DELTARUNE Is Real.

[@eduardobp6602]

Hey, i dont know if this was found yet by someone, but here it is! 14:10 Lancer at the chapter 3 icon. I noticed it before i even knew it was like, a challenge lol. I just thought it was a random meme or joke.

[@eggmanprettyhotngl.4721]

YOOOO!!! I came back to this video to look for it cause I had given up! Major props to you!!!

[@eduardobp6602]

@@eggmanprettyhotngl.4721 Thanks man!

[@PlayerCarter.]

Congrats! I really need to get better at hiding stuff.

[@kingpiggins292]

​​​@@PlayerCarter. I think at this point the theory crafters figured out most of the major plot points in this Game from only two Chapters, I bet Toby is impressed. I personally love the idea of this being the main reason behind the creation of Deltarune, it all makes sense. I could see how it would be derived from parallels in our history (people having premonitions of an inevitable fate and calling upon their gods for help). He probably had the dream and then analyzed it with this in mind; Gaster being the prophet (his scientific observations leading to his conclusion), reaching out to Toby to fix the continuity of Deltarune. A possible line of events leading to Gaster's predicament goes as follows: Gaster was the royal scientist for the Dreemurs in Undertale, he found the "darkness" and studied it, eventually falling into something of his own making- albeit purposefully or not- and in the process manifested into the world of deltarune through something that connects alternate worlds Undertale and Deltarune (assuming that Undertale is an alternate reality of Deltarune) through a deeper level of fiction which I believe to be the dark worlds. Because he is no longer tethered to his reality, he can observe the entirety of the events of Deltarune (the story) all at once as some sort of omnipotence (since he is disassociated with any reality he can observe any reality of a lesser degree than his from a higher dimension as if you were reading a book). Through the connections in the dark worlds which may or may not be the "abyss/depths", he observed the events of the final chapter of Deltarune through the lens of the dark worlds, as the event of the roaring dissociates the boundary between the light and dark worlds of Deltarune (maybe this has a connection with the dark crystal fragments that let one see through a lower degree of reality?). He is unable to interact with any of the realities physically, but can influence the minds of others through premonitions i.e. the lighteners (founders of the church with the deltarune symbol on it), the darkeners (Ralsei, Jevil, Spamton, etc.), and Toby Fox who lies in a reality at least one degree higher than Gaster's. Mid Theory Excerpt: Fascinating to think about, I don't think that Gaster is Omnipotent when interacting with *higher* degrees of realities, rather I believe that he would only be able to interact with the a reality of higher degree at a *specific* point in time, like it *had* to happen when Toby Fox was dreaming at that exact time in our reality. But I digress this is just headcannon fodder. Toby Fox creates the narrative of Undertale and Deltarune to satisfy his task of saving the world of Deltarune by utilizing the narrative power of suspension of disbelief which is a physical omnipotent power wielded by beings from higher degrees of reality (at least in the world of Deltarune). We the player wield this power and utilize it through a vessel to change the course of the game. There are various prophets scattered throughout the games of Undertale and Deltarune who speak of Gaster, directly or indirectly relating to him by speaking of his prophecy. These are all vestiges of him interacting with realities through nonphysical omnipotence. The prophecy of Deltarune at the same time predates the story of Deltarune (the game) and is a contemporary concept to the story of Deltarune (the game) in its dark worlds. This parallels religious ideological tropes, but by going a degree of reality lower, it becomes a realized concept. The roaring brings the ideological concept to light, literally. The event merges two degrees of reality closer than they should be and would bring both realities to ruin (should Gaster not have pulled some weird paradoxical shenanigans). This theory I suggested is paradoxical in nature because it suggests that the prophecy of Deltarune was and always would come true, and that the prophecy was conceived by Gaster because he saw the events of the roaring and tried to stop it through seeking a being of a higher degree of reality. This evidently through our concept of Deltarune's (the game) *theorized* plot suggests that the Roaring is a cannon event regardless of whether or not Gaster introduced the prophecy to Deltarune (the game and therefore the plot). And by thwarting the end of both realities it would break the world of Deltarune itself, because the eventual ruin of both realities is tied to its very conception (the game Deltarune being created by Toby Fox). Maybe that is just how it is supposed to be because Toby Fox did say *Deltarune* has one ending, but I do believe he didn't specify whether he meant the game Deltarune, the story of the game Deltarune, the prophecy of Deltarune, or the concept that is Deltarune (a complex philosophical journey derived from a fever dream).

[@kingpiggins292]

To further explain the relation of Deltarune (the game) and Deltarune (the prophecy) for people who may not understand my thinking due to my failure to be clear, concise, and or thorough in my explanation; they are both tied together tangentially by the event of the roaring. I assumed in my theory that the roaring will definitely happen regardless of the prophecy being respected or not, even regardless of the existence of the prophecy itself. I believe that to thwart the destruction of the realities of the light and dark worlds in Deltarune (the game), Deltarune has to be [disassociated from itself?] It is a hard concept to explain for me. Deltarune must become something other than Deltarune, because the identity of Deltarune is characterized by having one ending (assuming the ending is the ruin of both the light world and dark worlds).

[@asteroid889]

Me when gaster says "CONTINUE WHERE I FAILED" and then tells me to increment my room number in the save file

[@Mrgrass_]

gayster

[@brynshannon6692]

Are you referencing something in a real, canon Deltarune thing? Because if so, I haven't seen it yet and would like to know where to look. :o

[@Enum_Dev]

@@brynshannon6692 It's not. It was a joke

[@brynshannon6692]

@@Enum_Dev Fair! Thanks for letting me know.

[@fruity3350]

me when the game 4 twist is that he takes over my porn folder and turns it into a goner version where it never existed

[@astrid9920]

22:17 if toby's fever dream becomes actual lore I'm going to lose my mind. If gaster psionically projecting the fever dream into toby's brain is actual lore they're gonna have to scrape me off the damn walls

[@marialuciasilva2362]

Okay plankton

[@marialuciasilva2362]

In the movie the characters scrape him of the floor

[@kirbyfreakyt4695]

@@marialuciasilva2362 Which movie, there are like 7 spongebob movies

[@marialuciasilva2362]

@@kirbyfreakyt4695 the one with the bald Netuno and the Burger car

[@Avaline-Marie]

... I mean, I've had dreams of places I've never been to and have seen it later either in the real world or in a piece of media... Connections in the brain might be a microcosm of the greater realities where all our ideas are not only real, but where they are housed until brought forth by our Determination. (I'm just messing with ppl, but existential stuff like this bothers me all the time...like the concept of true nothingness existing as a concept but cannot be realized. Oh and the dreams n stuff yeah i do get major deja vu).

[@JammyJam5588]

This concept feels like it explains something that was staring us in the damn face this whole time. "What was gaster doing with the secret bosses" This makes it so potentially obvious, he wants to make them ascend to the lightworld, and is trying different methods, because if they can reach the lightworld....then well...couldn't Gaster reach ours? I have to say as well, I have my issues with the fandom's theories often, focusing on confirmation bias, tunnel visioning and ect, but videos like this and theories like this make all the general headache worth it.

[@skistorm739]

@@JammyJam5588 he did our cyberspace

[@sagefrozenborn8415]

this is an amazing way to put it

[@i8chocolatecake995]

this !!!!!!!!

[@soggagaming1537]

Could this mean that if Ralsei is a lightner, Gaster succeeded?

[@pedroba76]

I always supposed that when Spamton said [Heaven], he meant the real world. The player's world.

[@ShadowSkryba]

Certainly more real than Silksong *falls down*

[@random-idkwhat]

hahahaha- HAHAHAHA- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH

[@SkylarMeow]

sobbing violently

[@marialuciasilva2362]

😢

[@Cattoo1997]

NOOOOOOOOO

[@flouaeiph]

yesterday for sure .-.

[@concept8192]

That thing you said about the world being a video sliding along on a progress bar made it all click for me. "Have you ever thought about a world where everything is exactly the same... Except you don't exist?" That's literally just Deltarune if you didn't intervene

[@loganon2216]

That's also pokemon or amnesia or warframe. This applies to literally every fictional world.

[@kimplo__]

warframe mentioned

[@GameJam230]

This is why I've always disliked the theories that say Undertale and Deltarune absolutely do NOT break the fourth wall. It strictly depends on what you MEAN by the fourth wall. Has a character literally reached out of the screen and slapped us in the face, or spoken to us in only a way another person could truly react to us? No, of course not, but Deltarune is LITERALLY a game about layers of fiction, and Undertale integrated the concepts of saving and loading, GUI as a physical object, and the "player" character into the story, and I would argue that all of these exist on different "layers" of reality. The underground, the world of monsters who were sealed underground and the story of Frisk freeing them? That's the deepest level of the fiction here. But, characters who can interact with the UI, like Sans, comedic moments like the annoying dog, or Asriel, are all interacting one layer above. They're breaking their own respective fourth walls. Characters that use the saving and loading system or speak to you as if you are "Chara" are breaking yet another fourth wall layer. Chara speaking to you at the end of a genocide route and continuing to persist even after a genocide run reset? Another layer up. Characters having secret messages left in the game code? Another layer. Flowey and Gaster taking over Toby's Twitter account, or the Deltarune website? Another layer. And, interestingly enough, it takes breaking through most of these layers to reach what the "surface" level story of Undertale is, and yes, that is a pun. The true pacifist route sees Flowey use the saving and loading, screwing with the UI and battle box, AND referring to you as the first human's chosen name, while ALSO strongly being represented by two OTHER major puns to the plot of the story, "Determination" and "But it refused". The third pun to complete the trifecta is the monsters finally reaching the surface, while the meta of the game has reached the "surface" of where the story of Undertale goes. Yes, there are layers above it, but it can easily be argued that at a certain point, going too many layers up (or even down?) causes you to leave the context or scope of the original story. When you get too far away, you become lost. The point is, Undertale and Deltarune DO break the fourth wall- they just don't break the one between US and the computer, as obviously that's impossible. Deltarune is literally about this idea of layers of fiction and some things being more complex than "yes it breaks the fourth wall" or "no it doesn't", and Queen has already foreshadowed the idea of creating dark worlds within other ones, just as this would suggest. The question is, what happens when you descend too many layers? What happens when you become "lost in the dark"?

[@N95j]

wow. that was strangely poetic and very interesting to read

[@sisterfister7891]

_Ralsies' existence would have better credence for sure._

[@GameJam230]

Exactly. Ralsei’s unique mentioning of the game controls and battle mechanics while baffling Susie may be played off comedically, but it still demonstrates that Ralsei has awareness of a layer above even Susie. Ralsei, very fittingly, is very much the parallel character to Flowey. He’s not QUITE the same person as Asriel, but Ralsei clearly originates FROM Asriel in some sense, and now he seemingly has knowledge of a higher level of reality. (Also I have no idea why, but this app refuses to let me mention users anymore, it always removes the username from the comment now. Super annoying)

[@sisterfister7891]

_Asriels' character can be a Meta thing in itself I just realized. Like there may or may not have to be a Sans, there may or may not have to be an Asriel/Flowey/Ralsie._

[@iridophorium]

Also!!! Another pun, if deltarune does receive different endings.... It's Delta. Like a river delta, a river that splits off into different streams that reach the ocean (.ogg) at different points!! (The Rune part is interesting too... Runes are carved in stone, (usually, at least the ones we have left) and "carved/set in stone" is unchangeable... This maybe could tie into the lore-pun too???) Anyway, doesn't the "sealing monsters underground" remind you of us humans confining monsters to fiction? Like, in the past, monsters were believable. There could be a monster in the woods, there could be magic. You could believe it, because we knew less about the world back then. But now, we don't (usually) believe in monsters anymore. And isn't it fitting that the only humans to fall into the underground are children*? The kinds of humans that are more likely to actually believe in monsters?? I might be looking to much into it, but Undertale could also be examining realness vs fiction in a similar way to deltarune, but in the details of its settings and its rules. Monsters being creatures of lesser souls, but capable of magic? Doesn't that just scream of fictional creatures in the layer underneath us? *See Toriels dialogue upon leaving the ruins. I don't remember it exactly but "...I could not save a single child!"

[@roysourboy358]

Brings another meaning to the quote when you use a “LastDream” in the Asriel fight: “Through Determination, the dream became true.”

[@bengoodwin2141]

I'd like to propose something else... Determination. That power. It grants us power in the real world too. Not reality changing magic powers, but the power to create our own "dark worlds". The power to create fictional worlds of our own design. More determination allows us to create more elaborate and immersive worlds, by letting us do things like learning programming, learning animation, and most importantly, sticking with projects we start to see them through to completion. Maybe. Maybe there is only one ending, but gaster will ask us to create another, with our true power, the power to modify the game. He will ask us to make a mod that adds a better ending.

[@missrae1869]

RIBBIT TME

[@mr.j3rs3y]

I could totally see that be of the end of Deltarune. This game all about fantasy, fiction, creation, and imagination asks us to create our own better endings. Gaster wanted us to connect to his world, become immersed and empathize with it, so by the time the ending comes we will be asked to create a better future for his world. A future only we can create.

[@Forcoy]

If determination has nothing to do with the real world, and instead the power of writing fiction, then why don't other characters have it? What makes you so special?

[@bengoodwin2141]

@Forcoy It's not just writing fiction, it's the dedication needed to give your fictional world reality. It gives the world you make more reality, making it more immersive. Writing takes more determination than imagining, animation takes more than writing, programming takes more than animating, and so on. Other characters have it. Just less of it

[@Wilker_uwu]

a relevant fun fact: the company behind the development of Deltarune is called "Royal Sciences LLC"

[@PlayerCarter.]

Oh I didnt know that! Thats actually a really good point.

[@skistorm739]

​@PlayerCarter. What could be real and a true possibility is the difference between fantasy and fiction

[@Wolffanghurricane]

@@skistorm739jules verne science fiction veiled occult initiation

[@TheSkyGuy77]

G_ster made Deltarune

[@Zoukos23]

Wing Gaster LLC

[@WolfHeroEX]

So is the true reason that Gaster shattered is because he was hoping a piece of him would land in "our reality", to establish a connection and bring us down to his level to prevent the apocalypse? The fact that everyone's been obsessed with Gaster already with Undertale, long before Deltarune came out, if true must have been incredibly gratifying then.

[@pancakes8670]

He fucking got us hook line and sinker. It's literally one of the first things he said to us. "YOU HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR ME. I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU TOO"

[@adamandsethdylantoo]

Maybe i'm too lost in the sauce and high on being meta but It wouldn't put it past Toby and the team to make the end of the game be something like Gaster saying "I never posed a threat to you... all this time, I was just a string of "easter eggs" in the background, loose threads you tied together by your own gleeful will. In the end, I have already ascended to your world, for by your fruitless theorizing and engagement, you have given me a space in your mind to become real"

[@pomelo9518]

Check out Who's Lila. The titular antagonist creates the mystery of herself to inhabit your mind. Lila is the mystery of not knowing who Lila is.

[@crobisbobis]

Can we get much HIGHERR!?

[@neonotterpop2528]

12:29

[@MegoZ_]

So high ~ 😭😭😭 Ohhhohooohooo ~ 😭😭😭‼️‼️🗣

[@Ruinbornaftonalwayscomesback]

OhhhOhhhHoHhhh 😭😭‼️‼️ So highhhhh..😰😭‼️

[@marialuciasilva2362]

THE ONE PIECE THE ONE PIECE IS REAAAAAAAAAAL

[@TheCubifyer]

What if... It could get higher than high?

[@anotherwhylol]

dude HOLY this was one of the best theories ive ever watched. the line "edge of shadow, where reality and dream meet" makes SO MUCH MORE sense now and i genuinely love and kept me really interested into how philosophical this gets. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK its absolute cinema

[@PlayerCarter.]

Thank you! Im glad to hear that line hit well!

[@espelhodasconstelacoes]

@@PlayerCarter. This is awesome man fr :D Got yourself a new sub! God bless ya and Jesus loves ya!

[@TobyStan]

Implying Toby is just a vessel to fulfill Gasters desire by having him dream and ultimate expose us to that experience for an ultimate goal hit me like a whiplash. I had to pause a couple of times to really soak in all the implications of different dimensions realities. This is super well made and probably one of my favourite theories ever, thank you.

[@Girl-Guy-Thing]

brb just gonna integrate this theory into my irl world view

[@morales6224]

dude same

[@QSBraWQ]

I wonder if the fact that Delta rune didn't come out fully on the start not only cause it's monstrosity to make such a 60 hour undertale, but also to leave it undetermined for some time.

[@PlayerCarter.]

Yeah, it certainly would be a Toby thing to make something like that diegetic.

[@loganon2216]

What?

[@tigerfive1003]

I don't think I can even fully describe how much this video truly means to me. I love DELTARUNE dearly, particularly its sprouting themes of freedom. What you briefly covered in this video is what I've been ruminating about for a long, long time. Bit personal and very wordy here, sorry in advance: At some point last year, I had a short but sharp mental decline. I forget what specifically triggered it, but one thing led to another, and I soon stumbled down the rabbit hole of feeling like my own choices didn't matter: soul-crushing Hard Determinism. It was quickly leading into the stereotypical result of "if my choices don't matter, then why care about anything?" I saw (and still see) our bodies as effectively wind-up toys let loose in a world whose reality is composed of hundreds of various fundamental laws, many of which we likely cannot even begin to comprehend in our lives, nonetheless take advantage consistently. Somewhere along the way, something clicked. I wish I could tell you what, but it made me flip that entire worldview around from hopelessly negative to stunningly positive. There's, logically, no reason to go on because lives are fleeting and meaningless. There is no reward. I still think that's the truth, but what is equally true is that we aren't viewing reality through the lens of witnessing everything. We are viewing reality through our bodies' senses. We are, using your video's terms, immersed in our world by way of our bodies. It is good for us that we understand every single one of our world's ins-and-outs, but attempting to view everything solely through a perspective in which we don't have the capacity to comprehend on a universal scale... It will simply lead to apathy and madness. I held no belief in higher powers before. Now, I am deist under one belief: Something had to create the laws of nature that govern our own, and I bet you they are beholden to natures in which they can't comprehend. Who knows if our creator was even conscious? Is there consciousness up there? The truth is that I shan't fret over such trivial things, because I shan't ever know. tl;dr? I need to worry about things that actually affect my perspective of reality instead of fretting about what problems are happening up the eldritch stairs. like breakfast. and lunch. and dinner, sometimes. Sorry for the long comment. I really don't get to explore these own topics beyond my own games and their writing, so seeing somebody touch on Deterministic philosophy in basically the same way that I comprehended it, through the funny white dog's rpg, is a breath of air I didn't know I needed. Very well edited video, btw. Script must've taken a hella lot of work. I loved the effect you put on yourself in particular! Subbed and will hopefully check my subscription box often enough to see any new uploads :]

[@PlayerCarter.]

Damn, thanks for opening up like that. Honestly, I'm in the same boat as you. My biggest fear when making this was that I wouldn't get my ideas across or worse yet, the ideas didnt even make any sense. So to hear that it resonated so deeply truly means a lot. Thank you.

[@fafuo]

Hey, same here. I'm still stuck in the rabbit hole, as you called it, and I'd really like to get out now. For the past 2 weeks I've been going through this constant anxiety of reality and determinism and if free will is real... and I don't know how to get it to stop. If you could give me any tips, I'd appreciate it. Also, the fact this video showed up during this time can't be a coincidence, can it?

[@tigerfive1003]

@@fafuo I'm not going to act like I'm good with advice or anything; I'm just another incoherent young adult rambling online at the end of the day (on little sleep as an added bonus), but here's my greatest tip on "how to get it to stop": It doesn't matter if you have free will, because at the end of the day, determinism or something else, we all have agency. No matter what, our bodies are pushed forward in time. It is purely advantageous for us to have our minds live inside of ourselves rather than struggling to escape it. You're still living your own thoughts; you're still living your own steps. From our perspective, no matter what, we'll always feel like we have free will because that's what humans likely have hardwired into them. Enlightenment, and thus a possible fix for your worries, comes in a simple form: Realize that toiling over where we gain our agency from is fruitless. What is true, without a doubt, is that everything we see exists under a rule set. Our main anxieties should not be about that of which we cannot tamper with, but rather improving what we can tangibly affect. This isn't saying to dumb yourself down and never view the world through these lenses; be aware of its uses. Thinking of the universe as something that I am apart of and not merely surviving within has allowed me to forgive and understand people far easier. Taking a step back and acknowledging that we are all subject to the same rules is a great benefit to deterministic outlooks, imo. Perhaps there is an unknown law of the universe akin to destiny that would bring you to this video. I couldn't say. i like playing video games, not becoming a scientist and trying to figure out if some sort of law of destiny is real

[@snarlinger]

Nice man, this turned out really well :) I think my favourite idea here is immersion being a way to conceal someone's power. I hadn't thought about that before. When we play, we don't feel our superiority over the game -- it's "immersed". There's a horror to that in a couple ways. It positions us as a sort of cosmic beast that must be fed lest we pull the plug on the game's universe -- immersion is our feed. It also positions us as people with immense powers that are hidden from us -- immersion is our shackles. I've always felt a vague class struggle in Deltarune's story (especially in Chapter 1 with King and his soldiers), so thematically, maybe these characters are immersed in a kind of ideology. When they realise that, they'll "stop playing", own their power, and overthrow whoever is behind the scenes to create a new and better world. Given Ralsei is against the creation of new worlds... Ralsei Bootlicker theory??? IDK, it's hard to tell right now. This is definitely your best video. Hope you continue to make weird, thoughtful stuff like this!

[@PlayerCarter.]

Thank you! I do really like the concealment of greater power concept. It reminds me of how Undertale makes it clear how fragile monster-kind is to humanity, and how meaningful it is to willingly not take advantage of this weakness.

[@supershyguy1476]

“GET SO [Big] I CAN SEE PAST THE [Dark] FINALLY [Becoming a real boy]!” - Spamton on why he wants the SOUL.

[@Forcoy]

The only deltarune theory that seems like something toby would actually make instead of some clusterfuck of ideas, orr maybe this one's just a lot better at explaining itself than the others... good job lol.

[@LunaryHues]

It's through Deltarune--or rather, the software that allows us to interact with the world Toby Fox created--that we, the player, are able to change its fate and stop The Roaring. It's possible that the ending Toby saw in his fever dream will not be the same ending WE get in the game. The ending HE saw may have been what would happen without influence from our world. The ending WE may ultimately see could be what happens when we change that world's fate. Of course, the only reason we CAN change the fate of that world is because of the program that lets us connect to it. Through Deltarune's creation, the world lives. If Deltarune was never created, that world would die. You could see this as a metaphor for art as a whole. If you don't create what's in your head, it will never exist. If you want it to live, you have to make it. You just have to be determined enough to do so.

[@Alp_Caesar]

"I think... It doesn't matter if our worlds are 'real' or not All that matters is the fact we feel, that's enough for me to consider myself real." -Lumilia Outcore

[@butternerd-sz1nw]

At the end of chapter 2 if you defeat queen using violence Berdly can pull his plug off, which "fries" his arm. That damage transitions to the light world, and wasn't directly caused by a lightner. I think it's more like when children play with toys, the characters they create can get hurt, but that doesn't affect them. But if they accidentally hurt themselves they can still sustain damage. Also, the idea of the act of falling into a dark world being equivalent to "immersion" sheds some light on ocean.ogg and the other ocean imagery.

[@bengoodwin2141]

I do think that perhaps a darkner could gain power over a greater reality, one way or another, since several seem to approach that power. Maybe then, the end of the game will challenge our real power with the same kind of effects omega flowey pulls, or more.

[@QUBIQUBED]

If you're suggesting that the Dark Worls aren't real (in the story of Deltarune) then you're still wrong. Case n' Point: Spamton. Why'd Spamton freak out Kris so much if he's just some character made up in a game they were playing in the library?

[@tungleCool]

​@@QUBIQUBEDi feel theyre just likening it to something like that and not the literal happenings of deltarune

[@butternerd-sz1nw]

@@QUBIQUBED Reality, as stated in the video, is a spectrum - in Deltarune, that spectrum is blurred. Spamton specifically has been affected by Gaster, the avatar of immersion and the force behind the blurring of this spectrum, making him much more on the border between "Light" and "Dark". Also, people can get freaked out by fiction especially if it depicts problems that they relate to, I'm not necessarily saying that Kris is the one playing pretend in this analogy.

[@lukelcs8934]

@@butternerd-sz1nw Also, while the dark worlds are certainly less real-feeling to the main cast, they're still physically traveling into them, rather than just interacting through a computer game or something. It's still traveling into a lesser layer of reality, but in a more real-feeling way than our own experience as the player. It's more of a literal traversal than ours.

[@arempy5836]

I haven't read the books myself but this all reminds me of the Chronicles of Amber books. There is a "real world" known as Amber and then there are shadows, lesser realities that beings from amber can travel to and even create. The main character wakes up in one such shadow ,which seems to be our own Earth, and he has lost all memories of his life in Amber and so is completely immersed in his Earth life. Unlike other members of his family, he cares about the lesser beings of our world because he formed emotional connections to people in his Earth life. Later he makes his Earth the knew "real" world that everything else is a shadow of. This is all inspired by Plato's allegory of the cave and concept of the world of forms.

[@sunnyside3307]

You did it. You really just solved the game. This is the only Deltarune theory I've ever seen that touches on major plot points without relying on any convoluted solutions - I cannot understate how impressive this is. Great work!

[@GliYch]

If your theory is right, this could mean that Gaster might want to open up a *light* fountain. Gaster wants us to "create" Undertale, so that the roaring won't happen. But THAT could've been Tobys fever dream that he wants to show the world. And if that is true... that would actually be insane. Hence why the skeleton bros just appeared one day in snowdin, since they came from Deltarune. Which- that still doesn't explain the obviously-once-grillbys in deltarunes...

[@IcyDiamond]

It would be insane if the twist is that Deltarune is a prequel to Undertale

[@Normoe445]

✋😐✋ Absolute Cinema. This theory is actually peak. I never really thought about how Gaster is like the secret bosses in the fact that they see their reality as a game, or "not real"

[@RetroNitro_TV]

Of course _You had to hit the Oneshot gamers out there in the feels by combining familiar music and 4th/5th wall themes_

[@ДмитроЗавялкін]

oh, so thats y i thought about pancakes and then after few other tracks felt rly sad... it figures XD

[@lunactiathemoth]

a lil trolling

[@TheSkyGuy77]

Me: (sees title) Woah. I agree.

[@TheSkyGuy77]

I've had my own personal theory about reality for a couple years now. That to a "god", our universe looks like fiction. The same way we perceive games, movies, and stories.

[@GodChaos333]

THE DELTARUNE IS REAL! Insert One Piece meme picture of the Katana being held by the Buttcheeks.

[@PatrickOConnell-n3k]

Average jevil conversation with seam:

[@PatrickOConnell-n3k]

Thank you for the heart! great theory btw

[@CompactStar]

When this video showed up, I thought Chapters 3&4 were out for 0.1 seconds before I corrected myself

[@PlayerCarter.]

Im glad I could replicate that feeling

[@SpoonChase]

I never thought a Deltarune theory video could transform the way I view reality, but damn. You've convinced me. The act of creation really is just the making of a new reality, a lower one with rules we can ourselves navigate within through immersion, or at least observe. Probably too deep for this comment section, but it really makes me think about the constructs we create in our own reality. We create lower realities to help us navigate the far more complex reality we inhabit. Design, law, games, work, social conventions, all of it. I'm blown away. Thanks!

[@dimitribarronmore]

This is now my favorite Deltarune theory, and it's not even close. I want to believe that this will be the intended narrative and meta-narrative of the final game. It's such a perfect encapsulation of what Deltarune so far appears to be on every level that it simply *feels* right. I've always loved the concept of the "magic circle," the obscure concept that when you play a game, read a story, or watch a movie, and you willingly suspend your disbelief, you, for a moment, step into the metaphorical circle of that reality. For a moment, because you chose to give that piece of fiction your attention and immerse yourself in it as though it is as real as you are, it's as though it truly is. Framing the Dark World as exactly that, a lower layer of reality created by the belief and immersion of Lightners, makes the entire game make sense. The Dark World is what happens when a Lightner temporarily steps into the game of pretend. The Card Kingdom _is_ the abandoned classroom, and the Cyber World _is_ the computer lab, but because of the Determination poured into the dark fountain they can also literally exist within the Dark as a kingdom of game pieces and a city of computer programs instead of merely being imagined by the Knight as being so. Lancer and Rouxls Kaard can't permanently exist within the reality of the Cyber World because a jack of spades and a rules card don't belong inside the Knight's game of pretend that a computer lab is a futuristic digital city. As far as the Cyber World is concerned, Rouxls and Lancer aren't real. Ralsei and the Castle Town don't have a single story or setting, because Castle Town is a supply closet and the purpose of a supply closet is to contain the things used to tell stories. And so Ralsei can exist anywhere in the Dark and any Darkner can exist within Castle Town. It's the audacity of dragging Toby Fox himself into the story that truly sells me, because that feels like a Toby thing to do. He isn't a stranger to inserting himself into his own game as the developer, although it's fairly low-key in Undertale. The idea of integrating his insane fever dream into the story as a signal from a lesser reality, inserting a fictionalized version of himself into the overarching meta-narrative as the unwitting link between Deltarune's Light World and our own, is the perfect angle for one of the creative minds behind Homestuck, a webcomic in which the author regularly speaks directly to, argues with and is harmed by his own characters. And who better to start that connection than our friend Doctor W.D. Gaster, fallen into his own creation, not merely shattered throughout time and space but trapped in part outside of time and space entirely? Too disassociated from his reality, too aware of the nature of his world and our own to re-immerse himself long enough to exist as a character within the lesser story except for mere fleeting glimpses, but equally able to reach out from the edge of the shadow and touch the dreams of someone who aimed to create a career out of immersing himself within stories and bringing him to life. I firmly believe that the "strange someone" encountered by Jevil and Spamton were Gaster, worming his way into the Dark World in order to shift events in his favor. The purpose of this is most likely to facilitate the player in obtaining the shadow crystals. I believe within the bounds of this theory that the shadow crystals are a piece of the Dark World's very status as fiction. Crystallzed representations of each secret boss's awakening to the knowledge that the Dark World is a game made real and the Light World lies above them. The shadow crystals are invisible but tangible, capable of worming their way between separate save files in order to reach you, and show you brief glimpses of the higher reality outside of the Dark World's fiction. I suspect that collecting a shadow crystal from every chapter will be necessary to reach Deltarune's actual ending and subvert the Roaring. The Roaring is described in The Legend, as told across both chapters so far, as being what will happen when the Light World is completely overcome by the Dark World. Literally, the higher reality being swallowed up by the unreality of the lower one. Only then will three heroes appear at world's edge, once again seal the fountains, and banish the Angel's Heaven. But it's not Kris's power that seals the dark fountains, it's ours. An awakened Lightner can swat away an awakened Darkner like a fly, and the connection Gaster's established with Us positioned in the Real World can seal away an entire Dark World and make it, once again, fictional. When the Dark World overcomes the Light World and rises to the layer directly below us, the reality imposed by the Real World won't be enough to seal it away. There at the shadow's edge where reality and dreams meet, the shadow crystals will provide the dose of unreality we need to seal away the Titans. A fragment of the each Dark World's existence as fiction materialized in solid form, one for each fountain. That's why Gaster needs us as the player, and why Gaster needs to work behind the scenes to ensure that we can obtain the shadow crystals. The Roaring is the only way Deltarune is meant to end. The Roaring Knight, whoever they are, is working diligently to ensure that it comes to pass. Gaster is doing the opposite, calling the player down to write a new future and tearing open holes in Deltarune's story so that we have the tools needed to do so. If Gaster hadn't stepped in from a layer and a half above and awakened them in one way or another to the reality of the Dark World, Jevil and Spamton would be mere funny side characters. You would never have boss fights with them. You were never *intended* to have boss fights with them. If you couldn't tell, I have a lot of thoughts about stories like this. Some of my favorite pieces of fiction are ones which acknowledge and call into question their own unreality and expand their magic circle to emcompass the player. OneShot is an excellent example. If you know the premise and ending, you'll know what I mean. If you're familiar with Solstice, you'll understand even further. It's why I was already fascinated by the way Deltarune released and the nature of chapter one releasing through the Survey Program. Rather than being confused, I spent the entire video nodding along. This theory won't change the way I look at the world, but it'll change the way I look at Deltarune.

[@PlayerCarter.]

Thanks for the comment. I especially like your interpretation of shadow crystals, pointing out that they behave as manifestations of the in-observable knowledge of being lesser reality.

[@TheTimecake]

Oh, your comment about Gaster falling into his own creation made me realize something! The implication that Gaster fell into his creation in more ways than one gave me an insight about how the CORE works. Though at this point, this is mostly just freshly minted headcanon, so just take this as food for thought. [slight spoilers for Xenogears ahead] *** Gaster probably intended the CORE to be something like a quantum ratchet, or an outcome pump. A device which searches possible branches of reality and selects those where a particular energy-releasing reaction turns out favorably. e.g. if you have a decaying nuclear isotope, you can radically accelarate it's decay by continually selecting those branches where the isotope just so happens to keep decaying. Without this selection, the decay will abide by it's natural half-life. But with the selection, one can get a radical increase in power output per unit of fuel. This is just one example though. My mind when to nuclear because the CORE has the same blue glow that nuclear fission reactors have (called Cherenkov radiation). However, there are likely much more efficient and powerful phenomena that can be leveraged in this manner, e.g. spontaneous particle creation, similar to what happens on the horizon of a black hole. That could also be one interpretation of the whole "darker" motif. If you've played Xenogears, this is the idea behind the Zohar Modifier (Zohar translates to "illumination" by the way, in this context in connection to black hole radiation and creation of photons for energy), a device which pulled down an entity from a higher plane of reality called the "Wave Existence" and is using that entity for unlimited energy. In fact, I just now put together why the whole quantum ratchet and "pulling down a higher entity" have anything to do with each other in Xenogears. Those two aspects always seemed like an odd juxtaposition, but now it makes perfect sense. Anyway, the issue then comes when Gaster realizes that the technology at the heart of the CORE is dual-use. It can be used to generate unlimited energy, sure, but in theory, couldn't it also be used to steer the course of reality? The key which would enable this is what enables the CORE to run in the first place: the ability to see multiple realities, and choose the one that is favorable. Namely, Determination, as utilized/extracted by the DT Extractor (the Gaster blaster-looking thing in the True Lab). That's probably why Gaster made the DT Extractor in the first place. It was initially just to run the CORE as an energy generator, but then was later repurposed for more narrative-manipulating ends. So when Gaster "fell" into his creation, it may be that he fell down into the actual device of the CORE at his initial level of reality, but that he, in a sense, fell up into the meta-level relative to his initial level, access to which is afforded by the technology of the CORE. Also, just as the CORE is able to pull a being up a level through determination, as with the Xenogears example, might it also be involved in pulling a being down? e.g. pulling the player down a level into the reality of the CORE. *** Taking all this into account, here's a proposal for what CORE is an acronym for: CORE: "Curator Of REality"? Curator as guide, in the sense of selecting the branch of reality that meets the specified criteria. But also Curator as overseer, as that which stands on a higher level, or in this case, that which pulls down said overseer to a lower level. The fact that Curator sounds kind of like Curie (a unit of radiation, named after Marie Curie) is also neat. A Curie-ator, if you will. In this sense, as batshit as it may sound, maybe Ralsei is the instantiation of the CORE in Deltarune. After all, he is the being guiding us, acting as a sort of tour guide to his own reality and also guiding us towards the end of fulfilling the prophecy. Remember, the technology at the heart of CORE isn't a giant building that is used to make energy. That's just one application of the curation of reality. Another application is the use of the power of fluffy boys to lure higher entities into caring so much about a lower reality that they would alter it in order to save it from certain destruction.

[@skistorm739]

@PlayerCarter. what if gasiter makes use our cyberspace to make a light fountain, a gate way.

[@yellowsnake7300]

WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT WAAAAIIIITTT!!!!!! Okay, so, first off, LOVE the video, liked and subscribed, absolutely brilliant thank you so much- BUT back up a sec, to that point about how Gaster DID NOT discard our vessel in the beginning????? Because like, I agree with that, 100%, and I also agree with everything this video had to say about Gaster’s intentions, motivations, and role in the story (which, I think this is the only Gaster theory I’ve seen that has a plausible, grounded hypothesis on Gaster’s role in Deltarune’s narrative and could therefore extrapolate on his character motivations and possible backstory, you are BRILLIANT, good sir). But if Gaster intentionally connected us to Deltarune for his purposes, and made a customized vessel for us to suit those purposes, and then that vessel was discarded, WHAT DOES THAT MAKE KRIS???? BECAUSE if this is true, Gaster did not intend on having the Player Vessel be Kris???? His plan was for us to have our own custom vessel, but then SOMEONE threw a wrench in that plan by forcibly placing us into Kris instead???? Doesn’t that mean Kris, our relationship with them, and their role in the story were all UNFORESEEN by Gaster and _NOT PART OF THE PLAN???_ And like, that raises two questions, doesn’t it?? _ONE_ who was the person who intervened, intercepting us from Gaster’s goner vessel to put us into Kris (Valentine Letter/Egg Man maybe???) and _TWO_ how could this unintended variable of Kris screw with Gaster’s plan for the player to create a brighter future???? Because, assuming Gaster’s goal is to get the player to stop the Roaring and presumably the destruction Deltarune’s world that he foresaw, then Kris was never a part of that plan. And if Kris was never a part of that plan, how could their inclusion potentially mess up Gaster’s carefully laid out script, and what changes has he been forced to make on the fly to accommodate? Has he had to make any adjustments at all so far? Because, and I’m just gonna assume that Ralsie is an agent of Gaster here given that he’s providing the tutorial and lore about the Prophecy and Roaring, he seems to have Meta knowledge and it’s established that the only reliable source of characters getting that knowledge is through Gaster, and he seems to be the one tasked with facilitating this adventure for the player, keeping everything on script and making sure the player is on track to stop the Roaring. He’s also the one that visibly freaks out when things don’t go according to the script or when people don’t act according to their assigned roles/the rules of the game, in both the weird and normal routes. It’d also make sense that Gaster would use him specifically to immerse the player and make us want to be here, since it gives us the gratification of having a fluffy Asriel stand in to hug whenever we want (as the _brilliant_ video mentioned!) GIVEN ALL THAT, could Ralsie’s secret conversations with Kris have something to do with the fact that Kris WASN’T PART OF THE PLAN? He was a last minute addition that Gaster and by extension Ralsie had to quickly adjust for, and so maybe Ralsie’s one-on-ones are just to check in and make sure Kris doesn’t disrupt their plans too much? Because, I think it’s pretty obvious that Ralsie is making his cutesy, fluffy boy appeal specifically to THE PLAYER, not necessarily to Kris. And maybe, if Ralsie was created/awakened by Gaster with the sole purpose of being an adorable Asriel stand in to act as a guide for the player and make sure they stay immersed and on track to save the world from the Roaring- Well damn, no wonder he’s haveing an identity crisis. No wonder he has trouble comprehending what being “Ralsie-like” even is… Is Ralsie even his real name???? Or was that just a name given to him by Gaster as another way to make sure the player gets attached to him, by giving him yet another superficial connection to Asriel???? ANYWAY beyond all that, what does all this mean for Kris??? This means all the independent actions that Kris takes were things Gaster would not have accounted for before hand when he set the player on this journey. KRIS is the unknown variable. I know it’s often noted by the fandom that SUSIE is the uncontrollable variable in all this, specifically when it comes to “Ralsie’s” predetermined script for everyone, but what if she’s not??? If Gaster chose her as a player companion from the beginning, then the chaos she brings to the party is somewhat controlled chaos, contained within the bounds of what Gaster calculated for. It’s KRIS that is uncontrollable. And maybe it is through Ralsie’s talks with Kris that Gaster is attempting to make sure Kris stays under control. The one variable Gaster didn’t account for, introduced by whoever interrupted our connection sequence with Gaster to place our soul in Kris instead of our intended vessel. And whatever all that means, one thing it means for certain is that Kris shoving us out of their bodies every night and temporarily severing our connection to them WAS NOT a part of Gaster’s plan. And, think about it, it’s only because Kris did that in chapter one that we have solid, indisputable evidence that the player and the vessel, in this case Kris, ARE NOT the same. That means Gaster NEVER INTENDED FOR US TO KNOW THAT!!! If Gaster’s goal was to immerse us, then it wouldn’t make sense for him to want us to mentally separate ourselves from our vessel. It would suit his purposes better if we were fully immersed in it, and under the illusion that we are one and the same (like with Frisk in Undertale.) However, because of Kris, THE VARIABLE GASTER DID NOT PLAN FOR, we as Deltarune players know for a fact that we are not the same as our vessel, Kris. Perhaps that would be different if we were able to inhabit the custom vessel that we created, as Gaster intended. But because we got Kris instead, and because Kris made it clear that they are different from us, we have that distance, that break in immersion, letting us separate ourselves from Kris. And that was in no way the intention of Gaster. It was, however, the intention of Toby Fox. BUT WHY???? My brain is _spinning_ right now, please let me know your thoughts!!!!

[@PlayerCarter.]

Thanks for the comment! While I dont currently have any concrete thoughts on Kris' role, my video that came before this explores a possible origin for Ralsei.

[@Patrick11nf]

That's a cool idea, implying that Gaster wanted to have some power over us through the power of immersion, which now failed.

[@pancakes8670]

Another interesting piece of information is that the sprites used for Ralseis LEGEND (of the Human, Monster, and Prince), the Monster and Prince are labeled as "Susie" and "Ralsei" respectively. However the Human is not labeled Kris, it's just simply "Human". Another implication Kris was not meant to be the protagonist, but rather the Vessel.

[@Lord-ix]

You do know that the character creation screen allows for you to choose a bald head. So if someone chose a bald head for their Goner, they'd easily be able to tell Kris apart from their vessel, automatically meaning that Gaster intended for us to know.

[@yellowsnake7300]

@ ??? Sorry, I’m not sure I follow. My argument was that Gaster intended it so our vessel was never discarded in the first place. How similar or different that vessel would end up looking to Kris wouldn’t matter, since (according to Gaster’s plan) We were never supposed to control/posses Kris in the first place.

[@cheesyeasy1238]

Just want to take a second to appreciate not only the very well articulated theory itself, but the really clean editing- also didn't expect Flatland to come up as a point of comparison, though it makes perfect sense lol

[@Badaboombadaboombaby]

Oh my god you cracked the entirety of Deltarune from only two chapters 💀 dude I have nothing but respect!!! 😭👍👍 I swear the content, editing, and cool pixel filter make this my favorite Deltarune theory vid ever! Amazing job ❤

[@n.ar.]

this is the best deltarune theory so far for me, mostly because it gets on a personal level and i can relate to some of the thoughts you've shared. also the oneshot music is the cherry on top. 10/10

[@TheCubifyer]

OneShot music makes everything better.

[@n.ar.]

@@TheCubifyer for. real.

[@ДмитроЗавялкін]

@@TheCubifyer totally agreed

[@helfire14]

The concept of immersion and the interaction between the real world was presented quite vividly in Undertale's genocide route. The pacifist and neutral routes are something you'd reasonably be able to attain with some degree of immersion with the world of Undertale. You're treating it like a game, but you are still treating the characters in a reasonable, cordial manner. The genocide route, however, is something you'd never do unless you had heard about it or if you really, really wanted to push the game's mechanics to see how far they could go. It is a route born of boredom, of broken immersion. And when the soul is no longer immersed in the character of Frisk, another presence is invited inside, as if the void left in your soul's wake made a vacuum to pull them in. Player initiative is even looser in Deltarune, to make any manner of difference requires you to exploit an angle that the narrative didn't expect or anticipate. It doesn't matter if you spare or beat up the enemies in front of you. After all, you're still moving forward, progress is still being made towards the predetermined end, your choices don't matter. But in finding an excuse to linger, agency is put on pause. You can take a break from trying to get home to free some random stranger in the castle's basement. You can go out of your way to humour the weird salesman you encountered in a dumpster instead of saving Noelle from the Queen. And yes, you can push Noelle to act out of character, to do things she would never do and through that initiative, derail and force the narrative in another direction. You can hang out with the other disillusioned ones, the disconnected and the dark, hear what they have to say about your puppet and listen to their findings. Receive an egg from their teacher. There's more than one way to skin a cat. Distance from the dark, then distance from the light. And perhaps from there, a bridge can be made beyond.

[@xbgames6162]

This theory is so good, it's all backed up by a lot of evidence and makes sense within the context of the game. I loved watching this and really like the editing style used with references to other indie titles such as OneShot and Yume Nikki and also the Trueman show. I just cant explain with words how absolutely PEEK this video is. (subscribed and liked)

[@Minefan200]

I really like the concept of getting stronger because you refuse to play along with the world you've been thrust upon. Mirroring your refusal to stop and smell the roses in Undertale if you decide to be a jerk. But I think there was a missed opportunity to address how their immersion also hurts them. As Berdly's wing gets fried if you don't try to save him.

[@yoricksks]

Very very cool video, love all the thoughts you've brought together, kind of terrifying lol but I love it. I wouldn't be surprised if Deltarune gets unbelievably philosophical, that'd be awesome

[@kamanira]

I'll be honest, I initially put this on as background noise while prepping for DnD, but around halfway through the visuals and narrative being woven caught me really well. I'll 100% be rewatching this and paying close attention when I'm less preoccupied. You also got a subscriber.

[@infizer0]

This video is fantastic!! Also the Flatland mention made me happy, I read it recently because of Gravity Falls and really enjoyed it, and also noticed a lot of parallels to Deltarune as I was reading.

[@fluffy_tail4365]

This seems to work very well. I wonder if we can "change" the future also because ...technically deltarune isnt finished? Toby fox knows the ending for now, the roaring, but I winder if the change can be brought about by people immersing and then theorizing about this world that is served in chapters with pauses in between.

[@thegoldenblob69]

This is, like, what I've been thinking since I got into Undertale, but squared. Love this. Finally, something unique that actually mentions us, a "playing" factor in Deltarune and Undertale's world.

[@Hobster64]

God DAMN This is the best video about deltarune I've seen. Really hope that this reaches a lot more people

[@andrew_cunningham]

Having made my own UTDR "layers of reality" video inspired by Gödel Escher Bach, there's something fitting about yours being inspired by Flatland lol. I think this video is a very solid extension of the Device Theory school of thought, especially because it nails down several DR parallels to UT mechanics like LOVE. Somehow for the last 9 years it never occurred to me that "determination" and "determinism" shared the same root word...

[@PlayerCarter.]

Thank you for commenting! Its great to hear thoughts from someone else who has done layered reality stuff. It goes without saying how much of a help the inspiration is. I'm very glad to hear that I managed to bring something novel to the discussion.

[@TheTimecake]

@andrew_cunningham So if both the Strange Loop (the punchline of the 'what's so good about Undertale' video) and Multi-Layered Reality (this video) ideas are applicable simultaneously, does that mean that an entity at one level can not only move up one level, but can move up an arbitrary number of levels, and reap the control afforded therein? Is that basically how determination works?

[@andrew_cunningham]

@@TheTimecake I don't know if describing the IRL role of media in social consciousness in terms of Undertale mechanics is a step I want to take, but it's true regardless that stories have a lot of power over the world that crates them.

[@TheTimecake]

@@andrew_cunningham Yeah, I understand hesitation. I would argue that it's less an unwarranted reification of video game concepts and more a seeing through a particular work the ideas that the author is influenced by, whether they realize it or not. Though as you suggest, that type of move runs the risk of delusion, of devoting attention to something that should instead be devoted to reality. 'Seeing through' a work as opposed to 'looking at' a work is what I would hope to be a remedy to this tendency. (i.e. not seeing the reality in terms of "determination", but instead seeing "determination" in terms of how reality works, etc. etc.)

[@PepperoniMage]

Oh dang, Gaster calling us in to break determinism is extra terrifying if it validates the weird route = best ending theories. A lot of folks see the default results of loading Ch2 w/o a save as the "canon" where we didn't exist to influence Kris' decisions; if we load up Ch3 the same way, see Berdly didn't become a TV Dinner and you're right that means Gaster wants Snowgrave because he thinks it'll be the best ending. Maybe our third slot will be to defy both the original plot and Gaster's alternative once both have locked slots 1 & 2.

[@gutododuguto]

this is the best deltarune theory i've ever seen 😭

[@EarthWingedDragon]

I do not need to feel an existential dread from Deltarune video essay. Love your pixelated aesthetic, your format, and your presentation in general. Great job.

[@PlayerCarter.]

Thank you!

[@lukelcs8934]

Absolutely love this theory! It just- clicks. Super existentially interesting as well! Also, I've been using Davinci Resolve for a little bit myself, good luck with transitioning to it! Curious what you were using before actually. I was using the 2011 version of Windows Movie Maker no I'm not kidding. Used that sucker for years and it was old when I got it! XD

[@heyihavenoclue7541]

I have been playing Metaphor re fantasio for the past weeks since its release and havent expected liking it so much but I love how recent games such as Deltarune and Metaphor embrace themselves being fantasy and their impact on our world nice video! =)

[@JokieJesterE]

this needs more views, infact it needs every deltarune fan to watch it.

[@twistedturk5708]

Okay I am so SO glad i didnt click off the video cuz of the intro bit (i thought it was a bit lame and i mean that in a constructive way in that it felt like an obvious joke) but after like 40 seconds in you saved it, and holy shit this is such a good theory video!! I love how it's constructed and makes sense. Also love the constant use of the truman show as a frequent parallel with its themes and deltarune's (im a bit biased i love that movie), and i cant recall personally of anyone else using the truman show as an example to describe deltarune's seeming lean towards layers of realities. This is definitely one of my favorite deltarune theories on youtube so far sooo good job and stuff!!

[@PlayerCarter.]

That would've been a very long joke, but thank you!

[@twistedturk5708]

@@PlayerCarter. ok i think theres a misunderstanding somewhere here but it's aight lol

[@MxPokirby]

You did a great job at putting into words some of the feelings we've had about the 'meta-narrative' around Deltarune and Gaster for a good while now

[@protogentau9028]

Thanks for giving me a cosy monday evening whilst listening to deltarune theories :3

[@bikereven]

I did not expect to open KZbin and find on my homepage a half an hour video-essay about Undertale/Deltarune and "deterministic neoplatonism" (which in my studies I have never found in centuries of phylosophy, maybe its not completely new but I assure you it certainly is RARE, so good job pulling it out of a videogame lol), and yet despite determinism being hated throught the curse of history because it's a "boring way of thinking the universe and life", you were able to address the main reason why it's actually exciting and inspiring (yes things are determined, but you don't get to see and know that determination - or if you were to know it like Sans or Gaster, would you understand it? Then, let's go deeper, would you fear it? Or, as it would now make you "shatter throught time", would you mourn it? - and therefor, despite free will isn't real, you can still act like it was, which is where Undertale takes it's beaty in the choices you can make in-game, from the concept and dynamics of free will in a hierarchy of existence - after all it's because of it's ontology, that Undertale is a game about ethics and moral, don't you think?). I loved every second of this ❤

[@JohnSmith-wv5km]

20:08 gaster being to the light world what the super bosses are to the dark world is very clever

[@MegoZ_]

You're pixelated now? That's your special attack?

[@PlayerCarter.]

You're pixelated now, thats my attack! Nyeh heh heh heh!!!

[@dyrania]

Wow your channel is extremely underrated. I expected a few hundred thousand subscribers as the quality is not subpar, but absolutely captivating as a visual media. I hope these words have some form of impact/motivation to further express your clear passion for theory crafting.

[@PlayerCarter.]

Thank you!

[@ShadowSkryba]

What is the Roaring under this lense? A lesser reality breaking through and collapsing both the higher reality and itself...

[@PlayerCarter.]

Great question! Perhaps I may cover it in an upcoming video?

[@thecodingpro11]

This is a really nice theory!! Also is the mention of the word 'burden' while "My Burden is Light" from OneShot is playing intentional cause thats a funny coincidence

[@PlayerCarter.]

It wasnt intentional when I wrote the script but I did notice it and went with it lol.

[@ДмитроЗавялкін]

its nice to see so many ppls recognise it ÙŵÚ

[@benwaffleiron]

this is probably the only video ive seen that has a theory about gaster that is actually supported by the text and makes sense

[@TheBeyspieler]

I really do enjoy the more metaphysical examination of Deltarune. It very much invites it.

[@Xenogamer]

Such an interesting and meta theory. Making this whole saga just one big destined story created at the behest of someone who broke through the limits of there lesser reality, of “time and space” to try and change the outcome of the roaring. Fantastic job!

[@PlayerCarter.]

Thank you!

[@frankysupreme]

great job on this video, this is one of the most compelling theories i’ve ever heard and here’s hoping you get the recognition you deserve for it. video games are very cool

[@PlayerCarter.]

Indeed they are

[@cenobittten]

Wow that was DEEP af. What a beautifully put together theory, love how you used Truman Show as a means to illustrate it. Excellent job. You don't sound insane, you sound like you cracked the reality of life itself.

[@raven-starcatcher]

I honestly believe this is the best DELTARUNE theory yet, I really feel like you've gleaned some significant insight into the narrative here!

[@auser2045]

Holy shit, this may be the greatest Deltarune theory there is, like genuinely. If this turns out to be the actual lore behind the game then both you and Toby Fox are fucking geniuses.

[@jod422]

possibly the most banger deltarune theory ive ever seen this is crazy

[@grr8905]

Oh my god I cant put into words how beautiful this video was. I've been extremely fascinated by all of the topics discussed in this video about reality and dimensions and other ineffable stuff for a while so this was amazing. You put complex topics in such an articulate understandable way. Id like to offer my view :) Islands looking across the sea perceive themselves separate with the water being the veil between their interconnectedness. Then imagine a lake on that island, with land in the center and a puddle on that land with some more land peaking up with a droplet of water on it and so on. Reality is subjective to the scale and perceived qualities of the experiencer. We are the islands, we're all perceived as separate within this 3D reality due to our physicality and limited senses, but with phenomena like OBEs, astral projection, the CIAs stargate, energy work, meditation, DMT, lucid dreaming, sensory deprivation, and other psychoactive elements we are much more then the perceived limits of the human body, its basically like were wearing a VR headset, were the consciousness/awareness that's watching our mind/ego perceive reality and either consciously or subconsciously choosing what thoughts to divert your energy towards which ultimately manifests your life as they become your habits. As above so below, what you believe/think in the internal world is what you get in the external world. The lakes or puddles on our islands could be the meaningful connection we have to things in our splintered individual perception- like our perceptions/beliefs form what we see in life, the media we have close emotional connections to, the life we've individually have experienced, dynamics/bonds/worlds we create together with people, and the worlds we build in our head when we daydream form all of the little worlds that exist on our island that ultimately formulate our reality and represent our individual existence. We could have a positive lush love filled island or a negative barren hate filled island the choice is how we use our will, our determination. Then going the other way, as we the islands are interconnected behind the veil of the sea by source energy/source consciousness aka "god" having a perceived individualized human experience. We are the universe actively experiencing itself, we know about subatomic particles but whos to say the scale stops at us going up? What do we ultimately formulate? Like the cells on your body form you but they are individual cells who experience a life till they die and are replaced, as do the emotional connections, beliefs, and actions from your individual perspective describe you as an island until the sea eventually takes you under again to use your land/energy to have an other experience somewhere else as energy cannot be created nor destroyed. But yea, sorry to ramble :) Thanks for the awesome video

[@PlayerCarter.]

Thank you for sharing your profound perspective

[@bexiewoo]

yeah i think you got it. this truly puts words to my thoughts on what this game was saying :)

[@XerxesTexasToast]

Given how Undertale's biggest reveals and gut-punches are directly associated with fourth-wall breaks, this theory has me by the THROAT. Of COURSE Toby would go even harder on the metafiction in his next project! ough I gotta go back and reread some pataphysics SCPs. this stuff gets into my brain folds

[@pckyart]

Okay, I'm not gonna lie, I've been waiting 2394823809 years for someone to make the draws between Flatlands and Gaster. I'm not gonna lie again. I am so glad you made this. Thanks so much! You've got a subscription from me.

[@MeteorCrashDown]

I like this theory a lot. It gives a different way of viewing Gaster.

[@dr.koupop880]

I just want to say, I love this take on Gaster's situation. If we're going this route, it can add so much depth; not morally aligned, but doing things out of his own interest. But you'd think him falling into the core would be the cause of him being stuck between reality, not the experiment. Granted, it's hard to say what happened when, was entry 17 first or after the core? Cause I surely don't know. This works if you're of the belief of two Gasters.

[@tomnookem6575]

I did not expect to have my mind be turned in on itself today. I'm footing you with the non-euclidean manifold bill given to me by the obelisk, you'll be hearing from my flat lawyers soon. Actually though this was a really well structured and applicable theory to deltarune, It also makes Deltarune lovecraftian, which is certainly something that I never thought I'd say about a Toby fox game. Keep up the great work, looking forward to future game analysis

[@PlayerCarter.]

Thank you!

[@sarrakitty]

This video is an absolutely fascinating look into what Deltarune implies about it's in game reality, and probably the best explanation I've seen in a theory video like this. It gets to the core of what I think makes Deltarune feel special and not just like any other cute quirky indie game when you dig down deep into it's lore, both in game, and the backstory of it's creation. I do think that there's potentially another interesting "layering" of realities, or specifically, hierarchy of beings in these realities that may end up being very relevant to the story. That is the division between those who create, and those who merely exist within another being's creation, whether they be lower or higher beings themselves. This is in our layer of reality, authorship, and in the Light world, the act of creating a Dark Fountain. While all lightners or "real" people in our layer have the same standing as beings of the same layer of reality, when they enter the creation of another such being from their layer, they are immersed as you put it, and are now not only at the whims of beings who are powerful in that layer, but at the whims of the creator from their originating layer who willed those lesser beings to be so within their context. You refer to the player as a "god" in this video and in the sense that we are from the same layer, and it is true, we do have absolute power to delete the game or play it through. However we as players are lesser, minor gods in comparison to Toby Fox (and his team), as he is the author whose determination determined all that is in Undertale's or Deltarune's world. It will be interesting to see if there is a similar dynamic between the lightners who are merely visiting a dark world in their adventures and the Knight (or Knights, depending on what theories you subscribe to). The hierarchy of author over reader/player, that of creator over passive observer, lots of interesting things to explore down that avenue. I will admit, as crazy as it sounds, I do somewhat like the idea of Toby's dream being inspiration sent from another layer of reality, by Gaster or otherwise as it gives Deltarune itself an almost "divine inspiration" vibe. Do I actually believe this silly little game is a product of trans-dimensional inspiration or supernatural occurrence....? That it's more real than text and images on a screen? Ehhh. I can't say that I really do in a concrete sense without feeling very silly myself. But in a world that seems ever more materialistic and fatalistic by the day, and not in a good direction, I cling to little bits of enchantment where I can get them. I do believe they give life meaning regardless of if they are literally true or not. Plus, it's just fun to imagine what might be out there. Or maybe I'm just crazy after all.

[@nyxerus7500]

Given Toby's inspirations over the years I'm truly happy that people like you have pointed out the concepts of Dreams, Psychology and Absurd-ism, I think all three are going to be an integral point to Deltarune's plotline and overarching meaning! Watching this while at work so I can't wait to see how you explain everything, keep up the great work!

[@killersans5907]

i always had a theory of what if Gaster is supposed to be toby fox for example as we "the players" are presented as Kris and toby fox (not the dog) the creator of the game is Gaster inside the game. which i also believe is why toby fox never really wanted other people to enter the project because it was HIS creation. you might say "but Gaster has lore like that he might be sans and papyrus parents" but so does Kris so in reality we are playing a game with another person if you think about it. also just wanted to say very nice video

[@Anonymongoose]

Excellent video. I never thought about Deltarune this way and its such an interesting perspective. can't wait to see where the following chapters of the game go, and honestly hoping this theory proves true as its such a cool idea

[@Opolotic]

2k subs!? What the hell is wrong with people? You gained a sub, time to binge your channel

[@treyfinn5717]

This is such a well written and thought out video. Ive always felt that the meta-narrative of these games and the way they highlight the disassociation between the player and the real world was getting at something deeper, but ive never been able to accurately put it into words. Youve managed to do just that. Outside of the way this theory relates to the L O R E, I think the fact that these games have had such a tangible impact on the way people view the world is evidence itself of the reality of these "lesser worlds" that we create and share through media. While we may be aware they are fictional, they still have the ability to affect the way we think and act, the same way our perceptions of reality do. The thematic connections to The Truman Show and Flatland were spot on. Id also reccomend the book Cien Años de Solidad, it also grapples with the grey area between constructed realities and true reality, though in a much different way. That book really changed the way i look at the world. Its a long read, but well worth it imo. Apologies for the long rambling comment, im not normally the type to comment at all, but i felt like this video scratched an itch ive had with Toby's games for a long time. Thanks for putting this together.

[@ameIia]

watching all your videos feels like discovering game theory again lol really good videos

[@lukeskywalker5768]

Great video, I love this perspective. I feel it holds a lot of value, regardless of whether or not it's fully leaned into by the game in future chapters. Watched twice and shared a friends

[@PlayerCarter.]

Thank you very much, I really appreciate it!

[@magixazog]

Amazing video dude, I loved it. Can’t wait for more from ya!

[@royaloreo1275]

This made me understand the whole deal with lovecraft horrors, the sleeping ones etc.

[@PepperoniMage]

Easily my favourite vid length/format-wise mate, but I think you should prioritize what works best to avoid burnout or keep the lights on if this becomes a primary source of income over what commenters say they like. Also congratubummers on the software eviction; in the end it'll be for the best at least- and if you do go for longer vids with longer production times it gives you time to work with it too before a new release. As for the theory itself it all seems pretty sound and I like your interpretation of Gaster; I wonder what relevance the message of "Preparations are complete" or whatever it is when you copy one save across all three slots- could this be required to achieve the true ending? Thinking on that last bit I think I'm gonna prep a slot at the Noelle-Joins save point before the 3 & 4 drop date (assuming Toby gives us a heads-up) copy it across the board, then finish one normal, finish one weird, and leave the third be until I get another clue.

[@maxk604]

Great video! The video did make sense! Don’t doubt yourself. The pixelated you is super creative, I recommend trying to limit the colors more and experimenting with that effect more. I think Legobuilder9000 has a tutorial about doing that, but for legos

[@PlayerCarter.]

Yeah the colors certainly need to be limited, I'll figure that out next video for sure.

[@FrilledMayfly_AmberlyFerrule]

With my own world and characters I’ve had these sorts of ideas, except there’s a religion that uses parasites to dream forever. My obsession with dreams led me to think… if they’re in my dreams, am I in theirs? A bridge between realities, from theirs to mine. And about three months ago I’ve gotten very into a channel called Nero’s Knowledge about manifesting your desired reality. It’s all connected, and now I see this video about Deltarune?! Like… I likely sound insane but I’ve never felt more real, after years of depression I’m finally reconnecting with the world, I can finally exist

[@PlayerCarter.]

Im glad to hear I was a part of your improvement

[@johnd5149]

there’s a book called the possible world of hypertext fiction that uses an ontological approach to fiction (study of logical worlds/realities), thought you might find it interesting in how it talks about these worlds. the layers are a lot like you talk about with the Actual World (ours), the Textual Actual World (the one described), and the Text Space (??? keep forgetting the specific name but it’s the text and actual layer that players “co-author”). metalepsis is a big scary word they use to describe entities moving between logically disconnected worlds, like a player immersing themself in a game world. this doesn’t really have any bearing on your theory itself, just a different way of talking about the same concept and I wanted to let you know that there are people out there writing books about stuff like this. it’s super interesting and the way deltarune uses these ideas in service of its storytelling is really cool and worth exploring!

[@PlayerCarter.]

Sounds really cool! I'll give it a look some time.

[@cat4680]

i think this is the best deltarune video essay i've seen wow

[@tripleconsonant]

holy crap yeah man this is Peak. nothing will top this

[@leticiallime]

21:11 uh I got chills at this part bc just before the video I was writing about this theme of the creator being doomed by their creation and it being parallel to gaster. like santos dumont and the airplane, marie curie and the radio, dr frankestein, Icarus wings, and even the guy that made the comic sans font said he regrets it :o

[@PlayerCarter.]

I can't imagine a pre comic sans world

[@SD_Koy]

Holy crap. This was incredible, and as someone who only casually enjoyed Undertale, this made me excited to see how Deltarune plays out. This is a HUGE theory. Thanks for the entertainment.

[@hectorthealchemist]

The hidden Lancer 😂 but OMG this is literally one of the best Delatrune theories I've ever seen, so visually and philosophically cohesive in a way that makes these complex concepts feel so relatable to our own reality... makes you wonder how this all applies to our own world! Maybe some of us were sent down here to Earth change the fate of the world lol

[@charlesbaker1200]

liked and subscribed. a truly enlightened theory, the matpat of deltarune. i hope to see more from you in the future

[@thepaperunicorn09]

Amazing theory , this makes so much sense, to think that we're like a god to them is just...wow, like you said in the video, this game really does make you question reality itself, it really makes you think "if to the characters of this game , they're real people and their reality is real to them , when in reality they're just in a simulation , could that mean that OUR world is a simulation too ?" , it's just something that really sends you into deep thought and I think that it's brilliant because of that, anyways , loved the vid , have a good one :>

[@cammyboig]

Easily your best video yet, great work :)

[@PlayerCarter.]

Thank you!