MegaTokyo Forums

Fred has posted the new comic to his Patreon. He'll post it to the main site and elsewhere probably tomorrow.

Just wrote a long post about what I suspect might be happening here. Not going to post it here yet, I want to wait until the comic is up publicly. Also I think reviewing it after I get some sleep might be a good thing. It all seems quite logical at 2am, but we know how that can turn out.

I am so sad right now....

Welp, that was certainly foreshadowed, but still quite a twist. Great way to end the chapter.

To paraphrase an old cartoon, I KNEEEEEWWW THIS WOULD HAPPEN

I wonder if she knows what she is?

Has she just popped her tails and ears out because she is too miserable to bother to maintain control or they just manifest because she's too miserable to be aware of them.

Either way, it sucks to be her : (

(I wonder if there is someone who loves her, but who she just hasn't noticed. Just to ice the cake as it were.)

Criminy, I haven't seen the comic yet. Invisigoth, were we actually correct in our predictions? Oh god I hope not. As I said before, this is the absolute worst possible reason to manifest. Oh god, this is not good. I can only hope if she's manifested that it's only temporary. In this state of mind, she's likely to do something that she might regret. Something that most of Megatokyo WILL regret.

louisxiv wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 09, 2020 2:21 pm

I wonder if she knows what she is?

Has she just popped her tails and ears out because she is too miserable to bother to maintain control or they just manifest because she's too miserable to be aware of them.

Either way, it sucks to be her : (

(I wonder if there is someone who loves her, but who she just hasn't noticed. Just to ice the cake as it were.)

Oh, come on, she has a loving family. She is healthy and otherwise fine.

She is far from being alone.

Arent wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 09, 2020 4:53 pm

louisxiv wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 09, 2020 2:21 pm

I wonder if she knows what she is?

Has she just popped her tails and ears out because she is too miserable to bother to maintain control or they just manifest because she's too miserable to be aware of them.

Either way, it sucks to be her : (

(I wonder if there is someone who loves her, but who she just hasn't noticed. Just to ice the cake as it were.)

Oh, come on, she has a loving family. She is healthy and otherwise fine.

She is far from being alone.

Let's review that notion. Ashe is definitely a friend of hers. Mugi and Yaku as well. Her Grandmother.....well, if she's responsible for the dirty trick of sending Ping up to watch her and Mr Socks, I can't say that she would care much for her Grandmother at the moment. Nor I think would she care much about Great Grandmother 8-Tails. ESPECIALLY if the matriarch actually did curse Megumi and Megumi were to somehow find out.....which now might just be a possibility as Megumi might have acquired the raw power to muscle out the truth of it all. Mostly though, right now she might be so despondent that she can't even think of the three family members who ARE her friends. I know of people who got into that sort of mindset and no matter what I or others tried to do, we couldn't convince them that there were good things to look forward to. THIS is why I didn't want Megumi to manifest under these conditions. It's bad. Really bad.

Arent wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 09, 2020 4:53 pm

louisxiv wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 09, 2020 2:21 pm

I wonder if she knows what she is?

Has she just popped her tails and ears out because she is too miserable to bother to maintain control or they just manifest because she's too miserable to be aware of them.

Either way, it sucks to be her : (

(I wonder if there is someone who loves her, but who she just hasn't noticed. Just to ice the cake as it were.)

Oh, come on, she has a loving family. She is healthy and otherwise fine.

She is far from being alone.

We are looking at a different sort of ‘alone’ I suspect?

The need for a Significant Other is rather different from the need for supportive friends and family.

Megumi had a chance here, but it slipped between her fingers. If the SO thing is something that matters to her (and particularly if such slippage has happened before, though I’m unaware of evidence of such, at this time) :

1) seeing her cousin capture the heart of a hotshot N1NJ4,

2) who Megumi was was crushing on,

3) and her mundane fellow server and fellow voice actress Kimiko getting off with Kimi's own graphics and design boyfriend

4) who’ll be illustrating Kimiko's role in an eagerly anticipated game (when Megumi can't get significant roles)

5) and, by the way, in Megumi’s own family's love hotel, forsooth...

It might, I submit, just possibly negatively impact Megumi’s composure right now.

Comic is up now. Ya, there is no teasing this time. Megumi is a true Nine-Tail. Now, does anyone have any idea who might be able to pull her out of her depression? Somebody needs to get to her FAST before she allows herself to sink any further. My greatest fear is that she becomes the antagonist of this story. The final boss that Erika and Miho have to defeat in order to accomplish Miho's redemption. If that were to happen, Megumi would become a truly tragic character. A miserable life followed by a bad end. However, that scenario only becomes possible if she were to actually go to the dark side. For example, committing a terrible act that can't be undone. I am hoping that she doesn't allow herself to go that far and that SOMEONE out there can help her. Someone who isn't her idiot grandmother who unwittingly started this mess with a REALLY bad prank (although, to be honest, Mr Socks had a hand in this too by dumping Megumi and rushing back to his girlfriend).

Does she have some sort of 'curse' that brings the people around her good luck, but bad luck to herself? I dunno, I figured there's something mythical or some sort of symbolism/tie-in there with the nine-tails lore. If that's the case, shouldn't she be used to it by now? Or maybe not, but I don't think she's a full on chaotic evil loose cannon like Moeko, even if it might appear she will take a turn to the dark side. Maybe she will battle Moeko in some fashion next chapter since she's very strong as a nine-tails.

Also congrats to Fred on the completion of another chapter.

Megumi is lonely not alone. You can be surrounded by friends and family yet still be lonely and in the pit of depression. I don’t think Megumi knows about the transition and when she wakes up everything will be normal with no evidence of what happened except for the possibility of a few stray hairs (need to talk to housekeeping about shoddy work). This may however enable a confrontation between her, the Himeji Clan and the ninja clan for their treatment of Yakugashi, Miho and Junpei.

Well, it occurs to me that old granny 8 tail might regret making "jokes" about murdering Mugi for her tail....

jkhartl wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 09, 2020 8:23 pm

Megumi is lonely not alone. You can be surrounded by friends and family yet still be lonely and in the pit of depression. I don’t think Megumi knows about the transition and when she wakes up everything will be normal with no evidence of what happened except for the possibility of a few stray hairs (need to talk to housekeeping about shoddy work). This may however enable a confrontation between her, the Himeji Clan and the ninja clan for their treatment of Yakugashi, Miho and Junpei.

Boy oh boy, I hope you are right about Megumi reverting back to her human state. That would, at this time, be a best case scenario as it would buy time for things to be sorted out.

Invisigoth wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 09, 2020 9:00 pm

Well, it occurs to me that old granny 8 tail might regret making "jokes" about murdering Mugi for her tail....

That makes me wonder. Would Megumi actually have attended these clan get-togethers? Would these affairs be open to both kitsune and mundanes? If she has attended them, you might be right about Granny Eight-Tail having to look over her shoulders, Invisigoth. Megumi would have surely heard something about these threats and that would not be good for Granny right about now.

...we're literally never gonna see Glasses Guy again in Megatokyo, are we? Just like that, poof, gone, never shows up again.

Just... fuck. This is the worst chapter ending ever. This HURTS.

Tsukai wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 09, 2020 9:55 pm

...we're literally never gonna see Glasses Guy again in Megatokyo, are we? Just like that, poof, gone, never shows up again.

Just... fuck. This is the worst chapter ending ever. This HURTS.

I’m...uh...sorry you got attached?

All she wanted was to get some tail.

She ended up with nine: Mission Accomplished!

WHOA.

So the hints of tails and ears weren’t a troll after all? I definitely remember someone (Fred himself?) posting that there was no way Megumi could actually be a nine-tails because it would significantly affect future aspects of the story. Maybe she just doesn’t realize what she is until it becomes relevant at some point?

And...wait...that’s the end of the chapter?

Eraden wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 09, 2020 7:41 pm

[...] I am hoping that she doesn't allow herself to go that far and that SOMEONE out there can help her. Someone who isn't her idiot grandmother who unwittingly started this mess with a REALLY bad prank (although, to be honest, Mr Socks had a hand in this too by dumping Megumi and rushing back to his girlfriend).

Megumi sent him away - though he obviously wanted to go which is quite natural. I just hope he realises he has moved on and goes back once he's checked his EX-fiancée is safe and well.

NinjaDefenestrator wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 10, 2020 12:27 am

I definitely remember someone (Fred himself?) posting that there was no way Megumi could actually be a nine-tails because it would significantly affect future aspects of the story. Maybe she just doesn’t realize what she is until it becomes relevant at some point?

And...wait...that’s the end of the chapter?

If this is true, then it fits with the title of the chapter: "Broken". Chapter 12 began and ended with two characters becoming "broken". Miho can no longer die of her condition, which breaks her story. (and which has also resulted in a lot of other breakage) Megumi is now on a completely different path, though the ramifications of her being a nine tail Kitsune will depend on whatever a nine tail actually is and what they can do. Fred has discussed this in chat and perhaps in the forum but hasn't gone into detail in the comic, which means that it shouldn't be considered canon yet. If, however, certain things that he's said in Twitch chat are indeed canonical, then the combination of her powers and her emotional state could break reality itself. Hot time in the old town tonight.

Like some folks have asked already, a good question is whether Megumi knows. Being a 9-tail is certainly powerful enough to hide the tails unconsciously. Maybe she did that instinctively cause grandma isn't a kitsune. We don't know anything about Megumi's parents yet, but did they know, or does grandma know? Fred says that Yaku used to try to hide her tails under her skirts because she was bullied for being different. Maybe Megumi had reasons too, but had the magic to do that without having to take conscious steps.

Another good question is whether she's tails-out now. If she had been hiding the tails unconsciously, then they might be out for good now. It's hard to control things like that, that you haven't actively controlled before. I expect she could learn, but that might take time and effort. If she had been aware that she was kitsune and been hiding them on purpose, then it seems likely she could easily hide them again once she's no longer so upset and distracted.

So, 20th anniversary of the date on the first comic coming in 4 days (as of writing this), we have an ending of chapter 12!
Thank you Fred, for the page She's a beau

In some sense, Megumi did get a reward out of this battle, and it's not /that/ insubstantial, so... if she's a player, then she won it? By letting the 'true love' live longer? Traded luck levels for an upgrade?

Or, playing it more straight, Megumi is the 'boss' of the level, as we saw her 'respawn' earlier (after being blown up with some NPCs around her by Largo) and get stronger, defeating players, and now it's her ultimate form that has manifested itself?

cidjen wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 10, 2020 11:48 am

So, 20th anniversary of the date on the first comic coming in 4 days (as of writing this), we have an ending of chapter 12!
Thank you Fred, for the page She's a beau

In some sense, Megumi did get a reward out of this battle, and it's not /that/ insubstantial, so... if she's a player, then she won it? By letting the 'true love' live longer? Traded luck levels for an upgrade?

Or, playing it more straight, Megumi is the 'boss' of the level, as we saw her 'respawn' earlier (after being blown up with some NPCs around her by Largo) and get stronger, defeating players, and now it's her ultimate form that has manifested itself?

OMG! Are you trying to channel Largo? That's almost exactly how he would view the situation. I don't think Megumi would see things that way though. I'm pretty sure that she would rip Largo's throat out if he tried to tell her that stuff.