Yippeeee

I logged into tumblr on my school chromebook just so I could send people super boops

😐 ........ (says nothing but the force of my emotion throws everyone backwards 20 feet)

would die for a fresh hot corn on the cob rn

So I’ve been working here and there on bits and pieces of a reaction fic of my own, and here’s a bit of a ficlet that kinda shows what I’m going for lol.

Reaction Fic Excerpt: A Stroll Through The Capital

____

“This is it! This is my chance!“

In the present moment, Subaru’s face turned scarlet.

Julius snorted loudly, quickly moving to cover his mouth with his hand as Subaru’s antics quickly escalated onscreen. “Sorry,” he apologized. “I just— forgot about that part of what you are like.”

“Shut up,” Subaru muttered.

Ferris was making no such effort to hide his mad cackling. “I didn’t forget!” he crowed. “Aw, this is gonnya be so much fun. I’m nyever letting nya live ANY of this down—“

“Shut uuup—“

Ferris was having fun teasing him. Many of the more naïve members of the audience were giggling right alongside him — but on the other side of the theater, Wilhelm had a darker look on his face.

Beside him, Rem was sporting a similar expression. “Wilhelm-san, is it?” she said quietly.

“That is correct,” Wilhelm said, not unkindly. “How may this old man be of service?”

“That boy…” she chewed her lip. “He got dragged into an entirely different world,” she clarified. “Without his knowledge and against his will. He was left entirely alone on the streets of a strange city where he did not know the language, with no understanding of the world around him, no means by which to defend or provide for himself, and with nobody willing to help a stranger like him out of the goodness of their hearts.”

“That…is correct.”

Rem didn’t say anything more. She didn’t need to: Wilhelm had already come to the same conclusion as her — as had most other individuals throughout the theater, if the looks on all of their faces was any indication. Even Ferris had a subtle air to his movements that hinted at his teasing being more of an attempt at a distraction from that horrifying revelation than a genuine source of amusement — though perhaps it was both.

Emilia was not one of those individuals. Neither were Beatrice or Garfiel, both of whom she was attempting to shush. “It’s reeally not nice to laugh,” she scolded. “Subaru didn’t even want us watching any of this, so be nice. And we promised not to make fun of him for anything embarrassing we see here, remember?”

“Subaru makes it difficult not to laugh, I suppose,” Betty giggled.

“N-Nah,” Garfiel sucked in a breath, his mouth twitching. “Princess’ got a point,” he agreed. “This is already — kinda private. My amazing self wouldn’t want anyone laughing at my memories either, no matter how embarrassing. Captain deserves — at least a little grace —“

Everyone watched as onscreen Subaru was gently shoved away from a demihuman-only bar, somehow tripping over his own two feet and falling over the railing and into the river of the Capital.

Garfiel burst out laughing all over again. This time Emilia gave up on trying to make him stop.

“Is this really how it was supposed to be?” The Subaru onscreen muttered to himself, sitting in an alley, absolutely drenched. “Wasn’t I summoned into a parallel world?!”

Anastasia watched with interest as Subaru rifled through his things, grumbling. “That’s the metia you used to find the White Whale, ain’t it?” she pointed out, eyes flashing greedily. “How did that work if it was from another world? Did ya have a bunch of mabeasts there, too?”

Subaru shifted nervously, embarrassment being taken over by something resembling unease. “N-Not exactly,” he admitted.

“Hmm…” Anastasia watched the caged Subaru for a moment longer before turning back to the screen.

“The truth is,” onscreen Subaru was saying, “I have no idea what to do next, and I still have no idea how or why I was summoned. I don’t remember stepping into a mirror or falling in a pond —“

“Wait, so.” Julius frowned. Oddly enough, he seemed to be relaxing at the sound of this statement. “Is this sort of occurrence normal, then? For castaways from beyond the Great Waterfall.”

“…N-No,” Subaru admitted, his face burning. “I kinda just — i-it was a popular book trope back home, so…” He hunched in further on himself. “I just assumed things were like that?”

“Oh.” Julius looked uncomfortable all over again, perhaps even moreso now than before. “I see.”

“— and if I’m to believe this is the otherworldly summoning format I’m used to, where is the beautiful girl who summoned me?”

Julius choked, hastily coughing into his fist. Everyone else had no such restraint. The room burst into laughter once again.

“I think I knyow what kinds of stories Subaru-kyun likes to read!” Ferris teased.

“Can it!” Subaru retorted, face almost as red as Reinhard’s hair.

“You know,” Julius attempted to soothe, the corners of his mouth twitching. “I do have a number of romance novels in my collection. If you would like to borrow—“

Subaru buried his face in his knees and screamed, the sound muffled.

I got a mental health wellness app and decided my first entry was going to be about a videogame I played that day

I am absolutely obsessed with witch cult victim theory. I also think it would make a lot of sense to the cast, especially if it was combined with the theory that Subaru got his name and memories eaten.

Although this is more just what I think would make sense with what the rest of the cast knows about Subaru. Not nessasrally what they might actually think about him. Although I'll also consider that.

He would undergo the typical witch cult victim theory shenanigans (torture) while in the witch cults custody, which I think could include having his name eaten. He may have also had some of his memories eaten as part of this, but I prefer to think he lost them due to insanity. Although I don't actually think he really "lost" his memories in this hypothetical situation. I think it would make more sense that they were just...jumbled up in a way. He may remember things like his relationships with the people he cared about, what these people were like, certain aspects of how the world works, some things about his hometown, and the sorts, but none of it really makes sense anymore. He knows he cared about Emilia, but he can't remember her name. He knows he was her knight, but he's not quite sure what a knight actually is anymore. Or how one is supposed to act. Written words don't make any sense. Details about his homeland that may have seemed a bit strange or unique to the average person get twisted and blown out of proportion to become fantastical.

So basically, I think it would make sense if he was from some village that got destroyed by the witch cult (like what happened with Rem and Rams village). This village may have been pretty isolated, with very little or almost no contact with the rest of the world. This might explain why no one has ever heard about anything he mentions as being "from his hometown."

I do also think some characters probably think they knew Subaru before, but then his name got eaten. So It could be that he fled when his village was destroyed, somehow got involved in the royal selection (probably by becoming Emilia's knight), and then got kidnapped by the witch cult as he was hunting them down for revenge. Or, he may have left his hometown for any other reason, became Emilia's knight, and then went back to visit his village and was there when it got attacked. Either way, he ends up being kidnapped by the cult.

Anyways, like I've said, I don't think anyone in Re: Zero would have it that thought out, to the point where they've basically just written an angsty fan fiction in their head about Subaru’s hypothetical Tragic Past. This is just what I think would make the most sense considering what they know about him.

I also like the idea that the witch cult probably put him under some sort of taboo so he's not able to tell anyone about any of this.

What are your favorite plausible in-universe theories that the characters have to explain Subaru’s many eccentricities? I’ll go first:

Subaru was a soldier of some sort who served Lady Emilia as one of her only subjects, but after an encounter with the White Whale he lost his Name and thus nobody remembers anything about him beyond the day he saved Emilia from an assassin. The Whale also stole almost all of his memories, which is why he’s illiterate and also lacks common sense most of the time.

Mike design!! He silly

I know who could save him