|
A push to the limit. Edit:Which I broke.
|
#
?
Nov 25, 2019 08:56
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 1, 2024 09:26 |
|
|
   BGM: Welcome to A3W Civilian: "Our former Prime Minister, a leader of peace and democracy, was killed by the ACR Royal Family! Africa must not fall back into a dark age! We request humanitarian military support from the ABN military to protect the people of Africa...!!" Narrator: "ACR Royal Family Press Secretary Rafini said this measure was taken because making any announcement before the investigation concluded might have led to a panic, in effect confirming the leak." Press Secretary: "This crime was committed by secret agents of the ABN Guidance Department, which has always challenged the harmony of the African continent. A male and a female member of the ABN involved with this assassination have already been arrested, and we have asked that the International Criminal Police Department issue an official notice regarding four other participants." Narrator: "The ABN Department of Friendship, their equivalent to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has expressed their deep regret at these comments, and..."  Commentator: "Ever since the disputed Kashmir region was found to contain a large-scale spirit field, the ABN and the COU have each publicly encouraged the other to show self-restraint, while simultaneously claiming that they themselves ought to possess the Kashmir region. This issue has been suspended for quite some time, but it seems that the moment has finally come for them to clash openly." Reporter: "The Foreign Ministers of COU China and COU India have both released statements. They're harshly criticizing the ABN, saying that their breach of the agreement by resuming mining operations will not be tolerated, and that they must bear responsibility for whatever happens next!"   "Heheheh, heheheheheheheh." "It would count as information if this was news, but it isn't news to us." "After all, when they announce the news, they're just reading our manuscript aloud for us." "Precisely. All is in the name of guiding humanity down the right path. Heheheheh..." Narrator: "The vast Glass Sea that separates COU Japan and AOU Japan has been maintained by both countries as a symbol of peace and a World War Relic, and they've attempted to use it as an opportunity to build harmony. At least, until recently." Commentator: "Well, hahahah... I suppose it's natural for Rare Spiritium to become a source of disputes." Narrator: "Who could have predicted that a spirit field of Rare Spiritium would be found in the earth below the Glass Sea?" Commentator: "AOU Japan did a soil analysis first, discovering that a vast spirit field existed there, but they concealed that information and effectively prevented a soil analysis by COU Japan. AOU Japan says their announcement was merely delayed, and that they hadn't intended to conceal anything, but the COU strongly suspects that they were trying to keep the spirit fields all for themselves." Narrator: "COU Japan claims that the Glass Sea was divided in half, so the western half belongs to them, but AOU Japan claims that the Glass Sea is a Neutral Zone managed by both countries. COU Japan has suggested that they might station border guards in that area, so it seems unlikely that the Glass Sea of Japan will escape becoming another disputed territory!"   "Everything is proceeding smoothly. Even though they lost almost all their pieces in the big war, they've managed to scrape together this much in just over a century. I must admit I'm impressed, *clap*clap*clap*" "We also have reports that their pawns hidden in countries around the world have all started taking action at once. Are you sure we shouldn't make our move?" "Nah, it'll be fine." "If half or so of the world gets destroyed, that's probably just what humanity needs about now. Civilization is a unicycle that humanity's constantly riding. If they stop, they fall. So they have to keep on moving. The only problem...is that civilization has an end." "When you reach that end, 'they' will definitely come." "It'll be a festival, a harvest festa. Everything will be reaped, without even a single husk left behind. It'll all be pulled up by the roots. Compared to that, World War IV will be far more humane. If you just rewind the world's civilization a little, the end of civilization will be that much further away. And weapons of mass destruction have already been eradicated. See? Nothing to worry about at all, ahahaha." Narrator: "They demanded that the ACR withdraw a single ship?" Commentator: "It's classified as a warship, but the Atlantis is a Superfortress-class Segmented Warship, an ocean fortress made of 7 massive linked warships. It's also a symbol of their occupation of the Atlantis Spirit Field, so it's hard to imagine the ACR going along with this." Narrator: "Another news item just in. The ACR Royal Family, referencing 12 murders including that of former Prime Minister Zeidan, has demanded the return of Supreme Chancellor Belloumi of the Liberal Democratic Party African Liberation Front, who is currently receiving political asylum in COU Madagascar. It is unlikely that the COU will respond to this demand, and many think this will further complicate the Mozambique Channel issue, which concerns a heating up of travel restrictions through the area near the Lemurian Spirit Field!"  Reporter: "The AOU Russian military is concentrated on their border and has hinted that they might enter as part of a humanitarian operation to protect citizens of Russian descent if the worst were to happen! Of course, the ABN Peace Department has objected vehemently to this. It's suspected that, behind the scenes, complicated religious issues that have been forcibly silenced are at play here. This powder keg may have been lit last month when several VIPs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church were arrested!" Narrator: "Meanwhile, on the internet, theories that all these international tensions are being fueled by a LATO international conspiracy have been gaining steam." Blogger: "It's a conspiracy by the countries of LATO, trying to get the other four factions to take each other out! The four factions must maintain their self-restraint and calmly deal with these issues! Now is the time for peace and coexistence! The anti-pacifist LATO must be annihilated! LATO must stop monopolizing Rare Spiritium fields and share them with the whole world!!" Commentator: "Well, LATO, the world's greatest supplier of Rare Spiritium, is periodically set up as the villain of international conspiracies. In particular, old major countries who looked down on nations affiliated with LATO in the B3W era are rumored to be unsatisfied with LATO's international leadership in A3W society, even to the point of jealousy. It seems the military tensions springing up across the world will affect all factions, even LATO."  BGM: Manshon no kabe o hashiru tokage  "As if you didn't know about all these things beforehand, Your Excellency."In the highest-class private room of a resort hotel, an old, pudgy military official and Toujirou were sharing a meal. There were MPs in the four corners of the room, all staring at Toujirou...  "Humans are despicable creatures, after all. The feeling of superiority we get simply from knowing things a bit sooner than the general public makes a good drink that much more delicious. Gahahahahahahah." "If we keep this up and dash straight into World War IV, that ought to sober them up." "Gahahaha. No one wants that. This moderate sort of tension sometimes builds during peacetime, but whenever it does, they beautifully make up and give the world's news a good story with a nice moral. Everyone wants a scenario like that to play out. And that's what will happen this time too." "After all, unless you give humans some tension every now and then, they start to forget how precious peace is. They also forget how grateful they are to the people who've protected that peace." "Exactly. After all, this spurt of international tension will make for an excellent chance to show off the true purpose of militaries and related institutions, whose job has become nothing more than earning medals in Battle Standard Festivals under the noble guise of being servants of peace." After all, national borders had been maintained thanks to a healthy military balance, and they were now wonderfully stable. Not only that, but once the newest type of weapon -- the Gauntlet -- was made ready for practical use, a few thousand suitable youths would be able to replace millions of soldiers. In the end, militaries around the world would probably be dismantled. This development was hardly amusing for old men with vested interests in the military's upper echelons, as well as high-ranking men in active service who wanted their spots. "If only there was an upswing of military tensions, giving me a chance to shine." ...A lot of military men were thinking that way. It's just like how there's never been an exterminator who wants all bugs to go extinct... However, there were quite a few old men who didn't care about the future, who were more interested in how much easy money they could make now. By the time all militaries were dissolved, they would be long retired. Why should they care what happened after that? To them, these global military tensions, which were building after such a long time, would be their last festival... and a chance to rake in the dough. The military official rose to his feet and gazed through the window at a well-lit pool under the night sky.   "Oh? I wonder who that friend might be. When doing business with me, being loose-lipped is against the rules." "No, no. His lips were indeed tightly sealed. And, I can guarantee that he'll never speak of you again as long as he lives. Have no fear, Toujirou." "...I see. So that's why he never responds when I ask him to go out for a drink." "Toujirou, I'm not a small fry like him. I have power. I have no shortage of strong cards to play. And with those cards, I can help you earn even more..." "Would you mind showing me those cards?" "I've never shown my cards to anyone who hasn't brought me a sack of money, but you're different, Toujirou. Very well, as an apology for inviting you here so abruptly, I'll show you."The military official signaled to an MP with his chin.  An email had been sent to Toujirou's Selcom. He quickly checked the attached file. In it was a record of a top-secret meeting at the IPMA, the International Peace Mediation Association. It showed that they had decided to take a wait-and-see approach, practically speaking, regarding the feuds that had popped up simultaneously all over the world. The digital signature was good. This was real. It wasn't exactly surprising. Considering this man's position and connections, it shouldn't have been impossible for him to get his hands on this. "...This card's not bad, Your Excellency."These files were surely precious things, capable of predicting the future state of the world. "The cards I have are really nothing special. I hear you have some very nice cards yourself, and that you have all sorts from all over the globe..." "Compared to your cards, mine are little more than a parking pass." "Gahahaha. Toujirou, I want to be your new friend... Or are you thinking that I wouldn't be useful to your business...?" "I'm glad to have formed an amicable relationship with you! Now that you've joined forces with me, I promise to make sure you rake in the dough!" "And I promise to earn you even more. Or rather, if I didn't, I get the feeling I'd be footing the bill for my stay here." "Hey, Toujirou. As your new friend, and since we're exchanging business cards, could I ask you to reveal just one tiny card of yours...?"The military official suddenly smirked impishly. It was the sort of unpleasant familiarity often used by people who don't really want to be called friends. "In that case, to celebrate my new friendship with Your Excellency, here's your card. Do you have stock in any Environmental 8MS-related companies?" "Of course. Stock in 8MS companies is like a goose that always lays safe golden eggs!" "You may want to sell that off, bit by bit." "Why...?!" "...Well now, that would be a different card, Your Excellency." "Hmmmmmm... You aren't testing me, are you...?" "Not at all. If you really do trust me, then you had better do as I say. If Environmental 8MS were to run into some kind of trouble, the whole world would go back to its nanomachine allergy of a century past. When that happens, it will already be too late." "...I-I understand, Toujirou... I'll take this friend's warning to heart. First Lieutenant Valentina!" "Toujirou is my friend. Tell the Public Safety Office that they may remove their mark on him. You may leave!" "As you wish, Your Excellency."Valentina saluted and left the room. As she walked through the hall, her Kizuna told her that a friend had sent her a message...  You've received a message from friend "Maricarmen" poyo! Maricarmen: "I even got a notification saying that I might get caught up in some kind of conspiracy, so I needed to be extra careful of anything suspicious! Seriously, what'll I do if war really does break out?! I only became a Gauntlet Knight because I wanted to fly! I don't want a war! Seriously...!"  "...Heh." Opening text editor poyo. "Heheh, don't be silly. Of course there won't be a war." "No one wants war. They're all just amusing themselves with this situation that smells like war." "It's just like how you enjoy being scared of ghosts every year during Halloween." Message sent to "Maricarmen" poyo! "...You became a soldier because you wanted to fly?"Monsters all over the world are wriggling in the darkness, trying to start a greed-filled carnival. Only those who predicted the wave and managed to move first will survive and get rich. You became a soldier because you wanted to fly...? Fool... 
|
|
#
?
Nov 25, 2019 14:58
|
|
|
Quinn2win posted:
|
|
#
?
Nov 25, 2019 15:00
|
|
|
Wow, these are really unpleasant characters with whom the author is asking us to spend time.
|
|
#
?
Nov 25, 2019 16:07
|
|
|
I mean, spending time with the villains in order to establish dramatic irony is a pretty time-honoured technique. It's just that Ryukishi is very good at writing deeply unpleasant villains (while also showing them to be just flawed humans, in general).
|
|
#
?
Nov 25, 2019 16:41
|
|
|
Ryukishi is exceptionally good at writing villains, which can make the time spent with them unpleasant for certain.
|
|
#
?
Nov 26, 2019 03:09
|
|
|
Quinn2win posted:Fun fact! I thought this a typo in the translation, but it appears to actually be a nod to the VN Rewrite's fan disc Rewrite Harvest Festa! on which Ryukishi07 was a scenario writer. Ha, missed that one. Looking forward to the eventual localization I supported!
|
|
#
?
Nov 26, 2019 23:23
|
|
|
Quinn2win posted:Now is the time for peace and coexistence! The anti-pacifist LATO must be annihilated! rightwingdiscourse.txt With the introduction of the Three Kings I got a bit worried that the story might devolve into conspiracism (although I didn't really expect it), but it seems that the whole matter is quite a bit more interesting, with various shady actors working against each other out of a variety of motivations. And it all ties nicely into the general theme of generational conflict, considering that the Gauntlet Knights seem to have rather different ideas about international relations.
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2019 10:47
|
|
|
 BGM: White Song   "I don't mind that. Not at all."Of course, that was a lie. Was it really today? Was this really the right time? Was this really the right place? He had checked that mail thread with his mental tablet way too many times, so much so that he'd been asked "Do you want to set this as your default wallpaper poyo?"   "How can you be so rude, Abdou? Also, you owe me 1 credit." "A late woman is the one for you. A late man must commit seppuku. Arriving first and waiting is what makes a man a man."In the virtual room inside Jayden's head, all his male friends from the Public Bath were giving him support. After all, because Supergenius Jayden's parallel processing ability had been recognized at a young age, he had grown up in a special institution. Forget that baptism of American boys known as "the prom". He hadn't had any exciting contact with the opposite sex at all. He did have a naturally cheery personality, and he knew from sitcoms how attractive guys were supposed to act, but this was his first time putting that into practice. A closely-fought battle had taken place between the pressure of making sure his first date had a good time... and his pride and embarrassment at the thought of having to ask his friends for help... Eventually, the former won out, and he had gathered his friends in a virtual room so they could offer him support during his date...  "Hey boy, shouldn't you start by complimenting the girl who got all dressed up for this day?" "O-Oh, right...!"  "Th-Thanks...! ...But I overdid it a bit, and it looks like my shoes don't really fit me." "They're adorable girly shoes. You might have Miyao's body, but you look so cute when you're Meow." "Minus 5 points. When dealing with a CPP, it's safer to avoid comparing them to their other personalities." "...C-Crap...!" "I picked them because they're cute, but there's no point if it's hard to walk in them. And on the big day of our date, too..."  "I'd say 'Don't worry about it being hard to walk. Just hold my hand and we'll take it slow.'" "I'd show respect for the fact that she chose shoes she wasn't used to. 'Thanks for picking the cutest shoes for my sake.'" "Well, I'd go with 'Let's stop by a drugstore and buy some foot protection tape, so your precious feet don't get hurt.'" "If we're going that route, say 'For the sake of your lovely feet, my princess, I would gladly become your clogs myself.'" "How about you tsun with a 'That's what happens when you wear shoes you aren't used to, stupid.' And then dere with a 'Speak up if you get tired, okay? I'll carry you.' Woo!"  "Get ahold of yourself! A date is a battlefield! If you let your guard down, some other girl will snatch him from you...!" "Heheheh. Jayden is pretty cool, after all. Even I was thinking about taking a shot at him." "I'm not sure about the cool part, but I've learned from this that he's surprisingly cute." "Still, I don't understand. Why did you go out of your way to get Meow shoes that were hard to walk in?" "You just don't get it, wowow! If you totter around in awkward shoes, the boy might lend you his shoulder, wow!" "...It shows off your mentality of pure and innocent love, since you chose those shoes for him, even though it would be difficult to walk in them. It's a splendid romantic strategy." "Jayden's hesitation is proof that he's just as nervous as she is. Just enjoy this feeling of awkwardness and innocence." "J-Just enjoy it...? That doesn't help at all...!"Like Jayden, Meow had also invited the girls of the Public Bath into her mind, asking them to give her support. But, you know what they say about having too many cooks in the kitchen. In the end, the support didn't help either of them at all and only ended up confusing them.   "Huh...???" "Now! When the man slips up, you must giggle and soften the mood!" "Now's your chance to pretend to trip and lean on his shoulder, wow!"   It seemed it would take quite some time before either realized that getting live advice during a date was a bad idea... Jayden had been the one who asked her out. Meow was the kind of personality that hid in Miyao's shadow most of the time, so there weren't many chances to talk to her directly. One night, when Miyao was sleeping, he had messaged Meow, and while they were engrossed in their conversation, he had strengthened his resolve, deciding that if he didn't ask her out now, it might be a long time before he got another chance. He had stepped up to a man's challenge and, miraculously, had set up today's date. The location he had chosen was Neo Akihabara, in the center of Tokyo. Of course, it got its name from Akihabara, which was once hailed as a sacred land of otaku culture. It was still a sacred land for subcultures in this era, but that definition was now broader. In addition to anime, manga, and games, it was packed with all sorts of ridiculous things, including artists, performers, underground idols, a precision circuit board shop, a carnivorous plant shop, the World Spice Marketplace, the Official Chessboxing Shop, an underwater combat gym, the World Furry Convention, monster parties, the Hairy Man Co-sleeping Cafe, the Slug Racing Tokyo Wanyan Cup, stop by now and get 200 sacred gems, and so on. And, it was a bustling city, always filled with the enthusiasm of youths who wanted to make their dreams a reality. ...By the way, the original Akihabara had been swallowed up by fancy fashion skyscrapers and was now a high-class city lined with expensive brand stores on par with Ginza. These days, saying someone was 'Akiba Style' basically meant that they looked like a celebrity. Oh, your boyfriend's Akiba style? Wow! ...No, not that Akiba style, he's Neo Akiba style. That's become a classic gag in this era...  BGM: Konpeki no Sora to Hikoukigumo  "The point of a date is that you both enjoy it, right? If you're just trying to entertain her, that makes you a tour guide, not her lover." "But even so, how could you choose Neo Akihabara? Shouldn't it be a more grown-up city...?" "Grown-up cities are built to entertain grown-ups. Those two are kids. Kids should be kids and play where they don't have to strain themselves." "In my experience, women who want a grown-up date usually just want to show off by walking around with a hot guy." "Hey now. This is no time to bad-mouth the princess, okay?"  "After classifying their types and their available area of action, this city was optimal." "Neo Akihabara is famous even in the COU. They say there are all sorts of strange things there! I would like to go, if I had a chance." "Heheheh. If he heard that, I'll bet a certain someone would say 'Such a place is not suitable for one such as you, princess.'" "Momotake is always strict on me. I suppose Father told him to keep an eye out." "But, but! I've heard that Neo Akihabara's an immoral city filled with posters and billboards that expose women's skin, wowow! That's just too obscene!" "That's the old Akihabara. Neo Akihabara goes far beyond that, as a melting pot of all sorts of inexplicable cultures. Come on, don't be shy, take a look."In Jayden's and Meow's brains, their friends were definitely looking down on this from above, like sightseers.   "H-Hmm, well, every once in a while. I've gotten involved with subcultures briefly a few times... It's not like I'm an otaku or anything." "Ah, I knew someone as cool as you couldn't possibly be an otaku..." "Y-Yeeah... Otaku are, like, so anti-social, right...?!" "Y-You're right... It's just crazy to lock yourself up and play video games all the time... Hahahah..." By the way, Meow loved video games, manga, and anime too. Most of the time, she couldn't leave the inside of Miyao's head, so entertaining herself by fishing around the internet had become a hobby of hers. After seeing this, their friends concluded that they were doing something typical of innocent couples, going into bluff mode and trying too hard to look impressive. They poked fun at them a lot under the guise of giving advice, saying 'Be honest, don't lie to her and yourself, how could you possibly like someone who can't say they like what they like?' Gradually, the pair of them both realized they were thinking the exact same thing, and trying too hard in exactly the same way.   "I acted like I knew nothing about this city, but that's not true at all. If anything, this is my home. That maid game center we just passed? I go there all the time. I've got a freaking platinum membership card. I know I said 'that's creepy, I wonder what kind of person goes to places like that', but this here's obviously platinum, isn't it? Thank you for your time." "I-I-If you say that, umm... Well, this is the first time I've come to this city, but I've bought things from lots of these stores over the net... And as for me, I spend all my time shut up in my brain, and I love manga and games... But...I didn't want to creep you out..." "What the heck...? So, we've both just been trying to act cool...?" "Ahahah... We're...so uncool..." "Do you play games too, Meow? Which manga have you read?" "Stuff like O-One Peach, S-Slam Donk, D-Dragon Bell..." "Whoa, so you love the classics, huh?! I love all of those, and when I start reading them on my days off, it suddenly gets dark outside before I realize it, wahahah...!"At one point, the old internet's culture had brought manga and similar industries to the brink of destruction, with illegal sharing and the like. However, thanks to various new A3W technologies, they were being protected again and were on the rise once more. Partly because manga-making techniques had temporarily gone extinct, classics from the A2W's golden age of manga were coming into the limelight yet again.  "I love Yuyusama Hakushon and Hunted x Hunted too!" "Jojo's Bizarre Barbeque is great too! One time, when my friends and I had a barbeque, I tried to do a Jojo grill, but screwed up and dropped the meat." "I wanna do a Jojo grill too! I wanna do the one on the cover of volume 32!" "Hahahah, ahahahahahah. We really are creepy, aren't we?" "Yeah, we are. But I think that's us at our most honest, and this city suits it perfectly."The two of them finally became their real selves, relaxing and laughing together honestly...  He couldn't help but be amazed by the fact that, when dealing with humans, what they are on the inside matters far more than how they appear. At the same time, he felt even more affection for Meow. Even though they were going out for the first time, she had been watching him for so long, inserting compliments in the middle of Miyao's lecture mode the whole time. And, as his fondness increased, a certain question entered his head and wouldn't go away. However, he couldn't ask Meow directly. It would be hard to find the answer. And if he asked his friends, they might really get mad at him this time... No, but...! But isn't this exactly the time you're supposed to rely on your adolescent friends?!  BGM: Daisanzi  "Yeah, pretty much." "We thought it would be rude to intrude any further. We were just planning to go our separate ways..." "...If this question is inappropriate, please forget what happened today and leave quietly. I don't even mind if you unfriend me..." "Hey, what's up...? It's not like you to be this serious." "I don't know anything about CPPs, so I keep misunderstanding things and hurting people. I really am sorry that I'm so ignorant. I get all that, but there's still one thing I just have to ask." "There's no need to be so timid. Ask us whatever you want." "We'll happily answer any questions you have. So, is this about what to do in bed? Heheheh." "No, umm... It's not like I expect that to come up on a first date. It's just, umm, the thing I wanna ask is sort of related to that..."...I want to make this clear. No, the simple fact that I care about something like this might already be rude to some of the people here... But even I'm basically... a healthy, average, absolutely normal guy, right?! Isn't it obvious that I'd want to know?!   "...Can't you just check in the shower room after training?" For example, in addition to men's and women's public bathrooms, there were also restrooms either could use. Just like women's restrooms, they had only stalls. However, you were allowed to use them regardless of your sex, so even gender minorities could use them without having to worry about whether they were a girl or a boy. In short, even sex was a protected item of private information in AOU Japan. Gauntlet Knights, who were military officers, were given suitable lodgings for their positions. For that reason, even their showers were in their fully equipped private rooms. So, he had never seen whether his partner's body was male or female. Of course, any sort of touching that would allow you to determine someone's sex was illegal throughout the AOU, regardless of the perpetrator's age or gender. If Miyao's build had been more dramatically one way or the other, it would've been easy to tell, but he really did have a gray sort of build, that could either be a man's or a woman's.   "...I think those three from Yeladot Shavit could field that question best. Should I call them?" "N-No. I wanna ask the people here..."At first, everyone felt like bursting out laughing and poking fun at him, but they did understand how he felt.  "...If you get the lucky half of those 50/50 odds, I'd say there's no room for debate, so go for it. The problem is the other 50%." "Yep, yep. You didn't fall in love with her because you're after her body, right? So, it doesn't really matter what her biological sex is, does it...?" "Th-That's right...! It's Meow's heart and her kindness I fell in love with! E-Even if her body isn't a girl, I'll accept her...!!" "Nnn... You are...a true man..." "However, for your own mental health, you should probably resolve this issue quickly. If your heightened libido is unable to properly sublimate, you can expect to receive considerable mental damage." "So, if you are able to identify her sex somehow, what will you do if Meow's body is male, Jayden?" "Several of the most recent studies indicate that about 10% of the population is homosexual. Same-sex couples aren't particularly rare either." "Apparently, women these days view same-sex couples as a more pure love, since your partner isn't just after your body..." "Well, love takes all kinds of forms. Either way, there are as many types of love as there are lovers." "If this is true love, you ought to follow through to the end. You need not let the words of outsiders trouble you." "In the end, that's what it comes down to. Do you like her or not? And if you do, how are you gonna show each other that? In the end, that's for you two to decide, heheheh."The young pair's sexual troubles were very innocent, and the kind of thing that can change completely depending on one's country, culture, and religion. However, Jayden and Meow were fortunately part of the same cultural sphere and had similar values when it came to romance. On top of that, the AOU was accepting of all sorts of genders, and same-sex marriages were legal as well. "In other words, you should decide freely, by your own will, as a pair who loves each other. That's the world you live in. So, you should enjoy your love to the fullest within those rules."It wasn't as though they were irresponsibly supporting a romance of a couple with unknown genders. They said this with the understanding that the AOU acknowledged same-sex couples. The AOU claimed to have abolished discrimination against sexual minorities, but not all factions did this. If Jayden and Meow had been in a different faction or cultural sphere, the others would probably have offered different advice.  "If Meow and I weren't from the AOU, could this have gotten messy?" BGM: Komugiro no Bishou "In the ACR, same-sex marriage is officially supported. Still, was it last year? ...It got out that one of the princes was gay, and everyone freaked out. Pretty sure he gave up his place in the royal succession and was forced to become a monk." "Yeah, I remember that. Gender minorities across the ACR started holding protests, right?" "It's not as though people across the world are free to do whatever they want, like in the AOU." "...We still don't know for sure if Meow's the same sex as me, but the world does have all kinds of issues, doesn't it?" "Do you remember that girl, Rukhi, from my squad, Suparṇa?" "Rukhshana? I remember her. She's the cute girl who came in waving with you during the Battle Standard Festival, right?" "In the culture of her country, it's considered immoral to have members of the opposite sex in the workplace." "Wait, what? Then how do men and women work together?" "Similar to how men and women have different bathrooms and changing rooms, people in her culture think it better to have workplaces that are also divided between boys and girls. Hmm, what a modest culture." Political concerns in the COU upper echelons had been partly responsible for the formation of that kette, so they couldn't have Andry leave their ace squad just for Rukhshana's sake. Instead, the heads of the COU government had stepped in personally to mediate, and in the end, the whole matter was settled by having the king of Rukhshana's country publicly announce that she had been given special permission. "I don't want you to get the wrong idea, but I'm not trying to say one group is right or wrong here. I'm just pointing out that all regions have their own cultures, which have been developed over long histories. They all have to respect one another. Fortunately, in the cultural sphere you and Meow live in, there shouldn't be any problems regardless of what her sex actually is. That's all I'm saying." "Still, there's one thing I want you to make sure you remember. In the AOU, whether it's same-sex marriage or whatever, that issue only concerns the two people involved. However, in another region, that could be completely different. In some situations, no matter how much you two decided you loved each other, it wouldn't work out... Make sure you don't forget that, okay...?" "In that sense, you are quite fortunate, Jayden." "..." For example, same-sex marriages are allowed in the AOU, but marriage between close relatives is not. However, if there existed a country that didn't allow same-sex marriages, but did allow marriages between close relatives, then the AOU would definitely be a backwards nation in their eyes. It isn't as though the cultures and laws of each and every place suddenly fall out of the sky one day, engraved on stone tablets. These things have been brewed throughout the long histories of the peoples in these lands. It would be arrogant for an outsider to call some of them advanced and some backwards. So, when some aspect of a culture doesn't fit in with its era, it's up to the people living in that cultural sphere to decide whether they should change it or not. Since even a single culture can have so many divergent views, if this pair of lovers had actually been from different cultures, this issue would surely have become even more complicated. It's even possible that it wouldn't work out, even if both of the lovers decided to go through with it.  "That's good. And as for overcoming the differences between American and Japanese culture, you should be able to find countless tips on the net from people who've succeeded at it." However, if I know her sex beforehand, I'll be able to control myself better in various ways, and I'm sure I'll be able to avoid hurting her. No, maybe it'll hurt her just to know that I'm thinking this. ...Oh, wait, I'm making a mistake here. This isn't something I have to figure out alone. It's something Meow and I have to figure out. If both of us really do want to be together, I'm sure we'll naturally find the proper distance to keep while still being ourselves. Isn't that obvious now, considering how much we've managed to relax around each other since we first arrived at Neo Akihabara...?   "What do you mean?" "About...my biological sex." "...Nnn-"Jayden panicked, thinking that she'd seen right through him. Then again, Meow had probably been having a mental conference with her female friends, just like Jayden.  "I-I..." "...Yeah?" "I love you, Meow." "...Th-Th-Thank you..." "Still, I didn't fall in love with you because you're a girl. It's because you're Meow." "...Uh-huh." "So, I'm not gonna force you to tell me." "I see." "And anyway, how can you be so sure I'm a guy? See how long my hair is? Maybe when I'm in my room, I tie them into twin tails and wear miniskirt maid outfits, right?" "Ahahahahahahah, I think I'd like to see that. Ahahahahahah." "So don't worry about it. We don't even live in a time where the ciconia carries our babies to us. Worrying about biological sex is a concept of the past." "You're saying that out of concern for me, aren't you? ...Thanks, Jayden." "Still, I really do think this is unfair." "What is?" "I mean I'm being unfair, not you." "What, seriously? Why?" "I started liking you knowing you're a wonderful man, but you started liking me without even knowing my sex." "Hmm. Well, I do believe Jayden has the right to seek sexual relations with the opposite gender in his dating life." "Wow? What relations? My Keropoyo started croaking, and I couldn't hear that part." "Oh, my. Want me to show you how to take off your filters? *giggle*" "I agree with Rethabile. If Jayden isn't going to be able to find what he's looking for, he has the right to spend all that effort on a different girl." "Maybe it's the same kind of unfairness as a married person, pretending to be single when talking to someone looking for marriage." "...For Jayden... No, for men, is it really so important that the one they love be of the opposite sex...?" "Princess, finding that fact to be strange or unsightly...is a sign of ignorance about the opposite sex." "Have you heard of the book What Men Think About Apart From Sex?" "What men think about apart from *kero*kero*? Men must really love Keropoyo, wow!" "What Men Think About Apart From Sex...?" "That sounds interesting. Let's look it up." Now searching poyo! "*giggle*giggle* Wasn't there also a book called What Women Think About Apart From Money?" "Meow, if you're worried about that, and you really like him, wouldn't it be better to come clean and tell him?" "..." "...That's certainly one option." "To be honest, even we don't know your body's real sex. Similarly, though we act like women, there's no way for anyone to know what our bodies' sexes are. Our bodies are far apart, and we can only meet in Kizuna virtual rooms, so our sexes don't really matter. However, in your world, where your bodies can actually approach each other, I'm sure it matters a lot." "I think that, as long as the love is mutual, it can be shared between people regardless of sex, and even with inanimate objects, if you take it to an extreme." "That's quite a unique way of thinking, Lingji. I don't dislike it though." "I'm aware that this view is only shared by a tiny minority, both in the COU and the world at large... I suppose gender... really is important." "If telling him the truth would make him give up on you, then that love wouldn't have lasted long anyway. If that's the case, you'd be better off making things clear sooner rather than later." "...Does this mean...your sex really is one that would make him give up on you...?" "N-No, it's not like that! Th-Thanks everyone, for worrying so much for my sake...! I-It's not as though I'm keeping quiet because my sex would make Jayden give up on me! That's, umm, my problem, our problem."  "Whether you decide to reveal it or not, that choice will also be part of your romantic experience." "If they both have love, there's no barrier they won't be able to cross, wow!" "In the end, what Naima just said is the answer. No matter how much we barge in and try to offer advice, it isn't as important as the answer Meow decides for herself. Meow, I think you should enjoy your love, including the part where you worry over this question." Jayden: "D-Don't worry about it, okay? There's no need to force yourself." Meow: "No, I want to tell you. I just need a bit more time to prepare myself mentally." Jayden: "...I see." Meow: "So, umm, Christmas..." Jayden: "Huh?"  Search results: In Japan, Christmas is considered a major event for couples poyo! By the way, America roasts turkeys for Christmas, but in Japan, they eat fried chicken for some reason poyo. "Not at all. I'll respect your feelings. But still, thanks." "Why...?" "You probably decided to do that for my sake. Thanks for caring about me so much. I'll make sure I care for you just as much, Meow. So I'll make you a promise right now." "...Okay." "Thanks, Jayden..."Christmas wasn't that far off. Once autumn and then winter came, it would be here. They passed in front of a home appliance modding store. In the window, a TV-toaster hybrid was showing them the news.  "He made it clear that they don't intend to interfere with any of these conflicts at this time. In response to this, the AOU Joint Press Secretary said-"  
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2019 14:38
|
|
|
If I may ramble for a bit about this scene - this scene actually made me cry when I first got to it. It's clumsy as hell (Jayden and Meow wouldn't have a gay relationship even if Meow is AMAB! also, that comparison between gay marriage and incest is super off base!), but it shows not only Ryukishi07's understanding of how much the LGBT text/subtext in his previous games affected people, but of an evolution of those themes to something more open and genuine. Jayden's constant panic as someone trying to navigate the unfamiliar queer space of a population he's super uninformed about is painfully relatable, the fictional concept of the CPP is coexisting with actual real-world LGBT concerns, and the game has a goddamn transgender protagonist. As someone who both loved Umineko and recently came out as nonbinary, this is the scene that made me realize that Ciconia is really going to be something special that I won't forget about in a long time.
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2019 14:42
|
|
|
It’s interesting how this scene plays into the overall themes of the work, too. There’s a big chunk in the middle there about cultural relativism that feels very similar to the way the kids talk about the Walls of Peace. There’s a great deal of respect, but it’s respect with hard boundaries. There’s understanding, but it’s one that not only expects, but enforces differences. Mostly though I just want to reemphasize that if anything happens to any of these incredibly important and precious children I will go apeshit.
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2019 15:30
|
|
|
This was very important and moving and a huge step in terms of outright stating feelings and opinions on LGBTQ issues rather than dancing around them! That said let us also not forget that in the wonderful advanced world of the future there exists a series called Jojo's Barbecue Adventures and I very badly wish it to be real.
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2019 16:01
|
|
|
Quinn2win posted:If I may ramble for a bit about this scene - this scene actually made me cry when I first got to it. It's clumsy as hell (Jayden and Meow wouldn't have a gay relationship even if Meow is AMAB! also, that comparison between gay marriage and incest is super off base!), but it shows not only Ryukishi07's understanding of how much the LGBT text/subtext in his previous games affected people, but of an evolution of those themes to something more open and genuine. Jayden's constant panic as someone trying to navigate the unfamiliar queer space of a population he's super uninformed about is painfully relatable, the fictional concept of the CPP is coexisting with actual real-world LGBT concerns, and the game has a goddamn transgender protagonist. As someone who both loved Umineko and recently came out as nonbinary, this is the scene that made me realize that Ciconia is really going to be something special that I won't forget about in a long time.
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2019 17:11
|
|
|
Alopex posted:This was very important and moving and a huge step in terms of outright stating feelings and opinions on LGBTQ issues rather than dancing around them! Will we finally learn how many breaded chicken wings jojo ate in his life?
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2019 18:19
|
|
|
All I can say is  Well, maybe one more thing: The whole treatment of Jayden's and Meow's relationship is written with quite a lot of confidence. Everything besides the key scenes is left out, trusting the writing to give the audience enough of an idea about what happened in-between. Just contrast this with how the portrayal of a budding love was handled in Episode 2 of Umineko. Quinn2win posted:
And in the middle of all that, the friendly reminder that one of these supersoldiers with almost unlimited killing potential (who will probably soon be forced to fight to the death) is literally too young to know what sex is.
|
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2019 21:28
|
|
|
Quinn2win posted:If I may ramble for a bit about this scene - this scene actually made me cry when I first got to it. It's clumsy as hell (Jayden and Meow wouldn't have a gay relationship even if Meow is AMAB! also, that comparison between gay marriage and incest is super off base!), but it shows not only Ryukishi07's understanding of how much the LGBT text/subtext in his previous games affected people, but of an evolution of those themes to something more open and genuine. Jayden's constant panic as someone trying to navigate the unfamiliar queer space of a population he's super uninformed about is painfully relatable, the fictional concept of the CPP is coexisting with actual real-world LGBT concerns, and the game has a goddamn transgender protagonist. As someone who both loved Umineko and recently came out as nonbinary, this is the scene that made me realize that Ciconia is really going to be something special that I won't forget about in a long time. Yeah, it became clear to me as soon as Meow showed up that Ryukishi planned to wade into transgender/nonbinary issues, but this scene was still a (pleasant) shock. I never expected to see a scenario like this show up outside of internet discussions. And even though the "dating a transgirl=gay" bit did leave me shaking my head, the intent behind the scene is genuine. One of my friends is deeply involved in queer issues, and I'm thinking of getting her a copy of Ciconia on Steam, even though she isn't hardcore weeb filth like me.
|
|
#
?
Nov 28, 2019 03:36
|
|
|
Viola the Mad posted:dating a transgirl Weirdly enough we don't even know if Meow is a trans girl. It could just as easily be Miyao is a transboy. Cause the two personality things make this a little more complicated than normal.
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2019 03:03
|
|
|
Wait, wait, wait; One Peach ended!?
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2019 03:32
|
|
|
Being able to talk to your friends to get contradictory date advise in the middle of the date is also just a hysterical premise for a scene. Driving it home with real issues with real heart is just.... incredible.
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2019 04:32
|
|
|
nerdman42 posted:Being able to talk to your friends to get contradictory date advise in the middle of the date is also just a hysterical premise for a scene. Driving it home with real issues with real heart is just.... incredible. It's exactly the kind of mistake that a teen would make during their first date, too.  I love how Ryukishi writes these dorks.
Viola the Mad fucked around with this message at 06:48 on Nov 29, 2019 |
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2019 06:44
|
|
|
   BGM: Welcome to A3W Instructor: "One, two! One, two! Hey, you're looking sloppy, put your heart into it!!" Instructor: "All of you except those two at the front are trash! You're imbeciles!! Everyone except those two, line up!!" Wham! Whack! Thwack! All the children in the line were hit, one after another. Corporal punishment against children was forbidden in all AOU educational institutions. However, since this place wasn't affiliated with any educational institution, they were allowed to use it without mercy.  However, you wouldn't see any trace of the peaceful voices and laughter you'd expect from a kindergarten or elementary school. Even that youngest class was repeatedly yelled at by instructors, and none of their expressions looked like what you'd expect from children of that age... This scene was being filmed by several cameras and displayed in a monitor room. Gathered in that room were inspection teams of officers from all of the AOU nations, listening to a staff member explaining the situation.  If you have high P3 levels, but also an extreme fear of heights, the Aerial Augmented Infantry is definitely not for you. If your P3 levels are decent, but your sense of spatial awareness is lacking, then you're probably not well-suited for it either. Not only do you have to be in total control in midair, a place where humans are normally unable to exist, but you also need to fight and achieve victory, so several other aptitudes and talents are also required. The combination of these qualities is called Aerial Augmented Infantry aptitude. It's not too far off from what was once demanded of fighter pilots. Staff Member: "P3 levels and Aerial Augmented Infantry aptitude. Currently, these two factors are the most highly prized, but at our institution, we've been seeking after and researching a third kind of aptitude."   "Heheheh. That's probably true. Kids these days are totally missing that, after all."As Okonogi gazed at the scenes of training filled with corporal punishment, he shrugged and laughed. This was the Geroy Level 4 Heavy Military Research Center. It had once been an AOU Russia research center for regenerative medicine, but it was now run by the AOU Combined Military for the purpose of training Aerial Augmented Infantry elites. For that reason, the staff members came from countries all over the AOU, and a mix of all sorts of languages could be heard. In this era, if you added a translation tool to your Selcom, different languages shouldn't have been a problem at all. However, people from the previous generation, like old military officers, had brains that worked extremely poorly with Selcom. So, even in this age, they needed to be accompanied by subordinates who could translate for them.  When people who lack confidence notice something important, they sometimes think they just saw it wrong, ignoring the fact that they noticed it. However, people with confidence are sensitive even to small things they spot, and they never doubt their instincts. When flying at 140 meters per second like a fighter plane, that can be the difference between life and death. In the world of Aerial Augmented Infantry aces, parallel thinking ability is taken for granted. On top of that, it's essential for them to have high Aerial Augmented Infantry aptitude, as well as sufficient self-empowerment with regards to both of the first two qualities. However, self-empowerment is an acquired trait. It's considered something you gain after repeated experiences starting from infancy. In the B3W world, education that encouraged growth through praise was highly promoted, but no one ever heard of it producing favorable results. So, perhaps the strict training and corporal punishment displayed on all these monitors...was this research institution's answer to that problem...  "Still, all this strictness really takes me back. After all, education's been so soft lately. In my day, it was normal to be taught with an iron fist. I suppose this man's 'self-empowerment' can be cultivated through tough training." "...Well, I wonder about that." As the period of restoration following World War III continued, the world grew a bit more peaceful, and many people assumed that children who had never experienced a major war were slacking off, precisely because they were so blessed. To counter this, they were punished strictly and unreasonably. When he looked at education in the modern era, where corporal punishment was banned, he did indeed feel that those children were missing something vital that needed to be nourished. ...However, he was still dubious that strict corporal punishment would give them this so-called self-empowerment. "After getting scolded and beaten endlessly, plenty of them have lost hope, or they've become subservient. True, some of the ones with good grades may have achieved this so-called self-empowerment, but that has nothing to do with whether they were beaten or not..."Staff Member: "You, over there. That's exactly right." "Huh?"Staff Member: "Some people with good grades have indeed achieved self-empowerment. That's correct. We realize that self-empowerment can be achieved most effectively by experiencing victory."  BGM: Manshon no kabe o hashiru tokage No matter how much talent they've been blessed with, people who lack self-empowerment -- who lack confidence -- can never achieve anything. Conversely, those who lack talent from the start will be useless no matter how confident they are. In fact, they can even get in the way of those with true talent. In other words, self-empowerment must be given to those with talent. That way, those who possess superior talent will be able to multiply their actual ability several times, thanks to their superior self-empowerment levels. However, though the B3W world was aware of the existence of self-empowerment, they hadn't yet discovered how to cultivate it.  Generally speaking, during mandatory education in the AOU, classes were split up more or less at random. Once you reached the higher levels of education, you would usually be divided up harshly based on your grades, with everyone going to educational institutions that matched their own levels of academic talent. However, even during mandatory education, academic ability will surely differ quite a lot between children. So, why don't they split up those classes based on everyone's ability...? In fact, thinking about it this way, it's almost as though they're going out of their way to distribute everyone evenly. Instructor: "In biology, it's known that social animals tend to form hierarchies within their groups. Humans are the same. Until now, it was thought that this was because individuals with less ability to survive would be weeded out, allowing the strong to survive and procreate."   "True. Experiencing victory at a young age can really boost your confidence. And if you don't experience it at all in your youth, it can make you grow subservient." "So, simply put, whether you're a winner or a loser in life is determined at a young age." "...Seriously? Who thought up this hellish technique...?"...I thought mandatory education was like a microcosm of society's unfairness, which you get to experience when you're young. There's good people and bad people. Smart people and dumb people. If you break the rules, you get scolded. But if you're the only one following the rules, you become an outcast. You learn who you should be nice to...and who to stay away from. Even if you do nothing wrong, you can suddenly be victimized. But if you're a bit clever, you can get someone else to take the fall for you. I thought mandatory education was all about stuffing all kinds of people into the same class, so that the rules of society can be beaten into them, even though ethics prevent teachers from saying these things flat out. ...But what if it wasn't about something as soft as making you experience society's unfairness? What if it has a clearer, more concrete, more educational purpose...?  "...If educators are doing that knowingly, how the hell can you call that a sacred profession...?"Though he smiled thinly and ironically, even Okonogi felt sick. In other words, the point of mandatory education...is to lock up the elite you want to nurture most...in the same class as their prey...?  BGM: Ominous3 The monitors focused in on a single instance of that rigid training. Each child was displayed with a green indicator box and ID, but just one person in that class was displayed with a blue indicator box and ID. They seemed to be doing a long-distance run, and though the child marked with blue seemed to be in pain, they remained at the head of the pack, without their pace faltering in the slightest. In comparison, the children with the green indicators were clearly exhausted, and some of them seemed to be giving it their all just pretending to run. An instructor blew his whistle, and the run ended. Everyone lined up. The blue child was incredibly exhausted, but still seemed to have quite a bit left in the tank, so they were able to swiftly reach their place in the line. However, all the green children were clearly staggering, which seemed to earn them the instructor's wrath almost immediately. Several people who had moved slowly were called forward and beaten, one after another.  A different monitor was showing various graphs based on all sorts of data being measured by the girl's Internal 8MS. This was right after heavy exercise, so her physical readings had declined due to exhaustion. However, several graphs showed that her mental condition had actually improved. Staff Member: "These indicate several positive reactions that can lead to improved self-empowerment, such as a sense of accomplishment and exhilaration. These are the result of an unconscious sensation of superiority, which is produced by the fact that the target achieved the best grades in her class, as well as the fact that those with the lowest grades were punished, but not her." "...So, she's a farmed winner..."Staff Member: "I prefer the term 'well-managed winner'." "...Heheh."Staff Member: "Her class has been assembled for the purpose of allowing her to experience victory." "Won't that sometimes give her a big head and make her stop trying to work hard...?" Staff Member: "No, you might even call them supergeniuses. What they need isn't hard work, but enough self-empowerment to give them confidence in their genius. Of course, geniuses who work hard will surpass those who don't, but that's a whole different story, so we don't need to go into it now."  "So, is that white girl on the monitor one of those supergeniuses?" "...Your Excellency, she's one of ours." "Oh, really?"Staff Member: "She's Second Lieutenant Chloe Ironside, formerly of the Canadian air force."  Sweating buckets after her long-distance run, Chloe stood at attention, absentmindedly looking at the poor performers who were being punished... She neither pitied them nor felt superior to them. But was that really true? In fact, it wasn't. She couldn't fully deny that part of her was relieved that she wasn't joining them, and she did feel superior... Instructor: "Where's your fighting spirit?! Stand!! I can't believe people like you ever thought you could join the Aerial Augmented Infantry! Did you think a Gauntlet is some sort of magical device that can make gutless people like you fly through the air?! Don't underestimate the Aerial Augmented Infantry!! Don't underestimate what it takes to be a soldier!!" The beatings continued, on and on. This wasn't a school. So, there was no escape. You had to undergo harsh training to become a Gauntlet Knight and remain victorious through your exams. And you weren't even allowed to leave until that period of time ended. All of them had signed admission contracts while fully aware of this.  They wanted to fly. They wanted to become heroes of the sky. But this institution never had any intention of granting that childish, innocent dream these children all shared. All of them were merely being thrown from a cliff into a kettle, still believing that they'd be able to fly... They had been gathered here as fertilizer for the Blues, the true development targets of this institution...  Staff Member: "Contingency fees and other methods that reward success are not cost effective. They're useful when dealing with an extremely limited group of elites, but it's impossible to reward everyone suitably that way."  "Okonogi, that girl represented us at the Battle Standard Festival, right?" "Yes, as part of Grave Mole. Her talent and aptitude are definitely top class, but it hasn't led to results for some reason, so she was sent here." "I suppose she was diagnosed with a lack of self-empowerment." "That's right. No matter how much I tell her, that nincompoop is always nervous, totally lacking confidence in herself. Haven't I karate-chopped her enough by now? Tch."  "Meowmeowmeow!! Welcome back meooooow, fuuuu!!" "...I'm back... I'm so tired..." "Whoa Chloe, you're way too low-key again!! Get fired up, get fired up meeoooow!!" "Shut up, Lilja. Try and keep the adrenaline under control, you *kero*kero*kero*. And Chloe, try keeping your adrenaline up a bit more. I'll bet you screwed up and got slapped." "...I... worked really hard today... Just now, the people who were slow... got hit a lot... ＞＜" "Kyahaha. Sucks to be them meeeeow. If they're giving up after a little training like this, there's no way they understand what it takes to become a Gauntlet Knight meow meooow." "Lilja sure is lucky, being able to get such a high after winning against small fry." "Of course meow! I'm the best in the world, so everyone else is small fry to me meow!! Of course, that includes you and Chloe too!" "I-I'm not a small fry! Even I'm trying my best＞＜" "Every single one of you is a small fry, except for me meow!! Look at me, look at me meow!"Lilja's sensation data was projected into the three girls' virtual room. They seemed to be doing parallel thinking training, and Lilja, covered with sweat, was proudly celebrating her victory, checking her score with her mental monitor. Lilja was in first place, with a P3 level that far surpassed second place. She was one of AOU Finland's top Aerial Augmented Infantry aces. It was only natural that a normal trainee wouldn't be able to match her. So, even Lilja didn't view this as a competition to get first place. She was just challenging her own boundaries, like it was a game. However, she still seemed immensely satisfied when she saw how much she'd overpowered the others on the score chart.  BGM: Rokugatsu no Sora  "..."The instructor's insults were a simple collection of verbal attacks against their character. Just a torrent of words meant only to wound their targets, shame them, and cause them mental anguish. Chloe, who could sympathize with their pain, bit her lower lip and hung her head... "...Is there something wrong with me? Is Lilja the one who's right...?" "There's nothing wrong with you. Is that what you want me to say?" "I-It's not like that..." "If you don't like it when people get beaten down and cry, you should quit, and leave your spot open for someone else. That way, one of the people who would've been crying won't have to." "I just wanted to fly...! But no one ever told me that I'd have to beat a whole bunch of people down, that I'd be forced to watch them cry...!" "Don't be so soft." "Am I soft?! That's wrong, isn't it? Isn't it?!" "You can't reach the sky just by stretching out your hand meow." "Is it never possible to achieve your dreams without using someone else as a stepstool? Why should we have to compete and take each other out?" "...Because a lot of brats want to fly, obviously." "And only a few people can become Gauntlet Knights meow. So, you've gotta beat them down. For the sake of your own dreams." "You know what, you know what?! In the first place, why...are there so many of us here?!" "...Because they're making a lot of them." "Humanity was almost destroyed in that big war. So we need to have a lot of kids to increase the population! I get that! But you know what?! ...A century has now passed, and civilization has already recovered to this point! Isn't that enough?! Why are they still making more of them?! Why do they keep making so many kids?!" "...That's easy meow. You can never have too many dice ready for the next time you'll need to roll them meow." "Dice?! Are we just dice in someone's game?!"  "You're a die that rolled a six. So, you get to fly with a Gauntlet." "That's right meow. We're all 'sixes', nothing more to it meow meow." "So, it's not like we're bringing anyone down. The 'ones' just get weeded out on their own." "...Is that true? ...Am I really...not bringing anyone else down...?" "..." "...I'm sorry, Koshka, Lilja. Again, I'm getting so negative, I don't even know what I'm saying..." "You should up your meds a bit meow. If you take the right amount, you can be happy all the time, just like me meow meow!"Lilja might have taken a slightly different amount of stimulants today. She was acting even more hyper than usual. Chloe, on the other hand, had apparently been born with a natural resistance to stimulants. So, unfortunately, a quick shot of drugs wasn't enough to make her suddenly happy. "You aren't a 'one', Chloe. For now, just relax and don't think about it." "..." "I'm so tired, I'm losing focus..." "Thanks, Koshka." "Chloe" has exited the room poyo! "...She sure has it rough." "Well, you and I are the ones making it about three times rougher for her meow." "...If the world's hard for Chloe to live in, but easy for broken people like us, then it's the world that's really screwed up. It would've been better if the Earth had been destroyed in World War III." "It was meow. That's why this is the world of death after its destruction." "So we're in the pits of hell?" "I hope this world gets destroyed soon meow." "I'll definitely destroy it... This screwed-up world..." "Gunhild" has entered the room poyo! "You just missed her meow." "...It's just her usual self-hatred. She needs to take more meds." "Poor thing." "How was it on your end meow?" "I guess you could say it was a nice meal. People who roll a six or a seven have it so easy, it's enough to make you jealous." BGM: Underdogs  "E-Eeeep?!?! I-Instructor...?!?!"She had never expected to run into Okonogi in a place like this. She was so surprised, she literally leapt to attention.  Okonogi briskly walked over to Chloe, who almost seemed to be in a state of suspended animation, like a frog being stared at by a snake. Then, he applied a running-start super ultra Okonogi chop to her head at a perfect angle!  "Seriously... What are you doing, slacking off in your training just because I'm not watching?!! I saw the whole thing from the monitor room! What do I keep telling you?!! If you're moping about, that means you aren't using your full strength!! When you're really, really giving it your all, you've got to empty your mind! Your mind was wandering while you thought about something pointless, and you hesitated, right?! I can tell!! I can tell everything you're thinking by the way you hang your head, by the angle of your jaw!!" "I-I-I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, Instructoooooor＞＜!!!" "I saw your scores for the few days since you came here, and they're pathetic!!! You're useless, you're scum, and your grades are all trash!!!"*smack*! *clonk*, *thwap*!! He chopped Chloe's head over and over again!   "Oh, Okonogi. So this is where you were. Could you translate for me again? ...Hey, isn't that the girl from before?" "She was training like a coward, so I decided to inject her with some fighting spirit, heheheh..."Staff Member: "Wh-What do you think you're doing?! Please don't interfere with development targets without permission! Corporal punishment against a target can disrupt their self-empowerment and-"  "Shut up!!"Staff Member: "Eeep?!" "If you give Chloe this kind of fancy training in this fancy institution, she'll never turn her cowardice into fighting spirit!! The best way to get her fired up is with a chop!!" "Ack＞＜!!" "Gyah＞＜!!" "Aggh!!＞＜!!!"Staff Member: "Hey, st-stop that at once...! Physical punishment will damage her self-empowerment..." "Let's go, Chloe!" "Huh, umm, wha-" "Y-Yes sir, Instructor...!!"Staff Member: "Y-You can't do that, Captain Okonogi...! Unless you follow the proper procedures-" "Listen up. This broken style of training might work for people who are already broken. Koshka and Lilja are basically broken problem children. They're both treated like equipment here, after all. So, go ahead and make use of them however you please. However, Chloe hasn't broken yet. She isn't broken yet!! So, putting her through a broken training regime would be utterly pointless, you seeeeee?!!! You've gotta train her in a way that's not so cold-blooded, are you getting meeeeee?!!! Let's go, Chloe!!" "Y-Yes siiiiiir!! Instructooooooor!!" "I see Okonogi is still quite the hot-blooded demon instructor, hohoho."Staff Member: "Ah...nnngg..." "That's right. I've got one more thing to say to you."Staff Member: "...Wh-What is it...?"  Staff Member: "...!!!" "That's all!!! Let's go, Chloe!! One, two! One, two!!" "R-Roger that, Instructor, one, two! One, two...＞＜!!"
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2019 16:49
|
|
|
Okonogi is... slightly... less terrible than most people? Yay?
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2019 18:48
|
|
|
"Abusing most of your pupils to encourage a few of them is cruel and obscene. I, however, abuse all of my pupils equally! Checkmate, libs!"  Just how many of these children are being drugged into compliance?
|
|
#
?
Dec 1, 2019 01:18
|
|
|
Viola the Mad posted:"Abusing most of your pupils to encourage a few of them is cruel and obscene. I, however, abuse all of my pupils equally! Checkmate, libs!"
|
|
#
?
Dec 1, 2019 02:06
|
|
|
Koshka even said Chole should take more meds.
|
|
#
?
Dec 1, 2019 06:26
|
|
|
This is off-topic, but I thought I'd throw it out there--reading this thread finally pushed me to buy all of Umineko, which I'm playing through right now. The complete series is half-off on Steam right now, so if anyone here is looking for more WTC goodness and hasn't bought it, now's the time!
|
|
#
?
Dec 2, 2019 02:23
|
|
|
yeah, and there's mods to replace the really ugly Pachinko models with either Ryu07's charming ham hands or PS3's prettier but flatter ones.
|
|
#
?
Dec 2, 2019 03:32
|
|
|
 "Did you actually say it with your mouth?" "I'll bet she just said it in her head." "I did say it with my mouth meow! I-I may have whispered a bit, but I said it with my mouth meoooow!" "There's no way you said it with your mouth, pomogite." "Huh?"  "Koshka?" "Izvinite, izvinite, iziziziz." "Looks like Koshka's Kizuna is freaking out again meow." "Vosemnadtsat, devyatnadtsat, dvad, dvdvdvaddvad." "Ahahah, dvahdvahdvahdvah♪ That's hilarious meow. I'll record it so I can play it back and laugh at her later meow." "Dvdvdvdv..." "...Sorry. It suddenly got rough." "Are you okay?" "Not... exactly." "Wanna call it a day? It's starting to get pretty rough on my end too meow." "The guys today are sloppy... The drugs have worn off and it's getting seriously-"  "...Oh my." "Let's call it a day then meow." "You do your best too, Lilja." "You should be saying that to my doctors, not me meow. So, see you later, Gunhi-" "Lilja" has exited the room due to an error poyo. "...The difference between people who get to enjoy their youth and those who can't...is harsh." "Ostorozhno, ostorozhno, zhnozhnozhnonononononononono." "...I think I'll head out too. Koshka, Lilja, take care..." "Nonononononononononono." "Gunhild" has exited the room poyo! Now that's how you're supposed to leave a room poyo! I wish "Koshka" and "Lilja" would learn from her poyo! "Nonononononononononono."Nononononononononono. Noonono, nonoonononono. No.  BGM: Ominous3 As she lay on the bed, Koshka was naked. They hadn't even given her a single piece of clothing to cover herself with. However, her being naked was relatively unembarrassing. After all, at least her body was still covered by flesh. Doctor: "...Data transfer normal. It's still holding at the Holy Mother's Maximum Speed." Doctor: "The burden on the Pandora is increasing. Should we administer more painkiller?" Doctor: "No, wait. That'll add noise. I want to hold at the current rate."  However, she wasn't the only one. With her at the center, at least ten other girls had their heads opened up in the same way... Only the lights of the machines' monitors... eerily lit the doctors who had entered this room with airtight suits. Doctor: "...Subjects 040 through 048 are still NULL." Doctor: "We've confirmed that 049 received a signal. The experiment's over for 048 and under. Dispose of them." The lights disappeared around all but one of the girls, and they were swallowed by the darkness. The remaining girl was apparently being made to reproduce something from inside Koshka's brain. However, it didn't seem to be going smoothly. The machines monitoring the girl designated as 049 began to sound alarms one after another. And the pace of those alarms began to gradually increase...  Doctor: "The Pandora has been at the pain limit level for over a minute now." Doctor: "...We'll need the Director General's permission to continue the experiment any longer." Doctor: "How well is 049 receiving? What's the noise rate?" Doctor: "It's at 0.193. That's a good number, but..." Doctor: "No. That's a long way from our goal of 1.15... Suspend the experiment. Apply painkillers to the Pandora. It's up to the surgery team now." Doctor: "040 through 049 will be disposed of in accordance with the Human Rights Manual." Doctor: "12 seconds have passed since 040 through 049 were injected with hypnocine." Doctor: "Okay, that should be humane enough. Send them over to the examination department."  Of course, none of those pitiful girls had volunteered to become specimens in this kind of experiment. They had only volunteered because of their innocent dream of flying in the sky. However, these applicants were all Greens. The Blue candidates, who actually would be able to fly, had already been chosen when they were all fertilized eggs... Doctor: "Now administering painkillers. The Pandora has left the pain limit level." Doctor: "If we had another Pandora, I would've wanted to push through. It's too bad. Have we still not been able to find a spare?" Doctor: "Well, Pandora's Box was a gift from the gods, after all." Doctor: "Then I guess we can't expect to get a replacement for Miss Kitty here. We'll make good, precious use of you for a long time." Koshka's bed automatically moved and disappeared through an automatic door. It was heading towards the surgery department. There, her head would be put back together again. By a 4D printer and robot arms. They had already made a stock of Koshka's skulls using synthesized calcium...  "..." "...The pain's finally died down..." "Is anyone there...?"  Gaaaaaaaaahhh!! Learn how to leave the room properly already poyoooooo!! "What are you doing...?" "Apuapuapuapuapuapuapua." "Hahah, what the heck's that supposed to mean?" "...I'll record it so I can play it back and laugh at her later." "Petapetapetapeta, ropetapetapeta, petapetapetapetapetapetapeta..." BGM: Manshon no kabe o hashiru tokage The man she called "doctor" rubbed his head embarrassedly. He apparently still wasn't used to the feel of it, like someone who had just changed their hairdo.  "Even 'translation', when done in excess, can be harmful to the body. How about a change in atmosphere? Would you like to take a walk with me...?"The man had apparently been literally buried in a pile of thick, gorgeous books with antique bindings, reading constantly. He would read one, then put it on the pile. Read another, then put it on the pile. And after they piled up into a tower, they fell over. Apparently, those books were so interesting that he kept reading them, even after he had been buried. Vier dragged the man out from there. Even then, the man looked like he still wanted to read more. But immediately, he realized that Vier was surely going to show him something interesting again.   "Judging by the pile of books you read, I suppose you're interested in the eternal youth variety of immortality, yes? Heheheh, there's no need to be embarrassed. The ability to focus on one's greatest interest is one of the most important driving forces we have." "Eternal youth. It's a wonderful theme that we can never help but be entranced by. Several of our comrades have used all sorts of methods to try and translate the wisdom leading to that goal. If you're interested, they can guide you as well. Heheheheh..."Eternal youth. To remain young in body and mind, released from the bonds of death, living forever. It's one of humanity's ultimate dreams... "Our comrade in that room has been fascinated by the same dream. Why don't you go watch him? Oh, my mistake. I believe he got bored of that, and now he's working on translating teleportation. Instead of him, you should try the comrade in this room."  "The 8MS he's currently using in his research is capable of making the human body forever young. On that point, at least, I believe his project has achieved success."On a midair display was a bizarre figure that resembled a bacteriophage. It looked like an inorganic object, or maybe a robot, or maybe a lifeform. Or maybe none of those things.  "It's strange. The closer we get to unraveling the mysteries of life, the more the form that takes shape seems to resemble something or other that God has already created. Heheh, it truly is intriguing." "What? If we can already create immortality, you want to give it a try? Heheheh, that's brave of you, but perhaps you had better wait until his project is complete. It will make you immortal, but as a side effect, it will inflame the skin all over your body, give you pimples and blisters, wear out your whole body with fevers, and even impair your consciousness, or something like that. *giggle* It's still quite distant from what you were hoping for, yes?" "Even so, he certainly has succeeded in translating part of God's wisdom. When I think about his joy, it makes me jealous. Heheheheh. Still, where could he be? It's rare not to see him here." "Oh, that's where he was. Heheheh, I suppose we ought to leave him be."Vier giggled as she left the room with the man who was following her...  Vier and the man went further and further down a large spiral stairway, descending into the abyss. They reached the lowest level of this underground laboratory. The spiral staircase ended in a massive ring-shaped catwalk. Below that, it was pitch back. The catwalk had fencing that went to about waist height. However, that was utterly unreassuring after viewing the abyss below them, which swirled down and was filled with an eerie black...  "Don't mind him. We just came here for a walk."The man hadn't thought anyone else would be there, so the sight of the girls left him unable to stand, as he reacted like a shocked child. Those girls were the guards of this underground laboratory. Their only job was to protect this sacred place, but it wasn't clear if they were really girls. Once you experienced the way they felt like "something else" that only looked like girls, their mere presence would be enough to terrify you. The girls once again erased all signs of their presence, fading into the darkness, but their gazes never left Vier. "This... is my favorite place. Please, look into the darkness beneath you." "That... is the type of wisdom being translated here, or perhaps that is still waiting to be translated, which grabs my heart the strongest. Heheheheh..." Vier: "What do you think...lies beyond that door...?" Vier: "Heheheh... Beyond that...lies the future. Literally, the future of a thousand years from now." That was all Vier knew about what lay in the pit beneath them. It had already been there when she first came here. However, she didn't know who had translated it, or when. Records that had been left behind had only told her of its existence...  She knew nothing of how it worked or what its significance was. However, it was said that those depths held a completed product, whose translation had been finished... Something was locked inside that hatch. And it was directly linked to the future a millennium from now. "In other words, the instant you go down that hatch, you'll time slip a thousand years into the future. Of course, unlike that failed Immortality 8MS you just saw, you'll be able to remain healthy, instantly time slipping a millenium ahead without melting away..."In other words, it truly was... a door into the next millennium. "From what I can tell reading the remnants of the translation, rather than literally sending you a thousand years into the future, time within it apparently freezes for a thousand years. No, strictly speaking, the sections of spacetime on both sides are separated, and ...*mumble*mumble*... Well, in that sense, it really is fitting to call it a time capsule." "We're talking about a thousand years. Beyond there lies unknown civilizations, unknown arts, unknown knowledge. Heheheh, isn't that a dream? Just imagining those things is what I love most. Though, some of our dreamless comrades say that humanity will probably have been destroyed a thousand years from now. *giggle*"...This time capsule hadn't been activated yet. It was still empty on the inside. Since someone had made it, it must have been done to send something a thousand years into the future. So, what was supposed to be inside there? That much... hadn't been translated yet...  The man with Vier, disturbed by the darkness beneath them, kept on rubbing his head, seemingly unable to calm down. The top of his head... looked as though it had been sliced horizontally through the center of his forehead... and was completely flat. Maybe he found rubbing his flat head amusing, because he giggled nervously and kept rubbing it over and over... 
|
|
#
?
Dec 2, 2019 14:34
|
|
|
This was a hell of an update to read right before bed. I'm not immediately sure what part was creepiest!
|
|
#
?
Dec 2, 2019 14:48
|
|
|
From what I remember, “Holy Mother’s Maximum Speed” is a slight mistranslation in the original/inspired by Dalí’s “The Maximum Speed of Raphael’s Madonna.”
|
|
#
?
Dec 2, 2019 15:56
|
|
|
These are the sort of sections I read and quietly go "ah poo poo, that's right, Ryukishi was a horror writer" to myself.
|
|
#
?
Dec 2, 2019 17:44
|
|
|
That... section had me feeling sick. Hilarious this faction leans so hard on being the human rights faction when they're doing that, though.
|
|
#
?
Dec 2, 2019 17:45
|
|
|
Aside from the horrificness of the whole situation, it's kind of hilarious that Koshka just casually chats with her friends on the internet while her brain is splattered all over a surgery table. On that note, Koshka's mental faculties are curiously unaffected during the period where she essentially doesn't have a brain. The phrase "at least her body was still covered by flesh" is extremely ominous in that regard. PetraCore posted:Hilarious this faction leans so hard on being the human rights faction when they're doing that, though. There's an Abu Ghraib joke in here somewhere. Carpator Diei fucked around with this message at 19:19 on Dec 2, 2019 |
|
#
?
Dec 2, 2019 19:16
|
|
|
Grooooooss. Gotta say that Koshka saying “pomogite” suddenly gave me the first chill: “help me.”
|
|
#
?
Dec 3, 2019 03:00
|
|
|
 That was...something. This is making me think of my first encounter with the When They Cry series...binged the first 8 episodes of the Higurashi anime in college. A decade later and Ryukishi is still giving me the heebie-jeebies in new and exciting ways.
|
|
#
?
Dec 3, 2019 04:45
|
|
|
Lilja's also saying "apua", meaning "help me", and a misromanized "lopeta", "stop it"
|
|
#
?
Dec 3, 2019 11:56
|
|
|
Four comments to a new page, let's make it happen.
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2019 14:21
|
|
|
Koshka takaya milaya!
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2019 16:46
|
|
|
Sure thing. Those scientists sure were scummy.
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2019 16:52
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 1, 2024 09:26 |
|
|
I would probably also be constantly rude to my teammate if she was the only one not being medically tortured for the sake of our esports team. No wonder those two are such mean grouches.
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2019 17:11
|
|