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arknightslog · 12 days

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Ascalon and Projekt Red.

Talking about their relationship and similarities.

Spoilers for things not in Global yet.

So when Babel got announced I was excited to see what Ascalon and her event would give us in regards to her relationship with Red and while there's not much in her files, there's actually a lot more than I thought there was. It's actually kind of funny but this is going to be split into two parts: their relationship and similarities.

Then a conclusion to top it all off but without further ado:

Their relationship.

So to cover the basics, Ascalon, Projekt Red and Scavenger are all a part of S.W.E.E.P: Rhodes Island's counterintelligence and covert operations, with Ascalon being the director and therefor Red's boss.

There is possible implications that there was more about their relationship prior to the Babel event. One is how close Ascalon is to Kal'tsit, the two working together during Babel and even more closely upon Theresa's death and the forming of Rhodes Island. Another is that Red's promotion record is Ascalon talking about Red and specifically the line: "All I'm here to do is sharpen her fangs and her knife."

Not exactly stellar evidence of anything, but that's where Babel comes in and gives us Ascalon's File 1 which focuses on her position within Rhodes as well as a glimpse into how S.W.E.E.P operates:

(Hong is Red)

This is all that we get about Red within Ascalon's files: that Red cannot smell her and that she holds S.W.E.E.P's special training record for putting a ball of tail hair into Ascalon's pocket by what is theorized to be Ascalon's own technique. With Ascalon making an inconspicuous comment.

The most important part being how it's theorized that Ascalon herself taught Red this technique. After all, it's the one thing that Red managed to do as she didn't get much information so it's entirely her planting the tail fur onto Ascalon that is impressive and a feat that not even Ines has done. So it's possible that Red alone was taught this trick.

It adds more context to Red's promotional record as Ascalon saying she'll sharpen Red's fangs and knife has reason now to belief she really did mean personally teaching Red:

But also, this isn't the first time we've seen Red planting something on someone without their noticing. Her module starts with her stealing a chip and planting a fake one onto her target without them noticing which with this context, might've been her using this technique she learnt from Ascalon:

If true, they're adding further context and bringing up an inconspicuous detail from Red's module that could be a coincidence but if not, is possibly emblematic of thought being put towards their relationship.

Before I move onto the similarities as revealed in the vent, I want to expand upon why no further connection between them is displayed in Ascalon's files.

The entirety of her File 1 is to demonstrate how little information is known about Ascalon and what exactly is. The rest of her files are mainly various physical documents on hand that could be added to the file, like voice recordings (File 2), intelligence regarding her (File 3) and a letter from her to the Doctor (File 4).

If Ascalon and Red have a closer relationship it wouldn't be mentioned in the file because Ascalon is so unknown that likely no one found out to put it into the files. Hence it being theorized that Red learnt Ascalon's technique (possibly being a hint by the game writers that there is more.)

*cough cough* Red or Ascalon oprec *cough cough*

Similarities.

So actually this bit is the reason why I'm talking about this and my smoking gun that Ascalon and Red have a deeper relationship than simply being boss and employee. I will say however that I've not read the entire event. I skimmed through the early sections and only read Ascalon's parts.

Nonetheless, before I even read the event and was reading through Ascalon's files, I was surprised to discover this line in her File 2:

The event goes more into this. The Catastrophe storm that is mentioned here is referencing when she first met and subsequently was taken in by Theresis and Theresa. Before that she was surviving on her own in the wilderness, hunting wild animals just to survive and from a very young age.

This is very similar to Red, who through the information found within Il Siracusano and her module, we learn also grew up surviving in the wilderness. It's very much implied that Red came into frequent contact with wild animals in which she had to defend herself:

But that's not all, though it is the root for the next similarity that they share.

A noticeable thing about Red's speech is that it's broken. She speaks in short sentences or with sizeable pauses between her words:

And we know from the vignette: Operational Intelligence - After-class Homework, we know that Red is doing homework, at least on English in which she does have problems understanding:

And her files say that she has educational problems, all compounding Red's problems with speech. But when we see Ascalon as a child in the Babel event, especially when she first meets Theresis and Theresa, this is how she speaks:

She has broken speech, a thing that continues into the next scene of Ascalon when she was young and it's deliberately explained as being because she spent so long in the wilderness:

The both of them grew up in the wilderness, not having anyone else to talk to or perhaps rather not having reason to talk which leads to them having broken speech when they finally do enter civilization.

And as shown in the first meeting between Ascalon and Theresis, Ascalon's first action was to try and kill him since that's how she learnt how to survive with wild animals, which she didn't see other humans being anything else.

Well later on, when she was taken in by Theresis, a younger Manfred bursts into the room they were in and I believe it startles Ascalon who's reflexively attacked him:

I've not read the entire event yet as I said but nothing before this showed them meeting and rather push that they shouldn't know each other and the scene moves on from this with nothing implying she attacked him because she recognized him. (I might be wrong however.)

So likely, Ascalon felt threatened by him bursting into the room and reflexively attacked him which is another thing that Red does because of her similar past:

And from their similar paths come similar struggles. Only knowing how to kill, not having their own beliefs, struggling to interact with the rest of the world.

For Ascalon it's highlighted in scenes like these:

And for Red, it's the entire point of her module but particularly this section of it:

When she came into civilization it broke her, she had no guidance and to this day she doesn't fully interact with civilization, doesn't know how to spend money and by the time of Il Siracusano she returns to Grandma, yet to form her own beliefs.

Also she routinely defines herself as a wolf hunter which really is an assassin for Grandma. A weapon if you will.

In conclusion.

Red and Ascalon have many many things in common and they are things that we know Ascalon are aware of as she comments on Red's problems in Red's promotional record. And it feels like there's too much similarities, that they practically share the same past that combined with what little is said of Red in the file I'm all but certain that Ascalon and Red's relationship is more than just boss and employee.

And I also think an interesting part about these scenes in the event about Ascalon is the questions it raises about Red, as we see how Ascalon met Theresis and Theresa, as well as got her name.

Because there's still many mysteries about Red we don't have answers to. How she met Kal'tsit and the origin of her name, because Projekt Red is ever a curious one, being two that are highlighted here.

But you could also see Ascalon and the paths she took as examples of where Red's character is or could go. Maybe even flip that around: Ascalon meets someone who is practically identical to her past self. How does she feel? How does she interact with Red on this basis?

It's all brainstorming and me being hopeful that this means Red can finally get an oprec, we see the two interact or that Red Alter is on the way but I am 99% confident that these similarities are purposeful and we'll see something on them.

Thank you for reading all the way through.

(Also there's not enough information about S.W.E.E.P to make it it's own post but from Terra: A Journey and Ascalon's files:

Theresa was killed and by extension Babel fell apart in Autumn of 1094. But from voice recordings in Terra: A Journey, we know S.W.E.E.P was founded as part of Rhodes in 1094 also and Red being a founding member means she likely joined within a year of Rhodes creation.

So she's known Kal'tsit and Ascalon for three years before the Doctor and met them likely not very long after Theresa's death.

Also S.W.E.E.P officially has an office. Idk if it's the room from Ascalon's theme or not but it exists. Red and Scavenger probably sit around talking about Provence there.)

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