Remove ads

Puella Magi Adfligo Systema

Reader mode
Reposting under the word limit:
[] Politely ask her to clarify what she means by "Magical Girl", just to make she we avoid any unfortunate misunderstandings.
-[] If she's not talking about meguca, cancel the rest of this vote and reconsider how to respond.

[] Softly ask if she's lost someone.
-[] Offer condolences, if so.
[] Talk about Hitomi's situation, her not being a Potential, and how she took the magic reveal.
-[] Then talk about your group, and how you've been trying to dissuade Contracts.
-[] Hitomi won't lose any of her friends if we can help it. And we can.

[] On that note, thank Mrs. Shizuki for talking with you.
-[] Subtly apologize to Mami. Share the fact you've been planning to tell adults about magic, because:
-[] Magical Girls are systematically cut off from their support network, with the intent of causing psychological problems.
-[] To be blunt, we need help. Share your unique Wish and your plan to help Magical Girls everywhere.
​
 
Holy-o-fuck, what HAPPENED in here!? Someone predicted five pages of crazy. That was ten pages ago.

Okay, so I'm trying to think of what we know or can infer from the past.

1. The Shizuki family absolutely reeks of money. Look at this freaking three-story penthouse in apartments that are upscale even by Mitakihara standards.
2. They have some kind of ties to real estate. Possibly as the owners of a number of properties. Remember Hitomi mentions rent for our immigrants needs to be paid to the building manager, NOT her family.
3. They're generous with friends of the family and generally seem very welcoming. This is observed directly, indirectly (Miki household), and reflected in their daughter (who I've honestly found pleasantly warm and genuine).
4. A bit traditional, though, and a bit... high-achievement. Look at how many extra-curricular activities Hitomi is involved with. And dad is taking an important (read: business) call when they come in. So he's likely either calling the shots in a company-wide emergency or calling the shots in an overseas meeting. Maybe mom manages the property portfolio?
5. Past experience with Hitomi would seem to indicate they like to cut through crap; that seems like something she picked up from home.

[X] "Ah. I... guess you've known some of us in the past, then?" Sullen acceptance. We all know it's a raw deal.
-[X] "What's on your mind?" Let her drive the conversation where she's comfortable and she'll probably give us plenty to work with.
--[X] If she happens to mention a friend or sister who contracted, THAT'S the time to look morose and express condolences.
--[X] She'll probably bring up her daughter; verify Hitomi is just a normal human friend. Emphasise how important that is.
[X] "I honestly didn't expect to have an opportunity this soon and you have me at somewhat of a disadvantage. Do you think we could meet some time this week to discuss a business proposal I'm putting together? I've got big plans and I could use the help..."
[X] Thank her, regardless of anything else.
 
Last edited:
Fucking hell, people, how is this fucking creepy? She goes "I've been through that too", we go "You lost someone? That fucking sucks.". Read the goddamn update. The last thing she says is "I was a teenager too, you know." You know what that sounds like to me? "I was in the war." Or maybe "I was in the tower when it fell." Or "My family has a history of early onset alzheimer's." Not responding to that with at least a shred of human compassion would mark us as being either naive noobs or as being the bad kind of magical girl.

Which, now that I think about, is probably yet another way that asking for clarification could go wrong. Odds are that she knows that being meguca sucks partially because there're a ton of magical girls that are Bad People. You know the other reason for giving a hypothetical magical girl the careful therapist treatment? If she's right, she does not want us to feel like we're cornered or to panic, because that's a great way for things to go very wrong very fast. So, instead of acting all paranoid, maybe we could try to be open and understanding instead? You know, like decent human beings.

Which also makes me notice:
Deathbybunnies said:
unfortunate misunderstandings.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I didn't think that this could get any worse, but it somehow did. You know what "Unfortunate misunderstandings" sounds like? "If you tell anyone I'm gonna break your legs." Find different words.

And yes, that is absolutely the level of care that we need to be taking with this vote.

Also, vote's not open, moratorium was fucked.
 
Last edited:
I think maybe I'm not being clear here

What I'm arguing against is the hedging I'm seeing, asking if she means what she says she means

I'm getting clarification myself, I'm just doing it in a way that hopefully doesn't come across as prevaricating or timidity
 
Vebyast said:
I didn't think that this could get any worse, but it somehow did. You know what "Unfortunate misunderstandings" sounds like? "If you tell anyone I'm gonna break your legs." Find different words.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Sure. How about:

[] Politely ask her to clarify what she means by "Magical Girl", just to make sure we avoid any confusion.
-[] If she's not talking about meguca, cancel the rest of this vote and reconsider how to respond.

[] Softly ask if she's lost someone.
-[] Offer condolences, if so.
[] Talk about Hitomi's situation, her not being a Potential, and how she took the magic reveal.
-[] Then talk about your group, and how you've been trying to dissuade Contracts.
-[] Hitomi won't lose any of her friends if we can help it. And we can.

[] On that note, thank Mrs. Shizuki for talking with you.
-[] Subtly apologize to Mami. Share the fact you've been planning to tell adults about magic, because:
-[] Magical Girls are systematically cut off from their support network, with the intent of causing psychological problems.
-[] To be blunt, we need help. Share your unique Wish and your plan to help Magical Girls everywhere.
 
Okay, so.

If Hitomi's mother really does mean something else... why the fuck would she preface it by saying that "this might sound strange" and use the specific term "magical girl"?

If she thinks it's LARPing or something, why pull Sabrina and Mami in particular aside?

If she means anything other than actual specific Kyuubey-contracted magical girls, then her behaviour is beyond strange, and we should be concerned that Hitomi's mother is crazy.

If anyone thinks there's even a shred of doubt about what she's talking about, they're deluding themselves.

E: Beyond that, we came here with the express intent of talking to her about magic, and here she is, asking about it straight up. Why play coy?
 
Last edited:
Redshirt Army said:
Okay, so.

If Hitomi's mother really does mean something else... why the fuck would she preface it by saying that "this might sound strange" and use the specific term "magical girl"?

If she thinks it's LARPing or something, why pull Sabrina and Mami in particular aside?

If she means anything other than actual specific Kyuubey-contracted magical girls, then her behaviour is beyond strange, and we should be concerned that Hitomi's mother is crazy.

If anyone thinks there's even a shred of doubt about what she's talking about, they're deluding themselves.

E: Beyond that, we came here with the express intent of talking to her about magic, and here she is, asking about it straight up. Why play coy?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
She's probably talking about meguca but:
a) She could think it means something else (a euphemism for lesbians does fit the scene as it stands).
b) It doesn't hurt to check.
c) We'd ideally talk to Hitomi about how best to approach this to achieve our goals and with minimal upset so if she doesn't know about meguca we'd like to take advantage of that and bring it up later after that discussion.
d) If she doesn't know about meguca it's kind of rude to unilaterally make the decision to bring her in without at least consulting Hitomi or even giving her a heads-up.
 
Last edited:
I sort of like DK's vote. Changes marked in green.

[ ] "Ah. I... guess you've known some of us in the past, then?" Look her in the eye and try to judge what her experience and current mindset is like. If she's just picked up "hip lingo" it's probably best not to tell her everything.
-[ ] Contact Hitomi via telepathy and let her know what's happening. Apparently her mom was in the know and she cornered us, so Hitomi should be ready. We'll try to defuse the situation as best we can, and avoid things spilling into her lap.
-[ ] Let Haruka drive the conversation where she's comfortable and she'll probably give us plenty to work with.
--[ ] If she happens to mention a friend or sister who contracted, be respectful. In the almost guaranteed circumstance they've passed, express condolences, but don't be condescending.
--[ ] She'll probably bring up her daughter; verify Hitomi is just a normal human friend. She doesn't even have the potential to become a magical girl, and even if she did you wouldn't bring her in on that - and if she's still worried, mention that Hitomi now has several powerful friends with a vested interest in seeing her safe.
[ ] Honestly, we were going to discuss bringing this up to her with Hitomi herself - we need money and will soon have the spare bodies to provide magical services, so if she has any ideas on how to run an operation like that we'd appreciate her financial support. We're not looking for a blank check.
[ ] Thank her, regardless of anything else.

Mostly phrasing changes. I think the "You've known some of us in the past then?" line might be vague enough to give us backpedal room if she thinks it's code for a drug ring or LARPing organization or Lesbian Support Group or whatever. In that case, we can either break for a vote or just obfuscicate until we can ask Hitomi.

I don't get why people think that a few seconds of being vague while we contact a friend so as not to step on her toes means we never tell Haruka anything. If Hitomi is resistant to the idea, we can press her pretty hard - we have a lot of reasons to tell her mom. But in the end, it really doesn't effect either of them directly; Hitomi is not meguca, and there are other fatcats than Mrs. Shizuki (in fact, if we wanted to be particularly devious and rather mean, we could even pull a kyuubey/5 year old and just let her dad in the know. Not that that would be at all intelligent, but I'm just pointing out that we don't need to tell her right now to tell her ever.)
 
shit the bed what the fuck

Tangentially related: Both Airi and Kanna observe meguca in the wild, and Kyuubey uses that as a icebreaker to tempt/coerce them into contracting. If they weren't potentials, they'd have been mindwiped. It's pretty much certain that she knows about the genuine article, but jumping directly into sufferings is presumptive.
 
OK, so, first of all, votes are open. Generally speaking, they open at 12:00 on UTC+0 after the update, whatever that is in your local time.

Second of all, yes, Hitommy1​ knows about meguca.

Third of all, it is not a safe assumption that she experienced a loss.

1​Also, yes, Hitommy™ is the official term. :V
 
Last edited:
Kind of feel like everyone saying we need Hitomi's permission for reasons related to her own security should give her more credit. She knows the score and what's at stake. As far as informed folks go, she's probably the most objective and rational sounding board we have available at the moment. And do you really think she's not going to understand what her own parents are like, either? "Sorry, she cornered us" is a perfectly valid response (of we're truly that concerned, brainmail her right now and say that).

Part of me expects her to be smug about it for days; "Why, what did you think would happen?" Another part expects her to pinch the bridge of her nose and say "Really? Again, mom? Could this not have waited until AFTER I'd picked Sabrina's brains for my English essay?"
 
Firnagzen said:
OK, so, first of all, votes are open. Generally speaking, they open at 12:00 on UTC+0, whatever that is in your local time.

Second of all, yes, Hitommy1​ knows about meguca.

Third of all, it is not a safe assumption that she experienced a loss.

1​Also, yes, Hitommy™ is the official term. :V
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
You know, upon bringing it up... Hitomi not experiencing a loss and still being on good terms with a powerful elder god meguca could explain why her family is kind of loaded.

EDIT: Helps to have a powerhouse in your Yakuza family if you know what I mean. :V
 
Last edited:
Firnagzen said:
Second of all, yes, Hitommy1​ knows about meguca.

Third of all, it is not a safe assumption that she experienced a loss.

1​Also, yes, Hitommy™ is the official term. :V
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Honestly, I wish we could resolve big questions/social minutiae like this in a manner that wasn't "throw a gigantic shitfit until Firn comes and spells it out for us". It's really fucking stupid, unfair to Firn on several levels, and also technically cheating.
 
Well, there we are. That opens some witty responses back up. :V

More seriously, if her tone is lighter than we were initially reading (having, potentially, not experienced a loss), we might want to go with a different opener? We should probably steer things towards Hitomi and her muggle-ness relatively quickly, but no need to fall over ourselves in a rush to reassure her.
 
[X] "We aren't the first Magical Girls you've known, are we?" Find out what she knows, but don't probe too hard.
[X] Confirm that you are magical girls, along with everyone but Madoka and Hitomi--though you hope it stays that way. Hitomi doesn't have the potential to become a magical girl, either. Madoka and Hitomi are both in the know, too.
[X] Address her concerns, and reassure her.
-[X] Strength, experience, and capability of your team.
-[X] Your specific power (Grief control)
-[X] Hitomi linked by telepathy, able to call for help at any time
-[X] Hitomi shows no desire or potential to contract.
[X] If the opportunity arises, bring up the subject of the incoming meguca refugees/immigrants, and the need to house them all.
 
Honestly the most terrifying revelation of this update was that adults don't just spontaneously appear fully formed in the world, and in fact the teenager is a gestational stage for the adult. How are other people not horrified by this?!!
 
Firnagzen said:
Third of all, it is not a safe assumption that she experienced a loss.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I have no idea how, since a request is the only way I can think of for her to have avoided being mind-wiped. But okay.

Well that makes everything difficult, because this also means we have no idea what she knows. She could now be anything up to and including an Incubator in disguise or literally a meguca yakuza empress. Most likely guess is... useful idiot that spreads contracts? No, she lives in mitakihara, Mami would've noticed that. Sooooo proceeding without more information is a terrible idea; guessing wrong in one direction scares even more crap out of her and guessing wrong in the other direction means we end up fighting with an adult that has good reason to believe she knows what's good for us.

[] Responsible, Capable Adult Mode.
[] Ask her how much she knows.
-[] Is she still connected to Kyubey's telepathy network?
-[] Does she know anything dangerous?
-[]

(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻)

This ain't gonna work, we need to be reacting to emotion and information on a sentence-by-sentence basis to feel her out without either implying something that either scares the shit out of her or makes her try to take over. Like, we can't even say "Don't worry, Hitomi's not a potential", because then she has reason to wonder why that's a good thing.

[] Engage Brinapilot.
-[] Responsible, professional adult. You can drop the image later if you don't need it, but it's easier to go back to being a teenager than it is to convince someone that you're all responsible.
-[] Oh, that makes things easier. You were actually planning to talk to her about it tonight if you got the chance.
-[] Confirm megucaness.
-[] Find out what she knows.
--[] Without setting off any infohazards. Be careful here, she might not even know that there are infohazards.
--[] Don't freak her out. If it turns out that she thinks magical girling is all sunshine and rainbows, break to voting.
-[] Address worries and offer reassurances as necessary
--[] Segue into the grand plan to solve cleansing.
 
Last edited:
SystemicHatter said:
Honestly the most terrifying revelation of this update was that adults don't just spontaneously appear fully formed in the world, and in fact the teenager is a gestational stage for the adult. How are other people not horrified by this?!!
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
We mustn't let Sayaka know about the kidbomb!

[X] "Ah. I... guess you've known some of us in the past, then?" Look her in the eye and try to judge what her experience and current mindset is like.
-[X] Contact Hitomi via telepathy and let her know what's happening. Apparently her mom was in the know and she cornered us, so Hitomi should be ready.
-[X] Let Haruka drive the conversation where she's comfortable and she'll probably give us plenty to work with.
--[X] If she happens to mention a friend or sister who contracted, be respectful. Curious is fine, but we don't need to pry into family business.
--[X] She'll probably bring up her daughter; make sure she knows that Hitomi isn't a potential, but that's honestly a good thing. Being a Magical Girl involves a lot of fighting - And unlike the anime version if you get thrown through a building you still have to wait out the bruises.
[X] Honestly, we were going to discuss bringing this up to her with Hitomi herself - We could really use some financial support, because (due to our abilities) we'll soon be dealing with a large population of vagabond girls. We'd be willing to work.
[X] Thank her, regardless of anything else.
 
Last edited:
Vebyast said:
It really, really does. Opportunity cost, "don't try to play stupid with me", plenty of other ways it could go wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
The point has been rendered moot by WOG, and you've been continually rude and hostile throughout the entire discussion. I don't know why you're trying to continue a now-pointless argument, but my opinion of you - previously fairly high, having seen you in other threads - has dropped precipitously. I request you drop the matter, because where previously engaging with you on points I felt you were incorrect on at least provided a counterpoint for other readers in the thread, there's no longer even that purpose.
 
Karnewarrior said:
--[X] She'll probably bring up her daughter; verify Hitomi is just a normal human friend. She doesn't even have the potential to become a magical girl, and even if she did you wouldn't bring her in on that - and if she's still worried, mention that Hitomi now has several powerful friends with a vested interest in seeing her safe.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
No longer safe; I no longer believe that we can establish that she knows that being meguca is suffering. If she thinks that magical girls are rainbows and unicorns we will have to burst her bubble, and doing that needs to be handled in its own vote.
 
Reader mode
You must login or register to reply here.
Remove ads
Back
Top