Delta time!
I have Lucki check out her room, where I find she still has only two adventure rules in her journal and all that. I head downstairs.
Hm? says Norman. Why, if it isn’t Lucki!
Yeah I kind of live here, asshole. Also, I was upstairs, so I must have been already here when you arrived.
It’s been some time since I last saw you, but you look…stronger, somehow. That’s the impression I get. But your old man hasn’t given up yet! Oh, and before I forget… I was thinking of giving these to you.
And yup, he gives me both tickets, because his wife isn’t allowed outside of the house without him.
They’re tickets to the star show that’s being held at the Mossdeep Space Center. I was really planning to go with your mom, but…
Sure you were.
It looks like I’ve got to rush back to the Gym in Petalburg. Oh! Hmm. You know, it is a pair of tickets…
So Mom could still go.
Why don’t you invite that Brendan boy from next door to come along?
arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg
Now I’d better be heading back to the Gym. He turns to Lucki’s mom. Thanks for looking after the house while I’m away, dear.
She says, Of course, dear. You have a safe trip, and he leaves.
God, this is depressing.
I suppose the game designers could have always meant for your mom to be trapped in the lifeless house doing nothing but wiping down the spotless counters all day, but you could assume she left and did other things and had a life of her own as well because there was nothing saying otherwise and there’s no reason for her to be there all day when there’s no one else to cook for or clean up after.
But since this game is all about developing characters through cutscenes, the designers are here to explain that no, she’s a proper housewife spending all day keeping house for a guy who barely even comes home and just watches TV while he’s there.
Ohhh, that dad of yours! He comes home for the first time in ages, and all he talks about is Pokemon! Why can’t he ever just let go and relax?
Well, I’m glad you’re aware this isn’t perfect, but seriously, you need a divorce.
Television: …And tomorrow the long-awaited star show will finally begin! We’ve got all the latest news and updates!
Oh? Well, and just like that… she says. Look at this, Lucki! And we rush over to the TV.
Newscaster: At last the Litleonid meteor shower returns to illuminate Hoenn’s night sky!
But if it’s a meteor shower, where do Meteors come from? And how can you tell the difference between meteors and Meteors at such a distance?
The star show held at the Mossdeep Space Center will provide the best view of the shooting stars fromt he center’s lofty viewing deck! We hope you will all take the chance to join…
And she says, Oh! It sounds lovely!
I mean, if the whole idea is to have an excuse for me to invite that asshole, there could be three tickets because we were going to go as a family, then Dad’s all lolnope I never loved either of you bye!!!!!!!! and we decide to invite that asshole rather than waste the ticket, presumably after we failed to find Wally to ask.
The Litleonids, hmm? I remember going to see them with your dad 11 years ago when they last passed by!
So he’s even more of a dick.
You should march right over to invite that neighbor boy you’re friends with.
Wally’s not my neighbor. He lives in another town, Mom.
You can’t let that pair of tickets you got from Dad go to waste–so take him along!
Why can’t we just go together?
And that’s the end of the cutscene. Well, let’s find out what happens if I go to Mossdeep on my own!
And hey, it’s Not-Team-Magma in her forest ninja cape.
Huh? she says. Whoa! Are we in sync or what! You know, I was just thinking about you! It’s great to meet you! …It is our first real meeting, right? Yeah. That’s right. Of course it is! The name’s Zinnia. And you… Well, I know ALL about you. You’re Lucki, of course. You’re the new Pokemon League Champion! And you’re one of those special few who use Mega Evolution to get even closer to their Pokemon… Now, aren’t you?
Even aside from my declaration Lucki can’t use mega evolution, there’s the simple fact that while it’s objectively rare, there isn’t any unifying feature between the people who can use mega evolution. Sure, Wally and Steven use it, but so does Maxie. The limiting factor is more likely a lack of the items needed for mega evolution – I would personally guess the reason there’s a cluster of mega evolution among my rivals is that Steven has a surplus of mega stones, because he likes collecting stones, and gave them to Wally due to Wally being a similarly good trainer and to Brendan probably because of nepotism.
In conclusion, sorry Zinnia, your noble trainer is in another game. This one’s Lucki and she’s terrible.
Mrrr… murrs the whismur.
OK, I know, I know. I’ll leave it alone. Look, I’m stopping!
…?
But this sure is a ni-i-i-ice place, isn’t it? Littleroot Town.
“Shame if something were to happen to it.”
And everybody living here is just so ni-i-i-ice, too. Like that neighbor of yours.
Yeah, Brendan’s mom is pretty great.
…Oops! So-o-o-rry. I didn’t mean to go on like that.
So I’m thinking Zinnia hasn’t been talking to people in quite a while.
We should keep our first meeting short and sweet, don’t you think? Until next time, then. Buh-bye!
So, uh, everyone else saw that, right?
To think that you can get data from the friends you pass by even when your Nintendo 3DS is in Sleep Mode! The power of science is staggering!
So that’s a solid “maybe”. I hope no one ever tells this guy that the PC system allows for you to digitize actual items and even living creatures, because anyone impressed with the idea of two devices talking to each other would probably have their head explode just from the concept of wifi alone.
Anyway, time to head to Mossdeep!
…dammit, nothing. I even check to see if Steven’s around, since maybe he could go with me, but no.
Well, fine, I’ll talk to Brendan to move the plot along.
By the way, current pokemon:
L56 Silver who I should probably let evolve already.
L50 Flare
L51 Groudon
L50 Raiden
L52 Irin
L50 Saurius
I go into Brendan’s house, where I see him talking to his mom.
Ughhh…
Well, groaning at his mom, anyway.
Brendan, are you OK?! Oh, what should I do! What should I do?! Oh, wibble…
It’s not that big of a deal, Mom. She just knocked me down a bit… Yowch! That stings!
???
As Lucki enters, Brendan turns to her and …s at her. Oh! H-hey, Lucki! Looks like she didn’t get you, huh? That’s a relief.
Zinnia? Zinnia, did you scrape Brendan? NEW BEST FRIEND!
Everything happened so fast that I couldn’t do a thing, but… Some strange woman came in my window, upstairs… And then she… She stole my Key Stone…
One of the problems with the mega evolution’s integration is that that one of the plot points of XY was limited resources, to the point you’re told there’s only one and to fight with your friends for who gets it and then the other major person with one is the insanely rich and powerful guy which is perfectly reasonable. It made sense for that final boss to be able to pull it out. There’s none of that in this. So, okay, she stole your thing – is it that hard to get another one, though? Seriously, I have no idea. Especially when the focus here seems to be on the idea it’s about a bond with your pokemon, as if that’s the main limiting factor for why most trainers aren’t mega evolving their pokemon.
I tried to fight her off with my team, but… She was unstoppable…
This just keeps getting better and better! Can’t wait for a battle.
Although it does show yet another way having Brendan being the not-so-rival is awkward. Brendan is, technically, pretty powerful, but the battle I just had with him was a total cakewalk. To yet again crow about how first gen is superior and kids these days etc, if this was Gary it’d mean something, you know? The anime used that perfectly. Gary was built up to be so much better than Ash, and then it had him fail at things a couple times to show how impossible they were, then finally had him lose early at the Indigo Plateau to cause an actual sense of oh my god how can Ash possibly win this? (Which was then undermined by Ash not winning and starting the region cycle, but…)
Point is, Brendan saying someone’s unstoppable means nothing, because he is super stoppable.
I didn’t stand a chance…
Kind of like when I plowed through your team like tissue paper?
I think I heard her muttering under her breath when she left, though… Something like “PETALBURG’S NEXT…”
Thanks game, it’s good to know you think I’m too stupid to notice a clue just because it’s preceded by the character explicitly saying it’s a clue.
…You be careful, Lucki.
What’s that? Spring toward whatever’s going on, you say? Can do!
Landing, I run around and then notice Team Magma on Wally’s doorstep. Wait, Wally went home? No Wally why what if they finally succeed in killing you.
Tedious…bothersome…child… You should…just be quiet…and give me…the Key Stone!
Soooo…not Zinnia, then? Well, whatever gets Brendan hurt is fine.
I’m telling you I don’t have it!
So are there multiple parties running around robbing people?
I already know…that you can…use…Mega Evolution!
It might be interesting to see how things would work if someone didn’t need crutches for mega evolution. Maybe you could even say real bond makes it work without the stones, and people have just forgotten it.
Argh! Are you even listening? I’ve been telling you– Ah! Lucki!
…?! she says, spinning. …You. Aha. (music note) Nice timing…maybe. (music note) I’ll be taking…yours first!
Whatever lady, it’s not like Lucki can even use hers.
Give me…the Key Stone!
Give me fair market value in return!
She decides on a pokemon battle instead.
Single L53 camerupt. Single L53 camerupt is what beat Brendan? Jesus christ Courtney’d better not be the one.
Anyway, one surf from Silver and it’s out.
Just barely… says Courtney. Are you blind or just stupid, Courtney?
Huh… …No! You’re always meddling! If that’s…how it is…at Meteor Falls…the Leader’s…Key Stone…
Okay. Not sure what’s up.
Thank you so much, Lucki…
Aw, Wally, you could’ve taken her! Both because you’re a generally good trainer and because jesus christ single camerupt really no.
That strange woman suddenly attacked me, demanding that I hand over my Key Stone… The truth is that I couldn’t give it to her even if I wanted to. My Key Stone is gone… I left it in the house when I went out, and it just disappeared.
I’d assume your relatives, personally.
What in the world is going on…
Remake add-on content, Wally!
If someone like that ever shows up again… I’ve gotta protect my mom and dad. You be careful, too, Lucki!
That’s the spirit, Wally! Remember, you’re a strong trainer and you don’t have to be afraid of anyone!
Well, anyone but me. God monster megalomaniac here.
He goes back into his house and I get a phone call.
The Entry Call (Ver. 0.09) app rang on your PokeNav Plus!
That was very specific, unknown narrator!
???: …’Lo? Hello?
???: …Is that you, Lucki?
Steven: It’s me, Steven. Have you been doing well?
Hey Steven! Unlike everybody else possibly including you, I still have my mega stone. Even though I’m the only one who can’t use it! Ironic, huh.
Steven: Heh… I imagine you must be quite shocked.
Steven: This is a communication mode that Devon is still currently developing. It comes installed on every PokeNav Plus.
Steven: I thought I would only use it if I needed to contact you urgently…
Steven: But it looks as though that time has already come.
Steven: I’m sorry to ask this of you, but I need you to come to the Devon Corporation in Rustboro.
But – but other NPC mentioned Meteor Falls! WHICH NPC DO I PRIORITIZE?!?!?!
Steven: There’s something I have to talk to you about–in person…
Whoa okay I’m going to chase Courtney first, you’re sounding clingy.
Steven: I’ll be waiting for you there. …Kzt!
Well, first up, let’s go in and see how Wally’s doing.
Who in the world would steal my Key Stone…
I’m not sure what’s up with all that, but probably it’s for some sort of world ending/saving plot. Anyway, don’t be down! You don’t need dumb gimmick evolution to be a great trainer. Especially in a world where almost no one else can do it.
Rest of his family, what say you?
I can’t forgive anyone who would do such a terrible thing to a sweet boy like Wally…
Hm. Sincere? Maybe now that he’s useful, his mom’s being nice to him.
The fact that Wally wasn’t hurt was the only silver lining in this incident.
His dad, on the other hand, is clearly still rooting for his death and hiding it behind a saccharine shell.
What a frightening world we live in. You be careful out there, too.
Yeah, you too. So many things can happen to people! Especially people who try to harm pokemon trainers. Haha! Hope you’re not stupid enough to be one of those.
Wow that stuff with your mother is just…. Why make it so clear she really wants to go and then act like the idea of taking her is so weird it won’t even be mentioned? Seriously, the mother wants to go, they are giving the tickets to the player, there are two tickets. Why do they think the player’s first thought would be Brendan when someone who wants to go is right there in the scene?
I guess this is default-player-is-male syndrome again. And dudes are too manly to ever go some place public with their mothers, and also want to date May. I’m guessing that line about the mother having gone with Norman is supposed to show that it’s gonna be romantic, but it still seems like they went out of their way to make the mother really invested in doing this thing she’s not going to get to do.
Brendan remains my most hated rival. I hope the loss of his keystone is one of those self-esteem wrecking things he never gets over, like Hugh and the pointless purrloin only endgame so he can never recover.
I actually enjoyed rival Brendan over rival May myself, but I still enjoyed May.
I think my most hated rival so far would probably be Salem/whatever default female character name was in Z and Y. (Selena, was it?) Brendan may be an asshole, but he never seemed aggressively so, unlike Gen 6 alt-me.
Well, that’s why I hate Brendan. He’s completely a passive-aggressive loser, who the game randomly declares your best friend, even though he constantly undermines your accomplishments by acting like it’s surprising you accomplished anything, despite his repeated personal experience of your competence. Plus his first comment to you is a sexist one, so it makes all his awful follow-up behaviour seem rooted in sexism. (Which it clearly is, in the more meta way, what with the writers deciding that the rivals of different genders needed to act like completely different people.)
I don’t remember Calem very well, but I seem to recall feeling his frustration wasn’t directed so much at you as it was at himself, and it was more depressing than anything. But personal interpretation and all that. Also I’ve heard Calem and Serena are less differentiated, but I really don’t know to what extent.
I still don’t see how Brendan is “sexist”. He is just a 12 year old boy who wanted another boy to hang out with. The rest of the game he treats you like a friend and is totally nice. Yes he does not shower the player with compliments like rival May does (Have you seen rival May?), but that is because they have different personalities. Why is it such a problem that Brendan and May have different personalities? I thought it was pretty dumb that Calem and Serena acted virtually the same. How does Brendan undermine the player’s accomplishments exactly? How does he have some sort of hidden passive aggressive rage? Why is he a jerk just because he does not worship the ground you walk on in every line he says like May does?
I really don’t understand where you’re coming from. It just sounds like bias because you played as May and not Brendan.
Imagine actual children, who are arguably more competitive than adults. May would not be complimenting him. The only reason they wrote her that way is because they want her to fulfill a gender stereotype that girls are supposed to be supportive and feed your ego. The problem is not Brendan’s apathy (his apathy combined with his inability to win anything or even present a challenge, well that’s another story). Apathetic, cocky rivals are the best ones, but it is clear in the dialogue differences between rival characters and throughout many other instances in the game itself and throughout all six generations that the Pokemon franchise can be very sexist.
That makes no sense. There is no sexism in this game. May and Brendan are just two different characters. May is ditzy and flirty but why is she not being criticized, but only rival Brendan is? Rival Brendan is VERY supportive of the female player’s accomplishments. Has anyone here actually played the game? You would have to be blind to say that every compliment he gives the female player is forced or sarcastic. Just because he does not see the player as some god like being like rival May does does not imply that rival Brendan values their friendship any less. Once again how can someone criticize rival Brendan for not being an airheaded ditzy flirty person like rival May? Why does anyone want them to have the same personality?
Can anyone give any examples of Brendan undermining accomplishments? I really am just trying to understand why rival May is apparently so much better. I really don’t get it still because I played as BOTH GENDERS and I found BOTH perspectives enjoyable.
Please elaborate someone.
Out of curiosity, what do you understand as “sexism”?
Sexism is prejudice based on gender. Something that does not happen in this game at all.
No. Sexism is an institutionalized tendency to treat women one way and men another. Sometimes this is based on gender, sometimes sex. It manifests in fiction via the portrayal of women in certain, demeaning ways based on gender roles, as happens all too often in these games.
The whole thing with him undermining accomplishments is simply my interpretation of his comments; you don’t have to agree with me. It’s fine if you like Brendan and find him a supportive character.
But as for the idea that there are no sexism in these games…why are you here? Have you actually been reading what Farla writes? I love the Pokemon games, but they’re definitely sexist, and if you think they’re not you don’t actually know enough about sexism for it to be worthwhile discussing the subject with you.
And how is May a ditzy flirty airhead? I haven’t played the remake as a boy but I played the original game as both genders repeatedly, and I don’t remember her being those things. All of which, incidentally, are sexist pejoratives. Then you claim that May treats the male player as a god, but think its somehow not sexist that the female player isn’t treated like that? By your logic boys being treated like gods while girls get treated like friends is somehow gender equality. You also think male and female characters playing the exact same role should be completely different people. All this is pretty indicative that you don’t recognise sexism because it’s part of how you think, so I’m not interested in playing “How dare you dislike a character that I like? Justify your feelings to me!” with you.
Well if you haven’t played as Brendan to see rival May how can you give an objective opinion? May IS flirty and airheaded. With all her blushy looks, bashful dialogue, and tendency to care more about following around her new friend than actually performing research proves that. Of course you wouldn’t know these things if you haven’t played as Brendan in the remakes. In the original games they hardly had any personality so you probably wouldn’t understand. If you dislike rival May for how flirty and in love she is with the male player then how come you only criticize Brendan and not her too? Oh yeah, because you have never SEEN rival May in these games you wouldn’t know. Why should characters with the same role being exactly the same? That is dumb and boring. It was STUPID how Calem and Serena were the same. It is far more interesting how different Brendan and May are. There is no sexism here. Why are characters in a children’s game being considered sexist portrayals? They are 12 YEAR OLD KIDS.
I don’t care if you love May but hate Brendan. I just want to know why May is apparently so much better. I have yet to be given a decent answer.
I never said May was better. I said I hated Brendan. Your behaviour is extremely unpleasant and I’m not replying to any more of your boring whiny bullshit.
The irony of you calling someone else’s comments “whiny bullshit” when you have been whining about disliking a character for months. Even worse you say someone else is talking “bullshit” yet you call the other person unpleasant for no reason. Very hypocritical.
So you give up due to your failure to give examples backing up your points? Fair enough.
Why are you so angry about this?
Angry about what? I just asked a question.
…In all caps…
You should consider why some of the people on this blog have only played as May, and how that might relate to this whole debate we’re having.
(Also, Bulbapedia has the May dialogue recorded, so you don’t have to play as Brendan to get a feel for the differences…)
I’m becoming increasingly sure this is a troll. It refuses to respond to reasonable points and clearly hasn’t read the other posts. May be best to ignore it.
No, I think he’s just lazy. Probably came here from Google and couldn’t be bothered to read the other posts. A troll wouldn’t butcher the golden goose this early.
I mean why does Brendan’s differences mean he is some sort of horrible person while May is Ms. Perfect? Once again, I found both of them enjoyable (though I admit I thought rival Brendan was the more fun of the two). Although yes I recognize that I may be the only person here who has experienced the full game from both sides.
However I am done.
It just really seems like a lot of people here see rival Brendan as some sort of evil woman hating monster when I just see him as a cute kid, while May is supposedly a little angel.
Still, I have stated my opinion and I’ll leave it at that.
It was a decent discussion I suppose.
while May is Ms. Perfect
Nobody has said that. Farla has criticized May’s characterization as well. The issue comes from the differences between the characters, not necessarily the characters themselves.
He is just a 12 year old boy who wanted another boy to hang out with.
Hmm… Huh… I didn’t know that you’d be a girl. Dad–I mean, Professor Birch–told me you were the kid of a Gym Leader, and I sort of hoped you’d be a guy. can certainly be interpreted that way, but given that the original was more explicit about the gym leader = boy assertion, I’m not willing to give the writers the benefit of the doubt. If it was just that kids want to hang out with kids of the same gender — which would be reasonable — they should have removed the gym leader connection entirely instead of just making it ambiguous or implicit. Also, if that’s all this is, why doesn’t May say she hoped you were a girl if you play as Brendan? The fact that Brendan is hung up on your gender but May isn’t seems like a double standard to me.
I thought it was pretty dumb that Calem and Serena acted virtually the same.
Why? Gender shouldn’t matter in a kids’ adventure story. If you want to avert sexism, gender should be irrelevant to the characters. Here, the writers purposefully chose to not only give them different personalities, but to make the boy more confrontational and the girl more adoring, thus slotting them into traditional gender roles while also undermining a female player’s accomplishments as a side-effect. That is sexist.
How does Brendan undermine the player’s accomplishments exactly?
Farla has already explained this in the review itself. Every time Brendan shows up she compares his dialogue to May’s and scrutinizes it in detail. I will admit she is being extremely uncharitable, but given how much sexism is in the rest of the game I don’t think that’s unreasonable.
Kids wanting to hang out with kids of the same gender is not a new concept it is common sense. Almost any 12 year old kid feels the same. Even many adults prefer their friends to be the same gender. Brendan and May have different lines because they have different personalities, which is clearly the case. Why does anyone ignore that Brendan and May become best friends as the game goes on? Why should they be bffs as soon as the game starts?
There is no sexism in having two characters acting differently. How does Brendan present himself as more “confrontational”? Yes he challenges the female player to battles, but May challenges the male player to battles just the same. May is also just as hung up on beating the male player. Why are they sexist characters? The way Calem and Serena were virtually the same just made them come off as generic and dull. You are correct gender should not matter so why does anyone bring it up? It’s just stupid to complain about this.
Brendan and May are different characters. May is all lovey dovey and Brendan is not. So just because Brendan is not so lovey dovey he is suddenly a jerk?
Why does gender equality have to amount to two distinct characters being exactly the same? Making everyone the same to avoid sexism is ridiculous.
Hating rival Brendan and loving rival May just because they are different is completely absurd. In no way is that reasonable. If you believe Pokemon games are so rampant with gender bias they why support them? Buy a game where all men and women are the same. That is EXACTLY the type of “gender equality” that some of you want apparently.
Kids wanting to hang out with kids of the same gender is not a new concept it is common sense.
I never said it wasn’t…? You seem really confused on this point. I don’t contest that that’s a reasonable premise. (Nor does Farla, incidentally; if you look at her day 1 commentary you’ll see she does take a similarly charitable interpretation of that line.) My objection is that I don’t think that is the premise; I think the line sends the message that people of importance are supposed to be men. Even if that’s not what the writers intended, the fact that many young, impressionable girls can and have interpreted it that way is damaging.
Why does anyone ignore that Brendan and May become best friends as the game goes on? Why should they be bffs as soon as the game starts?
Huh? I’m honestly not sure what you’re trying to say here.
There is no sexism in having two characters acting differently.
When they’re mutually-exclusive characters who are supposed to fill the exact same plot role, yes, it is. It is especially sexist when this is accomplished by having their different personalities reinforce traditional gender roles.
(As for Brendan’s behavior being objectionable, Farla has already covered that in detail. If you think she was wrong, you should reread the series and point to a specific instance where you disagree with her analysis. Otherwise I don’t really know what you’re referring to, and can’t engage you on any specifics. But basically, the problem isn’t that he challenges the player to battles, it’s in his dialogue.)
The way Calem and Serena were virtually the same just made them come off as generic and dull.
Why? How? The characters themselves were pretty bland, yes, but I don’t see how a lack of gender differences changes that. It also seems silly to say the differences give the characters more depth when most players will only see one version. Why shouldn’t boys and girls playing Pokemon get the same experience?
You are correct gender should not matter so why does anyone bring it up?
Because currently it does matter. If we don’t complain about it, nothing will ever change.
Why does gender equality have to amount to two distinct characters being exactly the same? Making everyone the same to avoid sexism is ridiculous.
This is a strawman argument; nobody ever claimed that this should be the case for all stories ever. There are certainly stories that engage with gender politics on a deeper level, and in that case, yes, men and women should be portrayed differently — but an escapist kids’ fantasy adventure is not one of those stories. That is all we’re saying here.
Buy a game where all men and women are the same.
I will, if you can point me to one!
See, that’s the problem. It’s very difficult for women to find media that truly empowers them, where they can escape the gender politics of the real world and just be themselves, without being constantly reminded of how their femaleness makes them lesser or different. That’s an option that women deserve to have in their media.
You seem to be a bit confused. Brendan and May are not real people, nor do they have actual agency. They are characters written by adults who made choices about how they would act during the writing process.
Correct. So if they are not real people why is it bad if they act as individuals? Why are May and Brendan sexist portrayals. Please explain or give examples.
Farla has already explained this in the review itself. Please address her specific points if you think she’s wrong on this.
Because both of them fall on traditional gender stereotypes (The boy is gung-ho and aggressive! The girl is bashful and behaves in a way that can easily be interpreted as her having feelings for the male character!), and THAT is sexist. Farla has been kind enough to transcribe their dialogues exactly to showcase those differences.
It’s not inherently sexist to have two characters with different personalities (although it can be), which is what you think has been said here; rather, it’s sexist when those differences are based on nothing but the characters’ genders.
Would you mind trying a little thought experiment? Can you imagine Brendan acting in exactly the same manner as May, with the exact same dialogue? And does that feel somehow wrong or unnatural to you?
I think the biggest problem with rival Brendan is the fact that everyone thinks he’s your best friend. His actions would, for the lack of a better term, be more excusable if it was clear that he was just some creep who follows you around and thinks he’s as good as you, but the fact that they claim he’s someone May would want to invite to go watch a meteor shower with is actually kind of insulting to her. Why does game regard Brendan as someone of importance when all he does is undermine May’s accomplishments? Does this imply that May can’t make better friends? And if he’s supposed to be her best friend then why is he never around? In gens 4, 5, and 6, I feel like the rivals were everywhere, so it was valid that they’d be friends with the protag.
When May is the rival she shows up the exact same amount of times that rival Brendan does. The game also assumes Brendan wants to go with rival May on their date. Why is this only a problem when Brendan is the rival? It’s just a double standard. May follows the male player around all of the time. She too thinks she is just as good as you. Yes she is less cocky than Brendan but she still says that she can beat you multiple times even though she never does. What is the difference?
Because, as you have said yourself, May and Brendan have different personalities. Brendan is a demeaning, passive-aggressive weirdo who many female players found annoying and offputting. May is a perky cheerleader who seems legitimately friendly with the PC, so it’s less grating that the player is railroaded into a romance subplot with her.
How is Brendan a passive aggressive weirdo? Despite your assumption there are many female players (or males who picked to play as a female) who enjoy Brendan’s character. Brendan is friendly. When exactly does he act mean and berate you throughout the game? Please give me some examples. I am honestly curious. Just because Brendan is not completely in love with the player (like May is) does not imply he is not a good friend. The romance is forced upon the player from both sides. Please don’t be biased.
[When exactly does he act mean and berate you throughout the game?]
Oh, so you haven’t actually read any of the posts and are just trolling. That’s oddly comforting.
Please direct me to a post that proves your points.
No. The onus is not on me or Farla to hold your hand and walk you through. You came to our house. The responsibility to disprove us is yours.
Fair enough. ^_^
I just prefer to have on hand proof is all.
See how the title at the top of the post says “Day 45”? I would direct you to days 1 through 44.