-I think there is some side material that sat that they're not exactly familiars, though they are very close, so I don't think it's really wrong to call them such.
Something made by the Witch that has not grown into another Witch is by definition a familiar. I get what you mean, though. Then again, the blurb you quoted never says either way.
Edit: I also hate when they do stuff like this in obscure side materials. What else would the Clara Dolls be?
Part of me wants to complain that this is too weak and they all should be WAWs individually, another is asking the first to shut up and not make the fight harder.
Something made by the Witch that has not grown into another Witch is by definition a familiar. I get what you mean, though. Then again, the blurb you quoted never says either way.
Edit: I also hate when they do stuff like this in obscure side materials. What else would the Clara Dolls be?
That's exactly why I'm not really going to fight anyone on it, they don't even tell us what they're supposed to be except for a definition that could very well be valid for familiars from what I remember, something about them being part of Homura's soul or something, the most interesting case is actually Ai, the last Clara Doll, this one is very much explicitly different from the others.
They mostly serve to stop the first waves of drive by voting from dominating too much, they might actually be helping invisibly by making it so that people don't blindly vote right after the update, but that's difficult to say.
That's exactly why I'm not really going to fight anyone on it, they don't even tell us what they're supposed to be except for a definition that could very well be valid for familiars from what I remember, something about them being part of Homura's soul or something, the most interesting case is actually Ai, the last Clara Doll, this one is very much explicitly different from the others.
No idea, didn't watch Magia records, it's on the list, but I constantly forget about it.
Ok, I am now in a situation where I can take a crack on the vote, *crack knuckles, put on music to get in the mood (090909090 by Tilarids, if you want to know, also known as Hokma's first phase in Lobcorp)*, let's do this:
[x] These strange Familiars (Clara Dolls) are the main treats, try to take care of them first, they certainly won't make reaching the witch easy as long as they're there.
-[x] Try to divide them and make sure you don't end up alone, they work well together so disrupting their teamwork has priority.
-[x] Try to make advances toward the witch and see how they react, if they try to stop people, try to use this to control their movements.
-[x] They seems to be ground bound and don't have teleports, use your flight and teleports to your advantage, pair the girls who can't do this with you and your sisters so that they have easy access to this too.
-[x] Everyone who can should regularly bombard the weaker familiar, might as well reduce their numbers and the chances of their attacks hurting someone.
-[x] If it turns out that they can respawn or things like that, go for the witch, no need to exhaust yourself on a fight you cannot win.
I meant more the gacha game, which the anime was based on specifically. But since its both a gacha and discontinued in english, the best one can get for lore stuff is online searchs, people speaking about it and wikis.
[X] These strange Familiars (Clara Dolls) are the main treats, try to take care of them first, they certainly won't make reaching the witch easy as long as they're there.
-[X] Try to divide them and make sure you don't end up alone, they work well together so disrupting their teamwork has priority.
-[X] Try to make advances toward the witch and see how they react, if they try to stop people, try to use this to control their movements.
-[X] They seems to be ground bound and don't have teleports, use your flight and teleports to your advantage, pair the girls who can't do this with you and your sisters so that they have easy access to this too.
-[X] Everyone who can should regularly bombard the weaker familiar, might as well reduce their numbers and the chances of their attacks hurting someone.
-[X] If it turns out that they can respawn or things like that, go for the witch, no need to exhaust yourself on a fight you cannot win.
[X] These strange Familiars (Clara Dolls) are the main treats, try to take care of them first, they certainly won't make reaching the witch easy as long as they're there.
-[X] Try to divide them and make sure you don't end up alone, they work well together so disrupting their teamwork has priority.
-[X] Try to make advances toward the witch and see how they react, if they try to stop people, try to use this to control their movements.
-[X] They seems to be ground bound and don't have teleports, use your flight and teleports to your advantage, pair the girls who can't do this with you and your sisters so that they have easy access to this too.
-[X] Everyone who can should regularly bombard the weaker familiar, might as well reduce their numbers and the chances of their attacks hurting someone.
-[X] If it turns out that they can respawn or things like that, go for the witch, no need to exhaust yourself on a fight you cannot win.
Adhoc vote count started by Naron on Aug 28, 2022 at 7:18 AM, finished with 16 posts and 3 votes.
[x] These strange Familiars (Clara Dolls) are the main treats, try to take care of them first, they certainly won't make reaching the witch easy as long as they're there.
-[x] Try to divide them and make sure you don't end up alone, they work well together so disrupting their teamwork has priority.
-[x] Try to make advances toward the witch and see how they react, if they try to stop people, try to use this to control their movements.
-[x] They seems to be ground bound and don't have teleports, use your flight and teleports to your advantage, pair the girls who can't do this with you and your sisters so that they have easy access to this too.
-[x] Everyone who can should regularly bombard the weaker familiar, might as well reduce their numbers and the chances of their attacks hurting someone.
-[x] If it turns out that they can respawn or things like that, go for the witch, no need to exhaust yourself on a fight you cannot win.
I knew I had forgotten something in my vote:
[jk] Tackle Hug Homura.
Also, how in hell did I become the leading guru of these votes for the last fights? Surely there are people more qualified than me to do it?
Well, if the situation continue, I hope it won't take too long, because my holidays end in two days and I won't have access to my PC during work, which makes crafting votes more difficult. What? Free Time? I should be good, my contract begins in September but most of my work shouldn't begin till October, I prepare experiments for, I think the American equivalent is high school students? Between 13 and 17, anyways, difficult to do anything before they have enough classes done, so not that much at the beginning of the school year.
These strange Familiars (Clara Dolls) are the main treats, try to take care of them first, they certainly won't make reaching the witch easy as long as they're there. Try to divide them and make sure you don't end up alone, disrupt their teamwork.
Try to make advances toward the witch and see how they react, if they try to stop people, try to use this to control their movements.
They seems to be ground bound and don't have teleports, use your flight and teleports to your advantage. Pair the girls who can't do this with you and your sisters so that they have easy access to this too.
Everyone who can should regularly bombard the weaker familiars; might as well reduce their numbers and the chances of their attacks hurting someone. If it turns out that they can respawn or things like that, go for the witch. No need to exhaust yourself on a fight you cannot win.
"Let's pair up," Ai murmurs while her friends blink through the new information. Homulilly's army watches them; the Witch herself keeps wandering aimlessly. She does not even seem aware of their presence. "Happiness with Mami, Justice with Kyoko. Courage, you go with Yuma. I stay with Homura." Seeing Sayaka look around, she elaborates: "You're the only one who can move in the air on your own." When her fellow blunette's mouth clicks shut, she turns to the other Abnormalities. "And just in case: no synchronising with any of them, even if they ask."
"Why would we do that to begin with?" Happiness asks with audible confusion. "They are too young and fragile to bear Abnormalities of our strength."
"They can bear me," Ai responds to cut off any agitation. Three heads turn her way and she shrugs weakly. "I'm more mellow now, but they definitely can't take any of you. Anyway, let's get to work. Courage, Justice, Kyoko, Yuma, try mopping up the weaker familiars. The rest takes those Clara Dolls."
A moment of indecision passes. In that same instant, the stalemate breaks. Homulilly wails and a hail of chewed nuts slams into Justice's shield. Hundreds of humanoid figures resembling a distorted Homura's shape march in lockstep, lances pointed forward. The Clara Dolls slam their staves into the ground as one; spidercracks run for dozens of metres.
Ai synchronises with Homura while her friends move. A leaf green spell circle announces Courage's opening salvo; a deluge of acid that bogs down the foot soldiers. Countless crows fly above while their allies begin to dissolve. They charge the magical girls, but are repelled by Mami's counterfire. Yuma guards Courage while Kyoko and Justice reappear among the living teeth.
Happiness carries the gunslinger ever higher; with no limit on her magic, Mami can truly let loose. The sky rapidly clears of opponents. Sayaka bounds after them on her own platforms; Homura then appears next to the other three, discoloured in pinks and blues. A purple energy blade emerges from her Soul Gem and Ai's staff is held in her other hand.
The Clara Dolls make to split up in the face of two distinct threats, but Mami takes the other group under fire. Stars rain down on the dissolving familiars below. A surge of pink is channeled into Homura's shield, but a pulse of force from Homulilly blocks the time magic.
Then a dozen staves sail skyward. They screech through the air, but their targets vanish before impact. The Clara Dolls lunge forward just as all five appear in their path. Homura crosses blades with a smaller one while Ai channels magic within. The doll holds as another winds up, only to receive a fist to the face. She goes flying, as does Happiness when another hits her leg. She drops Mami, who shoots the culprit point-blank. Another doll slaps the barrel away just in time.
"Arcana Beats!"
The two dolls closest to Homura are blown away by her own attack. Another swiftly takes their place. Sayaka has her own two opponents. Ribbons wind around the field and ensnare one doll too slow to escape; just as the others make to respond, Homura appears above and slices off her head. She catches a stave on her buckler and parries the doll, then bashes her head in with Ai's staff.
Three more gang up on her then. A barely felt thud breaks her shoulder, then a pair of staves smash her hipbone on both sides. Retaliation is swift as Homura whirls into a sweeping kick; the dolls dodge back, right into Happiness. One of them loses her head before they realise their mistake and leap away.
Ai's healing power thrums through Homura, whose body knits itself back together. The Queen grows from her shadow and chomps down on the injured doll.
"Above!" Happiness shouts and leaps to catch Homulilly's arm. It hammers her right back down, but she buys enough time for the others to scatter. A Clara Doll dies with Happiness, but only the latter gets back up when Homura blows her a healing kiss.
Bit by bit, they grind down the Clara Dolls. No one goes without at least a few hits, but soon enough the final doll falls to a well-placed shot from Mami. Looking around, the forward team finds Homulilly's army in a rout. The entire area is littered with acid, interspersed with clean ground where red devils tread. Justice keeps the other three well-protected, letting them run wild among the familiars. Yuma wields Elsa Maria's E.G.O., swinging around her shadow mallet like it weighs nothing.
Homura spits a glob of blood and thumps her chest, then glares up at Homulilly. The Witch does not even seem aware of their proximity. "I know what you're thinking," she says to Ai. "But stay inside a little longer. I... no, we will finish this. You three," she orders Mami, Sayaka, and Justice, "help the others."
Sayaka bristles for a single moment, but relents without so much as a word. Mami and Justice simply nod. The three bound away while Homura takes to the air. She ascends rapidly to meet her Witch, gracefully gliding around several swipes. Her blade vanishes so she can grip the staff with both hands.
Alighting atop the red spider lily making her Witch's head, Homura hesitates. "I am ready to become you," she admits softly. "I will, sooner or later. But right now, you are in my way." Pink and purple begin suffusing her in a malevolent aura. A heart-shaped spell circle appears in front of her. Ai's self flutters within her soul, conducting the current of pure power as it gathers.
Homulilly stops in her tracks. She stays still for one long moment, head rising as if to behold her human self. Homura meets her gaze with determination; crimson rivulets run from her lips, nose, eyes, and ears. Her hair discolours into a lighter shade of blue.
"Begone. Arcana Slave!"
They both let go of the spell in unison; its light bathes Homulilly for a moment before boring into her head. Their combined power punches through plantmatter and bone alike. The Witch shudders, wailing weakly in an attempt to power through it all. Her ethereal arms rise as if to clap an annoying fly; Homura keeps up the bombardment without regard. As her spell runs out, the hands reach their height. Their ascent grows slower and slower until they still, then fall back down.
That is when Ai ejects herself from Homura. She quickly catches her friend. Meanwhile, Homulilly's shadow collapses like a puppet with her strings cut; shards of bone fly every which way, a cloud of dust thrown up where she drops.
Even Ai's healing spell has trouble undoing the damage Homura just did to herself. Channeling this much power while synchronised did not do her well. The other girl pants softly. Her greasy hair carries a permanent sheen of blue; Ai only spots it from one specific angle, but it is there. Erstwhile lilac eyes are now ever so faintly amber.
What few familiars were still alive died with the Witch. The other magical girls join them where Ai fusses over Homura; Sayaka checks as well, but she can not do much more. "Overexertion," Ai reasons. "We kept it up for too long. You are not going to continue this fight."
A moment later, Homura forces herself to her feet as if to spite her. Ai's only response is an unamused look. But she allows it, well aware that everyone else will keep an eye on the other girl. Ai herself turns to regard the battlefield.
Where there once raged an army of shadows, only a corpse-littered wasteland remains. The elements rampaged among their number, only to be outdone by the Red Mist. Those Gebura did not get to in time were killed by the combined forces of librarians and Abnormalities. Even now, the herd of Mountains gorges itself on abundant carrion.
Librarians have come to rest amidst the carnage. Those who are left watch the skies, where Angela still clashes with Jester and Kriemhild; all sides took a beating, the Witch of Salvation reduced to a fraction of her original size. No Apostles follow their own god anymore. Even Angela is clearly damaged. Jester's strings still connect her and Kriemhild, though several have already snapped.
"Only those two are left," Happiness surmises. "Yet the battle will be hard-fought till the end." Her brow creases in thought.
Kyoko answers before the Abnormality can finish her train of thought: "It's not like we're stopping now. 'cept Homura, who is out. Don't give me that look."
"Unfortunately," Mami continues while paying no mind to the disgruntled time traveler, "most of us lack the ability to fly. Fewer still have proper ranged options over this distance."
She is right and Ai knows it. The librarians in the distance know it, too. The number of people who can reinforce Angela is small. Facing something akin to a goddess, even weakened... that is daunting. Ai hesitates long enough for Courage to speak: "The Jester of Nihil fights. Is it not our purpose to face him in the end?"
"Her," Ai absently corrects. "But you have a point." The Jester would not be as she is without the four of them. Lobotomy Corporation, the Library, the City. All of it shaped Jester as much as it did any of them. Jester is their beginning and their end. Even now, they are bound together.
Determination swells within her bosom. It surges through every fibre of Ai's being, energising her. The Library seems brighter, almost swaying with her thoughts and feelings. An old idea returns unbidden; to be a heroine. To fight evil. Except that Jester is no more evil than Ai ever was. She will not call her that. But she wishes to fight without doubt.
The Library resonates with Ai's desire.
"Something is happening!" Yuma calls. Other shouts of surprise join her as the very air seems to brighten.
But Ai gives them no time to analyse it. Her decision is made. "Cut the strings between Jester and Kriemhild," she orders. To her sisters in particular, she adds: "One of you synchronise with Roland to help. Fight Kriemhild."
The others exchange looks at that. It is Justice who asks the fateful question: "And what will you do?"
Ai throws her a wry smirk. "Trying to be an actual heroine for the first time in my life. All of this began with me, so it will end with me. I will see you on the other side."
Without waiting for a response, Ai rockets upward; a pink comet with golden tail. Her second wind fills her with enough power to do that which she set out to do. To face the fear, break the cycle, and build the future.
"JESTER!" she roars on the approach, distracting both her and Angela. Ai barrels into the Jester and tears her away from the head librarian. "I'm your opponent! We're ending this now, you and I!"
"So be it," she answers without hesitation. Her aura of waning rolls over Ai without effect, rebuffed by a golden gleam from within. Blue Star shines above, its pull palpable in such close proximity. The winds howl around them at the precipice of its event horizon, all but drowning out everything else.
In that moment, the strings connecting Jester and Kriemhild snap one by one. She flinches, losing most of her pink shine. The same old shadow remains, black and white for the most part. Only her eyes still gleam in an almost malevolent pink.
No more words are needed. Ai brandishes her staff, Jester flexes her claws. Beneath them, the librarians and Abnormalities begin their final assault on Kriemhild Gretchen.
[] Play keep-away until you get an advantage to exploit
[] Surprise her by getting close and personal
[] write-in a different or more detailed plan
The Jester of Nihil
Threat Rating: ALEPH
Threat Assessment: Jester has neither strength nor weakness for her level of power. She generally relies on weakening the opposition so far that she becomes impervious, giving her time to finish them off; an ability that is currently nullified against Ai. She is swift, agile, and strong, but not overwhelmingly so in any regard. She has no powerful ranged attacks. After fighting for so long, she lacks the strength to assume the properties of magical girls.
It can happen quite fast. You merely need to be ready to put in the work... and confident (or uncaring) enough to present it. I think the fear of getting something wrong is the main problem with these votes.
So close, you had to mess up one, didn't you? I know it's a result of my plan, but if only Kyouko wasn't there, we would have the perfect pairing between magical girls and Magical Girls.
Bit by bit, they grind down the Clara Dolls. No one goes without at least a few hits, but soon enough the final doll falls to a well-placed shot from Mami. Looking around, the forward team finds Homulilly's army in a rout. The entire area is littered with acid, interspersed with clean ground where red devils tread. Justice keeps the other three well-protected, letting them run wild among the familiars. Yuma wields Elsa Maria's E.G.O., swinging around her shadow mallet like it weighs nothing.
Not surprising, I did say that the Clara dolls where the biggest part of Homulily's power, her other familiar may be far more numerous, but just as the Doll's entry in the Rebellion fight shows, they are far, far weaker than them.
Even Ai's healing spell has trouble undoing the damage Homura just did to herself. Channeling this much power while synchronised did not do her well. The other girl pants softly. Her greasy hair carries a permanent sheen of blue; Ai only spots it from one specific angle, but it is there. Erstwhile lilac eyes are now ever so faintly amber.
So, she became slightly closer to being us in doing this, wonder about other side effects, funnily enough, as we are the Magical Girl closer to her in the four, she ought to get the least changes in personality form this.
Ai throws her a wry smirk. "Trying to be an actual heroine for the first time in my life. All of this began with me, so it will end with me. I will see you on the other side."
The Jester of Nihil
Threat Rating: ALEPH
Threat Assessment: Jester has neither strength nor weakness for her level of power. She generally relies on weakening the opposition so far that she becomes impervious, giving her time to finish them off. She is swift, agile, and strong, but not overwhelmingly so in any regard. She has no powerful ranged attacks. After fighting for so long, she lacks the strength to assume the properties of magical girls.
Ok, so, what I'm hearing is that we should fight at range, using quick attacks as she probably will dodge the stronger and slower ones, and never, ever, ever, try to clash with her in any way, she will overpower us by weakening us if we try.
It can happen quite fast. You merely need to be ready to put in the work... and confident (or uncaring) enough to present it. I think the fear of getting something wrong is the main problem with these votes.
Well, I know that the main factor for me putting them out is the fact that I don't really care about losing, I'm just trying to analize the situation and close the vulnerabilities in my vote, I think it can be seen in the last two? I made them with a *how do I exploit their weaknesses as much as possible?* mindset, Honorable fights? As I like to say (mostly about Dark Souls' PVP): "There are only two kinds of fighters, the dishonorable scum, and the ones they killed", don't expect me to try and fight fair, I will respect rules, but that's it.
And since there isn't a moratorium:
[x] Play keep-away until you get an advantage to exploit
-[x] Don't try to use strong and slow attacks unless you're absolutely sure she can't dodge, she is too agile for them normally.
-[x] Avoid clashing with her in any ways if you can help it, physical or via laser fights, she will probably win these kind of things by weakening you.
-[x] If you find a domain where you are better than her, be it being faster, your attacks being more damaging than hers, or actually being stronger than her physically (doubtful), etc, etc, exploit it mercilessly, show her why jack of all trades are nothing but master of none.
-[x] If she is stronger than you in some domain, avoid it at all cost, that's how a Master of none try to win against specialists, by forcing them in the only parts where the general fighter is stronger.
-[x] Be mindful of your endurance, if it seems like she will outlast you, try to switch to a more aggressive approach, overwhelm her before she can exploit it in this case.
Ok, so, what I'm hearing is that we should fight at range, using quick attacks as she probably will dodge the stronger and slower ones, and never, ever, ever, try to clash with her in any way, she will overpower us by weakening us if we try.
[x] Play keep-away until you get an advantage to exploit
-[x] Don't try to use strong and slow attacks unless you're absolutely sure she can't dodge, she is too agile for them normally.
-[x] If you find a domain where you are better than her, be it being faster, your attacks being more damaging than hers, or actually being stronger than her physically (doubtful), etc, etc, exploit it mercilessly, show her why jack of all trades are nothing but master of none.
-[x] If she is stronger than you in some domain, avoid it at all cost, that's how a Master of none try to win against specialists, by forcing them in the only parts where the general fighter is stronger.
-[x] Be mindful of your endurance, if it seems like she will outlast you, try to switch to a more aggressive approach, overwhelm her before she can exploit it in this case.
Do we need to use some of our energy to continue nullifying it? Because I think you can simply ignore the corresponding line in the vote if this doesn't cost us anything, but it should stay otherwise, since it allows us to conserve our strength.
Do we need to use some of our energy to continue nullifying it? Because I think you can simply ignore the corresponding line in the vote if this doesn't cost us anything, but it should stay otherwise, since it allows us to conserve our strength.
[x] Play keep-away until you get an advantage to exploit
-[x] Don't try to use strong and slow attacks unless you're absolutely sure she can't dodge, she is too agile for them normally.
-[x] If you find a domain where you are better than her, be it being faster, your attacks being more damaging than hers, or actually being stronger than her physically (doubtful), etc, etc, exploit it mercilessly, show her why jack of all trades are nothing but master of none.
-[x] If she is stronger than you in some domain, avoid it at all cost, that's how a Master of none try to win against specialists, by forcing them in the only parts where the general fighter is stronger.
-[x] Be mindful of your endurance, if it seems like she will outlast you, try to switch to a more aggressive approach, overwhelm her before she can exploit it in this case.
There, one less line, I know, I know, it was incredibly difficult to do, but it was necessary.
