#lads analysis

I notice that Bride MC has more extravagant details than Rafayel, like they both have pearls in their hairstyles and yet MC has lots of gemstones and bigger pearls. MC's bodice details on her dress is fully gold with more gems but Rafayel's is mostly a body chain and fewer gems (just like how if u compare their Abysswalker outfit, Princess MC has a nicer condition than Rafayel's who is torn apart)

first of all, i really love how we were referred to as "sylus' woman" and not "sylus' girl." usually, women will refer to their partner as "my man" but never "my boy." "boy" solely has a friendly connotation to it, while "girl" is used in a friendly or romantic context. "girl" isn't on equal footing with the word "man" and is infantilizing imo. outside of a kink context, i really hate that phrasing. the fact that it was translated as "woman" is very meaningful to me. it shows we're on equal footing with sylus and avoids infantilizing the player.

in that scene, it's clear that sylus likes people knowing about our relationship with him. he likes that people know we're together and he likes that we wore the necklace he gifted to us. in that sense, i feel like sylus is possessive of us without the jealousy that possessiveness is normally portrayed with. it's rare for the romance genre to depict this. he's so secure and confident in himself and his relationship with mc that jealousy is rare for him.

of course, there is the 「Sweet Bitterness」 voice call where sylus accidentally ate the meal that was meant for us. the server left his contact information with the food because he wanted a chance to meet up with mc. sylus decides he'll order the same meal for you and turn down the server on your behalf. jealousy is a normal human emotion that even sylus isn't completely immune to. however, the jealousy he experiences is pretty minimal compared to the other LIs imo.

possessiveness also inherently involves the actual or perceived presence of a third-party. there's no reason to claim ownership of something if there's nobody else to threaten that ownership. you wouldn't worry about your favorite book being stolen if there's nobody else around to steal it, right? similarly, the act of pda is not just about showing your partner affection, but also showing others that both you and your partner are taken and together. part of it is about affection, but part of it is also about showing off that affection to others.

how does this all connect to exhibitionism? well, i think sylus would enjoy showing you off but would never allow someone else to touch you. in the voice call, he doesn't care about the meal or the kind gesture in itself, but the server's attempt at meeting up with mc is what bothered him enough to want to turn the server down himself in person. i think he enjoys the feeling of "possession" shared between you and him. he wants to show off that you belong to him, and he enjoys it when we show off that he belongs to us. he wants us to "claim our territory" for ourselves, aka claim him for ourselves.

i think he'd enjoy semi-public or fully public sex. he'd enjoy the risk that comes with being caught during semi-public sex. if it's a bsdm club or alternate universe setting where exhibitionism/public sex is allowed, he'd love to show off your body and the way you belong to him. what better way is there to stake his claim on you and your claim on him than to bite, mark, and have sex with each other in front of others? creampie, bondage, toys…there's so many different ways where he (or you) can show off your control & possession over each other + how you own him and he owns you. it's like a public claiming of territory, proof that you and him only belong to each other, and that you're both proud of that fact. you and him are kindred spirits with your possession, claiming, and ownership of each other. i definitely think sylus' character and his dynamic with mc ties in perfectly with exhibitionism!

also, if you feel insecure or anxious about your body or relationship with sylus, well, there's no better way to show off how much he loves you than proudly fucking and showing you off to the world <3 if he was really ashamed of you, he would hide the relationship. so to prove that he's not ashamed of you, he's gotta show off his beautiful partner ofc 😏 he's the luckiest man in the world to have you :>

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.

Yinyang is an ancient Chinese philosophy, explained as two opposing forces existing together to create harmony, a balance in life itself. They are opposites, existing on their own, but also interacting and complementing their other half for the cohesion of one unity. The symbol used to represent Yinyang is widely known around the world, depicted as such (typically referred to as "yin and yang symbol" in English-speaking areas.):

The black side represents "Yin." Yin itself is representative of different elements and concepts, notably: femininity, darkness, passiveness, the moon.

Yang is represented by the white side. Yang represents masculinity, light, activeness, the sun.

In a previous post I had made, I've briefly touched upon a key scene shown in the trailer that highlights the theme of yinyang.

The scene depicts MC and Caleb on a bridge with a clear separation of light and dark split across the screen. The narrative behind Caleb and MC's relationship have heavily been about how both are each other's other half, with themes of both support and codependence on one another. They both exist separately, but together, they feel whole.

Notably in the scene above, MC (representing the femininity of Yin) is walking toward darkness. Earlier in the trailer, she is also depicted as more passive in nature compared to her previous incarnations in other myths or even the main story. She isn't shown engaging in combat or wielding a weapon (in the myth itself, not the actual combat system), but rather guarded and protected by Caleb instead.

Irreversibly, Caleb is depicted in the scene above as walking away from MC, heading toward the light. Representing Yang, Caleb embodies the masculinity, depicted as the active and aggressive half.

Both figures head to their respective side, creating a symbolic imagery of the symbol and philosophy of yinyang.

The scene seems poignantly representative of the myth's title, "Yin Yang Sundering."

Sundering n. as in dissolution; the act or process of a whole separating into two or more parts or pieces Sundering v. as in separating; to set or force apart — Merriam-Webster

One could infer the myth will deal heavily with themes of separation, particularly forcing apart, presumably Caleb and MC. As trailers often mislead to create intrigue, as of the date of this post (March 25th), it cannot be definitively concluded when exactly the scene above has taken place in the narrative. However, it is interesting to point out that in other scenes of the trailer, both Caleb and MC are shown together in a dark realm called "the Nether Realm" with both bearing the title of Lords of the Nether Realm.

In fact, the summary of the myth itself is as followed:

"Heaven and earth dwell in chaos, and Yin and Yang have lost their way. While the day belongs to the mortal realm, where the living may roam, the night is claimed by the nether realm, where Ghosts run rife. Humans shall not venture forth in darkness, nor shall ghosts walk in the light. Thus, the world of mortals is bound in eternal day, and the realm of spirits in perpetual night." As the Lords of the Nether Realm, you and he rule over the depths—wardens of the departed souls and scourges of the man-eating Ghosts that ravage the land. You long for these inseparable moments to last forever, yet memories always drift in a haze… But before you became the Lord of the Nether Realm, who were you?

TL;DR about lotus because I couldn't elaborate this morning lol BUT WE'RE YAPPING NOW.

Throughout Caleb's third myth trailer, lotus is seen in many scenes with captions alluding to them throughout the trailer. It is a flower seen in many cultures, carrying many different meanings.

Lotus, in their natural environment, grow and thrive in muddy waters, requiring the ideal water temperature to be 75°F to 87°F (24°C–31°C). Because of the murky conditions it grows in, it is often regarded as a symbol of beauty growing in less ideal situations. It could also represent resilience, growing and thriving in an environment where many living beings would not survive.

The plant will root itself into the mud and its lengthy stem will extend above the water. Because of the way the flower rises above the muddy water without any stain, it is also used as a symbol of purity.

The flower itself is unique for its bloom time. It will unfurl in the morning as the sun rises, but as evening approaches, it will gradually close its petals until the next morning. This process will repeat and last for the duration of the flower's cycle, typically three to five days. Because of this unique process, the flower has also come to represent rebirth.

Because this flower is native to many countries from Africa to Asia, it can be found symbolically in many cultures, depicting other themes such as enlightenment. strength, and even spiritual growth.

As Caleb's myth is a work of fiction with strong supernatural themes shown in the trailer, there does seem to be some liberty taken with the depictions of lotus, as many are seen in full bloom in the Nether Realm, a place of absolute darkness.

While we don't quite understand MC's role in the myth yet, I have noticed an interesting caption on Caleb's upcoming 4* card, "Duskshard Lotus":

"You said you were excited to explore the mortal realm. And yet here you are... resting in a lotus pond. It's time to wake up."

In the image above, it almost appears that Caleb is speaking to the glowing lotus flower itself. The caption itself could be a piece of dialogue for the upcoming Secret Time that is often attached to the 4* myth cards.

Circling back to MC, there is a sense that she could be seen similarly to a lotus flower (I mean... I also wouldn't be surprised if she's a lotus flower itself given some of the implications we've seen in the captions throughout the trailer... but I digress...) [WAIT. I watched the trailer again. It does look like MC appeared from a lotus flower, so uh, MAKE OF THIS AS YOU WILL]. Caleb sees her as something pure he needs to protect, being repulsed by the very idea that others could taint her with their touches.

On the other hand, MC also behaves rather innocently, being playful around Caleb, such as when she... plops herself on his head:

Caleb also goes from being cold and intimidating to soft and gentle around MC. He is very tender and protective of her, holding her in high regard, completely devoted to her even willing to sacrifice his own self for her.

The color purple is notably prevalent in both Caleb's myth as well as the resonance scene for his myth companion. Beyond being a reflection of the color of Caleb's eyes, purple has been used both culturally and in narratives to represent many things, such as royalty.

It is also often used to represent spirituality or even the supernatural, which would make this very befitting in the myth as both Caleb and MC are depicted as supernatural beings in a different realm. Another interesting connection is that the color purple is associated with death and mourning in many cultures, and the myth itself have depicted many ghosts in the trailer.

...

I actually don't know how to end this, so here's naughty myth boombayah as a treat for making it to the end:

oh look everything is purple, so this bookends nicely

Oh, to have Caleb explode inside you—

Bye. („• ֊ •„)

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.