|
What is this?
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2017 05:55
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 14, 2024 23:21 |
|
|
bman in 2288 posted:What is this? Inspector Lunge, a character from the anime "Monster." He's Basically Anime Inspector Javert, the villainous figure from Les Miserables who refused to believe that Jean Valjean could do magic.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2017 06:04
|
|
|
oath2order posted:Inspector Lunge, a character from the anime "Monster." Ah. Never watched Monster.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2017 06:12
|
|
|
It's quite good, or at least the manga version is. Depressing as poo poo, though. Lunge gets a lot of things wrong, pretty much the whole way through. The monsters all do turn out to be human in the end, of course.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2017 07:24
|
|
|
I've seen most of the Monster anime. It's good, though it is pretty ploddy.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2017 09:31
|
|
|
 October 4th, 1986, 6:07 PM   "Is Genji-san or anyone there...?! It doesn't matter who, bring us a bath towel...!!"There was already a full-blown typhoon outside, and it was starting to pour down hard. Even though she'd had an umbrella, Maria had been in the rose garden amid all that wind and rain the whole time. She had grown ice cold. Maria had gotten into a minor fight with Rosa in the rose garden and had been told to stay there. She had done as she was told and had continued to wait in that spot, even though rain was pouring down. Rosa certainly had gotten a little emotional and angry, but Maria's stubborn whim was probably more to blame. The cousins, who had seen that exchange, were relieved to see that mother and child were close to each other again. Rosa scrubbed Maria's head with a towel. She seemed overcome with worry that Maria had caught a cold, but Maria herself was nonchalant.  "Are you okay? You didn't catch a cold, did you? Maybe we really should go back for now and get a change of clothes..." "Uu-, I'm just fine! More importantly, I'm hungry, so food's better than changing clothes, uu-!" BGM: Moonlit Night  "It's a really good thing she had an umbrella. I was thinking she might be soaked to the bone. The fact that she had an umbrella certainly is a silver lining." "But Maria! Even if you have an umbrella, you've gotta get to shelter when it starts raining so hard, okay? Little girls definitely shouldn't let their bodies get cold." "...Uu-." "It's okay, Jessica-chan. It's Mama's fault for telling her to stay there. I'm really sorry, I'm really sorry...!!" "Uu-! I'm a good girl? I'm a good girl for doing what Mama said? I stayed there even though it was cold, stayed there until Mama came! Uu-uu-!" "Yes, you really are a good girl, Maria. You did exactly what Mama said... Very well done. But next time, even if Mama tells you to do something, find some shelter if it starts raining like that. Okay...? Promise Mama." "Uu-. Promise Mama. Uu-☆"As Rosa gently held Maria, they joined their pinkies together and promised. Battler and the others realized that by touching her mother's pinky, the warmth had started to return to Maria's body.   "...Then, if you would excuse me."As Kanon bowed with a blank expression, as though he'd done nothing that required gratitude, he left the parlor.  "...Okay, it's already dinnertime. Let's all go together. I'll even give Maria my dessert for being so good." "Uu-! Really Mama?! Uu-uu-, get dessert, uu-uu-uu-♪ Love Mama, love Mama!" "Hey, Maria, don't jump around. Mama loves you too, Maria. Love Maria, love Maria." "I love Mama too, love Mama! Uu-uu-uu-uu-!" "Uu-uu-uu-uu-♪"Rosa and Maria looked really close. Even the cousins who watched started to feel a long-forgotten warmth fill up their chests.  "It wasn't like that for me. Mom was always yelling at me to study, study, study." "That's because they love their children. A parent's love isn't always gentle and indulgent. My mother was strict with me too, but now I realize that it was because she treasured me so." "Uu-uu-uu-! Love Mama, love Mama!" "Love Maria, love Maria♪ So, shall we get some food? Let's be friends and hold hands." "Uu-! Be friends and hold hands! Mama and me, friends, friends♪" "Yes, that's right. Mama and Maria are friends. We'll aaalways be like this. I love you, Maria..." The sudden sound had come from the teacup Gretel had been holding, which had fallen and smashed.  "...Sorry. I got careless. Sorry for dropping it."The cup on the floor had smashed to pieces. Would it really have made such a sound and smashed to pieces just by being dropped from that height? Even someone as thick-headed as Battler could realize that she was in a bad mood over something, but he couldn't understand why she had suddenly grown so displeased. When she made to bend over and pick up the fragments of the cup, Ronove appeared out of nowhere and stopped her.  "You will injure yourself. Leave the cleaning up to me. Shall I bring you another cup of black tea...?" "...I don't need it. I guess a demon's black tea just doesn't match my tastes." "Hoh. To think there's someone whose tastes aren't satisfied even by Ronove's tea. I must respect your discerning palate." "...I'm getting bored, so I'll go out for a second." "Bored? Wait a sec, this is where things start to get interesting. About now, Maria is probably going to say that she got an umbrella and a letter from Beatrice again, right? This is the essential part..." "Excuse me. Sorry, I'm counting on you to clean this up." "Leave it to me."Without saying anything else, Gretel disappeared of her own accord. Her form literally melted and disappeared into thin air... There was definitely a displeased expression on her face. But neither Battler nor Ronove, and of course, not Beato either, could understand why her mood had so suddenly worsened. All that remained was the scent of the black tea she'd spilled... ...I don't like it. No, to be more blunt, it disgusts me.  BGM: Eternity  "Why, you say?! Isn't it obvious...?" "Uu-. I don't understand..."Even Maria onee-chan, with that blank expression on her face, irritated me. As I held my hands palms up in the empty air, from out of nowhere, a single book landed on them. It was Maria onee-chan's diary. Even though I didn't turn the pages, the pages were flipped through, despite there being no wind, and the door to Maria onee-chan's world opened. "...Why do you think I'm not happy, Ange?" "...Think about it objectively." "By objectively, you mean from your viewpoint, right?" "...Are you trying to say that the truth is different for me and you, Maria onee-chan?" "Truth can change its form depending on the observer. And observers from the future always overwrite that form. Ange, what are you trying to do to my happiness...?" "..."The pages of the diary were flipped through at greater and greater speeds... Then, a brilliant light poured out from the depths of the diary, swallowing everything up and painting over everything with white.  BGM: Mystic Forest  "...Uu-. Then, what about your promise to go to the movies with me on Sunday...?" "The movies...? Umm-"Judging by Rosa's tone, she had clearly forgotten that promise. But Maria's response to that was an apology for asking... ...I'm sorry. Maria apologized for troubling her mother by asking that question...  "...I'll stay home. I'll definitely wait patiently. I'll take a bath every day and change my underwear. And I know where the money is. I'll go to a different store every day. I'll try not to go out too late. If a policeman asks, I'll say I'm running errands for Mama. I'll do what Mama says, like Mama says." "...That's right. You really are being a good girl. If you do that, I'll buy you a present. Okay? Go to bed by 9:00. You mustn't tell the teacher or any adults that Mama isn't coming home. Okay...?" "...Yes. So Mama, do your best at work. Do your best, finish your work, and come back as soon as you can... I... won't cry all night and annoy the neighbors anymore... So come back quickly..." "...Well then, I'm busy, so I'll hang up. Be a good girl and wait. Don't do anything you shouldn't. Goodbye."*click*. With a tone of finality in her voice, Rosa hung up the phone without waiting for Maria's answer. Maria politely set down the receiver and returned to the sofa. There sat the stuffed animal Sakutaro, with whom she'd been watching TV until a second ago. Sakutaro was holding the remote control to the TV. The TV had been turned off because of the phone call. He looked like he was telling her to push the switch because he wanted to watch TV again quickly.  '...Uryu? You don't want to watch anymore, Maria...? If the actors' team gets all the questions right, they can still make a huge comeback. Uryu-!' "...No. That's enough... TV."Again, Mama was busy with her work and didn't come home. Mama works so much overtime that she doesn't come home until late. Because she has 'dates' or something, she always comes home after drinking a lot of alcohol, even though she's not good at drinking, and with a pale face, she'll go straight into the shower and then to bed. And because she has overtime even on the weekends or something, she says she has to spend the night there, and almost never comes home. ...Recently, she started saying something about how she's got a big job she's working on, so this sort of thing happens a lot... The pictures I did my best on during drawing time were laughed at by everyone, but even so, I wanted to show them just to Mama, and once again, she won't be able to look at them for me. And I could talk about the time everyone pushed the job of cleaning up onto me, but I did my best by myself and was praised by the teacher. Or the time I went shopping, and the man at the shop said I'm always such a good kid and gave me a free canned coffee. Then there was the time I wanted to encourage Mama because she worked so hard on her job... and hid a card for her under her pillow.  "...And there's a lot... of other things...I wanted to talk about." "...I hate her job. If only she'd just quit." 'A job is an important thing for adults to do. It lets Maria eat, buys clothes, pays for school lunches, and pays the deposit for summer camp. All that happens because Mama works and earns money.' "...I don't need food. Don't need clothes. Don't need school lunches and don't want to go to summer camp. ...It's not like any of the groups will let me join in." 'Uryu... Just now, on the phone, Mama promised that she'd buy a present when she comes back from work, right? I think she made that promise because you're important to her, Maria, and she'd feel bad if she made you lonely.' "...You think so?" 'Uryu! It definitely isn't a pain for her, or annoying, or anything! Mama also wants to be by your side all the time, Maria. It's also painful and sad for her, since she can't do that. I remember when she spent the whole night by your side, crying.' "...Yeah. I didn't understand why she was crying, but she was so sad, and I couldn't do anything but stay silent by her side." 'I remember the last thing Mama said then. ...She said 'Thank you, Maria'. She said that just by being by her side, you were her only ally in the world. Uryu, do you remember?' "Yeah... I'm her only ally in the world, she said."Sakutaro set the remote control on the table, crawled up onto the sofa, sat on my lap, and spoke to me, gazing into my eyes. '...I'm sure Mama feels the same way you do, Maria. The designs Mama draws are the only ones laughed at by her clients. Only Mama's company has troublesome jobs pushed onto it by other companies. Mama is the president, so she has to take care of everything by herself. Only Mama's company never gets included in the business of other companies. Mama's only ally is Maria. If you tell her to stop doing her job, where in the world could she find an ally...?' "...Nnng, Sakutaro..." 'The only person I have in the whole world is Maria. The only person Mama has in the whole world is Maria. ...What about you, Maria?' "...I've got Mama, and I've got you too, Sakutaro..." 'So, Maria, you aren't lonely at all! Uryu! "...Uu-." 'Since Mama's busy with her work, she can't be together with you very often, but please, don't blame her for that, Maria. In exchange, I'll always be here, will be by your side forever. So don't cry, okay...? Uryu... Can't your sadness be stopped... if I'm with you...?' "...Uuu, uuuuuuuuuuu, Sakutaro... Uuuuuuuuu!! Uwaaaaaaaahhh, waaaaaaaaaaaahhh..." ...Even though weekends when Mama didn't come home weren't that rare a thing. It wasn't as though that night was particularly painful or sad compared to other nights. And yet, Maria's tears poured down. 'Uryu-...! Maria, don't cry... I'll always be with you... Even if you cry, Maria, I won't. I'm a lion cub, so I won't cry even if I'm lonely. Even though I want to cry too, I won't...!' "Why won't you cry, Sakutaro...? Even though you're so sad that you can't hold back the tears, you won't cry...?" 'Uryu. But if I cry, who will make you feel better...? So I won't. After all, I want to get your spirits up.' "If I get my spirits up, will Mama come back...?" 'When Mama comes back, if she's welcomed by a happy Maria, I'm sure she'll be happy. Uryu.' "...Mama... will be happy...?" 'Uryu. If you do that, then I'm sure her fatigue from work will also be healed. Then, I'm sure she'll start feeling better sooner and will play with you a lot.' "..." 'When you come home and Mama's waiting for you there, and she's in the kitchen in high spirits, don't you feel really happy? I'm sure Mama feels the same way.' "...So if I watch over the house in high spirits, Mama will be happy too?" 'Uryu!'Sakutaro nodded deeply with his big head. The tears couldn't keep falling from Maria's eyes. If she greeted Mama with a tear-stained face, Mama would probably get sad too. 'You know about it, Maria. You can't use the magic that creates smiles if you aren't smiling too.' "...Yeah. I know. So, I won't cry anymore." 'Hey, Maria. I have an idea for how to have a fun time. Uryu, wanna hear it?' "...What?" BGM: Sakutarou's Adventure "A pajama party...?" 'Until you get tired late tonight, eat candy and drink soda in bed, and play with me.' "A pajama party. Yeah, sounds fun. I don't have to go to bed at 9:00, right? Mama won't get mad if I don't sleep?" 'This is a secret between me and you, only for when Mama isn't around. So tonight, until you get sleepy, let's have fun the whole time. Let's eat jellybeans and try to guess what color we'll get next. Let's split open peanuts and try to guess which half is the Grandpa. Let's search for treasure in the closet. And more, and more! I wonder what it'll taste like if we mix cola and melon soda.' "Uu-. I wanted to try it once, but asked Mama if it was okay and she got mad." 'Uryu-! Let's keep it a secret from Mama and try it out♪ Tonight, let's play a lot, laugh a lot, and blow away our tears with happiness. Don't worry, it'll definitely be fun if I'm here! I'll definitely make you happy, Maria.' "Yeah, yeah! It'll definitely be fun if Sakutaro's there. I'll definitely be happy. Thank you, Sakutaro. I won't cry anymore. Let's play all we can, get happy all we can, and say welcome back when Mama gets home." 'Uryu-! Tonight, let's play a lot and feel a lot better♪ Let's have the kind of secret party we can only have when Mama isn't here. If we're noisy enough, I'm sure plenty of friends will come to play from the land of the looking glass and wonderland. Then, we'll have so many friends that we won't be able to get bored. Uryu-!' "Uryu-!!" BGM: In the Sun She played by sticking her hand into the bag of jellybeans without looking, trying to guess which color she'd pull out next. Sakutaro had good intuition and got it right a lot. Maria also had a brilliant streak where she guessed right four times in a row. The game where she split peanuts open and tried to guess which was the Grandpa... was easier than guessing the color of the jellybeans, so she got it right a lot. Sucking her salt-covered fingers was impolite, but that was the yummiest part. She liked both cola and melon soda on their own. She hoped that by mixing her two favorite drinks, there might be a flash of light like alchemy, and a new drink that no one had ever tasted before would be created. She got excited about how, if it turned out really delicious, she'd call it Sakutaro Soda and sell it. But, unexpectedly, it had a weird taste that she hadn't hoped for. And the color was somewhat dull and thick. Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised that black and green mixed together would make this. Too bad. I imagined that it'd become a sparkling pineapple color. But, it was an awesome, incredible, fun night. If it's this fun here, maybe Mama will feel like coming home and drop by out of the blue. So, I got the feeling that Mama might suddenly come home and went to the front door many times to check, but there was no way Mama would be able to come home when she was this busy with work. But rather than a feeling of loneliness, it felt just a little disappointing that Mama couldn't join in on this fun late-night party. Sometime soon, I'll do this when Mama is around and let her join in. Mama likes some things I don't think are yummy, so she maybe she'll really like Sakutaro Soda. When Mama comes back tired, I'll serve her some. And more than anything...  Her work is always so tough and she comes home so tired, so I hope I can share this happiness with her. Mama will almost certainly come home tired late Sunday night, and I hope I can brighten her day even just a little by sharing this happiness...  Then, I decided to give a present to Sakutaro for proposing this wonderful party. It was a small, red muffler I found when searching for treasure in the closet. When I was still very young, Mama knitted this tiny thing. 'Maria' was embroidered on it with knitting wool. I softly wrapped that muffler around Sakutaro. It really suited him, accenting his yellow with red very well.  Sakutaro looked embarrassed as he wore his first present ever. Yeah. It really looks good on him. "Uu-. Sakutaro, thank you so much for everything. It was so fun tonight. I can't even remember why I was crying. Let's be together from now on. And let's always play and laugh together." 'Uryu-! Love you, Maria!' "Me too. Love you, Sakutaro."After playing so wildly, Maria's room was a mess. Maybe she played a little too much. But I'm tired for today, so let's sleep together. And tomorrow, we'll clean up together and welcome Mama with a clean room. All right, Sakutaro? Uryu-♪  BGM: Eternity "...Is this your happiness, Maria onee-chan...?" "Yeah. I'm happy." "...Even though you were looking forward to that movie so much, and Aunt Rosa promised that she'd definitely take you, she completely forgot." "She just happened to forget because she was so busy with work. Even if she remembered, with her work, there'd be nothing she could do. Whether she remembered or not, Mama would've spent the night at work. She couldn't go to the movies. Whether she remembered or not is a minor issue."There's no way that's a minor issue. After all, when Aunt Rosa answered 'Movie?' on the phone, it was obvious that she'd completely forgotten her promise. And when she heard that, Maria onee-chan's mood definitely darkened. "Well, like you say, even if Aunt Rosa had remembered her promise, you wouldn't have been able to go to the movies in the end. But even so. To think that your mother just forgot her promise to spend one of her few days off with you, it's sad. I'd be mad." "...Yeah. It was sad. Because even if she had remembered, we wouldn't have been able to go to the movies." "...But after that, I had a very, very fun night with Sakutaro. You must've thought that pajama party looked really fun too, Ange." "...There's no way that would be fun. I mean, all that messing around you did that night... was just intentionally making a big fuss about nothing, all so you could forget that you were lonely and that your mother wasn't coming home." "That's not true. I really did have a fun party with Sakutaro." "...Where was something like that ever written in my diary?" "It isn't written anywhere! But... by reading in the gaps between every line, I can understand your feelings! You didn't have a good time at all that evening! And you stayed up late when you were told not to, broke the strict rule about eating sweets outside of snack time, and when even that didn't bury your sadness, you went wild in your room...and made a mess of it, right...?!! And after you made a mess of your room and were all tired out, all you did was claw at the bed sheets and cry yourself to sleep, right...?!" "...The diary does say that Mama probably forgot her promise about the movie... and that I stayed up late having a pajama party with Sakutaro... and made a mess of my room searching for treasure." "Yes. And... this is what it means! You were starving for Aunt Rosa's love, Maria onee-chan...! And Aunt Rosa always put her work and her public image first, always keeping you on the back-burner...! That's what disgusts me! Because I know just how superficial Aunt Rosa's words of love for you were!! You should realize this yourself! So, how can you say you're happy despite that?! I don't understand... that part of you, Maria onee-chan!! Even at my age, I can't understand it at all...!! Why aren't you sad? Why is it that you can experience a reality filled with misfortune and can call yourself happy?! I can't do it, I can't understand it...!!" "...You're a sad kid, Ange." "I don't get it!! Why are you pitying me?!" "...Even though a 'fact' about a really fun pajama party is written about in my diary, if the same 'fact' is observed by different people, it has a different form." Truth is unfixed and changes its form every time it's witnessed. By the way it's perceived... in other words, depending on the person who perceives it, a single truth becomes different truths. And truths of the past are painted over by truths of the future... "In this diary, I wrote that what happened that night was very, very fun." "...You described the events of that night as something very happy." "And yet, when you read the diary, the events of that night sound very, very sad." "...Even though you describe it as a happy scene, I read between the lines and realized that that wasn't true." "Stop it." "..." "...Are you... happy with this, Maria onee-chan?" "Yes. I'm happy. That's why I feel sad for you, since you wouldn't be able to feel happiness in a similar situation."...Right now, I'm like she was then... Just as isolated, with no friends. Ange... had accepted her isolated reality for what it was. But Maria... painted over her isolated reality with a reality of happiness. Ushiromiya Maria took a sad truth... and changed it into happiness. That was... the only, and yet very large, difference between me and Maria onee-chan. And, even though I'm unable to accept it, I'm also jealous of that power. "Yes. That's right. This is 'power'. I was able to find happiness with that power. Because you don't have that power, you can't find happiness, Ange." "What... is... that power...?" "I didn't know what to call that power either. Not at this point in time, at least. Eventually, I was taught its true form. I'll talk about it later. On the next page. So then, so then, late Sunday night, Mama came back with a present, just like she'd promised..." BGM: Apathy "Mama, welcome hoooooooome!!" 'Uryu-!! Mama came back, Mama came back!'Waiting to greet Rosa as she returned home all tired out...was Maria, in an unbelievably good mood, holding Sakutaro. Most likely, Rosa's worn-out expression was partly because she really was tired, but partly because it would be a pain when Maria, who should've been grumbling after staying home alone for several days, would cling to her, sobbing. However, when she was welcomed by an unbelievably happy Maria... and found that her fears were unbelievably needless, Rosa couldn't hide her surprise.  "Wh-What's going on, Maria...? You're in a great mood...?! Is someone here...?!"It was strange enough to make Rosa think that a friend had come over, and that she'd come home right when they were having a good time playing together. But there were no other shoes by the entrance. Even though Maria was in such high spirits, she had been home alone. At first, Rosa was suspicious that the cause of this unexpected good mood could be nothing good, but that really was a needless fear, and in any event, Maria really had been in a good mood while she watched over the house. Even if Rosa's heart had been as cold and hard as a rock, after being welcomed with a smile like this... Rosa started to honestly accept that smile, and a smile rose to her own face automatically. In that smile, you could no longer see any of the weariness of someone who'd been unable to return home for several days. Maria kept talking about what a fun time she'd had playing with her stuffed animal, Sakutaro. Rosa really hadn't imagined that the stuffed animal she herself had given would be so appreciated, and she couldn't hide her pleased surprise.  "I see. So you spent the time together with Sakutaro. Well done, Maria. Here's a present for Maria and Sakutaro for being so good." 'Uryu-! A present! A present!' "Uu-! What is it, what is it?!"Both Maria and Sakutaro started jumping around.  Inside was a Scotch cake. It looked to be of very high quality. But Maria was more interested in the other one. The other one was an even bigger box, and it was pretty heavy. "Go ahead and open it. They might become new friends for you and Sakutaro, okay?" "Waaaaaaaaaahhh...! What's this?! What's this?!!" Squirrels, rabbits, small birds, dogs and cats. And they were all holding musical instruments. In addition to them, there was also a panorama-style background. A forest scene was drawn on it. The small forest animals were gathered in a plaza and looked like they were having a good time. Rosa set it up on the table. And when she then lined up the ceramic figures like chess pieces in front of it, it became a band of forest animals. "Isn't it wonderful? I saw it in a store window, and I was taken with it at a glance. This is a present for you for being such a good girl home alone, Maria." "Uuuu---!!! Thank you, Mama!!! Awesome, Sakutaro! Look how much our friends have grown...! It's just like you said, Sakutaro. It was true that if we had a fun, noisy time, we'd get more friends...!" 'Right, didn't I tell you? Look, we have more friends, look, we have more friends! Uryu-♪'Relieved that her gift had been appreciated, Rosa remembered that she'd been filled with several days of weariness... "Mama, you really worked hard...! Go take a shower. If you take a hot one, I'm sure your weariness will go away. Wanna take a bath? I'll choose what to put in the bath today!" "Thank you. But it's already late, so get ready to go to bed. Mama is tired, so I'll just take a shower and go to sleep. I have to get up early tomorrow." "Yeah, got it! Here, Mama, I'll take off your coat for you." "I can do it myself... Oh, thank you." "Mama, your coat is full of smells from outside. Uu-? Oh, sorry, something fell out. I'll pick it up, okay?"When she took Rosa's coat, a receipt or ticket stub or something fell out. It had been in Mama's pocket, so it was probably important. Maria hurriedly picked it up... It looked like a ticket for the Green Car or the Shinkansen or something.  BGM: None  Instead of the Rosa who had been there just a second ago, enjoying the gift with her daughter and recovering from her weariness with a long-awaited return home, there stood a person who looked exactly the same, but who had a completely different, terrifying expression on her face. In her hand was the ticket stub that Maria had picked up. She had stolen it from Maria's hand in an instant. Just a few seconds too late, by the pain of her hand that had been hit... and her mother's expression, Maria realized that she must have done something wrong. But she didn't know what she had done that had gotten her in trouble. It was probably because of that ticket stub-like thing. Was she not supposed... to touch it...? Even though she had tried so hard to welcome Mama with fun and happiness, she had touched something important to Mama without asking, and had ruined that pleasant atmosphere... So Maria apologized immediately.  "...S-Sorry..." "...! ..."Even though she must have heard those words of apology, Rosa's expression actually darkened. Maybe those weren't the words she had been hoping for. Maria didn't know what to do... and stared at her mother's reaction... Then, even though it should've been such an important ticket stub, Rosa crushed it up and hurried off to her room... Maria... didn't really understand what she had done wrong...  BGM: Fortitude 'Uryu... ...You didn't do anything wrong, Maria... ...That's why tonight was so very happy.' "Yeah. Happy." 'And when Mama takes a bath and clears her head, she'll go back to being the normal, nice Mama. So you mustn't worry about it. Uryu.' "You're right... Mama's tired too. Uu-, mustn't worry about it. After all, we were so happy tonight." 'Uryu.' "...Ange, I think you're looking for happiness in the wrong way." "You're the one who's wrong, Onee-chan!! How can you call this happiness...?!! It's so... pitiful that I can't watch anymore!!" "What is...? That Mama suddenly got mad? That happens sometimes when humans get tired. Condemning a person because of a momentary misplaced emotion isn't very adult of you, Ange." "...I can't believe I'm hearing this from a nine year old... But that's not the problem! That ticket stub you picked up was clearly strange!" "What was? There was nothing strange about it, and it has nothing to do with the happiness of that night, right...?" "Aunt Rosa called because she'd be staying over at her company because of work, right?! Why Atami?! Isn't that what you call a vacation?! It means she left you and went on a vacation, right?! And you normally don't go on a vacation by yourse-" "Even if that was a ticket for Atami, that alone doesn't make it proof that Mama lied and went on a vacation, right...?" "She lied on the phone, and then she changed her expression so drastically and grabbed it from you! What more proof could you want...?!!" "...It might have been from a business trip long ago, right? Or maybe she just happened to pick up some trash and put it in her pocket. It might've been a receipt from someone who worked for her, who went on a business trip. In that case, it would be important for her work. It wasn't a toy, so I can understand why Mama took it away. This evidence you're talking about is only circumstantial. Imagination and delusions. I don't know why you're interpreting it in a way that makes our relationship worse." "I'm the one who doesn't understand why you're interpreting it in a way that's so convenient for Aunt Rosa!!" "...As I thought, you're a pitiable child, Ange. Even though there are so many Fragments lying about you that could make you happy, you can't find them." "...Instead, you only look at unhappy Fragments and continue to get hurt. That's why you're scared of being hurt...and only start looking for happiness after you check to make sure there's nothing around you that could hurt you." "...When I talk with you, Onee-chan, it gets hard to tell which one of us isn't making sense." "You know what? There are lots of happy and unhappy Fragments, and they fill the world up. So people who can't find happiness right beside them won't be able to find it no matter how hard they look. Like Tyltyl and Mytyl searching for the blue bird." "...Oh yeah. The story did have that moral." "You're the complete opposite, Ange. You're searching for a world without a Fragment of unhappiness. But that's the same as the blue bird. So you'll be unable to find your happiness for all eternity. Is Battler Hansel? Or is he the blue bird...?" "...Give it a rest already. In any event, I understand that a night of happiness was wasted because of a single scrap of paper." "It sure is scary. That a single scrap of paper could do that. In that case, maybe the power to get your happiness back can also lie in a single scrap of paper, right?" BGM: Wingless Rosa's face twisted with a mixture of anger, sadness, and a fierce self-hatred as she flew into her room and closed the door. Maria's 'sorry' had sliced into her chest sharper than a knife. At that time, she noticed a cute envelope placed on her study table. It was probably something that had come with a girls' magazine. ...To Mama: Let me share my happiness with you, it said. She took it, and after hesitating, opened it... and read what was inside. Then, after letting two large tears... drip down the paper... she flew out of the room, hugged Maria from behind as she headed for the bathroom, buried her face into her daughter's back... and cried. Then, realizing that she was the one who should be apologizing, she apologized. Why is Mama apologizing...? There was no answer to that question...  "...To me, your happiness is...too painful, Maria onee-chan." "...I understand how you feel, more or less. Before I realized I had that 'power', even I was a pitiful child who could only find Fragments filled with misfortune, just like you are now." "...What is that 'power'? This power that I don't have, but you do... Are you saying that I'm unfortunate and you're blessed because I don't have that? Just what is this thing you can't describe except with an abstract word like 'power'...?" "Yeah. You do want to know that, Ange. That's why you've been reading my story so far. Of course, I'll teach you. I'll show you the secret to that power. And it's something I taught you about long ago, when you were little, right...? Did you forget...?" "It's okay, I remember. Now I... no, she. She will teach you." "...She...? Who's that?" "...B-Beatrice..." "Yeah. The 'power' I have, but Ange doesn't." Maria and Beato said it together. And then they started giggling because they'd said it at the same time. It was an innocent reaction, one that didn't seem like Beato at all. Quinn2win fucked around with this message at 16:33 on Jan 30, 2017 |
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2017 14:29
|
|
|
Oh, god, Beato's doing the thing again- putting on a mask so cute and wholesome I don't know which way is up anymore. Once again, even though I know there's a real person behind the "real" Beatrice with their own motives about things, the idea of Beatrice is reactive, and means different things to different people. Beatrice the Lost Love haunts Kinzo, Beatrice the Demon torments Battler, Beatrice the Island Spirit watches over the servants... and Beatrice the Angel protects and teaches Maria. And depending on who's dealing with her, all of them seem real, because they are real to the person watching. What magic could she have to teach Ange next update? That having been said... it seems TCL called it when she supposed that Rosa wasn't always working when she takes these trips. There's a phenomenon that happens in Japan's working culture, in which a salaried employee, having been fired or let go, won't tell their families so as to prevent their public shame to the people who love them, so they dress for work as normal in the morning and go off presumably to work, but spend the day looking for a job... or just warming a barstool and drowning their sorrows. Rosa, it seems, may travel to a hotspring area and pretend to be a different person entirely just to escape her life, and her "big projects" may well be frantically keeping her company (with its extremely gloomy and unsalable taglines) out of the red. Whatever the reason, Maria's only person of contact is away for long periods, and she's doing her best, but she's about the age when her empathy and understanding is going to be strained too far. And Ange, having been past that and beyond, hardened by her abuse and angry at the circumstances that led to it, now completely fails to understand why Maria can't condemn her abusive mother as she's condemned Eva for ruining her life. Neither of these are exactly objective viewpoints (although knowing what I know, it's hard not to be with Ange on this one, seeing this horrible family in action for three episodes and counting and weighing that against Maria's childlike doggedness to keep on the sunny side), but they both seem uncomfortably true to life. But hey- seems we're gonna learn a magic trick next episode. Are you excited? I'm excited, and Lord knows I need some help being positive about things... resurgam40 fucked around with this message at 19:53 on Mar 9, 2017 |
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2017 15:42
|
|
|
#AlternativeFacts
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2017 16:52
|
|
|
CottonWolf posted:Sometimes accepting the hard truth is better than settling for the easy lie. Is it though
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2017 16:54
|
|
|
tiistai posted:Is it though Only sometimes.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2017 16:55
|
|
|
So, being a witch is all about deceiving yourself and others about everything and attempting to maintain those lies in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Check.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2017 18:08
|
|
|
resurgam40 posted:That having been said... it seems TCL called it when she supposed that Rosa wasn't always working when she takes these trips. There's a phenomenon that happens in Japan's working culture, in which a salaried employee, having been fired or let go, won't tell their families so as to prevent their public shame to the people who love them, so they dress for work as normal in the morning and go off presumably to work, but spend the day looking for a job... or just warming a barstool and drowning their sorrows. . I really appreciate how this story approaches such social issues in depth. It makes everything so much more immersive to read - you get the sense that these are real people dealing with real problems, something that would normally be very problematic with the whole magic and witches deal. That being said, while Maria is using magic here to deceive herself about her mother's irresponsibility, I can't say if that's necessarily such a bad thing as Ange says. Maria is just a child, dealing with issues no child should have to deal with, and I wonder if it's better that she embrace temporary happiness rather than losing faith and trust in the only other person she has in this world. Lycaeon fucked around with this message at 18:25 on Jan 30, 2017 |
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2017 18:20
|
|
|
idonotlikepeas posted:So, being a witch is all about deceiving yourself and others about everything and attempting to maintain those lies in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Check. Embrace delusion. Embrace magic. Seize your happiness!
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2017 18:22
|
|
|
idonotlikepeas posted:So, being a witch is all about deceiving yourself and others about everything and attempting to maintain those lies in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Check. Calm down Ange
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2017 18:35
|
|
|
I can't help but see parallels between magic here and the love explained earlier. Ange's hatred of Eva prevents her from seeing her as anything but the culprit who murdered her entire family for wealth and power, while her harsh upbringing likewise leads her to view Rosa as a selfish mother who would neglect her own child in order to take some time off. But at the same time Ange ignores Eva's own losses of George and Hideyoshi and Rosa's burden as a single mother and owner of a failing company. Having also lost everything she ever cared about on that island, and spending the rest of her life in regret and misery, Eva may very well not be the murderer. And Rosa, suffering from tremendous pressure on a daily basis, would understandably want to grasp a day of relaxation in order to relieve that stress and forget everything that's troubling her, if only for a brief moment. While this does not excuse Eva from treating Ange so terribly, nor Rosa from lying to and abusing Maria, the story recognizes that no person is a paragon of morality; in introducing love and magic it encourages us to sympathize with seemingly reprehensible people and realize we can't understand them until we see the good in addition to the bad. Edit: This could apply to the whole Ushiromoya family as well, most of whom we've seen portrayed as money-obsessed, backstabbing assholes, if they're not completely over the top insane *cough* Kinzo *cough* Lycaeon fucked around with this message at 20:15 on Jan 30, 2017 |
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2017 20:03
|
|
|
idonotlikepeas posted:So, being a witch is all about deceiving yourself and others about everything and attempting to maintain those lies in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Check. It actually reminds me of Pans labyrinth. Sometimes a life is bad enough that the only answer is to retreat into delusion and denial.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2017 21:05
|
|
|
resurgam40 posted:Whatever the reason, Maria's only person of contact is away for long periods, and she's doing her best, but she's about the age when her empathy and understanding is going to be strained too far. And Ange, having been past that and beyond, hardened by her abuse and angry at the circumstances that led to it, now completely fails to understand why Maria can't condemn her abusive mother as she's condemned Eva for ruining her life. Neither of these are exactly objective viewpoints (although knowing what I know, it's hard not to be with Ange on this one, seeing this horrible family in action for three episodes and counting and weiging that against Maria's childlike doggedness to keep on the sunny side), but they both seem uncomfortably true to life. Both Ange and Maria seem pretty messed up, but with this renewed focus on Maria's strained relationship with her mother and her meta-ghost living in the evil diary from Harry Potter, it seems a lot more likely that Maria is going to go nuts and start loving people up. She was mostly harmless in the last 3 episodes, right? I'm going to throw out a guess that might change a bit if this is the last Murder Island fanfic bottle episode. The theories about Shannon having motivation to be a Secret Beatrice seem at least a little plausible, her Gollum/Smeagol conversation echoing Eva's diss from another conversation definitely feels like potential foreshadowing. avoraciopoctules fucked around with this message at 23:02 on Jan 30, 2017 |
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2017 22:57
|
|
|
tiistai posted:Is it though Much as it saddens me, it still is. Turning away from child abuse and pretending it's all okay helps literally no-one. avoraciopoctules posted:Both Ange and Maria seem pretty messed up, but with this renewed focus on Maria's strained relationship with her mother and her meta-ghost living in the evil diary from Harry Potter, it seems a lot more likely that Maria is going to go nuts and start loving people up. She was mostly harmless in the last 3 episodes, right? I'm going to throw out a guess that might change a bit if this is the last Murder Island fanfic bottle episode. I cannot see a situation where Maria is capable of murdering everyone. I just don't think she could physically do it, every other person could overpower her.
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2017 23:34
|
|
|
Qrr posted:It actually reminds me of Pans labyrinth. Sometimes a life is bad enough that the only answer is to retreat into delusion and denial. Been meaning to compare and contrast these once I see what happens at the end of this one. It's been giving me that vibe for a while, but so far there are a couple of important differences. (First, the genre; Pan's Labyrinth is not a mystery. Second, there are elements in Pan's Labyrinth that cannot be explained by human agency.) CottonWolf posted:Much as it saddens me, it still is. Turning away from child abuse and pretending it's all okay helps literally no-one. This exactly. A child retreating into a delusion to protect herself is sad, but understandable. Once you become an adult, though, you need to put away childish things, or at least some of them. Viewing Maria's circumstances as awful is the first step in trying to help children in similar straits.
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2017 00:56
|
|
|
CottonWolf posted:I cannot see a situation where Maria is capable of murdering everyone. I just don't think she could physically do it, every other person could overpower her.
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2017 01:16
|
|
|
Huh. We haven't really seen this kind of thing from Maria before. I suppose it makes sense for Ange, who has never definitively observed how things were like.
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2017 01:18
|
|
|
avoraciopoctules posted:What about guns/magic? She's the witchcraft expert, maybe she'll solve the riddle, touch the gold coated in crazy drugs, and get her hands on whatever the robo-rabbit chicks represent. The robo-rabbit chicks represent the guns if I recall correctly, as they're called Chiesters and the guns are winchesters. While the image of Maria strolling through the halls holding a rifle would be...quite something to behold, I hope it remains in the realm of less than likely possibilities. idonotlikepeas posted:Viewing Maria's circumstances as awful is the first step in trying to help children in similar straits. I can't disagree here. No matter how sympathetically Maria is trying to get Ange (or us by extension) to view Rosa, what her mother is doing is in the end inexcusable. I'm pretty sure some part of Rosa recognizes this as she's always quick to collapse into guilt afterwards, but that it happens at all means it's a very small part. Lycaeon fucked around with this message at 01:55 on Jan 31, 2017 |
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2017 01:49
|
|
|
CottonWolf posted:Much as it saddens me, it still is. Turning away from child abuse and pretending it's all okay helps literally no-one. idonotlikepeas posted:Once you become an adult, though, you need to put away childish things, or at least some of them. Viewing Maria's circumstances as awful is the first step in trying to help children in similar straits. Neither me nor this scene is saying we should pretend Maria's fine. We're not Maria and we're not Ange, our "truths" are different. A girl clinging on to the last straws she knows about so as to not crumble under her situation may not necessarily be equipped with the capacity to "accept the hard truth". A bad enough scenario, and the "overwriting" that Ange's doing might be nothing but irresponsible. I'm sure you know these though. I don't seriously disagree with the original notion or anything, but I did want to bring it up since it felt pretty relevant. Regardless, are we really allowed to deny Maria's happiness? Funnily it kind of reminds me of people who say that you're not really having fun playing that video game because it's objectively poo poo. tiistai fucked around with this message at 13:15 on Jan 31, 2017 |
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2017 13:09
|
|
|
Well, keep in mind that Maria is already dead. Nothing that Ange does can affect her anymore; all it changes is how she remembers things. Does she remember a happy child who played with toys and made the best of things while her mom was at work, or does she remember a neglected child who threw a tantrum while her mom was off at a spa potentially banging some dude and trying to pretend she didn't have a kid? The former is a lie. She should remember the latter, no matter what was written in the diary. Now, if there were some way of going back in time and convincing Maria of all the bad things about her situation? You're right. It might not be a kindness, if nobody is going to help her. I wouldn't.
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2017 14:11
|
|
|
 BGM: Far  "...Hoh. I see, he is called Sakutarou. So this is your best friend!" 'Uryu... Nice to meet you, I'm Sakutarou...' "Uu-, Sakutaro's shy, so he's nervous. It's okay, Beatrice is also a great friend of mine...!" 'Uryu. Are Maria's friends... my friends...?' "Yeah!" 'Uryu. Then, am I Beatrice's friend too?' "Yeah!" 'Uryu-!' "...Maria, does something like this happen frequently for you in your everyday life?" "Uu-? What?" "Is breathing a spirit of magic into inorganic matter and giving it life like this... commonplace in your everyday life?" "...Uu-. Sakutaro isn't inorganic matter, he's a lion cub." 'Uryu-!' "Hmm... A stuffed animal makes for an excellent vessel. It is not uncommon for spirits to be made to reside in them...when they are spoken to by innocent children with no toxin." However, because of their innocence, the power imbued into such a vessel is very weak. If they get struck with even a tiny bit of the toxin from a Human's common sense, which says that there's no way a doll can talk or move, they instantly revert to being non-speaking dolls...  "However, this Sakutarou stuffed animal of yours is different." "Uu-! Sakutaro is a stuffed animal, but he isn't ooone!" 'Uryu-! I'm a lion cub! Ro-, ro-, uryu-!' "Sakutaro is a lion cub, but he's still a kid, so he can't roar sometimes. Uryuuryuuryu♪" 'Uryuuryuuryu-!'Gazing at Maria, who was playing around with Sakutaro by the table loaded with tea, Beatrice let out a sigh of admiration. "...How incredible. This Sakutarou, with a cloth and cotton vessel as a shell, has completely materialized into the human world. He has his own personality, talks with the summoner freely, and even moves by his own will." "...And even more surprising... is that Maria did not summon him using the name of a person from another world, but created him out of the sea of zero."After that, Maria boasted to Beato that Sakutarou wasn't her only friend, and that she had many more of them back at home. It seemed there were other similar stuffed animals and dolls who could talk and move of their own will like Sakutarou. It was something natural for Maria. It was natural for stuffed animals to talk, move, and become her friends of their own will. When she saw that Maria accepted this as something natural, as a witch, Beatrice felt a respect bordering on awe. "...Maria, without a doubt, that power of yours is magic." "It's magic...? I'm still a witch apprentice, so I can't use magic yet, right...?" "Materialization...?" "Indeed. In your case, it may even be fitting to call it creation. A piece of inorganic matter that would have no soul at all in another's hands can have a soul sent into it through your magic." "Furthermore, that strong magical power lies in the human world. In this era so filled with the toxin that denies magic, summoning a magical power that can materialize a single life-form is not easy even for me."It isn't hard to give birth to any number of soulless beings. However, giving birth to a being with a soul is very difficult. This is what Beato asserted. "...I don't really understand what you're saying, Beato. You're saying Sakutaro is amazing...?" "Both you and Sakutarou are incredible. You should be proud. I see, that which Kinzo desired above all else seems to dwell most strongly within you." "I don't have a clue why Beato is praising Maria so much. Right, Sakutaro?" 'Uryu-!' "...What should be truly admired is not only that a soul has been made to reside in a stuffed animal. Even more significant is the fact that you have changed your own worldview. When it comes to giving birth to something from nothing, you stand out from the crowd." "...It is easy to make 100 from 1. However, giving birth to 1 from 0 is not. When you do become a full witch, beyond just becoming a match for me, you might grow into a Great Witch that even I must acknowledge as superior." "A Witch of Origins, perhaps. I'm really looking forward to your future." "Uu-! Beato said I have talent as a witch!" 'Isn't that great, Maria?! Uryu, Beato, thank you for praising Maria.' "*cackle*cackle*! No need to thank me, Sakutarou. That red muffler truly suits you. And I am envious of the talent of your master, who was able to give birth to a friend like you." 'Uryu-! Thanks for complimenting my muffler. This is a present I got from Maria. It's my favorite.' "Uu-? Beato is giving Sakutaro a present...?" "Of course, a gift from a witch must be something with magical power. In that case, so that he can be your friend for all time, and so that you can have even more fun playing with him, I shall give Sakutarou my magic power. With that, he should be able to materialize even more strongly." "Uu-? I'll be able to have much more fun playing with Sakutaro...? How's that?" 'Uryu...? What could it be, Maria...? Is it something scary...?' "Don't worry. Beato won't do anything scary. Right, Beatrice?!" "Indeed. I believe you will like it. So, to make him materialize even more strongly, a stronger image will be necessary. Well, well, what to do. Hmmmmmmmmmm..."Beato crossed her arms and thought about what she could do to please them even more.  Virgilia truly was a Great Witch. Since Maria already thought of Beato as a Great Witch, this person Beato called a Great Witch must've been a Great Great Witch. According to Beato, she still didn't even rise up to this witch's feet when it came to magical power.  "My, my. I thought I heard some cheery voices. What a fun tea party this seems to be..." "Oh, Teacher. Perfect timing. I want you to look at this lion cub. I hear he's Maria's new friend." "Ho ho ho. What a lovely little lion. I wonder if he can greet me? Hello, nice to meet you...?" 'U-Uryu-! I-I'm Sakutarou.'Sakutaro fell to Maria's lap, greeting Virgilia with half of his face poking out over the edge of the table. It seemed he was very nervous, since this was a witch that even Beato called Teacher. "Ho ho ho. What an adorable name. As a reward for giving such a good greeting, here's a sweet for you."After waving her hands about, Virgilia held the palm of her hand upwards, as though she was lightly grabbing at the empty air. Then, she held her fist out in front of Sakutaro.  'Uryu-?! Maria, it's candy, awesome, awesome...!!' "Uu-! Isn't that great, Sakutaro! Make sure to thank her." 'Uryu. Thank you very much for the candy. *gulp*.'Even though Virgilia was a Great Great Witch, she still treated a stuffed animal like Sakutarou to an elegant greeting. "Still, Teacher. Cough drops? Are you someone's granny or something...?! Can't you at least pull out some strawberry-milk candy?" "How rude. In that case, I won't be giving you any more." "Kuhhyahhyahhya, sorry, sorry. Well then, Maria. Take out your grimoire. And, of course, your writing tools." "Uu-? Yeah, I'll take it out. What should I write?" "...Oh, what are you starting?" "I will use a magic I learned from you, Teacher. Magic to make a resident of another world materialize into a vessel. I think that by applying that, we may be able to further strengthen the power that makes this friend of Maria's materialize. I wanted to give that as a gift to Maria and her friend." "I see. For a being that has already materialized, it shouldn't be that difficult. That could become a wonderful gift. Well then, I shall help too, if only a little." "It would be very reassuring if you would sign for this magic as a witness, Teacher...! Be glad, Maria. This will be a wonderful gift...!" "Don't know. But I don't think it's scary. What could it be? I can't wait."Beato borrowed the grimoire from Maria's handbag and majestically flipped through the pages. Then, she found an empty page among those with magic circles drawn on them... and flattened it out. After gazing at Sakutarou with a grin, she suddenly started moving her pen. It was something like a written declaration made by witches to a high-order world. It was magic whose effect could be controlled if Beatrice wrote and Virgilia signed. Maria didn't understand what Beato was writing at first, but partway through, she figured out the wonderful magical power of this document, and her eyes began to sparkle... 'Uryu?! Uryu?! What is it, Maria, what's she drawing?! Uryuuryu?!'Sakutarou was on her lap, so he didn't know what was being written on the table. But even if he had seen, Sakutarou probably wouldn't have understood. "Awesome, Sakutaro!! Wait a bit, almost done, almost done! It's amazing, Beato, amazing!!" "...When it comes to writing documents of power, this child's talent is magnificent. You might even serve well as a Secretary in the spirit world." "How's this...?! Not so bad, right...?!"After finishing her writing with an intense amount of concentration, Beato looked over the document again from a distance. It seemed she was fairly satisfied with her work. And Maria, who was also peeking in at it, let out a cry of wonder. "...Awesome, Beato!! Cuuute!! Uu-uu-uu-!!" "Yes, yes. By my name, I witness and acknowledge this oath. It is done."Virgilia signed, completing the written declaration. It was a document with the power to proclaim to the beings of a higher world that Sakutarou had most certainly materialized in the human world. Sakutarou, who had been born from Maria, was nominated by the two witches, Beatrice and Virgilia, and just now, his existence had been acknowledged by the higher world. That itself was the great magic of materialization. According to Beato, it was apparently quite fortunate that Virgilia was there. After all, depending on the number and quality of witches that signed proclamations to the higher world, the power that resided in them could change drastically. Virgilia in particular had many friends in that higher plane, so her signature gave the proclamation a power with which Beato's couldn't even compare. "By this proclamation, I accept you, Sakutarou, as an individual with his own ego. And I welcome you as a friend in accordance with the contract of Mariage Sorcière. From now on, Sakutarou is our common friend." "And for that, I shall bestow upon you a fitting form as a gift. Accept it."With the grimoire still opened to the page with the proclamation, she turned it around and handed it to Maria. Maria showed it to Sakutarou on her lap. When Sakutarou beheld that proclamation, he felt something hot and bright begin to dwell... in his body made of cloth and cotton. Even as he looked around, nervous at this sensation he'd never felt before, that power strengthened, and eventually, a bright light completely swallowed him up... 'Uryu...? Uryuuryuuryuuryu...!'Then, when that light disappeared...  BGM: Sakutarou's Adventure "Uu-uu-uu-! You're cute, Sakutaro! Reeeally cute!" 'Uryu...? Uryu-... Does it really look good on me? It isn't embarrassing...?' "Ho ho ho ho. It is a very lovely form, Sakutarou-chan." "I figured the muffler was his charm point. And the ears! Animal ears sure are nice, truly cute! Let me nibble 'em later. *cackle*!" "Thank you, Beatrice!! Thank you very much for the wonderful present!!" "There is no need for thanks. This is out of respect for your wonderful magic and your friend. And, now that you have reached this level, it would not be odd for you to graduate from being an apprentice at any time." "A Witch of Origins...?" "Indeed. It is the title of a witch who seeks to become a Creator. Right now, you are just an Enchanter (a magician specializing in forms of magical enhancement) who has only enough strength to breathe magical power into the small objects around her. But after one thousand years of training, you could conceivably use the magical compendium that resides inside your heart to create a galaxy." "...The talent of a Witch of Origins is very rare. Even though everyone has it when they are young, no one can continue to hold onto it. This title is also proof that you have not lost your untainted heart." "Uu-!! A Witch of Origins, awesome! I'll become one! I'm Maria, an Apprentice Witch of Origins!" "Maria, that's so incredible...! A Witch of Origins, incredible, amazing, uryu-!" "Eventually, you will be able to call yourself a full witch: Lady MARIA, Witch of Origins. It may be a good time now to give not only Sakutarou, but you as well, an appearance fitting for your rank. Here. I shall give a proper outfit for one who, while still an apprentice, is worthy of using the title of a witch."When Beato waved the pipe that was her cane, many gold butterflies that had appeared out of nowhere grouped around Maria, giving her a wonderful dress.  BGM: In the Sun  "Amazing...!! Awesome awesome awesome awesome!! Cute, cute! I wanna show these clothes to Mama too...!! Can I?" "The full dress of a witch must not be shown indiscriminately. It's value increases if you're stingy with it. *cackle*!"Then, the Great Witch, the witch, the witch's apprentice, and their new friend, Sakutarou, enjoyed a lively tea party...  "..." "Please, don't be afraid of being happy. Becoming happy isn't the same thing as accepting your current misfortune. It means creating a new happiness out of your current misfortune. That is the Magic of Origins." "...I... didn't want to acknowledge my current world. I couldn't bear to accept such an isolated and painful world. That's why, even though I was entranced by your world, Maria onee-chan... I couldn't cross the final line." "...I'll teach you. About my Magic of Origins. No, I taught you before, right? And you used it before. Did you forget...?" "..." "You were also a witch apprentice, Ange, with your name entered into Mariage Sorcière, weren't you?" 
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2017 14:28
|
|
|
The profiles page has been updated.
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2017 14:31
|
|
|
Yay Sakutarou 
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2017 14:41
|
|
|
I'm kind of wondering how much I should be reading into the fact that Sakutarou's Adventure shares some parts of its melody with Happiness of Marionette.
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2017 14:55
|
|
|
Oh. So the magic is making a catboy. All right, then. Good.  ProfessorProf posted:
Although I do have to admit that this is a slightly more nuanced view from Maria than I was expecting, and I suppose it's good she's not flat out ignoring misfortune here. However, the health of this philosophy has to do with whether "creating one's happiness" involves ignoring or addressing the problems you have, and this "magic" as described feels a bit too Susie-Creamcheese at this time to really fit the direness of the circumstances gone wrong. (Plus, that leitmotif that comes up in Happiness of Marionette, as Aumanor mentioned, is sinister.) resurgam40 fucked around with this message at 20:00 on Mar 9, 2017 |
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2017 15:33
|
|
|
Doesn't matter if it's a more nuanced view of Maria, because Beatrice or whomever Beatrice represents just up and fuckin' murders her. This scene grates.
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2017 15:50
|
|
|
You might also end up hearing a bit of Hope in it as well toward the end, which gets remixed A LOT in Umineko's OST. The composer does this a lot with the music, particularly the ones that showed up early in the story. (and that Hope link is the same polsy one Prof used, so don't worry about clicking it.)
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2017 15:54
|
|
|
resurgam40 posted:Oh. So the magic is making a catboy. All right, then. Good. Battler ruins another tea party
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2017 16:15
|
|
|
Sakutarou's original sprite was the only sprite I couldn't get over when I played the games. Really unpleasant to look at for me.
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2017 17:17
|
|
|
POOL IS CLOSED posted:Doesn't matter if it's a more nuanced view of Maria, because Beatrice or whomever Beatrice represents just up and fuckin' murders her. This scene grates. Hey, hey. Maria only died in the game board where 'Beatrice' wasn't actually committing the murders, it was Eva. Though I guess in the other ones it is implied that everyone dies after they get to the Golden Land anyway so whatever but it wasn't specific and targeted those times!
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2017 17:25
|
|
|
Amidiri posted:Hey, hey. Maria only died in the game board where 'Beatrice' wasn't actually committing the murders, it was Eva. Though I guess in the other ones it is implied that everyone dies after they get to the Golden Land anyway so whatever but it wasn't specific and targeted those times! Maria dies in Ep 1. They identify her with a jawbone. She also dies in the ep where Rosa becomes badass action mom. Maria always dies. Even if Beatrice's face hides Eva or Evatrice, she's still a representative of the entity at fault for the murders, so showing her in a treacly cute magical girl origin story grates. Maria's been irritating and her characterization has necessarily been uneven thanks to how we're exploring her different facets and personas over the course of this mystery, but she's still a child, and showing an adult cozying up to her here and praising her shortly before snuffing her out as just one more bloodstain in a series of cruel and wanton killings just does such an excellent job of amping up my loathing for the murderer. Yeah, go ahead and talk about a Witch of Origins who can create life when you're going to show her being murdered in the near future. What's the aim of this scene? What is the point? Is it more sunshine from Beatrice, or are we expected to be stung by the contrast between this cutesy teacher-student scene and her eventual mutilation? There's surely a point -- there's some intent behind this manipulation -- but I can't guess. (Also, gently caress you, Virgilia.)
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2017 17:35
|
|
|
If we go with the theory that "magic" comes out of people willfully embracing delusion/madness, you could spin a lot out of Maria's statement. "Please, don't be afraid of being happy. Becoming happy isn't the same thing as accepting your current misfortune. It means creating a new happiness out of your current misfortune. That is the Magic of Origins." Throw a little more crazy and assertiveness in, and Maria might start trying to make other people "happy", whatever sacrifices need to be made along the way. Something wearing Maria's face was already fine with being served up as part of a torture-cannibalism dinner for her mother. Of course, if the serious villains are trying to use her like Eva last time, it would be pretty funny if it backfired on them. I doubt it, though, since there's little reason not to assume Beatrice can mostly control her illusions.
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2017 18:04
|
|
|
All I'm going to add to this discussion is that when people complain about EP4's pacing, this is usually the part of EP4 they're talking about.
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2017 18:35
|
|
|
Insurrectionist posted:Sakutarou's original sprite was the only sprite I couldn't get over when I played the games. Really unpleasant to look at for me. Now, you can't just say something like that and not show it to us. Does anyone have a copy they can post? POOL IS CLOSED posted:Maria dies in Ep 1. They identify her with a jawbone. She also dies in the ep where Rosa becomes badass action mom. Maria always dies. Even if Beatrice's face hides Eva or Evatrice, she's still a representative of the entity at fault for the murders, so showing her in a treacly cute magical girl origin story grates. The witch side would have you believe that even after her death, Maria continues to exist in some way. Or will, as long as Battler gives up and accepts magic so everyone can go to the Golden Land. Of course, that doesn't mean the witch isn't going to, like, repeatedly murder her God knows how many times until then, so you're still correct. It's a good thing they don't exist, because that would in some ways be worse than just letting her die the one time. ProfessorProf posted:All I'm going to add to this discussion is that when people complain about EP4's pacing, this is usually the part of EP4 they're talking about. I guess all that's really needed to make it interesting is a bunch of nutty internet people to discuss it with?
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2017 18:58
|
|
|
We're gonna be stuck with Ange and Memory-Maria for a while, aren't we?
|
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2017 19:06
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 14, 2024 23:21 |
|
|
POOL IS CLOSED posted:Maria's been irritating and her characterization has necessarily been uneven thanks to how we're exploring her different facets and personas over the course of this mystery, but she's still a child, and showing an adult cozying up to her here and praising her shortly before snuffing her out as just one more bloodstain in a series of cruel and wanton killings just does such an excellent job of amping up my loathing for the murderer. Yeah, go ahead and talk about a Witch of Origins who can create life when you're going to show her being murdered in the near future. As much as it pains me I have to agree here. The scene meshes cleanly with all other evidence pointing at Maria knowing and learning from the perpetrator of the massacres. And if Shannon/Sayo is Beatrice (My guess for the culprit at the moment), it would imply she became close friends with Maria and tried to help her through her suffering by teaching her magic, only to see through a plan that kills her in the end (And George). I thought the theory was a slam dunk because of the Eva parroting but now I'm not so sure. In fact, I'm just confused. I've thrown out all the notes for my next rant as a lot of motives (Wealth, family backstabbing, love, etc) have already flown out the window, and now with this scene I'm back at square one. On the other hand I also agree at this point that magic is more than the illusions shown in the initial episodes. It's apparently a coping mechanism for Maria to embrace a little happiness in the misery that is her life at home. That, in addition to the solemnity with which it's treated in this scene, makes me wonder if all the occultist nonsense we saw during the murders was more than just nonsense. There has to be a reason all those magic circles were drawn and the murders so closely aligning with the epitaph. If you just wanted to murder the Ushiromiyas you'd just murder them and be done with it. Maybe it was to terrify them and play on their superstitions to make them easier to kill but after this scene I doubt that. Lycaeon fucked around with this message at 19:15 on Jan 31, 2017 |
|
#
?
Jan 31, 2017 19:12
|
|