Board 8 > Arria plays/reads Umineko blind, Kira cackles at her SPOILERS ARE OKAY #3

(+) Yeah! (+)

Beatrice: Guess my name and you could win a trip to Hawaii!
A *snort* Also, youre back! (referring to Beatrice dressed as a schoolgirl)

Beatrice describes how shes holding Kinzo hostage.
A: Im surprised you havent turned him into slag already. He has already raped you tried to rape you wants to rape you. Look, I dont know what Kinzo has done to you, but you shouldnt be playing nicely!

Beatrice says Kinzo is jealous when she talks to other men, but shell love Battler when Kinzo isnt around.
A: SO many things wrong with that. SO MANY things wrong
K: I dont remember this
A: Alternatively you did what Im going to do and erase it from your mind!
(I dont remember all this dirty talk from Beatrice. I check the other translation to see how it did things differently. Mostly the same, although in this one Beatrice says Kinzo put her in a collar whereas in the other one, she says he tied her up for 24 hours a day.)
A: I like the collar more!
---

Beatrice: Kinzo is practically dead on his feet
A: *points at it and laughs*
Beatrice: then youll belong to me!
A: You know Metaverse Battler is currently throwing up in a bucket right now while Ronove rubs his back and says its alright. Ill make you some tea

A: Oh, Battler is going to find the bodies first!
K: Yeah, this really screwed with me as I went back to look at scenes. Because Battler finds some bodies, then talks to Beatrice, then finds more bodies later. I was trying to find a scene where he finds a specific body and it took me way longer than it should have to find where that scene was.

Battler found Kumasawa and Gohda hanging.
A: So this is how Im assuming it worked out. The cousins: Oh no we have to lock you up! Then they leave. Meanwhile Kinzo or Krauss or whoever unlocked them and let them out. Hey, lets put up these fake bodies that look like you! I think Kumasawa and Gohda are still alive playing as Virgilia and yeah, I guess Gohda is Gaap. Screw it, he always wanted to be a girl! Nothing wrong with that!
---

Arria started bursting out laughing for no fucking reason during a scene transition
K: Did I miss something?
A: Just my brain thinking of another solution. Alternatively, Battlers gonna be like AHHHH EVERYONE IS DEAD! and then Rudolf is gonna roll up and be like thats what you get for leaving the family for 6 years, asshole. Like, he just got Punkd. Its Until Dawn if there were no wendigos.

We got the first body update George. NOT Kumasawa and Gohda, despite Battler already finding what he thought were their corpses.
A: My theory is still solid!
K: If anything, that might be even more evidence toward it.

Battler says this could have been a bad joke until he saw Georges body
A: So Im not the only one who thought he was on an episode of Punkd.
---

Beatrice: Yahoooi, Battler!
A: You had a great thing going until you made that face and said that word. Or what passes as a word
K: To be fair, she is drunk off that wine from 1947 or whatever year she said.
(She thought it said 1945, which got into a discussion of how much wine was probably produced in France in that year. I didnt mention Kinzo being involved in WWII, but in the back of my head I am thinking he may have actually gotten it in France that year)

Beatrice says that shell enjoy being furniture and Battler dominating her.
A: Funny, Ive never had to beat the shit out of a couch for it to let me sit on it
A: I want to read this: some dumb little idiot summoning Beatrice and controlling her and dominating her the way she wants. Not this little noodle idiot.

We get the letter. ___s life
Arria and I just look at each other with shit-eating grins when Battler says he loves Beatrice.
K: Also, I love how if you take that out of context, this looks like a regular romance VN. Its fucking Romeo and Juliet with her on the balcony!
A: Literally Romeo and Juliet! A 3-day affair that led to everyone dying!
---

Battler describes his ideal woman as the exact opposite of Beatrice (and hes lying anyway)
A: I like how he described Bernkastel there
K: I think that is intentional
A: Also, this word makes me happy for reasons I cannot discuss (the word was sommelier)
K: Which means we have to discuss it
(Long story short, she read an otome game recently with an actual sommelier who was her favorite character)

Battler: If guessing your three sizes is the test, Ill gladly take it!
A: *laughs* Although they look nothing alike, I enjoy how Battler occasionally has very Rudolf-ish lines.

They get serious and their sprites get closer/bigger
A: Im so used to them being further back, so this is fucking with me.

This scene of Beatrice talking about Battlers sin from six years ago is super interesting once you know the truth. As for Arria, well I think its fucking with her far more than it fucked with me. When I first read Umineko I sorta took this scene as well thats something. Alright. Shes feeling more of a fuck you game! I was starting to feel confident I could solve something and now you throw this curve ball at me!
---

A: Are we supposed to figure it out?
K: Yeah.

Red: The sin is not between Battler and Beatrice
A: Maria? Was she angry that Battler left for 6 years and he was the only one she could talk to?
K: I really cant say anything about this scene
A: Oh god did he kill Kinzo 6 years ago and thats how long hes been dead?

Red: Because of your sin, people die
Arria shook
A: Am I expected to solve this now, because Im going to lose my mind.
K: Haha, no, you dont have to solve it right now. there have been hints, but its one of those things you might only pick up on them if you were to reread all of Umineko. In fact, that was something Popcorn Fairy lost his mind over earlier. You disregarded a certain scene that is so relevant to this.
A: *laughs* Once I know what scene it is, I might lose my mind too!

She gives it some pretty serious thought. She also considers that Beatrice is speaking very meta-ly and all this because of you, people die stuff is directed at us, the audience.

A: Stop monologueing! Stop monologuing! Youre going to die, Battler!
---

Beatrice had a sprite where she held out her hand. I dont recall ever seeing it. It also lasted for all of half a second before going back to her other sprite.

Oh my God the scene where Beatrice talks to herself and tells her to rest on a soft futon. I am literally crying. Its just Sayo giving up on this timeline. Giving up on love. Then Beatrice tells Sayo to go rest in the Golden Land. ;_;

A: My brain wants to connect things, but theyre off time-wise. This whole thing about a hidden mansion where Kinzo kept his mistress. What if Battler found that mansion? what if he found Beatrices remains or something, I dont know. But then he left and forgot about it?

A: Has Battler been dead all along?
K: That is a cheap trick and Ryukishi is above that

A: *points at me* When did George and Shannon get together?
K (oh shit): (shrug) Im not sure
A: Okay, cant be that
K: (internal sigh of relief)
---

A: Im trying to think back to scenes that I found boring as shit, which you were like this is really interesting! and the aquarium is the first thing that comes to mind!
K: *laugh*
A: Did he kill Kinzo and theyve been hiding it this long? No no thats a long time to hide a corpse.

Kinzo says that Maria passed her test
A: Do they ever explain what her test was?
K: Nope

Kinzo goes up in fire and Mugihito makes great death noises
A: I have to wonder how much of this is voice acting and how much is choking a voice actor in front of a microphone.

A: Also where the hell has Ange been?
K: Were in the real world right now.
A: No I mean. The whole first half was just shoving her in our face but now shes fucked off.
A: Well see her again soon

Beatrice makes the room clean up with a single word
A: Thats the magic I need. Fuck, I dont need anything else, I just want to Mary Poppins this shit!
---

Eerieka posted...

A: *points at me* When did George and Shannon get together?

Ooooh. She may have come dangerously close to figuring it out.

Beatrice: at the time of your sin, I didnt exist
A: But the other Beatrice did.
K; or whoever is playing Beatrice
A: yes, the piece-Beatrice.

Beatrice: I, the host, am fickle.
A; At least she acknowledges it

Similar to the Kinzo eyeball scene, theres one here where Battlers eye looks like its dotted with the dot of an i

I warn her that this next scene makes me want to slam my head against a wall, but to keep in mind that Battler is so flabbergasted by a fact that he doesnt see the obvious solution
A: Should I get the drinks ready?
---

Popcorn_Fairy posted...

Eerieka posted...

A: *points at me* When did George and Shannon get together?

Ooooh. She may have come dangerously close to figuring it out.

I was sweating a little when she said that, but I kept my best poker face on. No way do I want her to figure it out this early, as that'll ruin my fun for ep 6.
---

I read some more with Arria yesterday. We finished ep 4! And I was so intellectually stimulated that I had a hard time getting to sleep lol

~~~

A: Oh! Is he Kyries son and they switched!
(I think about whether this is a good idea to confirm or not. I figure no harm could come of her knowing by this point.)
K: Yes. You are correct.
I remind her of the scene from ep 1 where Rudolf says hes going to die tonight.
K: Do you see now what he was going to do?
A: Le petite morte?
K: Err, more of oh honey, I have some news for you. Please dont kill me!
A: *laughs* I like how we took that in the exact opposite directions.

A: Honey, you get the Ushiromiya name from your sire, not your dame!
A: Was this what you were talking about? The obvious solution driving you crazy?
K; Yes. Its so obvious to anyone with a brain, but Battler is so obsessed with being Asumus son that he stopped thinking about the real problem.

K: And you know Beatrice knows this is all shit. Shes just throwing Battler off
A: Yeah, shes hoping this will work so she can go back to doing whatever it witches do when theyre not ruining peoples lives.

Beatrice mentions 1 in a quadrillion again and I point it out
A: How many 0s are in quadrillion?
K: Trillion, quintillion, quadrillion. A lot?
A: a 1 with 15 zeroes. Damn, I was hoping it would be something relevant like the number of people on the island or 13 for the number of sacrifices.
---

Eerieka posted...

I think about whether this is a good idea to confirm or not. I figure no harm could come of her knowing by this point

Hmmm. I disagree. It's not a big deal, but, there is the whole of 5 I think? Knowing this throws Battler's entire counter attack of him being the mystery child out the window.

Ya know what? I didn't think of that. I concede your point, Popcorn Fairy. However, I think I'll be able to fix this. Arria firmly believes that I am deceiving her about certain things (I am), so I may be able to make her think that I lied about Battler's birth as well. I'll have to be more careful.
---

Beatrice cries with Maria as Mariage Sorciere is declared to be just them. ;_;

Back to Ange and the boat captain
Captain says he stopped all shipments in 1968
A: Yeah, too early for Battler to have been involved.
K: He still could have found the mansion

We stopped for the day here since it was getting late and Arria didnt want to deal with Ange any more lol

Day 26 (5/25/18)

We open up with Ange and Amakusa on their way to Rokkenjima

Captain: Im a man of the sea. I dont know anything about holes
A: Im sure you knew more about them in your youth.

Captain: Your family is waiting for you
A: Im sure the captain didnt intend for that to be creepy as shit but thats creepy as shit
---

Hope is playing, oh man. ;_;

A: So did the mansion fall into the sea?
K: What do you mean?
(she had me reread the passage which says there was a path which basically led to a cliff)
A: I know Kinzo is crazy, but I dont think hes make a path off a cliff.
(Interesting that she caught this right away, imo. While it didnt exactly fall into the sea, its close to the truth. I didnt say anything here, since I wanted her to solve the bomb riddle at the end of ep 4)

A: My brain doesnt like these sentences: I wouldve gone down that cliff without any hesitation. Followed by Mammons This is nothing for the skyscraper-jumping Ange.
She asks if this is the cliff where Beatrice fell with Rosa
K: I cant say anything here

A: This is so fucking creepy. And that particular phrasing of that sentence All of my relatives and those fun servants.

Theres a missing word here that made a sentence hard to understand. It was supposed to say a journey to reach the end of the last witch of Mariage Sorciere but the first to was missing so it said a journey reach
---

Without love, it cannot be seen. Arria is starting to recognize the phrase when it pops up
K: This is the theme of Umineko. I think Ive said it before, but youll see this phrase more and more as we go.
A: I remember this from that scene where I forgot what Jesus was.

Man this scene is really good on a second readthrough. Ange goes through Marias diary and finally understands what she went through

Ange hears footsteps
Ange: Maria onee-chan!
A: Noooope (shakes head)
Kasumi appears
A: yeeeees (nods head)

Ange looks at the cliff
A: Please jump. Its probably a better end for you.

Ange says that Kasumi had to elegantly drop a load behind a tree
A: *snort*

Kasumi has a horrible sprite with her eyes open
A: Yeah, thats what I imagine she looks like most of the time
---

All this talk of how the Sumadera family would have treated Kyrie for becoming Rudolfs mistress is such yakuza shit. Maybe thats another reason I assumed they were yakuza.

Kasumi: I was treated so badly by the Sumadera family that I spit up blood
Ange: Good work. keep it up
A: I like how she keeps being a bitch. I realize its probably because shes suicidal, but still.

The goons beat up Ange and I mention how in the anime one of the goons looks like Rudolf.
K: Some time long after the anime aired, I saw a gif of that scene out of context and thought it was Rudolf beating up his own daughter
A: That is some bad art direction!

Game: Talk about pushing your problems onto other people
A: I like how the game went full sarcastic there
---

Now that I know everything about Eva, I see this scene in a different light. Eva says a snarky line (in the past) and Ange says that she (Ange) would have once met hatred with hatred. No Eva was the one meeting hatred with hatred. (I mean, neither was really in the right and Im not trying to push all the blame on Ange, but well, I dont hate Eva nearly as much as I used to)

Ange: Maybe I should have been her ally.
K (internally): A little late for these thoughts, but man it would have helped ages ago
A: Well, youre not wrong

Evatrice appears and talks to Ange
K: So you remember what Evatrice represents in the story, right?
A: The idea that Eva committed the murders in that one episode
K: Right. Well, for all of Umineko, shes the theory that Eva was the culprit. So one way you can look at this scene is Ange realizing she shouldnt have hated Eva, but rather hated the theory that Eva committed the murders.

A: I like how Umineko is tackling this dark, real-world issue. That a child who is abused will often grow up to be an abuser themselves.
K: Until one child has the power within to stop the cycle. It just takes one person to be better than their parent.
---

Kasumi takes Marias diary. She shows it to her goons who laugh
A: I love how in this scene, the goons are the goats. Like, they could use the goat sprite, and it would not break immersion at all

Mammon and Sakutaros pages get ripped out. RIP okay, thats a bad pun and I apologize. I mean, they explicitly dont die because its just paper but theyre still in pain.
Mammon says that because she is furniture, she cant be seen by those who dont believe in them. Only those who believe in them can use them.

Kasumi and her goons read the uu page
A: *smacks lips* Ah. I get it. Also, I can hear you laughing at me from here, Popcorn Fairy
A: I like how this whole chapter has been Marias redemption arc.

Evatrice: If you said uu in real life, people would think youre a pathetic loser kid
A: Also, fuck you game. You dont get to set us up for this and then call us out on it!
---

A: Its kinda odd to root for the stakes.
K: Its totally okay to be on their side
A: Like, Ive spent the whole series thinking they were villains
K: Could a group this cute stay villain forever?

A: So Im guessing the non-magic answer to this whole scene is that Ange had her own gun?
K: In a way, yes. But think of the word gun in a metaphorical sense.
A: *smiles* Amakusa
K: Indeed.
A: This makes a lot more sense. The description of this gore sounds like something that could be done with a sniper rifle.

A: Aaand, Kasumi is gonna fall off the damn cliff
A: Or shot. Thats fine too!

Evatrice: I wont kill you. Ill let it be the one you hated most. the woman who hated and despised you the most
A: Kyrie?
Eva appears
A: I was wrong
K: I think its safe to say Ange loves Kyrie
A: I was expecting a plot twist. I wasnt thinking there was a reason to go from witch-Eva to regular-Eva.
---

A: So is the implication that Eva faked her death?
K: I dont think so. I think its just Anges last moments as she goes crazy. Also, actually the anime did a decent job here because when we see Eva in the hospital, she is old. This is another case where the sprites dont tell the whole story.
A: This is the second time youve mention the anime, and thats after saying that we dont talk about the anime. Maybe we should watch a little bit of it next time so I can see for myself how terrible it is
K: Ugh maybe just a few episodes! (internally: and nothing that would clue you in to the culprit)

We return to Ange and Bernkastel and were both super confused as to when and where this is taking place. @_@

Dir plays when we get back to the Golden Land. I forgot how great this song is. Didnt it win some Umineko song contest here?

Ange talks about how Maria and Beatrice made the smallest universe in the world. Again, reminds me of the conversations in ep 6 about the minimum number of people needed to make a universe.

A: Was Battlers sin leaving Ange and thus allowing her to become a witch?
K: No matter what you say, Im just going to say maybe.
She is REALLY paranoid about Battlers sin lol.
---

A: So what level of the meta is this happening in?
K: its probably all in Anges head, honestly
A: I mean, shes going on here about how shes Ange, but before she was saying that shes Gretel
K: She calls herself Gretel when Battler is around
A: Ah.
(I think she may have picked up on what I was implying)

A: I really like the background images here with all the golden flowers
K: Uh-huh.
Another image with the flowers close-up appears
A: This one is even better!

Theres some strange red here about how this is Beatrices Golden Land and only her magic can exist, etc. We try to figure it out, but were dumb. Then she chokes upon saying that Sakutaro is the only one.
A: Because Rosa made the prototype, then mass produced them
K; Or just bought one at the store
A: I like to give Rosa the benefit of the doubt
K: Im actually pretty sure it was confirmed somewhere, maybe in the manga, that Rosa was too busy and literally just bought it at the store
A: Well, I TRIED to give Rosa the benefit of the doubt!

Ange announced herself as the Witch of Resurrection, ANGE
A: I like it! *nods*
---

Ange talks about how she wont allow a tie to occur
A: What would a tie even be? Beatrice and Batter getting married and saying fuck it. Theres a disturbing image for you the love child of Beatrice and Battler.
K: (I dont know what to say lol. I probably have some kind of look on my face because she then says):
A: Its probably way worse than the real end!

Lambda tied Beatrice down to her chair
A: I hate to say it, but Im kinda on Lambdas side right now
K: The topic was hoping you would eventually come to like her. Maybe not right away, but someday.

A: So how many sides are there in this conflict anyway?
K: As many as Ryukishi needs. Technically just two: anti-fantasy and anti-mystery. The problem is people will flip sides and there are witches on both sides

Theres a line about Bernkastel sweeping up Battler
A: I like to imagine this as some epic battle happening in the background and shes here with a broom just dust dust
(Its funny to me because she pretty much has a moment like that later on. I am of course thinking of her phone scene).
---

Ange points out the obvious solution to Battlers parentage issue
K: Its taking a lot of words to say something incredibly obvious
A: Thank you Ange, for using your brain.
A: I hate to say this, but it doesnt matter whose uterus you came out of! All that matters is you came out of Rudolfs ballsack!

Ange makes Battler say in red that Ange is his little sister. Arria has a daww moment
A: This is so cute!
Wow, I didnt think that would get an emotional reaction out of her. I agree this scene is so good though
K: Have they talked at all about why Ange isnt allowed to reveal herself? Why shes calling herself Gretel and stuff
A: Not yet
K: Okay. Well just keep in mind while reading this that he doesnt know this is Ange.

We get a cutscene with Ange hugging Battler from behind. ;_; So good

Beatrice says that Battler is her toy. His family is her toy, too. I feel like this is just her provoking Battler
A: Well youre a bitch

Ange becomes hamburger meat. RIP
---

Battler gets his determination back
A: I like his angry crying face
K: *laugh*

Battler says hell bring Ange back a souvenir
A: (imitating child-Ange): Mommy, why does Onii-chan have a blonde womans head?

A: You just got Battler back, and youre already breaking him again. Ladies, this is not how you treat your toys.

Beatrice describes the torture
A: Sweetheart. I dont think he wanted an honest answer to that question!

Lambda says Beatrice could have just said she turned into butterflies and flew away
A: *waves her hand crazily* WOW Lambda, youre two for two today!
A: I really hate this game at times. Characters I hate I end up liking, and character I like I end up hating.
K: That will be an ongoing theme, I think
---

Lambda is the real MVP.

I think Arria is coming to the Lambda side!
---

Eerieka posted...

Characters I hate I end up liking, and character I like I end up hating.

And this is pretty much the most accurate description of Umineko. You like them. Then you hate them. Then you start thinking, oh, maybe they aren't so bad. Then you hate them again. Then you like them again at the end, and that one character you really hated becomes one of your favorites a few days later.

Least that's how it was for me.

So true. I flip-flopped around with a bunch. I'm excited to see how she initially responds to Erika (assuming she ever has a pure response and doesn't just insert me as her like I did >_>)

Pretty soon I'm going to meet up with Arria and rather than read the next episode immediately, I think I'll have a discussion with her about the story so far. Does anyone have any ideas for things I should ask her about? (I'm not sure anyone but you is reading, Popcorn Fairy. Ah well, if nothing else, I'm glad I have all this stuff written down for my own amusement and to show Arria once she's finished with the whole story.)

~~~

A: I also love how Battler will go batshit crazy, then be so in shock that hes normal again for a second, and then just go off the walls again. And this shows in the dialogue.

They talk about infinite Anges suffering
A: To be fair, thats just the world where Eva came back. What if she also died? Oh, wait, no, shed get raised by the Sumaderas. Fuck that. But maybe a world where Rudolf comes back. Or Kyrie.
K: (smiles and nods in agreement) Yeah.
(I actually wonder what Kyrie would do if she alone came back without Rudolf, given what we know about her opinion regarding children)

Endless Nine starts playing, fuck yeah. I told her about how weird it is using Microsoft Sam as I dunno sound effects? You cant make out words. We listen to it for a moment and she agrees that its strange. Still a kickass song, though.

A: So, has this all along been a trap by Bernkastel and Lambdadelta to trick Beatrice into fighting Battler forever?
K: They are endless immortal beings who travel from world to world looking for entertainment. They just dont want to be bored
A: So what if Beatrice dies?
K: Theyll go off in search of new entertainment, I guess
A: Can Beatrice revive herself?
K: If a new story is made, I guess (I probably said too much there, but Arria will forget about it)

And then it ends
A; Wait, thats it? But were not done!
K: Thats just the end of this. We have a long tea party ahead
A: Oh right. But we didnt finish the game, did we? The gameboard I mean?
K: Nah, its done. Battler is probably the only one alive on the island at this point
A: (as she reads the so-and-so died on X twilight): I guess you're right. It seemed to happen so fast.
---

I'm still reading. I'd be curious to see how she thinks magic is defined in Umineko. Though that would be getting way ahead of things in a way so maybe not.
---

Tell her that the game has given her all the necessary information to solve it, so I wanna "Whodunnit?" thrown at her for every episode. Episode 1, whodunnit? Episode 2, whodunnit? Episode 3, whodunnit? Episode 4 whodunnit? And if she says she doesn't know or can't answer, tell her to make an assessment.

Favorite Story Arc.

Favorite murder.

Favorite character.

Where does she think that the story is gonna go next?

Is she ready to invest in Krauss's upcoming moon hotels?

Would she let Rosa baby sit her children?

Best girl?

Best boy?

Haha, great questions everyone. I will ask her these when we meet up on Monday.
---

Tea Party time

Battler talks about how theres a lot of good food and it sure would be nice if Gohda were around
A: Oh, but Gohda and Kumasawa are still alive, right?
K: Ehh, at this point Im not sure. Remember when Gaap turned into crystal and then Virgilia and Genji Err, Ronove *shrug*
A: Thats how confident we are that Genji is Ronove! We replace their names without even thinking about it!
K: Yeah. So I think when Virgilia and Ronove fucked off after Gaaps glassification, that symbolizes their death. I think its safe to say only Battler is alive at this point. Well see, though. I dont recall what red statements there are about their deaths, so lets just wait and see.

Marias death, which the profile suggests to be poison, plus being laid next to Rosa I wonder if Sayo was just trying to be merciful. Give her a nice death and lay her next to her mother. A few paragraphs later, and Battler seems to think the same thing. Well obviously he doesnt know WHO did it.

Battler jokes about how a pitfall mechanism would be strange even in a ninja mansion
A: Have you met your grandfather?
Then Battler says that Dad would joke I wouldnt put it past grandfather.
We both laugh like idiots

Battler finds Jessicas corpse and mentions gangrene (I didnt catch the exact line):
A: If shes talking on the phone while staring at a person pointing a gun to her head, theres a fairly good chance shes not going to die of gangrene!
He then talks about how Jessica couldnt have seen or known that George was by the arbor, but hes really stretching his excuses. He says the arbor is too far away and its hard to see in a typhoon. While all true, you could say she saw him anyway. Or the culprit (Sayo) had them both meet up at the arbor, killed George, shot Jessica who ran to her room, and was later killed.
A: Battler is trying hard to make us believe she couldnt see George from the window. What if she saw light from gun fire? It might be far away and typhooning, but maybe she saw him anyway?
---

He finds Kyries corpse
A: So were saying a different murderer did this?
K: Unless you think Kyrie did this to herself
A: *shivers* Thats nasty

A: So my current idea is that Kyrie and Krauss were involved. Some inheritance bullshit. Rudolf got roped in by Kyrie. Maybe. So far his only thinking has been hey lets listen to my wife and hey let me stick my penis in my wife.
K: can you blame him?
A: Noooo
A: So something must have gone wrong in the dining room and that led to Rudolf getting killed despite being in on it.
A: Ehh I have another theory, but Ill hold off until I have more evidence. (she never did tell me what this is)

Shannons body doesnt have a stake in it. And of course, Kanon is missing.

Then we get to Kinzo
A: If this game goes on much longer its gonna become a theme of Welp, time to get Grandpa out of the boiler again.

Kumasawa and Gohdas bodies were shot, and Battler notes that the rope was too short to hang them with. I wonder if they were just supposed to play dead for an outside viewer, but then Sayo decided fuck it, and killed them anyway?
---

Battler gets a hatchet to open up the covering to the tunnel
A: Im going to laugh my ass off if Battlers death in this episode is because he did something dumb with a hatchet. Like, Beatrice shows up all: Battler! Whats u-- *sees dead body* Uhh I didnt do that

Battler says to himself Am I gonna start treating Kanon like a culprit just because I cant find him? And Im just sitting here like yeah?

Beatrice confirms his death in red and then says that it didnt reach piece-Battler, but it did reach *you* right?
K: I think shes talking about us the audience
A: Yeah, I got that
K: I had to make sure.
A: Because of that time I forgot Jesus existed.

Battler: I was forced to believe it was a trick or something!
A: Or a lot of LSD in the water

A: He is sleep deprived. He is drunk. And now hes going to start seeing shit.
A: Also, Im gonna laugh my ass off if this portrait is full-on Scooby-Doo and Battler punches a hole in it and finds out Oh! Thats where Grandfather hid the gold!
---

We've finished everything in the first four episodes but I wanted her to go back and reread the ep 4 witch's tea party and something has happened? The text is positioned to the left of the box, the voices are gone, the new backgrounds are gone. Yet the PS3 sprites are intact. wtf?
---

Restart it? Reinstall the patch?

Play it with the steam art?

Yeah, we just wanted to rewatch the last ep 4 tea party so we just did so with the steam art. No biggie.

I'm having Arria go through the murders of each episode carefully. I'm also being very careful to be vague. Right now we've talk about ep 1. She now believes (I didn't tell her she was right) Kanon never died in ep 1, but thankfully Beatrice uses red truth to "kill" Kanon in later eps. I'd be worried otherwise!
---

That was sort of my rationale. But I took it differently to bend the red text. My working theory for most of the first half of the game was that Kanon had multiple personalities, and the "Kanon" personality was killed allowing Kanon's other persona to do the dirty work. This also solved the mystery of how Kanon disappeared and attacked Genji and Friends. There was a lot of red for that, and this didn't contradict any.

Kept going over everything trying to work shit out while waiting for the Steam Release of Answers. Had a bunch of whiteboards filled with notes, a corkboard covered in all the red text, some red yarn connecting some of them I thought were connected. Trying to Solve Umineko was one of the funnest parts for me.

I was so freaking hype when I caught the Shannon being weird about Battler in 3. Then things started falling into place. And I used Answer Arcs to sort of check my work.

That's some dedication, friend. I don't think Arria is anywhere close to thinking about the multiple personality thing. To be honest, I think she forgot about the fact that Shannon and Kanon are "servant names." If she ever remembers that they have true names, she might give more thought to any red truth that states "Shannon/Kanon is dead" but until that happens...

~~~

The clock strikes midnight and we transition to the metaworld.

A: I feel like for once, Eva didnt have anything to do with it in this game
K: Thats probably true
A: Her anger anonymous was working this time

Battler talks about destroying the illusion of the witch
A: (pretending to be a random person): So that Ushiromiya Battler, what did he become after escaping from the island? Oh he became a psychiatrist. Hes really good at destroying peoples delusions.

We get to a rose garden with some more vibrant colors
A: Ooh, I take back what I said earlier. I like THIS background!
K: Theres about to be a line I really like about the flowers
We get to the line about roses being red being the symbol of passion, but the flower of truth is a forget-me-not which is blue
A: Wow. Yeah, that is a really amazing line
---

Battler: Im going to solve everything from the beginning!
A: Im going to go to the bathroom before we begin because I dont want to shit myself!

Shes pretty quiet throughout the tea party debate, just absorbing everything as we read it.

Then Kinzo appears and gets dramatic
A: Oh cut the theatrics
And then Kinzo was a dragon
A: HOLY SHIT
K: Haha, I actually forgot that was a legit picture used in Umineko. I thought it was fanart.

A; Also, I love it when Battler goes full Phoenix Wright

A: I also like that he says damn geezer with some hint of affection
K: What is he saying? Kuso-jiji? I mean, thats. something. Not sure affection is the right word
A: Yeah, good point

And then Kinzo dragon dies
A: This was overly dramatic and I love it.
---

Battler pierces her with the blue truth about 18th person X
A: This seems too easy
We both laugh. I laugh because shes right and I know Beatrice is about to shut that down. She laughs because Im laughing.

Beatrice asks about the candy she fixed
A: This comes back around to the thing youve said about how its bullshit unless piece-Battler saw it
K: Yeah. And other things. Its really fascinating and proves Ryukishi is a genius who had it all planned from the beginning.
A: How many times am I gonna have to re-read this? Will once more be enough? Or three times?
K: Tcaz says he discovers something new every time and hes probably read it more times than I want to think about.
A: This is like some inside joke at work. Like, everyone knows something that you dont. Except I dont feel any malicious intent. Or the internet has no malicious intent
K: Haha. Well, I do want you to get mad at ep 6, so there is that.
A: Im getting mad at episode 4 so youve succeeded!

She says she wants to learn Battlers catch phrase and needs me to write it in English for her so she can repeat it lol.
I sent her a text with it typed in romaji.
K: Youre going to find that text later and be like wtf is this?

She keeps expecting an ahaha.wav that never comes
And then it finally comes lol
A: Youre getting predictable, game! And I dont mean that as a challenge!
---

Eerieka posted...

Then the Chiesters kill people but I missed who exactly.
K: Who died just now?
A: In order, it was Kanon shot through stomach or chest. Shannon through the temples and Nanjo through the forehead.
K: And whats Krauss doing? Being dead?
A: Oh yeah, he died on the way in. I dont recall if it said how or where. *rechecks* Back of the head.
K: Okay.

Finally reading again, and the same thought as last time comes across a month later. I remember way before the Yasu thing that Kanon had escaped or was culprit or something, but, between the questions ...

I think I just solved Episode 4. Holy ****, how did it take me this long? Episode 4's culprit is Beatrice. Well, Kyrie-trice. Like Eva took the handle of Beatrice in Episode 3 (unless that was Kyrie too?) for solving the epitaph, if Kyrie solved the epitaph, that explains why Kyrie's pulling the elaborate stunts, why Shannon is found dead (iirc, think there were no shenanigans other than Kanon was missing, but if Shannon's body is dead he is dead), and why Beatrice is so concerned with breaking Battler over who is mother is. Of course, she is also hopped up on the white horse thing of Yasu's, but that could just be mocking Rudolf and his son's inheritance of breaking hearts and leaving women dying inside for the men that give them some hope and then ignore them for eternity. It's also why Beatrice is so despondent and drunk at the end, as well as visible to Battler yet out of good sight. Getting despairingly drunk seems out of character for Yasu, but seems like a fine idea for Kyrie.

This also parallels strongly with Asumu's side of Ange's story. It's not just that Kyrie is the new confidant like Eva in 1, Rosa in 2, Natsuhi in 3 (which Eva disrupted). If Kyrie was both the confidant AND inheritor by finding the gold, helps explain why there really were no games or attention to the epitaph, and why everything ramped up so quickly.

Of course, this is just rambling off what comes to mind without a fully formed theory before I continue reading.

But seriously, remembering that Shannon was pretty much facedown in the mud, and knowing about Yasu, she really shouldn't have been the one in the dress at the very end. Maybe the one firing her shotgun at the wall while talking to her son over the phone.

Eerieka posted...

Arria considers that Kinzo has been acting a little different in each episodes, if he appears at all.

Perhaps Kinzo in each episode is also a representation of each confidant's thoughts on him. Episode 1 was a cold, crazy SOB from Eva. Kinzo in 2 was hot and cold like Rosa. I don't remember Kinzo in 3 well enough. Kinzo in 4 is bat**** crazy, which Kyrie probably saw him as (especially compared to her awful family who seem much more strict on being crazy evil wealthy mafia).

Onto Page 2!
---

Eerieka posted...

This scene of Beatrice talking about Battlers sin from six years ago is super interesting once you know the truth. As for Arria, well I think its f***ing with her far more than it f***ed with me. When I first read Umineko I sorta took this scene as well thats something. Alright. Shes feeling more of a f*** you game! I was starting to feel confident I could solve something and now you throw this curve ball at me!

The sin of six years ago wasn't just melting Yasu's heart and never coming back; it was also abandoning his family! Sin fits two ways, =D!

Eerieka posted...

A: Honey, you get the Ushiromiya name from your sire, not your dame!
A: Was this what you were talking about? The obvious solution driving you crazy?
K; Yes. Its so obvious to anyone with a brain, but Battler is so obsessed with being Asumus son that he stopped thinking about the real problem.

Pertinent question towards his sin! It's not just, "Hey, you abandoned me after you promised me to take me away from here. By the way, who's your mom?" It could be, "Hey, Rudolf told me the other night you were my son and alive all this time, and you're just like your father, completely obsessed with Asumu, never giving me a chance to be your mom. You still won't acknowledge me."

Eerieka posted...

A: a 1 with 15 zeroes. Damn, I was hoping it would be something relevant like the number of people on the island or 13 for the number of sacrifices.

O_O... holy ****. It... is relevant! 16 people, 15 victims, 1 Survivor.

Eerieka posted...

A: *smiles* Amakusa

*smiles as well*

Eerieka posted...

A: Because Rosa made the prototype, then mass produced them
K; Or just bought one at the store
A: I like to give Rosa the benefit of the doubt
K: Im actually pretty sure it was confirmed somewhere, maybe in the manga, that Rosa was too busy and literally just bought it at the store
A: Well, I TRIED to give Rosa the benefit of the doubt!

Woo! Not the only one! *high fives Arria*

Eerieka posted...

Beatrice says that Battler is her toy. His family is her toy, too. I feel like this is just her provoking Battler

KyrieTrice!!!

Okay, yeah, I'm a bit crazy and tired and looking forward to more Tea Party and Arria answers!!!
---

Gonna bump this before bed because I won't be able to post until pretty late tomorrow. Just wanted to say though, Mega Mana, your post gave me some food for thought. I never considered all that stuff about Kyrie or that Battler's sin could be something else besides the white horse. I'll have to give it some more thought
---

Beatrice and Battler get close us pictures.
A: Also, Beatrice is really not pretty when shes angry crying.

Finally Beatrice states in red there are no more than 17 people at the start of all games.

Red truth states that in game 1, Kanon did not die by suicide and then Beatrice refuses to repeat that it was a homicide.

She opened up the portraits and I notice how Beatrice is in her spot here again, although she wasnt earlier. I told her that it made me think of something but I cant say yet. Interesting symbolism if you pretend Beatrice = bomb. It's saying that in this EXACT moment, "Beatrice/bomb" and Battler are the only ones alive.

Beatrice concedes defeat for episode 1
K: Keep in mind Battler didnt realize solve it. He never said
A: Who committed the murders
K: Exactly. Beatrice is just sick of this shit
A: And in my case, episode 1 was far enough back I dont remember the details
K: Oh yeah. If you went back and reread episode 1, youd see some really obvious things. But to be fair, you dont know what to look for when you first read episode 1
A: At that point I was a passenger in a car looking at the scenery. Now I'm backseat driving and going "AHHHH! TURN! TURN" *makes motion of grabbing a steering wheel* trying to take the wheel from you as I watch a train wreck happen in front of us.

A: Also, this has been the worlds craziest tennis match so far.
---

Now the discussion about the chapel. Before Battler brings up small bombs, Arria brings up poison gas. Its really about the same tier as small bombs, Id say.
A: Maybe some kind of gas that reacted in their body to make an explosion once it mixes with stomach acid?
I love it

Then Jessica and Kanon. I had to remind her of the details.
A: Kanons body disappearing, right. So him being missing in the well is supposed to be reminiscent of that?
K: Yeah.
Im really glad she didnt take this any further

Beatrice talks about the pain being pleasure
A: You are a level of masochist that even I am not, and thats impressive.

Then for the ep 3 twilight 1 murders, Battler brings up poison gas
K: Oh hey, he had a poison gas idea too!
A: Just at a different spot!
---

And then Beatrice gets speared and we get a cutscene of that
A: Uagh. Holy hell

We get to Beatrices final riddle. I told Arria I wanted her to solve it. I also told her to think of it as one of those I run but have no legs, or I have hands but no arms, a face but no eyes type of riddles.

Fuck yeah, Discode. I love this song. I dont think Ive met anyone else who really cares about it. It probably sounds too much like an Ali-Project song lol. (no one likes Ali-Project but me ;_;)

The picture of Battler holding Beatrice
A: Alright, I think this is my favorite picture so far!

Then I, as a piece, left the game board.
GOD I love that line. I got chills!

A: I want to say the island mystery is either time or Something like death or madness
---

Then the witchs tea party
A: that is a very large number
K: And it has no 7s in it. Just Ryukishis thing. He has a thing for the number 7

A: I like this picture, too! (Lambda and Bern on the bed together)

A: You both have too long of hair to be in a bed with half-eaten candy
A: Does the fanbase ship these two?
K: I think its safe to say that these two ship each other
A: Theyre like Fed-Ex. Never stop shipping
A: Because oh my damn, they are so creepy-cute to one another

(I may have placed this in the wrong spot. I initially forgot to type it, then had to insert it somewhere)
Lambda: Ange-flavored hamburger.
A: WOW. That is fucked up, even for you.

Lambda: All of Battlers blue truths were wrong!
A: Fucking hell

Red: In episode 1, Genji, Kumasawa, Nanjo are not killers! Natsuhis death was not an accident. Someone stood in front of her and pulled the trigger
A: I have some ideas, but I would have to know where everyone was at the time
K: And I know if you were to re-read episode 1, you would solve it because you would see things that you dont see the first time.
---