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Puella Magi Adfligo Systema

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I was going to make a comment but I forgot it by the time I got the link working.
Have a lion-hug anyway.
 
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On a Rail pt. 8
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    • You like it when she talks like that. She was passionate and happy and confident, a far cry from the Mami you know and more like the Mami she wants to be.

    You... you do like it, and you open your mouth to say so-

    And you choke yourself off, fighting back the blush that's already making its way onto your face. Too soon. Too soon, when just last night she was sobbing into your arms because she was terrified you'd leave her. She... Whatever her feelings towards you, you don't want to pressure her.

    Not that way, not in a way that could be taken as flirting.

    "Sabrina?" Mami asks, peering up at you in concern.

    You shake your head, grin blossoming on your face. It's genuine, no matter the direction of your thoughts, for all that you were going to do something probably ill-advised.

    You're happy, even for that tiny flash of conviction.

    "You're right, of course!" you say, beaming at her. "If my attacks don't have fantastic names, then why bother? I might as well be one of those poor, sad people who don't name their attacks at all!"

    "Um..." Mami looks at you, pursing her lips. "But you don't name your attacks, Sabrina." Something like horror flashes across her face, her eyes widening as her expression crumples. "S-sorry, I-" She reaches for you, faltering mid-way. "I, sorry, I'm sorry-"

    Your stomach plummets.

    "No." You pull her into a hug, holding her close. "No, Mami. You're fine. It was just a joke, and I'm not offended. I'm not leaving you."

    Mami shakes her head wordlessly, stiff as a board in your arms.

    And this is why you're so reluctant to do... anything. You bite back a sigh.

    First and foremost, she's your friend.

    You stroke her back in slow, soothing circles as her shivering slows down. You repeat your reassurances, crooning into her ears, calming her down. Hopefully.

    "S-sorry," Mami whispers, finally wrapping her arms around you. "I just-"

    "I get it," you whisper. She's afraid. You form a seat out of inert Grief, sitting and pulling her down beside you without breaking the hug. "But here I am, and here I remain, yeah?"

    You pull back far enough to cup her face with one hand, giving her a smile. "I'm not going anywhere. But... Mami, I liked it when you started lecturing me. I like it when you sass me back. OK? Leaving you over that is the last thing I would do."

    Heh.

    Not that way, not in a way that could be taken as flirting.

    Mami nods weakly. Her hair brushes against your hand, featherlight touches. "A-alright," she whispers, exhaling shakily.

    "Good," you say, smiling and pulling your hand back. "Now, may I clean your Soul Gem, Mami?" At her nod, you do just that, a flex of your willpower siphoning off the Grief and crushing it down immediately.

    "OK," you say, giving Mami a quick squeeze to reassure her. "Yes, I'm one of those poor, sad people who don't name their attacks - my words, not yours. So it's a good thing I have dear Mami to help me with it, right?"

    She nods, and if her smile's a little strained... Well, that's neither here nor there.

    "Now, the problem is that I want to make sure that my attacks are worthy of the awesome names that you come up with for them," you say, ruffling her hair. Your other arm stays firmly around her waist, a constant reminder of your presence. "I... Well, I dunno. Is this really on par with something like Tiro Finale?"

    Mami leans into your hand. "Um..." she says, giving the still glowing puddle of slag a look.

    You run a quick calculation or two in your mind, considering how much energy your laser put out. It's substantial, to say the least.

    Heh. Eat your heart out, Ramiel girl. What was her name again? Koizumi Sasami, right. Then again, she wasn't actually firing lasers, was she? You could see her beams. Your beams probably aren't visible save by the thermal bloom and subsequent re-radiation on visible wavelengths.

    ... And of course, your beams are utterly lethal. Starlight Breakers they're not.

    "I... I suppose not," Mami says, finally. "You could still give it a name! How about, um..."

    "How about 'Luce Eterna'? Light eternal," you suggest, smiling. "I'll save Luce Finale for something that fits the name."

    "Ah," Mami says. "I like that name. I was going to suggest 'Prima Luce', but that's good!"

    "Hmm... 'First Light'?" you ask. "I like it. Uh... I'll think over it for a bit?"

    Mami's smile is wobbly, but genuine. "Alright," she says softly, leaning against your side.

    "Good," you say. "Also, Mami, did I zone out at all while doing that?"

    "Um... you were sort of focused for a second or two," Mami mumbles, burying her face against your shoulder. "But I don't believe you zoned out."

    ... huh. Interesting. It seems like this was... mundane enough to not warrant you going into a full trance?

    Or something of the sort.

    You grin. "Then I'd consider that way more successful than anticipated, It... well, I had more planned, but hey, that makes the other stuff unnecessary," you say. You turn a bright smile on Mami. "Well, I guess I should have asked you back home, but hey - are there any old projects that you might have had? With your ribbons, or something?"

    Mami blinks. "Oh- I have some ideas, but wouldn't you rather work on your own ideas?" she says.

    "Nah," you say, with a shake of your head. "I had more ideas, as I said, but well... frankly, what I just discovered makes it all obsolete." You fiddle with a few stray strands of hair, tucking it back behind your ear. "So... yeah. We have a little time to burn, right? And I'm not implying you couldn't do it yourself, but I'd just like to help and-"

    You shake your head. "Sorry, I'm, babbling again, aren't I. I'm just excited, really."

    Mami smiles a little. Stronger, more genuine. "W-well, I... did have some ideas. Um... I never did manage to make myself fly properly with my ribbons, and, um, I've been working on and off about a way being in more than one place at a time?"

    ... Does she mean what you think she means?

    "Go on?" you prompt with a smile.

    "Ah..." Mami says, straightening up a little. "The biggest problem with flying was that it was always a bit too expensive, and I could never really visualise a way to make the wings work."

    You snicker, and wiggle your fingers at her in a vaguely magical gesture. "Well~"

    Mami smiles, dipping her head in acknowledgement.

    "How about the other thing?" you ask. "Being in more than one place at a time? Actually, I remember you doing things in the kitchen from another room entirely, is it like that?"

    "Um..." Mami says. "Maybe I could show you?"

    "Sure," you say, beaming at her. You hop to your feet, offering Mami a hand and pulling her up to stand beside you.

    "This will take a minute or two," Mami says. She takes a deep breath and holds out a hand, palm down. She frowns sharply in concentration, a veritable waterfall of golden ribbons starting to spill from the end of her sleeve. They practically shimmer, even to the naked eye.

    Hm. Mami did say it would take a minute or two. You keep an eye on Mami, and her Soul Gem, simultaneously reaching out for Homura with your mind. "Hey, Homura," you say.

    "Good morning, Sabrina," Homura responds, all but instantly. "Is something wrong?"

    "'morning, Homura, and no, not at all," you say, eyeing the ribbons pooling and twisting at Mami's feet. "Just saying good morning to my friend! How was last night?"

    "Last night was... fine," Homura allows, a faint hint of warmth creeping into her voice. "Madoka is safe."

    "Great," you say. "And you?"

    "I am doing fine," she says after a moment of hesitation.

    "Good," you say, watching with interest as the ribbons surge upwards, beginning to take shape. "Say, Mami and I are testing our powers now, particularly, ah, destructive attacks. If you want to, you can join us, or Sayaka when she comes along in a while?"

    There's a long pause, of Homura clearly thinking it over. "I do not want Miki Sayaka to copy my powers."

    You're about to respond when Mami finishes her work, the shapeless mass of ribbons coalescing into...

    Bright, blonde drill hair, that same corset and perfectly ruffled dress and huge, adorable golden eyes and-

    Barely past your knee.

    Mami's made a tiny, chibi version of herself.

    The real Mami's still frowning in concentration as the tiny doppelganger raises its equally tiny arm to wave at you. "This is what I've managed to do so far," she says through the mini-Mami. "I've had difficulty making the clone any larger; the ribbons destabilise if I lose concentration."

    [] GLOMP
    [] Write-in

    =====​

    Gaslighting is an ugly, ugly thing. Also, do remember to get back to the name for the laser attack. :p
     
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    • I don't feel strongly on votes at the moment.

    Usually. I'll make an exception here. because that critical level of adorable must be glomped lest the rules of the universe be broken.

    [X] GLOMP
     
    No invisitext detected.

    Also.

    I thought I knew what the article Firn linked in AN would say.
    "Describing the definition of it for malicious purpose, using peer pressure and position of power to make one accept your story over what they saw happening."

    I was wrong. I never thought of it applying to the self, by the self.

    I do recommend checking it out.
     
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    Firnagzen said:
    Gaslighting is an ugly, ugly thing.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    So, uhh...

    Article:
    Somewhere between "Your feelings are bad and you should feel bad" and "Your feelings are an accurate barometer of external reality" lies a vast unexplored land of feelings that are excessive but useful, of feelings that don't make any sense but that alert you to an issue that needs to be explored, of feelings that can be discussed with a partner to build trust and intimacy, of feelings that have been spot-on many times before but have simply outlived their usefulness in this new and happier life you have built.

    I wish I could really believe that feeling things is okay.


    I'm pretty sure that trying to hide our feelings is gonna cause more problems then it solves. Let's not repeat canon Sayakas issues, m'kay?
     
    Hm... unrelated(ish) to current vote but we really ought to have sabrina confess to Mami sometime soon. Frankly I think she's probably deluding herself into not seeing the obvious flirting Sabs already does with her. Granted, I know it'll have consequences and that she might believe she's lying, but I feel the truth is important here. Not so much because it's the smart thing to do and more because it's the right thing to do.
     
    Of course, not because of Mami said it, not that anything Mami says isn't wonderful and that she isn't the best at coming up with attack names ever and oh we will have to be slightly careful with this.

    But the pun.....Oh, Mami :lol:rofl:
     
    At some point, ignoring Sabrina's feelings for the sake of caution is not really healthier than confessing them, either for Mami or for Sabrina. The gaslighting reference highlights it, but it's hardly the first sign, or even the only sign in the last couple updates, that our attempts to ignore the situation aren't tenable.

    Though I'll admit, fucking up the thing because she kept her feelings secret is really in-character for Sabs. You could easily argue secretiveness has been her most defining character flaw thus far.
     
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    Of course, being manipulative and "her way" are also things attributed to Sabs, and well....Pick your poison with those.
    To confess as to avoid repressing ourselves - when we're worried about perma-crippling Mami with this....Ai yo?


    For the sake of the Mitakihara five we'll drink probably any poison.
     
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