Disagree. Synergies and goals over tools are the key here. She won't be as good with the aerokinesis power as the native aerokineticist would be, but because Sayaka has the advantage of combining it with a hydrokinesis power and a telekinesis power and a temperature control power and a super-inference power and a chemical manipulation power and a plant control power and a super flight power, Sayaka can outperform the aerokineticist on any problem using some combination of her powers. Do not mistake methods for goals.
Yes, we can hammer the point home that she'll eventually be useful in almost every situation, but that won't really address her insecurities regarding how she is now. I feel like dealing with the now is what's important in this vote; we can impress upon her just how useful she'll be in the future another time.
She has not yet reached the point where her intent can be satisfied using the tools that her Wish gave her. I do not see how we can get around this except by attempting to extend future usefulness into usefulness now.
That just means that she has at least one vulnerability that is not related to her rejecting her Wish. It does not mean that she can safely reject her Wish.
You know how we're limited to griefhax, which though powerful has a 100m radius limit? Sayaka doesn't have that limitation. Sayaka doesn't have to wait for griefhax. Sayaka doesn't have anything that's "impossible". If there is a meguca that can do it, Sayaka can do it too. And there are meguca that can do anything, and they're often better at what they do than Sabrina is because they're operating conceptually. For example, Hackerguca - conceptual computer security intrusion is flat-out impossible for griefhax because of the range limit, but Hackerguca can make like hollywood and completely ignore things like airgaps and math. Hackerguca can probably crack one-time pads. And that means that Sayaka can too. All she needs is that power. Apply similar results to weather control - all she need is a meguca that can make it rain - healing, postcognition, fabrication, chemistry, electronic warfare, illusion, stealth, there're literally dozens of things just off the top of my head that she's trivially better at than we are because she can operate conceptually on every problem. If we're from the Culture, she's from Touhou.
That. The vote. In its entirety. Because I am getting really fucking tired of having to guess and argue and infer all this shit when there's a person right there that we can ask for clarification.
[x] Kaizuki
[] Brinapilot the rest of the goddamn quest because we're so incompetent that it isn't even worth trying any more. We taught Brina how to Brina, let her do the rest.
[] Brinapilot the rest of the goddamn quest because we're so incompetent that it isn't even worth trying any more. We taught Brina how to Brina, let her do the rest.
Wrong way to do it. We can brinapilot votes as long as we react to them at length in the thread. The thread is brina is us. Sometimes we disagree on important things and have to actually resolve them. But nobody is really disagreeing here except on specifically how to do what we want to do, and we've laid out about ten possible ways to do what we want to do.
Brinapilot is inherently about our reactions and strategies being competently designed.
I'd rather not, because it makes writing more difficult for Firn if he's checking the thread on phone, and there's been more than once where we assumed something we implied in voting would make it to the update, but didn't, because we didn't actually include the details in vote.
EDIT: Also, it feels lazy to me, personally. Voting is part of the game, right?
I'd rather not, because it makes writing more difficult for Firn if he's checking the thread on phone, and there's been more than once where we assumed something we implied in voting would make it to the update, but didn't, because we didn't actually include the details in vote.
EDIT: Also, it feels lazy to me, personally. Voting is part of the game, right?
"Sayaka, please be less vague in the future. I just spent subjective days arguing back and forth in my head about how to respond to you."
"...what."
"Also, it's speech time."
"...are you sure you don't have brain damage?"
"SPEECH TIME."
Additionally, developing good hand-to-hand skills will provide the foundation for developing better combat awareness. It'll teach Sabrina how recognize the signs that an attack is coming and respond instinctively. It'll teach her to keep better track of her surroundings. It'll teach her when it's possible to evade and when it's necessary to block, and how to best unbalance, restrain and disable an opponent.
It'll mostly teach her to recognize signs of melee attacks and respond in less-effective ways.
It'll teach her to focus on the one person in front of her attacking her.
It'll teach her to evade and block a particular set of meelee attacks.
It'll teach her how to unbalance, restrain and disable when she doesn't have Grief and has no skilled allies on hand.
It's been brought up that cutting the update where it was simulates Sabrina being arrogant and jumping to assumptions because it forces us to jump to assumptions about what Sayaka actually means.
"You are standing with me, with us," you say, tilting your head to grin at her.
"Doesn't feel like it," Sayaka mutters.
You purse your lips, grin fading. "Look, clarify for me: what do you mean about Kyouko being right? Do you mean that she was right about you not being able to switch powers properly?"
Sayaka shrugs. "I... I suppose," she says. "It makes me feel like I'm... a burden, you know? I can't fight... I can't do anything without having someone there to babysit me."
"You've been a magical girl for less time than I have. Yeah, you need support. That's in no way a mark against you," you say, shaking your head. "And Mami and Homura, well... You're comparing yourself to some of the best magical girls on the planet. They're possibly among the best to have ever lived. And Sayaka?"
You wait for her to look at you before continuing. "It's only a matter of practice before you match up. Yes, I won't deny, you need practice and support right now. But that's because your power needs time to ramp up. You need the experience, and you need to gather powers and experiment. Once you do..."
A rueful shake of your hand. "Sayaka, with your Wish, I expect you to exceed me someday. Someday soon, really."
"Yeah, right," Sayaka says, shaking her head.
You shrug, glancing ahead to check that you aren't about to swerve into any buildings. "I mean... Just look at the powers you already have. Do you want to join the police force? At this point, if you picked up a teleport power, you could be anywhere in the world with a platoon of clones. You could be the police. All of them, all the time."
"That sounds stupid," Sayaka says, wrinkling her nose.
"I'm completely serious about it," you say. "I've told you before. I want to help magical girls everywhere. Everywhere. You have an idea of the kind of fighting that happens - don't you think that being able to intervene would be amazing?"
Sayaka's quiet.
"You don't have to do that if you don't want to, of course. Being a hero isn't just about fighting," you say. "Let me see. You have flight. Add in wind powers or water powers -and we know where we can get that- and you could probably control the weather. Hell, I'm sure there must be magical girls out there with weather control already. We'll get you those powers eventually. You want to stop a hurricane in its tracks, you want to save thousands of lives? You can do it. Magic is versatile and amazingly powerful. You've got capabilities that can only grow, Sayaka, and honestly, you're on the road to godhood. Or at the very least an angel, one of those scary types that have to say 'Fear not' when they show up."
Sayaka snorts, but there's an amused little quirk of her lips now. "You're overselling it."
"I mean it," you say, and chuckle. "Being able to control the weather would be enough to get you worshipped, even now."
"... Fine," Sayaka says, shaking her head.
You sigh, rubbing at your face. "I get where you're coming from," you say. "It seems... too far off in the future, yeah?"
"Just a bit," Sayaka says.
"I mean it, regardless," you say. "I mean... like I said, being a hero isn't just about fighting, no matter what stories and manga and anime might tell you. Being a magical girl isn't just about fighting. It's about people. With your powers, you can do disaster recovery, healing... whatever you want."
"I guess," Sayaka says half-heartedly. "It's just... hard to believe."
You tip your head back, looking contemplatively at the clouds scudding across the sky. "Actually, you know what? Kyouko was right - when you're using your powers is exactly when you're, mm, when you shine. Kyouko's training is making sure that you get that opportunity."
"You really think I can do it?" Sayaka asks, sitting up and drawing her knees to her chest.
"Depends on what 'it' is," you say.
Sayaka makes an annoyed sound. "Become... become someone who isn't a burden, I suppose."
"Nah," you say. "Can't become something you already are. You're no more a burden for needing training or help to realise your potential than for... I dunno, needing to go to school. It's pretty much the same thing. You need training and practice and experience, and there's no shame in lacking any of that."
Sayaka blows out a gusty breath. "OK, then," she says. "I'll... try and believe it."
You grin at her. "Well, you know, we're going on a Witch hunt later, right? You've got all your powers - why not show off a bit, cut loose. See what you can do by combining them, or something. And don't forget that idea you had earlier, trying to use Kazumi's power as a shortcut."
"Oh, yeah," Sayaka says, brightening a bit. "I forgot about that. Do you think it'll work?"
"No way to know until you try it," you say. "Also, for the record, I do absolutely trust you. You've impressed Mami, I know that much, and I also know that Kyouko's a hundred and ten percent tsundere."
Sayaka barks out a startled laugh. "Eeeh?"
You wink at her. "Ask Yuma sometime."
... You hope you haven't set Sayaka up to be murdered by Kyouko for that comment.
Eh. Yuma'll heal her.
"I'm being set up, aren't I?" Sayaka asks flatly.
"Speaking of set ups, that reminds me," you say. "All joking aside? I'm pretty sure this is the first time Kyouko's actually, y'know, had a job, part-time as it is. I'm almost certain she's being harder on you because of that."
"I guess," Sayaka agrees, wrapping her arms around her knees and looking away.
Voting opens
[] What do you say?
[] Karaoke time!
[] Write-in (word count limit: 200 words)
=====
Have a half-update. Addresses some concerns, and applies amalgamated votes.
I made an Exeggutor costume for a convention last year, and I still keep one of its heads next to my bed because having something that I physically made helps when I feel like I can't do anything.
[] Find an empty lot to land in and have Sayaka make a house.
Everything we said just seems so far fetched to Sayaka and her self-esteem issues. Honestly think we should have focused on her worth and ability now rather than her worth in the future since that's what she wanted to hear, but what's done is done and the vote did work, kind of.
