Renascence: A Homura Quest

Honorifics or Western-style Titles? I've used both before, which is bothersomely inconsistent

  • Japanese Honorifics (-san, -sama, -dono, -chan, -kun, -senpai, etcetera)

    Votes: 12 33.3%
  • Western Titles (Mister, Miss, job titles, Lord, Lady, etcetera)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Use whichever works better for a given sentence.

    Votes: 24 66.7%

  • Total voters
    36
  • Poll closed .
...oh, great. I've already fucked up.

I am NOT a Nanoha expert. So, I'd been thinking that souls were largely unknown to that 'verse, outside of religion and such, seeing as they didn't come up when I searched them on the wiki, and weren't mentioned in the "Magic" article, as far as I saw.

Then I want and looked up how Nanoha familiars are created. :oops:

There may be retcons to that last update, or there may not. We'll see. I...might be able to shuffle things around and make this work.
Yeah... still not sure how that one works honestly. As far as it seems, since Fate did it at a really young age, it seems to be something inherent to magical energy in some weird way. So, again, it's really up in the air on how much they actually know. Not to mention it's impossible to tell if a Familiar might just be a really good fake since you can't really compare before and after on personalities and the like for them.
 
...oh, great. I've already fucked up.

I am NOT a Nanoha expert. So, I'd been thinking that souls were largely unknown to that 'verse, outside of religion and such, seeing as they didn't come up when I searched them on the wiki, and weren't mentioned in the "Magic" article, as far as I saw.

Then I want and looked up how Nanoha familiars are created. :oops:

There may be retcons to that last update, or there may not. We'll see. I...might be able to shuffle things around and make this work.

Yeah... still not sure how that one works honestly. As far as it seems, since Fate did it at a really young age, it seems to be something inherent to magical energy in some weird way. So, again, it's really up in the air on how much they actually know. Not to mention it's impossible to tell if a Familiar might just be a really good fake since you can't really compare before and after on personalities and the like for them.
^

You could also hand wave it as Nanoha mages not having a full grasp of it, they know that with enough magic and intelligence you can give any(thing/being) a soul, and maybe even some interaction with it but that outside of 'creating/forming' a soul they don't have much on it. Heck one of the big things you might have them bring up is how much does it take for a device to get a soul, and that lets you tie in with the whole PMMM ->Souls in Rocks issue.
 
Eh, the problem isn't the energy generation, per say, it's the application of that energy in a way which it will actually delay the Heat Death in a meaningful manner. They can certainly keep a single engine running forever, thus averting the Heat Death (technically), but actually keeping the universe as a whole running means somehow using that energy to fuel large chunks of the universe in their entirety.
That's actually the easy part. Energy naturally spreads out, that's what Heat Death is really, just not having enough energy per whatever-measurement-you-want-to-use. All it really requires is them keeping up with having energy go into the system at a rate matching the expansion of the universe or, in other words, keeping the energy density of the universe at a set level instead of letting it fall.
You could also hand wave it as Nanoha mages not having a full grasp of it, they know that with enough magic and intelligence you can give any(thing/being) a soul, and maybe even some interaction with it but that outside of 'creating/forming' a soul they don't have much on it. Heck one of the big things you might have them bring up is how much does it take for a device to get a soul, and that lets you tie in with the whole PMMM ->Souls in Rocks issue.
In this favor is they really have no clue how Unison Devices are a thing. To them it's basically "Intelligent Device + Soul, Question Mark?"
 
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^

You could also hand wave it as Nanoha mages not having a full grasp of it, they know that with enough magic and intelligence you can give any(thing/being) a soul, and maybe even some interaction with it but that outside of 'creating/forming' a soul they don't have much on it. Heck one of the big things you might have them bring up is how much does it take for a device to get a soul, and that lets you tie in with the whole PMMM ->Souls in Rocks issue.
That's actually the easy part. Energy naturally spreads out, that's what Heat Death is really, just not having enough energy per whatever-measurement-you-want-to-use. All it really requires is them keeping up with having energy go into the system at a rate matching the expansion of the universe or, in other words, keeping the energy density of the universe at a set level instead of letting it fall.

In this favor is they really have no clue how Unison Devices are a thing. To them it's basically "Intelligent Device + Soul, Question Mark?"
Okay...yeah, these ideas are helpful. I think I have a good solution, now...for the souls issue, in particular, although I'm making headway with the entropy thing, too, so that's good.

Thank you both!
 
Not to mention it's impossible to tell if a Familiar might just be a really good fake since you can't really compare before and after on personalities and the like for them.
It actually is just a really good fake (@Higure too):
Nanoha Sound Stage 02 said:
...
Linith: Oh, I see now… To Fate, that wolf pup represents her current self. In her well of loneliness, a powerless child who is separated from her parents and unable to do anything to help/save them. Listen to me well, Fate. The incantation/spell for creating a familiar is that you are drawing/creating an artificial spirit/soul from the body of an animal at the edge of death and continuing it through magic. Therefore, you are not in fact saving its life or returning it to life. Do you understand? There is no magic in the world, no matter where/how hard you look, that can return life to the dead.

Fate: But, there's a chance that the life created from the Familiar creation spell will allow it to remember some aspects of its previous life…

Linith: That is correct, you studied well… Fate, there are some things you must be prepared for. To have a familiar is to create/share in that one moment, one heart. Though a created/artificial being, to create/share in that one moment, one life and the burden of fate/destiny together.
...
... Yes, it's probably not a very good translation, but unless it's way off the mark, it's also explicit that the 'soul' created/drawn out in the familiar-creation process is not the original one, and actually having memories from their 'old' life isn't a necessary side-effect. (It's funny, because you could very well argue that Fate [and Erio, and probably all Project F-related Artificial Mages] are basically 'advanced familiars' that don't need a separate master to sustain them.)
 
It actually is just a really good fake (@Higure too):

... Yes, it's probably not a very good translation, but unless it's way off the mark, it's also explicit that the 'soul' created/drawn out in the familiar-creation process is not the original one, and actually having memories from their 'old' life isn't a necessary side-effect. (It's funny, because you could very well argue that Fate [and Erio, and probably all Project F-related Artificial Mages] are basically 'advanced familiars' that don't need a separate master to sustain them.)
Oh! That's...alright! That solves the problem altogether! Thanks, Entropy!

Edit: ...and it also ties in nicely with some of the other existing metaphysics. Great!
 
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Nanoha's Apartment 3 / Part 2
Nanoha takes a seat on her bed, "Just…give me a sec."

She sits there for a moment, eyes closed. You give her the break--revelations like this are much easier, you reflect, when no one's likely to die or Witch.

After a minute or two, she opens her eyes and looks back at you, "…so…okay. Souls. What do you mean when you say Soul?"

"The essential self, which produces emotional energy to fuel magic and animates the body."

She stares for a moment before speaking again, "…I don't even know where to start. I…really wish Yuuno was here." She pauses, "…I really miss home, in general, actually. Let's just…forget about that stuff for now. Kyubey wants Souls. Why?"

"The Heat Death."

Nanoha stares at you, dead-eyed, "…The Heat Death. Kyubey wants human Souls to avert the Heat Death of the universe. How does that even work?"

"Souls are apparently endless sources of energy, violating the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics. Kyubey is trying to use that energy to prevent, or at least delay, the Heat Death."

"How!? I mean, the amount of energy he would need to do that, and the means to actually distribute it--!"

You shrug, "Don't ask me--I have no clue, but Kyubey's the sufficiently advanced alien. He wouldn't do all of this if it had no purpose."

She lays back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, "…I'd think you were defending him, if I didn't know better, but…you're just telling the truth, aren't you?"

"I am. Kyubey doesn't do meaningless things."

She lays there for a while, pondering the situation, "…when do your scientists estimate the Heat Death will occur?"

"Ten to the twenty-five hundredth power years."

She sighs, "Yeah, that sounds about right. I…I'll need to do research, I guess. See if I can detect any sign of changes…"

"Let's just move on for now. We should have plenty of time to figure out the Heat Death situation. How does he harvest the energy from those Souls?"

The big moment's approaching, you reflect, "…I don't know the exact particulars. He says that the most energy is produced when Hope becomes Despair--" Nanoha groans at those words, "--but he also collects the Souls of Witches, so perhaps he has some use for them, even after that."

She grabs onto that, as you'd hoped, "…so, what, Witches fall into despair, and that's what releases so much energy?"

You nod, "Yes."

"What makes that happen, then? Is that what Puella Magi are for? Making Witches give up?" She pauses as she says that; moments later, her eyes go wide, and she begins shaking.

"Nanoha?" She doesn't respond, "Nanoha!"

She jerks violently upright, staring at you with violence in her eyes, only to immediately relax, "…oh, I'm sorry, Akemi-san. I…they're not hopeful at all, are they? I remember…it was so cold. I wanted to…"

She shakes her head, settling back at the edge of the bed, "Witches are already in despair, so…if Kyubey harvests energy from the change in emotions…what are they like beforehand?"

You grimace, hoping she'll take the hint, but she doesn't.

You'll have to be blunt, it seems, "We call them Puella Magi, at that point."

She doesn't react for a moment, but it doesn't take long for the horror to overtake her expression.

"He...he didn't…"

You just regard her quietly.

"...he did. He made you…Witches are just…

You nod, "They're all that's left, once we break. That's why these secrets are so important--if we despair, our Soul Gems will darken, and we will become--"

"Witches. You'll become the thing you're supposed to--wait, that means--"

"Yes. Grief Seeds contain the Souls of our predecessors. Usually, at least…some Witches are fully developed familiars."

She perks up, then immediately sighs, "Wait…no, you're talking about those abominations we fought, right? The minions?"

You nod, "Yes. I am not entirely certain about the details, but, by killing humans, familiars can mature into Witches."

Nanoha grimaces, "...which probably means…"

You nod.

"...great. Soul eating ghosts created from the despairing Souls of Puella Magi. Of course."

You're not sure that's quite right--Witches aren't exactly ghosts--but you don't correct her.

She stands, takes a deep breath, and stands, "…thank you, Akemi-san. I'm…I need some time to wrap my head around things. Maybe we could finish this later? I…I need to…" She bites her lip, "…I just need time to think. Maybe you could come back tomorrow?"





[CENTER OF THE MIND]





Calendar


    • 1 Grief Seed of Sachiel (3 Charges)

      • 31 Handguns [214 Clips]
      • 21 Machine Guns [253 Clips]
      • 5 Sniper Rifles [112 Clips]
      • 2 Rocket Launchers [20 Rockets]
      • 1 Mini-Gun [12000 Rounds]
      • 16 Katana
      • 30 Knives
      • 12 Pipe Bombs
      • 1 Umbrella

      • Grandfather's Pocket Watch
        • +1 Sanity/hour if kept close while sleeping.
      • Laptop
        • Contains various essential software and allows internet access. Contains nothing related to your life as a Magi.
      • Monthly Planner
        • Unlocks Calendar
      • Heart Scans
        • Homura receives a +5 Bonus to Medical Checks when treating her Heart Condition.
      • Kyouko and Mami's Cake
        • Gives Sanity when eaten. Gives more when eaten with friends.
      • High-Quality Sake
        • Payment for Yuuko's time.
      • Yuuko's Business Card
        • Gives instant access to Yuuko's shop.




      • Durability: 50
      • Special Abilties
        • Multiplies Speed and Strength by 10



      • Durability: 15
      • Special Abilities
        • Contains your Soul



      • Cost:
        • 1 EE/Second; Rounded Up
        • 10 Sanity/30 Minutes; Rounded Down; Totaled Daily

      • Negates a single attack entirely.
      • Cost
        • X EE
        • X is equal to the Power of the attack negated.

      • Fire an energy blast from your Shield.
        • Instant Attack
        • 100% Accuracy
        • Undodgeable
        • 100 Power
        • Low Damage
      • Cost
        • 20 EE/Second; Rounded Up
      • Fairly easy to alter, with a little work.

      • Fire a sphere of crystallized magic from your Shield.
        • Charge Time: 3 Seconds
        • Fast Attack
        • 100% Accuracy
        • 1000 Power
        • Massive Damage
      • Cost
        • 300 Grief


      • Adds to or alters the abilities of an object. Different effect have different costs, and must be discovered and studied in order to determine what works and what doesn't. As always, proximity to your natural magical talents lowers Cost and Difficulty.
      • The costs listed below are the costs to enchant a handheld item. Vehicles cost 5 times this amount to enchant, and larger objects (buildings, warships, etc.) cost 5 times as much as a vehicle (25x the listed cost). All Enchantment Costs are rounded up.
        • Automation: The object or device will act on its own according to your will. (Cost: 5 EE/Hour)
        • Increase Power (1 EE/Power point. Max 20.)
        • Increase Speed (10 EE to double speed. Max 4x Speed.)
        • Increase Durability (1 EE/Durability point. Max 20.)
        • Increase Damage (30 EE to increase Damage scale by 1 step. Max 1.)
        • Enhance Other Ability: Examples include allowing plane to fly freely in hurricane, improving the sight enhancement from glasses, and making medicine more effective. Extremely exotic effects may be achieved through study, experimentation, and practice.(Cost: Varies).
        • Grant Supernatural Ability: Allow an object to do something that it normally can't. The stronger the relationship between the object and the effect, the lower the Cost and Difficulty will be (Homing Bullets and Auto Reload are relatively cheap. A Homing Cello, on the other hand...)
          • Homing Projectiles (1 EE/Projectile)
          • Auto Reload (5 EE)
          • Flying Sword/Knife: 30 EE
        • Ego
          • Enchantment allows you to apply your full Ego score to attacks with enchanted mundane weapons, just as if they were created through magic.
          • Cost: 5 EE

      • Use Magic to distort the past slightly, averting a single disaster before it occurred. Very powerful, but has limits.
      • Cost
        • 500 Sanity
        • 500 EE


Mobile Version

[CENTER OF THE MIND]

Time: 10:07:34 P.M.
Grief: 330/1000
Sanity: 168/1000
Stability Multiplier: 0.9

Calendar

Active Effects:
[Enchantment: Increase Heart Performance. Cost: 5 Grief/Hour]
  • Primary:
    • 1 Grief Seed of Sachiel (3 Charges)
  • Books:
    • Medical:
      • Cardiology Texts [Amateur | Medical] [3/3]
        • +5 to Medical when Treating Heart Disease
      • Intro to Medicine [Amateur | Medical] [5/5]
      • Standard First Aid, CPR, and AED. 5th Ed. Jeff Rendall. [Amateur | Medical] [0/2]
      • Home Biochemistry, Book 1. 1st Ed. Takemi Tae. [Amateur | Medical] [0/5]
      • Home Biochemistry, Book 2. 1st Ed. Takemi Tae. [Skilled | Medical] [0/5]
    • Mechanical Expertise
      • Beginning Watchmaking [Amateur | Mechanics Expertise] [0/5]
      • The Glory of Clocks. 17th Ed. Helena Akemi. [Amateur | Mechanics Expertise] [0/17]
      • Historical Weapons Design. 3rd Ed. Vern Engers. [Amateur | Mechanics Expertise] [0/3]
    • Electronics Expertise
      • Beginning Programming. 2nd Ed. Jim Rivens. [Amateur | Electronics Expertise] [0/4]
      • Practical Electronics for the Home Inventor. 1st Edition. [Skilled | Electronics Expertise] [0/5]
    • Research
      • A Guide to Basic Research and Information Analysis. 1st Ed. Honya. [Amateur | Research] [0/7]
    • Other:
      • Untitled Book [???]
  • Arsenal
    • 31 Handguns [214 Clips]
    • 21 Machine Guns [253 Clips]
    • 5 Sniper Rifles [112 Clips]
    • 2 Rocket Launchers [20 Rockets]
    • 1 Mini-Gun [12000 Rounds]
    • 16 Katana
    • 30 Knives
    • 12 Pipe Bombs
    • 1 Umbrella
  • Special
    • Grandfather's Pocket Watch
      • +1 Sanity/hour if kept close while sleeping.
    • Laptop
      • Contains various essential software and allows internet access. Contains nothing related to your life as a Magi.
    • Monthly Planner
      • Unlocks Calendar
    • Heart Scans
      • Homura receives a +5 Bonus to Medical Checks when treating her Heart Condition.
    • Kyouko and Mami's Cake
      • Gives Sanity when eaten. Gives more when eaten with friends.
    • High-Quality Sake
      • Payment for Yuuko's time.
    • Yuuko's Business Card
      • Gives instant access to Yuuko's shop.
  • Devices
    • Shield Clock (Quality: +19) (Enchanted)
Time Stop:
  • Cost:
    • 1 EE/Second; Rounded Up
    • 10 Sanity/30 Minutes; Rounded Down; Totaled Daily
Shield of Protection:
  • Negates a single attack entirely.
  • Cost
    • X EE
    • X is equal to the Power of the attack negated.
Magic Blast:
  • Fire an energy blast from your Shield.
    • Instant Attack
    • 100% Accuracy
    • 100 Power
    • Low Damage
  • Cost
    • 20 EE/Second; Rounded Up
  • Fairly easy to alter, with a little work.
Attimo Finale (Magic Blast Variant)
  • Fire a sphere of crystallized magic from your Shield.
    • Charge Time: 3 Seconds
    • Fast Attack
    • 100% Accuracy
    • 1000 Power
    • Massive Damage
  • Cost
    • 300 Grief


Enchant:
  • Adds to or alters the abilities of an object. Different effect have different costs, and must be discovered and studied in order to determine what works and what doesn't. As always, proximity to your natural magical talents lowers Cost and Difficulty.
  • The costs listed below are the costs to enchant a handheld item. Vehicles cost 5 times this amount to enchant, and larger objects (buildings, warships, etc.) cost 5 times as much as a vehicle (25x the listed cost). All Enchantment Costs are rounded up.
    • Automation: The object or device will act on its own according to your will. (Cost: 5 EE/Hour)
    • Increase Power (1 EE/Power point. Max 20.)
    • Increase Speed (10 EE to double speed. Max 4x Speed.)
    • Increase Durability (1 EE/Durability point. Max 20.)
    • Increase Damage (30 EE to increase Damage scale by 1 step. Max 1.)
    • Enhance Other Ability: Examples include allowing plane to fly freely in hurricane, improving the sight enhancement from glasses, and making medicine more effective. Extremely exotic effects may be achieved through study, experimentation, and practice.(Cost: Varies).
    • Grant Supernatural Ability: Allow an object to do something that it normally can't. The stronger the relationship between the object and the effect, the lower the Cost and Difficulty will be (Homing Bullets and Auto Reload are relatively cheap. A Homing Cello, on the other hand...)
      • Homing Projectiles (1 EE/Projectile)
      • Auto Reload (5 EE)
      • Flying Knife/Sword (30 EE)
    • Ego
      • Enchantment allows you to apply your full Ego score to attacks with enchanted mundane weapons, just as if they were created through magic.
      • Cost: 5 EE
Bargaining:
  • Use Magic to distort the past slightly, averting a single disaster before it occurred. Very powerful, but has limits.
  • Cost
    • 500 Sanity
    • 500 EE

Weapons:
  • Durability: 300
  • Maximum Number: 1
  • Attack Types:
    • Slash: Effective Power = Power * 1.2, Standard Damage
    • Stab: Effective Power = Power * 1.5, Moderate decrease in Damage
  • Special Ability:
    • Progressive: If contact is maintained with the target, the attack's effective Power increases by 10 for each second of sustained contact, assuming pressure is maintained, to a maximum of +100 Power
  • Durability: Infinite
  • Maximum Number: 1
  • Special Abilities
    • Focus for Shield of Protection}
    • Focus for Time Stop
    • Required for Time Reversal

Armor:
  • Durability: 50
  • Special Abilties
    • Multiplies Speed and Strength by 10

Accessories:

  • Durability: 15
  • Special Abilities
    • Contains your Soul


[ ] Insist on finishing your explanation.
[ ] Acquiesce.
-[ ] Ask about something unrelated.
-[ ] Suggest doing something else together, either now or before the next meeting.
[ ] Leave
-[ ] Go do something else.
--[ ] Write-In
-[ ] Go back to Sayaka's.
--[ ] Sleep
--[ ] Write-In
 
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Wait. What was left to explain?

I'm surprised Homura isn't doing a bit of a kneejerk at leaving a Despairing Magical Girl alone before reminding herself that Nanoha isn't her kind of Magical Girl.

Also... she's alone here. She's more mature, and better able to handle this shit than, say, Mami ever was, but she's still alone.
 
[X] Acquiesce.
-[x] Suggest doing something else together, either now or before the next meeting.
--[x] Ice Cream and laser tag.
 
9 point drop in Sanity, and a 10 point increase in Grief.

Well, its not that bad.
 
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Wait. What was left to explain?
Puella Magi culture and lifestyle. How Puella Magi magic works. The scale and history of the Witch System. Lots of other secondary stuff.
I'm surprised Homura isn't doing a bit of a kneejerk at leaving a Despairing Magical Girl alone before reminding herself that Nanoha isn't her kind of Magical Girl.

Also... she's alone here. She's more mature, and better able to handle this shit than, say, Mami ever was, but she's still alone.
How she deals with that will depend on how the vote goes.
 
I can't really bring myself not to be... well, this is an instance of one of Homura's (former?) Heroes being oh so very human. I can just kind of see the quiet "... Oh" in the back of brain as she stares distantly at Nanoha.

It's hard to write up something she'd want to do with Nanoha to unwind right now, though I can certainly see her just bulling her way through it to try anyway. And of course there's the possibility of Nanoha rejecting the offer which would probably just leave Homura feeling just that tiny, tiny bit worse.
 
I'm telling you guys. Ice cream. Laser tag. We get to spend time doing something normal with her, then get to show off our mad marksmanship skills. Heck, the only reason I'm not suggesting outright paintball is because laser tag should be easier to find and it's easier to pocture two girl their age playing that than paintball.
 
[X] Acquiesce.
-[x] Suggest doing something else together, either now or before the next meeting.
--[x] Ice Cream and laser tag.
 
[X] Acquiesce.
-[x] Suggest doing something else together, either now or before the next meeting.
--[x] Ice Cream

Sure why not. Although I worry that, at the moment bringing up something combat related is too strong. Maybe after we see how the ice cream goes.
 
[X] Acquiesce.
-[X] Ask about something unrelated.
--[X] "Could you tell me about your own 'magic system', so to speak? I've come to realize there are a lot about magic that I can learn about."

I feel like redirecting the conversation on... let's say, more academic grounds... might be better than simply trying to numb ourselves with sugar right now. Plus, raising our magical theory is on our to-do list anyway, might as well compare notes.
 
[X] Acquiesce.
-[X] Ask about something unrelated.
--[X] "Could you tell me about your own 'magic system', so to speak? I've come to realize there are a lot about magic that I can learn about."

I think I like this. I think Nanoha's into her teaching career already, right? Might be nice familiar ground for her.
 
[X] Acquiesce.
-[X] but make sure to reinforce the need to keep this secret.
-[X] Suggest doing something else together, either now or before the next meeting.
--[X] Ice cream

It's a good idea to redirect from the topic entirely, but don't drop it before we make sure she knows to keep it quiet.
 
[X] Acquiesce.
-[X] Ask about something unrelated.
--[X] "Could you tell me about your own 'magic system', so to speak? I've come to realize there are a lot about magic that I can learn about."
 
[X] Acquiesce.
-[X] Ask her not to act on what you told her until you have the opportunity to finish the rest.
-[X] Ask about something unrelated.
--[X] "Could you tell me about your own 'magic system', so to speak? I've come to realize there are a lot about magic that I can learn about."
 
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