Seeing the real war waged in your passionate debates made me really laugh !
Some discussions are truly captivating, like those on Dante's alleged betrayal or the dilemma surrounding New Antioch's empire. However, some topics can seem absurd at times, with excessive moralizing and far-fetched speculations, while many aspects remain unknown in the game's current narrative. Points are raised over minor details without consideration for the bigger picture. I've noticed some angry and bad-faith, if not very sanctimonious, comments about characters like Luci, her personality, her relationship with his ex-boyfriend, or the relationship between Milena and her brother and so on.
Being passionate about a game is great, but it's important to avoid falling into easy insults because of it, and to remember that it's a fictional universe. Especially in a dystopian setting, it's designed to exaggerate and highlight certain flaws of our real world, which is the essence of this genre. The goal isn't to earn points as a white knight or a paragon of virtue, nor is it to compile a list of every vice and societal flaw, then compare it to our real world as if to reflect it—there's really no point in doing that, at least from my perspective.
There aren't inherently good or bad individuals, except in stories like religious texts and moral fables, which don't reflect reality. Any of us can be led to act questionably under the right circumstances, believing we're doing the right thing or feeling we have no choice.
I believe that Gaius, our mentor in the game, is trying to teach us a crucial lesson: always opt for the lesser evil. This sometimes means committing reprehensible acts, but without losing sight of the higher goal, even if it means compromising ourselves slightly on the moral front. It pushes us to weigh up the pros and cons of each situation, to act in accordance with our principles without being clouded by them, and to dare to question or disobey unacceptable orders. Our Lord Commander himself does not blindly bow to the Empress's wishes, and sometimes openly defies her. In fact, he seems quite determined to mold us according to his philosophy and ethics, in order to prepare us to succeed him.
In any case, I really enjoyed these discussions with him, as it reinforces the impression that the game is trying to make us appreciate all the complex moral and behavioral facets of each character. By definition, no indvidual is perfect on either end of the spectrum, but it's a way of describing them in a more credible and human way in the end. And I think this is a very good aspect of the game and its narrative, which is synonymous with the kind of beautiful writing I personally enjoy.
It's captivating to observe characters with varied and credible behaviors, capable of surprising us, making decisions that are more or less acceptable, rationally or otherwise, and acting in accordance with their own interests and ambitions, as individuals struggling to survive or progress within the society in which they evolve.