Lazyboi

If it were just a normal H-game, I wouldn’t have bothered recommending it in the first place, author-san. Despite what it looks like on the surface, Black Souls is a journey of suffering and bitterness, so be warned that not everything will be everlasting. But yeah, as you guessed, it’s plot-heavy with a ton of mystery to top, so I suggest you only look it up when you’re free from your finals. Trust isn’t something that happens overnight, so you don’t need to fret over it. I brought the topic up because I want you to at least be aware that unconditional trust in your abilities as a writer can’t exist if you aren’t able to build it in the first place. Hmm, your perception of Abigail when it comes to lemons is an odd one, author-san. If it’s because of her childish mannerisms and physical age, then you need to remember that she isn’t a normal child by any means. Her unique position as a priestess and vessel of an Outer God is what allows you to write her as something beyond what she’s normally associated with. I’d even dare say she’s akin to a witch because of that. Following that line of thought, if done correctly, you likely wouldn’t even see her as a ‘child’ anymore. That is precisely the idea I’m interested in exploring when we talk about the subject of ‘taboos.’ Regarding the topic of harems, I sympathize with your complaint about a girl entering the harem and becoming irrelevant right after. It’s a common occurrence because many authors don’t think that far ahead or are just too eager for harem-seeking shenanigans. That, I believe, is why we need to plan who is going to be in the harem before even picking up the pen, so that we can account for their relevance without much trouble. To add to your notion of the ideal harem, I also believe there need to be struggles and conflicts before the harem can actually be formed. It’s partly why I chose the Witches of Sin as the focus for the Re:Zero story. If there’s one thing I like about witches, it’s that they don’t play nice with each other. That’s why they can sometimes be your ally, enemy, friend, or rival. In that regard, the ultimate question of the story is: How does one truly create a path where ‘everyone’ can walk together? The Fool alone can’t accomplish it; it requires the effort of everyone in the harem for that destination to be realized.

Nope, I do mean “Black Souls” when I said that. It’s a H-game inspired by the Souls games and fairy tales, so your guess isn’t technically wrong. It’s quite an interesting game from what I know of it, considering it grants you, as the player, the ability to both head-pat and outright R (you can fill in the last three letters yourself) the waifus you come across. In the end, it doesn’t force you to do anything; the choices are entirely yours. The first Black Souls leans more toward the H aspect, but the second game is where the series truly shines, as the creator shifted focus to the mystery elements. That’s why I compared it to Umineko, considering it blends mystery, horror, and meta elements into one package. Not to mention the suffering as well. Also, I don’t think this platform will shadowban the word. If it does, I have my ways of checking. Although, I believe this message of yours did get shadowbanned, author-san. As I mentioned, the four-letter word used to describe characters like Ophis and Koneko has made it onto the list. If you want trust, you have to earn it rather than assuming it will happen naturally. Like I said, the best approach is to be confident in what you implement in your stories and to assure readers that the details you add all matter in some way. In principle, it’s a show, not tell kind of thing. Ultimately, it depends entirely on you not being careless with what you include. That’s why the planning phase remains crucial. I’ll say this in the most unironic way possible: the age of a character isn’t something to stress over. Fanfiction is all about diving into what’s considered unusual, so taboo subjects are appealing in a way. You just need to ensure that any romance involving characters like Koneko doesn’t come across as creepy, and the rest will work itself out. It’s all fiction at the end of the day, so you don’t need to limit yourself due to moral pressure. Of course, the same can’t be said for real life XD. As for peer pressure, people will always have something to say against you, so it’s best not to pay too much attention, especially if it comes from this platform. I think it’s the growth factor that I enjoy the most when it comes to romance with those types of characters. It just feels interesting, you know? After all, you’re adding maturity to characters that people usually see as mascots more than anything else, which I think is just wasteful. That’s something that influenced my previous attempt to change your perception of writing Ophis beyond the trope she’s usually associated with by adding more depth. Lastly, what do you think about the concept of a harem that needs to be realized? Something I find uninspiring about TRIS characters in harem stories is that most, if not all, already harbor the desire to form one at the start of the story. This is to be expected in wish-fulfillment narratives. After all, if you found yourself in a world filled with waifus you once thought were fictional, it would be natural to want that. However, that’s exactly why it feels uninspiring to me; the simplicity of how it comes about. It’s even worse when the desire to form a harem arises from a single person—the protagonist—making the goal feel empty. In the end, I believe a harem should be a group effort, with struggles and development along the way, to make the final realization truly satisfying to see. That is one of the biggest reasons I want to use an OC protagonist for the Re:Zero story; to explore where such an idea for harem formation can go.

"Why should I waste my time reading this when I could be reading something much better that caters to my preferences?" That is true, isn’t it? We never have enough time for anything in our limited lifespans, so we must be careful about what we choose to waste it on. In the end, the advice is always on the table for you, author-san, so if you ever don’t know what to do with your free time, you should remember what I said when reading lengthy fics. Y/N stories are something we all gravitated toward in the beginning of our reading journeys, huh? I’m just glad I didn’t stay with them for too long because I certainly don’t want to become someone who inserts themselves into every fanfiction protagonist they find. I don’t believe it’s the fandom that determines whether a fanfic is good or bad. Rather, it depends on how well the author can expand and innovate while maintaining the original tone through their own imagination, like your example of Kur*inu. Though it still surprises me to this day that good writers generally have a certain fascination with series of this ‘type.’ Now, if only I could read a good Black Souls fanfic once it gains enough recognition from the right people… Also, if you enjoyed Umineko, then you may like Black Souls 2, author-san. That game is simply full of ‘fluff’ and suffering. The line of thought regarding the trust between the author and the reader originally came to me from Umineko, so you weren’t wrong in that guess, author-san. The Witch’s Illusion, from what I remember, is at the forefront of that concept, as it also serves as Ryukishi07 telling his readers to trust in the process—and, most of all, to trust in him to deliver. I don’t believe my question was about the types of trust, was it? That said, I was referring to unconditional trust in the author’s ability to deliver. You haven’t answered my follow-up question, by the way, since that was actually the one I wanted to discuss. Nonetheless, establishing that kind of trust in the first place requires the author to truly understand what they’re writing and ensure that every detail they include has a purpose. You don’t even need to tell your readers this outright; as long as you maintain that “assurance,” people will come to realize that you are indeed capable of creating an amazing story. That trust is the final component in allowing a story to truly reach a satisfying conclusion for both sides, regardless of whether it adheres to preferences or not. I believe you’re getting to that level, but just not with your current Honkai fic, due to the number of holes it has as your first story. Also, I’ve been thinking about this, and I believe I’ve finally realized why I’m so invested in making you a better writer, author-san. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that older, more experienced writers tend to produce some truly special fics. However, their biggest limitation is that they can never fully break away from what is considered taboo. Take an author’s dilemma with Koneko in their DxD fic, for example. While the relationship between her and the protagonist had been developed well enough throughout the chapters, the author faltered at the final step, which was adding her to the harem. Her age was something he had struggled with from the moment he even considered including her. Ultimately, because she acted and looked her age, he couldn’t bring himself to handle her character without feeling disgusted with himself. Perhaps the ending of the story will prove otherwise, since I’m still catching up, but I doubt it. I believe the difference with you, as a new-generation writer, author-san, is that you seem more willing to break away from this mindset. As long as you can provide enough mental growth to the character, taboos like too youthful appearance, age gaps, and maturity become things of the past. The only thing left is to further refine your skills and thought process, reaching the achievements of past writers while still retaining what makes you, You.

I think you’re right on the money with my risen standards, author-san. The downside, though, is that most of the fics I used to enjoy have now become almost unreadable, given my new perception of what makes a good story. It’s hard to see them the same way as before. That said, it’s not a total loss as I’ve also gained a newfound appreciation for some old fics I’ve read again. One thing I’ve learned from reading is that you only need to hold onto a single aspect you truly enjoy in a fic. If you do that, you can breeze through the rest of the story with ease. Why am I telling you this? It ties into the phrase, “You won’t know until you try.” But how long does it actually take for that realization to settle in? This dilemma applies to good fanfics that may take a considerable number of chapters before they truly click with you. However, if you immediately discard a story or grow disinterested after just a few chapters, you might miss out on something worthwhile. That’s why I believe focusing on just one enjoyable aspect can eventually lead to discovering hidden treasures that nurture the reader’s soul. Oh, I have no doubt that diamonds can be found as long as you keep searching; even in Chinese fics with their often terrible English translations. Still, the way most of those stories handle transitions isn’t something I see myself returning to anytime soon. I prefer more logical connections and details woven directly into the narrative rather than some guy having measurement contest with his system, or the fact that most of them can’t get away from the system concept. I’d get legitimate whiplash if you somehow admitted to reading those kinds of stories, author-san. Just to be clear, I don’t condemn them. They simply cater to a particular group of readers that has been stereotyped to kingdom come in media for a long time now, which wouldn’t align with what I know of you. On a different note, here’s another interesting question for you: How much do you believe in the idea of trust between an author and their readers? Furthermore, how can that trust be established in the first place?

I wouldn’t say I’m all that different from you, author-san. Also, what’s with this, “has ascended and looks for a special type that scratches that itch”? You make it sound like I’ve become an entirely new species of reader. A lot of what I look for in fanfiction remains relatively the same, but the most noticeable difference is that I want to find a story that heighten the emotional tones as well. I have always been, and will always be, somewhat of a romance connoisseur, so fics that can truly define the moments between the protagonist and the waifus hold a special place for me. I don’t think your issue with fics that have only one female lead is quite what you assume. There’s a reason why the “harem vs single pairing” debate in fanfiction still hasn’t been settled even today. I prefer harem, and because of that, whenever I see a fic without one, I instinctively develop a biased distaste toward almost everything the author does to connect the female lead and the protagonist. Of course, there are fanfics where the author is simply terrible at making the developing relationship feel genuine to readers. There’s nothing wrong with cutting possibilities, as it helps to limit expectations for the story. As a reader, seeing something like that does make me feel a bit upset, but I understand why some authors do it. The alternative would just be inviting unpleasant people who make it their mission to tear you and your story apart. It’s impossible to cater to every audience, author-san, and I think you already know that well enough as a writer. In the end, whatever the author chooses to do is something we, as readers, have to accept if we want to engage with the story without letting our biases cloud our judgment. If not, well… there’s always filtering. Your example of immediately clicking out upon finding out the female lead was Zendaya’s MJ is a perfect demonstration of that. For me personally, I can definitely go above and beyond for a story as long as the female lead is small and flat-chested. So yeah, in most cases, they would be “you know what I mean” (seems like even that word got on the shadowban list). The other exception would be characters with a twisted nature, like the witches from Re:Zero and Umineko. “So isn’t it just pure stupidity for the author to limit his potentially godlike MC?” I think this is a clear example of expectations making it hard for you to enjoy certain stories. I’d argue that making an MC too carefree is actually what ruins immersion; either immediately or somewhere down the line in hindsight. There’s really nothing to take away from a character like that other than them being a wish-fulfillment puppet for the author to use however they please. That’s why it’s better to impose restrictions on what the line is for the protagonist in question. I believe this makes the story even more engaging in terms of romance, as it forces you to think creatively about how to circumvent that same line to forge genuine romantic relationships with the waifus you prefer; eventually leading to the protagonist accepting them. That’s just how it is with Chinese stories in general when it comes to harems. What you brought up about the girls merely ‘existing’ is precisely why I don’t really read Chinese novels or fanfics anymore. The notion of everlasting companionship feels so foreign in most of them that I just end up feeling hollow and unsatisfied after reading for long enough. It’s truly hard to comprehend the thought process behind the writing in those works, and not to mention how much meaning tends to get lost in translation when converted to English. When it comes to Chinese fanfics, the simplest way to describe them is that while the ideas sound great on paper, they often leave much to be desired like your experience with “Mysteries in Marvel.”

I don’t suppose you have anything to add to that message of mine, do you, author-san? If not, there’s a topic I think we should discuss. It’s unrelated to the Re:Zero story, by the way. It’s probably best to take a bit of a timeout, as I don’t want to interfere with your preparations for your finals too much. Regardless, what do you think is the marking of a good fanfiction story from your perspective?

I suppose my grievance lies in how simplistic some authors’ reasoning is when determining a character’s worth and how they go about ‘removing’ those same characters. Take Issei as an example, while it isn’t immediately apparent, a lot of fics on this platform seem to have some sort of ‘distaste’ for him. As a result, he often dies in meaningless ways, such as having his Boosted Gear stolen by the fic’s protagonist. Why does he have to die for such petty reasons? Don’t get me wrong; I neither like nor dislike Issei as a character. However, I find the author’s sense of detachment hard to overlook, and by extension, the same applies to their protagonists, especially in TRIS fics. Also, I don’t see why DxD being a harem series should have such a significant impact on Issei’s fate. Is it because he’s the original protagonist and tied to the whole “driven by destiny” trope? I don’t think that’s ever an appealing concept to emphasize, as it makes the fictional world feel less ‘real.’ Besides, the most interesting aspect of DxD is that once you peel away all the harem and oppai power, you’re left with a surprisingly cold and unforgiving world. Devils are never truly genuine. Angels have their own agendas. The Fallen don’t care in the slightest except themselves. In the end, humanity will suffer regardless of whatever help is extended to them. On another note, regarding the Re:Zero story, many of the things I’ve mentioned likely won’t remain the same for long. As I said, ideas come and go as they please. For now, I’m simply relying on what I believe makes sense and how the information I’ve gathered from canon can be incorporated rather than outright followed. Additionally, most of what I’ve discussed so far hasn’t directly involved the characterization of the Fool. Much of it revolves around how Re:Zero’s world changes due to his presence, so I don’t think he, as an OC protagonist, is truly the main reason here, author-san.

Since the first is already long enough to almost reach the word limit, I’ll write this second message as an answer to your second paragraph, author-san. Does Satella regains her sanity? Yes and no. This version of the past is far more twisted and condensed than what we’ve seen in canon. While she does eventually ‘recover’ at some point in the story, saying she’s completely fine would be a huge overstatement. I like to believe that before her descent into madness, Satella’s personality was quite similar to Emilia’s. However, after everything she’s been through, she ultimately becomes the Satella we’re all familiar with; only even more broken than the original. As for whether she believes the Fool is truly dead, the answer is both yes and no. As I mentioned before, I see Satella as the embodiment of irrationality, so it wouldn’t be wrong to say that she simultaneously believes he is both dead and alive. Ultimately, that contradiction didn’t stop her from pulling Subaru into this world, driven by her fractured mind and desperate desire for “love.” While his unconfirmed connection to Flugel is largely meaningless in the context of this story, I do want to explore the idea that Subaru and the Fool share something in common; that they are both fools in their own way. It is through this shared nature that Satella picked him. But does this Satella truly love Subaru? No. While she could say she loves him a thousand times over, those are merely empty words that fail to reflect the truth in her heart. That’s why, in the context of this story, I’d consider him an unfortunate scapegoat. Now, here’s another elephant in the room that I want to address: Why do I still want Subaru to be part of the story? I find it wasteful when authors either kill off or completely remove the original protagonist simply because they might conflict with their own protagonists and don’t want to deal with managing such a dynamic. A prime example of this would be Issei, especially considering that you even suggested Adam kill him for his Sacred Gear a few times in prior conversations, author-san. Additionally, Subaru holds a unique position as a character who exists between normality and insanity. Because of this, I believe his perspective and interactions with the Fool would add a deeper layer of meaning to the story. In a way, he represents what it truly means to be human, and I don’t want to waste that. What stops her from destroying the rest of the world? I can give you two answers. The first is that Satella finally regained a bit of her sense of self through her madness after witnessing the Abyss’s ‘exit’ close, taking the Fool with it. That realization broke her will entirely, leaving her in a state where she didn’t even resist when they arrived to subdue and eventually seal her away. The second is that she had already exhausted the full extent of her hatred by manifesting the Abyss, which serves as the embodiment of her anger toward the world. In this context, I’m considering whether we can further develop the Abyss by planting seeds for the future. Regardless, it still exists beneath the world of Re:Zero till the current day, attempting to finish the job it was meant to do, if not for the world itself resisting and preventing that outcome.

If you meant after the clash itself, that would be the creation of the Abyss, and I believe I had a eureka moment regarding it while contemplating this version of the Authority of Envy. In short, by that point, Satella had already absorbed six of the Witches and, in turn, gained access to their Authorities. The Abyss could be interpreted as an amalgamation of all of them at their fullest potential. Let me explain. With her sanity effectively gone and her only remaining desire being to satisfy the hatred she has always harbored toward the world, she begins the rampage that aligns with how canon portrayed it. The difference in this version, though, is that before she can begin her crusade, the Fool catches onto her trail—even before others do. It is then that they clash. However, calling it a fight would be an exaggeration, as neither truly wishes to kill the other. Alas, in her madness, this Satella manifests what could be considered the greatest feat of magic the world has ever seen. Describing it as a “black hole” would be inaccurate, for it is, in fact, the embodiment of Satella’s endless hatred combined with the power of all the Witches of Sin. A ball of madness that could be considered the antithesis of the world itself due to its origins; one that continues to grow, devouring everything in its path. Anything that falls into this “black hole” is doomed to fall for eternity, never to escape, until its existence is reduced to nothingness. That is what we call the “Abyss.” As a minor note, despite her insanity stage, Satella remains quite crafty. After all, she once traveled with figures such as Echidna, Flugel, Reid Astrea, Farsale Lugunica, and Alec Hoshin before the Great Calamity (as stated in the Wiki). Because of this, she possesses a cunning mind honed through personal experience, which allowed her to intercept and devour each of the Witches of Sin in a single day, despite them being in different locations at the time. This is why the Fool failed to stop her from killing them; her movements were simply too erratic. And yes, most of this is my interpretation of how the past played out, emphasizing that while the Fool is competent, he is neither omniscient nor omnipresent. Going back to the topic, as the “black hole” grew until it encompassed half the world, both the Fool and Satella were inevitably pulled into its maw, finding themselves within the Abyss. The same scenario I described before unfolds, where, in his ‘final’ moment, the Fool pushes the Witch toward the shrinking exit, allowing her to escape. Meanwhile, he continues to fall endlessly, with his existence slowly eroding until nothing remains. That outcome is inevitable, after all, given that the Abyss embodies the properties of all the Witches’ Authorities (except Pandora’s). [Gluttony] devours existence, [Wrath] rewrites causality, and [Greed] stretches time indefinitely are enough to demonstrate the sheer finality of the Abyss, whose very purpose is to bring absolute destruction. And, if it wasn't for that [Miracle], he would be doomed to fall forever. It is neither the beginning nor the middle, but rather from this moment that the first chapter of the story truly begins. Similar to the first chapter of "The Liar Speaks of Dragons," (once you read it, of course) I believe we should frame the start of this story as a “Beginning After the End” scenario. This approach would allow you to truly put your skills as a writer to the test, tapping into deep emotional tones. At this point, we don’t yet know who or what the Fool is, but if executed well, we can at least feel the weight of his aspirations coming to an end—a powerful, lingering melancholy that sets the stage for everything to come.

I’d say she could possibly be hard-countered by the Authority of Wrath, considering it’s described as being able to forcibly rewrite cause and effect. While Minerva only used it to ‘heal,’ I highly doubt that’s the full extent of such an Authority. If Satella still retained some sanity after absorbing the other witches, she could probably use Wrath to negate Pandora’s Authority and then devour her in quick succession.