#that adds to the conflict with subaru

[zlobonessa]

hm. i feel like I'm not unhinged enough for the past few days. here's my old-but-reworked omegaverse headcanon tier list.

[idkbroletssee]

Billy's character for me is defined by-

His naivety

Empathy

Self awareness/guilt

🔸

Conflicts being-

Identity crisis due to amnesia

Morality based on what wanda and agatha have left him with.

🔹

I want him to do better than the shadow they cast over him, the Kaplans being the light he looks for:)

He will eventually root for wanda and agatha cuz he sees the good in them, attributed by his own innate goodness preserved and nurtured by the Kaplans.

🔸

Add a road trip across the country to find tommy, in his subaru with a sassy but resourceful agatha by his side and we get a one hour special presentation at the very least, a show at most. I wonder how they'll introduce the demiurge lore into the picture. They did quite good with the reality warping and clairvoyance bit. They are not gatekeeping!

[suffarustuffaru]

ok since I have thoughts about Reinhardt and Wilhelm, I think other than like Beako/Crusch/Subaru being my favorite characters in the series Wilhelm is definitely top 3 or so, and the reason is because of his complicated love for his family.

his love for his wife was too great, too blinding- and as the years go on, he realizes that he lashed out improperly, but struggles to reconnect.

theres whole analyses and everything you can make about the astrea family, but what really does it for me is that wilhelm clearly, deeply regrets his past actions and mistakes especially in regards to reinhardt. and what gives him the hope that maybe it’s not all for naught is the individual he respects most- subaru!!

his relationship with subaru is so wonderful to read because they both hold such deep respect for the other and both don’t feel like they deserve that respect in the slightest. wilhelm practically treats subaru as a grandson, and i always thought that the message subaru gave to him was a really important development! to keep apologizing, to work to make things better, and make that connection again!

ofc it didn’t totally work out, but the complexity of the situation is really outstanding and it’s some of the best character work in the series imo

first of all—my apologies bc youre one of my (many. oops) asks thats been locked away in inbox jail for a while!! second of all YOU ARE SO INCREDIBLY BIG BRAIN ate and left no crumbs with this one like personally while im not Entirely sure on how tappei handles theresia and wilhelm’s ex novels (purely bc Why is the demihuman war the backdrop for their war criminal romance) like tappei gets the astrea drama soooo so well. everyone involved is so complicated and the dysfunctional family dynamics right at the heart of it, underneath all the murder and bloodshed and world ending powers and war criminal ancestors, is so so painfully realistic with how everyone whether they wanted to or not adds to the conflict in some way???

and i loveee wilhelm and heinkel for being so so very flawed and so very human—the astrea drama is so heartbreaking :,) and wilhelms connection with subaru and wilhelm regretting what he did (before that goes up in flames in arc 5) as you said is Extremely interesting!! and i hope to see an Interesting Conclusion to the astreas and their arcs by the end of rezero 👀👀 tysm for the ask!!! i love hearing ur thoughts 👍

(also OUGH HAVE YOU SEEN THE ARC 5 MANGA + S3 ANIME FLASHING BACK TO WHEN WILHELM LASHED OUT AT LITTLE KID REINHARD?? GODDDDDDDDDDD *bursts into tears*)

[woodenfawn]

Rewatching Re:Zero again, for various reasons, and I really want to take a closer look at it because it's been stuck in my head for such a long time. (It's actually the first scene I ever watched!)

Going back to the Rem Infodump, well- this is part of the reason I think Rem's definitely not stopping her character development. From the beginning, we get the message from this story that self sacrifice without any reward is not something someone should be satisfied with.

And this is extremely interesting because of what we learn later on- that despite all the physical pain, Ram was relieved that her horn broke. She didn't regret it, and only Rem was hurt by it emotionally.

I wonder if she ever properly talked to Rem about it? I wonder if she knew how to do that. I wonder if Rem ever knew how it felt to hold the pressure the clan was putting on her sister...

Ram's only guilt here comes from how it hurt Rem.

And then Ram asks Subaru who he'd prefer to be friends with, and I realized something pretty interesting.

These describe each of the twins, but they also describe Subaru himself. Both, together. Those two things add up to a large part of his internal conflict, and are made difficult by the fact that they contrast each other so much.

Because Subaru cannot just save everyone easily, because he's just a normal kid who was thrown into situations far beyond his abilities, he has to learn to love himself while dealing with both of these issues simultaneously. Letting go of one of these flaws (as he sees it) means completely and shamelessly embracing the other. If he refuses help, the only way he can be strong is to sacrifice himself. If he prioritizes himself, then he'll only ever be able to take from those he cares about.

I love how the story doesn't give him the option to become stronger, either. Like- he has Guiltywhip, he has Beatrice, he has Witch Authorities, but he's not the Isekai Protagonist he'd hoped he could be. He can't be Reinhardt (though... I don't know if he would want to be. That comes with its own rabbit hole, doesn't it?).

Rem and Ram each are like two mirrors of different parts of him, and they each have dynamics with each other that play on these connections.

Rem and Ram each embody different parts of the message of Re:Zero and I think that is so cool. All of them do, but the way this is presented just. I love it.

I don't mean to always talk about Subaru, I swear... I'm just in love with his character... Subaru's got such good dynamics with the whole cast,,,

I wish this conversation was in the final timeline, or that Subaru recreated it somehow... got the message across... man

Dear Diary, today I thought about Re:Zero again

also can we talk about how there's little trinkets and items that represent the main cast's personalities? Like, the spoon and the quill represent Rem and Ram in this story, the flower pin that Emilia gets from the little girl is like... the proof of her kindness, and the 10 yen coin represents subaru's brand of kindness- from the very beginning of the story. as well as the key from the elior forest being another one of emilia's, which has a similar diamond shaped gem to the quill and spoon. The only one of the main cast I can't pin down is beatrice... her book? her crown? I'm not sure. I hope we see Subaru's Beatrice diary in the next season!!

[twilightmalachite]

VS★PRINCESS - World Order 1

Characters: Mao, Leo, Subaru, Tsukasa, Esu, Fuyume, Nice

Translator: Mika Enstars

JP Proofreader: 310mc

"But that guy really can show up anywhere, can’t he~! Sena, y’know?"

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Season: Spring

Location: Prince Castle (Hall)

Subaru: A dance contest?

So, is it fine if I just start dancing here, then?

Nice: “Nice reaction! It appears you’ve picked up on it right away!”

“To quickly grasp the demands of your clients and fans, and then to present them… That too is an element essential to being an idol!”

“And if I may add, it’s not only the content of the “showdowns” that will be displayed upon the screen.”

“All you participants must complete the “Best Ball”.”

“What makes the “Best Ball” the “Best Ball”?”

“Is it a space to relax upon foreign-made carpets and sofas?”

“Hors d’oeuvres featuring the finest ingredients from around the world? A performance of conventional music and dance?

“If we are aiming for the best, it’s a given that each participant will hold a different opinion on what that means.”

“And so, the “topic” is the visualization of these opinions.”

“If there is any debate amongst participants or if conflicting orders arise, they will be summarized as a “topic” so that viewers can easily follow along.”

“The “topic” will then be displayed on the screen, making it easy for the audience to follow along. Although it is a production for the program, it can help you participants grasp the situation as well.”

“Fufu, and it is for our own management as well, you see. Throughout the lengthy week, it will be necessary to know precisely how many times an order has been placed.”

“Because, the topic can then be decided with care.”

“Personally, it’s the more minute details, such as “should I choose rice curry or curry rice at the buffet?”, that I like.”

“However, it would be somewhat of a waste to use up such authentic content such as that here—”

“So let us proceed with the “debate on what to eat” as we discussed earlier.”

[Order #XX]

[Topic: “Next up, what next foodstuff will be prepared?”]

[Contestants: Akehoshi Subaru, “Fish” vs. Tsukinaga Leo, “Meat”]

[—vs. Nice Arneb Thunder, “Sweets”]

Subaru: Ooh~! There’s a portrait of my face up there!

It’s the one I used for my profile sheet. So this is how they’re usin’ that, huh~?[1]

Mao: Oh, I see. So this is what they had in mind when the management asked us to “send in our best shot”.

Regardless of what you’ve done or achieved thus far, you had to present yourself all within a single document page. I suppose every idol is an equal “participant” here, huh?

Tsukasa: Leo-san, is that an out-of-frame Sena-senpai in your photo?[2] I’m sure there are better photos out there, aren’t there?

Leo: Nah, it’s the best shot that conveys fun!

And to be honest, I submitted mine right before the deadline, so I didn’t have the time to be too particular about it! But that guy really can show up anywhere, can’t he~! Sena, y’know?

Tsukasa: Please don’t talk of him as if he’s an apparition.

Subaru: ♪ ♪ ♪

Nice: “And now, Akehoshi-kun gets a head start! A magnificent dance that matches up with the rhythm of the song! It makes me want to award him “individual points” right away! ☆”

“Well then, allow me to join you in your dance—As a former idol, I must set an example!”

Leo: Wait–whoa!? I’m late to start!

They got the upper hand ‘cause Suo~ was talkin’ to me!

Tsukasa: It’s my fault?!

You’re the participant here, Leo-san! Please do not lower my evaluation because of your own whims!

You have juniors watching, so please behave in a way that does not bring shame to you as the former king of Knights!

Leo: (...Hmm. Seeing that orange-haired guy one-on-one like this, he’s many times more brilliant than I am.)

(And what’s more, although how he’s moving looks simple, there’s actually some surprisingly complex movements in there. Doesn’t look like this’ll be easy, huh~?)

Gonna interrupt you for a sec! It’s my turn now!

Leo: ♪~ ♪~

Mao: Whoa… So that’s how Tsukinaga-senpai dances as an individual, huh?

His sense has always been outstanding when it comes to music, so it makes sense he’s skilled at keeping to a song’s rhythm, but… I’ve rarely seen him dance solo, so it’s really fresh.

And, NiceP is exceptionally talented, as someone who was originally a solo idol… You couldn’t have guessed from his comedian-like appearance that he’d look this unthinkably cool.

Fuyume: Old man Nice looks surprisingly cool when he dances, huh.

Heheh, but even Esu can dance as well as these guys….♪

Esu: Why’re you making a competition out of this?

…Um. Suou-senpai, I apologize for bothering you when you’re busy, but I have a question.

Truth is, I don’t get the difference between when something’s as a unit and when something’s solo. Is it all that different?

Tsukasa: Absolutely. You have only been active in a Unit for a short period of time, so you might see it as the same, but…

Dancing alone and dancing as part of a group are two completely different competitions.

Dancing as part of a group sometimes necessitates killing your individuality. Becoming part of the whole allows for a more versatile form of expression, however.

Dancing as an individual is about the body, and the presence that is exerted from it. It all coalesces into a single expression.

Leo-san typically Dances as a part of Knights, so it is a rare occurrence to see him communicate through Dance like this.

I’ve only competed against Leo-san a handful of times, but… The way he uniquely interprets music and expresses it through his Dance never fails to send a shiver down my spine.

To be “beloved by the god of music”—truly, this must be what it is.

But, of course, 4piece is a program open to all Idols, so I have no intention of losing.

Mao: Haha, still, he sure is amazing, huh~… My impression of Tsukinaga-senpai was more of a composer than of a dancer, honestly, but…

Seeing this up close, it’s starting to hit me that this is a competition between individuals.

When it comes to idols who have always worked as a unit, being judged as individuals is a whole different ball game.

Which means, the usual rules of common sense no longer apply, and that includes the rules of Prince Castle.

Mao: (And it also means that I have to work hard as the solo idol Isara Mao, rather than as a member of Trickstar.)

(Is it even possible for me to beat those geniuses head-on? Something like that is—)

(No, no matter what the circumstances will be, I gotta pull it off.)

(That’s the reason I came here.)

[ ☆ ]

← prev | story directory | next →

Here’s the photo Subaru chose for his portrait!

And here's Leo’s!

[biggestsimp12]

Bro i LOVED your mukami brothers motherly!reader headcanon! I have this oc with a simlar prompt, but for the sakamaki brothers im ther current ages.

Can you make a prompt with her description for the sakamaki brothers?

Also, if you like it and doesn't mind writing for other people ocs, can you add the relationship with the oc's children? It's totally fine if you don't and just want to keep it as a motherly!reader headcanon!

Here's the description!

https://www.tumblr.com/coquinhacomlimao/761033757539139584/helena-dias?source=share

Hii. I'm glad you liked the fanfic! I will only do this once since i don't like writing for others OCs, mainly because it annoys me for some reason that i don't even know- But, since is the first diabolik lovers request i ever got, i'll do it just once :)

--–— motherly! Helena Dias x sakamaki brothers!

--–—

--–—

Oh dear, if Helena were to be compelled to wed Karlheinz, I would sincerely empathize with her predicament. To be completely honest, I envision her initially harboring resentment towards both Karlheinz and his sons upon their introduction, yet as she acquires knowledge about them, it is plausible that her demeanor may gradually soften in their presence.

I envision the Sakamaki brothers initially perceiving her as a weak and pitiful sacrifice, akin to Yuri, when she begins spending more time at the mansion. However, once Helena steps in and firmly reminds them of her own significance, the brothers would be swiftly compelled to reassess their perspective and relinquish any condescending attitudes they may have held towards her.

In the beginning, Reiji might express some disapproval towards Helena due to her youthful appearance and the presence of tattoos, as it contradicts his expectations of composure and decorum. However, he would also be the first among the Sakamaki brothers to acknowledge her leadership qualities and strong presence, which ultimately gains his respect. Although he may take notice of her large family for her age, Reiji would likely keep his critical comments on the matter to himself to avoid stirring any unnecessary conflicts or offenses.

In the beginning, Shu would likely display a lack of interest in Helena, viewing her as just another presence in the mansion. The triplets, meanwhile, would generally avoid her, likely finding her family background and her behavior too unconventional for their liking. Subaru, despite his tendency towards anger management issues, would find it somewhat easier to maintain composure in front of Helena. His respect for her, coupled with his own struggles with anger, might lead to a more subdued demeanor when interacting with them.

It's generally advisable to keep children away from the triplets, particularly Kanato, due to their unpredictable behavior and temperamental personalities. Reiji might be the most capable of caring for a child, as he possesses a more logical and rational demeanor that could translate well to childcare. Subaru could also potentially be responsible and nurturing, but his anger management issues might pose a challenge in maintaining a consistently calm and supportive environment for a child.

Camila would likely enjoy spending time with Ayato, engaging in physical activities and sports, while Yuri may gravitate towards her, appreciating her more gentle and caring nature. Reiji, being the intellectual and studious type, would probably find joy in reading to the children and encouraging their thirst for knowledge by suggesting they read as well.

As a protective and responsible mother, Helena would be firmly against the idea of the Sakamaki brothers taking blood from her children. She would make it abundantly clear to them that this was an absolute no-go and that no harm should come to her kids. As a formidable force in the mansion, Helena would likely enforce her rules with a steadfast determination to protect her family.

It's possible that Kanato might find some amusement in playing with Helena's children, especially if it involves dressing up or engaging in imaginative games. However, it's crucial to note that these interactions would always be under the watchful eye of Helena, who would ensure the safety and well-being of her own children. Helena would likely keep a close watch on any activities involving Kanato to ensure everything remained within the bounds of wholesome and fun playtime.

--–—

Aaaand it's finally done. omg, i swear I always go into too much details. Anyway, i hope i did it how you wanted as again, I'm not experienced in writing for OCs i just heard about-

[umbraria]

Tiger and Bunny S2

I cant believe we got a S2 and its as good as S1. First things first, lets talk about the buddy system:

Antonio and Ivan

I don't have much to say aside from Im not so sure about their partnership it feels they paired all of the others first and they were the leftovers. If anyone has something to add to this, go ahead.

Subaru and Thomas

Im not fond of either but they may get more development on the next cour, although I admit I would be interest on a vigilante Thomas arc if they dare to do it. They finally are on good terms so I might warm up to them next time but for now their flaws (impulsiveness/distrust) are too extreme to be a balanced team.

Nathan and Keith

Who would have thought those two veterans would be the Dream Team? (Sorry, Tiger and Bunny...). I loved all of their appearances and they are so wholesome, a great match in personality and powers. Nathan is fantastic they really let them be their glorious self on this season, and Keith continues to be his himbo self, now with a new dog.

Pao and Lara

Kid grew up so much, I love her older sister vibe, she is so good at it and we get to see a new side of her, also Lara’s arc is fantastic and quite realistic also wtf they let 14yos fight crime. Lara being afraid and not being able to use her powers and being the weakest link on the hero team up is to be expected, kudos to her to standing up to her mom.

 Karina and Ryan

My biggest surprise is that I like Ryan now, they really fleshed out his character and he is a great match for Karina. They balance each other out perfectly, she can call him out and he helps her to go after the things she wants, they help the other grow and become a better person. I honestly expected nothing from this teamup (mostly Ryan) but color me surprised I enjoyed their dynamic so much. It is clear Karina is still in love with Kotetsu but maybe she will benefit of having Ryan as a friend and as a somewhat positive male role. 

Tiger and Bunny

They continue to be an old married couple and before I go on I need to say that whomever who had the idea for the jealously episode should get a raise. Also this show is so well written, all of the characters are likable, have motivations and arcs, they managed to mix the slice of life with action and character development perfectly, all of them get their spotlight.

This cour was so good and it liked up to S1. Things I loved:

Keith has a second dog

The duo’s banter, trust

Barnaby has plant friends

Good use of angst, I swear anime/TV shows rarely use angst

All heroes show weakness! We see them being afraid, they cry, they are scared, and all its presented as natural and normal, no judging

Everyone has their chance to shine

Kaede

All of the parents/grandparents hiding their worry/ dealing with it differently

The new characters are good additions to the narrative

The fights were brutal

The hospital angst, hospital parallels

Barnaby once again having a terrible christmas 

Barnaby finally having 1 friend who is not evil

The villains and main conflict was good/ makes sense and sets the stage for the 2nd cour

[carlatsukinamistolemyhamsandwich]

Diabolik Lovers 2021 Survey Results

First of all a massive thank you to everyone who participated (and apologies for being so late with this post)! This year we got over 150 responses, which is more than any other year I’ve run this survey and I’m really happy to see that the fandom is still going strong after 10 years. 

I’ve changed the way I’ve formatted the results this year (partly as I think Tumblr have changed their image limit and also to make everything look at least semi-professional. If you cannot view the results on Tumblr (i.e. if the images won’t load or Tumblr has ruined the quality) then you can access them here. 

Commentary from me:

After winning this year and in 2018, Laito is now the only character to have won the popularity part of this survey twice (does this make him the most popular character overall in the Tumblr DL fandom?). In terms of other surprises, Yui did very well this year, while Subaru went from 1st to 10th place which I was definitely not expecting.

Carla is still easily the most popular Tsukinami brother (sorry Shin) while Kou and Kino once again came last out of the boys. Kino’s place doesn’t surprise me too much as he is the character people tend to know the least about but I’m still not sure why Kou is a lot less popular in these surveys than he is in the official polls. 

Dark Fate once again proved to be the fan favourite of the games, although More Blood did a lot better here than in previous years. I do find it interesting that a fairly large number of people said that, if we get another game, then they’d like it to be like VC or LP, considering that those games seem to be the least popular of the franchise.

In terms of drama CDs, the solo CDs always tend to be more popular than CDs with multiple characters (with the exception of the bonus CDs) and the Daylight series is no exception to that. As I haven’t listened to any myself (I preordered Shin’s over a year ago OTL), I’m not sure whether this is because they’re the latest release and are therefore fresh in people’s minds or whether they really do hold their own against fan favorites like the Bloody Bouquet, Para-Selene and Zero.

Even though the Daylight CDs did very well in the drama CD section, it doesn’t surprise me too much that Young Blood was easily the favourite release of 2021. People have always been fans of anything that provides nuggets of lore (even if it does conflict with information we already have) as well as content with information on the characters’ childhoods. I personally am still a little bitter that I have yet to get any mini-Shin content, but it’s been good to see fans enjoying Young Blood regardless.

It was really interesting to see everyone’s comments on why they like their favorite characters/games/DL as a whole. I’m sorry I couldn’t include all of the answers I got but you guys really exceeded my expectations with how many of you gave lovely detailed responses. I may make a separate post with every comment I got for the survey later on (and I’ll come back to this post and add a link if I do) but right now I’m going to take a break from looking at spreadsheets ^^;;

Thank you again for participating. I hope you’ve found the results as interesting as I have (and enjoyed the new format). Here’s to another year of fangirling over DL!

For comparison: 2018 results, 2019 results, 2020 results

[noa-ciharu]

Top 5 Clamp characters??

So many amazing characters where do I begin ;-; I'm going to sort them based on how much I adore them. Bc anything objective wouldn't be objective at all, since they're all top notch

1) Subaru. After reading TB Seishirou was my fave actually, but then after reading X and seeing how complex and conflicting he is, Subaru became my anime/manga fav character of all time. I love how he's both kind, selfless and empathetic and has selfish wish. And judges himself for it. Also when I first read X, vol16 threw me over cliff completely cuz how in the world does he wishes to be killed? Got intrigued, started brainstorming and it's still ongoing ;-; here a pic:

It's rare for Subaru to be angry and resolved but when he is it's always A+ material

2) Seishirou. As I said, I adore complexity in characters. At first glance he's easy to brush off as heartless assassin bastard and while yea, he is epitome of amorality and heartlessness (can't be redeemed, he's perfect 😎 like that), there's more to Seishirou than it meets the eye.

3) Fuuma or Kamui. Tried to choose, but I can't, thus why not both? By Fuuma I mean transformed antichrist Fuuma. To him as well there's more than it meets the eye. Again, both are complex and intriguing. I wish clamp finally gave us the ending - bullet points? Bullet points

4) Fai. He was my fave clamp character before I read tb/x and it started living free rent in my head. Whatever I try to say about Fai it simply won't be enough. Top notch character development, love how Tsubasa is like therapy to him, how he started healing and accepting his importance to others. We can bless ourselves with another pic:

5)Yuuko. Because how to not add Yuuko? Beautiful women, beautiful mind, beautiful quotes literally everything about her is beautiful. How is she so wise ;-; and those outfits I so love! Female clamp characters should form a fashion club or something, it'd be A+

[whattimeisitintokyo]

Tiger and Bunny Season 2- The Good and the Bad

The Good

1. New Heroes

Yeah, it tends to restrict the amount of screen-time a lot of our old favorites get, but this is a reality TV show and new cast members are expected to come in. At least no one got fired to make room for the new. And it leaves a large groupe with an even number of heroes, which leads toooo-

2. The Buddy System

Obviously a show gimmick that was brought on due to the success of Wild Tiger and Barnaby, but it adds to the relationships between the heroes. Former rivals now paired up in an order you'd least expect: Sky High and Fire Emblem? Blue Rose and Golden Ryan?

It goes from them being kind of awkward around each other while trying to form a good system of teamwork out in the field, to genuinely caring about each other and learning new stuff about them that they had never known before.

3. Chubby Agnes

Why did she gain weight? I dunno.

Maybe she's depressed, maybe she's just more comfortable with eating more, maybe she's got a new beau who loves to cook, maybe it's because she's getting older and her metabolism isn't as strong as it was (I don't know her age).

I remember that the creator originally didn't want her to be the standard beauty, maybe he's finally getting his wish? Or maybe there is no reason and it's just the scientific fact that weight fluctuates all the time.

I'm sure they'll explain it once the second half of the season comes, but for right now there doesn't need to be a reason. She's still the same Agnes who's great at her job and obsessed with ratings.

4. Fugan and Mugan

God, they were creepy. They seemed to be age appropriate kids back in their youth, but I guess being raised by Ouroboros really stunts your emotional growth.

5. ROCK BISON

FINALLY he is treated like an actual veteran super hero and not like a joke side character. He is still a bumbling alky, yeah, but he has wisdom and courage and kept the younger heroes out of harms way by throwing them off a skyscraper.

And he brought everyone burritos. That's a plus one in my book.

6. Golden Ryan

How does a cocky, fame-hungry hero feel after being hurt and betrayed by their own teammates? A lot more humbly, I must say.

After The Rising, Ryan was bought by some billionaire to be a part of his own super-hero team. It did not go well and now he is back in Sternbild as Blue Rose's partner. The very thought of being abandoned again when he thinks Karina wants to be Kotetsu's partner actually brings tears to his eyes, the poor thing.

I liked cocky Ryan from before, and I like annoying older brother Ryan as well.

THE BAD

1. Mr. Black

I'M A GOOD HERO! NOTICE ME, LISTEN TO MY ADVISE. I'M THE BEST, I DESERVE THE SPOTLIGHT!!!!

No.

You've damaged yourself enough both in-universe and with me, you're gonna need to do a lot more to make up for it. Or else you can make like a Subaru and ride on out of here.

2. Too cutesy

The more I look back on the first season as well, I just don't feel like the slice-of-life storylines fit in well with a crime-fighting show.

Yes, people have normal lives outside of their much grimmer working environment, but which storyline would you rather follow in a superhero show that's built on action and suspense?

A. Ouroboros returning, twin NEXTS are exterminating heroes and illegal drug manufacturing.

or

B. You made fun of my name, WAAH!

These cutesy stories made up for half of the whole chunk of episodes. I get it's to establish new relationships, but the conflicts are so petty and easy to resolve for even children, let alone professional heroes.

It also clashes in tone with the VERY graphic and bloody finale, in my opinion.

3. Toilet Paper Small Breeze

This moment was so baffling stupid that I had to pause the show and question, "Why are these adult men arguing over something so silly?!" and "Did I seriously wait 11 years for this quality dialogue?"

Also, Ivan? The name doesn't really flow off the tongue, dear.

4. The Animation

I was iffy about the CG costumes for the first season (especially Fire Emblem), but now they use CG costumes for the girls and Fugan and Mugan? *gag*

And not all the time too. One second they're 2D, and the next they're 3D. I think it's fine to use the CG models for fight scenes, but sometimes they're being used for simple dialogue shots. It's jarring.

But I guess it's better than the chicken scratch 2D that some scenes had. This was an issue in the first season, but it's been 11 years since then and you've had years since the announcement of the new season to work on it! And nothing has been improved!

I know animation is hard, but more time should have been put in polishing and cleanup.

5. Barely any Tiger and Bunny

Most of this half of the season was either them standing off to the side commentating on the new partnerships around them fumbling, trying and failing to go out on a date go get drinks, and Barnaby being in a coma for 10 days.

Here's hoping that they get more focus in their own show for the rest of the season, and I hope Kotetsu watered Barnaby's jungle plants during his time in the hospital.

[everything-laito]

Laito Sakamaki and His Relationships with the Sakamaki Family: an Anthology (more like biggo rant)

DaYUM; I’ve accidentally let these pile up in my ask box, so I will answer all of these in one post… Prepare for a huuuuge rant under the cut! Also thank you so much @hotline-to-hell​, you’re so lovely and supportive as usual, and thanks sm for contributing, same goes for you, anons!! Let’s break this up into parts tho… and start with the biggest one yet: Laito and Ayato’s relationship. 

I swear this is like an anthology,,,,, biggo rant under the cut!

Laito’s relationships with Ayato

I regularly call Ayato and Laito “double trouble.” This is because they’re usually found as a pair when some ultra-harassing is being planned. Despite Ayato sometimes visibly being uncomfortable as a result of Laito’s antics, he’s the one that gets along with him the most. The reason why Ayato has resentment for Laito seems to be that Laito wouldn’t help Ayato when they were kids; and Laito would be a bystander. Ayato was also a bystander in the Laito situation too. A very heartfelt moment occurs at the end of Ayato and Laito’s VS CD: [9/28/21: UPDATED TRANSLATION; THIS ONE’S MORE CORRECT]

Laito: You see, I often thought about why I was the person I was. Or why I couldn’t be like you or Kanato-kun instead? That’s why I hate you…I loathe how you feign ignorance when you actually know exactly what’s going on. And above all…I’m envious of how you can be so honest and upright about everything. …I know I can never be like that. I’ve been ruined by that woman. I’m not hiding my feelings either. They’ve simply been erased from within me. …Haha. Ayato: I hate you too. You’re never honest…I mean, if only you had asked for my help at some point, I would haveーーI knew you were putting up a tough facade the whole time. …However, as much as I admired you for your strength, it also pissed me off at the same time. I couldn’t forgive you.

(First of all this confirms that Laito didn’t like what Cordelia did to him; it was forced emotion on this end, thus creating a facade. I think I went over this in my Hilde analysis a little bit through the context of Hilde’s situation). Laito feels like he is permanently soiled and cannot move past this situation, and that’s terrible. However I should do a separate analysis on this drama CD. (I was going to put this in another analysis I think but then took it out last minute) 

Second of all, I believe that what Ayato means by that Laito’s “not honest” is that he knows Laito has a facade [with updated translation: this is confirmed]. Aka having a facade does not make you honest. I mean, he’s known Laito throughout his whole life; and Ayato is decently observant. He also obviously hangs around with Laito more often than his other brothers, (and vise versa) so it makes sense that Ayato would know something was up. He just has a vendetta against Laito because Laito would avoid conflict [UPDATED:] and the fact that Laito didn’t come to him. 

----------------UPDATED ANALYSIS 9/28/21----------------

The fact that Ayato sees Laito being strong is,,,,, so sweet and very accurate. Laito is defnitely strong and Ayato being like “if only you’d ask for my help”––GOD THIS BREAKS MY HEART AAAAA but Laito wasn’t honest with Ayato especially when they were kids because Laito probably didn’t know how to vocalize what was happening between him and Cordelia. And on top of that, there was no emotional stability in the triplet’s lives, so Laito felt like he needed to take it upon himself in order to to try his best to protect Ayato and Kanato. Obviously, this made Ayato feel bad because he wanted Laito to come to him too, and be there for Laito like how Laito was there for him. Sure Laito couldn’t do much when they were children, but he tried his best with what he was able to do. Ayato can’t forgive Laito for doing this to himself and pushing all his emotions down just so he could be there for Ayato and Kanato. It makes sense why Ayato was pissed off by this, yet grateful at the same time.

And Laito being absolutely self aware with his own lack of honesty just,,,, gives me the feels. But Laito calling out Ayato for feigning ignorance also makes sense too. Ayato knew about the whole Cordelia thing with Laito, and yet never reached out with that. I mean, I’m not sure what Ayato could have done at that point since it happened when they were older (at least the first time Cordelia sexually abused him––I know things happened when Laito was a child but I think he was more groomed as a kid in my opinion and from my deductions) and Ayato and Laito were drifting at this point.

Ok now that’s my updated part of this analysis, this was a pretty old one and I just had new thoughts and found a better translation.

---------------------------UPDATE END-------------------

Remember the whole thing I said in Laito and Shin’s VERSUS CD analysis was that Laito hates conflict and runs from his problems. It’s probably a defense mechanism of his but it’s honestly done more harm than solve it. This caused Ayato to kind of be stronger for himself, since he couldn’t get that strength from Laito. So that’s really sad, and answers the question whether or not any of his brothers know about his mask. But I believe it might just be Ayato, and I will get to that in a minute. It also answers Laito and Ayato’s love/hate relationship. 

I think that Ayato is more scared of Laito in the sense that he’s concerned about what’s he’s become. Like Ayato is always down to clown with Laito, and then Laito says some really weird shit sometimes that makes Ayato be like “oh god why”. I know I mentioned this but it is something to emphasize. I do think that Ayato knows that Laito is calculating, cunning, and manipulative as all hell. I don’t think he’s scared of him, or else why would he choose to hang out with Laito? Laito has nothing to gain by forcing Ayato to clown with him.  Ayato usually doesn’t let Laito mess around with him if Ayato’s already got it going with another person; in this case, Yui. Their interactions within Vandead Carnival and Lunatic Parade is more like “omg Laito don’t embarrass me in front of Yui” (which,,, Laito does, and tells Yui that he’s so superstitious that he sleeps with a belly warmer lol just so Ayato can exchange something embarrassing too). I’d say they have the most “brotherly” relationship out of all the Sakamakis (rivals Subaru’s and Shuu’s relationship but that’s really an unspoken one).

Despite them being closer than the rest, that doesn’t mean they’re the closest pair. Laito still feels the need to prove himself that he doesn’t have his emotional problems in front of Ayato still, which is also probably why it drives Ayato away. Ayato can’t comfort Laito usually considering his facade builds a wall. And it’s hard to get to someone’s heart when it’s reinforced with steel, basically. So yes, he still wears his facade around Ayato; considering it only seems that they hang out when they’re horny and want some fun lol. I haven’t seen another instance where they do, or at least that’s the most common one. 

Laito’s relationship with Kanato

I finished Kanato’s HDB route a while back, and I just gotta say,,,, man,,,,, wow,,,,, that was quite the doozy. As for him and Laito? It’s quite hard to tell, but, Laito is still there for Kanato. Sure Laito’s there when Ayato harasses him and calls him “hysteric” but Laito never insults him. There’s even a point where Laito plays a “big brother” role and gives Kanato advice: 

Laito: Fufu~ Kanato-kun, shall I give you a little warning? Kanato: I don’t need such a thing. Laito: Don’t say that and just listen~ …If you take your sweet time, she’ll get snatched away from underneath your eyes, you know? Kanato: …

Sure it’s kinda…. morbid advice, but it is advice that helps Kanato regardless. And Kanato takes it! He listened to Laito! It’s obvious that Kanato is really annoyed by Laito (which gives me a reason why he doesn’t know about Laito’s situation with Cordelia on top of Laito’s facade) and doesn’t want anything to do with him (or Ayato, for that matter). I believe he says at one point in his route how he was isolated from the other siblings, mainly due to Cordelia. However, since Kanato listened to Laito despite him saying “I don’t need such a thing” kinda implies some kind of respect for Laito. He might know that Laito is calculating and smart in that manner. But do I think that he caught on to Laito wearing a facade all the time? Nah, he cares about himself too much and also just does his own stuff most of the time. 

This quote I’m adding also happens in Kanato’s route; it doesn’t add much but I did laugh a little reading this: 

Ayato: Does she like Kanato that much? That’s impossible. She’s heading down a path of despair for sure. Laito: Fufu…That’s something you could say about any one of us though~ Ayato: …Che.

It’s just a well crafted meta joke from Laito; he says it in such a cheerful way but man, that’s sad.

That’s about it for Laito and Kanato; I don’t think Laito says much about Kanato and vise versa. They really stay out of each others’ business, mainly because Kanato isolates himself out of spite, really. 

---------------------------------INTERMISSION------------------------------------

Before I move onto the other ones, just a little shoutout to my inspiration for this blog: @/akai-anemone 

I read her analyses on Laito about five years ago, and unfortunately, she has stopped. But, she has some really good stuff and I definitely recommend checking it out. Here’s some big bro Laito moments she’s brought up too: 

https://akai-anemone.tumblr.com/post/68549708275/heres-one-of-my-favorite-big-bro-laito-moments

https://akai-anemone.tumblr.com/post/68539626117/on-the-subject-of-the-relationship-between-the

https://akai-anemone.tumblr.com/post/65005954447/narihira-ayato-tells-laito-that-hes-building-a 

https://akai-anemone.tumblr.com/post/64621970821/big-bro-laito 

Please check her out!! She’s so lovely and although she’s not active anymore, I want to pay tribute to her too. I really hope I can be a good successor of her’s for the DL/Laito community. 

------------------------------INTERMISSION END---------------------------------

Laito’s relationship with Subaru

Honestly probably one of my favorite Sakamaki brother dynamics aside from Ayato and Laito. If you haven’t heard of the Laito vs Subaru, here it is for your listening pleasure (LINK). It’s probably one of my favorite fanservicey CDs, because Laito really just is getting the most out of the situation. 

Laito and Subaru are quite the dynamic duo. Subaru doesn’t have an affinity for Laito and man, it shows. He’s always telling Laito to shut up, and similarly to his other brothers, he’s always like “wtf” when Laito says something wack. Laito’s absolutely entertained by this though, and since he’s older than Subaru, he definitely uses it to his advantage to mess with him. Since Subaru’s your “tsundere” part of the group (more than Ayato), and easily read more than Ayato is, Laito has so much fun teasing him and calling him out in front of Yui. Here’s one of my favorite interactions from the CD:

L: Ehe~.. I’ll be taking those words as a compliment. Your jealousy is really a pleasant thing to me, ahaha. S: Ah?! JEALOUSY?! L: Oh? Aren’t you jealous? Extremely? Ufu, the reason Subaru-kun is so annoyed is that.. S: Fuck that! There’s no way it’s that! Don’t make me laugh!! It’s not like I… to this girl… L: Mm, tsk tsk tsk. Subaru-kun isn’t very honest, is he. What I said is the truth. You’re– S: SHUT UP! *breaks something* L: Woah! Geez… when I hit the nail on the head every time I’d like it if you didn’t break the things around us. Look, bitch-chan is also scared, isn’t she? Am I right? 

Laito, the perceptive motherfucker (,,,,dark joke im sorry), is back at it again, but terrorizing Subaru (and indirectly terrorizing the infrastructure of the house lol). I think it’s another brotherly moment of him to kind of make Subaru realize his feelings too. I don’t know too much about Subaru (although his MB route made me cry lol) but I do know that he’s just a fiercely independent guy that also kinda self isolated himself similarly to Kanato; but doesn’t nearly have as much built up hatred to his siblings. 

 Here’s some more Laito messing with Subaru quotes from that CD. Mainly because I find it so entertaining. 

L: Uwa.. Subaru-kun is scary~ dragging along a senseless girl by her hair. S: SHUT UP PERVERT!.. Right now as you wish.. I’ll make this girl crumble… everything is working out like you desired, right? L: Ufu, really? I did it! In that case, why don’t I stay here and watch your excellent ideas slowly and carefully?

Laito: Fufufu~ You just don’t understand the depths of love yet, Subaru-kun~ Laito: …Well then, Bitch-chan…Doesn’t seem like anyone will come and save us any time soon, so let’s have lots and lots more fun, okay? Haahn…Mm… Subaru: The fuck’s the ‘depths of love’!? I don’t care if I don’t understand that crap. I’ll love you…in my own way. So brace yourself, okay? …Mmh!

That’s so damn rich coming from Laito. This is just Laito’s version of a “haha virgin” joke (which I don’t think Subaru is lol). However, it seems that Laito considers Subaru “pure,” similar in Ayato’s fashion. Maybe this statement is a little jealous quip at that. Who knows!

Laito’s relationship with Reiji

Laito and Reiji…. Man, this is an entertaining relationship. They’re seemingly opposites: agent of chaos and agent of order. (However, Subaru is more physically chaotic lol). Although Laito does kind of fill the “big bro” position for most of his brothers, Reiji is definitely more of a “parental” figure. Laito knows how to get under Reiji’s skin and just does it for fun. I just find it really entertaining. Sure I’m not the biggest Reiji fan like I’ve said before, but wow I love their interactions. Reiji can be a buzzkill for Laito, which certainly annoys him as well. Their relationships in the tokuten CDs are my favorite; especially when Kou and Laito pester Reiji to make them food. However, Reiji treats Laito like a nuisance as well, especially during his MB out when a desperate Laito comes to Reiji begging for help. Reiji’s extremely blunt in that situation and basically is like “why don’t you just kill her” and doesn’t attempt to comfort Laito when he’s crying when Yui kills herself in MB. I feel like Reiji is a nice foil for Laito’s character in their interactions, especially during that scene:

Reiji: Oh… …Are you crying? Laito: Eh, this… …is what you call tears? Reiji: The water that flows from the eyes are tears. Laito: Why am I crying for? Reiji: … … Are you happy or sad, it can be either. Laito: I’m… … Reiji: Well, please leave quickly and carry the corpse out with you. Laito: It’s cold… …I’m shedding so many tears, why are they coming out so fast… … Reiji: … … It would be the result of which you invited.

They don’t interact often, and when they do, it’s either entertaining or meaningful, it seems. At least in my opinion.

Laito’s relationship with Shuu

Now this one’s interesting. Exaggerated “pervert” vs actual pervert. Putting it out there, I don’t think Shuu’s a closet pervert as most say; he’s just quiet in general, but his perverse remarks are incredibly obvious. These two don’t interact often (although Shuu interacts with his brothers less than Kanato) but WOW can they freaking duet!! I love their song Camouflage. But, that aside, their reactions are limited to Shuu making quips at Laito; either telling him to shut up or like “wtf Laito” (similarly to his other brothers). My favorite scene of them both is when Shuu calls Laito a “wannabe pervert”. 

Laito: Haha. Shu, isn’t it unusual for you to feel uneasy? Are you jealous? Fufu… … Shu: Bothersome… …I’m in a bad mood now. My music is spoiled because of your useless chattering. … … As for the concept of jealousy, it’s impossible for me to express… …you imitated pervert. Laito: … … Do you want to be killed? Shu: Hmph… …whatever you like?

This sets Laito off a bit, and Shuu definitely knows what he’s doing. Laito’s even taken aback, given his pause and the lack of a retort. It’s uncertain to see if Shuu actually knows what’s up with Laito or not, but I do think that Shuu is more perceptive than what he lets on. This also just reinforces the fact that Laito wants to meticulously build his character/facade as the perverted type, and doesn’t want it to be broken down; which is why he gets mad at Shuu. 

Well that’s all of Laito’s relationships with his brothers! Now onto the bigger picture.

Laito’s overall relationship with the Sakamakis and their implications + conclusions

This one’s gonna be a bit all over the place, so I apologize for that. 

Have you ever noticed that Laito doesn’t resort to name calling like the rest of his brothers? Even Reiji, the more “””refined””” brother calls Shuu a good for nothing. He only resorts to name-calling women. This, I find very intriguing. He usually has more indirect comments at his brothers, but they’re not nearly as malicious as the others. Or they’re insightful or just him teasing them; I don’t believe he has malicious intent towards his brothers like he says he does. Unless if he says he does; Laito doesn’t get actually LEGIT mad that easily. 

Also, yes, Laito does keep his mask on around his siblings. He’s just not as pervy when Yui’s not there because,,,, Yui’s not there, or if she’s not the topic of the conversation (or any woman for that matter), he has no reason to be pervy unless if something comes up. He always feels the need to be pervy though; Shuu straight up calls him a “wannabe pervert,” since Laito heavily exerts it to the point where it’s probably a joke. 

However, there’s something that’s been bothering me. I did mention it in this (https://everything-laito.tumblr.com/post/624910343406256128/impromptu-analysis-more-of-this-coming-soon) analysis, but TLDR; Nobody interacts with you or Laito in Laito’s HDB route. I could even say the same with his MB route, but that highlights his rivalry with Kou. In HDB, there is rarely any interaction with other brothers or even implied interaction with them. Subaru doesn’t even show up in the entirety of Laito’s route from what I can remember. In Kanato’s route, (which Kanato is the most overtly possessive/yandere of them all imo) Laito and Ayato still interact with him when you’re around, or even when he’s not around. But nobody dares to interact with you in Laito’s route much when you’re alone. Its bone chilling isolation. If there is interaction with the other brothers, it’s very limited and very quick. They’re very careful about what they say to you, when Laito’s around or not. They know he’s always watching, and we know he’s always watching. 

But, Kanato’s the one that spits out death threats all the time and is definitely like “Yui’s mine” in his route. But, it seems that he’s not much of a threat to the other brothers; and like I mentioned, Laito even gives him advice, which he listens to. However, nobody dares to get under Laito’s radar, because it seems that he can turn into an actual threat to the others. I mean, Laito probably has killed as many people as Kanato, if not more. Laito is no stranger to killing in cold blood. He’s killed so many suitors under Cordelia. This is beyond the other brothers being disgusted with Laito’s actions. This is the other brothers not wanting to mess with Pandora’s Box. 

Sure, we know that Laito dislikes outward violence, but he’s a master at manipulation and gaslighting, and doing stuff sneakily. They don’t know what to expect because of his mask being on at all times; they can’t get an efficient read on him, and even if they were “plotting” something against him or wanting to take Yui, they couldn’t. He has eyes everywhere. So instead, the other brothers avoid him in the sacrificial bride situation. He’s a force to be reckoned with, and they seem to know that he’s smarter than what he lets on. 

Well, if you’re still here, thanks for reading as always! So sorry this has been so delayed! (And Hotline, I will get to your other part of your ask in another post, I didn’t forget about it!!)

Hope you all are doing well!

-Corn

[aqvarius]

[REVIEW] Her Love in the Force: Shusuke Soma - Who I Once Was

Guys, I’m supposed to be dieting during this quarantine period but Voltage is keeping me FED with all this new amazing Soma content. 

HLITF fans, we have been blessed with amazing Soma content recently. Soma’s S3 Love’s Battlefield route was probably one of, if not the, most memorable HLITF routes I’ve ever played. I also adored his PoV despite it not covering all the moments that I personally wanted to read. (I understand disappointment over it, but I found that the bonus scenes they gave us made up for it, and it allows me to play with my own imagination a bit and potentially write up some fic for the scenes not in his PoV hehe.)

Like the manic Soma fan that I am, I had to IMMEDIATELY buy and read this route. I love him so much I am willing to do anything just to understand him even a little bit better. To my delight, I’m not even a little bit disappointed. And the route even made me spend 300 more coins to buy Goto’s Episode 0 so well done Voltage lol. 

I will summarise my thoughts on this story and then get into some more detail in the cut below. With that said, if you know Soma’s back story already, there isn’t much information to spoil. But I’ll leave some of the more surprising details under the cut.

This story shows us an unfamiliar Soma. This is a Soma that is far colder than even when we first meet him as a Special Instructor at the Academy. He battles with his conflict over his future and what he feels like his life’s purpose is, which is all sparked over his sister Kurume’s comment that she sees him as a hero. Throughout the route, he struggles with aimlessness and his futile attempts to investigate the metro gas attack even while doing his work in the Criminal Affairs/Investigations department, where he becomes the mentor for new recruits Ichiyanagi and Goto. That’s RIGHT, we finally get the Soma/Goto/Ichiyanagi Criminal Affairs dynamics that I have been waiting for years for ever since finding out that they all worked there together! (The only thing missing is Hayase but I guess he’s from a different timeline lol). 

This is something that makes the route super enjoyable to read because we get to see a Soma who isn’t as gentle and reticent as the one we know. He’s a bit colder, a bit harsher, and has less tolerance for antics. We also see Soma as a mentor before he became an instructor and it’s so cool to realise that Goto and Subaru are so capable partially because of the harsh but fair mentoring of Soma and the way that he’s not only drilled the fundamentals of police work into them but also supported them emotionally through the trials of losing a loved one. This route really helps you understand why Goto has so much trust and respect for Soma (and I’d like to see more Soma/Subaru interactions!) 

We also get to see Kurume for what I believe is the first time, which is incredible to be able to put a face to the name. I am such a sucker for big brother Shusuke and seeing more of his life with Kurume really adds depth to our understanding of his character and why/how losing him has made him lose perspective of his own life and identity. 

(I don’t know if I can explain in words how devastated seeing the two of them together made me feel...)

The route also gave some more insight into the Goto/Kazuki situation which was used really well to offset Soma’s own situation regarding vengeance and unresolved grief. We also get to see more of the relationship between Soma and Goto and how much Goto respects him as a senpai even though Goto transferred to Public Safety first (on the recommendation of a certain elite ;)). There are also some great Ishigami/Soma moments which I’ll elaborate on under the cut, as well as some things I discovered while cross referencing between this story and Goto’s Who I Once Was. 

I love that there’s a theme running throughout the story, which is about defining a hero. This is a crucial question which underpins Soma’s incessant yet pointless attempts to figure out his identity and purpose in life. I love that we begin to see him figuring out what being a hero means to him and that Goto’s own grief and slow road to recovery, and the way that he’s affected Goto’s life, is what sets him on this path towards figuring out where to go from here on out. This path is then what leads him to his MC, who we can see is someone who grabs him by the hand and pulls him ever forward. 

To put it briefly, this is a route you’ll enjoy if you love Team Ishigami. You get to see both Soma and Goto pre-trauma (you get to see a younger Goto than in his own episode 0), but then you see both of them forced to confront grief head-on, and then you can see how they both help each other to move forward in their own subtle ways. This story also showcases the best of Ishigami, a man who is collected and analytical but is always thinking of how he can help those around him who are hurt. Like how Ishigami and Kaga are saved by Namba, I would say that Soma saves Goto, then Goto returns the favour, and then Ishigami saves them both. 

Keep reading under the cut to see my further thoughts on Soma: Who I Once Was. I provide extra details about the story and provide some analysis on his relationships with his colleagues and his MC with lots of screenshots for evidence!

Okay so first off: Soma’s parents are ALIVE??? Why have we never met them?! You would think that they would come to Kurume’s grave on Soma’s birthday to see their children at least. For some reason I genuinely thought it was just him and Kurume but no it turns out that he’s had parents this whole time?! Either way, it’s so wonderful getting to see Soma’s home life from back when he was a teenager.

In the past, I’ve made joking comments about Soma being confused over familial and romantic love and wondering if he just cares for his MC like he cares for Kurume because how can you have sex with someone and then still wonder if you just care for them like a SISTER. But this story definitely helped me understand his mindset a bit better and why he sees similarities between his MC and his sister.

So I think we’ve discovered quite early on that Soma’s sister died on his 19th birthday. We also see scenes of them when Kurume is in high school and already having to fill out forms about her future. So she would be 15 at the very least while Shu would have been probably in his first year of uni? I think he’s mentioned that Kurume and his MC would be around the same age but I was really reminded of that in this route.

Honestly it devastated me to read that conversation because her future was just stripped away from her like that. And to see her get all excited about all the possibilities her future held just wrecked me emotionally. She was considering being a florist or a baker or a pharmacist. She would have been around the same age as the MC :’( To see Shu suggest that Kurume could consider studying agriculture made my heart ache because it made me think of how much care Soma puts into maintaining his plants and how much it means to him that his MC takes care of them for him when he can’t, especially because that’s what Kurume did. I also now believe that Soma is so invested in doing whatever it takes to guide his MC towards the best possible future for her because it’s his way of almost atoning for Kurume never being able to live out her dreams and future.

So rather than mistaking familial and romantic/sexual love, I think it’s rather that Soma sees his MC as symbolic of how his sister might have grown up. Rather than thinking of his MC as his sister, he wonders if he’s just fond of her because she’s similar to how she might have been, sort of like how you might make friends more easily with people that remind you of other friends or siblings/people close to you. That’s why he gets so confused when he feels more beyond just affection and can’t control his emotions, because he’s never felt love beyond just worrying and wanting the best for someone until his MC.

On a side note, Soma did a 4 year degree at a university before joining the police academy? What did he study?!?! I want to know!!!!!

I also love that we got to see Soma not really wanting to be a mentor. We get to see him at his most candid, and at a time in his life where he’s still figuring himself out and doesn’t have any goals except for getting to the bottom of the Crimson Wings case. So when he has to take two rambunctious young men under his wing, it’s so amusing to see how much they annoy him at first with their bickering. In the main stories, we only really get to see a bit of this when he deals with Kurosawa but when he does that, it’s kind of jokey and snarky but man Subaru and Goto really pissed him off at times LOL. Like I mentioned, we’ve only seen him as a seasoned instructor who goes out of his way to help you develop, but he is so reluctant to look after these kids at first. He calls them goons, the gruesome twosome, annoying, a pain in the ass… It’s so funny seeing this side of Soma.

I did think it was so cute that Subaru immediately jumped to calling him Shu and Goto was so polite and called him Soma-san but then somewhere down the line ended up calling him Shu as well (which is what he still calls him to this day. I would literally DIE to see some present-day Subaru/Soma interactions – will someone who’s played Goto’s Adversaries let me know if the two of them interact? Subaru is so alpha male especially now, I’d love to see him defer to Soma in the present day.) It was also so cute that they tried to throw him a birthday party (but also very tragic because his birthday is also the anniversary of Kurume’s death and none of them knew that).

I also loved seeing Soma’s response to Kazuki’s death and the way that Goto’s loss and Soma’s loss kind of play off each other. He knows how it feels to lose a loved one, he’s been dealing with the repercussions of it for at least around 5 years at this point with frankly very little progression. If Goto was not able to move forward because he was stuck in time, Soma is not able to move forward because he is lost. Goto’s grieving puts in in a static place where he can’t move, but Soma’s grieving has him constantly moving, but without direction. He’s haunted by Kurume’s words and even says as much: “I had no idea where I was supposed to go… I just let myself float along”. 

This is why Soma scolds him both in his own story and in Goto’s story, and it is Soma’s experience that allows him to guide Goto towards his growth. It’s also (at least partially) because of Soma that Goto ends up in Public Safety.

Ishigami approaches Soma for an evaluation of Goto, stating that “students raised by an elite teacher are elite themselves”. Soma’s evaluation sets the stage for Goto to eventually be able to confront his grief and develop as an undercover specialist through Ishigami’s guidance; Goto even calls him his “benefactor”. In Goto’s story, he says “It has to be him. The one who found me on the neon-lit street” and Goto then mentions a line about being blinded by revenge that I’m pretty certain is something that Soma said during their nighttime (and thus presumably neon-lit) back alley chat. So I’m not 100% certain who Goto has in mind but 95% he’s thinking about Soma, especially since he later thanks him for the transfer. 

 We know that Soma essentially helps Goto without trying because he’s confused when Goto calls him his benefactor. In evaluating Goto to Ishigami and cornering him in that dark alley, without even knowing it, Soma effectively helps to push Goto into facing his future – the two facets that Goto says makes someone a hero. 

We also discover that Soma is recruited to Public Safety through a recommendation by Goto, who is presumably “the elite who nominated” him.  I love that if Soma pushes the frozen-in-time Goto into moving forward, Goto helps the lost Soma begin to find some direction.  

For years, Soma has been chasing this elusive concept of “being a hero” without even knowing what that means, which is why he never gets closer to fulfilment, because he doesn’t know what it’s supposed to be like to “feel like a hero”. No matter what he himself does, he is never able to see himself as a hero either because he couldn’t prevent the death of the one person he wanted to save. I will say probably that the thing that first changed Soma into making him feel like he has more sense of purpose in becoming one step closer to the “hero” that Kurume said he was is that Goto basically called him his hero. I think it’s so special because here we can really see the links drawn between Goto’s life, Soma’s life, and the narrative theme of being a “hero”.

Something that I thought was missing was how Goto (and potentially Subaru?) finds out about Soma’s past. We never see him tell him about it, but I wonder if that’s the reason why he nominates Soma to join Public Safety? We know that Ishigami knows about it, but I think Goto would probably have found out through Soma himself?

On another note, I actually wondered why Soma, Goto and Kurosawa all have fairly similar strategies and strengths as detectives while Kaga and Shinonome have more specific specialties. Now I realise it’s because Goto trained under Soma, and Kurosawa trained under both Goto and Soma.

These two routes made me realise that Goto needed Soma, Soma needed Goto, and they both needed Ishigami and Public Safety in order to be able to keep walking forward without being trapped in neverending grief. I just need to talk for a little bit about how incredible Ishigami is. Ishigami’s judgement in picking his team is amazing. The fact that he finds these people who have personal vendettas who are working covertly and independently to achieve vengeance and then sees how they evaluate each other shows that he is actively building a team that respects each other and work well together. He sees that they have the skills for Public Safety work but also that they have personal issues that Public Safety can help them deal with, and then he does everything he can to help them attain their peace. Ishigami is unbelievably supportive. He works quietly and diligently within the system to get his subordinates to where they need to be and I LOVE THAT SO MUCH.

Okay with all this said, I cross referenced between Goto’s Episode 0 and Soma’s Episode 0 and found some timeline discrepancies? Right after Kazuki’s death, we know Goto spends a while completely depressed until Subaru drags him up to go to Kazuki’s funeral. Then after her funeral, he becomes obsessed with working independently to try to avenge her death. This goes on for long enough (weeks) that Soma has to corner him in a back alley to lecture him (which by the way happens surprisingly often with Soma lol). Goto transfers to Public Safety soon after Kazuki’s funeral. We know this because he transfers and we see him start doing work for Ishigami but when he goes to see her grave and Subaru says that he’s transferring to SP department, this happens on the monthiversary of Kazuki’s death (not even her funeral). Then, it says that Soma transfers to Public Safety a few weeks after Goto’s transfer (meaning it would have happened within a couple months at most after Kazuki’s death).

In Soma’s route, we know that he goes to see Goto a few weeks after Iijima (Kazuki)’s funeral with the bananas. This occurs while Goto is still at Criminal Affairs because Soma references “the other day” when Soma lectures him about his personal life getting in the way of his job. I’m assuming this happens after the back alley lecture when Goto has returned to normal life for that one week before he gets called to transfer to Public Safety. However, later Soma, still working in Criminal Affairs, says “Years have passed, but the one responsible for [Kazuki’s] case wasn’t caught”. This suggests that Soma was still at Criminal Affairs for years after Goto’s transfer to Public Safety rather than weeks? So what’s the TRUTH?

I also just briefly want to gush about how much I love the CG. We see those typical important Soma elements (his hair and the bonsai) but I just love the look on his face. I mean he looks impossibly handsome, but he looks so serious and determined while at the same time still lacking the warmth that we see in later CGs that he only develops after meeting his MC. Am I reading too much into this? Maybe, but let me PRETEND. 

Finally, I want to end my thoughts on how this relates to his relationship with his MC. Soma says that she’s helped him to face the future. As I previously discussed, I genuinely believe that part of this is because his MC lets him see glimpses of what Kurume could have been. Soma is attracted to her brightness, her bravery, her diligence, her conviction and her optimism. (He also starts enjoying everyday life with her when they pose as a married couple and let’s not forget that he does find her physically attractive even before he falls in love/realises he’s in love lol). But more significantly, I feel like this is because of how important he is to her.

Soma has previously said that he doesn’t trust Public Safety, but for some reason they seem to trust him. This reveals that he’s not sure of what his value is to his department or to his colleagues. While he has moved forward, he’s still working towards being that “someone who pushes you to face the future” and “helps people without trying”. Even though Goto basically implies that Soma is the one who has helped him face his future, Soma sort of interrupts so he doesn’t explicitly voice it. However, when his MC confesses how important he is to her with that unwavering conviction of hers, I believe in that moment he suddenly realises his own worth. His MC, who in some ways is a vicarious symbol of Kurume’s potential, helps him see that he has already been a “hero” to those he has saved through his Public Safety work and to his colleagues. This, combined with her trust in his colleagues and them actually coming to the rescue, is what makes Soma able to trust his colleagues. Because he finally knows his own worth, he can finally see how significant he is to his colleagues and how far they would go for him. I think this is also what makes him believe in Public Safety as an institution. For years, he’s been unable to trust or forgive Public Safety because of what happened to Kurume, but now he can finally see that they as an institution have actually helped people and saved people’s lives, and this is partially due to his own involvement.

Finally, the last facet of his relationship with his MC that I want to talk about is how mutually important their relationship is. I’ve already discussed how his MC sees him as a hero by those guidelines that Goto helped him set down, but by those same guidelines, his MC is also his hero. I mean first off, he first became conscious of her as a woman when she gave a ridiculous display of bravery. But more importantly, if a hero is someone who helps people without trying and someone who pushes you to face the future, she has done both of those for him. He says so himself: “With her, I think I can focus on the future and moving forward”. And she has helped him just by being herself. This theme really comes to a head when she literally throws away her own future to help him finally get closure. When he decides to cut his hair, he says this:

“I’ll make the cut, draw the distinction between the past and the future, because I love them both.

I have to let go of what I’ve lost and look to what I can still gain.”

He learns this because of her.

Soma: Who I Once Was is an incredible story that really helped me to understand my favourite character’s psyche, history and relationships just a little bit more. For that, I’m so thrilled and so grateful. I’m so pleased at the quality of this content and all the insight it provides, and I’m excited to see how Soma and his relationships continue to grow and develop in the future.

[sugarandspice-games]

I guess this is becoming a trend... I’m popping in before the actual intro to clarify-- if the text is in italic, it is me (Sugar) talking and regular is Spice. Alright? Cool. And so--

So, one night I’m going through youtube and I come upon this one shitposty video about some random anime that I’ve never even heard of. After doing some research, I discover that it’s actually based on a dating sim that I’ve also never heard of. As a joke I was like “Hey Sugar wanna watch this as a joke, it might be funny” and so we did. And uhm. Well.

Today we’re gonna be reviewing Brothers Conflict, aka Sweet Home Alabama 2: Electric Anime Boogaloo aka the anime that ruined our lives. [Again, disclaimer: neither Sugar nor I condone incest and/or pedophilia, two themes which are uh, very rampant in this anime which is why I cannot recommend it in good faith. It’s not good, don’t get me wrong. I can’t really say that I liked it even if watching it and ragging on it was kind of enjoyable, and I did get attached to some of the characters because that’s the kind of idiot I am. Also, we’re not shirking our duties to write I swear please don’t kill me--] Anyway, an obligatory SPOILER WARNING though this probably isn’t going in the main tag bc I do not want the fans to publicly stone me. Why are we reviewing this? Bc we need to talk about it somewhere. Though I say review lightly bc this... is really more of a critique.

ALSO we only watched the anime, idk if things are different in the game. There is no full english translation for the games and most of the LP channels have been copyright striked, so please don’t come at us for not knowing anything. I also know that otome games and dating sims don’t tend to translate well to anime, and I will be addressing this later.

So, dear god, where do I begin.

Where do we begin indeed? How about the fact that her name is Ema and I had to google to remember the heroine’s name? Also, she is seventeen.

Our plot, or well... what you COULD call a plot, I guess, if you REALLY wanted to give this anime that much credit, focuses on the aforementioned seventeen year old Hinata Ema, who has an absent father who apparently FOUND THE TIME TO FALL IN LOVE AND GET MARRIED BUT NEVER HAS A SECOND TO SPARE FOR HIS ONLY CHILD, RINTARO I SWEAR TO GOD I AM TAKING CUSTODY OF YOUR CHILD. HAND HER OVER-- Anyway. He’s getting married to a woman who has 13 sons (jesus christ ma’am have you ever heard of a condom?) and he decides to move her in with them because... I guess he has less braincells than I have balls, which is to say, zero. Hi, I’m trans.

So, Ema moves in with them... along with her talking grey squirrel, Juli. Juli is... interesting and by interesting, I mean-- ABSOLUTELY PUZZLING. He, apparently, has seen the majority of Ema’s life from babyhood to teenagerhood and can talk but is only understood by Ema (who he calls Chii) and Louis, the eighth son in the Asahina family. It is never explained why, or how Chii came across him or how in an episode, a single episode, he becomes human because why the hell not, I guess??? (Also, he is pretty. YES. I said it. Fight me.) [Quick Spice intervention, this squirrel can talk to people, transform into a human, enter dreams, and live way longer than a squirrel should since the average lifespan of a squirrel is like 6 years in the wild. Juli is apparently a god as none of this is EVER explained.]

And when she meets the Asahina family, it’s pretty much immediately chaos because these heterosexual (I guess? They look like a bunch of twinks to me but there goes anime trying to convince me that straight people are real and not a lie made up by Trump) men have NEVER and I mean NEVER known a woman in their entire lives, since they seem to want to bang their stepsister immediately. And most of them are GROWN ASS ADULTS. Only three of them are actually minors (though Iori is 18 and only one year older so I guess??? It’s okay??? But still weird) and one of them is a 13 year old who looks and acts like he’s 8.

Oh, and did I mention that out of these boys, only the adult triplets and the abusive asshole 16 year old get any kind of characterization AND character development? I mean, Subaru gets an “arc” if you can call it that, but really, they don’t give him much... personality. You could replace him with a cardboard cutout and it’d be the same. I feel bad for him (but not really because dude you are 20 and she is your sister, what the fuck--)

But if there’s anything good about this anime, it is the characters themselves. Several of the boys have redeeming qualities and interesting personalities and quirks, as well as interesting relationships and dynamics with each other. Yes, some of them are lacking in the plotline department while others may have decent plotlines and lack personality, and then some of them are just given absolutely nothing (COUGH Masaomi COUGH Ukyo COUGHCOUGHCOUGH Iori, and by the way, what the fuck is that game plotline bc I read the wiki since I wanted to know more about him. We don’t have time to unpack the mento illness luv. But you’re telling me they had all this meat to work with and they threw it in the trash and gave him nothing? What the hell?) And if anything, I feel as if the characters themselves are crippled by the plotline. If given a different story, perhaps, they may have room to shine, because a lot of them are compelling if not lovable (though some may not be... lovable. COUGHFuuto, at least not for me.) If you want to see our review on the characters, we’ll put out another post.

Iori... Iori has a hell of a plot in the game, according to the Wiki but I can’t blame the writers for not exploring all of it because whoa. It is dark and not in a good way. But back to the subject at hand... I agree with Spice. I do/did like quite a lot of the characters... provided the entire romantic plot is taken away but we will go into more of why the plot is problematic below. All I can really add is: There is a baby in this dumpster and canon has been taken out back to be shot like a lame horse.

This brings me to a point in which I would like to pause the character discussion and bring up a glaring flaw with this anime in general (aside from the... plot. Look, I’m not a huge fan of weird stepsibling stuff but I think that if you want to do something like that, there are ways to do it and ways not to do it. This was the way not to do it, which I’m getting to). The biggest thing that made this anime so uncomfortable was the imbalance of power dynamics. Why is the protagonist 17 when most of the love interests are 18 and older, and I mean much, much older? And she’s not any 17 year old... she’s a lonely, neglected girl who is starved for the love of a family. This makes her easily manipulated by the brothers, who clearly desire her for less than wholesome reasons, and that makes it skeevy. I’m not sure why there’s such a fetishization of nonconsent in media, as if it’s fine for as many men to lust after female protagonists as the writer desires BUT the woman can’t want a single one of them in return. It’s creepy, and quite frankly, I am very much over it. I also get that the age thing is probably a product of the protagonist of a teenager oriented dating sim not translating well to an anime (because really, all otome game MCs are meant to be a neat little pair of shoes for the player to imagine themselves in), but why are we fetishizing a teenager being groomed by adults anyway? Especially adults who have this much power over her to begin with? The power dynamics bring this plot from “Oh, this might be kinda trashy but it could be entertaining” to “This is extremely creepy and rapey and kind of a dumpster fire.”

This is also true. If we were to take age into consideration, Fuuto, Yusuke, and Iori would be the three candidates left for Chii. This is taking out the youngest as well, who is... thirteen, I think? But anyway, (I know I am probably going to get some hate for this but go for it), I am into stories that explore the stepsibling thing and it can make a good narrative-- but before everyone gets uppity: There is a line between FICTION and REALITY and I do not condone real life incest but a story is a story and there are ways to frame it that make it clear that it is not a romantic thing, or acceptable. This anime does not do that in it’s dynamics because some of the brothers do start off in that very firm caregiving, family role and it is a sharp turn into romance that makes you go, “?” or in Fuuto case, a blending that does lean into fetishization.

All in all I think the plot maybe could have been okay? I’m not saying it isn’t problematic, because we all know it is, who are we kidding? But I don’t think it’s wrong per se to explore family dynamics with romance and to understand where the line should be drawn, and maybe exploring the definition of family itself. I have seen fanfictions with similar tropes ask those questions and explore the concept beautifully without romanticizing or fetishizing incest and unhealthy power dynamics. It could have been good, and I get that perhaps I’m barking up the wrong tree by expecting mature themes in an anime based on an otome game, but it also could have been a lot less... creepy (I have used that word so much that it looks wrong now) even if it wasn’t the greatest thing ever. But again, what was I expecting? I watched this whole thing as a joke and ended up attached to the characters like a fool... That tends to be a trend here, and this is why we are so salty all the time. So anyway, stay tuned for our review of the characters! We may not cover all of them since some of them don’t really get anything, but we’ll cover what we found interesting.

[suffarustuffaru]

How do you think Subaru and Otto could actually work out like long term relationship work out

INTERESTING QUESTION ANON i think it depends on whats going on with the situations they get into or whats happening in the timeline theyre in but i think ottosuba in any sort of longer term relationship (as friends or romantic partners) would work out in one of several possibilities:

good ending!! they stay good friends for the rest of their lives, resolve all differences, recover a bit from their respective insecurities and traumas over time, and stay close :) otto may or may not get hung up on subaru a bit in the back of his mind (bc he probably wants subaru carnally judging off of the Details that rezero staff keep adding into otto side content) but he’d do his best to move on 👍 and ultimately theyd be happy!! yay happy ending!! this is the best case scenario.

their relationship tragically explodes in their faces due to Too Much Conflict and it may or may not end in some death

Somehow. Against All Odds. In Some Sort of Alternate Universe…. subaru and otto are dating romantically and they always need each other anyway in any universe so im just gonna assume theyd probably get married and be attached at the hip (good ending) or be. you know. their typical codependent selves and make each other simultaneously worse and better.

but either way metaphorically i think theyre basically married regardless of how they define their relationship bc they Do need each other. they are staying by each others sides forever if they can help it.

i think in general though if we’re talking more of that main route complicated friendship, imo i think realistically on ottos end there could be somee sort of unrequited romance there (too many little details about ottos attachment to subaru that add up and heavily remind me of rems attachment to subaru). subaru isnt privy to it and neither of them fully know about each other, as much as they do still Know a good amount of things about each other. i think that their current main route dynamic is like i said either gonna end in tragedy or itll be rocky for a while and then eventually end happier.

i dont think theyd get into a romantic relationship ever as they are now in main route unless you mess around with the timeline a bit. ottos otto with his avoidant tendencies and his desire to help subaru as much as possible so of course hes gonna be the type to stand by and be happy for subaru at his wedding or whatever but be dying inside a little knowing itd never be otto there. and subaru shows far more romantic interest in emilia and previously rem obviously, but julius is way up there of course. otto is a best friend but not a lover.

otto fully admits to subarus face that he cant date a woman as he is now bc she wouldnt be his priority. the most important thing to him. bc otto is otto he probably means his career goals (being the emilia camp internal affairs minister and getting his own store) but the line is so open ended it makes total sense imo if he also meant prioritizing the emilia camp in general—especially subaru.

i think otto is currently at that level of clinginess that even if he went to eventually date or marry someone who isnt subaru, he’d still think of subaru. and its not that subaru doesnt want and need and love otto or see him as lesser than subarus other loved ones, bc subaru really really cares about otto and loves him unconditionally, but when you think of who subaru thinks of and turns to first, naturally youre probably thinking of beatrice or emilia or rem or julius. of course every dynamic subaru has with different loved ones of his is special in their own ways, otto included, but otto continually seems to be shadowed when it comes to subaru.

and otto of course knows that. hes not the First to be there for subaru. he knows this the moment he starts interacting with subaru more in arc 3 and 4 and witnesses subaru do so much for emilia. when otto also witnesses emilia caring so much for subaru, excitedly rambling about him to frederica while otto watches quietly and wonders why hes jealous of emisuba’s closeness. otto watches emisuba quietly again and realizes why they care so much for each other, why subaru fights so hard for emilia. otto is bitter when subaru doesnt ask him for help bc otto was there always following in subarus footsteps. otto goes out and risks his life while emisuba argue and then eventually kiss in the tomb. otto watches again as julius’s existence further threatens otto’s insecurity of being useless to his loved ones and julius fits in with emisuba while otto cant.

i do think its interesting to note though that otto of course steps back because he wants subaru happy, and bc he also cares about emilia too—but otto gets defensive with julius for all sorts of reasons. my personal theory is that theres also a sense of loyalty here bc in ottos head, sure hes not gonna be like subaru’s Lady. but ottos the Closest Man in subarus life, right? (until julius comes along after otto spends a year living with and serving subaru.)

its also interesting to think about how this compares to otto if, where the dynamics with ottosuba are slightly reversed all bc otto IS the first person to be close to subaru. otto isnt a dog following at subarus heels in the same way anymore, hes not a shadow—theyre both in the light instead as equals, and instead of otto supporting subarus dream, its subaru supporting ottos dream (of opening a store and running a successful business!! which they kinda did bc they got their own market stand!!). inadvertently theyre also supporting each others Implied dreams: curing their loneliness and having someone at their side who truly cares for them and spends all this time with them. main route ottosuba also support each other of course but theres far more cost with all the trauma theyre going through and the conflicts rising between them that theyre not fully aware of (rbd and both otto and subaru hiding info/parts of themselves away).

in a general long term, ottosuba would have to put everything out in the open and be fully honest with themselves and each other to the best of their ability if they want to still have their friendship by the end of all of this bc all the lies and insecurity is tearing them apart :((

otto and subaru are people who need to be needed. they kind of try to secure love towards them at times by becoming indispensable to other people, they submit to other people with their own insane devotion and theyd go to any lengths.

with ottosuba specifically, otto is the first to die for subaru and reach out to subaru first, even in the white whale loop bc otto goes back for subaru after regretting pushing subaru out of the wagon. subaru knows otto is willing to die for him. subaru in arc 8 thinks about how he needs otto and how it would suck for otto to die, and in general, otto is a source of safety and dependability for him. otto is smart and capable and loyal, he can solve problems that i cant figure out by myself, and i can count on him and tease him. that sort of sentiment. subaru to otto is the first person to actually want otto, the first person to Literally claim otto as his (arc 4 wn subaru joking about otto being “his side toy”, but also the otto’s diary episode where ram calls otto subarus accessory and otto admits he likes it), the first person to actually want otto to stay to the point of hiring otto without his consent, the first person to—like otto with subaru—search for otto first by sending ricardo to save otto from the witch cult.

ottosuba get into a feedback loop where they need to be needed, and they need each other and acknowledge the other has things they dont have (otto’s calculating nature, subaru’s idealism and determination). otto is also different for subaru bc hes someone he can pull along in a way subaru cant with other people his age in his life—otto has to be teased and poked and prodded and pushed and normally subaru doesnt get this sort of role, and otto needs someone who can be pushy like that so he can actually be pushed to admit he Wants Connection. at the same time though, otto leads subaru by the ear, instructing and helping subaru with strategy and demanding subaru turn to him for help, pushing subaru to accept it for once. its a true feedback loop for sure !!

hypothetically speaking if they were in a romantic relationship itd just be like their usual dynamic as friends but with extra steps. theyre as clingy as ever, but either way…. they have issues to get past. and i think itd have to start with otto, bc due to rbd subaru is Incapable Of Talking all that much about that anyway. ;-;; ottos the one whos literally holding back, and he needs to be honest about his general insecurities and try to communicate and admit stuff like “im scared we’re all going to get hurt so i keep wanting to do anything to stop that from happening” or “i feel horrible just not being able to do anything while the rest of you are out risking your lives bc i dont want anything bad to happen to you and i Need to do something to help” or “maybe i just need you to keep needing me so that i know you wont leave me behind again” or “i thought that the only thing i was good for was literally staying in your shadow and doing all the shitty stuff that you cant” (hahaha otto does not know about subarus bad case of stockholm syndrome and dying and being tortured sooo very much ;-;;;;;).

i think itd take a lot of work to get past the current hurdles in their dynamic, especially with rbd making it more messy, especially with subaru not being able to talk about it, especially with ottos Shit probably is gonna hit home for subaru bc hes felt Similar, especially when ottosuba as a dynamic mirrors other ships like emisuba (otto is the subaru, subaru is emilia) and remsuba (codependency and sacrificial tendencies :,) ). so this is all gonna be uncomfortably close to home over and over for subaru, otto is allergic to vulnerability too, and otto is once again in the shadow of everything subaru is so. if they want a healthier dynamic everythings gotta be in the light <33333333333 </33333333

anyway and i think in long term either they fix all their shit or they sort of fix it by being Unhealthily Attached At The Hip At All Times. the latter would just be Extra Codependency Speedrun Any % where its like otto if where they live together and spend time together all the time except if they get separated for two seconds the abandonment issues start showing (that subarus had for a long while but ottos been slowcooking since his backstory). they hear the other needs them for something (this happens often) and immediately drops what theyre doing to run over there. they either fight to sacrifice for each other in weird little cold wars or theyre working scarily in sync bc if one person goes the other Always Follows like a damn guard dog. theyre not a duo, theyre one and the same. ottos control freak ass gets to pull subaru around and Protect him. subaru keeps a close eye on otto and Protects him, but lets otto lead him around as much as subaru likes to push otto’s buttons a bit. its kinda like their pre-arc 6 dynamics but dialled alllllllllll the way up. theyd be like the remsuba sort of sweetness where its unhinged af and most definitely not the healthiest thing in the world but if it works it works right ahahahahahahh…..

i also think in general a romance between ottosuba would be highly domestic yeah but in the old married couple way. very similar to how their friendship is anyway. being simultaneously hopelessly helplessly fond but also so very annoyed but also i see you everyday, so of course im annoyed (i love you). stop drooling on the pillows when you sleep >:<<<< dont stay out of the house for too long. dumbass. idiot. and i think on subarus end for ottosuba romance to start he’d have to 1. recognize ottos feelings are Probably Not Entirely Platonic and 2. i think if subaru did ever gain more Romantic feelings for otto itd be more subtle for him? ottos the one who falls head over heels like hes gonna give himself a concussion, subarus the one who has otto there as this nice constant until subaru realizes one day that he erm Needs and Wants Otto So Very Much. waiiittt a goddamn minute you Like Liked me this whole time????? thats INSANE…. (has never been wanted carnally by another guy before).

anyway i hope that makes sense anon 👍👍 ty for the ask :3 sorry if i answered it a little off bc i misread ur ask or smth ;-; but i hope you enjoyed reading this regardless 👍 anyway have some posts that remind me of them ;-;;;;;; —

[hichandesu]

Ok I'm enjoying and feeling confuse with Re zero Sanctuary Arc right now. At first I thought the goal was on how Subaru will protect and stop Elsa from attacking the mansion and at the same time help Emilia pass the trials. But every time he resets more conflicts are being created like the issue with Garfiel, mabeasts appearing at the mansion and then another new enemy the rabbits. If I'm in Subaru's shoes I don't know which to resolve first every time he resets. And another thing more mystery surrounding with characters are appearing like Roswaal, Beatrice, Ryuzu and I'll just add Echidna on the list (coz I don't even know if she can be trusted). I think with everything what's happening, Sanctuary Arc will still gonna continue until cour 2 so another prolonging the agony of waiting since I heard that cour 2 will continue next year.

[armour-of-fafnir]

Brothers Conflict - Passion Pink Prologue part 3 + more

PLEASE TELL ME WHICH ROUTE I SHOULD FOLLOW FIRST

Is Fuuto alright? Because I surprisingly lowkey like him, even though many seem to hate him (I can definitely see where this is coming from). So would you please be kind enough and let me know which route I should follow first?

*Notes*

I have finally, and I cannot stress this enough, finally been able to translate. Though I read somewhere that there is a translation of BroCon already and I got a bit disheartened. Anyways, let me know if I should keep translating like this. So, in this part a lot of things happened. First and foremost, WE GOT OUT OF THE PROLOGUE. We also got to make choices, and I chose Tsubaki ( I tried all the options but Tsubaki’s reaction was the most rewarding, so I went along with that). There was also the schedule mode, so if you have any activities to suggest please do so. I’m not sure how this will work but I imagine that it will be more or less similar to the Dandelion activity system? Let’s hope for the best. Now, proceed!

Kaname

[ Well, it’s whatever about Yuu-chan. More importantly, won’t you just once call me “Big Brother” ? ] Ayame

[ Eh? Uhm… B-Big brother…? ]

Kaname

[ Ah, that truly was somewhat nice. ]

Tsubaki

[ Eh, wait a sec, do you think that’s fair Kana!? Me too! I also want to call me “Big Brother”-! ]

Azusa

[ Aah, Tsubaki finds little sister characters moe, so… ]

Ayame

[ …He finds little sister characters moe… WHAT!? ]

Tsubaki

[ Why don’t you call Azusa too? “Big Brother”, like that-♪  Come on★ ]

Kaname

[ No, lil’ sis will only call me like that! ]

Ayame

[ Eh…? Eh…?? ]

Juri

[ What’s wrong with these brothers… Well then, Chii. What are you going to do? ]

Juri

[ I’m sure they’ll keep begging you till you say it. ]

Ayame

[ I… ]

/Choice being made here/ (1) Say it to Kaname (2) Say it to Tsubaki < -- (3) Say it to Azusa

Ayame

[ B-Big Brother!]

Tsubaki

[ …Wha! So cute-!! That’s bad ★Now, I can feel the tension rising up! Hey- Hey-, would you say it again? ]

Ayame

[ I- I can’t…! ]

Tsubaki

[ Eeh, why not-!? ]

Ukyo

[ *sigh* Problematic  from the very first day, these children are. I’m sorry. ]

Ayame

[ No, being able to meet my brothers, it makes me absolutely delighted. ]

Tsubaki

[ Is that true? Then say “Big brother” for me once more★ Please! ]

Kaname

[ It’s just as Tsuba-chan said! Come on! ]

Ayame

[ ( Uhm, did I just say something unnecessary, I wonder…?  ) ]

Ayame

[ ( After this, I’ll end up having to say “Big Brother” a lot more but… ) ]

Ayame

[ ( the warmth of my new family reached my heart ) ]

Ayame

[ May 22nd… ]

Ayame

[ ( Meeting my new brothers for the very first time was a day I’d never forget. ) ]

//May 23rd//

Juri

[ *yawn* Is it alright to go to the living room this early in the morning? ]

Ayame

[ I guess. The key is hidden under the flower pot next to the entrance so that I can enter freely. ]

Juri

[ Under the flower pot…  Really!?  Hey, wait. ]

Juri

[ Is it okay to have security this poor nowadays!? Does this family have no knowledge of crime prevention!? ]

Ayame

[ I was also surprised by that. ]

Juri

[ Impossible. Supposing that something happens to you Chii, what are you going to do? We absolutely have to get Kenko Security… ]

Ayame

[ Now now, the elevator requires a special key and so do the auto-locks, so it’s okay. ]

Ayame

[ …And, huh? It seems to be unlocked. ]

Juri

[ It must be that one of these brothers gets up really early. ]

Juri

[ By the way, Chii. What do you need to do there? ]

Ayame

[ I was thinking of preparing the breakfast. I can at least do this much… ]

Kaname

[ Huh? Lil’ sis, good morning ]

Subaru

[ …Mornin’.]

Ayame

[ Good morning. Both of you are up early. ]

Kaname

[ Yeah, we went for a run. Suba-chan never loses his morning run. I, on the other hand, just went along for some company. ]

Ayame

[ ( I wouldn’t say that Kaname seems like the healthy type, but surprisingly he keeps fit. ) ]

Kaname

[ Ah, just now, you thought that this was surprising, didn’t you? ]

Ayame

[ Eh…!? T-that’s not…! ]

Kaname

[ Haha! You’re so easy to read lil’ sis~. By the way, why are you up this early? ]

Ayame

[ I… Thought I’d make some breakfast but… ]

Kaname

[ Eeh. A woman in an apron, that would be quite the sight~! ]

Ayame

[ W-wait Kaname, that’s… ]

Ayame

[ ( Huh? ) ]

Subaru

[ … ]

Ayame

[ ( Just now, Subaru’s eyes met mine,  but… It seems like he, looked away? Indeed, Subaru’s the silent type... ) ]

Kaname

[ I’m looking forward to your breakfast. ]

Ayame

[ Yes. Well then, I’m off to the kitchen... ]

Ayame

[ Huh? There seems to be someone in the kitchen…? ]

Ukyo

[ Good morning, Ayame-chan. ]

Ayame

[ Good morning. Ukyo, you’re up early. ]

Ukyo

[ I am the one preparing the meals. Would you mind helping a bit today? ]

Ayame

[ You do? I’d like to help but I hope I won’t cause any trouble. ]

Ukyo

[ With so many people to feed, your assistance would be of great help. ]

Ukyo

[ Well then…, is it okay if I leave the miso soup to you? ]

Ayame

[ Miso soup? Got it. ]

Ayame

[ ( I started chopping the miso soup ingredients... ) ]

Ayame

[ ( Then for the soup stock ) ]

Ukyo

[ Just now, what did you use for the soup stock? ]

Ayame

[ Eh? The soup stock? I used a pack from there, but… ]

Ukyo

[ Does it contain dried bonito flakes and such…? ]

Ayame

[ Dried bonito flakes…? ]

Ukyo

[ Ah… Pay me no mind. ]

Ayame

[ Eh…? ]

Ayame

[ ( Perhaps, Ukyo likes to add dried bonito flakes in his soup? I, have never done this before… ) ]

Ayame

[ Kya…!? ]

Ayame

[ ( Just now, it felt as if something brushed my hair…? ) ]

???

[ Orange… Very good. ]

Ayame

[ …!? U-uhm… And you are…? ]

Ukyo

[ Ah, I haven’t introduced you yet, have I. ]

Ukyo

[ He’s Subaru’s older brother, Louis. He got home late yesterday and thus he was not able to meet you with the others... ]

Ayame

[ Nice to meet you. I’m Ayame. ]

Louis

[ Yes. ]

Ayame [ ( Is he going to keep touching my hair…? ) ]

Ayame

[ U-uhm…? ]

Louis

[ Beautiful hair. It seems like it may frizz easily though. Let me tell you a good treatment another time. ]

Ayame

[ W-Wha…? ]

Louis

[ Ukyo, I’m hungry. ]

Ukyo

[ It will be ready in a while, so please wait in the living room. ]

Louis

[ Yeah, I’ll do that. ]

Ayame

[ Uhm… Louis is…? ]

Ukyo

[ Ah, pardon me. Louis is a hair stylist. Even outside of work, he’s always interested in people’s hair. ]

Ayame

[ Ah, I see. That makes sense. ]

Ayame

[ ( How should I put it, he seems like a “my pace” mysterious guy… ]

Ukyo

[ Ayame, it’s about time for everyone to wake up.  Let’s bring out the food to the table now. ]

Ayame

[ Yes. ]

Tsubaki

[ Let’s dig in! Ah, today’s miso soup is delicious! ]

Azusa

[ Indeed, it’s delicious. Kyo, did you make the miso soup differently? ]

Ukyo

[ …!! ]

Ayame

[ …!! ]

Tsubaki

[ Kyo, for some reason your face’s all frowned. Is something the matter? ]

Ukyo

[ …No. ]

Ayame

[ ( Stone me… Ukyo’s face! It’s grim!! What could be coming next… ) ]

Ayame

[ U-uhm, why don’t we turn on the TV. Ahaha! ]

Azusa

[ …? ]

Ayame

[ …Ah, it’s Asakura Fuuto. ]

Ayame

[ ( On the screen was the popular idol Asakura Fuuto. ) ]

Ayame

[ ( Lately, the young idol has appeared in dramas, and many of my friends were his fans. ) ]

Tsubaki

[ … That sure is a smile full of lies-. ]

Azusa

[ As always, his song is not that good. ]

Ayame

[ …? ]

Ayame

[ Considering the fact that you two share a similar line of work, that was rather harsh. ]

Tsubaki

[ Was it. ]

Wataru

[ But, his dancing is cool! ]

Ayame

[ Isn’t it? I also like Asakura’s dancing. ]

Wataru

[ Right, right? ]

Ayame

[ ( Wataru seems kinda happy. I wonder if he’s a fan of Asakura? ) ]

Iori

[ Now that I think about it, I think I haven’t seen him around in a while. ]

Iori

[ He’s on tour, if I’m not mistaken… ]

Kaname

[ Where is he now? In Hokkaido?? ]

Azusa

[ Perhaps he’ll bring me crab? Though sea urchins would be nice too… ]

Louis

[ Both. … Then, melon too. ]

Ayame

[ ( Eh…? Why did the suddenly start making such comments upon seeing Asakura Fuuto? ) ]

Ayame

[ Maybe… Everyone in this family is a fan of Asakura? ]

Kaname

[ Haha! Not in the slightest. ]

Iori

[ Huh? Could it be that no one has told her? ]

Ayame

[ Eh? About what? ]

Iori

[ Listen. Fuuto is the second youngest of us brothers… What I’m trying to say is that he’s your younger brother. ]

Ayame

[ Eh, EEEEH!? ]

Iori

[ Asakura is just a stage name. ]

Ayame

[ Ha, haha… Seriously, you guys. ]

Ayame

[ ( A celebrity being my brother… ) ]

Ayame

[ ( Now that I think about it, this is truly an incredible family I have joined in. ) ]

Ayame

[ ( Will I manage to fit in, I wonder…) ]

Ukyo

[ What is the matter? You haven’t eaten anything yet. ]

Ayame

[ N-no! That’s not the case, uhm… ]

Ukyo

[ …? ]

Ayame

[ I thought I had done a good job with the miso soup. …But... ]

Ayame

[ Ukyo. I had never known of a method using the dried bonito flakes. ]

Ayame

[ I hope you’ll be able to teach me again in the future, would that be alright? ]

Ukyo

[ Yeah, of course. That’s fine. …Though, know that my teaching is strict. ]

Ayame

[ I’ll do my best!]

Ayame

[ ( It’s only the first day, but I hope we can all get along as a family... ]

Ayame

[ ( …By the way, when he said “my teaching is strict”, it gave off a feeling I cannot identify... It might be a bit scary… ) ]

Ayame

[ *yawn* Well then, I guess that’s about it then? ]

Juri

[ I guess. The large furniture has all been moved. Now it’d be good to get the smaller things in order. ]

Ayame

[ In the end, this weekend concluded the acquaintanceships and tidying up. ]

Juri

[ That’s moving in for ya. ]

Ayame

[ You’re right. ]

Juri

[ Chii, don’t tell me, you’re still nervous? ]

Ayame

[ No, I’m fine now. Every acquaintance has been a real heart-throb. But I’m glad everyone is so kind. ]

Juri

[ Even on stage one, everyone seems to have a strong personality. ]

Ayame

[ Ahaha… You’ve got a point. To have so different kinds of brothers, I was really surprised. Eleven people, it’s really incredible. ]

Juri

[ What do you think? Are things going smoothly with them? ]

Ayame

[ I wonder…  ]

//Choice being made here// (1) I believe things are going smoothly < -- (2) Honestly, I’m uneasy

Ayame

[ It’s fine. I think everything’s going smoothly. ]

Juri

[ I see. Well that’s reassuring. ]

Ayame

[ I know it’s just the start, but I hope I can get along with all of them. ]

Juri

[ That’s good. You still have school tomorrow, right Chii? ]

Ayame

[ Yeah. ]

Juri

[ If that’s the case, you’d better prepare a schedule for tomorrow. ]

Ayame

[ Schedule? ]

Juri

[ That’s right. You can decide your weekday schedule for each week. ]

//Schedule mode opens//

Juri

[ Every week on Sunday night you make your schedule. From the next day on, you’ll follow that schedule. ]

Juri

[ To set up the schedule, select a week day first. ]

Juri

[ Then, you’ll choose what activity you want to do with whom. ]

Juri

[ You can either select an Asahina brother or family. For the family option, click on me. ]

Juri

[ You can also do things on your own if you select yourself, Chii. ]

Juri

[ First you decide “with whom” you want to hang out and then “what to do”. ]

Juri

[ Apart from the days off and when it’s an item you don’t possess, or if things are incomplete, so be cautious! ]

Juri

[ Also, once you have decided on a schedule, it’s not possible to re-enter, so I want you to be careful. ]

Juri

[ You can see the schedule you’ve decided on by checking out the calendar screen. ]

Juri

[ Whatever the status of the schedule, once you hit the “Set” button, the selection will be complete. ]

Juri

[ Again, you have your parameters too. First, “Family Love Meter”. ]

Juri

[ This is an indication of your relationship level with the Asahina brothers as your family. It will increase each time you choose something to do as a family. ]

Juri

[ …By the way, you can also see your relationship with a particular brother on the “Likeability Screen”. ]

Juri

[ Chii, I believe you know this already, but YOU’RE BECOMING WAY TOO CLOSE WITH THEM!!! ]

Juri

[ Let’s talk about something else. Next is, “Fatigue”. ]

Juri

[ This indicates when you, Chi, are tired. If it accumulates, you can’t do regular activities. At times like this, you can play a game alone as to relieve your stress. ]

Juri

[ Another thing is “Money”. ]

Juri

[ This is how much you have. ]

Juri

[ It will increase by working part-time. ]

Juri

[ If you’re short on money, you can’t buy presents like DVDs and other items, so be sure to remember it! ]

Juri

[ What do you think? Do you understand? ]

Ayame

[ You bet! Thank you, Juri! ]

Juri

[ Great, well then for tomorrow, will you wake up early or rest? Also for tomorrow, will you help Ukyo prepare breakfast again? ]

Ayame

[ Yeah, that was my intention. ]

Juri

[ Chii. Tomorrow morning I want to eat rice and natto. ]

Ayame

[ ( A squirrel that asks for rice and natto… ) ]

Ayame

[ Yeah, I can do that. Well then, good night, Juri. ]

Juri

[ Yeah, good night. ]

//Chose schedule//