#i think kris' outward rebellion against fate will eventually be matched by ralsei or hell somehow act as a foil to that plotthread

[kooki914]

I have been thinking about Ralsei a lot lately and I wonder if Ralsei is some sort of deconstruction of a Satellite Love Interest? He has a lot of traits that a traditional JRPG would give a female love interest: He's a healer, the most outwardly kind and compassionate member of the team and is very much concerned with the main hero's happiness. It would tie into his themes of identity because, outside of the prophecy, his life seems pretty vacant.

I agree with this! It's been one of my main forms of interpreting Ralsei's character since chapter 1, and it mostly revolves around the juxtaposition between his innocent-ish interactions with Kris, versus the ways he talks to Susie, Lancer, and about purpose.

On the one hand, when alone with Kris, he literally puts himself on a silver platter for them, allowing any kind of behavior and being personally invested in complimenting Kris for doing things he finds heroic. The setup seems to be that, all this time spent waiting for the prophecy, he's idealized Kris specifically because of the role they play in the story and on the team.

On the other hand, when talking about the purpose of darkners to Lancer, he never so much as glances at the possibility of personhood, instead emphasising servitude as the only desirable trait they could have in presence of lightners. This significantly sours the interactions he previously had with Kris, and while it's obvious he prefers them over Susie (at least in chapter 1) it puts into question WHAT it is that he prefers. Is he kind to them because he's a kind person? Or, is he kind because he sees Kris acting out their role obediently, and therefore acts out his role perfectly in return? A sort of premeditated dance of adoration that's facilitated by the lack of true free will in them both.

I love this kid he's so messed up.