Well... That sporadic... Not much else to really say here (it does feel a tad cheap having Ash get effectively oneshot out of nowhere though... Even if it was needed for whatever is planned next... )

Would have felt more tasteful having homura timeleap and Ash and Co getting dragged back again from the link...
 
Well... That sporadic... Not much else to really say here (it does feel a tad cheap having Ash get effectively oneshot out of nowhere though... Even if it was needed for whatever is planned next... )

Would have felt more tasteful having homura timeleap and Ash and Co getting dragged back again from the link...
I mean, that would've been just as abrupt, honestly. If Homura had to do a full reset this early, then something absolutely flabbergasting would've had to happen on her end with Ash and Co. being just as off guard. At least this way, we know what happened. Sorta.
 
I mean, that would've been just as abrupt, honestly. If Homura had to do a full reset this early, then something absolutely flabbergasting would've had to happen on her end with Ash and Co. being just as off guard. At least this way, we know what happened. Sorta.
I mean, if this were an actual quest the thread would have been locked by now from the actual riot that would be occuring. Mainly because for everyone but the 'QM' it looks like crazy meth girl came out of nowhere and knew all of our attacks like a hardcore dark souls player despite not appearing once in the quest before now.
 
I mean, if this were an actual quest the thread would have been locked by now from the actual riot that would be occuring. Mainly because for everyone but the 'QM' it looks like crazy meth girl came out of nowhere and knew all of our attacks like a hardcore dark souls player despite not appearing once in the quest before now.
True enough, but with an ability like Kirika's, she'd have to be trying to get hit-- Ash doesn't seem to be too great at personal combat, but then again, she's almost always outclassed.
 
"Even if we really were any of those things, I don't actually feel any different than I did before I got sucked into Ash. Do you?"
I appreciate this line of thought. People both in stories and in reality sometimes get caught up in thinking "Is the truth of the world A or B", not realizing that the best way to function in either case is the exact same.

your promised future
I think this is the most interesting part - Ashtaroth has some future she was promised, presumably by her wish. I appreciate this on a personal level, too, since if I got to make a wish (and then was killed) I'd probably have the same sentiment.
 
the sofas and bookshelves have been arranged into a sort of showy reading nook, though the latter are fairly sparse on reading material at the moment.
Nice, stocking that will be a must. Find a book store to raid, big chain one. Grab a few copies of House of Leaves to have sitting out, just lay out exactly what everyone can expect from this place.
<Morning, Sayaka...> you say, so hesitantly that you're certain even your voiceless telepathy can't disguise it. <Are you... feeling oka->

"When did we get actual beds?"
Good sense of prioritization Sayaka. Look how you've moved up in the world!

She's doing much better. I guess literally letting out all her negativity really freshened up her mood. And feeling like she does have some pull in the situation. Granted, it's a leaver labeled "make everything worse", but any amount of control useful makes people more at ease.
Sayaka turns to her with wide, excited eyes. "We have toothbrushes now too?!"
Yes you do! Though without running water it's use is pretty limited, I can't recommend brushing with tea or rose water.
-only for the glass to suddenly smash inward as a black and white blur spears through it like a javelin. Blitzing across the warped hallway in the span of a heartbeat, you catch only the briefest glimpse of a single, piercing yellow eye before its owner flashes out of view, already having slipped into your barrier.
ngl, thought it was the girl that killed Ash's Magic Girl form. Would've been weird for her to follow Ash all the way here after she left on her own, but maybe she needed to know what was happening.

But nope, just Surprise Kirika. Who really just gave Ash the business.

Though, given what happened last time someone thought they beat Ashtaroth, I'm expecting an equally nasty surprise in turn.

Hopefully soon. No offense, but this is not a cliffhanger to sit on.
 
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I don't know too much about the duo who are now in play, but I'm pretty sure Kirika seemed like she knew exactly what to do and when to do it because she did know exactly what to do and when to do it. Oriko probably used her future sight to give her what is basically a GameFAQs walkthrough of Ash's labyrinth.
 
If I remmember correctly, Flairina commented a long time ago that Oriko's future sight magic was a pain to fit in a story, therefore she wouldn't have that or at least not in the same way that in the manga.

I may be wrong tho.

On another note:
...whereupon the ribbons of the pendant she's still wearing around her neck spring back to life. Tira nearly jumps right back out of bed in surprise, but settles down as the ribbons merely grab the top half of her and Sayaka's sheets, slowly dragging the covers up over their respective shoulders. They return to their resting position once they've done so, and Tira smiles, softly running a finger over the front of the pendant.
Candeloro still makes my heart melt out of sheer cuteness.
 
Well that was a shock. Still, it's nice seeing this story again. I was worried that this would really be the end, but I have a feeling that being tied into Homura's time loop will mean that we'll see Ashtaroth again fairly soon, at least from her own perspective.
 
That was a shocking amount of self awareness and maturity from sayaka. I hadn't considered that point about the witches bursting out being comforting either. Good stuff.

Contemplating the interactions of the witches now. Wonder if it's possible that one of them can switch places to be the "main" witch?

Gg kirika. Despite being an amalgamation of powerful witches and meguca, we're reminded that there are still plenty of threats around. Oriko must've sent her so we're in an oriko timeline in which homu hasn't killed them preemptively (were we in an oriko timeline before too?)

We should go to mitakihara! Homu can hard counter them! /s
 
...Wait, so is this just a bad end that will be rewritten, or is this an actual chapter that will be continued, as in this is still 15 and next is 16. The latter is what i am assuming from the fact it's labeled as such but the ending narrations are...blurring that.
Also, if it is the latter, i can't help but wander when Team Witch is going to catch a break.
 
While obviously we don't have much to go on regarding Oriko and Kirika's motivation, I think it's pretty telling that this happened riiiiight after Ash started to leave for Asunaro. Wonder what the balance is between Oriko sniping our book-shaped butterfly before it leaves the city where she can most easily affect events just because we later grow into too much of an unexpected variable, vs doing so in order to outright prevent a Bad End - the Saints' situation is a whole mess of unusual powers and circumstances, I could definitely see Ash blundering into the middle of that and cascading into doing/becoming something that spells bad news for everyone including herself.

...though also, looking past the minor and barely-noticeable details like 'painful death' or 'the inherent existential horrors of iterative timelines', if this trend continues I can't help but imagine it as akin to Oriko (and her notfuture selves) spritzing an unruly pet with a spraybottle. :V

Ashtaroth: Alright girls, time to head to Asunaro!
*gets Kirika'd*

Ashtaroth: ...G-gah! I... am okay! That was weird, but thank god for timeloops. Alright, that's still our best lead, so onward to Asunar-
*gets Kirika'd*

Ashtaroth: ...Ugh, for fuck's sake. Could've sworn she was in a different spot last time. Onward to Asu-?
*Kirika'd*

Ashtaroth: ...
Ashtaroth: ...Asunaro.
*Kirika'd once again, who'd've thunk*

Ashtaroth: ...Y'know maybe we should shelve those travel plans for the moment.
 
Fanart: Witch of Forklifts
A shame you're not the Witch of Forklifts, given you seem to have taken up the position anyways.
I got a mental image here that I wanted to see on screen, so here's a silly MS Paint doodle of Ashtaroth stretching her ribbons way out in the shape of a forklift to pick up a crate of Tira's stuff on a forklift pallet:

 
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"It's too late Homura-san! For I, Ashtaroth, am already forklift certfied!"

I predict Oriko is going to summon Ashy in her room rike a pokemon or something.
 
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(...no, not really. ;) Interested to see everyone's reactions to what comes next...)

See you next year! :V

Well... That sporadic... Not much else to really say here (it does feel a tad cheap having Ash get effectively oneshot out of nowhere though... Even if it was needed for whatever is planned next... )

Would have felt more tasteful having homura timeleap and Ash and Co getting dragged back again from the link...

Then again, the girl who did it was Kirika, and she explicitly was searching for Ash given her remark on entering the canvas. In terms of *yeah, good luck beating her*, you don't do much better.

However, I want to point out to everyone that Kirika didn't destroy Tome, there is a very big chance that she concentrated on destroying what is ultimately just a limb with the apparent main body, and is going to have to deal with the actual witch using all her power next update.
 
I'm wondering what happens to the hosted witches when Ash gets killed. I'm also wondering whether 'Grief Seeds, if left alone, respawn their witch' is canon or fanon, and which one Flair ascribes to.
 
considering that Charlotte is still loose in the labyrinth somewhere, There's something I was wondering. I recall reading somewhere that upon spawning from her grief seed, all Charlotte wanted was to have her little dessert party at the table, but Mami's interference led to her emerging from her doll form and becoming hostile. Consider that the Du Polignac don't seem to have any qualms about setting up for guests, and one wonders if perhaps they managed to corral her at a table somewhere. In addition, Homura's reset sent Sayaka and Tira back to Novella, so if we extrapolate, it's entirely possible that Charlotte was returned to her own labyrinth's interior as well, and may in fact be there now.
 
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