You are Homura Akemi and you have failed for the last time. The timeline has shifted in a way never expected, leaving you without most of your power, and the world in a worse condition. You have no more chances. You will save Madoka even if it is the last thing you do.
Time Flow (Puella Magi Madoka Magica/Worm)
- Thread starter tygerbright
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- Ongoing
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Unknown Time 1.1
- Location
- Pittsburgh PA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
You have failed, again. You couldn't defeat the Witch, there you lie broken and buried under the remains of a building. The world's cruelty knows no bounds, the one light in your life, the only thing you haven't cut away, is about to sacrifice herself, again. The incessant laughter that echoed throughout the city is suddenly cut off, the Witch is slain and the heroine falls. The tomb of rubble prevents you from hearing her screams or seeing her trash in pain, but you don't need to; they are already carved into dozens of your memories.
Kaname Madoka has become a witch, and you failed to save her. It takes the last of your strength to raise your hand to your shield, the gears spin and time flows in reverse. The rest of the world forgets the tragedy you have sworn to prevent.
Homura Akemi awakens in the hospital room that has greeted you after each of your failures… No, that isn't right, the room is different. The equipment is older, more worn down. It isn't the strangest thing to change with the variances that occasionally appear when you have gone back in time. It doesn't matter, nothing will stop you.
With practiced focus magic flows to your still recovering heart … your magic isn't doing anything. Were you just imagining the feeling based on your expectations? You raise your hand and call forth your Soul Gem.
Your Soul Gem doesn't appear.
There is no ring on your ringer.
Your shield is gone.
You are nothing more than the worthless girl who could only watch as everyone died around you, all those years ago.
The roar of your heart racing pounds through your skull, and then it skips a beat. And another. Each breath comes only in small pained gasps. The heart monitor screams an alarm. Then the world becomes still and silent. Tones of gray coat all you can see as time stands still.
So there is one tool left at your disposal. Without your shield, you don't have your storage and turning back time again may be impossible, what's more the loss of the strength and agility you had access to with magic reinforcing your body presents an even more immediate issue.
You are weaker than you ever have been before. You have no more chances. You will save Madoka even if it is the last thing you do.
There are 9 days until your transfer to Mitakihara Middle School.
There are 45 days until Walpurgisnacht attacks.
Choose 5. Please vote by plan.
[]The Devil You Know
Kyubey, the incubator, the parasite, if there is anything in the world that has some level of understanding of what has happened it would be that thing. Enough of its usual haunts are known to you, but finding it is still left up to chance. Even if you have to make another contract to save Madoka it would be worth it.
[]Weakness
The amount of time you have spent with the enchanted body of a magical girl nearly eclipses the time you had spent as a normal human, and your baseline is even weaker than what could be called normal. Teach your body how to move, how to fight your foes, how to survive the pain. You can't be weak ever again.
[] Magic without Magic
Something has changed in the nature of your time stop, whereas before you could feel the slow and constant drain on your magic, you felt nothing in the moment you used it. You must find whatever you can about how it has changed, some weakness or gap in its capabilities making itself know in the middle of a fight would be disastrous.
[]Known Threats
The Rose Witch, the Dessert Witch, the Box Witch, the Shadow Witch, the Artist Witch, the Class Representative Witch, The Bird Cage Witch, Oriko Mikuni and Kirika Kure. All the threats in Mitakihara, you know when they usually first emerge, you could eliminate some of them in advance. It is a line you never crossed before… but if you must, it is yet another sin you are willing to bear.
[] UncertainFriends Allies
Mami Tomoe was your first mentor as a magical girl, she led Madoka and you smiling into a world none of you were ready for. Then the truth broke her and she turned on her friends. There is so much you owe her and so much you curse her for, l but she is still skilled and experienced enough to be of use.Reaching out again will be painful.
[] The Unknown World
It wasn't limited to just the hospital, Mitakihara Town as a whole has changed. The skyline has lost the diverse collection of architecture it once had, the streets are cracked and marked by holes, and buildings are boarded up and abandoned. Hope seems to be a fleeting thing even among the normal people of the city. It is far too wide spread to be the effect of a witch or a simple variance, you should find the source.
[] Explosive production
The art of making a pipe bomb is one that you have practiced to the point of mastery. Each careful action in your hands becomes a meditative process, fleeting moments where you could relax while still being productive. Even a small supply is enough to eliminate any one of the threats you will face.
[] Supply Procurement
Perhaps you had taken for granted how much leverage even the basic enchantments magic afforded you. Now you are reduced to needing to rely on mundane tools to fulfill the same roles. A method of transport, tools for entering and egressing from locations, something to protect your vulnerable body, concerns you never had to solve before that are now urgent.
[]Acquiring weapons: Lighter
The Yakuza do not know it but they have acted as your greatest supplier of small arms and ammunition. Most would overlook them, but even mundane weapons can harm and kill witches and magical girls with your level of precision. While you now have to answer the question of storing your equipment there is little risk to the endeavor.
[]Acquiring weapons: Heavier
There is a great deal of risk and reward to stealing from the JSDF and the Americans. The sheer destructive force of their heavy weaponry and explosives can serve as an answer to most problems, however taking even a small amount is all but guaranteed to invite scrutiny and retaliation.
[]The Cat
In seven days, at 4:13 pm a black cat will be hit and killed by a car. Madoka Kaname will find her and damn herself with the wish she makes. These events can not be allowed to happen. There is time before it must be done, but being prudent now allows for more flexibility later on.
Kaname Madoka has become a witch, and you failed to save her. It takes the last of your strength to raise your hand to your shield, the gears spin and time flows in reverse. The rest of the world forgets the tragedy you have sworn to prevent.
Homura Akemi awakens in the hospital room that has greeted you after each of your failures… No, that isn't right, the room is different. The equipment is older, more worn down. It isn't the strangest thing to change with the variances that occasionally appear when you have gone back in time. It doesn't matter, nothing will stop you.
With practiced focus magic flows to your still recovering heart … your magic isn't doing anything. Were you just imagining the feeling based on your expectations? You raise your hand and call forth your Soul Gem.
Your Soul Gem doesn't appear.
There is no ring on your ringer.
Your shield is gone.
You are nothing more than the worthless girl who could only watch as everyone died around you, all those years ago.
The roar of your heart racing pounds through your skull, and then it skips a beat. And another. Each breath comes only in small pained gasps. The heart monitor screams an alarm. Then the world becomes still and silent. Tones of gray coat all you can see as time stands still.
So there is one tool left at your disposal. Without your shield, you don't have your storage and turning back time again may be impossible, what's more the loss of the strength and agility you had access to with magic reinforcing your body presents an even more immediate issue.
You are weaker than you ever have been before. You have no more chances. You will save Madoka even if it is the last thing you do.
There are 9 days until your transfer to Mitakihara Middle School.
There are 45 days until Walpurgisnacht attacks.
Choose 5. Please vote by plan.
[]The Devil You Know
Kyubey, the incubator, the parasite, if there is anything in the world that has some level of understanding of what has happened it would be that thing. Enough of its usual haunts are known to you, but finding it is still left up to chance. Even if you have to make another contract to save Madoka it would be worth it.
[]Weakness
The amount of time you have spent with the enchanted body of a magical girl nearly eclipses the time you had spent as a normal human, and your baseline is even weaker than what could be called normal. Teach your body how to move, how to fight your foes, how to survive the pain. You can't be weak ever again.
[] Magic without Magic
Something has changed in the nature of your time stop, whereas before you could feel the slow and constant drain on your magic, you felt nothing in the moment you used it. You must find whatever you can about how it has changed, some weakness or gap in its capabilities making itself know in the middle of a fight would be disastrous.
[]Known Threats
The Rose Witch, the Dessert Witch, the Box Witch, the Shadow Witch, the Artist Witch, the Class Representative Witch, The Bird Cage Witch, Oriko Mikuni and Kirika Kure. All the threats in Mitakihara, you know when they usually first emerge, you could eliminate some of them in advance. It is a line you never crossed before… but if you must, it is yet another sin you are willing to bear.
[] Uncertain
Mami Tomoe was your first mentor as a magical girl, she led Madoka and you smiling into a world none of you were ready for. Then the truth broke her and she turned on her friends. There is so much you owe her and so much you curse her for, l but she is still skilled and experienced enough to be of use.
[] The Unknown World
It wasn't limited to just the hospital, Mitakihara Town as a whole has changed. The skyline has lost the diverse collection of architecture it once had, the streets are cracked and marked by holes, and buildings are boarded up and abandoned. Hope seems to be a fleeting thing even among the normal people of the city. It is far too wide spread to be the effect of a witch or a simple variance, you should find the source.
[] Explosive production
The art of making a pipe bomb is one that you have practiced to the point of mastery. Each careful action in your hands becomes a meditative process, fleeting moments where you could relax while still being productive. Even a small supply is enough to eliminate any one of the threats you will face.
[] Supply Procurement
Perhaps you had taken for granted how much leverage even the basic enchantments magic afforded you. Now you are reduced to needing to rely on mundane tools to fulfill the same roles. A method of transport, tools for entering and egressing from locations, something to protect your vulnerable body, concerns you never had to solve before that are now urgent.
[]Acquiring weapons: Lighter
The Yakuza do not know it but they have acted as your greatest supplier of small arms and ammunition. Most would overlook them, but even mundane weapons can harm and kill witches and magical girls with your level of precision. While you now have to answer the question of storing your equipment there is little risk to the endeavor.
[]Acquiring weapons: Heavier
There is a great deal of risk and reward to stealing from the JSDF and the Americans. The sheer destructive force of their heavy weaponry and explosives can serve as an answer to most problems, however taking even a small amount is all but guaranteed to invite scrutiny and retaliation.
[]The Cat
In seven days, at 4:13 pm a black cat will be hit and killed by a car. Madoka Kaname will find her and damn herself with the wish she makes. These events can not be allowed to happen. There is time before it must be done, but being prudent now allows for more flexibility later on.
Diplomacy: 0 (6-10)
Friends were something you had once, for a few brief months almost a lifetime ago. Letting others near you is simply a cause for more pain.
Martial: 10
Where true leadership eludes you, your awareness of the battlefield has been honed to a razor's edge.
Stewardship: 13
People would call you cold and unfeeling, but you know all too well the value of being prepared and not breaking under pressure.
Intrigue: 14
The disparity in raw power between you and other magical girls and witches has time and again forced you to be more cunning and to take whatever edge you can grasp, no matter the source.
Learning: 12
You are no scholar but you know what you need to know, chemistry, ballistics, and exactly enough of what is taught in school so that zero issues arise.
Prowess: 3 (17-14)
Years of surviving have taught you how to fight and given you a skill with firearms far beyond most, however your body can no longer keep up with your expectations.
Friends were something you had once, for a few brief months almost a lifetime ago. Letting others near you is simply a cause for more pain.
Martial: 10
Where true leadership eludes you, your awareness of the battlefield has been honed to a razor's edge.
Stewardship: 13
People would call you cold and unfeeling, but you know all too well the value of being prepared and not breaking under pressure.
Intrigue: 14
The disparity in raw power between you and other magical girls and witches has time and again forced you to be more cunning and to take whatever edge you can grasp, no matter the source.
Learning: 12
You are no scholar but you know what you need to know, chemistry, ballistics, and exactly enough of what is taught in school so that zero issues arise.
Prowess: 3 (17-14)
Years of surviving have taught you how to fight and given you a skill with firearms far beyond most, however your body can no longer keep up with your expectations.
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Character Sheet
- Location
- Pittsburgh PA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
| Homura Akemi | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Age | 14? | |
| Gender | Female | ||
- Statistics
- Traits
- Equipment
Last edited:
- Location
- Pittsburgh PA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Reserved
- Location
- Pittsburgh PA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Some will directly, some lead to gains eventually, some will indirectly, and some will not.
Okay then
[X] Plan RPL
- [X] The Devil you know
- [X] Weakness
- [X] Magic without Magic
- [X] Uncertain Allies
- [X] The Cat
Why I chose these 5 is that the whole point of surviving is:
A. We have to prevent Madoka from making a wish. Barring THAT, we at least need to make sure that she survives until Walpurgisnacth is defeated.
B. Since it's obvious that we can't use our Soul Gem anymore (which is a GOOD thing for some), we have to explore ways to get stronger physically and—thanks to that example—magically as well.
C. Another important aspect to think about is trying to make friends or allies, which is obviously easier said than done, considering Homura's Personality. But if we're going to survive this, it MUST be one of the priorities here.
D. In regards of the cat, that should be self-explanatory. The cat surviving gives us more than enough time to think of a plan of action, and gives us a reason to at least give us a chance to be in good terms.
[X] Plan RPL
- [X] The Devil you know
- [X] Weakness
- [X] Magic without Magic
- [X] Uncertain Allies
- [X] The Cat
Why I chose these 5 is that the whole point of surviving is:
A. We have to prevent Madoka from making a wish. Barring THAT, we at least need to make sure that she survives until Walpurgisnacth is defeated.
B. Since it's obvious that we can't use our Soul Gem anymore (which is a GOOD thing for some), we have to explore ways to get stronger physically and—thanks to that example—magically as well.
C. Another important aspect to think about is trying to make friends or allies, which is obviously easier said than done, considering Homura's Personality. But if we're going to survive this, it MUST be one of the priorities here.
D. In regards of the cat, that should be self-explanatory. The cat surviving gives us more than enough time to think of a plan of action, and gives us a reason to at least give us a chance to be in good terms.
- Location
- Laniakea
[X] Magic without Magic
IMO, finding the limits on the Time Stop ASAP is the most important thing.
Not just to avoid nasty surprises later on, but also because the exact limitations and costs of using it would likely provide a strong hint to the other crossover this quest is using - whatever has supplanted the Madoka Magica magic system Homura was using before is likely the magic system of the other crossover.
There's almost definitely going to be an alternative cost or limit, because unlimited time stop is well, broken. There are basically only 2 other things that can counter it, the first thing being enemies that are flat-out immune to time stoppage and the other thing being the Walpurgisnacht-type of problem, where the opponent is so impervious to damage or so exotic in nature that there simply doesn't exist any kind of resource or preparation Homura can fetch under timestop at all that works against it, not even if she brings all the missiles and rockets in Japan.
[X] The Unknown World
Homura HAD a house in Mitakihara. It was a rather nice house. Was thinking it would be a good place to stash any small arms she stole from the Yakuza.
....This Mitakihara doesn't appear to have nice houses anymore. If the skyline is different, the buildings are probably different. Need find out whether Homura still has a house anymore. Or even whether Madoka still has a house anymore. And what the school looks like now, it's probably not so fancy-looking anymore.
[X] The Cat
I'm picking this one because it is (or was) pretty much a guaranteed run-in with Madoka.
If the whole of Mitakihara is so different, chances are the whole cat encounter is also going to be different. It might not even be a cat that Madoka runs across, if she does run across anything at all.
[X] Weakness
[X] Acquiring weapons: Lighter
Can't go wrong with generic shoring-up of her physical capabilities. Supply Procurement would've been the alternative choice, but unless her time stop is severely limited, it can literally wait to be done later on.
IMO, finding the limits on the Time Stop ASAP is the most important thing.
Not just to avoid nasty surprises later on, but also because the exact limitations and costs of using it would likely provide a strong hint to the other crossover this quest is using - whatever has supplanted the Madoka Magica magic system Homura was using before is likely the magic system of the other crossover.
There's almost definitely going to be an alternative cost or limit, because unlimited time stop is well, broken. There are basically only 2 other things that can counter it, the first thing being enemies that are flat-out immune to time stoppage and the other thing being the Walpurgisnacht-type of problem, where the opponent is so impervious to damage or so exotic in nature that there simply doesn't exist any kind of resource or preparation Homura can fetch under timestop at all that works against it, not even if she brings all the missiles and rockets in Japan.
[X] The Unknown World
Homura HAD a house in Mitakihara. It was a rather nice house. Was thinking it would be a good place to stash any small arms she stole from the Yakuza.
....This Mitakihara doesn't appear to have nice houses anymore. If the skyline is different, the buildings are probably different. Need find out whether Homura still has a house anymore. Or even whether Madoka still has a house anymore. And what the school looks like now, it's probably not so fancy-looking anymore.
[X] The Cat
I'm picking this one because it is (or was) pretty much a guaranteed run-in with Madoka.
If the whole of Mitakihara is so different, chances are the whole cat encounter is also going to be different. It might not even be a cat that Madoka runs across, if she does run across anything at all.
[X] Weakness
[X] Acquiring weapons: Lighter
Can't go wrong with generic shoring-up of her physical capabilities. Supply Procurement would've been the alternative choice, but unless her time stop is severely limited, it can literally wait to be done later on.
Solarstream
It's all in the cards
- Location
- Zombie World
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] PistachioCookies
- Location
- Pittsburgh PA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Vote is closed update should be in the next few days.
Unknown Time 1.2
New
- Location
- Pittsburgh PA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Magic without Magic
[X] The Unknown World
[X] The Cat
[X] Weakness
[X] Acquiring weapons: Lighter
[X] The Unknown World
[X] The Cat
[X] Weakness
[X] Acquiring weapons: Lighter
Chronologically, you have lived in the house your parents left you for scarcely more than a single year of your life. It is a faux European building who's only happy memories are ever more fleeting. You were unable to find the holographic projection units that you
Testing Magic
1d10+12=9+12= 21
It comes instinctually, with a barely thought time grinds to a halt, and you begin to seek out how exactly your magic has changed.
One
Two
Three…
Twenty-five…
Picking up a bottle of soda, your capability for interacting with objects is unchanged. Upturning the bottle the orange liquid flows for just a fraction of a second and comes to a stop just centimeters from the opening. Far less than you were expecting. Swinging the bottle through the liquid causes it to flow along for the moment of impact. That hasn't changed, but returning to relying on golf clubs would be
Sixty…
A tremor runs down your arms, it doesn't stop. Your aim would be shot even bracing against your shoulder or with both hands.
One hundred and twenty…
A white hot lance of pain erupts within your skull. You've ignored worse. As far as you can see from a window, the world is still frozen completely still.
Two hundred and forty…
Sensations other than the pain have become dull. You bite down on the screams trying to force their way out of your throat.
Three hundred.
The pain has grown to the point where your body refuses to answer, your legs buckle under the strain and your vision goes dark as you fall to the floor, and time begins to run once more. Five minutes, that was all you could manage. For the most involved of your preparations, you had acted in stopped time for hours, that is lost to you now.
Forcing yourself back onto your feet, you try to start another time stop, but time continues to tick onwards. A cooldown. Thirty seconds pass before you can begin again, a tenth of the time you had stopped. Is it consistent or based on how long you spent in stopped time? The tremors and pain both recur at the same intervals in your second trial, and you cut it off there. A twelve second cooldown that time, so it is relative to how long time was stopped. There is no buildup of despair or anything of the like, neither with the usage of your magic nor the emotions you normally would suppress. You can work with that.
Training your body is an absolute necessity. The pain of the body is momentary, and something that will pass in time. A worse pain is how much time is being wasted simply to return to your baseline. But worst of all is what would come if you allowed this weakness of yours to be the reason why you failed when you still had a chance to correct it. The flaws of your body must be corrected.
Yet progress is forced to be slow, your heart still can't take a great deal of strain, so you focus on reminding your body of the motions that you used to fight and survive. How to stand, to always be ready to react to an attack. Ways to fall and stand back up fluidly be it from a dive or after taking a blow. The control of your breath both to remain steady for a shot and to keep moving no matter the pain.
Prowess malus reduced by 2
Presence of the Yakuza
1d100= 28
Were you living in a just world and a normal girl the disappearance of the yakuza would only be a good thing, but here and now it is yet another hurdle the universe sees fit to throw in your way. You know better than to do all of your stealing from a single location or group and would normally hit several sites to build up your stock. Except all of them have nothing. The headquarters of the Mori Group, empty, a branch office of the Tenou Society, abandoned, a safe house owned by the Uno Federation, nothing but a bombed out ruin.
So now you are forced to crawl along the rafters of a warehouse where you once found an old smuggler's cache belonging to and forgotten by the Soukai Family. Moving aside a dust encrusted tarp and cracking open the crate beneath, reveals a paltry collection of weapons more fit for a museum or a scrap yard. Hardly your up to preferences or standards, but most of the guns have enough ammo to function for a while and anything you can put to use has value. The only question is how many you can safely get back to your residence.
Choose up to 4 size worth.
[]Nambu revolver
A decent police pistol, a stolen police pistol, a stolen police pistol that judging by the single spent shot in the cylinder was likely used to kill the previous owner. While all the guns are illegal to have, this one is sure to have a special heat on it.
Prowess +7 (+9)
Size 1
[]RG-14
Somehow both the most recent and worst made of the guns in the cache. The barrel is so short to be almost pointless, and reloading is so cumbersome to be a waste of time even for you.
Prowess +5 (+6)
Size 1
[]"Box Cannon"
The fact that the action works and the barrel is straight are the only things keeping this chinese knockoff from being a literal piece of scrap. The hand worked metal leaves each part performing poorly, the safety doesn't do anything and the sights are misshapen to the point of being useless.
Prowess +9 (+12) Each round 30% chance of not working
Size 1
[] Škorpion submachine gun
Normally this would be a good gun, however someone had the bright idea of welding on a suppressor onto it. While moderately quiet, the blowback will foul the mechanism eventually causing a jam.
Prowess+13 (+16) After the first round 50% chance of being disabled until the end of combat.
Size 2
[]Mk. III Greener Shotgun
A single shot breech action shotgun, somehow this ancient thing is in the best condition out of any of the guns. However it requires a unique type of cartridge, once the twelve shots packed with it are used up, it will become useless.
Size 3
Prowess+15 (+20) can only be used for 12 rounds of combat.
[]Type 53
Loud, heavy, cumbersome, sure to attract attention but powerful. The wood is cracked and the barrel needs to be counterbored but more than anything it makes you miss your shield and its storage. For any other gun you might be able to conceal or present some sort of excuse as to their existence, but this is undeniably a military rifle.
Size 4
Prowess +17(+21)
Originally, Madoka made a wish to save the life of a cat. The black cat lies splayed out on the side of the road. At first glance you thought that you had already failed that you misremembered the details and Madoka was going to walk down the road and make a wish. But no, the slow and slight rise and fall of its chest reveals it to just be sleeping. That thing has no sense of self preservation. Leaving it here is just asking for trouble. Picking it, her up, she goes slack in your arms and begins to purr.
"Amy, that was the name Madoka gave you." You mutter. She meows as if agreeing with you.
You... aren't far from Madoka's home, and she should be getting home from school around now, it wouldn't hurt to check for just a moment. You have the time.
You are a coward and a sentimental fool . You are currently hiding in the greenery behind Madoka's house and the cat in your arms won't stop purring. Only once you reached her home did you realize that you have no reason to be here that wouldn't make you seem like a mad stalker. There is someone coming up to the house. The moment stretches into stillness as you catch a glimpse of her, Madoka Kaname. Rose colored eyes and pink hair pulled into pig-tails frame the face of the person who was kind to you when you were at your most worthless. Who protected you when you needed it most, who was your first and dearest friend in the world. And who you swore to protect from the damnation Magical Girls were doomed to face no matter the cost. The moment begins to pass once more as you slink further out of sight.
"Dad, Tatsuya, I made it home." Even at this distance her voice reaches you but there is a tone of melancholy to her voice that you only ever heard…
Wait, there isn't a response. There are no sounds of an energetic toddler or a caring father. Madoka's voice usually only sounded that way after Sayaka Miki's or Mami Tomoe's deaths. Those who are dear to her have died. Yet it can't have happened in the brief few days since the point you returned to, if it happened so recently Madoka would be inconsolable not trying to go about her day.
There is something very wrong. The world is more different than you have ever seen before. Events should not have already changed by this degree and you don't know how it could have happened. Madoka was willing to make a wish to save the life of a stray cat, to save her father and brother she would do so in a heartbeat. Why hasn't she made a wish?
Research
10+12=22 Critical success
Every element you don't know is one you can't account for, another weakness, another threat. Relying on public resources has never been productive in the past but there isn't time for you to investigate on your own. Above all else you need to know what happened to Madoka and who hurt her, then you can look into the wider city.
The first step is finding when they died, it takes you only a few minutes to find their obituaries in the city library's archives.
Tomohisa Kaname, February 10 2011, age 41, survived by his wife and his daughter.
Tatsuya Kaname, February 10 2011, age 3.
A month ago, it happened a month ago.
Who did this?
How did this happen?
You find it, the headlines had focused on an aspect other than the Kanames. Late in the afternoon, a terrorist group called Rose Garden broke into the Kaname house, abducting and taking Madoka, Tomohisa, and Tatsuya hostage. Each and every one of this Rose Garden will pay for that. They were planning to use them as leverage against Junko Kaname, president of the Bank of Mitakihara in a plot to "break the chains of society". Their worthless philosophy led them to hurt Madoka. A man with magic? Another question to look into. Styled after the Super Sentai, this Red Phoenix attempted to intervene only to cause the deaths of Tomohisa and Tatsuya.
You look away, trying to find any lead upon the fool, only to find that he died a few weeks later fighting something in Australia, if he weren't already dead… The reports become worthless, details of how the crisis ended are sparse, only that the terrorists fled to parts unknown as night fell. You weren't there to save her, you weren't there to protect her.
It feels empty, it feels meaningless. Everything else matters so much less, but you can't be blindsided again.
The idea of a man having magic is totally foreign to you. What you can find about the nature of these "powers" on the library's computers is nothing but base speculation and conspiracy theories, yet even that is more than what you could have found on magic. The apparent point of origin is that twenty nine years ago a golden man was found floating above the open ocean, beginning an era where people began to randomly develop powers.
Whatever the source is, it is less concerned with secrecy, these "capes' are infinitely more public than how magical girls were. Overall, it seems somewhat similar to magic granted by the parasite, but the methodology seems to lack the desperate struggle for resources needed to survive that consumed so many magical girls and there is no sign or mention of any wishes being granted.
Looking towards the state of Japan, the situation is grim. Twelve years ago, three fifths of the island of Kyushu was brought to ruin, sinking into the sea. All at the hands of a single monster, Leviathan, an inhuman thing called an Endbringer. The nation as a whole was brought to the brink of ruin from which it has yet to recover even as heroes try to keep the peace.
The Sentai Elite, the government's team of so-called superheroes, were the premier group of capes of Japan. In their heyday they had more than four thousand people with powers before being progressively crippled by a decade of decline. Here in Mitakihara, the 29th squadron that was based in the city, was just disbanded at the start of the month due to the losses it suffered. There are others trying to fill the gap as heroes where one name stands out to you, Moschettiera, Italian for musketeer, and almost certainly Mami Tomoe.
Yet criminals and killers abound, with groups emerging and being absorbed by the strongest on a constant basis. Currently there are three threats that present a general and indiscriminate danger, the eco-terrorists Rose Garden, KWSK a hacker group, and a cult called The Church of Assimilation each with more than five known capes. Their respective leaders Thorned Rose, HN:E, and Monstrance are reminiscent of the Rose Witch, the Box Witch and the Shadow Witch, no more than that, unless you are mistaken they are the same people as those Witches.
If those three Witches are still people it stands to reason that others would also be human in this world. There is one you have to check no matter how long the odds of finding anything are. By happenstance or some farce, you find it, she goes by the same name, Walpurgisnacht. It can't be a coincidence, she is just as monstrous as a person as she was as a Witch, a madwoman who has reduced entire countries to blood soaked ruins filled with hatred and violence. Her last confirmed sighting was just days ago, headed south from the Kuril Islands after sparking a chain of massacres.
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I had two questions before I cast my vote. First, regarding your choice of arms,
I know all of the others, but these are two I'd never heard of before. When I tried to look up what they were, I was pointed to a hand grenade for the RG-14 and a flare gun for the Type 53. I'm guessing you meant the Type 56 and not the 53, but I still have no idea what else you might have been referencing for the RG-14.
Second, is there anything else that needs to be voted on? Any other places we can look to gather more information about what's going on? Any other choices we might make about where to go or what to do? Or is this ^ really all we're being asked of at the moment?
Oh hey, look, I'm not the only one who had the idea of turning Elsa Maria into a cult leader figure.
I'd get the Nambu revolver. A consistent, reliable firearm is key.
And you know, given we're Homura in a decaying Japan, beset by cults, QB (maybe); and villainous equivalents of the witches she hunted, we're going to be leaving a John Wick-level trail of bodies behind us, even if only to get revenge on the Rose Garden for hurting Madoka. So the heat on the gun isn't very important when we'll be pulling a bunch of heat onto us anyway.
The shotgun's esoteric and limited ammo doesn't matter much either, since it's our only real option to give us some oomph when we desperately need it in the short term while not losing out on a more consistent and easily concealable weapon.
[X]Plan: Basics
-[X]Nambu revolver
-[X]Mk. III Greener Shotgun
And you know, given we're Homura in a decaying Japan, beset by cults, QB (maybe); and villainous equivalents of the witches she hunted, we're going to be leaving a John Wick-level trail of bodies behind us, even if only to get revenge on the Rose Garden for hurting Madoka. So the heat on the gun isn't very important when we'll be pulling a bunch of heat onto us anyway.
The shotgun's esoteric and limited ammo doesn't matter much either, since it's our only real option to give us some oomph when we desperately need it in the short term while not losing out on a more consistent and easily concealable weapon.
[X]Plan: Basics
-[X]Nambu revolver
-[X]Mk. III Greener Shotgun
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While I agree with your vote in favour of the Nambu, I've got some ideas of my own about what other gun(s) we should take, that are dependent on knowing what @tygerbright is thinking re: what the RG-14 and Type 53 are actually supposed to be (see my post above yours). Two competing ideas, actually, dependent on what the answers are. But I don't think the Greener is going to be a good choice in the long run. We'll end up using it sparingly due to the rare ammo, and if we're picking guns that we'll only use sparingly I think it would be better to pick either more of them, or higher-value picks, than a shotgun we'll only be able to use 12 times ever.
But the Nambu is definitely the best bang for our buck, of that I agree wholeheartedly.
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To elaborate before anyone else shows up and our vote for guns is poorly solidified, the two ideas I have are thus:
- Option 1 is to pick the Nambu and the Type
- Option 1 is to pick the Nambu, the Skorpion, and the box cannon, assuming @tygerbright responds poorly to the "Type 53"'s identity, or to our ability to fix it ourselves. This is the less ideal set of picks, but if we can acquire a really good saw from the hardware store we can chop the suppressor off. Not *at* the barrel, that would be too risky, but if we chop through the suppressor then we'll be good to go as long as we're fine with the rim of the barrel having a kind of goofy "lip" to it. If we could fix it, the Skorpion would easily take over the Nambu's role as our main firearm. The box cannon would only be a weapon of last resort if we're in our opponent's face and out of other options.
Personally, if I'd shown up earlier I would have voted for heavy weapons. The possibility of an M14 or M16, Howa Type 64 or Type 89, or M249 SAW, along with the chance of grabbing a Beretta M92 or SIG Sauer P220 as a sidearm or maybe an MP5 or a PM-9 as a small pdw, from the Americans or the JSDF would have been too great to pass up.
The point, is that guns are everywhere in this decaying superpowered Japan filled with criminals and cults, and Homura knows all the criminal hideouts (and military supplies) and how to find more. The gun only needs 12 bullets, because we can kill some asshole who almost definitely has better and all it needs to do is give us enough prowess to survive until then. Fundamentally, the purpose of it is to give us a temporary 'out' for threats that our Nambu + our prowess isn't good enough for in the short run. This is all junk, no matter what we choose, the Nambu is the only one that we won't replace in very short order.
Fixing a dilapilated gun requires infinitely more effort than just fishing for a new(er) one.
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A notion which I would normally agree with, except that doesn't appear to be the case here (or if it is the case there's no indication of it being so). If it were that easy for us to find better guns, we wouldn't have had to settle for the ones we did find. In this case specifically, we're much better off picking one of the repairable guns in this cache, than picking something that's far more limited and hoping to use it like a Liberator. We don't know what the future will hold, but it's smarter to assume that this is all we have and to make the best choices from this (and then be pleasantly surprised if we're wrong), than it is to make our choices on the assumption that we're guaranteed to find something better (and be disappointed if we're wrong).
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The RG-14 is the Röhm RG-14 some times known as the Saturday night special, while the Type 53 is the Chinese version of the Mosin Nagant. Unknown world was basically general overview and one of the options to reveal the crossover.
Will be posting the next round of sorta turn level voting in a few days, (actually this time this update kinda fought me.)
Also yeah it is a direction that fits her thematics.
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Weird how neither of these showed up for me. In that case, since it's not actually a Type 56 like I was hoping it might be, my vote is
[X] Nambu revolver
[X] "Box Cannon"
[X] Škorpion submachine gun
-[X] Visit a hardware store and acquire the finest saw we can manage
As both Cookies and myself have noted, the Nambu revolver is going to be the most consistent performer owing to both its better condition (second-best if the descriptions are to be believed, but also the easiest to find new ammo for) and its particular hotness isn't that much of a problem because we're already in deep shit for owning a gun if we're caught anyway. Until we can get a hacksaw, this is going to be our top performer. If we can get a saw, a really high-quality one that can cut metal, we can very carefully cut the suppressor off the Skorpion's barrel* and then we won't have to worry about it fouling anymore. That's all it needs, and once it's no longer in danger of fowling it'll be our best performer by a large margin. The Chinese box cannon is mostly there as a weapon of last resort: If we run out of everything else, we whip this out at close range and pray that it goes off in our enemy's face. Or, as @Cookiesndip suggested doing with the Greener shotgun, we use it to gank someone with something better if they show up. But doing it this way nets us one additional firearm that, with just a bit of effort, will be a better performer than just the Nambu by itself.
*I strongly suggest that, in doing this, we cut through the suppressor itself, rather than trying to cut the suppressor off the barrel.
I disagree. Consider that we have limited time, so we have to use our time wisely and efficiently, especially since we don't exactly have gunmaking or carpentry equipment, and we don't have a pocket dimension to move things, just Homura's body coming just out of heart surgery. So good luck fixing anything, even moving a single 2x4is a big ask right now, let alone operating a circular saw. Not to mention that she probably isn't proficient at it, since guns were wholly disposable to her beforehand, so she'd be wasting swaths of time learning a trade she doesn't need to. Explosives, however, she's pretty much a god at making and far better to devote that significant chunk of time you'd otherwise spend trying to acquire the parts to and to repair a shitty archaic broken gun to making bombs, given she made singular bombs with explosions big enough to kill a (weakish) Witch in the first loop as a middleschooler.
Getting new guns is easy enough, even raiding a military base or whatever. Not every gun is going to be inexplicably broken because a gangster uses it, it shouldn't be tough at all given that Mitakihara seems like Brockton Bay: Japanese Cult edition. By the time we participate in combat (which seems to be human targets mostly), those 12 rounds + a bomb or two are more than enough to acquire more weapons, so long as we don't waste them.
Also, you can't get both the Nambu and the unconcealable gun, 4 size max and the Type 53 uses 4/4 of the available size, likewise with your second. Concealment is important because we're going to wind up at school and walk around in public with Madoka, and we don't want to get arrested. That said, we might be able to recreate our hammerspace it later if we play with our magic enough.
Basically, it's a ton of effort and time expended for shitall gain that could be better used in practically any sense. If these were broken down blinged out modern firearms instead of ancient crap, it'd be more worthwhile to try, but it isn't.
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Yes, I admit I made a mistake in calculating the weights of the first option, but seeing as I was wrong in my initial assessment I'm willing to scrap that one completely. I was expecting a Chinese AK pattern, not a Mosin Nagant. I'm solidly on option 2 now, which we CAN get wight a carry capacity of four: Nambu is 1, Skorpion is 2, and box cannon is 1. That's four. If we leave the box cannon behind when we go to school (because it is first and foremost a weapon of last resort) then the Nambu can still be concealed on our person during school hours. The only difference is that, once we've chopped the suppressor off, we have a second actually usable gun in the Skorpion. It's like I said before, we can't be sure that we'll find better guns than these, so we have to make the most strategic picks. This plan accomplishes most of the same goals as yours, but with the added benefit of a second usable gun in exchange for a slightly less reliable "Liberator"-style option, which I think is a more than adequate trade if we're not guaranteed to find better guns in the future.
But we are borderline guaranteed. This is all garbage, it'd break my SOD if even your average underlings of the proverbial Witches (at least the ones that use guns) didn't have better arms than most of this.
We're essentially in Brockton Bay: PMMM edition, and you're basically telling me 'guns don't exist' or 'everyone is using garbage that jams in seconds'. Anything that we'd need a weapon for, aside from a parahuman will have some sort of weapon on them, and many will have guns. Yes, there are probably fewer than in BB, because Japan, but 12 rounds of combat + pistol + bombs is more than enough to go through a few parahumans or swaths of mooks without issue and leveraging the huge bonus. Use the pistol unless we have an important threat and go.
I'd honestly expect lots of crime exporting from CUI and Russia being exported too, which means guns. Also, parahuman snatching.
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I'm not saying that guns don't exist or that we're guaranteed to never find anything better. I'm saying that this is what we've got, right now, based on the resources Homura was willing to pursue based on what she knew. We're walking into a whole new world, that we don't know, and we don't know what else the QM has planned. We don't know what other choices we'll be given to seek out new weapon opportunities. Maybe you're right and we're given the choice to pilfer from some dead enemy along the way. Maybe you're wrong and this really is all we get. I don't know, and I don't think you should presume to know, either. We have to make the best of what we have, now, and make choices that won't hurt us in the long run if our assumptions are wrong. It's far, far better to plan for no new guns and be happy to find new ones, than it is to plan for new guns and be up shit creek if we don't find any. That's all.
I'm not even fighting you on the choice of the Nambu. That's our most reliable option all other things being equal and we're in agreement on that. I just think you're overvaluing the Greener based on expectations we have no guarantee of, and that the Skorpion is a more valuable pick if we're allowed to fix it.