Puella Magi Adfligo Systema
- Thread starter Firnagzen
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- 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?
Torgamous
Aspiring Gynoid
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Our life is already Chicken Run.
Godwinson
"Well, I've got nothing."
That's my secret. I'm always sleepy.Does this mean Sabrina is suddenly sleepy?
Speaking of movie nights... it made me think of this.
<Shadowrun>
Something interesting just popped into my head.
The only movie (that i can remember) we've watched is The Disappearance of Suzumiya Haruhi (back during the timestop). The series was also talked about with Akemi and Noriko.
Let's look at the similarities between Rebellion and Disappearance now. I'll try to sum it up in one sentence.
Both movies have a girl who has been through way too many time loops having their feelings guide their eventual actions to take away a godlike girl's power and wipe memories in order to create a desirable mundane life.
Though there are differences, such as Homura's motivation being for Madoka's sake and the yet unresolved nature of Rebellion, it's still an interesting comparison.
What if this movie choice was an intentional hint that we do need to consider the events that took place in Rebellion more, considering that everything that Firn writes is intentional and he likes leaving hints?
</Shadowrun>
However that's when I can't think of what exactly it would be having us consider or why, so I'm posting this as a half-thought out idea.
<Shadowrun>
Something interesting just popped into my head.
The only movie (that i can remember) we've watched is The Disappearance of Suzumiya Haruhi (back during the timestop). The series was also talked about with Akemi and Noriko.
Let's look at the similarities between Rebellion and Disappearance now. I'll try to sum it up in one sentence.
Both movies have a girl who has been through way too many time loops having their feelings guide their eventual actions to take away a godlike girl's power and wipe memories in order to create a desirable mundane life.
Though there are differences, such as Homura's motivation being for Madoka's sake and the yet unresolved nature of Rebellion, it's still an interesting comparison.
What if this movie choice was an intentional hint that we do need to consider the events that took place in Rebellion more, considering that everything that Firn writes is intentional and he likes leaving hints?
</Shadowrun>
However that's when I can't think of what exactly it would be having us consider or why, so I'm posting this as a half-thought out idea.
- Location
- USA, Midworld world line
Cleverly done. What films do we WANT Homura to watch, as a way to expand her options beyond that?
GUYS I FIGURED OUT HOW FEATHERS GOT IN HERE
Have fun figuring out what to do with this existing in the thread, Firn
Yes, yes it is.
After the rimshot, the comedy we have here may point to a useful concept?
Could we use media and culture as a part of our infohazard checks, and even as a leadup to teaching newbies the Facts of Life?
Gently making the bizarre truth of Magical Girl existence fit into a "normal" context using fiction first could be our best bet?
Most of US are steeped in games, SciFi, philosophy, various -isms, and we can compare and categorize the qualia of a magical existence, at least in theory. The majority of the Incubator's victims have kid's media, a few pop culture heroes, but not many handrails to keep them from falling. Maybe a few good stories are the first action we take to get "everybody" protected from the Witchbomb. Widespread truth will make future "Tokyos" so much less of a hassle. The System breeds tiered exploitation, equality should mean making information safe, such that people can engage in choice as part of community. Girls who encounter the large groups effectively lack choice at current.
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Office Complex pt. 5
"Eh... kind of?" you say, raising your eyebrows at Airi. "If you're asking 'how long will this take'? Then I expect it'll be about a week, maybe two before it has a noticeable effect. 'Is that all the idea I have'? Yes, it is, and it's the result of a fair bit of experimentation. This is essentially unbroken ground. If you're asking about, uh, details of what's supposed to happen - I can explain more in detail if you like."
"It's not like I really have a choice, is it?" Airi asks caustically, slouching bonelessly against the wall behind her bed. "I've just gotta trust you."
"Believe it or not, I really am trying to help," you say. Don't rise to her bait. "I mean, if you don't believe that, then - first, I have zero reason to fool you. Second, enlightened self-interest. It benefits me to be honest with you both because I made a deal, and a reputation for dealbreaking serves me ill, especially with Miss Tsuruya."
You gesture around you at the walls for emphasis, just in case she hasn't caught Yuki's name.
"And reversing Witching is one of my goals, so being honest with you and giving you something that I personally don't have as much time to sink into to work on is only good sense," you say. "I mean, if you don't like me, that's... fair. But I intend to deal with you fairly."
Airi snorts quietly, her eyes flicking down to the Clear Seed - to Yuuri's Clear Seed. She sighs, shoulders slumping.
"Fine. Not like I've got anything better," she mutters. "I hope... I really hope you're right."
You sigh.
"As much as I can, I've given you my reasoning," you say. "I think it's sound, and frankly, I'd appreciate you calling me out if something didn't seem right. De-Witching, though... look. We're not the first to try this sort of thing before, and as far as I know, it's ended in disaster... pretty much every single time."
"Uh-huh," Airi says, giving you a flat look. There's anger in her eyes, the way her jaw pulls tight, but still she cradles Arzt Kochen between her palms with infinite care.
"You can ask Miss Tsuruya for more details if you want. She's seen the aftermath of some. I'll let her know you might be interested, if you want?" you say. You pause, looking to Airi, and continue when she doesn't speak. "And I'm not trying to dissuade you, I actually have two points that I'm trying to make: that people have rushed into it, and both they and the people they tried to help have suffered for it. So I want to emphasize being careful - and my other point is that I'm pretty sure that Kyuubey intentionally fucks with de-Witching attempts, because it messes with his bottom line."
"That little rat," Airi mutters, looking away. "If I'd known- if she'd known-"
"That's one thing we're wholeheartedly in agreement about," you say. "A lot of sins can be laid at its feet."
"'It', huh," Airi echoes, her face twisting into a ghastly parody of a smile. "I like that. I like that a lot. Little white rat."
"I'm... glad we agree?" you say. You're pretty sure you've used those exact words, admittedly, and you're glad that she's turning the anger on someone -something more worthy than the Pleiades- but that glitter of sheer hate on Airi's face and the way she's trying to burn a hole in the wall with her eyes alone are enough to worry you just a bit.
Just a little bit.
"If it weren't for that thing, my Yuuri would still be alive," Airi hisses.
"Many people would be," you agree. "I mean, I'm sure as heck not disagreeing in the slightest. A lot of sins, a lot of deaths can be laid at its feet. But it's one more reason to be careful, eh? Miss Tsuruya's power keeps this room safe from Kyuubey's eavesdropping, but... seriously, take it slow, and get in touch if something changes. I'll make sure Miss Tsuruya knows."
"Yes, yes," Airi says, waving it off, eyes still glaring sightlessly at the wall past you.
"I-" Your eyes narrow, and you sit up straight, swallowing your instinctive, easy-going response.
Airi's an angry teenager, sure. Mostly likely depressed to boot on top of that, as well as being literally imprisoned - both for good reason, but this isn't something you're willing to just let her brush off like it's no big deal. Sometimes you have to put your foot down.
"No. None of this flippancy, Miss Anri, not for this. Look at me," you say. And when she reluctantly meets your eyes, you continue, voice serious. "This is dangerous. Not just for you, but for everyone around you - and Miss Asuka." You motion to the Clear Seed. "You have her soul in the palm of your hand. Have I made my points clear? Do not even try to hurt people with this knowledge, and be careful."
"You really like the sound of your own voice, huh?" she says.
"Miss Anri," you say. "Do not test me on this - because I will cut you out of this if I can't trust you. I want to let you help, but I need to be able to trust you. Lives are at stake. Do you understand me?"
"... yes, fine," Airi says. A muscle in her jaw jumps as she pulls her knees up to her chest, hugging her legs to herself. "I understand. I will be careful in... in trying to help Yuuri, and I will not tell anyone else about what you've shared."
"Good," you say, relaxing with a sigh. "Alright. Then unless you have any questions for me, I'll get out of your hair."
Airi sighs, flapping a hand at you without uncurling from the bed.
"Right," you say, standing and moving over to rap on the wall. "Thank you for your time, Miss Anri, and thank you for agreeing to help me with this."
Airi doesn't say anything as the door swings open and you step out, but you feel her shifting on the bed, and you can sense the slow trickle of her magic twisting to hope. Slow, unsteady, but it's there. And even if that much is a good thing...
Well.
Trust, but verify.
You scour yourself with Grief, a nanoscopic swarm of particles skimming over your skin like a combination exfoliation, deep pore cleansing and extra deep sinus irrigation from hell and maybe you were a bit over-zealous because it stings like it bloody well came from hell, too.
You may have done an awkward, hopping little dance as you force yourself to go through with it because this is important, dammit. You can't absolutely trust that Airi didn't load you down with some nasty pathogen or knock-out chemical, even if you were watching her magic use. And just to be sure, you scrape your clothes clean, too, getting your Grief right into the threads.
And because you're allowed to be just a bit vain, some of the Grief sleeting through your hair settles the strands properly too, leaving it for once in a state someone might consider adequately coiffed.
"... are you alright?" Yuki's voice asks, followed shortly by the girl herself emerging from a wall.
"Yep!" you say in a voice that's definitely not a startled squeak. You finish scrubbing yourself and shove all the nasty organic gunk into hammerspace. "Just, uh. Making sure Miss Anri didn't leave us any surprises. I did mention the knock-out gas she used the last time, right? Whoo, my sinuses are clear."
"You did," Yuki says, blinking slowly. "That's good thinking."
You take a breath, rolling your shoulders and handing the antimagic bracelet over to Yuki.
"So... I've arrived at an agreement with Miss Anri," you say. "If she does anything outside the bounds of working on the Clear Seed, she's off the project - feel free to reapply this at your discretion, and let me know, yeah?"
"Of course," Yuki says, accepting the bracelet with a nod. "Are you certain she can be trusted?"
"I appealed to her own self-interest," you say, brushing your hands over your forearms. Your skin feels smooth and baby-soft, wow. "She wants her friend back as much as I do - it was the deal we made to have her agree to being imprisoned, after all."
Yuki nods thoughtfully.
"That's always a powerful motivator," she agrees. "Nevertheless, I'll be keeping a closer eye on her."
"I'm sorry for the additional trouble," you say. "And I really appreciate you putting up with this."
"Hah." Yuki chuckles, and smirks up at you. "I have to admit, I'm curious to see whether this will work. That said, I hope you won't take offense if I metaphorically rig Miss Anri's room to blow explosively." She pauses. "Perhaps literally so, even. I might check with Shinobu."
"I... well, I entirely understand why you'd want to," you admit with a wince. "I would really, really prefer that it didn't have to come to that, but I appreciate that you need to be certain on your own terms. Maybe... I don't know how feasible it is, but perhaps you could rig a de-Gemming of some kind?"
"Oh, for Miss Anri, certainly," Yuki says, folding her arms. She regards you with an arched eyebrow, head tilted back to meet your gaze - but no less imperious for all that. "But the Clear Seed... well. If that should go nuclear, then I will not hesitate. I put the safety of my girls above all, Miss Vee."
"I understand that. I understand the need to protect your friends and yourself," you say with a smile. "It's just... well, this is my personal credo, and I'm not trying to impose it on you - but the more power you have in a given scenario, the less, ah, excusable lethal force is, right?"
"And that's something that we have benefited from," Yuki says, touching a hand to her heart. "In turn, I do appreciate that. It would make for a kinder world, if we could all work to that kind of thinking."
"Yeah. It would," you say, biting back a heartfelt sigh. You shake your head hard, hair flying. "Just... I'm not trying to force it on you, and heck, it only applies if you do have that kind of superiority in force. And I mean... it's practical too, right? People are more inclined to surrender if you're known to show mercy and restraint, rather than fighting to the death."
"Oh, yes," Yuki says, green eyes glinting. "I'm well aware of that - reputation matters. But as you say, it's something done from a position of power. In this case... against Miss Anri? Certainly. Against a hypothetical super-Witch birthed by an experiment gone wrong?"
Yuki shrugs.
"Yeah," you say. "As I said, I understand that. I was just... giving my perspective, I suppo-"
An imperious caw interrupts your conversation. You look down to spot Mugin hopping up to you, wings fluffed. You laugh, and bend down to offer him a hand, which he promptly takes advantage of to clamber up to your shoulder.
"You know, I really, really don't know if Sayaka's magic gives the animals more intelligence, or if this bird was always a brat," you say. "I mean, crows are pretty smart in the first place."
Yuki chuckles, and waves a hand down the corridor. "I suppose she's telling us that we should get a move on, anyway," she says. "I'll take you now to meet my team, or would you prefer otherwise?"
"No, no, that'd be perfect," you say with an easy grin. "I hope you weren't all waiting on me?"
"Nah, we were just watching television," Yuki says with a shrug. She pushes off the wall.
"Anything good on at this time of the day?" you ask dubiously, following as Yuki starts down the corridor.
"That does rather depend on your definition of good," Yuki says. "But we enjoy the time spent relaxing together."
"Ah, yeah, I get that," you say. "I definitely get that."
Yuki leads you to the lift this time, which dings open as you approach it - presumably at the behest of her power. The acceleration is almost imperceptible, a nice smooth ride all the way down that opens into a joyously raucous living room.
The television contributes very little to the din that rolls over you, some gameshow or another playing on it. You can smell something sweet, syrup or caramel or similar, almost certainly the popcorn that's sailing merrily through the air. There are two girls sitting on the sofas, and on the sofa is right for Nishimura Moe, perched on the back of the sofa.
She doesn't look much different from when you'd seen her back in Sendai, curly black hair bouncing around her face and cascading down her back as she crows loudly, bright crimson eyes fixed on the floor where two girls are roughhousing.
With surprisingly good form, you might note. Jiu-jitsu, by the looks of it, something grapple-y and emphatic. You recognise one of them, the girl currently winning - Akiyama Atsuko, a stocky girl with shoulder-length, dark grey hair pulled back by a single red hairclip that's barely hanging on as she pulls her wrestling partner's arm into a vicious armbar and grinds her face into the rug.
"Yield!" she yells over bubbling laughter and the swearing of her opponent.
"I leave them alone for five minutes," Yuki mutters, despairing and soft enough that you're not sure she meant for you to hear it.
The other girl sitting on the sofa -rather more sedately than Moe, who's hooting loudly- looks up. Her gaze freezes on you for a split second before shifting to Yuki, and then back. Slowly, she raises an arm for a silent wave, nodding at you and then returning to grazing her way through her box of popcorn.
And that would be Koizumi Sasami, also known as Ramiel, LASERFACE, and presumably sundry other laser-related sobriquets. She's a slender, whipcord-thin girl who looks like she'd blow away in the wind, short, blonde hair bracketing a perpetually gloomy demeanour.
"Ahem," Yuki says, striding forward.
"Oh, hey Yuki," Atsuko says. She looks up from her wrestling match, still holding the other girl -Nanami Shinobu, you presume- down. Atsuko's eyes flicker to you for a second, and then back to Shinobu. "Yield!"
"Fine, fine!" the girl mumbles into the carpet. "I yield!"
Atsuko huffs and rolls off her, allowing Shinobu to rise - to rise, and rise.
Huh.
There was a time when you'd thought that Yuki might have Wished for Shinobu, as in Mount Shinobu, the mountain on which you'd first met her, to come to life to be her friend. Yuki denied it when you asked her, but now you think you're going to revisit that particular thought. It would explain Yuki's ability to bring entire buildings under her sway, and it would explain all this thisness.
"Hi!" Shinobu says, thrusting a hand the approximate size of an oven mitt in your general direction. She's as tall as you are, with forest-green hair and -dammit, if you had to imagine the personification of a mountain, they'd have green hair, too- and has enough muscle that she looks like she could bench a car. Or three. She is built like a brick shithouse, and that is such a weird phrase now that it crosses your mind.
You take her hand on instinct, shaking firmly. And, OK, fine, her hand isn't literally the size of an oven mitt or even close, but it's still enough to all but engulf your hand. Still, despite the sheer bulk she exudes, she matches your grip, but no more than that.
"You must be Miss Vee, right?" Shinobu asks, releasing your hand and giving you a friendly smile. "Pleased to meet you."
"Pleasure to meet you too," you say. You return the smile, and look around at the rest of the Fukushima girls. "And it's a pleasure to meet all of you again, too."
Atsuko's retreated to the sofa, flopping down beside Moe. The latter girl offers her a high-five and you a cheerful "Hi!", all without getting off the back of said sofa.
Yuki chuckles quietly, stepping around you. "Alright, settle down, girls," she says.
"I'm already settled," Moe says, kicking her legs and bouncing into a more proper sitting position. "Lovely to meet you again, Miss Vee. We should try a friendly spar someday. You've got some moves, girl."
"I'd like that," you say, smiling at her. And this is the girl that was nearly torn in half at the waist by Mami's Tiro Finale and your Grief blades, goodness.
"... hello," Sasami says, setting aside the box of popcorn she's still slowly munching her way through. "How are you? And, uh... why do you have a bird?"
"I've been good," you say. Yuki catches your eye and motions towards the armchair, so you claim a seat. Said armchair is upholstered in dark blue, by some odd coincidence. "The bird is my friend's, he's been assigned as my minder for the day, apparently. How have you been? Miss Nishimura, Miss Koizumi, Miss Akiyama? I hope you, uh, recovered well?"
Mugin caws loudly as it surveys the room with an imperious eye, cocking its head this way and that.
"You were kind enough to have us healed before sending us on our way," Sasami says, eyeing the bird still. "So we were doing well from the beginning."
"I'm glad," you say. You essay a little wave in Atsuko's direction -the only girl who you haven't really greeted- and she returns it half-heartedly.
"As you all know, girls, we've entered a defense pact with Tomoe Mami's group, of which Miss Vee is a prominent member." Yuki cuts in smoothly. She moves to the center of the room, standing on the rug that Shinobu had just finished getting her face ground into. "And as you know, she was in opposition to us during the recent battle at Sendai. We thought that it would be good to clear the air."
Yuki smiles, and holds her hand out to you in silent prompt.
[] Write-in topics you want to raise first.
- [] Any particular approach?
[] Instead, let them air their grievances first, if any.
Word count limit: 150 words
Alright. Apologies for the late update, and apologies for cutting the update a bit earlier - but this is an opportunity to refine your approach to the Fukushima team, anyway.
"It's not like I really have a choice, is it?" Airi asks caustically, slouching bonelessly against the wall behind her bed. "I've just gotta trust you."
"Believe it or not, I really am trying to help," you say. Don't rise to her bait. "I mean, if you don't believe that, then - first, I have zero reason to fool you. Second, enlightened self-interest. It benefits me to be honest with you both because I made a deal, and a reputation for dealbreaking serves me ill, especially with Miss Tsuruya."
You gesture around you at the walls for emphasis, just in case she hasn't caught Yuki's name.
"And reversing Witching is one of my goals, so being honest with you and giving you something that I personally don't have as much time to sink into to work on is only good sense," you say. "I mean, if you don't like me, that's... fair. But I intend to deal with you fairly."
Airi snorts quietly, her eyes flicking down to the Clear Seed - to Yuuri's Clear Seed. She sighs, shoulders slumping.
"Fine. Not like I've got anything better," she mutters. "I hope... I really hope you're right."
You sigh.
"As much as I can, I've given you my reasoning," you say. "I think it's sound, and frankly, I'd appreciate you calling me out if something didn't seem right. De-Witching, though... look. We're not the first to try this sort of thing before, and as far as I know, it's ended in disaster... pretty much every single time."
"Uh-huh," Airi says, giving you a flat look. There's anger in her eyes, the way her jaw pulls tight, but still she cradles Arzt Kochen between her palms with infinite care.
"You can ask Miss Tsuruya for more details if you want. She's seen the aftermath of some. I'll let her know you might be interested, if you want?" you say. You pause, looking to Airi, and continue when she doesn't speak. "And I'm not trying to dissuade you, I actually have two points that I'm trying to make: that people have rushed into it, and both they and the people they tried to help have suffered for it. So I want to emphasize being careful - and my other point is that I'm pretty sure that Kyuubey intentionally fucks with de-Witching attempts, because it messes with his bottom line."
"That little rat," Airi mutters, looking away. "If I'd known- if she'd known-"
"That's one thing we're wholeheartedly in agreement about," you say. "A lot of sins can be laid at its feet."
"'It', huh," Airi echoes, her face twisting into a ghastly parody of a smile. "I like that. I like that a lot. Little white rat."
"I'm... glad we agree?" you say. You're pretty sure you've used those exact words, admittedly, and you're glad that she's turning the anger on someone -something more worthy than the Pleiades- but that glitter of sheer hate on Airi's face and the way she's trying to burn a hole in the wall with her eyes alone are enough to worry you just a bit.
Just a little bit.
"If it weren't for that thing, my Yuuri would still be alive," Airi hisses.
"Many people would be," you agree. "I mean, I'm sure as heck not disagreeing in the slightest. A lot of sins, a lot of deaths can be laid at its feet. But it's one more reason to be careful, eh? Miss Tsuruya's power keeps this room safe from Kyuubey's eavesdropping, but... seriously, take it slow, and get in touch if something changes. I'll make sure Miss Tsuruya knows."
"Yes, yes," Airi says, waving it off, eyes still glaring sightlessly at the wall past you.
"I-" Your eyes narrow, and you sit up straight, swallowing your instinctive, easy-going response.
Airi's an angry teenager, sure. Mostly likely depressed to boot on top of that, as well as being literally imprisoned - both for good reason, but this isn't something you're willing to just let her brush off like it's no big deal. Sometimes you have to put your foot down.
"No. None of this flippancy, Miss Anri, not for this. Look at me," you say. And when she reluctantly meets your eyes, you continue, voice serious. "This is dangerous. Not just for you, but for everyone around you - and Miss Asuka." You motion to the Clear Seed. "You have her soul in the palm of your hand. Have I made my points clear? Do not even try to hurt people with this knowledge, and be careful."
"You really like the sound of your own voice, huh?" she says.
"Miss Anri," you say. "Do not test me on this - because I will cut you out of this if I can't trust you. I want to let you help, but I need to be able to trust you. Lives are at stake. Do you understand me?"
"... yes, fine," Airi says. A muscle in her jaw jumps as she pulls her knees up to her chest, hugging her legs to herself. "I understand. I will be careful in... in trying to help Yuuri, and I will not tell anyone else about what you've shared."
"Good," you say, relaxing with a sigh. "Alright. Then unless you have any questions for me, I'll get out of your hair."
Airi sighs, flapping a hand at you without uncurling from the bed.
"Right," you say, standing and moving over to rap on the wall. "Thank you for your time, Miss Anri, and thank you for agreeing to help me with this."
Airi doesn't say anything as the door swings open and you step out, but you feel her shifting on the bed, and you can sense the slow trickle of her magic twisting to hope. Slow, unsteady, but it's there. And even if that much is a good thing...
Well.
Trust, but verify.
You scour yourself with Grief, a nanoscopic swarm of particles skimming over your skin like a combination exfoliation, deep pore cleansing and extra deep sinus irrigation from hell and maybe you were a bit over-zealous because it stings like it bloody well came from hell, too.
You may have done an awkward, hopping little dance as you force yourself to go through with it because this is important, dammit. You can't absolutely trust that Airi didn't load you down with some nasty pathogen or knock-out chemical, even if you were watching her magic use. And just to be sure, you scrape your clothes clean, too, getting your Grief right into the threads.
And because you're allowed to be just a bit vain, some of the Grief sleeting through your hair settles the strands properly too, leaving it for once in a state someone might consider adequately coiffed.
"... are you alright?" Yuki's voice asks, followed shortly by the girl herself emerging from a wall.
"Yep!" you say in a voice that's definitely not a startled squeak. You finish scrubbing yourself and shove all the nasty organic gunk into hammerspace. "Just, uh. Making sure Miss Anri didn't leave us any surprises. I did mention the knock-out gas she used the last time, right? Whoo, my sinuses are clear."
"You did," Yuki says, blinking slowly. "That's good thinking."
You take a breath, rolling your shoulders and handing the antimagic bracelet over to Yuki.
"So... I've arrived at an agreement with Miss Anri," you say. "If she does anything outside the bounds of working on the Clear Seed, she's off the project - feel free to reapply this at your discretion, and let me know, yeah?"
"Of course," Yuki says, accepting the bracelet with a nod. "Are you certain she can be trusted?"
"I appealed to her own self-interest," you say, brushing your hands over your forearms. Your skin feels smooth and baby-soft, wow. "She wants her friend back as much as I do - it was the deal we made to have her agree to being imprisoned, after all."
Yuki nods thoughtfully.
"That's always a powerful motivator," she agrees. "Nevertheless, I'll be keeping a closer eye on her."
"I'm sorry for the additional trouble," you say. "And I really appreciate you putting up with this."
"Hah." Yuki chuckles, and smirks up at you. "I have to admit, I'm curious to see whether this will work. That said, I hope you won't take offense if I metaphorically rig Miss Anri's room to blow explosively." She pauses. "Perhaps literally so, even. I might check with Shinobu."
"I... well, I entirely understand why you'd want to," you admit with a wince. "I would really, really prefer that it didn't have to come to that, but I appreciate that you need to be certain on your own terms. Maybe... I don't know how feasible it is, but perhaps you could rig a de-Gemming of some kind?"
"Oh, for Miss Anri, certainly," Yuki says, folding her arms. She regards you with an arched eyebrow, head tilted back to meet your gaze - but no less imperious for all that. "But the Clear Seed... well. If that should go nuclear, then I will not hesitate. I put the safety of my girls above all, Miss Vee."
"I understand that. I understand the need to protect your friends and yourself," you say with a smile. "It's just... well, this is my personal credo, and I'm not trying to impose it on you - but the more power you have in a given scenario, the less, ah, excusable lethal force is, right?"
"And that's something that we have benefited from," Yuki says, touching a hand to her heart. "In turn, I do appreciate that. It would make for a kinder world, if we could all work to that kind of thinking."
"Yeah. It would," you say, biting back a heartfelt sigh. You shake your head hard, hair flying. "Just... I'm not trying to force it on you, and heck, it only applies if you do have that kind of superiority in force. And I mean... it's practical too, right? People are more inclined to surrender if you're known to show mercy and restraint, rather than fighting to the death."
"Oh, yes," Yuki says, green eyes glinting. "I'm well aware of that - reputation matters. But as you say, it's something done from a position of power. In this case... against Miss Anri? Certainly. Against a hypothetical super-Witch birthed by an experiment gone wrong?"
Yuki shrugs.
"Yeah," you say. "As I said, I understand that. I was just... giving my perspective, I suppo-"
An imperious caw interrupts your conversation. You look down to spot Mugin hopping up to you, wings fluffed. You laugh, and bend down to offer him a hand, which he promptly takes advantage of to clamber up to your shoulder.
"You know, I really, really don't know if Sayaka's magic gives the animals more intelligence, or if this bird was always a brat," you say. "I mean, crows are pretty smart in the first place."
Yuki chuckles, and waves a hand down the corridor. "I suppose she's telling us that we should get a move on, anyway," she says. "I'll take you now to meet my team, or would you prefer otherwise?"
"No, no, that'd be perfect," you say with an easy grin. "I hope you weren't all waiting on me?"
"Nah, we were just watching television," Yuki says with a shrug. She pushes off the wall.
"Anything good on at this time of the day?" you ask dubiously, following as Yuki starts down the corridor.
"That does rather depend on your definition of good," Yuki says. "But we enjoy the time spent relaxing together."
"Ah, yeah, I get that," you say. "I definitely get that."
Yuki leads you to the lift this time, which dings open as you approach it - presumably at the behest of her power. The acceleration is almost imperceptible, a nice smooth ride all the way down that opens into a joyously raucous living room.
The television contributes very little to the din that rolls over you, some gameshow or another playing on it. You can smell something sweet, syrup or caramel or similar, almost certainly the popcorn that's sailing merrily through the air. There are two girls sitting on the sofas, and on the sofa is right for Nishimura Moe, perched on the back of the sofa.
She doesn't look much different from when you'd seen her back in Sendai, curly black hair bouncing around her face and cascading down her back as she crows loudly, bright crimson eyes fixed on the floor where two girls are roughhousing.
With surprisingly good form, you might note. Jiu-jitsu, by the looks of it, something grapple-y and emphatic. You recognise one of them, the girl currently winning - Akiyama Atsuko, a stocky girl with shoulder-length, dark grey hair pulled back by a single red hairclip that's barely hanging on as she pulls her wrestling partner's arm into a vicious armbar and grinds her face into the rug.
"Yield!" she yells over bubbling laughter and the swearing of her opponent.
"I leave them alone for five minutes," Yuki mutters, despairing and soft enough that you're not sure she meant for you to hear it.
The other girl sitting on the sofa -rather more sedately than Moe, who's hooting loudly- looks up. Her gaze freezes on you for a split second before shifting to Yuki, and then back. Slowly, she raises an arm for a silent wave, nodding at you and then returning to grazing her way through her box of popcorn.
And that would be Koizumi Sasami, also known as Ramiel, LASERFACE, and presumably sundry other laser-related sobriquets. She's a slender, whipcord-thin girl who looks like she'd blow away in the wind, short, blonde hair bracketing a perpetually gloomy demeanour.
"Ahem," Yuki says, striding forward.
"Oh, hey Yuki," Atsuko says. She looks up from her wrestling match, still holding the other girl -Nanami Shinobu, you presume- down. Atsuko's eyes flicker to you for a second, and then back to Shinobu. "Yield!"
"Fine, fine!" the girl mumbles into the carpet. "I yield!"
Atsuko huffs and rolls off her, allowing Shinobu to rise - to rise, and rise.
Huh.
There was a time when you'd thought that Yuki might have Wished for Shinobu, as in Mount Shinobu, the mountain on which you'd first met her, to come to life to be her friend. Yuki denied it when you asked her, but now you think you're going to revisit that particular thought. It would explain Yuki's ability to bring entire buildings under her sway, and it would explain all this thisness.
"Hi!" Shinobu says, thrusting a hand the approximate size of an oven mitt in your general direction. She's as tall as you are, with forest-green hair and -dammit, if you had to imagine the personification of a mountain, they'd have green hair, too- and has enough muscle that she looks like she could bench a car. Or three. She is built like a brick shithouse, and that is such a weird phrase now that it crosses your mind.
You take her hand on instinct, shaking firmly. And, OK, fine, her hand isn't literally the size of an oven mitt or even close, but it's still enough to all but engulf your hand. Still, despite the sheer bulk she exudes, she matches your grip, but no more than that.
"You must be Miss Vee, right?" Shinobu asks, releasing your hand and giving you a friendly smile. "Pleased to meet you."
"Pleasure to meet you too," you say. You return the smile, and look around at the rest of the Fukushima girls. "And it's a pleasure to meet all of you again, too."
Atsuko's retreated to the sofa, flopping down beside Moe. The latter girl offers her a high-five and you a cheerful "Hi!", all without getting off the back of said sofa.
Yuki chuckles quietly, stepping around you. "Alright, settle down, girls," she says.
"I'm already settled," Moe says, kicking her legs and bouncing into a more proper sitting position. "Lovely to meet you again, Miss Vee. We should try a friendly spar someday. You've got some moves, girl."
"I'd like that," you say, smiling at her. And this is the girl that was nearly torn in half at the waist by Mami's Tiro Finale and your Grief blades, goodness.
"... hello," Sasami says, setting aside the box of popcorn she's still slowly munching her way through. "How are you? And, uh... why do you have a bird?"
"I've been good," you say. Yuki catches your eye and motions towards the armchair, so you claim a seat. Said armchair is upholstered in dark blue, by some odd coincidence. "The bird is my friend's, he's been assigned as my minder for the day, apparently. How have you been? Miss Nishimura, Miss Koizumi, Miss Akiyama? I hope you, uh, recovered well?"
Mugin caws loudly as it surveys the room with an imperious eye, cocking its head this way and that.
"You were kind enough to have us healed before sending us on our way," Sasami says, eyeing the bird still. "So we were doing well from the beginning."
"I'm glad," you say. You essay a little wave in Atsuko's direction -the only girl who you haven't really greeted- and she returns it half-heartedly.
"As you all know, girls, we've entered a defense pact with Tomoe Mami's group, of which Miss Vee is a prominent member." Yuki cuts in smoothly. She moves to the center of the room, standing on the rug that Shinobu had just finished getting her face ground into. "And as you know, she was in opposition to us during the recent battle at Sendai. We thought that it would be good to clear the air."
Yuki smiles, and holds her hand out to you in silent prompt.
[] Write-in topics you want to raise first.
- [] Any particular approach?
[] Instead, let them air their grievances first, if any.
Word count limit: 150 words
[X] With Yuki's team:
-[X] Clear the air. You'll be working together, so you need to wrinkle out any potential issues.
--[X] Especially in Tokyo, it'd be good to present a relatively united front.
--[X] You're... unhappy with the amount of collateral they caused in Sendai, but if they were desperate to recover their friends, some of the blame *is* yours.
---[X] Yuki has said that their team will strive to be better in the future, and that's all you can really ask for - too many magical girls have had to hurt people to survive for you to be judgemental about past actions.
-[X] Clear the air. You'll be working together, so you need to wrinkle out any potential issues.
--[X] Especially in Tokyo, it'd be good to present a relatively united front.
--[X] You're... unhappy with the amount of collateral they caused in Sendai, but if they were desperate to recover their friends, some of the blame *is* yours.
---[X] Yuki has said that their team will strive to be better in the future, and that's all you can really ask for - too many magical girls have had to hurt people to survive for you to be judgemental about past actions.
=====
Alright. Apologies for the late update, and apologies for cutting the update a bit earlier - but this is an opportunity to refine your approach to the Fukushima team, anyway.
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Incidentally, covering this will be an automatic action.
- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
...she's totally the mountain, isn't she. I refuse to hear anything to the contrary, it's canon now.
Sabrina was awarded a bird for good behaviour.
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I'd rate Airi's performance at 0.675 Ono's.
Also, Mount Shinobu would be a totally cool Japanese Pro Wrestler name.
Also, Mount Shinobu would be a totally cool Japanese Pro Wrestler name.
obssesednuker
Commander of 10 Million Men
- Location
- In the Kremlin, activating Perimtr.
Well, redirecting Airi's hate-on to be focused on Kyuubey is... hmmm... mixed result, I guess. On the one hand, it means she won't give them the time of day. On the other hand, it leaves her open to certain reverse-psychology tricks and makes her suspicious of their advise in the unlikely event it's actually helpful.
The Phoenixian
The Glacier Witch
- Location
- My own little world
It's obvious now that Tsuruya Yuki told us exactly and precisely the truth: She did not wish Mount Shinobu to life.
Clearly, Shinobu had already been incarnated by that point.
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Doubled up on the "beside".
Raiseth
I Find Your Lack of Memes Disturbing
- Location
- Russia
Grief cosmetics when?
A scrub consisting of despair and suffering of prepubescent girls! In your city! Only today! And tomorrow! Until the heat death of the universe!
Now in apple flavor.
Jonen C
F.M.D.G.
- Location
- Lincopense, Ostrogothia, Suecia
Raiseth
I Find Your Lack of Memes Disturbing
- Location
- Russia
- Location
- Maybe?
Remember kids, if you're really good all year, you too can have a bird!
Edit: Ninja'd
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Raiseth
I Find Your Lack of Memes Disturbing
- Location
- Russia
We need to show proper respect, as we stand before the goddess
Not a big-time goddess like our moms, but still she got a mountain named after her, that has to count for something
... by which I mean we need to start using inherently archaic and respectful forms of address with Shinobu-dono while continuing to speak casually with others
Muramasa
Best Girl
Are we formally apologizing for getting Moe pulped and diced up? Yes, we were defending ourselves and yes she broke our arm and would've kept going if not for Mami interrupt but err... getting Tiro Finale'd and getting a limb or two sliced off is pretty excessive for payback.
- Location
- Somewhere up the tree
That's not even a joke that's just what happened
And you have cursed my own two eyes
Also as for modifications to the vote in abayance I think it is pertinent that we bring up the wandering gem thieves, our metaknowledge involving stuff from kazumi magica has been off before and we need to know what Yuki and everyone else knows before the sisters are right on top of us
- Location
- Illinois
We should apologize for that just on the grounds that, having seen what we now have this chapter, I refuse to believe we couldn't have talked things through with these people instead of maiming them.
Muramasa
Best Girl
They're still mercenaries Kai. They were being paid by the Sendai group to beat us into submission. Also back then Clear Seeds we're just a thought in Sabrina's head at the time and not something we could've offered to out bid Sendai. Talking them down was improbable and we we're kinda busy (perhaps overly so) making sure the university group came out of that fight intact.
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Torgamous
Aspiring Gynoid
- Pronouns
- She/Her
If they had been there on their own initiative, sure, but they are mercenaries. Getting a reputation for not doing what they're paid to do would mean people stop paying them to do the thing.
Raiseth
I Find Your Lack of Memes Disturbing
- Location
- Russia
Look, my opinion is that it's unfortunate they got involved, but we weren't in the wrong
The situation demanded from us to stop the fighting as quickly as possible, so that it wouldn't escalate to Oriko's worst projections
They fought in a heavily populated area
There were casualties even despite us interfering
I don't believe we could have stopped the fight using just words
Even with the benefit of hindsight, it meant convincing
1) a dictator on a power trip who had allowed her rampant insecurities that appeared after witnessing her friend Witch out to fester and was basically planning to start grabbing Witch Seeds and never ever stop
2) a mercenary group we were unfamiliar with who got hired and paid to do the job with things that you have to use if you don't plan on becoming a people-devouring hole of despair anytime soon
3) other assorted persons
To stop fighting
I, for one, don't have any confidence in our ability to come up with anything to say that could have done that
The situation demanded from us to stop the fighting as quickly as possible, so that it wouldn't escalate to Oriko's worst projections
They fought in a heavily populated area
There were casualties even despite us interfering
I don't believe we could have stopped the fight using just words
Even with the benefit of hindsight, it meant convincing
1) a dictator on a power trip who had allowed her rampant insecurities that appeared after witnessing her friend Witch out to fester and was basically planning to start grabbing Witch Seeds and never ever stop
2) a mercenary group we were unfamiliar with who got hired and paid to do the job with things that you have to use if you don't plan on becoming a people-devouring hole of despair anytime soon
3) other assorted persons
To stop fighting
I, for one, don't have any confidence in our ability to come up with anything to say that could have done that
Jonen C
F.M.D.G.
- Location
- Lincopense, Ostrogothia, Suecia
We could still offer "apologies if you feel we used excessive force", a little but humble, a little bit fishing for constructive criticism, a little bit " what would you have done?" (With genuine interest because good best practices for rapid unplanned deescalation are good!)