we did cough up an agent copy we might still have them rattling around in there, if we are very lucky we may even have myo and rabbit team.
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“Human Resources” Shouldn’t Be This Literal: A PMMM/ProjectMoon Quest
- Thread starter Lepidoptera
- Start date
-
- Tags
- library of ruina lobotomy corporation project moon puella magi madoka magica eldritch horror magical girl crossover eldritch protagonist female protagonist fluffy gore non-human protagonist suffering violence discussion is always good civ good decisions identity crises nuclear moth detected parenting powers activate
Kalibrius
God of reflection
- Location
- The other side of the mirror
Probably not myo
Myo was fine and dandy by ruina
Doesn't mean a new ego or ordeal can't be made in their image
This does make me curious
Can we extract an ego from a witch or greif seed?
Edit there is a possible exception, if we were yeeted out at the same time as the library then it's possible they were dragged along for the ride
Myo was fine and dandy by ruina
Doesn't mean a new ego or ordeal can't be made in their image
This does make me curious
Can we extract an ego from a witch or greif seed?
Edit there is a possible exception, if we were yeeted out at the same time as the library then it's possible they were dragged along for the ride
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Lurker183839
Question Machine Gun
By the way, Lepidoptera, how do you feel about the constant write-in options? 
Well, we will find out soon how good/appropriate our arguments were won't we
Extracting an ego from a witch/grief seed...
Yeah at worst we get a boosted witch or another Abnormality to hopefully Sapling elsewhere, it's probably worth trying out later
Well, we will find out soon how good/appropriate our arguments were won't we
Extracting an ego from a witch/grief seed...
Yeah at worst we get a boosted witch or another Abnormality to hopefully Sapling elsewhere, it's probably worth trying out later
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Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
I don't mind, if there's ever a case where I don't accept write-ins I'll explicitly say so. Likewise, I will veto anything too far out of character. Other than that, everything is alright.By the way, Lepidoptera, how do you feel about the constant write-in options?
So, just as an hypothetical question, if I voted for *Throw your cage away and use your full power*, how likely would it be for it to be vetoed?
Lurker183839
Question Machine Gun
Similar question:
How OOC is giving Kyubey the entire rundown on Lobotomy Corporation (for free, or for some form of payment)?
How OOC is giving Kyubey the entire rundown on Lobotomy Corporation (for free, or for some form of payment)?
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
It's possible, but only under extreme circumstances.
Lurker183839
Question Machine Gun
Extreme circumstances huh, what would we even get out of it in that scenario that it would be a viable response?
TT2 Protocol?
TT2 Protocol?
1.6.4 - The Recesses of the Mind
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
Chapter 67 - The Recesses of the Mind
"Alright, if you say so." you relent. If Sayaka's sure she wants to go through with this, who are you to tell her no? A palpable tension settles into the atmosphere around the table. Mami and Madoka aren't unhappy, but they do both seem slightly worried. Kyoko is staring at Sayaka in much the same way a person might watch a particularly amusing car crash. Only Homura seems unaffected, without even disappointment. She never expected anything better, after all. None of these are particularly surprising reactions. You did describe what you're about do as brain surgery. It'd be more unusual if they weren't concerned.
"So, how does this work?" asks Sayaka. "Are you going to actually have to cut me open? Should I lie down first? Is it going to hurt?"
"Answering in that order, no, probably, and no. You'll be unconscious for the duration, but I doubt you would feel anything even if you were awake."
"Neat!" the bluenette exclaims before sitting up and walking over to the other side of the table to lay down on the couch next to Yuma. "Alright, let's do this." And then, barely audibly, "I can do this."
The young girl settles into the couch as best she can, screwing her eyes shut and laying her hands across her chest as if trying to go to sleep. You pause for a moment to allow Sayaka to compose herself. It takes some time, during which the other children stare at you and the three-day Magical Girl in anticipation. When she's finally settled properly, all that's left is to reach out and begin the operation.
Coiling streamers of Light pour from Sayaka's now-unconscious body. They curve and trail through the room, arcing through and around walls and furniture alike. In each glowing branch you see a kaleidoscope of memories flickering in and out of focus. There is much music, and many conversations between Sayaka and a boy in a hospital bed. There is notably little of her parents, although not in the same way as Mami or Homura. Sayaka has many memories of her parents, many of those being recent, but they simply don't… stand out. They exist, and very little more. Even so, the overall impression is far less… somber than Homura or Mami's minds were.
Homura had fixated on a single person, making saving them the sole focus of her world. And she had given up everything else for the sake of that person. You saw memories Homura herself only faintly recalls, when she held tightly to each of her friends time and time again. And time and time again, they would be torn away. Homura gave up on everything she could afford to lose because she didn't believe she could keep it if she tried. Hers is a very careful, fragile emptiness that shields her from the suffering all around her.
Mami is in some ways the exact opposite. While Homura rejects connections she believes will only end in misery, Mami is desperate to connect with others. With every new abandonment, that desperation grows that much deeper. She clings to the idea of being a Magical Girl, to a standard she knows is impossible, because she cannot accept the alternative. That the task she has dedicated her life to is one that brings only suffering. And so she tries, with all her soul, to be somebody people will want to be around.
Sayaka is neither of the two, and her life is not defined by trauma and loss.
Instead, it is mostly defined by the last week or so.
Sayaka, you observe as you scrape away a filmy layer of Grief, is somewhat lacking in self-confidence. Not in the same way or degree as Madoka, but more in the sense that she holds herself to a higher standard than she can conceivably meet. Even before learning of Magical Girls and Witches and other monsters, she saw herself as the least of her friend group. Hitomi was prettier and more socially aware than Sayaka was. Madoka was smarter and kinder, even if she would never realize it. And at the time, Sayaka was okay with that. She was outgoing where the other two weren't and enthusiastic when they were reserved and that was enough for her to be pulling her weight. She wasn't perfect, but she was doing good enough.
And then everything changed.
For a Magical Girl, enthusiasm isn't enough. You need to be strong, you need to be useful, and Sayaka doesn't feel like she's either. From an objective standpoint, you know that this is wrong. The thought of increasing the dose of Prudence in hopes of giving the girl some self-awareness surfaces, but is immediately discarded. There's invasive, and then there's downright violating somebody's personhood by deciding they would be better if they were different. There are some lines you never want to cross. Regardless, Sayaka wants to do more. Needs to do more. And if you don't address it, she's going to get herself hurt.
"X? What…" Mami is, unsurprisingly, the first one to speak. You aren't sure how long the silence held since you began operating. Time is difficult to measure when you're like this. It may have been mere seconds since you started. It may have been minutes. It probably wasn't an hour, although you're only so sure because you doubt everyone else would have waited to speak for so long.
"Yes?" you return. "What is it?" You can hold a conversation and operate at the same time easily enough. Multitasking is something you mastered long ago.
"That… what was that thing you were clearing away? Just looking at it felt uncomfortable."
"That was Grief." you state plainly, eliciting shocked gasps from Madoka and Mami. Homura and Kyoko, it seems, are already privy to the secrets of Soul Gems.
"But there was so much of it! Sayaka's Soul Gem wasn't even that dark!" Madoka protests, as though the universe will somehow hear her plea and adjust itself accordingly.
"That's just how it is. The buildup gets much worse if you let the Soul Gem darken any further." you state plainly as you tear away another chunk of Grief to spread a foggy pink-white balm over the branch it was enveloping.
"In the future, please do remind me to keep my Soul Gem clearer." Mami asks you. "Seeing what it looks like in this way from even such a small expenditure."
"Speaking of seeing," you interrupt. "What does this all look like to you? My perception of things is altered in a way that lets me better interact with a person's mind, so I'm not sure how this all appears on the outside."
"None of Miki Sayaka's memories are visible to us." Homura states. Around the table, the other girls nod in assent. Interesting, although not unprecedented. You see and hear a lot of things other people can't.
"Feel a bit like having a conversation with the pipsqueak, if that makes any sense." Kyoko chimes in, earning her a disapproving glare from Mami which she effortlessly ignores.
"That should be it." You announce before an argument of any kind can break out. Mami has something else to speak with Kyoko about today, so it wouldn't be any good to put the other Magical Girl on edge. A wave of your hand and the now-clean ribbons of Light fold back into Sayaka's prone body. A light shaking from Yuma later and she rises groggily from the couch.
"Sorry, I think I zoned out for a second. Are we gonna start now?"
"Actually, I'm all done. Might wanna clean your Soul Gem first if we ever do this again, though. I had to spend most of the time just getting the Grief out of the way."
"Oh. Cool." Sayaka sits up, slightly nervous. "So… did you, y'know, see anything?"
"If you'd like to talk about it, I'm always available. There's nothing wrong with asking for support when you need it." you insist. "But only I saw anything clearly. Everyone else just got a vague impression."
"That may be so," Homura says, "but I would still prefer to have my own operation privately."
"That's completely understandable, Homura." Mami answers. "I too would be uncomfortable with having some of my more private feelings spread openly." It would likely be particularly upsetting for Mami to have some of her feelings aired to Madoka and Sayaka, who she's trying to impress. She already knows you don't think less of her for her loneliness, but even if you don't think any of the other girls would either Mami still needs more time.
Sayaka seems shocked by Mami's admission. "What? There's no way anyone would judge you! You're amazing!" Mami just shakes her head sadly. Sayaka doesn't mean anything by it, but you really need her to not push on this subject right now.
"Anyways," you interrupt. "There are few more pieces of information I believe you should know about, but as these will be rather heavy I'll leave it at just one more for today."
The attention in the room is once again drawn to you. Homura tenses in anticipation, expecting this to be the moment everything goes wrong. Historically, she would be correct. But you weren't there back then. This time, things will be different.
"We all know that Soul Gems accumulate Grief when you use magic. However, that brings up a contradiction. You just saw Sayaka's 'self' with Grief having accumulated on it." Sayaka glances down at her Soul Gem in suspicion while Madoka looks at her anxiously. Mami doesn't seem quite as disconcerted yet, although her calm smile has become ever so slightly strained.
"I've confirmed it both through my own observations and through interrogating Kyubey. Soul Gems contain a Magical Girl's consciousness." You stop and allow your revelation to sink in. Mami gasps and raises her hand up to her face, staring in horror at the tiny ring on her finger.
"That can't be right. Kyubey would-"
"Sorry, it's the truth." Kyoko cuts her off. She seems… tired somehow, lacking her usual vicious energy. "Almost found out by accident a few days ago. I wanted to scout out some other Magical Girls who were pushing into my territory, so I left my Soul Gem back at the church. Apparently, if you get too far from your Soul Gem, you pass out until you touch it again. Kyubey didn't actually explain why, though."
Sayaka stares almost hatefully at her Soul Gem in her hand. "This thing… are you telling me this is my soul? That I'm just some… walking corpse?" Her voice is tight and unsteady, like a bowstring pulled taut. The mood darkens as she speaks. Mami's worry becomes panic, glancing around the room. Yuma is leaning into her in comfort, a worried expression on her face. Homura has placed her hand over her Soul Gem, ready to transform at any moment. At Sayaka's side, Madoka seems almost paralyzed.
"That's not an entirely correct assessment." Your voice cuts through the gloom, and once more all attention is on you. "The mind and the soul are different things. From all my observation, I can only definitively tell you that Soul Gems contains a person's mind. The soul is an entirely different matter, and until I can properly determine the truth I don't think you should dwell on it."
"So what, we're still just magic rocks puppeting our bodies around, but at least our souls are probably fine? That's still… I can't even describe that!" Sayaka shouts. She's still clenching the crescent-moon shape of her Soul Gem in one hand, as if constantly confirming that it is, in fact, real. Madoka has paused halfway through reaching towards her friend, the aborted motion hanging in the air. Beside you, Mami has leaned back into Yuma while clutching her own Soul Gem to her chest. Kyoko's aggressive aura has completely vanished, replaced by a look of concern as she sits beside her old teacher.
"That's not quite right either. As long as you don't leave the range of your Soul Gem and you keep it cleaned of Grief, none of this should affect your lives. Your mind is clearly occupying your body, but it's also in the Soul Gem. Unless the two are separated, this won't hurt you any further." Because they all have been hurt. While this sort of consciousness transfer isn't uncommon in the City, that's not the issue at hand. Kyubey tore them out of their bodies and then hooked them back up without even telling them what was happening. He tricked them, lured them in with promises and gifts, and now they're going to suffer for it forever.
That is, unless you have any say in it.
"I just don't understand!" Mami says shakily. She's holding back tears, trying to appear strong for her students even now. "Why would Kyubey do this? Why would he trick us like this?"
"Survivability." Homura answers coldly. "As long as a Magical Girl's Soul Gem is undamaged, they cannot die. No matter what happens to your body, you will survive as long as the Soul Gem does."
"But why wouldn't he tell us?" Mami continues. Kyubey was her friend, or at least pretended to be. He was a supporter, a confidant, at least as much as the emotionless rat could manage. For Mami, Kyubey didn't just trick her. He betrayed her.
And she doesn't want to believe it.
"Kyubey needs Magical Girls to hunt Witches." You answer, wrapping an arm around Mami in assurance. You draw her and Yuma closer, muffling your daughter's half-choked sobs. "He knows fewer people would contract if they knew what it means to be a Magical Girl. So he just… doesn't tell people."
The room is silent but for quiet sobbing and the distant crackle of thunder. Sayaka withdraws her Soul Gem and dismisses her transformation with a shudder of revulsion. Homura, face blank and stern as always, lays a hand on Madoka's shoulder.
Kyoko fixes her own Soul Gem back below her throat and breaks the silence.
"So, Immortality huh?" A weak cheerfulness barely makes its way into her voice. "Pretty much everything about this sucks, but I can't complain about living forever."
"Living forever…" Mami echoes weakly.
—————————
To your mild surprise, none of your guests decide to leave after you finish with your reporting. Sayaka says something about not feeling "safe," and Madoka decides to stay with her. Kyoko and Homura remain as well for similar reasons. Conversation starts up again, although efforts to get involved are half-hearted at best. It started raining perhaps a minute or two ago, so it was probably for the best nobody chose to leave just yet. They'd have been absolutely drenched.
Kyoko is, unsurprising, the most active participant in any conversation. The truth of Soul Gems was news to neither her nor Homura, but your fellow time-traveler isn't exactly talkative even on the best of days. Mami's old student, on the other hand. Very much is. She asks Mami about what's been happening since they parted, lightly teases Sayaka about her overly-chivalric tendencies, and expresses more interest than you'd expected at Madoka's desire to become a doctor. You immediately recognize her attempt to draw everyone into a lighter conversation for what it is and join in, playing opposition to her broadly pessimistic view of the world. But by bit, the mood lightens. The haze of anxiety from before has not disappeared, but it's fainter than it was before. It seems like things might be alright.
And then Kyoko asks exactly the wrong question.
"So, what exactly happened to your parents? You're staying with X now, I can see that, but-"
"My parents are dead, Kyoko." Mami answers in a tone far more reminiscent of Homura than herself.
The atmosphere around the table is oppressive. Sayaka looks ready to transform again just so she can stab the older Magical Girl. Yuma looks about ready to join her, Magic or no. Homura actually looks shocked, a rarity for her as far as you understand. Not just because that's not the sort of question you should ask under any but the most delicate circumstances. But because-
"You should already know that. They were dead when we first met."
Kyoko's expression shifts rapidly from shame to confusion to frustration and back again. "I- No, I definitely remember- But we met-"
Mami's mask of sternness immediately melts into concern. "Kyoko? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine!" the red-haired girl assures, although her smile is strained. "I've just been having… memory issues lately."
"What sort of issues?" Mami insists. Kyoko waves her hands frantically.
"It's really nothing! I just forget things sometimes! That happens to everyone!"
"What sort of things?" Mami insists. You would be more on the fence as to your suspicions were it not for the answer Kyoko gives.
"I.. I couldn't remember very much about you. I know, it's horrible!" She adds when she sees Mami's shocked face. "I just- I knew you were a strong Magical Girl, and that we were partners, but there are- blank spots, I don't know!"
"X, can you do something?" Mami turns to you, fear overwhelming the semblance of calm she had reclaimed.
"Only if she agrees to it." You answer. "That particular ability is… invasive, and there are other, slower ways to check for mental tampering."
Kyoko holds up under Mami's gaze for barely a second before buckling. "Alright, I'll do it! But I… I want some privacy for it. I know nobody can actually see anything while X is doing that shit, I just- It feels weird, and there are some things I don't want to let out even a little bit."
Mami sighs, releasing much of the tension that was built up inside her. She really does believe that you can fix everything now. That this will pass without any issue. Personally, you have this uncomfortable feeling that this is only the beginning.
[] Give Kyoko her privacy while performing the scan.
The privacy of one's own mind is a basic right. Kyoko deserves it.
[] Allow others to observe Kyoko's scan.
Mami deserves to see this. Kyoko is her friend, and currently her judgement has been altered. Her choices can't be relied on.
———————————————
Big Bird's Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Der Freischütz's Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Porccubus' Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Punishing Bird's Sapling - Observation Level 1/2
Sayaka Miki: Exposure II -> Exposure IV
The text above each vote doesn't necessarily describe X's thought process, it just describes the thought process they would use to come to the winning vote. Write-Ins are accepted.
I considered having a vote as to whether or not to use Lobotomy, but I decided most people would want to pursue this. If people feel strongly about it, I can change it.
"Alright, if you say so." you relent. If Sayaka's sure she wants to go through with this, who are you to tell her no? A palpable tension settles into the atmosphere around the table. Mami and Madoka aren't unhappy, but they do both seem slightly worried. Kyoko is staring at Sayaka in much the same way a person might watch a particularly amusing car crash. Only Homura seems unaffected, without even disappointment. She never expected anything better, after all. None of these are particularly surprising reactions. You did describe what you're about do as brain surgery. It'd be more unusual if they weren't concerned.
"So, how does this work?" asks Sayaka. "Are you going to actually have to cut me open? Should I lie down first? Is it going to hurt?"
"Answering in that order, no, probably, and no. You'll be unconscious for the duration, but I doubt you would feel anything even if you were awake."
"Neat!" the bluenette exclaims before sitting up and walking over to the other side of the table to lay down on the couch next to Yuma. "Alright, let's do this." And then, barely audibly, "I can do this."
The young girl settles into the couch as best she can, screwing her eyes shut and laying her hands across her chest as if trying to go to sleep. You pause for a moment to allow Sayaka to compose herself. It takes some time, during which the other children stare at you and the three-day Magical Girl in anticipation. When she's finally settled properly, all that's left is to reach out and begin the operation.
Coiling streamers of Light pour from Sayaka's now-unconscious body. They curve and trail through the room, arcing through and around walls and furniture alike. In each glowing branch you see a kaleidoscope of memories flickering in and out of focus. There is much music, and many conversations between Sayaka and a boy in a hospital bed. There is notably little of her parents, although not in the same way as Mami or Homura. Sayaka has many memories of her parents, many of those being recent, but they simply don't… stand out. They exist, and very little more. Even so, the overall impression is far less… somber than Homura or Mami's minds were.
Homura had fixated on a single person, making saving them the sole focus of her world. And she had given up everything else for the sake of that person. You saw memories Homura herself only faintly recalls, when she held tightly to each of her friends time and time again. And time and time again, they would be torn away. Homura gave up on everything she could afford to lose because she didn't believe she could keep it if she tried. Hers is a very careful, fragile emptiness that shields her from the suffering all around her.
Mami is in some ways the exact opposite. While Homura rejects connections she believes will only end in misery, Mami is desperate to connect with others. With every new abandonment, that desperation grows that much deeper. She clings to the idea of being a Magical Girl, to a standard she knows is impossible, because she cannot accept the alternative. That the task she has dedicated her life to is one that brings only suffering. And so she tries, with all her soul, to be somebody people will want to be around.
Sayaka is neither of the two, and her life is not defined by trauma and loss.
Instead, it is mostly defined by the last week or so.
Sayaka, you observe as you scrape away a filmy layer of Grief, is somewhat lacking in self-confidence. Not in the same way or degree as Madoka, but more in the sense that she holds herself to a higher standard than she can conceivably meet. Even before learning of Magical Girls and Witches and other monsters, she saw herself as the least of her friend group. Hitomi was prettier and more socially aware than Sayaka was. Madoka was smarter and kinder, even if she would never realize it. And at the time, Sayaka was okay with that. She was outgoing where the other two weren't and enthusiastic when they were reserved and that was enough for her to be pulling her weight. She wasn't perfect, but she was doing good enough.
And then everything changed.
For a Magical Girl, enthusiasm isn't enough. You need to be strong, you need to be useful, and Sayaka doesn't feel like she's either. From an objective standpoint, you know that this is wrong. The thought of increasing the dose of Prudence in hopes of giving the girl some self-awareness surfaces, but is immediately discarded. There's invasive, and then there's downright violating somebody's personhood by deciding they would be better if they were different. There are some lines you never want to cross. Regardless, Sayaka wants to do more. Needs to do more. And if you don't address it, she's going to get herself hurt.
"X? What…" Mami is, unsurprisingly, the first one to speak. You aren't sure how long the silence held since you began operating. Time is difficult to measure when you're like this. It may have been mere seconds since you started. It may have been minutes. It probably wasn't an hour, although you're only so sure because you doubt everyone else would have waited to speak for so long.
"Yes?" you return. "What is it?" You can hold a conversation and operate at the same time easily enough. Multitasking is something you mastered long ago.
"That… what was that thing you were clearing away? Just looking at it felt uncomfortable."
"That was Grief." you state plainly, eliciting shocked gasps from Madoka and Mami. Homura and Kyoko, it seems, are already privy to the secrets of Soul Gems.
"But there was so much of it! Sayaka's Soul Gem wasn't even that dark!" Madoka protests, as though the universe will somehow hear her plea and adjust itself accordingly.
"That's just how it is. The buildup gets much worse if you let the Soul Gem darken any further." you state plainly as you tear away another chunk of Grief to spread a foggy pink-white balm over the branch it was enveloping.
"In the future, please do remind me to keep my Soul Gem clearer." Mami asks you. "Seeing what it looks like in this way from even such a small expenditure."
"Speaking of seeing," you interrupt. "What does this all look like to you? My perception of things is altered in a way that lets me better interact with a person's mind, so I'm not sure how this all appears on the outside."
"None of Miki Sayaka's memories are visible to us." Homura states. Around the table, the other girls nod in assent. Interesting, although not unprecedented. You see and hear a lot of things other people can't.
"Feel a bit like having a conversation with the pipsqueak, if that makes any sense." Kyoko chimes in, earning her a disapproving glare from Mami which she effortlessly ignores.
"That should be it." You announce before an argument of any kind can break out. Mami has something else to speak with Kyoko about today, so it wouldn't be any good to put the other Magical Girl on edge. A wave of your hand and the now-clean ribbons of Light fold back into Sayaka's prone body. A light shaking from Yuma later and she rises groggily from the couch.
"Sorry, I think I zoned out for a second. Are we gonna start now?"
"Actually, I'm all done. Might wanna clean your Soul Gem first if we ever do this again, though. I had to spend most of the time just getting the Grief out of the way."
"Oh. Cool." Sayaka sits up, slightly nervous. "So… did you, y'know, see anything?"
"If you'd like to talk about it, I'm always available. There's nothing wrong with asking for support when you need it." you insist. "But only I saw anything clearly. Everyone else just got a vague impression."
"That may be so," Homura says, "but I would still prefer to have my own operation privately."
"That's completely understandable, Homura." Mami answers. "I too would be uncomfortable with having some of my more private feelings spread openly." It would likely be particularly upsetting for Mami to have some of her feelings aired to Madoka and Sayaka, who she's trying to impress. She already knows you don't think less of her for her loneliness, but even if you don't think any of the other girls would either Mami still needs more time.
Sayaka seems shocked by Mami's admission. "What? There's no way anyone would judge you! You're amazing!" Mami just shakes her head sadly. Sayaka doesn't mean anything by it, but you really need her to not push on this subject right now.
"Anyways," you interrupt. "There are few more pieces of information I believe you should know about, but as these will be rather heavy I'll leave it at just one more for today."
The attention in the room is once again drawn to you. Homura tenses in anticipation, expecting this to be the moment everything goes wrong. Historically, she would be correct. But you weren't there back then. This time, things will be different.
"We all know that Soul Gems accumulate Grief when you use magic. However, that brings up a contradiction. You just saw Sayaka's 'self' with Grief having accumulated on it." Sayaka glances down at her Soul Gem in suspicion while Madoka looks at her anxiously. Mami doesn't seem quite as disconcerted yet, although her calm smile has become ever so slightly strained.
"I've confirmed it both through my own observations and through interrogating Kyubey. Soul Gems contain a Magical Girl's consciousness." You stop and allow your revelation to sink in. Mami gasps and raises her hand up to her face, staring in horror at the tiny ring on her finger.
"That can't be right. Kyubey would-"
"Sorry, it's the truth." Kyoko cuts her off. She seems… tired somehow, lacking her usual vicious energy. "Almost found out by accident a few days ago. I wanted to scout out some other Magical Girls who were pushing into my territory, so I left my Soul Gem back at the church. Apparently, if you get too far from your Soul Gem, you pass out until you touch it again. Kyubey didn't actually explain why, though."
Sayaka stares almost hatefully at her Soul Gem in her hand. "This thing… are you telling me this is my soul? That I'm just some… walking corpse?" Her voice is tight and unsteady, like a bowstring pulled taut. The mood darkens as she speaks. Mami's worry becomes panic, glancing around the room. Yuma is leaning into her in comfort, a worried expression on her face. Homura has placed her hand over her Soul Gem, ready to transform at any moment. At Sayaka's side, Madoka seems almost paralyzed.
"That's not an entirely correct assessment." Your voice cuts through the gloom, and once more all attention is on you. "The mind and the soul are different things. From all my observation, I can only definitively tell you that Soul Gems contains a person's mind. The soul is an entirely different matter, and until I can properly determine the truth I don't think you should dwell on it."
"So what, we're still just magic rocks puppeting our bodies around, but at least our souls are probably fine? That's still… I can't even describe that!" Sayaka shouts. She's still clenching the crescent-moon shape of her Soul Gem in one hand, as if constantly confirming that it is, in fact, real. Madoka has paused halfway through reaching towards her friend, the aborted motion hanging in the air. Beside you, Mami has leaned back into Yuma while clutching her own Soul Gem to her chest. Kyoko's aggressive aura has completely vanished, replaced by a look of concern as she sits beside her old teacher.
"That's not quite right either. As long as you don't leave the range of your Soul Gem and you keep it cleaned of Grief, none of this should affect your lives. Your mind is clearly occupying your body, but it's also in the Soul Gem. Unless the two are separated, this won't hurt you any further." Because they all have been hurt. While this sort of consciousness transfer isn't uncommon in the City, that's not the issue at hand. Kyubey tore them out of their bodies and then hooked them back up without even telling them what was happening. He tricked them, lured them in with promises and gifts, and now they're going to suffer for it forever.
That is, unless you have any say in it.
"I just don't understand!" Mami says shakily. She's holding back tears, trying to appear strong for her students even now. "Why would Kyubey do this? Why would he trick us like this?"
"Survivability." Homura answers coldly. "As long as a Magical Girl's Soul Gem is undamaged, they cannot die. No matter what happens to your body, you will survive as long as the Soul Gem does."
"But why wouldn't he tell us?" Mami continues. Kyubey was her friend, or at least pretended to be. He was a supporter, a confidant, at least as much as the emotionless rat could manage. For Mami, Kyubey didn't just trick her. He betrayed her.
And she doesn't want to believe it.
"Kyubey needs Magical Girls to hunt Witches." You answer, wrapping an arm around Mami in assurance. You draw her and Yuma closer, muffling your daughter's half-choked sobs. "He knows fewer people would contract if they knew what it means to be a Magical Girl. So he just… doesn't tell people."
The room is silent but for quiet sobbing and the distant crackle of thunder. Sayaka withdraws her Soul Gem and dismisses her transformation with a shudder of revulsion. Homura, face blank and stern as always, lays a hand on Madoka's shoulder.
Kyoko fixes her own Soul Gem back below her throat and breaks the silence.
"So, Immortality huh?" A weak cheerfulness barely makes its way into her voice. "Pretty much everything about this sucks, but I can't complain about living forever."
"Living forever…" Mami echoes weakly.
—————————
To your mild surprise, none of your guests decide to leave after you finish with your reporting. Sayaka says something about not feeling "safe," and Madoka decides to stay with her. Kyoko and Homura remain as well for similar reasons. Conversation starts up again, although efforts to get involved are half-hearted at best. It started raining perhaps a minute or two ago, so it was probably for the best nobody chose to leave just yet. They'd have been absolutely drenched.
Kyoko is, unsurprising, the most active participant in any conversation. The truth of Soul Gems was news to neither her nor Homura, but your fellow time-traveler isn't exactly talkative even on the best of days. Mami's old student, on the other hand. Very much is. She asks Mami about what's been happening since they parted, lightly teases Sayaka about her overly-chivalric tendencies, and expresses more interest than you'd expected at Madoka's desire to become a doctor. You immediately recognize her attempt to draw everyone into a lighter conversation for what it is and join in, playing opposition to her broadly pessimistic view of the world. But by bit, the mood lightens. The haze of anxiety from before has not disappeared, but it's fainter than it was before. It seems like things might be alright.
And then Kyoko asks exactly the wrong question.
"So, what exactly happened to your parents? You're staying with X now, I can see that, but-"
"My parents are dead, Kyoko." Mami answers in a tone far more reminiscent of Homura than herself.
The atmosphere around the table is oppressive. Sayaka looks ready to transform again just so she can stab the older Magical Girl. Yuma looks about ready to join her, Magic or no. Homura actually looks shocked, a rarity for her as far as you understand. Not just because that's not the sort of question you should ask under any but the most delicate circumstances. But because-
"You should already know that. They were dead when we first met."
Kyoko's expression shifts rapidly from shame to confusion to frustration and back again. "I- No, I definitely remember- But we met-"
Mami's mask of sternness immediately melts into concern. "Kyoko? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine!" the red-haired girl assures, although her smile is strained. "I've just been having… memory issues lately."
"What sort of issues?" Mami insists. Kyoko waves her hands frantically.
"It's really nothing! I just forget things sometimes! That happens to everyone!"
"What sort of things?" Mami insists. You would be more on the fence as to your suspicions were it not for the answer Kyoko gives.
"I.. I couldn't remember very much about you. I know, it's horrible!" She adds when she sees Mami's shocked face. "I just- I knew you were a strong Magical Girl, and that we were partners, but there are- blank spots, I don't know!"
"X, can you do something?" Mami turns to you, fear overwhelming the semblance of calm she had reclaimed.
"Only if she agrees to it." You answer. "That particular ability is… invasive, and there are other, slower ways to check for mental tampering."
Kyoko holds up under Mami's gaze for barely a second before buckling. "Alright, I'll do it! But I… I want some privacy for it. I know nobody can actually see anything while X is doing that shit, I just- It feels weird, and there are some things I don't want to let out even a little bit."
Mami sighs, releasing much of the tension that was built up inside her. She really does believe that you can fix everything now. That this will pass without any issue. Personally, you have this uncomfortable feeling that this is only the beginning.
[] Give Kyoko her privacy while performing the scan.
The privacy of one's own mind is a basic right. Kyoko deserves it.
[] Allow others to observe Kyoko's scan.
Mami deserves to see this. Kyoko is her friend, and currently her judgement has been altered. Her choices can't be relied on.
———————————————
Big Bird's Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Der Freischütz's Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Porccubus' Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Punishing Bird's Sapling - Observation Level 1/2
Sayaka Miki: Exposure II -> Exposure IV
The text above each vote doesn't necessarily describe X's thought process, it just describes the thought process they would use to come to the winning vote. Write-Ins are accepted.
I considered having a vote as to whether or not to use Lobotomy, but I decided most people would want to pursue this. If people feel strongly about it, I can change it.
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- Location
- Florida
[X] Give Kyoko her privacy while performing the scan.
[X] Give Kyoko her privacy while performing the scan.
Its for the best we give her the privacy she needs. That being said….I wonder if we will find something abnormality related upon performing Lobotomy on Kyoko. After all for her to suddenly be having issues with her memory seems quite odd.
Its for the best we give her the privacy she needs. That being said….I wonder if we will find something abnormality related upon performing Lobotomy on Kyoko. After all for her to suddenly be having issues with her memory seems quite odd.
[X] Give Kyoko her privacy while performing the scan.
- Location
- America
*say*, unless this a daughter of the sun and moon reference
- Location
- At the end of the world
[X] Give Kyoko her privacy while performing the scan.
Nottheunmaker
Altman be praised
- Location
- USG Ishimura
... What?
Uh, okay. I knew she was involved with an abnormality somehow, but is something taking her memories? Or eating them?
She's been strange this whole meeting, like this line in particular.
Who's the pipsqueak? Not Yuma, she's never met her until this moment. She hasn't met anyone else in the room either, Mami and X aside, and neither of them are small for their age. X is probably pretty big.
Is she talking about her sister? Does she know her sister is dead? Is that why she has her wish magic back? She forgot what happened?
Is that why she wouldn't get close to the church? Did she allow an Abnormality to play with her brain so she'd be happier, and avoid things that could break the illusion?
Because dang, that's going hard.
On one hand, sure, this is the easy moral choice.
And the more practical and also easy choice.
Personally I don't feel like it makes a difference. No one besides X can see the details, it's all Light and Grief to them.
Still, I'll propose a slight alternative.
[X] Convince her to allow Mami to observe the scan. She needs someone who knows her.
The rest here don't need to see what little they might see, but Kyoko needs emotional support far more then she could ever realize right now. I have a bad feeling to the tune of a soul that looks like swiss cheese. If we keep talking trees, her's probably looks like that infested with termites and woodpeckers. And if X can't do anything about that until X finds the Abnormality that probably did this, she's going to need Mami so she doesn't forget anything else.
And hopefully gets her on the path to trusting her.
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BadassOverlord
I don't know what I'm Doing
[X] Give Kyoko her privacy while performing the scan.
My guess is it's probably Skullbro, since the story section mentions employees losing memories after confessing their sins to it.
My guess is it's probably Skullbro, since the story section mentions employees losing memories after confessing their sins to it.