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  • Locked thread
lotus circle
Dec 25, 2012

Jushure Iburu
So don't worry
At the end of the day, none of this would have happened if Kinzo didn't keep a secret affair with an Italian woman.

So, really, Kinzo is the root of all evils!

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witchcore ricepunk
Jul 6, 2003

The Golden Witch
Who Solved the Epitaph


A Probability of 1/2,578,917

lotus circle posted:

At the end of the day, none of this would have happened if Kinzo didn't keep a secret affair with an Italian woman.

So, really, Kinzo is the root of all evils!

And if Kinzo had been given the freedom to live as a normal person and not the head of the family... who knows?

Rody One Half
Feb 18, 2011

I mean it says a lot about this story that despite homicide and attempted infanticide she's still one of the most sympathetic characters :v:

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?
Sheesh, when you put it like that... I guess no one really deserves what's going on now, huh?

And deserves even less to be forced to watch it. Get hosed, Berne.

Doc Hawkins
Jun 15, 2010

Dashing? But I'm not even moving!


If only the Imperial Navy hadn't bombed Pearl Harbor, none of these terrible people would've had to die. :sigh:

EagerSleeper
Feb 3, 2010

by R. Guyovich

Sunsetaware posted:

It also wouldn't have happened if she'd successfully murdered the infant.

This person gets it.

As an aside, I can't tell if Yasu is cursed to fall off cliffs, or blessed against it. They fell off one when they were born, surviving only to fall down one again afterwards (hence their moniker of 'Cilff Baby'). I personally think that either way Yasu bears some animosity against cliffs in general since the target of their bomb test was the shrine... on the cliff. "gently caress cliffs". Yasu was heard saying fatefully right before pulling the trigger.

Danaru
Jun 5, 2012

何 ??

resurgam40 posted:

Sheesh, when you put it like that... I guess no one really deserves what's going on now, huh?

This is the most succinct summary of Umineko there is

ZiegeDame
Aug 21, 2005

YUKIMURAAAA!

EagerSleeper posted:

This person gets it.

As an aside, I can't tell if Yasu is cursed to fall off cliffs, or blessed against it. They fell off one when they were born, surviving only to fall down one again afterwards (hence their moniker of 'Cilff Baby'). I personally think that either way Yasu bears some animosity against cliffs in general since the target of their bomb test was the shrine... on the cliff. "gently caress cliffs". Yasu was heard saying fatefully right before pulling the trigger.

I'm reasonably sure Beatrice 2 gave birth before meeting Rosa.

Zakrelo
Dec 19, 2015
Prof, near the end of the update, you have a "BGM: Ridicule" and then a few pictures down you have it a second time, without a different song or a "BGM: None" inbetween. Was one of those supposed to be a different song? Ridicule is great, by the way.

Quinn2win
Nov 9, 2011

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


Battler yelled wildly into the receiver. When he said 'at this time of night', George and Jessica turned to look. According to the clock, it was just past midnight. It might be a normal time to be told to brush their teeth and go to bed, but they couldn't understand what this test was all about.

"Okay, I'll hand it over. Here, George-aniki. It's my dad."
"...Hello, this is George speaking."



BGM: Witch in Gold (cembalo)

"Pretty much. Maria-chan is sleeping, oh, wait, looks like she just woke up. So, what did you want to talk about? Battler-kun said something about a test..."
"Yep. Dad can be such a pain sometimes. He suddenly came down from his room. A bunch of stuff happened, and he suddenly started talking about which grandchild would make the best successor."
"...But isn't Krauss oji-san the successor?"
"He says that none of us are good enough to be the successor. So, he's talking about skipping us adults and choosing one from you grandchildren instead. It's really shaken us up, having this forced on us all of a sudden. Aniki and the others are all arguing about it across the room. Maybe you can hear Aneki's shrill voice leaking through across the phone."
"I, is that so? If that's what Grandfather says, then there's no way around it, I guess... In that case, what should we do?"
"He says he wants to call you out one by one, starting with Jessica-chan. Oh, wait a sec."
"...Okay, you still there? Looks like George-kun and Jessica-chan will be the first up to bat. He wants Jessica-chan to go to the parlor in the mansion. You're supposed to go out by the chapel."
"It's so sudden, I hardly feel ready... What sort of test is it?"
"It looks like Dad's made some sort of crazy quiz. Some weird questions about what it means to be the Head."



However, Kinzo was famous for doing radical things on a whim. Even this strange test seemed plausible once he heard that it was a sudden idea of Kinzo's. But even in that case, if he wanted to test them one by one, why wouldn't he call them out one by one? They should just have to wait in the reception room and go when they were called. Why would two people be called to different places at the same time? The plan didn't seem to make sense, which made George feel as though he was missing something.



"...Grandfather... wants to talk to me?"
"I wonder what it is. After all, you are the most accomplished of all his grandchildren. Is there something he wants to tell you in particular? Well, anyway, that's what he says. Get over there right away. I'm also supposed to go there. Let's get this over with. We'll both catch cold if we keep this up."
"...Is that so? I see. Then I'll head towards the chapel. Jessica-chan will go to the parlor. Okay. I'll see you in a bit, then."

Just what sort of test... what sort of private conversation could Kinzo want to have at this time of night? However, it was a well-known fact that Kinzo didn't have very long to live. It was conceivable that he wanted to give some sort of will to each of his descendants individually...

Inside George's mind, the faint feeling that something was wrong was replaced by curiosity... and a desire to meet Kinzo directly and hear the details. George set down the receiver and quickly explained to the others.



"Uu-? A test...?"
"After hiding in his study all these years, he suddenly decides to give us a test this late at night? drat that old geezer. What's he thinking?"
"It seems our parents feel the same way. It sounds as though they're very worked up about it."
"Well, I doubt getting worked up about it will change Grandfather's mind any."
"Exactly. We might as well accept it. It's Grandfather's order, after all. Let's obey it. To start, Jessica-chan and I are being called out. I'm going to the chapel. Jessica-chan is supposed to go to the parlor in the mansion."
"What about Maria and me?"
"I think they'll call about you later. You can wait here."
"Uu-! A midnight test! What could it be?! What kind of test is it?! A quiz? A puzzle? I'm really good at wolves and sheep puzzles! Uu-!"

Maria, who was now fully awake, seemed to be very excited about this unexpected midnight test.

"Then we'll just hang out here."
"Yes. Okay, I'm going. I think they're already waiting for us."
"...So, he's making one of his grandkids the successor. Sounds just great for me. Now I can let one of you guys deal with it!"
"I'm gonna become the successor! I wanna do it! Uu-uu-uu-!"
"Ahaha. It'd be fun to have Maria as the successor."
"Bye. See you later."



BGM: Ridicule

"Okay. Guess I'm going to the chapel. It's drat cold out there. Gohda-san. Have some coffee waiting for me when I get back, will you?"

Next to Rudolf, Gohda was lying face-up.

His face was covered by a crossword puzzle book. However, its pages were stained with blood, and you didn't need to move the book to imagine how he had met his pitiful end...



"Yep. We should be thanking Dad. If we just say it was him being fickle, no one will doubt us."
"*giggle*. Then, let's split up. I'll take care of Jessica-chan. You take care of George-kun."
"You got it. Let's get this over with quickly, then relax with some coffee."
"There won't be any problems, yes? No sudden pangs of conscience?"

Kyrie smiled coldly... It probably would have been safer to call them out one by one and finish them off together. However, Kyrie had chosen to have her husband work separately. She wanted to measure Rudolf's resolve. If she was the only one who got her hands dirty, and Rudolf just watched, his heart would not be as dedicated to this venture. By having him dirty his own hands, she could make him truly determined to see this thing through. Kyrie understood this sort of mind game better than anyone else.

Rudolf reflexively averted his gaze from the cold glint in her eyes, but then he just shrugged and answered her question.

"Of course. We have a billion yen riding on this. I'm a man. I'm not going to miss a chance that'll never come again in my lifetime."
"...I expected no less of you, Rudolf-san. I love people who seize chances when they come. That's why I love you."
"Th, thanks... I'm glad."
"Rudolf-san."
"What...?"
"Stay like that... always, okay?"
"Huh? What did you say?"



"...Of course. When have I ever let you down? Instead of that, you should be worrying more about the kind of champagne we'll use to toast our victory."
"I'll do that. Take care, now. If you really treasure Battler-kun, don't kill George-kun in front of the chapel, okay? It'll be a pain if he finds the body."
"...Yeah, I know. I'll lure him away somehow. It's raining outside. Should be some way to do it."
"And you aren't a villain in some old western, got it? Don't grant any last requests or take down any final messages, okay?"

Kyrie lifted up her gun again and pulled on the lever. To eject the casing from the bullet she had killed Gohda with.



BGM: Dead Angle

Eva was holding Hideyoshi's body and crying. She hadn't been shot at all. The bullet had scraped against the side of her head... and missed. She hadn't been playing dead. She really thought that she had been shot. When Kyrie's gun spat fire, Eva felt something swift and fierce scrape past her head... before feeling light-headed and fainting. Then, later on, she woke up in the now silent room of the gold. The remains of her beloved husband lay beside her. And Krauss, Natsuhi, and Rosa's corpses. It was a room of death and piled up bodies...

When she had cried all she could over Hideyoshi's body, she realized that she still had something she needed to do.

"...George is in danger... George ...George...!"

They're trying to use the bomb to blow up everything, to bury this whole island with an 'explosion accident'. Of course. As Eva had expected, the switch on the clock was set to the right, which meant that it was active. Eva moved to flip it to the left... and stopped.

That's right. As long as this switch points to the right, everything that happens will disappear in this night of illusions. Yes, this is an illusion. No matter what happens tonight, everything will become muddled and hidden away.

"They're probably going to kill everyone else. That has to be it... I'm sure of it...!"

When she looked at the table with the box of bullets, she saw signs that they had roughly removed the bullets from the box. It clearly showed... that they planned to use that many bullets.



If only to protect just the life of my precious son...

The gun that I dropped when I was shot is stuck with the lever handle open. No matter how hard I pull, it won't open any further, and it won't close again. Apparently, a bullet has gotten jammed, breaking it. It's just as Kyrie said. Loading a bullet is tough if you aren't used to it.

"Please, dear... Lend me your strength... Lend me your strength... so that I can protect George..."

In Hideyoshi's hand was Krauss's gun, which he had been trying to pick up. Eva took it, prayed to her husband one more time, and tugged on the lever handle. With a light metallic sound, the golden casing spun through the air... and bounced off the ground. When she timidly tried to push the lever back, this time it returned to its original place without any resistance. There was another metallic clang. It was the sound of a new bullet being loaded...



BGM: None

In the games so far, various people have been suspected of being the culprit or an accomplice. The only difference now was that Rudolf and Kyrie were those suspects... However, that was the most aggravating development possible for Ange.

"..."

Even Lion was full of painful thoughts. Though the solving of the epitaph, which was supposedly the only miracle that could lead to a game with no victims, had occurred, how ironic that the tragedy was not averted. Does this mean that we aren't allowed to have a future where we all happily return from this island alive, even if the epitaph is miraculously solved before the crime occurs...?

A miracle certainly will not occur. Those words, which I had heard in one of the Fragments Bernkastel had shown me, raced through my mind...

"Bernkastel-san... You showed me how wonderful my world was... I don't want to believe that you created this tale just to hurt Ange..."
"...By now, even I realize that you're the Game Master here. Please, tell me. Why are you showing us this game...?"

Of course, no one answered Lion's muttered question. The game created to mock Ange continued emotionlessly, with more terrible twists that didn't betray anyone's expectations anymore...



:siren:BGM: Yomitsu Hirasaka Corruption:siren:



"...Aunt Kyrie, there's no one here."
"He'll be here soon. Sit over there."
"..."

Jessica sat in that chair, looking nervous and agitated. Kyrie was by far the calmer of the two. Kyrie closed the door behind her, revealing the gun that rested behind it. Jessica was facing the other way, so she saw nothing...

"...Did you hear anything, Aunt Kyrie? You know what kind of test this is?"
"Yes. It'll be over soon."
"I sure hope so."

As she complained, Jessica turned her head around, and the tip of her nose bumped into cold metal.





"Heheh. Just can't bring myself to shoot you in the back."
"...C, careful, guns are dangerous. What on Earth are you doing...?!"
"I'll give you two guesses about why someone'd point a gun and pull the trigger."

Rudolf reloaded rapidly and pulled the trigger again without any sign of hesitation. As the sound of gunfire thundered through the rain, George grabbed at his side and fell to his knees...



"That's weird. Looks like it shoots low. This gun's really got it bad."
"S, somebody...!! Help me, Uncle Rudolf is...!!"

George started stumbling away, still clutching at his side. His voice as he called for help was weak and thin. In comparison, Rudolf, who stood behind him, looked perfectly calm as he fiddled with his gun.



It felt to George as though something was tearing into his side. It was so painful that he could barely stand and walk... He leaned against the trunk of a tree. After he crouched down, trying to cover his wound, he was no longer able to stand back up. George didn't have a clue what was going on. However, he had thought it strange the whole time. Of course it was strange that he should be called out to a place like this at a time like this.

...And yet, how could he have guessed that something was wrong...? After all, his own uncle... had told him that his grandfather was calling for him from the family conference. How could he have gotten suspicious...?

"...Sorry 'bout this, George-kun. It hurts, doesn't it? If I knew it'd be like this, it'd have been more merciful to blow your brains out from behind. I thought it'd be too cruel to finish you off before you knew what hit you, but it looks like I got it backwards."



"Forget about this. By tomorrow night, all of it won't have happened."

With a quick use of the lever handle, he loaded another bullet. The casing of the bullet that had pierced George's side fell heartlessly in front of him...

"Everyone's gonna die in a sudden, unfortunate accident. Until that moment, we'll all be a big, happy family. That's how it's gonna be. So don't worry about this. Forget it all."

Of course, George didn't have a clue what Rudolf was talking about. All he knew was that Rudolf wanted to kill him, and that he showed no trace of hesitation... The image George had of Rudolf as the ideal cool, joke-loving adult... didn't match up with the Rudolf standing in front of him, holding a gun. No, maybe it doesn't fit because it fits too well. Even though he has that same smile, as though he's about to tell some hilarious joke, he's pointing a gun at me. Why would that kind, funny Uncle Rudolf... do this...? It made him feel unimaginably sad, and tears flowed from his eyes.

"Uu, uuuuuu... Uncle Rudolf... But I... admired you so much..."
"Haven't I always told you, George-kun? Make sure you don't end up as an adult like me. Now you see. In the next world, make learning how to spot evil your first priority. I know you can do it. After all, it's just another kind of studying."
"Uu...*hic*...gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!"



At the same time, fire spat from Rudolf's gun. The bullet pierced George's chest. George spun around as he fell amidst an outpouring of blood. He moaned wordlessly, clenching blood-stained teeth. A frigid gun was pressed harshly against his temple.

"So long. Go become a great man in the next world. Don't get blinded by money like me."
"...I can't believe... that my uncle... would kill for money... Aaaaaaaahhhhh..."
"You're so innocent. People can kill... over money."

The ruthless trigger forestalled any further questions. George's hands, which had been covering his wound, dropped lifelessly... When Rudolf saw the last glimmer of life leave him, he sighed deeply and looked tired.



Rudolf looked up into the dark, rainy sky, the rain drops hitting him full in the face, and laughed with an indescribable expression, his tongue hanging out.

"I figured there'd be more pangs of conscience than that. Now that it's over, it was pretty easy."

*giggle*giggle*, gahahahahahaha.

Rudolf laughed. This was probably just the thing Kyrie had hoped for. It had taken some effort to kill George. Though he had been merciless, the last traces of conscience in Rudolf's heart had probably slowed him down. However, now that he had killed someone with his own hands, a turning point that few people ever reach, Rudolf had finally awakened. No, he finally understood.

"...It's no different from squeezing dough out of a group of morons. The same old game of musical chairs. If there's a pile of money in front of you, the first one to reach it wins. The slow ones just get kicked down to hell."

Haven't I driven dozens of poor fools into debt with my earlier swindles? Several of those probably ended up bankrupt, and some of those might've hanged themselves. And I always laughed, saying that was none of my business. And that's all there is to it. The only difference now is that, for the first time, I've dealt the final blow with my own hands.

"...Thanks, Kyrie. You're always the best at cutting away my naivety. Heheheh, hehhahahahahahahaahah! Hyahhhahahahahahahahahaahahahaha!!!"

Rudolf's evil laugh rang out. The laugh was so purely evil it was almost reassuring. The fake evil that covers up pangs of conscience is far more repulsive to behold. If a man commits himself to an evil act, how much more pleasant and graceful it is when the man is wholly devoted to his goal. In that sense, Rudolf's evil smile and laugh truly were pleasant and graceful...

...And so. Surely the brutal, bloody stage of the dining hall... was also reassuring.



BGM: Ridicule

Each time, a red splash landed on the nearby dangling tablecloth.

"Jessica-chan, are you listening...?"

Kyrie asked this with the sort of smile any aunt might make to her niece. However, Jessica didn't answer. There was nothing particularly surprising about this. After all, by now, her nose was broken, her eyes had been smashed, her teeth had been knocked out, and not only her nose, but her entire face was now hardly recognizable as a face, just a lump of bloody flesh...

Kyrie finally stopped her task of repeatedly smashing Jessica's face with the stock of her gun. Still sitting on top of Jessica, Kyrie tossed her gun to the side, pulled a compact out of her pocket, and looked at her own face in the mirror. Then, finally, she realized that her face was covered by speckles of fresh blood.



With a muffled laugh, Kyrie shakily rose to her feet. Jessica wasn't moving anymore. She had been convulsing a bit until a second ago, but now, she was as still as stone.

"...Smashing a woman's face is something, your aunt is used to. Sorry about that. If you hadn't resisted, I could've let you have a much cleaner death."

Kyrie pulled the tablecloth off and used it like a towel to wipe the blood from all over her body. However, instead of taking the blood off, it just smeared it around, and did nothing to remove the stench of blood and death that covered her. When she got tired of rubbing the tablecloth against the blood, Kyrie walked over to the extension line telephone in the corner of the room. Then, she dialed the number for the cousins' room in the guesthouse...



"...Yes, that's right. I haven't been given any instructions about Maria-chan. Have her wait there. *giggle*."
"Yes, keep your wits about you. I'm rooting for you to be chosen as the successor, Battler-kun."

With the same smile as usual and the partly-wiped splashes of blood still covering her face, Kyrie finished her call to Battler. When she set down the receiver, there was a small knock, and Rudolf came back into the room.



"Jessica-chan has better reflexes than I gave her credit for. I didn't think she'd be able to fight back from a position like that."
"It's a bit of a shame she had to end up looking like this. What a waste of a good, Natsuhi-esque woman."
"And how about your end? Did he give you much trouble?"
"No problems there. Plain and simple."

When Kyrie heard Rudolf's instant response, she favored him with an evil smile. Yes, the man she loved was the sort who could do it if he tried, without letting cheap emotions get in the way...



"It's hard to imagine an easier job to net you a billion yen. It's like Dad always said. In the life of every man, there comes one day where he has to be willing to kill."
"In other words, always be willing to kill if your own survival depends on it. That's my favorite line of his."
"What's next? My rifle is hungry for blood."
"You've got a big job coming up. Convincing Battler-kun."
"Ah, that's right. That'll be a pain. Hope I don't have to end it by pulling the trigger."
"I've really enjoyed life as a three-person family with Ange. But, if you really want Battler-kun to join in on that, good luck."
"Sure. I don't think we'll have any complaints from him. Don't worry, I've worked out a scenario to trick him good."
"Good luck. Even I hope that Ange's beloved big brother doesn't get caught up in the explosion accident."
"I know. Then, I'll head back to the chapel."
"Rudolf-san."
"What...?"
"...If you can't convince Battler-kun..."
"...I know, I know. If that happens, bang."
"Battler-kun is independent enough that he left the family out of protest when I married you, remember? If you can only convince him halfway, and if things get nasty later on, he'll prove fatal to us."
"I know. Believe in me."
"...And if... If I decide that Battler-kun is growing suspicious, I'll kill him myself. He's not my kid, after all."
"...Yeah, I know. So, promise me one thing, Kyrie."
"What's that...?"
"If... I can trick Battler, and the three of us make it off this island..."
"...If that happens, what?"



"...Sure, I promise."

Kyrie shrugged and answered as she loaded bullets.

"You go to the chapel. I'll wait until Battler-kun has left, and then clean up everything inside the guesthouse."
"Sure you'll be alright doing that alone?"
"And what about you?"



BGM: None

He had been called to the area in front of the chapel, just like George had been. Not even 30 minutes had passed since the time George and Jessica had been called out. Apparently, this test didn't last too long.



Complaining all the way, Battler strolled off into the rain. Almost immediately, he was swallowed up by the darkness of the rose garden and passed out of sight... And then...

Kyrie could be seen coming out from the darkness of the rose garden. Her right hand held a gun. Her left an umbrella. Her inner pocket contained the master key ring she had stolen from Gohda. Her right pocket had a handful of bullets. Her left held a knife she had taken from the kitchen. She was a carefully and perfectly outfitted murderer.

Another bolt of lightning struck down from the swirling skies. It lit up only half of Kyrie's face. Her cheek... was still covered with Jessica's blood...

Under the eaves, Kyrie folded up her umbrella, smiled, and spoke to no one.

idonotlikepeas
May 29, 2010

This reasoning is possible for forums user idonotlikepeas!
Interesting. The other stories echo a lot of this stuff, particularly the fourth one. And Eva is still alive, so the chances of this being the canonical story are much improved, despite Ange's protests.

ProfessorProf posted:

"It's hard to imagine an easier job to net you a billion yen. It's like Dad always said. In the life of every man, there comes one day where he has to be willing to kill."
"In other words, always be willing to kill if your own survival depends on it. That's my favorite line of his."

I remember sitting around the old fishing hole with my dad, when he turned to me and said, "Son, in the life of every man, there comes one day where he has to be willing to kill. Now let's go have some milkshakes." Those were the days.

Mercury Hat
May 28, 2006

SharkTales!
Woo-oo!



Obviously it wouldn't go down like that.

Kinzo wouldn't offer milkshakes to anyone.

Ismene
Apr 26, 2012
Pillbug
Maybe in Lion's kakera. Kinzo seems chiller there. Still monstrous but there's probably a limit to miracles.

bman in 2288
Apr 21, 2010
What's a kakera?

Sindai
Jan 24, 2007
i want to achieve immortality through not dying
Wow, not checking the bodies you leave with the guns and doomsday device for a pulse? Some murderers these guys are.

I bet Yasu never made such an amateur mistake.

Aumanor
Nov 9, 2012

bman in 2288 posted:

What's a kakera?

It's japanese for fragment.

idonotlikepeas
May 29, 2010

This reasoning is possible for forums user idonotlikepeas!
On an unrelated note: I was watching the (excellent) Agatha Christie's Poirot television series the other day, and in the episode Dumb Witness (based on a book of the same name) it transpires that an old friend of Captain Hastings refers to him as "Battler". Hastings is Poirot's sidekick, well-known for being more than a bit incompetent. I wonder if that was a deliberate reference?



(He calls him Battler, of course, because of the Battle of Hastings. Hugh Fraser's sheepish face as he explains this joke is amazing.)

idonotlikepeas fucked around with this message at 15:59 on Sep 14, 2017

POOL IS CLOSED
Jul 14, 2011

I'm just exploding with mackerel. This is the aji wo kutta of my discontent.
Pillbug

idonotlikepeas posted:

Interesting. The other stories echo a lot of this stuff, particularly the fourth one. And Eva is still alive, so the chances of this being the canonical story are much improved, despite Ange's protests.


I remember sitting around the old fishing hole with my dad, when he turned to me and said, "Son, in the life of every man, there comes one day where he has to be willing to kill. Now let's go have some milkshakes." Those were the days.

Actually that is a talk I was given. :stare: Except we didn't get milkshakes after, and I'm not a man.

idonotlikepeas
May 29, 2010

This reasoning is possible for forums user idonotlikepeas!

POOL IS CLOSED posted:

Actually that is a talk I was given. :stare: Except we didn't get milkshakes after, and I'm not a man.

That's screwed up. My dad only talked to me about normal stuff, like homework, and puberty, and how Hobbes defined the state of nature as the war of all against all.

POOL IS CLOSED
Jul 14, 2011

I'm just exploding with mackerel. This is the aji wo kutta of my discontent.
Pillbug

idonotlikepeas posted:

That's screwed up. My dad only talked to me about normal stuff, like homework, and puberty, and how Hobbes defined the state of nature as the war of all against all.

:black101: At least you got the puberty talk.

Poor Yasu never got the chance to have horrible family talks. They only got the horrible family.

lotus circle
Dec 25, 2012

Jushure Iburu
So don't worry
I think we all remember where we were when we got a talking to about "kill or be killed" by our parents.

Doc Hawkins
Jun 15, 2010

Dashing? But I'm not even moving!


I'm skeptical whether a hardened killer could really mistake someone grazed in the head as being shot in the head.

ZiegeDame
Aug 21, 2005

YUKIMURAAAA!
"The remains of her beloved husband lay beside her. And Krauss, Natsuhi, and Rosa's corpses."

Hey, look who's missing from that list.

RedMagus
Nov 16, 2005

Male....Female...what does it matter? Power is beautiful, and I've got the power!
Grimey Drawer
Geez, poor Ange. I feel like this is going to be the big reveal, and we're going to see Battler or Maria as the survivor in the other mansion telling this story to her while she's in recovery, but not yet revealing their role.

The bit about giving fully into being evil than a false regretful evil though? That's gold right there. Reminds me of the quote about, if you find yourself at the mercy of someone, pray they're evil, because a good man will shoot you dead at that instant instead of gloating.

Confused Llama
Jan 15, 2008
The llama is a quadruped which lives in big rivers like the Amazon. It has two ears, a heart, a forehead, and a beak for eating honey. But it is provided with fins for swimming.

Doc Hawkins posted:

I'm skeptical whether a hardened killer could really mistake someone grazed in the head as being shot in the head.

Yeah, especially at such apparently close range, although this latest update does seem to have gone out of its way to demonstrate how inaccurate these particular firearms are. Also, I don't know that Kyrie is a "hardened killer" in the sense that she has a lot of experience with actually murdering people (before tonight, anyway); she just has a streak of ruthlessness and ambition a mile wide and experience with shooting guns, if not necessarily at live targets.

Her murder spree may be catching up to her now, too; I feel like she's showing signs of potential Lady-Macbeth-style madness at the end of this update.

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?
Hm. There are certain things about what's going on that itch at me, but I'm going to hold off until I know where this is all going... I'm talking about the similarities partially, but I also mean differences too. But I am raptly attentive now, and this track here:


I... do believe I've got a new favorite track. That there is an excellent piece to Bonnie-and-Clyde your family to death with, isn't it?

Doc Hawkins
Jun 15, 2010

Dashing? But I'm not even moving!


Confused Llama posted:

Yeah, especially at such apparently close range, although this latest update does seem to have gone out of its way to demonstrate how inaccurate these particular firearms are. Also, I don't know that Kyrie is a "hardened killer" in the sense that she has a lot of experience with actually murdering people (before tonight, anyway); she just has a streak of ruthlessness and ambition a mile wide and experience with shooting guns, if not necessarily at live targets.

:shrug:

ProfessorProf posted:

"...Smashing a woman's face is something, your aunt is used to. Sorry about that. If you hadn't resisted, I could've let you have a much cleaner death."

ZiegeDame
Aug 21, 2005

YUKIMURAAAA!
So I'm gonna take this moment to work out something I started thinking about a few episode ago. (This brisk update schedule is great, but it doesn't leave much room for longer analysis in my busy schedule.) Beato mentioned that she had planned for many different possible ways this could have played out, which got me thinking that could be what all these games could be, Yasu's plans for each possible course of action.

Game 1: Yasu does nothing after issuing the challenge, nobody solves the epitaph - Yasu picks everyone off bit by bit until the bomb goes off
Game 2: Yasu announces to the the siblings that they solved the riddle and are the rightful heir - They don't accept that, someone gets violent (probably Eva), Yasu is forced to put down whoever they can't bribe
Game 3: Someone solves the epitaph alone - said someone goes a-murderin'
Game 4: The siblings demand to see Kinzo until Krauss breaks - Goto Game 2
Game 5: Battler solves the epitaph - Battler understands everything, they happily prank the poo poo out of Natsushi, also there's a pony (Bernkastel called the end before the pony showed up.) (Highly unlikely outcome)
Game 6: What if Yasu just doesn't do a murder? - A murder will always happen
Game 7: The siblings solve the epitaph together - a bloodbath ensues

I'm much less sure about 5 and 6, given they don't fit with the other games in a number of ways so it's hard to say they were really part of Yasu's plan.

That's about as far as I got, what do the rest of you think? How might this interpretation of the games as a whole help our understanding?

-----

And on a different note, I took another look at game 4 in light of what we learned about Kinzo's doomsday clock;

Beato meets Battler at 11:47 PM (probably closer to 11:50 by that point but that doesn't matter.) Afterwords Battler goes directly to the Chapel, finds the keys, and spends some amount of time looking for Maria before going back to the mansion.
Meanwhile, Yasu uses the alternate route to the gold room (otherwise Battler would surely catch them), changes clothes into Shannon's uniform, and waits until after midnight to arm the bomb, go back to behind the mansion, and blow half their face off.

Putting it together, it all hinges on Battler spending an unspecified amount of time at the Chapel, where presumably he's too far away to hear a gunshot from the mansion. Only I still don't buy shooting yourself in the face without leaving a gun behind, but I've finally figure it out. How could Yasu have killed themself in such a way as to destroy half their face without leaving any trace of a weapon behind? The answer has been there all this time, waiting for us, waiting for it's moment: Small Bombs.

ZiegeDame fucked around with this message at 17:31 on Sep 14, 2017

tiistai
Nov 1, 2012

Solo Melodica

Zakrelo posted:

Huh, we're at the end already? I guess this is ending on a less intense note than the previous episodes.

Yep

EagerSleeper posted:

I honestly hope that George dies first before he gets a chance to do anything evil.

Well you got what you wanted :confuoot:

Confused Llama
Jan 15, 2008
The llama is a quadruped which lives in big rivers like the Amazon. It has two ears, a heart, a forehead, and a beak for eating honey. But it is provided with fins for swimming.

Fair enough. I had kind of assumed she was referring to her multiple graphic fantasies about what she'd like to do to Asumu as opposed to anything she'd actually physically done there, but who knows what she got up to before leaving the Sumadera family, for example.

ZiegeDame
Aug 21, 2005

YUKIMURAAAA!
There's gotta be some fanart of high school delinquent Kyrie out there.

Graylien
Aug 12, 2013
Do George and Jessica's deaths here match up with what happened to them when they fought the demons and then got teleported to kill each other? I swear I remember George kicking Jessica's face off and her exploding his stomach with her magic fists.

MonsterEnvy
Feb 4, 2012

Shocked I tell you

Aumanor posted:

It's japanese for fragment.

Then just say Fragment.

bman in 2288
Apr 21, 2010

MonsterEnvy posted:

Then just say Fragment.

He's not the one who said it.

Cyouni
Sep 30, 2014

without love it cannot be seen
It occurs to me that though this gives an idea towards episode 4, and possibly the true route, what this might lead to is that one Fragment Bernkastel promised where Ange's family comes back alive.

It just involves them murdering everyone else.

Also apparently Kyrie should stop trying to shoot people in the head, as she's really bad at it. Eva, Yasu, and Jessica all look like they got away from it.

Also the bloody half-face thing.

curiousCat
Sep 23, 2012

Does this look like the face of mercy, kupo?

ZiegeDame posted:

Putting it together, it all hinges on Battler spending an unspecified amount of time at the Chapel, where presumably he's too far away to hear a gunshot from the mansion. Only I still don't buy shooting yourself in the face without leaving a gun behind, but I've finally figure it out. How could Yasu have killed themself in such a way as to destroy half their face without leaving any trace of a weapon behind? The answer has been there all this time, waiting for us, waiting for it's moment: Small Bombs.

There's a grate right there, isn't there? Tie a weight to the gun, throw the weight down the grate, shoot, weight pulls the gun.

curiousCat
Sep 23, 2012

Does this look like the face of mercy, kupo?

also this is like flat-out a confession, isn't it?

POOL IS CLOSED
Jul 14, 2011

I'm just exploding with mackerel. This is the aji wo kutta of my discontent.
Pillbug

curiousCat posted:

also this is like flat-out a confession, isn't it?

Rudolf is a bad man who has until now been too cringingly selfish to get his own hands bloody. Now he's probably going to let Kyrie murder their son. :argh:

Cyouni
Sep 30, 2014

without love it cannot be seen

ProfessorProf posted:


Another bolt of lightning struck down from the swirling skies. It lit up only half of Kyrie's face. Her cheek... was still covered with Jessica's blood...

Under the eaves, Kyrie folded up her umbrella, smiled, and spoke to no one.



This is definitely a point questioning who in episode 4 was actually dead. That would look like they were dead, so long as they weren't closely examined or moving around.

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EagerSleeper
Feb 3, 2010

by R. Guyovich
Nope. I'll never forgive anyone who kills Gohda, the only good person on the island besides Maria. Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeet rekt. Where the heck are Genji and Kumasawa though? My personal thoughts about who Kyrie was talking to in the last shot though was maybe into an 80s style brick cellphone. To who? I don't know. She could be talking to Genji/Kumasawa since she knows that she didn't kill them yet, but not sure...

idonotlikepeas posted:

I remember sitting around the old fishing hole with my dad, when he turned to me and said, "Son, in the life of every man, there comes one day where he has to be willing to kill. Now let's go have some milkshakes." Those were the days.

I thought this was genuine for about .25 of a second because this was actually how it went for me a lot of times growing up. Had a dad who enjoyed those sort of conversations, and also lived by a dairy queen. Such is lifefather-child bonding time. Took me a long time to realize that casually talking about how cool violence is isn't necessarily a sign of 'manliness' or whatever, but instead a thing that should be made sure doesn't happen in a civilized society of people who can handle daily life problems without devolving into shrieking and fisticuffs. Thanks for the ice cream cones anyway, I guess. The chocolate dipped ones are still pretty good.


idonotlikepeas posted:

On an unrelated note: I was watching the (excellent) Agatha Christie's Poirot television series the other day, and in the episode Dumb Witness (based on a book of the same name) it transpires that an old friend of Captain Hastings refers to him as "Battler". Hastings is Poirot's sidekick, well-known for being more than a bit incompetent. I wonder if that was a deliberate reference?



(He calls him Battler, of course, because of the Battle of Hastings. Hugh Fraser's sheepish face as he explains this joke is amazing.)

When did this show come out? I wonder if R07 watched it too. Nice catch!


tiistai posted:

Well you got what you wanted :confuoot:

It's a kickstep in the right direction. :yum: I'll wait until Episode 8 to see if that one pulls the wool off of everything, or doesn't hold any punches back on the characters we thought we knew and loved. However for now though, this episode seems to be doing alright. If it turns out that George's tendency to villainous-glasses-glare or talk like a Nice Guy is not a sign of evil after all the episodes, then I'll apologize formally.

Heck, even by the one gag episode where Battler was being bombarded by requests to fulfill everyone's desires, George showed us some skeevy/manipulative personality traits by having his scenario be him tricking Shannon to searching alone with him on the beach for a hat that doesn't exist.

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