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Puella Magi Adfligo Systema

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Well, obviously we're only going to be testing in our Barrier from now on: We don't have to worry about collateral damage in there, we can make all of the chairs that we want, and, while eating grief is not a thing we should test without a spotter right next to us, we can create all the cooking implements we want, and use them all simultaneously to make good meals out of real food.

We should see if our Barrier stays while we sleep, and check what changes inside afterwards, because it may be influenced by our sleeping mind/thread chatter. If nothing drastic changes when we sleep, assuming, of course, that it stays stable and doesn't collapse or dissipate, we could have a mansion estate ridiculously huge even for America (As opposed to land-starved Japan) located three quarters of the way up a ten mile high grassy mountain overlooking a picturesque forest or something.

We have our own Demi-Plane of Elemental Sabrina-ness. After checking to make sure that it isn't more dangerous than it looks (Spontaneous physical manifestations of our flame wars wouldn't be nice), what we can imagine is pretty much literally our only limit as far as awesome houses go. We can have houses more extravagant than Hitomi, and we can fill them with Robot servants equipped with mustaches and monocles, for laughs.

Dimensional magic is so cool, and we need to science this first chance we get... which may be a while from now. But I'll remember!
 
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Well, that's easy to solve. Just make a second Barrier, put 1's entrance into 2's entrance, and then shrink 2's entrance and put it inside's 1's. Repeat a few more times, and Kyuubey will be so confused by how illogical it is that we can do that that he won't even try. [/joke]

I don't think Kyubeey analyzing our Barrier will have anything good come of it. We should just make it a rule that all particles (As in, atomic particles and stuff, made out of Grief) in our Barrier ignore Kyuubodies, so he can't even walk inside because the air refuses to part for him, light refuses to get absorbed or interpreted by his eyes, etc, so even if he teleports in he won't get anything useful out of it. This could be a thing we could do, maybe try it out a little first by replacing Kyuubey in the equation with a specific piece of trash or something.

And I've just thought of more Science!. We can give our Witch!stuff objects different, and sometimes contradictory, physical properties, and we can create Intent-based Grief artifacts, such as the Rod of Asclepius, without knowing how they work, so why can't we do something like create a plate of Witch!stuff with the rule "Impermeable to X" and then swipe it through things we don't like, like Mesons or Neutrons? Make it small enough, and we could make Grenade-sized nuclear explosions near things at the edge of our manipulation range, though not really any closer because I don't trust us not to fumble it somehow and make it twice as big as we intended it to be.

We can pull off AT-field shenanigans here, if only rather weak ones, given that our normal plates have been shown to break before. Mwuahahaha! Science!

...And I did it again, coming up with something awesome before a science update which we will almost certainly forget. Darn conceptual magic, being so awesome and versatile.
 
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Our Benefactor pt. 15
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    • "Hey, Mami," you say, smiling at Mami, fighting to keep the worry from your face. "I'm here."

    "... hi, Sabrina," Mami says, stopping a step away from you, worried frown on her face and hands twisting against each other. "I-" she's almost gasping for breath as she speaks. "I, I'm glad you're here."

    "Hey..." you say. "Do you want a hug?"

    Mami bites her lip. "I... yes," she says, taking a half step forward.

    You meet her halfway, wrapping your arms tightly around her.

    She lets out a little whimper, throwing her arms around you. She clings to you, shivering, and her head finds the crook of your neck. You hold simply hold her for a long moment, glaring over her golden hair at the students walking by. They suddenly find a pressing reason to be looking elsewhere.

    You spy Madoka, Homura, Sayaka, and Hitomi emerging from the school as a group, talking amongst themselves. Sayaka spots you first, nudging Madoka and pointing you out. A worried look immediately flickers across the pinkette's face, and her eyes seek yours in worry.

    Pink eyes search your blue ones for answers. You shake your head minutely, taking care not to disturb Mami. You have none to give, much as it galls you. You're barely sure of what to do, and... not even that.

    You just want to help Mami.

    That much, at least, you can say with conviction.

    Behind Madoka, you can see Homura giving the two of you an inscrutable look as they all approach. Not quite a frown, not quite displeasure. Worry, perhaps. Hitomi looks faintly worried, too, a slight frown on her face.

    Your stomach churns uncomfortably as you hug Mami. You don't know what to do to help Mami. Or you do know; you know too much and too little and you know just enough to second guess yourself. To argue with yourself over what might be the best thing to do, what might not. You know enough to make a guess and just a little more to paralyze yourself with indecision.

    Madoka seems to read something in your eyes, her worried frown twisting, and she slows, one hand tugging on Homura's uniform blouse and one on Sayaka. The group slows, and Madoka meets your eyes.

    "Sabrina?" Madoka's voice sounds inside your head, tremulous and worried. "Is there anything we can do?"

    You... you're not sure you'll ever be able to help Mami. And you're terrified that you'll make things worse. At least... Mami's shivering seems to be dying down as she draws comfort from your presence.

    "I don't know," you admit.

    Madoka nods. "A-alright." Your friends stop a distance away from you and Mami, blocking the two of you from the bulk of the people trickling out of school.

    A moment later, Mami shifts, and you loosen your hug around her. She eases backwards and looks up at you, eyes watery. "S-sorry."

    "Mami, I'm here," you say again, keeping your arms loosely around her.

    "Y-yes. C-can we go somewhere else?" Mami asks.

    "Of course, Mami," you say, smiling at her even as the worry twists inside your stomach.

    Walking is an awkward affair, with Mami half clinging to your side. The two of you meander along the forested path slowly, Madoka and Homura following a distance behind - Sayaka had said something about catching up as soon as she could.

    "Mami?" you ask softly.

    "I, I... sorry," she says. "I..." she trails off, looking down at the ground.

    "Do you want to talk about it?" you ask, twisting your neck from side to side to try and ease the growing tension in your shoulders. "Or... maybe you'd like to hear about my afternoon instead?"

    "That w-would be nice," Mami says. "I mean. Your afternoon?"

    "Well... I've been spending a bit of time checking in on everyone today," you say, tapping the side of your head to indicate telepathy. "I talked to Rin this morning, and Chouko. So... After lunch, I went to check in on Masami and Hiroko."

    "Oh?" Mami asks.

    "Yeah," you say. "They seem to be doing quite well." After you'd nearly ruined their chances of being healed, of course. And not to forget how you'd wrecked Akiko and the Sendai girls in the name of peace, an-

    "A-ah," Mami says, biting her lip. "That's good."

    You suck in a breath in sudden realisation, and dart a look around. The path seems relatively clear of people, apart from your friends. You can feel the weight of Grief in your Soul Gem, a malevolent presence grinding on your shoulders and mind with heavy, ephemeral pressure. A moment's thought has Grief billowing from your Soul Gem ring in a thick, deep purple torrent.

    Mami stiffens as she notices the Grief pouring from your Soul Gem. "S-sorry," she says.

    "No," you say as the tension slowly ebbs from your shoulders, the tense muscles of your neck unknotting slowly as Grief pours into the air. "Don't apologise, Mami."

    She bites her lip, brow knotting in worry. You keep an arm around her, though, hugging her close to you.

    [] Write-in

    =====​

    GM post to follow.
     
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    • Firnagzen said:
    Questers of PMAS,
    I've been meaning to do this for a while, and there's no good time to say this, so now, I feel, will do as well as any.

    To be honest, the flame wars, 'minor' as they are, are getting wearing to me. I love discussion, I love reading the speculation, and I'm damned happy that you're attached enough to do that. But the point where it draws into mudslinging and insults is where I draw the line. Much of the discussion takes place overnight for me, and I would greatly like to be able to wake up and not find the thread on fire.

    I'm not naming names, because you know who you are. No more flamewars, no more arguments. Discussions, debates and productive disserations are great, but if you find yourself spitting vitriol, stop. Walk away.
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    I'm not happy I need to reiterate this. Admittedly, I've been slacking on quelling shitstorms in this thread for various reasons, among them being in the wrong damned timezone, and not wanting to stifle discussion.

    They weren't quite the reason I put PMAS on hiatus - but frankly, they're part of it, and I'm sick and tired of said shitstorms. They're sapping my will to continue. From here onwards, I'm going to be harsh on this, and I'm not going to hesitate to call in threadbans as necessary.

    I know who you are, and you know who you are. Don't make it necessary. No more flaming, no more sniping, no more pointless arguments.
     
    Since Sabrina is actually having a crisis...might as well open up to Mami. Seeing us open our heart to her might encourage her to do the same. Showing weakness might help with her own crippling insecurities.

    Because being the best friend of the girl who can do anything can't be good for her self esteem.

    [X]Mami...I-I know you're feeling uncomfortable about certain things right now. Unsure of yourself? Lost? I just want to let you know that you're not alone in that...I'm kind of...gah, no Magus is completely right in the head. Homura's almost lost hope, and I'm scared I'm getting her hopes up too much. Kyouko thinks she's a threat to everything around her, a monster, and isolates herself. Madoka wants to save everyone, and is determined to bear the whole world on her back. Sayaka can't carry her ideals without breaking...and I...I...
    [X] I'm not even sure I'm real, Mami. I don't remember where I came from, but I remember so much else. Things that could have happened, skills no one person could possibly know...my own mind is a swirling mass of confusion and conflict.
    [X]Hah! I'm not even sure who I am right now. It's like my mind is turned against itself, different aspects straining for control. I don't even know if the me of tomorrow will follow the same principles as the me of today. I...Mami, if you're insecure, you only need to look as far as me to see proof of your strength. We're all a little broken...what matters is that we're strong enough to overcome all the cracks in our psyches, you know? You're awesome, to hold on like you do. I'm lucky to have you.
     
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    Ehhhhh. I'd say that's too much to lay on Mami right now. The Homura info will annoy Homura, and the Kyoko info will make Mami sad.

    Edit: Mami, being Mami, will blame herself for Kyoko's sad state. She doesn't need to hear that right now.
     
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    Maybe...but she wants honesty, and we haven't said much about Homura that Mami can't guess.

    This is called talking to a friend and confidante, not manipulating the Mami. Sabrina needs to talk and Mami needs to feel like she's making a difference. Actually being honest is a good start.

    She needs to know about Kyouko anyway, and we can explain how it's not Mami's fault later, if she decides to blame herself.

    I guess I just think its time to let Sabrina be honest and show genuine feelings for once, rather than just throwing up more and more layers of artificial happiness...Mami saw that huge amount of Grief we just cleansed. She knows we're not alright...dropping our guard and showing her we're not flawless and perfect is something Mami needs, because she'll know we're hiding things from her if we try to pretend we're alright. Either that, or she'll blame herself for our issues, and none of us want that.
     
    yes but we need to be more tactful than that. The self-bomb, personal issues, Kyoko, and Homura all in 2 paragraphs in one vote? Slow down. We can't lay all of that on her at once, especially not right now.
     
    This is bad, bad timing for that. It's the last thing she needs on top of her existing issues. Talking about everyone is both unrelated and a bad idea, and I can't emphasize how much of a bad idea giving Sabrina unnecessarily personality disorders is, re: the last line.


    We need an alternative.
     
    It's an extremely awkward time (and manner) to lay so much on Mami's head. To lay anything on her, if I'm honest.




    In other commentary,

    Firnagzen said:
    Behind Madoka, you can see Homura giving the two of you an inscrutable look as they all approach. Not quite a frown, not quite displeasure. Worry, perhaps. Hitomi looks faintly worried, too, a slight frown on her face.

    Your stomach churns uncomfortably as you hug Mami. You don't know what to do to help Mami. Or you do know; you know too much and too little and you know just enough to second guess yourself. To argue with yourself over what might be the best thing to do, what might not. You know enough to make a guess and just a little more to paralyze yourself with indecision.

    Madoka seems to read something in your eyes, her worried frown twisting, and she slows, one hand tugging on Homura's uniform blouse and one on Sayaka. The group slows, and Madoka meets your eyes.

    "Sabrina?" Madoka's voice sounds inside your head, tremulous and worried. "Is there anything we can do?"

    You... you're not sure you'll ever be able to help Mami. And you're terrified that you'll make things worse. At least... Mami's shivering seems to be dying down as she draws comfort from your presence.

    "I don't know," you admit.

    Madoka nods. "A-alright." Your friends stop a distance away from you and Mami, blocking the two of you from the bulk ot the people trickling out of school.
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    That's pretty blatant.
     
    ...I really don't think now is the time to unload any of our issues onto Mami or bring up her own in any detail. At the very least, I'd wait until we got settled at whatever place we're going to, if that's possible. Otherwise, keep it on the minimal side, rather than delving into the complicated, painful, or deeply personal stuff.
     
    @Higure: Premise is good; execution feels flawed, though. I agree with Gadjo; we shouldn't be speaking for other people. And other bits.... it should be about things Sabrina is actually worried about, not general "woe is me" items.

    For example, something as simple as telling her that we're worried about her, and that we're worried we don't know how to help, or that we'll try to help and make things worse. This is a legitimate concern. Worries about not being a real person? That's fake.


    ~~

    And I've also been taking more and more time away from PMAS lately, to avoid the flamewars and nastiness (particularly when it feels like I'm contributing to them). There have been times when the thread settled down, and it was actually pleasant to read. Hopefully can get some of that back for Firn's peace of mind.
     
    Gadjo said:
    yes but we need to be more tactful than that. The self-bomb, personal issues, Kyoko, and Homura all in 2 paragraphs in one vote? Slow down. We can't lay all of that on her at once, especially not right now.
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    It's not the full forum bomb, she knows the Homu is messed up, and it's not opening up if you're still trying to parcel out crumbs onf information, rather than actually sharing your fears and feelings.
     
    Higure said:
    It's not the full forum bomb, she knows the Homu is messed up, and it's not opening up if you're still trying to parcel out crumbs onf information, rather than actually sharing your fears and feelings.
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    Us being some kind of magical construct (probably) is the self bomb though. Sabrina is not literally a living internet forum.

    Also, still have the problem with bestgirl. She'll feel like shit if she hears that. It won't help her at all.
     
    Kinematics said:
    Worries about not being a real person? That's fake.
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    Really? Because we've had several arguments around here about whether we're Sabrina or if she's a person of her own. We've pretty much determined it to be the latter, but I would suspect the very existence of those arguments worries her.

    And I've also been taking more and more time away from PMAS lately, to avoid the flamewars and nastiness (particularly when it feels like I'm contributing to them). There have been times when the thread settled down, and it was actually pleasant to read. Hopefully can get some of that back for Firn's peace of mind.
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    Me too. This thread tends to set me off...which is why I won't stay up all. Night arguing about this.


    I just hope that, even if my exact vote isn't used, people will actually try to be honest and open, rather than continuing to make Sabrina hide her issues from the world.The
     
    Gadjo said:
    Us being some kind of magical construct (probably) is the self bomb though. Sabrina is not literally a living internet forum.

    Also, still have the problem with bestgirl. She'll feel like shit if she hears that. It won't help her at all.
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    Knowing someone she loves left out of a desire to protect her, rather than out of hostility won't help the girl with abandonment issues?

    Knowing Kyouko never hated her might help a lot.
     
    Kine and Gadjo are right. Regardles of vote intent, the Higure doesn't seem like it should be our choice as written. The tone, the examples (I disagree a LOT with the POV on Kyouko and don't think any of the others are a good idea now to tell Mami...), the wording, and ESPECIALLY points 2 and 3 of the vote mean that we need an entirely different vote plan.

    We need to focus more on Mami too. While telling her that we're there for her, that she has nothing to be sorry for, and that we have issues too (NOT the issues listed there) might all be good at some point or other, I don't see that working as written.

    @Higure
    I don't agree with that interpretation of Kyouko in the vote and don't see Mami as taking it well.
     
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    Ugolino said:
    Kine and Gadjo are right. Regardles of vote intent, the Higure doesn't seem like it should be our choice as written. The tone, the examples (I disagree a LOT with the POV on Kyouko and don't think any of the others are a good idea now to tell Mami...), the wording, and ESPECIALLY points 2 and 3 mean that we need an entirely different vote plan. We need to focus more on Mami. While telling her that we're there for her, that she has nothing to be sorry for, and that we have issues too (NOT the issues listed there) might all be good at some point or other, I don't see that working as written.

    @Higure
    I don't agree with that interpretation of Kyouko in the vote and don't see Mami as taking it well.
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    You have a right to your opinion. I will say that I think putting all the attention on her will only make this more tense. Sabrina has a habit of talking at people, not too them. Telling them things or asking them questions...but never offering much in return.

    Friendship is a two way street. Even if we give her all our support, it won't work if we keep all of Sabrina's issues bottled up inside.

    Our issues are big. This is what we can share without discussing Witches, and should let Mami see how hard Sabrina is trying to fix everything...and how much of her own pain she hides. We also need to get some secrets out of the way. Imagine how much easier this would be if we could actually work with Mami on most issues, rather than having to sidestep around everythinh constantly?
     
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