Well, then the question that I would ask is if Booker/Comstock is dead, does the "original" Bioshock ever happen?
I'm just trying to reconcile the metatextual message about gameplay and agency from the first game with the message in the third game.
Absolutely. It's the way in which DeWitt copes with his past and his war crimes at Wounded Knee through the baptism that make him into Comstock in the first place.Probably a dumb question, but the baptism being the branching point between the two timelines, is that just because it makes a memorable marking point to refer to the change, or does that baptism really like, change him in some huge way? I missed out on soooo many recordings.
Booker's racism comes from the earlier Indian War, and the allegations made to Comstock/Booker in one Comstock's voxophones indicate that he was accused of being part Indian. To prove himself, he butchered, scalped, and burned teepees with people inside them.
The guilt which he felt afterwards led him to the baptism event, but with it, Comstock, feeling that he is given free forgiveness by a greater power than himself, without putting any real effort into being a better person, continues his racist progression because he justifies his work as being led by divine purpose.
Meanwhile Booker, feeling regret but unable to go through with the baptism due to not believing in such forgiveness for his heinous actions, slowly comes to terms with what he did, or at least tries to via marrying his wife and having Anna, but after losing his wife, his despair builds up into large debts due to alcohol and gambling.
His self worth ultimately becomes so low that he can even give up his only child, not seeing himself as a worthy parent.
Yeah, I just realized that. Baptism as a symbol of superficial redemption is a good symbolic jumping-off point for the guy to become a superficial savior. Not accepting that shit and getting swallowed by your misery is what our Booker chose.From the OP:
Just had a thought today while replaying the game.
When you and Elizabeth move into the other realities, does it ever explain what that reality's Elizabeth is up to? I know that Booker died in the Vox victory timeline, but I can't remember if they allude to where the other Elizabeth is. Could Booker and Elizabeth have conceivably run into another Elizabeth, or was she dead along with Booker at that point? Or is that reality more of a "time skip" forward to a point where the same Booker/Elizabeth had gotten the tools for the Vox, only Booker had died?
Songbird knows to look for them even in the Vox victory timeline, so I guess he doesn't have another Elizabeth to be looking for.
That's not really what I said. I was just responding to your original claim that anything about the setting was subtle. The game immediately assaults you with how terrible the city is, leaving no room for discovery by the player. After the opening, you've pretty much seen it all. Every new area only reinforces the scant few ideas presented from the start.
If Infinite really wanted to say something about racism beyond "it's bad" it could start by not being set at a time when black people were literally being hanged from trees. Or it could let the racism creep up on you, as racism TODAY is a much more subtle, insidious thing. Maybe make parallels to the racist institutions of modern times(big example: the prison system) while painting them in that old-timey color in order to make them more apparent.
The way it handles themes of historical revisionism can still be seen as relevant to our times. The way it handles racism just reminds us of what things used to be like, while ignoring how they are now. I don't need anyone to tell me Jim Crow is bad.
That's what didn't make sense to me. When you go to Voxworld, everything continues as if nothing happened.
Just had a thought today while replaying the game.
When you and Elizabeth move into the other realities, does it ever explain what that reality's Elizabeth is up to? I know that Booker died in the Vox victory timeline, but I can't remember if they allude to where the other Elizabeth is. Could Booker and Elizabeth have conceivably run into another Elizabeth, or was she dead along with Booker at that point? Or is that reality more of a "time skip" forward to a point where the same Booker/Elizabeth had gotten the tools for the Vox, only Booker had died?
In the Vox timeline Liz was evacuated to another location according Martyr!Booker. She never met Booker. Perhaps Comstock had her locked away somewhere safe? Maybe that's where the flagship was heading? With the Vox hot on his tail, I could Comstock wanting to keep Liz as far away from the danger as possible.
Wow, now I'm really confused and think this may be a legit plot hole. Didn't (our) Elizabeth spend 6 months minimum being tortured in a world where Comstock already had an Elizabeth and potentially spent several decades in such a world?
*mind blow* Wait, you can board the zeppelins? I just had Songbird go to town on them like most poeple.
Maybe I missed it... who's Anna's mom then? Lutece, right? Lady Comstock is sterile. But then again so is Comstock. Grr...
Neither. Lady Comstock couldn't have Anna with Comstock because he was sterile from exposure to the machine. Lutece only has eyes for her "brother" and has no interest in acts of carnality with Comstock. Anna's mom is just some woman that our Booker knew.
One theory is that it's Lady Comstock from Booker's universe. That's shaky, since we really don't know how Booker met his wife/mother of his child, nor do we really know how Comstock met Lady Comstock, but it does fit in with a lot of the other "parallels" this game has.
There's also a poster that says A. Comstock.
It does fit since Lady's Comstock first name starts with an A.
It is very possible that Booker named Anna after her mother.
Anyway, I need to know something. It is killing me of curiosity. When you enter to Elizabeth's tower, there are three switches that appear in a room that seem to do something. But I really don't know the combination to them. What do they do? Does it change something? Or is just another plain thing that simply gives you extra gear? TELL ME.
And one thing more, before Songbird searches for Liz and Booker (before the whole "Promise me he won't take me" scene), I liked how it was referenced that Elizabeth is Booker's daughter by putting her hand in Booker's AD-marked hand.
There's also a poster that says A. Comstock.
It does fit since Lady's Comstock first name starts with an A.
It is very possible that Booker named Anna after her mother.
Anyway, I need to know something. It is killing me of curiosity. When you enter to Elizabeth's tower, there are three switches that appear in a room that seem to do something. But I really don't know the combination to them. What do they do? Does it change something? Or is just another plain thing that simply gives you extra gear? TELL ME.
And one thing more, before Songbird searches for Liz and Booker (before the whole "Promise me he won't take me" scene), I liked how it was referenced that Elizabeth is Booker's daughter by putting her hand in Booker's AD-marked hand.
Anyway, I need to know something. It is killing me of curiosity. When you enter to Elizabeth's tower, there are three switches that appear in a room that seem to do something. But I really don't know the combination to them. What do they do? Does it change something? Or is just another plain thing that simply gives you extra gear? TELL ME.
I'm pretty sure we saw that poster before Elizabeth change her clothes.And technically, old Elizabeth in that dimension is Lady Comstock. "Our Lady" + Anna, and it's no coincidence she ends up looking identical to posters of the real A. Comstock. Whether that's just the writers playing with the concept on a purely figurative level, I don't know.
I missed that one. Just beat the game 2 hours ago so I'm still finding things I missed in my playthrough!
If you're talking about the teddy bear, journal, and period blood... i personally think the luteces were reaching into other dimensions and trying to find the identical item relative to elizabeth, or at least they were futzing with the items themselves, reverting them back to a non elizabeth state or something.
as far as i know there is no puzzle there. it's just scientists gonna science.
I feel like i'm missing alot of secret puzzles though, similar to you. for example the book store on the main boardwalk before hall of heroes and first lady airdrome has a single brightly lit bookshelf in the back which just looks conspicuous.
Strange, I looked it up and it looked very, very different from the PS3 version. As if it were from another game. I am gonna have to look it up. Anyway, maybe this is one of these times were doing it in a certain order might achieve something? Like very long combinations?
So you want the game to essentially take place in a different time period altogether, or you wanted 2012 American racism applied to 1912 America. This sounds really broken and weird, racism doesn't need to be passive aggressive or subtle for there to be interpretation or critical thought.
This is the one:
What critical thought can be applied to the cartoonishly evil citizens of Columbia? What does Infinite say about racism other than that people in 1912 were in fact racist. Again, Comstock's historical revisionism is something that can be applied to today and still be relevant. The same can't be said for the handling of racism. As it stands, it's hardly a real theme in the narrative and more like set dressing. Why even bring it up?
I'm pretty sure we saw that poster before Elizabeth change her clothes.
they did do that. The order of the crow is the kkk of Columbia. When you're in their temple right before you go in the garden area, they burn a Chinese guy alive. He says "i just want to go back to my family" then "WHYYYYYYYYY" when he's lit up.That's not really what I said. I was just responding to your original claim that anything about the setting was subtle. The game immediately assaults you with how terrible the city is, leaving no room for discovery by the player. After the opening, you've pretty much seen it all. Every new area only reinforces the scant few ideas presented from the start.
If Infinite really wanted to say something about racism beyond "it's bad" it could start by not being set at a time when black people were literally being hanged from trees. Or it could let the racism creep up on you, as racism TODAY is a much more subtle, insidious thing. Maybe make parallels to the racist institutions of modern times(big example: the prison system) while painting them in that old-timey color in order to make them more apparent.
The way it handles themes of historical revisionism can still be seen as relevant to our times. The way it handles racism just reminds us of what things used to be like, while ignoring how they are now. I don't need anyone to tell me Jim Crow is bad.
Because not owning up to real racism/bigotry in the United States would be fucking stupid. Why do you think all racism in history was extremely nuanced or complicated? Or rather it has to be explained in that manner?
I imagine you scoffing at Django Unchained because the white people look too evil, but you know, slave owners and such are a lot more complicated than they seem.
Just had a thought today while replaying the game.
When you and Elizabeth move into the other realities, does it ever explain what that reality's Elizabeth is up to? I know that Booker died in the Vox victory timeline, but I can't remember if they allude to where the other Elizabeth is. Could Booker and Elizabeth have conceivably run into another Elizabeth, or was she dead along with Booker at that point? Or is that reality more of a "time skip" forward to a point where the same Booker/Elizabeth had gotten the tools for the Vox, only Booker had died?
Songbird knows to look for them even in the Vox victory timeline, so I guess he doesn't have another Elizabeth to be looking for.
That's what didn't make sense to me. When you go to Voxworld, everything continues as if nothing happened.
And to a certain extent that makes sense, given that Comstock clearly knows that Booker and Elizabeth are going to jump through tears (he has "prophecies" illustrating as much that you can find), but I am curious as to what that timeline's Elizabeth is up to.
Wow, now I'm really confused and think this may be a legit plot hole. Didn't (our) Elizabeth spend 6 months minimum being tortured in a world where Comstock already had an Elizabeth and potentially spent several decades in such a world?
Bioshock Infinite is not a historical document. The inclusion of any story element should serve an actual purpose, thematically or otherwise. I feel this element was very undercooked.
And this is not about sympathizing with the racist characters or about them looking too evil. Django was a movie about racist institutions. Bioshock Infinite brings it up and promptly forgets about it.
I sort of get what you mean in that they didn't address it much. A lot of those cultural things about Columbia sort of faded towards the end when they started focusing solely on the tears and whatnot.Bioshock Infinite is not a historical document. The inclusion of any story element should serve an actual purpose, thematically or otherwise. I feel this element was very undercooked.
And this is not about sympathizing with the racist characters or about them looking too evil. Django was a movie about racist institutions. Bioshock Infinite brings it up and promptly forgets about it.
Bioshock Infinite is not a historical document. The inclusion of any story element should serve an actual purpose, thematically or otherwise. I feel this element was very undercooked.
And this is not about sympathizing with the racist characters or about them looking too evil. Django was a movie about racist institutions. Bioshock Infinite brings it up and promptly forgets about it.
Quick question
We see throughout the course of the game that Elizabeth can open and go through tears.
When we first see her, she opens a tear to Paris and loses her painting inside it.
What's preventing her from just walking through her self?
Is the siphon somehow preventing her from traveling through this tear?
How is it that she can travel through tears as she's running away from Booker in the Fink area?
Reposting for new page.