I was thinking about thematic parallels in Utena + Deltarune and listening to "Be the Girl" by Hemlocke Springs, and got a cool idea... The song itself is more about growing as a person and realizing you can't be who you once were, but in this case it's something more like failing to live up to a big important role and realizing you shouldn't have to anyway + going off to do your own thing.
The more I think about "The Girl" in regards to the prophecy, the more I feel like it's kind of Rose Bride flavored???? Obviously the prophecy as a whole is being set up as something to be opposed, but The Girl feels like it's specifically doing something with gender, esp. in how characters' feelings on gender and societal expectations with femininity have gotten more focus as the story goes on (e.g., Susie vs bows, Ralsei vs dresses, Noelle's struggles with personal agency). (Tangent: I want to hear more about how Kris feels!!!!!)
All of the interesting and fun ways the main girls in Deltarune have unique personalities and motivations, but there's a big narrative force trying to box one or all of them into The Girl. It's a big, imposing narrative archetype you can never live up to or feel worthy of but at the same time it's a cage, and the act of trying to "measure up" keeps you trapped... "Girl" as something stifling for both Susie and Noelle in different ways but something freeing + new + a little scary for Ralsei; desire to be true to yourself as you want to be inside vs how the world tries to shape you into something more palatable
Uhhhhhhhh I almost made the "Susie drinks Kris' shampoo" scene the first panel to better preserve the apple thing, but there's basically no way not to make it look really silly, so I went with another scene from the same time!
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