please help i've reread chapter 12 of kataware doki so many times but the conversation between kokushibo and mochizuki still confuses me so much (also what's writing for new media)
long post so under a readmore
preface: new media is basically anything that isn't traditional or legacy media (TV, radio, print newspapers, print magazines, print ads, etc.). media is a very rapidly-changing landscape, though, so the stuff that falls under legacy media might have evolved in the time i was in college and now. but basically
legacy media = usually big organizations/corporations, has gatekeepers in the form of those orgs
new media = independent media, independent creators, most prominent in the digital space
writing for new media was a course that taught us how to do everything legacy media did but without having to jump through hoops to learn from them, as well as adapting and optimizing all of those techniques and skills for modern tech and the modern media landscape (so like SEOs, punchy content titles, punchy scripts, etc).
one of the most important skills we were taught was how to structure words correctly, beyond basic grammar and correspondence. you know how sometimes news headlines can be either clickbait, misleading, accusatory, or absolving? it was basically that, but it wasn't just for titles, it was for scripts, ads, jingles, etc, etc.
this is a skill mochizuki applies throughout their interactions with kokushibo (and notice how i use interaction and not conversation---that completely changes the scope of where mochi applies this skill, doesn't it? that is an example of deliberately choosing words). let's break down this piece of dialogue:
before this paragraph starts, it's important to take note of the context of the scene and what came before it. mochi just shot kokushibo, he caught on to what they were saying (without saying it outright), and he sat down, therefore agreeing to negotiate.
the last person who spoke was mochizuki. they do not let kokushibo get a word out despite this. they open the conversation by prompting with "You look like you have questions." this is important, because then they're able to lead into their next paragraph, which lets them psychologically prime the person they are talking to. take note of the order of their sentences and how they're worded:
In the interest of fairness - mochi opens by presenting this whole situation as fair. therefore, they are not a threat; therefore, kokushibo is not losing by interacting with them; therefore, this is an interaction done with goodwill
How about we agree on an exchange - as kokushibo noted in the chapter, they deliberately use we in this sentence. they're framing this as a joint effort, not one side versus another side. mochi's making it sound like they're on the same team, that their goals are kokushibo's goals.
I provide you with an answer - they elaborate on what the interaction will need, but they open with what kokushibo benefits first. they easily could have switched the order of their phrases around and said 'you provide me (with an answer) first, but they chose to say this instead to put something kokushibo wants on the table before they present the drawback (you provide me one back).
You provide me one back - see above. risky, but couched by the sentences preceding and succeeding it
In the event that one of us refuses, the other does not get the next piece of information he seeks - really curious wording, because anyone would have said 'in the event that one of us refuses, he(as in the person who refused) do not get the next piece of information he seeks', but mochi instead says one, then the other. they're further hammering in the whole 'this is a joint effort and if one of us fumbles, we both lose' thing
A trade we both benefit from, yes? - soft finisher, again using we and framing this as a fair situation
and then this repeats, several times, throughout their convos (even nightmare-mochi does it)
honestly, the real magic of a mochizuki interaction isn't really in their dialogue. that's the easy part. it's in the rest of what they don't do, their body language, their tone, how they've used or set up their environment, and how they use the information they gather. like how kokushibo noted that they already had the guest rooms set up and the basement had two chairs ready. they do a lot of things in this chapter that i haven't seen people pick up (even the gc lmaooooooo) including lie several times. since kokushibo canonically prefers no misunderstandings/clear communication, he finds them fucking annoying. plus, he's exhausted, hungry, stressed, and massively overstimulated; and it's not just their words he has to sift through, he's noticed the other stuff too. he's understandably infuriated.
tl;dr: mochi does PR-speak, kokushibo CAN parse through it but only if he puts in effort and he already hates the whole thing AND he's tired. mochi's whole process can be summed up with this old silly shitpost from the gc
