SUSIE REPLACES NOELLE IN THE PROPHECY (and that might be a bad thing for her)
a short, loose theory post based on some things i've noticed throughout chapters 1 through 4 so far!!
extremely major spoilers for Deltarune's story as of the 3&4 release, especially chapter 4, will be present ahead.
so, a pretty big theory has been spreading around since chapter 4's prophecies were first seen on the 3&4 release. if you've engaged with the Deltarune community recently as of late, then you'll probably have heard of the theory that originally, Susie's place in the prophecy was intended for Noelle. the biggest backer of this theory is this right here:
at first it looks like Susie, sure. you've got her basic silhouette, the hair is pretty clear, if you look at the torso you might see a resemblance to her jacket's shape. it isn't unreasonable to think this refers to Susie, it's what shows up along the prophecy listing the other two heroes when Susie creates a dark fountain and shapes a new Dark World based on what she wants it to include, and it's clear that the game wants you to think this IS Susie.
however, many people also noticed this about the silhouette: the torso shape can resemble a dress, like the one Noelle wears in the Dark World, or the skirt she wears in the Light World. same with the hair: it could be her's, too. this is further proven by other details in the silhouette; the lack of a defined muzzle unlike Susie, though Noelle definitely has a face more shaped to fit. and there's also, of course, the sword rather than an axe. if you didn't know, Noelle can actually equip some swords in-game during chapter 2!
"THE GIRL, WITH HOPE CROSSED ON HER HEART." can refer to Susie, but too can it refer to Noelle, even moreso i'd argue. Noelle is clearly struggling a bit with her life as we see: an overbearing mother, a father in the hospital, academic pressure and of course her lack of willpower to admit her feelings for Susie to her face. thus, the hope crossed on her heart i'd say fits Noelle more than Susie: Noelle is hoping her father recovers and leaves the hospital to come home, Noelle is hoping each day that her grades will meet the standards she must hold up to, and she is hoping to get closer to Susie.
overall, there's a lot of very strong evidence pointing towards the idea that Noelle was supposed to be the second hero of the prophecy. it's not hard to see why many support this theory, and so do i!
and this is what makes Susie so interesting, with the position she holds in the story. throughout the entirety of the game, Susie has made it a point that she doesn't bend to the will of some outer narrative, nor does she follow what she's told, only what she wants. it makes her more of a protagonist than Kris, at times.
...but what if i told you, that i think Susie's revolution could bring upon her downfall later on?
due to Susie accidentally taking someone else's place in the prophecy, things have begun spinning out of place. she's done too much that clearly wasn't meant to happen: she's befriended Lancer, who was clearly meant to be solely an antagonist, as silly as he is. she's become an antagonist herself for a short time, and multiple times she has completely subverted what Ralsei would have expected to happen, simply because she doesn't conform to a written story.
and unfortunately, this puts Susie in serious danger.
why's that? well, just as this theory begins with an image from the prophecy, so does it come back to that here... with this simple wording.
"LOVE FINDS ITS WAY TO THE GIRL."
this is one line that people have been theorizing like crazy over too, and it's no wonder why. you can take the literal meaning (and seemingly the meaning Susie interprets it in as well), sure, makes sense, a romance between Susie and Noelle has been brewing over the course of the game so far, and that's clearer than ever after visiting Noelle's house!
...but then, there's the theory of the player's SOUL, as depicted right in her chest within the silhouette. the very same spot of the body Kris reaches into to rip us out of themself.
if you've seen the consequences of the Weird Route from chapter 2 all the way over to chapter 4, you'll know that the implication afterwards was that a part of the player's SOUL was left implanted in Noelle after we forced the THORNRING on her in the Light World. this is quite clear, at least to most, telling by the red splatter when it happens, and the unnerving red dot that can be seen later on if you choose to focus on what Noelle is doing, instead of Susie.
if in the Weird Route, the SOUL's essence has been implanted in Noelle, what does that mean?
if LOVE finds its way to the girl, could that refer to our SOUL?
and if that IS the case, does that mean the Weird Route is truly just the player accidentally setting the prophecy straight?
and if LOVE doesn't find its way to Noelle in the "normal" route...
then what does that mean for Susie's fate?
my theory, as simple as it gets, is that one way or another we are going to have to either force our SOUL onto Noelle in the Weird Route, or force it onto Susie in the typical route, depending on our choices. and if we don't want to force it onto either of the girls, then Kris might force it onto Susie themself.
now, that sounds a bit odd, right? if chapter 4 (and a lot of other subtle dialogue outcomes) is any indicator, Susie and Kris are absolutely CHILL by now (pun not intended sorry noelle). why would Kris want to inflict their own torture onto Susie, someone that Kris clearly sees as a close (maybe best) friend and possibly even admires?
well, they don't want to. that's why someone is going to make them do it; and that could be either us, or the voice from Kris' phone.
in chapter 2, accessing the Weird Route, which would eventually lead to Noelle having the SOUL forced onto her in chapter 4, requires precise, manipulative tactics as soon as Noelle joins your party. you go back, you make her freeze enemies, and you continuously force her to do things she clearly expresses she doesn't want to do, simply by repeating, pushing her to just, in simple terms, proceed.
obviously, this ends with a lot of destruction of the Cyber World, and it's a miracle Berdly is alive at all after everything. but let's be real: the point of all of it wasn't to be spooky and violent and kill everyone and woahhh genocide so scary!!!
it was to weaken Noelle's resolve. to make her less likely to resist, to make her not fight you. and when you later reveal your presence to Noelle in chapter 4, that exactly happens: she fails completely to defend herself, and she doesn't run much beyond scooting away on the couch.
i think in a similar way, Susie's resolve will be weakened as well. not necessarily through forced violence or through intimidation, but through persistence and carefully picked words, exploiting Susie's naivety and her love for the Dark Worlds and the Darkners within them.
it's hard to say how exactly it will happen, but i have a strong feeling that it will. in fact, i think we're already seeing early signs of our SOUL having an affect on Susie, as shown by the way that we are able to watch her without the requirement of Kris' presence, once every chapter, as encouraged by Ralsei. hoo boy, have i got a lot to say about how much involvement i think Ralsei might have, but i'm writing this at 2AM so i'll stop that train of thought here.
point is, the girls are both in serious danger of meeting the same fate that Kris has already met; puppets to the player. regardless of what route is taken, it's looking like one of them will have to get hurt.
but i think we can still change this outcome.
if you accuse Gerson (the old man) of not liking prophecies after he breaks one of them, he makes a very, very interesting point:
"Well now, a fairytale is a pretty little thing."
"Ain't it nice to believe a glimmer here and there…?"
"I jus' think, those words shine a bit too bright."
"A path so blue, it's all you can see."
"So I say… why don't we go between the lines?"
"It's darker there… Geheh… geheheh!"
and i think, more than anywhere else, this exact point that Gerson makes works the best when applied to Noelle and Susie's unfortunate positions. their so-called fates, as demanded by the prophecy. in fact, i think this line works so well with their situation, that it is actually foreshadowing.
i think THIS is exactly what we're going to need those Shadow Crystals for. to save both Noelle and Susie, rather than harming one in favor of the other.
Seam better cook up something good with those crystals.
and with that, i rest my case. feel free to reply with your own points and/or counter-theories, i'd love to debate this or just hear what others think of my theory!
