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Honestly, given the magic flung about and the constantly shifting orders of the murders, I don't know how much of this to believe. 
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Dec 22, 2016 06:14
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Haven't really been posting in this thread because I'm well and truly one of the spoiled and I didn't want to accidentally drop any hints, but I gotta say we're approaching one of my favourite segments now. "Happiness of Marionette" is some great music too. Keep on doing the Witch's work Prof.
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Dec 22, 2016 07:03
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So I Googled "里 岸" (village, shore) and found something to pull me out of the epitaph's quagmire, though I'm mistrustful of how simply I came across it. I wonder how this story would have gone if they were in 2006 and not 1986. Within the first two results, I found 唭哩岸站, or Taipei's Qilian subway station, which fits several of the epitaph's specifications for the key! I think I can understand Eva's excitement a little bit more now. So, this is the breakdown of my theory. What do you all think? 1) "beloved hometown": We established earlier that Kinzo's hometown is probably in Taiwan, given the clues in this episode. 2) "sweetfish river": Qilian station is serviced by the Tamsui (Freshwater) subway line, which shares its name with the nearby river that flows into the sea. Sweetfish travel between saltwater and freshwater. We also speculated that the epitaph's "river" could be a road alluding to water rather than a literal body of water. 3) "follow its path downstream": This implies landmarks along a specific route. In this case, a station. 4) "you will see a village"; "look for the shore": In Chinese, Qilian Station is 唭哩岸站, and the name contains 里 and 岸, the characters for "village" and "shore," respectively. 5) "the two": The Tansui Line is also designated as the 2 Line, according to the Wikipedia page. 6) "the six": Q I L I A N  edit: A major, MAJOR flaw of this is that apparently the Tamsui Line was constructed in 1988, which is after the events of the story. So how would anyone know about it in 1986? gently caress. Back to the drawing board, I guess? This feels so close!! Augh! Now I feel less like Eva and more like Kinzo. Beatorichiiiiiiii! witchcore ricepunk fucked around with this message at 07:44 on Dec 22, 2016 |
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Dec 22, 2016 07:30
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Tender Child Loins posted:
It looks like the Tamsui Line replaced another line with the same name, constructed in 1901 edit: I'm not seeing anything about the old line being #2, though.
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Dec 22, 2016 08:18
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 They had left the guesthouse secretly, so they had to be careful when they returned. It was time to snap to it and keep their guards up.   "Thank you." "You decided it, didn't you Nee-san? 50% goes to the one bearing the title of Successor to the Headship. It certainly worked out well for you. Now, that portion isn't Krauss nii-san's. So your share is now 50%, along with a quarter of the rest, for a total of 12.5 billion yen." "Isn't that incredible? 2.5 billion is enough for me. Rudolf nii-san won't complain either. Krauss nii-san will probably be the only one to complain." "...Yeah, you're right. After all, Nii-san is the de-facto manager of Rokkenjima. And since the gold was on these premises, even though I was the first to discover it, things might get complicated if I don't handle it cleverly." "It won't get complicated. Didn't we give it our all in that discussion last night with that in mind?" "...I wonder if it will really go that smoothly. I've already completely gotten over my excitement. How we manage everything from here on is the real problem." "...That's a problem for the new Head of the Ushiromiya family. A problem for you to enjoy, Nee-san. It has nothing to do with me." "Heh, that's some big talk, coming from you..." "...I'll support you as the second discoverer... if you'll at least give me the early payment we decided on. I'd like 150 million yen by March." "Yes, that will be fine. If you support me, I'll graciously pay you that much. I'm not Nii-san." "Anyway, why don't we go and shock Nii-san and the others? Even if we cover up the actual location, I want to see Krauss nii-san's shocked face as soon as I can." BGM: Hour of Darkness  "...Huh? Why?" "...You idiot, isn't it obvious? This is that haughty Krauss nii-san and that sly Rudolf we're talking about. Even if we do announce it eventually, it's certainly too early now." "Unless we carefully investigate how to make our next move, it's possible that all of the gold we've finally found will be snatched away by Nii-san."Eva thought she was saying something extremely natural. So when she saw Rosa's expression suddenly cloud over, she was a little surprised. "...What are you unsatisfied about? You know what kind of a person Krauss nii-san is." "...Nee-san, that's against the rules." "What do you mean?" "...Didn't we make a rule that whoever found the gold would announce it immediately? If you hesitate, the foundation of the rules will be destroyed, and that could lead to something worse in the future. With Krauss nii-san as crafty as he is, that violation of the rules will come back to bite you." "Don't be stupid. This is Nii-san's island. And that gold just now wasn't cash. We're talking about the liquidation of a vast 10 ton mountain, right?" "It will take a significant amount of time to carry it off and turn it into cash. And that will only work in Nii-san's favor, since he has practical control over this island. Don't you even realize that?!" "...I don't like it when you search out each other's weaknesses like that. All I want is to reach a clear decision regarding my 2.5 billion portion." "Of course, if you were to give me 2.5 billion in cash right now, you'd be free to continue negotiating however you like. But until I have my share in my own pocket, I will follow the siblings' rules." "How can you be so naive...? You don't understand Nii-san's craftiness at all!"...It wasn't that Rosa didn't understand the craftiness of her older siblings. In that sense, Rosa more or less understood why Eva was being so cautious. But in her heart, she couldn't clear away her suspicion that Eva wanted to keep all of the gold to herself. Because she knew that Eva was at least as crafty as her other siblings. In other words, Rosa wanted to put a stop to any chance Eva had to keep the gold all to herself... by quickly informing the siblings of the gold's discovery...  "...Are you saying that if I don't listen to what you say, you won't be able to get me that 150 million?" "...That isn't the way I wanted to say it. But if you really need that money, supporting me is a more realistic option. If you talk to Nii-san and Rudolf, even the portion that's your natural right might disappear. You don't want that, do you?" "..." There wasn't even a trace of her restraint as a younger sister. There was just the ruthlessness... no, the seriousness of a single human arguing about a vast sum of wealth. Eva made light of it, chuckling. "...My, my. How careless we must be to stand around here talking like this, even though a frightful murder case has just taken place, and the culprit might still be on this island." "I'm sure it was just the servants playacting. There were no murders on this island in the first place." "...Oh? So, you do think that after all." "...Doctor Nanjo said they were all dead, but that was a lie too. This is all a complicated act that Father cooked up. All of the servants are just playing dead. A murder never occurred in the first place. There's no way that there's a murderer prowling around." "...Hah. I'm surprised you noticed. You looked pretty scared, so I didn't think you'd figured out so much." "...I'm good at reading the mood of a situation. I've got you to thank for training me so well."That's right. Come to think of it, now that the servants are 'dead', almost everyone on this island is a member of the Ushiromiya family. As for Nanjo, he proclaimed the 'deaths' of the servants, but when the relatives began to discuss the riddle of the epitaph, he disappeared off to the second floor as if he didn't want to get in the way...  "There's no way that burnt corpse was really Father. He got a corpse with the right number of toes from somewhere... and went to all the trouble of burning it in that creepy way of his, so we would see it." "...I'm sure he's hiding somewhere, watching to see how we'll behave. I'll bet he already knows you reached the Golden Land, Nee-san. That's why you should announce that you're the winner soon. I'm sure Father will appear out of nowhere to applaud you and proclaim that you're his successor." "..." "...Then again, I've still got to pester you for that 150 million, so I can't stand against you in any way." "...So you'll listen to what I say...and keep quiet about this to Nii-san and the rest...?" "..." "...Make your position clear, Rosa." "...I want to tell them. We made that rule just last night. We shouldn't just throw it away." "Of course, I will announce it in front of the siblings. However, I want to closely analyze the situation first. We've got to carry out 10 tons of gold, convert it into money, and distribute it fairly." "...Until I have proof that I can do all that without Nii-san getting in the way, I want some time to think. I only want to postpone my announcement until then. I'm certainly not keeping it secret because I want it all for myself." "...You'll definitely announce it to everyone sooner or later, right?" "...Yes, of course. Even I want to rub it in Nii-san's face as soon as I can." "...About how much time will you need to think?" "I won't know that until I've thought about it." "...Will one night be enough?" "I can't promise you that it'll take only one night...!" "Out of respect for you, the Successor, I'll support you for one night. This year's family conference will end tomorrow morning, when the typhoon passes and a boat comes to get us. That's right, when the seagulls cry. I will remain silent until then." "...You... really are cunning, aren't you? I'm surprised. Were you always this resilient?" "...I guess it's true that women become stronger when they have a child. I realized that in myself when I had Maria." "...Understood. For the time being, thanks for your cooperation. We can talk about tomorrow when it comes." "Yes, that's right. I'm convinced that you'll become a fair-minded successor to the Headship, one who'd never even consider taking all of the gold for herself." "...Isn't that obvious?! I will split the gold evenly among the siblings." BGM: The Candles Dance  "I won't give it up to anyone! I am the Head of the Ushiromiya family! I am, 'I' am!!"The witch inside Eva claimed exclusive possession in a loud voice. Of course, that didn't reach even close to Rosa's ears, and it probably didn't reach Eva's either.   Maybe Beatrice was happy that Eva had called her by her own name. She cackled cheerfully. In concert with that laugh, gold butterflies crept up as though a storm of gold dust was spinning around the room, and the room shone the color of gold...  "Indeed. I am the Golden Witch, Beatrice. *cackle*cackle* There is no need to be so frightened. I am praising your exploits. Truly excellent. Imagine that you would spectacularly solve that riddle of the epitaph... It is worthy of my admiration...!" "...You're the one who sent that letter? So, I'll inherit all of the gold and the Ushiromiya Family Headship, right...? You wrote that in your letter. And I overcame that challenge...!" "Indeed. I shall acknowledge it. Right now, all of the gold piled up here...and everything of the Ushiromiya family... is for you to do with as you please. After all, from this moment on, you are already the Ushiromiya Family Head." "...R-Really? It's true, right? Right?!" "Do not be agitated. I am openly praising you. As proof, I shall grant you this."Beatrice took a ring off of her own finger...and held it out to Eva. She fearfully accepted it... and realized that it was a ring. "...C-Could... this be..." "Indeed. This Golden Ring is proof of the Ushiromiya Family Headship, returned to me from Kinzo. Eva stared closely at the ring. It certainly wasn't a fake. Without a doubt, it was the real thing. She'd dreamed of receiving this ring someday, focused on this day over and over again, and it was now finally a certainty. This ring... had now designated her as the Head... and had been handed over to her... And timidly, she put it on the middle finger of her left hand...   Video: The New BeatriceBGM: Happiness of Marionette Her mind grew blank. Both eyes were opened. That ring... was on her own finger. Not in a dream, but in reality...! "That ring is also pleased. After all, it managed to reach you, one who dreamed of putting it on their finger for so long." "...The ring... Father's...ring...!" "How many nights have you dreamed of putting that on your finger as you have done now? The strength of those feelings became your magic and materialized itself. Now, you are worthy of calling yourself a Great Witch." "...W-Who are you? Are you really... Beatrice...?"  "In accordance with my contract with Kinzo, I will now pass everything on to you. All of the gold I entrusted Kinzo with. And all of the wealth he built up through that. And the honor and Headship of the Ushiromiya family. And, I will pass on my power and the title of the Endless Witch." "I will pass on all of my magical power... and the titles of the Golden Witch and the Endless Witch. Following my Predecessor's example, I will hand over my name, Beatrice, along with that title. You may now call yourself by that name!"Eva gulped. The chandelier light, which had seemed dim, now felt too bright. "By my name, I shall now commence the succession of the Golden Witch...!" In the audience hall, there was a crowd of Beatrice's minions and brethren, as well as countless gold butterflies celebrating this first succession ceremony in a thousand years. When she looked, she saw Beatrice in the throne that only the Endless Witch was permitted to sit in, holding a golden staff, reigning with a dazzling dignity. Without being ordered by anyone, Eva automatically kneeled, hanging her head...  After Beatrice stood up and received that staff, she lay the tip of it on Eva's shoulder and spoke. It was a proclamation one thousand years in coming. "Ushiromiya Eva. You have spectacularly solved the riddle of the witch's epitaph and reached the Golden Land. I praise that accomplishment... and hand over all of the Endless Magic as well as the titles of the Golden Witch and the Endless Witch." "From this point forth, you may call yourself by my name, Beatrice...! Come, raise your face. Then stand and accept this staff...!" Eva stood up dizzily and took the magic staff from Beatrice's hand. Her hand was trembling slightly. As soon as she grasped that staff, she was wrapped up in the brilliant sparkle of gold. As though gold butterflies were flowing out from inside of her. In the instant she succeeded the Golden Witch, Eva felt something in the depths of her soul be reborn. To describe it in a word, it was energy. Energy with a gold color. It felt like she was waking up, as though she had been half asleep ever since she had been born and was opening her eyes for the first time. It felt as though her true eyes inside her eyes were opened for the first time in her life.     "...Indeed. A fitting and beautiful outfit for the Golden Witch. Come, you may show yourself to all of these people. Let them know that the new witch is indeed you...!"Eva... no, the new Beatrice turned around timidly. When she did, the witch's minions, which filled the vast audience hall, honored her with an applause that sounded like the roaring of the sea...      "...Y-Yes, I will do my best..." "I expect a composure befitting the Endless Witch from you, unlike your naughty predecessor. Hohohohohoho." "Teacheer, we're in the middle of a serious ceremony, so please, enough of that."  "...I am called Ronove. I am one of the 72 demons permitted to serve the Golden Witch. If you are ever inconvenienced in the slightest, please let me know at once." "...Th-Thank you..." "Ronove is rude, but reliable. If anything confuses you in your new days as a witch, speak to this man, and he should be able to help you." "...Predecessor Beatrice-sama, it is a shame that I was not permitted to serve you further, even though we have finally been reunited like this. These last thousand years have been very entertaining for me. You have my deepest gratitude." "Indeed. One thousand years with you wasn't boring. Please, take care of the new witch." "Yes. I, Ronove, will obey the final order of the former Beatrice." "This is the Witch of Certainty, Lady Lambdadelta. The recommendation of a witch from the senate was required for your succession as an Endless Witch. Lady Lambdadelta recommended you and became your guardian." "...Th-Thank you..." "...Heeey, Beatooo! This kid isn't grateful enough! I think I'll take back that recommendation!" "Lady Lambdadelta is also the Witch of Certainty. The Witch of Certainty prefers to make fate firm, to create a fate of Certainty. She really liked and highly valued your efforts until today." "Well, you had that unfortunate childhood, all that unrewarded effort... I can sympathize juuust a bit with that. It's not like I felt sorry for you or anything, so don't be so full of yourself! Tsu-n!" "...From my point of view, your succession... well, it was more of a coincidence than a miracle. It isn't worthy of my recommendation." "*cackle* This is Lady Bernkastel. She's quite hard to please. Still, you could say that just having her participate in this celebration makes you exceedingly lucky." "...I only came because this is a rare, once-in-a-millennium event. And I heard there'd be some good sake." "Huh? Oh... I'm pleased to meet you..."The Seven Sisters of Purgatory were gathered in a line. The eldest sister, Lucifer, took a step forward and kneeled. "This is furniture that serves me. As a gift to celebrate your inheritance, I will send them to you." "Once you succeed the position of Golden Witch, you will need to carry out the resurrection ceremony for yourself. The Seven Sisters of Purgatory perform an essential role in that ceremony. They're a villainous bunch, but they serve their purpose. Have them do whatever you wish." "We will always be by Beatrice-sama's side. Please order us to do anything you desire. We'll accomplish our tasks without fail...!"Even after that, many nobles and minions visited and offered words of congratulation for the new witch. As she responded to them confusedly, she felt as though she was growing light-headed due to lack of oxygen. She couldn't tell if this was something real or unreal. But there was just one thing she could understand. A feeling of achievement at being permitted to call herself the Golden Witch. That alone was a truth she could definitely understand...   "Aunt Eva is the new Beatrice? Are you saying she's turned into a witch? What the hell...?!!" "I was also surprised. To think that someone would be able to solve that riddle." "...However, that is the rule. I must follow it... and pass on the position of Golden Witch and my name." "It is hardly something to be surprised about. At the very beginning, you wrote that rule in a letter and announced it. Eva-sama was simply the first to be successful. That is all there is to say." "...Virgilia, are you there?!"  "What does this farce mean?! Even if this depiction of strange witches showing up one after another is some of her bullshit...! Isn't this almost like Aunt Eva turned into a witch?!" "Calm yourself. She has simply received the title of 'Endless Witch'... and might call herself that in the future. This succession ceremony is certainly nothing more than an act to promote that child's 'explanation'. Don't fall for the same move over and over again." "Th-That's right... That whole grand ceremony was all phony. But it's at least a fact that Aunt Eva solved the riddle of the epitaph. And at the same time, that means she succeeded the Ushiromiya Family Headship." "...And after getting 10 tons of gold, Aunt Eva might as well call herself the 'Golden Witch'... Is that it...? drat, it's as complicated as ever...!!" "...My, my. Is a boorish Human unable to comprehend the grandeur of this ceremony? Oh, well. Being unable to read between the lines is what makes you Human. I pity you, but I do not blame you." "drat it... Don't look at me like you feel sorry for me... Still, for the time being, there's something I need to check." "And that's regarding this younger version of Aunt Eva...in other words, the definition of this new Beatrice. What is that?!" "Even if I tell of it, you will just persist in your disbelief in magic and witches, correct? So there's nothing in particular for me to explain. Feel free to believe in whatever it seems to be to you." "...What it seems to be to me...?! Then... then how should I interpret this...?!" "For now, it might not hurt to view it as a visualization of a separate entity inside Ushiromiya Eva." "...Of course, you cannot blindly accept that answer, but it is probably a reasonable theory to hold for the time being." "...I-In other words, I should think of Aunt Eva and her as the same person, right? drat, I don't like where this is going..." "In any case, from now on, my name is no longer Beatrice. I have passed it on to Ushiromiya Eva." "...Just 'Beato' is good enough for you. There's probably a big enough difference between Beato and Beatrice to keep people from getting confused." "...N-Nngg. So, the same old Beato, is it? It doesn't feel wrong, but it's boring for some reason. Nggg." "Pu ku ku ku ku... They say the temperature of black tea and a woman's heart are difficult to gauge in any era." "...Battler-kun, at any rate, stay calm from this point onwards. The fact that we can now tell her and Ushiromiya Eva apart works to our advantage, compared to the time when that child was still Beatrice." "...And that's exactly... why I like it even less. What's she thinking, that Beato...?" It was like a witch's coronation. The countless gold butterflies flapped their wings, directing this fantastical, gold-sparkling space. They were all praising her. As I stared from the distance, I looked at the newly born Beatrice, who had a slightly embarrassed smile on her face. Her expression, which had been lost and confused at first, seemed to be full of the happiness that she was finally starting to recognize.  As a person who denied the existence of witches, I couldn't view this witch succession ceremony with a joyful expression and accept her... However, when I looked at that innocent smile, I felt like I wanted to offer my blessings, just for that moment. It's always beautiful when strong efforts bear fruits and are rewarded. Aunt Eva, who had always yearned to succeed the Headship, and who had worked hard since her youth without reward, had spectacularly taken hold of the chance given to her by the riddle of the epitaph... and had finally gained that position. How divine is the smile of a person whose childhood dreams have been granted?  *clap*. *clap*. It didn't reach her ears, but it did bless her.  You spectacularly solved the riddle of the epitaph before anyone else. It's your victory without any complaints. I won't accept all that about the Golden Witch and so on, but I will accept you as the new Head of the Ushiromiya family, and I'll celebrate that sincerely. "...Hmph."As though urged on by Battler's applause, Beato also clapped. It was a slightly odd scene. Battler and Beato, who opposed each other, were standing side by side and applauding the same person.  "I'm not applauding for a witch. I'm clapping for all of Aunt Eva's efforts up until now." "As am I. I offer my sincere applause as a blessing to Eva, who spectacularly solved that epitaph." "...Hmm. I don't like applauding with you. But, well, I've decided that I won't worry about it now. Divine punishment won't fall on me just because I clap with you every once in a while." "Hmm. It's not so bad every once in a while. Still, it is fun to applaud. Even though it was Eva who was successful and not me, for some reason, I'm starting to feel happy too." "That's because blessing someone means the same thing as sympathizing and sharing with them." "I see. Then, I have even shared this irrational happy feeling with you. Since we are a pair of enemies trying to make each other surrender, it is an odd experience." "Well... just for now, let's have a truce and clap, okay?"Beato laughed impishly, playing around and applauding even louder, as though eagerly trying not to lose to Battler as she clapped. Battler went along with her and clapped even louder. When he did, as though some ceremony had ended, everyone applauded and highly praised the reborn Beatrice.  
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Dec 22, 2016 14:24
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Heads up - starting tomorrow, I'm off to California for the holidays. From then until the end of the year, I have no idea how much time I'll have to work on the LP backlog, so expect the update pace to drop significantly again.
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Dec 22, 2016 14:27
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So this is it, huh. Even if Eva wasn't the first murderer, she's almost guaranteed to be behind the rest of them, between her need for the gold and spite for her family--at least, that's what I'm reading into that line about the ceremony needing to go on.
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Dec 22, 2016 14:35
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This is an A+ update for BeatoxBato  Deveritas posted:It looks like the Tamsui Line replaced another line with the same name, constructed in 1901 That's good to know, phew. My theory can live another day! So maybe "the two" could just be a clue regarding using the kanji for "shore" and "village" as guideposts. I'm not sure on that, but I'm stumped otherwise. I'm pretty attached to "Qilian" being the key, now that I've slept on the idea. (Maybe because I'm Chinese and just want to show of my mad skillz/AzN pRyDe!) Some of my rationale might not have the most solid of foundations, but since the train line has existed since 1901, it's reasonable to assume that Eva would have been able to read about it in a book. I don't know what she did after she figured that part out, though. quote:He who lays hands upon the key shall travel under the rules below. witchcore ricepunk fucked around with this message at 16:26 on Dec 22, 2016 |
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Dec 22, 2016 16:23
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For the record, this was the update we were talking about putting on Christmas. A nice family celebration, with presents besides.
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Dec 22, 2016 16:45
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A nice family celebration where Eva and Rosa have an incredibly tense conversation about billions of dollars worth of gold.
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Dec 22, 2016 16:46
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lotus circle posted:A nice family celebration where Eva and Rosa have an incredibly tense conversation about billions of dollars worth of gold. Still better than the family thanksgiving meal.
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Dec 22, 2016 16:50
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oath2order posted:For the record, this was the update we were talking about putting on Christmas. A nice family celebration, with presents besides. The birth of a new god? Lines up. Just make sure Prof schedules a fifth twilight update for Good Friday. 
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Dec 22, 2016 16:52
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Beato and Battler both clapping together is a quality scene.
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Dec 22, 2016 17:04
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My god, they're multiplying!  Suddenly the predictions that everybody on Rokkenjima is going to "become a witch" before the game ends has a lot more weight. Is Natsuhi going to be revealed as a witch, is Kyrie going to make a little witch out of her childhood memories (or however that works)? Is Rosa? Well I guess she already did make a little witch!  Uggh, I'm with Battler, my head hurts thinking about what this means, and how this integrates with the mundane storyline...But, I guess I do see what Battler means about a lot of effort and suffering being rewarded, and Eva's dream about succeeding the household was a big part of her life and one that I respect from a feminist standpoint (even if I take issue with the way she did it, and even if it is headship of this particular family). So I guess I'll applaud Eva along with Battler, and hope this victory calms her down at least aaaaaaaaHAHAHAHAHAHA, I couldn't even say it, she's going to get even more crazy and domineering, isn't she? (OK, I admit it, the applauding scene with Beato was kind of cute as well). So the "two that are close" didn't come up this episode, but Eva still better watch out, because at least one person knows that she knows about the gold and is already paranoid that she's planning to take it all... and that number may grow. I guess I should praise the restraint of the sisters, cause lord knows, I didn't expect a scene like that without at least one person being shot.
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Dec 22, 2016 18:25
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Well Battler. Has Eva stopped existing? 
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Dec 22, 2016 19:58
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Turns out none of Battler's family is real. He's not even real! Nothing is real because this is a work of fiction. So you see, witches exist.
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Dec 22, 2016 20:17
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Clearly I was too quick on the draw with this, because these two scenes are similar in that the were not real. This really has been uplifting for a while, glad Kinzo dying first had such "positive results. Which is to say definitely not a break from the murders to give the audience a chance to settle in for some crazy poo poo. Well, that game had a pretty abrupt ending but it I enjoyed it for what it was. Thanks for the LP Prof.
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Dec 22, 2016 20:31
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Dr Pepper posted:Well Battler. They said she has to be reborn and considering you have to die to be reborn, I'd say she's likely to stop existing very soon. Tender Child Loins posted:So I Googled "里 岸" (village, shore) and found something to pull me out of the epitaph's quagmire, though I'm mistrustful of how simply I came across it. I wonder how this story would have gone if they were in 2006 and not 1986. Within the first two results, I found 唭哩岸站, or Taipei's Qilian subway station, which fits several of the epitaph's specifications for the key! I think I can understand Eva's excitement a little bit more now. I buy this. Seems to hit all of the points. If QILIAN is the key, where does that leave us? QILIAN has to somehow choose 6 things. There are 4 different letters. Cardinal directions in some other language? However it works, if that's right, presumably we're choosing 2 things twice. CottonWolf fucked around with this message at 21:10 on Dec 22, 2016 |
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Dec 22, 2016 20:59
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CottonWolf posted:I buy this. Seems to hit all of the points. If QILIAN is the key, where does that leave us? Someone pointed out the Kuwadorian/quadrillion connection before, but check this out: qilian, kuwadorian, quadrillion The progression adds more syllables and letters as it goes. (If you read with a Japanese notion of syllables, quadrillion is "ku-wa-do-ri-ri-o-n.") As you go, you add more, but... this puzzle is about subtracting, as per "sucker merry barrellers"  So let's go backwards:quadrillion, kuwadorian, qilian If "qilian" is the key and if "the six" refers to six Roman letters, you can take those letters out of "quadrillion" to make, uh, "udro"? I guess we can proceed to the gouging and stuff from there, but I don't really know what that does for us. witchcore ricepunk fucked around with this message at 22:34 on Dec 22, 2016 |
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Dec 22, 2016 22:27
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Dr Pepper posted:Well Battler. Eva Beatrice is a meta level person like Beato and meta Battler. None of those ever existed in the first place, so just because one of them became a witch doesn't change that they don't exist. Witches aren't real, but cold hard cash is.
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Dec 22, 2016 23:26
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Tender Child Loins posted:If "qilian" is the key and if "the six" refers to six Roman letters, you can take those letters out of "quadrillion" to make, uh, "udro"? I guess we can proceed to the gouging and stuff from there, but I don't really know what that does for us. The epitaph says "sacrifice the six chosen by the key," not "sacrifice the ones chosen by the six keys," so I'd go with "udrlo", instead. ("Quilian" has two "I"s but only one "L".) That even gives us a letter for each "On the Xth twilight, gouge the Y and kill". Now, if we could only figure out what that means...
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Dec 23, 2016 00:30
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Well, I'm glad that Aunt Eva's psychotic break has been documented for everyone.
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Dec 23, 2016 00:33
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Deveritas posted:The epitaph says "sacrifice the six chosen by the key," not "sacrifice the ones chosen by the six keys," so I'd go with "udrlo", instead. ("Quilian" has two "I"s but only one "L".) up, down, right, left... over? A set of directions, or combination to some sort of lock?
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Dec 23, 2016 00:35
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Deveritas posted:The epitaph says "sacrifice the six chosen by the key," not "sacrifice the ones chosen by the six keys," so I'd go with "udrlo", instead. ("Quilian" has two "I"s but only one "L".) OK, but didn't the examples provided—the tanuki "ta" game and "sucker merry barrellers"—show that the key syllables/letters had to be taken out repeatedly? Your method gives us more to work with, though. If you rearrange the letters, you can get "rudol"(f)?? Haha! Mister Olympus posted:up, down, right, left... over? A set of directions, or combination to some sort of lock? I like that! We probably haven't gotten to see the lock or door yet, so this might make sense later. The door is probably hidden somewhere near the chapel, if quadrillion is indeed the keyword, and the lock is probably some kind of 3-D puzzle. We don't have any proof that quadrillion is the keyword, but the rhyming scheme makes me think so.
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Dec 23, 2016 01:12
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Gouging the head, knees, chest, etc, refers to getting rid of some strokes from the characters that form the answer to the epitaph, I think. What that is, I'm not sure, because I don't know many characters natively. I need to go brush on my Chinese lessons, and learn more characters...
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Dec 23, 2016 01:28
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So if Rudolf is the real witch all along... that explains why the Seven Sisters of Purgatory are such cheesecake characters. That dirty old man!
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Dec 23, 2016 02:27
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Tender Child Loins posted:So if Rudolf is the real witch all along... that explains why the Seven Sisters of Purgatory are such cheesecake characters. That dirty old man! 
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Dec 23, 2016 02:39
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 i mean really, just got drat
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Dec 23, 2016 03:21
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Tender Child Loins posted:So if Rudolf is the real witch all along... that explains why the Seven Sisters of Purgatory are such cheesecake characters. That dirty old man! I love this thread. 
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Dec 23, 2016 04:14
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 October 5th, 1986, 10:30 AM  It was still her turn to rest, but her expression made it look as though she couldn't sleep deeply with all this tension.  "...Take it easy and lie down. Keep this up and you'll have it pretty rough later on." "Thanks for the concern. I just couldn't fall asleep. I've already taken a shower, so I'm good for now. The next person can rest." "What about you two, Kyrie-san? Rudolf-san?" "...What will we do, Rudolf-san? Shall we rest?" "You can rest. I'll stay awake. That's the only manly thing I can do right now." "Then I'll stay awake. Staying awake with my husband is the only womanly thing I can do right now." "...*giggle* You two truly are close." "You should talk. *giggle*." "It seems Eva and Hideyoshi-san are out cold. It appears that, unlike Rosa, they can't fight against their age."As though in response to those words, the door to the hall clunked open. Eva and Hideyoshi returned from the guest room.  "You should talk, Nee-san. Why not take it easy and sleep?" "...I just can't get to sleep. Taking a shower shook my drowsiness off. Rudolf, Kyrie-san, you can rest if you want." "Sure, thanks. Well, for now, let's say I appreciate the sentiment. Why don't you go first, Aniki?" "How kind of you. But I cannot rest first. That is the most I can do as the oldest brother right now." "Do not worry, the two of us will stay awake until the very end." "*giggle* More importantly, Eva nee-san, are you okay? You look a little pale." "...Come to think of it, you're right. Hmmm? Could it be a bit of a fever?"Hideyoshi put his hand up against Eva's forehead. It seemed that Eva wasn't feeling her best.  "That goes without saying. That's what happens you break your sleep cycle at your age. Is it a cold?" "...Natsuhi, could you call Doctor Nanjo down?" "Y-Yes." "...I'm fine, you don't have to make such a fuss over it. I have some medicine, so I'll be okay. I tend to get fevers when I'm tired. Don't worry." "...Nee-san, take it easy, okay?" BGM: Lure "...Well, I won't say anything. As if I'd say bad things about you behind your back, Nee-san." "..." "...What is it? Nee-san, you've been acting strange for a while. Shouldn't you get a little rest now?"  "That isn't good. Rest. And I'll hold back too, so that your headache doesn't get worse. I've had a bad headache myself for a while now." "...Thank you. ...Well then, I'll take those words to heart and rest for a while." "What is it, Eva? Why so angry all of a sudden? Sorry, please let us rest a bit longer. Sorry, sorry..."After apologizing several times as though praying, Hideyoshi followed Eva out of the lobby.   "That's no surprise. There was a murder early this morning. And since then, we've been eating canned food and carrying guns around. It's natural that we'd start to build up stress." "I wonder if the kids up there are building up stress too. I'm worried about Maria. She tends to throw tantrums at times like this."At that moment, they heard the sound of wild footsteps coming from the second floor. The guesthouse wasn't a cheap building, so they wouldn't normally have heard the sound of footsteps. It was like the sound of someone stamping their feet in frustration. And an instant later, accompanied by what seemed to be the sound of her running out into the second floor hallway, they could hear Maria calling uu-uu-uu- over and over again, sounding displeased. Rosa grabbed her head, her hair flying, and she voicelessly moaned in anguish... The adults conscientiously turned their backs to her, pretending not to notice. The noisy clamor came down from the second floor and flew into the lobby. It was Maria, who was sobbing, along with the other children and Nanjo. In other words, they had all come downstairs because of Maria's tantrum. Rosa couldn't hide her dizziness at this new annoyance her daughter was bringing to everyone...  BGM: Scar Sound  "Uu-uu-uu-!! Uu-uu-uu-!! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!" "...What is it, Maria? Could you be a little more quiet? Everyone's watching." "It's that rose of hers from the rose garden... She suddenly started saying that she was worried about it." "...I think she's half asleep. She suddenly woke up and started going on about how worried she was about that rose. Maria-chan, calm down. That was just a dream..." "Uu-uu-uu-uu-!! That rose belonged to Beatrice and me!! So if I don't take care of it, Beatrice is gonna get mad!! It might get snapped off again! Uu-uu-uu-! Uu-uu-uu-uu-!!" The sudden rise in the tone of Rosa's voice surprised the children. But Maria's crying just grew louder, and her tantrum just grew fiercer.  "R-Rosa-san, you mustn't scold a child so unsparingly... At times like this, it's best to give them some warm milk or something." "...Is there any here?" "The milk we just had for breakfast is empty now..." "Doesn't anyone have a sedative to use on kids...? You know, those silver pill things?" "I have some!! Yes, I'll search for some now and give them to her!!"Without hiding her displeasure, Rosa grabbed the handbag that had been set on the sofa and fished around for some medicine. It seemed she had brought some child-use sedatives for Maria's tantrums. She found it and opened the bottle, but it must have been empty. Irritated, Rosa shook the bottle several times, but that didn't change the fact that nothing was in there. As she did that, Maria's crying grew even more intense...  Hideyoshi returned from the washroom, folding a handkerchief soaked in water.  "...Whoo, this is one nasty fever... I'll bet it's the poisonous air at this family conference that got you... For now, you can forget all about the other relatives. Okay?"As Hideyoshi spoke to her kindly, he set the soaked handkerchief on Eva's burning forehead. Eva rested her own hand on top of his.  BGM: Worldend (solo)  "If my hand feels nice, your fever must be pretty bad. Don't worry, the medicine'll start workin' soon. Plus, my hand is a magic hand. I just put it against your forehead like this, and any fever'll melt right away." "You're right. Your hand always makes my fevers fade..." "Yep. No need for a doctor when you've got my hand. Don't worry and close your eyes. My magic'll make that fever fade away..." "Yes, I know... I can feel your magic."Hideyoshi was about to say it was just a placebo effect, but he stopped. If Eva said she could feel magic coming from his hand, then that was fine for now...   "Yeah. It does. Only those who believe can tell, though. There's actually a lot of magic like that out there in the world." "...If magic actually exists... then I wonder if witches actually exist too." "Oh? You mean that witch of the forest, Beatrice? She probably does exist for those who believe. Just like the gods. They don't show themselves except in front of those with strong faith." "...I did it too, you know? Long ago, I was able to use magic." "Oh? Really? Then you were a witch too." "...I... had dreams that I wanted to come true no matter what. After wishing strongly and trying hard, they always came true without fail. With my magic, my grades were always the best, and I even became the student council president... and worked hard to get into the university I wanted. Everything I wished for was granted." "That's right. Your magic was always a thing to be reckoned with... You're definitely a witch. And you work harder than anyone. I know all about it." "...When... I was a kid, the whole time, there was another me inside myself, who always supported me. And that other self was a witch. I didn't believe in Beatrice, the witch of the forest. I always believed that if a witch of Rokkenjima did exist, it was the witch inside my heart. I was so grateful to that witch inside myself. I was always grateful... that she brought me to you..." "...You get too timid when you're sick. Don't say anythin' for now. I'll stay like this the whole time, until your fever's gone down." "It's okay. As long as I'm with you, there's nooothin' to be afraid of! Remember the time we went to that dangerous country and the whole bus got robbed? I drove 'em off!" "...Didn't you just hand over your gold watch and beg them to go away? It was pretty lame, but it was cool..." "...Don't move your hand away... no matter what... Not even if I fall asleep. And if something creepy sneaks in here, protect me..." "Yep, leave it to me. That's why I'm tellin' you to stop worryin' and get to sleep. Because the medicine and my magic'll start workin' real soon..."Eva finally calmed her heart and closed her eyes.  BGM: None It seemed that Maria was having a tantrum, and screams of uu-uu- could be heard, along with Rosa's rebuking yells. That probably hurt Eva's ears. Or maybe it was giving her a headache. Eva moaned as though in pain and buried herself in the covers. It was easy to guess what was happening. Maria had probably had a tantrum for some reason, gone down to the lobby, and started arguing with Rosa, who then scolded her daughter. And then, maybe that got too embarrassing to be shown in front of the other relatives, so Rosa had taken Maria out into the corridor. Hideyoshi had no desire to butt in on Rosa and Maria's problem. But just for now, since Eva's condition was so bad, he wanted them to take their ruckus somewhere else. "...Wait just a sec. I'll ask them to keep it down." "...C-Come back quickly..." "Don't worry, I won't leave this room."Hideyoshi removed the chain, opened the door, and stuck his face out into the corridor. He immediately met Rosa's gaze.   "I'm sorry, did all this noise wake you...?" "Uu-uu-! Uu-uu-uu-uu-!!!" "...Maria-chan, sorry. Aunt Eva isn't feelin' well, and she's tryin' to sleep. Could you quiet down a bit...?"Maria's tone didn't change after Hideyoshi's request. Rosa slapped Maria's cheek, lifted her up while covering her mouth, and dragged her towards the entrance, trying to at least put some distance between her and Hideyoshi's room. She would still probably be noisy for a while, but he had warned Rosa for the time being. Relying on Rosa's actions as a mother, Hideyoshi closed the door.  "Looks like it. It's tough for Rosa-san too... Come to think of it, our George is almost too good to be true. We should be grateful." "...You're right... Nng, hand." "Oh, sorry, sorry. Look, it's the magic hand."He put his hand on Eva's forehead again.  A truly peaceful look rose to Eva's face, and bit by bit, she began to drift off into the land of sleep. As he had promised, Hideyoshi kept his hand on her forehead...  BGM: Fortitude She hadn't been able to withstand everyone's gazes in the lobby, and had yelled at the children to go upstairs, dashing out of the lobby. Then, she had gone out into the corridor, only to have Hideyoshi say that she was too noisy. Where should I go now? Where should I take this child who's having a tantrum? She felt as though tears of frustration were about to come out... As Maria kept struggling in an attempt to scream, Rosa put her mouth up to Maria's ear... and tried to persuade Maria in a properly calm voice.  Maria nodded her head several times, moaning uu-uu-. "...Why do you want to see it so much? I'll listen as your mother, so will you tell me quietly? I'll hit you if you scream." "...My rose... Beatrice revived it. It might have snapped off again... I'm worried about that... I can't sleep until I'm sure..."Apparently, she was still upset about that marked rose from yesterday. Rosa felt her headache throbbing again, but she was at least a little relieved that Maria had now stopped her screaming. "Anyway, everyone is having a hard time right now. So don't bother Mama and everyone else. You can worry about that rose all you want tomorrow, when it stops raining. So for now, listen to me...!" "No. No no no no. It's my Beatrice's rose... uuuu, uu-uu-. Waaaaaaaaaaahh!!"Rosa reflexively covered Maria's mouth. She had spoken a little too harshly and gotten her agitated again... Rosa realized that it was partly her own fault and clicked her tongue in self-hatred. But Maria thought that was directed at her, and her crying grew even fiercer... "...Please, just be quiet... What can I do to make you stop crying? What should I do to make you listen to what your Mama says?" "..."Suddenly. Maria stopped crying so fast that it seemed unnatural. Then she turned around... and muttered.  BGM: None "Really?" "Yes. If we go to the rose garden and see my rose, I'll calm down." "..." "I mean it, Mama." "..."If it would keep Maria quiet for the time being, Rosa thought that even going out into this wind and rain would be a small price to pay. She thought it might be a bit reckless... But in the end, no murder or anything of the sort had actually occurred. All of that clamor since this morning had been a farce set up by Kinzo. If you carefully thought about that chain of closed rooms, it clearly had to all be an act... "...Will you really listen if you get to see the rose?" "Yes. I mean it, Mama. Kihihi." "..." "Ouch."Rosa didn't overlook that creepy laugh, and lightly hit Maria with her fist. And she shrugged, as though giving up. "...Fine. If it's just one look, then I'll agree. Will that work?" "Yes, Mama. I promise. Kihihihihihihihihihihihihihihi."Once again, Rosa tested the weight of her gun. It'll be okay. It's only an act. There was never a murderer on this island in the first place...  BGM: Organ Short #600 Million in C Minor "Indeed. They are being considerate of Rosa's pitiful relationship with her daughter... and are forcibly changing the subject. The group that includes you went up to the second floor... and is talking about something else while watching TV." "Goddammit!! Someone, notice them! Who's the closest, is it Uncle Hideyoshi?! Please, notice that those two are leaving through the front door, aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!" "It won't reach, it won't reach, *cackle*! Don't disturb their precious time together. Fuhahahahahahaha...!" He didn't notice at all that Rosa and Maria were going outside through the front door. In that case, there was no way the others in the lobby, which was even further away, would notice. Much less those in the cousins' room on the second floor...! "Why are you so panicked? Didn't you defeat me with that bold move, saying that the culprit died in an accident on the first twilight?" "...Doesn't that mean there's no longer a culprit on this island...? *cackle*cackle*cackle* What is there to be so worried about...?" "Shut up, I can see right through you!! Someone stop them, those two'll be killed!! Someone, stop theeeeeeeeeeeeeeem, aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!" BGM: None The two of them could be seen in the rose garden. The rain was still awful, but fortunately, the wind had died down a little... No, maybe that wasn't fortunate. Because maybe, if the wind had been a little fiercer, Rosa might have hesitated to go outside...  Maria found her rose with the gold lace and stared at it lovingly. Rosa had accepted the promise under the condition that Maria would only get one look at it, but she didn't want Maria to complain that it hadn't been enough later on, so she decided to go along with Maria until she was satisfied. She believed that there wasn't a culprit, but on the off chance that she was mistaken, they were now in an extremely dangerous position. Rosa realized that faintly herself. If things got bad, she would throw away her umbrella and ready her gun. ...After glancing at Maria's innocent happiness, Rosa gazed warily in all directions.  ...? Were her eyes just tired? Even though no one should have been there, she thought she saw something glitter in the dark rose garden. ...Gold-colored...? It had to be her imagination. 
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Dec 23, 2016 14:24
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Oh right, the profiles page (Witch's Side) has been updated, a bit late.
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Dec 23, 2016 15:08
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Mom! Of! The! Year! Excited to see a repeat of Action Hero Rosa this episode. Have a nice holiday, Prof!
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Dec 23, 2016 15:31
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 Well, that's my hope about things looking up for this relationship dashed upon the rocks like a would-be witch. I can notice the potential for healing and hope all I like for it, but it's never gonna happen around these awful people on this shithole island.If these two are really the "two that are close" this would mean the first time that Maria has been chosen for a sacrifice, which upsets all of my models as to how these things are chosen. What is this drat key? We saw the "home of the Gold" a couple updates ago, but I didn't see anything there that looked like it could choose anything or anybody... and the fact that the ritual continues means that Eva actually didn't solve the Epitaph. She found the gold, all right, but something is still missing; the murderer is still at large. And if these two buy it, it's going to look really bad for Eva this go-round, as Rosa dying means she's the only one who knows where the gold is. And then there's the weird bit about Eva and her "wishing" for things to come true which happened... Maybe Doc Hawkins' (I think he mentioned this first, but it's been going around) of a sister following the Beatrice legend and suffering a psychotic break was on point, only it got the wrong sister...
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Dec 23, 2016 16:01
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Thinking back to earlier in the episode, it is heavily implied that there were two human Beatrices, with one of them being Kinzo's original mistress and the other being her rape kid . So maybe we can assume that the gold-storage room is where Kinzo locked up the first Beatrice, and the mansion being where the second one was raised after her mother's suicide? Also, Beatrice's (should we call her Beato now?) back story, while fantastical, really cut down on the number of choices of who she may be. At the very least, it become very unlikely for the oldest generation (Kinzo, Nanjo, Genji, Kumasawa) to be the culprit - well, Kumasawa's probably the caretaker for Beato (which explains why she is only a part-timer as she needed to tend to the second mansion too) and the others are likely to be involved in this dirty business anyway. Another thing that bothers me is whether any fake bodies are involved in the murders, especially the last ones. Remember a worker was supposedly injured and sent back because of an accident involving Beatrice? What if the injury was, well, not quite as mild and he/she died on the island? He/she would then provide a perfect body double for the culprit, and because of the nature of such a death, Beato would not be able to declare that all bodies were murdered, but they would all not be suicides either. Hey, Beato only said in red that there were 18 or less people on the island for all episodes, no mention of dead bodies.
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Dec 23, 2016 16:55
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resurgam40 posted:
Well, if TCL's theory about the key is correct, these victims are all being chosen by a shadow conspiracy run out of a Taiwanese train station. 
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Dec 23, 2016 17:07
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Jeek posted:Thinking back to earlier in the episode, it is heavily implied that there were two human Beatrices, with one of them being Kinzo's original mistress and the other being her rape kid We've seen absolutely nothing to support this so no, it's not actually safe to assume that. You can hypothesize that if you want, but currently there is literally zero evidence to back this up.
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Dec 23, 2016 17:09
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The evidence is circumstantial and unreliable but that's not the same as no evidence. Absence of evidence isn't evidence of absence etc. I'm pretty sure we're going to see that my hypothesis of the riddle not being complete due to some condition x (like Eva not announcing it) will be borne out. Poor victims. Battler is losing his mind like someone watching he most painful horror movie.  his is truly a pitiable situation.
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Dec 23, 2016 17:35
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Of course Eva solved the epitaph, did you guys miss that whole beautiful ceremony where she received the Head's ring and was even proclaimed a witch? Good old Beato wouldn't break her promises like that. Some people just have no faith, I swear.
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Dec 23, 2016 17:58
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Well, of course the murders will continue. I mean, they weren't committed by a witch to begin with, so whatever weird daydreams Eva is having have no bearing on it.
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Dec 23, 2016 18:40
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| # ? May 11, 2024 11:11 |
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tiistai posted:Of course Eva solved the epitaph, did you guys miss that whole beautiful ceremony where she received the Head's ring and was even proclaimed a witch?
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Dec 23, 2016 18:41
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