@endoftheline said in EXP Is Golden Vol. 4 Discussion!:

Now, I can see Leah handing control/rule off to Blanc after seizing control. It'd kind of be like Oral, where Leah retained the top leaders of the country, while Lyla is shadow ruling it.

The issue is that Leah is trying to use that kingdom (and its royal family specifically) to create a Thearche, or whatever it's called, which isn't going to happen if Blanc conquers the place.

Hrm how far behind in tech is everyone else but our main country? I don't quite remember. Ik the flying knights are likely a secert and a shit ton of improvements all across will make their knights probally go double agaisnt everyone's else, but as the flying ship had any improvements?

Darn, I'm gonna miss reading about my favorite chickens over the holidays. Oh well, they'll be back again sometime after the new year. I wonder if the author will pick up where he left off with this volume. (It'd be neat to hear all about their adventures during Christmas and New Year's eve.

Cool to see Lynsey again, but I dont remember her ever being decribed as super short before

So if I’m understanding correctly

Marielle, Lord Nigel, and their Highnesses are stuck on the mainland while Simeon and most of the knights are isolated on the island.

Given that it take the knights a while to acquire a boat and get to the mainland, now would be an opportune moment for the culprit to strike while they are vulnerable

@isekaitruckdriver Don't worry.

"all wells that ends well" I guess. If Clare is fine with Kett and he himself has truely change for the better then let leave it to them. Plus Nina being Nina help brought forth another new crazy idea that will surely be a hit.

Shydein was a captain serving in the Bluheitz military, one of Kite's commanding officers. He lost his arm in the same battle that Misha's father was wounded in, and Misha treated him at the very beginning of volume 1.

We don't know anything about the woman who died of the plague at the end of the second volume. Only that she was an elderly woman who lived alone with her middle-aged daughter. There doesn't appear to be any relation between her and any of the characters we know.

@irioth said in The Petty Villain Plays by the Rules Vol. 1 Discussion!:

@topgnu IIUC legally/socially-sanctioned polygamy through concubinage is still an option for royalty/nobility in this country, much like in The 8th Son. Kris could be gainfully made a concubine and the financial brain of the harem even if the Princess of that foreign country is the official wife.

The Princess is going to come living in the PC's land rather than the other way around.

It would not be the first isekai story where the MC's harem includes a financial genius that is tasked with managing the group's business or the realm's economy (e.g. Realist Hero).

It isn't even the first series J novel has licensed that a girl in the harem handles the financials.

I actually wonder why J-novel never licensed 8th son. It seems right up their alley.

@pcj It would be far from the first reincarnation story where the MC is a tad too fixated on fighting the last war's battles and their efforts to prevent events of the original timeline that have already been erased by their actions are futile or counterproductive.

Chances are the MC and the Prince are the best spouse options for each other and the realm in the new timeline, and the looming threats have to be addressed in a wholly different way from breaking the engagement.

It may take a good while for the MC to acknowledge this, though.

So we have a Watcher who is observing the story but doesn’t appear to have influence over the events; and believes there are other factors in play

Interesting that they don’t exactly feel keen on the new direction the story is taking

@Polarity honestly theres a shot at Chise getting a new buddy too from this gal i mean... she made it so this guy cant be violent to othwrs he make sure his ppl get the right tax revenue redristube that he was squandering. On the other hand she did turn Clovis..... we will see next part

Last volume was by far the slowest paced, to date, particularly once Ryoma got to his cursed mountain and hexing tutelage. Now, this entire volume has been a slog. I worry for this series. Nothing that's happened would need to be thrown out of the volume, per se, but it def feels in desperate need of pacing guidance from an editor. C'mon, Roy! Keep it balanced, man!

@Hylebos said in Pens Down, Swords Up Vol. 5 Discussion:

v7 is coming out in Japan in January, by the way.

Unfortunately the web novel has not progressed noticably the past two months. Though there should be overall enough content up to about 12 volumes at the moment.

@karasutengu said in The Trials and Tribulations of My Next Life as a Noblewoman Vol 4 Part 1 Discussion!:

@Ingraman Interesting comparison. "Grave of the Fireflies" has such an innocuous title for such a depressing film.

Yes.

I, myself, own a DVD of it, but have only watched it once. I found it to be one of Hayao Miyazaki's best works, but I was so depressed after watching it the first time that I couldn't watch it again. (I have it on my bucket list to watch once more before I die. That's the best I can do for now.)

That film is directed by Isao Takahata, rather than Miyazaki. I wanted a friend to see it, so I started playing it and then went to another room. He watched it by himself. :)

As for TTaToMNLaaN, I’m not looking forward to reading about Karen seeing Ern’s parents. Hopefully she can save them, but with the news having spread that Karen killed their daughter, I’m not expecting a positive reaction. I’m not sure that she can tell them the truth (or at least most of it) without more problems down the road... ;_;

They planted so many flags!
Is Deir going to have an assassination attempt or a kidnapping attempt? Place yer bets!

Please note that there will be streaming breaks on the weeks of Parts 5 and 12.

Part 4 stream date: December 25th
Part 5 stream date: January 8th

Part 11 stream date: February 19th
Part 12 stream date: March 5th

Time to meet up with Crown Royal Windsor and Alberta Allied Domecq!

Oh well. I thought that Crown Royal might pair with Alberta, but CR is made in Manitoba (which is two doors east of Alberta).

In this release Mia is juggling alternate timeline histories and futures, human resource management, the moral implications of the golden rule, international diplomacy, and romance. I think Patty has the right to be proud.

Ludwig mentioning his death wouldn't harm the empire is interesting. It's obviously not true, as he's Mia's primary source of ministerial competence. But more than that, Mia would lose one of the two, possibly three, people she knows she can trust completly unconditionally. She allows Ludwig to freely wield her authority becasue she knows he'll stick with her to the end to save the empire. Galv doesn't work as a replacement as he's old and Mia wouldn't know if he can still be trusted after Ludwig's death.

@karasutengu - I also think she's too amenable, whether because of her personality or her Japanese upbringing, but I think there's added pressure in her interactions with royalty. She often states in her internal monologue that she can't say no to a request from the royal family - that she's not allowed to.

That's what makes me so upset with Margaret, Keith, heck even the Queen. They are used to their requests being acquiesced, and don't even consider that their opponent can't say no. I'm glad Patience is getting compensation for her work; that doesn't mean they own her.