The Epic of Cartethyia (Wuthering Waves 2.2)
Cartethyia is my most favorite character in Wuthering Waves and the one I relate to the most, but so far I've never actually written why I felt such a connection to her. Earlier this month, during Anime Expo, I had the chance to write a fan letter and hand it personally to Amanda Rischel, the VA of Cartethyia, as my appreciation for her amazing performance. So I thought, since I already wrote about Carthethyia in that letter, why not put some of that here? This won't be an exact 1:1 of what I wrote to Amanda but you'll get a feel of what I expressed to her. Maybe even more than that because I will go into more detail as I have no page constraints here and I can just pour out all my thoughts.
Some background first. English is not my first language and I actually learned a lot about it from playing narrative video games. I loved stories of noble knights and games like King's Quest were my favorite (we really need good point and click adventure games back). A series that left a specific mark on me was Quest for Glory that consisted of 5 games released in 1990-1998. It lets you choose between playing a warrior, mage or thief, and if you started as a warrior in the first game, by the end of the second game, if you make the right and honorable choices you will have a chance to become a paladin at the start of the third game.
The way of the Paladin is to seek to know that which truly is.
The Paladin strives to learn his own inner nature and that of others.
The Paladin does whatever needs to be done to bring light to the world.
Not for glory, not for gain.
The Paladin becomes a Paladin because it is his will.
RAKEESH SAH TARNA
Rakeesh was a liontaur senior paladin who explained the concept of paladin and honor to the hero and it was the first time I learned of those words too. Since then, honor became a concept that I always hold dear to my heart while the words "paladin" and "knight" became the coolest words I have ever known. To this day, I always play as a paladin or knight in D&D and video games such as Baldur's Gate and Final Fantasy XIV.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand. My friend drew me in to Wuthering Waves during patch 1.1 when I saw him play the Mt. Firmament arc but I started playing when version 2.0 was released since I don't have a gaming PC and can only play it on the PS5. I loved every story I played but it was the story of Cartethyia in 2.2 that left a lasting impression on me. As someone who has been battling blood cancer for 14 years now, sometimes I felt like raging against the world for giving me such an unkind fate. But the ending to Cartethyia's story showed a different outlook on life's hardships.
Cartethyia had every right to be angry for the lifetime of tragedy she had to endure. When the Imperator offered her the chance, she had every right to wipe out the memory of every hurt she had to face. But she did not take the offer. She was not holding bitterness about her pain. She had accepted that every moment in her life had made her into who she is at the present. She chose to remain true to herself.
Her words to Fleurdelys "if you go, I wouldn't be me" resonated deeply with me. So many times I wished for a different life, for my illness to go away. But then I realized, without it, I also wouldn't be me. As the years went by, I've learned to accept things as they are and told myself that as my constitution grow weaker, my wisdom must increase (this is the reason why I put CON▼/INT▲/WIS▲ on my Discord profile). I've learned to be kinder, to be less judgmental, to listen to others more. And all this might not have happened had life not told me to stop running, slow down and contemplate.
The truth is a beacon in the maelstrom of my life.
CARTETHYIA
Cartethyia's life principle that she delivered at the pivotal moment of her story become a monumental one for me. My life is so full of chaos and uncertainty, but I'm grounded and anchored on the truth that I have loving friends and family that accept me, and that I can still do things that really matter. I don't know how long I have left, but Cartethyia has taught me to not take my life for granted, but to cherish every second and use every opportunity to bring goodness and light into the world wherever I go.
While Cartethyia's amazing story and characterization can be attributed to great writing from Kuro Games, I have to give credits to Amanda Rischel for bringing Cartethyia to life. Through her voice, she delivered weight and emotion into every word Cartethyia said. And it was that memorable performance that etched Cartethyia's spirit and resilience into my heart and gave me strength to carry on for another day. If you need a reminder of how legendary her voice acting was for Cartethyia, check out this clip of her live performance from the Anime Expo panel (credits to Stix).
Shorekeeper might be everyone's favorite wife and Aemeath might be everyone's beloved daughter, but Cartethyia inspired me the most to be a better person in life and she is who I aspire to become. She is the true embodiment of the honorable knight in the stories that shaped my outlook and morality in my younger days. It is not an exaggeration to say I would not be who I am today if I have never played Wuthering Waves and met Cartethyia.