a sad gay fanon PSO2 timeline

[terabient]

Been thinking about Casra I and Casra II's history a lot lately. The absence of canonical appearances Casra I and sparse statements regarding both characters in-game and in supplemental material means there's a LOT of room to ~go wild~ with speculation and headcanons, and making up stuff based on a few lines of text is my #1 favorite thing to do in fandom! So here’s is my personal timeline for pre-PSO2 Lucasra. please clap

Warnings: underage relationship, psychological manipulation, Luther at his absolute worst

• After Alma's death, Luther suggests to Casra I that she might have been spared had he cloned her, rather than experimented on her directly. In addition, while his experimentation with Alma was fruitful, he needs to continue researching the Three Heroes in order to keep strengthening ARKS. Aware that Luther will eventually need a new body to serve as his host, Casra I decides that being cloned is the least destructive choice for both himself and the rest of ARKS, and agrees to Luther's request.


• Casra I becomes Casra II's primary caretaker. Luther has no desire to actually take care of a child, and given his motives, he would much rather appear as a distant, beautiful and fascinating figure to lil' Casra II.


• Casra II’s origin as a clone is never hidden from him. Both Casra I and Luther explain that his creation is crucial to the evolution of the ARKS organization, which instills a deep sense of responsibility and loyalty to ARKS in him at an early age….as well as a belief that he must never fail.
  
  (In canon, Casra II doesn't display much angst about being a clone, and the entire ARKS Fleet is made up of artificially created lifeforms. That, combined with the way Sara sees the KlarisKrays III clones as her own sisters (and Klariskrays III feels similarly towards her mass-produced, unfinished counterparts) leads me to believe that being artificially created/a clone doesn’t open up a world of anguished self-doubt. Casra II’s anger and despair comes from being used as a tool for a man he hates.)


• As Casra II develops, it becomes obvious that he is not an "empty vessel" but a unique individual with his own soul; Casra I, who has come to see his successor as something like his own child, realizes he will die if Luther’s plans reach fruition. He spends years trying to persuade Luther to abandon his plans for Casra II, but naturally, his pleas are ignored.


• Luther acts as Casra II’s doctor and instructor, subjecting him to harsh experimentation and combat training under the guise of checkups and specialized ARKS operative training. This rapidly increases Casra II’s photon manipulation and absorption abilities far beyond those most ARKS, and Luther uses data from these sessions to enhance the 3rd generation ARKS.
  
  But Luther’s ultimate goal is more than simply having another vessel to inhabit; he needs a body capable of withstanding the trauma of absorbing/merging with an entity as complex as Xion. (I’ve always wondered why Luther suddenly felt the need to create a specific body when, per the Material Collections, he’s survived using the bodies of random ARKS before and the bodies he possesses take on his form—there’s not much need to create bodies if they transform into himself anyway, is there? But the Three Heroes had exceptional strength, and acquiring it served as the catalyst for Luther joining ARKS. I can only assume that cloning and possessing Casra I would have granted Luther some or all of his power.)


• By AP 220, Luther’s existing body is on the brink of death, forcing him to consider transferring into Casra II while he’s still maturing. Casra I pleads with Luther to reconsider his stance, eventually offering his own body to use instead. Luther agrees, not out kindness but because Casra II’s intellectual and photon development have exceeded his expectations and he’s curious about Casra II’s photon “ceiling.” He can always body-hop later on if necessary.


• Casra I’s disappearance takes Void Apparatus--and Casra II--by surprise; Luther himself is absent for some time as he completes his takeover of Casra I’s body. Months pass before Luther returns, and tells everyone that Casra I died during a highly dangerous exploration mission. While Casra II senses something is very different about Luther and doesn’t fully believe his explanation for his predecessor’s death, his trust in Luther and the loneliness he faces at Void leads him to bury his suspicions. (I assume that many of Void researchers view Casra II with envy, given his child prodigy status and closeness to both Casra I and Luther.)
  
  At some point between AP 225 and AP 230, Luther initiates a romantic/sexual relationship with Casra. Though Luther’s primary motivation is to ensure Casra’s obedience, Luther has become infatuated with his creation’s rapid development (both intellectually and in photon manipulation), so much so that he overlooks the significance of Klariskrays II’s existence.


• By AP 230, just before Casra II formally takes his predecessor’s seat on the Council of Six, Luther—fully convinced that he has Casra II’s loyalty--reveals the truth of Casra I’s death and his intent to use Casra II’s body as his final vessel, the body he will meet Xion with. Luther is also convinced that there is no greater reward than to serve as his and Xion’s combined vessel, but obviously Casra II understands this is just death in a particularly horrifying way. But he’s in no position to reject Luther, so he’s forced to carry out his plans without complaint.


• Events of PSO2. Once the Guardian and Theo appear, Luther’s attention shifts away from Casra and to these two. In particular, Theo’s near matchless power captivates Luther, and he loses all interest in Casra besides his use as a spy on the Council of Six. Although no longer having Luther obsessing over his every move is a welcome relief, even Casra can’t help but feel hurt at such immediate abandonment.

Many thanks if you made it this far! But also: SORRY, I can’t stop yelling about these two (individually AND together) so here’s some Additional Thoughts on pre-PSO2 Lucasra that don’t fit neatly into the timeline format:

• Since the successors of the Three Heroes take on their predecessor’s name...it’s possible that Casra II has a different birth name. At the same time, I can absolutely see Casra I and Luther having zero originality and just name him Casra II anyway, especially since his “purpose” is set and I doubt Casra II was known to anyone outside Void Apparatus before his placement on the Council (meaning there’s no need to hide the fact that he’s intended to be Casra I’s successor). Also I just find it hard to refer to Casra II as anything besides Casra, lol.


• Thematically, I think of Lucasra as a bleak inversion/corruption of Luther’s relationship with Hariette. In EP5 Luther understands he has a duty to raise and care for Hariette, and is actually capable of choosing her safety at the cost of his own. Oracle Luther has completely lost these qualities and can only see people as tools to be used. At most he views his creations as extensions of himself or symbols of his brilliance—not individuals with their own wills. So whenever there’s a question on how Luther would treat Casra in a given situation I think “well the exact opposite of how he would treat Hariette.” Gotta live up to the “Fallen” and “Loser” titles, after all.


• I had some thoughts about Luther taking an interest in Casra’s Draconian research because it potentially offers an alternate path to omniscience through “completing” Terr’yiotr or Kasheena, but it’s not something I’ve fully fleshed out yet. 🫠