ReadDead Reader @readdeadreader - Tumblr Blog

Welcome!

Hello!

I'm Octavia (she/her). I'm here to share my analysis of Red Dead Redemption 2 on my site, ReadDead.com. I've done an enormous amount of research on the literary sources the writers used to create the game. Some of the topics I've covered include Arthur Morgan as a Christ figure, the notorious poet Dutch Van der Linde is based on, the poem that inspired the lyrics to "Unshaken," the fallen angels who shape Micah Bell's character, and the inspirations for characters like Molly O'Shea, Kieran Duffy, and Josiah Trelawny. (And more. So much more.)

Writing and site updates take up a lot of my time. Sometimes I'm away from Tumblr doing research, but I'll be back. I'm sharing a ton of info that the RDR2 community may find interesting, especially if you like analysis of the game and characters, or if you're an artist or writer looking for inspiration. (I'm still waiting for someone to draw John Marston as Orpheus!) I don't have my Asks on yet because editing my posts is so time-consuming, but I hope to do that in the future!

I use #read dead analysis for posts linking to my essays. You can also visit my site's table of contents to read the posts from the beginning, or the TLDR to get an overview and links organized by topic.

A little bit about me: I'm queer, chronically ill & disabled, and I have ADHD. I read a lot. I play too much RDR2.

Visiting or sharing my niche little site means more to me than you know.

More highlights:

Virgin Lands: RDR2’s Dream of Colonizing Eden

"A Loving Act": The Grail in Red Dead Redemption 2

"It's Just a Girl": Gender, Misogyny, and Homophobia in RDR2 | Part II | Part III

NEW: Philosopher, Outlaw, Poet, Robber: The History that Wrote RDR2

#read dead analysis #red dead redemption 2 #rdr2

rainmakesyouwhole

playing a lot of red dead redemption right now and no, arthur morgan isn’t the protagonist of the game. he’s actually my tamagotchi, I made sure he gets enough food and sleep and tell him he’s a good cowboy

rainmakesyouwhole

update: john marston is not a tamagotchi. I only keep him fed because abigail would have my head otherwise

readdeadreader

me hissing "I can't BELIEVE I have to take care of this man" during the epilogue

actually it makes sense to me whenever my analysis resonates more with people on tumblr than twt or whatever, for what is RDR2 but fanfiction of fanfiction

#it's literally fanfiction of paradise lost which is fanfiction of the bible #anyway I'm doing a lot of editing pls don't forget me #rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 community #red dead fandom

the business with the key is so silly. those boys can crack actual bank safes, you're telling me they can't smash the lock on a lil chest? mmmmmkay

#rockstar awkwardly giving women generic Tasks as a second thought #rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 community #red dead fandom #justice 4 abigail #abigail roberts #abigail marston

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.

#rdr2 #javier escuella #rdr2 analysis #rdr2 community #red dead redemption 2 #dutch van der linde #john marston #rdr2 dutch #rdr2 javier #red dead fandom

deadmanstriding

I know it's been said multiple times, but I'm tired of seeing the "what if Jack isn't John's son" theory. Like just say you are aware the kid IS his, but are just a misogynystic asshole in denial because of Abigail's past occupation as a sex worker.

readdeadreader

very much this. the man abandoned her with a newborn for a YEAR and she had no reason to believe he'd ever come back. if jack's father were someone else, she would've said so

#john marston ain't shit #rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #red dead fandom

immortaloblivion1

Some sketches

readdeadreader

lucifer the lightbringer

#rdr2 #red dead redemption 2

Redemption

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a paradox: despite justifiably being called one of the greatest games ever made, as a work of narrative art, it fal

The grand conclusion of Read Dead! On punishment, fatherhood, redemption, toxic masculinity, and the perils of using as many sources as Red Dead Redemption 2 does.

Huge thanks to everyone who's checked out and reblogged the site!! There will be more updates, but this is the end of the main project (which, in terms of length, is basically a book).

#read dead analysis #arthur morgan #rdr2 analysis #rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 community #red dead fandom #rdr2 arthur #john marston #literary analysis

More allusions to Oakley Hall's Warlock in RDR2: horses, events, dialog, and more.

Read Dead's penultimate post!! (no, I will not be passing up on the opportunity to say "penultimate," ty.) More ways that Oakley Hall's brilliant novel Warlock shows up in RDR2, including:

#read dead analysis #rdr2 analysis #red dead fandom #arthur morgan #dutch van der linde #red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 #rdr2 community #rdr2 arthur #hosea matthews #micah bell #mary linton #rdr2 hosea #rdr2 dutch #sadie adler #baylock

We’re nearing the end of the literary works that Rockstar used to create RDR2. I want to close with an essay, so I’ll be publishing that two

More history and literature in RDR2! Influences on Dutch and Hosea's characters, Otis Miller, cut content, and more.

#read dead analysis #rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 community #red dead fandom #dutch van der linde #rdr2 analysis #rdr2 fandom #rdr2 arthur #hosea matthews #historical game studies #literary analysis

"I hate small talk" - dating profile of a man who will place the entire burden of conversation on you

#sometimes I think about going back on the apps and then I remember I love myself #ironic misandry but also a simple description of observable behavior so like #tinder

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.

#read dead analysis #rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 analysis #arthur morgan #rdr2 community #red dead fandom #rdr2 arthur #literary analysis #video game analysis

therogerclarkfanclub

I wholeheartedly agree with Roger's wife 😆, I'm sure we all do.

readdeadreader

no bc why does Roger Clark just look like chibi Arthur Morgan to me without the beard. apparently I have a very different mind from his wife lul

#roger clark #rdr2 #arthur morgan #red dead redemption 2

loony-ludy

I finally realized why this frame of Albert Mason looked so familiar and it’s because he looks like this gay cat I've seen on tote bags

do you see the vision

Butcher's Crossing (and History!) in RDR2

Butcher’s Crossing is an 1960 novel by John Williams about a young man named (hilariously) William Andrews, who leaves Harvard in the 1870s

How RDR2's writers used John Williams's novel to shape Dutch Van der Linde and some of the game's themes. Plus, I explain another Point of Interest and a weird little unmarked scene you can find in the woods.

(sorry I haven't been around much lately! been working really hard on the site. the TLDR page is updated, btw!!)

#read dead analysis #rdr2 analysis #rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 community #red dead fandom #dutch van der linde #history #video game analysis #historical game studies

The traces of Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian that appear in RDR2 are subtler than Rockstar's usual bold and underlined references. The nov

The influence of Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian on Red Dead Redemption is undeniable. On RDR2, it's much subtler. Except for one motif, which isn't exactly subtle at all …

#read dead analysis #rdr2 #rdr2 analysis #red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 community #red dead fandom #dutch van der linde

I promised myself I would never write a negative book review. I promised my PhD advisor I would never write a negative book review. I prom

points were made tbqh. I enjoyed the book and found it useful, but Whitaker's criticisms are correct. definitely important to consider if you've read or are going to read Red Dead's History.

#rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 community #red dead fandom #rdr2 analysis #historical game studies #game studies #book review

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