Puella Magi Imperatrix Mundi, or: Wherein Half Of Japan Tries To Kill You

[redzonejoe]

Listen, there are two types of votes that I pride myself on creating on a semi-consistent basis. The first is Parody/Serious, where something funny or absurd actually works out given the context and approaches something that could be interpreted as a good idea; this is that. With the help of Echo providing inspiration, of course.

The other type of vote is the creative/complex. There is absolutely a large area of overlap between the two types of votes, but they're distinct enough to get seperate catagories. Creative non-humourous votes include punching Muhou, or our introduction to Koharu. Basically doing the unexpected, or approaching things with an unusual perspective.

Bland votes are bland and I try to avoid them even when they're objectively good, to the point where I'll abstain from voting or try to craft an unnecessary or unwanted alternative, like with this most recent vote.

Obviously, I don't hold a monopoly on good, creative, or absurd ideas. There is a larger than I'd like to admit chance that some of my ideas could even be considered bad. But there is no greater rush than looking at a situation, judging the existing plans lacking, and then doing something nobody would expect and making it work out.



In short, I regret nothing!

 

[Genial Precis]

It's too bad we don't have access to police and school records. At least we have a general area. We should have asked Muhou when and where she spawned, or where her first memories were. Might give us a clue.

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I confess I'm lying in wait for a situation where going full Bavarian Firedrill with Yui's authority magic would be useful. Walk into a police station, hoover up all the ambient authority and ask for the relevant records? Maybe if we get stuck on more direct leads, but I think those'll be fruitful.

Ideally, we can talk to Muhou and/or Kyoufu again later and perhaps get more answers, since we got off on the right foot with Muhou and Maiko is optimistic about doing something similar with Kyoufu.

Obviously, I don't hold a monopoly on good, creative, or absurd ideas. There is a larger than I'd like to admit chance that some of my ideas could even be considered bad. But there is no greater rush than looking at a situation, judging the existing plans lacking, and then doing something nobody would expect and making it work out.

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In general, my favorite type of joke is to either describe or create a situation in which something seemingly absurd is literally true or reasonable. To be delivered in a complete deadpan.

For instance, in order to make the most precise manual adjustments of a machine, I use either a hammer or a really big wrench.

So I understand and appreciate that approach.

 

[Echo]

Obviously, I don't hold a monopoly on good, creative, or absurd ideas. There is a larger than I'd like to admit chance that some of my ideas could even be considered bad. But there is no greater rush than looking at a situation, judging the existing plans lacking, and then doing something nobody would expect and making it work out.

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I have a vague sense that there have been a few times you've suggested things that would have not worked out very well if they'd won the vote, but that nevertheless would have plausibly made sense in Yui-logic.

And really, I think that says it all.

Ideally, we can talk to Muhou and/or Kyoufu again later and perhaps get more answers, since we got off on the right foot with Muhou and Maiko is optimistic about doing something similar with Kyoufu.

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It won't come up until the "newbie shakedown cruise" stuff is done, but Kyoufu did in fact call Maiko, who then proceeded to shamelessly hammer on the "Yui and I just want to talk but we're too scared of your aura to approach in person" button to reasonably good effect. Kyoufu was... not especially informative, beyond Maiko teasing out implicit evidence supporting the existing theories about the situation that made it slightly easier for her to do the grimoire search, but friendly-ish communication has been established.

 

[redzonejoe]

I have a vague sense that there have been a few times you've suggested things that would have not worked out very well if they'd won the vote,

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What? Preposterous! Lies and slander! Don't let anybody --Not the QM, not even me!-- tell you my votes are anything other than perfect at all times!

Just to better document this instance of defamation, (and also because I'm curious and willing to learn), would you provide evidence of this otherwise unsubstantiated claim?

 

[Echo]

What? Preposterous! Lies and slander! Don't let anybody --Not the QM, not even me!-- tell you my votes are anything other than perfect at all times!

Just to better document this instance of defamation, (and also because I'm curious and willing to learn), would you provide evidence of this otherwise unsubstantiated claim?

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I don't actually recall specifics, unfortunately; my memory for minutia is prodigious, yet still tragically finite. If I remember I'll let you know?

 

[Olivebirdy]

I confess I'm lying in wait for a situation where going full Bavarian Firedrill with Yui's authority magic would be useful. Walk into a police station, hoover up all the ambient authority and ask for the relevant records? Maybe if we get stuck on more direct leads, but I think those'll be fruitful.

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Oh, I absolutely want to do this!

I have a vague sense that there have been a few times you've suggested things that would have not worked out very well if they'd won the vote, but that nevertheless would have plausibly made sense in Yui-logic.

And really, I think that says it all.

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One of the reasons I'm looking forward to unlocking and piloting other characters is that I really want to see how you pilot Yui without us.

Speaking of, while Yui has social acumen that smooths out risky social votes, what sort of adjustments would other characters have? Maiko has Lore, Minami has Stalking, Asami has the exact opposite and actively tries to turn the most innocuous vote into a clusterfuck...

 

[Echo]

One of the reasons I'm looking forward to unlocking and piloting other characters is that I really want to see how you pilot Yui without us.

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...probably not that differently, to be honest? I mean, Yui had a defined personality from the beginning rather than being entirely shaped by the voters, though some parts have been played up vs. others since then.

Also, y'know, the non-write-in vote options. What I'd do next if this weren't a quest is pretty much always included in there.

Speaking of, while Yui has social acumen that smooths out risky social votes, what sort of adjustments would other characters have? Maiko has Lore, Minami has Stalking, Asami has the exact opposite and actively tries to turn the most innocuous vote into a clusterfuck...

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In very broad terms, Maiko and Minami would both get more in-narrative hints highlighting important details, and Maiko would get some social smoothing in the form of structured vote suggestions based on approaches that she's learned work well in situations she's familiar with, i.e., dealing with noobguca or hostile neighbors.

Asami would basically never have "roll dice to see if you can follow through on this idea" penalties and would do her best to follow any vote as written, even if it was something she usually wouldn't do.

 

[redzonejoe]

Asami sounds like my kinda PC.

 

[Olivebirdy]

...probably not that differently, to be honest? I mean, Yui had a defined personality from the beginning rather than being entirely shaped by the voters, though some parts have been played up vs. others since then.

Also, y'know, the non-write-in vote options. What I'd do next if this weren't a quest is pretty much always included in there.

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But you'd also have to try to make your own zany write-ins! Carefully consider all of Yui's options, then go for what you think the bandwagon would go for!

Also, seeing her from outside is different from seeing her from her own point of view. Probably be a lot more confusing.

Asami would basically never have "roll dice to see if you can follow through on this idea" penalties and would do her best to follow any vote as written, even if it was something she usually wouldn't do.

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That's a normal quest protagonist!

 

[redzonejoe]

Woah. Woahwoahwoah. Imagine you had like, a regular quest. Like this one, right?

Then, like this quest, you introduce a character change mechanic. That's totally not normal. That's an abnormal quest now. And in this quest, characters demonstrably act different depending on whether the quest controls them directly, right?

And then the big reveal. The shocking twist.

Spoiler: DANGER, NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART

We've been a normal quest all along, with just one viewpoint character, but we've been playing an abnormal premise. Instead of swapping between characters, we play a character with a subtle possession power, and we never even realize it. Instead, characters in-quest piece it together based on characters acting 'ooc', and suddenly the QM reveals the hidden layer of mechanics.

Thus revealed, everything changes. The characters try to expel you, to drive you away. You're aware of your own existence for the first time and now surrounded by enemies, your own host feeds you a paralysing blend of fear, anger and disgust (that or its the emo dolls aura, who knows). Can you befriend them, coordinate them, work as a force for good? Or will they fight you to the bitter end in a war for survival and free-will?

 

[Nevill]

Already the premise of a certain VN.

Except, of course, the only route where the characters (and the player through them) realize it is the one where they live long enough thanks to the player making the right decisions, so they part amicably.

 

[redzonejoe]

Already the premise of a certain VN.

Except, of course, the only route where the characters (and the player through them) realize it is the one where they live long enough thanks to the player making the right decisions, so they part amicably.

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There is nothing new under the sun

However, things can still be fresh even when not technically the first, and it can be handled in a unique way. I don't know of any VNs that allow write-ins

 

[Void spirit]

And then the big reveal. The shocking twist.

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And here I though of horror FPS which had mechanic to posses other characters as you die in first few minutes. But everyone knows from start.
Edit: actually there is one more FPS with MC secretly possessed, found at end, but plot is of terrible quality so who cares

... Wait... Two unrelated questions...
If girl lost body (too much damage or gem further then 100 metre from it), can it be attached to other body to control it?

And if we are possessing character, who switches POV not Yui...
What was power of previous holder of this city?
Turns out we are supposed to find own murderer, but host gets other ideas stealing it's attention from goal.
... and Maiko is in the know or suspects with how easily she lets newby Yui lead.
... ... .... ..... Nah...

 

[Aranfan]

Already the premise of a certain VN.

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Interesting, which vn?

 

[redzonejoe]

And here I though of horror FPS which had mechanic to posses other characters as you die in first few minutes. But everyone knows from start.

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Jericho? Wasn't sure if anybody has ever heard of it so I didn't mention it but yes, the comparison did cross my mind.

 

[Fake Sight]

Already the premise of a certain VN.

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Interesting, which vn?

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I wanna know too!

If girl lost body (too much damage or gem further then 100 metre from it), can it be attached to other body to control it?

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Also, wouldn't it depend on the other body? If it's a corpse then no problemo, but for a sapient existence there could be several factors, ranging from will to magical potential to friendship maybe

 

[Echo]

Oh, and if Kiyomi somehow ended up a perspective character, I'd probably just read the discussion, ignore the actual vote tally, and then wing it based on what I remember people talking about, including her rambling about any off-topic tangents.

That's a normal quest protagonist!

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Ok, well, hm.

• Does not comprehend the concept of "not having something to do"
• Excellent short-term planning skills, long-term plans fall apart unless she keeps lists and charts of all her responsibilities
• Builds influence by trying to solve other people's problems (even if they didn't ask for help)
• Has few actual friends on account of being bad at social
• Kinda self-centered
• Likes to quote Gurren Lagann

...yep, that checks out.

If girl lost body (too much damage or gem further then 100 metre from it), can it be attached to other body to control it?

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Also, wouldn't it depend on the other body? If it's a corpse then no problemo, but for a sapient existence there could be several factors, ranging from will to magical potential to friendship maybe

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Connecting a Soul Gem to a body other than its original one is 100% possible, which IIRC is actually setting canon from Urobutchi on Twitter or something? In any case, it's not only possible here but also something Yui is aware of being possible, as she asked about it for totally-pure-hearted-and-innocent reasons when Maiko was, IIRC, explaining the whole "limited-range connection to your body" thing. Maiko didn't elaborate, because she had a couple former teammates who were dating that occasionally swapped bodies and got flustered and giggly when asked why and Maiko really doesn't want to know the details about any of that stuff.

Two souls can't share a body under anything resembling normal circumstances1​, so generally speaking a Soul Gem won't do anything when in contact with a body that's alive. That said, it is possible to forcibly break the soul-body connection, so if you know how to do that and can do so while not connected to a body you could bodyjack another meguca. (Or a non-meguca, if you don't mind killing them in the process.)

Currently, there's exactly one meguca in the quest who can remain active as a disconnected Soul Gem and has the means to forcibly disconnect someone else, just like most other "can meguca do (insert weird esoteric thing here)" questions. There are... I think three2​ named characters theoretically capable of forcing a disconnect who don't (currently) have the ability to function as a disembodied Gem, though.

I'm also thinking that in general, by default a Soul Gem won't automatically and immediately connect to anything other than her original body because, magically speaking, there's really not much to distinguish a human corpse from any other arbitrary nonliving object. Maiko's old teammates switched bodies by holding each other's gems and walking away from each other with the intent of swapping, which worked because the last thing they were thinking before disconnection was "I want to connect to the body holding my Gem". There are probably multiple other ways to induce such a connection, but it's not immediately relevant and if it ever does become relevant I'll come up with some rules and claim that Maiko knew all along. The same applies to any other questions of the form "can a meguca use _____ as a body?", FYI.

1: Nothing in Kazumi Magica counts as "normal".
2: Well, more like "two and four quarters", heh.

 

[veekie]

Maiko didn't elaborate, because she had a couple former teammates who were dating that occasionally swapped bodies and got flustered and giggly when asked why and Maiko really doesn't want to know the details about any of that stuff.

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[Spontaneous Yui Combustion]

 

[Genial Precis]

Look, given Yumi's baseline "fun activity for a slow evening" of harassing bar-goers in the red light district, I can only imagine that body-swapping is not an uncommon boredom antic of veteran meguca groups with any degree of mutual trust. Depending on cultural background, of course.

I find the idea of playing shell games with meguca sort of hilarious. Also, it seems like a potentially relevant tactic for baiting an ambush. If you're scuffling with a neighbor group, and you've got a strong and a weak fighter, let them think they've caught the weak fighter out on her own, but in reality the strong fighter is borrowing her body, lying in ambush. I imagine the costume follows the soul, so it would only work as a disguise until she transformed, but that might be situationally useful.

I don't think Maiko could improve her costume at all by body-swapping, though; her own body is probably the most dignified complement to it.

2: Well, more like "two and four quarters", heh.

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(!)

Support for the four-part meguca theory as origin for the despair-outrage-whatever the other two were called set?

 

[Echo]

[Spontaneous Yui Combustion]

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Especially since she (correctly) anticipates that Minami is the kind of person who'd want to try switching bodies with someone just for the novelty value of the experience. Fortunately or unfortunately, they'd be far too embarrassed at the idea of swapping with each other to actually try it.

Look, given Yumi's baseline "fun activity for a slow evening" of harassing bar-goers in the red light district, I can only imagine that body-swapping is not an uncommon boredom antic of veteran meguca groups with any degree of mutual trust. Depending on cultural background, of course.

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Yes, with the caveat that the number of meguca who are both sufficiently comfortable with the whole lichbomb thing to consider the idea and have enough mutual trust to actually do it is... a rather small number.

I imagine the costume follows the soul, so it would only work as a disguise until she transformed, but that might be situationally useful.

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Yeah. Anything magical follows the Soul Gem, as do any purely neurological traits because the soul is a metaphysical representation of "what a brain does", give or take. Things that influence the mind but don't originate from it (e.g., blood sugar level, physical fatigue, various hormones) stay with the body, as you'd probably expect.

(!)

Support for the four-part meguca theory as origin for the despair-outrage-whatever the other two were called set?

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Based on the information Maiko found in her grimoire, she's nearly certain that all four are shards of a single person with essentially nothing left over. She's not sure whether the original girl's body died, was left comatose, disappeared via magic, or something else, just that whatever the case may be the girl probably isn't a functional person anymore.

It won't come up in-character until you're done with the newbies (unless you specifically want to ask Maiko about it sooner, I guess?) but yeah, I'm not gonna pretend that part is still a mystery.

That said, at this point you basically won't know anything else about the girl beyond "soul magic I guess?" and "four new friends for the price of one!", plus anything you can infer by assuming that Kyoufu and Muhou loosely represent facets of her personality rather than being completely new individuals (to what extent that's true is currently unclear, and it could be a bit of both).

 

[Fake Sight]

four new friends for the price of one

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Really I don't think we need to know more than this

 

[Nevill]

Interesting, which vn?

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I wanna know too!

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The name is under a spoiler, for obvious reasons of this being a major plot twist. It's a mystery/thriller which holds its cards close at chest; for the entire first route of the game you would only get small hints about what's actually happening, and the revelation happens towards the very end of the final route.

Spoiler

Nakazawa's novels and Infinity series in general (Never7, Ever17, Remember11) are known for toying with the idea of the player's involvement as a character in his own right, but the one I was talking about and the one that follows redzonejoe's premise almost word for word is the novel that isn't a part of Infinity. It's Root Double: Before Crime *After Days.

 

[redzonejoe]

The name is under a spoiler, for obvious reasons of this being a major plot twist

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Spoiler

I played and loved ever17 as one of my first ever VN. I was interested in the other 2, but never got around to it before losing access to a computer for like, 8 years now? God damn my life. Gib munies pl0x

The one you mentioned sounds pretty fun too, if only for being mentioned in the same breath as the others and the premise. Someday... Someday.

I guess I could just watch a play through on YouTube?

Based on the information Maiko found in her grimoire, she's nearly certain that all four are shards of a single person with essentially nothing left over. She's not sure whether the original girl's body died, was left comatose, disappeared via magic, or something else, just that whatever the case may be the girl probably isn't a functional person anymore.

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Oh hey, look at me anticipating things n' stuff.

---[] Leading theory is magical girl tore out parts of her soul the same way these living emotions tear the unfamiliars out of other people. None of it is intentionally malicious or harmful, but become so as an unintended consequence
---[] Alternatively, throw out the idea that there is no 'main' girl anymore, just a number of fragments who share an equal split of the soul

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[veekie]

Especially since she (correctly) anticipates that Minami is the kind of person who'd want to try switching bodies with someone just for the novelty value of the experience. Fortunately or unfortunately, they'd be far too embarrassed at the idea of swapping with each other to actually try it.

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Maiko's costume might look hilarious on Yui's body....

 

[Evilness42]

Maiko's costume might look hilarious on Yui's body....

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Maiko is all embarrassed about her costume normally, but when she swaps with Yui and sees Yui's costume on her body she has an identity crisis because she refuses to admit she likes her own better.