#Team Rubicon

[theiconicmeghanmarkle]

Combat Veteran Prince Harry made a royal visit to Nepal; at the end of the official visit, he remained another week to help Team Rubicon work on Earthquake recovery

The founder of Team Rubicon, also a combat Vet, was also honored with a Pat Tillman award

[filosofablogger]

Good People Doing Good Things -- Team Rubicon

[lieutelant]

Pics of my Mountain Dew collection. Box 4.

[headlinehorizon]

Ford Motor Company and Team Rubicon Join Forces for Hurricane Idalia Disaster Recovery Efforts

https://headlinehorizon.com/Business/Lifestyle/1244

Read about how Ford Motor Company dispatched volunteers to support Team Rubicon in aiding local disaster recovery efforts in Florida after Hurricane Idalia.

[southern--urbanite]

Great to get back out working in the field helping to film Team Rubicon and interview people being helped by their disaster relief.

[tyzuma04]

Armored Core: Not only do you have Repair Costs for your AC, but also Ammo Costs for your weapons after you complete missions.

Me buying dual miniguns:

[emma-dennehy-presents]

Finally put some time into AC6. Been grinding the shit out of Destroy the WMS to get money for parts and build a rough approximation of the MS-07B-3 Gouf Custom.

[babyball]

The official french twitter for adult swim posted ANOTHER rubicon trailer today! We’re finally getting a look at some of the new characters!

[reasonsforhope]

The loss of life and impact on the communities in Helene’s path is unfathomable — and both the immediate and long-term needs are vast. 

If you’re reading this, it’s likely because you want to help and care about making a difference for those who’ve been impacted by Hurricane Helene.

You’re in the right place. When we see tragedy like this happen in the news, it’s important to not tune it out. Instead, pay attention and truly feel the heartbreak of it — t​​hen, look for and be inspired by the people stepping in to help, and use that energy to make a difference ourselves.

Looking for the helpers

Instead of turning away from tragic events like the devastation from Hurricane Helene — we look closer for people stepping in using what they have, where they are, to make a difference for others.

Inspired by Mister Rogers’ famous quote, we call them the “helpers,” — and they’re usually found wherever there’s bad news in the world. Hurricane Helene is no different. Here are some people, businesses, and organizations helping right now:

Chef José Andrés and ​World Central Kitchen teams are serving thousands of meals to communities in need — from Mexico, and the Big Bend of Florida, and into Appalachia.

Volunteer pilots with the Port City Aviators Flying Club are flying supplies to storm victims in western North Carolina.

The national Disaster Distress Helpline is providing free multilingual crisis counseling to those in need.

Southern Smoke Foundation, an organization that supports food & beverage workers in crisis, is providing financial support for groceries, medical bills, lost wages, and more.

Volunteers with veteran-led disaster response organization Team Rubicon are on the ground in Greenwood, South Carolina clearing roads of trees and debris.

A local library branch in Asheville, North Carolina served as a hub for community members in need of internet service.

Workers at Waffle House were “unlikely heroes” providing food to people in need.

A local Fox News correspondent stopped his live broadcast to help rescue a woman trapped in her car in rising floodwaters.

Emergency response teams rescued more than 50 staff, patients, and caregivers from the roof of a hospital in Erwin, Tennessee.

The SPCA of Brevard rescued 20 animals from Hurricane Helene’s path — and it’s now helping them get adopted.

‍

How to make a difference

After we’ve allowed ourselves to feel the weight of the pain and heartbreak associated with bad news, and look for hope and helpers in the midst of it — we always have the opportunity to join in and make a difference, too. 

Here are some ways to help — whether you’re local or far away:

Donate to national organizations 

Here are just a few large-scale organizations that have helpers on the ground in the region.

American Red Cross

World Central Kitchen

Feeding America

United Way

Salvation Army

CARE

Donate to local organizations

Local organizations, recovery funds, and mutual aid groups have been deployed across the states impacted by Helene. Find donation links and updates below:

All States:

GoFundMe Hub for Hurricane Helene Relief

Mutual Aid Disaster Relief

Southeast Climate & Energy Network

Convoy of Hope

Appalachia Funders Network

Americares

Organizing Resilience

The National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster

Tennessee:

East Tennessee Foundation

First Aid Collective Knoxville

RISE Erwin

Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee

North Carolina:

North Carolina Community Foundation

Hearts With Hands

Manna Foodbank

BeLoved Asheville

Foothills Food Hub

Haywood Christian Ministry

Samaritan’s Purse

Forsyth Humane Society

Hope Mill

‍

Volunteer locally

Organizations in the affected area are seeking volunteers to help distribute resources and support crucial aid efforts. While many of us are not local to the region, those who are nearby are encouraged to join in a myriad of volunteer opportunities.

(Note: If you aren't in the area, the best way you can help is by supporting local efforts with a donation. Keeping roads clear for rescue crews and local relief agents is vital in maintaining safety in these already devastated regions).

For local volunteers, check out:

World Central Kitchen

Operation BBQ Relief

Marco Patriots

Operation Airdrop

Baptists on Mission

‍

Contact your elected officials and ask them to take climate action

Climate scientists agree, the intensity and extent of the devastation brought by Hurricane Helene was made worse by climate change. 

While we can’t go back in time and burn less fossil fuels — we can make a difference now to secure a safer future and prevent future climate disasters. 

In addition to talking about how this disaster is connected to climate change in our own conversations and holding media outlets accountable for how they talk about climate change — this is a great time to tell your elected officials that you want them to take meaningful climate action.

We’re making incredible progress in the U.S. and globally in reducing emissions, but we need to work even faster — and incorporate climate mitigation efforts into our plans — to limit the most severe impacts of global warming.

[lzjian79]

Purple Potion (comics) 🔞🦄🧪

Main cover and page 1-3 is out! ✨✨

"After a talk about starting a family, Sunset looks to Equestria to expand their options. However, she gets a little more than she bargained for from the potion the princess acquired for her.”

One of the many Patreon projects in the works is a collaboration with a writer to produce both short stories and several full comics for my Equestria Girls universe. Many of you may be familiar with Majadin, the author behind “Cross the Rubicon: Choices” in Fimfiction—they have teamed up with me to produce the first of these comics!

I’ve talked before about the story of Sundusk’s origins (Sciset's first kid), and I’m proud to announce that the first of these comics will be that story, called “Purple Potion!”

*・゜゜・*:.。..。.:*・*:.。. .。.:*・゜゜・*

I'm very sorry if it took a long time to post these. I just had bad luck that went on my way before. Phone got stolen, had a 2 week cold fever, 23 days of heavy menstruation (it's my first time being an irregular as a PCOS gal, and it was the worst like I was so weak and lack of iron), and 10/10 teethache pain for nearly 2 weeks.

With the help of my friends, supporters, and family, I got to finish these 3 pages! Thank you so much, and I'm very grateful for the love and support, guys! 😭💕✨

*・゜゜・*:.。..。.:*・*:.。. .。.:*・゜゜・*

Enjoy reading the first 3 pages! They are for free in public! But the next pages will not be posted in public and should be read on my Patreon at Tier "Top shelf 🥃✨".

The next pages will be posted this October in Patreon! Twilight and Sunset will finally have a discussion! What will Twilight be discussing for? Also, I'll be drawing Sunshim's b00bies and smug expressions! Stay tuned in Patreon! 😎🫶✨

Halloween is also near! I will be posting some Halloween art on Patreon soon as well! There will be Sciset and Sunlagio stuff! That's for sure 😉✨.

Next Discord emojis for October are: The human trio! Sunlit, Starlight, and Trixie! ✨✨✨✨✨

✨ Support me in Patreon on :

patreon.com/_lzjian79

[thatpocketninja]

Allow me to rant about Rusty and his theme for a moment okay.

spoilers for Armored Core 6 below.

Okay so first off Rusty's theme is so fucking good I love it so much.

It just has this sense of determination and righteous justice to it. It's so powerful and it fits his character incredibly well. If you've finished chapter 5 you know what I mean. Hearing this song kick in when you and Rusty team up to take down the Xylem makes everything feel worth it. "FUCK YEAH." Admittedly, I havent gotten the other ending (yet), so I dont know for sure how the song works there, but I can reasonably assume there's a final showdown with Rusty and it plays then.

Next I want to bring up Rusty's emblem. For the majority of the game, when he's part of the Vespers, it's a muzzled wolf.

But after 621 defeats him towards the end of chapter 4, he leaves the Vespers, and (at least in the liberator of Rubicon ending,) he joins them in taking down the Xylem and saving Rubicon. This change is accompanied by not only a new AC, "Steel Haze Ortus," but also a new emblem, depicting a wolf with it's fangs bared, free of any restraints.

This is a really subtle change but I like it a lot.

Finally I just want to mention that, in the wild, Ravens are known to adopt wolf cubs and play with them as they grow. Even following the wolf of it chooses to leave it's pack. Just like 621 and Rusty both abandon their missions in order to save Rubicon. I love that. Bravo fromsoft.

[sad-not-glad]

“How can I help WNC and ETN after Helene and the flooding?”

This is a big question a lot of people are asking right now. It can be hard to determine what organizations you may or may not want to donate to, or even what kind of donation is appropriate.

First, please remember any contribution is helping. Liking, sharing, spreading the news. Even if you can’t help financially, you can get others involved who might be able to. It’s the same with any cause, awareness is vital.

Secondly, make sure to do your own independent research. Make sure the charity you’re considering is in good standing and your efforts won’t be wasted.

Online Monetary Donations

Several places accept monetary donations, both online and in the mail. I've listed below several large names and smaller organizations that I have found credible. If you find another source please let me know, or if you find a reason to remove one please also let me know. Our efforts must be put to actual use instead of mismanaged for whatever reason. My sources are most likely going to be biased towards ETN, so more help with local charities for WNC is appreciated too.

East Tennessee Foundation

Red Cross

Baptist on Mission

United Way

Hearts with Hands

Manna FoodBank

Mountain Projects

TNVOAD

Salvation Army

NC DRF

Volunteering Time

If you're local and looking to help out physically, but don't know how, there are several great ways. Clearing debris from the roads can be done by almost anyone with safety in mind. Ask your neighbors if they have everything they need, and reach out to the elderly and disabled in your community. Help with clearing out the damaged houses and sorting through whatever remains. Below are some places online you can sign up to donate your time with more coordinated efforts in more damaged areas.

Samaritan's Purse

Manna FoodBank

Volunteer TN

TNVOAD

Baptist on Mission

Team Rubicon

[demifiendrsa]

The Game Awards 2023 winners:

Game of the Year - Baldur's Gate 3

Best Game Direction - Alan Wake 2

Players’ Voice - Baldur's Gate 3

Best Multiplayer Game - Baldur's Gate 3

Best Sports/Racing Game - Forza Motorsport

Best Sim/Strategy Game - Pikmin 4

Best Role Playing Game - Baldur's Gate 3

Best Action/Adventure Game - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Best Adaptation - The Last of Us

Best Ongoing Game - Cyberpunk 2077

Most Anticipated Game - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Best Fighting Game - Street Fighter 6

Best Community Support - Baldur's Gate 3

Best Independent Game - Sea of Stars

Best Score & Music - Final Fantasy XVI

Games for Impact - Tchia

Best Audio Design - Hi-Fi Rush

Best Mobile Game - Honkai: Star Rail

Best VR/AR - Resident Evil Village VR Mode

Best Art Direction - Alan Wake II

Best Action Game - Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon

Best Debut Indie Game - COCOON

Best Narrative - Alan Wake II

Best Performance - Neil Newbon, Baldur’s Gate 3

Content Creator of the Year - Ironmouse

Best Esports Team - JD Gaming

Best Esports Game - Valorant

Best Esports Event - 2023 League of Legends World Championship

Best Esports Coach - Potter

Best Esports Athlete - Faker

Innovation in Accessibility - Forza Motorsport

Best Family Game - Super Mario Bros. Wonder

[kivaember]

when you get the urge to just crank out 2k+ oneshot about rusty getting briefly jealous over ayre when 621 tells him about her............ well anyways. here, enjoy! (it's not 2am i should sleep)

jealousy

Rusty wasn't quite sure when it started exactly, these talks with the new merc in town.

The days were long on Rubicon, and the nights even longer, and as the stalemate stretched between Arquebus and Balam, so too did the monotony of the various sorties Rusty was sent out on. Usually he was alone, performing well at 'surgical strikes' or 'sabotage runs', but sometimes he was deployed alongside the MT squad he was the commander of. There wasn't much chatter there, though, except for 'yes sir!' or 'understood, commander!' from the grunts, or Snail's dulcet tones drawling through the comms.

With the new merc, it was a little different.

He didn't talk for one. Raven only ever communicated through text, and even these were very short phrases like ack, or negative, or clarify. It should've been off-putting, but Rusty found a strange sort of openness to the blank canvas Raven offered during sorties. No matter what Rusty said, Raven always replied with an ack at the very least.

Acknowledgement. I acknowledge your words.

It was little things at first, inconsequential. After their first team up at The Wall, where Raven survived where he shouldn't've, Rusty had been curious yet wary. He knew that the merc was running a stolen license - he'd met the original Raven and had narrowly escaped with his life in the encounter - and he'd heard of Handler Walter's reputation. His Hounds tended to be high-quality pilots, no matter their outdated augmentations and their equally outdated ACs - and they bore no loyalty to no one but Walter, who was a dangerous wildcard in his own right.

So Rusty had tried to scope out this 'hound'. Got absolutely fuck-all in return.

"So, where're you from?" Ack. Negative. "Nowhere?" Ack. "How old are you?" Ack. Negative. "You don't know?" Ack. "What's your favourite food?" Ack. Negative. "You don't have one?" Ack. "What're your plans after Rubicon?" Ack. Negative. "None?" Ack.

Was it cageyness? Maybe he was so brainfried he didn't remember? Rusty didn't know, but it prompted him to give him examples in return, even if they were all blatant lies:

"I'm from the Jupiter colonies, though I grew up in Tau Ceti." Ack. "I'm almost forty years old." Ack. "My favourite food is seafood paella." Ack. "I plan to take a two week vacation to the beach after Rubicon and blow all my bonus money on a new car." Ack.

And from there...

Rusty didn't know when it started. When his probing questions getting stonewalled turned into him just... talking to Raven, if only to hear the ack in return. How his blatant lies shifted into something just half a step away from vaguely truthful, on those long days and even longer nights, during sorties where they trashed Balam outposts and sent their MTs running, or harassed Liberation Front supply lines (yet, somehow, those Rubiconists always somehow managed to slip away before they could be captured for re-education, strange that....)

It'd become a sort of catharsis for him, a comfort. Maybe this was what it was supposed to be like when you went to therapy, having someone you could just talk at to sort out your own thoughts, not having to juggle with actually carrying a conversation, just needing someone to say yup, i hear you, i'm listening, without giving needless platitudes or advice - or worse, asking questions.

Hah.

It was kind of pathetic, really.

But for someone like Rusty, this was the best he was going to get. Once he'd finished his mission, no one would ever want to speak to him again - provided he wasn't buried in a shallow, unmarked grave, with his name synonymous to traitor.

So, despite the slippery slope this was, with Raven squatting in the nebulous region of threat i am keeping close to observe and one of the few decent people in my fucked up social circle i'd be sad to kill one day, Rusty kept talking.

And eventually... Raven spoke back.

-

"-nyway, it's getting a bit awkward right now. Freud's more than a little antsy at how Snail keeps giving me all the assault missions while he's staying benched just in case, and I have no idea how to tell him that Snail's probably just trying to kill me by overworking me. Well, tell him in a way to say 'this isn't a good thing!' Pretty sure Freud would find that a fun afternoon, dodging assassination attempts..."

'Ack.'

"Honestly, I'm a little jealous of you sometimes, buddy," Rusty sighed half-jokingly. He toed a chunk of scrap with STEEL HAZE's clawed foot, checking it for mines. Balam had gone a little nuts with this current outpost of theirs, and the place was lousy with them. "You get to pick and choose your missions, and don't have to deal with office politics. Now there's a battlefield that takes no survivors, let me tell you."

'Ack.'

"In fact, it's just you and Walter, isn't it?" Rusty mused. He knew Arquebus had already exhausted its information network to dig up as many skeletons as it could on Walter, and amazingly enough they'd only come up with a few bones. Walter's past was shadier than midnight fog, and Raven basically manifested out of thin air with how non-existent his papertrail was.

Or, rather, how fraudulent it was. The original C4-621 had died over two years ago. Whoever this 621 was... no one had a clue, no one but Raven himself and Walter, that is.

'Ack. Negative.'

Rusty paused, putting his very cautious examination of his immediate surroundings on hold as he fixed STEEL HAZE's ocular feeds onto STALKER.

"It isn't?"

Raven didn't respond, which was odd. He always gave at least an ack. Had he said something he wasn't supposed to? Rusty was intrigued... but he knew he'd get nothing else out of him. Still, it was a scrap of info-

'i have a friend.'

Rusty blinked at the words that flashed across his HUD, in the little chatbox that was designated for STALKER's text comms. It was not ack, negative or clarify. It was actually a full on sentence, the very first that Rusty had ever read from the mercenary.

He was actually speechless for several moments, the words actually taking some time to fully process their meaning.

"A... friend?" Rusty repeated.

'Ack.'

Rusty waited, because in any normal social setting this would be when elaboration occurred, but after three whole minutes where they just stood there staring at each other, Rusty realised nope, that was it. Raven just upended the norm to drop an enigmatic sentence and decided to explain nothing. Typical.

"...who's this friend?" Rusty tried. "You got a name for them? Any details? C'mon, throw me a bone here."

There was no immediate response. Rusty waited impatiently.

'Ayre. She's a Rubiconian. I have no bones. Sorry.'

Ayre? A Rubiconian? She?

"Huh..." Rusty's stomach felt weird, a sort of knotted tension he couldn't quite explain. A Rubiconian... he didn't know anyone by the name of 'Ayre', but then again, he's been away for ten years and didn't know everyone... as an independent mercenary, too, Raven probably took jobs for the RLF - Rusty already knew of two he'd taken - so... probably someone from one of the other cells...

A friend though... he probably interacted with her outside of missions to have that close of a relationship. Two months, though? This was the first time Rusty had prised anything other than ack, negative or clarify from the guy in those months, and it turned out he had a full on friend in his back pocket this whole time? Talk about a shock...

"How'd... you meet?" Rusty asked, aiming for casual but his words coming out all stiff instead.

'Mission.'

Right, of course.

Rusty abruptly returned to the task at hand: checking their ground route for mines as they inched through the outer perimetre of the Balam outpost. Usually they'd just fly over the damn things, but Balam had installed some heavy-hitting anti-air cannons, the outpost practically a bristling porcupine with how many of them were primed and ready to shoot a fly out of the sky so... here they were, tiptoeing through a minefield instead.

It was tedious but doable. STEEL HAZE's LIDAR system was finetuned enough to detect the mines before he entered their detonation range, and STALKER was a repurposed surveyor AC. It was slow but safe. Mostly slow.

'You too.'

"Huh?" Rusty blinked at the sudden text, confused from the lack of context. "Me what?"

'Friend.'

"...oh." It clicked. "I'm your friend too?"

'Ack.'

"Thanks, buddy," Rusty said, injecting some friendly cheer into his tone, even as he felt... conflicted over the whole thing. His stomach hurt like he'd just eaten a bowl of stinging nettles, his mouth twisted into a grimace as his emotions bounced between tiredly resigned and intensely guilty.

He didn't return the sentiment, and Raven said nothing else. In fact, the rest of the mission was completely silent, broken only by Rusty giving the occasional order or situation update as they penetrated the minefield and destroyed the anti-air guns in the outpost, the Balam MTs routed and in full retreat.

Rusty knew it was out of character. He was chatty, especially with Raven, but his mind kept churning over this mystery friend. Ayre. She. Apparently been buddies with Raven for a while.

He was surprised Walter would've tolerated it. He always weighed in whenever he was on comms on their sorties, snapping at Raven to focus on the mission, or curtly telling Rusty to stop distracting his hound. Needless to say, he and Walter did not see eye-to-eye often, and Rusty couldn't help but feel that Walter held a hint of disdain for him specifically. He had no idea what he'd done to earn that mysterious handler's ire, though. Getting too friendly with his dog, maybe?

In which case...

"Hey, Raven," Rusty said, too curious for his own good. "Does Walter know about this Ayre of yours?"

'Ack.'

"He does? And he's... fine with her?" Rusty asked in mild surprise. Huh, maybe Walter was fine with his hound knowing nice girls? Well, as nice as freedom fighter girls could be... or Walter disliked corporate mercenaries? But he was oddly friendly with Michigan, so that couldn't be it...

Maybe he was just plain homophobic? Thought Rusty was some evil gay trying to seduce his hound to bat for the Arquebus team only? Rusty couldn't help but snort at that theory.

'He doesn't think she exists.'

Uh...

"He... what?"

'He doesn't think she exists.'

Rusty had no idea how to unpack that.

"...like, does he think she's a catfish or...?"

'? Catfish can't talk?'

"What?"

'She's not a fish?'

"No, I- not that kind of fish. A catfish."

'Catfish are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. They can't communicate with humans.'

"No, no, not- it's- it's describing a technique people use, to decieve someone with a fake identity. Usually in romance scams... it's called catfishing. So, a catfish. A person faking their identity to scam you out of something."

'Ack. Negative. Ayre is not 'fake' or scamming me.'

"But Walter thinks she is?"

'He thinks she doesn't exist.'

Why did Rusty feel like they were going in circles...? He let out a laugh, amused despite the frustratingly confusing nature of this entire discussion, and shook his head.

"Buddy... why doesn't he think she exists?"

The response was a long time coming. Long enough that Rusty thought Raven had dropped the topic entirely - even if it would've left Rusty thoroughly scratching his head on the apparent Schrodinger nature of one Ayre Rubicon, when:

'Because she doesn't have a body and only I can hear her voice. He thinks she's a hallucination.'

...

Okay.

Rusty had no idea how to unpack that.

"Huh," he said, with absolutely no emotion whatsoever. "I see."

He said nothing else. What else do you say to that. Really.

'You don't think she exists either.'

"I..." Rusty could practically sense some sort of wall being pulled up between him and Raven, leaving him with only a split second to make a snap decision. Tell the truth and say yes, I actually agree with your handler for once and think she's a hallucination, and alienate Raven, or lie and say no, I believe you, tell me more, and end up spending the rest of his time humouring Raven and his hallucination in full earnest.

And... really, what was wrong in that?

This hallucination clearly didn't interfere in Raven's mission performance, and he seemed to be otherwise connected to reality. Maybe Ayre was just a manifestation of Raven's loneliness, an imaginary friend he'd conjured up for himself and just couldn't let go of. Rusty knew Gen Fours had it hard. Legally, they weren't even considered humans, just intellectual property or military assets. Maybe this 'Ayre' was the only "human contact" he'd had until Rusty had come along.

With that in mind... Rusty's decision was easy.

"I believe you," Rusty said gently. "Just trying to wrap my head around not having a body... must be hard."

There was a pause, a long one, and Rusty waited to see if Raven would see through him and scorn him for trying to humour him, or if he was just-

'She says she's used to it, but there're some things she wants to do but can't, without a body.'

"Oh? Like what?"

And just like that, their roles were reversed. Raven's responses were slow, typed out as they were, but Rusty was getting more than ack, negative or clarify, and he felt a little rueful that it was because of an imaginary friend when he'd been standing right here for months...

But it was fine. Rusty'll show him that he didn't have to pretend to get his human interaction. Just like how Raven quietly listened and acknowledged his words, Rusty'll will do the same. And even if Raven kept hallucinating this Ayre, what did it matter, so long as it didn't interfere in his connection to reality?

Out of all vices Rusty had seen in his fellow pilots... this was the most harmless one

...if a little sad.

[tlgtw]

//Spoilers for Everything in AC6: Fires of Rubicon//

The Meaning of the Motif of "Borrowed Wings" and how G5 Iguazu Exists to Reinforce It

What seems to fly over everyone's heads about G5 Iguazu is that the point of his character is how 'deciding upon a goal and having the willpower to strive for it, no matter what' is literally as important as the line between life and death.

You need to find a purpose for yourself that you personally believe in. Cause no matter how grand or how petty that purpose is, if you don't have one... you die!

With whether or not you actually succeed at that goal being completely irrelevant... to your conviction for it.

(Something, something, it's the ambition that you're living for, not whether or not you get the accolades at the end.)

A moral proclaiming the importance of "deciding upon a purpose of your own free will, and then pursuing that goal no matter what setbacks you encounter" is all nice and easy when you're main character e621, who experiences no setbacks because, as the player, you're necessarily going to be strongest fighter in the galaxy.

But it's pretty obvious how trite that is on its own, where your only canonical character trait is that you always win no matter what.

And so, Iguazu's purpose narratively is to show how, beyond any ounce of doubt whatsoever, that 'winning' is not a relevant part in what makes "having a purpose" so important, or so necessary.

In essence: It's what makes Iguazu live.

Start of the Game: Volta and Iguazu both want to beat up Michigan.

- Volta gives up, and then he gets sent by Michigan to die at the Wall.

- Iguazu deserts. And he does not die at the Wall.

After Gallia Dam he send you hatemail to say that the Redguns will scale the wall, but Iguazu himself doesn't even approach the Wall after this. As G4 Volta's last words reveal, he deserts before the operation is attempted.

Iguazu *himself* watches from the sidelines, costing him no less than an almost certain death like Volta's.

And the reason Iguazu changes his mind about scaling the wall with the Redguns is because, after Gallia Dam, Iguazu decides upon his purpose. His personal conviction.

Iguazu personal goal becomes -> He wants to kill you.

We love pathetic boys.

But the reason Iguazu deserts for the sake of this new goal is specifically because he wants to become stronger than 621, and not want his obligations as part of the Redguns to get in the way of this goal of his, he goes independent.

--- Correction ---

Iguazu deserts the Redguns at Watchpoint Alpha, prior to the death of G1 Michigan. He doesn't desert the Redguns at the Wall, he only goes Away WithOut Leave. The reason for which he goes AWOL being to take independent work, as we see an example of at Grid 086. Outcomes of everything are still the same, I just mixed up the order.

Also;

Volta: "Iguazu, listen, like, Michigan really like cares about us...! It's like we're part of his family, man, just give him a chance."

Volta: *Gives Michigan a chance*

Volta: *Gets killed under the leadership of G1 Michigan*

It's really funny but sad.

It's also really funny and sad how effective at Yank-bait G1 Michigan was.

But it's illustrative of how effective it is to break down someone's expectations and feelings of self-worth to legit 0, such that empty platitudes like simply saying the right words, like the names of the expendables themselves or to bring in the medical teams after a battle (as if they wouldn't have come otherwise?), will leave such an impression that they think you really do care about them--even in despite of how worthless they obviously are~!

And all at the same time as your direct actions and orders lead them straight to their meaningless avoidable deaths.

What could be more cost-efficient for your employers than soldiers who're literally suicidal for you, right?

Ha!

--- ---

And not only does this decision directly lead to Iguazu not dying at the Wall, but, no longer squeezed under G1 Michigan's boots, G5 even directly improves as a fighter.

This is shown in how his AI differs between his fighting at the Gallia Dam--where he's overly defensive, constantly having his shield up, despite wielding two guns.

And then, later at the Grid--where he actually fights aggressively like his AC's loadout is built for.

The second major encounter with Iguazu is Watchpoint Alpha where he either fights you directly, and dies there. Or he hires Coldcall to kill you, and survives elsewhere. Again, this is an instance of Iguazu's legitimate determination towards his chosen goal directly separating him from life and death.

When he hires Coldcall, Iguazu focuses on his goal, and let's go of distractions like his personal pride and image.

Ridiculous, right? Iguazu letting go of his pride?

But consider how it's directly Iguazu's personal feelings that lead him to facing 621 personally. He doesn't *just* want to kill you in that instant, he wants the glory of killing you as well.

But the accolades at the end aren't what makes it worthy to pursue a chosen goal.

Iguazu wants 621 dead. And when he hires Coldcall, this is him coming to terms with pursuing his goal, regardless of his personal setbacks. Iguazu faces the fact that he personally wouldn't be able to kill you. And, because he comes to term with this setback, he finds an alternative method that would still lead towards fulfilling his chosen purpose.

To confirm, of course, Iguazu's purpose is really dumb and terrible. But it's not whether one's chosen purpose is 'a good goal' or not that the value of pursuing it comes from. The value comes from it being one you decided for yourself, as opposed to, for, for example, by a corporation's profits. (Not a coincidence narratively how Balam's forces, united most in their complete idolization of G1 Michigan, following *his* word no matter what even knowingly to their deaths, are the deadmost losers in the story.)

Unlike for example e621's chosen conviction, or Rusty's chosen conviction, (Also no coincidence narratively that G1 Michigan, who only exists as the weapon of his corporation and put out a bounty for his own assassination--expressing how he has no personal plans for the future and literally wants to die--is guaranteed to be taken out by either of these two, no matter what.)

It's not the loftiness of a goal that determines if it's of worth to decide upon one of your own free will and pursue it in the first place.

The 'value' of pursuing a goal is unrelated to what that goal itself is.

What makes pursuing a goal valuable, is the conviction.

You don't have to be smart. You don't have to be emotionally mature. You don't have to be a good fighter. You don't even have to be brave.

You just need to choose your purpose and follow it.

This is what the motif of 'wings' and 'borrowed wings' are all about in the story as well. It's about pursuing a goal that was chosen by someone else, versus pursuing a goal that was chosen by you yourself.

"They choose what to fight for, and take to the skies in flight."

"One cannot fly on borrowed wings" in this case literally meaning that if you pursue a goal not because you want it, but because someone else wants it, it will directly lead to your death.

Criticizing their "borrowed wings" is what Ayre and Rusty chastise the RLF for for solely repeating slogans and "not bothering to think [for themselves]."

And Iguazu, deciding he doesn't care about how he'd be seen by others, and only caring for the goal itself to be accomplished. Survives, where Coldcall dies in his place.

Coldcall, a far superior fighter to Iguazu. Dies, instead of Iguazu, because he was flying for Iguazu's purpose -> Fighting on borrowed wings.

Etc etc "this is hell, we're in hell!" and so on and in the Alea Iacta Est true ending of the game Iguazu, outta nowhere!, becomes the legit Final Boss of Armored Core 6.

How the hell did this 4th-gen AC pilot, otherwise a completely random nobody without a purpose not given to him by his employer, get to outer space and stuff, right?

Well, consider how the complete rando that was e621 does the same: Their personal conviction.

"But Iguazu only got to become the final boss out of dumb luck," right? ALLMIND chose him for little else but that he was the only old-gen Augmented Human that was still alive. If ALLMIND wasn't there, he couldn't have accomplished anything, so obviously it can't actually be meaningful.

But how would 621 have escaped Institute City without being rescued by Carla? How would we have escaped Arquebus re-education without the AC that Handler Walter secretly assembled left for us?

And, most relevantly here since this is the Alea Iacta Est route itself: How would 621 have known about V.II Snail planning to ambush you in Institute City without ALLMIND herself's very assistance?

C4-621 is, at a glance, just as much a recipient of dumb luck as Iguazu.

But thematically, it's not pure happenchance.

It's the results of the both of these characters continuing to fight for a cause they chose to believe in, no matter what.

So Iguazu survives. He survives the hijacking of Watchpoint Alpha by ALLMIND. And he even goes so far as to survive the hijacking of his own brain by ALLMIND, taking over the final boss even after being assimilated.

"What essential difference made ACs superior to unpiloted craft?"

The answer is simple -> One cannot fly on borrowed wings.

Unpiloted craft can never have a purpose that is actually their own. They exist only for the person who's wings they borrow--who's purpose they serve--who built them.

That's why piloted ACs are better. *Not* on borrowed wings, in this case, they can fly higher.

For C4-621, that chosen goal is to achieve Coral Release. (Since it's is still the mission you yourself choose that finally puts you on the Alea Iacta Est route or not, it fits within the theme of free will. Even though, as a videogame, there's an obvious limit to just *how* much free will the player is actually able to express. Within the story, however, when 621 chooses the mission to begin the path to an ending, that's them deciding for themselves 100% that's that the goal they want to achieve, no matter what.)

For Iguazu, that chosen goal is to kill you. (The goal he wants to achieve, no matter what.)

And so, because he was not flying on borrowed wings. Iguazu survives fucking everything. Stupid wings, yeah. But that just shows: What matters is only that they were his own.

Even against the most powerful super duper AI mastermind that ALLMIND was, the biggest loser on Earth, G5 Iguazu, survived.

Where even she is made to give way to Iguazu's conviction -> Killing e621.

Hammering this point home is why "I'm only here for what *I* want! I don't care about ALLMIND's goals, just my own!" is basically the only thing Iguazu says across like 2 entire 3rds of the final boss.

Iguazu's chosen goal is not ultimately successful.

But it wasn't whether or not Iguazu ultimately killed 621 in Rubicon's exosphere that lead to him not dying at the Wall like G4 Volta, or at Watchpoint Alpha like G1 Michigan and Coldcall, or upon the destruction of his physical body by ALLMIND.

It was his conviction that lead him past those things. His WINGS!

He chose what to fight for, and he fought for it.

On the wings of his free will, Iguazu flew above even the very clouds of Rubicon itself.

And that's why he was the Final Boss.

The only thing able to finally kill him being the person with a conviction even greater, C4-621.

(As a sidenote; Taking account of the main moral of Armored Core 6 really puts into perspective how many trillions of times it gets repeated explicitly across the game lol.

VS Rusty, VS Rusty when he calls you "power without a purpose," VS Cinder Carla, VS Handler Walter, Ayre's description of what the name "Raven" is literally supposed to mean, etc.

They all talk about how you've chosen your path and you'd made sacrifices to get this far and you finally have a conviction that is your own and how big a deal that is and so on.)

[matt0044]

RWBY doesn’t need a “reboot.”

It can do with a “Star Wars: Special Edition” treatment.

Look, we all like to think of a clean slate for RWBY to start out on but we crossed that Rubicon years ago. Volume Ten is coming, like it or not. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t add onto what came before.

So feeling on Jaundice are… mixed but my view had always been that what was lacking was an episode for Yang and Blake as well as Nora and Ren. Imagine if they re-released a special edition of RWBY with deleted scenes animated and reintroduced along with more stories of any given era?

Jaune wouldn’t feel like he’s “stealing” screentime from anyone if we see other characters get their own stories big or small. Furthermore, it would help highlight aspects of Renmant.

Mind you, if they could get a second animation team to contribute, they may or may not need to wait for the grand finale.

Like... too many don't seem to realize that rebooting RWBY in any way will alienate not only the fans who like it currently as is... but also them.

Because even if it's refined in its writing and animation on a technical level, there's no chance that it will just appeal to everybody, everywhere all at once. Because, and I use this cliche unironically, there is NO accounting for taste.

New writers take over. Okay. Will they share the same sentiments as those currently clamoring for a reboot? Will they kowtow to those fans... or have their own vision they wish to execute? One that will inevitably rub a vocal portion the wrong way.

A story can be good technically but just... not do it for you. It's why a lot of comic book runs are more infamous than others. Writers clash over what's good for the characters. A clash that WILL have a knock on effect on fan reception.