#rdr thoughts

[sushisocks]

i wake up and i am immediately thinking about those characters. i eat breakfast and i am thinking about those characters. i do chores and i am thinking about those characters. i do any work, i study, i walk the dogs, and i am thinking about those characters. i go to bed and i am thinkign

[willardsrestwidow]

sad to see not many people linking dutch and molly to persephone and hades

[sushisocks]

Sean MacGuire and laughing after being slapped across the face. Sean MacGuire and smiling, giggling, while constantly being rejected, never really holding any expectations of anyone else. Never expecting that true acceptance he seeks. Sean MacGuire brushing off the torture and terror he's been through the past two weeks just to grin and joke, so nobody will worry too much. Sean MacGuire chasing a woman who vaccilates in whether or not she wants him, happy when she gives him the time of day, not complaining when she doesn't. Sean MacGuire and putting all his love and light and laughter into the world and being rewarded by rolling eyes and derisive comments, but doing it anyway because nobody else will. Sean MacGuire staying optimistic, carefree, joking. Filling the role he's been given in the gang, being told off if he stops doing so.

Dutch van der Linde laughing, telling Arthur Morgan "He's just a younger version of you!"

[sushisocks]

Roger Clark singing Barbie World

it's important to me that the tumblr rdr2 crowd see this too

[sushisocks]

Thinking about Lenny and Sean.

Thinking about how Sean, representing the liveliness and optimism of the gang, has to be unavailable in Colter, just so that we, upon arrival in Horseshoe & his return to the gang, can really remember Colter as a dour opposition to the light, fun, easiness that is Horseshoe Overlook.

Thinking about how Sean is the last to be introduced and the first to die; how he HAS to be the first to die, as the most light-hearted, easy-going, fun-loving one of them. Every camp after Clemens Point is decidedly more dour, less light, mirroring what they have lost with his death. Even the two parties are noticably different, from Sean's party in Horseshoe being genuinely fun and full of hope, to Jack's party, while starting as well as one could hope, being marred by anger and sorrow; fights, and sadness, and quiet. It ends in a storm which cuts the party off; sends everyone inside and to bed, where Sean literally stays up singing and drinking until light. The game is telling us that things are no longer the same, through the environment. Things have changed, irrevocably, and they will only get worse from here on out.

Sean dies at the game's halfway point; end of chapter 3 of 6. He is the first to die of the gang members we truly get to know. It is surprising and jarring and grotesque. The effect is IMMEDIATE, although subtle, but absolutely there. Sean dies, and the dread starts creeping in. His death is the underlining of Arthur's kidnapping; Arthur might be fine for now but that doesn't mean things aren't getting worse.

Then Lenny, who alongside Jack represents the future, and the gang's hope. Note how they're both acknowledged as exceedingly smart; Jack for his age, and Lenny just in general (though he is also young by everyone's standards), and that Hosea is fond of both of them. The critical difference is that Jack represents youthful innocence in a way Lenny doesn't; Lenny is fully aware of what the gang is, what it does, and why it exists. He is seen talking about and understanding the societal factors that have led him to this way of life; specifically pointing out the impact of slavery and its abolishment on his quality of life as a black man.

Lenny is the only one who can be seen challenging Dutch at an intellectual level. Lenny dies, and there's little rationale left in the gang. And we are immediately treated to watching the start of Dutch's more rapid decline in Guarma. Lenny is buried next to Hosea, the (arguably) oldest gang member, with the most experience to guide them. There goes the future and past of the gang; the only voices which arguably could've made a difference.

He is also, notably, the only death who is not given a cutscene. Blink and it's done, and you're left in shock and disbelief, watching Arthur stay until the last second to not let the youngest member of the gang die alone.

So what's my point here? Well, I think it's worth pointing out that these two, alongside Molly, are the ending notes of chapter 3,4, and 5, all setting the tone for the chapter to come. Each signify the further detoriation of the gang -- they lose something with each death; a life and gun, sure, but also what that person in part represented. Optimism, reasonability, compassion. And each death is brutal; sudden; jarring, in distinct ways. Then, at last, Arthur is the final death, at the end of chapter 6. The gang is already done, by that point.

I also in part think it's interesting that part of the reason Sean and Lenny die is their own flaws. Sean's easy-going inattentive nature leaves him wide open, too busy making a quick-witted quip to keep an eye out -- even when Arthur, the most senior member among them, makes it clear something is wrong, which SHOULD put one on guard in that situation. Lenny, who believes himself lucky and intelligent, also has a sense of arrogance and recklessness which has him running headfirst into danger without looking.

I love them a lot, but I think their survival inherently would mean a very different story from the one RDR2 is. Also think they absolutely would have sided with Arthur in the end, but those are both completely different rants I'll save for another time :'^)

[sushisocks]

wdym this isn't canon?

[sushisocks]

One thing abt Sean that I really like is that he never really teases Arthur for being stupid. The only time I've seen him do it, has been when Arthur starts it by calling Sean stupid and Sean being like "well youd know, wouldnt you" -- not even denying it but grabbing at the chance to enjoy some banter.

I think it probably has a lot to do with the fact that Sean doesn't think Arthur is dumb. It'd be a bit "throwing stones in glass houses" to call a man who reads and writes unintelligent, when you can't read and write, and that ability is seen as a hallmark for intelligence by most of your contemporaries.

It's just a nice difference from a fair amount of other people in the gang. Arthur's teased for his intelligence a lot, whether warranted or not, but Sean, who is seen picking on the rest of the gang a fair amount, doesn't really bring up this as a thing with Arthur.

Instead, what Sean harps on, is Arthur having English heritage -- which arguably isn't even true. More importantly, it's something Arthur doesn't really care about, beyond being annoyed by Sean's insistence on bringing it up as often as he does. Which means it's a safe topic! Sean can tease Arthur about this and be sure it won't be taken harsher than what it is; light hearted.

I feel like that's the case with a majority of Sean's interactions in camp. He's trying to bring some light-heartedness and fun in, and he does that in the way he knows best, while toeing the line as best he can. I have thoughts in this regard because you do see him stepping back when he realizes he might have overstepped (like with Javier), as well as show some genuine disapproval in other interactions (usually when related back to his own heritage and home; failing to connect with Molly due to class differences, for example, or getting mad about how Colm's name is pronounced).

I think about how many camp interactions he has with Kieran a lot; they have a fair amount, and you can actually learn a fair amount about Kieran from Sean asking questions. The way their relationship evolves from Sean headbutting Kieran while drunk, to genuinely listening to him talk about his life and about Colm, is very interesting to me. Sean very clearly wants a connection; in the same way he very clearly wants a connection with Molly.

But it's not just about how he clearly wants to connect with anything and anyone who reminds him of home. It's also about how he interacts with everyone else in the gang. It's about a majority of his teasing usually not actually being that offensive. It's about Dutch yelling at Sean when he's not being the silly goofy camp clown.

I think I lost the plot at some point in here but I wanna end this with saying that I think Sean clearly is cast as this role in the gang that he has to navigate as best he can, and he's barely allowed to be seen beyond that role if you don't pay him attention. But he clearly cares, a lot, and it shows in how he chooses to fill that role. And I think it's a little sad that he's often reduced to the silly clown or stupid bully that he's expected to be, because I think there's more to his character worthy of exploration and discussion.

[sushisocks]

the idea that you have to pick one between macsummers and macjones is so wild to me. you fools. sean has two hands

lenny and karen are not fighting for his attention they are conspiring together to put him on a leash so he doesn't get lost and blows something up while unsupervised