Libra's Lament, a Magical Girl Quest [Complete]
- Thread starter Naron
- Start date
- Original
- Location
- Earth
Yes, it replaces the "Magical Girl"
The Celestial Twins are no longer one, though; their connection was severed... somewhat. If you want, ascending made them revert back to Complete Connection's level of "can talk mentally", but not completely merged.
As for when... around a year after Homecoming, with their bodies fading into light before reappearing together with Gaia. Ginevra's expression when she heard her youngest just turned into goddesses is something they are going to tease her with for a long while. Most people never really noticed, though; humanity's leaders are aware of how Luna and Sol came to be, but the average guy learned about their existence together with Gaia's, which distributed the shock evenly and led to less questions asked or answered.
Thank you.
- Location
- Elsewhere
- Location
- Ekaterinburg, Russia
Does Regenerative Skin also work to contribute to Overeating (like Anarite/Segarite Generators) or does it stop working if Ana's health is at maximum or above?
- Location
- Earth
The former. It is a really mean combination.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
Congratulations on the big finish!
Can't help but feel a little conflicted about the ending, because despite our Celestials being crucial to Gaia's plan (and apparently a big enough deal to alter reality), they themselves did not do much to bring this outcome about, overshadowed by the deeds of their big sister and her agents. Our contribution - as far as the plot is concerned - was mostly defanging the Chinese and UEF... and resolving a diplomatic situation in Africa that required only the slightest push on our part. Our protagonists, for all of their importance, gained most of it post-factum, in the epilogue, turning into the guardians of Gaia's realm.
I suppose some of it stems from their age - you can only mastermind so much as ten years old. It is only natural for the plot to be driven by older people.
That is not to say I didn't enjoy the quest - I mean, you don't read something the size of a couple novels if you don't like it - it's just I found some plot threads... underdeveloped, perhaps? Thus, the question: what was the initial outline of the quest - and what were the parts you wanted to showcase, but couldn't for some reason or the other?
Also, what would be the plot for the other two options if we went with the same setting?
What did you have planned for the broad story outline had we chosen a different setting?
Can't help but feel a little conflicted about the ending, because despite our Celestials being crucial to Gaia's plan (and apparently a big enough deal to alter reality), they themselves did not do much to bring this outcome about, overshadowed by the deeds of their big sister and her agents. Our contribution - as far as the plot is concerned - was mostly defanging the Chinese and UEF... and resolving a diplomatic situation in Africa that required only the slightest push on our part. Our protagonists, for all of their importance, gained most of it post-factum, in the epilogue, turning into the guardians of Gaia's realm.
I suppose some of it stems from their age - you can only mastermind so much as ten years old. It is only natural for the plot to be driven by older people.
That is not to say I didn't enjoy the quest - I mean, you don't read something the size of a couple novels if you don't like it - it's just I found some plot threads... underdeveloped, perhaps? Thus, the question: what was the initial outline of the quest - and what were the parts you wanted to showcase, but couldn't for some reason or the other?
Also, what would be the plot for the other two options if we went with the same setting?
What did you have planned for the broad story outline had we chosen a different setting?
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LostDeviljho
Flame Dragon Princess
- Location
- The glorious Pacific Northwest
- Pronouns
- Any
Uh. That's not supposed to happen...
Eh, fuckit, chalking it up to the AU.
- Location
- Earth
So Luna gets to see everywhere Summer spits on her Journey
- Location
- Ekaterinburg, Russia
Ahhahahahahaha!So Luna gets to see everywhere Summer spits on her Journey
It's even more OP than you think.
Once upon a time, I've found a comparison - if you pull a glass of water from the ocean, somehow mark it as distinct, drop it back into the ocean and uniformly spread it through, then in any glass of water you pull from the ocean afterwards there will be at least a thousand marked molecules.
In other words, given time, a single spit of Summer is enough to make a planet's worth of real estate transparent to Luna's senses.
Isn't that somewhere in the same scale as WH40K Orks ubiquitousness? Where if the fungi ever drop on the planet, they will spread around.
- Location
- Ekaterinburg, Russia
Right, round two of World Eater notes.
1) I have to lodge a complaint - both Overeating and Grand Devourer had a very strong flavor text connotation of being keyed to actually consuming enemies. This has turned me away from them, and I doubt I was the only one.
---Had Grand Devourer been truer to actual effect, its flavor text would have been more along the lines of "The efforts of weaklings can only sustain you".
---Had Overeating been truer to actual effect, its flavor text would have been more along the lines of "Grow without limit to crush your opponents"
2) We never did see what Shedding Skin does, did we?
And, just in case, sorry if it's a doublepost.
EDIT: For that matter, what's Ludger's one other ability that wasn't purchased?
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- Location
- Earth
Flavour text was my fault, but I wanted them to stay in theme with World Eater's concept.
Shedding Skin would have been a Safe From Death that automatically casts Prepare the Feast if it triggers.
Ludger was moving toward getting this:
Well... first of all, I think this is a slight misunderstanding. The twins were never truly important for Gaia's plans; they were a nice boon on the way to recovery and helped smooth out some rough patches, but Bianca and Gaia could have reached the goal without them just fine. It would just have taken a bit longer.
The initial outline was... honestly, it was "I hope they take Fresh Meat as usual because I want to write about those twins".
As for your other question... ugh, there are many ideas I had but discarded; either because they no longer fit with how the Quest evolved, or because I realised they were dumb. Have a short list of what I remember off the top of my head:
-Boss battle with Abyss Knight (likely in Africa; Bianca said no)
-an actual plotline around Grey Phantasm and her quest to destroy all of humankind (cut short by me realising it would eat way too much space and overload the whole thing... plus, her being annihilated before her plans came to fruition fit better)
-some more emphasis on the things living outside of Earth (nixed by players not being interested and Lost pointing out how many dumb things I did with those guys)
-meeting Magical Girl Aligned Solstice (no proper place to include her)
As for New Girl and Veteran... good question. I went in with a handful of notes and the decision to actually work that stuff out if the respective options were chosen.
Basically.
Other settings I think I mentioned before.
"Eden Awaited" was a setting very similar to CWMGQ, the mainline Quest itself; humanity integrated into the interdimensional community and fighting in the war, which is where the protagonists would likely have gone as well
"So What? It's Just Magic" would have been your standard MG-show premise with the difference that everyone knows; go to school and fight in your free time, life goes on.
And now that I actually mentioned Aligned Solstice, I might as well...
- (§$&) Magical Girl Aligned Solstice
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???
- Stats
- Weapon
- Spells
- Abilities
Why hello there. Did you have fun watching us suffer? Watching us struggle? Watching us rejoice?
I have been watching, too. Unable to do anything but what this cruel god allows, unable to relent or refuse.
Are you happy?
What kind of sick amusement you take out of this, even if we are but words, attributed to stolen faces.
So... yes. Absolutely mad and capable of reading the Thread on her encounter because of it. She would have gotten priority and tried to murder you with her Kill by Modifier if you even just talked about attacking her without it ever going into a plan.
It was an interesting idea that just never found a place in the narrative.
Mad you call me when I alone understand the truth and hopelessness of it all?
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- Location
- Ekaterinburg, Russia
Well... To bring them more in line with World Eater's Concept:
---Overeating would have been then "grow without limit until you can consume the world itself". This would hint on there being a damage component to it all, but would gloss over the regenerative aspects. However, the hint on "grow without limit" could also be taken as improvement on size-based End Damage Reduction, which would have made this option (supposedly) a lucrative defense-offense hybrid.
---Grand Devourer is somewhat a misnomer in that its name and its function are somewhat disassociated. In fact, I would have named Overeating as "Grand Devourer" and Grand Devourer as something suitably grandiose like that conveys utter futility in the face of this opponent, probably "Insurmountable Behemoth".
I take it that Shedding Skin is supposed to be a once-per-battle ability like what happened to kill Mami? Because if it's a "without limit" ability, this would throw World Eater into a loop:
1) Dealing a killing blow to Anastasia Caro transforms her into The Grand Caterpillar instead, as per her Shedding Skin;
2) Dealing a killing blow to The Grand Caterpillar transforms her into Anastasia Caro instead, as per Magical Girl Shapeshifting rules.
- Location
- The Garden
Congratulations, this is the very first quest I've ever seen completed!
Sorry if it seems I'm still hung up about this but why weren't the fallen members of Yggdrasil ever brought back? This would seem to be an outcome most of them would accept if the ones alive have. I'd understand Abyssal Knight but Dragon maid, merchant, and ruin red/purple.
Sorry if it seems I'm still hung up about this but why weren't the fallen members of Yggdrasil ever brought back? This would seem to be an outcome most of them would accept if the ones alive have. I'd understand Abyssal Knight but Dragon maid, merchant, and ruin red/purple.
- Location
- Earth
Of course.
Thank you.
Most of Yggdrasil is remaining dead because what the survivors found is now ash and Gaia is not forthcoming with any information about where any possible remains might be. No revival without parts, I am afraid.
This ending really blindsided me. I was not expecting an ending just yet. Literally the first thing I thought when I saw COMPLETE in the title was "It's not April Fool's yet. So why...?" I dunno, It feels like there was more to be done.
- Location
- Earth
But... what was there to be done? I can not really think of anything that would not have needlessly bloated the Quest, especially when it already has a rather decent length.
I went into this project thinking I would go out below 120k words, now I am at 260k and happy it did not grow any further.
The way I see it, a journey should end when it is over, not continue until everyone is sick of it. In Libra's case, it was
Chapter 1: Introduction of main characters, mechanics and general atmosphere
Chapter 2: Journey starts in earnest, stakes rise and new people are met
Chapter 3: More details on the world and its people, plot progressing and secrets unfolding
Chapter 4: Reveal of the overarching plot and conclusion to longer-running plot-threads
Chapter 5: Wrapping up loose threads and going through the finale
Epilogue: Results
Basically, the only thing I still could have done after Chapter 4 ending was giving more social options, because all the large operations were taken care of. And we had enough social in this Quest.
Yeah I think we reached the natural end point around when we broke reality to get our sisters from another timeline with us. They were already powerful enough to trivialize nearly any combat challenge, while there might have been SOME resistance afterward, it was largely just going through the motions.
So my questions:
-How's Ludger after the ending? I gathered that he had a special bond with Sun and Moon that never quite appeared statwise, but how did that work with a divine transcendance?
-Whatever happened with Alt Twins in the end?
So my questions:
-How's Ludger after the ending? I gathered that he had a special bond with Sun and Moon that never quite appeared statwise, but how did that work with a divine transcendance?
-Whatever happened with Alt Twins in the end?
- Location
- Earth
they are living with Bianca and Ginevra it seems
- Location
- Earth
Ludger now has an actual reason to howl at the moon
Joke aside (it was no joke), he is the only non-divine entity on Earth that can feel Sol's and Luna's presence. Usually he is just happy that they are safe and gets excited if one of them stops by to play with him. He mostly stays with Anastasia these days.
Eva settled down in Verona and started working at the same orphanage Anastasia lived in at Quest start. She got a boyfriend, married, and is now expecting her first child.
On the other hand, Rico decided to travel for a while before settling down in Rome and going into the once-again developing Computer Science. She is between girlfriends at the moment and perfectly happy with her life.
- Location
- Earth
that is something I'd like to see
If only to see how much you have mangled the UD and UL
it must've been glorious
- Location
- St. Petersburg
I'll try to explain my take.
I think that, while the story overall makes sense and is structurally sound, it suffers from the lack of conflict comparable to what may have been expected given the setting. We were presented with a pretty hopeless self-perpetuating situation that was threatening to spiral out of control, with no solution in sight (which itself has become the premise for the formation of the Yggdrasil faction).
However, in-quest, the bulk of UES force was reduced to a handful of middling magical girls, and the might of the Chinese Block was reduced to a single White Glory who wanted out and planned her own escape. Oh, and a Hunter who got solo-ed by Autumn. The diplomatic mission in Africa was a curiosity, and though the boss encounter was pretty much the best in the quest, it was also tangential to the plotline.
After we were done with the missions that didn't even require leveraging the full resourses of Kibo, they have just walked into Berlin. The last salvo of the soldiers that no one bothered to do math for was a good representation of the reversal of fortunes we've seen since the beginning.
It makes you think - if the peace was always that easy, what did tens or even hundreds of thousands of people have died for since after the war? Of course, there likely was more to it than was shown... but that is the problem - the seemingly unsolvable conflict got solved off-screen. That's where the disbelief comes from - 'that's it? that's all it took?'
I realise that the very theme of 'Human Nature' was that there is no Big Bad to punch in the face, and that developing the understanding and trust is perhaps the most difficult battle of all (which I assume was at least in part the point of social interactions), but that aspect was not all that prominent either. We've built up a good amount of understanding... between fellow magical girls who were Kibo's allies in the first place, while the bulk of the conflict lay between some rather different groups.
Now, Yggdrasil, Grey Phantasm and the UD/UL were good antagonist material - definitely harder nuts to crack than what we've seen from UES/China, and with potential to provide the complications necessary to raise the narrative stakes... but they were either disposed of, or were placed out of focus since this was not their story. It's probably the one development I was most dissatisfied with during the quest. Besides them, no one got even close to personify the advertised difficulty of achieving the end goals.
Which is a bit different from the difficulty of the individual fights, which were apparently hard enough to even kill us once.
However, in-quest, the bulk of UES force was reduced to a handful of middling magical girls, and the might of the Chinese Block was reduced to a single White Glory who wanted out and planned her own escape. Oh, and a Hunter who got solo-ed by Autumn. The diplomatic mission in Africa was a curiosity, and though the boss encounter was pretty much the best in the quest, it was also tangential to the plotline.
After we were done with the missions that didn't even require leveraging the full resourses of Kibo, they have just walked into Berlin. The last salvo of the soldiers that no one bothered to do math for was a good representation of the reversal of fortunes we've seen since the beginning.
It makes you think - if the peace was always that easy, what did tens or even hundreds of thousands of people have died for since after the war? Of course, there likely was more to it than was shown... but that is the problem - the seemingly unsolvable conflict got solved off-screen. That's where the disbelief comes from - 'that's it? that's all it took?'
I realise that the very theme of 'Human Nature' was that there is no Big Bad to punch in the face, and that developing the understanding and trust is perhaps the most difficult battle of all (which I assume was at least in part the point of social interactions), but that aspect was not all that prominent either. We've built up a good amount of understanding... between fellow magical girls who were Kibo's allies in the first place, while the bulk of the conflict lay between some rather different groups.
Now, Yggdrasil, Grey Phantasm and the UD/UL were good antagonist material - definitely harder nuts to crack than what we've seen from UES/China, and with potential to provide the complications necessary to raise the narrative stakes... but they were either disposed of, or were placed out of focus since this was not their story. It's probably the one development I was most dissatisfied with during the quest. Besides them, no one got even close to personify the advertised difficulty of achieving the end goals.
Which is a bit different from the difficulty of the individual fights, which were apparently hard enough to even kill us once.
Mind you, if I am focusing on certain aspects of the story, it doesn't mean that I do not see other ones.
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- Location
- Earth
If a mortal snags away a soul, the given Divine Being holding on to it might not even notice.
If another Divine Being does so, they soon have a very angry neighbour knocking on their door. That is why DBs have to pay close attention to the souls of their chosen, so that they can snag them before they go anywhere else.
Yeah, but given that they seem to be good friends with Gaia, would she even mind?
Also that there's a difference between "can do" and "should/does do".
Just like how Gaia can create WEAPONs here, but doesn't. Still appears on her sheet anyways.