Deltarune: The Tea Theory

[@Fenrick]

Here's what I just thought of that no one seems to have mentioned in the comments: Ralsei's battle sprite is nothing but his clothes when he gets knocked out. Is that just because he is a Darkner? Could it be related to Noelle seeing the tea as empty? Is he some kind of shell of a goat-man made manifest by Kris's yearning for cool older brother Asriel? Who the hell knows! But it's probably worth bringing up. Wish I'd thought of this while making the video. Oh well! There are so many things about Ralsei that would be made clearer if we got to see a more normal Darkner in our party. He's a lot different from the rest of them.

[@minetale6293]

I guess he is the only one that’s not in the main deltarune world

[@Max-le4df]

in terms of ralsei knowing where things are well queen also knew that their dark fountain was bound to only the computer room so maybe they can like sense the rooms around them?

[@tsukihotaru8421]

To add to this there's a theory going around saying ralsie on the surface is the red horn headband kris supposivly lost. Seeing that all darkeners have surface object counterparts,and ralsie even mentioned the red horn headband on the swan boat i think? Might be wrong on the last part.

[@Fenrick]

@@tsukihotaru8421 I don't think he ever mentioned it, but I will say his horns are a lot more reddish than any of the Dreemurrs'.

[@S0me_Ind1vidual]

@@Fenrick Ralsei's knocked out sprite is just clothes because he is a lightner and most prob asriel (wich will come back in chapter 7 because we know he will be back in a week and each chapter is a day) and in undertale, when the monsters are killed, they turn into dust. So yea thats the explanation.

[@slickwilli409]

The whole premise of drinking people-flavored tea is similar to that one story from _Wayside School,_ where the kids try ice cream that's supposed to resemble their classmates. The kids don't like the ice cream that tastes like themselves, but everyone else loves it.

[@gaypiplup]

I was thinking the exact same thing!! They were talking about Wayside School in the 6th anni stream, so I highly doubt it’s just a coincidence. GOD I love Wayside School.

[@slickwilli409]

@@gaypiplup I remember that too! I was wondering if the parallels were intentional.

[@gaypiplup]

@@slickwilli409 Let’s be real, it’s Toby, it’s PROBABLY intentional.

[@gaspastrike]

Omg. I loved reading those books in elementary.

[@slickwilli409]

@@gaspastrike Those books were masterpieces. I wish people talked about them more.

[@cgoose500]

Susie probably thinks Kris Tea tastes like applejuice because of the apple scented shampoo you can find in the bathroom at home. Kris probably smells like apples all the time.

[@pigglesgoomshby7249]

Pretty sure she even says in a puzzle that she finds it hard to not bite Kris because the hair always smells like apples

[@aaajeear8654]

@@pigglesgoomshby7249 yep, it's on the puzzle where you need to spell "APPLE" with the letters on the floor.

[@Popgurliess]

she also says that kris hair smells like Apple

[@loljptrollergami7325]

Also toriel has an apple in her desk if you visit her classroom in chapter one, seems like toriel really likes apple-themed things, and even more interesting, if you go to the classroom in chapter two, it has an orange, and interact with it, the narration text is surprised and asks itself if those are even edible for monsters, which makes it seem like the only fruit kris knows of is apples

[@cgoose500]

@@loljptrollergami7325 Teachers having apples is a trope from at least a full decade ago, probably more like 3

[@smileguyanimations8776]

I find it sweet that everyone’s Tea tastes great to Susie despite her being really mean, shows that under that thick skin she actually likes them a lot

[@pigglesgoomshby7249]

Everyone loves Susie and Susie loves everyone

[@mayamaya6182]

This right here folks

[@suicune3776]

Her meanness is a façade to look cool. In reality, she's nice, and won't admit it, or act like it. That's so adorable~

[@rosanna6791]

susie is legit the best character

[@Littlechonch]

I love Susie so much

[@sooty9879]

Something incredibly important is the fact you can save tea for future chapters, potentially giving you insight into how relationships evolve over the course of the game

[@madyinn5009]

That's gonna be so cool of Toby takes that route

[@PatchyThePirate_]

lesson learned: become a tea horder for the lore

[@bebizambi392]

Or better, keep a save file with 4 teas.

[@bebizambi392]

Everytime just load a savefile and give the Ts to all the characters to see their reactions and then reload them without saving them after the T was given.

[@wildfire9280]

⁠@@bebizambi392 that’s the T

[@aidanverdon84]

Noelle: recovers 400 HP by drinking Susie tea Kris: "Well I'll be damned."

[@LuchoChoco]

it's funny to know that Noelle asks if they can sell it in gallons Implying that she really loves Susie XD

[@DamageMaximo]

@@LuchoChoco or that the susie tea tastes delicious...

[@LuchoChoco]

@@DamageMaximo nah, noelle really likes/loves susie

[@campbellthesmug6590]

@@DamageMaximo bro, they're minors...

[@nakedmario9359]

@@campbellthesmug6590 my brother in christ kid can fall in love

[@moppermop5287]

Something else is that as hard as Ralsei tries, he can't cheer up Kris after the Spamton fight, but Susie is able to cheer up Kris almost instantly.

[@Fenrick]

I will never be able to sleep without first knowing why Kris favors Susie over the internet's golden boy Ralsei.

[@TathomA6]

@@Fenrick it’s because kris can relate more to Susie than to Ralsei because both kris and Susie are hated by a certain part of the town

[@Acenthus]

@@thecrawler1265 what the actual hell

[@simplenlocal]

@@thecrawler1265 ay ay ay woah woah woah

[@Fenrick]

@@thecrawler1265 Somehow I doubt that's what Toby Fox was going for...

[@logans.7932]

Ralsei sees inherent good in everyone, so even though he's never met Noelle, her tea still tastes pretty decent to him. Noelle, on the other hand, who has lived a much different life and has much different outlooks on people, doesn't have any tea because she doesn't assume anything about people she doesn't know.

[@Fenrick]

I had that train of thought, but Noelle doesn't seem like the type to think little of strangers. Other people have speculated that she might be jealous of Ralsei hanging out with Susie during the brief time you see them, or maybe that him being so similar to Asriel creeps her out. My favorite that people have said is that she thinks it's all a dream, so she doesn't think he exists.

[@pustota7254]

Your comment got liked 69 times.

[@BroudbrunMusicMerge]

@@djdndi Nah, she already had a crush on Susie before the game even started, so she must've known her already

[@nickaluscalixto9500]

If you think about the "kris is depressed" theory, i guess kris gives ralsei some plot armor or whatever.

[@use0037]

@@BroudbrunMusicMerge yeah they had known eachother for at least a while

[@cheebs296]

Noelle can't use items after reuniting with Ralsei and Susie, so the only time she can drink Ralsei tea is before meeting him. I think that's why the cup is empty. Ralsei can drink Noelle tea after meeting her. I hope the healing values change as the story progresses.

[@linear1224]

Oh yeah that makes more sense.

[@jp-teichon9154]

You Genius.

[@kenziebalhatchet3918]

Literally don’t know they exist

[@arsh9402]

I don't think that's the case. Knowing Toby these values were intended and he knew someone would find a way to do this. Otherwise a reaction and dialog shouldn't have existed in this scenario.

[@TheDragonCat99]

But her reaction to Susie tea is completely different despite being in the same situation??

[@GAMEandRODO]

Seeing how Kris & Noelle tea only heals 70 to each other, even if they're friends since they were kids, Ralsei tea healing 60 to Kris is actually pretty decent for a friend that you've known for only a day and a half.

[@Mueracho]

Kris and noelle very good "friends"

[@LaCabraAsada]

To be fair, it seems they fell out eventually.

[@КотВасилий-м7н]

She questions at one point in the game if they are even friends bro...

[@jacklbatle]

have played deltarun ch 2 it says they arent friendsright there

[@thegreatchipman]

@@jacklbatle Were you even listening to the dialogue, it states that Kris and Noelle were old friends who used to play with Asriel and Dess but grew distant over the years

[@gaminggeckos4388]

Just thought of something: What if Ralsei is saying "I'm happy" because he was expecting them to have a _negative_ reaction to drinking his tea, when instead there was no reaction at all? What if Ralsei expected Kris to hate him for some reason, and was then pleased to see that Kris didn't hate it? Or maybe he's just saying he's happy because they're drinking his tea in general, I guess.

[@kingofdemons948]

Yeah I highly doubt Kris hates Ralsei

[@lolilikedragons3528]

Kris could harbour feelings of jealousy of ralsie. Hense why the tea heals for so little. He could still love his brother but his jealous feelings of him really hold his love back for him.

[@sand5305]

@@kingofdemons948 and most of the fandom does That's why it would be a great plost twist and based on Undertale where flowey was good then evil then turned out to be a goat I would say toby likes plot twists

[@gamercentral2417]

@@sand5305that makes no sense

[@sand5305]

@@gamercentral2417 YES IT DOES FUCK YOU

[@erimgard3128]

Another point on "Kris isn't so hot on Ralsei" Ralsei and the game itself are both constantly pressuring us to hug Ralsei. But Asgore tells us Kris doesn't like hugs. Also I'm view 666. Hell yeah.

[@Fenrick]

Hot damn, I had not remembered that at all. I saw the scene but I didn't make note of that line... I feel like I'm learning as much about the game as anyone here. All I can think about now is how Toby Fox must be designing this game in a room full of papers tacked onto corkboards with strings connecting them, with little details like that everywhere. I already thought that if Kris felt weird about Ralsei, the hugging is in a bit of a darker light. This makes it so much worse... imagine how all the Ralsei fans out there would feel if picking all the hug options turns out to just destroy Kris internally. (Still hugging Ralsei though, for his sake.)

[@alexpane3405]

BRUH Now I feel bad

[@noathern]

Well now i feel quite bad for hugging ralsei

[@saucesaucesaucesauce1380]

technically he says "hugs like that" so maybe not hugs in general

[@RedclawedPro]

At least Kris themself wanted to give a hug to Susie after the Spamton Neo fight.

[@dykrev]

Regardless of what Ralsei may be saying to Kris behind the player's back, I think Kris doesn't like him for one very simple reason: Ralsei isn't Asriel. Sure he looks like him, sounds like him, maybe even acts like him for all we know, but that's just the problem. Ralsei is completely taking the place of Asriel, Kris' *real* brother, while constantly reminding him (just by seeing him) that he isn't his brother. For Kris, this makes simply being around Ralsei feel even more lonely than actually being alone, as it makes Kris miss Asriel that much more. ... I actually kind of relate to how Kris feels on some level. Back when Chapter 1 first came out, that scene in QC's Diner where she talks to Kris about missing Asriel... It reminded me of how much I missed my own brother, who had also moved out a few years before. When Kris drank that hot chocolate and it said their throat tightened... I feel like that hit me a lot harder then most people...

[@Fenrick]

Having to hang out with a living reminder of your absent brother would get old pretty fast, yeah. And it's made very clear that Kris misses him. Kris hasn't been shown to be the most perfectly kindhearted person so I wouldn't be surprised if that were held against Ralsei at all really. Add it to the "things I wish I'd considered before I uploaded" list, haha.

[@MarrowChiller]

It could also be a sign that the relationship between Kris and Asriel is a bit more complicated than some of the surface presentation. Asriel is clearly an achiever, with awards and accolades covering his side of the room in the light world. There's also the fact that Kris will refuse to peek into Asriel's room in the Cyberworld. Kris could even be projecting some of this onto Ralsei, attempting to push Ralsei into Kris' shadow and play the older brother to him. This may be an insight into how Kris and Asriel interacted before the story started.

[@TurtleTime26]

I read a theory that Ralsei Tea tastes like box mix hot cocoa to Kris. It does the job and fills you up, but it just reminds you of better hot cocoa you'd rather have had instead.

[@orange0666]

I find your theory to be the most likely.

[@eleanordecker2810]

This is an incredible theory, and one I think holds a lot of weight. If Ralsei makes Kris miss their brother, it’s possible that Kris resents him because of it. It explains why they seem to be uncomfortable around him. Maybe Susie and her brash, sibling way of teasing them feels more authentic to Kris than Ralsei’s “sugar and spice”, and explains why the two are so close. And Kris is canonically a bit of a mean-spirited prankster, so someone who reminds them of their brother yet acts so overly nice might be alienating. I mean, there’s a good chance that Asriel taught them to play pranks in the first place. That’s definitely something my older brothers would’ve taught me had they gotten the chance, and it’s in line with how most siblings interact.

[@Fenrick]

Oops. I forgot two things that demonstrate Kris feeling strongly about Susie. This is pretty important because I don't think the tea should be used as irrefutable evidence of anything by itself. 1) Kris defends Susie from the king with no player input. 2) Kris glares at Monster Kid for insulting Susie in the chapter 1 "post-game." Kris hasn't been seen to protect anyone else like this. So we already had hints that Kris cared about Susie, probably more than most people. I find this all to be very interesting given that Ralsei is immediately loyal to Kris while Susie has to spend an entire chapter being reined in. Makes me feel sorry for Ralsei, regardless of what he may be up to. Maybe Kris relates to Susie since they're both viewed somewhat negatively by most of the town.

[@saucesaucesaucesauce1380]

*(edited)*

[@ariqatoo]

@@saucesaucesaucesauce1380 yah we see it

[@Fenrick]

@@saucesaucesaucesauce1380 Wait til you hear how much the video was edited, heheh

[@PossessedPotatoBird]

@@saucesaucesaucesauce1380 and?

[@user-xt4gh7tn9p]

Most people misunderstood this friendship and Kris relating to Susie as romantic interest

[@Hamburgerzombie]

Cinnamon is used to cover up the smell of poison sometimes so that could have something to do with the aftertaste that Noelle tasted, idk just a thought

[@TheAdvertisement]

Ooo that's a cool theory! Like the tea is trying to cover up its/Kris's weirdness, but Noelle's perceptive enough to see past it

[@mepmop7768]

i thought the aftertaste was butterscotch

[@luciferstormcloud9320]

what the fuck is happening

[@darkmoondeath00]

troll tea

[@yoimiyasparkler]

I think it may be because kris is being controlled by the player, so the player is the aftertaste while kris is the cinnamon

[@SomeFreakingCactus]

I’m weirded out by how nobody’s pointed out the opposite. Ralsei gives Kris - no - _the player_ a tutorial, indicating what keys to press and whatnot. When Susie is around for that dialogue, she’s super confused. Ralsei knows this is all a computer game.

[@SylvieJane10]

Adding onto what you're saying, Spamton may be the only other one to know that. They are all truly puppets for our every whim, after all. (Maybe Spamton was basically traumatized by this info and it was too much for him to handle, basing it off of how he's associated with... puppets? That might not work, though, because of the whole "it's just a game" thing. I don't know.)

[@appleinxed]

@@SylvieJane10 jevil too! He can do anything, as he says so often. The reason he can do anything, is because the player isn't with him. Therefore, your actions dont influence what he does inside his little cage, other than of course the fight itself. It makes alot of sense, considering how he keeps saying how the others are trapped and hes the only free one. Its true. Hes the only one who is free, free from the player's actions.

[@P1r4n]

I think it is likely that every secret boss will break the fourth wall and know that they are in a game.

[@Skywarslord]

It’s worthy to note that knowing key board keys isn’t unique to social characters like spamtons and ralsei, as queen mentions keys on the arcade boxing game and the giga queen fight

[@xephyre6955]

@Spooky the Mimikyu Jokes can have deeper meaning behind them. Remember how Sans makes a lot of jokes (fourth wall breaks and such) and in Genocide we find out he has some level of awareness.

[@thequeenvsslime1]

I like how susie gains 120 from every tea except her own proving how much she has grown to like her friends

[@jp-teichon9154]

Or to show that her selfesteem is bad, i bet that berdly tea would cure himself 400

[@creature6715]

@@jp-teichon9154 everyone responds to their own tea like that

[@thequeenvsslime1]

@@creature6715 no no hes got a point

[@kizarose5083]

I think she's super happy just to have people who like having her around, considering she's not that well liked in the Light World

[@anexistingperson8540]

@@thequeenvsslime1 The Berdley thing sure but not with Susie having low self esteem (like she probably does but that isn't evidence)

[@navi5661]

I think a potential alternative is that they have a little/big siblinh relationship. Like, we know Kris likely adores Asriel, but we also know there'a an age gap, an age gap that's literally separating them. Talking to Bratti(y?) In chapter one results in her talking about how Kris would always chase after the big kids, Asriel included, and they'd ask them to go and do favors, get food, and Kris would do all this, all for the purpose of hanging out with their brother and his friends. So like, Ralsei being so Kris-obsessive, decorating their room in the Dark World like Asriel's with trophies and stars, being so enamored with Kris, following Kris always, even when Kris is fighting and doing things Ralsei hates, letting Kris lead and decide...I think it's subverting Kris' real life relationship with Asriel. Now KRIS is the cool older sibling. Ralsei gets 120 hp of admiration, Kris gets a mild 50 from their little brother tagalong. Ralsei is very very sus though all the same, so I think I'm suggesting this as harmonious of this video rather than purely one or the other

[@Fenrick]

The "inverted big brother" theory. I think it checks out. It's a good reason for Kris to feel weird about him.

[@Shalakor]

I think another big aspect of Ralsei is that he's based on Kris's envisioning of themselves, being made with the costume horns Kris used to wear all the time. (The missing green crayon might have been used as well, so Kris or Asriel may have drawn what he'd look like before he was a Darkner proper.) Ralsei is, at least in part, the monster Kris always wished to be, which would understandably come with a lot of conflicting emotions. That's why Ralsei presents as so young instead of being collage aged like Asriel. He's not just a facsimile of Asriel, he's a family resemblance in place of Kris being adopted. On that note, I think Kris very deliberately pooled their determination into Ralsei when creating the grand dark fountain, wanting a companion that would be able to stay at their side no matter what. That's my best guess at this point for why he's able to still "belong" in other dark worlds. At least, so long as they're created by Kris, even if the other dark worlds take their form from other people's attachments to the objects, Ralsei can go where Kris goes. (Or maybe even where anyone who's attached to him is? Would go along with his seemingly compulsive at times need to make friends.) Okay, this video really motivated me to comment a lot, but I need to stop.

[@FrecklesHasAQuestionMark]

Oh hello

[@PixelIsaiah]

Ralsei really looks up to Kris and Kris just finds ralsei annoying. Yep, definitely a sibling relationship.

[@Mai-he7vq]

Yeah I think I like this theory best. Thanks.

[@andriuspluto7444]

I think Ralsei is trying to keep Kris under the player’s control but also keep Kris happy. Kris is distressed by being under control of the player but Kris is also the one creating the dark fountains & thus creating the situations we mainly control them in. After the Spamton NEO fight (in non snow mercy route) I think that Kris is projecting onto Spamton, probably realizing that if their strings were cut like they cut Spamton’s, something bad would happen (whether this is having to face the real world without fantasy or some actually physical harm, take your pick). So Kris hates being controlled by the player but at the same time doesn’t want the dark worlds to fully stop. So Ralsei lets Kris take a break from the players control while also being in the dark world, trying to convince Kris that this is the right thing to do (i.e. Kris reassuring themself). think this gets a negative reaction from Kris because Ralsei is essentially the mediator of Kris’s own internal conflict. I think this also makes sense with Ralsei’s speech about sealing the dark fountain at the end of chapter two. Kris wants the escape but understand that they have to return to the real world sometimes. Plus they can only break free of the player’s control (& create new worlds) (& meet Asriel again) without another entity in the real world. (Again this is just a theory)

[@soupfan1]

About kris breaking his own strings... Yes, im pretty sure he will suffer physical damage just by seeing how he moves when he doesn't have his soul in. Im pretty sure kris removing his soul is like for us would be to remove a non vital organ, since he can move but with trouble and he always puts his soul back in.

[@taxcollector9543]

A GAME THE-

[@Jijo2003]

@@soupfan1 remember that after he removed his soul he ate the whole pie and then after that he slashed the tyre to make Susie stay home with them , I think he just want to act by himself. Also him yelling after the Spampton fight because Spampton said "remove your own string" that means Kris aware that he is being controlled by us . But this just a theory A GAME THEORY

[@userd-p3l]

im pretty sure the next chapter is bout to be in-home or police station OR the “gaster door” which might be not gaster but the creepy faceless smile’ing living being

[@sweet-nessu]

I agree with most of this theory, maybe just that it probably goes more deep than Kris not liking Ralsei because Ralsei is letting the player control them. I think it has more to do with Ralsei looking like Asriel and could even be Kris’s representation of Asriel. I think this could be tied to Kris just wanting to have fun with his friends, and maybe kris feels for some reason that this will end when Asriel comes home, like he’ll realize he has to grow up or something. I really like the connection between spamton and Kris, though, and I think it goes even deeper than just the strings. Just like how spamton projects himself onto Kris, in having no friends and being left alone because of some intervening force on their lives (kris with the player and spamton with the phone calls).

[@gadget8637]

I've a theory that Ralsei is Kris' ideal self. The pink horns, Ralsei not knowing how to be himself, being the same species as Asriel, the fact that he and Kris look similar in age, and the fact that Ralsei is an anagram for Asriel. Maybe Ralsei is how Kris wants to be to his family, because being adopted, Kris could possibly have had, or is still having, an identity crisis. Which, is probably fueling his determination to creating dark worlds. Maybe Kris wants to play with Ralsei, because that's the closest they'll ever be to being Ralsei.

[@rouge-ish324]

This. Also it seems both Ralsei and Kris don't know what it means to be Ralsei, as if the traits he shows aren't solid ideals someone would aspire to be like

[@maskeddude9892]

I like this theory way better than Ralsei being basically Kris wanting Asriel back, cause Kris have showed he doesnt like to be human Plus all of the flirty options we get woukd be weird as hell, while i know we arent Kris and we are controlling him, I personally don't think Toby would give us the chance to flirt with someone that Kris see as their brother

[@drewrice5475]

@@maskeddude9892 Ralsei being the representation of his brother was my head cannon (mostly because it was the early idea put into my head.) but holy shit!! This makes so much more sense!

[@lumisussy]

One thing that's always been off to me about the Ralsei being some form of Asriel from Kris' mind is that Asriel would look way older than that, no? Granted the art style doesn't make age THAT clear, but some sprites are taller and Ralsei just looks young.

[@maskeddude9892]

@@Sku77k1d I dont think Kris stopped using cause they grew out of it. Either they were too old to be seen with it or they lost it

[@Bluesit32]

Kris's inflections are their own, but we choose what they say. By selecting Ralsei, Kris says, "Ralsei...?" As if asking why Susie would even think to bring him, not confused by their own words. They know EXACTLY why they said it. It's the same reason Kris says, "Join?!" if you select it when Berdly asks if you want to join the Queen rather than accept the proposal. We control the words, not the interpretation of them. Which makes their enthusiastic, "Perish!" concerning.

[@Fenrick]

I wish I'd remembered the bit about "perish." It caught me off guard and I did notice it was a little off-putting, but I had forgotten it by the time I was making this. Maybe Kris has a self-destructive mindset.

[@oranoawesome1607]

Chapter 2 has a theme of will and choice and Kris hates not having their own, so at this point he'd quite literally rather die

[@epik_gaming9824]

Then why didn't kris say "proceed" in a satire tone instead of saying it in a creepy voice, maybe we are saying proceed not kris thats why kris is not able to control us

[@Bluesit32]

@@epik_gaming9824 It's not us or Kris. It's the voice that instructed us to create a body in the first game.

[@waffler-yz3gw]

@@Bluesit32literally 0 proof

[@MaraudingManiac]

Alternative theory: If you're familiar with someone, their tea tastes normal because you're used to the taste a lot more. After all, knowledge of oneself is the ultimate familiarity, and that heals very little. Maybe Ralsei reminds Kris of Asriel. This would also explain the childhood friend exchange - these two are already pretty familiar with each other, so they don't get the same boost as with the brand new friendship/secret distant crush that everyone else has with Susie.

[@pros_0143]

Or Ralsei's tea aged poorly since it's been a long time since Kris have seen Asriel and don't know why there's a dolpelganger of him below school.

[@LoserLilith]

personally I prefer this theory because I just want to be able to hug the goat without feeling guilty

[@Fenrick]

That was something I Thought about a lot. My thought was, between Susie and Ralsei, I don't really think either has themselves figured out all that well, and both seem like the types to hold others in higher regard than themselves, for pretty much opposite reasons.. Although it is true that they can't exactly keep secrets from themselves or anything like that. So I dunno. It is an interesting thought though, and I might have been a bit too quick to write off the +10 from the self-flavored tea as being inconsequential. That being said, I don't think this explanation covers everything. It raises a few questions, and makes the Ralsei/Noelle values even harder to make sense of. Ralsei really is the key to all of this...

[@deon6045]

This seems like a pretty good theory. Given that Noelle can only drink the tea while she's in your party, before she meets Ralsei, which would explain why she says it's empty; she doesn't even know he exists yet (correct?). Then the reason everyone reacts to their own tea by saying it's water is because... Well water is water. I'm not exactly sure how to communicate what I mean. It's the basic drink. It's "normal" -- the MOST "normal," much like how you are your own normal, and everyone else is something more or extra in comparison.

[@martrew4349]

This would explain why the ralsey tea is empty for noelle, she dont know him

[@isaac_aren]

I'm really not liking the implications of our choices overriding Kris' personality and free will. Don't get me wrong, it's a brilliant story telling mechanism, but it's also kind of sickening

[@fist-of-doom487]

I think theirs a distinct reason why both secret bosses have a theme of Freedom and why Kris was disturbed by the fate of Spamton. Both bosses wanted freedom and to gain the power to make real choices but they both met worse fates in that goal, Jevil is locked away and forgotten for the terror he brought with his pursuit of freedom, Spamton becoming more trapped and even dying in pursuit of freedom. When Spamton died after getting his strings cut in an attempt towards freedom maybe Kris thought of him trying to break his own “strings” and if this has happened to two people now what will happen to him?

[@Fenrick]

Yeah it is pretty weird. But I am glad for it. The game does a great job making me think about video games as a medium. Great use of the potential video games have to tell a story. I am going to go out on a limb and guess that Kris and the player/"you"/the SOUL will be able to reconcile somehow by the end.

[@Ehibika]

@@Fenrick I dunno, I feel that once the chapters end, the player's control of frisk should in theory end as well, whatever happens to kris beyond the ending of chapter 7 would be happening without the presence of the player. regardless if there is reconciliation, he'd probably be freed then, unless the series ending really means that Kris's life is put on perpetual stasis or something...

[@Fenrick]

@@Ehibika I would bet that we will be able to decide Kris's fate in the end, if nothing else.

[@michaeledmunds7266]

@@fist-of-doom487 Spamtons didn't die, he just became an item

[@Nemezja]

The part about Ralsei is very spot on. I'm one of those people who took every opportunity I had to be affectionate towards him. And finding out Kris barely likes Ralsei, if even that, and that I basically have been forcing them to act lovey dovey to Ralsei because _I_ liked him had been VERY shocking. I won't be doing that anymore when replaying the chapters... I'm still gonna be in control of them, cause it's the point of the game, but I don't have to torment too much them while I'm at it lmao

[@Artemas_16]

Make rude gesture on the photo, make Susie proud.

[@rubub8455]

@@Artemas_16 YES

[@personexisting123]

@@Artemas_16 Kris clearly prefers Susie anyway

[@everyonegetselfears1444]

I lowkey shipped Ralsei with Kris until someone told me about the tea theory and that they don’t like him. Oops.

[@colephelps2912]

If all people in this fandom can think like you

[@omegaotaku1342]

Here's my theory on Ralsei. We see him do things that most darkners can't, such as being able to travel to another Dark World without needing to be carried in Kris's pocket, and is able to persist in said Dark World without turning to stone. What exactly makes him different from other darkners? Well, we know that darkners are usually personifications of real world objects, for example, Lancer is a Jack of Spades card, Seam is a stuffed animal, and Queen is a laptop as well as an internet troll. But Ralsei? My hunch is he isn't a personification of a physical object, but rather, a concept. This explains how he's "empty" so to speak, with how his tea is just nothing for Noelle (whereas Noelle's tea actually has a flavor for Ralsei despite them being strangers). He's also "empty" in the sense that when he gets KO'd, his body disappears and his clothes fall to the ground. But what concept exactly does he personify? Well, he's a representation of who Kris wants to be. We know from how Kris got that horn headband when they were young that they wish they were a goat monster like the rest of their family. Now this part of the theory I saw from someone else (don't remember who), but basically Ralsei's appearance with his green clothes is what Kris dressed up for on Halloween in the desktop background of Toriel's school computer. It's added to with the fact that the green crayons are missing from the drawer in the hallway, as if Kris used them up all those years ago to draw the character before they made a costume based on it. It all supports the idea that Ralsei is who Kris wants to be. What makes it sad is that the Ralsei tea doesn't heal much for Kris, and I think it's because of the bitter feeling that he wishes he can be Ralsei, but can't, which is why Kris dislikes seeing him all the time in the Dark Worlds. And Ralsei essentially being a figment of Kris's imagination is what allows him to travel to the other Dark World. He's tied to Kris in a way, so he ends up in whatever Dark World Kris goes to, without having to be carried in their pocket because he's not a physical object. As to how he can persist in the other Dark World without turning to stone? Well, he's tied to the root of all darkners. His will is shaped by Kris's, and Kris is the one creating the dark fountains, so naturally Ralsei would be compatible with any dark fountain. However, an alternative theory to how he can persist in any dark world is that the fountain in his town, the one all darkners are compatible with due to it not having a will, is the one that formed Ralsei. Because of this, he doesn't need a will from a dark fountain, making him compatible with any dark fountain regardless of whether it has a will or not. Something interesting I found that's not entirely relevant is that it's somewhat like blood types; the darkners are red blood cells with different antigens and the fountains are plasma with different antibodies. The town's fountain is type AB blood in that it can receive any darkner/blood type. Ralsei is a type O red blood cell in that any fountain/blood type can receive him.

[@Fenrick]

This is really interesting stuff and you've put together details I don't think I've ever heard anyone bring up. I considered that Ralsei might be the physical manifestation of Kris's ideal self, but I didn't have any more evidence to suggest it other than "Kris is adopted so maybe??" That is some good stuff.

[@TALONBITE]

Maybe the blood type thing is hinted at in the first chapter when you choose one making ur vessel. It's a thought

[@xxxhero7275]

@@TALONBITE Is pretty sure that raelsi said he doesn’t know what it means to be himself, and I’m pretty sure it’s that simple.he’s the guide of the video game that teaches you the controls (he even knew your name before you even showed up)so that should easily explain raelsi’s tea, he’s literally a guide for the player.

[@thegreendragon5390]

@@TALONBITE OMG THAT'D BE GENIUS!!!

[@goodoldalpha2392]

Lancer is the Jack of Spades, not an Ace

[@focshi5805]

I wonder if Ralsei is trying to make us like him so we'll be more likely to do what he recommends us to do in the future like not getting the banana in the boat part

[@Fenrick]

The post-Spamton NEO fight where Ralsei just sort of says "haha Kris what if you hug me instead of thinking about your existential dread" would support this notion

[@focshi5805]

@@Fenrick I think that if it is true, then he'll ask things that are more and more important than the last, until it's a choice that will actually change something

[@Jijo2003]

And I think he want Kris to "recruit" more monsters is for his army? To control every world , also there are symbols in Ralsei's dark world resembles the Titans' eyes from The Roaring , I think Ralsei would turn those recruits into titans

[@simplenlocal]

Frick you im getting my banana

[@TheCorty]

@@Jijo2003 this is an incredible take. Just considering it is opening my eyes. Needs to be a big social media post of its own if it isn't already. When we created the thrash machine to fight Queen, everyone combined their powers into it as well. If you are correct, this is likely an intentional parallel.

[@chl8760]

I think there was a scene where Ralsei offers kris his scarf but kris ignores him and say they prefers susie's jacket

[@zwnjj]

Yeah, there is. After the Spamton Neo fight if you say "yes" to them asking if Kris is okay, Ralsei offers cake, and his scarf, but Kris asks for Susie's jacket and she refuses saying then she'll be the one cold, and says she's imagining Kris and Ralsei as candles which makes Kris smile which is so sweet lol

[@Shalakor]

@@zwnjj Idiot scented candles. Gotta love Susie.

[@RandomPerson-xi7jv]

I guess you could say that Kris gave Ralsei the cold shoulder.

[@nekogamer2508]

@The Lonely Proto we are forcing him to is a major reason

[@TheBadDeadFox]

@@nekogamer2508 them*

[@MarioGMan25]

I'm pretty sure Ralsei is the Darkner of Kris's old devil horns costumes he wore as a young child, assigned many feelings about Kris's complicated, uh... humanity. Along with personifying some of Kris's feelings of wanting to be a monster and his family. ...hell he could he Kris's former soul made manifest.

[@zwnjj]

That's actually something I hadn't thought about!! That could actually be it, yeah!

[@conic2721]

At this point, humans are monsters. Monsters are mentioned to be able to take determination on this world (without turning into WHAT like Undyne or on an amalgamate) and there's no mention of humans except Kris and the cookie's at Toriel's kitchen.

[@MarioGMan25]

@@conic2721 There's a "How to care for humans." book in the library that has pics of other humans in it that Kris instinctively closes the book to not look at them.

[@Fenrick]

I've heard that Ralsei is the devil horns, and I've also heard he's Kris's knife. I find the devil horns to be way more plausible, if a little obvious. I think it's pretty likely he's a product of those horns. That being said, there's definitely something more going on, because I can't imagine why he would be so remarkably similar to Asriel instead of being a random unrelated goat bro.

[@gaypiplup]

You know what ELSE is mentioned to be missing? The green crayon.

[@hannahf9301]

If you mess with Noelle with the eletric barrier & she mess back, she comments that Kris looks very hurt on their face. Just to add to the list of independent Kris reactions!

[@andygiraldo7898]

Kris was always a prank, they didn’t expected that Noelle would return the joke

[@arjungupta4756]

It's interesting how at this point Susie feels like the only hero in the story despite the first impression of the characters having suggested the exact opposite

[@MegaKH2fan]

I feel like Kris having a lower opinion of Ralsei is representive of both the disparity of how the Player and Kris have differing values, as well as potentially just Kris not wanting Ralsei around, because he reminds Kris of Asriel, which makes Kris only miss him more. Which is an understandable thought to have as a kid. I also doubt that it's showing Kris as completely indifferent. It's showm that Kris has an...odd way of showing affection (Kris doesn't like Hugs, tends to pull pranks) as well as constantly being distant towards others, including their own parents to an extent, so Susie could be the exception rather then Ralsei, and Kris just needs more time to warm up to the facisimile of Asriel.

[@Fenrick]

I could totally see Kris feeling some unfair misgivings towards Ralsei. Hopefully they can sort things out before it's over though...

[@MegaKH2fan]

@@Fenrick Another thing that's important is that Kris's entire family is like Ralsei. Kind, Sweet, Shy, Naive, that's the Dreemurr family in a nutshell. Despite clearly loving them, it's likely then since Susie is a friend Kris actively had to EARN their kindness instead of just being given it like Kris is used to, their more attached to her. They could just be the kind of kid TOO used to overt friendliness, and have gotten sick of it, Kris is clearly the edgy one out of the Dreemurrs.

[@noelleholiday7889]

What if kris kinda resents asriel? Just look everybody in the game has good things to say to asriel if compare that to kris... well

[@MegaKH2fan]

@@noelleholiday7889 Despite that being a possibility, I HEAVILY doubt that, with not only Kris counting the days to College Summer Vacation from internet searches, The Diner referencing how Asriel and Kris would spend time there together after the family break up, and the games he played with Asriel, everything points to them being a pretty close knit pair that only now just got separated with Asriel going to college. Meanwhile Kris is aloof and distant towards everyone else, along with being a Human, people just don't know what to say or do to Kris, they're that weird kid that only a select few really know what to do with. Kris is distant, quiet, and generally mysterious to most people. It's not from lack of trying, The Diner gives him drinks to cope, the pastor wants him to come to church more to see Kris enjoy themselves, The Holidays seem to enjoy Kris, the Hospital attendant seems to know Kris well enough to know that something's off since they're not playing right, Kris is just different then everyone else.

[@greenmeowstic3017]

There might be some extra reasons if Ralsei turns out to actually be Asriel... Abandonment much?

[@rodrigohurtado9333]

Maybe Ralsei likes "you" not really Kris. I mean, Asriel and Chara got along pretty well while alive.

[@Fenrick]

That would be quite an interesting turn of events. It would make me feel bad for Kris though.

[@armageddongirl612]

oh, like Monika from DDLC?

[@EpicSword28]

@@armageddongirl612 that's like the perfect way to describe it

[@arahabakihakai4177]

@BLU Engi Susie also talks about going faster with "X" in chapter 2 when you first enter Dark World without running

[@TrainsTer-91]

You know, i really like that theory! Iirc ralsei says during the boat ride (along those lines) "i would love to get patted by a giant hand"... While looking at the camera He's probably trying to get the players good grace to continue playing, and not leave him alone.

[@degenermights2427]

If the theory on Ralsei telling Kris information while the player is focused on Susie is correct then it should be noted that in the Snowgrave route Kris refuses to think about what Susie is doing, so no dialog could happen, potentially altering things in future chapters if this theory is correct.

[@simplenlocal]

I mean you can actually say you dont care snowgrave route or not

[@cyanryan1]

but you're not given the option to say you DO care in the snowgrave route

[@LoserLilith]

i think this shows that the player is gaining more control by doing these acts

[@Nana-zw6ub]

@@LoserLilith I agree

[@PGerman.]

@@LoserLilith I do wonder. Since we as players don't get a choice, it might be the opposite. Kris is more determined and makes that choice themself. Maybe disliking the Ralsei alone times, and wanting to avoid them.

[@walnutgrove221]

It’s so cute that Susie really likes all of her friends teas 🥺 there’s also a lot of theories on why Kris doesn’t have a stronger reaction to ralsei’s tea; but remember Noelle only has 10 more points than ralsei, and Kris has known her for many years. It’s more of a neutral reaction than a bad one, which still says something, but maybe not as negative as some are theorizing.

[@StarwayBunny]

Yeah people are always trying to bring goat boy down. It means Kris likes Ralsei but just like with Noelle there's a slightly stronger aftertaste. If I honestly had to guess it's just Kris being disturbed by the fact he looks exactly like Asriel.

[@xanderf9234]

"Now you're the creepy kid Infront of me!" My favorite deltarune quote

[@flourrrr]

underrated line tbh

[@Lonewulf321]

Kris not liking Ralsei makes forcing them to hug him and other things really feel kind of icky.

[@armageddongirl612]

i never did stuff like that to him just because I don't like him personally lol

[@Lonewulf321]

@@armageddongirl612 sure, but just the option being their adds a weird context in hindsight

[@Ezzylryb]

Making Kris do things to both Ralsei and Noelle are really icky.

[@armageddongirl612]

@@wowwhatacleverandoriginaln9416 epicly trolled!! now he is in love with you. you sure do a little trolling

[@rottengrapes8605]

that wont stop me from giving the fluffy boy all the hugs XD

[@rememberjerry936]

I feel like that Susie’s dialogue comes off as her being the friended the kris but Ralsei’s gives the impression that he’s the friend of the player.

[@ManiacalBlueberry]

Kris might feel connected to susie because she only ever listens to kris. When we the player have total control over a situation she doesn't seem to listen, however, when kris is shown to fully put out how they feel, she actually pays attention.

[@falsesho3760]

Hmm Kris not liking Ralsei as much as the Player is very interesting tbh. I hope we see more of that in the future chapters..

[@FirstnameLastname-sb3hj]

If we're even seperate...

[@FirstnameLastname-sb3hj]

Toby loves being deliberately and frustratingly annoying, yknow

[@pros_0143]

I think Ralsei is made to amuse us and keep Kris under control when we're away, and Kris probably noticed it after the jail segment.

[@FirstnameLastname-sb3hj]

@@pros_0143 we shall see. Until then, we should just relax, and wait patiently.

[@_unhaunts]

i like ralsei just the same amount as kris, hes alright but i wouldnt hug him, he seems weirdly suspicious and i just in general dont like his character

[@TheParadox1010]

More interesting is that Ralsei can’t fake being healed. It’s an insight into his character, he likes everyone genuinely, he has good intentions

[@Fenrick]

Yeah, that's what I got out of it too. He might not be telling the whole story, but if there's any credence to the video subject, he means well towards Kris and Susie.

[@TheParadox1010]

@@Fenrick however, Didn't kris blush when huggin nnot control kris's n for the theory?

[@ultra824]

Noelle's non-reaction to ralsei tea actually continues a bizarre pattern in chapter 2: characters other than kris and susie barely seem to register ralsei's existence. nobody introduces themself to him, and only mention or respond to him when he directly addresses them or is directly related to what they're doing. Queen repeatedly forgets he's there, and even during the giga queen fight she still doesn't seem certain that there even was a third member of your group. the main exception that i can recall is when you see him and Susie eating cotton candy together and Noelle asks who she's with. it kind of seems like she recognizes the resemblance to asriel but it's not entirely clear. neither Berdly nor Noelle ever bother to introduce themselves to him or ask who he is, which is characteristically dickish for Berdly but strangely rude for the meticulously polite Noelle. It almost feels like something is actively preventing them from taking notice of him

[@6-dpegasus425]

I've been thinking the same too, something is up with that

[@persev170]

Noelle doesn't even talked to Ralsei, thats because his tea Has no taste, Noelle don't Know Ralsei, then the tea Has no taste

[@psychopomp4135]

About Kris’ delivery when picking Ralsei in response to Susie’s question, it should be noted that Kris is still confused even if you pick Noelle. This indicates that Kris was not confused because of how they personally felt about Ralsei, but that they were confused because of the implications of Susie’s question (that is, choosing between two of their friends). Susie even gets defensive afterwards, saying that she didn’t mean anything weird by asking the question. Also, I’m not so sure that Ralsei is having Kris astral project in order to spend time alone with them and talk about sinister things. In the Weird Route, when asked to close their eyes and think about what Susie’s doing, Kris refuses to do so. Once Susie comes back, Ralsei frantically asks Susie what she was up to. This seems to imply that Ralsei’s primary motivation for getting Kris to astral project is wanting the player to know how the story is unfolding in places that they cannot get to.

[@Fenrick]

That would be kind of a relief, but what makes the scenes suspicious is that you cut back to a cryptic end of a conversation at some point. I wouldn't be so convinced there's something more if we cut back to something like, "Do you see her, Kris?"

[@psychopomp4135]

@@Fenrick The whole, “So that’s why, Kris” thing could simply be the end of Ralsei reassuring Kris that Susie is safe and that everything is going to be okay, considering that both instances of astral projection so far have been preceded with Ralsei asking Kris if they’re worried about Susie/wondering what Susie is up to.

[@Fenrick]

@@psychopomp4135 Susie did use the SOUL during her "fight" with Lancer (and it came from the prison cell Kris was in), so maybe it was actually to ensure her safety that Ralsei did that whole thing.

[@PixelIsaiah]

"Perhaps the question wasn't meant for kris, but rather susie projecting who SHE wants to take to the festival" - A Ralsei x Susie shipper (me)

[@psychopomp4135]

@@Fenrick True, perhaps that is the case.

[@umbreonhyperdream]

Well most players *are* projecting onto Kris. Everyone I've seen loves Ralsei *cough* yourchoicesdontmatter *cough* so it's make sense for Kris someone who doesn't like being controlled by the player when being forced to hug, complement or listen to someone he doesn't *know* and or trust/like he wouldn't be very happy

[@conejitorosada2326]

The whole "your choices Don't matter" kind of gets curved a little with the Castle town and the whole recruitment. Which is why some theories are suspecting that phrase is to refer to Kris where his choices doesn't matter as we're controlling them

[@umbreonhyperdream]

@@conejitorosada2326 I always felt the term worked a little for all the characters. Kris being the most prominent

[@the_fenix_3247]

@@conejitorosada2326 Wasn't "your choices don't matter" something Susie said to Kris tho?

[@CompletelyNewguy]

I've been thinking about the "Choices don't matter" thing a bit. Wasn't that same thing in Undertale as well? Despite all the dialog options it doesn't change anything only ONE choice really mattered and that was if you spared or fought the enemy. Same thing in Deltarune, so far that ONLY choice that seems to really affect the world is if you choose to fight or spare the enemy.

[@BeaverChainsaw]

I honestly feel like Toby added in "your choices don't matter" with Susie for a foreshadow irony. We clearly see our choices do matter when we terrorize or befriend darkners. We see the same thing with flowey/asriel where the first thing we learn is "It's kill or be killed" which turned out to be false in undertale. Toby Fox seems to do this stuff a lot in his games.

[@moppermop5287]

I'm excited to see how people's tea dialogues change in future chapters.

[@conic2721]

Toriel is 100% returning so I imagine Kris tea heals a lot, Noelle / Ralsei heals average and Susie heals low amounts

[@Fenrick]

When you put it that way, it might be worth keeping some in your inventory... Might never be a chance to get any more.

[@Shalakor]

@@Fenrick They are the best healing from chapter 2 if you remember who can use which, so it's even optimal to have them as primary healing items, replacing the CDs and such.

[@moppermop5287]

@@Shalakor There was the bake sale in chapter 1, so I think there's just going to be an overpowered healing item for each chapter.

[@conic2721]

@Andrei Salvaleon Toriel drinks Ralsei tea - Feels familiar for some reason

[@phoebeaurum7113]

My understanding of the characters is: Noelle: can sense the player's influence like how a person senses a ghost in a horror movie. Susie: Can ignore and act on their own. Susie may have more free will than Kris. Ralsei: Is the players imaginary friend. We love Ralsei more than Kris and Ralsei gets his affection primarily from us. Kris is a unwilling middleman for our teetee with Ralsei.

[@min2793]

"we love ralsei more than kris" not everyone

[@darkmonger6244]

It's interesting how Susie consistently heals 120 HP for every tea aside from her own.

[@ahmed4363]

Everyone loves Susie and she loves everyone

[@PSIponies]

I think the fact that Noelle has reactions to items she would otherwise never encounter simply indicates that she'll be back in the party in the future, since you can still hold onto all those items and use them in future chapters.

[@Fenrick]

I don't think you're wrong, but I also wouldn't be surprised if it's just Toby Fox being Toby Fox, and accounting for every possibility so that we have more tiny lore bits to scour.

[@micahlehrke9]

I think it would be interesting if there were multiple parties, or if you could swap out members. Maybe having Lancer, Berdly, and Noelle as an alternatr party or something

[@Fenrick]

@@micahlehrke9 I would love to see Berdly as a party member but I think Noelle might be the last one. The reason for this is that the voice in the beginning reacts differently if you say your name is Kris, Ralsei, or Susie, the three main party members... or Noelle, foreshadowing her role in Chapter 2. Berdly gives you unusual dialogue, but it's not the same as it is for those 3, it's the same as what you get for any other character not in the party.

[@micahlehrke9]

@@Fenrick yeah, most likely.

[@Artemas_16]

@@Fenrick Well, that could still be changed when new chapters are added.

[@insertpunhere2872]

I think the reason why Kris doesnt have a strong reaction to Ralsei Tea is because not only may he have mixed feelings about Ralsei, but also for his brother, Asriel. "But those two are brothers! They can't hate each other!" While yes they are brothers, that doesnt mean they haven't been in sibling fights before. We don't know how Asriel acts with Kris. Sure, the town says Asriel was the golden child of the town, but that's just what the townspeople saw. Maybe Kris knows more about how Asriel really is. "But Kris' throat tightens when you drink the hot chocolate!" Yes. That is true, but that's more for nostalgia than anything else. You can have a nostalgic reaction about things you don't like anymore simply due to the memories associated with them. Also, when inspecting the bookshelf at home at the beginning of Chapter 2, it says the how to draw dragons book was taken out by your brother, not Kris. Can Asriel be different than from what the townspeople say? I mean, his Undertale counterpart is also Flowey of all people, so who knows.

[@Fenrick]

All signs we've seen seem to indicate the opposite, that Kris was Asriel's biggest fan, and that Kris is absolutely not handling Asriel being gone very well. There's also the fact that Kris is anxiously looking up when college vacations are based on the room that Queen made, although I guess you could interpret that as being afraid of when he might return, but I don't think that was the intent. Everything we've seen seems to indicate that Asriel was a model big brother, from carrying Kris to school to little things like letting Kris use the better controller for playing games. Asriel probably wasn't the golden child everyone said, so there probably is more to it than what appears to be obvious. But the most I'd take away from that is that Asriel being a bad influence is responsible for the mischievous antics Kris has gotten up to in the past. If you're right though, it would explain his reservations towards Ralsei...

[@kestoro1249]

@@Fenrick It’s possible that even though Kris likes Asriel, they also feel jealous of him. The trophies in their room show that Asriel was always very successful, and most of the people in Hometown always ask how Asriel is doing, but never how Kris is doing. I could definitely see Kris having a complex about this.

[@Fenrick]

@@kestoro1249 Now that... would make a lot of sense. Another reason to be jealous might be Kris being adopted, even though Asriel, Toriel, and Asgore never seemed to think less of Kris for it, it's not a trivial thing for a lot of people. The story with the horns is what makes me think of that.

[@kestoro1249]

@@Fenrick Another thing I forgot to mention, in the hospital, when Kris plays the piano for Susie, she seems surprised that they can play, but thinks they’re joking after they play the dissonant chord. After that, Susie comments that Kris looks hurt. This can be taken as evidence that Kris doesn’t have much natural talent, feeding into their inferiority complex. I don’t remember, but I think some of the trophies from their room may have been piano trophies.

[@Fenrick]

@@kestoro1249 I think Kris actually *is* talented, based on what the receptionist said in Chapter 1. I took the piano incident to mean that Kris is frustrated that the player ruined the piano session in front of Susie, and that Susie sees Kris as a fool instead of recognizing their skill. The piano is one of the clearest distinctions between Kris being Kris, as opposed to Kris being under player control.

[@significantpepper5274]

I think the reason Noelle doesn't heal much from Ralsei tea is because of that scene where Susie and Ralsei are eating cotton candy. Since she likes Susie i think that Noelle might think that Ralsei is trying to date Susie, which would make Noelle jealous.

[@babyboi3910]

OMG YEAH

[@TheRedarm75]

right Instead of hailing them and getting their attention like most people would she says "ahh they are looking this way lets get out of here"

[@chaotixthefox]

She literally doesn't even perceive the tea. The tea changes based on each person's perceptions, so for Ralsei's to disappear when Noelle tries to drink it, he must be practically invisible to her. The definition of an afterthought.

[@babyboi3910]

THAT IS SO AMAZING AND SMART OMG

[@lightray9264]

or maybe just the fact that Ralsei is keeping her away from Susie (whether on purpose or not)

[@rainy_days_4220]

a possible explanation for ralsei's reaction to noelle tea; before we're able to give ralsei noelle tea, he spends a lot of time with suzie that we don't get to see, and i think it's totally plausible that she told him a bit about noelle, possibly prompted by him so that he could tease her about the very obvious crushing from both sides as she continues to be oblivious.

[@Vexcenot]

It makes sense for Kris to not be as close to Ralsie than Susie cause 1. They literally just met in a dream full of whacky magic (compared to the world he grew up in) 2. Ralsie has been shown to be a bit too nerdy for Kris' liking (and a bit too pushy) 3. Kris knew Susie far longer being that they grew up in the same town and school

[@thegreendragon5390]

4. Nothing the player/soul tries to do can override Susie's power to decide for herself, and Kris likely admires Susie for that ability to resist the player's influence.

[@ShrekPNG]

Don't forget the fact that Suisie was bullying Kris

[@margaretwilson8736]

It's true that Suzie goes against the player (S Action) while Ralsei wants it to stay this way. :P

[@Popgurliess]

@@thegreendragon5390 Off topic, but susie seems like the real protagonist here. she's the least aware of all the deep lore. if she hadn't been eating chalk, the whole adventure woudn't have happened. she's the one Who got berdly to stop being an ass. hell, basically almost every character that enters the Dark world seems to crush on her. the players control dosen't affect her.my theory is that In the snowgrave route, she'll be the main heroine.

[@thegreendragon5390]

@@Popgurliess I can see this.

[@gaminggeckos4388]

Wow, I watched the video and then was pretty surprised to see how few people have seen it. Very underrated video, I'd say

[@Fenrick]

Thank you! It's pretty new though. We'll just have to wait and see if it's favored by the almighty algorithm...

[@bradleyadams5252]

My theory on what this means: Noelle doesn't find any liquid in her cup because she thinks that the dark world is only a dream, to her Ralsei isn't just a stranger, he's a figment of her imagination. Kris's mixed reaction to Ralsei is because he reminds Kris of Asriel, reminding him of his feelings of abandonment alongside memories of their new adventures.

[@arianechros8566]

Maybe Kris doesn't like Ralsei either because he resembles his brother or because he wants to close the fontains

[@Fenrick]

I wondered about that too. Maybe the resemblance just bothers Kris. Ralsei is a living reminder of Asriel, whom Kris clearly misses a lot.

[@imjustforgettable5173]

@@Fenrick I think that it doesn’t heal kris that much because he knows ralsie is hiding something or he doesn’t know ralsie that much

[@Berryyy_pieee]

I also feel this way, I think kris is lonely without Asriel and has a sorta grudge against Ralsei for just looking like him? I don’t have any evidence to this but I’d like to see how this would play out in the game.

[@pros_0143]

Maybe Kris thinks that bringing a replica of his brother wearing a skirt to the festival is almost incest...?

[@korokahu8159]

I find awkward the fact that Ralsei looks like their brother but the player constantly put Kris and Ralsei in romantic situations

[@Ultamik3y]

7:34 In Chapter 1 it is 100% confirmed that Ralsei is aware of the player. He has a line of dialogue that tells us to push Z on our keyboard (or some other button on our controller) and Susie goes something like "Huh? Who's Z?"

[@thevioletskull8158]

Can we talk about how cool the idea of character-based teas is? I hope there are recipes! Also, I agree that Kris feels lukewarm to Ralsei, because Kris drinking the tea is 60 and when you chose to go with Ralsei to the festival, they are confused,*not hateful*. So while Kris could like Susie more because of how she cheers them up and how Kris is the most comfortable going to the festival with Susie but that doesn't mean Kris doesn't like Ralsei, I think it means they are neutral or just seems Ralsei as a casual friend. Edit: I guess Kris could have mixed feelings, I see your point now.

[@LunaticFullMoon]

I've seen a lot of series that do merch such as tea that are themed around a specific character, Persona for example. It's cool to see the concept actually exist in-universe though.

[@solidturtle6910]

Kris trust Noelle more than ralsei?

[@aidingagent3885]

These teas remind me of a certain group of ice cream in a book about a school built sideways... Look, I just made it super obvious, now one of you can pretend (or sincerely) to know the reference.

[@chis5388]

probably because ralsei doesn't recognize kris as themselves: only sees the player?

[@EliteOcto]

Noelle thinks Ralsei tea is 'empty' because Susie told her it's a dream. So she thinks Ralsei isn't real.

[@POWRBALLPROJCT]

I interpreted Noelle's, "it's empty," comment as evidence that Ralsei, while perhaps slightly more, 'real,' than characters like Lancer, is still ultimately just an illusion/manifestation from Kris. Noelle doesn't have any strong opinion towards Ralsei because she doesn't really, 'exist,' to her in the same way he does towards Kris and Susie. Susie has a positive reaction towards the tea because, while not her personal manifestation, she's been there since the beginning and has a stronger bond towards Kris' idea of who Ralsei is. Kris has a mixed opinion of Ralsei because, while he is reminded of positive experiences with Asriel, Ralsei is a bitter-sweet reminder to Kris that life has moved on, and he can never get that time with Asriel back.

[@Fenrick]

I just had another idea about it. Something I want to relate to this is how his battle sprite is just empty clothes when he gets knocked out... for all we know, that could just be a normal darkner thing, but I wonder if it relates to the tea being empty. Either way I don't think Ralsei is any less "real" than the other Darkners, but I 100% believe that his creation has something to do with Kris's thoughts made manifest in him.

[@kshimo7]

I'm still questoning how people still believe Ralsei is something deeply connected to Asriel to kris.

[@Fenrick]

@@kshimo7 His name's an Anagram, he's a goat boy who looks a lot like what you'd expect an older Asriel to look like. If nothing else, it's at least a red herring.

[@frezomereseraphim9164]

Well, Noelle seems to recognize Ralsei when you're at the fair. Susie will be eating cotton candy and Noelle will say "Who is with her. Wait... isnt that-" Probably being reminded of Asriel

[@kshimo7]

@@Fenrick Asriel looks like what, 10?

[@mbot1901]

After seeing all these videos about the topic, I have an interesting hunch that somewhere along the line, ralsei and susie are going to have a falling out and we're going to have to choose one, and the player will naturally want to pick ralsei, but kris is going to pick susie, and think the way kris acts towards susie is a good indicator of this. Also this is unrelated but something i barely hear people talk about is why kris opened the door in the chapter 2 ending before creating the new fountain, i think it's a easily missable but very important detail, as it's one of the few things kris deliberately does on their own.

[@levinseve3471]

I was wondering about the door and thought about something. The closet, old classroom, and computer lab were all behind closed doors. Maybe Kris thinks by opening the door, the Dark World will spread further?

[@Shalakor]

At first, I thought maybe it was to grab Undyne, but then I figured that there's no way to know for sure if they would anticipate Toriel calling the cops (we don't have enough info), so maybe it's simply to give Ralsei a way to get in? That would technically only take unlocking the door, but that wouldn't visually read for the player like leaving the door ajar does. Clearly, these fountains aren't trying to be made without being found, if going to arrange for Susie and Toriel to be right there.

[@Vanzgars]

>and the player will naturally want to pick ralsei lol, no Susie simp 'til the end.

[@Rand0m_Anon]

@@Shalakor When Kris ripped out their SOUL in the bathroom and escaped, they probably went out and slashed Toriel's car tires with the knife they keep to get Toriel to call the police

[@Shalakor]

@@Rand0m_Anon The main motivation was most likely to keep Susie from leaving, though, so the police call could be incidental. All context throughout the chapter from the Susie flavored tea to post Spamton Neo points to Kris actually liking her in absence of player intervention.

[@tvvoty]

Regarding Ralsei being "empty". It also seemed to me that through the chapter some characters disregard, ignore or don't really acknowledge Ralsei's presence for some reason. Noelle doesn't really speak with him that much and Queen just forgets about him in the castle scene and then when you battle Giga queen she asks if there was a third member in the party.

[@pieskobi943]

When tea is the most important lore item

[@leothemememan3464]

I'm happy you didn't randomly add gaster in this stuff like every other theorist does

[@jizaidieausserirdische1511]

I also hate when people do that

[@forsakenfish]

Fr

[@Shalakor]

Ralsei's tea doesn't exist for Noelle, so Ralsei must be Gaster himself... in disguise! It's the only possible conclusion! Theory over!

[@UnisRapper]

I think Ralsei might know about Gaster based on the post spamton fight dialogue

[@forsakenfish]

@@Shalakor i cri evry tiem

[@destinynoah5461]

Ralsei is a lot like Undertale Sans if you think about it. Guiding the PLAYER to do the right thing.

[@Goated876]

Except that one part where he gives us a tip on how attacking the "monsters" will make them lost recruits, but will make you stronger.

[@PossessedPotatoBird]

@@Goated876 why do people keep seeing a sinister motive in that? He literally tells you not to attack monsters in both chapters and even in this he’s not telling to to attack them he’s just saying that it will make you stronger

[@destinynoah5461]

@@PossessedPotatoBird exactly. And when I say Ralsei is like sans, i mean in terms of the story. He knows some things we don't. But not everything

[@dudejoe24]

@@Goated876 Wasn't that making you stronger bit the book from Cyber world not from Ralsei?

[@UnisRapper]

Me too... Ralsei's awareness and 4th wall breaks makes it certain that Ralsei is very knowledgeable...

[@auramaster2068]

Very interesting, I wonder if the tea reactions will change over time. Perhaps Kris doesnt like Ralsei as much because he wants the fountains sealed? After all Kris IS the one opening them in the first place and even though Ralsei mentioned the world could literally end if Kris opens more, they still open one at the end of chapter 2. We also dont know all that much about Kris and Asriels relationship besides what other people tell us, maybe Kris feels bitter about Asriel for leaving them and projects that onto Ralsei. It really makes you wonder what does Kris REALLY think.

[@cyanryan1]

they only open one fountain at a time, i think they're deliberately avoiding ending the world and just want to go on cool adventures

[@auramaster2068]

@@cyanryan1 I don't think Kris would want to destroy the world either, especially because of their reaction to the snow grave route. That wasn't what I was trying to imply though.

[@interdimensionalgoober8769]

Kris couldn’t have opened the chapter 2 library fountain, if he had done it the night before, noelle and berdly wouldn’t have had their books open and been able to sit down and start studying. Someone would have had to have opened while they were studying it, and since the camera follows kris the entire time, the timeline of events wouldn’t add up.

[@TheAdvertisement]

I also think the aftertaste Noelle gets could have something to do with the fact that she and Kris used to be on good terms, but now they're a bit more distant. It's sort of a quick recap of the way their relationship developed

[@EvTheLegendYT]

I like how Susie says "Hell yeah!" to literally every single tea.

[@luuc4sflp]

The thing about ralsei having a reaction to Noelle's tea, I think it's because the Darkners were made to help the Lightners, as stated by himself. So that's probably I reason he knows her, or at least has a reaction to it. Could also be the reaction he has for all Lightners. (Not for Kris and Susie, since he spent the most time with them.)

[@Fenrick]

This is an explanation that I have not heard a single other person else say in all these comments. Pretty good take that he just automatically is loyal to Liteners, and something I really wish I'd thought of first!

[@baguette_person8150]

These theories make the snowgrave route ALOT more terrifying...

[@_willow_dino_]

3:19 - to add possibilities 3 and 4, I think either Susie (and/or Kris) has talked about Noelle to Ralsei, since the two of them had that time together at the fair while Kris was with Noelle. Or that Ralsei sees Noelle as a sweet and soft person from their little interaction/ proximity, he does seem more sociable than Noelle, which could be why her tea heals him more than his does for her.

[@the-REAL-Bill-Cipher]

maybe ralsei changed parts of himself while waiting for kris and susie, he didnt have anyone and only could wait and hope for the heros, he'd probably want them to like him, making his name similar to asriels (kris's favorite person) and making his personality different(similar to asriels, pushover for susie maybe? idk) could be things he did to make himself likeable, and him saying "what is ralsei-like anyways" could mean his identity is unstable or untrue. idk tho

[@tank19768]

I can think of a few options: 1: Kris has mixed feeling about Asriel; both missing interacting with him as a child, and being bitter towards him (possibly for leaving?). 2: Kris acknowledges that Ralsei is his own creation and therefore can't think of him as an actual friend. 3: Since Ralsei may be aware of the player [heart shaped object], Kris might see Ralsei as enabling their puppeteer (since Ralsei is your tutorial and influences your actions). If Ralsei is taking Kris aside to talk to him in private, it could be that Ralsei is telling Kris to make the dark fountains so Ralsei can have more friends in his kingdom. Because we don't know Kris' motivations, or if they're ever truly in control, we can't be sure of Ralsei either.

[@fardboi9781]

Oh my god why have I never heard about Ralsei sending the player away to have conversations with Kris. This is insane.

[@lpmitbaum9389]

Hey I just had an idea. What if Chris only gets healed for 60 because only 1 half of him (the player) has a positive connection to it while the other one (the knight) probably hates him considering only because of ralsey they are sealing the fountains

[@Fenrick]

Nice. I could see that.

[@rofirofi112]

Or maybe because ralsei looked like asriel kris just feel half toward ralsei

[@pros_0143]

But if anyone can open one fountain i think there's the possibility of more knight's than Kris.

[@rofirofi112]

@@pros_0143 that would be the if there are other people that know the existence of dark world because berdly can open the fountain because he know the existence of it

[@rofirofi112]

@@pros_0143 and the ending of ch 2 happen because kris know that even kris can open a fountain

[@SenorFluffy]

I personally thought Ralsei resembling Asriel was bittersweet for Kris, which is why they have a mixed reaction to his tea.

[@JaxOf7]

Regarding Ralsei drinking Noelle tea: Recall in Chapter 1, on the walk to the castle with Lancer, he believes a darkner's purpose is to assist lightners, and it is fulfilling to do so. So even if she's a stranger, he just likes lightners in general.

[@9nikola]

A simple explanation for Noelle's reaction to Ralsei Tea can be that she simply never noticed him. As far as I can recall, the only time she even so much as acknowledged his existence was when she said she was supposed to walk behind Susie, as if to tell Ralsei to move out of her way.

[@Mochi_Madness87]

Maybe Kris feels that Ralsei reminds him of Asriel, and Kris has some kind of repressed anger towards Asriel for not being around in his life anymore since he went to college.

[@Berryyy_pieee]

I agree with this!

[@pros_0143]

Problems only teenagers [Gender] who have the power to destroy the world have.

[@fatalbert2055]

@@pros_0143 Teenager is my favorite gender

[@stupiderandunnecessarier]

@@fatalbert2055 quick, hide before discord mods see this

[@alexander5.1]

In my opinion I think Ralsei's +50 health on Noelle's tea is just true to his character of being a sweet and kind person who gets along with almost everyone and tries to be nice to people. I do think it's very strange that he knew where the east classroom door was, that there was even a door, that there's even stuff inside of it..... that is something I have to think about.

[@squid24736]

I like that noelle thinks kris tea tastes like cinnamon, I wonder if that aftertaste is secretly butterscotch :p

[@ManiacalBlueberry]

But wouldn't she know? Considering them to be lifelong neighbors and their families to be friends.

[@sino3318]

YOOO that ralsei theory is so good!!!! i never noticed the "talking behind the player's back" thing, super cool!!

[@brinst_ar]

Yeah, Ralsei seems pretty suspicious, specially in the second chapter. Which doesn't mean he has bad intentions but i'm really curious to see what's up.

[@Kevinblue035]

another thing of note: Noelle has no reaction to the fact that Ralsei looks like Asriel, even though Noelle would be familliar with Asriel since he was friends with her sister I wonder if it's like a Xion KingdomHearts kind of thing where he actually looks different to everyone who looks at him, and people with no opinion of him just seem him as a vague shape or doll, or might even not see him at all, since noelle claims ralsei tea is invisable to her

[@Fenrick]

She actually does briefly say something like "wait a minute, is that?" before silencing herself.

[@Shalakor]

She "might" have been about to say he looks like Asriel when they were eating cotton candy, before interrupting herself by getting spooked at them possibly spotting her. Could have still been her worrying it looked like a date like many people assume, though. Either way, I think she's actively just tuning out thinking about him in any context due to how awkward that is, since that seems to be her main defense mechanism. And I'd have to assume disbelief in Darkners makes them less real to the observer.

[@Kevinblue035]

@@Shalakor oh yeah you're right, for some reaosn i thought she was going ot say "wait a minute, isn't that susie?" during that scene

[@TheRedarm75]

It's weird now with all this knowledge it makes me wonder for those people who play the wingman for noelle or fully embrace ralsei against kris' will what will that mean for kris later?

[@somefoolishguy8072]

The empty tea is a joke because Ralsei keep getting forgotten in chapter 2.

[@BugsRCool499]

Lancer: am u a joke to you?

[@noathern]

Not even to mention ralseis horrible self esteem

[@somefoolishguy8072]

@@BugsRCool499 Yes. Lancer is quite literally a joke in chapter 2.

[@BugsRCool499]

@@somefoolishguy8072 honestly that disappointed me, he was such a fun character in ch1, and he had such wasted potential with interactions with queen, noelle, susie and even berdly

[@somefoolishguy8072]

@@BugsRCool499 i agree. The only time he was usefull to the story he ended up a rock :/ I really hope he's not going to become just a joke. And what triggers me the most is that Rouxl Kaard got more screen time.

[@RockhopperRio]

I believe in the theory that Ralsei is an imaginary friend of Kris brought to life by the Dark World. I think Kris’s reaction to his tea being so poor could be because at the end of the day, Kris feels that Ralsei isn’t real. If the theory is correct, Ralsei’s origin wouldn’t be anything more than a replacement for Asriel, and that just makes Kris feel worse about them.

[@erossauro2427]

Damn.

[@Buzzblade146]

2 years and NOBODY mentioned how susie has the best healing stats, always 120 (except for when she drinks her own tea) and noelle gets 400 HP from it. Susie really is the best healer.

[@shady8045]

Susie is goated like that

[@Azothify]

if you drink noelle tea or kris tea for each other after you reaffirm they're friends. It heals a bit more after that point.

[@BroudbrunMusicMerge]

Kris actively avoids looking at Asriel's personal castle-room, and seems to avoid looking into Asriel-related things in general. And Ralsei looks and acts like Asriel, right? (Or may even _be_ Asriel, etc.) So maybe that taints Kris's opinion of Ralsei from being wholly positive - the tea is bittersweet, just like Kris's view of Asriel

[@wait_whatt]

Interesting point, I've also seen the theory that Kris doesn't want to show anything related to Asriel to the player, because it's too personal or maybe for some other reasons

[@beholdthemistakinator6365]

It could be that ralsei is actually souless. Idk why kris isnt that fond of ralsei but i do know that ralsei is probably trying to lure us into a false sense of security Just like flowey from undertale. (the whole hugging stuff is just a way of trying to distract the player against the truth) I think this game actually is going to be all about fighting your control over kris and finding ways to completly take your grab on this world away.

[@Fenrick]

Remember when Flowey tried to gather everyone in one place to take them all out at once? Hey Kris, go recruit as many people as you can so they hang out at castle town... That being said, I doubt Ralsei has something overtly evil in mind.

[@Fenrick]

@Eduanny S It would be pretty good.

[@rofirofi112]

@@Fenrick i never thought about that now it give me chills

[@FireyDeath4]

Next thing we know, Ralsei with a gun is gonna be canon Yeah it's just gonna be his hand, he can cast bullets you know

[@thecrazedpotatoman]

I would probably genuinely cry if Ralsei turns out to be evil

[@canariawing]

personally i perceive the reason for the +60 heal when kris drinks ralsei's tea as them still trying to test the waters with ralsei, not knowing how he acts/who he is yet since they've only just met. kris has known susie for a while outside of the dark world on account of being classmates so i'd consider it natural that her heal amount would be higher after she and kris properly became friends. it's a similar situation with noelle's tea, while being significantly lower than the +120 heal susie's tea gives kris, they still have history together even if they aren't exactly "friends" so her tea gives them a +70 heal. the +60 doesn't mean that kris /doesn't like/ ralsei. it means that, since they only met ralsei YESTERDAY, they're trying to figure ralsei out, trying to figure out how to handle him too since ralsei has a very obvious crush on and interest in them. if anything i'd say the +60 means kris likes ralsei relatively well and even feels rather comfortable around him, considering noelle is kris' childhood friend and her heal is +70.

[@that-one_guy]

I'm so glad I filled the second half of the storage with 3 of each flavor of tea now

[@tacokitten]

Incredibly well put together video, I love your analysis. You just gained a new subscriber!

[@Fenrick]

Thanks man!

[@Lunarcreeper]

kris probably just is uncomfortable around ralsei because they keep getting reminded of someone they miss

[@deewompost2470]

Imagine if Kris doesn't like eating moss

[@Fenrick]

I would never stop laughing during those parts if that turns out to be true.

[@kanorune]

Nah, iirc they were excited when they found the moss in Chapter 2

[@ManiacalBlueberry]

They were way too happy to not want to eat that moss

[@maykonbrasileiro761]

Normal human beings: cool dialogue Deltarune lore enjoyers: this tea defines their relacionship with each other

[@TruceDoesStuff]

Finally a theory that doesn't blame crap on gaster. This one actually got me thinking into how dark this story may get.

[@AllFiery]

The own-flavored tea sounds like a potential SCP.

[@TruceDoesStuff]

Might be one already.

[@nada6991]

I feel like the last day aka chapter we meet kris’s brother and we bring him to the dark world when when Ralsei sees him he is gonna glitch tf out or get really mad

[@conejitorosada2326]

Imagine Toriel and Asgore seeing Ralsei

[@skykrimsion]

dude that would be fucking amazing…

[@rofirofi112]

@@conejitorosada2326 it's possible considering kris open the fountain in toriel house while toriel still in it

[@Friendstoyourend]

@@conejitorosada2326 that's probably gonna happen in Chapter 3

[@Vinzaf]

I think the main thing to take away from Kris, is that he probably holds some degree of resentment against Asriel for leaving to college, and Ralsei is a manifestation of that angst. It's clear they were best friends, and then he up and left to go to college, and Kris probably felt some kind of abandonment which grew into a general angst. See: the way Kris felt anxious drinking the chocolate smoothie, the way he refuses to look into Ralsei's prison, et cetera.

[@theman933]

what i think about "noelle drinks ralsei tea" is that ralsei thinks that everyone is good, thus no matter who's tea he were to drink he would always get at least a pleasant reaction. noelle isn't the same way, and since she hasn't heard of ralsei, she gets a neutral reaction from it and doesn't see anything in the cup.

[@LokiThePug]

Hilarious how noelle drinking susie drink heals 400 instead of the usual 120 for literal most of susie’s reactions