Plant
Us plants, are neither Darkners nor Lightners.
We are living beings...
...that take on new consciousness in the dark.
Plants are a class of beings in Deltarune. They belong to the Light World, where they are living beings but lack a degree of consciousness; in the Dark World, however, they are given sentience and a new form, akin to but distinct from Darkners. Currently, none are recruitable.
In the Dark World, a plant's color scheme is influenced by their Light World form's colors. Unlike Darkners, their real-world inspiration is looser, as their personalities, appearances, and bullets are much more removed from their Light World forms.
When fatally injured, flower blossoms spill out of the wound in the Dark World, resembling blood, as shown after Flowery attempted to fight the Knight on his own. In the Light World, the injury can be as simple as a broken stem.
For dialogue, plants may have no portrait, a colorless portrait similar to Lightners or a symbol in place of the standard asterisk; in the latter case, the color of the text and symbol is also changed. The one exception to this is Flowery, whose portrait rarely shows golden eyes. The variance between color and monochrome concerning their portraits and text shows their existence as being distinct from both Lightners and Darkners.
In the Dark World, plants can live lives as if they were a Lightner as well as partake in encounters. They are capable of using magic akin to Monsters and Darkners, being able to cast bullets.
Plants are aware of their surroundings in the Light World and remember them in the Dark World, much like Darkners. They can recall events and locations before and when their form is changed through a Dark Fountain, as well as Lightners' interactions with their Light World form. Furthermore, unlike Darkners, plants have heightened senses that extend beyond their immediate vicinity.[1]
However, while they may seem fine in the Dark World, they would eventually die due to the lack of light which all plants need to survive.[2]
During Chapter 3, the cactus in the Dreemurr residence can be heard behind a curtain wondering about its new form,[3] implying that it gained a level of consciousness after the creation of the Dark Fountain. This dialogue may serve as an early hint towards the nature of plants being considered separate beings from Darkners within a Dark World, as other Darkners are not shown to question their existence within a Dark World.
Multiple plant characters are introduced in Chapter 5. The seven flowers make an appearance, with Flowery being the main antagonist, and Aqua, Seth, Orange, Yellow, Blue, and Green appearing throughout the Chapter. All of them are loyal to Asgore and try to seek his attention, though he shuns it in favor of trying to prove the existence of the Dark World.
After Flower Castle, each of the seven flowers vow to prevent the party from reaching the Dark Fountain.
After Flowery is defeated by the party, the other flowers can be interacted with, saying their goodbyes before reverting to their Light World forms. Afterwards, Flowery is wounded by the Knight, and he reverts to his Light World form (cut in half) after giving one last speech to the party.
- ↑
We can feel things others can't understand...
— Flowery, Chapter 5
Something horrible is stirring beneath the town.
A darkness beyond your imagination. - ↑
This dream was set to end... Even if we defeated you, we know that flowers left in darkness, will perish.
— Flowery, before the first Dark Fountain is sealed, Chapter 5 - ↑
(... can I... look like this... can I... dream like this...)
— Cactus, Chapter 3