GUNFANATIC

"He's a gun fanatic and totally obsessed with cowboy movies and spaghetti westerns."

[gunfanatic]

Six bullets! more than enough to kill anything that moves.

ᓚᘏᗢ Revolver ocelot/metal gear focused sideblog.

[gunfanatic]

Finally talking about Eva and her relationship to the philosophers. its something i think about a lot...

As an agent for the philosophers her backstory is somewhat similar to characters like ocelot. The group do not hire adults, their spies are trained from childhood. They do not see her as a person. They do not care about her wellbeing and consent. They never have. She is a charm agent for them and that is the extent of it. She was raised from childhood with the intention of them later placing her into these situations.

Like from the start she was conceived as someone to push into the arms of abusive and powerful men. Thats her job. No matter how unpleasant the man is. She has to try to get with them and bend to their whims. She was taught how to do this, and the expectations of what she would be forced to do undercover with these horrible men were something that was reinforced for her since childhood.

She was never asked for consent, and she would not have been able to provide it anyway. Volgin is not the first man she has had to go undercover for. This is not new to her. even if there was no Volgin, Eva would have been pushed into a similar situation. He is not a unique evil, nor is he the only man like that. It is unsafe for her, and they knew going into it that he was an incredibly violent and abusive person, they did not care, they wanted the legacy.

They simply were okay with repeatedly forcing Eva into into these dangerous scenarios, as the payoff for them would be a lot of money. Snake eater is not her first time doing this work. It is a reality that she has lived through and had to balance for most of her life. Volgin is not the only time she has been forced into a relationship with an abusive man. She is not new to it. She talks about her struggles with her own identity and autonomy, how she has to play these roles and it makes her unable to live as herself, throughout snake eater. It is something that has worn her down for a very long time.

This is why shes so focused on her own joys and freedom, and trying to make a life for herself, this is why her bike is so important to her, its the only time she can be herself. Thats why the game ends with her getting a new motorbike and disappearing. All she wants to do is be free. She repeatedly brings this up to Snake throughout the game. It is ultimately why she decides, similarly to Ocelot, to follow his cause and fight for him for the rest of her life.

It is not a case of volgin ruining her life. He was not the first or the last to do so. He is not a unique evil. Even if he was nice to her, she was still forced into a sexual relationship. People put a lot of weight on his actions towards her, that yes, while harmful are not the only thing she has been through. Volgin is not the primary person forcing her into a relationship, she has to act interested in his advances regardless of her feelings because she has no alternative, she needs to steal the philosophers legacy. They want his money. They do not care about what eva has to go through to try to get it for them. No matter the personal cost to her. She just does not have a choice. She cannot return home if she does not comply.

[gunfanatic]

Volgin is a pretty simple character. (Not a critique or anything, i actually think its fine.) So i never really have a great deal to say about him. However. As opposed to a lot of the discourse surrounding him, it seems, i just cannot divorce him from biphobia.

Whenever i talk about him at length i always run into the same issue, where it becomes something i have to bring up and it almost dominates my discussion of him. anyway so. Volgin as a character has a few defining traits, they are all biphobic sterotypes. actual discussion under the cut. Also the series is exceptionally bad at handling sexual assault.

disclaimer because everything ive said about him in the past has somehow gets taken in really bad faith- i do actually enjoy metal gear, i just think its worth bringing this up. Also i can say that volgin is a bad person and critiquing how the game depicts it. : / whilst also enjoying playing it. theyre not mutually exclusive. dont act as if im ruining this video game and your enjoyment of it by talking about how a character is portrayed...

It is entirely fine for Volgin to be a horrible person, this is because he is the villain in a story. Any story needs the bad guy to be bad. That is the point. He has got to create conflict and a bad thing for the main character to defeat. We can discuss and look at how this is achieved, and how society has influenced how and why he was created this way. As a villain he reflects thing that were seen as bad, this does include torturing people, however it also includes bisexuality.

Volgin is many things but mostly, he is a greedy, hedonistic, sadistic villain. He is also bisexual. I think they have more to do with eachother than people believe.

When the biphobia in Volgin's writing is brought up, people tend to bring up the other bisexual characters in the series that they like, in order to try to explain away this presence in his writing. As if because in mgs2, Snake says that Vamp is bisexual, this means that no metal gear character afterwards could possibly show a very reductive, sterotypical portrayal of bisexuality. As if they are mutually exclusive, or if a game is inherently progressive and never capable of sterotying for being the first to say the word bisexual.

If anything, i would compare him to raikov and how he exists to be a homophobic sterotype that the players can take their frustrations out on. Being designed around the negative player reception of raiden in mgs2 for "looking gay" and the writers own general homophobia.

Also these are early 2000s video games, i think people forget how different things really were back then. a lot has changed societally and culturally since these video games were being developed. Its important to bear in mind how different things are now.

Volgin is written to be a Bond villain. mgs3 wants to be a james bond-type story. Volgin announcing the location of the philosopher's legacy during the torture scene feels like a very intentional hallmark of bond villains being very stupid in general, and revealing their evil plans and secret in detail before the main character in specific.

This is discussed relatively often, Volgin is stupid and acts bizarrely because Kojima really likes James Bond movies. This has been parodied often in more than just metal gear, its a common joke to make. Its got a tv tropes page if thats a thing that matters.

A part i dont see mentioned as much is that, deviant sexuality*, so to speak, is also a hallmark of Bond villains. (From what ive seen and read from others way more into it than me anyway...) With many villains also being queercoded sadists. This doesn't absolve anyone of guilt or anything but it can help explain how this happened, and what inspired these choices.

I would say that Volgin's bisexuality is a core part of his character. His sexuality overall does take up quite a large amount of his screentime. from his treatment of EVA to his torture fetish to his relationship with Raikov, the game is very concerned with his sexuality and making sure you are aware of it. It is something they use often in order to communicate that he is evil. He is openly getting off on his abuse towards EVA specifically. But also Snake and the others he has tortured. He is not just a bad person, he is a bad person who enjoys it, and receives sexual pleasure from it.

I feel as if his sadism is obviously something you cannot divorce from his sexuality and how it manifests. Its a fetish, you cant have one of those in a non sexual way. He is not only evil for hurting people, he is also getting off on it and thoroughly enjoying it!

Hedonism, the pleasure of excess and selfishness are classic stereotypes when it comes to bisexuality. He is so blatantly bisexual he is involved with a man and a woman at the same time. His selfishness is displayed in many forms, such as his views on sex and objectification and entitlement towards eva. He simply takes what he wants.

The stereotype of the bisexual rapist and abuser, someone who wants sexual power regardless of their victims gender and consent is very well defined. Volgin is far from subversive and unusual for this behaviour. He is a man who enjoys hurting women. He is greedy, with his excessive wealth, and his multiple partners, nuclear weapons, need for lots of sex and to be extremely powerful.

The bisexual character having greed built into every facet of his identity is worth bringing up in my opinion. He is not satisfied with a small fortune, he wants billions. He is not satisfied with one partner, he wants to have sex with multiple. He is not happy with his current power, he wants the world. His desire to have everything in excess is a big part of this. Like the common biphobic statement of "just pick a side" "is one not enough?" Or the insinuation that bisexuals are more promiscuous, that they are more likely to cheat. I think these two go hand in hand. It is not a direct comparison, however these stereotypes are shaped, reinforced and repeated everywhere.

Being bisexual is not really comparable to funding nukes, but i believe it to be disingenuous to think that these traits are not treated as both being something that makes him greedy, entitled and lustful. As well as his fetishism, something much more blatantly linked to his expression of sexuality.

notes:

*deviant sexuality as in deviating from societal norms, (as it is used in sociology), encompassing his bisexuality, as well as his sadism and sexual abuse. Because they are all not considered normal. Some would view bisexuality as an equal to the other things. You see this in a lot of conservative talking points.

Anyway im probably missing some stuff, but i do want this out of my drafts. Goodnight. I like being bisexual and i like playing metal gear solid three.

Basically every lgbt character in the series is some kind of weird pervert. However i dont really see the same kind of backlash when it comes to them. I dont quite get how he is the only one to be considered that much of a terrible person. Like he is, but it seems to dominate the conversation a lot more than it does so for other characters. Metal gear wants every lgbt character to be some kind of pervert sex pest and volgin seems to be one of the only cases where the majority seem to realise this trend.

I can use characters like skullface and ocelot as an example but also, the awful strangelove and paz tape, solid snakes comments on womens bodies, kaz also being a bit of a sex pest, a date with paz, raikov, whatever they were doing with otacon, vamp, like theres a lot of other characters who are also like that. The extent of their behaviour varies but... volgin is not the only one. This is a pattern of behaviours which consistently frame lgbt characters as sadistic sex pests, and just creeps.

If you like them or not you still have to admit volgin is nowhere near unique here. Also he is far from the only misogynist. Be so serious right now. Its metal gear. Every character hates and objectifies women. Hes not different and uniquely evil for this, get real.

[gunfanatic]

Solid snake being very inspired from movies like rambo and escape from new york is clear and it does reinforce his role as cool badass armyman who is actually just depressed as shit and wants to kill himself being forced into further violence by the state. Thats the plot of those movies and his role in the story. Especially mgs1. Ill go more into him and his movies later dw.

Rambo where he gets the headband from, a lot of his early art is very clearly inspired by it. Its where campbell comes from too. Also ofc escape from new york is where snake plissken comes from. Etc.

however, theres another man in escape from new york. I dont see the connection being made, but. So theres this character, he's played by lee van cleef. He is pulling the strings behind the scenes. He is the one monitoring snake, putting him in danger, using and manipulating him for his own goals. He's ocelot here. He has snake at his mercy and is the one planting bombs inside of him to kill him after 24 hours if his demands are not met. The ocelot dna is here and it is once again him. It doesn't help that he does just look pretty close to ocelot in this movie.

Of course in the games he isnt this kind of figure to that specific snake, however i would like to consider this movie as not just a film that helped develop solid snakes character, but also ocelots. It can join the large amount of lee van cleefs appearances that have done that for him.

[gunfanatic]

How to rip models from mgs 2 and 3 to blender (or any other 3d software)

YOU WILL NEED:

Noesis (LINK)

Mgs plugin for noesis (LINK)

A copy of mgs2/3 from the master collection off of steam. for this guide i will be using mgs3 but they should work the same.

Blender (LINK) and some knowlege of the software.

DISCLAIMER ETC.

I would suggest reading the entire guide before committing to do this. the ripping part is simple. making the models useable is the annoying part here.

this tool is not perfect. There are some errors and textures that do not export correctly. this is an error with the plugin as far as i am aware. there is nothing you can do about this. also i am not responsible if you download the wrong mgs master collection free and get like a virus or something. be sensible when you are downloading games off of random websites.

And of course! Be prepared to ruin the magic of that game you like! :)

A WORD ON THE MDL FILE. MDL as a file extension is used by many different games, however these files are not structured the same. metal gear solid uses mdl files for its objects and characters. it is important that you do not use software for viewing other games MDL files, like the ones used in the quake series or for the source engine, because they will not work even if they say they work with mdl files. this is becuse they share the same file extension name but they are fundimentally not the same files. they are seperate file types that have the same name. don't waste your time.

OKAY LETS START!

once you have downloaded everything, launch noesis and drag and drop the script onto the program. if this doesnt work you can cut and paste the script into the plugins folder of wherever you downloaded noesis to.

at the bottom of the window you should see this, change all files to just mgs mdl files. this isnt vital but it helps to make sure the plugin is working and makes sure the program only shows you the files you actually want. then navigate using the file explorer sidebar to where your copy of the game is installed.

Clicking on the folder name does nothing, you have to press the plus sign by its name to open it. you want to find the assets folder which should be the first thing you see when you hit the plus. then you want to navigate to the mdl folder inside of it.

here you go :) have fun!

clicking on each mdl file should open the model up on the other side of the screen. to find the character models, you want to click on the us folder. this contains most of the models in the game. the models are slow to load. THIS IS NORMAL. it is not an error or your computer.

A NOTE ON CHARACTER MODELS.

The models of this game are split into pieces. you will have to export them seperately and then put them back together. Some characters, such as eva, have lots of parts. hair is especially problematic, if any character has long hair- expect their model to come without any, and for the hair models to be in multiple parts, and for you to have to recombine the models yourself. This is for ease of animation i do believe.

here is the boss for example. the sidebar as you can see contains a lot of files. these are all for different parts of her model, such as the bags on her belt, her cape and her hair. As well as different versions of her model for her different outfits.

A NOTE ON MODEL NAMES.

The models in this game are not named in the way you might imagine. the basic convention is that the first three letters relate to the name of the character (volgin's is THU_ for thunderbolt i think he may be the only exception to this rule. the files are alphabetical so if you want his models you do not have to scroll down that far.) (eva's is eve, but that works for if you are skimming it using the alphabet.) Files such as map models are usually named with numbers and letters, BUT they do not export or display very well.

Files marked with DEMO, to my knowlege are for cutscenes. You can consider them as copies of the other files for this purpose . DEF usually means higher definition. these are also higher quality models for events like cutscenes or when the npc is closer to you. basically as far as i know, you want to go for the DEF or DEMO files over the normal ones as they look slightly better.

OKAY WHAT NOW? I WANT TO EXPORT THIS MODEL!

Go to file -> export

This menu should come up. Create a seperate folder for this, one to contain everything in and another to store each individual model you export. this will make life a lot easier for you later. Give it a descriptive name and all of that, i don't need to tell you this.

when you have made the folder you want your file to be exported into, copy and paste the destination into the destination files bar in the menu. Then add on \(your models name).fbx on the end. then press export. you have to specify the model files name and extension here otherwise it will not work.

i say this because exports create a lot of files, and you do not control what the textures are named. it makes life a lot easier to have all of this seperate when you are putting together your models.

export it as an autodesk FBX. It also works as an OBJ but personally i have found it to be less reliable.

HANDS.

Some models do not have individual fingers. you will be able to see this in the model preview. they are modelled as a solid shape, often with only the index finger and thumb being seperate, with the other fingers curved around. this is so guns fit in their hands while also making their idle hands at their sides animations look relaxed and normal. this sucks when you want to pose their fingers, but theres nothing you can do about it.

YOU ARE HALFWAY THERE!

Do this for whatever files you want. You may now open blender. Blender disclaimer- i am not a blender expert. feel free to look at someone elses guides to these things. i am sure i havent got the best method. You can try importing as .fbx (legacy) instead of a normal fbx. sometimes this makes the textures show up immediately.

WHY DO THEY LOOK LIKE THIS?

Somehow materials have been assigned to your models, this makes them look weird. The normals and faces need to be recalculated. The bones also are not connected to eachother.

If you press the show textures button, they might also appear purple, and therefore need to be assigned their respective textures.

when the model is shown as purple, this is because blender doesnt recognise the texture. this has an easy fix.

open this and navigate to the folder you opened the model from. then press open image. the texture should now load. if they did not export correctly, try again. this can be an issue with the export, however sometimes it straight up doesnt work. this is a reported issue with the plugin. i cant solve that for you, thats on the person who coded it, and thats wayy beyond me.

WHY IS IT SHINY?

for some reason it adds materials and shaders when you put it in blender. in the shading window remove principled bsdf. drag the colour of your texture to the surface.

NORMALS?

You will notice that random triangles look funny and are a different colour. this is because they are inside out. this is the most annoying part. you have to flip all of these faces. if you are lucky you can select all and then recalculate the normals. if this doesnt work you have to manually select all of the inside out faces and press alt+N and flip them.

the models export in multiple pieces, sadly you cannot do this just once per character. i find it best to rotate the camera around the model and doing it for every face i see. remember the teeth, eyelashes and eyeballs! they are easy to miss here. to help with this, go into the viewport menu and check face orientation. this will make the wrong sided faces easier to see.

select all of the red faces and hit recalculate normals (alt+n) if "recalculate inside" does not work, try "recalculate outside". this does not automatically fix the faces being half opaque and half shiny. you still have to flip them manually as far as i can see.

To make sure all of your faces are the correct way around, to into the edit mode overlay settings and hit the display face normals button. if the faces are the right way around a blue line should be coming out of the centre of them.

The skeleton should work in blender, even if the bones looking like this are unintuitive and terrible for things like faceposing. they still do work and you can still use blenders pose mode for your models.

WHAT ABOUT THE HAIR/COATS/BAGS ETC?

import them in seperately and use the move tool to move them in place, and then join the two groups of models together. joining and parenting objects and meshes in blender.

THERE YOU GO! you have all of the models you could dream of, and the ability to do whatever you want with them. I know my blender method is a bit jank, but it works for me, and i am not really a blender expert. However, i feel as if there are infinitely more blender tutorials than there are metal gear model ripping tutorials so i'm sure you can find something out there.

[cookm3-alt]

I'm so glad to see someone made a tutorial for this (because I was not motivated to)! You discuss issues with textures, so I want to share my solution. On this blog you can also find a link to my DA account. About two years ago I ripped a shitton of models from MGS3 and converted them to .xns for use in XNALara. Please feel free to download and make use of them.

Noesis and Jayveer's plugin will allow you to open, view, and export the 3D models with minimal casualties. They are stored in the game folder under …assets\tri\us with some supplemental models in …assets\tri\eu. Open the folder up on the left side of the screen and navigate to the model that you want. Large models such as characters may take some time to load. Don't be surprised if the program freezes for a moment. Select the model that you want to save and navigate to File > Export. The main output type should be set to .fbx and the texture output needs to be set to .png.

I always make sure to save each model in its own folder so that the textures don't get scrambled together.

You'll also want to make a separate dump of the texture files, as Noesis may occasionally corrupt textures. This is especially true for textures with transparent elements. To do this, you can use the CTXR Converter to mass-convert the files in …textures\flatlist\_win. Like with the above, don't be surprised if the program stops responding, just let it run.

I prefer to go through the textures at this point and pull out any of the ones I need for the model I'm working on. I'll drop them into a folder of their own, then open up chaiNNer to pull the alpha layer off of them.

For textures like hair, I've found it easiest to pop them open in my art program of choice - Krita. I'll then duplicate the semi-transparent layer three or four times to make the texture solid while maintaining the transparent background areas and preventing hard, pixelized edges on the object.

I've gotten into the habit of simply replacing all of the textures that Noesis pulled. The important part though is to at least fix the corrupted textures. This can be done in one of two ways.

The first is to rename the textures that you just converted to the jumbled ones that were exported from Noesis, then replace those old files with the new ones. This is my preferred method, as though it is sloppier, it is faster. You can usually tell what corrupted textures are supposed to be which so replacing them isn't too big of an issue. The alternative method can only be done once you have converted the model to .mesh.ascii, so let's do that first.

Blender 2.80 is required for this conversion because the plugin to import and export files for XNALara doesn't work on more recent versions of Blender. Import the .fbx model to begin. You will probably have to resize or reposition the model at this point too. After the size and position are correct, export the model using the export dialogue. Make sure that you export all objects, not just selected ones. The model needs to be exported as .ascii, but you need to set the name to [name].mesh.ascii for it to save properly.

This is when you can alternatively replace the textures. Open the .mesh.ascii file in Notepad, WordPad or another plain text editor. Gradually go through and find and replace the scrambled texture names with the ones that have been fixed. You will likely have to check to make sure the textures are correct by opening the model in Blender or XNALara. This is a very time consuming method, but leads to a better organized end result.

[gunfanatic]

How to rip models from mgs 2 and 3 to blender (or any other 3d software)

YOU WILL NEED:

Noesis (LINK)

Mgs plugin for noesis (LINK)

A copy of mgs2/3 from the master collection off of steam. for this guide i will be using mgs3 but they should work the same.

Blender (LINK) and some knowlege of the software.

DISCLAIMER ETC.

I would suggest reading the entire guide before committing to do this. the ripping part is simple. making the models useable is the annoying part here.

this tool is not perfect. There are some errors and textures that do not export correctly. this is an error with the plugin as far as i am aware. there is nothing you can do about this. also i am not responsible if you download the wrong mgs master collection free and get like a virus or something. be sensible when you are downloading games off of random websites.

And of course! Be prepared to ruin the magic of that game you like! :)

A WORD ON THE MDL FILE. MDL as a file extension is used by many different games, however these files are not structured the same. metal gear solid uses mdl files for its objects and characters. it is important that you do not use software for viewing other games MDL files, like the ones used in the quake series or for the source engine, because they will not work even if they say they work with mdl files. this is becuse they share the same file extension name but they are fundimentally not the same files. they are seperate file types that have the same name. don't waste your time.

OKAY LETS START!

once you have downloaded everything, launch noesis and drag and drop the script onto the program. if this doesnt work you can cut and paste the script into the plugins folder of wherever you downloaded noesis to.

at the bottom of the window you should see this, change all files to just mgs mdl files. this isnt vital but it helps to make sure the plugin is working and makes sure the program only shows you the files you actually want. then navigate using the file explorer sidebar to where your copy of the game is installed.

Clicking on the folder name does nothing, you have to press the plus sign by its name to open it. you want to find the assets folder which should be the first thing you see when you hit the plus. then you want to navigate to the mdl folder inside of it.

here you go :) have fun!

clicking on each mdl file should open the model up on the other side of the screen. to find the character models, you want to click on the us folder. this contains most of the models in the game. the models are slow to load. THIS IS NORMAL. it is not an error or your computer.

A NOTE ON CHARACTER MODELS.

The models of this game are split into pieces. you will have to export them seperately and then put them back together. Some characters, such as eva, have lots of parts. hair is especially problematic, if any character has long hair- expect their model to come without any, and for the hair models to be in multiple parts, and for you to have to recombine the models yourself. This is for ease of animation i do believe.

here is the boss for example. the sidebar as you can see contains a lot of files. these are all for different parts of her model, such as the bags on her belt, her cape and her hair. As well as different versions of her model for her different outfits.

A NOTE ON MODEL NAMES.

The models in this game are not named in the way you might imagine. the basic convention is that the first three letters relate to the name of the character (volgin's is THU_ for thunderbolt i think he may be the only exception to this rule. the files are alphabetical so if you want his models you do not have to scroll down that far.) (eva's is eve, but that works for if you are skimming it using the alphabet.) Files such as map models are usually named with numbers and letters, BUT they do not export or display very well.

Files marked with DEMO, to my knowlege are for cutscenes. You can consider them as copies of the other files for this purpose . DEF usually means higher definition. these are also higher quality models for events like cutscenes or when the npc is closer to you. basically as far as i know, you want to go for the DEF or DEMO files over the normal ones as they look slightly better.

OKAY WHAT NOW? I WANT TO EXPORT THIS MODEL!

Go to file -> export

This menu should come up. Create a seperate folder for this, one to contain everything in and another to store each individual model you export. this will make life a lot easier for you later. Give it a descriptive name and all of that, i don't need to tell you this.

when you have made the folder you want your file to be exported into, copy and paste the destination into the destination files bar in the menu. Then add on \(your models name).fbx on the end. then press export. you have to specify the model files name and extension here otherwise it will not work.

i say this because exports create a lot of files, and you do not control what the textures are named. it makes life a lot easier to have all of this seperate when you are putting together your models.

export it as an autodesk FBX. It also works as an OBJ but personally i have found it to be less reliable.

HANDS.

Some models do not have individual fingers. you will be able to see this in the model preview. they are modelled as a solid shape, often with only the index finger and thumb being seperate, with the other fingers curved around. this is so guns fit in their hands while also making their idle hands at their sides animations look relaxed and normal. this sucks when you want to pose their fingers, but theres nothing you can do about it.

YOU ARE HALFWAY THERE!

Do this for whatever files you want. You may now open blender. Blender disclaimer- i am not a blender expert. feel free to look at someone elses guides to these things. i am sure i havent got the best method. You can try importing as .fbx (legacy) instead of a normal fbx. sometimes this makes the textures show up immediately.

WHY DO THEY LOOK LIKE THIS?

Somehow materials have been assigned to your models, this makes them look weird. The normals and faces need to be recalculated. The bones also are not connected to eachother.

If you press the show textures button, they might also appear purple, and therefore need to be assigned their respective textures.

when the model is shown as purple, this is because blender doesnt recognise the texture. this has an easy fix.

open this and navigate to the folder you opened the model from. then press open image. the texture should now load. if they did not export correctly, try again. this can be an issue with the export, however sometimes it straight up doesnt work. this is a reported issue with the plugin. i cant solve that for you, thats on the person who coded it, and thats wayy beyond me.

WHY IS IT SHINY?

for some reason it adds materials and shaders when you put it in blender. in the shading window remove principled bsdf. drag the colour of your texture to the surface.

NORMALS?

You will notice that random triangles look funny and are a different colour. this is because they are inside out. this is the most annoying part. you have to flip all of these faces. if you are lucky you can select all and then recalculate the normals. if this doesnt work you have to manually select all of the inside out faces and press alt+N and flip them.

the models export in multiple pieces, sadly you cannot do this just once per character. i find it best to rotate the camera around the model and doing it for every face i see. remember the teeth, eyelashes and eyeballs! they are easy to miss here. to help with this, go into the viewport menu and check face orientation. this will make the wrong sided faces easier to see.

select all of the red faces and hit recalculate normals (alt+n) if "recalculate inside" does not work, try "recalculate outside". this does not automatically fix the faces being half opaque and half shiny. you still have to flip them manually as far as i can see.

To make sure all of your faces are the correct way around, to into the edit mode overlay settings and hit the display face normals button. if the faces are the right way around a blue line should be coming out of the centre of them.

The skeleton should work in blender, even if the bones looking like this are unintuitive and terrible for things like faceposing. they still do work and you can still use blenders pose mode for your models.

WHAT ABOUT THE HAIR/COATS/BAGS ETC?

import them in seperately and use the move tool to move them in place, and then join the two groups of models together. joining and parenting objects and meshes in blender.

THERE YOU GO! you have all of the models you could dream of, and the ability to do whatever you want with them. I know my blender method is a bit jank, but it works for me, and i am not really a blender expert. However, i feel as if there are infinitely more blender tutorials than there are metal gear model ripping tutorials so i'm sure you can find something out there.

[gunfanatic]

Eva, autonomy, Volgin and her work as a spy

I feel as if people take even more depth and nuance out of Volgin and Eva's relationship despite how it already entirely lacks any form of depth. Eva's goal in all of this is to obtain the legacy for China and then leave. In order to obtain the legacy she needs to get closer to Volgin, it belongs to him and he is the only person who knows where it is.

Unlike Ocelot and Snake, her role as a spy is to seduce her targets in order for them to let their guard down and confess to her. She infiltrates posing as Sokolov's wife. Volgin does not like Sokolov. Wanting to get back at him for trying to defect, Volgin wants to take his wife. This isn't really a rare trope or something i feel like i need to explain but i will anyway.

The whole "i fucked your wife" thing in order to get back at another man you dislike is a thing of misogyny and emasculation. As it views the wife as property that can be taken away and brutalised in order to get back at the man who -owns her-. I'm not saying this is the only reason that the two are involved but i feel it is an angle that is weirdly absent. Hurting a man and taking his wife as your own property is actually like. Common, you kind of see versions of it all over, especially in stories of conquerors.

This works in Eva's favour, giving her proximity to her real goal. The more she endures the closer she gets to stealing the legacy. During this time she is making contact with the cia as well. Posing as EVA to them. It is implied she killed the original EVA- the actual defector who worked alongside ADAM. Saying she took care of him. This lets her know about cia affairs and operation snake eater. From this, she receives the order to seduce and later kill Snake. While keeping him around as long as possible, both due to her own developing feelings towards him, and because he is incredibly useful to her as a contact and ally against Volgin.

While she waits for things to happen, she has to play many roles for many different people, stalling until she gets an opening to attack. She can only attempt this once or she will die. If Volgin realises she is a spy who is here to steal the legacy he will kill her. If Snake realises she is a spy trying to kill him he will fight back. Good thing they both are not very intelligent and that she is very capable.

Its very clear and easy to say that Volgin hasn't fallen in love with her. His motives behind this are not love. I think its crazy that some people believe this when its clearly not true. In the first scene you see them together, Sokolov is also there. Ocelot is taunting him by juggling his revolvers and shooting at him. I think its very purposeful that Volgin decides to force himself on her in front of him here. And that it is the first time we as the player see it.

It is where the connection between Tatyana and Sokolov is made, at the same time as the connection between her and Volgin. His motivation is to further humiliate Sokolov after his attempt to escape. He cannot kill Sokolov as he is working on the shagohod so he has to get his revenge in a different way. I am not saying this is the only reason why Volgin acts like this of course. But it sure is one of the big ones. He clearly enjoys it anyway.

Eva continues to play along. She has no choice in the matter. She will continue to put up with anything. She is in too deep to back out. The only way she is ever going to be able to leave alive is when her mission is complete. She needs to humour Volgin for long enough that he reveals the location of the legacy, and any other secrets that would be useful in order to take down his plans. Thats just the nature of her duty as a spy.

Volgin is an abusive misogynist. If there was one thing the writers could guarantee that you would know about him it would be that. Its not a secret or subtext. Its just there. He is portrayed as evil during all of this (obviously). His treatment of Eva and how much he enjoys hurting her is brought up consistently. He isn't doing any of this because he likes her or is in love, is he. He "likes her" as a target and something to use for his own benefit. I also want to add that this is far from the way he treats people he actually does like and favour. Raikov is your comparison here. He ultimately view him as an equal, and actually cares if he gets hurt. He is happy to keep her around and objectify her. She doesn't have a say in the matter. If she cannot keep her act up she would have failed her mission as a spy, and Volgin would kill her. Shes being coerced in multiple ways.

This goes the same with Volgin's greed. Making up a large part of his character with his entitlement, which is further shown to the player through his treatment of Eva and how he feels entitled to do all of that and that he has the right to control her body and sexuality. He doesn't care to consider her as a person with wants and needs, he doesnt really see her as one. He wants to take her so nobody else can have her. In essence thats about it. He isnt complicated or layered as a character really.

Good that Volgin is very shortsighted and not very smart. This helps the main cast out a lot. He reveals the location of the philosopher's legacy during the torture scene and Eva retrieves it afterwards. She is the one who goes to the effort of actually stealing it. Ocelot just switches it with a fake when he fights Snake on the wig. During all of this, Eva is also falling for Snake. Being the only person who seems unable to fall for her. This leads to her failing to kill him and recording the truth tape at the end.

Eva's struggle is ultimately one of agency. She has no autonomy in any of this, as a spy and a tool. This is why the end, where she gets to ride off and eventually disappear is so good for her. And why she keeps talking to Snake about her bike. It is the only time she actually gets to be herself. And make her own choices. Liking motorbikes is her equivalent to Ocelot's obsession with westerns.

Being raised by the philosophers in order to be a charm agent means she chooses sex and relationships not out of personal desire but necessity, because somebody else has ordered her to. Her feelings for Snake are the time she actually feels for herself, and genuinely wants something. Thats why its so important for her. The fact that Snake cares about her cannot be understated. However they cannot have a relationship and her affection will not be returned.

[coolhorse]

people have posted about volgin being hard to draw. so heres my references for him that i made up in blender. hope this helps!

bonus: my raikov ref

let me know if they are low quality. i hope they arent but tumblr kills image quality sometimes and ik these images are large.

[gunfanatic]

I wanna talk more about how i draw them... less "this is what they look like ripped from the game" and more "this is how i like doing it.'

I did make up a little sheet of them both at different angles for drawing... as you can see, but to be totally honest i dont look at it a great deal. Its mostly for volgins clothing details, his scars and raikovs uniform.

For volgin ok so i keep in mind his scars. I elaborate here but basically, keep in mind things like tension and skin rigidity. His scars look as healed as they can be at this point. Especially on his arms, they seem to get narrower the further they go out from his body, so i like to draw the scars more concentrated on his chest and stomach. We have no naked volgin model in the game though so i cannot prove thats what it looks like. But they are wider the closer they are to his chest.

I think his legs are pretty similar to his arms, i basically use his arm scars as reference for them. I feel like as the centre of his body and where all of the organs and other vital stuff is, his chest and stomach would be quite dense with scarring. Mirroring his face, i like to headcanon them being lopsided, biased towards his left side. I like to factor in the mobility issues that it brings as well.

Ok enough about his scars.

I do give him longer hair, i just think its cute. In backstory photos he has slightly longer hair and i just keep it that length. Thats very personal preference though, i just like longer hair. I like to extend more of his scars in his hairline area as well, just to break up the shapes a bit. Make it more interesting to me.

I like to make him fatter as well... i dont think he has abs. He definitely has the strength for it, but i dont believe he would maintain such a low bodyfat%, why would he bother? I dont think hes on some crazy bulking and cutting routine... and i wouldnt imagine he choose to go without eating rich food and sweets. Not just so he can have a few more visible muscles. He is a very big guy, hes tall and built like a brick wall. I just really like to highlight that.

I dont really draw the bottoms of his shoes but the stars are a cute detail. Even if i hadnt seen it i feel like i would like to draw cute shapes there.

I appreciate how his suit is structured for mobility. With cutouts around his knee joints. The side panels are also a feature i enjoy, the change of texture appeals to me. And to me it gives the impression of it helping it stretch around his body or something. Same with the piping(?) details, they stretch over and accentuate parts of his body through the latex. Almost like wires, same with the red colour, red of course denoting that the wire is live or positive.

Especially around his back it also kind of gives the impression of a corset. Something the game loves putting its men in. I just think his suit is nice and well designed and i like drawing him in it. I believe the yellow circles are rivets for strength. And visual contrast. You see the thing is, metal degrades latex. They react badly together. Also you'd think he wouldn't want such a conductive thing against his skin. Especially when the point of his rubber suit seems to be insulating an protecting him from his electricity. Its more visible in the remake, but he has a long zip down the front of the suit, ending quite far down his stomach.

Something i also consider is the tightness, its skin tight latex. It has a very specific look to it. Maybe i don't do the best job at rendering it but its there. Its going to kind of vacuum seal him in there a bit. Theres no hiding anything in that. The texture of the suit is doing some work to cover him up, but its very far from baggy. Hes not leaving a lot to the imagination. To be technical, i see it as thicker than average for a catsuit. This would make the rubber more opaque and tight. The thicker latex is the harder it is to stretch, it however is also a lot stronger. I think he would want it to be quite hardy and strong. The thickness helps absorb more force and electricity and in general protects him more. You have to be careful with some catsuits as just your fingernails can rip them open, i just dont think thats something volgin would choose. The rivets also add to this imo, they exist to strengthen clothes and remove tension. I dont think i need to explain why i think he would want his clothes to be able to withstand him.

I see his legs as a separate item of clothing. They, like the gloves he wears, come detached from the main part of his suit. I envision it to just be a singlet with some attachment points to keep the leg armour and his gloves on. (You will see if you look closely that his gloves are actually very long and connected to where his sleeves end. Its fine if you didn't know - they only make an appearance for a few seconds just before his boss fight.) thats kind of what i see those gold bands around his arms and thighs as, something that connects parts of his clothes together.

Raikov

Being gay raiden (heres what i have to say about that) he follows basically all that raiden was designed for but more blatantly gay. Raiden was conceived as a bishie. So raikov is as well.

Someone may assume that raikov is physically fit due to his position in the army, however, hes also never shown to be actually doing any army things. He would much rather sleep and eat food. He spends his work time doing anything other than his actual job. So i feel that its silly to think of him as disciplined and dedicated.

I wouldn't say i draw him fat. But i don't necessarily consider him thin. Maybe before he met volgin he was, but now? I think his situation has allowed him to put on some weight. I also don't think he needs to be particularly strong. Its not like he has to defend himself. Don't get me wrong, he isn't weak. I just think he isn't interested in working hard strength training, or eating a balanced diet. Hes far from rough and hardened from battle lmao. Hes a spoiled brat and he loves it.

I like to give raikov more hair volume. I think its naturally very flat, but volgin makes his hair stand up on end. The static makes his hair all frizzy and i think he loves it. When they are apart his hair just looks quite different.

I give him a bigger ass i think its a crime that they made it flat. I just dont think he would be. The extra fatness also helps soften his skin, his skin is canonically very soft... i think having extra fat on him helps with that. The game describes his body in a lot of ways and bony isnt really one of them. You could bring up eva saying that his build is similar to snakes here, but i think even disregarding that. I dont think hes like a super tiny twink.

I think their bodies are quite different though, but with that thick uniform on and the mask, who would be able to tell? Like look at raikovs thighs when hes naked compared to when hes clothed, theres a lot of difference there. Snake could look the same and still have thicker thighs under there. Its not like eva was anticipating volgin to get all handsy with him, she was assuming their paths wouldn't cross. Imo she was referring to the random soldiers and guards not being able to tell. I don't think they have memorised raikovs form to be able to tell if he looks a few inches wider today lol.

[gunfanatic]

Ppl seem to hate volgin for being disfigured and therefore ugly a lot more than they hate him for anything else. Despite how thats like the least offensive thing he has ever done it seems to get brought up the most. As if it is like some "gotcha" like oh of course hes a bad person! I dont find him attractive! Like any discussion about how hes some unique evil in the series(he really isnt) because hes a sex pest(true) is always overshadowed by op going off on one about how they also think hes ugly and you need to know this. Like oh he might be a rapist but you know whats worse? Whats more important? Hes yucky ewwww hes literally disfigured oh my goddd who would even want him? Like... im sorry but i dont think any of this is coming from something genuine. I dont think you would be saying any of this if you were genuinely wanting to discuss his misogyny and entitlement, or the terrible way this series handles sexual assault. If you wanted to talk about how the game treats rape i dont think you would spend more time writing about how you think the character is ugly for being scarred and therefore you dont want to have sex with him than the actual "topic" you are claiming to discuss. If he did look like someone you did find attractive would you still feel the same way? Would you hate him as much?

[gunfanatic]

ocelot movie post 2 - world cinema edition.

In a codec call when you fight ocelot for the first time in MGS1, Naomi describes him as "a gun fanatic and totally obsessed with cowboy movies and spaghetti westerns." Ocelot's love of cinema is obviously a very big part of his identity, and makes up most of what we see of him when he is not playing a role. It is also one of the first things we ever learn about him.

Cowboy movies probably point to American westerns specifically, since the game is set there, (and i assume that they do not call them "American westerns" in America) but also just westerns as an umbrella category more broadly, being from any country.

Spaghetti westerns are the subgenre brought up here. They are very different tonally and functionally to their american counterparts. Among fans they're typically considered entirely separate genres which are simply set in the same time period and location (loosely). So this distinction is important. I think its also worth discussing the lawlessness associated with this period, free violence and every man for himself, this is mostly fixated upon in spaghetti westerns. With their heavy emphasis on gunfighting and duels.

I think as a fan, he would be very much interested in cinema in general and different countries takes and reinterpretations of the same idea. I believe Ocelot is incredibly well read. I think Ocelot's taste is a lot more diverse than simply just "those movies by Bruce Wayne and Clint Eastwood."

As a spy, and an extremely talented one at that, i think gathering and analysing information is natural to him, and something he genuinely enjoys. Not just what the films story is, but how and why is was made, the impact that it had and the information it passed on, real or not. The concept of stories is important to him. Information, misinformation, cultural relevancy, what ideas seem to be present beyond borders, language barriers and history, through the same figures, ever changing with time.

In relation to Big Boss' plans, the same is also true, he conceptualises soldiers without borders, mercenaries who have loyalty to no cause, only himself, to be able to freely change and shift with the times. Drifters, loyal to anything.

Cowboys in real life were nothing like their fictional counterparts, the old west as it is in fiction, regardless of its country of origin, never existed. Ranch workers who drive cattle north across the American west did so for less than two decades. But the idea, the fictionalised and mythical concept of it lives on even now.

Ocelot often makes distinctions between big boss (person) and big boss (figure). With the "legend" of the man being this concept of him from stories and, well, legends. He's acutely aware of this kind of distinction between real figure and sensationalised appearance, he's working to create it of course. I think it's just a topic he finds incredibly interesting. Since he was born he was trained in intelligence by the Philosphers. The treatment of real people and figures from the time period, from Sitting Bull to Billy the kid are equally mythologised, through stories and repeating references, any semblance of the person who once existed drowned by everything else. In a way, contemporarily they seem almost seem mythological. Two things, that these figures are both real and fictional can be true at the same time, this duality is something Ocelot spends his whole life working with. The fact that the kind of films he is modelling himself after deal with a similar situation is kind of interesting.

"That's our reality here, whether its real or not. [...] All that matters is, that's the concept that's taken shape in their heads" - Ocelot's briefing tape [2] mgsv.

He is treating Big Boss is similar to this, his creation of his phantom, Venom, the obsession with legacy- that anyone could be big boss, is somewhat of a mirror of this. In a way, so is his constant overwriting of his own identity, for Liquid Ocelot, or in order to keep up the lie that Venom is Big Boss. He is happily and obediently becoming almost a parody of himself, and creating other people to do the same in order to further Big Boss' will.

This idea of ever-changing and fabricating infomation is second nature to him. Its also presented within himself with Shalashaska, a persona of his which was spread by rumour and gossip a lot more than it was by his own work. Its his reputation, whether or not its true doesn't matter. Ocelot isn't particularly concerned with the -truth- he's concerned with legacy and narrative. He talks about the moniker becoming twisted and mispronounced, decaying and warping as it spreads, much like infomation. Much like the way that these movies he likes have twisted their own origins into something almost abstract.

"Obviously as the tales have spread, the truth's been distorted, painted over. [...] fiction inspires people more than facts." Ocelot, mgsv africa today [1] tape

The old hollywood cowboy was entrenched in the political background and needs of the hollywood propaganda machine, "family values", and the need to write american history as something pure, wholesome and justified. - The spaghetti western often acted as an inversion, holding up a warped mirror to the already warped genre, twisting it into something bleak, nihilistic and hopeless. Characterised by dirt and blood, it paints the picture of a country not worth saving. - Westerns of the eastern block similarly added a different layer of fiction to the genre. Often being a lot more critical of America within the movies, they tend to denounce America, however they still have a cultural fasciation with 'the cowboy' and the nebulous and surreal setting that 'the old west' has become.

[gunfanatic]

My brief thoughts on bosselot is that during peace walker, ocelot begins to come down from his infatuation with snake, still having those feelings of love but growing to understand that his feelings will never be returned.

Right after snake eater, i think when it comes to snake, ocelot has this naivety about him. Believing that if he just does the right tricks and impresses him that it will draw snake to him, that this mutual feeling would be established. His feelings would be returned, to some extent. But he grows out of it quickly. Still dedicating his life to snakes will but not out of this desire to win his hand but out of dedication anyway. He understands that in this relationship they are not equals and accepts it happily, proudly even. Its also just a natural part of growing up for ocelot, as he matures he can deal with these unexpected feelings better. Being raised to be an agent for the philosophers definitely stunted his emotional and social development among other things. Causing him to be rather unequipped for dealing with things like his love and, making him cling to snake so badly and quickly.

Snake changed his life, in a way, following snake brought him freedom. Breaking from the philosophers, being raised to serve them as an agent of theirs and assigned to many organisations, for their own gain. Snake showed him a way out, a cause to die for that he could choose for himself. Regardless of snakes feelings towards him, what he represents is freedom and choice, especially coming out of snake eater. Something that he chose to follow for the rest of his life. Even if snake never loves him back or is able to understand how he feels, it doesnt matter at all.

I see it as by the time snake enters his coma ocelot is over his crush entirely. The feelings have not gone away, he has simply fully understood his role and the extent of snakes affections towards him. He is not interested in pursuing it. Besides, they work best separated. They wouldnt function any other way. And at this point? Ocelot wouldnt have it any other way.

[gunfanatic]

tl;dr Volgin and scarring.

I thought the choice to remove some of his hyperpigmentation in delta was bizarre. In mgs3 I did like that half of his face is desaturated, almost gray in parts. This is a very normal thing for burn scars, severe burns, like you can see over his body can change your skin colour. It's someting that gets forgotten about a lot in fictionalisations of scarring, so it was kind of nice to see it included. Then in delta it just is not like that. Strange. I know delta didn't care but, well I do. So here. Volgin scar post.

Severe burn victims, even after surgical reconstruction have discolouration and hyperpigmentation in the area. Burns and scars can dramatically change the colour of the skin around them. Also personally, I don't see Volgin as someone who has a skincare routine or someone who would choose to go out of their way to treat their scars. I do not believe he moisturises every day, like come on. Let alone anything else. Creams and stuff can help lighten/darken the areas around your scars just... I don't think its Volgin's thing, and even if it was, theres no promises it will help.

He quite obviously has heavy contracture scarring. This type of scar is common with severe burns. The skin becomes solid, and loses the flexability of normal skin, you can see this in the game even, Volgin heavily favours one side of his face, if you pay attention you can notice this for example, he tends to smile only on one side. The scarring on his left side would prevent him from being able to move it much. He would probably be unable to feel anything there either. 3rd degree (and higher) burns damage your nerves. So does electricity to be honest.

These scars also can damage your hair follicles and sweat glands. I like to think this is why Volgin lacks body hair and even his eyebrows, and you can also see this in his model where his facial scars reach up into his hairline and cut straight through it. The rest of his scars appear to have healed in valleys, creating these indentations through his skin, some tissue probably just never growing back. I always found it weird that his hands weren't really scarred, but id assume if they were the extent would be similar to his face, causing him to lose a lot of dexterity. I always forget they aren't scarred to be honest, as he uses his hands while hes channelling electricity a lot.

Historical tangent: of course a lot of how we have learned to treat and deal with severe scars and burns have come from war, this is where things like skin grafts come from. So it would have been relatively new technology then, but not unheard of. Especially on a battlefield.

Early treatment is essential for injuries like these, however I don't know how much of that Volgin was getting, I think with his condition he would rather avoid that kind of confrontation. People get skin grafts for lesser injuries than his, thats for sure and they would have in the 60's too, this isn't that new. Like, for his face, the priority for that sort of injury is very early and consistent medical intervention to prevent contractures like his. Therapy and skin grafts are really common for this. Alternately, other plastic surgeries are done after, basically contractures are something people really want to avoid, especially on the hands and face and they are so disabling. They make the skin feel incredibly thick and tight, which is what makes movement so difficult.

[gunfanatic]

huh okay. So has volgin just never had eyebrows? his texture doesnt really appear to have defined eyebrows, theyre more just... shadows? or definition, more than eyebrows actually. in the concept art (which doesnt actually say anything because they're all scrapped ideas) he wasnt ever really depicted with them either. So i am leaning more on "volgin is eyebrowless".

in the pachislot theyre slightly more defined, but theyre clearly still rather faint, if they exist at all.

my comparison here is snake, as in snake's texture his eyebrows are also very light which is what made me originally lean more into thinking it is a stylistic thing. but with the remake and pachislots and artwork all also depicting volgin like that. I suppose he just lacks them. \_ (ツ)_/¯

[gunfanatic]

Also, why did delta remove Volgin's eyebrows. What happened... in the pachislot they are light, but still rather defined, and in mgs3 they are the same, i just always assumed they were super light because hes a blonde and the game wasn't hd enough for his body hair to be noticeable.

[gunfanatic]

I will never have an excuse to share my thoughts on the subject matter, so here we are. Talk about Volgin's body hair.

Hair cannot grow where scars are, this is really present on Volgin where his scars cut into his hairline on the right side of his face. His burns would leave him with patchy body hair at best. I've had an unserious headcanon about electrolysis since forever too. Since electrical currents can be used to remove hair. Maybe his powers and the damage it has done to his body has also destroyed a lot of his hair follicles, so hes just bald. It is probably light everywhere since he is a blonde, so it's not like it would be super noticeable either way. I don't know, what else do you think about whilst replaying the game?

[gunfanatic]

Also, why did delta remove Volgin's eyebrows. What happened... in the pachislot they are light, but still rather defined, and in mgs3 they are the same, i just always assumed they were super light because hes a blonde and the game wasn't hd enough for his body hair to be noticeable.

[gunfanatic]

I don't quite see where the fanon of Ocelot being a victim of Volgin comes from. Anyway so. My thoughts on Volgin and Ocelot. (mostly Volgin's thoughts on Ocelot.)

under the cut so my post doesnt take up your entire screen.

Volgin appears to hold Ocelot in high regard. In mgsv Ocelot mentions being afraid of getting hit by his electricity, but that it didn't happen. This could mean simply that Ocelot was afraid of arc flashes, more than Volgin actually intentionally hurting him, which to me makes more sense.

Oversimplified tl;dr on arc flashes- basically its when electricty jumps onto something without touching it. The stronger the current the more likely it is to happen, and the more likely it is to kill you in any number of horrendous ways. High voltages can make sparks jump, travelling to that happens to be nearby. This is most observable in daily life with pylons, you do not even need to touch them to die.

So it would genuinely be a hazard around him, even if he wasn't targeting you. Even if he was not aiming to electocute Ocelot, Ocelot being close to him would put him in danger of the current jumping to him. Volgin seems like he has never really had total control over his own abilities, upping the risk... Which to me anyway, seems a lot more likely to happen than Volgin suddenly turning on him, or deciding to torture Ocelot for fun, I think it is rather clear that he does not view Ocelot in that way. He has absolutely no suspicion of Ocelot being a spy and he is far from observant. Also Volgin treats eva in a very misogynistic manner, which Ocelot is obviously exempt from, I don't believe he would treat a man the same way, even if he's bisexual*.

*I honestly don't see Volgin as attracted to him in any way, he would simply not consider Ocelot in a sexual manner. I think its strange to do so. He's a sex pest but i don't think he treats everyone he ever meets that way. just because hes... like that doesn't mean hes having sex with everyone he encounters. orz

Ocelot wishes to flatter Volgin, acting as a kind of stooge or yes-man to him, while also being incredibly capable. Volgin is a suspicious person but he isn't particularly intelligent. Ocelot being this yes-man type negates suspicion, Volgin is too flattered to cast his doubts. Especially as Ocelot is always happy to humor him, and doesn't mind Volgin thinking he's a bit stupid sometimes. Getting on his good side is crucial for his entire mission to work out, if Volgin had an issue with him, Ocelot wouldn't have survived. Also I don't see Ocelot objecting to Granin's torture and killing as coming from his own personal morals, first of all, he's playing a role. I think it comes more from him believing that Volgin is being suspicious of the wrong people, and that the repercussions of his actions if he keeps just killing people, especially ones with importance to his goals would be bleak for both of them. The fortress is tense as it is. Both of them have a vested interest in keeping things running well for now.

I think Ocelot's ego and bravado in 3 are linked to this, he gets to be a major, Volgin is happy with him, he can get what he desires, his own unit, any kind of privileges he can think of, he's insanely good at his job, he's very obviously skilled with his guns. Even if he is still rather young and inexperienced, those around him are more than happy to compliment him and to treat him well due to it. Which I think is a contrast from how he was treated within the philosophers. They also treated him specially, but not in the complimenting and special privileges way. Even though his work for GRU and everything was him being a triple agent, I also think it still awarded a kind of freedom previously unknown to him, despite all of the stress maintaining the roles would give him.

Of course I haven't even mentioned Ocelot's nepotism here. Volgin also doesn't suspect The Boss, hes too flattered by her defection and he clearly respects her as a solider and a hero, he actually listens to her and takes her advice, a rarity really. So i think Ocelot's status would affect him in a similar way. Ocelot is this young and impressionable (as far as Volgin is aware) prodigy being offered to him. He is eager to have such an asset on his side.

I think if anything, Volgin sees himself as somewhat of a mentor figure to Ocelot.

Volgin teases him, asking if Ocelot has "fallen for him" when he is discussing Naked Snake, I feel it to be rather... unserious in nature considering their circumstances. Same again with him asking if he had taken a fancy to EVA in the torture room. He doesn't particularly care, and is fine with Ocelot doing whatever in regards to that, if anything he finds it amusing. I don't think this kind of camaraderie would be occurning if Volgin viewed him more negatively. The fact that Volgin didn't turn on him for complimenting Snake I think is a sort of testament to both how good at his job Ocelot is, but also how Volgin is sold on Ocelot's loyalty. Hes okay with giving him more leeway and special treatment.

During the torture and the confrontation with Sokolov, he is also satisfied with Ocelot's intimidation and sadistic streak. He's happy to watch Ocelot juggle his guns and fire them off in a taunting display. I think he sees this shared hobby within them both of getting kicks out of intimidating others. Adding to his ego while also building more common ground between them both, they're similar in this manner, so it helps Volgin put his guard down. He's almost... proud when Ocelot shoots Snake's eye out. Even though it is an accident, he had challenged The Boss to do so, but she refuses, however Ocelot being a showoff gets it done anyway. Satiating his desire while also once again confirming Ocelot as "on his side".

[gunfanatic]

It is rather funny to me that they chose that line specifically to be the header for his profile. What are they getting at here.