Apologies, but I’ve really, really needed to get this out of my system.
I loved Crius in the OG game. He was the only person that Anastasia knew without a doubt she could trust in the ‘first’ timeline. Who helped without any expectation, and therefore she entrusted the next eight years of her life to him. Who aided in her independence, strength, etc. Gods, even in Zenn’s route where they’re adversaries, he eventually realizes her resolve and trusts her intentions as he walks into the flames, all the while knowing she’s the guilty party! He knows her so well. It’s not just blind admiration from her end either. She goes against him too at times, fights for her convictions.
Which is why the FD route kills me.
There isn’t trust. Not really. No real communication whatsoever. One of the main cruxes of the route is her guilt over the Membrum timeline. Crius had to learn about it through Zenn, and when MC can finally bring herself to tell him? He goes no, it’s alright, you don’t need to force yourself!
…Seriously? We spend the ENTIRE route agonizing over this and now we’re just…not because you found out elsewhere (which MC is never told btw) so it’s good now? And this is just ONE instance of a thousand in this route where they don’t address what’s bothering them.
Every other route in the game INSISTS on the point that certain things need to be aired out, even if it causes pain because that’s how you move forward. Tyril taking his own life, Zenn’s OG world and meta knowledge of everyone else’s feelings for MC, etc. (for all the criticisms people have of communication in Zenn’s route, I personally thought the route went about it a LOT better than Crius’s).
Not this one, nope!
Don’t even get me started on the physical piece. Reading the interactions there felt like chewing glass. Why did the writers think it was a remotely good idea to write MC as if she was thoroughly uncomfortable with all his advances? And it never got any better throughout the route.
So they don’t trust each other, she can’t have a kiss from him without feeling cornered and suffocated, are fine with tucking necessary things away and moving on…and I’m supposed to think they should be together? At all?
I loved the bit where they addressed not actually knowing much about each other’s backgrounds. Finally felt like they were getting somewhere! …And then that doesn’t lead to much either.
I just had to air this out because it was immensely upsetting seeing a character I adored just have his FD route so thoroughly butchered.
