#reverse 1999 spolers

[mysticaldetectivesoul]

Sotheby's Anecdote - keyboard smashing and personal comments under the cut (also obligatory spoilers under the cut)

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whew. Oh hell–

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ok, that's done.

I will probably edit this to add more once it fully simmers, but holy shit, lemme come on here to say that I am so glad they didn't fumble cristallo's illness. That's really what's on the top of my mind right now.

As fun and light-hearted as the first chapters were, my stomach dropped when it became clear that they were going for "creating a magic potion that will whoosh away a progressive, congenital illness in an instant". BUT. I am so glad that after everything was done and dusted, the last chapter explicitly said that the potion Sotheby made won't cure her for good but that it will offer some comfort instead.

As far physical disabilities go, I am NOT the best authority or spokesperson, so my voice shouldn't count so much. This is just my thought void. My sentiments mostly relate back to some gachas I've previously played, where the story took the lazy route of magicking the sickness away from the character in a one snap, instead of taking the time to explore their lives as disabled people. It feels disingenuous when that happens, and it's often so detached from reality because many disabilities are permanent. In that one aspect, at least, the anecdote jumped over that trap.

2- I'm not gonna lie, Sotheby's naivety made me shake my head so many times throughout the the story. But I love her character from the get-go and figured that I at least wanted to get to know more, so I kept playing, and whoaly fuck, there was a moment that made me gasp - when she started burning things down and oh... that made me laugh silly because of how unexpected that was HAHAHAHA. My mind is still confused about some things about her past. It was written so vaguely. The dream sequence and the memories she forgot or were kept in the dark from? Is it a consequence of the "storm", the survivor's hazy memory of what's passed, or something else... because it seemed implied that she went through an accident the others at the manor didn't tell her. I wonder if I missed details. Hmm.

3- Cristallo!!! She shines here. As well as Eagle, the twins. We love plant children in this household!

4- "Loneliness" is central to Sotheby's character, and I love the points of perspective between her and Cristallo, who are two, equally sheltered kids, who were othered despite/because of good intentions. I really want a Cristallo anecdote now hngg. Apart from being sheltered, the loneliness of Sotheby also comes out in her loss and longing for Mr. Karson. I found it interesting that they chose to explore loneliness with a character like Sotheby, but it surprisingly made sense.

5- That flashback convo with Mr. Karson about death is so damn ironic knowing what happened. They just had to twist a few knives in me, oh, what's new?

6- Sotheby curiously has a lot of ties to mythological gods and deities like the brand of her shoes and jewelries. There's Typhon her doll, which seems to come from a show, and his enemy Jupiter. There's also a mention of Heimdall this time, which was vaguely familiar to me, enough that I knew it wasn't greek/roman myth like the aforementioned gods. It wasn't lost on me how Sotheby went through a specific brand hero's journey, where she slowly shed her naivety through experiencing the outside world and its horror. It has some elements that's faintly reminiscent of some mythos, but I need to rack my brains harder for which exact story it echoed in me. Hmm.

7- I'm very satisfied with the story. Even the small things like the rules on etiquette and the background world building of the sussy town with a history of killing and kidnapping rich aristocrats for ransom, comes back full circle to contrast and add to sotheby's growth. Reverse has some tight storytelling sometimes... They're good at breathing life into the characters, beyond the bit of selling these charas to us players. I really feel refreshed by it.