I have to think about this one carefully... (Radiant Historia)

[STRIKETHROUGH]he worked in a mine so he isn't allowed to be bisexual that's sexuality-izing miners[/STRIKETHROUGH]

Yeah, I don't know anyone who believes the artbook ages. I think most people peg him as 24-30ish, Rosch similarly, and Sonja as late twenties.

Marco's baby-face and Raynie's tsundere-ness mean people tend to pin them as a bit younger than Stocke, but... artbook, why would mercenaries hire 17-year-olds?

 

They were with the mercs for presumably some time and have been in Alistel for about a year, so it's actually "why would mercenaries hire 15-year-olds?" At a maximum.

 

Spoiler: Another reason Stocke is my favorite

When confronted with bullshit nihilism he goes "what the actual fuck is wrong with that guy" rather than just blandly accepting it.

edit: *SCREAMS ETERNALLY*

 

WELCOME TO THE END OF THE GAME. 888)))

 

I'm at the point of no return wrapping up a few dangling sidequests now and. Man. That little conversation with Lippti and Teo actually made me teary. ;_;

DYSFUNCTIONAL ROYALTY IS RIGHT, THO. I'm going to kick Heiss in every ball he has for trying to turn Stocke against Eruca. >:[

 

Spoiler

The fact that Stocke is as much of a mess as he is makes a whole lot of sense when you consider he's essentially spent the last ~5-6 years with an abusive parent(al figure) micromanaging his life and he didn't know. Also the fact that Rosch dies so much. 888)))

 

Spoiler

e.g., I don't know if you noticed because the bad end dialogue changes when the event does, but the mess with Rosch in SH was explicitly caused by Heiss. It wasn't just Eruca Heiss was trying to turn Stocke against.

 

I'm not sure if I did, but that makes sense... he has a vested interest in keeping Stocke isolated (except for a couple of handpicked companions he assumed would be more loyal to him than the guy actually out there busting his ass).

 

Yes, he does. Sure puts a different spin on "If I'm the sole survivor again..." and the fact that Stocke doesn't seem to have any real friends at the start of the game other than Rosch and Sonja, huh? 888)))

 

Ugh I'm so tired from this stupid cold but I only have two more bosses to defeat... I must persevere...

edit:

Spoiler: asldkjflkdjsf

Stocke asking Teo and Lippti to look after Eruca and Rosch :'(

They're the two that got knocked around the worst by the time shenanigans, aren't they? Rosch for sure with how often he died, but Eruca has a lot of trouble too. And they're arguably the ones he feels the most responsible for...

 

Spoiler: Ending reaction

I even feel a huge amount of sympathy for Heiss.

I had Stocke choose to record his name as Stocke. He hadn't been Ernst for quite some time, and there's no indication that he remembers, or will remember, his life as Ernst. He saved the world as Stocke.

 

Spoiler

Yeah, they're the two screwed over the most by bad endings, and it's entirely reasonable for Stocke to think they're the two most in need of looking after.

Poor Eruca's had a lifetime of abusive parental figures (I have trouble believing Victor was a good parent until Suddenly!he executed Ernst -- like, best case scenario is that he was just completely uninvolved in raising his kids) and is going to have to be queen and be forever under scrutiny and forever responsible for the lives and welfare of so many people. Plus she has to fix what Victor and Protea wrought with a seriously depleted treasury and, you know, restore order and trust in the government and everything. Plus she's already lost her beloved big brother.

Rosch is... look, Rosch was basically dating Sonja without realizing it and almost lost everything because he was afraid she wouldn't want to know he thought she was hot. He's horribly unlucky and dies more times than anyone else. Stocke's just lucky he didn't get any bad endings where Rosch died because he went sleepwalking of a cliff or something.

Meanwhile, Stocke probably figures that the rest of the party will be okay, on average:
- Gafka seems to be pretty self-sufficient and just kind of joined our party because it was convenient.
- Sonja's got a great career (or two) ahead of her, and can keep a cool head in a crisis, especially if she has someone to look after (ie, Rosch).
- Aht's young and has lots of good people looking out for her already; she'll grieve, but recover.
- Marco has multiple marketable skills and also is capable of plotting elaborate revenge, he'll be fine.
- Raynie, likewise, can still make a living -- and Stocke knows she can work a non-killing-people job, too, thanks to the AJE bad end. And she's got her moirail. [STRIKE]but Damnit Stocke you still need to talk to her[/STRIKE]

 

Spoiler

*passes you a kleenex box* Welcome to the fandom. You should be aware that our main activities are making fun of Stocke's belts and making each other cry more.

 

GOOD. I'm a fan of Dorianmance and Solasmance and the suffering of Homestuck Act 5. I feed off of pain.

(Also, could you clarify what your spoiler #2 was from the last page? I still can't quite work it out.)

 

Eruca is second-place in the death tally after Rosch.

Spoiler

Not surprising, since from Darth Homura's perspective she's an active threat to his darling nephew's life.

rh.jpg >:::333

Spoiler

It's that he never says anything to her before he heads to his death in the ending. While I am perpetually offended that he didn't get buried in hugs during that scene from multiple people, sidequest flags or no. (Even if Rosch and Eruca restrained themselves, you can't convince me Aht wouldn't tackle his legs and not let go for like. Ten minutes, minimum.)

 

Re: spoiler - OOOH RIGHT. Yeah that is... what the fuck, Stocke.

Spoiler: re: hugs

I KNOW RIGHT??? They would have to pry Aht off of him for him to be able to go at all. And I will take all of Rosch's Manful Emotional Yelling as basically being a hug. In my headcanon version of that scene, though, he also had to be pried off.

 

Spoiler: more hugs

In my headcanon version of the scene, Eruca broke down crying at the start and that five-minute hug had to happen before the dialogue could continue.

 

She clearly misses her brother so much.

Also, I'm glad I'm finally in the know as to who you mean when you mention Darth Homura. 8)

 

Yes. I keep meaning to write postcanon fic about that.

Spoiler

And the fact that there are some very important ways in which Stocke isn't Ernst, and how he wouldn't be the same person she wants back even if those memories magically returned, and how they both deal with that.

Unfortunately, Writing Is Hard (TM).

Re: Darth Homura: jikanet-tanaka came up with it, and it's my favorite nickname ever. Not sure if she's still got a picture of Homura with Darth Vader's mask as her AO3 avatar, but she had it on there and Tumblr too for a while.

 

I am too sick to write meta (i.e. sperg out with great intensity) so I'm reading an LP of the game because of course I am and HAHA WOW does a lot of Very Telling stuff pop out from the getgo:

Spoiler

Heiss: Stocke, my boy! Can't you at least act a little happier? Or does it hurt too much to give so much as a smile?
Stocke: No... That's just how I am. You should know me by now.
Heiss: ...
Heiss: Ah well... As long as you have your health.

You're never getting that smiling, cheerful nephew back, Heiss. You helped MURDER HIM.

Also, Lippti and Teo telling Stocke to keep the Chronicle a secret from everyone was a BRILLIANT move in retrospect.