When even your own character is asking why he's still around... it's time to let go Anet... It's time.

[ScyeRynn.4218]

Braham: "How am I not dead?"

Anet: "Cuz our obsession with you will always be your plot armor😍"


They literally tied him to an Elder Dragon to make him relevant XD

Braham Wars spinoff confirmed 😪

[Makion.3457]

Braham: "How am I not dead?" I was wondering about that myself, die already! 

[The Greyhawk.9107]

Really don't get the Braham hate, especially since it's been years since he stopped his blaming the Commander for everything phase.

[Yggranya.5201]

5 hours ago, The Greyhawk.9107 said:

Really don't get the Braham hate, especially since it's been years since he stopped his blaming the Commander for everything phase.

 

Allow me to give you a helpful quote: "Hate is Fuel."

[The Greyhawk.9107]

12 minutes ago, Yggranya.5201 said:

 

Allow me to give you a helpful quote: "Hate is Fuel."

Dude, that's just a joke from an old guild I was in way back in gw1.

[slave to the grind.5028]

6 hours ago, The Greyhawk.9107 said:

Really don't get the Braham hate, especially since it's been years since he stopped his blaming the Commander for everything phase.

Mostly? Because other characters are marginalized so that he can have even more spotlight. People are just outright sick of him at this point and every single episode where he is the main character and other stories are outright neglected increases that. Time hasn't made it "better". Due to constant exposure to Main Character Braham, it's actually made it much, much worse.

 

For comparison, imagine a Simpsons series entirely about Milhouse. No Bart, no Lisa, barely any Homer and who is Marge even?

 

Just Milhouse. All the time.

Edited May 2, 2021 by slave to the grind.5028

[Ultramex.1506]

1 hour ago, slave to the grind.5028 said:

Mostly? Because other characters are marginalized so that he can have even more spotlight. People are just outright sick of him at this point and every single episode where he is the main character and other stories are outright neglected increases that. Time hasn't made it "better". Due to constant exposure to Main Character Braham, it's actually made it much, much worse.

 

For comparison, imagine a Simpsons series entirely about Milhouse. No Bart, no Lisa, barely any Homer and who is Marge even?

 

Just Milhouse. All the time.

Heh same problem with Trahearne and Kormir before him.

[The Greyhawk.9107]

1 hour ago, slave to the grind.5028 said:

Mostly? Because other characters are marginalized so that he can have even more spotlight. People are just outright sick of him at this point and every single episode where he is the main character and other stories are outright neglected increases that. Time hasn't made it "better". Due to constant exposure to Main Character Braham, it's actually made it much, much worse.

 

For comparison, imagine a Simpsons series entirely about Milhouse. No Bart, no Lisa, barely any Homer and who is Marge even?

 

Just Milhouse. All the time.

I could see your point, if this hadn't been the Icebrood Saga.  Braham being the group's Norn made him being predominant in the story a given.  Was he given too much time?  Maybe.  Was him being "The Norn of Prophecy" cringey as hell?  Objectively undeniable.  But that was just one part in a chain of bad writing that has pretty much defined IBS, and its not like Rytlock and his old flame haven't had a sizable chunk of the spotlight. 

And I don't think the Milhouse comparison is fair.

[Yggranya.5201]

3 hours ago, The Greyhawk.9107 said:

Dude, that's just a joke from an old guild I was in way back in gw1.

Dude, it fits. Why else would they keep going on about it?

[PseudoNewb.5468]

I hope there actually is an answer for that question, or Anet tries to answer it. But I guess it will have to wait.

Edited May 2, 2021 by PseudoNewb.5468

[Gazrul.3086]

I suspect he'll be out of the picture for a while now that he's fulfilled his destiny and forged his legend. His story is pretty much over for the time being. 

[Cynova.1236]

[Vayne.8563]

22 hours ago, The Greyhawk.9107 said:

Really don't get the Braham hate, especially since it's been years since he stopped his blaming the Commander for everything phase.

It's how the community rolls. We started with Rurik hate in Guild Wars 1, followed by Komir hate. We moved on to Trahearne hate and Scarlet hate, all of which was greatly exaggerated by the community.

 

All of those characters were at least okay. But people jumped on the band wagon. 

[AgentMoore.9453]

Braham deserved to die in this release if for no other reason than narratively it would have given the story at least some of the weight it was very obviously missing.

 

The guy:

• Yet again decided he should do something reckless without his allies and ran ahead without them (That's never gone poorly in the past, right?)
• Endangered the Spirits but they're just 'tired' after taking out two Elder Dragons & surviving the nuclear detonation of their bodies on top of Braham's head
• Sacrificed nothing at the end (Except his jacket and buttcape. I'm serious - After the fight his pants are fine and his hair has been restyled neatly into a ponytail. He's not even dirty.)
• Became a dragon minion and then 'got better' with no scars or other indication of what he'd been through
• Can only kinda-sorta recall the war crimes he committed while thrall to Primordus
• Is conveniently too hurt to fight Ryland even though it's said that both dragons were equal in power at their time of death and even though Ryland's encounter lasts about half as long as the entirety of Dragonstorm.

 

I've seen a number of people remark that Braham's story has already been told and seen them put forth a multitude of ways this release could have redeemed him and given him the perfect send-off. With what was actually delivered, I believe Braham is now in a very awkward spot story-wise that makes him uncomfortable to have around and just as annoying (if not more so) to anyone who already wasn't happy with him. With that in mind, here are some might-have-beens both for him dying and for him living.

 

Braham lives, but:

• The four primary Spirits of the Wild 'burn up' in their efforts to protect Braham from being destroyed as the dragons die around him; the Norn are forced to reckon with their primary gods being dead and potentially rethink their culture of individualism thinking now that teamwork has proven so invaluable
• His body remains forever corrupted and he is forced to carry the burden of that for the rest of his life
• He acutely remembers what he's done while under Primordus' control and it significantly impacts his ego and causes him to exhibit more empathy toward other people
• He acknowledges that his impulsivity and quest for glory were dangerous (and in some cases deadly) to the people around him and retires from Dragon's Watch to become a mentor and cultural leader in Norn society; becoming a guide for his people puts him in a better position to make a difference where he can listen to the perspectives of others before acting
• Defeating the dragons gives him peace and he finally lets go of the revenge and hatred he's been holding onto since we first met him; in future interactions with him, he becomes a less chaotic character because of this

 

Braham dies, but:

• He is revered as the greatest Norn who ever lived; future Dragon Bash festivals pay homage to him, and Hoelbrak is updated to reflect this
• The guy gets to go hang out with his mom (And Snaff; I see literally no downsides to this) and finally get to know her in the Mists
• For once, Braham has finally thought ahead, realized his plan would end in tears, and decided to be truly brave and go through with it anyway because he finally understands that what he is doing is more important than revenge or personal glory
• His actions are motivated by a need to do good for others rather than a need to be better than others
• He fully embraces the prophecy, no longer complaining about his fate
• The 'Ugh, Braham' threads drop by 80% in frequency (They won't end; the game still gets new players after all)
• People feel a little less bad about Primordus and Jormag awkwardly kissing after 12 years of build-up (Only a little, though)
• Taimi will have a friend in the Mists when she eventually kicks it

 

And so on and so on. Leaving opinions of Braham's personality (and past acts) aside, there are so many slight adjustments that would have made his actions (and the mood of the finale itself) feel so much more appropriate, and I'm left feeling sad that none of those things made it into the release. As they say on the internet, my disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined.

[Cyninja.2954]

1 hour ago, Vayne.8563 said:

It's how the community rolls. We started with Rurik hate in Guild Wars 1, followed by Komir hate. We moved on to Trahearne hate and Scarlet hate, all of which was greatly exaggerated by the community.

 

All of those characters were at least okay. But people jumped on the band wagon. 

 

Agreed.

 

This can be seen for almost every character. Some players dislike Taimi, some Marjory, others dislike Logan, Trahearne had his very own following of vocal complainers right until he died. Every main and side character has followings of different kinds, some larger some smaller.

 

The reality is: not every character will fit every person.

 

This very thread has very vocal Braham haters. One of which has spent pages in arguing why Braham needs to die in the past. So far to no avail because the writers at Arenanet seemed to not share his decision making or argumentation.

 

This entire situation does call into mind a quote from Buddha:

Quote

"Holding on to anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die."

 

This works for fictional characters as well. How much time have individuals spent fretting away in displeasure about issues character related, souring and negatively impacting their experience the entire time? Ironically, I believe this is the perfect self inflicted punishment in this situation.

[The Greyhawk.9107]

1 hour ago, Cyninja.2954 said:

 

Agreed.

 

This can be seen for almost every character. Some players dislike Taimi, some Marjory, others dislike Logan, Trahearne had his very own following of vocal complainers right until he died. Every main and side character has followings of different kinds, some larger some smaller.

 

The reality is: not every character will fit every person.

 

This very thread has very vocal Braham haters. One of which has spent pages in arguing why Braham needs to die in the past. So far to no avail because the writers at Arenanet seemed to not share his decision making or argumentation.

 

This entire situation does call into mind a quote from Buddha:

 

This works for fictional characters as well. How much time have individuals spent fretting away in displeasure about issues character related, souring and negatively impacting their experience the entire time? Ironically, I believe this is the perfect self inflicted punishment in this situation.

I like that.

[Yggranya.5201]

2 hours ago, AgentMoore.9453 said:

Became a dragon minion and then 'got better' with no scars or other indication of what he'd been through

Wait, Braham was a dragon minion? Sheesh, it's pretty sad that the only way for anyone to achieve anything is if they are a dragons slave.

[slave to the grind.5028]

1 hour ago, Cyninja.2954 said:

 

Agreed.

 

This can be seen for almost every character. Some players dislike Taimi, some Marjory, others dislike Logan, Trahearne had his very own following of vocal complainers right until he died. Every main and side character has followings of different kinds, some larger some smaller.

 

The reality is: not every character will fit every person.

This is why we have a diverse cast, usually. And technically, we do. Now, let's see where roughly 80% of the gw2 writers' focus is when it comes to this cast...

 

Oh, wait.

 

Yeah, that's the entire problem. Right there. Starting with how they literally gave him Marjorie's core plot element (close relative dies) from LWS2 and effectively sidelined her in the subsequent narrative well past PoF, where she makes like one short appearence at the end. What we see of her after losing her sister, whom she actually grew up with, in comparison to Braham completely losing it because a relative stranger died is like day and night. Probably because the writers literally just decided not to handle her grief at all and focused what should have been her narrative entirely on Braham for a disproportionate amount of time.

 

They desperately want -everyone- to care about this character and will stop at nothing to "redeem" him in our eyes by shoving him down our throats some more.

 

What would have redeemed him is finally facing some consequences for his many, many mistakes and biting the bullet heroically.

 

Instead, we get the final confirmation Braham is literally the biggest Mary Sue in the game.

Edited May 3, 2021 by slave to the grind.5028