#lads theories

[snoozer-crow]

🐦‍⬛ am i the only one who doesn't want the "you're their first time" headcanon to be true for sylus?

a bit of a ramble, but i haven't seen this discussed much and i was wondering if other people have opinions on it!! (it makes sense for zayne, since he tends to isolate :(. caleb i'm a little torn on, because who's to say he didn't get frustrated and desperate during the time he didn't see you frequently enough in college?)

but sylus.... idk, you can't tell me that the head of a huge seedy criminal organization is still a virgin at 28. the way he is now to me kinda speaks to his patience and restraint being learned. you can't live in a place like the n109 zone for so many years and come out untouched and 'pure'.

maybe in his early 20s he went through a phase where he gave in to every desire of his that he could fulfill, destroyed whatever he pleased in his rage, and used every bit of his power whenever he wanted to. i think giving into carnal desires (aka sex) would be part of this as well. maybe he got drunk and impulsive, or became overwhelmed with longing when he saw someone who looks just like you did.

maybe all of his suffering overwhelmed him, and he grasped at whatever he could. maybe he became fixated on a hopeless realization that he really would never see you again.

i'm definitely not saying he hurt anyone or did anything non consensually!!! i'm thinking late nights slumped over a bar, or galas with the elite that give out free shots. tempted by a pretty stranger, having a night of empty pleasure before sneaking out with a hangover. one night stands with no commitment because no one could ever measure up to the person who holds the other half of his soul.

and he learned through experience that it won't help whatsoever. no matter what he does to try and vent his anger through violence, or sex, or pure indulgence, it won't staunch the fire that burns hot in his chest.

i feel like expecting him to come out of his childhood and upbringing perfectly patient and a master of restraint right away is a little unrealistic, and removes a lot of potential depth from his character!!!

also, it means he's experienced, knows what he likes, and is able to walk you through everything with ease. he can read your expressions, mannerisms, and body, both through his memories of a 'you' from so long ago, but also from prior experiences he never truly enjoyed.

and i think it means a lot more if his first night with you is the first time he revels in the pleasure. the first time he actually feels intimacy rather than just going through the motions as a fruitless attempt to sate his desires. the first time he slows down in the aftermath to take care of his partner. the first time he stays through the night and into the morning. the first time he wakes up beside the one he loves.

[lkbunni00]

Okay here are some things that give us hope right now.

- Valko’s trailers are still up on X, the only platform that doesn’t allow archiving of posts.

- His discord has been archived, not deleted.

- The hunters notice messages from his live stream is still in the game.

- His world underneath chapter is still there.

- His song is still up on Spotify.

- Caleb’s version update for his release was split into two parts and he came in part 2. They could be doing the same thing with Valko.

- Infolds silence isn’t voluntary. There is no way. They are losing more revenue by the day, they have fallen dramatically in the charts, their reviews have been absolutely bombed and the update is glitchy as fuck. They’re editing content behind the scenes to meet the ccp’s expectations and it’s obvious they rushed the update because of it.

- on top of the ccp breathing down their necks they are still being violently targeted and threatened by deranged “fans.” They won’t say anything until they have their shit sorted and it’s safe to do so.

- I saw some leaks about his story and if they’re true he is way more important to this story than we thought. Erasing him isn’t just company suicide, in fact I have no words to describe how stupid it would be.

There might be more Im forgetting but for now this is enough.

Yall know how I was all gloomy and depressed before? Yeah. Yeah screw that Im fucking fuming now. I don’t give a fuck about censorship. They don’t get to screw over their players and the people who made Valko and loved him like he was their child. I took a moment to process things and now I’m gonna keep fighting harder than before.

[munnmolads]

Since Valko is Rafayel's "counterpart"... (A small lore yap)

Yes I'm going here 😅

So the typical thinking in LADS fandom is that the new LI's after OG3 have always been coutnerparts to each other. With Xavier - Sylus, with being kind of opposites to light and dark, both have light hair and (iirc) it was suspected that Lumiere has done some harm in Onychinus's protocore operations. With Zayne and Caleb, they were both involved with MC's childhood, and Josephine was close to Zayne's parents. So naturally, Valko seems to fit in now for Rafayel's counterpart.

What I can quickly tell:

Shapeshifting, they both have a beast/animal form that they can use to travel in their own terrotory (Rafayel in water, Valko in land)

They both have "unique" hair color, with Rafayel's being purple and Valko's red (and same for eyes)

They both have a mask design (Abysswalker, and I assume the one that we saw on a trailer is either a myth design or something that we will see in the first solo Valko has)

Also this bit about EonCore Tech (thanks for mentioning this @evolvinglittlebird !!)

It seems that also Valko being the CEO or Chairman of EonCore Tech, he seems to do collaboration with Ever, specifying in Protocore Energy. I think his collaboration could be similar as Rafayel's, where he uses Ever for his own gains for whatever reason (and I think this might be the case for Sylus too? I'm not so well versed with his lore).

So overall. there's the same connection to Ever as the other guys have.

Another note is that he COULD be interested in Lemuria, but we will need to see about that later. It's kind of frustrating to make any theories about the guys meeting in the main story, since they clearly are steering the story in a way where they have to make a move on Ever or be against Ever, but there's still no clear indication it's going to happen anytime soon.

But I want to say, I'm not fully on board with everything being clear cut that Xavier & Sylus, Zayne & Caleb and Rafayel & Valko are each others counterparts. For example, I can see the Protocore energy going into Sylus's territory since his Evol is Energy manipulation. Similarly how Rafayel clearly has enemies in the N109 zone, and so on. I think all the guys are connected to each other in other ways, and I think that will be in key part for the story later on.

If we ever get there 😅

[killerpancakeburger]

Oh?

Sir you can't just toss this out there and not give me more details... Did he just never dated anyone? Too busy? Kept himself pure for MC? (HE CALLED HIS OWN LOVE THE PUREST. CAN'T HELP BUT BE REMINDED OF STAYING CHASTE FOR MARRIAGE)

Or did all his relationships ended in blood and death?

[xavistarlight]

Thinking about dad Caleb letting his insecurities get the best of him.

Caleb x fem!reader

So we all know Caleb has his insecurities over his looks maybe looking too average compared to others, his hair color, freckles etc.

Caleb always hoped his daughter would come out a little version of you mostly because he couldn’t wait to care for a mini version of you , but deep inside his heart slightly because he didn’t want his daughter to suffer with the insecurities that he does.

So safe to say when you gave birth and your daughter came out a spitting image of Caleb.

( his stubborn genes to be blamed ) he was worried , he wasn’t disappointed not even in the slightest he’d gotten the daughter he had always dreamed of and loved her to bits he just didn’t want her to suffer at the hands of him.

Caleb was usually the one to do your daughter’s hair , not because you couldn’t but because it was something he enjoyed, when you were younger he had always done your hair for school, little twists and bows and cute rubber band filled hairstyles and it was sweet to see him replicate the styles on your daughter.

“ Anddd all done ! “ he exclaims as he ties the last rubber band into the little girls hair.

Today was Valentine’s Day and the preschool your daughter is in , is doing a special party to celebrate so obviously Caleb took it upon himself to make sure his baby girl was the best dressed there ( she was already the cutest either way)

“ look mama papa put a heart in my hair , look look !!!” Your daughter excitedly runs over to you in the kitchen to show you her Valentine’s Day hair style and outfit.

She had her long ash brown hair half up half down, with two braids conjoining together to make a heart , completed with a red ribbon to match her red dress. She does a spin just as clumsy as you she’s unsteady on her feet slightly to happy to notice.

“ careful love bug “ Caleb walks behind her letting out a chuckle.

“ I’m okay daddy! “ she sticks a thumb up and smiles with a toothy grin , reminding you exactly of Caleb when he was around her age. She had the spunk of you , and the goofy nature of Caleb.

She was perfect.

Caleb taps his foot excitedly, holding your hand in his.

This is his favorite part of the day , school pick up time. Getting his girl back getting to hear all of her child like rambles about all the things she did today , the things she learned and he specifically enjoyed how she was always the first one to dart out to be engulfed in a hug by her mama and papa.

But .. something was off she wasn’t excitedly running out today , and her usually sparkly lavender eyes full of excitement looked like they held pure sadness.

Confused as ever u and Caleb give each other a glance.

Once she gets to the car she’s silent

“ baby girl please talk to us we’re worried” you state as she looks at you through her eyelashes tears forming on her waterline and welling up in her eyes.

The.. kids at school … said im ugly she sniffles between every sentence.

Calebs biggest fear personified

You look over at him an almost unreadable expression on his face, unreadable if you didn’t know him like the back of your hand, he’s fighting with his inner thoughts.

“ baby you know that’s not true daddy tells you every day how beautiful of a girl you are and not only that how beautiful of a heart you have “

Caleb is brought back to the delivery room when he scanned his daughters face , sparkly lavender eyes looking up at him the color all him but the shape all you , the cutest button nose that reminded him of the one he had kissed countless times. And faint freckles already slightly visible that would darken with age. The same freckles you would count before you went to sleep.

That’s when he realized there was no need to be insecure, love had brought you her a beautiful daughter made up of the features both of you adored about each other. A daughter made up of the sheer adoration you two have for each other.

“ my angel , don’t ever let someone else’s mindset of what’s beautiful cloud your judgment. You’re a careful blend of two people who absolutely adore each other me and your mama, two people who find each other even more beautiful with each passing day. You’re a part of us a fragment of our love and that’s beautiful all in its own way isn’t it hm”

He gently caressed the side of her chubby cheek.

You watched the whole conversation and interaction, it was almost as if while he was teaching her he had also come to the realization himself and there was just something so beautiful about that.

While your daughter was still little she most likely didn’t understand every exact meaning of what he said she was still emotionally in-tune finally breaking and letting out sobs.

You and Caleb both give each other knowing smiling hugging her. Giving her the affection you two never had as children. Somehow healing inner wounds by parenting your own child.

Later that night

“ goodnight my tiny pipsqueak “ he kisses the grown of her head

Closing the door quietly behind himself he meets you by the door

“ you know Caleb, your an amazing dad and I’m so lucky she has you.. we’re both lucky to have you”

“ I think I’m the lucky one here “ he giggles your awkward Caleb never being able to take a compliment.

He’s taken aback as you reach up too leave scattered kiss all over his face

“ tickles.. whatcha doin pips “

“ kissing every single one of my prettiest boys freckles, i think he deserved to hear what you told our baby girl tonight. all those years ago “

He breaks down slightly in your arms, more vulnerable reminding u he’s the same boy he’s always been. Your pretty boy , your Caleb.

[deepspacenova]

something that is both heartwarming and heartbreaking about Caleb is the way he consistently continues to fight his fate, despite every sign he encounters pointing toward its inevitability:

it's in the way he defies the Toring Chip, and the meaning of 7%

When Caleb falls apart on the bench with MC and the chip resets in Farspace Bloomfall, 100% of his mind is supposed to reset.... and yet only 93% of the chip is integrated and able to do so.

We know Caleb is aware of this too, when he tells MC to tell him about her problems “while I can still respond.” Because he knows he'll inevitably lose some information once it happens, like the 'patrol data' Enforcer mentions.

This means it’s happened before, Caleb's mind had been reset before. Which means, he knows if the chip’s integrity ever gets to 100% and resets, anything he feels toward MC will also reset. And so..

“…he’s purposefully ‘sealed’ his brain rather than damaging it.”

So Caleb gathered up every emotion, every memory, and every impression of MC in his mind, wrapped it all together into one small piece, and has since, against all odds, continuously used his Evol to put a barrier around it, to protect it. To keep the chip from finding it and wiping it. And what is that piece? That 7%?

7% is MC. 7% is his memories of MC. 7% is his love for MC.

it's in the way he's turned himself from "perfect weapon to destroy each other" to "perfect weapon to destroy others"

I could be wrong (please correct me), but I'm pretty sure it's murky right now whether Caleb (subject 002?) knew MC during any of her 'incarnations' in the lab and/or their purposes to be a killswitch for each other. But if he does know or remember any of it, the protection of that 7% from the Toring Chip becomes even more vital and strategic as all hell.

Because that would mean Caleb orchestrated a situation where he's become the lab subject, a decoy in MC's place as they try and correct the chip within him.

And that would mean that Caleb planned for them to "sacrifice a great deal to obtain him," — apparently, so much that they're unwilling/unable to simply dispose of him when he's resisting the very thing that would seal his fate as "the key", as MC's killswitch.

and it's in the literal beat of his heart

when you lay your hand over caleb's heart to hear his heartbeat, no matter how fast that beat starts out, if you hold your hand there long enough, his heartbeat inevitably tapers into a calm 50-60.

Despite all he's doing to preserve that 7%, he can't fight the nature of the other 93%. The nature of the chip and it's purpose to keep him in an emotional stasis.

His excitement to see you, his happiness to have you there, the fluttering of his heart? Those are abnormalities to the chip, those aren't in line with what that stasis is supposed to be. And so... no matter how quickly his heart beats for you initially, it inevitably gets suppressed.

We see how it affects other members of the Fleet too. How all of them have accepted the inevitability of the chip. Tuum Officer No. 6025 and Liam in particular shows us exactly what it looks like to give in.

And yet, every time you come back, Caleb's still excited, Caleb still fights it. He's fighting it with only 7% of his memory, he's fighting it with every quickened beat of his heart.

If the chip is a tether, if his fate is a tether, Caleb will never stop sawing at the strings, and i am not okay about it.

blame for any and all crash outs can be directed to @solifloris and @starmocha, who have managed to make my "down bad" for caleb turn into "sick to my stomach with eternal devotion"

[ladyknightz]

after these last couple of sylus cards, i’m predicting that the next myth will involve mc being injured/becoming severely ill in some way and it will lead to her death- despite sylus trying everything he could to cure her.

the thing that first got my attention was this, “i’m not good at taking care of sick people” from passionate appraisal.

obviously implying he had to in the past. there are only three people he could be talking about here- as there are only three people he canonically has relationships with. luke, kieran & mc. he could be referring to luke & kieran here, but i don’t see from a writing standpoint why that would be implied from the way he is looking at her, talking to her, voice and eyes full of some kind of sorrow. i think he could be referring to a time where she was sick, and he tried everything, but couldn’t cure her. because if he remembers the time where she was his sorceress, the time where she was his teammate— he’s going to remember whatever is in this third myth, too.

and now here, in the latest card, improvised flow- he starts his usual teasing, cat and mouse games with her. challenges her, pushes her. he seems very intent on her finding him in the dark tunnel, using what he taught her. “when your eyes fail, trust your other senses. pick up on subtle cues they can’t fake.” that is, until, she fakes a fall.

but didn’t he just imply he can pick up on subtle cues people can or can’t fake? especially when it comes to her, half of his soul, he knows her inside and out— but an old instinct may have taken over any knowledge of her scheming otherwise here.

all this to say i feel they are hinting at mc falling sick or injured that will somehow lead to her death in his next myth. now, if we wanna get real tinfoil hat here, i feel it’s something to do with the head- in cards that have come out this year, we see him cradling hers; for example in where hearts live, after a fall.

so i’m thinking, whether it’s by injury or illness, mc will succumb to something wrong with her head. i think this would be interesting, considering in all of the other myths and timelines there is always something wrong with her heart. there is ample space for metaphor here, the troubles with leading with head instead of heart and vice versa.

and, of course, sylus remembers all of it.

[lamiyra]

‼️Infold just sent out an email for the Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine’s Day).

And there’s this very suspicious line (maybe..) about an autumn breeze bringing good news and something like that.

The thing is Qixi is a summer festival and autumn hasn’t even started yet. So I’m not entirely convinced this is just because of the autumn-themed setting in Raf's Myth? Especially since the festival email itself doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the Myth 🧐

Take it however you want im not sure.

Also, in the Rafayel's 4th myth teaser at the very end when they revealed the game logo, only the "V" was red.. Every other letter was gold.. :)

I don't know if we can call it "news" about valko but I figured it was worth bringing up. 👀

Just so you know, the wording wasn’t like this last year.