An Alex Guide for the Canonblind
I'm really not sure if everyone realized they were in the presence of such greatness here even with my gushing about how he's one of my all-time favorite characters. But you were. Also it's still 100% accurate for everyone to hate him ICly.
See, the reason Alex so often acts like he doesn't care is because he doesn't. I mean, at. all. He really doesn't wish anything bad on other people.
But he's entirely not invested in if anything good happens either. Alex cares about Alex, and he sees other people as either useful or not and that's all 99.99999% of the time.
On that note, he is pretty much the most magnificent manipulator in the history of fiction. This is a guy who canonly has pushed along groups that are openly opposing each other to get what he wants done. Also as I'm sure you've noticed, he only lifts a finger when it's absolutely necessary. If someone else can do it, he prefers it that way.
I thiiiink this is because occasionally the things he wants may not be considered good things, at least not by everyone? So if he didn't do it directly, he can't get in trouble! Like, the only way he would have been involved in murders was if he could convince someone else to commit one for some strategic advantage to him.
For example, in the third game, he gets someone to start this thing that he and his associates know will probably cause lots and lots of deaths because they got another individual to hold a relative of this person hostage. And when all they know is that what's going to happen is bad and try blaming him:
You have no idea how much I was flailing at getting this confirmed in that game because I almost entirely figured him out before that was released but he hadn't directly said anything like this yet.
Also in that gameand a point I flailed at so much more to the point my main journal for him is named after it, there is someone who is entirely familiar with him, what he's done in the past, and how he thinks, and this person STILL just advises you to go along with him because he can't entirely puzzle him out.
From what I've been saying, I've long believed that he IS helping in his own way, but the only one he's trying to help is Alex.
Speaking of the past, I'm sure you'd like to know what he did in the first two games to even be at this point! See, Alchemy was the power in Weyard, but Adepts and people started trying to monopolize it or using it for some pretty awful things (like what I referenced from the third game), so the ancients sealed away the power. But THAT caused a problem because the world itself was powered by it and it was literally starting to crumble. We meet Alex when he's allied with the quest to unseal Alchemy and save the world!
Only, in the first game you don't know about the world ending and just know "Alchemy is dangerous, this is bad." And he leads the group into lighting the Lighthouse his clan was supposed to protect from letting that happen, but he'd vanished from town some unknown amount of time before that. By the way, all that was left of his family was one cousin, who he also abandoned. That's Mia. More on her later.
Then in the second game when you are trying to save the world, Alex keeps popping up to push you along. The original group leaders died and he was not confident in Felix, Jenna, Sheba, and an old guy so he ditches really early, okay? But he's still after the same thing!
Before you can't figure out why he cares about saving the world that much when he only cares about himself, freeing Alchemy was going to make this event called the Golden Sun happen where all of it combined in one spot and exploded all over the world. Remember me mentioning the problem of people monopolizing Alchemy? Yeah. Alex really just wanted to be there when the Golden Sun happened to take in all the power himself and have limitless power and an endless life. And um, he does it.
=D
Actually, it doesn't entirely work because the not-so-great guardian deity-thing of Weyard set something up so Alex only got most of the power, but neither that nor his life is truly unlimited. And then he slams Alex to the ground a few times and leaves him on top of a collapsing mountain saying he MIGHT survive.
I never for a second believed he didn't live. And he's understandably kind of pissed about that now? I'm actually not entirely sure of what exactly he's doing from his 30 years later canon point, but I do know there have been signs of him targeting the Wise One because haaaaate and while they don't specifically say it's him, there's really no one else it could be.
Yes, I did say "30 years later". Alex doesn't have an official age, though I suspect early 20s in the first two games. Which is pretty much the age he still looks. But if I'm right, he's actually at least 50. HENCE HIS STATUE AGE BEING "ADULT".
And. AND?
He does all of this without lying.
At least, I have no evidence that he's ever lied to anyone. Which is why when people accuse him of being a liar (this happens in canon as well as during Plas), I'm just going "WHERE ARE YOU GETTING THIS FROM?" Alex is always right. And on that note, have another "Me being right CONFIRMED" line from Dark Dawn:
Actually, he's even generally calm and polite all the time. At least, he uses polite words, especially in Japanese. He still insults people when he has enough experience to know they deserve it. We'll need a whole dialogue segment for this one.
See? Just cares about himself.
Except for the incredibly rare instances when he does care about other people.
Remember his cousin, Mia? Turns out from what we've seen, he actually does care about her. He also goes out of his way to avoid her as much as possible. When Karst and Agatio lead her into a trap in the second game that could have killed her, it's the one time you can read his mind and get something more than the gist of what he told you:
(Fun fact: the only mind reader at that point is Sheba)
Also as I've noticed, he's around after all three mid-game fights with eventual final bosses. In the first and third games, he warps them away after you defeat them. But Karst and Agatio? They get very basic healing and then they all fucking walk. While I don't know for a fact if that's connected, I play him like it is? So if you're wondering about most of his power usage, I was extrapolating from this logic. Except for Sieg, that was just the best Ambition told him wasn't a problem to her. Sorry, Sieg...
There was also a really poor woman who met him ten years after the GBA stuff/twenty years before Dark Dawn who fell in love with him who told other people he loved her, but she's long dead by the time the game happens so I really can't vouch for any of this. Actually though, his behavior DOES add up if he actually cared about her too. Point being: he did what he needed to do there and left without a word and was never seen again. Even when you get forced to take the path in that place's direction in Dark Dawn, he's not the one who follows you to seal it off. We only know this happened because he got her pregnant. Oops. I again have no confirmation, but I'm of the belief that he has no idea. His son is awesome though, if not a naive dork, it's okay. And I literally need to RP Alex with him one of these years........
...I think that's it? Told ya, you were in the presence of greatness that ICly is entirely loathsome. He's so beautifully complex and unique though~
For more information, feel free to comment with any questions, or you can check out my babbling on his main journal![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
mywayofhelping! There's a link to links to all of those posts in that profile.
Thank you for playing with me and giving me a chance to have an IC experience with him. This is the closest I've ever come to one RPing him in a game...
See, the reason Alex so often acts like he doesn't care is because he doesn't. I mean, at. all. He really doesn't wish anything bad on other people.
"Feel free to help whomever you like if it truly makes you happy."
But he's entirely not invested in if anything good happens either. Alex cares about Alex, and he sees other people as either useful or not and that's all 99.99999% of the time.
"I know you, Felix. I know that if you leave Isaac behind, you'll regret it. You're not like me. You can't simply discard someone who is no longer of use to you."
On that note, he is pretty much the most magnificent manipulator in the history of fiction. This is a guy who canonly has pushed along groups that are openly opposing each other to get what he wants done. Also as I'm sure you've noticed, he only lifts a finger when it's absolutely necessary. If someone else can do it, he prefers it that way.
I thiiiink this is because occasionally the things he wants may not be considered good things, at least not by everyone? So if he didn't do it directly, he can't get in trouble! Like, the only way he would have been involved in murders was if he could convince someone else to commit one for some strategic advantage to him.
For example, in the third game, he gets someone to start this thing that he and his associates know will probably cause lots and lots of deaths because they got another individual to hold a relative of this person hostage. And when all they know is that what's going to happen is bad and try blaming him:
"In what way could this possibly be my fault? Ryu Kou has done this by his own hand."
Also in that game
"I'm not sure... Is he our enemy? Or does he simply help in his own way? He's always been entirely inscrutable..."
From what I've been saying, I've long believed that he IS helping in his own way, but the only one he's trying to help is Alex.
Speaking of the past, I'm sure you'd like to know what he did in the first two games to even be at this point! See, Alchemy was the power in Weyard, but Adepts and people started trying to monopolize it or using it for some pretty awful things (like what I referenced from the third game), so the ancients sealed away the power. But THAT caused a problem because the world itself was powered by it and it was literally starting to crumble. We meet Alex when he's allied with the quest to unseal Alchemy and save the world!
Only, in the first game you don't know about the world ending and just know "Alchemy is dangerous, this is bad." And he leads the group into lighting the Lighthouse his clan was supposed to protect from letting that happen, but he'd vanished from town some unknown amount of time before that. By the way, all that was left of his family was one cousin, who he also abandoned. That's Mia. More on her later.
Then in the second game when you are trying to save the world, Alex keeps popping up to push you along. The original group leaders died and he was not confident in Felix, Jenna, Sheba, and an old guy so he ditches really early, okay? But he's still after the same thing!
Before you can't figure out why he cares about saving the world that much when he only cares about himself, freeing Alchemy was going to make this event called the Golden Sun happen where all of it combined in one spot and exploded all over the world. Remember me mentioning the problem of people monopolizing Alchemy? Yeah. Alex really just wanted to be there when the Golden Sun happened to take in all the power himself and have limitless power and an endless life. And um, he does it.
=D
Actually, it doesn't entirely work because the not-so-great guardian deity-thing of Weyard set something up so Alex only got most of the power, but neither that nor his life is truly unlimited. And then he slams Alex to the ground a few times and leaves him on top of a collapsing mountain saying he MIGHT survive.
I never for a second believed he didn't live. And he's understandably kind of pissed about that now? I'm actually not entirely sure of what exactly he's doing from his 30 years later canon point, but I do know there have been signs of him targeting the Wise One because haaaaate and while they don't specifically say it's him, there's really no one else it could be.
Yes, I did say "30 years later". Alex doesn't have an official age, though I suspect early 20s in the first two games. Which is pretty much the age he still looks. But if I'm right, he's actually at least 50. HENCE HIS STATUE AGE BEING "ADULT".
And. AND?
He does all of this without lying.
At least, I have no evidence that he's ever lied to anyone. Which is why when people accuse him of being a liar (this happens in canon as well as during Plas), I'm just going "WHERE ARE YOU GETTING THIS FROM?" Alex is always right. And on that note, have another "Me being right CONFIRMED" line from Dark Dawn:
"Tricked you? I have been nothing but forthright and honest throughout our brief relationship."
Actually, he's even generally calm and polite all the time. At least, he uses polite words, especially in Japanese. He still insults people when he has enough experience to know they deserve it. We'll need a whole dialogue segment for this one.
Alex: My experience with Saturos and Menardi suggests that, while they were fierce warriors... They are somewhat lacking when it comes to solving the mysteries of the lighthouses...
Karst: You mean to say that they failed to solve the riddles?
Alex: Miserably...
Agatio: Are you suggesting they were simply brutes, incapable of logic and intelligence? And are you saying the same of us!?
Alex: I'm afraid so...
Karst: Alex... Whose side are you on?
Alex: I am on no one's side. My only concern is to see the lighthouse beacons lit once again.
See? Just cares about himself.
Except for the incredibly rare instances when he does care about other people.
Remember his cousin, Mia? Turns out from what we've seen, he actually does care about her. He also goes out of his way to avoid her as much as possible. When Karst and Agatio lead her into a trap in the second game that could have killed her, it's the one time you can read his mind and get something more than the gist of what he told you:
"Even now, I want to run to Mia, to give her my aid... It seems I am weak as well... I suppose I have no choice but to part ways with Agatio and Karst."
(Fun fact: the only mind reader at that point is Sheba)
Also as I've noticed, he's around after all three mid-game fights with eventual final bosses. In the first and third games, he warps them away after you defeat them. But Karst and Agatio? They get very basic healing and then they all fucking walk. While I don't know for a fact if that's connected, I play him like it is? So if you're wondering about most of his power usage, I was extrapolating from this logic. Except for Sieg, that was just the best Ambition told him wasn't a problem to her. Sorry, Sieg...
There was also a really poor woman who met him ten years after the GBA stuff/twenty years before Dark Dawn who fell in love with him who told other people he loved her, but she's long dead by the time the game happens so I really can't vouch for any of this. Actually though, his behavior DOES add up if he actually cared about her too. Point being: he did what he needed to do there and left without a word and was never seen again. Even when you get forced to take the path in that place's direction in Dark Dawn, he's not the one who follows you to seal it off. We only know this happened because he got her pregnant. Oops. I again have no confirmation, but I'm of the belief that he has no idea. His son is awesome though, if not a naive dork, it's okay. And I literally need to RP Alex with him one of these years........
...I think that's it? Told ya, you were in the presence of greatness that ICly is entirely loathsome. He's so beautifully complex and unique though~
For more information, feel free to comment with any questions, or you can check out my babbling on his main journal
mywayofhelping! There's a link to links to all of those posts in that profile.Thank you for playing with me and giving me a chance to have an IC experience with him. This is the closest I've ever come to one RPing him in a game...