they’re experiencing each other’s lost innocence for the first time and they dont even know it! this birthday event really shows how unaware mc was to the effect she has on him, of just how safe he feels around her. their support, their love comes so naturally in that way

and it naturally comes out of him with her. with her, racing with her on his back and the speed at full throttle, he’s a careless kid again; or at least the careless kid he should have been. together, they’re healing each other.

he wants her at her most chaotic, her most messy, her most unique, her most unguarded, her most societal pretenses dropped. we know this! and i think its because in that chaos and uniqueness theres such silliness and playfulness that he was never able to experience.

he stores plushies they catch at his house, which is the base of a criminal organization, mind you. he lets her paint his bike pink and draw a little crow on it, not only because he wants her mark on it- but because it’s representative of both her and their connection

he is a man whose life has been completely devoid of light and whimsy until this girl comes along and makes him want to play again.

as we play through her life, we know this. we know whats going on in her mind, and we know when she feels safe enough to be herself. we dont play as sylus, though. which is why it’s extra special when we see evidence of him doing the same thing.

i think on mc’s end, it’s pretty obvious. he calls her “kitten” bc of not only the events in his myth, but because he truly does see her as a small, feisty, excitable little hunter. she can let down this guard that was so up when they first met & be truly her silliest whimsical most playful self

nevermind. im dramatic

they really took all the common romance tropes, peeled back the layers, and asked, “what would the story be sans misogyny?” like no way it’s that simple 😭

to see male characters not driven by misogyny, and then to parse through their actions and really think about why they’re doing what they’re doing? it opens the door to so many more interesting possibilities. it’s something i never expected from a silly little dating game on my phone

it’s captivating, and it feels utopian in the sense that they’re showing you the way things *could* be. these men aren’t perfect, they’re flawed, nuanced characters that make mistakes. but there’s no nefarious ulterior motive to their actions, no matter how misguided.

hi :)