RvB Meta
This page is not up-to-date and probably isn’t going to be updated anymore.
An up-to-date version is here.
In which I talk my face off about an internet machinima show. You can find a lot more in my RvB meta tag; think of this like a highlights reel. Well, like a reel.
If you do go diving in that tag, please note that I’ve been writing meta for this fandom for over five years and my viewpoints and interpretations haven’t necessarily remained static over all that time.
Most of my substantial meta is also cross-posted to dreamwidth.
Reference Material
How to Watch Red vs. Blue: a guide for new viewers (outdated)
Freelancer Leaderboard Changes
My tag for anything about the RvB Fan Guide
Carolina Meta
On Wash and Carolina’s Soldiering Styles, how they differ and complement one another.
On Carolina, Epsilon, and Mutual Isolation. How Carolina and Epsilon’s insular relationship isolates them from the rest of their friends during season 10 and the Chorus Trilogy.
Carolina and the Sarcophagus Mission, or why everything Carolina did on the Sarcophagus mission was appropriate in the context of a military setting and her position in Project Freelancer.
On “getting back to good.” Why this line is fundamentally Carolina’s and not applicable to other characters in the same way.
Why Carolina does not have NPD.
On 15.13 and the Freelancers’ attitudes toward sim troopers.
On 15.13 and the bridge scene.
An Endless Road to Rediscover. On Carolina and the loss of Epsilon.
13.13 and Three Parallels to Season 10.
Toward a working theory of Carolina’s lost time, and some points to consider when comparing her to Wash.
The Importance of Carolina’s Anger as Emotional Vulnerability, or What Are We To Do With Our Badly-Written Faves? (Written between seasons 12 and 13.)
Why “Come On Carolina” is so vile.
Unacceptable Losses. Carolina’s real loss on the Longshore Mission and why York is way off the mark about her motivations.
This York/Carolina Thing. An in-depth analysis of the way York and Carolina’s relationship was presented in canon and how this relates to fan reception of Carolina and the Freelancer arc’s plot problems at large.
The One and Future Carolina Part 1 and Part 2. Written before the end of season 10 and hilarious in hindsight.
The Delta Files
On why Delta gets South wrong.
Wyoming Conspiracy Theories
On the true role of Agent Wyoming in Project Freelancer.
On Wyoming’s open insubordination in season 10.
What really happened to Team B on the sarcophagus mission?
Character Analysis
Why Maine is still there in season 8.
On the lessons Tucker learned on Chorus.
On York and Delta, and how all the AI implantations isolated their hosts.
A Sense of Scale: why Locus is not comparable to the Freelancers.
On the neglect of Donut in later seasons.
On Wash and the Meta in Season 8, and the implications of Wash’s friendship with Maine.
On Sister’s Age, or Why Kaikaina Grif is Most Likely an Adult.
Some Thoughts on Locus and Humanity.
Beta!Tex is not characterized by angry outbursts.
On York and Tex’s shared sense of humor.
The Difference: On the tragedy of season 8’s climax.
On Maine, the Meta, and Aiden Price. Why nothing the Counselor says should be taken at face value.
On the Generals. A comparison of Kimball and Doyle from mid-season 13.
About Monsters. A look at the temperaments of the mercs.
On Locus’ obsession with Wash and why the parallel is a false one.
On Forgetting a Few Variables. Why I think the Director’s splintering of the Freelancer squad and sabotaging their teamwork was deliberate.
South, CT, and How Betrayals Work.
General Meta
On the purpose of the leaderboard.
The Sovereignty of Chorus, and why their continued independence is so important.
Everybody Wants to Win the War! or why we should never forget the Covenant War and the context it provides for the actions of every character in this universe.
The Blood Gulch Chronicles and the Tragic Finale. How there is no triumph without loss in RvB, and how the finales of each successive arc build on the themes of loss and letting go.
On the Slow Collapse of Season 15’s Narrative. How a season that starts off so strong goes off the rails and how some of its narrative problems could’ve been prevented.
Character is Everything: Project Freelancer Edition
On the narrative patterns of character death in RvB, or why your fave probably isn’t going to die.
You really didn’t need to go to space. How most of season 9 & 10’s retcons could have been avoided by not making the Freelancer base of ops a ship.
Good Job, Team. An analysis of the character dynamics in the 3-on-1 fight in season 9.
Red vs. Blue as a Myth, and Why This Makes Everything Better.