As an addendum, do magical girls die when their wounds reach 0, or do you need to make an additional attack to break their soul gem? Can you break their soul gem before downing them (for instance, with a Heart Taker guided bullet)?
Also, to answer the second question here: Yes and no. If a Magical Girl can see the attack coming, then that can only cause wounds--Heart Taker can guarantee a hit if a path exists, but that doesn't mean you can't shield your Soul Gem with your body or a defensive spell or something, eliminating that path to the Gem.
A Magical Girl who doesn't see the attack coming could be instant killed this way, though, assuming no passive defenses that apply.
I was just thinking about what might have happened to Mami's grief seed stockpile after she died in Episode 3 of the original show, and I'm currently guessing that Homura probably picked it up (given Mami's age and power, she probably had some reserves). This reminded me of Akagi Matoko. In the future, if some magical girl dies or witches out, we might want to inspect both her corpse and her residence. Both grief seeds and useful enchanted items may be discovered (Tart received a magical sword in her manga series, and Homura did make that clock earlier, indicating that permanently enchanted items are possible). Even in cases where the girl in question witched out, magical items may still be around, and even grief seeds wouldn't be out of the question (a girl in the throes of despair who doesn't know she will turn into a witch if her soul gem fully darkens might just choose not to cleanse and turn into a witch despite having grief seeds on hand).
Maybe this would be bad for sanity, but it shouldn't be that bad, as you aren't actually hurting anyonel
I was just thinking about what might have happened to Mami's grief seed stockpile after she died in Episode 3 of the original show, and I'm currently guessing that Homura probably picked it up (given Mami's age and power, she probably had some reserves). This reminded me of Akagi Matoko. In the future, if some magical girl dies or witches out, we might want to inspect both her corpse and her residence. Both grief seeds and useful enchanted items may be discovered (Tart received a magical sword in her manga series, and Homura did make that clock earlier, indicating that permanently enchanted items are possible). Even in cases where the girl in question witched out, magical items may still be around, and even grief seeds wouldn't be out of the question (a girl in the throes of despair who doesn't know she will turn into a witch if her soul gem fully darkens might just choose not to cleanse and turn into a witch despite having grief seeds on hand).
Maybe this would be bad for sanity, but it shouldn't be that bad, as you aren't actually hurting anyonel
On the example with Mami... In canon, she goes out of her way to hunt Familiars, which don't drop Grief Seeds, leaving her running on basically no stockpile. She's very efficient with her magic use and gets by that way. So we can't really assume that a Magical Girl, even a veteran, has a surplus of grief seeds stashed away somewhere.
On the topic of it being bad for Sanity... Well, Homura literally cannot bring herself to visit the site where we fought Akagi Matoko's Witch. When the option arises in a vote, it's crossed out with a note that Homura refuses to visit it. If that's not evidence that losing even a single friend could be maybe a bit more than sanity straining or grief inducing, much less from rooting through what they leave behind, then I don't know what would constitute evidence of such.
However. I would not be surprised if high Social Link can lead to such offers being made. In those cases, I believe it could be a good idea. But keeping Homura's Sanity up is good for both Bargaining spell ( costs 300 Sanity and 300 Magic ) and for her Golden Dreamer traits. So let's maybe not be too gung-ho about looting the bodies of her dead friends?
Edit: Fixed a mention of Grief to Magic; Forgot that the costs on spells were in Magic spent, not Grief accumulated.
On the example with Mami... In canon, she goes out of her way to hunt Familiars, which don't drop Grief Seeds, leaving her running on basically no stockpile. She's very efficient with her magic use and gets by that way. So we can't really assume that a Magical Girl, even a veteran, has a surplus of grief seeds stashed away somewhere.
On the topic of it being bad for Sanity... Well, Homura literally cannot bring herself to visit the site where we fought Akagi Matoko's Witch. When the option arises in a vote, it's crossed out with a note that Homura refuses to visit it. If that's not evidence that losing even a single friend could be maybe a bit more than sanity straining or grief inducing, much less from rooting through what they leave behind, then I don't know what would constitute evidence of such.
However. I would not be surprised if high Social Link can lead to such offers being made. In those cases, I believe it could be a good idea. But keeping Homura's Sanity up is good for both Bargaining spell ( costs 300 Sanity and 300 Grief ) and for her Golden Dreamer traits. So let's maybe not be too gung-ho about looting the bodies of her dead friends?
Hunting wandering familiars, which are usually really weak and don't have the environmental hazards of a labyrinth or mobs of other familiars to back them up, is likely pretty cheap, though. The main drawback is that you get less witches in an area, but Mami has such a large territory (an entire city) that she still likely has a decent number of witches to hunt. Also, her canonical encouragement of Madoka and Sayaka contracting suggests that she had a surplus of grief seeds, as if she was living that close to the edge, recruiting additional magical girls would have led to her starvation. In fact, one theory why Mitakihara has so few magical girls compared to other cities (see r/MadokaMagica - Compared to other cities in the PMMM universe, Mitakihara City's magical girl population is really low) is that Mami kills most of the familiars, reducing the number of available witches, and then kills the witches that do pop up quickly, forcing other magical girls to either leave or starve. Mami has also had a lot of time to accumulate grief seeds. Between her huge territory, great power, and long life, she likely has a fairly sizable stockpile, despite her familiar hunting. If she can blow magic on styling her hair into drills, she probably isn't starving for seeds.
If looting the dead will upset Homura, she could hint to Oriko that it might be worthwhile to inspect their stuff, and Oriko can have Kirika do the looting. Kirika likely won't be too bothered about it, and what Homura doesn't think about won't hurt her too much.
I would like to use some blue truths:
All members of the 15 friends are characters seen in the PMMM franchise.
One or more members of the 15 friends come from other franchises.
One or more members of the 15 friends come from other PMMM fan works.
One or more members of the 15 are original characters created in this quest.
All members of the fifteen friends have already been determined by Higure.
It possible to defeat Walpurgisnacht this loop.
Some questions for the Homumind:
Does Homura remember having defeated Walpurgisnacht at all, recently, like within the last 50-100 loops or so (she might still loop if Madoka or others end up dead or witched)? If so, how often does she win, and how was it done? Does Walpurgisnacht drop a grief seed with a lot of charges and/or numerous grief seeds?
Roughly what percent of the time did Madoka contract, in the past 100 loops?
How fast are Walpurgisnacht and Madoka gaining power? Is the growth noticeable between one loop and the next? If so, then how are Homura, Mami, Kyoko, and the others able to remain relevant in the fights against Walpurgisnacht?
Early on, Madoka was able to kill Walpurgisnacht, albeit at the cost of her own life. Can she still do this, or has Walpurgisnacht outscaled her? Or is she growing faster than Walpurgisnacht?
All members of the 15 friends are characters seen in the PMMM franchise.
All members of the fifteen friends have already been determined by Higure.
It possible to defeat Walpurgisnacht this loop.
Some questions for the Homumind:
Does Homura remember having defeated Walpurgisnacht at all, recently, like within the last 50-100 loops or so (she might still loop if Madoka or others end up dead or witched)? If so, how often does she win, and how was it done? Does Walpurgisnacht drop a grief seed with a lot of charges and/or numerous grief seeds?
Walpurgisnacht is killed every so often, but never by Homura, and never without someone dying for it. Madoka has never survived without Witching, as far as Homura recalls.
Roughly what percent of the time did Madoka contract, in the past 100 loops?
Every time she wasn't killed preemptively by something.
How fast are Walpurgisnacht and Madoka gaining power? Is the growth noticeable between one loop and the next? If so, then how are Homura, Mami, Kyoko, and the others able to remain relevant in the fights against Walpurgisnacht?
Everyone's scaling with time, but Walpurgisnacht is growing fastest. Fortunately, this trends towards defense and options rather than raw power, so everyone can still contribute, it just is never enough.
Early on, Madoka was able to kill Walpurgisnacht, albeit at the cost of her own life. Can she still do this, or has Walpurgisnacht outscaled her? Or is she growing faster than Walpurgisnacht?
In regards to last loop...Homura still can't remember the final battle, but she does remember one anomaly...Oriko and Kirika voluteered for the fight with Walpurgisnacht, alongside everyone else (Kyouko, Mami, Yuma, and Sayaka). That was a first.
Homura actually thought they might win that time, because of that...maybe they did, even, but she can't recall.
Madoka wasn't mentioned there. Did she participate or not in that battle?
Also, does Homura remember if Walpurgisnacht's grief seed? We would obviously not have such an item anymore, but you would think that even a loop that ends with both Madoka and Walpurgisnacht dead could help with snowballing (by getting a grief seed that can fuel a lot of magic use).
Additionally, I see that Homura had nuclear weapons in her inventory in the past. If she had enchanted nukes and still couldn't kill Walpurgisnacht, then how would the offensive capabilities of mere magical girls be able to compare? Some people calculated Miami's huge Tiro Finale in Rebellion as 35-37 kilotons. This is much smaller than a modern strategic nuke (a W88 warhead has a yield of 475 kilotons, with up to 8 of them fitting on each Trident II missile, though only 4 carried in practice, and would likely hit even harder when enchanted), Mami likely can't afford to spam that attack much, and Mami is probably the most destructive out of all the girls in our roster (so the rest would get outclassed even harder by enchanted nukes).
Finally, how was Homura able to animate whole fleets of warships to fight Walpurgisnacht? She did animate a fuel truck in rebellion, but an aircraft carrier is like 10,000 times heavier and much more complex. How could she afford such workings?
I'm fairly certain that I've gone over this previously in some way or form, but I didn't want to just do nothing with the numbers that I ran.
With us heading back to Mitakihara soon, I figured that I might as well do some number crunching regarding Sayaka. Specifically, how many actions we need to spend (social or otherwise) to up our Social Link with her to 6 (it's currently at 5). Assuming that she is a member of the 15 friends, and we don't have Akemi Madness active, here's some odds:
Non-Social Actions
Social Actions
Chance Of Link Up
2
1
21.79%
3
1
67.30%
4
1
94.87%
Now, given that these assume that we are getting help from, or helping Sayaka. What are some easyish options for this?
-Investigations: The Black Cats, and the Unknown Caller (if it is still available) are both my personal choices for bringing Sayaka along. The latter is overdue, and even if it itself is not open anymore, investigating Meiosei District is probably a good idea so that we find more detailed locations for thieving at some point in the future. Possibly Azumi as well, since Sayaka was part of the laser tag game. Even Mami's Apartment could work.
-Home Actions: Actions with which we can involve Sayaka are fairly obvious. Melee Training with Miho Miki and SAO are both exellent options for this, both giving multiple Social Links at a time if Sayaka is along as well as potentially a Skill or Trait being progressed. Helping Sayaka train is also a very good option... But I'm adding an asterisk to this one.
-Mission Actions: I honestly forget if we've taken Sayaka by Miyazaki Books, but it's an opportunity to possibly discover the Book Lover trait on her. Otherwise... Maybe she likes gunpla and we can possibly combine training Gunpla crafting with training Socialize with Mami?
-Creative Actions. We might be able to ask for Sayaka's help with making a spell to craft a temporary copy of a weapon that Homura already has. If nothing else, it could provide a chance for Homura to learn the concepts behind Tracing.
-Training Actions, but specifically Magical Theory. We don't know how much Magical Theory the EMIYA-as-sword has taught Sayaka, but there's essentially two outcomes. She's that much better than Homura, and can function as a Teacher, or we can help her out as a Study Partner. Emrys Tome providing a +75 bonus means that this will be quite helpful for both of them. And if the Magical Theory does apply to Magecraft... Well, it's probably a bit much to hope that Sayaka's Magecraft is secretly Magical Theory (Magecraft), but there's almost certainly something to work with there.
Between all of these options, it's quite possible to reach three or four actions where we help out Sayaka or ask her to help out as well as fitting in a Social Action with her (possibly using a Home Action for that in particular). In addition, if we can successfully Request help from others along the way, then that also helps bring us closer to increasing their social links.
I'm fairly certain that I've gone over this previously in some way or form, but I didn't want to just do nothing with the numbers that I ran.
With us heading back to Mitakihara soon, I figured that I might as well do some number crunching regarding Sayaka. Specifically, how many actions we need to spend (social or otherwise) to up our Social Link with her to 6 (it's currently at 5). Assuming that she is a member of the 15 friends, and we don't have Akemi Madness active, here's some odds:
Non-Social Actions
Social Actions
Chance Of Link Up
2
1
21.79%
3
1
67.30%
4
1
94.87%
Now, given that these assume that we are getting help from, or helping Sayaka. What are some easyish options for this?
-Investigations: The Black Cats, and the Unknown Caller (if it is still available) are both my personal choices for bringing Sayaka along. The latter is overdue, and even if it itself is not open anymore, investigating Meiosei District is probably a good idea so that we find more detailed locations for thieving at some point in the future. Possibly Azumi as well, since Sayaka was part of the laser tag game. Even Mami's Apartment could work.
-Home Actions: Actions with which we can involve Sayaka are fairly obvious. Melee Training with Miho Miki and SAO are both exellent options for this, both giving multiple Social Links at a time if Sayaka is along as well as potentially a Skill or Trait being progressed. Helping Sayaka train is also a very good option... But I'm adding an asterisk to this one.
-Mission Actions: I honestly forget if we've taken Sayaka by Miyazaki Books, but it's an opportunity to possibly discover the Book Lover trait on her. Otherwise... Maybe she likes gunpla and we can possibly combine training Gunpla crafting with training Socialize with Mami?
-Creative Actions. We might be able to ask for Sayaka's help with making a spell to craft a temporary copy of a weapon that Homura already has. If nothing else, it could provide a chance for Homura to learn the concepts behind Tracing.
-Training Actions, but specifically Magical Theory. We don't know how much Magical Theory the EMIYA-as-sword has taught Sayaka, but there's essentially two outcomes. She's that much better than Homura, and can function as a Teacher, or we can help her out as a Study Partner. Emrys Tome providing a +75 bonus means that this will be quite helpful for both of them. And if the Magical Theory does apply to Magecraft... Well, it's probably a bit much to hope that Sayaka's Magecraft is secretly Magical Theory (Magecraft), but there's almost certainly something to work with there.
Between all of these options, it's quite possible to reach three or four actions where we help out Sayaka or ask her to help out as well as fitting in a Social Action with her (possibly using a Home Action for that in particular). In addition, if we can successfully Request help from others along the way, then that also helps bring us closer to increasing their social links.
It seems like we don't know a lot of the various magic systems and how they interact. We don't know if Nasuverse magecraft is the same as Anima Erebea. We don't know if the various magic systems draw on the same mana pool or not (if Anima Erebea and/or magecraft can be used without causing grief, they would be very useful). Though Homura might not have any or many magical circuits in order to use magecraft with. We don't know if Puella Magi can learn Nanohaverse magic (I'm guessing not, as I remember Nanoha implying that soul gems are basically extracted, modified Linker Cores, so maybe the process of becoming a Puella Magi prevents usage of Nanohaverse magic). We don't know if Homura can use some sort of Doppel form (I've never played or watched Magia Record, so I know little about that. TvTropes says that she could do a partial transformation into Homulily and wield a 30mm autocannon while in that form, and summoning Clara Dolls would be useful, albeit risky). I remember Higure writing about how Homura's mom was digging up something from JoJo, and that Homura could potentially learn Hamon, though I don't know anything about that franchise, either. There are a lot of options for growth and exploration, and I'm not sure how Higure is going to keep everything straight.
It seems like we don't know a lot of the various magic systems and how they interact. We don't know if Nasuverse magecraft is the same as Anima Erebea. We don't know if the various magic systems draw on the same mana pool or not (if Anima Erebea and/or magecraft can be used without causing grief, they would be very useful). Though Homura might not have any or many magical circuits in order to use magecraft with. We don't know if Puella Magi can learn Nanohaverse magic (I'm guessing not, as I remember Nanoha implying that soul gems are basically extracted, modified Linker Cores, so maybe the process of becoming a Puella Magi prevents usage of Nanohaverse magic).
Correct, we don't know a lot about how the various magic systems interact. However, that's something which can be fixed through training Magical Theory and doing Research, Spell Development, or Magical Working actions. Considering that Homura believes that making meaningful improvements to her Time Stop spell ( as opposed to situational or restricted versions of it ) could involve combining different schools of magic, I think that investigating them is an excellent idea. For that purpose we can train Magical Theory using Emrys Tome and the book from Miyazaki Books on Magical Theory, potentially mend bridges with Nanoha, try to work with Sayaka and/or EMIYA-as-sword if Sayaka and/or EMIYA-as-sword are amenable, and even just do Research/Spell Development/Attempt A Magical Working actions. We have ways to investigate, and without attempting them, we won't be able to say anything more on the subject.
We don't know if Homura can use some sort of Doppel form (I've never played or watched Magia Record, so I know little about that. TvTropes says that she could do a partial transformation into Homulily and wield a 30mm autocannon while in that form, and summoning Clara Dolls would be useful, albeit risky). I remember Higure writing about how Homura's mom was digging up something from JoJo, and that Homura could potentially learn Hamon, though I don't know anything about that franchise, either. There are a lot of options for growth and exploration, and I'm not sure how Higure is going to keep everything straight.
Spoilers for Magia Record, I suppose: Doppels are essentially the controlled release of Grief accumulated within a Soul Gem such that instead of the Witch bursting free, the Doppel is instead projected. This is why utilizing a Doppel requires a great deal of Grief accumulation, and leaves the Soul Gem cleaner afterwards. In addition, they only work because a Magical Girl made a very specific Wish that enabled her to set up the specific magical field in the city where Magia Record's main plot takes place. In addition, considering that Clara Dolls have shown themselves to be hostile to our Homura... Yeah, I don't think that trying to do stuff with Clara Dolls is a great idea at this point in time.
As far as Homura's mom digging stuff up that is potentially related to Jojo, and Hamon... I can't think of a reason why Homura couldn't learn to utilize Hamon. It would require us making the effort to reach out, just like the above stuff with different magic systems interacting. As far as Higure keeping different mechanics straight, well, I choose to trust our resident Witch in that regard. Simple as that.
In addition, considering that Clara Dolls have shown themselves to be hostile to our Homura... Yeah, I don't think that trying to do stuff with Clara Dolls is a great idea at this point in time.
I seem to recall that encounter implying the Clara Doll we met was from a version of Homura that already went Akuma Homura. IE, that Clara Doll was from another universe. If true, we have no idea how the Clara Dolls from the Homura we control will treat that same Homura.
Between all the omakes ideas I'm trying to hammer out, the first one that I manage to get out in a semi-coherent fashion is the parody. Typical. No beta, we die like incubators.
Rules of Engagement
Homura's first clue that this timeline might be different from the others had been the noises. The hospital where she started over as usual seemed strangely animated this time around, with strange noises often reaching the magical girl's ear. Still, the nurses' routine seemed to be the same as always, so she decided to not pay it any mind for now. Recently, she had noticed small, seemingly random changes in each loop more and more, and for now her standing policy was to not pay it any mind as long as it didn't interfere with her quest to save Madoka. For all she knew, the issue was just someone playing a video game a bit loudly this time around, nothing worth investigating. As such, she patiently waited for her release from the hospital, eager to start things moving in earnest.
The outside was a bit changed too, albeit not in a particularly alarming fashion. For the most part, Mitakihara seemed to be the same as always, though most advertisement spots looked to have been taken over by a single company, a 'KC' logo prominently displayed. And quite a few people in the street displayed a strange contraption strapped to one of their arms, as if it were a common item in their day-to-day life. The thing seemed quite high-tech - some sort of computer, maybe - though its bulk made Homura question why anyone would bother considering the other options.
It was only when she started school that she found out that this was apparently a gaming device, meant to play a children's card game that had apparently become ubiquitous in this timeline, complete with high tech accessories - the so-called duel disks. Certainly a strange change, but a harmless one, she supposed. Noticing from afar Madoka and Sayaka happily chatting about new trading cards they just got, Homura decided she might as well look into it later, if she got the time. It might at least make for a decent ice-breaker. But for now, she had more important matters to settle.
***
"I try to be tolerant toward new magical girls, Miss Akemi. But so far, you have given me very little reason to trust you."
Homura couldn't help but scowl. Of course Mami would catch her during one of her attempts to prevent the Incubator from reaching Madoka. And now the blonde guardian of Mitakihara was glaring at her, while the white creature watched the confrontation from afar. Homura knew Kyubey couldn't actually change its facial expression, but she could swear it was radiating smugness right now. Swallowing her frustration, she tried to salvage the situation with her mentor-turned-stranger.
"I apologise for the disturbance, but I must remain in Mitakihara for at least a few weeks. I'll do my best to not get in your way in the meantime."
Mami Tomoe frowned. "That simply won't do. This place is under my protection, and you already demonstrated hostility toward someone I consider a friend." Homura barely concealed a snarl at that - the Incubator certainly was no friend, no matter how well it played the part. "If you do not leave this town on your own accord," the blonde magical girl continued, "I have no choice but to make you leave."
Great, it seemed she was in a belligerent mood already. Homura crushed the feeling of grief that came with the prospect of facing down someone she had once called one of her dearest friends, and steeled herself for the upcoming confrontation. Neither of them were transformed right now, if she could change and use her shield before Mami could get out a ribbon, then -
"Miss Akemi, I challenge you to a duel."
Homura tensed, before watching the other magical girl pull - a duel disk?! She blinked.
"... What are you doing?"
Mami blinked back. "Challenging you to a duel? I thought I was being clear on that. Wasn't I?"
"A card duel?" The time-traveller prized herself for her poker face (ah), but even she had trouble keeping the disbelief out of her voice.
Her past mentor seemed equally confused. "Obviously? How else would we duel?"
Homura swallowed the hundred answers that came to her mind, and decided to take the easy out this turn of event provided her. "I don't have a deck."
She might as well have announced that the sky was green. "What do you mean, you don't have a- Kyubey, I thought every magical girl would have one?"
The white alien's red eyes remained focused on Homura, its tail slowly swishing. "It is how it should be. But then again, I should know about every magical girl, and this one remains a mystery. You truly are a peculiar anomaly, Homura Akemi."
She had to squash the impulse of pulling a gun and shoot it. For now her apparent ignorance of the local magical girl customs seemed to have deescalated the situation, might as well lean on that.
"My circumstances are… unique. I'm afraid I've never played Duel Monsters in my life."
A dangerous gleam flashed through Mami's eyes. "That won't do. That won't do at all."
***
Apparently all thoughts of a duel or of chasing Homura out of the town had vanished from Mami Tomoe's mind. She was now in what Homura referred to as "mentor mode", insisting on accompanying her to buy a duel disk and a starting deck, before drilling her into the somewhat convoluted rules of the game. This seemed like a massive waste of time to Homura, but if it kept her blonde friend placated, she could play along.
And then she went on a witch hunt, and the once magical girl turned eldritch abomination summoned out of thin air a duel disk.
This was officially the weirdest timeline.
***
It was like the world had gone mad.
After a couple of weeks, it was clear that every conflict here was solved through a children's card game - with admittedly pretty impressive holographic monster projection. Defeating a witch in such a game killed her instantly - somehow - while losing to a witch… Well that part wasn't quite clear, apparently. Prevalent opinion seemed that it would send the losing magical girl into "the shadow realm", which suspiciously sounded like a polite way to say she would die. How any of this worked, Homura had no idea, and asking to the girls around her only earned her befuddled looks.
And of course, disputes between magical girls also were solved this way. Which sounded like a more peaceful way than the usual deathmatch, but as Homura watched Kyouko and Sayaka tearing each other apart with holographic monsters that could apparently deal real injuries, all while displaying just as much killing intent as if they were fighting sword-to-spear, it was hard to see this peculiar challenge as peaceful.
Plus, Homura had intended to break up the fight, but had no idea of how to proceed in the current circumstances. At a loss, she turned toward Madoka who was watching the duel intently.
"Should we… do something?"
"Not yet," her pink-haired friend answered. "Sayaka is in the middle of her second flashback, it would be rude to interrupt."
Homura wasn't sure she could take much more of this.
***
It took her one more week to realise that the current situation was an opportunity.
She had been so busy being befuddled at the fact that apparently children card games were now serious business that she had failed to consider one simple fact : the battle against Walpurgisnacht would somehow be solved through a turn-based contest with a rigid set of rules. Exploitable rules.
Defeating the stage-constructing witch through conventional means seemed all but impossible. But in this new arena? The playing field was level. And if the world was so intent on having Homura play a children's card game, then Homura would play.
The next days were packed with reading the rules inside and out, watching replays of tournaments, checking online forums for the latest meta, stealing cards from yakuzas (they even kept them in the same place they previously kept weapons, neat) and generally making sure to build the most disgustingly broken deck possible.
During the days separating her from Walpurgisnacht arrival, Homura lived and breathed Duel Monsters. From handtraps to pendulum summoning, infinite locks and banned cards, no amount of cheese was too low. It didn't matter if Sayaka angrily accused her of "ruining Yu Gi Oh!" (whatever that was) after another T1 victory that nonetheless took twenty minutes, it just proved to Homura that her goal was finally in reach. Tomorrow, she would save Madoka by beating Walpurgisnacht in a children's card game, and then all would be right in the world.
***
As the stage-construction witch loomed over the city, Homura briefly wondered if she might not have made a mistake. What if the monster that haunted her nightmares proved immune to whatever reality warping that had taken over the entire world? What if instead of a duel with rules, she'd just chuck a flaming building at Homura, as she had done so often in previous timelines? The dark-haired girl cursed silently at her lack of preparation in case things went south - she had been so busy with Duel Monsters that she didn't take the time to mine every possible part of the battlefield with as many explosives as she could find.
Fortunately, her fears soon proved unfounded. Homura never thought the sight of a giant duel disk appearing around Walpurgisnacht's body would one day be a source of relief, yet here she was. And now, she had finally a shot at ending this madness, once and for all. She drew her cards, trying her best to calm her beating heart. This was it. After years of misery, she finally had a chance to-!
Her heart sank when she saw the five pieces of Exodia materialise around Walpurgisnacht.
"Oh, that is such bull-"
***
The next time loop found Homura screaming in her pillow. Of course. Of course Walpurgisnacht would be just as stupidly broken, even when playing a card game. Somehow, this was even more frustrating than having her shrug off bombardments that would have laid waste to a small country.
She tried to find solace in the fact that at the very least, her golden ending would not be in a timeline where everyone was weirdly obsessed with children's card games. Hopefully this new loop would prove saner than the previous one.
***
"What, you don't know what a beyblade is? See, it's a spinning top with the spirit of an ancient monster resting in it, and we do battle by -"
"I refuse."
This omake was sponsored by the Kaiba Corporation. In those uncertain times, KaibaCorp and its president remain the prime source of technological innovation in the world, and with your support, will strive to continue on the path toward World Domination Peace through children's trading cards. KaibaCorp would also like to remind you that magic is not real (with a possible exception toward Ancient Egyptian Magic) and that rumours about so-called magical girls are pure unsubstantiated hearsays.
Truth be told, not really happy with the writing, but after struggling with more serious sidestories for two weeks, I wanted to get out something.
For the non-canon "Rules of Engagement" by @Macros, I offer the following Omake rewards to choose from:
Industrial Illusions - Maximillian Pegasus has recently started up a gaming company, with their lead product being a Trading Card Game known as Duel Monsters. Hard Light Projections aren't anything new, but the "Dynamic Mechanics System," allowing for new game content to be developed in real time based on player actions has raised many eyebrows--not least because no one has had any luck reverse engineering it.
Ritual Prodigy Trait - The innate understanding of precise systems and sensitive procedures that aid the Akemi in the creation of clocks also lend themselves to quick mastery of ritualistic magic--that synergy has proven itself well in Homura Akemi.
Egyptian Relic - An Aberrant relic is discovered in Ancient Egypt, and may just find its way to Mitakihara soon.
Tempted to go for Industrial Illusions. It's the one that seems the most vague on what it will lead to, but it fits well with the whole SAO thing we have going on.
Ritual Prodigy is probably the most efficient pick, but probably has no narrative weight (which to be fair, might have the advantage of not forcing Higure to add even more stuff to the ever-expending quest), and Egyptian Relic is probably an invitation for Millenium Items shenanigans.
Anyone having a strong opinion on that one? I could be swayed either way, really.
Tempted to go for Industrial Illusions. It's the one that seems the most vague on what it will lead to, but it fits well with the whole SAO thing we have going on.
Ritual Prodigy is probably the most efficient pick, but probably has no narrative weight (which to be fair, might have the advantage of not forcing Higure to add even more stuff to the ever-expending quest), and Egyptian Relic is probably an invitation for Millenium Items shenanigans.
Anyone having a strong opinion on that one? I could be swayed either way, really.
Hmm, I would say that Ritual Prodigy most likely. We have so much to deal with already, that I think that something that would help us get stronger and better at magic would be for the best. Especially since with the confirmation of the loss of an Arcana, this loop is basically just us trying to get as much done as possible before we try our best shot at Walpurgisnacht and to adapt to the new changes for the loops. Something that would stay across loops would be much more useful than Industrial Illusions, which seems to be another plot hook, or the millenium items, which we would have to reaquire anyway once we get to the next loop and try for the true Golden Ending
Ritual Prodigy is my instinctive jump to for Min-Maxing our stats. Taking time to think on things, Egyptian Relic is a close second due to crossover possibilities and I'm not sure I ever saw this particular crossover before. That said, we do want to try and avoid adding too much to Higure's plate on that side of things, and we already have crossovers that are not going anywhere due to lack of player initiative on exploring them.
Also, I'll say that I don't currently intend any of these to be a plot hook, exactly. There's stuff going on, and I might randomly implement something, but Industrial Illusions just adds Pegasus and Duel Monsters, not a new conflict or anything. Egyptian Artifacts also won't start a new major conflict, but potentially could offer a new investigation/mission with a useful reward.
Firstly, what are some things that Madoka has wished for (that Homura can remember)?
Secondly, can Homura make permanent magical items? It seems to be the case, given that she made the clock with the glowing numbers early on. If so, we might want to make a gun loaded in enchantments for Sherlock (he said he is in danger) and some barrier jacket analogues for Homura and those around her (given that her wish was to protect someone and that she has a barrier spell, this seems plausible). What would such an item even boost? Armor? Resistance (what was the point of differentiating these two things?)? Give extra wounds, like Nanoha's barrier jacket seemed to do? Resistance or extra wounds seem like they would be the best, as magical girls have such low armor that it is unlikely for them to be able to shrug off hits from major enemies unless the bonus given is huge.
Also, I have a suggestion on upcoming actions. Early on, we grabbed a list of Yakuza locations. We might want to dispatch Oriko and Kirika to go loot those, and let them keep part of the money as compensation for helping us. The Yakuza know that someone took this, and are already probably in the process of moving to new safehouses, so this is kind of time sensitive. This would probably just take an e-mail to set up, and Oriko may see us sending this email before we actually send it.
Also, I have a suggestion on upcoming actions. Early on, we grabbed a list of Yakuza locations. We might want to dispatch Oriko and Kirika to go loot those, and let them keep part of the money as compensation for helping us. The Yakuza know that someone took this, and are already probably in the process of moving to new safehouses, so this is kind of time sensitive. This would probably just take an e-mail to set up, and Oriko may see us sending this email before we actually send it.
We do have the ability to do the looting ourselves with our Mission Action. It just hasn't been voted for yet. Considering the only other non-loot/shop/hunt Mission Action on our docket is attempting to restore the Akemi Clocktower Workshop once more (and we have considerably better bonuses towards doing so now, in addition to a much better training set up if we fail and train Clocksmithing before another attempt), we could also choose to spend our Magic Action on Timestop to aid the looting and do it ourselves the same night we do one of the above.
I suspect this isn't as time sensitive as you think. And then we have a chance that them moving to a new safehouse isn't even a big deal.
The reasons for this is Homura's time looping.
It solves the problem with the time sensitivity in that if we really need an entire army's worth of munitions, we have future time loops to work on it. We don't know how much, but I suspect at least another two to go raiding them of all their worth plus potentially some nearby military bases.
It solves the problem with the storehouses in that due to how long Homura's been at this, longer than any of us have been alive, she probably knows most of the locations by now with only the crossover elements potentially throwing that knowledge off.
I know the course of action is fixed, but it seems stupid to investigate Artoria's hidden room. And why would Kallen help us spy on her monarch? This course of action seems likely to anger both Kallen and Artoria, and to not yield much knowledge.
Also, could we initiate one text to Hifumi and warn her that she should move her base? Changing her password and adding some wards (I don't know what exactly she can do) isn't going to keep out the Round Table for long. Artoria likely has all sorts of powerful magical girls (and maybe users of other types of magic?) who could force or fitness their way in, and if nothing else, they could have people camping by the entrance, day and night, to wait for people to enter or leave. It would also be smart to warn her that her files may have been compromised by Homura's minder and that she should be careful.
Finally, could we send Oriko to investigate Matoko's home and social situation? That could help us with dealing with her during the next loop. She can keep any grief seeds or other notable items discovered. Both of these should just take a text message to initiate, and not take any time.
I know the course of action is fixed, but it seems stupid to investigate Artoria's hidden room. And why would Kallen help us spy on her monarch? This course of action seems likely to anger both Kallen and Artoria, and to not yield much knowledge.
Investigate doesn't necessarily mean spy. It simply means trying to find out about it. On whether or not it will end up angering Artoria, it really depends on a number of things, such as how much she wishes for a friend rather than subjects, how she views us when it comes to our relation to Merlin such as does she view us as family due to it or as someone she has to put up with due to said familial relationship, as well as other factors I may be forgetting or just not able to properly articulate.
And we don't actually know what knowledge it might lead to, hence why we are investigating it. From a more meta perspective we know it'll at least lead to something, whether it means unlocking another quest to actual good rewards or some sort of spell, or just getting closer to Artoria and thus gaining a true ally.
The Phantom Thieves of Hearts were mentioned in the last update. I've never played Persona, but I did some reading about it. Weren't the Phantom Thieves fairly well known by the public, even if their identities and methods weren't?
Do the Phantom Thieves have any powers in the real world?
How is Hifumi able to create a "demiplane" hideout? In Persona 5, aren't palaces things that belong to people with "distorted cognitions", and which they don't usually enter themselves?
Question for the Homumind: Does Homura have any memories about the Phantom Thieves (it seems like the events of Madoka Magica happened after the events of Persona 5 here)? Has she heard of them in the past of this timeline? Has she heard of them in the pasts of any previous timelines, or is this the first time they have shown up?
