#rdr2 mary gillis

[strrwbrrryjam]

"we need more complex female characters," you guys can't handle molly o'shea, mary gillis, abigail roberts, sadie adler, tilly jackson, marybeth gaskill, karen jones or susan grimshaw.

[notsofriendlyfriendlyreminder]

So you're telling me when Hozier sang You keep tellin' me to live right it wasn't Mary talking to Arthur?

And you're telling me I aim low I aim true, and the ground's where I go I work late where I'm free from the phone and the job gets done isn't literally Arthur explaining his lifestyle to Mary, and knowing that his role in the gang is getting the job done?

And you're saying You treat your mouth as if it's Heaven's gate the rest of you like you're the TSA is not about the fact that Mary opens herself to Arthur's love just to take the rest of her away because of her ties to her family and the current society standards for a woman? And in a sense, this is still Arthur talking- acusing Mary of keeping away, not seeing her side.

And you're still expecting me to believe You know you're bright as the morning as soft as the rain pretty as a vine as sweet as a grape if you can sit in a barrel maybe I'll wait IS NOT ARTHUR TELLING HOW MUCH HE LOVES MARY BUT THAT HE SIMPLY HAS TO WAIT FOR THE RIGHT TIME FOR HIM TO LEAVE GANG? HUH?

I just think that many of Hozier's songs are perfect love songs that go with Arthur and Mary or John and Abigail. In this essay I will- *gunshot*

[ranna-alga]

"Black" - Pearl Jam

[drizzledrawings]

They’re so tragic oh my god they’re so doomed oh my god

[dazednstoned]

Absolutely absurd that people give Arthur and John the benefit of the doubt by labeling them complex characters (which they are), but won't extend that grace to INCREDIBLY complex characters like Abigail, Molly, and Mary.

Abigail is strictly a nag, Molly is a rat, and Mary is a selfish woman who used Arthur. Meanwhile, John is seen as a deadbeat who grew from that into a family man. Arthur is a murderer, but he's also kind and generous.

Stop only extending grace to your male favs when the red dead women are just as complex as them.

[aurora-basin]

@ mary, molly, & abigail haters

[pompadourks]

Mary and Arthur’s relationship is so funny when you think ab it. Just the idea of Mary who is so goddamn pretty and could probably have her choice of any guy in town seeing a twenty something Arthur Morgan covered in dirt and horse shit getting into fistfights at the local saloon every other night because he keeps winning at poker and everyone thinks he’s cheating. And she’s still like ‘That one, yes I want that one.’

[kammilu]

"Children love me"

pov: the first meeting of arthur and jamie was terrible.. the poor boy saw arthur after a week-long hunt… 😂😂

in my headcanon Arthur is a neat guy, but you can imagine what the wild nature is doing… and when you really want to see your loved one, you don’t care about cleanliness 💖😋

[arthursfuckinghat]

Say what you want about Mary, but nothing makes my heart ache for Arthur more than how fucking much they loved eachother and how much they knew it would never work.

Meeting Mary the second time, she absolutely lit up seeing that Arthur actually came to help her again. Even despite the rough circumstances with her father, they both went and had a wonderful evening at the theatre.

Mary had no idea that would be the last time she'd ever see Arthur alive again.

[cryptidcr3ature]

Y’all Mary wasn’t wrong in her reasons for not wanting to be with Arthur. Like she knew who Arthur was and his lifestyle, but she also knew that there was a kind and loyal person in Arthur. As much as she disproved of his lifestyle, that wasn’t the factor that tore them apart but the fact she would always be put second in Arthur’s life.

Mary was always second. She’s the eldest daughter, her brother’s keeper, and even her father’s caretaker. Her choices were never just hers except for loving Arthur. Arthur was a selfish choice for her, the man who everyone disproved of, but he wasn’t who they saw him as. However in Arthur’s eyes, he didn’t want to change but for her to come along like Bessie did for Hosea. The difference though is Hosea at least tried to change for Bessie, but she didn’t want that for him. Mary wanted to know if Arthur’s loyalty would have ever changed, but it didn’t. Instead, she chose someone to put her first (at least till he died.)

After her husband’s death, she even tried again to see if Arthur would choose her first and was inevitably disappointed again. Then she found his grave and probably heard that he “betrayed” the gang. She always knew he could change, but it was just too late.

[strrwbrrryjam]

either treat abigail, molly, mary, with respect or die looking down the barrel of my gun

i'm being one hundred percent serious when i say i'm tired of people disregarding and disrespecting them to uplift their queer ships. it's bad and it needs to stop.

like i just read a jovier post where they have john cheat on abigail?what the fuck man.

his love for her is unwavering and he is incredibly committed to abigail, he's so devoted to her, working so hard to create a life for the three of them. john is willing to lay down his life to protect his family, and he does so, rescuing them is his whole motive for seeking redemption in the first game. he would never disrespect abigail like that, he's learned and grown, he's no longer the shithead deadbeat dad when jack was young, he loves her.

arthur still so clearly loves mary, his love remaining steadfast and unwavering even years after their broken engagement, it's so obvious on his face when he looks at her. his heart still yearns for her that when she calls, he comes, even if he's a little miffed at the start, he still goes. honestly, i believe if arthur didn't have other commitments in the gang, he would have run away with her when she asked him.

and while molly and dutch's relationship is tumultuous and dutch absolutely does not deserve her, molly is so important to dutch's character and the story as a whole. molly's loyalty to dutch highlights dutch's charisma and the ways dutch inspires loyalty throughout the gang. her existence also depicts the internal conflicts dutch has and the moral uncertainty of dutch's actions. her presence within the gang and relationship with dutch represents the internal strife and conflicts within the gang, highlighting the human cost of their choices and the sacrifices that are made in pursuit of a false freedom in the old west.

and let's not even mention the treatment eliza, annabelle, bessie and even susan receive, which is hardly any mention at all.

eliza, annabelle and bessie each play small but significant parts to not just their respective partners, but to the story as a whole.

eliza shapes arthu’rs past and motivations. her tragic death, along with their son, isaac, has a large impact on arthur and his present relationships, such as abigail and jack. their memory serves as a driving force of arthurs path to redemption.

annabelles fate fuels dutch's vendetta against colm and the o'driscolls, and adds personal stakes to the gang as a reminder of the consequences of their life as an outlaw.

and bessie, oh bessie, not only does she add depth to hosea and represents hosea's wishes for a more peaceful life, but hosea loves her so much that when coming to terms with his inevitable death, whether by gunshot or sickness, the mere chance of reuniting with bessie brings him so much comfort, despite the fact that he fears that bessie lives above, while hosea will be traveling down below.

susan is a very controversial character due to her treatment of the women in the gang and her murdering molly, who did not betray the gang, both of which i do not condone, but it is impossible to deny her importance to the story. not only was, from what we know, dutch's first woman, coming before annabelle and molly, she also served an important role in the gang, acting as an authority figure, maintaining order and discipline within the gang where tensions often rise. she serves as an emotional anchor, which is incredibly important when death is constantly looming over you and adds so much depth and complexity to the story of rdr2.

when you ignore and disregard these characters you are undermining the depth and the richness of the story, each of these characters are important to the story. if you wish to truly appreciate the storytelling of rdr2, it is important to recognize and respect each of these characters.

[notsofriendlyfriendlyreminder]

And here it is, our final night alive

And as the earth burns to the ground

Oh girl it's you

That I lie with

[ranna-alga]

Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) by Nancy Sinatra is so Marthur-coded but specifically from Mary's POV, I can't stop thinking about it

[exhaustedalien]

I always wonder how much of the Mary hate is down to Arthur never being able to sleep with her in the game. When I read a lot of the "she used Arthur she manipulated Arthur she was leading him on" takes I get a very friendzoney "Arthur did ALLLL this stuff for her and he didn't get ANYTHING out of it!!" vibe. like I know there are other (also shitty and bad and not good) reasons people hate Mary but I just know there's a contingent of them that expected sex as a reward and decided to be not normal about it when that didn't happen.

[moeitsu]

Song Lyrics That Remind Me of Arthur Morgan

Nobody asked for this, but I listen to A LOT of music, and this boah is constantly on my mind 24/7. So I thought I'd share some lyrics that remind me of him and his relationships <3

━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━

Hard Believer - First Aid Kit

"So you ask for my opinion. Well, what is there to say? To be honest and just foolish, won't make you wanna stay. You've got to go on and get moving. And I can't do that for you. Got so many plans and so much you wanna do. Love is tough, time is rough on me."

To a Poet - First Aid Kit (Mary & Arthur)

"You said, 'Don't give me nothing you don't wanna lose.' I said, 'Darlin' I'll give you everything I got, if you want them to choose.' Though unwillingly I left and it was so, so hard to do. Now I miss you more than I can take and I will surely break. And every morning that I wake, God, it is the same."

Afraid of Heights - Boygenius (Dutch & Arthur)

"I know I fucked up when I told you I'm afraid of heights. It made you wanna test my courage. You made me climb a cliff at night. You wanted me to jump and I declined. You called me a coward, I replied, I don't wanna live forever, but I don't wanna die tonight."

My Silver Lining - First Aid Kit

"I don't know if I'm scared of dyin', but I'm scared of living too fast, too slow. Regret, remorse, hold on. Oh no I've gotta go. There's no starting over, no new beginnings, time races on. You've just gotta keep on keeping on."

Sun Bleached Flies - Ethel Cain

"If they strike once, then you hit 'em twice as hard. But in the end, if I bend under the weight that they gave me, Then this heart would break and fall twice as far. We all know how it goes, the more it hurts, the less it shows. But I still feel like they all know, and that's why I could never go back home."

Saviour - George Ezra (Mary & Arthur)

"Time was young and you were mine. Take me back to that midnight moon. Cradle me, at that midnight moon. All of me is all for you, and what I got to give is not enough. It's a dark night. Being your own savior, is it saving you?"

Cowboy, Gangster, Politician - Goldie Boutilier (Mary & Arthur)

"We said goodbye, but it never ends. 'Cause you can't get away from a woman who loves you. 'Cause you can't run away from feelings that haunt you. No, you can't separate a fire from a flame that already burns. Every saints a sinner, we all have our past. Forever is a fiction, nothing lasts."

Let Him Fly - Patty Griffin (Mary Gillis-Linton)

"Ain't no talking to this man, ain't no pretty other side. Ain't no way to understand, the stupid words of pride. It would take an acrobat, and I already tried all that so, I'm gonna let him fly. You know the light has left his face, but you can't recall just where or why. So there was really nothing to it, I said I'm gonna let him fly."

The Chain - Fleetwood Mac (Dutch & Arthur)

"And if you don't love me now, You will never love me again. I can still hear you saying, we would never break the chain. Run in the shadows. Damn your love, damn your lies."

Devil's Resting Place - Laura Marling

"I've been with the devil in the devil's resting place. Water won't clean you, you only hold yourself to the things you do. Come up here to speak to me and hold your face to mine. Any man can hold my gaze has done his job just fine. You sold your life away to be with me tonight. Hold your head against my chest, I think you'll be just fine."

Through the Valley - Shawn James

"I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. And I fear no evil because I'm blind to it all, and my mind and my gun they comfort me. Because I know I'll kill my enemies when they come. Surely, goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell on this earth forevermore. Well, I came upon a man at the top of a hill. Called himself the savior of the human race. Said he'd come to save the world from destruction and pain, but I said, how can you save the world from itself?"

Youngest Daughter - Superheaven

"It's useless, I tried, but to no avail. To tell you how much I know, how much I care. Breathe until your lungs fail, you can sing 'til you go deaf. I am sick, I am horrified at everything I hear. Everyday repeats itself again, the cycle of our misery, It drives us all insane."

The Fall - Gregory Alan Isakov (John & Arthur)

"You heard blood was thick, brothers and sisters. But ya don't know where anybody's at. Time was a bust, you thought you'd better be tough. Nobody gets past the trembling wire. All eyes on you now, on you. We're all holding our breath."

Second Chances - Gregory Alan Isakov (John & Arthur)

"I'm running from nothing, no thoughts in my mind. Oh my heart was all black but I saw something shine. Thought that part was yours, but it might just be mine. I could share it with you, if you gave me the time. I'm all bloody knuckles, longing for home. If it weren't for second chances, we'd all be alone."

My Mind - Paris Paloma (Dutch & Arthur)

"What did I do wrong? Will you tell me what I did wrong, what did I? Was it a first offense? How long had you been harboring that vemon? You could have used your words then, you wanted them to hurt and so I let them. Never would I beseech you, to endure what you put me through."

[gem-likes-rdr]

I genuinely don't get the Mary hate when it comes to the relationship between her and Arthur, like she's doing what she thinks is best for everyone she loves, that includes Arthur.

She wants the best for her brother, her father, Arthur.. She's stuck in a role she was most likely too young to have. Forced to grow up too fast. The romance she had with Arthur was the only taste of freedom she ever had.

And when we see Arthur and her interact they are very open and have great chemistry together. They flirt and tease one another. They truly love one another.

But Arthur in a sense is trapped in the outlaw lifestyle and Mary is trapped in the role of being the head of a household.

And she sees the man she loves so dearly want to escape but can't. And it pains her to let him go.