#charles x arthur

[drinkinggblood]

You're a ghost You pass through me You're here, then you're gone I can see you from the corner of my eye.

based on this post

[kisu-doodles]

Behold the lowest of low quality charthur! The recent discourse surrounding the size differences between Charles and Arthur had me unable to think of anything but this lmao

LOOK I JUST LOVE THEM BEING WIDE BOYFRIENDS OK

[ruben-the-cowboy]

Something I find interesting in the RDR2 community is that EVERYONE (mostly manly men/12 year old boys, who play rdr2 on low honor) open their ears to listen to the actors when they hint at character theories like the “What’s wrong with Dutch” theories, or the “Is John really Jack’s father” theories, but AS SOON as Ben Davis & Curzon Dobell are like: “Dutch and Hosea are soulmates” or Noshir Dalal fully supporting Charthur, y’all don’t wanna hear it. That’s my ¢20

[fllnordr]

So… I have a lot to say about this post I saw on my feed today. I took screenshots and blocked out the username for the sake of the OP. I didn’t want this to be a callout post for one specific user, and do not wish them any hate or harm. I DO have a whole heap to say about this and the treatment Charles gets from the rdr fandom as a whole, not only the OP in the screenshot.

I have a lot of problems with this post, and I have been wanting to talk about this issue and pattern I’ve noticed in the rdr community. Again, I do not mean to send any hate in OP’s direction or suggest that OP is racist in any sense. With that being said…

It’s an inherently racial stereotype to assume that Charles, a black and native man, is illiterate with such a lack of evidence or real reasoning behind it. He was isolated for most of his life after the age of thirteen, and he’s been with a gang for only six months. He is very private, and he is shy. He doesn’t talk much at all, much less about reading. I have never seen this sort of assumption made about any other character, claiming they’re illiterate, because they’re never seen reading at camp.

This is the most ridiculous take I have ever seen. Charles is the one who buried Arthur with his own two hands and created his gravestone. He was the only person who knew where Arthur was buried, hence being the sole creator of Arthur’s final resting place. Charles’ handwriting is the one we see on the gravestone. Charles is the one who wrote the inscription on the cross. He is not illiterate.

I think a problem I have with a lot of Charles fans is that they see him as a blank slate. They see Charles, a physically attractive man, who is quiet and take him for that alone. He is often seen as a blank canvas to project their own ideas onto and sort of mold to their own use and convince. And often times, whether knowingly or not, Charles is consistently watered down to racial stereotypes. Race is obviously a part of who he is, and it affects a lot of his actions, as it does with everyone, but that is not all who he is.

Charles is clinging to the fringes of what little of his culture that he does have. His mother was taken from him as a boy, and he holds onto what little he does have and that absence of his mother, and both of his cultures (because people also tend to ignore the fact that he is also black) is a huge part of who he is. But a lot of folks would rather see his shyness as blankness. He is not levelheaded, but he is moral. He is not always morally correct though. It’s frustrating to constantly see who he is being ignored for the sake of the false persona that’s been created for him.

I think a lot of folks need to listen to the one dialogue of Charles opening up at the campfire. Yes it is a relatable speech for a lot of reasons, but it is also about his race, how he experiences the world, and how he feels as though he has no place because of the loss of his mother, the lack of knowing who he is, his culture, and a whole host of other things. He is one of the best written characters in the game, and to brush that aside to make him into this ‘softhearted super caring ideal s/o’ is so frustrating. This is the same man who was ready to kill Uncle if the need arose. He is moral, but they are morals of his own, and he is not always correct. He is also flawed, just like everyone else. He is not a saint. He is a flawed and conflicted man.

To disregard Charles for who he is, is such a great disservice to the character and to all the work put into him, his story, and other people who have and continue to share the same experiences as he does.

[omgwhatchloe]

AAA SOMEONE LOOK AT THIS RN

[mossytines]

I WILL NEVER GET OVER THIS EVER. GENUINELY THIS IS AN INSANE INTERACTION. NOSHIR DALAL #1 CHARTHUR FAN

[renslo161605]

"it's bad...and it's gonna get worse."

"oh...Arthur.."

I ALWAYS BALL DON'T EVEN I'M SO SAD ABOUT THEM.

sorry if you can't read my shit handwriting AHAH

It says-

"Charles is a wonder..."

"arthurs good... he's the best man we got."

"it's bad...and it's gonna get worse.."

"oh arthur.."

I'm so normal about them

[anonymousqualities]

More charthur HCs & fandom HCs that I love

- Just Charles being more talkative & emotive when Arthur is around. Like if their robbing and arthur comes along, charles is noticeably more vocal. Its such an 'introvert when their special person is around' vibe 💕

-Arthur lookin like a scolded spouse whenever Charles calls him out on any low-honor coded behavior.

-losing track of their stuff and usually finding it amongst each other's things. Arthur's favorite pen? Left it in Charles saddle bag. Charles' pipe? Left in arthur's tent or room.

-noticing how arthur sees Lenny as a little brother, Charles keeps an eye on him when Arthur's not around. Which is fun because Arthur tells him how Lenny thinks Charles hates him, and charles trolls him whenever lenny tries talking to him.

Charles and lenny staking out for a robbery

Lenny: Sooo, you and Arthur huh?

Charles:

Lenny: just never thought of you two in that way.

Charles: 🤨

Lenny: N-Not that I got a problem with that sorta thing!

Charles: 🫤

Lenny: j-just never saw arthur with a man like you, is all!

Charles: 😐

Lenny:

Lenny: ....I'm sorry.

[hiveschives]

"will you ride with me?"

"always.."

[corpsecowboy]

something something, cowboys are frequently secretly fond of eachother blah blah

[strrwbrrryjam]

okay so its 4:30am, so take it with a grain of salt but one thing ive noticed in a lot of charthur fics is that the authors tend to dismiss, or throw shade on the love arthur shared with mary and eliza.

sometimes they write stuff like "arthur has never felt love like this, not even with eliza or mary," actively dismissing the role that mary and eliza played in arthurs life.

mary for instance, i believe, is one of the first people to recognize that there is more to arthur than being the big dumb brute, a criminal, and that inside arthur is a good man, who can do so much more than steal and beat and kill. she actively encourages arthur and pushes arthur to see and only really wants the best for him

sure, there are flaws to this as mary and arthur come from two entirely different environments, with similar circumstances (their fathers being similar for example,) and entirely different worldviews. i could very well go on with this because there is so much to analyze about their relationship.

generally speaking though, arthur and mary were really the right person for each other, but it was sadly the wrong time in their lifes for both of them, maybe later in life they could have actually be the one for each other-

in canon, arthur is still so in love with mary years after their broken engagement. its so palpable from the moment we see the two meet, that they dont want to care about each other, that they dont want to love each other but they do, they feel it so deeply that it is ingrained into their sense of self that they cant even hide it from each other

eliza we dont know much about, as she wasnt mentioned often, but i refuse to believe that arthur doesnt deeply care for the mother of his child, that while they might not have been in love, like he was with mary, that he would love her, hell, maybe they could have grown to be in love if eliza (and isaac) didnt have their life cruelly ripped away from them

i love charthur so so much, it is my favourite pairing of rdr2 (whether romantic or otherwise) and it means so much to me- but to actively throw shade on two characters who are so important to arthurs life and vital to his character development, is just.. its just wrong

his love for charles doesnt have to replace his love for mary or eliza, he is a big man with a big heart- loving someone new doesnt mean that he has to push those who he loved out

tldr: mary and eliza are important, stop throwing shade on arthurs past relationships to uplift his current relationship, his heart is big enough for them to share, you dont have to push them out

[myartsing]

They should have been at the club

[kisu-doodles]

Charles around Arthur:

Charles around everyone else:

[ruben-the-cowboy]

Fine, here’s your fem Arthur and Charles.. you win with the gay stuff..

[red-dead-simp]

[mary-linton]