February 2025

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the-voldsoy:

First to preface this, I don’t ship lonelyeyes. However, it is interesting to me. So here are my thoughts.

Elias is a very lonely person by practice — his body hopping means he isn’t able to connect with any sort of family, and wouldn’t see much of a point in putting down roots and making new connections, except with people who know him as Jonah (Simon Fairchild and the other survivors of the Regency era, for example, or other Fear Avatars).

Elias knew Mordecai, and probably knew quite a lot of the Lukas line — his loneliness would’ve helped and been influenced by that. This would be how he met Peter in the first place. Elias is younger than Peter, which would mean that Elias may have known Peter as a child when he was still Wright. Does Peter know about the bodyhopping? I assume so, but if not that could add another layer to their relationship.

I think they would’ve been friends from there (when Jonah became Elias), or at least had some sort of connection. Love? I don’t think so. I can’t think of a better way of phrasing it but I don’t think Peter is capable of loving in that way, and neither is Elias (kinda?).

I think Elias loves in a way that is obsessive and self-centred. He loves what is like him and what is his. Peter is a creature of the Lonely, so it’s questionable to what extent he is in-touch with his emotions enough to make the kind of connections that a loving relationship requires.

Could they have been in a loveless marriage? I suppose. But Elias would be in it for gain, and Peter…for what? I don’t know, I’ve never really thought about him that much. Maybe just to feel the Loneliness that the relationship generates by being so miserable.


I do think Peter might be one of the closest things Elias has to a friend, though. That’s not to say they enjoy each other’s company; just that they are fairly familiar with one another. The way they interact and talk about each other shows that they have some sort of rapport between them. I don’t disagree that they act like an old divorced couple at times, but that contempt is similar to that of a long-lasting acquaintanceship, especially one that has always been competing and working against each other. What we see of their relationship is built on manipulation and deception and bets.


This is what Peter says about Elias (in e159):

Screenshot of the transcript, reading: "But it’s moored now, and I came on land, at (angry) Elias’s request. My crew is out there, waiting for a call I think I am now unlikely ever to give them. I will call him “Elias,” for that’s how I’ve known him for most of our… acquaintance, though I originally met him when he was still James Wright, Head of the Magnus Institute. I considered him a dull little man at first, so keen to watch other people’s misery, to lose himself in secondhand pain and drama – exactly the sort of thing I’d always been so keen to avoid."ALT
Screenshot of the transcript, reading: "It really knocked me back. Took me years to find myself again. I returned to the Tundra, tried to forget – but the trouble was, I’d tasted the game now. I was still hungry for more. I suppose that’s why I was so keen when Elias contacted me. We’d kept in touch, of course: my family helped fund the Institute, and he’d always been good about tipping me off to potential victims. Going through something horrific can leave you feeling very isolated indeed, especially if you know no one else will believe you. And of course… he knew I find it hard to resist a wager. If I could convince one of his staff to willingly pledge themselves to the Lonely, it was all mine. He even let me pick the victim. He was so sure the price of the Institute, the Panopticon and a willing vessel to use it would be just too much for me to resist. And… he was right. Just didn’t go quite as I’d hoped. You know, this is one of the first bets I ever made with him I’ve actually lost. But I guess that’s how hustlers work, isn’t it? They lose and lose until you’re willing to put it all on the line, and then – the trap shuts. So I suppose that’s probably why I reacted so rashly, trying to rip his victory away. Keep you here. But it looks like I might have underestimated my opponent once again."ALT

There isn’t any love there. Their relationship is built on business and what they can gain from each other. The way Peter talks about Elias is pretty explicit in how much he did not — and still does not — like Elias. And maybe that’s shame of an ill-advised and regrettable relationship, and he’s magnifying the negative feelings to cover up that potential relationship. But the compulsion doesn’t allow a person to lie, and would Peter be able to redirect what he is saying so it’s technically true but not the whole truth? Maybe ?? If Elias had used his Beholding on Peter then maybe he would be more ready for it, and have practice deflecting it. But I don’t think Elias would’ve, and I don’t think Peter would’ve had the forethought in that moment to change what he was saying.

However, he does resist Jon’s compulsion at the end and refuses to tell him Elias’ plans, ultimately leading to his death. Could this be lingering respect for Elias? I suppose. But more likely, I think it’s just Peter being petty to Jon in the only way he can.


Screenshot of the transcript, reading: "Then all that remained was the Lonely. Poor Peter. He really should have left well enough alone. (cruel laugh) Or just done what I’d asked in the first place. Ah well. He knew what I was attempting, and was very unwilling to cooperate until I made him a little wager about Martin. Of course, he had no way of knowing that, in addition to setting you up for the final mark, he was giving you all the tools you needed to escape from it."ALT

I believe this is all Elias says about Peter (from e160), but I could be wrong. In his entire statement, this is all that is dedicated to Peter, and it is only about one instance that Peter has done something for Elias’ benefit. This does not suggest a particularly close relationship.


This is mostly speculation, to be honest. Their relationship isn’t really shown in canon – they only actually share 1 scene, if I remember correctly, and they certainly aren’t nice to each other in that (e158). Who knows, maybe they actually had a long and prosperous relationship off-camera. But I digress.

I’d love to hear anyone’s thoughts on it :)