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Puella Magi Adfligo Systema

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jmcdavid said:
No steamrollers, just infinite daggers.

And never mention pa- *knifed*
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I mean, the daggers is something Sabrina can do - at least within grief range. no guarantees about the stopping time, but if we wanted to do it properly one could just use a very thin wire connected to Homura, who has presumably been bothered into going forward with this plan.
 
I am mostly persuaded that continued handholding is a good idea. However, I don't agree with the tone of @SaltyWaffles's quip. To my eye, it seems likely to draw Kyouko into an argument because she's clearly already half-looking for an argument.

I like the idea of saying something to defang this so Mami can work on her, though. In my mind, the failure mode this opens up is that Mami could be convinced Sabrina is mistaken about Kyouko taking this seriously. Like, does Mami understand how much bullshit Kyouko habitually throws up before getting around to emotional honesty? That might be a qualitative change since their falling out.

It also seems to me that Kyouko might think Sabrina's been sneaking around, and that she's just delivered some kind of revelation.

I've rewritten this way too many times as I try to get inside Kyouko's head. I feel painful sympathy for Kyouko, because this is such a self-destructive thing that she's making a credible attempt at. Like, I have confidence that Kyouko won't actually manage to torpedo this talk, but in real life, you can easily close doors permanently by acting like this. I've done it more than once. Let's do our best to make this a healthy learning experience for all concerned!

The vote below is probably wrong somehow, but it's close to my feelings on the matter.

[X] Give Kyouko the eyebrow raise of skepticism
[X] Detransform
[X] Telepathy to Mami: "I may have forgotten to mention that every time I've gotten significant emotional honesty out of her I've had to wade through this sort of tsun bluster first. She really is serious about this, in spite of appearances."
[X] Let Mami handle this, but step in if things get too heated.
[X] Keep holding Mami's hand. She clearly, desperately needs it right now.
 
[x] Squeeze Mami's hand. She's got this.
-[x] Move to the side, and detransform.
--[x] Let Mami handle it.
 
Torgamous said:
Are we still sure we should leave handholding range for this? I worry that we're overemphasizing keeping Kyoko comfortable at the expense of Mami.
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Yeah, I think you make a good point here.

Just having... physical contact can say what words might not. To Mami and Kyouko both. To Mami about how we're here for her and to Kyouko about how those connections matter to Mami.

If we grasp her hand tightly in return, well, I've seen in my own life just what meaning can be had in two hands grasping as if the world might fall away beneath one of them at any moment.

TortugaGreen said:
I mean, the daggers is something Sabrina can do - at least within grief range. no guarantees about the stopping time, but if we wanted to do it properly one could just use a very thin wire connected to Homura, who has presumably been bothered into going forward with this plan.
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For long range just switch it up a bit: Infinite hammers. :p
 
Going to have to think about how to tackle the vote once I'm awake again but probably something like

[] Grasp that hand tightly in return.
-[] Detransform (Four combat ready megucas on Kyouko's doorstep is probably a little intimidating. Two of them not being combat ready, probably less so.)
[] gently chide Kyoiukop for and be wary of self-sabotage
-[] encourage honesty instead of unfocused negativity: it's the only way this is going to happen.
 
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Firnagzen said:
"Yeah, that's my name." Kyouko fold her arms, slouching against the lamppost. There's a glint in her eye, a challenging tilt to her chin. "Y' girlfriend's been hanging out in Kasamino, you know. Her 'n blue over there."
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I mean, she actually included us in the talk, ( because she's also afraid to have it one-on-one, if I had to guess )
We... actually could answer it? Not necessarily, but we could.

[Q] Tell Kyouko that she shouldn't flatter herself. She's cute and everything, but not your type.
-[Q] You can't speak for Sayaka tho.

Not like that, obviously.
 
Torgamous said:
Are we still sure we should leave handholding range for this? I worry that we're overemphasizing keeping Kyoko comfortable at the expense of Mami.
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I...

Firnagzen said:
Kyouko spreads her arms. "Here I am."

"Kyouko," Mami whispers, one hand reaching for her, and the other clutching yours.
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So, the first thing I'm going to say is, I don't know if there is a "right" answer here, and for that reason I am open to arguments in other directions than this, *but.*

I am going to say, yes, we should move to the side, with some conditionals and a prefacing peptalk.

Why?

Not for Kyouko's sake, no.

"You're given me everything."

Mami needs to reach out and *take* this. If this wasn't a situation where we can virtually guarantee her success, or if this wasn't a situation where the reward for her was so great, I do not think I would be saying this.

But here, with this, I want desperately to be able to look at Mami and say, "You did this." "You got Kyouko to be your friend again." "I didn't hold your hand through it, you did it yourself, and all I did was set this meeting up."

And we risk so very, very little.

Long term, it is not okay for us to leave Mami with a lack of social confidence in situations where someone was her friend and something had happened with that. She is very much an extrovert, and we desperately do NOT want her world limited in such a way.

Even if it's scary, even if it hurts... As long as we absolutely *do not allow this to fail*, the best outcomes here all revolve around us letting Mami do this *herself*, and yes that will mean standing aside for the duration.

Given the vote I will now post, perhaps after this, Mami will argue that we told her how to go about this, how to make it work. But we will counterargue that what we told her is largely generalizable and applies broadly to all troubles between friends. And that, I think, will be a confidence boost of some middling size.

Firnagzen said:
Kyouko spreads her arms. "Here I am."

"Kyouko," Mami whispers, one hand reaching for her, and the other clutching yours.
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[x] Squeeze Mami's hand.
-[x] Via telepathy, to Mami:
--[x] "**Reach out** with both hands and don't look back. If you don't know what to say, if you're scared, if you're hurt: tell her so. I'll catch you if you fall, I'll be here when you come back."
-[x] Move to the side.
--[x] Let Mami handle it.
 
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[X] Kaizuki

Also, sorry if this is derailing, but I thought this would be the best place to ask. What are some good Meduka fanfics that have a similar tone to PMAS? (as in more light and happy)
 
MC200 said:
[X] Kaizuki

Also, sorry if this is derailing, but I thought this would be the best place to ask. What are some good Meduka fanfics that have a similar tone to PMAS? (as in more light and happy)
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PMIM here on SV if you aren't already into it! Very good quest run by Echo, but it's p much entirely OCs with no Mitakihara gals in the near future.

Paradisio Sognato on ao3 is also very light, but not particularly like PMAS in tone--it's mostly fluffy slice of life Homura finally getting to be happy, damn it sort of thing. Actually, most of the MadoHomu tag there is happy, actually, with a few exceptions. Maybe a 70/30 split there.

A classic, To The Stars on ffn, if you haven't read it already, is spectacular post Madokamj magical girl scifi with a lot of ocs and also our main Mitakihara girls.

Oh and

[X] Kaizuki
 
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I'm on the fence in a couple ways.

I broadly agree with @Kaizuki's position on taking this opportunity to build Mami's confidence. However, I think even without going quite that far, this event certainly isn't going to erode Mami's confidence. In fact, even if Sabrina were to take a much heavier hand, Mami will probably end up more confident and outgoing just by not having this falling out with Kyouko weighing on her in the background. It would be better for Mami to take the lead, partially or totally, but we're going to be drawing an upward trajectory of her not feeling like she has to worry about that so much. Conversely, Mami is in fact increasingly outgoing when we do this that or the other, and as long as we continue to abet her in that, I see no reason that won't continue.

When I reread PMAS before joining in, what I perceived as Mami's increasing upward spiral was something I specifically found endearing about roughly the latter third of it.

So, a hot-blooded (mini)speech about the power of friendship as a substitute for further literal handholding seems perfectly wholesome to me. With the fallback position not seeming too much worse than not making the attempt. Either way I'm quite optimistic.

However, I remain concerned that we might have failed to adequately warn Mami about Kyouko's bluster. As far as I know (please correct me if I'm wrong) this might be something Kyouko has seriously intensified since they last knew each other well. That seems like important context. Thus:

[x] Squeeze Mami's hand.
-[x] Via telepathy, to Mami:
--[x] Indicate that Kyouko usually blusters before saying anything emotionally honest, and you don't think she's changed her mind about this
--[x] "**Reach out** with both hands and don't look back. If you don't know what to say, if you're scared, if you're hurt: tell her so. I'll catch you if you fall, I'll be here when you come back."
-[x] Move to the side.
--[x] Let Mami handle it.
[x] Detransform
 
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