To make people actually remember, here's it once for posterity: Minako is nonbinary and uses they/them. This message will be pinned so you people stop getting it wrong and pissing me off. If you get it wrong in the future I'm going to be much less nice, considering you have to scroll past it just to read the quest.
Also uh...how do I put this...maybe don't catastrophize about the potential directions this story could go? Like if Minako contracts Sayaka and Kyouko aren't going to just immediately witch out.
It would not be interesting if the story just ended there. You're underestimating these people.
The bad roll on initially trying to explain the secrecy with Mina and this blowup over bringing them to the practice session has... kinda skewed the characterization perception for some. Things that didn't have any good solutions got really bad rolls. Add in the fact that SV Cannot Into Social, and you get the picture. Things'll clear up once a few good plans, rolls, and scenes start to put things on the mend.
At which point you can merrily stab us in the feelz again.
Okay, I mean... First off, I cannot figure out how the rolls actually work, what do accuracy or difficulty do? And what constitutes a pass or fail?
Second of all, no one in this story seems at all emotional resilient. Even the adults, actually scratch that especially the adults who should know better by now are making absolutely idiotic decisions based on trying to avoid their problems forever even when it became clear that avoidance wouldn't be sufficient.
Second of all, no one in this story seems at all emotional resilient. Even the adults, actually scratch that especially the adults who should know better by now are making absolutely idiotic decisions based on trying to avoid their problems forever even when it became clear that avoidance wouldn't be sufficient.
Now that's just people being people. Especially when they're broken, highly traumatized people who haven't healed, only coped, from their teenage insanity. SB Competency is not a thing 'round here. The only logic engine here is Coobs, and his track record is kinda shit.
Now that's just people being people. Especially when they're broken, highly traumatized people who haven't healed, only coped, from their teenage insanity. SB Competency is not a thing 'round here. The only logic engine here is Coobs, and his track record is kinda shit.
It' one thing to think that avoidance will work and entirely another to continue avoiding shit even when you can see it actively failing to work right in fucking front of you.
I'm not asking for SB competency, I'm asking for these characters to take at least one step up from utterly useless.
EDIT: And the threadmark explains what accuracy and difficulty are, but doesn't tell me a damn thing about what's a pass and what's a fail. Are we just super simple over 10 pass under 10 fail mode?
It' one thing to think that avoidance will work and entirely another to continue avoiding shit even when you can see it actively failing to work right in fucking front of you.
I'm not asking for SB competency, I'm asking for these characters to take at least one step up from utterly useless.
EDIT: And the threadmark explains what accuracy and difficulty are, but doesn't tell me a damn thing about what's a pass and what's a fail. Are we just super simple over 10 pass under 10 fail mode?
Amazingly, interacting with and trying to deal with things that have traumatized you since a young age and have naturally left you with corresponding mental health issues is quite hard and can cause you to act irrationally. Who'd have thunk it?
You know, I should not have to be defending my writing decisions in my thread. I will however say "these characters are useless for having to deal with deep emotional scars and things that have traumatized you for decades onwards, causing them to act irrationally even when it really matters" is definitely a take I do not care for.
But yes it typically goes with "Roll Above 10 = Success, Roll below 10 = Failure"
It' one thing to think that avoidance will work and entirely another to continue avoiding shit even when you can see it actively failing to work right in fucking front of you.
I'm not asking for SB competency, I'm asking for these characters to take at least one step up from utterly useless.
EDIT: And the threadmark explains what accuracy and difficulty are, but doesn't tell me a damn thing about what's a pass and what's a fail. Are we just super simple over 10 pass under 10 fail mode?
How about a trade. You can successfully fight Walpurgis-ish Witches while holding down a job and raising a child, and a teenager at that, while coping with the trauma of multiple violent and stressful tasks, and they can deal with the problems of your life.
Also difficulty 1 for this vote; it's enough that Reika will get some inkling and won't feel completely locked out.
It's not perfect either. But it will help.
Also uh...how do I put this...maybe don't catastrophize about the potential directions this story could go? Like if Minako contracts Sayaka and Kyouko aren't going to just immediately witch out.
It would not be interesting if the story just ended there. You're underestimating these people.
I apologize for that. I didn't mean to imply IMMEDIATE bad ending or anything, but I do feel like Mina's contracting is a bad road towards inevitable bad shit and I don't trust the thread's ability to manage three Meguca who are highly broken and in such a domino set up that any one of the three witching out would more or less guarantee the other two.
And Sayaka and Kyouko wanted to give their child a different future and they deserve that.
Yeah! If Minako contracts, Sayaka and Kyouko won't immediately witch out! It'll be a long, horribly drawn out process that will harm everyone in and around the whole family forever!
Also difficulty 1 for this vote; it's enough that Reika will get some inkling and won't feel completely locked out.
It's not perfect either. But it will help.
Also uh...how do I put this...maybe don't catastrophize about the potential directions this story could go? Like if Minako contracts Sayaka and Kyouko aren't going to just immediately witch out.
It would not be interesting if the story just ended there. You're underestimating these people.
I wouldn't expect them to completely and instantly fall apart, but it just wouldn't be a quest I'd want to read at that point. Nothing to do with the quality of your writing or how I'd expect the characters to react, I'm just not interested in reading what would amount to an override of the happy-ish end of SayakaQuest.
You make it sound like moeid is going to railroad us into being meduka with some shit like "Turn down the contract: difficulty 3"
I think that's going to be a bit of a stretch, they aren't going to just force the smol enby into medukaing especially as Minako isnt coming into this out of ignorance
You make it sound like moeid is going to railroad us into being meduka with some shit like "Turn down the contract: difficulty 3"
I think that's going to be a bit of a stretch, they aren't going to just force the smol enby into medukaing especially as Minako isnt coming into this out of ignorance
If that's the impression I gave (assuming you're responding to me), it's not intentional.
Basically, I'm speaking purely of what I think of the hypothetical situation in which does Minako does contract, without regard for how likely or unlikely I think it is.
Not seeing a difficulty three to avoid contracting - but Kyubey has a grudge I think. And as already pointed out - I don't see how else to parse the being's last statement except as now lying so I don't see any problems in applying emotions to it.
So - yeah I do think Minako is going to be heavily targetted. As I see it Minako has a predator with its eyes set on them - Kyubey won't make it easy. The incubators have been preying on girls (cis and trans), non binary, ... possibly boys (again cis and trans) for a very long time. It's a fourteen year old kid against a being that knows how to lure children, when said being knows that their is strife at home.
I think everyone needs to take a step back and relax. It's good that you're invested in the characters, but y'all need to have some more faith in Moid. They're not going to make trap votes that end up with all the characters dead or worse, and they're not going to take the story directly into edgy grimdark nonsense.
This has always been a Quest about deeply traumatized individuals managing their past and present. That means it's going to get rough, but nothing is going to simply end or fall apart into never-ending despair.
Sayaka, Kyoko, and Minako are a family and often that means dealing with unique anxieties. This is perfectly natural even with the magic involved in this case. I understand if that's not everyone's particular cup of tea, but I feel we should trust Moid to write a good and satisfying story.
[x] Tell Reika in vague terms that something happened between you and your parents and Takane, but say you don't want to talk about it if she presses for details.
"I'm...right, no, no I'm not fine at all I'm just-" you breathe in through your nose, -"my mom yelled at Takane and made her cry on the spot and I had an argument with my mama and-"
"Hey hey hey whoa whoa whoa." Reika presses her hands into your shoulders. "You had an argument?"
"I-I didn't talk to my mom after that but I did argue with my mama and it's just-" You don't understand what they deal with on a daily basis. You don't get it. That white plush toy was on the money. You feel like you're losing your mind a little bit. "-I don't know. I'm just confused and frustrated and I don't know if I should even go to school today."
"Hey, hey..." She gives you a hug around your shoulders. Your knees get just a little bit weaker as you lean into her. "Hey, Mina-"
"L-let's just get to school I can talk later I'm just-"
She pats your back. "Mina you don't need to say anything else, alright? Are you sure you can go? I can bring you home if you-"
"NO!"
She jumps, then she sighs. "Right, argument. I'll get you to school then."
"T-th-thank you." You stay with her as you all walk towards the school. You're pretty sure your school day is going to be miserable.
[=]
Your name is Sayaka, and once again, the new magi was unhelpful. They're sitting in front of you, one hand on the table, the other digging into a basket full of tortilla chips coated in nacho cheese. You asked what food that they liked and they said 'American'. You asked what they wanted to eat, and, well, they ordered the cheesiest, greasiest nachos you'd ever seen.
It looked gross, but even then it's not your problem. It's for them. It's to get them to ease up while you ask them questions. Now you're currently alone in the restaurant; Kyouko is just across the street in a salad bar with a small bowl of plain leafy greens and way, way too much chicken.
All in the name of keeping them from being overwhelmed. Of course, while it made them cooperative, you're beginning to run into a different problem.
"Do you know who Rin is?"
"I do," they say.
"Then what's her power?"
"She uh..." They trail off. They stare at the ceiling, at the fans circling overhead, at the nacho cheese dripping off the chip in their hand. "She..."
"Well." You rub your temples. "Do you know anything else? What kind of people there are in The Glow? How many people there are? We have some numbers, but that doesn't always make information accurate."
They lean on their hand. "I'unno. Forty?"
You sigh. "Do you remember why you tried to kill Henrietta?"
"Tried to...?" They blink. "Who?"
"Pink girl with a cannon on a stick."
"I-I...I'd...I don't know?" They look distressed at the thought. "I don't...why would I do that?"
"That's a good question. That's why I'm asking."
You're fighting back annoyance. You skipped work specifically to talk to them but you're still not in the right headspace. You still feel a knot in your throat from how you yelled at Minako's girlfriend. You still feel terrible.
But you also know how time-sensitive this is. "Okay. Well, I guess that clears up why we didn't know about The Glow until now." You turn your head to the side.
'They don't know anything?'
'Not a clue.' You sigh. 'Either Rin's control wears off, or something else is...' A thought crosses your mind. You think of an idea, a potential explanation for the magical girls from Kasamino. '...I just got an idea.'
You lean forward. "Well...how about a feeling?" You lean forwards. "Do you remember any feelings?"
"Uh." They stare at you. "Confusion."
"Aside from confusion."
They lean onto their hand again. "Uhh. Uhhmm." They look between you and the nachos in front of them. "This is paid-"
"Yes, I'm paying for it."
"Cool." They shove more nachos in their mouth. "Uh...I was...I felt nothing?" They look to the side. "I mean, I remember...stuff? I remember emptiness. Just..." They look at you, then their eyes dart to the side.
"Did you have a family in Kasa-"
"No." They cut you off before you can finish. So that definitely clears up part of why they were picked up by The Glow.
"How about friends?"
"I uh...I had a friend." They scratch their head. "She left, I think? I don't remember, I just, I just remember her leaving." They look to the side. They squint. "But I think...feelings."
"Such as...?"
"Iunno it was...wait. Wait!" They raise a hand. "There was joy. I remember uh, ooooobeying? I just...felt like my heart was melting?" They rub their cheek again. "I just remember some stuff and not others. I went to school until I didn't, I lived alone until something else."
You gotta hand it to Rin. She has a pretty succinct way of keeping information from leaking out of town. How do you hide the growing coalition? You either threaten people, which means making enemies, or you make people forget you.
It obviously doesn't work on girls who haven't been swayed, so that means there are enforcers.
A fact that they don't seem very aware of.
[] Write-in some Questions (No Rolls Involved, unless questions are particularly prickly)
[] Leave without asking anything else.
Adhoc vote count started by TheOneMoiderah on Jun 10, 2019 at 8:30 PM
This vote count is in an error state, please contact support
Adhoc vote count started by TheOneMoiderah on Jun 11, 2019 at 12:47 AM, finished with 18 posts and 4 votes.
[X] How do you feel about Rin.
[X] Ask about what she plans on doing now, etc.
[X] Housing? Other situations.
[X] Anything else about the friend?
[X] What do you want?
[X] When did Rin first show up? [X] Has anyone ever been with Rin on a witch hunt? - [X] What sort of powers does she have? [X] How do people who don't know her well usually feel about Rin? [X] What are your plans now?
[X] Ask if she remembers why she's here, being transfered from Kasamino, and if she's felt strong emotions before or during the transfer, positive or negative.
[X] Ask what she plans to do now. Offer the help you would to any stray Magical Girl.
[X] How does she feel about Rin?
[X] You suspect Rin might have been manipulating her; for example, making her try to kill Henrietta. How does she feel about that?
Adhoc vote count started by TheOneMoiderah on Jun 11, 2019 at 1:40 AM, finished with 18 posts and 4 votes.
[X] How do you feel about Rin.
[X] Ask about what she plans on doing now, etc.
[X] Housing? Other situations.
[X] Anything else about the friend?
[X] What do you want?
[X] When did Rin first show up? [X] Has anyone ever been with Rin on a witch hunt? - [X] What sort of powers does she have? [X] How do people who don't know her well usually feel about Rin? [X] What are your plans now?
[X] Ask if she remembers why she's here, being transfered from Kasamino, and if she's felt strong emotions before or during the transfer, positive or negative.
[X] Ask what she plans to do now. Offer the help you would to any stray Magical Girl.
[X] How does she feel about Rin?
[X] You suspect Rin might have been manipulating her; for example, making her try to kill Henrietta. How does she feel about that?
Adhoc vote count started by TheOneMoiderah on Jun 11, 2019 at 8:02 AM, finished with 18 posts and 4 votes.
[X] How do you feel about Rin.
[X] Ask about what she plans on doing now, etc.
[X] Housing? Other situations.
[X] Anything else about the friend?
[X] What do you want?
[X] When did Rin first show up? [X] Has anyone ever been with Rin on a witch hunt? - [X] What sort of powers does she have? [X] How do people who don't know her well usually feel about Rin? [X] What are your plans now?
[X] Ask if she remembers why she's here, being transfered from Kasamino, and if she's felt strong emotions before or during the transfer, positive or negative.
[X] Ask what she plans to do now. Offer the help you would to any stray Magical Girl.
[X] How does she feel about Rin?
[X] You suspect Rin might have been manipulating her; for example, making her try to kill Henrietta. How does she feel about that?
Adhoc vote count started by TheOneMoiderah on Jun 11, 2019 at 10:28 AM, finished with 23 posts and 6 votes.
[X] Ask if she remembers why she's here, being transfered from Kasamino, and if she's felt strong emotions before or during the transfer, positive or negative.
[X] Ask what she plans to do now. Offer the help you would to any stray Magical Girl.
[X] How does she feel about Rin?
[X] You suspect Rin might have been manipulating her; for example, making her try to kill Henrietta. How does she feel about that?
[X] How do you feel about Rin.
[X] Ask about what she plans on doing now, etc.
[X] Housing? Other situations.
[X] Anything else about the friend?
[X] What do you want?
[X] When did Rin first show up? [X] Has anyone ever been with Rin on a witch hunt? - [X] What sort of powers does she have? [X] How do people who don't know her well usually feel about Rin? [X] What are your plans now?
Yeah this one does seem like memory stuff is Rins deal- give people lots of good memory of you to get them following you, wipe if they leave. Gets around the mind / soul divide.
'Not a clue.' You sigh. 'Either Rin's control wears off, or something else is...' A thought crosses your mind. You think of an idea, a potential explanation for the magical girls from Kasamino. '...I just got an idea.'
You lean forward. "Well...how about a feeling?" You lean forwards. "Do you remember any feelings?"
"Cool." They shove more nachos in their mouth. "Uh...I was...I felt nothing?" They look to the side. "I mean, I remember...stuff? I remember emptiness. Just..." They look at you, then their eyes dart to the side.
"Did you have a family in Kasa-"
"No." They cut you off before you can finish. So that definitely clears up part of why they were picked up by The Glow.
So the feelings are there, just not much. Also, normal Meguca isolation. Which means the most vulnerable and experienced, but not enough to have a support structure, are ripe for the picking.
"I uh...I had a friend." They scratch their head. "She left, I think? I don't remember, I just, I just remember her leaving." They look to the side. They squint. "But I think...feelings."
"Such as...?"
"Iunno it was...wait. Wait!" They raise a hand. "There was joy. I remember uh, ooooobeying? I just...felt like my heart was melting?" They rub their cheek again. "I just remember some stuff and not others. I went to school until I didn't, I lived alone until something else."
And given Rin can mess with the memory of pretty much everyone in her group, everyone is a potential enforcer or suicide fighter. Only question is who has the investigative or combat abilities.
"I uh...I had a friend." They scratch their head. "She left, I think? I don't remember, I just, I just remember her leaving." They look to the side. They squint. "But I think...feelings."
Tomo's girlfriend rolls her head on her cheek. "I've heard that name, actually." She looks up at the ceiling. "My ex was a magical girl in Kasamino. This was back before there was any gang or anything; we just knew that she was strong."
"Huh." Tomo blinks. "Well, do you know about her powers, Renae?"
"Well, nothing. I never met her. I just knew of her. I left town after I broke up with her." She sips her soda. "Kinda hope she's okay. If things are actually that bad in Kasamino that there's a gang."
Meanwhile... That 'joy -> obeying -> like my heart was melting' is sketching af.
Maybe... Quantum Powers?
We know Souls exist in PMMM, and going by how Homura's Wish to re-do her meeting with Madoka sent her into different timelines... each version of a person is connected to all the other version, through, say, an Oversoul.
Maybe Rin's power is to consider all possibilities of a single person across all timelines, and 'pull' aspects of the alternate ones into the current one. So... let's say there's an alternate timeline where there's an alternate Rin and an alternate Sayaka, and that Sayaka respect that Rin a lot. During the brief meeting Sayaka had with Rin, Rin brought part of that Sayaka into this timeline's Sayaka, thus Sayaka's ended up referring to Rin as Lady Rin.
Just an idea, going in the direction that this is not memory manipulation, so much as soul manipulation? I think it would mesh with the 'see into other timelines' thing and the 'joy' thing.
We know Souls exist in PMMM, and going by how Homura's Wish to re-do her meeting with Madoka sent her into different timelines... each version of a person is connected to all the other version, through, say, an Oversoul.
Maybe Rin's power is to consider all possibilities of a single person across all timelines, and 'pull' aspects of the alternate ones into the current one. So... let's say there's an alternate timeline where there's an alternate Rin and an alternate Sayaka, and that Sayaka respect that Rin a lot. During the brief meeting Sayaka had with Rin, Rin brought part of that Sayaka into this timeline's Sayaka, thus Sayaka's ended up referring to Rin as Lady Rin.
Just an idea, going in the direction that this is not memory manipulation, so much as soul manipulation? I think it would mesh with the 'see into other timelines' thing and the 'joy' thing.
Wait wait wait so what you want to say is Rin plays some sort of weird Pokémon?
Well, to be serious, I'm not sure it's possible to manipulate souls in Moid's continuity. They stated that nothing gets to interfere with Magi's free will, and the soul is, uh, kinda a manifestation of their free will in this quest?
Of the three girls we have that have been dealing with Rin - isn't the one that somehow avoided the mindcontrol the one with the crush on the first?
Is it that having someone or anyone to care about to be that anchor the defense? Or is it that that relationship survived due to unknown reason for immunity?
Well, to be serious, I'm not sure it's possible to manipulate souls in Moid's continuity. They stated that nothing gets to interfere with Magi's free will, and the soul is, uh, kinda a manifestation of their free will in this quest?
What I got is that brainwashing doesn't work on meguca.
But if you quantum superpose two version of the same meguca onto the same version, then you're nooooot messing with their free will?
Like, Homura when she time travels, she fuses (or something) with the other timeline's Homura. This would be the same thing, but only partially done... and temporary, I guess. And I think it would explain Yuuko not remembering attacking the other girl. Maybe it wasn't actually her!
But I don't know. I'm not certain what are the limits on no-meguca-brainwashing, so I don't really know what's being played around, either.
What I got is that brainwashing doesn't work on meguca.
But if you quantum superpose two version of the same meguca onto the same version, then you're nooooot messing with their free will?
Like, Homura when she time travels, she fuses (or something) with the other timeline's Homura. This would be the same thing, but only partially done... and temporary, I guess. And I think it would explain Yuuko not remembering attacking the other girl. Maybe it wasn't actually her!
But I don't know. I'm not certain what are the limits on no-meguca-brainwashing, so I don't really know what's being played around, either.
