How Rusty Rose Could Be Darker: Analysis Of A Rusted Rose
Alright, so I really want to talk about how the very concept of Rusty Rose could be even more messed up. So here's a post on our robotic queen <3
So you guys are wondering, how can the concept of one of the sweetest Sonic characters becoming nothing more than a robot of destruction, used for 5 dictators' purposes be darker than it already is?
Well, what if I presented the ideas of both lobotomy and body removal, not to mention the mental issues that Rusty has? Yep, we're going to explore that!
First let's speak about body removal, the easier one. Let's take a look at Rusty's design, shall we?
She has no real body parts save for her head, and only by a little. Her arms and legs have clearly been removed as well as the rest of her body, including her organs, which is horrifying. Even her hair is nothing more than a helmet.
This makes you think, well not ALL of her organs are removed, I mean she still has a heart right?
Well...
Yeah, It's not pleasant. She has a flicky in place of a heart which is horrifying, both for the implications that the flicky is being used as an energy source, and that Rusty shows no attachment to it. The only thing that has been saved is a side of her face. The rest of her is nothing but Robo limbs. It's seen in the pirate episodes that Rusty is also waterproof. And in the first two episodes, it's shown she's fireproof.
In fact, she doesn't even have her other eye, it's just a red dot now. Not to mention her emerald eye, her real eye, looks robotic as well.
Rusty isn't human anymore. She lost that to the Council, who use her as a tool. Which makes me all the more curious about what the hell happened to make Rusty this way? What made her decide to damage herself to become a killer cyborg?
We probably won't find out until season 2, so I'm just going to go on to my next point.
Lobotomy.
Now I know some of you are saying that what Rusty does is in code, but wouldn't they have to get to her brain in order to do that? Not to mention, Rusty can be programmed to change sides without question. And when that happens her red dot turns to yellow, which is probably just because Nine was the one in control with his signature color of yellow.
Rusty doesn't act like the Amy we know, she's cold, apathetic, and robotic. But Rusty shows emotions, but it's just barely expressed. Most of the time she has a stoic frown on her face.
The effects of lobotomy are a change in the subject's personality, emotions, empathy, and ability to function on their own. However, a long-term side effect is a mental dullness.
Lobotomy is a process where the subjects (I'm never saying patient to such a horrible thing) have neural connections between the frontal lobe, a part of the brain that controls the person's memory, emotions, and problem-solving skills severed by a sharp surgical tool.
I think the process Rusty went through was the Transorbital Lobotomy, which is where the process done through the person's eye sockets. Something must've gone wrong or something because her left eye is no longer there. So they replaced it with the grate and dot, which could be something planted inside Rusty's eyesocket (Yeah I know, I'm getting squirmish too).
The effects of transorbital lobotomy (which is used to eliminate excess emotion and stabilize a personality, which the Council might've used to remove any strong emotions) can cause the subject to be childlike and less prone to worry.
Now I know some of you might be saying that Rusty isn't childish, not really, but Rusty's needs to look to others for orders and random bouts of emotions evoke a childlike feel to her. Like she's a child looking to adults for guidance.
This brings me to my last point in this post; Rusty's complex issue.
When it's looked into more, Rusty doesn't seem to serve on the council because she just wants to, it's probably to feel validated or appreciated. Instead of giving herself validation and accepting herself, she undergoes robotic implants and lobotomy to please a group of dictators.
Rusty doesn't love herself.
And when she probably realized earlier her mistake, she gives up on fighting it, instilling a dull and emotionally suppressed mindset (not that it wasn't already). But then Nine programs her to fight for the Rebels, and we see that Rusty's more expressive, more lively than she was.
She expresses herself more because she's not alone anymore.
Then Nine abandons her and the Rebels, and we see this.
When Nine abandons them, Rusty doesn't show shock or surprise; she shows tired disappointment, not at Nine, in fact, she seems to accept his betrayal. In the first picture, her self-disappointment is on full display, she's saddened at the fact that Nine didn't think of her as good enough and left her.
The second picture has her looking down, still sad, still loathing herself.
Then the last one has her finally break into tears, not just at the betrayal, but at her self-thought failure to be useful. She looks angry at herself.
Knuckles is furious, and Rouge is hurt, but Rusty is the one that truly breaks down at that moment. Knuckles and Rouge escape, and we see Rusty. Her sadness was suddenly gone, a small smile on her face.
It's relieved in a way. It shows what Rusty truly thinks. She doesn't want the city to be a punk-dystopian city, she regrets her choice to join the Council, and she wants freedom like the others. But then this happens.
She gets reprogrammed to the Council, and her thoughts are overridden by code and she serves the Council once more. She doesn't look too happy about it either.
Then we'll skip to episode 6, with Nine getting captured. When Mister Dr. Eggman announces that Nine has been captured we see a brief look of some sort of sadness on Rusty.
Only for it to harden.
Rusty didn't seem happy when the fox she worked under briefly got caught, there's a sense of sadness. Only for it to be squashed down into cold aloofness. She goes back under the Council's plan.
Then in the pirate episode, Rusty sees Black Rose, and both are understandably shocked. Rusty glitches out and refuses to bomb the rest of the ship. Her face as she calls for the robots to stop and her voice both sound panicked.
She doesn't seem to want to hurt Black Rose for some reason. A reason we'll find out in season 2. Hopefully Black Rose'll make her find peace with herself.
Anyway, this was just another messed up theory, and thank you for reading it! I hope you liked it, and I'll see ya when I come up with another crazy theory.