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  • Locked thread
Quinn2win
Nov 9, 2011

Foolish child of man...
After reading all this,
do you still not understand?
Your goal is to seek the truth. What that means is up to your own interpretation.

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bman in 2288
Apr 21, 2010
Well, in that case, I'm really resonating with what resurgam40 said. Considering the relationship that Beatrice and Shannon have, I'm not buying that she would have killed her unless something big happened. Maybe Shannon saw something that she shouldn't have, but there are other answers.

One answer I figure could exist is that Shannon angered Beatrice beforehand, and she took it out on Shannon during the incident. Personally, I don't really dig that idea because Beatrice doesn't seem like the kind of person who wouldn't gently caress someone up immediately if they wronged her and knew she existed. The only other idea I can come up with right now is that Beatrice didn't gently caress Shannon and the other 5 up, or at least kill them, and in fact, was not involved with their deaths. So what I'm trying to say is that a new person, a 20th person, may have infiltrated Rokkenjima without most of the character's knowledge, and wasn't a mere human.

Someone please point out fallacies I missed in my reasoning. Because the existence of witches is kind of difficult to ignore at this point, but some deaths aren't adding up considering certain relationships established here.

MonsterEnvy
Feb 4, 2012

Shocked I tell you
Been playing the steam release behind the thread to check out the differences in translation. As I was starting episode 2 I noticed that the blurbs on the episodes state the difficulty of the mystery. The episode 1 prologue states the the difficulty is standard while the episode 2 one states it's extreme. I checked the thread as well to see if the blurbs were there (The old translation uses difficulty is first rate instead of extreme for episode 2 it appears.)

So apparently this episode is going to be harder then the last one to figure out. Given all the involvement of the witch right now I am agreeing.

Quinn2win
Nov 9, 2011

Foolish child of man...
After reading all this,
do you still not understand?
Yeah, to clarify on that - those little difficulty blurbs I give at the start of each Episode are from the main menu when you select the Episode to play it.

little_firebird
Sep 1, 2008

Why don't you
just eat your
belly button and die?!

bman in 2288 posted:

I just want to clarify something here: is the goal here to prove that the killings could have happened by means other than magic, or is the goal to prove that witches don't exist? Because I'm having a legit hard time trying to figure out how to explain the latter, considering Kinzo's pathetic breakdown (again).

Yes.

bman in 2288
Apr 21, 2010

This hurts my soul.

Qrr
Aug 14, 2015


bman in 2288 posted:

One answer I figure could exist is that Shannon angered Beatrice beforehand, and she took it out on Shannon during the incident. Personally, I don't really dig that idea because Beatrice doesn't seem like the kind of person who wouldn't gently caress someone up immediately if they wronged her and knew she existed. The only other idea I can come up with right now is that Beatrice didn't gently caress Shannon and the other 5 up, or at least kill them, and in fact, was not involved with their deaths. So what I'm trying to say is that a new person, a 20th person, may have infiltrated Rokkenjima without most of the character's knowledge, and wasn't a mere human.


Well, the intro video definitely showed some people we haven't seen before, including someone hanging out at Witch club.

oath2order
Oct 12, 2013

It's MAGIC. I don't have to explain shit!


bman in 2288 posted:

This hurts my soul.

Now you're starting to read Umineko correctly.

EagerSleeper
Feb 3, 2010

by R. Guyovich

bman in 2288 posted:

This hurts my soul.

Insert beatrice_ahahaha.wav here.

Dr Pepper
Feb 4, 2012

Don't like it? well...

Somebody earlier in the thread compared Beatrice to fairies and I think that's pretty accurate.

Sure, right now Beatrice is fine with shipping Shannon and George, being friends with her and having a good time. But when the time comes to start the resurrection ritual she'll totally just murder her cause thems the breaks.

KataraniSword
Apr 22, 2008

but at least I don't have
a MLP or MSPA avatar.
I am my own man.

Dr Pepper posted:

Somebody earlier in the thread compared Beatrice to fairies and I think that's pretty accurate.

Sure, right now Beatrice is fine with shipping Shannon and George, being friends with her and having a good time. But when the time comes to start the resurrection ritual she'll totally just murder her cause thems the breaks.

She might even be "kind" enough to murder them together like what happened before with Eva and Hideyoshi. It's so very romantic, and all.

tiistai
Nov 1, 2012

Solo Melodica

bman in 2288 posted:

This hurts my soul.

EagerSleeper posted:

Insert beatrice_ahahaha.wav here.

http://tindeck.com/listen/mqvt

It's fine to believe in witches, I mean even the game's author said it's not a mystery :witch:

tiistai fucked around with this message at 07:26 on Oct 20, 2016

Fabulousvillain
May 2, 2015

Dr Pepper posted:

Somebody earlier in the thread compared Beatrice to fairies and I think that's pretty accurate.

Sure, right now Beatrice is fine with shipping Shannon and George, being friends with her and having a good time. But when the time comes to start the resurrection ritual she'll totally just murder her cause thems the breaks.

Seems more like a contractor trying to get you to sign a deal before you have time to read the fine print or hire a lawyer: "Hey what's this part about no one on the island escaping alive, I mean I thought I just had to break a mirror and you'll be revived. Are you making this up as you go? Let me call my exorcist."

Double Punctuation
Dec 30, 2009

Ships were made for sinking;
Whiskey made for drinking;
If we were made of cellophane
We'd all get stinking drunk much faster!
Remember: All Battler has to do is prove there is some non-magical explanation for every event. If he proves that, then the miracle never happen.

It seems what the game wants us to do is decide if he's right to be doing that.

resurgam40
Jul 22, 2007

Battler, the literal stupidest man on earth. Why are you even here, Battler, why did you come back to this place so you could fuck literally everything up?

Fabulousvillain posted:

Seems more like a contractor trying to get you to sign a deal before you have time to read the fine print or hire a lawyer: "Hey what's this part about no one on the island escaping alive, I mean I thought I just had to break a mirror and you'll be revived. Are you making this up as you go? Let me call my exorcist."

But the thing that gives me pause about that is, by the dialogue, Shannon and Beatrice are having the tea party, Shannon has already broken the mirror. Ergo, Beatrice already has what she wants out of her; that's why she can do things like have tea parties now. Therefore, either Beatrice is genuinely being nice here... or there's something else she wants. Or this is a complete whim and she's making this up as she goes, which could very much be the case.

KataraniSword posted:

She might even be "kind" enough to murder them together like what happened before with Eva and Hideyoshi. It's so very romantic, and all.

But she doesn't do that, remember? She murders her in the hallway and never lifts a hand to George, which is why this whole thing is weird to me.

Quinn2win
Nov 9, 2011

Foolish child of man...
After reading all this,
do you still not understand?


BGM: Doorway of Summer

School was a place Jessica liked, where she could let out her stress from the days when she was forced to live formally. For the cultural festival today, she had formed a group with her friends, and had announced that they would perform light music on a temporary stage. She had kept on preparing and practicing for that, and had really looked forward to today... but there was one thing that had worried her.

She looked at the clock. There was still a little time, but she was uneasy. Would that person really come? After taking a single deep breath, her heart jumped when all her friends suddenly started speaking in shrill voices.



"Isn't he?! Isn't he?!"
"I heard Rin's boyfriend's re-ally smart! Is it true that guy's a glasses beast?!"
"No way, no way, my husband'll be a pretty bo-y!"
"""Kyakkya♪ Kyakkya♪"""



Jessica didn't have a boyfriend. She had many friends of the opposite sex, but no special 'only one'. But Jessica was a little famous around the school, and everyone thought it would be natural for her to have a fitting partner.

Furthermore, her pride had caused her to act like that was the case. So she had slyly been able to trick them somehow until this year. But for various reasons, she hadn't been able to escape this year's cultural festival...

"Jessie~. Is your boyfriend he~re?"



"What kind of person is your boyfriend, Jessie? At least give us a hint. What kind of relationship? What kind of relationship?!"
"Awesome, he's a working man, right?! Will he come in a suit?! Of course he'll be wearing glasses, right?! Kyaa-!!" "Heeeeeey, he doesn't really exist, does he? If you come clean now, we'll let you join us! Let's cry together during this cultural festivaaaal!"
"No no no, he exists he exists he exists, I told you, he really exists... ahahahahahahahahahaha...!!"

Jessica's bitter smile was covered with cold sweat. It was starting to seem doubtful whether she really had deceived her sharp-witted friends...



BGM: Towering Cloud in Summer

"F, f, fake?! Wh, who...?! I can't think of, anyone...!"

Shannon's ridiculous plan surprised Jessica into hysterics. Even so, it was probably more realistic than the unrealistic methods running through her head about getting a boyfriend in the big rush before the cultural festival.

"For example, what about Kanon-kun?"
"K K, Kanon-kuuuuuun?! N n, no way, no way!! Anyways, I'm sure Kanon-kun has work on the day of the festival... and I don't want to bother him..."
"Of course, I've fully checked the schedule. Kanon-kun has that day off."
"...Wh... why are you always so clever at times like this... No, wait! It'd be even worse if he's off... I can't pull him away from his precious break just for my own vanity!"
"If you don't pull Kanon-kun away, he'll always be shut away by himself, so I think it would be perfect if you could forcibly pull him away."
"Y, y, you think so? No, but, I'd feel bad for Kanon-kun..."
"Then try everything else... How about meekly confessing to everyone that you don't have a boyfriend?"



"Sh, Shannonnnn~!! You aren't really worrying for my sake, are you, you're teasing me, riiiight?!!"

Jessica wrestled about with Shannon, her eyes teary. But Shannon was unconcerned, laughing with her usual smile.

"Yes, this is to get you back for making fun of me and George-sama all the time."

Listening to Shannon's comeback, the likes of which didn't happen even once a year, Jessica hugged her cushion and rolled around on her bed, pretending to faint in agony. She was so frustrated that she couldn't stand Shannon's smile, which looked so triumphant, but right now, she was the only person Jessica could talk with. She could choke herself to death with her cushion later.

"Why not, Milady? It's a cultural festival, but it's also a chance for you to have fun with Kanon-kun."
"No, that may be true, but, no, no, no, no...!!"

Jessica buried her head in her favorite pillow to hide the fact that her face had grown bright red. And she grumpily chewed the fingernail on her thumb. It really was a reaction to be appreciated.



And they were both right in the middle of puberty. They could never talk enough about things related to love. That's why they were able to expose these topics to each other. So Jessica had heard the details of how Shannon's and George's love was progressing, and on the other side, Shannon had heard the details of what type Jessica liked, and what kind of man she might be interested in. Judging by Jessica's reaction, maybe it had been unrefined to speak of that in detail...

She had said that because the discussion wouldn't progress if Jessica kept rolling around on the bed. Jessica had been thinking about Kanon ever since he had shown up. There were almost no young men on Rokkenjima. So maybe it was natural for Jessica, as a girl in puberty, to become interested in Kanon. But if anyone said that, it would destroy the romance of a maiden's pure heart and love at first sight.

Shannon had been with Kanon the whole time at the orphanage, so she had known him before they had started working. So Jessica had asked persistently about what his hobbies were, what his favorite food was, what type of girl he liked. It was clear to Shannon that Jessica was infatuated with Kanon.

"Come on. Isn't this a good chance to take Kanon-kun on a date?"
"B, b, but but but, Kanon-kun might also have someone he likes, so... wouldn't he take it badly if I made him go with me just to show off...?"



"Wo-w, George nii-san sure is incredible, being able to understand future trends. Awesome. No, wait! Are you saying that my type is in the wrong time period?! Uwaa-uwaa-uwaa-, I give u-p!!"

...In the end, Jessica agreed to Shannon's plan of having Kanon act as her boyfriend, but she had to waste several days before that...



BGM: Novelette

Jessica regretted calling out at such a bad time. Kanon always had a sour look, but he had some bad days and some good days. Unfortunately, this reaction was the former.

"N, n, no, umm, well, ...errr."
"..."

All that confidence and effort she had piled up by practicing in front of a mirror all night was wiped out in about five seconds... Jessica turned bright red and hung her head. When he saw that, Kanon took a deep breath. Jessica thought he had been shocked, and her face went pale.

"...I heard from Shannon. This is about having me go with you to the school cultural festival, right, Milady?"
"Huh? Ah, aaaaaaahhh!! Nice, Shannon, yeah right! Y, yeah, yeah. Th, that's right, but, umm, err! D, d, do you have any plans that day...?"
"...I was strictly ordered by Shannon to work specially for you on that day, Milady. I have never been to high school, so I don't really understand, but I hear it's a place where girls feel very ashamed if they don't have a boy with them. And I was particularly ordered that the daughter of the Ushiromiya family not be in any way inferior to common people."
"Waha, wahahahahahahahahahaha, Shannon, I'll beat you to death late----r!!!"

Jessica kept yelling with a strange voice, and a broken smile, like a tea kettle filled with boiling water. As Kanon watched this, he sighed again.



He fully understood what Jessica intended by inviting him. However, it would be really annoying to go along with the lady's game of love.

But Shannon had talked to him persistently. He was very indebted to her. He couldn't refuse. And that brooch was in his pocket. Couldn't this strange turn of events also have been brought about by the magic power residing in this brooch?



It was a truly odd exchange between Jessica, who was still rambling on in a strange voice, and Kanon, who took a deep breath...



BGM: Doorway of Summer

"Huh, ah, ah, sorry!! Wh, who...?"

As my friends all gathered together, they were looking this way with hard to describe expressions, whispering to each other! in small voices that weren't small anymore. Even I feel kind of shameless. Did I just say 'sorry, who'?! Like I don't know who's shown up...! Aaaaaaaaah, it's useless, it's useless, my mind is blank...



BGM: HANE

"She really had a boyfriend?! No way, seriously?!"
"Jessica, you traitor!! Isn't that really awesome?!!"
"He's younger?! I never heard he was younger?!"
"Where where?! Where where where's Jessie's boyfriend?!"
"She really does like young boys!!"
"He, h, h, h, hey! A, aren't you late, wahahahahaha!"
"...I didn't know where the entrance was. I apologize for being late."
"R, right, umm... that outfit suits you, doesn't it? Wahahahahahahaha...!!"
"...Shannon, ...said normal clothes wouldn't do, ...yesterday, ...we bought this. It probably doesn't fit me..."
"Wa, wahahahahahahahahahahahaha, that's not true! Shannon, when I get back I'll promote you two leveeeeeeeels!!"
"...This place is kinda filled with girls. It's uncomfortable."
"Y, y, yeah, isn't it?! C, come on, let's not hang around here, let's go to the stage, alright? 'Cause it'll be my turn really soon! Come on come on come on!!"

Jessica was just as uncomfortable. It looked like it was hard to be bathed in everyone's interested gazes. When he saw Jessica's appearance, Kanon thought that he might have made things difficult for her by coming.

"...I get the feeling that I'm getting in the way. Am I a burden?"
"I, I, I told you, no way!!"
"...Please tell me at any time if I am in the way..."



WH didn't do a Tip for this one - 'boku' is one of Japanese's many first-person pronouns, one that's masculine but a bit on the softer side.

"Ahiiiiiiiii, you, you, you aren't a burden, Kanon-kun!!"



"...What should I do, Milady?"



'ktkr' is an acronym for 'kita kore', roughly 'o poo poo here it comes'. This whole sequence must have been pretty rough on the translation squad.

"Nooooooooo, don't call me Milady todaaaaaaaaay!!"
"...R, really? Understood, Jessica-sama."



"S s s, sorry, Kanon-kun, just for three seconds, could you close your eyes..."



"Th, ...then I'll close them."



...When Kanon opened his eyes, for some reason, there was a horrible tragedy in the room. Everyone had been driven into the walls, their arms and legs outstretched. Jessica put her brass knuckles in her pocket before Kanon opened his eyes.

"A, anyways, let's go over to the stage. Our turn is coming up soon, so wait in a seat for bit. 'Cause we have to get ready! If you go straight to the end here, there'll be a temporary stage, so you'll know where to go. Please wait there!"

She pushed Kanon's back, as looked like it would be hard for him to go by himself, and chased him out. Even though Kanon was confused by Jessica's attitude and panic, which he had never seen before, he followed her instruction, and headed in the direction she had indicated. After seeing him off with an awkward smile, Jessica slammed the door shut and yelled loudly.

"There you go, you saw, right? Did you see, are you satisfied?! Wahahahahahahahaha, how pathetic!!!"
"...Ugugugugugugu, I lost the bet."
"I was sure that Jessie didn't have a boyfriend."
"That wasn't a boyfriend, right, she's just harassing one of her servants, right?"
"Waaaah, Jessie's boyfriend's incredibleeee...!"
"Sh, sh, shut up!! Come on, let's get ready!!"

When Jessica took the brass knuckles out of her pocket again, everyone energetically returned to their tasks.



BGM: White Shadow

When Kanon went down the corridor as Jessica had told him to, he ran into a temporary stage set up where the vending machines should have been. It was probably being rented by the hour by some group or circle. Groups from the school where singing songs, but the place was already getting excited. Disliking that clatter, he approached a dark wall alone.

...So this is what they call high school. It sure is noisy. That's what Kanon thought. Then he remembered Jessica just now, acting in a way that he'd never seen before. Honestly, she was in such high spirits that alcohol might have been involved. To him, the greatest virtue for people was to always be composed and intellectual. In that sense, it was very hard for Kanon to get used to the atmosphere in a school cultural festival.

...He had the responsibility to report everything he saw and heard to the Master. So he also had to report about how Jessica had acted without restraint earlier. At the very least, it was not fitting for the daughter of the Ushiromiya family. The Master, Krauss-sama, and especially Natsuhi-sama would probably be angry. If I am to report it in a way that protects Milady, should I blame it on inappropriate school friends...?



Kanon thought back on how Jessica had acted earlier, and sighed again. He could understand Natsuhi's headache a little now. Come to think of it, Natsuhi-sama, as the president of the PTA, should have gone to an informal gathering after attending the ceremony in the gymnasium. Hadn't she said that she wouldn't be there to see Milady's event? That was probably for the best.

"...Crowds are unpleasant. What in the world is going on?"

Several female students keep glancing at me. It seems they're all whispering the same things that Milady's school friends had said, and it's really unpleasant. Come to think of it, didn't Shannon warn me? If you walk alone at something like a school festival, you better watch out because a lot of strange people will come and talk to you.



Just as expected, a group of girls I've never met have started talking to me. Their gazes make it feel like my back is itching. Hadn't she talked about some magic words that could chase them off in times like this? Ummm.

"...I am sorry. I am with someone."
"Huh, ah, really...?! I, I'm sorry!"

It's true. It worked immediately... But, while they did retreat, it really hasn't changed the amount of people gazing at me.

"No, it's that kid, Jessie's boyfriend!!"
"No way?! That kid is?!"
"I can't believe it, I was sure he was fake!"
"Isn't he cu-te, he's younger?! How nice!!"
"...Haah."

...There's no way I'll ever come to a place like this again. Kanon sighed for about the zillionth time today.



:siren:Video: Sweets:siren:

BGM: HANE

When he looked around, he realized that there were suddenly a large number of people here. And unlike earlier, they were all guys. With this huge crowd, he couldn't even see the stage. Fortunately, there was a fallen beer case nearby, and he tried using that as a footstool. When he did, he realized that there was now a new group on the stage.



No, maybe she could play. I have seen her practicing air guitar before. Natsuhi-sama wouldn't approve of any hobbies outside of study. Maybe she was always practicing in secret. Come to think of it, recently, she's been returning really late from school, hasn't she? Maybe she was endeavoring to practice at school, when Natsuhi-sama wasn't looking.

It really is for the best that Natsuhi-sama didn't come. If Natsuhi-sama found fault with Milady practicing the guitar, even though she had taken such great pains to do it, Milady would probably be dejected...





I can hear Jessica-sama's forceful voice through the speakers. Jessie-sama? Maybe that's her nickname at school. The students in the audience had kept calling out that name. I'm a little offended at this inferior name. It is inappropriate for Milady.

Jessica-sama was in great spirits as they kept calling her Jessie-sama. Everyone was probably a fan. Her mike performance responded to that and grew more excited. It was almost like a song program on TV.

At first, he thought it was superficial, but that feeling had changed into appreciation. It was pretty incredible. Kanon had never listened to music of his own free will, but he had often heard the kind of music that the people of the Ushiromiya family liked. Since that was almost all classical music, Kanon had naturally started liking classical music too. So to Kanon, the song Jessica sang was, how should you say it... very modern. An any case, if Natsuhi-sama heard it, she would probably faint.



BGM: Swee-swee Sweets

This sequence changed a lot in the PS3 version, probably for legal reasons. In the original release, the concert scene looked like this, and the song used was this. Apparently Ryukishi07 is a big Touhou fan.

The die-hard fans who had even brought pen-lights sang along, dancing crazily with the same movements, almost as though it had been planned ahead. On the stage, Jessica-sama also sang enthusiastically, dripping with sweat. He couldn't find a single element that was appropriate for a daughter of the Ushiromiya family... but it looked like she was having a lot of fun.

"""Jessie-samaaaaaaaa!! Jessiiiiie, Jessiiiiiiiiiiie!!!"""

"Thank you!! OK, next up, we've got a brand new one for you! Don't Call Me An Ordinary Magician!"





BGM: Hope

As I looked at Milady having a great time, I thought. Isn't this Ushiromiya Jessica's true form? Don't I know best that during her life on Rokkenjima, she'd had no choice but to kill her sense of self? Then the time she spent... not as Milady, the successor to the Ushiromiya family, but as a single girl called Jessica, living life to the fullest, must have been very important to her.

I worked close to Milady, saw her in all seasons, and I thought I knew everything about her. But that was only limited to one side of her, Milady of Rokkenjima.



So I had come to think that Rokkenjima itself was our whole world, as though, like in Ptolemaic theory, the ocean spilled off the end of the world into an abyss. But when I look at Milady like this, I realize that this is a horribly narrow outlook. I still can't go along with the excitement of the crowd... But I feel like I can see something that 'cannot be seen' on Rokkenjima.

...I don't know if this is the unseeable thing Shannon was talking about...

Quinn2win fucked around with this message at 03:59 on Oct 31, 2016

Quinn2win
Nov 9, 2011

Foolish child of man...
After reading all this,
do you still not understand?
There is going to be a video of the concert scene here, but the one I captured has a bunch of weird distortion in it due to I think overworking my laptop. I'll be recapturing it tonight and adding it to the post.

Carpator Diei
Feb 26, 2011

ProfessorProf posted:

"...I get the feeling that I'm getting in the way. Am I a burden?"
"I, I, I told you, no way!!"
"...Please tell me at any time if I am in the way..."

As you would expect from a devoted servant, Kanon is very swift at changing clothes.


(Also, one image appears twice:)

Quinn2win
Nov 9, 2011

Foolish child of man...
After reading all this,
do you still not understand?
Both fixed.

spectralent
Oct 1, 2014

Me and the boys poppin' down to the shops
White Shadow also links to HANE (Feathers) again.

SardonicTyrant
Feb 26, 2016

BTICH IM A NEWT
熱くなれ夢みた明日を
必ずいつかつかまえる
走り出せ振り向くことなく
&



Where did Kannon even get an outfit like that?

Quinn2win
Nov 9, 2011

Foolish child of man...
After reading all this,
do you still not understand?
Music link also fixed. I'm good at LPing, I swear.

oath2order
Oct 12, 2013

It's MAGIC. I don't have to explain shit!


SardonicTyrant posted:

Where did Kannon even get an outfit like that?
In episode 6 we learn that Kanon has never bought clothing for himself before, and so accidentally walked into an anime cosplay shop, unable to tell the difference.

Lord Koth
Jan 8, 2012

oath2order posted:

In episode 6 we learn that Kanon has never bought clothing for himself before, and so accidentally walked into an anime cosplay shop, unable to tell the difference.

Speaking of anime cosplay, that wasn't Jessica's outfit in the original game. In that, she was dressed as, well...


In addition there was an insert song during that sequence, also related to Touhou. Presumably they were both changed/removed in the later releases for copyright reasons.

Oh, there's also some singing of a song involving Oyashiro-sama and their antics, but not talking about that any more. ProfessorProf's LP has got me replaying Higurashi due to the recent release on Steam of the last of its Question arcs, and I'm currently debating doing an LP of it. Still working out the mechanics and the time requirements, but at least considering it.

oath2order
Oct 12, 2013

It's MAGIC. I don't have to explain shit!


Lord Koth posted:

Speaking of anime cosplay, that wasn't Jessica's outfit in the original game. In that, she was dressed as, well...


In addition there was an insert song during that sequence, also related to Touhou. Presumably they were both changed/removed in the later releases for copyright reasons.

Oh, there's also some singing of a song involving Oyashiro-sama and their antics, but not talking about that any more. ProfessorProf's LP has got me replaying Higurashi due to the recent release on Steam of the last of its Question arcs, and I'm currently debating doing an LP of it. Still working out the mechanics and the time requirements, but at least considering it.

Jessica singing her original VN song about how flat chests are the best while dressed like a tohou will never not be hilarious to me.

It is canon that Jessica can't get a boyfriend because she's a moe moe anime character about 2 decades too early for that to be in fashion.

bman in 2288
Apr 21, 2010
Unless Kanon covers for her like crazy (which he might not), Jessica's gonna get in a lot of trouble at home. Again.

All of this feels really depressing considering that everyone dies at the end, but it's just as depressing that Kanon won't allow himself to be a regular teenager.

SardonicTyrant
Feb 26, 2016

BTICH IM A NEWT
熱くなれ夢みた明日を
必ずいつかつかまえる
走り出せ振り向くことなく
&



oath2order posted:

In episode 6 we learn that Kanon has never bought clothing for himself before, and so accidentally walked into an anime cosplay shop, unable to tell the difference.
Maybe that's the secret room in Kinzo's study: a closet full of cosplay outfits. He never grew out of his chuunibyou phase and became a magician as a result.

Sindai
Jan 24, 2007
i want to achieve immortality through not dying
Beatrice is actually the name of his waifu from his favorite manga.

resurgam40
Jul 22, 2007

Battler, the literal stupidest man on earth. Why are you even here, Battler, why did you come back to this place so you could fuck literally everything up?

bman in 2288 posted:

Unless Kanon covers for her like crazy (which he might not), Jessica's gonna get in a lot of trouble at home. Again.

All of this feels really depressing considering that everyone dies at the end, but it's just as depressing that Kanon won't allow himself to be a regular teenager.

Mmm-hmm. I'd like to think he'd cover for her but that "I am furniture" crap run deep... if somebody cornered him, he'd spill the beans.

By the way, I hope there's more evidence than this that Kanon and Jessica were "in luuurve" with each other, because one date that one party was pressured into to save the others embarrassment does not a relationship make. I'm sorry all these kids are lonely and it's great that they're seeking comfort in each other, but these power dynamics just make everything unhealthy as balls. They all need a wider group to choose partners from, as far away from these adults as possible.

vector_to
Mar 7, 2013

This update made me do a complete 180 on Kanon. I thought he was kind of okay, but the coat has ruined everything.

Quinn2win
Nov 9, 2011

Foolish child of man...
After reading all this,
do you still not understand?
Added a video of the Jessie-sama concert scene to the previous update.

little_firebird
Sep 1, 2008

Why don't you
just eat your
belly button and die?!



E: I read good. Here's the original ASCII art. :downs:

little_firebird fucked around with this message at 00:43 on Oct 21, 2016

oath2order
Oct 12, 2013

It's MAGIC. I don't have to explain shit!


resurgam40 posted:

Mmm-hmm. I'd like to think he'd cover for her but that "I am furniture" crap run deep... if somebody cornered him, he'd spill the beans.

By the way, I hope there's more evidence than this that Kanon and Jessica were "in luuurve" with each other, because one date that one party was pressured into to save the others embarrassment does not a relationship make. I'm sorry all these kids are lonely and it's great that they're seeking comfort in each other, but these power dynamics just make everything unhealthy as balls. They all need a wider group to choose partners from, as far away from these adults as possible.

I don't think Jessica and Kanon is ever presented as like a deep and passionate romance, even on the level of George and Shannon. Battler describes it in Episode 1 as Jessica only fully realizing her feelings once Kanon died. There's no evidence at this point that Kanon necessarily returned those feelings.

Edit to avoid double posting: I also believe the reason for all the tohou references is that Ryukishi07 and ZUN are friends, or at least friendly acquaintances.

oath2order fucked around with this message at 02:28 on Oct 21, 2016

Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.

Clapping Larry
I don't know why I was expecting Jessica to go full punk rock right there.

Maybe it was the Union Jack.

Quinn2win
Nov 9, 2011

Foolish child of man...
After reading all this,
do you still not understand?


BGM: Moonlit Night

"...Yes, he seemed to be in good health. That's right, Member Takamiya also came. She said to leave it to her."
"Hmm, busy as usual?"
"It appeared so. That person is also very energetic. That's right, then, I think President Emoto also came."

Naturally, the topic of Jessica's cultural festival came up at dinner. School events often became social gatherings for local volunteers. It was the same for the Ushiromiya family, who were celebrities around here. By remembering the names of the important people at the informal gathering, Natsuhi told Krauss the news.

Jessica didn't really have any interest in that discussion, and rudely slurped her pumpkin soup.

"...Milady. Are those manners appropriate?"
"...Yeah yeah, sorry 'bout that."
"Jessica. I am always telling you watch your language."
"...Yes."

Jessica answered, discouraged. When he saw that, Krauss smiled a little and interrupted his conversation with Natsuhi.

"How was the festival for you, Jessica?"
"Huh? Ah... well, okay!"



"Huh... huh?! Ah... ahahahaha, w, well!"

Jessica's face turned bright red. She probably hadn't thought that Natsuhi would actually come to see her on the stage. She felt a mix of happiness and embarrassment.

Actually, she hadn't wanted her mother to watch because she didn't want to be told that her music was inappropriate for the Ushiromiya family. But it wasn't as though it didn't make her happy to hear her parent say that she did a good job after watching her try her best...

"Jessica appeared with both composure and dignity. Fitting behavior for the students' representative."
"...ah, oh... yeah."

The smile that had been there until a second ago crumbled like sand. Jessica immediately realized that she was talking about something different. Jessica was also the school's student president. She had no interest in something so annoying, but her parents had been pushy so she had grudgingly accepted. Unfortunately, she was popular in school, so she had won the election easily. So Natsuhi was praising her for the student council sponsorship ceremony at the beginning of the cultural festival.

Actually, she had just carried that out halfheartedly. She had immediately met up with her friends, and had held a stage rehearsal for the rest of the time...



"But you spoke the greeting a little quickly. You passed on content, but your fast style of speech was lacking. It would be good if you developed a habit of taking a breath every once in a while."
"...yeah."



BGM: Steady Pace

You could say that her room was the place where her parents had ordered her to be. So maybe you could say that for Jessica, instead of returning to her own room, being in an unknown location in this large mansion was a meager form of resistance...



"...Well, if she had been talking about that, I'm sure she'd have said something about how it wasn't appropriate for the successor to the Ushiromiya family. So isn't it alright this way? Ahahahahahaha."

Jessica laughed at what she was sulking over. She laughed at what kind of words she would have had to receive to be satisfied.

It was ridiculous. In the end, I was just acting like a kid. I'm a little surprised, and it makes me want to laugh.





Just as she had tried to force a laugh, Kanon had suddenly started talking to her, and she choked.

"What? Something to say...?"
"...umm."
"...Yes?"

Jessica's expression became the one she always had when looking at Kanon. The listless Jessica from a second ago was gone. If he had still only known of Jessica as the successor to the Ushiromiya family, as he had until yesterday, he would have mistakenly thought that Jessica's mood had sprung back to normal.

But that was wrong. He now knew a part of her that he could not have seen until yesterday, so he understood that there was no way that, on the inside, Jessica was just as she appeared.

"Ah... about today's cultural festival... well, thanks for coming with me so I could show off. You really helped."



"Wha?! Ah, ahahahahahaha?! R, really, I'm embarrassed..."

Even though she had heard the words she had most wanted to hear, Jessica acted shyly, and couldn't accept them seriously.

"...I cannot sing. And I don't know how to play any instruments other than the harmonica and the recorder, which I learned in elementary school... So I had just assumed that Milady was the same."

...Kanon hadn't planned on looking down on Jessica that much. But people playing unique instruments were always on the other side of the Braun tubes in the TV. At the very least, he had been under the impression that it would be impossible for Jessica.

"...I am furniture. So I didn't believe there was any need to sing songs or play instruments."

But... I'm not sure anymore.

"...Seriously, Kanon-kun, enough with that phrase 'because I am furniture'... That's some kind of understanding amongst the servants, right...? That thing about servants being living furniture. Genji-san says it a lot."
"It isn't an understanding... Because we really are... furniture."
"I know that the kids from the Fukuin House receive assistance from Grandfather in various ways, and I realize that you feel gratitude for that. But that doesn't mean you should call yourself furniture. Aren't you a human like us?"
"..."



"...It looked like you were having a lot of fun."
"That's probably wrong."
"...Huh?"
"It didn't look like I was having fun... you were jealous, weren't you?"
"..., that isn't..."

Even Kanon himself probably hadn't noticed that emotion. Kanon had probably seen something he had never seen before, known about it... and been jealous. And to trick himself about that emotion, he had called himself furniture over and over...



"...Probably, just like you had to live at the Fukuin House, I don't have a choice either. I couldn't choose the stars under which I was born."
"...That may be true."
"But there's one place where you and I are completely different. Know what that is?"

I am furniture, and Milady is not... He was about to say that, but stopped.

"...I do not know."
"Kanon-kun, you think that your own fate is everything and you gave up. I can't accept this kind of fate, so I do the best I can. So in addition to the constrained part of me that must act as the daughter of the Ushiromiya family, I've created another self that can do everything I like."



"Yeah. Kanon-kun, you've been instructed to say 'because I am furniture'. I'm sure there's been many things that have been tough just because you've been instructed that way. I think that's... really unfortunate. But the thought that your entire life will be decided by that, I think that's just sad."
"..."
"You know, people are always making another part of themselves inside themselves that they can really like. This isn't escaping from reality, okay? When I'm that other part of myself, I can really feel like I'm living a great life. So no matter how constrained and boring everyday life is, I can definitely live without suffocating."
"...To make... inside yourself, another self that you can really like..."



BGM: Cage

Through her relationship with George-sama, has Shannon given birth to a part of herself that isn't furniture? And did this other Shannon, see something that cannot be seen by furniture?

"Yeah... Well, I don't know anything about your private life, Kanon-kun. But, I can sorta guess. Your private life is probably, nothing at all. Bulls-eye...?"

Kanon couldn't reply, but that was answer enough. He had no concept of a private life. So Kanon would always be Kanon. So furniture would always be furniture.

"Kanon-kun, Kanon isn't your real name, right?"

In the Fukuin House, because new graduates would be given new families and a new life, they were even given a new name. In his case, that was 'Kanon'.

"...Certainly, that name of mine may be a temporary thing."

He had thought that he wasn't anyone other than Kanon. But he remembered. There definitely had been a part of himself that wasn't Kanon. But that was far, far away, on the other side of the distant fog of memory...

"So even for you, it should be alright to have times when you're Kanon-kun, and times when you aren't. Maybe the Kanon-kun you are when you act as a servant calls himself furniture and strictly limits his own will."
"...But when you aren't Kanon-kun, I think it's alright to live much, much more freely."



Jessica had also been like this in the past. She had cursed her own birth into an environment different from all of her friends at school. Only she had been in a heavily constricted environment. forced to learn various things, and it had even interfered with the friends she had played with. Even though that was sad, she had given up, thinking that she had just been born under that kind of star.

But one day, Jessica had stopped giving up and surrendering. Stuff like the Ushiromiya family customs and pressure, those didn't matter. She had created a real 'Jessica' inside herself, who could do what she really wanted to do.

"You know, I'm called by this nickname Jessie in school. So when I'm Jessie, I live life honestly and to the fullest. And because of that, I can do my best when I'm Jessica too."
"...I wonder if it would be alright for you too, to have times when you live as Kanon, and times when you live as, umm... your real name. When you aren't Kanon, can't you become another part of yourself that you can like?"
"...A time when, I am not Kanon."

He had thought that his real name didn't matter at all. So he had thought Kanon was all of himself. And now Jessica was saying that he should create a new existence, another part of himself that wasn't Kanon.

"...Kanon-kun. If you don't mind, tell me... What is your real name?"
"..."

He was silent for quite some time. Maybe Kanon's real name had risen to the tip of his tongue. After hesitating for a long time over whether he should say it... in the end... he swallowed it back down.

"...I forgot. My name doesn't matter anymore."

Those words contained a slight rejection.

"No matter what kind of real name I had, the only truth now is that here, I am Kanon. The past has nothing to do with anything. The materials with which furniture is made, whether it was originally the trunk of a tree or not, in the end, it's all the same."
"...I told you to stop that! You aren't furniture, you're human, right?!"



BGM: Fortitude

Kanon clearly spoke his refusal. It was with a rage that he normally didn't show. Jessica couldn't say anything back, and was struck silent...

"...You are a human, Milady. So you are free to live any way you like, and any kind of future is possible for you. It's almost like you have wings and can dance through the sky like a bird. But I am not like that. Even if I looked like a bird, I'd be nothing more than a domestic duck. Even though they have wings, they cannot fly."
"But despite that, to speak of that dream in the sky... that's just... too cruel...!"
"...Furniture and ducks!! What the hell is all this!! No..."

Jessica had unconsciously gone along with Kanon's forceful manner of speaking, but she realized that she shouldn't fire back, and swallowed her words.

"...I don't know anything about you. I don't even know your upbringing, and I don't know the hardships you've been through. So I can't even imagine why you started calling yourself furniture."
"...But know this. You aren't furniture or a duck. You're a real human."
"..."
"If you want to say that the Kanon-kun working as a servant is furniture, that's alright. But... in that case... don't you think that you can make a part of yourself for when you aren't furniture, when you're human?"
"...Only a human like Milady can embrace that possibility. I am not like that. My future and possibilities, aren't even a dream I am supposed to see. So, Milady. Please don't... say any more... cruel things..."
"Why... Why are you saying that..."
"Because it seems that you are making the mistake that I am a human, just like you are, Milady. We are different beings. I just wanted to make that clear."



"Huh... wha?! Ah, no, wahaha..."
"...I look almost identical to a human. Therefore, like Shannon, maybe I could delude myself that I am human, and for a time, pretend to love."
"...But that would surely be fooling myself. No, it would also be fooling you, Milady. Shannon and George-sama will definitely fall apart. Even though Shannon herself probably realizes that day will come... such a stupid thing..."
"Th, there's nothing stupid about it!! And, George nii-san's a wonderful person, and he's bearing both of his parents' expectations. Yeah, when it comes to marriage, I'm sure auntie Eva will interfere in various ways, and, umm, I think their future prospects look like they'll be full of trouble, alright?! But you know, George nii-san isn't the kind of person who'll surrender to all that! Shannon isn't Juliet, he'll definitely bring her happiness!!"
"People cannot love furniture. I am trying to say that even if Milady can love furniture, I cannot love Milady."
"...nn-"



There was no way her emotions could have predicted that she would be refused so clearly... In an instant, she had lost the willpower that had caused her to try and unravel something stubborn in Kanon's heart, and before she knew it, she was just standing there in shock...

"...Milady, if your feelings for me are due to my conceit, then please forgive me."
"...N... no. Well... I won't deny it."
"...Thank you very much."
"Huh...?"



"No, th... that's enough. Umm... sorry."

Jessica recklessly scratched at her head and spoke, trying to force her voice to sound bright.

"...I just kinda... ran on ahead by myself... and was a burden on you. I'm honestly sorry. I'm really sorry... for using up your whole day off."
"No. I was also... happy that I could see Milady having fun."
"...Then, let's be done for the night. If I don't go back to my room and turn off the lights, Mom will get mad at me again. Hahaha."
"That would probably be most appropriate. I wish you a good night, Milady."
"...Yeah... Good night..."



But she suddenly started dashing recklessly, and disappeared in the direction of the mansion...

As he watched her back, for just an instant, Kanon was tormented by the feeling that he had just made a huge mistake. But he hadn't made a mistake at all. Thinking of her sake, he'd been forced to refuse her now, while the pain was still at its smallest.



BGM: Organ Short No. 600 Million in C Minor

"How long have you been there...? You're just horrible."



"I shall forgive your reckless words towards me just this once in deference to that pleasant show. Even after one thousand years, no more interesting show exists than complications between boys and girls. To me, it's a pleasure with a sweetness harder to resist than opium... Nn?"

Kanon pulled that butterfly brooch out of his pocket. It was the crystallization of the great magic that the witch had bestowed.



"...Hoh? What is the meaning of this, when you know that was something given by me?"
"Just now, I figured it out. What you are doing isn't as tasteful as being a cupid of love. You are just a demon who enjoys showing love to those who can never be joined, and deceiving them."
"...Hmph. You are free to think that. Most humans I have lent my power to have said the same thing."
"Don't play dumb!! You didn't lend Shannon your power because you felt sorry for her. You found a weak point in Shannon's heart as her chest burned with love, and you made her break the mirror that sealed you. And that's not all... you planned this out until the end, and you're toying with her! Am I wrong?!"
"Fuffufufufufufu, *cackle*! Furniture is a thoroughly pitiful existence. So you have no dreams, no future, and even no love? Good, good, there is nothing better than knowing your place. *cackle*cackle*!"
"...Gah..."
"Just as you've noticed, there is a faint love in Jessica's heart. I had hoped that you would punch a hole in that and harvest it... But did you know? Trees grow thicker branches if you thin out and prune them. A girl who loves furniture, interesting, truly interesting! Shannon and George will also eventually reach a stalemate with their love, which cannot be fulfilled, and ripen as the kind of large fruit I like."
"However, regretfully, it wouldn't be interesting if they didn't go too far, right? If that happens, I think you all would entertain me greatly, *cackle*cackle*!"

The witch laughed. Even though she had known that the two could not be joined, she had lent magic to join them together. However, they couldn't escape the fate that made it impossible for them to be joined. The witch knew that. Even if they were joined, the relationships of Shannon and George, Kanon and Jessica would fail, and as they wandered through the eternal desert in the hell of love, they would be tormented by eternal thirst...!



"Just look at Kinzo. See how he ended up, an old, pitiful man who knew the taste of love and was thrown out of paradise! Look at how he lives, like a dead man that can't fully die. *cackle*cackle*!!"
"You really are a witch. Disappear and get out of my sight, you demon...!!"
"...I shall disappear without being asked. My power still hasn't returned. It is still tiring to continue showing myself. I overdid it when I gave you lovers my power. As I am now, it will not be easy to maintain that power without that brooch as a catalyst."

Kanon ground his foot even more into the stomped brooch. He felt it break under his foot. Then, it evaporated like water, and changed into butterflies that sparkled gold, which fluttered away from beneath Kanon's foot...

"I also find it painful when I tend to preserve this form. But as you ask, I will erase this form for a brief period. Just like a low tide without the moon, my magical power will surely rise. And I will surely visit, at a time that is appropriate for my revival."
"...I cannot imagine whether that will be tomorrow, next year, or even one hundred or one thousand years in the future. But as long as there are those that entertain me, I will surely gain power and revive. I will erase this form for a short while, until that time comes. The bruise on the palm of your hand is already gone, so if you wish, tomorrow morning, you can let my existence disappear like an illusion or a dream. I won't be saddened just by you forgetting about me."



"...You talk too much!! Disappear, now, Golden Witch...!!"



The witch left with a scorn-filled laugh, became a group of gold butterflies and scattered away. The whole area sparkled like a gold blizzard in a snow globe. It was a fleeting fantastical scene that disappeared in a heartbeat...

The witch could no longer be seen. However, Kanon felt like he could still hear that shrill, unpleasant laugh...



BGM: Scorpion Entrails

Go insane with love. Go insane with gold. Those that don't go insane from those are not human! I see, so that's why the word furniture is fitting, *cackle*cackle*!

Furniture is created to serve humans. And I cruelly treat humans as playthings during my thousand years of boredom. What a truly pleasant three-way deadlock, that I cannot control furniture!



Tonight, two seeds of love have been sown. Including the one already sown, that makes three!



"Master, drinking any more will be damaging to your health. Haven't you also been warned by Doctor Nanjo?"
"Be silent, Genji!! You do not understand, you do not understand my grief and sadness! Even though I believed that as my oldest friend, at least you would understand my pain!! Why can't you understand?! Oooooohhh, Beatriiiiiice, why did you leave me alooooone...?!!"
"..."



"...Oooh, how heart-rending, Jessica-sama. Even though her crying voice that I can hear from her room tells me of the situation, there is nothing I can do... This is all a tragedy due to people who are too young getting too close, when the positions of their birth are too distant... I can do nothing but understand Milady's feelings, hide my footsteps, and quietly walk away..."



"I mean what I said. I still haven't built up my castle. Once I can do that, for the first time, I will be able to think of myself as an adult. When that happens, I want to marry you."
"...Th... that's, umm, err..."
"But, my heart won't let me do that anymore. ...So I want to give you an engagement ring."
"E... engagement, you say... But, umm, I... am... furniture..."
"Maybe that's true. And furniture has to listen to what people say. Now, I will have a ring made that's appropriate to give to you. I think I'll probably bring it to the family conference coming up soon. I'll give it to you then, so please, I want you to let me hear your answer."
"...If you accept my engagement proposal, I will proclaim right there, to all of the relatives, including Grandfather, my engagement to you."
"G, ...George-san..."
"I'm sure some people won't approve of our relationship. But, there's no need to look at their faces. Because you only have to fill your eyes with me."
"I will definitely make you happy. That, I promise you, definitely."



:siren:BGM: Life's End:siren:

The gold butterflies do not swoop upon the juice of overripe and rotting fruit.



Quinn2win fucked around with this message at 04:00 on Oct 31, 2016

oath2order
Oct 12, 2013

It's MAGIC. I don't have to explain shit!


Everyone who left the thread because of romance plot can come back now. I think we're done with flashbacks.

resurgam40
Jul 22, 2007

Battler, the literal stupidest man on earth. Why are you even here, Battler, why did you come back to this place so you could fuck literally everything up?

Christ Jesus! :gonk: Ok, forget whatever the gently caress I was saying about Beatrice being benign in any capacity, because anyone who makes a face like that is not your friend.

Two updates on, and my understanding of where all of this is going is upended again. It seems the undercurrents of horror these relationships have are deliberately apparent, since apparently Beatrice needs them as impetus to fulfill her legend... or are just for funsies! So that bit about making nice with Shannon and encouraging her relationships was never meant to make Shannon stronger, it was to foment a toxic relationship meant to fall apart for her amusement? loving bitch; I'm glad Kanon told her to gently caress off and crushed her silly pendant which may or may not even work! (We still have that ambiguity as to whether Beatrice is doing anything except make faces here, as the relationships built up could be a result of natural consequences, rather than any magic) And Kanon... dang, it might be sad, but it's probably for the best that he recognized the weird dynamic that would always exist if he took Jessica up on her offer, and turned her down; it may have hurt her, but he proved himself not furniture at all, even if he doesn't believe that. And I guess Battler was jumping the gun on JessXKanon pairing, too: what he saw as proof that Jessica "loved" Kanon is just sorrow that Kanon died while still denying his own individuality (which isn't really true either), and while Kanon was getting to see other sides of Jessica and possibly warming to her, he most definitely was not about to jump into her arms because she said so.

In short: love stinks, and the stage is set for a bloody massacre come October, due to all this pain and sorrow. At least Shannon and George are still-

"Maybe that's true. And furniture has to listen to what people say."

GEORGE!! What the gently caress!? :stare: At least Jessica to her credit tried to reject the furniture stuff!

Insurrectionist
May 21, 2007
A lot of this stuff was really painfully tedious to read through while playing too, especially coming right from the action and revelations at the end of the first game. But I did always like the ending confrontation between Kanon and Beatrice, as well as the fact that Jessica's crush was actually somewhat resolved and dealt with rather than left hanging for some later time.

SardonicTyrant
Feb 26, 2016

BTICH IM A NEWT
熱くなれ夢みた明日を
必ずいつかつかまえる
走り出せ振り向くことなく
&



+1 :byodood: Beatrice. Maybe we should keep a tally of how often Kinzo does that.

Or take a shot.

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Quinn2win
Nov 9, 2011

Foolish child of man...
After reading all this,
do you still not understand?
By my count, Kinzo said 'Beatrice' 17 times in Episode 1, and 5 times so far in Episode 2, for a total of 22 Beatrices.

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