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I mean, sure, Genchu could’ve just wiped everyone out, but he’s really trying to re-evaluate his previous most common problem solving methods.

We had a really stellar time at Matsuricon this year! Not that it isn’t always a blast, though. I had a great time blabbing about the entirety of the Star Wars franchise for an hour, and meeting the fans, a number of which were Kickstarter backers! On top of enjoying the con, I got to absorb all this new Star Wars news coming out of D23, the Disney convention that happened this same weekend!! The cast shot for Rogue One looks super rad, and even though Star Wars lore alums have witnessed the obtaining of the first death star plans at least half a dozen times in novels, games, and comics, I’m totes fine with getting a new canon version where these Rebel badasses stick it to the Empire. Also, Star Wars theme parks? I’m there, I want to be there, I will be there! And all the new set photos and poster for Force Awakens has my hype meter unreasonably high! But that’s okay, I’m not speculating on story, I’m going in clean! That’s the ideal way to avoid disappointment (at least initial disappointment, who knows how I’ll feel about it a month later).

Published on August 16, 2015 by Alex Kolesar

tyersome

I would think it was plain that that plan could only end in pain, but Genchu seem to be thinking of giving it a shot anyway …

Maybe he thinks they’ve sunk too much into their current course of action, but I suspect the Guru is about to float a better idea.
- Brandenfascher
  
  Perhaps they should prepare a bulleted list of ideas?
  - Xinef
    
    Since we’ve already shot down the plan that involved sinking the ship, maybe we could skyrocket the prices of gunpowder (and gunpowder itself)? Rrricarrrdo might fire them for it, but it’s better than trying to fix the problem without proper thought… with guns blazing, so to speak.
    - Brandenfascher
      
      I’m sure it’d be a blast!
      - Kid Chaos
        
        They’ll definitely go out with a bang!
      - Leo
        
        It’s worth giving it a shot
    - http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai
      
      Ricardo might cripple the market for firearms all by himself! Oh, I mean Rrricarrdo.
- http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai
  
  Genchu’s really committed to non-lethal playthrough.
  - Kid Chaos
    
    I appreciate the effort, but it may not be enough. Genchu remembered to save his swords, right? RIGHT??? Oh, crap…
Sunwu

(I can’t decide scissor sisters)
It’s not easy sabotaging a cruise line…

His plans seem to go all awry
Don’t want to be the bad guy
He just a Rōnin baby
And now you got in his way

Genchu can’t decide
Whether you should live or die!
Oh, As Ricardo makes a killing. Genchu shakes his head and cries
No wonder why
His heart feels dead inside
It’s cold and hard and petrified
Lock the doors and close the blinds
We’re going for a ride
- http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai
  
  Sunwu, I’ve mentioned it before, but you’re musical tastes are very eclectic. I had to youtube this song, I’d never heard of it before. Great lyrical adaptation to Genchu’s circumstance!
  - Xinef
    
    Actually, it’s the first song from Sunwu that I instantly recognized. Mostly, because it’s been ponified, or to be precise, someone made a pretty popular animation to go with it :3
    - Kid Chaos
      
      Unsubscribe.
IDPounder

Not sure if it’s just my monitor, but the color looks a bit washed out in today’s panels.
- http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai
  
  I did run a curve filter over the characters to give them a more green tint and brighten them to make it look like a bight day. I admit it probably brightened Genchu’s hair too much, which is still suppose to be a dark brown/black. Curves don’t effect things that are already pure black, which is why guru Vasu’s bead necklace is still a pure black.
  - IDPounder
    
    Makes sense, thanks for letting us know. I usually don’t mess with curves too much, because butterfly effect, like you say.
  - Rose
    
    It looks good on my screen, gives a bright sun effect pretty well. Especially if Genchu has black hair that is almost dark brown, I can see that conveyed pretty well here, in my opinion. How hair looks does change a bit with light intensity, especially with a borderline shade like that.
Xinef

Diplomacy can be very effective! You only need to use your sharp, pointy, metal objects held close to the person’s throat as an argument. And don’t leave any witnesses, to seal the deal.
- Kid Chaos
  
  “Speak softly, but carry a big stick.”
  –Teddy Roosevelt
  - IDPounder
    
    “I talk LOUD! And I carry a BIIIGGER stick!!” *whack* “And I use it, too!” –Yosemite Sam
    - Kid Chaos
      
      Fun fact: T.R. usually shouted, and almost always carried a gun.
    - Flaming Squirrel
      
      I had to look that clip up after reading your comment… it was awesome.
- http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai
  
  This is like RPing a dipolmatic character by putting all your skill points into ‘intimidate’.
  - Xinef
    
    I prefer to put them into melee weapons. Intimidation means you wave your weapons at someone from a distance and it’s enough to make them cooperative. I prefer to weave the pointy things at closer distance, because it looks cooler, while still being effective at diplomatic solutions.
    - Kid Chaos
      
      37. There is no “overkill.” There is only “open fire” and “I need to reload.”
      –from “The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries” (courtesy of Schlock Mercenary)
Minando

Guys, you are trying to hold back a flood with your hands.
- http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai
  
  One of my favorite analogies.
Kid Chaos

Oh, Genchu; if you only knew who was waiting for you at the Wataro-Senshin border…
- http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai
  
  Practically everyone in the whole comic!
  - Kid Chaos
    
    …who want to see NN4B update twice a week (hint, hint)!
    - http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai
      
      Geez, I would love to. There are a few roadblocks there, though, and one of the biggest ones is that Joe and I are just so busy. Although, pages don’t take as long as they used to now that I have help flatting the pages. I’m going to set up a patreon soon, now that nearly all the Kickstarter books are shipped. I don’t know how successful a patreon would be, but the more money it makes, the more time I can take to dedicate to the comic, potentially up to ten hours of my week that I can divert from my usual work. We’ll see.
Flaming Squirrel

Methinks Genchu and company are going to invent gun control laws. What better way to peacefully fight Rrrrrrricardo than to outlaw everything he has for sale?

Also, Alex and J.W., do you mind if I ask you for some advice, from one storyteller to another (two others)?
- http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai
  
  Ask and all your questions may be answered, if there are answers to give!
  - Flaming Squirrel
    
    Thanks! Okay, so say a guy was writing a webnovel, and updating it with one chapter a week. Say he finished the first book in the series, but then focused his attention on a completely different story. Say he’s coming close to the ending of the first book, and hasn’t even started work on book 2. How long would you say he has to finish book 2 and start uploading it before his followers lost interest and went elsewhere for their entertainment? Keep in mind this is all hypothetical… and my friend’s brother’s sister’s aunt’s dentist’s cousin told me to ask for him.
    - Dichu
      
      I realize I’m not the one you asked, but, as a person who reads a lot of novels in his spare time, I would wait almost indefinitely if the story/writing was good enough. Also, if the writer was working on something else in the interim, I would probably follow that as well. But, even if I gave up on a story for a little bit, I would eventually remember it and check it again (for a really good story I would check it at least every 2 months), and would continue checking it periodically, until either the writing goes downhill, or I learn that the story is on permanent hiatus. Hope this helps, and sorry of it doesn’t.
      
      (also, “friend’s brother’s sister’s.” Your friend’s brother has a sister that isn’t your friend’s sister?)
      - Flaming Squirrel
        
        Thanks! What I’m… I mean, what HE’S worried about is that these stories are posted on websites where there are literally millions of other free stories. If I- HE- just stops updating, then it’s not like there isn’t anything to replace him with.
      - Dichu
        
        Even so, we book worms can be VERY loyal to our favorite authors, and a lot of us have problems with closure. For me, personally, closure is extremely important. I can just be sitting around doing nothing at all and something will vaguely remind me of a story I started a year or two ago, and I immediately have the urge to find and finish said story. That’s why I’m reading three webcomics and a novel series, watching 4-5 TV series ( including anime) and every movie put out by Marvel (Star Wars, as well, soon), and playing 1-2 rpg’s and every Legend of Zelda ever made( I’ve still got 4-5 of the older ones left to check off) all at the same time. And that’s just the stuff I’m always doing; I also play a good number of flash games and read occasional short stories…
        
        That being said, if you posted a link to your… FRIEND’S story, I would gladly consume the extra helping of conflict and plot twists. I mean, it’s not like I can have any LESS of a social life. 😉
      - Flaming Squirrel
        
        Well, if you think you’re up for it… :https://www.wattpad.com/myworks/17582958-amber-silverblood
        
        I’ve also got this going. It’s not the same story, but the audience seems to overlap quite a bit: https://www.wattpad.com/story/34197311-the-slayer-and-the-sphinx/parts
        
        (and for what it’s worth, Alex and J.W., sorry! I didn’t mean to end up advertising on your page!) D:
      - Neska
        
        If people like the story, they won’t give up on it: I’ve got a Mushishi fanfic over at fantiction.com (By the River’s Flow if anyone cares) and even after taking over a year off from it due to irl issues people kept adding my story to their read lists so that when I came back they’d know about it. So, if you’re a decent writer, I don’t think you have much to worry about.
    - jwkovell
      
      Oddly enough, since I’ve been working on the same major project for over a decade without starting a new one, I feel fairly unqualified to answer.
      
      My gut tells me that if the first book gives a sufficient satisfying ending with a hint of future mystery, you’d be able to delay a future book for a while without losing the good will of your readers – particularly if you provide some sort of regular updates on the projects you’re currently working on and when a return can be expected.
      
      What I can say from experience is that SOME loss of readership is inevitable. There are still people out there that don’t know that NN4B returned from its break 2 years ago!
      - Flaming Squirrel
        
        Thanks, guys! (this is replying to you and Alex’s comment) It’s set to end sometime in September. I was hoping I could have the second book completely finished before I began uploading it, but maybe you’re right. I might have to get a few buffer chapters written and then just go with it. In the meantime, I do have another, completely unrelated story going. It’s not part of the same series, but the audience does tend to overlap a lot, so hopefully that’ll keep them satisfied until then. I mean… HE… HIS… oh, whatever 😛
    - http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai
      
      I’m gonna go with one month hiatus before everyone forgets you exist!
      
      Hiatuses are inevitably damaging. Probably the easiest way to handle them is to plan a specific return date so the readers know when to expect the story to continue. Like Dichu, I would agree that fans of your work will probably try other stories you write while your previous story is on a hiatus. Granted if your other story is way off in a different genre, you may lose readers, it’s inevitable. But I think, in the end, you’ve got to go with your passion and build a following around what drives you if you want the experience to be enjoyable. Don’t get trapped into something you’re not enjoying, you aren’t obligated to give anyone anything! Dem’s my thoughts.
Da’Zlein

You just need to convince them that it would be a bad idea to shoot their diplomats… It is a bad idea for them to shoot their diplomats, right?
Dichu

If they had just drilled holes in the powder barrels before the ship hull, they wouldn’t be in this mess. I mean, RRrricarrdo didn’t wake up until he touched the water, so presumably they would have had the time to ensure the powder was ruined, but I guess Genchu just misread what kind of selfish the ambassador is. Or maybe if Genchu had acted more worried when he translated Rrricarrdo’s warning, the ambassador would have felt more of a threat to his life and wouldn’t have taken the time for the guns.

But “shoulda woulda coulda,” at least this way we get to see what depths of ingenuity Genchu will go to in order to protect his new pacifist methodology.
- Xinef
  
  Interestingly enough, if bushido was involved, the ambassador would be more inclined to successfully complete his mission, rather than to save his life, because failing the mission would still cost him his life.
  
  But alas, there’s nn4b.
Hfar

Hey! You don’t know until you try! ‘Course, it may be the last thing you try.
Neska

I have now read the entire archive! Yay!
I have now bookmarked the site and added it to my extensive list of webcomics to read! Yay!

I think continued sabotage might be better than diplomacy . . . you only have 60 more guns to destroy . . .
dr pepper

Are we in the time of the Closed Country yet? Or just before?
- http://www.nn4b.com suburban_samurai
  
  There’s no real historical accuracy to NN4B, it’s roughest approximation is about 1580’s, the tale end of the Warrior States period. Hirotomo Wataro is a (very) rough stand in for Oda Nobunaga, basically being a warlord that intends to unite clans through military force. So the country was not yet in self the self isolationist period of the Ieyasu Shogunate. Maybe Hirotomo’s predecessor will lead the country into isolation!
  - TekServer
    
    [whisper]I think you mean successor, not predecessor.[/whisper]
    Unless time travel really is an issue here …

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