Phantasma

Blackwell frequently refers to Ophelia as “Angel,” including in their very first meeting when he cautions her against entering Phantasma. Though the nickname seems like an innocuous flirtation on the surface, it hints at a deeper truth about Blackwell and Ophelia’s romance, making the nickname a motif developing the theme of Romantic Love as a Source of Strength. When Blackwell first calls Ophelia by the nickname, she notes how strange his emotions are: “Something brushed gently across her cheek then. ‘Angel […] What’s your name?’ [Blackwell] interrupted, demanded, with a new desperation” (41). The “desperation” that Ophelia notes is a crucial piece of this scene. In the turnover period between games of Phantasma, Blackwell has access to all his memories, including those of the mortal lover he lost, a woman he called only by the moniker Angel.

In the flashback chapter about Angel’s death, Blackwell describes her as having dark brown hair and icy blue eyes, just like Ophelia. She visually reminds him of Angel while he has his memories, but even when he loses his memories after Phantasma begins again, he calls her “angel” when they meet inside the competition. Even when he cannot remember Angel or Ophelia, he is drawn to Ophelia, demonstrating the depth of their burgeoning romantic connection and hinting at the fact that Ophelia’s soul is Angel’s soul reborn.