And All The Storms You've Been Chasing.

[rionaleonhart]

I have now completed Red Dead Redemption!



I was spoiled for Marston's eventual fate, and so I was most distressed when I rode to the mission-starting place and what I knew to be the name of the final main-game mission came up on the screen. NO NO I'M NOT READY.

John Marston, you are my very favourite ex-gang member with a heart of gold. It has been a pleasure to control your every move.

(And Bonnie definitely had a bit of a crush on him, bless her. I wonder how she reacted when she found out what had happened? I like to think that she and Abigail had tea together frequently over the next few years.)

Oh, just looking at my icon is making me sad. Marston!


I wasn't very enthusiastic about playing as Jack Marston in the aftermath, but I decided to give him a chance; it wasn't fair to dismiss him purely on 'I LOVED JOHN; YOU ARE NOT JOHN' grounds. No, I was going to play for a bit, see how he—

and then I spurred my horse and Jack shouted, 'WORK, YOU DAMN NAG,' and I was so shocked I stopped spurring immediately and tried to spur as little as possible from then on.

Jack Marston. That horse is a fine and noble animal. It served your father extremely well. It carried him away from perilous situations more times than you can count. It always came when he whistled for it, and it extends that same loyalty to you. How dare you?

I will confess that I smiled when he said 'No wonder I've got problems' whilst looting a dead body. BUT STILL: when I next want to wander the beautiful world of Red Dead Redemption, I'll start a new game. I don't want to play as someone who's going to be rude to my beloved Kentucky Saddler. Your father knew to respect his horses, Jack. He was also much hotter than you.



Red Dead Redemption really is the best videogame I've played in a very long time. Possibly a contender with Ōkami for the title of my favourite videogame ever, in fact. That world. That gorgeous, gorgeous world. It's strangely relaxing just to ride around, looking at things and not doing anything in particular.

Well, it's relaxing until a cougar tries to eat you, at any rate.

Comments

[bubbles-san.livejournal.com]

Clearly Jack needs a few lessons on the magic of friendship with horses.

I may need to waylay someone who has this title; you make it sound awesome.

[rionaleonhart]

He really does. Although that would be an astonishingly depressing episode of Friendship is Magic.

I highly encourage trying the game out if you get the chance! It's so beautifully made. And I bet you'd like Bonnie MacFarlane.

[bubbles-san.livejournal.com]

I suspect it would. I'm sure the ponies would object to his treatment of them and calling them nags.

Unfortunately I only don't have a Playstation (I'm an XBox girl), so I'll also have to waylay someone who has a Playstation.

[rionaleonhart]

I'm trying to imagine Rarity's reaction to being called a nag. Not a good move, Jack. Still, maybe some time in Ponyville will teach you that, even if bad things have happened in your life, there's no excuse for taking it out on your equine friends. And then you can tell Princess Celestia about it.

Red Dead Redemption is available for the XBox 360, if you have that!

[bubbles-san.livejournal.com]

OH WELL IMAGINE THAT! I shall speak with my mother about getting it for me for Christmas, if I can find somewhere as has it cheap. Or possibly I'll just get it before then, never know.

She would be furious. (I thought about it long and hard for a long time, and finally came to the conclusion that Rarity and Applejack are my favorite ponies-who-aren't-Big-Macintosh.)

[thewaterbandit.livejournal.com]

I wish I could 'like' this post! Red Dead Redemption is a gem of a game, and you've summed up why perfectly.

John is waaay hotter than Jack, I was so disappointed. Genetics made a mistake somewhere along the line :(

[rionaleonhart]

John is waaay hotter than Jack, I was so disappointed. Genetics made a mistake somewhere along the line :(

I keep coming back to this comment just to read this line. IT AMUSES ME SO MUCH AND I DON'T KNOW WHY. And it's so true! How did it go so wrong?

[amy-wolf.livejournal.com]

and then I spurred my horse and Jack shouted, 'WORK, YOU DAMN NAG,' and I was so shocked I stopped spurring immediately and tried to spur as little as possible from then on.

Jack Marston. That horse is a fine and noble animal. It served your father extremely well. It carried him away from perilous situations more times than you can count. It always came when he whistled for it, and it extends that same loyalty to you. How dare you?

I suspect I would have had much the same reaction. There is a lot of moral ambiguity and dark stuff I can put up with, but being pointlessly mean to a horse? I've had horses step on my actual foot and I was still nicer than that (well, just the one horse, and he moved quite politely after I gave him a nudge).

[bubbles-san.livejournal.com]

I've had multiple horses step on my feet, and one slammed me into the rabbit hutch one time with his butt. And I would still never be pointlessly mean to him.

[amy-wolf.livejournal.com]

Exactly! Which is why you should be the successor to John Marston, not Jack!

[bubbles-san.livejournal.com]

...but he gets eaten by cougars repeatedly. I disn't want to be eaten by cougars. :/

[amy-wolf.livejournal.com]

Not even if you get extra lives?

[bubbles-san.livejournal.com]

It sounds like it's all like, painful and scary and stuff.

[amy-wolf.livejournal.com]

True, it would probably hurt. (I've never been eaten by a cougar, so I wouldn't know.)

[bubbles-san.livejournal.com]

It's mostly speculation, but it's an educated guess.

By the way, I finished that My Little Thestral fic maybe. Would you like to look at the first draft and see if it's any good?

[amy-wolf.livejournal.com]

Although if being eaten by a cougar is the best experience ever, you're going to feel quite silly.

Maybe this weekend when I have less studying?

[bubbles-san.livejournal.com]

I think I'll risk it.

That's fine, I can pm it to you now so you can look at your leisure or I can wait till you have time, either's good.

[amy-wolf.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I don't think it's any great loss to go through life never realizing that you're secretly into vore.

Sure. I probably will be able to look at it this weekend.

[bubbles-san.livejournal.com]

Also I've JUST realized how many innuendos I let slip by me in this conversation. DAMMIT.

I'll pop it over to you later, then, just have a look when you get a chance.

[amy-wolf.livejournal.com]

I was wondering about that!

Cool.

[bubbles-san.livejournal.com]

You pretty much just handed them to me on a silver platter, but I completely missed them. D: In my defense, I'm doing several things at once here.

[rionaleonhart]

There is just no excuse for such conduct. That horse carried you all the way to Mexico to help you avenge your father, Jack! It came when you called! Have some respect!

As we were talking about Red Dead Redemption glitches a while ago, a weird one I ran into post-final mission: a woman by the side of the road said her wagon had broken down and asked whether I could transport her to the next settlement, so I helped her up onto my horse and rode her to the city of Blackwater. On missions like this, you usually get attacked by bandits, but Blackwater was very nearby and the bandits won't follow you into settlements, so by the time the 'protect the traveller from bandits' message came up I had already reached the city and no bandits actually appeared. I rode her to the port where she wanted to go, we both climbed off the horse and there was a short cutscene in which she thanked me and gave me a hug.

AND THEN EVERYONE IN BLACKWATER WAS A BANDIT AND I WAS IMMEDIATELY KILLED TO DEATH.

[amy-wolf.livejournal.com]

The horse deserves better than Jack!

Are you sure that's a glitch, not a smartassed programmer deliberately trying to annoy you?

[bubbles-san.livejournal.com]

"Would you please give me a ride to this city and protect me from bandits on the way?"
"Sure!"

WELCOME TO BLACKWATER: BANDIT CAPITAL OF THE WEST

"Sorry lady, you're on your own."

[phoenixstorm.livejournal.com]

Jack clearly has issues with animals and enjoys violence against them. Have you heard him say "Can I take your coat, ma'am?" as he skins animals? That's messed up.

My horse, my beloved horse survived the majority of the game, and then after roping a bounty I made a mad sprint to the jail (decided I couldn't be bothered dealing with the chasing bandits that day) and just as Jack's handing the guy over my horse just drops dead. For no reason. There are no bandits anywhere in the vicinity. GAME SAVES. I have always blamed Jack for that. Clearly he wasn't looking after Jersey properly. >=(

Bonnie's crush on John was the sweetest and saddest thing, and thankfully I wasn't spoiled for the ending. I remember seeing those men charging at the ranch at the start of the mission and being hit with this sudden realisation: "Oh god. They're going to kill John." It was almost like a smack to the face. THOSE BASTARDS!