I feel with a name like that, we're either going to draw unwanted attention from the witches we have yet to hunt, or we're going to draw the ire from other heroes who think we're too big for our britches because we've given ourselves a name we've yet to follow through on. Kind of hard to call ourselves "witch-hunter" when we have yet to hunt a single witch as of our naming.
Uh. Homura has killed so many witches, it's not even funny.
Unless this is supposed to be Homura in her single-digit loops, she's followed through on it more times than she has fingers and toes, it's just nobody else who knows that. And they certainly wouldn't know which ones she typically kills either, since capes aren't called witches here. Nobody believes Myrrdin is actually a magic user. And AFAIK, the only cape in Worm canon who goes by "witch" is some random no-name called Desert Witch mentioned offhand in a PHO Sunday post.
Meanwhile, in this quest, the only cape whose name invokes "witch" mentioned thus far is Walpurgisnacht and while it is true that she is the only witch Homura has never successfully killed, she is also still Homura's number 1 target and she is almost certainly going to be upfront about it to everybody she seeks an alliance with. That is not going to be a secret by any measure.
There's going to be one type of person likely to draw any meaningful connection between her impending victims and her chosen name and it's going to be the type of person who has existing knowledge of what the world used to be like when Kyubey was running things.
This happens to be exactly the sort of person we want to draw attention from. Only someone like that might be able to provide a hint as to how and why Homura ended up in Worm of all places.
[X] [Name] Witching Hour
[X] [Costume] Utilitarian
[X] [Direction] Shut away all your doubt
This isn't like what we see in America, where the unwritten rule is stronger and villains tend to at least take more measured actions. As far as we can see from what's been shown, criminal groups are committing deliberate murder and not getting much heat, so this ought to be fine.
I feel with a name like that, we're either going to draw unwanted attention from the witches we have yet to hunt, or we're going to draw the ire from other heroes who think we're too big for our britches because we've given ourselves a name we've yet to follow through on. Kind of hard to call ourselves "witch-hunter" when we have yet to hunt a single witch as of our naming
Well, there are some crazy names going around here; an explicit C-lister literally calls himself 'Kid Win', and a mildly popular healer calls herself 'Panacea'. We can afford to get wild or pompous, as long as it's not something that's already taken (like 'Bakuda' or 'Black Kaze'), or something truly wild like 'god killer'.
I'd also like to point out that while Shy was not around in 2011 (at least in our world), Sailor Moon was and Black Lady was the name of Chibi-Moon's brainwashed and evil form.
It's a villain-sounding name.
Moreover, if it turns out that Homura is, in fact, actually related to Black Kaze, going around calling herself "Lady Black" is going to have unfortunate consequences. Even if not, there's still unpleasant shades of "Black" Kaze attached to that title.
Not in this timeline she hasn't. Which, in case it weren't obvious, is the only timeline that matters to the other inhabitants of this timeline. I would rather we not appear like we're inflating ourselves before we've actually done anything to warrant giving ourselves that name. If we want to wait until after we've killed a witch or two, that's fine, but I'm opposed to doing it before we have any accolades appropriate to the moniker.
I'd also like to point out that while Shy was not around in 2011 (at least in our world), Sailor Moon was and Black Lady was the name of Chibi-Moon's brainwashed and evil form.
It's a villain-sounding name.
Moreover, if it turns out that Homura is, in fact, actually related to Black Kaze, going around calling herself "Lady Black" is going to have unfortunate consequences. Even if not, there's still unpleasant shades of "Black" Kaze attached to that title.
That's actually a fair point; not to mention, Homura's power actually resembles Black Kaze's in a way (teleporter who can take multiple actions during her teleportation), so that's also another bad connection if we choose that name. I will note though that Witch Hunter probably will carry very strong connotations itself. I guess I'll edit my vote. I'm not used to the vote counting system, does it count my edit as long as I do it before the vote count?
Not in this timeline she hasn't. Which, in case it weren't obvious, is the only timeline that matters to the other inhabitants of this timeline. I would rather we not appear like we're inflating ourselves before we've actually done anything to warrant giving ourselves that name. If we want to wait until after we've killed a witch or two, that's fine, but I'm opposed to doing it before we have any accolades appropriate to the moniker.
I do also want to note that a name like this perfectly fits Worm. In this setting, mythohistorical references are common in superhero names, and in this case it fits with what we intend to do, which gets our vibe across instantly. That aside, we also still don't know how much of PMMM's system has carried through.
That's actually a fair point; not to mention, Homura's power actually resembles Black Kaze's in a way (teleporter who can take multiple actions during her teleportation), so that's also another bad connection if we choose that name. I will note though that Witch Hunter probably will carry very strong connotations itself. I guess I'll edit my vote. I'm not used to the vote counting system, does it count my edit as long as I do it before the vote count?
Edits will count as long as you do it before the final tally and don't make another post with a vote in it afterwards as only the most recent post with an X in brackets is counted. So feel free to add to, change your vote, or make a totally new vote as the discussion goes on. I usually try to close the vote a day or two after the last bit of discussion or voting.
I think this name could work. Suitably thematic, a little ominous, and vague enough to avoid association with any of the criminal groups. It's even time-themed, to be a little cheeky. As for the rest of the vote, I've got nothing to really add.
[X] Plan Pragmatic and Prepared
-[X] [Purchase] Zip ties
-[X] [Purchase] Lock picks
-[X] [Purchase] First aid kit and painkillers
-[X] [Purchase] Climbing Gear
-[X] [Purchase] Stab vest
-[X] [Purchase] A bike
[X] [Name] Witching Hour
[X] [Costume] Utilitarian
[X] [Direction] Shut away all your doubt
[X] Plan Pragmatic and Prepared
-[X] [Purchase] Zip ties
-[X] [Purchase] Lock picks
-[X] [Purchase] First aid kit and painkillers
-[X] [Purchase] Climbing Gear
-[X] [Purchase] Stab vest
-[X] [Purchase] A bike
[X] Plan Pragmatic and Prepared
-[X] [Purchase] Zip ties
-[X] [Purchase] Lock picks
-[X] [Purchase] First aid kit and painkillers
-[X] [Purchase] Climbing Gear
-[X] [Purchase] Stab vest
-[X] [Purchase]A bike
[X] Plan Exercise & Protection
-[X] [Purchase] Lock picks
-[X] [Purchase] First aid kit and painkillers
-[X] [Purchase] Set of burner phones
-[X] [Purchase]Plate carrier and ceramic plates
-[X] [Purchase]A bike
[X] [Costume] Utilitarian
[X] [Name] Witching Hour
[X][Direction] Shut away all your doubt
[X] Plan Pragmatic and Prepared
-[X] [Purchase] Zip ties
-[X] [Purchase] Lock picks
-[X] [Purchase] First aid kit and painkillers
-[X] [Purchase] Climbing Gear
-[X] [Purchase] Stab vest
-[X] [Purchase]A bike
Witching Hour… you were dead set on a name that wouldn't reveal anything of your power, but the name strikes a cord with you. It has the suggestion of time but with a misdirection in implied limitations that you do not have. Calling yourself a witch even indirectly, isn't wrong. You know that all too well. The fate of all magical girls was to become a witch, if you didn't die in battle or ended it on your own terms. The rule doesn't seem to apply here, but the past is something you can't forget.
Costume
9+13=22 Well done for home made.
The costume has to serve a purpose above all else. You have to salvage old closets the contents of which you never paid any mind to before for materials. Apparently your parents' tastes in clothing were somewhat eclectic. Looking over it, it will be enough.
Hours of work later the finished costume is arranged before you, it isn't pretty but it will serve your needs. Small pouches for tools, larger and reinforced ones for extra ammunition and explosives. For when you acquire a rifle, a sling that runs across your back. Holsters, stiff stitched cloth rather than leather, two at your hips , and a third as a holdout hanging off the front of your shoulder. A drab set of shirt and pants cut to the form of fatigues and loose enough to fit over both your civilian outfits and body armor. The mask is a dark shawl raised to cover the lower half of your face, and hanging over your back in a facsimile of a cape.
Armory
6+14=20 Total success
Magazine
3+14=17 Limited success
Camp Asunaro, is located northeast of Mitakihara in the wooded highlands near Asunaro City, not the largest base but with the Americans gone it is the one you are most familiar with. A bus gets you most of the way there, and your new bike takes you the last leg. For now you stash it past the tree line, and out of eyeshot from the checkpoint at the camp's entrance. The layout of the camp shouldn't have changed from your past raids though your movements are going to be more restricted by your time limit. With time standing still, the outermost guard poses no obstacle and you duck under the bar gate.
Within the fenced compound near identical grey buildings sit arranged in a grid, your first objective, the armory, is in the center. The soldiers on patrol are minimal, but the number of cameras necessitates moving only with time stopped. The way you end up taking is roundabout, but at the same time, you find enough points out of sight to make a return route for when you will be weighed down and forced to rest both your body and magic.
Three locked doors are all that stand between you and your new weapons. It is almost sad how little resistance they pose. And then you are in. There are rows upon rows of secure gun cabinets, steel boxes set on rollers and secured by padlocks.
Half are already empty. It seems that cuts in budget and the rot of corruption have already wiped out their supply of small arms but there is still a fair number of heavier weaponry. While more powerful, the downside is none would be even remotely concealable and would be only of use when you are the one dictating the terms of engagement.
Pick 2
[] [Long]Howa Type 89
Standard for an assault rifle, not excelling in any area save for ease of use and ergonomics. At the same time it does not have any major areas of weakness.
Prowess +18(+23)
[] [Long]Marksman's Howa Type 64
The last generation of battle rifle turned into a marksman's tool. While the scope is a primitive thing from the forties that obscures the iron sights, it still extends the effective range to almost a kilometer.
Prowess +19 (+25) loses 4 prowess after the first round.
[] [Long]Barrett M82
A fifty caliber anti-material rifle at the extreme limit of what you can carry, using it for an extended time without a tripod will not be practical. Its power however is extreme, able to penetrate solid concrete or steel.
Prowess +23 (+29) Negates some defensive bonuses, loses 9 prowess each round
[] [Long]Sumitomo MINIMI
Light and miniature are only relative terms when applied to a machine gun, but you still have a monstrous thing that is only just usable by a single person. Where it excels at suppressing a mass of targets, against an individual its strengths are muted.
Prowess +22 (+28) Loses 6 prowess when not used against multiple enemies.
The second valuable target is the magazine. Set directly into an earthwork hill, and a fair bit away from the other buildings, it contains the camp's stock of explosives. There isn't any cover between the magazine and the closest point out of sight where you can safely wait out your cooldown. So you have to act within a single burst of your time stop for there to be any chance of a clean retrieval. It would take fifty five seconds to reach it from the best vantage point, ten seconds to pick the lock on the door control, and twenty seconds maintaining contact to wait for the door to open and then close. Anything worth taking and with enough ammunition to be useful would be heavy and cumbersome enough to force you to slow down significantly, so triple the time for the return trip. Fifty seconds to search, only enough time to pick up one weapon.
It is cutting it close but you need everything you can afford to take. Your margins become even more close second by second as the door opens agonizingly slowly. Even once it is open enough for you to slip in you have to wait longer so there is space for you to carry out your new equipment.
Pick one
[] [Explosive]Howa 84RR
Shoulder mounted and normally fired by a crew of two the recoilless rifle fires high explosives shaped to penetrate heavy armor. There are some capes who are as strong as a tank, and this could even the playing field a bit.
[] [Explosive]Crate of Claymores
Anti-personnel mines filled with C4 and steel balls, exceptional at creating a killing field when used in an ambush. And stopped time allows you to make an ambush almost anywhere.
[] [Explosive]Hirtenberger M6C-210
A specialized mortar, lightweight and highly portable able to put a kilogram of TNT onto a target two kilometers away. You can fire it directly at a much reduced range but it is best used to soften a fortified position or to disrupt an organized foe.
[] [Explosive]Stinger
Before tackling an enemy with aerial superiority would mean a large amount of magic used to enhance your mobility, no you don't even have that. You can only carry a single missile with the system, but there is little else available to you that could answer the same things as it.
You underestimated the weight, you're carrying too much. Had to go even slower than you expected and now you are running against your time limit. Can't drop anything or leave it behind. Your legs are streaming with pain, your heart wants to break through your ribs, and your head is matching the intensity of both combined into one. Just keep moving, a few seconds left and a few more steps. Can't let the time stop end, you would be spotted and vulnerable at the same time. You break past the sightline just as the timestop's pain becomes too much to bear. For a moment darkness surrounds your vision but you catch yourself before you can collapse on top of your dangerous prizes.
It dawns on you that you will have to bike the fourteen kilometers back to Mitakihara with equipment almost equal to your entire weight as extra cargo. A moment to catch your breath… a long moment before heading back.
First impressions
4+0 Verging on hostile.
Salvaging
7+0 A chance.
Kyoko Sakura, she wasn't someone that you had met during the first time you went back to the past. Her dispute with Mami Tomoe had driven her away more than a year ago, only to return when a team of three still innocent girls pushed for the two to reconcile or more commonly when Mami met her end. There always existed a distance between you, and there are no scars of the stinging pain of betrayal, rejection, and loss, perhaps that is what makes it easier to reach out to her now.
Neighboring Kazamino City is only a short bus ride away, just close enough that the devastation of one would spill out into the other. Barely within the city limits, you come to your destination. Abandoned and marred by flames, it had another name once but it is now only known as the Sakura Church. In your research you have found an equal number of rumors that it is haunted by the ghosts of a family killed there and that a vigilante called Evensong has taken it over. It can only be Kyoko, she still clings to the place and her past there, and is sure to be keeping an eye on it, if not actively squatting in its ruins.
Coming to the church directly and without warning is a statement. A declaration that while you are coming for her aid you are not as someone who is forced to beg for her time. Changing into your new costume as time stands still, the cape Witching Hour makes her first appearance. Before you can take a step, right at the door to the nave, there is a tripwire across the threshold, running through the rubble it connects to a stack of cans. More are set up at the sills of the broken stained glass windows, it's amateurish. You step over it and take a seat upon the steps leading to the pulpit, waiting for Kyoko to confront your intrusion into her territory.
Minutes pass…
She still hasn't noticed your presence. So with utmost concept you pull upon one of the tripwires and set off the cacophony of falling metal cans. You are not kept waiting for much longer, as a girl your age comes running into the church, wearing a tattered black nun's habit with a chainmail veil that covers her face. From the creases and wrinkles and the stray strand of red hair poking out from her wimple, it looks as if she has just pulled it on in a hurry.
"Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my turf!" She shouts, already taking up a stance, as a spear appears in her hands in a burst of light.
"Witching Hour. I am merely here to propose something to you, Evensong." You say, schooling your voice into absolute calmness. The key is to project strength and confidence but not hostility.
"Never heard of ya. You some newbie Moschettiera put up to try this?" Or Kyoko can be absolutely dismissive.
"No, there are only my own reasons for seeking you out. The name is new, and I have only recently relocated to-"
She cuts you off, "Is this some kind of begin again bullshit? 'Cause you can go bother the crazies down in Kamihama for all of that."
The conversation is getting off track. You need to get to the point. "Soon, there will be an all encompassing threat to the region that will bring untold death and devastation to everything in her path. I believe you would be amiable toward stopping that."
She leans forward and there is a feeling of a sneer on her face. "And just what are you gonna do about it?" The lack of an actual denial is telling. "Think real good? Brew up some nasty potion?"
Time freezes and before your eyes Kyoko flickers, and at your touch she feels solid but doesn't react. An illusion of sorts, that was the magic she used once. The real one is… standing outside one of the windows, you move directly behind her before resuming time's flow. "Not quite." She doesn't even flinch, good. "I think we've had enough posturing. If I wished to harm you it would have already happened, if you weren't willing to give me a chance you would have left or attacked. We do not need to be friends, but we both could use someone to work with."
She turns to face you, you can make out a hint of a grin beneath her veil. "You know that Church of Assholes?" At your nod she continues. "We hit one of their stashes. Meet me at, Mitakihara Central Station in three days. You pull your weight and then I'll think about it. Oh, and I get all the cash they got.
[Kyoko]Accept
[Kyoko]Counter Offer? -Write In
More than anywhere else Mitakihara Middle School has changed. In place of the ultra modern smart glass there is only concrete and wood. While never truly crowded, the halls and classes are more sparsely populated and faces you had seen in passing are now absent.
Your homeroom teacher, Ms. Saotome is about to finish her customary rant, no… There is genuine anger in her voice. You tune into what she is saying, oh, her boyfriend ran when they were mugged.
As you walk in, all eyes are on you except for the one person that really matters. Madoka, she has her mind elsewhere staring off into the distance oblivious to the rest of the world. The introduction you give is perfectly poised, nothing like the girl you once were. You, you can't bring yourself to act how you once did. That vulnerability was the first thing to cause Madoka to reach out to you. But you can't be her any more, you can't be weak like that ever again.
Break can't come quickly enough, with it your first chance to talk to Madoka. But first you are surrounded by a gaggle of girls with their inane questions that you answer by rote. More than anything you want to walk right up to her and drag her away. But you can't. That would only distress her, drive her away, to protect her you have to be closer to her. You have to wait for her. Slumping your posture, and showing a bit of the fatigue you usually hide is all you can do to get her attention.
Sayaka Miki, usually the blue haired girl is nothing but a pain dragging Madoka and herself into danger out of a misplaced sense of justice, the rare times she was a friend are ever more distant. Now it seems you are going to start off in her debt. She has noticed you first, and whatever she just said, snaps Madoka back to reality.
"Miss Akemi, don't you need to go to the nurse's office right now?"Madoka asks, as she walks up to you. She's wearing a brave face like a mask.
"Yes, could you show me the way?" You let her lead, can't show that you already know the way, can't let the painful memories slip out.
"It's been a while since we had anyone transfer in. Homura, right?" She says drawing out each syllable of your name. It's forced.
"It is an odd name, I know."
"No, I think it's cool. Like you're burning with passion!"
"No one else has ever said that of me before." You say, giving a slight nod in thanks. "You are a very kind person. I hope that never changes."
Out of nowhere, the facade cracks. Tears are welling up in her eyes, wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong. "Don't say that!" She shouts, before flinching at her own voice. "I'm sorry I…I've been feeling like I don't know who I am anymore." Words are failing you, your body moves. The only thing you can do is give her a shoulder to cry on. "It's just- it was me- if I hadn't- then-then." Her voice catches on every other word as her body is wracked with each sob.
The two of you stand there in the hall as you try your best to be comforting, patting her on the back as she lets loose with her emotions. The need to protect her clashes with how poorly equipped you are for this. In this you are all but powerless. Still Madoka's composure starts to return.
"You're new, I shouldn't have, you couldn't have known. I'm sorry for… this. Someone you don't even know just..."
"If you would consider me as a friend I'd be honored." You offer.
Her smile is small and weak but it feels real. "I think I'd like that. We should do something, and I'll introduce you to my friends Sayaka and Hitomi and. Oh! We need to get to the Nurse's office!"
"Let's." You are closer to her than you have been in years, it brings a certain if faint lightness to your heart. But the people that hurt her so much, they are going to pay for each and every single tear that Madoka shed today.
A/N Sorry for the delay, the Holidays were a distraction from writing and a whole slew of person issues also popped up recently. Going to try and get back onto a more regular update tempo.
[X] [Long]Marksman's Howa Type 64
[X] [Long]Sumitomo MINIMI
[X] [Explosive]Crate of Claymores
Going with the claymores primarily because they're a lightweight explosive option that wouldn't mess with carry weight nearly as much as any of the launch systems, and they're pretty synergistic with Homura's timestop.
We came here for heavy, I say we walk out with as much heavy as we can carry.
[X] [Kyoko]Accept
[X] [Long]Barrett M82
[X] [Long]Sumitomo MINIMI
[X] [Explosive]Stinger
Raiding that Church stash might turn up assault rifles anyway so I say we go with the biggest boom while we have the chance. The stuff not likely to be in the armory of a street gang.
[X] [Kyoko]Accept
[X] [Long]Howa Type 89
[X] [Long]Sumitomo MINIMI
[X] [Explosive]Howa 84RR
Definitely too late to change anyone's minds here, but... The Howa Type 89 and the MINIMI are both chambered in the same 5.56mm cartridge, which means we'll only have to care about resupplying one calibre as opposed to two if we pick the Howa Type 64 instead. On top of that, the Type 89 is a weapon Homura is going to be infinitely more familiar with, being that it's one of her main weapons in the TV series, so I strongly believe that if Homura were real, and she saw the cache available to her, she would gravitate towards the Type 89 just on instinct. Since @Cookiesndip was talking all that good shit about us being super-weak the last time he was here, the fact that our muscle memory will carry us through our primary armament will go a long way towards not having to devote any time to learning a new manual of arms. That's time we could be using for other things instead, like planning our raid with Kyouko, and frankly is a much greater argument in favour of the Type 89 than the calibre-compatibility with the MINIMI, so let me just put that up here in bold all-caps.
THE HOWA TYPE 89 WAS ONE OF HOMURA'S PRIMARY WEAPONS DURING TV SERIES MADOKA MAGICA. WE SHOULD PICK IT BECAUSE THE BENEFIT OF MUSCLE MEMORY AND NOT HAVING TO LEARN A NEW MANUAL OF ARMS IS TOO GREAT TO PASS UP.
Updated my vote to include the guns. Voted for the 89 and MG, I went with the Claymores cause I feel they synergies with Homura's power better. Though I'd be open to the Recoilless if people think it's better and have a good case for it.
