Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
Magic Bullet features are now added, thank you for bearing with us in the meantime.
“Human Resources” Shouldn’t Be This Literal: A PMMM/ProjectMoon Quest
- Thread starter Lepidoptera
- Start date
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- 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
DuoRogue
Eternal Space Raptor
- Pronouns
- It/Its
classic distortion resistances
Ah, the reception speedrunner's favorite abnormality card has arrived.
I remember that in Ruina this inverts good resistances, i.e. 0.5 (Endured) becomes 1.5 (Weak). But the real question is whether it inverts the bad ones. Could you, theoretically, shoot a magical girl and give her Paradise Lost-tier Pale resistance, precisely because it's so awful to begin with? Asking for a friend here, my heart definitely isn't torched black by the fires of evil.
You forgot the part where you fight her on a floor that specializes in, say, Red damage.
(This post is dedicated to the person in Project Moon who decided to give the Musicians of Bremen 0.2 (Ineffective) against piercing damage. A merry Christmas to you, and I hope the reindeer abnormality makes sure to visit you in your sleep.)
[x] Plan: Run in little circles.
Looks good to me!
Looks good to me!
Redsoff
[DETACHMENT]
- Location
- By [your] side
Important to remember that the Wizard's magical girls have been grinding in the Mirror Dungeon and are familiar against Mami and Sayaka. They are less prepared for Distortions as they cannot be replicated.
So glancing at our targets, their defenses tentatively are:
The Rumor Mill - magical girls and at least one Reverb gang clone.
The Observation Tower - Puppets, familiars disguised as magical girls, traps, disadvantaged environment.
The Wizard's Court - unknown, at least traps based on deception and targeting vulnerabilities, workshop contains special projects. "Miki Family Frankenstein Special?"
The Black Forest - Judgment Bird.
[X] Shi Association Special
-[X] The Rumor Mill
--[X] Homura, Kyoko
-[X] The Observation Tower
--[X] Mami, Sayaka
-[X] The Wizard's Court
--[X] X
-[X] The Black Forest
--[X] Argalia, Leonie
The Rumor Mill should be hit by Distortions, since the magical girls couldn't train against them. Argalia is experienced against both people (being social and making connections was kinda his thing as a Color) and the Reverb Ensemble, but the clones could also be familiar with Argalia, so there might be better places for him.
The Observation Tower is the best target for our magical girls, having mostly conventional threats that are less prepared for them. Miami's ribbons are versatile in both combat and mobility, and Sayaka's buffs can give an edge over any other threats.
The Wizard's Court is tricky. We don't know enough to trust anything in there, so my hunch is to toss in our best at it. I don't like going in alone, but we can't spare anyone else and someone too weak or unstable will just be a hinderance. I would only trust Argalia as an alternative, but he also had less tricks.
The Black Forest has one advice - bring pale resistance. It only has one combatant and in Ruina focused on piling "Sin" on a target before executing them, so maybe bring a friend. Leonie's Pale Immunity can make this amazing. May possibly swap Argalia with someone else if the Leonie Shield is viable. Not sure if possessing actual sin matters. Probably not.
A question: can Leonie's teleportation be used in combat, or is it limited for transportation?
So glancing at our targets, their defenses tentatively are:
The Rumor Mill - magical girls and at least one Reverb gang clone.
The Observation Tower - Puppets, familiars disguised as magical girls, traps, disadvantaged environment.
The Wizard's Court - unknown, at least traps based on deception and targeting vulnerabilities, workshop contains special projects. "Miki Family Frankenstein Special?"
The Black Forest - Judgment Bird.
[X] Shi Association Special
-[X] The Rumor Mill
--[X] Homura, Kyoko
-[X] The Observation Tower
--[X] Mami, Sayaka
-[X] The Wizard's Court
--[X] X
-[X] The Black Forest
--[X] Argalia, Leonie
The Rumor Mill should be hit by Distortions, since the magical girls couldn't train against them. Argalia is experienced against both people (being social and making connections was kinda his thing as a Color) and the Reverb Ensemble, but the clones could also be familiar with Argalia, so there might be better places for him.
The Observation Tower is the best target for our magical girls, having mostly conventional threats that are less prepared for them. Miami's ribbons are versatile in both combat and mobility, and Sayaka's buffs can give an edge over any other threats.
The Wizard's Court is tricky. We don't know enough to trust anything in there, so my hunch is to toss in our best at it. I don't like going in alone, but we can't spare anyone else and someone too weak or unstable will just be a hinderance. I would only trust Argalia as an alternative, but he also had less tricks.
The Black Forest has one advice - bring pale resistance. It only has one combatant and in Ruina focused on piling "Sin" on a target before executing them, so maybe bring a friend. Leonie's Pale Immunity can make this amazing. May possibly swap Argalia with someone else if the Leonie Shield is viable. Not sure if possessing actual sin matters. Probably not.
A question: can Leonie's teleportation be used in combat, or is it limited for transportation?
Oh shit, really? When did that happen?
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This is incredibly helpful, thanks. The white damage resist is surprising to me but then again, even in canon Sayaka still went on for a good bit at rock bottom from child soldier trauma before breaking completely.
No, Dark Flame only turns everyone into glass cannons, it can't fix glass.
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
Technically they're correct, as Dark Flame reverses resistances. Weaknesses become strengths in the same way strengths become weaknesses. So while theoretically you could use it in the manner described, it's really not meant for that and trying to use a weapon explicitly noted for killing its user's loved ones in a protective manner is really just begging for something horrible to happen.
Witches and Familiars have all sorts of additional mental effects listed in their Cards just for being around them, but no Magical Girl even seems to have trouble with those or Witch Kisses unless they're already off the deep end. This leads me to believe that, as the intended predators of Witches, Magical Girls are naturally resistant to mental attacks. Having your mind in a nice separate casing probably also helps.
questioningmeme
Just be yourself
- Location
- River of Light
Especially since this one came from the guy who shot all his loved ones to death on purpose.
This is not what I remember from the card text: Dark Flame - Abnormality Pages
It might be different in-game, but if so I think that would be a bug. Regardless, everything died too fast to notice what exactly happened to the resistances
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
I remember it that way back when it released, though it hardly ever was tested since by the time you're actually using Dark Flame nobody has weaknesses anymore.This is not what I remember from the card text: Dark Flame - Abnormality Pages
It might be different in-game, but if so I think that would be a bug. Regardless, everything died too fast to notice what exactly happened to the resistances
I mean, your plan has him with Leonie, which is basically the same thing as far as fighting goes.
Better a solo Argalia than anyone else.
The entire point of giving Leonie to someone was to have them able to move faster, X is the one who we wants to have that the most because she's the one that will benefit from it the most.
We need close enough destruction, not literally simultaneous. If someone is able to rush theirs and help others finish fast enough, that works too, in my plan I thought of X blitzing Black Forest and coming to help Homu and Mami in the most difficult place.
Lepi's preview of the vote told us that most of the magical girls are in the wizard's court, but that there is also one in the observation tower, you really do not want Mami and Sayaka together, we have more than one place where there are ennemies that trained specifically against our girls, and regrouping them like that is just giving them an advantage.
questioningmeme
Just be yourself
- Location
- River of Light
What? Leonia is really good as a support for Argalia, as she allows him to have infinite teleportation due to how her ability works.
In that case, just have X do it, or follow the new V3 plan, where Homu and Mami deal with the Mill while Argalia and Leonia deal with the Bird.
I dislike the idea of having X going anywhere but the extremely dangerous Court.
This is false on the information of the Wizard's Court. We have 0 information on it outside of the Court being said to be the most dangerous of the 4 locations. The location of the magical girls might be spread out more than we think.
It is also mentioned that it is "full of tricks and traps meant to hurt you in the worst ways possible", which I think we shouldn't ignore.
The whole Sayaka Love Town/Madoka Love Town might be included here, in which case I think that we really shouldn't send anyone but X here.
If there was a nightmare or some kind of Oswald/Pianist-level shenanigans, the least traumatizable character should take the hit. Especially since X just got a talk with both Whitenight and One Sin in preparation for this.
With Argalia/Angela giving the girls a rundown of the Ensembles, and the girls knowing most of what we know + more (i.e the fact that the magical girls will be ready for them), Mami + Homura should be safe fighting the Mill (They are still our two most skilled combatants discounting ALEPHs like Argalia and X) together. They are two goddesses of war after all.
Both Argalia and Leonia are neutral or immune to the Bird. Plus 2 distortions who know how to fight with each other is a really strong duo we should utilize for this task.
And X is the least likely to go crazy/get overwhelmed by the Court.
I think I should push it again.
I reallly think that no one but X should go to the Court. If we are forced to make 4 teams.
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The most dangerous place is not the court, it's the one shot ready Black forest, and our only member able to move alone and able to take said one shot and survive is X.
I dislike the idea of having X anywhere but the Black forest.
Lepi's preview gave us this:
We know where most of the magical girl's are, it's in the Court.
Meanwhile, we also know that the J.Bird is alone, so is the one you can get finished the fastest, but to be sure to come back in time, Leonie is necessary.
I want Leonie with X because of this:
That way Mami and Homura begin the court, X blitz the Birb, and X goes back as fast as possible to help whoever (probably Mami and Homura) finish.
As for Argalia, he already proved he can take on the simulacrum of his Ensemble, he can go alone and be fine.
Edit:
My entire plan is not to have Mami and Homura take one the court alone, it's to make sure they do so with X coming to reinforce as soon as possible, if we are forced to make four teams, I will do my outmost to have it be three as soon as we can.
Homura is, by her very nature, not prone to most mind traps, and Mami is still a veteran, no matter what.
Of all our girls they are the best to at least survive the Court long enough for reinforcments.
Edit2:
In fact, we could even have X go reinforce Homu and Mami, and one of them take Leonie to reinforce Argalia, if we have a way to travel fast, better to travel fast.
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questioningmeme
Just be yourself
- Location
- River of Light
That's not really the case, again, the Bird itself isn't without a way to counter, for example, Argalia with Leonia could just zip out of the forest and return or dodge into Leonia's dimension. Again, the Bird isn't as big of a deal as you seem to think it is.
JBird is a WAW, a very strong WAW but still a WAW nonetheless, one X has a lot of experience with. The Adult, a big league INTELLIGENT ALEPH should be a substantially more lethal threat in your eyes.
Sure if we take that into account, that's even more goddamn reason to not send Mami and Homura to the location where they are most likely to get countered.
Homura's time stop will most definitely trigger a Counter-Spell if she uses it there. I do not see why you genuinely believe they will survive longer charging head-first into the most dangerous location with spells and fortifications specifically built to make it hard to besiege in comparison to hanging out with Judgement Bird who they can probably kill in like 1 second due to time stop abuse.
If X can just blitz JBird that quickly, there's no reason to send her to the Bird. Again, why are you going so overkill and underestimating the rest of the group? Argalia can just do it himself with Leonia or both Mami and Homura can do it themselves with Time Stop abuse on the Bird.
Hell, Mami and Homura would finish the Bird in an instant since they would have access to Time Stop while X doesn't.
On the other hand, outside of there being a major Magical Girl force stationed at the Court, the Adult's handiwork is the most prominent there meaning that again if there's any chance of a Time-Stop mine waiting to be stepped on it will be there.
So once again, I don't see why Homura and Mami will be safer dealing with the Court if X can kill JBird as quickly as you seem to think she can.
I originally thought we could just dodge Birb, then Lepi told this:
Now I do not want to take the risk, hence, X being the only one that can take a hanging and survive being sent here.
Except Lepi said no time stop in the emerald city. Here:
I am going overkill on Birb because he's the weak link. To have X elsewhere, count my plan as *X is in court as soon as possible* not *Homu and Mami takes on the court alone*.
questioningmeme
Just be yourself
- Location
- River of Light
And you would bite on the gigantic risk of fighting the Adult who showcases she can anti-time stop and demolish Homura down to a few limbs and a torso with about 1 spell, instead of the JBird whose vulnerability is quite ironic given how we deal with him in both Lobotomy and Ruina?
Of course, it's all irrelevant. Due to the following.
In which case it's even more crucial that X is there instead of with the Bird.
He's the weakest link, has the second strongest force Argalia fight him in that case, and then have him reinforce the rest of the group in case they need help (Instead of being forced to reinforce the Court).
There's no "You can do it with time to fight a fortress" here. At the Same Time.
Then why not have Argalia deal with him first, Leonia immediately, and then run over to support Mami and Homura who are fighting the 1 Ensemble member and some minions?
There's no real reason for X to take the easiest route when someone else can do that for her and not have the risk of X needing to stay there.
Again. Why can't Argalia deal with it quickly instead? He's a COLOR too and Leonia utilizing time space lets him dodge attacks without worries.
X can deal with the Court quickly and prepare a safe space for the kids when they finish on their side of things.
Homura and Mami even without Time Stop are still combatants who can shoot bullets with bullets so they should be more than skilled enough to dumpster fire the Mill, wait for Argalia to get over and help with Leonia, and then join up with X who is already winning in the Court.
Argalia himself is more than capable of bulldozing the Bird over when combined with the Mobility Leonia provides.
Again. Having X in the Court means that whoever Leonia is supporting has a lot more freedom in helping any of the remaining three groups.
It's the lowest-risk option.
I don't see why the Court would be so simple as "Homura and Mami" camp outside waiting for X instead of the "SAME TIME" requirement.
The Adult is not there, that much is certain, Isabeau will be taking care of that, so we can remove her from the equation for the beginning of the planning.
Not *camp outside*, begin the fight, I want three persons on Court because I seriously doubt it is as simple as *X somehow singlehandedly take care of the most dangerous place*, I want three persons on it as soon as possible specifically because it is the most difficult place to take care of.
Out of all our fighters, I refuse to have the two magical girls together, which leaves our strongest combination outside X being Homura with Mami, because Homura knows how Mami fights and how best to help her, she is the best counter to the training the enemy MG got on Mami there is.
Kyoko is perfectly able to support Sayaka.
Argalia is best placed at the place where his ensemble is, because he's their best counter due to knowing them intimately.
He is still susceptible to being one shotted by Birb.
So, no, he is not best placed at the black forest, he is best placed at the Mill.
Leonie is a better fast travel bonus than she is a fighting bonus, so goes with the one that needs to move quickly, and in this case, that is X that has to come back to make sure Homura and Mami are not overwhelmed.
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questioningmeme
Just be yourself
- Location
- River of Light
Actually, you know what, let's do that then.
I'll just say I told you so when it fails or something.
[x] Plan: Run in little circles.
-[x] The Rumor Mill
--[x] Argalia
-[x] The Observation tower
--[x] Sayaka, Kyoko
-[x] The Wizard's court
--[x] Mami, Homura
-[x] The Black Forest
--[x] X, Leonie
I'll just say I told you so when it fails or something.
[x] Plan: Run in little circles.
-[x] The Rumor Mill
--[x] Argalia
-[x] The Observation tower
--[x] Sayaka, Kyoko
-[x] The Wizard's court
--[x] Mami, Homura
-[x] The Black Forest
--[x] X, Leonie
Sidestory 19 - Incarceration
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
Sidestory 19 - Incarceration
"Hey! We brought something to eat!~" Sarasa chirped as she threw open the door to the prisoner's room, carrying a plate of miscellaneous food items that wobbled unsteadily on the tips of her fingers. Sana Futaba slipped in behind her silently, just making her way through before the door closed behind her.
The prisoner sits up sharply in her bed. It's a pretty nice bed, not too different from the one in Sana's own room. Really, the whole "prison room" could be a luxury apartment between the decor and the general atmosphere of it. As long as you ignored the lack of any windows or exits aside from the sealed door, at least. The only real hint of anything unusual was the soft emerald light shining from nowhere, painting the plain room brilliant shades of green.
"My name's Hanna! Sarasa Hanna, I'm a Magical Girl. Normally I prefer to hang with Sena, but Sana's nice too!" The other Magical Girl laughed at her own joke before suddenly realizing something. Her expression fell from joviality to deep calm. "Oh, and this is Futaba Sana. She's a Magical Girl too."
The prisoner stepped forward off her bed and took the plate of food from Sarasa before placing it on the bed behind her. She bows a little more quickly than seems natural.
"My name is Kaname Madoka. It's-" Her voice catches. "-a pleasure to meet you. I hope we can be friends."
All Sana could think was that she looked normal. A pink-haired girl about Sana's height, still wearing her cream-colored pajamas and putting in a friendly face despite her obvious terror. It was hard to believe that this person was one of the Alchemist's weapons.
The thought made Sana frown. Of course the other girl seemed normal, she was! She was just a regular person who that creature had decided to use as a tool for its own purposes.
Sarasa either didn't notice the girl's discomfort or doesn't care about it. "Me too! I bet we're gonna be great friends. You'll just have to sit here and stay safe, 'kay? We'll fix everything soon."
The girl hesitated, then the poorly-concealed fear in her eyes dims. "You mean you're going to fight X, right? You don't have to. If you really want to do the right thing, she would definitely just let you go! If you haven't done anything too bad yet, you could still-"
"The Alchemist? That's who you're talking about, right?" Sarasa cut her off, and the fear in the girl's eyes brightened slightly again. "Cuz that's not happening. You know what it would mean if she gets what she wants?"
"X just wants everyone to be safe. If you agreed not to hurt anyone-" Sarasa moved to cut Kaname off again, but something in the imprisoned girl's eyes stopped her."-then she wouldn't bother you at all. She's working in ways to make life easier for Magical Girls."
"Like she made life easier for those two friends of yours? The ones she turned into monsters?" Sarasa scoffed dismissively, a casual smile still on her face. Sana felt the urge to disappear. They were just supposed to bring the girl food and maybe give her somebody to talk to, not argue a losing battle. The Alchemist's victims were all either manipulated, brainwashed, or both. As long as it was around, there was no reason to fight like this.
"Homura and Kyoko aren't monsters. They're just not feeling well." Madoka said, and for a moment she looked more like a fighter than Sana had ever felt. She stepped back involuntarily as the smile slipped off of Sarasa's face. "X didn't want either of them to end up like that, and we've been trying to help them however we can."
Those words hung over the room as the two Magical Girls stood still in shock. Then, slowly, Sarasa began to open her mouth again. Sana didn't want to do this, but she was pretty sure that Sarasa was going to make things worse. Kaname seemed to think she was on the right side, and making themselves into enemies even more wasn't going to help her figure it out.
"You should try the food. I'm not sure what most of it is, but it's really good."
…and of course that was all she could think of. Fortunately her stupid non-sequitur managed to ease tensions for now. Sarasa's usual satisfied smirk returned, and in turn Kaname's fragile smile came with it.
"She's not joking, y'know? I barely ever got to eat food this nice, so you should treasure the opportunity."
Kaname nodded politely. "I will be sure to.'
Predicting the awkward silence's return, Sana decided this was enough for today. There wasn't really a reason to stick around. "Come on, Sarasa. We should go see the Wizard again. They might have new instructions for us."
Anticipation with a hint of trepidation colored Sarasa's face, earlier rout forgotten. "Yeah, that's probably right. See yah, new girl. Hope you don't freak out too much."
Kaname seems surprised by the abrupt end of the conversation, but takes it in stride. "I hope we can meet again too."
"I hope so too."
Sana doesn't need to give a parting word, but she couldn't help it this time. Something about that girl really was inspiring. Either way, she slipped out the door behind Sarasa just like she'd entered.
—————————
The shy girl- Futaba, her name had been Sana Futaba, closed the door behind her, and the light in the room was extinguished. Madoka blinked rapidly, trying to adjust her eyes to the sudden darkness, but it was useless. There wasn't enough light to do much as see her own hand in front of her face. To her shame, Madoka's first reaction was panic. She'd seen monsters, and her friends fought them, but the simple, childish fear of the dark was too much for her. She reflexively drew herself back, pulling her feet off the floor and onto her bed. Her movements were stiff and slow, just like they'd been since she woke up here. The dark felt horrible, the total lack of knowledge as to what was in the room with her. Madoka had read X's notes; they were always written clinically and professionally, but she knew what happened to people who couldn't defend themselves around Abnormalities. She was lucky to even be alive.
Still unable to see, Madoka reached down to her leg for the shackle. A cursory tug confirmed it was still too tight to even think about removing. Then again, she couldn't actually see an end to the chain connected to it. It just disappeared somewhere under the bed as far as she'd been able to feel last time. The light would've made it easier to search, but it also meant somebody was coming and she didn't want to risk being seen poking at things she shouldn't be.
Really, trying to break out at all was a terrible idea. Madoka knew her friends would come for her, just like she knew she wouldn't be able to escape on her own. The smartest thing to do would just be to sit and wait for them to arrive. But it just didn't feel right. She wanted, had to do something in the meantime.
There were no windows, and the door didn't open from her side, so unless there was a vent or something under the bed that Madoka hadn't seen she didn't have any way out. If she did manage to slip out, she didn't know where she was. There really wasn't anything to do.
A scraping noise somewhere in the dark sent a shiver up Madoka's spine. That wasn't her, was it? She had never seen anyone else in her room, but that didn't mean there wasn't anything there. The sound rang out again, closer this time. Madoka pushed herself up against one corner of the room, straining her eyes for any hint of movement. Nothing. It was just too dark.
Madoka felt small. She was trapped, alone and unable to do anything to defend herself against the monsters that had taken her. There was something in the room with her. That thought screamed in her brain, blotting put anything else. This must have been what it felt like to be a wounded animal stalked by a predator in the wild. Helpless to do anything but hope that something would save them.
And so Madoka hoped. She hoped and prayed that somebody would come save her, even as something cold and sharp traced a line down her cheek.
"Finally, a moment to ourselves. I really should be working right now, but I couldn't just leave my guest unentertained. Now, what shall we play first?"
"Hey! We brought something to eat!~" Sarasa chirped as she threw open the door to the prisoner's room, carrying a plate of miscellaneous food items that wobbled unsteadily on the tips of her fingers. Sana Futaba slipped in behind her silently, just making her way through before the door closed behind her.
The prisoner sits up sharply in her bed. It's a pretty nice bed, not too different from the one in Sana's own room. Really, the whole "prison room" could be a luxury apartment between the decor and the general atmosphere of it. As long as you ignored the lack of any windows or exits aside from the sealed door, at least. The only real hint of anything unusual was the soft emerald light shining from nowhere, painting the plain room brilliant shades of green.
"My name's Hanna! Sarasa Hanna, I'm a Magical Girl. Normally I prefer to hang with Sena, but Sana's nice too!" The other Magical Girl laughed at her own joke before suddenly realizing something. Her expression fell from joviality to deep calm. "Oh, and this is Futaba Sana. She's a Magical Girl too."
The prisoner stepped forward off her bed and took the plate of food from Sarasa before placing it on the bed behind her. She bows a little more quickly than seems natural.
"My name is Kaname Madoka. It's-" Her voice catches. "-a pleasure to meet you. I hope we can be friends."
All Sana could think was that she looked normal. A pink-haired girl about Sana's height, still wearing her cream-colored pajamas and putting in a friendly face despite her obvious terror. It was hard to believe that this person was one of the Alchemist's weapons.
The thought made Sana frown. Of course the other girl seemed normal, she was! She was just a regular person who that creature had decided to use as a tool for its own purposes.
Sarasa either didn't notice the girl's discomfort or doesn't care about it. "Me too! I bet we're gonna be great friends. You'll just have to sit here and stay safe, 'kay? We'll fix everything soon."
The girl hesitated, then the poorly-concealed fear in her eyes dims. "You mean you're going to fight X, right? You don't have to. If you really want to do the right thing, she would definitely just let you go! If you haven't done anything too bad yet, you could still-"
"The Alchemist? That's who you're talking about, right?" Sarasa cut her off, and the fear in the girl's eyes brightened slightly again. "Cuz that's not happening. You know what it would mean if she gets what she wants?"
"X just wants everyone to be safe. If you agreed not to hurt anyone-" Sarasa moved to cut Kaname off again, but something in the imprisoned girl's eyes stopped her."-then she wouldn't bother you at all. She's working in ways to make life easier for Magical Girls."
"Like she made life easier for those two friends of yours? The ones she turned into monsters?" Sarasa scoffed dismissively, a casual smile still on her face. Sana felt the urge to disappear. They were just supposed to bring the girl food and maybe give her somebody to talk to, not argue a losing battle. The Alchemist's victims were all either manipulated, brainwashed, or both. As long as it was around, there was no reason to fight like this.
"Homura and Kyoko aren't monsters. They're just not feeling well." Madoka said, and for a moment she looked more like a fighter than Sana had ever felt. She stepped back involuntarily as the smile slipped off of Sarasa's face. "X didn't want either of them to end up like that, and we've been trying to help them however we can."
Those words hung over the room as the two Magical Girls stood still in shock. Then, slowly, Sarasa began to open her mouth again. Sana didn't want to do this, but she was pretty sure that Sarasa was going to make things worse. Kaname seemed to think she was on the right side, and making themselves into enemies even more wasn't going to help her figure it out.
"You should try the food. I'm not sure what most of it is, but it's really good."
…and of course that was all she could think of. Fortunately her stupid non-sequitur managed to ease tensions for now. Sarasa's usual satisfied smirk returned, and in turn Kaname's fragile smile came with it.
"She's not joking, y'know? I barely ever got to eat food this nice, so you should treasure the opportunity."
Kaname nodded politely. "I will be sure to.'
Predicting the awkward silence's return, Sana decided this was enough for today. There wasn't really a reason to stick around. "Come on, Sarasa. We should go see the Wizard again. They might have new instructions for us."
Anticipation with a hint of trepidation colored Sarasa's face, earlier rout forgotten. "Yeah, that's probably right. See yah, new girl. Hope you don't freak out too much."
Kaname seems surprised by the abrupt end of the conversation, but takes it in stride. "I hope we can meet again too."
"I hope so too."
Sana doesn't need to give a parting word, but she couldn't help it this time. Something about that girl really was inspiring. Either way, she slipped out the door behind Sarasa just like she'd entered.
—————————
The shy girl- Futaba, her name had been Sana Futaba, closed the door behind her, and the light in the room was extinguished. Madoka blinked rapidly, trying to adjust her eyes to the sudden darkness, but it was useless. There wasn't enough light to do much as see her own hand in front of her face. To her shame, Madoka's first reaction was panic. She'd seen monsters, and her friends fought them, but the simple, childish fear of the dark was too much for her. She reflexively drew herself back, pulling her feet off the floor and onto her bed. Her movements were stiff and slow, just like they'd been since she woke up here. The dark felt horrible, the total lack of knowledge as to what was in the room with her. Madoka had read X's notes; they were always written clinically and professionally, but she knew what happened to people who couldn't defend themselves around Abnormalities. She was lucky to even be alive.
Still unable to see, Madoka reached down to her leg for the shackle. A cursory tug confirmed it was still too tight to even think about removing. Then again, she couldn't actually see an end to the chain connected to it. It just disappeared somewhere under the bed as far as she'd been able to feel last time. The light would've made it easier to search, but it also meant somebody was coming and she didn't want to risk being seen poking at things she shouldn't be.
Really, trying to break out at all was a terrible idea. Madoka knew her friends would come for her, just like she knew she wouldn't be able to escape on her own. The smartest thing to do would just be to sit and wait for them to arrive. But it just didn't feel right. She wanted, had to do something in the meantime.
There were no windows, and the door didn't open from her side, so unless there was a vent or something under the bed that Madoka hadn't seen she didn't have any way out. If she did manage to slip out, she didn't know where she was. There really wasn't anything to do.
A scraping noise somewhere in the dark sent a shiver up Madoka's spine. That wasn't her, was it? She had never seen anyone else in her room, but that didn't mean there wasn't anything there. The sound rang out again, closer this time. Madoka pushed herself up against one corner of the room, straining her eyes for any hint of movement. Nothing. It was just too dark.
Madoka felt small. She was trapped, alone and unable to do anything to defend herself against the monsters that had taken her. There was something in the room with her. That thought screamed in her brain, blotting put anything else. This must have been what it felt like to be a wounded animal stalked by a predator in the wild. Helpless to do anything but hope that something would save them.
And so Madoka hoped. She hoped and prayed that somebody would come save her, even as something cold and sharp traced a line down her cheek.
"Finally, a moment to ourselves. I really should be working right now, but I couldn't just leave my guest unentertained. Now, what shall we play first?"
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Sidestory 19 - Incarceration
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
You've all been good this Winter, so enjoy a joyous second chapter on this fine and unholy night.
"Human Resources" Shouldn't Be This Literal: A PMMM/ProjectMoon Quest
"Human Resources" Shouldn't Be This Literal: A PMMM/ProjectMoon Quest
Go Madoka! Convert them from the inside with your power of being a real gentle girl!
My god, this sentence is so thick with irony it is dripping everywhere.
And I do mean actual *according to the definition* irony, the one telling that the other is a tool used by the enemy is in fact the tool, when the prisoner is the free person the tool think she is.
*Look at the Mill*
Are you sure you want to throw that stone? Because that's a lot of glass I see in that house.
So. Much. Irony.
Missing the ending "
You literally are telling she gives you *instructions*, yet you do not see the shackles she placed around your neck.
Of fucking course, make the room appear a great place to stay when the magical girls open it, but as soon as they're gone, poof, sensory deprivation.
Fuck you, AWTL.
There is no shame in panicking when faced with complete darkness.
And there is the torture I was expecting from the beginning.
There is a reason I didn't want to wait to go to Madoka, hope she stays strong.
I am still freaking out about Kyoko going to the observation tower. And sending Sayaka with her, whose family is missing? I mean, it will make for really great storytelling but also tragedy. Especially because guilt about her family is at the heart of Kyoko's angst.
And I'm fixated on this because I'm not good at the strategy stuff. There's just going to be a lot of dead Magical Girls and what form will Sayaka's distortion take?
And I'm fixated on this because I'm not good at the strategy stuff. There's just going to be a lot of dead Magical Girls and what form will Sayaka's distortion take?