Sword Art Online miscellaneous discussion

[Naphthalene]

Goal

This thread aims to connect people currently reading or having read (or even planning to read) Sword Art Online, so that we can help each other go through SAO, and discuss plot/ development.
The idea is to keep discussion less organized than in a book club, so that it will be (hopefully) easier for people to join at any time. Inspired by this other thread.

Word list

A word list is available at floflo.moe. The website also has a built-in SRS to help you go through it (please have a look at its home thread if you aren’t familiar with flolfo).

Sword Art Online – Flo＊Flo

Best practice

Please hide spoilers with either a spoiler tag

[spoiler]like this[/spoiler] which looks like that

or in a details block

[details=“Title”]
This text will be hidden
[/details]

(Spoiler for page -1) Example; click to expand

Just an example

I like the second way better, since it’s easier to specify who can and who cannot read it.

Participation poll

• I finished reading SAO
• I am currently reading SAO
• I have been reading SAO, but had to stop (because I do not have the next books/ do not plan to read the next books)
• I have been reading SAO, but had to stop (other)
• I have the (next) book, but haven’t started it yet
• I do not plan to read SAO, but polls must be clicked.
• Other?

[jprspereira]

@TamanegiNoKame for whenever you feel ready mate

[MissMisc]

@TamanegiNoKame because I miss you

[Naphthalene]

@TamanegiNoKame Do you mind elaborating on your “Other?”

More seriously just read the introduction and first chapter (that was crazy short!). Also, much easier to read than 新世界より.

Chapter 1 spoilers and rambling

So, okay, 100 levels in アインクラッド, definitely getting some Rogue vibes in here, although the class and techniques used by the main character and “level 82 lizard lord” reminds me more of Ragnarok online. (Also, it has online in the title :p).

I wonder if the max level for characters is also 99… In which case the main character must be pretty strong, but not quite there yet (leaving some space for a shonen manga-like training from hell/power upgrade?)

Not really sure if chapter 1 deserves a spoiler tag, especially considering how short it is, but whatever

Speaking of which, @trunklayer, the story so far made me think of you (if you don’t want to check the spoilers for whatever reason, it’s because of Ragnarok online )

[TamanegiNoKame]

@Naphthalene, “other?” = I am planning to return to SAO eventually (?) and will come to this thread when I do (peppermint) .

[SerahShirin]

finishing chapter 1 tomorrow I hope
I noticed that university will keep me more busy than expected. Maybe I’ll change my plan to 3 chapter in a month. Also because some chapters are really long.

[SerahShirin]

but the word list is not really helpful ^^ the most of them i know and there no vocabs i would like to know. but anyway. I’m making my own word list

[Naphthalene]

@SerahShirin
You have to trash words that you already know, and add the ones you don’t.
You can change the word frequency to 1 or 2 to get more words (default is 3, meaning only words that appear at least 3 times in the book are included).
You can also put your WK level in the settings to automatically hide words (and kanji) you learned from WK.

Edit: some words are wrongly parsed though, so some words not in the book may get in the list and conversely words in the book may not be included.

[SerahShirin]

but first i have to sign in right?
but to be honest… i would like to make a word list in my mother tongue. already busy with some new vocab from WK haha

[Naphthalene]

but first i have to sign in right?

Ah, sure. It’s free, though.

But I understand. You do you, then

[Raionus]

But I understand. You do you, then

The feels

[Naphthalene]

Well, I’ve been procrastinating on writing this post for a few days but

Massive chapter 2 spoiler/rambling

the “log out is not possible anymore” deal is just a bit too big. I guess that it’s a kind of trick from the game company (tying in with the story directly, i.e. the bad guy disabled it, or indirectly, i.e. I will prevent you from leaving until you see this cutscene), but it can’t be legal (nor safe).

Something like that headset would have to be heavily regulated in real life. Even if it somehow wasn’t, that little stunt would get them shut down like five minutes after they allow people to leave the game. People could literally die from having forgotten to turn off the gas and being unable to go check it.

[Kazzeon]

It would be heavily regulated, there’s no way in real life that we get a full dive, where everything you experience is inside the game, because it would interfere with your actual senses.

But, in this case, it’s for plot purposes.

And they actually exploit it in the future, sort of big spoiler for GGO ahead: in GunGale Online, something like this happens again, but it isn’t actually that you die when you die in the game, but it’s that someone goes to your house and kills you when you’re killed in the game, since the headset didn’t allow for that to happen again. If I remember correctly.

[Naphthalene]

But, in this case, it’s for plot purposes.

Well, it would be weird otherwise. I’m just arguing that it’s bad writing (or err scenariing?)

big spoiler for GGO ahead

Well, I’ll have a look at that when I feel I got there

[Kazzeon]

I’m just arguing that it’s bad writing (or err scenariing?)

It’s a future where people just don’t care, which isn’t that far away.

Other than that, the funny thing is that before we get a full dive, we would know everything there is to know about the brain, since they control its impulses to the finest detail. So this is like comparing one of the first computers to a cellphone 60 years later, where the full dive is just a headgear, instead of a giant machine with cables entering your brain and IVs and stuff.

[SerahShirin]

because of moving in and out I’m still at chapter 2… didnt expected that it take so much time -.- but I’m doing my best to finish chapter 3 at the end of September. I’m sorry.

[Naphthalene]

Don’t worry, there’s no rush!
How do you like it so far?

[SerahShirin]

I really like it. I’m sure you already watched the anime?

just some game related vocab i still have to learn. its the first book i read in japanese after i’ve read the little prince some year ago. sometimes I’m stocked with some kanji i dont remember and thats really annoying, but its working. i think after the half of pages it will be much easier

[Naphthalene]

I’m sure you already watched the anime?

I haven’t, actually! (I just don’t watch anime in general)
I just heard about SAO from @TamanegiNoKame and floflo (thread + website). So I’m getting into this completely spoiler-free, and it isn’t really going in the direction I expected, which is good

i think after the half of pages it will be much easier

It should be, yes. Most concepts from the book (and their associated vocab) should be introduced in the first part, which means vocab should progressively feel easier

[SerahShirin]

well, i already watched it twice haha sometimes i like to watch it. also ist much easier than the book. but as preparation for N2 i started to read SAO.