Simple:
I don't think the Adult will actually reveal as much as you think, or much at all in fact.
She is too self centered to give much about any other characters, including Madoka.
“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 gore non-human protagonist suffering violence discussion is always good civ good decisions identity crises nuclear moth detected parenting powers activate
Simple:
I don't think the Adult will actually reveal as much as you think, or much at all in fact.
She is too self centered to give much about any other characters, including Madoka.
Eternal_0bserver
(Unverified Bookworm)
- Location
- Earth, Northern Europe
[X] Corbeau.
[X] The Wizard of Oz.
[X] A Puppet.
[X] The Wizard of Oz.
[X] A Puppet.
questioningmeme
Just be yourself
- Location
- River of Light
That is objectively wrong given what happened the last time we got a glimpse at her thoughts and how she feels about the situation, letting us know for a fact that Judgement Bird was nearby, and how she viewed X (Which we surprised her through our alliance with Argalia).
On the other hand what Corbeau is gonna reveal? She doesn't have nearly as much of a grasp on the general situation as someone like Isabeau, or the Adult, in that case, Ashley would be a better option to completely cover the range of potential informants.
Also, seeing more of the Adult is better, she's a big threat here and unless the entire chapter is just her painting a tree house completely unrelated to the battle at hand, I highly doubt she won't reveal anything more. An enemy update is always better than just ignoring intel.
It's best of two, and the Adult has to be a part of it. The remaining ones can be Corbeau or Ashley if you want but the Adult is someone we literally cannot ignore.
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[X] The Wizard of Oz.
[X] Ashley Taylor
[X] Ashley Taylor
Meme, your assumption that the Adult is the only vote that will give us some of the informations is wrong.
There are several problems with it:
-Having a vote on interludes with one being absolutely necessary for the future is bordering on Trap vote. Because you can't know for sure what an interlude will give, and thus can't vote with enough information on this matter.
-You are assuming we won't get the information on Madoka by any other means before we can act on it, this is extremely doubtful.
-Getting an idea of our own allies plan is more important than getting one of the enemy when we already have a good idea of the second one anyway.
You are taking this too seriously, getting the Adult is not life and death, it is more interesting to learn more about our allies that we barely know the plans of, IMO.
questioningmeme
Just be yourself
- Location
- River of Light
I don't assume that. I assume that the Adult will give us the most information about what we want to see. And the Interludes have always given us information one way or another (the only one that didn't give us anything was Judgement Bird's interlude).
It's not exactly absolutely necessary, but to us, it will make things easier. Knowing Corbeau's current status and thoughts isn't nearly as necessary as doing so with the Adult.
We won't be directly impacted by this vote, but what it will do is keep away the free information we could've gained. It was always like this with Interludes in the past too.
With Nothing There's interlude we gained valuable info on its attire (which we did fail to take advantage of). You can't know for sure what an Interlude will give, but you can predict with some reliability as to what you can gain from it by looking at what the Interlude is about.
Back when we just hunted abnormalities, choosing an interlude related to an Abnormality of problematic nature gave us crucial information about them (like Nothing There's attire, or more recently, Porccubus' proximity to Hitomi which was dangerous and made us prioritize it due to that interlude).
Here the Adult's interlude should give us something, but it will most likely be related to the current task at hand, with a far far higher chance than the other votes.
It's like saying that Junko has the same chance of revealing some information regarding our current battle as the Adult, Corbeau, Ashley, or the Puppet simply because of the uncertainty.
She could (she could know of any signs from Madoka showing her "trap" in her daily routine without us noticing), but it's not likely.
It's of course doubtful. I'm specifically doubtful that Corbeau will be the one to reveal it instead of say, Ashley who is on the Adult's side, A Puppet who we might atleast learn is guarding Madoka or something, or say the one who just talked to Madoka a couple of chapters before, The Adult.
We will get more information on it in person once X finishes murdering the bird and runs over. The ones who will probably learn more about Madoka beforehand in character will be Argalia, Homura/Mami, and most likely at this point due to the proximity of Sayaka/Kyoko. But this is a chance for us readers to learn things ahead of time.
Though you aren't wrong. Anything we learn here will be quite useless because X isn't gonna be dealing with any of it. We sent her to deal with the Bird so there's not much she can do until she beats it and completes the objective in the bird's forest (The Power Spire the Adult somehow managed to drop in there).
You are straight-up saying lies here. No one had any idea that the Observation Tower would start shooting Sayaka and Kyoko with Madoka's arrows, or what force the Adult is moving throughout the City.
And again, what are we going to do about helping Jeanne's Gang even if we do know their plans? We have our hands full already with Kyoko and Sayaka struggling a great deal just approaching the Observation Tower, Argalia mentions how the Adult was focusing on him, and Homura/Mami having to deal with the most dangerous spot while waiting for X to catch up after she kills one of the most dangerous WAW.
Learning what the Adult plans or currently think should be prioritized over our allies, when we don't even have a good idea of the second one.
Because what is her plan with Madoka? Make her contract? Harvest her potential energy? Distortion? And what are her plans outside of that? Argalia mentioned her herding him towards traps, but what about her plans against Jeanne? What are her plans in case X decides to just nuke the entire City?
We have a far better idea of what Isabeau plans to do, and that's fuck shit up big time to pull the Adult's attention away, how they do it matter less to us than how the Adult is planning to not leave her backside open for a two-pronged attack given that she's too smart to not notice the distraction play (Which is even more true given that she knows how large of a threat X is in comparison and is far more afraid of a butterfly form X than she is of Jeanne).
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That's not what this says:
You straight up told this was absolutely necessary here.
Except by concentrating on the Adult, you are missing that all interludes give part and parcels, and that this particular one is not different from the other in that. All of them will have us miss things, that's the thing.
I want to remind you that until about three minutes ago, Corbeau was nominally on the Adult's side. She can well have info on Madoka from that.
Arrows that looks like Madoka's, that' is a very important thing to remember. We have no confirmation that these are not an imitation.
It doesn't matter?
We know it is bad and it contains psychological torture. That's all we need. The details won't matter until we end up already in front of a distorted Madoka or something in these lines. We already have reason to find her as fast as possible, knowing it is for so and so reason won't change a thing.
Ok, you keep mentioning a Jeanne, who the hell is it? We have no Jeanne anywhere, if you are talking about Isabeau and co, say Isabeau's group, as is, this is really not clear.
questioningmeme
Just be yourself
- Location
- River of Light
I didn't quite mean it as in "Absolutely Necessary or we die" kind of necessary, I meant it as the most efficient kind of vote.
Similar to how in the past, The Adult and Argalia were two of the same kind of necessary. We could just not vote for them and wouldn't lose much for it, but for our goal not taking the gift of information is kinda stupid.
I don't see how that's relevant given that the Adult puts up a nice illusion of a good host when it comes to dealing with people on her side.
Madoka's interlude shows us exactly why that's unreliable information.
And you are missing the core part of the operation, the enemy we are fighting, the problem itself. Sure the vote will guarantee us missing things, but not voting to watch the big bad at work will have us miss all the moves that our enemy might make. It's like playing chess but not choosing to look at the opponent's moves.
This is why we should watch the Adult thoughts in case they do give away any information about that tidbit.
Yeah no, I would argue the detail very much matters. Because it could also give us time to plan on what to do once we get there. It's not just what she wants with Madoka but also the rest of the City.
I could throw it back again. What does knowing about Corbeau's plan matter more than the Adult?
We are even less likely to be able to act on her information than we do the Adult since by the time X and co get to Isabeau's group we would've freed Madoka first before helping them.
My bad for that one, I keep thinking of Jeanne instead of Isabeau for some reason. I will be fixing that.
I don't think we're going to ever agree, our base premises are completely at odds.
Agree to disagree?
questioningmeme
Just be yourself
- Location
- River of Light
[X] Ashley Taylor.
[X] The Wizard of Oz.
[X] A Puppet.
[X] The Wizard of Oz.
[X] A Puppet.
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
And we have a top three, just barely. Interesting that there wasn't as much of a centralized set of choices this time, everyone just went with what they wanted. This next chapter looks like it's going to be a long one, so bear with me for the possibly extended wait and enjoy some other stories recommended by some friends in the meantime. Here's one that I hope will last you until I return.
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Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
Sorry about the delay, but the next chapter is almost done. It should be released by sometime tomorrow at the latest.
Sidestory 20 - Those Words Mean Nothing
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
Sidestory 20 - Those Words Mean Nothing
The Emerald City's defenses had only undergone a few rounds of testing. After establishing their base, the Wizard had spent a few of the former locals to prove that everything was correctly functioning, but proper tests were still out of reach. This new world was lacking on the whole when it came to individuals of note. Of course the technical side was immaculate, the Wizard's work was never anything less than perfect, but there was a difference between perfection on paper and perfection in practice. Humans may have been predictable, foolish creatures, but even they are capable of being surprising when pressed. The Emerald City in its ideal state would not allow for those surprises. It would carve away every last fleck of hope and dignity a person has, leaving only their own faults laid bare before them as apparent to the world's eyes as they are to the Wizard's. She'd done a fantastic job given the circumstances, but it could have been so much better. So much more elegant.
The Wizard didn't have particularly high hopes for the Alchemist's toys. Whatever mechanism of control she used was so subtle that the Wizard couldn't find it no matter how they've looked, but it is there. Manipulation is the fun way to keep people in line, but anyone with basic planning skills knew to have a failsafe in place in case somebody slips their leash. It was only natural that the Daughter of the Sun and Moon, the Abnormality which holds absolute dominion over the human mind, would make its control practically impossible to distinguish. But the Wizard was no fool, and she knew well enough that that control was there. No matter what sorts of damage she inflicts on the little puppets, they will follow their master's orders. Not that the Wizard was going to pass on ruining them as much as possible. Research into subverting the control systems had failed, to her disappointment, but there were other avenues to pursue. The Alchemist's pets were all one bad day away from an emotional breakdown. They'd make it to the Emerald City's real defenses soon enough, and that would be that. Such instability was a good way to keep people pliable, but it also left said pliability for anyone to exploit. The Wizard had been so bored recently, having a little fun at her enemy's expense was a given.
Sadly, she hadn't managed to include quite all the elements she had imagined. Too much of the Emerald City had to be built towards slowing the Daughter of the Sun and Moon. While they might have been competitors on the intellectual field, the Wizard knew that a monster like that would overpower her without question. The moment it decided that the Wizard had to go, everything would be on borrowed time. Ever since that roaring presence a week ago, since the feeling of something raking through humanity and barely restraining itself from drawing them in with it, the Wizard's focus had been on finding some way to slow the creature on its inevitable assault. Her attempts found fruit many times over, but never grew past just slowing the other Aleph-class. Fortunately, that was all that they needed to do. Only an hour or so now, and the aggregation process would be finished. All that power, nearly wasted on a bunch of idiotic children trying to "save the world", would soon be finding a more worthy owner. Once her plan was finished, no creature would be able to challenge the Wizard of Oz's might. Not the empty husks of creatures that controlled this world, not the so-called "Pinnacles" of what an Abnormality can be, and not some overly-cheerful whelps who couldn't learn their place. Everything would be perfect. There was just one small snag.
For some unfathomable reason, the Alchemist had remained in its human form. Even when the Wizard left the safety of the Emerald City to steal the other Abnormality's trump card out from under it, it refused to abandon its disguise. Worse, it had actually wounded the Wizard with that feeble shell. Not seriously, but the indignity of the blow was a far deeper injury than anything that could've been struck physically. Why? What was the point of all that power just to have it bottled up and left unused? Was it some sort of intimidation tactic? A display of superiority? No, that would be uncharacteristic. The Daughter of the Sun and Moon was an Abnormality like any other, no matter how powerful. Their behavior was bound to a fixed set. The Wizard had only a few short encounters with their foe, but between that and the bits and pieces they managed to pick out from the Library about the Manager of Lobotomy Corporation, they could clearly see what sort of creature the Alchemist was.
It was strange to think that a human could become an Abnormality and carry so much of themselves through the transformation. Despite the knowledge so kindly forced into the Wizard's mind before they were placed in this new world, it was hard to believe such an absurd contradiction. Referencing what the Wizard had heard of the Manager, though, it was clear that they'd always been inhuman. The scattered words of praise or wistfulness from the Librarians matched perfectly with the austere, absolute authority the other Aleph had projected in its momentary assertion of dominance over the new world. The Wizard may not have been present under the same Facility as most of her fellow Abnormalities in the Library, but she remembered well the way employees were treated. They were a resource, spent and discarded as necessary. To still be held in high regard when giving such orders? It was honestly respectable. The Wizard almost wished she'd had more of a chance to speak with the other Abnormality.
As it was, she wanted to hurt them in the worst way possible instead. The battle earlier that day had been… emotionally taxing. Yes, that was a fine way to put it. Having to dance around whatever unknown stipulations the other Abnormality held just to avoid drawing their ire was exhausting. And that wasn't all. By hiding their true power for far longer than any reasonable mind would, they ceased to be the looming threat the Wizard needed to keep her servants in line. The Magical Girls the Wizard had decided to invest in were thoroughly indoctrinated, thankfully, but the other countermeasure she had prepared was becoming a hindrance.
It had required a not-inconsiderable amount of research on the Wizard's part to learn of and then locate Isabeau de Bavière and her children. That monster wearing a woman's face was powerful enough that the Wizard didn't mind entertaining the idea that they were equals, and would have made an excellent distraction when the Alchemist finally decided to attack. When facing such a foe, what other choice would she have but to comply?
Instead, they were conspiring together. It was so blatant it was almost insulting. First a few conversations behind the Wizard's back, and now she could feel Isabeau's will pushing against the Barrier that enclosed the Emerald City. For some absurd reason, Isabeau had decided the other Abnormality would make a more manageable ally. The Wizard had other levers to work with, yes, but that was besides the point! It didn't matter if she had to deal with Isabeau, that had always been the plan. She didn't know exactly what the Daughter of the Sun and Moon was capable of, but some ability to exercise control over others would be nearly a given. If that had happened, the Adult would have been totally content to activate her failsafes and be done with it. That would have been a simple matter of plays and counter-plays. It was insulting, being so thoroughly outplayed. She could still hardly believe it. As far as humans (or almost-humans) went, she as absolutely sure she had Isabeau's personality completely understood. What had convinced her to attempt such a shameless betrayal?
There was no more time to think on these things. The Emerald City's true defenses were beginning to be triggered, and the ritual was nearing completion. The Wizard of Oz drew out the last few sparks she'd need for the time, letting the limp and hollow body she had held in one hand collapse to the ground like a discarded toy. This was her domain, and nobody would challenge her here and live to speak of it. Not when ultimate power was at her fingertips.
—————————
Nothing had actually gone wrong yet, but Ashley Taylor couldn't help but feel extremely nervous. Her feet drummed against the marbled stone floor as her attention bounced from one battle to the next. The mirror-like screens filling the room each displayed a different portion of the Emerald City, following the Alchemist's forces as they made their way in. Some of them still looked like Magical Girls, but others were practically as monstrous as Witches! Ashley couldn't imagine what life like that would be like. Did their families know what had happened to them? Ashley's parents still thought she was away on a study trip. It had been a few days since she'd last talked with them. Maybe she'd call again when this was over. Dad had been getting better recently, hadn't he? Maybe he'd be back on his feet by the time this was all over.
Ashley shook her head, trying to focus. Now wasn't the time to be getting distracted! The enemy was at the gates, the fighting had started, and people were counting on her to do her part.
On the mirror's surface, she can see one of the Distortions progressing through her assigned area with terrifying ease. Ashley remembers this one, one of the copies Oz had made using the Mill. Why it had taken on a life of its own was a mystery, but Ashley had never felt comfortable around the creatures before and decided they were even worse after. No matter how sure Mikoto said she was about her control, they were just too creepy for Ashley to deal with. And now one of them was gradually advancing in her position.
She scrambled over the provided map of the Emerald City, drawing models of troops back and forth to try and organize some sort of response. None of it worked. Ashley wasn't expecting it to, she didn't have the mind for strategy like this. Still, it was frustrating to be so useless.
All Ashley could really do now was go out and fight herself. But looking at the monster tearing through Familiars and Witches alike, it was hard to imagine what she could actually do. Unbidden, the memories of watching her father withering away in a hospital bed sprung to mind. She was stuck again, not able to do anything useful. Too scared to actually fight.
As Ashley tried to concentrate, the image on the mirror rippled and changed. The scene of the Distortion's scythe dancing through shadowy flesh was replaced with Oz, leaning forward in her throne and frowning slightly.
"I am afraid I have grim news to deliver. The French Magical Girls have turned on us." Oz announced. "Whether this is by their own volition or not I do not know, but they cannot be trusted regardless. If you see them, they are to be treated as any enemy would."
And just as abruptly as the message had begun, it ended, leaving Ashley stunned. Had they really…? She hadn't interacted much with the Magical Girls Oz had resurrected, and they hadn't seemed like pleasant people. But would they really betray the person who brought them back to life? Or was it even their choice in the first place? The Alchemist still hadn't appeared in the Emerald City.
Ashley breathed deeply and made a few final adjustments to the battlefield. Time was running out. They just had to hold their positions for a little longer, and everything would be over. She would need to be brave until then.
For everyone's sake.
—————————
The strings drew taut, and the puppet's body was pulled into movement. It was agonizing. The winding thread looped through her body, tugging on bits of soft flesh encased within their wood-bone body. It hooked on nerves and organs only half-intact, feelings of tugging and pressing in every part of her body. She does not breathe, could not breathe anymore, but what remained of her lungs strained open and closed against her will. The motion it called her to was fluid and graceful, with an impossible speed and precision her lone, fumbling steps could never hope to achieve.
She draws an arrow, blazing light taking form on the small bow now fused into her forearm, and fires. Again. Again. Again. Draw and fire. No aim, no intention. Only the movement of a weapon guided by an unseen hand.
She'd caught glimpses of it. A hunched, spidery man with rotted brown skin covered in stitches and bandages. Glowing red threads tangled between the blade-like limbs protruding from its body. The memory, like all others, kept trying to slip from her mind, but the puppet refused to lose this one. She would not forget the creature that did this to her. She wouldn't. She wouldn't forget.
The tugging of the threads stopped, and the puppet's body collapsed back into an idle position. Was whatever she had fired at dead? That… no, she didn't want that. She didn't want that. She didn't want to kill that person. Maybe they had just ran away. Yeah, that was possible, right?
Somebody sighed next to her. Whoever it was sounded like they were about to collapse. The puppet wanted to comfort them somehow, but she still couldn't move by herself. She couldn't even see the person beside her. Still, she wished she could do something for them. Maybe if she help somebody, anybody, she would feel a little more like a person. Instead, all she could do was imagine.
The Emerald City's defenses had only undergone a few rounds of testing. After establishing their base, the Wizard had spent a few of the former locals to prove that everything was correctly functioning, but proper tests were still out of reach. This new world was lacking on the whole when it came to individuals of note. Of course the technical side was immaculate, the Wizard's work was never anything less than perfect, but there was a difference between perfection on paper and perfection in practice. Humans may have been predictable, foolish creatures, but even they are capable of being surprising when pressed. The Emerald City in its ideal state would not allow for those surprises. It would carve away every last fleck of hope and dignity a person has, leaving only their own faults laid bare before them as apparent to the world's eyes as they are to the Wizard's. She'd done a fantastic job given the circumstances, but it could have been so much better. So much more elegant.
The Wizard didn't have particularly high hopes for the Alchemist's toys. Whatever mechanism of control she used was so subtle that the Wizard couldn't find it no matter how they've looked, but it is there. Manipulation is the fun way to keep people in line, but anyone with basic planning skills knew to have a failsafe in place in case somebody slips their leash. It was only natural that the Daughter of the Sun and Moon, the Abnormality which holds absolute dominion over the human mind, would make its control practically impossible to distinguish. But the Wizard was no fool, and she knew well enough that that control was there. No matter what sorts of damage she inflicts on the little puppets, they will follow their master's orders. Not that the Wizard was going to pass on ruining them as much as possible. Research into subverting the control systems had failed, to her disappointment, but there were other avenues to pursue. The Alchemist's pets were all one bad day away from an emotional breakdown. They'd make it to the Emerald City's real defenses soon enough, and that would be that. Such instability was a good way to keep people pliable, but it also left said pliability for anyone to exploit. The Wizard had been so bored recently, having a little fun at her enemy's expense was a given.
Sadly, she hadn't managed to include quite all the elements she had imagined. Too much of the Emerald City had to be built towards slowing the Daughter of the Sun and Moon. While they might have been competitors on the intellectual field, the Wizard knew that a monster like that would overpower her without question. The moment it decided that the Wizard had to go, everything would be on borrowed time. Ever since that roaring presence a week ago, since the feeling of something raking through humanity and barely restraining itself from drawing them in with it, the Wizard's focus had been on finding some way to slow the creature on its inevitable assault. Her attempts found fruit many times over, but never grew past just slowing the other Aleph-class. Fortunately, that was all that they needed to do. Only an hour or so now, and the aggregation process would be finished. All that power, nearly wasted on a bunch of idiotic children trying to "save the world", would soon be finding a more worthy owner. Once her plan was finished, no creature would be able to challenge the Wizard of Oz's might. Not the empty husks of creatures that controlled this world, not the so-called "Pinnacles" of what an Abnormality can be, and not some overly-cheerful whelps who couldn't learn their place. Everything would be perfect. There was just one small snag.
For some unfathomable reason, the Alchemist had remained in its human form. Even when the Wizard left the safety of the Emerald City to steal the other Abnormality's trump card out from under it, it refused to abandon its disguise. Worse, it had actually wounded the Wizard with that feeble shell. Not seriously, but the indignity of the blow was a far deeper injury than anything that could've been struck physically. Why? What was the point of all that power just to have it bottled up and left unused? Was it some sort of intimidation tactic? A display of superiority? No, that would be uncharacteristic. The Daughter of the Sun and Moon was an Abnormality like any other, no matter how powerful. Their behavior was bound to a fixed set. The Wizard had only a few short encounters with their foe, but between that and the bits and pieces they managed to pick out from the Library about the Manager of Lobotomy Corporation, they could clearly see what sort of creature the Alchemist was.
It was strange to think that a human could become an Abnormality and carry so much of themselves through the transformation. Despite the knowledge so kindly forced into the Wizard's mind before they were placed in this new world, it was hard to believe such an absurd contradiction. Referencing what the Wizard had heard of the Manager, though, it was clear that they'd always been inhuman. The scattered words of praise or wistfulness from the Librarians matched perfectly with the austere, absolute authority the other Aleph had projected in its momentary assertion of dominance over the new world. The Wizard may not have been present under the same Facility as most of her fellow Abnormalities in the Library, but she remembered well the way employees were treated. They were a resource, spent and discarded as necessary. To still be held in high regard when giving such orders? It was honestly respectable. The Wizard almost wished she'd had more of a chance to speak with the other Abnormality.
As it was, she wanted to hurt them in the worst way possible instead. The battle earlier that day had been… emotionally taxing. Yes, that was a fine way to put it. Having to dance around whatever unknown stipulations the other Abnormality held just to avoid drawing their ire was exhausting. And that wasn't all. By hiding their true power for far longer than any reasonable mind would, they ceased to be the looming threat the Wizard needed to keep her servants in line. The Magical Girls the Wizard had decided to invest in were thoroughly indoctrinated, thankfully, but the other countermeasure she had prepared was becoming a hindrance.
It had required a not-inconsiderable amount of research on the Wizard's part to learn of and then locate Isabeau de Bavière and her children. That monster wearing a woman's face was powerful enough that the Wizard didn't mind entertaining the idea that they were equals, and would have made an excellent distraction when the Alchemist finally decided to attack. When facing such a foe, what other choice would she have but to comply?
Instead, they were conspiring together. It was so blatant it was almost insulting. First a few conversations behind the Wizard's back, and now she could feel Isabeau's will pushing against the Barrier that enclosed the Emerald City. For some absurd reason, Isabeau had decided the other Abnormality would make a more manageable ally. The Wizard had other levers to work with, yes, but that was besides the point! It didn't matter if she had to deal with Isabeau, that had always been the plan. She didn't know exactly what the Daughter of the Sun and Moon was capable of, but some ability to exercise control over others would be nearly a given. If that had happened, the Adult would have been totally content to activate her failsafes and be done with it. That would have been a simple matter of plays and counter-plays. It was insulting, being so thoroughly outplayed. She could still hardly believe it. As far as humans (or almost-humans) went, she as absolutely sure she had Isabeau's personality completely understood. What had convinced her to attempt such a shameless betrayal?
There was no more time to think on these things. The Emerald City's true defenses were beginning to be triggered, and the ritual was nearing completion. The Wizard of Oz drew out the last few sparks she'd need for the time, letting the limp and hollow body she had held in one hand collapse to the ground like a discarded toy. This was her domain, and nobody would challenge her here and live to speak of it. Not when ultimate power was at her fingertips.
—————————
Nothing had actually gone wrong yet, but Ashley Taylor couldn't help but feel extremely nervous. Her feet drummed against the marbled stone floor as her attention bounced from one battle to the next. The mirror-like screens filling the room each displayed a different portion of the Emerald City, following the Alchemist's forces as they made their way in. Some of them still looked like Magical Girls, but others were practically as monstrous as Witches! Ashley couldn't imagine what life like that would be like. Did their families know what had happened to them? Ashley's parents still thought she was away on a study trip. It had been a few days since she'd last talked with them. Maybe she'd call again when this was over. Dad had been getting better recently, hadn't he? Maybe he'd be back on his feet by the time this was all over.
Ashley shook her head, trying to focus. Now wasn't the time to be getting distracted! The enemy was at the gates, the fighting had started, and people were counting on her to do her part.
On the mirror's surface, she can see one of the Distortions progressing through her assigned area with terrifying ease. Ashley remembers this one, one of the copies Oz had made using the Mill. Why it had taken on a life of its own was a mystery, but Ashley had never felt comfortable around the creatures before and decided they were even worse after. No matter how sure Mikoto said she was about her control, they were just too creepy for Ashley to deal with. And now one of them was gradually advancing in her position.
She scrambled over the provided map of the Emerald City, drawing models of troops back and forth to try and organize some sort of response. None of it worked. Ashley wasn't expecting it to, she didn't have the mind for strategy like this. Still, it was frustrating to be so useless.
All Ashley could really do now was go out and fight herself. But looking at the monster tearing through Familiars and Witches alike, it was hard to imagine what she could actually do. Unbidden, the memories of watching her father withering away in a hospital bed sprung to mind. She was stuck again, not able to do anything useful. Too scared to actually fight.
As Ashley tried to concentrate, the image on the mirror rippled and changed. The scene of the Distortion's scythe dancing through shadowy flesh was replaced with Oz, leaning forward in her throne and frowning slightly.
"I am afraid I have grim news to deliver. The French Magical Girls have turned on us." Oz announced. "Whether this is by their own volition or not I do not know, but they cannot be trusted regardless. If you see them, they are to be treated as any enemy would."
And just as abruptly as the message had begun, it ended, leaving Ashley stunned. Had they really…? She hadn't interacted much with the Magical Girls Oz had resurrected, and they hadn't seemed like pleasant people. But would they really betray the person who brought them back to life? Or was it even their choice in the first place? The Alchemist still hadn't appeared in the Emerald City.
Ashley breathed deeply and made a few final adjustments to the battlefield. Time was running out. They just had to hold their positions for a little longer, and everything would be over. She would need to be brave until then.
For everyone's sake.
—————————
The strings drew taut, and the puppet's body was pulled into movement. It was agonizing. The winding thread looped through her body, tugging on bits of soft flesh encased within their wood-bone body. It hooked on nerves and organs only half-intact, feelings of tugging and pressing in every part of her body. She does not breathe, could not breathe anymore, but what remained of her lungs strained open and closed against her will. The motion it called her to was fluid and graceful, with an impossible speed and precision her lone, fumbling steps could never hope to achieve.
She draws an arrow, blazing light taking form on the small bow now fused into her forearm, and fires. Again. Again. Again. Draw and fire. No aim, no intention. Only the movement of a weapon guided by an unseen hand.
She'd caught glimpses of it. A hunched, spidery man with rotted brown skin covered in stitches and bandages. Glowing red threads tangled between the blade-like limbs protruding from its body. The memory, like all others, kept trying to slip from her mind, but the puppet refused to lose this one. She would not forget the creature that did this to her. She wouldn't. She wouldn't forget.
The tugging of the threads stopped, and the puppet's body collapsed back into an idle position. Was whatever she had fired at dead? That… no, she didn't want that. She didn't want that. She didn't want to kill that person. Maybe they had just ran away. Yeah, that was possible, right?
Somebody sighed next to her. Whoever it was sounded like they were about to collapse. The puppet wanted to comfort them somehow, but she still couldn't move by herself. She couldn't even see the person beside her. Still, she wished she could do something for them. Maybe if she help somebody, anybody, she would feel a little more like a person. Instead, all she could do was imagine.
Sidestory 20 - Those Words Mean Nothing
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
Sorry this one's a little late, I fell asleep while writing again. It's a lot more embarrassing when it happens a second time.
"Human Resources" Shouldn't Be This Literal: A PMMM/ProjectMoon Quest
"Human Resources" Shouldn't Be This Literal: A PMMM/ProjectMoon Quest
- Location
- Miami
Ah well. Looks like Madoka needs a new body?
ObservadorCha
Watching from the stars
I think the puppet is Iroha, right?
Something tells me the appropriate answer is: continue telling yourself that dear.
But it will never exists in that *ideal state* is the thing.
No matter what the adult trues, her pride will lead to her downfall one way or another, it's just part of the play.
…
….
…..
I mean, every second spent searching for a thing that isn't there is one second not spent actually researching things that would counter us, so, by all means, go wild.
Well, not too wild, we would like Madoka alive and whole after this.
This sentence is hysterical to me for one big reason: it tells that X has dominion of the human mind, but has so little actual understanding of the positive parts of it it is completely missing that such a dominion means there is no need for failsafe ypu could detect.
Even if X was malevolent, good old psychologie is more than enough to instill fanatical devotion without any need for any magic, thus nothing to see.
Remember when I said that every second counted? Remember when we decided to go to the library instead?
Yeah, I knew it had a price.
Girl, the only reason you even stand a modicum of a chance is that X is not able to use most of her power.
Apobird would not even register you, Whitenight would scoff, and Silent girl would judge you guilty then erase you.
*Looks at her entire base premise and conclusions*
Yeah, about that….
She has no idea she was trampling all over them, doesn't she?
Ok, Lepi, I want to tell you this:
Congratulations on portraying a sociopathic narcissist with, from what I know of them, is very great accuracy.
The Adult is so sure she understands everything about the human mind she has holes the size of continents in her reasonings. Because she cannot conceive in any way that people can be different enough from each others using herself as the base template is bound to lead to mistakes.
I am 99% sure the guy is either dead, or wishing he was.
He makes too good a contingency.
Ah, I know who this is.
I told that letting time pass would lead to use having lost Madoka, I told it.
Now the only way out for her is through distorting.
I called it, *every second counts*, well, not only is there a ritual ready to go that we would have had more time to stop, Madoka is now a puppet sentry.
Also, one entire part from the Adult's POV, and everything we were told in it is things we knew, we are on a timer, we knew that, there are hidden defenses, we knew that, the Adult doesn't understand us, boy did we knew that.
Edit:
Nah, given the arrows are almost certainly the ones Sayaka saw, that are Madoka's, plus the references to wanting to help, that's Madoka, for sure.
Edit2:
Nevermind, checked about who Iroha was, *just in case* and the fact that she has a wrist mounted crossbow as a weapon is more in line with what the puppet uses.
You are right, it seems to be Iroha, at least Madoka may still be in a state where she doesn't need to distort to get out.
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So far we've placed all our bets on Madoka, even sending her to Binah in hopes of strengthening her mind. We shall see whether that pans out. Also my understanding was that Effloresced is just a fancy way of saying naturally manifested (it connotes a flower blossoming) and doesn't necessarily imply a lower level of E.G.O.
- Location
- Sea of Souls
Aren't all E.G.Os besides E.G.O gears, naturally manifested? I think that Effloresced EGOs are incomplete EGOs, EGOs that still need a desire achieved before becoming complete, like Philip's, the only true Manifested EGOs are Gebura, Xiao, and others.
questioningmeme
Just be yourself
- Location
- River of Light
Madoka seems to be the Adult's endgame here if her dialogue of taking the power being wasted is to be believed.
Admittedly, Madoka's wants and needs are relatively unshakable so her distorting might not be too likely. Kyoko's distorting from NT's treatment is more of how it stoked the fire of her sense of self-loathing.
So Madoka's distorting would come from her friends being harmed due to her powerlessness.
There are a couple of things we learned, not much but interesting nonetheless.
We were correct to assume that the real defense of the City was built around dealing with our kids, likely, they were there as a contingency for a while now, and we would've probably run into them regardless of whether we went or not to the Library.
Which isn't that unreasonable, the Adult was probably expecting X to immediately chase after her with full power by her dialogue.
But that is a bit worrying, Iroha or whoever that is with a similar attack to Madoka's arrows will probably need some intense Family-Trauma-Therapy to keep her from distorting badly.
Few things are for sure though, The Adult was busy figuring out how to take Madoka's power for herself (Likely after she understood how potential and wishes work) while also trying to find a sign that X still has control over Madoka somehow.
Ashley is the one commanding the Adult's forces and will likely be fighting Argalia alongside whoever is present at the Mill. She'll probably not be as big of a problem as whoever is also there with her.
Iroha(?) and the Observation Tower are a problem. More for Sayaka than for Kyoko. The Puppeteer also might be there too, alongside whoever is with the Puppet.
We got a couple of confirmed locations, but nothing concrete outside of the fact that the traps here are built for our kids (Argalia is probably fine unless a mirage of his sister pops up).
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