Salvare7097
be the salvation of the hopeless!
- Location
- [REDACTED] [O5 APPROVAL REQUIRED]
I wonder what would've happened if Sabrina made Madoka's Canon wish?
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?
King Washington
Semi-Depressed Lurker
- Location
- Indiana
Goddess Sabrina? Sabrinakami? The Law of Brain Damage? Someone should do fanart of that.
Well...
That's quite a big wish for someone with less than fuckhuge potential... And it's phrased in such an exact manner that it can't be granted in any limited scope.Madoka said:
I can't think of any wish that failed to fulfill the wisher's intention at least in the short term, so a wish that's impossible to grant would be unknown territory. Maybe Firn has an answer in that mountain of notes of his.
AuraTwilight
The Sorcerer of Smiles
- Location
- The Silver City
Firn banned anything that would alter the setting, and a Shittier-than-Canon outcome negates the entire purpose of Sabrina's existence. Logically, the wish would've caused the Madokami who was on the scene, observing us to go "Aight fuck it" and Law of Cycles this timeline.
Always Happening
We could have prevented this.
- Location
- On a train with no brakes
bad news: near the end of the semester, so i've been too tied up with work to participate in the thread
good news: getting to do a bunch of fascinating research on how Madoka Magica was heavily inspired by the Superflat art movement for my final project
good news: getting to do a bunch of fascinating research on how Madoka Magica was heavily inspired by the Superflat art movement for my final project
Raiseth
I Find Your Lack of Memes Disturbing
- Location
- Russia
She does sometimes do nothing to prevent her friends from dying... as a result of crippling depression instead of a conscious choice to observe the occurrences and make her own cheat code.
...Anyway, would you think it fair to make Sayaka apologize for her being stupid in other timelines when she finds out about them? Just to see Homura's awed and vaguely horrified reaction to the power of our Social?
- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
What's this? It seems the Touhoku University Group is upset that the Sendai Group got introduced first, and also that they keep getting called the "Touhou Girls"!
Well, there's only one way to address this problem, and that's with an Adfligo Report Update!
The Magnificent Butterfly, Tsubaki Chouko!
The Paper and Plant Pair, Suzuki Rei and Suzuki Haru!
And the Enigmatic and Elusive Umeko Yuko!
And for good measure, here's a group photo!
Well, there's only one way to address this problem, and that's with an Adfligo Report Update!
The Magnificent Butterfly, Tsubaki Chouko!
The Paper and Plant Pair, Suzuki Rei and Suzuki Haru!
And the Enigmatic and Elusive Umeko Yuko!
And for good measure, here's a group photo!
Last edited:
blast flame
How far will we go if it means lighting the way?
- Location
- Perth, Australia
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Yuko is somehow more purple than if the image was just a solid block of purple colour. I love it.
Lowlife pt. 5
Mami beams at Kyouko. And no wonder, because it's a lesson that she must have learned from Mami, and... perhaps one that she taught to Yuma, too.
Kyouko scowls and looks away.
And with her attention safely pointed in directions not yours, you feel free to crack a grin, because Kyouko's sheer tsundereness will never cease to be amusing to you on some level. Granted there are more issues lurking beneath that simple, catch-all phrase, but still, you can afford some amusement.
"Arright," Kyouko grumbles. "Yuma, get back 'ere."
"Yes, big sis!" Yuma says, bouncing over. She sheds rust-flaked mud with every step, the rain carving little runnels through the gunk caked onto her face.
"... Right, no, stop a moment." Kyouko's scowl deepens. She raises a hand to her face, frowning until it starts to glow with magic, and plops it on Yuma's head. The magic washes over Yuma, shaking the detritus free, and Yuma beams at Kyouko. "How did you even get this dirty?"
"Homura kicked Yuma!" Yuma seems absolutely delighted with this fact.
Kyouko raises her eyebrows at Homura.
Homura shrugs.
"... and why did she manage to kick you?" Kyouko asks.
"Homura was, uhm, limiting Yuma's movement with her guns!" Yuma says. "So Yuma couldn't dodge!"
"Alright, alright, one moment, please," you say. "Let's not just stand around in the rain while we go through all this?"
You snap your fingers, Grief unfolding above and behind you: benches for everyone, arranged in a loose circle, and an awning stretching across the entire clearing in the junkyard.
Hah.
Finally.
Kyouko glances up, but even in all her tsundereness, she can only find minimal grumbling in herself for being not rained on, so she just sprawls herself out on one of the benches, one leg propped up. Wordlessly, she pulls out a plastic-wrapped pretzel and shares it with Yuma.
Mami smiles at you, nudging you to sit beside her -not that you needed much prompting- and cuddling up under your arm. Spots of damp coldness spread out where raindrops get crushed into your costume, but quickly warm from your shared body heat. You sigh, contented, as Homura seats herself.
With the rain reduced to a distant patter, washing off the awning and cutting a furrow into the mud, you all take a moment to relax.
"Would you like to begin, Yuma?" Mami asks with a smile. "Since you were already starting earlier."
Yuma nods and chews frantically, swallowing the last of the pretzel before speaking. "Yeah!"
"Alright. What do you think you did right and wrong during the spar?" Mami asks. "And do you think there are any major weaknesses in your fighting style?"
"Yuma... I think I did alright to stick close to Homura," Yuma says. She's making a distinct effort to sound more mature, you can hear that much. "I think it made it harder for her to shoot Yuma. But Homura was moving away, and Yuma doesn't have enough ways to attack her from far away."
Mami nods, smiling. "And Homura? What do you think?"
"Her self-evaluation is largely correct," Homura murmurs. "She needs to develop ways of attacking at range." She nods at Yuma. "You need to be aware of other angles of attack. I managed to catch you off guard by striking from above."
"Ah! Yuma understands. Uhm, I understand," Yuma says. "Yuma wants to ask about your, uhm, teleporting?"
"My magic," Homura says.
Yuma nods solemnly, apparently committing that to memory.
"Alright!" Mami says. "And Homura? How about you?"
"Yuma managed to surprise me several times," Homura says after a moment. "I underestimated her. Using the engine as shrapnel was a good technique."
"Big sis taught me that one!" Yuma declares happily.
"Can I just say that that trick was really cool?" you say, glancing at Mami for permission. She nods slightly, smile widening a little. "It'd have caught me off guard for sure. And you were deflecting bullets there. That was amazing, and Homura, why are you using live ammo?"
"Why not?" Homura says, blinking slowly.
"... fair enough, I suppose," you say. You did expressly request that she use airsoft ammo, last training.
"I'm gonna have to have you practice more, Yuma," Kyouko says gruffly. She has her ponytail dragged over her shoulder, and she's trying to squeeze the worst of the rainwater out of the bedraggled mass of red. "Can't have you losing so easy."
It's funny, really. Kyouko has that trick for getting dirt off, but apparently not the rain. Homura just seems to ignore it, and the rain in turn ignores her - she's almost waterproof, in the same way Mami is. Perhaps Mami only developed it after Kyouko left?
"Yeah!" Yuma beams eagerly. "I'll get better. I will!"
"You were awesome too, Homura," you say with a grin. "Seriously. I... don't think I've ever mentioned it, but I've always been very impressed with your fighting style? It's... mm, it's very minimal, just exactly what you need to do and where you need to be to win."
"Necessity," Homura says.
"Even so!" you say brightly. "That doesn't make it any less impressive. And... your accuracy, too. I mean, firing on the move, one-handed, with automatic and with high caliber firearms?"
Mami blinks, beside you, giving Homura a look.
"... thank you?" Homura says. She seems faintly bewildered with the praise.
"Yeah! You were really cool!" Yuma says happily.
Kyouko rolls her eyes.
Mami chuckles quietly, patting your arm and straightening from the hug. "Do you think there's anything you can improve on, Homura?"
"I need to be more prepared for non-lethal fights," Homura says.
Her gaze sliding over to you for a second, and you shoot her a quick smile in response. You appreciate that. And even exploiting her timestop to its fullest, as she didn't do in this spar, having more non-lethal options would be for the better.
"Alright," Mami says. "And now, Kyouko?"
"Still not enough wide-area attacks or defenses," Kyouko grumbles. "I don't have a good way to get past saturation attacks."
"Really?" you ask. "I mean, that chain wall you put up worked pretty well."
Kyouko frowns at you, still trying to do what she can to dry out her normally magnificent mane.
"Not well enough," she mutters, after a long moment filled with awkward squishing noises of rainwater from sodden hair. "See, it goes up fast enough, but it locks me in and doesn't go down fast enough. Might 's well be a coffin, if I try and put it up all 'round myself."
"Is that something you could practice?" you ask. "I mean... you have the resources and the time to practice now."
"Even if I were gonna do that, yeah, no," Kyouko grunts. She fixes you with a glare. "'s a frigging party trick mostly. Good to block things off now and then and that's pretty much all. Inflexible."
"... fair enough," you say.
Mami nods gravely. "Multiple active spears might be the solution, perhaps?"
"Perhaps," Kyouko admits grudgingly. "Now that I have the resources and the time, maybe I'll try it." She sighs, locks her hands behind her head, and slouches, looking away.
"You were still great, though," you say, grinning at Kyouko. "You're ridiculously fast, and the giant spear is..." You trail off, shaking your head and grinning. "C'mon, there's something inherently cool about kaiju spears."
Kyouko snorts. When it becomes clear that she doesn't intend to comment, Mami picks up the conversation, smiling warmly at you.
"How about your match with Kyouko, Homura?" she prompts.
"Terrain," Homura says, indicating the dense corridors of the junkyard, albeit interspersed with clearings. "And verticality. It was hard to follow Kyouko if she disengaged, or chose to fight in close quarters."
"Traps, perhaps?" Mami says, nodding.
"Not always an option," Homura says. "Especially not non-lethally."
Because you're sure Homura has claymores -the mine, not the sword- stuck in her shield somewhere. Then again, you wouldn't definitely declare that Homura doesn't have swords stuck in there either, just in case.
"Y' did pretty well, all things considered," Kyouko mutters. "Can your shield block or is it just for keeping shit in?"
"I prefer not to," Homura says. She frowns slightly. "It's dangerous."
"Right, gotcha," Kyouko says.
"Well... As for myself," Mami says, nodding at Kyouko. "My melee reflexes have slipped, somewhat." She shakes her head. "I don't know what I was thinking, trying to block instead of deflect. I'm looking forward to practicing more with you, Kyouko."
"Yeah, yeah, you gotta be the best, dontcha," Kyouko grumbles.
"The moment we stop improving ourselves is the moment we die," Mami says. "I doubt I will ever come close to your skill in melee combat, Kyouko, but I do intend to be able to hold my own better."
"Don't sell yourself short, Mami," you say, taking her hand and squeezing lightly. "Perfection might be asymptotic, but you're further on the path than most."
"Flatterer," Mami says, squeezing back and blushing red.
"Get a room you two," Kyouko says.
"Ah, yes," Mami says. "As for my match with you, Sabrina... I was expending far too much magic for effect. While your particular style of combat requires fairly specific counters, there are other magical girls who attack similarly - powerful telekinetics, for example."
"Makes sense," you agree. "As for me... I really need to work on my reflexes, and ranged attacks, similar to Yuma. Speaking of which, Yuma, something I want to practice is throwing my hammer as a ranged attack. Maybe you could try that, too?"
"Yuma is thinking about cannonballs!" Yuma declares proudly. She reaches under the bench and 'withdraws' a mace which she holds up, frowning, until the shaft shimmers into non-existence, dropping the head into her hands. She holds it up like a trophy and beams.
"Shotput or cannonball?" Kyouko muses, unwinding far enough to lean over and ruffle Yuma's hair.
"What's shotput?" Yuma asks.
"A sport," Kyouko says. "People take a metal ball and throw it as far as they can."
"Oh!" Yuma says. "Shotput, then. Yuma... I think I can use my magic to toss it further!"
"Only one way to find out," Kyouko says.
"Yup!" Yuma says.
"I was kind of wondering whether I could get a more aerodynamic sort of hammer, too," you admit.
"A good thought," Mami says approvingly. "I noticed that you were already throwing your hammers, but they were unguided. Perhaps magical control of the flight might be possible? That might take more experimentation, though."
"Maybe," you say, smiling.
Mami takes a breath, looking around. "Alright," she says. "I believe that's everything - shall we all break up to practice? We do have some time left, right, Sabrina?"
"Yup," you say. "Homura, Kyouko, Yuma - do you want to come for lunch after this?"
"Do we have a choice?" Kyouko growls.
"Of course you do," Mami says. "Isn't that right, Sabrina?"
"Yeah," you say. "I'm not gonna force you to come, but I'm offering because... well, I like to think that we are friends. I like doing nice things for my friends."
"Can we, big sis?" Yuma turns devastatingly huge and wobbly eyes on Kyouko, who groans, palms her face, and nods.
"Yeah!" Yuma says, cheering.
"I'll come," Homura says quietly.
"Great!" You beam at Homura. "And now that that's settled... Shall we get to practicing, then? I can keep us all out of the rain, since we're not sparring any more."
"Yeah, yeah," Kyouko says. She stands, cracking her neck from side to side.
"You know," you say to Mami and Homura. "Sometimes, I'm genuinely uncertain whether Yuma is an evil mastermind, or just a kid."
"Definitely an evil mastermind," Mami says to you. Homura doesn't respond, but the perplexed look you get from her definitely speaks volumes about her opinions on the matter.
Nominally, you're all splitting up, since you're working on different things - but then, Mami doesn't stray far from you, nor Yuma from Kyouko, and since you're working on something similar to Yuma, you all wind up in a loose cluster, anyway. Homura hovers nearby, seeming to be after advice from Mami but uncertain of how to ask, if you're any judge.
Mami notices, of course, and heads over without any prompting. You hide a proud, pleased smile as you turn to your own practice - throwing hammers. Which you are absolutely not going to make references of Mjolnir about, but only because you don't have the right type of hammer.
It's quiet, relaxing work, for the most part. Kyouko's spears clatter away in an endless crash of chains, whipping around her like a tornado, first one, then two, then three, sweat beading down her face as she focuses. Beside her, Yuma's magic flickers emerald, sparking between her hands as she practices her throws, hurling cannonballs with seemingly no effort.
For her part, Homura listens to Mami's advice with solemn intensity, and starts flying. At least, you think that's what she's trying, the amethyst glow of her magic flickering around her in fits and starts and kicking her off the ground from time to time, only for her to land with cat-like grace as she lands.
... for some reason, you wonder if Homura would grenade you if you told her you wanted to test it. You feel like she would.
Mami, having effortlessly slipped back into her position as mentor and teacher, returns to you for a hug which you're more than glad to bestow.
"Do you think you could help me with my practice?" Mami asks, cuddling into your arms. "Would it take away from your own?"
"Of course I can help," you say. "What do you need?"
"I need some stationary targets," Mami says. "A few blocks of Grief - you don't have to put too much effort into them, I just need to hone my own efficiency."
"Easy," you say, beaming as you pull together sufficient Grief to form a few targets for Mami.
"That's perfect, thank you," Mami says, and goes up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to your cheek.
"Anytime," you say, smiling.
Mami returns the smile and separates from the hug. You return to your own experimentation, sparing a fragment of attention to keep an eye on Mami, of course. You can feel the surge and ebb of magic as she throws it against your Grief, shoving and pushing and optimizing her technique.
As for yourself...
Coaxing a more aerodynamic form out of your hammer isn't hard. With the right mindset, you can reshape it - a pointed spike is almost trivial. Longer or shorter or wider, stubby tank shell, and even fins with a bit more effort. The problem you find, as you run through a few basic drills, is that it doesn't come naturally. If combat disengages for more than a few seconds, you'd have the time to prepare and sling these in quantity.
Under fire, actively evading hostile attacks from afar? You're... not as sure. It might be easier to just throw rocks. Or even just plain old hammers. There might be something to Mami's idea of guiding it with magic, but the closest you get there is blowing a crater in the mud with barely any effort.
"... huh," you say, blinking through mud-encrusted eyelids.
"Oi," Kyouko complains.
"Sorry!" you call back. "Accident!"
You don't think the mud even reached close to where she's standing, surrounded by what's practically a wall of living spears, whirling like a blender. She gives you a half-hearted glare, but you can tell she's mostly focusing on controlling the spears. She's definitely going to need another cleanse after this.
Homura, too. She's using that magic pulse trick, boosting into high jumps and attempting to stabilize in the air, with a limited amount of success - you can tell this isn't something she's used to, with the number of near-crash landings she's made. Still, she keeps at it, implacable frown firmly in place.
"Sabrina?" Mami drifts over. Somehow, she's completely mud-free, despite practicing her own techniques near you.
"I... guess I finally figured out how to do that hit-things-harder-than-it-should trick?" you say. "I mean, my hammer was always... weirdly light to me, but hit like you'd expect it to. But now I think I've managed to make it swing harder. It's just... a weird twist to the magic."
"Oh!" Mami frowns. "I didn't realise you didn't know that one, Sabrina, I'm sorry. You hardly use your hammer..."
"That's probably why you didn't realise," you say with a smile. "I'm not a melee specialist - I kind of discovered this by accident while trying to, uh, steer my hammer remotely. I guess this might be a first step?"
"Quite possibly!" Mami agrees, and flicks some mud off your shoulder. "You're all dirty now..."
You giggle, and start cleaning yourself off with Grief. "That's what happens when I overswing right into the mud."
"Well, be careful," Mami says. "That said, I think it's nearly time we should be going?"
"Probably," you say, and check your phone. "Definitely. Hey, everyone? Lunchtime!"
"Lunch!" Yuma cheers, pivoting on a foot to hurl one last cannonball in a manner vaguely reminiscent of a baseball throw. The projectile leaves her hand as a streak of emerald green, and you wince as it... well, cannonballs into a wrecked car.
Through the wrecked car.
Homura drops out of the air to land next to you, the motion almost catlike, and Kyouko releases the forest of spears to stroll over. She tries to make it nonchalant, but the occlusion of Grief in her Soul Gem gives lie to the casual effort she's trying to project.
"Cleansing time," you say. "Kyouko, I could just cleanse your Soul Gem directly?"
"Why?" she asks, already pulling a Grief Seed from her costume. "'s not like it's extra trouble for you, is it?" She switches her attention to Yuma. "You too, Yuma."
"Mmh!" Yuma says, obediently pulling out a Grief Seed of her own.
"Well... no, not really, but it'd be easier for you?" you say, cleansing Homura and Mami's Soul Gem with a wave of your hand.
"Do I look like I care?" Kyouko says, holding out the Grief Seed, as does Yuma.
"You're just stubborn," you say, rolling your eyes and cleansing the Grief Seed. Really, it's just an extra step, and she trusted you far enough to return to Mitakihara, didn't she? And you've been right so far.
"Do I look like I care?" Kyouko echoes, smirking at you and pulling out a package of Skittles. She rips it out with a crinkling of plastic, offering some to Yuma. "Now, we gonna get lunch or no?"
"Yup!" you say. "I have no idea where, though. Uhh. Mami?"
"Mm..." Mami hums thoughtfully. "There's a nice cafe near Shinmachi Mall we could look at?"
"Cafe food," Kyouko says, as if that's all the indictment she needs.
"They offered surprisingly generous portions, the last I saw," Mami says. "In any case, there are plenty of other options in the area if we decide not to look at it."
"Yeah, sure, whatever," Kyouko mutters half-heartedly. "You're paying anyway, right?"
"My treat," you say, smiling. "Courtesy of the Mop Fund!"
"Mop Fund?" Yuma asks.
"The Mop Fund!" you confirm. "Homura and I bravely raided the yakuza. And during the raid, what did we see but the finest katana?"
You regale your friends with the story as you head out, pulling out the katana itself for a prop, and you only embellish a little bit. There totally was a shrine and everything, you're not making that up! And even Kyouko seems amused with the story, though more with the idea of messing with the yakuza than anything else.
Homura pulls three umbrellas from her shield, tossing one to you as you leap across the rooftops and leave the junkyard behind.
"Thanks, Homura," you call. Just the one, because you and Mami can share! And while you were going to just use Grief to keep yourself dry, the streets below throng with umbrella and raincoat-clad pedestrians, Mitakihara bustling even under the downpour - you'd look odd without umbrellas of your own.
As you bound across the city, you can't help but think about Homura's shield. Oriented towards her wrist... but that's odd.
Your thoughts cut into clarity as you delve into your memories of times-that-weren't. Her shield reverses orientation every time she turns back the clock, you know that. In a terribly literal sense, she flips the hourglass of time, and sand flows in reverse once more. Towards her wrist, and away from her wrist.
The last loop -the loop you think of as the last one, where Madoka made the Wish- was one where the shield pointed towards her wrist. And here we are again: the 'next' time, and yet... the shield points the same way.
Something doesn't add up there.
That everything could be fixed, Madoka had Wished, and that's... something else that didn't add up. That's not the Wish she should have made.
Did Homura turn back the clock, or did Madoka?
Was there another loop in between, that's gone missing? How would that work, with Madoka still around?
Madoka Wished to fix everything, so... what had gone so terribly wrong?
Mami squeezes your arm, seeming to sense some of your thoughts. She gifts you with a warm smile, tucked snugly under the umbrella you're holding up for her and cuddling closing, hands locked lightly around your elbow.
You've hit upon something, you think. You're not quite sure what, but it's an important piece of the puzzle.
[X] Lunch!
[X] Meeting with your friends - Nagisa, too!
[] Try to get Kyouko to join you for shopping
- [] How? (Write-in)
[] During the shopping, pick up something specific (Write-in)
[] Keep Madoka away from the furniture store
[] Specific conversation with... (Write-in topic!)
- [] Mami
- [] Homura
- [] Sayaka
- [] Madoka
- [] Hitomi
- [] Nagisa
Word count limit: 150 words
The next post should take you through lunch, and halfway or so into the shopping trip, until.
Just, y'know, until. Generally speaking.
Kyouko scowls and looks away.
And with her attention safely pointed in directions not yours, you feel free to crack a grin, because Kyouko's sheer tsundereness will never cease to be amusing to you on some level. Granted there are more issues lurking beneath that simple, catch-all phrase, but still, you can afford some amusement.
"Arright," Kyouko grumbles. "Yuma, get back 'ere."
"Yes, big sis!" Yuma says, bouncing over. She sheds rust-flaked mud with every step, the rain carving little runnels through the gunk caked onto her face.
"... Right, no, stop a moment." Kyouko's scowl deepens. She raises a hand to her face, frowning until it starts to glow with magic, and plops it on Yuma's head. The magic washes over Yuma, shaking the detritus free, and Yuma beams at Kyouko. "How did you even get this dirty?"
"Homura kicked Yuma!" Yuma seems absolutely delighted with this fact.
Kyouko raises her eyebrows at Homura.
Homura shrugs.
"... and why did she manage to kick you?" Kyouko asks.
"Homura was, uhm, limiting Yuma's movement with her guns!" Yuma says. "So Yuma couldn't dodge!"
"Alright, alright, one moment, please," you say. "Let's not just stand around in the rain while we go through all this?"
You snap your fingers, Grief unfolding above and behind you: benches for everyone, arranged in a loose circle, and an awning stretching across the entire clearing in the junkyard.
Hah.
Finally.
Kyouko glances up, but even in all her tsundereness, she can only find minimal grumbling in herself for being not rained on, so she just sprawls herself out on one of the benches, one leg propped up. Wordlessly, she pulls out a plastic-wrapped pretzel and shares it with Yuma.
Mami smiles at you, nudging you to sit beside her -not that you needed much prompting- and cuddling up under your arm. Spots of damp coldness spread out where raindrops get crushed into your costume, but quickly warm from your shared body heat. You sigh, contented, as Homura seats herself.
With the rain reduced to a distant patter, washing off the awning and cutting a furrow into the mud, you all take a moment to relax.
"Would you like to begin, Yuma?" Mami asks with a smile. "Since you were already starting earlier."
Yuma nods and chews frantically, swallowing the last of the pretzel before speaking. "Yeah!"
"Alright. What do you think you did right and wrong during the spar?" Mami asks. "And do you think there are any major weaknesses in your fighting style?"
"Yuma... I think I did alright to stick close to Homura," Yuma says. She's making a distinct effort to sound more mature, you can hear that much. "I think it made it harder for her to shoot Yuma. But Homura was moving away, and Yuma doesn't have enough ways to attack her from far away."
Mami nods, smiling. "And Homura? What do you think?"
"Her self-evaluation is largely correct," Homura murmurs. "She needs to develop ways of attacking at range." She nods at Yuma. "You need to be aware of other angles of attack. I managed to catch you off guard by striking from above."
"Ah! Yuma understands. Uhm, I understand," Yuma says. "Yuma wants to ask about your, uhm, teleporting?"
"My magic," Homura says.
Yuma nods solemnly, apparently committing that to memory.
"Alright!" Mami says. "And Homura? How about you?"
"Yuma managed to surprise me several times," Homura says after a moment. "I underestimated her. Using the engine as shrapnel was a good technique."
"Big sis taught me that one!" Yuma declares happily.
"Can I just say that that trick was really cool?" you say, glancing at Mami for permission. She nods slightly, smile widening a little. "It'd have caught me off guard for sure. And you were deflecting bullets there. That was amazing, and Homura, why are you using live ammo?"
"Why not?" Homura says, blinking slowly.
"... fair enough, I suppose," you say. You did expressly request that she use airsoft ammo, last training.
"I'm gonna have to have you practice more, Yuma," Kyouko says gruffly. She has her ponytail dragged over her shoulder, and she's trying to squeeze the worst of the rainwater out of the bedraggled mass of red. "Can't have you losing so easy."
It's funny, really. Kyouko has that trick for getting dirt off, but apparently not the rain. Homura just seems to ignore it, and the rain in turn ignores her - she's almost waterproof, in the same way Mami is. Perhaps Mami only developed it after Kyouko left?
"Yeah!" Yuma beams eagerly. "I'll get better. I will!"
"You were awesome too, Homura," you say with a grin. "Seriously. I... don't think I've ever mentioned it, but I've always been very impressed with your fighting style? It's... mm, it's very minimal, just exactly what you need to do and where you need to be to win."
"Necessity," Homura says.
"Even so!" you say brightly. "That doesn't make it any less impressive. And... your accuracy, too. I mean, firing on the move, one-handed, with automatic and with high caliber firearms?"
Mami blinks, beside you, giving Homura a look.
"... thank you?" Homura says. She seems faintly bewildered with the praise.
"Yeah! You were really cool!" Yuma says happily.
Kyouko rolls her eyes.
Mami chuckles quietly, patting your arm and straightening from the hug. "Do you think there's anything you can improve on, Homura?"
"I need to be more prepared for non-lethal fights," Homura says.
Her gaze sliding over to you for a second, and you shoot her a quick smile in response. You appreciate that. And even exploiting her timestop to its fullest, as she didn't do in this spar, having more non-lethal options would be for the better.
"Alright," Mami says. "And now, Kyouko?"
"Still not enough wide-area attacks or defenses," Kyouko grumbles. "I don't have a good way to get past saturation attacks."
"Really?" you ask. "I mean, that chain wall you put up worked pretty well."
Kyouko frowns at you, still trying to do what she can to dry out her normally magnificent mane.
"Not well enough," she mutters, after a long moment filled with awkward squishing noises of rainwater from sodden hair. "See, it goes up fast enough, but it locks me in and doesn't go down fast enough. Might 's well be a coffin, if I try and put it up all 'round myself."
"Is that something you could practice?" you ask. "I mean... you have the resources and the time to practice now."
"Even if I were gonna do that, yeah, no," Kyouko grunts. She fixes you with a glare. "'s a frigging party trick mostly. Good to block things off now and then and that's pretty much all. Inflexible."
"... fair enough," you say.
Mami nods gravely. "Multiple active spears might be the solution, perhaps?"
"Perhaps," Kyouko admits grudgingly. "Now that I have the resources and the time, maybe I'll try it." She sighs, locks her hands behind her head, and slouches, looking away.
"You were still great, though," you say, grinning at Kyouko. "You're ridiculously fast, and the giant spear is..." You trail off, shaking your head and grinning. "C'mon, there's something inherently cool about kaiju spears."
Kyouko snorts. When it becomes clear that she doesn't intend to comment, Mami picks up the conversation, smiling warmly at you.
"How about your match with Kyouko, Homura?" she prompts.
"Terrain," Homura says, indicating the dense corridors of the junkyard, albeit interspersed with clearings. "And verticality. It was hard to follow Kyouko if she disengaged, or chose to fight in close quarters."
"Traps, perhaps?" Mami says, nodding.
"Not always an option," Homura says. "Especially not non-lethally."
Because you're sure Homura has claymores -the mine, not the sword- stuck in her shield somewhere. Then again, you wouldn't definitely declare that Homura doesn't have swords stuck in there either, just in case.
"Y' did pretty well, all things considered," Kyouko mutters. "Can your shield block or is it just for keeping shit in?"
"I prefer not to," Homura says. She frowns slightly. "It's dangerous."
"Right, gotcha," Kyouko says.
"Well... As for myself," Mami says, nodding at Kyouko. "My melee reflexes have slipped, somewhat." She shakes her head. "I don't know what I was thinking, trying to block instead of deflect. I'm looking forward to practicing more with you, Kyouko."
"Yeah, yeah, you gotta be the best, dontcha," Kyouko grumbles.
"The moment we stop improving ourselves is the moment we die," Mami says. "I doubt I will ever come close to your skill in melee combat, Kyouko, but I do intend to be able to hold my own better."
"Don't sell yourself short, Mami," you say, taking her hand and squeezing lightly. "Perfection might be asymptotic, but you're further on the path than most."
"Flatterer," Mami says, squeezing back and blushing red.
"Get a room you two," Kyouko says.
"Ah, yes," Mami says. "As for my match with you, Sabrina... I was expending far too much magic for effect. While your particular style of combat requires fairly specific counters, there are other magical girls who attack similarly - powerful telekinetics, for example."
"Makes sense," you agree. "As for me... I really need to work on my reflexes, and ranged attacks, similar to Yuma. Speaking of which, Yuma, something I want to practice is throwing my hammer as a ranged attack. Maybe you could try that, too?"
"Yuma is thinking about cannonballs!" Yuma declares proudly. She reaches under the bench and 'withdraws' a mace which she holds up, frowning, until the shaft shimmers into non-existence, dropping the head into her hands. She holds it up like a trophy and beams.
"Shotput or cannonball?" Kyouko muses, unwinding far enough to lean over and ruffle Yuma's hair.
"What's shotput?" Yuma asks.
"A sport," Kyouko says. "People take a metal ball and throw it as far as they can."
"Oh!" Yuma says. "Shotput, then. Yuma... I think I can use my magic to toss it further!"
"Only one way to find out," Kyouko says.
"Yup!" Yuma says.
"I was kind of wondering whether I could get a more aerodynamic sort of hammer, too," you admit.
"A good thought," Mami says approvingly. "I noticed that you were already throwing your hammers, but they were unguided. Perhaps magical control of the flight might be possible? That might take more experimentation, though."
"Maybe," you say, smiling.
Mami takes a breath, looking around. "Alright," she says. "I believe that's everything - shall we all break up to practice? We do have some time left, right, Sabrina?"
"Yup," you say. "Homura, Kyouko, Yuma - do you want to come for lunch after this?"
"Do we have a choice?" Kyouko growls.
"Of course you do," Mami says. "Isn't that right, Sabrina?"
"Yeah," you say. "I'm not gonna force you to come, but I'm offering because... well, I like to think that we are friends. I like doing nice things for my friends."
"Can we, big sis?" Yuma turns devastatingly huge and wobbly eyes on Kyouko, who groans, palms her face, and nods.
"Yeah!" Yuma says, cheering.
"I'll come," Homura says quietly.
"Great!" You beam at Homura. "And now that that's settled... Shall we get to practicing, then? I can keep us all out of the rain, since we're not sparring any more."
"Yeah, yeah," Kyouko says. She stands, cracking her neck from side to side.
"You know," you say to Mami and Homura. "Sometimes, I'm genuinely uncertain whether Yuma is an evil mastermind, or just a kid."
"Definitely an evil mastermind," Mami says to you. Homura doesn't respond, but the perplexed look you get from her definitely speaks volumes about her opinions on the matter.
Nominally, you're all splitting up, since you're working on different things - but then, Mami doesn't stray far from you, nor Yuma from Kyouko, and since you're working on something similar to Yuma, you all wind up in a loose cluster, anyway. Homura hovers nearby, seeming to be after advice from Mami but uncertain of how to ask, if you're any judge.
Mami notices, of course, and heads over without any prompting. You hide a proud, pleased smile as you turn to your own practice - throwing hammers. Which you are absolutely not going to make references of Mjolnir about, but only because you don't have the right type of hammer.
It's quiet, relaxing work, for the most part. Kyouko's spears clatter away in an endless crash of chains, whipping around her like a tornado, first one, then two, then three, sweat beading down her face as she focuses. Beside her, Yuma's magic flickers emerald, sparking between her hands as she practices her throws, hurling cannonballs with seemingly no effort.
For her part, Homura listens to Mami's advice with solemn intensity, and starts flying. At least, you think that's what she's trying, the amethyst glow of her magic flickering around her in fits and starts and kicking her off the ground from time to time, only for her to land with cat-like grace as she lands.
... for some reason, you wonder if Homura would grenade you if you told her you wanted to test it. You feel like she would.
Mami, having effortlessly slipped back into her position as mentor and teacher, returns to you for a hug which you're more than glad to bestow.
"Do you think you could help me with my practice?" Mami asks, cuddling into your arms. "Would it take away from your own?"
"Of course I can help," you say. "What do you need?"
"I need some stationary targets," Mami says. "A few blocks of Grief - you don't have to put too much effort into them, I just need to hone my own efficiency."
"Easy," you say, beaming as you pull together sufficient Grief to form a few targets for Mami.
"That's perfect, thank you," Mami says, and goes up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to your cheek.
"Anytime," you say, smiling.
Mami returns the smile and separates from the hug. You return to your own experimentation, sparing a fragment of attention to keep an eye on Mami, of course. You can feel the surge and ebb of magic as she throws it against your Grief, shoving and pushing and optimizing her technique.
As for yourself...
Coaxing a more aerodynamic form out of your hammer isn't hard. With the right mindset, you can reshape it - a pointed spike is almost trivial. Longer or shorter or wider, stubby tank shell, and even fins with a bit more effort. The problem you find, as you run through a few basic drills, is that it doesn't come naturally. If combat disengages for more than a few seconds, you'd have the time to prepare and sling these in quantity.
Under fire, actively evading hostile attacks from afar? You're... not as sure. It might be easier to just throw rocks. Or even just plain old hammers. There might be something to Mami's idea of guiding it with magic, but the closest you get there is blowing a crater in the mud with barely any effort.
"... huh," you say, blinking through mud-encrusted eyelids.
"Oi," Kyouko complains.
"Sorry!" you call back. "Accident!"
You don't think the mud even reached close to where she's standing, surrounded by what's practically a wall of living spears, whirling like a blender. She gives you a half-hearted glare, but you can tell she's mostly focusing on controlling the spears. She's definitely going to need another cleanse after this.
Homura, too. She's using that magic pulse trick, boosting into high jumps and attempting to stabilize in the air, with a limited amount of success - you can tell this isn't something she's used to, with the number of near-crash landings she's made. Still, she keeps at it, implacable frown firmly in place.
"Sabrina?" Mami drifts over. Somehow, she's completely mud-free, despite practicing her own techniques near you.
"I... guess I finally figured out how to do that hit-things-harder-than-it-should trick?" you say. "I mean, my hammer was always... weirdly light to me, but hit like you'd expect it to. But now I think I've managed to make it swing harder. It's just... a weird twist to the magic."
"Oh!" Mami frowns. "I didn't realise you didn't know that one, Sabrina, I'm sorry. You hardly use your hammer..."
"That's probably why you didn't realise," you say with a smile. "I'm not a melee specialist - I kind of discovered this by accident while trying to, uh, steer my hammer remotely. I guess this might be a first step?"
"Quite possibly!" Mami agrees, and flicks some mud off your shoulder. "You're all dirty now..."
You giggle, and start cleaning yourself off with Grief. "That's what happens when I overswing right into the mud."
"Well, be careful," Mami says. "That said, I think it's nearly time we should be going?"
"Probably," you say, and check your phone. "Definitely. Hey, everyone? Lunchtime!"
"Lunch!" Yuma cheers, pivoting on a foot to hurl one last cannonball in a manner vaguely reminiscent of a baseball throw. The projectile leaves her hand as a streak of emerald green, and you wince as it... well, cannonballs into a wrecked car.
Through the wrecked car.
Homura drops out of the air to land next to you, the motion almost catlike, and Kyouko releases the forest of spears to stroll over. She tries to make it nonchalant, but the occlusion of Grief in her Soul Gem gives lie to the casual effort she's trying to project.
"Cleansing time," you say. "Kyouko, I could just cleanse your Soul Gem directly?"
"Why?" she asks, already pulling a Grief Seed from her costume. "'s not like it's extra trouble for you, is it?" She switches her attention to Yuma. "You too, Yuma."
"Mmh!" Yuma says, obediently pulling out a Grief Seed of her own.
"Well... no, not really, but it'd be easier for you?" you say, cleansing Homura and Mami's Soul Gem with a wave of your hand.
"Do I look like I care?" Kyouko says, holding out the Grief Seed, as does Yuma.
"You're just stubborn," you say, rolling your eyes and cleansing the Grief Seed. Really, it's just an extra step, and she trusted you far enough to return to Mitakihara, didn't she? And you've been right so far.
"Do I look like I care?" Kyouko echoes, smirking at you and pulling out a package of Skittles. She rips it out with a crinkling of plastic, offering some to Yuma. "Now, we gonna get lunch or no?"
"Yup!" you say. "I have no idea where, though. Uhh. Mami?"
"Mm..." Mami hums thoughtfully. "There's a nice cafe near Shinmachi Mall we could look at?"
"Cafe food," Kyouko says, as if that's all the indictment she needs.
"They offered surprisingly generous portions, the last I saw," Mami says. "In any case, there are plenty of other options in the area if we decide not to look at it."
"Yeah, sure, whatever," Kyouko mutters half-heartedly. "You're paying anyway, right?"
"My treat," you say, smiling. "Courtesy of the Mop Fund!"
"Mop Fund?" Yuma asks.
"The Mop Fund!" you confirm. "Homura and I bravely raided the yakuza. And during the raid, what did we see but the finest katana?"
You regale your friends with the story as you head out, pulling out the katana itself for a prop, and you only embellish a little bit. There totally was a shrine and everything, you're not making that up! And even Kyouko seems amused with the story, though more with the idea of messing with the yakuza than anything else.
Homura pulls three umbrellas from her shield, tossing one to you as you leap across the rooftops and leave the junkyard behind.
"Thanks, Homura," you call. Just the one, because you and Mami can share! And while you were going to just use Grief to keep yourself dry, the streets below throng with umbrella and raincoat-clad pedestrians, Mitakihara bustling even under the downpour - you'd look odd without umbrellas of your own.
As you bound across the city, you can't help but think about Homura's shield. Oriented towards her wrist... but that's odd.
Your thoughts cut into clarity as you delve into your memories of times-that-weren't. Her shield reverses orientation every time she turns back the clock, you know that. In a terribly literal sense, she flips the hourglass of time, and sand flows in reverse once more. Towards her wrist, and away from her wrist.
The last loop -the loop you think of as the last one, where Madoka made the Wish- was one where the shield pointed towards her wrist. And here we are again: the 'next' time, and yet... the shield points the same way.
Something doesn't add up there.
That everything could be fixed, Madoka had Wished, and that's... something else that didn't add up. That's not the Wish she should have made.
Did Homura turn back the clock, or did Madoka?
Was there another loop in between, that's gone missing? How would that work, with Madoka still around?
Madoka Wished to fix everything, so... what had gone so terribly wrong?
Mami squeezes your arm, seeming to sense some of your thoughts. She gifts you with a warm smile, tucked snugly under the umbrella you're holding up for her and cuddling closing, hands locked lightly around your elbow.
You've hit upon something, you think. You're not quite sure what, but it's an important piece of the puzzle.
[X] Lunch!
[X] Meeting with your friends - Nagisa, too!
[] Try to get Kyouko to join you for shopping
- [] How? (Write-in)
[] During the shopping, pick up something specific (Write-in)
[] Specific conversation with... (Write-in topic!)
- [] Mami
- [] Homura
- [] Sayaka
- [] Madoka
- [] Hitomi
- [] Nagisa
Word count limit: 150 words
=====
The next post should take you through lunch, and halfway or so into the shopping trip, until.
Just, y'know, until. Generally speaking.
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- Location
- Not the asylum anymore
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Anyone else get a delayed alert for this update? As in, I got it only after I finished reading it.
Happy Walpurgisnacht! It's time for another Adfligo Report Update, this time starring the Sendai Group!
The New Leader of the Group, the Beleaguered Healer Mori Rin!
The Former Leader, the Jörmungandr, Hamasaki Akiko!
The Teleporter with a Twisted Tongue, Tachibana Sakura!
"Unit 00", the Force Field Fiend, Tanaka Tamiko!
The Gravity Guru, Minami Yumi!
Superb work with these, RSA! Thank you for the effort you've been putting into these.What's this? It seems the Touhoku University Group is upset that the Sendai Group got introduced first, and also that they keep getting called the "Touhou Girls"!
Well, there's only one way to address this problem, and that's with an Adfligo Report Update!
The Magnificent Butterfly, Tsubaki Chouko!
The Paper and Plant Pair, Suzuki Rei and Suzuki Haru!
And the Enigmatic and Elusive Umeko Yuko!
And for good measure, here's a group photo!
Added 'em to the index!
- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
Oh boy, shopping!
The main things we were planning on getting done:
• Buying a smartphone
• Opening a personal bank account
• Getting some formal clothes for the meeting with Hitomi's parents (and maybe the Tokyo trip?)
The main things we were planning on getting done:
• Buying a smartphone
• Opening a personal bank account
• Getting some formal clothes for the meeting with Hitomi's parents (and maybe the Tokyo trip?)
• Get Madoka to help Homura pick something
Beyond that, we're just here to have fun with our friends.
blast flame
How far will we go if it means lighting the way?
- Location
- Perth, Australia
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Getting Kyouko to come shopping is a bit pushy. She's done a bit of interacting with the rest of the group today, we should give her the opportunity to rest if she wants. Ask if she wants anything though.
- Location
- a Minecraft Rollercoaster
Wonderful update @Firnagzen!
So ideas for next time: have we tried enchanting the hammer with "Control"? Maybe something about secondary ballistic payload to be able to make right angle shots?
Also, on the topic of formal clothes, should we get a dress or a suit or some bizarre dress-suit hybrid? A dreuit? Suess? Given that the Pleiades Saints' fashion sense must have come from somewhere and the fence that happens to be Mitakihara high school, surely it must exist somewhere...
So ideas for next time: have we tried enchanting the hammer with "Control"? Maybe something about secondary ballistic payload to be able to make right angle shots?
Also, on the topic of formal clothes, should we get a dress or a suit or some bizarre dress-suit hybrid? A dreuit? Suess? Given that the Pleiades Saints' fashion sense must have come from somewhere and the fence that happens to be Mitakihara high school, surely it must exist somewhere...
Diomedea
A piece of the continent
- Location
- The interblag
- Pronouns
- She/Her
I'd recommend against a dress, it's a dressy sort of meeting but boiled down it's still a business meeting. We're already young to be talking business with adults from their perspective so we want to underline an impression of professionalism and seriousness with out coming off as a teenager cosplaying an adult by trying too hard (like with a full suit, I'd think).
My personal recommendations would be a smart blouse + skirt combo, or slacks, dress shirt and vest. Maybe subtle vertical pin-striping to add texture and emphasize her height (to subconsciously make her seem older and more mature to the Shizukis).
My personal recommendations would be a smart blouse + skirt combo, or slacks, dress shirt and vest. Maybe subtle vertical pin-striping to add texture and emphasize her height (to subconsciously make her seem older and more mature to the Shizukis).
Always Happening
We could have prevented this.
- Location
- On a train with no brakes
Isn't that a pantsuit? Also, on the one hand, Asunaro is the last place you go for fashion advice. On the other, MagiReco suggests that magical girls have a high proportion of chuunis and are prone to showing a lot of skin generally, so their fashion sense isn't quite as outlandish as we might've thought...
- Location
- Not the asylum anymore
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Would makeup help with the maturity angle? A few thousand pages back, someone posted Mami's MagiReco transformation and noted that she seemed older in her civvies; someone else pointed out her makeup and hairstyle helping that impression.
I wonder if we could do something like from Asuka Quest, and make rail-guided hammer launchers out of grief... Though we should never gonna fire those anywhere near a fraction of C
As for vlcreating the projectile hammers mid-combat, that can be partially bypassed by storing a dozen or so pre-made ones in our hammerspace.
As for vlcreating the projectile hammers mid-combat, that can be partially bypassed by storing a dozen or so pre-made ones in our hammerspace.
Has there been a lot of invisible text before? I think I only noticed it once early on.
Torgamous
Aspiring Gynoid
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[] Specific conversation with... (Write-in topic!)
- [] Madoka
-- [] Furniture. You make seats on the fly a lot and want to do your best!
- [] Madoka
-- [] Furniture. You make seats on the fly a lot and want to do your best!
It's gotten progressively more invisible over time. It's not really common, but it does pop up alongside Weird Stuff a lot.
Diomedea
A piece of the continent
- Location
- The interblag
- Pronouns
- She/Her
It absolutely would, though I'm not sure if we could get makeup for Sabrina's skin tone on short notice. Also, if we do go the skirt route, stockings are a must from what I understand of Japanese professional culture.
Raiseth
I Find Your Lack of Memes Disturbing
- Location
- Russia
I thought Kirika was the pirate?
I see.
- Location
- Not the asylum anymore
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Could always use grief as a substitute; light refraction for different colors.