#I bet this is full of typos because there's no spellchecker here and I never re-read the crap I write

[blackcatanna]

Tale of the Demon Arms of Horniness Part ??? IDFK it's been a month and I am sick of Iba and Chizuru's SHIT just kiss already or leave each other alone

Last time I played this, I remember getting drunkish and spending a long-ass time ranting at the weird purity complex that this route seems to have but now I don't have any alcohol to numb that pain so I'm going to maybe read more, rant less because I am ONLY ON CHAPTER THREE and I am so done already. I remember parts of this route being fucked up but I didn't remember how much of it was just plain boring. Now that Sen is here and Iba is injured with silver bullets, I'm not looking forward to ANOTHER stretch of Iba and Chizuru being cooped up in a house together doing nothing but being awkward and refusing to agknowledge their feelings.

Also, I am writing this on my laptop for once, so I might fuck some stuff up. Let's goooo...

Okay, ushering these two incredibly hot women into the Repression Den. I feel like a Sen or Kimigiku route would have been so much more fun than this... Although, do I trust the devs to not cock it up?

"Iba's piety showed" yeah, he's such a fucking saint, we get it, SHEESH.

"Iba, there are only two men against whom your power must be used: Takeda and Kodo." YUP.

"I ask that you take her along with you." YES. PLEASE. FUCK. TAKE ME AWAY FROM THIS NONSENSE TO LESBIAN DEMON PARADISE.

"I suppose, like I had feared, my welcome with Iba had been overstayed, and I kept my mouth shut." THE COMMUNICATION IS NON EXISTENT.

Fuck, I'm about a minute in and already pissed off >_<

Omg, he's having to explain the horniness to Sen XD Omfg! I hope she tells them to get over it and fuck already!

"Not only am I appalled by their single-mindedness, but also their disrespect towards women of our kind." Oooh, snap! Sen is coming for Kazama and Takeda on this day. But why aren't Iba, Takeda and Kazama horny for Sen and Kimigiku?

"Sen, do you have any idea what kind of changes are happening within Iba and Takeda's bodies right now...?" Omfg, Sen is about to give us the Demon Puberty Talk. X_X

"A human's force of will pales in comparison to a Demon's," I feel like this a concept that is 100% not supported by the rest of the game. Like... BITCH, WHERE???

Omfg, the game is really trying to explain why Sen and Kiku aren't affected, "must clearly take root in feelings that already exist." AS IF Takeda looked at Chizuru for a second with lust in his heart. I refuse to believe! Maybe he was turned on when she tried to stab him. That wasn't meant to sound euphemistic.

Oh, OH, omfg. So, she's saying that TAKEDA'S horniness is a DIRECT RESULT of him being linked to IBA via the demon arms XD Ffs. This just gets stupider and stupider.

There's so much exposition in this route (and Sen is the lucky bitch in charge of giving a lot of it) in an attempt to justify this batshit insane plot. Like... JUST LET SEN BE A CHARACTER, NOT AN EXPOSITION MACHINE/ DEUS EX MACHINA.

WOW, Sen really came and said, "Why are all you dudes so insistent on fighting a losing battle?" and I kind of agree with her... Like, the only reason Iba is citing is "loyalty" but none of them in the route's I've played so far explain why they are so loyal to the Shogun specifically... I feel like being loyal and noble and blah blah is great and all except they're literally killing people and destroying lives... Is it just for the sake of their pride? PEOPLE ARE DYING KIM IBA. I feel like this would make so much more sense if we got more of their backstories, especially characters like Souma and Iba who were added later. They feel woefully underdeveloped. I feel like there IS more to it but I feel like by the point they wrote these routes, we were just expected to accept that SHINSENGUMI SHINY AND GOOD, EVERYONE ELSE STINKY AND BAD AND DESERVES TO DIE.

"Those who would abandon their cause and their people in times of strife aren't warriors in my eyes." Maybe their cause is different to yours, Iba. Also, what even is your cause? Seriously, what is it?

"Wathcing Iba wax poetic about his duty was truly awe-inspiring," UGH -_-

"In life and in war, victory isn't all that matters. What matters is preserving what we deem precious." YES BITCH. Sen is one of the only sane people in this game, omg.

"How are you so obtuse not to understand that women are capable of bearing the same burden...?" YES SEN. GET HIS ASS. EVISCERATE HIM!

"she has dedicated her life to you," well... hang on...

"I decided to express my honest feelings." FUCKING FINALLY, HOLY SHIT X_X

"although I'd wanted to shout affirmatively, I feared that doing so would only hurt him more. My answer was timid but resolute." because she's the perfect, uwu delicate maiden. She must not hurt the man with her aggressive expressions! Ladies, take notes! This is the epitome of femininity! Note how long she held back her vulgar, hysterical emotions, lest they impose upon the tranquility of her man.

"As long as I'm with you... I don't care what happens to me." Hmm. Is this healthy?

"am I merely at the mercy of your pity?" FUCK RIGHT OFF, IBA. Actually, it is probably healthy for him to express this now rather than letting it fester. But I feel like every time he says some self deprecating shit like this, Chizuru does nothing to encourage him, and vice versa. Hopefully, it'll be different this time...

"It's because... I love you, Iba." HOORAY, CHEERS, CONFETTI, CAKE! FUCKING FINALLY!

"Suddenly, Iba jolted as if he were struck by a bolt of lightning, and his eyes illuminated with light." XD What is this beauty and the beast shit? Is he about to transform into a hideous monster and Chizuru has to reaffirm her love or he eats her?

"I am... undeserving of your love." well, you have it so suck it up. If you don't feel the same, that's fine but if you do, stop bitching.

"I committed myself to my training, hoping that, in the process, I would become worthy of your love." Wow... WOW. Okay, lot to unpack here... Firstly, that's INSANE. Like, dangerously obsessive. Secondly, she was a TINY CHILD, even younger than Iba. Thirdly, WHAT DO YOU EVEN LOVE ABOUT HER, IBA??? LIKE, SERIOUSLY, WHAT??? Fourthly, no woman EVER wants the object of her affection to spend a huge amount of time AWAY from her in order for him to become more "worthy" of her love. If she's ever gonna love you back, she wants you to stay and be with her! No amount of fancy sword play is gonna convince her to love you after you haven't interacted in years. At that point, you're in danger of falling for a sunk cost fallacy because you HAVE to maintain your affection for this woman, even though she may very well have grown into a completely different person from the LITERAL CHILD you knew her as. This is WEIRD. AH.

"...even if you had already chosen another suitor in my stead." O_e

"It is drawn to you in a way that is unlike how I'd felt about you as a young boy." .... I smell this game's weird purity complex rearing its head again... Gross. Surely no one wants to be loved like a young boy loves a little girl, right? Is this weird? Like, people grow up and go through puberty and are horny sometimes. That's okay! Seriously! Obviously, having a second entity living in your head must be AWFUL and traumatic, invasive, all the bad things but there's not just "pure and innocent like a child" and "horny rape monster" ... there is a middle ground!

Like, I KNOW that the story in this game involves Iba and Chizuru resolving their weird puritanical hangups about love and sex and whatever so maybe the game itself is not pushing the "purity is good" angle at me but I came here to keyboard smash at 2D anime sprites and I shall continue to do so as long as they continue to say stupid things.

"If this keeps up, I'm afraid that it would conquer my true feelings for you, and that the difference would escape you entirely." tbf, that is a legitimate concern that I understand.

"Iba's eyelids trembled to the beat of his anguish." XD I'm sorry, fucking WHAT WAS THAT??? XD

"my love for you isn't dependent on whether or not you're fit yo protect me." You tell him, queen.

"I fell in love with you because of the sunshine in your eyes. That kindness, that laugh..." This is legit. I hoppe that Iba responds in kind or I shall remain baffled!

"My heart is yours to keep. That's a promise." Awe :D :D Chizuru is being a sweet li'l bean!

SMOOCHIN'!?!?! IN THIS GOOD CHRISTIAN HOUSEHOLD??? Omfg, this game loves to use the word "supple" to describe a character's lips. Everyone has supple lips and slender fingers, apparently. I was very squicked out just now playing through Souma's bad endings and the narration describing the "supple lips" of Souma's literal corpse after he was run through by Miki. Like, wtf??!?

Iba still hasn't given any indication about what he likes about Chizuru, other than, I guess, her vulnerability... which, uh, okay... I may be wrong, though. I get that she's supposed to be a stand in for the player, so she doesn't get to have too many personality traits but I liked the bit in Saito's route where he looks into her eyes and comments on how honest she is.

This scene is cute, though :D YUS, SMOOCH >:)

"we were beginning to question if it could ever happen." HONESTLY, SAME. Thank fucking god...

"Then, something peculiar occurred.." Oh no, is this gonna be weird arm shit X_X

THE VOICES HAVE BEEN APPEASED.

I don't know who the biggest shipper is in this fucking route: Sen, Motoyama, Hijikata or Iba's Demonic appendage...

"Could you please summon Sen and Kimigiku?" XD Iba wants to conduct a post-makeout breakdown with his bestest girlfriends!

"Iba began recounting what had happened with boundless enthusiasm." XD This is AWKWARD (but cute)

"Interesting..." XD I love you, Sen

"The force of your emotional resolve has earned the respect of the Demon soul" XD omfg, until now, was it just screaming, "OMFG, YOU PUSSY! YOU WANT HER, STOP BEING SUCH A DRIP ABOUT IT. GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER. DO BETTER." WAIT... That sounds like me...

"What?! Don't mock me!" XD Chizuru, this is why you literally have no friends. Well, until recently...

"Hm, he's really taking his time." IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO MOTOYAMA, I AM GOING TO BE VERY UPSET >:(

Here comes the boy-ooooy!

"It's unfortunate that we've given you men's attire," I too wish that Chizuru could play dress-up more often. Although, I always find looking at her character sprite jarring because of how absurdly big her eyes are. She looks like a goddamn child or a character from a different game... (or a porg...)

"We're friends, after all." I guess but it feels quite lopsided...

CHAPTER 4 BABY!!! FINALLY.

RIP The Shinsengumi: In which our heroine gets used as a meat shield!

"Hey! Y'know, if you were alive this whole time, you coulda sent us a letter or somethin'!" omfg Chizuru, you are THE WORST XD Again, why you have no fucking friends!

Bless Nomura, he seems really upset XD Chizuru and Iba are kind of thoughtless, huh...

It's especially sad given that he's about to DIE HORRIBLY :'(

Omg, Iba's voice when he sees Hijikata XD I feel like if he hadn't made that stupid vow to himself about Chizuru as a child, he would have realised his strong feelings for Hijikata. YOU KNOW WHAT, I SHIP IT. I GENERALLY DON'T PARTAKE IN SHIPPING BUT I WILL MAKE AN EXCEPTION THIS ONE TIME. After putting up with him and Chizuru for hours and then seeing him with Hijikata, I am SWAYED.

Otori looks like a child too... He looks like a gentleman detective in a point and click game and Enomoto looks like his butler.

"President...? That's a rather important position, isn't it?" I know that Chizuru knows shit all about politics (despite being embedded in the Shinsengumi for so long) but does she have to sound stupid every time she opens her mouth? I know that Queen Sensposition isn't here to explain everything for us, so I guess someone needs to prompt the exposition train to get going... I just feel like she's so child like... I do not like... Maybe I am getting ooooold (I'm 25)

"Say, I haven't seen Kondou, Saito, or Okita anywhere..." ... The stupidity intensifies... If she actually gave a fuck, she could have written to the Shinsengumi at any point... But it's all IBA IBA IBA...

She didn't mention Harada or Nagakura but bless Hijikata for imagining that she cares. I just... I feel like Chizuru is one of those people who declares herself SUCH and empath but never makes any effort to look out for the people she professes to feel for.

Iba, why are you comforting Chizuru? Didn't you know these guys growing up? Tbf, he didn't write to them either...

Chizuru third wheeling in on Hijikata and Iba's moment "alone" -_-

"Who's after her...? Is it Kazama or Amagiri?" XD How dare you slander Amagiri like this? Also, clearly even Hijikata gets gay vibes from Shiranui.

"In truth, this is a little hard to believe," RIGHT?!? Hijikata knows that this plot is far-fetched bullshit.

"He craves offspring." XD Wow, what an unbelievably offputting way of explaining that, thank you. Also, you neglected to mention that the reason he's after Yukimura is because of your own desires, Iba XD

"I guess if Yukimura's not whining about it in usual form then you're probably right." XD Exqueeze me, Hijikata?!?! How dare! Is he wrong, though? I feel like Yukimura isn't a whiner in general but when she does, it's about stupid stuff to do with her own maidenly modesty and shit.

Is Iba gonna defend her... I guess not! To be fair, she did her fair share of whining about not being good enough for Iba, not wanting to be a burden, blah blah blah.

"it's a load off my back because now I can't order you to your death." bless Hiji-mama.

"Just do me a favour and take all of this in. Hold onto our memories if you can. I want everyone to remember how we lived." :'( Hijikata, you're gonna make me cry, oh my god D:

"Fury powers are nothing to fuck with," XD Hijikata, I have dearly missed you!

Just casually dropping in that Heisuke and Sanan died, not that Chizuru or Iba ever asked...

"Heeeey! Hijikata, Iba! Just how long you guys gonna chat for?!" DAMMIT, NOMURA! Let the manly compassion blossom! Chizuru, you gtfo too! Distract everyone!

MOTOYAMA PLEASE GO EASY ON THE SAKE

"Always with the Sake around here." I guess that's one way of coping with your inevitable demise :( I hope that they are having some fun! :D

"I mean, who knows how long we've got." :) :) :,) :,(

"Have you ever drunk whisky before, Iba...?" NGL, I REALLY want to see Iba DRUNK. ANYTHING to make him loosen up a little.

"Care to try some, Chizuru?" YUS >:D

"Don't be an idiot, Nomura. Can't you read context clues...?" Souma, you are definitely asking too much of this boy. Although, both of you idiots thought that Chizuru was a MAN for WAY, WAAAAAYY too long...

"Souma, you waste your time." XD I love how Otori is always keen to join in the roasting! At least he isn't meowing this time, nya!

"It may take Nomura another ten years before he begins to comprehend the nuances of romance, and another ten afterwards until he can use them." WOW. Jesus. Poor guy's gonna be dead soon and you just came for him so hard! Maybe he's ace! Maybe he's gay!

"I s'pose his simplicity just ads to his charm." XD That's sweet, Shimada. Poor Nomura... Tbf, I have seen people asking for routes for Takeda and Miki, Kimigiku and Sen and Shiranui and Amagiri but never anyone asking for routes for Nomura and Motoyama...

"Hey, are you guys makin' fun of me!" X_X

OoooOOh! Iba and Chizuru are sneaking off alone...

"If I'm not mistaken, your room is... here, I think?" Uh-huh... :) "Looks like it. I think your room is to the left of mine, and mine is right here." Uh-huuuuuh! :) :) "Pretty convenient, huh...?" Uh-HUUUH >:D >:D >:D "So... they're right next to each other, eh...?" OMFG XD come ON!

"Say, Chizuru... May I invite you to chat in my room for a bit...?" Uwu! Ye olde Netflix and chill ;)

C'mon, girl! Climb him like a tree!

This session has actually been more enjoyable than the previous ones, now that the weird repression and horny demon arm stuff has stopped being so prominent...

"Huh? As in..." Oh, we have all seen Mama Mia! We know what DOT, DOT, DOT means ;)

"For a split second, I wondered if there were ulterior motives in his invitation, and I froze up." Uh... I don't know what to tell you, girl... I also don't entirely know what you mean by "ulterior motives" girl, you can stop at any time or back out, it's okay. You do not have to fuck him. You can have a nice, cosy time.

Oh no, she's actually having flashbacks to him on top of her D: TRAUMA! GET THIS GIRL TO A THERAPIST! D: Poor Chizuru :(

"my back dimples tensed." XD Uh, what?

"So, we're just going to talk, right...?" YES GIRL, ESTABLISH BOUNDARIES! CONSENT IS SEXY AF! Make SURE that you're both on the same page! Of coyrse, he should NEVER assume that you're dtf just because you agree to chill with him but a girl's gotta be careful and it's very telling how someone reacts to that question. If they get defensive, RUN!

"Yes, I promise... As long as my sanity holds, at least." IBA XD That is not encouraging. Well, it is in that it's very honest. Bless him for that.

"I couldn't discern whether or not Iba was being truthful, and I felt a little uneasy in his company." Daaaamn, Chizuru! You're so valid! I feel like they have some serious issues to work through in their relationship. If you don't believe someone when they say that they won't rape you (because that's what it is, let's be real), the two of you definitely need to build trust, definitely take things slow.

"I, too, have had intimate thoughts about you..." Uwu. Good, liking this. He's being open about his feelings, not trying to hide them to spring them on her later when she's in his room like so many manchildren do.

"Especially now... I must admit, I am somewhat inebriated." XD Girl, run! Unless, you're confident you want to hit that, say goodnight!

"I cannot" or "You are all I care about." Ah yes, the old "To fuck or not to fuck" :) Let's try both! Not to fuck first... (side note: does anyone else feel like they can't fuck someone until they've rejected their sexual advances at least once to see how they'll react? Like, otherwise, I'd be wondering the whole time how they'd react if I didn't give them what they want. Is that fucked up?) Let's see how Iba reacts...

"I really like you, Iba. I do, but..." Omg, "like"?!?! what happened to "love"?????

"...I'm only kidding." BITCH, YOU WERE NOT! I SEE YOU LIEING TO ME. HMMMMMM. CONCERN >:(

"Your feelings take precedence above anything, so I shall honor your wish." Okey dokey! This is what I like to hear! NOW we can fuck >:D

Chizuru is SHOOK that he accepted her response and, tbf, he does seem a bit pouty for my liking.

WAIT, WHAT?!?!? HOW DID THIS HAPPEN??? "We were bundled next to each other, wrapped up in our cotton sheets in one bed." ????

Wait, not only did they somehow end up in bed together, now Chizuru's sitting here thinking about dead people to punish me for chosing the non-horny option XD

Oh wait, we still get the cute, cuddly cg! I still cannot fathom how we ended up in bed together XD Is it going to be exactly the same if I click the horny option...?

"My heart galloped like a stallion in my chest." XD Okay...

"You're trembling. How precocious of you." The fuck does that mean?

"I mean, this is my first time." Time for The Sex, y'all...

"I won't rush you." the four sexiest words in the English language! To be clear, I am not being sarcastic. Consent is sexy :D It frees us!

"His cool, calm demeanor was so coaxing..." Go get that ass, Chizuru!

Ah yes, montage of sadness! "Are you thinking of your friends right now?" BITCH, I THOUGHT THEY WERE YOUR FRIENDS, TOO! Or do you only have eyes for Hijikata?

Chizuru, ffs, your feelings are valid. Stop saying you have "no right" to feel this or that. It's stupid.

"I felt like a little girl again, and I felt gratified by his supple, ambrosial kiss." Uh... Okay...

"You never have to apologize for crying." YES, TELL HER, IBA >:D

"I accept you, all of you, and this will never change." But can you tell me who she is, though, babes?

"Iba's upbringing was well-represented by his regal demeanor, and I couldn't help but blush." XD Girl, control yourself.

"A naive part of me believed that we could neglect the concerns of the outside world," naive indeed X_X How could you think this? There's a war on. Sorry, I'll leave the poor girl alone.

"Swagger bellowed from Iba's stern voice, almost as if he were convincing me to fight Takeda myself." XD Now, THAT I would love to see! Remember how well it went last time? Tbf, Chizuru wasn't killed and it was very funny!

"his tender lips wrapped around my cut." Omfg, the writers found a thesaurus!

"I had to halt the urge to laugh as his longue flicked droplets of blood, as it tickled me." XD Chizuru, laugh away! It might help assuage his pointless guilt!

"I am thrilled to savor the taste of your blood, and no one else's." O_O Okay, that's... a lot! But I'm calling that positive character growth! I guess it's a kink thing now! I can absolutely get behind that! This is a kink positive space!

"There was a keen pleasure to be taken in being Iba's sole proprietor of blood, and as long as he had use of me, I was his for the taking." And the intensity gets dialed up even more, holy cow! As I said, kink positive space! I feel like there's a lot of kink in this game, ngl...

"Nomura was a lively and curious sole" everyone in this game is a cat

"For those with severe lacerations, or dismembered limbs, we were ordered essentially to offer comfort in their final moments, which was a depressing task." War... war never changes... Good for you guys, though!

"If I were an outsider to their organization, I would have thought it foolish--suicidal, even." I see you calling my shit out, Chizuru!

"To tell you the truth, I've been wondering for years... why men fought unwinnable wars." I feel like, for me, it's not that it's unwinnable that's confusing to me. It's more why this is the cause they have chosen to die for. Interestingly, I feel like it's personal for each character, even though they're fighting under the same banner. Maybe I'll get more of the bigger picture if I play Hijikata's route and watch the anime prequel with Ibuki.

That being said, when I did GCSE Religious Studies (XD), we were taught that a "just war" is one where there is a reasonable chance of success... but that's very hard to establish because you never know what alliances can potentially be formed with more powerful factions... idk this is more than I signed up for in this VN XD I love it, though!

"They are imbued with purpose beyond their own fragile existence. We have reason to honor them." See, I get where he's coming from. BUT I feel like there's a problem here and that's the glorification of warriors in this game. I feel like... a lot of important things come secondary to their ideal of bushidou. Like, precious human life. A lot of killing goes on. Killing of faceless men who we're encouraged to hate or think of as sword/plot fodder. It's like what Sen says to Iba about how stupid he must be to not realise that women can also have strong resolve. The people who are collateral damage in this war also probably had their own purpose, their own goals. Why do some people defect to the winning side? Perhaps their goals aren't politically aligned and rely on them staying alive to complete them. I feel like there's a lack of respect for those people from certain characters (Souma, Iba, I am squinting at you).

"In that way, they are samurai more than bakushin could ever be." NOW, I feel like, as a samurai, you have a certain level of responsibility to your people and, often, (not always) that might mean not sending them off to die... The freedom to die for the cause you choose is something I would associate with ronin (which is, apparently, a dirty word in this game).

"he waxed poetic" AGAIN. THIS is my problem with Iba and Souma. They talk a lot about ideals and honour and bushidou and not enough about their own personal drives. All these pretty words are not enough to justify taking all of the lives they have done. Please tell me more about what you, YOU fight for, less about what you believe a warrior SHOULD fight for.

MOTOYAMA NOOOOOO

I mean, obviously, HIJIKATA NOOOOOO but I knew he would die whereas I had forgotten about our Moon Boy, Motoyama. :(

Awe, poor Iba :( He is so sad D,:

AN UNSETTLING MAN, YOU SAY???? >:D

FEASTING ON BLOOD, YOU SAY 8D

"Let's go" FUCK YEAH >:D

Wow, Iba intimidation checked the fuck out of that soldier! :O

OOOOOH! SPOOKY MUSIC! Last time I heard this was when Souma and Nomura left Chizuru to get kidnapped and brought to her gross dad...

TAKEDA! Eating people as usual, I hope?

"A sloppy mess of blood coated Takeda's lips and cheeks, and he slurred his words like a drunkard" Yaaaay! :D Why is Takeda so fucked up XD I love him and his terrible life choices

OMFG I JUST SAT AND CACKLED FOR, LIKE, 30 SECONDS. "He dropped a half-eaten arm to the ground, which hit the floor with a dull, sickening thud." MY DUDE. WOW. Like, I feel like he didn't need to go that hard. All the Rasetsu drink a little blood but this guy was fully munching on some poor dude's arm. THIS IS WHAT I MEAN WHEN I TALK ABOUT TAKEDA EATING PEOPLE. NOT LIKE THE OTHER RASETSU DO. FOR SOME REASON, HIM AND HIS SQUAD ARE FULL-ON CHOMPERS. IT'S FUCKED UP AND I AM OBSESSED. It's definitely not sexy and I love that.

"At Takeda's feet was a gruesome array of scattered remains," DISSAPPOINTED that they elected not to insert the word "buffet" here... or SMORGASBORD!

"he was off, gathering fresh prey for me" Takeda has made Kodo his cannibal chef. LOVE THAT FOR HIM.

"Saito found him and gutted that senile fuck." YES SAITO!!! COME THROOOUGH!!! LOVE THAT FOR YOU, YAASS QUEEN. Also, love that Takeda refers to Kodo as a "senile fuck." bit ageist but Kodo is definitely a "fuck".

"Father had been... murdered by Saito." WOAH BITCH, CALM DOWN. I feel like killing some creepy dude on the opposing side in a war rounding up victims to be feasted upon is not a "murder".

"And, so long as a precious morsel like you exists, the possibility of creating offspring does as well." ... Does Takeda not know how heterosexual sex works??? Is he going to EAT US???

"I grow tired of hearing your meager attempts at heroism buzz in my ear." Honestly, same (sorry, Iba)

"Show me how 'different' you are then, bastard." Iba claims he is not like other girls, Takeda is intrigued...

I feel like Takeda pulls off the red eyes and white hair look better than Iba (sorry again, babes)

"an ominous, toxic miasma floated inches from the surface of his skin, making it so that I couldn't stand to stare at him for long." Oooh! Neato! This route could've been so much better if there was more of this horriffic shit! Less Chizuru and Iba sitting in a house together being repressed and awkward, more body horror >:D

Takeda opens with an excellent villain laugh, automatically scoring him additional points!

Na...ni? THAT'S RIGHT, BITCH! IBA HAS THE POWERS OF LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP ON HIS SIDE NOW >:D

"This is inconceivable!" alright, guy from The Princess Bride! Tbf, how the fuck is Iba suddenly able to keep up with him? He (Iba) seemed so confident, too... Has he been snacking on the side? Is Chizuru's blood strengthening him? It would be HILARIOUS if their strength was shared between the two arms, much like horny daydreams are...

CAN I JUST SAY, I LOVE the nails that these two queens are sporting on their demon hands! I feel like Iba could have used his during the blood drinking scenes like Lady Gaga does in AHS...

"Y-You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth! H-How could you possibly w-win?!" Maybe those two things are related. Takeda weakened himself by toiling in the fields to pay off his student loans and also pay rent.

"As of now, I am just a man. A man of purpose." ... Is this all the explanation we're gonna get???

"Besides, what's status to you anyway? Don't you think you are a little obsessed?" OMFG IBA XD IBA IS CANCELLED, EVERYONE! Check your privilege, slut! How the fuck would you know what it's like to be born without the advantages you have? To have to constantly fight for everything you want, or even need to survive?

"The Demon's arm has chosen its victor, and it knows that I am who's destined to protect her." D: Omg, that actually makes sense but also, idk... It makes me feel bad for Takeda (YES, THE GUY WHO STILL HAS VISCERA FROM THE ARM HE WAS JUST CHOMPING ON SMEARED ALL OVER HIS FACE. DON'T JUDGE ME, OKAY). Like, he was abandoned (murdered, historically) by the Shinsengumi, rejected by Itou and now even this freaky demonic arm is rejecting him, despite all of the delicious, nutritious blood he has been feeding it. :( AND ALL OF IT IS 100% JUSTIFIED. HE IS FULLY AN ASSHOLE WHO SHOULD BE STOPPED. I still feel kind of bad, though XD

"He began cackling,i and went into a series of taunts." YAS, VILLAIN, GO OFF! This is what I came to SEE!! 8D

Hey, where's the blood on his face :( I get why they didn't add it to his sprite but I feel like they could've in this cg :(

"Aw, what's wrong, Hachiro Iba?! You'll have to stab the both of us at the same time, won't you?!" BOLD of Takeda to assume that this will be a problem for these two demonic babies!

OMFG OMFG YES, "Takeda wielded me like a meat shield," !!!!!! BEST LINE IN THIS GAME, HANDS DOWN. TAKEDA. WIELDED. ME. LIKE. A. MEAT. SHIELD. THIS IS PEAK NARRATION AND I AM SO HERE FOR IT.

"Gah! Let go of me!" The fuck does anyone ever think this will accomplish?

"Ha! You think me stupid, girl?" that's a generous interpretation...

This is almost a smart move from Takeda but I feel like he underestimated just how unappealing the prospect of a life with him is to Chizuru... Like, he understandably did not anticipate her response of, "Fuck it, just stab him THROUGH me..."

"Iba! Iba, I'm fine! Just stab through me and Takeda!" XD

"You don't have the guts to do it!" XD You might think so AND YET...

"And then everything went black" ROLL CREDITS... LITERALLY, THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS XD These bitches want me to think I got a bad ending (does Chizuru die if I don't choose to fuck him?)

OMFG I ACTUALLY FINISHED THIS! JUST THE EPILOGUE AND BAD ENDINGS TO GO!

Final Chapter: It's a Girl! In which our heroine is NOT DEAD and also finally gets to wear her preferred clothing style again!

You know, when I see this lovely shade of blue smattered across the sky, I'm reminded of something. Do you want to guess what it is...?" :O Could it be... a Shinsengumi uniform? Also, this is giving me Kingdom Hearts vibes for some reason... Probably all the blue and tranquility juxtaposed with some fucked up chaos...

Omfg, XD, why does he look so SHOOK that she's opening her eyes... Wait, is this the first time since he STABBED her almost to death?

"Wh-Where are we?" HELL! My sword got stuck in your hefty demon spine and Takeda stabbed me while I was trying to yank it out >:D

HE TRIMMED HIS NAILS!!!! Oh no. I am NOT here for this! They're still long and red but I feel like he should have grown the nails on his other hand more, to match! :D And PAINTED THEM :D

This meadow is very Howl's Moving Castle...

"Wh-Where's Takeda...?" AND HE'S HERE TOO! He choked on a finger bone and came down here to join us! We're best buds now :) ... I am aware that this is not funny. Can you imagine, though, if Takeda just popped out from behind a bush, like, "Hey girl! Don't worry! I'm good now! AND I have been keeping your bf company ^_^ ;)"

"No one is left to stand in our way." ... Iba, has the demon arm been giving you world domination-y thoughts?

"Would you mind not calling me 'Iba'? Now that we're lovers, and all." and also since you, apparently, renounced that name and the responsibilities that come along with it, due to possession of the demon arm... Whenever I read through Japanese history and see how many name changes people go through, I can't believe how intolerant people are of people changing their names these days... (It's usually because of transphobia, I guess... DO BETTER)

"our boundaries were now entirely gone." Uh... Did the stabbing do that or did you go through some sleep thereapy?

"When we were children, this is what I had called him," GOD, they really love hammering the innocent childhood love bullshit home, don't they?

"Hachi...ro..." "Well done..." o_e HMMM... THIS IS MAKING ME A WEE BIT UNCOMFY. WHY IS HE TALKING TO HER LIKE SHE IS A CHILD?

"Just you and me." HMM... Seems a bit unhealthy... Both of them need to get some FRIENDS! Doesn't Iba have a family? What about the surviving Shinsengumi boys?

"Every whim you desire, I shall cater to you." Come through, love butler!

PHEW!

ALRIGHTY! Now for the fun stuff! I will make a seperate post, I think! HOLY FUCK, IT IS COMPLETE! I mostly remembered the fucked up bits from this route like Takeda chomping on limbs and Iba's freaky horny outbursts but I feel like those were the best bits... I can't wait to play through the bad endings because I haven't got any of them yet, I don't think 3:)