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How am I supposed to let him go 🥺
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For Rafayel how would he deal when MC has to go on an undercover mission where they have to pretend to be in a relationship with the target to get close to capturing them in illegal business? Course he would be upset but imagine if the target brought MC to his exhibition and introduced them as the target’s partner. Lol, i can see him wanting to just disintegrate the target right there.
ooo youre so right hes nawt amused
Somehow, Rafayel agreed to your request of letting you go undercover with someone else at work. Well, agreed is a loose term. It'd be more accurate to say that you promised him you wouldn't have an affair just because you're going undercover and he pouted the entire time. You promised him you'd come home to him soon and he just had to be patient.
It was driving him nuts being unable to contact you directly. You were able to pass and receive notes from your handler. Rafayel wrote the sweetest messages, most likely a result of him overcompensating for the fact that he wasn't able to see you. You tried to respond in kind but you just don't have the affinity for words that he does, simply able to just convey the fact that you miss him.
When you heard that you'd be attending Rafayel's exhibition you were ready for a meltdown. You were ready for him to throw some sort of tantrum or shade at you when you were introduced to him but somehow, he was politely cold. He barely looked at you, only making small talk with your "partner" in the routine way he always does before leaving to go talk to somebody else. You sigh happily internally, glad that he was able to let you go without much complaint.
Rafayel understands that this mission is important to you so he isn't going to make a scene. However, he can't help the way that his eyes look for you in the crowd, desperate to see if you'll meet his eyes again. It chews him up inside to see you being so attentive to another person, even if you're supposed to be playing the part of a doting lover. You don't look at him, knowing that one look at this big eyes will make you break.
When you're finally able to come home to him the two of you are inseparable. You refuse to be apart from him for longer than two seconds, knowing that you spent far too long without him. He feels the same, buried in your lap with his face pressed against your neck to imprint the way you feel around him into his skin.
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More thoughts on Rafayel after all the events.
Also, what a great birthday gift lol. I do love cats~~~
Rafayel and Devotion: Since Rafayel is a god, or vessel / incarnation / avatar of a god, we place him on a pedestal and worship him. He refers to Lemurians as his followers and the player as his most devote follower. Despite that, I find that it's Rafayel who displays devotion more than any other character in his story.
Rafayel is devoted to the Lemurians as their god, despite the dissonance he has with his role. It's unclear whether he is the sea god in Lemurian form, or a vessel / incarnation / avatar of the sea god. It's also possible that there is no actual sea god, just a creature that inherits the power of the sea. Regardless, it's clear that Rafayel has put aside who he is in order to be a leader for the Lemurians. He is isolated and lonely, and he often conflicts between how he wants to respond, and how he is expected to respond (we can see this in his abysswalker stories). He makes mistakes and his people suffer immensely because of them, but still, he remains devoted to them. Even if it seems Lemurians don't really want him, he remains devoted to keeping them safe.
Rafayel is devoted to the player. He becomes her god, but he offered his heart to her first (I think). He breaks and rewrites the Tome of the Sea God to save her. He's saved her numerous times. He is always aware of her presence and doesn't like being away from her too long. He paints her and incorporates parts of her essence into his art. He even recovers items that belonged to her in another life. What are these behaviours if not devotion?
Most important of all is that Rafayel remains devoted to himself. I think part of why he hasn't lost control over himself, become apathetic, or harbour anger is because he's remained devoted to himself. Rafayel loves art and didn't give it up just because he was set down the god path. Instead, he incorporated art with his role. (Don't tell me all those designs of his as a sea god weren't inspired by his own art and style!?) He didn't give up the player, or the Lemurians - still seeking ways to keep them both alive, even at the cost of his own life. Where many in positions of power and responsibility would learn fast the lesson of cutting ties, sacrifice, and the greater good, Rafayel chose to be different. Rafayel is not about cutting ties or sacrificing one follower for everyone else. He's ready to go against a system or god, but not his followers. He'll destroy systems, sacrifice gods (i.e. himself), but not his values.
This devotion makes me wonder. In the recent story arch when the sea god awakens and gets upset, is the sea god upset at the player or actually Rafayel? The sea god never once really sees or acknowledges the player. They are just there. So what if the sea god is addressing Rafayel? What if creatures that inherit the sea god's powers were originally followers / sacrifices themselves? What if the sea god is calling Rafayel a traitor for breaking and rewriting the tome? For taking the god's powers and not using it as intended? Rafayel used the sea god's powers to help those he is devoted to. This is not to take away any responsibility the player may have, but think about it, why would a sea god care about a weak human? A god can easily kill a human, unless they don't have full possession over their powers. Even in the boat, the god could have killed the player before she even said anything. She was about to die! But it was Rafayel's devotion (i.e. bond) that saved her last moment. And it was also that devotion that helped him regain control as or over the sea god.
#loveanddeepspace#love and deepspace#love and deepspace x reader#lads#rafayel love and deepspace#love and deepspace rafayel#rafayel x reader#lnds rafayel#lads rafayel#lads rafayel x reader#lads mc#lads x reader
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How would the lads guys feel about an s/o who is more quiet in showing their love for them? Not shy, just silent actions of affection. Things like helping with their chores, cooking for them, directing conversations around their fav topics. Sudden surprise delivery of flowers or something. Combing their hair or helping them get ready. Standing by their side when they’re going through a tough time. S/o kind of like a sturdy rock by their side.
Zayne is the same. He loves you and you've never doubted his affections for you because you see it as clear as day. He doesn't often say "I love you" with his words and neither do you. The two of you have a very quiet way of loving each other, taking care of your home and doing little things that are stark reminders that you're thinking of each other.
You love helping him get ready for work in the mornings if you can. You tie his tie, straighten out his collar, fidgeting with him until it's finally time for him to leave. He never feels quite right if he has to go to work before you're able to fuss over him, but those moments are becoming fewer and fewer as you adjust overtime to make sure that you can find some time to spend with him before a long day of work. If you can't be there you'll text him messages telling him to remember to eat, or prepare his meals for him ahead of time, always with his favourite macaroons.
Xavier doesn't notice everything you do for him right away. It's not to say he doesn't appreciate, just that some of the more subtle things slip his mind if he's not paying attention. He's always known you'd be there for him but really feels it when you help him replace some bandages, not even commenting on the nature of his wound because you know it'd upset him to see how worried you are. Instead, you redirect your energy into keeping things light hearted, telling him some plans you've got and how you want him to help you decide on what the two of you do for your next date night. He feels how much you care for him, tilting your head up for a soft kiss.
Rafayel is a little more overt in his affections just by way of words. He's showing you he loves you in grand gestures, painting your likeness or refusing to let you out of bed in the morning because he'd miss you too much.
The quiet way you love him soothes his soul, reminding him that he always has a home with you. He quickly recognises all the ways you show him you love him, knowing that you weren't really one to tell him with your words even if that's what he thought he needed at first. Over time he learns it's enough for him to just feel your affections, basking in the warmth of your love. He knows that no matter what happens, you'll be there waiting for him with all the patience in the world no matter how difficult it is for him to weather his own turmoils.
Sylus shows his love through his actions as well. You joke about him always being mean to you and that he never has anything nice to say. He worries for a bit that you genuinely mean it, trying to soften his bite around you. However, when he sees how you tidy his workspaces and are constantly checking in on him he knows that you don't actually mean it. You know that he loves you and he's glad that you do, thanking you for your gestures with gestures of his own.
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there's a lot of talk about how zayne and sylus specifically cater to eldest daughters in a sense that they're this secure caring type and will solve your problems without you having to ask for it. which is fine and true!! but you're forgetting about eldest daughters who went whole circle on their trauma, and no one is allowed to take care of them ever because we're control freaks and must do everything ourselves. which is why we want rafayel to be incredibly weird about us. as a treat
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that post about being the eldest daughter and rafayel grabbed me by the shoulders and stared through my eyes straight into my soul..... its so true its not even funny 😭
where are my viciously independent and parentified eldest daughters at?? come here i'll give each and every one of you a smooch <3
maybe being taken care of sounds nice. but I'D rather bash my head through the wall than let someone do it. I'M the carer in this scenario, what the fuck do you mean you're making me soup when I'm sick? great, now i'm sick AND anxious. and i think. rafayel is very good at being sneaky about his care for you. he's such a brat all these little (and big!!) gestures are flying under my radar
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putting my whole fist in my mouth rafayel is so!!!!!! there's this throwaway line about him talking you to sleep and i know we have no canon timeline for the actual romance development in relation to the main storyline but. i've been thinking on and off about how mc is actually a pretty lonely person with no support system in place and after chapter 4 and this whole explosion thing there're very few options for her in terms of who to turn to. and i'm talking specifically about mc as a character now sorry for breaking the immersion, but she was working herself to the ground to take her mind off things so i don't see her coming with it to zayne because he is Not Happy about this self-destructive streak and it's more logical for her to avoid him actually. and the same kind of goes for xavier as well. so i have this little hc that she just calls rafayel on the especially bad night out of the blue and perhaps he's not even aware yet that something happened. they aren't even that close maybe. he just does the job of distracting her very well and doesn't pry, seemingly content with having someone to rant at. so she calls him again after a while. and again. it becomes a Thing. they grow closer. i'm just feeling a lot of things about this particular dynamic
#this#this is why i love him#love and deepspace#lads#love and deepspace rafayel#lads rafayel#lnds rafayel#lads rafayel x reader#love and deep space rafayel#rafayel love and deepspace#rafayel x reader
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Society resting on the misery of the unfortunate.
Since the themes of sacrificing a certain someone for the greater good is the main focus for the stories of the LIs, I can’t help but to analyze their reactions as the ones who walk away from Omelas.
For Xavier, it is very obvious. The moment he found out the truth, he walked away. He walked away from Philos, but also from the MC too. No matter how much he’s trying to find a solution, he still left her behind, although to save her. Maybe, that was not the plan, maybe he underestimated the time he would need, or maybe overestimated other people’s patience. Of course, there were unforeseen circumstances too. Xavier only tried to abandon the land that put him and her into this position, he tried to find a new place and elope too, but he still ended up abandoning her too. Queen MC is still not safe, she feels abandoned, she feels left alone, and she still has no idea what is going to happen to her. In Xavier’s case, he walked away from Philos, but his actions have not solved any of the problems. It’s been hundreds of years since he was gone, but Philos is still there, thriving. And MC is still the child in the basement.
For Rafayel, his circumstances are pretty similar to Xavier's. While Lemuria and Earth are described as two different worlds, they still share the same planet. So, what if the reason for Earth’s long existence was due to Lemurians constantly feeding the Earth’s core with sacrifices. Sea gods are described as the beings that keep the flames of Lemuria alight. And when one sea god dies, it has to be replaced with a new one to keep the Lemuria in its place. But, I find it hard to believe this is the entire truth. The sea gods are not really described as actual gods, but more like sacrifices. Rafayel was a child that was found next to the flames with its power within himself. But, was he the sea god, or was he declared as the sea god? Rafayel is raised as the sea god by the elders (whom he doesn’t really like), his aunt, and his teacher. But I struggle to find the proof that he is not being manipulated, especially by the elders. And I wonder, were there other ‘most devoted followers’ that had to give their heart to the sea god. Did the previous sea god, which was a whale, receive a human’s heart too? Or is Rafayel being considered as the last sea god because finally the Lemurians found a permanent solution to their problems about the earth’s core. And that is the same solution as the one that the king of Philos showed Xavier. Either Rafayel takes her heart and becomes the perfect sacrifice with the aether core now in his heart as the sea god, or they put MC into the abyss without her memories to die and reincarnate over and over again.
But Rafayel believes that he is the sea god. He believes in the stories that was maybe just made up by the elders. He thinks he needs his most devoted follower’s heart and not the aether core. He thinks he has to be the god that can protect the Lemuria and be trusted by the Lemurians. But he fails. He fails the duty that was the only reason for his existence. This is where Xavier’s and Rafayel’s stories differ. Xavier sees this duty as something that was pushed into his way without his consent, and Rafayel sees it as the reason for his existence. And that’s why Xavier is more resentful towards Philos, but Rafayel has this resentment towards MC. Rafayel is the sea god, he should not be swayed by some mortal. He should not be manipulated, he should prioritize his responsibilities towards Lemuria, and Lemuria only. But he fails. Every single time. And he feels guilty. Guilty because he is witnessing all of his kind, all those innocent Lemurians being massacred by the humans because he chose a human over Lemuria’s existence, because he lied.
But Rafayel’s choice does not only affect the Lemuria. The disappearance of the Lemurians only accelerates the death of the planet, not just Lemuria but as a whole. Maybe Lemurians, with their little, immortalized Cardiac Microvascular Endothelial Cells, (LCMECs) were keeping the earth’s core intact every time they died. And that’s why sending people to Philos’s core worked, because humans found immortality through these same cells that they were researching. Maybe that’s what ‘returning into the sea when they die’ was supposed to represent. Maybe the Seamoon Ceremony was about this. Maybe the Lemurians, the elders wanted to transfer this responsibility that Lemurians had shouldered for centuries without humans knowing to a human. A human that can die a thousand deaths, and die a thousand deaths again.
But Rafayel ruined it. Now; the Earth died, Rafayel died, Lemurians died, and Philos is repeating the same mistakes again. Rafayel chose to walk away from Lemuria with MC by his side, but this decision only killed him along with everyone while MC was still bound by this fate.
And in Sylus’s case, the way he keeps emphasizing they are the same, true kindred spirits, somehow suggests that he is also the same child in misery in the basement alongside MC. We’re still waiting for his myths, so it may be a little early to talk about his version of the story, but I’m going to do it anyway. Maybe before people discovered MC’s existence, or maybe even before she came into existence, there was Sylus, with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Maybe in another world, he died a thousand deaths, and died a thousand more all over again. But unlike MC, he remembers everything. He remembers all his life, all his loss and all of the people who made him into this monster. So, he is not the perfect sacrifice. A perfect sacrifice should not resent, a perfect sacrifice should not turn into a monster, a perfect sacrifice should give up their life with a smile, and a perfect sacrifice should be the perfect victim. A perfect sacrifice should not remember the atrocities that were committed against her. So, maybe just when Sylus thought he freed himself from this fate, he saw that he was only replaced. They now have the perfect sacrifice in the palm of their blood-soaked hands.
Now, how can he walk away from the little soul that was sentenced to become the same monster he became? He can’t, and he won’t. He would rather chase the MC to the end of the world, only to remind her what these people put her through. If MC cannot be angry, he will be in her stead. If MC cannot resent, he will resent. If MC has no reason to fight, he will give it to her. If MC cannot own her memories, he will keep all of them safe in his head. He will always be there to remind her, she can escape her fate. So maybe now, Sylus too became the perfect sacrifice, as he willingly embraces this fate and he willingly takes her place. And maybe he hopes that one day after he is reborn again, he will find MC when she remembers, when the cycle is broken. But he is always left disappointed. She does not remember, so she must have died again, she must have been sacrificed again without him being able to prevent. He is angry, because no matter how many times he takes her place, she is still not safe. He is angry because he cannot escape this destiny.
And then we have Zayne. The one who sees MC’s destiny, the one who sees the never-ending cycle. The Master of Fate who can control how long a human is allowed to live. And maybe, also the one who can end it all. I wonder why MC was considered as a variable who will be resented by people even though she has no intention to harm. Because we see that this was true, she was resented by Lemurians, and maybe also by the people of Philos. Every time she refuses to die, she will harm people. Maybe that’s why the old man asked Master of Fate to get rid of the variable, so that the cycle wouldn’t even start. But Zayne defied fate, he gave MC an even longer life instead. And he was punished for it.
Master of Fate was given a solution; if the child in the basement never exists, then this ethical dilemma would also cease to exist with it. But of course, he could not accept this solution. He could not let MC die. Maybe he made this choice because he was sure he could protect MC from all the consequences of this decision. But, he loses his memories. With the punishment he receives, Astra locks his memories. He can only remember MC when it is already too late. He is destined to either helplessly watch MC die or die before he can help her. Zayne is the one who made MC the perfect sacrifice, and he is the one who is destined to live with this regret.
#omg I was thinking of this same story#this is an amazing analysis#thank you for sharing your thoughts
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I am not ok.
#another day realizing he doesn’t exist 😔#love and deep space rafayel#lnds rafayel#lads rafayel x reader#lads rafayel#love and deepspace rafayel#rafayel love and deepspace#rafayel x reader#rafayel
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Lemurians and the Sea God
As the new branch revealed that Rafayel borrowed the Sea God's powers rather than being the Sea God himself, I want to discuss why the Lemurians needed this power in the first place.
So let's start by summarizing what we know so far, and what these things can imply.
First, Rafayel accepted the Sea God's powers with a price.
Rafayel accepted the Sea God's powers from the tome which had an aether core embedded in it. This implies unlike what was mentioned in the Forgotten Sea, Rafayel is not a god but a vessel for the Sea God's powers. And, he has to pay a price and obey the Sea God's will (the prophecies of tome of the Sea God) for using these powers.
I wonder why there was an aether core fragment in the tome. Did Rafayel receive the power through this aether core? And, was Rafayel drawn to that because he also possesses fragments in his heart, just like MC? Is that why he is the vessel? Can this also explain the strength of their bond that can bring Rafayel back when he was possessed by these powers? Can MC differentiate the frequency of Rafayel's heart and the Sea God's heart when she resonates? Does that mean there is a little difference between all the aether core fragments?
Rafayel and the Sea God are different entities as Rafayel can lose his control to the Sea God.
I think there is a reason why Rafeyel described the tome of the Sea God as the island's cornerstone that bore the weight of Lemuria's past and future. I think the original Sea God (maybe the first Sea God) was the core of the planet. The same core that was described to be empty and had long been exhausted in the Shooting Stars myth, which probably belongs to a timeline after Rafayel's and the last Sea God's death.
I think the Lemurians used the Sea God's power as a supply for the earth's core the same way the king of Philos wanted to use the aether core of MC.
Maybe many years ago, this whole thing started with Lemurians asking for a god's help when they faced with the fact that the earth's core was dying. And, the god accepted their prayers and made a vessel so that it could come down to earth and use its powers to keep the planet alive a little while longer.
This power is described as a great "flame" that has burned in Whalefall City's temple for thousands of years. And without it, the Lemurians are said to transform into hideous beasts. (wanderers?)
Also, I wonder if the vessels were created by the god from an aether core fragment. And to be able to inherit the Sea God's powers, their aether core needed to have a certain level of strength that could carry the Sea God, otherwise, the vessel would shatter when it was filled with its powers. And that's what the prophecy refers to. The vessels must increase their strength before they can fully inherit the Sea God's powers.
Rafayel was born in flames and he needs his most devoted follower's heart to gain strength. Also, when MC first met him, Rafayel said "You awakened me."
In Rafayel's case, he has to do it by getting MC's heart. I think the prophecy is a little misleading here. I think MC does not have to give her heart because she is the most devoted follower. Instead, I think she has to do that because the vessel needs the aether core's energy, that MC already possesses, to carry the Sea God's power. Prophecy refers to MC like that because that's just something that describes who MC is. There could have been no other devoted follower of the Sea God.
In addition to that, he then gave his own heart to MC, increasing the power of MC's aether core when he's supposed to do the opposite. And that's why, when they look at the tome in Sea of Golden Sand, the prophecy changes to "to take back what he's lost the God of the Sea must kill his beloved".
Also, I find it interesting that Rafayel said you awakened me when they first met. As Rafayel was said to be trapped in a place with very strong currents just like the blue hole where the tome of the Sea God resides, I think we can assume that this is the place where MC first found him. So, I wonder if Rafayel was awakened because he felt the power from MC's heart, the same heart that he needs to enhance his strength to become the Sea God in the future. I also wonder if MC found Rafayel that day because she was also drawn to his aether core by her heart.
Rafayel rewrote the tome of the Sea God and choose to burn away.
But Rafayel has never taken MC's heart. So he never fully inherited the Sea God's power to keep the flame alight and the earth's core stable. Instead, he rewrote the tome and gave away his life to keep the core intact for a while longer. And that is why he is the last Sea God. And when the energy he gave to the earth's core was exhausted at some point, the heart of Philos remained empty after him.
The heart of Philos is empty and hungry for energy. This energy can be supplied by ordinary human life or by the MC's aether core.
And that's how I connect Lemuria and Philos. I think in the beginning, Lemurians were the ones being fed into the planet's core and turn into wanderers until they found a way to inherit the Sea God's powers and use the aether core for the same purpose. But then Rafayel broke this deal with the Sea God and left the earth's core empty again until the core started to feed on people of Philos. To prevent this, the king of Philos decided to use MC and her aether core again.
So, in the end, even though Rafayel sacrificed his life to take MC's place, his sacrifice was not enough to keep her safe. And this is a very sad story.
#interesting!!!#love and deepspace#lads#lads rafayel#rafayel#love and deepspace rafayel#rafayel love and deepspace
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A scenario where Raf invite you over to read this one book that was actually restricted by the government the moment it was released so there was only one copy of it and he just - casually read them on the couch because he has that book wrapped with other unrecognizable lable so it's safe to just carry it around without getting caught.
You sat between his legs and leaned your back on his chest, feeling the way his chest slowly and steadily raise up and down in order to appear calm (yet his heartbeat stated otherwise) and read the slowly fading yet readable phrases written as you both talked to each other about your opinion regarding the topics written there, even better if the book was a fictional story and you both gave your perspective about this one character.
And Rafayel LOVES IT he loves hearing your opinions on things he's interested on.
After that, the story in the book become the inside jokes between you two, when you were about to do something you know is fucked up, you're going to just say, "Whatever, (character name) is way more fucked up that I am.". Or the both of you just randomly says the memorable quotes from the book as a way to joke with each other.
I think that's beautiful.
#good shit right here 🤌🤌👌👌👌#I love moments where we paint or read especially because these are my hobbies#thank you for this cozy piece after a busy productive week
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Another aspect of Rafayel that I like is how his character depicts trust. Trust is weird. As humans we do easily trust people. For example, you trust that your coworkers will do their work. You trust that stranger you pass by to not harm you. Similarly, Rafayel trusted the MC. Not just because she saved him but because she was there. When he was stranded, he said he thought he would die until she came along. There is always, always, the high possibility that your trust will be broken, but we always trust first.
But, when that trust is broken and when we are taught to be wary of people, we end up using trust as both a weapon and shield. We still do have to go around trusting people, but we cautiously trust. We never fully give our complete trust. We watch others for the slightest hint of their true intentions in order to run away before we get hurt.
I love how Rafayel depicts this complex relationship with trust because he really does want to trust MC / player but he can't. It's not just because of their past. Rafayel's hesitation speaks to another fact, we're not really taught how to trust people. And since every person is different, gaining someone's trust and feeling trust is difficult to define.
I also enjoy his back and forth behaviours around trust because it's not easily gained. There isn't one action or one saying that makes a person completely trust another person. At least not for everyone. MC / player can't just say "I love you" for Rafayel to think "Oh, I wholly trust you now". He questions and challenges these cello-tape solutions, and in that process, he develops, or is attempting to develop, an understanding of what trust means to him.
I lot of the dialogue he speaks in his tender moments, I often wonder if there is an echo, like Rafayel is advising himself. For example, when he tells the MC / player to rely on him more and not be perfect around him, I feel he's also telling himself to do that to the MC / player.
I'm rambling, but I just enjoy how the devs decided to play with trust in Rafayel. It's not just your standard, all humans are evil and incapable of goodness except that one person who is only capable of goodness trope. It's, how do I trust someone even if they carry the potential to hurt me? And this is something all humans struggle with, which makes Rafayel's journey all the more realistic.
#love#loveanddeepspace#love and deepspace#love and deepspace x reader#lads#lads rafayel#love and deepspace rafayel#rafayel love and deepspace#rafayel x reader#love and deep space rafayel#lads rafayel x reader#lads x reader
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Kissy to the fishy before he becomes pissy
#lol this was swimming around my head#loveanddeepspace#love and deepspace#love and deepspace x reader#lads#lads rafayel#love and deepspace rafayel#rafayel love and deepspace#rafayel x reader#love and deep space rafayel#lads rafayel x reader#lads x reader
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okay. how would you characterize a rafayel that went through everything lemuria related/loving mc/tragedy but wasnt the sea god?
hello anon <3 to be fair, I've been staring at this ask for like... two consecutive days and still have no idea what to say on the matter. sure, we can strip away this part of rafayel's background leaving only the bare bones personality-wise and keep a sprinkle of lemurian lost heritage tragedy, but without him being the god of the sea rafayel becomes a different character altogether. because him being this Other existence even among his own people is a very formative experience, I'm afraid, and affected both his personality and the choices he makes with mc A LOT.
I do think that rafayel spent his early years feeling lonely and alienated. it wasn't necessarily the fault of people around him, he does form some connection eventually, but by being put in a separate category since birth he is forced to be rather disconnected from the other lemurians. he grows up sheltered and has a lot of limitations put on him. a lot of expectations, too. actually, I think he feels such a strong draw to mc initially because now that he has her there he is not the only one who doesn't fit in. he even compares their lived experiences himself - drawing parallels between growing up as the god-to-be and being a literal sacrificial lamb she was. so. take this away - and we no longer have rafayel as we know him.
I'm sorry if that wasn't the answer you've been counting on, but for me rafayel who isn't the god of the sea is not really rafayel anymore. the tragedy of his character relies too heavily on the choices he made because they were HIS CHOICES to begin with. regular lemurians did face the same tragedy, but they weren't complicit in it
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Something about Rafayels lore? Just some thoughts and maybe a few perspectives and theories?
Uh, this is kind of vauge. Sorry if I didn't answer as you wanted.
I really like Rafayel. I like his character trope very much. He's someone who has been through a lot, but has learned to turn his experiences to his advantage and that is something you see in trickster / witty characters.
Also, out of all the characters, he's someone I feel the player (and MC) is on the most equal terms with. I really feel he treats the player / MC as an equal, and his equal. I dislike a lot of romance tropes, especially those that reinforce gender behaviours, but I don't find them in Rafayel. His tender moment where he takes care of the MC's injury was the first I saw that felt it was respectful.
My theory is that part of his behaviour towards the MC is due to his loneliness. He's been alone for god knows how long before meeting MC. He technically has no family because even those he considers close, view and treat him as a god. So there's no one he can just be himself around, and he's put up too many walls to even know how to let someone in. And we see that with MC. He has feelings for her, but is also so wary of her. Partly because of their past, but partly, I argue, because of his nature and experiences.
Rafayel is always symbolized as a red fish, and fish if anything else, flee at the first sign of danger. Rafayel is always watching and testing MC to see if she has intentions to hurt him and his people. But, fish are also very slippery, come in different shades, and have a multitude of ways to survive in the ocean. Rafayel know how to do this in the ocean, and he's learned how to do this on land! That's pretty incredible. He has so many skills that no one even talks about. The story about him being that opera singer, omg that was amazing. Why do we not bring that up when we talk about each guys dark side?
I've got more thoughts but it's all I can think of right now. Thanks for the question!
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You two are hilarious
Always chuckle at the tender moment when Rafayel says your hair smells like daisies in a field. You need to get out of the ocean my guy. Have you smelled a daisy? If your hair smells like that wash it again!
Also find it funny that he stresses out over wet hair because if you have curly hair, you know to NEVER let a hair dryer near it. Just leave it be. I wont get sick from wet hair.
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