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SayakaQuest: Trauma is a Thing

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I'm not all that keen on talking to Kyubey, there are just too many ways it could pull the metaphorical trigger on Sayaka. Hell, the most deadly thing it could do right now is honestly answer questions Sayaka is already capable of formulating.

[x] Politely greet Kyubey! Then otherwise ignore it.
[x] Make a note that telepathic communication is being monitored.
[x] Make small talk with Hitomi and Madoka for the rest of lunch.

So, what are we going to do about the soul crushing revelations? When the despair spiral starts I doubt snapping out of it will be as easy as voting, "[x] Get a hold of yourself!" Is there some way we could steer Sayaka's character development to blunt the impact? Or should we deliberately aim to keep her from ever figuring it out?
 
Kyubey's not going to be out to get us killed (yet, at least). We're likely enough to die or Witch out by ourselves that he doesn't need to bother doing anything if he wants us dead, and the actual threat we pose to his plans is- at best- minimal; he's not going to put in active effort to kill us any time soon.

Sayaka's character development... well she needs some kind of emotional anchor (one that she won't feel that she's unworthy of), and if we can space out the revelations it'll probably help a lot. I think a big part of the reason she went suicidal in canon was the speed with which everything happened (In the span of 1-2 weeks at most: Mami died, Kyouko proved that she's weak, she discovered she's a lich, and one of her closest friends started dating the boy she has a crush on).
 
changing my vote to:

[x] Politely greet Kyubey! Then otherwise ignore it.
[x] Make a note that telepathic communication is being monitored.
[x] Make small talk with Hitomi and Madoka for the rest of lunch.
 
Talking to QB doesn't seem like a good idea. Luckily, the fact that he's cut our projected lifespan down to a handful of years is a really good IC reason to ignore the little fucker.

[x] Disregard Kyubeys
[x] Talk to Hitomi, about Kyousuke
 
Yeah, I'll change mine, too.
[x] Politely greet Kyubey! Then otherwise ignore it.
[x] Make a note that telepathic communication is being monitored.
[x] Make small talk with Hitomi and Madoka for the rest of lunch.
 
NSMS said:
Kyubey's not going to be out to get us killed (yet, at least). We're likely enough to die or Witch out by ourselves that he doesn't need to bother doing anything if he wants us dead, and the actual threat we pose to his plans is- at best- minimal; he's not going to put in active effort to kill us any time soon.

Sayaka's character development... well she needs some kind of emotional anchor (one that she won't feel that she's unworthy of), and if we can space out the revelations it'll probably help a lot. I think a big part of the reason she went suicidal in canon was the speed with which everything happened (In the span of 1-2 weeks at most: Mami died, Kyouko proved that she's weak, she discovered she's a lich, and one of her closest friends started dating the boy she has a crush on).
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I more or less agree. Kyubey really doesn't care if Sayaka lives or dies and we're exactly no threat to its system. Even so, Sayaka's position is so fragile that even casual answers from Kyubey could be dangerous. I can see a lot of ways for conversation with it to go badly and not many ways for it to play out to Sayaka's advantage. Hence, the shunning.

Also agreed on the emotional anchor thing. Who can fill that role is an open question though.
 
[x] Politely greet Kyubey! Then otherwise ignore it.
[x] Make a note that telepathic communication is being monitored.
[x] Make small talk with Hitomi and Madoka for the rest of lunch.
 

Atomic Aztec said:
I more or less agree. Kyubey really doesn't care if Sayaka lives or dies and we're exactly no threat to its system. Even so, Sayaka's position is so fragile that even casual answers from Kyubey could be dangerous. I can see a lot of ways for conversation with it to go badly and not many ways for it to play out to Sayaka's advantage. Hence, the shunning.
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Atomic Aztec said:
Also agreed on the emotional anchor thing. Who can fill that role is an open question though.
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Main possible candidates that I can think of:
  • Madoka: Possible, but she's currently a bit too wishy-washy to be completely reliable.
  • Homura: If she decides it's necessary to keep Madoka alive, she'd be a semi-decent choice. But that's pretty unlikely to happen.
  • Hitomi: A close friend, but one that's unaware of magic which limits what we can tell her severely. Plus, there's the whole Kyousuke situation to complicate things.
  • Kyouko: Undeniably possible, but very much dependent upon how our first few encounters with her go.
  • Kyousuke: If what I've read about the supplemental materials is true, incredibly bad idea.
  • Mother: No idea what the relationship with her is like and it sounds like she's usually busy. So probably not.
Madoka or Kyouko at present look like they'd be the best candidates, but neither is perfect and we haven't even met one of them yet (and Kyouko could easily turn out to be no good).
 
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School and A Lesson From Homura [36]
  • Threadmarks
    • [x] Politely greet Kyubey! Then otherwise ignore it.

    'Kyubey.' You say.

    'Sayaka.' It says back.

    You see it sitting on top of the fence, and you can visibly see Homura getting angry. She doesn't move, but she turns one of the worst glares that she can possibly muster towards it.

    You're beginning to see why she was trying to shoot it about a week ago. You really, really don't like the fact that it's hiding things.

    [x] Make a note that telepathic communication is being monitored.

    ...Noted. You probably shouldn't have tried contacting Homura in class. The little furry thing is watching.

    'I heard your questions, and I do recommend that you follow her advice.' Kyubey says.

    You're so so tempted to say something, but you manage to avoid it. You take a deep breath and start talking to Madoka and Hitomi.

    [x] Make small talk with Hitomi and Madoka for the rest of lunch.

    Hitomi doesn't seem all that worse for wear, so you decide to start talking to her. "Anything happen recently?" You ask.

    "Nothing much, honestly." Hitomi says. "I mean...I woke up somewhere on Saturday and the police picked me up. I don't even remember how I got there."

    "Are you alright?" You try sounding surprised and, somehow, you pull it off.

    "I'm fine, don't worry!" She says with a wave of the hand. "Several other people were there, too...but there was an open window with a spilled bucket. They say that if it was kept inside, it would have killed all of us." She frowns. "Honestly, I don't know what happened, but...that worries me." She sighs. "So...anything happen to you?"

    Well, I became a magical girl and fought a giant scissor-thingy. "Not much. Just went to the mall with Madoka." You smile. "We talked a little about stuff and just had fun! Kinda wish you had gone with us, though."

    Hitomi nods. "Hm."

    For the rest of lunch, you all wind up talking about random things. Eventually you're brought back down to the classroom, and it's back to more lessons that, frankly, middle schoolers probably shouldn't be taking yet.

    [OPTION SELECT]​
    [] Skip to the end of school.

    [] Skip to the meeting with Homura.

    [] Talk to...
    -[] Madoka.
    -[] Homura.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Glad we avoided conversation. Basically every time SB tries talking to it in every quest we come out the loser.

    [x] Skip to the end of school.

    So what is it we want to talk to Homura about?
     
    NitroFumetsu said:
    Well, there was that one time in witch quest we accidentally convinced Kyubey to leave a bear carcass in Mami's apartment, then we lost our shit and Kyubey transported it to Kyoko's place and when we arrived there afterwards, we walked in on Kyoko acting out Conan the Barbarian with the bear's skin.

    I'd say that particular instance was full of win.
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    That was pretty great. What is best in life indeed. There was also the time where it gave Rochelle a dead pirate and a pile of gold. By and large though, when SB tries getting aggressive with or getting something from Kyubey we get smacked down with the verbal judo or taken advantage of, or both.
     
    School and A Lesson From Homura [37]
  • Threadmarks
    • [x] Skip to the end of school.

    School passes by with little incident. And by that, you mean that you were totally bored. By the end of it, you're certain and your brain's about to leak out of your ears because of how bored you were.

    ...Then again, you probably should have studied.

    All things said and done, though, you leave the school, and it's then that Homura meets you mid-walk. She taps you on the shoulder. "You wanted to meet?" She asks.

    You blink. "Where at?"

    "That depends. There are several places to go."

    [OPTION SELECT]​
    [] Have the meeting...
    -[] Close to the school.
    -[] Under the freeway.
    -[] At the junkyard.
    -[] In the middle of the industrial district.
    -[] Close to the shopping district.

    [] Cancel it.

    [] Talk to Homura about...
    -[] Conservation.
    -[] Energy.
    -[] Witches.
    -[] Other magical girls.

    [] Train with Homura.

    [] Try to be friends with Homura.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [x] Have the meeting...
    -[x] Close to the shopping district.

    Impromptu shopping trip HO!

    [X] Talk to Homura about...
    -[X] Conservation.
    -[X] Other magical girls.
    -[X] Dealing with the 'mood swings'.

    [x] Try to be friends with Homura.

     
    [X] Have the meeting...
    -[X] Close to the shopping district.

    [X] Talk to Homura about...
    -[X] Conservation.
    -[X] Other magical girls.
    -[X] Dealing with the 'mood swings'.

    [X] Try to be friends with Homura.
     
    [X] Have the meeting...
    -[X] Close to the shopping district.

    [X] Talk to Homura about...
    -[X] Conservation.
    -[X] Other magical girls.
    -[X] Dealing with the 'mood swings'.

    [X] Try to be friends with Homura.
     
    Grindcore and Ice Cream. Advice and Arcades [38]
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Have the meeting...
    -[X] Close to the shopping district.

    "How 'bout the shopping district?"

    Homura frowns. "Shouldn't we be looking for somewhere private? In case you want to practice."

    "Well, we're not practicing yet." You say. "And if anything, I just want to get to know you at least a little better."

    Homura crosses her arms. "If you say. But if there is going to be another meeting, then we will need to find a location that's secluded."

    You roll your eyes. "Okay, okay. But right now, I kinda wanna just go there because we can relax."

    You both take a train to the shopping district. When you're there, it's pretty crowded. But you should be able to manage talking to Homura just fine. What's the worst that could happen? A large number of things, actually.

    [X] Talk to Homura about...
    -[X] Conservation.

    "So...uh..." You look at her. "Any good movies out?"

    "No." She says.

    "What, you don't like any?"

    "I don't have time to watch films." She says.

    You blink. "Music?"

    She murmurs something lowly.

    "Hm?"

    "...Grindcore."

    "...What."

    "Like...uh...Pig Destroyer."* She says the last bit quietly.

    "That can't be a real band."

    "Technically they're deathgrind."

    You furrow your eyebrows and pinch the bridge of your nose. "Just...stop. I'm sorry I asked."

    "It's okay to dislike my taste in music."

    "What the heck."

    "You're allowed to swear, you know."

    "You can stop now."

    -[X] Other magical girls.

    "So why can't I meet other magical girls at all?"

    "Because again, the vast majority of them have lost either their minds or any sense of morality." She says, frankly. "There was one girl named 'Kimiko'. She was a complete psychopath. She had no problems with outright releasing familiars inside of school classrooms."

    You gasp in horror. "Oh my god."

    "I only knew it because I went to the classroom after it had done its work. There was nothing left but a few bloodstains and the occasional shredded uniform."

    You feel a little sick at the mere mentioning of it. "It...you saw this?"

    "It was..." She pauses, as though she's thinking. "It was at my last school. Before I transferred."

    You take a deep breath. "Just...wow. I can't believe that."

    "Grief Seeds or powerful draws." Homura says. "If a magical girl loses theirs..." She trails off again. You really want her to finish that sentence...and yet at the same time, you really, really don't.

    -[X] Dealing with the 'mood swings'.

    "As for the mood swings..." You look at her again. "How do I avoid doing that again?"

    "Use the grief seeds." Homura says, simply.

    "What if I don't have any?" You say. "I only have one on my person and the other one's back at home."

    "Then you need to find more." Homura says.

    "What about anti-depressants or something? Maybe I could take something to try and suppress it?"

    "There is no suppressing these...mood swings when they involve the soul gem." She says. "Just. Get. Grief. Seeds."

    [X] Try to be friends with Homura.

    You take a deep breath. "So...let's try this again. There has to be some kind of common ground, right?" You say.

    "Why are you trying to be nice to me?" Homura says, flatly. "Is it because you don't want to be fighting me?"

    "It's because I feel like we got off on the wrong foot." You say. "Really. Because it feels...well...like you have a reason to be angry at Kyubey. Especially given how he's been hiding secrets." You look at her. "You tried shooting him before because you didn't want us to become magical girls. Is it because you knew exactly what it entailed?"

    She pauses. You can see something break for just a second, and she looks at you. "Yes."

    You smile. "Then maybe you're nowhere near as bad as I thought you were. In some ways...you kinda remind me of Mami. Except a lot more gruff and cynical. Lighten up!" You punch her elbow, and she seems to flinch at the contact. She rubs her arm, and looks completely unamused.

    "How can I be compared to...her." She says it forcefully.

    "Because really? Your heart's in the right place." You say. "I mean, the risk of dying! You don't want anyone else suffering like that, right? That's gotta count for something!" You smile awkwardly. You're really hoping this at least patches some things. Also, you're kinda being nice just to be nice. Not because you really think it.
    Homura blushes slightly, before she shakes her head. The blush is gone quickly, and she replies. "I'm nowhere near as naive."

    You're growing a little annoyed. "Okay, maybe you aren't." You glare at the mentioning of "naivety". "But you still go for the right thing."

    "Right thing?" She repeats. "I'm not doing it for any 'greater good'. I don't care about the 'right thing'." She says coldly.

    [OPTION SELECT]​


    [] "Then what do you care for?"

    [] Don't pry further.

    [] Keep trying to be friends.

    [] Ask questions involving.
    -[] Kyubey.
    -[] Greef sids.
    -[] Sool jims.
    -[] Deathgrind.
    -[] Light topics.
    -[] Write-in.

    *Yes, this is a real band.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Don't pry further.
    -[X] If she didn't care at all about the right thing, why would she be helping you? But she obviously doesn't want to admit it, so you'll leave off prying or commenting. For now, at least.
    [X] Keep trying to be friends.
    [X] Ask questions involving.
    -[X] Greef sids.
    -[X] Deathgrind.
    -[X] Light topics.
     
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