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kyuu-rereads-umineko · 5 years

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Ep6, Chapter 12

it’s been 10 months but IT’S MURDER TIME

also did i mention this is chapter 12 out of 18

(Also, I’m aware that my formatting for coloured text is broken right now. I’ll look into it later.)

Erika is woken up by someone knocking at her door, and she snarks that they’d better “have a good reason for knocking on the detective’s door at an hour like this.” never change erika

actually i take that back please change stop being so unpleasant but ANYWAYS

In the Meta-World, Erika proposes that they “raise the stakes”.

“It’s simple. Battler got a shot off at us in the last game. So, if Erika does the same in this game, we’re only even.”

Lambda realizes that Erika’s saying she’s not going to make a detective proclamation, and Chick takes offense. “You intend to participate in the game with a foolish handicap like that...? That is not only presumptuous, it’s quite rude...!”

“If this game is won by a human without the detective proclamation, it’ll be impossible for Battler and the others to pick up the pieces of the Illusion of the Witch... But on the other hand, if Erika loses, that detective trash will be sent into the depths of oblivion along with the worst possible Fragment.” BERNKASTEL DID NOTHING WRONG

Battler asks Erika if she’s okay with this deal, and she stutters, which doesn’t escape his notice. Even if she doesn’t say it outright, Bern doesn’t try very hard to pretend this isn’t her doing, lol.

“After all, when Battler played for the Human side, he never had anything as convenient as the detective’s authority. All he was allowed to do was use the blue truth and demand that Beato repeat things he said.”

Erika proclaims that she’ll “destroy the Illusion of the Witch for [Bernkastel] without fail,” and we cut back to the game board, where George and Jessica have knocked at Erika’s door looking for Battler and Maria. Erika’s face lights up when she hears that there’s no sign of them in the guesthouse, and no one’s answering the phone at the mansion. She rushes out into the rain on her own, heading for the mansion.

“The first twilight usually starts in the morning, but it looks like we’ve got an early fight this time.” Pretty good indicator that, like in Ep5, whatever’s going on behind the scenes here isn’t the same murder roulette game that Yasu’s games were about...

Entering the mansion (the door being unlocked this time, for some reason), she runs into Gohda right away, screaming about calling the police or an ambulance or someone. Business as usual, here.

“That expression really is wonderfully pathetic. Just perfect for the first one to discover the crime.” lol

Erika snarks about the island being cut off from the outside world, as always, and in the Meta, she asks Battler to explain the crime scenes and such.

Again, business as usual here - the parlour was locked from the inside, door barred, etc., and Rosa and Maria were found dead inside.

“The entrance wasn’t locked when you came into the mansion because they went out through it to check the parlour from the outside. It had been locked before they left through it, so there was a chance that the others who had gone missing were lying elsewhere within the mansion, and the adults are now searching the entire building...”

Battler confirms that the victims were found where they were killed during the love trial earlier - Rosa and Maria in the parlour (of course), Natsuhi in her own room, Kyrie in Krauss’s study, and Eva in the VIP room (okay, she was moved there after being killed in the rose garden, but still). Though that still only makes five victims...

On the board, the adults have found a guest room with the chain set. Never a good sign on Rokkenjima.

Cutting the chain and entering, they find none other than Battler lying on one of the beds. Rudolf breaks down immediately, crying over his body, while Krauss confirms that the guest room was also a closed room. “They’re all closed rooms, aren’t they...? ...I don’t... understand... It couldn’t be suicide, could it...?!”

In the Meta, Erika feigns surprise at Battler being the sixth victim, and he just replies with, “It’s more interesting to kill yourself off every now and then.” lol

Chick claims the murders couldn’t have been performed without magic, Erika counters that it wouldn’t be a game if that were the case, and Battler coyly says, “That’s an interesting thought.”

“This game is fair. The goal is to explain without magic the strange crimes that are claimed to be caused with magic. If that couldn’t be done, it wouldn’t be a game.”

“To turn it around, the witch side had a certain responsibility. They had to make a crime that could be reproduced with tricks and not magic.”

“In other words, in order to carry out a closed room murder with magic... it was necessary to create a crime that would be possible by Human hands.”

To be completely honest? While, yes, that’s been an unspoken assumption all along, and implicitly confirmed in Ep5, I still don’t like how Ep6 just lays it all out like that. It’s a minor point, seeing as the howdunnit ultimately isn’t the key point of the story, but it still bugs me.

Meanwhile, in Featherine’s parlour (oh god I forgot how fucking nuts the meta was in Ep6), Ange finally realizes why the Stakes couldn’t murder her classmates when she asked them to back in Ep4.

“‘Magic can only do what you can accomplish by your own hands,’ ...is that it?”

“At that time, if I had been capable of killing my classmates... Capable of pulling it off... Then the Seven Sisters of Purgatory would probably have pulled it off for me. They could only accomplish what I could do myself... No, that’s not it either. They could take what I had accomplished and turn it into ‘magic’.”

“If I had called those classmates out somewhere without witnesses... and if I had succeeded in murder... At that point, ‘the Seven Sisters of Purgatory would be capable of carrying out a magical murder’...”

And Ange hits the nail on the head: Magic, in this context, is an adornment. Not even a Witch can make a lollipop appear out of thin air, unless she’s already got one hidden in her pocket.

“Those who accomplish something without using magic... later claim that magic was used and call themselves witches.”

And of course, because Erika already knows and understands this, she simply won’t ever surrender, unlike Battler early on, when he still didn’t know up from down. Ange finds herself getting stuck on the same point as always, though - Since drawing the game out longer would mean more hints for the Human side, i.e. a higher chance of the tricks being seen through and the magic being destroyed, why would Beato deliberately drag things out until she lost...?

Back on the game board, Erika takes advantage of the confusion in the mansion to quickly check all of the crime scenes. Dlanor reminds her that without the detective’s authority, her “photographic memory” isn’t infallible. For instance, she can’t confirm by investigation that someone is genuinely dead, as opposed to just pretending.

(spoiler: she totally can and she totally will)

“I quickly visited the VIP room, Krauss’s study, and Natsuhi’s room on the second floor, as well as the parlour and the guest room on the first floor, this time checking with my own eyes, as I had failed to do in the last game...” I’d forgotten that Ep6 actually confirms that Erika didn’t check the corpses herself in Ep5, huh.

“The closed rooms were all made without relying on any elements that could be locked or unlocked from the outside by a master key or something else.” AKA, the chains were set, windows were locked, etc.

"It is probably their goal to construct closed rooms where explanations using master keys are made completely INEFFECTIVE.”

Erika homes in on the fact that the parlour doesn’t have a chain lock - instead, the door was just barred with a hat stand, like Battler said. An interesting choice when there are plenty of guest rooms with chain locks, indeed...

She asks if the deaths could be confirmed “even without the detective’s authority,” and Gertrude replies, “Know that there were no corpses that could have been confirmed dead with certainty by physical means.” RYUKISHI.............

Lambda points out that, while she liked the closed room chain from Ep3 better, “these closed rooms are even more complete, considering that master keys don’t help you at all.”

“There are two general ways of breaking closed rooms that Battler might be after... An illusion of a closed room, or an illusion of a crime.”

Lambda states that, looking at Battler’s game board “from the underside,” she knows the closed rooms are “perfect.” Bern asks her to say that in red, she refuses because it’d be rude to Battler, saying, “If you do love me, you must see my words as red truth already, right...?” lol

“...Then the closed rooms are perfect.” lol

Either way, the alternative is that no one actually died, of course. “Doesn’t this mean that everyone got so pissed at Erika bragging about detectives and stuff that they joined together and set up a fake murder to make fun of her?”

(spoiler: yes)

Bern, however, replies with, “Unfortunately... this isn’t a fake. The victims really have been killed.”

“No detective proclamation has been made, but Erika’s very accurate when examining corpses. She’s good enough that I could give her examinations the red truth.” FORESHADOWING...

Of course, Bern being Bern, she won’t confirm anything that easily. “Well, she isn’t even the detective this time around. I won’t give her any red.”

“Still... that makes it incredible. This time... Battler’s really made a perfect closed room!”

Lambda asks if this might be too much for Erika without her authority, and Bern says, “No matter how it turns out, it won’t be boring.” TRUE NEUTRAL

“Lambdadelta had guaranteed that it was a perfect closed room. Bernkastel had guaranteed that it was a perfect murder. A perfect ‘closed room’ and ‘murder’.”

Meanwhile, Battler asks Erika if she’s satisfied with her investigation. She says yes, and asks if they’ll start throwing reds and blues at each other now or later. “I don’t like putting things off. I think the same goes for you.”

(booooo i have to worry about text formatting after all)

In order, Battler confirms in red:

All six rooms were closed rooms (until Gohda & co. cut the chain locks and entered)

The “closed rooms” couldn’t have been constructed from outside

Interference from the outside is impossible (barring immaterial things like sound)

When the closed rooms were deconstructed, the only people inside were the victims

...but when Dlanor asks him to confirm “No murder was committed after the deconstruction of the closed ROOMS,” he refuses. Erika jumps on this, claiming that the victims were alive and Krauss’s group were the culprits, and Battler... doesn’t respond. Instead, Chick says, “The murders will continue to occur, so we cannot say in red that no murders will happen after this.” HMM

“Sheesh, what twisted logic. You probably see what we’re getting at. Krauss’s group cut the chain and destroyed the closed rooms, then killed the people inside. I just want you to counter this.” Dlanor points out that “Krauss’s group” isn’t a specific number of people, but Battler acknowledges in red that “Krauss’s group” - i.e. Krauss, Rudolf, Hideyoshi, and Gohda - were the only people besides Erika to enter any of the rooms, as of the current time.

While it’s framed as being a “who knows what might happen next” kind of deal... Hmm. I wonder...

Something that I’ve thought for a while is that Battler’s gambit with the logic error in this Episode was completely intentional on his part, and something that he actively instigated and worked towards. With what we see of the GM’s awareness in other Episodes, I find it hard to believe that Erika could run off and kill five people without him noticing it somehow.

To that end... I wonder if his refusal is because he already knows that Erika’s killed off everyone? Those murders would have to occur after the “deconstruction of the closed rooms,” so he wouldn’t be able to say that nothing of the sort happened in red...

Thinking about it, I’m not sure that actually fits with Ep6′s sequence of events - Erika’s murder spree happens after she herds everyone into the guesthouse, doesn’t it? Either way, hmm...

At any rate, Erika continues by asking him to confirm that Krauss’s group “are not culprits.” After a moment’s thought, he replies, “I’ll acknowledge it, but I’ll make the language more strict. Krauss, Rudolf, Hideyoshi, and Gohda... were not involved in the murders of Natsuhi, Eva, Kyrie, Rosa, Maria, and Battler.”

“And that means, ‘it was also impossible for any of the other humans, who didn’t even enter the closed room, to have been involved with murder,’ doesn’t it?”

blah blah repeat of ep4′s rules, in order to win the witch side has to protect at least one of its riddles but the human side has to explain everything, blah blah

Having said that, Battler doesn’t confirm Erika’s last statement, saying, “I don’t give out red for free.”

“Let us CONTINUE.” Battler confirms in red that all of the victims were murdered, but when Dlanor starts to list off the seventh item in her list, Erika interrupts her, saying, “That’s enough.” Seems to me like she’s leaving some leeway for her insane murder spree later on, but...

“From here on, it’s time for me to argue back with the blue truth.”

“Sure, fine. Let me hear your masterful theories.”

Chick watches from the sidelines, thinking that Erika and Battler are probably having fun... and feeling a bit jealous. Sorry, Ryukishi, but no matter how hard you push Erika as being another rival for Battler, it doesn’t fly for me.

Back on the game board, all the survivors have gathered in the guesthouse. Yeah, Erika’s killing spree is after she returns to the mansion from here, huh...

The adults all question what the hell happened, how Battler and Maria got inside the mansion, etc. In hindsight, I can definitely see that they’re doing this to prod at Ms. Detective Erika about the crime being “impossible.”

Erika asks everyone to calm down, pointing out that how Battler and Maria got into the mansion might not have anything to do with how the culprit entered. Krauss agrees, saying, “I feel as terrible as the rest of you. However, we must take the initiative now and regain our composure.”

“The culprit is still on this island. And we can’t be sure that this tragic crime is over. We need to stay calm and prevent any further tragedies.”

Rudolf wants to find the culprit, while everyone else points out that their best bet is to wait until the police can arrive and investigate.

“Kyrie... Battler... Dammit... dammiiiiit... I never... had a chance... to tell you the truth...”

Erika successfully convinces Krauss and the servants to head upstairs, leaving her, Rudolf, and Hideyoshi behind in the lounge. “In times of confusion, when only men are around, it’s easy for a composed member of the opposite sex to take the initiative. Even without the detective’s authority, she was able to control them quite naturally.” lol

“This crime happened during a short break in the family conference. In that tiny span of time, six people were killed without anyone noticing. I can’t imagine a crime improvised on the spot going so smoothly. This crime was committed by someone who knew the layout of this mansion well, inside and out.”

Unsurprisingly, Rudolf and Hideyoshi are none too fond of the idea that the culprit might’ve been one of the other family members or a servant, but Hideyoshi’s line in particular stands out to me:

“I never even considered suspectin’ Krauss nii-san or Rudolf-kun...!! All of the siblings had excellent relationships with their spouses! True, the Ushiromiya family may be strict with discipline and money. But that doesn’t mean we treasure our own families less than anyone else...!”

“With their spouses.” “Our own families.” Foreshadowing that, whatever happened on Rokkenjima Prime in Ange’s world, Eva likely wasn’t the culprit.

Erika proposes that, while he didn’t kill anyone himself, Gohda might’ve let the actual culprit into the mansion. Well, we know in red that that’s not true, but that’s not particularly relevant to anyone on the board...

“Though the siblings hated each other, it wasn’t possible that they’d hate each other’s wives enough to kill them.” UM..........

Erika repeats some of the same points that have been brought up since early on when it comes to the servants - they’re relatively familiar with the family members, and they’ve got master keys. Pretty standard, though as usual, there’s no red-abiding explanation for how someone could set the chain on the door from outside.

“Though it might be possible [to set the chain from outside] in reality... the red truth had already declared that these closed rooms could not have been constructed from the outside.” Oh. Now that’s telling, isn’t it?

“It might be possible in reality.” In other words, each episode isn’t just a work of fiction for us, but in-universe as well.

“With her accomplished conversation techniques, Erika was cleverly grasping the initiative. ...Even without the detective’s authority, it’s possible to control human nature to this degree. What do you think, everyone...?”

#kyuutext #umineko #umineko no naku koro ni chiru #dawn of the golden witch

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kyuu-rereads-umineko · 6 years

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Status Update

Okay, wow, I really need to get on top of things for this blog, don’t I?

I was hoping I’d clear up my plate a bit and be able to get back to this by Umineko day at the latest, but I’ve still got a few things that are more pressing right now. I don’t like leaving this blog in the dust for even longer, but I don’t think I can really balance it well with some of my other priorities right now.

Having said that, I’ll set a deadline for myself here: I will get back to this by the end of next month at the latest. Even if it’s a quick post about the manga or something, I’ll get the ball rolling again.

Apologies for the huge delays.

#kyuutext

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kyuu-rereads-umineko · 6 years

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Ep6, Chapter 11

I forget what happens in this chapter exactly, beyond the next part of the love trial. Let’s get right into it!

On that note, I’m officially behind the Rokkenjima Tea Party, which is great, because I’d still love to join in on the Ep7 podcast. I’d love to just speed through the rest of Ep6 so I can catch up, but we’ll just have to see how things go, I guess. What I’ll probably end up doing is reading through the rest of Ep6 on my own, then reading Ep7 for the podcast, taking notes on things to revisit for this blog later for both Episodes.

We open on Rosa, alone in the parlour, relaxing during a break in the family conference.

“...A pleasant silence. Now that no one was in sight, Rosa’s heart finally awoke.” Huh, that’s an interesting line. I’d forgotten about it.

The narrative notes that the other siblings would treat her almost like an impartial mediator in their conferences, and she reflects on having to use that status to steer the conversation in the direction she wants. All the political jockeying the siblings end up getting into with each other must be exhausting...

“That [debt] was supposed to be my great commitment, a burden I bore to help support ‘that man’s’ business. [...] If I can pay off my debt... will he call me again?” I forget, do we ever get details about Maria’s father and Rosa’s debt anywhere else? I mean, I’m pretty sure it’s touched on in Ep1, with the whole ALL THE SIBLINGS WANT A LOT OF MONEY RIGHT NOW thing, but other than that...

And then Rosa thinks, “even if you do contact me again after all this time... I’ll be the one to refuse. ...But still... you are Maria’s father, aren’t you? Please come and see her... if only just once...”

That first part in particular is quite interesting. I feel like there’s a parallel to be drawn there, between Rosa and Yasu (what with the latter “moving on” from Battler, only to be devastated when he actually returns), but.

(alternatively i feel like i’ve been doing a shit job with the whole analysis thing and am looking for the tiniest thing to latch onto i’m not really sure)

Rosa’s thoughts are interrupted by Kanon, who... arrived silently without her noticing. lol

Aaaand as usual for this episode, Kanon is extremely forward. “The reason you are currently in pain is because of love, Rosa-sama. ...Am I wrong?”

Interesting - Kanon shows explicit knowledge of Rosa’s financial situation. She brushes it off as him overhearing Krauss from the hallway earlier...

...and the narrative immediately josses that explanation. “Krauss had seen through to the fact that Rosa was bearing a massive debt because she had become a co-signer on a loan. However, he hadn’t said that her partner had been Maria’s father... Why... did Kanon know so much...?”

(Note: this thought is split across a period of like, two weeks, because I just wasn’t in the mood to write anything, so apologies in advance if it’s incoherent) The narrative drawing attention to Kanon like this reminds me of something we talked about a bit on the Rokkenjima Discord server - Namely, the idea that Ikuko wrote Episode 5, while Tohya/Battler wrote Episode 6. It’s true that the two of them together are what makes Tohya Hachijo, but even then, Ep5 and 6 are drastically different in terms of tone. Episode 5 is probably the most ruthless depiction of Yasu we ever see, whereas she doesn’t even seem to be planning a murder in Ep6. Ep5 also presents Erika as pretty unapologetically terrible, while Ep6 has its tidbit with her backstory to humanize her (even if she goes way off the deep end later, but, y’know).

In terms of timeline, I imagine it’d be something like... Between Ep4 and 5, Tohya has his seizure and is hospitalized for a while. During that period, Ikuko writes Ep5 on her own, much to his chagrin (this is also why, on a meta-level, Battler is boycotting most of the 5th game - it’s symbolic for Tohya’s hospitalization). Once he recovers, Tohya starts writing Ep6 on his own, making a point of portraying everyone more lovingly (relatively speaking, of course) than Ikuko had.

Bringing this back to Kanon - in the question arcs - Ep1 and 2 in particular - there’s a pretty strong focus on him as being suspicious. His death is the only blatant fantasy scene in Ep1, and he’s constantly fingered as the culprit in Ep2. In comparison, Ep5 really does brush over him and Shannon almost entirely. Assuming Ikuko wrote Ep5, as a sort of “pure mystery” type thing (i.e. the culprit is a cold-blooded killer intent on framing Natsuhi), Tohya’s Ep6 is, in a way, a sort of “return to basics.” Yasu’s romantic relations take centre stage again, and no one is portrayed as an irredeemable monster (well, except maybe Kyrie, and Erika once the murders start, but).

Anyway, Rosa mentions that she’d considered helping Maria’s father out financially her “responsibility as his future wife.” Which, of course... didn’t happen. “So afterwards... Rosa was always alone. And Maria... never had a father.”

“Maria, who should have been a symbol of their union, just kept growing, almost like a living hourglass measuring the length of the hell Rosa had crawled through...” Hmm. Pretty evocative of Kyrie’s talk to Jessica last chapter. Between this and their daughters, I wonder if there are more parallels between Kyrie and Rosa that we’re meant to see...

Rosa mentions trying to forget Maria’s father several times, but also says, “If I can manage to pay everything off, it’ll mean that I’ve passed the trial of love that he gave me.”

She’s using a bit of her own magic to keep herself going here, huh... “If she was able to succeed in paying back the loan... he might acknowledge her usefulness as a wife...”

Oooh, I’d forgotten this. The narrative mentions that Rosa viewing the loan as a “trial” “might have been her blindness due to love.” Again, we’re getting the message that love isn’t always necessarily a force for good.

And Kanon wonders out loud if this is the “hell” Kyrie was talking about, lol. Rosa agrees, “though [she’s] not sure what [he’s] talking about.”

“And how can that be put to an end...?” Ouch. Rosa replies, “Who knows? If anyone did... no one would ever be crushed by the disease of love.”

“That disease is a serious one. ...It sometimes eats into a person for their entire life, spreading to and hurting the people closest to them... That disease was torturing her now as much as it ever had...” And there it is. The heart of many of Yasu’s troubles, and the heart of the story itself.

Erika was right a few chapters ago - the counterpoint to “without love, it cannot be seen,” is that love will end up blinding you to things as well. Vilifying someone and deifying them are both just as dangerous, and just as naive - in doing so, you’re missing “half of the story,” as it were.

At any rate, Rosa expresses... admiration, I guess, for Kyrie and her perseverance. She comments that she’s only waited half of Kyrie’s 18 years, and Kanon asks if she thinks a miracle will happen sometime in the next nine. She responds with, “If I doubt that, it’s all over.”

“In a sense, I’m a ghost. ...I’m already dead. I’m just living on without noticing.”

“...A ghost waiting for eternity for a person who will never come...” The parallel’s pretty obvious here, isn’t it? Rosa finishes with, “I wish someone would just kill me.” are you sure about that

Zepar and Furfur show up, commenting that “losing and dying” isn’t the frightening part - it’s being unable to win, but unable to die, too. Elder adds, “They say the most torturous toxin for humans is made from rotting love.” Bits like this really make my heart ache, because of how vividly they paint Yasu’s suffering.

Elder says something pretty revealing here - when Chick expresses understanding that she needs to either “kill that seed [of love for Battler] or make it bud,” Elder says that the poison of rotting love “is the most fearsome torture in the world, even for us thousand year old witches.”

Back on the board, Kanon kills Rosa quick and painlessly. “Sleep well, Rosa-sama... Your hell... has ended.” He even goes on to cover her with a blanket, to make it look as though she’s just sleeping. Again, Ep6 really makes a point of portraying the family and servants in a much more positive light - this is the same Kanon who’d normally be decrying Rosa as a terrible human being for how she treats Maria, after all.

“Those demons had not exaggerated when calling this trial a battle of love. It was at least accurate on this cruel but unassailable fact: that those who have their love shattered meet with death...”

As Kanon declares his part to be over, Maria arrives and attacks him, screaming bloody murder. “In MARIA’s eyes, though Rosa was the black witch... she was also the vessel of the mother she couldn’t help but love. Her anger at having that stolen from her was near madness.”

Sakutarou appears, preventing Kanon from retaliating, but before Maria can kill him, Shannon appears, declaring Maria as her target for the trial. She uses her barrier to crush Maria and Sakutarou against the wall, since she’s technically not targeting them that way. lol technicalities

Instead of crying, Maria accepts her death, realizing that the parlour would be a closed room. “This might be just perfect for that wannabe detective who’s trying to deny Beato’s magic.” I can’t help feeling that her nonchalance here is meant as a pretty big hint as to what actually happens on the board before Erika gets involved...

Zepar and Furfur acknowledge Shannon and Kanon’s efforts as “truly splendid,” then notice that Chick’s disappeared - she’s off picking a target of her own: Natsuhi.

In her own room, Natsuhi looks into her spirit mirror (that we last saw in Ep2, as I recall, so it’s been a while) and laments her inability to support Krauss by being at his side.

“It’s tough, isn’t it... waiting for the sake of love...”

And then Chick arrives. “Because of your love for your husband, you couldn’t bear to be made to care for an unfamiliar child.”

It’s funny and sadly ironic - Chick says she isn’t holding Natsuhi’s sin of 19 years ago against her, but the narrative goes on to mention that she does view Natsuhi as an “enemy” because of Battler’s blue truth from the end of Ep5. If only she knew...

(though if she did then I suppose this scene wouldn’t even be happening like this in the first place so)

“...Please do not hold it against me when I kill you for the sake of my love.”

As she goes to strangle Natsuhi, though, the spirit mirror falls to the ground, and she glances at it... which hurts her and breaks her concentration, much as it would against Elder. Both Elder and Chick express surprise over the fact that the spirit mirror has an effect on her, seeing as spiderwebs don’t. I’d forgotten that we actually get clued into the fact that “Beatrice’s” weakness to mirrors isn’t strictly related to her “being a witch” here.

Natsuhi realizes immediately that the mirror will protect her, and uses it to corner Chick.

“If I lose here... I’ll be the only one... to fail this trial... Just like George-san and Shannon-san... Jessica-san and Kanon-san... I also want Battler-san to acknowledge me... and treasure me...”

Zepar and Furfur tell Chick to “believe,” because “the miracle of love will surely occur.” With that, she realizes that she’s in love with Battler. “I want him to notice me. And I want him to acknowledge and accept my feelings...”

“I was born because I love Battler-san... and I want him to love me back...”

With that, she steels her resolve. “I cannot lose here...! After all... I was born for Battler-san’s sake...!!” And then, in stake form, Lucifer flies into the room, knocking the mirror out of Natsuhi’s hand and breaking it. GO LUCIFER

Chick moves to choke Natsuhi again, and Natsuhi reaches for the door to unlock it. “A closed room is one of the definitions that makes a witch. Just unlocking the door made the anti-magic toxin strengthen a little. Since Beato was at her limit even within a closed room, if Natsuhi undid that lock... Beato’s power would weaken immediately, and Natsuhi would surely escape into the hallway.”

She gets closer and closer to the lock - “The power of the living to live is fundamentally stronger than the power of magic” - but before she can reach it, Battler instructs Lucifer to finish things, staking Natsuhi in the forehead.

“Hey, Zepar! Does this count? Beatrice didn’t complete the trial by her strength alone, right?!” theatrics etc. etc., and the two say in unison, “A pair in love are as one! This doesn’t count as help from outside!”

Battler appears, gently chastising Chick for scaring the hell out of him by almost getting herself killed, lol. Chick apologizes for not staying in her room...

...and Battler apologizes for being so harsh to her. When she slips and calls him Father again, he grins and says, “It’s okay. Call me whatever you like.”

“True, the old you may have called me just ‘Battler’. ...At first, I might have tried to force you to speak to me that way. ...However, that would be pointless. You are Beato... but you’re yourself. You can call me whatever you want.”

She calls him Battler-san again, and he quips, “Can’t say being called Father is really my thing.” ew

“...Now, she was allowed to call Battler by his name. If you just looked into her eyes... there would be no need to describe just how happy this made her feel...”

He muses a bit on the “strange game” that’s started, then throws his hat in the ring... and mentions that he’s already picked his sacrifice. lol game master

“The resolve of all six [of the lovers] is the real deal! Let us test them further in the next trial!” With that, they disappear, leaving Chick and Battler some time to talk one-on-one.

Back in “1998,” Ikuko asks Ange what she thinks of the story so far. this is on chapter 11 out of 18 ffs it’s almost as bad as ep1

Ange is pretty clearly upset that she got so immersed in the forgery, lol. She goes on to say, “Normally, I’d try to skip over all the love and illusions and call them unnecessary, useless scenes for the mystery... but Okonogi-san disagreed with that way of thinking. He thought that, by looking at things without love that way, the truth could never be reached.” are we getting the message yet readers

“After all, she’s used up all these pages talking about love and trials. ...In other words, those are the themes and keywords of this tale.”

And Ikuko says, “And there are many who claim that all words not written in red ink are not worth reading. It is an honour, child of man, that you have read the black letters as well.” loool

“Stories are written because the writer has something they want to communicate. And some writers feel that it’s unrefined to lay everything out too directly.” meta-commentary etc. etc., but I feel like there’s another point to be made here - that some writers, like Yasu, basically can’t lay things out directly, whether it’s due to circumstances, the nature of what they want to say, or not having a voice of their own to speak up with (or in Yasu’s case, all three).

“...All of this about how you’ll never reach the truth without love has shown up many times in the works before this one. This new work makes that even more striking. ...It means that that is the one thing the writer wanted to tell the most... the thing that they want us to think about the most.”

Ange realizes that, even when Beato first started appearing on the board, way back in Ep2, love was a constant theme. Her first meeting with Shannon was all about love.

“Then, in the tale right before this one, where Beato had become like a doll, the scenes shown made it seem almost as though Battler and Beato accepted each other as rivals... or possibly something more.”

Ange challenges that Ikuko’s writing is talking about love from her own viewpoint, which she acknowledges. “That is what I wanted to tell. And it is my own sort of ‘answer’.” Ange replies pretty unhappily.

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

Though Ange is pretty unhappy with how things are going, she does realize something - Ikuko’s writing really does have “the same presence, the same scent” as the genuine message bottles. “The author is certainly different. However, because it reached the real truth, it had the same scent...”

“If one has reached Beatrice’s truth, they can create a new tale, whoever they are. ...With this new manuscript, I’m sure some other than myself will appear and reach the truth. Those people will be qualified to create new tales of their own.” I’d forgotten that Ikuko makes this point - that the more “Endless Witches” there are who write tales of Rokkenjima, the more people will reach the truth.

“...When that happens, the very first Endless Witch, Beatrice, will finally be rewarded for writing such long letters, packing them in bottles, and throwing them into the sea...”

Ange reluctantly admits that Ikuko’s tale somehow rings true. Ikuko replies, ��Very well, child of man. Perhaps, as the final survivor of the Ushiromiya family, it was fated that you would find the truth and become an Endless Witch. ...I exist only as a guidepost to awaken you as the true successor. ...ANGE-Beatrice.”

“...I don’t know the truth even after the two message bottles Beatrice left behind... and I’ve read several tales with hints afterwards. So... these hints are challenges, provoking me to think.” Ikuko agrees.

“Perfect. ...I’ll find this truth you say you’ve reached. ...It’s a good thing I came here. Let the truth I see and the truth you see overlap. Just as you see things with a single eye, so do I. Now that I’ve found you, I can finally look at the truth with both eyes.”

Back in the Meta-World, Erika yawns, complaining about things taking so long again. for once i am in complete agreement. Battler makes a jab at her for sleeping through things, lol.

“As you wish, let’s begin. ...First off, the first twilight.”

#kyuutext #umineko #umineko no naku koro ni chiru #dawn of the golden witch

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kyuu-rereads-umineko · 6 years

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Ep6, Chapter 9 (Part 2) & 10

Love Trial time! (warning: this is not a very good post, honestly. Ep6 is proving to be a struggle to write posts about, even this late into it...)

Eva and George are... in front of the mansion, I think? Eva’s clearly not happy with George and Shannon getting engaged, unsurprisingly.

Oh wait, no, they’re in front of the guesthouse, actually. CLOSE ENOUGH

“...Did you sleep with her? She told you she was pregnant to force you into a marriage, didn’t she?!” fucking OUCH

George states that he’s “a strong believe that chastity is to be preserved before marriage.” That matches up with their date in Ep2, so...

Eva asks why they got engaged, and George replies, “I asked her. She accepted. What more could be needed?” Eva disagrees, of course.

“What about her parents? Relationships between the two families? Are you some stray alley cat, or are you Ushiromiya George?!” Even putting aside the dramatic irony of this statement, it’s... interesting. I’m guessing Eva’s just talking in terms of general issues, as opposed to issues with Shannon x George.

George states his desire to “build his own country and castle from scratch” like Hideyoshi did, and Eva angrily replies that it wasn’t easy, and he was “often saved by luck and coincidence”. George replies, “And he got through it because he had a wonderful life partner by his side... you. Sayo is the kind of person who’ll support me and make me be reborn as an even stronger man. You’ve praised me for becoming the adult that I am, but that could never have happened without her.” Tohya loves Yasu, writes love letter to her in form of his forgeries, etc.

Eva asks if he plans on “betraying the feelings” of a woman they met with at a marriage meeting. He replies that even though the two of them went out (due to their - or at least his - parents’ insistence), they “never even looked at each other.” Eva objects, and George replies, “You want me to marry her because it will benefit you. You aren’t pushing that engagement for the sake of anyone but yourself.” SHOTS FUCKING FIRED

Eva starts crying and screaming about how she and Hideyoshi have always been thinking about what’s “best for George.” “If I didn’t care for you, we wouldn’t be having this fight! [...] Don’t worry, we won’t do anything bad to Shannon-chan. After all, it’s thanks to her that you’ve grown so much... We won’t forget that. So leave the rest to us... George...”

George turns his back, seemingly torn on what to do, then says, “Alright. I think that’s enough. All my life, you’ve done a great job raising me, and I’m grateful for that. When I have children and become a parent... I’ll become a parent like you. I’ll be the kind of parent most worthy of respect in the entire world, one who can truly fight for his children’s sake.”

“I think it’s about time you learned... to let go of your son, Mother.”

“Let’s forget that you’re my parent and let our true intentions ring clear... The reason you want to choose the person I marry... is for financial reasons, public appearances, and... so that you can posture in that still-continuing quarrel between you and your siblings. You have no other reason.” I’d forgotten just how few fucks George gives in this scene, damn. He declares that she’s “a wall, a trial, standing in the way of the future he’s trying to grasp.” “Now I’ll overcome the final barrier... you!!”

EVATRICE TIMEEEEEEEE

I don’t really have a lot to say about this sequence, other than yay fantasy battles.

Having said that - After getting beaten around a bit (okay, a lot), George stands up, saying, “I cannot count the number of things I’ve learned from Sayo. She taught me... courage and chivalry, how to be ambitious and witty and humorous, and just a little stylish. It’s ironic... Almost all of the things you say are so wonderful about me... didn’t come from you at all.”

A bit more fantasy battle (now with martial arts!), and George kills Evatrice... then straightens his glasses and says, “I know you’re somewhere over there, Gaap.” lol

“I have something to ask of you.” Gaap responds kinda flippantly, and George’s response... well: “The threat in his voice held the solemn presence of a king who could control demons. That presence made Gaap gulp, and she licked her lips before bowing respectfully to his back.” I don’t remember the parallels between George and Kinzo being commented on much outside of Ep4, so this is pretty interesting, to say the least.

“I like hot guys, but I like monarchs even more.” lol gaap

At George’s request, she moves Eva’s body to the VIP room in the mansion, and leaves Evatrice’s staff behind. George steps on it to launch it into the air, and catches it in his hand, whereupon it disperses into gold butterflies. GETTING A LOT OF EP4 VIBES HERE

In the gameboard meta, George declares his “part” to be over, and Jessica is shocked that he decided to go after Eva for the love trial.

He replies, “It’s the person who loves you first in the world... and the last one you have to separate yourself from. ...That’s what it means to leave your home. This is the courage I need to show to take Sayo as my wife.”

Ah, right, the nature of the trial is mentioned here. “So that the love of the pair will stand true, offer up the life of one person by your own hands.”

The narrative compares it to Beato’s test in Ep4, which is... interesting! I hadn’t thought of it that way, but I suppose it kinda is similar, just with “your own life” and “your lover’s life” automatically excluded (well, except in Battler’s case, but).

“For the versions of themselves to whom the game board was the only world, this was a tragic parricide... but to these ones who stood around the game board in this witch’s smoking room, it was nothing more than a movement of the pieces, representing George’s will to overcome his parents.” meta gonna meta

After a moment’s hesitation (during which Zepar and Furfur almost declare George and Shannon the winners), Jessica volunteers to go next. “Alright, I’ll do it... I’ll show you that I’m serious about Kanon-kun!!��

Meanwhile, during a break in the family conference, Kyrie’s wandered off to a hallway on the second floor of the mansion. “I need to regain my spirit and support my husband, even if I’m not allowed to speak. ...That’s the duty I’ve won.”

HI JESSICA

Ooh, that’s interesting. Jessica decided to basically wander around the mansion and kill the first person she runs into, and Furfur describes it as “Jessica’s roulette of fate.” battler u aren’t a very subtle writer are u

...Though she’s still not committed to actually going through with killing anyone, so she ends up asking Kyrie for advice. “Sounds nasty... Love that can only succeed by using the others as a footstool.”

“I think I see where you’re going with this... Something like this, right? ‘How far is a person allowed to take advantage of others to find happiness’?” Ooof. That’s... painfully accurate - not for Jessica, but for Yasu. The question she’s constantly asking herself, wracked with guilt over being torn between George, Shannon, and Battler...

...Though, granted, Yasu’s circumstances are a bit different to Jessica’s here, but.

And then the music cuts out, as Kyrie tells Jessica that, as painful as it might be to have to cut short George and Shannon’s relationship, not fighting for her own love will be even worse.

Ange cuts in, mentioning finding Kyrie’s notebook sometime after the incident. “It was... practically a book of curses... it cleared up several questions I had vaguely felt back when I was six.”

“When I was six, it seemed as though my parents were very close and had no problems. ...And though I thought it odd that Onii-chan lived separately even though he was in our family, I accepted it as the way things were.”

As was shown in Ep5, it’s explained that Kyrie was effectively Rudolf’s “business partner.” “Though she served as Dad’s right-hand person, she slyly got rid of the other women in the shadows... It was only a matter of time before Mom would succeed in her love.”

Kyrie explains to Jessica that Asumu showed up, and was “good at triggering Rudolf’s protective instinct.” “Bit by bit, Rudolf had started to need a woman who could stay quiet and soothe him... without making him think about anything complicated.”

“I am ruthless and intellectual. Rational and economical. ...In a plank of Carneades situation, I would push the other person off without hesitating. ...I thought that was the kind of partner suitable for him.” kyrie gonna kyrie

“Yes, I did get the position of his business partner... But before I knew it, Rudolf-san had grown a need for a mental partner, someone who could heal his heart. Though I foolishly claimed to be the intellectual one, I never noticed.”

And then both Kyrie and Asumu became pregnant, though Kyrie wasn’t even aware of it herself until after Rudolf and Asumu had already gotten married. “Once she got her hands on Rudolf-san, she didn’t let go.”

Kyrie reflects that she at least wanted Rudolf to acknowledge her child - which he was apparently willing to do, going as far as visiting her in the hospital even though Asumu was giving birth on the same day. She calls him an awful man, and... I can’t say I really disagree, to be honest!

Except... she supposedly ended up having a stillbirth instead, while Asumu gave birth to Battler. In hindsight, the answer’s literally right there, isn’t it? We get it stated in red in Ep4 that Asumu isn’t Battler’s blood mother, and both here and in Ep3 it’s stated that Kyrie and Asumu had the same delivery date. Coupled with how strongly Battler and Ange resemble each other... yeah.

“Kyrie had fallen from Rudolf’s partner to his second wife... and then, unable to even give birth to the bond of a child... she tumbled down... to merely being his mistress. I can’t imagine... how much she must’ve hated Asumu and that kid... Battler.” Ange mentions that she was (understandably) shocked to find out just how much Kyrie likely hated Battler.

Back on the board, Kyrie tells Jessica that she only regrets one thing. “It’s my arrogance I regret. ‘Rudolf-san is already mine, so I’m completely safe... I’ll never lose to that Asumu girl.’”

Kyrie warns Jessica against being naive about her love, and that the regrets she’ll have if she doesn’t take it seriously enough “will make her crawl through hell.” Jessica is, understandably, speechless upon hearing of how harsh the “true form of love” is.

“Right now... I would do anything to keep Rudolf-san by my side. [...] If he wished it, I might not even hesitate at murder.” KYRIE GONNA KYRIE

Aaaand Kyrie flat-out says that she would’ve killed Asumu herself, if she hadn’t died on her own. Battler, are you having fun writing your mother like this...?

Kyrie laughs a bit and apologizes, not meaning to scare Jessica like she had. BIT LATE FOR THAT I THINK

“I don’t know what your love has been like, Jessica-chan... but if you have a rival and neither is willing to back down, you can’t let yourself become complacent. If you do, you’ll end up like me.”

“...For the sake of love, a woman should be willing to kill at least once in her life.” KYRIE NO

“Love really is like playing with fire. Anyone can play easily and lightheartedly... but when you mess up and get burned, that scar stays with you your whole life.”

I just want to let that line stand on its own.

Kyrie turns to leave, wishing Jessica good luck... and narrowly avoids getting her face smashed in. She’s quite nonchalant about Jessica trying to kill her, but... y’know, Kyrie. Who’s surprised at this point?

“Come now. If you had come from the guesthouse to get a book from your room, you wouldn’t have come through this hallway in that direction.” kyrie holmes

More fantasy battles, now with math! I do find it interesting, though, that George and Jessica ask for help from Gaap and Ronove, respectively, given Ep4.

At any rate, Jessica kills Kyrie in Krauss’s study, gets angry at Zepar and Furfur, etc. etc... And starts crying as she asks Kanon if she did anything wrong. Jessica...

Elder joins in on complimenting her. “Very impressive, Jessica! That ‘closed room murder’ just now was wonderful enough to fascinate even a witch like myself.”

Zepar and Furfur dance around a bit again. “Come, speak up!! Who is next?! Who will take the next trial?!”

#kyuutext #umineko #umineko no naku koro ni chiru #dawn of the golden witch

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kyuu-rereads-umineko · 6 years

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Ep6, Chapter 8 & 9 (Part 1)

“think of her as my daughter” “is it okay if i date her then” “what” “what”

The chapter opens on Kumasawa and Chick in... Uh, Battler’s meta-study? I guess? who even knows anymore

The two of them set out a plate of cookies for Battler. D’aww.

In, uh... i don’t even know anymore but at any rate, Elder comments on Chick “sparing no efforts for the sake of her beloved Father.” Yasu really, truly loved Battler, didn’t she...

“To think that I would give Battler cookies... Why should I, the ruler of the night, do so much for a guest who comes so rarely?” lol

Ooof, and then Battler returns, clearly not too happy to see Chick and Kumasawa there. Kumasawa explains that Chick baked the cookies on the table for him as a gift.

“Battler looked at the plate on the study desk that was piled up with beautiful cookies... and the message card of encouragement lying next to it, and his face twisted with a complex expression, which might have had traces of both sadness and anger contained within it...”

He does thank her for the gift, but goes on to say he “doesn’t like sweets.” “I am grateful for her feelings. ...I’m in the middle of a vital game right now. This is the final game... and it’s vital both for me... and Beato as well. So please. Try not to trouble me any more than is necessary.”

Kumasawa balks and tries convincing Battler to at least try one, clearly quite upset about it. “Master, do you think there might be poison inside them!?”

“...Yeah. If Beato ever came to give me cookies... Of course I’d think that she’d put some kind of crazy poison in them...” I can’t help but feel sympathetic for both of them, here. Battler’s wracked with guilt over the end of the last game and what he did to Beato, and Chick doesn’t understand what she’s done wrong (because she hasn’t, really) to warrant the cold treatment he’s giving her... It’s really sad.

In Featherine’s study, Ange seems unsure of what to think. “I don’t have a clue why Onii-chan and Beato act so friendly together. Right now, I think of Beato as our greatest enemy, the one we must defeat... Still, even so... As a woman, I... can’t say I like Onii-chan’s reaction.”

“Onii-chan’s reason for defeating Beato isn’t to destroy an enemy out of hatred... It feels like he wants to give a sincere answer to her questions.”

“...Beatrice. I want to ask you something.” wait is this

“When Ange asked her question, Beato, who had been reading a Fragment book in the shadows of the study, jumped.” oh fuck it is

i was going to say “so let’s recap here” and go over the like fifty different layers of meta here but i don’t even know where to start, oh well let’s try anyway

so we’re reading a story (umineko) about a story (forgery dawn) written by a character in-universe (tohya) about two characters (featherine and ange) reading a story (kakera dawn) about another character (beato), and ange turns around to ask someone else (also beato) a question about the story she is in

i hate this

Anyways, back on track. Ange cuts right to the point, asking Chick why she calls Battler “Father.” She repeats what she’s said before - that Battler created her - and Ange asks why she’s so dedicated to him in the first place. “It’s almost as though... that’s your goal as a piece.”

“Yes... That is the goal that gave birth to me.” Ange asks if Battler gave her that role, and Featherine clarifies that he merely “set a piece with that goal” on the board - and, furthermore, that the first game master - Beato as we know her - was the one to create Chick to begin with.

“...Aaaah, this is getting confusing.” ANGE

Ange summarizes that Chick calls Battler “Father” affectionately, in part because he was the one to put her on the board to begin with, and then asks who gave her the goal of devoting herself to Battler in the first place - only to realize that the answer is the original Beato, who isn’t around to explain anymore.

“I will... do anything for Father... My existence will bring him happiness. ...That is my one and only pleasure... And... And... if I could one day have Father acknowledge my efforts... it would be my one and only joy...”

oh god hope started playing help

“...What the hell. If you only wanted to serve him, I’d say you’re just another furniture of the witch... but you want him to acknowledge your efforts? That’s less like furniture and more like...” And then it clicks: “That’s less like furniture and more like... you’re just a girl... who loves Onii-chan.”

“The guiding force behind this Beato’s actions... is that of a girl who adores Onii-chan. But then, what does that make this Beato? If the first Beato liked Onii-chan, then she should’ve adored him and done things for him herself. Why would she create ‘a piece of herself,’ a separate entity, to do it...? This way... even if she does attract Onii-chan’s attention, it will be towards the piece version of herself, not the creator who made that piece. [...] It’s as though this love is destined to go unrewarded... No matter how devoted she is, she will never get anything out of it.”

“That’s right... This Beato was created as a ‘piece’... because of an impossible reason...”

Ange and Chick discuss the old Beato a bit more, and Chick decides to start calling Battler “Battler-san” instead of Father. She goes back to reading her Fragment book, as dedicated as ever...

Back in the tale itself, Battler’s sitting alone in the study. “There was no colour in this dimly lit room. However... for just the short time that the plate of cookies had been placed there, the room had seemed at least a little cheery...”

He summons an image of the cookies on the desk and just sorta looks at them... then summons a piece of the old Beato. “Come ooon, have a bite~ It’s not every day that I’ll make these by hand...! Have no fear, I’m confident in how well they’ve turned out.”

One by one, he summons a few of the other magic characters - Ronove, Virgilia, Gaap, etc. - and has them make a pithy comment of some sort. Battler ends up reaching out for the plate, only for everyone to disappear just before he touches it... that is, everyone except for Beato.

Even though this is basically a conversation Battler’s having with himself, there’s a lot of interest to it. “...The more the new ‘me’ differs from the form you wished for... the more you are reminded that I can never be revived again, correct...?” Battler starts crying, though he also says, “If you never appear again... that’d be a relief.”

“The ‘me’ you were expecting... has already disappeared. My soul, femininity, sparkling personality, and splendid character were cultivated in a thousand years spent as a witch. Unless an exactly identical thousand years is traversed, it is impossible to become me.” Battler comments that Bern’s already guaranteed Beato will never be revived, and Beato retorts that Battler’s hoping for it regardless.

“One day, the new ‘me’ trips and lands on her head, and all her memories of the past are restored! ...You were hoping for something like that, weren’t you? Ahahahahahaha! A delusional plot like that wouldn’t even pass in a light novel these days!”

Battler comments that Beato was hoping for pretty much the same thing from him in the past, and she goes silent. “Does this mean... that our relationship... is exactly the opposite now of how it once was...?”

“...Well, at times, I did continue the game believing that you would eventually notice and remember, that a miracle would occur.” Battler asks her how it felt, and she cackles and tells him to “look inside his own heart.”

Battler reflects on how maybe he’d be able to cope better if Chick didn’t like the same as Beato herself, and she says, “Well, do as you wish. In the past, I toyed with you and tormented you... Now’s your chance for revenge against me.”

“...I would if it was you. It’d probably make me feel a lot better. ...But... that Beato... isn’t you.”

“Because the new Beato seems like a different person, I can’t accept her. Even though I know she’s a different person... she keeps reminding me of Beato’s face.”

“In that case... why not think of her as my daughter?”

oh no thanks for being born is playing now I’m actually crying

“She does share my blood, so consider her a daughter that closely resembles me. After all, she is my double, but hasn’t lived a thousand years, so calling her that is not incongruous. Imagine that I have died, left behind a daughter... and entrusted her to you. That way, won’t it become a little easier to think of how to deal with her?”

“You are free to press my likeness upon her. You may also let loose your pent up resentment on her in my place. Making her bear my sins and torturing her as you please may calm your grudge. If that doesn’t match your tastes, you can also guide her down the right path so that she does not end up on the inhumane road that I have tread. [...] ...With a miracle of a thousand years, she might even become me.”

With that, Battler realizes just how harsh he was being to Chick earlier, and notices that the card she left with her cookies is on the floor... except he can’t read it through his tears (or the ink is smudged by his tears, I’m not entirely sure which tbh).

Meanwhile, back on the board, Shannon, George, Kanon, and Jessica have been transported into Zepar and Furfur’s smoking room... lounge... thing. magic gonna magic

Shannon’s apparently told George a bit about what’s going to happen, leaving Jessica as the only one completely in the dark. He mentions “a test for a pair of lovers,” though.

Shannon and Kanon put the two halves of the brooch back together, and it shatters, unleashing Zepar and Furfur. YESSSS HERE WE GO

BEAAATORIIIIIIIIICHEEE

And then the two Beatos appear, right... Elder introduces Chick as her “double and little sister.” bern wasn’t kidding when she said beatrice didn’t necessarily mean “a single woman” back in ????1 huh

Zepar and Furfur explain that with the brooch broken, their work is almost done - “It was decided when the contract was made. It was decided that we must lend our power one more time before our final farewell.”

“So, this is truly the final miracle!”

Elder goes on to explain. “Those gathered here are ones cursed to have unsuccessful love unless a miracle occurs. The power of the golden butterfly brooch, which can grant this miracle, is your last chance, and like it or not, this chance is limited to this evening! This miracle can be given only to a single pair!”

Jessica does not take this well at all, understandably. When Shannon asks, Kanon says, “I didn’t know... how I should explain it.” Chick expresses confusion as well, asking Elder if she can’t explain it any better.

“With our blessing, the pair can cultivate their love at their leisure! No need to worry about suspicious demons!” “However, without our blessing, your love will vanish, disappear, wither, and decay.” Jessica angrily asks why.

“Because it is fate!! You may choose not to accept it, you may choose not to resist it!!” yeah i feel like i should have something to say here but really this is pretty blatant isn’t it

“Ushiromiya Jessica, the future you two share is far more grim than you realize.” YEAH NO KIDDING

Elder repeats what’s been said before - unless he and Jessica win, Kanon will end up leaving the island, never to return. “You will probably leave the island yourself in search of the one you love, but such a venture will doubtless be in vain!”

Jessica’s pretty angry, but she remembers something Kanon told her a long time ago - namely, that if Shannon were to ever stop working on Rokkenjima, he’d probably quit as well. Yasu really did think of everything, didn’t she?

On the other hand, if Kanon and Jessica were to win, Kanon would stay on the island with her, and they’d be able to develop their relationship from there... but, in return, George and Shannon won’t get together, though it’s not explained why (yet, at least).

“Without the power of the golden butterfly brooch, neither love is fated to bear fruit.”

Jessica, understandably, asks why the hell that is, and Elder replies, “It is due to your sin of falling in love with furniture, which is not allowed to love.”

George suggests looking at it as a test “to see who can display the strength of their feelings more strongly.”

“When I gave Shannon that engagement ring, I swore to fight all trials and barriers that stand in my way. ...No matter how unreasonable or incomprehensible these trials might be... I cannot choose to avoid them.”

“...We must fight openly for that single miracle. Even if I lose at the end... I’ll be able to accept it if we both gave it our all. And because of that, I will be able to cheer on the victors from the bottom of my heart.”

Shannon apologizes, saying that she’s “determined not to flinch in her resolve,” despite knowing what’ll inevitably happen to Jessica and Kanon’s relationship if she and George win. God, I can understand why Yasu would’ve felt so horrible about this...

“Love brings about conflict, and this conflict gives rise to determination. As the demons of love, [Zepar and Furfur] could understand more fully than any others how noble that determination was...” god

And then Elder comments that Chick is just as eligible for this miracle as the other two pairs of lovers. Hey readers are we getting the hint here yet huh

“With the miracle of the golden butterfly brooch... even your wish... your wish that your affection for Battler will be acknowledged, can be granted easily. ...And without a miracle... you also can never be bound to him.”

Zepar and Furfur state that they were planning on including Chick from the beginning. Jessica, Kanon, George, and Shannon all agree to it and restate their resolve, and Elder asks Chick if she feels the same way.

“...Yes... If there is even a small chance that Father - ah, no... that Battler-san will acknowledge me, I’m willing to put myself on the line.”

And so the demons of love declare, “Let’s begin this trial of lovers, the fight over a single miracle of magic...!!”

Meanwhile, Erika’s gone up to her room on the second floor of the guesthouse. This time around, it’s on the other end of the hall from the cousins’ room. gg batora

She tries making some of her duct tape (or packing tape, as of the Mangagamer release, but we haven’t switched to that yet so shhh) seals from the previous game, only to find out it’s not sticky enough to be used for... pretty much anything, let alone her seals.

“Letting Erika get her hands on duct tape gave her a fatal weapon to use against witches.” i’m just quoting this because i love how it sounds out of context

Dlanor points out that in all likelihood, any substitutes for the tape have also been tampered with, meaning Erika’s out of luck. She kinda takes it in stride and flops over on the bed, clearly in a bad mood.

“...Why do you hate magic, Lady Erika? [Maria’s cup-and-candy magic] was nothing more than a foolish trick to deceive CHILDREN. Everyone knew THAT... Was it really necessary to go so far to destroy that ILLUSION?”

Erika replies with, “Well, I am a self-proclaimed intellectual rapist. I can’t stand having magic confuse the truth.” Dlanor can tell that there’s something other than just “pleasure” behind her actions, though. Erika denies it and turns away, then starts talking to... herself, probably.

“I love you.” SHIP SHIP SHIP (nah i don’t actually ship it sorry)

Erika proceeds to go through random bits from her backstory, from the niceties her then-boyfriend told her to some of the strange things that started popping up - a new wallet, new cologne, suddenly having a part-time job, and so on.

“I found tons of evidence that I loved you. I found tons of evidence that you loved me. But I couldn’t find any evidence that you haven’t been cheating on me.”

“If you really find it that hard to trust me, we’re through. Stay away, just go home, bitch, I don’t love you anymore. Don’t cry dammit, it’s disgusting. Just die. Stop shouting, dammit, you’re annoying the neighbourhood. Just get the hell away from me and never come back.”

“...Without love, it cannot be seen? ...Hah. That’s backwards. Because of love, you end up seeing things that don’t even exist. It’s nothing more than an illusion, one that no one except you can see, and one that even you can never touch. Without love, humans would never need to sift through truth and lies.”

I’m pretty sure I already said it, but... Man, even if I’m guilty of not looking at Erika with enough ‘love’, her backstory here falls completely flat for me. For one thing, it’s coming after she had so much fun tormenting Natsuhi in Ep5 and destroying Maria’s illusion in the lounge earlier - it ends up feeling to me like a pithy attempt to make her sympathetic, and... it just doesn’t work. I can’t quite put my finger on why it doesn’t work for Erika, when we’ve got other terrible characters like Rosa and Kinzo (and even Yasu, to an extent) running around, but... it just doesn’t.

Part of that, and the second thing, is that Erika’s backstory just doesn’t make sense to me. While we’re never given an exact number, the narrative does say that she’s younger than Jessica and Battler, putting her around 16 or 17 at the oldest (I’m not sure where I got 14 from, don’t ask). This backstory? Suggests a woman who’s in her 20′s or late teens at the youngest to me, not someone who’s in middle school. I mean, yeah, sure, willing suspension of disbelief, plus as Bern’s piece who knows what the hell kind of person Erika was to begin with, but... it just doesn’t work for me.

...Though I suppose it’s kinda funny that one of the themes I like about Umineko so much - how two different, contradictory options are both “true” - is what trips me up with Erika, huh?

At any rate. “Right now, I am happy... Though it may be temporary, I have become the Witch of Truth. ...As I am now... I no longer need to worry about being tormented by non-red words.”

Erika ask Dlanor how she’d respond to her accusations, and the two of them re-enact the “game” Erika had against her boyfriend. It’s horrifically one-sided, in Erika’s favour.

Before leaving, Dlanor says, “A splendid game, Lady Erika. Even before you became Lady Bernkastel’s piece, you truly were a splendid wielder of the blue TRUTH... However, Lady Erika. Humans are only allowed to use the blue TRUTH. The only thing that can counter blue truth is red TRUTH. Humans are not allowed to use the red TRUTH... In that case, how should your opponent have shown his TRUTH?”

Erika just sorta replies with “who knows.” I’ll admit to feeling a pang of sympathy for her here...

“...You certainly were the victor in that GAME. However, allow me to say this as a protector of the TRUTH. [...] ...This game is your VICTORY. However... you still have not denied the six points of blue truth evidence that I showed to claim that I still loved YOU. ...Even you are HUMAN. You cannot use red truth to deny those POINTS.”

Erika smugly replies that she “used the detective’s authority” to have her argument elevated to red truth. “I am human, yet superior to humans. A detective and a witch. I am the Witch of Truth, Furudo Erika. Any other questions? Parting remarks?”

Dlanor hesitantly says no and leaves, leaving Erika laughing bitterly on her own. Glancing at the clock, she notices that it’s almost midnight.

“The curtain has finally opened on the second day, October 5th. ...I wonder if the murder this time is happening somewhere about now. I hope our victims leave us some interesting dying messages this time.” yikes™

Elsewhere, George is confronting Eva about his engagement with Shannon. it’s finally murder time

#kyuutext #umineko #umineko no naku koro ni chiru #dawn of the golden witch

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kyuu-rereads-umineko · 6 years

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Rule Z: Somebody, please stop me!

#umineko #umineko no naku koro ni #umineko spoilers #sayo yasuda #aaaaaaaaaaaaa yasu ; ;#sobs #kyuued

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kyuu-rereads-umineko · 6 years

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Dawn of the Golden Witch in a nutshell

#umineko #umineko no naku koro ni #umineko spoilers #ACCURATE #reblogging here because relevant

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kyuu-rereads-umineko · 6 years

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Ep6, Chapter 7

In which I realize why Ep6 doesn’t jive with me, Battler has more closed room nightmares, and Ange and Featherine discuss love, in no particular order.

Battler wakes up on the bed in his closed room, finding tooth marks on his finger, even though it’s still attached and the window’s unbroken. yikes

“...No matter what I do... I can’t think of a way out of here.” Hmm, I’d forgotten bits of dialogue like this... Having said that, I’m still inclined to believe that Battler knew the solution to his closed room logic error all along. He knows the truth by now, he should be perfectly aware of the kind of magic Yasu is capable of.

“Unless someone comes from outside to save me... I won’t be able to get out for all eternity.”

He tries calling out for help, only to find that the result is the same as before - he just ends up short of breath, unable to make a sound. Said it before, will say it again - Ryukishi is great at creating an atmosphere. Even knowing what’s going on, everything about this is chilling.

Noticing that the chain’s turned into... well, a regular chain lock, as opposed to the door being literally chained shut (yay magic), Battler undoes the chain and opens the door, only for an iron collar to appear around his neck. kinky

Ah, the letters on the wall, right. “The chain lock must be set. You’re allowed to unset it, but then it must be reset. Unless it is set, this exit of yours will be unusable.”

Grabbing a wire hanger from the closet, he tries turning it into a tool to set the lock, only to get laughed at by the witch (thanks Erika) and find more red words - namely, that the chain can’t be set from outside the room by any means. welp

...And we cut back to the cousins laughing away on the board, having fun playing cards. Still pretty neat how Battler’s logic error hell is framed like this.

...and poor Kanon’s losing, because he’s just not used to the game, heh.

“If you really gave it your all, who cares if you lose? If you lost after hardly trying, then you’d be grumbling and complaining about how you’d have won if you’d taken it seriously, right?” Battler and George chime in that people like that are “always cheery, no matter the result,” and “scarier than anyone else,” because they “always learn something from their experience.” Hmm. I’m reading too much into things again, but I feel like there’s something to be taken out of this exchange (other than Kanon’s individual growth here), I’m just not sure what.

“Being able to grow... is a privilege given only to humans.”

A while later, in the hallway, Jessica thanks Kanon for joining them despite probably having work to do, and he replies that he enjoyed himself, and thanks her “for forcing me to come.” lol

She invites him to try learning to play guitar with her. “At first, Kanon was scared that he might make a complete fool of himself if he touched a musical instrument for the first time in his life. It was because he knew that screwing up like that would make him feel bad. ...However, Kanon was starting to learn.”

“It’s only natural that I’ll be bad when I first start... If I just try to run away from that, I’ll never learn a thing for all eternity. I’ll never achieve anything.”

The mood becomes more somber as Kanon asks Jessica why she likes him to begin with. “Unlike you, I do not shine in any sense [...] I can’t think of any reason why you would like a wretch like me.” Even if I’m having trouble reading the rest of the Episode so far in a “Yasu” light, this part’s painfully clear...

I appreciate how the narrative is up-front here - Jessica wanted to fall in love after hearing Shannon and her friends talk about their romantic pursuits, and Kanon happens to be the boy who’s close to her on a regular basis. It doesn’t change the fact that she really does love him - but a big part of the context is still responding to Jessica’s emotional needs and wants.

Kanon berates himself for asking that question in the first place. “It’s proof that I’m not serious about myself, and that I haven’t been able to understand myself... It’s horrible of me to try and make you say it for me.”

“In that case... I want you to like me... the way I already like you. ...I’ve decided to change myself so that can happen. I can hardly imagine that you would like me the way I am... But someday... no matter what...”

Jessica swears to remain by his side until that happens, since they’ve got all the time in the world, and Kanon somberly informs her that they don’t. “When I talk about furniture... it usually saddens you. ...However, this is something I must talk to you about. And it is also something I must fight for with all my soul.”

“I would like to become human. However, I am still furniture. [...] The witch taught me once... The single element of this world. She said it was love... It’s something that humans born into this world can take for granted. ...However, it is not something that those not from this world, who were born as furniture, can take for granted. ...In order to gain it for themselves, they must have magic or a miracle.”

Ange Ange interrupts, saying that she doesn’t understand this last part. Echoing the sentiments of a lot of first-time readers here, huh...?

“Both Shannon and Kanon... call themselves furniture. ...They’ve always claimed that there cannot be love between furniture and humans. At that point, the magic of the golden butterfly brooch comes into play, and as the miraculous result of its magic, love is established between Shannon and George onii-chan. That's what they claim.”

Featherine proposes that the “magic” might be to permit the romance between a servant and a family member, and Ange comments that that part doesn’t bother her - it’s the part about marriage being impossible.

“If George and Shannon had wanted Eva’s approval for their engagement... Then magic might really have been necessary.” “However, George onii-chan has already sworn to it. He doesn’t care whether his parents approve of the engagement or not... Yeah. There’s nothing standing in the way of their engagement. Shannon should know that well herself. So why is it that now, on this night where the proposal went so smoothly, she’s still praying for a miracle of magic?”

And so we hit on the core of the issue: “Shannon has accepted George’s proposal... but she knows that there’s still some kind of barrier that can’t be overcome without a magical miracle. And that barrier isn’t something that they can overcome by their own efforts. That’s why they need this miracle called magic.”

“If two people love each other, what other miracle could they possibly need to be together!?” Heh, Ange kinda reminds me of Battler here - the way he doesn’t seem to have any qualms about social status or anything when it comes to relationships and whatnot, to going as far as hitting on his own cousins for laughs.

At any rate, Ange points out that the same argument applies for Kanon and Jessica. “Kanon watched how Shannon lived, and changed his own way of life. Then, he let his true feelings be known and started a relationship with Jessica onee-chan. ...There’s no need for magic anymore.”

“Both furniture were in relationships of mutual love. There shouldn’t have been any need for a miracle any longer. [...] And on top of that, the single brooch was portrayed as bestowing only a single miracle. It felt almost as though Shannon was hesitating because, if she used up that miracle for herself, Kanon’s chances at love would be automatically sealed away for eternity...”

“So this is the question: Why is furniture not allowed to love?”

In hindsight, I think I know why Ep6 doesn’t click for me - it’s not just that it’s slow, but it’s not very subtle, either. Ange and Featherine smack the reader over the head with things like this and the “personality = a person” talk earlier, the narrative flat-out tells us that magic doesn’t exist, and Shannon and Kanon sharing a body is all but confirmed even before the final red truth. It adds up to an episode that just doesn’t really grasp me as much as any of the earlier episodes did.

At any rate. Meanwhile, in the Golden Land, Elder explains to Chick that the butterfly brooch is “a crystallization of magic,” and Chick realizes that it only works “for those who believe in magic and witches.”

“When most humans think of magic, they think of incredible miracles being performed one after another in front of a crowd. However, this true magic that the older sister spoke of sounded almost like a charm, something that had no effect if the person using it didn’t believe.”

“The power of belief becomes magic...” “And those who make others believe are witches.”

With that, Chick picks up an empty teacup and turns it over, placing it on the table. Elder starts getting excited that her sister’s going to use magic for the first time, it’s pretty cute...

After closing their eyes and reciting the incantation, Elder lifts up the teacup, to reveal a gold rose petal within.

“C-could this be... magic...?” And Elder confirms it: “Yes, it is. You used magic to create a golden flower petal inside an overturned cup. It was a splendid bit of magic.”

Ange and Featherine weigh in. “It may be viewed as a trick. It may also be believed to be magic... It all depends upon the toxin of the individual...”

Ange still questions what the butterfly brooch actually is, because Chick’s demonstration of magic just now doesn’t answer that question. Featherine says, “If we blindly accept the story of those two Beatos as true... might we assume that magic had the power to cancel out [Shannon and Kanon’s] ‘resignation’?”

“...Yes, it does seem at a glance as though what you and the Beatos are saying provides an answer, though a vague one. However, let me say this as a Reader... I can’t accept this as you’ve presented it.”

And Ange goes on to say, “The tragedy those furniture were struggling to resist was something much more immense than this would allow for. I doubt they could reform their way of thinking just because they were given a charm for making relationships.” She also raises the point that Shannon went as far as trying to give the brooch back to Beato once her relationship with George had started, wanting to keep it going under her own power. Of course, that only really works if you interpret the brooch’s form literally, as opposed to symbolically, but still.

“...Just what kind of magic are Shannon and Kanon expecting from that brooch...?”

Back on the board, Kanon’s (apparently) just finished explaining the brooch and all that to Jessica. Part of me wonders if we can take the discussion of the brooch and its magic as a metaphor for Yasu’s gender and identity issues, given the love duel later on and whatnot, but even that is still kinda vague in my mind...

Kanon states that the brooch is what caused him to gain Jessica’s affection, and she disagrees, saying that it’s because of her own feelings.

And Kanon replies, “Thank you very much... You are human, so you do not believe in witches or magic. It’s only natural...”

“However, as furniture created by magic, my very existence here is proof that the miracle of magic exists.” And there it is.

“...Both Shannon and I. ...We need magic to succeed in love. The key for that is this brooch. ...I stepped on it and crushed it, so we each have one part. However, a single brooch can only grant one person’s wish. ...Only one of us furniture can be joined by this single brooch.”

The wing of the brooch that Kanon is holding begins to glow, enveloping the hallway...

#kyuutext #umineko #umineko no naku koro ni chiru #dawn of the golden witch

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kyuu-rereads-umineko · 6 years

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Ep6, Chapter 6 (Part 2)

“...So, it’s my turn next.”

Shannon restates that she and George won’t lose, and Kanon says likewise. “Even though you’ve always been a coward and let Milady take the lead until now...?”

Kanon points out what Shannon taught him: “The past is immaterial when it comes to love. The present is all that’s important. If that is true, then I think my present is in no way inferior to yours, Nee-san.”

“...You and Milady have to give it your all... If you do end up together... make sure you build up a relationship wonderful enough so that the rest of us can cheer you on with all our hearts.” ‘The rest of us’, huh...? Damned if that’s not loaded in hindsight.

Kanon comments that Shannon has a huge lead on him in that regard, and Shannon quips that it’s because of his cowardice. He refers to it as his “sin.”

Each of them fish out half of the golden butterfly brooch from Ep2. Shannon says, “We are furniture... In order to become human and receive the miracle that allows us to love... we must rely on a miracle of magic once again.”

The more I read of Ep6, the less sure I am what to make of its gameboard. Shannon and Kanon are so optimistic compared to how we normally see them, it’s... pretty jarring. From a Meta perspective, I can make sense of it, in a way - Battler’s realized the truth, and I suspect he’s writing this as a “love letter” to Beato/Yasu as well (much like Tohya does from a forgery perspective), and I suppose you could argue that Shannon and Kanon as characters are perfectly capable of this kind of optimism, but...

Talking about it on the Rokkenjima Discord with someone else (s/o to Ushiromiya Battler - yes that’s their username) just now made something finally click for me, and it feels like it should’ve been obvious this whole time - the original Beato isn’t here. Not just in the meta sense, but she’s not on the board, either. Instead, we’ve got Chick and Elder.

The thing is, in earlier Eps, Beato worked as both a stand-in for the bomb’s power, and as representative of how far gone Yasu was that she started spinning her roulette in the first place. In those Eps, typically, Shannon (and sometimes Kanon) would insist on her humanity, only for Beato to show up, cackling away, and kill her (Kanon vs. Beato in Ep2 is a perfect example). In Ep6? No such thing happens. Chick and Elder are there, true, but Chick represents her feelings for Battler, while Elder is her prank-playing streak in action. Even though Kanon’s still kinda representative of her bitterness, there’s no character to represent Yasu’s state of mind or the bomb. Not only do Shannon and Kanon overcome their fantasy “furniture complexes” earlier on in Ep6, but there’s nothing there to cut them down after the fact.

Now, what that means from a Yasu perspective, I’m not entirely sure just yet. It could be that Battler’s writing a “best-case scenario” kind of thing here - I believe at one point in the Ep8 manga, Beato tells Ange that she was wrong to kill herself, and that she could’ve had a happy future somehow even if she couldn’t see it herself, plus (I forget where admittedly) we’re told that pieces can’t act out of character - meaning that Yasu overcoming her furniture complex likely wasn’t completely impossible. Unfeasible, perhaps - I think that kind of thing would take years of therapy to deal with, and Yasu simply didn’t have that kind of time with the state she was in - but possible.

At any rate, Kanon leaves to play cards with the cousins, and Elder shows up in the meta, reminiscing about giving the brooch to Shannon in the first place. Chick comments on having read about it in Featherine’s library. “And that had been the first moment that Beatrice, witch of the forest, had met with a human and given them her power.”

“To Beato, who had been unable to interact with anyone for many years, this conversation with Shannon must have been especially fun...”

Elder goes on to say that she only gave Shannon the brooch in exchange for smashing the mirror in the torii shrine nearby. We’re sort of muddying the waters again, now - Elder Beato is the ghost of the mansion, and not representative of Yasu’s suicidal ideation. The Beato that gave Shannon the brooch very much is - since testing the explosives on the shrine is what gave her the option of the catbox anyways. Yasu’s nighttime pranks have no direct connection to that.

At any rate, back in the guesthouse, Kumasawa tells Erika of the story of the shrine getting struck by lightning. spooky

And Erika stops her, picking up that there’s an overlap between the legend of Beatrice and the evil spirits of Akujikishima, between both the spirit mirror blocking Beatrice’s powers, and her weakness to spiders. Kumasawa’s at a loss for how to answer.

Even this far into the series, Ryukishi’s still really good at playing with information sources and how readers are going to take them. Erika’s raising an important point here - the story of the witch of Rokkenjima is getting muddled with the tales of Akujikishima, when there’s no obvious reason for them to be... unless, of course, the origin of the “modern” witch stories is familiar with both, which points to a servant (via Beatrice) who’s close to Kumasawa (via the evil spirit tales). That points us right at one person: Shannon.

And yet, this is coming from Erika of all people - and really, after that scene with Maria, who wants to listen to her, as loveless as she is?

“The legend of Akujikishima is a fairy tale created by fishermen fearful of reefs in the Rokkenjima area. However, there was no visual image to go along with those evil spirits. [...] People are bad at imagining things without visuals... And that’s when the legend of the witch called Beatrice came in.”

Erika expresses interest in what would happen if “Beatrice” were to touch a spiderweb, and Kumasawa says she’d get burned. Erika replies, “That’s not bad. A splendid witch trial... if the spiderweb touches her and she gets burned, then she’s an evil spirit, not a witch... and if nothing happens, then it proves she’s just a human.”

“The legend of the witch is nothing more than the legend of Akujikishima re-boiled with a new face on it.” that’s what you think

Having listened in on the conversation, Chick asks Elder if it’s true that she gets burned by spiderwebs. Elder summons a spider, and the two of them take turns trying - Elder gets burned as expected, while Chick... doesn’t. They both express confusion, over both Chick being fine and Elder getting burned - she goes on to clarify that she doesn’t know she shares that weakness with the Akujikishima spirits, despite having no apparent relation to them.

They then go to check the door to Kinzo’s study, with its scorpion charm. Again, Elder’s hand is burned, while Chick is able to touch it just fine.

“Strange... Though you are my double, you are different from me in several ways... It’s as though you’re a normal human.”

“I-I am Beatrice... I was born for Father’s sake.”

“I am also Beatrice. I used magic to give Kinzo gold, and later became a soul and the formless witch that haunts this island.”

“...I am a witch who can use magic but has no body... and you are a witch who has a body but can use no magic... Eventually, perhaps we will become one, each filling in what the other lacks, and become the true, complete Beatrice.”

Elder reflects on how Chick didn’t even know about getting burned by spiderwebs, and in turn how she didn’t know of any reason for Chick to be born for Battler’s sake, concluding that they both have to learn more about each other.

“Bit by bit... Beato was walking down the path that led to the former Beatrice...”

#kyuutext #umineko #umineko no naku koro ni chiru #dawn of the golden witch

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kyuu-rereads-umineko · 6 years

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Ep6, Chapter 5 & 6 (Part 1)

So, yeah, the Steam version of Chiru’s out, but for the time being, I’m gonna stick to making my posts off of the original Witch Hunt/UmiTweak release, the main reason being that I’m already partway through Ep6. There’s also the voice acting, which I think adds a great deal to the story.

Once I get to Ep7, I’ll probably switch to the Steam release. Hopefully that doesn’t take too long, especially since I want to keep up with Rokkenjima’s Chiru Tea Parties alongside this, but... We’ll see, I guess!

Anyways. If I recall correctly, these chapters feature Erika wasting her time arguing with a 9-year-old and being even more dense than Battler used to be? Fun times inbound!

The chapter opens with Shannon talking about how she used to be “a bit of a klutz” “back then” - forgetting where she left something, or forgetting to lock a door/cabinet/whatever. It’s funny - despite how relatively insignificant this information is (especially since we’ve seen Shannon being a bit clumsy in earlier Eps), it’s good at strengthening the connection between Yasu in her story in Ep7 and what Shannon was like when she was younger.

that sentence was kind of a mess but i hope you understand what i mean

Battler asks her how she got over her forgetfulness, and Shannon explains that she got in the habit of taking notes about where she put things and such. Again, pretty minor, but it brings to mind Yasu tying a string around her keyring...

Erika interrupts, asking flat-out if she’s seen Beatrice or not. Shannon says, “I didn’t see her directly, but... umm... some very strange things did happen...”

The narrative mentions that she’s thinking of “a certain summer night,” and then jumps to the two Beatos wandering the mansion at night. “From Shannon’s perspective, it was a ghost story. From the witch’s perspective... it was just the story of a little summer’s night prank...”

Elder explains the concept of “anti-magic toxin” to Chick. She says something interesting here, and I’m not entirely sure how to parse it - “One thing we do have in our favour is the fact that our existence is still extremely weak. Because of that, the toxin does not affect us greatly.”

In magic terms, I think what she means is that it can’t cause the two of them as much pain as it’s shown to cause for, say, characters like the Stakes or Sakutarou in Ep4. In mundane terms... hmm. Maybe that, since the ghost stories about the witch haven’t really taken hold yet, people are less desperate to argue against them? I’m really not sure.

“[Chick] had thought that she wasn’t a witch because she couldn’t use magic, but apparently, she was still a witch nonetheless.”

Elder mentions that not only being seen, but “being heard or sensed can also result in contact with the toxin.” Basically, any cause for suspicion that “the witch’s actions” have a “human culprit” is damaging.

Chick wonders internally why she wasn’t burnt by Battler’s toxin. Meta gonna meta? The anti-magic toxin’s never really seemed to be “a thing” in the Meta-World - it’s more of a gameboard construct.

“Simply put, as we are now, we can only exist when humans aren’t around...”

Elder is awestruck at the idea of being able to appear openly in front of humans. “Is that what we will eventually become?”

Pretty reflective of how Yasu would’ve felt, I imagine. When she started with her little witch pranks, I doubt she could’ve imagined them growing to encompass the entire island the way they did.

“Hmmm, how inspiring. If that is our future, it means that all of our hard work will have been worth the effort.” okay that one hurts

And then Chick asks how those efforts relate to what they’re currently doing - unlocking windows behind the mansion’s servants, lol. Elder explains that the fact the window was unlocked even though “there’s no one in the hallway” is proof of their existence, and of their magic.

“Of course, it wasn’t just small pranks like opening a window. She could also smash windows and vases, or leave behind strange fires and mysterious scribbles.” YASU WHAT ARE YOU DOING

“One day, I will... no, we will become a single witch and control all of Rokkenjima... When that time comes, we will gain complete freedom and will be capable of stretching our wings as we please.”

And Chick realizes the reason she could appear in front of Battler so openly is because at this point, he fully believes in the witch’s existence and doesn’t have any anti-magic toxin to speak of. HOW THE TABLES HAVE TURNED

In Featherine’s study, meanwhile, Ange and Featherine discuss the Beatos’ logic. It basically comes down to the fact that they’ve - Yasu’s - created an atmosphere where anything strange happening on the island is blamed on the witch.

“The servants might have forgotten to lock [the window], or one of the family might have opened it after the servants had locked up and forgotten to shut it again, or maybe someone had played a prank. In the same way that none of those possibilities could be denied... it was also impossible to deny the possibility that a witch really had opened a window to enjoy the night breeze...”

“That’s one of the foundations of magic. Decorating... the process.”

Ange acknowledges that “good magic” really does exist. Featherine says, “The power to repel evil magic may be necessary for a child of man. However, it is the nature of love in the human world that it does not burn away and defile love-filled magic.”

Ange concludes that “Beatrice” isn’t a person’s name, but the name of a phenomenon - that anything strange that happens at night is blamed on the witch. “That all piles up until we reach 1986... This is the veil that the true culprit is hiding behind. And the person hiding behind it is, without a doubt, a human.”

Featherine contends that she can’t stick to that argument “to fight all the way through 1986,” and Ange doesn’t have a response. The narrative jumps back to the gameboard, where presumably Shannon’s just detailed the window being unlocked on that night.

...And Erika, being Erika, says that it was just because someone forgot to lock the window.

Shannon mentions that it happened many times over (which she’d know, of course), and Erika calls her an idiot. I really can’t stand her in this episode, I’m sorry...

Everyone else chimes in to support Shannon, but Erika turns to pointing the finger at the servants as a group. THE IRONY......

She concludes with, “Of course there’s no way Beatrice exists,” and “This delusion of a Golden Witch Beatrice [...] is completely impossible,” which angers Maria. here we fuckin go

Maria states that she’s met Beato (which she has), and that Beato shows her magic all the time. Erika asks her to explain in detail. Seriously, this girl...

The other cousins try calming the situation down, but Erika throws out all pretenses of being polite (again) to challenge Maria. Meta breaks in, and Maria appears in her witch outfit.

Erika invites her to reproduce the magic, and Dlanor appears to tell her, “This battle is not worth FIGHTING.” AT LEAST ONE OF YOU HAS A GOOD HEAD ON YOUR SHOULDERS

At any rate, ridiculous red/blue truth battle ensues. I really don’t have a lot to say about this and formatting the text colours is a pain, so...

During it, though, Erika says, “All truths are nothing more than claims! So, I’ll make a claim separate from yours and smash right through yours!! That is the detective’s duty, and the time we shine the mooooost!!” I think this is a good line to use to reflect on why I don’t like Erika in this episode.

In Episode 5, she has very apparent narrative functions - she’s a detective like Battler is, but ultimately, she’s very much an antithesis of him. She’s a ruthless deconstruction of the mystery/detective fiction genre in general, and she’s a guide on “what not to do” to solve the mystery. She’s also, ultimately, the metaphorical kick in the pants Battler needs to really try solving Beato’s riddle properly, and a parody of the Mary Sue character, by way of literally being Bern’s self-insert. She fulfills all of these purposes quite well, while being an entertaining character at the same time.

In Ep6, though? True, she still functions as a deconstruction of the genre, and as an example of how ignoring the heart of the story leaves you unable to solve it, but... I feel like the former’s kinda old hat at this point, and the latter isn’t done particularly well? Ryukishi (and Battler, I suppose) kinda smack us over the head with that point in this episode, with Erika just shrugging off the love duel getting so much attention and Battler flat-out asking her what her problem is.

On top of that, we’ve got the contrast between her being an absolutely horrible person like she was in Ep5 with an attempt at humanizing her by giving her some sort of tragic backstory involving a cheating boyfriend (that doesn’t really make much sense for a 14-year-old girl, but I digress). I realize the two sides of her match with Umineko’s theme of contradictory options both being true (the culprit being a witch or a human, for instance), but in this case, they don’t mesh well for me at all. Her cruelty is too dramatically overblown for me to take her seriously as anything but either Bern’s self-insert or a parody of the genre, but Ep6 tries using her as a character to convey an important point - her spiel about love making people “see things that aren’t there.”

On top of that, she’s painted as being a “rival” to Battler, when... I never really felt like that was the case? Sure, in Ep5, they do kinda feel that way, but ultimately, Beato is still his rival, and strictly speaking, Erika’s not his “main enemy,” either - Bernkastel and Lambdadelta are. Even though Erika’s given a focus, I don’t feel like that changes in Ep6, either - Bern is the one throwing a fit about losing, while Erika is just kinda going “Yes, master!” the whole time. She feels... more like a device than a character to me, sometimes, y’know?

That’s not to say that her presence is meritless, though. She provides some top quality humour and memeing, and the ending of the episode is phenomenal. Just, overall, I don’t really care for her here.

Anyways. Erika and Maria continue yelling at each other, yada yada yada.

“Let it be known that this fight has no point...” gertrude is on point

Erika does the magic, screeches about how Maria’s a moron, etc. etc.

“...Sheesh!! Just one more step and I’d have been able to take a heart as innocent as the smooth sand just after a wave has pulled back and tear it to bits. ...What a shame. This isn’t fun anymore.” She also gives the most insincere apology ever for “tearing a kid’s dreams apart.”

Back on the board, she gives another “apology” of “I’m still just a kid.” Maybe I’m guilty of not looking at her with love, but fucking hell this girl.

Maria stops crying and starts cackling instead, proclaiming herself as Beatrice’s apprentice. Erika says, “Let’s fight in a more satisfying game next time.” Maria says sure.

The cousins and Shannon leave, heading upstairs to play cards, and then Kumasawa enters. Erika asks her about the stories of Akujikishima and the witch of the forest, offering to get her a drink as well. With that, the chapter ends.

The next chapter opens on George and Shannon in the rose garden arbour, where George comments that he “can’t seem to get along well with kids these days,” about Erika. don’t worry jooji you are not the only one

“I think kids around Erika-san’s age have a really hard time accepting themselves,” says Shannon. This is... oddly painful, considering that Shannon’s given age is 16, meaning she “would’ve been 14” when Yasu solved the epitaph...

George comments that when he was around that age, “I was a weak, deplorable man who didn’t deserve any respect.” ouch

Y’know, I think it’s fair to say that my opinion of George has changed a lot in the 2 years or so since I started this blog. I think he genuinely tries to be a good person, even if he’s passive-aggressive and self-centred - I honestly don’t think he realizes it a lot of the time. To be clear, I don’t mean his twisting of the knife when young Yasu was in tears over Battler leaving - that was intentional and pretty fucking gross on his part. I mean his behaviour in/around 1986 - his focus on what his relationship with Shannon does for him, him shrugging off her concerns and talk about magic... I don’t think there’s any “intent” there (though whether or not that makes it better or worse is debatable) - I think the effects of it just slip right under his radar.

It still makes me kind of ill to see how he responds to Shannon’s furniture complex, but, again - I don’t think it’s because he “doesn’t care” or anything like that; I think his thinking is that if it were something really, truly serious, Shannon would be up-front about it.

That’s absolutely not to put the onus on Yasu for not explaining her situation to him - considering the weight of everything she had on her shoulders, from her identity issues to her body to her blood, I don’t feel comfortable at all with blaming her for not speaking up. It’s been a while since I read the Ep8 manga scans, but I seem to recall that George and Jessica express that sentiment at one point in the Golden Land, too.

I think, ultimately, George’s chief sin is the same as Battler’s - he just doesn’t really think about how what he says or does is impacting the woman closest to him. The key differences are that 1) since we follow Meta-Battler throughout the series, we’re able to see his character develop, from angrily refusing to see things from Beato’s perspective to eventually throwing his life away for her, whereas with George, we... don’t, and 2) even on first read-through, Beato is a lot more... inscrutable, if you will, than Shannon is. Even if we don’t know the depth of what Shannon’s trouble about, it’s easy to tell that something about George’s family talk bothers her, whereas with Beato (in part because the story’s usually told from Battler’s perspective), a lot of her reactions only really make sense in hindsight, even when she’s clearly upset (e.g. Battler rejecting her presentation of Beatrice II’s story in Ep3, and her reaction to Battler’s failed confession in Ep4).

Maybe I’m just stating the obvious here, who knows! Point is, while George definitely grates on my nerves at times, I don’t really hate the guy. He’s just as human as the rest of the cast, and as one of Yasu’s main male love interests, his flaws are often quite visible.

Anyways! At Shannon’s questioning, George admits that the reason he resolved to grow up and become a “splendid adult” wasn’t just because of love for Shannon. He starts going into some of his insecurities, about how he used to be “afraid” of “interacting with women,” and how he didn’t even recognize them at the time.

Huh, Shannon’s oddly confident during this exchange again. She makes a comment about understanding how George felt when it comes to trying to get noticed by the opposite sex, and when he prods her for details, instead of clamming up and blushing like we’d expect, she smiles and says “Of course.” I’m not quite sure how to word it beyond this, but I can really feel Tohya’s love for Yasu coming through here... quite strongly, at that.

And George admits that the turning point for him was how envious he was of Battler and how close he was to Shannon. George prepares to confess...

...And Ange breaks in to throw a jab at Featherine for watching the two of them. lol

“Stories of love are truly timeless. I never tire of them... However, I do find that expression of virgin disgust on your face even more charming...” LOL

At any rate, George admits to looking down on Battler and Jessica when they were younger, and thinking that they’d never be able to find a partner because of how brash they are, as well as using that thinking to distract himself from his own inability to find a girlfriend. Featherine cuts in, commenting that Battler and Jessica “have the power to interact without worrying about their sexes.”

Ange says, “People like Onii-chan and Jessica onee-chan can get along with anyone whether that person’s a boy or a girl... I hate to say it, but I find guys who act too polite... a bit creepy. It’s like they’re virgins trying too hard or something...” ange has 0 chill

George says that at one of the family conferences, he realized that the servant girls - particularly Shannon - were getting along with Battler and Jessica a lot better than with him. “Sickening, isn’t it? ...I just assumed that you liked me, and even had some childish fantasy that we might end up dating. I felt as though my girlfriend had been stolen from me and let myself feel hurt.”

He admits to trying to emulate Battler and Jessica by "joking around and speaking rudely.” That’s... an interesting mental image, and Shannon says as much!

“The reason I had no charm was because of my cowardice. Under the pretense of respecting people and acting to fit in with the general atmosphere... I was always running away. [...] ...I made an oath. This time, I would really make you take notice of me, and I would be reflected in your eyes... Actually, that’s the first thing I felt when I fell in love with you.”

I have to give George credit here - confessing to something like that takes a lot of guts. I don’t think it’s something many people could do very easily, even in private like this. Having said that, and I hate to be critical of him now of all times, I think that this is really the core of most of his problems.

He was so dedicated to “being reborn,” and takes such pride in “succeeding,” that I don’t think he’s capable of taking a look at himself and realizing he’s still got a lot of growing to do on his own. I don’t think that’s something specific to him, either - I think just about everyone has a period like that at some point. The unfortunate thing about George, though, is that he’s surrounded by people who don’t encourage him to take a critical look at himself - Eva and Hideyoshi, I think, are too close to him and too proud of him to realize it, while Shannon, if anything, usually ends up enabling him to keep acting the way he does. The result is that he never really gets a chance to move past that.

“...Sounds pretty... complicated.” lol shannon

“On that day, my desire for revenge against the two of you who ignored me and played together... no, against you alone... suddenly transformed into true love.” Even already knowing how he really felt about Battler leaving the family six years ago, George admitting to resenting Shannon like that sends a shiver down my spine - not because of how gross of an emotion that is (I think, while it’s certainly not pretty, it’s a very human response, in a way), but because he’s able to confess to it. Again, even if he’s pretty rough around the edges at times... George really is strong, in his own way.

“However, I swear this to God. Even though that was the reason I first started to take you seriously... there are no lies in the way I feel about you now. I swear to love you for all my life. I will not lie about that for anyone or anything. And I am prepared to take you as my wife, even if it means having the entire world as my enemy.”

I can only imagine how precious hearing that must be for Yasu...

George starts to say something about how he lied about Shannon being his “first love,” and she forcefully interrupts him. “Is there some rule saying that people can’t get together just because they weren’t each other’s first love? Is it betrayal to forget the first person you fell in love with...?”

“Love... isn’t that simple. Well... it might be simple... After all, love is easy. ...Always, whatever you feel now... only the honest feelings you feel now can tell you the right answer. So, things of the past or how our relationship started aren’t important at all.”

George thanks her, saying, “I was only able to become who I am because of you.” Shannon replies likewise, and asks him to describe the “kind of future we will build together.”

He starts out talking about how he wants to succeed as a businessman, then says it right-out: “Let’s have some kids.”

Shannon’s reaction here is markedly different from any other episode - she laughs, and says, “Yes, my husband.” He paints a vivid picture of a big family, “surrounded by many children and grandchildren.”

I hate to say it, but... I really can’t parse this scene from the perspective of something that actually happened on the board. Even if Battler gave her a new lease on life like I speculated, the weight of everything Yasu was dealing with... I can’t see her responding so readily to George’s family talk like this. I mean, I guess Shannon as a character might, but any other time it’s brought up, Yasu’s terrified of what might happen when George finds out the truth.

At any rate, George gives her the ring... and says, “I swear to resolutely stand against any fate which may attempt to get in the way of our future.”

He talks about how he’s ready to leave the family if worst comes to worst, and Shannon repeats his sentiments about standing against fate. Hmmm...

And then meta breaks in again, and Erika asks Battler when the murders are going to start. He just tells her to shut up and watch. lmao

Really though, right now she’s even worse than Battler used to be in the first four Episodes. While he might’ve shrugged off a lot of Beato’s fantasy scenes in a similar manner, he was rarely this rudely dismissive of them, and he at least recognized that he’d upset Beato somehow when he was (Beatrice II’s backstory in Ep3). erika is a 0/10 detective

Erika realizes that Battler’s pitying her for whatever reason, and asks him to shut the fuck up when he calls her “sad”.

“I can’t understand you at all right now. What on Earth did you figure out? Weren’t you and Beato always insulting and trying to kill each other? ...What kind of truth could you have reached to make you change your emotions regarding her? ...Please don’t tell me that feelings of true love have sprouted from your murderous rivalry or anything like that, okay?”

As much as I still can’t stand Erika in this episode, I can’t help but read her as a standin for some readers here. Battler’s sudden shift in attitude at the end of Ep5 was incredibly baffling on first read-through, and I found myself wondering the same thing as she is here (though not as coldly as this).

Back on the board, Shannon returns to the servant room in the guesthouse. Kanon immediately notices the ring on her finger.

“...So, it’s my turn next.” ooooo

#kyuutext #umineko #umineko no naku koro ni chiru #dawn of the golden witch

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kyuu-rereads-umineko · 6 years

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"Surely from the very moment I was born I was never given a chance for a happy life. And in the future lies only despair..."

#umineko #umineko no naku koro ni #umineko spo #umineko no naku koro ni spoilers #don't think i really need to tag it as such given that i'm reblogging it here but eh #sayo yasuda #uuuu yasu ;;

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kyuu-rereads-umineko · 6 years

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Ep6, Chapter 3 (End) & 4

I like how I ended the last post literally just before the end of the goddamn chapter.

Well, uh, anyways! Let’s see how far we can get before Chiru arrives officially.

(Also, shout-outs to everyone over on Rokkenjima for the warm welcome! <3)

Back on the gameboard itself, the typhoon’s started. “No longer would anyone be able to leave this island... and no longer would anyone be able to reach it. No one... unless blessed with a miracle.” Erika drags herself to her feet, cackles at the sky, and invites Battler to “entertain her.” here we go, chapter end

Like in Ep5, Erika’s welcomed as a guest, and everyone is enjoying a good conversation after dinner. Interesting - this is usually when Beato’s letter would surface from Maria or someone else, but this time, there’s no mention of such a thing.

“A strange family in a western mansion on an isolated island during a storm... Now that we have a detective stopping by to take shelter from the rain, we’ve got all the major factors lined up.” god damn it battler

Erika assures them that she’ll solve whatever crime might happen, and Krauss replies, “It almost sounds as though you want a bizarre crime to occur. I hope I don’t have to play the part of the victim.” ahaha oh man

and she goes off on a tangent about how there’s nothing new in the genre etc etc. y’know for a self-proclaimed detective she doesn’t seem to actually care much for mysteries does she

though i guess that’s kinda the point

“By that argument, wouldn’t it mean that romance was perfected back in Shakespeare’s time, so everything after that isn’t worth reading?” Erika replies yes, because of course she does.

“Just reading classics of the past and never anything new is being overly nostalgic, don’t you think? That sounds to me like the excuse of an old person who’s too lazy to read anything.” SHOTS FIRED

The conversation topic changes to Maria’s quiz book, and Erika starts rattling off the answers at an incredible rate. bern r u having fun

CHEESE RIDDLE

really though i don’t think i have much to say about this part other than it’s funny watching battler flail around while everyone else works it out

YOU CAN ONLY DO THIS BECAUSE IT’S CHEESE

Battler hitting upon his answer of one cut when the “correct” answer is three is interesting, though - it’s definitely not a conventional answer in any sense of the word, but in a way, I feel like that kind of thinking is how you need to approach Umineko itself. If you get caught up in the logistics of how the crimes could’ve been done, then you’re likely to miss the truth, even if you end up with “an answer.”

NOW I KNOW I’M READING TOO DEEP INTO THIS, GETTING MEANING OUT OF THE CHEESE RIDDLE

Erika is less than happy that Battler managed to figure out the “one slice” answer as well, though, heh.

Meanwhile, Ange concludes that Battler must’ve gotten it wrong, and Featherine just kinda laughs at her... before saying that the shape of the cheese isn’t specified in the rules. On the board, Battler says pretty much the same thing - while everyone else thought of a cheese wheel kind of thing immediately, he ended up thinking of sliced cheese.

“Since [the illustration of the cheese] hadn’t been shown, the interpretation of the cheese had been left to the answerer.”

Battler goes about demonstrating his answer. “With normal cheese, it’d break if you tried to fold it like this... but the rules say that this cheese can’t break unless you use a knife, right?” IT’S LIKE ALL THE RED TRUTH WORDPLAY

“We were thinking in three dimensions... but it looks like Battler-kun and Erika-chan were thinking in one dimension higher.” the magic of having a meta-world presence

Erika drops all pretenses of politeness at this point. “She was no longer a guest who would be staying until the storm passed. She had transformed into an annoying guest who wouldn’t leave until the storm passed...”

George tries changing the subject by springboarding off of the next puzzle (coins in cups), mentioning picking up coins with chopsticks, and Erika freaks out. lmao

And suddenly the narrative cuts back to meta-Battler in his logic error room from later on. I’d forgotten that it’s framed like this, to make it “concurrent” with the events on the gameboard.

In desperation, Battler runs into the bathroom, even though there’s no “exit” to speak of in there.

except of course smashing yourself to bits so you can fit down the bathtub drain (ryukishi why)

Next up, the windows, which have been clamped shut. I forgot just how chilling the atmosphere is during this whole sequence, not gonna lie...

Battler smashes a window open and tries sticking his arm out to break the window shutters... only for the glass to start growing and cutting into his arm. LOGIC ERRORS MAN

and there goes his finger jkfdshgjfkldhgfkljd

Back on the board, the cousins and Erika mention hearing a “clunking” sound. eep

At Erika’s prompting, Shannon mentions that there are guest rooms at the end of the hallway, though they aren’t being used. meta-battler would probably disagree

Erika and Battler trade a few jabs about her “role” as “detective”, while Shannon seems to be understandably spooked by it. kinda funny when, y’know, she’s the one killing everyone on the other boards

The cousins and Erika make their way to the front door, and as they pass by Beato’s portrait, Erika asks about it.

“Well, to be honest, I already know that it’s Beato’s portrait. Still, we only just walked past it in the last game, which is no fun.”

Shannon begins with “This is the Master’s benefactor, Beatrice-sama.” Interesting, was “benefactor” ever used to describe her in earlier Episodes? Let alone by any of the servants, or anyone who acknowledges her as a witch...

Oooh, this is interesting. Jessica brings up the ghost stories, and Battler recalls being afraid of them when he was younger. In response, Maria repeats the old adage of “she’s not scary if you respect her,” but this time, she also asks Shannon for her thoughts on the matter. On some level, Maria’s definitely aware that there’s some connection between Beato and Shannon (and Kanon), even if she just thinks “they’re friends” or some such.

Jessica giggles a bit, bringing up the story of the servant who got injured and quit. George joins in a bit, pointing out the main entrance staircase as being where said servant fell. spooky

I’m not quite sure how to express it in words here, but this is interesting - I do get the sense that Jessica and George are “in on something” in a way they weren’t before. Might just be confirmation bias, but hmm.

Erika asks for clarification on how the ghost stories and the portrait being put on display relate, and Shannon says that the ghost stories existed beforehand, but became more common once the portrait was put up.

And then, since she’s Erika, she dismisses it all as “worth less than the useless drivel of a half-sleeping nitwit,” much to Maria’s chagrin. In response, she just invites Beato to curse her, and Battler jokes about how having the detective killed right at the start is “a little too radical.” lmfao

Maria gets out her scorpion charms, Shannon remarks that spiderwebs are good as magic-repellants, and Maria says it’s because Beato’s “the incarnation of a butterfly.” Jessica responds in confusion that the spirits of Akujikishima were weak against spiders. Come to think of it, Ep6 is where we first start getting the hints that the “evil spirits” and “the ghost of the witch” tales combined to form Beato’s own mythology, isn’t it?

Everyone leaves the entrance hall... and chick!Beato arrives in front of the portrait of herself.

“Without a doubt, the figure depicted there was as like her as an image in a mirror. However, it felt as though its eyes and expression... were just a little different from hers.”

“Who... are you? ...Please tell me what kind of person you are... [...] ...Your wings should have existed for Father’s sake. ...Just when did you have one of those torn off... and end up so drastically different...?”

I’d completely forgotten this line, but now that I read it again, I absolutely love it.

Ahhh, right, this is where the narrative mentions that chick!Beato doesn’t have an adverse reaction to spiderwebs or scorpion charms.

Beato reaches out and touches the portrait, and it “ripples slightly.” something something Super Umineko 64

“...Yes. This is... a doorway. A doorway to the long path that would lead her to the Golden Witch, Beatrice...”

Chick!Beato falls through the portrait, and after resolving to “be born for Father’s sake,” she finds herself in the mansion’s entrance hall, face to face with... herself.

“That’s right... I wasn’t the only one born from the egg. She was also born. [...] ...Both of us are lacking something and immature. Yes. Both of us are chicks... but we are also... fragments of the true Beatrice.”

Elder Beato asks why chick Beato (I think I’m just gonna call them Chick and Elder from here on out) has the same face as her, and the narrative points out that she speaks the same way as the “true” Beato.

Elder’s profile is added to the menu at this point, and it’s pretty damn interesting - “A mysterious witch who existed even before the rules,” for one thing, as well as specifying her as the one who gave Shannon the gold butterfly brooch back in Ep2.

Elder posits herself as Chick’s older sister. I’d forgotten that it’s actually specified like this that “the witch of Rokkenjima” existed before Beato as we know her (i.e. the dress and hair).

Chick states that she wants to become “a complete Beatrice,” and Elder says that she herself was complete until Chick came along. Man, I’ve really forgotten everything about Ep6, haven’t I? This is a pretty obvious parallel to how Beato developed as one of Yasu’s characters, from pulling small pranks here and there to the Golden Witch herself.

Chick realizes that the portrait in the entrance hall is missing, meaning this has to be 1984 or earlier. She also puts herself forward as the ruler of the mansion at night, as other characters have said before.

The two of them head further into the mansion, with Elder planning on introducing Chick to her “boring everyday life.”

#kyuutext #umineko #umineko no naku koro ni chiru #dawn of the golden witch

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kyuu-rereads-umineko · 7 years

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Ep6, Chapter 3 (Part 2)

meta in your meta in your meta

The boat arrives at the harbour, and this time, the relatives are greeted by both Gohda and Kanon.

Seeing Kanon putting himself forward like this... makes me feel really emotional. On one hand, it’s heartwarming to see Yasu reaching out like this, in spite of all her bitterness and anger that Kanon carries, but on the other hand... for some reason, it brings to mind Shannon’s acceptance of George’s proposal in Ep2, and what that really meant. It’s complicated.

Rosa and Kyrie comment that Kanon is looking brighter than usual, which... again, brings Shannon in Ep2 to mind. The way she seems to come out of her depression after starting to date George, the way that other people pick up on it...

“...Maybe the real surprise should have been that his normal expression must have looked so incredibly sullen in comparison.”

Arriving in the rose garden, he sees Jessica running towards him, and preempts her by asking if he really looks that different. lol

Kanon admits that he didn’t really have any work to do earlier, then mentions that Shannon is planning on getting married. Jessica reacts... sullenly.

“I decided that... I would stop working here if Nee-san ever quit.” Man, Yasu really did think of everything, didn’t she...?

After saying that he’s unsure of what he’s going to do, Kanon admits his feelings for Jessica, saying, “I have the feeling that, with you, I’d be able to get away from the part of myself that I hate for being furniture.” Yasu...

“So that I can be with you all the time... I plan to stop being furniture. I ask that you give me some time to do that... Please forgive this last bit of weakness.”

And Jessica rightly replies that there’s nothing weak about that at all. Tohya’s love for Yasu is really, really apparent in this episode, even compared to his others.

Jessica asks if Kanon would’ve admitted to anything if it weren’t for Shannon telling him about her engagement, and he’s unable to reply. She asks if it’s because he “wanted to see what love felt like,” and he affirms.

Y’know, I’m still not sure what to think of the premise of this Episode. If I had to speculate, then my guess would be... Sometime before the start of the game proper, Battler got back in contact with Yasu, and apologized for going AWOL for so long. Whether Yasu told him the truth about herself or not, I’m not sure, but the end result was that she gained the resolve to keep on living, and actually be herself, as opposed to one of her characters. That’s not necessarily to say that she’s telling Jessica everything right now (remember, there’s no detective in this episode), or even that she does before the game gets paused, but I’m not really sure how else to interpret Shannon and Kanon’s behaviour so far. Shannon declaring her intention to get married to George and Kanon deciding to be honest about his feelings are part of this - Yasu’s made up her mind to actually confront her conflicting feelings head-on, to find out who she feels strongest about, as opposed to being torn between George, Jessica, and Battler.

That also segues into what happens with Erika later - since she’s not intending to blow up the island anymore, Yasu doesn’t kill anyone, allowing Battler to set up his murder mystery “prank” - but we’ll get to that later.

Anyways. Jessica admits that she was also jealous of George and Shannon, and the narrative says, “[Kanon and Jessica] had been shown the courage needed to speak up and tell the person you love how you feel.”

Kanon decides to call Jessica by her name when they’re alone, and gives her his own name - Yoshiya.

“The red, red flowers of the rose garden seemed to celebrate the two lovers whose feelings had finally connected...”

And we cut to meta, where chick-Beato is watching the scene unfold, clearly unhappy.

“By calling someone by their name, people acknowledge the worth of that person’s soul. That is why names are sacred.” Beato wonders if that’s why Battler’s so insistent she call him by his name, instead of Father. That’s probably part of it, though given the connotations of “Father” in this case...

“When Father sees me, it reminds him of that other me... the past me. And I’m sure that ‘me’ called Father by his name.” It occurs to me now that we probably are seeing a pretty accurate replay of what happened between Kinzo and Beatrice II, aren’t we...? Just, uh, since meta gonna meta it’s a bit less horrifying

Beato wonders how she can make herself useful to Battler, while Ange and Featherine watch the scene... or read it, or something. Meta in your meta in your meta.

Featherine remarks that she never expected to see Ange extend compassion towards Beato. Well, I suppose in a sense, that’s true, but at the same time - Ange’s character arc in Ep4 was all about the true nature of magic and witches, understanding what magic is, who uses it, and what drives them to use it. The way she uses that understanding to destroy Yasu’s Golden Land and drag her back to the game is... Well, yeah, okay, not exactly “compassionate,” is it?

But, at the same time, it’s her own experiences and understanding that allow her to do that. Even if she doesn’t know the details of Yasu’s life, she knows what kind of person must be hiding behind Beatrice - and given that said Beatrice decided to destroy the entire island and Ushiromiya family, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say Ange would’ve known that her pain went so very, very deep.

What I mean is - it’s easy to compare Ange’s mindset in Ep4, when she kills the stakes and asks her classmates to kill her, to the mindset that drove Yasu to start playing with the bomb and spinning her roulette. There’s a deliberate parallel to be made there. The thing is - even though Ange is suicidally depressed throughout Ep4 after that, that’s still a far cry from plotting an elaborate murder-suicide mystery. Even if Ange isn’t sure who to direct her anger and sorrow at, she’s aware that the incident was premeditated to a great degree (even if that didn’t really affect anything in the real world, but still).

i’m good at dancing around the point huh

TL;DR - While saying Ange “felt compassion” towards Beato in Ep4 isn’t really right, she did feel compassion and express an understanding of other witches, other people who use magic. If it weren’t for that understanding, she wouldn’t even be having this conversation with Featherine right now.

Ange states that it’d be unfair to call chick-Beato the same person as the original Beato. Featherine reflects that Battler’s probably “very depressed” that his resurrection efforts didn’t work out as hoped.

“I can sort of understand Onii-chan’s despair... However, I can understand how this child feels as well. No person can become a replacement for another... Not even the past version of themselves.” I feel like there’s a parallel to draw here between Meta-Battler/Chick-Beato and future-Ange/Tohya, but my memory of Ep8 is pretty hazy...

Ange and Featherine start talking about Beato’s “purpose,” and Ange expresses confusion - “So, the Beato who was born for Onii-chan’s sake eventually commits a serial murder and drags him into a bizarre game that she calls eternal torture?”

Again, we’ll see if this gets clearer as I read more, but I can’t help but feel that this “Beato exists for Battler’s sake” thing only muddies the waters even further, because for Yasu, that’s really not why Beato exists. Yes, Beato’s the one who’s “assigned” her love for Battler, and that’s a big part of what makes her transform from the ghost of the island to the Golden Witch as we know her, but “Beato the power fantasy” is just as important to her identity.

...Which, I realize, is characterized as Elder Beato later on, so I am wasting my breath here, aren’t I? Oh well!

At any rate, Featherine reminds Ange that “one can become a different person over a thousand years,” so.

“At the very least, Beatrice was once a pure creature who was born for Battler’s sake.” nvm i stand by what i said above

Ange questions the meaning of “a thousand years,” and Featherine says it explicitly: “Six years can become a thousand, and a thousand years can be nothing more than a quick nap.” She also throws in a Higurashi reference, just for good measure!

“So, does that mean something bad happened during those six years that made her hate Onii-chan?” Well, yes and no.

Ange expresses that Beato’s hate must be “misguided,” since Battler’s been away for the past six years, and Featherine just ...’s in response. VERY SUBTLE

Back in the, uh, gameboard-Meta? I guess? yeah let’s go with that

Back there, Kumasawa finds Beato sitting in the arbour of Kuwadorian. Beato asks her about her name, confirming that she is, in fact, Beatrice...

“However... the Beatrice that Father talks about... isn’t me.”

“I think Father wanted me to be that person... I think that might be why... He was disappointed because, no matter how much I looked like her... I am a different person.” Kumasawa replies that no, she’s the same “Beato” as the one Battler loves, she’s just “lost her memory” due to being “reborn.” If what we’re supposed to get out of this is how Kumasawa reacted to Beatrice II’s similar questions... Euuugh. Chick-Beato asks how she can regain her memories, and Kumasawa doesn’t have a reply.

“If I can’t regain them... can’t you at least tell me what kind of person the Beatrice Father loved was?”

“I was born for Father’s sake. So, I want to become the Golden Witch that he desires.” Oooh, I’d forgotten about this line.

This sort of strikes me as a marked difference from the situation with Kinzo and Beatrice II, and highlights one of the critical differences between Battler and Kinzo - while Kinzo was willing to erase his daughter’s “identity” for his own desires (to an ultimately tragic end), from what I recall, Battler... doesn’t. He asks her not to call him “Father,” and reacts negatively to how different she is, true, but as far as I can recall, he never tries to overrule her sense of self in the same way as Kinzo did.

I mean, in the end, we still go from him thinking “I should treat her as Beato’s daughter” to joining in on the love trial despite that, which is certainly... Questionable, but, y’know.

Ange cuts in, commenting that Chick-Beato is “an incredible kid,” without those “thousand years gone wrong.” Featherine says that she’s taken a liking to her, then allows her access to her study. oh man i forgot this scene was this early on

“So you’re going to make her read aloud the stories about her previous self... Yes, I want to know too. The tale of how the Golden Witch Beatrice was created.”

Back in the arbour, Kumasawa turns into Virgilia, “You must choose the path that you are to walk down... Let us call it a path of roses. The beautifully blooming roses may encourage you, and their thorns may torment you... but even so, it is a path that you once walked down. You may pass through the same thousand years. You may pass through a different thousand years. If you wish, you may even return back the way you came.”

Beato states her resolve - that she doesn’t want “to spend a thousand years in this garden drinking tea.” This is definitely evocative of Beatrice II’s decision to leave Kuwadorian behind in Rosa’s flashback, huh...

The two of them warp into Featherine’s study, where they meet Ange and Featherine herself. meta gonna fuckin meta

“The Beatrice you’re trying to become... was suffering from something. At the very least, you’ve been released from that for now... Will you really go on a journey to regain those shackles...?” Beato replies that, yes, she does. “I want to become the Golden Witch... That is the reason I was born.”

virgilia formally asks ange to “make beato’s journey through purgatory a pleasant one” and ange stiffly responds with her own formal reply lmao

Beato asks Ange to tell her about herself, and Ange says, “Sure... And I’ll want you to teach me. Why did you become the person you were?” That’s really the core question, isn’t it...?

Featherine states, quite simply, that solving the witch’s epitaph is a “trial” for becoming the Golden Witch, and that even Beato herself can’t skip it. In a way, that’s exactly what happened for Yasu. She was the “witch of the island” before she solved the epitaph, after all.

Ange realizes that she can’t interfere with Beato’s resolve - she’s simply a spectator. “This was just a bit of directing... to shine the spotlight onto the tale of Beato’s past.”

Featherine says it quite simply - reading the archive isn’t going to make Beato regain her memories. It’s up to her to decide what she takes away from the experience.

and beato goes to think her and trips over her name lmao, she’s too cute like this

“After being welcomed in by Featherine, Beato left on a journey to know herself. That tale connected the old tale with the new one. It wove them together. The thousand year old tale about her returned to its starting point, becoming a snake eating its own tale. [...] The thousand years of the witch born on Rokkenjima... were tied to the island. Was it a thousand years, or just six? ...Or did this tale extend even further back into the past?”

#kyuutext #umineko #umineko no naku koro ni chiru #dawn of the golden witch

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kyuu-rereads-umineko · 7 years

Text

Ep6, Chapter 3 (Part 1)

Who decides who has the right to fall in love, and who decides who is or isn’t “furniture”?

oh god the chapter starts with hope i’m not ready for this

We get a quick recap of how things usually go - the typhoon hasn’t arrived yet though it’s fast approaching, Team Natsuhi is concerned about covering up Kinzo’s death again, Jessica and Kumasawa have left to go pick up the rest of the family on Niijima, and so on. Shannon and Kanon are busy preparing the guesthouse.

Shannon mentions that she likes cleaning the guesthouse (even though the mansion has more than enough rooms for the whole family), and Kanon says, “Yeah, it’s nice and quiet without Madam and all the annoying servants.”

The two of them discuss Shannon’s carelessness, but interestingly, instead of shrinking away from Kanon’s criticism, Shannon smiles and thanks him for helping. This is actually really interesting, I’d forgotten how much more... assertive, for lack of a better word, Shannon is here. Hell, when Kanon says “there’s nothing to thank me for,” Shannon calls him out on just wanting to spend time with her, saying he’s “such a kid.” She doesn’t even blush when he mentions George.

Maybe I’m reading into it too much, but hmm. It kinda feels like it’s a reflection of Tohya’s memories of what Shannon was like, in 1980? It’s true that Battler met Yasu face-to-face more than once (Shannon, Kanon, herself as Beato towards the end) on Rokkenjima Prime, but... well, his first impression of Kanon is unsociable and awkward. It’s true that Shannon is kind of clumsy, easily embarrassed, and shy, but thinking back to previous episodes - the narrative sorta put young Shannon in a bit of a “big sister” role to Battler and Jessica, didn’t it?

What I’m trying to say is, it reads to me like Tohya’s drawing on his memories of a “big sister”-esque Shannon, circa 1980, and extrapolating that to 1986. Of his four episodes, we don’t get a focus on Shannon and Kanon alone together very much - they die right off the bat in Ep3, they’re surrounded by the other adults in Ep4, and Ep5 is more focused around Natsuhi.

I’m not really sure what I’m driving at with this, or if it means anything. It’s just kind of an interesting parallel to Yasu’s Eps - there, Kanon was definitely the one “in control” during some of their scenes together (I’m thinking mainly of when she’s invited to play cards with the cousins), whereas here, Shannon is definitely leading the conversation. At any rate...

“You keep making fun of me and George-sama... but how is it going between you and Jessica-sama?” STRAIGHT TO THE POINT HUH

And when Kanon tries changing the subject, Shannon pushes him onto the bed and asks why he opted not to welcome the rest of the family with Jessica. He puts up a weak protest of, “Because I have work to do.”

“Liar. You don’t actually have any work at all.” yeah well you’d know wouldn’t you

“Normally, Kanon was the one in control, but when it came to romance, it was the opposite.” Interesting that the narrative decides to make that note, seeing as Shannon was pretty clearly “in control” before the subject turned to romance!

Even putting Jessica/Kanon aside, though, I can think of another very good reason for her to decide against meeting the relatives - Battler. Kanon and Battler’s first encounter in the rose garden didn’t go smoothly, but in that case, she had the advantage of being able to run away and hide. If she were on the boat with the relatives the whole way from Niijima to Rokkenjima? Not so much.

“...Despite what happened after the cultural festival, [Jessica] really does like you, Kanon-kun.” He reacts, seemingly in disbelief. “Even though... I’m furniture...” And this time, Shannon calls herself furniture as well in response. This really is almost a complete reversal of how things were in, say, Ep2 - Kanon is pretty reactionary here, as opposed to his proactive “stop it nee-san we’re furniture” approach earlier.

Kanon repeats the refrain of “we can’t love humans because we’re furniture,” but Shannon makes an interesting comment in response: “Maybe we’re furniture... just because we think that.”

I can get two meanings out of that - from a Yasu standpoint, this is the kind of internal argument she’s been having for a very long time. The emotions are what makes love what it is, not the physicality, so she shouldn’t have anything to fear in revealing her true form to George, or Jessica, or Battler. They should love her for who she is, not what.

...And yet, on the other side, there’s what Beato says. Yasu’s secrets are so much deeper than just some negative emotions or thoughts she’s had from time to time - in the case of Shannon and George, their whole relationship is built on one of her “secrets,” and to Yasu, there’s a very real danger of the whole thing coming crashing down on her if George learns the truth. While I’d like to think that, for all of my ragging on him, George would truly be able to accept the truth about “Shannon,” there’s absolutely no question that the nature of their relationship would change from then on. The same goes for Jessica and Battler. She’s trapped between “They love me for who I am, it’ll be fine,” and “I’ve been deceiving them and lying to them for years, no one could forgive me for that.”

...And that’s without getting into all the complicated emotions that are around her relation to Kinzo...

Carrying off of that, the second meaning: it’s meant as a message to Yasu, from Tohya/Battler. Even knowing the full weight of the secrets she’s carrying, and how much she’s tearing herself apart in agony, he’s saying, “I - we - would still love you.” Sort of like how George and Jessica’s fantasy fights in Ep4 were a “love letter” about how much Shannon and Kanon - and by extension, Yasu, even if they weren’t consciously aware of her - meant to them.

And, you know what? I can really, truly believe that all three of them - Battler, Jessica, and George alike - would still love her. The nature of their relationships would most definitely change, but I can readily believe that their love would still be there. We already know Battler did, to the point of throwing away his own identity for her; even if it’s one-sided, George’s passion and determination about making the family accept his engagement with Shannon (or, if they won’t, how he’ll leave them behind) is extremely strong; and while Jessica’s infatuation with Kanon might be fundamentally due to her emotional needs (how much she wants to fall in love), there’s also her friendship with Shannon. Even if she’s a bit thoughtless in how she treats Shannon from time to time, I think that friendship means an awful lot to her.

Anyways, back to reading. Kanon states, “I don’t have any special feelings for Milady Jessica. I only think of her as the daughter of the family we serve.” O-ouch, Yasu...

“You know... there is a chance that George-sama... will propose to me tonight.” And Kanon’s expression changes immediately. They both know exactly what that means.

“You really think you can marry a human even though you’re furniture?” Shannon calmly replies, “I think I can.”

Y’know, if this were any of the first four Eps, I’d know how to read this immediately: “I think I can” means that Yasu’s made up her mind. Her roulette starts spinning at midnight.

In the context of Ep6, though... I’m not immediately sure what to think. Maybe it’ll get a bit clearer as I read more of it. (I’m actually going to make a note to come back to this exchange once I’ve got a better picture of the Ep as a whole)

“That dream future that George-sama has imagined for you two... is something you can never give him.” Oh shit. I completely forgot that Kanon lays it out that bluntly. Tellingly, Shannon hesitates in response, in contrast to her confidence throughout the scene this far.

“I’m impressed you’ve managed to trick him for this long. Do you really think you can keep tricking him like that forever? Even though you still haven’t been able to tell him that you’re furniture?” As utterly terrified (and not without good reason, mind!) Yasu is about telling the truth to anyone, she still resents herself for not being honest, still feels like she’s lying to everyone about who she is. As much as I do believe that the cousins would understand just how heavily everything was weighing down on her if she did come clean, I can also very easily see why it’s such a frightening prospect to her. Which, again, is a conflict she has herself:

“...Being furniture or being human... has nothing to do with this. I believe that George-sama will accept all of me.”

“And yet you don’t have the courage to check and make sure.” Shannon doesn’t reply, instead switching tracks to saying that she’ll probably accept George’s proposal.

Shannon’s lack of response here is interesting to me. If she had replied, even if it were to just reaffirm “I’m sure George will accept me,” then I’d read it as a reassurance from Tohya - that Yasu doesn’t need to be frightened, because the emotions behind her relationships are very real, and very strong.

The fact that he didn’t put such a “love letter” in at this moment, though... I think it’s a gesture of respect. To contrast, when Yasu is utterly horrified to learn of Kinzo’s assault on Beatrice II, Genji, Kumasawa, and Nanjo (from what I recall - it’s been a while since I read Confession) all jump to Kinzo’s defense, explaining how he was in pain and how much he was suffering.

Which, I feel, is true! Ep7′s depiction of Kinzo and Bice’s interactions do make me believe that he would’ve suffered a great, great deal at her death. The thing is, in telling Yasu that when she reacts with disgust and horror, they’re effectively invalidating her own feelings. She’s horrified, but Kinzo didn’t mean to rape his daughter, he was hurting too, so please don’t hate him too much? Intentionally or not, they’re making her feel like she’s being irrational in reacting so strongly.

In comparison, Tohya’s writing doesn’t admonish her for being so scared. There’s no sense of “Don’t be afraid, you should know we’ll accept you,” - which, given Yasu’s intense self-loathing, would probably sound to her like “If your love for us was real, you’d know we’d accept you, you wouldn’t be afraid of telling us the truth.”

Instead, while he does reinforce throughout his writings that, yes, the cousins really, truly did love her (albeit based on what little they knew about her), he doesn’t push that she “should’ve” been brave enough to speak up. He respects her feelings on the matter and doesn’t invalidate them, even as he tells her how much he loves her in her entirety.

Anyways. “As Shannon looked up at the ceiling, she spoke of the imagined future that she and George would create. Though some anxiety over the future appeared on her face... so did joy from discovering what it was like to live with love.”

Kanon says that she’s “incredibly stubborn,” and she replies, “I want to live life my own way. ...I’d like to stop being afraid, about who’s furniture and who’s a human.” Yasu...

Kanon sulks over to the window, reflecting on how Shannon’s tale “had no chance of a happy ending. ...However, he also knew that no words of his could change her mind now that she had made her decision.” The harsh truth of the situation is that, no matter how much Shannon postures about how “being furniture” shouldn’t matter, about how she’s sure that George can accept it... Yasu still can’t bring herself to believe any of it.

Kanon asks why she’s even bothering talking to him about it, and she says, “What I want to know... is how you feel about Milady.”

As usual, Kanon denies having any attachments to Jessica, and Shannon immediately calls him out.

“Why do you think that’s a lie?” “I know. I’m your big sister. [...] I know everything about you, Kanon-kun.” ahahaha oh man

“I’m rooting for you in the only way I can!! Otherwise... even I...!” Shannon asks him to finish that thought, and he screams, “Even I... wanted to love Milady...!!!”

At Shannon’s prodding, Kanon lets out how he really feels about Jessica. It’s pretty easy to read in terms of Yasu - she’s confronting her own emotions, and finally finding a word to put to them: love.

“In fact, by saying it aloud, he finally understood how he truly felt.”

“Both of us are exactly the same, locked up on Rokkenjima and living without any hope at all...! And yet, Milady was able to light her own path and create her own fate...! She was so dazzling that I envied her!! I felt as though, if I could be with her... I could find my true self, instead of the pitiful person I am now...!!” Oh lord, does this hurt to read.

On one hand, like with Jessica urging Kanon to try her “create another self” thing way back in Ep2, I get a strong sense of bitterness from this dialogue, for the exact same reason - “I’ve already been fucking doing that and it’s not working, stop tormenting me with that,” if you will.

On the other hand, though... I can kind of imagine these being Yasu’s own, raw thoughts on the matter. If Jessica’s able to find a way to truly be herself despite the burden she’s shouldering, then maybe... if Yasu were by her side, she’d be able to, too?

Kanon reflects on how much it hurt to reject Jessica after the cultural festival. Said it before, will say again: I’m sure that Jessica wasn’t the only one crying herself to sleep that night...

“You know what? Whether or not you deserve to fall in love is something that you decide for yourself. Being furniture or not has nothing to do with it.”

I just want to let that line stand on its own for a moment.

Ultimately, that’s the one thing Tohya is trying to tell Yasu through his own writings, and one of the things Umineko itself has been quietly poking us with all along - that everyone is deserving of love, of having someone reach out to try and understand them, of having someone see them for who they truly are underneath the mask they present to the world. That everyone is human, everyone carries both the potential for kindness and cruelty inside of them. That making the effort to see and understand someone’s heart is difficult - but it’s worth it.

With that, Shannon “grants” Kanon the right to fall in love. He thanks her, feeling “as though I can finally... see the sea...”

Shannon reinforces that she’s decided on accepting George’s proposal. “I intend to leave this island and start a new life in our new world. [...] I’ll leave this island... and after that, I’ll never return again. ...I’ll have to say farewell to you, Kanon-kun.”

And then it gets interesting: “If you do love Milady from the bottom of your heart, and if your feelings are at least as strong as my feelings for George-san... then you and I will have to settle whose feelings are really stronger.”

“This way is best for both of us. ...Don’t give up on your feelings for my sake.” “Even though my selfishness might keep you from your happiness...?” “I’m fully aware of it... My happiness... is hurting you as well.”

“We have no choice but to hurt each other.”

“...Nee-san. Living with you... made me happy.” “Me too. I wouldn’t have lasted this long without you.” “...And I wouldn’t have realized how dazzling Milady is... if it weren’t for you.”

The two of them decide that no matter what the outcome is, they’ll celebrate and support whoever wins.

“After all, by now... We are not furniture.”

#kyuutext #umineko #umineko no naku koro ni chiru #dawn of the golden witch

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