#but do they ever address the sonozaki thing like they kill people

[aaronymous999]

The thing that bugs me about Higurashi When They Cry is about how- they do the unreliable narrator thing but it’s like ( to be fair the anime does this worse ) there are no cracks in this unreliability? Like occasionally we see things as they are, Mion and Rena just being kind friends and helping Keiichi, but some of the other stuff is like? Unless he is having all forms of hallucination right now this makes zero sense in context to the later answer arcs?

Also Mion and her family like actually kill people that’s not a delusion or anything they straight up have a torture room in their basement.

[dangerouscommiesubversive]

How does Batman feel about some Kamen Riders killing their enemies?

I think that's going to be strongly situational! The problem, really, is determining the theoretical personhood of any given Kamen Rider enemy versus whether or not the Rider has an actual choice in killing them. Like, the problem with crossovers like this is always that you're going to be working with two different fictional worlds which have their own narrative conventions and rules, and those conventions and rules aren't always going to jive.

Batman's enemies are primary humans, who are (theoretically) capable of being rehabilitated, and that's a factor in his no-killing rule as much as his personal convictions are. Riders are not, for the most part, fighting humans, and the monsters they fight aren't even consistently sapient. So let's run through the modern shows, enemy type by enemy type:

Kuuga - Godai kills the Grongi, who are in time revealed to be much like normal humans but with modifications they have made to themselves, but he's not happy about it even from the beginning. Unfortunately, given the cultural convictions of the Grongi, killing them is the only way to prevent them from killing others. (They're also arguably undead, which is a whole other can of worms.) I think Bruce would recognize this as a necessary tragedy.

Agito - The Unknown/Lords aren't people, they're killing machines sent out by the Lord of Darkness. There's no indication that they're genuinely intelligent. Destroying them is not an issue.

Ryuki - Shinji only ever kills Mirror Monsters, which are, again, man-eating monsters, not people. His unwillingness to kill people is one of the driving factors of the show.

555 - Orphenochs are people. This is undeniable fact. However, it is also an undeniable fact that Takumi hates himself, hates what he's doing, and wishes it would all stop. Bruce would encourage him to get therapy, I think. (This is before we address the Orphenochs being on timers inherently.)

Blade - The Undead are distinctly people, but also Kenzaki and the others aren't killing them, just sealing them in cards.

Hibiki - Makamou are giant, dubiously-sapient monsters manifested by...the spirit world? They're big mindless man-eating demons, is the point, it's them or Hibiki and an indeterminate number of innocents. Not an issue.

Kabuto - Worms are people. They're alien invaders and also murderers, but they are people. However, I think Tendou's willingness to kill them would only be the start of Bruce's difficulties with him.

Den-O - The relative personhood of the Imagin versus the ethics of destroying them could take up an entire post by itself and I simply do not have the energy right now, but suffice it to say that I don't think Bruce would have a problem with it?

Kiva - Fangires are absolutely people, but they are also sort of vampires, and Batman is willing to kill vampires.

Decade - I am not prepared to dissect this one. Like, we've covered nine of the different kinds of monsters that Decade fights already, but I'm not ready for an in-depth discussion about how Bruce would handle Dai Shocker, especially given Tsukasa's relationship to it.

W - Dopants are drug addicts and Shoutaro and Philip don't generally kill them. The Sonozakis, as I recall, are mostly killed by other circumstances (see: Sonozaki Ryubee dying in the house fire, etc).

OOO - Any individual Yummy is not a person, it's a mindless monster generated from a victim's id. The deaths of the Greeed are tragedies in-story, but are also theoretically reversible. (Indeed, in OOO 10th they have been reversed!)

Fourze - Zodiarts are not killed! Whole thing in the show, obviously. Even Gamou isn't killed, in the end, he just sort of vaporizes.

Wizard - Phantoms are intelligent, but whether or not they're people is sort of arguable--they're malevolent demons inhabiting corpses. Destroying them is more akin to a banishment or exorcism.

Gaim - An Inves is an animal, and thus not a concern here. The Femshinmu are people, but I feel like Bruce usually makes an exception for malevolent invading aliens.

Drive - I think we'd have some problems here yeah. The personhood of Roidmudes and how they're handled in the show is already a huge issue with Drive.

Ghost - Takeru doesn't kill! What he destroys are Eyecon-based avatars of Ganma in physical stasis. Several Ganma do die over the course of the series but that's not his doing.

Ex-Aid - A Bugster is a sapient computer program, not a living being, and can't actually be killed? "Killing" a Bugster involves interrupting their main process in a way that causes them to suspend operation, but you could theoretically get them back out of that.

Build - Sento beats himself up about every death he's even potentially responsible for, and is also severely underslept. I think Bruce would get Alfred to make him dinner and then drape a blanket over him when he inevitably falls asleep on the couch.

Zi-O - Another Riders are not killed, the power's just...removed from them. Plus there's that whole timeline reset reviving the few people who did die. Bruce would complain about time travel and then go do something else.

Zero-One - Every Humagear in Zero-One is treated as a replaceable being, except in the V-Cins. Almost nobody actually dies. This has its own problems.

Saber - The only people I recall actually dying in Saber are Kento's dad, Master Logos, and the Megid, and in every case we get some kind of force ghost indicating that they sort of welcomed it. (Right, and Desast dies, but not at the hands of the heroes.)

Revice - Revice as a show is pretty death-averse, and its few deaths are mostly the outcome of irreversible demonic transformation, which is the sort of thing I suspect any DC Comics hero worth their salt would understand. I doubt the death of Giff would even register as a concern for Bruce.

[akajulester]

don’t read below unless you don’t care about Higurashi no Naku Koro ni spoilers

why must Satoko torture Mion, I just want my favorite character to be happy and vibe in peace.

It’s interesting how Mion seemed to be pretty much fine (just more emotional/confident in her crush on Keiichi) despite being injected with H137, up until she saw Keiichi with Shion. I guess Rena was more affected since she was already in a bad mental state and has suffered from Hinamizawa Syndrome in the past. I also like to theorize the Sonozaki family might have some kind of immunity (however small) to the syndrome, and that’s why Mion never got it until now (and the explanation of “she’s just too level-headed to ever get seriously affected” helps her or something).

Kasai continues to have great Dad Energy around Shion. I love their dynamic.

also lol I love how in the loops from Gou and Sotsu Takano isn’t crazy anymore and isn’t the villain, and yet she still does incredibly sus shit like that “craning my head to look over my shoulder as creepily as possible” when she tells Keiichi and Shion they’re partners in crime now haha. Even when she’s reformed, she can’t help but do incredibly sus things for no reason.

I like that whatever mistake Rika made while doing her dance wasn’t shown. I was worried they’d show it and remove the mystery from it (as inconsequential as it is, I think it helps add tension to the Watanagashi arcs - a sort of minor confusion and terror on Keiichi’s part to mirror the confusion caused by Mion and Shion taking each other’s places).

What is up with Ooishi in this show? He was always weird and suspicious in the original show despite being a good guy, but it’s like the people behind Gou/Sotsu are trying to take it even farther by having him constantly smirk and making his voice even more over-the-top. This is probably the question I’m most looking forward to having answered in Tataridamashi-hen’s answer arc (along with “was Keiichi actually attacked by Teppei or was that just a hallucination?”). Especially so since both Tatarigoroshi-hen and Tataridamashi-hen have Irie refer to Ooishi as “Oyashiro-sama’s familiar,” which the former arc never actually addressed (to my knowledge). It makes sense Ooishi would be closely watching Satoko and her uncle since Teppei was already on a police watch (according to Minagoroshi-hen IIRC), but Irie seemed to suggest something deeper than that. Idk maybe I’m just dumb lol

Holy fuck, Mion’s confrontation with Shion was a little hard to watch. Shion’s torture of Mion in Meakashi-hen (and presumably Watanagashi-hen) was awful, but something about how brutal and gory it was kinda dulls the horror for me, especially since it’s less about the sisters’ conflict and more about Shion being batshit insane and grieving for Satoshi. This conflict was focused on the two sisters (and also Keiichi, for Mion at least), and the contrast of Mion’s emotionless questioning with Shion’s terrified pleas was honestly horrifying. It felt more real in how it was more grounded and physical. I feel like there’s more I want to say, but idk how to put it into words. It was just a good scene.

This scene also hammered home to me how much of a villain Satoko is. Like, Takano was a crazy bitch trying to play God, but she at least didn’t know she was putting a little girl through ~100 years of torture (and other people to a lesser extent). Satoko knows full well what she’s doing by not only putting Rika back in the loops, but also forcing their friends to brutally kill each other. Her motivations and emotions are understandable, but a good explanation doesn’t also mean a good reason. This is why I hate the RikaxSatoko ship (aside from seeing the two more as sisters). Ship whatever you want, it’s none of my business, but I find it baffling how people think they would ever make a good couple after all this. I don’t think Satoko is 100% evil and irredeemable, but I fail to see how Rika could ever trust her again after being betrayed this intensely. I really hope Sotsu has a bittersweet ending where they reconcile but end up going their separate ways (especially since “sotsu” Japanese means “graduation”). It would be way more fitting than a cheery “we’re still friends! :D”

[96percentdone]

all the higu kids for the character ask meme

ALL OF THEM?! You’re lucky I love my kids. Under the cut it’s long as shit and also probably full of spoilers for those of y’all who haven’t finished..

Maebara Keiichi:

How I feel about this character: I’M LOVE KEIICHI I LOVE HIM HE IS MY SON. HE IS THE BEST. HE IS SUCH A GOOD BOY. NO I CAN’T UNDO THE ALLCAPS BECAUSE YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND. I. LOVE. KEIICHI. HE’S AMAZING. HE’S SO TALENTED AT PULLING SHIT OUT OF HIS ASS AND SUPPORTING AND MOTIVATING HIS FRIENDS. I WOULD LIVE FOR KEIICHI. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAll the people I ship romantically with this character: Mion and that’s about it lmaoMy non-romantic OTP for this character: the whole squad man the club is the ultimate brotp Although I have a super soft spot for his dynamic with SatchanMy unpopular opinion about this character: he’s a better protagonist than Battler fight me– uh no actually it’s that I’ve decided right now he’s bi and trans. No I will not justify that. You just have to live with it. I don’t want the straights to have my son. I wish they were like. less with him being a pervert. because tbh I don’t even like really think it fits his character? Like fine I can live with him being a little perverted; he’s a teenage boy with hormones, it be like that, but it’s so over the top to me that it’s obvious it’s just Ryukishi the author being gross through him because he does this with ALL the men. Keiichi is better than that. One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: I wish the dense mother fucker realized Mion has a massive crush on him. I don’t actually need a romantic resolution in Higurashi it just kills me inside when she’s being really transparent and tsun and fucking adorable and he’s like “yeah we’re bestest friends.” like son. 

Sonozaki Mion:

How I feel about this character: I’m love Mion she’s so cute and she’s such a good girl look at her. she’s never done anything wrong in her life. she just wants to play games with her friends. she’s so cunning and smart. she’s the best ever and she’s just. so good. so supportive. so fun. listen I love her also she’s my favourite kind of tsundere and I love her so muchAll the people I ship romantically with this character: Keiichi tbh. Although MiiRena is pretty cute too but idk man I just like keiimiiMy non-romantic OTP for this character: THE SQUAD. OBVIOUSLY. Also Rena specifically. And Shion too obvsMy unpopular opinion about this character: Mion is the better Sonozaki twin she’s more compelling and stop writing fics where she goes yandere and kills everyone fuck you. she’s also. a bicon. and genderfluid. One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: I actually wish Mion got more focus as herself. The big arcs that involve her are Watanagashi/Meakashi, and Meakashi is centered around Shion cause she’s the POV character, but Watanagashi ends up being half about Shion too because it’s not actually Mion for half of it. She gets a lot of focus I just wish Meakashi compensated for that a little more. 

Ryuugu Rena:

How I feel about this character: Rena is a good girl. I’m love her too. She’s got a lot of complexities and that depression is a shsl fucking mood. She’s also like super smart and it’s a lot of fun! Plus she’s compassionate and understanding even when you would expect it to have run out. I really love Rena.All the people I ship romantically with this character: ShiiRena is kinda fun tbh. MiiRena is tooMy non-romantic OTP for this character: THE. SQUAD. FUCK YEAH. Also Mion and Keiichi specificallyMy unpopular opinion about this character: do people still call her a yandere. fuck those guys. Also she’s not straight have you seen herOne thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: this is anime specific tbh but I kinda wish they killed her too in the disaster for tsumihoroboshi. it would really sell how fucking hopeless it is if none of them made, and kinda kills the crushing feeling at the end of the arc

Houjou Satoko:

How I feel about this character: I LOVE SATOKO SO MUCH SHE’S SUCH A GOOD STRONG CLEVER GIRL. SHE’S SO CREATIVE. SO MISCHIEVOUS. THE LIGHT OF MY LIFE AN ANGEL I MEAN LOOK AT HER. BABY GIRL. BABY. DESERVES THE WORLD AND NOT THIS SHIT. I LOVE HER SO MUCH OKAY SHE’S THE BESTAll the people I ship romantically with this character: Rika. That’s it she’s fucking ten y’all shitlords. Also have you seen satorika like enough said.My non-romantic OTP for this character: THE SQUAAAAADDDD. Also Satoshi obvs. And Keiichi. And Shion when she’s not being Like That™My unpopular opinion about this character: Satoko is the best actually and if you don’t like her you’re wrong. Y’all keep victim blaming her for crying and acting like an abused child even though she’s an. abused child. Who is just acting like an abused child would. Y’all really expect a fuckin ten-year-old with severe mental illness and a horrible history to not cry at minor things because all the stress is getting to her? Y’all really think it’s okay to beat the shit out of her for it? Fuck y’all; you’re disgusting.One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: Okay this is actually just a more general complaint, but it’s really bad for Satoko, but I wish matsuribayashi actually addressed like rule X and Satoko’s situation like Minagoroshi-hen did. Because yeah even if they save Rika, Satoko lives in a town that hates her for something that isn’t her fault, and Teppei could still come back. I just…wish we resolved that.

Furude Rika:

How I feel about this character: ah man Rika’s perpetual despair and hopelessness was me for so long she’s a big mood and I really support her quest to just live and be happy Rika is so good and she’s so sly and fuck she deserves the best too okay? OKAY?! LET HER HAVE ITAll the people I ship romantically with this character: Satoko. That is it. She is ten. That is her only option. And also Satorika is adorable.My non-romantic OTP for this character: the squad but esp Hanyuu. And Keiichi. My unpopular opinion about this character: stop fucking shipping her with keiichi or akasaka I should not have to explain why these are badOne thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: I wish we saw signs of her trying to do something in the question arcs. I mean you kind of see it but barely. I just wish there was more..

Sonozaki Shion:

How I feel about this character: Ah Shion. You are so divisive for me. Okay I actually like Shion generally but fuck in Meakashi/Watanagashi she’s fucking insufferable and pisses me off to no end. But she’s brilliant and fun too and I really like her when she’s not fucking like that.All the people I ship romantically with this character: ShiiRena and SatoShion and that’s about itMy non-romantic OTP for this character: the squad, but especially Satchan so long as she’s not being fucking like thatMy unpopular opinion about this character: she’s not a fuckin yandere either okay she toes the line in Meakashi/Watanagashi esp in the scene where she beats up Satoko, but like. her murder spree is motivated by revenge not by a possessive desire. While all her crazy and terrible behavior may stem from her love for Satoshi, it’s not this desire to possess him and make him all hers, and keep him from everyone else. She’s not a true yandere fuckin stop.One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: I think I would find reading Meakashi more tolerable if she struggled more with herself internally, and specifically realized she was victim blaming Satoko the entire time.

and finally for funsies Houjou Satoshi:

How I feel about this character: Satoshi is a good boy I love his voice. He deserves a lot better too like also he needs to come back because Satchan misses him and LISTEN. Anyway yeah Satoshi is good and it’s sad to see such a gentle boy get crushed from stress like thatAll the people I ship romantically with this character: Shion….? Honestly he only really interacts with her so I cant’ guage other dynamics.My non-romantic OTP for this character:the squad, but obviously esp SatchanMy unpopular opinion about this character: this relates to Satchan’s but uh fucking. Satoshi would literally never agree with any of you Satoko haters who justify it for his sake. Fuck y’allOne thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon: why couldn’t we see him get out of his coma in matsuribayashi ryukishi. what the fuck.

[connan-l]

Some scattered messy Saikoroshi thoughts upon rereading cause why not:

I actually... much more enjoyed Saikoroshi than in my first read? For some reason in my memories that chapter never really did anything for me before that, and I think it has quite to do with the fact I’ve always found “bonus arcs when the story’s already over and don’t need any more additions” kind of annoying. But, reading it now, it does have a lot of interesting elements and do a really good job about fleshing out some parts of Rika’s character and diving into her thought process and struggles. Honestly, I actually think it legit does a better job at this than Minagoroshi (probably partly because of the fact we get no weird and unnecessary Keiichi POV transition here), and I truly some bits of it had been imported in her dedicated main arc.

Rika sounds so incredibly hurt when Satoko acts codly towards her and treats her with indifference and it just breaks my heart... Especially that passage where she thinks ‘Oh maybe I was just a replacement for Satoshi after all’ really killed me, and made me think back about how in Tatari she’s the one who pushes Satoko and Keiichi to get closer, and tell him to act similarly to Satoshi because she can’t play her big brother’s role for Satoko and... in that sense, thinking that a part of Rika genuinely believe Satoko cares so much for her only because she acts like a replacement to her brother is so deeply sad.

The famous scene where Rika lashes out at Satoko and hit her with a chair is a very good, chilling scene, but it is pretty baffling when I rememer the reactions a lot of people had to this was "Wow Satoko totally had that coming! That’s what bullies deserve, go Rika!" because... Rika is definitely portrayed as the one being in the wrong here. Actively rooting for Rika in that moment is so weird, cause her behavior is extremely creepy and it's very much a manifestation of her more damaged personality and trauma that's acting up (aka, her Bernkastel side). Obviously what Satoko did to her wasn't good, but saying Rika's reaction to this was deserved is, like, completely missing the point of the scene to me, which is very much here to illustrate just how badly things can escalate when she lets her darker, negative feelings surfaces to the point where she has no hesitation to violently assault one of her loved ones -- specifically her best friend who is usually the person she wants to protect the most.

This has been said before, but there’s really something bittersweet abotu the fact the club wouldn’t exist and that these kids wouldn’t be as close if it weren’t for all the tragedies that brought them together, and that’s a part of the story that’s very meaningful to me.

I’m a very bitter we didn’t get to spend more time developping the whole thing about the twins having never switched places to start with. I mean, that’s such an interesting concept that would make SO much difference for Mion and Shion, but somehow it’s just mentioned once like an after-thought! I’m a bit perplexed about Shion as her original Mion self being so close to Normal Mion, I think she’d still be pretty different, and I don’t like the implication that if the twins had never switched then it’d miraculously solve all their problems (like, lol, no, the Sonozaki family would still be fucked up as hell), but god I wanted more of this. 

Hanyuu and her relationship with Rika in there is so... uncomfortable and unpleasant. Not sure I can explain it well, but it’s basically this pretty disturing and unhealthy dynamic of their original relationship that is never properly addressed in the main game, except that it is much more glaringly obvious and worse here. Also the whole backstory about Hanyuu’s daughter should’ve definitely been present in the main VN.

I kept thinking about Gou a lot while reading it for multiple reasons, but principally what got me the most is Rika’s psyche and mindset as a looper that is much more explored in it. Like, theses passages especially (translation’s not very good but it’s the only one we have for now):

This is 100% the exact same mindset Satoko gets in Gou. “All that happens in those worlds don’t matter cause they’re just like dreams, so I can do whatever I want with whoever until I get to my Ideal World, even kill and hurt others." This is honestly one of the aspects of Rika’s character that I find the most interesting (and unfortunately the most underexplored), how the loops consistently make her dehumanize everyone around her until to her those people become just ‘pieces’ in a game, how much it twisted her perception of reality and human relationships (and how, at its extreme, we end up with Bernkastel). It is amusing to me because I remember how many people got so offended about this peculiar cold part of Satoko’s in Gou, when Rika actually had the exact same approach to this, just in a more passive way. And Rika thought this way even while knowing the mecanism of the fragments and having Hanyuu guide her. Satoko doesn’t, and it’s pretty clear in Gou she thinks she’s only ‘repeating’ time.

Speaking of, did we ever get the confirmation that Gou takes place after Saikoroshi? Like, I guess it’s implied it does, but Saikoroshi is never referenced at no point by Rika so it’s a bit confusing. Then again the first part of Gou is a mess with it seemingly not being sure what it exactly wants to be, so that’s not all that surprising.