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PlasticAutomaton
Nov 12, 2016

Artoria Pendonut


Sou is a loving monster and I hope he dies.

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Poltergrift
Feb 16, 2014



"When I grow up, I'm gonna be a proper swordsman. One with clothes."
He escalates all these situations so hard and so pointlessly, it's great.

Every killing game needs someone like that.

HerpicleOmnicron5
May 31, 2013

How did this smug dummkopf ever make general?


Sou is a mess, but I don't think he's actually a bad guy. He's probably just the most terrified of dying out of all of them. I have a much lower opinion of Q-taro, since he ostensibly aligns himself with the good guys but doesn't... do anything? At least Sou actively protects himself.

Elfface posted:

It's to torture Sara. At some point she'll have to bring up the possibility that the phone was tampered with, and reveal to Kanna that she knows the message is fake AND what the original was.

I wouldn't call it torture, rather, just leverage during the Main Game. Creating doubt and sowing some mistrust towards Sara, while doing an apparent good deed could push votes away from him and towards her, particularly from Kanna, Alice and Q-taro. Reko's probably going to be stuck focusing on Alice, while Keiji, Gin and Nao remain loyal. Even ignoring other questions at hand, Main Game already looks like it's gonna be quite interesting.

Veryslightlymad
Jun 3, 2007

I fight with
my brain
and with an
underlying
hatred of the
Erebonian
Noble Faction
To literally play the Devil's advocate for a bit,

Absolutely everything Sou has done is pretty consistent with him legitimately not trusting Sara, specifically, and the others, in general. (More importantly, no one has given him a reason to) He's also, notably, the guy in the game's explanation/introduction about thinking majority rule is a horrible system so.... mnf.

Writing in this game is good and tricky enough that I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he's got some kind of insider info about Sara's past (that Sara herself doesn't have) and assumes she's also bad/evil/in on the game. Honestly, reviewing the order of events, just him unlocking the laptop might be enough. Being so happy about getting rid of Kai, for instance, makes a hell of a lot of sense when it's through the filter of "regardless of anything else, Sou knows Kai was involved with the game."

Sou actually thinks Sara is a horrible monster, which we know isn't true, but if you approach from that angle, she looks a hell of a lot worse to him than he does right now, to us, the players.

If you also assume the 4 Sou votes were Kai, Nao, Sara, and Reko, you have Sara's vote we know was emotionally driven (because we made it that way), Kai who didn't want to die, Nao who literally bashed Suo's head in, and the sketchiest person here (that several people in thread suggested might currently be a doll)

Insertnamehere31
Jan 23, 2012

This could be the most one-sided fight since 1973 when Ali faced an eighty-foot tall mechanical Joe Frazier. My memory isn't what it used to be, but I think the entire Earth was destroyed.

I definitely agree that Sou knows about Sara's past/connections, and legitimately thinks he's a good guy do it the right thing, even if it means doing some bad things to get there. I also think that Keiji's a bad guy possibly involved with the masterminds, who knows about Sara's connections and is trying to manipulate her the same way Sou is manipulating kanna.

Magissima
Apr 15, 2013

I'd like to introduce you to some of the most special of our rocks and minerals.
Soiled Meat
It seems strange that Sou would've only read Kai's sent emails and not the ones he was replying to. Normally I'd write it off as a plot contrivance (and honestly it probably is) but so far this game has had better writing than that.

Veryslightlymad
Jun 3, 2007

I fight with
my brain
and with an
underlying
hatred of the
Erebonian
Noble Faction

Magissima posted:

It seems strange that Sou would've only read Kai's sent emails and not the ones he was replying to. Normally I'd write it off as a plot contrivance (and honestly it probably is) but so far this game has had better writing than that.

The e-mails show that Sara's dad clearly knows something about whatever's going on, which, by proxy, incriminates Sara. Yes, it's an assumption and the game is trying to tell you not to do that, but it's also a pretty understandable assumption. Even knowing that the game "turned on" Kai, and assuming they "turned on" Sara, that'd still make those two incredibly sketchy from Suo's point of view. The whole exchanges don't do poo poo to exonerate Sara.

Robindaybird
Aug 21, 2007

Neat. Sweet. Petite.

I don't believe Keiji is involved with the game masters, but there is definitely something sketchy about how he glosses over certain topics, and our brief bit with his PoV with his own trauma hallucination after Sara falls asleep, and I noticed, with his head and the position of his pupils, it seems like he's looking in Sara's direction, but not directly at her, as if avoiding direct eye contact.

I don't think he intends to do harm to Sara, but he's not entirely on the up and up.

goblin week
Jan 26, 2019

Absolute clown.

Blaze Dragon posted:

I'm genuinely confused about Sou doing a genuinely good thing. He got nothing out of it too, he would've gotten the laptop regardless, so why? Is there a part of him that isn't a complete monster?

Chaos mode

Arzaac
Jan 2, 2020


Keiji strikes me as somebody who is genuinely a good person trying to help, but has skeletons in his closet he really doesn't want to bring up. Combine this with his mediocre charisma and you've got one hell of a sketchy character.

MarquiseMindfang
Jan 6, 2013

vriska (vriska)

Blaze Dragon posted:

I'm genuinely confused about Sou doing a genuinely good thing. He got nothing out of it too, he would've gotten the laptop regardless, so why? Is there a part of him that isn't a complete monster?

His AI is on the fritz, obviously.

I'm now beginning to be paranoid that everyone is a robot.

tomanton
May 22, 2006

beam me up, tomato
The first problem with Kanna came out of well-meaning dishonesty and Sara didn't learn from her mistake.

Oblivion4568238
Oct 10, 2012

The Inquisition.
What a show.
The Inquisition.
Here. We. Go.
College Slice

Magissima posted:

It seems strange that Sou would've only read Kai's sent emails and not the ones he was replying to. Normally I'd write it off as a plot contrivance (and honestly it probably is) but so far this game has had better writing than that.

Sara had to re-arrange the emails manually to get the back-and-forths we saw during this chapter. It's entirely possible that when Sou had the laptop last chapter, he only had the time to read an already open sent emails tab before Nao knocked him out and stole the laptop. It's just conjecture that Kai's email program would have started on his sent emails, and that Sou only had the laptop unlocked for a minute or two, but I believe it would cover this problem.

Mindblast
Jun 28, 2006

Moving at the speed of death.



Dude's a goddamn Mound Maker.

Goon Boots
Feb 2, 2020


Blaze Dragon posted:

I'm genuinely confused about Sou doing a genuinely good thing. He got nothing out of it too, he would've gotten the laptop regardless, so why? Is there a part of him that isn't a complete monster?

We know that Sou saw a message, but we do not know which one he saw. He gave no clear indication that he was the one who changed the message. The only thing he said to this effect was that he wouldn't let Sara "get her way". It is possible someone else altered the message.

We also still don't know who placed the phone there in the first place.

Neddy Seagoon
Oct 12, 2012

"Hi Everybody!"

Blaze Dragon posted:

I'm genuinely confused about Sou doing a genuinely good thing. He got nothing out of it too, he would've gotten the laptop regardless, so why? Is there a part of him that isn't a complete monster?

Now Kanna's firmly on his side for the next Majority Vote and she's emotionally stable . Showing the original message gets him nothing in the future except burning her as an asset to spite Sara.

Blaze Dragon
Aug 28, 2013
LOWTAX'S SPINE FUND

Neddy Seagoon posted:

Now Kanna's firmly on his side for the next Majority Vote and she's emotionally stable . Showing the original message gets him nothing in the future except burning her as an asset to spite Sara.

Spiting Sara is absolutely not something Sou is against though.

Mystic Mongol
Jan 5, 2007

Your life's been thrown in disarray already--I wouldn't want you to feel pressured.


College Slice

Blaze Dragon posted:

Spiting Sara is absolutely not something Sou is against though.

Sou isn't pro spiting Sara, he's con dying to the majority vote. And when nearly every player is in a mono voting bloc controlled by Sara, that means Sara decides who lives and who dies.

So your choices are (A) Trust Sara, or (B) Break up her voting bloc and forming your own. Sou doesn't trust Sara, so he's taking the only other route available to him... influencing the most impressionable players to do what he wants.

It's that or die, really.

Onmi
Jul 12, 2013

If someone says it one more time I'm having Florina show up as a corpse. I'm not even kidding, I was pissed off with people doing that shit back in 2010, and I'm not dealing with it now in 2016.

Mystic Mongol posted:

Sou isn't pro spiting Sara, he's con dying to the majority vote. And when nearly every player is in a mono voting bloc controlled by Sara, that means Sara decides who lives and who dies.

So your choices are (A) Trust Sara, or (B) Break up her voting bloc and forming your own. Sou doesn't trust Sara, so he's taking the only other route available to him... influencing the most impressionable players to do what he wants.

It's that or die, really.

There's also a really important point that... Sou isn't personable. Like... he doesn't understand unconditional trust and if his backstory is true (Is a loner job hopper) would basically put him at a pretty low like... 'value' both self-worth and in interaction. How can you make friends and form bonds of trust when you've never done that. And as others have said, the "intro to majority vote" is Sou's figure, so it's like it was his trial to learn how the Main game was going to be played before everyone else. which also means he'd be put way WAY on edge before everyone else.

HydroSphere
Feb 11, 2014







“...Haha.”

“Ahahaha! Wow, you're suspecting me because of that?!”

“I've changed my mind. Let's do a trade.”

“...A trade?”



“...!”

“You should surely have most of your own tokens still, Keiji.”

“You can't lie to me and say you don't have enough.”

“..........”



“Don't do it, Keiji! With 50 tokens, he can buy your personal info!”

“Ahh... That's what you're afraid of?”

Music stops.



“...!”

“Huh...?”

“...What's the matter?”

“With someone as trustworthy as miss Sara, even giving 50 tokens should be easy.”

“..........”



“It's okay. If you give them to me, I'll just give them right back.”

“..........”

“Keiji... Why aren't you talking...?!”

“...Haha...”

“Ahahahahahahahaha!!”

“Well now... I guess that was mean, Keiji... I didn't intend to tease you.”



“...!!”



“...Sure enough... it's the same collar.”

“So now you accept it.”

“This trade is over... Have a nice date.”

“..........”

(Keiji... He wouldn't even move... He wouldn't... give me his tokens...!)

“Sara... I...”



“I'm... not bothered...”

“..........”

“Let's forget about it. Right, we need to do attractions...”

“...Wait, Sara...”

I got myself away from there. I'm not bothered. Keiji must have his reasons... There's no need to feel shocked.




(Is it exhaustion...? I didn't realize I fell asleep...)

My pillow is wet.

(While I was sleeping... I...)



(I thought I'd cried so much that I'd never be able to cry again... But once time passes... my strength recovers like nothing ever happened...)

“Humans... sure are well-made... Joe...”

I can't speak the words "I miss you." There's no road but the one forward.






  • Sara's been putting on a brave face for everyone, but if she can't be honest with her best friend (even if he has turned a bit red and murderous), who can she open up to?

”Huh... Why's that? Isn't it great to be alive?”

“I'm feeling awful, Sara.”



"Ohh, really? Hurry it up."



“Hahaha...”



“That's the kindest thing you can do.”





“Need to continue with attractions.”










“G... Ghosts...?! Hold up, Sara!! I need some courage...!”






  • This is another attraction that's fairly simple. This is a single round attraction, once the bar is full, the attraction is over.




“Here, the Clear Chips! Half and half!”



(With that, this attraction is done.)





Talk to Gin.



“Um, so... This Mew-chan cushion I'm holding... has gotten dirty, woof...”

“It's really important, meow... But I dunno how to clean it, woof...”

“Emergency rescue, woof!! I need your help, meow...”

(Take care of stains for 20 tokens...?)

Talk to Keiji.



“Wonder if you don't wanna talk with your friendly policeman...”

(…)

Blaze Dragon
Aug 28, 2013
LOWTAX'S SPINE FUND

Normally I'd prioritize gain but I'm way too curious about Keiji right now to vote otherwise, and I feel ignoring him may have bad consequences later since trust is breaking down.

Elfface
Nov 14, 2010

Da-na-na-na-na-na-na
IRON JONAH
Yeah, we should hear Keiji him out. A traumatised detective probably has plenty he'd be terrified to know others knew about.

Also, would any of the dialogue choices have given us fewer 'Joe' points?

sweetguts
Apr 29, 2013

I know what I'm about.
Keiji's got some 'splainin' to do.

Sword_of_Dusk
Sep 30, 2018

Legendary Luminary
I wonder how much worse the hallucinations get before Sara can't handle it anymore.

Anyway, talk to Keiji.

Sword_of_Dusk fucked around with this message at 00:22 on Mar 28, 2020

OOrochi
Jan 19, 2017

On my honor as the Dawnspear.
Oof Sara's guilt is really hitting her hard.

And definitely Keiji, no need to take more of Gin's tokens for tiny tasks.

Junpei
Oct 4, 2015

Although next time, you would be wise to heed the ancient Japanese proverb... phone first!
Keiji.

Capfalcon
Apr 6, 2012

No Boots on the Ground,
Puny Mortals!

Kudos to whoever made the banner ad.

Also, Keiji

Ignatius M. Meen
May 26, 2011

Hello yes I heard there was a lovely trainwreck here and...

Keiji hands down. We gotta talk about this with him.

tomanton
May 22, 2006

beam me up, tomato
Gin and maybe we can do something about that doll's creepy gently caress rear end eyes.

Neddy Seagoon
Oct 12, 2012

"Hi Everybody!"
Didn't they say the cap is 100 on Hallucinations? We've gotta be near that already, surely?

NeoRonTheNeuron
Oct 14, 2012
Keiji though I wish we could claim all those sweet free Gin coins too.

Sordas Volantyr
Jan 11, 2015

Now, everybody, walk like a Jekhar.

(God, these running animations are terrible.)
Now that the plot has brought up that Sou hadn't shown anybody his collar up until that point, how long do y'all think it'll be before someone points out that, hey, we've never seen Gin's collar either?

Oblivion4568238
Oct 10, 2012

The Inquisition.
What a show.
The Inquisition.
Here. We. Go.
College Slice

Neddy Seagoon posted:

Didn't they say the cap is 100 on Hallucinations? We've gotta be near that already, surely?

We've never been told a specific cap for hallucinations, just this:

goblin week
Jan 26, 2019

Absolute clown.
I really like those one-off designs of attraction enemies

Explosions
Apr 20, 2015

If we don't prioritize Gin's chips, how will we ever learn if he keeps snacks in his hat?

PlasticAutomaton
Nov 12, 2016

Artoria Pendonut


Let's talk to Keiji because we REALLY need to get some trust restored here before Sou nukes it any further.

Goon Boots
Feb 2, 2020


One thing I've been wondering about is whether or not the attractions are supposed to be considered part of the game/story and not just a plot contrivance to include some interactive mini-games and add tension for this part of the game.. If we consider them as truly real, then we have to contend with the idea that the characters have really interacted with a mine cart, some type of card battling game, ghosts(?), giant bugs, and more dolls. I'm guessing because none of the characters really make any remarks about the attractions, we don't need to examine them too closely. The only one of importance seems to be the attraction Sara and Reko found.

Antivehicular
Dec 30, 2011


I wanna sing one for the cars
That are right now headed silent down the highway
And it's dark and there is nobody driving And something has got to give

Goon Boots posted:

One thing I've been wondering about is whether or not the attractions are supposed to be considered part of the game/story and not just a plot contrivance to include some interactive mini-games and add tension for this part of the game.. If we consider them as truly real, then we have to contend with the idea that the characters have really interacted with a mine cart, some type of card battling game, ghosts(?), giant bugs, and more dolls. I'm guessing because none of the characters really make any remarks about the attractions, we don't need to examine them too closely. The only one of importance seems to be the attraction Sara and Reko found.

I don't think there's any reason to assume the attractions are non-diegetic, since it's already been established by the rest of the game that whoever's controlling this has a ton of resources to create elaborate environments, AI, and the dolls, and we've already seen a "mini-game" like this earlier with Gin in the cage. I assume the characters aren't talking about the contents of the attractions because "these assholes are making us play dumb arcade games with their dolls" is not really the most pressing issue at play.

girl dick energy
Sep 30, 2009

You think you have the wherewithal to figure out my puzzle vagina?
Well, poo poo. I'm now further ahead on the game than the LP is. I'd come in hoping that there'd be an update about this extended puzzle that I'm stuck on.

Thanks for the banner ad that brought me here, though!

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HydroSphere
Feb 11, 2014

PMush Perfect posted:

Well, poo poo. I'm now further ahead on the game than the LP is. I'd come in hoping that there'd be an update about this extended puzzle that I'm stuck on.

Thanks for the banner ad that brought me here, though!

Feel free to PM me if you're still stuck. :)

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