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Kairin · 2021-01-08, 12:50

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Thor's Hammer · 2021-01-08, 13:16

This post is an analysis of the Priscilla scene in episode 16.

My interpretation of the scenes in which Priscilla had an extreme reaction to Subaru considering licking her foot and her decision to grab Subaru’s arm and say to Emilia, “Is there a reason you stare at my manservant, half-wit?” is that Priscilla actually found Subaru to be attractive and possibly a potential lover after he had the moxie to show her that appas have red skin even though probably nobody has dared to contradict her on that in all her years of living and because he stood up to the thugs even though he was a weakling. To me, Priscilla saying, “It seems you really are just an insignificant man!” shows that she thought Subaru was more than just a loser before he made a fool of himself at the castle because it's the sort of thing you say to someone who made a good impression on you but then did something to make you question your initial good impression of that person, and her challenging Subaru to lick her foot was an attempt to see if he actually had any dignity left and to see whether he’d show the same kind of attitude he had when they first met, which was one that didn’t show deference to her and even in that incident taught her something new. Basically, I believe Priscilla was shit testing Subaru to see if he was worthy of her after her initial positive impression of him contrasted with his ugly outburst at the castle.

On the surface, Priscilla may have been calling Subaru a jester and a clown, which would give reason for people to think she isn’t attracted to Subaru, but I didn’t take Priscilla’s words at face value because of just how offended Priscilla actually was by Subaru deciding to actually lick her foot. She lectured him about what he displayed not being an act of loyalty or devotion but more akin to a pig’s greed, leading her to say she would strike down any camp he was a part of, and this tells me that Subaru’s decision to lick her foot was something that was the complete opposite of what Priscilla wanted even though on the surface she made it sound like favouring his miniscule pride would lead to an undesirable result. I believe Priscilla decided that she would make a weak pathetic Subaru her mortal enemy because he did something that insulted her to the core, and for someone as extremely proud and confident in herself to the extreme as Priscilla is, it would be to show that she was wrong about her judgement in some way, and that would be that Subaru showed that he was pathetic and not worth her time after she would go as far as to try and make Emilia jealous by grabbing his arm and suggesting that Subaru was her (Priscilla’s) manservant at the Royal Palace. Showing that she was wrong to think more of Subaru was shameful to her, so much that she beat the hell out of him, lectured him, and threatened him to strike down any camp he was a part of. In my opinion, her wanting to strike down any camp he is a part of shows she wants Subaru to be humiliated as much as she had been or even moreso because it was a personal humiliation for her that she misjudged Subaru, and for a guy who is struggling through his way in the world and wants to be a hero, what greater shame could he face than to have his ambitions be thwarted by Priscilla, the one who had him on his knees and asked him to savour the humiliation of licking her foot, every time he tried to make something of himself? This interpretation is backed by Priscilla saying, "Your careless behavior and attitude have lead me to that decision!" It shows that she thought that Subaru would think over the reason for that particular interaction leading to the way it did and that she expected a better response from him. I do note that Priscilla might also have been angry because Subaru abandoned his pride, and for someone who values her pride so much, seeing Subaru lower himself to that level probably disgusted her, but I believe the main source of her anger that bordered on rage was a sense of humiliation due to her pride being wounded. If Subaru was just a little ant or clown to her, she would not have reacted the way she did in my opinion as deciding to strike down any camp he is a part of is far too punishing for just being disgusted at Subaru. Even Priscilla messing with Emilia, calling Subaru her (Priscilla's) manservant and pressing Subaru's arm against her breasts indicates that perhaps there was something more to the interaction and that she wouldn't mind actually having Subaru as part of her camp given that she called him her appa handler, meaning it was somewhat of a power move, and Priscilla was trying to assert her dominance over Emilia. I believe this shit test showed to Priscilla that Subaru does not value himself and is a low-value man given that only someone who is low-value would agree to such a request, which went against her initial impression of him, leading to her being furious at herself and at Subaru for defying her expectations. This interpretation is backed up by Priscilla saying, "It seems you really are just an insignificant man!" That comment showed that Priscilla's test was a direct reaction to her initial positive impression of Subaru being called into question because of his behaviour at the castle. Subaru botched up the interaction completely and should have tried to turn the tables on Priscilla somehow, such as by ignoring her completely and leaving the room, by saying that what she described is completely unacceptable and insulting, by openly saying he would never stoop to doing something so lowly and that she should be ashamed of thinking that he would or by suggesting that Priscilla must be flirting with him if she's describing a scenario that ends with him licking her foot. I'm sure Priscilla sees herself as a very high value woman who has no trouble finding a man for herself, and this results in her putting men through shit tests to root out those who are unworthy of her affection because she doesn't want just any man but someone who is confident and self-assured, not someone who would comply with everything she asks no matter how degrading the request like a loser. Ideally, she'd want someone with healthy boundaries that can stand up for himself who would not tolerate something like being asked to lick her foot in return for a favour. I know that last option I mentioned out of the 4 might seem way out in left field, but if Priscilla really was testing Subaru to see whether he'd be a fitting romantic partner for her, it would probably be the best possible response in that situation since it could further their interaction in that direction.

I know it might be a tough sell since it’s just one scene from a character that has only showed up in 3 episodes so far, but Priscilla’s outrage along with her body language during the scene which included her playing with her hair as well as uncrossing and crossing her legs before she approached him says to me that she thought of Subaru as being more than just a clown or jester. I have seen some people say that the author has a mean streak with that Priscilla scene and was being nasty to Subaru for the hell of it, but I think that that scene had a lot of care and craft in how it was presented based on Priscilla’s tone of voice and also the music and tension and that it might be relevant to the endgame of Re:zero. I do acknowledge that it’ll be extremely difficult to convince Re:zero watchers that this particular interpretation is correct barring the airing of additional unreleased content that might be on the longer side of several seasons away, but I try my best to put myself into the shoes of the characters and see whether their interactions made sense, and coming to the conclusion I did was the only way I could make sense of Priscilla’s outrage in that scene. Her reaction changing from disappointment initially (judging by the voice acting and the line, “It seems you really are just an insignificant man!”) to that of righteous indignation is why I believe what I do about that scene. Priscilla's reaction showed that what she proposed to Subaru wasn't just some game for her amusement in which either response from Subaru would have provided entertainment for her as Priscilla had indicated before he decided to bite the bullet and lick her foot. I believe Emilia herself knew that words can be deceptive, which is why she couldn't believe it when Subaru kept confessing to her over and over and needed something more substantive like an actual kiss after Subaru broke a promise to her, a spirits arts user for whom promises are very important, for the second time. Actions speak louder than words after all. Thus I conclude Priscilla never intended for it to be a trivial game but an assessment of Subaru's value and character given her outsized reaction to what he did. Subaru letting Priscilla emasculate him infuriated her in every way, leading to him being such an eyesore in her eyes that she promised to strike down any camp Subaru was a part of, in effect denying him the chance to stand firm and proud, meaning Priscilla had decided in that moment to make sure that Subaru never made something of himself, forcing him to never live down that moment for showing that her initial impression of him was incorrect. This sort of thing would be what she considers a fate worse than death for Subaru, the self-proclaimed knight. That she decided on such a spiteful action to Subaru's decision to lick her foot shows that her exuberant confidence in herself had taken a hit for thinking there was more to Subaru than being a loser.

I do think that moving forward that Priscilla will eventually be a love interest for Subaru. However, I do think Priscilla will very likely try to knock him down a peg whenever they meet each other and attempt to see whether Subaru really is a confident as he would like people to think he is when he's trying to get people to help him out and such. She will try to ascertain whether he really is the type of man she would deem to be worthy of her just like she did in episode 16 and won't settle with just accepting his accomplishments based on the value society has given them. I believe someone as prideful as Priscilla will largely determine Subaru's value herself, largely through social situations given how she denigrated Felt for only being able to manage tedious conversation as the reason Felt was confined to the slums, which shows she places much value on conversational aptitude, and she will do this to see whether Subaru's confidence is nothing but smoke and mirrors.

2021-01-08, 13:16	Link #2
Thor's Hammer Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2012	This post is an analysis of the Priscilla scene in episode 16. My interpretation of the scenes in which Priscilla had an extreme reaction to Subaru considering licking her foot and her decision to grab Subaru’s arm and say to Emilia, “Is there a reason you stare at my manservant, half-wit?” is that Priscilla actually found Subaru to be attractive and possibly a potential lover after he had the moxie to show her that appas have red skin even though probably nobody has dared to contradict her on that in all her years of living and because he stood up to the thugs even though he was a weakling. To me, Priscilla saying, “It seems you really are just an insignificant man!” shows that she thought Subaru was more than just a loser before he made a fool of himself at the castle because it's the sort of thing you say to someone who made a good impression on you but then did something to make you question your initial good impression of that person, and her challenging Subaru to lick her foot was an attempt to see if he actually had any dignity left and to see whether he’d show the same kind of attitude he had when they first met, which was one that didn’t show deference to her and even in that incident taught her something new. Basically, I believe Priscilla was shit testing Subaru to see if he was worthy of her after her initial positive impression of him contrasted with his ugly outburst at the castle. On the surface, Priscilla may have been calling Subaru a jester and a clown, which would give reason for people to think she isn’t attracted to Subaru, but I didn’t take Priscilla’s words at face value because of just how offended Priscilla actually was by Subaru deciding to actually lick her foot. She lectured him about what he displayed not being an act of loyalty or devotion but more akin to a pig’s greed, leading her to say she would strike down any camp he was a part of, and this tells me that Subaru’s decision to lick her foot was something that was the complete opposite of what Priscilla wanted even though on the surface she made it sound like favouring his miniscule pride would lead to an undesirable result. I believe Priscilla decided that she would make a weak pathetic Subaru her mortal enemy because he did something that insulted her to the core, and for someone as extremely proud and confident in herself to the extreme as Priscilla is, it would be to show that she was wrong about her judgement in some way, and that would be that Subaru showed that he was pathetic and not worth her time after she would go as far as to try and make Emilia jealous by grabbing his arm and suggesting that Subaru was her (Priscilla’s) manservant at the Royal Palace. Showing that she was wrong to think more of Subaru was shameful to her, so much that she beat the hell out of him, lectured him, and threatened him to strike down any camp he was a part of. In my opinion, her wanting to strike down any camp he is a part of shows she wants Subaru to be humiliated as much as she had been or even moreso because it was a personal humiliation for her that she misjudged Subaru, and for a guy who is struggling through his way in the world and wants to be a hero, what greater shame could he face than to have his ambitions be thwarted by Priscilla, the one who had him on his knees and asked him to savour the humiliation of licking her foot, every time he tried to make something of himself? This interpretation is backed by Priscilla saying, "Your careless behavior and attitude have lead me to that decision!" It shows that she thought that Subaru would think over the reason for that particular interaction leading to the way it did and that she expected a better response from him. I do note that Priscilla might also have been angry because Subaru abandoned his pride, and for someone who values her pride so much, seeing Subaru lower himself to that level probably disgusted her, but I believe the main source of her anger that bordered on rage was a sense of humiliation due to her pride being wounded. If Subaru was just a little ant or clown to her, she would not have reacted the way she did in my opinion as deciding to strike down any camp he is a part of is far too punishing for just being disgusted at Subaru. Even Priscilla messing with Emilia, calling Subaru her (Priscilla's) manservant and pressing Subaru's arm against her breasts indicates that perhaps there was something more to the interaction and that she wouldn't mind actually having Subaru as part of her camp given that she called him her appa handler, meaning it was somewhat of a power move, and Priscilla was trying to assert her dominance over Emilia. I believe this shit test showed to Priscilla that Subaru does not value himself and is a low-value man given that only someone who is low-value would agree to such a request, which went against her initial impression of him, leading to her being furious at herself and at Subaru for defying her expectations. This interpretation is backed up by Priscilla saying, "It seems you really are just an insignificant man!" That comment showed that Priscilla's test was a direct reaction to her initial positive impression of Subaru being called into question because of his behaviour at the castle. Subaru botched up the interaction completely and should have tried to turn the tables on Priscilla somehow, such as by ignoring her completely and leaving the room, by saying that what she described is completely unacceptable and insulting, by openly saying he would never stoop to doing something so lowly and that she should be ashamed of thinking that he would or by suggesting that Priscilla must be flirting with him if she's describing a scenario that ends with him licking her foot. I'm sure Priscilla sees herself as a very high value woman who has no trouble finding a man for herself, and this results in her putting men through shit tests to root out those who are unworthy of her affection because she doesn't want just any man but someone who is confident and self-assured, not someone who would comply with everything she asks no matter how degrading the request like a loser. Ideally, she'd want someone with healthy boundaries that can stand up for himself who would not tolerate something like being asked to lick her foot in return for a favour. I know that last option I mentioned out of the 4 might seem way out in left field, but if Priscilla really was testing Subaru to see whether he'd be a fitting romantic partner for her, it would probably be the best possible response in that situation since it could further their interaction in that direction. I know it might be a tough sell since it’s just one scene from a character that has only showed up in 3 episodes so far, but Priscilla’s outrage along with her body language during the scene which included her playing with her hair as well as uncrossing and crossing her legs before she approached him says to me that she thought of Subaru as being more than just a clown or jester. I have seen some people say that the author has a mean streak with that Priscilla scene and was being nasty to Subaru for the hell of it, but I think that that scene had a lot of care and craft in how it was presented based on Priscilla’s tone of voice and also the music and tension and that it might be relevant to the endgame of Re:zero. I do acknowledge that it’ll be extremely difficult to convince Re:zero watchers that this particular interpretation is correct barring the airing of additional unreleased content that might be on the longer side of several seasons away, but I try my best to put myself into the shoes of the characters and see whether their interactions made sense, and coming to the conclusion I did was the only way I could make sense of Priscilla’s outrage in that scene. Her reaction changing from disappointment initially (judging by the voice acting and the line, “It seems you really are just an insignificant man!”) to that of righteous indignation is why I believe what I do about that scene. Priscilla's reaction showed that what she proposed to Subaru wasn't just some game for her amusement in which either response from Subaru would have provided entertainment for her as Priscilla had indicated before he decided to bite the bullet and lick her foot. I believe Emilia herself knew that words can be deceptive, which is why she couldn't believe it when Subaru kept confessing to her over and over and needed something more substantive like an actual kiss after Subaru broke a promise to her, a spirits arts user for whom promises are very important, for the second time. Actions speak louder than words after all. Thus I conclude Priscilla never intended for it to be a trivial game but an assessment of Subaru's value and character given her outsized reaction to what he did. Subaru letting Priscilla emasculate him infuriated her in every way, leading to him being such an eyesore in her eyes that she promised to strike down any camp Subaru was a part of, in effect denying him the chance to stand firm and proud, meaning Priscilla had decided in that moment to make sure that Subaru never made something of himself, forcing him to never live down that moment for showing that her initial impression of him was incorrect. This sort of thing would be what she considers a fate worse than death for Subaru, the self-proclaimed knight. That she decided on such a spiteful action to Subaru's decision to lick her foot shows that her exuberant confidence in herself had taken a hit for thinking there was more to Subaru than being a loser. I do think that moving forward that Priscilla will eventually be a love interest for Subaru. However, I do think Priscilla will very likely try to knock him down a peg whenever they meet each other and attempt to see whether Subaru really is a confident as he would like people to think he is when he's trying to get people to help him out and such. She will try to ascertain whether he really is the type of man she would deem to be worthy of her just like she did in episode 16 and won't settle with just accepting his accomplishments based on the value society has given them. I believe someone as prideful as Priscilla will largely determine Subaru's value herself, largely through social situations given how she denigrated Felt for only being able to manage tedious conversation as the reason Felt was confined to the slums, which shows she places much value on conversational aptitude, and she will do this to see whether Subaru's confidence is nothing but smoke and mirrors. Last edited by Thor's Hammer; 2021-06-18 at 17:22.