#major red dead redemption 2 spoilers

[2demondogs]

Heartbreaking Charthur angst. Like a "What if..." Charles never left to help Rains fall and was there for Arthurs' end (high honor, help John ending)?

Anon I see ur vision, I respect your smoke, you are real for this, etc ad nauseam.

Any incorrect details um... blame it on the alternate timeline. I'll be honest I didn't proofread cuz this shit made me sad.

Words: 1.7k Tags: sickfic... :), character death, stream of consciousness, a lot of nondenominational religious Thoughts, major spoilers

Arthur had realized, since his first and last doctor's office visit, just how much time there was in a day.

Job after job after job and all that precious time he had never realized was slipping by. He wished he had never slept, for one; he hoped in the afterlife, if there was one, he might never sleep, because all things must end eventually, as he is still learning, and he'd hate to make the same mistakes twice.

He thought the Devil would look like Dutch, God save his soul — does he, here, mean himself, Satan, or Dutch? Arthur still doesn't know, supposes that they all need saved just as badly — and that he'd be worker of the month down there, too.

Turning tricks, maybe, wouldn't that be funny, workhorse to company pony, he thought recently, and then the pains started in earnest because workhorse wasn't always his middle name and it hurt badly to think of the days before.

Arthur still wants to go back.

It's been nearly an hour since Micah kicked him in the ribs. He knows, because he has become good at telling time, as if the universe is letting him on all those preternatural secrets a little early. It hurts so badly that it has ceased hurting at all— wouldn't he be sad to know it, if Charles had not shot him once Dutch had discarded him, too.

So many emotions on the matter of Dutch, yet no time to feel them. It's a good thing he began grieving him when Hosea died.

Instead of the sharp, white-hotness that he had worried was a rib puncturing his already squeezed lungs, there is now a constant ache throughout his body, maybe his very soul; he had used all of his breath screaming when Charles tried to move him, has not gotten one good one in since, and he thinks they both know the truth.

It's all up to one cough.

One last kick in the ass and it's lights out for old Mister Morgan, because that rattling in his breath can only mean one thing.

Charles kneels before where he lays on his side, looks down at him the way he had looked at that gored horse they came across while hunting, months ago— the way he looked at it before he told Arthur to put it out of its misery. He couldn't pull the trigger, even if he knew it was the kind thing to do. There is something meaningful in that memory which Arthur cannot think of words for, but he understands it the way men understand things when they are dying: silently, and completely.

Why is Charles so quiet, now? Arthur's eyes fall shut, and he cannot find the strength to open them for a long time.

He wouldn't be greedy if God came to him and said sure, son, you all look like ants from here, I'll drop you back into seventy-eight. Blood is seeping into his lungs, has to be, and every drop makes Heaven and Hell sound a whole lot more real.

In a perfect world, he might have left and made house with Eliza or made himself suitable for Mary, swallowed that boring life the happy way most men do. Because he would know. He would work in a mine and he would be happy to breathe in the coal, because he would know.

His wedding ring, he would know that, too, and suddenly this split-second daydream becomes a nightmare all over again.

I need to move on, Arthur, she wrote. It was one less thing to leave behind.

Sometimes he wished that Charles went, too, that he had chosen the type of belonging he'd grieved so often or that he had chosen Dutch, never to be on this mountain in the first place. That he had spat on Arthur and left him without a trace of his mortal life as he lay here dying, none except the familiarity of the sun breaking the sky and the grass dancing in the valley below — dancing, what a funny word for it, or maybe he's just hallucinating as his consciousness begins to slip to—

Well, wherever it's going to go.

No matter what, Arthur wishes that Charles did not look at him that way when he decided to stick around. They both knew it was because of Arthur, and they both knew it was temporary. He's been giving him the same look. Something like love, and grief.

I'm not dead, he wants to tell him, but Arthur knows there's no difference now and Charles doesn't deserve any more lies, anyways.

He lied to everyone, and selfishly.

How many of them will die? Hosea was coughin' more. Was I contagious before...?

That day, Arthur had realized just what all those science folks mean when they say humans are brief, in the grand scheme of things even if he was not egotistical enough to believe life begins and ends with himself— but men are temporary, and there's only been so many of them, and there only will be so many of them. He had marveled at the huge, ancient bones he found for that odd little critter of a lady, months ago.

Just yesterday, he entertained the idea that God had been real even before he needed Him most, and that He was telling him something by crossing their paths: Life before you, life after you. Don't get comfortable.

Rest assured, Big Man, he thinks, I am not.

But somehow, he almost is.

Death is certain, now. There is no guessing here, no waiting without knowing.

Some divine intervention, he's sure all dead men receive it as a consolation prize of sorts for completing the great big task of living. Charles' large, warm hand is on his shoulder, light as a feather. He tries to speak, even though he can barely think in words, and all he manages is a groan that comes from deep in his gut.

Arthur wishes he would crush him, that he'd hold him even if it made him scream in agony. He wishes Charles was—

Was—

No, he doesn't. He doesn't want Charles to give him the mercy execution.

Arthur just wishes he were not giving Charles his own form of execution. He is laying still, grimacing hard each time the shallow raise and fall of his chest makes his body scream. Charles has no idea what he is feeling, but he must be able to see on Arthur's face that he's feeling things inside his body which should not be happening: the sac of his lung ripping further open, his bowels threatening to let go, his sternum pressed tight to the skin above from a week of near-starvation because there is no amount of food that could feed the disease that is eating him alive.

He knows how it feels to watch a man you love die, even if his had been his father and he's certain that it's harder at their present age, and when you've chosen to love someone. No hands of blood had pushed them together.

Arthur wishes he had known it sooner.

He doesn't know if he ever wants to hear it from Charles' mouth, but he blinks his eyes open as the vague, misty image of that day finally fades for good. The sky is breaking hard beyond the shadow of Charles' form. It is glorious as sunrises always are. He feels his bones grinding on one another. He is clenching his teeth so hard, his molars are about to be pushed through the gums and into his mandible.

Never one for making his own decisions, Arthur wonders again if God is real or if he is coping with this horribleness in the only way he knows how: relying on someone else.

Again, he wants Charles to crush him. Even if it stabs the broken rib through his lung and out his back, even if it kills him before he can use his last breath to find out how his throat smells— he wants Charles to be the one to hold him.

Hosea is gone. So is Dutch. Arthur would long for Charles even if they were both here, although alarmingly he feels as though Hosea is somewhere around him — he cannot see, smell, or hear him but he knows it silently, and completely.

I love him, Arthur is thinking, has no time to study how selfish he would have felt just one month ago for his desires in this moment. Dead men cannot regret any longer, or maybe regret becomes like the pain when you are dead, grows so big that it blocks out the sun of peace. He made me feel safe, he thinks, already in the past tense, as if he is rehearsing what he will tell all the fellow skeletons.

He squints through the morning light and finds Charles' face, drawn tight in an expression he has never, ever seen before.

His eyes are open sores. He's never looked more like an angel.

With the last of his breath, Arthur opens his mouth and finds it suddenly very hard to draw in air. His throat itches, and if he swallows this cough he will simply choke on his own vomit instead— so he begins to hack, feels his lungs decompressing and the violent convulsions through his abdominal wall as things that are not meant to touch it touch it.

He gets his wish, because Charles is curling around him. He wants to shove him away, but then he doesn't; if Charles is going to get sick, he already has, and this is all he could have ever wanted in this moment. Charles is warm, and his chest presses over Arthur's jolting side as if holding him still, and he realizes the man has been talking but he has no time to regret not listening.

He's forgotten English, anyways, doesn't think in words anymore but feels everything. His throat thickens with the metallic taste of blood and his body squeezes, squeezes— Arthur goes stiff in panic and shock, fingers of both hands clawing into Charles' arm, and if either of them were sober the blood his nails draw would be felt.

In the moments before he can no longer breathe, he sees — with that nonmaterial eye that shows men dreams, nightmares, the best novels — something like peace.

Yes, Hosea feels very close now, and Charles, very far away.

[spoonhead]

IM ABSOLUTELY LOSING MY SHIT I JUST COMPLETED RDR2’S EPILOGUE AND IT SENT ME INTO A TAILSPIN FUCKING HELL

Mainly the Micah mission because when they were having their little show down and Sadie showed up I was like “Wow good for her you get him girl” and then when fucking DUTCH came out of the cabin I just about screamed like what 😭 He just stood there, didn’t say shit until he shot Micah, then just kinda fucked off like what the hell man I wasn’t expecting that at ALL

I’m so glad Micah is finally dead tho it’s about time and when I say this game changed, I mean I will never be the same emotionally golly.

[maeedrg]

Satoru, Oh Satoru

Y/n’s goodbye letter

ᯓ★

Synopsis : In which you write and send a letter to your ex fiance, Gojo Satoru, before his deathly battle with Sukuna. Broken promise, he wishes to see you again, the love of his life, one last time before it’s too late. [The letter is the Mary’s goodbye letter to Arthur Morgan from RDR2]

Words count : 2k

Warnings : heavy angst, slight comfort, major character death, spoilers of the end of the manga, reader is called « wife » once.

જ⁀➴ ⠀ׂ Autor’s note : I love Red Dead Redemption 2, and the letter of Mary is haunting me. It’s been weeks since I wanted to write about it, so here we go, with Gojo instead of Arthur Morgan ! English is not my first language, sorry for the mistakes.

“My dear Satoru,

You never showed up, and now, after looking at the newspapers I understand why. I don't imagine you will receive this letter but I nonetheless must send it.

Satoru, oh, Satoru. I was just starting to dream the silliest and softest of dreams. I miss you, and I will always miss you but I cannot live like that, and it seems you cannot live any other way.

When I am with you, the world makes sense but when we are apart, I see clearly that your world is not a world from which one can escape. I am so sorry, for everything, for everything long ago and for leaving you. There's a vulnerable man within you, Satoru, but he is wrestling with a giant. And the giant, wins, time and again. You've broken my heart, again, and I fear I have broken yours.

For that, I will never forgive myself but you must let me go now. I enclose a ring you gave me many years ago, when we were both young, not because I don't like it, but because I care for it far too much and it reminds me too much of you. I hope, one day you will find some people in love who can use this, for it kept me thinking of you all these years, and I hope by returning it to you I can finally be free. So please, win, and come out alive.

Goodbye.

y/n”

Are those water drops ?

Satoru blinks once, twice, before realizing that tears roll down his rosy cheeks and wet down the paper. He slowly opens his mouth in a shuddering breath, knuckles tightening against the letter he was holding in his hands. He is crying, Gojo Satoru is crying. Heavens know that this man almost never cried since the day he was born. But the way his heart was hurting so much, each breath being a stabbing inhale, as if a dag was slicing open his lungs and cutting into pieces his poor sweet damaged heart, confirm it. Yes, he cries. He cries this forgotten moment, he cries you, he cries your love, lost in the nostalgia he feels.

The Strongest, no, Satoru, never thought he would lose the love of his life twice. The first time was when you left him years ago, three more exactly, and God it was his own damn fault. He knows it more than anyone else, more than you.

The second was today, when he opened this letter you sent him and read it 5, 6, 12, 23 times. Hell, at first he thought he was hallucinating when he received it this morning. Why ? Why today ? The day he was supposed to have no single regrets, because he knew it would be the last time he would be on earth. He prayed that you forgot about him, hated him, cursed him in your soul forever, so he could die without your and any regrets.

23rd of December. Tomorrow, it will be the 24th. Please, please, please. He doesn’t want to die now. Will he really win ? That was just a sentence said to reassure himself, to convince his students and his own heart that everything will be alright. But the “what if” came along, and he ended up writing letters to his students in case he would indeed lose tomorrow. Including you. His long lost love. His ex fiance.

But for fuck’s sake, he didn’t expect you to send him one before he could even finish writing yours.

That hurts, so damn much. Was he even breathing anymore ? He didn’t know. But he had to breathe, everyone wanted him to breathe and to stand up. They needed him. Everyone needed him. But all he wanted, in the end, was for you to need him. Even if he told you the contrary years ago. That was all a lie, to you and himself. Satoru made you leave him, but that was for your sake.

Marrying The Strongest meant having a deadly bounty on your head, the end of your peaceful love, and maybe the end of your own life. He never really regretted what he did, he preferred for you to be safe and sound, away from him. Even if he missed your pretty eyes, your oh so sweet lips, the warmth of your soul and the comfort of your arms.

But now, some hours before his last day on earth, he regretted it more than anything. In the end, he would have wanted to spend his last years in your company if it meant having this kind of death. God, he could have called you his wife. He wasn’t dumb, Satoru was far too smart for his own good. Tomorrow will be his last. There was no need to be delusional about it, but it hurts. It hurts so much. More than he wanted it to be. The Strongest never gets hurt, after all. Because he doesn’t allow it to happen.

He kisses the ring, the engagement ring, he gave you years ago before you returned it to him in this letter. He slowly closes his watery eyes, biting the inside of his mouth, lost in thoughts. He wanted to feel your lips against his one last time. He wanted to be in your arms one last time. He wanted to hear your name coming out of your mouth one last time. He just wanted to see you, before his battle against Sukuna. Was he egoistical to want that, after everything that happened in between the two of you, after the letter you sent ?

“I just… don’t care anymore,” he muttered, standing back up and softly sliding your letter against his still beating heart.

Seeing you was his last wish. May it be granted.

Some minutes after, barely 20, he was in front of your door. It was an unholy hour to grant you a visit, the clock ticking 11.58 PM. In two minutes it would be his official last hours on earth, Christmas Day. If Santa Claus was real, then you were the biggest gift he could ask for.

The moment you open your door, sleepy eyes, greasy pajamas, and then face distorting in utter disbelief when staring at your ex fiance standing right in front of you, time stops. Satoru couldn’t believe his own eyes. His Six eyes were useless, his soul was already screaming to him that the person in front of him was the love of his life.

“Satoru… ?” you whisper, unable to know if you were dreaming, or not. He died a little when he finally heard his name slipping out of your lips after so many years.

You can’t even utter another word, that his large frame is on you. His strong arms wrap around your body, cradling you in the depth of his chest and undying love for you. He inhales, you smell the same as he remembers. Oh, sweet Lord, how he missed this. He felt his heart beating again, his lungs working finally normally, he was breathing. Yes, he was breathing. Thanks to you. He never felt more alive in this moment. What a duality. A cruel duality.

“I did read your letter. Let me say my goodbyes to you too, y/n. One last time, I beg you,” he murmurs in the crook of your neck. Gojo Satoru never begs. Yet, here he was, ready to go on his knees like he did when he proposed to you, to implore one last blessing moment in your presence.

Your feelings were conflicted, you were in the arms of the man that broke your heart, and from whom you just made your goodbyes. Maybe that was mean of you, to send this letter the day before his battle against Sukuna. When you saw it on the news, you understood that it would be maybe your last time being able to reach to him. You told him what you needed to say. For you, that was final. But one thing that you didn’t take accountability for, was his soul wrenching love for you. And, in this small moment of peace before war, you decided to indulge in his vulnerability, no, yours. Wait, both of you were more vulnerable than you could ever be again.

“Satoru.”

“I missed you,” he whispers as he slowly lift his head, blue glossy eyes meeting yours intimately. Tears, rolling down. You couldn't fathom it.

“I’m so, so, oh so sorry. Do you forgive me for breaking your heart ?” His voice is like a whimper, and you feel a part of your soul breaking at his pleading. Your lips quiver.

“Yes, Satoru. And do you forgive me too for breaking yours ?”

“I never resented you,” he closes his eyes saying that, leaning his forehead against yours. That was unspoken, but you understood the depth of his words. After all, you knew him better than anyone else. He made you leave him, on purpose, and you were aware why he did that. You indeed left, he watched you doing it, unable to stop this tragedy from happening, because you both knew that marrying each other would have been probably the biggest dream and nightmare of your life. You both broke each other's hearts that day.

“I never did too,” you answer, closing your eyes.

“I love you, you know that, right ? Always did."

“I love you, Satoru. I know that you do. And…” you both open back your eyes at the same time, “I realize that loving you was my greatest curse, but your eyes grant me mercy. In them I see the salvation of my soul, but I know that your heart has already cursed me,” you finish in a breath coming from the depth of your being.

Two tears roll down at your answer. One from your eye, one from his. He sniffs, unable to suppress his emotions, and then slowly take out of his pocket two objects. First, a letter, bigger than the one you wrote him. It was unfinished, he didn’t have the time to. He softly puts it in the crook of your hand.

“Read it if I’m gone, if I’m not, then give it back to me in person," he asks you, his pearly white lashes getting wet from the tears in his eyes. You both knew deep in your hearts that you would never be able to give it back to him. Yet, you force a smile on your face.

“I promise.”

The second object, was your engagement ring. Satoru knew it was oh so egoistical of him to give it back, when you send it attached to the letter this morning. He refused to keep it. He still had his on his finger, he wanted you to keep it too.

You said in your letter that you refused to keep it anymore because you cared for it far too much and it reminded you too much of him. Satoru wanted you to remember him. He was sure that when he will die, people would forget about him, and move on. He came to accept that fact. People only cared about the farthest and the greatest grand Gojo Satoru, The Strongest. Once death would take this title from him, he would have nothing left, aside from you.

“Only you can carry my love. Never forget that. You said that you hope by returning it to me you can finally be free. For my christmas gift, let me take your freedom,” he pleads, no, begs. His hand was shaking as he gently slid back the ring on your finger, it was his ultimate wish.

A sob escapes your lips. You cursed him for doing that to you. But how could you be mad, when granting the death wish of your long lost fiance ? You look back at the shiny ring, and remember how you blessed Heavens the day he proposed to you. It hurts to know that you never had the chance to call him your husband. Your love was doomed from the beginning. The world was cruel, so cruel.

“I’ll feel alive as long as I’m in your heart, may you never forget me,” he finishes, tangling his fingers in yours.

His left hand cradles your cheek, and you slowly lean towards him. His lips melt against yours, in this final goodbye, last kiss, last shared moment, heart to heart beating in sync. Your souls intertwined, and Satoru wished he could just die right now in your arms, in the sweetness of your lips and warmth of your love.

“In another life, Satoru. In another life we’ll marry and love each other how we wanted to, just not in this one,” you whisper like a secret to the world against his lips. He smiles through the tears.

“I’ll gladly die with a smile, now.” At least he could die the same day as Geto Suguru, one year after him, joining him in death. At least he could die knowing you loved him no matter what. At least he could die knowing that in his next life he could be by your side, again.

You never forgot him. You kept the ring on your finger, until your last breath and till death do you part. It did.

THE END

[gametastic-photography]

♡》About Me《♡

○ Name/s, nicknames: Ash, Athena, Tabby

○ Age: 26

○ Country: United States

○ Gender: Female, sometimes neither

○ This is a Red dead redemption 2, sometimes 1 blog mainly; expect spoilers and sometimes borderline 18+ content. My VP is tagged with #gametastic-photography

○ I will not repost/reblog 18+ content, so you need not worry about that. Mostly SFW content. I only post slightly nonSFW content on Shirtless Sundays. Posts such as this will be tagged with a #ContentWarning tag

○ I do not reblog or interact with political posts, this is for my own mental health.

○ I use mods, I am a PC and a PS4 player, but considering both are different controllers, I prefer to play on a Windows compatable Xbox controller.

○ I'm always looking for a friend to talk to and share RDR2 stuff with, helping others with mods or being helped.

○ I follow and sometimes send asks from @athena-ash-photography

My reblog page is @gametastic-p

Last updated: 10/19/24

●Major tags●

○ #gametastic-photography tags of my game photography

○ I tagged mods as #rdr2mods and mod tutorials as #rdr2mod tutorials

○ Shirtless Sundays (refer to link for info) will come with a #ContentWarning tag

[darwbycrew]

How dare you P.3:

RWBY V9E6 SPOILERS

Old Man Jaune:...

Weiss:.....you grew a beard....Jaune...are you trying to $%&@?

OMJaune and RBY: !

Weiss: first you had the nerve, the audacity to get thicker than a Ursa Major, with Dat chest and Dat Ass?and don't think for a second that all that armor and clothes is actually hiding them at all , I know what'chu packing and now this, what are trying to do me Jaune?!

OM Jaune: (-_-)... Weiss...look, nows not the time...

Weiss: and DAT Voice! I mean Gawd Damn it, Jaune! you voice sound like the secret love child Solid Snake (Metal Gear Solid) and Arthur Morgan (Red Dead Redemption 2)! What da hell is wrong with you?! Sounding sexier than a Mother!@#$%**, which you about be after tonight!

Ruby: kinda surprised you know who those two are, but Weiss look nows not the time, we have to..

Weiss: NO! No, what we NOT gonna do, is have my daddy issues all out in the open in the best and worst possible way and not having YOU, Mister Arc, not throw some ass my way!

Yang: As much as I enjoy watching this Thirsty version of you Weiss, Jaune looks a bit too depressed for that right now...

Weiss: Thirsty? Depressed? B!#$@, I am DEHYDRATED and DEPRESSED! and the only way to solve both problems is for this MAN (Points at Jaune) to be D- Pressed into these GUTS. (pats and rubs aggressively around her stomach)

Old Man Jaune: yeah, I'v most definitely have gone Mad down here.

Note: you have no idea How much I've waited to post a part 3, I had a gut instinct to wait to put this out and now thanks to that one word of dialogue, My work can continue.

By the way, here is the link for Part 1 and Part 2, I'm going to edit/recon the setting of the first 2 parts to vol 7.

And like before the inspiration of this dialogue is from AceVane, please check out his vids they are hilarious...and teeming with the N word, but very funny.

[debbeh]

can u tell me EVERYTHING u know abt negatus??? like im serious i need u to go absolutely ham i need this to take me three whole days to read it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT

yall are not gonna believe who just forgot to press save...

Anyways, you asked for this and here it is...

Negatus's full name is James E. Negatus

It is implied that he has at least one child

He has pjs with houses on them

He cannonically has at least two stuffed animals

Admiral Anous attempted to burn one of them (Toby) but pissed off Negatus enough to get axed in the chest and thrown into a freezer instead

Negatus is very boastful, mostly in an attempt to impress and be liked by others

He's generally smart but tends to overlook major flaws in his plans

He had 381 demons, most of which he killed when they failed to win a tournament, which he wanted to win because he thought that would make people like him

the remaining demons are Rita (the Negatus simp), Niel (the Rita simp), and Jeff (the dumb one)

Negatus usually calls his boss, Imperatrix "your eminence" but behind her back calls her bossy boobs

when his demons fail him he calls them cretins

He once sent his demons on a teambuilding retreat and joined when he saw the instructor was hot. He failed to remember however, that he killed the instructor's parents and most of her village

When he thinks Imperatrix is dead he plans to stage a coup, creating his famous logo and planning the new layout of Yonderland (Negataland) which just so happens to be an exact replica of the Mona Lisa.

When Imperatrix does die (spoilers), Cuddly Dick takes over, who throws Negatus in jail. Debbie breaks him out of prison but not before he establishes himself in the prison library. He and Debbie totally have a moment together before Negatus finds out she's married.

At this time too, we learn about Negatus's rough childhood and how he was forced to eat his pet dog Scratchy which his father baked into a pie

meanwhile the Elders are being forced to do the same with their new pet rabbits but Negatus is there just in time to save them

Negatus serves as a spy for the Elders after this but eventually goes back to working for Dick and betraying Debbie.

Finally in the Christmas special, Negatus catches Chompus (the monster that eats everyone's presents every year) and goes to steal more presents from Yonderland as well as Debbies house.

Here, there's a Grinch moment where Negatus sees Debbie's daughter who makes Negatus feel bad for stealing her presents and he FINALLY has a full redemption arc.

Negatus usually wears his leather outfit complete with black eyeliner, black nail polish, and occasionally red lipstick

for attending (sneaking into) a meeting with the overlords, he wears a red version of his helmet (the same thing + some red fabric) plus some more lipstick and a cape with camping badges on it.

since he tends to brag a little too much, the overlords are convinced he actually did kill 2 or 3 megadragons and he is invited to hold a seminar on being evil... and he accidentally kills everyone there

Negatus is totally in love with Debbie as on multiple occasions he has described her as pretty and eaten deodorant when she says to him "I see you in a totally different way now" (approximately 2 seconds before telling him she's married)

One time he dressed up as "Dirty Ernie" (a name he made up on the spot) to kidnap Debbie. Dirty Ernie's outfit is basically just gross clothes plus big overcoat, fingerless gloves, a very stained beanie, and what appear to be some white converse shoes.

This is the episode where he learns he's really good at football (⚽) and that his father was not proud of him but his new friends (that he will betray in .3 secons) including Debbie are proud of him. This is also when Debbie kisses him on the cheek and his reaction is fucking adorable

Negatus, when employed by the Elders as a double agent, had to basically be a maid for the other overlords who loooooove picking on him

Negatus my be dumb but his demons are (usually) much dumber

He uses the font of oris to observe things but mostly (and very frequently) uses it as a bathtub

he lives in his lair which is completely staffed. The main rooms include the throneroom, cells, bedroom, kitchen, well leading to a treasure room, and completely unguarded back entrance.

He had all the hallways painted different shades of grey (they are all the same and he frequently gets lost).

He has emergency electric lights just in case the candles fail.

he once bought a mech suit to kill Debbie and the Elders but overloaded it with so many weapons that it shut down and he fell over. Good news, the hair dryer still works

Negatus’s mech suit is actually made from miscellaneous kids toys and a sled. It was also Farnaby’s dream to get to be in a mech suit and has mentioned that the voice he does in this scene was to mock how airline pilots talk.

This is all I can think of and Stats has killed my brain so there u go 👍

[zaddyazula]

i’m a pretty hardcore zuko redemption arc stan, but my time on tumblr and rewatching the show has really shown me a lot of problems with it.

i know this is a pretty big topic on atla tumblr, so i thought why don’t i shove my opinion in everyone else’s face :).

first of all, my belief of a redemption arc is when somebody redeems themself by changing their actions and ideologies. zuko does a lot for the whole actions part of it, but ultimately nothing to challenge the xenophobic, imperialistic ideology that he has been brought up to believe, as well as the belief that the fire nation royals are better than anyone else.

sure, zuko says he lost himself a lot, but he never mentions anything about his previous beliefs, which can be seen regularly through the first two seasons, particularly season 1. constantly calling katara a peasant; calling others filth: the list goes on and on for all the occasions he has displayed some sort of belief of superiority towards others.

yes, he freed appa; yes, he went to rescue hakoda and suki; yes, he went with katara to get revenge on yon rha - it doesn’t mean anything if nothing has changed in his mind.

he can help them all he wants, but if he still has the ideology of a racist, xenophobic and classist prince, what is the difference between banished zuko and fire lord zuko?

[side note: obviously, by the end of the show, zuko doesn’t share the beliefs that his father and sister held, but you can see him demonstrate them very clearly in some of his flashbacks and a majority of season 1.]

take this horrific analogy: if someone you hate (and i mean absolutely fucking despise) goes out of their way to help you and try to reconcile with you, and you do so but still hate them with your entire fucking soul and nothing you thought about them has changed - then what is even the point of reconciling? if your ideologies have not changed, in my book, it doesn’t matter what you do, if you save their life, whatever other bullshit you could do for them, then you can’t redeem yourself.

imagine being in some sick blood feud, but you guys decide not to fight anymore, what fucking progression is there if one of you then goes: “by the way, i really fucking hate you. i also killed your entire family. :)” there’s none. nothing changes except for the fact one person’s entire family is dead.

an example of a good redemption arc (it’s literally in the name of the game) is one of my all time favourite character’s from one of my all time favourite pieces of fiction: (high honour) arthur morgan from red dead redemption 2.

to summarise (minor spoilers): arthur is in a (cowboy!!!) gang in 1899, who are constantly running from the law. arthur ends up contracting tuberculosis from a man he kills, which leads him onto his path of redemption. he (if the player chooses to go high honour) begins to help people and reflects on his actions. not only does arthur change his actions, but he actually changes ideologies. he stops believing that he can throw his life away, and that there is no point in trying to do anything good when he’s already done so many bad things. arthur goes through a complete (!!!) metamorphosis, actually feeling compassion for people and wanting to save them from mr. i have a plan (the leader of the gang).

arthur is an absolutely incredible example of a redemption arc: it’s literally the point of the game (unless you’re a low honour player. i don’t know how you can do that. you’re superhumans). he changes his actions, his relationships and his ideologies with the help of people he meets along the way.

the same can mostly be said for zuko, and i’m not saying zuko hadn’t changed his ideology by the series finale, my issue is more the fact that it’s never addressed. once. not even a single time (i finished watching the show again today, may have bawled my eyes out) is anything about what he was taught to believe mentioned, let alone worked on.

the belief that the fire nation royals are superior is shown through azula pretty much any time we see her, and ozai a majority of his onscreen appearances.

hell, even the belief that the fire nation is superior to the other nations is shown in the s3 episode where aang goes to the fire nation school. throughout the show, we are constantly shown that the fire nation believe they are better than everyone else, but not once is zuko challenged for it, even by little miss zuko hater, katara. not once is anyone challenged for it, except for if you count the whole “the air nomads never had an army” from aang, but for me, that doesn’t really count.

don’t get me wrong, zuko is my favourite character in the show, if not one of my favourite characters ever, but this whole ‘the best ever redemption arc’ bullshit needs to stop. yes, it’s a good redemption arc, but it lacks the awareness that comes with realising that you need to repent for not only your actions, but your beliefs. redemption arcs like arthur morgan’s show the progression of the character; obviously there’s a difference between being the main character of an 100gb game and being one of the main characters in a kid’s show, but they still managed to get a redemption arc in for him. what they didn’t manage, however, was challenging zuko’s past beliefs.

you cannot become a better person by ignoring the ideals that shaped you to be that horrible person.

you must challenge them. you must face them.

so, in my opinion, despite how much i love it, despite how much i want to crown it the best redemption arc of all time, i just can’t. until zuko challenges his ideals ON SCREEN (which’ll be never), then i can’t give it the honour (i’m so funny).

don’t even get me started on the redemption arc azula should’ve had, because that’s even more bullshit to deal with.

damn this took ages to write.

[burningexeter]

The Wildwood Chronicles

I've talked about this for what seems like to me, to death about this so I want to close the book on this and finally sum it all up because I finally have everything to say it about it in just one place.

It's now a full-on passion project that I really want to do, create and make a reality and that's The Wildwood Chronicles, an epic and ambitious adult-animated series that is a grand crossover between over hundreds — and I mean HUNDREDS — of media (movies, TV shows, anime, comics, video games) that retroactively establishes them all in the same shared universe all along.

Here is all the information, all of the notes/trivia/details, everything that I can tell anyone on this without spoiling anything about it because I'm keeping this shit under lock and key pretty much:

• The ambition with this project is anything but small. How I'd best describe it is a mix of Avengers: Infinity War (the last great MCU movie with only two exceptions afterwards) and Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino's greatest achievement since 1994) with the influences being not just those two but also Godzilla Minus One, Grand Theft Auto V, Red Dead Redemption 2, Gore Verbinski's Pirates Of The Caribbean Trilogy and the original Die Hard for many aspects of the series whether it'd the size, scope, scale, balance of characters, action, emotional moments etc.

• As for who's the lead and who'll voice him, the answer is Reese Miller both voiced by and modeled directly after Walton Goggins. When he's introduced, he's a down-on-his-luck, alcoholic, cynical, sarcastic and narcissistic schmuck with a criminal past who after an incident that caused his downfall had no choice but to crawl back to his family that he abandoned years ago and now has to deal with his ex-wife wanting him to do just one good thing in his life now and that's be there for his children. Only thing is it's on a certain day where his daughter is his that the main event that kickstarts everything happens and he's left in and later wakes from a months-long coma while his daughter, for a while, has an unknown fate. It's from then on that he becomes a man who is consumed with guilt and regret and is haunted by his past actions and the dirtbag he was with him wanting to and even becoming a better person in this world that's now falling apart. Unfortunately, all of the events that he's put through ultimately turn him into a tragic anti-hero who wants to see this world burn to the fucking ground and without giving any spoilers away, deals the final blow that seals this fictional universe's fate. Or does it? I seriously can't imagine anyone else in this role but Walton and Walton only.

• As for how it will be a crossover, not only will it be a sequel years later, months later, weeks later depending on which media but also it's a strong balance of differentiations. Some like the three here will be major players and have major roles....

.... while others will be surprise supporting roles or even cameo appearances from supporting characters like these three here....

.... or are objects and items that serve as easter eggs that imply or show they're in the same world as well like these beautiful bastards here.

• As for the actual show itself, it will be a 65 episode limited series event with a clear and more than definitive beginning, middle and end. I want the whole show to feel like one long 65 episode feature film while at the same time giving each episode their own stand-out distinctions enough to make them stand on their own. Top of all that, there will be no commercial breaks and every episode will be a full two-hours long with them being treated as events you can't miss. What makes this more special is that there's only one network I have in mind for this series and that's FX.

• As an added bonus, the show will be incredibly and viscerally violent and even brutal with its gore. Hundreds and hundreds of people, creatures, superheroes, supervillains, zombies etc. will be killed in thousands of different and horrific ways with Rambo (2008), Blade II, aforementioned Inglourious Basterds, The Night Comes For Us and Hard Boiled serving as the main influences for the violence but it's not shock for the sake of shock, it's to show that the world is now somehow more dangerous and visceral than it's ever been before and to show that absolutely no one no matter who they are are safe.

• As for who are the directors, I want there to be several distinct and interesting filmmakers to helm episodes but the main one who'll direct the most episodes for he's the main director of the series will easily be Gore Verbinski.

[affablyevilshowdown]

Meanwhile (not in The Pit (tm))

"Why am I even here?" Artemis whispers to Holly flying next to him. Artemis isn't uncomfortable with the types of people they've met but Holly definitely is and she's been glaring at him for hours now even though she refuses to leave his side.

"Remember Jayjay" Holly says.

"The lemur." Artemis replies dryly.

"The lemur you sold to extinctionists"

"You may recall that afterwards I repented and went back in time to save him. It was a perilous ordeal."

"I know, I was there too."

Artemis flourishes a hand as if to say 'There you go'

"You also kidnapped me and held me for ransom" she accused.

"We all make mistakes Captain Short. One I could not have made successfully if someone hadn't broken protocol."

"Your crimes are not MY fault!"

"Excuse me for interrupting" a very polite voice came from a tablet displaying a glowing red circle, encased in a floating bubble. "If you are questioning whether you belong here it is recommended you seek out the wizard"

"The wizard," Artemis replies unamused, not a question but a clear bid for an explanation nonetheless.

"Yes, the wizard. If he judges that you are innocent he will grant a wish."

"What did you wish for?" Holly asks, she could feel 2 sources of magic emanating from the tablet, though neither felt like the magic she was used to.

"Oh no, no, the wizard chooses the wish he will grant. He provided me with a glamour. It should force the humans I interact with to confer upon me basic civil rights and bodily autonomy." There is amusement in the voice at the last phrase. "He believes this will prevent the Artificial Intelligence version of a lobotomy that is scheduled upon my return. I think he is giving my humans too much credit." And with that the bubble floats away.

"I guess we should look for a wizard" Holly says at the same time Artemis says "I'm not going on a wild goose chase for some wizard."

"Don't give me that look," Artemis continues "I'm not being difficult, I just don't see the point and it feels a bit too 'Wonderful wizard of Oz' I don't need a heart or a brain or to click my heels three times."

-------

“And you must be The Wizard.” Artemis says very collectedly considering he only just avoided tripping over The Wizard’s table. A table that just materialized in the middle of the convention space, along with a blond elf wearing a ridiculously oversized wizard hat and his crystal ball.

“Artemis Fowl the Second,” The elf replied ominously. “Would you like to know your fate?”

Artemis studies The Wizard’s set-up for a moment and states: “Your crystal ball is plugged into a computer. This entire aesthetic is a ploy and I doubt you control anymore magic than I have in my right eye.”

The Wizard’s serious façade crumbles as a grin breaks through. “Oooh they said you were smart. Dead wrong though kiddo. Name’s Taako.”

Behind Artemis, Holly coughs to stifle a startled laugh. Taako doesn’t even pause.

“I’m not sure what the ball is connected to, but convention staff gave it to me a while ago and it knows Everything!” He hikes the table skirt up to reveal a computer. Which. Y’know. Sufficiently advanced technology, magic yada yada. “It even knows that you used to have a fairy eye before you…” Taako takes a moment to put on reading glasses that had been hanging from a chain around his neck. “[REDACTED FOR MAJOR SPOILERS]. Huh. Odd”

“Also I so can do magic!” At a flick of his hands a cup of tea starts to float and a spoon stirs it rapidly.

Artemis takes a measured breath and turns to leave, but The Wizard keeps talking at him.

"I know all about your whole redemption arc thing too, but you have done things wrong unfortunately."

"And which of my dastardly deeds landed me here?" Artemis engages.

"Kidnapping your best friend for ransom."

"Hold up," Holly interrupts, suddenly unamused. "I was *not* his best friend when he kidnapped me, or for a long while after."

The wizard winces a fraction. "Yeah, Mags is struggling with the linear nature of time. She was quite literally born yesterday!"

"Mags?" Artemis asks.

"Convention staff, real sweetheart," The Wizard waves his hand dismissive. "The point is I can't grant you a wish. But! I am well within my rights to curse you!"

Artemis's eyes flash with something other than his careful disinterested act.

"I curse you with...." a dramatic pause, because Taako is nothing if not an overexcited theater kid.

"The power of friendship!"

Behind Artemis and Holly a young man and an orange cat land in a crumpled heap.

The boy looks up confusion melting into delight. "Artemis!"

"Prosperity," Artemis sighs and gives Prosper a hand up. "Firestar." He notices that The Wizard and his tables have vanished.

"Friends of yours?" Holly asks.

"More like ex-coworkers"

-----

(Artemis, Prosperity and Firestar as current co-workers over at @white-boy-bracket)

[grymmnox]

weekly fic recs #37

meant to post this yesterday, completely forgot. anyways, same stuff as usual; & for platonic, / for romantic, all that.

yes, we are pretending everything between june last year and now does not exist because im too lazy to post them. (might make a big masterpost of all of the bookmarks, but i doubt it.)

fandom(s): rdr

ship(s): canon relationships (bessie/hosea, abigail/john, cal/charlotte)

keep in mind these like.. almost all have major spoilers. the ending broke me and i was coping.

Oneshots

a way from here to the sea; werewolfsquad - red dead redemption

teen and up | 4.5k words | arthur & john, arthur & dutch | READ TAGS summary: When a thirteen-year-old John manages to get himself tossed in a river, it is, as always, Arthur’s job to prevent him from getting himself killed.

If Your Well Is Empty; pipdepop - red dead redemption

teen and up | 6.3k words | arthur & copper (the dog), arthur & van der linde gang | READ TAGS summary: Arthur’s hurting bad, and Dutch doesn’t know how to fix it. Luckily, Hosea might have a solution. It’s small, wriggly, and likes to eat boots.

You're The Anchor I'm Holding Tight Onto; pipdepop - red dead redemption

teen and up | 5.7k words | arthur & van der linde gang, hosea & van der linde gang, arthur & john | READ TAGS summary: As they recuperate after another botched job, Arthur struggles with keeping the gang afloat. Sometimes literally. Or: Copper catches a legendary fish. He absolutely does not mean to.

We Are Definitely Not Getting A Dog (and that's final); pipdepop - red dead redemption

teen and up | 12.4k words | arthur & hosea, dutch & hosea, arthur & dutch & hosea | READ TAGS summary: “You won’t believe our luck! I found something wonderful in town!” Hosea eyes the boy shuffling beside Dutch’s horse, staring down at his boots. Then he slowly turns back to Dutch. Takes in the bright grin, the eyes gleaming with excitement – the expression he usually gets when he comes up with one of his grand schemes. “...behind the dirty urchin?” - Against his will and better judgement, Hosea Matthews acquires a son.

Complete Fics

what wastes and deserts of the soul; magistrate - red dead redemption

teen and up | 33 chapters, 339.7k words | arthur & john, jack & john, abigail/john, arthur & jack, arthur & dutch, dutch & john | READ TAGS summary: Eight years have passed since Blackwater, Saint Denis, and the fall of the van der Linde gang. The survivors are trying to make a life for themselves – some moving on to nobler pursuits, some circling back like carrion birds to the scores they left behind. And outside a town called Purgatory, West Elizabeth, a man wakes up without a scrap of memory or a name, haunted by a black wolf and a golden stag.

Birdshot & Bone; magistrate - red dead redemption

teen and up | 2 chapters, 12.7k words | arthur & van der linde gang, arthur & john | READ TAGS summary: "Got a tip," Sean said. "Good one. Some of O'Driscoll's boys are fixing a move on some sort of hidden treasure, old Plantation savings stashed in a manor, something like that. Something to do with those Lemoyne Raiders pissing all over Scarlett Meadows. Just the sort of Confederate gold we're out here looking for, isn't it?" (John and Arthur go robbing O'Driscolls. It does not go well.)

in my body i fight fire; novoki - red dead redemption

teen and up | 3 chapters, 37.6k words | arthur & hamish, arthur & charlotte, charlotte & hamish, cal/charlotte | READ TAGS summary: Hamish places a hand on Arthur’s wrist, expecting a stone-cold touch, a missing pulse. There’s a beating beneath the skin. Slow but there. Arthur is alive. --- OR: --- Hamish, hearing errant gunshots by his cabin, checks the nearby mountain for any dying men he can comfort in death. He finds a familiar face.

The Cold Hand; Aenlu - red dead redemption

mature | 7 chapters, 24.1k words | READ TAGS summary: Dutch ain't come for him, and Arthur tells himself he is glad for it. It has been almost four full days since Dutch's meeting with Colm, and Dutch cannot shake the itch beneath his skin. ---- Arthur does not liberate himself from the cellar at Lone Mule Stead.

the door gets opened to ghosts; the_ocean_weekender - red dead redemption

teen and up | 3 chapters, 3.1k words | abigail/john, abigail & arthur, arthur & john, jack & john, arthur & jack, arthur & uncle summary: Abigail is home alone with only a shotgun when a ghost visits the ranch.

Tied Up By The Past You Hold; pipdepop - red dead redemption

teen and up | 2 chapters, 11.2k words | arthur & dutch, arthur & hosea, bessie/hosea | READ TAGS summary: In a spur of the moment decision, Dutch and Hosea rescue a young boy from a beating in some backwater town. Trouble is, now they’re not entirely sure what to do with him, and this whole ‘parenting’ thing is a lot more difficult than Dutch thought it would be.

[nestavadavat]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/47673307  “I don’t think I’m a good person.”

Arthur says it plainly, though Charles can see the way his brows are furrowed, just barely visible under the brim of his hat, and the way a frown tugs downwards on his chapped lips. The sky is clear and Charles can’t help but feel like this conversation would’ve been much better suited for a rainy day.

--

Also in which Charles looks back on a conversation with Arthur and wonders why everything turned out the way it did.

Words: 964 Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Red Dead Redemption

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: Major Character Death

Categories: M/M

Relationships:  Arthur Morgan/Charles Smith

Additional Tags: Hurt No Comfort, Angst, Red Dead Redemption 2 Spoilers, Post-Canon, High Honor Arthur Morgan, Charles is Sad, I don't know where this came from tbh --

Finally finished something that I’m happy with. I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I liked writing it

[squiddtastic]

—Intro ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ

✧ Sam | Artist ｡･ﾟﾟ･ 24 y/o, they/she, lesbian

art tag | textpost tag | asks tag

pr0ship dnf please!! feel free to block

major spoilers will be tagged as "[series] spoilers"

feel free to read my carrd for more info! misc reblog side blog is here ask and inbox are always open if you wanna say anything! mutuals can always ask for my discord!

—Interests ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ

including interests that are most relevant atm!! my interests are subject to change suddenly !! = current fixation

˚*･༓☾

✧ BG3 !! ➼ Astarion ✧ Dragon Age !! ➼ Zevran

✧ Red Dead Redemption 2 ✧ The Adventure Zone ✧ Resident Evil ✧ Hades Game ✧ God of War ✧ The Witcher ✧ Demon Slayer / KNY ✧ Jojo's Bizarre Adventure ✧ Mob Psycho 100 ✧ The Legend of Zelda ✧ Stardew Valley ✧ Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons

✮—I will continue to update this post as needed!

[ainulindaelynn]

RDR2 Another End for the WIP game please!

Thanks for the interest, @sleeplessincarcosa! :)

This one is for Red Dead Redemption 2, as the name suggests. Usually I'm only compelled to create over writing injustices, but this time I actually love the way the game ends (painful as it was). This sprouted instead from my sadness about the way things end up for John, Abigail, and Jack in/after RDR1. It was a little thought that got away from me.

Trying to sidestep spoilers (because everyone should play this game)... but it's an AU where John is the one who collects Strauss' loan from Thomas Downes instead, which butterfly effects the story in some important ways. The brothers’ fates are reversed. This AU begins at the end and follows the epilogue loosely, but with some MAJOR cast differences, if you know what I mean. It's thematically darker and grittier than the original, I think.

Snippet below the cut :)

—————

Abigail’s gaze fell to the gun that Sadie pulled from the saddle and tucked in her waist. “Where are you going?”

“I’m not leaving him,” she said, her voice gravel and resolute in a way that only Sadie could be. “I’m going back.”

“He’ll kill you.”

“No he won’t. It’s been half a day - whatever happened on that mountain is over. Whoever–” she stopped, mulling over her words before abandoning them to begin again. “They’ll be long gone by now. I don’t think Dutch would kill him outright. If there’s any chance to get him out of there…”

Abigail halted, eyes falling to the ground in the half-light of dawn. When they lifted and found Sadie’s again, she nodded. 

“I’ll go instead,” Charles said, cutting in, “If it goes south — or if we get separated — you can protect these two in a way I can’t. They’ll need you.”

Abigail was shaking her head, eyes distant and filling with tears again, but her voice was steady and hard as stone when she spoke. “No… you both go. Jack and I— we’ll be safe here. We’ll lay low. I know it’s been a while since I’ve been out, but I know how to handle a gun and we can be real quiet… If you’re not back in two days….” She hesitated, glancing at Jack, already sleeping against the bags. “If you’re not back in two days we’ll keep going. We won’t look back.”

Sadie looked her straight in the eyes, searching for some assurance, weighing Arthur’s demands against the stony blue irises.

Abigail was as strong as any of them. She always had been, no matter the circumstances of her life.

“She’s right,” Charles cut in, meeting Sadie’s gaze. “If Dutch survived…or Micah… they’ve got bigger things to worry about now than us. They won’t find them. Not here. But what we find back there… two would be better… watch each other’s backs.”

Abigail swallowed and nodded, drawing herself up and straightening her posture. “In two days, we’ll move on. We’ll sell the wagon and the horses to the stable outside town and use the money for the train in the next town over. We’ll disappear if we need to… start over. I’ve done it before.”

Sadie studied her again, recognizing for the first time just how much steel there really was in her bones.

“We can do better than that,” she said. With quick steps she made her way to her saddlebags and dug inside to pull out a small purse. “I’ve been keeping this… as a precaution. Dutch was never going to save us all. It’s enough to get you started… a room and board until you get settled — if you need it.” 

Abigail hesitated.

Sadie dipped her head toward Jack, folding it in her hand as she did. “Take it just in case.”

“Take this too,” Charles said, setting a smaller pouch on the log beside him. “I can survive without it if I need to. We both can.” He nodded at Sadie, who gave affirmative.

“Come back,” Abigail said, the sound coming from deep in her throat, as if rising from the last reserves of everything she’d built. “Do everything you can… and come back.”

“Are you sure?” Charles asked.

“He would do it for us… Has done it for us. You have to try.”

Charles nodded and glanced at Sadie.

“Okay,” she said, looking back sternly. “Two days.”

“Two days.”

Charles mounted Taima and Sadie was a step behind.

—————

Anyone interested, feel free send an ask from the WIP List :)

[threefeline]

HELLO ok sorry i saw u tagged on the poll post that red dead redemption 2 made you cry and I got the game recently (know nothing about the franchise, just saw it was on sale and heard good things abt the cowboy game) and now im v v curious abt what in it could make people cry? like is it stuff where if you know storyline and plots and stuff it'll make you sad or could someone who is new to it also be like ;_;?

So like I knew almost from the get go the MAJOR spoiler of the game and then like a bunch of spoilers dotted throughout the game; but the ending of the like *main* storylines still made me weep like a little baby. If youre going into this blind then honestly that's best, if you're *not* like me and want to spoil all the darker parts of it. But honestly yeah, it can get you whether you know the main spoiler or not, I think. I did, and I was ugly sobbing. My only main advice is like. Meet all the strangers you can and do any sidequests you find on your map. (sidequests marked with white initials and main quests are marked in yellow initials.)

[cola-canine]

And we're getting to that point in Red Dead Redemption 2. Spoilers ahead.

I knew the first deaths in the gang were gonna hit hard for me, emotionally. Yes, even when I knew it was coming.

The end of Chapter 3 with the shootout in Rhodes and the death of Sean is just a big "WHAM." I know this is why I've been procrastinating on the story - I'm nearing 90hrs in this playthrough so you know I'm taking my time. But this is the part I was anxious about the most because it all falls apart from here. The first score that doesn't pan out, the first real loss.

The assault on Braithwaite Manor is a beautiful piece of gaming cinema. The tone and emotional manipulation that's set up here: you want more revenge in the name of Sean, you want to tear the house down in search of Jack. Catherine Braithwaite is such an evil character, despite her short appearances for such a major role. The scene where she walks right back into her burning home is a great way to end a legacy of hers.

Man, I was on the verge of tears playing through those two missions. The writing and performances in this game are just spectacular. I'm still amazed how Rockstar was able to handle this giant cast of characters without it falling apart. 23 different characters in the gang alone and not one is just swept under the rug or held back from letting them shine. Truly a masterpiece.

[splat-dragon]

She is tired.

So, so tired.

She is scared, and she wants to run away from the scent of blood and gunpowder and smoke.

Her Person is there, and he looks so sad. She wants to cheer him up, but she is so, so tired.

"Thank you."

Something's wrong with her Person.

 Something's been wrong with him for a while. Since before they moved the herd next to the lake, when the other humans were still happy and kind. (She missed it) 

 He reeks of sickness, now. Had started smelling sick all the way back then, and she had tried to tell him, but he just wouldn't listen. Humans never listened, she had found, but if ever she had wanted to be understood, it was then. 

Her Person isn't on her back. 

 She hates being ridden by anyone else, only ever giving her Person that privilege. 

 But her Person is clinging desperately to that woman, his breaths loud and gurgling, and she is reminded of the foal she had lost to the jaws of a cougar. As he had fought to breathe, throat torn out, he had sounded exactly the same. So she allows it, knowing that he wouldn't have let someone else mount her unless he absolutely had to. And she would never question her Person, not now at least, as bullets land near her hooves and men shout behind them. 

 Her rider keeps trying to urge her forward, to make her run faster, but she refuses. She won't leave her Person, won't go any further ahead of him. He needs her, and she needs him, and that's all she knows. 

Her Person makes them stop. His hands don't touch her reins, the woman barely tugging on them, but she knows that word and digs in her hooves, her rider turning her to face him. 

 They talk, and she listens, doesn't understand a word of it. But the one woman is upset as her Person finally removes her from her back, making her mount the other mare. She smells of sadness, and the other one does too. She doesn't know why they seem so sad, why everyone is so upset, what has happened. Wishes she did, so she can help her Person.

Her Person is on her back. He's heavy in her saddle, and he reeks of sickness, of anger and sadness. He smells wounded, that awful weak-scent soaking him, although she knows he isn't injured.

 He's silent, and she worries, chewing her bit. Her Person is never this quiet, always hums or sings or talks at her, rubs her neck and praises her. But his hands never leave the reins, and the only time he opens his mouth is to cough.

 She smells blood, she smells sick, and she wants to run away. But he's unsteady in her saddle, and she doesn't dare risk throwing him. He needs her, now, and she will give him all she has.

 His hands are loose on the reins, and he isn't guiding her. But he smells weak, he smells hurt, and she knows she needs to bring him to camp. The people are different, are crueler and meaner, and she doesn't understand why , but every time her Person is hurt, they make him better. 

 They have to.

 This path leads to home, and she knows it. Her Person doesn't guide her, but he doesn't have to; she will always find her way home.

Her Person is angry.

 The others are, too. They're angry at her Person, and she doesn't know why. She knows enough to understand what a gun is, what it can do, so why is her Person' s beloved Person pointing one at him? 

Her Person is pushing her, and she's giving him everything she has. 

 Bullets whistle in her ears, horses scream in agony and go down. But her Person wants her to move, to keep going, so she ignores it all and charges on.

 Her Person is pushing her harder, trying to make her go even faster. His spurs are in her sides, and she's bleeding and afraid, and even as she pushes herself harder than she ever had before, he asks more and more of her. 

 But she doesn't care, never has, no matter how badly it hurts when his coughs make him dig his spurs into her sides, when he pushes her to run as fast and as far as she can. He had saved her life, and he is her Person, and she'll gladly carry him into Hell itself if he only asks. 

Her Person smells of sorrow, and she is so, so tired. She hurts, and wants to rise and flee, to get away from the danger. But her muscles are weak, and her lifeblood is on the grass. 

 His hands are cradling her head, and his face is wet. Her Person is distressed, and she wishes she could fix it. Could steal his hat and run about, in that way that always makes him laugh. 

 But she is tired, so tired, and can't even raise her head. 

  "Thank you."