#nerohaku

[tosart]

Girls about town

[number1mongrel]

FGO SAID NEROHAKU RIGHTS

[kasunex]

You know, I was going to say that I had "two nickels for everytime" NeroHaku and Aikoto reminded me of one another. But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized there actually are a good few parallels between the two. Which is interesting, since I had never really thought about them as being all that similar.

1) In CCC, Nero says that what she wants in a relationship is to remain by Hakuno's side and protect them.

Meanwhile, Aigis repeatedly expresses a deeply held desire to remain by Makoto's side and protect him.

“You are very special to me… I do not know why, but I always want to be by your side… I want to protect you..."

2) In Extella, Hakuno is left comatose in a bad end. Nero collapses over him, professing her affections and begging Hakuno to wake up.

When Makoto dies, he does so in Aigis' lap as she tells him about how she wants to be by his side, always.

Both of them have allusions to "sleeping" when they are truly dying, though Aigis tells Makoto it's ok to sleep - not knowing he is dying - while Nero is begging Hakuno to awaken, fully aware that Hakuno is not well.

3) Aigis carries Makoto bridal style in PQ if she is picked as his partner.

Nero carries Hakuno bridal style in Last Encore, Extella, and Extra Record.

Assuming male Hakuno, in both cases it's the girl holding the guy rather than the more common reverse.

4) The Persona Official Magazine refers to Aigis and Makoto's meeting as being "fated".

Similarly, Hakuno is alluded to as Nero's "fated spouse" in Fate/Grand Order.

In both cases, it's only in Japanese. The Persona Official Magazine wasn't translated into English, while the NA version of FGO doesn't have the "fated" part for whatever reason.

5) Both pairings have an alternative option who is hypothetically on even footing, up to player choice...but in practice relegated to a jealous third wheel. For Nero and Hakuno, it's Tamamo, for Aigis and Makoto it's Yukari.

6) In terms of the characters themselves, both Aigis and Nero are socially eccentric, although in opposite ways. Aigis is more formal, if sometimes inept, Nero is aggressively outgoing. Both are also the more affectionate and more battle-prone of their pairings. Both are indifferent to their partner's gender, Nero's relationship being the same with male and female Hakuno while Aigis falls for FeMC all the same as Makoto. And both Aigis and Nero are criticized by fans for being given "favoritism" by the writers.

7) Hakuno and Makoto, aside from both being JRPG protagonists, don't have a ton in common...at least, unless we're counting Last Encore. The technically-not-Hakuno-but-still-Hakuno of that anime has the same broody introvert vibe going that Makoto does.

8) Both pairings have a scene where the antagonist wipes one of their minds and tries to turn them against each other, only for the character to snap out of it through their love. In Persona 3, Aigis is brainwashed by Ikutsuki, but she snaps out of it when she looks into Makoto's eyes.

In CCC, BB tries to delete Nero, and though that fails, Nero is stuck comatose. Hakuno dives into her subconscious to revive her, but is confronted with an inner version of Nero who doesn't remember them. Inner Nero is disinterested, even hostile towards Hakuno, but she falls for them again and defends them against BB despite that.

9) One in both pairings is an AI. Aigis is a robot and Hakuno is…well, literally an AI.

10) Both have a scene where they hug after forgetting about one another.

So if I had a nickel for everytime NeroHaku and Aikoto paralleled one another, I would have...50c. And that's not even two nickels at that point. That's two quarters.

[nero-draco]

Happy belated anniversary Fate/Extra

[violett-shadow]

On the top list of things that hurt me: THIS FUCKING ENDING

I won’t post more images of this end, partly ‘cause I would upload the entire scene, and partly because it hurts so much. 

Nero has done nearly imposible things to restore Hakuno, but it still isn’t enough to wake up her counciousness T.T

[kasunex]

I get and can sympathize with the fact that fandoms always go copium and try to "both sides" shipping whenever their preferred pair is down.

And yet. And yet.

I don't even know why we're still playing this game with Tama vs Nero. It's no contest.

1) Despite Tama being far more explicit about her desire to marry Haku than Nero, not only is Nero the only one to marry Haku in any scenario, but thanks to Nasu, Extella and Grand Order both support this as the canon end of CCC.

2) Tama and Nero both remember Haku in Grand Order, but Nero doesn't go for Ritsu while Tama eventually does. People just kinda ignore this entirely. Nero Bride is an alt Nero who didn't meet her "fated spouse" - Haku.

3) "But they're poly in ExLink" no, they aren't. As flanderized as the characters are in that game, Nero is portrayed as Haku's co-ruler and lover while Tama isn't. Look at their starting lines, the first introduction to their relationship. Nero's bond one line is about resting together with Haku while Tama's is asking if Haku remembers when they declared eternal love - "no? Well, it's easy to forget." Both are generally comedic, but the humor with Nero is that she's a finicky lover, the humor with Tama is that she's delusional. That isn't poly, that's Nero and Haku in a relationship and Tama being haha funny yandere about it.

Like, ship whatever you like - Tama has her routes and canon shouldn't be the be all end all for that anyway. But pretending that it's an equal deal here just isn't true.

[kasunex]

Nero says: "Get cucked Bathory"

I have no idea what Haku is going on about, but Nero's reaction is so precious.

[kasunex]

It's time for our favorite game, rate my hot takes! For Fate, in this case.

Feel free to respond with agreement, disagrement, or a rating of spicy level.

1) "All routes are canon" is often just a "get out of jail free card" for retcons and/or canonical issues.

The original visual novel stuck to all routes being equal, but both Extraverse and especially Grand Order treat some events as canon and others as not. The fandom is aware of this on some level too as the discourse often also puts some routes above others.

2) Altera's route was the worst of the four in Fate/Extella.

Her pairing with Hakuno was extremely wierd, her two forms felt disconnected, and seeing her outright kill everyone else didn't endure sympathy.

3) Nero was the best part of Extella, she is very sympathetic and wholesome there.

And no, she's not flawless. She's shown to be jealous, melodramatic, self-absorbed, and insensitive to varying degrees. She just lets her love for Hakuno overshadow those traits.

4) Mordred is either cis or some kind of non-binary.

She isn't trans, and that scene from Apocrypha is taken out of context.

5) Nero, Hakuno, and Tama aren't poly in Extella True/ExLink. Nero and Hakuno are together and Tama is a third wheel.

Hakuno not telling Tamamo off - which anime protagonists seem reluctant to do at the best of times - doesn't mean they are an item when Hakuno shows no interest in Tama. ExLink is especially blatant here in a few scenes - Tama is basically the Luvia of Nero and Hakuno.

6) Shirou x Sakura was better in the movies than in the visual novel.

In the VN, Shirou seemed to still like Rin half the time. In the movie Sakura was actually his full focus.

7) Shirou x Saber makes no sense as a pairing.

Shirou is a random Japanese teenager, Saber is the ghost of a King of Britain who had a tense relationship with Shirou's idol, Kiritsugu. It feels very forced.

(And if people point out the hypocrisy of my liking NeroHaku in turn, well, Extraverse is far less grounded so it doesn't stick out so much).

8) Fate/Zero is the best Fate entry. The only flaw it has is being a bad representation of the series as a whole.

Perhaps more minty than some of these, but I know some people are hardcore against this take.

9) Fate/Zero also has the best iteration of Artoria.

People complain about inconsistencies with her personality and motives. Personally, I don't care because she's better written in Zero. Zero actually treats her gender as a key part of her character rather than an excuse to waifu her.

Also, both Shirou and Iskandar are sexist towards Artoria. The difference is she falls in love with Shirou for it.

10) The UBW anime explains Shirou just fine if you're paying attention.

A lot of people act like the UBW anime doesn't give proper context and makes Shirou look stupid. It's not as good as the VN in that regard, naturally, but it does the job well.

[kasunex]

So you're telling me she went from "ew, filthy commoner" to "love at first sight!" in like 10 minutes?

Gosh, these two really are destined for each other aren't they?

(I guess FGO did say as much too)

[kasunex]

Get someone as attracted to you as Haku is to Nero, goddamn

[kasunex]

Hakuno, she literally declares her undying love for you every five minutes, are you actually dense

[kasunex]

I've always felt Awake and Alive a fitting song for Hakuno and their relationship with Nero.

I'm at war with the world and they

Try to pull me into the dark

I struggle to find my faith

As I'm slipping from your arms

It's getting harder to stay awake

And my strength is fading fast

You breathe into me at last

I'm awake I'm alive

Now I know what I believe inside

Now it's my time

I'll do what I want 'cause this is my life

Here, right here

Right now, right now

Stand my ground and never back down

I know what I believe inside

I'm awake and I'm alive

I'm at war with the world cause I

Ain't never gonna sell my soul

I've already made up my mind

No matter what I can't be bought or sold

When my faith is getting weak

And I feel like giving in

You breathe into me again

I'm awake I'm alive

Now I know what I believe inside

Now it's my time

I'll do what I want 'cause this is my life

Here, right here

Right now, right now

Stand my ground and never back down

I know what I believe inside

I'm awake and I'm alive

Waking up waking up

Waking up waking up

Waking up waking up

Waking up waking up

In the dark

I can feel you in my sleep

In your arms I feel you breathe into me

Forever hold this heart that I will give to you

Forever I will live for you

I'm awake I'm alive

Now I know what I believe inside

Now it's my time

I'll do what I want 'cause this is my life

Here, right here

Right now, right now

Stand my ground and never back down

I know what I believe inside

I'm awake and I'm alive

Waking up waking up

Waking up waking up

Waking up waking up

Waking up waking up

[nero-draco]

For this Grail Front I made my own special rule of equipping Nero with Hakuno CE whenever she can be deployed.

[nero-draco]

"Beloved blade" even Twice knows HakuNero is a thing.

Makes sense since he watched their journey overcoming the hardships.

[kasunex]

I’m one who values loyalty, devotion, and connection, and so I believe a genuine bond is one of the most beautiful parts of being alive. Since it’s Valentine’s Day, I’ll post one of my favorite fanarts of my current top 5 ships (ordered for how long I’ve shipped them), and what I like about them.

1) Aikoto: Aigis x Makoto Yuki, Persona 3

Source: https://danbooru.donmai.us/posts?tags=yuiha_%28ghost%29

I’ve loved these two since I first played Persona 3 back in late 2012/early 2013. A tragically wholesome pairing that tie in and intensify both their characters and the themes of the game.

2) AsuShin: Asuka x Shinji, Neon Genesis Evangelion

Source: https://www.pixiv.net/en/users/60053874

These two are the poster children of the fascinatingly toxic relationship. Their failure to understand one another and loss of the potential they had otherwise - but the lasting hope they may learn and grow - serve as the core of the struggle of humanity as a whole.

3) HiroZero: Hiro x Zero Two, Darling in the FranXX

Source: https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1126408270812311552

For all the problems with Darling in the FranXX, Hiro and Zero Two are what gives the show a special place for me. Their relationship starts off as a complex and toxic romance before developing into the epitome of wholesome. Both extremes and the transition between them are handled masterfully, with the reveal of their childhood encounter being beautiful beyond words.

4) NeroHaku: Nero x Haku, Fate/Extraverse

Source: https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/59930857

I never liked Nero in Fate/GO, so I wasn’t expecting to when I picked up Fate/Extella. How wrong I was. Nero’s devotion to Hakuno was the heart of the story, and it gave her otherwise off-putting tendencies a new and intoxicating twist. This pair is the key example of how a solidly handled romance can flip a character’s perception.

5) ShinCelty: Shinra x Celty, Durarara

Source: https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/13318963

These two walk the line between the wholesome and the toxic like it’s nothing, fitting the themes of Durarara. Shinra is obsessive and controlling, Celty is emotionally hot-cold, yet their relationship actually works in some odd way.

[kasunex]

This is so wholesome, I swear