Certainly, tho, I guess in anime even 40 years old look pretty young so it works. Ortega is sure lucky to be still in 40s
I created the fan art thread to keep the discussion here and the other stuff there.
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Regarding the matter of whether Sidestep really is a re-gene or not, I admit I would feel a little bummed out if it’s revealed they’re not (because I love the narrative of learning to accept themselves/realize your past doesn’t set in stone what you are and what you can do), but at the same time reading the theories has been delightful, and I could see myself starting to enjoy this possibility. This game has so much going for it, normally I’d feel overwhelmed, but tbh I’m just enjoying this rollercoaster.
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I would actually love it if Sidestep turned out to be human. I think the whole lesson of accepting themselves, and realizing their past may have shaped them but they, ultimately, decide who they are and why they make the choices they do, would still fit (perhaps even more so if they were human, because it takes away the re-gene excuse, and would make the public see the SD as even more monstrous).
That said, I’m 100% sure that isn’t going to happen. I’ve seen nothing in the text to give any real proof that the MC could be human, despite the cool theories. Plus, I think it’s actually a cool parallel to Steel, a human who is partially “artificial” due to having various parts replaced with machine parts, when the MC has the appearance of being human while being a vat-grown artificial being.
Makes me think of Star Wars, with Obi-Wan’s claims about Vader, how, “He’s more machine than man”, as well as Yoda’s BS that once you turn to the dark side there’s no going back, yet that Sith machine was the one to save his son by tossing Palpatine’s corrupt ass down a chute, proving both of those geezers wrong. Sidestep is in a similar position–an artificial being who now has the freedom to choose what they are, what they do, and whether they let their past rule them (by focusing only on destroying their enemy, no matter who else gets hurt in the process) or try to shape a future by revealing the truth and destroying the corrupt system that created them and used them, while trying to protect the innocent.
Sidestep’s focus determines their reality, and that’s pretty damned human, no matter how they were created.
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That’s a really nice take, actually. Like you, I also think these theories are going to remain as such, but it’s still neat to explore the possibility (especially with other people.)
As for the parallel with Steel, I love it quite a bit and was really happy with that line of dialogue in the hospital. Seeing as Sidestep’s mind is a mess because of xyz, simple prospectives like that are a (welcomed) slap to the face.
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Someone help me out here with a certain Fallen Hero decision, because I don’t get this.
My puppet is good friends with Mortum. Mortum doesn’t know the truth about the puppet and doesn’t know the villain’s true identity. I bought Mortum’s gun at the auction and gave it back to him as a favor. I also stole the regeneration machine together with Argent, agreed to share it once it’s fixed, and chose the option to let Mortum repair it.
But why does Sidestep then tell Argent that Mortum can’t repair the machine because he’s “out of the picture” and I have to put it together myself? Nothing before this suggested that Mortum was in trouble or wouldn’t work for me anymore.
[edit] Apparently if you have the puppet talk to Mortum about Shroud, it skips the opportunity to ask him about the regeneration machine entirely. I assume this is a bug?
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The intimate scene with Steel was really great for this reason too🥺
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Yes, like it’s such a simple connection to make and yet both the tone of said line and Sidestep’s reaction was a chef kiss 
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I think that resolving the whole “existential angst over being an artificial human” thing with “good news! You were a regular human the entire time!” would be fairly unsatisfying as a resolution.
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I just personally disagree in that I don’t think it would resolve anything. It wouldn’t erase the years that Sidestep thought they were a re-gene/inhuman, it wouldn’t magically fix their complete lack of self worth or the trauma they’ve been through.
If anything, it may make them feel more fucked up because they wouldn’t have an “excuse” to feel as much of an outsider/inhuman as they do, and the excuse of being inhuman and not subject to human ideas of morality to justify their actions would be null.
I don’t think that learning that an idea used to traumatize you was a lie fixes anything. It just fucks you up in new and different ways
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Exactly. Again, I don’t see it going this route, but I think it would be a good way to hammer home a few hard truths Sidestep learns along the way.
Everyone is operating on the same level of “things are what they seem.” Sidestep looks human, so, obviously, Sidestep is human. Ortega comes off as a ridiculous flirt who bangs anything that crosses their path, so, obviously, they bang everything that crosses their path. Steel comes off as a judgmental douche with no heart, so, obviously, he’s a hardass with no heart. Daniel comes off as a stuttery flake, Argent comes off as a badass with no heart.
But, as the story progresses, it’s all wrong. Ortega is plotting behind the scenes and isn’t as big of a whore as they make out to be (and never “cheated” on a romanced Step). Steel isn’t as judgmental as he seems, and has a soft heart beneath it all. Daniel notices more than anyone else does, and Argent is softer than anyone imagined. And Sidestep, if making the right choices, is seeing that, which is particularly interesting since the only one whose mind Step can’t read is Ortega, yet they still miss this. That these heroes–these people Step thought were exactly what they projected themselves to be–have layers.
All that other shit, from their appearance to their behavior, is wrapping, covering up what lies beneath the surface. It mirrors what Sidestep is going through, too–looks human, but isn’t, and uses that to justify their actions or to beat themselves up for feeling emotions they aren’t supposed to feel. Everyone has their own trauma, the shit that drags them down and takes them to a dark place, but they all deal with it differently.
That’s what the MC has to, ultimately, understand. Whether the MC is human or not, in the end, doesn’t matter. What matters is how they deal with the shit life throws at them, what their motivations are, and how they treat the people they care about (if they manage to care at all). What matters is that, no matter what labels get thrown at the MC, they have to know who they are and be at peace with that instead of having a constant internal struggle to fight against being what they think they shouldn’t (or can’t) be.
Sorry for the blather, but the way Malin has portrayed this story, and its characters, is fascinating as hell. And does a damned good job of showing just how much incorrect assumptions, misjudgments, and generic labeling can FUBAR someone’s entire world, even without having to deal with evil governments (wet water) and sociopaths like those at SD (who are, ironically enough, less human than the “monsters” they experiment on).
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Agreed! I personally have enough faith in the author that, regardless of what road is taken, it won’t fall flat like people are projecting onto this fan theory. There’s a lot of conflict that would be introduced if the story went this direction. I just have a really hard time believing that the result of a reveal that MC was a human all along would be, “Oh well, I guess I’m worth something and didn’t actually deserve any of what happened to me.”
Like I said, I see trains of thought happening that are more along the lines of, “Oh god, what have I done? Did the SD see something in me, and that’s why this happened to me? Did I deserve this? What am I even doing? What’s wrong with me? Why do I still feel so inhuman? Why am I so broken then? After being raised as an object and being told I am so much is that what I’ve become? What do I even do now? Why doesn’t this make me feel any better?” Alongside even more anger
Also I will say…technically Ortega does cheat on Sidestep if you romance them as both Sidestep and the Puppet lol
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I thought about unexpected parallels used by @E_RedMark to compare Sidestep who finds out that they 'are ’ real human being , and anorectic who achieves the perfect weight.
To finally become what Sidestep dreamed of, and longed to be. But this new unexpected situation, will not make them a healty and happy person, their psyche has been wounded for too long.
There would be incredible bitternes. Turns out that Sidestep is a “perfectly normal” human as they always wanted to be, but this fact alone doesnt magically make them feel ideal.
In my opinion, this informion, would certainly confuse Sidestep and make them more depressed, but it will not make them extremaly more emotionally unstable because their state of mind is already tragical.
The possibility that they are humans will always be the positive news - shocking and painful, but positive.
I am confident that Mc would not choose to turn back the clock in order to remain unaware.
And definitelly Sidestep would feel a shy feeling of relief that they are “normal” being like everyone else , that they feel emotions in the same way as them - now ‘us’.
The truest human , until Sidestep sees their’s re-genes tattoos or flashbacks, will bring back feelinga of being worthless and used by SD.
Nonetheless, every small positive asset is incredible valuable while being in critical state of mind . Sidestep doesn’t have many positive assets, and usually our hero is unaware of them, so Sidestep must work with what they have.
The information that Sidestep is in fact human would be a powerful tool to fighting aganist Sidestep’s cognitive distortions. But Sidestep can not use this tool alone, they would require help from the outside, but in the end , we do not know if that theory is even real.
Whatever is the history of the origin, the situation of our Sidestep will always remain difficult…
sighsCan our lovely and possessed puppet serve as therapist of Sidestep ?
I am * almost* serious about it. “Puppet” already knows Sidestep’s mind. They can not be tricked by Sidestep’s avoidant nature. Also " the puppet" would have a little bit of fun. 
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Because Sidestep can’t read everything despite the power of telepathy and manipulation. For example, Sidestep can read Herald and Steel. But only at certain times. This limits Sidestep to bits and pieces of information. Sidestep fills the rest up on their own while largely being influenced by their emotions.
Ortega isn’t someone who likes to sleep with everyone. When Sidestep kept saying Ortega likes to have one night stands and gave the news of Ortega’s affairs too much credit, I didn’t assume it as a fact even in book one. It’s not a surprise honestly.
Steel is the biggest surprise in book two no doubt. He’s opened up to Sidestep the most among all rangers in my personal opinion.
Daniel is the least surprising here. He acts the same way exactly I imagine when Sidestep gets exposed. What I didn’t expect was how Sidestep reacts to Daniel. Sidestep can’t manipulate Daniel at all. If anything, Sidestep will always underestimate Herald even until book 4 maybe.
Argent is the most private person. Although she seems to be not ranger like, she still has some ranger moments like wearing Sidestep’s ranger suit for example. Clever.
What sets Argent apart from other rangers is that she’s the only one who can shape Sidestep into a more rational person. Argent doesn’t comfort Sidestep in the midst of a breakdown. She tells Sidestep to calm down at once which is the most direct solution.
And interesting things about Sidestep I noticed are
- Sidestep likes to win any argument. Obvious in Ortega and Steel’s scenes…
- Sidestep is not a good actor. They like to think they are.
- Sidestep hates Ortega. This is undeniably obvious in any variation no matter the relationship status.
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I was wondering if anyone else plays a particular music or song on repeat while reading Fallen Hero that just drives that vibe home.
Mine is “How Long?” from Vampire Weekend.
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I have a short Sidestep playlist that includes:
Animal Skin by Bryan Dunn
Villainous Thing by Shayfer James
Laplace’s Angel by Will Wood
New Invention by I DON’T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME
The Sharpest Lives by My Chemical Romance
Rule #21 Momento Mori by Fish in a Birdcage
Country Song by Seether
This Is Love by Air Traffic Controller
All Gone by Mother Mother
The End by My Chemical Romance
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Expectations - Sir Sly
…or Neptune - Sleeping At Least, if I want to cry about chargestep
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This is an interesting read…
Could you please elaborate on your last points however, especially the one where “Sidestep hates Ortega” if you would?
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Yes but what you described is how Sidestep defeated Argent. Not the point of being rational or reasonable.
The point I am making is that Argent takes no bullshit from Sidestep. Sidestep can repeatedly lie to Ortega, Herald, and Steel. But not Argent. If Sidestep deceives her, she will not hesitate in ending him. No crying as a victim or making up a sobbing story. Argent doesn’t like Sidestep being a emotional wreckage. Ortega, Herald, and Steel will definitely comfort Sidestep. But in Argent’s case, Sidestep’s panicking only makes it worse. Instead, she forces Sidestep to help himself aka calm himself down without the need for emotional support which Sidestep is dependent on other ROs.
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Sidestep always panicks in the regene reveal scene.
I am definitely not talking about the route where Sidestep intentionally makes Argent hostile.
What reason is Argent supposed to make her enemy calm down for? Lol.
I think you’re confusing the actions/choices with the character interaction and personality.
Giving up or taking regenerator and making her enemy or ally is more about how you want the story to go. It’s not about being reasonable or rational. I am talking more about how the ROs influence Sidestep and how Sidestep influence them in return.
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