Did anyone know that Puella means young girl but it can also be translated to female slave Magia means magic or a being that uses magic with a deceptive personality so by definition Puella Magia could be translated to slave of a deceiver
Eating people gives everyone bad first impressions and more reasons to fight, so Ashy can't easily make the situation any better by talking in that scenario. That's ultimately why her time in Mitakihara was an unstoppable roller coaster of suffering from beginning to end
Without a doubt, eating people wouldn't exactly endear Ashy to anyone. I'm merely musing that because we didn't eat Hitomi, she went on to (unintentionally) Sic Mami on us, which made Tira feel like she had to fight us, and ultimately triggered Homura to try and kill us.
I can't say for sure whether or not Sayaka would still have made her way into Ashy's barrier, that would depend on if her 'Knight-sense' considers Subsumed people as 'in danger!' or not. But that would probably play out more or less the same as it did albeit with a much more hostile Raspberry with a serious and pretty justifiable grudge.
I'm merely musing that because we didn't eat Hitomi, she went on to (unintentionally) Sic Mami on us, which made Tira feel like she had to fight us, and ultimately triggered Homura to try and kill us.
Hitomi needn't have sent Mami if Ashy didn't eat Sayaka. Even if the only alternative is Sayaka witching, a dead Sayaka is a lot easier for Ashy than a hostage Sayaka, though that could have eventually led to Hitomi witchbombing Mami to explain what happened.
No, seriously. Ashy could have two Shatterwords floats left and right of her head and tie the mask to those.
I actually debated bringing that up specifically because I'm pretty sure Hansel and Gretel isn't exactly well known in Japan. Ultimately though I decided I wanted to make the comparison enough that it wasn't worth fussing about.
It's not that strange. Given the hints, we get from Ashys Witchstincts, it's obvious that stories and maybe even fairytales were very important to magical girl Ashy.
I know. It's easier to characterize Nagisa (and thus Charlotte) if I have a definitive backstory to go off of though, and having to come up with something else entirely when I actively liked the "canon" version of events (sad though they were) just seems counterproductive. Sorry!
Oh, that means there is no way for us to run into magical girl Nagisa during one of the loops. Means we have to go to Asunaro if we want to get her.
It also means Yuu, the "Sleepwalking Spectre", is running around somewhere...
I have! Cirrata would make a good witch, if she were so inclined to be.
Because it isn't their universe but the one inside of Ashy?
This comment has just led me down a very interesting train of thought that I sadly cannot share right now, but which I CAN say may end up changing my plans concerning at least two major future events.
Is it the realization, that Sayaka and Tira can get stuff from outside the Barrier to dress up Ashy until everyone thinks she is just a very big magical girl?
True, but familiars actually get to take their own mini barriers with them. As such, this would likely not be an issue for it, nor any other familiars for that matter.
But with Ashy being high in the sky, there is a chance that they go up instead of down and vanish into space!
Sayaka saw hers when Ashtaroth was trying that battery of tests to extract her soul gem, but she can't read witch rune, and so didn't know what it said. Tira has not seen hers as of yet, beyond perhaps a glimpse or two just after she was taken out of Novella --- even if she noticed it though, it wasn't exactly her biggest question at the time.
It occurs to me that magical girl weapons ought to be resistant to being subsumed, given that they are focused and hostile, but such seems likely to change if the weapons are damaged or discarded, which might be a way to gain pokedex entries on magical girls without capturing them?
That would require Ashy to fight a magical girl, complete with leaving broken weapons lying around, and the magical girl then escaping. Because we know from Canon that magical constructs vanish with the death of the magical girl that created them; see Mamis ribbons releasing Homura after the Charlotte fight.
Eating people gives everyone bad first impressions and more reasons to fight, so Ashy can't easily make the situation any better by talking in that scenario.
Well, it worked with Charlotte! Ashy ate several of her Familiars and then they meet peacefully. Saar, on the other hand, was instantly hostile, probably because of how Ashy didn't eat a few of her Familiars.
Clearly, if we want a peaceful meeting with Candeloro, Ashy needs to subsume a few maids.
T'was something of a no-win situation once Miki got involved, though I'm not so sure that a dead Sayaka would work out that much better. Mami tends to hold grudges about that kind of thing happening to her students, and somehow I doubt we'd have had a chance to (horribly misre)present our case to her once she goes full Tomoe-nator and proceeds to hunt us down and end us.
To be fair, she wasn't going to listen either way; the only difference being her enthusiasm and us not having a Miki to plead for her (and extension, Ashy's) life distracting Tomoe from finishing the job.
Without a doubt, eating people wouldn't exactly endear Ashy to anyone. I'm merely musing that because we didn't eat Hitomi, she went on to (unintentionally) Sic Mami on us, which made Tira feel like she had to fight us, and ultimately triggered Homura to try and kill us.
"The eatings will continue until morale improves!"
... is still one of my favourite things from Voracity, and I do not have a low opinion of that quest. It is also highly relevant to Ashtaroth.
It is possible but it has some problems: first and foremost Candeloro has to understand they aren't leaving her alone; second, thay have to make sure Candeloro behaves herself out of the barrier (just look at what happened with Charlotte, which was a surprise to everybody in-story). Until Candeloro or Charlotte can actually communicate (have full conersations) to make sure they understand what not to do I'm not willing to trust them.
Charlotte pretty much saved Sayaka's our life with that stunt. Then again, "Don't look gift horses in the mouth." leads to "Beware of greeks bearing gifts." and I can't see us turning down The Witch of Giant Wooden Horses.
Yes! It should! I could be wrong, but didn't they leave the pictures behind? I got that impression and assumed Candeloro would be heartbroken that they refused their gifts...
Charlotte pretty much saved Sayaka's our life with that stunt. Then again, "Don't look gift horses in the mouth." leads to "Beware of greeks bearing gifts." and I can't see us turning down The Witch of Giant Wooden Horses.
Charlotte's actions saved Ashtaroth's life previously, true, but it's irrelevant. How do you know Charlotte won't attack, for example, a friendly non-magical girl who just happen to be in the barrier*? Sure, you can guess and make a theory, but you can't really know.
*much like Hitomi was in the barrier earlier in the fic
tha latter part of the previous post was joking noting Sakaya doesn't really own anything now, not even her body or her soul, thus making anything she owns "her most valuable and precious belonging" by default
Based on how her witch is described on the pmmm wiki, I don't think she ever attacks people who enter her barrier. She treats everyone similarly to the girls here, keeps them with her and prevents them from leaving, which assumedly eventually leads to death for non-magical people (though if she can make food and tea I'm not quite sure how that happens, maybe tea can't replace water despite being mostly water). So I don't think she'd be openly hostile to anyone unless Sayaka or one of her other friends acted afraid or threatened by the newcomer, at which point she'd probably go into FRIEND DEFENSE MODE, and go off on the threat.
Based on how her witch is described on the pmmm wiki, I don't think she ever attacks people who enter her barrier. She treats everyone similarly to the girls here, keeps them with her and prevents them from leaving, which assumedly eventually leads to death for non-magical people (though if she can make food and tea I'm not quite sure how that happens, maybe tea can't replace water despite being mostly water). So I don't think she'd be openly hostile to anyone unless Sayaka or one of her other friends acted afraid or threatened by the newcomer, at which point she'd probably go into FRIEND DEFENSE MODE, and go off on the threat.
...well, as suspected, the next chapter isn't finished yet. So, simply for the sake of having something to post this Walpurgisnacht, here's a bit of trivia: the witch that Tira was nearly killed by, as referenced in the most recent chapter, isn't one I just made up on the spot. I actually created her at roughly the same time I first came up with Ashtaroth, and the two of them even deliberately share a few similarities to each other. As a character long dead before the story even started, she likely won't ever be showing up in person, but she does have a profile, so for anyone interested:
Witch: Lorna
Type: Hive Witch
Nature: Self-Delusion
Description: She lies isolated within the center of an enormous hanging structure, content to pretend that nothing is wrong, and all is exactly as it should be. To do this, she continually alters the interior of her self-imposed prison, forming it into scenes from a life she once imagined. Though she has fooled herself into believing these events are real, she hasn't the imagination to come up with anything new, and so simply cycles through the same repeated sets in a neverending loop. To defeat this witch, one must expose her to the world that she refuses to see.
Familiars:
-Euna, whose duty is to conform. They swarm over the vast form of the witch's enclosure, repairing the cracks that form when she alters its insides using the highly sticky substance that constantly leaks from their mouths. The witch ignores them utterly, refusing to so much as acknowledge their existence.
-Alickina, whose duty is to expel. As the witch desires not to be disturbed, they are charged with driving off unwanted visitors. Those struck by the projectiles they fire from their tails will be forced to run in the opposite direction, and continue running until their legs give out.
Labyrinth:
-Layer 1: A towering canopy of dark blue bedsheets, patterned with both glowing numbers and faded golden stars. Shredded pieces of fabric in the shape of torn and bloodied bodies drift throughout the air, accompanied by glimmering bubbles that hold within them long lost dreams. A strong feeling of being watched falls upon any who enter the area, and if one remains for too long, everything around them will begin to appear as staring eyes.
-Layer 2: A maze-like school building, its every surface chaotically painted with a mix of blinding neon colors. Each wrecked and ruined classroom contains a chalkboard, upon which various "positive" messages have been written. The bottom level's floor is made of glass, beneath which a forest of large metal tubes can be seen, all of them sticking out of a huge, coiled brainstem.
-Layer 3: A beehive shaped into an enormous, roughly spherical cavern. Small, orb-like containers are plastered across the walls, within which the Euna occasionally rest. The witch's enclosure hangs from the roof of the area, the floor beneath it littered with the broken remains of puppets, robots, and other false humanoid figures.
Magic:
-Roseless Thorns: Lashes out with the barbs that tip her legs, as well as the multitude more stored within the limbs.
-A Look at Oneself: Creates mirrors which take in and redirect any magical attack that strikes them. All reflections seen within their surfaces become distorted, turning ugly, monstrous, and hateful.
-Hated Commandment: Release a thin beam of magic from her head, allowing her to control the will of anyone it strikes.
-What Could Have Been: Alters her immediate surroundings into those of unrealized, and now unattainable possibilities.
Hope you found this interesting! The real update will with any luck be done by next week.
...well, as suspected, the next chapter isn't finished yet. So, simply for the sake of having something to post this Walpurgisnacht, here's a bit of trivia: the witch that Tira was nearly killed by, as referenced in the most recent chapter, isn't one I just made up on the spot. I actually created her at roughly the same time I first came up with Ashtaroth, and the two of them even deliberately share a few similarities to each other. As a character long dead before the story even started, she likely won't ever be showing up in person, but she does have a profile, so for anyone interested:
That would be the Witch Mami saved her from, right?
Looking at that profile, there are some similarities to Ashy but also differences. The biggest difference I see is probably the self-loathing/hate that is implied by A Look at Oneself.
Ashy and Lorna seem to have been introverts during life, implied by Ashy building her own world and Lornas' first Labyrinth layer reminding me of a pillow fort; besides her whole fake world thing. But I think Lorna was worse at understanding others, symbolized by her second Labyrinth layer, the broken dolls and robots in the third layer, and Roseless Thorns symbolizing her attitude towards others.
There could also be some mental issues symbolized by the huge brainstem that is pierced by tubes and the blinding, chaotic nature of the second Labyrinth layer.
So... no update yet, I'm afraid. Got a little sidetracked, so to speak, not to mention I've also been trying to work on the long-delayed next chapters of Stand-in and TTTCT. Sorry about that - I am working on this too, promise.
Brief description... affinities... special moves... I can't believe that it took me this long to realise that Novella is a pokedex! How annoyed will Ashtaroth be when she discovers that she can only have 6 magical girls out at once? Or that all of her pokemon only have one evolution?
Guess you caught me: this was a stealth Pokemon crossover all along. And now, with the main character having finally taken up the moniker of Ash, it's time to head out into the wide world of Puellamon and catch 'em all!
I can't say for sure whether or not Sayaka would still have made her way into Ashy's barrier, that would depend on if her 'Knight-sense' considers Subsumed people as 'in danger!' or not.
As I'm pretty sure Mami doesn't actually know Italian, and only named her moves that way for *the aesthetic*, I imagine it'd be pretty darn broken Italian in addition to being garbled.
Speaking of fairy tales, the Hirako encounter reminded me a bit of The Old Witch. (It's not particularly well-known, I understand. You can find it in this Grimm collection, page 596.)
I believe that's been brought up at some point previously, because I most definitely remember reading that before. As for how appropriate it is... we'll see.
Yep, the undead argument is totally valid in this case. Still better than the mad science that gave us Kazumi.
Kazumi is like if, when Humpty Dumpty shattered, the King's men decided that since they couldn't put him back together again, they'd instead scrape the yolk off the ground and inject it back into an artificial egg that they grew from whites. Then they set the resulting egg-clone person BACK on the wall, proclaiming "See, just like the original!" until he inevitably shattered as well, a process they repeated 12 times over before finally saying "Hey, maybe we should stop sitting him on the wall?"
Is it the realization, that Sayaka and Tira can get stuff from outside the Barrier to dress up Ashy until everyone thinks she is just a very big magical girl?
Hmm... what would that witch be named, I wonder? Helen? Troia? Both seem too obvious; they'd likely go for something more obscure- no, I'd best stop there. No sense in developing a witch I will probably never actually make. Probably.
Looking at that profile, there are some similarities to Ashy but also differences. The biggest difference I see is probably the self-loathing/hate that is implied by A Look at Oneself.
As a magical girl, Lorna's wish was one that she never would have made in a calm state of mind.
Ashy and Lorna seem to have been introverts during life, implied by Ashy building her own world and Lornas' first Labyrinth layer reminding me of a pillow fort; besides her whole fake world thing. But I think Lorna was worse at understanding others, symbolized by her second Labyrinth layer, the broken dolls and robots in the third layer, and Roseless Thorns symbolizing her attitude towards others.
There could also be some mental issues symbolized by the huge brainstem that is pierced by tubes and the blinding, chaotic nature of the second Labyrinth layer.
I appreciate the analysis! Always interesting to see how well I manage to communicate character traits through deliberately obscured symbology.
I should note for posterity's sake that Lorna and her familiars aren't actually black and white, for anyone who thought they were. I was just going for a manga-like style at the time (which is also why they have no runes). Technically, Ashtaroth's original image is black and white as well for this same reason, but I've since made her monochrome nature official, and worked it into her symbolism a little better.
"The eatings will continue until morale improves!"
... is still one of my favourite things from Voracity, and I do not have a low opinion of that quest. It is also highly relevant to Ashtaroth.
I'd say she's doing pretty well on that front! Not many people can have the shiny finish of their dream job ripped away to reveal a nightmare, then have their mentor figure try to kill them before dying in front of them and still have the wherewithal to want to check on their parents and friends.
Kazumi is like if, when Humpty Dumpty shattered, the King's men decided that since they couldn't put him back together again, they'd instead scrape the yolk off the ground and inject it back into an artificial egg that they grew from whites. Then they set the resulting egg-clone person BACK on the wall, proclaiming "See, just like the original!" until he inevitably shattered as well, a process they repeated 12 times over before finally saying "Hey, maybe we should stop sitting him on the wall?"
I think it was from the comments (which Gnarker confirms) but made it into one of the quest's tags, but seems to have gone away. So it managed almost semi-officiality for some time.
Guess you caught me: this was a stealth Pokemon crossover all along. And now, with the main character having finally taken up the moniker of Ash, it's time to head out into the wide world of Puellamon and catch 'em all!
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