#lads analysis

[orphicmusings]

i just love love and deepspace so much because the writers inadvertently subvert what is arguably the most popular trope in romance right now that is absolutely plaguing the genre: the callous, cold, (borderline) abusive mafia boss/bad boy/criminal of some kind. sylus is, at first glance, expected to follow all the ten booktok commandments of this trope, like he looks like what you’re supposed to picture when these books are brought up. he comes into the story mysterious, curt, domineering, almost to lull you into an expectation of where this is going. you’ve seen this before, it’s the most popular romance trope of the decade after all, the red flag booktok biker bad boy.

but instead, within literally a few chapters, he is so fucking tender. he is the most emotionally secure out of all the love interests. he looks at our character with nothing but absolute softness and warmth in his eyes. he is ruthless and he is a killer, but our character will know absolutely nothing but gentleness with him from here on out. even canonically in the bedroom, too, what you would expect from this booktok bad boy archetype is a dominant man who relies on violent and/or misogynistic sexual beliefs to fulfill his pleasure; but instead he submits, maybe not in the way you’re thinking of, but he truly gives himself over to our character, all of him on a silver platter. he’s a one woman man (for centuries), constantly asking for confirmation, going slowly with gentle hands, taking the time to imprint nothing but love and care with them. he’s secure in his masculinity, not possessive, protective yes but still knows and trusts that his lover can handle herself. in fact, loves the fact that she can handle herself, especially when up against him. (the man is canonically a bratty sub and i will die on that hill but that’s neither here nor there.)

sylus is the breath of fresh air that the heterosexual genre of romance media desperately needs.

[linkons-most-wanted]

Sylus, Intimacy, and Desire: An Essay

Inspired by this excellent video essay on Zayne's intimacy and a few comments asking for a similar analysis of Sylus, I wanted to share a few of my thoughts!

I actually think that Sylus and Zayne are great to contrast to each other on this topic because they each make relatively overt bids for physical intimacy but in very different ways.

While Zayne is outwardly restrained, where that restraint causes his hidden internal desires to intensify to the point of no longer being controllable, Sylus is outwardly flirtatious/assertive, but then actually very comfortable managing/controlling his desires.

Sylus's character demonstrates that when desire is embraced and expected, and appropriately indulged, it can be confidently controlled and regulated. It can seem paradoxical at first--that the most "forward" character is also the one most interested in specific, verbal consent--but I'd argue it's spot on in terms of psychology.

Sylus knows and accepts his desires

In Midnight Stealth, he says, "I truly enjoy watching my little prey struggle. Especially when it thinks it can escape from me." There's clearly a sensual/sexual element to this, and it points directly at kink, where power and power exchance are tantamount.

More on power exchange in a second, but what I want to emphasize here is that Sylus is very comfortable with what's considered to be a very "dark" desire. (Dark romance girlies, sound off.)

Contrast this to Zayne, who feels very conflicted about even very normative, expected desires and emotions.

Sylus has a lot of reason to be very comfortable with his desires, regardless of their nature, due to his powers as a dragon. He's able to pull out others' hidden desires, so of course he knows his own. As we see in Beyond Cloudfall, the types of desire he respects are when people are true to their hearts--ie honest with themselves and others about what they truly want, even/especially when others consider those desires to be dark/deviant. MC is the only person he's met who's honest in this way and truly follows her heart.

Power exchange

We get many signs that Sylus is very interested in power exchange, such as the entirety of No Defense Zone where he taunts MC to "tame" him, and the recurring theme of "taming" and "winning his heart" that's made especially clear in Final Farewell (the Abyssal Chaos Commission) dialogue. In Night of Secrecy, when MC indicates she wants control, he says he can't give it to her--"At least, not yet."

He is actively looking the relationship to get to a point where he feels safe giving full control to MC.

Conversely, when it comes to being dominant, he doesn't value dominance for dominance's sake--he's constatly talking about how boring "weak prey" is. What is attractive to him about MC, and when she submits to him, is specifically that she's strong and powerful, specifically that she trusts him with herself. If she didn't have power to give up, power that he respected, he simply wouldn't be interested.

Delightfully, in the AU of Innocent Birdcage, we get a version of Sylus who is similarly comfortable with his desires, so we get an even more overt demonsration of bondage kink. Even when not frenzied, he's tugging that thread of power exchange, reminding MC that he's dangerous while simultaneously smitten with her courage.

Sylus gets off on more than just sex

What is so interesting to me about Sylus's portrayal is that he's very flirtatious, very forward, and very sensual--but with relatively very few on-screen/-page kisses. We get very sexually charged moments with face touching, hands (MY GOD THE HANDS), etc, but the tension is rarely diffused.

We see Sylus's physical sensitivity especially in Lost Oasis, No Defense Zone, and Innocent Birdcage. Part of why we see these sensual moments not devolve abruptly into heavy petting, like we do with Zayne, is that Sylus is not in a hurry. We see this in Night of Secrecy too--MC has to get quite forward for him to finally "give in" (though he never really loses control).

Sylus enjoys the waiting. Unlike Zayne, who sees his restraint as a matter of life and death, to Sylus, it's a game. He enjoys seeing how much teasing he can take (No Defense Zone) and putting MC in situations where he doesn't know how she'll respond ("Sylus and Tartarus are in your hands...").

Given their history in Beyond Cloudfall, things like forehead kisses are just as precious to Sylus as other more overtly sexual types of affection. Sylus is willing to accept affection and sensation in any form MC is willing to provide it, while also enjoying a bit of power play. So, touching her face, grabbing her chin, throwing her around a bit--gestures which become more affectionate and more accepted by MC over time, but still retain their value to him.

He's a young dragon

One of my absolute favorite moments in Beyond Cloudfall is when MC says, "You're a young dragon, aren't you?" It humanizes Sylus in this really profound way, reminding us that he's still figuring certain things out as he goes.

Given that he's a creature very in-touch with his instincts and desires, you're not going to get a typical virginal trope. He's certainly not naive to the mechanics--and you can certainly imagine he'd be aware of all kinds of sexual desires thanks to his draconic powers.

But, MC is still the one to introduce him to the concept of a forehead kiss. We see him be bold and flirtatious in Bloodnight Blaze, confirming that he's well in-touch with those desires, but he seems to value the tender moments equally, if not moreso.

There is this sense in his character of wanting to explore things with MC, of wanting to learn with her, to grow together. There's an openness and receptivity to his character in that way. Unlike Zayne, he may not have all that many specific ideas of what he wants to do to/with MC--he wants to experience that intimacy with her having equal agency and initiative.

He wants to be wanted

I posted recently about the close-up shot of Sylus's eye in Night of Secrecy, where we're shown very clearly that he's not using his power to manipulate desire.

Given that Sylus has always been percieved as a dangerous, violent creature by everyone except a select few, to be seen in a tender way is unfamiliar and vulnerable.

He wants to experience her desire in its raw, un-tampered-with state. He wants to know what she truly wants, and does not want to create a scenario where he's in some way manipulating or coercing her desire, whether using his eye or otherwise. Her genuine desire is more precious and appealing to him than mere sex.

As much as I am begggingggg for more Sylus make-out cards, I think moments like we see in Magnum Opus are far more precious to him.

A very strong piece of supporting evidence here is what he says in Approaching Dusk when MC asks how she can get him to willingly stay in her trap. He tells her that she should ask him for things, show her vulnerable side, and make him feel as though she relies on him. That is much more seductive to Sylus than physical pleasure.

What consent means to Sylus

I think the idea of getting consent can be construed in a "cover your ass" way, as in, "well, you have to do this or you're doing something wrong" so it's a "good guy" thing to do.

But, one of the things to be found within responsible kink is a much more profound appreciation for consent. To pull on the themes above, consent isn't just a box to check; it communicates genuine, vulnerable desire. It also affirms that the power exchange is wanted on both sides.

When Sylus asks for consent, he's saying, "You have power in this scenario. Are you willing to give it to me?"

It's the very fact that she can and would say 'no' that makes her 'yes' so very intoxicating and appealing to him. Even in Long Awaited Revelry, he's giving her options. It's her own greed/desire that makes her agree to his terms--not her lack of alternatives. She doesn't actually have to get the Aether Core, but she wants it enough to take risks.

Night of Secrecy

Let's dig deeper into some key dialogue in Night of Secrecy:

MC: “I told you that a hunter doesn’t like being passive.”  Sylus: “Oh… so you want control… Unfortunately… I can’t give it to you. Not yet, at least.” His warm hands scorch my skin and slide up my back unhindered, settling firmly on my waist. When gripping a gun, they’re cold and unyielding, but when they touch me, they become tender and warm. And now they’re a weapon of their own, teasing and tormenting me. Sylus: “…Don’t run.” MC: “You’re… so annoying…” SYlus: “I won’t deny it. I guess you can say I lied. Tonight, you’re not the only one feeling greedy… And I won’t be leaving until this greed is completely satisfied. Ah, I misspoke. Greed can never be satisfied… But you can temporarily soothe it.” He takes my hand and places it against his chest. His voice is slow and earnest as he asks the question once more… Sylus: “Say it again. Kitten, do you want it?”  My eyes linger on his, and our heart rates sync up.  I lean down over him, running my fingers through his sweat-damp hair.  MC: “This is my answer.”

In "And now they’re a weapon of their own, teasing and tormenting me," we see more of this indulgence in power play and power exchange. You can easily imagine Sylus challenging himself to see how slowly he can go, to focus more on MC. Him saying "Don't run" can be interpreted as MC trying to get out of his grip--not to escape him, but to accelerate the intimacy, to escape the "teasing and tormenting".

Sylus's "greed" includes taking things slowly. It includes build-up and power-play. It includes spurring on MC's own desires.

We get this really lovely back-to-back of "I won’t be leaving until this greed is completely satisfied" to “Say it again. Kitten, do you want it?” 

He is greedy... for her genuine consent. He wants her to want it.

I think "I won’t be leaving until this greed is completely satisfied" is best understood as Sylus being clear to MC that he wants her too. Neither this, nor “I’m hoping ‘yes’ is still your answer because… I just can’t hold back anymore” can be construed as him pushing boundaries because MC has already explicitly invited him into that territory. I interpret the hand that she puts up to stop him as her wanting to be "on top", not as her wanting to stop or slow down, and Sylus's remarks as specifically, verbally affirming his desire for her.

Even him saying "Greed can never be satisfied…" indicates that his everyday baseline is wanting her in this way, and he's very comfortable with those desires and how to keep them in check.

Desire without entitlement

At no point does Sylus ever behave as if he's entitled to MC's affection, physical or otherwise. He always desires her, but does not have specific expectations of her. He's always asking, "so what will you do?" The fact that he doesn't know the answer is what makes the question so compelling to him.

If he wanted sex, he could get it--he's powerful enough and persuasive enough. Which makes that conquest irrelevant and boring to him. What is far, far more interesting is co-discovering MC's true desires with her, just like they did in Beyond Cloudfall.

Repression and regulation

In the way that Zayne's character represents repressed desire, Sylus's character represents regulated desire.

His desires are accepted and known, not rejected and bottled up. Thus, he's able to approach regulation in a playful way, appreciating the challenge that it provides and finding ways to express his affection and sate his desires that don't put pressure on MC.

It is because he is comfortable with his sexuality that it's able to be secondary to his primary desires with MC.

In conclusion

So, as much as I want more kiss cards for them, the writers are cooking. There's a specific point they want to make, and I think they're making it beautifully. I am constantly delighted by the complexity and nuance that the writers bring to Sylus's character.

I'm hopeful that as we see Sylus's and MC's relationship deepen, we'll see MC gain more confidence to initiate, which will then translate to more on-page and on-screen intimate moments.

And until then... there's always fanfic. 😅

[deepspacenova]

something that is both heartwarming and heartbreaking about Caleb is the way he consistently continues to fight his fate, despite every sign he encounters pointing toward its inevitability:

it's in the way he defies the Toring Chip, and the meaning of 7%

When Caleb falls apart on the bench with MC and the chip resets in Farspace Bloomfall, 100% of his mind is supposed to reset.... and yet only 93% of the chip is integrated and able to do so.

We know Caleb is aware of this too, when he tells MC to tell him about her problems “while I can still respond.” Because he knows he'll inevitably lose some information once it happens, like the 'patrol data' Enforcer mentions.

This means it’s happened before, Caleb's mind had been reset before. Which means, he knows if the chip’s integrity ever gets to 100% and resets, anything he feels toward MC will also reset. And so..

“…he’s purposefully ‘sealed’ his brain rather than damaging it.”

So Caleb gathered up every emotion, every memory, and every impression of MC in his mind, wrapped it all together into one small piece, and has since, against all odds, continuously used his Evol to put a barrier around it, to protect it. To keep the chip from finding it and wiping it. And what is that piece? That 7%?

7% is MC. 7% is his memories of MC. 7% is his love for MC.

it's in the way he's turned himself from "perfect weapon to destroy each other" to "perfect weapon to destroy others"

I could be wrong (please correct me), but I'm pretty sure it's murky right now whether Caleb (subject 002?) knew MC during any of her 'incarnations' in the lab and/or their purposes to be a killswitch for each other. But if he does know or remember any of it, the protection of that 7% from the Toring Chip becomes even more vital and strategic as all hell.

Because that would mean Caleb orchestrated a situation where he's become the lab subject, a decoy in MC's place as they try and correct the chip within him.

And that would mean that Caleb planned for them to "sacrifice a great deal to obtain him," — apparently, so much that they're unwilling/unable to simply dispose of him when he's resisting the very thing that would seal his fate as "the key", as MC's killswitch.

and it's in the literal beat of his heart

when you lay your hand over caleb's heart to hear his heartbeat, no matter how fast that beat starts out, if you hold your hand there long enough, his heartbeat inevitably tapers into a calm 50-60.

Despite all he's doing to preserve that 7%, he can't fight the nature of the other 93%. The nature of the chip and it's purpose to keep him in an emotional stasis.

His excitement to see you, his happiness to have you there, the fluttering of his heart? Those are abnormalities to the chip, those aren't in line with what that stasis is supposed to be. And so... no matter how quickly his heart beats for you initially, it inevitably gets suppressed.

We see how it affects other members of the Fleet too. How all of them have accepted the inevitability of the chip. Tuum Officer No. 6025 and Liam in particular shows us exactly what it looks like to give in.

And yet, every time you come back, Caleb's still excited, Caleb still fights it. He's fighting it with only 7% of his memory, he's fighting it with every quickened beat of his heart.

If the chip is a tether, if his fate is a tether, Caleb will never stop sawing at the strings, and i am not okay about it.

blame for any and all crash outs can be directed to @solifloris and @starmocha, who have managed to make my "down bad" for caleb turn into "sick to my stomach with eternal devotion"

[eeriepromis]

The Meaning Behind Their Names

Alright cuties, let’s talk about something CRUCIAL - the Love Interests’ names and how they are lowkey (highkey) hiding their lore in plain sight. Like, did you know? Their Chinese names aren’t just cool and mysterious - they’re basically spoilers with extra steps. Some of these names hit deeper than my sleep deprivation, and some of them make me wanna go “oh wow, that’s a bit tragic - anyways.” So, I did what any normal (unhinged) person would do: I broke them all down so you don’t have to. Are their English names doing them justice? Did the localization teams try to match their vibe, or did they just throw a dart at a list of cool names? 👀 Which LI’s name surprised you the most? Also, if we get a sixth LI in the future, what kind of name would you want them to have?

(His name is all about stars, fate, and returning cycles - which makes sense, because he straight-up created a time loop by traveling to the past, left his wife in the future, and is now romancing her past self like that’s not an emotional minefield. Sir, please just process your emotions normally.)

(Name literally translates to "grand and brilliant," but let’s be real - it’s just fancy talk for “Will burn your house down, but make it artistic.”)

(His name is all about dawn vs. darkness, deep vs. intense - so basically, he's in a constant internal battle between being cold and broody or the world's softest baby daddy. Sir, please just process your emotions normally - part 2.)

(He’s literally named after an ancient dynasty, which tracks, because he walks into every room like he owns it and has the energy of a man who casually sits on thrones for fun. He woke up and chose authority.)

(His name literally means “summer daylight” and radiates warmth … which is hilarious considering EVER basically turned him into a trauma-ridden Windows reboot with a robot arm. ✨ Delete System32 ✨)

⸻

Note: Header Image generated with AI.

[love-and-deepdives]

On Zayne Being "Mature" (AKA why Brat Zayne is my favorite Zayne)

I have heard some players say that they don't gravitate to Zayne because he's too serious. There have been allegations that he comes off as cold and that he is the "boring" choice. More generously, I have heard Zayne described as a brat tamer. However, I submit to you that Zayne is actually also the brat. And that it's a good thing.

[Usual disclaimer that this is JUST MY OPINION. Other interpretations of Zayne are equally valid, but this is the internet and I get to yell things just like everyone else. Also, yes, this is armchair psychology. I'm not a real psychologist, Zayne is not real, and this is just for fun. I'm not going back to grad school and you can't make me. Mild-to-moderate spoilers for various Zayne memories ahead.]

Part 1) Zayne is a brat (or at least more childish than he wants us to think) and I have receipts

As a Zayne main, I want to put down this idea that he is too serious. He can be serious, I won't deny that, but more attention could be paid to the fact he is often doing the most to be unserious and at best has only deluded himself into thinking otherwise.

Exhibit A, Your Honor: In Nostalgic Sweetness, Zayne physically shoves MC's hand away when she tries to show him a dentist report that says he shouldn't eat sugar for a while. Not even indefinitely. Just A WHILE. And then, when she's teasing him with macarons later (which, to be fair, was uncalled for) and tells him that he's acting like a three year old, his big comeback is "at least I'm more mature than you." A man in his late 20s basically just said "NO U." Let that sink in. This is our big serious man.

Exhibit B: In Heartfelt Encounter, when MC is feeling down, he plays hopscotch with her. In fact, he initiates it. IN PUBLIC. This man for whom (at first) it seems like even hand-holding out in the open would be too lewd a display. And this is after admitting he never played hopscotch as a kid, he only saw others play it. (Which: OW. MY HEART. 🥺)

Exhibit C: His text messages where MC teases him about having always been mature even as a kid, like that isn't a cause for concern, or at least worth examining a bit further.

Honestly, there are probably so many examples that I forgot/don't know about yet/would make this post excruciatingly long. This man's having dreams about space exploration with penguins (which sounds like the plot of a gosh dang children's picture book) and trying to drink hot cocoa instead of medicine when he's sick even though he is literally a doctor. And then he'll turn around and act like MC wanting to watch the snow outside at night is something "only a child would do."

And, I cannot stress this enough, I LOVE HIM FOR THIS.

Part 2) Zayne is a brat because he was at least partly parentified/wasn't able to just be a kid

There are so many instances where Zayne tries to parent MC: telling her it's too cold to sleep on the sofa, making sure she's drinking enough water, chiding her about how her dangerous behavior is going to send her to the hospital, etc. He's good at it too. (Side note: this is because while Sylus is Daddy, Zayne is Father, and no, I will not elaborate.) Now personally, in real life, I would not allow someone to treat me like a child or say "you're acting like a child" to my face, even if it that is the case. But when Zayne says it, instead of condescension, it gives off a feeling of care and appreciation that I adore. (Most of the time.)

The reason Zayne is capable of pulling this off and why he emotionally complements MC so well is that he's just as "childish" as she is, only he was never permitted, either by choice or by circumstance, to show it. I don't know much about his parents, but Zayne gives me the vibe of someone who had to grow up too fast. I wouldn't be surprised if his parents were also doctors. His whole demeanor smacks of growing up in a household with loving but busy parents, forced to learn to be an adult through observation (watching his parents care for others) and through taking care of himself. Early in his adult relationship with MC, Zayne's way of expressing affection seems restricted to this parent-like mode, showing concern for someone's well-being and/or acting to help them, even though there's a part of him that's obviously longing for other ways to feel connected. In Engraved Affection, Zayne says MC should leave him while he's sick but then it clearly upsets him when she pretends to do it. He doesn't know how to ask for care because he's always been the one giving it. Later in their relationship, we see him start to connect in other ways, like spending time together in Doomsday or being more physically affectionate in Everlasting Wish.

And then there's his evol. There's a lot that's been said about Zayne's obsession with self-control because of his evol that I won't dig into here, but I recommend Cyberspace Maz's video on the relationship between control and intimacy in Zayne's psychology if you're interested.

I don't know if the time Zayne hurt MC was the first time he lost control of his evol or not, but regardless of when it happened, it must have been horrifying. (I'm inclined to believe the first time did happen with her, otherwise he might not have allowed himself to get attached in the first place.) It's possible that the lesson he learned then was not to get too close to anyone for fear for accidentally losing control (something that happens to kids all the time) and hurting them, and this further isolated him and restricted him from those childhood experiences that are necessary parts of growing up. Search Google Scholar for "benefits of play" and you will be bombarded by evidence of how important it is for healthy child development, especially socially and emotionally.

Because of all this, there's a part of Zayne that is just a tall child, holding a scalpel, having a conversation only he understands.

Part 3) It WORKS that Zayne is a brat because it's the perfect balance to that more serious side of him, gives him depth, and makes him a great complement to MC

I made a post about how Sylus's Beyond Cloudfall myth is really key to his character, and I feel much the same way about Zayne's "brattiness." Much like Sylus, this more tender side of Zayne has always been there, and MC is not the cause of it, she just gives him the space to be open with it. His bond story when he first appears in MC's life again outside the hospital, A Frozen Promise, illustrates this perfectly. The writers set you up to see what a softie Zayne is with the snow cat that he made for himself to enjoy. He is alone at that table until MC shows up, and then he immediately tries to hide the cute toy cat because that isn't who he thinks he's allowed to be. I knew he was going to be my main right then because THAT MOMENT when he disappears the cat after smiling at it MADE ME WANT TO CUDDLE HIM FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE (AND MINE). At a restaurant? Cuddle him. Wanderers appear? Cuddle him. He's performing surgery? Cuddle him. (This is why I would be a terrible MC, I suffer from a chronic case of zero chill.)

I'm still new, so I hope there's a card out there that addresses this aspect of Zayne's character more closely because it's one of my favorite things about him. Despite the number of Caleb posts I've done (and intend to do), Zayne is still my main and a dream partner. I absolutely love his dynamic with MC. Not only the fact that he encourages her more childlike behaviors (either by pretending to criticize her, which we all know will only make our girl double down, or just openly showing how much he likes it), but the way he takes care of her because he loves doing it, not because he thinks she always needs it. You see this immediately when there's real danger happening, like in Fragrant Possession or parts of Death and Rebirth. Zayne goes from pseudo-parent to partner so fast, trusting MC without reservation to do the job he knows she's good at, backing her up with medical support and only stepping in when necessary. And even then, he fights alongside her, something he would not do if he truly thought she was immature. He does not want to tame his brat. He likes her that way, in part because she reminds him of himself.

TL;DR: Look beyond the the brat tamer in Zayne and you will see the brat, and they both deserve ALL THE LOVE. Zayne was never boring or cold, only traumatized, possibly parentified, and naturally reserved. And his diabolical sweet tooth and outright fussiness are cute as fuck, I don't even care.

JUST LOOK AT HIM. STABLE KING. UNSTABLE BRAT. PERFECT MAN. 🥰🥰🥰

[hellinistical]

a review and analysis of the anecdotes needed for the new chapters, as well as being sprinkled with my own theories.

this will be a LONG post and will have MAJOR spoilers for ZAYNE AND SYLUS.

Covering Sylus's "Land of Lost" and Zayne's "Never-Ending Winter", and then for those that didn't read Zayne's "Thorns Under the Moon" in the Prologue to Tomorrow portion of the story.

Additionally, this would be a great thing to read if you dont wanna do the routes or whatever or if you're confused! I tried to break it down supppper deeply and organized it as best as i could. the formatting MAY be off but theres nothing I can do about that cause i literally just yoinked it from my google doc and its the same shit on the power point im doing LMFAO anyways. i also think this is good for people who struggle to write for them!

And finally, a review and analysis of the Timelock Key and the new four chapters will be out later. thanks for reading!

if you'd like to be tagged for the break down of that or future analysis, just comment ! if youd like to see more stuff of this, there's some character thoughts in my masterlist.

ANECDOTE COVERAGE: (scroll down for the route coverage)

Sylus, Land of Lost

0.1- High Alert

Myth v.s. Man, and distinguishing the two.

Sylus is introduced through reputation first, with a wanted poster, a myth, the most notorious criminal in Philos’s history. There is already a legend made about him that precedes who he is as a person. 

“He was lucky” with his entrance just flips the myth backwards- no longer is it a metaphor, but it is real. Composed, sardonic, and in control. Sylus’s escape from the space-time prison may have altered or corrupted him. The mist could be a byproduct of that breach—something he brought back that now answers to him. (or has smth to do with his evol since we know that theres already a mist type thing when he uses it sometimes like in his entry in the main story) 

The mist could be an ancient, banned technology, linked to the space-time prison’s interior environment. Sylus may have fused with it during his escape—he could be its host or conduit. It feels like it is smart. 

There is a huge sense of moral ambiguity with this man. He isn't painted as a clear-cut villain or hero. He uses violence and manipulation (puppeteering with mist), but his actions seem directed toward a larger purpose—likely resistance or rebellion against the Overlord. That line “the Overlord’s luck has run out” implies Sylus is an agent of change or revenge, not chaos for its own sake. He’s driven by his own ideological preferences. And unlike Xavier, with them being like, parallels and directly combating each other, he is supposed to be an answer for tyranny.

    Tone/Atmosphere

The story opens in a tight, claustrophobic, almost “noir-like” tone, where suspicion and tension hang thick even before Sylus appears- which makes sense due to the man being kind of perceived as a story to get kids to listen. The presence of seven checkpoints and grumbling deputies builds the sense that something oppressive looms—not just outside, but within the hierarchy of the world. (which we will continue to see throughout the anecdotes and even in the main story). “They scoured the galaxy for rare treasures—gifts for the Overlord's birthday.” This line is bureaucratic and akin to a ceremonial event, but keeping in line with it being dystopian, the wording having it be seemingly grandeur (what with the hunt), but it’s got that pettiness with the fatigue and suspicion. It’s basically bringing about a juxtaposition.

         Dialogue/Subtext

The exchanges between the Deputy and Captain establish three things at once: 

1. Philos, Feathers Star, the Overlord, the space-time prison.

2. The Deputy is brash, the Captain more informed—suggesting tension between age, rank, and experience. 3. Perception of Sylus: He's introduced as a legend, almost too big to be real. Which I’ve already said but yeah organization wooo

“That name rings a bell…”

“Most wanted criminal in Philos’s history…”

This exchange uses casual disbelief as a tool to lull the reader into a false sense of security before Sylus arrives. His later entrance undermines that skepticism with force.

   World Breakdown

Regarding Feathers Star is treated like a capital node—likely a core planet in the Overlord's dominion. The description of the black diamond-shaped planet could be both literal and symbolic: a rare, harsh, precious place shaped by immense pressure. The overlord, of course, is seen as some kinda central figure in authority- not divine, just a ceremonial thing like a king. HOWEVER, the gifts do add some quasi-religious under tones. A cult. 

The Overlord may not be a single person, but a figurehead position, used to stabilize control across multiple sectors. Alternatively, the Overlord is a god-king who may be immortal or technologically sustained. (Astra gonna get their ass whooped ong)

   Cultural/Political Notes

Deputy- younger arrogance. The captain- institutional loyalty. Sylus might once have been a figure of authority himself—perhaps part of the regime—before becoming its greatest enemy. The empire turned him into a myth to discredit him while simultaneously fearing him.

   Feathers star

Black diamonds- compressed carbon (basically a nod to Sylus’s unbreakable control), but the name is a contradiction as it has a stark contrast to it. Another note of a false utopia of some sort.

 Back to the Mist

Ik I’m circling gimme a break. it seems emotionally responsive. Its grip tightens as the Captain speaks; it performs violence without Sylus moving. It could be a manifestation of Sylus’s will, semi-autonomous being, or linked to his nervous system/mind.

0.2-Absolute Suppression

Narrative Dissection

The opening imagery is something to take note of, I think: “The impact caused great fire, illuminating the night sky above Feathers Star’s capital.”  The anecdote begins with cataclysm—a violent rupture of normalcy. It is literal (explosions, war) and metaphorical (the collapse of dominion, security, and identity).Feathers Star’s capital, once presumably  secure, is lit up in unnatural illumination—a foreshadowing of Sylus’s reality-warping presence. The line recalls Biblical imagery: fire from the heavens, divine punishment, or a celestial revelation- him coming is a sign of the apocalypse(?).

The setting of the bunker is critical in that it is a contrast to Sylus; treasure and armouries show materialism and militarism, showing the hoarding nature of the overlord and his force (which is funny cause Sylus is now like that-) and Sylus bypasses with his own will and the symbolic dominance. The bunker is also a false sanctuary. Its doors were made to withstand “any assault”—yet Sylus’s mist enters without resistance, breaking natural and technological law. The contrast suggests that the Overlord has prepared for every kind of power except the kind Sylus brings: psychological inevitability.

The Throne

“Sylus sits on the Diamond Throne, crafted by the Overlord himself.”  This is the heart of the scene, and arguably the anecdote. The Diamond Throne, a symbol of conquest and dominion, now becomes a seat of humiliation for its original maker. Sylus doesn’t fight for it—he sits. It’s the natural progression of his presence. The throne, being made by the Overlord, becomes his ultimate defeat—he built his own demise. This reads as mythic irony—the kind of punishment given to gods in Greek tragedy. His pride, his conquests, have led him here.

Power Structures/Philosophies

The Overlord

Represents rule through fear, violence, control. He conquered Diamond Star and turned it into a "cesspool of vice"—his strategy is corruption and enslavement.

His attitude during Sylus’s arrival shifts from bargaining to desperation. He uses humor (“You got the muscle, I got the goods”) as a shield, but it's transparent.

His final surrender (“Yes.”) is not a rational agreement, but a psychological collapse—possibly influenced by mist or Sylus's gaze. 

Sylus

Sylus is not a looter, and not a tyrant. His words make this clear: “Unfortunately, none of the loot here will satiate my appetite.”

His objective is not wealth, nor vengeance in the usual sense. He’s after the soul of power itself—planetary control, cosmic realignment. Sylus embodies Absolute Suppression, but not through overwhelming force. He doesn’t destroy the Overlord; he converts him. He renders him obedient, slack-jawed, erased. The eye glow suggests a hypnotic or godlike power—possibly symbolic of omniscience or deep manipulation. This is not magic in the fantasy sense, but presence as pressure. ASIDE from it being an aether core i mean.

   Thematic Significance

The mirror question- “Recognizing these gems so easily…Aren’t you just like me?” is a plea from the overlord to reclaim parity- asking Sylus to acknowledge SHARED identity. However, Sylus rejects this through inaction. Doesn’t even dignify it. Basically, this could be seen as “False Equivalence” in that the overlord thinks that plundering and ruling are the highest expressions of power. Sylus sees that as small. They’re insignificant in the presence of something higher—not through strength, but by scale of thought.

Stylistic/Symbolic Mechanics

Repetition of irony and role inversion: 

The Overlord locks himself away for safety but dies (spiritually) there. His own identity (biometric data) is the key Sylus uses to enter. He rules through chaos, only to be undone by something quieter than chaos: stillness, presence, inevitability.

Red Carpet imagery:

“It’s as if a red carpet is being rolled out for an unexpected guest.”  The “guest” doesn’t act like one because he’s already the master. This line reinforces the reversal of the collapse of ceremony to horror in that the throne room becomes the execution chamber (and yet no weapon was actually drawn).

The Broader Narrative Implications

This Is a Pattern: The Overlord is likely not the first. Sylus seems to move from system to system, leaving behind ruined rulers, empty palaces, and rewritten identities. 

He May Be a Cosmic Reset: This isn’t about revenge—it’s entropy given form. The beginning of an unraveling. He wants planets, not for conquest, but perhaps for cleansing. (ala a safe place for him and mc and anyways he was looking for mc regardless at some point)

0.3- Mysterious Visitor

Power as performance- theater of control

This scene is drenched in spectacle—the ruined fortress being rebuilt, the choreographed arrival of gifts, the banquet, the sudden darkness, the birthday cake. Yet at its core, it is a meticulously staged humiliation. Sylus isn't just overpowering the Overlord militarily—he’s directing a psychological play where power is theatrical. The use of props like candles, chess pieces, and cake frosting laced with blood shifts control from brute force to emotional warfare.

This birthday is not a celebration. It’s an execution masked as ceremony, and Sylus is the puppeteer. His control over setting, pace, and tone renders everyone else impotent—especially the High Lords, who are stripped of their status by their powerlessness in the mist.

Chess being a metaphor for mind games

The repeated chess motif is important—Sylus doesn't just want military dominance; he wants intellectual supremacy. Every move on the board mirrors a manipulation in real life. Sylus letting the Overlord "win clarity" only during chess is a cruel gift—it shows he's fully aware of the Overlord’s mental fog and exploits it for his own amusement.

The demand to “round up to 100 spaceships” is more than greed—it’s numerical obsession, a perfect number that signifies control, closure, and perhaps a past offense. It subtly implies that Sylus is correcting an old imbalance with math (I think. Could be waffling).

Mind Control/Gaslighting (slayyy)

The Overlord is “stuck on his throne by the mist”—likely literal and metaphorical. He is lucid only during Sylus' chosen moments. This implies that Sylus has control over his consciousness, choosing when to grant and revoke awareness. The overlord is reduced to a puppet with flickers of sentience, which makes his pain all the more cruel—he remembers enough to beg. When he says “Please, spare me... I’ll give you anything…” it’s not desperation for mercy. It’s total surrender, the moment when power crumbles into pathetic bartering. The frosting—sweet on the outside, violent on the inside—perfectly captures the tone of this entire anecdote. 

Sylus’s line, “Beasts don’t belong in cages”, is loaded. It indicates Sylus sees something morally corrupt in the Overlord’s methods—using violence for entertainment, caging living beings. This line alone humanizes Sylus, albeit slightly, hinting that while he, too, is violent, he sees himself as principled.

Mockery

The use of a candle—not just for light, but to blow up the armory—is poetic. It’s a literal spark of destruction masked as birthday celebration. Lighting it on the cake equates the entire banquet to a funeral pyre. When Sylus says “If this is our final celebration, we should make it unforgettable,” he knows he's orchestrating a legacy-killing moment. By forcing the Overlord to taste blood-sweet frosting, Sylus makes him consume his own humiliation. The knife isn’t plunged into the Overlord’s heart—it’s gently brought to his lips. That kind of violence is surgical, chilling, and psychological.

0.4-  Out of Reach

Thematic depth

“Out of Reach” subtly but powerfully explores the theme of disillusionment and idealism fading under pressure. Myer still holds onto the fantasy of justice even as the older generation has learned to accept reality’s limits. The boss's line: “Kid, it’s good to dream,” is particularly poignant.

Bigger Boom Boom

The gift ship reveal ties beautifully to the previous chapter: Dozens of ships, compared to "years past," implies this year is different (duh). Myer’s horror at the pillaging reinforces the moral cost of the Overlord's birthday tribute—another way the Overlord is letting Sylus use him as a pawn.

  0.5-Judgement of Fate

World Building and its revelations

Space‑Time Prison Brooch: The blood‑soaked brooch links Sylus’s escape from Philos to this massacre, implying a continuity of cosmic artifacts and a deepening conspiracy.

Basically, its supposed to act as a crescendo of destruction. Sylus’s waning power, mythical artifacts, and the dreams of mortal pursuers. It elegantly bridges the supernatural scale of Sylus with the human stakes embodied by Myer.

Zayne, Never-Ending Winter

0.1- Never-Ending Winter

Two World Ya Feel meeeee yessir

Zayne’s duality is central: he’s both a healer and a destroyer. His dream—a battlefield soaked in blood and silence—contrasts sharply with his waking role as a brilliant surgeon. His past is haunted, hinted by the imagery of him stepping over bodies and using dark crystals to kill. That supernatural or metaphorical moment isn’t just a dream—it’s a manifestation of guilt, perhaps from past trauma, war experience, or even literal supernatural powers in a sci-fi or fantasy setting. "These hands have mended heart valves and saved hearts. Yet for the past ten years, these same hands have ended countless lives in an endlessly repeating dream." It positions Zayne as someone who cannot separate who he was from who he is—even if society can.

Hypercompetence vs. Humanity

Zayne is shown to be immensely capable: he performs emergency open-chest CPR under chaotic conditions, something rarely successful in real life. But this scene isn’t just to prove his skills—it humanizes him. As sweat forms despite the cold, as his voice remains calm while everyone else panics, you can feel the burden of his excellence. His competence isolates him, but it also defines him.

Traumaaaa

Zayne cleaning bloodless hands with a disinfectant wipe shows that trauma lingers in muscle memory.  He’s mentally living in both timelines—in the snow-covered battlefield of his past and the sterile, clinical present. (Like that thing that dawnbreaker dreams of everything our zayne does with mc and has no mc of his own but i suspect that dawnbreaker is the true zayne ANYWAYS-)

Thematic Significance!

The line between dream and memory is intentionally blurred. The boy in the snow may be real or symbolic—representing Zayne’s own innocence that was silenced, or a literal act from his past. That’s the horror: he doesn’t wake up screaming. He wakes up cleaning blood that isn’t there.

Redemption Through Service

Though tormented by his past, Zayne chooses medicine, rescue, and action. His decision to risk a high-failure surgery shows not just skill but a desperate need to save. It’s not just duty—it’s penance. (But meena, why would he be punishing himself? BECAUSE HE’S ASTRA YOU FOOLS- gets dragged away)

Body as the story 

The repeated attention to hands, heartbeats, surgical motion, and even notebooks held close to the chest—all evoke how the body holds truth. There is no need for exposition when the reader can feel Zayne's internal struggle through how he moves and breathes. Infold makes it a point to mention his scars moreso than that of people like Rafayel. His scars are evident especially when he rolls his sleeves up.

Symbolism/Setting

The silence in the dream and the snowy landscape of Mt. Eternal mirror one another. Both are cold, quiet, suffocating. It creates a symbolic atmosphere where death feels natural, quiet, even expected. Mt. Eternal isn't just a location—it's a metaphor for enduring guilt, danger, and immovable pasts. "As the flurry of snow slowly dissipates, the foreboding Mt. Eternal comes into view." It’s telling that Zayne is being dropped back into this exact kind of environment—not only physically but psychologically.

False Daytime

The final scene where flash bombs illuminate the mountain “as bright as day” is metaphorical brilliance. It’s a false brightness. It mocks the idea of clarity and peace—Zayne is still in darkness, even if the snow is lit up. (womp womp sucka)

To compare- the boy in the snow

“There is only a shivering little boy. Zayne stands before him, his shadow looming across the boy's blood-covered face.” This is an image of absolute power imbalance. But Zayne doesn’t act—he simply raises his hand. The interruption of the dream here is haunting. We’re not shown what happens next. That ambiguity feeds the reader’s curiosity but also reinforces Zayne’s internal turmoil: what did he do? (THAT MOTHERFUCKER IS HIDING SMTH)

Emotional Tensions

Internally, Zayne’s stoicism is a mask. Underneath is exhaustion, dread, and a deep yearning to rewrite something irreversible. Externally, The narrative never lets him rest. Every reprieve—like a cold glass of water or a moment of peace—is shattered by new emergencies, new deaths, new reminders.

Deathly Encounter

Mt. Eternal is a character in itself- STAY WITH ME

The environment—snow-covered Mt. Eternal, the field ward, the constant presence of death and blood reflects Zaynes mental state. "The freezing air in his lungs wakes him." This line isn’t just physical. The cold is what brings clarity. He feels alive only when surrounded by death.

 Emotional Arc

Zayne is a man collapsing inward. The external composure masks his internal unraveling. He’s too exhausted to dream, but even when he does, his dreams are haunted by death—and himself. He doesn’t remember when he last slept. He lies when he says he “just woke up” highlighting the disconnect from time and reality. Additionally, Zaynes dreams turn into visual allegories  of guilt and failure.

“The Grim Reaper in his dream mocks him for his folly, futility, incompetence.” This dream is a direct representation of his inner critic. It manifests as himself in a white coat, standing still—accepting death. It’s a split between his idealistic self who wants to save everyone, and the realistic self who knows he can’t.

Recurring themes/motifs

Mortality/Futility being the  central philosophical tension is: Is trying to save everyone noble, or naïve? Zayne carves a tally mark for every death, not to punish himself, but to remember. Each patient is not a number but a memory. This is his quiet rebellion against futility. (low key makes me think of the abyssal chaos story where they had people trapped in the computers) “Yet they still died.” “But he’s not planning to give up.” The tension between idealism and realism is the emotional centerpiece.

Role of Healer (Im a healer, but…)

Zayne was a battle medic in an active warzone.   He’s a figure of stability, but also desperation. William’s dialogue was a BIG thing: “Zayne, it’s normal to want to save your energy since you just started here.” Because it implies that he’s new to this scale of trauma (level unlocked!)

Symbolism

Dark Crystals: In the dream, Zayne’s hands form dark crystals. This is a potent symbol; it could imply corruption of purpose, symbolizes how his intentions are becoming brittle, and ties into the mysterious evol system mentioned earlier. 

The tally notebook is his tomb of remembrance, being a ritual to honor and in a way, an emotional ledger (#vent channel). Echoes Holocaust witness poetry, war memorials—personal documentation to make sure death doesn’t go unnoticed.

Determination

I cant lie dawg im getting tired anyways THEMES

Duty vs. Safety: Zayne’s conflict revolves around the tug-of-war between personal safety and public responsibility. He chooses self-sacrifice not out of recklessness but out of deep-seated obligation.

Mentorship/Legacy: His instructor represents both a parental and professional figure who wants to preserve life, not lose it to ideals. His plea isn’t just professional—it’s paternal.

Solidarity/Brotherhood: William’s final gesture is essential: it affirms that Zayne isn’t alone in his conviction. His acceptance into the special rescue unit isn’t just procedural—it’s spiritual, like a knight receiving his sword from a brother in arms.

Emotional resonance: "If he can't save everyone, then he'll go to the root of the problem and eliminate it."This is his core creed—heroism, not in glory, but in its raw, sacrificial form.

Zayne’s arc in this chapter follows the "Refusal of the Return" in the Hero's Journey model. He has crossed a threshold, faced conflict, and now is being offered a return to safety—but he refuses. Instead, he doubles down on his journey toward the unknown, because that is where his truth and usefulness lie.

Through Troubled Times

Mission Briefing/A will/

“Our mission is to find the center of the Protofield and eliminate it…” Idkw I added this it just seemed noteworthy. High-key lost my train of thought.

“I'll introduce you when we get back.” William’s question is poignant. Wills represent anticipated death, and his curiosity about Zayne’s "emotional anchor" peels at the shell around Zayne. Zayne deflects, classic repression. But William’s line “I’ll introduce you when we get back” adds human stakes. It’s a quiet but powerful emotional tether to the idea of life after this. “Didn’t expect ‘getting back’ to become an unobtainable luxury.”

Lil notes

He needs immense therapy.

A Long Way Home

More mission stuff

The team’s technical precision and logistical readiness (detailed callouts like "Metaflux barrier test initiated") contrast heavily with the chaos that follows. The structure dissolves into survival, loss, and raw willpower. This showcases the brutal unpredictability of war—even the most meticulous planning can be undone by uncontrollable variables.

Zaynes character development

Self-Sacrifice: He freezes his own legs to stay upright—a brutal metaphor for using your pain to maintain control.  His decision to face the Wanderers alone reflects both his guilt (stemming from his past) and his relentless need to redeem himself by saving others.

The moment of peace in the line “can we go back”  is heart-wrenching in its simplicity. It acknowledges survival—but also the emotional release Zayne experiences for the first time in the narrative. Sunlight here is not just weather—it's the return of hope, warmth, and clarity after the suffocating cold of war and grief. The “frozen apocalypse of dreams” not becoming reality ties directly back to Zayne’s trauma and internal war. It's a powerful resolution… until it isn’t.

Plot twist, with other notes

William and his lil contamination. The blue crystals appearing on William signal Protofield corruption—a slow death or transformation, possibly into a Wanderer. Zayne's inability to speak is telling. For a man so controlled and emotionally locked down, this moment breaks him. It’s the fear of failing again, of not being able to save the person he cares for most.

Protofield energy, like trauma, doesn’t kill instantly—it spreads, it infects, it lingers. William’s final scene reinforces that not all wounds bleed—some glow.

The title is deceptive (just like the size of my dick) 

Home for zayne is a state where guilt is no longer defining him, a place where people can stay safe, and where the past isnt actively poisoning the present.

The Nightmare Worsens

Immediate tragedy 

The core of this chapter is the horrific transformation and death of William, Zayne’s close friend and comrade. William becomes infected by black crystals—possibly remnants of the destroyed Protofield or something even older—that violently mutate and consume his body. The transformation is grotesque, agonizing, and irreversible.  The core of this chapter is the horrific transformation and death of William, Zayne’s close friend and comrade. William becomes infected by black crystals—possibly remnants of the destroyed Protofield or something even older—that violently mutate and consume his body. The transformation is grotesque, agonizing, and irreversible. 

There is NO noble death. It’s just decay.

Post-trauma (the time-skip)

Three years later, Zayne is a doctor, seemingly functional, even celebrated for his Evol-assisted surgical breakthroughs. But the trauma has calcified inside him. He’s buried William’s memory—literally in a drawer, along with his own accolades. However, it is VERY clear that the past isn’t done with him.

Thematic Significance and Analysis

Corruption of Hope- Evol saves lives, but cannot stop death, and sometimes makes the suffering more unbearable. William’s line, “Life… can be terrifyingly ugly,” hits this theme hard.

Heroism vs. Mercy:  Zayne's struggle represents the clash between heroic idealism (“I can save him”) and merciful pragmatism (“He’s already lost”). The tension breaks Zayne spiritually. The right choice is impossible. He doesn't kill William in cold blood—William dies by crystal-induced combustion—but that doesn’t absolve Zayne from the torment of not being able to grant mercy.

Memory being a burden: The theme of remembrance vs. repression comes through Zayne's drawer—an altar of sorts. He hides the awards like tombstones. And yet, he can’t move on. The story implies that the snow, the trauma, the ghosts—they never left him. The past isn’t past; it’s patient.

Fate Cycles and the Reaper: The closing lines paint a chilling picture: the Grim Reaper, once a metaphor for death and guilt, is now watching again. His eyes have reopened. Fate is cyclical, not linear. The crystals have returned, and so the nightmare isn’t over—it’s merely paused. This final image sets up a possible continuation, but even as a standalone, it says: There is no peace in survival—only the illusion of it. What happens to the hero who survives, not as a victor, but as the last one left?  The title “The Nightmare Worsens” is both literal and existential. Not only does the crystal infection physically escalate, but Zayne's internal nightmare—the weight of loss, guilt, helplessness—deepens and metastasizes. And then it goes back to the crystals, which only appear again. 

THORNS UNDER THE MOON/ ROUTE COVERAGE:

Zayne Being Dawnbreaker

Zayne being shaped to become Dawnbreaker is a burdened inheritance- it was GOING to happen regardless. It’s meant to represent sacrifice, redemption, and his universal purpose. It’s meant to display that this role is a cyclic pattern,  potentially reincarnated or fated through time, especially if tied to Astra. Mind you, his whole transformation isn’t all about getting some big ol strong power up- its a metaphorically power up that relies more on the philosophical reasonings, whatever they may be.

Beta Protocurve/Linkon

Beta protocurve is more than a new enemy mechanic—it links directly to space manipulation, and in speculative fiction terms, that usually leads to dimensional anomalies, temporal dissonance, or void incursions.

Wanderers being attracted = Ever sowing chaos intentionally, to create another Metaflux rupture or open rift.

Basically this is implying that he is acting as a mythical anchor and it is almost evangelion-like in that emotional trauma and myther converge together. 

Another Zayne arc

Ever’s plans to do their own empire using the aether-core enhanced wanderers, manipulating science, trauma, and fate. Their interest in MC is not casual—MC is central to their plan. (which we knew. duh)

Nodding back to when I said that zayne’s trauma is emotional and physical, it’s important to remember that with the reveal (that i am getting to) that his trauma is supposed to happen and is chronological. The nightmares are bleeding into prophecies. The guilt over William, the illusion MC, and the fear of Akso—this isn’t PTSD, it’s Foreseer-induced temporal insight. Remember: he does NOT want his fate, he accepts it out of necessity (cough he’s astra out of guilt and-)

Akso Hospital is used for premonitions

Akso isn't just a setpiece in Zayne’s dreams—it’s a future event he keeps reliving because he may be consciously or subconsciously temporally displaced. Foreseer’s voice suggests time isn't linear for him anymore. “When you and the world wake up,” implies a sealed-statis that could be him becoming a rift stabilizer- basically a living Dawnbreaker lock.

Zayne taking in the black ice → he absorbs chaos metastasis into himself.

He isn't killing the anomaly. He's hosting it, and that implies a toll—possibly one that alters him into Dawnbreaker or fractures his timeline permanently.

Doomed pairing

Zayne’s fear of losing MC and thinking he is a curse to her is what makes his arc tragic. He doesn’t fear death—he fears being the reason she suffers. When he says “Letting her in was a mistake,” he either means that letting her into his nightmare is dragging her into the pain or that letting her into his life like that means that their destinies are tied to HER destruction (NOT his).

However, this is a paradox: it's MC who grounds him. She keeps him sane, real, anchored. The cluster cracks when she is successful. Their soul resonance is literal and symbolic: she is his will to live.

Extrapolation

Zayne becomes Dawnbreaker not because of lineage—but because he takes the metaphysical weight onto himself. He might merge with Astra or be chosen by their essence. (or that ho IS astra).

Akso Hospital event becomes the catalyst where all timelines converge: MC, Ever’s scheme, Metaflux rupture, and Dawnbreaker's rebirth.

MC’s Healing Ability could be aether resonance-based, and her memory unlocking (via dream/future peeks) could mean she is also connected to Foreseer or even Astra in some unknown way. (NOT counting the myths, of course).

Zayne’s real curse isn't Dawnbreaker—it’s loving MC in a world where love leads to annihilation. Which. Imo that’s his own interpretation for the sake of romance but hey! Could be wrong. 

[xavistarlight]

I’ll be watching you.

Caleb had selfishly watched up closely for years, he knew it wasn’t right but your souls always drifted towards each other

He watched you learn to tie your shoes, he watched you as you put plays on for him in the living room eyes gleaming proudly, he’d watched you graduate.. he’d been there for it all. In every moment there was this little reminder to cherish it while he could because this was all he was gonna get, one day he’d watch you closely for the last time.

Caleb should've been outside having fun like the rest of the kids but he was watching you, making sure you could reach the monkey bars, making sure the tree branches you climbed were stable enough. He watched up closely for years right there where you needed him.

He’d made amends with the fact that he’d have to watch you from afar now because he saw the results of close proximity with you he’d saw you die over and over again your fate in his hands , he saw how your love together was his sweet venom, so so sweet but poisonous and distrutive all in the same right.

Was it weird that he had prepared himself to watch you walk down the aisle with someone that wasn't him. Because now instead of watching you up close he'd watch you from afar his love to dangerous to submit to you, so he'd watch.. he'd watch the love of his life fall in love with another.

For Caleb you were the sun, and when the sun came out the stars disappeared.. but If he got to close your shine would burn him cruelly

A sun that could never be touched only admired from down on earth while you gleamed in the sky.

Taglist 🏷️ : @calistaxoxo24 @mariojins @nezuswritingdesk @swaggyv1v1

@ashsillyrants @wintereve3 @deejse @lucidreamsea @monsochhichi @sxkura-blxssxm @princessofenkanomiya @yeompei @lady-wallace @weepingangel2222 @eolivy @inspiredfairy @wordsgodeep

[ixloom819]

Xavier: cute but dangerous

Zayne: daddy

Rafayel: cute yet dangerous

Sylus: daddy

Caleb: cute yet dangerous

6th LI: daddy?

[wisterianightmare]

Here’s a question American LADS fandom: does Caleb have a regional accent? Or is his intonation about roles?

Firstly, this isn’t a bid to learn anything personal about the VA. I have zero desire to find out the VA’s identity, and am not suggesting that we should be looking. We shouldn’t. We know why.

Disclaimer aside, I recently had a “Oneshot Day” (this is where I’m feeling low and marathon my favorite stand alone tv episodes across all of the shows I’ve come to love), and during which I watched S4E10 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: “Hush.” This episode features a character, Riley (played by Marc Blucas) and admittedly it’s been a few years since I’ve seen it. The moment Riley spoke though my brain immediately went, “Wait - why does he kinda sound like Caleb?”

So now I’m wondering all about Caleb’s speech patterns. Riley’s character is midwestern (and I am not - so I didn’t clock this myself), so is that what I’m hearing? Is his sometimes cheesy word choice and family-friendly redirection actually a bunch of regional colloquialisms? Or am I identifying two characters who are both a couple of years older than their respective LI’s and are attempting to maintain comfortable distance to seem safe and non-threatening? Both of these characters are trapped within their assigned roles - roles that have a level of romantic taboo associated with them - so I’m not sure this is a far stretch of the imagination.

Trying to think of solid examples as to why I’m confused:

Riley can come off as “corn-fed and a bit hokey:” both things other Buffy characters have referred to him as verbatim. He’s very conscious of his word choice and aims for mild terms (ex: “courting” instead of “dating” - which results in eye rolls from his friends). His phrasing is always as innocent and innocuous as possible. Calls himself a “Joe-regular” kind of guy. Rarely curses. Has “masculine diva” moments that mirrors Caleb’s snark perfectly. Loves to speak in a pout to supplement the puppy dog eyes. His voice is NOT the same as Caleb’s, but his intonation and phrasing are scary similar.

Caleb’s dialogue is painstakingly crafted to reflect someone deeply in love with MC, but unwilling to cross any lines that would redefine the relationship outside of what MC is comfortable and happy with (something Riley’s character is also conscious of as both Buffy’s TA and a secret military monster hunter often working against her). Caleb actually says this explicitly in one of the Tender Moments and references it vaguely in Exclusive Aftertaste. We see this in his word choice: he speaks more like an older male family member or friend of the family to reflect that role, and it’s definitely intentional. He doesn’t say: “what’s going on in that pretty head of yours,” he says “your little noggin’ ” - things like that. He maintains two primary tones of voice for MC: the teasing, reminiscing voice and the soft, reassuring voice. Riley maintains the exact. same. tones. when speaking to Buffy. They even share the same “I know you’re stubborn, but so am I” voice. Eerie.

Even when Caleb takes the opportunity to flirt with MC, a lot of that flirtation is based in the fact that she’s still safe with him. He goes out of his way to echo it. “Go, on, I’ll wait (for you to decide),” and “So if you need to call for Caleb, go ahead. Do it.” His voice drops with the flirtation, then raises again as he brushes past it and plays it off. And since it’s easy to pinpoint his motivations (similarly to Riley’s motives to skew toward professionalism - his role), I’m struggling to understand whether or not these features of their voices reflect those motivations… or if they’re simply regional nuances.

[csellely]

Death, Rebirth and Is Sylus an Origo Core?

Following the most recent main story update, Death & Rebirth, there have been speculations that Sylus is also an Origo core. The reasons?

Both Sylus and the MC have aether cores

Because of what Sylus said in Long-Awaited Revelry (“We are kindred spirits”)

Because of what he said in Magnum Opus about them being flowers that were meant to grow together in the same soil

Before I give you my take on this, let’s consider the question: What exactly is an Origo core?

In a nutshell: it is an infinite, self-sustaining energy source—think of it as a cosmic battery that powers the cycle of creation and destruction. 

This is important because once you understand the nature of the MC’s powers, you will understand why Sylus is probably not one.

Now, let’s address each argument:

Both Sylus and the MC have aether cores: True, but this doesn’t mean their aether cores are identical. To give you an analogy, lions and tigers belong to the same genus but that doesn’t mean they’re the same animal. Hers is located in her heart and crucially, we are told it is unstable. His, on the other hand, is stabilized in the eye.

Another, and perhaps the most important detail: the Origo core is tied to collapse and rebirth. That is why the MC is able to reincarnate. Repeatedly. Sylus’ aether core is powerful but it is tied to desire perception and possibly his draconic powers, not rebirth.

And here’s something that you might be unaware of if you’re not familiar with Chinese fantasy (xianxia/xuanhuan) tropes and world-building rules: dragons cannot reincarnate. They can live for tens of thousands of years but they do not reincarnate. Once they die, that’s it. They’re not coming back in another life.

In the dragon myth, Sylus’ soul was on the brink of annihilation (symbolized by his body turning into flower petals). The only way the MC could have saved his soul from disappearing was by cursing him (“Only I can grant you a true death”) and tethering his soul to hers. In other words, he is alive because of her curse, not because he can reincarnate.

That said, despite turning into a dragon at the end of the myth, the MC is still able to reincarnate. Why is that? Might it not have something to do with the fact that the Origo core was already dormant in her at the time?

2. “We are kindred spirits”: Frankly, this could mean any number of things. It doesn’t necessarily mean they’re identical down to the last atom.

3. The flower quote in Magnum Opus: My interpretation of this is that they made a pact to escape together in the Nebula Arena dimension, but something went wrong and they ended up being separated. I fail to see how this points to him being an Origo core as well.

I'm willing to entertain the possibility he might be one but for now, I remain skeptical because a) his powers are not tied to rebirth and b) he cannot reincarnate (unless the devs are playing fast and loose with xianxia cosmology but so far, that hasn't been the case.)

In sum, both Sylus and the MC may have aether cores, but their shared status makes them resonant, not identical. If anything, their dynamic can be summed up as such:

The MC is the core of the cosmos, but her soul is volatile and must be shielded to survive. Her aether core is reactive, emotional, unstable.

Sylus, with his eye-core, is the one who perceives and tracks desire — both in others and in her. His ether core is observational, fixed, and precise.

She is the star. He is the eye watching it across timelines.

They are not the same — but they are cosmically paired.

[heavenlylittleturtle]

Rafayel x Mc Headcanon/theory share!

(Note: the lore is a bit hazy for me, so these are just ideas, nothing too serious! Also spoilers for Abysswalker and main storylines, but lol just my understanding of them xD)

I like to think that in their past lives, Mc and Rafayel’s influence on each other carries into their next lives, and in particular, with skills they’ve taught one another 🎨+🤺

In the Abysswalker/Princess lifetime, Rafayel taught Princess Mc about fighting, assassination skills, etc.

What if Mc had taught Abysswalker Rafayel about art, and more so, to appreciate it?

In the Abysswalker lifetime, Rafayel does have a strong knack for the arts as a Lemurian, but doesn’t see the need to value it as an assassin, and maybe doesn’t have too much experience with the art materials they have on land.

In the castle, Mc finds making art as the best way to express herself, escape, and be her own person. When he visits, she shares with him art lessons she’s learned as a princess and how she’s made the lessons her own. Through spending time with her, he gains an appreciation for self expression and artistic beauty.

As he’s embracing the arts more, he also somehow learns about his ability to enchant paintings, which he could use to kill. Maybe he even puts it to the test, as he is, first and foremost in this life, an assassin. And for him this adds a creating/destroying, desires/duty duality to his feelings around art, around her, which maybe he keeps secret…

In the present lifetime, after they meet as kids at the beach and he waits for years, he’s started to regain his memories of past lifetimes (is that how he works? lol).

Maybe as a kid he found himself intuitively drawing something in the sand, or feeling drawn to painting, and now that he’s older and remembering his past lifetimes, it all makes sense.

He is tired of waiting, and maybe in his land-form he just finds himself drawn to the arts - again, it just makes sense. And he remembers the method of how to assasinate through artwork.

And once he finds Mc at college (lol) and becomes an art teacher, a part of him is like, surely she’ll be taking an art class.

And I do think in the present lifetime Mc still has an appreciation for art. But right now, it doesn’t make sense. She feels called to be a hunter, to protect, to not be helpless. And maybe learning hunter skills comes easier to her because in a past lifetime she had a good fighting instructor. 😏

And maybe this is in part why Rafayel is so trusting of her as his bodyguard. Maybe it’s even amusing or meaningful to him to have their roles almost reversed now. Maybe there’s a little sadness, wishing she could be in a less stressful and more expressive, fulfilling life, because he’s been there before. Maybe that’s in part why he likes to do artsy things with her, to distract, help her escape, or maybe to help her remember. His art lessons now maybe have bits of things she taught his Abysswalker self.

I also like to think in the present lifetime, from growing up and til now, Mc finds herself doodling in her notebooks - some doodles that feel familiar - that happen to be the same drawings Rafayel draws in the sand as a merkid.

I also headcanon that Rafayel feels drawn to a more classical painting style, while Mc is drawn to doodling/comic style!

—

So that’s basically it!

I’ve never felt this compelled to write something, or maybe do a comic, with subtle parallel memories and flashbacks, and something about it excites me and feels so poetic :,) romantic or not, I just think people influencing each other so much that it lasts across lifetimes is so sweet 😭

Love to hear what others think/if this has been thought about before! (Or if any of it was implied somewhere, or even proved unlikely by canon.. alas I don’t have all the cards 🥲)

Edit: also now not sure if them meeting as kids and her not returning was from our present timeline (I thought so because it was a field trip/she lost her memories after their meeting) -again a bit hazy!

[linkons-most-wanted]

"My dragon is gone" is such a sad fucking line 😢

it's freaking BRUTAL.

And I'm gonna be a bit of a nerd here because the writers actually told us exactly why they're writing all these tragedies!

Love and Depression is explicitly on purpose.

Mini essay time!

The World Underneath Fractal Library story is about the library that Zayne oversees in his different incarnations, but it's also about storytelling in the game itself. It's a really cool meta-story, so if you haven't read it, I highly recommend it! They basically end up saying that all stories, whether they're in books or video games or movies or whatever, are equally valid and important. ☺️

Here's the most important bit, from Chapter 3, which is called Question 3:

The administrator character notes that "Happy stories are the same, but unhappy stories each have their own kind of unhappiness" which is actually a reference to this quote:

“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." --Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina (GoodReads)

They go on to say:

Once a story finds its perfect ending, it stops, and no one looks back. Imperfections, however, remain unforgettable. They echo without a response until the end of time.

It's the tragedy that makes the stories so memorable. That makes them really stick with you. But what's so clever is that we don't just get tragedy--we get tragedy juxtaposed with a current timeline where things are maybe actually going to be happy this time! But we don't have closure yet. Things are still unfolding.

That's why it hooks you so good! It's sort of the same thing behind Romeo and Juliette being such a memorable story for so long. It's been retold a thousand different ways. Including, on some level, in the Love and Deepspace stories!

Anyway, that's enough needing out to distract me from my emotions. I know the new Raf myth is going to destroy me but I just gotta bite the bullet soon 😩

[orphicmusings]

i know its a goon event but who am i if i dont make everything deep

i only have sylus & zayne’s cards so far but i noticed for both of them (hopefully for all 5 too, if others can share about raf, xav & caleb’s cards) their activators are located in places that represent their vulnerabilities.

sylus’s is in his eye, the man who has been pointed and looked at, seen and percieved wrong through his lives, so much that at first he’s scared of us seeing him, of truly knowing him until mc eventually melts his icy exterior (it didn’t take that long, really) and he doesn’t mind being seen in a way that he can’t control anymore, by a new narrative instead of the one he’s been so used to.

zayne’s is between his thighs which yeah its funny but makes so much sense when you think about it. he’s so terrified of losing control, he has to have a tight grip on the reins all waking hours of the day. he cannot let himself go for anything, and that’s shown in absolute zeal when he expresses how mc is making everything fall apart and how “affected” he is by his desires toward her.

[eeriepromis]

POV: You're Hugging Your Favorite LI - Here's What He Smells Like

Have you ever wondered what it'd be like to hug your favorite Love Interest from LaDs and catch a hint of their unique scent? (No shame, we've all thought about it.) Well, I couldn't resist imagining exactly how Xavier, Zayne, Rafayel, Sylus, and Caleb might smell in real life. I matched each LI with a perfume that captures their personality, vibe, and overall aura - and let's just say, Caleb’s scent definitely involves apples.

But these are just my takes! I'd love to hear your thoughts too - did I nail their vibes, or do you picture them differently? Drop your own perfume ideas or scent headcanons in the comments! [Original Post on Reddit]

Xavier

Character & Scent Profile:

Gentle, soft-spoken, dreamy, and protective.

Hints of clean, comforting aromas, fresh linen, soft musk, and subtle floral notes that evoke nostalgia.

Light, airy, slightly sweet, and sophisticated.

By Commenters:- Vanilla- Ambroxan based enhancer, you’ll only smell his perfume if you go in and nuzzle him during a nap- Lavender & bergamot

Fitting Perfumes:

Maison Francis Kurkdjian – Aqua Universalis: Clean, subtle, airy; evokes the comforting feeling of freshly washed linens and gentle sunshine.

Byredo – Blanche: Pure, delicate, and soothing, with white rose, sandalwood, and a powdery finish - a perfect reflection of Xavier's softness and chivalry.

By Commenters: - Juliette’s Not - Replica Lazy Sunday Morning - Lake and Skye 11•11 - Clean Reserve Skin - Missing Person by Phlur - since his cards are unexpectedly very sensual, so I would like to highlight this cozy, yet sensual aspect of his personality - Taunt by Dedcool - Kinda musky and very evocative of being cozy in bed

Zayne

Character & Scent Profile:

Professional, composed, yet quietly affectionate. Reserved but with hidden warmth beneath his cold exterior.

Crisp, icy freshness mixed with warm undertones - like fresh snow, juniper berries, cedarwood, and subtle vanilla or amber notes.

By Commenters: - cinnamon- So ideal. So professional. I think he would wear something nondescript.- Subtle scent of soap or clean laundry. The subtlest musk, maybe. An Earl Gray tea scent also sounds appropriate.- Hand sanitizer or antiseptic. Bleach. With maybe a hint of fabric softener. He's a doctor, he's gonna smell like cleanliness.

Fitting Perfumes:

Creed – Silver Mountain Water: Clean, crisp, and icy with notes of bergamot, green tea, and blackcurrant; evokes mountain air and quiet strength.

Dior – Sauvage: Elegant, composed, and masculine, with notes of bergamot, vanilla, and cedar. Matches Zayne’s calm authority with a hint of hidden warmth.

By Commenters: - Diptyque’s Orphéon - It’s a comforting scent but can be most used during autumn or winters, since it’s has that level of spice and gourmand notes to it. It’s musky, sweet and it’s smexy, just like Zayne. - Quasar by Jesus del Pozo - Lait De Chocolat would suit him since it has chocolate notes and jasmine too. - Lush's Sticky Dates is as yummy as Zayne is. - Diptyque Do Son or Eau Minthe or Le Labo Thé Noir - Gentle Fluidity Silver or Gris Dior - Lush’s Flying Fox - honey and jasmine - Not a Perfume by Juliette Has a Gun - since he's a health professional, and that scent is the most subtle, inoffensive fragrance I've smelled. - Penguin by Zoologist - this does not have any of the notes that are deemed canon, but reading some of his lore makes me think this could work - Monday by Arielle Shoshana - Earl Gray tea scent. There is also a milk/caramel note, which his sweet tooth may appreciate.

Canon Scent (thanks to PootyBubTheDestroyer):

MC describes Zayne to smell like jasmine, lavender, and a unique Zayne scent in Everlasting Wish!

Rafayel

Character & Scent Profile:

Playful, mischievous, and artistic, with an underlying seductive, fiery intensity.

Sea salt, ocean air, citrusy brightness combined with exotic spices, smoked woods, and warm amber.

By Commenters:- beautiful, regal/dignified, and playful- sea salt- really in touch with nature and has such a deep respect for it & likes to bathe a lot- like soil after rain

Fitting Perfumes:

Jo Malone – Wood Sage & Sea Salt: Captures the fresh, salty breeze, artistic inspiration, and free spirit of the sea. Playful, invigorating, and effortlessly charming.

Maison Margiela Replica – By the Fireplace: Warm, spicy, smoky, comforting, and slightly sweet. Reflects Rafayel’s fiery passion, artistic nature, and depth beneath his teasing demeanor

By Commenters: - Acqua di Gio - It’s so bright and nautical that it fits his personality so well. The patchouli also harkens to the spice’s use in spiritual traditions, which is w nod towards his Sea God Memories. - CK’s Summer Collection that has that yummy coconut scent just for a fun tropical zing. - TF Soleil Blanc or D&G Light Blue Intense - Dior Bois d’Argent or Replica Sailing Day or Beach Walk - Gentle Fluidity Silver by MFK

Sylus

Character & Scent Profile:

Dark, enigmatic, elegant, charismatic, and slightly dangerous.

Mysterious, smoky oud, dark leather, tobacco, rare spices, deep patchouli, amber, and rich woods.

By Commenters:- I have always imagined Sylus smelling enigmatic and as rich as the night. Maybe some faint burnt petals, too, since his soul smells like flowers.- gunpowder, wine and elegance- mixture of mahogany and sandalwood

Fitting Perfumes:

Tom Ford – Oud Wood: Rich, sophisticated, and deeply charismatic, blending oud, rosewood, sandalwood, and vetiver; a scent perfectly embodying Sylus’s mysterious elegance.

Kilian – Black Phantom: Darkly alluring with rum, coffee, cacao, and dark woods, representing Sylus’s complexity, dark charm, and charismatic dominance.

By Commenters: - Tom Ford, Ombré Leather - it’s a blend of sweet and bitter/masculine. - Memento Mori by Seance or Frustration by Etat libre d'orange, those musky, woody rosey scents - Roja Aoud or MFK Grand Soir or Replica Jazz Club - Dior, Fahrenheit - Tobacco Vanille by Tom Ford - something warm/sweet, spicy, and sensual - Bleu Lazuli by Armani Privé - spicy/sweet/warm scent with tobacco/leather notes - Chanel's Egoiste - Hypnotizing Fire by The Harmonist - smells like roses and matches

Canon Scent (thanks to Hidden--_Sanctuary):

In Ordinary Traces MC says Sylus smells like red wine and fireworks.

Caleb

Character & Scent Profile:

Protective yet obsessive, playful yet dominant, deeply layered emotionally, with a hint of forbidden allure.

Warm apples, cinnamon, tonka bean, vanilla, dark honey, leather, and subtle incense.

By Commenters:- Airplane cabin, oil & metal.

Fitting Perfumes:

Parfums de Marly – Layton: Warm, inviting, and sensual with apple, vanilla, cardamom, and woods, perfectly embodying Caleb's warmth, temptation, and dominant presence.

Yves Saint Laurent – La Nuit de l'Homme: Seductive, charismatic, spicy with cardamom, cedar, and tonka bean. Reflects Caleb’s charismatic, teasing, yet obsessive nature beneath his playful surface.

By Commenters: - Creed Aventus - With hints of apples, birch and musk, this fragrance just screams Caleb to me. Like I can totally imagine him spritzing this in before heading for work, and as the day wears on, it gets mellowed down to mix with metallic scent of some blood and smoke. - Diptyque Tam Dao - Not my recommendation but saw another Redditor stating this would be his go-to. Makes sense to me because the scent is so comforting. This is something he’d wear maybe during the evening, when he’s back home. - Noe’s Citrus Poetry or Armaf’s El Cielo could fit him well. Plus they have green apples in it, which reminds me of his cute apple hugging emoji. (Since he’s such a big fan of sour things. Something to balance the sweetness of apples, vanilla and the richness of wood and spices) - D&G Light Blue - YSL Y or Frederick Malle Promise - Axe body spray - Angel's Share by Kilian - The smell of cinnamon rolls is so delicious and comforting and evocative of simple, childhood delights, but you also get the undercurrent of cognac, which is so mature, addicting, and masculine, and also the perfume smells a bit sharp/refreshing. - Apple Brandy on the Rocks by Kilian - would be a more obvious choice, but I think Angel's Share is just a better, more tempting fragrance overall and fitting the apple representing temptation concept more. - PDM Greenley - Green scents suit him very much and it's also got an apple note - how I imagined he smelled like in Endless Summer. - Old Spice - would probably wear something like it because of how much a dork he is.

_________

Small Bonus: Lost Cherry by Tom Ford for MC?

According to Sylus MC smells like cherry wine. (by _RiverSong) According to Xavier MC smells like strawberries/cherries. (by cooliecoolie)

[love-and-deepdives]

At Last: A Missive on Caleb and MC's Slow Burn (AKA how No Return Night broke me 💀)

Here's the thing. I'm still not over No Return Night. And I may never be over it. It's insane to me how they crafted this intense, decades-long epic between these two characters, condensed it into what, maybe 8-12 hours of gameplay? Stretched out over 6 months perhaps, but still. And then they totally stuck the landing. For me, No Return Night came together beautifully and devastatingly, and my feelings require that I talk about how they did it because WHAT THE HELL INFOLD YOU CAN'T JUST BE OUT HERE RUINING PEOPLE LIKE THIS. (But also I appreciate it so much, thank you.)

[As per all my LaDS commentary posts, a disclaimer that this is JUST MY OPINION. Other interpretations of Caleb and MC's relationship are equally valid, but this is the internet and I get to yell things just like everyone else. Spoilers for No Return Night, but honestly, how could you not have seen it already?? TREAT YOURSELF.]

Part 1) They picked an amazing set up by grounding Caleb and MC's love story in real-life experiences.

Of all the LIs, Caleb's romantic trope is arguably the most down-to-earth and that works very strongly in its favor. Whether you choose to interpret Caleb as a childhood best friend or as a kind of foster-sibling (my Americanized, not-nearly-as-good version of "gege"), the overall feeling of deep familiarity and care that comes with those roles is something a lot of people experience or want to experience. Maybe some folks have lovers from their past lives return to them again and again, we can't be sure, but it's a truth universally acknowledged that most people have had (or at least wanted to have) childhood best friends, forbidden or unrequited loves, or just someone who cared for them deeply growing up, who made them feel safe. Therefore that connection with Caleb when he's introduced is immediate in many players, myself included. He's always been there for you and taken care of you and there's nothing else to explain about it, like how you met him on a beach as a child or made a soul bond in a past life. Not that I don't love those backstories (I adore them), but their foundation is mostly fictional. With Caleb, for lots of players, the foundation is not just our imagination but our actual life experience, and that carries a lot of weight. Weight that InFold writers then use to emotionally beat us to death.

Part 2) The intersecting storytelling that built up to No Return Night was both heavy-handed AND nuanced, and somehow it worked.

When Caleb's birthday event debuted, I'd been playing LADS for a little over two months, and had been watching Caleb and MC's romance even less than that, considering he gets unlocked later in the story. And yet when I first saw the trailer, it felt like I had been waiting literal years for that kiss, for THE Kiss, to happen.

(Pictured: The last thing I saw moments before blacking out from FEELING TOO MANY FEELINGS.)

It wasn't until after I stopped screaming and my brain rebooted that I fully appreciated the work the writers put in to make a few months worth of tension feel like the lifetime it was in game.

Many of Caleb's Tender Moments are set in or about the past, moreso than any of the other LIs, but at first I just chalked that up to it being Caleb's narrative "theme." I even started to get annoyed with the constant references to his and MC's past in like ALL of their dialogue (Me: "I swear if he says 'back then' or 'when we were kids' ONE MORE TIME 😤"), though I eventually got over it. But after his birthday card, I understood the vision.

From every angle, at all times, the writers persistently made you feel that history between Caleb and MC. Those memories from the past were there to complement and emphasize what was set in the present, which smarter people than I probably realized right away. While I was all "YES, I GET IT, THEY GREW UP TOGETHER," part of my brain was bolstering the connections between those past memories and Caleb's present day behavior: his facial expressions (the way his eyes fly open when MC kisses his eyebrow in Farspace Deprivation), body language (the way he folds in on himself after wanting to kiss her SO BAD in Hidden Waves 🫠😭), and tone of voice (literally any time Caleb opens his mouth, like every word he says to MC is dripping with that longing). Combined with even more references and scenes from their past in other memories, phone calls, posts, and texts (how they used to skip class together, how they played pranks on each other, how Caleb, uh, took pictures of her... while she was sleeping... 👀), all of it was consciously and unconsciously building that tension. Even when I thought I knew how invested I was, it wasn't until I saw the culmination of all that yearning that I understood how much the writers had gotten me in my feelings about these two, more than I ever realized until I watched No Return Night's trailer and had a full-on, certified, bonafide breakdown.

(Pictured: My first attempt at watching the No Return Night trailer. I had to stop halfway through to force myself to breathe properly.)

Part 3) The writers absolutely understood the assignment when it came to showing the release of that earth-shattering tension.

Let the record show that my breakdown was fully consensual. I wanted that kiss to destroy my psyche and leave me catatonic with joy, as did many others. I'm active on the official subreddit where there were some less-mentally-unwell players who thought it was fine if Floating Floraletter was the first kiss between Caleb and MC. And then there was me, who was ready to throw metaphorical hands if that turned out to be the case.

To be fair, I can respect the opinion that the kiss didn't have to be monumental, even if I disagree. Caleb is a more disciplined man than most, a soldier and a colonel, and realistically (I could be wrong, hard to tell, I only date virtual men) I don't think this level of intensity happens very often among adults...

However, THIS IS A MOBILE GAME AND REALISM IS FOR SUCKERS.

Caleb is constantly grabbing MC, pulling her to him, borderline stalking her, begging her not to leave and to stay with him for literally one hundred years, wanting to be her goddamn toothbrush, and at the time of the No Return Night, he had been running on those fumes for over a DECADE. Brief, tree-obscured smooches were not going to cut it. I needed to FEEL that shit. Yes, theoretically, that first kiss could be some sweet, relatively chaste moment in a boat somewhere, but the more likely scenario imho is kissing so hard that you fall off the sofa and then you """make out""" (🙄) on the floor for FIVE HOURS STRAIGHT.

(Pictured: A man who definitely wasn't getting his fuck on mere moments ago.)

For me, emotionally, No Return Night was near perfect. You could see from the trailer that the devs knew what they were doing: referencing all the waist grabs and longing looks from previous memories. That part where Caleb grabs MC's wrist, pauses, and then he pulls her and you just KNOW that right then that he's finally decided. There's no more guilt, no more hesitation, that man pulls her into his lap. There's no more longing in those eyes, only determination. Things WILL be different, starting tonight.

While I do have small critiques about the translation and MC's execution, I have none whatsoever about the buildup and framing of that moment. Unrequited love can be extraordinarily painful. If you're playing self-insert or even if you're just someone who feels things in that deep way, you recognize what that would be like to finally connect with that person for whom you have been starving for SO long. It might be slow, it might be tender, but it would HURT. In a good way though. And I love that the writers leaned into that fantasy and took it seriously.

(Pictured: "And here we are in Heaven, for you are mine. At last.")

TL;DR: No Return Night was a great ending to a masterful piece of interconnected storytelling that created years worth of depth in a short amount of time. The writers showed so much commitment to and respect for depicting a complex relationship, and their willingness to let those emotions culminate with the intensity they deserved was incredible. I'm going to continue to unpack SO MANY FEELINGS rewatching this card while regularly running back to Zayne for emotional stability (I still love you the most, my secure attachment king.)

I'm not interested in getting married (FINALLY a banner to skip), but after Floating Floraletter teasing us and No Return Night finally making it official, I cannot wait to see more cards of Caleb and MC together in an actual romantic relationship. I look forward to seeing how they're going to interact now that the longing is finally at an end... well, that version of the longing. I'm sure Caleb will find other ways to pine for MC, that man is BUILT TO YEARN.

Also he's just built, jfc.

Credit: Flat-Seaweed757

[hellinistical]

Thoughts on Rafayel- contains card spoilers and lore spoilers.

Rafayel is like a salmon in that he goes out of his home (never forgets the way no matter how far), and slowly loses bits of himself, eventually rotting while alive. Only taking 1 mate for his life time(s), and how in some cases, should she wish to go to her home would return with her despite nature telling him to return to his own. He loses his scales, his sight, his fins, lots of his weight, his strength, and yet still mc consumes him even after the rot. (Farmers often collect salmon when they're returning home before they can lay eggs or soon after; once they lay the eggs and frrtilize them they've served their purpose so they usually die soon). But of course, the farmer doesn't settle for one fish, he gets others. So the fish that's been caught, knowing its going to die anyways, let's the farmer catch it.

If rafayel is hunger then the mc is greed, or better yet, hunger with no appetite. Wasteful. And salmon- even if they're farm raised, still don't learn to get away from the farmer even when they see their kind getting caught.

Lemurians are huge and rafayel, compared to the other mls, is significantly smaller.

Additionally, thinking about child/teen rafayel (sea god him) who foolishly promised himself to mc on the first meeting and how naive he was to just trust her, giving up his future. at the first glance? possibly. but i saw it as more so curiosity and the first start of a crush or feeling flattered. cause mc said she liked his scales and he was like "where i come from that means you like me" which means he understood the societal differences and still went ahead and made a pact with her.

okay so like. he wasnt the sea god in this life but the price he had to pay for the aether core was taking up the responsibility of the sea god once again, but whether this applies to his future self/future lives is unclear, which makes me think that being the sea god is by contract not by blood, nor is it bound by any one person. it is a spirit that possesses you. This would clear confusion that he has lived for 800 years yet died over and over again.

So mc has a bond with both, rafayel *and* the sea God entity/the sea itself. The path just makes it so that they are one being (rafayel and the sea)

And the sea God is messy for using a child to (using this lightly) forcing a contract on mc's spirit (who was ALSO a child).

Kinda like Karma. Karma has you reborn as smth non-human depending how bad you were. Being human was your best bet. But ultimately you wanna *stop* being reborn. Which means achieving enlightenment. There's definitely aspects of Buddhism in his lore.

Also, the only thing that stopped the sea god from killing mc here was the bond she had with *rafayel*- cause she ordered him to stop and snap out of it. And this shows his awareness of the curse (cause let's face it, that's what it is).

Maybe this is a stretch. Idk.

He gave his scales to her, letting her tame him, his leg is weak from turning to a human, he's slowly losing his sight, and he cut off his fins on his ears (check the back- there's scars behind his ears).