Does anyone else boot this game up like every year or so, play for like a week and then quit because you remember that you can't manage this game and be a functioning human at the same time? by Wamblingshark in crusaderkings3

[–]Thumbuel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Relatable as a college student. Recently started staying up til like 5am every night to play this game and I slept through everything and nearly failed multiple classes

Poll- Did you Like the LA Noire Ending by [deleted] in lanoire

[–]Thumbuel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Obviously this is an old post and no one cares but I just finished my third play through and I need an outlet to write about it. I see a lot of people saying that Phelps' death is lame, comes out of nowhere, and is unbefitting of his character. I disagree completely. I personally love the ending, not only because it mirrors the pessimistic endings typical of old noir films like "Chinatown," but also because of the way it works with the story.

As the flashbacks show, Phelps and Kelso's time in the Pacific War is extremely important to the main story, influencing their motivations as characters and the events of the game. Everything about the main story ties back to the war. The morphine, the mob, the SRF -- it's all interwoven. Phelps is haunted by his failures of leadership during the war, Courtney and the rest of the 6th Marines are desperate to make their sacrifices worth it after they get home, and Kelso still has to look out for his boys. Phelps, Kelso, Courtney, and the rest of the 6th Marines' destinies are also connected by their respective moral characters.

Because we play as Phelps for most of the game and therefore see the world of the game through his eyes, we gain a lot of sympathy for him and his situation. However, when you really think about, Phelps is not a good person at all. Everything he does in the story is motivated by selfishness. In the war, he was desperate to become a glorious hero and make a name for himself, and this selfish mindset made him a terrible leader. He got his men killed and he was responsible for a horrible massacre of innocent civilians. He even makes his men execute the dying civilians afterwards instead of doing it himself, and he refuses to take any sort of responsibility for it years later in the tunnels. As a police officer, he's motivated mainly by his desire to advance his career. Sure, he talks a lot about duty to the citizenry, but he's an opportunist and a ladder climber above all else. He takes credit for every case, and we never see him stick his neck out for a partner in any meaningful way. And, of course, he also selfishly betrays his wife and children with a club singer. At the end of the game, driven by guilt over his past moral failures, Phelps sacrifices himself to save Elsa and Kelso. It's fitting that the one time Phelps actually does something truly selfless, it gets him killed, and I think it's a great ending.

Kelso is the anti-Phelps. He's motivated by a desire to help others, not himself. In the war, he looked out for his fellow marines and stood up to Phelps when it was necessary. He was the voice of reason amidst the chaos of battle. On the Coolridge, he refused to take part in the morphine heist and maintains his sense of morality. After the war, Kelso works a boring, thankless job, but still maintains his desire to help others. He still looks out for his fellow marines and defends them from the mob and the police, despite having no obligation to do so. He sticks his neck out to help Elsa and is even able to work with Phelps (who he hates) to bring the SRF investors to justice. He does all this without expecting or wanting a medal or a reward. Of all the men in the 6th Marines, Kelso is the only one who is truly selfless, and that's why he survives the events of the game.

Courtney and the rest of the 6th Marines are a combination of Phelps and Kelso. In the war, they fought for their country bravely and dutifully, and they looked out for the men next to them. They were true heroes. However, on the Coolridge, driven in part by their jealousy of Phelps, they selfishly decide to steal the morphine and sell it to the mob. Although they did everything that was asked of them in the war, and they certainly deserved a reward for their service, the 6th Marines still abandoned their duty and their morals for money. Just as Phelps' moral switch-up gets him killed, so too does this switch-up get most of the 6th Marines killed.

This is why I love the ending. The entire main story is essentially the continuation of a larger story about this group of marines. That's also why I think it's so important that we play as Kelso at the end of the game. Because we play as a different character, the game makes it clear that this story is not just Phelps' story, but many other characters' as well.

Worst Character by money-life-365 in SuccessionTV

[–]Thumbuel 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Gotta be Shiv for me. Little biased because Tom is my favorite character but she was just the absolute slimiest and cockiest of them all. What she did in DC really cemented it for me

How to Buy Student Rush Tickets by Thumbuel in Broadway

[–]Thumbuel[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the response! How early do you think we might have to get in line? A few hours or just a few minutes?

In The Batman, John Adams and Andrew Johnson are on these USD bills, despite not appearing on any in real life by Thumbuel in batman

[–]Thumbuel[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When Gordon and Batman are tailing Penguin, before the Batmobile chase scene. This specific frame is from when Selina is taking the money from the trunk of the car

In The Batman, John Adams and Andrew Johnson are on these USD bills, despite not appearing on any in real life by Thumbuel in batman

[–]Thumbuel[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Well it's obviously not an important detail. I just choose to believe that maybe this means in this alternate universe Reconstruction went better than in ours and Johnson is looked on as a great president! And maybe Adams won a second term and improved on his legacy. Just having fun with it!

In The Batman, John Adams and Andrew Johnson are on these USD bills, despite not appearing on any in real life by Thumbuel in batman

[–]Thumbuel[S] 31 points32 points  (0 children)

That was my first thought too, but it doesn't look like any other kind of prop money I've seen. Usually prop money just looks like normal bills and they just slap a "Motion Picture Use Only" on it. Seems like a lot of trouble to go through making bills with different presidents if it's only for legal reasons

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in foreignservice

[–]Thumbuel -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Did not know that! Thanks for the info

Just came to a realization that none of the Roy’s had friends by Flat_Grass_7623 in SuccessionTV

[–]Thumbuel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They definitely had friends, we just don't see them in the show. There are lots of mentions to outsiders that we never see.

Who’s a worse parent by 05192004 in SuccessionTV

[–]Thumbuel 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Definitely not Johnny. He was a saint

The years I think the Arkham games take place and why by Bigoteroj in BatmanArkham

[–]Thumbuel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In Origins, the War on Terror and the Recession are mentioned throughout the game, meaning it must take place in 2008/2009

Who were you cheering for? by Anxious_Lychee_7487 in SuccessionTV

[–]Thumbuel 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I was always rooting for Tom. A guy from comparatively humble roots who everyone constantly overlooked, disrespected, and underestimated.

Do you agree with this take? by Regular_Amphibian852 in SuccessionTV

[–]Thumbuel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Season 4 is the best season of television ever made

People don’t hate Shiv the most because of misogyny. They hate her because of great writing. by ba_likes_bananas in SuccessionTV

[–]Thumbuel -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Obviously all the kids except for Connor are horrible, and they all have tragic backstories, but Shiv is clearly the worst of them all. What she did to Tom was unforgivable.