I’m here with the obligatory Silver propaganda post. Though it's more like an analysis, if anything, because idk how to argue stuff and most of this is just copied from a half-baked analysis I never posted 😭. Sebek is my second favorite character in the entire game (he’s adorable and silly), but I’ve never had a fav character as much as I like Silver so here it goes.
Silver is definitely one of those characters most people overlook when they first start playing Twisted Wonderland. I know I certainly did (My first favorites were Kalim and Jamil) and compared to the rest of the cast, Silver barely stood out to me. When you're surrounded by eccentric characters with huge personalities, it’s easy for the quiet, unassuming one to disappear into the background. In a game inspired by Disney villains, who immediately gravitates toward the polite boy whose defining traits seem to be that he falls asleep all the time, is nicer than the average NRC student, and loves his dad?
But the more I read his vignettes and especially Book 7, the more I realized that almost everything about Silver revolves around question
How do you accept love when you feel like you haven't done enough to deserve it?
Looking at his character through that lens, gives weight to so many of his actions. His relentless self-sacrifice, his tendency to apologize for things completely outside his control, the way he constantly worries about disappointing the people around him, even the amount of training he puts himself through—all of it stems from someone who loves the people around him so deeply that he feels an overwhelming need to repay that love. The tragedy is that the people closest to him never ask him to do more to deserve it. Yet throughout so much of the story, Silver doesn’t believe he is worthy of that love.
One of my favorite examples comes from his Dorm Uniform vignette, where he worries that his inexpressiveness is burdening others. It's such an understated moment that could easily be overlooked, but I think it reveals a lot about how Silver views himself. Despite outwardly seeming like he wouldn’t be affected by the words of others, he does because he fears that the way he is will impact his loved ones. He isn't motivated by personal ambition or a desire to improve for his own sake. He creates these expectations for himself with the belief that if he doesn’t meet them he is somehow failing in his duty to be a good son for Lilia and guard for Malleus
In fact, this mindset is established almost immediately in one of the first times we see Silver (and Sebek). Sebek reminds Silver that it’s only because of Malleus and Lilia’s kindness that they took him in despite Silver being a huaman—framing his duty as an obligation to repay them. What stands out to me isn't Sebek saying it (though it's also a great show of his own character growth throughout the story, love you Sebby) its the fact that Silver doesn’t deny it and his characterization shows that this is what he thinks as well.
I also don't think it's a coincidence that Silver feels such an urgency to repay Lilia and Malleus when you consider the two things that define his life: he's human and his sleep curse. Unlike the rest of Diasomnia, Silver knows his time with them is limited. While they may live for centuries, his human lifespan is only a fraction of theirs, and his sleeping curse makes that time feel even shorter.
I think that's why so much of Silver's character seems to revolve around his family. Nearly everything we know about him ties back to becoming a better son, knight, or guard. His only listed hobby is training, which we already know explicitly from his vignettes is something he’s always doing, and I don't think that's accidental. If Silver believes he only has a limited amount of waking time to repay the kindness Lilia and Malleus have shown him, then why would he spend that time on anything else? To him, every hour is precious, and every hour should be spent becoming someone worthy of the love he feels he's been given.
Silver is also incredibly empathetic. He is never quick to pass judgment on others, and even if his relentless belief in the good of others is thought of negatively and made fun of by the other characters, that belief stems from the fact that he genuinely wants to understand the actions of others. He does this in Fairy Gala with the day fae and Glomas with Rollo.
Ironically, despite being so empathetic toward everyone else, Silver struggles to show himself that same compassion. He readily forgives other people's flaws but is much harsher on himself, constantly apologizing for things outside of his control and worrying about disappointing those around him. He can so easily believe that other people deserve patience and understanding, yet he has a much harder time believing that he deserves those same things himself. It’s such an unspoken part of his character. Silver understands how to care for other people far better than he understands how to be cared in return.
Anyways, this makes his growth in Book 7 so great and his genuine happiness post 7.5 so heartwarming. While I do wish we'd gotten a longer conversation between him and Lilia (I will forever be a little salty about that 😭), seeing Silver genuinely smile at Lilia calling him his son is beautiful. Plus the fact that he also has tsundere tendencies by trying to hide his happiness with his serious face is so cute. This kind, selfless, and caring boy deserves all the love in the world.
dailybridgerton
blakekathryn
titsay
gummygunk
2087
discoholicmusic
