Raiseth
I Find Your Lack of Memes Disturbing
- Location
- Russia
Puella Magi Adfligo Systema
- Thread starter Firnagzen
- Start date
-
- Tags
- puella magi adfligo systema puella magi madoka magica be gay do crimes (gay) female protagonist bad decisions dating mami tomoe (tomoe mami) diabolical laughter friendship is the best ship handholding identity crises microwaving tea gets you put in the bad place names are important the body is the fursona of the soul this is not the baked goods thread we don't talk about rionna what could possibly go wrong? who in the world is azure sanfrancisco?
- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
Always Happening
We could have prevented this.
- Location
- On a train with no brakes
Surprisingly, I'm not so sure about these. Ayase and Luca are a jungle build optimized for 1v1 ganks.
Homura: Likely Homura win, but her ability to timestop gank them hinges on whether or not both of their soul gems manifest at the same time-- if not, she can kill one of them, but the other will have precious seconds to retaliate while Homura's shield is on cooldown, and they have enough raw magical power to block/melt ordinary gunfire in a real-time engagement-- not to mention that we're trying to take people down non-lethally.
Sayaka: Stalemate. I'm not confident that Sayaka's technique is developed enough to overcome the Soujus' raw overwhelming firepower, which would make it a likely Souju win, but she can just throw clones at them remotely until one side or the other runs out of magic.
Mami: Hard to say, and would likely come down to how experienced the Soujus are. Ayase's pyrokinesis is actually a really good counter to Mami's ribbons, and any direct ribbon link between them could be a conduit for Luca to attempt to freeze her solid. If they've figured out pyrokinetic flight/cryosurfing, they can also potentially outmaneuver her-- Mami's biggest advantage here is her wealth of experience and razor-honed tactical mind.
Sabrina runs into the usual problem of trying to rock them, but can also fairly casually bodykill them by dropping a monomolecular razor cloud on them the moment they get in range.
So basically the moral of the story is 'countergank so they can't get the 1v1'.
Godwinson
"Well, I've got nothing."
Homura: Instant overwhelming body-kill.
Sayaka: Antimagic blasts accompanied by clone-rush.
Mami: Guns. Lots of guns. Body-kill.
Our main team is hella-good at countering most bullshit. It's the ancillary Mitakihara Groups that would be in trouble.
- Location
- Somewhere up the tree
I'm concerned about how everyone thinks we could easily take out the sisters in a straight fight, yeah they are usually in 1v1 confrontations, but they are still absolute monsters that should not be taken lightly, they didn't become serial killers who hunt especialy strong girls without having to fight extremely strong and talented opponents
The saints, a team of seven veterans, won by the skin of their teeth
They are not to be underestimated
The saints, a team of seven veterans, won by the skin of their teeth
They are not to be underestimated
- Location
- The infinite well of fanfics
Also, its possible kyubey has 'advised' them on our powers and possible counters. He is just answering their questions of course.
Torgamous
Aspiring Gynoid
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Homura willing, there won't be a straight fight. Just them being intact one moment and not the next.
- Location
- USA, Midworld world line
This. It isn't just about magic output, it's a tactics match if we want our type of extereme win.
The most important part of any plan for Soujos isn't who-and-how the fight goes. It's about preventing Soujo from reading us the "Serial Killer's Handbook." As the worst sort of villain, they are going to have experience in singling girls out. We don't have the luxury of letting that even start. I want any girl caught alone to break away, but much safer is to not encounter the killers, or at least not alone.
I can see the two leading ideas as "bait" and "convoy." Maybe both at once. I can identify Yuki as the worst target for Soujo, as both a defense specialist and a veteran who is never encountered alone. We need the same characteristics, with out broadcasting them.
Any good design for combat is about control of the enemy, and the primary agent of this is information. We are going to need as much as posssible, let's see what a few calls can do - as Sabrina, sharing our information is also part of our strength. Simply "look out for" is workable but a solid "this is what they are, and this is what you do" is better. Our dependents must not be collateral in the enemy's plan, we should make it too costly to fight the low-value targets. Whatever her other habits, she's here for big prey. I want Soujo to see an opportunity, and attack. The goal is for that to be based on an error, because a solitary predators won't attack a prepared target. If she doesn't attack, we would have to hunt her down, and that is stressful. We already understand our advantage, committed teamwork. Instead of a 1v1, a 1(+1) vs 4 is more in line with our goals. Manipulate events to make that happen.
- Location
- Somewhere up the tree
I got a question for y'all
Since we're the daughter of homura and madoka
Does that make us a demigod or a lesser deity?
Since we're the daughter of homura and madoka
Does that make us a demigod or a lesser deity?
Nickballas
Pride is an interesting aspect of human nature.
- Location
- Greece
Nah Sabrina has more than enough conseptual weight to be the same kind of threat her mothers are. She is just limited by something.
- Location
- Not the asylum anymore
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I'd say that as of right now, Sabrina is a demigod, probably with despair being her only domain of note- that's primarily due to our wish, which shaped Sabrina's character. She still has a bit of mortality in her.
But, as @Nickballas points out, we have the potential to become so much more. But something is holding Sabrina back. Maybe it's her mortal form? Universal backlash? Innate desire for drama (Walpurgisnacht intensifies)? Madokami not wanting her to lose touch with humanity? Unknown, and right now, unimportant. We still have an Earth to bring the heavens down to; we can ascend to godhood later.
- Location
- Depths of Hell, Maybe
If we ever actually ascend to godhood, we should remember to take Mami with us!
A. We need the company.
B. So she won't pull a Homucifer.
A. We need the company.
B. So she won't pull a Homucifer.
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Well if she doesn't want to ascend, then that's that.
Torgamous
Aspiring Gynoid
- Pronouns
- She/Her
"That's that" meaning we don't ascend either, right?
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I mean, obviously?
Godwinson
"Well, I've got nothing."
Derpy questers, maybe?
- Location
- Somewhere up the tree
[
] harness the power of love and become god
] harness the power of love and become god
Jonen C
F.M.D.G.
- Location
- Lincopense, Ostrogothia, Suecia
But what if the reason she doesn't want to ascend is she wants to become our Head Priestess?
Rickshaw
Officially a Boss Mob
- Location
- The Land of Boots and Ten Gallon Hats
Ascend to godhood but remain on the planet? Some gods did stuff like that I'm sure.
Office Complex pt. 2
Your humming shifts to something more tuneful as you make up your mind, the high, running piano and rising strings you vaguely consider your own theme. It's all about the people, and in this case, the Shiogama girls, first of all. You've been giving them time and space to grieve, not to mention the capacity to grieve - when negative emotions are a direct threat to your health, allowing yourself to feel a loss is dangerous.
On the other hand, you could also say that you've been negligent. A place to live and sustenance isn't a life, as it were. But they've got each other, and you have neither the right nor the context to intrude on that. Everyone heals in their own way, and... you don't know how they might.
You're also slightly concerned that they might know about the true nature of Witches. It's something to be carefully probed at, because this is something you'd rather be sure of, and that would be something best done face-to-face.
Still.
A check-in right now can't hurt, and it'd let you arrange things for said face-to-face meeting.
"Miss Saito, Miss Watanabe?" you call out into the aether. "Are you awake?"
"I am, Miss Sabrina," Noriko responds promptly, and to you alone. "Akemi's still asleep. I can wake her if you need us?"
"No, no!" you say, leaning forward on the bench to prop your chin on your fist and elbow against your knee. "Sorry, I didn't wake you, did I?"
"No, I was awake," Noriko says.
"Ah, gotcha," you say. And you can read between the lines of that rather bleak tone of voice, can't you? Trouble sleeping. "Is now a good time to talk?"
"... Sure," Noriko says. "What do you need?"
"Well, I wanted to do a quick check-in," you say, watching as Mugin scrabbles over the sandy courtyard of Warehouse-kun, hopping and pecking around. "And I thought that if it's OK with you, I might drop in this afternoon?"
"Ah... yes, that would be fine," Noriko says.
"How's everything going?" you ask. "Is the apartment and all that alright? Food? And I hope Miss Saito's doing well?"
"The apartment is more than we could have asked for," Noriko says. "Uhm... we've done some shopping for groceries, yes. And she's fine, we just had a late night, that's all."
"Good. That's good," you say, trying not to kick at the sandy ground like the awkward teenager you are. "Right. So... I'll see you this afternoon, yeah? After lunch, but before three or so, most likely."
"We'll be here," Noriko promises.
"Hokay. See you then!" you say, and sign off. You're still not used to the sheer diffidence you get from the Shiogama girls, and in many ways, you hope you'll never get used to it - from them, or anyone else. You're powerful. You're privileged. But that just means you need to be mindful of the effect that has on other people.
You sigh quietly, shaking your head and trying to put those thoughts aside for now, because now is the time for Science.
... Well, speaking of the time, the first thing is to set a timer for yourself on your phone so that you don't overshoot. You tap it out on your phone and set it down on the Grief bench beside you, speaker facing up. And with that done, the first thing is for you to experiment a little more with Grief itself.
You knead a blob between your hands, thinking. Grief is Grief, but is Grief grief? Small-g grief, the emotion is something intensely personal. Everyone heals in their own way, conversely, everyone grieves in their own way.
So...
One person's grief is not the same as someone else's grief. Is one person's Grief different from someone else's?
You stare down at the blob held between your hands. At first glance, little more than a smooth lump of deep purple, but as you look at it longer, you notice how the surface wavers, shifting and twisting in dizzying, fractal patterns. You cast your senses at it, mundane and magical and Grief senses.
It's just Grief. You don't notice anything in particular about it, but maybe that's because you aren't comparing it to anything - so you cleanse your own Soul Gem, drawing that filmy patina of Grief into a separate fragment. You hold both of the Grief chunks out, one hovering over either hand like brooding little omens of misfortune.
... omens of misfortune.
You sit bolt upright, glaring at Sayaka's crow. "Wait a second," you say. "It's Hugin and Munin, not Mugin."
It seems to recognise its name, stopping its investigation of the ground to fix you with one beady eye.
"Then again, it might also be a pun," you inform it. "Mugin, mugging. Or just a rhyming pair of words. You like shiny things, right?"
Mugin caws at you.
"Also, I have no idea whether you even understand me, or why I'm talking to you," you say. "I'm not that hard-up for things to do. But here. I'll give you a shiny, in hopes that it serves as a peace offering."
You grab a bolt off the ground with a bit of Grief, polishing it to mirror-finish with a thought before dropping it in front of Mugin. The crow inspects it carefully, cocking its head to the side before apparently deciding that it's acceptable and placing a possessive foot on top of it.
"Right. No more pecking," you say, waggling your finger at Mugin, and turn your attention to marginally more productive things - trying to differentiate Grief. You set the smaller blob in orbit around the other, like a tiny, tiny moon drawn into the gravitational field of a planet.
Is there a difference between the two?
The answer, it would appear, is no. Not as far as you can tell - they're the same, with no hint of what thought or cause was behind either bit of Grief. Maybe it's something to do with the way you perceive Grief, or maybe the way you acquire Grief - at a second hand, after it's been filtered through a Soul Gem. Maybe Grief only corresponds to grief in a generic way.
Maybe it's just poetic. There's no sadness too big or too small that you shouldn't try to help.
Alright. Next experiment, then.
Magic is emotion, and emotion is magic. And your magic is control.
Can you imbue emotions into Grief? Clear Seeds and Grief Seeds both suck up Grief. Could you serve them up the emotional and magical equivalent of a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup to perk them up? It'd be a good step on the road to de-Witching.
Something along the lines of enchanted Grief, perhaps. But something so diametrically oxymoronic as joy or hope infused Grief... well, you'd rather than start with something less fundamentally opposed to the very nature of Grief. Something just a shade further along the spectrum, bittersweetness, perhaps.
You can't truly recall a time when you felt the like. You've always been a person of emotional extremes, haven't you? Happiness, sadness, hope, despair... Distinct, and clear cut. But there is something.
Mami's recovery is unambiguously a thing of joy. To see her rediscovering her strength, to see her truly learning to smile again instead of putting up a facade is nothing less than everything. And yet it's something leavened by a twinge of regret.
Kyuubey laid the foundations. Built her up on a foundation of shifting sand. It was the one to bring her students who would ultimately abandon her, using her. And yet.
You were the one who brought the breakdown. Ultimately for the better, but those niggling thoughts - could you have done it better, could you have done it different, do you have the right... Well. To doubt is to be human. And yet.
Mami is happier. She's truly happy. Because of you, because of your -her- friends.
You imagine the thoughts crystallizing, the regret and the joy mingling and flowing down your arm, to your fingertips...
And into the Grief.
The Grief soaks up the emotion, the magic, without fuss, and you keep it up, slowly kneading magic into the Grief over the course of minutes. You vaguely wonder why you need to do that, physically squish magic in to enchant it, but that might be a topic for later examination. For now, you just focus on holding the emotion.
It takes a bit to finish, and at some point, Mugin flutters off with the bolt before returning to peck around your feet. The Grief, though... the Grief doesn't look any different, just another fist-sized lump of disconcerting, eye-bending despair congealed into solid form, but it feels different. It doesn't even feel like regular enchanted Grief, and touching it with the back of a knuckle gives you a sense of melancholy regret.
Huh.
That's interesting.
Unfortunately, it did take a while -longer than ordinary enchanted Grief, volume for volume- and you're just about out of time. Between talking to Noriko and this experiment, you're just about out of time... but it's not like you can't keep this around and poke at it more later.
"Alrighty!" you declare. Mugin looks up from pecking at the ground. "Time to head to Fukushima." You offer the bird your hand, beaming when it hops out seemingly without any fear to perch on your shoulder. "You're friendly, aren't you? Do you even know where Fukushima is? Probably not."
You take flight on a Grief platform, Mugin scrabbling about the smooth floor with what seems to be both curiosity and annoyance, but it doesn't actually seem inclined to fly away. Awfully tame, that bird.
"Hey, Mami," you reach out with your mind as Mitakihara dwindles beneath and behind you. "How are you?"
"I'm doing quite well!" Mami says happily. "Ah... you were right about the church - Gothic revival, not original Gothic construction. You know, for my homework?"
"It was just a guess," you say. "Semi-educated guess, but I'm glad! I wouldn't want to lead you astray."
"You would never," Mami says with a warm laugh. "How about you, Sabrina? How are you?"
"Well, I'm headed to Fukushima right now to meet with Miss Tsuruya, maybe the other Fukushima groups too if it can be arranged."
"Ah, that's good thinking," Mami says. "It might be good to check her feelings about Tokyo in person, too? Oh, and, ah... Homura was intending to acquire a house for Miss Tsuruya to claim, wasn't she? It's only been two days, but it might be worth checking with Homura? Miss Tsuruya is sure to ask."
"Hmm... yeah, I could raise that with Miss Tsuruya," you muse. "And I'll ask Homura - good thinking, Mami. Thanks for the tip! How are classes? Art now, I presume?"
Mami's voice in your mind, Grief to enchant, Japan unwinding in fields and roads beneath you, the trip almost blurs past. You check with Homura, too, because Mami's right, and anticipating questions is a good thing. Almost before you know it, you're slowing for the final descent to Fukushima, pulling in your Grief nanofog and bidding Mami a farewell for now.
Yuki steps out onto the roof ahead of your arrival, striding up through the solid concrete of her office building as if ascending a staircase. For all that she's still a tiny little waif of a girl, she moves with confidence and simple assurance as she catches sight of you and raises one hand in a wave.
"Good morning!" you call as you coast in for a gentle landing on the roof, Grief platform seething out of existence around you. Mugin caws in protest, flapping up to your shoulder.
"Good morning, Miss Vee," Yuki says, returning your greeting with a sharp nod. "You appear to have acquired a passenger."
"Ah, yeah, this is my friend's bird," you say. You resist the urge to shrug. "Sayaka -you met her in Mitakihara- picked up an animal communication power, and I'm pretty sure she told Mugin here to bother me all day."
"I see!" Yuki says, flashing Mugin a sharp grin. "My, aren't you a handsome little thing."
Mugin caws loudly.
"I'll be honest, I'm not sure how much Mugin actually understands," you admit, wincing a little. That was right next to your ear, dammit. "Anyway. It's a pleasure to meet you again, Miss Tsuruya."
"Likewise," Yuki says. "Welcome back to Fukushima, Miss Vee. Please, come in."
"Thank you," you say with a smile. You follow her down, by the actual stairs this time, admiring the building. Despite having been here before, you're still almost startled by how much living magic is woven into the very fabric of the walls. "How are things here in Fukushima?"
"Quite good, though we haven't recieved any job requests lately," Yuki says, not looking at you as she descends the stairs almost daintily one hand on the bannister. "Dry spells happen, of course, and it's only been a few days since. But word of mouth is moving fast, and in some ways, it feels like Japan is holding its breath, all the little rivalries and brushfire wars held on a knife's edge."
She chuckles lightly, slanting a sidelong look at you.
"We live in exciting times," she concludes.
"Er... I'm sorry?" you say.
"Oh, no, don't be," Yuki says, raising a finger. "I've thrown my support for you, in any case. I am genuinely glad for that."
"And I'm glad for that support," you say. "Speaking of, uh, support, how secure can you make your territory against outside espionage? Including against Kyuubey?"
Yuki frowns, steps slowing as all of the mischief drops off her face, leaving nothing but an intent, calculating look.
"Secure enough that telepathy fails, if need be," she says. "But there's no way to be truly sure if he's simply pretending or not. Why do you ask?"
"Private discussions for later," you say.
"Ah," Yuki says, frowning. "How important is it?"
"Relatively so, I'd say," you admit. "It's information you should be aware of, and it pertains tangentially to Miss Anri, too."
"Hmm," Yuki says. Her frown deepens a little, looking disconcertingly out of place on her far-too-young face. "I'd rather handle that as our first matter, then, unless you would prefer otherwise? It's somewhat disruptive."
"I can also provide privacy through my own magic," you offer, tilting your head as you notice a few magical presences through the thick saturation of magic that is Yuki's territory. Four of them - the rest of Yuki's group, then, just a few floors further down. "If it costs too much?"
"Oh, no, it's not the cost," Yuki says. "Besides, with the Clear Seed you provided, I can afford to be profligate, and if it's important, I would prefer it be handled first."
"Uh... sure, then," you say. "I suppose I don't have a real preference on that. By the by, did any of the other local groups agree to meet?"
"Just the Hirano group," Yuki says. "I'm afraid the Azuma group didn't respond, if you were interested in meeting the volcano supervillain group."
You laugh.
"Well, maybe I'll drop on them sometime," you say. "But that's fine. Thank you for putting in the effort."
"Of course," she says. She stops at a stairwell and leads you out into the corridor and the meeting room across the stairwell. It's luxuriously furnished, thick carpet and solid wood table dominating the room.
"I'll be securing the room now?" Yuki asks with a raised eyebrow at you, and at your nod - flares bright with magic. Your awareness of the magic around you twists, almost as if the world beyond the confines of the room collapsed around you, but you can still sense the Soul Gems of Yuki's group beyond.
"Oh wow," you say, wincing. "That's... disconcerting."
"Ah, I didn't realise you were quite that sensitive," Yuki says. "My apologies."
"No, no, it's fine, just weird," you say. "Is this a... spatial distortion of some kind?"
"Essentially," Yuki says, nodding and gesturing at the chairs. "Drink?"
"Ah... just tea?" you say. You sit down, and watch with fascination as an entire teaset bubbles up through solid wood.
"Ceylon tea, courtesy of Shinobu," Yuki says with a slightly amused smile. "I figured that you might prefer it, given your association with Miss Tomoe."
You chuckle, accepting a cup of tea. Yuki leans back in her chair, obviously waiting for you to elaborate.
Witches, then, and de-Witching. Given Nadia's response, this is something of a tricky subject, so a bit more thought might be appropriate here.
[] How do you raise de-Witching?
Word count limit: 150 words
Yeah, just that bit of vote - unless you specifically want to countermand something for the vote in abeyance, I'll be continuing with it.
On the other hand, you could also say that you've been negligent. A place to live and sustenance isn't a life, as it were. But they've got each other, and you have neither the right nor the context to intrude on that. Everyone heals in their own way, and... you don't know how they might.
You're also slightly concerned that they might know about the true nature of Witches. It's something to be carefully probed at, because this is something you'd rather be sure of, and that would be something best done face-to-face.
Still.
A check-in right now can't hurt, and it'd let you arrange things for said face-to-face meeting.
"Miss Saito, Miss Watanabe?" you call out into the aether. "Are you awake?"
"I am, Miss Sabrina," Noriko responds promptly, and to you alone. "Akemi's still asleep. I can wake her if you need us?"
"No, no!" you say, leaning forward on the bench to prop your chin on your fist and elbow against your knee. "Sorry, I didn't wake you, did I?"
"No, I was awake," Noriko says.
"Ah, gotcha," you say. And you can read between the lines of that rather bleak tone of voice, can't you? Trouble sleeping. "Is now a good time to talk?"
"... Sure," Noriko says. "What do you need?"
"Well, I wanted to do a quick check-in," you say, watching as Mugin scrabbles over the sandy courtyard of Warehouse-kun, hopping and pecking around. "And I thought that if it's OK with you, I might drop in this afternoon?"
"Ah... yes, that would be fine," Noriko says.
"How's everything going?" you ask. "Is the apartment and all that alright? Food? And I hope Miss Saito's doing well?"
"The apartment is more than we could have asked for," Noriko says. "Uhm... we've done some shopping for groceries, yes. And she's fine, we just had a late night, that's all."
"Good. That's good," you say, trying not to kick at the sandy ground like the awkward teenager you are. "Right. So... I'll see you this afternoon, yeah? After lunch, but before three or so, most likely."
"We'll be here," Noriko promises.
"Hokay. See you then!" you say, and sign off. You're still not used to the sheer diffidence you get from the Shiogama girls, and in many ways, you hope you'll never get used to it - from them, or anyone else. You're powerful. You're privileged. But that just means you need to be mindful of the effect that has on other people.
You sigh quietly, shaking your head and trying to put those thoughts aside for now, because now is the time for Science.
... Well, speaking of the time, the first thing is to set a timer for yourself on your phone so that you don't overshoot. You tap it out on your phone and set it down on the Grief bench beside you, speaker facing up. And with that done, the first thing is for you to experiment a little more with Grief itself.
You knead a blob between your hands, thinking. Grief is Grief, but is Grief grief? Small-g grief, the emotion is something intensely personal. Everyone heals in their own way, conversely, everyone grieves in their own way.
So...
One person's grief is not the same as someone else's grief. Is one person's Grief different from someone else's?
You stare down at the blob held between your hands. At first glance, little more than a smooth lump of deep purple, but as you look at it longer, you notice how the surface wavers, shifting and twisting in dizzying, fractal patterns. You cast your senses at it, mundane and magical and Grief senses.
It's just Grief. You don't notice anything in particular about it, but maybe that's because you aren't comparing it to anything - so you cleanse your own Soul Gem, drawing that filmy patina of Grief into a separate fragment. You hold both of the Grief chunks out, one hovering over either hand like brooding little omens of misfortune.
... omens of misfortune.
You sit bolt upright, glaring at Sayaka's crow. "Wait a second," you say. "It's Hugin and Munin, not Mugin."
It seems to recognise its name, stopping its investigation of the ground to fix you with one beady eye.
"Then again, it might also be a pun," you inform it. "Mugin, mugging. Or just a rhyming pair of words. You like shiny things, right?"
Mugin caws at you.
"Also, I have no idea whether you even understand me, or why I'm talking to you," you say. "I'm not that hard-up for things to do. But here. I'll give you a shiny, in hopes that it serves as a peace offering."
You grab a bolt off the ground with a bit of Grief, polishing it to mirror-finish with a thought before dropping it in front of Mugin. The crow inspects it carefully, cocking its head to the side before apparently deciding that it's acceptable and placing a possessive foot on top of it.
"Right. No more pecking," you say, waggling your finger at Mugin, and turn your attention to marginally more productive things - trying to differentiate Grief. You set the smaller blob in orbit around the other, like a tiny, tiny moon drawn into the gravitational field of a planet.
Is there a difference between the two?
The answer, it would appear, is no. Not as far as you can tell - they're the same, with no hint of what thought or cause was behind either bit of Grief. Maybe it's something to do with the way you perceive Grief, or maybe the way you acquire Grief - at a second hand, after it's been filtered through a Soul Gem. Maybe Grief only corresponds to grief in a generic way.
Maybe it's just poetic. There's no sadness too big or too small that you shouldn't try to help.
Alright. Next experiment, then.
Magic is emotion, and emotion is magic. And your magic is control.
Can you imbue emotions into Grief? Clear Seeds and Grief Seeds both suck up Grief. Could you serve them up the emotional and magical equivalent of a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup to perk them up? It'd be a good step on the road to de-Witching.
Something along the lines of enchanted Grief, perhaps. But something so diametrically oxymoronic as joy or hope infused Grief... well, you'd rather than start with something less fundamentally opposed to the very nature of Grief. Something just a shade further along the spectrum, bittersweetness, perhaps.
You can't truly recall a time when you felt the like. You've always been a person of emotional extremes, haven't you? Happiness, sadness, hope, despair... Distinct, and clear cut. But there is something.
Mami's recovery is unambiguously a thing of joy. To see her rediscovering her strength, to see her truly learning to smile again instead of putting up a facade is nothing less than everything. And yet it's something leavened by a twinge of regret.
Kyuubey laid the foundations. Built her up on a foundation of shifting sand. It was the one to bring her students who would ultimately abandon her, using her. And yet.
You were the one who brought the breakdown. Ultimately for the better, but those niggling thoughts - could you have done it better, could you have done it different, do you have the right... Well. To doubt is to be human. And yet.
Mami is happier. She's truly happy. Because of you, because of your -her- friends.
You imagine the thoughts crystallizing, the regret and the joy mingling and flowing down your arm, to your fingertips...
And into the Grief.
The Grief soaks up the emotion, the magic, without fuss, and you keep it up, slowly kneading magic into the Grief over the course of minutes. You vaguely wonder why you need to do that, physically squish magic in to enchant it, but that might be a topic for later examination. For now, you just focus on holding the emotion.
It takes a bit to finish, and at some point, Mugin flutters off with the bolt before returning to peck around your feet. The Grief, though... the Grief doesn't look any different, just another fist-sized lump of disconcerting, eye-bending despair congealed into solid form, but it feels different. It doesn't even feel like regular enchanted Grief, and touching it with the back of a knuckle gives you a sense of melancholy regret.
Huh.
That's interesting.
Unfortunately, it did take a while -longer than ordinary enchanted Grief, volume for volume- and you're just about out of time. Between talking to Noriko and this experiment, you're just about out of time... but it's not like you can't keep this around and poke at it more later.
"Alrighty!" you declare. Mugin looks up from pecking at the ground. "Time to head to Fukushima." You offer the bird your hand, beaming when it hops out seemingly without any fear to perch on your shoulder. "You're friendly, aren't you? Do you even know where Fukushima is? Probably not."
You take flight on a Grief platform, Mugin scrabbling about the smooth floor with what seems to be both curiosity and annoyance, but it doesn't actually seem inclined to fly away. Awfully tame, that bird.
"Hey, Mami," you reach out with your mind as Mitakihara dwindles beneath and behind you. "How are you?"
"I'm doing quite well!" Mami says happily. "Ah... you were right about the church - Gothic revival, not original Gothic construction. You know, for my homework?"
"It was just a guess," you say. "Semi-educated guess, but I'm glad! I wouldn't want to lead you astray."
"You would never," Mami says with a warm laugh. "How about you, Sabrina? How are you?"
"Well, I'm headed to Fukushima right now to meet with Miss Tsuruya, maybe the other Fukushima groups too if it can be arranged."
"Ah, that's good thinking," Mami says. "It might be good to check her feelings about Tokyo in person, too? Oh, and, ah... Homura was intending to acquire a house for Miss Tsuruya to claim, wasn't she? It's only been two days, but it might be worth checking with Homura? Miss Tsuruya is sure to ask."
"Hmm... yeah, I could raise that with Miss Tsuruya," you muse. "And I'll ask Homura - good thinking, Mami. Thanks for the tip! How are classes? Art now, I presume?"
Mami's voice in your mind, Grief to enchant, Japan unwinding in fields and roads beneath you, the trip almost blurs past. You check with Homura, too, because Mami's right, and anticipating questions is a good thing. Almost before you know it, you're slowing for the final descent to Fukushima, pulling in your Grief nanofog and bidding Mami a farewell for now.
Yuki steps out onto the roof ahead of your arrival, striding up through the solid concrete of her office building as if ascending a staircase. For all that she's still a tiny little waif of a girl, she moves with confidence and simple assurance as she catches sight of you and raises one hand in a wave.
"Good morning!" you call as you coast in for a gentle landing on the roof, Grief platform seething out of existence around you. Mugin caws in protest, flapping up to your shoulder.
"Good morning, Miss Vee," Yuki says, returning your greeting with a sharp nod. "You appear to have acquired a passenger."
"Ah, yeah, this is my friend's bird," you say. You resist the urge to shrug. "Sayaka -you met her in Mitakihara- picked up an animal communication power, and I'm pretty sure she told Mugin here to bother me all day."
"I see!" Yuki says, flashing Mugin a sharp grin. "My, aren't you a handsome little thing."
Mugin caws loudly.
"I'll be honest, I'm not sure how much Mugin actually understands," you admit, wincing a little. That was right next to your ear, dammit. "Anyway. It's a pleasure to meet you again, Miss Tsuruya."
"Likewise," Yuki says. "Welcome back to Fukushima, Miss Vee. Please, come in."
"Thank you," you say with a smile. You follow her down, by the actual stairs this time, admiring the building. Despite having been here before, you're still almost startled by how much living magic is woven into the very fabric of the walls. "How are things here in Fukushima?"
"Quite good, though we haven't recieved any job requests lately," Yuki says, not looking at you as she descends the stairs almost daintily one hand on the bannister. "Dry spells happen, of course, and it's only been a few days since. But word of mouth is moving fast, and in some ways, it feels like Japan is holding its breath, all the little rivalries and brushfire wars held on a knife's edge."
She chuckles lightly, slanting a sidelong look at you.
"We live in exciting times," she concludes.
"Er... I'm sorry?" you say.
"Oh, no, don't be," Yuki says, raising a finger. "I've thrown my support for you, in any case. I am genuinely glad for that."
"And I'm glad for that support," you say. "Speaking of, uh, support, how secure can you make your territory against outside espionage? Including against Kyuubey?"
Yuki frowns, steps slowing as all of the mischief drops off her face, leaving nothing but an intent, calculating look.
"Secure enough that telepathy fails, if need be," she says. "But there's no way to be truly sure if he's simply pretending or not. Why do you ask?"
"Private discussions for later," you say.
"Ah," Yuki says, frowning. "How important is it?"
"Relatively so, I'd say," you admit. "It's information you should be aware of, and it pertains tangentially to Miss Anri, too."
"Hmm," Yuki says. Her frown deepens a little, looking disconcertingly out of place on her far-too-young face. "I'd rather handle that as our first matter, then, unless you would prefer otherwise? It's somewhat disruptive."
"I can also provide privacy through my own magic," you offer, tilting your head as you notice a few magical presences through the thick saturation of magic that is Yuki's territory. Four of them - the rest of Yuki's group, then, just a few floors further down. "If it costs too much?"
"Oh, no, it's not the cost," Yuki says. "Besides, with the Clear Seed you provided, I can afford to be profligate, and if it's important, I would prefer it be handled first."
"Uh... sure, then," you say. "I suppose I don't have a real preference on that. By the by, did any of the other local groups agree to meet?"
"Just the Hirano group," Yuki says. "I'm afraid the Azuma group didn't respond, if you were interested in meeting the volcano supervillain group."
You laugh.
"Well, maybe I'll drop on them sometime," you say. "But that's fine. Thank you for putting in the effort."
"Of course," she says. She stops at a stairwell and leads you out into the corridor and the meeting room across the stairwell. It's luxuriously furnished, thick carpet and solid wood table dominating the room.
"I'll be securing the room now?" Yuki asks with a raised eyebrow at you, and at your nod - flares bright with magic. Your awareness of the magic around you twists, almost as if the world beyond the confines of the room collapsed around you, but you can still sense the Soul Gems of Yuki's group beyond.
"Oh wow," you say, wincing. "That's... disconcerting."
"Ah, I didn't realise you were quite that sensitive," Yuki says. "My apologies."
"No, no, it's fine, just weird," you say. "Is this a... spatial distortion of some kind?"
"Essentially," Yuki says, nodding and gesturing at the chairs. "Drink?"
"Ah... just tea?" you say. You sit down, and watch with fascination as an entire teaset bubbles up through solid wood.
"Ceylon tea, courtesy of Shinobu," Yuki says with a slightly amused smile. "I figured that you might prefer it, given your association with Miss Tomoe."
You chuckle, accepting a cup of tea. Yuki leans back in her chair, obviously waiting for you to elaborate.
Witches, then, and de-Witching. Given Nadia's response, this is something of a tricky subject, so a bit more thought might be appropriate here.
[] How do you raise de-Witching?
Word count limit: 150 words
[X] Upon arriving:
-[X] Thank Fukushima again for their assistance.
-[X] Ask how secure Yuki can make her territory from QB's eavesdropping.
-[X] Hand over Rionna, "offscreen".
-[X] Ask if they have information about:
--[X] The Soujus.
--[X] The Murasaki Shrine Maidens.
--[X] Trustworthy magical girls with empathy/therapy powers.
[X] With Yuki, privately:
-[X] Discuss your dewitching plans, in the context of Airi's mental state.
--[X] Keep in mind Nadia's reaction, and reassure Yuki that you're being cautious, ethical, and methodical.
-[X] Request letting Airi channel her emotions into Yuuri's grief seed - this will require temporarily removing the anti-magic manacle.
-[X] Ask for a more detailed overview of Airi's mental state, to inform your approach to her.
-[X] Thank Fukushima again for their assistance.
-[X] Ask how secure Yuki can make her territory from QB's eavesdropping.
-[X] Hand over Rionna, "offscreen".
-[X] Ask if they have information about:
--[X] The Soujus.
--[X] The Murasaki Shrine Maidens.
--[X] Trustworthy magical girls with empathy/therapy powers.
[X] With Yuki, privately:
-[X] Discuss your dewitching plans, in the context of Airi's mental state.
--[X] Keep in mind Nadia's reaction, and reassure Yuki that you're being cautious, ethical, and methodical.
-[X] Request letting Airi channel her emotions into Yuuri's grief seed - this will require temporarily removing the anti-magic manacle.
-[X] Ask for a more detailed overview of Airi's mental state, to inform your approach to her.
=====
Yeah, just that bit of vote - unless you specifically want to countermand something for the vote in abeyance, I'll be continuing with it.
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Fffffudge. I'm going to have to check whether they all broke.
- Location
- Illinois
... THERE WAS INVISITEXT?
D: nuuuuuuuu. I don't want to miss anything but I don't want to go through the whole story with a fine tooth comb...
The Phoenixian
The Glacier Witch
- Location
- My own little world
Hunh. Whoops looks like we got... well, not tranced, but stuck in a bit of research that took longer than we accounted for.
We really need to get better at budgeting for time there, and accounting for how things will bloat. >.>
(And the sad thing is that I'd predicted the upcoming social vote with Anri blowing up way past our expectations, but not the science portion.)
Anyways, when it comes to Tsuruya Yuki, I think our focuses here should be on how she has a right to know, and secondly on how we have respect for the dangers and intend to play it as safe as we can.
I'm also debating the merits of saying:
"I'd intended to tell you about this complication back when we negotiated hiring but I was a dumbass and, well, kind of lost the entire conversation in thinking I could hint at it, rather than saying it. Then I forgot to hint at it." Because we did drop the ball there and , IIRC, that's... basically how that particular vote discussion went, at least as far as my own side and intentions in it.
Also, we should absolutely ask something in the vein of: "Are there any of her team who do not know about the witchbomb?"
Incidentally, for reference, when I say I expect the Anri social section to bloat? A few months back when I was first going over the idea, I wrote this huge mess:
I've since basically thrown it out in favor of being more flexible, due to not a good plan to deal with Anri being herself as of that writing of it, as well as the sheer length of it all but... there's a lot we could cover here, and if nothing else, writing it all out has given me respect for just how much this conversation could bloat and I hope this illustrates that.
We really need to get better at budgeting for time there, and accounting for how things will bloat. >.>
(And the sad thing is that I'd predicted the upcoming social vote with Anri blowing up way past our expectations, but not the science portion.)
Anyways, when it comes to Tsuruya Yuki, I think our focuses here should be on how she has a right to know, and secondly on how we have respect for the dangers and intend to play it as safe as we can.
I'm also debating the merits of saying:
"I'd intended to tell you about this complication back when we negotiated hiring but I was a dumbass and, well, kind of lost the entire conversation in thinking I could hint at it, rather than saying it. Then I forgot to hint at it." Because we did drop the ball there and , IIRC, that's... basically how that particular vote discussion went, at least as far as my own side and intentions in it.
Also, we should absolutely ask something in the vein of: "Are there any of her team who do not know about the witchbomb?"
Incidentally, for reference, when I say I expect the Anri social section to bloat? A few months back when I was first going over the idea, I wrote this huge mess:
Explain your promise to Anri to research dewitching:
- You are well aware this is dangerous research, and even the sane attempts have often ended in tears or worse. Nevertheless, you believe you have a chance.
- You have significant knowledge about several of those past attempts (metabomb? Y/N?)
- Explain and demonstrate your findings on clear seeds, and the witch within.
-- Verify how good everyone's magic senses are when you do so, and if they can see what you're doing
-- Seed becomes insensate when cleared, then somewhat more active again after a week of use, notably remaining active even after the grief is removed again. You have not had a chance to see any develop further than that.
-- Can be filled with emotionally charged magic, and appears to respond to some stimuli in particular. You're still studying, but it may relate to their past. You'll talk about that in detail in a bit.
You want to discuss Anri's preferences in how to proceed. There are pitfalls to be aware of, but the biggest question will be whether she wants to clear Yuuri's seed and get started on that now, or later when you less questions and more answers.
Pitfalls:
- You don't know if a witch is the original person or someone different, but there are signs they may be someone entirely new. Most notably, your power allows you to hear the names of witches, and they are separate, Asuka Yuuri's being A??? K?????. [Argument ties into metabomb decision, explains how we knew to tie A??? K????? to Asuka Yuuri.]
- More pertinently, you do not know how much of their original memories they retain.
-- the two most successful attempts you're aware of tended to create someone with no memory of the original but a very similar personality, and the original girl with no memories of being a witch, when she was restored by someone's wish.
-- As small as your dataset is, you would expect much of her personality will survive no matter what. If changed by the experience of witching out.
-- You need to make contact and verify the state of their memories, without either braining yourself or releasing a witch.
- Hypothetical experiments have resulted in power copying. You will need to verify whether that's the case here.
- Certain kinds of magic can drain a soul gem. If this is similar to what you're doing to a clear seed then it will leave them [wraith eaten] for some time, and it will require a great deal of channeling to restore. You hope to find an alternate solution that does not require hundreds of meguca-years of work. Failing that, you will likely need hundred of meguca.
-- You don't know how the magic and grief that fills a soul interacts with the mind's actual structure and contents, beyond simply being emotion. You hope to confirm this before you go too far.
- At some point in the process, she will need a new body. You believe that should be easy enough to solve, in this case.
-- grin like a complete dork
With all that in mind:
- Would she like to clear A??? K????? and begin now, or wait until you have more certain answers to some of these questions, and which?
- What you've seen channeling emotions into seeds suggests Anri doing so may be extremely helpful. Given that Antimagic restraints will probably interfere with that you want to discus how and when those restrictions can be lifted if needed, and if any other would replace them during the times they're let up.
-The other expectation is that she will need to live as well as she can in order to pass those experiences on.
-It will take some time until things are ready, You're willing to discuss in order to aid that research.
- Whether, you're restoring it or giving it a chance to happen in the first place, this is someone's life at stake here.
ADD IN A BIT: alternate plan: enchantment
"everything you have here is based on using clear seeds. At the moment you think it's your best shot, but other paths may exist."
Talk about rehatched witches and clear seeds gaining the magic of their contributors.
- You are well aware this is dangerous research, and even the sane attempts have often ended in tears or worse. Nevertheless, you believe you have a chance.
- You have significant knowledge about several of those past attempts (metabomb? Y/N?)
- Explain and demonstrate your findings on clear seeds, and the witch within.
-- Verify how good everyone's magic senses are when you do so, and if they can see what you're doing
-- Seed becomes insensate when cleared, then somewhat more active again after a week of use, notably remaining active even after the grief is removed again. You have not had a chance to see any develop further than that.
-- Can be filled with emotionally charged magic, and appears to respond to some stimuli in particular. You're still studying, but it may relate to their past. You'll talk about that in detail in a bit.
You want to discuss Anri's preferences in how to proceed. There are pitfalls to be aware of, but the biggest question will be whether she wants to clear Yuuri's seed and get started on that now, or later when you less questions and more answers.
Pitfalls:
- You don't know if a witch is the original person or someone different, but there are signs they may be someone entirely new. Most notably, your power allows you to hear the names of witches, and they are separate, Asuka Yuuri's being A??? K?????. [Argument ties into metabomb decision, explains how we knew to tie A??? K????? to Asuka Yuuri.]
- More pertinently, you do not know how much of their original memories they retain.
-- the two most successful attempts you're aware of tended to create someone with no memory of the original but a very similar personality, and the original girl with no memories of being a witch, when she was restored by someone's wish.
-- As small as your dataset is, you would expect much of her personality will survive no matter what. If changed by the experience of witching out.
-- You need to make contact and verify the state of their memories, without either braining yourself or releasing a witch.
- Hypothetical experiments have resulted in power copying. You will need to verify whether that's the case here.
- Certain kinds of magic can drain a soul gem. If this is similar to what you're doing to a clear seed then it will leave them [wraith eaten] for some time, and it will require a great deal of channeling to restore. You hope to find an alternate solution that does not require hundreds of meguca-years of work. Failing that, you will likely need hundred of meguca.
-- You don't know how the magic and grief that fills a soul interacts with the mind's actual structure and contents, beyond simply being emotion. You hope to confirm this before you go too far.
- At some point in the process, she will need a new body. You believe that should be easy enough to solve, in this case.
-- grin like a complete dork
With all that in mind:
- Would she like to clear A??? K????? and begin now, or wait until you have more certain answers to some of these questions, and which?
- What you've seen channeling emotions into seeds suggests Anri doing so may be extremely helpful. Given that Antimagic restraints will probably interfere with that you want to discus how and when those restrictions can be lifted if needed, and if any other would replace them during the times they're let up.
-The other expectation is that she will need to live as well as she can in order to pass those experiences on.
-It will take some time until things are ready, You're willing to discuss in order to aid that research.
- Whether, you're restoring it or giving it a chance to happen in the first place, this is someone's life at stake here.
ADD IN A BIT: alternate plan: enchantment
"everything you have here is based on using clear seeds. At the moment you think it's your best shot, but other paths may exist."
Talk about rehatched witches and clear seeds gaining the magic of their contributors.
I've since basically thrown it out in favor of being more flexible, due to not a good plan to deal with Anri being herself as of that writing of it, as well as the sheer length of it all but... there's a lot we could cover here, and if nothing else, writing it all out has given me respect for just how much this conversation could bloat and I hope this illustrates that.
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