Well, that definitely could've gone better! We should've tried to follow up on that sensation we had with our staff, and we should try to do so tomorrow. For some reason, even though I knew there was more to our powers, it didn't occur to me that our current methods weren't sustainable. Getting in contact with others is a high priority as well - we need to try and shake ourselves off of Coobs before we face the consequences of relying on him for emotional support.
[X] Take the morning as an opportunity to recover and relax from the harrowing experience you went through.
-[X] When you feel a bit better, call back whoever called you.
[X] Check in about other Magical Girls again with Kyubey. Can he contact them for us yet?
-[X] If he still can't answer, try taking a walk around town to find secluded spots to train in. Try to have some fun, too. Maybe go out for ice cream to celebrate your new life as a Magical Girl?
[X] Reflect on your witch hunt yesterday.
-[X] When/if you find a good spot to train in, try to tune yourself into your powers. The magic in your staff seemed like it didn't want to come out in the form of your magic shots. Try to let the energy concentrate in the tip of the staff.
-[X] You wished to be useful and inspiring to others and give them hope. Focus on that wish and feel out how it manifests in your weapon and powers.
-[X] Think about the fact that you succeeded, even though you were scared and hurt. Even if it didn't go smoothly, yesterday was a victory and you should be proud of it.
I don't think I'm the best with general votes, so feel free to add to or critique this. The intent here is to figure out what's up with our powers, hopefully get some friends, get some more specific information about our family situation, and to relax and stabilize ourselves. Part of me wants to push the "how the heck can I just turn off pain?" button, but I really don't think it's a good idea to open the Lichbomb discussion right now.
Edit: Included our old friends alongside family. They might be able to give us some reassurance as well. Changed to include alterations from Maximum Power's suggestion. Also added a bit addressing the invisitext.
Getting in contact with others is a high priority as well - we need to try and shake ourselves off of Coobs before we face the consequences of relying on him for emotional support.
Just a reminder that her parents are overseas and will be video calling her after school on Monday and her older sister Itsumi is living on campus in Nagaoka University, she's gotta do all the chores herself!
Just like how it was with Mami, amirite? Seriously though, think about it.
Just a reminder that her parents are overseas and will be video calling her after school on Monday and her older sister Itsumi is living on campus in Nagaoka University, she's gotta do all the chores herself!
I think your vote is pretty good but I wanted to give it a minor alteration. I think Hinako needs to take it easy for a bit right now, considering the stress she's probably feeling. I was also going to change the walk part because of the QM's earlier comment about a lack of convenient warehouses in the city, but I figured that only means we'll get to have a (mostly) normal walk if we don't find anything.
[X] Take the morning as an opportunity to recover and relax from the harrowing experience you went through.
[X] Check in about other Magical Girls again with Kyubey. Can he contact them for us yet?
-[X] If he still can't answer, try taking a walk around town to find secluded spots to train in. Try to have some fun, too. Maybe go out for ice cream to celebrate your new life as a Magical Girl?
[X] Reflect on your witch hunt yesterday.
-[X] When/if you find a good spot to train in, try to tune yourself into your powers. The magic in your staff seemed like it didn't want to come out in the form of your magic shots. Try to let the energy concentrate in the tip of the staff.
-[X] You wished to be useful and inspiring to others and give them hope. Focus on that wish and feel out how it manifests in your weapon and powers.
-[X] Think about the fact that you succeeded, even though you were scared and hurt. Even if it didn't go smoothly, yesterday was a victory and you should be proud of it.
[X] Do you call back whoever tried calling you?
-[X] Yes.
Edit: Included a vote for the invisitext. Not sure if yes is what I should vote for, but my curiosity agrees with the choice so I decided to go for it.
Oh, I should probably mention that I updated the character sheet. As recompense for that trying Witch hunt, Hinako got a skill proficiency out of it due to her absurd Hail Mary rolls. Ain't that neat?
Oh, I should probably mention that I updated the character sheet. As recompense for that trying Witch hunt, Hinako got a skill proficiency out of it due to her absurd Hail Mary rolls. Ain't that neat?
Speaking of Witch hunts, are we going to have to worry about the classic "I wasn't looking for a witch, but since I noticed one I can't just let it hurt innocents" situation on our walk if we have one? Because with the rolls we've been getting, I think the odds of that happening are worryingly high...
I think your vote is pretty good but I wanted to give it a minor alteration. I think Hinako needs to take it easy for a bit right now, considering the stress she's probably feeling.
Speaking of Witch hunts, are we going to have to worry about the classic "I wasn't looking for a witch, but since I noticed one I can't just let it hurt innocents" situation on our walk if we have one? Because with the rolls we've been getting, I think the odds of that happening are worryingly high...
Oh shoot, good catch. I missed that. I'll edit my vote to see who it was and to call them back. I don't want it to go ignored. Once we calm down a bit, I think we could use some human interaction.
[X] Take the morning as an opportunity to recover and relax from the harrowing experience you went through.
-[X] When you feel a bit better, call back whoever called you.
[X] Check in about other Magical Girls again with Kyubey. Can he contact them for us yet?
-[X] If he still can't answer, try taking a walk around town to find secluded spots to train in. Try to have some fun, too. Maybe go out for ice cream to celebrate your new life as a Magical Girl?
[X] Reflect on your witch hunt yesterday.
-[X] When/if you find a good spot to train in, try to tune yourself into your powers. The magic in your staff seemed like it didn't want to come out in the form of your magic shots. Try to let the energy concentrate in the tip of the staff.
-[X] You wished to be useful and inspiring to others and give them hope. Focus on that wish and feel out how it manifests in your weapon and powers.
-[X] Think about the fact that you succeeded, even though you were scared and hurt. Even if it didn't go smoothly, yesterday was a victory and you should be proud of it.
WINNER
Oh look, a wild consensus of votes have appeared! I might as well make another chapter today, then.
Maximum's vote was basically identical to this one, except it was without the "call back when you're feeling better" clause. I can say right now that it doesn't really matter, and in fact it might be slightly better that Hinako gets her bearings first, so eh. On with the writing!
EDIT: ... Welp, someone's lucky today. The dice must really agree with the whole "get Hinako emotional support" angle.
EDIT2: Yeah, not gonna be able to finish the chapter today, too tired. I can say that it'll probably be one of the longer ones, and that I'll probably finish it early tomorrow when I wake up.
I noticed grief jumped from 300 to 1000 between killing the witch and using the grief seed. Is that from healing or emotional distress primarily or something else? I find it pretty interesting that that little span of time gave more than double The amount of grief fighting the Witch did.
I noticed grief jumped from 300 to 1000 between killing the witch and using the grief seed. Is that from healing or emotional distress primarily or something else? I find it pretty interesting that that little span of time gave more than double The amount of grief fighting the Witch did.
Mostly the healing. Healing's quite expensive when you don't have a Wish relating to it, and Hinako's wounds were a bit more severe than what you thought they were due to her completely turning off her sense of pain. Do remember that in the Kyoko v. Sayaka fight in canon that one of Kyoko's blows against Sayaka was supposed to take "months to recover from" (it was a physical blow into a wall, so probably some combination of bone shattering and spinal injury) after all, before Sayaka showcased her healing capabilities.
The only reason Hinako didn't generate more Grief during that fight is due to her lack of ways to use her magic. She was basically using the equivalent of cantrips against the Witch and it's familiars, really. Though then again, if she used more expensive abilities from the get-go she might not have needed to spend so much magic in the first place considering the Witch's difficulty level. 🤔
That said a ballpark cost list of effects on the character sheet may be useful for grief management.
Looking at the fight over again, she's actually got pretty good ways to fight efficiently, her lightsaber has a lot of penetration and damage potential...but its a skilled weapon thats being used by a girl who's mostly reflexively closing her eyes and flailing around, so she's getting hit badly.
Well, the effects Hinako currently knows how to use already have a cost attached to them in the character sheet, though that's not much at the moment. I'll probably come up with a better way to accurately depict her abilities in her character sheet in the future, though.
Once Hinako gets a handle on what it is her weapon actually does, then it'll be much easier to lay out it in the character sheet along with probable costs, I think.
Looking at the fight over again, she's actually got pretty good ways to fight efficiently, her lightsaber has a lot of penetration and damage potential...but its a skilled weapon thats being used by a girl who's mostly reflexively closing her eyes and flailing around, so she's getting hit badly.
Though yeah, you got it in one pretty much. Though her current attacks are seemingly really effective, she isn't getting any combat instincts to go with it unlike with other magical girls and their weapons.
On an unrelated note, the chapter may be a bit late today due to the fact that I'll be celebrating my birthday. Even still, the chance to release Chapter 7 on 7-7 is too much of an opportunity to pass up.
Well, Witches are Souls completely drowning in despair (aka anti-hope) and Familiars are pieces of that despair. Hinako basically Wished to be a Hope-Bringer, with at least part of her intent being specifically Anti-Witch.
So I'm not too surprised Hinako's attacks seem super-effective against Familiars and Witches. Hmm, is the reason her Bullets and Saber attacks don't seem "natural" is because she's trying to weaponize her power to inspire hope?
Does make me wonder if she could potentially, either solo or with a group, purify Witches. Like if a team can straight-up mass produce souls when none of their Wishes / Magic is soul-related, then surely a girl who Wished to create Hope would be the perfect centerpiece for a Witch Purification plan.
[X] Take the morning as an opportunity to recover and relax from the harrowing experience you went through.
-[X] When you feel a bit better, call back whoever called you.
[X] Check in about other Magical Girls again with Kyubey. Can he contact them for us yet?
-[X] If he still can't answer, try taking a walk around town to find secluded spots to train in. Try to have some fun, too. Maybe go out for ice cream to celebrate your new life as a Magical Girl?
[X] Reflect on your witch hunt yesterday.
-[X] When/if you find a good spot to train in, try to tune yourself into your powers. The magic in your staff seemed like it didn't want to come out in the form of your magic shots. Try to let the energy concentrate in the tip of the staff.
-[X] You wished to be useful and inspiring to others and give them hope. Focus on that wish and feel out how it manifests in your weapon and powers.
-[X] Think about the fact that you succeeded, even though you were scared and hurt. Even if it didn't go smoothly, yesterday was a victory and you should be proud of it.
Sunday, January 2nd 2011
"Mmmghnnngh"
You stir from your slumber as rays of light hit you from the morning sun. What time is it?
Blinking open your eyes, and then doing so many more times to try and rouse yourself, you reach out over to your bedside table with your free hand and grab onto your phone.
Bringing it up to eye level over your prone form and turning it on, you see that the time is "10:23 AM". Wow, you really overslept didn't you? And this is when you have school tomorrow as well!
You idly note that your phone is still lime green, and it still has a variety of cute stickers layered across it's form. You still remember when your sister won you that pack during a festival a couple years back.
"Nnnghmmmgh"
Yet another inspiring set of words, coming from yours truly. Please hold your applause.
You pet the stuffed animal that you were hugging to your chest a bit as you check your phone again. What's this, a few missed calls? And at around midnight to boot.
... Oh, they were from your sister, but then why was she calling you that late in the first place? She knows that you're usually asleep by then. She didn't leave any voicemails either.
The stuffed animal that you're petting with your hand starts to nustle it's head into the pats. That's neat.
...
Wait a moment... You look down and spot a contented looking bunny-cat creature seemingly enjoying the affection you're giving it.
And then suddenly, the events of last night come crashing down on you like a waterfall. It almost seems like it was just a bad dream, to be honest. Some parts are a bit hazy, but you know what happened. And you know how you nearly failed on your first outing as a magical girl.
You stop what you were doing, drawing the attention of Kyubey.
"S-sorry Kyubey! I didn't realize... you were supposed to be busy, right?"
Kyubey resumes his typical look, tail swaying behind him, before stretching his limbs and jumping off of you and onto the now empty bedside table. Repositioning himself, he looks at you with his gleaming red eyes.
It's quite alright! I always have time to help a new contractee in their time of need.
T-that's just like Kyubey, isn't it? If there's one good thing that becoming a magical girl has brought, it's that you have Kyubey looking out for you. It helps that he genuinely needs your help, that's a nice change.
Dragging yourself out of bed, you take this chance to examine yourself in your mirror. It's quite eerie actually, just how healthy you look. There's no evidence of last night's injuries whatsoever.
Thinking back on your Witch hunt yesterday, you thank your past self for somehow figuring out how to shut off your pain, otherwise you're sure that the somewhat sleep-deprived memories would be much more harrowing. Oh, you're not kidding yourself, seeing that much blood outside of your body was a horrific sight to witness, however the fight itself just seems like it had happened so quickly.
Another good thing discovered by becoming a magical girl is your talent in sword throwing, apparently. Heck, you were more accurate with throwing swords than you were with shooting magical energy ball thingies. Neat. Weird, but neat.
... Ultimately, despite almost failing, you won... right? You reach into your pajama pants pull out the Birdcage Witch's Grief Seed, which was in a separate pocket than your Soul Gem. You can't recall putting these things in your pockets, but somehow you could remember they were in there.
Just how many people did you save but doing what you did and taking out that Witch? Kyubey said that Witches could spread by their familiars eating enough people, so just how many potential lives had you saved just by slaying this one Witch? A feeling that you don't quite know how to describe wells up inside of you. Oh wait, is this... pride?
Shaking your head, you set the Grief Seed on your desk and take out your Soul Gem. It's clear, much like it was when you'd first gotten it.
[Soul Gem: 14/1750]
You know... you could always turn your Soul Gem into its ring form! calls out Kyubey telepathically to you. It'll be much more convenient for you to carry it around that way without it getting lost. All you have to do is focus!
"Oh!"
Following Kyubey's instructions, your Soul Gem glows before coalescing into a silver ring around your left hand's middle finger. It's inscribed with strange, unintelligible runes that seems to be spelling out something. On your middle finger's nail lies the symbol of your magic, a green sunburst. How cute!
To be honest, you couldn't imagine parting from your Soul Gem now that you have it, and this makes it all the more easier for you to keep it close to you.
As you start gathering your things together to get ready for the day, you're reminded of Kyubey who's still in the room.
"No boys allowed, Kyubey!" you chide him as he continues to stare at you.
Kyubey tilts his head to the side in apparent confusion.
Hm? But I'm not a boy.
... What.
... No seriously, there's no way that Kyubey could be a...
"Y-you're a girl?!"
Of course not.
... What.
"Um, Kyubey, what are you then?"
... If you're referring to your species' dioecy nature, then no, I am none of those things. My race doesn't possess such a concept!
... Oh. Not that you know what "dioecy" means, but oh. Still...
"Er, uh, Kyubey, even still, I'd prefer to get ready without anybody watching, y'know?"
As Kyubey contemplates this, you go over and scoop him up, open your bedroom door, and safely deposit him onto the floor outside of your bedroom before shutting it closed.
I don't understand.
Nope, not dealing with anything complicated or new right in the morning. You're just going to enjoy your shower, get dressed, and relax a little. And so you do.
The shower is heavenly after last night's events, healing or no healing. You left your Soul Gem in its egg form outside the shower while your were showering of course! After that, you got out and dried yourself off, you got dressed in a simple long-sleeved blouse and knee-length skirt, a light green and grey respectively. It is still winter after all, even if it won't be especially cold out today.
You switch your Soul Gem into ring form and head out into the living room smelling of lavender. You see Kyubey sitting on the couch not doing anything in particular, waiting on you.
... It's just about 11 AM now, so it might be wise to just go out and have lunch a bit later. Maybe you could get something while you're out exploring the city? For now, you're just going to relax with Kyubey and watch some television.
Sitting down on the other side of the couch, you begin flipping through channels trying to find something to watch. While you're doing this, you briefly look towards Kyubey.
"Um, Kyubey? Would you try and get into contact with any nearby friendly magical girls like yesterday? I-I'd really like to meet them! If any of them are willing to show me the ropes, then maybe we could hang out in town together? Maybe around noon-ish, or one?"
You do still need to familiarize yourself with everything in this new city, after all. This ain't Nagaoka, that's for certain.
Of course! I'll check in just a moment! Magical Girl Luck Roll: 93
While Kyubey's checking... however which way he does, you settle on an old episode from some seasonal slice of life anime that's currently broadcasting.
After a few minutes or so, Kyubey perks up.
I spoke with one of the local magical girls and she said she'd be willing to meet up with you around one! She's wondering where you should meet, what should I tell her?
"O-oh! That's great, Kyubey! Could you ask her if she'd be fine meeting up at that new fast food place for lunch, m-my treat if she's willing!" You get a healthy stipend from your parents due to their frequent travel, so treating another magical girl shouldn't be a problem.
Kyubey quiets down for a few, before speaking up again.
Alright, I relayed that to her. She seems to be fine with it, though she was acting a bit strange at the time. How odd.
You shrug. If Kyubey's previously reaction to social norms was of any indicator, then maybe he was just misinterpreting something over on her end.
Well, on the upside, you get to meet your magical girl senpai! On the downside, you get to meet your magical girl senpai. What if she asks about your Witch hunting experience, like your Witch hunt from last night? Flaming birds rake across your form as you cry out in pain.
Hands shaking slightly, you sink back into the couch and just try to keep your mind off of such things and immerse yourself in the world of sunshines and rainbows that is slice of life.
After you've relaxed for around an hour or so, you decide to call back your sister. You think your in a better headspace now, and to be honest all of last night feels more like a bad dream to you what with the lack of sleep, pain turned off, and general weirdness of the Witch's Labyrinth. You turn off the TV, open up your missed calls on your phone, and try calling her back.
*ring* *ring*
*ring* *ring*
*ring* *ri-* And your sister's phone picks up.
"Rrrrruri Itsuki's phone, how may I take your call?" starts a playful - yet decidedly not your sister's - voice.
... Maybe it's her roommate or something? You're not exactly sure about her housing arrangements on campus, so you couldn't say. You can hear some faint noises in the background, probably just the goings on from wherever your sister and her phone are.
"U-um, this is her sister, Ruri Hinako. Could you please pass the phone to Onee-chan?"
A pause occurs over on their end, though you hear the muffling of the speaker and faint footsteps on hard floor. "Suki-chan, you didn't tell me your little sister was this cute! She even still calls you 'Onee-chan'! She's nothing like-"
"... Hello?" you try again. "Tsubaki, give me my phone back!" whines another voice.
A thump echoes off of something over on their end, and the phone crackles a bit before the sound evens out.
"Sorry about that Hinako! So what did you need?" responds your sister. Her voice is laden with obvious concern while being a bit strained, you note.
"Oh, um, I was just calling back after you called me last night... around midnight, I think? Was there anything you needed, Onee-chan?" A faint *squee* echoes in the background before it's interrupted by another light thump.
A few seconds pass.
"A-ah, yeah, about that. I realized that I forgot to check in with you after you got out of the hospital, and it happened to be late and I didn't realize the time. How are you doing? Is everything alright over there? Did you move into the new house okay?"
And there's your worrywort of a sister, doing what she does best. You have no delusions that she wouldn't drop everything and take a train to Urahama if she felt you needed her help.
"Oh, so that was what that was about! Um, I got discharged okay, and I got all my things set up in my new room. I still have to decorate it, though! Hm, things have been... eventful, but I think I'm okay. Mama and Papa are still in the U.K., so I guess things have been sort of lonely over here." Wait wait wait, you shouldn't have said-
"I'm coming over right now!"
-that. You sigh and palm your face with your free hand. Kyubey peers at you curiously as you do this.
"I-it's alright, Onee-chan! You don't have to do that, and I'm going to be starting school tomorrow anyways. I'm actually meeting with someone later today while I explore the city, so there's no need for you to drop everything to come here!" "Suki-chaaan, give me your imouto! I want to be called 'Onee-chan' too!"
Another pause permeates the conversation. A muffling sounds out from the speaker again. "What? No way, she's my imouto, get your own!"
"Hinakoooo, I can't believe you forgot to tell your beloved Onee-chan that you're going on a date! Who's the lucky guy?"
Your cheeks flush a bit as your sister acts like her usual self. You love her to bits, but sometimes she just likes teasing you.
"I-it's not a date, I promise! Besides, she's another girl!"
"... Who's the lucky girl?" You can just hear the smugness coming from your sister's voice.
You groan audibly into your phone while your sister cackles with laughter, joined by another fainter one in the background.
"I kid, I kid! Seriously though, I hope you can make some new friends in Urahama! I'm guessing this girl is going to be one of your classmates when you go back to school?"
Uhhh, you probably should have thought this through a bit more, now that you think about it. You don't even know this magical girl's name yet!
"E-er, yeah! We kind of bumped into each other the other day and she offered to show me around the city since I just moved here recently." Yeah, let's go with that. "Hey, let me talk to your imouto, pleeease?
"So where'd you run into her? It's pretty nice of her to show you around the city after just meeting you for the first time!" "Shush, the grown-ups are talking."
Agh, more lies to add to the pile you guess. You hate lying to your sister like this, but how exactly do your explain to her that you're real answer is "because magic"? ... Maybe you could explain things to your sister properly next time she visits where you could properly showcase it to her, if Kyubey's okay with it?
"I-I met her at that new fast food place that opened up nearby... Gauche Burger I think it was called?"
Hopefully that works well enough, and you're barely even lying since you'll be meeting her at Gauche Burger anyways, just today instead of yesterday!
"Ooooh, I've heard of that place! We have a couple here near the university, though I haven't had the chance to go. I wonder if it's any better than McRonalds..."
Good, she's sufficiently distracted. Time to make your escape!
"Yeah, so anyway, good to know that you didn't need anything in particular and all, and I better go so that I could do that thing we spoke about, so bye-bye!" "Aww, I wanted to talk to the little Ruri!"
"Wait a sec, Hina. Before you go, I just want to make sure that you know that you can call me if you ever get into any trouble. You know that, right?"
You sigh. Your sister should already know the answer to this by now, surely?
"Of course, Onee-chan! I'll call you if I ever need your help, don't you worry."
She can be such a worrywort at times, but that's her job as your older sister you suppose.
"... Alright, as long as you know. See ya, Hinako! I'll call back soon!"
The call clicks off. With another sigh, you turn your phone off and pocket it, yet you can't stop the smile that creeps onto your face after talking with your sister for a bit. You feel much better after that call.
When you go out, how do you keep your Soul Gem?
[ ] In its ring form; it's much more convenient to carry around this way!
[ ] In its egg form; it'll be much more difficult for others to figure out you're a magical girl this way!
-[X] If he still can't answer, try taking a walk around town to find secluded spots to train in. Try to have some fun, too. Maybe go out for ice cream to celebrate your new life as a Magical Girl?
[X] Reflect on your witch hunt yesterday.
-[X] When/if you find a good spot to train in, try to tune yourself into your powers. The magic in your staff seemed like it didn't want to come out in the form of your magic shots. Try to let the energy concentrate in the tip of the staff.
-[X] You wished to be useful and inspiring to others and give them hope. Focus on that wish and feel out how it manifests in your weapon and powers.
So yeah, chapter was getting a bit long, so I'm splitting it up here. Just a simple vote here before I get a start on the next chapter. Hinako got some hints towards Kyubey's more alien nature in this chapter, so that's a thing.
Also this chapter - Chapter 7 - came out on 7-7. Ain't that neat?
T-that's just like Kyubey, isn't it? If there's one good thing that becoming a magical girl has brought, it's that you have Kyubey looking out for you. It helps that he genuinely needs your help, that's a nice change.
Well... I guess that's... technically true? In the most horrific sense possible? Anyway, vots.
[X] In its egg form; it'll be much more difficult for others to figure out you're a magical girl this way!
There's a chance we lose our phylactery easier this way, but that small chance of danger is less than the greater danger of less friendly meguca figuring out we exist.
