Rewriting this Sad Song in Another World from Zero (Re:63)

Series Metadata

Creator:
Series Begun:
2021-04-16
Series Updated:
2025-08-04
Description:

On today's feature presentation, the role of Tappei is played by Spriteanon, featuring SNUser as Editor-kun and guest starring BerylTheManatee as Otsuka!

Started on a whim on April 4th, 2021 as a bit of practice, this is a semi-retelling of the story of Re:Zero which does and will diverge within certain limits from the original story itself, incorporating a number of ideas which's disclosure for the most part would serve as nothing but spoiler.

The primary divergence present from the start, is what the whim was based on. A community cried out, as the writer of a "Fembaru" fanfic disappeared, and so was born this story to fill the void. If "Fembaru" is unclear, the initial divergence, is that in this world Natsuki Subaru is in fact a woman. However, one should neither expect the world to be fully switched when it comes to the sexes, nor that Subaru is the only one who is switched. Since again this fanfiction was started to fill a void in a community, said community got a vote on which major characters would switch and which wouldn't. In future, as the story progresses, similar votes may still be held.

 

Subaru

Notes:

As some people had figured out before, there is a running gag I'm doing with this series (and like to try with anything I write), where every Arc and Chapter title is a lyric from a song.
If you wish, you may try and guess the songs from the titles, but if you want some help, or just want to listen to what I affectionately refer to as Fembaru's Mixtape, I've assembled an ever growing playlist that in order contains the songs used for arcs and the chapters within, which you can listen to here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLs59D0mZZ6OzotXvWGJQkqVBup4pym6a2
Sometimes there may be more songs here than there are arcs and chapters put together. That simply means that I've already lined up what the next few chapters' titles will be and added in the songs in advance.

Note on formatting:
Generally speaking, if no mistakes are made, take ‘single apostrophe quotes like this’ as internal commentary, “proper quotation mark quotes like this” as dialogue, bolded words as emphasis or yelling, and most importantly text in italics as literal.
Here literal means that if something is written in italics, then that is how it is spoken by the characters. This is due to the fact that in reality, everyone is speaking Japanese, or a language identical to Japanese native to the world of Re:Zero. Sometimes italics might be used to suggest Subaru is using a language other than Japanese, which naturally no one but her would likely understand, or to be used for terms such as “Emiria-tan Maji Tenshi”.

Note on "canon":
Anyone who read the WN, LN or watched the Anime, but only one exclusively, will likely notice small discrepencies. In addition to human error, forgetting details, etc, this is also due to the fact that I've decided to pick and choose favourites in some matters. For example, I plainly prefer the Web Novel's Juggernaut to both the LN and the Anime's versions of the Wolgram, however, I really like the name Wolgram, so while upon writing these words, the story hasn't reached a point where the Juggernauts/Wolgram would appear, I'm quite likely to introduce them following the original Web Novel description, while calling them Wolgram.
This might throw people off, but I think all three listed versions of the story have their strengths and I'll draw upon whatever I like. This is also a disclaimer in regards to the fact that even if I tried to stick to the world as presented in only one of these three, I would innevitably mess up and include stuff that was not present in that version, or was present in a different fashion.

 

Additional side stories:
IF Collection: https://www.ao3.icu/collections/SadSong_Re63_IF
Current IFs:
-Chastity: https://www.ao3.icu/series/2581867 (Splits from End of Arc 3)
-DIligence: https://www.ao3.icu/works/44995390 (Splits ~Chapter 11 Arc 1)
-Lust: https://www.ao3.icu/works/39098631 (Splits 6 chapters into Arc 1, those 6 chapters are included in it as a Overture so you don't need to worry about switching lines)
-Melancholy: https://www.ao3.icu/works/32739508 (Splits in middle of Arc 3)
-Wrath: https://www.ao3.icu/works/37179817 (Splits near end of Arc 2)

 

NOTABLE LINKS:
Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/Spriteanon
IF Ideas Document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iPt-iwCG3HrbOMyzc0i1qVXH2DStLgZtP2Psk2dBiBg/edit
 
Links to BerylTheManatee's work, who has provided art for some chapters across the series:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeryltheManatee
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/berylthemanatee

ONGOING CONTEST:
No proper contest right now, but there is a secret hidden in the chapter and final notes of this particular chapter: https://www.ao3.icu/works/34705102/chapters/93331993

 

Currently active polls related to the series:
ClindSpeech Poll: https://www.polltab.com/gKdX1Bu-H
Subaru's future weapon studies: https://forms.gle/LMoWib2kv97UPvXF6

Previously active polls:
Preliminary Arc 4 naming poll: https://www.polltab.com/qFaw9tgR9os/results
Crazy Extras Poll: https://www.polltab.com/GXaYRFyR3fW/results
Kansai Dialect Poll: https://www.polltab.com/0YgVK25IFFn/results
Unseen Hand opinion poll: https://www.polltab.com/JaJzAtZQ-X7/results
Map Poll: https://www.polltab.com/lqWBso4FKq_/results
Flugel Name Poll: https://www.polltab.com/1AyHVHo5u9b/results
Blessings Poll: https://www.polltab.com/qU2N9EFK_15/results
Patrasche's Name Poll: https://www.polltab.com/WDo6RNoAJlB/results
Petra Poll: https://www.polltab.com/WvGn-t_gbSe/results
Main Story vs Chastity IF Priority Poll: https://www.polltab.com/uJt1WyVwfw/results

Stats:
Words:
1,220,918
Works:
5
Complete:
No
Bookmarks:
97

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