lies down and touches my hand to the screen in a dramatic fashion,,,,,,,,,,,,,, i finished kg3 and i have Thoughts
not very coherent ones but i miss being here so
EXPLODES IN VICTORY!! LITERALLY ALL MY PAST ANALYSES ABOUT FELIX WERE RIGHT HELL FUCKIN YEAHHHHH!!!!!!!!! i'm not braining rn so i'll just give the short version:
felix is constantly acting smarter than he actually is
all those big words and generally sesquipedalian dialect is 100% a front to contribute to projecting off that image of superiority
adding onto the last points he is so insecure!!!!!
ESPECIALLY insecure about the possibility of his dad treating him the way he treats ted!!!!!!!!!
and!!!!! in kg3 we finally fucking see that confirmed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and the other confirmation, that ted can be and is more capable of him than felix is to be worthy in their dad's eyes
mr. huxley literally says ted's been surprising him lately, and i fucking knew it!!!!! ted's always been determined, he has the drive, and is willing to prove himself that, no, he is better than felix keeps saying he is!!! and we finally see it confirmed in a game he doesn't even physically appear in!!!!!!!!!!!! he is such a badass, i love ted so much
also the fact that mr. huxley in the alt helicopter parenting ending was like "oh well, i have two sons",,,,,,, they're interchangeable to him. ofc. he fits the trope so well, but it still feels so rewarding to have already seen all this coming yk
also, unrelated to anything i thought in the past since we only just got felix's full name recently?? the fact that he's felix norstubble wealthington huxley the third????? i'm crying @ the fact that implies mr. huxley is the second and named felix after himself (and potentially ted and fe's grandpa, who would've been the first) hgfghgfdfdgh
anyway, other non-huxley thoughts!!
scippio is sooooooo sopping wet cat coded wtf /aff
he's just a pathetic boyfailure loser man....... almost like disco elysium harry if u squint (i think i'm just thinking of that game bc i played it for the first time recently but like!! tell me i'm wrong!!!! he drinks!! he's got (three??) ex wives!! he has constant mental breakdowns!!!! they're practically twins /silly)
AUSTIN IS A GOOBER;;;;; he's so sweet i love his personality, he means so well and is so nice, he just Looks like a punk and likes throwing rocks and breaking things but he's a good kid!!!!!!!
he lowkey reminded me of an oc i had when i was 10 who was a troublemaker girl who liked breaking windows with a slingshot, but austin is a character who executes the idea 100% better than she did honestly
jfc. i Was admittedly a little underwhelmed with the characterization of established characters in kg3 and ready to write it off as a little disappointing, or not as good as kg2, but holy fuck that final mission was so badass. i felt so badass solving it. it was a fuckin hugeass boss fight it was literally so epic!!!!!!! i loved that part of it, i think that mission singlehandedly saved it
THE CLIFFHANGER;;;;;;; IM SO HYPED THEY'RE MAKING A 4TH GAME BUT AGHHH!!!!!!! i think i could tell that they're continuing onto thursday-- they literally kept referencing "tomorrow" and kept feeding the player information and lore about the goo and schools and experiments that'll obv have a purpose in a future game, and they booted way too many characters that Should make a comeback. but it's still just hgfhgfdfgh the Waiting..... im sure they've got the story going all the way to friday at least, bc it really feels like it with how much lore they poured into this game.
also ik alice didn't have much personality in kg2, so when i made my rp blog of her i got p attached to that version of her. BUT I NEVER WOULD'VE GUESSED THAT DAVEY WAS THE ONE WHO GOT A TRAIT OF MY RP ALICE AT ALL!! I NEVER THOUGHT ANY KID WOULD!!!!!
but apparently davey is the one who's the "weird kid who ppl don't understand, has a big attachment to a mysterious important creature (linda) and can communicate with them, and gets WAYYY too into fantasy roleplay on the playground"!!! im CRYING that is so incredibly specific, why tf does davey have my "fae and bone riddles" alice personality it's just so funny to me /gen
speaking of alice. hell yeah at least i got a few traits right!!!! pettiness, plays like an actual kid, forgetful. it's okay, as long as i can still hc her goth it's still perfect <3
also. as an adult, i must confess i did swoon a little on her behalf when applegate and bob were "dirty" talking on the phone like!! god pls a spouse who's willing to clean the house for me?? please;;;;;; and willing to get all the tough spaces!! and strong enough to lift the fridge!!!!! god i don't blame applegate at all, i'd marry em too
idk if i have more, this is all i could think of for now đ
if i think of other stuff i'll just post abt it bc oops this got long;;;; i was supposed to bake cookies an hour ago whoops
When Stephanivien tells Joye and Rostnsthal (and Celestaux) to âdon masks of supreme confidence,â heâs literally telling them to do exactly what he does constantly.
Think about it - he refuses to show any sign of uncertainty or hesitation in front of his machinists, even when circumstances are at their most dire; at best heâll admit to his prospectometer reporting unfavorable results... and then only to the WoL, never to his machinists.
This is literally what heâs doing: wearing a mask of supreme confidence, because the second he seems doubtful of their chances, his machinists will start losing faith in themselves, and thatâs the last thing he wants. Battles have been won on the power of faith and certainty of victory alone, and he refuses to let his people charge into a battle they already think theyâre destined to lose.
So all heâs saying here is just, âDo what I do! Itâll be alright.â
And it is.
I love him.
Strap yourselves in because Iâm not being polite this time.
I canât even begin to articulate how exhausting it is to see people constantly rehash the same "Marta is a flawed / bad character, she constantly gets jealous, obsessive, etc. etc. etc." spiel. What makes this more upsetting is when people who actually do like Marta somehow adopt some of these misinterpretations (in my opinion) as canon, which only opens up the door to more hate on this girl.
Iâll be the first to admit that Marta Lualdi is a flawed character. But you know what? She is way more than those flaws and she overcomes most, if not all of them by the end of the game. Reducing a character down to traits they showed for maybe 2/8ths of their screen time is unfair and wrong.Â
Letâs backpedal for a minute and remind ourselves that Marta is sixteen years old. She lost her mother when she was 14, due to the Giant Tree destroying her hometown - Palmacosta was called "a reflection of death itself" in the Successors of Hope novel. It also says, âWith the destruction of Palmacosta, the happiness she [Marta] knew came to a crashing end.â Remember that even before it was destroyed, Palmacosta was fighting the threat of the Desians, and if you recall they were the only city in Sylvarant openly opposing them despite Magnius constantly terrorizing the city. Itâs important to realize that THAT is the environment Marta came out of, the place she grew up in.
After losing her mother and hometown, her father lost his mind and started an organization thatâs dead set on murdering the Tetheâallans and taking over the world. Sheâs a sixteen year old girl on the run with only Tenebrae by her side, while sheâs being hunted down by a literal army. Oh, and half of that organization actually doesnât care about capturing her, and is actually trying to kill her instead as theyâre loyal to the Richter and/or Alice faction. And thereâs no way to tell which side is which. But if the side who wants to capture her succeeds? Theyâll force her to take part in genocide.Â
But Marta is immature, right? Sheâs self centered and stupid, right? She didnât choose to stand up against her last surviving family member and try to protect the world by herself since no one else could be trusted, right?
Also, Marta is a Sylvaranti. Plenty of Tetheâallans have bullied her and harassed her for simply being born on the âwrongâ planet. Theyâve called her dirt and treated her like garbage. Thatâs who sheâs protecting, here. The people who do everything they can to make her feel like nothing. Marta gets attacked by a Tetheâallan, thrown against the stone pavement so hard her head starts bleeding, while trying to protect a little Sylvaranti boy in the Successors of Hope novel. Sheâs willing to put her life on the line for them because she believes that not every Tetheâallan is bad, and that the relationship between the worlds is worth mending.Â
Now, after everything sheâs dealt with up until now, she meets Emil. And SHE saves HIM, since, as weâve established, protecting people is basically her job now. And what happens after? He doesnât remember her, so she brushes him off. She says she needs to go - 'Iâm in a hurry.â She tells him. âIâm Marta. Is that it?âÂ
EMIL is the one who asks what her name is and stops her. Then he goes after her and gives her a chance to flee from Richter. He makes a pact with Ratatosk to protect her. I think itâs pretty clear that he goes beyond what âhelping someone outâ entails. Itâs especially weird, considering Emil hears Richter call Ratatosk a âdemon lord.â He was still willing to go out of his way to protect her, which says something about Emil, but also says something about why Marta was immediately attached to him.
Sheâs been on the run, with no where to turn to; she canât trust anyone, since theyâre all out to capture her or behead her. Then Emil shows up. Heâs kind, and he vows to protect her and keep her safe. He becomes a KNIGHT OF RATATOSK for her. Sounds pretty fairy tale-esque, donât you think?
Then Emilâs family and home is put in danger. Sheâs been there, sheâs seen it happen first hand, twice (first with the Giant Tree and then with the Blood Purge). And she takes the blame for it, for everything the Vanguard has done. She doesnât get mad at him for saying itâs her fault. She accepts responsibility and willingly goes to her death. Sheâs willing to give up Ratatoskâs core to the church, who she thinks will at least keep it safe from the Vanguard, and die to save Luin. That happens in the FIRST CHAPTER OF THE GAME. Itâs basically the tutorial, and Marta is establishing herself as selfless and kind.
Emil saves her from being killed when the church doesnât stop its attack, but she tells him to stop attacking Magnar, even after he tried to behead her, when Emil goes into Ratatosk Mode ( âThatâs enough Emil, stop it!â ). She has very clear morals, and she doesnât like seeing anyone hurt - also, she knows EMIL doesnât want to hurt anyone either.
She does fawn over him, but Emil doesnât stop her. He talks with Tenebrae about how he feels about it, but not with Marta. He willingly holds her hand in Asgard, but when he is VISIBLY embarrassed/awkward about it, she lets go. Sheâs not trying to make him uncomfortable, and when she can see that he is, she drops whatever sheâs doing to try to make up for it. She may get carried away, but at the end of the day she tries her best to be considerate. That fact needs to stop getting overlooked.
Alright, now with the Colette confrontation. Marta openly states in the Journal that sheâs confused, she doesnât know how to feel about the Chosen. She doesnât think sheâs the type to abandon the world, but in Martaâs eyes she basically told her to her face that she let Martaâs mother die. She ran away, for no explainable reason, other than the rumor that she chose Tetheâalla over Sylvarant.
Remember that it was the loss of her mother that changed her father, and what more or less prompted him to form the Vanguard (thus causing the situation sheâs in now). Colette didnât explain herself, though since the truth behind World Regeneration seems to be a secret, itâs likely that she couldnât share the truth with Marta at that time. Marta seems to pick up on the fact that thereâs more to the story, which is why she is able to more or less become quick friends with her. Sheâs not the type of person Marta dislikes - sheâs kind, and she tries her best to help others no matter what dangers she faces. She willingly rushed in to protect Marta and Emil from Alice and the Vanguard, knowing that theyâre after her, after all. Itâs similar to what Marta herself does numerous times throughout the game. You can read my analysis of Martaâs feelings regarding Colette here.
Later, with Colette, she asks if she likes Emil - Colette, not really understanding what Marta really meant, says she does. She doesnât tell Colette she canât like him or give her the cold shoulder, sheâs just surprised and says she wonât lose. Itâs only in a skit that she acts that way, though. Marta doesnât really acknowledge it afterwards, only getting a bit jealous when Emil later says that Colette was soothing to be around. She tried to fish for compliments from him before and got nothing, but then he casually complimented Colette. Given that heâs her only friend in the world (besides her confusing relationship with Colette), and she has a puppy crush on him, I think itâs pretty understandable why it would make her feel not so great inside.
Also, I have gone on about this before, but we find out very late in the game that Marta is afraid of heights. Even so, she willingly crawls across a very narrow platform to save a little boy, while Alice tries to kick her off it. Alice says herself that if she falls, sheâll die. So itâs high enough up that the drop would cause instant death. Scary for anyone, let alone someone with a fear of heights. Again, sheâs doing this in chapter two. You can read my analysis of that particular incident here.
When Emil and Marta end up in Iselia, Emil is extremely agitated from the get go. He makes rude comments, and has an overall bad attitude since itâs Lloydâs hometown. Marta lost people too, and Lloyd took Lumenâs core, but she chooses to be the bigger person for the sake of their objective. Emil isnât acting like the gentle, kind boy he usually is (which is why she can be so fiery and passionate usually - since theyâre not both being hotheaded), so she takes the role of the calm, collected one and does most of the talking with the townspeople. She gives people a chance to show their character before she makes judgement. Even Emil, whose signature trait is being kind, isnât able to do that due to his resentment towards Lloyd.
When Emil finally tells her he doesnât like the way she treats him (like a prince, etc.) she owns up to it and vows to change. She takes legitimate personal criticism and applies it immediately, and thatâs hard to do. After that she gets defensive when anyone even suggests her and Emil are more than friends, since he told her it bothered him. And you know what? Itâs Emil who decides he doesnât like it.Â
After that, Emil is the one who Tenebrae notes is jealous throughout the game. When Emil dejectedly asks if Marta prefers rich guys like Regal, Tenebrae says that his âpetty jealousiesâ can wait. Marta nervously asks if Emil has a crush on her, but he says no in a panic and she lets the conversation end there. She tries to ask about what he said later, but he exclaims it wasnât important at all, and she quietly accepts it. Emil definitely sends her mixed signals, so I donât think her inability to completely give up on him is entirely her fault.
Despite having the weight of the world on her, and trying to deal with being a sixteen year old with a crush, Marta still did her best to take what Emil said to her to heart. She changes her view and without meaning to, starts to love the true Emil. And she tells him that. She tells him, âI think that the real you is much, much cooler than the fantasy I had in my mind.â She acknowledges her flaws in this same scene but by this point, has actually already overcome a lot of them.
Martaâs true defining trait in the game up is being caring, and kind, NOT being obsessive, jealous, clingy, etc. as much of the âfanonâ portrays her as being. She looks out for Emil, defends him and encourages him to grow at his own pace. She tells him that looking out for others (even Richter and the monsters he fights) and caring about them is okay and that he shouldnât feel bad about it. He confides in her more than anyone and she comforts him. When she sees that Emil is struggling or not feeling well itâs Marta that has the party take a break so he can rest.Â
But Marta cares about others, too, not only Emil. She cares about her friends and even strangers. And sheâs not afraid to stand up for them if someone says something unkind, even if that person is Emil. When he goes too far she calls him on it. Whether or not heâs in Ratatosk Mode, she has no problems telling him that he needs to cool his jets and be more considerate. She goes as far as to slap Ratatosk Mode Emil in the Temple of Lighting when he says he doesnât care about Rilena or the fact that sheâs trapped with Decus and could be in danger.Â
Iâll admit that I donât exactly think that was the best way to go about it, but up till this point in the game Ratatosk Mode Emil made light of other peopleâs lives and showed no sign of stopping. She didnât lay her hands on him again, but afterwards opted to give him the silent treatment which proved very effective on him. It was her way of forcing him to open his eyes and see that other peopleâs lives have value. And it worked. This was a turning point in the game for Ratatosk Mode Emil to start taking other peopleâs lives more seriously. The Summon Spirit Ratatosk said he wanted to destroy mankind and that he didnât care about individual peopleâs lives; Marta Lualdi was the one who changed that. Her kindness and compassion for other people inspired that in him.
She is gentle and reassuring no matter who he is, Emil or Ratatosk, and even when he wonders if he was Aster, she tells him that it doesnât matter. The person she met and traveled with is real, and nothing could ever take that away. Marta is Emilâs pillar of support, his strength when his own fails him. He acknowledges that as her role in his life. The misinterpretation of Emil thinking Marta is clingy and annoying and thatâs it has got to stop. He didnât even think that of her in the beginning of the game, before all her true character development began.
Iâve already noted how Marta was willing to sacrifice herself in chapter 2, but she does so again in Altamira. Sheâs willing to die to save the city, and she doesnât even hesitate. She thinks about saving the innocent people first; saving herself comes after, no sooner. Even when sheâs forced to leave so that the Vanguard doesnât capture her, she canât bring herself to stay in Mizuho and endanger the people there. She makes the decision to go and fight her last surviving family member and stop him herself. She says that sheâs afraid, but sheâll go anyway. If that isnât true bravery and fortitude, I donât know what is. Marta Lualdi is anything but weak. She is just as much a hero as Emil or any of the original cast.
Sheâs even willing to try to help Decus, her enemy, because she doesnât want him to have to suffer under the affects of the Centurionâs Core. She has her suspicions that it may be a trap, but she goes anyway because she would rather be betrayed than leave him to lose his mind if it was the truth. In the end it was a trap and she was captured and brought to Brute, but she makes the most out of the opportunity and tries to reason with him one last time. When it fails, she steels herself and prepares for it to come to blows. This sixteen year old girl had to face her own father turning his staff against her. And she toughed it out for the greater good. She embodies strength and resilience, not obsessive behavior.Â
She acknowledges the fact that she relied on others a lot in her past, but that sheâs grown. Thatâs not who she is at the end of the game, and she knows it, even if Alice doesnât. Marta very clearly is insecure (âI half expected you to be relieved that this annoying girl was finally out of your hair.â in the Temple of Ice), and thatâs very likely at least partly due to Aliceâs insults and jabs, so it means a lot that sheâs able to realize her own growth.
She was strong enough to kill Alice to protect Emil, which even Alice thought she would never do - maybe not because she didnât have the strength physically, but that she couldnât do it morally or have the mental strength to go through with it. She never wanted to hurt Alice and Decus, even after all the terrible things they had done and all the personal attacks Alice directed towards her. But she did it. She immediately feels the guilt for it, and even wonders if sheâs any better than Alice for being willing to do what she did; Tenebrae (constantly called insensitive) is the one who comforts her, saying she fought out of love for others while Alice fought out of love for herself.Â
Marta, in the end, is the one who sees through Emilâs act and realizes that he wasnât being controlled by Ratatosk. Many times throughout the series its HER who realizes the truth, or senses that somethingâs up. Sheâs highly observant and intuitive, sheâs by no means stupid. She has street smarts and actually knows a lot about the world from all the traveling sheâs done (before & during the game).
Despite not being responsible for what the Vanguard did, as she actively took actions against it and left before they started being increasingly violent, she still states in the ending that she intends to pay for her âcrimes.â She vows to bring peace to the world by finding a way to make the Tetheâallans accept the Sylvaranti. She literally says sheâs going to devote her life to being a peace maker. I have no doubt that Emil coming back in the âtrueâ ending wouldnât change that plan of hers at all.
Iâd also like to point out that all the while, throughout the entire game, what is Marta doing in the Journal? She writes about half of it, and along with writing down their adventure, sheâs supporting Emil, as his best and closest friend and confidant above all else. Sheâs doing her best to encourage him and tell him that she thinks heâs okay just the way he is. He doesnât have to change. She leaves little notes checking up on him, making sure he knows sheâs rooting for him and has her full confidence.
And she doesnât think anything of it, itâs just natural. Because in her mind, thatâs what you DO when youâre friends with someone. You support them, encourage them, and be kind to them. You are there for them no matter what and you defend them at all costs. She thinks EMIL is kinder than her and wants to be more like him. Emil thinks MARTA is kinder than him and wants to be more like her.
Marta Lualdi is the kind, caring girl who said, âEmil's saved me so many times. I want to do the same for him.â
Marta Lualdi is the wise, worldly girl who said, âThose who rely only on power will be doomed because of power.â
Marta Lualdi is not the obsessive, jealous, self centered girl that âfanonâ makes her out to be. Period.
I have a lot of emotions about Stephanivien and his father.
A lot of them.
A whole lot of emotions about the looks they exchange through this whole conversation, and the line I shall see it done. We will not disappoint you!
Donât tell me this isnât Stephanivien finally seeing a way to make his father proud after a lifetime spent being the family disappointment because he wasnât the son Baurendouin wanted him to be.
While also staking a claim on, letâs face it, the only thing heâs ever really wanted: the manufactory.
I literally never shut up about Guren crying, but like ---
can we just talk about the fact....... that Guren allows himself once to cry about it all. He simply sobs after everything he went through in Catastrophe. Then, he sells his soul to Ferid. And just --- heâs so broken and beaten down at this point. But he continues to rise and fight for all that he can; for all he cares about. And he swears to never cry again.
Then, thereâs this page. When he states that he is constantly grieving in private for the people they lose. And I imagine how much he blames himself for their losses because all of this is something he feels he caused.
But the only time we see Guren crying in canon timeline... is when heâs possessed and stabs Yuu. This causes him SO MUCH internal turmoil that he pushes back against his demon and feels something real. This moment, he breaks and cries in front of the people he loves and shows his vulnerability.
That middle screencap, immediately after Stephanivien demands that if his machinists win the tourney heâll be given control of the manufactory, is probably one of my favorite moments in the entire MCH storyline. Something about it suggests heâs a little bit What have I done about making demands of his own father - but heâs absolutely standing his ground about it, because this matters.
Also heâs beautiful and I love him but what else is newÂ
Iâve been having a lot of emotions about this exchange lately
Like
The fact that he immediately jumps to âIs that whatâs best for you?â is so telling of who Stephanivien is as a person, as is the fact that heâs legitimately concerned for the sake of Joyeâs happiness
And it hurts that much more when he then calls into question everything he thought he was doing, everything he thought he knew about his own motivations and actions, purely because he begins to wonder if he accidentally forced Joye to become a machinist and he feels awful
I just
Heâs such a good person
Absolute heart of gold
My son