Subsumption (PMMM Faux-Quest) (Witch MC)
Now that you bring attention to it, I do believe that Ashtaroth's waist-to-hips ratio is considerably more extreme and sudden than Candeloro's.
They are non existent literally.
- Location
- Somewhere up the tree
She's She's dangerous, jus dangerously lonely. And liable to snap if she thinks you're trying to abandon her. Maybe we could. I don't know. Explain to her that we arent trying to leave her all alone or abandon her?
She just wants friends. That's far from evil. Even if she's lost her memory, she's still Mami. Still their friend
She just wants friends. That's far from evil. Even if she's lost her memory, she's still Mami. Still their friend
We could buy her enough plush animals to Scrooge McDuck through... and cats.
- Location
- Massachusetts
- Pronouns
- She/Her
just get her cheshire from headpats
Nottheunmaker
Altman be praised
- Location
- USG Ishimura
I just want to take a moment to say thanks to @Flairina for keeping this story going during these trying times. 2020 has been the worst kind of insane and stressful since the year started, and with these lockdowns all over the world everyone is feeling it. To see people like her and other fanfic writers that continue to produce content for others to enjoy at no certain profit to themselves is admirable in ways that might go unappreciated.
So thank you. Thank for writing this amazing and interesting story. Ashtaroth is such a great perspective character, from her occasional, slightly inhuman thought process to her dry sense of humor to hearing her gush about the environments and world around her. Giving Sayaka a chance to shine here is something I personally greatly enjoy, as I love the character so much. Just giving her a chance to deal with the truth of this magic girl system and come out stronger for it. Tira is so far a great addition to the cast, and I look forward to seeing whatever dynamic grows between these three. You've done a great job with pretty much every character really, and that's before we get into the story itself. It's so interesting, being with this Witch that can consume other witches and magic girls, but chooses to try avoiding it because she has other priorities. Seeing her not mindlessly grab for power like so many other characters with a similar ability do is hugely refreshing on its own. I love seeing these other barriers become fused, seeing how the mix and interact, as well as their familiar inhabitants doing the same.
Every chapter is a treat, every update of excellent quality with intresting tidbits to really sink my teeth into. Thursday has become my favorite day, just because that's when you usually update. I'm not sure I can ever express how much this story means to me, and I hope to other readers as well. Just thank you, thank you so much. Please, stay healthy, stay safe, and keep writing.
So thank you. Thank for writing this amazing and interesting story. Ashtaroth is such a great perspective character, from her occasional, slightly inhuman thought process to her dry sense of humor to hearing her gush about the environments and world around her. Giving Sayaka a chance to shine here is something I personally greatly enjoy, as I love the character so much. Just giving her a chance to deal with the truth of this magic girl system and come out stronger for it. Tira is so far a great addition to the cast, and I look forward to seeing whatever dynamic grows between these three. You've done a great job with pretty much every character really, and that's before we get into the story itself. It's so interesting, being with this Witch that can consume other witches and magic girls, but chooses to try avoiding it because she has other priorities. Seeing her not mindlessly grab for power like so many other characters with a similar ability do is hugely refreshing on its own. I love seeing these other barriers become fused, seeing how the mix and interact, as well as their familiar inhabitants doing the same.
Every chapter is a treat, every update of excellent quality with intresting tidbits to really sink my teeth into. Thursday has become my favorite day, just because that's when you usually update. I'm not sure I can ever express how much this story means to me, and I hope to other readers as well. Just thank you, thank you so much. Please, stay healthy, stay safe, and keep writing.
I have to agree with Nottheunmaker. @Flairina Thank you for keeping this story going even with the craziness that's going on.
Well, Ashy has an, admittedly fragmented, Novella entry about Charlotte. It does mention cheese a few times and there is enough info to guess how much Charlotte loves cheese.
Charlotte was pretty indifferent about everything, except for Sayaka. I'm still not sure why.
Ehhhh, I don't think most veteran magical girls could one-shot him. Sure, Homura can but she can one-shot most Witches in Canon.
It could also be a very realistic picture. No way to find out, other than if Sayaka and Tira try to leave through the window.
I guess you could write an omake about some magical girl from Kazamino getting a tour of Ashys Barrier. Or maybe someone stumbling into it and getting lost?
I'm still for trying to communicate with witch runes. If that doesn't work, we could try dropping Charlotte on her and hope Candeloro and her Familiars will be too busy getting more food, to realize Sayaka and Tira left.
She's heard that story before. From Tira, even.
There is a mention of her in some story notes and a facebook page on it. Here's a summary of her story on Reddit post I found a while back.
Thaaaaat's depressing. Hopefully, that only happens in one timeline and is not how things usually go. Otherwise, we have to assume Kyubey dumps all Grief Seeds from that area in Mitakihara/Kazamino.
Omake: Lost in the Night
Farseer Sen'Zabl
Accolyte of 'Common Sense'
- Location
- Dome of Crystal Seers, Ulthwe
I see your challenge; Behold my answer!
Well I hope this helps brighten your day a bit.
-----
Lost in the Night
The moon lazily sailed high up above the city, like a great pearl in the sky its glow bathed the lands below in its dim, pale light. The stars glimmered in their midnight-blue canvas dangling up over the proverbial reach.
Polaris as ever stood its Eternal vigil; guiding all who seek the north with utmost dutifulness as it had in many eons past and would for countless eons to come. A brilliant Green-purple streak of lights Illuminated the horizon, completing a picture that any serious artist would sell their soul to even have the chance to put in paint.
Truly, the nights over Mitakihara were beautiful.
Unfortunately, they were also pretty damn dark when you were hiding up in the sky.
And indeed, hiding up in the skies lurked the Dread-Mistress herself; The Subsumer of Hope, The Corruptor of Magi and sole master of the Eldritch Danse Macarena-
<Do you have any threes?>
"Nope. Go fish."
Card games on the other hand, were not her speciality.
A fact further illustrated by her latest attempt to retrieve a card from the deck without scattering it across the floor.
<Oops… Tira, would you mind?>
Needless to say given how hard it is to handle even something the size of a teenage girl with them, giant ribbons all aren't that good at precisely handling paper thin playing cards.
With a sigh, the long-suffering Tira placed down her hand of cards and set about collecting and restacking the cards for what had to be the hundred-and-seventh time by her count, Grumbling only mildly about the evident lack of finesse demonstrated by the witch's ribbons.
"Maybe the next game we play needs less small objects, Eh Ash-tarot?" Sayaka chuckled, once more butchering her masters name.
<Ashtaroth> The witch corrected.
"Ash-ah-broth?" the girl tried again.
<Ash-ta-roth> the giant book supplied once more.
"Ahss-ina-loft?" the bluette offered. Totally not just messing with the one who had ruined her Magical Girl career within the *HOUR* it had started.
<Ash->
"Ahem" Tira interjected, ending the pointless exchange and slapping a card down into the sheepishly waiting giant ribbon before turning to the bluette. "Sayaka, would you happen to have any queens?"
"Gah!" the girl replied, begrudgingly handing over a pair of cards to the smug magician who wasted no time place down another set of four cards in front of herself. "How are you so good at this?"
"A good magician will never reveal her secrets." The lady in question riposted, earning a few irritated gesticulations from the Miki, before a begrudgingly accepting sigh.
"Yo, Ash-da-goth, ya got any aces?"
<Ash-ta-roth. Go fish>
Sayaka simply shrugged and drew herself a new card, leaving Ashtaroth to take her turn.
<Sayaka, do you have any sevens?> the witch demanded of her subordinate.
"Pfffft- Go fish!" Came her reply amidst barely surprised laughter. "Good luck!"
Slowly…
SLOWLY…
Ever so slowly the giant ribbon reached down towards the pile of cards, inch by inch, it crept closer. Tira covered her eyes, unwilling to watch her work once more being undone once more.
Slowly… millimetre by millimetre…
"QUICK! DON'T MESS UP!" Sayaka yelled, a particularly trollish grin on her face. Earning disparaging looks from both Tira, and an Ashtaroth who had just narrowly avoided scattering the cards again in surprise.
Carefully, the two tips of the ribbon came together and drew back, a single card perfectly grasped between them, the deck undisturbed.
"Yes!" Tira cheered in jubilation, not having to restack the deck for the first-
The witch's giant ribbon suddenly seized up and jerked, scattering the pile to the four winds.
"Bu-bu-but-wha-" The elegant magician stuttered in dismay.
<Magical Girl in the barrier!> the witch mind-yelled at them both, launch up into the air as she quickly summoned a cloud of shatterwords. <How? We're like, thirty-thousand feet in the air! HOW!?!?>
Shemesh abruptly burst into the innermost layer of the barrier, making a sound more akin to a cymbal than his usual gonging and hastily deposited a teenage girl on Tome, before dashing back out with indecent haste.
<Really… this again?> the witch mind-muttered to herself as she looked down at the terrified girl, her brown eyes darting-
Once more Shemesh returned, making the rushed gonging noise and dumping two more girls down and speeding away.
<But wha->
Enter Shemesh, carrying six more gir- wait, no five girls; that one was an effeminate boy. Dumping them, and flying off again.
<Girls! A little help?> Ashtaroth demanded, to which her two pet Magical Girls responded to by leaping up onto tome and setting about calming-
Shemesh! Fast gong! More girls! Rapid exit!
"What is going on out there?" Tira yelled over the panicking teens "Where are they all coming from?"
The white void rippled and twisted open again, showing the outer barrier-
"Is that a Passenger jet!?!?" Sayaka yelled in disbelief whilst simultaneously pulling one of the teens away from tome's edge.
<How the hell did that get here!?>
---
It was utter pandemonium in the jet.
Everyone was screaming, the crew were vainly attempting to maintain order, and the seemingly mandatory baby was crying as loudly as ever. Of course, having your plane sucked into a reality tumour, subject to an unplanned (but perfectly executed) landing, and then having some giant rock-thing show up, crudely transforming the plane's roof into a skylight and start randomly grabbing people was probably pretty good justification for a crying fit.
Even a few of the adult passengers seemed to agree.
One particular girl on the other hand, was probably the calmest person on the plane. Then again, she was the only person asleep on the plane after the crash owing to the aid of an eye-mask, some ear plugs, and a few sleeping pills she had taken purely so she wouldn't have to deal with the usual tedium of long flights.
As such, she didn't notice the panic, nor the sound of metal tearing like paper as the planetoid once more returned to fetch its confusing mistress her favoured prey, nor did she notice, snuggled deep within her blankets and reclined to the utmost angle the chair could achieve, that her amber-gemmed magic ring was doing its level-best imitation of a strobe-light.
Even as the panicked screams reached a crescendo in response to the fast-approaching kaiju sized book-monster-thing, the most that the Magical girl did was roll over and pull her blanket tighter around herself.
Truly, the hero the people needed.
---
A few days later, after a box trap proves itself more devious than first imagined…
---
"Wait… you mean you guys are why that plane vanished and all of its passengers randomly showed up in the middle of the local stadium?" The red-haired spear wielder and one of the two newest residents of the barrier declared in disbelief.
"Eyup" Sayaka replied, sounding none too proud of that. "can we get on with the tour-"
"Seriously? Booky just let 'em go like that?".
"Yeah, she's not too bad, you know, once you get past the whole 'being made of pure despair' thing" the girl grudgingly admitted.
"Save it kid, I already joined the club for the free magic and cake. Ya don't need to keep tryin' to sell me your newsletter." Kyoko replied with her usual level of tact. "So how'd you get 'em to leave in the end?"
"Well, Ahs-za-cough pretty much just witch-kissed the lot of them and marched them out the barrier with their luggage once we were back on the ground. So, hey! Now we have our own private jetliner!" Sayaka chuckled
"Of course, there were… unanticipated side effects" Tira interjected for the first time in that particular discussion. "which all too naturally occupied the front page of the various local newspapers.
"Yeah" Sayaka sighed "Guess not even the incubators could hide a few hundred people suddenly disappearing and reappearing an hour later… and, uh; dancing"
"Asha- Asheh… Ashy? Yuma has a question" the young limette chipped in. "What is a Macarena?"
<Well, it's a kind of dan->
"And if you can see through our eyes, how were you losing at go fish?"
The Witch of Subsumption had no answer to that, save perhaps to rest her not-face in her ribbon.
-----
Lost in the Night
The moon lazily sailed high up above the city, like a great pearl in the sky its glow bathed the lands below in its dim, pale light. The stars glimmered in their midnight-blue canvas dangling up over the proverbial reach.
Polaris as ever stood its Eternal vigil; guiding all who seek the north with utmost dutifulness as it had in many eons past and would for countless eons to come. A brilliant Green-purple streak of lights Illuminated the horizon, completing a picture that any serious artist would sell their soul to even have the chance to put in paint.
Truly, the nights over Mitakihara were beautiful.
Unfortunately, they were also pretty damn dark when you were hiding up in the sky.
And indeed, hiding up in the skies lurked the Dread-Mistress herself; The Subsumer of Hope, The Corruptor of Magi and sole master of the Eldritch Danse Macarena-
<Do you have any threes?>
"Nope. Go fish."
Card games on the other hand, were not her speciality.
A fact further illustrated by her latest attempt to retrieve a card from the deck without scattering it across the floor.
<Oops… Tira, would you mind?>
Needless to say given how hard it is to handle even something the size of a teenage girl with them, giant ribbons all aren't that good at precisely handling paper thin playing cards.
With a sigh, the long-suffering Tira placed down her hand of cards and set about collecting and restacking the cards for what had to be the hundred-and-seventh time by her count, Grumbling only mildly about the evident lack of finesse demonstrated by the witch's ribbons.
"Maybe the next game we play needs less small objects, Eh Ash-tarot?" Sayaka chuckled, once more butchering her masters name.
<Ashtaroth> The witch corrected.
"Ash-ah-broth?" the girl tried again.
<Ash-ta-roth> the giant book supplied once more.
"Ahss-ina-loft?" the bluette offered. Totally not just messing with the one who had ruined her Magical Girl career within the *HOUR* it had started.
<Ash->
"Ahem" Tira interjected, ending the pointless exchange and slapping a card down into the sheepishly waiting giant ribbon before turning to the bluette. "Sayaka, would you happen to have any queens?"
"Gah!" the girl replied, begrudgingly handing over a pair of cards to the smug magician who wasted no time place down another set of four cards in front of herself. "How are you so good at this?"
"A good magician will never reveal her secrets." The lady in question riposted, earning a few irritated gesticulations from the Miki, before a begrudgingly accepting sigh.
"Yo, Ash-da-goth, ya got any aces?"
<Ash-ta-roth. Go fish>
Sayaka simply shrugged and drew herself a new card, leaving Ashtaroth to take her turn.
<Sayaka, do you have any sevens?> the witch demanded of her subordinate.
"Pfffft- Go fish!" Came her reply amidst barely surprised laughter. "Good luck!"
Slowly…
SLOWLY…
Ever so slowly the giant ribbon reached down towards the pile of cards, inch by inch, it crept closer. Tira covered her eyes, unwilling to watch her work once more being undone once more.
Slowly… millimetre by millimetre…
"QUICK! DON'T MESS UP!" Sayaka yelled, a particularly trollish grin on her face. Earning disparaging looks from both Tira, and an Ashtaroth who had just narrowly avoided scattering the cards again in surprise.
Carefully, the two tips of the ribbon came together and drew back, a single card perfectly grasped between them, the deck undisturbed.
"Yes!" Tira cheered in jubilation, not having to restack the deck for the first-
The witch's giant ribbon suddenly seized up and jerked, scattering the pile to the four winds.
"Bu-bu-but-wha-" The elegant magician stuttered in dismay.
<Magical Girl in the barrier!> the witch mind-yelled at them both, launch up into the air as she quickly summoned a cloud of shatterwords. <How? We're like, thirty-thousand feet in the air! HOW!?!?>
Shemesh abruptly burst into the innermost layer of the barrier, making a sound more akin to a cymbal than his usual gonging and hastily deposited a teenage girl on Tome, before dashing back out with indecent haste.
<Really… this again?> the witch mind-muttered to herself as she looked down at the terrified girl, her brown eyes darting-
Once more Shemesh returned, making the rushed gonging noise and dumping two more girls down and speeding away.
<But wha->
Enter Shemesh, carrying six more gir- wait, no five girls; that one was an effeminate boy. Dumping them, and flying off again.
<Girls! A little help?> Ashtaroth demanded, to which her two pet Magical Girls responded to by leaping up onto tome and setting about calming-
Shemesh! Fast gong! More girls! Rapid exit!
"What is going on out there?" Tira yelled over the panicking teens "Where are they all coming from?"
The white void rippled and twisted open again, showing the outer barrier-
"Is that a Passenger jet!?!?" Sayaka yelled in disbelief whilst simultaneously pulling one of the teens away from tome's edge.
<How the hell did that get here!?>
---
It was utter pandemonium in the jet.
Everyone was screaming, the crew were vainly attempting to maintain order, and the seemingly mandatory baby was crying as loudly as ever. Of course, having your plane sucked into a reality tumour, subject to an unplanned (but perfectly executed) landing, and then having some giant rock-thing show up, crudely transforming the plane's roof into a skylight and start randomly grabbing people was probably pretty good justification for a crying fit.
Even a few of the adult passengers seemed to agree.
One particular girl on the other hand, was probably the calmest person on the plane. Then again, she was the only person asleep on the plane after the crash owing to the aid of an eye-mask, some ear plugs, and a few sleeping pills she had taken purely so she wouldn't have to deal with the usual tedium of long flights.
As such, she didn't notice the panic, nor the sound of metal tearing like paper as the planetoid once more returned to fetch its confusing mistress her favoured prey, nor did she notice, snuggled deep within her blankets and reclined to the utmost angle the chair could achieve, that her amber-gemmed magic ring was doing its level-best imitation of a strobe-light.
Even as the panicked screams reached a crescendo in response to the fast-approaching kaiju sized book-monster-thing, the most that the Magical girl did was roll over and pull her blanket tighter around herself.
Truly, the hero the people needed.
---
A few days later, after a box trap proves itself more devious than first imagined…
---
"Wait… you mean you guys are why that plane vanished and all of its passengers randomly showed up in the middle of the local stadium?" The red-haired spear wielder and one of the two newest residents of the barrier declared in disbelief.
"Eyup" Sayaka replied, sounding none too proud of that. "can we get on with the tour-"
"Seriously? Booky just let 'em go like that?".
"Yeah, she's not too bad, you know, once you get past the whole 'being made of pure despair' thing" the girl grudgingly admitted.
"Save it kid, I already joined the club for the free magic and cake. Ya don't need to keep tryin' to sell me your newsletter." Kyoko replied with her usual level of tact. "So how'd you get 'em to leave in the end?"
"Well, Ahs-za-cough pretty much just witch-kissed the lot of them and marched them out the barrier with their luggage once we were back on the ground. So, hey! Now we have our own private jetliner!" Sayaka chuckled
"Of course, there were… unanticipated side effects" Tira interjected for the first time in that particular discussion. "which all too naturally occupied the front page of the various local newspapers.
"Yeah" Sayaka sighed "Guess not even the incubators could hide a few hundred people suddenly disappearing and reappearing an hour later… and, uh; dancing"
"Asha- Asheh… Ashy? Yuma has a question" the young limette chipped in. "What is a Macarena?"
<Well, it's a kind of dan->
"And if you can see through our eyes, how were you losing at go fish?"
The Witch of Subsumption had no answer to that, save perhaps to rest her not-face in her ribbon.
-----
*Inevitable Edit when I notice every mistake I'd previously missed in all my pre-posting checks pending
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All these titles fit Ashy perfectly and should become Canon.
I'm surprised there wasn't a teenager that deduced the mini planet wanted the glowing MacGuffin and tried to sacrifice the magical girl to Shemesh.
That would be useful. A toilet, a kitchen, maybe even a tv...
But that would be cheating! Ashy might be an eldritch abomination made out of despair and grief, but not even she would sink that low!
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Appletank
Acquire Cheese
Except like, none of them are really able to use a plane. Even assuming one of them gets a pilot's license:
1) Ashy is too big to fit
2) Ashy's barrier absolutely cannot follow a plane in flight, meaning if Sayaka or Tiro takes a ride they'll rapidly leave their range.
Unless her barrier can be shoved into the luggage compartment, I guess. I don't know how that works, because otherwise Ashy can theoretically drive a car by sticking her barrier entrance into the drivers seat.
1) Ashy is too big to fit
2) Ashy's barrier absolutely cannot follow a plane in flight, meaning if Sayaka or Tiro takes a ride they'll rapidly leave their range.
Unless her barrier can be shoved into the luggage compartment, I guess. I don't know how that works, because otherwise Ashy can theoretically drive a car by sticking her barrier entrance into the drivers seat.
You forget magical bullshit is at play here, even if they can't use it if they find the right magical girl or magic a solution the problem would solve itself.
fuck, I mean I bet Homura knows how to use that fucking plane, bitch has all the skills.
Ah, but you assume they want to use the plane for transportation, instead of making it part of a special move by pushing it out of the Barrier and then catching it with another portal.
Flairina
Least Omnipotent Goddess
- Location
- The next infinity over
True, but it still doesn't quite feel right in that framework to me. The only places I've really seen that used is in Homestuck (which jumps characters a lot, and initially had the framing of an old-school text adventure to justify it) and "reader-inserts". It could work, and in fact works fairly well in the former case, but I feel more comfortable working with it like this.
Ashtaroth isn't operating under the same assumptions you are --- she doesn't think Candeloro necessarily wants Sayaka and Tira to stay with her, she thinks she wants them to stay in the house, or rather, in the center of the labyrinth. Most witches aren't known to crave companionship (at least not to Ashtaroth's knowledge), so when she sees Candeloro refusing to let Sayaka and Tira leave, she doesn't think that Candeloro might be lonely, she thinks that the witch doesn't want to release the people/victims it lured there. Sure, Candeloro doesn't seem like she's about to up and try to eat them, but there is no certainty when it comes to witches --- she could still want them there for some other purpose, even it's just to continue the party (as noted). Having what is essentially confirmation that Candeloro doesn't remember being human, a "I just want friends" sort of situation is not the sort of thing that immediately jumps to Ashtaroth's mind.
Which is good, because I quite like writing them.
Probably not, no. Though, less a case of unreliable narrator so much as Ashtaroth believing the association was just as obvious to everyone else.
Well, we were all politely ignoring that until you brought it up, yes.
That said, it does make some sense, given what Candeloro is the witch of, as well as her general "goals", if you could call them that.In fairness, knowing English wouldn't help much, since "Candeloro" isn't an English word --- or any type of word at all, for that matter.
I initially wasn't going to include the flower petals actually, as they made it sort of messy to write if they all dropped from the air every time the aura faded, but upon reflection, I realized the floral elements are too heavily tied to Mami and Candeloro to take them away so easily. So now they're just part of the aura itself, and fade away along with it.
An appropriate word choice --- probably the one I should have used, actually. ^_^;
It will be a very quiet clap.
Wait until you try Yu Hong's food. I hear it's a solid 5/10!
I'm guessing that's probably because it's all swimming in oil, not to mention the weird, ham-like aftertaste that everything seems to have. Luckily, Yu Hong both has and freely gives away endless wealth, so when you're inevitably disappointed, you can just use some of that money to order food from a better restaurant.
Wasn't intended that way, but it's a legitimate way to read it.
Oh, it's not that she doesn't understand loneliness --- Tira understands that very well.
She went to all this trouble, and no one seems to be appreciating it... but, rude guests are still guests nonetheless. She's a forgiving witch.
Thankfully, Candeloro isn't likely to try and sew buttons into anyone's eyes... though, there are a few other witches that might.
Thank you! I try hard to make the emotions of the characters come through, so I'm glad you think it works well. Poor Sayaka just can't catch a darn break though --- every time she turns around, there's something new to be upset about. I'll try to be a little nicer to her in the future... assuming I can be, that is.
Well, given her actions thus far, and the look of her familiars... what do you think?
Hope it starts treating you better then. Try and do something fun to keep yourself occupied --- like write!
I can't confirm Nagisa's backstory in this story yet, as I've been deliberately avoiding checking out her Magia Record story until she's released in said game. From what I've heard thus far however, it seems to upset pretty much everyone that reads it, which is... not a good sign.
My goodness, at this rate you're going to have put out more content for this fic than I have by the end of the month.
Threadmarked (as usual), and let me just say, while there's nothing particularly prescient in this one, it's still funny, because at one point, something very much like this scenario was actually planned to happen in the fic. Not to say something like this scenario couldn't still happen, but I was literally considering nearly this exact concept, having a plane or jet crash into Ashtaroth's barrier due to the soul gem of a magical girl auto-opening an entrance. I eventually discarded the concept as too silly, at least done in this sort of way... but, that's why it makes good comedic omake material. It should be noted that there are some witches that seem capable of either constantly keeping up with, or outright attaching their barriers to moving vehicles (ex. Box Wood, the bookmobile witch from Kazumi magica, etc.)
This may be one of the nicest compliments I have literally ever received. I mean it, the smile that crept over my face upon reading this lasted most of the morning. I would never, ever have expected something I wrote to be held in such high-esteem by anyone --- certainly not the fic that I had to literally restart because I was so unhappy with how I had written it thus far. So thank YOU for letting me know that this fic means so much to you... because this comment probably means just about as much to me. ☺
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Farseer Sen'Zabl
Accolyte of 'Common Sense'
- Location
- Dome of Crystal Seers, Ulthwe
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On average most Witches seem to crave isolation. Every single original canon Witch that wasn't blatantly planted or freshly hatched spends their time hanging around abandoned buildings on screen, when it'd be far far easier to prey on people if there were any people.
Then they slap Witch Kisses around and draw in people anyways.
hillo315
Intact but Tactless
- Location
- Somewhere. Somewhere else.
As promised, I'm back.
But this soft motherly attitude is a sign that Ashy is handling the fallout of her curse fairly well so far, even if it feels awkward at the best of times. It shows us the beginnings of an odd friendship. On top of that, Ashy is gradually learning what Sayaka and Tira want and need, so it's becoming less of a burden as time goes on.
The other witches are nobility under her rule, of course. They can do as they please, but rebellion and disturbing the peace are punished harshly. Lèse-majesté is not explicitly forbidden, but Her Wordiness, Ashtaroth the Blundersome, will not like you if you do that.
And that means that navigating labyrinths is generally easy, but that's not always the case. It's technically possible for labyrinths to be so confusing that even magical girls can get lost. Imagine a map of the Mirror Witch's labyrinth; you'd probably go cross-eyed at the sheer depth of the place and the number of forked paths along the way, so you'd never know if the path you are taking is safe, let alone the path that will lead you straight to the witch.
Ashy's barrier is harder than usual to explore in the sense that it would require multiple maps, but the difficulty largely depends on the labyrinth Ashy is in at any given time and each individual labyrinth that must be crossed along the way. Right now, it's stupidly easy to find Ashy when she's in the Canvas and only marginally harder in Charlotte's labyrinth, but it will approach a Yume Nikki level of difficulty as she adds more and more labyrinths to her invisible kingdom. Adding in the fact that there are other witches wandering around and that they don't necessarily want to stay in their own labyrinths either... Let's just say that things can eventually get very complicated.
It was in strike-through, so I totally didn't say it.
I expect that it will always be some kind of cheerful invitation, even if the details change. If it's no longer someone's birthday, it will be a different holiday or some other reason to get together.
He quakes rhythmically?
It's not limited to food. Witches have anything up to but not including what is convenient for them, so a personalized dystopia made from high-quality building blocks seems to be the norm. If a labyrinth is made of candy, it's the most amazing candy you've ever tasted. If a labyrinth is a garden, the plants are gorgeous and free of pesticides. If a labyrinth is literally made of garbage, it's going to be the trashiest garbage ever, to the point that throwing it in the rubbish bin and washing your hands afterward will feel cathartic.
Huh. Now I really want to know what she's thinking. Not just because it's interesting or to understand her, but because I want to know how much Mami is awake in there.
If anything, it means she probably hasn't had enough time to mature as a person. If magical girls are eggs, witches are stillborn chicks.
I suspect the witch herself would just leave for greener pastures once she finds herself all alone for too long. Which would normally mean antagonizing humans in the name of friendship, but in this case means leaving her house.
...Eh?
Unfortunately, Ashy claimed those girls as her own, so she must take care of them like family and take responsibility if she's going to let them live out their lives as freely as possible. And since she can micromanage them, offers advise, unites them as a team, owns their new home, and makes all the big decisions, she just naturally falls into a parental role.
But this soft motherly attitude is a sign that Ashy is handling the fallout of her curse fairly well so far, even if it feels awkward at the best of times. It shows us the beginnings of an odd friendship. On top of that, Ashy is gradually learning what Sayaka and Tira want and need, so it's becoming less of a burden as time goes on.
Given her experiences, that sounds likely. Ashy taking Sayaka may have given her a reason to keep her friends sheltered, not just close. Which may be a problem if she decides that she needs to protect her friends from the Big Bad Book Witch, even if her house is blown down. (Huffs and Puffs sold separately.)
We've seen them serve only on command, not out of a desire to help. But if that's just because they're not happy with their boss, I can imagine them helping out more with certain things. As long as it's in their job description, of course.
Ashy just isn't an ideal guest. She's a bit... larger than life. And faceless. And incapable of enjoying tea.
If the familiars can't get along, it's probably because they squabble over which flowers to plant or something. Gertrud would not like Saar's destructive habits one bit... and Saar would somberly agree.
Ashy is destined for queenship, because she annexes every territory she finds without even trying.
The other witches are nobility under her rule, of course. They can do as they please, but rebellion and disturbing the peace are punished harshly. Lèse-majesté is not explicitly forbidden, but Her Wordiness, Ashtaroth the Blundersome, will not like you if you do that.
Have I mentioned how weird that is? There's no physical obstruction preventing you from rising forever, but there is simply no up beyond that point.
Candeloro: *conversational chirpy ribbon noises*
There are plenty of other omens sprinkled throughout the labyrinth, both good and bad. If you're not particularly religious or superstitious, you probably wouldn't recognize most of them. And neither did I, until I checked the wiki.
This made me laugh for reasons I cannot yet explain.
That would work only slightly better than Kyubey did. Someone to talk to, but lacking some human element of social interaction. She won't be totally alone that way, but she'll still crave friendship. So no, I don't think we can turn Candeloro into a crazy cat lady.
Sayaka was the only one to treat her like a person instead of something to be feared or fought, and humans are more recognizable than giant book things. I don't think there could be much more to it than that...
Homura can defeat witches quickly because her overwhelming firepower is in seemingly endless supply, not because witches are particularly weak to her explosions and dakka. From what I've seen, they usually take several explosions to the face at minimum. Familiars, apparently including stronger ones like Shemesh, are much flimsier.
Either way, there probably isn't anything in that labyrinth layer, other than the house.
Possible, but unlikely. When magical girls find witch labyrinths, it means they have the opportunity to harvest grief seeds and save people, so they never really feel like exploring at their leisure until the barrier vanishes, even if they can appreciate the scenery. This has even been addressed in Ashy's first conversation with Tira, IIRC.
This is more likely, but not for a magical girl (yet). Magical girls can navigate a labyrinth as easily as if they have a map with the witch marked as their destination, IIRC.
And that means that navigating labyrinths is generally easy, but that's not always the case. It's technically possible for labyrinths to be so confusing that even magical girls can get lost. Imagine a map of the Mirror Witch's labyrinth; you'd probably go cross-eyed at the sheer depth of the place and the number of forked paths along the way, so you'd never know if the path you are taking is safe, let alone the path that will lead you straight to the witch.
Ashy's barrier is harder than usual to explore in the sense that it would require multiple maps, but the difficulty largely depends on the labyrinth Ashy is in at any given time and each individual labyrinth that must be crossed along the way. Right now, it's stupidly easy to find Ashy when she's in the Canvas and only marginally harder in Charlotte's labyrinth, but it will approach a Yume Nikki level of difficulty as she adds more and more labyrinths to her invisible kingdom. Adding in the fact that there are other witches wandering around and that they don't necessarily want to stay in their own labyrinths either... Let's just say that things can eventually get very complicated.
@Flairina Can Shemesh actually make that sound? Just curious.
That would have been a genius plan if it wasn't a total accident. Airborne planes are so far away that magical girls might not even notice them vanish... unless they were among the passengers.
Yeah, that's accurate. Once again, loving the colorful terminology.
Some people on the plane shouldn't be able to see Shemesh. But everyone should be able to see that passengers are being abducted, even if they have no clue why or by what.
Well, we were all politely ignoring that until you brought it up, yes.
Then you get the joke. I was poking fun at Sayaka's throwaway line about English class from last chapter, and I intend to do it again whenever the opportunity presents itself.In fairness, knowing English wouldn't help much, since "Candeloro" isn't an English word --- or any type of word at all, for that matter.
She underestimated how much Mami needed her, then. Which is weird if she still remembers that Mami felt betrayed a little while ago, so I guess there's so much going on that she hasn't really thought about it yet.
Eh, the buttons are creepy, but they're not what really makes the Beldam so scary. When Candeloro started freaking out, I remembered this line:
It's that moment of anguished desperation that somehow makes the antagonist even scarier, because she's more determined than ever. See, Candeloro doesn't use buttons, but she doesn't need them. Because what she does have is a very particular set of skills, skills she has acquired over a surprisingly long career, skills that make her a nightmare for deserters like Tira. If they stay to keep her company, that will be the end of it. She will not look for them, she will not pursue them. But if they leave, she will look for them, she will bind them, and she will serve them tea. That is scary... except maybe that last part about tea.
I have no clue, hence the question. Is the truth ever going to be revealed?Well, given her actions thus far, and the look of her familiars... what do you think?
What do you think this behemoth of a post is?
Agreed. Shall I do the honors first, or...?
Witches are shut-ins who sometimes go shopping for food out of necessity. But some are so lazy that they don't even bother, and send familiars to do it for them.
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hugh_donnetono
No use to complain
- Location
- Caught Out In The Rain
Ah, beat me to it.
...Wait, Subsumption already had a tropes page, why wasn't it already recc'd?
hillo315
Intact but Tactless
- Location
- Somewhere. Somewhere else.
I'm not sure if I did it justice, but this fic is now officially recommended! Candeloro has one more reason to celebrate today. 🥳
Feel free to check it out, and maybe add your name to the list if you're a troper who likes reading this as much as I do. I slipped it right between Persephone's Waltz and PMAS.
Feel free to check it out, and maybe add your name to the list if you're a troper who likes reading this as much as I do. I slipped it right between Persephone's Waltz and PMAS.
Sheer laziness, sorry. I started the trope page and put it on the fanworks page, and nobody suggested that someone put it on fanfic recs as well. Until now....Wait, Subsumption already had a tropes page, why wasn't it already recc'd?
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