#'but michelle what about ralsei's weird attraction to--' shut up. have you ever heard of social anxiety. or autism.

[teruthecreator]

man sometimes i think. and tonight it’s about how ralsei isn’t meant to be a version of asriel, but a version of kris. and that really fucks me up. let me elaborate. 

there is a lot of evidence to suggest that kris idolized/loves their brother, that’s true, but i think some of that may also stem from a desire to almost be him. if that makes sense. like kris is the only human in a town full of monsters and has likely never been socialized with other humans. the “how to raise a human child” book that toriel checked out a bunch suggests that she either happened upon kris or was given them in very rushed circumstances. she did not have time to prepare for raising a human. and i think, despite her and asgore’s best efforts to keep them tied to being a human, kris would be raised like a monster. they would understand monster customs, monster eating habits (hence the affinity or at least tolerance for non-foods like moss), and a monster’s way of life. but they are human. and, despite all the socializing and raising in a monster’s home, they would always remain that way. 

they were clearly unhappy with this concept. that much is evident in the mentioning of the horned headband they used to wear consistently (until they one day--quite suddenly--stopped wearing it). they were confused about why they weren’t becoming like their brother and their parents tried to help them cope, but ultimately the coping mechanism failed and kris either lost it or “lost” it. aka intentionally left it somewhere. but regardless of their species status, they were still going to be raised exactly as the dreemurrs were raising asriel. so kris still wore the same striped sweaters (i believe their current one is a hand-me-down from asriel), still attended the same church where asriel sang in the choir, and still hung out with the same monster kids that asriel was friends with. and it becomes clear to me, with the way their rooms are set up, that kris wasn’t sure what they were outside of being asriel’s younger sibling (asriel has a lot more trinkets and things, while kris’s side is mostly bare--save for the birdcage and red cart). 

when kids are young, they will sometimes openly desire to be just like the elders in their family. it is the classic concept of a kid going up to their parent and exclaiming “when i grow up, i wanna be just like you!!” and usually the parent will laugh or feel awkward, depending on the parent’s outlook on their own life. and i believe kris has that with asriel. or did. they don’t really seem to connect with their parents. asgore very clearly doesn’t understand what kris is growing up into, and toriel is stuck in this perspective of kris still needing to be coddled like a child. the only person kris really connected with is their older brother. their other half. so it feels obvious that they, as a little kid wearing a red-horned headband and a striped sweater, wanted to be just like asriel. 

hence, ralsei. 

ralsei is an anagram of asriel. if kris wanted to be like asriel, a person derived of that desire would probably have a name that is similar to asriel’s. ralsei is kind and devoted to a grand prophecy--mirroring asriel’s kind demeanor and his religious affiliations (lot of this we only hear from other characters, but i’m using it as evidence to support. asriel was clearly active in the church community, and people generally have nothing but nice words to say about him.) that might be an aspect kris has always been hard on themself for not having; from a lot of the other character’s admissions, kris has always been an awkward, quiet, and kinda weird kid. and they’ve never seemed that dedicated to religion, unlike their brother. ralsei is also a bit of a gnc king on his own, sporting traits of being both masculine and feminine. that part isn’t, like, Concrete evidence (none of this is LMAO), but if ralsei is meant to reflect a version of kris-more-like-asriel then it is fitting that he’d be uncaring about gendered stereotypes and fall sort of in the nebulous space. just like kris (hashtag nonbinary legend). 

ralsei is also incredibly lonely. he lives in castle town all by himself, waiting patiently for the heroes to arrive and be his new friends. that part screams “kris” the most to me. asriel very clearly Had close friends. he had dess, and burgerpants, and catty and bratty (tho they were like Into Him so maybe those two a little less). but kris only had asriel. noelle was there and it is evident they connected, given chap 2, but i think she just...paled in comparison. who could beat asriel? to kris, that answer was: nobody! nobody could beat asriel. he was their brother and their friend and their support. and when he’s gone, kris has to just....wait. alone. and hope he comes back so they can keep playing and kris can keep feeling like they belong in this family where no one shares their face. 

ralsei is a child’s concoction. an amalgamation of hopes and dreams. some wishful thinking, mixed in with deeply-rooted insecurities, all rolled up in some pink horns and a familiar face. he is the version of kris that they would see when they’d shut their eyes, playing in the imaginary yard with asriel and noelle and dess. 

but that dream has, for the most part, died off. kris is different now. maybe the time alone has let them realize some things about themself. that they can’t change something so fundamental, so why bother--why bother with anything, for that matter. which is why ralsei is so...off. they’re what kris used to want. 

the horns were forgotten for a reason