[X] How can we explain this to the strongest girl in the world?
[X] Try not to trigger her, must understand her pain right now, before sharing answers.
-[X] Ask to do pain conversation first
-[X] We ask questions to get her feelings visible, in a less challenging way.
-[X] Have a very soft, ask-and-answer talk with Homura. Repeat her statements if they are sentence fragments, help her to express. Do not complete for her, unless she motions for that. Kinda let her drive. If she stalls, only move forward a bit, then repeat the cycle. Stay as long as it takes.
-[X] If her pain is not covered in the topics of the vote, break to vote.
[X] Caution her regarding Homura's PTSD, teach her those facts. If she denies, break to vote.
[X] Promise, and give honest answers.
-[X] Slowly, and with context conversation, so she doesn't use the facts to hurt herself.
-[X] Have her generate context examples, be careful not to lecture at this point. Understanding is what we want to see in her.
-[X] Very small steps
[X] When a trouble spot is sensed, break for vote.
Homura is already proven to adapt and survive under the worst conditions, but we need to give her a moment to catch up. It doesn't work at our speeds, and she's already hurt. Homura has a variety of stressors, so she's having a hard time identifying which emergency she's responding to anymore. Homura is drowning. So my main priority is to vastly slow down the dialog pace IC, and get her to swim to the surface. Second, get her to acknowledge that she's having difficulty functioning, due to injury. Then, get her to stop trying to measure her performance, or her worth. Not the time for that. I think this set of discussions will help her out.
I propose being in full support and treatment mode. Homura is pretty much breaking down IMHO, though she isn't out of self control yet. We need to put our full empathy forward, and use precautions to keep conversation happening. I think we are better off passing those instruction literally in this vote. Sabrina needs to learn this stuff. Feel free to improve upon / debate what is in here. Under 200 word vote, substantial notes in sectioned blocks.
Top level goals:
Save
Grant Wishes
Heal
Prepare for future (potentialbomb)
Reduce despair
Build friendship and love
Build trust
Proximate goals:
Do Not Grief Spiral
Do Not reject Wish
Do Not Potentialbomb
Do Not reduce Agency
Think and converse slowly
Avoid / mitigate Trigger topics when possible
Draw out enough meaning to proceed clearly
Make PTSD accommodations.
Be transparent about the help we offer
Be 100% truthful, use caution if needed
Give safety
Let her in, mirror her too. Use empathy
Repeat parts of conversation is awareness is uncertain
Assume:
Homura is 'drowning.' Cannot identify all aspects of her negative feelings.
Homura can adapt to her problem, given help / time.
PTSD is active
Possible crisis
#####
Everything works, because this is how Homura made it to be. This world is the sum of her labors, somehow. Homura wished to be the one to protect Madoka this time. She is, and she has been. It feels different than that for two reasons.
Kyuubey cheats. He lets you take your Wish, but without any training. Is it surprising that you needed to practice? The thing you want to do is "fight an alien occupation." Alone. Homura has always been isolated, being in a group again is upsetting.
Does she know why she feels so much pain right now? It is an injury to her emotions. It is called PTSD, and she got it because aliens made her into a soldier at the age of thirten.
Think of PTSD like it is Grief. You have trouble thinking when it hurts. We need to talk slowly, so Homura has time to think. We can also discuss layman's view of treatment.
#####
Sabrina will answer as much as she knows, but Sabrina doesn't know everything. Homura gets results. Sabrina gets results. Ours are mostly cheating. Cheating won't solve everything, determination does.
Sabrina is not a leader, she's put out in front where you want her. Sabrina is not even a useful shield. Sabrina has been attracting attention - she is your diversion. Because there is something Sabrina doesn't do well. Protect Madoka. What is Sabrina? A literal battery for Magical Girls. Sabrina needs saving all the time, she's just a big rookie. She takes big risks, where the protector can't. Sabrina trips traps. Sabrina breaks up the indirect attacks. Sabrina hugs strangers. You have stopped Kyuubey directly. Your wish requires freedom of action. Without a team, you could never fully block Kyuubey. With Mami, Sabrina, now Sayaka, and everyone, you maybe have a chance.
#####
Is Sabrina hearing a bit that Homura would be happier if she felt like the only hero? Madoka's wish from last loop is a form of conversation between Homura and her. Madoka wants to be the hero too. The relationship is developing.
If what we are aiming at is true, the best way to respond is to re-frame the prospect of a Madowish, helping her grasp its' positive emotional context. Promise her the truth in any information we have, right now if she wants. We must stand on this. But we must be slow and gentle as we do it.
We all agree that Madoka must not give up her humanity. Grant her wish that she asked for, right now, to remove to such possibility?
That way, she can't make a bad wish. Give the girl you love the thing she so desperately wants. That is, "to fix everything." It's a much, much bigger task than your Wish. Don't be afraid to spiral in towards her, you pointed your wish at her, now she is putting her wish around you. A few details will work themselves out, like Sabrina joining you all from... wherever it was she existed three weeks ago. It's a step up for Sabrina, it has to be, Madoka is a kind person. Sabrina has to be here, to give you more power, to grant both wishes.
How does your loop work? Your wish sends you back in time to re-do your first meeting by yourself?
WRONG. You Wished for her to meet you. You bent the world to do it, and it is working. You go back, with accumulated memories and items. Everyone else changes a bit sometimes. Except you, who are different every time, and Madoka, who is always herself. Madoka goes back in time too, unconscious and in sync.
You two are connected. It's Yin and Yang. Is this O.K. with you? It seems like you wanted that to happen? The only complication is The System.
The reason everything is working now isn't Sabrina, nor Madoka. It is that you didn't give up, and became more powerful than the Incubators. Not 'her' alone, both of you. Over the ten years that you two have been looping, things have been getting better. You have accumulated skills and knowledge, mental strength and education. Invisibly, Madoka is growing as well. Her Wish changes, you can see that. You two have to work together, it is your Wish. You did keep her from being tricked. Her Wish now includes a way for you to be together at last. When you both accept one another, this all happens. Sabrina happens.
Focus on the fact that Homura (active partner) and Madoka (passive partner) are in a long climb to escape the system. After improving as a pair for this long, the solution has been found. The way Homura wins, is by capitalizing on all that she has done, and by letting her partner help her. Since Madoka must not over- wish again, she made Sabrina to do that for her.
Homura is only one person. Her time is finite. Sabrina is only one person, her time is much more finite. (Timestop is such bullshit.) The Incubators will be pushed back if we dare to use our emotions to connect everyone. People work together. Friends work together. You work together with the one you love.