Floral Promise focuses quite a bit on the importance of names.
"All forms of life share the same beginning. But their names make them special. You see, a name is the most effective spell of them all. When you call someone's name, in that moment, an invisible bond is formed" says Rafayel.
I find it interesting not only for what it means for Rafayel's in-game lore, but on a meta level as well.
In at least two languages Rafayel's name is quite meaningful and a nod to his true nature.
Yapping about Raf's name in chinese and japanese under the cut
祁煜 qíyù is his Chinese name and:
it describes his personality and role in society quite well
immediately signals a relationship with fire
is a pun on the word "fish" as well
Expanding a bit on that:
祁 qí is a surname (also meaning large, vast - makes one think of the sea, no?)
煜 yù means brilliant, glorious. I think it fits Rafayel - it seems he's destined to be exceptional no matter the universe he's in, and always ends up in a leader position. It's almost like he's a flames who attracts everyone around him.
煜 has two parts: 火 huǒ, and 昱yù. The first part of the character is the radical 火 = fire. This gives the word its meaning. The second part 昱 tells us how to read the word. It also means "bright light"
煜 yù also (almost) sounds like 鱼yú, fish.
In Japanese the name is ホムラ - Homura. It's written in katakana, the alphabet used to write foreign words (and names).
In Japanese the word "homura", written 炎 , means "flames, blaze" but also "flames (of intense emotion, both negative and postive) , passion". Perfect for him.
I don't speak Korean so I have no idea about that one.
What about the western name then, Rafayel?
I'm working on a longer post about where I think Raf's story is going (or rather, where he possibly comes from) and I'll explain better there but- I think it's a reference to both Raffaello (renaissance italian painter, lover of aesthetics and beauty + founding father of western archeology) and the archangel Raphael (guide, protector, healer with a relationship with water).
why not talk abt how xavi definitely is like a dragon?
Xavi is rich
Like... rich rich, like able to replace the train where he broke all the windows broke, like casually constantly buying tickets to random places (think abt his inflorescence imprints and just buying tickets to a ranch resort or in find tobias where he just books an amusement park date the second you say that you'd be willing to)
He also eats hotpot regularly? like... hotpot's expensive like... it ranges from anywhere from $20 (very low end) to $50 (mid to high) and like he buys enough for himself and mc and he buys a lot of meat and he eats it very frequently so that's gotta add up
He also spends money like its water???
In the bean bag phone call, it's mentioned that he bought a bean bag purely bc he wants to buy something and I'm fairly certain he bought a water cooler in one of the earlier texts bc mc got one with cute cups and he wanted to join her
But like yanno, dragons are know for being rich and having hoards full of treasure-
Speaking of which-!!
2. Xavi has a hoard
He has literally the randomest stuff in his house???
In the bunny butler one, he has a toy that makes a sound similar to a bone breaking and uses it to prank mc
In his most recent birthday event, he got a weird nut cracker and various other things from the various things he just signs up for
He collects degrees like they're pokemon cards (he probably collects pokemon cards)
The imprints card has him rummaging through his storage closet to try and find the book that mc asked for and while doing so, they find an old vintage camera where xavi IMMEDIATELY wants to buy more lenses the moment he was offered
In his 2nd anecdote (I think? the one with the kid and Ulysses) he has a juicer
He has corded and bluetooth earbuds, an mp3 player, phone, thousands of books and tons of plants on his balcony
He's a HOARDER
On a more serious note: I think Sylus leans more heavily on the western dragon stereotypes, from the wings, to the association with red, and his dangerous vibes where as Xavi tends to learn more on the eastern dragon stereotypes
Xavi often seems to have a mysterious air of luck around him (there are several moments posts about his luck but the one I'm thinking of specifically is the one where mc asks for his luck to rub off on her and he mentions that they can share it bc his luck regenerates) and eastern dragons are often thought to have power over luck
They're also associated with wish granting because they are so powerful and we all know that Xavi's themes are very wish centered
Eastern dragons also are heavily associated with royalty and the imperial family because supposedly they received their divine rights from the dragons and heaven
Most of the time in chinese mythology dragons are portrayed as benevolent and wise creatures, however it was believed that if you made a dragon mad they would cause flooding and destruction which is quite a bit like Xavi's temperment
Also I'm probably only remembering Haku from spirited away rn but like I associate eastern dragons with white and blue colors
Other things I can think of are:
3. He's possessive (? I'm still debating on that)
4. He's immortal and dragons (eastern) are associated with immortality
5. His head is frequently above the clouds/j but no he does have a lofty out of this world vibe about him that slots nicely with the idea that dragons spend most of their time in the sky (from what I could tell from wikipedia?)
6. He's willing to help you but in the form of riddles and questions, but once you've gained his trust you could prob ask him for anything and he'll make it happen, there's no specific myth or anything that I can think of associated with this but like.... it's the vibe that I'm getting from both him and dragons
They better not drop Caleb right after Zayne's birthday cuz a lot of us will be RUINED. Like hold up pls just give us a chance to breathe ik you wanna introduce all the LIs so you can start delivering on your promise for 'branched story updates from sept ~ dec' but Misty Invasion is already sucking the soul out of me 😭💀
As it is I'm grinding 2 accs and I actually don't mind putting in the effort and time (this is what gambling addiction looks like) but it better be worth the effort and get me the cards I want. I honestly don't know how far I'll be able to go even with 2 accs atp cuz 5 LIs is a lot and the amount of banners and events will only increase.
Still waiting for Zayne and Sylus to come home I think I'll be able to make it before the banner ends (my sanity is at stake)
+ that stupid ice reindeer in Ice Orbit 50 has me stuck there for weeks now I hate it. I just need like a few more seconds to finish it off but the hp and core lock that comes in towards the end always fucks me up and wastes at least 10 seconds which is a lot in battle
On Rafayel, Lemurians, sirens, archangels and a lot of speculation about Lemurian lore and what we might see in Rafayel's future myth(s) / storyline
Update: part 2
This post was brought to you by: wings! Wings everywhere!
And a cute little duckling (?) representing our beloved fishie. Why artsy birb and not artsy fish?
So, it's kinda hard not to notice that Raf is surrounded by birds and winged beings imagery - which is rather unexpected for a fish in human skin.
A non - exhaustive list made on the spot:
Artsy Birb
the crying statue on the cover for the "Long Lost Treasures" World Underneath story chapter
the statue he repairs in the Ivory Nightfall illustration
the "one winged angel" effect in the cutscene of "Fires of Devotion" as the Sanctarch
his conflictual interactions with birds (it seems they're often competing for food)
last but not least: his seagull choir
If this was just a matter of a random statue or two it could be chalked up to just aesthetics. But the constant repetition makes me think there might be something more to it.
There's also the fact that they chose Artsy Birb to represent Raphayel - he's on par with Xavier's Galaxy Kid, Sylus' crow, Zayne's snowman and Caleb's apple. The choice seems obvious for the other guys, it's only baffling in Rafayel's case. Why would the devs give Raf a random cutesy mascotte when everything else is studied in the finest details? This is not a half-assed game, and it was expecially true back when the game was first launched.
Also, why can he communicate with seagulls and other birds?
We know he can easily understand fish and other seacreatures and that they understand him - as one would expect from the sea god. But birds? It's unclear whether Raf and birds understand each other to the same level as Raf and fish, but I think it's obvious there something going on there - you don't train a seagull choir just by bribing them with food after all. Keep in mind we never see him interacting with other animals like he does with birds - there was no real communication with the cat on Hat Island for example.
TLTR: it seems the game has been dropping hints from the very beginning that Raf might not be just a fish. He probably was a bird at some point.
These are all in-game hints. But I think there are also some interesting points to consider if we look at the possible materials the devs drew inspiration from.
1. Sirens in Ancient Greece were (almost) birbs
The choice to link Rafayel and birds is not as strange as it might seem at first - sirens were depicted as half-humans, half-birds in early on. We first meet them in Omer's Odyssey, but their physical appearance was left to the imagination.
In early Ancient Greek art they were consistently represented as half - human, half-bird - initially as human-headed birds and later with human upper bodies and bird legs, with or without wings.
Also, sirens were musical beings, not just for their mesmerizing voice - they were often shown playing a variety of musical instruments
Wikipedia also informs me that "Originally, sirens were shown as male or female, but the male siren disappeared from art around the fifth century BC"
Sirens started to be depicted as mermaids during the Classical period; Romans followed this new trend and during the Middle Ages, sirens physical appearance as half-human half-fish was cemented.
How much of this is Infold taking into account? I don't know, but it seems evident the writers did their research in western myths and literature, and this whole Greek Mythology thing ties in nicely with Rafayel and his interest in painting + his association with western classical art (Greek, Roman, Italian).
Fun fact not related directly to Raf but reinforcing the relationship with Classical Art and Italy: there's a bird in the Mediterranean Sea, the Scopoli's shearwater, whose call is disturbingly human-like. From what I understand, they sing mostly at night and they sound like a wailing baby. There has been some (minor) speculation that early sirens myths were inspired by them. After all, their home is on islands near Sicily - and wouldn't you know? Scylla and Charybdis, the two monsters Odysseus survives right after the sirens, live in the Strait of Messina, between Sicily and Italy. They live exactly where the Odissey's sirens would have been.
TLTR: sirens were half-human, half-bird creatures before they became the mermaid-like creatures we all know. Also male sirens were a thing once. They've always been associated with music
2. Rafayel as in the painter Raffaello or as in the archangel Raphael? Maybe both?
Another interesting thing to notice is the choice of his western name.
As I said before, I truly believe nothing was left to chance in this game, especially at the beginning, so the devs probably spent quite some time and energy to find names that would fit the guys in all languages (a post I made about Raf's Chinese and Japanese names here)
The first thing we might associate with the name "Rafayel" might be Raffaello Sanzio, the famous Renaissance Italian painter. Raffaello's career as a painter was (relatively) short, but painting in Europe was never the same once he made a name for himself - everyone wanted to paint like him, and then later great painters like Caravaggio made a point of *not* painting like him. In short, he influenced European painting for years to come.
Raffaello's work followed the Platonic aesthetic principle of Beauty - and honestly, there's so much to unpack here it would warrant its own post but.
Raffaello sees Ancient Greece as a model (so... an ancient civilization long gone. Like Lemuria)
Plato thinks beauty is super important because it's through beauty that our soul remembers its divine origin - beauty is guide and motivation in the soul's journey to reach the truth™️ (Raf and Lemurian sure see the world differently than humans. Is this because they can see through some kind of illusion or not? We can't say atm but it's something to keep in mind I think. Also we know Raf is quite opinionated when it comes to aesthetics - he makes fairly important choices based on how things look)
In Raffaello's art, beauty reigns supreme - his paintings are famous for their delicate colors, their harmonious compositions, the graceful movements of their characters. (Raf's paintings are also quite famous for their beauty and again - beauty is always a factor in his choices)
Raffaello can also be considered one of the founders of western archeology as he dedicated a lot of effort in the study and retrieval of roman art (which he did with very strict procedures and criteria).
Archeology plays an important role in Raf's storyline: the search for Lemuria's ruins by ever, his efforts to protect it, Lemurans struggle to preserve their culture and traditions and to protect what's left of their homeland + their dream to be able to revive it.
Not to mention Rafayel is often involved in conservation and restoration work (the statue in ivory nightfall, the paintings in Destined Dawntide...)
What about Archangel Raphael then?
I must confess I'm not particularly well- versed in Bible lore. Here's what I found about him.
His name means "God has healed" or "God is the healer" and he's one of the angels that lives in God's presence.
He appears in the Old Testament in the Orthodox and Catholic Bible and in Jewish Midrash (critical explanations of the Bible).
He's consistently associated with healing and guiding. He often heals people from blindness. In at least one episode he acts as a guide while disguised as a normal human and only reveals himself at the end of the journey (Book of Tobias).
He's also often identified as the unnamed angel who periodically stirred the (healing waters) of the pool of Bethesda in the New Testament (John).
TLTR: Raffaello seems like a good choice for inspiration for Raf's name - they are both very famous painters who are very opinionated about aesthetics and what can be considered beautiful; also archeology is very important to both of them
The Archangel Raphael also has some parallels with our Raf - Rafayel is a guide of sorts for his people, and there's definitively something going on with blindness, though in this case it's him who needs healing. Also association with water.
So - sirens were originally depicted with wings and Raphael, one possible inspiration for Rafayel's western name, is an angel. Angels are traditionally depicted with wings. It seems Rafayel's inspirations support the idea that, at some point, Rafayel did have wings.
Why doesn't he have them now? Why is Lemuria associated with the sea and not the sky? What changed? What happened?
What does it all mean for Rafayel's narrative?
I'll give my own two cents in the next post - this one is already long enough as it is.
My one cent for the moment: one super interesting point I noticed - sirens, Raffaello with the platonic idea of beauty, Raphael - one thing they all have in common is the connection with illusion, things not being what they seem on the surface.
If you've made it this far - I'm humbled, honored and also a bit surprised. Thank you for getting this far! See you on next post!
As I said in a previous post - I love how these cards are all a sort of commentary on a meta level. They highlight each LI's general narrative, story beats and tropes + they underline some of each LI's core personality traits.
After seeing them all, I think these cards also explore the theme of fate - what do the LIs and mc do when they're faced with a destiny that's already been written for them? Do they accept it? Do they follow the roles they've been given? Or do they rebel? If so, how?
I find these premise really intriguing, and I'm glad the writers decided to dedicate a banner to these themes. I'm still of the opinion that they don't necessarily bring anything new to the table - they're a summary of sorts - but they're very nice to have as a reference point for each Li's storyline and characterization.
I think this played a role in how much I liked each card though - I've spent so long analyzing Xavier's and Rafayel's characters, motivations, storylines and narratives that I didn't find their cards groundbreaking. Then again, they were never meant to be, and I think they all did what they were meant to do, and did it nicely at the very least. Still, being less familiar with Zayne's, Sylus' and Caleb's lore played in their favor in this case I suspect.
Also: the more I look at the titles, the more I love how meaningful they are for the cards' storylines (and Lis broader narratives).
General "how much I enjoyed the memories":
Loved:
Sylus: Finale Undone (this card! I think I'll rewatch it again and again. I love Sylus in this, I love the stting, I love mc and I love their relationship. Lovely, no notes!)
Zayne: Dawn and Devotion (It was soooooo good! It really underlined who Zayne is and his approach with mc)
Liked:
Xavier: Runaway Hearts (it's sweet, it's cute, it does underline many an important point in themes and characterization but. I have spent so much time analyzing Xavier's narrative and character that it failed to capture my attention. It also felt rushed in many places, especially when compared to Zayne or Sylus)
Caleb: Up Close (also cute, kinda whimsical, not quite fairytale-esque. I like that we glimpse a bit of a side of Caleb we don't often see. Less rushed than Xavier's perhaps, but I still wish it had more space to breathe)
Ojectively not bad but not my cup of tea:
Rafayel: Sunset on Canvas (it's romantic, Rafayel is delicious as always but... Idk I felt it lacked something, as if narrative and characterization didn't have enough time to properly settle and develop, they were too busy running to the finish line. Then again... this really isn't my genre, so maybe it's clouding my judgement a little bit)
more (and spoilers!) under the cut
Note1 : Kitty lads dividers from @qintten
Note2: My bias(es) are Xavier and Rafayel. I love the other boys but I simply do not have the time to give them all my attention. Corrections and additions about their lore are welcomed!
Finale Undone: I love that we get to see Sylus as a normal human being without his superpowers, and that doesn't really change his attitude or his problem solving strategies. He's still king in his own castle so to speak; a go getter who ends up exactly where he wants to be. He's brutally and elegantly efficient at the same time. His trust is hard to gain, and mc has to work for it since he has no memory of her. I love that about him - he takes his time to know people, but once he decides he likes you he's there for you and will do anything in his power to make a future together a reality. He won't coddle you, but he manages to strike a balance between being protective and expecting you to pull your own weight and stand your ground, trusting you to do your part.
The main takeaway from this card on a meta level is all in the title: when mc enters Sylus' life, he does everything he can to rearrange reality for a future together. Through trust and teamwork, he and mc literally rewrite the story - they give fate the finger and say "not today. Or tomorrow. Or ever. We're getting our happily ever after bitch".
(Unhappy) Finale Undone - (and rewritten into a happy ending).
After all, that's what his broader narrative is about, right? A cursed creature, doomed to be alone, encounters someone he's destined to kill... And they decide they're soulmates actually, that they will share the rest of their existence. They manage to find each other again. And possibly, hopefully rewrite their ending.
Dawn and devotion: Darcy Zayne has my whole heart actually. I'm not really into romance usually but if done a certain way romance does have me by the throat. This is an example. They were engaged but! Mc refuses the engagement! Because she wants to find Zayne! Not knowing Zayne is her should-be fiancè! And Zayne being Zayne decides that ok, fair enough, let's respect her decision. And frees her from the engagement. And after that mc has to find a way to connect with him again and build a relationship from scratch. Soooo delicious! Them getting to know each other again! Here's where I wish this card was 1 hour long so it had more time but. I think it was still done well even with the time restraints.
I think it's great that we saw what makes Zayne... well, Zayne. He genuinely loves his work and helping people, he will do it regardless of circumstances and personal gain - it's his true call in life. He is skilled, dependable, thoughtful and unassuming. He's also utterly incapable to suspect mc might actually be into him, that he brings joy in her life with his mere presence, just by being himself. He seems convinced she should explore her options and find a better candidate... Isn't that Zayne across all universes? Quietly and waveringly offering his unconditional support, expecting nothing back. Not seeing himself as a potential romantic partner, realistically speaking.
When it comes to fate, it seems they were destined to just... pass by each other. It was mc who took the initiative, who made herself a presence in his life and, ultimately, managed to get him to move and do something about what he wants. Once their feelings were finally declared and clear to both of them, once they were honest with each other, that's when they reached their happy ending. It seems the courage to be honest about your feelings with yourself and with your partner is key to rewrite fate here.
Dawn and devotion is a good title for the card and an apt descriptor of Zayne's narrative - quiet devotion is his middle name and, with mc, he can stand in the dawn of a brand new day - the happily ever after of one story and the bright, hopeful beginning of a new one. (Also a nod to dawnbreaker I'm sure)
Runaway Hearts: cute, cute cute! This card gives me cuteness aggression. Amids all the fluff and cuteness and fairytale-esque vibes we still have Xavier with his rather depressing background. Nothing tragic this time, but he still lives a rather dehumanizing reality - he's the heir of his house, meaning there's a world of expectations on his shoulder, but he's allowed no space to be a human being. He's supposed to be his role. Other than that nothing about him matters. He has to constantly put his foot down to defend anything that he values but isn't strictly beneficial to his role as heir and his house - horse racing? He likes it, wants to do it for himself, but that too is at risk of being used by his house.
This is quite the empty existence and of course he jumps at the chance of something different, of a chance of actual life and not just a meaningless sequence of performative acts. When someone looks at him and actually sees a fellow human being, with preferences, thoughts, dreams and feelings - of course he's intrigued, of course he won't let go! I am a bit annoyed that his relationship with mc seemed to just... spark into existence within a few minutes of them knowing each other, but it does make some kind of sense. After all, throughout every universe, Xavier is always quite direct about his feelings, though it takes time for him to open up about other stuff.
Like in his main narrative, mc and Xavier look at the story that's been written for them, at the roles they're supposed to play and go - no thanks. (Well, in main narrative it took them a while to get there. Mc did stick to her role quite faithfully in her second (?) incarnation on Philos).
And! The heartwarming thing about this card is that... they do manage to run away to a world where they can just be themselves (and hopefully live happily ever after). On the first try! Sweet. In that sense it's almost a Lightseeker happy au.
Runaway hearts truly encapsulates the essence of Xavmc. On a planet where everyone is supposed to be happily immortal, efficiently rational and unquestioning of the status quo, Xavier and mc meet each other, like each other and ultimately follow their hearts. They free themselves of the stifling roles they were supposed to play and find happiness everyday life, in the simple things - and in each other. To do that though they had to run far far away, across time and space - literally.
Up Close: I have little to say about this one, not because i didn't like it but because Caleb is the last LI introduced and, consequently, I still have a lot of catching up to do with him. I'm also still turning this specific memory around in my head. What sticks out to me is the fact that mc and Caleb manage to interact through.... a glitch basically. They're from different dimensions, they weren't supposed to meet each other. A nod to his last myth, where they're separated into two different dimensions? That's an unparalleled level of separation in this batch of memories.
Caleb does his best to find mc again but he can't. In the end it's mc who makes her presence known again - and through a kiss they finally reunite.
I'm not sure what that means for Caleb's narrative. Up to now it seems they really stressed the "from the same source" point - now it seems they're underlining the forced separation on different planes of existence and their quest to reunite.
The tile reiterates this concept of closeness; they started very close, got separated and are now fighting to get that closeness back, physically and figuratively.
Sunset on Canvas: Raf, oh Raf. Poor fishie got stuck with the one tragedy of the banner. Now, to be fair - tragedies cab be deep and impactful, endings don't need to be happy to be meaningful. And I do think the writers managed to spell out a very important facet of Rafayel's character: he doesn't care if his ending isn't a happy one, what matters to him is the journey -with mc, if he has any say in it. This is in line with Raf being rather pessimistic in general, though it's not immediately obvious. He's a planner when it matters, he never leaves things up to chance because he doesn't trust fate (and to be honest, he really really has no reason to. As this card so nicely exemplifies.) He's learnt to accept life is had and fate is cruel, and he has a talent for turning suffering into art. And so, when mc enters his life he... makes the best of it, takes his happiness when and where he can, fight for a better future but... he doesn't exactly hold his breath for a happy ending.
What stuck with me the most is his easy acceptance when mc refuses to leave him on the sinking ship. We know that, again and again, when faced with impending death, mc arranged things so that she'd take the burn of it and Raf would survive. When their positions are inverted though Rafayel respects mc's choice and just does his best to bring her comfort in their final moments. I just. I need a moment.
This card was a mix of romance and tragedy, which are two main ingredients in Rafayel's storyline.
Rafayel and mc try to team up to defeat fate but, no matter what they do, fate just won't leave them alone. That damn iceberg stalks their ship with singleminded stubbornness and manages to sink them. Thanks iceberg. What I find interesting (read: me clinging to hope like the iceberg clung to his role in this story) is that everytime Raf and mc failed to subvert fate, one of both of them operated with incomplete information. God of the Tides Rafayel had only vague information to give mc to find the artifact; Sea God Rafayel had just awakened with incomplete powers and memories while Catellan mc lived a rather difficult life with no recollection of previous incarnations. In this card Rafayel has no idea why whales and fish adore him and respond to his singing. So! If current mc and Rafayel manage to put together enough information... maybe...?
One grievance I have with this memory: Rafayel still has a connection with Lemuria and the ocean. Why. Why did he drown then. How. Was he too busy conjuring up the final illusion? How come he managed to do that and not breathe underwater? Was it the wound on his head? Was that the real reason he died? Are you telling me Lemurians have some vague healing powers but he could do absolutely nothing about his wound? Not entirely implausible but still rather infuriating.
Anyway, onto the title!
Sunset on Canvas is lovely - it takes two of the most important aspects of Rafayel and puts them together. Sunset are a recurring theme in Raf's stories - partly because of their beauty and artistic value, but I think they also work as an apt metaphor for Lemuria, the ancient civilization that is now in decline and has seemingly almost reached its end. It's also one of the many elements that highlights Rafayel's connection with the sun. (More of this on the other behemoth of a post I'm working on, the birds and Raf one. Ugh, I'll finish it yet!.) Sunset also ties in with the recurring theme of endings in raf's story. And what does Raf do with both beauty, life and sorrow and suffering? He transforms it all into art. Sunset on Canvas.
seriously though, I salute raf's writers for managing to strike a masterful balance - Rafayel is genuinely sweet, understanding, supportive and loving, and actually capable of nurturing a healthy relationship. He's also passionate and intense, and that adds spice to the relationship.
But he's also entitled and possessive - I think that what makes it palatable is 1) it's a game and 2) the way these traits come out to play are kinda like they do in the gods of old myths. We see it in God of the Tides too - he comes to genuinely treasure mc, but he's a young god who takes an interest in a (supposedly) mortal girl, and the attention of a god is monumental. Once he's in love he gives his all to her - but he wants the same level of devotion in return.
Rafayel is terrifying - and he's also a tender boyfriend, king of romance and a fierce protector.
The squabble over the training fields... why am I having flashbacks from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Isaiah is "an experimental body the most closely related to X" - just one of the many clues that Philosians - or the Philosian royal family at least - are some sort of... experimental humans? With eternal youth, perfect health, great powers, supposedly rational minds not clouded by emotions... or that was the intention. Xavier should have been the paragon of this Philosian Experimental Human but he followed his heart and his principles rather than self-serving logic.
These ever-youthful experimental humans are what Ever is trying to achieve (through Lemurian biology AND Backtracker technology/biology?). So - could Caleb be the current prototype?
"the core mechanisms of royal bloodlines" another very machine coded way to talk about someone.
"planet transplantation initiative" So Soren, as seen in main story, is trying to transplant the planet....
and Isaiah "discovered the planet transplantation initiative and refused to cooperate". I find this facet of Isaiah's characterization super interesting. He considers himself more practical and down to earth than Xavier and I can see why, but - he's just as stubbornly idealistic, and more naive to boot. I love Isaiah so much. Also Jeremiah best boy as always.
Seriously the back trackers are such a delight.
More ramblings about Isaiah, Eulogy of Light and Xavier's parents (and uncle?) under the cut
I'd love to make a whole post dedicated to Eulogy of Light and the choice of Hamlet as the "classical theme" of the event + card but I don't know when I'll finally manage to write it down so here we go.
Hamlet lost his marbles because the ghost of his father appeared and told him he was murdered by his uncle. And so Hamlet tries to understand how much truth was in that revelation, even as emotionally he pretty much believes the ghost. His uncle meanwhile has married Hamlet's mother - Hamlet still loves his mother despite not having a good relationship with his uncle.
We know Xavier had a good, loving relationship with his mother and a strained relationship with his father - discovering his mother had been sacrificed to the planet was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.
I found it strange that the event card would choose Hamlet as the familial bonds are what drives the Shakesperean tragic hero and they don't seem to mirror those of the Philosian Royal family.
Eulogy of Light introduced an Evil Uncle™️to the family tree though - we hadn't even suspected his existence before and we haven't seen him since.
I wonder - will he make a come back? Was Xavier even talking about his bio father in the Lightseeker Myth? "I wish he wasn't my father" as in - I wish he wasn't involved in the process of creating* me and raising me, or I wish he hadn't taken up the mantle when he married my mother? Was he talking about his uncle?
That part in main story when Jeremiah introduces mc to Isaiah as Xavier's bro-cousins makes me wonder.
I'll be honest - if that's where we're going.... I kinda think this could be a retcon. There was no sign of uncles and bro-cousins before this year. Still, I'm curious to see where the writers will take this.
*further food for though - was Xavier even conceived the traditional way? Was he grown in a lab? Is he a perfect mix of human and machine?
Final thought: interesting title for a story that seemingly follows Isaiah as he settles down on Earth and finally, finally starts enjoying life and is maybe becoming receptive to people who actually care for him as a person.
...Is Prince Charming the scariest monster of them all?
Seriously though, there's a recurring theme of Xavier being linked to monsters and horror - not necessarily as the hero who defeats them, but as the slayer of monsters who's scarier then all of them combined.
As a general rule, his heroic traits take center stage when he's saving or helping people.
But on the battlefield? It's underlined again and again that he's terrifying. His introductory scene is him facing a giant wanderer and mc wonders "is he...comforting the wanderer?" - and it seems he's doing just that - one second before he obliterates it.
That scene is a masterpiece in character introduction because it gives us all the elements of Xavi's character - his compassion, his ability to treat every creature with respect and dignity - together with his ruthlessness, his horrifying precision in battle.
In interactions with mc he... doesn't quite hide the less wholesome side of himself, but there are numerous instances of him trying to distract mc from the violence and redirecting her attention to himself as a safe haven. Off the top of my head - it happened in runaway hearts, when he kills the would-be assassin, it happens in Finding Tobias, where he's less then forecoming about his shady knowledge and is more than happy to sleep away the afternoon rather than going on the mission, it's in the home interaction - when you hug him, he can ask "it's a trap - do you wanna fall into it?" and when mc flings herself at him he says "then i won't be a trap. I'll be a star providing shelter". There's more if you comb through his content.
.... I'm not sure where I'm going with this, just taking note that infold has been hammering us with the reminder that this man is dangerous.
He's just choosing to be eepy baby boy atm.
I'm very curious whether infold decides to do something with this side of him, or if they're just giving Little Prince Charming some spice.
But also:
"Perfect. I was wondering where I belonged, and then I found you. It's ok if you bully me everyday. Will you take me home?"
I'm screaming because isn't this what happened? Xavier living an empty existence - and then finding mc, and deciding that's where he belongs? By her side??
But also, in light of what i've said before - why do i imagine girl mc going back home to granny with a giant eldrich monstrosity in tow, cheerfully announcing that Bunny is going to live with them from now on?
