines on Ralsei and Susie during their adventures.

Secret bosses, obscured from the Player’s vision and the world at large, dwell in their own illusion of liberty like Jevil or try to vainly reach it like Spamton. Perfectly in line with his demonic imagery, Jevil believes that real freedom is dictated by the Angel, the Player controlling both Darkners and Lightners like toys, so he rejects their light and falls outside the narrative. However, when the said light finds him and turns him intro an ally to the party, Jevil equals the Roaring to Hell and warns the Heroes of the danger it would bring.

Spamton, from his part, specifically evokes ‘Heaven’ multiple times and asks whether the said Heaven is watching. For him, reaching Heaven is crucial for obtaining his freedom, for becoming real and for ascending far above any other Darkner; it’s so outside the Darkners’ perception, he requires the Soul to even touch this unreachable realm. While claiming this Heaven to be the Light World is a possibility, Spamton doesn’t believes either Susie or Kris—Lightners—to be free and seems to be perfectly capable of reaching to the Light World by himself as indicated by his familiarity with Noelle. Also, the Light World can’t exactly ‘watch’ over him, but the Player can do so with little issue.

I don’t think I want to revisit him on his own ever again, so it’s only appropriate to share my thoughts here. Spamton is an utterly disgusting, pathetic being: he is not a metaphor for “a beautiful and valid trans girl”, he is not a “victim of late-stage capitalism who just tries to get by”, he is not “Kris’ only genuine friend who wants to help them”— he is a delusional, maniacal and completely deranged narcissist preying on young and vulnerable, so he can employ them for him own gain and dispose of them the very moment they outlive their usefulness. If it wasn’t for the Player’s control, Kris would have never interacted with Spamton: they are terrified of him— and rightfully so.

The Weird Route is especially evident in regards to the Player imposing their will and taking the freedom away from characters: it’s not Kris desperately seeking any choice to resist control, it’s a malevolent entity expanding it. The Higher Intervention is the only way for the Deltarune’s story to branch, the very breach of the divine neutrality that leads to disastrous consequences. Seam says that Darkners believed Lighters to be “like Gods”… so what do you call someone who, in turn, views their Gods as playthings?

With that idea in mind, the Weird Route is not an attempt of Kris to make their choices matter, especially since there could be less violent ways to resist the narrative; rather, it’s a malevolent deity’s game to elevate its most devoted follower to entertain them and to prevent the Prophecy from coming true, destroying the narrative and robbing both Lightners and Darkners of any possible choices they could have made without them. The Roaring will sever the connection Lightners have to the Dark World, forcing them to ‘fend for themselves’ — without Dark Worlds to bring better from Lightners, they will lose themselves in eternal darkness. Until the Angel appears for once, shinning their light on lost souls and offering them the guidance; in some regards, it’s yet another parallel to Lightners giving Darkners a purpose.

Their choices don’t matter, they never mattered— it’s only the Angel who can choose for them and who can lead them to salvation. If they rebel against their will, there should be only one response. Lightners serve to entertain the Angel, like Darkners serve Lightners, they can’t interfere with their higher plans— they can’t steal their Soul and force it to avert the Angel’s Heaven.

A small detail I don’t remember people mentioned thus far: the Player never closes Dark Fountains, it is done exclusively by Kris acting on their own. Whether the Soul belongs to the Player or is merely controlled by them, it’s clear that only their power may seal Dark Fountains. Thus, the Angel is forced intro an uneasy alliance: either they cooperate on a journey to close Fountains to avert their Heaven or hopelessly lose themselves in the Dark World trapped within their Vessel.

However, as the Angel is capable of doing the great harm, they are also equal to bring the greater good: the Weird Route is only one side of the coin, with the Angel vehemently rejecting self-sabotaging narrative, while the Pacifist Route represents reconciliation. Observing their subjects first-hand by feeling their emotions, understanding their pain and recognizing their need for independence, the Angel will guide their children to find the light for themselves. The Angel will realize that this world doesn’t need an overbearing and controlling deity, especially with the example of Darkners so obvious. This also ties intro my personal interpretation of the Roaring Knight, but we, as per tradition, are getting slightly ahead of ourselves.

Game’s code supports the idea of the Player being forced on Kris by an entity different from the initial voice, though we can’t name them as of yet. While claiming Kris to be our key suspect is a possibility, there is pretty much nothing to indicate their involvement besides the Japanese translation and more speculations. Perhaps they tried to patch up their own life and triggered the Prophecy by trapping the Player within their Soul? Perhaps they were aware of the Prophecy before and summoned the Player intentionally? Perhaps their Soul was so strong, it attracted the Player’s attention? Or Kris was a Vessel to the Player and was chosen by them on purpose? Notice how similar the character from the Goner Maker looks to Kris, almost like an imperfect copy.

Don’t forget another interesting detail: the demonic symbolism following Kris and, in turn, expanding on Ralsei. They come from a family of goat-like monsters, they used to wear red horns, they are known as a freak and a troublemaker, they are at odds with religion, they are called the ‘Lightbringer’ by Spade King, they are leading their party to banish the Angel’s Heaven, they are rebelling against an incomprehensible entity guiding them. When it comes to this, Kris will be the perfect candidate to banish the Angel indeed.

As a final note, the Player already was the Angel in Undertale’s No Mercy Route, freeing the Underground from monsters at last.

With that being said, I should clarify something: I don’t believe that the Player is diegetic to the world of Deltarune. Rather, they are both their own character serving as a commentary to the Player-Character dynamic and a stand-in for players: we are not an actual character in Deltarune, but ‘The Player’ alluding to us is. Claiming Deltarune to be a self-aware game creates only more problem in its wake, making the story feel less important and rendering the characters we grew to love as fakes. Especially since tobyfox refuses to make marketable toys out of Lightners as he didn’t think it “feels right”— why is that so, if the entire world of Deltarune, including the Light World, is a simple game? Yes, I am familiar with the ‘fiction impacts us just as much as the reality itself’ idea, but we already know that Deltarune is fiction, and it has no problem getting its themes without becoming self-aware. I struggle to understand what would change for the better with such a development, but if there’s a writer who could pull that off, that would be tobyfox. While I do acknowledge some evidence for such a theory—notably, the name of the initial demo and Chapter 1’s unfinished menu—I don’t believe them to be sufficient enough to warrant this conclusion right now. They may be explained as diegetic parts of the world, could be completely neglected until the end, declared to be sparse meta-elements playing around with the audience or be indeed confirmed as early hints much later in the story.

But what about Noelle? She has a lot of angelic symbolism attached, is referred as an angel by Addison and Spamton, talks about growing angel wings and has all the reasons for provoking a calamity in her search of a fantasy world. Dismissing so much evidence as red hearings would be unwise, and I agree wholeheartedly: Noelle will become the Angel in the Weird Route.

Throughout Chapter 2, we saw how the Player tries to break Deltarune in an attempt to forsake the intended path. Noelle’s role there was crucial, as only her character allowed for such a development. With just a little bit of molding, she became a perfect Vessel for the Player, for the Angel, willing to do unspeakable things under a false presumption of her own salvation. The Weird Route makes Noelle much more powerful than anyone we’ve seen so far— all while leaving her more unstable, more determined to inflict pain, more miserable, more easy to control. I believe the Player will assume full authority over Noelle to finish the job and destroy the narrative, though I am also open to the possibility of Noelle backstabbing the Player and usurping the title of the Angel for herself, directly paralleling the No Mercy Route in Undertale and crushing whatever was left of the story like her creator had hoped.

Assuming the single ending theory is correct, there may be a glaring contradiction: how could the Player and Noelle both being the Angels be reconciled with such an idea? Well, I have two possible explanations. Firstly, the ending of Deltarune would be akin to Undertale’s Neutral Routes in its structure: while the basic conclusion would stay the same, most details will be changed drastically, to the point some variations of the ending may be considered its own unique route. And secondly… you know that ‘Game Over’ almost never counts as a proper conclusion to a game, don’t you?

Ralsei is constantly supporting Kris, not the Player.

This should be pretty straightforward: Ralsei can’t stop praising Kris throughout both chapters, would it be for their heroic character or something as insignificant as their skill in video games. Notice the very first line Ralsei tells to Kris regarding their choices, paying special attention to the wording here:

“But, Kris, I believe YOUR choices are important, too”

There is a very crucial reason for highlighting that “YOUR” part: Ralsei wanted to make it explicitly clear he was talking to Kris. Such an attitude is further supported by multiple scenes that make absolutely zero sense when concerning the Player: they have no use for Kris’ bedroom filled with trophies, their preferred clothing or moss, they can’t taste Ralsei’s cake, they aren’t guaranteed to be good with video games, they can’t hug Ralsei, they already have ‘a special talent’ in controlling the party— they aren’t even themselves right now, so praising them for being as such during the Acid Tunnel of Love is plainly incorrect.

Speaking of which, the Acid Tunnel of Love scene loses so much when applied to the Player. Not only Ralsei is using Kris—his friend—to flirt with an otherworldly entity (which goes against his character), his dialogue here is absolutely pointless unless it addresses Kris. Ralsei is specifically talking about “being a friend”, but he can’t be a friend to the Player: worship them, crush on them, guide them, please them for the sake of the Prophecy— you could pick any other theory, but Ralsei can’t become their friend, that’s simply impossible. Especially since the Player exists on a different plain of reality and controls another being as their Vessel: implying some sort of friendship here would require Ralsei to abandon his morals and be fine with one of his friends using another.

His following and perhaps the most infamous line is also completely ridiculous if addressed to the Player. “And of course, Kris. It’s nice that… you’re you”— except the Player isn’t Kris at all. Ralsei fully understands this distinction yet decides to blur it… because? Even if the theory about him crushing on the Player was correct, there are countless other ways to complement them without evoking Kris’ own name and making the thing sound so empty. Again, considering their secret conversations, it’s clear that Ralsei doesn’t blend them together as a single person. Furthermore, there is no reason to bring up his struggles with identity: it’s a topic one might start with their friend, preferably if the said friend has a similar problem, not with an entity that has an ability to subdue one’s personality entirely and control them like a puppet.

On the other hand, it's consistent if Ralsei is talking to Kris. Not only discussing his ideas of friendship with his actual friend is more coherent, his line about being yourself addressing Kris is the only possible explanation I can think of. It would be ridiculous to tell this to the Player, and we have no evidence to suggest Ralsei confuses them with Kris.

When you think about it, the dialogue makes perfect sense: Ralsei praises Kris for staying true to themselves in spite of everything, for protecting their friends despite the Player’s control, for fighting for the world that rejects them, for remaining a hero even when their own life is being taken away. Ralsei does admire Kris, and this exchange is his compliment to them most sincere. Remember one crucial fact: while we never saw a scene between Susie and Noelle on the Weird Route, it still happened and perhaps was even more personal— but both the conversation between Kris and Ralsei and their Acid Tunnel of Love scene never occurred in the first place due to the Player’s meddling.

The Sweet Cap‘n’ Cakes fight is also evident of his real attitude: Ralsei claims that ACTing is Kris’ special talent, but Susie finds the notion stupid and bends the rules yet again, which makes Ralsei apologize to Kris. Nearly all theories claim it’s Ralsei caring about the Player’s unique ability being stolen— even though it was never theirs in the first place. The Player can control the entire party and issue it any command they desire, so others learning ACTing not only benefits their experience but grows their influence even further. On the contrary, Kris being the only person capable of issuing ACTs was their uniqueness: with that expanding to Susie and Ralsei, they indeed lose something that makes them, not the Player, stand out.

And, of course, there are these secret conversations with Kris taking place. We can safely discard the possibility of Ralsei swaying Kris to accept the Player intro their life, as such a development would eliminates the possibility of them being friends and, I repeat myself yet another time, completely goes against Ralsei’s character: he is an idealist who learns that the world is slightly more complex, not a calculated mastermind willing to let Kris suffer for the greater good.

Whatever their plans are, it’s pretty evident that they are hiding them not just from the Player but from Susie as well, despite the fact she is now their close friend who showed the most independent attitude by far. Assuming the theory of Kris fabricating the Prophecy is an interesting path, but it’s clear that it’s Ralsei instructing Kris and not the other way around. For now, we can’t answer definitively, only speculate. Perhaps their plan is so potentially dangerous, they want their closest friend out of it. Perhaps they don’t want Susie to know Kris is being controlled. Perhaps they believe the Player is so powerful, they can’t risk anyone else learning of their plans.

What does it mean for Kris, Ralsei and them both?

With all evidence examined and possible criticisms responded to, the conclusion comes naturally: Ralsei and Kris have a secret plan regarding the Player. They don’t want them to know of the said plan and take great lengths to hide not only its existence but even their awareness of the Player in the first place which, paradoxically, makes them even more suspicious. In essence, they both know that the Player is the Angel and are slowly marching forward with the Prophecy to banish them from this world to grant its inhabitants true freedom. The Player is presented along the ride, as only their power could close Dark Fountains and be used to prevent the Roaring.

However, the plan backfires spectacularly in the Weird Route: irritated by being reduced to such a state, the Player rapidly builds their influence with Noelle and attempts to get their own freedom back. With the narrative of the Prophecy averted for good, they can completely subdue the story to their will yet again and play with these insolent Lightners like they desire. So, what will happen with their plan in the Pacifist Route? Well, I do expect it be concluded, just in a different manner.

I mentioned that Kris is a noble hero with a kind heart, that much is true, but there is a reason why their character is being treated as a creepy kid next door; and unlike the case with Kralsei, it actually exists. Kris is very abrasive and uncooperative when it comes to basic interactions: hearing out Asriel’s friend for them is a chore, their dislike of Alphys leads them to report her directly to the Mayor perhaps not once, and their idea of a little prank is to frighten Noelle and even threaten her with a weapon. She does enjoy a good scare of course, but she may be a very rare exertion: after all, she is one of the very few monsters to even interact with Kris. Speaking of which, Monster Kid is also implied to be somewhat close with Kris and seems the most compassionate to them; that’s not that great of a achievement however, comparing to their other classmates’ indifference or open antagonism from Berdly and Snowy. But how does Kris react to Monster Kid? They grew irritated with them, because Monster Kid talks bad about Susie who, I remind you, used to abuse Kris themselves until this very day.

However, the Player changes Kris’ attitude completely. They are now actively seeking local monsters to talk to, become more patient and pleasant, visit their father, help Undyne and Alphys get closer, and it’s under their guidance Kris mends relations with both Berdly and Noelle. The save file made when skipping Chapter 1 tells us that Kris never interacted with anyone on their way home after all, and there is a little chance they could preserve their relations in the Light World on their own right now.

And that’s the idea floating in Kris’s head as I see it: would it be moral to puppet a person, even if by doing so their life becomes better? That’s the question they definitely ask themselves while ripping their Soul and looking at it while the fog consumes their living room. They have so many doubts about their master plan, especially since the girl they like became their friend only after their adventures, with the Player present along the ride.

The problem being… that’s not entirely the truth.

We know that Kris is a kind hero, we know that they are more that capable of acting for themselves, we know that they deeply care about their friends, and saw Kris protecting them on their own— they do not need the Player. With Ralsei’s insistence on their own individuality and importance, with Susie’s example of defying any authority, with their adventures in Dark Worlds, with relations they both mended and created by themselves, Kris will change to be a better person while keeping their heroic character in tact.

I believe that Kris has their own reasons to tolerate the Player for now, not connected with their ability to close Dark Fountains, but they will realize themselves to be perfectly fine without their control. Thus, Kris will banish the Angel’s Heaven and let the Player go, obtaining true freedom at last and growing more confident in themselves in the process. There may be a claim made that the Player's influence did help Kris after all, and they could acknowledge that while staying true to themselves.

Ralsei’s character progression, as I’ve mentioned before, have already started. Thus, it may be easier to put intro words— or much harder, depending on the perspective. To some degree, his initial attitude could be seen through the lenses of Kris’ own behavior: he was willing to be used for the sake of one-sided friendship, was protective of his friends to the point of sacrificing himself, was allowing his crush to bully him and was presenting himself as a hero despite poor social skill.

With genuine friends in Kris and Susie, however, most of these problems disappear for good; especially with Kris, who is kind to Ralsei and, contrary to their reclusive character, thinks of him almost as highly as of their once closest friend they still care about. The current trend indicates that Ralsei will grow more bold and self-assured with time, and I see no reason to disagree with that.

The Prophecy, however, still stands as a major point for his characterization and the story as a whole: could it be subverted in some way if its core idea will be fulfilled nevertheless? Well, I believe I made myself clear already. In the Pacifist Route, the Angel will recognize its subjects desire for independence and will step aside peacefully, more likely than not even helping the Heroes to combat the Roaring. The Angel will be banished, but not like a malevolent entity that tried to cover the world in darkness, it’ll be rather like a redeemed antagonist accepting the exile. Moreover, the Prophecy could teach Ralsei a valuable lesson which parallels the one of Kris’ story: even if a greater power tries to make your life better and lead you to the right direction, you should still forge your own path against all odds.

Adding Gaster intro the equation as if he was the villainous mastermind behind the Prophecy could also benefit the idea: if the Legend is compromised so that the Heroes would bring the Roaring in a vain attempt to avert it, granting Gaster the chance to build his perfect future, Ralsei will reject his demonic guide outright. Demons will fight the Devil to save the world… Such a confrontation with Gaster sounds great thematically, but hard evidence is lacking.

Susie’s role is somewhat uncertain in all of this, and you may have noticed that I almost completely neglected to mention her in my theory, even though she is a main character and ‘a monster’ from the Prophecy. From her indifference to the Angel and her independent attitude when it comes to being force to follow, I believe she will play the key role in averting the calamity itself for good— especially in the Weird Route, when she is forced to confront Noelle. Considering that she already played a sort of a role model to Berdly, Noelle in the Weird Route could be persuaded by her as well, especially if the pattern of them conversing off-screen continues. The question being, would it be enough for her to defy the Angel for good, and would her powers be enough to banish them?

We also have a hint of Kris having feelings for Susie she is uncomfortable with. I’ll save such a discussion for another time but say this now: rejecting the person she was abusing so viciously as a romantic partner is the most mature decision Susie could make that flows naturally with her character development.

Finally, we reached the most peculiar part of my theory: the relationship between Kris and Ralsei. I was very cautious when describing their dynamic before, and while I do expect them to become much closer in the future, I don’t believe we can view them as a couple for now. While Ralsei was clearly observing Kris before, he is just a new friend to them: sure, Kris cares about him and doesn’t hesitate to rush for his defense, but when it comes to spending free time together, Susie would probably be a more desirable choice.

Moreover, I do expect some sort of a conflict between them to sprout: I believe it’s Kris who will play the ultimate role for Ralsei to recognize Lightners aren’t worth worshiping. There may be many reasons for them to open the Dark Fountain in their living room, but Ralsei will see it as an act of betrayal to their ideals, to their end goal from the start. Interestingly enough, if Kris is indeed pursuing an idealistic motive Ralsei could have empathized with in Chapter 1, now he will be displeased with their actions that endanger both Lightners and Darkners.

Ralsei’s attitude toward Kris will change yet again: he grew bolder with them before, so now he will act sarcastic and downright passive-aggressive (taking a few notes from Susie perhaps), straight-up calling Kris out. Ralsei will realize that real Kris is not just a hero he grew to admire, but a very self-centered person with imperfect judgments and strange tendencies. Notice another flaw of Kris that Ralsei is overcoming, yet they wear on their sleeve still: Kris is willing to please others to an uncomfortable degree. They tried to build friendship with older kids who clearly view them condescendingly at best, reassured Toriel that they are normal, and are tolerating an entity beyond their comprehension so it could make their life better. To fully understand that flaw, apples are essential.

Even though apples are sometimes associated with Kris in promotional materials, there are actually no evidence to suggest that they like them: apples are being referred to as ‘some kind of teacher food’ by the Narrator, which would have been a strange choice for Kris’ preferred food, especially since they have a history of stealing Toriel’s sweets and can be prompted to huff a marshmallow-scented marker in the very same room. It’s Susie who loves apples (to the point that she drinks a shampoo with a similar scent) and associates them with Kris— because they actively go out of their way to provoke her and to get her attention using apples, which, in turn, inspires Noelle’s own idea. They also sniff an apple-scented marker but only when Susie is with them, otherwise they’d go for a marshmallow-scented one. Interestingly, Noelle herself associates Kris with cinnamon while Ralsei tastes blueberry, something we never saw brought up among Kris’ favorite foods. However, ripe blueberries are naturally sweet, and a lot of apples are plain or tart by design.

Regardless, I also believe Kris will warm up to Ralsei as he becomes more irritated with their attitude: they prefer more assertive and blatantly honest people after all. Their private conversation may sway Ralsei to Kris’ side once again, especially if their reason for creating the Fountain was dictated by desperation and loneliness. Here, they grew closer and more intimate with each other, and it will be the moment for Kris to recognize Ralsei as their true friend: not someone they could risk their life saving, but the one who will risk his for them— and not because such an act is dictated by the Prophecy. Coincidentally, it will also be the perfect timing for Kris to see Ralsei as his own, not as a naive and sheltered persona they created years ago.

Ralsei, in turn, will realize that people can be even more complex. It took him some time to understand real Susie, and now Ralsei will look at Kris as they are: not a flawless hero worth idolizing, but a real person with their own struggles and ideals. As Ralsei was helping Kris to grow more confident and accepting of themselves while at their best, now he will show them that ‘real Kris’ can be loved just as much even at their worst.

Kris will take a hint from Ralsei, becoming more open in general and accepting of help while Ralsei, on the other hand, will learn that being a hero is not a clear-cut case, bringing his own issues to the table as well. Created from the very desire to fit it and to be as pleasing as possible, Ralsei now stepped far from his initial concept. If Kris’ story will culminate in them becoming a better person and taking back the control they had all along, the good ending for Ralsei would be, paradoxically, him accepting his own advice: Ralsei will understand that he isn’t limited by his creator’s long-abandoned dreams, that he should develop his own identity and lead the way.

For better or for worse, we can’t earnestly theorize on some of the most crucial details going forward. Nevertheless, I expect the relation between Kris and Ralsei to deepen, especially since Deltarune is so keen on setting up romantic scenes between them, paralleling Susie and Noelle. A particular notion within the community claims that it will only serve to further differentiate between the shippings, elevating Suselle and shunning Kralsei, but I see no factual nor thematic argument being made. A much better explanation would be… these are just two awkward couples slowly getting together; and the fact that Ralsei and Kris don’t have their scenes during the Weird Route further supports the notion that their relationship would develop naturally without the Player’s meddling.

While I find the image of Kris wearing their horned headband during the final battle epic, I would object to the general idea of them accepting Ralsei as an actual part of their character or fusing with him outright: in order to explore themselves, they both need to grow as separate beings. It’s nice that Kris is Kris, and it’s nice that Ralsei is Ralsei.

These characters, so similar yet so different, would bring the best in each other and reconcile their shared past to build their own path forward. Their dynamic, that may very well evolve intro a romance, is essential for understanding Deltarune’s narrative and unraveling their own stories in its context.

With so much of Kris’ character and their development discussed, I will admit to this: I don’t think that we, beyond a reasonable doubt, can find a dialogue choice that would be preferred by Kris over its counterparts all the time. While you may argue it’s a shortcoming at my part, a good amount of choices is pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things, and some of them (like Kris teasing Noelle over dog treats) are leading to the same result regardless. I would assume that all choices, unless a binary question is presented, are equally likely to be made by Kris, but then we get intro the Weird Route problem. Sure, we can explain it to be the Player’s meddling, but what’s the point of having a rule with so many broad exceptions? Kris is the one giving us choices— unless the said choices are binary, concern the Weird Route, have no sense coming from them (“Great to see you again”) or any other arbitrary reason. The Soul leaning to the option closest to Kris is also an underwhelming lead: there is no rule for its placement, and the scene before fighting Susie and Lancer indicates it doesn’t actually support Kris’ own desires.

My personal favorite here is the scene just before Noelle joins the full party. Kris has a choice of giving the gift Queen won to any of their friends and even to Berdly, with any of them having the possibility of being labeled as a canonical option. Kris likes Susie the most and shows a particular interest in her, so that choice would be natural. On the other hand, Noelle is their oldest friend and someone they spent all this time leading and protecting, so she could use that present as well. Ralsei, despite becoming Kris’ friend just yesterday, arguably interacted with them more than even Noelle and made them multiple gifts so far— reciprocating would be more than fair; also Kris could empathize with Ralsei’s loneliness and support him that way. For Berdly, the gift could signify the reconciliation of their mutual antagonism— or it will serve as an ironic gesture, because Kris has no use for it anyway.

This also leads me to the Acid Tunnel of Love scene: I don’t know how Kris would respond to Ralsei. Kris is very flirtatious, they clearly view Ralsei as a friend at the very worst, they teased him before and never expressed any reluctance to interact with him. However, Kris may be just as likely to find this whole acid pool thingy weird, ignore Ralsei’s flirt for now, have a doubt over their ‘real’ identity or simply be lost for words.

As underwhelming as it may be, I tried to stay as close as possible to factual evidence while explaining my theory. There is, of course, a room for additional discussions open, but each new possible argument would draw more and more from speculations rather than facts, and some of more radical theories per say would require countering well-established ideas with so much presumptions, it turns intro an AU of its own. In the end, I believe that simple truth is far more enticing than a complex fantasy.

To summarize key arguments of my theory:

1. Real Kris Dreemurr is a flawed hero.
2. Ralsei was created out of Kris’ horned headband and inherited a lot of their issues with identity.
3. The Player is the Angel that needs to be banished, but Kris has a complicated relation with them: they aren’t sure whether they could stay the same without their guidance.
4. The Weird Route is the Angel’s response to the narrative built around their imprisonment and imminent eviction.
5. Noelle will become a perfect Vessel to the Angel in the Weird Route— or she will betray them in the end, paralleling No Mercy Route in Undertale.
6. In the Pacifist Route, the Angel will experience Lightners’ struggle for independence first-hand and will begin to view them as secular beings with their own hopes and dreams.
7. Ralsei will develop his own personality and will learn to do what’s right regardless of the Prophecy, even if it’s a net-positive idea overall.
8. Due to the support from Ralsei, Kris will recognize themselves to be a hero they always were. They will banish the Angel’s Heaven and will part on somewhat friendly terms with the Angel who will grant true freedom to their subjects.
9. Ralsei will recognize that Kris is not a perfect person that should be celebrated for every step they make, like he himself shouldn’t strive to be a flawless hero.
10. In the end, they both will grow much closer and will bring the best from each other to reconcile their flaws and to become better as close yet separate people.

At its core, Deltarune is a coming out of age story. It’s a tale about struggle for independence from any Higher Authority, be so overbearing parents, tyrannical rules or a deity far above than any of them that represents the fate itself. Most of all, it’s a journey about finding yourself and a place for you.

In the end, is my theory perfect for unraveling Deltarune’s story? No, of course not. We all are using only the information available from two chapters so far (less than a third of the game) and are going under multiple assumptions. For instance, we believe Kris and the Player are not one in the same— a very strong and basically confirmed notion, though there still could be some space for a debate left. Or how the entire ‘the Player is the Angel’ theory is based on the assumption that the Player would be directly acknowledged by the narrative. Perhaps even the Angel may be revealed as a force of nature akin to Titans, though a lot of my ideas could still be applied to the Player on their own or be incorporated intro the meta-narrative, if the story decides to go this way.

Chapter 3 could destroy my theory within pretty much a first few minutes, just as much as it could confirm every last word said. While I feel pretty confident about the relationship between Kris and Ralsei and their scheme against the Player, with the conflict overall being so complicated and rooted in personal struggle, I may be wrong about their very nature; the theory of Deltarune being a self-aware fiction may get more evidence, drastically altering my interpretation of the Player and their influence on the world. Of course, you are welcome to criticize my theories, especially if you believe I’ve got some factual arguments wrong.

In the end, it’s one of possible interpretations of Deltarune’s narrative. I just hope my reasoning made you think, especially in regards to Kralsei and its perception within the community. I believe Kralsei is a pretty cute shipping that tackles many themes of the game: choice, destiny, individuality, loneliness, feeling of belonging— and nearly all the criticism it faces is so detached from reality, there are little factual arguments that could be contested.

The next chapter will be a little bit unusual, as it mostly consist of my speculations about Ralsei addressing the Player during his adventures with Kris. Then, we jump to discuss a shipping fairy popular within the community— Krerdly. You might have noticed that I excluded it when bringing up gay-perceived couples involving Kris, and there is a good reason for that. A chapter about Krusie is completed as well, but I believe it needs its fair share of corrections before being published. I also don’t feel like analyzing Kriselle on its own, but I promised to talk about their similarities and parallels as individual characters, so I’ll be thinking how to put that intro words. Regardless, after that I am planning to share my thoughts on the Roaring Knight and bring up the possibility of them being Kris all along.