I think this one really needed to be in first person because the manic-exhausted thoughts were the main point of the thing, and they wouldn't have had the same effect if I'd rattled them off in third. I got away with third in Needed because it was so urgent, I think -- this one was supposed to be lost in time somewhere. I double-checked by imagining the actions and dialogue and the faces he'd be making without the thoughts, and it seemed to read true.

I'm glad other people are saying I did keep him in character. Lately I've been really solidifying the way Break's mind works in my own headcanon in terms of scars left by his little jaunt through the Abyss, and I really do think his perceived laziness is absolutely conniving-ly deliberate for the sake of his own sanity. And that he would much rather let people think he's a bum than let on just what sort of madness it is he's constantly working through. The "easily overloaded" theme is also informed by the way he's been handling the chaos of Yura's party in recent chapters.

It's also a lovely way to see Liam through his perceptions of him

I will be working with this more in the very near future. In the meantime I agree with you -- Xerxes is the character I relate to personally, and like him, I rely on Liam as a steadying influence. And he's so fun to tease.