Lia

23 | I draw and write | Mainly RDR2 VanderMatthews |

[greenbatteryghost]

It was about time to make a pinned post for my profile, since my idea for this blog was only to upload some of my scattered VanderMatthews fragments, but in the end I really enjoyed sharing my other writings and also some of my drawings.

About the Blog:

The content I generally upload is still focused on RDR2. It’s my obsession. (Maybe Dispatch too, when I finally have the money to buy the game and stop dodging spoilers like the devil is chasing me.)

So here’s a bit of context about what I do:

MY SOUL, MY LIFE, MY EVERYTHING BELONGS TO VANDERMATTHEWS.

Analysis of certain scenes or characters from the game. (Usually angst.)

Drawings of some characters.

Writings/one-shots of canonical characters. This includes AUs.

Occasionally I post drawings or info about my RDR2 OCs.

Any requests for a drawing or writing, or questions, are welcome.

About Me:

My name is Lia, but you can write it Léa, or just call me Li.

I’m 23 years old. ( 11/24 ꉂ(˵˃ ᗜ ˂˵))

I don’t think my pronouns are necessary, but they’re she/her.

I speak Spanish, understand a bit of Italian, and English isn’t really my strong suit, but I try my best when writing.

I sometimes use kaomojis when I write, I love them (ᵕ—ᴗ—).

I love writing, reading, and also drawing, though I’m way too lazy for the last one.

I still love roleplay, though Tumblr’s format for RP still feels strange to me.

Music? I listen to everything, honestly EVERYTHING. I like country the most, but my favorite music is by Neffex.

[clacy2812]

Muah

Support me on Kofi or Patreon

[skeletons-eat]

[none-gender-left-man]

Today's gender is:

Whatever the fuck Toph Beifong has going on

[pmkn2-0]

animation be upon ye

Practice or something, ultron’s speech suits alpha

[tempii]

THE FULL CIRCLE

Thanks to everyone who told me who to add.

[kashlat2]

And we all still die

What will you leave behind?

[greenbatteryghost]

We always remember the scene where Dutch tells Arthur: “I’d say you’re like my son, but you’re more than that.” However, we often overlook another, even more significant moment, where he directly admits that Arthur is his son:

“You’ve become my son. You care because I care.”

Although in most cases Dutch uses these words to manipulate Arthur, they also reveal the family dynamic that existed within the camp. Let’s not forget that Arthur himself writes in his journal that Dutch is like a father to him, though he clarifies: “But I love Hosea more,” showing who truly holds that place in his heart.

It may seem like a minor detail, without a complex analysis behind it, but that’s precisely where the magic of Red Dead Redemption 2 lies: in the way it highlights the relationships between its characters, whether visually or explicitly.

Dutch: the father who built everything and carried the vision of the group. Hosea: the gentle father who shaped the sons’ character, inciting them to become good men. Arthur: the first son, forced to bear greater responsibilities and immense emotional weight. John: the second son, who made the mistakes his older brother could not afford, but in the end was the only one to fulfill everyone’s ideals. A man who protected his family, carried them forward, and found a place to belong, with which he could provide.

[greenbatteryghost]

Sorry for high key stalking your page, I’m obsessed with your one shots and how you portray VanderMatthews. 🥺 please never stop you’re so good at it!

You're so sweet, thank you so much!! I'll soon be translating some of my other VanderMatthews stories/one-shots into English.

I really like to highlight the friendship, the trust, and the romance between these characters because we're talking about twenty years together where you see the best and worst of a person and still choose to be on their side. From a canonical perspective, I think the writing of both characters is beautiful. From a more fan-oriented perspective, I like to push the boundaries of their shared history, which wasn't always easy.

Especially because Dutch was a young man full of aspirations, dreams, and a great purpose, because he was willing to risk everything, while Hosea was more methodical, more careful, and had a heavy burden of potential loss. They were polar opposites, yet they found a way to coexist to the point where their personalities merged, allowing them to understand each other and function together.

[greenbatteryghost]

Can we talk about how young Hosea would be a VERY jealous man, way more than Dutch? Meanwhile, adult Hosea already knows that the best way to twist Dutch’s psyche is the silent treatment—because Dutch can handle everything… except silence.

The funny part is that I can perfectly imagine young Hosea, sitting with Dutch, grabbing the hunting knife they keep on the bar table. Since Dutch always sits with his legs spread in that casual way, Hosea stabs the knife into the chair right next to the edge of his pants, fraying the fabric a little. All of this just because Dutch was paying attention to some lady or another man. (Dutch’s soul practically leaves his body).

Dutch is terrified of Hosea’s jealousy, but at the same time he’s thrilled by it, because seeing Hosea go feral shuts off Dutch’s survival instinct—he just wants to see him like that.

The worst part is that this was only a warning. Dutch has dealt with plenty more: Hosea shooting at his feet, punching him in the stomach, and other things.

As adults, Hosea discovered that ignoring Dutch makes him hover around like a bee to honey. So he uses that trick more often, though the habit of punching him in the stomach out of jealousy still remains.

First he smiles, apologizes for being “too jealous,” and when Dutch lets his guard down—because Hosea is so good with words—BAM, a punch to the stomach. Can Dutch complain? Of course not. He falls for this trick time and time again, because he melts under Hosea’s sweetness.

My justification for this reaction is that Hosea knows Dutch far too well, and also because in camp you can see how Hosea interacts with others: sensible, kind, warm… but when it’s necessary to raise his voice, shout, push, or hit, he does it. Nothing will convince me that Hosea wasn’t tougher when he was younger.

When Hosea talks about Bessie, he does so with tenderness: she understood him, she loved him. But here he’s not with Bessie—he’s with Dutch. And being with Dutch, enduring him, is like a kick in the balls. Sure, he’s attractive and intelligent, but patience runs out. I’m certain young Hosea was far less patient, especially with Dutch constantly testing him.

This isn’t all—there’s also this:

Dutch: You must trust me and my decisions because I—

Hosea: Enough. Shut your mouth, now.

Dutch: Yes, sir.

[greenbatteryghost]

The style of RDR2 is killing me

[greenbatteryghost]

Can we talk about how Sadie ended up alone? About how she lost her husband, and then the small improvised family that became her refuge during grief.

Sadie lived a quiet life with him: they shared love, companionship, a world of their own. And suddenly, all of it was taken away.

In the midst of that devastation, she found a new home in a family that, though broken at the time, offered her a roof, clothes, and a place to rebuild herself. Abigail was the first to reach out: a friend willing to listen to her sorrows for weeks, until Sadie finally gathered the strength to move forward.

She could have left the gang and survived on her own — we know she always had the ability — but she chose to stay. At first, revenge was her driving force, yes, but over time she formed bonds, grew fond of those around her, and earned enough trust for them to hand her a weapon and let her watch over their safety while they rested.

She stopped being “Mrs. Adler” and became simply “Sadie.”

Yet loss never stopped haunting her: first her husband, then Arthur, then John, and finally Abigail.

She had two families. And she lost them both.

That’s why I feel Sadie has a very specific song that defines her completely, a melody that reflects her journey in the second part of the game and, especially, in American Venom.

See, the life I've had Can make a good man bad So for once in my life Let me get what I want Lord knows, it would be the first time

Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want.

[greenbatteryghost]

"My sin was believing he would change, perhaps because I loved him too much."

"Are you referring to your dear father?"

"Do not think I am being discourteous, Agent Ross, but my only father was Hosea Matthews. The other one you mention is nothing more than the man responsible for his death."

I love Mia, my girly, born to be VanderMatthews’ daughter. In an alternate timeline, Ross asks her to help hunt down Dutch. Yet Mia awaits death on her own, knowing that Micah will come for her—because she will always remain the last fragile remnant of sanity Dutch has left.

[greenbatteryghost]

For those who write VanderMatthews fanfics or RDR2 fanfics in general, think of this:

Dutch has been living with Micah for years. One night, he plays a game of poker alone, lost in his memories, and suddenly murmurs:

"Hosea cheated."

"Hosea is dead, Dutch."

Dutch knows it. He knows Hosea is gone. But he isn’t speaking of the present—he’s recalling an old game. For years he believed Hosea had played fair that night… and now he realizes it wasn’t true.

"He won. He cheated and he won."

What unsettles Dutch the most isn’t the cheating itself, but the way Hosea boasted for years about that hand, as if it had been pure and honest. Dutch delights in knowing Hosea was a cheater: it eases him, makes him feel less guilty about his own deeds. And yet, a bitter taste lingers in his mouth, because he suspects Hosea also knew that he, Dutch, had probably cheated in that same game.

I am fascinated by that delirious Dutch of the mountains, lost in his reason, trapped inside his own mind, condemned to live among the ghosts of his past.

[greenbatteryghost]

I’ll be honest, I’m in love with my own OC, Edith is just too cute. A compilation of the few drawings I’ve done of her.

I never dared to create a boyfriend or any relationships beyond John simply because I feel that no man other than John could have put up with her (っ- ‸ - ς)

[greenbatteryghost]

John held Jack against his chest. He stroked his back while listening to the boy speak with lively enthusiasm about whatever came to mind. John answered only with nods, worn out by that childish chatter; even so, a tenderness he could not contain shone in his eyes. It showed even in the way his hands protected Jack, as if his care were an instinct he couldn’t help.

"You're mine," John said.

"Am I yours? What does that mean, Pa?"

"That I'll always be with you."

Arthur felt a faint sting of envy as he watched. He wondered if he had been the same with Isaac; yet every time that name surfaced in his thoughts, the face he saw was not his son's, but John's. Arthur’s memory betrayed him, pulling him back to one of those old days, when things seemed simpler… or perhaps more painful for him.

John arrived a few weeks after Arthur lost Isaac and Eliza. They had rescued him, and from that day on, Arthur found it impossible to let him go.

"Son, you should rest," Hosea’s voice echoed in his ears.

Arthur said nothing. He kept holding John, his cheek resting against the boy’s hair.

"Leave him," Dutch said, giving Hosea a pat on the back.

Arthur listened to John’s breathing—soft, uneven, trembling. The boy whimpered from time to time, even in sleep. Arthur’s arms tightened around him, as if he could protect him from the whole world.

"You're mine, my baby," he murmured, more to himself than to soothe the smaller one.

I Bet on Losing Dogs

Mitski · Puberty 2 · Song · 2016

[greenbatteryghost]

I made an AU where Dutch got pregnant by Hosea, and they had Mia (OC) as their biological daughter.

By the way, Mia would only fall asleep with Dutch nearby, and he couldn't get up because she would start crying.

I love seeing Arthur and Hosea teasing Dutch; remember that at the beginning of the band it was just the three of them.

I like making sketches like this; they're easy and don't take me much time.