a lot of what i'm pouring into this armored core work for zeal is about ambiguity and the feeling of oneself into this machine that can be endlessly customized but you never once see yourself. you are a name, an armored core, and the missions you choose, and everything beyond that is entirely up to you. as a Raven, you're indistinct in a way that is incredibly different from the silent protagonists of atlus RPGs who still have a visible body and face, or even the highly customizable personal self of bioware stuff or suchlike. being defined so loosely in armored core creates a certain kind of strength. that ambiguity is important.
and there's Raven #2, Valkyrie, in the ranks when you start the game.
"Thought to be a woman from the name of her AC, yet nothing certain is known. A top-ranking Raven."
a lot of the other ACs and their pilots are given reference to as "he", but Valkyrie is the only one that gets dual-classed as "feminine" but also "we don't honestly know, just like we know nothing about you"
who is valkyrie? you never get to find out. they are just as much a mystery to you as you are to them. you eventually fight them, and you either lose or win.
but after the fight, R., your handler of sorts, sends you an e-mail, explicitly refers to valkyrie, and their pilot, as "he". R. is speaking for Valkyrie, not Valkyrie speaking for Valkyrie. they take the ambiguity away, as well as their ability to speak for themselves. R. defines them for you.
