uber long (its BAD) braindump on passionate overload | part 2
i LOVE this mem. its def a top 5 right now (maybe even 3 but i have recency bias)
this is JUST my interpretation of it. i’ll start by saying this: i think the toring chip is VERY IMPORTANT in this memory
long post under the cut
REALISTICALLY, someone does not get a fever from being emotionally or physically aroused. your body temp raises and so does your heart rate (among other physiological symptoms) but it wouldn’t cause him to have a temperature spike, and drop, so drastic it would present as a fever.
like it’s fun to say he’s in heat! (he is) but why is that? there has to be a reason. and he’s NOT sick. so, the toring chip:
the fever caleb gets and they keep alluding too is very similar to the fever he (and mc) got in farspace bloomfall when his emotions were heightened to a point where the chip attempted to “reset” him
however, in passionate overload, i think the polar night (described as magnetic fluctuations KNOWN to affect evolvers—particularly anhausen class evolvers) could have SOME kind of interaction with his chip.
whether that means it’s directly interfering with the chip OR perhaps it’s interfering with HIM to the point where his emotions become so heightened to the point it “triggers” the chip, i’m unsure.
lowkey the reason they seemed to include the polar night phenomenon was to set up this whole story of the uncontrollable emotion and desire (and to me that translates to the toring chip for caleb) bc the polar night has nothing to do with the idol scene itself (that’s legit just caleb running into an old friend—they didn’t need the polar night event for that)
it’s specifically triggered when she’s close by. he has no other indication of being sick. he even says “you know how i am when i’m sick” and WE DO. we’ve seen hidden waves.
and also…the name. passionate overload.
the doctor also alludes to this. it is SPECIFICALLY a fleet doctor that diagnoses him, one that would know specifically about the chip. he also seems to be embarrassed or not want to bring certain things up to mc—likely because he knows the REASON the colonel is sick is because his emotions are heightened around mc.
aka he’s SO horny/emotional (his sexual desire is strongly tied to his emotions, and only for mc) that it’s triggering the chip
everything they tell her directly contradicts what’s been told to her by the hunter’s association.
of course, the fever in lucid dreams is FAR more severe than this one, which makes sense as that situation was a different kind of emotional height, so much so that it triggered the chip which did NOT happen in this case.
whereas this specific sexual desire (and i say this because caleb’s sexual desire is directly correlated to his emotions) he’s ALWAYS dealt with, particularly after floating flora/no-return night. but now, for whatever reason (polar night, chip, emotions) it’s unbearable and causing a fever.
another thing is how reminiscent certain parts of passionate overload is to lucid dreams (and some parts of HCW) of course there is the fever, but also the amusement park.
the specific reference to the MAZE comes back as well, a forever famous, integral line of his.
it’s interesting, in lucid dreams they are also exploring their relationship more intimately, catalyzed by the toring chip. in lucid dreams, they’re able to do so because the toring chip caused caleb to forget—or he pretended to forget, whereas in passionate overload it’s because it’s exacerbated his existing emotions/desires to the point of PHYSICAL manifestation.
they both seem to never be QUITE as bold and flirtatious as when caleb’s chip is involved and “compromised”
in lucid dreams, arguably the start of them exploring something “more” in the present story (and not old days), when caleb has lost his memories, as a result of the chip resetting, is when mc AND caleb are bolder.
in passionate overload, mc seems to tease caleb MORE and be more daring because of how he reacts. she enjoys seeing him squirm, knowing it’s because of her. like…the amusement park ride? the seatbelt? the zipper????
and normally, caleb is a master of controlling his emotions
but he lets them control him, in some capacity, this time.
we know caleb has always been incredibly cunning, manipulative when he needs to be, clever. a MASTER of his emotions. that’s why it was a huge deal to see him lose control of his emotions in farspace bloomfall, so much so the chip attempted to reset him
but in passionate overload we kind of see him losing control of his emotions (being so affected by mc it manifests physically in a fever) but…being OKAY with it. he WANTS to let it happen.
when the fleet doctor offered medicine and caleb specially interrupted and said he doesn’t want the “side effects” and how he’s adamant with mc that they should just walk together as opposed to trying to find a one and done solution to “cure” him
we’ve seen that caleb needs to be in control of the situation, because he’s grown up taking care of him and mc, and just the nature of their childhood/lab. to see him allow his emotions to run wild and control HIM for once actually was REALLY impactful to me.
his desperation is literally at its climax in passionate overload (literally the name). the memory itself is a slow burn but also their entire relationship.
now that i think about it…the toring chip has been pretty integral to their relationship progress, which sounds eerily fucked up. it’s kinda that two sided coin/double edged sword metaphor that comes into play with caleb (like the vines that grew inward in his heart until they started hurting him - decoherence)
there’s also the same very specific dreams mc has about caleb. they’re not similar really, but something about how they’re written in feels really reminiscent of each other.
and then there’s the matter of an experience they share that they keep a secret to be locked away and buried. except in lucid dreams, they actually genuinely bury it away and have since never really spoken about it.
but in passionate overload, she refuses to let the memories of them dancing be forgotten. when she saw caleb rehearsing on stage and decided to join him. (more on that in a few tweets down…)
these events are really eerie similarities…i wouldn’t say the exactly to point to anything besides showing that lucid dreams and passionate overload can be seen as mirrors to each other (not sure if mirror is the right word here, but similar to burnline and longtime moments) where it’s a very similar experience, but things are VERY different, and end differently because of how they choose to navigate them. and be honest with each other and what they want
and also i thought the reference to her bobby pin being on his collar was cute… it reminded me of the hair clip he got her in lucid dreams (the one she took off in farspace bloomfall and he placed back on her)
the reason i LOVE passionate overload is because of the slow burn. and i’ve never actually been a big slow burn fan.
but once again, it’s so natural. it’s actually feasible to put myself in both caleb and mc’s shoes.
mc, who keeps intentionally teasing caleb yet also comes off as aloof or playing dumb. to me, i think they’re both still SO scared of crossing the boundary of (non-blood related) siblings into something more. for mc, to me it reads like she’s in denial. she knows caleb wants her, the signs are right there, but it’s sort of unbelievable.
caleb, who continuously makes it clear what he wants and keeps asking me “when are you going to realize what’s happening to me?” caleb who says “once we know the truth, we can’t pretend we’re unaware”
calebmc, who are both are waiting for the other to ultimately make that FINAL MOVE that puts them at the point of no return.
they’ve ALREADY crossed that line in floating floraletter and no-return night and yet they almost keep acting like they haven’t. they’re both still SO hesitant and scared to jeopardize the most important relationship/person in their lives.
the reference to the maze with walls of glass, the one where you can see clearly from inside but you’re still trapped. the one where he specifically says he is WAITING FOR HER to find the entrance.
they both can see through the glass. caleb on the inside, mc on the outside. caleb is already in the maze, waiting for mc to find her way in. he’s the one that’s been shouldering the sin, guilt, and temptation alone. now he’s waiting for mc to find her way in. she can see inside, she knows what she wants, but it’s also new and scary for her. she just needs to find the entrance.
mc at the end of the memory says “we’ve always been on the same path, but today, we finally let ourselves venture deeper”
it feels like she found her way to entering the maze, and to him, and she doesn’t want to retreat. now they’re going deeper into it, together.
ONE OF MY FAVORITEEEEE parts of passionate overload
they make it really clear when mc jumps into the dance, it wasn’t part of the number. you can kinda see right before mc jumps into, caleb is doing kinda like…closing moves (im not a dancer…its lowk like a mic drop equivalent of a dance move it feels like) but then he reaches his hand out to her
and she specifically says to herself (before she jumps in): “and suddenly, i dont want to just stand here and watch”
theyve obviously been practicing dancing a lot, but she didn’t know how to dance originally. and yet in the kindled it feels SOOOO choreographed and sooo smooth. whether it’s completely unchoreographed and that’s just how much chemistry they have (possible…) or that they’ve actually been practicing this specific dance, the way she dances with caleb (who apparently…has band and dance experience) is just so skilled and inspiring
to me, caleb makes mc SO confident. he is the kind of person that uplifts the people around him, makes them feel invincible.
when timothy (caleb’s DAA friend that was bitter towards him) described him as the sun in a way that he’s so blindingly radiant that it makes gloomy people want to look away. but the sun will always be the sun.
caleb outshines everyone around him, but like the sun he SHINES on people. he BRIGHTENS people, helps people GROW. i feel like several times in other memories we’ve seen mc feel insignificant around caleb, he’s always the center of attention, everyone wants his attention. but still, caleb just naturally lifts her up
i feel that’s always a green flag in someone that is a good fit for you, as a friend or as a SO. they naturally, without trying, uplift you and make you a better version of yourself—that you WANT to be.
but besides that, i thought it was so powerful how mc went from saying “our dance became our little secret…it’ll be locked away and buried.” but when she says “and suddenly, i dont want to just stand here and watch” it’s very much her taking action.
again that first line reminds me a lot of the lucid dreams line “this secret exists only in those three days…dreams are meant to remain in the realm of dreams” but this time, she decides her own future with caleb.
once again, it’s like she’s found the entrance to the maze. now she just needs to hold caleb’s hand so they can go deeper, together.
there’s definitely quite a few plot holes in passionate overload…like
@/pipszhou (twt) mentioned the fact that his face is plastered on posters and stuff and that’s a problem since he’s….supposed to be dead to most people (and the restaurant owner friend literally knows him from hs)
and i also think it’s backtracking to allude to the fact that in no-return night they didn’t not go all the way (which is not a problem at all—it’s just they very much set it up as they DID, so it feels a tiny bit like an afterthought)
idk i still thoroughly enjoyed and i think its because its so intentionally meant to be another look at lucid dreams with all the callbacks. and lucid dreams will always be top 3 caleb content for me…
