#dr parallels

[human-soul-and-parts]

UTDR + Smiles

[imminent-danger-came]

old menu screen dialogue replicating save files:

reflections, imitations, copies, illusions

deltarune ch 1 - ch 4

[airenyah]

[human-soul-and-parts]

UTDR + Endings and the End

[human-soul-and-parts]

How long did it take her to smile? Before the sun went down.

[human-soul-and-parts]

imprisonment & the cage

deltarune ch. 1 - ch. 4

[human-soul-and-parts]

this one got a bit away from me

[human-soul-and-parts]

Ralsei is the Fallen Star

I got an idea for this meta from this post by @princess-valentineee, so please go check it out!

To quickly summarize here: Ralsei's plant-related title throughout ch. 5 was "Artemisia, goes well with tea". This is notable because Artemisia is the genus of the plant Wormwood, which has biblical implications:

Specifically to Revelations 8:10-11

"The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many died from the water, because it was made bitter."

The Book of Revelation is the Prophet John detailing his glimpse into heaven and what will occur after the second coming of Christ. One noteworthy thing about his description of heaven is that "in front of the throne burn seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God", which could potentially be associated with the seven human souls (the book of revelation has many references to the number seven, especially in regards to God/Jesus/light; there are seven seals that must be opened by Jesus Christ, seven angels with seven trumpets who bring calamity, the seven thunders, seven plagues, etc.).

So the fallen star that turned the water bitter was named Wormwood, a plant now associated with Ralsei. This in and of itself is tied to the peculiar book found in ch. 4's secret "ROOTS" room:

Based off of this information alone, it seems clear to me that Ralsei is the fallen star this excerpt speaks of. However, I think we can take this even further! First, let's look at the flavor text for the item, "Bitter Tear", described as "Bitter water that fell in droplets from the sky. Recovers all HP."

Ralsei doesn't say anything.

This is a consistent character beat for him, withholding the information he knows. Even into ch. 5, Ralsei is reluctant to share any knowledge he is not directly asked for (e.g., explaining the menu to Susie, versus remaining silent about the fact that Kris made the flower king dark fountain), so it isn't surprising he would say nothing when consuming an item directly related to himself.

Another thing I find interesting is that wormwood is heralded by the third angel, which is Ralsei's position in the prophecy:

If you continue reading revelations, a fifth angel is also described:

"And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit; he opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft." (Revelations 9:1-2)

Now to me, this imagery invokes the dark worlds. A "bottomless pit" (aka, deepest dark) you create by striking your blade into the ground, smoke billowing from the point of impact:

The roaring, then, is akin to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ/apocalypse, just as Deltarune is the second game, the second time we the player control the red human soul.

This calamity is one that Ralsei is continually trying to prevent, praying whenever he gets the chance:

"Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it; for the time is near." (Revelations 1:3)

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

"I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book; if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book." (Revelations 22:18-19)

Ralsei is a fallen angel/star who must function as a harbinger of chaos, yet he does not want to be. What else could he do but cry bitter glass tears

As this scene continues, Flowery points out that Ralsei hasn't destroyed him because he hopes that if Flowery wins, it will stop the prophecy. Flowery is part of the "Garden of Hopes and Dreams", part of a belief that fate can be changed.

And he dies

The consequences of all losing hope, of losing your dreams in utdr is dire. This can be seen with a plethora of characters: Flowey, Chara, the King of Spades, Spamton, the Knight, even DR Asgore. If Gerson hadn't stepped in to reinvigorate the group during the Titan fight in ch. 4, they likely would have failed.

So what would happen if Ralsei couldn't bring himself to believe any longer? What if he created his own shadow crystal?

I think that'll be a question we'll soon have the answer to.