It's that time again, time for another round of: Percy's eyes and how they reflect his relationship with revenge!
(Check out my analysis of:
Episodes 1-3
Episodes 4-6)
In episodes 7-9, two different types of effects are used on Percy’s glasses/mask. The first being the usual white flashes that have been seen throughout the arc, and the second being orange flashes, which I talk about here.
One notable thing to point out is that Percy is VERY distracted throughout episode 7 and most of 8 . Before, he was in it only for the revenge, killing the new Lords of Whitestone. But now? He’s got something to fight for. He has Cassandra. Vengence isn’t his goal, protecting her is. He’s even willing to - albeit allegedly - negotiate with him, where with Stonefell he ran off immediately, smokey and murdery within seconds of speaking to the man.
But, despite all his distraction, he does still have a limit, blowing up at the man once he’s taunted him long enough. (It's still important to note that, initially his glasses and eyes are completely clear at first, Percy is fucking pissed, blowing up and screaming at Anders all on his own - no shadow demon needed.
Later in the scene, while Percy is making his way through the room with Anders, just before the Professor jumps him, a shadow can be seen in the reflection of a display case, with white eyes.. Orthax is there, pushing him forward, but his presence is limited, he can only do so much without Percy's unending anger. Percy is distracted, focusing on finding Anders rather than his incessant need for revenge he hears in his ears.
After the initial bout of orange before he runs into the room, his glasses don’t flash for a good long while throughout the fight, he’s distracted from pursuing Anders by the animated armour and then his friends being charmed. But, while he is lining up the shot, there is a faint sheen to his glasses, Orthax is helping him, guiding his hand to line up the shot, his eyes turning black and orange as he shoots - and Percy meets him there, fully willing and ready to fire, hence the lack of a flash when they change. T
The next notable instance is when he drops down from Keyleth’s grasping vine:
For a brief instance, they flash white before returning to their orange and black (a fact i will get into later). Orthax takes further control, pushing him forward, not allowing him to be distracted. With the lull in the battle,Anders unable to speak, it would be all to easy for Percy to leave at that, retuning his attention to Cassandra or his friends, leaving the shitstain to bleed out on the floor. But Orthax doesn't let him. Anders is now a free target, and can further fuel Percy's anger, feeding Orthax, and meaning he doesn't have to wait any longer to obtain a new soul.
As he's walking, the mask goes on, Orthax needing a way to keep Percy focused, with Anders no longer contributing with belittling remarks to piss Percy off. His mask has the usual white shine to his glasses, but when Cassandra shouts him from the other room, this happens:
The mask lenses are clear, and for the first time while he’s been wearing his mask, his eyes can be seen. But, they’re not the orange and black of No Mercy Percy, they’ve returned to normal.
Percy is fully brought out of his revenge driven haze. For what is really the first time, Percy is in the mask but he's the one in control. And this happens instantly. There's no slow clearing of smoke or dazed confusion, the moment Cassandra says his name, the lenses clear. Revenge is far from his mind at the drop of a hat (or a name).
And he immediately takes the mask of and rushes to her. He doesn't look back to Anders, doesn't contemplate his next action, nor his friends. He just runs to his sister, checking shes alright.
And the framing of this fucking shot gets me all the damn time:
Percy drops the mask and gun. The two central symbols of revenge and Orthax, discarded like nothing. He discards it in his hurry for Cassandra. He leaves his revenge behind him, if momentarily. He walks away.
For all that he's getting revenge on those who wronged him, he's also doing this for his family. Sure the people of Whitestone can get fucked for all he cares, he's not here for them, he's here for the de Rolos, for his parents and brothers and sisters. And he has a sister.
In the end, for all the literal smoke and daggers, he's still desperately clutching at the only method for vengeance for his family offered to him. The only way to do them right - at least in the mind of a man who was tortued and homeless for several years. Of fucking course he'd drop it at a moments notice for his family, chosing her over a violent crusade in their names.
But, whats worth noting, is that even though he's - for now - left it behind him, as he’s talking with Cassandra, Percy mentions the Briarwoods, going quiet. As looks away from his sister, his glasses get a very faint sheen to them, his eyes aren't covered but the white shine to them is unmistakable.
With the mere thought of the Briarwoods, of what they've done, Orthax is able to weedle his way back in. Even if Percy briefly turned away from his revenge, Orthax isn't gone, the List isn’t over yet. The pact isn't so easily broken - as we'll likely see later on.
And whats even more interesting is that Cassandra does this:
She grabs him by the chin and draws his attention back to her. Once again, she pulls him out of his thoughts of revenge, away from Orthax, and back to her - removing the shine from his glasses.
(This is also super fucking interesting in lights of later events. Cassandra draws Percy away from his revenge on the Briarwoods, and considering what happens behind emerald walls, its to some subtle foreshadowing as well as reasoning later events.
Cass being the only person so far that appears to be physically able to pull away Percy from Orthax sets up her as the next target quite nicely. She betrays Percy, and Orthax will use that, to turn him against one of the only people seeming able to get in the past the smoke
But Cass has also spent years with the Briarwoods, to the point where she really has no other option but to be loyal. When her brother, the boy who left her behind, comes in with plots of killing the people who stayed with her (however fucked up they are), of course shes gonna try and steer him away.)
Now, during episode 9, his glasses shine thrice.
The first is after Vedmire kills Archie.
There is a very faint sheen to his glasses as he watches this happen. It's not all consuming, and it doesn't even conceal his eyes. Orthax is there, but he doesn’t push Percy forward. As Percy says himself, Vedmire isn’t on his List, so Orthax has no interest in pursuing this. It leaves him simply standing there, unable to act, reminiscent of his reaction when he initially sees the Briarwoods.
This is Percy without Orthax’s strength in the face of grief and anguish. He has all the anger, but none of the ability to move forward with it. And he's trying to call on that drive, to use that smoke usually pushing him forward. But he can't, Orthax isn't bothered about Vedmire. So he just stands there.
The next time they shine is near the end of the episode, in the servant’s entrance.
During his entire conversation with Cassandra, his glasses remain clear, while he's apologising to her. Percy is still focused on her, ensuring her welfare and well-being.
But the moment she leaves and he steps in the dungeon, steps into the literal shadows, Orthax is there.
He's pushing him towards revenge, towards Ripley and the Briarwoods. The moment Percy is alone with no one else distracting him, he turns back to Orthax. There's no sister, no friends - old or new - to distract him, so his thoughts are immediately back on the call of revenge ahead.
Now, it's worth noting that these instances of the subtle shine only happen while Percy isn’t talking/is turned away. Orthax is only slightly there, present in thought not action, but with nothing else around, Percy has no distraction from them. He's literally alone with his thoughts.
And the third and final time that his glasses shine. is at the end of the episode, when he encounters Ripley. They are back to glowing otherworldly white of episode 3 and when he was marching up to Anders:
He's facing another one of his list. And this time the glasses shine immediately upon hearing her. Unlike with the Briarwoods, they doesn't only upon saying their names, or with Anders once he's taken care of and Percy is royally pissed.
No. It happens instantly.
Percy has been giving himself over to Orthax more and more as the list goes on, taking less and less time to go full on anime glasses. Orthax's influence is growing even stronger, so he doesn't need to wait until Percy's emotioms have built up over the top to reign in control.
And, thats not to say that Percy still isn't likely pissed or terrified.
Ripley is one of Percy's main targets, his torturer and tormentor. After all, for all that Anders and the Briarwoods orchestrated the coup, the weren't the ones strapping him down to a chair and cutting him up like a prized bull.
However, she also one of his biggest fears. Even if Percy isn't angry enough to meet Orthax at the halfway mark as he did with Anders or Stonefell, he desperately needs the push forward to take action, the otherworldly glow of Orthax's influence back, fully concealing his eyes as they did with the Briarwoods. So he falls back to Orthax, once again giving more control to the demon to make up for his abject fucking terror in the face of the mad doctor.
Throughout the past few episodes, Percy's ability to take action against his targets himself has slowly been increasing. But, even then, he still needs the push forward in the face of those who have wronged him the most - the Briarwoods and Ripley