I've been thinking a lot about 621 going through survivor's guilt in the Liberator of Rubicon Ending. Being stuck in perpetual high-stress/abusive situations led to 621 seeking consistency above all.
And out of everyone 621 encounters on Rubicon, Walter is the only one providing that. Rusty can't decide if 621 is a valuable ally or a weapon that's too dangerous to keep around. Ayre is kind, sure, but she's also a barely understood alien entity, that you experience as a voice in your head. Everyone else tries to kill you multiple times. Walter ,always, essentially treats you like her dog. A dog she seems to care about sure, but still a dog. A weapon. A valuable asset. It's cruel and dehumanising and 621 knows that but its consistent.
Even when faced with death Walter still chooses to protect her Hound because fulfilling her promise to Overseer is all she has left and 621 is just the right tool for the job. Likewise all 621 has left, the only person it can cling onto is its Handler. In that way they both have very little agency over their own lives, only existing to fulfil someone else's wishes. And, especially in Walter's case , they're choosing to live this way out of fear. This concept of two people who refuse to grow and move on, using each other to ensure that never has to happen makes for a v toxic yuri dynamic and possessed me to draw this : )
God yeah I think I get it now. The black halo is some excellent symbolism that really helped me understand why people like depicting Raven and Walter's relationship as a codependent one. It's like... there's this sense of awe, attachment, and dependency, but it doesn't blind Raven to Walter's unethical nature. If anything, it casts it in sharper relief. Instead of being wreathed in blinding starlight, she casts a long, deep shadow. It's still breathtaking, and falling into that darkness is comfortable, but it's blatantly obvious that something is deeply wrong and that accepting the gentle oblivion she represents would be a terrible choice.
We're writing an AC6 fanfic (which is a crossover with something else involving plants, if you know you know) where we've been portraying Raven's relationship with Walter as more like a conscript who's resigned to doing her job because it's something she has to do, and her job has has the bonus of being something she really enjoys and is the one thing she's best at. But honestly, now we think we missed the opportunity to include this type of dynamic instead to contrast against her much healthier (but still very much an owner & pet) dynamic with Ayre.
Though ngl I think you're massively underselling how Raven feels about Ayre. They're in love, your honor
Wow I'm still so suprised when people actually respond to my art and have things to say about it haha. Thank you for taking the time to write this!
I think I just didn't find Ayre that interesting while I was playing the game, so I don't tend to focus on her much. But I've seen some really cool art/fics w her. I just wish the writing fleshed her out a bit more and maybe made her more alien?
I obviously really like the hound/handler dynamic but like you said I prefer it if Raven is actually aware that what she and Walter are doing is wrong and is choosing to give in anyways because it feels so easy and comforting. Some mehcsploitation stuff makes the pilots completely mindless which can get a bit dull.
Aware of plants but haven't interacted w any of it yet lol. I'll read your fic when it comes out tho!
