#playing rdr2

[rep3llista]

Arthur Morgan is the cowboy variant of Sir Bedivere, not King Arthur and No I will not elaborate further. the whole game as an arthuriana enthusiast feels like a retelling tbh.

[dutchysasscheek]

Arthur Morgan picking berries 🗣️🗯️‼️🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[odd060]

Arthur Morgan locket<33

[wellsaidsblog]

I spend one day in camp to rest and talk to people and Ms.Grimshaw starts talking at Arthur to get out and do something

[yuniper]

‪the location changes of the camp in red dead redemption 2 illustrated not only the gang’s falling apart but also the gradual decay of their way of life through the advancement of civilisation. this feeling gets enhanced by them being confronted firsthand with the civilised world through their second to last camp location in lemoyne - which is itself set against the two clashing worlds of the city and the wilderness of the bayou. it’s also the location with the most drastic differences in the way of life of its people.

this puts the setting of the state of lemoyne in direct contrast with their last camp location in roanoke ridge, which showcases how easily this civilisation can decay when people are willing to abandon it to try their luck somewhere else, as seen in the almost abandoned mining town.

the reactions of the law in these two states are also the most drastically different to any of the other states in the game. saint denis have some the strictest law enforcement you can encounter in the game, it’s the only city with uniformed police you can enter before the epilogue. while law enforcement in annesburg on the other hand mainly consists of armed guards hired by the mining company.

as you enter one of the first towns on your way into roanoke ridge, van horn, one of the sights you are greeted with is a dead horse by the side of the road, discarded and not even valued enough to be properly put to rest. which is contrary to how highly valued horses generally are in the world of red dead redemption 2, with characters often commenting on the player's horse. this, along with the decay of the mining operations surrounding annesburg and the generally rough atmosphere of the place, with drunkyards stumbling through the town at any time of the day and poker games turning violent, sets the mood for what will be your entire stay in roanoke ridge.

these directions of going from the west to the east and their symbolic values in the cowboy mythos also play a big role in arthur’s death. while he is buried facing west according to his wishes, eternally watching the old world of the fading west, he dies facing east, watching the sun rise over that civilised world he so much despised. a world that had no place for men like him anymore.

while dutch’s mental state was also gradually getting worse throughout the game, he really only breaks down in saint denis after hosea’s death and the head injury he sustained during the unsuccessful trolley station robbery - in the most advanced city within the game's world. a city that was too advanced for criminals like the van der linde gang, who adhered to their strict codes, and when trying to pull off a robbery in a place like saint denis quickly realised they were out of their depths. for once they were then ones who had been played. they were set up by angelo bronte, an early mafia don, who, unlike dutch, made his home right in the heart of that city and knew how to tread this unfamiliar territory.

as dutch slowly turns into the paranoid, ruthless outlaw we see in the original red dead redemption, so does the world around him seem to decline. after making his home near a town emblematic of how quickly civilisation can decline, he returns once again to the mountains of ambarino, ending up where the story of red dead redemption 2 started off, and thus quite literally returning to his old ways. what lead to dutch's and the gang's ultime downfall was his inability to adabt and his stubbornness to stick to the way of life he knows, watching the world move on, with no need for cowboys anymore.

[rivias]

arthur: *stumbles upon the ancient remains of a giant humanoid creature high up in the mountains with no explanation in sight*

arthur, writing about it in his journal: boy howdy, now he was one big feller

[dr-liara-tsoni]

Apparently if you’re away from camp long enough one of your group members comes looking for you, lol.

Leave me alone I’m trying to gather materials for things!!!!

[odd060]

“RDR2 has 40 hours of game play!” I’m at 52 hours and I’m only on chapter 3 (out of 6)