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see no weevil posted:
Clearly, the only proper name for this Miyao is Miyaorika.
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Dec 23, 2019 01:04
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Ahahahaha, you've made a terrible, terrible mistake. Because now I, Person-Who-Might-Be-Miyao......have duct tape!!!
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   AOU Politician: "Simply put, all that talk about not provoking other countries, since it'll drive them into a military frenzy, was just an illusion created by old politicians!" AOU Politician: "Isn't that right?! The administration is always saying these things, taking part in appeasement and calling themselves pacifists while making concession after concession! AOU Japan firmly paid off that growing debt for them! It was a brilliant decision, and one that wouldn't leave the bill for later generations!"  Elderly Gentleman: "Instead of putting off our diplomatic problems and leaving them to plague the next generation, I would prefer to resolve them during ours. I have had enough of putting off issues and letting them worsen, supposedly in the name of pacifism." Youth: "It's seriously cool! I wish we could replace the cowards in our government with those guys! I support AOU Japan!" High School Girl: "The Japanese government rocks!!! Huh? Where is Japan? One sec, I'll look it up with Keropoyo."  If that doesn't work, use military force! Follow AOU Japan! We're prepared to stop these issues from burdening our children's generation! Get all those cowards in the cabinet to resign! Protest against the opportunists in congress who are helping our enemies! Kick them out, arrest them!  Reporter: "Many view these statements skeptically, writing them off as mere saber-rattling. Even after this sword of peace talk, the AOU is showing no signs of ceasing the military escalation. Does this mean that the COU government has been completely unable to hide their lack of resolve, both internally and externally?" COU Internet Denizen: "You know it's all just talk! If you're serious about this, strike back already!! It's the cowardice of COU Japan that makes everyone underestimate all of the COU!" COU Internet Denizen: "If you really are a patriot, join the protests in front of the embassy building! We'll hit them with our anger and with stones!! The police are on our side! They'll look the other way!" COU Internet Denizen: "Good news everyone! All those traitorous sell-outs in the assembly were just arrested on bribery charges! We're finally gonna get an administration that the whole COU can unite behind!!"  The Central Ocean is the center of the A3W's new world! It's the source of this world's most vigorous culture! Fight back against the hegemony of those pre-war ghosts, who refuse to accept this basic fact!  BGM: Warudakumi The three members of Miyao's Warcats and the three members of Lingji's Baibao Squad had gathered in the Public Bath. Miyao's group was from the AOU. Lingji's was from the COU. Everyone had been hurt by how tensions between the two factions had dramatically risen during the past few days.  "We might be given the order to attack before too long. But of course, this time as well, we'll make sure that there's absolutely no unnecessary damage to anything other than our targets, so have no fears on that score." "However, it isn't as though they'll declare the match a draw and leave it at that..." "Even so, we can buy time. If public opinion dies down just a bit while this is still limited to us soldiers supporting the Walls of Peace..." "Still, those AOU big shots are taking people on the internet way too seriously! Spend less time sucking up to voters and more worrying about living conditions and peace, okay?!" "Heheh. It's the same in the COU. Once you become a government official and the competition is even more fierce, you can't afford to be seen as a coward. And the people will never forgive a government that doesn't strike back when they're struck." "...Our job is to continue supporting the Walls of Peace, until all those people can cool their heads. Though, it will be a long, difficult task." "That's fine. It's our mission, after all. We'll support those walls as long as it takes." "Yeah! As long as we're here, we won't let anyone break those walls down!" "Still, hasn't it been getting a bit creepy lately? The way public opinion is getting stupidly overheated?" "Isn't it normal for irresponsible people in all countries to get easily fired up and easily cooled down?" "As we enter December, the winds are blowing in an ominous direction, and though Christmas is approaching, there's an eerie heat about, as if we stand on the eve of world war." "I know, right?! Public opinion really has been heating up much more than makes sense, right?! Can people, can public opinion really switch from wanting peace to war that fast?!" "It really is strange. Like someone said earlier, are we sure this isn't because of people scheming behind the scenes, looking to make a quick buck?" "Heheheh... I imagine that such a large-scale manipulation of public opinion would cost more than they'd be likely to rake in..."  "Let me Keropoyo it. Umm, it's the time when an Austrian Archduke was assassinated in Sarajevo, on June 28, 1914, right...?" "World War I started exactly one month later, on July 28."Of course, the groundwork had been laid in various ways even before the assassination. But, even so... The seed of war sprouted, and just a month later, the first 'world war' in humanity's recorded history began.  "Thinking about it that way, we're now in the A3W era, where information and networks have advanced so much further. If it took one month when they didn't even have an internet, don't you think it might easily happen even faster in our era...?" "..." "..." Even passionate lovers could sometimes rapidly turn to hatred because of silly misunderstandings. And sometimes, when something unforgivable was done, it could have immediate, irreversible, and fatal results. For individual humans, this could be laughed off. However, when it's issues between countries...  "That's... no joke..." "But it still might be." "What do you mean?" "As long as no one dies, it's still possible to laugh it off." "True. In the A3W world, where human rights are prized, any deaths would prove fatal to the overall situation. In particular, in the COU, where their children are still carried by ciconia, public opinion would rapidly explode." "Hmph. Imagine the ciconia-free AOU trying to tell others how precious human life is." "Enough of that. You shouldn't criticize the structure and religions of other people's countries, right?" "I agree with Miyao. There must not be any casualties. And certainly not among noncombatants." "As guardians of the Walls of Peace, we're prepared for death. However, we mustn't let that happen to civilians." "In our previous operations, we managed not to hurt anyone. However, we don't know what the situation will be going forward, nor do we know what sorts of strategies we'll be ordered to take." "We'll do it! We'll follow our orders to a T! But we won't let anyone get hurt!" "Of course. We intend to do the same. Let us bear the brunt of the people's wrath from both factions. After all, that's our fate as ones who have been granted the ability to wear Gauntlets, the strongest form of military power in the world." "Heheheh... At this rate, I wish they'd just settle military conflicts in the Virty Arena." "Good point. Originally, that was supposed to be the Battle Standard Festival's purpose." BGM: Itsuka no Daichi e  "What do you mean?" "We can pluck the sprouts of war, buying time until the world regains its calm." "That's our job as guardians of the Walls of Peace, right?" "But is buying time all we can do?" "Huh?" "Isn't there any way for us to cool the heads of those people who think war is like a baseball or football game, spurring it on partly for their own entertainment...?"  "If you want to do that, I think you'd have to switch careers and become a politician." "I agree. Miyao, what you're thinking of doing...probably isn't our job." "If we're going there, why don't we get Gauntlet Knights around the world to unite! Let's form an independent military of peace, or something! We announce that the Gauntlet Knight Army of Peace will smack down any country that uses military force against any other country, and become permanently neutral guardians of peace!" "Hmph. That sounds like something that's been done in any number of anime and manga..." "The ones who currently hold that role, LATO's IPMA, can hardly be said to be serving their function at this moment." "Even LATO only exists thanks to the balance between the other four factions. No one would be so foolish as to kick out one of the legs of the chair they're sitting on." "And for that reason, it truly would be wonderful if something existed that could officially and impartially protect world peace, without any sort of personal motivations." "We can use our Kizuna like this to interact with Gauntlet Knights around the world. Right now, we're the peak of this world's military power. I don't think it would be impossible..." "Right?! It's a young person's job to have big dreams! And making those dreams come true is also our job, isn't it?! We're all the main characters here!" "The main characters in every era are the young, huh?" When you lay it all out like that, there's more than enough reason to think we're the main characters here... And yet, I couldn't confidently feel that I was the main character. In the end, we're guardians. Or rather, game pieces. In the game of chess, each of us would be just one of the many pieces that isn't the king. Long ago, I wanted to learn chess, so I looked up the rules, and a certain line shocked me.  For the ultimate goal of taking your opponent's king and winning, all the other pieces are laid out so they can kill each other. It doesn't matter how many die as a result. No matter how many or few casualties you have, your victory is worth the same in the end. I remember that, for some reason, this really didn't sit well with me at the time. Gauntlet Knights are the strongest of military forces. In the chess analogy, I'm sure they'd have even more power than a queen. However, they're still pieces that are less than kings. In fact, even the king is a piece. They're in a totally different dimension from the player, who controls them and decides the fate of the game board. ...Chess pieces obey the orders of the player... and kill or are killed. If they don't like that, then it makes sense that they'll want to become players and stop this game of chess. Can a queen piece say she's had enough of war and appeal to the player? And if she can't, can a piece itself become a player? Hah, hahahaha. What am I even talking about...?  "Yes. It's very, very heavy...and very precious." "All we can do...is show everyone our overwhelming power and bring the chessboard to a standstill." "The chessboard...?" "When powerful pieces are lined up, and various lines of movement and defense cross in complex ways, the player has to think long and hard, which eventually forces them to calm down." "...I see. So, that's our ultimate goal!" "That truly would make us Walls of Peace." "Heheheheh. In that case, those who wish to become Baibao's opponents had better put on at least as good a show as us." "Say what you like. Next time, we definitely won't lose!" "The same goes for us. I don't believe we truly settled who's best with that sports-like competition."It's been a December springtime of war, where sprouts of conflict popped up one after another. We'll end this disturbing trend by Christmas. ...Of course, that itself is a legendary phrase used by those forever branded as war optimists...  ...I really am just a kid. I can't believe I got panicky, couldn't sleep, and then sent Dad a weird email. 'I just got an email from my adorable only son, saying he can't sleep because he's worried about world peace?' I'm sure Dad's gonna laugh out loud and use it for some mild entertainment to complement a drink.  BGM: Beach Miyao: "What, really? Weren't you busy...?" In a way, I had calmed my heart a little just by sending that email. So, I was honestly a bit ticked off that he had unreasonably chosen to call me directly at this time of day. So the reason I'm mad... is because I sent him an email, and he was so worried that he called me back directly? I guess sons really are selfish creatures.  BGM: T's Blues "If you know that, just send an email, seriously..." "Middle-aged men feel it's faster to just call, instead of typing it all out."Miyao: "Okay, but don't you also say you hate talking with Kizuna, since it tires you out?"  "Oh? You seem pretty bright and chipper for someone who just sent such a neurotic email."Miyao: "Well, now I'm feeling just fine. Thanks."  BGM: Deeply Remember Toujirou: "Being a main character doesn't mean you just have opportunities handed to you. This isn't a barbershop. You don't just get to sit there while other people do everything for you."  "...Yeah. I guess so."Toujirou: "Everyone thinks about it when they're young. I did too." The young are always the fodder of the adults. They're the adults' pieces. However, when you find you're no longer young and look around you, you realize that you only had the power to leap off the game board during your youth. Once you're middle-aged, it's all over. You can only move in ways that have been laid out for you, and you truly do become a game piece. Miyao: "..." Toujirou: "Gauntlet Knights are game changers in military history, right? So, if you say you're just a piece in someone's game, then it's all over for you." Being a game changer means crushing the rules. It means being someone who annihilates the way things have been valued up until that point.  "You said that no matter how strong a piece you are, you can't ever escape the game board, right? Are you sure it isn't possible to bust down that rule? At least, for you?"  "When I was young, I was in the military's news department. Did I ever tell you why I asked for that position?"Miyao: "Many times. It was because you wanted to stand in the front lines supporting the Walls of Peace, showing people the true nature and value of peace, as well as the truth about how hard it is to protect it. You wanted to contribute to world peace as a reporter, right?" Just like the cost of stocks and petroleum, the cost of peace also changes with the times. Once people start thinking that peace is free, like air, they start to neglect it. They treat it as less important.  Hoping to prevent people from saying that peace could be won with just a song, as if they were fairies living in a fantasy land... Hoping to prevent them from forgetting the value of peace and its true weight... Dad aimed to become a military reporter, according to him... "However, as I continued working, I quickly felt the same worries you do. In the end, would I just be taking whatever pictures those old higher-ups wanted me to, acting as their game piece?"Miyao: "..."  "So, making use of my ability to interact with countries and factions all over the world, I formed a secret society." "Huh? A secret society?!"Toujirou: "Oh, don't get the wrong idea. It's one of those. A chivalric order, if you want to go by its flashy name."  It was like a club, where people with the same aims could secretly gather. They would follow a code that only the members knew, and they would keep their existence hidden too. In fact, it had nearly all of the elements that would fascinate most boys. However, they weren't thought of as anything profound or mysterious. It was just an exaggerated, more colorful version of what the B3W era would call a club, circle, or group. Of course, the term chivalric order had only starting being used so lightly in the last few decades. Long ago, there were several secret societies known as chivalric orders, such as the Order of the Knights Templar, the Order of the Rosy Cross, and the Order of the Three Kings. They had a history of over a thousand years, and elites all over the world were secret members of them, as they quietly built up worldwide conspiracies to form a new world order. In other words, they were the starring role in conspiracy theories, with a mysterious aura about them. Now, however... Middle-aged salarymen drinking buddies would form things like "The Order of the Pub Crawl", and when they saw a new employee who could hold his liquor, they'd invite him to join. When a husband showed up at home after midnight, and his wife demanded to know exactly how much money he had spent, he would play dumb by saying he couldn't tell her, because that would violate his chivalric order's code. In other words, a term that had a thousand year history -- a term that was used to represent secret societies rumored to have assassinated famous historical figures -- had fallen a long way...   "...But they were military reporters. That was the name of the piece they played, and they couldn't be anything more than that. That's what they all thought." ...That's... just like me.Since I'm a Gauntlet Knight, I can't do anything but fight and pluck the sprouts of war. I was about to lose hope, thinking I had no way to resist the soil or the springtime of war that was making those sprouts grow. So, what did Dad do...? He gathered military reporters with similar ideas from across the world... and formed a chivalric order. "What...kind of chivalric order was it?"Toujirou: "Hey now, you'd better not underestimate a chivalric order's code, okay? I can't even tell you, Miyao. Hahaha. Well, simply put, we made a hotline for peace that stretched across multiple factions."  "Yeah, I can see your code's real strict... What do you mean by a hotline for peace?" A Soviet submarine armed with nuclear weapons was attacked by an American fleet, which didn't know it had nukes. The submarine captain and a political officer concluded that this meant war had broken out between the US and the USSR, and they decided to launch a nuclear torpedo. However, a single officer with enough rank to veto a nuclear launch just happened to be on board, and he disagreed with their decision. After a fierce argument, he managed to calm the captain down and got him to rethink launching the torpedo. Officers like this one didn't exist on most submarines. On most submarines, if the captain and political officer decided to launch, they would be able to immediately enact a nuclear strike. However, by coincidence, an officer with the same rank as the captain was on this submarine, so they were forced to consult with him as well about their decision. The existence of a third officer... and his decision not to launch... These two coincidences... would miraculously save humanity from a nuclear war. If either one hadn't happened, the A3W era might have been one of sticks and stones. In subsequent investigations, it was concluded that this was humanity's closest brush with nuclear war. Afterwards, a connection was made between the heads of the US and the USSR. And they called it a hotline. A direct phone line was set up so that, in an emergency, the heads of the two governments could talk directly. Even for opposing countries, a lack of communication can lead to even worse situations. This was something that was already -- or perhaps finally -- learned in the A2W era...   "...You mean..."It was just like... the It's a Wrap Public Bath gathering that I created, where we all swore to support the Walls of Peace together... Realizing that I'd done the same thing as my dad without even knowing I was copying him... made me embarrassed in a way only the ciconia-born can understand. Toujirou: "If a military reporter wanted, he could form a network between militaries all over the world."  "Well, you've always been strangely good at making weird friends."Toujirou: "So, I would become friends with military reporters around the world. I'd get them to join my chivalric order. And then we'd communicate. If we did, then by looking down from a bird's-eye view, we might see things completely differently." Announcements made by the Foreign Affairs Department or the media are always fundamentally tied to one faction or another, which influences the text of the articles themselves. Even when people don't mean anything wrong by it, they talk about news from sources they don't trust in a cautious, suspicious way. And they sometimes discuss news from those they do trust in a carefree, almost naive way.  Toujirou: "I wanted to catch those seeds of conflict while they were still seeds, sharing correct information among the members of our Order, and telling all the factions about it, solving misunderstandings and encouraging correct decisions. That was my thought process when I formed that Order." ...Crap. Dad's starting to sound a little cool to me. Well, yeah. It's not like he was born an old man. He was young for longer than I've been, and now he's a veteran who's still building up life experiences... Miyao: "Hey. How does your chivalric order view the current world situation? In particular, the warlike emotions heating up between the AOU and the COU." "Of course, it's a worrying issue for us. I can't speak of it in detail because of our code, but naturally, we're fighting day after day. All is in the name of guiding humanity down the right path."Miyao: "Oh, I know that one. It's from Three Person, right? Those were the secret code words of the Order of the Three Kings." "Hahahaha. What do you think? Was I able to distract you for a bit?" "I don't see why not. Why don't you form a chivalric order of Gauntlet Knights with your Gauntlet Knight friends? I'm not young anymore, so I'm not sure I can help resolve your real worries. But, your Gauntlet comrades are in the same generation as you, right? I'm sure they'll be able to give you much better advice than me for getting over all sorts of worries you might have. Then, you won't have to send sentimental emails to your old man at this hour of the night anymore."Miyao: "Sh-Sh-Shut up! Seriously, just when I thought you might actually be a bit reliable as a dad! I won't email you again! Goodnight!" "Yeah, goodnight, Miyao. I needed to be distracted for a bit too, so I'm glad we talked. Instead of learning your lesson here, please email me again whenever you want."Miyao: "Like I would, idiot!"  Your call with "My Son" has ended poyo!Hahahah, ahahahahah. My son really is adorable. There's no way he'd ever let me, but I wish we could sleep together holding hands again sometime. When he grips my thumb with those tiny fingers, and you feel the warmth of his hand... hihihihihih, hahahahaha...  
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Dec 23, 2019 15:41
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Is that bit about being an 'only son' gendered in Japanese? Which is to say, does that imply Toujiro doesn't know about Meow? I know sometimes things that get translated in a gendered way aren't actually explicitly gendered in Japanese, which is why I'm asking.
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Dec 23, 2019 17:10
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PetraCore posted:Is that bit about being an 'only son' gendered in Japanese? Which is to say, does that imply Toujiro doesn't know about Meow? I know sometimes things that get translated in a gendered way aren't actually explicitly gendered in Japanese, which is why I'm asking. Well he is an only Son.
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Dec 24, 2019 04:21
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PetraCore posted:Is that bit about being an 'only son' gendered in Japanese? Which is to say, does that imply Toujiro doesn't know about Meow? I know sometimes things that get translated in a gendered way aren't actually explicitly gendered in Japanese, which is why I'm asking.  息子 means son, so it's gendered in the original script.
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Dec 24, 2019 04:32
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More chess analogies, it will be interesting to see where how this one is used. It also feels, with the way the Gauntlet Knights are talking about it, they'll all be dead by Christmas. 
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Dec 24, 2019 09:11
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MonsterEnvy posted:Well he is an only Son. Quinn2win posted:
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Dec 24, 2019 16:53
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 BGM: Welcome to A3W Thanks to this power, they were aware of military events in particular before they were publicly announced, and when that information influenced military-connected businesses, they were able to sell it and build up a vast store of wealth and even more connections. And now... By taking a bird's-eye view of the state of countries around the planet, where war might break out at any time, they were able to control and manipulate information even more than usual...  "There we go. Nice, very nice. They're dancing splendidly, aren't they? We have no problems in the AOU either. In fact, the flames are even easier to fan here. In a nation without ciconia, very few of the common people interact with generations other than their own. Just by pushing the right buttons for each generation, they dance along quite easily."<It's easy in the COU too. Their old world sense of values, bound by family and region, makes them extremely weak to pressure to submit to their elders. The fact that they refused to reform that philosophy in the A3W world makes them a failure in this era.>  "Not at all. For better or worse, they all feel much more human than those countries that chased out the stork."In the virtual room, TV broadcasts and public opinion graphs from the AOU and COU kept on appearing, one after another. In the mere two weeks since the start of December, public opinion in both factions had reached a level of agitation that placed them on the brink of war.  "People are so easy. Why don't they try to judge things by their own will, using their own eyes and ears?"<As you have said, Grand Master, it's because information is becoming like fast food. The foolish masses don't want to spend money on it.>   "No one tries to gather information with their own hands. They go to a free information site they like, or a TV program, or maybe a newspaper, and think they've gathered all the information the world has to offer."<When people know that someone of unknown origins has prepared their food, they become unsettled and refuse to eat. But when it comes to information, they accept it blindly and believe it, without thinking about who might have tampered with it. Then again, because idiots like that exist all over the world, we're able to make a quick buck. Heheheh.> As a result of heightening concerns about food safety, people started checking the calorie count, as well as data regarding pesticides, production sites, and producers of their food in detail. At the end of the B3W era, they would even publish pictures of the faces of farmers who grew the sesame seeds on hamburger buns. So, how does this compare to how they check their information? How many people actually check the composition, ingredients, production sites, and producers that make up the information they're given? Articles are always presented as impartial and middle of the road, written to seem politically neutral, and the information sources that are their ingredients are often military officials or interested parties who may not even exist. There are even tons of articles where the producer, aka the journalist who wrote it, is unnamed. And yet, people gobble them up. When it comes to food, people care about calories and sugar content and additives, but for information, they're like dogs immediately gulping down whatever they find lying on the side of the road. There are people who try to eat with a healthy nutritional balance, but does anyone try to intake information with a healthy balance? After all, any sort of nutritional imbalance is unhealthy...  <Naturally. Natural disasters and wars are always opportunities for profit, if you know about them beforehand. This truly is a wonderful chivalric order, Grand Master. I'm truly honored to have been invited to join. Heheheh.>  "You know, I told my son I lead a chivalric order for the sake of justice, but I really am a villain, aren't I?"<Heheheheh, heheheheh. Now then, Grand Master, it's time for us to make a killing again.>  "Comrade 211" has exited the room poyo! "...Heh...heheheh."Go on, rake in the money. Though, pretty soon, there might not be a world to spend it in...  "Grand Master Seshat" has entered the room poyo! BGM: Shougendai "If we call them balloons of war, then they're just about ready to burst. Now, if we just poke them with a very small number of events, *pop*" "Still, your Order of the Wisteria has a lot of hard workers in it. Everyone in my order is so eccentric." "When you've got an eccentric commander, it's only natural that the members will be eccentric too. Well, my Order is directly based on greed, and no one works harder than a greedy person." "After all, money is a wonderful concept, which humanity created to make prosperity visible to the eye. They're gathering information for the sake of money, buying and selling and raking it in. I imagine your members really are giving it their all in their work." "Still, they haven't seen through to our real plans." "They're working well as our arms and legs. Ahahahahah." "Now, all we need are the needles to pop this puffed up war balloon." "This is the Three Kings we're talking about, so I suppose they're utterly prepared for that, without any loose ends. I'll bet they've got a whole bunch of those ready to go." "Well, I have been forced to handle several of them myself." "I doubt you really hate it. You're a masochist, after all. You just love being given impossible demands and being spun about." "Though I wish it was for a sultry babe, rather than three old people." "Ahahahah. Well, I'll leave the room now. Thanks for the minutes from the COU assembly meeting. I'll try following the movements of the Order of the Holy Ark right after this. By the way, have you really not heard anything since then? From your ex-wife." "She's already completely graduated from life and has nothing tying her down. She said her life as someone else's game piece is over, so she'll spend the rest of her time living just for her hobbies. She probably doesn't want to go out of her way to contact a husband from the time when she was a piece. And I'm getting to enjoy the single life again too." "Is that really true?" "It is. Since then, I haven't heard a peep from my ex-wife. I wonder where she's living her second life now." "..." "Toujirou." "Yes, Grand Master?" "I won't betray you." "I don't mind if you betray me. It's natural for men and women to betray each other. However." "A betrayal of our Order is the one thing I will not forgive. That is our code." "And I've sworn not to break it, Grand Master." "...After all, I don't want to have to pass judgement on you, Toujirou. Don't forget that..." "...Of course, Grand Master." Grand Master Seshat has exited the room poyo! "Jestress" has entered the room poyo! BGM: Miserable "I was a bit busy with work for my own chivalric order. Sorry I wasn't able to contact you." "I see you're working hard. The Three Kings have commanded that you be suitably rewarded for overseeing this work." "I'm glad. That's probably the highest sort of praise the Three Kings can give." "With this, the buds of war have filled to bursting. We just need for them to explode." "You've got more than enough pins to pop the balloon, right?" "The 76 chivalric orders owned by one or another of the kings are already fully prepared. However, your Order of the Wisteria has done splendid work equal to all 76 of those orders. It's possible that your strength alone might have been enough to start World War IV." Jestress: "They will, that's for certain." The Three Kings said that they didn't want to leave even as many survivors as World War III had. They were carrying this out with the intention of assuredly wiping out all of humanity, believing that even so, many would surely survive and become the seeds of a new world. However, if they overdid it just a little, the certain extinction of humanity would be the result.  "Perfect. Even so, I hope someone resolutely survives, becoming the seeds of a new humanity in a new era." "By the way, what would you like as a reward? They gave me strict orders to come here and ask you that." "I see. In that case-" "Don't say my body." "No, no. I want *that*." "Huh? This...?" "No way. I'm fond of this." "I won't ask you for the real thing. I only want you to remove it from your avatar, just when you're meeting me in this virtual room. I suppose that's the reward I want." "..." "...No good?" "...I don't really mind. After all, if the Three Kings hear about this, they'll definitely tell me to agree to a little reward like that."Jestress: "Hold on. I don't have an avatar without a visor. I'm making a surface map." Looking just a little awkward, Jestress did some sort of processing for a while. Apparently, obeying a demand to show part of her body she usually kept hidden to the opposite sex was embarrassing for her...  Toujirou: "..." Jestress removed her visor. Beneath it... was the face of a troubled woman who still had a bit of youth in her, in contrast to her adult behavior... Jestress: "Is it what you expected...?" Toujirou: "It reminds me of the time we first met." Jestress: "How many times do I have to tell you... to stop doing that...?" 
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Dec 25, 2019 18:09
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Merry Christmas! There was a scene I was hoping to post today, but I was too slow by a country mile.
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Dec 25, 2019 18:10
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Jestress is Vier, from what her face looks like. I also wonder if we've met Toujiro's wife in story as I don't think she's Seshat, or Jestress based on this update.
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Dec 25, 2019 18:36
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It took her losing the visor for me to notice that Jestress also has the Lambdahat.
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Dec 25, 2019 22:21
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Cyouni posted:It took her losing the visor for me to notice that Jestress also has the Lambdahat. She has a lot of design stuff that Lambdadelta has.
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Dec 26, 2019 01:08
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Miyao's mom is not!Bernkastel, isn't she.
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Dec 26, 2019 01:42
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No, not!Bernkastel would obviously be Meow's mom.
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Dec 26, 2019 10:21
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Quinn2win posted:Merry Christmas! There was a scene I was hoping to post today, but I was too slow by a country mile. The significantly better pacing of this WTC really hides the degree to which it’s a long one. I think R07 takes advantage of this more dynamic setting to do all his scene-setting stuff and exposition in a way that’s a bit more exciting than Keichi and Battler giggling their way through the introductions to Hinamizawa or Rokkenjima. A3W has a lot going on!
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Dec 27, 2019 19:59
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rko posted:The significantly better pacing of this WTC really hides the degree to which it’s a long one. I think R07 takes advantage of this more dynamic setting to do all his scene-setting stuff and exposition in a way that’s a bit more exciting than Keichi and Battler giggling their way through the introductions to Hinamizawa or Rokkenjima. A3W has a lot going on! Yes! The pacing is a vast improvement over his other games, and when there's long exposition segments its about his genuinely fascinating worldbuilding. Sorry to everyone, but I'm skipping today's update as a late Christmas present to myself. Look forward to Monday's update.
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Dec 27, 2019 20:05
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I thought the heavy worldbuilding indicated by the setup would be a slog, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised! It’s so lovely to witness a writer grow in real time.
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Dec 27, 2019 20:44
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   BGM: Warudakumi "Sorry for calling you two at such a weird time." "Don't worry about it, partner. Call for us whenever you like." "I'd prefer if you did worry a little, and made an appointment reasonably far in advance. Heheh." "So? What's this thing you wanted to say to just the Warcats?" "This is Miyao we're talking about. He must be worrying really hard about something..." "Well, that's just it." "Tell us. Stop beating around the bush." "..." "...I wanted to talk about this because I believe you two are my true friends, not just war buddies." "We always put our lives in each others' hands while in the skies, right? Knowing that, why go out of your way to say you believe we're true friends...?" "I figured it was something to do with Meow, but is it something more serious...?" "..."  "Of course." "We pluck the sprouts of war and defend peace." "That's right. What's your point?" "What do you think the sprouts of war are, practically speaking?" "...I see. We've been using that phrase, but it's quite abstract."  "If they try to set up bases there, that really is a sprout of war. Do that, and the Glass Sea will practically belong to COU Japan. AOU Japan can't afford to just accept that, so they'd be forced to use military power in some way, like the strike that actually happened. In the end, both sides would start talking tough, and military forces would clash." "If that's a situation that should be avoided, then yes, I suppose you could say that the COU bases were sprouts of war."  "Well, the Atlantic Fleet came asking for a fight. If Rethabile and the others didn't repel them, they'd advance into the Atlantis Spirit Field, maybe leading to a naval battle. If the Atlantic Fleet hadn't come, there would be peace, so the Atlantic Fleet was the sprout of war, right? In other words, it's the fault of whoever attacks first!" "If you stick to that argument, then we were the sprouts of war when we attacked the COU base on the Glass Sea." "No, no. The sprouts of war there were the guys who attacked by setting up bases on a World War Relic. We weren't attacking, we were responding to an attack."  "Y-Yeah... You're right, I'm not... really sure anymore..." "If Rethabile's group hadn't repelled the Atlantic Fleet, there's no telling what might have happened in the seas around the Atlantis Spirit Field. In that sense, the Atlantic Fleet was the sprout of war. However, if the Atlantis Spirit Field hadn't been one-sidedly occupied, the Atlantic Fleet wouldn't have been called in to attack. In that sense, the mining base on the Atlantis Spirit Field is the sprout of war." "Lingji's Baibao attacked the ABN mining machines that had started one-sidedly mining in the Kashmir Spirit Field. Their position was exactly the opposite of Rethabile's. According to any definition I can think of, one of them must have been in the wrong..." "...Haah. So, basically, you've been worrying about crazy stuff late into the night again, Miyao." "Well, compared to Jayden, who doesn't worry at all, there's room to debate which of you is the more normal human being." "Quiet, you. Still, I think I get what you're trying to say, Miyao. If we don't get that straight, we might say we're guarding peace, but we could end up helping the exact opposite happen." "Jayden, aren't we soldiers who serve under the AOU Combined Military?" "...Well, yeah. When we take orders, it isn't our job to think about whether they're justified or not." "Still, that doesn't mean we aren't guardians of the Walls of Peace, yeah? We're Second Lieutenants in the AOU Combined Military, but we're also comrades defending peace across the world, not just the little organization called the AOU." "Thanks, Jayden. What I've been worrying about all this time... is how to balance those two things." The other day, ace kette from four factions had succeeded in their operations. Miyao's group from the AOU had destroyed a base that was being built on the Glass Sea. Rethabile's group had instead defended their spirit field base. On the other hand, Lingji's group from the COU had attacked mining machines on their opponent's spirit field base. Those three had taken place in disputed territory, but the mission carried out by Thalathat Suyuf of the ABN had been to recover a Leader of Peace who had been taken in for questioning, penetrating into ACR territory to do so. All four factions claimed that they had done these things to pluck the sprouts of war. Of course, the aces who took part in them were also proud to have plucked the sprouts of war...  "..." "Hypothetically, if you were given a mission that was to the AOU's benefit, but would clearly become a sprout of war, what would you do?" "Would you become... one of those so-called conscientious objectors...?"In the AOU Combined Military, you were allowed to individually refuse a mission, if it conflicted with your conscience or beliefs. However, in practical terms, doing so was almost suicidal, as you'd be labeling yourself as one unfit for society. Not only did becoming a conscientious objector require quite a lot of complicated paperwork, but even if it was accepted, you would certainly be demoted or forced to accept a voluntary discharge. It would leave a heavy mark on your record, and even when applying for a job at most companies, you'd be blocked as early as the AI background check. In other words, you wouldn't be able to find work through normal means. Rumor had it that you would also be placed on government and police watch lists, and at various times throughout your life, when security would normally allow people to pass right through, you would always be called to a stop and inspected...   "You've got a point. At this rate, our own future lifestyles will be held hostage, and we'll be forced to go along with whatever the higher-ups say is justice. We didn't become Gauntlet Knights to get pushed around by old men. We did it to protect the Walls of Peace and bring peace to the world, right?!" "I'm pretty sure I've heard you two say you became Gauntlet Knights because you wanted to fly. *giggle*" "However, your original aims don't matter at all. If you've now realized that you stand at the peak of the world's military power, and that maybe you should act of your own volition for the sake of world peace, then I think that means you've grown a lot as human beings." "However, you should keep all of this quiet. If Okonogi heard us talking about this, for example, there might even be an inquiry." BGM: Deeply Remember "I get it. I realize... that us talking about this is a seriously big deal. That's why... I'm only saying this to the kette of Warcats I trust." "If it's a seriously big deal, then bring it on! I'll always protect my friends' secrets!" "What you're saying is something I've been vaguely thinking myself." "...If that power is only used to properly pluck the sprouts of war, that's okay. However, given the current overexcited wartime mood, blindly believing that our missions are always 100% justified is the same as abandoning our jobs as guardians of peace. That's what I think, at least..." "I see. So that's why you started thinking about what we really mean by 'sprouts of war'." "If our mission is justified, then it's okay to get it done with 120% of our power! But if we find out that it isn't... Then what?" "..." "...I see. So that's why you couldn't sleep." "Seriously, if we're given an unjust mission, what should we do...?" BGM: Underdogs "A chivalric order...?" "Are you... serious...?" "When Gauntlet Knights in this Order are given missions, and they judge that the actions included in those missions won't contribute to supporting the Walls of Peace, they'll refuse to do them." "S-So you *are* talking about becoming a conscientious objector!" "If you did that, you'd just be demoted, and a person who cared more about sucking up to the higher-ups would be put in your place." "What Miyao means is..." "During our Glass Sea operation, our targets were unmanned antiaircraft vehicles. We were told not to cause unnecessary casualties if possible, but since it was a military action, the option of eliminating those who got in our way was left on the table. Where those middle-aged soldiers might've blown everything away, including the enemy troops, we accurately hit just their weak points, resulting in zero human casualties." "That's true. For us, it isn't impossible to carry out our mission, while also eliminating all unnecessary damage."  "W-Wait, does that mean..." "Heheh. That's quite an outrageous thing you've said."It was a shocking statement, one that would surely lead to an inquiry even if it was only rumored about. For a soldier to say that he would sometimes refuse missions based on his own judgement of the situation... Well, considering the times, it wouldn't be strange for him to be arrested or shot. "So, if you were given an order where attacking actually meant giving birth to sprouts of war..." "I would accept the mission as a soldier. However, as a guardian of peace, I wouldn't let it succeed." "Our top ace Miyao, failing in a mission? Is that even possible?" "Whoa, whoa, seriously...? This is getting crazy...!" "However! When it's a mission where we can pluck sprouts of war, then of course we'll run wild without mercy!" "Hahahahahah, wahahahaha! I guess you suddenly saying crazy stuff is nothing new, Miyao. Haah, you really are one crazy Gauntlet Monster, aren't you?!" "From the start, I always hated those middle-aged and old men who acted so important and only ever thought about themselves! That's why I thought that becoming a Gauntlet Knight who could fly freely through the sky would be the perfect career for me. Still, the one thing I never liked was having to be absolutely obedient to their orders." "And besides, our job is to support the Walls of Peace. It isn't to push them over towards the other side." "...Jayden!" Once, in the era when armies fought to protect their national interests, it was acceptable for them to harm the national interests of other countries. But the A3W world is different. Humanity was brought to the brink of destruction by a nuclear war, but then, they recovered. And, they formed a healthy military balance. Militaries around the world swore to support not only their national interests, but also the Walls of Peace along with their comrades, under the battle standard of peace. And yet, the old men of the military were still stuck in the B3W mindset that only what was good for their country mattered, and they had mistakenly grown to think of the military as a tool to accomplish that goal. A3W militaries don't just exist to protect national interests. They have to be guardians of peace on top of that...!  BGM: Deeply Remember "Gunhild... Thanks!" "In the era when militaries were made up of large numbers of people, the sense of justice held by a single soldier had no value, which is the excuse all soldiers have used to abandon their own senses of justice. However, we Gauntlet Knights are different." "Because even a single Gauntlet Knight...is a military force." "Right now, we need a stronger sense of justice and desire for peace than ever before."Can peace be protected by the determination of a single soldier? Can this prevent a world war? How can that be possible, unless you're a president or a shogun? And yet, it is. It was a single officer who refused to fire a nuclear torpedo in the Cuban Missile Crisis. If he hadn't resolutely refused, the earth would've been wrapped in atomic fire well before the 21st century. There are other cases that were learned of later, where nuclear war was stopped by the decision of a single soldier. It isn't impossible for one soldier to stop a world war.  "Yeah. If Gauntlet Knights around the world agree to it, there's no way the Walls of Peace will shake! After all, no matter what sprouts of war pop up, at least one of the Gauntlet Knights will pluck it! And when they're on missions where they themselves would become sprouts of war, they'll screw up on purpose or lose. We'll eradicate the sprouts of war!" "It's actually a lot like what Jayden bragged about earlier, about forming an army of peace out of Gauntlet Knights across the planet." "I think a lot of my inspiration came from that. However, an army of peace won't mean anything unless Gauntlet Knights around the world participate. At worst, that army itself might become a sprout of war." "In practical terms, this is like a coup d'état. By itself, it's practically World War IV already. Heheheh." "But if we're a secret chivalric order, we'll be able to act quietly. It won't become a sprout of war. And even if only some of us agree to do whatever they can, we'll still be able to do something for the Walls of Peace." "That's right. Of course, the more people we have, the better. But we can still do a little, even if just some of us agree!" "Just casually listening to this, it sounds like you're saying a bunch of crazy, outrageous things. However, that's proof that we've been bound by old values...and have abandoned being guardians of peace." "It's different from my idea, but if I gave you the inspiration, I guess I really am a supergenius!" "The young are the main characters of any era, right?! If we drag our heels, waiting to change the era after all the old guys have gone, then we'll be middle-aged or geezers ourselves. When that happens, we'll already be in an era that's different from the one we know, and what we're trying to do might be off the mark. So, now is the time! We need to have a strong resolve if we're going to protect peace ourselves." "This is all crazy talk anyway, but will anyone other than us agree to it? What will Grave Mole think?" "Actually, this all seemed so interesting, so I just told Chloe about it while we were talking in another room. She seemed interested, so should I let her enter this room?" "Sure, I don't mind." "Chloe" has entered the room poyo! BGM: Chat Militaries always declare that they'll protect peace for their homelands. At least, that's how it was supposed to be, up until the end of the B3W era. Now, in the A3W era, militaries have no friends or foes. They're all comrades who support the Walls of Peace. At the start of the A3W era, during the prime of a generation that had experienced a world-destroying war, this philosophy held a lot of sway. However, as peace continued, they started competing in Battle Standard Festivals, where militaries fought over medals for their own countries and against others. The military started to be viewed as an organization for surpassing other countries. So, a lot of irresponsible people were now carelessly driving their countries' militaries towards war, thinking of it like a sports competition. It was time for militaries to return to their original philosophy, that of being guardians who supported the Walls of Peace.  "What Miyao's saying isn't sabotage, and it certainly isn't a coup d'etat! It's a naturally justified thing, an attempt to once again follow our true principles as guardians of peace, which people have forgotten because peace continued for so long＞＜!!" "...Chloe can be surprisingly fiery." "She's really interesting when she gets excited." "The circle of this Order doesn't just envelope all of the AOU! We're going to the COU, and the ABN, and the ACR, and LATO! All our comrades wearing Gauntlets on their left arms should participate!! Yes, everyone who gathered at that Public Bath should support it! And when everyone makes another oath, this time to form a chivalric order, we Gauntlet Knights will bear witness to humanity's first establishment of peace brought about by the hands of young people, the true main characters of the era!! Long live Mitake Miyao's Chivalric Order! Long live Grand Master Mitake Miyao!!!" "No, no, no, you're getting too excited. Calm down a bit..." "I'm glad you feel that way, Chloe, but will the other two in Grave Mole agree...?" "They did agree! I made them agree! I won't let them complain, and they didn't＞＜!!" "Koshka" has entered the room poyo! "Lilja" has entered the room poyo!  "We'll get to take it easy, so we'd like to join this order too meooow!" "This isn't an Order for slacking off! It's an Order for truly protecting peace by proactively refusing jobs that go against peace＞＜" "So basically, whenever Chloe orders us to slack off, we can do whatever we want." "Koshka is a nincompoop, so I'm sure she'll hold back in ways that make it obvious she's slacking off meow. I'll tell on her to Okonogi, and she'll get in big trouble meow♪" "I'm slyer than I look. And if you do a bad job at holding back, Lilja, I'll tell on you to Okonogi right away." "And if Chloe does a bad job holding back, I'll tell on her to Okonogi too meow." "If Chloe screws up, I'll tell on her to Okonogi right away too." "Why am I the only one they're both focusing on, waaaaaah＞＜" "...Do you two seriously agree to support us?" "What do you mean by seriously meow?" "Depending on what they get you with, you might have to go through an inquiry." "Let them do it if they want. I'm Geroy equipment. I get killed every time I go in for maintenance. Nothing scares me now, except when my OS gives itself a forced update partway through a limited time WanyaDora event battle." "And it's not scary at all to me, compared to the thought of Koshka waking up some morning as a super beautiful girl, who doesn't use hick words and doesn't have bed hair meooooow." "What are you talking about, you're the one who always has bed hair." "Hey, you two! We're talking about something serious, so please listen＞＜" "Skreee, skreereereee!!!" "Wanna have a go, wanna have a go?"The next instant, their avatars buzzed and warped... It looked like the result of extreme electrical noise. Apparently, Chloe had pushed their punishment button. "We're talking about something serious＞＜ Please, listen to meeeeee＞＜"Lilja: "...Aah..." Koshka: "Enough... with the shocking..." "Lilja, Koshka, you're both in a sensitive position, right? I'm glad you've agreed to join, but it might be awful if this gets out." "I won't let those annoying middle-aged guys and old men have their way. If I can do that even a little, then it's more than interesting enough for me." "This isn't just some prank. Do you really understand that?" "No, we don't meow. Koshka and I are stupid, after all." "So, we don't know what we should do or how. Because we're stupid. Meeeeew." "That's why you thought it up for the sake of us idiots, right? A way to make the world peaceful and happy." "We don't get what sprouts of war are, or how to deal with them. But, if you tell us, there are things we can do." "What our targets are, how to attack them, and what not to attack... We'll leave all the hard stuff like that to Chloe meow." "Hah, hahahaha...! Seriously, it really is hard for you two to be honest about how you feel!" "These two have also suffered under this world's unfairness for a long, long time. They know there are a lot of bad adults out there who use them -- who use children -- as food. Of course, they didn't believe in the sort of peace those adults spouted. But now, for the first time, we've heard young people we can trust calling for peace." "Yeah, yeah, what she said. If you give me five slimy rares, I'll give you 10 scallop candies. Oh, sorry, wrong chat." "Chloe, I'm in the middle of a battle with this hick girl, so can we leave for a bit meow?" "Yeah, that's enough. Thanks for supporting us＞＜" "Lilja" and "Koshka" have left the room poyo! BGM: Deeply Remember "I-Is that so...?" "Yes." "...Considering their personalities, the very fact that they showed up at all tells us that." "And they were even in the middle of a game!" "...I see. You...have a point there." "Koshka and Lilja...hate adults and this world. So, they also hate it when adults talk about justice and peace. I think that's why...they were really happy when one of their comrades, Miyao, showed them the way towards justice and peace." "..." "If that's true, they could've at least said it! Without Chloe's translation, we'd be clueless." "Heheheh... If you're thinking Kizuna can translate all emotions, I suppose that means you're still Superkid Jayden." "Hahahahahahahah...! You're totally Superkid Jayden! Ahahahahahahahaah..." "Miyao, she may not look it, but Chloe really does have her act together. She told those two because she was very confident that they would support us if she did. There's no need to worry about them being loose-lipped or misunderstanding." "That's not what I was thinking. I think I just blanked out because I was happy, or surprised, or confused. I mean, as soon I announced that I'd be making a chivalric order, we suddenly got six members." "Hey! Since my idea was the inspiration for it, that means I get to give the Order a name, right?!" "Huh?! I'm the one who proposed it! I made this chivalric order! So I get to name it!" "It's the Super Ultimate Peaceful Great Marvelous...ummm!!" "It's the Dark Shadow Silent Justice Hammer Holy Sword of Justice...ummm...!" "Now then, Miyao, I'm sorry to rain on your parade, but the one thing we should decide is our policy going forward. First, we should decide on who is qualified to join. If everyone invites whatever friends they want, not only will it get out of control, but considering the type of Order this is, it will make joining extremely risky." "I understand that. I'm confident that this Order will be able to contribute to protecting world peace. However, as it's a secret Order, I think we should reveal it only to people we can trust." "Yeah. If everyone joined, that'd be kinda uncool! If we want to only let vetted people join, then it's probably best if our leader, Miyao, is the only one who recruits people directly." "I guess we'll do it like that for now. Still, nominations are welcome." "Just as an example, if aces from other factions agree to join, it might be best to delegate the job of recruitment to some of them too. We can leave that decision to Grand Master Miyao's judgement." "Grand Master Miyao? I like the sound of that! Wheeew, you're so cool!" "Don't make fun of me. For the COU, I'd like to talk with Lingji. For the ACR, I guess it'd be Rethabile." Miyao: "Still, if they're in different factions, that means they'll think about things differently too. For example, Rethabile is an ACR princess, right? If we ask a princess to prioritize world peace by sometimes turning a blind eye to ACR defeats, will she really agree...?" "Miyao, in the It's a Wrap Public Bath, there are no social classes or nationalities. We're just a group of young Gauntlet Knights who love to fly, right?" "...You're right. If I think this might not work before I even tell them about it, I'll fail as a leader of an Order working towards world peace." "From what I've seen of Rethabile, she's a woman with a positive attitude, whose pretty good at being understanding. I'm pretty sure she'll listen seriously to what we have to say." "And as for Lingji, I've been exchanging emails with her now and then, and she's an incredibly serious person. So, I'm sure she'll listen to us." "Whaaat?! So she's your type, huh, Miyao?! You little rascal!" "Hey, it's not like that, stop clinging to me..." "I get it. In that case, shouldn't we invite the ABN and those big sisters from LATO too?" Gunhild: "I've been emailing him recently, and he too has been worrying over how he can contribute to world peace. I'm absolutely certain that he won't ignore you." "Wait, you too, Gunhild?! So, you like cool-headed men like that, huh?!" "Looking at his Kizuna wallpaper, I realized that we share the same hobbies and taste in music. I'm currently in the process of inviting him into my Order of the Blood-Vomiting Death Growls." "...Didn't you say your hobby is making cute felt crafts?" "You really have to admire the range of Gunhild's hobbies..." "In that case, I guess I'll ask you to recruit Stanisław." "Roger that. I'm sure he'll listen to us. And, he's wise, so I'm sure he'll give us good advice."  "I think you're misunderstanding them. Both Valentina and Maricarmen are surprisingly friendly and understanding once you get to know them." "How do you know that?" "I've been exchanging personal emails with the two of them lately, heheheh..." "Oh? So, you're into the big sister type, Jayden? You little rascal..." "Huh? Did you say something, Miyao?" "...No. *I* said nothing."BGM: Komugiro no Bishou  However, the most vital part of this is our comrades in other factions. If we can get people in all factions to support us, the Order of the Public Bath (temporary name) will be able to support the Walls of Peace even more strongly. There's no way we'll do the bidding of those overexcited adults, becoming game pieces in wars. You aren't the only main characters in this world. We young people are the main characters. We've had enough of being game pieces that just move when someone orders us. We'll think this through on our own, moving for the sake of world peace. That's what the Order of the Public Bath (temporary name) does... ...We really need to think of a better name fast. If this name sticks, that'd just be too uncool... I say that, but the room name It's a Wrap Public Bath still exists to this day...    
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Dec 30, 2019 18:42
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  Five minutes to midnight.  BGM: Manshon no kabe o hashiru tokage "So, right after I talk to you about chivalric orders, you make one yourself, even though you're constantly making fun of me? You really are adorable. Aaahhh, Miyao, *kiss*kiss*♪ Hihi, hihi, hahahahaha." "...Hmm? No, I don't mind at all. Miyao thought it up himself and is taking action on his own. Let him do as he pleases." "...That's true enough. This might become a problem if anyone hears about it. But there's no need to worry. Very soon, they'll be so busy that none of this will matter." *kero*kero*kero*! 15 minutes have passed poyo! *kero*kero*kero*! "Sorry, it's time for me to go back to work. Thanks for telling me." "Hmm? I know. I love you." The other day, simultaneous uses of military force had occurred all around the world, and the opinion that 'we' also mustn't hesitate to use military force to solve our various problems had grown strong everywhere. Countless news reports from various countries bearing this message appeared. Human emotions -- and the emotions of the groups of humans called societies -- slosh about like waves. Even if it all averages out on a grand scale, it will sometimes shift to the right or the left. If this had been happening in one country... Well, this is a planet with 10 billion people on it. Such a thing would hardly be impossible. So, even when the world looks peaceful as a whole, the emotions of one nation sometimes shift drastically to the side. However... The countless news stories being shown here made it clear that places around the world were simultaneously catching fire, and the entire globe was enthusiastically saying that even war wasn't off the table. If you roll a large number of dice, it isn't strange if you get a few 'ones' in there. However, when all the dice roll 'ones', it's fair to suspect that someone's behind it. Fundamentally, though it's mathematically possible that all of them will roll 'ones', it isn't possible from the perspective of the animals known as humans. This is because humans are built with a divine program that makes universal agreement impossible.  However, at the peak of such clashes, if one side relents even a little and is suddenly overwhelmed, peer pressure takes over, and society's will can be overwritten in a flash. And yet, humans aren't lemmings. If everyone followed every group that started running off in some direction, even if it was off a cliff, they would've gone extinct long ago. This is because God's program always calls for a certain number of people to be born with genes that make them resent universal agreement, aka the majority. Surely, this must be a survival program God made for the sake of preventing human extinction. ...Haven't you ever found it strange, when looking at video upload sites? Setting aside videos with split opinions... No matter how adorable a video about animals is, no matter what wonderful, irreproachable actions a video contains... In other words, no matter how perfect a video is, 5% to 20% of viewers will always reject the opinion of those who 'like' it. On the flip side, no matter how contemptible a video is, you'll always get about 5% to 20% of people 'liking' it.  BGM: Warudakumi In other words, they sometimes acted according to a second standard, which took priority over their honest opinion of the video's contents. And that... was a dislike for society's opinion, or the majority view. They are the so-called lone wolves, and whenever a crowd forms, that's all the reason they need to dislike it. Even normal people who aren't aware of this tendency... should be able to notice it if they think about it. ...Have you ever liked something, then suddenly lost interest when it became popular and famous? When you hear on TV that X has become all the rage, has that ever been enough to make you start hating it? This can be thought of as part of God's program, a fail-safe that prevents the animals known as humans from committing mass suicides like lemmings and going extinct. No matter what sort of groupthink you're dealing with, people programmed with God's fail-safe will resist it, and will do so even more when that groupthink is large-scale and firmly entrenched. The smaller a minority you're in, the more firmly you'll refuse to join the majority. Such people are famous for not losing their sense of justice during totalitarian dark ages. Perhaps the officer who firmly refused to fire that nuclear torpedo also had God's fail-safe inside him. As a side note, all that about lemmings committing mass suicides is a myth. However, the majority mistakenly thinks it's a fact, and large numbers of people say it's true, so nearly everyone believes it without any doubts. Perhaps the person who did doubt, and who proved that lemming mass suicides were only a myth, was also someone programmed with God's fail-safe.  On top of that, God's program is designed to replenish the number of fail-safes when it decreases. Some animals are known for their ability to change genders when all members of one gender disappear. In the same way, when fail-safes are eradicated from society, it's natural for some in the majority to transform into fail-safes themselves. For that reason, no matter how many purges dictators initiate, they have never been able to eliminate all fail-safes... However... Right now, in this world, no fail-safes exist, and yet there aren't any people converting into fail-safes either. Everyone eagerly and unthinkingly agrees that their many problems should be solved all at once with war. No one has an opposing view. Why is that?  BGM: Shougendai "Taking advantage of that bug... is how our Order of the Wisteria fights, using news and information as our weapons..."If humanity has an animal nature that makes it want to always form minorities of a certain size... Then, all you need to do is give them a decoy, an illusion that a certain minority already exists... When people mistakenly think that a sufficiently large minority exists, then humans can join the majority without hating themselves for it. "...In commercials for makeup and such, they're always talking about their customer satisfaction rate."You never see that it's 100%. If a commercial did claim to have a 100% satisfaction rate, people would think it sounded fake, and they'd be struck by an emotion that makes it impossible for them to conform. However, when the satisfaction rate is 80%, it suddenly feels different. "8 out of 10 people like it? That's pretty awesome. You know there's always one or two people out of every ten who'd disagree with anything, right?"  Then, if you really want to seal the deal, you just need to spice up this decoy minority with characteristics and events that make them detestable by the values of the common man. For example, maybe they aren't satisfying their societal duties. It can be about taxes, military service, legal rules... Anything you like. Just "establish" them as cheaters who refuse the burdens shared by all citizens, or else say they were given special exemptions. After that, have them reveal their views emotionally, in a way that's hard to accept on moral or common sense grounds, and then "establish" that the overbearing way they made their case ended up involving and harming, say, an innocent child. The decoys -- these fictional minorities -- can then be loaded up with many established facts, all of which will easily cause disgust in any normal person. Naturally, the people will grow to fiercely hate these decoys. And at the same time, because they'll know that these decoys fill the necessary number of minorities that humans desire on an animal level, God's program won't activate and convert them into minorities... "One can conceive of techniques for attacking the fragility of God's program, overwriting public opinion both overwhelmingly fast and with overwhelming thoroughness... And, it's the power of Mitake Toujirou's chivalric order, the Order of the Wisteria, that can both create and enact such techniques..." No matter how much you hit them, they'll never cave, and they'll never sink or stumble. No matter how many people try to dox them, they'll never be exposed, so they can never be pinpointed and cannot be killed. You can leave it to AI to travel across countless message boards and set them aflame, and when the media picks it up and gives that information brand recognition, it will spread even further. If you're even more clever, you can plan out all those fires, setting up a beautiful chain of dominoes. Then, when your artistic, worldwide domino setup is complete, they'll all start falling at once, beginning the chain. The people of the world see that world war is approaching, and they whisper as though this is the beginning of the end. The beginning of the end? You're behind the times... "Here's how it should go: Once it's begun, it already has ended."As if he was knocking over the very first domino in a massive contraption, Toujirou's finger stretched out to the return key shown on his midair display... and touched it.  BGM: Komugiro no Bishou Each of these aces from various factions had shown interest in Miyao's Order of the Public Bath (temporary name). However, they didn't need Miyao to tell them that this idea would be most effective if Gauntlet Knights from all over the world joined. The number of people who joined would be key. They had given him an extremely reasonable answer, saying that they wouldn't be able to join this risky chivalric order unless it really had a shot at making that happen. So, they had no choice but to sit together around the bath. Though they acted like they were relaxing in this now-familiar bathhouse, these aces from various factions tried very hard to see through to Miyao's true intentions...  "Yeah. Of course I'm serious. Even if no one else agrees to support us, me and my comrades intend to carry it out on our own." "...To intentionally cause a mission to fail... Even just thinking about it... leaves me speechless..." "However, I do understand the need for us to hold back. After all, we already know that a single kette of Gauntlet Knights could eliminate an entire Atlantic Fleet, if they so wished it." "...That's true. The power of the Gauntlet can be far too strong if used for unjust ends..." "It seems all of us are in agreement on that point. If one of us Gauntlet Knights gets overwhelmed by the excitement and runs wild, it might result in enormous and needless damage and casualties. If that happens, forget plucking the sprouts of war, we'll be sowing seeds of war left and right." "That's right. That's why we have to swear to avoid needless casualties, and actually follow through with it too!" "However, Miyao, isn't that something we have all already sworn to do at this It's a Wrap Public Bath?" "Indeed. In fights between Gauntlet Knights, a battle ends as soon as a shield is broken, and you must never kill your opponent. And when you do attack, you'll use the minimum necessary force, avoiding needless casualties of course. I believe we all agreed to that already, and we already carried it out the other day." "...Still, if we're trying to avoid needless casualties, I think it doesn't make sense for us to obey every single order to attack, no matter what it is." "Are those the words of your conscience as a human, rather than a soldier?" "Am I the one who's got it wrong? Or, in the factions other than the AOU, are people really that accepting of what those old men say, sure from the bottom of their hearts that they really want world peace...?" "Forgive me, but I won't comment on that matter. In the first place, soldiers aren't trained to have doubts about the orders they're given." "But aren't we guardians of the Walls of Peace before we're soldiers? If we obey our superiors' orders without thinking, while bearing the incredibly heavy burden of wielding Gauntlets, what does that make us...?!" "Are we going to act like those who had plenty of fuse left, irresponsibly refusing to think and letting the flame reach the bomb? There's no fuse left after us! It really will explode if we don't stop it! And when it does, no one's going to blame the people standing at the far end of the fuse. It's us, the ones who directly lit the bomb at the very end, who'll get blamed!!" "Blamed? No, that part hardly matters! We'll be stuck living the rest of our lives with constant regret, knowing that we might've lived in a future where we stopped this tragic World War IV before it even happened! In fact, that regret will continue on forever, even after our deaths!! Can you think of any greater dishonor for those who claim to guard the Walls of Peace as Gauntlet Knights?! Am I the one who's got it wrong?!" "Yeah, I guess I must be wrong, to suggest that soldiers should sometimes ignore their militaries' orders! After all, we were never taught anything like that! All the adults ever taught us was to say 'yes sir' and obey! And now, adults all over the world are saying we should have a war, resolving problems with our neighbors using military force!" "They're irresponsibly getting excited and saying 'Take flight, Gauntlet Knights, and run wild on live TV, just like you did during the Battle Standard Festival!' Are you going to obey those orders too? Because it's a kid's job to obediently do what their parents say?! Are you really saying that we bear no responsibility?! That we just followed orders, so even though we pulled the trigger and loads of people died, none of that is our fault?! That's wrong, isn't it?! That's not what the guardians of the Walls of Peace look like!" BGM: Itsuka no Daichi e  "...The leader of a certain Nazi concentration camp said something of the sort, but justice didn't spare him. On the flip side, there were some Nazis who protected Jews and earned the title of Righteous Among the Nations..."Even Japan has Sugihara Chiune, who's famous for defying the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and issuing visas for Jews. He wasn't a soldier, but he was a diplomat, a position where one is not allowed to let personal feelings stand in the way of service to the state. Despite that, he acted according to his conscience... "Whoever saves one life saves the world entire. Those are good words." "And those with more power saved more people." "And here we stand with Gauntlets, an ultimate weapon so powerful, it relegated all existing military tools to the past! As people who can use those at will, with top class abilities on a world scale, just how many people could we save?! How many lives are we willing to abandon?!" "..." "I... can't think of a way to counter that." "You're saying that becoming a conscientious objector... might save the world? Miyao. Doesn't that contradict the A3W conception of supporting the Walls of Peace with a healthy military balance?" "Well, if we don't handle that part cleverly, it will be a huge mess." "I'm impressed by the idea, but how do we decide if a mission counts as plucking the sprouts of war or not? Who makes that decision? How do we know there are no ulterior motives involved? I have all sorts of questions about it." "I'm truly glad you said that, Stan, as it's everything I wanted to say too. That's the issue, Miyao. Will it be a mission that plucks sprouts of war, or a mission that becomes one? Who will decide, and what standard will they use? Unless that is clearly spelled out, I certainly cannot agree to join."All of the contested areas had various circumstances surrounding them. People from involved countries would probably all be influenced by personal motivations, and yet no one was likely to accept the judgement of an unrelated person who didn't know the circumstances. There was no way they'd be able to decide which missions were okay and which weren't with a simple set of rules... "There's no way I could decide. I'm not a politician or a diplomat." "Well, that does imply that the chivalric order you're proposing is nothing more than a pretty picture." "So! Just like those people Stan talked about just now, who disobeyed their orders and made justice happen on their own, we should be personally faithful to the justice we each believe in!" "True, it wouldn't be fair otherwise." "What do you mean by that?" "If we left our decisions about sprouts of war to Miyao, the first person who spoke up, then we would still be the fuse on the bomb, irresponsibly obeying his orders." "...True. You're right. Just doing what you're ordered isn't justice. That only makes you a person who accepted an order. That's just doing your job, not an act of justice worthy of praise. Perhaps such a person doesn't have the right to call themselves a guardian of the Walls of Peace." "...Hmm..." "Depending on how you take it, I might sound like I'm being irresponsible, just telling everyone to decide for themselves. Still, I think having all of us carry out justice on our own...is the key point of this Order." "...I do believe Miyao is testing us." "Indeed. It would seem our consciences are being put to the test. Heheheheheh...!" "...Hmm. That sounds fair. Understood..." "How heavy these left arms of ours are... To think that our common sense as soldiers, as human beings, would be tested to this extent..." "The possibility that we'll be given orders that don't support the Walls of Peace...is something I don't even want to think about. However, though I may have feared the coming of such a day, I never tried to think of a way around it. In the end, as a soldier, I would probably have quietly and irresponsibly carried out my orders." "I was trained as a soldier too, so even thinking about twisting my orders and missions for something like my own sense of justice...is so scary, it makes my teeth chatter..." "Still! I think that's the real courage guardians of the Walls of Peace need to have! We aren't pillars or sticks holding up the wall! We're the strongest warriors of peace, the Aerial Augmented Infantry, the Gauntlet Knights...!!"For a while, the three other than Miyao were struck speechless. Even though they had understood it in their souls, they had been blinded by the soldier's devotion to following orders, which had been ingrained into their bodies. However, anyone can act for the sake of justice, and at any time. As long as they choose to do so! And the stronger these people are, the more people they can save. Why were they hesitating, when they had been given more power to save people than anyone else in the world...? Suddenly, Lingji leapt to her feet.  BGM: Underdogs  "I agree. I'm even embarrassed that I thought that's what we were until a second ago."Stanisław rarely let his emotions show on his face, but he seemed to be smiling slightly.  "We're comrades. And we already were, even before Miyao invited us to the Public Bath and made us swear to it. Even before he invited us to a chivalric order for the sake of protecting peace together." "Precisely. In that case, time is of the essence. I think I'll speak with Gauntlet Knights from the ACR, seeing whether they can agree to Miyao's philosophy." "Please, do be careful." "But of course. Even in the Royal Family, princes and princesses can be harsh when it comes to tearing each other down. I won't embarrass myself by needlessly exposing a weakness. Leave it to me!" "Rethabile...! Thanks, I'm so grateful!" "I ought to be the one saying that. I thank you for trusting me with a proposal that must have taken true courage to reveal!" "Miyao, I'll also try telling COU friends I can trust about what you've said." "Thank you too, Lingji! That's incredibly reassuring to hear!" "I'll also try to quietly recruit members for Miyao's Order of the Public Bath (temporary name). However, I ask that you keep your hopes in check. I am still a man of the world, who values his own life." "I understand. If it's looking dicey, there's absolutely no need to overdo it. Just the fact that you listened to me and showed your agreement is a huge help!" "I just wanted to keep expectations low to start. I'm sure that at least the other two members of Thalathat Suyuf will agree right away." "Thanks, Stan! I'm sorry for thinking you were a cold person who might not listen to us!" "Don't let that worry you. After all, Grand Master Gunhild of the Order of the Blood-Vomiting Death Growls gave me strict orders to listen to what you had to say." "...I never expected that Gunhild's chivalric order would end up helping me..." "Does this mean we should start calling Miyao 'Grand Master' from now on?" "Please no, it's embarrassing. You can just call me Miyao like before." "Then, Miyao, I really do think our meeting was an incredibly important thing for me. I get the feeling that, on the day we met at that Public Bath, we took our first steps towards a brilliant future!" "Thanks for seriously listening and thinking over the crazy stuff I had to say! I'm so grateful to all of you!" "We'll be closely watching what our (temporary name) Order's Grand Master does going forward, Miyao." "Of course! If I bring this up, and then get scared and do whatever those drat geezers say, this whole thing would be ridiculous!" "Sadly, we live in a world where it's likely you'll have a chance to prove yourself soon." "However, Miyao, there is one thing I would like to settle right away." "Yes, indeed. I have an urgent request for you too, Grand Master Miyao." "Ah, yeah, I get it. The Order of the Public Bath (temporary name)... isn't going to cut it, right?" "You think so...? I don't dislike it, since it immediately reminds you that the It's a Wrap Public Bath brought us together..." "We really should do something to honor its creator here! How about 'Grand Master Miyao's Memorial Genius Long-Lived Lauded 1211 Knight Corps'?!" "The Order of the Heavy Slash Bloody Death Crazy Clash... Yes, that's not bad." "...Well, I think it's best to keep it simply 'The Order of Public Lust'." "Lingji, you got the kanji wrong. That would be bad." "Hahahahah, wahahahahahaha...!!" "Hahahahahhahahah, hahahahah." "Wh-Why does Japanese make no sense?! Why did the ancient Japanese decide to start perverting the Chinese language?!"
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Jan 3, 2020 14:14
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I love these dorks and I’m glad nothing bad will ever happen to them. I’m also looking forward to talking about the powerful parodic vibes of Ryukishi07’s sociopolitical commentary. I’m obviously pretty skeptical of the narrator voice throughout, here, given the other WTC games, but while I’m comfortable assuming that R07 doesn’t really think the A3W’s straight-up Starship Troopers style fascism is a good idea, it’s going to be very interesting to see where we end up in terms of Ciconia’s moral message and R07’s commentary on, you know. Living in an era of rising tension and nationalism. Anybody else miss the island of cheeky murders?
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Jan 3, 2020 15:15
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Quinn2win posted:The countless news stories being shown here made it clear that places around the world were simultaneously catching fire, and the entire globe was enthusiastically saying that even war wasn't off the table. Well Quinn, you didn't get to your planned Christmas scene in time, but I'd say your timing for this one was spot-on  And the narrator is an eugenicist on top of everything else. Lovely.
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Jan 3, 2020 15:19
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The fun part of the establishment of the Order of the Public Bath is that, if what Jestress said back at the start of the game is true, it was already compromised before they even started talking to other factions.
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Jan 3, 2020 15:57
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Seconding that the timing of this update was eerie. WRT the mole, each squad has one, right? I hope I’m remembering correctly. But I think the game wants us to think Gunhild is the one—given her background, for sure. Why would two geniuses be double agents as opposed to someone who struggled to get where she is? So my immediate feeling is to throw her out. It could be the BluMiyao or even Meow, I guess, operating while Miyao is asleep.
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Jan 3, 2020 18:49
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Pretty much every AOU member has a reason to be the mole except Jayden
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Jan 3, 2020 19:18
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Every faction has a mole. So, one for every two squads.
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Jan 3, 2020 19:23
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Carpator Diei posted:And the narrator is an eugenicist on top of everything else. Lovely. The narrator for this update was mostly Toujiro's inner thoughts, which are unsurprisingly pretty awful. It's kind of confusingly done, but there isn't really one unified "narrator" for this game. When it goes off into the third person narration it usually outlines how a specific character sees the world. Here Toujiro even continues right off from the narration seamlessly, talking about things in the exact same terms that the "narrator" was using.
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Jan 3, 2020 19:24
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Quinn2win posted:Every faction has a mole. So, one for every two squads. Thanks for the clarification. Then my money's on Lilja.
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Jan 3, 2020 19:47
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The invention of a fake "enemy outcast" to rile up tensions is super fascinating and extremely disturbing, but it also feel extremely Ryukishi07 to compare it to "people who dislike cat videos."
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Jan 3, 2020 22:12
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Given the "I love you" and Toujirou finding out right as it happened. I am guessing Meow told him about it. As Meow already explained they don't have to share memories if they don't want to.Quinn2win posted:Every faction has a mole. So, one for every two squads. We know the one for LATO already it's Valentina.
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Jan 3, 2020 23:35
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Wisteria's an interesting motif for Toujirou a toxic plant, one that takes a notoriously long time to flower despite its voracious growth. It also is unable to really grow unless it has a support beneath it, like a tree; however, if it grows too large, it can break that support it is rooted on. It's got a lot more symbolism in Japan as well, if the Japanese wikipedia page's length is anything to go by. Quinn2win posted:Every faction has a mole. So, one for every two squads. I definitely agree that Gunhild feels a bit like a sore thumb, but on the other hand, having her be the mole feels a bit obvious, especially after the cafe scene. Same with a lot of the characters in Grave Mole. My bet is probably on Jayden, Meow, or the option of some unreliable meta narrative fuckery that somehow makes Miyao the mole.
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Jan 4, 2020 03:33
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I was wondering about this whole mole thing. The kings only say that they have snuck members of their order into all four Gauntlet Knight units. The King of Fury then asks if that means four moles, but the question is never really answered. More than one mole per faction seems like an obvious answer. They also didn't include LATO in their list. The question is, is it because LATO wasn't infiltrated, or because LATO already belongs to them? I agree that Valentina is one of the most suspicious characters though. Then again, my own theory is that Keropoyo is the mole. That program just seems really suspicious to me. Everybody uses it, it's entirely free and open source, no drawbacks at all, no selling out, ... That frog is hiding something.
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Jan 4, 2020 10:47
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see no weevil posted:I definitely agree that Gunhild feels a bit like a sore thumb, but on the other hand, having her be the mole feels a bit obvious, especially after the cafe scene. Same with a lot of the characters in Grave Mole. My bet is probably on Jayden, Meow, or the option of some unreliable meta narrative fuckery that somehow makes Miyao the mole. The hint there is in the name of the team: Everyone in "Grave Mole" is a mole, obviously.
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Jan 4, 2020 19:33
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Cloacamazing! posted:Then again, my own theory is that Keropoyo is the mole. That program just seems really suspicious to me. Everybody uses it, it's entirely free and open source, no drawbacks at all, no selling out, ... That frog is hiding something. There's a quote, used to criticize Facebook: "If you're not paying for it, you're the product"
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Jan 5, 2020 02:38
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witchcore ricepunk posted:Seconding that the timing of this update was eerie. And, I mean, her knowing more about what their dad is up to than Miyao does would be a pretty interesting twist, and it'd also explain why the narrative has been so mum on what her relationship with Toujirou is like, because the answer is 'spoilers'. Moreover, stirring up conflict to wipe out much of humanity is a horrific act, but even as relatively early as we are in the story we've been presented with a lot of reasons why someone would have that bitterness towards this setting. EDIT: Also to be fair, that doesn't make her the mole loyal to the Three Kings, but she is at the very least someone leaking information to her dad because things are escalating, Miyao is doing some extremely risky things and she shares a body with him and cares about him, and she's very probably freaked out! It's not her fault her dad is a scumbag, but it also means anything Miyao does that she knows about is compromised from the start. PetraCore fucked around with this message at 05:18 on Jan 5, 2020 |
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Jan 5, 2020 05:07
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Nerdietalk posted:The invention of a fake "enemy outcast" to rile up tensions is super fascinating and extremely disturbing, but it also feel extremely Ryukishi07 to compare it to "people who dislike cat videos." That's a valid observation, but it's not totally unrelated, since a fair portion of Youtube traffic is just bots, and those are probably the vast majority of the 'minority' up/down voters. I don't know if that will play into this story, but there was a time when the YT algorithm was in danger of flagging the actual humans as being the anomalous traffic.
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Jan 5, 2020 23:57
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 BGM: Chat  "Heheh, sorry we're late, everyone." "Tina put in It's a Wrap Public Lust again and got a bunch of errors! You're way too lusty!" "...Maybe we really should just change the name to It's a Wrap Public Lust." "See, Japanese is tough. I have been proven correct!" "How about 'The Order of Miyao's Long-Lived Public Bath of Great Justice'?" "How about the Order of the Hell Murder Bloody Splash Fearsome Gut-Eaters? Hmm, Japanese words really are difficult. I can't find a single cool one to use." "...Maybe it really would be best to keep it The Order of Public Lust... Ah, crap, even I input it wrong..." "There, you see that? Heheheh. Even a Japanese person like Miyao admits that 'yokujou' and 'yokujou' are confusing." "You're talking about lust in a public bath, right?! That's shameless, perverted! More importantly, Miyao! Please tell us what this is all about!"Because the energetic big sisters from LATO showed up late, they were stuck having the same conversation a second time. However, they listened seriously and agreed with the Order's aims. After all, as members of the IPMA, they were hardly in conflict with the sort of chivalric order Miyao had envisioned. However, they decided that they would show their personal justice through the IPMA itself. In other words, they agreed with the goals of the Order of the Public Bath, but they didn't join it. However, they seemed very intent on being added as observers.   "If there's ever only one group defending justice, no one will be able to make sure it doesn't go out of control. So, we intend to watch over you from our current positions, to see if you're really able to dedicate yourselves to peace!" "Heheh. And I'm sure your chivalric order intends to watch over us, to see if we can remain a source of impartial justice, yes? After all, you rose up because you didn't want to blindly accept everything those old people called justice."LATO was a very prosperous and powerful group of countries, and they had superior relationships with all the other factions. So, it was generally believed that there was no need for them to take any faction's side, and that they could maintain a neutral position. However, anyone who accepted that blindly would just be acting the part of an irresponsible fuse again. If you say something's right because someone else said it was, or that anything that gets called justice is justice, then you haven't gotten anywhere. Constantly check what justice is using your own conscience, and make sure you have a sword hidden in your heart. That way, if you see someone turning their back on peace, you can stand up to them, even if it's on your own. That was the Order of the Public Bath.  "That's why we won't join. We need you to inspect our sense of justice." "And, as time goes on, we'll be constantly inspecting yours. And if we judge that the justice you promote clearly differs from the justice promoted by the IPMA, expect to be dealt with accordingly. Heheheh..." "...In other words, you two want to be external observers of our Order?" "That's right!" "Judging what is or isn't a sprout of war is extremely difficult. Perhaps sometimes, it will be valuable to have the opinion of those who can look down impartially on all the world's factions." "You're right. After all, there's nothing more dangerous than a selfish sense of justice gone wild." "To prevent that from happening, there's a lot I would like to learn from these two from LATO going forward." "Heheh. Sure. Ask us anything whenever you want." "It really seems...that something truly interesting is about to happen." "Then let us proclaim the formation of Mitake Miyao's chivalric order!"The Order's Grand Master was its creator, Miyao. While serving as the leader of the whole group, he was also in charge of the members from the AOU. In addition, he was its spiritual leader, who made the Order's philosophy clear and understandable to its members, guiding them.  "That Grand Master stuff... is seriously embarrassing, so please just call me Miyao like normal!" Valentina and Maricarmen from LATO would be external observers. As members of the IPMA, they would presumably watch over them, making sure the Order's justice didn't head off in the wrong direction. "So, that makes six of us, yes? I wonder if we could find one more." "Why do we need one more?" "Hahahah. Well, for things like this, wouldn't it be cooler to have seven people together?" "I see. Lucky seven, is it? Heheh." "We already have one from each faction. Having two from a single faction would be unbalanced." "Maybe we should recruit another external observer from LATO?" "I can't really think of another kid I could trust enough to let in on something like this..." "...Hmm. Well, I guess I'll give up on it. I did think it would be cool to have seven knights." "Huh? Keropoyo?!" How can you refuse to acknowledge me as a comrade, even though I provide you with a pleasant room, manage your logs and perform maintenance, and even handle translation and searches for you?! *sob*sob*, *kero*kero*kero*＞＜ "In that case, maybe you can be our secretary?" "I see. True enough, the role of secretary really does suit him. Without Keropoyo, even just going back through our logs would be time consuming." "Interesting. Having one person... no, one amphibian on our team would make this much more interesting." "I get the feeling we'll have even snakes and slugs joining us before too long..." "Okay, okay. You're in, Keropoyo. I'm appointing you as the Order of the Public Bath (temporary name)'s secretary!" "Nice! I guess this makes you the second frog in the world to call himself a knight! That's so cool!" "Heheheh? What do you mean? Has there ever been another frog knight?" "...After this, I should talk to Maricarmen about setting up an Order of Classic JRPG Lovers..." "In that case, Keropoyo, would you care to propose a set of furnishings for Miyao's Order's virtual room?" "That is a good point. The It's a Wrap Public Bath and the Order of the Public Bath are two completely different organizations. To make it easier to switch between the two, we ought to use suitable furnishings for when we're with the Order." "I suppose that means we should furnish it in a way that matches its name. I wonder how it would look if it was the Order of Hell's Bloody Heaven of Madness and Death?" "...Okay, Keropoyo. We'll be the Order of the Public Bath for the time being, so find us a wallpaper that fits with that." Roger that poyo! Now doing an image search for "public bath" and "lust" poyo! Poyo poyo poyooooo!!! "No, wait, hold on a sec...!!! Everyone, close your eeeeeeeeeeyes!!!" BGM: None           *patter*patter*patter*patter*...   
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Jan 6, 2020 14:43
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It's probably the stalest possible reaction to this update, but this picture could be verbatim a series of Trump tweets and it's kind of uncanny. As for the kids... With at least three potential leaks (Valentina, Meow and Keropoyo), and what seems like half a dozen global conspiracies actively working towards war, it's probably time to start speculating on what will lead to the guaranteed disaster. I'm assuming that two of the Gauntlet Knights from different factions will both get explicit orders to either kill the other or die trying.
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Jan 6, 2020 15:54
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Carpator Diei posted:It's probably the stalest possible reaction to this update, but this picture could be verbatim a series of Trump tweets and it's kind of uncanny. Turns out that zealous, saber-rattling "patriotism"/warmongering by big-ego'd world leaders looks the same no matter who's doing it.
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Jan 6, 2020 17:48
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Carpator Diei posted:It's probably the stalest possible reaction to this update, but this picture could be verbatim a series of Trump tweets and it's kind of uncanny. Nah, it doesn't threaten to do nearly enough war crimes for that.
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Jan 7, 2020 01:46
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| # ? Jun 11, 2024 22:22 |
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Well things are going bad
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Jan 7, 2020 06:29
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