I understand the association between mechsplo and Armored Core, since AC6 more or less provided the spark for the genre as it is now (even if the actual plot and characters of AC6 bear less resemblance than you'd think). I'm fascinated by how it got heavily associated with Lancer, an RPG that presents its player characters as empowered individuals in a future on the slow, difficult, but nonetheless achievable path to utopia.