@pinkest-nekomata 's side blog for all things Love and Deepspace. Extreme Sylus bias, but you'll find stuff for all the guys here. Mostly I write fanfic, whwhich you can find on AO3, even/especially when I should be working on my books.
OKAY KITTENS, BUCKLE THE FUCK UP. THIS IS GONNA BE LONG.
We are diving into the blood-red pool of passion, symbolism, and FUCK I'M CRYING AGAIN that is Sylus's new myth. 🙏
There will be MANY spoilers below the cut, not only for Crimson Spirit but also for Beyond Cloudfall. Mobile users avoiding spoilers should scroll away now, mobile likes to ignore the cut!
Because I am a complete nerd, I usually like to cite things a little more than I'm going to do today, because I wanna make sure I get this out. But if I reference something from a memory or myth that you can't find, just let me know and I'll point you to it!
Also, I think my updated "timeline" of Sylus's myths will have to be a separate post... if/when I make that, I'll update this to add the link here!
It's fucking LINKAGE TIME, BABY!!! When I was updating my lore page for the linkage I kept being like "huh they don't mention this in Beyond Cloudfall at ALL that's weird, everything else is a reference"
So I hoped we'd get more lore in a future myth and OH BABY. WE SURE DID.
Then of course there's Sylus's overt and directly referenced (In the Midnight Warmth Secret Times) resemblance to a vampire.
They got me with the gladiator arena thing! So at this point I don't think we'll get a myth about it, but I *do* think we'll eventually get more of a reveal on how it "ended". Maybe. I hope.
Overaching Themes
Diving In - The Linkage
I'm sort of going to gloss over the first half of the myth or so because it's relatively straightforward. The most important thing here is that THIS is the origin story for our linkage in the main timeline, and (by the end of the myth) it deepens and expands on the soul lore from Beyond Cloudfall.
They already have their soul bond from Beyond Cloudfall (which is explicitly "before" Crimson Spirit) and this summoning makes that soul bond manifest in the red and gold linkage. We find out at the end of this myth that the linkage is literally made of the halves of their souls they exchanged, which is why the linkage manifests as both red and gold energy.
Previously, their soul bold was not used for MC to command or contain Sylus. But now, with this added layer of her power as a mage and the demon/fiend summoning ritual, it has become something she can use to "command" Sylus and keep him close.
I put "command" in quotes here because there's zero indication that, other than being in physical proximity to MC, Sylus is made to do anything he doesn't actively choose to do. in fact, he says many catty things to imply that he's listening to her commands of his own volition, which we see echoed in how he behaves in the main storyline too.
It's a consistent theme for Sylus and MC that while their bond/linkage will continually bring them together, it's up to them to choose what to do with that (thus subverting the fated mate trope). Sylus even specifically says in this myth that he doesn't believe in fate, he believes in choices. (more on that later.)
Another key thing about the linkage to keep in mind
Sylus's Themes
Eternal Waiting
Across both his Philos myths and the main timeline, Sylus has this theme of eternal waiting (and the pain inherent in that). As a dragon, he was bound in the abyss for thousands of years. As an underworld fiend, he's been there so long there's nobody left to fight. And in the main story timeline, he's been waiting to find MC again for a looong, long time.
Other themes that recur clearly here are:
Agency/choice
Him possessing the most power
Destroying/defying fate
He's bored and MC makes him feel alive again
MC's Themes
MC's themes across Sylus's story make me absolutely feral.
Morally Grey & Powerful
Both as a sorceress in Beyond Cloudfall (BC) and here as a mage, MC is morally grey. AND I LOVE IT SO FUCKING MUCH. BC sees her ostracized for something she didn't do, and she gains her power from her "selfish" desire to live for herself. (If you look at the reaction to childfree women, you can see how vicious society can be for women who chose to live for themselves, calling them selfish and greedy.)
In Crimson Spirit (CS), she's already extremely powerful and immortal. She has access to more of her inherent power, but it's been worn down by her "curse" (which she gave herself lol, more on that soon). She's seen as evil for being immortal (once again ostracized despite doing nothing directly wrong) and she embraces her morally grey place in society.
Outside Society
In all three timelines (BC, CS, and main timeline) MC lives "outside" of normal society. Though MC has a family in Linkon, she's still somewhat of an outcast--she has no parents, and early in the main story she effectively becomes an orphan. In the main timeline, the more time she spends in the N109 Zone, the more distant she is from Linkon. She continues to work for the Association, but doesn't see them as her authority.
Religion's role
In both BS and CS, Sylus and MC are branded evil for shattering the illusion of the system of power--a system that is largely religious. Though the Sacredcore is not originally referred to with religious language, it's later called "their lost god" and religious organizations rise into the power vacuum left by the destruction of the Sacredcore.
In order to restore "order", it's the supposedly "good" people of the public that call up forbidden magic and commit atrocities in order to "cleanse the evil" of the fiend. This is strongly parallel in both BS and CS, and also in the main story timeline.
Sylus refers to MC initially as a "naive Linkon Citizen" and he plays a large role, later with MC's help, in demonstrating that Ever is rotten to the core. Ever is almost a "holy" institution given their connection to Protocore technology, and the Prototists and Purists are described with religious language. The Prototists even believe in fantastical things, such as immortality and the inherent goodness of Protocore tech for society.
It's so refreshing to have a story that is so deliberate and clear about pointing out the failings and corruption inherent in many/most governments and organized religious institutions. Sylus and MC's rejection of fate is also a rejection of common religious beliefs (such that an active and benevolent god exists to direct the lives of all the people). The lore weaves both western and eastern approaches to religion, so I feel confident in calling this a direct critique of Christianity, at least how it manifests in broad organizations like the Catholic Church (with its longstanding child abuse problem) and perhaps even the increasingly fascist protestant Christian groups (and I'm happy to criticize them myself, even if the writers weren't).
BC and CS essentially foreshadow that the government and power structures around Linkon are also corrupt illusions that aren't what they seem--especially Ever. Fortunately, the main timeline contains a cast of characters that truly care about others--Jenna, Tara, etc--meaning it may be possible to upend or disrupt these corrupt powers without triggering Doomsday.
The Myth narratives are necessarily simplified, and I appreciate how strongly they make their point about rejecting the idea that some god has laid out a certain fate for you and requires you to behave in a certain way.
You can choose love and honesty even when nobody else around you does--and in doing so, you'll find your true kindred spirit(s).
Don't look back
Twice in CS, Sylus says, "Don't look back." In BC, he says, "There's no turning back."
I think this has a particularly poignant meaning when we consider that core themes of Sylus and MC's stories are trauma, loss, and ostracization.
When you've experienced trauma, there is a necessary amount of looking back and processing what you've lost. But at a certain point, you have to learn how to move forward again. You realize that the way to happiness, the way to regaining what you lost lies not in the past, but in the future. You learn how to press on.
You learn to believe that the presences that are meant to be in your life will find you again, and the path to them is to embrace who you are, to find your inner power, to keep moving forward.
Moments in the Myth
Some chaotic things that jumped out at me, in the same order as they are in the myth (mostly)
The Misty Rose Dream
YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO MY FUCKING HEART. And of course we get the extended version of the scene at the end, but this is when I screenshotted it 'cause it punched me right in the emotions.
They keep finding each other and falling in love not because of "fate", but because of who they are. It's not some outside force, but their own souls that reach out to each other across space and time, connecting them eternally.
References abound
I particularly enjoyed the one with their portrait about how the background should be a gladiatorial arena (referencing their Interstellar Arena lore, which was revealed in the Death and Rebirth mains tory chapters) and the nod to Tarus when Sylus was flying her over a bloodstained Velmure. Later, when they're discussing the origins of the Underworld, MC specifically states how they're kindred spirits. Before that, there's several mentions to how they're "the same".
When Sylus realizes MC uniquely "sees" him
"It seems my sense of humor is destined to only entertain you."
Such a cute moment and also MY FUCKING HEART. To me this moment directly connects back to her hanging decorations from his horns in Beyond Cloudfall or giving him the face mask in Magnum Opus. It's akin to the moment in BC she realizes nobody else has ever looked into those gem-like eyes.
The treasure room reveal
Of course his trophy/treasure room is arranged around a fucking PIPE ORGAN that he was just INTUITIVELY DRAWN TO.
I've mentioned before that the entire reason I started my Sylus POV prequel is that Continuous Melody grabbed me by the fucking emotions and wouldn't let go. The idea of Sylus being haunted by this memory she played, the implication that he remembered it and learned how to play piano so he could hear it again...
So to have the pipe organ get a first class place in Sylus's themes is just khdhkadsgklagkhldahk YES. PLEASE. AAAAAAH.
You guys if we get a phantom of the opera myth for him............. 👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀
The Underworld Reveal
"You're not the only one who wants to rewrite fate, and there are other timelines with people such as yourself. Have you ever wondered where those discarded fates go? [...] The Underworld is a fate's graveyard."
Graveyard of rejected fates, fucking hell yeah. And we learn at the very end that Sylus ended up in the underworld due to having an "incomplete" soul. Half his soul is his, and the other half is tangled up in that linkage that connects him and MC.
"Other timelines with people such as yourself" as in..... other versions of MC specifically?? 👀 Or does he mean this more generally? I expect it's meant to be vague.
A fun little food for question thought--do we think that this underworld contains *only* the rejected fates of the version of Philos that has Velmure? Orrrrrr, like, all the Philoses? 👀 I like the idea of it being representative of all the Philoses, because it means that when MC enters the Velmure timeline (which I do have many other thoughts on, that I'll probably explore in the Sylus's myth timeline post) it means that she summons Sylus to that timeline specifically, out of all the others.
I care less about thinking about how it would connect to the other LI's versions, because they're really all meant to be truly parallel. Sylus's lore isn't meant to comment on any of the other LI's lore. BuuuuUUUuut I do kind of like the idea of him being the one LI to sort of figure out what's happening, and rest assured that his MC, the version that rejects Fate, will always find him. I also like the idea of random chunks of Lemuria and like Mad King Xavier's castle ending up there and he's just like "ugh these guys again."
BUT ANYWAY.
When MC says this
"Then I must be the first dish that makes you happy. A gourmet delicacy."
Whatever is wrong with me makes this the most romantic sentiment ever. EAT ME. PLEASE.
The first hint the Curse is from Beyond Cloudfall
"My suffering stems from a curse. I lost my most crucial memories and only vaguely remember that because of this curse… Only a certain person can grant me a true death."
I love how they drip fed this to us. So satisfyinggggg. Much like how Raf's new myth this year was a direct sequel to Forgotten Seas, and Xaviers to Shooting Stars, this is our first "Yep, it's coming" that this is more or less a direct sequel to Beyond Cloudfall. (Zayne's myth was not as much a direct sequel imo, though it certainly related back!)
Now, Is it the same Philos? Or was she born with this curse borne from a past life? That is a question I'm gonna chew on in the Sylus myth timeline post.
The curse is a fucking curse
This is driving home a point that I made around Beyond Cloudfall and why Sylus is mad at MC when she gets to the N109 Zone. The curse she put on him was fucking excruciating. Here we see it was excruciating for MC too:
Sylus: "You want to rewrite your fate to escape eternal torment."
MC: "Correct. Eternity for me is a nightmare I can never wake up from."
Thus, we can infer that it's the writer's direct intent that Sylus's experience of the curse from Beyond Cloudfall is also agonizing. We have this theme of memories being forgotten and needing to be learned again.
In this timeline, MC seeks out Sylus because she wants to end her suffering.
In the start of the main story timeline, Sylus seeks out MC because he wants to end his suffering.
And in both timelines, they each get to know the other again, and find in each other a reason to stay and continue to face life's challenges and pains.
On a broader level, the meaning of the story is: Love is the reason we humans continue to face all the pain and challenges we're faced with, even when death is inevitable.
When MC decides to fix the pipe organ
Sylus: "This might be the only place where I've seen a pipe organ. [...] It's the only object that feels familiar to me."
It's familiar from the chapel in Beyond Cloudfall, where MC played her requiem. So, even despite losing all his memories, things that relate to her are still familiar to him.
Note also that when thinking about how fixing the pipe organ might add warmth to the castle, MC notes, "after all, its owner isn't so coldhearted."
This directly connects not only to the general theme of MC seeing that Sylus has warmth to him, but also to the time she spent with him in the black chapel, decorating it and making it a home. That hominess of the chapel is directly reinforced in Alternative Darkborne, and here again we see that thread staying with Sylus as he seeks out a place that feels, on some level, like home.
Given the nature of the underworld as a graveyard of fates, and buildings made of different fragments mashed together, it's quite possible it's the same pipe organ.
This line
"Indulge yourself to your heart's content, my dearest wife."
DON'T MIND IF I DOOOOOO
I could probably talk more about the theme of indulgence, of normalizing desires that the world vilifies, of the sort of seductive and addictive quality of giving yourself over to potent, passionate love but
I'M TOO BUSY STILL MALFUNCTIONING
MUST REBOOT
When Sylus remembers the requiem
"It seems like I was born with it," he says. Now, this is a nice little construct that I like to use myself--the "seems like" ambiguity. It can on the one hand be the writer offering the real reason for something even when a character could not be certain of it, or it can be an "unreliable narrator" moment where what seems to be true to the character isn't strictly true.
This line could imply that Sylus was really "born" into the Velmure timeline, and that the Underworld is linked to Velmure. OoooOOOOooor, it could be that he's still the same self that existed in the Beyond Cloudfall timeline, and he has been displaced to this Underworld and currently lacks his memories, thus he wasn't "born" with it, he simply remembers it.
It also could imply that this is how Sylus knows the requiem in the main story timeline, and how he sort of magically became able to play it. OoooOOOoor, my head cannon could be correct, lol. (I'm mostly kidding, it doesn't matter much either way. The magical explanation seems intended, but it doesn't contradict a version of events where he does in fact have to teach himself to play it, based only on his memory of the notes.)
And then they say this:
"Sylus, when I die, will you play it for me again?"
"How can you hear it if you're dead?"
"I'll hear it."
AND I CRYYYYYY
The flower clue
When examining the clue on the flower that Mephisto carried (OMG I HAVEN'T EVEN TALKED ABOUT MEPHISTO YET, TOO MANY THINGS) MC notes that its markings "resemble a dissected nebula", which I take as a reference to the interstellar arena because it setting is tightly linked to nebulae.
When they look in the mirror
Their reflections don't exist in the mirror, so they're the same, (that is, both fiends, both dragons, kindred spirits of the same kind). But she CAN see her reflection in his eyes SHUT THE FRONT DOOR. The world doesn't understand them but THEY UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER.
THIS MEANS THAT THE REFLECTION OF YOU, WHO THE WORLD PERCEIVES YOU TO BE, DOESN'T FUCKING MATTER IF YOU'VE FOUND A KINDRED SPIRIT WHO UNDERSTAND WHO YOU TRULY ARE SO FUCK THE HATERS.
This fucking killer line
When talking about all the people who seize power and court forbidden magic, killing anyone who gets in their way, to go after Sylus and MC.
"Justice's cloak is the perfect disguise for desire."
This directly echoes the corruption of the "legion of Justitia" and guys I feel confident saying Sylus is onboard with ACAB.
It's also not directly stated, but it's clear when you look at it: what do Sylus and MC want at this time?
They want connection. A chill place to enjoy each other's presence. Sylus is painted as this avatar of wicked desire, and yet at the end of the day, his truest, deepest desire... is to known and be known. To love.
The inversion of expectations and surface vs deepest desire is just SO GOOD. DELICIOUS. GIMME.
Also, I'm gonna bury it here since it's somewhat beside the point, but I think Sylus's myths are directly anti-fascist. Fascists are incredibly talented at painting themselves as the protagonists in anti-fascist stories (just look at what's happened to The Matrix) so I'm not going to say it has an anti-fascist impact (though I would love for that to be the case) but I think it clearly comes from an anti-fascist anti-authoritarian sensibility. The guy with the most power in all the world? Yeah he doesn't actually want to fuck with peoples' lives or tell other people what to do. Or if he used to, he's matured beyond that.
We see both the Legion of Justitia and the powers of Velmure use the excuse of "vanquishing evil" to commit absolutely horrific acts, akin to genocide. And yeah, it's a fantasy story, but that's also a thing happening right now.
The whole "the world is hurtling towards Doomsday, it feels like everything is falling apart" yeah I feel that.
And the answer that this narrative gives us? Not to ignore it, not to hope blindly, but to seek love. To find others that will have your back, join you in the fight. To fulfill your dreams and create cherished memories amidst the struggle and the challenge. Not for some idyllic happily ever after where everything is perfect... but so that you can die without regrets.
Sylus thinking about the linkage
"Somehow, he no longer resents the linkage he wanted to rid himself of. In fact, he wishes it could bind them more tightly together. [...] In his eyes, his dreams, his imagination--her presence exists in his everything. But if their circumstances never change, the one who's staying by his side will continue to endure endless torment."
MY SHAYLAAAAAA
Sylus and fate
"Fate isn't the only answer. After all, I never believed in it. If fate demands your suffering, then I will destroy it."
There are two pretty direct callbacks here. The first is to Beyond Cloudfall, where MC essentially says the same thing: If fate requires you to die, then I'll destroy fate.
There's also an interesting connection to his anecdote, where he's on the Overlord's planet. He says he "sometimes believes in fate", implying that he usually doesn't. Now, I don't really see this as a contradiction so much as the natural complexity of compelling characters. Plus, the Overlord's planet is best understood as being "after" this myth, so things can change a bit anyway.
Sylus's Wish
"I wish that you'll be free from curses and live an ordinary life without any sort of suffering. Or should I wish... for us to never meet again?"
At this point, Sylus understands, at least on some level, that for MC to be free of curses and live an ordinary life, he can't be in it. The curse is what keeps them together, after all. And even if not for the curse, Sylus has never lived an ordinary life at this point, and cannot imagine doing so.
We see MC later willingly choose the curse and the pain it brings later and IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL.
There's a moment I wrote for Sylus in Cosmic Interlude where he thinks about how, at that moment, MC is living an ordinary life. With the chance to do so, she may not need him or want him.
And that is exactly what he's grappling with here.
Which is why it's so fucking gratifying when they get their ordinary moments together in the main timeline. When Sylus can slowly live a more ordinary live alongside MC, when he gradually adjusts to Linkon and lets people wish him a happy birthday and I'M GONNA CRY AGAIN.
And I'm going to say it here before I forget: Later, MC and Sylus each give up their immortality in exchange for time with the other.
In the main timeline, you know what fucks over Sylus's power and makes it so that he can actually be injured? The sun. You know what he's enjoying more and more of with MC? The fucking sun.
He's literally giving up aspects of his power and immortality to spend more time with her.
adhagkadhadh;kahkahkadgha I WILL NEVER BE WELL AGAIN.
MC's selfish desires
"I should let him forget me just as I would forget him. But why do I selfishly want him to remember?"
The way this ties back into the greed theme is SO FUCKING GOOD. See also the "the curse is a fucking curse" section. As I've mentioned before, MC is not being selfless and romantic when she gives Sylus his curse. She is, on some level, being vindictive. She knows it will cause him to suffer, yet she demands that he be bound to her anyway. She knows that remembering her will cause him pain, yet she selfishly wants him to remember anyway.
Regardless of the in-universe lore explanation (it's easy to come up with many viable options) the thematic reason that Sylus remembers even when MC forgets is that MC wants him to. She wants to have changed him permanently. She wants to be unforgettable.
It's just SO TASTY.
Then ofc he says:
"It won't be long before I'm forgotten. But what makes you think I'll forget you?"
AND WE CRY
The Sacredcore reveal
"The Sacredcore could never rewrite fate. It's merely a vessel that devours the strongest souls."
The Sacredcore continues the planetary core theme here. MC's Aether Core is in different ways synonymous with and relates to the planetary core of each version of Philos. In Velmure, it's the sacred core. I argue that in Tarus, it's Fiend Reaper, her cleaver.
Similar to Xavier's continuity, the core here is deceptive, rotten. Like that Philos, this Philos also wants to devour MC, to contain her power as a planetary entity and not a manifested life.
The soul fragment reveal
"A crystalline fragment detaches itself from my chest. It emits a dazzling light. [...] Is this the source of my suffering? My curse... is a fragment of an incomplete soul? [...] I desperately try to grasp that fragment. I didn't choose this. Rather, my action is driven by pure instinct. Even if it's a curse... even if it only brings me suffering and pain, something deep within me tells me I cannot lose it."
😭
The unbreakable bond
"The linkage between us cannot be severed." [...] "Have you forgotten? You're not an ordinary mage. You're the mage who summoned Sylus. If you're willing to pay the price, then nothing is immovable. Not even fate. [...] What? This matter is merely more absurd than death."
This echoes the moment in Death and Rebirth where Sylus brings MC back into her body, with all her memories, after she's resurrected. Again at that time, he reinforces that their bond cannot be broken, explicitly referring to the linkage also.
The power of choice
MC: "We had identical soul fragments. And we lost them."
Sylus: "Aren't two shells that lost their souls still the same?"
[...]
MC: "Sylus, you wrote my fate this time."
Sylus: "If our fates were different, how can we truly be the same?"
And here is the FUCKING PAYOFF. They lose their magic previous life spirit bond temporarily, AND THEY CHOOSE EACH OTHER ANYWAY.
Even when nothing mystical remains, their bond has always been based on WHO THEY ARE. It is their own souls, their similarities, their being kindred spirits that connects them, not just one curse, one bit of magic. In EVERY life, they choose each other again.
Sylus's sacrifice
MC: "But you paid the price of sacrificing every path that would let you return. You'll never be as powerful as you once were. You've chosen the most difficult future for yourself."
Sylus: "I have no regrets. Your past self died as your pain disappeared. Starting from this day, everything that happens will be our shared fate."
Sylus and MC end up both choosing mortality. They take hold of a fragile, mortal life in order to be with each other.
The game's theme is of love and eternity, and yet the game makes the point, in many places, that the immortality of individual beings is not what should be aspired to. It's love that is eternal, and love can only be expressed in fleeting mortal moments.
Immortality is synonymous with suffering, with an impossibility to be satisfied, with coldness and cruelness. It's unnatural and dangerous.
And as I mentioned before, we see an echo of this in the main story timeline. Sylus spends more and more time in the sun, which significantly weakens him. Yet it is that weakening that literally humanizes Sylus--that is, it makes him more human. More mortal, more grounded, more connected, more capable of love. Thus his choice is not one of weakness, but of strength of passion.
Dreaming of the future
"There's only one thing I fear. I found the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. Yet I'm afraid our life together has started too late."
Iconic.
And then we get into the exchange that really got me. Like I was tearing up for most of the last couple chapters and then we get to this part...
MC: "A finite life... and one shared with another person... I never imagined such a thing before. I imagine we'll travel to many places. Mostly remote ones where few people visit."
Sylus:"And we'll renovate an abandoned fortress and turn it into a temporary home."
DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS. YOU GUYS. THIS IS VALLEYDREAM BLOOM. THIS IS A MONTAGE OF PUNCH YOU RIGHT INTO THE FEELS YOU'VE BEEN WATCHING THEM LIVE OUT THE DREAMS THEY IMAGINED IN THIS OTHER LIFE.
MC: "I'll be unable to resist buying strange, unusual magical texts from old bookstalls."
Sylus: "Then I'll pick up some yellowed sheet music while we're there. We'll find a place with a pipe organ so I can listen to you play." MC: "What will you do? Are you going to sit there and listen?"
Sylus: "I could sing."
"I COULD SING." Y'ALL THIS IS WHEN I FUCKING STARTED BAWLING. ALL THEIR DREAMS GET TO BECOME REALITY AND THEY GO ON ROADTRIPS TOGETHER AND KARAOKE AND HE'S BAD AT HIT BUT HE GETS BETTER AND AKADKADKHAGKHAGHADGHA;
okay sorry rebooting
MC: "When the weather is warmer, I want to find a ship and go out to sea."
Sylus: "Then we'll need to buy one that's sturdy enough to sail to the ends of the planet. I don't care where we go. I only want to sit with you on the mast and watch the moonrise."
A JETSKI IS A KIND OF BOAT AND THEY WATCHED THE SUN SET AND THE MOON RISE AND ALSO THEY SAIL TO THE KAHLI FLOWER PLACE AND OTHER STUFF I'M FORGETTING.
MC: "Do you think we'll argue?"
Sylus: "Haven't we argued enough already?"
MC: "But in the future, our arguments won't be about the Sacredcore anymore."
Sylus: "Maybe our reasons shall be simpler. So simple, in fact, that they'll be about a dish's seasoning. But our arguments will always end quickly, because I'll prioritize your happiness."
MC: "You sound confident. Tell me more."
Sylus: "For example, I could make you a wooden bird that caws."
MC: "Will you name it Mephisto?" "If that's what you want."
OHHHH BOY YOU SURE ARE GONNA ARGUE BUT DAMN RIGHT HE'S GONNA PRIORITIZE YOUR HAPPINESS AND JUST BE THE BIGGEST SWEETEST SIMP FOR YOUUUUU
And Mephisto. My sweet bird Mephisto. If Sylus can make a wooden bird, he can make a metal bird.
An Aside on Mephisto
I feel bad cramming him in here but there's a lot going on, okay? You might look at the note about wooden Mephisto and be tempted to imagine that Sylus romantically made robot Mephisto from scratch in order to make her happy someday.
And I won't take that away from you.
But. But. The fact that there are references to all these other dreams that MC and Sylus have recreated unknowingly makes me really biased towards making this another "unknowing" fulfillment.
I think it's incredibly delicious to have Sylus not remember this, to have him create/modify Mephisto for some other purpose (such as to cyborg-ize a bird abused by EVER and seeking revenge), but because he is the same person and she is the same person then of course he names the bird Mephisto a second time, and of course that bird turns out to make her happy a second time.
In the main story, Sylus never behaves as if he made Mephisto for MC--that type of romance is endgame, not early game for Sylus. So I just love this connection that--it's not fate. It's who they are. It's not that Sylus is destined to have a crow named Mephisto, it's that because of who he is he will always end up seeking out or creating a reality where he has a bird named Mephisto.
And I know I keep repeating this point about it being who they are but I AM OBSESSED.
Back to fate
"We only need to choose each other to rewrite fate. It's a simple matter."
This. This is the heart blood of Sylus x MC. This is the "moral" of the story, the message, the point.
They. Choose. Each other.
In every lifetime.
On every planet.
The time skip that's everything
"We spend a long time together and endure those countless hunts."
THEY MADE THEIR DREAMS COME TRUE. THEY WENT ON ADVENTURES TOGETHER. THEY FUCKED A BUNCH.
And also, there's a note in this time skip that I find fascinating. It's said that the mages use forbidden magic to cause MC and Sylus to use their weapons against each other. For one, they're each the only one that can match the other. But it also hints at this enemies to lovers cycle that they have. On this micro level, these mages used spells to do this.
BUT ALSO, on the macro level, external forces pit MC and Sylus against each other. The legion of justitia trains her to slay fiends. Linkon vilifies Sylus, Ever uses him as their scapegoat. It is always external forces that cause their conflict, and when each slowly rediscovers who the other is, they always choose love again.
The wisdom of mortality
"Perhaps we've grown weary of the endless strife. We're tired of this ignorant, cowardly world. On this planet heading toward doomsday, it's possible that weariness is the true awakening."
Yet again, the writers make the point that immortality of an individual life is not to be desired. Understanding when it's time to move on, cultivating the bravery to face oblivion, finding ways to face death with intention and purpose, these are all much more valuable pursuits.
What happens in this scene is that Sylus and MC realize they are going to die anyway, and die soon. So, they decide to go out on their own terms, using the last of their energy in one burst. This allows them to die with dignity and without regrets, as opposed to clinging to life and losing that final agency.
While the final imagery does evoke Romeo and Juliet, I do not take this to be a tragic end by suicide, but rather, the courage to confront impending death and approach that finality with purpose.
The power of choice
"You know very well I don't believe in fate. I only believe in decisions."
No wonder he wants so much for her to choose him, for her to want him. He doesn't believe she's fated to be with him. He wants her to choose.
The ouroboros
In Immobilized, very specific imagery is given to describe the linkage, which Sylus and MC comment on--two snakes, circling each other and devouring each other.
We're given a VERY poignant ouroboros image with MC and Sylus drinking each other's blood at the same time. THIS is what the linkage's resemblance to the ouroboros represents--in Immobilized, they suggest one will eventually devour the other, coming out on top.
But Crimson Spirit reveals the true meaning--they are destined to die together, each devouring the other, in balance until the end.
I. Am. OBSESSED.
Doomsday
"And so we march toward our doomsday as if we're welcoming a celebration that has descended solely for us."
ngl, kinda want this on my gravestone. At the very least, this is the spirit with which I want to face oblivion.
Also, note how the world ends along with their role in it. That's because these versions of Philos are, essentially, containers for each romance. The world ending is an allegory for their lives ending. They're intentionally, thematically entwined.
Whereas the main story line is in the middle--just as all of us are in the middle of our lives.
The Blessing
Sylus: "Now I have truly been born into this world with you in it."
MC: "Sylus, you're no longer an existence that no one wants."
Sylus: "I'll remember that."
God this one made me sob again. Especially the "I'll remember that." And it's true, on some level, he does remember that there's someone out there who cares about his existence.
The way that they mention how their stories never got the chance to start together--this rings so much of "lost childhood" to me, and of the feeling of being someone who grew up in a traumatic environment, as I also did. There's that feeling of being unmoored, of coming into life late, and missing something that other people have. There's this profound pain you've experienced, a version of loneliness that occurs when there is no source of true love in your life, especially when you're too young and vulnerable to go seek out that kind of love and community.
So this idea that you can still find your person, that they can help you reclaim that wanted-ness that you were robbed of by your childhood...
yeah I'm tearing up again
No regrets
Sylus: "You truly have no regrets?"
MC: "I never will, so long as you're involved."
This is "I love you" said in this incredibly profound way. Sylus's face when he asks this, too. 😭 It's a question so much deeper than "do you want me", "do you like me", or "do you love me."
Want/like/love are feelings, but regrets relates to choice. "Do you have regrets" asks "would you choose me again? Are you happy with the decisions that you made?"
Every element circles back to that theme of autonomy and choice.
The Soul Fragments
They exchanged fragments, so naturally one might assume that one fragment is "his" and the other is "hers". But this segment brought my attention back to the language used in Beyond Cloudfall:
"We must offer half our soul to the other. They'll be merged... to forge an unbreakable bond."
The soul is the material that makes up the bond. Each has half a soul, and a bond. In Beyond Cloudfall, the soul swap is a little bit more literal, leading to the jumbled memories. From that point forward, "half" and "fragment" are essentially interchangeable.
The "fragments" look identical because they are identical because their souls are made of the same stuff. They're of the same kind. True kindred spirits.
As MC and Sylus end their mortal lives, they're able to reclaim their soul fragments from what's left of the Sacredcore--more of that theme of the Aether Core being inextricably bound to the core of the planet.
Thus, they're able to die, and yet remain immortal. They live a life full of love, which requires mortality, and then are reborn, symbolizing the eternity of love and the way love is reborn over and over again in humanity.
Into Oblivion
MC: "No... I don't want to forget again..."
Sylus: "You don't need to be afraid of anything. I will find you, and we shall inevitably walk the same path. The world we find ourselves in doesn't matter."
[...]
MC: "If I hold onto this soul fragment, will it keep us from being separated?"
Sylus: "Are you willing to let it become your eternal curse?"
I place the fragment into my body, and it overlaps with my heart. This is the first and last ritual.
The first and last ritual--because it is a cycle. it is what ends one life and begins the next. It is what destroys one planet and creates another. It is death and rebirth. Into the ash we return, and from the ash we rise.
What does it mean that love is a curse?
This is not to be overlooked. Love itself, their bond, is a curse. What does that mean?
It means that love requires vulnerability. The price paid for deep connection is pain. The pain of conflict, the pain of separation. Many of us will not share our deaths with our beloved, and that lingering pain is a price paid for the years of love and the cherished memories.
And it's worth it. It's so fucking worth it.
It takes a brave soul to choose it. To choose it over and over, to let love in--knowing that in some ways, the grief is a love that lives on.
And we keep moving forward, for as long as we can, knowing that love waits on the horizon.
A new life
"Sylus, what if I forget you again when we meet once more?"
"It doesn't matter. I will recognize you, and we'll be the same. Two kindred spirits. And then, we'll begin our new life together."
"I'm not alone. Within my soul, I carry my beloved."
Have you seen it?! Have you seen it?! *screams into the abyss* everytime sylus content drops, i always think, uuu what dies pinky think about this?? I can’t wait for Tuesday *hyperventilating*
Miss you btw 🤗🤗🤗
I AM SO UNWELLLLLLLL
The way I’m gonna watch it like three times in a row 😭😭😭
The fiend theme and blood magic AND THE LEASH. OUR MANS ON A LEASH
And miss you too!! I promised myself I wasn’t going to do nanowrimo and then I did 😅 but I gotta switch gears because like SHARED BLISS WAS TRANSCENDANT AAAAH
love and deepspace is so funny in a ton of ways, not the least of which being that it’s an angst game full of angst with a huge helping of angst on top masquerading as a romance game
and this angst romance game has wacky characters like:
🐠 merman sea god who is an artist with flame powers for some reason. his symbol is not a fish but a duck. there is a section of the story where he goes into heat. canonical billionaire. also a serial revenge killer.
❄️ accomplished heart surgeon with ice powers who is trapped in a cycle of multiverse-spanning reincarnations. mc’s childhood friend and also her doctor. blatantly the horniest of the lot but you wouldn’t know it because he has never shown anyone an emotion ever.
💫 centuries old immortal space prince. literally an alien. got stuck in the past after attempting wormhole travel and has been bopping around earth until mc is born. mc’s monster-fighting coworker and upstairs neighbor. secretly batman.
🐦⬛ dangerous crime boss. also an alien, probably. also a dragon whose soul is bound to mc’s. once made mc shoot him in the heart to prove his immortality. wife guy in a “he supports women’s wrongs” way.
🍎 cyborg military commander with gravity powers. flies space planes. was killed in an explosion but got better. a narrative representation of the biblical eve. diagnosed mentally/emotionally unwell. wife guy in a “he is the wife” way.
and. like. originally i was going to say only a sentence about each of them but i could not pick just one of the many, many unhinged things about the tiny men who live in my phone.
absolutely batshit insane game. hilarious.
i have cried probably a dozen times while playing it.
I gotta go to bed so I can't ramble here but OOOOOMGGGG
The on-screen text about like "I'd rather give up these 'principles' and grasp the next life with you" ahhhh YES! His fate always requires him to give up his most cherished values for MC and he does it every timeeeeeee 😭
And then the HEAT LEVEL. HELLO. Because we know our snowman goes from cold to boiling in two seconds flat 🫦
Just mmmmnnngh it's gonna be ALL THE THEMES. Like I mean duh it's gonna cover his main themes but idk it's so satisfying when you see what the writers are laying out, and then they keep picking up those threads and adding onto them.
Also. The torn version. THE TORN VERSION. AAAAAAAAAH
