Revelations from Patch 7.2: Seekers of Eternity

[Rosenstrauch]

Arcadion spoilers ahead. tl;dr: I liked almost all of it, but have an issue that's left me dreading the final act.

So, first thing's first. Yaana and Neyuni are very much the MVPs of this storyline. I love this proactive, bighearted woman and her clever, resourceful little sister. I'm also pretty happy to see Honey B. Lovely again. It would've been easy to just say they tested her offscreen, but giving her a minor role in this second act was very nice.

Brute Bomber being a cat lover and a bit of a softie was a nice addition to his character. As was his being a company man at heart, and the tragedy that ensued from his loyalty to the President was heart-wrenching. The themes of youth exploitation in the entertainment industry are very strong here, and as much as it sucks to lose a good character to death, it was refreshing to see they didn't pull any punches with him. Having said that, I really wouldn't mind a third act twist revealing he wasn't dead—so long as it's not his corpse being used for a third fight, I mean. Which isn't impossible, thanks to what we've learned in Origenics.

Speaking of which, Origenics research being the source of Neyuni's miracle cure, or at least a big breadcumb to it, was a really good idea. I would've thrown in something about Yuweyawata Field Station, but that'd require MSQ Progression to be mandatory, which they are notably averse to.

Dancing Green and Sugar Riot were both fun fights—really, all the fights were fun—and I wasn't terribly surprised by the resolution of their characters. I wasn't expecting anyone except Yaana and Eutrope to remain active members of the cast, so I'm not disappointed that they got in and out as relatively flat, but interesting and likeable personalities.

Circling back to the returning characters, like I said, I felt that Honey B. Lovely and Brute Bomber were handled very well this time around, and Yaana soared! But Eutrope...

I should backspace a bit, and talk about Howling Blade/Retsarra. His introduction was well done. His affable demeanor, detachment from his personal relationships, and commitment to fighting even as it's killing him made for a pretty good final boss for the second act. That his character development came at the cost of his friend's life sucks, of course. But like I said, I'm glad they didn't pull any punches there.

Sorry, I lied a bit. His character development didn't come from that. It came from Eutrope.

So, here's the thing. I don't terribly mind that he's her ex boyfriend. It's annoying that with the sole exception of a gag duo from back in A Realm Reborn, every romantic couple in this game is strictly heteronormative—front facing, active men with supportive women standing behind them. The couples where this dynamic is reversed are notedly platonic, and any other dynamic seems verboten. But simply having an ex boyfriend, and possibly even breaking up with him over his aforementioned flaws, doesn't bother me.

What bothers me is that this relationship has been pushed to the forefront of her characterization, in a way that eclipses the rest of her motivation. That motivation is still there, thankfully. She still wants to get her life back. She still wants to protect her sisters. She still wants revenge on the President, and still wants to save the other fighters from psychonekrosis. But all of that feels like it's pushed aside the moment Yaana snaps at Retsarra. Added to this is the fact that Eutrope spends the final part of this act unconscious and bedridden, before the plot reveals she's also been kidnapped. So now she's Snow White—a damsel in distress and a coma, waiting for her Prince Charming.

And I really, really hate that. It feels like both Brute Bomber and Eutrope were done dirty in execution, and I've come to resent Retsarra a little because of it. I hope they don't commit to putting her back into a relationship with him, and I especially hope she gets her agency back before the final act is concluded eight months from now.

Having said all that, I'm thankful I went back over my screenshots, because stewing in my initial reaction took that problem and inflated it to an obscene degree. I'd allowed myself to overlook the preservation of Eutrope's complex motivations because the trite "She's doing it for Retsarra!" explanation was highlighted twice by Yaana, the second time even being the final word. As such, that initial reaction was quite a lot worse—it felt as if they'd thrown away the heroic desperation of Give it All in favor of "I'll murder the WoL and die so my man can spend a few more years Fight Clubbing", which would've been straight up character assassination.

Also, lastly: You will note that not once have I referred to Brute Bomber by his real name. To be frank, it's entirely because I'm left scratching my head about it. "Hector" is an Anglican/Greek name, which fits neither the naming conventions of the Alexandrians nor any Turali culture. I looked up "Hectorine" to see if it was some obscure mineral or whatever, but all I could find was a Californian "soft rock" group.

EDIT: While brainstorming fic ideas, I came to the realization that I really, really need the lyrics to Cruiserweight Match 3. Spoiler-thoughts below:

Why did Brute Bomber use multiple feral souls, but not his old reliable Bomb King? Why'd he pick a location that's not only outside the Arcadion, but on another level of Everkeep entirely? And why was one of his cats there?

Feeling like a bit of a conspiracy git here, but I'm starting to get the feeling his fight wasn't out of loyalty to the President. I think he was trying to prove something the only way he knew how—even if it meant dying. Furthermore, I think the reason Retsarra was able to show up in such a timely fashion is because he came with his friend—and Bomber had brought his cats along.