#sinkingwafers

[onewholivesinloops]

What are your thoughts on the degree to which Lambdadelta represents Satoko’s “Witch”? I know that Satoko kind of has a “Witch” in Sotsu that may or may not grow into Lambdadelta with time, but that notwithstanding, I think she’s an effective analogue for Satoko’s sense of “absolutes” and is an effective expression of Satoko’s traumas as well - Lambda being the “only one to understand” Bern as well as “her only friend” but also Lambda being the one to chain Beatrice to the game board of Umineko so she can’t ever stop playing and thus can’t ever leave Lambda.

See, I think the fandom overplays the idea that Satoko or Takano has to be Lambdadelta so I'm not a fan of the debate. Even Ryukishi himself was very non-specific about this during that interview. I don't know Japanese so I don't know how he phrased things but it's interesting how he uses may a lot in the translation.

However, you're right that Lambda has so much in common with Satoko. She has many quotes in Umineko that are direct references to Satoko, her dumb side is basically the same as Satoko's, and her way of speaking generally is too. Gou/Sotsu adds a lot to this too.

It comes across to me that Lambda is influenced by them both in terms of how he approaches and writes them as characters. Ryukishi likes referencing things a lot as a writer. He's really fond of thematic parallels and easter eggs. He really likes referencing themes, motifs and characters in loose and referential ways (e.g. why Chie Rumiko is a homage/reference to Ciel from Tsukihime (Chieru Miko)). Higurashi is influenced by Tsukihime as a work a lot and Ryukishi wears that on his sleeve even if the way he ends up approaching social issues and everything else is very different.

Bernkastel is basically this in Umineko because she's important thematically as Ryukishi delves into personal critique and further exploration of topics explored in Higurashi. She's more of an explicit Rika read but I think the fact that BT's favorite was Rika factors a lot into this.

It's also clear that Ryukishi has always been invested in the complications of Rika and Satoko's relationship because it's very messy, and Lambda and Bernkastel are an extension of that, and with Gou/Sotsu he had a further chance to explore a concept he'd had in the back of his mind but couldn't get into in the original story because the codependency of their relationship was something he felt went against the "unity" theme of the story so he didn't cast much spotlight on it.

There are many explicit parallels between Satoko and Takano in Gou/Sotsu especially in terms of how it's the former inheriting the role of the latter and the alternate ending Miotsukushi even has Satoko stating she sees much of herself in Takano, and believes she has the potential to go down a similar dark path if not for her friends. It wasn't written by Ryukishi but I do think that's an intentional read of her, as the traumatic backstories Satoko and Takano share are definitely intentional in making us understand why girls who have been severely abused might end up lashing out and doing bad things.

I think the connection between Lambdadelta, and Satoko and Takano is much more subtextual. She carries facets of both.

It's very interesting to think about though because I already feel like the major conflict between Satoko and Rika in Gou/Sotsu is particularly reminiscent of the one between Battler and Sayo which is the basis of the core of Umineko. So it's amusing how Lambda was Beatrice's patron and Bern was Battler's patron in the first half of Umineko.

I find myself much more interested in the parallels and exploration between Satoko's decisions and Sayo's decisions as they are incredibly similar so I'm sorry if this answer was very indecisive.

[pochapal]

I started following you ‘cause your Umineko live-blogging appeared in my recommended and I live for that. Theorizing and active reading is more important for getting a “good grade” in Umineko than being “right” is! Super excited to hear your thoughts as someone that finished reading Umineko earlier this year and was distinctly Not Normal about it.

glad that you're enjoying seeing my experience! and i am also glad that said experience is falling within the good kind of parameters for engaging with this work lmao

[supehsoph]

big friend energy!!!

💖✨ !!! i love my friends !!! ✨💖

honestly? big friend energy is the best kind of energy!!

[shiny-pokemon-giveaways]

Shiny Dratini Winners!

The winners have been decided! If you see your url listed below, then you won a shiny Dratini! Congrats!

The winners are:

@sappyhub

@sinkingwafers

@green-fogg

Winners have 48 hours to reply/contact me to claim your shiny. If a winner doesn’t reply within the allotted time, I’ll choose a new winner.

Edit: All of the winners have replied to me. No new winners will be drawn.

[supehsoph]

😀 !!

:D !!!