Eternal_0bserver
(Unverified Bookworm)
- Location
- Earth, Northern Europe
[X] Together, two against two.
“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
[x] Together, two against two
Philip really channeling the unseeing child here, refusing to read Argalia's passives and trying to attack the Blue Reverberation with ranged dice. Maybe the Crying Children was actually a meta joke by Project Moon about players who complained that the game is too hard 
[X] Together, two against two
[X] Together, two against two
Kermie
Surprisingly Not A Frog
- Location
- Somewhere On The Planet
- Pronouns
- He/She/They
Philip is just like the average PM player: cowardly, no social life, and illiterate!/s
[X] Together, two against two
This just seems like a better option.
Wow didn't need to call me out like that. Didn't wake up planning to be attacked y'know.
[x] Together, two against two
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
Since everyone is in agreement, let's proceed.
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
I'll have some free time to write tomorrow, so you can expect the next chapter around then. After that, we'll check back in with the kids and I'll put together a late special for Walpurgis Night.
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
I'm not feeling well today, so I probably won't be able to have a chapter out by tonight. I'll definitely be done by tomorrow, though.
2.6.12 - Popularity Contest
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
Chapter 162 - Popularity Contest
The fight that ensues is brief but brutal. Fortunately, you and Argalia both are excellent at teamwork. Compared to the mimicked Distortions, deprived of the personalities that had grown so close, fight like strangers. You thought for a moment that, both being leaders, you and the Blue Reverberation wouldn't be able to cooperate so easily. Fortunately, the opposite seems to be true.
You don't command in the same way that Argalia does. You are the Manager, you assess a situation and issue orders accordingly. You give commands, arrange formations, control the battlefield. Argalia's style is nothing like that. Maybe it's just around you, but he doesn't act like a leader. Not a formal one, anyways. His direction is an ever-present word of advice, gentle suggestions of vulnerabilities and openings whispered without words between wide swings of the scythe in his hand. It's a rather new experience, commanding alongside someone who can be considered an equal. The closest you can compare it to is working alongside Binah, for as rare an occasion as that was. Ordering somebody who is truly an equal, bound to your commands only by their own agreement that your assessments are clear and logical.
Maybe you should go visit Binah more when this is done. You've missed tea with her. Surely you'll have time between your preparations?
Between the two of you, the imitation of Tanya falls quickly. Even if neither of you can match its sheer strength, your collective skill is more than enough to bridge the gap. It's on death's door by the time the copy of Philip descends from the skies to join the fight properly. Alone, the copy doesn't stand a chance.
The battle ends with a pair of swords through the waxen angel's head as it melts into nothing. You draw up Sound of a Star and let its glow envelop you and Argalia, soothing the burns and bruises accumulated. As the dust settles and the storm dies down, leaving the streets carpeted in coarse black sand, Argalia calls out towards one of the buildings.
"And with the actors gone, the performance has come to an end. Come on out now. There's someone I'd like for you to meet." he requests, and something within the building moves to answer. A frightened-looking Magical Girl with long blonde hair in a bright pink and black costume with bright red accents slinks out the door. She looks a bit different from most of the people you've seen around Mitakihara or the surrounding areas. Or maybe it's more accurate to say there's a level of physical consistency between people in Mitakihara that the City doesn't have. You suppose that makes her a foreigner of some sort? She slowly makes her way across the barren clearing before noticing you and freezing.
"That's- you're-"
"Now, don't just stand there staring, Ashley! Introduce yourself! I'm sure X here will be overjoyed to get to know you." Argalia encourages, walking over and placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. Her eyes dart between you and the tip of his scythe, held casually and yet with a clear line of motion to her Soul Gem. This really isn't how you'd prefer to have this meeting. The kid looks like a frightened animal, ready to bolt at the first opening. There won't be an opening, though, not with Argalia hovering so close. That ever-present support of his turns claustrophobic without the slightest change in demeanor.
Maybe you can salvage something of this mess. "Hey," you begin, putting on a small smile. "I'm X. Though I imagine you'be already heard about me plenty."
The girl makes some sort of aborted movement, maybe a bow or curtsy ended before it can begin. "H-hello," she managed shakily. "My name is Ashley."
"Good to meet you, Ashley." you say. You took your time with Sena to try and build some sort of positive impression, but you doubt that's even possible here with the time you've got left. "Now, Argalia, what's your progress on finding that marker? I did mention speeding things up, and with the sandstorm gone the Emerald City's forces will have already started closing in."
"Certainly! That's what our new friend Ashley here can help us with." Argalia releases his grip on Ashley's shoulder and calmly walks back to his side. She follows him, her steps anxious and halting.
"I know about the Mill." Ashley says, having steadied her voice enough to speak clearly. "But I'm not telling you anything!" She flinches reflexively, expecting a punishment that doesn't come.
"That's fine. Leonie worked there as well, so she can bring us there just as easily." you say, holding the compass Distortion up so the Magical Girl can see. On cue, the door to a dilapidated building nearby creaks open and a Route extends out beyond it. Ashley doesn't notice, her eyes instead locked on Leonie's tiny form.
"T-that's…" Her earlier confidence is absent, replaced by horrified disbelief. "You were…"
"I'll answer any of your questions while we go," you say, softening your tone for the shocked child, "but I can assure you immediately that Leonie is alright. Now come on, we need to get moving and I'm not going to leave you unattended."
—————————
It takes until halfway through Leonie's second Route for Ashley to say anything. Argalia walks slightly ahead of her, the resting position of his scythe positioned just so that a single flick of the wrist could guillotine her in half.
"Why did this happen?" she manages to squeak out.
"There's no way to answer such a vague question. Though if you are asking towards Leonie's current state, it may be best to hear her own answer first." you suggest.
At your signal, the Distortion speaks. "I chose to be this. And to not make any more choices. If you worked in the Mill, you know the same feelings I felt."
Ashley shivers. "It was like it was alive. I always felt like somebody was watching me in there."
"Your instincts are entirely correct! If you listen just right, you can hear it across the Emerald City!" Argalia adds cheerfully?
"Hear it?" Ashley asks reflexively.
"The screaming, of course! Whoever the Wizard used to make thing is having a truly awful time." he answers, utterly uncaring for the way Ashley shrinks back.
"Y-you're lying! Oz wouldn't-"
"We can discuss who is and is not deceiving you when this is all resolved. Though for as adamant as you are to being unhelpful, you have done equally little to hinder us. I have a few guesses as to why, but it would be appreciated if you just came out and said it." you interrupt. The Magical Girl's Soul Gem hangs on a choker around her neck. There's a thin, nearly-invisible scratch across the surface, drawn cleanly down the center from the top to the bottom.
Not everyone can face death without fear.
When Ashley remains silent, you move on. You're nearly to the end of the Route, anyways, and there won't be any time for conversation once you arrive.
"As I said, it doesn't really matter. You wanted to know more about the Distortion Phenomenon, didn't you?"
Ashley gathers back enough courage to stare defiantly at you. Argalia's expression is hard to read, but he seems amused. "And why should I trust what you tell me? You're probably just trying to trick me."
You shrug. "Even if I am, it still benefits you. Knowing what your enemy wants you to believe is useful information, too."
Ashley doesn't reply, so you go ahead with your explanation. "Distortions can be created when a person reaches an emotional breaking point. If the conditions are correct, the process will begin and can't be stopped until it's finished. Facing such a trauma, whatever it is, most people will find some idea to latch onto in the aftermath. A way of seeing themself, an understanding of the world, or a goal they have to reach. It's a tendency common even when the Phenomenon isn't in play. Whatever they grasp will become the basis for the Distortion that results."
"What comes as a result is a purer human." Argalia cuts in. A note of reverence enters his voice. "The true self, unbridled from the conventions of normalcy forced upon us. Free to go about life without judgement or shame."
You sigh internally. You're trying to demystify things, but Argalia's near-worship of the Light puts a wrench in that. You can't contradict him either, not without straining your alliance when you need allies more than ever.
"The point being, nobody can make a Distortion happen and nobody can decide what a Distortion becomes. It's a culmination of the events that caused it, not a sudden transformation." Even before becoming Distortions, it's easy to see Homura imagining herself as a machine devoted only to her sole goal or Kyoko thinking that she only hurts the people around them. The thoughts sit there, growing until finally bursting to the surface when they can no longer be held back.
The Route's exit arrives. You, Argalia, and your captive arrive to a tall circular room decorated in the same polished black stone and shining emerald sculpting that composed many of the Emerald City's buildings. Something dark threads through the walls like veins up from the floor to the ceiling far above. The sides of the room are lined with various balconies and observation decks, staring in at the intricate series of gears, funnels, and channels filling the stagnant air. You can hear the screaming Argalia described in your mind, agony strained and stretched as the life trapped here is slowly ground away along with whatever this place uses for raw materials. At the bottom, a single pipe opens up into a massive pool filled with murky black sludge that you recognize as Grief. All around are creatures with little to no cohesion or similarity between them save for their ragged appearance and lack of resemblance to any proper animal. Ashley shifts back and forth in place, eyes darting to every doorway and passage. Not with the hope of escape, but fear. Fear that something else will stalk out from one of those doors.
The guarding monsters alert in an instant and rush towards your group. It's a short fight, if an annoying one. The Emerald City's monsters tend to carry little tricks or traps with them that means sheer force doesn't always work. All the while, Ashley stands in the back looking restrained. More than once she steps forward and begins to shift into what might be a combat stance, but a glance back from Argalia ends it before it can begin. Soon enough, the Mill's central chamber is empty of enemy fighters. All that remains is your group and the silent screaming of the cursed machine above.
———————————————
Porccubus' Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Schadenfreude's Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
CENSORED's Sapling - Observation Level EXPUNGED/REDACTED
The fight that ensues is brief but brutal. Fortunately, you and Argalia both are excellent at teamwork. Compared to the mimicked Distortions, deprived of the personalities that had grown so close, fight like strangers. You thought for a moment that, both being leaders, you and the Blue Reverberation wouldn't be able to cooperate so easily. Fortunately, the opposite seems to be true.
You don't command in the same way that Argalia does. You are the Manager, you assess a situation and issue orders accordingly. You give commands, arrange formations, control the battlefield. Argalia's style is nothing like that. Maybe it's just around you, but he doesn't act like a leader. Not a formal one, anyways. His direction is an ever-present word of advice, gentle suggestions of vulnerabilities and openings whispered without words between wide swings of the scythe in his hand. It's a rather new experience, commanding alongside someone who can be considered an equal. The closest you can compare it to is working alongside Binah, for as rare an occasion as that was. Ordering somebody who is truly an equal, bound to your commands only by their own agreement that your assessments are clear and logical.
Maybe you should go visit Binah more when this is done. You've missed tea with her. Surely you'll have time between your preparations?
Between the two of you, the imitation of Tanya falls quickly. Even if neither of you can match its sheer strength, your collective skill is more than enough to bridge the gap. It's on death's door by the time the copy of Philip descends from the skies to join the fight properly. Alone, the copy doesn't stand a chance.
The battle ends with a pair of swords through the waxen angel's head as it melts into nothing. You draw up Sound of a Star and let its glow envelop you and Argalia, soothing the burns and bruises accumulated. As the dust settles and the storm dies down, leaving the streets carpeted in coarse black sand, Argalia calls out towards one of the buildings.
"And with the actors gone, the performance has come to an end. Come on out now. There's someone I'd like for you to meet." he requests, and something within the building moves to answer. A frightened-looking Magical Girl with long blonde hair in a bright pink and black costume with bright red accents slinks out the door. She looks a bit different from most of the people you've seen around Mitakihara or the surrounding areas. Or maybe it's more accurate to say there's a level of physical consistency between people in Mitakihara that the City doesn't have. You suppose that makes her a foreigner of some sort? She slowly makes her way across the barren clearing before noticing you and freezing.
"That's- you're-"
"Now, don't just stand there staring, Ashley! Introduce yourself! I'm sure X here will be overjoyed to get to know you." Argalia encourages, walking over and placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. Her eyes dart between you and the tip of his scythe, held casually and yet with a clear line of motion to her Soul Gem. This really isn't how you'd prefer to have this meeting. The kid looks like a frightened animal, ready to bolt at the first opening. There won't be an opening, though, not with Argalia hovering so close. That ever-present support of his turns claustrophobic without the slightest change in demeanor.
Maybe you can salvage something of this mess. "Hey," you begin, putting on a small smile. "I'm X. Though I imagine you'be already heard about me plenty."
The girl makes some sort of aborted movement, maybe a bow or curtsy ended before it can begin. "H-hello," she managed shakily. "My name is Ashley."
"Good to meet you, Ashley." you say. You took your time with Sena to try and build some sort of positive impression, but you doubt that's even possible here with the time you've got left. "Now, Argalia, what's your progress on finding that marker? I did mention speeding things up, and with the sandstorm gone the Emerald City's forces will have already started closing in."
"Certainly! That's what our new friend Ashley here can help us with." Argalia releases his grip on Ashley's shoulder and calmly walks back to his side. She follows him, her steps anxious and halting.
"I know about the Mill." Ashley says, having steadied her voice enough to speak clearly. "But I'm not telling you anything!" She flinches reflexively, expecting a punishment that doesn't come.
"That's fine. Leonie worked there as well, so she can bring us there just as easily." you say, holding the compass Distortion up so the Magical Girl can see. On cue, the door to a dilapidated building nearby creaks open and a Route extends out beyond it. Ashley doesn't notice, her eyes instead locked on Leonie's tiny form.
"T-that's…" Her earlier confidence is absent, replaced by horrified disbelief. "You were…"
"I'll answer any of your questions while we go," you say, softening your tone for the shocked child, "but I can assure you immediately that Leonie is alright. Now come on, we need to get moving and I'm not going to leave you unattended."
—————————
It takes until halfway through Leonie's second Route for Ashley to say anything. Argalia walks slightly ahead of her, the resting position of his scythe positioned just so that a single flick of the wrist could guillotine her in half.
"Why did this happen?" she manages to squeak out.
"There's no way to answer such a vague question. Though if you are asking towards Leonie's current state, it may be best to hear her own answer first." you suggest.
At your signal, the Distortion speaks. "I chose to be this. And to not make any more choices. If you worked in the Mill, you know the same feelings I felt."
Ashley shivers. "It was like it was alive. I always felt like somebody was watching me in there."
"Your instincts are entirely correct! If you listen just right, you can hear it across the Emerald City!" Argalia adds cheerfully?
"Hear it?" Ashley asks reflexively.
"The screaming, of course! Whoever the Wizard used to make thing is having a truly awful time." he answers, utterly uncaring for the way Ashley shrinks back.
"Y-you're lying! Oz wouldn't-"
"We can discuss who is and is not deceiving you when this is all resolved. Though for as adamant as you are to being unhelpful, you have done equally little to hinder us. I have a few guesses as to why, but it would be appreciated if you just came out and said it." you interrupt. The Magical Girl's Soul Gem hangs on a choker around her neck. There's a thin, nearly-invisible scratch across the surface, drawn cleanly down the center from the top to the bottom.
Not everyone can face death without fear.
When Ashley remains silent, you move on. You're nearly to the end of the Route, anyways, and there won't be any time for conversation once you arrive.
"As I said, it doesn't really matter. You wanted to know more about the Distortion Phenomenon, didn't you?"
Ashley gathers back enough courage to stare defiantly at you. Argalia's expression is hard to read, but he seems amused. "And why should I trust what you tell me? You're probably just trying to trick me."
You shrug. "Even if I am, it still benefits you. Knowing what your enemy wants you to believe is useful information, too."
Ashley doesn't reply, so you go ahead with your explanation. "Distortions can be created when a person reaches an emotional breaking point. If the conditions are correct, the process will begin and can't be stopped until it's finished. Facing such a trauma, whatever it is, most people will find some idea to latch onto in the aftermath. A way of seeing themself, an understanding of the world, or a goal they have to reach. It's a tendency common even when the Phenomenon isn't in play. Whatever they grasp will become the basis for the Distortion that results."
"What comes as a result is a purer human." Argalia cuts in. A note of reverence enters his voice. "The true self, unbridled from the conventions of normalcy forced upon us. Free to go about life without judgement or shame."
You sigh internally. You're trying to demystify things, but Argalia's near-worship of the Light puts a wrench in that. You can't contradict him either, not without straining your alliance when you need allies more than ever.
"The point being, nobody can make a Distortion happen and nobody can decide what a Distortion becomes. It's a culmination of the events that caused it, not a sudden transformation." Even before becoming Distortions, it's easy to see Homura imagining herself as a machine devoted only to her sole goal or Kyoko thinking that she only hurts the people around them. The thoughts sit there, growing until finally bursting to the surface when they can no longer be held back.
The Route's exit arrives. You, Argalia, and your captive arrive to a tall circular room decorated in the same polished black stone and shining emerald sculpting that composed many of the Emerald City's buildings. Something dark threads through the walls like veins up from the floor to the ceiling far above. The sides of the room are lined with various balconies and observation decks, staring in at the intricate series of gears, funnels, and channels filling the stagnant air. You can hear the screaming Argalia described in your mind, agony strained and stretched as the life trapped here is slowly ground away along with whatever this place uses for raw materials. At the bottom, a single pipe opens up into a massive pool filled with murky black sludge that you recognize as Grief. All around are creatures with little to no cohesion or similarity between them save for their ragged appearance and lack of resemblance to any proper animal. Ashley shifts back and forth in place, eyes darting to every doorway and passage. Not with the hope of escape, but fear. Fear that something else will stalk out from one of those doors.
The guarding monsters alert in an instant and rush towards your group. It's a short fight, if an annoying one. The Emerald City's monsters tend to carry little tricks or traps with them that means sheer force doesn't always work. All the while, Ashley stands in the back looking restrained. More than once she steps forward and begins to shift into what might be a combat stance, but a glance back from Argalia ends it before it can begin. Soon enough, the Mill's central chamber is empty of enemy fighters. All that remains is your group and the silent screaming of the cursed machine above.
———————————————
Porccubus' Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Schadenfreude's Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
CENSORED's Sapling - Observation Level EXPUNGED/REDACTED
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
Ashley Taylor
[] Send her with a group (specify who)
[] Take her Soul Gem
[] Write-in
Where to?
[] Kyoko & Sayaka
[] Mami
[] Homura
Assign X, Argalia, and Leonie as you wish between these options. Leonie cannot go somewhere alone.
[] Send her with a group (specify who)
[] Take her Soul Gem
[] Write-in
Where to?
[] Kyoko & Sayaka
[] Mami
[] Homura
Assign X, Argalia, and Leonie as you wish between these options. Leonie cannot go somewhere alone.
Do we know Ashley's combat abilities?
Edit:
Initial thoughts for assignments would be that you do not want to send Argalia where Morale is a concern, and obviously Ashley doesn't want to be with Argalia. So (fixed into a legal format):
[] Let Ashley decide if she wants to go with Argalia or with us
[] Assign Argalia and Leonie to Homura, to try and meet up with Mami
[] Assign X to Kyoko & Sayaka
Edit:
Initial thoughts for assignments would be that you do not want to send Argalia where Morale is a concern, and obviously Ashley doesn't want to be with Argalia. So (fixed into a legal format):
[] Let Ashley decide if she wants to go with Argalia or with us
[] Assign Argalia and Leonie to Homura, to try and meet up with Mami
[] Assign X to Kyoko & Sayaka
Last edited:
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
Leonie can't be assigned alone, as somebody has to carry her.
questioningmeme
Just be yourself
- Location
- River of Light
This is probably gonna be our plan of action going forward.
We have achieved our objective of freeing up Argalia now, so it's time to get onto the other two groups asap.
Time is of the essence.
: Not that dear Argalia is wrong anyhow.I'm wondering if we should keep Leonie so she and Ashley can chat, but then again I'm not sure how good Argalia good is at moving Homura to Mami's location?
questioningmeme
Just be yourself
- Location
- River of Light
The difficult thing is, we have to part with Leonia to make full use of Argalia without worries.
X can teleport easily with the combination of Twilight and Knight of Despair.
While Argalia might be fast, having him run to Homura and Mami is rather slow and is a poor application of our current forces.
Ashley's chat with Leonia will have to wait I think. We did this route to free Argalia up so he could help our girls alongside us. To not use all our resources to help the kids now would be rather irresponsible no?
[X] Plan: Stick to the Plan.
-[X] Let Ashley decide if she wants to go with Argalia or with us
-[X] Assign Argalia and Leonie to Homura, to try and meet up with Mami
-[X] Assign X to Kyoko & Sayaka
Well, if there are no other objections I suppose it is time to vote?
-[X] Let Ashley decide if she wants to go with Argalia or with us
-[X] Assign Argalia and Leonie to Homura, to try and meet up with Mami
-[X] Assign X to Kyoko & Sayaka
Well, if there are no other objections I suppose it is time to vote?
questioningmeme
Just be yourself
- Location
- River of Light
[X] Plan: Stick to the Plan.
-[X] Let Ashley decide if she wants to go with Argalia or with us
-[X] Assign Argalia and Leonie to Homura, to try and meet up with Mami
-[X] Assign X to Kyoko & Sayaka
Make it a plan so the vote count is simpler.
-[X] Let Ashley decide if she wants to go with Argalia or with us
-[X] Assign Argalia and Leonie to Homura, to try and meet up with Mami
-[X] Assign X to Kyoko & Sayaka
Make it a plan so the vote count is simpler.
*Begin preparation for a 20k chapter of nothing but tea drinking and philosophical musings*
"Now, what are your thoughts about adoption Ashley?"
Oh, she would, and with gutso at that.
By the way, you probably were on the list, just saying.
Ah, hmm, Lepi?
Would you not have read Oriko magica by chance?
Because Kirika suffers from a similar thing in the manga... and she's as good as dead the moment it happens, with the crack growing and growing and her slowly turning into a witch without any way to stop it....
A thought is a thorn.
You know the rest.
[X] Plan: Stick to the Plan.
[X] Plan: Stick to the Plan.
EDIT: Is there any reason why we send Argalia to Homura instead of Mami?
EDIT: Is there any reason why we send Argalia to Homura instead of Mami?
Last edited:
[X] Plan: Stick to the Plan.
It is easier to rejoin Mami with Homura's help than the opposite, thanks to Homura's time powers.