ernesto fan

in the recent is7 bolivar vignette, where tequila has his very own segment! i didn't think much of it at first, because last time tequila had an appearance in something, he was a side character.

now, not to dismiss his role or anything, after all, we did get some pretty good information out of tequila during the operation: lucent arrowhead event, for starters, it's pretty obvious the guy is passively suicidal. like, when catapult knows he's bullshitting about who he really is the entire event, he still tries to keep up his facade. however, this facade really starts to become a bigger question when he finds himself surrounded by a place filled with originium explosives. instead of trying to get out, he insists that catapult leaves.

obviously, catapult does not let him off the hook because she's not stupid (bless our lovely kuranta who never shuts up, we love you so much.) we also get this moment between candela and ernesto, which practically sums up the dilemma tequila has been facing for a very long time now.

the whole ordeal is about tea, but clear that nothing candela is talking about is referring to tea in the slightest. she's referring to tequila's choice in becoming mayor, which he still has yet to decide whether this is the path he wants to go with or not.

that's our fun cliffhanger for the golden boy of bolivar! another great event that showcases how his facade is crumbling, the tang of suicidal behavior that was also present during dossoles holiday, and an uncertain fate. it all sets up a nice pathway towards what could be a possible tequila alter.

when tequila was first released during dossoles holiday, i always had the inkling that he was promised for something grander than just being a free welfare 5 star. an ex-terrorist turned into operator whose entire theme is centered around making a future for himself, rather than others, is not a concept you just toss at any operator. now, pair that with how candela has deemed tequila a heir to becoming dossoles mayor? dossoles, which is known for its political unrest? it's hard to pretend that he wasn't meant for bigger dreams.. like a 6 star alter?

of course, i knew that this could be passed off as a feeble dream. anyone who likes an underrated 5 star knows that they, too, wish for them to receive an alter, or just an event that stars them even as a side character. but, the signs with tequila were much more bright in comparison to my other favorite characters who are, also, 5 star welfares, like lumen. i wouldn't be against the idea of him getting an alter, but it doesn't seem like arknights plans on giving him one any time soon yet, so who knows.

everyone thought i was crazy for god knows how many years, up until the release of bolivar is7. tequila may have not been the six star that was being put through psychological horrors, but we got something else more tasty instead.

in tequila's small segment, we discover that candela has died, or, well, publicly died. in reality, candela had ran off due to the fact that the political pressure she faced as a mayor was becoming too much. it was for her safety, and that meant she had no other choice but to give up her position as mayor to her heir. which as we know, is tequila.

what i find so interesting about this is that it feels like this was foreshadowed from his operator module.

in his operator module, two faces, charles had fallen unconscious, which leads to tequila taking over his place as a headliner. charles was noted as a person of interest, which leads to a target being planted on his head. this is most likely the reason as to why tequila had drugged charles because he knew that when he stood on stage, he would be at risk of getting shot or kidnapped randomly.

candela is also mentioned which is worth noting considering this means what we already know, there are still people going after candela and trying to sabotage every chance she has as a mayor when it comes to networking. networking, obviously, very important when you are a highly-loved government figure trying to make sure your city doesn't collapse to war, and also because of the trading and exports.. you get what i'm saying.

this job that tequila takes up can be compared to how candela runs away from dossoles for her safety, forcing tequila to take the role of mayor much sooner than he planned, which leaves us with this nice piece of dialogue from the salas family.

this type of dialogue stands out to me because it also helps set itself up for a future bolivar-centric event, or, well, a tequila-centric event. his father, pancho, who never usually shares anything personal has decided to tell him that he believes tequila can do whatever he wants. he knows that tequila will make the right choice, and he does!

tequila ends up telling the bolivarian people that the real bolivarian dream is not war, or violence, but peace, which is something he has sought out for ever since he was a child, forced into the military.

with this type of cliffhanger, one can only acknowledge one thing, and that very thing is that i'd be damned if tequila doesn't get an alter at some point. this vignette is proof that he is going to be written for bigger plans for bolivar, and maybe we'll get to see dossoles change as he becomes mayor. tequila's pride for dossoles runs deeper than any other pride he has, which i don't think a lot of people notice.

but alas, i can only think and theorize. considering bolivar is7 hasn't hit global yet, and intergrated strategies last for a long period of time before 'ending', who knows! maybe we'll get a bolivar-centric event in between, i'd be pretty happy if that happened.