#mlqc theories

[endless-season]

Westmoon Chapter 12 [END] - Lucien Split Route

Previous Lucien part here: Westmoon Chapter 10 Part 9 To 13 - Lucien

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12-1

MC finds a letter from her master

12-2

I clutched the letter Master left me, my heart full of turmoil.

MC: “I’ll wait for you where all things return to.”

MC: All things return... does he mean the Retrobyss…?

Across all the legends in Westmoon, the Retrobyss was known as a hidden and mysterious place.

And all without exception, described how concentrated the demonic aura was in its depths.

These past few days, the Occulstone fragment within me grew more and more agitated. Maybe it was just as Lucien said… my Occulstone probably wouldn’t be able to withstand any further damage from demonic aura.

MC: If this might be my last chance then…

Then before I go, I have to at least go see the one I care about most…

I followed the instructions Lucien gave last time, and made my way to where Max was now living.

There was Max, as well an old woman.

His expression was no longer as mournful as before, when he saw me he even managed to make out a smile.

But when he heard I was looking for Lucien, he showed a surprised expression.

Max: Mister Lucien?

Max: Mister left soon after he helped me settle down here. I thought he went to find you.

MC: Eh? But I haven’t seen him.

Max: Is that so… then I don’t know where he is, sorry.

While we were talking, the old woman also came outside.

Old woman: Max, who is this?

Max: This is my teacher’s wife. The one I told you about, remember?

Max: She’s looking for Mister, and has no idea where he’s gone. How could he just leave her alone like this!

MC: I’m not…

Being referred to as “teacher’s wife” made my face red and I wasn’t sure how to explain. The old woman smiled.

Old woman: Miss, take it as my experience of being an old wife. If you can’t find someone, try looking somewhere you’re both familiar with.

Old woman: Like where you pledged your love, or exchanged your vows… maybe you’ll find something there.

MC: Okay, okay, thank you granny for your guidance. I’ll go have a look right now. Max, I’ll be off now okay?

Max: Okay! See you Miss!

Max: Granny, your health is not the best and the weather is so strange these days. I’ll take you back inside.

Shaking his tail, Max helped the old woman back into the room. Looking at the two, it was only then that I realised-

This old woman, was an ordinary human.

MC: … That’s nice.

Perhaps the hopes the Strangelings had, could slowly be fulfilled.

Rarewood was as overgrown as last time, no longer lush and vibrant as before.

I treaded across broken branches and leaves and arrived at the lakeside. The curtain inside the pavilion swayed in the breeze but there was no snowy white figure within.

Only now did I understand-

This really was the only place that connected us in this vast world.

MC: *sigh*…

I gave a deep sigh, and squatted on the ground a bit disheartened.

I small firefly flew from the lake, and landed on a spoilt flower before me.

I gently poked it, a bit upset. The firefly didn’t fly far, it just looped around in a circle, and landed back in its original spot.

MC: Tell me… where else can I go to find him?

MC: I thought I already understood him, but it turns out I’ve got nothing to go on.

MC: Plus, it’s not like he and I are like what the old granny said, we don’t have anywhere that we ‘pledged our love’ or ‘exchanged our vows’…

MC: I don’t even know where he lived when he was still human!

The firefly’s wings quivered. Who knew whether it understood me or not.

MC: In fact, pretty much the only times we’ve met were in dreams…

MC: What if I just knock myself unconscious right now and go look for him in my dreams!

Lucien: No need.

A familiar voice sounded from behind. I turned around in surprise and almost lost my balance. Luckily Lucien grabbed me from behind and pulled me up.

MC: Lucien…!

Lucien: Yes, I’m here.

He was wearing the same white clothes, his expression calm, just as before.

It was as if there were no traces anything having affected him. But I could tell that something intangible had changed.

The firefly also alighted from the spoilt flower and circled down onto Lucien’s sleeve. He looked at the firefly and gave a slight smile.

Lucien: But I didn’t realise that MC was so dissatisfied with the fact we had nowhere where we pledged our love and exchanged our vows, and that we could only secretly meet within a dream.

Lucien: You were so willing to secretly tell the firefly, and yet you didn’t tell me?

12-3

MC: I didn’t mean that…

Being teased by Lucien like that, I was a bit embarrassed and could only change the topic.

MC: Oh right, how did you know I was here? Did Max tell you?

Lucien: No.

Lucien tilted his head and gave a half smile.

Lucien: What if I told you it was my intuition that told me you were here?

His light tone was just like that fox tail of his, you could immediately tell he was lying.

His smile only grew as he watched me pout.

He took my hand and led me away from the lakeside.

Lucien: Let’s go.

MC: Go where?

Lucien: Don’t we need to go to the Retrobyss?

MC: …?!

How did he know I was going there?

Lucien: MC wants to know how I know where you’re going?

As if he could read minds, he immediately said what I was thinking. As soon as I nodded, his eyebrows raised.

Lucien: Sorry, this I cannot reveal.

MC: ! How can you be like this! Didn’t you say you wouldn’t trick me any more…

Lucien: I’ll tell you when we get there. Let this Great Fox Strangeling keep his mysteriousness for a just bit longer, won’t you?

When he used that voice, I couldn’t help it and could only raise my hands and surrender.

MC: But the Retrobyss will definitely be dangerous. Are you really going with me?

Lucien: Of course I’m going with you.

Lucien: If I let you go into danger alone, aren’t I betraying the blessings and hopes that the Strangelings bestowed upon us.

As soon as we entered the abyss, I realised something wasn’t right. The Retrobyss was the source of all demonic aura, however at this moment it was even more peaceful than outside.

MC: How come it’s completely different from the rumours…

Lucien looked around calmly.

Lucien: It’s not completely different, rather someone’s come in and pulled a few tricks.

MC: Could it be my master…?

Lucien: Don’t think so.

Lucien: From what I’ve observed over the years, although the Oracle comes from beyond our world, he is not materialistic, and is straightforward.

Lucien: Since he’s asked to meet with you, he wouldn’t lay any traps.

Lucien: What we have to be wary of is perhaps an uninvited guest.

MC: You mean someone else came before us…  They’re not planning to ambush us are they?

Lucien closed his eyes for a moment as if sensing something, then opened his eyes and sneered.

Lucien: … a pathetic trap.

He waved his hand and extinguished the torch in his hand, sinking the space into darkness.

Lucien: The torch is useless now, just follow me.

I nodded and tightened my grip on his hand. Lucien smiled, squeezed my palm with his thumb in the darkness and then took the first step.

Lucien walked leisurely, as if he was going for a stroll in this boundless abyss. But as we walked, I felt as if something had changed.

In the beginning I only had some kind of confused feeling, as if we were continually brushing past all sorts of dangers.

The deeper we went, the Occulstone within me could clearly feel the dense demonic aura in our surroundings as if we were walking through chaos.

MC: Lucien… there’s something nearby…

Lucien: Shh…

Lucien: Someone gathered all the demonic aura that was originally here and set a lot of traps.

Lucien: If we alarm them, we might fall into a not so great dream.

I immediately covered my mouth to show I wouldn’t make a sound.

Lucien: You don’t need to be that nervous, I’m here.

We avoided the demonic aura, and continued down. Suddenly, I noticed something faintly light up ahead.

There’s light?

Who would’ve known, as we gradually got closer to the light, an enormous Occulstone appeared before front of us!

Unlike the broken Occulstone within me, this Occulstone was flawless, its light flickering like the heartbeart of the world deep in this abyss.

Lucien stared fixed at this scene and only opened his mouth a while later.

Lucien: Gods bow down and the moon rises from the west… now I understand everything.

MC: Understand what?

Lucien: Regarding this Westmoon…

Lucien paused, as if he had sensed something and turned to look at the occulstone.

Lucien: My apologies, the little pranks you set were a bit boring.

Lucien: So we’ve arrived a bit early.

As soon as Lucien spoke, a man rushed out from behind the Occulstone.

??: How did you get here… I clearly…?!

Even though I only met him that time a hundred years in the past, I already memorised this face- it was that man with the cloak!

MC: You’re that guy from another world…!

Knowing his complete disregard for human life from a hundred years ago, I wasn’t bothered talking with him and cut to the chase.

MC: Where is my master?

Man in Cloak: Hah. What makes you think I’d answer the question of a mere vessel?

Man in Cloak: And as for you…

The man in cloak completely didn’t expect us to arrive so soon. He glared at Lucien full of gloom.

Man in Cloak: I don’t think believe that anyone in this world can avoid my Evol.

Lucien: Evol…? Oh, you mean your Occult?

Lucien: I don’t know why Your Excellence has so much confidence, but this isn’t a good habit to have.

Lucien: You’ve simply gathered demonic aura to try and deceive the five senses such that anyone affected will have their perception altered… like a dreamland.

Lucien: The reason I say “like” and not definitively is because this isn’t entirely created from Occult, but you’ve also used the Occulstone to amplify the power, right?

With every word Lucien spoke, the man in the cloak’s face turned paler and paler.

Lucien: Looking at your expression, it seems I’m not far off?

Man in Cloak: Who are you really… Eos’s report clearly said you’re just defective goods from an experiment…

Lucien: Defective goods?

Lucien laughed when he heard those two words.

Lucien: I’ve realised Your Excellence has another bad habit – that is, arbitrarily defining people.

Lucien: Defining MC as a vessel, defining me as defective goods.

Lucien: But have you considered, that even defective goods can use other methods find the path to success even faster than anyone else?

Man in Cloak: What do you mean?

Lucien quickly glanced at me with a trace of guilt hidden in his eyes.

Lucien: … sorry.

MC: Huh?

Before I knew why he was apologising, he took out a small wooden box.

The decorations on the box triggered my memory – it was the box I saw once before on Lucien’s shelf, the one with a piece of my Occulstone inside!

I watched with wide eyes as Lucien opened the box, but it was empty inside.

MC: My Occulstone fragment… where did it go?

I suddenly thought of the dream we had with our intertwined consciousness, and only then did I realise. Lucien’s cold voice also pierced through the void and entered my mind.

Lucien: What a coincidence, I’m also investigating the power of Occulstones.

Lucien: Since Your Excellence knows so much about Occulstones, I wonder if you can tell me more?

12-4

A long silence filled the cavern, only the enormous Occulstone continued to flicker.

The cloaked man’s face shone green and purple under the magnificent glow. It was a good while until he opened his mouth with clenched teeth.

Man in Cloak: … What right do you have for me to tell you about the QUEEN gene.

Lucien: How come you otherworldly people have different terminology for the Occulstone as well. It makes it a bit troublesome for me to understand. Oh well, it’s a trivial problem.

Lucien: I’m just curious, since you’re all so curious about the potential influence of the Occulstone on Westmoon, why not take a more direct approach?

Lucien: Why did you need to keep dragging it on for as long as possible, before using demonic aura and meteorological tricks to try and force the Occulstone’s host to make a choice.

Man in cloak: What do you mean?

Lucien: Exactly what I said.

Lucien: If it were me, I’d trap the host in a smaller space, and stimulate them more directly both mentally and physically.

Lucien: If she still couldn’t awaken, then I’d throw her into an even crueller environment. Right now this world… comparatively speaking, is still too peaceful.

Lucien: What do you think?

Man in Cloak: …

The cloaked man looked at Lucien with wide eyes and mouth agape as if looking at a terrifying monster.

At this moment, the two seemed to swap roles and Lucien seemed to be the higher being observing the world.

My heart thumped wildly next to Lucien and my back was full of cold sweat. A scary thought appeared in my mind.

… If Lucien wasn’t a Strangeling but someone from “that world”, then would he really do to me the kind of things he said he’d do?

Before I could think further, the cloaked man spoke up first.

Man in Cloak: Someone who knows nothing about the QUEEN gene dares to criticize me?

Man in Cloak: But with this I finally understand something…

Man in Cloak: No wonder Eos kept giving excuses and saying he couldn’t complete the experiment.

Man in Cloak: It’s because you stole and absorbed a fragment of the Occulstone from within the vessel!

Lucien didn’t comment, and instead raised his eyebrow and asked back.

Lucien: Have you never considered - what if I didn’t steal this fragment, but rather someone took the initiative to give it to me?

MC: …?!

Ever since I woke up, I’ve been looking for the Occulstone fragments and I’ve only told master… did this mean master gave it to Lucien?

But why would he do such a thing?

My breathing quickened and I subconsciously wanted to take half a step back, but Lucien held onto my hand and I couldn’t move. His palm was dry and warm bringing me a pacifying effect yet forcing me to see this to the end.

Lucien: After the demon and human war, the Oracle arrived in Westmoon and told everyone they needed a Sorceress to pray for blessings, creating this peace.

Lucien: A hundred years pass and the Oracle continues to select and nurture each Sorceress into a caged bird that only knows how to dance for blessings.

Lucien: However the quality of those Sorceresses were lacking, none could bear the power of the Occulstone.

Lucien: Hence making you all anxious… haha who knew that even the Gods of Westmoon are so impatient.

Lucien: Then MC appeared. She is what you call the perfect “vessel”.

Lucien’s voice was a calm as ever but every word he spoke was like a bloody knife.

MC: No... I’m not a vessel…!

I didn’t want to continue listening and forcefully shook my head. As my tears were about to overflow, Lucien pulled me into a hug.

Lucien: You’re not a vessel. You never were.

Lucien: Remember that dream? You can be a bird, a firefly, yourself…

Lucien: It’s because you have this desire, that I don’t want you to have the complete Occulstone.

Lucien: I made a deal with your master and got the fragment.

Hearing him speak beside my ear, I looked up in disbelief.

MC: What deal?

Lucien: To give you three years of good dreams.

Lucien gave a gentle smile, rubbed my head to soothe me and then looked back at the cloaked man.

Lucien: Does Your Excellence have any questions regarding my thoughts on the Occulstone?

Lucien: I can keep explaining for you.

Man in Cloak: Questions?

Faced with this humiliation, the cloaked man’s face twisted and he reached out his hand with a dense ball of light in his palm.

Man in Cloak: My question is, why didn’t I kill you the moment I saw you?

Lucien: Is that so? Now is not too late.

12-5 - Battle Stage 

12-6 - Mostly common between routes

MC talks to Eos (Master) in the Black Cabin and learns the truth about Westmoon being an experiment for the QUEEN gene ie Occulstone

perhaps-in-anotherdream’s summarised the main points so I’ll just skip this and just add in the Lucien specific part of the convo~

...

Master: For example Lucien, if Occult never existed, his tragedy, Rarewoods tragedy may have never happened.

MC: I…

I bit my lower lip. What master said was too tempting, and was impossible not to be moved.

I thought of the three year long dream, the lonely silhouette in Rarewood, and the dreamland that was broken.

If it were Lucien, what would he choose?

Or… would he agree with the decision in my heart?

MC: Master.

I took a deep breath and slowly opened my mouth.

MC: What you just said was wrong. What caused the Rarewood tragedy was not Occult. But rather you overly arrogant otherworldly people and the greedy hearts of people who were intoxicated by power.

Master: …

MC: If I become the “God” you speak of, all I’m doing is taking over your positions.

MC: If I rewind everything to the beginning, we’ll only repeat the same cycle.

MC: The price was paid for Rarewood’s tragedy, and everyone should remember the price and make sure it never happens again.

...

END

The enormous Occulstone suddenly shattered into innumerable pieces, the moment light burst out, a ball of light appeared.

The ball of light separated Lucien and the girl, leaving him alone in the quiet abyss.

Lucien: …!

Lucien was only surprised for a moment, before his expression returned back to normal.

He went closer to the ball of light, his hand stroked the halo around it and muttered.

Lucien: It’s not made of Occult, and difficult to break open.

Lucien: … Is this the other world’s ability?

If it were in the past, facing such a mysterious and strong power would definitely arouse Lucien’s interest, but right now…

That broken Occulstone in his chest faintly throbbed, futilely resonating with its original owner through the ball of light.

Was she okay inside?

This tiny thought kept circling around his head, and made it very difficult for him to calm down and think about what to do next.

He knew from the beginning that she was extraordinarily special.

Not only could she change his fate, she could change the fate of the entire world.

That’s why when the Sorceress fell from the tower, and the Occulstone shattered, he threw away his own plans.

He was well aware he was being selfish. It was because of his selfishness that he pulled her into a three year long dream, using it as a way to understand her better.

And after she woke up, it would be easier lure her, get close to her, influence her and obtain a fragment.

But he already obtained a fragment and successfully resonated with it, so why did he still try to get closer with her?

Why?

Lucien: *sigh*…

Lucien closed his eyes and rested his forehead on the ball of light.

Lucien: Because in the end I truly am such a greedy and selfish person, what I want more than the Occulstone… is you.

At that moment, the broken Occulstone in his chest gave a violent jolt and a strong power flowed from his body.

The imperfect Occulstone could not withstand such a strong power, and the fox ears and fox tails that he was supressing slipped out…

If the power of the Occulstone could surpass everything, of course it could also defy all rules!

The ball of light couldn’t withstand the power, and suddenly split open. Specks of light drifted down like petals.

In the midst of that brilliance, the answer he always denied stood there.

Lucien: MC

The girl heard his voice and looked up towards him.

MC: Lu-

Before she could finish, she started to fall as if all her energy was spent. Lucien rushed over to catch her.

Lucien: You…

Lucien’s swallowed, it felt as if a thousand words were about to gush out of his throat. Eventually they all slowly receding like a tide, leaving only just one.

Lucien: … sorry.

The girl lightly blinked hearing those words.

MC: Lucien, this is the second time you’ve said sorry today.

Lucien: Sorry, the Occulstone…

MC: Do you regret it?

The girl interrupted his words.

Lucien pursed his lips. The girl looked at him with a clear gaze. He couldn’t lie to those eyes.

Lucien: … I don’t regret it. If this happened all over again, I would still take away your Occulstone fragment.

MC: Haha, I knew you would say that.

The girls breathing was very harsh, and just that small laugh seemed to take up all her strength. Lucien couldn’t help but tighten his embrace.

Lucien: What I regret is something else…

MC: What is it?

Lucien: I regret not telling you earlier about my bad intentions, not taking the opportunity to pull you into a pledge of love, exchange of vows, and firmly tying you to my side.

MC: Pft… you’re so bad and so frank, completely unlike that gentle and mysterious Mister Lucien right now.

MC: We still have time. The things we didn’t have time for and the things we regret, we can still make up for them.

She reached out her hand and gently rubbed Lucien’s fox ears and whispered.

MC: But right now I’m a bit tired. Wait until I wake up, then come tell me everything about yourself, okay…?

The moment all demonic aura disappeared from the world, a new world was formed in the girl’s long breath.

T/N: This is followed by an epilogue video about what happened in Westmoon afterwards! Laxmiree’s posted a subbed video here:  https://twitter.com/i/status/1570429100208300037

[laxmiree]

[CN] MLQC Lucien's new Halloween Karma Lines + Drinking Poison Date Blurb

⚠️ SPOILER ALERT⚠️

This post contains a HEAVY SPOILER for the karma that has not been released in EN yet! Feel free to notify me if there are any mistakes in the translation.

"If you can bear to do it, I will be willing to accept it."

[Drinking Poison Date]

Can't be found in ten thousand books,

Nor has it been passed down in ten thousand poems,

Cloaked in secrecy, the elixir is as sweet as honey at times; and as bitter as chicory at other times;

Once you taste a drop, your soul will sink down.

Kiss me, with those lips dyed in poison.

"My desires aren't secret at all, have you discovered them?"

[Tidbits: The karma name is Cantarella. Cantarella is a poison that was allegedly used by the Borgia family as their favorite poison in political assassinations. The poison may have been arsenic and came in the shape of "a white powder with a pleasant taste". According to another theory, the name Cantarella came from the ancient Greek word κάνθαρις meaning Cantharides or Spanish fly, the insect which was used as an aphrodisiac in smaller doses and poison in bigger doses.]

[producer-miss-chips]

Analyzing Helios’s Words- About Kiro and Helios’s Origin Story

Please be warned that this theory includes spoilers from a few of Kiro's dates and from the general story!

So after finishing Chapter 21, I decided to try and share this theory that started when I heard Helios's words.

The writing here made it clear that Helios is speaking from personal experience. His words are a mix of earnestness, harshness and worry.

And since Helios is actually Kiro (somewhat xD), we can infer from that a bit more about Kiro's past.

Discerning Kiro's Past

From bits of information we learn throughout the dates and stories, it's clear Kiro grew up alone. He hints to that a few times: whether the fact that he doesn't know his own birthday, (as seen on his "Birthday Date"), the fact that he always had to spend holidays and birthdays alone (as seen in "New Spring Date" and "Confession Date"), or his story of wishing to "not always be alone" (in his "Old Friend Date").

In his "Confession Date", Kiro pretty much says this fact outright:

(Screenshot from Lucien's Wife's Youtube channel.)

In this screenshot, I want to point out one more thing: the start of his sentence.

"My memory may be a little hazy..."

Psychology has proven that when someone experiences something very traumatic, their body may try and forget what happened and when. So the fact that Kiro experiences memory problems about his childhood, may mean that he went through some pretty harsh stuff as a kid. These experiences were so scarring, his body decided that it was better to forget them than remember.

I mean, just the fact that he had to spend his whole childhood alone is really harsh. He literally had no one to turn to. You can really see that in his story in "Old Friend Date".

We know Kiro had a mentor who was really important to him. Kiro may not talk about him a lot, but from the little we've seen, it's not hard to see how much he influenced Kiro's life. Heck, he even named Kiro.

It almost seems like this guy was Kiro's father, in some way. Or the closest thing to a father figure that Kiro had.

But then he disappeared, and Kiro was left all alone. For years Kiro never really had someone he truly trusted. YEARS. Only when MC entered his life again, did he finally have someone he could lean on.

It's impossible to go through such a harsh experience without being affected. You have to develop some way to cope with it, and Kiro found his way: happiness, love and music.

But that doesn't mean the darker part doesn't exist.

And that's where Helios comes in.

Kiro vs. Helios

As said before, it's impossible to go through something traumatic without getting scarred. And, if you miraculously manage to survive what you went through, you learn to develop a thick hide.

Both Kiro and Helios show signs of this: Kiro in a more subtle way (he never complains, for instance), while Helios... is outright about it (does he even try to hide his harsh behavior?).

Everyone has a dark side: even angels like Kiro. Helios is this side, a person that stemmed from everything Kiro experienced. He's the side Kiro hides, and he shows us our blonde angel has a lot more depth than it may seem on the surface.

After everything Kiro experienced, he had a choice: do the hard thing and be kind to everyone, in order to fix what he went through; or close off and just stay away from any person who could be a threat. Kiro chose to go the kind way, spreading love and laughter to everyone. That doesn't mean that he couldn't have chosen the latter. It doesn't mean that he doesn't feel Helios inside him. If that was the case, how could Kiro even become Helios?

(As mentioned in this theory, the Helios in chapters 20-21 may actually be who Kiro would have become if he didn't choose this path.)

And then, we have the rest of Helios's words.

For convenience purposes, I'm dividing this into parts:

Use your strength, every method you can think of.

As pointed out before, both Helios and Kiro have strengths. Kiro's strength, being kind against all odds, may be less appreciated, but that doesn't make him any less impressive. And that doesn't make Helios's cold facade bad, either. It just means that they have different advantages:

Kiro has the strength to overcome his demons and give to others against all odds.

Helios has the strength to make sure others don't mess with him.

So when Kiro's strengths don't work out, he reverts to Helios and vice-versa. That's how, at the end of the day, Kiro uses all his strength. He knows one way is never the complete answer, so he has no problem trying the other way too.

The difference in these situations is which side is more dominant: the light one, or the dark one; Kiro, or Helios.

For example, the story shows us how Kiro is tangled up in Black Swan, even after he chose the path of kindness. From the endings of some of the earlier chapters, we can see quite enough proof: how Kiro wrote Helios's name in something relating to Black Swan, how Helios shows up amongst the organization, and many more.

I mean, in Chapter 17 Kiro says he fights Black Swan for MC. He had to have some way, some connection to them for him to do that, right?

These facts further prove my point: Kiro was never completely perfect. He always had a Helios side to him, MC just never got to see it. And, maybe, we can say the same about Helios: he was never completely bad. Otherwise, how would the Kiro moment have happened in Chapter 17?

My conclusion from this part, and this sentence of Helios, is that over here we can see how Kiro navigates the world. He uses the strengths of both his identities, and by that is flexible enough to use any method he can think of (Kiro method vs. Helios method) to do it.

That way, he learned not to be weak.

Abandon your past... even abandon yourself.

Kiro never really talks about his past. He prefers living in the moment, spending the best time he can with MC. And when he does mention a tidbit about his experiences, it's in one of two situations:

A casual mention or something he could laugh off.

When he's at his most vulnerable with MC.

Examples for the first part can be when he first mentions he doesn't know his birthday in the "Birthday Date". The way he said it sounded a lot like a happy coincidence. "Hey, since I don't really know my own birthday, let's celebrate our birthdays together!"

As you can see, this harsh fact is hidden very well in his words. He could've said it in a self-pitying way, but he chose not to. It almost seems like he's afraid of being 100% vulnerable with MC.

We'll get to that later, but first let me point out an example for one of Kiro's vulnerable.

In Kiro's "Old Friend Date", he tells MC a lot about how lonely he felt when he was 16. It's a heartbreaking story: he was just a kid, making his second album, but still felt lost. Because he had no one to guide him. So one day, he went to the shrine and wished to not always be alone.

Pay attention to the wording: Kiro didn't ask not to be alone, he asked not to always be alone. This word may not seem like much, but it shows a lot.

In his position, no one would blame Kiro if he would have wished not to be alone. But the angel was so desperate, he asked to not always be alone. That's the equivalent of saying "I know this may be an inconvenience to you, so I'll make it easier on you. I'm not asking to have someone constantly by my side, but I need someone to spend at least a bit of time with. Please."

The reason I'm emphasizing how harsh his reality was, is to raise awareness to this part, and how much Kiro downplays the whole story:

The moment Kiro sees the gravity of his story sink in, he laughs it off. Notice the amount of reasons he gave as to why MC shouldn't worry.

I was purposely exaggerating to make it interesting.

I was a teenager. I didn't know what I was doing. Now I'm much more mature! It was just something stupid that would never bother me today.

He was so desperate for MC not to take him at his word, that he gave two reasons as to why she shouldn't make a big deal out of it. Once again, Kiro does this, even if he was vulnerable at the start.

And even in other moments, where he's completely vulnerable with MC, he changes the topic really quickly. The moment the information sinks in, he's already changed the topic, laughing as if nothing ever happened.

So, in both situations mentioned above, we see how Kiro is never fully vulnerable. This means two things:

Kiro has trust issues because of his experiences.

He prefers running away from his past.

We already touched conclusion 1 before (somewhat), so for this we'll address only conclusion number two. It's an important point we'll come back to later.

Helios is a completely different story.

In the short amount of time MC spent with Helios, we learned almost as much as we did in all the time with Kiro. Just see how much Helios hinted to in these few sentences.

So saying that he's running from his past would be a lie. On the contrary: I think Helios is so connected to his past, he won't let anyone in. He just can't ignore the warnings his traumas whisper in his ear.

But there's one thing Helios does run away from, and that's himself.

One of the first recurring things Helios tells MC is "I'm NOT Kiro". In Chapter 17, every time MC mentions that possibility he denies it: over, and over, and over again. And at the end of MC's time with Kiro (in that chapter), when Kiro turns bavk to Helios, it describes how the tenderness in Kiro's eyes is replaced with cold apathy.

If Helios completely forgets what he, as Kiro, felt toward MC, I think it's safe to say that he's turning his back on himself.

So while we could say that Kiro is abandoning his past, Helios abandons himself.

And now, for the last sentence:

Helios is right. If MC can't survive in this cruel world, the harsh place he endured, then she has no place to be there. Because he grew up in a dog-eats-dog world, where every day was a fight.

And that is why Kiro chose to sacrifice himself for her, as stated in Chapter 17. He knew that harsh world didn't suit MC. He wanted her to stay safe and live in her bubble of happiness, give her a bit of peace and quiet, while HE faced the cruelty MC was fighting.

While Kiro did transform to Helios a few times before Chapter 14, it seems like it was for short bursts. But now, his transformation is for much longer: and it's all for MC.

But he can't protect MC forever, and it seems like Helios has started to realize that.

Thank you for reading this theory/analysis! I hope you liked it, and I'd love to hear what you think! ❤

[thescentoflavender]

Hello! I have been playing MLQC for a bit so I feel a little silly asking this question, but is MC really dating all the boys at once? I was just a little confused since some of the dates have been referenced in the main story. (For example 8-13 referenced Kiro’s “Secret Date” and 10-11 referenced Victor’s “Interview Date”) There was a theory that MC was dating the boys in different timelines, but she only learned that other timelines exist around chapter 18. What are your thoughts on this?

Hello! 

First things first—there’s really no need to feel silly! In my book there’s no such thing as a “stupid question”, and I do think this is a particularly interesting one haha. 

My answer is that any interpretation goes. MC can be dating everyone at once, but only if you choose to see it that way. After all, Papergames mentioned that MC is the player themselves. The “separate timelines” theory wouldn’t sit well with someone who wanted to be with all the guys at the same time, but for those who feel like they’re being unfaithful to their biases by reading other dates, they can definitely see MC as dating different people in different timelines. 

Personally, I always saw—still see—dates as taking place in a separate bubble from the main story. For the references you mentioned, they’re probably more like Easter eggs, in that if the reader so chooses, they can choose not to see them as references to the dates, but as mere events happening off-screen. Most references probably fly over my head anyway since I can’t remember the exact details of every date. Knowing the plot is already a feat enough for me. What can I say—I never did like memorising stuff. 

[tartagilicious]

so, as you may or may not know, there’s an event going on in the CN server right now. I’m not sure what the entire premise is, but the way it works is you can choose a guy, and by spending stamina, you can go through mini shoots and build up resources for a side story that I believe moves onto the next part every day. like I said 🤷🏼‍♀️ I have no idea what the event is or what it’s about, but! I’m making this post because of the name. the event itself is called ‘eve of the end’ and while I would just brush it off and say that it’s related to the event, nothing in the event is as heavy as the title, if that makes sense.

as to what this means, I personally have seen a lot of theories about this going around and I agree with the mor popular one — that the game is going to end most likely on the next update in the CN server. there’s still time until that happens, of course, with the last chapter update having come very recently, but still. I wanna also talk about why that makes sense concerning the content of chapters 34-36. spoilers are italicised from here onward. so!! basically what happened in those chapters, with the boys’ deaths and all, none of them were real. they were all fabricated by the ‘dark’ mc to see if the mc is truly ready to wield the Queen evol by showing her all of her worst fears. and after a huge story point like that, where do you go? of course, I don’t write the story so this may be me just guessing, but as a writer myself I have to ask — after 36ish chapters, what else is there to happen? I mean, good ending point, if you ask me. mc realises her worth and gains the powers she needs to keep her world and the people she cares about safe. shes fought tooth and nail to get there, and now she gets to have an ending with the guy of her choosing.(fingers crossed we get individual endings tho 😖) like?? I feel like that would be a understandable move any writer would make. So i think it’s plausible that there will be one more chapter and then the if-endings.

I’m kind of excited for the end of the game though, as weird as it sounds. I mean, I’ve been fully expecting to get endings so if we don’t, that might make me more sad than the actual game ending tbh. I’m just excited to see what they do with it 🥺

[fruitydemogorgon]

Okay so here's my proper analysis for the new promos we've gotten!

(I'll probably think of more things later)

Waking up to new Stranger Things content is a tumultuous experience- I giggled, I cried, I almost screamed but didn't want to awaken my sister. This morning we were gifted with four new promo images, and most social media platforms have been bombarded with the tag; stranger things season 4.

Despite the wait- it's becoming easier to fathom the idea of 3 years between seasons. With double the episodes, and over a year and a half worth of filming, one can understand the struggle. Especially amidst a global pandemic. But, it's coming. On May 27th, Volume 1. Season 4 of Stranger Things will be bestowed upon the public, and us nerds will finally get the satisfaction we have been waiting for!

I'll start by reviewing the first promo image we received (I believe).

001; Russia. Getting the band back together. Bring a jacket.

From the statement "Getting the band back together", it's obvious that Joyce and Murray are the ones standing beside Hopper. The three are standing in a snowy courtyard, presumably inside a Russian base. There's blood splattered across the ground, and bits of debris as if some sort of explosion happened. As in all the other promo images, a portal to the upside-down looms in the centre frame, with the characters walking towards it.

It seems as if Hopper is either looking at Joyce or looking behind himself, possibly hinting that they're being followed (which would make sense considering they're most definitely not supposed to be here/escaping). Hopper's shadow is covered by the season 4 logo, and Joyce and Murray's are right beside it.

002. The Lab. Every story starts somewhere.

:"Every ending has a beginning."

I think it's finally safe to assume that this season we will be revisiting the earlier moments of Stranger Things. Discovering more about Eleven's past, The Lab, Brenner, etc. This is super exciting, and as I stated in my earlier post I cannot wait to see Eleven uncover the depths of her past.

There are multiple pieces of evidence that point towards the place in the image being Hawkin's Lab. However, she was captured in California (explained in my analysis here), so it doesn't make much sense how she's ended up in Hawkin's Lab (unless she was taken there by her capturers). But if that were the case, I don't understand why they would be working in such poor conditions. Maybe, Eleven is the reason the place looks demolished? (More on that later). Just a theory, but I'm not sure.

We also know that the room at the end of the hallway is the rainbow room; the layout of the hallway is same to that of the trailer, the rainbows either side the screen, etc. If that's the case, then Eleven's room is at the opposite end of the hall, where Eleven is walking from. Meaning she may have just been in her room. :O

Anyways, there's blood everywhere, and pieces of paper and shattered glass litter the floor. In the distance it also looks like there is cardboard or something.

Below I'll outline the few significant things I notice, then discuss them;

-Eleven's reflection in the mirror

-The rainbow room

-The Coca-Cola can

-The broken light switch

-Headset thing

-The door number

I've brightened up the image so that we can actually get a good look at what's going on:

Eleven's reflection in the Mirror

In the mirror, we see Eleven's younger self in the reflection.

It makes sense that this is hinting towards El revisiting her past. And the shattered glass could be a metaphor for her 'broken past', and how she's coming to put the pieces back together to uncover who she truly is.

The Rainbow Room

In the furthest door at the end of the hall there is a rainbow. We know that this is the Rainbow Room from the trailer 'Eleven, are you listening?' The rainbow could also be (and this is just me throwing out ideas) to show that on the other side of the Upside Down sits the answers and clarification Eleven's been searching for. That after all the strife she's endured, she will find some kind of serenity (and even if that not what this means, I hope it still happens).

The Coca-Cola Can

On the bottom left of the image, at the entrance to the first door on the left, is the Coca-Cola Can. For Eleven, this is a symbol of her powers. When she crushes the can with her mind, it is one of the very early times we see her using her powers. It's also one of the items she uses to practise control. At the moment, Eleven has lost control of her powers, and this could be hinting that at Hawkin's Lab she will regain control. This also leads me to theorise that she may be the on who 'demolished' the place.

The Headset Thingy mabob

Eleven's mind control headset is on the bottom right corner of the image, I've developed a theory for this that I will elaborate on later.

The door number

I'm almost certain it says 11

(I've zoomed in and signs (my impeccable vision) point to yes)

(Also in bottom right corner)

My Theory:

From gathering all the things I just mentioned, I have developed a theory. I believe Eleven was in her room, and, overwhelmed by the memories, had her powers come back to her in a strike of emotion where she threw all the objects around her out of her room (explaining the headset, door number, coca-cola can).

The Broken Light

I've established that this poster has many references to season 1, but I've found something that links back to the first five minutes of the series. To when the Demogorgon was the biggest, scariest threat. I know the lights were flickering, rather than completely broken, but I like to think of it as at least something. Probably isn't anything, but it's a little detail I think could be quite cool. Especially if this season is about the past/origins of Stranger Things.

--

This poster had a lot to unpack, and I think the next few have quite a lot too!

003. Creel House. Tick-tock.

Again, this poster is only further confirming that we will be learning more about the history of Hawkins, The Lab, The Upside Down, etc. 'Tick-tock', reinforces that too. I think for this promo it'll be best to sort my observations into qualitative observations and what I infer from that.

Qualitative

Composition of Characters;

The seven characters, arranged in sets of two, three, then two, are standing centre frame. Max and Lucas are closest to us viewers, and Lucas is looking to Max whereas Max is looking back. She is also wearing headphones. In the middle row stand Steve, Dustin, and Erica. Dustin and Erica are looking forwards, and Steve is looking to his right. In the final row, closest to the portal, are Nancy and Robin, heads tilted towards one another.

Inferences

Composition of Characters;

First of all, I've seen many theories that this season Max and Lucas will be breaking up. Eleven and Mike's composition in the s3 poster resemble Lucas and Max's in this one, and in s3 Eleven 'dumped' Mike. I've also seen theories that Max is experiencing depression in this season, and is going through grief/trauma after what happened at Starcourt (understandably). She's been seen wearing darker/flatter coloured clothes, wearing headphones a lot, and the released 'audition' of the Hawkin's School Counsellor 'talking to her' emphasises on this as well.

She's also the only one looking back, and in the 003 teaser trailer, she was standing at the front of the group. In the s3 poster, Eleven was also looking back, and throughout the season Billy kept trying to contact her. Maybe this season Billy is trying to contact Max, and she responds to him in 'Dear Billy'. I've also seen a speculation that the headphones are symbolising her trying to 'block out the voices', i.e., Billy.

In the next row stands Steve, Dustin, and Erica. On this poster, Steve is in a similar position to Will in the s3 poster. He's turned slightly to his right, possibly looking down at Dustin. Honestly, I haven't seen many other connections between Steve and Will so I don't know what this could mean. Maybe he's going to be able to sense the Mind Flayer? I can't really see that happening. Unless it's hinting at Steve going through some of the trauma Will experienced (or something along the lines of that). I know some people have found lots of evidence suggesting that Steve will die this season, so it could relate to that.

Finally, we have Nancy and Robin standing in the final row, closest to the portal. This is interesting, because Nancy seems to be one of the characters that has experienced most of the supernatural monsters first-hand. Whereas Robin experienced the full-extent of the Russian (human) side of things. Nancy 'fell?' into the Upside Down, and was practically chased by the Demogorgon. She was also chased by the Mind Flayer and it's prey. Robin was drugged and beaten by the Russians underneath Starcourt. And aside from Steve, none of the others in 003 have really experienced (what I will call the full-extent) of the supernatural (and natural) world.

The two are looking at one another, which I kind of hope means they develop a friendship this season (however I will also happily accept it if they end up being lesbians in love- now that I've said that I think I should clarify that I do not ship ronance, because I personally do not see much evidence (suffice to say, I haven't searched for any), but I would not mind seeing two attractive ladies in love on this show that I already love- but, enough of that).

Qualitative

Settings/Surroundings;

The seven are standing in an aging room, with a grandfather clock at the end of it. I've brightened up the image so that we can actually get a good look at what's going on.

What I see:

-Cobwebs

-Chair

-Boxes

-Fan

-Chair

-Wheelchair

-Chair

-Weird tall thing next to chair

Inferences

Settings/Surroundings;

We can definitely assume that they're standing in the attic of Creel House. Most of the items we can see are just general attic-items. 'Tick-tock', and the big grandfather clock both point towards the Creel House having to do with the history of Stranger Things (most of the posters are about the history of ST). I saw a post about how on the other side of the room to the wheelchair was a bassinet (this may just be in the trailer, and not the poster), however I cannot see that now. The only thing I'm curious about is the tall item next to the first pole on the left (in between the fan, chair, and pole)

--

004. California. Hold onto your butts, brochachos.

Neither 001 or 004 have any 'references' to time or the past, like 002 and 003 do. Which makes me wonder what their storylines for this season are going to be about. I'm not sure really how to go about analysing this poster, so I guess I'll start by stating what I see.

This promo is a pain in the ass because there aren't many items or such to look into, and obviously I want to build the tension before jumping straight into what I actually want to say!

In saying this, I realised something. This whole town, lighting, and setting reminds me so much of the Goldfinch. Like. Maybe not exactly the 004 teaser trailer, but this poster specifically is giving me the same vibes. (The part I'm talking about specifically is when Theo is in Las Vegas with Boris-who, I should mention, is played by Finn Wolfhard, and is in love with his best friend).

Anyways, it's always possible that was an intentional action of the Duffer Brother's, but probably not.

There are only three possibly significant objects/items I can see in this image.

The Surfer Boys Pizza Truck

The bike

The car

--

Honestly, I don't think this has any deeper meaning, I feel like the truck is probably more there to show that it's going to be an important vehicle in the season (I know that's so lame for someone who's meant to be analysing everything but i dOnT cArE).

THE bike. Now. I've seen a ton of stuff about this. Is it relating to the Smalltown boy theory? Is it the same bike from the s1 poster? We don't really know, but I saw someone get pretty pissed over another person assuming it to be from the Smalltown boy theory- so I won't go too far into that. Pretty much, the post was pondering why Nancy didn't come with Mike to California. And speculating if Mike had went to Cali himself, i.e. the Smalltown boy theory.

Finally, the car in the very distance (parked in the 3d house down on the left). It looks very similar to Lonnie's car from when Jonathan visited him in s1.

I apologise to those reading this, because at this point when I'm writing I start to just feel off. I really want to finish this now, so I'll keep going, but excuse me if the tone of my writing becomes less formal.

I'm pretty sure this is the first Byler poster with only them (out of the party), so that could mean this will be our first season we see something more than friendship with them (there's also double the episodes! so everyone who was worrying there wouldn't be enough time for them to have a good romantic developmenttt wooowee)

Also like- the 004 teaser trailer completely DOOFED us. like mike and el went from literally holding one another's hands in the other poster, to being in cOMpletely different posterss bruv (yes, i get that they have seperate storylines but aahh).

ALSO, in the s3 poster, El and Will were both looking back at us. Mike was looking at El, who was to his left, and the two were holding hands. In this poster, Will has replaced El, and is standing to Mike's right. The two are also both looking at each other. Was the s3 poster hinting that Will would be replacing El? There may have been a double-meaning to it.

ALSO. JUST. aah

they're looking at each other. last season we barely got anything between them, and now they're looking AT EACH OTHER!!!

(sorry i'm going crazy over such a little thing- but i KNOW you all are too).

Last of all, I saw someone else say something about this and I think it's really interesting. Maybe the cracks aren't going towards Will and Mike, but they're coming from them. Or from Will, at least. I like this theory a lot, that somehow Will is connecting to the Upside Down again after all this time (I don't want him to get hurt-but I also love watching my comfort characters go thru shit- i dunno what it is don't judge).

--

Rightio, I have one final point to make about the last poster.

Lots of people noticed that in this poster, Mike and Will have been shifted. At first, many people were stressing that they were further apart, and that something (maybe Jonathan and Argyle) was going to come between them. Most, through, assumed it was just for composition. I've seen another theory, though.

To El's right are Joyce and Hopper. To El's left are Will and Jonathan. The composition has been arranged so that she is surrounded by her family. We may be seeing it as Mike being moved further from Will, but what if we saw it as Mike being moved further from El.

--

Okay! I think this is one of the biggest analyses that I've written! This is also the first season 4 promo that I've seen upon release, rather than a couple of months later, which is really exciting!

Since this has gone on a while, I'll make a separate post analysing the social-media aspect of these promos!

Hope you're well, and happy stranger things watching (it's almost here!!) <33

[thatfanfictionchick]

Knight

╔═══°∴,*⋅✲══〖✰〗══✲⋅*,∴°═══╗

Helios x Reader

Rating: Everybody

Warnings: None

Word Count: < 1k

New chapters are coming and I have feels okay 😭

╚═══°∴,*⋅✲══〖✰〗══✲⋅*,∴°═══╝

“Let me tell you a story…”

You were huddled on the floor, trying unsuccessfully to stifle your crying. It’s all my fault you thought bitterly. Everything they’ve been through. All the pain. The suffering. It’s all my fault. You sniffled and whimpered, surrounded by jeering childish mementos. Toys you hadn’t touched in years. A badly tattered bear lying on the floor, it’s one scratched eye glinting in the moonlight from where you’d thrown it.

The rustle of fabric makes you jump. You hadn’t heard anyone come in over your pitiful moaning. A coat settles over your shoulders and long black-clad legs fill your vision.

“Hi.” That familiar voice, soft like the blue light that reflected off silver hair as he kneels down in front of you. You hiccup and suddenly the tears are coming faster and harder. Your throat burns as you force yourself to swallow the scream that tears at the back of it.

It isn’t fair. Why was he always forced to become this? Kiro just wanted to sing. To make people happy. And instead he was here. Again. Forced to become someone else because of you.

You reach out, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him into you, sobbing as you bury your face in his shoulder. “I’m so sorry!” Your voice cracks and bubbles. Your shoulders heave and tremble and your whimpers turn to muffled wails, your fingers digging into the back of his shirt as you cling tighter. His arms encircled you, holding you just as tightly in return. “All because of me...I’m...sorry…”

He doesn’t say anything. He just holds you, letting you cry and cry until his shoulder is thoroughly wet, until your sobs turn into weak sniffles. You don’t resist when he pulls away, hiccoughing sadly as he takes your face in his hands to gently wipe the tears on your cheeks. You return the gesture, his cheeks warm in your cold hands. You try and fail to blink away a fresh wave of tears, your gaze taking in the silver hair, the eyes turned from a warm summer’s day to an icy storm.

“They did this to you because of me.” His thumb touches your trembling bottom lip; your fingers brush through his hair and trace along a slender brow. “Why did they...you only have to be like this because of me and I...it’s not fair…” My fault. “I’m so sorry, Kiro.”

He leans away from you, stretching until his fingers close on the bear that lay sadly on the ground. He looks at it for a long moment, squeezing it tightly in his hand. It’s hard to believe it had felt so big once upon a time.

“Let me tell you a story.” He sits next to you. With no hesitation you lean into his side, your shoulders not relaxing until his arm is around them. Your eyes burn as you stare blearily at the bear.

“Whenever someone tries to build a kingdom, they want someone to rule that kingdom. Someone with power. And if they don’t have the right kind of power, they’ll find someone who does.

“And then they find her, a young Queen; someone they want to lead them into a bright and glorious battle for the future,” a sting of malice weaves through his words just then “they want her watched. Contained. Guarded.” His fingers press tightly into your shoulder, holding you closer. “Because every Queen needs a Knight at some point, right?

“So they make one.” His hand passes over the bear, over the matted fur and the missing eye. “They take someone who suddenly has the ability, the desire, and they make an on-call Knight.” His voice softens further and you find yourself straining to hear his next words. “They take someone who loves the Queen enough to always be what she needs.”

You make a small noise and bite your lip. Before he can continue you turn, wrapping your arms tightly around his waist. Curling your legs under his you press your head against his chest, fighting the urge to break down again. His hand comes to rest on your head and gently strokes your hair. You grab his other hand, weaving your fingers together and holding it tightly.

“Don’t cry,” he says quietly. “Not for me. I swore I wouldn’t let them hurt you again. I swore I wouldn’t let them use you. If this is who I have to be to make that happen, then it’s alright.”

It takes you a minute in the silence that follows to realize the sound in your ear is his heartbeat. Strong and steady and dependable. Like a Queen’s Knight always is. You lift your head, arching your neck to place a kiss at the corner of his mouth.

“Thank you, Kiro.”

[otonymous]

Time to raid my physicist husband’s bookshelf...😂😂😂

[sharinluna]

If you consider what happens in ch19-21 the game system becomes pretty sad.

Pulling Wish Trees = Praying to the wish tree for her karmas with the guys scattered across different universes

Collecting Moments, SMS, Calls and Unlocking Dates = Collecting small pieces of memories related to that karma

Dating four guys at once? No, the dates happen across multiple universes. Like MC may start a relationship with Gavin on one universe, but on another universe she is Kiro’s girlfriend. The slate gets erased every time she jumps into the next loop. But it always reaches the same end(chapter 18). After sacrificing herself, she is constantly brought back to the beginning where she has to start all over again.

Doing shoots in-between episodes = She is reminiscing her past while going over the shows she made. How the chapters play out is the reason the game’s called “Love and Producer” After chapter 19, the stages are no longer photoshoot because she’s not reminiscing anymore.

Summoning Karmas in stages = She is looking back at her memories with the guys to encourage herself to go forward.

Doing all of these alone.

[ikenbar]

Mr. Love: Ike’s Choice CH4 PT8

aaaand we back in the angst. Don’t worry about sitting pretty in it tho. expect those fluffy moments to hit soon B)

Warnings: Angst, heated arguments, talk of death; explosions; and harsh flashbacks, big swear for the swear jar, mad twists, Adri being an OG, the thickening of some epic plot, and a cliffhanger leaving you begging for more >:D

(Chapter Four (Victor and Gavin) Prologue, and part one, two, three, four, five, six, and seven can be found here!)

Please read the author’s note (and the beginning of the story) on chapter one part one if you’re new here :D

And an additional note in a previous part of chapter four part three here! (I promise these notes are important)

Chapter four:

Part eight:

Victor leaned back, clearly thrown off guard by my words. I sat up straight and pulled my hands from Victor’s. “I need to get back to work.” I said, moving to stand. Victor, coming to his senses, quickly stood and pushed me back down.

“No, you’re not.” He boomed, standing over me, giving me no space to try and stand again, “And we are going to the police after work.”

“No, I’m not!” I said with the same determination before. I pushed Victor roughly away from me. He stumbled back enough to give me space to get back onto my feet. I threw my plate of food onto the coffee table half-hazardly as I glared at Victor with determination, “That guy is mine! I will be the one who takes him down. So no, I’m not going to the police. And neither are you.”

“Is that a threat?” Victor growled and he walked back up to me. He towered over me, obviously trying to intimidate me. I merely looked up at him, a cocky grin slinking onto my face. 

“Nope!” I chimed, folding my arms proudly, “It’s your word against mine, Victor, and all you know is what I’ve told you. Sure you can go to the police with speculation, but you have no evidence to support your claim. I’d know. I also have no evidence.”

“You have got to be kidding me!” Victor rolled his eyes, “Ike, this is way over your head!! Do you have one good reason to keep this to yourself?!”

“Yes.”

“Oh really?! What is it then?!”

“… it is my business. Not your own."

"Ike-"

"Now if you'll excuse me," I moved to walk away but Victor stopped me. He grabbed my arms and held me steady in front of him, forcing me to face him. I looked up and glared at him.

"One reason, Ikamara." Victor's tone had changed dramatically. I relaxed my glare, "Tell me one reason we shouldn't go to the police and I'll drop it." I froze. Every part of me screamed to keep pushing Victor away, to protect him from getting too close and knowing too much. But, after one last look in his pleading eyes, I knew that he wouldn’t let me get away with pushing him off any longer.

I closed my eyes and sighed, "... he killed my friend.”

Victor's fingers twitched around my arms. 

I twisted myself from his grip as I recalled the events of that horrible day. “... We were following a lead into a warehouse. There was a secret room… a bomb… an explosion… I had to bring him back to life… with my own bare hands." My voice cracked. That image of Gavin’s lifeless body held form in front of my eyes, "It’s only a matter of time until it happens again… and…” I paused. Then, without hesitation, I looked unfalteringly up at Victor, locking eyes with him, “It’s not going to be you. Not if I can help it.” Victor looked down at me, eyes flooded with those familiar undecipherable emotions. 

Before he could say anything, my eyes flickered next to him, where they landed on a fourteen year old boy staring at his phone. My face suddenly felt like it had been set on fire. It was then that I became very aware how very not alone Victor and I were.

I jumped back from Victor and looked around the room, preparing rounds of lies and explanations in my head… 

but I stopped.

No one was moving. They were all posed in one motion, all looking over at Bart, who hadn’t moved an inch from his position on the floor. Not even Lola had wavered from where I had seen her last, with her small hand posed over Bart's knee. 

No one was moving. No one was breathing. Everyone was frozen. 

Almost like they were stuck in time.

I looked back at Victor in disbelief. He was watching me, eyebrow arched and hands in his pants pockets. He looked as calm and stoic as ever… 

… As if he knew exactly what was happening. 

My disbelief sunk into curiosity was I studied him, questions posed on my tongue. Victor merely sighed as a small smirk pushed up his cheeks. “Dummy.” He muttered, moving to sit back down on the floor. I opened my mouth. 

Just then the room snapped back to life. Bart groaned as he reached over and rubbed the baby Lola’s head. She giggled and fell onto his knee, slobbering on his suit pants. “Ah that’s probably how that anonymous tip got out.” Bart lamented, as if he was continuing where he had left off, “The reporters coming here is my fault.”

“Oh, Bartholomew.” Chris sighed, making me snap my head to face him, “You’ve got to learn how to keep your mouth shut! It’s gonna be the death of you! Or more, in this case, Ikie!... Ike?” Chris finally looked up at me. His perfect smile wavered slightly, “Something wrong?” I hesitated. Had they not heard a word of what Victor and I talked about? I literally said I was being targeted! Did… no one care?

I stole a quick glance at Victor. He was sitting casually at the end of the coffee table, eating his food once again as if nothing happened. I narrowed my eyes.

“... No.” I said, straightening my expression and posture, “I… Bart, what did you mean by anonymous tip?” Bart looked up at me through the gaps in his fingers.

“Hm? Oh I called our inside in the media.” Bart replied, sitting up, “She said that she got a call telling her about what happened. All the way down to the place your office was. It was because of my big mouth, Ike. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.” I waved Bart off limply, slightly lost in thought, “Did she say whether or not this person was male or female?”

“No. She said that they used a voice modulator.” Bart said, intrigue and blind curiosity dripping from his tongue, “One that made their voice seem lower and more mechanic. Whoever it was, they really didn’t want to be found out.” I hummed and furrowed my brows. 

Who would modulate their voice for an anonymous tip?

“Evie, dear.” Maria said from behind me, making me turn to face her, "Are you sure everything is alright? You look worried.”

“Yeah.” I said slowly, “I need to get back to work. Thank you for the meal.”

“But, you’ve still got some food left!” Sam chuckled gesturing to my half empty plate.

“I’ll heat it up during my next break.” I moved past the couch and away from the group, “Besides, I have a lot I need to do before I go home today.”

“Wait, Ike!” Bart quickly scooped up Lola and stood up from the floor, “I wanted to talk to you about that. I don’t think you should take your bike home today.”

“What?” I snapped my head around.

“At least not until this whole thing blows over.” He said, throwing his free hand up defensively as he walked over to me, “I don’t want anything happening to you while on the road. That thing is a death wish as it is. Then you throw in some reckless reporters-”

“And someone will aggressively write a story about my driving? ” I arched my eyebrow, “I’ve been driving that bike for years, Bart. I’ll be alright.”

“You could still get hurt!” Maria spoke up from the couch, “You never know what these people would do to get a story.”

“Maria, I’ll be fine.” I rolled my eyes and turned back to my desk, “I can take care of myse-”

“Oh. my. GOSH!!” Adri shouted from her place on the couch, causing everyone to jump. She glared at me sinisterly. “You drive a two wheel drive that has had more accidents than the average vehicle! Not only that but you just got out of the hospital! Do you really want to go back in?!?” Everyone in the room was frozen in place, speechless because of Adri’s sudden outburst. Adri, reading the room, breathed a loaded sigh, “All they are asking you to do is get another ride.” She continued, arching her eyebrow and glaring at me, “That’s all! Is that really too much to fucking ask?”

“Swear jar.” Ashton spoke up for the first time that day. Adri whipped her head around and glared at him. I hesitated, looking around the room. Nearly everyone’s eyes were on me, waiting for my answer. I could read the same emotion on each of their faces. 

It was an emotion I was tired of seeing.

I sighed. “I need to ride the bike home-but,” I said quickly before anyone could interrupt me, “I'll get someone to pick me up and drop me off at work starting tomorrow. Minor, would you-”

“I’ll take you.” A cool voice came from the coffee table, making all of us turn to face it. Victor stood up, empty plate in hand and determination on his face. I looked at him in disbelief. 

“N-no. You’ve done enough alre-”

“It wouldn’t be out of my way.” Victor said simply, walking to the trash can beside his desk to dispose of his plate, “I drive by your complex on the way home anyway.” I opened my mouth to argue more but Victor held up a hand, “If you are really concerned about the trouble, I’ll add the gas money to your investment fund.” I shut my mouth and glared at him. There it is again. The investment.

“Yes!” Bart pointed at Victor happily, “Let’s do that!”

“Bart-” I started, trying to regain control of the situation.

“It’s settled then!” Maria said, standing from the couch and clapping her hands, “Ike will ride with Victor from now on!”

“Hold on!” I tried again, but was interrupted once again.

“Wait does this mean Victor has to pick me up from school too?!” Sam asked with both excitement and worry.

“I’ll send a driver to pick you up.” Victor said, walking back to his desk.

“Sweet! My own personal driver!” Sam beamed, looking at me for approval. I arched my eyebrow. Sam’s smile plummeted. “...I-I mean,” He quickly said, throwing his hands up, “Not that you aren’t a better personal driver! I mean one outside of the family! I-I bet this driver has nothing on you, Ike!... Evie?” Sam smiled at me innocently. I rolled my eyes and looked over to Victor. He was also looking at Sam with a complacent expression. Sensing my stare, he turned to face me.

“There’s no getting out of this, is there?” I asked dully.

“No.” Victor, Bart, Maria, Adri, and Sam said at once. I sighed and turned back to my desk, where I sat in the chair and ran my face through my hands. 

“I still don’t like the idea of you going out alone tonight.” Bart said uneasily. I pulled my hands down my face and looked over to him.

“I can go with her!” Adri said, raising her hand from the couch. Maria glared at her.

“You have school.” She said in her menacing motherly tone.

“Didn’t you hear?” Adri said, flashing a devious grin, “Today is a half day! I was going to hang out with friends after school but I’ll just spend the night with my favorite sister instead!” Bart and Maria glared at their newest foster daughter in silence.

“...I’m too worried for Ike’s safety to double check that.” Bart finally said, keeping his squinty eyes on Adri. Maria turned to me.

“Would you be ok with Adri spending the night?” She asked sweetly. I looked back at Adri. She grinned at me and winked. I hesitated. She obviously had something planned. But what? What could I have for her? Maybe she planned on ditching me to hang out with her friends? But then why would she be so persistent in getting me a ride home? And why was she so angry before? What caused her attitude to change so quickly like that… There really was only one way to find out.

“Sure.” I said, turning to face my computer, “but I warn you, Adri, my life at home isn’t very exciting.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” Adri chimed.

“I’ll follow Ike home and be sure she is safe.” Victor said, standing from his place at his desk. He put his hands in his pockets and looked over to me. I looked away disgruntledly. 

“Can I come?!” Sam asked hopefully, looking between Bart and Maria.

“You have soccer practice today, mister.” Maria scrubbed his head roughly. Sam whined but didn’t say anymore. Maria smiled and looked over to Victor. “I’ll give you a copy of the kids’ schedules. Be sure to send me the bill.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Victor waved his hand dismissively, “I’ve got it handled.” I rolled my eyes. He sure was wasting a lot of money just to prove a point.

“Then it’s settled!” Bart clapped, “Adri will go home with Evie today and Victor will follow. Then he will take her to and from work until everything is cleared up! Great! Now! Let’s finish eating in my office and let Ike and Victor get back to work. Say goodbye to Ike kids!” Bart jogged happily to the coffee table and started packing the food back into the bags. Everyone complied to his demands and scattered thank yous and goodbyes came from various voices in the room. I stood up as Sam came running up to me. He jumped up and gave me a big hug.

“Don’t worry.” He whispered in my ear, “I told Adri I called dibs on the next sleepover.”

“Noted.” I said as I ruffled his hair. Sam laughed and pulled away from me, just in time for Chris to replace him. He lifted me up in the air and rocked me back and forth, all while squeezing the life out of me.

“Be safe, Ikie!” He said in between the swings. 

“You too.” I coughed, giving him a few pats on the back, for it was all I could do in that situation. Chris dropped me and walked away. I just barely had time to breathe as Adri approached me.

“Sister!” She said, holding her arms out wide. I winced slightly but that didn’t stop Adri from wrapping her arms around my neck. She pulled me close to her, letting her head rest next to my ear. I hugged her back, patting her lightly on the shoulder.

"I can't wait for tonight!” Adri whispered into my ear as she rubbed my back slightly, “Especially since you're gonna tell me all about that pretty little target on your back.”

All my blood pooled to my feet.

“H-how…” I stammered.

“What, you think your little conversation with Victor was left unheard?” Adri chimed, “‘Do you really think it will stop the man who will do anything to see me dead?!’ ‘He sent a bomb through my ceiling!’ ‘It’s my word against yours!’ Really, Ike, it’s like you’re trying not to hide it. Though it does surprise me that I was seemingly the last person to know.” I tightened my arms around Adri’s body.

“This stays between us.” I spoke seriously and coldly, “Understand? Not a word to Bart and Maria.”

“Geez, alright!” Adri gasped as she tapped my back, “I promise I won’t say anything!” I eased my grip and pulled away from Adri. She keeled over, rubbing her stomach and breathing deeply. I ignored her show as I looked over to Bart and Maria.

They were talking merrily to Victor as if there was absolutely nothing to worry about. I furrowed my eyebrows. I had said I was being targeted when I was with Victor so, why aren’t they talking about it? Why aren’t they worried? If Adri heard the conversation then shouldn’t they have as well? Just what happened when Victor and I were talking?

“Hey,” Adri patted my head, forcing my attention to her, “You can’t keep your thoughts to yourself anymore. You’ve gotta tell me what you are thinking or I will just be someone with valuable information! You wouldn’t want that just walking around willy nilly, right?” Adri grinned mischievously.

“Well” My voice fell an octave as I folded my arms and arched my brows, “there is another way I could make sure that information doesn’t leak…” Adri’s grin quickly fell from her face. I rolled my eyes. “Don’t worry, kid.” I said, patting Adri on her shoulder, “After all, I’m your favorite sister.”

“How can you make that sound so menacing and kind at the same time?” Adri chuckled nervously. I winked at her before ushering her forward, leaving room for the rest of our family to say their goodbyes.

>>>

Once everyone had left, Victor and I sat quietly at our desks. I tapped my pen on my desk, lost in thought.

“So,” Victor said without looking up from his computer, “You’re an evolver.”

My pen fell from my hand.

I tried to speak but my words had gotten lodged in my throat. How could he have known?! Was it the way I pushed him to the ground?! I didn’t use that much power. Maybe I miss judge my evol more than I’d like to admit.

“I had my assumptions but,” Victor continued in between my silence, “I wasn’t completely certain. But now, it’s quite clear why you insist on taking care of yourself.”

“H-how?” I managed to stutter, turning to look at Victor. Victor scoffed as he turned to me

“Are you that slow? You really didn’t notice anything strange during our conversation earlier?”

My eyes widened, “So I wasn’t imagining that!... That was you?” Victor gave me a look that I received far too often. 

“What do you think?”

“So you’re an evolver too? Wait, so your evol is to freeze people in place?”

“Dummy.” Victor sighed as he turned back to his work, “I can control time.”

“Can people still hear us when you do that?”

“No.”

“...what?”

“Do you really think I would start that kind of a conversation in front of your parents?” Victor retorted, turning back to me, “Let alone your siblings?”

“Wait.” I shook my head and held up my hands, “You’re saying no one else could have heard our conversation?”

“No.” Victor turned back to his computer, “Not unless they were also evolvers.”

“... what?”

“They had to have been an evolver to have heard our conversation.”

My heart stopped.

Victor, noticing my change in attitude, turned back to me. “What is it?” He asked, seriousness easing back into his tone. I opened my mouth.

 A knock came from the door. “Sorry, ignore me.” Adri came into the room, looking down at her phone, “Maria forgot her diaper bag so I… came… to” Adri looked up from her phone to see Victor and me staring at her, “... Unless you guys have some sort of emotional connection to it. Then I can tell her it wasn’t there-”

“N-no.” I cleared my throat and gestured to the sitting area, “Go ahead.” After a moment of confused silence, Adri did as I said and continued walking into the room. I started mindlessly tapping my pen on the desk as I watched Adri, thinking over everything Victor had just said.

“...Oh, and Adri?”

“Hm?” Adri hummed.

“I’m excited to have you over tonight.”

“Oh really?” Adri sang, picking up the bag and turning to look at me.

“Yeah.” I nodded and stopped tapping my pen, “I get the feeling we have a lot of bonding to do.”

(Next)

[maladaptivedaydreamsx]

just gonna go ahead & say the bulk of this in the tags! (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄) basically a smol post in regards to gratitude ♡

[cheesy09]

*Potential spoilers for future MLQC chapters... maybe* 🤷

Proof that Kiro has something to do with the Black Cabin...

Also that last line makes me think... Does he want to take over Black Swan or something??? Just a theory 🤔

[misskamelie]

Alright... Lucien has pessimistic tendencies and a belief on rebirth and transformation... Sounds like something familiar...

[absolutehusband]

"idk who this bitch is, but she isn't me!" MC, probably

[thescentoflavender]

Hello (◕ᴗ◕✿) I was curious about chap 18-35 where Victor can't stop time (he can't use his Evol at that moment). What actually happened there? Any opinions about it?

Hello! I think you mean chapter 18-25? They never did explain why Li Zeyan couldn’t stop time then, but I do have a theory about it, related to Schrödinger’s cat. 

This is going to veer a bit into physics territory, but please bear with me while I explain what the Schrödinger’s cat paradox is about. It’ll be important for the rest of this discussion! 

Contains mild spoilers for Chapters 30 and 33; read at your own risk. 

---

MLQC, Quantum Mechanics, and Schrödinger’s Cat

The classic Schrödinger’s cat thought experiment has a cat being placed in a box, together with a Geiger counter containing a radioactive substance and a flask of hydrogen cyanide. If the radioactive substance decays, this is detected by the Geiger counter. A hammer is then triggered, smashing the flask, thus poisoning (and killing) the cat. Because the process of radioactive decay is stochastic, we describe it as being a superposition of states, where it is simultaneously decayed and not decayed. 

In the Copenhagen interpretation, this also means that until a conscious observer outside the box observes whether the cat is alive or dead, the cat remains both alive and dead. Thus the collapse of the wave function into a defined classical state must be observer-induced. 

(This sounds ludicrous, obviously, because how can a cat be alive and dead at the same time? But that was exactly Schrödinger’s point—to show that wave function collapse did not solely depend on whether an observer was present.)

Anyway, back to the point. Going back to the earlier chapters where Li Zeyan has a discussion with Xu Mo about how he’d never be the one inside the box, it’s pretty clear that he’s referring to the fact that he won’t ever be the proverbial cat, whose fate is left to the whims of an entirely random process he has no way of controlling. That ties in with his character, but more importantly, remember that he’s also a member of the Time Observers. Since the Time Observers are basically omniscient and exist outside of the world they are in, we might see a parallel between the Time Observers and the “conscious observer” in the Schrödinger’s cat paradox. So, Li Zeyan was never meant to be in the box. 

What happens in Chapter 18-25 is an apparent subversion of his role, from conscious observer to test subject. Li Zeyan and MC enter “the box”, aka the chamber in which the cure is held. If we were to continue applying our knowledge of the Schrödinger’s cat paradox to this, we might think the outcome of their entering the chamber is entirely unknown—except it isn’t. Li Zeyan has already been to the future and knows what is going to happen. Ergo, the process is no longer stochastic, and the outcome has collapsed into a single defined state because Li Zeyan has seen it all already. The “cat”, now, is a conscious observer as well, which incidentally relates to other interpretations of Schrödinger’s cat.

Given that the application of the Schrödinger’s cat paradox to Chapter 18-25 has now broken down, it makes sense that he’s unable to stop time. All that has been set in motion must continue to go in that one direction: he has no power to overturn the fate that he has himself foreseen. 

Might he have been able to stop time, had he gone into the chamber oblivious to what would happen next, since the outcome would still have been a superposition of all outcomes? Perhaps, but that would ultimately be dependent on fate itself. Because no matter how much Li Zeyan tries to act against it, he’s essentially powerless against fate, his human vulnerability preventing him from changing anything. His is the story of humanity, pitted against the greater forces of destiny.

This also seems to feed into the theme of fate running though Li Zeyan’s backstory. It’s been mentioned time and again in the earlier chapters about how he’s unwilling to give in to destiny (loosely quoted because I’m writing this essay as an after-dinner piece). Also, if we jump forward to Chapters 30 and 33, it’s mentioned that he’s running out of time, and he just sits quietly out of the discussion the rest of the boys are having because he doesn’t think he’d be around for very much longer. He’s still fighting against fate, yes, but the only way to do so is by sacrificing himself, his vulnerability. 

---

Whew, I think that’s the longest reply to an ask I’ve ever written! I got overexcited when it came to discussing the science in MLQC, oops. I hope my explanation wasn’t too convoluted! 

(Also, one more reason to back this whole theory up—it can’t be by coincidence that Li Zeyan is often associated with cats, can it?)

[tartagilicious]

Hello, I really like your blog! I would love to know about your insights/analysis to Victor's feelings/relationship with MC. I re-read some chapters & in one scene in ch 11 when they were at the hosp, Victor said he had nothing but guilt and regret towards MC so I assumed Victor was protecting her because of guilt. I wondered if maybe he confused his guilt to assuming he loved her. I'm a Lucien stan but I've been recently warming up to Victor so I wondered how others see him, thank you!

Hello! thank you, I appreciate it :) since I assume you follow me, you probably already know how much I like to run my mouth about mlqc.. so I’d also love to answer! 

I’ll just get it out of the way first: Victor is absolutely in love with her. I don’t doubt his feelings for the MC one bit, and there’s definitely no room for debate on that no matter which guy is your favourite. As for how I see him,,, yeah he’s been living in my heart rent free since ch11 or 12. 

But the part about him protecting her because he feels guilty about putting her in danger to save his life, I do partly agree with that. It may not be the only reason, but it’s the clearest for a while. Victor does take a while to warm up to the MC in comparison to the others, after all — I mean, while Victor is just figuring out the MC’s ties to him, Gavin has already saved her life on multiple occasions, Lucien is unearthing Black Swan with her, and Kiro has revealed himself to be a hacker.

And that protection that he shows her at first in ch11 is 100% confusion! It’s messy and overbearing, but that’s because it’s the only thing he can think to do. a lot of people really hate how he became overprotective after the MC was hurt, but I don’t. I think it’s realistic. I wouldn’t expect a smooth transition from anyone just finding out something like that. And honestly, if anything, I think some of those actions prove that it’s more than just him feeling regret, and rather him feeling a mix of both emotions.

Because all of that stuff was him fussing over her, sure, but it was also caring for her.

Over the course of events in those chapters, everything changes so much. And when the pain and confusion eased a bit for him, I think that’s the moment that he finally realised that he was in love with her, and therefore started protecting her for two reasons instead of one. 

So my final verdict is that yes, at that point in ch10-11, he was protecting her mainly because of guilt, but the love was also there whether he realised/acknowledged it or not. also, I think that Victor is in love with her at this point because of this karma, which is from the ch11-14 update. I mean!!!!!! come on, his expression, the circumstances. you can’t look me in the eye and tell me that’s the face of someone who’s just simply worried. 

“I won’t let go of you and the world.”

I might be whipped for Victor but this is my (99%) unbiased opinion :) hopefully this actually makes sense outside of my monkey brain lol