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Danaru
Jun 5, 2012

何 ??
I like the Chiester sisters' designs :saddowns:

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tiistai
Nov 1, 2012

Solo Melodica
I'll support you


edit: Also, something I've been meaning to mention for a while now: Eva-Beatrice aka Eva's witch form has traditionally often been written as EVA with all caps as a shorthand to separate her from the human Eva. It's in reference to how Eva-Beatrice's Japanese name is written with katakana instead of kanji. If you've been wondering why the Project (PS3) translation has been using small caps to spell Beatrice (which of course is also spelled with katakana), now you know.

tiistai fucked around with this message at 21:41 on Dec 29, 2016

Dr Pepper
Feb 4, 2012

Don't like it? well...

Danaru posted:

I like the Chiester sisters' designs :saddowns:

It's nice to see Reisen getting work in other games.

oath2order
Oct 12, 2013

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


tiistai posted:

The reason being that the name of these useless bunnies is quite literally siesta in katakana (shiesuta) for some reason. It wasn't until the fighting game Ougon Musoukyoku that it was officially romanized as Chiester.

BTW Newbies, Umineko has a 2D fighting game. We should show that off at some point.

lotus circle
Dec 25, 2012

Jushure Iburu
So don't worry

oath2order posted:

BTW Newbies, Umineko has a 2D fighting game. We should show that off at some point.
It's a lot of drat fun too, but I think the first iteration has spoilers up to EP 4 sadly.

Violet_Sky
Dec 5, 2011



Fun Shoe

Danaru posted:

I like the Chiester sisters' designs :saddowns:

I like them because Im a giant dork

idonotlikepeas
May 29, 2010

This reasoning is possible for forums user idonotlikepeas!
My theory on this one would be that they all went in and shot each other. I mean, we have three people with guns, it's easy enough for them to get into a fight that nobody survives. If Eva and Hideyoshi had been working together, for instance, he might have killed the other two, but suffered a fatal wound in return.

oath2order posted:

BTW Newbies, Umineko has a 2D fighting game. We should show that off at some point.

wait what

Danaru
Jun 5, 2012

何 ??

From what I remember it's actually pretty dang good. Major spoilers though, for example I can't even mention the character I'm best with because they haven't actually appeared in the story yet. :(

CottonWolf
Jul 20, 2012

Good ideas generator

Violet_Sky posted:

I like them because Im a giant dork

As someone who grew up on a healthy diet of anime, I didn't even bat an eye. It's was all "Oh, bunnygirls? Of course."

EagerSleeper
Feb 3, 2010

by R. Guyovich
I want to see Eva vs Eva in this chapter. I think it's time.


Danaru posted:

From what I remember it's actually pretty dang good. Major spoilers though, for example I can't even mention the character I'm best with because they haven't actually appeared in the story yet. :(

Is it Beachwear Nanjo? I hear he's OP.

POOL IS CLOSED
Jul 14, 2011

I'm just exploding with mackerel. This is the aji wo kutta of my discontent.
Pillbug
The bunnygirls are grating. Kyrie is amaaaaazing though. :allears: Way more respect for this character as written now.

KataraniSword
Apr 22, 2008

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

Danaru posted:

From what I remember it's actually pretty dang good. Major spoilers though, for example I can't even mention the character I'm best with because they haven't actually appeared in the story yet. :(

Yeah, the 2D fighter is as solid as you'd expect from "dojin fighting game based off of visual novel characters" (see also: Melty Blood and Nitroplus Blasterz for examples of this working, or Fate/Tiger Colosseum for an example where it kind of falls apart). The problem is, it takes from the entire series, of which we're less than three out of eight chapters done with at this point, so to say there's heavy spoilers in it is like saying there's a few fish in the Pacific Ocean.

witchcore ricepunk
Jul 6, 2003

The Golden Witch
Who Solved the Epitaph


A Probability of 1/2,578,917
OK, just caught up. drat, and I thought Kyrie was the most well-adjusted out of the group! I'm kind of thrown by the simultaneity of her and Asumu's births. It seems like the most fantastical element of this storyline, or else Rudolf was performing a way grodier version of that "two dates at once" scenario. I don't want to think about it that much.

Bunnygirls further confirm my Beato = (R U D O L)f theory. Nyehehe!

But seriously, what are they supposed to be? If they're supposed to be a souped-up explanation for gun wounds, why are they represented as bunnygirls with giant robot UIs in particular? Why's there so much anime in my anime? This seriously feels like AxeCop; if they're Beato's "pieces" on this chess board, maybe she just has the mind of a child after all.

tiistai
Nov 1, 2012

Solo Melodica

Tender Child Loins posted:

If they're supposed to be a souped-up explanation for gun wounds, why are they represented as bunnygirls with giant robot UIs in particular?

It's cool

KataraniSword
Apr 22, 2008

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

Tender Child Loins posted:

It seems like the most fantastical element of this storyline, or else Rudolf was performing a way grodier version of that "two dates at once" scenario. I don't want to think about it that much.

Not everyone comes to term at the exact same pace; all it means is that Rudolf was totally with both of them in the same frame of time, there wasn't any "she was the first woman in his life" here. It's coincidental and more than a little convenient, but not unheard of.

witchcore ricepunk
Jul 6, 2003

The Golden Witch
Who Solved the Epitaph


A Probability of 1/2,578,917

KataraniSword posted:

Not everyone comes to term at the exact same pace; all it means is that Rudolf was totally with both of them in the same frame of time, there wasn't any "she was the first woman in his life" here. It's coincidental and more than a little convenient, but not unheard of.

Yeah, I could believe that. It's also sad but unfortunately realistic that Kyrie would blame Asumu for her problems and not Rudolf. Judging from Battler's behavior following his dad's second marriage, it doesn't seem like Asumu was a totally bad person, either. I really want to know what Meta-Battler thinks of the scenes that just played out, and how he's interpreting Kyrie's take on his parents' relationship.

Eva and Hideyoshi's relationship seems a lot healthier in comparison... which is not something I thought I'd ever say, considering Eva. Whether or not she killed Hideyoshi in this latest update depends on the truthfulness of her scene in the guest bedroom. She's either there or in the mansion, and it doesn't seem like anyone can provide her with an alibi. Or maybe she and Hideyoshi were supposed to corroborate each other's innocence, but the latter freaked out and got himself killed. We've just got to bide our time until we get some red truths up in this bitch, I guess.

edit: Hey Prof, would you mind putting a link to the Letter from Bernkastel in the OP? I wanted to be able to reference that again.

witchcore ricepunk fucked around with this message at 06:38 on Dec 30, 2016

Quinn2win
Nov 9, 2011

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

Tender Child Loins posted:

edit: Hey Prof, would you mind putting a link to the Letter from Bernkastel in the OP? I wanted to be able to reference that again.

Added to the second post.

Quinn2win
Nov 9, 2011

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


October 5th, 1986, 1:30 PM



By any measure, their return was too late. And Krauss and Natsuhi, who waited by the entrance, were reaching the limits of their patience. The chain was set on the door. That was a precaution in the event that Rudolf's group was attacked and the master key stolen from them. For that reason, they needed to wait by the entrance like this for the others to return...



"...Indeed..."

Krauss glanced between his watch and the door, struggling to keep his composure.

"If... something happened to prevent them from returning..."
"...A terrible thought, but it seems we should ready ourselves for that possibility. So, it really was too reckless after all."
"Th-That is what I said...! Why did they go outside when they knew it was this dangerous...?! How foolish! Why go outside, even though Rosa-san had just been attacked...?!!"
"...Nothing will come of saying that now. At any rate, there are now three adults in the guesthouse. Me, you, and Eva, who's asleep with a high fever."

At that time, the forceful sound of a door being opened came from the hallway, and they heard Eva's panicked voice. That voice kept calling out Hideyoshi's name. It seemed as though she'd had a bad dream or something due to her fever... and was calling for her husband.

"Eva-san, what is it, are you okay...?"



BGM: Mind

Krauss was struck dumb by this attitude of hers, which she had never shown in front of him before, but Natsuhi understood her feelings.

"...C-Calm down... Hideyoshi-san is with Rudolf-san and Kyrie-san, and they're outside right now."
"Outside?!?! Wh-Wh-Why, why did he go outside, after he promised that he'd stay with me the whole time?! You mustn't go outside, the witch is outside, you mustn't go, you'll be killed!! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh...!!"
"...Eva, calm yourself. Hideyoshi-san returned to the mansion with Rudolf and Kyrie-san."
"Why did he have to go to the mansion?!! Why did he go outside, even though it's safe here?!! Why did he go back to the mansion?!!"
"...They went to get enough food to last until tomorrow. Hideyoshi-san was worried about your health... and said that was partly why he wanted to go..."
"When will they come back?! When will they come back?! Don't go outside, don't go to the rose garden, don't go to the mansion!! The witch is there, the Golden Witch is walking about! If she finds you, you'll be killed, you'll definitely be killed!! When will my husband come back?!"
"...They left here thirty minutes ago. We are waiting for their return."



"We have to go get them!! We have to hurry to where they are!! Eeeeeeeeeeeekkk!!"

Eva probably had quite a nightmare. And, because it had continued even after she woke up, she could no longer hide her panic. Natsuhi tried calming her down, but all it did was make Eva's emotions explode even more.

Maybe they heard that disturbance. Battler and the kids, who had supposedly been on the second floor, were peeking their faces through the crack of the lobby door. Krauss, Natsuhi, Eva. And Battler, George, Jessica, Nanjo. Everyone in the guesthouse had gathered by the entrance... and understood the current situation.



"Yeah, that's right. It's even possible that their load's too heavy and they're having trouble carrying it. They should welcome some extra hands."
"...Th-This happened right after Rosa-san was attacked. This may have been a secondary disaster connected to that. We should act with caution here and..."
"Don't be a fool!! What do you mean, caution?! Are you saying we should let my husband die, even though he might be begging for help?! I'm going to look, and the cowards can stay here!!"

Looking agitated, Eva raised her gun. Judging by her face, it would be useless for anyone to try and stop her. George, who realized that first, raised his head.

"I'll go as well. You will too, right, Battler-kun? The more people, the better...!"
"S-Sure!! Aunt Eva, we're coming even if you tell us not to."
"...I-I'm coming too...! I can't be the only one to hide in a safe place...!"
"Jessica, you must not go outside!! Stay here with me. Got it?!"



Natsuhi realized that Eva felt like her heart had been gouged out, but she spoke out strongly as Jessica's mother.

"...You're right. That should be fine. Let's have Nii-san's family keep an eye on the guesthouse. This is a problem for my family and Battler-kun's. And I wonder if Doctor Nanjo would mind coming too. Just in case."



BGM: Voiceless



"...The fourth through sixth twilights? Then, the corpses were pierced through the forehead, chest, and stomach with those demon stakes?"
"Yes. The demon stakes were buried into them: one in Rudolf's forehead, one in Hideyoshi's chest, and one in Kyrie's stomach."
"The disorder of the clothing on all three suggests that they were fighting or running away. Since the three corpses were not found right next to each other, it is hypothesized that after coming into contact with the culprit, they attempted some form of resistance."
"...And they had stakes in the forehead, chest, and stomach. Horrible, just like usual..."
"..."



...Normally, the witch would have killed them in a much, much more horrible way. The corpses had been left in this manner only because Beato had suggested to the witch that she show restraint. The new witch, thinking it would fit well enough as long as she gouged them with stakes, would probably have just stuck a stake into a lump of meat that wasn't even shaped like a Human.

Rosa's and Maria's corpses were a particularly striking example. If they'd been killed as the Golden Witch had wished, just how gruesome would the corpses have been? Beato had changed that into the 'still better' kind of killing Battler had mentioned earlier. Wanting to have Beato's small bit of thoughtfulness appreciated, he thought of telling Battler about this.

...But judging by Battler's eyes, that might do more harm than good. To humans, the gap between being alive and being dead is very large. Saying that she'd given them better deaths might have made it possible for a demon to understand her feelings and pardon her, but there was no way a Human would be so accepting. Understanding this, Ronove remained silent despite knowing of Beato's modest efforts...

"Just like usual, let's start by checking whether the corpses are dead. Ronove, please declare it in red."
"..."
"Hey, can't you hear me? Please declare it in red. Repeat it. 'Rudolf, Kyrie, and Hideyoshi are dead'."



"The hell...? What are you planning, all of a sudden...?"

By now, proclaiming that the victims were dead in red was almost a given in this battle. Refusing to do that was almost like losing by default. So when Ronove refused as part of his first move, Battler was dumbfounded.

"My apologies. As of this moment, I relinquish my position as Milady's representative. Accordingly, 'I' cannot repeat that in red. The only one qualified to repeat that... is Milady."
"..."
"...His point is a valid one. Ronove is only a representative for Beato's side. If he steps down from that position, and if you will not accept Beato as an opponent, a new representative must be named."
"...No new representative exists. Please, Battler-sama. Please accept Milady as your game partner once more."
"...Sorry, but that's advice I can't listen to. I definitely won't accept that unpleasant, cruel bastard as my opponent. My refusal to accept her is why I can't step down from this game."
"As to her being unpleasant, I apologize in Milady's stead. Allow me to pledge that Milady will not undertake such unpleasant actions again."
"...I wonder about that."
"...Battler-kun, I also want to apologize as that child's teacher. I'll give that child a good talking to, so please offer your forgiveness just this once."
"...Hey, hey, enough of that. You're making it sound like I'm the bad guy. And no matter how much you guys apologize, it won't reach my ears. If Beato can say that from her own lips... well, I might listen to her."
"...Understood. If that is your only condition for acknowledging your opponent again, let us have that child apologize. Ronove, call for that child. Will that be all right, Battler-kun...?"
"...Sheesh... Do whatever you want. Still, don't expect me to forgive her. Go get that irritating witch."
"...You have my thanks, Battler-sama. I shall summon her here. Milady, Battler-sama is calling for you."



...It was a much more docile appearance than the one's she'd made before.

"...Did you call, Ronove?"
"...I believe you heard. Is there something you have to say, from your own lips...?"
"..."
"..."

It looked as though Beato shrunk slightly under Battler's cold gaze. Several times, Beato made an effort to get the words out of her mouth, but that didn't work so well, and she was just as awkward as someone trying to light a match during a freezing winter with icy hands...

Even as she did that, the game board was advancing... In the hall, they had just found the corpses of the new victims and had broken down crying...





"...Mother, hang in there... Even for me it's... so crushing... so sad...!!"
"...They probably died instantly. I'm sure that, even if we had arrived immediately after they fell, it would have been too late..."
"No, that's wrong!! They were definitely alive!! His chest was stabbed with something like this...! My husband must have died in extreme pain...!! If we had come faster, surely they would've been saved! They would definitely have been saved!! Uuuuuwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh..."
"...It must be tough... for you too, Battler-kun, but stay strong..."
"...I'm okay, it's okay, Aniki... Let me cry just a little bit longer... I've got it the best... I should be the least sad...! So if you let me cry just a little longer, I'll be fine..."
"That isn't true... I can understand how much it must hurt your heart to have lost both parents... I still have Mother. That's much better than what you're going through, Battler-kun..."



BGM: Moon

"...In this group, you're the saddest... and the one who has it toughest!! I understand that, so I can't keep on sobbing like this...!! Aaaaaaaaaaaggghhhh!!"
"...Why... do you say it's toughest for me...?"
"To me, Dad and Kyrie-san... were people I'd eventually split up with when I grew up and became independent. Since they're parents, it was fated that they'd die before their kids. It just happened a little early, that's all...!"
"...But it's different for you, Aniki. You didn't just lose your parents, who would've parted ways with you eventually. You also lost Shannon-chan, someone you should've spent the rest of your life with...!!"
"..."
"You can't value human lives differently. Whether it's a baby or an old person, they should all be respected the same...! But still, the more life that person has ahead of them, the longer the future you're building together is, the sadder the fact of their death is...!!"
"Aniki, you were engaged to Shannon-chan, right? You promised that you'd build a life and a home together in the future, right?! Compared to how huge that future was, compared to how huge that happiness was... stuff like my pain doesn't even come close...!! So you should be allowed to cry much, much more, Aniki...!! And yet, just because you act like a big brother to us cousins, you force yourself to act like you're so calm...!"
"...Stop it, Battler-kun."

George was trying to make a calm smile. But already, he couldn't stop a single hot tear from leaving a streak down his face.



"...Of those dreams, even the very first one, having her move into my family register, could not be granted... so there's no way I wouldn't... be sad, right...?"
"Compared to that, I...I...!! Like I said, I have no right to cry any more! When even you're struggling to hold it in, I have no right to shed any more tears!!"
"...We're the same. We both feel the same sadness from losing those close to us. So there's no rule that says you can't shed any more tears than me, Battler-kun."
"...And, for me too... there's no rule... that says I have to hold back my tears any longer, is there?"





As Battler and George hugged each other tightly, they cried a waterfall of tears over each other's shoulders for the people who had been so precious to them...



BGM: Melting Away

"...I-I was listening, so I understand. Your sadness is proportional to the length of time you would have been able to spend with that person afterwards..."
"...Of course, you can't calculate it just like that though. We Humans aren't like you witches. From the time we receive life to the moment we die, we live within that limited period as strongly as we can manage."
"...I can't forgive anyone who makes light of that. And I definitely can't forgive anyone who sneers at people and toys with them. A person like you, whose very concept of death is all screwed up, probably can't understand that."
"..."
"...I'm not just mad because of the length of time they would've lived afterwards. It's... sneering at the lives of people living with all they've got... That's what I can't forgive the most."
"George-aniki lived his life by recklessly doing his best. He must have approached this day with a grim resolve to marry Shannon-chan no matter the challenges. That's completely different from me, since I was happy just to be able to meet my cousins after a long while."
"...B-But still..."
"Beato. For now, stay silent and listen."
"...I-Indeed."
"...In a way, I understand your point. You say you need to continue murdering according to the epitaph for your own resurrection."
"...So, considering your circumstances, I can just barely bring myself to understand your murders. Because to you, it's a necessary course of action. But that means all unnecessary actions you take beyond that... are due to your meaningless and brutal tastes."
"...In other words, if killing the six people for the first twilight was a 'necessary action' for you, then all that show of crushing their faces and splitting their stomachs and stuffing them full of sweets was completely unnecessary, and caused by nothing more than your brutal hobby. That's an aspect of you that I definitely cannot forgive."
"...I-Indeed..."
"When you saw Aunt Rosa getting repeatedly killed in that horrible way, you apparently said something like 'If they're going to be brought back to life in the end anyway, it doesn't matter how they're killed.' I heard from Virgilia."
"...Well, as to that... well, umm..."
"That idea that you can kill them as many times as you want, as long as you bring them back to life in the end... Isn't that a completely unnecessary action, with no purpose other than to toy around with someone's life?"
"...If you're going to kill, do it instantly! Don't toy with them!! If you won't kill them, then don't bully them!! You're taking advantage of the fact that you can do as you will with people's lives, and you've forgotten the sanctity of life. So I can't accept or acknowledge you...! I definitely can't accept as my opponent a person who doesn't know the value of a life...or the sadness felt when lives are lost!"



"...For that reason, Endless Witches sometimes start playing by jumping over the gap between life and death like it's a game. That is a very, very frightening thing. So as an Endless Witch, and by my own choosing, I never reached your level."

It was something Virgilia had been trying to tell Beato for a long time. But Beato had been too young to obediently listen to those words. She had been too wild. She had been possessed by that detestable pleasure.

"...I have been told not to break vases. But that's why I wanted to break them."
"...Then I gained the Endless Magic. When I knew that I could fix them back to normal no matter how badly I broke them, I was surprised at how fun it could be to break a vase..."
"That is what's known as the forbidden honey. People are not captivated by what's inside. They are captivated by the sealed lock. ...It is truly regrettable."
"...I want to ask you, Virgilia. Why does this thing called the Endless Magic exist? For what purpose does it exist in this world?"
"It is not limited to the Endless Magic. All magic exists to bring happiness to the human world. After everything that has happened, it may be difficult for you to believe, Battler-kun, but in order to bring blessings to the human world, we witches are supposed to become bridges between humans and nonhumans, and that is why we train so hard."
"...How does reviving the dead and torturing them to death over and over again help the human world?"
"When a vase that was an important memento is broken, if by fixing it, everyone will regain their smiles, I would repair it with magic as many times as necessary. However, I would not be fixing it in order to break it again. I would be reviving it to give humans happiness."
"In that case, Beato, you fail as an Endless Witch."
"...I-Indeed..."



"...Maybe this game isn't about making me surrender. Maybe it's a test for you to be accepted as an Endless Witch...in the truest sense."
"...I-I don't know about that. The reason I proposed this game to you was... umm... simply as a way to kill time... There were no ulterior motives at work."
"Just now, I heard the definition of a witch from Virgilia. By that definition, you, Beato, are not even a witch. You're an apprentice who's still in training... and who misunderstands her own power."
"...This was supposed to a fight between a witch and a human. If you aren't a witch, then you aren't qualified to be my opponent. Understand?"
"...You say... I am still... only an apprentice...? Then, when will I be accepted as your opponent once again? When can we resume this game?"
"...Who knows. At the very least, it isn't now. When you fully understand what I've said and become a real witch, I'll probably accept you as my opponent in this game once more."
"I-I can't understand if you say it so abstractly like that... Clearly tell me what I should do to earn your forgiveness..."
"No, I've said enough. You think about the rest. That's all I want to say. If you can't figure it out, try talking with Virgilia and Ronove. A brat like you should start off by listening to what the adults say."



"...Understood. Until Beato has been acknowledged as having earned those qualifications, the game will proceed without an opponent. Is that all right with you too, Beato?"
"...I-I have no objections. I want time... and a place where I can think at a leisurely pace. May I leave my seat for that?"
"...Yeah, that's fine."
"...Well then, see you... later."
"Wait... Don't make that dejected face."
"...Sorry about that. Letting everything inside my heart show up on my face is part of my personality. I cannot deceive."
"Then maybe there's still some hope for you. Let me promise you one thing. In this game with you, I might win, and I might lose. If you don't come back, it might be my victory by default."

At that point, Battler stopped talking for a second. Then he spoke forcefully.



"...Battler-sama..."
"...Thank you, Battler. I will definitely... come back and be accepted by you."

After showing a hopeful smile for a very short while, Beato vanished.

Quinn2win
Nov 9, 2011

Foolish child of man...
After reading all this,
do you still not understand?
The profiles page has been updated.

bman in 2288
Apr 21, 2010
Welp, Beato just got a verbal smackdown. But what does this mean for us? Are we still going to try and figure out the killer(s)? Or are we going to take a break alongside Battler and Beato until she gets her poo poo together?

... Wait. Did Battler just say they he's going to wait until his opponent is a real witch? So that he can deny they are a witch? I'm getting confused here. Battler, stop being incompetent.

witchcore ricepunk
Jul 6, 2003

The Golden Witch
Who Solved the Epitaph


A Probability of 1/2,578,917

ProfessorProf posted:

Added to the second post.

Thanks!


OK, so the updated profiles (Kyrie's and Hideyoshi's) seem to make the order of operations in this latest incident clear. It totally goes against my impression of Hideyoshi's character, but Battler did hint toward his casual Kansai affectation as just that—an affect.

But more significantly, Rudolf's profile seems to answer a lingering question from earlier episodes: how were people killed during the 2nd-8th twilights? Unlike the Golden Bunny Snake, we know that the stakes do have some physical reality to them. However, as noted earlier, the shapes of those stakes aren't really great for stabbing, and a person wouldn't be able to use them with much efficiency without the aid of some kind of powerful sling.

We now know there are a lot of guns on the premises, so covering up the banality of shooting deaths with occultish stakes is a great way to buy a human culprit time while also stoking the flames of the witch legend. I wonder if there's been a clue in Kinzo's study or something that hints to some kind of case or luggage that might contain the stakes. It would be really easy to cart them around the murder scenes that way.

bman in 2288 posted:

... Wait. Did Battler just say they he's going to wait until his opponent is a real witch? So that he can deny they are a witch? I'm getting confused here. Battler, stop being incompetent.

Yeah, this is getting really convoluted, but I think mainly because Battler is gaining respect for Beatrice as an opponent/person this episode. He's been actively trying to get her to understand him, which is something you do with a person, rather than some abstract entity. Though I'm not really sure if that's even possible with her, since her response to "Be less lovely" still results in people dying horribly??

edit: ehh, my "stakes in Kinzo's study" theory is a bust. The only description of the study so far (Episode 1) doesn't mention anything like that.

quote:

There were many mysterious objects, like a candle suspiciously melted and molded into a strange shape, which probably had something to do with black magic. The constellations drawn on a certain celestial globe contained quite a few dots that a person who knows the night sky well would tilt their head at. The illustrations inscribed in old, casually opened books were all full of religious, or possibly demonic, grotesque arcana, as well as the weird shapes of various magical circles.

witchcore ricepunk fucked around with this message at 18:59 on Dec 30, 2016

Fabulousvillain
May 2, 2015
It means Battler cannot even fathom the point, let alone existence, of an Endless Witch being something that contradicts itself so blatantly. Too him it's like finding out his pretentious vegan neighbor loves to eat kittens on a daily basis, yeah it's not impossible but they should stop claiming to be vegan since by definition they are not.

MonsterEnvy
Feb 4, 2012

Shocked I tell you

Tender Child Loins posted:

Unlike the Golden Bunny Snake, we know that the stakes do have some physical reality to them.


Well it's likely that the Chiester Sisters are the Winchiester rifles in the real world.

resurgam40
Jul 22, 2007

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

Huh... another new song with a voice clip. It's got a weird, but oddly peaceful mood, which I guess fits this episode.

Do you know, I'm not really confused by this epsode at all; the terms of "denying a witch" have always been pretty nebulous, as has been the definition of magic and what it is, so I don't really have a problem with the game suspending for Beatrice to reflect upon her actions. You can't suitably deny something that has no real stance or ethos to deny, so Battler is right to call out Beato for being so wishy washy about what she even wants to do. Besides, it was never truly made clear about what the "denial" of Beatrice is either: at the beginning I thought that the point was to deny magic through presenting the murders through mundane means, but this update makes me think Battler's denying the cruelty and malice behind the murders themselves (only there wasn't any real cruelty behind the face removing bit; it seemed pragmatic, especially if your going to re-use a body, but would only be cruel if you a) did them before death [this was not proven], and b) if you intended the bodies to be found [they were in a locked shed just sort of piled up]) and the relative glee that Beato approached death with. She was only really amusing herself, and thought everyone else would find it amusing, but Virgilia seems to posit that "true" magic should please everyone, and that is the basis of Beatrice's not being complete. Following the Ritual, there has to be an endpoint in which the Witch "revives", grants the wishes, and then sleeps forever, but I don't see any progress towards that end in the Purgatory world, it's just been reviving and then killing people so that Beatrice can have fun and kick Battler around, so clearly, a thread has been lost in this game. If it's ever going to actually progress, all the players have to play their parts and know what their doing, and if Beatrice has to go and seek an attitude adjustment for that to happen, so be it.

(Besides, if my definition of "witch" as a broken, stunted individual stuck in despair holds true, then helping a childish bully grow up and set aside her bullying is as good a way to "destroy a witch" as any.)

The question is, what's going to happen to the board in the mean time? Is it just going to go on, with EVA Beatrice calling the shots and nobody in Purgatory watching the board in particular? Are Battler, Virgilia, Ronove and the Sister-Stakes going to engage in wacky hijinks with the Bunny Girls while Beato goes walkabout and/or reenacts Eat, Pray, Love? Are we going to see Ottumon's Chimps as the masterminds behind it all? It's Episode 3 in this 8-Episode story and we're nowhere near any loving place I thought this story was going to go, so I discount nothing.

KataraniSword
Apr 22, 2008

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

resurgam40 posted:

b) if you intended the bodies to be found [they were in a locked shed just sort of piled up])

Remember that the first chapter's First Twilight was behind a door with an obvious magic symbol drawn on it.

Regardless of its purpose, that's sort of a giant "NOTICE ME" sign.

MonsterEnvy
Feb 4, 2012

Shocked I tell you
And I just learned that it appears that 7th Expansion is going to start work on a new When they Cry game in 2017.

witchcore ricepunk
Jul 6, 2003

The Golden Witch
Who Solved the Epitaph


A Probability of 1/2,578,917

MonsterEnvy posted:

And I just learned that it appears that 7th Expansion is going to start work on a new When they Cry game in 2017.

Whaaaaat?! This is my first time experiencing a 7th Expansion VN, but I am really excited for more! Kind of scared of Googling it, though—is there a good, Umineko spoiler-free article about this somewhere?

MonsterEnvy
Feb 4, 2012

Shocked I tell you

Tender Child Loins posted:

Whaaaaat?! This is my first time experiencing a 7th Expansion VN, but I am really excited for more! Kind of scared of Googling it, though—is there a good, Umineko spoiler-free article about this somewhere?

I did not look it up or anything I am pretty blind with Umineko as well. I was just going through a gaming site and saw an article.

Here. http://www.siliconera.com/2016/12/30/cry-series-getting-completely-new-development-2017/

Redmark
Dec 11, 2012

This one's for you, Morph.
-Evo 2013
Excited to see which animal shall be crying for our sins this time.

witchcore ricepunk
Jul 6, 2003

The Golden Witch
Who Solved the Epitaph


A Probability of 1/2,578,917
It's gotta be doves. Ryukishi07's going to give us the Prince tribute we've all been waiting for.

CottonWolf
Jul 20, 2012

Good ideas generator

Oooo. Exciting. It'll be fun to get in on the ground floor for the mindfuckery this time. Assuming it's in some sense solvable. Higurashi wasn't really*.

*Or if it was, I wasn't clever enough to spot the hints.

Danaru
Jun 5, 2012

何 ??

CottonWolf posted:

Oooo. Exciting. It'll be fun to get in on the ground floor for the mindfuckery this time. Assuming it's in some sense solvable. Higurashi wasn't really*.

*Or if it was, I wasn't clever enough to spot the hints.

From what I've heard from people who started with the VN, the VN itself is definitely solvable, but the anime hosed up a lot of major important clues to what was going on.

Much like Umineko's anime :argh: I swear I would have solved it if I didn't watch the anime first, they even show a massive contradiction to the truth in it. The only good thing about the anime is the voice cast.

CottonWolf
Jul 20, 2012

Good ideas generator

Danaru posted:

From what I've heard from people who started with the VN, the VN itself is definitely solvable, but the anime hosed up a lot of major important clues to what was going on.

Much like Umineko's anime :argh: I swear I would have solved it if I didn't watch the anime first, they even show a massive contradiction to the truth in it. The only good thing about the anime is the voice cast.

Are we near to the end of the Umineko anime yet? I have a perverse desire to see if it's as bad as everyone's been making it out to be, but obviously I'll wait till we reach where it ends.

Quinn2win
Nov 9, 2011

Foolish child of man...
After reading all this,
do you still not understand?
The anime covers episodes 1 through 4. By my best estimate, the LP has covered through episode 16 of the anime.

e: Regarding Higurashi, I only watched the anime (still working on the VN), and I did successfully logic out who the culprit was, even if I didn't get everything figured out by the end. Some of the leaps in logic are pretty iffy.

Quinn2win fucked around with this message at 00:42 on Dec 31, 2016

CottonWolf
Jul 20, 2012

Good ideas generator

In that case, I'll wait till we hit the end of 4, then sit down with some whisky to binge-appreciate it properly.

KataraniSword
Apr 22, 2008

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

The truest unsolvable mystery of the Higurashi: When They Cry anime is why the Higurashi Kira season exists.

CottonWolf
Jul 20, 2012

Good ideas generator

I just google imaged searched Higurashi Kira. I wish I could rewind time about a minute and correct that mistake.

witchcore ricepunk
Jul 6, 2003

The Golden Witch
Who Solved the Epitaph


A Probability of 1/2,578,917

CottonWolf posted:

I just google imaged searched Higurashi Kira. I wish I could rewind time about a minute and correct that mistake.

AUUGH WHY DID I LOOK :psypop:

bman in 2288
Apr 21, 2010

Tender Child Loins posted:

AUUGH WHY DID I LOOK :psypop:

What are you guys taking about, it can't be that bad-- What the gently caress am I looking at.

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oath2order
Oct 12, 2013

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


CottonWolf posted:

In that case, I'll wait till we hit the end of 4, then sit down with some whisky to binge-appreciate it properly.

It's awful, but it has its moments. https://polsy.org.uk/play/yt/?vurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DINE5I82zdW0

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