𝙷𝚘𝚠𝚍𝚢 𝙼𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛! @greetingscowpoke - Tumblr Blog

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I’m not sure why it never occurred to me to view it through this lens, but I truly think the inclusion of Micah’s brother Amos (despite only being briefly mentioned) was incredibly important to the theme of brotherhood/family dynamics and how it relates to John and Arthur.

As I’ve mentioned in older posts, I believe that Micah projects a lot of his resentment of his brother Amos onto Arthur. He resents that Amos left him and moved on to build his “own life.”

What’s interesting is that we see Arthur battling his own resentment towards John, so much that it causes strain between the two for a large portion of the story.

One thing I feel is true about low honor is that Arthur ends up becoming or embodying the thing he hates, and that’s a person like Micah— sacrificing family, connection, and relationships in the pursuit of survival. So having Arthur also have this resentment/conflict with his brother, but choosing a better path for both himself and for John is so narratively satisfying… and is made more so with the parallel of Micah and Amos.

#rdr2 #red ded redemption 2 #rdr2 analysis #micah bell #rdr2 arthur #there’s more to be said but this is all I could get out

alaskanay

Rdr2 + Dinosaurs!

Felt like combining two of my interests so that I could practice drawing both! (And develop a style with lineart because that's something I'm still getting used to lol). Wanted to add some explanations for each choice too in case you guys were curious!

Arthur and The Shire | Yutyrannus

I wasn't entirely sure where I wanted to go with him at first. High honor, low honor - in these cases he might have something different - but I wanted to make the dinosaur somewhat 'universal.' Since I started playing Rdr2 for a third time, my choice was definitely influenced by the general Ambarino environment. But it was also determined by 'first impressions.' What did Thomas Downes think when first seeing Arthur? What about Jimmy Brooks? While you can redeem (haha) Arthur later on, there's no denying he's a bit more intimidating/aggressive at the start of the game. I went with the Yutyrannus based on that - he's the gang's scary muscle (allll those Strauss missions), and he would need a dino of a similar type to match that!!

Bill and Brown Jack | Ankylosaurus

While I was thinking about Bill too, I knew EXACTLY which dinosaur I wanted to go for when I looked at Brown Jack. That horse would've been an Ankylosaurus in another life.

Charles and Taima | Styracosaurus

Charles was easy - I knew I wanted Taima to be within the Ceratopsidae family (they felt kinda similar to bison, in a way?), and I landed on the Styracosaurus because I really wanted to draw those fun horns :D

Dutch and The Count | Quetzalcoatlus

OKAY YES NOT A DINOSAUR. But I NEEDED Dutch to have a Quetzalcoatlus. Dutch would want something flashy (thinking about how you have to upgrade his tent first before anyone else's for 'morale'), so I know for a fact he'd go for the largest flying reptile ever... maybe getting to Tahiti isn't a crazy idea after all.

Hosea and Silver Dollar | Maiasaura

Maiasaura means 'good mother' (lizard) - pretty self-explanatory I'd say :')

Javier and Boaz | Maip Macrothorax

UH. Honestly. I don't know why. This one was purely about vibes and these were the vibes I went with.

John and Old Boy | Carnotaurus

Carnotaurus means "meat-eating bull" - I was thinking a bit about the epilogue (farming for beginners), and John trying out ranching in general. Also! I think it fits Old Boy too.

Karen and Old Belle | Stegosaurus

I love Karen SO MUCH. She's a little prickly on the outside, but with her reaction to Molly and some of her conversations with the other girls - idk. I felt like a spiky herbivore was the best pick for her.

Kieran and Branwen | Parasaurolophus

His was what started this whole thing! (Can you tell he's my favorite I draw him so much). I knew I wanted to draw him with a Parasaurolophus so quickly that I had to make searches like 'duck-billed dino with horn thing?' 'duck-billed dino that makes noise with head?' Don't ask me wtf those searches are, I completely forgot the name, I only had the vision LOL.

Lenny and Maggie | Gallimimus

I wanted something that felt playful? For Lenny. And while we don't know how "playful" dinosaurs were, they're animals, animals are playful, and I know that I can watch birds do whatever the hell they want all day, so I went with a dinosaur that felt a bit closer to its later evolutionary counterparts - the Gallimimus!

Micah and Baylock | Utahraptor

Yeahh this one was easy too. I just kept thinking about which dinosaur would encapsulate that blue-eyed stare. I love Baylock too, nearly as much as I love raptors in general, so I had to match them up.

Sadie and Bob | Dilophosaurus

I felt like she'd have a smaller carnivore of some type - swift and fierce. I also think Bob, the horse, worked really well as a Dilophosaurus? He was one of the easiest ones to draw because the patterns of the horse were SO pleasing to work with.

Sean and Ennis | Spinosaurus

I debated what to do for Sean A LOT. Then I thought about his interactions with Arthur and how his choice of dinosaur might be influenced by that - sort of a, following in his footsteps thing.

Trelawny and Gwydion | Kelenken

He would 100% travel around with his terror bird and put on (con) shows. I figured he'd accessorize Gwydion a lot too, make him flashy and unassuming to any of his future targets.

Uncle and Nell II | Deinocheirus

He needed a dinosaur that would laze about with him and I thought an older-looking Deinocheirus would be PERFECT. Honestly any dinosaur that could provide Uncle with shade was a potential choice LOL

2bootsup

who’s little brother is this

whoslinger

You paid with betrayal all those who stood by you.

deannamb

Brothers

deannamb

The idea of John being feral as a young teenager and Arthur having to babysit him ... *chef kiss*

readdeadreader

thinking about cowardice and disappearing. thinking about Javier naming his horse Boaz – meaning strength – and how he knew he needed that and lacked it. Dutch snippily tells him "I need you strong" at Clemens Point. but Dutch doesn't need that, or even want it: he wants unquestioning, unthinking obedience, even though he can't respect anyone who's unquestioning and unthinking. he wants weakness.

thinking about Javier in the background, eyes on the ground, as Micah and Dutch tell Arthur that John is dead. he went with them. he knows they abandoned him. when Dutch draws his line in the sand, Javier goes with him, finally, reluctantly, pointing his gun at Arthur and John. when the Pinkertons arrive, he abandons Dutch so fast I'm pretty sure he doesn't even run away, he just despawns. I wonder what he feels in that moment: if he knows he's been betrayed by the man he's followed, or if he feels he's a traitor for leaving him. I wonder how much of his flight is cowardice, and how much of it is courage.

anaviarts

I’ve been thinking a lot about the Marston’s family.

dloeza

RDR2 + horse studies

jal565

readdeadreader

Low-Honor Arthur

Warlock — an 1958 Western by American novelist Oakley Hall — influenced Red Dead Redemption 2 deeply. Its complex plot is loosely based on i

The last of the literature that RDR2's writers used to create the game is Oakley Hall's excellent novel Warlock, which is about toxic masculinity (decades before it was known by that name), justice, and love. Here's how they used one of the novel's most complex characters to shape the game's concept of honor. Also, a scene from "A Strange Kindness" that's secretly about Arthur's bruised heart.