There's probably going to be a reception of the manager before anything else, or an event similar to when you unlock Binah.
Also, I am wondering if our floor, who is explicitly refusing to answer to Angela, wouldn't be a place where we can *relax and be ourself*, you know, stretch our wings a little, the place is a recreation of the facility, I wouldn't be surprised if it had the ability to contain us.
Jeanne's name became synonymous with the word "Saint". While very few people would know of Dias' influence in the smoke war.
And here's the biggest thing when you think about it that way. Ayin is the sole person responsible for the Smoke War. Sure, Hokma and Dias helped. But Ayin WILL make the smoke war happens regardless of if Hokma was around or not, regardless of if Dias would've taken up Ayin's offer to dismantle L corp or not.
Carmen is the beginning point of ALL of this. Her love/inspiration for Ayin granted him the sheer obsession and dedication needed to cause the Smoke War in the first place. She was the source of everything, from Cognito, Angela's birth to all the stories of the Sephirah. Her KP wouldn't have been lowered by even a speck even if Hokma and Dias weren't around.
Dias and Hokma are important, but they are not as important as Ayin and Carmen are by a long long shot. If you remove Ayin or Carmen from the equation, either the story wouldn't have begun at all, or it would've ended the moment Binah killed most of the workers in the Old Lab. Without Dias, it's not too impossible to think that Ayin would've found another way eventually. Without Hokma, Ayin would've been in a much worse position...but that man is if nothing else, fanatically dedicated.
Also, I am wondering if our floor, who is explicitly refusing to answer to Angela, wouldn't be a place where we can *relax and be ourself*, you know, stretch our wings a little, the place is a recreation of the facility, I wouldn't be surprised if it had the ability to contain us.
Mentioning this. I wonder where this floor of the library fits into our Abnormality background. Given how Daughter of Sun and Moon (DoSaM or Dosam)'s flashback never mentioned anything relating to the Library.
Jeanne's name became synonymous with the word "Saint". While very few people would know of Dias' influence in the smoke war.
And here's the biggest thing when you think about it that way. Ayin is the sole person responsible for the Smoke War. Sure, Hokma and Dias helped. But Ayin WILL make the smoke war happens regardless of if Hokma was around or not, regardless of if Dias would've taken up Ayin's offer to dismantle L corp or not.
Very few to no people also knew of Madoka. KP has no direct relation to being known, only that being widely known is usually a form of influence.
I wonder now that you've brought it up. I don't think the "somebody else could've done it" bit matters for KP?
Surely, Homura and Madoka's entire thing was not certain and hinged on many things going just "right", same as many other people.
As for whether Ayin could've just found someone else with the same qualities of both pretty insane ambition and influence, while being willing to do this plan...
I don't really agree, but I think this becomes just a different intepretation at this point, than something that can be argurd for objectively.
Even then, I highly doubt Dias of all people would be even comparable to any of the characters stuck in a time loop. Karmic Potential seems to be hyper-boosted the more "time loops" happens because of you. Seeing as Madoka was pretty normal (though still strong) as far as MGs go before Homura started her 10 years loops.
Dias wouldn't say, have nearly as insane a KP as Hokma, who contributed to the Smoke War, AND also he was stuck in a 10,000 years loop.
The KP of normal people, or even exceptional ones, is still incomparable to one with a time loop. We could discuss this all day. But no matter what, the time loops prove to be the decisive factor regarding how high one's KP is.
As for the, someone could've done it bit. Oh, I know. It doesn't matter. However, when talking about exceptionally extraordinary people like Ayin, Hokma, Carmen, and some of the people in the original gang, it should be taken into account.
As for whether Ayin could've just found someone else with the same qualities of both pretty insane ambition and influence while being willing to do this plan...
Well, that went about as well as it could have. You have a new Sapling, Punishing Bird is safely away from people who could accidentally aggravate it, and you have some indication that the other two Birds might be out as well. Admittedly that last part is actually bad news, but it's better you know about it than you don't. In the meantime, you now have a ten year old child to deal with. This may not have been an ideal trade-off, but you're already looking after four other children. One more can't be that much harder, can it?
Yes.
Yes it can.
For one thing, Yuma's probably been declared missing if she's been gone for as long as you think. You don't have any avenues to gain custody of her without enlisting Kyubey's help, and that would necessitate making him aware of the kid. If she has the potential to become a Magical Girl, that's one more person you have to do your best to talk out of Contracting. Even if she doesn't, it's unlikely Kyubey won't try and extract some sort of compensation in exchange for his interference. You could leverage Mami's presence against that, but that feels a bit manipulative to start out with. Yuma will need somebody to take care of her, and you're short on options.
"Miss Manager?" Yuma pipes up, interrupting your calculations. "What happened to Mister Bird?"
"He just went back to wherever he came from. It would be dangerous if he kept wandering around," you answer with more confidence than you actually have. You're not exactly sure what happens to Abnormalities who return to their Sapling, but that seems about right. The Saplings themselves feel more like passages than cages, so you don't think the Abnormalities are trapped in them. If that were the case, you would have released Blue Star when its Sapling disappeared. Your answer is apparently enough for the child, whose sadness is almost completely dismissed. While she's just a bit less confident than she was before, it seems the greenette has bounced back from their previous caretaker's disappearance rather quickly.
You tear out a chunk of the earth and the Sapling along with it, gently placing it in Yuma's hands. She stares at the glowing flora with wonder, occasionally poking at its branches and watching the scattering golden dust vanish in the still air. After having toyed with the anomalous object for a few seconds, Yuma looks up at you.
"What's this?"
"It's a Sapling. They're sort of like storage mechanisms for special equipment," you answer. She really does like asking questions you don't really know the answer to, doesn't she?
"So, where do you want to go now? Is there somewhere you've been staying recently?" you start. While you're pretty sure Yuma doesn't have a place to stay, making assumptions at this point would be a horrible error. Even if the kid's been resilient so far, she looks barely ten. Her stability can only go so far. Luckily, she seems to be doing fine so far.
"Yuma doesn't have anywhere to stay. Please, will you take care of Yuma like Mister Bird said?" the girl pleads, eyes wide and staring up at you. Well, that settles it easily enough then. Mami has an oddly well-stocked pantry from what you've seen, so supporting a third person shouldn't be too difficult. If it comes down to it, being an Abnormality means you probably don't need to eat.
"Alright then, hold on tight." you announce as you scoop Yuma up. The small girl gives little sign of surprise and clutches the uprooted Sapling to her chest with one arm, wrapping the other around the back of your neck. With the setting sun painting the small grove a warm, soft red, you push off the ground and head home.
—————————
When you arrive, Mami's door is unlocked and you can smell dinner already prepared. It seems she wins this round. You open the door to see Mami stepping into the main room to greet you, having switched into casual clothes some time since you parted. The second she sees you, her eyes light up.
"X! I'm glad to see you again, it feels like you were gone for a long time. Were you alright? You seemed…" her voice trails off and her smile dies when she sees Yuma. A small girl in dirty and worn-out clothes, younger than she is, clinging nervously to your side. "Who is this?" she asks, switching to a softer, gentler smile. Yuma leans out slightly, gazing hesitantly into Mami's apartment.
"This is Yuma. I found her being taken care of by an Abnormality, and apparently she doesn't have anywhere else to go. I was hoping we would be able to take care of her at least for a little while."
There is no hesitation before Mami answers. "Of course. I'll go set up a third plate!" And with that, Mami disappears back into the kitchen.
You step into the apartment, Yuma following just behind you. Her nerves are steadily disappearing, Mami's general friendly and welcoming attitude going a long way towards putting her at ease. She hesitantly plants herself on the couch, then almost immediately flips down onto it. A low chuckle escaped your lips at the scene.
Soon, Mami returns from the kitchen with three plates. Yuma is nervous at first, but the second she takes a bite the last traces of fear vanish. She digs into the dinner with great enthusiasm, which leaves Mami practically beaming with pride. Between mouthfuls, Yuma manages to exposit a bit more of her life as you and Mami carefully prod at her history.
Apparently, her parents were either absent or abusive. Yuma had been staying with them up until a few days ago, when her mother was killed by Punishing Bird. After that, she left and ended up wandering the streets along with the Abnormality until she ran into you. It seems a bit odd that she just decided to travel with the same Abnormality that killed one of her parents, but then again "odd" has never been… well, odd for you to encounter. As far as the strangest things to happen recently, it hardly even breaks the top ten. Mami seems far more unsettled by the story than you or Yuma, and it takes some reassuring that the Abnormality in question has already been dealt with. The Sapling has been replanted outside the apartment in an alley behind a dumpster where nobody should find it, as has the other. Hopefully you'll be able to resolve them soon.
Eventually the conversation drifts onto legal issues with Yuma's custody. Her father is still alive and technically has guardianship over her, and as neglectful as you've heard him to be he will probably come looking for her eventually.
"X can adopt Yuma, and then Mami can be Yuma's Big Sis!" the small girl announces cheerfully, as if she'd just discovered the secret to eternal life. Mami's face goes red and she turns away, embarrassed.
"X isn't… she isn't actually my mother. We just live together." she admits, ashamed. Yuma stares at her in confusion.
"Oh." Yuma's momentary enthusiasm is extinguished, leaving Mami even more ashamed and practically sinking into the floor. "Well, X can still adopt Yuma!"
Then, as if waiting for the exactly that moment, Kyubey appears out of nowhere. He's in full "good first impressions" mode, hopping down into Mami's lap and curling up like the pet he isn't. Yuma stares in wonder at the alien, completely unaware of its true colors.
"What's this?"
Mami smiles at Yuma, gesturing down at the contract-maker. "This is Kyubey. He is a good friend of mine."
"Okay. Hello Kyubey!" Yuma chirps cheerfully. Nothing really fazes this kid, does it?
"If you would like, I could arrange for X to be given custody of Chitose Yuma and Tomoe Mami." Kyubey relays in its saccharine voice. You don't mind too much, since that would make things much more convenient for you.
"Yes, that would certainly be very hel- wait, what was that?" Mami chokes mid-sentence, having realized exactly what Kyubey proposed. For the second time that day, Mami's face turns scarlet. Her composure falls completely, much to Yuma's confusion and your amusement.
"I couldn't- X wouldn't want to- It would be such an imposition-" Mami scrambles to say something, unable to string together a sentence. You decide to chip in and be unhelpful.
"Actually, I wouldn't mind. I probably would've proposed it at some point as well." you add casually, keeping the laughter on the inside. You can't help but smile, though. You only have vague memories of Ayin and Carmen's experiences raising children, but you know enough to know that it's an immense responsibility. But that's never stopped you from doing what's necessary before, and it won't this time either. Mami deserves it.
Your declaration cuts off Mami's frantic speech, leaving her in stunned silence. She sits there, unmoving, expression frozen on her face, for a few seconds. It seems like you broke her. Yuma crawls down to pole at the older girl's side, shaking her out of her reverie.
"Are you alright?" the younger girl asks. Mami shakes her head slightly, then answers.
"I am fine, thank you. I just… didn't expect that, is all. If she would have me, I would be happy to accept X's care."
Dinner goes on from there, but there is much less eating and much more talking.
—————————
Dinner finishes, and Mami steps back into the kitchen to clean up. Yuma retreats into the guest room, and you follow Mami.
"Did you… really mean what you said?"
Her voice is even and calm, but you can hear the tremor.
"Of course. I wouldn't have said something like that if I didn't mean it."
The kitchen is silent but for the keening of the tap and the muffled sounds of Yuma's joy from the guest room.
Reveals…
[] Card EGO Gifts
[] You are an Abnormality
[] Write-in
——————————————— Der Freischütz'sSapling - Observation Level 1/3 Punishing Bird'sSapling - Observation Level 1/2
I decided to go along with X adopting Mami outside of vote since I'm pretty sure I already know what to expect. If people are against it I'll rewrite the chapter and take it out.
Oh, and feel free to vote for more than one thing. You aren't going to run out of time unless you really go overboard on the exposition.
Detailed write-ins specifying exactly what information you are and are not giving away are encouraged.
Eh. I'm not against it. In fact, I support it. Mami deserves to have an adult figure in her life.
And even if I am, it doesn't matter that much. (Though once this whole PokeAbnormality thing is done, X should go get a job because I still don't know how the hell is Mami providing for herself)
As for any of the two bombs...Uh...I don't think we should choose any of the two. Though honestly speaking, the EGO Card gift is probably a less volatile subject to approach. Or maybe we can just socialize with the girl honestly.
Since we already tried approaching the EGO Gift topic before. I am not sure if this time around it will make any difference.
As for revealing that we are an abnormality...that's too risky. Plus I don't think that's something your new mom should do right after dropping that she would be happy to adopt you. A bit heavy of a topic choice.
Edit: I'll eait for people's opinion first before voting.
[X] Check whether Mami is okay.
-[X] If yes, approach the topic of EGO Gift and You are an Abnormality.
--[X] If no, calm her down and then approach the topic of EGO Gift and You are an Abnormality.
Or apply for a manager role at literally any where. She got 10,000 years of experience...though we would have to rely on QB to forge us a background in this case (another reason to rely on the evil kitty cat).
Potential seems to be hyper-boosted the more "time loops" happens because of you. Seeing as Madoka was pretty normal (though still strong) as far as MGs go before Homura started her 10 years loops.
It should be noted that these two things are not the same. LoboCorp's 'time loops' only affect the facility itself, the City around it is completely unaffected beside the final result. Homura's time loops, as conferred by Kyubey, wound the karmic weight of every timeline she left behind around Madoka.
Now for the vote, well. It would only be fair to give Mami disclosure before adopting her. At the same time, she may take it badly... but yeah, I already gave myself the answer. Girl is old enough to get a say.
[X] You are an Abnormality
[X] Card EGO Gifts
There we go, but placed the other way around; it makes more sense to start with being an Abnormality and then going into the cards being X's EGO gift.
Mami seems to be in distress at the end of the chapter there...or atleast in some state of shock.
I do not think we should introduce our true self to Mami just yet.
Atleast gives her sometime to process us "adopting" her first. I dont think any responses she give us about the two options will be of sound mind.
[X] Check whether Mami is okay.
-[X] If yes, approach the topic of EGO Gift and You are an Abnormality.
--[X] If no, calm her down and then approach the topic of EGO Gift and You are an Abnormality.
It feels a bit too risky to just jump her with the topics right after that declaration. At the very least we should make sure shes okay first.
Edit: Like imagine how horrifying it is to reveal to her that shes been living with and willingly subjected herself to a mind control monster, that is basically similar to the same witches she fights every day.
[X] Check whether Mami is okay.
-[X] If yes, approach the topic of EGO Gift and You are an Abnormality.
--[X] If no, calm her down and then approach the topic of EGO Gift and You are an Abnormality.
Mami is defined by loneliness.
And most of her students left her over her morals in not farming familiars (even passively) for Seeds.
X doesn't need Grief Seeds. And offered to legally bind herself to taking care of her.
X basically just offered Mami that X will be socially expected to take care of her and most importantly never leave her.
And she offered that basically on her own.
So maybe consider that while votecrafting.
---
Also some ideas about how X should make money:
preferred: something that lets her give attention to her kids
necessary: decent wage so the kids can have it relatively cushy even with Mami (and any other adopted MG) having to keep hunting Witches
Ideas: Maybe patent some product or Idea X knows from Back at the Corporation. Something in A's memories should be marketable even without involving Singularities.
Or:
X should have many insights into the workings of the human brain. Even without Cogito she should be able to work with that.
Maybe she could work as a Brain Surgeon or so? She seems to work decently well with time intensive precision work where one mistake can be horrible.
Or once again patent some methods for safely dealing with human Brains or the like.
Alternatively:
X always has 4 unpaid and equipped interns with her at all times (the Pinks). So doing the work of five while getting the pay of five people should be possible.
So House moving, Heavyweight delivery or other things where having 4 fully obedient and professional workers that you do not need to pay or equip would be useful.
And X doesn't need to sleep, so having her work at night so her kids can get attention by Day would be very doable.
[X] Check whether Mami is okay.
-[X] If yes, approach the topic of EGO Gift and You are an Abnormality.
--[X] If no, calm her down and then approach the topic of EGO Gift and You are an Abnormality.
[X] Ask mami if she would be fine with being adopted by you and if she is okay
-[X] regardless of choice..... explain your current worries to her and if you beilive she can handle it, the truth and knowledge of yourself and your origins in the gentlest way possible, help her to be calm and comfortable during this
-[X] after revealing information and getting a yes ask her if she's truly sure, if she is truly fine with us being their parent despite our nature and our flaws and that it's okay to say no
-[X] once all is said and done and we are sure to be alone with kyubey, ask him 'Why', why help us do this, why is he giving us this offer
While she's just a bit less confident than she was before, it seems the greenette has bounced back from their previous caretaker's disappearance rather quickly.
Still the only case of pep talk as a reaction to the witchbomb in canon, the closest reaction is actually Tart, who barely cared from what I remember, and whose reaction to the lichbomb was to outright thank Kyubey for proving the existence of her immortal soul.
Eventually the conversation drifts onto legal issues with Yuma's custody. Her father is still alive and technically has guardianship over her, and as neglectful as you've heard him to be he will probably come looking for her eventually.
She actually has an uncle or grandfather, don't remember which, who would be happy to take care of her and actually a good caretaker, if you want to go that way.
I decided to go along with X adopting Mami outside of vote since I'm pretty sure I already know what to expect. If people are against it I'll rewrite the chapter and take it out.
This is a setting where *miscommunication kills* is very literal, trying to hide this is just asking for Kyubey to reveal it at the worst possible time so as to kill Mami or make her witch out.
Ideas: Maybe patent some product or Idea X knows from Back at the Corporation. Something in A's memories should be marketable even without involving Singularities.
Just patent the technology for a nuclear fusion reactor, given the level of technology in the City, I'm pretty sure this is cheap change for them. LobCorp's predecessor was literraly extracting energy from hell, after all, you don't go for things like this unless you consider fusion too weak for your needs.
And for the vote:
[X] Check whether Mami is okay.
-[X] If yes, approach the topic of EGO Gift and You are an Abnormality.
--[X] If no, calm her down and then approach the topic of EGO Gift and You are an Abnormality.
[X] Ask mami if she would be fine with being adopted by you and if she is okay
-[X] regardless of choice..... explain your current worries to her and if you beilive she can handle it, the truth and knowledge of yourself and your origins in the gentlest way possible, help her to be calm and comfortable during this
-[X] after revealing information and getting a yes ask her if she's truly sure, if she is truly fine with us being their parent despite our nature and our flaws and that it's okay to say no
-[X] once all is said and done and we are sure to be alone with kyubey, ask him 'Why', why help us do this, why is he giving us this offer
First things
Lords above and below doptera stop making me choke on air and my soda you mad lad, there's only so much I can take not to mention my lungs don't quit appreciate the fizzy soda payload
And second
It should be her decision whether to be adopted or not by us, no need to force it and regardless she should go into it full well knowing our nature even if it's a minimal picture since can't handle the entire truth
And the last..... I simply need to know, is kyubey doing this out of pragmatism, energy acquisition, or something else
Does he have sinister intent or benign ones?
I admittedly have a small glimmer of hope that in this case he is simply trying to be nice in it's own pragmatic way and trying to cement our alliance
I just don't know
This is a setting where *miscommunication kills* is very literal, trying to hide this is just asking for Kyubey to reveal it at the worst possible time so as to kill Mami or make her witch out.
By that logic, we should also tell her about magical girls turning into witches, that her soul is in a rock, and that Kuybey is physically incapable of caring about her and is using her to farm contracts.
Just patent the technology for a nuclear fusion reactor, given the level of technology in the City, I'm pretty sure this is cheap change for them. LobCorp's predecessor was literraly extracting energy from hell, after all, you don't go for things like this unless you consider fusion too weak for your needs.
Or we could patent and develop some of Kali's implants. X couldn't make all of them, but she replicated a lot them, and clearly they work here. Just gotta figure out production.
As for the vote, explaining the E.G.O. gifts without explaining that X is (essentially) an Abnormality would just cause her more distress. Explaining that X is an Abnormality might lead to her figuring out where the E.G.O. gift came from on her own. So it's all or nothing to me.
Honestly I'm not worried about Mami's reaction. At all. She knows X and trusts her, she can take this bit of news. X told her she'd be happy to be her mom, and there's been real build up to that. It's set on a solid foundation. A foundation build on a bit of mental fuckery, but that doesn't change X's sincerity.
I'm more worried about X. She firmed up by reminding herself that she chose to be human, but that was all in her head. She was in anguish. Having to tell someone else is much harder, that's putting it out into the world. And when stressed Abnormalities... well, good thimgs usually don't happen.
For me, the question isn't if Mami can take it. The question is if X can take it.
And the last..... I simply need to know, is kyubey doing this out of pragmatism, energy acquisition, or something else
Does he have sinister intent or benign ones?
I admittedly have a small glimmer of hope that in this case he is simply trying to be nice in it's own pragmatic way and trying to cement our alliance
I just don't know
Huh, didn't we talk before this chapter about how 10.000 years on a time loop creates a huge amount of KP? Maybe Kyubey just sees us as something profitable. Ooooor, maybe an effect of being around us? Exposure to the light and all that. (Doubt it)
Aside from that, I'm really curious on seeing X start a slice of life adopting everyone.
EDIT: We are the only abno who doesn't immediately kill the ferret... We did trade info with him some long time ago, but he couldn't understand/learn about what we told him because it always died/the Abnos escaped.
Today, I woke up, and having never played Library of Ruina and only having an at best tenuous grasp on the mechanics based on what I've read on this forum page and a few brief wiki dives, I chose to be stupid and self-indulgent. So now everyone gets to see me try my hand at gathering together a few of the Passives and Pages people here came up with for X to use in a Reception, as well as sprinkling in a number of my own ideas.
This can only end poorly-I mean, amazingly.
Did my best to make this a SotC/Impuritas level threat, but might have screwed that up. Or made an unwinnable fight. IDK! Stat Block is mostly vague because this is already probably a supremely unbalanced mess and I'm not sure I wanna make things even more broken. I'll probably make a very bad א's 'Page' eventually, but for now... I've spent almost the entire day trying to figure this thing out. Creative Fruits have been Juiced. Brain tree needs time to grow new ones.
X's stats: The ink has bled too much for this section to be especially legible... HP: 500ish Stagger: Around 300 Emotion Level: 510Starting Speed Dice: 3 Dice rolling 3-6
Maximum Speed Dice: 6 Dice rolling 3-6 Starting Max Light: 5
X has... at minimum 6 Passives. Might be more if LoR has fitting ones already made or something, but I wouldn't know because the only ones I can name are Speed and Shimmer. The ones listed are just ones I cobbled together from a barely-functional understanding, and a Passive or two someone else came up with in this very forum. X very explicitly does not have Shimmer, and is on some level designed around this.
X's Notable Passives:
Speed III: +1 Speed Die, Gain an additional Speed Die at Emotion Level III
Cogito Ephemera I: Recover 2 Light per Scene. Whenever X gains 2 or more Emotion Coins in a Scene, recover 1 additional Light.
Below Emotion Level V, Heal 5 HP and Recover 5 Stagger at the end of every Scene.
Daughter of the Sun & Moon
X can continue gaining Emotion Coins beyond Emotion Level V. Every time she would gain a new Emotion Level beyond V, gain a Cracking Façade Level instead. Cracking Façade has varying effects depending on its level.
Cracking Façade:
Gain one maximum Light for each Level.
At Level 3, gain +1 speed and dice gain 1 power.
At Level 5, remove all Cracking Façade Levels and change into א (Incomplete).
Keter Meltdown: Certain Pages in X's Deck are unusable below a specific Emotion Level.
Certain Pages in X's Deck are unusable above a certain Emotion Level.
Certain Pages in X's Deck change based on Emotion Level.
Interpretation I: Whenever an Abnormality Page is used, there is a 10% chance for X to attempt to use a Page from the same Abnormality.
Qliphoth Overload I: If X is below Emotion Level V when staggered, she gains 2 NegativeEmotion Coins.
If X is at Emotion Level V or higher when defeated, she revives at 50% HP and gains 1 Cracking Facade Level.
I'm reasonably sure X's deck is... excessive. As in Fuckhuge for what you usually see in LoR. But there were a lot of ideas I wanted to cover, and it got a bit complex, so... Once again, odds are there are fitting Pages already made that X could have used instead, but here are mine. Mostly. Mostly mine.
Distracted Defense: 2-3 Block, 2-4 Evade
At Emotion Level 3+, all instances of Distracted Defense are replaced with Instinct Work
Cost 1 Light
Intellectual Inquiry: 1-3 Piercing Stagger
On Use: +2 Power this Scene
On Clash: Gain 1 PositiveEmotion Coin
At Emotion Level 3+, all instances of Intellectual Inquiry are replaced with Insight Work
Cost 1 Light
Instinct Work: 4-6 Block, 4-6 Evade
On Clash: Gain 1 PositiveEmotion Coin
On Clash Loss: Counter for 6-8 Blunt HP
Cannot be drawn if X is at Cracking Façade Level 1+
If X is at Cracking Façade Level 1+ while this Page is in hand, discard & draw a new Page
Cost 1 Light
Insight Work: 4-7 Piercing Stagger, 2-4 Piercing HP
On Hit: Gain 1 PositiveEmotion Coin
On Hit: Reduce target Light by 1, increase X's Light by 1
Cannot be drawn if X is at Cracking Façade Level 1+
If X is at Cracking Façade Level 1+ while this Page is in hand, discard & draw a new Page
Cost 1 Light
Sword Sharpened With Tears: 5-8 Piercing HP, 5-8 Piercing HP, 5-8 Piercing HP
Each time a die rolls Max, inflict 3% HP damage, ignore resistances.
Cannot be drawn unless X is at Emotion Level 3+
Cannot be drawn if X is at Cracking Façade Level 2+
If X is at Cracking Façade Level 2+ while this Page is in hand, discard & draw a new Page
Cost 3 Light
Attachment Work: Heal all opponents for 4-6HP, then inflict 2 Feeble & 2 Disarm next Scene
On Max Healing: Gain 2 Positive Emotion Coins
At Emotion Level 4+, whenever Attachment Work is drawn there is a chance to replace it with either Spark of Annoyance or Flash of Irritation.
Each Emotion/Cracking Façade Level beyond Emotion Level 4 increases this chance further
Cost 2 Light
Spark of Annoyance: 13-15 Piercing Stagger, 4-7 Piercing Stagger
Mass Attack - Individual
+1 Power per NegativeEmotion Level
+1 Power per Cracking Façade Level
On Max Stagger damage: Gain 1 NegativeEmotion Coin Repression Work and Spark of Annoyance cannot be used in the same Scene
If Spark of Annoyance and Flash of Irritation are used in the same Scene: Gain 2 Strength next Scene
Can only be used once every 3 Scenes
Cost 3 Light
Flash of Irritation: 13-15 Piercing HP, 4-7 Piercing HP
Mass Attack - Individual
+1 Power per NegativeEmotion Level
+1 Power per Cracking Façade Level
On Max HP damage: Gain 1 NegativeEmotion Coin Repression Work and Flash of Irritation cannot be used in the same Scene
If Spark of Annoyance and Flash of Irritation are used in the same Scene: Gain 2 Strength next Scene
Can only be used once every 3 Scenes
Cost 3 Light
Lobotomy: 7-9 Slashing Stagger
On Hit: Invert target Status Effects next Scene (I.E. if target has stacks of Strength this Scene, give equal stacks of Feeble next scene. Does nothing to Burn, Paralysis and Bleed.)
Cannot be drawn unless X is at Emotion Level 4+
Cost 1 Light
Repression Work: Heal 12-20 HP, Recover 7-16 Stagger.
On Max Stagger Recovery: Reduce Cracking Façade Level by 1 to a minimum of 0
On Non-Max Stagger Recovery: Gain 2 NegativeEmotion Coins Repression Work and Flash of Irritation cannot be used in the same Scene Repression Work and Spark of Annoyance cannot be used in the same Scene
Cannot be drawn unless X is at Emotion Level 5+
At Cracking Façade Level 4+, all instances of Repression Work are replaced with Sealed Grandeur
Cost 2 Light
Sickening Crack: 15-20 Blunt Stagger
On use: Take 9-15 Blunt HP Damage, ignore resistances.
On use: Gain 2 NegativeEmotion Coin
Cannot be drawn unless X is at Cracking Façade Level 1+
Cost 1 Light
Blood of Gleaming Rot: 10-14 Slashing HP, 10-14 Slashing HP
On hit: Inflict 4 Bleed onto target
If this Page is used in the same Scene as Flesh of Withering Steel, inflict an additional 4 Bleed onto target
Cannot be drawn unless X is at Cracking Façade Level 2+
Cost 1 Light
Flesh of Withering Steel: 8-10 Block, 8-10 Block, 8-10 Block
If this Page is used in the same Scene as Blood of Gleaming Rot, gain 2 Protection next Scene
Cannot be drawn unless X is at Cracking Façade Level 2+
Cost 2 Light
Sound of a Star: 7-13 Blunt Stagger, 7-13 Blunt Stagger, 7-13 Blunt Stagger.
Ignore Resistances.
If the target is staggered by this Page, deal 3 instances of 7-11 Blunt HP damage
Cannot be drawn unless X is at Cracking Façade Level 2+
Cost 3 Light
Echo of Decay: 4-7 Piercing HP Damage, ignore resistances.
Mass Attack - Individual
On Hit: Deal 4% Piercing HP Damage, ignore resistance
On Use: Take 4% Piercing HP Damage, ignore resistances
On Use: Gain 1 Negative Emotion Coin
Cannot be drawn unless X is at Cracking Façade Level 3+
Cost 2 Light
Sealed Grandeur: Heal 10% HP, Recover 10% Stagger
On Use: Add 2 Echo of Decay to hand next Scene
Cannot be drawn unless X is at Cracking Façade Level 4+
Cost 5 Light
As you can see, X's theme is pretty much Emotion Fuckery™️ and things that synergize with Emotion Fuckery™️. IDK if that's a thing or not but I guess brain took what few mechanics I knew and decided that would be fun to mess with some. Is it a good mechanic? Maybe. Is it implemented well? Probably not. Is it even remotely balanced? Ahahaha how the hell would I know that??
Also you probably figured out why X doesn't get Shimmer, but just in case I'll explain. But first...
...Wait. There's more. Because I did FLAAAVOR TEEEXT!!!!
Battle Start:
"So this is what Angela did with the Light. How interesting."
Emotion Level I:
"I've always wondered what others would use the Light for. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't this."
"Tell me, how does it all work? It's been some time since I could truly speak with another scholar."
Emotion Level II:
"Seeing just what the Light can do in the hands of another… It truly was worth it, in the end."
"But why a Library? The process is so much more involved, sorting books, cataloging them… Maybe that's the point?"
Emotion Level III:
"...Not very talkative, are we?"
"I'll just do what I've always done. Carefully test the new oddity in front of me, and take its measure."
Emotion Level IV:
"I believe that's enough."
"You can stop, now."
"How irritating..."
Emotion Level V:
"That's. Enough."
"You need to stop. Now."
"Trust me when I say that you don't want to do this."
Cracking Facade I:
"Cease. Desist. Please."
"I beg you. If we stop now, I can-I can…"
"No. Please, no."
Cracking Facade II:
"I can still stop this. I-I can. I just... Just need time. Just need room."
"This can't be happening. Not now, not yet!"
"No, no, no…"
"Keep it contained. We need to keep it contained."
Cracking Facade III:
"...Too weak… Too slow… A self-made prison."
"Everything hurts… Why…? Why does it hurt so much?"
"It… It's going to be ok… Just… Listen to me, damnit…"
Cracking Facade IV:
"The cage… It's too small… Why did I make it so small?"
"Don't break… Can't… Can't let it break… Can't ruin everything again."
"...Wings are cramped… So cramped… Don't let them out. Can't let them out..."
"I'm not ready… It isn't complete yet… Have to complete it first..."
And that's all I have. So just in case, here's that explanation I promised for why X doesn't get Shimmer. Basically, I think it's less interesting. A bit of a cop out, even, to just... Reduce all costs to 0. Maybe there's something I'm missing, like Librarians having abilities to spike Light Cost or something, but I wouldn't know.
So while everyone else gets to 'cheat', X makes up for it by having Fuckhuge amounts of Light capacity (If I understand mechanics as written correctly, X ends the fight with 15 Max Light), and levels of Light Regen that can only be described as "Fuck You". I don't think it's balanced. I don't think it's sane. But I do think it's fun. So I smooshed it into this dumpster fire and now we all get to watch it burn. Enjoy!
As for voting... I like this one.
[X] Ask mami if she would be fine with being adopted by you and if she is okay
-[X] regardless of choice..... explain your current worries to her and if you beilive she can handle it, the truth and knowledge of yourself and your origins in the gentlest way possible, help her to be calm and comfortable during this
-[X] after revealing information and getting a yes ask her if she's truly sure, if she is truly fine with us being their parent despite our nature and our flaws and that it's okay to say no
-[X] once all is said and done and we are sure to be alone with kyubey, ask him 'Why', why help us do this, why is he giving us this offer
That vote is way too long. Plus, I want to let Lepidoptera do whatever they want regarding Mami's sudden adoption.
As for @Genih Wat's X proposal...
You forgot about the page light cost dude. And Echo of Decay has no mention of whether it's a Mass Summation or a Mass Individual attack, alongside having no dice.
Edit: Also, this is more like a Reception than a book. Could probably pass it off as Reception of L Corp Manager, Phase 1 (or split the fight into 2 different acts)
Since 300 HP/200 SP is grossly high, especially since she has so much HP/Stagger regen.
Eh. I'm not against it. In fact, I support it. Mami deserves to have an adult figure in her life.
And even if I am, it doesn't matter that much. (Though once this whole PokeAbnormality thing is done, X should go get a job because I still don't know how the hell is Mami providing for herself)
As for any of the two bombs...Uh...I don't think we should choose any of the two. Though honestly speaking, the EGO Card gift is probably a less volatile subject to approach. Or maybe we can just socialize with the girl honestly.
Since we already tried approaching the EGO Gift topic before. I am not sure if this time around it will make any difference.
As for revealing that we are an abnormality...that's too risky. Plus I don't think that's something your new mom should do right after dropping that she would be happy to adopt you. A bit heavy of a topic choice.
Edit: I'll eait for people's opinion first before voting.
I don't really remember if this was canon or fanon but I think she was the land lady of an apartment so she gets money from the rent of that [X] Check whether Mami is okay.
-[X] If yes, approach the topic of EGO Gift and You are an Abnormality.
--[X] If no, calm her down and then approach the topic of EGO Gift and You are an Abnormality.
Leading up to that day X was glad because they were able to help so many and so they kept on helping. However the kids soon kept asking for more and more until X couldn't keep up without being with them at all times, and so they performed the same action as their father, they spread themselves out to stay with all of them the entire time. In doing so they tried to communicate with them but they couldn't hear because of their grief.The first, as the only witness to the event, wielding the healing of X tried to inform the others the but was attacked by the uncaring on the way. After all the others learned of the cause of X's disappearance and the harm to the one X protected each and every one turned on the others, believing that they were the cause of the pain while wielding a portion of the light given to them by X.
I just thought of a really dark turning point for X being an abberation of WN.
