I'll make another vote to better set the IC conversation, rather than derail it.
What do we need to know??? Let us not talk about unnecessary things yet. Our primary concern, before we get into any rational display of morality, is to
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gain the information we need without complications.
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Failing to try that leaves us with irrational choices. We have a small amount of time to use for this, seemingly without penalty.
I want to argue for the condition that Rionna is typical, not monstrous. _yes._ Being a Magical Girl is this bad, if you live long enough. We spoke to Niko lately - good example? The difference between Niko and Rionna is ... ???
Punishment should be based on evidence, and that is a fortunate attitude. Rionna would have been a maximized survivor if she approached every grief manipulator as an assassination target. We would be much less risk to her after a few scratches and dents. All the area-of-effect magics are hazardous, and ours is better dealt with using deadfalls. Heck, even Oriko could do it. But Rionna wanted the evidence first.
Clever Girl.
Are we going to remember to get the facts WE want?
If she is a typical Magical Girl, we can understand some things about her already? One, her emotions are not healthy.
the fact that the Cider she drinks is alcoholic, and magically enhanced to boot, my be a further sign of having deep seated issues.
Drinking to enable psychological comfort is probably already alcoholism. We don't know how advanced it might be, but for anyone up to ten years beyond her visual age, she has a radically pro-alcohol persona. As we know about her witchbomb status, and how she immediately references seeing what happens to her own soul, she is also likely a person who puts her fear first. It may also figure into her reputation, I'll bet she gladly exaggerates because bad rep leads her into fewer fights.
Rare indeed is the human (or post human) who can isolate themselves to a marked extent and not be damaged by it. Her callous attitudes are possibly explained by these two facts as well. If so, these reasons may not be deeply ingrained, or she may have a worldview that is adaptive and pragmatic. These things can be educated for remediation.
What do we need to know, for our Justice?
Under what conditions would she keep Stealing Souls.
Rionna is also a teenage girl whose morals are "these people have hurt others so I should take them out before they hurt more" and hasn't introspected on why that's wrong.
These would be very basic thoughts. If we also notice the way her dialogue expects the compliance of the other party, and skips establishing moral frameworks between us, she is operating significantly below her age group not only in Social, but Wisdom as well. Would she make errors because of that, in many ways, if true? Of course, not having life skills means one has to use more of the skills they do have, when they are challenged. The challenges of Magical Girl existence are degenerate and overpowering. Sticking with the simple solution is a running fix.
Her world is due for a bit of change, and we can do that.
[] Rionna is speaking like she hasn't trusted anyone in a long time.
-[] Explain our real magic is about working together. We will show her.
I'm glad Onmur can think about it in a similar
way, see:
On Riona's honesty: Slight rambling:
I think the fact she's telling us all these things, upfront, without trying to bother sugarcoating any of
it, has to do with trust.
Wanting to trust.
This is obviously just a reading, and I might be wrong, or there just might be many other ways to explain Riona's actions, but I see her as someone who wants to be understood, who wants to have the support that's been denied to her.
She wants someone who can understand her, who can help her.
If she makes herself to stand in the worst light possible (within reason)? It's basically bait. Will we take it, and decry her? Like everyone else? Riona does hold a city by herself, and I do not believe anyone would particularly want that. Compare: Mami.
I would say Riona holds out hope that the world can be fair and just. By being blunt like this, she's...
...
..............
Oh my god, is Riona tsundere?
What I meant to say, Riona's not a social girl. Being upfront and throwing all the information at someone is a way to deal with social stress. She just want to get rid of it. If that helps sort out the people who give a shit from those that don't, bonus.
Do we give a shit?
(Do we want to understand her?)
I'm not seeing a Tsundere, but the perception is otherwise top-grade. Find a way not to distract yourself from voting the important part of your deduction? Her exact usage of her power is not the focus. Her intent is. The complication is that she has been burning out. Without an idealist community to sustain her, pain led to shortcuts? Anger led to indifference?
Maybe Rionna is what would happen to Sayaka if Sabrina died tomorrow?
We can go for a big breakthrough approach, or a long and gradual approach. Maybe the best plan to get her into our morality is to place ourselves where she (ideally) wants us? Such as just saying, "what she wishes for the world is possible, but it doesn't look like her past - it looks a lot like Sabrina. Try it our way, see how far see gets."
Thus, if we want to determine what Rionna means to our future, we really need to do one thing. It can't be instant, but in the next five minutes, we should try.
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Learn her actual wish.
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Once we have heard and placed it in context, we can answer "will her life change?" Set her feet on the road to granting her wish. That should be mostly the things she has been lacking for herself, a way to both see that her wish makes her future, and the different attitude that lets her move in the direction she wants. This girl should have been on a treadmill for a few years, like Homura. In exchange for 'granting' her wish, we may find a much better person.
Saving girls is why we came. Optimize for it, OK?
This is why artificial Grief Seeds are the best project to talk with her about.
Rionna might want to be mundane-moral, but since
Meat is Grief Seeds are murder, that is a pragmatic impossibility.
Clear Seeds do not break that link, only a quantitative difference is available. She would definitely take one. But it will not convert her behavior totally.
She might also want to be the one in control of her new power source. It just so happens we would dearly love to find more girls capable of cleansing. This is the enchanting path to that goal.
If I have understood her correctly, she will stay as long as she needs to in order to practice and learn our control enchantment. And since she is a power stealer, she may have insights that let her find a way to copy magic using effort and insight, not only wish abilities. Mastering the economic enchantment of a cleaning container will gain her loyalty. I'm not joking, we can be Sensei here. And if done right, I mean exactly that. Not just train her, but teach her a whole new life if we pay attention.
