With that in mind, there's a purpose to this note: If Sayaka figures things out herself, noting that Homura has been burned by trusting others will immediately answer the question of "Why didn't you just tell me!" she might feel justifiably hurt about. (Because now Sayaka has enough to know: Homura did. It didn't work.)
If Sayaka figures things out herself, she'll handle it at least semi-discreetly because
Homura hasn't done anything wrong in this timeline.
I -- alright, no, this is enough of me saying things and expecting people to
get it. I suppose that's a lesson I should have learned a long time ago, but it's also one I've had ample opportunity to lose over the last couple months of my head being turned inside out.
Let me be completely clear:
"You're not evil. But it's about first impressions," you say. "And... really, I think what would have worked? Just getting to her before Kyuubey did, before she could form a negative opinion of you. Tell her about Walpurgisnacht, tell her that you're gearing up to fight something monstrously evil, and that would have worked."
"I couldn't have," Homura murmurs. "Because-"
"Then Madoka would know," you finish for her, and sigh. "I understand that. Though... that said? Here and now, it's part of why telling Sayaka about your loops would work, I think."
Similarly, anything we say here can and will end up with Madoka. Similarly,
Homura isn't comfortable with that.
She doesn't want Madoka
involved with her.
She doesn't want Madoka
concerned for her.
She doesn't want Madoka
being told that she has, quote, years of trauma.
Akemi Homura doesn't fucking want those things, and she and we have been over as much.
So no, Phoenixian, I don't feel that anything of value is being lost in my vote. Just a giant mistake where we are betraying the established trust we have with Homura without first revisiting as much with her. If you guys want to start telling people about how traumatized she is, then by
Madokami we will first
bring this up with her. We are
not going to play "Better to ask forgiveness than to seek permission" with
Akemi fucking Homura! With the poor girl who cries on our shoulder in timestop because we're her only real friend and she doesn't know how to have it be okay for her to be friends with the people she wants to be friends with. No. No, no,
no.
...
Somebody is inevitably going to respond to this with something about how we should do this because it will be good for Homura. Let me be clear: if you like that idea, then let's go up to Homura in a timestop and bloody well tell her as much. I am up for that. I am totally and completely ready to go up to Homura and tell her that frankly we can't keep this entirely secret from everyone because it's going against her interest. I happen to think that that's a good idea after some (fairly extensive) modifications. But
this? This is nine hundred kinds of not okay and nobody is saying a thing.
