#thirsting over dutch van der linde on main now

[wild-west-wonderland]

[icarusdusoleil]

This is somewhat of an inane post, but since RDR2 is my current obsession, I keep thinking about who I’d consider my top 5 favourite characters. It’s so hard to choose because there are so many great characters and I love all of them for so many different reasons... But basically I’m just gonna blather and gush about my favourite characters, because I’m having emotions.

1. Arthur Morgan. And no one was surprised. Arthur is just... you don’t often come across characters as complex as he is.  It’s so fascinating to watch his character development over the course of the game. And it’s a gradual evolution too, because there’s no real place where I can pinpoint “ah yes and here is where Arthur starts changing”. There are multiple points in the game that are hugely pivotal for him. The writing and the acting and the everything about Arthur is just so alluring and complex and fascinating. The last time I felt so strongly about a character was probably Connor Kenway in AC3. Despite his griping and bluster and everything, he truly does care about the gang--his family--and the fact that he literally lays down his life to try to save all of them is like... fwuck, I have no words.

2. Charles Smith. Charles is just... so much my type. He’s quiet, he’s serious, he’s strong, he’s angry... and he has this deep compassion for those that he cares about. And he does have a moral compass--it’s a bit skewed, being an outlaw and all... but he doesn’t stray from what he believes in. Charles is a helper. I honestly can’t think of an instance right now where he does something for selfish reasons, which is something each character in the game has a brush with at least once. But Charles constantly shows what he values by saving Arthur from getting strangled, or drawing the guards away from the gang so they can board the boat, or dropping everything he’s doing to help the Native Americans with their struggle, and lastly helping John at Beecher’s Hope. Like, Charles is just so good and augh.

3. Rains Fall. I knew I was going to love Rains Fall the moment he said “I suppose I lack the grandeur of a conventional king”. I think that’s one of my favourite quotes in the entire game. Rains Fall is such a different type of character than everyone else in the rest of the game. He is so worldly and perceptive, but has this understandable weariness and sadness because he know he’s fighting a war that he can never win. For a game that has such fantastically written and acted characters, I think Rains Fall is one of the best.

4. Dutch van der Linde. Talk about complex characters. I think Dutch takes the cake. We already know how Dutch falls literally in RDR1, but to see his character get more fleshed out is incredible. I’ve already talked about Dutch’s mental instability, but I still think that’s such a wonderful feat of writing and makes for a very interesting main plot of the game. Something that I didn’t mention was how he grieves... or doesn’t grieve. Since the beginning of the game, Dutch never had the chance to slow down and mourn for his losses. There’s really something to be said about showing a mentally unstable character and not having them over-the-top crazy (like a good portion of the Batman villains). I’m so glad Dutch is so well portrayed, because he’s truly a fascinating character.

5. Sadie Adler. Y’all know that I love me a tough woman who takes no shit and will throw herself into fights screaming... but, uh, I love Sadie. Here is a character who we see get to process her grief--the loss of her husband, her homestead, her livelihood. There is nothing left in the world for her and she frankly doesn’t care if her actions end up killing her. But we steadily start to see her recover in her own way (even if it’s not entirely a healthy way of healing), and she starts thinking more about her future, even if it means she’s a completely different person than she was before. I love Sadie, because even in her thirst for revenge and her tough-as-nails attitude, she’s allowed to be vulnerable. I really respect that.

So even though Arthur, Charles, Rains Fall, Dutch, and Sadie are my top 5 favourite characters in RDR2, that doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate the other characters. I love them all in their own ways. Honestly, I didn’t actually care for John or Abigail much until RDR2 and we got to see a little more context for their relationship and personalities. Now I really do love John and Abigail (tho I still think they need some serious help on their communication skills). I even like Micah... well, I don’t like Micah. But I appreciate him. I love to hate Micah, because he’s so well written and acted and the way he moves is even so unique in comparison to every other character.

RDR2 just such a fascinating game and I’m so glad that I finally got into it, because it’s been really fun to explore and pick apart. Characters really are the main reason why I get interested in something and RDR2 definitely has an incredible ensemble.