Choice of Rebels - an extremely spoilery analysis/squee
Wednesday, 6 June 2018 10:04![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lea_hazelThere's a lot I could squee about, but I think by now it's obvious which part of the story I'm most invested in.
So, Breden. Right.
In my mind Breden is a little fixed as a she because I had them as a female character in my first two playthroughs (including Reynard's game, where I both romanced Breden and replayed every chapter but the first three times). As such I'll be referring to Breden as "she" throughout.
The big debate among most fans is whether or not Breden is a Kryptast, obviously. While I remain open to all possibilities until the sequel is in my hands, on the whole I proceed under the assumption that she is. For one thing, the very first thing we learn about Breden is how unlike every other helot she is. There's a parsimonious explanation for why that is. It's not the only possible explanation, for sure, but given a lot of other factors, it's a plausible one. Her recent arrival in the rim as a stranger with no family connections, her unreasonable reaction to being less than 100% trusted, even her attractiveness and natural charisma are a factor.
So I choose to base my interpretation of Breden predicated on the idea that she is a Kryptast agent provocateur whose job it is to flush out dormant dissidents. Alternatively, she is possibly involved with a subset of the Hegemonic authorities or the Kryptasts themselves. So far in the story we've been restricted to the rim, but despite the Karagond desire to appear perfectly hegemonic, it seems inevitable that there would be factions within the structures of power too. Or maybe I'm just influenced by having recently read and enjoyed the Imperial Radch trilogy. So I assume that Breden is more than she appears, possibly twice over -- not just an agent, but an agent for a less than obvious master.
I also assume that it's possible for her to become partially or wholly assimilated within her role as a rebel helot. And that the friendship or possibly romance with the MC is a factor in that. This, at least partly because of that one scene that provides more compelling evidence than anything that she's a spy, the Kryptast sleeper agent code phrase. While it can still function as part of a larger Kryptast plot to subvert the MC and plant them back in their own rebellion, there is also the possibility that it's Breden simply trying to save someone she cares about, even against orders. Because there's no way, if she's a spy, that she's meant to tip her hand so dangerously. And because it's a classic storyline and leaving it out would seem practically negligent.
The ambiguity inherent to that scene and its subtext is probably my favorite thing overall. You can, at this point, still accuse her of being a spy, and she will still react just as sensitively to it. I actually had an iteration of Reynard's playthrough where she dumped him over that (and immediately after Kalt pounced on him, and then threw a tantrum when he rejected him). If you give the most supportive response, though, the subtext of it practically acknowledges that she's a spy. Practically, but not quite. What I derive from that is, that as they enter the xaos lands, Breden and Reynard exist in a fragile balance where they both know, but they can't acknowledge it directly. Breden basically knows that Reynard is taking an enormous risk on her, on their love and their marriage, and she knows he's not doing it out of total ignorance.
So the shit is definitely gonna hit the fan at some point. I hope a big chunk of game 2 takes place in the xaos lands, because for so long as they're cut off from the Hegemony and her masters, the dynamic of the relationship totally changes. If they had to face up to the Kryptasts immediately after the big summer battle, they'd be doomed. As it is, I have a fragile hope that they might manage to maintain that delicate balance a little longer.
So, Breden. Right.
In my mind Breden is a little fixed as a she because I had them as a female character in my first two playthroughs (including Reynard's game, where I both romanced Breden and replayed every chapter but the first three times). As such I'll be referring to Breden as "she" throughout.
The big debate among most fans is whether or not Breden is a Kryptast, obviously. While I remain open to all possibilities until the sequel is in my hands, on the whole I proceed under the assumption that she is. For one thing, the very first thing we learn about Breden is how unlike every other helot she is. There's a parsimonious explanation for why that is. It's not the only possible explanation, for sure, but given a lot of other factors, it's a plausible one. Her recent arrival in the rim as a stranger with no family connections, her unreasonable reaction to being less than 100% trusted, even her attractiveness and natural charisma are a factor.
So I choose to base my interpretation of Breden predicated on the idea that she is a Kryptast agent provocateur whose job it is to flush out dormant dissidents. Alternatively, she is possibly involved with a subset of the Hegemonic authorities or the Kryptasts themselves. So far in the story we've been restricted to the rim, but despite the Karagond desire to appear perfectly hegemonic, it seems inevitable that there would be factions within the structures of power too. Or maybe I'm just influenced by having recently read and enjoyed the Imperial Radch trilogy. So I assume that Breden is more than she appears, possibly twice over -- not just an agent, but an agent for a less than obvious master.
I also assume that it's possible for her to become partially or wholly assimilated within her role as a rebel helot. And that the friendship or possibly romance with the MC is a factor in that. This, at least partly because of that one scene that provides more compelling evidence than anything that she's a spy, the Kryptast sleeper agent code phrase. While it can still function as part of a larger Kryptast plot to subvert the MC and plant them back in their own rebellion, there is also the possibility that it's Breden simply trying to save someone she cares about, even against orders. Because there's no way, if she's a spy, that she's meant to tip her hand so dangerously. And because it's a classic storyline and leaving it out would seem practically negligent.
The ambiguity inherent to that scene and its subtext is probably my favorite thing overall. You can, at this point, still accuse her of being a spy, and she will still react just as sensitively to it. I actually had an iteration of Reynard's playthrough where she dumped him over that (and immediately after Kalt pounced on him, and then threw a tantrum when he rejected him). If you give the most supportive response, though, the subtext of it practically acknowledges that she's a spy. Practically, but not quite. What I derive from that is, that as they enter the xaos lands, Breden and Reynard exist in a fragile balance where they both know, but they can't acknowledge it directly. Breden basically knows that Reynard is taking an enormous risk on her, on their love and their marriage, and she knows he's not doing it out of total ignorance.
So the shit is definitely gonna hit the fan at some point. I hope a big chunk of game 2 takes place in the xaos lands, because for so long as they're cut off from the Hegemony and her masters, the dynamic of the relationship totally changes. If they had to face up to the Kryptasts immediately after the big summer battle, they'd be doomed. As it is, I have a fragile hope that they might manage to maintain that delicate balance a little longer.
