random ramble but damn I actually just realized that Seven Seas translates “the organization that Larna, Raphael and the bunch works in” as the Bureau of Magic….. and the english translation of the novels uses Magic Ministry, most fan-translations uses Ministry of Magic (same difference, I know), and in the subtitles and dub of the season 2 anime it’s called the Department of Magic.
I know I’m being very nitpicky for pointing out the different translations but like in the back of my head I keep reinterpreting the importance of magic based on which term is used to describe the organization that studies it, their scale of operations, as well as the kind of government Sorcier has. I’m no good at politics so I’m not exactly sure about the differences between Department vs Ministry vs Bureau, but I know it’s canonically “Ministry” though (and I prefer it too).
also damn Gerran really went from being a medicinal magic teacher to a magic potions teacher
Alan Stuart and Diamond: Less than Perfection (Character Analysis)
I got inspired to do this mostly due to the anonymous asks to compare Katarina and Phos from the same series. Considering Houseki no Kuni/Land of the Lustrous and Hamefura are some of my favorites, I tend to draw more parallels. This one is between Alan and Diamond, because I think they are quite a bit similar in a sense of having a “perfect” sibling they are compared to.
To start with the similarities right off the bat, both of them are the sibling of a “perfect” person. Geordo being the perfect prince and Bortz being a “true diamond”. From being siblings to these “perfections” both have developed an inferiority complex of sorts. Alan’s was more bluntly stated while Dia’s never was, theirs was more eluded to than anything else. They have vaguely similar appearances, which depending on how one reads into it, can mean a lot more. I tend to over analyze, so appearances will be another thing I’m talking about.
In terms of appearances, both of them have a bit of meaning to who they’re compared with. Alan’s silver hair compared to Geordo’s blonde, or rather gold, color shows on a surface level how they can be compared. Silver is always commonly seen as less valuable or less rare than gold is. This also plays into his personality, which is often less formal than Geordo’s, both in his FL form and his Hamefura!Form. In Dia’s case, their comparison to Bortz is more on hardness, in both senses of the word. Dia remarks that Bortz is the hardest and most durable out of all of them. Bortz’s harsh and cold personality reflects this. In turn, Dia is seen as “weaker” than Bortz due to their build. They are more delicate and can break easier than Bortz, adding onto it and Dia is considerably kinder and gentler than Bortz, they’re “softer” than Bortz, which the other characters often remark.
So the similarities can go a long way, what’s interesting though is how they both handle this comparison. I will also make note of Geordo and Bortz in a later post but for now, let’s focus on Alan and Dia. Another thing to note as one more surface similarity is that they both hold their “perfect” sibling on a pedestal. Alan sees Geordo as the perfect prince and Dia sees Bortz as the best and most perfect out of the Gems.
In Alan’s case, his Fortune Lover half (and him before meeting Isekai-ed!Katarina) had a loathing for Geordo. Not so much as burning hatred, but a deep dislike of Geordo because everything seemingly came easy to him and Alan could never catch up. His dislike for Geordo grew due to hearing others compare him to Geordo and deemed the “inferior twin” who only got the dredges of what Geordo didn’t take. Being a small kid at the time (no older than five if I’m recalling correctly), this had a pretty large effect on him that lasted all the way to the academy. He always saw Geordo as a rival and perhaps even an enemy. He wasn’t exactly trying to hide it either as far as I can tell. Alan isn’t one to hide things on purpose, but he doesn’t just outright shout things either. He’s blunt. However, he’s still holding onto the possibility he can “defeat” Geordo, best him in some way. He’s not given up and will continue to fight Geordo in order to prove himself.
Dia on the other hand, is a lot more subtle and goes more in line with denial. They are aware Bortz is stronger than them. Bortz is stronger, faster, harder than them. They see Bortz as a “true diamond” and they exist in a different class entirely. What’s interesting about Dia is that they’re technically the older of the two (compared to Alan being the younger twin). I don’t recall how much older Dia is than Bortz, but it may play a small role. They are saddened by the fact that they are weaker than Bortz. Always refused to do anything because Bortz doesn’t want them to get hurt. Dia’s loathing for Bortz is actually quite strong. Stronger than Alan’s dislike for Geordo. When we first meet Dia they remark how they wonder how things would be if Bortz never existed. They immediately remark how awful it must be for them to say that, despite believing they love Bortz dearly. This shows how much Dia tried to deny their loathing and that hatred just continued to build until they wished to shatter Bortz into pieces.
So an interesting thing I see is how they both manage these comparisons and their dislikes. Alan manages to keep his dislike level by throwing himself into a competitive mood. He doesn’t exactly hide the fact he has a dislike for Geordo because they’re compared all the time. Not to mention, Mary is there to reassure him of his worth. He’s always able to talk, vent, and likely remember the reasons for his dislike of Geordo, but never enough to really be so hateful as to hurt him.
Dia though, they never really had anyone to talk to. They never spoke about it and that hatred was left unchecked and built for centuries. Alan regularly released his stress in the form of competitions and vents, but Dia never did any of that. They constantly felt put down by Bortz, because Bortz thinks only they could do it (I’ll talk about Bortz in a later post). That denial and locked feelings built up in Dia until it exploded. They wished to shatter Bortz into pieces just to prove they are better than Bortz and that they will not stand for their discouraging behavior. They hated Bortz so much they wanted them to be broken.
It’s an interesting comparison for me and that either of them could’ve been in the other’s shoes depending on how their circumstances and situations could have changed. How would things change if Dia didn’t internally hate Bortz as much as they did? How would things change if Alan ended up hating his brother so much he wanted to break him? On the flip side, how would their perspectives on such a topic be affected if they met one another? Alan learning somehow Dia hated being put down by Bortz so much they wanted to hurt them, and Dia seeing that despite Alan constantly being compared, he never hated his brother as much as they did.
Of course one big thing to note one more time is how Alan had other things to do besides getting compared to Geordo. He has his music, his other hobbies, and eventually all the rumors just became wordless noise to him. Dia didn’t have any outstanding hobbies (outside of their love for cute things), what they could do largely explained their reason for existing and being denied that makes them feel worthless. Beyond that, I am curious to how things would play out if the two ever met or their situations changed to mirror the others somewhat.
BIG thanks once again to @drawesomedump for these commissions. The top picture is Abigail and Henry Stuart, Catarina’s future children with Geordo from my fic Into The Haremverse. The bottom picture has Melody and Harper Stuart, her children with Alan from the same story.
I love this new GraffArt hamefura merch so much. the girls are so adorable. the boys looks so amazing. of course maria and mary are here they will never leave katarina alone with a man. sora looks great he gets a special mention. why is geoffrey here did they confuse him for alan.
(hamefura pirates minor?? spoilers I guess don’t look actually)
DAMN IT ROZY LIND not only as you voiced by Kenichi Suzumura but you just had to have a banger alt hairstyle??? he looks really cool imo??? (which is identical to his brother but he wears it better imo) (if I played the game he’d be my second pick because arrrghasjksakjdh)
thank you @ineedglassesalways for sharing these with me! It looks like some sites where you can preorder the game will come with special/limited boxart covers for the game instead of the default one with everyone in the cast! The Katarina and Geordo one is so cute and the Bulter Boys is so cool!! :DD
… Gerald, my bro. You need to dial it back like at least 2 notches.
if the above concentrated and heavily (but futile shh spoilers) directed POV is something that you’d like more of, make sure you check out @bakarinafanovelpre-orders which are open till Dec 20th (all proceeds go to charity).
raise your hand if you have plant-sourced rage issues
… just Gerald???? ok good to know!
are you interested in the trashfire happenings inside the mind of Katerina simp first, crown prince second!Gerald??? well then dO i hAvE tHE nEWs FoR yOu
@bakarinafanovel has preorders open till Dec 20th. All proceeds go towards charity.
If this sounds like something right up your alley, then you can check out more pre-order information here.
Heavy lies the head who wears the crown… Gerald is worried about not being a good father to his children, but Katarina is more than reassuring in that aspect. As he lets Katarina comfort him, @satbiym is more than capable of showing you their warmth! ☀
@nikkeruu is spoiling us with some classic hurt/comfort! Katarina is worried whether she’ll be a good mother, but between you and I? I think she’s got it on lock!
