#cyborgtruckanswers

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Why I like Jetstream Sam: A Comprehensive Essay

I was actually thinking of making a separate post about Sam as a character. So I think the time has come. 

Disclaimer: these are just my thoughts and observations about him (might also include hcs). I do not and never intended to establish one only interpretation of him in canon. Basically, this is just me rumbling about my own comforting stuff, and you don’t need to take that seriously if you have some other opinion. 

And another heads up: my English sometimes is very wonky when it comes to writing something very important, I get pretty nervous, and it is very hard to write about it. It is probably connected with my mental health, so don’t be surprised with some mistakes. 

My acquaintance with Samuel started with memes. I was curious to know more about Sam with the thought that he might play an important part in MGR plot (I was not mistaken). However, I thought that Sam was a sidekick of Raiden who would betray him in the end (which was not true and I am actually glad that it is like that). After discovering more about the plot and characters, I got invested even more into the game (which I managed to play after months of being in the fandom). I just fell for him as a character right away. In the end, I dove deep enough into fandom to know more about him.

Here is the meme I am referring to.

and here also my favourite pic with the battle in badlands which I saw during my search.

So, what actually makes Sam such a nice and expressive character? Voice, mimic and gestures, they are rich. The way I see him move and talk..It just makes me melt. Every time I see him on the screen makes me squeal “he is so cool”. (fangirl moment I guess)

However, there is something more behind this charisma and smile. It cannot be seen from the first glance, yet it is strongly connected with him. You know what they say? The eyes are the mirror of a soul. I see those eyes, I see pure sadness. Yes, Sam hides it, yet it can be observed through his reaction to different interactions in the game. Here are a few screenshots that I consider the best representation of how it shows Sam’s despair. It is not about expression, rather the way he looks - tired, sad, broken. He hides it behind the cocky attitude and remarks.

Well and of course the difference between dlc Sam and Desperado Sam who is seen as a parallel to Raiden. I also like the detail that they both have scars on their left part of the face. Another interesting thing is that Sam cuts Raiden’s left arm while he had his right arm cut by Armstrong. From that point this wound started “the fall” of him. I think that he just lost his way, he lost desire to live. Raiden was his only hope, at least get rid of Armstrong as the final “revenge”. 

Surprisingly, Sam feels more of a protagonistic figure than Raiden (he just has some vibes of it). If not the circumstances, he would be a hero too, I just feel like it. 

In my humble opinion, Sam is capable of not only showing some more “human” and “genuine” side of him. He CAN FEEL because he is not fully augmented. He struggles, like all humans and who knows, maybe he wanted a better life. 

Sometimes, I feel that I can partially relate to him. I don’t know why, but it is just something that helps me to feel significant in this world. His story kinda reminds me of my own (not at all parts, but just the concept of “losing my identity”).  Anyway, the point is that I feel him as my comfort character. It is just enough to see his smile to understand that things will be alright. 

To sum up: Sam has a large potential as a character, he deserves appreciation and love. I would give anything for him to have a separate game with the whole story of the revenge for his dead father and destroying drug cartels in Brazil. It would be really awesome! 

Just look at him ;_; he is so...perfect!

[cyborgdumptruck]

Yeah. This is just SamuRaiden in a nutshell. Oh and btw, I will tease you with some xnalara render wip :) just to show you how this "rivalry tension" works, lmao.

[cyborgdumptruck]

Ofc Samuraiden but also your favourite ship with Desmond Miles! I don’t remember exactly who it was with.

SamuRaiden

What made you ship it? - They both have very strong chemistry between each other - both Sam and Raiden. I just looked at a few pictures and memes on google, and they made me realize that Sam and Raiden definitely should be together. It also became my comfort pairing, so I could distance myself from my own toxic relationship (fortunately, it is over now). Who would have known that in the end, SamuRaiden and mgr fandom changed my life for good? After so many years of feeling pathetic, feeling that I was not worthy to exist, these two blorbos brought me back to life. I have people to share my thoughts and love about Sam and Raiden, I received so much feedback I never had before. Moreover, I met my bf thanks to this fandom and the pairing, it is more than anything I ever wanted. This means the world to me. Thinking about them being together, loving each other helps me to get distracted from my own self-deprecation.

What are your favorite things about the ship? - Their dynamic, the possibilities of various romance scenarios or even mgr2 plot. Sam and Raiden are so different yet have so much in common, including being rivals who try to fight for different ideals. Sam's charisma is very strong, yet I feel that he has a very deep trauma behind it. It is more of my hcs, and I can relate to him in my own way, considering how I love his theme song that basically opens him up as a character who chose the wrong side. And I see him as a protagonist, more than Raiden, about whom, btw I had a very erroneous view. Fortunately, after playing MGR and MGS2 I know him better. He is a broken man, who may never recover from everything he has been through. If his ambitions require destroying the world - he may go for it, that is why I feel that Sam may be the only one who could stop it. Raiden is an anti-hero, who is not easy to "tame" if I may say so. Yet, I feel that Sam could handle that because he has been through that himself (I presume). This ship may be toxic from different perspectives, but I want it to be healthy and so that characters could heal by complementing each other and teaming up to achieve common goals.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

I don't really know what are the popular opinions about these two. My take is that I probably want to partially avoid Raiden's "unhealthy and toxic" side that would ruin everything because of him acting like an asshole (not the Ripper, rather just the situations when he acts like this) because it feels threatening to me personally. I want him to work through it and be better than this and reach to Sam as much as he reaches to him. So that he would feel more "human" than an augmented cyborg. In my fanfic I question a lot of what is it like to be a human and feel such simple things as love or sympathy (which Raiden never had). I want Raiden to experience it, to endure it as much as Sam. I also want to see his more soft and vulnerable side, when he lets Sam care about him. And the most important, to put the whole relationship in a more realistic perspective, where it is not perfect, where they both have their fears and problems, but they find the strength to carry on together.

Raiden is strong, but inside he is a scared and broken child. He does not know any other ways to protect himself, he is impulsive, filled with anger and hatred towards everyone and everything. He needs psychological help and guidance.

To sum up: SamuRaiden is a ship that changed my life. I love it with my whole heart and I want to think that the love between these two helped them to overcome their demons and have a healthy and more or less happy life. Like what happened to me.

AlexDes (Alex Mercer x Desmond Miles) - Assassin's Creed x Prototype Crossover

What made you ship it? - It was long time ago. I saw some pictures with both of them and it made me melt. I could never imagine that it is possible to make a crossover with hooded guys :D They also made me play Assassin's Creed series and Prototype. Desmond had to become an assassin against his will. He is sick and tired of running away and he just wants to live a normal life. As for Alex..Well..Alex is not a human, he is a virus that took a form of a deceased scientist (as well as his memories). I thought it would be interesting to see how Desmond actually helps him to start everything over and gain more "human" side (again about this, I think I am into this topic too much). Alex is rude, cold and lacks empathy. He wants to know who he really is. His mystery would attract Desmond. They would have to escape their enemies together. That is what it makes this pairing unique to me.

What are your favorite things about this ship? - Alex getting them both into trouble and Desmond getting them out of it. Both of them looking for their purpose, questioning if they should save the world (AC3 ending) or leave it to die (I am not taking Prototype 2 into account because Alex is a complete antagonist in that game). Alex is entertained by Des, he tries to understand him. Also...He has some tendrils that could be used for different purposes... After overcoming some very hard obstacles, their bond just gets stronger and they fall for each other.

Unpopular opinion about this ship

When I was really hard into this ship, there was a part of the fandom who considered it is cool to put Desmond into horrible situations of being assaulted or "consumed" by Alex (I realize this only after all these years and I don't approve that part, fortunately, I haven't met anything connected with it lately). I hate that people try to portray Alex as a predator, and I would prefer not to see it anymore. Also, I don't see him as a bottom (another unpopular opinion).

In conclusion: ProtoCreed has a special place in my heart because it was one of the first fandom ships I got into and produced the content very actively before the end of 2012. I still have some feelings for them, yet I wanna put this ship into more "mature" perspective and make more interesting and realistic scenarios of their relationship development. Many things changed from that old times and I don't really wanna come back there.

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Raidencore, I think.

[cyborgdumptruck]

Hi! I've always found Raiden crazy sexy ever since I saw him in Metal Gear Rising. Seeing him paired up with Sam just drives me crazy! I'm currently looking for an artist for a commission featuring these two, but I'm having trouble finding a good one willing to do cyborg male couples in intimate poses. Do you have any suggestions?

Hi there. Thanks for your question. Obviously, you can look through samuraiden hashtag on twitter or tumblr and find many cool and interesting artists who are open for commissions, you can always ask them. My personal recommendations include @shingummyy @r3dr4g3 and other people who are my mutuals and whose art I reblog very often (take a look through my blog and archieve)

I accept commissions too, however I haven't estimated new prices. Everything can be arranged depending on your ideas, so don't be shy to hop in my dms!

[cyborgdumptruck]

Have you seen this man? 🤔

Oh yes. I have seen him from different juicy angles and poses..AHEM. I mean, who haven't seen this charming cyborg?

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Just saw your Bladerunner re render post (I've never made one, not in the community, don't know exactly what one would call it, my apologies) BUT IT LOOKS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE AND I WANT TO CRY. Watched both Bladerunners recently and wanted to ask for any insights on the piece that you had about it/making it! Were you inspired for samuraiden specifically, or was it just an arbitrary choice? (If the former: 👀) What is the hardest part of doing something like this? What was your favorite? (Basically, tell me anything if you're up for it, basically, and if you're not, thanks for posting it, my samuraiden fixation thanks you immensely, and infinite apologizes if this is overwhelming. Ty!!)

Oh wow, thank you for your feedback! I am really flattered! To be honest, the piece was completely inspired by SamuRaiden brainroot. And this scene specifically, as well as the music just fits right. The aesthetics, the atmosphere, and lore can also fit nicely into mgr universe.

The most difficult part was post-processing - adding lighting in Photoshop is just a big pain in the ass, and I am still not satisfied with it. I want to get enough knowledge to do it better.

My favorite part in this process is posing - because it is the easiest. Basically, just moving models' bones like you're playing with figurines. I can do that for hours imagining things in my head.

I may also write SamuRaiden AU fanfic in this universe too with some adjustments to the original roles of characters for the sake of the plot. I wonder what it will look like. Raiden is perfect to be a replicant (his role may be antagonistic and change at some point too). It is just fun to imagine various scenarios with him and Sam, think outside the box of the original mgr plot.

I watched all movies in series (plus extra short ones and animes), maybe I should read the book at some point.

I hope I answered your question and thanks again for asking! I will do more things like this in the future! :)