#meta rants

That is the point, that is literally exactly the point, who else would understand that better than them, who would understand these concepts better than the entities who have seen countless souls destroy themselves and others through their lack of them.

“But then why doesn’t Mammon-?”

Hi, anon!

I mean, you’re right, Ichiru wasn’t a great brother, but I guess I like to believe the fragment version of him that’s become one with Zero is more.. amiable? Slightly, of course, he’s still a snarky little shit, but deep down he still loved Zero despite it turning into a twisted rivalry when he was alive.

Hahaha, I almost think he’d berate Zero more than be that kind about him making mistakes lol. He never held back his punches once he revealed his “true” face. Though, I’d like to imagine he’d like his niece, too. ^^

Speaking of, though, Yuuki was able to see Ichiru in Zero’s mind/blood (however this nonsense works) but this damn mangaka didn’t have Ren know about Ichiru when she drank from her father during her vamp puberty? Like… Sorry to go off-topic but like.. nitpick there. Still gets me how Ren knows barely anything about her father. Writing = terrible, that’s all I’ll say.

As for Ichiru being supportive to the pb propaganda—idk, he wasn’t a fan of Yuuki (valid). I do think he’d at least have some choice words about how Zero treated himself throughout memories. Idk, I feel like someone needed to remind him that he shouldn’t play the martyr to his own feelings and wellbeing. Aidou and Yori did try, they do get credit, but in the end.. it just be the way it was and I’ll always be sad for Zero when the narrative didn’t want to give him much.

Hello (again?), anon!

That’s a solid theory on the subject of her timeline, I will say.

Hello there, anon!

That’s a good point. Even though, I’m sure Zero doesn’t need to physically do that but it was interesting when he did in VKM 16. I do like the implication that he goes over to his family’s grave to just clear his mind and recenter himself. Ichiru could be chatting his ear off for all we know, really.. who knows, lol. I love how that’s a factor Hino clearly never wanted to delve back into ever again. LOL She mentions Ichiru is there with him but I’d love to have seen him scolding Zero for half the shit he was doing in VKM, LOL. That dynamic would’ve been fun to play out more.

Listen, I’ve been saying since VKM 13–the spin-off is Null!Zero. He’s just not my fully realized boy I know and love. There are elements there, and as you said, diluted from who he use to be. His very core characteristics mangled over Hino’s forced plot concepts she was pushing because who cares about organic characterization and growth! lol These character don’t dictate the narrative to make the story flow seamlessly, she wanted them to get to point A to point B regardless if it fit their character or not, lol.

Honestly, the drama CD is just her own AU delulu land of how she wanted to dress up the trio despite it having an obtuse dynamic.

That’s an interesting perspective to take VK memories. I’m on a teeter of agreeing and only because when we first start memories it’s got some of Sayori’s perspective and when she explains what she’s witnessed between Zero and Yuuki (Zero finding out she’s pregnant, she flees, etc), her version of events makes it seem Zero wasn’t there for Yuuki and Ai when—within the following chapters—we have Zero, himself, say to Hanabusa that he’s been taking care for two (Feeding Yuuki his blood during her pregnancy). So, clearly he visited her but we’re not privy to those interactions, and sure, we could take this as a retcon from the first VKM chapter but it’s also being delivered by the horse’s mouth, too. Unreliable narrators are a huge thing in VK, regardless.

So, what I’m saying is, if that’s how you cope by thinking VKM has unreliable narrators in the girls for how they’re retelling the events of what they remembered over the past 1000 years while Kaname was an icicle, I do not fault you! LOL

Ugh. Here’s where I’m delulu. He didn’t die at 200, lol. Okay, with that out of the way. I do want to know what Yuuki meant by “short time after” when he passed away to when she brought back Kaname. Her concept of time is either so fucking off or Zero dies like 700 years later cause like.. 300 could be considered “a short while later” but 800?

Granted, she took 50 years to get with him and made it seem she was taking 5 years to figure her shit out. But 800 is a bit of a stretch to call it “shortly after” isn’t it? LOL I don’t find this very conclusive to say he died at 200, personally. That timeline only indicates between 160 and the rest of the time later at 1000 to be when Zero dies—not that he dies at 160 years into the timeline. (What I’m saying is he dies within the 160-1000 range and not necessarily 160 on the dot).

But in the end…

Though, what is clear to me is that, if it truly was 800 years, it was 800 years of a nothing burger of time… hella bad planning on Hino’s part, LOL. She really was cash grabbing, milking, and farting out shit to keep it going, lololol.

The funniest shit that still gets me was when I left for seven years, popped back on to chat with my friend who stuck with it till the last chapter, and I asked, “hey, what did I miss since VKM18?” And got the straight up answer of, “absolutely nothing.” LOL Truly, I missed nothing because nothing happened that I didn’t already know (Zero dies). Nothing goes anywhere and barely anything gets resolved!

All I missed was lukewarm interactions between Zero and his daughter which was massively disappointing. Sure, loved to see the little we got but massively disappointed at not seeing enough or it handled properly. Zero is a workaholic dad. He didn’t even need to be! They’re not hurting on money! There’s no real reason he’s there as the president at all times and can’t find a replacement or second in command to take the lead while he parents his child. I’m just facepalming at it all and Hino’s lack of disregard. Anyway—disgruntled Zero fan rant aside—lol.

Eh, “full life” is relative when it comes to that mangaka’s opinion at this point. I can sit here and complain, though, I’m aware that I’m still here—only for one character, yes—but I can like one character and not care about how it all came about, lol. People like the concepts of things all the time and roll with their own ideas, it’s just fandom shenanigans and how you want to interact with the property. ^^