#especially especially phyllis and franco prime time lines

[walterdoodles]

Underrated outlast character... 🥁

Doctor Futterman, he's just so funny sometimes!! And i like how expressive he can be even just as a puppet!!

[reagent-leon]

If I had any say in the development of The Outlast Trials, my plea to Red Barrels would be this: expand on the characters you’ve already got instead of adding new ones. Franco, the Pitcher, Amelia, Henrietta, they’ve all been great. But do you know what’s been one of my favourite updates? The one for the Imposter. Making them able to interact with players more. I was hanging out with one for quite a while in Kill the Snitch, thinking it was my buddy @cannibalizedcadavers. He even offered me a lockpick, and if Danny hadn’t picked up a key elsewhere in the trial at that exact moment, I would’ve taken the bait and gotten stabbed. I got out of there sharpish, but it was super unsettling being misled like that, much better than the telltale giggling they used to do. 

I feel like they should add new mechanics to the guys already on the roster, refine them a little, maybe even design alternative versions. There are supposed to be multiple Pushers, multiple Night Hunters, multiple Pitchers, and yet they all have the same voice lines and appearance. The Jaeger being unique makes sense because she’s Henrietta, and we know some of the other ex-pops have names, Frank, George, Danny, etc. But we see two heavy ex-pops die. The Black Big Grunt dies twice in Franco’s trials (that I can recall), first in Poison the Medicine, then again in Poison the Cattle. So, where does that fit into the timeline? I take it we’re supposed to assume it's a different Big Grunt. 

Teach the old dogs some new tricks instead of trying to distract us with new playmates. Refine some new mechanics or behaviours, even if they’re not strictly player-related.

I’ve always found it odd that ex-pops don’t react to one another, or at least not to the Prime Assets. I’m not asking for Prime Time-level dialogue, just something, especially from specialist ex-pops. I think they’d all have something funny to say about the Pusher, and the Pusher mistakenly thinking he’s still their doctor? Come on. Give me some chemistry between the characters. There’s a severe lack of interactivity within the game, both with the characters and their environments. Actually, I think it’s only Franco and maaaaybe Phyllis who mention there’s something weird about their respective trial environments.

The Prime Assets are supposed to be these charismatic leaders, but we never get to see Phyllis playing mother hen, Coyle playing drill sergeant, or Franco building up a new gang. There’s a lot of tell, don’t show, which made sense in the beginning. I admit that during Amelia’s Escape, I was hoping to see more of the Sinyala Facility. Specifically, I was hoping to get a peek at where they’re keeping the ex-pops when they’re not in active trials. I’m imagining an asylum-type environment, which at some point could be used as a map itself. Imagine trying to escape and instead winding up in a sleep room full of ex-pops who want you dead. I know the developers have talked about this before, but I’m sorry, with how volatile the ex-pops are, I cannot see them all getting along enough to be in a sleep room like the Reagents. There must be containment procedures, something to keep them more docile when they aren’t on patrol. 

Also, they fucking killed Clyde Perry. I was really hoping to see him in-game, even if he was just looking down on us like Wernicke, maybe hear some voice lines from him. But no. He’s gone. Wasted just to big up Henrietta’s arrival. It’s interesting that both Clyde and Henrietta were victimised by Coyle, and it was Henrietta who ended Clyde. I really wonder how the Jaeger will work in Coyle’s trial environments. Because surely she’d want revenge? She could crack him like a pistachio, especially with all her new enhancements. How are they going to keep Coyle safe? Just not let them out of the insertion gate at the same time? Seems reasonable, I guess. But they probably won’t think it through that thoroughly.

I wish that story informed gameplay in more ways than just introducing new hazards. I don’t need gas or frost. What I need is for the Prime Assets to bark at their underlings and call the Pitcher a creepy bastard. For general ex-pops to maybe keep their distance from Prime Assets, or risk friendly fire.

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UPDATE

So, as you probably guessed, I started writing this before the Jaeger was released (21st April, to be exact). And just as I suspected, there’s no new dialogue between ex-pops. I expected Henrietta/the Jaeger to at least hint at something to do with Coyle. Coyle’s voice actor, Julian Bailey, seems to be tied up with other acting work at the moment, so I suppose I can understand why we’re not getting anything new from him. But come on, there’s no hostility from the Jaeger towards him? Nothing about the man who is responsible for what’s happened to her? No long-standing fear of cops or men in general? 

Uuuuugh. I just wish it mattered more which ex-pops are actually in the trial, and that they acknowledged their surroundings. Phyllis mentions feeling like she’s living the same day over and over again, and that the doctors have “moved things around again”. But she was also the one to notice Amelia running around and that the rules were changing.

I suppose this is more of a vent piece than my usual analysis-style post. In between these big, story-altering events, I’d love it if Red Barrels would sneak in some little character updates, additional dialogue, maybe a few model changes. Something. Anything. Something more than just evidence documents.

[wendigoruble]

✨️Info dump on my reagent oc, Gen✨️

Basics:

Full Name: Gen E. Ricc

Nickname(s): Coward, Rat, Stalker

Age: 25

Height: 5'8

He/She

Past:

Gen is basically the ideal person that Easterman would look for. He had a homelife in which he didn't perceive himself to have any inherent value to those around him. He very much felt forgotten in his own life and would typically spend time alone.

Once old enough, he would go on to work various odd jobs until stumbling across a flyer for the Murkoff charity. She was quick to apply and was soon taken to the Sinyala facility.

Present:

Gen has a reputation for being one of the biggest cowards in the program. So much so that it earned him that nickname. She frequently hides during trials and will refuse to aid other reagents out of fear. You do not want to do a trial with him. He'd be awful.

It's quite honestly a miracle that she hasn't been kicked out or killed.

No one really knows why she's allowed to stay when she doesn't actively make progress and just seems like a dead end.

Outside of this, she generally tries to come off as happy and helpful to others, as much as she can anyway. She will go out of her way to comfort others to the best of her ability, especially during post trial periods. She wants to make everyone else feel cared for and included.

Prime Asset Relationships:

☆Gooseberry:

Due to lingering memories of her past, he has a deep fear and discomfort about Gooseberry. Seeing Phyllis and Futterman as bickering parents more than anything else. He doesn't like the cursing, swearing, or harsh tone, and not even that soft voice can make him come around. He will avoid Gooseberry at all costs. The drill aspect of it all doesn't help either.

Because of the extreme avoidance, Phyllis has no opinion of Gen.

☆Coyle:

He doesn't find Coyle that charming either. Mostly, he's just annoyed by him and his comments. Though he does heavily fear the possibility of being electrocuted so it's another situation where he tries to avoid him as much as possible.

Again, due to avoidance, Coyle doesn't really have an opinion on Gen outside of just his general distaste for reagents.

☆Franco:

No one knows where it started, but Gen will actively seek out and stalk Franco throughout any trial they have together. Of course, she keeps her distance and wants to remain out of rage of lupara, but that doesn't stop her from trailing behind him. She likes listening to the things he says and how he moves. She's drawn to his fragile shell of confidence.

She's so good at stalking him that she can be an informant for other reagents because of it.

Due to a lot of personal issues Gen faces, he can't really discern between physical or emotional affection. If you ask him how he feels about Franco, he's likely to say something along the lines of "I don't know I just do, he's shaped." He can't really explain his attraction at all.

He will passively aid Franco if he's hurt, but mostly in the way of just throwing bandages or meds at him before running away.

Franco sees Gen as a pseudo-friend and toy to some degree. Entertaining enough not to shoot on sight and not to let him die, but will also frequently rough him up and use him as a ██████. Gen feels that this is a replacement for physical affection and accepts it gladly. This leads to a lot of embarrassing situations, though, when Gen has to leave any trial that had to do with him.

[cuddlecow]

Not sure how much of a headcanon this is, but Franco seems to be very jumpy, and kind of nervous while he hunts down the player. Whenever he hears a sound from the player he almost jumps as he turns around, sometimes instinctively firing at the direction of the sound. Not to mention he says things like "My dad send you?" or even just "what the fuck is that?". I personally think the tough act he's had to put on his whole life is out of fear, mostly of his dad. I also saw someone say Franco seems more aware of what is happening to him at Mt Sinyala with Murkoff, even saying a few things directed at the "doctors". I bet he's kind of scared being there, maybe he thinks his dad did it?? Murkoff is definitely getting into his head like with Coyle and Phyllis, also. I wonder how much he is really aware of. Sorry for the angst, I feel so bad for him. He needed love and help, not Murkoff.

Ooh, I can definitely see that! I remember he says the one line where he says his father killed his mother when he addresses the doctors! Also no need to apologize, some angst is always good! Thank you for bringing up some cool points!

Author's Note: I'm going to start doing entries called "Franco For Thought" that are more talk-style headcanons or just going more in depth off of some points others make!

Franco For Thought

Franco for sure has trauma from multiple aspects in life. Growing up in a mafia/mobster family, he's had to be guarded and tough at a young age. I believe he chose to keep his head down and stay quiet or not rebel from his father so he wouldn't be cast out or killed. In the comics they did say that the only reason Franco wasn't killed by his father, Salvatore, was because he was blood related.

Franco almost always shoots in the direction of a sound because if he doesn't shoot to kill, then the other person will. Survivability is definitely a huge thing for him especially since he's such a high ranking member and at any time he could be challenged.

Based off of Franco saying "My dad send you?" I think it would be fair to assume this wouldn't be the first time his father tried to send someone after him to assassinate Franco. He whips around so fast once he hears things.

Franco for sure seems the most aware of the doctors compared to the other prime assets. Perhaps he gets into lots of scuffles with the doctors and threatens them, or perhaps he is a bit passive aggressive with it, muttering under his breath.

I think it'd be interesting to see what goes on in some sort of expop/prime asset common room or their interactions/behaviors when they aren't in the trials!

[0bsequi0us]

Speaking strictly as a Coyle Tolerater (I'm a POC, to keep things nice and vague; his bigotry loops back around into clown-tier shit imo)—his childhood is the least explicitly godawful out of the three Primes, but there's an ambiguity to it that I find intriguing.

The wording of "anecdotal accounts of animal abuse and sexual assault during his childhood" *does* have a lot of people assuming that he was the victim of those actions rather than the perpetrator. Like you, I read it as him carrying out these things (to the point where he got sent to military school to get "straightened out"), but there remains just enough wiggle room that one could argue it went either way. Hell, maybe even both ways.

I hesitate to look to the unused lines for characterization/backstory, but I also hesitate to throw them away (especially since Phyllis and Franco have such fun ones lmao)... per some dialogue that got dummied out of the final game, Coyle's dad seems to have taken enjoyment in (or at least been indifferent to) the suffering of animals (cow struck by lightning? crack open a beer and watch it run around in agony). Someone in your post's reply mentioned the bath incident (twisted vittles, electricity), which... honestly, *does* sound partways like he was resentful of being forced to take baths lol. It's anyone's guess as to how abusive her reprimands were, or how accurate he was re: her "never being right in the head" (paraphrased/from memory).

Really, my biggest source of intrigue re: Coyle characterization is his line wherein he wishes that "someone would just make a prison that would hold me. someplace peaceful and close, someplace warm I could not escape"; one of his few self-aware lines, iirc? but also dude What On Earth lol. and then there's the wildly tonally dissonant "you've gotta love yourself; how are you gonna take care of others if you're not taking care of yourself?" (unused) line, like... man, *What?*

... Anyway. Yeah, nah, I don't think there's any text that spells out that he's a child abuse victim. But there's no content implying that he had a particularly pleasant childhood, either, so there's enough of a gray area that people can still interpret it that way? Considering he was raised in a sundown town in the early 20th century, and when taking into account what little we know about his folks, I'd hazard a guess and say that he probably had a mundanely unhappy childhood at best, with period- and environment-accurate levels of unpleasantness.

Sorry to leave a Coyle Manifesto in your inbox lol. He may be my least favorite of the three but I've had time to ponder him in my brain once or twice

No anon thanks so much for taking the time to write this! I *do* find Coyle interesting, I just... am not insane about him like I am about the other 2 lol So I'm well aware that I might be totally missing something The bath line is the one I'm most confused/compelled by, tbh. I'll be totally real, I have NO idea what "twisted vittles" is meant to refer to. Is it a euphemism for genitalia? I have never heard that usage before in my life and couldn't find anything like that searching, but I would expect something like that coming from Coyle. In that case I'd argue that seems abnormally cruel even compared to "normal" physical punishment for the time... but Idk I feel like I'm grasping at straws a little bit. It could just be a line that was meant to show that he had a fear/obsession with electricity from a young age for all I know. I agree that he definitely has a lot of traits/lines/lore that one could reasonably speculate a turbulent childhood from. Like I think that's a very natural direction to take him and would be totally in line with his characterization. Phyllis and Franco's abuse is so explicit that I guess I was just expecting to find something more concrete but it seems like most of what he has going on is more implied.