[] Hey, if we don't feel bad about getting beat up by Sayaka, she shouldn't feel bad about being beaten by Kyouko. Ours and Sayaka's powers are actually similar, in that they are super versatile; neither of us should spend all day beating up people with a stick.
There's really a problem with Sayaka's powers, and it pertains to her being a teenager. For a teen, 'endless possibilities' doesn't mean that they can do everything they want, it means abandonement: There's no direction in which they are meant to go.
Sayaka's aware of what she lacks. She needs experiences that would show her all this we're talking about is true. Hyptothetical Godhood is worth nothing.
[] Tell Sayaka we believe in her, too.
[] Tell her there's some heavy topics you want to discuss with her, but for now, let's just go and enjoy the karaoke?
There's still many things to talk about. Metabombing; how Sayaka could help us with the influx of meguca; about Oriko...
[] Deal with frustrations through liberal applications of mumihugs. With spinning.
[] Sing a duet with Mami.
"You are standing with me, with us," you say, tilting your head to grin at her.
"Doesn't feel like it," Sayaka mutters.
You purse your lips, grin fading. "Look, clarify for me: what do you mean about Kyouko being right? Do you mean that she was right about you not being able to switch powers properly?"
Sayaka shrugs. "I... I suppose," she says. "It makes me feel like I'm... a burden, you know? I can't fight... I can't do anything without having someone there to babysit me."
"You've been a magical girl for less time than I have. Yeah, you need support. That's in no way a mark against you," you say, shaking your head. "And Mami and Homura, well... You're comparing yourself to some of the best magical girls on the planet. They're possibly among the best to have ever lived. And Sayaka?"
You wait for her to look at you before continuing. "It's only a matter of practice before you match up. Yes, I won't deny, you need practice and support right now. But that's because your power needs time to ramp up. You need the experience, and you need to gather powers and experiment. Once you do..."
A rueful shake of your hand. "Sayaka, with your Wish, I expect you to exceed me someday. Someday soon, really."
"Yeah, right," Sayaka says, shaking her head.
You shrug, glancing ahead to check that you aren't about to swerve into any buildings. "I mean... Just look at the powers you already have. Do you want to join the police force? At this point, if you picked up a teleport power, you could be anywhere in the world with a platoon of clones. You could be the police. All of them, all the time."
"That sounds stupid," Sayaka says, wrinkling her nose.
"I'm completely serious about it," you say. "I've told you before. I want to help magical girls everywhere. Everywhere. You have an idea of the kind of fighting that happens - don't you think that being able to intervene would be amazing?"
Sayaka's quiet.
"You don't have to do that if you don't want to, of course. Being a hero isn't just about fighting," you say. "Let me see. You have flight. Add in wind powers or water powers -and we know where we can get that- and you could probably control the weather. Hell, I'm sure there must be magical girls out there with weather control already. We'll get you those powers eventually. You want to stop a hurricane in its tracks, you want to save thousands of lives? You can do it. Magic is versatile and amazingly powerful. You've got capabilities that can only grow, Sayaka, and honestly, you're on the road to godhood. Or at the very least an angel, one of those scary types that have to say 'Fear not' when they show up."
Sayaka snorts, but there's an amused little quirk of her lips now. "You're overselling it."
"I mean it," you say, and chuckle. "Being able to control the weather would be enough to get you worshipped, even now."
"... Fine," Sayaka says, shaking her head.
You sigh, rubbing at your face. "I get where you're coming from," you say. "It seems... too far off in the future, yeah?"
"Just a bit," Sayaka says.
"I mean it, regardless," you say. "I mean... like I said, being a hero isn't just about fighting, no matter what stories and manga and anime might tell you. Being a magical girl isn't just about fighting. It's about people. With your powers, you can do disaster recovery, healing... whatever you want."
"I guess," Sayaka says half-heartedly. "It's just... hard to believe."
You tip your head back, looking contemplatively at the clouds scudding across the sky. "Actually, you know what? Kyouko was right - when you're using your powers is exactly when you're, mm, when you shine. Kyouko's training is making sure that you get that opportunity."
"You really think I can do it?" Sayaka asks, sitting up and drawing her knees to her chest.
"Depends on what 'it' is," you say.
Sayaka makes an annoyed sound. "Become... become someone who isn't a burden, I suppose."
"Nah," you say. "Can't become something you already are. You're no more a burden for needing training or help to realise your potential than for... I dunno, needing to go to school. It's pretty much the same thing. You need training and practice and experience, and there's no shame in lacking any of that."
Sayaka blows out a gusty breath. "OK, then," she says. "I'll... try and believe it."
You grin at her. "Well, you know, we're going on a Witch hunt later, right? You've got all your powers - why not show off a bit, cut loose. See what you can do by combining them, or something. And don't forget that idea you had earlier, trying to use Kazumi's power as a shortcut."
"Oh, yeah," Sayaka says, brightening a bit. "I forgot about that. Do you think it'll work?"
"No way to know until you try it," you say. "Also, for the record, I do absolutely trust you. You've impressed Mami, I know that much, and I also know that Kyouko's a hundred and ten percent tsundere."
Sayaka barks out a startled laugh. "Eeeh?"
You wink at her. "Ask Yuma sometime."
... You hope you haven't set Sayaka up to be murdered by Kyouko for that comment.
Eh. Yuma'll heal her.
"I'm being set up, aren't I?" Sayaka asks flatly.
"Speaking of set ups, that reminds me," you say. "All joking aside? I'm pretty sure this is the first time Kyouko's actually, y'know, had a job, part-time as it is. I'm almost certain she's being harder on you because of that."
"I guess," Sayaka agrees, wrapping her arms around her knees and looking away.
Voting opens
[] What do you say?
[] Karaoke time!
[] Write-in (word count limit: 200 words)
=====
Have a half-update. Addresses some concerns, and applies amalgamated votes.
Sayaka shrugs. "I... I suppose," she says. "It makes me feel like I'm... a burden, you know? I can't fight... I can't do anything without having someone there to babysit me."
Sayaka snorts, but there's an amused little quirk of her lips now. "You're overselling it."
"I mean it," you say, and chuckle. "Being able to control the weather would be enough to get you worshipped, even now."
"... Fine," Sayaka says, shaking her head.
You sigh, rubbing at your face. "I get where you're coming from," you say. "It seems... too far off in the future, yeah?"
"Just a bit," Sayaka says.
"I mean it, regardless," you say. "I mean... like I said, being a hero isn't just about fighting, no matter what stories and manga and anime might tell you. Being a magical girl isn't just about fighting. It's about people. With your powers, you can do disaster recovery, healing... whatever you want."
"I guess," Sayaka says half-heartedly. "It's just... hard to believe."
[] Sigh. Lean back and swear. Stop the plane.
-[] Between the payments we're fronting, the training, the group hunts, the being ferried around on a grief platform... From her point of view, it must feel like nothing's changed, huh? She's still being taken care of, paid for, protected... And we don't see it, because all we see is "Sayaka is going to be incredible once things happen" and "who cares about 90k yen, there's more where that came from."
-[] Well, there's only one cure for that -- you'll have to throw her in the deep end, so to speak. Solo witch hunts, every day she isn't training with Kyouko. But please, please, she should keep the clear seed with her at all times and use it frequently because high corruption will affect her thought processes, and if she finds herself out of her depth she should contact Homura first, leading with a clear statement of her location, the word "help," and then following up with what the situation is.
--[] You're not worried about her competence, not after seeing her lately. You're worried -- and she should be too -- about what it would do to Madoka and Hitomi on the off chance something happened to her. Cascades are too common amongst groups of meguca and potentials; a death is probably Mitakihara's only weak point right now. She needs this, you can tell, but if she dies you'll kill her, okay?
---[] Standing policy: any time Sayaka goes off and does something like this alone, check in with her afterwards.
[] Hug Sayaka.
[] Whether she believes it or not, she's doing a great job. It's been less than a week and she's already one of the best melee fighters we know. The fight she gave us just now was one of the toughest one-on-one fights we've ever had. The only people we've faced who are better are ones who've been doing this for years. She's so good that we had to hire one of the best melee fighters in the region to have something new to teach her.
[] She's our friend. She's someone we can trust and rely upon. We worry about her, yeah, not because she's not strong but because we care. We worry about everyone. We worry about Homura, no matter how powerful she is, we worry about Kyouko... Mami's the greatest, but we worry about her the most of all. We're scared, all the time. Scared of losing the people we love. No matter how strong they are. Magical girls, no matter how strong, are all so fragile, deep down. We can't bear to lose anyone. This is the only family we've ever known.
We spend so much time trying to seem unflappable. Maybe it's time to show Sayaka some vulnerability. Let her see that Sabrina's no better than her. That these feelings are normal.
[]I found out recently Mami's ribbons can conduct my power but the feeling is extremely intrusive. Something you could do as soon as you, Mami, and I have free time. We find a good column in a warehouse somewhere. We wrap it in ribbons from both of you to see if that minimizes the load on both of you. And we see how far we can cleanse that way. Grief electromagnets. Worth a shot?
[] Hug Sayaka.
[] Whether she believes it or not, she's doing a great job. It's been less than a week and she's already one of the best melee fighters we know. The fight she gave us just now was one of the toughest one-on-one fights we've ever had. The only people we've faced who are better are ones who've been doing this for years. She's so good that we had to hire one of the best melee fighters in the region to have something new to teach her.
[] She's our friend. She's someone we can trust and rely upon. We worry about her, yeah, not because she's not strong but because we care. We worry about everyone. We worry about Homura, no matter how powerful she is, we worry about Kyouko... Mami's the greatest, but we worry about her the most of all. We're scared, all the time. Scared of losing the people we love. No matter how strong they are. Magical girls, no matter how strong, are all so fragile, deep down. We can't bear to lose anyone. This is the only family we've ever known.
We spend so much time trying to seem unflappable. Maybe it's time to show Sayaka some vulnerability. Let her see that Sabrina's no better than her. That these feelings are normal.
[] Hug Sayaka.
[] Whether she believes it or not, she's doing a great job. It's been less than a week and she's already one of the best melee fighters we know. The fight she gave us just now was one of the toughest one-on-one fights we've ever had. The only people we've faced who are better are ones who've been doing this for years. She's so good that we had to hire one of the best melee fighters in the region to have something new to teach her.
[] She's our friend. She's someone we can trust and rely upon. We worry about her, yeah, not because she's not strong but because we care. We worry about everyone. We worry about Homura, no matter how powerful she is, we worry about Kyouko... Mami's the greatest, but we worry about her the most of all. We're scared, all the time. Scared of losing the people we love. No matter how strong they are. Magical girls, no matter how strong, are all so fragile, deep down. We can't bear to lose anyone. This is the only family we've ever known.
We spend so much time trying to seem unflappable. Maybe it's time to show Sayaka some vulnerability. Let her see that Sabrina's no better than her. That these feelings are normal.
For that reason, and also because Sayaka seems to think that we're coddling her because we think she's weak. Why not show her that it's nothing wrong with her: we worry that way about everyone.
[] Sigh. Lean back and swear. Stop the plane.
-[] Between the payments we're fronting, the training, the group hunts, the being ferried around on a grief platform... From her point of view, it must feel like nothing's changed, huh? She's still being taken care of, paid for, protected... And we don't see it, because all we see is "Sayaka is going to be incredible once things happen" and "who cares about 90k yen, there's more where that came from."
-[] Well, there's only one cure for that -- you'll have to throw her in the deep end, so to speak. Solo witch hunts, every day she isn't training with Kyouko. But please, please, she should keep the clear seed with her at all times and use it frequently because high corruption will affect her thought processes, and if she finds herself out of her depth she should contact Homura first, leading with a clear statement of her location, the word "help," and then following up with what the situation is.
--[] You're not worried about her competence, not after seeing her lately. You're worried -- and she should be too -- about what it would do to Madoka and Hitomi on the off chance something happened to her. Cascades are too common amongst groups of meguca and potentials; a death is probably Mitakihara's only weak point right now. She needs this, you can tell, but if she dies you'll kill her, okay?
---[] Standing policy: any time Sayaka goes off and does something like this alone, check in with her afterwards.
Maaaaaybe an overreaction? Sending Sayaka on Solo hunts?
I understand feeling like we need to stop and speechify further, but Sayaka's made it pretty clear what's troubling her. She needs experiences, not promises. That doesn't mean sending her on Solo hunts, though.
We could set her up projects, ask her to work on her powers, make up new OP interactions, so she could carry a Witch hunt on her own, as long as someone's there to help if needed.
Hell, we could ask her to practice her clone power so she can help hunt Witches while she's at school, and that'd be something both fun and useful for her to do.
We might need to encourage Sayaka to get those experiences she needs, so we should think up reasonable, short term goals for Sayaka to reach.
In this thread, I mostly just lurk. There's way too much activity to bother keeping up with discussion unless I happen to spot a post that really catches my attention (and even then, while I do rather like PMMM, I don't consider myself a part of the franchise's fandom).
For that reason, and also because Sayaka seems to think that we're coddling her because we think she's weak. Why not show her that it's nothing wrong with her: we worry that way about everyone.
Hell, we could ask her to practice her clone power so she can help hunt Witches while she's at school, and that'd be something both fun and useful for her to do.
I'm not entirely sure if voting is open yet, since according to the update it's been open for two months, so....
[x] Hug Sayaka.
[x] Whether she believes it or not, she's doing a great job. It's been less than a week and she's already one of the best melee fighters we know. The fight she gave us just now was one of the toughest one-on-one fights we've ever had. The only people we've faced who are better are ones who've been doing this for years. She's so good that we had to hire one of the best melee fighters in the region to have something new to teach her.
[x] She's our friend. She's someone we can trust and rely upon. We worry about her, yeah, not because she's not strong but because we care. We worry about everyone. We worry about Homura, no matter how powerful she is, we worry about Kyouko... Mami's the greatest, but we worry about her the most of all. We're scared, all the time. Scared of losing the people we love. No matter how strong they are. Magical girls, no matter how strong, are all so fragile, deep down. We can't bear to lose anyone. This is the only family we've ever known.
Hm. Maybe we should also remind her that the money was not really a big loss to Sabs- she literally stole most of it from the yakuza, if memory serves. That, and her girlfriend is rich.
Maaaaaybe an overreaction? Sending Sayaka on Solo hunts?
I understand feeling like we need to stop and speechify further, but Sayaka's made it pretty clear what's troubling her. She needs experiences, not promises. That doesn't mean sending her on Solo hunts, though.
We could set her up projects, ask her to work on her powers, make up new OP interactions, so she could carry a Witch hunt on her own, as long as someone's there to help if needed.
Hell, we could ask her to practice her clone power so she can help hunt Witches while she's at school, and that'd be something both fun and useful for her to do.
We might need to encourage Sayaka to get those experiences she needs, so we should think up reasonable, short term goals for Sayaka to reach.
-[] Between the payments we're fronting, the training, the group hunts, the being ferried around on a grief platform... From her point of view, it must feel like nothing's changed, huh? She's still being taken care of, paid for, protected... And we don't see it, because all we see is "Sayaka is going to be incredible once things happen" and "who cares about 90k yen, there's more where that came from."
Whatever happens, we should depart from this reality somehow. And, uh, fairly quickly, I think. I do think we're being overprotective of her. She's demonstrated that she can handle herself against Kyouko. For most witches, that's waaaay more than enough.
Hm. Maybe we should also remind her that the money was not really a big loss to Sabs- she literally stole most of it from the yakuza, if memory serves. That, and her girlfriend is rich.
-[] Between the payments we're fronting, the training, the group hunts, the being ferried around on a grief platform... From her point of view, it must feel like nothing's changed, huh? She's still being taken care of, paid for, protected... And we don't see it, because all we see is "Sayaka is going to be incredible once things happen" and "who cares about 90k yen, there's more where that came from."
Remember that Sayaka feels indebted to Hitomi for Hitomi's generosity to her. Sayaka does not respond to arguments of "oh it was nothing," she knows how rich Hitomi is, she has to know that given their friendship. And yet she still feels indebted over it.
[x] Hug Sayaka.
[x] She's our friend. She's someone we can trust and rely upon. If she wants something she can do right now, her and Mami's ribbons can conduct your powers but the feeling is intrusive. You want to find out if coiling them can generate a wider area cleansing field. If she gets any ideas in that line, we would love to hear them. If she wants to do that experiment with us or see if she can take some of the load off Mami, she's welcome to.
[x] Magical girls, no matter how strong, are all so fragile, deep down. We can't bear to lose anyone. This is the only family we've ever known. You don't want to lose anyone to despair or witches. If a wish created you ex-nihilo, you and Homura and Mami and Kyoko and Madoka are the closest thing to a family you have.
I don't like the idea of any magical girl going solo. Fighting is a lot safer if you have at least one other person watching your back.
If Sayaka thinks that our worries indicate a lack of faith in her, I'd rather show her that it doesn't by admitting that we worry that way about everyone, no matter how capable. Because you know what? We do. We're constantly worrying about how Mami is doing, how Homura is doing, how Kyouko is doing. It's an honest response that humanizes us and shows that we don't think any less of her than we do of anyone else.
-[] Between the payments we're fronting, the training, the group hunts, the being ferried around on a grief platform... From her point of view, it must feel like nothing's changed, huh? She's still being taken care of, paid for, protected... And we don't see it, because all we see is "Sayaka is going to be incredible once things happen" and "who cares about 90k yen, there's more where that came from."
I can't hammer this in enough. This line I'm quoting is what matters. Everything else I wrote was window dressing. It doesn't matter that the money means nothing to us because it means everything to her. It doesn't matter that protecting her is on our priorities list anyways because the fact that she has to be protected at all means everything to her.
I don't like the idea of any magical girl going solo. Fighting is a lot safer if you have at least one other person watching your back.
If Sayaka thinks that our worries indicate a lack of faith in her, I'd rather show her that it doesn't by admitting that we worry that way about everyone, no wonder how capable. Because you know what? We do. We're constantly worrying about how Mami is doing, how Homura is doing, how Kyouko is doing. It's an honest response that humanizes us and shows that we don't think any less of her than we do of anyone else.
I'm not entirely sure if voting is open yet, since according to the update it's been open for two months, so....
[x] Hug Sayaka.
[x] Whether she believes it or not, she's doing a great job. It's been less than a week and she's already one of the best melee fighters we know. The fight she gave us just now was one of the toughest one-on-one fights we've ever had. The only people we've faced who are better are ones who've been doing this for years. She's so good that we had to hire one of the best melee fighters in the region to have something new to teach her.
[x] She's our friend. She's someone we can trust and rely upon. We worry about her, yeah, not because she's not strong but because we care. We worry about everyone. We worry about Homura, no matter how powerful she is, we worry about Kyouko... Mami's the greatest, but we worry about her the most of all. We're scared, all the time. Scared of losing the people we love. No matter how strong they are. Magical girls, no matter how strong, are all so fragile, deep down. We can't bear to lose anyone. This is the only family we've ever known.
Hugs would seem overbearing right now, for example. She's not Mami.
[] Hand on Sayaka's shoulder.
Also, less longwinded would be good. Sayaka does get tired of hearing us rant.
[] Tell her she's really good already. She kicked our ass no problem. And before she says our powers aren't melee oriented, well, hers aren't either. Both of us were holding back.
[] Apologize if it seems you're worrying too much for her. That's just you, you worry about everyone. Her, Kyouko, Yuma, Madoka... we worry about Homura a lot, and Mami most of all. We're scared of losing them.
-[Q] Not about Hitomi tho. She's too good.
I can't hammer this in enough. This line I'm quoting is what matters. Everything else I wrote was window dressing. It doesn't matter that the money means nothing to us because it means everything to her. It doesn't matter that protecting her is on our priorities list anyways because the fact that she has to be protected at all means everything to her.
[] Hand on Sayaka's Shoulder
-[] Apologize if it seems you're worrying too much for her. That's just you, you worry about everyone. Her, Kyouko, Yuma, Madoka... we worry about Homura a lot, and Mami most of all. We're scared of losing them.
-[] If she wants something she can do right now, her and Mami's ribbons can conduct your powers but the feeling is intrusive. You want to find out if coiling them can generate a wider area cleansing field. If she gets any ideas in that line, we would love to hear them. If she wants to do that experiment with us or see if she can take some of the load off Mami, she's welcome to.
By the way, considering we're all pretty sure Firn didn't mean to set the moratorium to end two months ago, can we respect the fact he intended for votes to not be open immediately after the update, and discuss before actually voting?
We know about the moratorium. It's not just a few numbers that physically stop us from pushing the vote button.
