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Ralsei is order, Susie is chaos
a month ago
In keeping with Toby's recurring themes of duality, it could be said that Ralsei represents the positive and negative aspects of "order" while Susie represents the positive and negative aspects of "chaos." Normal people can't comprehend how order can be negative or how chaos can be positive. First, let's explore why we need both order AND chaos in the first place. We need order because we share the world with each other. Order needs to be based on justice and fairness, otherwise it's meaningless. [cue 'Spear of Justice' riff] But we also need the element of chaos, in the proper proportion, to foster innovation and give us freedom. When either of these is out of proportion, it promotes the reign of either of the dual Leviathans: tyranny (too much order) and criminality (too much chaos). This is consistent with the philosophy of Taoism. "Good" is what happens when yin and yang are in balance. "Evil" is what happens when they're out of balance. Too much yin and you get Nurse Ratched from 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'. Too much yang and you get Sergeant Barnes from 'Platoon' (who I'm guilty of paraphrasing on a semi-regular basis, but only because Tom Berenger is friggin' awesome).
Most people believe that they lean more in one direction or the other, but if you know what traits to look for, you can see the yin within yang and vice-versa (pronounced "VEE-kay VER-suh" in Classical Latin). I often cite The Dude and Walter Sobchak from 'The Big Lebowski' as examples of this principle. The Dude represents yin. Walter represents yang. The Dude is passive. Walter is active. The Dude accepts the entropy that occurs around him. Walter is always trying to "fix" things (and usually fails, but let's give him credit for at least taking initiative). The Dude has lukewarm opinions on the distinction between right and wrong. Walter makes clear distinctions between right and wrong. We could also use Vash and Wolfwood from both versions of Trigun to represent the same thing, but with a few tweaks, since both Vash and Wolfwood have very hot-blooded views on right and wrong, love and peace. In the case of The Dude versus Walter, I tend to identify more with Walter. In the case of Vash versus Wolfwood, I tend to identify a bit more with Wolfwood (philosophically, that is). I can relate to Vash socially, though. He reminds me of Weird Al or '90s Jim Carrey in a lot of ways. But now I'm going off on a tangent.
Focus, Herb! Alright. What am I getting at? I could phrase it like this (and I'm not the first to point this out since TV Tropes has an entire article on this principle): People who project their order-driven yang side outwardly often have a turbulent, chaotic, but also empathic yin side that lives inside them. This is why Walter is a grizzly bear on the outside but a teddy bear on the inside. Susie is wired the same way. Vincent Hanna (played by Al Pacino) from 'Heat' is also like this. There's a scene where he tries to explain to his wife why he needs the anxiety that boils within him. I forget exactly how he phrases it, but it makes perfect sense. In the commentary, he's described as a safari hunter. In D&D terms, he's Lawful Good, and just like Undertale's version of Undyne, he could be described as "Chaotic Lawful Good." I wish I'd been the first to coin that term. Susie starts out Chaotic Neutral, but she becomes more and more Chaotic Good, but we also start to see that she has principles that could be classified as Lawful Good, so it's possible that she's becoming Neutral Good with Chaotic tendencies.
How about Ralsei and the concept of order he represents? First, the positive. Fairly obvious. Of course, this type of person is a pillar of civilization which nobody can deny. But what about the negative aspect? Just as too much order leads to tyranny, too much "altruism" leads to self-destruction and what Orwell called "death worship." Not saying Ralsei would ever become a Jim Jones or Pol Pot type of figure, but without Susie's chaotic influence to liberate his mind, he might have become something resembling a Puritan. As a paragon of order, he represents the Right-Hand Path. And as a Conan type of figure, Susie represents the Left-Hand Path. Their dynamic, the way they play off each other and learn from each other, is some of the best character writing of all time! Also, it's interesting that a Lightner represents chaos while a Darkner represents order. I never got into Homestuck, but I'm pretty sure there are parallels with Derse and Prospit.
And how about Ralsei as a butler? In pop culture, butlers are assumed to be doormats, but the reality is way different. Butlers are actually highly respected "trustees" with a lot of responsibility (some of them make six figures a year). In some ways, they're comparable to warrant officers in the way they delegate and coordinate responsibilities with others, plus they're trusted with highly sensitive information. Ralsei isn't the type who'd naturally "assert himself" as Plankton would say, but as a butler, he'd have to be able to not only take orders but also give them with confidence, always mindful of everyone's morale. Ah, but Ralsei never thinks to invoke his authoritah. Technically, he would've outranked Tasque Manager. Might've been interested to see how things might've gone differently if the player could convince him to "assert himself." Plus, it would give him another reason to cosplay as James Bond (or Walter Dornez if you prefer).
Wow! This turned into an essay! Can't guarantee that I won't write another one.
Most people believe that they lean more in one direction or the other, but if you know what traits to look for, you can see the yin within yang and vice-versa (pronounced "VEE-kay VER-suh" in Classical Latin). I often cite The Dude and Walter Sobchak from 'The Big Lebowski' as examples of this principle. The Dude represents yin. Walter represents yang. The Dude is passive. Walter is active. The Dude accepts the entropy that occurs around him. Walter is always trying to "fix" things (and usually fails, but let's give him credit for at least taking initiative). The Dude has lukewarm opinions on the distinction between right and wrong. Walter makes clear distinctions between right and wrong. We could also use Vash and Wolfwood from both versions of Trigun to represent the same thing, but with a few tweaks, since both Vash and Wolfwood have very hot-blooded views on right and wrong, love and peace. In the case of The Dude versus Walter, I tend to identify more with Walter. In the case of Vash versus Wolfwood, I tend to identify a bit more with Wolfwood (philosophically, that is). I can relate to Vash socially, though. He reminds me of Weird Al or '90s Jim Carrey in a lot of ways. But now I'm going off on a tangent.
Focus, Herb! Alright. What am I getting at? I could phrase it like this (and I'm not the first to point this out since TV Tropes has an entire article on this principle): People who project their order-driven yang side outwardly often have a turbulent, chaotic, but also empathic yin side that lives inside them. This is why Walter is a grizzly bear on the outside but a teddy bear on the inside. Susie is wired the same way. Vincent Hanna (played by Al Pacino) from 'Heat' is also like this. There's a scene where he tries to explain to his wife why he needs the anxiety that boils within him. I forget exactly how he phrases it, but it makes perfect sense. In the commentary, he's described as a safari hunter. In D&D terms, he's Lawful Good, and just like Undertale's version of Undyne, he could be described as "Chaotic Lawful Good." I wish I'd been the first to coin that term. Susie starts out Chaotic Neutral, but she becomes more and more Chaotic Good, but we also start to see that she has principles that could be classified as Lawful Good, so it's possible that she's becoming Neutral Good with Chaotic tendencies.
How about Ralsei and the concept of order he represents? First, the positive. Fairly obvious. Of course, this type of person is a pillar of civilization which nobody can deny. But what about the negative aspect? Just as too much order leads to tyranny, too much "altruism" leads to self-destruction and what Orwell called "death worship." Not saying Ralsei would ever become a Jim Jones or Pol Pot type of figure, but without Susie's chaotic influence to liberate his mind, he might have become something resembling a Puritan. As a paragon of order, he represents the Right-Hand Path. And as a Conan type of figure, Susie represents the Left-Hand Path. Their dynamic, the way they play off each other and learn from each other, is some of the best character writing of all time! Also, it's interesting that a Lightner represents chaos while a Darkner represents order. I never got into Homestuck, but I'm pretty sure there are parallels with Derse and Prospit.
And how about Ralsei as a butler? In pop culture, butlers are assumed to be doormats, but the reality is way different. Butlers are actually highly respected "trustees" with a lot of responsibility (some of them make six figures a year). In some ways, they're comparable to warrant officers in the way they delegate and coordinate responsibilities with others, plus they're trusted with highly sensitive information. Ralsei isn't the type who'd naturally "assert himself" as Plankton would say, but as a butler, he'd have to be able to not only take orders but also give them with confidence, always mindful of everyone's morale. Ah, but Ralsei never thinks to invoke his authoritah. Technically, he would've outranked Tasque Manager. Might've been interested to see how things might've gone differently if the player could convince him to "assert himself." Plus, it would give him another reason to cosplay as James Bond (or Walter Dornez if you prefer).
Wow! This turned into an essay! Can't guarantee that I won't write another one.
