#oly tag

I didn’t start playing the game until 2016, so I’m real late to the party fdhkg

So no, I wasn’t a kid when I started liking him! When I first was playing through the game, Fred was my favorite character, for some reason. I just thought it was cute when he fell asleep on the ground after Raz helped him, something like that. Nothing super deep. I actually really disliked Oleander, though I did find Basic Braining fascinating and fun- I quite like when things are chaotic and dark, like the majority of that level.

But then when I got to the Meat Circus, man oh man I swore I would die for him right the second I stepped in there. Little Oly was so sweet and cute and scared and desperate. I knew exactly what was up the second I walked in, and I saw myself in him and his situation. Every frantic movement, every squeak in his voice, every nervous twitch and anxious touch he gave Raz, I felt it in my bones, I knew every thought and worry that must have torn through his mind immediately. It was just, gosh, something I’ve never felt before. I never thought I was going to find a character that I was like, that I had absolutely no shame in having the things I have in common with.

After beating the game, I immediately started again, more observant of Oleander. Everything about him suddenly made so much sense to me. His temper, frustration, and irritability, his isolation, his sleeping through the day, it was all connected, it all made sense. He was showing several signs of PTSD, but no one was giving him the help he so desperately and obviously needed. He was too stubborn to reach out to anyone and get that help- asking for help is a weakness, and being weak is what got him into trouble in the first place, and he should never let that happen again, lest he’s seen as a useless burden on others that should be killed off.

I’m so happy about his growth in RoR. He may not be taller (lol) but he allows himself to be more vulnerable around the others, he allows himself to cry, to want and need, to enjoy things without shame and fear of judgement. Hell, he even apparently exorcises now, which is not only good for his body, but also his mind. He’s really, finally taking the steps to help himself, and I’m very proud of him for it!

From day 1, my love for him has only grown, exponentially so.