#and a lot of marriages in Re:Zero have problems or a not-good future
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mishy-mashy · 2 years ago
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That opinion that every happy ending involves getting married and having kids and it's happily ever after? This does NOT apply to the Astrea family AT ALL.
Case Study #1: Wilhelm and Theresia
They marry and have a kid, go through that typical line of a happy end... but in reality, Wilhelm loves his wife too much, and it's a problem
(especially after said wife dies and he blames everyone else in his family and Oh, Look! Family Drama!™)
Happily ever after? He's estranged himself from the Astreas now, blames his own grandson, and goes on a long journey of revenge. His son's become an alcoholic, his daughter-in-law is dead to the world, and he just left the Astrea family to be handled by the mess that is Heinkel
Wilhelm was so obsessed with his wife, thought his kid might've been a genius (he was not), and when his wife was gone, he was pretty quick to turn around and leave
And where was he before Theresia even died? Where was Theresia, too? When Heinkel couldn't get a job, when Louanna became a Sleeping Beauty, or when people broke into the Astrea manor?
Reinhard was five when Theresia died. These events all happened before that, and they're... enjoying retirement, I guess?
Case #2: Louanna and Heinkel
First off, they married young. Well, to us, it's young, but remember, the age they can start getting married is 15. They're in something like a medieval period. Being around 18 or 19 is totally plausible to get married for them. As we've seen with Priscilla, age gaps aren't a problem either
Heinkel has a beautiful wife and has a kid, and all is well for exactly two years. Then his wife is Gluttony-ed, and everything goes downhill from then on
Heinkel...
... has little talent for the sword, yet is stuck between two generations of Sword Saints (his mother and his son)
... doesn't qualify for the "van" in his name
... can't even get a proper job on his own
... almost loses Reinhard when he's FOUR
... is searching for a cure for his wife that involves killing the dragon that protects their kingdom
... has not kept his wife's state under wraps so nearly everyone knows and can gossip
... verbally abuses even those who try to help him and then regrets it when it's too late
... lost to his own 5-year old kid in a sword duel despite training his whole life himself
... is aware that national laws have been made to restrict his son
... has a job for the sake of appearances with no actual responsibility
... 's job is being done for him by someone about half his age and is otherwise just a knight (Julius)
Heinkel grew up with two heroes for parents, realized he could never match up to even the family general standard, but he does get a beautiful wife and son... and then his wife disappears in what might've the peak of his marriage, and his son has all the talent in the world—something Heinkel might've dreamed of having
Case 3: Reinhard.
Reinhard is obviously expected to marry and have a child to continue the Divine Protection, but that too is just another responsibility he's burdened with.
He's someone with so many Divine Protections that he can see the reality of what each is like. What if he doesn't want his kid to go through having the one that brings so much family expectation (Sword Master)?
Does Reinhard even lose that blessing if it's passed on? Does he just keep his copy and the next one has it too?
Would Reinhard actually feel relieved because his own child now shoulders the responsibilities he had to deal with over the Divine Protection?
Does Reinhard even have a proper understanding of how to express love, or what parental love looks like, if the two cases above are his main examples?
It's been stated that Reinhard would marry whoever the world chose. He isn't going to choose, and especially not for love. Reinhard's just an existence trying to please everyone and live up to their expectations because there's too much at stake that it's impossible to do otherwise
Example: what if he doesn't do right and everyone is dissapointed or leaves?
What even happened during the shady relationship Reinhard and Heinkel apparently had when Reinhard was younger?
In fact, the Astrea family problems started AFTER they got married. Except Reinhard, but that's because he already has to deal with the problems from the marriages of those before him, and they still haven't been solved or even ignored
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