I have touched on most of this above, but I have to ask, do you really believe her to be some machiavellian manipulator? Her, a woman who has never had a voice all throughout her life, between her childhood in a religious family and her shitbag husband? The relationship starts as a very straightforward transaction, nothing manipulative about it. And if you so choose to make it more intimate, do you really believe it's all just cold calculation from her? Not only does that seem highly doubtful to me, there's also the technical side of things where she is a love interest in a video game.
Rosalind doesn't have the defining characteristic of being manipulative, no. Lol. As you pointed out, she has a frail personality, which is evident in her passivity regarding her abusive relationship with her husband and her life choices in general.
This doesn't mean she isn't capable of manipulating someone for her own benefit. That's what she did with MC. Could their relationship evolve into something more? Of course, it seems like it's geared towards that. But her first impression was about her using her appeal to win MC's favor.
I do take issue with people calling her an "older woman", which is a phrase for women like 50+, while Rose is in her early 30s
I can't answer for other people in this thread. But when I said "older woman", I meant that she is a middle-aged woman with more significant life experience compared to a young freshman who is just starting his adult life. Even if the MC is wise beyond his years, he can only have so much experience.
Funnily enough, this is what I find to be the single weakest aspect of the writing and the game overall. This oversimplified take on Oedipus complex that basically goes "oh look, a hot, young, big-breasted mother who spreads her legs, just like my mom, I need to fuck her because Freud told me I gotta want to fuck my mom." Like, that's not even remotely what Freud was talking about, not even in the most oversimplified manner.
I think this is where we can agree to disagree. I don't see this as a simplified way of portraying MC's complex and how this affect his relationship with Rose.
I'll quote what you said in another post: "I'm afraid you misunderstood this bit about her life, or rather didn't connect it with with the rest of what we know. The core of her identity is a combination of determination to be the wife and the mother, while also being weak-willed, unable to stand up for herself."
Aside from being weak-willed (Victoria is a very strong-willed person), this is Victoria right there. She sacrificed her own morals to give her child a better, more comfortable life. It's not about big tits, it's not about being solely older, or spreading her legs. It's about the sacrifices they made, for who they made, the why, and the path they chose.
Edwin, (MC), recognizes this and can't help but admire Rose, as he sees a clear resemblance to his own mother. What makes this even more complex is that watching his mother's videos was a moment of sexual awakening for him, a morbidly curious teenager. So yeah, shit is fucked. I wouldn't say it's an cheap element of this story by any means. But I respect your opinions.
