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 October 4th, 1986, 10:45 AM  BGM: Moonlit Night They stand still, talking with each other about the roses' beauty and the state of their blooming. In the midst of all this, there was a single unhealthy rose, and Maria became overwhelmed with dejection at its state. But George used his quick wits, and, saying everything would be fine if they looked over this poor thing, marked it with a candy wrapper, and immediately restored Maria's good mood. And once Battler, with whom she had been getting along well since that morning, raised the subject that Maria loved so much, Halloween, she began playing around energetically again. Maria probably treasured that marshmallow jack-o-lantern candy that her mother had bought for her more than anything. It seemed that several of them had been bought for her, and she demanded trick-or-treat from every person she met, giving them candy instead of the other way around.   "Isn't that because it's a kid's festival where they get to parade around in costumes? It's fun to play around in an outfit that's different than usual." "No, I think there's probably a slightly deeper reason. After all, she is the 'witch' Maria-chan." "Come to think of it, when we were at the airport, didn't Maria say that if she was going to wear a costume, it would be a witch? Did Maria like witches?" "...Yes, she loves them. So much that it becomes a problem." "Well, admiring fantastical stuff like that is to be expected at that age." "At least it would be cute if she admired a heroine on some TV anime...haah."Judging by Rosa's appearance, it seemed that, as a mother, she did not find her daughter's love for witches pleasant. It seemed that the cousins other than Battler were able to realize this, and they shrugged their shoulders, smiling bitterly. "Hmmmm? So you're arguing that because she likes witches, she also likes Halloween? If we don't know, why don't we just ask the person in question? Hey, Maria. What kind of relationship do Halloween and witches have with each other?"As Battler asked that, George and Jessica raised a small voice. It seemed they were too late. It almost looked as though Maria had been waiting for that question. After looking happy for an instant, her expression turned a little mean, as though to say 'Didn't you know that?' It was the expression of an enthusiast who has been enraged by the misspeak of an outsider with a wrong impression.  "Uu-. The Celts thought of the changing strength of the sun over the course of a year as, its birth, its growing up period, its aging and death, and then its revival." "I get it. In spring, the weak warm sun starts to grow up and become hot, and then it gradually gets weaker and worn out, so I agree that you could think of the sun as an entire life." "Yes. So they thought that at the end of October, the sun died, rested its body in the land of the dead, and then revived again at the winter solstice. Then, they called the day that the sun ended its one year lifespan and died New Year's Eve, or Samhain." "It's very interesting to think that on the day of the winter solstice, when the daylight hours start to grow longer again, the sun is revived. It's an episode that makes you understand how much ancient people regarded the sun as sacred." "...I see. And? What do witches have to do with this?" BGM: Melody (instrumental) She glared at me with eyes that told me to let her explain without interrupting. Maria looked like she was having fun telling me, so I decided not to interrupt...  "In the interval between October and November, life and death become the closest they ever will. The Celts believed that during this time, the world of the living and the world where the dead and those not of this world reside grew closer, and many of those living in the other world would come to visit. It was like the Bon festival in Japan. Kihihihihi."At the time, the people believed that the souls returning to the physical world would go into people's houses or possess people, and do bad things. So in order to avoid harm from them, the people created enchantments. One of those was to imitate creepy monsters and scare the souls instead, which was apparently a way to avoid being possessed.  "That part became a festival, which turned into a costume parade. Maria's really knowledgeable!" "...Ain't it the truth. Even I never knew Halloween had such a history." "But where did the whole 'trick or treat' thing come from?"Her knowledge was so extensive that the adults had suddenly started listening in too. Maria, who was normally treated like the youngest the whole time, puffed out her chest in pride. Rosa tried to say this was just a kid's story, and that she wanted to quickly break up the circle and set the luggage down in the guesthouse, but nobody else agreed, and she let out a heavy sigh. "Uu-. Trick-or-treat is just for fun. It has nothing to do with what was originally a Celtic ceremony. That was created later when Christian customs were mixed in. However, Maria thinks that Halloween should be that way." Because humans could receive the favors of those spirits, they were able to earn a wonderful blessing, and a year's worth of good crops.  "So in other words, Halloween was also a bit of a harvest festival?" "I see. Now you mention it, I get the feeling that October is a turning point in various ways, including seasonally. Really the opposite of April in Japan. I see, that might be a good place to mark it." "Uu-! And you know, the witches, they hold a witch assembly during that time, on the Sabbath. The witches thank the spirits that give out blessings of prosperity, and reward them." "Halloween costumes imitated the guests coming from the other side. In other words, you might as well say that giving candy is because of feelings of thanks for the yearly harvest." "Uu-! Just like George onii-chan says!" "So Halloween is a time when this world and that world intermingle? So, in other words, it's the most important chance for witches to intermingle with guests from that world. Is that what you want to say?" "Uu-!! Just like Battler says!" "And you know what? You know what?! October is the time when the power of witches and demons is at its most vigorous and prosperous! Kihihihihihihihi, I'm sure Beatrice will come!" "And then, we'll eat marshmallow candies together, and she'll bring Maria to the Golden Land with her! We'll sing magical songs together, learn magic spells together, learn how to draw magic circles together! And then, we'll learn the secrets of runes, and Maria will become a great witch really, really quickly!" "M... Maria... That's enough of that story!" "Don't worry about it, Rosa-san. It's a dream that any girl has at one time or another." "Th, thank you very much... But Maria has already graduated from that age. Hey, I'm telling you to stop!"Rosa scolded Maria, trying to shut her up before her cheery discussion about black magic earned her the sniggers of the relatives.  "Hey... Isn't that a pretty large-scale story? By the way, who was Beatrice again? What was it, umm, umm, I've heard that before..."Battler had been gone for six years, and had completely forgotten about the Legend of the Rokkenjima Witch. However, when he said that he didn't know Beatrice's name, Maria's mood, which had been so bright until just now, became sour in an instant. When he saw that, Battler immediately remembered that it was the name of the witch of this island, but the damage had been done. Until Maria's mood improved, she went on and on about many mysterious and fabulous episodes regarding the Golden Witch...  BGM: Sukashiyuri  "...Kanon-kun, don't you have work to do? Please leave now. Gohda-san, it looks like everyone wants to set down their bags for the time being. Sorry, but could you guide everyone to the guesthouse?" "Certainly. Well then, everyone, I will guide you to the guesthouse." "...Then if you will excuse me."Gohda lead the relatives and they began to head to the guesthouse. Since they wanted to set down their luggage and take a quick rest, they didn't realize that Rosa and Maria had stopped in that place. After watching them leave towards the guesthouse, Rosa's features changed suddenly. She let go with the hand that had been gripping Maria's arm the whole time. There was a bright red mark there, making it clear how much excessive force she had been gripping Maria's slender arm with.  BGM: Fortitude  "Even though I'm always telling you not to talk about witches... Haven't I always said that was our promise together...?" "Mama, ouch, Mama, ouch..., ouch ouch ouch..." "You're so noisy with that 'Halloween, Halloween'... A witch festival...? What are the Celts, what is black magic, ridiculous, isn't it...? You are nine years old, nine... In the train, you made that ruckus, so I had to all the trouble of getting off the train and buying you that disgusting monster marshmallow that looked like it had fluorescent paint on it... We were even late because I bought it for you. How much more will you have to embarrass me before you're satisfied...?!"As Rosa cursed, she twisted Maria's ear up, making it seem like it was going to snap off... As an expression of anguish spread across Maria's face, she stood on her tiptoes as though her life depended on it, trying to soften the pain on the ear that was being pulled... Rosa suddenly stole the candy that Maria had been holding in her hand.  To Maria, it was supposed to proof of her memory of that brief span of time when her mother had bought something fun for her... But the fact of the matter was that she saw her mother trampling on it. It was as though a brand had been pushed against Maria's eyes, leaving a mark that couldn't be erased...  "What's with this disgusting candy, disgusting, disgusting...!! That's what you are, that's what you are!! Disgusting disgusting disgusting!!!" Maria closed her eyes tightly, patiently bearing her mother's violence... No, that wasn't quite it.  "...Come back, Mama, come back, Mama... Save me, Mama, save me, Mama... Beat the bad witch..."She kept bearing it, muttering that over and over... "Will you LISTEN!! I TOLD you... to STOP... saying... witch!! You little... You... You...!!!"Rosa's shoulders shook as she breathed, tired from hitting. Maria grasped her hands together, withstanding it, hoping her 'mother' would come back quickly... "...Mama, Mama... Come back quickly... Save Maria, Mama... Finish off the bad witch..." "Wh... why don't you just stay there doing that forever!! And then you can just stand there, mumbling about witches and Halloween forever!!"After throwing those words at Maria, Rosa went off towards the guesthouse, leaving Maria behind. Maria, unable even to remember that it was alright to cry, kept staring down at the trampled, unrecognizable jack-o-lantern candy...  "I'm sorry. The roses were so wonderful, I just..." "Rosa, quickly set your luggage down and come. We're going to Aniki to greet him." "Hmm? What happened to Maria-chan? Is she still by the flower beds?" "...Yes. It looks like there was a rose she liked, and she said she wanted to look after it and didn't listen. I decided to let her do what she wants for a while." "...We sometimes forget that girls have their own little world. Sometimes, we have to respect that, right?" "...That's right. Thank you for caring, Kyrie nee-san." "...Gohda-san. Where is our room?" "I will guide you, this way. Allow me to hold your luggage." "I'm fine, I can carry it myself, thank you."Rosa went into her room, guided by Gohda. She then closed the door somewhat violently and threw her luggage on top of the bed.  BGM: Rose In front of the bed, she got down on her knees, burying her face in the bed. For a while, Rosa made as if to shred the sheets with her fingernails, sobbing continually...  Kanon, who had been hiding behind a thicket, appeared after watching Rosa leave. "...Kihi... kihihihihihihihihihi... I'm fine. Kihihihihi."Maria laughed unpleasantly, but to Kanon, who had seen the whole thing, it looked like she was enduring as best she could...  "She's a horrible person. I can't believe that was a mother..." "...It can't be helped. Maria can handle that much. Maria is just fine. Kihihihihihihihihihi..."Kanon got down on his knees and picked up the trampled candy.  He thought about dusting it off and returning it to her, but really couldn't do so with it in that condition. He was at a loss at what to do, and he met eyes with Maria. ...No, they didn't meet. Maria was looking at the candy that Kanon had picked up. Right now, Maria's heart was surely the same as the trampled candy which had been crushed into a pulp. Kanon realized this, but he didn't know what he should do...  "That's right... I'll exchange it for something I received earlier."Kanon remembered that a similar candy which he had received from Maria was in his pocket. Maria stuck out her hand. Kanon thought she was trying to take it, so he held out the candy, but Maria didn't try to grasp it. ...Then Kanon realized. She was saying 'Give it back'. No matter how tragic and trampled it was, the candy was Maria's. Her mother had bought it for her. No matter how tragic, it had to be this candy... If it could be made clean by dusting it off... Kanon hung his head. "...I can't do anything except dust it off... Sorry."Kanon held out the miserable candy she wanted. Maria took it, and spoke. "...Thank you. A human can't do anything except dust it off, but a witch can repair it to how it was. It would be easy for Beatrice. Kihihihihihi." "...Maria-sama... you know about Beatrice...sama?" But just now, Maria had told Battler about it proudly. She had spoken almost as though she was meeting with Beatrice regularly. The inside of the fist Kanon made with his left hand hurt sharply. In the past, a witch called Beatrice had appeared, and had tempted him and Shannon. He had always tried to make himself think it was a bad dream. However, Shannon insisted that it had definitely been a real witch. And then, this summer. The shrine to the local Shinto god had been hit by lightning and had disappeared without a trace over the span of a single night. He had known that Shannon had broken the mirror. And he remembered that, upon the witch's departure, she had left with parting words staying that she would eventually be revived.  Kanon couldn't suppress a sense of some kind of misfortune welling up in his heart. For a while, Maria remained silent, as though she could see into Kanon's heart. Almost as though she was waiting for a memory of Beatrice to be revived. And then, she spoke, as though it was a fact. "Kihihihihi... You know, Maria is friends with Beatrice. Why don't we meet her today and play? Kihihihihihihihihi..." "P... play?" "...Yeah. Let's play, okay? Let's study magic together. Kihihihihihihihi..."The face of the witch, who Kanon had tried to pretend was a bad dream, began to slowly creep into the back of his mind...  BGM: Moonlit Night  "...Come on. We've put this conference in our schedules and come all the way out to Rokkenjima during the very busy fall season. I wish father would act a little more sociable." "So true. Doctor Nanjo. Is it really a problem with his research and his mood? He isn't already bedridden, and unable to get up, right?" "...Well... I wonder. There is not much I can say..."Nanjo glanced at Natsuhi. As though he wasn't qualified to disregard Natsuhi when he spoke.  "Father is steadily regaining his health. Calling him bedridden is extremely rude...!" "But he only has three months left to live, right? Normally, wouldn't that mean that he'd have wasted away, unable to get out of his bed? Right, Doctor Nanjo?" "...For a normal patient, that would probably be the case. But Kinzo-san has extraordinary willpower. I may not even be able to approach, in fear of that willpower..." "If he's that energetic, then we can be at least a little reassured, right?" "...Although if he's that energetic, I wish he'd at least come to greet us. Isn't the point of the family conference to come and see Father's face? Now I don't know why we came." "Don't say that. If he were here, you would complain the whole time about how you couldn't relax. Shouldn't we celebrate that all of the siblings have gathered this year, by ourselves, and without even one of us missing?" "We couldn't meet him at last year's family conference, right? I wonder why you can't understand that his children, related by blood, want to see him after two years." "...If you have words of greeting, I will tell him for you. And Eva-san. Is there something you have to discuss with Father other than greeting him...?" "...nn. Come on, what are you talking about, sheesh." "Give it a rest, Eva. Natsuhi-san, forgive us. Eva is just worried about the condition of Father's sickness, as his daughter. Please understand her feelings a bit." "That's right. Haven't you quickly become respectful of Father now that his remaining life has been announced, Eva? I see, it isn't as though I can't understand how much you want to see him. Hmph." "...What are you trying to say?" "Quit it, Aneki. Why don't we pray that his mood will improve by dinner? And we've just arrived. First, we'll just visit and have a light greeting. We can even hold the family conference without Father. No, there should be a few things that the siblings couldn't talk to him about before forming a unified opinion, right? Right, Hideyoshi nii-san?" "Yep! Just as Rudolf-kun says. We can only gather our faces here once a year. We must take this precious time seriously and talk together modestly."  "But before that, I wonder if we have enough leeway to enjoy some black tea at our leisure, surrounded by the wonderful furnishings of the parlor..."Kyrie's words seemed to hold some slight warning towards all of the people gathered in that place. They all understood, and as they cleared their throats and straightened their neckties, the atmosphere in the room returned to normal for a moment.  BGM: Novelette  "Hey, Shannon-chan. You just keep gettin' prettier and prettier!"Shannon entered the parlor, pushing the serving cart. Everyone decided to slowly enjoy some black tea for the time being... A wonderful aroma began to spread throughout the parlor. As far as anyone could see, the strained atmosphere which had been there until right before Shannon had entered seemed like a lie. Of course, Shannon, who was setting out the tea, probably didn't even notice. Kyrie acted as though she was laughing at everyone's adult appearance. Rudolf didn't like it when Kyrie took the initiative and spoke at the family conference. It was his worthless male pride. He probably didn't want to look like a weak man who took advice from his wife. She understood that, and did her best to refrain from saying anything unnecessary. So she separated herself from the circle of siblings, which only looked like it had no outsiders in it on the outside, and slowly enjoyed her tea near the window.  "...You are joking." "Sorry, don't take it the wrong way. I'm just shocked at my husband."It seemed that Rosa hadn't been able to get along just on the surface. They had come here to fight bloodily and dirtily, each trying to steal the inheritance. Maybe by now she didn't want to play a part in a conspiracy... Or maybe she was still much too inexperienced for that. "...It looks like the wind has started blowing hard out there. The plants are all shaking so much." "The typhoon has probably already come fairly close. I wonder if it will rain a lot tonight." "...Maria-chan really has grown a lot this past year." "...Does it look that way...? She still can't even fold her own western clothing yet." "Yes. It's because she has such an affectionate mother. Kids with a rich heart grow."Rosa was silent. Maybe she was unsure as to how Kyrie meant that...  "...I...am not qualified to be a mother. Children can't choose their parents. That poor girl..." "Doesn't that go both ways? A parent can't choose what kind of child is born, too." "..."Rosa bit her lower lip... "It isn't a matter of who is at fault. Isn't everything alright as long as you slowly watch over her as she grows up, with living together on your mind?" "Rosa-san, you spend every day with Maria-chan, so you probably don't notice any small changes. But the rest of us, who have been reunited with her after a year, really understand that she's grown up a lot..." "...If you are serious, thank you very much." "Then, if you will excuse me. If there is anything you desire, please call for it at any time."Shannon bowed politely and left the room.   "...If Father is unable to be here, well then, there are still things we can talk about. Right, Rudolf?" "Yes, that's right. We didn't come all the way out here just to drink some dusty tea, right?" "...Very well. Why don't we hear this topic that you're scrambling to get to?" "...My, my. Those people sure are strong-minded. They really started fast." "I must join in as well. If I don't assert myself, those people will quickly forget that there are four siblings." "...It's pretty tough for you too. Maybe I didn't choose my words well. My apologies." "No, I don't mind. I'm the one who should be apologizing. As a pair of mothers with daughters, we must interact more often. E-very time we meet, we talk about something strange..." "...That's the fault of the atmosphere in this mansion. Once we breathe in this air, everyone gets so strained. Just once, I want to drink a nice, long cup of tea with you, Rosa-san, when you aren't attending a family conference. There's a wonderful coffee shop in Ginza which is a favorite of mine. Please let me invite you sometime soon." "Thank you, Kyrie-san. That sounds good..." "Oh, no. The sky is getting dark quickly. It's almost as though the people in this room have made the weather worse. ...There's already thunder. Oh? Was that one there...?" "...Huh?"There really were small splashes of rain on the glass of the parlor window. It seemed that the weather had gotten worse faster than they had expected. ...Just then, a silent thunderbolt struck inside Rosa's head, and she remembered that her beloved child was in the rose garden. A normal girl would think about going into the house if the weather got bad. ...But Maria was different. She would sometimes become stubborn, and wouldn't move if rain or even spears fell from the sky.  BGM: None  "Oh... oh no...! Maria...!!"Everyone looked back at Rosa when she let out a small scream. "...What, what happened?" "I, I'm sorry, I'm going outside for a second. I'll be right back!" "...What the, what's going on with her, really..." "It's fine, right? She'll be right back. More importantly, should we begin? Our main topic." "That's right. We can keep talking about that without Rosa. Let's return to our discussion." "..."Rosa dashed from the entrance hall into the rose garden.  Just as Kyrie had said, the wind was mixed in with small droplets of rain. There was also a low rumble of thunder. It could start raining anytime. Rosa headed for the rose garden. She headed for the place where she had scolded Maria a short while ago. ...It was almost lunchtime. The children had been told that they should come to the mansion around lunchtime, so they were probably in the guesthouse, waiting to be called. Even if Maria didn't come, they would surely think that I had taken her to the mansion with me, and wouldn't worry much. After all she was with her mother, so there shouldn't have been anything to worry about. Except I was here, and threw my daughter into the worsening weather outside, all alone...!   "...Uu-."It really was as I'd thought. She was still standing stock still, exactly the same way she had been, in the place where I had scolded her. Held in her hand... was the candy that I had bought, given her, and then stepped on and crushed. With that gripped in her hand, she stood there as the strong wind whipped her hair about, tormenting her... "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!! Sorry, Maria...!! Forgive Mama...!" "...Uu-. Mama, welcome back... Maria waited a long time for Mama to come back. Mama was pinched by the scary witch, but Maria held out, waited for Mama to come back without crying..." "...Maria... Forgive Mama... forgive Mama..." "Mama isn't bad... She was just possessed by a bad witch again... So I'm fine. I really like Mama. I love you..." Rosa buried her face in Maria's small chest, crying and begging forgiveness. And again, those tears dripped down after who knows how many times. If only the brilliant sun had been shining on the two of them, all of their cares would have evaporated, and they would have felt like they could begin anew. However, what surrounded the two of them was the worsening weather. The strong winds mixed in with the sound of thunder were saddening. The sound of Maria sniffling made Rosa notice. If she stood exposed to the wind for too long, she would probably catch a cold. "...So, Maria. It will be lunch very soon. Why don't you come back to the mansion with Mama." "Uu-. I'm not coming." "Wh, why...?"Rosa thought that she had already received Maria's forgiveness, so she hadn't imagined Maria would refuse. But that expression on Maria's face didn't look like that of a child resisting her mother. So Rosa wasn't able to understand why Maria wanted to stand still, pointlessly, as the weather grew even worse. Maria answered that question...  "...Maria..."Rosa was a little lost for words and remained silent. After they had just gone to great lengths to make up with each other. She chose her words carefully, trying to get Maria to come with her to the mansion without denying the witch outright. "...Beatrice is... coming?" "Uu-!" "Really... Then instead of waiting here, why don't we wait in the mansion? If you stay in this wind too long, you'll catch a cold..." "Come! Beatrice will co-me!! And when she does, I'll give a candy to Beatrice. I'll do trick-or-treat! I'll give her a jack-o-lantern marshmallow candy and say Happy Halloween!! Uu-!!"Maria pulled yet another sweet out of her handbag, moaning uu-uu-. Rosa was bewildered and didn't know what to do as Maria started being difficult again...  It was probably a sign. A sign that this island was closed off by the storm, detached from common sense and reality. Therefore, after this moment, all common sense would probably be useless. The wind blew even stronger, and in the middle of the blizzard of scattered rose petals, ...a figure appeared, leaving Rosa unable to imagine that this was a scene from reality. ...No, it was probably, definitely... fantastical. Because that shadow of a person was...  
Quinn2win fucked around with this message at 04:49 on Oct 31, 2016 |
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Oct 24, 2016 13:34
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Feels like the update could use a good 'dun-dun-DUUUN!' sound-effect at the end there. As for its other content, Rosa's circumstances may be mitigating but she's still making the other parents look model by comparison.
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Oct 24, 2016 14:01
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Rosa really is awful. Avoiding hitting Maria's face is pretty drat telling of how much she's "losing" to any kind of a witch during her temper tantrums, not to mention she keeps continuously using that as an excuse and a cheap way to ask forgiveness.ProfessorProf posted:
At least someone's worried about Maria
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Oct 24, 2016 14:37
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I love how people retroactively gotten used to Maria suddenly using complex sentences and talking about witches with very little Uuu-s.
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Oct 24, 2016 14:44
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So, this pretty much confirms that this chapter is a different version of the island than last time. You can account for the different dialogue through different viewpoints, but the scene with the candy is new, and so is Beatrice appearing in front of Rosa this time. On the topic of Beatrice, what's with this new wardrobe? The waistcoat-blazer-skirt combo is a bit reminiscent of Jessica's outfit. Did she muddy her dress or something? Rewinding back to the reveal that Natsuhi and the servants are in on a conspiracy to keep the rest of the family away from Kinzo... I have to wonder if this was the case in the last game as well. Either way, we have a contradiction. If the conspiracy didn't exist last game, then what caused it this time around? So far, we haven't seen anything different in Kinzo's behaviour this time that merits keeping him hidden here, but not in the last game. If the conspiracy existed last game, then why did Krauss and Natsuhi both try to convince Kinzo to leave the study?
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Oct 24, 2016 14:45
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tiistai posted:Rosa really is awful. Avoiding hitting Maria's face is pretty drat telling of how much she's "losing" to any kind of a witch during her temper tantrums, not to mention she keeps continuously using that as an excuse and a cheap way to ask forgiveness. One of the things that I have noticed about this story- about all of Ryukishi07's stories, really- is his understanding of the nature of abuse- how it comes about, how it affects others, and the dangers of associating it with parental right of child-rearing. It's to a degree I'm actually surprised they made it into a fairly mainstream game- both scenes in which Rosa is abusing Maria are treated not as a regrettable duty of child-rearing, but uncomfortable and horrifying to witness: cruel, damaging acts that affect both the abuser and the one abused, which become even more so when one realizes that this is so common that they've both gotten to the point of making the abuse normal, Maria by disassociating the traumatic event through rationalization according to her worldview ("It wasn't really Mama, it was a bad witch"), and Rosa going along with that disassociation to absolve herself of guilt and shame. The author makes it clear that this is not a one-time event, but a terrible cycle borne of a violent act that occurred under certain circumstances which continued because those circumstances were not identified and dealt with. It is very easy to see Rosa as a monster after these scenes-Kanon certainly does- and to imagine that taking her out of the picture (as somebody does) would fix the problem, but Ryukishi07 doesn't indulge that view point. The same circumstances that led to Maria's abuse at Rosa's hands have been hinted at or outright stated to have occurred on this very island, and Rosa does display a lot of the characteristics of an abused person herself*: anxiety, diffidence around her elder siblings, mood swings and a swiftness to anger, lack of controlling stress or even talk about it much... about the only box she doesn't tick is substance abuse, and we just might not have seen that. The abuse she displays to her child was handed down to her by her own parent- by Kinzo, who sounds like he got her on all fronts, physically with his bamboo sword and emotionally with his thoughts on women and lack of love for anyone. And you can see the results all around us: all of the siblings put down the others; Eva abuses Natsuhi, who in turn takes it out on the servants; even George's uneven romance with Shannon has elements of it, even if he does not hurt her- about the only relationships that are portrayed as healthy and normal are the kids relationship to each other. The true villain, the true monster, here, is this environment which enables and encourages such acts, and the only cure for them is to take them out of this environment and identify and treat their scars, through therapy, counseling, and talking out their problems. This is what I sincerely hope the conversation with Kyrie was about as well, about getting to see that her daughter loves her and is trying her best (as well as a subtle guilting about her behavior) rather than an approval of her child rearing tactics, which it might read as on first glance. (Would really help if I knew more about where she was coming from, drat, Kyrie, give me something!  ) And on another note entirely... it seems Beatrice can appear in front of the family members; is it an emotional state that calls her, a strong want, or simply belief?*And as long as we're talking about that: repeated child abuse also leads to improper brain and language development as well. Sound familiar? Uuu~  e, because yes, the Uroshimiyas are buggered up enough without dragging THAT into it... 
resurgam40 fucked around with this message at 18:44 on Oct 24, 2016 |
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Oct 24, 2016 16:50
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resurgam40 posted:even George's uneven romance with Jessica That would certainly be quite the plot twist. (I jest, this is a good post.)
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Oct 24, 2016 16:53
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resurgam40 posted:even George's uneven romance with Jessica has elements of it, Wow, now there is an uncomfortable mental image. To discuss the rest of your point though, I should point out that this entire episode was brought about by Eva's absolutely devestating  about Rosa's parenting. Her family has so clearly damaged her that it's hard for me to really hate rosa, as awful as she is.
oath2order fucked around with this message at 17:27 on Oct 24, 2016 |
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Oct 24, 2016 17:00
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I highly doubt that the Ushiromiyas would go get any form of counselling, even if they did realize that the environment they live in is toxic as hell. I mean, it's Japan. You get ostracized for even thinking about getting counselling. I know that Ryukishi07 knows this too, being a former social worker or something.
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Oct 24, 2016 17:07
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And I wouldn't be surprised if Jessica's asthma is made worse by the stress from being forced into a role she hates and the double-life she leads. Yeah, the scene was going well until Eva made that comment, causing Rosa to feel self-conscious and in turn lash out - that family is loving cutthroat and any weakness must be eliminated, adding to the vicious cycle. Battler did well in ditching that family for six years.
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Oct 24, 2016 17:10
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Well that's one of the major themes dragged under a huge spotlight, nice job resurgam I really don't want to hate Rosa for various reasons but she keeps making that incredibly difficult for me. One bit I didn't mention before is the pretty terrible way she, in her mind, turns the candy she bought with Maria as repentance for her actions into something she did out of obligation, as appeasement or as an undeserved favor or something. Like apologizing was something did out of her good will and since Maria trampled all over that, she can now trample it too.
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Oct 24, 2016 17:30
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I'll add to the Rosa meta here by commenting on how much I love Rosa's spritework in the PS3 version: They've got three main sets of sprites for her, and she always gradually shifts through them whenever she's snapping. As her patience with Maria frays, her hair gradually gets more wild and unkempt. It's a great little touch to amp up the mounting tension during these scenes.
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Oct 24, 2016 17:37
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ProfessorProf posted:That would certainly be quite the plot twist. Truth be told, I was thinking mostly of this line:  "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."Here she is, regurgitating that "I am furniture" nosense, and he, rather than assuring her that she is not only a person but the one he wants to spend his life with, plays along and changes the subject. Is that really something you would say to somebody you admired and wanted to help, as George claims to? I mean he himsef seems like a nice fellow and his scenes with Shannon are cute, but that doesn't mean they're both still affected by their environment. This relationship used to be the one bright spot in all of this shithole island for me... but now the only bright spot is that Kanon eschewed a similar relationship, because there are no good relationships here. (All that post about abuse, and I didn't even notice that the whole candy incident occured because of an offhand remark by Eva she most likely didn't even think about. Man hands on misery to man, it deepens like a coastal shelf.) bman in 2288 posted:I highly doubt that the Ushiromiyas would go get any form of counselling, even if they did realize that the environment they live in is toxic as hell. You speak as if that stigma weren't present even here, in the good old US of A, where therapy is only acceptable if one is of a certain race and earning bracket. But yes, I know about Japan's attitude towards psychological aid, and I absolutely believe Ryukishi07 knows too, given the very palpable sense of condemnation I get with both the scenes here (particularly the scene in the train station), as well as how abuse is handled in Higurashi. He is very much condemning, in the strongest terms possible, the lack of inderstanding and empathy that exists in his society regarding this particular issue- it's part of the reason I'm so surprised he got away with it. (Although I note that the animated adaptations of his work don't nearly have the same bite his writing does here; it was touched on in the Higurashi animes but not to the degree it kinda should have, and did this element come up at all in the Umineko anime?) If there is one common theme that the When They Cry series have, it's this: humans, particularly children, are communicative creatures; they echo and pass on what they are given. If what they are given is love and kindness, that will resonate, but if what they are given is pain...
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Oct 24, 2016 18:19
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resurgam40 posted:Truth be told, I was thinking mostly of this line: Prof was pointing out you mixed Jessica's and Shannon's names in that post  .The Ushiromiyas have enough issues, no need to invent new ones  .
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Oct 24, 2016 18:31
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Mercury Hat posted:Prof was pointing out you mixed Jessica's and Shannon's names in that post Seriously. The last thing this family needs is to add incest to its list of problems.
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Oct 24, 2016 18:44
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resurgam40 posted:did this element come up at all in the Umineko anime?    They didn't skip Maria abuse if that's what you're asking
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Oct 24, 2016 18:59
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resurgam40 posted:You speak as if that stigma weren't present even here, in the good old US of A, where therapy is only acceptable if one is of a certain race and earning bracket. You're right, that was pretty lovely of me to have said that. But I am serious in my worry about the lack of therapy that Rosa and Maria, at the very least, are going to get. What really gets me is that Kinzo created this new family, his own lineage to nurture, and not only does he show that he is physically incapable of giving any shits about them, he seems to instill the idea into his children that they have to be cutthroat as hell. All the while, he pleads to Beatrice to come back to him, like a dog begging for its master, completely unlike how he prefers his own spawn to behave.
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Oct 24, 2016 19:07
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It does seem however that Rosa was not always abusive. It seems she became so as Maria got older, but was fine when she was younger. (Going by the fact she was not like this 6 years ago and George and Jessica implied it was only started a few years ago.) Along with Maria's lack of growing up it also seems that Rosa heavily dislikes the Witch topic. As in this update she implied she would be fine with Maria idolizing a tv heroine or something like that. On Kyrie and Rosa's meeting. I don't think Kyrie was being coy about anything as I doubt she knows just how unhealthy the relationship is. Lets also not forget Kyrie is also the mother of a daughter who is even younger then Maria so she is pretty familiar with Rosa's situation. ( Though their are quite a few differences like Kyrie having a husband.) Speaking of Kyrie and Rudolf we now know why he did not want Kyrie talking last episode. He thinks it makes him look weak to his siblings.
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Oct 24, 2016 20:24
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And given as many readers (myself included) sees Maria, or could reasonably argue that she's on the spectrum, which until extremely recently wasn't really seen as a thing and autistic children are treated as simply "Difficult" or "Defiant."
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Oct 24, 2016 21:12
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I can't help but think of my own relationship with my mom as we keep watching Maria and Rosa interact. It's making me uncomfortable to watch that unhealthy relationship play out. It isn't like there was physical abuse anything, I'm just sure that if we broke down our relationships with each other in order to explain it to someone it would come across as unhealthy though.  Of course I'm older now so everything is less bad but reading this story around Maria and Rosa gives me a knot in my chest. Not to super defend Rosa or anything, but once you have an unhealthy relationship with someone its super easy to repeat it. I guess it just goes to show the just the amount of experience the author had and how it contributes positively their writing. Toalpaz fucked around with this message at 00:10 on Oct 25, 2016 |
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Oct 25, 2016 00:05
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Games > Let's Play! > This Cold House: Let's Play Umineko
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Oct 25, 2016 00:33
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 BGM: Golden Sneer Normally, Rosa would scold her daughter if she dashed over to someone who she hadn't seen and didn't know. But Rosa forgot about that, unable to do anything but stand there, shocked.  "...It's been a while. Have you been healthy?" "Uu-! Maria is healthy! Witches don't catch colds! Uu-!!" "*cackle*cackle*! Witches make people catch colds with curses, but how foolish would it be if they caught one themselves. From now on, you should concentrate on doing your best to not catch something like a cold."She patted Maria's head as she said this, smiling roguishly...  Therefore, even though Rosa had never met her, even though she hadn't named herself, Rosa was able to know her name. However, that name held a special meaning on Rokkenjima and in the Ushiromiya family. ...There's no way something that stupid...! "Beatrice! Happy Halloween! Look, bought it! Give it to Beatrice too. Uu-!" "Hmm, Happy Halloween. Hoh, for me? How truly lovely that this unique light, of a man lost in the darkness of purgatory, unable to go to heaven or hell, would be made into a candy like this." "...Right now, on this island that has been cut off both from the world of humans and the world of nonhumans, there may be no more suitable sweet. *cackle*cackle*!" "...Hm? Maria, what's wrong with that?"  "...Uu-. Stepped on and smashed. Can Beato return it to normal...?"Maria didn't go so far as to say that it was her mother who had stepped on it. However, when the witch saw the candy, for some reason, she looked at Rosa and grinned. A chill went down Rosa's spine, as though she felt that this gaze was staring right through her. "It will be easy. Give it to me." "Uu-!"Maria held out the candy gleefully. Rosa could do nothing but watch over this, stunned. How would this person gloss over the fact that the candy was pitifully trampled and trick Maria...? Maria looked as though she believed that it could be fixed as good as new. There was no way that could be done without real "magic"...! "My, my, it is quite crushed, isn't it... Come, Maria. Close your eyes and try to remember." Along with those strange words, spoken as though singing an improvised folk song, the witch threw the sweet into the air. Maria was closing her eyes and remembering, just as the witch had told her. What shape had that crushed candy really had? Therefore, only Rosa saw that scene.  It scattered into several golden butterflies, and they began to gather at the witches hand, which was held up to the sky. And as she did, unbelievably, it returned to its beautiful original form, just like the time it had been bought... Only Rosa and the witch had watched that scene. Unable to understand the event that was occurring right in front of her eyes, Rosa stood with her mouth open, forgetting to shut it...  "Uu-!! Beatrice is always awesome awesome, *giggle*!!" "..."There was a very bold contrast between Rosa's shocked appearance and Maria's innocently joyful one. Was that what the witch was laughing at? A smile floated to Beatrice's face, different from the one that she had shown Maria. "...Does my face look familiar? If you stare so fixedly, you might burn a hole through it." "Huh... ah, I, I'm sorry...!"Rosa was very aware of the meaning of those words. Rosa had known her face. ...She had known it from the portrait of the witch. But, no wait... was this mystery woman really...?! "...Maria. I will give this to you in exchange for that sweet." The witch pulled a western envelope from her pocket and gave it to Maria. However, when Maria made to open it, the witch stopped her. "You must not. The time will soon come that you may open it, but until then, you definitely must not. Take good care of it. It will become an invitation calling you to the Golden Land." "Golden Land!! Finally take Maria there!! Kyakkya! Kyakkya!!" "Take it and treat it with care. You must not show it to anyone." "Uu-! Promise! I'll definitely keep a promise with a witch!" "Eh...? M... me...?!"She probably hadn't imagined that the witch would speak to her, too. Rosa was bewildered at this second western envelope, which was thrust before her. She remembered seeing that western envelope. There could be no mistake. It was Kinzo's special envelope, used when he wrote with his own hand, and bearing the Ushiromiya family crest. Furthermore, it was sealed with red sealing wax, and furthermore, it had the mark which was thought to be made by the ring of the head. In other words, without even asking what was written inside... this woman, who Maria called Beatrice, was trusted enough that she was in charge of a personal letter of the current Ushiromiya head...!  "It could have been any of the four siblings. However, the fact that I have met you here probably means that you were chosen by Kinzo's roulette. In that case, take it. Then read its contents aloud while seated at the dinner table, when all of the siblings are gathered." "...What did you say..." Today was the family conference, and the biggest object of discussion was the inheritance problem. So, she had joined together with Eva and Rudolf, and they had planned to force a certain condition on Krauss to try and extort several hundred million yen in cash out of him. It was as if the witch could see through all of that... And what is she trying to announce to us when all of the siblings are gathered? With a personal envelope that no one but the Ushiromiya head can use...! "...Maria, the weather is getting worse. Return to the guesthouse and wait for lunchtime. And Rosa, let us meet later. Allow me to name myself in that place. *cackle*cackle*cackle*."The witch turned her back to her, laughing... And then began to head towards the mansion with an air of composure. As Maria energetically answered her and watched her go, she began to dash towards the guesthouse, leaving Rosa where she was. As though she wanted to inform the other cousins of her good fortune at meeting the witch as soon as she could. At last, Rosa was left alone in the rose garden as the winds grew stronger, unable to do anything except pray that what had happened was just a daydream...   "We have been awaiting you... Beatrice-sama." "...It's been a while, Genji. Hmph. You've gotten old." "...No matter how old he is, furniture will only carry out his work like furniture, until the end." "...I remember how that person's wife used to be jealous of you. Is Kinzo well?" "He is very well." "...Hmph. *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*!"The witch probably laughed because she knew that Kinzo's head physician had announced that his remaining life was slim. However, if anyone actually looked at Kinzo, his will power, which made it extremely difficult to imagine that his remaining life really was slim, might make it seem natural to call him healthy. Maybe the witch laughed at that. "Then let us greet him. It will be good to hurl curses at each other after thirty years." Genji followed her, as though he served her. At that time, Kyrie came out of the parlor. She probably went out to fix her makeup, or something.  BGM: Fishy Aroma There was a guest for Kinzo, whose remaining life was not long, on the day of the family conference when the fate of the inheritance was to be decided... and furthermore, this person was well enough acquainted that Genji was following behind her. Kyrie immediately realized that this person who she had never met before was deeply important. Kyrie and the witch's eyes met. Realizing that it would be rude to pretend not to notice, she greeted the witch.  "...Pleased to meet you." "That is correct. This is Kyrie-sama, Rudolf-sama's current wife."From this exchange, Kyrie realized that she was a guest of fairly high rank, even amidst the Ushiromiya family. And, the fact this was a guest of that level, coupled with the face of the portrait in the entrance hall that she bore, made Kyrie's eyes open wide in an instant...   "...Pleased to meet you. I am Kyrie. I wonder it this is our first meeting. If we did greet each other before, I apologize for forgetting your name." "...Even though you have a vague idea, you dare to ask my name?" "..."Kyrie had planned on giving her a sociable and humble greeting. Her expression grew slightly cloudy at that openly oppressive response. ...Anyhow, it didn't seem like this was a person she could grow to like. But if Kyrie's imagination was correct, this "witch" probably held a huge key to what her own husband was most interested in, and something that couldn't help but influence tonight's family conference... So without shooting back a retort, Kyrie did nothing except silently watch her go up the stairs to the second floor, with Genji following behind. So when someone tapped her shoulder from behind, she was so surprised, she almost choked. It was, Natsuhi...  BGM: None "I, I'm sorry. I was just slightly fascinated by the portrait of the witch." "...The Golden Witch, Beatrice, was it? Without the gold she gave, the revival of the Ushiromiya family to what it is today would not have succeeded, or something. Just like Father, a fantastical story."Natsuhi spoke in a perfectly ordinary way. She spoke from the position that the idea of a witch was just foolish, and that after all, it was nothing more than Kinzo's ramblings. However. something didn't make sense to Kyrie now, for some reason. Just now, she herself had seen the Golden Witch come in from the entrance hall and climb up the stairs. So Natsuhi's method of speech seemed almost like it was inducing her to not accept that the witch existed, or that it was forcing her to think that it might not exist... "...I'm sorry. I think I'm feeling a bit of a headache. I think I'll rest for a little while." "Oh, is that so? Then I have some good headache medicine. Allow me to prepare it..." Genji, who was completely used to it, did not grimace... And the Golden Witch didn't grimace either.  "...How long has he been inside here without leaving?" "I believe it has already been several years." "...Did he want to make me a bird in a cage that much? How pitiful. Now you, the person who wished that, are the bird in a cage. Aren't you the ghost of the study? What a pitiful man to not recognize that." "...He would probably continue his research until the day he could meet you again, even until he literally became a ghost." "Is it love or madness or a delusion? If those are well enough developed, will they become magic? You sad mage."The witch grasped the doorknob to the study.  It was the sound of the doorknob literally burning the witch's hand.  "...Beatrice-sama..." "What is this. A magic ward! Is that person unable to get by without relying on something like this...?" "...I have heard that this door is painful for you, Beatrice-sama. Shall I open it...?" "No... it is fine. If he wins, I will be a bird in a cage for all eternity. If he loses, only the life of a laughingstock will be left, the life of a pitiful magician who went mad with love and lost everything. Already, Kinzo and even I are nothing more than pieces laid out on the game board. All that is left is for the result of the roulette to decide who wins and who loses. Until the roulette shows its result, there is no need for me to be reunited with Kinzo."The witch looked at her hand, which, although it was horribly burned, was beginning to heal bit by bit. "...The magic ward could be here for that reason... Hmph. I see, that is also honorable. Now, everything is on top of Kinzo's game board." 
Quinn2win fucked around with this message at 04:50 on Oct 31, 2016 |
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Oct 25, 2016 13:35
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Finally, the introduction of the Magical University Student, Beatrice.
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Oct 25, 2016 14:09
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Man, this thread is really blase about the fact that Beato put on a suit and is just strolling around the island. What does it take to impress you people?
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Oct 25, 2016 17:27
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oath2order posted:Man, this thread is really blase about the fact that Beato put on a suit and is just strolling around the island. What does it take to impress you people? When I see what impresses me now, I'll say it.
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Oct 25, 2016 18:41
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oath2order posted:Man, this thread is really blase about the fact that Beato put on a suit and is just strolling around the island. What does it take to impress you people? Define "impressed." If it means interested to know how Beatrice does it, I certainly am impressed and would like to know more. But if it means I'm ready to fall at her feat, declare her as a goddess non-pareil and start making wishes and praises to her... sorry, but no.  Let me unpack that a little, because I think there's been a little confusion as to what Battler means when he says that he "denies" Beatrice; some people seem to think that means he somehow doesn't believe he's actually talking to the person talking to him, and I don't really think that's the case. He doesn't have to "believe" in that, because he knows right well somebody's talking to him, for one thing... but for another, I don't thing Battler is disputing the fact that there are systems of energy or ways to do things that he doesn't know or understand. He is a skeptic, but that doesn't make him a denier of all he can't see or know about. After all, do we know or understand everything about the real world? gently caress no; there's tons of poo poo we don't get yet, like quantum physics, or the bottom of the abyss, or even our own psychology... and lots of other things that we're pretty sure we know about and can measure, but can't explain why they are what they are, such as gravity. New advances in science and knowledge are made every day, but the stuff we don't know or can't explain doesn't decrease much, in fact it seems to increase on some fronts, but here's the thing: that doesn't mean the knowledge we've already acquired doesn't mean anything, and it doesn't mean what is unknown will remain unknown. In the past, when we huddled to our clans and villages and around our campfires, the world was a dark and scary place with dragons for all we knew around the next hill, and those who did travel told fantastic tales of distant lands with fantastical creatures and men and women who could wield fire and cure the sick and call thunder and lightning from the sky. Such people with mysterious powers, they thought, could not be of this world, so they labeled them sorcerers and witches... but they didn't come from another world, their understanding of this one was much greater. They knew about medicine and gunpowder and had a greater understanding of their environment, and through building off of what they discovered, we can now do things that even those learned men would not believe. And Beatrice, whoever or whatever she really is, is the same as these. Oh, I'm sure she'd like to pretend she can just snap her fingers and make things happen because she wills it- the way she speaks, it seems like a lot of her ability to affect the world depends on belief in her as such a goddess- but we, if not Battler and the other characters, know differently from the scene we saw with Lady Bernkastel. In talking to each other, they alluded to the fact that they weren't human and did have abilities beyond human, but they also said that they were creatures defined by law- the law of their own affinity and the law of interacting with the universe. (As if they were anthropomorphic personifications of concept like certain death and uncertain salvation or eternity itself that... press against the world and each other, and the resultant conflict is defined in this game as magic.) And Beatrice admitted this episode that she could be just as trapped on this island as Kinzo is in her room- that this is a gamble for her as well. So long story short: is she something inhuman? Probably. Can she do weird things we don't get? We've seen that she can. But does that mean that she cannot be explained, quantified, and in the end beaten? No.... or what the heck are any of us even doing here? tl;dr: When Battler says magic and witches don't exist, he isn't denying the person he's talking to exists, he's denying the person he's talking to can do what she did by breaking the natural laws of the cosmos through her wish.
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Oct 25, 2016 19:01
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resurgam40 posted:It's useless! It's all useless! etc Wow. Magnificent. What beautiful fighting spirit. You just became my favorite poster in the thread. When you finally surrender to the witch, that will be something I will uniquely savour.
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Oct 25, 2016 19:59
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Black jacket, white shirt, red tie. So who's Player 2 here, her or Battler?
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Oct 26, 2016 02:39
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oath2order posted:Man, this thread is really blase about the fact that Beato put on a suit and is just strolling around the island. What does it take to impress you people? Bloodthirsty demon-summoning witches wearing private school clothing is standard anime. Realistic depictions of familial abuse coming from a Japanese perspective is the thing that impresses me. (If anybody else knows good anime/manga with realistic human problems, feel free to recommend them.)
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Oct 26, 2016 03:21
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EagerSleeper posted:(If anybody else knows good anime/manga with realistic human problems, feel free to recommend them.) The first thing that comes to mind is Wandering Son.
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Oct 26, 2016 03:25
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In the same vein as what the thread has been discussing with regards to Maria, you might try With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child, by Keiko Tobe, which is highly regarded as an accurate depiction of both the condition and the challenges of raising such a kid. It's pretty long, but I know some of it's been translated, at least up to volume 8. Another one might be A Silent Voice, which deals with the experience of being deaf, and also bullying.
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Oct 26, 2016 04:26
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 October 4th, 1986, 1:00 PM   "Excuse me... I have brought lunch." "Enter." "...Excuse me."After receiving approval, Kanon entered the honored guest room, pushing the lunch serving cart. The servants called this room the honored guest room of the witch. That was because Kinzo strictly ordered that it always be cleaned so that it could be used at any time. Even so, guests would not be allowed into this room no matter who they were. That's why, at some point, the servants had started calling it the honored guest room, which was supposed to be set aside only to greet the special person Kinzo waited for..., the witch from that portrait. And today, Kanon knew that this was exactly right...  Outside, the rain was no longer falling weakly. As she looked out at the beautiful rose garden, which had been finished after several days of work for today's sake, and saw the winds and rain ravage it, was she lost in some sentimental feelings? Kanon was not able to tell anything more from her back, which was facing him. "...I will prepare the meal... Beatrice-sama."Kanon went out of his way to call out the witch's name, because he wanted to make her turn around. He wanted to know. He wanted to know whether the witch who had tempted him and Shannon in the past really had appeared again. When he did, the witch whose name had been called, laughed, her back still facing him. Holding back her voice, she laughed. Kanon was startled... It was almost as though she had read his mind and knew that he had called out to her, hoping to make her turn around...  "...Yes. He is a cook called Gohda, and was employed in recent years." "...There's nothing better than being skilled at cooking. Gourmets form the three pillars of pleasure for living in the human world. Not missing out on this is the secret to not getting bored after a thousand years. *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*."Kanon and the witch's eyes met. And, she grinned... Without a doubt. Certainly... This was without a doubt, the witch from that day, Beatrice... The witch that no one but he and Shannon could see in the past finally held a form, and had arrived openly as a guest from the entrance hall... "...Beatrice... sama." BGM: Organ Short No. 600 Million in C Minor "...It has... been a long time..."Kanon tried not to forget to be polite to the guest for the time being. But dark clouds began to enshroud his heart because of the visit of this suspicious witch, and on the day of the family conference... "It seems you are uneasy about what I plan to do now that I have appeared. Is that so...?" "..."Kanon didn't force an answer. This witch probably reads minds. So it was pointless to go to all the trouble of saying it out loud. Of course, even his resisting heart would be read. So the witch giggled at Kanon's childish resistance. "...I came to resolve my final promise with Kinzo." "Your final promise with... Master...?" "...I don't know what you are talking about."However, uncertainty began to gather in his heart. The story of this witch couldn't be anything good. "*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*! There's no mistake! The story of a witch isn't anything good. You are correct. Be that as it may, witches are used like scissors. Sometimes, there are people like King Solomon who succeed in great exploits." "...However, in most cases, one does not meet with a good fate such as those described in fairy tales, right? *cackle*cackle*! But Kinzo is crafty. He has taken in even the interest I am collecting for his own ceremony. Is he an absurd magician to surpass even me? Or else a fool possessed by madness? Interesting. Truly interesting...!"Kanon couldn't guess what the witch was muttering and laughing about. All he knew was, anything that would make this witch laugh, must have the exact opposite meaning to the rest of them. And in the back of his mind, the horrifying words the witch had spat at him in the past began to be revived.  Even after one thousand years, no better show exists...!  "*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*! Gehehehehahahahahahahahaha...!!" "...My beloved hometown, the sweetfish river running through it. You who seek the Golden Land, follow its path downstream and seek the key."The witch suddenly began to recite a bizarre poem... It was something he remembered hearing. "Could that be... the witch's epitaph..."There was no mistake. It was the epitaph that accompanied the portrait of the witch that Kinzo had hung. The relatives imagined that it probably pointed to the location of the hidden gold, but no one knew what it meant. The witch suddenly began reciting that epitaph.  BGM: At Death's Door "Rejoice. The day when the shame of your time as furniture will end has finally come." "..." "I believe you have wanted that for a long time. To furniture, whose existence has no value, just existing day to day must be nothing but agony." "...Those with souls should persist in the real world, but those without them find the real world to be nothing but suffering. *cackle*cackle*!"Complicated expressions flitted across Kanon's face. It was the day of release that Kanon had been looking forward to. However, the coming of this day had been mercilessly sudden. And for some reason, it was difficult to accept, since he had been informed that the day of resting had come from a witch speaking in this hateful way. Kanon wasn't even able to decide what emotion he should hold on to... "...Why are you not happy? Could you actually have some regrets left in the real world? As furniture?" "...I have no... regrets. Because I am... furniture." "*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*. You truly are a model furniture. How nice, how nice. However, it wouldn't be interesting if you had no regrets." "...Are you saying that regrets are your pleasure?" "That is correct! Most witches who live for one thousand years get tired of living! In order to escape boredom, I adorn people's fates with fruit and brandy and cook them like cakes. I find humans dancing through oppressive fates inside an oven to be so very entertaining...!" "*cackle*cackle*! It's well known that I take this position, right? So much that rare guests come from far away to see my skill at cooking. Fufufufufu, even if I say that, it may be something that mere furniture can't understand." However, he realized well enough that this was a terrifying being who treated the fate of humans as a show, enjoying it whenever some harm befell them. However, furniture had no soul or life, much less a fate. Pitiful "furniture" did nothing but serve until the day they were released from the real world. To furniture like that, the witch, who had appeared to release them from everything, was a being for which they overflowed with affection... Even though the day that Kanon should have been waiting impatiently for had come, he was confused at himself and his inability to easily accept that. Why was it...? The face of Shannon, the person he loved as a sister, rose to his mind... And for some reason, Jessica's face did too. "...Tch."Kanon bit his lower lip painfully. What Jessica was thinking of was not permitted for furniture. Even though he had tried to realize that, and had found fault with Shannon's relationship, how could he still remember Jessica at a time like this. He felt a little shameful at his own naivety. And to forget about Jessica, he turned his thoughts to Shannon. Shannon is also furniture. On the day everything returns to nothing, there was no reason she shouldn't be happy. ...But Shannon, through her relationship with George, had known an emotion that shouldn't be known by furniture. Even though she wasn't qualified to be bonded with him, she was still trapped in a dream that she wasn't permitted to see. Could Shannon... accept something like that with pleasure? ...She must not. Shannon still had remaining regrets. That would probably become a great source of pain and torture for Shannon. And the fact of the matter was that this regret... had been planted by this witch. Why? Just because that would be 'more interesting'...!  "...And, I hate you for making this day difficult for Shannon to accept...!" "I wanted to make you feel pain from your regrets as well, just like Shannon. However, you continued to be like furniture with foolish honesty, and didn't get ensnared by me." "...However, it looks like you loved Shannon too dearly, right? *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*! Shannon's regrets became your regrets. Will that become hatred for me...?" "..." "If you want to kill me, try to do it. *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*! As Kinzo's furniture, you should have at least that much power, right? However, if you kill me, the day of rest for the furniture will not come for all eternity. Could you withstand that...? Can you really reject your release by me...? *cackle*cackle*cackle*!! Kneel!" "Wh... what...!" "...So, Kanon? Could you withstand that...?" "...Tch..." "If the door to the Golden Land is opened, your life as furniture that has been full of hardship will end. If you desire, I will even give you life as a human. After that, you will be on the same level as Jessica! Surely you want to know of it, the taste of love...!"  "...Stop it... stop it...! Are you trying to ensnare me again...?! I won't be reduced to a toy to please you...!" "Hoh. Then I will be satisfied with Shannon. You weren't the only one I sowed those seeds into. There are sometimes fruits that don't bear fruit." "...He who lays hand upon the key shall travel under the rules below. At the first twilight, you shall lift up as sacrifice the six chosen by the key. At the second twilight, those who remain shall tear apart the two who are close..."The witch recited the epitaph again. It was so sudden, and diverged so strongly from the current topic. However, that challenging smile made it seem almost as though she were using that epitaph as a threat to Kanon.  BGM: Golden Sneer "...It could be any two who are close. A husband and wife, or even a pair of lovers. According to the rules of the ceremony, who will be selected is up to me to decide on a whim. Don't you think that there is no one more fitting to be a sacrifice for the second twilight than Shannon as she is now...? *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle!!" "...Wh... what a dirty..."Kanon knew. Until today, he had planned on giving everything up and living as furniture, like furniture. But in reality, that wasn't true. He loved Shannon too dearly. Therefore, when Shannon was in pain, Kanon shared in that. If only Shannon had continued to live as furniture, indifferently like Kanon, without any regrets in this world, he wouldn't have had to be in so much pain...! The witch planned to toy with Shannon, who had known the taste of love... no, who she had taught the taste of love, as she killed her. Being released along with her love meant that she wouldn't be invited to the Golden Land, but would become a human sacrifice for an evil ceremony, after receiving the limits of torture and pain...! And this witch would probably make Shannon actually meet this horrible fate for no reason other than that it was interesting to her. Furthermore, she was threatening to do that so that she could make Kanon, who hadn't submitted to the witch even once until now, finally surrender... It was that simple. In the end, though he had tried resisting the witch to avoid pleasing her, he had only made things interesting for her. After all, he was furniture. No, a toy. They were nothing but toys meant only to distract her from her boredom...!  "What will you do, Kanon...? If you kneel, I'll surely hold back from choosing Shannon as a sacrifice, okay? *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*! I've wanted to make a toy like you surrender just once. *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*, kuhihihihihihihihi!!"Without even a fragment of elegance, the witch sneered at Kanon with an indecent laugh. That's right, she had seen through Kanon even faster than he had been able to make up his own mind... "...Gh..." It didn't matter what happened to himself. However, just the fact that Shannon, who during his days as furniture had given him his only reason to live, was being toyed with... that alone was something that he couldn't overlook... Therefore, something like kissing the shoes of the witch was an easy oath for Kanon to make. ...At the time that his quivering lips actually touched the witch's shoe... Beatrice, after letting a look of ecstasy rise to her face, ...laughed with a voice filled to bursting.   BGM: None Rosa had bought a high-class brand of black tea from a famous store in Ginza. That had been prepared, and the inside of the parlor was filled with a very nice aroma... Since the children were together with the adults, the adults tried to interact like relatives on the surface, talking peacefully about recent events and how their children were growing up. It had started raining outside, so the children couldn't do anything but sit here like this, watching TV, unable to go outside. Maria continued watching a boring daytime program without getting bored, giggling all by herself, like a true TV kid. At first, Battler joined in, apparently deepening his relationship with Maria, but he had gotten up early that morning, and was therefore attacked by a wave of drowsiness...   "Oh, that's a big yawn. Did you get up really early this morning?" "...Well, something like that. With all the tension resolved, I started to get sleepy, listening to the sound of the rain." "Tension? Hehe, you call overreacting that much tension?" "At least it's like that for me. Fuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah..."Battler gave a great yawn once again, and slowly lay down in the sofa. He really did look tired. George and the others had tried talking to him, thinking it was a sign of boredom, but when they realized he really was sleepy, they decided to let him be.  "My, my. They say that if you lie down right after eating, you'll become a mackerel. Hoh-hoh-ho...!" "...Stop kidding around. Gohda-san said that tonight would be calf steak. That would make it mackerel steak." "Kumasawa-san. This guy looks pretty tired. Would you mind bringing him a blanket?" "Hoh-hoh-ho. Here you go."Kumasawa brought a blanket over from the shelf. The wide parlor wasn't cold, but the air had gotten a little chilly. So when Battler took the blanket, he immediately wrapped himself up in it, like a little turtle. "...You really were sleepy. When will you wake up? I'll take care of it." "Uu-? Battler sleep? A nap? A nap? Uu-uu-, Maria will do it too!" "H, hey, Maria. Battler's sleepy, so you gotta leave him alone. Kumasawa-san, could you give us another blanket?"It was doubtful that Maria really wanted to take a nap. She probably saw Battler wrapped up in a blanket and wanted to do the same. When she received the blanket from Kumasawa, she joyfully wrapped herself up in it and set up camp again in front of the TV. "Sheesh. Even though we've finally gathered all the cousins together after six years. This guy doesn't have a clue that he's the main guest of this family conference, does he?" "...I can hear youuu. I've casually eaten lunch, and there's even a typhoon and rain. Since we aren't doing anything, that means it isn't my turn yet." "I wonder about that. If you have a passive attitude like that, and don't do anything unless something happens, your life will be pretty boring, right?" "If this were a play, it wouldn't be my turn to go on stage. ...So the best thing to do is stay on the wings of the stage." "You're always the main character of your own life, right? Why are you acting like a supporting actor? You have to move forward by yourself and get up on the stage." "...That's not what I mean. What I'm mean by saying that it's not my turn now... Kuaaaaaaaaaaah... Sorry, my mind's a mess. Give me a break... *mumble*..." "Seriously. You're so sleepy that you aren't making any sense... We'll leave you alone now." "I think that's inexcusable. You are always the main character in your own life. But I kinda want to seriously argue with Battler about that!" "He's just half-asleep. Don't take him too seriously." "...You know what? I think he's got that kind of personality where he doesn't want to get up on the stage because he can't be the main character. Something about that pisses me off..."With distant eyes, Jessica gazed out the window at the grey rose garden obscured by rain... When she put her forehead up against the glass, it felt as though the pleasantly cool sensation chased away the memories that she didn't want to remember...  In that case, who is the main character on stage...?   BGM: Fishy Aroma "*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*! It's because your argument regarding 18 or 19 people, which you are using as a basis to deny me, is truly humorous. So much so that I tried changing my move." "...The greatest basis upon which you deny me is simply because I was not laid out as a piece on the game board. So doing this is nothing more than showing you the queen first, isn't it? Isn't opening the road for the queen in the first move one of the shortcuts in chess?" "...Q, quit playing around... There's no way I can accept something like this, right?! A witch came in, walking right through the entrance hall, you say?! Don't mess with me!!" "What's this...? In the last game, I let you make your moves terribly freely, right...? This time, I am doing nothing more than matching your moves and moving the pieces. Will you give in already after the first move...?" "...Y, you bastard... Don't mess with me! Who's gonna give in! Great move, why don't you just move however you like?" "I see, so your turn is far from over. Move however you like! Form a huge battle formation while you can." "I will definitely defy you. I'll definitely corner you!! Come at me as best you can, I don't want you to have any excuses." "...This much isn't even close to enough to make me accept something like a witch. That's right, just now, it looked like Maria's candy was fixed with magic, but you might have actually had another one of the same candy hidden in your pocket, and switched them with that little show, making it only look like you had fixed it with magic! Yeah, that's right, that has to be it, it's useless, it's all useless...!" "...Hohoh? Rosa saw the moment when the candy split into butterflies, right?" "I don't know about that!! That was a hallucination or a trick... or otherwise, she just saw it wrong!! That isn't a big problem!!" "*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*! So you throw out the part you can't explain as trivial? I see, is that your move in response to mine...?"
Quinn2win fucked around with this message at 04:50 on Oct 31, 2016 |
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Oct 26, 2016 13:28
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So that's the kind of person Maria wants to be when she grows up. Welp.
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Oct 26, 2016 14:41
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Just what I was hoping for. That segment at the end seems to suggest that Beatrice is showing Battler her 'moves' on the gameboard. In other words, she's providing an explanation for events that he's not present for. This means that we can cast doubt on what we've seen this far. As Battler said, there's no need for witches here. The 19th person had a candy in their pocket that they swapped the broken one for. This all seems to confirm my theory from the last game, that Beatrice was a 19th human hiding on the island. Now that multiple people are aware of her presence this time round, it'll be interesting so see if that changes how things pan out.
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Oct 26, 2016 16:10
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All these awful abusive relationships make it easier to rationalise a theory that doesn't involve a 19th person at least.EagerSleeper posted:(If anybody else knows good anime/manga with realistic human problems, feel free to recommend them.) Goodnight Punpun, with the warning that it contains sexual and physical abuse of children and while it's a very good story, it's not really an enjoyable one.
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Oct 26, 2016 18:27
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Beatrice looking quite sharp in her new get-up. It's interesting that two 'non-believer' characters have interacted with her so far - if it was just Maria and the servants for example, it'd be a lot easier to write her off as simply one of the eighteen we know are on the island. Rosa and Kyrie kind of ruins that perspective though.
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Oct 26, 2016 19:51
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resurgam40 posted:In the same vein as what the thread has been discussing with regards to Maria, you might try With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child, by Keiko Tobe, which is highly regarded as an accurate depiction of both the condition and the challenges of raising such a kid. It's pretty long, but I know some of it's been translated, at least up to volume 8. As a deaf person, I'll attest to A Silent Voice's accuracy.
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Oct 26, 2016 20:28
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Nooo, Kanon! You were doing so well! When someone tells you to kiss their shoes, you spit in their face! Or something... But Battler was reading my mind with her interpretation of maria's candy getting "restored": it was a store-bought generic candy that Maria had more than one of, so yeah, a bit of slight of hand is possible. The butterfly thing? Eh, that's trickier, but it's not like that can't be done either, without some fancy projections in the environment. (In magic, a lot of attention is brought to the person of the magician , "nothing up my sleeves" and such, and their immediate prop, but not enough paid to the whole environment of the performance, such as the stage, audience plants, etc. If Beatrice really wants to impress me, she should show me something I couldn't see the like of at a Kriss Angel show.) She keeps insisting that her intervention is necessary to bring about the epitaph, but as has been brought up, people this broken and desperate don't really need some prophecy to start killing each other...
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Oct 26, 2016 22:14
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One thing I am wondering is what exactly is the 'riddle' of the epitaph that people are supposed to be solving, anyway? It is less a riddle and more a recipe that is followed through in order. So what is it that people have to solve, anyway? And what is their prize for doing so?
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Oct 26, 2016 22:36
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| # ? May 11, 2024 18:57 |
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edit: Was misremembering something, so removed so as to not cause confusion.
Lord Koth fucked around with this message at 22:56 on Oct 26, 2016 |
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Oct 26, 2016 22:48
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