The correct way to fry an egg

  • Sunny side up

    Votes: 16 64.0%
  • Sunny side down

    Votes: 9 36.0%

  • Total voters
    25
  • Poll closed .
...Uh, can you elaborate? I have no idea where you're coming from on that.

Kyubey might make it sound like we are responsible for a drop in witches in other cities. This will result in magical girls who have the seed stashes to do so coming to attack us to 'restore the witch count' in their city. This would fit how Kyubey works if they don't think they could get us to contract or if they though it would lead to us having a higher chance of contracting.
 
My main fear is kyubey will turn this into a way to have magical girls coming to attack us.
This forecast is of the highest quality.

Will need to work out a replacement system to either madokami or magical girls as a whole.
We should have a catchy name for this new system to distinguish it from the old. How do you feel about "Revolutionary Girl Clarisse?"

The SE is due to blow up in our future and get replaced by this universe and we are expected to perform that action. What outcome are we after from this?
Uh, doesn't Sakura do this?
Clarisse seems to have done this using that universe's Sakura feather. This would, after all, explain why there was the memory of a Sakura feather hidden within her. The sequencing implications of this do suggest it is in Clarisse's past. The further implications of this have not been fully explored, but people have suggested this is not the past they want. Among other things, I suppose it is less certain exactly who Ryouko is. Clarisse may yet reinterpret these events, and decide to use magic to make another past happen; it is that sort of quest, after all. The alternate Clarisse may be willing to offer support in making this happen?
 
Going back over this…

There isn't any nefarious brainwashing that is forcing Nadeshiko to want lots of kids. Nadeshiko wants lots of kids because she likes the idea of having kids.

Nadeshiko is super-femme because she's super-femme. The social roles that appeal to her, the social roles she aspires to, are ones that are traditionally feminine-coded, like "caretaker," or "mother."

I should take another stab at the specifics of this, and hope to promote harmony here by doing so…

While her being super femme is in fact the key point of that arc, it is not meant as brainwashing her into liking femme things, but into doing these things which she would be ashamed to like. The "12 kids" idea specifically haunting her is her grappling with her own internalized (and potentially misogynistic) ideals, and how much she really wants them in practice when faced with that reality. In the case of the question "do I want to have children," the ultimate answer does seem to be yes, but maybe not personally bearing twelve, as that is a lot? Opening the orphanage was clearly one alternative...

Which raises the question of would papa still be attracted to mama if he was herself. Man that sucks as a delima.
Honestly? I am going to be slightly meta about it, but the real question is why Tomoyo is attracted to him as he is, and not only to Nadeshiko.
 
Have you ever stopped reading a story half way because it was too good?

One day I was writing on this thread and @Thelxiope posted something which convinced me to see Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card. I watched everything that had been animated, and I read the English versions, whereupon it ended, and it wasn't complete. So then I ordered one of the Japanese books, and used an online text-only translation to read it. Then I ordered the entirety of Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle (I think it was twelve big thick omnibus books!) to shed further light on it (partial success!) and read them all in a weekend. Then I got a Shinomoto Akiho keychain.

So, um, not exactly what you asked, but... not really? :)
 
Anyway, I'll start The Listtm:
-Immediate Threat: Kyuuby pulling out of Japan = Massive downturn in Witches. Massive, national level Grief Spiral immanent.
->Potential Solution: Need to work on way to expunge or stop Grief from accumulating in the soul unnaturally in the first place. Investigate Souls, Grief, Soul Gems, and alternatives to Soul Gems.
Can Clarisse ask Kyuuby to resume his previous recruiting efforts in Japan? He stopped them as a "favour" to Clarisse, who didn't protest at the time. Surely she can change her mind. Recall the original conversation:

"To begin with," he says, "I thought that perhaps you might want me to stop making contracts in the area. You did send someone to talk to Tsubasa Hanekawa before I spoke with her, after all, did you not?"

"I suppose I did," you admit.

"I thought you might have," he said. "I have shut down all recruiting activity in Japan, as a measure of goodwill."

<...snip...>

"Indeed," he says. "If you desire something like that in the future, I am willing to offer a variety of concessions, that I may find my way into your good graces, and obtain your assistance."

In fact, Clarisse could ask Kyuuby for unused grief seeds (surely some that are turned in are not entirely used, additionally, Incubators have experimented with killing witches directly, as the grief cubes are proof of. It is not unreasonable to believe the Incubators possess a large cache of grief would could solve short-term supply problems). Clarisse could lead Kyuuby along, letting him think more abundant supplies would solve her pending concerns with a contract. Turnabout is fair play.
 
Sorry!! By not thinking things though, writing in a confusing way, and projecting my own relationship with gender identity/ attraction, I anti validated a trans woman's identity.
 
We also have the personal drama issues to deal with as well. Off the top of my head that includes:

- Hitomi wanting to be special to papa.
- Hitomi likes Madoka.
- Madoka wants to find love, apparently with a bad boy with a good heart.
- Yuuka needs help to get her away from her farther.
- Nanami has crush on Hitomi
- Sakura is currently a feather in a soul card.
- Wait, what was in the card before it exploded on us?
- Mami needs to learn about witches in a way that wont kill her

So we need some votes.
I've only got half a vote. These are my thoughts so far but I'm not sure on the rest of it. I've split the vote into 'things I've got actual thoughs on' and 'stuff I've not narrowed down enough'

Things that are actually a plan:
[Witch][] Send someone to throw used grief cubes into the witch and leave it for a while
[Sakura feather][] Put Sakura inside Clarisse again
[Simona feather][] Collect Simona feathers centrally away from grief seeds and cubes
-[] Depending what Sakura says about the cards, would it be worth putting the simona feathers in cards?
[Nanami][] Develop a terrestrial-focused monitoring strategy to track interlopers
-[] If she gets a chance, speak with Hanekawa and possibly Mr. Vampire hunter.
[Hitomi][] Research Nadeshiko
-[] Send Hitomi to talk with Papa
--[] Talk to Nadeshiko beforehand about Hitomi's overall feelings about wanting to be special to them.
[Ryouko][] Lead a witch hunt in a closer neighboring town
-[] Spread cubes
[Oriko][] Ask her for good witch hunting plans
[Wakaba Sayaka Madoka Yuuka Mami][] School!
[Machina][] Talk about how we want to approach getting mami ?

Things I'm not sure on:
[Clarisse][] Soul science
-[] Replicate the card
-[] Look for ways to reach souls inside of gems
[Clarisse][] Focus on developing your own powers through dance
[Kyouko][] (write in something)
-[] Thank her for carrying one of your bodies back to Ryouko; that was sweet of her
-[] (write in sweet nothings or even sweet somethings)
[Kyouko][] Keep an eye on Oriko tomorrow
[Ophelia Simona][] ?
 
Last edited:
Sorry, sorry! I meant to get this up on, like, Tuesday; but this fucking week.

Anyway:
Oh, I simply meant just send her to make friends with Nadeshiko or something (potentially a gentle introduction to Nadeshiko?) and then use the ribbon to access that memory through the (swapped) Yukari-san (potentiality mildly problematic, memory inspection is a little un-privacy).
Oh, yeah, that's a much better idea.
Clarisse seems to have done this using that universe's Sakura feather. This would, after all, explain why there was the memory of a Sakura feather hidden within her. The sequencing implications of this do suggest it is in Clarisse's past. The further implications of this have not been fully explored, but people have suggested this is not the past they want. Among other things, I suppose it is less certain exactly who Ryouko is. Clarisse may yet reinterpret these events, and decide to use magic to make another past happen; it is that sort of quest, after all. The alternate Clarisse may be willing to offer support in making this happen?
...huh.

Okay. Okay, yeah, I can work with this.
- Hitomi wanting to be special to papa.
- Hitomi likes Madoka.
- Madoka wants to find love, apparently with a bad boy with a good heart.
- Yuuka needs help to get her away from her farther.
- Nanami has crush on Hitomi
- Sakura is currently a feather in a soul card.
- Wait, what was in the card before it exploded on us?
- Mami needs to learn about witches in a way that wont kill her
This is a good start on interpersonal stuff, but I think we can be a bit more systematic.

Here's my first pass at everyone we know, the biggest problems I can think of related to them, and some suggested solutions:
  • The Family Shizuki
    • Shizuki Ryouko
      • Currently targeted by SE-Clarisse for offensive ribboning and human sacrifice.
        • Suggested Solution: Open talks with SE-Clarisse (See below, under heading "The Imperial Future-Past")
    • Shizuki Hitomi
      • Feels a little like we're stealing her place.
        • Suggested Solution: Honestly, I think our current approach is good. Keep lines of communication open, and keep trying to do right by her.
      • Wants to be special to her Papa.
        • Suggested Solution: Suggest the ribbon swap.
      • Has a crush on Madoka.
        • Suggested Solution: Offer support, if necessary. Offer a shoulder to cry on, if further necessary.
    • Shizuki Nadeshiko
      • Is closeted and in pain.
        • Suggested Solution: Honestly, the suggested Hitomi swap sounds like a good idea here.
    • Shizuki Tomoyo
      • ... will never let us escape if she sees fluffy wings?
        • Suggested Solution: Do not overchannel Sakura powers where Tomoyo can see.
      • ... maybe it would be nice to let her reunite with her dead best friend.
        • FURTHER PROBLEMS: Tomoyo's memories of magic were supressed by Yukari Hitomi's wish.
        • FURTHER PROBLEMS: Nadeshiko has previously objected to the idea of trying to fish up Tomoyo's memories.
          • Suggested Solution: There is no further information available here.

            By which I mean I got nothing atm.
  • The Gang of Nice (Nonmagical Members)
    • #fanclub Liaison Tenjou Wakaba
      • We don't really know much about Wakaba to be honest.
        • Suggested Solution: Spend time with Wakaba, possibly at school.
    • Shiina Yuuka
      • All evidence suggests Yuuka's father is sexually abusive.
        • Suggested Solution: Reach out to her mother. Get the police involved. Do Japanese schools have counselors we can involve? Get her out of that house.
    • Miki Sayaka
      • Sayaka wants to be awesome and magical.
        • FURTHER PROBLEMS: We have kind of, sort of, maaaybescrewed over our earlier attempts to keep her out of this by demonstrating that it is, in fact, possible to do magic without grief accumulation, which undercuts our earlier 'magic starvation' argument.
          • Suggested Solution: If we're going to be trying to research non-Incubator magic, we are probably going to need a test subject.
          • Suggested Solution: I strongly recommend that we continue with the current course of encouraging Sayaka to be disciplined and cautious, regardless of research direction.
    • Kaname Madoka
      • Feels insignificant and worthless.
        • Suggested Solution: Honestly, we're sitting on enough scientific and magical knowledge-power that ... we're going to change the world, assuming we live long enough and the universe doesn't get paradoxed or eaten. Maybe ... maybe try and nudge Madoka into taking the lead on that sort of thing? The long-term societal stuff, while We and Nanami handle the immediate problems of the world being on fire.
      • We promised Gretchen that we'd set Madoka up with someone nice, and also probably not Homura (sorry Homura).
        • Suggested Solution: Let Hitomi try and woo her?
        • Suggested Solution: Be on the lookout for a bad boy with a heart of gold, motorcycle optional.
    • Machina
      • Is socially isolated to an unhealthy degree.
        • Suggested Solution: Continue gently pressuring her to open up to the Gang.
  • The Gang of Nice (Magical Girls)
    • Nakamura Nanami
      • Nanami must be kept emotionally and magically stable or she will turn into a giant monster.
    • Akemi Homura
      • Homura must be kept emotionally and magically stable or she will turn into a giant monster.
        • FURTHER PROBLEMS: Homura has started to reconstruct her identity around Madoka.
          • Suggested Solution: It's early days yet, and I think the best approach is just to ... try and get Homura to form connections to other people. Reach out, try and integrate her into the gang.
    • Sakura Kyouko
      • Kyouko must be kept emotionally and magically stable or she will turn into a giant monster.
        • FURTHER PROBLEMS: Kyouko is conflicted about being romantically entangled with a girl.
          • Suggested Solution: Continue to be kind and patient. Be thoughtful and attentive. Also maybe ask her on a date sometime?
    • Tomoe Mami
      • Mami must be kept emotionally and magically stable or she will turn into a giant monster.
        • FURTHER PROBLEMS: If Mami is exposed to sensitive information about witches or magical girls, her emotional stability will basically catch on fire and she will either turn into a giant monster or start shooting people.
          • Suggested Solution: Machina knows about these problems and has a better understanding of Mami's thoughts and emotions. Defer to her expertise.
  • The Gang of Nice (Affiliates)
    • Mikuni Oriko, Chitose Yuma, Kure Kirika
      • Oriko et al must be kept emotionally and magically stable or they will turn into giant monsters.
        • FURTHER PROBLEMS: I never got around to recontextualizing Oriko and her group as "people problems" rather than "tactical and strategic problems" so I haven't, um, actually put much thought into managing Oriko, sorry.
  • Unknowns
    • Yukari Hitomi
      • We know basically nothing about Yukari.
        • Suggested Solution: Implement the suggested Hitomi swap. Talk to Yukari. Ask if we can ribbon some of her memories.
    • Vampire Hunter?
      • ????
        • Suggested Solution: ????
    • Hanekawa
      • ????
        • Suggested Solution: I'm really not sure what to do here, especially since she's apparently a reference I don't have context for. Let Nanami continue handling it?
  • Temporal Refugees (198X)
    • Kinomoto Sakura
      • Is currently a Clarisse Card.
      • Does not believe she can return to her own time.
  • Teporal Refugees (????)
    • Simona Feathers
      • ?
  • Salem Academy
    • Ophelia Nolastname, Simona del Mago (CQ)
      • We are awaiting their call to schedule some sort of follow-up conversation re: feathers, magic, future-pasts, etc.
        • Suggested Solution: Decide on a disclosure strategy? How much do we tell Ophelia and Simona, and so on.
  • The Imperial Future-Past
    • Clarisse (SE)
      • Wants Princess Chitose Ryouko to be safe and happy and is willing to do basically whatever to ensure that.
        • Suggested Solution: Maybe don't destroy her home universe utterly, and instead seek a more harmonious solution to making the SE not an abomination against all that is sacred, holy, good, and so on.
  • Witches
    • Gretchen, the Witch of Salvation
      • Wants all of her friends to be happy, her human self to find love, and for the universe not to be a dumpster fire that continually skews towards creating as much suffering as possible.
        • Suggested Solution: Problems 1 and 2 are addressed elsewhere. Problem 3 is rather outside my purview.
    • Walpurgisnacht, the Witch of Stage-Setting
      • Is arriving in ... 3-4 weeks, I think?
        • Suggested Solution: Farm Grief Cubes to power Clara.
        • Alternate Solution: Enact a fundamental change in the nature of reality that renders witches impossible.
  • Incubators
    • Kyuubey
      • Is attempting to mass-witch-out all of Japan.
        • Suggested Solution:Launch a program of intensive Grief Cube farming and distribution.
      • Wants us to contract.
        • Suggested Solution: Do not contract, for any reason or under any circumstance.
      • Is demonstrably willing to resort to lethal measures to protect its monopoly on magic.
        • Suggested Solution: Evaluate it as a threat if you weren't already.
        • Suggested Solution: Double down on sciencing the heck out of feathers, souls etc., because we're in too deep to back out and play along with Kyuubey now.
 
Last edited:
[Clarisse][] Soul science
-[] Replicate the card
-[] Look for ways to reach souls inside of gems
I mean we're kind of the only one who even can, that's more or less reason enough. Also we're kind of really fast at it with the whole supercomputer thing.

Like I noted earlier, I'd bet, if Kyuuby actually makes them instead of just housing them (and even then), that Soul Gems are probably geared towards keeping as much Grief as possible within the Soul. That seems like something we could handle relatively soon and maybe even with just these two actions.

Might need to investigate Feathers to figure out how to get Souls to exist independent of a container, but should still research containers incase that's a special property of certain souls and/or you need a container to connect to the body, but still be able to use magic.
 
FURTHER PROBLEMS: I never got around to recontextualizing Oriko and her group as "people problems" rather than "tactical and strategic problems" so I haven't, um, actually put much thought into managing Oriko, sorry.
Oriko is kind of suicidal. I don't have great solutions here. Kirika is basically impervious to despair as long as Oriko is okay and not using her as a suicide weapon. She is a bit crazy though. She's likely to jump to violence if anyone criticizes or diminishes her relationship with Oriko, and more generally seems pretty eratic. We probably can do something about this by focusing on how it's not in Oriko's best interests for Kirika to act like this.

Yuma was seriously abused before being recruited by Oriko. We should probably get her some counseling.
 
We should probably get her some counseling.
Pick One:
>Counseling
>Japan

More seriously while we are in a position where we don't have to care about that thanks to not having the cultural inertia against it instilled in us, we do have to worry about how Japan's mental healthcare in general isn't in the best of states. A bad therapist is worse than no therapist when the victim/patient is at least stable.

PMMM verse I know, but I imagine its not much improved if you remember that little girls can literally Wish mental issues away for both themselves and others. And create a whole host of new issues granted, but that doesn't matter because they'll be dead soon anyway. Which sounds really horrible when I say it so blase, but that is pretty much how it goes.

In the context of the quest we can give her a stable (and loving I'm pretty sure*), if unconventional, home. Beyond that if she doesn't want to talk, she isn't going to. *Shrug* I've been there a few times when I was younger.

*parenthesis because it needs to be parental care, attention, and love. Which I'm really not sure we have the time to actually devote... or the mental well-being to do so in the cases of those who do. Kyouko maybe, but that's a pretty extreme thing for her with her hangups. More than possible, but extreme.
 
Last edited:
Pick One:
>Counseling
>Japan
Clarisse amateur therapist go!

In the context of the quest we can give her a stable (and loving I'm pretty sure*), if unconventional, home. Beyond that if she doesn't want to talk, she isn't going to. *Shrug* I've been there a few times when I was younger.
That's worth a lot, but I think there's some value in having an adult you can consult with who you aren't dependent on/invested in. It's all well and good to provide her with a loving home, but it's very difficult to convincingly show her that it will continue to be that way even if she brings up some new issue.
 
We promised Gretchen that we'd set Madoka up with someone nice, and also probably not Homura (sorry Homura).
Blasphemy.

Be on the lookout for a bad boy with a heart of gold, motorcycle optional.
Umm... Coolmura count as a "bad girl with a heart of gold." Unfortunately we're stuck with Moemura.

Mami must be kept emotionally and magically stable or she will turn into a giant monster.
Misconception. Candeloro is actually ridiculously tiny.
 
- Has a crush on Hitomi.
- Her brother was shot recently
- Not from a good part of town. Swears more than the others. Yells at people sometimes.
- Is creative about solving problems. Sometimes maybe too creative. Limited ethics training.

seek a more harmonious solution to making the SE not an abomination against all that is sacred, holy, good, and so on.
Last time we processed this sort of suggestion in earnest... ah, here it is.

[X][Objectives] Aim to save the 2011 timeline and the SE timeline.
[X][Objectives] Allow Madoka to be both god and normal girl (magical girl optional)


Well if you make a contract with me...
you're going to need more feathers
 
you're going to need more feathers

Oh look, we have more feathers now, though we probably shouldn't use all of them. The simona feathers will help us save SE!Ryouko at a minimum though.


So we can send Hitomi back in time, but how much do we tell Hitomi beforehand?

For Madoka, Sayaka and Wakaba there isn't much to do other then continue as we have been. Go to school with them and do things as the opportunities present themselves. For Mami we will have to talk with Machina.

I mean we're kind of the only one who even can, that's more or less reason enough.

I think going with the dancing option might be the route here. Its what turned witch feathers into hope feathers. I think if we develop that we will develop powers related to freeing souls from soul gems.

Oriko is kind of suicidal. I don't have great solutions here. Kirika is basically impervious to despair as long as Oriko is okay and not using her as a suicide weapon. She is a bit crazy though. She's likely to jump to violence if anyone criticizes or diminishes her relationship with Oriko, and more generally seems pretty eratic. We probably can do something about this by focusing on how it's not in Oriko's best interests for Kirika to act like this.

That is a risk, but could it be possible to use Kirika to help Oriko? Getting her to see that Oriko needs help and she is the best placed person for it?

Also maybe ask her on a date sometime?

We have so many options! Tokyo, Paris, Rome, London, The Moon. I mean, some of those places will be better then others.

And for the vote, with Thelxiope's post I think I've got a full vote draft now:

[Witch][] Send someone to throw used grief cubes into the witch and leave it for a while
[Sakura feather][] Put Sakura inside Clarisse again
[Simona feather][] Collect Simona feathers centrally away from grief seeds and cubes
-[] Depending what Sakura says about the cards, would it be worth putting the simona feathers in cards?
[Clarisse][] Focus on developing your own powers through dance
[Kyouko][] Keep an eye on Oriko tomorrow
-[] Thank her for carrying one of your bodies back to Ryouko; that was sweet of her
[Nanami][] Develop a terrestrial-focused monitoring strategy to track interlopers
-[] If she gets a chance, speak with Hanekawa and possibly Mr. Vampire hunter.
[Hitomi][] Research Nadeshiko
-[] Swap her to the past for a day or so to get to make friends with Nadeshiko
[Ryouko][] Lead a witch hunt in a closer neighboring town
-[] Spread cubes
-[] Introduce us and what we are doing to local magical girls
[Oriko][] Ask her for good witch hunting plans
[Wakaba Sayaka Madoka Mami][] School!
[Yuuka][] Find a way to get her out of her dads house.
[Machina][] Talk about how we want to approach getting mami ?
[Ophelia Simona][] Call at a more appropriate time, we have a phone in our head afterall.
 
That is a risk, but could it be possible to use Kirika to help Oriko? Getting her to see that Oriko needs help and she is the best placed person for it?
Yes, I think that's a good idea. Kirika's wish should more-or-less guarantee she succeeds at this if she tries, we just need to break her out of the mindset that following Oriko's plans is always the best thing for her to do.
 
Going to make it a proper vote so we have a vote. We aren't really commenting on it anymore.


[Witch][X] Send someone to throw used grief cubes into the witch and leave it for a while
[Sakura feather][X] Put Sakura inside Clarisse again
[Simona feather][X] Collect Simona feathers centrally away from grief seeds and cubes
-[X] Depending what Sakura says about the cards, would it be worth putting the simona feathers in cards?
[Clarisse][X] Focus on developing your own powers through dance
[Kyouko][X] Keep an eye on Oriko tomorrow
-[X] Thank her for carrying one of your bodies back to Ryouko; that was sweet of her
[Nanami][X] Develop a terrestrial-focused monitoring strategy to track interlopers
-[X] If she gets a chance, speak with Hanekawa and possibly Mr. Vampire hunter.
[Hitomi][X] Research Nadeshiko
-[X] Swap her to the past for a day or so to get to make friends with Nadeshiko
[Ryouko][X] Lead a witch hunt in a closer neighboring town
-[X] Spread cubes
-[X] Introduce us and what we are doing to local magical girls
[Oriko][X] Ask her for good witch hunting plans
[Wakaba Sayaka Madoka Mami][X] School!
[Yuuka][X] Find a way to get her out of her dads house.
[Machina][X] Talk about how we want to approach getting mami ?
[Ophelia Simona][X] Call at a more appropriate time, we have a phone in our head after all.
 
Back
Top