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.
That does make sense. Charlotte gets the tastiest candy but not the cheese she craves. Saar gets her beautiful field of tulips but can't keep it. Candeloro gets everything needed for a tea party, of the highest quality no less, but no guests.
In Ashy's case, the outer part of her Labyrinth isn't that informative; I guess for her it would be the Canvas ability to create entire worlds, with the catch that they aren't real.
I'm not really sure how the Skull Witch fits into this though. Living in a traditional Japanese mansion, having two minds and eating people...
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.
Would that make Homucifer a chicken and Madokami a farmer?
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.
Now that you mention it, I wonder if the opposite is true too. If Ashy digs a hole, is there a point where there is no down anymore? How would that look like?
A hole of nothingness, with everything that falls into it falling forever? Or could Ashy mine an infinite amount of earth?
If the radio idea ever happens, then she needs to get her own segment on the show.
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.
But what if we combine cats with Witches and drop Stacy on her? She could be a crazy cat lady Witch with a cat Witch!
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...
I'm not sure, Charlotte's reaction to Sayaka was completely different from her reaction to Mami and Tira. Hopefully, we learn a bit more once Charlotte meets Tira again.
Either way, there probably isn't anything in that labyrinth layer, other than the house.
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.
I wonder how that works with several Witches and Labyrinths in the same Barrier. Going by every magical girl's reaction, until now, it probably feels like there is only one Witch. It's unclear though if that's because their "range" is only one Labyrinth or if it's because Ashy hides other Witches simply by existing.
Now that you mention it, I wonder if the opposite is true too. If Ashy digs a hole, is there a point where there is no down anymore? How would that look like?
A hole of nothingness, with everything that falls into it falling forever? Or could Ashy mine an infinite amount of earth?
I'd be pretty sure that if a hole was dug to the bottom Ashy's barrier , anything thrown in the hole would stop eventually as there's no reason objects should interact with the edges/end of the barrier in a manner different than how Ashy's interact with the edges, and the fact that Ash can't move higher past a certain point would seem to imply that there's probably a point where she (and thus everything else) can't move any lower.
I'd be pretty sure that if a hole was dug to the bottom Ashy's barrier , anything thrown in the hole would stop eventually as there's no reason objects should interact with the edges/end of the barrier in a manner different than how Ashy's interact with the edges, and the fact that Ash can't move higher past a certain point would seem to imply that there's probably a point where she (and thus everything else) can't move any lower.
I'd be pretty sure that if a hole was dug to the bottom Ashy's barrier , anything thrown in the hole would stop eventually as there's no reason objects should interact with the edges/end of the barrier in a manner different than how Ashy's interact with the edges, and the fact that Ash can't move higher past a certain point would seem to imply that there's probably a point where she (and thus everything else) can't move any lower.
The way Ashy interacts with the border of her Barrier is the reason why I ask. Ashy couldn't move past the "ceiling", as seen in Confrontation 25, but she still felt like she moved.
So, given that gravity is a thing in her Barrier; what happens if someone falls into a hole and reaches the bottom of her Barrier? Do they keep falling, without really moving in any way, forever? Do they float at the bottom, being unable to leave if they can't fly or fake flying?
Or is a hole to the bottom of the Barrier impossible and there is simply more earth until you end up back on the surface?
Novella can tell us about her personality and motivation, which we already know, but not more specific and subtle things like the extent of her knowledge, memories, and exact train of thoughts. All Ashy should be able to learn by eating is that Candeloro is lonely and that the familiars are modeled after friends. And that can be mildly informative for Ashy, but it requires hostile action and still doesn't answer my questions.
Would that make Homucifer a chicken and Madokami a farmer?
Pretty much, yeah. And Kyubey is the evil farmer who likes to eat his eggs fertilized because they have extra protein. Or something like that.
Now that you mention it, I wonder if the opposite is true too. If Ashy digs a hole, is there a point where there is no down anymore? How would that look like?
A hole of nothingness, with everything that falls into it falling forever? Or could Ashy mine an infinite amount of earth?
Assuming there is a down, I'm guessing either the hole forms a new path that loops elsewhere in the labyrinth... or the barrier just eats you when you reach a certain point, like Patricia's barrier does.
I'm not sure, Charlotte's reaction to Sayaka was completely different from her reaction to Mami and Tira.
If they have a break room, it should be somewhere in the house. I mean, it's not much of a room if it's outdoors.
I wonder how that works with several Witches and Labyrinths in the same Barrier. Going by every magical girl's reaction, until now, it probably feels like there is only one Witch. It's unclear though if that's because their "range" is only one Labyrinth or if it's because Ashy hides other Witches simply by existing.
It works by detecting magical signatures. I'm not sure if range is limited to one labyrinth, but the barrier's entrance opens up to Ashy's labyrinth, so that's probably the first signal you'd pick up, if I understand how this works as much as I think I do. And I don't know if connected labyrinths register as belonging to other witches, but Ashy is the linchpin binding them together, so that should be detectable too.
Her suffering is found in the fact that she only has one fabulous sandal; forever missing the other half of the pair!
Including that foot.
Assuming there is a down, I'm guessing either the hole forms a new path that loops elsewhere in the labyrinth... or the barrier just eats you when you reach a certain point, like Patricia's barrier does.
Hm, getting eaten is unlikely, it didn't happen to Ashy; on the other hand, it's Ashy's Barrier...
Personally, I think tunnels that warp people across the greater Barrier, as if this were a Mario game, would be funnier.
Mami and Tira are cheese, so they don't count. But now that neither of them are wearing soul gems anymore, maybe that's changed.
But their boss is sitting around inside, sulking! They need to get out, get some fresh air!
...It's probably more of a break-terrace than a break room.
It works by detecting magical signatures. I'm not sure if range is limited to one labyrinth, but the barrier's entrance opens up to Ashy's labyrinth, so that's probably the first signal you'd pick up, if I understand how this works as much as I think I do. And I don't know if connected labyrinths register as belonging to other witches, but Ashy is the linchpin binding them together, so that should be detectable too.
So Ashy hides other Witches because every magical girl that enters the Barrier focuses on her Witch-signal. That would explain how Charlotte could sneak up on Mami and Tira, and means wandering the Barrier and searching for Ashy would be even more dangerous, due to surprise Witches.
That leaves the question of if magical girls can track Ashy across different Labyrinths. The only time a magical girl entered the Barrier while Ashy was outside of her own Labyrinth was during/after the Saar fight. That's not very helpful though, because there was only one other Labyrinth, the entire Barrier was open land, and Tira could fly.
We also don't know how long it took Tira to find Ashy.
So Ashy hides other Witches because every magical girl that enters the Barrier focuses on her Witch-signal. That would explain how Charlotte could sneak up on Mami and Tira, and means wandering the Barrier and searching for Ashy would be even more dangerous, due to surprise Witches.
In that battle, Mami didn't even need to search, because Ashy was already at the front doorstep. And then she was busy fighting. So failing to notice Charlotte is likely because nobody was paying attention. Whether she was actually hidden is still up in the air.
In that battle, Mami didn't even need to search, because Ashy was already at the front doorstep. And then she was busy fighting. So failing to notice Charlotte is likely because nobody was paying attention. Whether she was actually hidden is still up in the air.
Seriously, why is everyone so obsessed with making a clock that they can't even take five minutes for Homura to see the girl she's doing everything for? We don't actually know how safe or happy Madoka in this world is, because we haven't seen her yet. Not going will only make Homura worry more. Just five minutes for our assumptions to be verified, or for us to find out we really need to work on something to protect our very best (girl)friend! That's all it takes.
@Flairina
This deep into the story, with all this talk of wishes and powers... I had been wondering, what would you wish for? Sorry for double-asking this!
Is Ashy growing like a tree? Because if so, wouldn't she literally branch out to adopt a rough hourglass shape eventually? And if that's the case, then- Hey, wait a minute! Where have we seen that before?
Well, I suppose it isn't really a concern if she never reaches her final form. But food for thought: if she ever does become the final boss at the end of a timeline, that would be the way to do it. Homura's witchnemesis always has the hourglass motif in some form.
(And yes, if Ashy's hair counts as branches, I know that this largely depends on her hair going Super Saiyan... preferably Homura's version, the "ominous emo tendrils of untold power".)
Nah, that's only once Madokami exists. Before that, they're more like... chicks that grew up inside the egg, and are starving as a result when they finally hatch? Bit of an odd metaphor, I know.
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.
Ashtaroth, the Empress Witch. Her nature is management. With the ability to annex other labyrinths onto her own, she has come to rule over many lands, their conqueror and savior all in one. However, her leniency with many of the territories' former owners has left them alive to potentially contest her, along with their accompanying vassals. Wanting to retain the peace she has worked so hard to create, the witch uses those she has claimed as her own as ambassadors and consuls to those regions, doing what she can to uphold the delicate balance. To defeat this witch, one must incite rebellion, and allow the resulting civil war to collapse the barrier-state from within.
Mind, there are at least a few details about Candeloro's labyrinth that have yet to be seen, and aren't included in the "official" description/depiction.
Not sure about this actually, but I can't recall what my evidence to the contrary was at the moment (something in Magia Record, I think), so I'll let you know if I figure it out.
...on that note, GOD my luck in Magia Record has been terrible as of late. Apologies to those this will make no sense to, but I've had to hit the pity counter six times in a row now, two of which were on Madokami's banner, and both of which failed to actually get me her. Today, hoping my cloud of bad luck had finally passed, I rolled for Nagisa, and got... Kyoko and Kanae. The latter at 90 rolls, and so basically at pity again. I don't know what exactly I've done to anger the luck gods, but I'd really love to know how to quell their ire, and preferably soon.
Now that you mention it, I wonder if the opposite is true too. If Ashy digs a hole, is there a point where there is no down anymore? How would that look like?
A hole of nothingness, with everything that falls into it falling forever? Or could Ashy mine an infinite amount of earth?
I wonder how that works with several Witches and Labyrinths in the same Barrier. Going by every magical girl's reaction, until now, it probably feels like there is only one Witch. It's unclear though if that's because their "range" is only one Labyrinth or if it's because Ashy hides other Witches simply by existing.
Not going to go into depth on this, but I will say that the preciseness of magical sensing (as well as how voluntary/involuntary it is) seems to vary a good amount, and that it's definitely possible for one magical signature to completely obscure another. Whether or not that has anything to do with Ashtaroth, you'll perhaps see later on.
She could also make feature length animated films made as fast as a script can be prepared. Regardless, I imagine she'd be wildly popular on most major video sites... at least, assuming she ever works out those issues with her sound equipment.
@Flairina
This deep into the story, with all this talk of wishes and powers... I had been wondering, what would you wish for? Sorry for double-asking this!
Well, this is an interesting question. I'll say right from the start that it depends a lot on the factors involved --- I'll assume that I remain as the same basic person regardless, but depending on what we're qualifying as "me", there's multiple permutations of how this could go. Spoilered for length:
A version of me naturally born in the PMMM world: We'll assume I have the potential to actually make a wish/contract in this case as a given, and am approached by Kyubey as such at an appropriate age. Even then though, I've never been the kind of person who'd just immediately trust a so-called magical wish-granting animal --- too many stories about jackass genies out there not to be wary. So I'd ask him things, like why I should trust him, what he gets from this, what potential downsides there are, etc. The wish made after this depends on how he answers.
Assuming he dodges the important stuff enough to mollify me, the wish I'd make would probably be along the lines of "I wish to always have fantastical, vivid dreams that I can fully control." Lucid dreaming has always been a huge interest of mine, but I've always failed at it. Even if Kyubey showing up with the offer to gain magic largely solves the problem of my life being boring on its own, being able to make my own worlds/adventures/etc whenever I'm asleep would be far too tempting to resist. I imagine this actually might help keep my soul gem clear later on, as I've found that a good dream can help quite a lot with getting over problems from the day prior.
Assuming he fails to dodge the questions adequately and comes off as too shifty to trust, I'd still probably try to make a wish (magic is too good to pass up, even if it is a trap of some sort), but only after seeing more of what he's hiding. Can't say exactly how this would go, but as long as I learned enough about the magic system to realize how much it screws over everyone who enters it, I'd probably end up in the same place of wanting not to totally get rid of it, but at least try to improve it. Since I presumably don't have the potential to completely revamp it myself, I'd probably make the wish "I wish that anyone that your race attempts to contract with from now on will see what will ultimately result from their wish before they actually make it." This incentivizes everyone going forward to make smarter wishes by showing them ahead of time of how such a wish would turn out, and warns them about what is to come before they do anything permanent. If I'm especially angry at Kyubey for hiding things or he just comes off as callous, I'd probably reword it to screw him over more, but the baseline wish would be similar. Mind, it still leaves me likely to die young, as many other puella magi do, but... well, I never really expected to live that long anyways. Not in a suicidal way or anything, I just really disliked the idea of myself as an adult, and could never really conceptualize it. Heck, in this world, now that I technically qualify as one, I don't really know what I'm doing with myself --- I missed the adventure I was expecting long ago, I guess.
Assuming he reveals the entropy issue, without revealing anything else... I actually might want to try and help. In which case, I'd likely ask Kyubey what I could wish for specifically that would make his job easier/increase the energy he can gather. What exactly he would suggest, I've no idea, but given how he attempts to "re-improve" the system in Rebellion... it probably wouldn't do anything good for the human race/magical girls. And I sadly can't say I wouldn't just be suckered by it. Shame on me.
Me from this world, suddenly dropped into the PMMM world with all outside knowledge: This becomes significantly more tricky. The real me isn't the right age to make a contract anymore, and even if we assume I'm dropped in with a qualifying body (which may not even work, given that the soul != the body), my immediate situation is also extremely relevant. Am I homeless, and a nonexistent entity by the legal definition? Or do I have a family, and a life to go with them? Basically, do I have the potential to be happy here without outside influence, or am I stuck just doing whatever I can to survive? If the former, and I manage to acclimate, I might not even make a wish to begin with, or would revert to the "lucid dream" one. If the latter... well, the first thing that would come to mind is probably "I want to go home". That may not even be possible however, and that's where we start getting into the question of "Just how much can you rules lawyer a PMMM wish?" It's important to keep in mind that they have to be made based on actual emotional reasons, so you can't just make a wish like " I want to control all of reality" just because it sounds like the best choice, but presumably I can still improve my situation even without ultimate power. What would probably happen is me running down a litany of wishes I expect would help in the goal of surviving/thriving the most, until we hit one that Kyubey decides I have enough potential to actually grant. What specifically would result from this, I couldn't say --- maybe if I was making a full story out of this, I'd run through some possibilities, but this is long enough as is, so I'll let the thought experiment end there.
Kyubey exists in THIS world, and approaches me as is: ....well, this is going to be awfully personal. ^_^; In real life, I have some serious issues with my appearance, which is... kind of a major concern of mine. While I certainly wouldn't want to make a wish solely to fix that, I'd probably make a wish that would allow me to do so, while doing something else for me at the same time --- maybe give me immunity from aging, or something like that (which, for a magical girl, could actually have really interesting effects). The lucid dream option would also still be possible, and... so would something very close to Ashtaroth's wish, actually, if not exactly that. She did start out as an SI of me, after all, and... er, I think I'll stop there, before I get too spoilery.
There's probably more possibilities here that I haven't even thought of, but these are the main ones. Hope that adequately answers your question!
Heck, in this world, now that I technically qualify as one, I don't really know what I'm doing with myself --- I missed the adventure I was expecting long ago, I guess.
I emphasize with this so very, very much. I'd personally wouldn't go for a wish in that system, I'm a very content individual. Even if I did I'd mostly use it to screw over Kuybey, because I'm also a vindictive sort. But I can absolutely understand wanting something like that.
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.
Not sure about this actually, but I can't recall what my evidence to the contrary was at the moment (something in Magia Record, I think), so I'll let you know if I figure it out.
I mean, I've not played Magia record at this moment in time (it's on my to-do list) so perhaps I'm missing new information on how Familiars interact with normal people, but based on what I understand I'm pretty sure once you're in a barrier the witch and their familiars are pretty visible.
...on that note, GOD my luck in Magia Record has been terrible as of late. Apologies to those this will make no sense to, but I've had to hit the pity counter six times in a row now, two of which were on Madokami's banner, and both of which failed to actually get me her. Today, hoping my cloud of bad luck had finally passed, I rolled for Nagisa, and got... Kyoko and Kanae. The latter at 90 rolls, and so basically at pity again. I don't know what exactly I've done to anger the luck gods, but I'd really love to know how to quell their ire, and preferably soon.
If I knew the system, I think I would want to skip the mg stage entirely and go straight to witchdom with my mind intact, but that doesn't work, so I would try to have myself and my witch exist as one entity, with the other getting a turn at the wheel periodically to drain or eat energy.
I mean, I've not played Magia record at this moment in time (it's on my to-do list) so perhaps I'm missing new information on how Familiars interact with normal people, but based on what I understand I'm pretty sure once you're in a barrier the witch and their familiars are pretty visible.
Most people don't look up lmao, but on a more serious note Witches have the ability to hide anything supernatural, so like even if someone walked into a witch barrier and disappeared from existence nobody would take note of it until its already too late. Kyubey is suspected to be able to do the same but on a larger scale....
I don't see why it's necessary to propose that. Judging from the anime, it looks like witches mostly kill either by driving people to suicide (or possibly murder) or by luring people into their barriers where it would just be a mysterious disappearance. Either way, there's nothing obviously supernatural for investigators to find.
...on that note, GOD my luck in Magia Record has been terrible as of late. Apologies to those this will make no sense to, but I've had to hit the pity counter six times in a row now, two of which were on Madokami's banner, and both of which failed to actually get me her. Today, hoping my cloud of bad luck had finally passed, I rolled for Nagisa, and got... Kyoko and Kanae. The latter at 90 rolls, and so basically at pity again. I don't know what exactly I've done to anger the luck gods, but I'd really love to know how to quell their ire, and preferably soon.
Same here. I rolled for Homura, and Momoko's bad timing struck again! Screw the event 4* draw rate; 60% is not high enough!
(ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻
...Though I probably shouldn't be complaining, having narrowly caught myself one Madokami without using any real money.
Not going to go into depth on this, but I will say that the preciseness of magical sensing (as well as how voluntary/involuntary it is) seems to vary a good amount, and that it's definitely possible for one magical signature to completely obscure another. Whether or not that has anything to do with Ashtaroth, you'll perhaps see later on.
Hypothesis: Ashy's barrier obscures other witch labyrinths from outside detection. That is, you'd have to enter the barrier to sense other witches at all.
She could also make feature length animated films made as fast as a script can be prepared. Regardless, I imagine she'd be wildly popular on most major video sites... at least, assuming she ever works out those issues with her sound equipment.
Is it weird that I want this to actually happen? Ashy can troll magical girls worldwide by doing it, potentially luring them directly to her from very far away.
Who says these don't already exist? It's not like you've been looking.
You mean those glaringly obvious mysterious wormhole things that have gone mostly unnoticed so far?
Even then though, I've never been the kind of person who'd just immediately trust a so-called magical wish-granting animal --- too many stories about jackass genies out there not to be wary. So I'd ask him things, like why I should trust him, what he gets from this, what potential downsides there are, etc.
Ah, the genre savvy contractee. Canon doesn't have many of those, but that might be intentional on Kyubey's part.
Assuming he dodges the important stuff enough to mollify me, the wish I'd make would probably be along the lines of "I wish to always have fantastical, vivid dreams that I can fully control." Lucid dreaming has always been a huge interest of mine, but I've always failed at it.
Okay, I'm already starting to see similarities between the original SI and the character you ended up using instead. The lucid dreaming connection is one I saw from miles away, and I may have pointed it out somewhere upthread.
You laugh, but Kyubey does reserve the right to not initiate the contract in the first place. If he knows you're trying to spite him, he won't even bother until you think of a different wish.
You laugh, but Kyubey does reserve the right to not initiate the contract in the first place. If he knows you're trying to spite him, he won't even bother until you think of a different wish.
Not necessarily, anyone who doesn't know the Incubators are a collective wouldn't be able to spite effectively, and if the return in energy is high enough...they'd totally do it anyways
