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Puella Magi Adfligo Systema

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So... somehow tell her that the difference is we are trying to keep secrets from her for her sake as a person, not as a tool like Kyubuy?

EDIT: Eh... I hope you guys realize even though you aren't voting, you still affect Sabrina's behahviour? So now she's going to be all like "Oh crap!" and freeze up. Unless you think that would be helpful by making Mami... actually, I don't see how it could help us. It will only scare Mami.
EDIT 2: Oh hey, I did it too. :) What a hypocrite.
 
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[X] Offer hug to Mami, and if she says no don't let go of her hands. "No. Kyubey lied, withheld things to hurt you - it didn't care about you. Not like me."
-[x] Start small. "There's things that you need to know, things that scare me. And I'm going to tell you what is my place to tell you, I swear. I've always planned to, because I'm not going anywhere. Because I'm staying with you. Because unlike Kyubey, I care. I'm not using you, I would never do that."
-[x] Reinforce. "I'm not keeping secrets from you. I'm going to tell you everything, I swear - some of it just needs to wait a little bit." Smile self-depricatingly. "You don't need protecting, but... it's not something you should hear right now. I'm sorry, but if you let me I'll be here. And we'll get through it together."

It micros, yes, but decent-ish first draft. Cleared with QM.
E: AND NO META BOMBING FOR THE LOVE OF JESUS​
 
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When did Mami lose her parents/parental figures?
I'm not stupid enough to start blaming that loss for all Mami's issues, no, but I just thought I should bring it up, since I hear the first few years with your parents are EXTREMELY important for your psyche.
 
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Just to reitterate: that is first draft and I'd like it if people could offer tweaks. As is, what I put up is a starting point; we shouldn't run with it as the final vote.
 
TheSlayers said:
When did Mami lose her parents/parental figures?
I'm not stupid enough to start blaming that loss for all Mami's issues, no, but I just thought I should bring it up, since I hear the first few years with your parents are EXTREMELY important for your psyche.
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I think she lost 'em about two years before the start of the show.
 
Firnagzen said:
"A-are you... S-Sabrina, I-I. Are you k-keeping t-things like. Like K-kyuubey did? B-beca- I-I- Sabrina.."
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This got me wondering what Mami meant. Obviously it can't just be that we are keeping secrets, after all we literally just said that, so there has to be something more to it.

During the Lichbomb we have:


Firnagzen said:
"K-Kyuubey- T-the girls I-I've-" Mami whimpers.
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Firnagzen said:
"Why did you do that?" a familiar, unpleasantly sweet voice sounds in her head. "Tomoe Mami did not need to know."
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Firnagzen said:
"You." White hot anger seethes in your voice and courses in your veins, and Mami flinches in your embrace. "Mami deserves to know the truth, you emotionless, deceptive little abomination. You used Mami all this time. You pretended to be her friend, and you've strung her along for years."

You can feel Mami wilt, every word almost a physical blow hammering down on her... And the only thing you can do is hold her, reassuring her that you're still here. She struggles weakly in your hug, and you loosen it a little, allowing her to half turn to look at the Incubator.

"Y-you're n-n-not denying i-i-it," Mami says, in an alien, raspy croak so unlike her usual gentle tones you only realize it's her by the movement of her jaw.

"No," Kyuubey agrees, jumping down from the window sill and slinking along the floor, prowling around you. "I would not deny the truth."
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Firnagzen said:
"And you were never in any danger, were you?" you ask quietly, following its motion along the floor. Your voice drips with vitriol. "You pretended you were hurt... that you were in danger. But you never were, were you? You wanted Mami to worry about your 'life'. For her and Homura to fight. And all for what? More contracts."

A fraction of your attention is spent gathering a few more marbles from your bag outside.

"You are remarkably well informed," Kyuubey observes, stopping in front of you -behind Mami's back- and fixing an unblinking red stare upon you.

"Y-you- I-I-" Mami's barely coherent any more.
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So lets look at the main points here:
  • Kyubey tricked her into hurting people, her students, by convincing them to become Peulla.
  • Kyubey keeping important information from Mami because "She didn't need to know."
  • Kyubey pretended to be Mami's friend when he was really just using her.
  • Kyubey exploited Mami's friendships for his own goals.

Now I'm pretty sure the first point can't apply to use since we haven't done anything with Mami that would fit. You could argue Sendai but it's pretty clear that we were trying to help people there.

So that laves the last three. Of them I think the first is the least relevant since we are revealing secrets to Mami although she could still view that as only telling her stuff when it becomes needed.

I think it's the last two that are the real problem. They are what really broke Mami in the Lichbomb and would break her here as well. Even worse she almost certainly still has lingering fears based off what happened with Kyubey and our extreamly poor word choice back during the Sendai War prep which implied we valued Mami for her ability as a Puella not as a person/friend.

So we need to emphasis primarily that:
1) We really are her friend. This is probably best done by revealing something deeply personal. The kind of thing you would only tell your best friend. Unfortunately Sabrina doesn't really have many of these things what with being a week old...

2) That the secrets we're keeping aren't because she doesn't need to know. That we're keeping them because they are either other people's secrets (Timeloops) or they are things we don't know how to tell her (Lichbomb).





Kinematics said:
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Dammit! I am trying to fix that but I do slip up at times.
 
Firnagzen said:
You watch Mami helplessly as she works through it. Finally, she sucks in a breath, speaking in a soft, anguished voice.. "A-are you... S-Sabrina, I-I. Are you k-keeping t-things like. Like K-kyuubey did? B-beca- I-I- Sabrina.."
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Hm.

I think this needs to be answered, and it can be answered with no.

Outside the witch bomb, our secrets are about us, about the world, about Homura, Madoka...future. Our worst secrets that are about Mami in their entierety is about her alternate times and Rebellion abilities.
 
UberJJK said:
Little nitpick here. As far as I know QB didn't actually lie or withhold anything to specifically hurt Mami. All that was just done so her could exploit her better as a recruiter.
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'Lement said:
I think this needs to be answered, and it can be answered with no.
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This was basically my logic with that line - @UberJJK raises good points, though. So, le'see...

[] Offer hug to Mami, and if she says no don't let go of her hands. "No. Kyubey lied, withheld things and hurt you - it didn't care about you. Not like me. I'm your friend."
-[] Start small. "There's things that you need to know, things that scare me. And I'm going to tell you what is my place to tell you, I swear. I've always planned to, because I'm not going anywhere. Because I'm staying with you. Because unlike Kyubey, I care. I'm not using you, I would never do that."
-[] Reinforce. "I'm not keeping secrets from you. I'm going to tell you everything, I swear - some of it just needs to wait a little bit." Smile self-depricatingly. "You don't need protecting, but... they aren't things you should hear right now; either that, I can't tell you, or I don't know how. I'm sorry, Mami, but if you let me I'll be here. And we'll get through it together, telling you one thing at a time."

Still WIP.
 
[] Offer hug to Mami, and if she says no don't let go of her hands. "No. Never. Kyubey lied, withheld things to hurt you - it didn't care about you. Not like me."
-[]There are things she deserves to know- and we are going to tell her what it's our place to, we promise. We don't want to keep things from her. We really do care about her. We don't want to do what Kyubey did. We're not going to lie to her, or abuse her friendship.
[]We'll be there for her, and we really do want to stay with her.
[]We should have done this from the beginning...but we were scared to. It's why we're telling her now- it's something she deserved to know.
[]We're not going to keep secrets from her. We just...can't say some of it yet.
-[]"You don't need protecting, but... it's not something you should hear right now. I'm sorry, but if you let me I'll be here. And we'll get through it together."

Butchered the rookvote...a little late
 
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UberJJK said:
1) We really are her friend. This is probably best done by revealing something deeply personal. The kind of thing you would only tell your best friend. Unfortunately Sabrina doesn't really have many of these things what with being a week old...
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Well, we could go with the "might actually be a week old, not amnesiac literally lacking a past" thing? I mean. it's not some deep, dark secret for us, but we've never really told anybody about it. Homumom suspects, but that's about the extent it's come up with other characters.
 
Krecart said:
Well, we could go with the "might actually be a week old, not amnesiac literally lacking a past" thing? I mean. it's not some deep, dark secret for us, but we've never really told anybody about it. Homumom suspects, but that's about the extent it's come up with other characters.
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That's a can of worms unless we reveal the loops and everything to do with them because then Mami might press on just why we think that.
 
Deep in thought.

What makes us different from Kyubey, is basically that we've realized keeping secrets, be it for her own good or for selfish reasons, is wrong and that we're trying to rectify that. Kyubey would not have spent the last few days being eaten up by guilt over what's right and wrong, nor bothered to initiate this conversation. Yes, the simple idea that we care non-selfishly is important too.

To communicate that, though...
first, I don't think we should talk about Kyubey much at all. This is about her and us. Rather than offer comparisons, tell the truth about reasons.
second, it might sound counterproductive at first, but I think we need to communicate guilt and a desire to change. This discussion can't go anywhere without establishing the idea that it's ok for us, or even her, to make mistakes. And to recover from them. To just say that there are things she deserves to know begs the question why she hasn't been told yet, or even just told they exist like we're doing now.
third, instead of fixating on the very short term idea that we won't leave, prop her up with specifics and with more to aspire to than just having a friend who will be there for her. Phrases like "I'm not going anywhere" kind of annoy me when they're repeated. Can't we do better to make our assurances mean more? Put more of ourself into them and reference more of her.

Still thinking, but have to get back to work.
 
Um. First time poster, very unfamiliar with Madoka and just enjoying this as a story on its own merits... But it occurs to me that, given how fragile Mami is right now, 'be ready to cleanse her soul gem at any point, and keep cleansing however long it takes.' might be a good thing to add to the vote?
 
Imrix said:
Um. First time poster, very unfamiliar with Madoka and just enjoying this as a story on its own merits... But it occurs to me that, given how fragile Mami is right now, 'be ready to cleanse her soul gem at any point, and keep cleansing however long it takes.' might be a good thing to add to the vote?
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Welcome aboard, and good point. Watch the series when you can, you won't regret it. :)

Hmmm these two lines:

[]We should have done this from the beginning...but we were scared to. It's why we're telling her now- it's something she deserved to know.
[]Keep an eye on her Gem and quietly cleanse as needed.

So maybe something like...
[butchery intensifies]

[] Offer hug to Mami, and if she says no don't let go of her hands. "No. Kyubey lied, withheld things and hurt you - it didn't care about you."
-[]We really do care about her. We'd never do what Kyubey did. We're not going to lie to her, or abuse her friendship.
-[] Start small. "There are things you deserve to know, things that scare me. And I'm going to tell you what is my place to tell you, I swear. I've always planned to, because I'm not going anywhere. Because I'm staying with you. Because unlike Kyubey, I care. I'm not using you, I would never do that."
[]We should have done this from the beginning...but we were scared to. It's why we're telling her now- it's something she deserved to know.
-[]"You don't need protecting. If you let me I'll be here. And we'll get through it together."
 
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Yeah, it just seems to me that normal people can work through this kind of despair because, well, life goes on, y'know? You cry your eyes red, you eat ice cream until you get brain freeze and collapse into bed still sobbing... But then you wake up, and the world is still spinning. A meguca's problem is that if they fall into that kind of despair, they don't have the time to work through it. They'll witch out before they can begin to recover.

Sabrina is unique in that she can give a meguca that time. That's her ace in the hole, her trump card, and I think it should never, ever be forgotten. When you're one slip from disaster, you don't slack off on disaster-proofing.
 
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