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onewholivesinloops · 11 months

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battler's conversation with eva in ep1 after the first twilight is very loaded bc eva and hideyoshi are the ones who get bought off this episode, and eva goes out of her way to tell battler that kinzo must've had shannon or someone else dress up as beatrice to trick maria and hand her the letter about the epitaph, that one of the servants must be the perpetrator bc the garden shed's shutter is always locked and they were able to find its sole key in the servant room among all the others keys even though it has no name tag meaning the culprit must've known the layout of the mansion pretty well, that all of servants must be in on it bc it'd be difficult for one person to assault this many people and move the bodies then paint a magic circle in such a short amount of time alone, and that there must be a mastermind bc the word 'servant' literally means to serve someone, so it's eva literally spelling out the entire solution of umineko to him (which reads heavily as eva rebelling against sayo presumably bc she doesn't trust the deal they made or something btw)

battler is dismissive of this line of thought though bc he thinks it's 'too easy' and he keeps tormenting himself by running in circles by 'spinning the chessboard around' (which is a way of thinking that is always predicated on the assumption that everyone is acting in ways to achieve the greatest strategic advantage in every possible situation except only kyrie does this and sayo is doing the complete opposite lol), wondering why the culprit would make decisions that aren't optimal when sayo's intent was always to create a fair mystery that follows knox and leave clues behind bc she wants battler to solve it and understand her, and battler also refuses to engage with a real crime as a mystery and even quotes higurashi about how without a beginning the mystery would never start, so he assumes that the bodies being found must mean the servants aren't the ones behind it bc it casts the suspicion on them (which is something sayo is aware of, and even though she presents him as the detective and her opponent in this game which is reminiscent of when they discussed mysteries together as kids, she knows he can't treat this like a game which makes this an uphill battle for him)

battler isn't stupid however and he immediately realizes that eva must be involved bc she's the only one who didn't lose anyone, and yet it takes battler so long to realize the truth of everything bc he wants to believe in others and love them even when they're messy bc he refuses to give up on the idea that it's not his family and denies that the people he knows could do this while still refusing the fantasy solution, so he can't allow the murderer to be a person and it needs to be someone else that this inherently witch is disguised as, which is why to learn the truth battler needed to see the humanity behind the witch first

in many ways battler is similar to keiichi and even echoes the same thoughts but he's also the opposite? keiichi is tormented by his conflict over whether should trust his friends or not, but he ultimately succumbs to the belief that they're monsters or possessed by something supernatural until he learns to trust them in the answer arcs, as opposed to battler who's also conflicted over whether he should trust his family or not, but is in denial about the prospect of his family ever being involved in something like this while also refusing to entertain the idea of something supernatural, which is how you arrive at battler making ridiculous arguments about devil's proof and inventing an extra person to suspect that is neither one of the 18 nor a witch, which is rightfully memed, but it's deeply human and heartbreaking bc battler is someone with a desperate need to love and believe in others, and that's also something that puts him in the best position to understand beatrice in episode 5...

#umineko #gamo.txt

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canmom · 4 months

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Wasn't one of the Nier girls the one where the creator was asked to design a swimsuit for a gatcha or something and he sent back her in an old-fashioned diving suit? You should go in that because it was very funny.

(I don't go here, but I do appreciate good old-fashioned trolling)

that was in SINoALICE!

Yoko Taro: “Mobile game devs tell me that swimsuit outfits make more money, so I should make one, so I made Dorothy’s aquatic outfit for her Cleric class, but the sales weren’t very good. The devs said, ‘not a diving suit like this! A swimsuit that shows more skin!!’ so I released Dorothy’s lazy bear minstrel class, but sales went down yet again. Who can trust these devs?” [src]

(this is Yoko Taro being his goofy self, there are plenty of skimpy outfits in the game. but it's a good bit.)

SINoALICE was a gacha in which various fairytale characters are incarnated in a vast library, overseen by two sinister dolls. Each one is searching for their author in order to fulfil a wish. Its characters are invariably very violent, and also there are many clones of each of them running around, and they might turn into monsters..? It's implied that the fairytale girls are actually real people who got isekaied into the library. I never got much further than that, since I hit a wall where it was hard to progress without a pretty severe grind.

Although it was overseen by Yoko Taro and definitely plays to the NieR design motifs, its actual ties to the NieR series are... not entirely clear. In true gacha fashion, it's had crossovers with just about everything you can think of. Spot some very unlikely entries like Higurashi (the ryuukishi07 visual novel) and Kakegurui (the gambling anime). So it doesn't mean very much that 2B et al showed up in there too.

But, it got a very overt reference recently in NieR Reincarnation's main story (you basically walk through a ruined version of the SINoALICE setting and read a message from the puppets) so... it's got something to do with it all, probably? Maybe the library exists inside the Cage, which is actually (it turns out) the [spoiler] on the [spoiler]! ...though would it even matter if it did?

Anyway, the game was recently shut down, but there are various fan efforts to archive its content, most of which are linked from here. There's a text archive on Accord's Library.

#computer games #yoko taro #sinoalice

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inukag-archive · 9 months

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I like fanfics where Inuyasha and Kagome are caught in inclement weather, seeing them all cozy together. I was wondering if you had a list of fanfics where our favorite couple is caught in bad weather?

Hello Anon -

You have unknowingly asked for a Mod Favorite list because our Fic Finders had so much fun putting this list together for you. This list is a mixed bag for setting and rating, and while predominantly one-shots does include a few multi-chapter stories that feature inclement weather. Happy reading!

Snow Route by @superpixie42 (M)

Inuyasha thought he had the best idea for a surprise for Kagome. They would spend the longest New Moon night of the year (aka the worst night of the year) together in the market village inn, therefore turning a terrible night into a wonderful night. Except nothing ever goes to plan does it?

The Breath of Death by @roseheartwhitefox (E)

He should have seen the warning signs. The sudden chill in the air. The slow but steady increase of the wind as it shook the trees and blew the snow, completely obscuring his vision, burning even his tough hanyou skin with cold. The rapid pacing of the clouds through the sky. The fact that there were no animals out in the forest, despite it being the middle of the day. He had lived through it once before, and should have seen it coming.

A blanket scenario story featuring Inuyasha/Kagome. Takes place during the final act. Rated for explicit content.

Summer's Snow by @heynikkiyousofine (T)

A freak snow storm in summer and only one bed? What's Kagome to do.

Snow Bound by @petri808 (M)

College roommates Sango and Kagome along with Sango's boyfriend Miroku and his roommate Inuyasha head to a cabin in the mountains for a vacation. Chapter 3-5 contain sexual content.

The Last Stop by BanksDelivers (T)

In a world where demons are ostracized by society, Inuyasha has only his pride and the clothes on his back to his name. When Kagome offers him a place to stay during the approaching storm, will he take a helping hand?

Or, that story where Inuyasha is a stubborn idiot and Kagome has to rescue him.

The Bus Stops Here by @neutronstarchild, @fawn-eyed-girl (T)

At 6:04pm, while he was waiting to take the bus home, she would appear. He lived for those moments, waiting at the bus stop together, trying to build up the courage to talk to her. When the day finally came, she was late. And it was raining. And it was all he could do to keep her from catching a cold. But finally, they were traveling in the same direction, together.

His Hands by @quickening (K)

Thunderstorms are inconvenient most times, but the rare opportunity to closely study a grouchy hanyou is too good to pass up ... especially when said hanyou insists on sleeping on you. Fair's fair, right?

Rain by @lavendertwilight89 (E)

Inuyasha and Kagome get caught in the rain after they had taken on root-head. Inuyasha finally wants to talk.

Chasing The Vortex by @neutronstarship @ruddcatha @mickisketch @fawn-eyed-girl (E)

Inuyasha knew what happiness was. It was him alone with a tornado, because tornadoes were predictable, and simple. And being alone meant no more getting hurt. Then Inuyasha’s Ph.D. advisor dropped the ultimatum on him: to host a plucky photographer from Chicago to help get their weather institute funded, or else.

Kagome Higurashi, for her part, couldn't wait. She’d always wanted to chase tornadoes, and wanted to see how close she could get to one, to get that perfect shot. And lord knew the chaser needed the help! And for that week stuck together in tornado alley, it’s not just the debris that’s flying.

Fortune Favors The Bold by @mamabearcatfanfics (M)

"Dai-kichi! The person you await comes from a distant place. Be bold! It would be good for you to send them a message." Kagome smiled as she traced her fingers over the printed fortune, picturing a dog eared boy with white flowing hair and amber eyes. Inuyasha definitely fit the description of ‘comes from a distant place’ – you couldn’t get more distant than five hundred years into the past. But what sort of message would she want to send him?

Shiori no Yoru by ColhanTheDeviant (T)

Kagome falls victim to hypothermia, can Inuyasha save her? My first blanket scenario!

When It Rains by @dawnrider (E)

Modern AU: Kagome gets caught in the rain leaving work. Cursing her luck, she tries to wait it out. Her luck takes a strange turn when she runs into her crush from college. None other than Yash Inukai. And he's very pleased to see her...

Hold On by @lavendertwilight89 (E)

Inuyasha and Kagome get caught in a storm. Can he help her stay warm?

Stranded by @keizfanfiction (E)

Kagome's car dies in an empty parking lot, she's freezing her ass off, and Sango isn't picking up her phone. Help comes from the most unlikely of sources, and after some heated arguing, childish name calling, and some pretty fantastic sex, Kagome is--what--hey waiT JUST A MINUTE NOW--

---

The Blizzard by ananova (M)

Facing a snow youkai, Kagome and Inuyasha are separated from the others. Inuyasha is injured, and they are lost in a snow storm. How will they survive?

Mine by jaygirl987 (E)

She was so beautiful and pure. And his.

Base Instincts by ImaniJoain (E)

When Inuyasha is lost to his youkai half, Kagome must find a way to convince him to return to himself.

Many Glowing Moons by Woodrosia (M)

Oneshot. Kagome is a promising young priestess training to become the Shikon Miko. On the fateful moonless night of her biggest challenge, she comes across a mysterious, handsome stranger in a cave. An incredibly passionate tryst follows.

Night Giggles by SamuriFish (K+)

On a summer rainy day Inuyasha and Kagome get stuck in a cave. Somethings bound to happen. inukag oneshot!

Feel free to add your own recs in the comments or reblogs!

Check our Masterlist of previous lists to see which topics we've covered.

Send us an ask (here).

#inukag archive #inuyasha fanfiction #fic rec #inukag fanfic #blanket fic #rainy day fic

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4thmagicwielder · 1 year

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One of the wonderful things about When They Cry is not only how Ryukishi07 noticably improves as an author and builds upon his themes and ideas from his previous works, but also how each successive work gets more blatantly queer than the last.

Higurashi has quite a bit of plausable deniability on whether its characters are lgbtq. The most obvious ones are Furude Rika and Houjou Satoko for each other, but this can plausibly be denied by someone who doesn't see it without too much of a strech in the original eight episodes. Personally I'd argue that literally the entire main cast of girls are lgbtq of some kind except maybe Hanyuu, but each of those arguments do require interpretation. This is Higurashi from 2002.

Umineko gets more blatant with explicitly queer characters, more often on the magic side but there are some on the human side as well. It's a coinflip on whether Zepar or Furfur is trans (though some clowns will use real life voice actors to try to give a definitive answer). Bernkastel and Lambdadelta are notorious toxic witch lesbians. Furudo Erika and Dlanor are in a less explicit relationship that's a bit dicey at times and coming after Furudo Erika's unpleasant breakup with her boyfriend. Williard seems to be in a relationship with Ushiromiya Lion by the end even as Ushiromiya Lion explicitly states they're unsure of their gender and or don't want to say on the matter and Williard accepts that without hesitation and explicitly states that the audience should too. Ushiromiya Ange has a relationship with Mammon that can be interpreted as romantic as well, and with the open ended ending of her future, one can imagine Ushiromiya Ange as all sorts of sexuality and potentially still in that relationship with Mammon if not closer. And then of course there's Yasuda Sayo or as I'd like to call the queerest and most gender and sexuality character of all time. If I tried to count their potential queer identities, I'd probably miss at least one or two, but they ain't straight and they ain't cis even if their individual personalities might be. There's even more that you could say about the themes of Umineko overall that also tend to involve Yasuda Sayo to some extent, but I'll leave it there. By the latter half of Umineko or the answer arcs, some people reading at the time were wondering basically "Where'd all this gay shit come from?" among other things. Some people couldn't handle it at the time and many still can't, and some are somehow still in denial of Umineko's queerness to this day more than likely. This is Umineko from 2007.

Ciconia even with only one episode out and presumably an eighth of the way done by traditional When They Cry standards manages to be EVEN MORE explicitly queer within said one episode. This time, with no interpretation or any serious level of reading and understanding the text and characters needed, the main protagonists Mitake Miyao and Mitake Meow who share a body are either transgender one way or the other with Mitake Miyao being a boy and Mitake Meow being a girl. To this they're like Yasuda Sayo except they definitely know their sex, and like Ushiromiya Lion they'd rather not say at least yet. Mitake Meow's boyfriend Jayden respects this and that his girlfriend might be trans and that she can tell him and they can work whatever out when she's comfortable about it. There's a whole ass scene or so about this and is impossible to deny. Ciconia also mentions explicitly there being surgery to acquire a penis in the futuristic setting as well, and possibly even artificial wombs if I'm not mistaken too, things that are at the moment still medical hopes and dreams for so many trans people. There's also discussions about the struggles of lgbtq people as well as gay moments mostly among girls but even with a guy as well (not listing them partially because my memory of some of their names is fuzzy, lol). There's a pro yuri nun idol squad even who states that love has no bounds and yuri is the best thing ever essentially, you literally can't get more explicit and in the text than this unless your measure of gayness deems sex to be the epitemy and ideal of gayness at all times. I'm not even sure how you could be a queerphobic When They Cry fan without blatantly ignoring at least one work or malding about it constantly. This is Ciconia from 2019.

This post doesn't say much about Higurashi GouSotsu from 2020 because I haven't watched it myself, but that's pretty explicitly gay too and much more explicit than the original and makes the queer content in the original as well more blunt and obvious. Not necessarily recontexualization so much as a potential fragment that builds upon what was already previously alluded to for nearly two decades by that point.

To people who genuinely think any When They Cry work is definitively and undeniably straight...I really don't know what to tell you lol. Like there's room for intepretation for quite a bit of this including towards a cis or heterosexual explanation at times, but at some point you're just not reading the text very well to think that it's all just cis and straight and that the gays are just delusional somehow, lol.

#higurashi #higurashi spoilers #umineko #umineko spoilers #ciconia #ciconia no naku koro ni #ciconia spoilers #when they cry #lgbtq #07th expansion

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zukoromantic · 5 months

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HAPPY BELATED CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO @smarter-than-the-smarties !!!!!

I know i'm not exactly early, but I'm your secret santa for @duckblrsecretsanta2023 ! :D I hope you're having lovely holidays! ^^🩵

I love your taste in characters and decided to write a small Agent 22 mission fic where she chases down a certain scientist! I hope you enjoy it! It reminded me how much fun these characters are, so I for one was happy to work on it <3

(thanks to @ai-higurashi who beta read!)

--------------

Agent 22 looked at the city in front of her. Everything seemed normal. Busy, naturally for a city of this size, but normal.

SHUSH had gotten information that Black Heron had made her way to Paris. And of course Bentina had been the one immediately sent to follow. She had had several encounters with the woman. A scientist with a bigger sense for drama than could be found on any stage in the world. Which was the only reason she qualified as a threat at all.

Currently, 22 was seated in a news helicopter surveilling the city, along with a SHUSH coordinator and a pilot.

”She will undoubtedly try pulling a stunt at one of the landmarks. We should keep an eye on the city from the sky.”

Additionally, she had suggested the design of a news helicopter to keep a low profile. Sure, it was bigger than they would usually be, but it was more convenient to have some space.

Technically, the mission coordinator should have had a word in the planning, but Bentina usually took charge on most parts of a mission.

It was one of the reasons people weren’t exactly keen on working with her.

That didn’t matter to her though. Her focus was on the mission at hand at all times. It was only natural she would make sure everything went as smoothly as possible.

At least the coordinator was the one keeping in touch right now with SHUSH headquarters.

“22, we got word. Black Heron has been sighted on the Eiffel Tower.”

“Of course she has." The Eiffel Tower had been her number one guess. It was not just the most famous but also the tallest one of the sights in the city. Plenty of attention.

“What is it that she’s doing?”

“They don't know yet. She seems to be armed, highest platform, everyone is making their way down as we speak. We will land right now as close as we can and get up the tower.”

“We don’t have time for that. Get me as close to the tower as you can.”

“22, that -”

“Got it.” Before the coordinator could finish his objection, the pilot had already set course. Much to her colleague’s dismay. “We are going to attract plenty of unwanted attention! Besides, this is far too unsafe.”

Beakley didn’t so much as spare him a glance. “It’s either us or her. If we find time to land and get to the top of a structure that’s about a thousand feet tall, it will be too late. Send support now to assist with the arrest, I am getting to her now.”

While talking, she got up from her seat and grabbed some of her tools that she had stored away in a box.

One of them, a rope gun. Beakley positioned herself in front of one of the doors as they hovered down and closer to the landmark.

She couldn't see Heron from their position. She was most likely at the other side of the platform and had other things to do than paying attention to the helicopter.

“Can’t get closer than that!”, shouted the pilot from the front.

Beakley took a breath. It wasn’t her first time doing this, but she had to focus.

Steady aim.

Focus.

Shoot.

A rope dashed out of the gun straight to the top of the tower.

Hit.

It was a SHUSH special gadget. The tip functioned like a simple suction cup but about eighteen times more effectively. She would need it if she were to slide down on this rope.

Quickly, she fixed her end of the rope in the helicopter and snapped the handle into place before holding onto it tightly. Thank goodness she had done this a hundred times.

The last thing she heard before daring the final step was her coordinator instructing her to not be too reckless. As if she of all people needed a reminder.

A jump and her feet lost solid ground. With a high but still controlled speed, she soared through the air towards the tower. Heron still wasn’t in sight. The woman must be very occupied so as not to notice her arrival.

Better for her.

She prepared to jump off at the right moment. She needed to be careful not to crash into the -

Now!

22 let her hands loosen the grip and she fell into the space between the fence and the wall; landing in a way to deal as little damage as possible to her own body.

The loud thump she landed with felt appropriate however, as it wasn’t exactly like falling into pillows.

But she had learned not to dwell on any pain. She had obtained no injuries, so she could proceed undeterred.

With the sound however, she suspected that Heron must have noticed her at last.

“What kind of reporter are y-” an unmistakable voice yelled from her right in the square pathway, allowing Beakley to face the correct direction.

A woman in a short reddish dress - covered by a black cloak for once - and a long pointy beak showed up at the corner. Her eyes darted between the rope contraption and the agent in front of her for a moment.

“22?! Is there anywhere you won’t follow me?” Despite the surprise in her voice, Black Heron was also obviously displeased.

22 didn’t bother replying. “Whatever it is you’re doing, surrender now and SHUSH will consider a lighter sentence for your crimes.”

Heron’s expression shifted to annoyance.

“Always so to the point. You’re not even curious what my plan is? I go through all this effort and you expect me to surrender without even revealing anything?”

Beakley didn’t allow herself to be irritated by this madwoman. She didn't know if Heron had set up a timer of sorts earlier for a bomb or any other dangerous device. So she needed to hurry. However, if the scientist was so keen on sharing information, it might be faster to get a quick information from the woman herself.

“Did you plant a bomb up here?”

“A bomb? Don’t be silly, where’s the fun in that? I’m not that kind of terrorist! That’s far too impersonal.”

Apparently, Beakley wouldn’t get much information this way after all. It would be faster if she made her talk.

She dashed forwards towards the woman - only to halt in her movements when she pulled something from her dress.

“Nuh-uh, 22! What’s the rush with you?”

It wasn’t the first time Beakley had a gun pointed at her. But this one looked odd. It seemed too large to be carrying regular bullets. She had no idea what it could possibly fire. Which, unfortunately, meant that she had no idea if she could dodge whatever might be fired at her.

She scanned the environment and considered her options. The gap between the two women wasn’t large but enough to give Heron time to shoot if Beakley were to attack her.

For now she would let Heron monologue about her plan and then when she was a bit more distracted disarm her.

“I took a lot of time to prepare this, you know? I managed to build devices small enough to bring up here undiscovered that will release the biggest firework you have ever seen!” Her eyes lit up. “They’ll display my name and face for everyone to see!” She followed up with her signature maniacal laugh.

Beakley ignored the urge to call Heron out on her ridiculous plan and used the opportunity. It was good she could count on the scientist to ramble herself into losing focus.

In the blink of an eye, 22 did a roll on the floor to Heron’s left side.

Heron’s gun went off. But Beakley didn't feel herself getting harmed, so she remained on task.

While getting up, close enough to Heron, she kicked the woman in the legs, “OWch, can you -”, before she slapped the gun out of her hands.

“How dare you interrupt me when I’m making a speech?!”

Beakley quickly grabbed her opponent’s arm, but simultaneously checked to see what she had fired at her and if it was still dangerous. It was something shaped like a little rocket with smoke coming out of it. It was probably to leave people unconscious. She had never seen this weapon on Heron’s hands before and for a moment she wondered what else she managed to come up with since the last time she saw her.

This was her mistake.

Heron used the moment to slip out of the agent’s grip and run the other way.

Beakley cursed herself for it and gave chase.

“Stop this, Heron! You’re obsessed!”

Heron obviously did not have a lot of room for talking, being the one followed. But she could never resist a conversation, Beakley had found.

“I’m the obsessed one?! You’re the one chasing me across borders! In fact, I must be a pretty big deal for you to always get so worked up about me.”

She slid onto the ground, arriving at one of two boxes she had fixed to the ground. Before she was able to fumble with it, Beakley caught up to her.

She tackled the scientist, making sure her hands were far from the contraption. These must be bearing the fireworks she had talked about. Being so close, she took note of something metal wrapped around the woman’s torso. Another weapon? Whatever it was, she would make sure it would do her no good.

“Obsessed? Your attention stunts are a nuisance at best. I'm just the one cleaning up your messes.”

She couldn’t believe a woman like her was accusing an agent like herself of being obsessed. Far from it. This scientist with way too much free time on her hands was proving to be more annoying than Beakley would like to admit.

“My attention stunts? You got up here in a helicopter!”

“What other choice do you leave me?!”

Beakley was getting sick of this woman. She didn’t have time for this.

She pushed her, pinning her wrists to the ground. Help was on the way, but she would have Heron arrested before that.

And yet, to her surprise, she was met with a smile.

“Oh, pretty forward, aren’t we, 22?”

If Beakley had had to describe her tone, it would have been - flirty? That couldn’t be.

“What are you talking about?”

The smirk didn’t fade. “If you wanted me like this, all you needed to do was ask. I suppose, this is the city of love after all…”

Beakley wanted to loosen her grip, but she couldn’t. She wouldn’t let herself get distracted. This was just Heron’s way of attempting to throw her off.

“The only place I want you is behind bars. You are nothing but my assignment!”

Bentina held her stern gaze against the sudden fire in the scientist’s eyes.

“Oh, come on! Aren’t you having at least a little bit of fun? You chose this life the same way I did. Don’t you feel the tension?”

It was a trick. Beakley wouldn’t respond.

“Tracking down the enemy, trying to catch them, just barely having them escape, only for your paths to cross again next time?”

Now that made her take offense.

“I am NOT letting you escape.” To prove her point, her grip tightened.

Heron lifted her head slightly, looking even deeper into the agent’s eyes.

“Don’t be so sure, ma chérie.”

With these words, she took a breath and hit her elbow against her dress pocket, smashing something inside.

Before Beakley could realize what was happening, smoke started to rise from where she had aimed the hit. The same concept as the rocket.

As quickly as she could, Bentina also took a breath and held it. But it was a bit too late. She had to cough and let go of the woman underneath her to cover her face with her arm.

Naturally, this allowed the scientist to wriggle her way out of the position.

Beakley tried to grab her, but everything happened so fast, it was no use.

She heard something explode.

“I’ll see you next time, 22!”

The next thing she saw was Heron standing at the safety fence, having damaged the metal enough to break her way through it.

She had dropped her cloak and jumped off the platform.

Bentina stumbled towards the hole in the fence to discover that Heron had leapt and - taken flight. A pair of metal wings on her back allowed her to soar away safely.

She formed a fist and punched the still intact part of the fence. She had been so close.

Next time, she would get her.

She remembered what Heron had said about chasing the enemy. What would be fun about needing to take care of such a frustrating person’s messes?

She’d put an end to her. For SHUSH’s and everyone else’s sake.

I suppose this is the city of love after all…

The villain’s words echoed in her head. Maybe it was a bit for her own sake as well. And maybe this one time she would consider not including every part of a conversation in her misison report.

Maybe even she could make an exception once in a while.

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I don't know if it counts as light angst, but it was what i was originally going for, Beakley is so bitter...! <3 Once again, hopefully you enjoyed it either way!

Happy holidays 🎉✨

#duckblrsecretsanta2023 #ducktales #beakheron #bentina beakley #black heron #ducktales 2017 #writing this was such fun i read your character list and was like WAHHH >< such good choices......

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nezumiva · 20 days

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I assume this will somewhat be addressed in the podcast for Watanagashi, but I've been reading it with a friend(reread in my case), and the first 2 chapters have just been... really bad and pervy? I love the rest of this series, but god this has been a lot, and I know this is not the end of it. How do you deal with it, and address it to new readers?

Yeah...

It is a bit of an ever-present dilemma in Higurashi, unfortunately (and while it improves over time in When They Cry as a whole, it's unfortunately a bit of an issue in a lot of Ryukishi's work). I do think the chapters in and of themselves are very good, to be clear, but those types of jokes do tend to drag it down massively whenever they (however briefly) rear their ugly head. As it pertains to generally recommending the work, I'll get to that in a moment, but first and foremost I think it's just good to know the limits of your friends, if that's the sort of reading situation you're in. For me, and the people I know - we all definitely hate the unnecessary sexual humor, but we all also grew up on a lot of anime and manga, back in the late 90's and early 2000's, which had far less restraint about these things than it should have. Obviously it wasn't good, but while we dislike it, we tend to roll our eyes and muscle past if at all possible. Thankfully, in Higurashi's case, while it is often extremely obnoxious, it is easily ignored in the context of the story at large. That's us, though, and everybody's comfort level for ignoring that sort of thing is different. When it comes to general recommendations, there's just no escaping the huge asterisks you're going to have to attach to the work at large. Like many things I love with less than stellar aspects (problematic stereotypes in One Piece, similarly gross humor in Danganronpa, etc.) there's not often a way to soften the blow of these things for people who wouldn't have been able to power through regardless, and that's completely understandable. (And even if it's less problematic, obviously, Higurashi still has a lot of elements that are difficult to casually stomach regardless, so it does sort of inherently narrow the pool of people you can get into it, lol.) This doesn't really make up for it, obviously, but this is almost doubtlessly a product of the game's release timeline and where it was released, as well. This was a self-published game in the very, very early aughts being marketed to primarily otaku at Comiket. Galge was still very prominent, and while it has thankfully managed to grow beyond the need of being strictly pornographic (and thank god Higurashi never went that far), the kind of sketchy, ecchi variety of shit did unfortunately sell and draw more eyes to a game back then. Given how small 07th Expansion was (they only sold 2 copies of Onikakushi at the time, I believe), I wouldn't doubt they felt the need to shove things like this in to push units. (In a sense, I do think some of the tropes are there to be intentionally subverted. While most people know Higurashi has horror now, they didn't then, so in some respects Ryukishi was ripping the rug out from under people who just thought they were here for a dating sim, but attributing that to every instance of weird shit in Higurashi would obviously be oversimplifying the issue.) TL;DR: Higurashi is definitely a product of its time in many respects, and while I think it is a fantastic story that surpasses its occasional failings with gross sexual humor, that is an unfortunate mark of the time and circles it was made in. It may have been a play to help it sell, or to throw off galge genre readers, or both, but either way it still kinda sucks a lot. That is always unavoidably going to be a huge asterisk when recommending it to anyone in the current day.

#asks #anonymous

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rayshippouuchiha · 1 year

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I'm grateful for the ao3 block button. I was actually an author who was basically run out of ao3. I had tagged my fics appropriately. Wrote Trigger warnings in the notes. Provided extra trigger warnings in the summary even. The thing is, I was writing for horror fandoms and other canonically violent fandoms like Mirai Nikki, Higurashi no Naku Koro Nii, Corpse Party, Elfen Lied etc. I knew my content and I knew what I was writing was nothing worse than canon. The fic that I got hate for was a Tokyo Ghoul one where none of the characters were ghouls and were just humans but retaining the ghoul's culinary tendencies aka cannibalism in this context. It was nothing worse than say, Hannibal for instance. While there was slight gore, majority of it was expressed metaphorically. And I tagged it well, Dead Dove: Do Not Read and all. And I got blindsided by how much hate and vitriol I got for it. They swarmed my twitter, my comment section, telling me to kill myself even. Imagine getting hate for writing a cannibalism fic.... for fucking Tokyo Ghoul. It took me forever to trust fandom again and even writing was hard for a while and I took years to pick the habit back up. Purity culture is just toxic, period.

FIrst of all, I'm really fucking sorry that happened to you darling. That's fucking horrible and ridiculous and I'm glad you've managed to come back from that.

But yeah, the block button is a blessing, tags are a gift from the gods, and this wave of fandom doesn't seem to understand that AO3 specifically was built as a sort of safe haven for fanworks of all kinds. Even with human error and some author's not using the tags to their full extent it is still one of the most clearly labeled and organized fansites out there so it is. So if you don't agree with something then just don't fucking click it or exit out of it as soon as you realize what you've walked into. That should be the end of the story.

#RayRambles #Fandom

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shinidamachu · 1 year

Text

CHAPTER NINE: What do You Want to Watch?

SUMMARY: “and I’d choose you. In a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I’d find you and I’d choose you.” – Kiersten White. For each chapter, a prompt from the One Hundred Ways to Say I Love You list.

WORDS: 1526

GENRE: fluff

FANDOM: Inukag

FORMAT: multichapter

ALSO FOUND ON: AO3

Inuyasha was really trying to pump himself up. Perhaps way too hard. And the fact that he was failing miserably was driving him further up the wall.

He should be excited.

This Kikyo girl was fine. More than fine: she was perfect. Drop dead gorgeous, smart, sweet. They had been texting long enough for him to realize any guy would be lucky to have her. Which, as it turned out, wasn’t that long at all.

And yet, after she asked him out and he promptly accepted the invitation, Inuyasha wasn’t as thrilled as he knew he was supposed to be at the prospect.

He tried, in vain, to convince himself that there was a plausible explanation for his less than stellar reaction — Kikyo had just caught him off guard, that was all — and when it didn’t work, he blamed his lack of enthusiasm on the snobby restaurant she had chosen. The French name alone made him feel painfully inadequate.

But the fault, even if he refused to admit it, was the girl next door’s.

Kagome Higurashi.

His neighbor, best friend and unrequited love. Not that she had the faintest idea she was more than two out of those three things.

The situation was straight up maddening. One moment, Inuyasha thought himself above the whole falling in love thing and the next, he was head over heels for the absolute last person he had business catching feelings for. The absolute last person.

It kept him up at night, the recounting of footsteps, wondering if there was a particular corner he could have turned, a different direction he could have taken to prevent himself from loving Kagome as deeply and hopelessly as he did or if every chosen path led back to her regardless and he never even stood a chance.

Inuyasha wasn’t sure which option was worse.

There was one thing, though, that he was certain of: Kagome Higurashi wasn’t perfect by any means.

Sure, she was just as sweet as Kikyo seemed to be, if not more. Ironically, he was the only person to not be on the receiving end of such grace. It was funny, really. The woman was kind to the point of naivety, except, of course, when it came to him. Apparently, something about Inuyasha manages to push her buttons down like no other. It was a gift and a privilege, making her lose her cool. No one else has seen this side of her. This fierce, terrifying — and honestly sort of sexy — side.

Smart? Kagome was obnoxiously so, but it mattered little when so much intelligence was used for evil. And by evil he meant winning every fucking argument they’ve ever had. Whether she was telling him off or calling him out, Kagome was never afraid of putting him in his place with that sharp as knives tongue of hers. The fact that she could read him like one of the books he constantly found himself competing for her attention with was both comforting and unnerving and the only thing more frustrating than when she stubbornly got into her head that she was right about something was that more often than not she was.

And yes, Kagome was gorgeous, but not in the icy beauty way the media insisted guys were attracted to, although she had a rather annoying share of guys sniffing after her. No, she was gorgeous the way a drive home during the sunset was gorgeous. Real and warm. Familiar yet never the same, each dusk always beautiful in a new, different way. You watch it a thousand times, you unconsciously know it’s there today and it’s gonna be there tomorrow, then you take it for granted until you’re casually hit on the most mundane of occasions with just how dazzling it is. Suddenly it’s all you can see.

Inuyasha was aware those weren’t thoughts he was supposed to have about his best friend, especially when he was getting ready to go out with someone else. It went against everything he has ever been taught and Inuyasha knew he would be breaking his poor mother’s heart if she could see him now.

It wasn’t his intention to lead Kikyo — or anyone else — on, but Miroku was right: all it took was one real good date. If he couldn’t risk losing what he had with Kagome by making a move on her, he could only move on. Maybe Kikyo was the solution, the cure to this affliction.

Inuyasha shook his head in an attempt to get away from his reverie.

He was going to be late at this pace.

Dressed on black jeans and his best shoes, he searched the closet for his favorite sweater — the red one he has owned since forever — growing impatient when he couldn’t find it.

Did I leave my sweater there, Inuyasha texted Kagome while he expanded his search from the laundry basket to his unmade bed — on and under —, then behind the couch and to progressively more ridiculous places. Nothing. He checked his phone for an answer, but Kagome hadn't even read his message.

Which was perfectly fine.

Just because she didn’t reply as quickly as she usually did, didn’t mean something happened. She was a grown woman who was most likely busy. No need to get antsy.

He did need the sweater, though.

Mind made up, Inuyasha threw in the first clean shirt he could find and walked to her door, unceremoniously turning the knob and frowning at the realization that it was locked. Great. She either wasn’t home or chose this of all days to finally take his advice and keep the goddamn thing secured for once.

“Kagome,” he tried, gently knocking. It looked like she wasn’t there. Inuyasha knocked again to make sure, a little firmer this time. He was debating going back to his apartment to get the emergency key she gave him when his ears caught the sound of her clumsy footsteps approaching. The lights went on and she unlocked the door.

“Hey, have you seen—”

Kagome was a mess. Her hair was up in a chaotic bun, loose strands hanging from everywhere and framing her pale face. Her scent was wrong, the pink that normally colored her cheeks was concentrated on her small nose and her eyes were extremely puffy, but most importantly: right there, covering her petite body was—

“—my sweater.”

“Uh?” Slowly, Kagome followed his gaze, her doe eyes impossibly wide as she looked down at herself. “Oh, zorry! You wand this back,” she said, making a motion to take it off.”

“Don’t be stupid,” he countered, blushing immediately, “you’re sick.”

“I’m fined.”

Inuyasha ignored her, letting himself in and closing the door behind him, not at all proud of himself for promptly conjuring up a hundred ways of getting her to wear his clothes again and a thousand more of making her take them off.

“Why didn’t you tell me,” he asked, “I could’ve come sooner if you had answered my text,” Inuyasha added, carefully avoiding to let out how anxious not hearing from her had made him.

“Phone died and the beds took be out,” she finished her explanation with a sneezy.

“Ya feelin’ any better?”

“Yeah,” she lied, walking to the couch and wrapping herself into a blanket-made cocoon.

“Have ya eaten anything?”

“Not hungry.” Inuyasha reached for Kagome’s forehead to check her temperature but she moved away, “Don’t wand you to get zick too.”

“Idiot,” he touched her anyway, “half demons don’t get sick.” Her skin was concerningly heated and Inuyasha knew right then he wasn’t going anywhere that night. “You’re burnin’ up.”

“I’ve always been hot,” she joked.

“And now you’re delusional too,” he informed her in his best fake patronizing tone. Kagome’s laugh quickly turned into a coughing fit, so Inuyasha took a seat and brought her feet to his lap. “Alright, here’s what’s going to happen,” he began, fishing his phone off his pocket and selecting Kikyo’s contact, “I’ll put on some trash movie for us while you drink lots and lots of fluids. I’m gonna make you a soup and my mother’s famous antidote—”

“I’m not drinking liber again.”

He looked at her long enough to say “you’re gonna drink whatever I give ya, you big baby,” before returning his focus to the message app, rapidly typing I’m so sorry to cancel, but my friend got sick and I’m on nursing duty. Raincheck? and pressing send. “If you don’t get better then, I’m taking you to the hospital. Get that?”

“Whad about your plans?”

“Hm?”

“That’s whad you wanded the sweater for, right?”

Blowing off a hot date in favor of staying home with his sick girl friend was something Miroku would never let him live down and Inuyasha would be lying if he said he was looking forward to that particular conversation, but in that moment, he couldn’t care less.

A platonic cozy night with Kagome still sounded infinitely better than any potential romance a stranger could offer.

“This is more important,” Inuyasha shrugged. “Now,” he continued, pointing the remote to her flat screen and willing the streaming service to start, “what do you want to watch?”

A/N.: sorry about last chapter, here's a peace offering for the "modern" prompt of @inukag-week

#Inukag #Inukag Week #Inukag Week 2023 #One Hundred Ways To Say I Love You #Sidposting

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a-writers-blurbs · 7 months

Text

TROPE-TASTIC

So I'm trying something I saw on rumble. Basically, I'm making a list of the prompts I'm using for this story challenge.

Problem is... I need 30 prompts I can work with... I've only found 19.

Anyway...

This is what I'm working on. I'd love to see others interpretations of these prompts, so feel free to use them in your own chapter or one shot stories!

If you do, please link them to keep so I can read/promote them! If you post them here, add the hash tag #AWBsesskag

Genre: Humor/Romance/Angst

Twist: Try to use as many tropes as possible

Universe: Canon

Fandom: Inuyasha

Pairing: Sesshomaru x Kagome

Rating: M

Description:

A few weeks have passed since Sesshomaru & his group joined the Inutachi. No one knew why Sesshomaru started following them around. Nor did they understand him seeming obsession with their naieve miko.

Prompts!

(In no particular order)

Hot Spring: Much to her mortification, kagome winds up accidentally giving the males of her group a peep show.

Swordplay: Inuyasha & Sesshomaru argue over who's "sword" is bigger & who "swings" it better.

Plum Sake: Poor Sesshomaru is at a loss when drunk Kagome comes out to play

Fairytale: Kagome wakes up from a yokai induced sleep to a kiss from Sesshomaru while the kids cheer about her bedtime stories

Sleep: Sesshomaru watches kagome sleep, lost in thought. Meanwhile, Inuyasha watches him, jealousy building with every second that passes.

Instinct: Sesshomaru protects Shippo, Sango, & Miroku in Kagomes absence

False Claim: When Kogas antics go to far, Sesshomaru steps in to set things straight once & for all.

Liar: After an argument, Inuyasha leaves to be with kikyo for the night. Leaving Sesshomaru behind to pick up the pieces of a broken miko.

Acts of Honor: Sesshomaru captures Kohaku during battle, but instead of leaving him for dead, he returns him to Sango as the brother she remembers... not Narakus puppet.

Dishonorable: Sesshomaru scolds Miroku for his unfaithful & lecherous ways, much to the Monks embarrassment.

Festoval: Sesshomaru takes pride in spoiling the pack at a yokai celebration in honor of the balance between earths power, humans, & yokai.

Stormy Eyes: Injured, but furious... Kagome not only scolds but challenges Sesshomarus mother to a dual.

Healing: When Kagome is Injured, Sesshoumaru protects & cares for her in a way only a inu should care fot their mate, causing confusing feelings for Kagome.

Revelations: Sesshomaru opens up about his upbringing. Not realizing what he's describing is manipulation & abuse. His is when kagome decides her feelings for Sesshomaru are stronger than friendship.

Shame: Sesshomaru & his mother argue over his feelings over lagome, not realizing she overhears his lack of denial when his mother accuses him of being as shameful as his father for loving a human.

Enough: After finding Sesshomaru comforting her... Inuyasha goes too far with his insults towards kagome, resulting in an all out brawl.

Penis: Anyone who wants to visit the future kagome comes from,needs to be subjugated. Kagome decides on a word she would NEVER say to the kids.

Whore: Word around Tokys is that Higurashi Kagome is an unwed, teen mother whos getting kicked out of middle school for lying about being suck to chase a gangster two timer, only to turn around & switch to his brother. Her families reputation is in ruin.

Chickens: Sesshoumaru is HIGHLY unimpressed with Kagomes friends & the boy Hojo who couldn't take no for an answer.

Submitted by @anastasiaskarsgard

Control: Kagomes power has been compromised & she can no longer control it. When her reki violently lashes out during a disagreement, she fears she's hurt Sesshomaru

Collections: Poor Jaken. Once a leader in his own right, he abandoned his people to serve the most feared yokai in Nippon. For years, things had been wonderful. But recently, his master had taken up an odd hobby. Jacken just couldn't fathom why his master kept collecting human females!

Rawr: Ah-Un are in charge of watching over the children. All seems well & the large dragon is able to eat their grass in peace. But serenity never lasts & if Ah-Un wants to get back to their lunch, they'll need to teach the yokai attempting to sneak up on the camp a lesson.

I still need 8 more prompts (minimum to hit 30. The max is 45 chapters) I figure I should add some battle scenes somewhere, lol. If you have any Prompt ideas... especially funny ones... PLEASE comment them below. 💜

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zecretsanta · 1 year

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To: @cartyrs

From: @i0n4

hi! I saw you also liked wtc and it gave me so many ideas!

I wanted to elaborate on my choices so there's higurashi spoilers under the cut

happy holidays!

full disclosure I haven't finished the last few answer arcs, but I have a pretty good gist of what happens

Keiichi-> Junpei

Mion and Shion -> Nona and Ennea

Rika -> Akane

Rena -> Aoi

Satoshi -> Light

Satoko -> Clover

I was hesitant to make Akane younger than Junpei, but it made the most sense to me if I were to keep Aoi and Light teenagers, and I couldn't not make Akane take Rika's role as the timelooper! I think that would make all their relationships different than both Higurashi and Zero Escape

Light would have gone blind a few years ago, and since then would have joined the baseball team with accomodations from other locals (though the baseball bat looks best in Junpei's hands). in this AU, they wouldn't be wealthy and their parents would have died, and Light's overprotectiveness would lead him to killing their aunt

I just thought the idea of Junpei taking in Clover as his little sister and following in Light's footsteps and killing for her would be soo good

Aoi would be Akane's family and live with Akane and Clover at the shrine after their parents died and before Clover/Light's uncle returns, though I made him take Rena’s role-- maybe he'd tinker with scraps at the junkyard? to make his delinquent past possible, I think he would have left town to live in the city and come back after experiencing delusions. Akane would be looping indefinitely until morphogenetic-field-like things start happening (because I haven’t read the last arc I can’t elaborate too much)

Nona and Ennea just clicked as the Sonozaki twins, though it would be kind of sad for Hazuki to be their mom in this context... since they have little canon information on them I aligned them closer to Mion and Shion's personalities. if Ennea were to have a relationship with Light, I think it would have to be onesided but that should still enough for her to fulfill Shion's arc

and I think that's it! thanks for giving me the opportunity to explore the idea, I hope you enjoy ❤️✌️

#submission #zero escape #9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors #Zecret Santa 2022 #cartyrs #i0n4

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onewholivesinloops · 10 months

Note

Giving you an opportunity to talk about the parallels of satoko and sayo with this ask [both due to curiosity and because i enjoy reading your analysis posts about wtc]

Aaaaaaaaaa thank you. Incoherent Ramblings incoming.

Gou/Sotsu in general strikes me as Ryukishi revisiting the things he desperately wanted to convey to people through Sayo in Umineko and this is a huge part of why I love it so much. Because Umineko means so much to me, Gou/Sotsu also means so much to me.

I mean, the crux of Gou/Sotsu's loops is the syringe and how it can be used to create endless tales of tragedy, mirroring Yasu's endless catbox of fiction, and how the gold can be used to push anyone to become an accomplice in her murder schemes. Rena, Mion, Ooishi etc etc are all Satoko's 'accomplices' in these tales.

And Satoko's qualities as a witch lean into the idea of witches as creators who play with existing possibilities and scenarios, as well as leaning into the idea Satoko being an actress in a stage play before Eua who's the witch of theatergoing.

It's very much a literal expansion on the idea of the forgeries and the witch hunters were in Umineko, because it's Satoko presenting her fanfiction reinterpretations of the original Higurashi where she's the culprit this time. Featherine and Eua also play a similar role being omniscient deities who govern over works and the lives of others. Satoko saying all of these worlds are dreams, delusions, is very much like Sayo too.

Satoko may not be writing elaborate mysteries in the way Sayo made crimes and closed rooms that she wanted Battler to solve, but she's still communicating through her crimes and every action she takes, be it deliberately subverting Rika's expectations from the previous loops or leaving the syringes behind, is her desperately wanting to be seen by her the same way Sayo wanted to be seen.

Satoko is also obfuscating herself in a similar way to Sayo in terms of hiding herself behind fragmented identities and selves - the Satoko of 1988 vs the Satoko of 1983 vs Satoko the witch mirroring Shkanontrice. And though she wants Rika to see how she has been hurt, she also hides behind Oyashiro-sama and reframes Rika's 'sin' as a transgression against him in a similar way to how Sayo hides herself behind Beatrice.

People complained a lot about how a major theme of Higurashi is communication and how Gou/Sotsu ignores that, but Umineko is all about exploring how difficult things like communication and trust are, how difficult it can be for someone who is both literally and figuratively trapped, someone who's been abandoned all their life, and is deeply disadvantaged by society.

Satoko is an orphan, a queer young woman, a poor kid from a village in the middle of nowhere, and all these things make her disadvantaged by society at every level.

Everyone else's problems were resolved because the twins can easily reconnect, Rena can talk to her father and make him get it together, Rika is beloved by the entire village and their mascot, but Satoko is left with her comatose brother not back, an abusive uncle still out there, and Rika and that love is all she has.

She's someone who's lost. Someone who's been abused her entire life and has been left behind. The literal definition of someone with nothing, and Satoko lives, every single day, with the name of an abusive, ostracized family. No father, no mother. All of her friends moved on and the only person in her world is Rika by whom she's abandoned in an environment that is actively hostile towards her.

She's someone with complex PTSD and is neurodivergent, someone whose friends keep moving forward while she feels stagnant and stuck in the same time period.

Everyone is like "but she should have reached out" when Umineko was literally about how fleeting childhood can be for most children and how most children end up forgetting and moving on pretty easily, which contrasts the experience of children who are being abused.

Satoko probably didn't feel like she was significant to her friends anymore. Sure Keiichi and Rena were good friends and were always nice to her, but Satoko knew them for two or three years. Shion hated her and abused her for some time. Mion might've been kind to her and gave her a safe space within the club to escape the discrimination of the town, but she was still distant because of her family issues. Satoko only had Rika, that's how she felt.

I'm not saying the club didn't love Satoko, but again Umineko is all about how children can forget very easily. Time moves too quickly for a lot of people.

A childhood promise that mattered so much to one person may not matter as much to another, and isn't that the core of Sayo and Battler's conflict?

In a similar way Satoko and Rika assume that no one understood the other as much as they do, that they are the ones who know each other the best. Sayo also assumes Battler meant every word he said, that he'd definitely never forget his promise, and that it was something that meant just as much to him as it did her, but Battler quickly forgets after leaving the Ushiromiya family and thinks of it as something rather silly.

Satoko is at a point of complete suicide. She could never go on living as she had been and she wanted to die upon realizing that she had no choice but to go back to the tormenting loneliness of St. Lucia, a place that broke her because it abused her and exacerbated all of her worst traumas.

Satoko was also forced into a situation where she either breaks Rika or commits suicide and loses everything. And Satoko even gave Rika this choice from the beginning (but people like to act like she never tried to communicate or that she's entirely at fault because they hate abuse victims who lash out but I digress).

Either she denies Satoko and leaves her behind for St. Lucia so Satoko can commit suicide, or she stays with her in Hinamizawa. Rika can't have both, but Rika wants both anyway. She wants Satoko with her at St. Lucia and she's not willing to settle for less so she won't back down, which leaves Satoko with two choices: 1) make Rika feel that she has to stay or 2) vilify herself in Rika's eyes, so that Rika will finally give up on her. Satoko keeps leaving clues as syringes and she does things that never happen in Rika's original loops. She also literally says she knows Rika wants to leave Hinamizawa to go to a rich all girls school, but Rika doesn't want to believe Satoko is involved.

Which is again similar to how no one looks at Shannon as anything but submissive tradwife material or Kanon as sad emo child, there's no way they can be resentful or unforgiving, no way they can be Beatrice.

There was a huge amount of people who were mad that their sweet princess Satoko could be suicidal and struggle with reaching out to people, that she had no regard for her life or the lives of others even though it makes perfect sense for her to snap. People used to say very similar things about Shannon and Kanon in the past.

It's truly a time loop because we've gone from "Rena Shion yandere" to all of this about Sayo including people calling her "maid yandere" and now this. And it's just the same. But people still don't get it.

Anyway Rika purposefully ignores these clues, but Satoko is someone who wants to be solved by Rika and seen by her just like how Sayo wanted to be solved and seen by Battler.

I rambled about this before but I think marriage being a huge source of stress for Satoko because of her childhood and the fact that she loves Rika in a romantic way also mirrors Sayo putting the idea of marriage on a pedestal as a symbol of a new beginning and something that could save her from her miserable life, and yet she feels trapped within those expectations imposed on women, because women who can’t give a man a 'proper' family (read: children) are seen as worthless, and this makes Sayo feel like something is deeply wrong with her because she's infertile.

Gou/Sotsu is also deeply tragic in a similar way because it acknowledges that there's no perfect answer for Satoko just like how there wasn't one for Sayo, but it still wanted to grant Satoko a 'miracle'. It's just like Lion. The witch Satoko, our Satoko, leaves that fragment in the end, because no matter how angry she may be, she still wanted a version of herself to be happy even if that happiness is something that could never be her reality. The kind Teppei isn't her Teppei just like how Kinzo and Natsuhi in Lion's world aren't Sayo's. Lion existing is a source of comfort for Sayo after she passed and the miracle fragment is the same for Satoko. It's very tragic...

The part where Satoko is waiting to be killed by Rika, after she smiled and let her take the sword because Rika proved she understands her heart...also very similar to Beato wanting Battler to kill her.

Anyway.

#asks #angel-lepus #umineko #gamo.txt

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felixcloud6288 · 7 days

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Higurashi: Atonement Recap

This was the first time I've actually read this arc in its entirety. I've read bits and watched the anime, but this is the first time I've actually sat down to read this in its entirety. The same will be true of everything going forward.

This is my absolute favorite arc in Higurashi. This is billed as merely the Answer Arc to Abducted by Demons, but it is so much more than that.

I mentioned how I felt Eye Opening and Atonement work hand-in-hand to prepare us for the finale, and since I'm finished with this arc, I can go into more detail now.

Abducted by Demons introduced us to Higurashi and paved the way for Cotton Drifting to TRULY show us what Higurashi is. Abducted by Demons showed us the supernatural horror thriller aspect and once we were in, Cotton Drifting told us that we were actually trying to discover the truth behind the horrors.

Then we have Eye Opening and it introduces us to the concept the Answer arcs. It softballs us by presenting Answer arcs as alternate perspectives of events that clue us into what was really going on.

Then once we're in, Atonement comes in to show us what the Answer Arcs TRULY are. These aren't merely explaining what was actually happening; they're also telling us what could have been done differently to avoid a tragedy.

And with each arc, we're seeing the protagonists get a little closer to fully averting things. Eye Opening spiraled head-long into a tragedy and Shion only realized what she could have done differently after it was far too late. Atonement instead fought with itself constantly to keep things from being as bad as they could have, but it still couldn't stop tragedy from happening. And in the next arc, we'll see things progress even closer to averting tragedy.

Along with being the Answer arc to Abducted by Demons, Atonement is also half of the Answer to Curse Killing. We have a probable explanation to many of the more supernatural events that happened in that arc, such as what happened to Teppei's body and the reason behind Keiichi apparently being at the festival. Now Massacre will be able to focus on the "What could have been done?" aspect.

And noticeably, while other supernatural concepts have been presented and disproven, Atonement confirmed there is some supernatural aspect to the story. At the very least, Oyashiro is real, these arcs are actually events that have been repeating for 100 years, and Rika is aware of all of it.

I've mentioned it a few times that this arc is simultaneously a Question and Answer arc. Rena's perspective shows us the events leading to a tragedy and the half-truths and misunderstandings that drive her. And at the same time, we're shown Keiichi's perspective filling in the gaps and clearing things up.

And one devious thing it does at the start that I admittedly fell for is it uses your expectations from previous arcs to lie trick you into thinking the opposite of things at first. Keiichi has been the perspective character for three question arcs and perspective switched to Shion for the first answer arc. So when we have Rena as the perspective, we might think she's going to give us a clear perspective of Abducted by Demons, only to find out that's not going to happen at all.

Atonement manages to bring up Beyond Midnight's value to a degree. Since Atonement is not a retelling of a previous event, Beyond Midnight gives us an idea about what is ultimately supposed to happen. So we have that same sensation as in Eye Opening where we're left waiting to see how the tragedy happens. And that just leaves us wide open for when Keiichi remembers Abducted by Demons and there's suddenly a chance to avoid what will happen.

Ending-wise, this is the trap ending. Despite everything, we still get a bad ending where everyone dies. And it feels like we were cheated. Everyone worked hard to stop a tragedy; their bonds were strengthened; love redeemed; etc and then we're told BTW they all died in a gas eruption the next day.

You should be angry about this. The Disaster was a background event; a tragic and fitting end to a tragic tale. But now it's a tool that something is using to rob us of the happy ending everyone fought for.

We didn't get the grand miracle of a happy ending this time, but we did get a few small miracles. Keiichi remembered what he's done and will always trust his friends, Rena truly understands that her friends are there to help her, Ooishi realized how much of a fool he's been trying to pursue the Sonozakis, and Akasaka finally came back to the village. Next time, they'll do better and we'll be closer to a happy ending.

We've reached the end of the second act. All the smaller conflicts have been resolved and our protagonists can now face the true antagonist behind everything as we head into the final act.

One artistic quirk I've noticed through this arc is the use of light and dark. Scenes with Keiichi tend to be brightly lit and take place during the day. Meanwhile scenes with Rena tend to be more dimly lit and take place at night. There also appeared to be a very minimal shadow filter over Rena-centric scenes.

The full moon appears a lot during the latter parts of the arc (And apparently was out for a full week) and most instances we see it are tied to scenes related to Rena's fears, Keiichi's sense of powerlessness, and the moment Rena calls out Keiichi for his crimes.

But when Keiichi and Rena fight each other, it peaks out of the clouds and brightens the sky, as if that's the moment when Rena could truly be saved. It dimmed only during the moment when Rena was about to kill Keiichi only to become even brighter when she realized what she was doing.

All that being said, this was my favorite panel.

I don't have any particularly deep reason for it. Rena was hiding in the dark of a broken van when she decided to turn on a lamp, and this is what she imagined in that moment when she was processing all the bloody handprints she saw.

I guess we could say it represents her own fears at the moment. She is stumbling in the dark, grasping for whatever she can find and afraid that there are enemies all around her waiting for her to make herself visible to them.

But anyway, I chose it cause it looks cool and creepy.

And now for the summation of the story and the greater mystery. As mentioned earlier, this arc reveals there are supernatural aspects to the story, but Oyashiro appears to be a benign figure at worst. We haven't gotten much information about the mysteries or the cause of the Disaster this arc. Instead, the protagonists became equipped to figure this out in the future.

That said, I did bring up a few things in Chapter 7 that likely tie Irie, Takano, and Tomitake to the "Tokyo" organization first mentioned in Time Killing. But we don't have any additional information to use and we can't say what role "Tokyo" has in all this.

We also were given extra details arguing that the Disaster was some sort of coverup. However the actual reason behind it is muddied by Takano's occult writing.

So let’s sum everything up.

Bold text is new info.

Character Info:

Keiichi Maebara: He moved to Hinamizawa three weeks ago. He was a generally average student but excelled when he started cram school. However he became frustrated and his father decided to move to Hinamizawa after some things happened. the stress caused Keiichi to assault little girls with a toy gun, causing one girl to suffer serious eye injury.

Rena Ryugu: Birth name “Reina”. She had moved out of Hinamizawa when she was younger. At some point she assaulted three boys with a bat and smashed every window in her school. In her psych evaluations, she frequently talked about Oyashiro-sama as if she is possessed by it. She moved back to Hinamizawa a year ago. Her mother had an affair and left Rena and her father leading to her behavior and decision to rename herself.

Mion Sonozaki: Leader of the group’s after-school club. She has several misdemeanors due to her actions during the village’s protest against the dam project. She’s the heir to the Sonozaki family and lives with her grandmother. She has a demon tattoo on her body. She was born as Shion Sonozaki but was forced to become Mion when she was given the demon tattoo.

Satoko Hojo: Related to the second and fourth set of victims. She and Rika live together. She had a bad relation with her step-father to the point she falsely accused him of abuse. She relied heavily on her brother when they were living with their aunt and uncle. She believes herself cursed because she had damaged the statue of Oyashiro-sama a few years ago.

Rika Furude: Related to the third set of victims. Rika is the head of the Furude family which is one of the main houses of Hinamizawa. She’s in charge of the priesthood. Rika is believed to be the reincarnation of Oyashiro. She has the power to see the future and foresaw the murders as well as her own imminent death in 1983. She's able to communicate with Oyashiro and has been aware of the repeating cycle of events. She has existed for about 100 years.

Shion Sonozaki: Mion’s twin sister. Shion lives in Okinomiya with their parents. She’s the manager for the Hinamizawa Fighters baseball team. She loved Satoshi and has been trying to uncover the truth of the series of murders after he vanished. She was born as Mion Sonozaki but was forced to become Shion when her sister got the demon tattoo.

Curaudo Ooishi: A detective with the local prefecture who wants to figure out the cause of all the deaths. He suspects a group within the village is behind the deaths. The villagers call him Oyashiro-sama’s messenger because he’s interacted with every victim prior to their deaths. He has dealt with the Sonozakis in the past and has a scar because of it. He was friends with the dam project manager.

Jirou Tomitake: A photographer who visits Hinamizawa several times through the year. He died by scratching out his throat. Jirou Tomitake is not his real name.

Miyo Takano: A nurse at the local clinic. She’s interested instudying the doctrines of Hinamizawa. She went missing after the Cotton Drifting Festival. She was strangled and her corpse was cremated. Her autopsy suggests she died the night before the festival however. The night of the festival, Takano was driving off the main road with Tomitake’s bike in the backseat. She wrote several occult stories based on Hinamizawa's legend. And while they're not true, she did correctly predict the disaster in one of them.

Kyosuke Irie: The main doctor of the Irie clinic. He is also the coach to the Hinamizawa Fighters.

Satoshi Hojo: Satoko’s older brother. He used to be part of the after-school club. He disappeared a year ago. Prior to his disappearance, he started carrying a bat and practiced his swinging. He also became distant from the club. Satoshi may have been the one who killed his aunt. It was believed that he had been saving money to buy Satoko a doll, but then he withdrew the money and vanished on her birthday. However the doll Satoko wanted had been purchased that day.

Mamoru Akasaka: A police officer from Tokyo. He came to Hinamizawa in 1978 to investigate a kidnapping case. Rika warned him to return to Tokyo and later told him about the imminent series of murders and asked Akasaka to save her. Akasaka did not heed her warnings and as a result, his wife died in an accident. He never returned to Hinamizawa, but later wrote a book about the mysteries about it. He returned to Hinamizawa 22 years.

Village details:

Hinamizawa was originally known as Onigafuchi. The residents were believed to be descended from demons and the nearby villages offered tribute out of fear.

Oyashiro-sama is believed to be a god who gave the demons human form so they could live amonst humans

After the war, Mion’s grandfather, Souhei Sonozaki, used black market funds to bring great prosperity to the village.

There are three main houses in Hinamizawa: The Sonozakis, the Kimiyoshis, and the Furudes.

The villagers have a strong sense of unity and will work together to cover up any crimes a villager has done. However, this has allowed someone to slip into the village and commit murders unimpeded.

Murder Mystery details:

Since 1979, someone has died each year during the Cotton Drifting Festival.

The first death was the director of the Dam Project. He was murdered and dismembered by several people. The person who took the right arm is still at large. However, the Director might still be alive.

The second death was Satoko’s parents. They fell off a cliff. The wife’s body was never found.

The third death was Rika’s parents. Her father died of an illness and her mother drowned herself in the swamp. Her body was never found.

The fourth death was Satoko’s aunt. She was beaten to death. Satoko’s brother Satoshi also went missing around that time. While a drug addict had been convicted for the murder, it may be possible that Satoshi was the actual killer.

The fifth death was Jirou Tomitake. He clawed out his throat after apparently being attacked by several people. Tomitake’s death is suspected of being drug induced.

Miyo Takano was also murdered. She was strangled and then burned.

Every death has a pattern of one discovered death and one missing person. People in the village refer to the disappearances as the person being “demoned away”.

The villagers refer to the series of deaths as Oyashiro-sama’s curse due to the connections to the dam project. However, each new victim is less and less connected to the project. Tomitake had no connection at all, and Ooishi suspects the murderers are just targeting outsiders at this point.

Oyashiro-sama’s Curse and other mysteries

Rika Furude was found disemboweled outside Furude Shrine. The reason and perpetrator are unknown.

Poisonous gas erupted from Onigafuchi swamp enveloping the village and killing its residents. The disaster is neither natural nor divine in origin. The local environment is completely unharmed, implying the poison gas eruption is not true at all.

Rika predicted the series of murders and her own death. However, she did not foresee the destruction of the village.

Many relatives to the villagers went mad after the disaster and several died under mysterious circumstances.

One speculation is the villagers were infected by alien brain parasites and the disaster was a coverup by the government trying to eradicate them. While there is likely some coverup, the alien parasite theory was a story made by Takano.

The village was closed off for 20 years after the disaster.

Onigafuchi swamp was sealed with concrete early in the containment, supposedly to seal the poison gas.

The World as a whole:

Oyashiro is real, but their involvement in all this is unknown.

The world has been trapped in a loop for roughly 100 years.

Rika appears to be the only one aware of the loop.

Additional Speculations:

A group called "Tokyo" was behind the kidnapping incident in 1978. It has no affiliation with the Sonozakis or any major figures in the village.

One of the kidnappers in the incident is working as a gardener.

There are some loose affiliations that might tie Tokyo to Irie, Takano, and Tomitake but the true nature of that affiliation is unknown.

back

#higurashi no naku koro ni #higurashi no naku koro ni reread #higurashi when they cry

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petri808 · 9 months

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25 for inukag 😉, but it's okay if you don't wanna do it. This is a purely random suggestion from me haha

“Sharing an umbrella at a bus stop as it snows.” Here’s a silly short Inukag ficlet :)

Inuyasha peers around the corner of the bookshelf, checking to see if anyone is paying attention to him. When he sees no one is, he strolls over to a certain section of the shoujo mangas acting all nonchalant, taking his time as if not there for anything in particular. He scans the titles gingerly, and when another shopper turns their back, he makes a move, quickly reaching out without looking at the one he wants. But instead of the hard spine of a book, his hand hits something warm. Eh? His head immediately turns to look and there standing next to him is a young woman around his age, also with her hand on the last volume.

Instantly, he retracts his hand and ears turn back. “Sorry, I um… it’s not for me, it’s for a friend who um loves this series… f-for her birthday.”

“Oh,” the woman responds as she finishes pulling the book from the shelf. She takes a look at it, then hands it to him. “Here, I can wait for them to restock.”

Inuyasha’s head tips slightly in confusion. “Are you sure?” Isn’t this woman going to say anything else or tease?

“Yeah,” she smiles again. “Don’t worry, it’s fine.”

Figuring he should just accept it. “T-thanks,” he mumbles, then rushes to the cashier, leaving behind the bewildered woman.

As soon as he gets out of the store, Inuyasha rushes away with the bag clutched to his chest. Oh, why the hell did he have to get involved with this stupid story! It’s all Miroku’s fault for making him read it! Okay, it was Miroku’s fault at first, but now all he has is himself to blame. But it’s a good story! He’s always thought these shoujo stories are sappy romance crap for women, but who knew they could be interesting. Like take this one. It’s about a princess, yes, but she’s no shrinking violet. When her father is killed, she runs away along with her bodyguard and they set out in search of help to take back the kingdom. There’s dragons and battles, adventures and more battles! Sure, there’s a love story woven in, but the fighting is badass! So, every two months or so when a new volume is released, Inuyasha battles the shoujo manga aisles to grab a copy, always making sure not to get caught by anyone— until now.

And it’s just his luck, that when he arrives at the bookstore two months later for the new volume, guess who he spies in the aisle? It’s her! This becomes the new routine for the next several months! Why all of a sudden is he running into her? Sometimes she gets there before him and he has to wait, and sometimes he gets there first only to see her walking in as he’s leaving. Of course, he pretends not to see her, but he’s sure, based on the funny looks she’s shot his way that he’s been busted. Kami must be playing a prank on him for sure. He’s thought about going to another bookstore, but the closest is two more stops away on the train and not worth the additional 20 minutes.

Truthfully, that’s all a lie. It’s not about the time, but it’s because Inuyasha’s become intrigued with the woman. The times she beats him to the aisle, he hides around the corner and watches. Sometimes she’s with a friend or chatting on the phone and he can hear some of the conversations. That’s how he’s learned her name is Kagome or that she’s from the nearby Higurashi shrine, and that she also goes to the local university. She’s got this pretty jet black hair that has a bit of wave to it instead of completely straight, and brown, almond-shaped eyes. Fair white skin with rarely any blemishes despite not wearing makeup on a toned figure. A beauty like is her is probably taken if that mousy brown-haired nerd that’s sometimes around her is any indication. Inuyasha’s never seen anything to suggest they’re in a relationship, well, in her eyes they’re not based on the distance she keeps from him, but he’s definitely hopeful.

It’s a new year as January has brought along a wintery white blanket over Tokyo. They rarely get so much snow in the city, but today is an exception. As a hanyo, Inuyasha luckily doesn’t get cold as quickly as humans so he thought it would be fine to just head out in a coat. Run out, grab the new volume and get back home. To bad for him, he didn’t expect that she would brave this weather too. He manages to slip in and out with his purchase before she sees him, then heads to the bus stop.

He looks at his watch. “Damn, it is cold,” Inuyasha mumbles as he pulls the coat closer around his neck. Where is the bus? Is it late because of the snow? Ugh, they really should put a covered bus stop here for times like this! If anymore snow coats his long white hair it’s going to become a mess when it starts to defrost. Suddenly, a shadow falls over Inuyasha and a voice that prickles the hair on his nape.

“Oh, hello again!” Kagome greets while holding her umbrella over their heads. “Stopped in for the new release?”

“Tch, no! I told you, that was just once for a gift!” Inuyasha retorts. “Why would I buy a girly manga?”

“Because you buy one every two months,” she quips back with a teasing tone.

“I said it’s not for me, it’s for a friend.” Inuyasha states plainly trying not to let her rile him up.

“Mmhmm,” Kagome hums. “The same friend or do you have different friends each month with a birthday?”

“Tch!” he’s totally busted! “Fine! Okay, so I like this story.” Inuyasha crosses his arms and turns away. “Is it so bad for a guy to like this stuff sometimes?”

“Nope,” she replies. “I think it’s cute.”

The chill around Inuyasha has quickly grown warm as blood floods his cheeks.

“By the way,” she continues, “my name is Kagome. What’s yours?”

“Inuyasha,” he mumbles. “And I know. You’re with the Higurashi shrine.”

Kagome pokes him. “Eh, are you stalking me?”

“Stalking you! You must be stalking me by the way we always meet here!”

She shrugs, “maybe a little.”

Inuyasha gasps and steps out from under the umbrella ready to run if necessary. “What??”

“I’m kidding!” Kagome laughs and pulls his arm to drag him back. “Relax and get back under here idiot. The snows getting heavier, so, let’s start over, hmm? We at least have the manga in common, so how about we go wait in that cafe,” she points as she talks, “and grab something warm to drink since the bus is so late.”

Inuyasha considers it… something warm to drink does sound nice… “yeah, sure.” He responds and takes the umbrella from her to hold. Hell if he’s not gonna be a gentleman even if his grumpy tone says otherwise. “I’ll treat since you’re sharing your umbrella with me.”

Kagome smiles and weaves her arm through the crook of his to stay close underneath as they walk. “I’ll be the princess and you can be my bodyguard.”

That makes Inuyasha snort a laugh. “And what kingdom are we taking back?”

“Mm,” she taps her chin, “How about just going on a new adventure?”

#inukag #inukag ficlet #inukag fanfic #inuyasha

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anawkwardlady · 2 months

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(Warning, sleepy rant incoming, proceed at your own risk)

Is it just me me or does wtc just have an allergy to dismantling structural evil. It goes "wow it sucks" but like a lot of stories it never gives a conclusion. Higurashi with how shion is presented as selfish for not "taking responsibility" instead of admitting the family is evil and that their structures of power need to be torn down, instead blaming everything on a secret operation by takano. Like, can't we just accept that the town is a bit fucked up instead of it being some outsider's fault? And accepting the town is fucked doesnt mean ignoring how the goverment fucked over the town, u know?

Without love it cannot be see? Well you can love something and know that it needs to be put down

Umineko to a lesser extent, by sheer virtue of the Ushiromias being blown asunder- but I am still salty about the lion timeline. Like yes we are shown the servants suffering and told to sympathise but there is no conclusion for the servants- only the family, which I guess makes since since the story focuses on the family but it still bothers me. I don't like how the relatives of the kumasawa are portrayed, it reminded me of this one sherlock story we had to read for lit where sherlock says that the poor are gossips and good only for the information they may give. Its more complicated than that but you get the point, they are not afforded the same dignity.

Ciconia is still up in the air cause maybe the narrator is unreliable, or maybe ryukishi is being a centrist, I don't know.

That doesn't mean I dislike wtc... okay I dislike higurashi but that's mostly for other reasons and I still adore rena- but I love umineko and I'm fascinated by it structurally- but I feel like I have to say this to someone or I'll explode

It's not like this problem is unique to wtc, the "return to norm" is the ending to heroes journey in writing, a structural tool that is very widespread and is very easily utilised for centrist storywriting, and I'd go as far as saying the heroes journey is inheritly centrist but I'm too sleep deprived and under qualified to make that argument

(For clarification I'm not saying wtc uses the heroes journey as a basis I'm just saying stories with a centrist basis are common because stories that use the heroes journey are common)

None of this is even probably intentional, but isn't that worse? That centrist thinking is this deeply embedded into the worlds cultural subconscious?

Sorry for the incomprehensible rant, I need to sleep

Okay,

So I don't agree that everything is blamed on Takano. The way the town treated Satoko was very much on them and I believe we were shown how everyone was ridiculous and stuck up on a "We can't be normal to this family because the village is against them therefore I should be against them" mentality and Oryo stubbornness on this. Takano's actions were what they were but she didn't make the locals bully a little girl. I believe we were also shown this during the violent argument Keiichi had with Mion and Rena when they were asking each other what to do with Satoko. Keiichi started blaming Mion for not taking her in, then Rena showed his hypocrisy because he is also pretty well off... and you know whats sad about that : they're all kids fighting about how to save an abused little girl because they're almost all neglected to some point and they can't reach out. Can't really see a better proof that their respective families and the village itself are dysfunctional beside how Takano's plan interacted with it.

And yeah for Umineko the servants were pretty neglected at the end, as you said its because it mostly focuses on the family itself but I get this criticism. I can't say anything about Ciconia, haven't read it. But I also don't think its inherently a return to normal, a lot of them seem to find piece but i'd argue they not unharmed. I think a lot of it is trying to say you have been hurt and still find some kind of balance, which, considering Ryukishi's background I get why he would rather go that route even if it can completely be criticized (I sometimes have some point i'm a bit "meh" about when handling abuse and forgiveness but whatever). I'm not a literary professional tho lol, what do I know about all of that.

#answered #umineko spoilers #higurashi spoilers

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