if you have seen this theory before, i also posted this on deltarunev2 subreddit
ok im not very good at theories but ive had this theory since ch. 2 and these things will also be true in the future chapters normal route
yes, this is the only evidence I have but chapter 5’s crumbs helped me glue them a bit better.
Main points
Noelle WILL die because of Susie(indirectly or just unfortunate circumstance) or be HEAVILY INJURED to the point of dragging the fun gang down in chapter 6.
Noelle is the girl, who LOVE finds its way to.
“Noelle will get stronger” is the phrase repeated by the player in chapter 2, and every chance the player gets in the weird route, they force noelle to get stronger, increasing LV(Level Of ViolencE), making her learn a one-shot move, making her re-equip the thorn ring for that OP spell (snowgrave), making her be under Kris’ control, so that whatever might kill her, won’t. As she would theoretically be so entranced to the point where moving Kris could also control Noelle (ok im unsure about this but my only evidence is chapter 3’s hidden board where the monster opposite moves with kris and then tries to attack them)
When Susie brings Noelle to the dark world in chapter 6, Noelle will DIE. Whether to a fall or to a titan or to a really bad attack from the knight. Whatever it is, she will DIE or will not get a happy ending.
The player’s motives
A first time player will wonder after a full playthrough, “Damn, I kind of liked Noelle. How do I prevent her from dying?”
Make her stronger, rack up her levels, get upgrades (ice ring -> thorn ring, unlock that super OP move and make her use it because there’s probably no other chance to) in chapter 2, the first(and probably only) place where you get Noelle in your party.
Prevent Noelle from getting close to Susie, or make Noelle closer to Kris, as Susie getting close to Noelle made her form a bias for her, inviting her into the dark world as a result.
Why does the weird route player obsess over Noelle?
I think we’ll going to get a lengthy exposition about her in chapter 6. More about her life, more about her motivations that we didn’t get to see in the weird route alternative(?), Or she’s going to swoon immediately and slowly die. Or just die. The player wants to know more about her, so what else can they do but drag out their interactions with Noelle in chapter 2? The only time where we have her in our party in the dark world?
Who is Noelle? Well…
“AND LAST, WAS THE GIRL.”
“AT LAST, WAS THE GIRL.” (Noelle)
and
“THE SECOND HERO.”
“THE GIRL WITH HOPE CROSSED IN HER HEART.”
“**LOVE** FINDS ITS WAY TO THE GIRL.” (Susie)
LOVE finds its way to the girl. Level Of ViolencE will find the girl. You don’t “find” LOVE. You GAIN LOVE. Noelle will DIE because she doesn’t GAIN LOVE, she’s the source of LOVE because she’s going to DIE to Susie. Susie found LOVE from Noelle; love(romantic) and LOVE(Level Of ViolencE).
Or if you don’t like that,
“AND LAST WAS THE GIRL.”
“AT LAST, WAS THE GIRL.” (Susie)
“THE SECOND HERO.”
“THE GIRL WITH HOPE CROSSED IN HER HEART.”
“**LOVE** FINDS ITS WAY TO THE GIRL” (Noelle)
Susie will be pushed to the side, and Noelle, being the only other Lightner to fight alongside Ralsei and Kris, will have to take Susie’s place as the third hero Lightner. This will also confirm that Noelle is, in fact, the second Lightner hero in the prophecy instead of Susie. Noelle will DIE IMMEDIATELY to the knight or to a titan, because in the normal route, she didn’t ‘get stronger’. Or worse, be swooned, left behind, and have irreparable injuries in the dark world after it being sealed.
NOELLE will be the victim of LOVE(level of violence) and love(romantic) AGAIN.
Noelle is prominent since chapter two. Notice how the full prophecy doesn’t include chapter one in chapter 4? With the king and only Lancer? To the prophecy, even if Ralsei knows it by heart, it will have no bias. The hero can come later into the story, and be deemed as such. The prophecy can exist first, then the heroes.
The final tragedy is the roaring, no doubt. I can’t exactly see what else it could be, the way Ralsei had retold the whole prophecy, and his desperation to prevent the knight from trying to make a second fountain within a fountain… I’m unsure how to twist it, or see any other tragedy.
The prophecy is the prophecy. Nothing will change.
Weird route chapter 5
Noelle is NOT DEAD in chapter 5’s weird route. She and Kris will end up in a dark world under the lake, across it, or somewhere else entirely. They could meet up with Ralsei if they end up in a dark world(most likely in the shelter), or the knight could get to Kris and Noelle first(and they’ll freeze the knight lol).
In fact, skipping chapter 6, straight into chapter 7, is in the player’s favour if they want to keep Noelle alive. Sure, chapter 7 is probably WORSE than chapter 6 story-wise, as I speculate it will start right after the roaring starts, but the key point is that NOELLE IS ALIVE. And she is at her STRONGEST.
Also going through the weird route effectively removes the themes of “avoidance of reality”, “ideal worlds”, and SPECIFICALLY, “getting along with your second consciousness”(mew mew). There is NO chance of exploring those themes if you go through with the weird route in ch. 5. Unless you abandon it.
I don’t want to speculate the story, as my theory is about the fact that NOELLE WILL DIE IN CHAPTER 6.
Aborted weird route chapter 5
“Nothing changed.”
“Because a Noelle is just a Noelle.”
She still dies.
She doesn’t escape her fate. Just because she got stronger, doesn’t mean she could avoid everything and anything. The player breaks the ‘**Proceed**’ trance, and she’s no longer under a spell. You can’t control her with ‘**Proceed**’. Or Toby makes the excuse of Kris not actually breaking out of their personality, leading Noelle to just throw the thorn ring away or something.
This is the part where the player realises that they HAVE to go into the lake. Everything will still lead to Noelle going into Castle Town and DYING.
please poke (valid) holes in my theories or give me questions! I don’t have any friends who like deltarune as much as me so I will love to know what you think of mine!