Hi! Say, can I ask you a question? When in Shiki's route there is a case of Stockholm syndrome in Akira's behavior toward Shiki, no one recognises that; when, on the other hand, in Mink's route(s) Aoba is shown not to have the above mentioned syndrome at all, almost everyone in the fandom contentiously claims the contrary. Why this such contradiction?
Well keep in mind one thing: I actively try to avoid Mink hate in the fandom, because I’m so tired of it. So if people are still going on about Aoba having ~stockholm syndrome~ they’re clearly fucking newbs because we’ve already had this argument. Aoba does not have SS in Mink’s route. Akira on the other hand, absolutely has SS in Shiki’s route. Like, clear as day. And I haven’t seen anyone actively deny it, but fans don’t seem to really address it either. I think there’s just no need to because everyone knows it.
Shiki’s route is what it is, and that is fap material and lots of rape and abuse. If people get off to that, and they’re adults, and they don’t accept or condone real life acts of abuse and rape, then whatever, have it it, bro. There’s no ambiguity about what Shiki does, he’s a psychopath and he gets off on making Akira suffer at his hands, plain and simple. Mink is way more complicated and his route does have some moral ambiguity (not that there’s anything grey-area about rape, it’s wrong plain and simple, it’s just that the player has to examine Mink’s motivations and what kind of person he is) and that makes people uncomfortable.
That’s why people argue so much about Mink: his route makes you stop and think and question everything.
Shiki’s is more straightforward and therefore inspires less conflicting viewpoints and there’s less to argue about.
At least I think that’s how it is.
