Chase *The crouching moron, hidden badass, and a short himbo*: YOU GHOSTS DONāT EVEN LIFT, BROS! STAY AWAY FROM MY MAN!
Buddy *The tall magical twink from Victorian era*: O-ohā¦ So he can just do this, whenever. If I think too hard about the logistics of this, I might swoon. I gotta distract myselfā oh, perfect! KEEP MOVING, FRECKLES! OR GET EATEN OR SOMETHING!
Wave is a character that I wish to dissect and analyze under a microscope. So I will. And no, I wonāt be giving him anesthesia.
I wasnāt going to go this in depth originally. Thereās been so much discussion and theories surrounding him that I didnāt want to repeat information. However, due to posts and other analyses made by other users (Iāll share those in a sec), I was inspired to delve deeper into Wave as a character to hopefully unearth his true identity, his real nature, and motives.
I made a pull a while back, asking the question, āWho is Wave?ā And I loved everyoneās take. Each one was fun to read and think about. I made it to gage the fandomās thoughts on him, since mine were mixed at the time. However, that was my only use for it, until I was hit in the face with a realization about Wave a little while after making it. Which only added to my initial desire to make an analysis. But it became a theory too. So Iām using that pollās engagement to help with this analysis and theory. So thanks to everyone who engaged!
With that out of the way, *puts on a lab coat, gloves, and pulls out a scalpel with an innocent grin* letās discuss Wave.
Wave has told the others quite a bit about himself:
Heās about to graduate college.
His family is in debt, and now he has college debt on top of that. So double debt.
He has a mom, a sister, a girlfriend and grandma.
He likes surfing.
He knows a guy named Devon who owes him money.
Heās Roseās current Keyholder.
He doesnāt like frilly or pink stuff.
The old fart has been teaching him spells.
The old fart has been keeping him locked up so he doesnāt leave.
Heās only staying with the old fart in order to keep his family safe.
He doesnāt know whatās going on half the time.
He knows reverse psychology.
Heās clumsy.
He knows how to talk to kids.
His grandma has a bowl of seashells on her toilet.
Heās never used a bow before.
He had an old style camera from the 1990s once, and he knew how to use it in Absentee.
He didnāt watch the movie, Absentee. But he knew it existed.
He gets all his best ideas in the shower.
Third period biology class is his, āGreatest fear.ā
Heās always wanted to be considered a genius.
Physically, Wave is the tallest out of the cast, possibly 6 foot or more. Buddy was stuck in the void before being saved by his sister. So he didnāt age at all, making Wave the oldest since he would be in his early to mid twenties if heās about to graduate. He has hazel eyes, short strawberry blond hair, and a six pack. He seems as fit as Chase is, but I think Chase outranks him in terms of fitness. But he is physically capable and has a height and weight advantage. Heās also the most tan out of the cast. His favorite attire is a simple T-shirt, swim shorts, and flip flops.
This is the baseline of Waveās characteristics that are physically present and known to the cast. Visually, heās a good looking dude with a great sense of humor. His personality is just as good looking. His charisma is pretty high, heās sweet with kids, and he listens to others but heās a big oaf. He gained Deacon and Prunellaās trust with ease because of his personality. He seems pretty open about himself and his struggles.
However, we the audience know that Wave is a liar with ulterior motives. We know that heās manipulative, so everything weāve thought about him is now put into question. He may be pretty on the outside, but the inside is another story. Wave has been lying from the start, he didnāt just start in Stardust. He was always lying and playing dumb.
If I were to try and debunk every line of dialogue that Wave has said, weād be here for a week. Instead, Iāll go over the important moments that showcased his character. Wave likes to talk, so thereās quite a bit to go over. But for once, he made my job easy. He immediately blurted out his tragic anime backstory once he was caught in Season 2, Episode 7, Party Crashers (VII). The meat of what we know about him came from that discussion. Iām not gonna use screenshots because I want to focus on the words.
Wave:
It started at the beginning of this summer. I was graduating collegeā¦ And not looking forward to it, really. College was fun, but now I have all of these things to worry about.
My family had kinda gotten into really bad debt, and tuition just made it worse. So I had to figure out how to support my mom and sister. Anyway, my girlfriend saw a notice in her dorm that she showed me. Someone stuck it up on a board by the dorm rooms. It was some kind of internship program, or at least thatās what it sounded like. Like, it made it seem like it was just a job archiving old books for the summer, organizing them and cataloging them. Easy enough.
I thought the pay was too good to be true, especially since they didnāt require any special degree. I didnāt have any other options after school, besides maybe a retail job. And I really needed to start supporting my family. I applied and managed to get an interview with the guy who owned the whole estate. It was this really old guy, and he said Iād be handling a lot of valuable documents and old books from a āprivate estateā. He emphasizes security and privacy because of the value of them.
I got offered the job, and passed a million background checks and stuff. The contract arrived along with a cash bonus up-front for my family. They wanted me to move to the guyās estate and start right away. I should have asked more questions. The cash should have been a red flag. But I barely read half the contract before returning it, just in case they changed their minds.
I moved out to the coast and set up at the estate right away. But as soon as I got there, I knew something was wrong. My āroomā was in the basement, in an unused storage room. I wasnāt allowed to go anywhere, actually. Not even several miles into town. On my first night there, I woke up to find my phone and laptop confiscated. The old man kept my phone, and anytime I want to call home now, heās in the room with me to watch what I say. After that, the basement doorās been locked every night after I go to bed.
It was then that I found out what Iād really be doing. Going into books to farm Narratonin for himā¦ And spying on you guys. If I try to quit, or tell my family anything, the old man said heād sue us into the ground for breach of contract. Heās got the money and the papers to do it. Andā¦ He might do something worse. Rich guys like him can afford to make people disappear.
But if I just do what Iām told, he said heād pay off all my familyās debts, plus more. I dunno what to doā¦ We need the money badlyā¦ But I donāt want to spy on anyone.
Chase:
Why would he bring a stranger in to do this stuff? Why doesnāt the old guy just do it himself?
Wave:
He walks with a cane, and heās like crazy old. He can barely put a sentence together without running out of breath. Heās got some people in and out of the house doing errands for him and running business outside of the estate, but no one else actually lives there, besides a small security staff, watching the grounds. If heās got other people doing book stuff for him, which he might, Iāve never seen them. Feels like itās just me and him trapped in the house.
I had to do some trial books to prove I could keep up with the stories. Itās been insane. I never really believed in magic before, but the stuff Iāve seen? Itās beyond belief.
*Sips tea* Letās go over the highlighted sections one by one.
āIt started at the beginning of this summer.ā
Colleges in America start summer vacation in May. Meaning, that Wave was looking for a job around this time. This means that Wave was involved with Ex Libris as early as mid to late May, or early June. High schools in America start their summer vacations in late May or late June. But theyāre typically in June. This moment heavily implies that he was involved before any of the main cast.
āGraduating collegeā¦ā
Bro was about to graduate and wasnāt looking forward to it due to, āAll of these things to worry about.ā What did he study? How many years did he study? What degree was he getting? He doesnāt specify his major or anything. Yet I donāt think he was lying here. But Iāll get to that in a sec. Anyways, he was worried about what he was gonna do after college, which I donāt think is a lie, either. But Iāll share my thoughts on that later.
āMy family had kinda gotten into really bad debt, and tuition just made it worse.ā
Bro said he got hit with The Double Decker Debt, Chat. Like, heās really trying to hammer home that heās in debt.
āSo I had to figure out how to support my mom and sister.ā
Heās not only in debt, but he has to support his mom and sister. He has no dad. Wave is the breadwinner. Therefore, if something happens to him, his mom and sister will be in trouble.
āAnyway, my girlfriend saw a notice in her dorm that she showed me.ā
Itās because of her that he found this job at all. This is why I think Wave is in college, itās because we actually see what this girl looks like. This part of the story is given emphasis. He met this girl while in college and they started dating. She wanted to help him find a job, and she did.
āSupporting my family.ā
Good job for having urgency.š
āThe contract arrived along with a cash bonus up-front for my family. They wanted me to move to the guyās estate and start right away.ā
Waveās family wanted him to move and start this job right away because the money was good? Is that what heās telling us???
āBut I barely read half the contract before returning it, just in case they changed their minds.ā
This decision makes Wave sound humble, but a bit dumb. All of which fits his character up until Stardust, where the mask finally slips enough to where itās undeniable.
āThe old man kept my phone, and anytime I want to call home now, heās in the room with me to watch what I say.ā
Yeah, that sounds like something the old fart would do.
āIf I try to quit, or tell my family anything, the old man said heād sue us into the ground for breach of contract.ā
That also sounds like something he would do. But again with this emphasis on Wave saying heās keeping his family safe.
āHe might do something worse. Rich guys like him can afford to make people disappear.ā
No shit, Sherlock. Also, keep this moment in your head. Remember what Wave said here.
āBut if I just do what Iām told, he said heād pay off all my familyās debts, plus more. I dunno what to doā¦ We need the money badlyā¦ But I donāt want to spy on anyone.ā
A-huh. So he admitted to Chase that the old fart gave him a good reason to stay outside of blackmail. But heās conflicted, but not enough to just outright stop. He even robbed and tied someone up. Bro, is more than willing to do that unnecessary theft and bring a low level kidnapping kit into a book. I donāt think bro is truly as conflicted as he says he is. Also- also, what about not dying? Donāt you want to, like, live?
Lies are at their most convincing when truths are weaved into their roots. Everything he says about the old fart is consistent with what we know about him. The estate and how it works also fits with what weāve heard from Violet and Buddy. How Wave got the job is a bit more up in the air, but Iām inclined to believe him due to seeing his girlfriend in his flashback. You know who we donāt see in his flashbacks? His mom and sister. We see the apartment Wave lives in. Yes, itās a one bedroom apartment, not a dorm. It looks way too personalized to be a dorm room.
Wave lives alone. We donāt see family photos, or texts from his mom or sister like we see with Deaconās parents. Instead, we have photos of his girlfriend, a cat, and a blacked out photo of a group of three, possibly four people. But only one looks feminine. Which they could be his girlfriend again. Due to the washing machine and desk placement, this apartment is pretty small. Dorms donāt allow washing machines, plus, the room is too big for it to be a dorm. This means that heās financially stable enough to have an apartment, with no roommates, and go to college.
Furthermore, he has a Nintendo Switch, several monitors, a laptop and a phone. Those arenāt cheap. You can get them second hand at a much cheaper price, or you can make individual purchases over the years. But if heās a college student whoās supporting his family, while living in an apartment and not a dorm, and paying for said college while simultaneously not having a job before handā how did he get all that stuff? Did his grandma help? The one that he doesnāt mention until Episode 33 of Season 2? Is his family financially able to pay for video games, a new phone, two computer monitors and a laptop while heās at college but living in a one bedroom apartment, with no roommates? Especially if your family is in, oh, how did he phrase it? āMy family had kinda gotten into really bad debt, and tuition just made it worse.ā
Chat, I donāt think Waveās family is in kinda bad debt. :)
In fact, I may go as far to say that his mom, sister, and grandma donāt exist. He keeps bringing family up, saying how they need him, while also making them out to be really eager for money to the point that he and them are ignoring red flags. They pushed him to go through with the job. Itās almost like heās putting the blame on his family that heās in this situation at all. It feels like heās simultaneously blaming, while playing off as the breadwinner son who wants to help and doesnāt blame them at all. Pick a side!
We donāt see their faces, weāre given no names, and we donāt see texts from them. There are no pictures of them in his apartment, either. We only see Waveās girlfriend. Heck, Wave doesnāt even specifically if his sister is younger or older than him!
Wave only mentions his sister in his backstory. She isnāt brought up again. He does mention his mom in Episode 15 of Season 2. But itās a quick one off about her being impressed by his backflips.
His girlfriend is also brought up twice. Once in the backstory, then again in Episode 26 of Season 2. But we havenāt gotten any other mentions of her.
Now, letās delve deeper into his first interaction with Chase. In Episode 5 of Party Crashers, Chase chased (heh) Wave through the mall until Wave backflipped off a balcony, falling to the first floor but landing on a couch/cushioned seat. In Episode 6, Chase met Wave on the bottom floor where they started to talk. Well, Chase was asking question after question. Wave said he was dizzy, had a head injury, but was otherwise fine. He jumped so the recording device he had on him would break. This is where Wave brings up the old man. He didnāt want Wave tampering with evidence, so he attached an old recording device on him so he couldnāt turn it off or delete anything. Because of this, Wave didnāt want to be too close to the gang, but he still wanted to know who they were, so he kept his distance.
Chase continues his questioning while the two play some games in the arcade. He wanted to know if Wave was a part of the Ex Libris higher ups, a lackey, or if he was even a part of it at all. Wave was more focused on the game, however. But he does answer that he thought this gig as a summer job. Wave also said that he knew about old books and key magic, but wasnāt a part of EX Libris. He then says that heās being forced to do the old fartās dirty work, which included spying on the gang. He admits this with a āremorsefulā expression. Chase retorts, āWhy are you telling me this? You stayed in the job with them. Youāre choosing to do their dirty work.ā
āYou donāt understand,ā Wave adds. āI donāt want to do any of this. Thatās why I need your help! I have a bad feeling that if I donāt escape from them soon, itās gonna beā,ā GAME OVER, Wave then points to the forgotten game they were playing. āYeah. That.ā
Then we move onto Episode 7, where Wave tells Chase his backstory.
Iām gonna be blunt, the buildup to the backstory and the backstory itself was a strategy. It wasnāt his intention to be seen, but the moment Chase caught up with him, Wave changed tactics and went into full blown manipulation mode. Heck, the clothes he was wearing was all in the act of seeming harmless in the event he did get caught. He had on his signature T-shirt, swim shorts, and flip-flops. Those donāt scream, evil cult at all. Chase thought bro looked like a guy who swam with dolphins.
I told the backstory first, because I wanted that to be fresh in everyoneās minds. What Wave did, the moment Chase caught him, was to try and manipulate him. He did that backflip in order to get Chaseās guard down. Chase is a caring guy. Wave had been spying on them for a hot minute, that would be one of the first things heād pick up on. If Wave looked stupid, acted clumsy and clueless, but genuinely friendly by destroying a device that he didnāt destroy earlierā but got hurt in the process, Chase would be more focus on him being hurt then the spying part. Wave had that backstory in his back pocket (because most of it is based on true events), just in the event he did get caught so he could see how easy Chase would be to trick. Because letās face it, bro was too eager to spill his woes to Chase of all people.
Wave brought up having a family and whatās going on with them ten times in that backstory. Thatās a lot of times. He brought up having women in his life that would miss and need him if he didnāt escape Ex Libris, fast. But he canāt leave due to money, contracts, and negligence. He brought up money troubles, college debt, finding a job, getting a sucky job that ended up being not a job at all and now being stuck in a cult. Itās believable on the surface because a good chunk of it is true. Wave just sprinkled in more angst for the plot by adding that he has a single mom with a sister that need him. And the money stuff too.
But since we see more than what Chase sees, he doesnāt know about Waveās apartment or what his girlfriend looks like, or any of that. He only has Waveās word, which is why I took away the pictures and put them last so the words can shine. Weāre reading what Chase heard without any pictures. With the amount of times Wave brings up the women in his life, his money troubles, and regrets heās feeding Chase a friendly facade with some relatability.
āChase is a young guy who might go to college soon. Heās gotta have a family, maybe a crush or romantic partner? Itās best to play it safe and go in on all fronts, but only slightly. Getting a job is scary, and this whole situation is crazy to those not use to it, letās combine both and really hammer in that this whole thing is dangerous. Lives are at stake. This is a chance for him to play hero.ā This line of thinking must have crossed Waveās mind. Because his backstory plays into every insecurity, strength, weakness and want Chase has.
Chase is emphatic to a fault and wants to help others.
Chase is a guy. Societal norms affect everyone, no matter how queer or straight one can be. If a woman is in danger, the guy has to be the hero and protect her. The guy has to provide, and the guy has to be strong for his family. Thatās what society expects and drills into people.
Growing up is scary and hard. Going to college and getting a job is no better. What would life be like after all that change? Chase is young and struggles enough with death as it is. He even struggles with money and wants to be rich so he can give it to others.
Chase doesnāt like death or seeing people in danger or hurt, or heck, even hearing about it.
The likelihood that Chase has a romantic partner would be high, in Waveās eyes. Or at the very least, liked someone. Considering how much Chase kept on worrying about this āBuddyā guy while Deacon didnāt in Episode 2 of Party Crashers, Wave definitely heard it.
Chase has a sick mom who is also a single parent with money problems.
This backstory, with this context just became a test on how easy Chase would be to manipulate. How many questions would he ask? Would he believe this story? And would he feel empathy, or relate to him like Wave suspected? How would he react?
My question is how Wave was able to target such specific things, but if heās been spying, then heās been doing a good job getting intel.
However, for once, Chase failed a test that, in the long run would be his saving grace. Because this was the moment that Wave knew Chase wouldnāt be easy to manipulate. It wasnāt in Episode 17, in the arc, Little Shadows that he learned that, no. Chase had reservations as early as Party Crashers after hearing Waveās anime backstory. Look at his reactions after hearing it. Heās never met this guy before. The guy has been nothing but dumb yet kind to him their entire meeting. Bro just spilt his guts out to this random guy, and asked for his help:
Now look at Chaseās reaction to figuring out that Buddy, a guy whoās been a jerk to him and Deacon the entire time, was locked up somewhere and was never given food:
Buddy never said a word. His reaction was enough. Chase didnāt need to ask any more questions. Heās known Buddy long enough to notice the shift in his demeanor at such a joke. But with Wave, he kept on asking and asking. Thatās one of the things a manipulator doesnāt want their targets to do, is to ask too many questions. Asking questions is a sign that their targets wonāt just listen and bend to their will without a bit more effort.
The things Wave was targeting in Chase were very specific. But the empathy thing worked, tho. Chase had a conflicted expression as Wave left. But that was enough for Wave to put his foot in the door. That tiny amount of uncertainty gave him enough room for doubt, because he fed into Chaseās desire to help others the most. The rest of the test, Chase failed. Wave knew he wouldnāt be so easily swayed, but he needed to be sure. So, he tested the waters again in Little Shadows. And when Chase kept asking questions and didnāt reveal his real name to him, Wave knew for certain heād have to manipulate the others to get to Chase.
If he could find their weaknesses, he could manipulate them, and in tern, manipulate Chase externally. If we look at each arc with him being a manipulative sus muffin, then every action, joke, and additional detail about him gains a new layer of eeriness. The moment Wave saw Deacon, he immediately offered him a sandwich in Little Shadows, Episode 18 of Season 2. That was his first move. He was friendly with Deacon immediately. And in the next arc, Perfect Halo Wave amplified his stupidity, silliness, and friendly behavior with Deacon. That same arc, he also made a friendly gesture to Prunella by giving her a piggyback ride. That was his first move to gage her insecurities. He had already found some of Deaconās: Being a third wheel, feeling inferior, and his lack of self worth and not knowing things. As long as Deacon thinks he knows something, heās as confident as a cat catching a mouse.
All Wave needed to do was to be open about his struggles, reassure Deacon that heās importantā even as a third wheel, and give him compliments with a friendly face. As long as he makes Deacon think he knows who he is, then heās got him. If he thinks heās an ally or a friend, even better. With that logic, Deacon was the easiest to manipulate, heās also the dad of the group, so Wave stuck around him the most.
Wave got quite a bit of intel on Prunella. Her insecurities were also easy to take advantage of. For one, she was the youngest. Therefore, sheād have insecurities about not being listened to. Also, she might not feel like part of the group due to how old everyone else is compared to her. And if that was his thought process, then he was proven right because of what happened in Perfect Halo. Deacon, Chase, and Buddy didnāt listen to her, and Chase and Buddyās competitive flirting messed up the book her dad got her. Who she rarely sees. But it also revealed something else. That everyone in that group cares for Prunella a lot. They all worked to make up for their mistakes.
All Wave had to do was be super duper sweet and listen to Prunella in order to gain her trust. Be a playful guy to her, and sheād feel seen enough to trust him completely.
You know who didnāt fall for Waveās shit? Yeah, Buddy. In Perfect Halo, Wave tried to do the same thing. He put on a friendly and dorky oaf demeanor, but since he didnāt know Buddy at all, he couldnāt target any specific insecurities. So, he had to guess. Since he heard from Chase that Buddy was supposedly stuck in Ex Libris, he made his discussion key based. He talked about being a Keyholder and how weird it was. We only got a chunk of that conversation, but this was what we got:
Wave: So then I was like, āListen dude, we might be married in this book, but I kinda just wanna be friends.ā Yeah, heaving The Lover Key is a little weird sometimes, for real. But thatās just sorta my thing now, and itās not so bad. I mean, itās way better when I have people to talk toā.
Buddy responded in kind by shielding Chase the moment he walked into the conversation. Then said to Wave, without breaking eye contact, āAfter you.ā That moment told Wave this:
This Buddy guy is cold.
Buddy didnāt like what he said.
Buddy is protective in nature, especially with Chase.
Heās not very talkative. But he listens.
He didnāt fall for his friendly demeanor, nor was he all too empathetic. Therefore, he doesnāt trust him one bit.
If Buddy was in Ex Libris, he doesnāt act like it. He doesnāt act like a lackey or a higher up. He must be working on his own, or with a secret third party that knows the same tricksā¦
If Wave thought Buddy was protective and cared for Chase, then heād be proven right. The entire book, they were competitively flirting. And with how Deacon mumbled and talked, they did stuff like this a lot. Deacon confirmed that he was basically third wheeling. Buddy even saved Chase later on in the book.
Wave did see that Buddy has a soft spot for the rest of the group, however. Even tho he treats Deacon as an annoyance, he wasnāt down right cold. The two have a begrudging tolerance for each other. But theyāre willing to ask questions and help each other out. Later, when Buddy comforts Prunella, Wave saw that he cared for her as well. He went above and beyond to make her feel better.
In Perfect Halo, Wave got a good grasp of the groupās dynamic.
(He doesnāt know theyāre names, probably, only code names, which Iāll be using in this section)
Dorken has The Helper Key. He acts the oldest, and looks the oldest. He is the begrudging dad of the group who doesnāt want to third wheel. Heās the prep guy, and is just as nosy as Chase. He was a bit standoffish at first, but quickly warmed up the moment he was given information. Act open around him, tell him things that he thinks he wants, but donāt tell him anything of value unless it serves a purpose later. Heāll stop asking questions, unlike Chase.
Buddy has The Villainess Key (whether he knows that is up in the air at this point in the story, but he knows now in Stardust). He is cold, judgmental, and not too keen on chatting and really secretive. He and Dorken donāt get along 100%. But they arenāt downright hostile. There is a baseline of trust, but they arenāt friends. Heās probably the second oldest. But he acts differently from everyone else. He acts all high and mighty, but he does have a soft spot for Chase and the kid. He is likely Chaseās boyfriend, or theyāre at the very least dating. He knows about the magic and was supposedly involved with Ex Libris to some degree. But he didnāt like that conversation earlier. But he is good at stories and, āHas read every book ever.ā
Chase has The Heroine Key and is the leader of the group. But heās the third youngest, most definitely. He and Dorken are very familiar with each other, to the point theyāre having private conversations and making jabs. Theyāre probably related, maybe brothers. But they look nothing alike. As for his connection with the kid, heās either her babysitter, or older brother, itās one of the two. But again, they look nothing alike. Chase asks too many questions, is hyper competitive, but is a compassionate guy who cares for the team. He tends to get in over his head, but the others will have his back. Buddy will swoop in to save him with no hesitation.
The kid has The Hero Key and is the youngest of the group. She is babied by Chase and Dorken, while Buddy mostly kept to himself until she ran off to hide and cry. Whatever he said made her feel comfortable enough to leave her hiding spot. Sheās sassy, bossy, and doesnāt like being babied by the others. She likes to overshare and loves the Lady Lovealorn series. The kid is very familiar with Chase and Dorken. Itās unclear if she has that type of familiarity with Buddy. If she doesnāt know him all that well, then sheās pretty vocal around new people. Just be sweet and fun around her, unlike the rest, and sheāll be open to talk about anything.
Perfect Halo was the best thing to happen to Wave in terms of information gathering. Even though everyone was being careful not to reveal their names, that didnāt matter. Because discussions, dynamics, personalities and interests and more can tell a manipulator a lot. A manipulator doesnāt need your real name. What a manipulator needs to know is, āWhat troubles you? What do you want to hear? And how quickly do you let your guard down? What type of shame do you carry? How useful will you be? Are you a rational thinker, or are you quick to anger and judge others? What makes you vulnerable? Who do you trust or not? Who do you like or not? Who do you love?ā
Thereās more, but I think Iāve already painted a pretty grim picture.
Before Wave even entered the group chat, he was already assessing. The moment Wave was let into the group, they were being analyzed even further. Perfect Halo was an information hotspot. Everyone was in one place with all their flaws, insecurities, and desires on full display. Buddy and Chase are the hardest to manipulate, but they arenāt immune. Buddy has secret after secret tucked away from the others. Yet he loves this blond guy dearly. Chase is caring to a fault, but gets carried away by things far too quickly. He gets distracted just by being bored. They may not trust him 100%, but Wave doesnāt need their trust, he just needs the other halfās.
The next arc they met up in was Absentee. Wave did some notable things in that one. First, he wanted everyone to see that he had an outfit. He has a good partnership with Ro guys, truuuust. That was the first thing he established upon seeing the others, because for the last three books, he didnāt have an outfit. Heck, he didnāt have one in the Snow White book where they first caught wind of him. He stole someone elseās. So, for four books, he was swag-less.
I wonāt go into detail on the outfit side of things, Iāve already done that, and weād be here all day if I did it again. But note that they are not Roseās style in the slightest. Only Wave speaks through the outfits. The only time Rose did speak through was in Plunderland. Heh, lyre. Great pun, 19/10. Also note that Wave wasnāt happy with that outfit at all. Remember, he hates frilly and pink stuff. Whimp.
For a guy that supposedly has a sister, a single mother, a grandmother, and a girlfriend one would think heād be pretty chill with stereotypical feminine things. Iām not saying he has to like the color, or wear extra frills and stuff. But one would think heād at least wear Roseās outfits with little fuss. Like, how fragile is his masculinity where wearing pink hearts, ruffles, and tights cause him to run for the hills like he did in that flashback in Little Shadows? I hate to break it to him, (nah, actually, Iād kick him in the balls) but Prunella is more masculine than he is. Sheād wear pink, even though sheād rather wear army camo 24/7. Because outfits are a form of expression that transcends gender norms. His masculinity is where Pluto is, and Prunellaās is the sun.
Okay, so in Absentee, Wave tried to get along with Buddy. But each advancement was met with a Buddy equivalent of, āYou donāt get to know me, peasant.āšš āØ
However, Buddy let some thingsā¦. Slip.
āThis is such a waste of time. What kind of Narratonin can we get from a vague story that only provides sudden scares and has no solid ending? This wonāt be the least bit enjoyable.ā
āThis is nothing but walking and empty halls. Is this what passes for entertainment these days?ā
āThis book is hastily written garbage.ā
āWhat? Iām not afraid of this sorry specter! The only thing itās killing is my time!ā
Reeeaaaal slick, Buds. š¬
Wave left Chase alone. Prunella wasnāt there. So he mostly stuck around with Deacon. Wave reassured Deacon about being a third wheel again, asked him questions about the book and his theories on the movie it was from, and gave him compliments. This was where Wave truly gained his trust. He had so much alone time with him that roots started to form. The last few arcs were for planting seeds.
Plunderland happened next, and since that arcās been talked to death, Iāll keep it short. The two people that Wave was specifically targeting, he was in a whole book with them, alone. Last book was Deacon centric, Prunella was next. He spent far too much time with her. Deacon trusted him with her safety, whichā¦.. Ouch. That wonāt bite them in the butt later. Definitely not. Especially not with the fact Buddy doesnāt pick the books, definitely not.
I will add that Wave was literally mirroring Jakob Plunder. Remember when Wave told Prunella to leave the book, so she did, leaving the hero in her place? Yeah, bro literally dropped the hero (act) the moment no one was looking. Which was foreshadowing the now infamous Stardust Smirk. Not to get mixed up with the infamous Bite of 87.
Jokes hide lore. No one is safe.
This moment has also been talked about a lot. But I wanna go another layer deeper. So Iāll be skipping the Stardust arc.
There was a comment that got my attention when the Smirk Episode of Stardust dropped that made me look into this moment in Plunderland a bit more. @gravitykeith was apparently the one who made this comment. So props to them for posting it on here, because I completely missed it.
š¬ 3Ā Ā š 11Ā Ā ā¤ļø 111Ā Ā·Ā Now that the end of Stardust is free, Punko replied this to me regarding Wave which made me think...
We know that the k
So, this begs an even bigger question:
If Wave is a liar, how deep do his lies go?
Then I got to asking, how much does his reflection mirror Plunderās? And then the word, reflection reminded me of parallels. And then, I realized something, the reason for why this reveal was so shocking was because we were not given a motive. At least, not one that aligned with what we were seeing unfold.
My questions about Wave were as followed after the reveal:
How deep is Wave in Ex Libris?
How much of Waveās backstory is a lie?
Does he know that Buddy is a Key?
Whatās he gonna do? Whatās his plan?
Why is Wave seemingly afraid of the old fart? Is he family? Or what?
What does Wave want?
Waveās actions donāt align with his backstory. They donāt align with his seemingly innocent nature, and they donāt align with him being trapped. He is hiding his true nature far too well. He isnāt a morally gray hero like Plunder. Heās been toying with the gang since he was caught. Plus, he might not be a real blond. But why do any of this? Whatās his goal?
Well, letās answer that with a question. Who else does he parallel in the story?
Buddy.
Wave and Buddy have been narrative parallels since Waveās introduction. He was also after Chase, but instead of being confronted, Buddy did the confronting and made his desires known. Buddy was a mystery since day one. But he wasnāt hiding his feelings about the group, he didnāt hide his goals, and he didnāt put on a friendly front. Also, his manipulation skills were absolute shit. His information gathering was mid at best, and he kept his mouth shut. Chase and Deacon donāt know much about him to this day, but they didnāt know jack all in the beginning. Chase didnāt even know his name back then.
He followed them into nearly every book besides one, unlike Wave, who was inconsistent. Buddy had an outfit when Chase met him, where Wave didnāt. Buddy has a great relationship with his sister, who is a key, where Waveās relationship with his key is ass. Buddy knows whatās going on in every book where Wave is absolutely clueless. Buddy will be a begrudging guide, while Wave is happy to follow the leader. Buddy doesnāt get along with Deacon, where Wave does. Wave used his knowledge on the Backdoor Spell to manipulate Deacon. While Buddy wanted to tell Chase the full truth about the spell and himself. Wave tells lies and keeps secrets, while pretending to be an open book to Deacon, but wonāt tell him that. Buddy keeps secrets, but he hates telling lies and wants to be an open book to Chase, but canāt.
One is playing the hero, while the other is playing the villain.
Thereās more, but letās focus on the similarities.
Buddy and Wave both use the Backdoor Spell to follow the gang. Wave follows Bronze, while Buddy follows Silver. They are both siphoning the Hollow cousinsās Narratonin because of that spell. They were both following orders from someone else while doing this. For Buddy, it was Violet. But for Wave, itās the old man. They were both involved with the Magic before the main cast were. They both know more than what they let on about the cultās spells, while hiding behind a disguise.
Now, what did Buddy say to Chase and Deacon at the start? What did he say he wanted? The keys.
Thatās the motive. Wave is after the keys too. However, where Buddy wants to free the keys, Wave wants to keep them for himself. But why would I say that? How did I come to this conclusion? Two posts:
Firstly, my poll results:
š¬ 17Ā Ā š 4Ā Ā ā¤ļø 37Ā Ā·Ā Who do you think Wave truly is? Take your guesses now! Trust your gut! There are no wrong answers until proven otherwise!
There were many a theory in the comments and reblogs, and each one brought something new to the table. Each theory was unique, but they all had a few things in common:
Wave reminds everyone of someone.
The theme of family.
And then it hit me. Waveās actions, donāt fit with the theme of family. In fact, his words donāt match his actions in the slightest.
Unlike Buddy, who was being a jerk, his every action was in the effort to free his family. Every thought, word, and action was to free them and fix Silver. His regrets and shame, at their core are about making amends for what he had done. His whole character and redemption arc has been building up to one specific moment, to apologize to Silver. Every apology heās ever given has been building up to that one. From Beach Boys, to Perfect Halo, and then Stardust, they all had memorable and character revealing moments that involved a Buddy Apology (TM). Buddy grew as a person during and after each one. He got better at them over time, he gave less excuses, didnāt push or pass the blame, and didnāt ask for forgiveness.
Even though we, the readers know that Buddy was manipulated and donāt blame him for what had happened to Silver, to him thatās not the case. He realized far too late that he was being used, and that lead him to listening to the traitorās words. This domino effect lead to the traitor taking six of his siblings, and dropping one of em, cracking her. Buddy feels responsible. That night haunts him. Heās not after her forgiveness. He doesnāt feel like he has a right to, for he betrayed her. He betrayed his whole family, just to be human again.
Buddy views himself as the villain, and that night sealed it for him. His āselfish wishā lead him to listen to an unknown manās promise. He doesnāt feel deserving of forgiveness because he betrayed their trust in his eyes. He betrayed Silverās trust. To him, he might as well have been the one to drop her at the highest level of the manor, letting her fall to the cobble road down below.
Buddyās themes of family, love, belong and selflessness coincide with his actions in the story. Buddy views himself as a greedy villain who will only hurt the ones he cares about. Heās nothing but a common thief. When in truth, heās a jerk, but he doesnāt have an evil bone in his body. He can play the role, he will cut off chunks of the stepsisterās feet if the plot demands it. But if given the opportunity, he wouldnāt. If Buddy is put into a position where he has to fight, cut off chunks of a person, or steal to survive, he will. But the minute he gets the choice to not hurt someone, especially in real life, he will take it. If he really wanted to hurt Chase and Deacon, he would have done so ages ago. Instead, we see him saving their lives over and over. Buddy doesnāt want to be the villain, but thatās what heās been told to be. So, he plays it the best he can. However, Buddy is a morally gray hero. Heās not perfect, he aināt no saint, but bro would rather cut off his own head than hurt a kid.
Buddy struggles to see how selfless he actually is. He isnāt greedy at all. He just wants to be loved and to have a place to belong. Heck, he only wants one wish, and thatās to be human again. Violet gave him the opportunity to have any wish heād want, even the taboo ones! But heās throwing that all away. He never wanted that to begin with. Bro only stole and fought to survive, so he was like this long before he met the keys. No one told him to return Chaseās Narritonin or red hoodie, he made those choices himself. You donāt just show acts of selfishness and heroism out of the blue and then be told that youāre going through a character arc where you learn how to be a selfless hero. Buddy already had those qualities, he just needs to learn to recognize them!
Buddyās themes fit his actions in the story, because he embodies them. Waveās actions donāt make sense if heās supposed to embody the same ones. Which is why I donāt think he does. Weāve been reading Wave as just a parallel, but heās not just a parallel, heās a thematic opposite.
If Buddyās themes are of family, love, belonging and selflessness, then Wave is the opposite to those. Specifically in the selflessness department. Because there is a factor to manipulation of the people variety that I havenāt touched on, yet.
Manipulators know exactly what theyāre doing.
You donāt just accidentally manipulate someone. Itās an executive decision. Wave has been choosing to manipulate the others, and hasnāt and will not stop until they are of no use to him. Manipulation is the chosen action to make a person unknowingly give the manipulator what they want. There are many types of manipulation tactics, but each one has the soul purpose to make a person bend to their will enough to get something out of them. From gaslighting, guilt-tripping, to tactical charm and many more are all tools for such things. Manipulative behavior is greed at its finest, and itās often subtle which makes it difficult to spot on occasions. It takes many forms, and no two manipulators will do the same stuff.
Wave wants something from the gang, and that something is the keys. Buddy has the same wants but for opposite reasons. Buddy and Violet may have been a team, but he was making decisions independently from her. Wave is doing the same with the old fart. Heās working with the old man, but for his own benefit. He gets something out of this, and that something isnāt a wish or money or his familyās safety, itās the opportunity to steal the keys for himself once theyāre all collected. Heās putting on a front on all sides. He acts friendly, a bit stupidly, but helpful with the gang. But with the old man, he acts scared, helpless, yet helpful just to backstab him later. Both of these fronts give off a friendly and helpless yet helpful facade.
But why would Wave want the keys if heās a college student who just learned this stuff? This guy canāt just be a monster, thatās shallow. Well, thatās because he isnāt just a college student. In fact, like @squeer-el I think Wave is the traitor.
š¬ 19Ā Ā š 8Ā Ā ā¤ļø 77Ā Ā·Ā IS WAVE THE TRAITOR OF EX LIBRIS?Ā Ā·Ā Disclaimer: I still haven't completely re-read the second season of Cinderella Boy, s
I didnāt originally, but their post combined with the realization of themes and parallels helped me spot a pattern that I canāt unsee. Squeer-el brought up some great points that I want to add on further.
Firstly, their manipulation tactics are eerily similar.
Lets look at what the traitor said to Buddy in Little Shadows:
The traitor: Shhh, be still! Not a word. Listen to me while heās busy. I saw. He didnāt, but I did. I know you can break your keyring. You are not like the others. You are still partly human, I believe. And in being so, you have abilities far beyond theirs.
I know what you once were. It isnāt right, trapping a man like this. You must have people back in the city, looking for you. I know how you must feel about the orderās cruelty. I was promised a wish, long ago, only to be told I must āearn it.ā But after years of diligent loyalty and hard work, I know the truth now. None but the high council ever gets their wishes granted, no matter how desperate or important the wish may be.
They make us work for nothing, the promise of a wish always dangling over our heads, yet never getting any closer. They want to string us along forever, with hope always just out of reach. Itās cruel, yet we cannot leave once we know their secret. Those who try are silenced. But I have a plan. That isā¦ If youāre willing to help me.
*The guy then lays out a carefully detailed plan, yadda-yadda-yaddaā Iāll wish for you to be human again after my wishes are done*
The traitor: I wonāt lie, it is incredibly risky. If you are caught, they will discover your secret and likely lock you up in some worse way. As for meā¦ I doubt Iāll ever be seen again.
But this is all I can think to do to free the both of us.
Nox: Letās justā¦ Wish Ex Libris gone! All of them! Then I can take the others with me!
The traitor: Noā¦ If it were only that easy, but the keys have orders built into their very creation. They cannot be used to wish against any of the order. Wishes cannot be turned against the masters. They cannot be used to wish themselves out of Ex Librisā grasp. The old master thought of everything. I know you donāt want to leave the others. But perhaps when we are safely away, we can make a plan to steal them back? But thereās nothing you can do to help them while youāre this small, and trapped in this place.
They thought of everythingā¦ Except a key who can defeat them from the inside, then walk out. Will you do it?
This discussion targets different aspects of Buddyās struggle. Itās also a lot shorter if I take out the plan segment. But like Chase, he deliberately targets Buddyās humanity.
He confirms that Buddy isnāt like the other keys. Which is an insecurity that the traitor says is a strength in his eyes.
He goes after Buddyās belief that he canāt do anything while being so small.
He feeds into family ties and human connections.
He adds that heās a hardworking guy who was promised something that will never happen. No matter how hard he works, heāll never get what he wants. No matter how hard Buddy tries, heāll never be a key. But the guy adds that he understands, he knows how that feels. āWeāre not so different, you and I.ā
He brings up, āThis is our only shot, otherwise Iām dead,ā on multiple occasions.
āIf you help me, Iāll help you.ā
Buddyās manipulation is a lot more blunt than Chaseās, but itās almost beat for beat and bar for bar. Especially with the, āIām gonna die/be made to disappear,ā line being used more than once in both instances, especially near the end of the conversation. As well as the conversation being mostly traitor guy centric then Buddy centric. Which is interesting, because this moment happens in Episode 17 of Season 2 in Little Shadows (IV). Just before the flashback resumes, we see Chase and Wave talking.
The conversation is mostly Wave centric, as have all of Waveās conversations been before, during, and after since joining the gang. But he mostly talks about the danger heās in, and being unable to think of any other way to escape besides waiting it out until heās saved or let out. If Wave is the traitor, this conversation foreshadowed Buddyās manipulation. Because Wave is asking for Chaseās help to escape Ex Libris. Heās laying out all of Ex Librisās security that he canāt outmatch, but maybe an outsider with an insiderās assistance can?
He brings up family, getting what heās promised, escaping, the possibility of death and punishment, and asking for help (both directly and indirectly). Itās all him, him, him. Wave and the traitor both put up a friendly front, act helpless yet helpful, and seem more empathetic than they let on. They both overshare if it benefits them, they donāt ask for information from the cast, and they can change plans on the fly.
Their manipulation tactics are similar to King Candyās in Wreck-It Ralph. No, Iām not joking. This video analysis became my biggest resource while looking into Wave as a character, and the similarities are staggering.
This is kinda off topic, but I do want to add how Wave and King Candy/Turbo are similar:
They both donāt like the color pink.
Theyāre both manipulative people who put on a friendly facade to get what they want.
If Wave is the traitor coming back for another round, then their greed knows no bounds.
They both gained the trust of and manipulated children.
Both Wave and KC used the bronze/brown wearing character as a tool.
If Wave is the traitor, then they came back from hiding and never died.
They have violent tendencies that they hide.
If Wave is the traitor, then they both hurt the heroine.
Theyāre both a little silly.
They both know more than what they let on.
They hide behind a sweet disguise that they got by manipulation.
Evil smirks.
Tricked the masses.
Knows a lot about tech.
As you can see, Iāve lost myself in the sauce.š
Back on track, Wave and the traitor both use similar tactics to King Candy, but not bar for bar. Because Wave acts nicer then KC ever did:
Here are the ones that Wave has used throughout the series so far (Iāll add my own additions from other sources):
A friendly facade
Iām a good guy, too!
Mixing the facts
Cherry picking
Getting emotional
Feeding into insecurities
We arenāt so different
Praising targets
The threat of death or punishment
Lying
Changing the subject
Excessive apologies
Superficial charms
Selective attention
Rationalization
Foot-in-the-door
Target questions themselves
Shifting the blame
Feigning helplessness
Presenting a false narrative/dilemma
Now here is what the traitor used in the one incident we get:
A friendly facade
Iām a good guy, too!
Cherry picking
Getting emotional
We arenāt so different
Praising targets
The threat of death or punishment
Lying
Changing the subject
Selective attention
Foot-in-the-door
Feigning helplessness
Presenting a false narrative/dilemma
Rationalization
Shifting the blame
Manipulation tactics are powerful psychological tools used by emotional abusers to gain control over their victims. These tactics, such as g
Manipulation (psychology) - Wikipedia
Besides two things, they use the same tactics in the same fucking way. They just changed their script to fit different narratives for different targets. But if you look at how Wave tells his story, versus how the traitor does it, youāll notice that his manipulation is a lot more subtle. With Buddy he was far more obvious, but that didnāt matter, because the situation was intense moments prior. Where with Chase, itās more subtle. Even though the situation was a chase (heh) sequences not too long ago, his manipulation was better hidden. If Wave is the traitor, heās had years to build up this skill.
But what other evidence do we have that could prove Wave is the traitor?
Well, remember how Wave might not be an actual blond?
Hmm, the traitorās beard looks similar to Plunderās. Odd. Also, Waveās eyebrows donāt match his hair, like Plunderās. If Plunder is an actual morally gray hero, then heās an actual blond. Wave isnāt a morally gray hero, so thatās gotta mean he isnāt an actual blond. Plus, his eyebrows match the traitorās hair more than his current hair.
If Wave is the traitor, then by proxy, we know what he wished for. With the newest arc, The Best Laid Plans, weāre told exactly what one of the taboo wishes were. While also implying another. The old fart was immortal, at some point he wish for it. Violet said that was against the rules. Violetās Keyholder was one of the higher ups, but she never wished to be immortal or have eternal youth. Instead, we see she wished for money and junk. This means that two of the forbidden wishes were eternal youth and immortality.
We know one of the traitorās wishes, a ladder to escape. The other two were left out. But we know he wished for more than that. I donāt think Violet bringing up immortality and youth was a coincidence. That arc could have foreshadowed what the traitor wished for. This also means that Buddy and Wave are truly narrative parallels, thematic opposites, and foils.
Buddy was given eternal youth, immortality, and endless wishes. But he only wants one wish, to be human with Chase, and to free his family from Ex Libris.
Wave took his immortality, eternal youth, and wants to steal the keys to have infinite wishes. He wants to keep the keys for himself and be their new prison. Because that was the traitorās plan.
Is there evidence that Wave could have immortality? Actually, yeah. In Party Crashers, Wave backflipped off a balcony and landed face first on a couch or something. Sure, it cushioned his fall, but he shouldāve been more hurt by that than just dizzy. He didnāt appear to have a head injury at all. He didnāt have a broken nose or bruised face, he looked completely uninjured. Also, he didnāt seem to have a lot of hesitation to jump. Maybe he had a little, but he still jumped and came out fine. To me, it looked like he was choosing his options of letting it slip that heās not normal, or getting caught by Barbieās missing brother right then and there. Clearly, he picked the second option and played off his fall. āOoh geez, Iām sooo clumsy. Lol, I have a head injury, but Iām fine.ā
In past episode, injuries have been pretty visible. From cuts to bruises, weāve seen some blood at time, so Wave should have had a bruise at least. But we donāt even see that.
Buddy does get cuts and scrapes, but he isnāt naturally an immortal being. Heās still a normal human fused with a keyās body. Thatās gotta affect how he appears in books or something.
The backflip is just a little thought, something to chew on, Iām not holding it up a true evidence. But in Absentee, we get some stuff. Buddy and Wave paralleled each other quite a bit in that arc:
Wave knew how to operate a camera while Buddy didnāt.
Wave knew that Absentee was a movie that existed while Buddy didnāt even know what a movie was.
Wave wasnāt complaining about the book, while Buddy was.
Wave understood the scare factor while Buddy didnāt.
Wave said he had an old style camera like the one used in Absentee. He called it, āSo Vintage.ā I donāt like how heās look at the camera when he says it.
Furthermore, Buddy said this about the book, āThis is nothing but walking and empty halls. Is this what passes for enlightenment these days?ā To which Wave responded rather nonchalantly, āThis is how these stories always start outā¦ Super slow, then some weird jumpscares and noises, then the ghosts come at you.ā
I smell a smell, and itās not a good smell.
Lastly, this gem.
For those that donāt know, Highlander was a 1986 movie about immortal beings who have to fight to the death until thereās only one standing. āThere can only be one.ā The only way to kill these immortal humans is to cut off or destroy their heads. If Buddy, an immortal, is crushing Waveās head, who might also be an immortal, then that is a good reference (and some neat foreshadowing).
Also-also, the song, Who Wants to Live Forever by Queen was made for this movie, sooooooooooooo.
The Best Laid Plans reminded me of this song quite a bit with all that talk about life, death, love and being human. Granted, I didnāt know this song was in Highlander. I only knew the movie existed because my grandpa told me about it for two hours straight during a long car ride back in 2022. Yes, he told me the plot of the entire movie and the others that proceeded it. Apparently, the first movie was superior.
Now you know that blabbing on and on is in my genes. š
But hey, I can finally put this random movie info to use, so thanks grandpa!
Anyways, the main character of Highlander, Connor Macleod, a Scottish Highlander from 1536, aka, an immortal confronts his ultimate rival in modern day New York.
Fraser Clan, his rival kills Connor in battle, but didnāt cut off his head like he had planned, so Connor was resurrected. But due to the magic system of this world, Connor learns from this death that heās an immortal being called a Highlander. He is forever the age that he died at until someone cuts his head off. Connor was then mercifully exiled for witchcraft, and then wondered the world.
Heās had to change his name more than once. His original name was Connor, but in the modern day, he deals antiques and goes by the name, Russell Nash. But everyone calls him Nash. The other Highlanders call him Connor, however.
Connor/Nashās whole deal with being immortal and changing names is eerily similar to Nox/Buddyās whole deal. If this similarity is anything at all, that means Wave is Fraser Clan in this context. Heās an experienced immortal who is after the other immortal beings for his own gain. In the movie, if a Highlander beheads another Highlander, they gain their life essence (which is depicted as blue) and the others they have killed. Wave is after the power the other immortals posses, but not through death, but imprisonment.
Why am I so convinced Wave is the traitor besides all this other stuff? Because the traitor was never confirmed to have died, bro just vanished into the night. We only know one of the three wishes he wished for, and him making a return would make Waveās actions make 1,000 times more sense then if he was just some dude who just got here.
Wave being the traitor wouldnāt ruin his character, it actually adds a layer of depth to both his current and past self. He has experienced an immortal existence, and learned from it. What did he learn?
How to better manipulate people.
How to fit into society and the people around him.
How to accumulate wealth in a subtle way to the point he can be financially stable and still go to college.
How to make a new identity.
How to disappear.
All the things he learned in college throughout the years.
How to surf and find love with technology.
And probably more that I canāt think of.
Here is where my theory comes in:
Near the beginning of this post, I brought up that Wave said, ā I was graduating collegeā¦ And not looking forward to it, really. College was fun, but now I have all of these things to worry about.ā I didnāt think he was lying, and I still donāt. Because if Wave is immortal, but he has to hide it, what are you gonna do with all that free time? He wouldnāt have infinite wishes, so whatās he gonna do?
Heād develop a cycle of ālivingā and pretend to have a normal life. He would repeat this cycle until he found a way to steal the keys again.
If he is eternally youthful, then his options are pretty limited. Heād have to get a retail, factory, or some kind of blue collar job that can keep him under the raider. But due to changing economics and ways to save money, it wouldnāt be too big of an issue to fudge some things and make multiple savings accounts under different names. Time is whatās important in savingās accounts, not quantity. Bro probably has multiple life insurances, retirements, and savings stored away. He could pull from that whenever he wanted, especially if he needed to change his identity and move.
Yep, Iām saying Wave has committed fraud and other money related crimes, just because of his existence.
As school became more affordable over the years, Wave would start to take classes and increase his skills. This would add some verity in his life. Heād go to college every few decades or more, get a new job out of the area, and then dip. However, as technology advanced his disappearing act would become harder and harder to nail. So, heād take an interest in technology to use it to his advantage. Know thy enemy and all.
After a century or more doing this, his current girlfriend would find the very thing to cure him of this normal existence.
Here is the timeline:
The traitor steals six of the twelve key. At some point, he realizes that he needs all twelve and scatters them about. He canāt go back to Ex Libris. If he canāt have them, then no one will.
He starts his ānormal lifeā and gets a job. He does this until schools become more of an option and adds that to his routine.
He repeats this cycle for years and years. He finds hobbies, engages with life, commits fraudā ya know. But vanishing becomes harder and harder to do, for technologically has been advancing. So, he studies the enemy and takes an interest in it.
Then, modern day happens, and Waveās girlfriend finds a listing about a payed internship. Wave recognizes it, but it canāt be, right? To his surprise, all the keys have been found. He can finally end this cycle of normalcy.
He starts the job and pretends to be frightened of the old fart. He starts gathering Narritonin and doing book stuff upon instruction. But heās waiting for that last Key to be found before making his next move. But that annoying Villain Key is hard to track.
The Villain Key is finally located, all is going to plaā and the key escapes with four of the other keys the moment he returns. Shit.
Operation: Locate the missing keys is a go. Make flyers, and wait for a key to be used in a book.
The Helper Key gets used in a book, perfect! Now to be inconsistent with appearances and stay hidden so they donāt notice theyāre being followed. But who knows, maybe theyāll be helpfulā¦. Laterā¦. Maybe. :)
He robs a dude so he can blend in better, but his real targets notice. Crap.
Oops, Wave got caught by Barbieās long lost short himbo brother. Time to put his own plan into action! Sorry-not sorry, old man, itās just business.
Wave then learns about a mysterious āBuddyā guy. Then meets Deacon and Prunella. Buddy may be someone to keep an eye on.
Wave gets more info from the group, unbeknownst to them. He connects the dots and realizes who Buddy is. He must act carefully, one wrong move and Buddy will blow his whole cover. But that doesnāt mean he canāt play a few games. Heāll get more info in the process, a confirmation of his assessment. And he gets one in Stardust. āA common thief,ā you say?
And thatās what Iāve got so far. Honestly? The reason why I really focused on the college thing is because immortals in other comics have done similar things. Except they werenāt being evil or manipulative asses. They just wanted to go to college. The comic in question is called Novae, itās long but a cute story if any if you are curious.
Novae is a historical romance with a touch magic and a dash of astronomy. It chronicles the romantic adventures of Sulvain, a sweet tempered
I hope this analysis makes a lick of sense. Itās a bit all over the place, but I did my best to put my thoughts together into a coherentā¦. Essay.
Thank you for reading this far, Chat! Youāre real troopers!
I still hope Wave never makes it to the bathroom on time.
Wave is a character that I wish to dissect and analyze under a microscope. So I will. And no, I wonāt be giving him anesthesia.
I wasnāt going to go this in depth originally. Thereās been so much discussion and theories surrounding him that I didnāt want to repeat information. However, due to posts and other analyses made by other users (Iāll share those in a sec), I was inspired to delve deeper into Wave as a character to hopefully unearth his true identity, his real nature, and motives.
I made a pull a while back, asking the question, āWho is Wave?ā And I loved everyoneās take. Each one was fun to read and think about. I made it to gage the fandomās thoughts on him, since mine were mixed at the time. However, that was my only use for it, until I was hit in the face with a realization about Wave a little while after making it. Which only added to my initial desire to make an analysis. But it became a theory too. So Iām using that pollās engagement to help with this analysis and theory. So thanks to everyone who engaged!
With that out of the way, *puts on a lab coat, gloves, and pulls out a scalpel with an innocent grin* letās discuss Wave.
Wave has told the others quite a bit about himself:
Heās about to graduate college.
His family is in debt, and now he has college debt on top of that. So double debt.
He has a mom, a sister, a girlfriend and grandma.
He likes surfing.
He knows a guy named Devon who owes him money.
Heās Roseās current Keyholder.
He doesnāt like frilly or pink stuff.
The old fart has been teaching him spells.
The old fart has been keeping him locked up so he doesnāt leave.
Heās only staying with the old fart in order to keep his family safe.
He doesnāt know whatās going on half the time.
He knows reverse psychology.
Heās clumsy.
He knows how to talk to kids.
His grandma has a bowl of seashells on her toilet.
Heās never used a bow before.
He had an old style camera from the 1990s once, and he knew how to use it in Absentee.
He didnāt watch the movie, Absentee. But he knew it existed.
He gets all his best ideas in the shower.
Third period biology class is his, āGreatest fear.ā
Heās always wanted to be considered a genius.
Physically, Wave is the tallest out of the cast, possibly 6 foot or more. Buddy was stuck in the void before being saved by his sister. So he didnāt age at all, making Wave the oldest since he would be in his early to mid twenties if heās about to graduate. He has hazel eyes, short strawberry blond hair, and a six pack. He seems as fit as Chase is, but I think Chase outranks him in terms of fitness. But he is physically capable and has a height and weight advantage. Heās also the most tan out of the cast. His favorite attire is a simple T-shirt, swim shorts, and flip flops.
This is the baseline of Waveās characteristics that are physically present and known to the cast. Visually, heās a good looking dude with a great sense of humor. His personality is just as good looking. His charisma is pretty high, heās sweet with kids, and he listens to others but heās a big oaf. He gained Deacon and Prunellaās trust with ease because of his personality. He seems pretty open about himself and his struggles.
However, we the audience know that Wave is a liar with ulterior motives. We know that heās manipulative, so everything weāve thought about him is now put into question. He may be pretty on the outside, but the inside is another story. Wave has been lying from the start, he didnāt just start in Stardust. He was always lying and playing dumb.
If I were to try and debunk every line of dialogue that Wave has said, weād be here for a week. Instead, Iāll go over the important moments that showcased his character. Wave likes to talk, so thereās quite a bit to go over. But for once, he made my job easy. He immediately blurted out his tragic anime backstory once he was caught in Season 2, Episode 7, Party Crashers (VII). The meat of what we know about him came from that discussion. Iām not gonna use screenshots because I want to focus on the words.
Wave:
It started at the beginning of this summer. I was graduating collegeā¦ And not looking forward to it, really. College was fun, but now I have all of these things to worry about.
My family had kinda gotten into really bad debt, and tuition just made it worse. So I had to figure out how to support my mom and sister. Anyway, my girlfriend saw a notice in her dorm that she showed me. Someone stuck it up on a board by the dorm rooms. It was some kind of internship program, or at least thatās what it sounded like. Like, it made it seem like it was just a job archiving old books for the summer, organizing them and cataloging them. Easy enough.
I thought the pay was too good to be true, especially since they didnāt require any special degree. I didnāt have any other options after school, besides maybe a retail job. And I really needed to start supporting my family. I applied and managed to get an interview with the guy who owned the whole estate. It was this really old guy, and he said Iād be handling a lot of valuable documents and old books from a āprivate estateā. He emphasizes security and privacy because of the value of them.
I got offered the job, and passed a million background checks and stuff. The contract arrived along with a cash bonus up-front for my family. They wanted me to move to the guyās estate and start right away. I should have asked more questions. The cash should have been a red flag. But I barely read half the contract before returning it, just in case they changed their minds.
I moved out to the coast and set up at the estate right away. But as soon as I got there, I knew something was wrong. My āroomā was in the basement, in an unused storage room. I wasnāt allowed to go anywhere, actually. Not even several miles into town. On my first night there, I woke up to find my phone and laptop confiscated. The old man kept my phone, and anytime I want to call home now, heās in the room with me to watch what I say. After that, the basement doorās been locked every night after I go to bed.
It was then that I found out what Iād really be doing. Going into books to farm Narratonin for himā¦ And spying on you guys. If I try to quit, or tell my family anything, the old man said heād sue us into the ground for breach of contract. Heās got the money and the papers to do it. Andā¦ He might do something worse. Rich guys like him can afford to make people disappear.
But if I just do what Iām told, he said heād pay off all my familyās debts, plus more. I dunno what to doā¦ We need the money badlyā¦ But I donāt want to spy on anyone.
Chase:
Why would he bring a stranger in to do this stuff? Why doesnāt the old guy just do it himself?
Wave:
He walks with a cane, and heās like crazy old. He can barely put a sentence together without running out of breath. Heās got some people in and out of the house doing errands for him and running business outside of the estate, but no one else actually lives there, besides a small security staff, watching the grounds. If heās got other people doing book stuff for him, which he might, Iāve never seen them. Feels like itās just me and him trapped in the house.
I had to do some trial books to prove I could keep up with the stories. Itās been insane. I never really believed in magic before, but the stuff Iāve seen? Itās beyond belief.
*Sips tea* Letās go over the highlighted sections one by one.
āIt started at the beginning of this summer.ā
Colleges in America start summer vacation in May. Meaning, that Wave was looking for a job around this time. This means that Wave was involved with Ex Libris as early as mid to late May, or early June. High schools in America start their summer vacations in late May or late June. But theyāre typically in June. This moment heavily implies that he was involved before any of the main cast.
āGraduating collegeā¦ā
Bro was about to graduate and wasnāt looking forward to it due to, āAll of these things to worry about.ā What did he study? How many years did he study? What degree was he getting? He doesnāt specify his major or anything. Yet I donāt think he was lying here. But Iāll get to that in a sec. Anyways, he was worried about what he was gonna do after college, which I donāt think is a lie, either. But Iāll share my thoughts on that later.
āMy family had kinda gotten into really bad debt, and tuition just made it worse.ā
Bro said he got hit with The Double Decker Debt, Chat. Like, heās really trying to hammer home that heās in debt.
āSo I had to figure out how to support my mom and sister.ā
Heās not only in debt, but he has to support his mom and sister. He has no dad. Wave is the breadwinner. Therefore, if something happens to him, his mom and sister will be in trouble.
āAnyway, my girlfriend saw a notice in her dorm that she showed me.ā
Itās because of her that he found this job at all. This is why I think Wave is in college, itās because we actually see what this girl looks like. This part of the story is given emphasis. He met this girl while in college and they started dating. She wanted to help him find a job, and she did.
āSupporting my family.ā
Good job for having urgency.š
āThe contract arrived along with a cash bonus up-front for my family. They wanted me to move to the guyās estate and start right away.ā
Waveās family wanted him to move and start this job right away because the money was good? Is that what heās telling us???
āBut I barely read half the contract before returning it, just in case they changed their minds.ā
This decision makes Wave sound humble, but a bit dumb. All of which fits his character up until Stardust, where the mask finally slips enough to where itās undeniable.
āThe old man kept my phone, and anytime I want to call home now, heās in the room with me to watch what I say.ā
Yeah, that sounds like something the old fart would do.
āIf I try to quit, or tell my family anything, the old man said heād sue us into the ground for breach of contract.ā
That also sounds like something he would do. But again with this emphasis on Wave saying heās keeping his family safe.
āHe might do something worse. Rich guys like him can afford to make people disappear.ā
No shit, Sherlock. Also, keep this moment in your head. Remember what Wave said here.
āBut if I just do what Iām told, he said heād pay off all my familyās debts, plus more. I dunno what to doā¦ We need the money badlyā¦ But I donāt want to spy on anyone.ā
A-huh. So he admitted to Chase that the old fart gave him a good reason to stay outside of blackmail. But heās conflicted, but not enough to just outright stop. He even robbed and tied someone up. Bro, is more than willing to do that unnecessary theft and bring a low level kidnapping kit into a book. I donāt think bro is truly as conflicted as he says he is. Also- also, what about not dying? Donāt you want to, like, live?
Lies are at their most convincing when truths are weaved into their roots. Everything he says about the old fart is consistent with what we know about him. The estate and how it works also fits with what weāve heard from Violet and Buddy. How Wave got the job is a bit more up in the air, but Iām inclined to believe him due to seeing his girlfriend in his flashback. You know who we donāt see in his flashbacks? His mom and sister. We see the apartment Wave lives in. Yes, itās a one bedroom apartment, not a dorm. It looks way too personalized to be a dorm room.
Wave lives alone. We donāt see family photos, or texts from his mom or sister like we see with Deaconās parents. Instead, we have photos of his girlfriend, a cat, and a blacked out photo of a group of three, possibly four people. But only one looks feminine. Which they could be his girlfriend again. Due to the washing machine and desk placement, this apartment is pretty small. Dorms donāt allow washing machines, plus, the room is too big for it to be a dorm. This means that heās financially stable enough to have an apartment, with no roommates, and go to college.
Furthermore, he has a Nintendo Switch, several monitors, a laptop and a phone. Those arenāt cheap. You can get them second hand at a much cheaper price, or you can make individual purchases over the years. But if heās a college student whoās supporting his family, while living in an apartment and not a dorm, and paying for said college while simultaneously not having a job before handā how did he get all that stuff? Did his grandma help? The one that he doesnāt mention until Episode 33 of Season 2? Is his family financially able to pay for video games, a new phone, two computer monitors and a laptop while heās at college but living in a one bedroom apartment, with no roommates? Especially if your family is in, oh, how did he phrase it? āMy family had kinda gotten into really bad debt, and tuition just made it worse.ā
Chat, I donāt think Waveās family is in kinda bad debt. :)
In fact, I may go as far to say that his mom, sister, and grandma donāt exist. He keeps bringing family up, saying how they need him, while also making them out to be really eager for money to the point that he and them are ignoring red flags. They pushed him to go through with the job. Itās almost like heās putting the blame on his family that heās in this situation at all. It feels like heās simultaneously blaming, while playing off as the breadwinner son who wants to help and doesnāt blame them at all. Pick a side!
We donāt see their faces, weāre given no names, and we donāt see texts from them. There are no pictures of them in his apartment, either. We only see Waveās girlfriend. Heck, Wave doesnāt even specifically if his sister is younger or older than him!
Wave only mentions his sister in his backstory. She isnāt brought up again. He does mention his mom in Episode 15 of Season 2. But itās a quick one off about her being impressed by his backflips.
His girlfriend is also brought up twice. Once in the backstory, then again in Episode 26 of Season 2. But we havenāt gotten any other mentions of her.
Now, letās delve deeper into his first interaction with Chase. In Episode 5 of Party Crashers, Chase chased (heh) Wave through the mall until Wave backflipped off a balcony, falling to the first floor but landing on a couch/cushioned seat. In Episode 6, Chase met Wave on the bottom floor where they started to talk. Well, Chase was asking question after question. Wave said he was dizzy, had a head injury, but was otherwise fine. He jumped so the recording device he had on him would break. This is where Wave brings up the old man. He didnāt want Wave tampering with evidence, so he attached an old recording device on him so he couldnāt turn it off or delete anything. Because of this, Wave didnāt want to be too close to the gang, but he still wanted to know who they were, so he kept his distance.
Chase continues his questioning while the two play some games in the arcade. He wanted to know if Wave was a part of the Ex Libris higher ups, a lackey, or if he was even a part of it at all. Wave was more focused on the game, however. But he does answer that he thought this gig as a summer job. Wave also said that he knew about old books and key magic, but wasnāt a part of EX Libris. He then says that heās being forced to do the old fartās dirty work, which included spying on the gang. He admits this with a āremorsefulā expression. Chase retorts, āWhy are you telling me this? You stayed in the job with them. Youāre choosing to do their dirty work.ā
āYou donāt understand,ā Wave adds. āI donāt want to do any of this. Thatās why I need your help! I have a bad feeling that if I donāt escape from them soon, itās gonna beā,ā GAME OVER, Wave then points to the forgotten game they were playing. āYeah. That.ā
Then we move onto Episode 7, where Wave tells Chase his backstory.
Iām gonna be blunt, the buildup to the backstory and the backstory itself was a strategy. It wasnāt his intention to be seen, but the moment Chase caught up with him, Wave changed tactics and went into full blown manipulation mode. Heck, the clothes he was wearing was all in the act of seeming harmless in the event he did get caught. He had on his signature T-shirt, swim shorts, and flip-flops. Those donāt scream, evil cult at all. Chase thought bro looked like a guy who swam with dolphins.
I told the backstory first, because I wanted that to be fresh in everyoneās minds. What Wave did, the moment Chase caught him, was to try and manipulate him. He did that backflip in order to get Chaseās guard down. Chase is a caring guy. Wave had been spying on them for a hot minute, that would be one of the first things heād pick up on. If Wave looked stupid, acted clumsy and clueless, but genuinely friendly by destroying a device that he didnāt destroy earlierā but got hurt in the process, Chase would be more focus on him being hurt then the spying part. Wave had that backstory in his back pocket (because most of it is based on true events), just in the event he did get caught so he could see how easy Chase would be to trick. Because letās face it, bro was too eager to spill his woes to Chase of all people.
Wave brought up having a family and whatās going on with them ten times in that backstory. Thatās a lot of times. He brought up having women in his life that would miss and need him if he didnāt escape Ex Libris, fast. But he canāt leave due to money, contracts, and negligence. He brought up money troubles, college debt, finding a job, getting a sucky job that ended up being not a job at all and now being stuck in a cult. Itās believable on the surface because a good chunk of it is true. Wave just sprinkled in more angst for the plot by adding that he has a single mom with a sister that need him. And the money stuff too.
But since we see more than what Chase sees, he doesnāt know about Waveās apartment or what his girlfriend looks like, or any of that. He only has Waveās word, which is why I took away the pictures and put them last so the words can shine. Weāre reading what Chase heard without any pictures. With the amount of times Wave brings up the women in his life, his money troubles, and regrets heās feeding Chase a friendly facade with some relatability.
āChase is a young guy who might go to college soon. Heās gotta have a family, maybe a crush or romantic partner? Itās best to play it safe and go in on all fronts, but only slightly. Getting a job is scary, and this whole situation is crazy to those not use to it, letās combine both and really hammer in that this whole thing is dangerous. Lives are at stake. This is a chance for him to play hero.ā This line of thinking must have crossed Waveās mind. Because his backstory plays into every insecurity, strength, weakness and want Chase has.
Chase is emphatic to a fault and wants to help others.
Chase is a guy. Societal norms affect everyone, no matter how queer or straight one can be. If a woman is in danger, the guy has to be the hero and protect her. The guy has to provide, and the guy has to be strong for his family. Thatās what society expects and drills into people.
Growing up is scary and hard. Going to college and getting a job is no better. What would life be like after all that change? Chase is young and struggles enough with death as it is. He even struggles with money and wants to be rich so he can give it to others.
Chase doesnāt like death or seeing people in danger or hurt, or heck, even hearing about it.
The likelihood that Chase has a romantic partner would be high, in Waveās eyes. Or at the very least, liked someone. Considering how much Chase kept on worrying about this āBuddyā guy while Deacon didnāt in Episode 2 of Party Crashers, Wave definitely heard it.
Chase has a sick mom who is also a single parent with money problems.
This backstory, with this context just became a test on how easy Chase would be to manipulate. How many questions would he ask? Would he believe this story? And would he feel empathy, or relate to him like Wave suspected? How would he react?
My question is how Wave was able to target such specific things, but if heās been spying, then heās been doing a good job getting intel.
However, for once, Chase failed a test that, in the long run would be his saving grace. Because this was the moment that Wave knew Chase wouldnāt be easy to manipulate. It wasnāt in Episode 17, in the arc, Little Shadows that he learned that, no. Chase had reservations as early as Party Crashers after hearing Waveās anime backstory. Look at his reactions after hearing it. Heās never met this guy before. The guy has been nothing but dumb yet kind to him their entire meeting. Bro just spilt his guts out to this random guy, and asked for his help:
Now look at Chaseās reaction to figuring out that Buddy, a guy whoās been a jerk to him and Deacon the entire time, was locked up somewhere and was never given food:
Buddy never said a word. His reaction was enough. Chase didnāt need to ask any more questions. Heās known Buddy long enough to notice the shift in his demeanor at such a joke. But with Wave, he kept on asking and asking. Thatās one of the things a manipulator doesnāt want their targets to do, is to ask too many questions. Asking questions is a sign that their targets wonāt just listen and bend to their will without a bit more effort.
The things Wave was targeting in Chase were very specific. But the empathy thing worked, tho. Chase had a conflicted expression as Wave left. But that was enough for Wave to put his foot in the door. That tiny amount of uncertainty gave him enough room for doubt, because he fed into Chaseās desire to help others the most. The rest of the test, Chase failed. Wave knew he wouldnāt be so easily swayed, but he needed to be sure. So, he tested the waters again in Little Shadows. And when Chase kept asking questions and didnāt reveal his real name to him, Wave knew for certain heād have to manipulate the others to get to Chase.
If he could find their weaknesses, he could manipulate them, and in tern, manipulate Chase externally. If we look at each arc with him being a manipulative sus muffin, then every action, joke, and additional detail about him gains a new layer of eeriness. The moment Wave saw Deacon, he immediately offered him a sandwich in Little Shadows, Episode 18 of Season 2. That was his first move. He was friendly with Deacon immediately. And in the next arc, Perfect Halo Wave amplified his stupidity, silliness, and friendly behavior with Deacon. That same arc, he also made a friendly gesture to Prunella by giving her a piggyback ride. That was his first move to gage her insecurities. He had already found some of Deaconās: Being a third wheel, feeling inferior, and his lack of self worth and not knowing things. As long as Deacon thinks he knows something, heās as confident as a cat catching a mouse.
All Wave needed to do was to be open about his struggles, reassure Deacon that heās importantā even as a third wheel, and give him compliments with a friendly face. As long as he makes Deacon think he knows who he is, then heās got him. If he thinks heās an ally or a friend, even better. With that logic, Deacon was the easiest to manipulate, heās also the dad of the group, so Wave stuck around him the most.
Wave got quite a bit of intel on Prunella. Her insecurities were also easy to take advantage of. For one, she was the youngest. Therefore, sheād have insecurities about not being listened to. Also, she might not feel like part of the group due to how old everyone else is compared to her. And if that was his thought process, then he was proven right because of what happened in Perfect Halo. Deacon, Chase, and Buddy didnāt listen to her, and Chase and Buddyās competitive flirting messed up the book her dad got her. Who she rarely sees. But it also revealed something else. That everyone in that group cares for Prunella a lot. They all worked to make up for their mistakes.
All Wave had to do was be super duper sweet and listen to Prunella in order to gain her trust. Be a playful guy to her, and sheād feel seen enough to trust him completely.
You know who didnāt fall for Waveās shit? Yeah, Buddy. In Perfect Halo, Wave tried to do the same thing. He put on a friendly and dorky oaf demeanor, but since he didnāt know Buddy at all, he couldnāt target any specific insecurities. So, he had to guess. Since he heard from Chase that Buddy was supposedly stuck in Ex Libris, he made his discussion key based. He talked about being a Keyholder and how weird it was. We only got a chunk of that conversation, but this was what we got:
Wave: So then I was like, āListen dude, we might be married in this book, but I kinda just wanna be friends.ā Yeah, heaving The Lover Key is a little weird sometimes, for real. But thatās just sorta my thing now, and itās not so bad. I mean, itās way better when I have people to talk toā.
Buddy responded in kind by shielding Chase the moment he walked into the conversation. Then said to Wave, without breaking eye contact, āAfter you.ā That moment told Wave this:
This Buddy guy is cold.
Buddy didnāt like what he said.
Buddy is protective in nature, especially with Chase.
Heās not very talkative. But he listens.
He didnāt fall for his friendly demeanor, nor was he all too empathetic. Therefore, he doesnāt trust him one bit.
If Buddy was in Ex Libris, he doesnāt act like it. He doesnāt act like a lackey or a higher up. He must be working on his own, or with a secret third party that knows the same tricksā¦
If Wave thought Buddy was protective and cared for Chase, then heād be proven right. The entire book, they were competitively flirting. And with how Deacon mumbled and talked, they did stuff like this a lot. Deacon confirmed that he was basically third wheeling. Buddy even saved Chase later on in the book.
Wave did see that Buddy has a soft spot for the rest of the group, however. Even tho he treats Deacon as an annoyance, he wasnāt down right cold. The two have a begrudging tolerance for each other. But theyāre willing to ask questions and help each other out. Later, when Buddy comforts Prunella, Wave saw that he cared for her as well. He went above and beyond to make her feel better.
In Perfect Halo, Wave got a good grasp of the groupās dynamic.
(He doesnāt know theyāre names, probably, only code names, which Iāll be using in this section)
Dorken has The Helper Key. He acts the oldest, and looks the oldest. He is the begrudging dad of the group who doesnāt want to third wheel. Heās the prep guy, and is just as nosy as Chase. He was a bit standoffish at first, but quickly warmed up the moment he was given information. Act open around him, tell him things that he thinks he wants, but donāt tell him anything of value unless it serves a purpose later. Heāll stop asking questions, unlike Chase.
Buddy has The Villainess Key (whether he knows that is up in the air at this point in the story, but he knows now in Stardust). He is cold, judgmental, and not too keen on chatting and really secretive. He and Dorken donāt get along 100%. But they arenāt downright hostile. There is a baseline of trust, but they arenāt friends. Heās probably the second oldest. But he acts differently from everyone else. He acts all high and mighty, but he does have a soft spot for Chase and the kid. He is likely Chaseās boyfriend, or theyāre at the very least dating. He knows about the magic and was supposedly involved with Ex Libris to some degree. But he didnāt like that conversation earlier. But he is good at stories and, āHas read every book ever.ā
Chase has The Heroine Key and is the leader of the group. But heās the third youngest, most definitely. He and Dorken are very familiar with each other, to the point theyāre having private conversations and making jabs. Theyāre probably related, maybe brothers. But they look nothing alike. As for his connection with the kid, heās either her babysitter, or older brother, itās one of the two. But again, they look nothing alike. Chase asks too many questions, is hyper competitive, but is a compassionate guy who cares for the team. He tends to get in over his head, but the others will have his back. Buddy will swoop in to save him with no hesitation.
The kid has The Hero Key and is the youngest of the group. She is babied by Chase and Dorken, while Buddy mostly kept to himself until she ran off to hide and cry. Whatever he said made her feel comfortable enough to leave her hiding spot. Sheās sassy, bossy, and doesnāt like being babied by the others. She likes to overshare and loves the Lady Lovealorn series. The kid is very familiar with Chase and Dorken. Itās unclear if she has that type of familiarity with Buddy. If she doesnāt know him all that well, then sheās pretty vocal around new people. Just be sweet and fun around her, unlike the rest, and sheāll be open to talk about anything.
Perfect Halo was the best thing to happen to Wave in terms of information gathering. Even though everyone was being careful not to reveal their names, that didnāt matter. Because discussions, dynamics, personalities and interests and more can tell a manipulator a lot. A manipulator doesnāt need your real name. What a manipulator needs to know is, āWhat troubles you? What do you want to hear? And how quickly do you let your guard down? What type of shame do you carry? How useful will you be? Are you a rational thinker, or are you quick to anger and judge others? What makes you vulnerable? Who do you trust or not? Who do you like or not? Who do you love?ā
Thereās more, but I think Iāve already painted a pretty grim picture.
Before Wave even entered the group chat, he was already assessing. The moment Wave was let into the group, they were being analyzed even further. Perfect Halo was an information hotspot. Everyone was in one place with all their flaws, insecurities, and desires on full display. Buddy and Chase are the hardest to manipulate, but they arenāt immune. Buddy has secret after secret tucked away from the others. Yet he loves this blond guy dearly. Chase is caring to a fault, but gets carried away by things far too quickly. He gets distracted just by being bored. They may not trust him 100%, but Wave doesnāt need their trust, he just needs the other halfās.
The next arc they met up in was Absentee. Wave did some notable things in that one. First, he wanted everyone to see that he had an outfit. He has a good partnership with Ro guys, truuuust. That was the first thing he established upon seeing the others, because for the last three books, he didnāt have an outfit. Heck, he didnāt have one in the Snow White book where they first caught wind of him. He stole someone elseās. So, for four books, he was swag-less.
I wonāt go into detail on the outfit side of things, Iāve already done that, and weād be here all day if I did it again. But note that they are not Roseās style in the slightest. Only Wave speaks through the outfits. The only time Rose did speak through was in Plunderland. Heh, lyre. Great pun, 19/10. Also note that Wave wasnāt happy with that outfit at all. Remember, he hates frilly and pink stuff. Whimp.
For a guy that supposedly has a sister, a single mother, a grandmother, and a girlfriend one would think heād be pretty chill with stereotypical feminine things. Iām not saying he has to like the color, or wear extra frills and stuff. But one would think heād at least wear Roseās outfits with little fuss. Like, how fragile is his masculinity where wearing pink hearts, ruffles, and tights cause him to run for the hills like he did in that flashback in Little Shadows? I hate to break it to him, (nah, actually, Iād kick him in the balls) but Prunella is more masculine than he is. Sheād wear pink, even though sheād rather wear army camo 24/7. Because outfits are a form of expression that transcends gender norms. His masculinity is where Pluto is, and Prunellaās is the sun.
Okay, so in Absentee, Wave tried to get along with Buddy. But each advancement was met with a Buddy equivalent of, āYou donāt get to know me, peasant.āšš āØ
However, Buddy let some thingsā¦. Slip.
āThis is such a waste of time. What kind of Narratonin can we get from a vague story that only provides sudden scares and has no solid ending? This wonāt be the least bit enjoyable.ā
āThis is nothing but walking and empty halls. Is this what passes for entertainment these days?ā
āThis book is hastily written garbage.ā
āWhat? Iām not afraid of this sorry specter! The only thing itās killing is my time!ā
Reeeaaaal slick, Buds. š¬
Wave left Chase alone. Prunella wasnāt there. So he mostly stuck around with Deacon. Wave reassured Deacon about being a third wheel again, asked him questions about the book and his theories on the movie it was from, and gave him compliments. This was where Wave truly gained his trust. He had so much alone time with him that roots started to form. The last few arcs were for planting seeds.
Plunderland happened next, and since that arcās been talked to death, Iāll keep it short. The two people that Wave was specifically targeting, he was in a whole book with them, alone. Last book was Deacon centric, Prunella was next. He spent far too much time with her. Deacon trusted him with her safety, whichā¦.. Ouch. That wonāt bite them in the butt later. Definitely not. Especially not with the fact Buddy doesnāt pick the books, definitely not.
I will add that Wave was literally mirroring Jakob Plunder. Remember when Wave told Prunella to leave the book, so she did, leaving the hero in her place? Yeah, bro literally dropped the hero (act) the moment no one was looking. Which was foreshadowing the now infamous Stardust Smirk. Not to get mixed up with the infamous Bite of 87.
Jokes hide lore. No one is safe.
This moment has also been talked about a lot. But I wanna go another layer deeper. So Iāll be skipping the Stardust arc.
There was a comment that got my attention when the Smirk Episode of Stardust dropped that made me look into this moment in Plunderland a bit more. @gravitykeith was apparently the one who made this comment. So props to them for posting it on here, because I completely missed it.
š¬ 3Ā Ā š 11Ā Ā ā¤ļø 111Ā Ā·Ā Now that the end of Stardust is free, Punko replied this to me regarding Wave which made me think...
We know that the k
So, this begs an even bigger question:
If Wave is a liar, how deep do his lies go?
Then I got to asking, how much does his reflection mirror Plunderās? And then the word, reflection reminded me of parallels. And then, I realized something, the reason for why this reveal was so shocking was because we were not given a motive. At least, not one that aligned with what we were seeing unfold.
My questions about Wave were as followed after the reveal:
How deep is Wave in Ex Libris?
How much of Waveās backstory is a lie?
Does he know that Buddy is a Key?
Whatās he gonna do? Whatās his plan?
Why is Wave seemingly afraid of the old fart? Is he family? Or what?
What does Wave want?
Waveās actions donāt align with his backstory. They donāt align with his seemingly innocent nature, and they donāt align with him being trapped. He is hiding his true nature far too well. He isnāt a morally gray hero like Plunder. Heās been toying with the gang since he was caught. Plus, he might not be a real blond. But why do any of this? Whatās his goal?
Well, letās answer that with a question. Who else does he parallel in the story?
Buddy.
Wave and Buddy have been narrative parallels since Waveās introduction. He was also after Chase, but instead of being confronted, Buddy did the confronting and made his desires known. Buddy was a mystery since day one. But he wasnāt hiding his feelings about the group, he didnāt hide his goals, and he didnāt put on a friendly front. Also, his manipulation skills were absolute shit. His information gathering was mid at best, and he kept his mouth shut. Chase and Deacon donāt know much about him to this day, but they didnāt know jack all in the beginning. Chase didnāt even know his name back then.
He followed them into nearly every book besides one, unlike Wave, who was inconsistent. Buddy had an outfit when Chase met him, where Wave didnāt. Buddy has a great relationship with his sister, who is a key, where Waveās relationship with his key is ass. Buddy knows whatās going on in every book where Wave is absolutely clueless. Buddy will be a begrudging guide, while Wave is happy to follow the leader. Buddy doesnāt get along with Deacon, where Wave does. Wave used his knowledge on the Backdoor Spell to manipulate Deacon. While Buddy wanted to tell Chase the full truth about the spell and himself. Wave tells lies and keeps secrets, while pretending to be an open book to Deacon, but wonāt tell him that. Buddy keeps secrets, but he hates telling lies and wants to be an open book to Chase, but canāt.
One is playing the hero, while the other is playing the villain.
Thereās more, but letās focus on the similarities.
Buddy and Wave both use the Backdoor Spell to follow the gang. Wave follows Bronze, while Buddy follows Silver. They are both siphoning the Hollow cousinsās Narratonin because of that spell. They were both following orders from someone else while doing this. For Buddy, it was Violet. But for Wave, itās the old man. They were both involved with the Magic before the main cast were. They both know more than what they let on about the cultās spells, while hiding behind a disguise.
Now, what did Buddy say to Chase and Deacon at the start? What did he say he wanted? The keys.
Thatās the motive. Wave is after the keys too. However, where Buddy wants to free the keys, Wave wants to keep them for himself. But why would I say that? How did I come to this conclusion? Two posts:
Firstly, my poll results:
š¬ 17Ā Ā š 4Ā Ā ā¤ļø 37Ā Ā·Ā Who do you think Wave truly is? Take your guesses now! Trust your gut! There are no wrong answers until proven otherwise!
There were many a theory in the comments and reblogs, and each one brought something new to the table. Each theory was unique, but they all had a few things in common:
Wave reminds everyone of someone.
The theme of family.
And then it hit me. Waveās actions, donāt fit with the theme of family. In fact, his words donāt match his actions in the slightest.
Unlike Buddy, who was being a jerk, his every action was in the effort to free his family. Every thought, word, and action was to free them and fix Silver. His regrets and shame, at their core are about making amends for what he had done. His whole character and redemption arc has been building up to one specific moment, to apologize to Silver. Every apology heās ever given has been building up to that one. From Beach Boys, to Perfect Halo, and then Stardust, they all had memorable and character revealing moments that involved a Buddy Apology (TM). Buddy grew as a person during and after each one. He got better at them over time, he gave less excuses, didnāt push or pass the blame, and didnāt ask for forgiveness.
Even though we, the readers know that Buddy was manipulated and donāt blame him for what had happened to Silver, to him thatās not the case. He realized far too late that he was being used, and that lead him to listening to the traitorās words. This domino effect lead to the traitor taking six of his siblings, and dropping one of em, cracking her. Buddy feels responsible. That night haunts him. Heās not after her forgiveness. He doesnāt feel like he has a right to, for he betrayed her. He betrayed his whole family, just to be human again.
Buddy views himself as the villain, and that night sealed it for him. His āselfish wishā lead him to listen to an unknown manās promise. He doesnāt feel deserving of forgiveness because he betrayed their trust in his eyes. He betrayed Silverās trust. To him, he might as well have been the one to drop her at the highest level of the manor, letting her fall to the cobble road down below.
Buddyās themes of family, love, belong and selflessness coincide with his actions in the story. Buddy views himself as a greedy villain who will only hurt the ones he cares about. Heās nothing but a common thief. When in truth, heās a jerk, but he doesnāt have an evil bone in his body. He can play the role, he will cut off chunks of the stepsisterās feet if the plot demands it. But if given the opportunity, he wouldnāt. If Buddy is put into a position where he has to fight, cut off chunks of a person, or steal to survive, he will. But the minute he gets the choice to not hurt someone, especially in real life, he will take it. If he really wanted to hurt Chase and Deacon, he would have done so ages ago. Instead, we see him saving their lives over and over. Buddy doesnāt want to be the villain, but thatās what heās been told to be. So, he plays it the best he can. However, Buddy is a morally gray hero. Heās not perfect, he aināt no saint, but bro would rather cut off his own head than hurt a kid.
Buddy struggles to see how selfless he actually is. He isnāt greedy at all. He just wants to be loved and to have a place to belong. Heck, he only wants one wish, and thatās to be human again. Violet gave him the opportunity to have any wish heād want, even the taboo ones! But heās throwing that all away. He never wanted that to begin with. Bro only stole and fought to survive, so he was like this long before he met the keys. No one told him to return Chaseās Narritonin or red hoodie, he made those choices himself. You donāt just show acts of selfishness and heroism out of the blue and then be told that youāre going through a character arc where you learn how to be a selfless hero. Buddy already had those qualities, he just needs to learn to recognize them!
Buddyās themes fit his actions in the story, because he embodies them. Waveās actions donāt make sense if heās supposed to embody the same ones. Which is why I donāt think he does. Weāve been reading Wave as just a parallel, but heās not just a parallel, heās a thematic opposite.
If Buddyās themes are of family, love, belonging and selflessness, then Wave is the opposite to those. Specifically in the selflessness department. Because there is a factor to manipulation of the people variety that I havenāt touched on, yet.
Manipulators know exactly what theyāre doing.
You donāt just accidentally manipulate someone. Itās an executive decision. Wave has been choosing to manipulate the others, and hasnāt and will not stop until they are of no use to him. Manipulation is the chosen action to make a person unknowingly give the manipulator what they want. There are many types of manipulation tactics, but each one has the soul purpose to make a person bend to their will enough to get something out of them. From gaslighting, guilt-tripping, to tactical charm and many more are all tools for such things. Manipulative behavior is greed at its finest, and itās often subtle which makes it difficult to spot on occasions. It takes many forms, and no two manipulators will do the same stuff.
Wave wants something from the gang, and that something is the keys. Buddy has the same wants but for opposite reasons. Buddy and Violet may have been a team, but he was making decisions independently from her. Wave is doing the same with the old fart. Heās working with the old man, but for his own benefit. He gets something out of this, and that something isnāt a wish or money or his familyās safety, itās the opportunity to steal the keys for himself once theyāre all collected. Heās putting on a front on all sides. He acts friendly, a bit stupidly, but helpful with the gang. But with the old man, he acts scared, helpless, yet helpful just to backstab him later. Both of these fronts give off a friendly and helpless yet helpful facade.
But why would Wave want the keys if heās a college student who just learned this stuff? This guy canāt just be a monster, thatās shallow. Well, thatās because he isnāt just a college student. In fact, like @squeer-el I think Wave is the traitor.
š¬ 19Ā Ā š 8Ā Ā ā¤ļø 77Ā Ā·Ā IS WAVE THE TRAITOR OF EX LIBRIS?Ā Ā·Ā Disclaimer: I still haven't completely re-read the second season of Cinderella Boy, s
I didnāt originally, but their post combined with the realization of themes and parallels helped me spot a pattern that I canāt unsee. Squeer-el brought up some great points that I want to add on further.
Firstly, their manipulation tactics are eerily similar.
Lets look at what the traitor said to Buddy in Little Shadows:
The traitor: Shhh, be still! Not a word. Listen to me while heās busy. I saw. He didnāt, but I did. I know you can break your keyring. You are not like the others. You are still partly human, I believe. And in being so, you have abilities far beyond theirs.
I know what you once were. It isnāt right, trapping a man like this. You must have people back in the city, looking for you. I know how you must feel about the orderās cruelty. I was promised a wish, long ago, only to be told I must āearn it.ā But after years of diligent loyalty and hard work, I know the truth now. None but the high council ever gets their wishes granted, no matter how desperate or important the wish may be.
They make us work for nothing, the promise of a wish always dangling over our heads, yet never getting any closer. They want to string us along forever, with hope always just out of reach. Itās cruel, yet we cannot leave once we know their secret. Those who try are silenced. But I have a plan. That isā¦ If youāre willing to help me.
*The guy then lays out a carefully detailed plan, yadda-yadda-yaddaā Iāll wish for you to be human again after my wishes are done*
The traitor: I wonāt lie, it is incredibly risky. If you are caught, they will discover your secret and likely lock you up in some worse way. As for meā¦ I doubt Iāll ever be seen again.
But this is all I can think to do to free the both of us.
Nox: Letās justā¦ Wish Ex Libris gone! All of them! Then I can take the others with me!
The traitor: Noā¦ If it were only that easy, but the keys have orders built into their very creation. They cannot be used to wish against any of the order. Wishes cannot be turned against the masters. They cannot be used to wish themselves out of Ex Librisā grasp. The old master thought of everything. I know you donāt want to leave the others. But perhaps when we are safely away, we can make a plan to steal them back? But thereās nothing you can do to help them while youāre this small, and trapped in this place.
They thought of everythingā¦ Except a key who can defeat them from the inside, then walk out. Will you do it?
This discussion targets different aspects of Buddyās struggle. Itās also a lot shorter if I take out the plan segment. But like Chase, he deliberately targets Buddyās humanity.
He confirms that Buddy isnāt like the other keys. Which is an insecurity that the traitor says is a strength in his eyes.
He goes after Buddyās belief that he canāt do anything while being so small.
He feeds into family ties and human connections.
He adds that heās a hardworking guy who was promised something that will never happen. No matter how hard he works, heāll never get what he wants. No matter how hard Buddy tries, heāll never be a key. But the guy adds that he understands, he knows how that feels. āWeāre not so different, you and I.ā
He brings up, āThis is our only shot, otherwise Iām dead,ā on multiple occasions.
āIf you help me, Iāll help you.ā
Buddyās manipulation is a lot more blunt than Chaseās, but itās almost beat for beat and bar for bar. Especially with the, āIām gonna die/be made to disappear,ā line being used more than once in both instances, especially near the end of the conversation. As well as the conversation being mostly traitor guy centric then Buddy centric. Which is interesting, because this moment happens in Episode 17 of Season 2 in Little Shadows (IV). Just before the flashback resumes, we see Chase and Wave talking.
The conversation is mostly Wave centric, as have all of Waveās conversations been before, during, and after since joining the gang. But he mostly talks about the danger heās in, and being unable to think of any other way to escape besides waiting it out until heās saved or let out. If Wave is the traitor, this conversation foreshadowed Buddyās manipulation. Because Wave is asking for Chaseās help to escape Ex Libris. Heās laying out all of Ex Librisās security that he canāt outmatch, but maybe an outsider with an insiderās assistance can?
He brings up family, getting what heās promised, escaping, the possibility of death and punishment, and asking for help (both directly and indirectly). Itās all him, him, him. Wave and the traitor both put up a friendly front, act helpless yet helpful, and seem more empathetic than they let on. They both overshare if it benefits them, they donāt ask for information from the cast, and they can change plans on the fly.
Their manipulation tactics are similar to King Candyās in Wreck-It Ralph. No, Iām not joking. This video analysis became my biggest resource while looking into Wave as a character, and the similarities are staggering.
This is kinda off topic, but I do want to add how Wave and King Candy/Turbo are similar:
They both donāt like the color pink.
Theyāre both manipulative people who put on a friendly facade to get what they want.
If Wave is the traitor coming back for another round, then their greed knows no bounds.
They both gained the trust of and manipulated children.
Both Wave and KC used the bronze/brown wearing character as a tool.
If Wave is the traitor, then they came back from hiding and never died.
They have violent tendencies that they hide.
If Wave is the traitor, then they both hurt the heroine.
Theyāre both a little silly.
They both know more than what they let on.
They hide behind a sweet disguise that they got by manipulation.
Evil smirks.
Tricked the masses.
Knows a lot about tech.
As you can see, Iāve lost myself in the sauce.š
Back on track, Wave and the traitor both use similar tactics to King Candy, but not bar for bar. Because Wave acts nicer then KC ever did:
Here are the ones that Wave has used throughout the series so far (Iāll add my own additions from other sources):
A friendly facade
Iām a good guy, too!
Mixing the facts
Cherry picking
Getting emotional
Feeding into insecurities
We arenāt so different
Praising targets
The threat of death or punishment
Lying
Changing the subject
Excessive apologies
Superficial charms
Selective attention
Rationalization
Foot-in-the-door
Target questions themselves
Shifting the blame
Feigning helplessness
Presenting a false narrative/dilemma
Now here is what the traitor used in the one incident we get:
A friendly facade
Iām a good guy, too!
Cherry picking
Getting emotional
We arenāt so different
Praising targets
The threat of death or punishment
Lying
Changing the subject
Selective attention
Foot-in-the-door
Feigning helplessness
Presenting a false narrative/dilemma
Rationalization
Shifting the blame
Manipulation tactics are powerful psychological tools used by emotional abusers to gain control over their victims. These tactics, such as g
Manipulation (psychology) - Wikipedia
Besides two things, they use the same tactics in the same fucking way. They just changed their script to fit different narratives for different targets. But if you look at how Wave tells his story, versus how the traitor does it, youāll notice that his manipulation is a lot more subtle. With Buddy he was far more obvious, but that didnāt matter, because the situation was intense moments prior. Where with Chase, itās more subtle. Even though the situation was a chase (heh) sequences not too long ago, his manipulation was better hidden. If Wave is the traitor, heās had years to build up this skill.
But what other evidence do we have that could prove Wave is the traitor?
Well, remember how Wave might not be an actual blond?
Hmm, the traitorās beard looks similar to Plunderās. Odd. Also, Waveās eyebrows donāt match his hair, like Plunderās. If Plunder is an actual morally gray hero, then heās an actual blond. Wave isnāt a morally gray hero, so thatās gotta mean he isnāt an actual blond. Plus, his eyebrows match the traitorās hair more than his current hair.
If Wave is the traitor, then by proxy, we know what he wished for. With the newest arc, The Best Laid Plans, weāre told exactly what one of the taboo wishes were. While also implying another. The old fart was immortal, at some point he wish for it. Violet said that was against the rules. Violetās Keyholder was one of the higher ups, but she never wished to be immortal or have eternal youth. Instead, we see she wished for money and junk. This means that two of the forbidden wishes were eternal youth and immortality.
We know one of the traitorās wishes, a ladder to escape. The other two were left out. But we know he wished for more than that. I donāt think Violet bringing up immortality and youth was a coincidence. That arc could have foreshadowed what the traitor wished for. This also means that Buddy and Wave are truly narrative parallels, thematic opposites, and foils.
Buddy was given eternal youth, immortality, and endless wishes. But he only wants one wish, to be human with Chase, and to free his family from Ex Libris.
Wave took his immortality, eternal youth, and wants to steal the keys to have infinite wishes. He wants to keep the keys for himself and be their new prison. Because that was the traitorās plan.
Is there evidence that Wave could have immortality? Actually, yeah. In Party Crashers, Wave backflipped off a balcony and landed face first on a couch or something. Sure, it cushioned his fall, but he shouldāve been more hurt by that than just dizzy. He didnāt appear to have a head injury at all. He didnāt have a broken nose or bruised face, he looked completely uninjured. Also, he didnāt seem to have a lot of hesitation to jump. Maybe he had a little, but he still jumped and came out fine. To me, it looked like he was choosing his options of letting it slip that heās not normal, or getting caught by Barbieās missing brother right then and there. Clearly, he picked the second option and played off his fall. āOoh geez, Iām sooo clumsy. Lol, I have a head injury, but Iām fine.ā
In past episode, injuries have been pretty visible. From cuts to bruises, weāve seen some blood at time, so Wave should have had a bruise at least. But we donāt even see that.
Buddy does get cuts and scrapes, but he isnāt naturally an immortal being. Heās still a normal human fused with a keyās body. Thatās gotta affect how he appears in books or something.
The backflip is just a little thought, something to chew on, Iām not holding it up a true evidence. But in Absentee, we get some stuff. Buddy and Wave paralleled each other quite a bit in that arc:
Wave knew how to operate a camera while Buddy didnāt.
Wave knew that Absentee was a movie that existed while Buddy didnāt even know what a movie was.
Wave wasnāt complaining about the book, while Buddy was.
Wave understood the scare factor while Buddy didnāt.
Wave said he had an old style camera like the one used in Absentee. He called it, āSo Vintage.ā I donāt like how heās look at the camera when he says it.
Furthermore, Buddy said this about the book, āThis is nothing but walking and empty halls. Is this what passes for enlightenment these days?ā To which Wave responded rather nonchalantly, āThis is how these stories always start outā¦ Super slow, then some weird jumpscares and noises, then the ghosts come at you.ā
I smell a smell, and itās not a good smell.
Lastly, this gem.
For those that donāt know, Highlander was a 1986 movie about immortal beings who have to fight to the death until thereās only one standing. āThere can only be one.ā The only way to kill these immortal humans is to cut off or destroy their heads. If Buddy, an immortal, is crushing Waveās head, who might also be an immortal, then that is a good reference (and some neat foreshadowing).
Also-also, the song, Who Wants to Live Forever by Queen was made for this movie, sooooooooooooo.
The Best Laid Plans reminded me of this song quite a bit with all that talk about life, death, love and being human. Granted, I didnāt know this song was in Highlander. I only knew the movie existed because my grandpa told me about it for two hours straight during a long car ride back in 2022. Yes, he told me the plot of the entire movie and the others that proceeded it. Apparently, the first movie was superior.
Now you know that blabbing on and on is in my genes. š
But hey, I can finally put this random movie info to use, so thanks grandpa!
Anyways, the main character of Highlander, Connor Macleod, a Scottish Highlander from 1536, aka, an immortal confronts his ultimate rival in modern day New York.
Fraser Clan, his rival kills Connor in battle, but didnāt cut off his head like he had planned, so Connor was resurrected. But due to the magic system of this world, Connor learns from this death that heās an immortal being called a Highlander. He is forever the age that he died at until someone cuts his head off. Connor was then mercifully exiled for witchcraft, and then wondered the world.
Heās had to change his name more than once. His original name was Connor, but in the modern day, he deals antiques and goes by the name, Russell Nash. But everyone calls him Nash. The other Highlanders call him Connor, however.
Connor/Nashās whole deal with being immortal and changing names is eerily similar to Nox/Buddyās whole deal. If this similarity is anything at all, that means Wave is Fraser Clan in this context. Heās an experienced immortal who is after the other immortal beings for his own gain. In the movie, if a Highlander beheads another Highlander, they gain their life essence (which is depicted as blue) and the others they have killed. Wave is after the power the other immortals posses, but not through death, but imprisonment.
Why am I so convinced Wave is the traitor besides all this other stuff? Because the traitor was never confirmed to have died, bro just vanished into the night. We only know one of the three wishes he wished for, and him making a return would make Waveās actions make 1,000 times more sense then if he was just some dude who just got here.
Wave being the traitor wouldnāt ruin his character, it actually adds a layer of depth to both his current and past self. He has experienced an immortal existence, and learned from it. What did he learn?
How to better manipulate people.
How to fit into society and the people around him.
How to accumulate wealth in a subtle way to the point he can be financially stable and still go to college.
How to make a new identity.
How to disappear.
All the things he learned in college throughout the years.
How to surf and find love with technology.
And probably more that I canāt think of.
Here is where my theory comes in:
Near the beginning of this post, I brought up that Wave said, ā I was graduating collegeā¦ And not looking forward to it, really. College was fun, but now I have all of these things to worry about.ā I didnāt think he was lying, and I still donāt. Because if Wave is immortal, but he has to hide it, what are you gonna do with all that free time? He wouldnāt have infinite wishes, so whatās he gonna do?
Heād develop a cycle of ālivingā and pretend to have a normal life. He would repeat this cycle until he found a way to steal the keys again.
If he is eternally youthful, then his options are pretty limited. Heād have to get a retail, factory, or some kind of blue collar job that can keep him under the raider. But due to changing economics and ways to save money, it wouldnāt be too big of an issue to fudge some things and make multiple savings accounts under different names. Time is whatās important in savingās accounts, not quantity. Bro probably has multiple life insurances, retirements, and savings stored away. He could pull from that whenever he wanted, especially if he needed to change his identity and move.
Yep, Iām saying Wave has committed fraud and other money related crimes, just because of his existence.
As school became more affordable over the years, Wave would start to take classes and increase his skills. This would add some verity in his life. Heād go to college every few decades or more, get a new job out of the area, and then dip. However, as technology advanced his disappearing act would become harder and harder to nail. So, heād take an interest in technology to use it to his advantage. Know thy enemy and all.
After a century or more doing this, his current girlfriend would find the very thing to cure him of this normal existence.
Here is the timeline:
The traitor steals six of the twelve key. At some point, he realizes that he needs all twelve and scatters them about. He canāt go back to Ex Libris. If he canāt have them, then no one will.
He starts his ānormal lifeā and gets a job. He does this until schools become more of an option and adds that to his routine.
He repeats this cycle for years and years. He finds hobbies, engages with life, commits fraudā ya know. But vanishing becomes harder and harder to do, for technologically has been advancing. So, he studies the enemy and takes an interest in it.
Then, modern day happens, and Waveās girlfriend finds a listing about a payed internship. Wave recognizes it, but it canāt be, right? To his surprise, all the keys have been found. He can finally end this cycle of normalcy.
He starts the job and pretends to be frightened of the old fart. He starts gathering Narritonin and doing book stuff upon instruction. But heās waiting for that last Key to be found before making his next move. But that annoying Villain Key is hard to track.
The Villain Key is finally located, all is going to plaā and the key escapes with four of the other keys the moment he returns. Shit.
Operation: Locate the missing keys is a go. Make flyers, and wait for a key to be used in a book.
The Helper Key gets used in a book, perfect! Now to be inconsistent with appearances and stay hidden so they donāt notice theyāre being followed. But who knows, maybe theyāll be helpfulā¦. Laterā¦. Maybe. :)
He robs a dude so he can blend in better, but his real targets notice. Crap.
Oops, Wave got caught by Barbieās long lost short himbo brother. Time to put his own plan into action! Sorry-not sorry, old man, itās just business.
Wave then learns about a mysterious āBuddyā guy. Then meets Deacon and Prunella. Buddy may be someone to keep an eye on.
Wave gets more info from the group, unbeknownst to them. He connects the dots and realizes who Buddy is. He must act carefully, one wrong move and Buddy will blow his whole cover. But that doesnāt mean he canāt play a few games. Heāll get more info in the process, a confirmation of his assessment. And he gets one in Stardust. āA common thief,ā you say?
And thatās what Iāve got so far. Honestly? The reason why I really focused on the college thing is because immortals in other comics have done similar things. Except they werenāt being evil or manipulative asses. They just wanted to go to college. The comic in question is called Novae, itās long but a cute story if any if you are curious.
Novae is a historical romance with a touch magic and a dash of astronomy. It chronicles the romantic adventures of Sulvain, a sweet tempered
I hope this analysis makes a lick of sense. Itās a bit all over the place, but I did my best to put my thoughts together into a coherentā¦. Essay.
Thank you for reading this far, Chat! Youāre real troopers!
I still hope Wave never makes it to the bathroom on time.
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