#homura has completely shut herself out of them over time

[honestlyboringperson]

Name: Homura Akemi

Arcanas: Death, Fool

Personas: Morpheus, Argo, Pallas

Homura, is the transfer student who mysteriously has both 2 personas, but an evoker & knowledge on S.E.E.S.’s goals and members. She acts incredibly cold and blunt towards really anyone from S.E.E.S. except Madoka for some odd reason, who she calls “too kind for her own good.”

Predictably, she is a time traveller with 12 year long attempts to save Madoka. She managed to fuse what little amount of personas she had into Argo, a persona with the power of time manipulation. She opposes the S.E.E.S., but sometimes does aid them when they almost lose against some shadows. She lost her Fool Arcana & Full Wild Card ability over time due to maturing and dropping any and all bonds she could of have made.

She does not take Madoka’s sacrifice well, and she reattains her Fool Arcana and Wild Card Ability and becomes the protagonist of the Answer portion of the story.

PERSONAS

Unlike the other Personas where they evolve from personal growth, Homura’s personas are two completely separate Personas she can switch between harnessing.

Argo of the Death Arcana is the Persona that stemmed from her hardened and cold personality she developed over time. The Argo is the legendary ship that the Argonauts sailed to attain the Golden Fleece. The Golden Fleece refers to Madoka, with fleece being associated with sheep (symbolizing Jesus Christ, with his sacrifice reflecting Madoka’s Sacrifice) and Gold (meaning divinity). With this persona being an item, it refers to Homura seeing it more as a tool than a reflection of herself and her steadfast determination referring to how a boat effortlessly sails from one area to another, braving whatever could be out there. The butterfly refers to the butterfly effect, where one changes the past to change the future and the clock tower is the part of the persona that can reverse time.

Her original persona that she obtained in her first timeline, Morpheus. Morpheus is the god of dreams and son of Somnus, god of sleep. He was sent by Juno to warn Alycone and her husband Ceyx in a dream to warn them of Ceyx’s death. Homura tried to warm the team about the impending danger, but was unfortunately never listened to. This is symbolized in her straitjacket and mouth being tied shut, being seen as a lunatic or fool. The hands behind her represent Homura working in the background, not always participating in the team to further her goals. The bottom half of her design is an hourglass for obvious reasons but it’s tied with a ribbon and adorned with a butterfly, symbolizing the aforementioned butterfly effect.

[animepopheart]

Wonder Egg Priority, Episode 7: The Scars to Prove It (or, Love for the Moms, the Cutters, and the Drunks)

Wonder Egg Priority (WEP) has felt like the successor to Puella Magi Madoka Magica in many ways throughout its run, but in episode seven, it almost went full Madomagi by driving the stakes to their utmost height—to the death of one of the main characters. But as has been consistent with WEP, what it did instead, after some moments of true worry, is to instead deliver hope in the face of pain, resolve against overwhelming circumstances, and strength in weakness.

The series returns to Rika Kawai’s story in this episode, which starts with her turning 14. And on her 14th birthday, after leaving her hungover mother halfway asleep at the bar she works at and which they call home, Rika opens up to the rest of the girls, explaining that she doesn’t know her father (it could be any of five possibilities, or even more) and her mom won’t reveal any further information about him. As she trashes her mom, Neiru and Momoe are incredulous, which only drives Rika away from them. And though Ai goes to comfort her, Rika is in a terrible state of mind as she enters her next fight.

This was a difficult episode to watch. They’ve all been somewhat hard since the series never shies away from brutal and violent situations impacting young people, but I found myself squirming especially here as Rika’s cutting takes center stage. At one point, she decides to cut herself and it seems certain she will, before her turtle-like partner, Mannen, prevents it from happening.

Challenging, also, is how strained Rika’s relationship is with her mother, who’s life revolves around drink—alcohol both pays the bills and helps her forget how miserable her existence is. And in the midst of all the bad behavior in this episode—the usual Rika talk, her mom’s alcoholism and neglect, and the selfishness all around, one begins to feel deeply sorrowful for the Kawai women. Yes, Rika is often obnoxious, but her family life is in shambles, and she still exhibits goodness, including a curiously gentle relationship with Mannen. And Rika’s mother is a tragic figure, used by men and quite on the road to an early death, it would seem, unable to lift herself out of the gutter as she tries, in her own sloppy way, to protect and reach out to her daughter.

It’s in this hopelessness that Rika turns again to cutting, and then finds herself tempted by something even more dangerous. Her foe this time is a religious leader who led the egg, a follower who continues to believe in him, to commit suicide as a way of “connecting” with the universe (Heaven’s Gate, anyone?). Rika decries the ghoul as a charlatan, but is confronted with her own weakness when the egg shows her own scarred arm to Rika, revealing that she can tell that the latter cuts just like she did. And then she explains that Rika can be released from this pain.

The scars, evidence of what Rika does to cope with her pain, now become the weakness that they truly are, revealing how hopeless she feels, and how powerless she is against the mechanizations of her family life. And defeated, she’s about to allow herself to be killed when a surprising savior comes along—a turtle. Mannen attacks the spiritual leader, to Rika’s surprise as well, until she remembers that he has imprinted on her. Rika is Mannen’s mom, and as he did when he prevented her from cutting, Mannen is again protecting his mother.

The conclusion that Rika reaches is unusual but inspiring. She understands, in this moment, the need to protect one’s mom, finally admitting to herself in a de facto way that maybe her mother is in need of love, too. It’s funny to consider the need that mothers have for love since culturally and socially, they’re always seen as the providers of it. But of course, they need it in return, especially when they falter. My own mother is sick right now, and I think of the support I need to give her and the lack of that I’ve provided through the years.

Warning: Screenshot involving cutting after the jump.

My mother was a good one, however. Rika’s, on the other hand, has struggled with the charge, which reminds me of a story from one of my favorite books, The Ragamuffin Gospel, about another bad parent—a far worse one, in fact, and a real one. I’ll quote part of the passage from chapter seven:

“‘Our daughter Debbie wanted a pair of earth shoes for her Christmas present. On the afternoon of December 24, my husband drove her downtown, gave her sixty dollars, and told her to buy the best pair of shoes in the store. That is exactly what she did. When she climbed back into the pickup truck her father was driving, she kissed him on the cheek and told him he was the best daddy in the whole world. Max was preening himself like a peacock and decided to celebrate on the way home. He stopped at the Cork ‘n’ Bottle–that’s a tavern a few miles from our house and told Debbie he would be right out. It was a clear and extremely cold day, about twelve degrees above zero, so Max left the motor running and locked both doors from the outside so no one could get in. It was a little after three in the afternoon and…’

Silence.

‘Yes?’

The sound of heavy breathing crossed the recreation room. Her voice grew faint. She was crying. ‘My husband met some old Army buddies in the tavern. Swept up in euphoria over the reunion, he lost track of time, purpose, and everything else. He came out of the Cork ‘n’ Bottle at midnight . He was drunk. The motor had stopped running and the car windows were frozen shut. Debbie was badly frostbitten on both ears and on her fingers. When we got her to the hospital, the doctors had to operate. They amputated the thumb and forefinger on her right hand. She will be deaf for the rest of her life.'”

Max—a real person, mind you—was a successful, well-liked man, but his drinking problem led to an unconscionable decision and profound failure as a parent. And yet, this book is about grace, an idea which to humans feels unjust, but  which has the power to change hearts and tear down walls, sometimes literally.

Could Max be given grace? Could Rika’s mother? If not directly, she’s done her own physical damage to her daughter in the form of those cutting scars (difficult and perhaps triggering images below). As mentioned earlier, the egg that she’s helping knows her pain and insists that letting go of everything, including life itself, is the way to peace. After all, to a young, suffering girl, what else could these scars mean?

But in the midst of giving up, in the moment that she actually capitulates (and this episode takes you 99% to the edge, both in the cutting scene and in the apparent death scene), Rika experiences something powerful. She experiences grace.

Have you ever been challenged to forgive someone when you don’t want to, when you feel completely in the right? Maybe it’s easy for you, but perhaps it isn’t. The girls surrounding Rika experience differing degrees of this with her sometimes maniacal and often hurtful behavior. Ai forgives easily. Momoe gets fired up and then equally seeks to make peace. And Neiru…well, Neiru holds onto “justice” more than love (setting up what I imagine will be the most powerful transformation in the series of all, in true Homura fashion). But in the moment that Rika is about to give her life, the girls yell out their love for her, even Neiru, and then more profoundly, without any hesitation, Mannen puts his own life on the line to stop the death from occurring. Rika has already given up, but this turtle hasn’t—not for his mother, whom he loves very much.

And experiencing that love from a different angle, Rika is changed just a bit. She begins to see her weakness as a “mother,” failing her turtle-child, and thinks of her own mom who is overwhelmed by hurt and a failure as well. And if just a little—for as the final scenes indicate, it is just a little—the path toward forgiveness begins.

But a little bit of grace is like a little bit of a flood—its power overwhelms, and it defeats the enemy, whether that means bitterness, a physical person (or manifestation of one), or the devil himself.

When Rika returns from the event, having killed the cult leader monster, it’s interesting to note that she isn’t a wholly different person. She’s changing little by little. And her scars remain. In fact, as she admits, she probably will cut herself again. But strangely enough, those scars now represent something different. They show someone trying—failing, yes, sometimes considerably and maybe very often—but trying, and only able to try because love was shown her, and through that, she is now able to show love as well.

You may have such scars in your life, physical or emotional, battered by the world and by people. I hope that you can develop relationships that help you heal as well, and that you’ll also remember that there are other scars which are meaningful to you, but which you cannot see on your person, scars that were borne out of a desire to heal you. Christ took the piercings, on his head, hands, feet, and side, so that while your heart and flesh may be cut, your soul need not be. And through his wounds, you may be healed.

The grace offered through Christ is one that, as he explains about everlasting water at the well to the Samaritan, for now and through eternity. The egg seeks peace forever by dying, but Jesus, unlike the cult leader, died for us so that we may not have to. He took the nails, the cross, and the spear so that we don’t have to inflict pain on ourselves and receive the punishment of our actions against him and others. He is our scar.

That’s grace. That’s the power that it has. And it can reach anyone—even a terrible dad, an alcoholic mom, a tempestuous child, and, and most significantly and personally—you.

If you’re suffering and in pain, maybe self-inflicted, we encourage you to explain such to a parent or trusted adult and ask for help. It’s a difficult first step, but one that will help you begin recovering. And we also advise that you turn to Christ for help—in prayer, community, and scripture. He provides people to us that will aid us in our times of need, as well as himself and the Holy Spirit if we are believers.

Additionally, there’s a scene in this episode where triumphant, Rika concludes that cutting is okay. That’s said in the context of her moving forward bit by bit and forgiving herself for her failures, even the upcoming ones. That’s an important lesson, though we must certainly be careful not to let it be a license to continue cutting with impunity.

Wonder Egg Priority can be streamed through Funimation. Read more of our articles by signing up for our weekly newsletter.

[takerfoxx]

So long as I'm getting caught up on all my stuff, here's the next installment of the Walpurgis Nights girls watch The Rebellion Story, this time stretching from Homura shooting herself in the head to her talk with Sayaka the vague-poster!

Reminder:

G=Gretchen

H=Homulilly

Op=Ophelia

Ok=Oktavia

Ca=Candeloro/Mami

Ch=Charlotte

...

=still screaming=

G: Turn it off, TURN IT OFF!

Ok, panicking: I got it, I got it! Off!

=TV winks out=

Ch: Sweet Christ!

=long pause, and then Gretchen gets up and runs off. Homulilly quickly follows=

Ch: This was a mistake.

Op: What. The fuck?

Ca: I should have known. I should have known it would go this way.

Ch: Candy, there’s no way you could have-

Ca: No! There was! I knew how bad it could get! I knew how far we could have fallen! I shouldn’t have let you guys see any of this.

Ok: It’s not your fault.

Ca: I still should have known. I should have at least screened this!

Ch: Yeah, one of us probably should have.

=another long pause=

Ok: So, uh, are we, like, done?

=suddenly Gretchen reenters the room, followed by Homulilly. They silently return to their seats=

G: Okay. Play it.

Op: Gretch, are you sure?

G: I need to know. I need to know what happens to her. I need to know if we turn out okay. Play it.

=everyone exchanges uncomfortable glances, and then look to Homulilly, who slowly nods=

Ok: Okay, if you say so…

Op: We’d better ease it with the commentary. I mean, this isn’t something we can-

G: No! Please, no. The talking…and the jokes…well, it makes it easier.

Op: Sure.

Ch: It’ll be kind of hard to find anything funny about this.

Ca: We can try to do what we can.

=they start the movie, and silently watch as Homura falls in slow motion, blood and brains spewing out. And then…=

Op: Wait, hold up! How is she still moving?

Ca: As I said, something like that won’t kill her. You would need to destroy her soul gem.

Op: So she can straight up just blow her own head off and walk it off?

Ca: So long as the act of healing didn’t use up too much magic, yes.

H: Okay, but why? Why would I do something like that?

Ca: Let’s find out.

…

Ok: Uh…Ooooh.

H: Oh. Really?

G: What’s going on?

H: I couldn’t get rid of the ribbon on my ankle. Every time I tried to shoot it off, Mami would just grow it back. So I tried shocking her so badly that she wouldn’t think to regenerate the ribbon long enough for her to be caught in the time-stop.

Op: By shooting yourself in the head?!

H: Clearly, I have a considerable amount of emotional issues.

Ch: You know, it’s really starting to concern me how you keep referring to her as yourself just now.

H: I apologize. I will try to differentiate between my alternate selves.

Ok: Oh great, now I’ve gone cross-eyed.

…

Ch: So…this is really uncomfortable. Again.

G: Is she going to shoot Cand-I mean, Mami?

Ca: I mean, there’s clearly a moral struggle.

H: Well. At least I didn’t turn out as a complete sociopath.

Ok: This is seriously gross. Can we just skip this part?

Ca: No.

Ok: But-

Ca: No.

Ok: Okay.

…

Op: In the leg. Well, I guess that’s not as-

Ok: HOLY!

G: What’s happening? What’s going on?

Op: Sweet flames, she’s…a ribbon monster? The fuck?

=pause, and then Charlotte starts laughing hard while Candeloro just sighs=

Ok: Charlotte! Explain! Now!

Ch: She did it! She actually did it!

Ok: Did what?!

Ch: You’ll see!

H: Wow, I am…I mean, she is just all tied up now.

G: Wait, Mami’s there? But I thought…then what was…

Ca: Oh, good grief.

Ok: Wait. Wait a second, you can clone yourself?!

Ca: It’s…not so much a clone as it is a puppet.

Ok: Since when could you do that?!

Ca: Um, well, I had figured it out a short time before our, um, deaths. I was training with Kyo…with Ophelia, and we were practicing with her illusion magic. You know, the duplicates?

Op: Uh-huh.

Ca: Well, she suggested that perhaps I could do something similar with my ribbons, since I could use my ribbons to form other objects. And, well…it worked.

Op: Ooooh. Okay, that’s actually kind of awesome.

H: I was fighting a copy the whole time?! How is that fair?

Ch: You can literally freeze time!

H: Hey, wait. How do you know that she could do that, Charlotte?

Ch: How do you think?

Ca: Like we said: our therapist suggested building positive associations around my change. We had to get creative.

Op: Oh, come on, that’s not fair!

Ok: Wait, you were the one betting on her!

Op: I’m not talking about that! When I do my duplicate trick all I can do with them is give Tavi a show! It’s not like she can touch any of them!

Ok: Babe. Relax. It’s honestly fine.

Op: All I’m saying I should be able to give you a lap dance while the striptease is going on.

G: TMI! TMI!

Ch: You, uh, do know that you can give her the lap dance and let your illusions handle the striptease, right?

Op: Do you know how hard it is to handle two kinds of dancing at the same time when you’re horny?

G: Please, I am begging you to stop!

…

Ch: So…I think someone owes me and Fee-Fee some talents.

Ok: Fight’s not over yet!

Ch: It clearly is…

G: You don’t know that! Maybe Homura will drop a hand-grenade to blow the ribbons up! Or maybe Kyoko will come to save her.

Op: Look, if other-me tags in, that’s an automatic forfeit. This is supposed to be one-on-one, and that clone trick is stretching things as it is.

H: Wait, wait, shut up. Wraiths? What are wraiths?

Ok: Dunno.

Ch: Did we miss something? I get that that nightmares replaced the witches, but what are wraiths?

G: Maybe…after I erased witches, wraiths are what replaced them!

Op: We should’ve just watched the damn show first.

Ch: Do you really think it’ll make things make more sense?

Op: Probably not, but at least we’d know about half of these names!

Ch: Jesus Christ, the fuck is that?

Ok: The sky wants to eat that giant walnut, apparently.

Ch: I can see that, but what does it mean?!

G: I think that’s an eye, actually.

Ok: An eye with teeth.

Ch: None of that answers any of my questions.

Op: Nope, this would still be just as weird even if we watched the show.

…

Ch: And here comes the rescue! Via…fire extinguisher for some reason. Sorry girls, Mami takes this.

Ok: Fine, fine. Thanks a lot, Homulilly.

H: Not my fault. None of us knew about the duplicate thing. I had her beat until then.

Ok: Wait, is that a sword?

Op: Guess it ain’t me with the steel chair, then!

G: Well, of course not. It’s a sword.

Op: That’s not…never mind.

Ok: It’s me! I’m coming in to save you!

H: I’m touched. But…why?

Ok: Because I had fifty talents riding on you, and you let me down.

H: Oh, don’t start.

Op: Wait. That ain’t your voice, Tavi.

Ok: Who else has a sword?!

G: Um, who is that?

Ch: Some kind of kid. Candy, do you recognize her back from before?

Ca: No, I really don’t…

Op: Wait, BEBE?!

Ch: Excuse me?!

H: Um…this is…a turn.

Ca: Don’t look at me, I’m as bewildered as you are.

Ch: Oh, so first I’m a creepy idiot doll, and now I’m a fucking child?!

Op: What is this, some kind of alternate universe bullshit?

Ok: I mean, basically. Uh, you okay over there, Charlotte.

Ch: Nope!

Ok: Wanna take a break?

Ch: Yes!

…

=everyone returns after half-an-hour=

Ch: I think I’ve figured it out.

H: Oh?

Ch: Butterfly effect. Like, okay, in this universe, Madoka somehow erased all witches, right? I mean, made it so magical girls don’t turn into witches anymore, right? And did it all through history, right?

H: Presumably.

Ch: So that means that there has to be major repercussions! Like, like, this girl doesn’t turn into a witch fifty years ago, so she doesn’t eat some random passerby, and that rando goes and marries someone that would have married someone else in the original timeline, so they have a completely different set of kids, so the kids they would have had originally don’t get born! So somewhere down the line, things got all screwy and I ended up being born a few years later!

G: Wow, that actually makes a lot of sense.

Op: I guess we’re all super-lucky that we got born at all. And that the rest of us ended up more-or-less the same. Um, no offense.

Ch: Right. That’s all it is. Different timeline, things happened differently, and I’m a little girl in this world. That’s it.

Ok: So…are you okay with this then?

Ch: Oh, absolutely not! But I can at least deal with it now!

Op: Bet’cha anything that good ol’ Bebe here still has a major crush on Mami.

Ch: Oh, God! Don’t even go there!

Op: I’m just sayin’…

Ca: Ophelia…

Op: Stopping, stopping.

H: Shall we continue?

Ch: Yeah, I guess. I’m gonna need major therapy after all this is over, though.

G: We all will.

…

Ok: Okay, I know this is probably a bad time to point this out, but Sayaka has style!

Op: I mean, you’re not wrong. Look at you, being all effortlessly cool! Not that you aren’t already.

Ok: Nice save there.

Ch: Haha, Sayaka’s got it right! Taking on Mami was a dumb idea. Speaking of which…

Ok: Oh, come on! That clone trick was dirty and you know it!

Ch: Oh, I’m sorry. Are you upset that she so happened to have something that counters Homura’s extremely unfair timestop power?

Op: She’s got a point. A bet’s a bet.

G: All right, I guess it’s official. Mami won.

=Candeloro smirks=

H; You don’t have to be all smug about it.

Ca: True. I don’t.

…

G: Wait…

Op: So, what, Sayaka knows what’s going on?

Ok: Of course I do! I mean, I’m the brains of the bunch!

=Homulilly coughs=

Ok: I heard that.

H: I didn’t say anything.

Ch: Well, finally some exposition!

G: I do sort of wish that she’d just tell Homura what is going on without being so vague about it.

Ok: Look, I’ve been pretty much on the wayside this whole movie. Let me have my monologue.

Ch: What’s she getting at though?

H: Oh.

Ch: Huh?

H: I think…Never mind.

G: What is it?

H: I just had sort of a realization, but I’d rather not say it now.

Op: Eh?

H: Hang on. Let’s just watch a bit more.

…

Op: Jesus, Tavi! No need to show Homura up like that!

Ok: Let! Me! Have! This!

Ch: That was pretty cool, though. Shwing! Stopped her cold!

G: Wait, so one of us is the…

=voice trails off=

G: Is it me?

H: Um…

Op: Oh.

Ok: Oh.

Ch: What? Oh, okay. I get it now.

Ca: I sort of put it together too.

G: What? What are…Oh.

=everyone looks at Homulilly=

H: Well, it only makes sense. I guess.

Ch: You don’t seem all that upset about it.

H: Well, at least I get to become my best self in this movie.

G: But…how though? I thought I erased witches or whatever!

Ok: Let’s find out.

Ch: If your other self can ever get to the point.

Ok: Shhh…

…

Ca: Wait, I’m the witch? Is that what she’s implying?

Ch: Pretty sure that’s just a red herring.

Ok: You know, it’s nice that Sayaka is actually being all sympathetic toward witches. I mean, it’s kind of fucked up, isn’t it? That even the magical girls that know the score still hunt down witches instead of trying to help them.

G: I mean, it can’t really be helped, can it?

Ok: I know, I just like that I’m saying it.

G: The Law of Cycles? What’s that?

Op: Probably whatever trippy business you replaced the witch stuff with.

H: Oh, now I’m finally just saying it out loud! Madoka erased witches. Took us long enough to get to that point.

Op: Wait, sacrificed herself? Only Homura remembers her? What?

Ch: Pretty sure this was all explained in the show.

Op: Well, that’s what we get for watching this first. Should we go back and-

Everyone: No.

Op: Cool.

…

Op: Oh, freaky!

Ok: Wait, so I’m the witch now?

Ch: Could mean that in this timeline you turned into a witch before Madoka did her un-witching…thing.

Ca: That is what you looked like. Right before you became one with Charlotte, I mean.

Ch: Er…

Ok: Phrasing…

Ca: Oh, for Heaven’s sake. It is literally what happened. You turned into a witch while we were fighting Charlotte, and then the two of you fused. Then I became a witch and fused with that witch. And then Ophelia became a witch and we all fused together.

Ok: Yeah, but the way you said it…

…

H: Where’d she go?

Ok: Clumsy? You have the gall to call me clumsy? Who just saved who’s ass, just now!

H: Cut me some slack, it’s been a long evening.

Ch: Y’know you still got blood and brains all over your cheek, right?

H: I am certain that Homura does not care.

Op: I am certain that Homura is about to blow the brains out of the first punk-ass that looks at her wrong right about now.

Ok: Headshots for everybody!

H: Except Madoka.

Ok: Except Madoka. She can be the token un-brain-slushee.

G: Gee. Thanks.

Ca: I’d like to just point out that Homura came very close to turning me into a brain-slushee, but changed her mind.

Op: I doubt she’ll let you off so easy a second time.

Ch: Easy. Hey, may I remind you who won that fight?

H: You’re not going to let that go, are you?

Op: Tell yah what. Losing party treats the winners to dinner at the Tradewinds. Fair?

H: Fair.

Ch: Seriously? With the prices they have down there it’ll be cheaper just to cough up the fifty talents.

G: Yeah, but onion volcanoes!

Ch: Hard to argue with that logic.

Ok: So…on a scale of one to ten, how badly is Homura going to flip out when she realized that she’s the witch.

H: I will accept nothing less than a massacre.

Ok: Cool. Just so long as it’s not of us.

Op: I don’t know. The way this movie is going I wouldn’t be surprised if this turned into a straight-up snuff film.

[kyu-bri]

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@myrtenast3r J \ A \

II

COME LOOKIE PAW I CAUGHT ONE!

*ahem*

A quick giant rundown!!!!

Mami is a well-todo 15yr old girl of the 80s. She is very much in love with her Real Actual Explicitly Romantic Girlfriend Kyoko.

Mamis father is a medical scientist, currently working on a project to create synthetic organs and tissues for ailing people. He has recently teamed his efforts with an engineer with an affinity for Purple. I do not remember if purple guy made the animatronics but in my defense we recast who purple guy is believed to be every year.

Kyoko's father runs a very liberal unorthodox church, that believes in blasphemous things like Gay Is Okay and Abortion Is Not Murder

People murder Kyokos family over this

Mami finds her gfs church burning down, Kyoko the only one still alive- but severely burned and not hanging around for long

Kyoko stops breathing before they get to the hospital, and Mamis father, in panic and sympathy for his hysterical daughter, takes her into his lab and hooks her up on life support, he sets to calcifying her insides and rebuilding her bodyfunctions from the inside out.

The result is calcified balljointed skin and a brain full of electrified wire. Kyoko wakes up stoic and moving stiffly, slowly relearning how to articulate and react. The only semblance of her old self is being able to identify Mami, giving her joy and hope, and Mamis father severe anxiety.

Mamis father is secretly horrified at his frankensteinish recreation of a dead girl, he cancels his research afraid of what people might do if they could become completely synthetic, sentient machines. His engineering partner however, suggests ways to keep his discoveries from going to waste- by using them for entertainment purposes

Mostly headed by his partner, the Tomoe family opens a family restaurant business, quickly becoming renown for its state of the art animatronic technology, and by children for its adorable red showgirl

Mamis parents are killed in a sudden accident, leaving her as heiress to the business accompanied only by her stoic, ribbon covered stage singer girlfriend, and the creepy animatronic mechanic

Children start going missing

Mami discovers her fathers old partner has trained her undead android girlfriend to kidnap and murder children in addition to song and dance. Mami thinks thats fucked up

Dude turns on Mami but Kyoko kills him first.

Mami shuts down the business in grief and becomes a recluse, as some time passes she becomes unable to even confide in her girlfriend, now ex as Mami grows up and Kyokos left unaging with an electric brain that can only learn whats programmed, which would be creepy otherwise

A few years later, Madoka Kaname and timid Homura Akemi break into the closed down business. Homuras fondest childhood memories are of this establishment, and Madoka loves Homura very much.

Mami never figured out how to unteach Kyoko how to murder unattended children

Madoka is dead, as Mami frantically apologizes and scolds RoboKyoko and apologizes for the scolded RoboKyoko, Homura figures out what RoboKyoko is, she begs Mami to make Madoka the same. Mami can't pretend she hasn't learned the technology for different motives.

As she slowly rebuilds Madoka, Homura resigns herself to the same fate. She volunteers herself to become as Madoka will so she might always look after her.

Madoka reanimates somewhat more vacant and robotic then Kyoko, she learns the showtunes quickly though. In contrast, Homura is distressingly more aware, though discernably focussed on her only desire to keep Madoka safe. Mayhaps a side effect of being changed when both alive and knowing what was to come.

Considerably more traumatized now, Mami concludes that these girls need something to do with themselves. She reopens the restaurant.

She hires a security guard for the nightshift

Sayaka needed a summer job to distract her from her teenage angst and was pretty willing to work just for free pizza

The animatronics walking around at night and really wanting to get into her office is a great distraction

Sayaka isn't scared of ghosts nor death at this point though so she eventually confronts them. They just want to play with her. They're very lonely in the dark.

Sayaka suddenly recognizes Madoka as a missing girl at her school from a few months back. Sayaka is aware of the missing children rumors back when the place shut down in 87 and connects some dots.

Mami is here to relieve Sayaka of her post

Kyoko has learned that Murder Is Bad.

She stops Mami from harming Sayaka and forces the girls to come to a truce amongst their arguing. Sayaka has to promise not to tell the police about Mamis zombie performers and Mami not to kill her.

They're both lying

Mami leaves to let Sayaka find her way out. Going to the control room she *accidentally* triggers a security door Sayaka was just then walking through

But swiftly after, Homura prys the door open, and Kyoko lifts the unconsious girl and carries her to the lab. All while a ballet dancing Madoka pirouettes after them singing how everythings going to be alright.

Homura gets to saving the nearly eviscerated Sayaka.

Mami is confronted by Kyokos blankly staring face and does not interfere.

Sayaka is given a beautiful sparkling tail, and begrudgingly Mami installs a gel pool into the pirate themes play area. Though she does manage to communicate to Homura that Sayakas voicebox is much too dangerous to carry over

The building reopens the next week, though pirate bay is closed until they can be sure their new member can behave.

Sayaka is not stoic or stiff, she stays put and behaves largely out of the Depression

Mami does not advertise for another night guard

She gets saddled with one though. Two actually, this angry rich girl is very persuasive but really wants her dull boyfriend to be there to help her out.

Hitomi wants to find out what happened to Sayaka.

Kyosuke does not want to be here.

Djjsisjdisishdisus K THERE WE GO

I'll probably draw shit and update with it + a readmore later lmao

Cliffhanger there so I'm not spoiling the entIRE story if I wanna do anything for it later lmao

[surprisebitch]

My 10 All-time Fave Anime

I first wanna get it out there that there is still a lot of anime I plan to watch and have yet to finish. This current top 10 all-time fave list is based from anime I have completed. I am currently watching a lot of anime, so this list could potentially change!

Each synopsis comes from MyAnimeList. Here’s my profile if you’re interested, and feel free to send a friend request!

Anyway, onto the list! This is not in order btw, just 10 titles!

My 10 All-time Fave Anime

1. Given (2019)

Tightly clutching his Gibson guitar, Mafuyu Satou steps out of his dark apartment to begin another day of his high school life. While taking a nap in a quiet spot on the gymnasium staircase, he has a chance encounter with fellow student Ritsuka Uenoyama, who berates him for letting his guitar’s strings rust and break. Noticing Uenoyama’s knowledge of the instrument, Satou pleads for him to fix it and to teach him how to play. Uenoyama eventually agrees and invites him to sit in on a jam session with his two band mates: bassist Haruki Nakayama and drummer Akihiko Kaji.

Satou’s voice is strikingly beautiful, filling Uenoyama with the determination to make Satou the lead singer of the band. Though reticent at first, Satou takes the offer after an emotional meeting with an old friend. With the support of his new friends, Satou must not only learn how to play guitar, but also come to terms with the mysterious circumstances that led him to be its owner.

2. Rurouni Kenshin (1996)

In the final years of the Bakumatsu era lived a legendary assassin known as Hitokiri Battousai. Feared as a merciless killer, he was unmatched throughout the country, but mysteriously disappeared at the peak of the Japanese Revolution. It has been ten peaceful years since then, but the very mention of Battousai still strikes terror into the hearts of war veterans.

Unbeknownst to them, Battousai has abandoned his bloodstained lifestyle in an effort to repent for his sins, now living as Kenshin Himura, a wandering swordsman with a cheerful attitude and a strong will. Vowing never to kill again, Kenshin dedicates himself to protecting the weak. One day, he stumbles across Kaoru Kamiya at her kendo dojo, which is being threatened by an impostor claiming to be Battousai. After receiving help from Kenshin, Kaoru allows him to stay at the dojo, and so the former assassin temporarily ceases his travels.

Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan tells the story of Kenshin as he strives to save those in need of saving. However, as enemies from both past and present begin to emerge, will the reformed killer be able to uphold his new ideals?

3. Assassination Classroom (2015)

When a mysterious creature chops the moon down to a permanent crescent, the students of class 3-E of Kunugigaoka Middle School find themselves confronted with an enormous task: assassinate the creature responsible for the disaster before Earth suffers a similar fate. However, the monster, dubbed Koro-sensei (the indestructible teacher), is able to fly at speeds of up to Mach 20, which he demonstrates freely, leaving any attempt to subdue him in his extraterrestrial dust. Furthermore, the misfits of 3-E soon find that the strange, tentacled beast is more than just indomitable—he is the best teacher they have ever had.

Adapted from the humorous hit manga by Yuusei Matsui, Ansatsu Kyoushitsu tells the story of these junior high pupils as they polish their assassination skills and grow in order to stand strong against the oppressive school system, their own life problems, and one day, Koro-sensei.

4. My Hero Academia (2016)

The appearance of “quirks,” newly discovered super powers, has been steadily increasing over the years, with 80 percent of humanity possessing various abilities from manipulation of elements to shapeshifting. This leaves the remainder of the world completely powerless, and Izuku Midoriya is one such individual.

Since he was a child, the ambitious middle schooler has wanted nothing more than to be a hero. Izuku’s unfair fate leaves him admiring heroes and taking notes on them whenever he can. But it seems that his persistence has borne some fruit: Izuku meets the number one hero and his personal idol, All Might. All Might’s quirk is a unique ability that can be inherited, and he has chosen Izuku to be his successor!

Enduring many months of grueling training, Izuku enrolls in UA High, a prestigious high school famous for its excellent hero training program, and this year’s freshmen look especially promising. With his bizarre but talented classmates and the looming threat of a villainous organization, Izuku will soon learn what it really means to be a hero.

5. Attack on Titan (2013)

Centuries ago, mankind was slaughtered to near extinction by monstrous humanoid creatures called titans, forcing humans to hide in fear behind enormous concentric walls. What makes these giants truly terrifying is that their taste for human flesh is not born out of hunger but what appears to be out of pleasure. To ensure their survival, the remnants of humanity began living within defensive barriers, resulting in one hundred years without a single titan encounter. However, that fragile calm is soon shattered when a colossal titan manages to breach the supposedly impregnable outer wall, reigniting the fight for survival against the man-eating abominations.

After witnessing a horrific personal loss at the hands of the invading creatures, Eren Yeager dedicates his life to their eradication by enlisting into the Survey Corps, an elite military unit that combats the merciless humanoids outside the protection of the walls. Based on Hajime Isayama’s award-winning manga, Shingeki no Kyojin follows Eren, along with his adopted sister Mikasa Ackerman and his childhood friend Armin Arlert, as they join the brutal war against the titans and race to discover a way of defeating them before the last walls are breached.

6. Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica (2011)

Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki are regular middle school girls with regular lives, but all that changes when they encounter Kyuubey, a cat-like magical familiar, and Homura Akemi, the new transfer student.

Kyuubey offers them a proposition: he will grant any one of their wishes and in exchange, they will each become a magical girl, gaining enough power to fulfill their dreams. However, Homura Akemi, a magical girl herself, urges them not to accept the offer, stating that everything is not what it seems.

A story of hope, despair, and friendship, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica deals with the difficulties of being a magical girl and the price one has to pay to make a dream come true.

7. Hunter X Hunter (2011)

Hunter x Hunter is set in a world where Hunters exist to perform all manner of dangerous tasks like capturing criminals and bravely searching for lost treasures in uncharted territories. Twelve-year-old Gon Freecss is determined to become the best Hunter possible in hopes of finding his father, who was a Hunter himself and had long ago abandoned his young son. However, Gon soon realizes the path to achieving his goals is far more challenging than he could have ever imagined.

Along the way to becoming an official Hunter, Gon befriends the lively doctor-in-training Leorio, vengeful Kurapika, and rebellious ex-assassin Killua. To attain their own goals and desires, together the four of them take the Hunter Exam, notorious for its low success rate and high probability of death. Throughout their journey, Gon and his friends embark on an adventure that puts them through many hardships and struggles. They will meet a plethora of monsters, creatures, and characters—all while learning what being a Hunter truly means.

8. Ranma ½ (1989)

Ranma Saotome is a top-class martial artist and prodigy at the Saotome “Anything-Goes” school of martial arts. While training in China, he and his father meet a terrible fate when they accidentally fall into a cursed spring. Now, Ranma is cursed to turn into a girl when splashed with cold water, and only hot water can turn him back into a boy.

Things are only complicated further when Ranma discovers that his father has arranged for him to marry one of Soun Tendo’s three daughters in order to secure the future of the Tendo dojo. Though Soun learns of Ranma’s predicament, he is still determined to go ahead with the engagement, and chooses his youngest daughter Akane, who happens to be a skilled martial artist herself and is notorious for hating men.

Ranma ½ follows the hilarious adventures of Ranma and Akane as they encounter various opponents, meet new love interests, and find different ways to make each other angry, all while their engagement hangs over their head.

9. Love Live! School Idol Project (2013)

Otonokizaka High School is in a crisis! With the number of enrolling students dropping lower and lower every year, the school is set to shut down after its current first years graduate. However, second year Honoka Kousaka refuses to let it go without a fight. Searching for a solution, she comes across popular school idol group A-RISE and sets out to create a school idol group of her own. With the help of her childhood friends Umi Sonoda and Kotori Minami, Honoka forms μ’s (pronounced “muse”) to boost awareness and popularity of her school.

Unfortunately, it’s all easier said than done. Student council president Eri Ayase vehemently opposes the establishment of a school idol group and will do anything in her power to prevent its creation. Moreover, Honoka and her friends have trouble attracting any additional members. But the Love Live, a competition to determine the best and most beloved school idol groups in Japan, can help them gain the attention they desperately need. With the contest fast approaching, Honoka must act quickly and diligently to try and bring together a school idol group and win the Love Live in order to save Otonokizaka High School.

10. Demon Slayer (2019)

Ever since the death of his father, the burden of supporting the family has fallen upon Tanjirou Kamado’s shoulders. Though living impoverished on a remote mountain, the Kamado family are able to enjoy a relatively peaceful and happy life. One day, Tanjirou decides to go down to the local village to make a little money selling charcoal. On his way back, night falls, forcing Tanjirou to take shelter in the house of a strange man, who warns him of the existence of flesh-eating demons that lurk in the woods at night.

When he finally arrives back home the next day, he is met with a horrifying sight—his whole family has been slaughtered. Worse still, the sole survivor is his sister Nezuko, who has been turned into a bloodthirsty demon. Consumed by rage and hatred, Tanjirou swears to avenge his family and stay by his only remaining sibling. Alongside the mysterious group calling themselves the Demon Slayer Corps, Tanjirou will do whatever it takes to slay the demons and protect the remnants of his beloved sister’s humanity.

I hope you find something you like here and will check some of my faves out!! ❤️ Let me know if you do and what you think!!! x

[somegirlsnerdywords2]

Anime i’ve Watched

That begin with a H (Part 2)!

Yep this is how i’m going to bring over all the anime and manga i’ve watched and posted about on the old blog. It’s not so detailed but it will have to do. Anything new I watch or read from this point on will have their own posts.

Hakushaku to Yousei (Earl and Fairy):

Genres: adventure, historical, magic, romance, fantasy, shoujo

Synopsis: In the nineteenth century, we find Lydia Carlton living in Scotland, making a living as a fairy doctor. She is one of those rare humans who can see and communicate with fairies. But no one believes her. However, Edgar is in need of someone with a vast knowledge of fairy lore, and Lydia is just that person. After rescuing her, he becomes her employer, but there are many secrets and emotions that seem to follow Edgar, who claims to be the Blue Knight's Earl.

My Rating: 6/10

Finished airing in 2008 with a total of 12 episodes. 

My Thoughts: Ah yes.... this was my phase where I watched just about anything with a blonde male lead. I vaguely remember that period in my life... which is about as much as I can say about this particular anime. Not all that memorable it would seem. Also judging by my rating it wasn’t worth remembering anyways so there you have it. 

Hanasaku Iroha: 

Genres: slice of life, comedy, drama

Synopsis:  Ohana Matsumae is an energetic and wild teenager residing in Tokyo with her carefree single mother. Abruptly, her mother decides to run away with her new boyfriend from debt collectors, forcing the young girl to fend for herself—as per her mother's "rely only on yourself" philosophy—in rural Japan, where her cold grandmother runs a small inn. Driven to adapt to the tranquil lifestyle of the countryside, Ohana experiences and deals with the challenges of working as a maid, as well as meeting and making friends with enthralling people at her new school and the inn. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 9/10

Finished airing in 2011 with a total of 26 episodes. 

My Thoughts: Judging by how high I rated this anime and how little I remember about it I should probably give it a rewatch but that seems unlikely atm so i’ll just leave this here and let you all decide whether to give this one a go or not... is my rating accurate or a complete mess... i’ll let you decide! The character design is cute. 

Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora (Looking Up At The Half-Moon):

Genres: comedy, drama, romance

Synopsis: After contracting hepatitis A, Ezaki Yuuichi has been confined to a hospital, away from his friends and family, much to his displeasure. To relieve his boredom, he has taken to sneaking out of the hospital, usually putting himself on the receiving end of a beating from his nurse. Upon meeting a girl his age also staying in the hospital, he is immediately captivated by her beauty. Akiba Rika's personality is not quite as captivating as her beauty however. In fact, she is rather selfish, moody, and bossy. But as the two spend more time with each other, they become closer, sharing the ordinary joys and trials of a budding teenage romance, even when darkened with impending tragedy—for Rika's condition does not leave her much longer to live. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 9/10

Finished airing in 2006 with a total of 6 episodes. 

My Thoughts: An angsty tragedy? That;s how this cover makes it look though honestly I can’t recall. This bunch of past anime sure don’t seem to have left much of an impression on my despite my high score for some. Suppose that happens? I can say with certainty that I didn’t love the art/ character design but that’s about it. Can’t say much to the story or anything else. Super short series run also... oh man that synopsis sure sound angsty... I feel like I probably wouldn’t rate this as highly now. 

Handa-kun:

Genres: slice of life, comedy, shounen

Synopsis:  Hated by everyone around him, Sei Handa goes about his high school life regarded as an outcast—or at least that's what he believes. In reality, Sei is the most popular student on campus, revered by all for his incomparable calligraphy skills, good looks, and cool personality. However, due an endless series of misunderstandings, Handa perceives the worship he receives from his legions of fans as bullying, leading the school's idol to shut himself off from the rest of his classmates. But distancing himself from his peers doesn't deter them from adoring him; in fact, his attempts at drawing attention away from himself often end up unintentionally converting even the most skeptical of students into believers. Fashion models, shut-in delinquents, obsessive fangirls, and more—none can stand against the brilliance that is Sei Handa. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 7.5/10

Finished airing in 2016 with a total of 12 episodes. 

My Thoughts: The prequel to the very enjoyable and good anime Barakamon, though honestly far more enjoyable if you look at it as an entirely separate work. The tones of the two anime a very different, while both are certainly enjoyable it causes there to be a rather large disconnect between the two. I highly recoommend the sequel (which came first) but this prequels rather meh and not necessary to enjoy the sequel. 

HaruChika: Haruta to Chika wa Seishun suru:

Genres: music, slice of life, mystery, romance, school

Synopsis:  Chika Homura begins her high school career with a goal: to develop a "cute girl" persona. After quitting the volleyball team despite her all-star status, Chika decides to join her school's underrated Wind Instrument Club and play the flute, believing it to be the most delicate and feminine instrument. For the first time in nine years, Chika reunites with her childhood friend and total opposite, Haruta Kamijou. Unfortunately for Chika, Haruta is not fooled by her efforts to become more endearing. But this does not deter Chika, and she develops a crush on the band instructor, Shinjirou Kusakabe—but so does Haruta! However, Chika's high school life just won't go according to plan, as mysteries begin appearing around her and her friends. The club members must work together to solve the mysteries plaguing the school, all while trying to find more members to compete in musical competitions. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 4/10

Finished airing in 2016 with a total of 12 episodes. 

My Thoughts: Nope. Just nope. Its shiny character design is about the only appealing thing about this anime. 

Hataraku Maou-sama! (The Devil is a Part-Timer!):

Genres: comedy, demons, supernatural, romance, fantasy

Synopsis: Striking fear into the hearts of mortals, the Demon Lord Satan begins to conquer the land of Ente Isla with his vast demon armies. However, while embarking on this brutal quest to take over the continent, his efforts are foiled by the hero Emilia, forcing Satan to make his swift retreat through a dimensional portal only to land in the human world. Along with his loyal general Alsiel, the demon finds himself stranded in modern-day Tokyo and vows to return and complete his subjugation of Ente Isla—that is, if they can find a way back! Powerless in a world without magic, Satan assumes the guise of a human named Sadao Maou and begins working at MgRonald's—a local fast-food restaurant—to make ends meet. He soon realizes that his goal of conquering Ente Isla is just not enough as he grows determined to climb the corporate ladder and become the ruler of Earth, one satisfied customer at a time! Whether it's part-time work, household chores, or simply trying to pay the rent on time, Hataraku Maou-sama! presents a hilarious view of the most mundane aspects of everyday life, all through the eyes of a hapless demon lord. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 8/10

Finished airing in 2013 with a total of 13 episodes. 

My Thoughts: Appealing premise, enjoyable comedy and pleasant looking art. An alright series overall but nothing too special from what I recall. Yes i’m doing all of these reviews from memory if you haven’t figured that out yet so sometimes I just have very little to say which is generally a result of a rather unmemorable anime.  

[mistbornthefinal]

Madoka Magica Aniversary Analysis: Part 7

Facing Your Pain

We find Sayaka returning to her home presumably just after the events of the last episode. She tosses down her Soul Gem onto the desk surprisingly carelessly given that she just learned that it’s literally her soul. As she addresses Kyubey he’s just there despite not being in any of the establishing shots.

“You tricked us, didn’t you?”

Kyubey’s response is complete bullshit because, yes he did. Kyubey reveals or conceals information according to his own interests in order to manufacture consent. Even if he never outright lies in the process it’s still blatant trickery and deception. 

(pictured bunnycat being a dick)

Of course if anyone still didn’t get the memo he then places his paw on Sayaka’s Gem and makes her experience the unfiltered pain of being stabbed. In light of this scene it’s hard to believe that Kyubey is some kind of dispassionate utility maximizer. Regardless of what he might later claim about not having emotions it’s clear there’s some degree of sadism at work here and later on when he shows up to Homura’s house to gloat after getting Kyouko killed. 

In particular his deployment of violence as an “educative” tool when his logic is questioned by those it exploits is all to human despite Kyubey’s claims of being beyond humanity. 

He then tells Sayaka that it’s possible to completely shut out pain though he dose not recommend doing so. Which is clearly just him trying to push Sayaka into a worse place in order to put more pressure on Madoka to contract. What a dick.

(cue connect)

At school we see Sayaka’s desk has been folded into the floor of the school indicating her absence. We get a brief cut to Sayaka at home staring into her Soul Gem. Then we’re back on the #aesthetic rooftop with Madoka and Homura. Madoka askes if Homura knew about the lich thing and why she didn’t say anything before if she did. Homura says that no one she has told in the past believed her. Madoka then wonders how Kyubey can be so cruel.

Homura outlines Kyubey’s philosophy as she understands it. Kyubey does not share human values and as horrible as his price is it’s still small one for miracle. Even if Sayaka had dedicated every waking hour of her life to caring for Kyousuke he wouldn’t have gotten better. Yet still the cost of curing him was only Sayaka’s life. 

Homrua tell Madoka again to give up on Sayaka. Madoka reminds us that Sayaka saved Madoka and Hitomi’s life back in episode 4, it’s not in Madoka to abandon a friend especially one who put her own life on the line to protect her. Homura tells her not to confuse gratitude for responsibility (you’re one to talk Homura-chan) and again asserts that Sayaka is beyond saving.

Madoka asks how Homura can be so cold to which she muses 

(don’t cut yourself on that edge)

Meanwhile Sayaka is still lying in bed when Kyouko calls out to her telepathically. As they walk together Kyouko says she’s mostly gotten over the existential panic of “everything that makes you you is in this fragile Gem”. Having magic powers and being able to live as she likes is enough to satisfy her even considering the price (though she is still unaware of the true price of course). She restates her philosophy of living only for herself. 

The two of them arrive at their destination the ruins of the Sakura family church, the ideal setting for Kyouko to relate her backstory. But first she offers Sayaka an apple, because symbolism. Sayaka tosses the apple away and an enraged Kyouko lifts her up by the collar and threatens to kill her. Kyouko doesn’t like it when people waste food for reasons that will soon be obvious.

Kyouko sets Sayaka down, picks the apple up, dusts it off, and returns it to the bag. Then she starts her story which is show to us through a filter of non-diagetic puppets. He father was a preacher, a kind soul who only wanted the best for people. However his desire to do the right thing let to him preaching an unorthodox dogma. He was excommunicated and his family fell onto hard times. A young Kyouko couldn’t stand how know no one would listen to him (though current Kyouko admits that from the outside it must have seemed like he was trying to start a cult.)

(this is what scientologists actually believe)

So Kyouko made her contract and the next morning their church was filled with believers, and the world gained another Puella Magi. For a time Kyouko considered her and her father as two sides of the same coin, each working to save the world in their own ways. Of course then her father found out.

Learning that his new followers were there not by his words but his daughters magic broke his spirt and caused him to turn against his daughter calling her a witch. He turned to drink and ultimately killed both himself and Kyouko’s mother and younger sister. Her wish destroyed her family, because she made that wish without knowing what the person she made it on behalf of truly wanted. So from that day onward Kyouko resolved to only user magic for herself. 

Kyouko the asserts that hope and despair have to ultimately have to balance out. Something other characters will repeat even though it’s kind of dubious. Sayaka points out a hole in Kyouko’s logic if Kyouko is preaching pure selfishness then why worry over her. It’s clear that Kyouko sees her younger self in Sayaka and thus want’s to both save her and have her to validate how she has spent her life since she lost her family. 

(insert Always Sunny style title card reading: “Sayaka regrets her actions”)

Sayaka isn’t interested in validating Kyouko. Instead while she admits that she had the wrong idea about Kyouko she reiterates her decision to never regret her actions. Sayaka then asks how Kyouko got those apples, when Kyouko is unable to answer Sayaka says that if she can’t say than there’s no way that she can partake. She turns to leave, she’ll continue to fight in her own way if that inconveniences Kyouko she’s welcome to try to kill her again. Sayaka no longer bares the other Puella Magi any ill will but neither is she willing to lose to her.

As Sayaka leaves Kyouko goes back to her old habit, attempting to fill the void of lost social connection with food. It doesn’t seem very effective.

The next day Sayaka returns to school and tries to play off her absence, but when she spots Kyousuke she is still unable to approach him. After school Hitomi calls Sayaka for a one on one meeting at the cafe. There she lays down her ultimatum. Hitomi also has romantic feelings for Kyousuke but in honor of their friendship and Sayaka’s longer relationship she will allow her to make the first move. However Sayaka only get’s 24 hours after which Hitomi will confess her feelings.

That night once again Madoka is waiting for Sayaka as she heads out on patrol. Sayaka asks why Madoka is so kind to her as her own opinion of her self has recently plummeted. She “almost” regretted something today, when Hitomi gave her that ultimatum she considered what would have happened if she hadn’t saved her. She’s already given up on being with Kyousuke as since she is a “zombie” having a romantic relationship is impossible. 

This isn’t rational so to speak, rather Sayaka’s depression about not being able to live up to her ideals is effecting how she processes the revelation about what has been done to her body. To a certain extent she would rather call herself a monster than admit that she doesn’t have the courage to confess to her crush or that the idealized standard she set for herself is unachievable. Despite her low spirits she resolves to go kill a witch.

We then cut to the outside of a labyrinth presumably the one Sayaka is fighting in as Kyouko looks on. Homura joins her shortly and Kyouko says she isn’t going to interfere with his hunt, this is a Witch and fighting it is not a waste by her measure. She then notes that Sayaka is having trouble.

Then we cut to inside the barrier, and some of the most beautiful animation that Madoka Magica has to offer. Elsa Maria’s barrier is a world of monochrome with both the humans and the witch rendered as black silhouettes. This witch extends the religious imagery we had earlier with the only color (beyond touches of the girls image color on their outline) is the orange monstrance before which the witch prays.  

Sayaka cuts her way through the witches familiars, animal heads on ribbons of shadow but when she reaches the witch proper an entire tree erupts from it’s body to engulf her. Kyouko comes to her aid cutting her free and offering to take over the fight. 

Sayaka refuses and charges at witch again. This time she is heedless of her own injuries hacking away at the witch with savage abandon. 

It’s true.

If I just detach myself...

it doesn’t hurt at all.

Madoka begs her to stop (cue magia)

Welp that was EP 7. Extrapolating backwards a bit we can sort of see how for the past few three episodes how Sayaka and Kyouko have arcs that are sort of inverse of each other. In EP 5 both of them them aspire to fill the narrative and physical space that was left when Mami died. Kyouko at first sells herself as the veteran magical showing the newbies the ropes while Sayaka swears herself to upholding the image that Mami projected to cover her loneliness. The two move to clash in ep 6 but the revelation of a part of Kyubeys system that neither of them (or Mami) was aware of shocked both to their core. 

With their foundations shaken Kyouko attempts to reach to the girl she tried to kill who reminds her so much of her old self, opening up and sharing her trauma in the hopes that Sayaka can validate her philosophy. To hope the two of them can find some mutual solace in their failure of their old dreams. It’s not to be however as though Sayaka gives up her anger at Kyouko she rejects the possibility of connection. Instead she chooses to accelerate her downward spiral by doubling down on her desire to live up to her idealized image. Now Sayaka is in freefall and next episode we find out what happens when a Puella Magi hits rock bottom.

[corisanna]

So first, sorry about my last sent ask; it was a mess of many ideas and not enough text space to properly explain. But I do have a more involved question this time: how do you get into the feel of the characters (and have them rebel in your writing)? I wanted to write fanfiction, but I could never really "get" that realistic sense of the character I'd be writing about like you do. Well, anyways, good luck with the writing! (Also I had a mental image of Homura doing the Getsuga Tenshou help).

No worries! I was just too tired to answer before.

Hmmmm. There are several facets to that.

CUTTING BECAUSE LONG ANSWER IS LONG

AND HAS PICTURES

The shortest answer is “attention to detail, character analysis, obsession, and pseudo-roleplaying.”

PMMM is short enough that I was able to do my ideal thing and re-watch or re-read several times, each time focusing on only one character and figuring out why they would react/behave like they do. I try to put myself in their shoes and consider only what they know. I pay attention not just to dialogue and major actions, but small cues like patterns of speech, tone of voice, body language, and facial expressions. Sometimes things are plain and sometimes you have to extrapolate.

For example, early on, I got a lot of people objecting that Homura no longer cared about any magical girl besides Madoka. However, when I watched the anime and focused closely on only her, I found these:

Homura’s reaction to Mami, her former mentor, telling her she’s done talking and the next time they meet she’ll fight her:

pain

Homura’s reaction to Madoka throwing Sayaka’s Soul Gem off a bridge:

horror

She could have allowed Sayaka’s Gem to be lost and not have to deal with her while being absolved of blame for offing Sayaka, but she sprinted down a highway and climbed a truck to retrieve it.

Homura’s reaction to Kyoko getting curbstomped by Oktavia and preparing a suicide attack:

using her given name, voice soft and worried

looking mournful during Kyoko’s monologue

regret/grief

Plus how she acts furious but can’t keep it up and breaks down with Madoka

And that doesn’t even consider Homura’s perfect world in Rebellion, which included the other girls AND gave them better, happier lives. She didn’t have to do that, yet she apparently wanted to do that.

So I characterize her as having a cold mask and warm fluffy inside. Her softness has been wounded so many times that the coldness developed into a desperate shield. Having a “shield” personality thematically matches her soul’s weapon. I view her as trying to limit her heartbreak by trying to make herself believe she doesn’t care, but cracking and getting hurt anyway. I also think that while we don’t see her have breakdowns after scenes with Mami and Sayaka, they probably happened off-screen, perhaps in frozen time where she can scream privately. Moemura isn’t dead, she’s buried in trauma and armor. She tries to become the mask but fails because she still cares too damn much.

Now.

Sayaka is an example of extrapolating a lot. We know very little about her aside from her crush on Kyosuke, love of music, teasing nature, tendency to hero-worship, and trying to call attention/admiration to herself. In a drama CD, she says she’s petit bourgeoisie. We don’t know anything about her family. The only potential view we have of her parents is this one, where I presume they took her to the orchestra when she was little.

IF those are her parents. Who else would she be sitting by?

That seems to be how she met Kyosuke. But what was she doing there in the first place?

Writing Sayaka was hard because there were a lot of gaps to fill in with extrapolation. I had to do more working backwards for her. I needed causes for the notable aspects of her behavior. Especially for her pinning all her desperate need for attention on one person, becoming infatuated, and crashing when her One Person Who Might Totally Understand Her paid attention to someone else. That made me think she’s starved for attention.

Which would imply she doesn’t get enough of it-- or enough of the right kind of it-- at home. So I knew I wanted to make her parents distant/disengaged. Which meant I needed something for them to be focusing on instead of their kid. At which point I looked at the above cap and noticed that the mom(?) is wearing a business dress to the orchestra. So I constructed a kinda headcanon involving Sayaka having also been a child musician of some kind and her parents taking her to try out at an orchestra or something in one of those gambits parents trying to be successful through their kids do.

Then Sayaka’s Magia Record transformation came out and I settled on her having been a pianist. It just hasn’t come up in the story.

If she knew the joy of making music, that would drive her empathy for Kyosuke’s situation off the charts.

That concoction gave me a neat scaffolding for Sayaka to feel pressured to be awesome, feel like she would only get the attention of those whose attention she wants if she’s awesome, and feel worthless if she’s not needed. I filled in more and more details. I needed her to be "whole.”

So.

Then I take the profile and filter canon events through “if I was her, how would I feel about x?” It’s a bid to take the actions and extrapolate the emotions.

There’s a factor there that enhances my immersion in that mindset: I am an intensive maladaptive daydreamer. Have you ever read “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”? Dat me. I don’t know how much of a factor it is to writers in general, but for me I obsess over basically roleplaying a scene in my head on infinite repeat, adding more detail with each iteration. In daily life, it’s a very Mitty-like thing; mundane scenery like the bus and my office and my garden spark a “what if” and suddenly fifteen minutes have passed as I build a story around it with me as the main character.

“Me as the main character” is the important part.

When I do the re-watch/re-read focusing on a character, it is to view the events through their eyes. When I was first about to write Sayaka, I jumped to scenes with her in them and ignored everything else. “How would I feel if x?”

If something doesn’t make sense, I think what missing detail would make it make sense.

Once I’ve poked at canon that way, I can switch tracks and apply the persona to non-canon events. I’ve trained myself to think like the character. When I’m figuring out and writing a scene, I am actively pretending I’m that character. The scene is a form of roleplay. I just don’t write it in first-person POV.

I think the source of “character rebellion” is that obsessive knowing of the characters and that even when I’m focused on a different one, some corner of my mind is still running the “how would I feel if x?” program for every other character. When something contradictory pops up, my “sense” of the character shrieks its rejection as refusing to do the thing and suggesting an alternative. If you remove the fiction/creative writing element, it’s basically a pattern recognition system flagging inconsistencies. And once I actually acknowledge them, not heeding them is extremely difficult and can result in a thing I had happen maybe three times: character strike, where my “muse” for that character just shuts down completely because what I’m trying to force it to do is “wrong.”

It’s a really hard mental state to describe.

My advice would be to start small with something featuring only one or two characters you know really well. Study them even more; read their fandom wiki articles and stuff, research the things they like.

Oh no now I’m imagining Homura slinging a Getsuga Tensho off her shield like a frisbeeeeeeeee XD

[wheremytwinwatches]

[Where My Twin Watches]: Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood Episode 36

Last time: Sloth wished he had a jacket or something, our heroes found the Goth’s illegal mining operation, and M.G. Armstrong was offered immortal soldiers. Onwards!

No intro again, we’re starting with oh it’s Beard. Alright buddy, what are you up to now? Reciting names? While undressing? Who are you talking to

oh um Well this is a thing.

So… after saying a bunch of names, Beard apologized that he had to “use” them, then jammed his fingers into his chest to pour some blood onto the ground, which then swirled around and went into the earth.

Beard’s not the Big Bad, is he? It’s Uncle.

Tephi is currently sniggering at me.

Crazy Theory In Light Of New Scene Time! *deep breath*

So all this time I’ve been ranting at Beard for being the Big Bad, but what I’m guessing now is a Frankenstein situation; Beard got caught up in his research trying to expand Alchemy and create a Homunculi (with the Philosopher’s Stone? Without?), created Uncle who then decided that he was a superior being to mere humans and went on to create the Goths. Beard goes into hiding/on his endless fishing trip, is he trying to stop Uncle or has given it up as a lost cause? He also appears to have the same Philosopher’s Stone blood that Uncle has, experimenting on himself before making Uncle? Who knows! Still don’t forgive him for abandoning his family, even if he has some excuse like “I did it to protect you from the Goths.”, because we can see how well that worked out.

In any case, I think I understand all the blocks of spoiler text now, if he actually is a good guy then I apologiz- no actually I don’t apologize, dude is still sketchy as hell and abandoned his wife and kids. He’s still got a long way to go before he makes a Homura recovery on my List.

Episode 36 - “Family Portrait”

This looks like it’ll be another Beard episode like Interlude Party (which I just went back to re-read my post and I’m cringing at my anti-Beard rants), but with The Reveal I think I’d be ok with getting some more info on this guy. Just as long as we can get back to M.G. Armstrong catfishing Raven soon.

Yup, flashback episode. Baby!Ed and Baby!Al are sleeping, Beard by their bedside. Mama Elric says he can hug them if he wants, but Beard doesn’t want “the monster” to spread. So he already has his Philosopher’s Blood at this point?

[Mama Elric]: “Please. If it could spread that way, don’t you think I would have caught it a long time ago?”

I did not know I needed sassy Mama Elric until I got it but now I have a mighty need

The standard Creepy Tinkly Piano Music starts up as Beard

[Beard]: “Since I got this body-”

?! No no, I can’t stop and rewrite all my theories every other sentence or we’ll be here all night.

Beard is saying that ever since he got this body he’s seen a lot of death, tried to pass it off as the natural flow of the universe. He’s seen a lot of new things flourish over his life, accepted his body and kept on living. But then he met Mama Elric and created two sons oh ok I can see where this is going. Easy to accept death when it happens to Others, but to your Own?

...or not since he just compares himself to his aging sons, calls himself a monster. Damnit man I was giving you a noble backstory stop messing up my theories

Later, Mama Elric summons Beard from his Lair/Lab to surprise him with a photographer! Oh I get it, they’re getting that family picture (title drop-ish) that Beard took with him when he stopped by Resembool. Mama Elric passes Beard Baby!Ed, and good Leto man you’ve been a father for how many years? Not wanting to disturb them while they were sleeping was one thing but you’re acting like someone handed you another child, surely you’ve had some practice and carrying your own sons.

The Elrics pose while the photographer takes oh never mind Mama Elrics giving her “we’re taking this picture for the memories” speech even though he just asked for everyone to stand still. This is an old-timey camera lady, if you keep talking it’ll end up with everyone else ok but you with a great big blur where your mouth is.

[Mama Elric]: “He’s taking it. Smile, dear.” [Beard]: *Complete opposite of a smile*

Aw. Ok, I can understand why they crop out his head in that picture all the time now, that’s just depressing.

Huh. So that’s Beard’s motivation, then. He’s decided that immortality isn’t worth watching his loved ones age and die around him, so he’s of course researching a way to make them immortal as well nope he just wants to reverse his immortality so he can age and die with them. Ehhhhhhh ok whatever we aren’t getting back into the “is immortality good or bad” thing seeing as the only in-universe way is Stupidly Evil, let’s just focus on going back to Plain Old Human.

[Beard]: “That bastard…”

Are you talking about Uncle? Truth? Because I swear if this show goes and pulls out another Big Bad “for real this time you guys” I’m going to scream.

Aw, Beard’s fixing up the tree swing, we get an amusing moment where he falls down that let’s be real is only amusing because it’s A)in an anime so Physical Comedy is the rule, and B)he’s at least a semi-Goth so physical injuries are just a nuisance. Mama Elric comes out to check on him, and he gives the inevitable reveal that he’s going Absent Anime Father. Mama Elric is… surprisingly chill about this.

Beard’s trying to sneak out while the kids are asleep, but we know how that worked out. Mama Elric goes to distract them as Beard frowns (upset that his secret plan to sneak out secretly and avoid Familial Interaction failed?), then sees Baby!Ed looking up at him.

Way back in Episode 12

Flashback! Mama and Papa Elric are standing at the door, Baby!Ed and Baby!Al happened to be up early in the morning. Mama’s of course all over her children, but Papa Elric… just glares down at Ed, that’s the only description I can use for that look. Then he turns without a word, and walks out the door.

Context!

With both of his sons looking at him, Beard’s self-composure wavers ever slightly before he regains his glare and turns away.

Hey, it’s the campfire from the intro! Beard is looking at the family picture, before looking up to the night sky. “Just a little while longer…”

Whoa, all that was just before the intro?!

Oh come on! I was getting invested in more Beard Backstory, it’s almost a letdown to go back to Fort Briggs. Almost.

A bunch of Briggs soldiers are scouting the Goth Tunnel, seems their radio’s dead. Interference by the Military? The CO says they’ll keep going to find where all the rubble got dumped, but his horse shies and the ominous flutes start up. Who else is down there?

Black Shadows! Eyes! Teeth! Impalement!

Run Smith, run! Flee the Gate of Truth never mind he wasn’t fast enough. Sorry dude.

Ed’s listening to Raven’s “immortal soldiers” offer, and M.G. Armstrong’s baaaarely restraining herself from killing this old creep who’s all up in her personal space. She asks if the whole immortality thing would be for all her troops as well as herself, Raven says he can tell her “later”. So now she has to choose between accepting his offer and assisting his plans for Briggs (which could go very badly for the troops she commands), or refusing and getting pushed aside like General Grumman.

Before she can say anything, a mook’s knocking at the door to report that “something” has happened to the underground tunnel team- whoops, Raven overheard and is inviting himself along to go see. The eavesdroppers head out as well, after Ed Transmutes up some rope to “make it look convincing”. Right they’re still prisoners.

Whew, good thing they got the rope, they’ve run into Sideburns showing Kimblee around the fort. Ed recognizes The Crimson Alchemist, and oh yeah they’ve never actually met before, so Kimblee makes the mistake of thinking The Fullmetal Alchemist is the giant suit of armor instead of the pipsqueak everyone’s pointing to.

[irate!Ed]: “If one more person makes that mistake…”

Down in the pipe room, M.G. Armstrong’s getting the report of lost contact, aside from Smith’s horse with what they assume is his arm (man, arms just do not stay on people’s bodies in this show, do they?). M.G. Armstrong orders a rescue tea- nope shut down by Raven who claims the tunnel is too dangerous. Now, about that immortal monster she was talking about earlier?

Wow. General is straight up ordering M.G. Armstrong to grab the monster they put on ice, put him back in the tunnel and seal it up behind him. Obviously the nearby flunky balks at burying any possible survivors in the tunnel, but Raven just paraphrases the Law of the North about obeying strength and power. Now, is M.G. Armstrong going to refuse an order from her superior officer?

Mid-ep pictures of Crazy Grin Raven and steadfast Olivier Mira Armstrong.

Raven’s visiting the Elric Brothers in their cell, happy to see that they’ve been “keeping their mouths shut”. Ed’s just a little annoyed to have his friends held hostage and be locked up, but the ever-helpful General assures them that they can go soon. He then assures the boys that they don’t need to worry about the tunnel, M.G. Armstrong’s being a good little soldier and following orders.

Something that her own troops seem to be having a little trouble with now, the flunky from earlier is arguing with M.G. Armstrong about the lost team until she snaps at him to be quiet and obey. Kimblee’s watching everything from the walkways and snarks that even “The Impregnable Wall Of Briggs” bows to authority. Here’s hoping she proves you wrong soon.

Hey Sloth, how was your nap? Raven tells him to wake up and get back to work, apparently Pride explained it to him already. Now with his orders to get back to, Sloth returns to digging while Raven spouts some drivel about Sloth being a “chimera” working for Central, and since it was a top-secret mission they had to cover the hole and guard it.

[Raven]: “I’m counting on you soldiers! It’s people like you who make this country what it is!”

...wow. Ok, I’m pretty sure that M.G. Armstrong knows that the offer of immortality is intended to be at the cost of her own troops now. Way to eff things up Raven. Now if you had couched it as harvesting Drachmans to empower herself and her troops it might have been different.

Hey Marcoh, hey May! Still going over the notes?... wait, how long have you been at that hut? What have you been eating? Anyways, Marcoh says the important parts of the book are written in Ancient Ishvalan, which he can’t make heads or tails of. If only they had an Ishvalan Monk who could translate. Yeah, where is Scar?

Ooooh shoot. The Briggs snowtroopers have found the girl with the weird cat now, they draw their guns and move in when suddenly Scar! Man, good timing. Meeting up with the Doctor and the Princess, Scar confirms that they have the notes and says it’s time to move NOW HOLD ON. Did you really just take those two soldiers’ uniforms and leave them in the snow? Dude, not cool! At least move them into the hut so they don’t freeze to death.

Uh, timeskip apparently. Raven and M.G. Armstrong are overseeing the sealing of the tunnel, Raven’s confirming that the “weak” will be sacrificed to make the chosen few immortal. Man, Raven just has no redeeming qualities beyond that beard, does he? He’s just cheerfully talking about how the weak will be the foundation for the strong, completely missing the Death Glare that M.G. Armstrong’s leveling at him.

Sideburns is still having to babysit Kimblee, takes a moment to ask how the punk he was threatening in a hospital just a few days ago healed so quickly, let alone how a convicted murderer of officers got to walk free. Kimblee’s not exactly forthcoming.

Raven’s still cheerfully going on about how the country was founded with the plan to Mass Sacrifice its population, and how his generation gets to reap the rewards. He clasps her shoulder and damnit stop being a creeper you traitor-

[M.G. Armstrong]: “Hmph. There’s no need.”

Wait is she HELL YES

Screw you, you old coward! Just stand there with her sword through your arm as you feebly protest about her being a “chosen one”.

[M.G. Armstrong]: “I don’t need a new seat from you. You’re going to lose the one your moldy ass has clung to for too long! Right about now, Raven! You old TRAITOR!”

Oh hey, how convenient that there’s a fresh pool of concrete for that jerk’s corpse to be hidden in.

[Armstrong the Great]: “General, you are among the weak who will become the foundation for this country. Literally.”

Ha. Now we can get to work! Get some gloves free of traitor’s blood, find Sideburns and the other unwanted guest, and get that concrete nice and level.

Oh my Leto shut up Kimblee, stop trying to antagonize Sideburns with taunts about Ishval. Just as he starts to snap back Sideburns is called aside to hear that he doesn’t have to distract Kimblee anymore. He goes back and claims that “nobody can find General Raven”, so Kimblee… uh oh. Kimblee’s got standing orders to act as he sees fit if Raven’s not around, so they probably should give him a car to leave the fort. After all, one disappearance can be put down as bad luck. Both Raven and Kimblee? They can’t show their hand so soon.

Aw, the flunky who argued for the rescue mission is still pleading with Armstrong the Great to check the tunnel before it’s sealed. Ooh, but Ed made a second door earlier! That… may not have been such a good idea, I know that these guys haven’t seen what killed the tunnel team but still.

The mechanic stops by the Elrics’ cell to say Raven’s taking a concrete nap, then walks off. Wait, you’re still leaving those two in jail? Raven’s dead and Kimblee’s leaving, you don’t need to keep up the prisoner facade! Damnit, let the protagonists out to do their job!

Awww, hell. Kimblee’s shown up, wants to talk with the Fullmetal Alchemist. Fine whatever, just… what do you mean, “a visitor”?

CRAP. Winry! Or, is that Envy in disguise? Nah, probably Winry given how she’s yelling about Ed not getting his automail adjusted before going north. Someone from the military contacted her?

...Kimblee get your hands off her shoulders right now.

Damnit. Right as we get Armstrong the Great acting against the Military in defiance of the immortality temptation, we’ve got the Goth’s attack dog reminding them of the hostages. This is-

The end of the episode? Really? Wow, ok then. This one seemed like we got a short story on Beard (that just raised

so many new questions

) and a partial arc with Fort Briggs. What’s gonna happen next?

Wait hold on, this is one of those post-credit scene episodes. Roy’s meeting with one of the bar girls who’s reporting on Kimblee’s rapid recovery after Raven showed up. After paying her for the info a passing flower merchant teases him about just getting a “nice seeing you”... before saying she has a message from Armstrong the Great.

[Roy]: “I’ll take every flower you have in that cart.”

[clarafell]

                             @delightful-envy  →  liked for a starter. (music)

ANGEL, DEMON, ANGEL, DEMON, ANGEL, DEMON—  These are words. But these are words that lash out at a seemingly ordinary but gloomy girl. Both of them very similar because both angel and demon are five letter words. Both of these words used to hold importance to this girl for she was raised with a Catholic upbringing. Both of these words are polar opposites, though. One of them is automatically seen as GOOD and the other one is automatically seen as EVIL. If an angel watches over someone, people coo the word guardian angel and they sing of HOLINESS. They sing of love, softness, innocence, and dreams. But when a demon watches over someone, the people mutter the word monster and they scream of SINS. They scream of torment, death, corruption, and nightmares. For the shell known as HOMURA AKEMI, she has been called both an angel and demon by separate people. If you’re called an angel, it is meant to be taken as a compliment. If you’re called a demon, it is meant to be taken as a insult. On sleepless nights like this, these two simple words pound at her head. The children run past her as she catches the glimpse of the first child named Higami with her short black dress and black hat. She looks directly at the Homura, smiles that taunting smile, and runs off. Laughing. The second child named Manuke is soon spotted and bumps right into Homura. She says nothing, looking down at the child with the neat bun hairstyle. Homura steps aside as Manuke seems to stumble a little, glances at Homura and waves, before running off after Higami. Their bright blue eyes could piece the souls of anyone. Homura watches them run off as Manuke seems to want to get rid of Manuke. She seems irritated by the silly little stories that Manuke keeps on wanting to tell the children and pretty much ANYONE who is willing to listen to her.

Despite the children still looking very human and the size of any other young girls, these children are in fact dolls. Her dolls. The dolls that she used to play with. The dolls that she used to dress up and give each one of them separate names. They were her BEST FRIENDS. But looking at them now, all she felt was pain and bitterness. Feeling the taste of bile in her mouth, she looked away. Out of all the dolls, Manuke makes most of the mistakes. When they dance or explore, Manuke is always the one who is rather slow. Always left in the dust. Always unsteady and maybe really naive. Manuke likes to tell stories with lots of HAPPINESS and things that belong in sugar-coated dreams. Higami and Manuke were also known as Envy and Stupidity. If looked upon closely, these dolls can be found anywhere and everywhere. They are strong enough to handle any troublemakers that are either human or not human. The sight of the dolls made her sign automatically in exhaustion. It was bad enough that she could hear them at all times via her earring. But to run into them was enough story. She wanted to be ALONE tonight or that’s what she kept telling herself anyway. ANGEL, DEMON... What was she? Why did it even matter to her? People have called her plenty of things in the past. So, why did she even care? She has been called nasty things and names that she rightfully deserves. But then others have called her different things that made her HEART skip a beat. Why is that? FEELINGS were too complex for her. She wanted to shut them all away.

People have rate her and judge her and she has always went along with it. Even now, she allows people to rate her and say what they will. Her dolls say whatever they want about her all the time. She can hear their murmurs right now and laughter. Despite being so accustomed to their stabbing insults, something still bothers her. Such two simple words. Declaring herself to be a force of evil, her dolls know that she is bad at acting. They are the true theater troupe. Despite their mind numbing words that lower her self-esteem, being called an ANGEL makes her feel sick and guilty. Being called a demon makes her feel... Why was this so confusing? Her methods were confusing and her universe was certainly unstable, sure— But everyone is happy! Why couldn’t SAYAKA just see the reason behind all of this? If she did allow MADOKA to continue her existence as the LAW OF CYCLES... Then the INCUBATORS would ensnare her and USE her for their own personal gain! KYUBEY wanted to CONTROL her! But, no! OF COURSE, Sayaka would call her a demon. Some GOOD-FOR-NOTHING DEMON that doesn’t deserve to be ALIVE. What would the other girls think of her? Would they join the mighty defender of justice and join up to KILL the wicked evil? Homura couldn’t blame them. If she were in their shoes and given the chance to kill the villain, she would KILL the villain. Kill herself. (EXECUTE, EXECUTE!) Even if Sayaka wanted to stab her right here and now... No one can HATE HER as much as she hates her own existence. So, why does she feel so torn up and so...so... Hurt? Lonely? Lost? Or was she just so exhausted? Demons don’t sleep and neither should she then. She doesn’t DESERVE the honor of sleeping or breathing or—

Standing alone at night among buildings on a lonely sidewalk, she had just made it to the doorstep of her lonely home. It was old-fashioned and not as modern as other homes in the city. As she fumbles for her key in her school bag, Homura senses a familiar presence. She turns around and spots the sight of Envy. Normally, one might really regret seeing Envy in the dead of night like this. But Homura is unnerved and not bothered at all. She was definitely bothered and distracted but not by his presence. She looks up at him with a blank face, slow to register who he was due to the shadows and exhaustion. “...Envy—” It was so weird to have company. Someone willingly approaching her felt so foreign to her. She wasn’t sure what to do and she almost found herself starting to fidget anxiously. But she hardens herself, SLAMS that annoying URGE into the ground before she started to act on that urge. That weak waste of space part of herself that cried more than anything should be dead. She wanted that part of herself to be DEAD. and burnt alive for being an absolutely worthless piece of trash. Always messing up and always stumbling over her words... How could Madoka and even Envy tolerate such a sad excuse of a person? Not even Homura knew the answer to that. Blinking a few times in her dumbfounded state, she turns away from Envy and soon unlocks the door. “Please come inside, Envy. It must be really cold outside...” She asks in that quiet and yet ever so soft voice. She leaves the door open for him and waits. As she waits for him to come inside, a jolt of surprise hits her. Higami— Oh, the foreshadowing. How clever—

Her dolls specifically knew that the human Envy was approaching their good-for-nothing mistress all along. No wonder why Higami was taunting her more than normal. Due to being adsorbed in her own little world and distracted by her stupid heart, she never felt Envy’s nearing presence until now. She could EASILY sense him and anyone else. She could do so much now with this rewritten universe and everyone else being under her control. Under her watch. But in her distracted moment, she had been caught off guard. Scolding herself for being so careless, Homura closes the door as soon as Envy enters. She turns on the light and slips off her scarf along with her coat. She glances at the clock, frowning slightly at the time. She forgot about dinner. She forgot about a lot of things really. What did she even have in the kitchen...? Oh, it didn’t really matter. Food wasn’t a problem for her and neither was sleep. But try telling that to Envy, though. But she didn’t tell that to Envy since she knew better. He didn’t take no for an answer. She knew that and she was sure that he knew that too. With all her memories of everything (yet nothing at the same time) completely intact unlike everyone else, she knew him better then most. “...How are you tonight?” She asks quietly with sincere interest and maybe lingering curiosity. It was going to be another LONG night, but... She wasn’t alone tonight. She wondered if the night was bothering Envy too. With any of his troubling ailments, she can handle easier than her own problems. But she did genuinely hope that he was doing better than her tonight. Judging by his behavior, he seemed to be more calm and focused. Better than her current state. That sight alone was enough to please her. But she wanted to ask regardless, “Is something the matter? Or did you just want to visit? It’s nice to see you again...” She always asked if something was wrong. Just to be sure and just to silence the paranoia that always lingers in her head. After all, she would KNOW if something was the matter and she saw nothing tonight or tomorrow. She was still adjusting to such magic and such power. It felt overwhelming for her still.

[mickeycookies]

You Dont have to answer this If its still a Secret But for your corpse matsu Au Who murderd karamatsu ???? 👀👀👀👀👀

Welllllll … 

after Homura runs away, Totoko’s parents make it a point to stay and comfort Matsuzo and Matsuyo when they begin to fear she isn’t going to come back and that the wedding could possibly be called off. As all their children are screaming (”WHY DO YOU CARE SO MUCH THAT JYUSHIMATSU’S GETTING MARRIED?? I’M RIGHT HERE SINGLE TOTOKO-CHAN!!” “SHUT IT YOU STUPID NEET–I JUST CAN’T BELIEVE ONE OF YOU SHITTY VIRGINS IS GETTING MARRIED BEFORE ME!” “THEN MARRY ME TOTOKO-CHAN!!” “NO!”) They just can’t help but notice how mature Jyushimatsu is being about the whole thing as he stands off at the window by himself quietly, eyes searching for any sign of his runaway fiance. 

-:-

When Homura never returns and her parents apologize stoically on her behalf, handing Matsuyo and Matsuzo a small check for their troubles (nowhere near as much as they would have gotten from her dowry and her inheritance) and asking them to go on as if this never happened, Totoko’s parents are there beside them again as they lament, what are they going to do? Homura was the only eligible lady willing to marry one of their sons! They’re running out of time, they’re running out of money what are they going to do?? 

“Jyushimatsu can always marry Totoko.”

Matsuzo and Matsuyo burst out laughing so hard they’re in tears, slapping their knees and holding their sides cause it’s funny, and they appreciate that the Yowais were trying to make them feel better. But the Yowais aren’t laughing. They’re serious. As it turns out, it hasn’t exactly been … easy finding a suitor for Totoko. While their daughter is beautiful and popular, nobody is ever good enough for her, and she’s developed a bit of a reputation herself for being high-maintenance and impossible to please. As much as people love her, it just seems that’s nobody’s willing to marry her, and the ones who have tried have all already found wives after being mercilessly turned down. But … the Matsuno boys are all still single. Matsuyo and Matsuzo are speechless, jaws to the floor as the Yowais explain how they’ve noticed how much Jyushimatsu has grown up compared to the others. While the rest of the boys were screaming back and forth at each other–at each other’s throats over their daughter, Jyushimatsu stood by Homura’s side, happy and content, listening carefully to everything he was told by the priest, picking her up whenever she stumbled, still trying to run after her even as Totoko kept him from leaving the room, silently waiting for her return even as it grew dark.

Totoko would never get anywhere with the way she acted so they finally felt like it was time they stepped in, that she no longer had the privilege of choosing her own suitor. As much as they needed the money, Matsuyo and Matsuzo still looked towards each other worriedly, they knew how much Jyushimatsu cared for Homura, how he was still waiting for her to come back. “I-if you feel like marrying her to one of the boys is for the best, I’m sure all four of them would be willing to prove how mature the–”

“This offer is only for Jyushimatsu.”

“… Very well then. He accepts.”

-:-

Jyushimatsu stands at the altar, smile small, eyes dead to the world as Totoko spreads her fingers for him, glowering at him as he just holds the ring, not making a move to slip it on her finger. A loud slam comes from the mostly empty pews and Jyushimatsu slowly turns, smile falling completely as Osomatsu glares at him, muttering under his breath before sliding out of the pew and stomping towards the church’s exit, slamming the doors open and letting them slam shut behind him. Choromatsu stands up next, brows knit, looking like he’s about to cry before turning his head and excusing himself as well, opening and shutting the thick church doors much more gently then the eldest. Ichimatsu stands up as well, face neutral, and Todomatsu stands too, face flushed furiously, and they both leave the church together as well. Totoko scoffs at the scene before clearing her throat at Jyushimatsu (nobody hesitates when marrying Totoko, nobody)

-:-

Totoko stands in complete shock as Jyushimatsu pants, his eyes filled with tears and hands shaking after such an emotional outburst. Jyushimatsu turns his back on her and leaves, running out the door without another word to her. The mansion is empty, tables on their sides and the poor excuse for a last minute wedding cake crumbled into a sticky mess on the floor from when everyone had run away in a panic, escaping from the hordes of walking talking corpses. Nobody was here to see her whine, complaining of having to not only marry a NEET but marry a poor one at that, how nobody had it harder in life than her, how nobody would ever have it harder than she does, how she was doomed to a life of dissatisfaction, how she hated her parents for making her get married, how she hated him for being worthless, how she hated his brothers for ruining her wedding, how she hated the undead for ruining her reception, how she was so unhappy. Nobody was here to see Jyushimatsu snap out of his motionless state, tears in his angry eyes,or see him yell at her–that she wasn’t going to be the only one in this marriage who was unhappy. He hated that his brothers hated him now, he hated that he couldn’t marry the one he truly loved, she wasn’t the only person in the world who had it hard! 

Nobody was there for any of it, but as she stands in the empty mansion by herself, Jyushimatsu having been long gone by now, she feels her hands clench into tight fists. She starts to breathe heavily, fury building up in her heart. 

How DARE he talk to her in such a way! 

How DARE he turn his back on her!

How DARE he walk out on her!

She snorts angrily, finding herself running after him, because NOBODY leaves Yowai Totoko! NOBODY!

Slowly, the rest of Jyushimatsu’s brothers come out from all of their hiding places; Osomatsu emerging from underneath a flipped table, Choromatsu peeking out from behind the grandfather clock, Ichimatsu losing his grip and falling from the chandelier he’d shot himself up into in cat-like fear when the corpses ‘attacked’, Todomatsu peeking out from behind the kitchen door–their cousin Todoko looking over his shoulder as well. They all stare at each other with wide eyes, having no words.

Two things have happened here that they all never thought possible. 

The dead walked the earth and one of the Matsuno sextuplets rejected Yowai Totoko right to her face.

-:-

Karamatsu smiles gently as he takes his younger brother’s hand and places it over Homura’s, the two looking at their connected hands before looking up at each other, blushing and smiling happily. 

“JYUSHIMATSU!”

Jyushimatsu’s smile falls and his eyes go flat at the voice. The three of them turn to see Totoko smashing someone with the church door as she charges through it, the rest of his living brothers right behind her. She looks the angriest he’s ever seen her and Jyushimatsu knows it’s because of him. She stomps down the aisle, pointing an accusing finger at him, “DON’T YOU FORGET YOU’RE MARRIED TO ME!” Jyushimatsu flinches, all his courage from before gone as he watches her angry form stomp closer and closer, like an animal ready to attack. Karamatsu’s head nearly snaps off from how fast he turns to look at his younger brother, eyes wide and jaw dropped. 

“YOU MARRIED TOTOKO-CHAN?!” Karamatsu yells, shocked beyond belief. He can’t believe his ears, his eyes, everything! He’s so shocked he doesn’t even care that the rest of his brothers are standing with her looking at him curiously before recognition hits them all, their own eyes going wide as they realize just who they’re staring at.

Before Totoko can even open her mouth to yell again, the church door flies off it’s hinges, the undead and living crowd running from the pews to get away from the massive door. The bent over, snarling figure of a short monster like woman emerges from the dust, huffing angrily. “I’VE HAD ENOUGH!” she growls at Totoko, stomping towards the angry woman clad in a wedding dress, “YOU JUST KEEP GETTING IN MY WAY!”

Totoko turns to her in disgust, “HUUUH? JUST WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?? THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU?”

As Totoko and the hippo-like woman growl at each other, Karamatsu’s eyes widen. If his heart could still beat, he knew it would have stopped then. He opens his mouth to speak, but words don’t come out. It’s been years since he’s last seen her, but he could never forget her. How could he? 

She was the one who convinced him to marry her. 

She was the one he waited for in the graveyard. 

She was the one who killed him.

“You.” 

Karamatsu clenches his hands to keep them from shaking, finding his voice coming back to him, “You.”

The short woman looks at him from the corner of her eyes, still butting heads with Totoko before her eyes widen. She flings the other girl back with ease, Totoko going down in a string of curses before squinting her eyes at him, “Kara-chun?” 

Naturally, it’s the ugly flower fairy lol

[takerfoxx]

RD Walpurgis Nights 8: Part 2

Then…

In a very short period of time, the freezing girl came to learn several facts about her perilous situation, none of which made her happy.

In addition to her being naked and tied to the face of a gigantic clock tower high in the air in the middle of a rainstorm, she also didn’t seem to be human, or at least something different from most humans. Most of her body seemed to have the standard equipment, all save for her legs. For one, she did not have the usual set of thighs, knees, calves, shins, feet, etc. Instead, she had thin whiplike wires, like the kind used to support a billowing skirt.

Also, she had twelve of them.

The freezing girl was pressed against the exact center of the clock’s face, with each one of her legs stretched out toward one of the hours. They did not reach all the way of course, so they had their lengths increased by being wound around wires attached to the perimeter of the clock.

Barbed wire.

More barbed wire stretched her arms out to either side. Her legs hurt, certainly, but her arms were the worst of it, as they were of pink flesh, with the barbed wire wrapped around her forearms up to the elbow, the points digging into her skin. What was more, there seemed to be yet another wire, thankfully not barbed, pressed against her throat, making even breathing difficult.

She had tried yanking on them, but that just brought tears to her eyes. She had tried screaming for help, but there was no one to hear her cries. She was alone.

Thrashing did no good. In fact, that just made things so much worse, as she quickly found out. Hanging limp was also an agony. It was a nightmare paradox. Nothing she did gave her the slightest relief from the torture she found herself trapped in.

She panicked. Even though it sent burning lances of pain through her body, she again began pulling at her restraints, screaming the whole time. Something had to give, something had to happen, something had to-

Something did.

With a snap, one of her legs came loose and was free. The freezing girl frozen in place. Then, with almost fearful hesitation, she brought her leg up.

Though it was not of flesh of bone, it obeyed anyway, curling up like a snake. She twisted it around and was equally fascinated and horrified by how easy it was. No human limb ought to move like that.

Well, she could figure that out later. For now, she was in kind of a pressing situation.

Now that she had a tool to work with, she set to work freeing her throat. Fortunately that wire wasn’t actually wrapped around her throat, so all she had to do was seize it with her leg and push out. Surprisingly, whatever was holding it in place was very flexible, and she was able to slip her head under, freeing her neck.

Next came her arms. In another stroke of luck, the barbed wire was just wound around them and not tied, so all she had to was find the end and unwind it.

All she had to do. Ha. Like it was that simple, with the barbs still gouged into her skin and the mind-rending agony every movement brought.

Every loop unwound made her want to die. Heck, she probably ought to have died by now, but if death had no come to claim her yet, then she wasn’t going to let it come for her now. So she let herself cry and gasp and scream, but she kept on unwinding.

Then one arm was free. Her eyes squeezed shut, she immediately cradled it against her chest, afraid to look at the mangled mess it must be. Keeping them closed, she then reached up with her free leg to get to work freeing the other.

Again there was pain, but as horrible as it sounded, she was started to get used to it. She gritted her teeth and kept at her task. Another loop, and then another, and then another, and then another…

Suddenly, her other arm was free, and the worst of the pain was starting to ebb away!

Unfortunately she wasn’t given time to celebrate, as her horrible mistake suddenly became clear.

Though her legs kept her pressed to the face of the clock, it had been her arms keeping her upright. And with them no longer bound, she found her upper body pitching forward. Arms flailing, she screamed.

A moment later the pitching stopped, and she found herself pretty much upside-down, staring at the white of the clock face itself.

The freezing girl shut her eyes.

How long she hung there too scared to move, she had no way of telling, which was kind of ironic considering that she was strapped to a giant clock. However, she couldn’t remain like that forever.

She blinked. Then her eyes reflexively went up, or rather, down.

This proved to be a mistake, and she quickly closed her eyes again.

Keeping them closed, she extended her trembling arms until they touched something hard, cold, and wet. She pushed with her arms and her core, mostly expecting herself to not have the strength to move back upward.

But she did.

The freezing girl would have been surprised had the last hour or so not been packed with one surprise after another. Regardless, she was soon upright again, arms behind her back holding onto the clock hand for dear life.

Though she was still subjected to pain in the ends of her legs and the freezing cold from the elements, at the very least the bulk of the agony was gone as she had some space to think. She wracked her brain, trying to seize upon anything of worth, anything to explain where she was, why she was there, or even who is was to begin with.

To her rising dread, she came up with nothing.

Oh, there were bits of information, flashes of memory, but they didn’t seem to be connected to anything. She was able to pull up general knowledge about…society, pop culture, school subjects, and more of the same nature, but her personal life was a muddled blur. She saw fleeting glimpses of faces, rain coming down on a ruined city, a red-eyed cat…thing, a shattering pink gem, but no context to give them meaning.

Her panic started to return. What about her name? Surely she had a name at least. She dug into the scattered mess of her memory, trying to bring it up.

To her surprise, that was the one question that had a definitive answer. Her name was…

…

Now…

Madoka. Kaname.

Two words that Homulilly had never heard in her life. Two words that meant nothing to her. Two words that ought to be nothing more than gibberish, worthy of nothing more than an askew eyebrow and a look of confusion.

Then why were they tugging at something deep inside her heart, something long forgotten but incredibly important?

Unfortunately she wasn’t given much time to try to figure things out, because that was when the green-haired girl that had identified herself as “Hitomi” rushed over to seize the stupefied Gretchen by the hands.

“I knew I would find you!” Hitomi said as tears ran down her cheeks. “It worked! The wish actually worked!”

“I…uh…” Gretchen stammered. “I-I’m sorry, I don’t really-”

“How did you get here? Do you know a way home? Oh! Is Sayaka here with you? Is she okay?”

“I…who?”

All right, enough was enough. Homulilly seized Hitomi by the shoulder and yanked her away from Gretchen. “Stop it!” she cried. “You’re upsetting her!”

Hitomi looked at Homulilly as if seeing her for the first time. She blinked, and her forehead creased. “Wait…Homura?” she said. “Homura Akemi? Is that you? Are all the disappeared girls here?”

Homulilly felt her insides twitch. Again the strange words Hitomi was saying really didn’t mean anything to her, and yet they did. Only this time it felt even more significant.

But before she could ask for more information, Hitomi so happened to glance down at the skeletal hand that was holding her by the shoulder and the equally skeletal arm it was attached to. Her eyes again went wide, but with terror this time.

“GET AWAY FROM ME!” she screamed. She slapped Homulilly’s hand away and tried to run away, but her feet got tangled up beneath her and she fell.

Gretchen instinctively moved to help her, but as Hitomi turned toward her, she finally caught sight of Gretchen’s many wire-legs that were extending out of her skirt, as well as the conspicuous lack of legs and feet between the skirt’s hem and the floor.

Hitomi cried out again and scurried back on her palms, heels, and butt. She thrust one hand out, and there was a flash of green light, and Gretchen found herself stopped by the canopy of an emerald umbrella, which was spread in front of Hitomi like a shield, the handle of which was clutched in Hitomi’s shaking hand.

“What are you?” Hitomi said from behind the umbrella. “Madoka, what happened to you? Where are your legs? Why do you have tentacles?”

Gretchen slowly backed up, her hands held up, palms forward. “Uh, they’re…not actually tentacles. They’re-”

“Oh. My. God.” Hitomi lowered the umbrella just enough to show her face, which had gone completely pale. “You turned into a witch! That’s why you never came home. You became a witch! But…but that means…”

The trembling got too bad, and the umbrella handle dropped from Hitomi’s hands to clatter on the ground. She curled up into the fetal position, knees drawn up and face buried in her palms as she started crying again.

The caretaker finally snapped out of her stunned stupor and rushed over to her. She knelt down and put her arms around Hitomi. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “Calm down. It’s okay.” She then looked up at Homulilly and Gretchen, who were staring in complete bemusement. “I’m so sorry, girls. I’ll…I’ll take care of this. You two better go.”

“Uh, okay,” Gretchen said. “But. But is there something we can…”

Homulilly gently took Gretchen by the hand. “C’mon,” she said, tugging insistently. “We should go.”

Gretchen still looked unsure, but she nodded and let Homulilly lead her away from the sobbing girl and out of the building.

…

The gang was sitting around one of the circular tables in the FIB’s courtyard, waiting for them.

All of Homulilly and Gretchen’s belongings had already been sent to their new home, so now that their dorm had been restored to its neutral state and their keys turned in, there really was nothing left to do but take the final journey from the Freehaven Integration Bureau to the house that they had visited many times but would now be their home. They had anticipated it being a joyful trip, with lots of laughter and excitement. Unfortunately, that rather unexpected encounter in the hallway had pretty much killed the mood.

Their four friends were all chatting merrily, and upon seeing the two of them exit the building, immediately rose.

“And here they are!” Ophelia said as she stood and straightened out her blazer. “Ready to begin the first day of the rest of your lives?”

“Uh, yeah,” Gretchen said. “Sure.” Homulilly said nothing at all.

Immediately the two of them found themselves faced with four nearly identical looks of concern. Well, of course they would pick up on something being wrong.

“Er, everything okay?” Oktavia said as she maneuvered the legs of her mechanical chair around.

“Sure!” Gretchen said, altogether too brightly and too loudly. “Ready to go?”

Homulilly sighed. If there was one thing Gretchen absolutely sucked at, it was lying. Which…kind of was a virtue if you thought about it.

And naturally, nobody bought it. “Okay,” Charlotte said. “What’s wrong?”

Gretchen sighed. “W-Well, I guess there’s no point in pretending it didn’t happen,” she said as she scratched the back of her head. “See, on our way out, we, uh, ran into someone.”

Ophelia and Charlotte both exchanged a look, and their eyes immediately narrowed in exactly the same way.

“Not like that!” Gretchen hastened to say. “Not someone you need to beat up! And…please don’t beat anyone up. But it was a new girl. Someone who, uh, who just died, and only just got here. And she was pretty upset.”

Immediately their faces softened. “Oh, wow, yeah, that would suck,” Ophelia said. “But you must run into people like that all the time here. Why was this one different?”

“I…er…” Gretchen shot Homulilly a pleading look.

Sighing, Homulilly stepped forward. “It’s because she recognized us.”

“Er, what?” Oktavia said. “Like…she had seen you around before, or…?”

Candeloro, who had been silently standing at the back of the group so far, stepped forward then. “Homulilly,” she said. “Do you mean what I think you mean?”

“Wait, hold up,” said Ophelia, her eyes going wide. Charlotte looked at her in askance, only for realization to dawn on her own face.

Homulilly winced. “Yeah. I-I’m pretty sure it was someone who used to know us back, you know, when we were…alive.”

Ophelia stuck her hands into her pockets and let out a low whistle.

“So…was it like when you all recognized each other when you first met?” Charlotte said. “Like that whole déjà vu thing?”

“Um, no,” Gretchen said. “She wasn’t, um, she wasn’t a witch.”

Oktavia slowly breathed out. “Oh, holy shit.” For once she wasn’t scolded for her language.

“She called you by your old names, didn’t she?” Ophelia said.

Gretchen swallowed noisily but said nothing. Homulilly took a deep breath and said, “Yeah. Yeah, she did.” She looked down at the ground and shuffled her feet. “She seemed really surprised to see us. Like she hadn’t known that we were dead and was looking for us or something.” She hesitated, and then said, “Then she saw that we were witches and kind of freaked out.” One hand unconsciously started rubbing the opposite arm.

All four of their friends exchanged equally uncomfortable glances. “Are you two all right?” Candeloro said as she stepped forward.

“We’re fine,” Gretchen said, though unconvincingly. Her hand found Homulilly’s and squeezed it tight. “It was just kind of startling, you know?”

Candeloro moved to embrace them, and the two welcomed the gesture, grabbing onto her in return. “Look, I can’t understand what that must have been like,” she told them as her held them close with her ribbons. “But remember, whatever happens, we’re with you every step of the way.”

Homulilly felt herself getting a little choked up, so she just nodded and whispered, “Thank you.”

“All right, come on,” Candeloro said as she straightened up. She wound a ribbon around one of their hands each. “Let’s go home.”

…

The walk to their new home was far more morose than Homulilly had initially expected, and much, much more silent, with the only consistent sound being their footsteps, the patter of Gretchen’s wire-legs, and the soft hissing from Oktavia’s chair. Occasionally Ophelia would start humming some song or another, but that never lasted long. Everyone seemed to either be lost in thoughts of their own or respectful of those who were.

Homulilly sat deeply in the former category. She barely noticed the trip. Her mind was entirely occupied with a handful of strange words, ones that repeated over and over in her head.

Homura. Akemi. Homura. A name that she had technically never heard before until today, but apparently had always belonged to her.

Well, Homura sounded close to Homulilly, so there was that. And it was a nice name, all things considered. Still…Akemi. A family name. And surely a family name must indicate that there was a family attached.

Homulilly thought back to the conversation she and Gretchen had had that morning, about their respective families and what they might be up to. Did that mean that there was a Momma Akemi out there? A Papa Akemi as well? Did she have siblings, older or younger? Grandparents? Aunts? Uncles? Cousins, of varying degrees of separation?

With every block that they passed, the imagined Akemi clan in Homulilly’s head grew a little larger.

“Madoka,” Homulilly heard Gretchen whisper. She glanced over. Gretchen looked just as contemplative as she did.

Madoka. Well, that was also a very nice name. Not as nice as Gretchen, but even so. Homura and Madoka. Homulilly and Gretchen.

It had a nice ring to it, she had to admit.

How close were they though? Back then, she meant. Did they even like each other? Or did they just so happen to be members of the same group? Homulilly couldn’t imagine ever disliking Gretchen, no matter what world they inhabited or what names they went by. Had they actually been close or had they just been teammates? Regardless, it was unlikely that they had actually been in love the same way they were now. More than likely they had just been friends, comrades-in-arms and all that.

Then she was struck by a troubling thought. What if Gretchen had been in love with somebody else back then? A classmate maybe, one of the boys? Some sports star, or local bad boy, or a kind upperclassman?

Or maybe she had already liked girls even then, and had actually been with one of the other members of their group. Maybe she and Candeloro had been a thing, or she and Ophelia, or Oktavia. It wasn’t really likely, but the possibility did exist. Maybe she did have something special with one of the others, something that was cut short by death, and it was only because of chance that she and Homulilly were together now.

Or maybe (and it was this possibility that scared Homulilly the most) it had been Hitomi that Gretchen had once had such a relationship with.

Homulilly suddenly realized that she was doing it again, entertaining self-abusive thoughts about her own worth. She sighed, and fell back onto the mental exercises she often needed to keep from following that destructive rabbit hole.

“Well, here we are,” Ophelia announced suddenly, jarring Homulilly out her musings. “Home sweet home.”

Homulilly looked up in surprise. They really were there. Wow, it felt like no time had passed at all.

“Okay, so, we weren’t expecting things to be so melancholy right about now,” Ophelia said as she unlocked the door and pushed it open. “But we took the liberty of setting things up for you.”

She motioned to the mantle over the fireplace. There, the sword, spear, staff, and gun had been rearranged to make room for Homulilly’s dark violet shield and Gretchen’s pink bow.

“Granted, this kind of seems like bad timing in hindsight,” Ophelia said as she stared at the arrangement. “But…”

“No, it’s great!” Gretchen was quick to reassure her, this time sounding sincere. “It makes it look like we really do belong her.”

“That’s because you do,” Charlotte said, lightly punching her in the shoulder.

Then there came a flapping of wings, and Cheese flew across the room to perch on top of Homulilly’s spider-lily. “Hi!” he declared, and fluffed his feathers.

Homulilly couldn’t help but feel a little better. “Hi yourself,” she said as she stuck her arm up. Cheese climbed onto her radius and tilted his head, inviting her to scratch his neck.

“Fuck blueberries,” Cheese muttered as he happily swiveled his neck around.

Gretchen giggled, and their new housemates sighed. “Leave it to Cheese to kill the tension,” Candeloro said.

“And before you start, he didn’t get that from me,” Ophelia said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I love blueberries.”

…

“And here’s your new room!” Charlotte declared as she flung the door open.

The guest room that had been repurposed for Homulilly and Gretchen’s personal use was roughly around the same size as their old dorm. Upon looking inside, Homulilly couldn’t help but smile.

Most of their belongings were still sitting in a small stack of boxes in the middles of the room, but the furniture and wall decorations were already in place, in more-or-less the same places they had been before.

“Feel free to redecorate if you feel like it,” Charlotte said. “I mean, duh, it’s your room. But we thought we’d at least make it familiar to start.”

“It’s wonderful!” Gretchen said, clasping her hands together. “Thank you so much!” She rushed in and plopped down onto the bed.

She bounced a couple times in her seat and then blinked in surprise. “Uh…water bed?”

“Takes some getting used to,” Candeloro said. “But it is kind of great once you do.”

“And we had to made specially tough,” Ophelia added. “So don’t worry about accidentally poking those legs of yours through.”

“Ooooh.” Gretchen stretched out to her full length, wire-legs dangling over the end. “This is great. Homulilly! Come and try this!”

Homulilly tilted her head, judging the distance. Then she bolted across the room, flipped a cartwheel, and bounded over Gretchen’s horizontal body, landing neatly in her customary space right next to her in a lying position. The mattress immediately starting roiling in response, bouncing them up and down. The two glanced at one another, and then burst into a fit of giggles.

“I think they like it,” Oktavia noted.

“Well, make yourselves comfortable,” Candeloro said. “Not that it’ll be too hard.”

“Oh, and one more thing,” Ophelia said. She flicked a switch next to the light switch and then knocked her knuckles against the wall. “This switch activates the sound proofing.”

“Sound proofing?” Homulilly said as she pushed herself up on her elbows.

“Yup.” Ophelia grinned, displaying her prominent canines. “In case, you know, you…want to play music really loud! Or watch holos! Or, uh, feel like engaging in noisy activity-”

“Jesus Christ. Turn it on if you want to have sex,” Charlotte said bluntly. “All of our rooms are set up the same way.” When everyone stared at her, she just rolled her eyes. “Oh, what? What? We’re all adults. Here.” She picked up what looked like a plastic door-hanger. “See? A ‘Do Not Disturb Sign.’ Put this out and flick the switch. We all do the same, so we’ll know to leave you alone. And…if you see one of these hanging out of one of our rooms, don’t knock unless it’s really important. Cool? Cool.”

Another pause, and then Gretchen started laughing softly. “Thank you,” she said. “That’s very considerate of…” Another burst of giggles ate up the rest of her sentence.

“Seriously, get used to the bluntness,” Charlotte said. “If you’re going to be living with this crowd, you’re gonna lose that sensitivity real quick.”

Homulilly cleared her throat. “Um, we never were really…all that sensitive about it. That was mostly you guys.”

“Hey, can’t blame us for playing it safe,” Ophelia said with a shrug. “I mean, you got people that are six years younger than us, ten years older, fifty years older, actually kids, and they all look the same. Where’s the line?”

Charlotte looked at her in amazement. “Ophelia, your ability to take a slightly awkward situation and make it so much worse has never ceased.”

Gretchen let out a long, exasperated sigh. “Guys. Guys. Please. We’re not, you know, we’re not kids anymore. And we’ve been hanging out with you ever since we got here. And we’ve been having sex for the last couple of years. Seriously, you’re the ones making it weird. Stop it.”

“Oh, come on!” Ophelia said. “You guys are like our little sisters or something. Of course it’s going to be a little weird.”

Homulilly rolled her eyes. “Thank you for the privacy switch,” she said in a slow and deliberate manner. “We promise to turn it one so as not to bother the rest of you with our raucous lovemaking.”

“Good to hear,” Ophelia said. “Also, if you promise to wait at least one month before walking around in your underwear, we promise to do the same.”

Homulilly blinked. Well, okay. Their lives really were…different now.

…

“Are you okay?” Gretchen said.

It was late, nearly eleven, and the two had finished cleaning up for bed. It was a little strange not having a bathroom directly connected to their room specifically for their use anymore. Their new house had two bathrooms, one upstairs and one downstairs. Ophelia and Oktavia’s bedroom was downstairs, as Oktavia still had difficulty with stairs, so that bathroom was theirs, while Candeloro and Charlotte’s bedroom was down the hall from Homulilly and Gretchen’s, with what was now their shared bathroom in between. It was larger than the one that the two used to have back at the FIB, with an actual bathtub in addition to the shower, but now that it was being split between the two couples, they suddenly now found themselves faced with having to take turns. That was definitely going to take some getting used to.

But now they lay side-by-side, and it felt like home.

Homulilly turned over onto her side, toward Gretchen. “I…suppose,” she said. “I’m just thinking.”

Gretchen turned toward her, sending small waves across the mattress. “About Hitomi?”

Homulilly sighed. “Yes, that.”

“Me too.” Gretchen stretched an arm out around Homulilly’s shoulders and brought her in close while her legs lightly looped around her girlfriend’s. “It’s just…I don’t know what to think about it. I mean, we used to just have this big blank spot right before we woke up that one day, and I figured it was always going to be that way. But now?”

“Now we have names,” Homulilly said.

“Yeah. Huh.” There was a pause, and then Gretchen said, “Madoka. Sounds…”

“Pretty.”

“Well, I was going to say weird.”

“It’s still pretty.”

“Pretty weird.” Gretchen sighed. “I like yours better. It’s close to your real name too.”

Homulilly nodded. “Homura.” She shook her head. “You know, it’s supposed to be dangerous for us to say them out loud. Or think about them too much.”

“I know, I know,” Gretchen sighed. “But I still can’t help but wonder. It’s interesting, but also kind of scary.”

“Scary?” It wasn’t that Homulilly disagreed, but it was curious that Gretchen felt that was. “Scary how?”

Gretchen shrugged. “Well, we apparently have all this history with her, a whole friendship. She probably knows lots about us. Like, all of our friends’ old names. What our families were like. Maybe even…”

Her voice trailed off, and Homulilly took notice. “Maybe even what?” she pressed.

“Well, it’s silly,” Gretchen said after a moment of hesitation. “But I did start thinking…what if one of us left someone…special behind?”

“Like a boyfriend,” Homulilly said.

“Sure. I mean, it feels super weird to think it, but sure. Or a girlfriend. Then I started thinking…” Gretchen made a face. “Well, what if one of the other girls used to be my girlfriend. Or yours. Like, what if there was this big, steamy romance that we don’t even remember. Then I started thinking-”

“What if you used to date Hitomi?” Homulilly said with a sigh.

Gretchen let out a small laugh. “You were thinking the same thing?”

“Pretty much. I guess we think a lot alike.”

“Well, sort of, but I was actually worried that she used to date you.”

Homulilly snorted. “Fat chance. She was happy to see you, remember?”

“I guess so. I hope that isn’t the case.”

“Me too.”

Another silence fell, the two of them musing on many of the same thoughts. Then Gretchen said, “You know, this is going to sound dirty, but I always kind of wondered why the others split off into pairs instead of, um, you know…”

“All four of them hooking up?” Homulilly felt a small smile start to form.

“I guess. I mean, I’ve heard that other Walpurgisnachts do that sometimes.”

Homulilly thought of some of the larger Walpurgisnachts she had read about, with some of them having over twenty individuals. She thought of the relationship she had with Gretchen, and then tried to picture having that sort of intimacy with so many people and found her head starting to hurt.

“You know, you kind of sound like you wish that’s what they did,” Homulilly said as she sat up enough to look Gretchen in the eye. “Do you also wish that they let us in on that too?”

Even in the dark Homulilly could see Gretchen’s blush. “No! No, that’s not what I mean! I mean…” Gretchen slapped a hand over her eyes. “Augh!”

Homulilly snickered and leaned in to kiss Gretchen’s cheek. “You know, we still don’t know what made them witch out. Or us, for that matter. Maybe we could have ended up all part of the same Walpurgisnacht. Then maybe that would have happened.” One of her fingers started to slowly slide up and down Gretchen’s stomach. Meanwhile, she put her mouth close to Gretchen’s ear and whispered, “All of us naked in one big bed, trading kisses and gentle touches. Candeloro’s ribbons tying your arms together while four pairs of hands stroke-”

Gretchen clamped a hand firmly over Homulilly’s mouth. “Okay, stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it! I’m sorry I brought it up! Jeez, you’re getting Ophelia levels of dirty!”

Laughing, Homulilly lay back and looked up at the ceiling. Then her thoughts returned to Hitomi and her good mood withered and died.

After a moment she said, “You know what I wish though?”

“Hmmm?”

“I wish we never met her.”

“Huh? Who? Hitomi?”

Homulilly nodded. “It’s just…this was supposed to be a happy day. Our graduation. When we finally get to go out and start our lives for real. Then by sheer coincidence she shows up and now everything’s all confusing.”

There was a pause, and then Gretchen said, “That’s not really fair. I mean, it’s not her fault.”

Homulilly sighed. Of course Gretchen would stick up for her. She had a very kind heart, after all. It’s one of the things Homulilly loved about her, but now really wasn’t the time. “I know, I know.”

“I mean, she’s lost her home, her family, her friends, and everything. And dying had to have been terrible. She has to be scared out of her mind.”

Well, that much was for certain.

“You want to help her,” Homulilly said. It wasn’t a question.

Gretchen swallowed noisily. “Kind of.”

“Even though you know how dangerous that would be. Remember what we learned about witch names and old names and-”

“I know, I know,” Gretchen sighed. “But there has to be something!”

“She’s with the FIB,” Homulilly pointed out. “That’s the best help she can get.”

“Yeah, but…”

“You feel sorry for her.”

“Well, yeah. Don’t you?”

Homulilly frowned. “Maybe. A little. But…”

She thought for a moment. Then she said, “All right, I’m going to change my wish. I wish…I wish that she never took a contract. That she stayed a normal girl, that after we disappeared she was sad for a while but eventually got over it, that she grew up, got her dream job and earned a lot of money, married some nice guy who also had a lot of money, and had long and happy life that never had anything to do with magic or aliens. Better?”

Gretchen laughed. “Yeah, I guess that would probably be for the best. But that’s not what happened.”

“Yeah, I know,” Homulilly sighed.

The two fell silent again. Homulilly stared up at the ceiling. Back at the FIB, whenever she had something on her mind (which was often), she would lie awake and stare up at the patterns in the ceiling. Now that she was presented with a completely different ceiling with unfamiliar patterns, she was finding it difficult to settle back into her old rhythm. She supposed that she would get used to it in time, but she would have vastly preferred that life had waited until she had done that before throwing something of this magnitude at her.

Relax, she told herself. Just relax. It’s not your problem to solve. There are trained professionals handling it. You don’t have to do anything. Just let them do their thing, and concentrate on living your life. Nope, that wasn’t working. Fine. Okay, one calliope, two calliopes, three calliopes…

Then she heard the door open.

Confused, Homulilly raised her head to see. No one was at the door, but two of Gretchen’s legs had extended themselves all the way across the room, one of them gripping the door handle and the other fiddling with something outside.

“Gretchen?” she said in confusion.

“Sorry. Just putting the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign out,” Gretchen said.

“Huh?”

Gretchen’s legs closed the door, and one turned the lock. Then, after a moment of deliberate hesitation, one snaked over to where the soundproofing switch was and nudged it on.

“This is our first night in our new life,” Gretchen said. Then she rolled over onto Homulilly. “I’m not going to spend it worrying about something I can’t control.”

Homulilly blinked. The view of the unfamiliar ceiling was now blocked by the very familiar view of Gretchen’s softly glowing pink eyes and coy little smile. Oh yeah. This was so much better.

“Good idea,” she said, tilting her head to that theirs touched. Her hands slid up Gretchen’s sides to meet behind her back, tracing her body beneath her pajamas.

Gretchen started moving her body against her. One of Homulilly’s hands traveled up to the back of Gretchen’s head, gripping a handful of her hair and pushing her into a deeper kiss, while the other trailed downward toward her thighs. That much was familiar territory for them, but the way the water mattress gently rocked and bounced beneath was moving their bodies together in…interesting ways. She wondered if their friends had gotten it for them with that very reason in mind. Knowing them, they probably had.

Then they parted just long enough to catch their breath. Homulilly’s breath had quickened, as had her illusionary pulse.

“Yeah,” she panted. “This is so much better.”

Then she pushed Gretchen back down into her.

…

Charlotte pressed her ear to the Gretchen and Homulilly’s door. As expected (and hoped), she heard absolutely nothing: no voices, footsteps, no furniture creaking, nothing. That, coupled with the sign hanging from the doorknob, told her everything she needed to know.

Good.

She headed back downstairs. There, everyone was hanging out, relaxing. Ophelia was seated at the far end of the couch, playing with her phone. Oktavia was stretched across the couch’s length, her head in Ophelia’s lap, an oceanography book in her hands. Candeloro was in her easy chair, reading a book.

“So the kids are going to be, um, occupied for the rest of the night,” Charlotte announced as she entered the room.

“Did’ja hook up a camera in their rooms, you freaking voyeur?” Ophelia remarked.

“Ah, ha. No.” Charlotte glanced around the room. “So…are we going to talk about it?”

Everyone looked up at her then. “Talk about it?” Oktavia said. “About what?”

“You know what.”

Sighing, Oktavia sat up and turned around so that she was sitting straight. Candeloro put her book down. “Do you really think that it’s that serious?” Candeloro said.

Charlotte sat down in her own chair. “I think that a mysterious possible sixth member of your old supergroup just showed up. And unlike any of us, this one probably has all the answers to every question you ever had about your past, but those answers come with a very strong chance of damaging your mental and spiritual health. Hell, Gretchen and Homulilly probably got a little twisted up already. So yes, I think this is very serious.”

Everyone exchanged an uneasy look. “You really think she was part of our Puella Magi group?” Oktavia said.

Charlotte took a deep breath. “No idea. But, seeing how she is, in fact, a freaking Puella Magi or else she wouldn’t even be here, and seeing how she knew Gretchen and Homulilly by sight and name, I’d say that that’s a possibility we can’t ignore.”

Ophelia sighed. “Jesus, and this was supposed to be a happy day.”

“Did we ever get a name for her?” Candeloro said.

“No,” Charlotte said. “Should we?”

“Might not be a good idea. We’re kind of playing with fire here,” Ophelia said. “Only…in this case none of us are fireproof. This is pretty dangerous. Who’s to say that even just her name can’t screw us up? To say nothing of our own names. I mean, we all saw how upset they were.”

“Yeah, and speaking of which, what do we do about that?” Oktavia said. “I mean, this is kind of outside our wheelhouse.”

“What we do is be there for Gretchen and Homulilly in any way we can,” Candeloro answered. “Things were already confusing enough for them as it was. This is just going to make things worse.”

“Okay,” Oktavia said. “But I was kind of hoping for something a little more specific.”

Ophelia shook her head. “Look, we’re kind of being idiots here. We don’t have to do much specific, okay? Be there for Homulilly and Gretchen? Yeah. Definitely. But this new kid is in the hands of literal professionals. They handle this kind of thing all the time. And hey, if the kids are somehow affected by what went down earlier, then we take them to said professionals, or some other professionals.”

“Good point,” Charlotte said.

“It is sort of weird to think about,” Oktavia remarked. “I mean, they now know their old names. Chances are, this new girl knows all of ours too.”

Well, most of them anyway. “Bad idea,” Charlotte said. “Come on, we all took the classes. We know how dangerous that it.”

“I guess. But even so, aren’t you at least a little curious?”

“No. I probably wasn’t part of the supergroup, remember? So she wouldn’t know me.”

“I don’t know,” Oktavia said. “I mean, she might. We don’t know how long she knew us or how you figured in. I mean, you still might have just been a late addition, so there’s still a chance she met you.”

Charlotte shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t think so though. Call it a hunch.”

A beat went by, and then Candeloro spoke. “You know, I can’t help but feel sorry for her. This new girl, I mean.”

“Yeah. That must suck,” said Ophelia. “I mean, watching all your friends turn into witches? Hell, she probably helped Homulilly and Gretchen take us down, and then had to take down them when they witched out. So after all that, you end up getting killed, wind up in some kind of freak show instead of Heaven or whatever, and then all of a sudden there’s your friends again, except that they still kind of look like the witches you killed and don’t even remember you.”

Yeah. That was…definitely a sobering thought. “Well, yeah, really blows,” Charlotte said. “But on the upside, Oktavia’s right: she ended up in the best possible place, and now she’s with the most qualified people to help her. I think we should just let them.”

…

It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

No. No, no, no! This was all wrong! Nothing made sense, nothing was right.

First her best friend disappears, then the city gets hit with the biggest storm in decades, and then her other best friend disappears as well! And in very short order, apparently magic exists, monsters exists, and her friends had been magical girls like Sailor Moon fighting monsters and maybe that’s why they disappeared and if she made a contract with the strange cat…rabbit…mouse…thing, then she would have magic too and be able to find them and bring them home.

But then she fought her first monster and…and she died. It had been a towering thing that looked like an oak tree with street lights, and she didn’t know what she was doing, and it had knocked her senseless with one blow, followed by another blow, and then another blow, and then she was in more pain than she had ever been in her life and was just screaming for help, begging for someone to come save her but help never came, and Kyubey was just there watching her die, and the blows kept coming and coming and coming until it stopped hurting.

And then all of a sudden she wakes up in a strange room, and she thinks that she’s been saved, that she’s in a hospital room, except that it’s not, she’s alone and there’s pictures of Madoka and Sayaka all over the walls with red lines connecting them and weird gibberish scribbled everywhere like they had been written by a crazy person, and she had found her umbrella nearby and ran, ran, ran so far, calling out for help, calling for anyone.

And then someone did come, but they were in an honest-to-God spaceship, and they told her that she was dead, she was dead and this was the afterlife and-

“Hitomi?”

Hitomi involuntarily tensed up. She slowly turned to peek over her shoulder.

Dr. Jazmine was there, standing at the door to the room that they had given her. She was a blonde Caucasian girl who didn’t look like she was even two years older than Hitomi, and she was a doctor. Apparently she was forty-seven. It didn’t make any sense.

“Y-Yes?” Hitomi said, her voice cracking.

“I looked up that name you asked me about. Sayaka Miki?” She shook her head. “There was nothing. I’m sorry.”

Hitomi stared. Nothing there? How could there be nothing there? Madoka was here! Madoka and Homura Akemi! She had seen them! “Are you sure?” she said, scooting around on the bed so that she was fully facing Dr. Jazmine. “She has to be here! She’s, um, about this tall, with short blue hair and blue eyes.”

Dr. Jazmine shook her head. “I’m sorry, but there’s no one by that name anywhere in Freehaven’s records.” She hesitated, and then said, “You said that there was a few weeks between her and your friend Madoka disappearing, right? Then maybe Sayaka ended up in a different place.”

“Place? Different?” Hitomi inhaled sharply. “You mean, like Hell?”

“Er, no. I mean a different city.”

“Oh.” Cities in the afterlife. It made no sense.

“I can call around if you like,” Dr. Jazmine suggested.

Hitomi nodded. “Okay. Thank you. But, um…”

“Yes?”

“Can I…speak with her? Madoka, I mean.”

Dr. Jazmine sighed. “Hitomi, that isn’t a good idea. She isn’t-”

“Please!” Hitomi hopped off the bed and ran over to grab Dr. Jazmine’s hands. “Please! I need to talk to her!”

“Hitomi, you-”

“I do anything, anything at all! Just please, please just let me talk to her!”

“You don’t-”

“She doesn’t want to see me? Is that it? It’s because she’s a witch, isn’t it? Does she hate me now?”

“Hitomi, listen!” Dr. Jazmine grabbed her by the wrists. She wasn’t rough, but it was definitely firm and attention-grabbing. “It’s very dangerous for a witch to talk to someone she used to know!”

“Dangerous?” Hitomi blinked. “Why?”

“We’re still not sure why, but witches don’t remember their old lives. Not their family, not their friends, not even their own names. There is a faint recognition when they meet someone they once knew, but that’s it. Talking to her won’t do any good, because I promise you she won’t recall anything you want to talk about.”

It felt like someone had stabbed her in the gut and twisted the knife. “But…”

“What’s more, hearing their old name does actually hurt witches,” Dr. Jazmine said. “And before you ask, no. It is impossible to make a witch remember anything, no matter how hard you try to jog her memory. But their old names do cause them mental stress, and saying it to them to much can do actual psychological damage.”

Tears started to trickle down Homulilly’s cheeks. “So you’re telling me that I can’t even see her? That’s so cruel! I died trying to find her!”

“I understand, and-”

“How could you?” Hitomi all but spat. “How could you understand what it’s like? I feel like my whole world won’t stop spinning, and every time I start to get used to things, something comes along to kick it again!”

“Because it happened to me too! Everything you’re experiencing right now, everything you’re feeling, I went through it as well. Yes. Even meeting someone I used to know and not having her even know her own name. I went through it too, Hitomi. And it hurt me just as much as it hurts you.”

Hitomi gaped at her. Her throat seized up, and, with her wrists still in Dr. Jazmine’s hands, she collapsed to her knees.

She almost didn’t notice Dr. Jazmine kneeling next to her or how she gently placed her arms around Hitomi’s shoulders. She just knew that she was crying into the older girl’s shoulder, her own arms gripping her as if holding on for dear life.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Dr. Jazmine murmured, one hand gently stroking Hitomi’s hair. “You’re all right.”

Hitomi miserably shook her head. “No. I’m not.”

...

I’ve been writing PMMM fanfiction for almost a decade, and this is the first time I’ve included Hitomi at all. Does that seem right to you?

Until next time, everyone.

[emperorxeroki]

My Princess - Ch. 19

This started as a regular drabble…and then I just got carried away. Oh well, at least I’m getting back into writing.

My Princess – Ch. 19

Paring: Eli x Umi

Rating: T (slightly NSFW)

Notes: Request from @shirohasnothing P.S. – I chickened out near the end   _(:3」∠)_

Umi bit the inside of her cheek to hold back her words. Her hands were balled up into fists so tight that her knuckles turned white. She was using all her strength to retrain her anger towards her fellow comrades. Groundless rumors have been spreading around the base. It had all begun when Umi had her wedding with the eldest daughter of the Ayase family, Ayase Eli.

Umi came from a strict military family. The Sonoda’s were greatly well-known throughout the country, or at least they were before the family name became sullied from a pollical scandal a couple years back. But Umi was no fool; she knew her grandfather had been framed for a crime he didn’t commit which was the sole reason why she didn’t want to get involved with anything or anyone pertaining too closely to politics. Unfortunately, her marriage to Eli made that wish impossible. The Ayase family was deeply involved with politics. In fact, Eli’s father was a respected member of the council as was her grandfather before he retired, let alone is also related to the crown. The whole marriage was arranged by the king. There was no way Umi or her family could refuse. However, as Umi expected, rumors of the arranged marriage were spreading like wildfire.

“They must have threatened the crown to marry into such a high-status family. They should learn their place after that scandal.” Umi glared at the pair passing by who quickly walked away when they realized she had heard them.

“What’s wrong Sonoda? Cat got your tongue?” Umi wanted to ignore the voice, but it was hard to do when a group of guys were encircling around her.

“What do you want Ichihara? Was your lesson from the opening ceremony not enough last time? Or are you all masochists that you want more?” Amber eyes glared at the supposed leader of their group.

“Talking big for someone from a family with a tarnished name.” Ichihara scoffed at her threat. “As if the Sonoda family haven’t done anything else so underhanded. I bet your grandfather threatened the King to arrange the marriage between you and Ayase-san.”

“You should learn how to keep your mouth shut.” She walked away, pushing through the others. They weren’t much use since they didn’t try to stop her.

“Hey! Who said I was done talking!?” Ichihara grabbed Umi’s arm without a second thought. At first, he thought his bigger group of friends would scare Umi; instead, they all cowered behind him after just one look from Umi’s stare.

“If you don’t let me go this instant, I will use the means of self-defense in place of my generosity.”

“G-go ahead! I’d like to see you try!” He forced a smirk. “Ayase-san should have married someone better. Someone like me.”

Umi didn’t hesitate to send her fist flying towards his face. She figured this would be the best way to let out some steam.

“So, how’s the married life?” Nico asked the question before popping a cookie in her mouth. Eli sat comfortably with her two best friends at the Sonoda mansion. The question had her thinking to herself. “Don’t tell me what’s-her-face is treating you badly? If she is, I will march to wherever the hell she is and punch her in the face before throwing divorce papers in her face!”

“Nico, you’re in her house you know…” Eli deadpanned.

“Nicocchi is so protective~.” Nozomi giggled at the brunette. “Don’t worry, Elichi is in good hands.”

“Oh, don’t give me that ‘the cards told me so’ bull.” Nico frowned. “I seriously don’t think she could take care of Eli. I mean come on, if Old man Ohara didn’t arrange the marriage, the So-”

“That’s enough Nico!” The said person jumped in her seat when Eli raised her voice. The blonde sighed at her friend’s behavior, but she appreciated that Nico was looking out for her. “Umi is treating me very well.”

“Oh? Using first names already? My~ how fast Elichi is moving.” Nozomi began poking fun at Eli to change the atmosphere of the room.

“N-Nozomi!” A light shade of pink colored Eli’s cheeks when the purple haired girl pointed that out.

“Elichi is so pure. But to think that fate would bring you to your crush so easily. You must really be loved by the heavens.” Nozomi added, making Eli blush harder.

“Crush?” Nico furrowed her eyebrows and looked at the other two. “What the hell are you talking about Nozomi?”

“Elichi has been crushing on Sonoda Umi for the longest time. I didn’t tell you?” The busty girl tilted her head.

“NO! What the hell Nozomi?!” Nico shot up in her seat. “Why’d you leave me out of the loop!? Do you have any idea on how much I have missed out on teasing her?!”

“That’s why you’re mad?!” Eli couldn’t believe her friends were fighting over such a trivial thing.

Nico sat back down with a huff and took a sip from her teacup. “So how far have you two gone then?” The question had Eli spitting out her tea.

“W-what?!” Eli was flabbergasted earning a smirk from the petite girl.

“Oh, come on. You two are married now. You have to had spent your wedding night…” Nico trailed off when Eli’s face became crestfallen. “Wait…really?”

Eli looked away and played with her fingers. She didn’t want to admit that the idea of sleeping with her partner scared her, but they were complete strangers to each other. Besides knowing about each other’s family backgrounds, there was almost nothing else in between. Eli’s thoughts lead her to scrunch up her face deeper.

“Why don’t you ask her on a date then?” Nozomi proposed to give the blonde some ideas. “There’s no need to rush things if you’re not comfortable with each other.”

“If anything, she’s lucky she married you because anyone would die to even have you look their way- ow! The hell Nozomi?” Nico rubbed the side of her ribs when the taller girl jabbed her with her elbow.

“Umi-sama, welcome back. You’re home ear- oh my goodness!” Three heads perked up at the maid’s voice. They peeked around the corner and found Eil’s wife with a grimace present; her face was battered up, cheek bandaged along with a cut lip.

“Sonoda-san, the General said that you are to be on vacation leave for the time being. He says to take it was a present to spend time with your wife as you did not have a honeymoon.” The General’s secretary gave Umi a salute and left after escorting her back home.

“Vacation leave.” Umi scoffed. “He might as well just have said suspension instead of sugarcoating it.”

“Umi-sama, are you alright? Do you hurt anywhere?” The maid’s eyes filled with worry looking at the blue haired girl.

“I’m fine. Just a couple scratches.” Umi gave her a smile of reassurance to ease her. “Thank you for worrying Rena.”

“Y-you’re welcome…” Rena’s cheeks flushed. Eli couldn’t help feeling a little jealous of how close they were.

“Ohhh…” The blonde jumped and turned around to find Nozomi and Nico cooing at her. The smirks on their faces were so easy to read. They knew.

“W-what?” Eli gave the two an annoyed look.

“Nothing~.” They both responded together. Sometimes Eli wondered how those two got along so well.

“I’m tired. I’ll be in my room.” Umi passed by the three making way to her room. Eli gave her spouse a worried look, only to be avoided. She couldn’t help but feel disappointed given the cold shoulder.

xXx

“Do you think she’ll be okay?” Nico left the mansion with Nozomi lost in a deep thought. “I don’t like the way she’s being treated. Especially when she has to stay here.”

“Nicocchi really is caring.” Nozomi softly bumped into the other. “Don’t worry, Umi-chan is just awkward, that’s all.”

“You talk like you know her.”

“I do. She’s my cousin after all.” Nozomi put a hand to her chin and racked her brain for old memories. “I never told you?”

“NO!”

Eli watched her two friends leave from the window and sighed to herself. She looked at the silver band on her finger and wonder what her uncle was thinking when he arranged the marriage.

“Nozomi-chan hasn’t changed at all.” The voice behind her gave Eli a small startle. She turned around and found Umi’s grandmother and mother smiling at her.

“Ah…yes…Grandmother…” Eli still wasn’t used to calling the elder woman that, but the warmth she radiated made her feel comfortable.

“It seems that Umi-chan got into trouble with her superiors for getting into a fight today.” Eli frowned, earning a soft smile from the other. “Why don’t you bring these to her room?” Umi’s grandmother handed Eli a box with letter’s reading Homura’s Bakery. Eli wasn’t sure what the woman was getting at, but she took the box without hesitation.

“Yes, Grandmother.” Eli smiled brightly and went upstairs to Umi’s room.

“Honestly, Umi needs to stop being so shy. Eli isn’t going to bite her.” Umi’s mother sighed while her grandmother gave a hearty laugh.

“You weren’t any better when you first met Ryoma.”

“Mother!”

xXx

Umi laid in her bed with her arm resting over her eyes. She was tired, both mentally and physically, but just couldn’t seem to fall asleep. Another sigh escaped her lips before face-planting into the nearby pillow. When she heard a soft knock from the other side of the door, Umi immediately straighten herself out before opening it.  “Yes?”

“U-Umi-sama, I was wondering if you were hungry so I brought you some tea and snacks.” Rena tried to hide her blush, but it didn’t matter because Umi didn’t pay much attention to it.

“Thank you, Rena.” Umi moved to the side to let her in and closed the door behind them. Rena entered and set the tray onto a table near the corner of the room.

“Is there anything else you would like Umi-sama?” The maid fiddle with her hands and kept her eyes glued to her feet. Being in the same room alone with the “Shining Knight” was a dream come true for any of the younger maids who worked at the Sonoda mansion.

“No-” Another knock interrupted Umi’s sentence. “Yes, I’m coming.” She got up to open the door and was surprised to find Eli on the other side holding a box of sweets from Homura’s Bakery. “Eli-san?”

“I was asked to bring these to you from Grandmother,” Eli noticed Rena in Umi’s room and felt a small pang in her chest. “I’m sorry, did I interrupt you?”

“No, please, come in.” Umi walked her into her room and sat in the chair, signaling for Eli to sit across from. “Rena, could get another cup for Eli-san?” The maid gave a bow and left the room, but Eli could hear a dissatisfied mumble under her breath as she left. She couldn’t pick out the words, but it was most likely something about Eli being in the way. “Is there something wrong Eli-san?”

“Eh?! Ah- no, I was just spaced out a bit.” Eli gave Umi a quick smile and quickly tried to change the course of the conversation. “So, this is your room…it’s very…”

“Plain.” Umi took a sip from her teacup. “I know.”

“N-no! It’s not that! I was going to say it is very simple! It suits you.” Umi chuckled at the other’s panicked state making Eli blush at the discovery of a new side to her spouse.

“It’s okay. I’ve been told that I should put more decorations, but I just never seem to have the time since I’m always so busy.” Eli wondered how red her face was. The charming smile Umi gave her made her heart race. The blonde was beginning to wonder if the room was getting hot like her. Umi on the other hand, didn’t seem to notice the blush on Eli’s face. Her eyes were too focused on the box Eli had brought with her.

“Shall we have some sweets?” The question Eli posed brought Umi back to reality. “You look like you really want them.” Heat rose up Umi’s neck knowing that Eli have seen such an embarrassing side of her.

“I-I apologize for acting like this…” Umi turned away and wished she could disappear from the surface of the world. It wasn’t every day she would let her guard down around others.

“There’s no need to apologize.” Eli giggled. The sound of her angelic voice was so soothing, Umi was sure some of the heavy weight lifted off her shoulders, only to be hit with another wave of guilt.

xXx

“Why don’t you two go on a honeymoon. Umi, you’re not going to be busy for the next few weeks so go spend more time with your wife and get to know her.” The stoic man sitting across from her at the dinner table suggested the idea.

“Father!” Heat rose to Umi’s cheeks knowing that her family were going to poke their nose into her married life. Eli couldn’t stop herself from doing the same. She had always heard rumors that the Sonoda family were strict with rules, but after living with them for the past few days, she was beginning to think that that wasn’t always the case.

“I have to agree with your father Umi.” Umi retorted the same way to her mother as she did to her father. She could not believe that they were going to have this conversation at the dinner table with everyone present.

“Umi-chan.” The younger girl shut her mouth and looked at her grandmother. “I want you both to be have a happy and healthy marriage. That means both of you are to put effort into the relationship if you want things to work out.”

“…I understand…”

“Good. Your grandfather and I are waiting for more little children to run around in this house. Your sister and niece don’t visit home often because they live too far away.” The old woman put a hand to her cheek and pretended to be sad. “I want my Umi-chan to have children too.”

“G-Grandmother! Can we not have this talk at the dinner table.” Umi was beet red, while the same could be said for Eli. The adults enjoyed their teasing of the newlyweds and went back to idle discussions amongst themselves. Looking from the corner of their eyes, they got a glimpse of each other briefly, only to avert away as their faces turned a brighter shade of red.

The next day, the two were kicked out of the house. With no other choice, Umi took their bags and they headed for the train station. Eli followed in suit as she did not know where their destination was, but she couldn’t help feeling avoided when Umi refused look at her and always walk a few steps in front of her. Lost in her thoughts, Eli wondered if they could get closer like their families wanted; if not, this was going to be a painfully awkward honeymoon.

“How do you feel about the beach Eli-san?” They both took a seat across each other at their booth on the train.

“Eh?” Eli looked up at the other.

“Well…” Pink softly colored Umi’s cheeks. “We have a vacation house near the beach…and I was wondering if that was okay with you…I apologize for not asking you beforehand.

“I would love to go to the beach. The summer weather makes it even better to go.” Eli flashed a smile to the blue hair girl, making the other’s heart quicken its pace.

“…I really don’t deserve you…” Umi mumbled under her breath, but Eli was able to catch her words. She frowned knowing that her partner was insecure of their relationship.

“Why do you say that?” Eli was curious. Like, how can someone who is a splitting image of a fairy tale prince saying that to someone nothing close to a princess.

“You deserve someone who loves you. Not someone from a scandalous family who hardly knows how to interact with you…”

“Who’s to say we can start now?” Eli steeled her nerves and took the other’s hand. “I want to get to know the person I married. Not as Sonoda Umi, but just Umi…is it alright if I call you that? You can call me Eli too.” The blonde fluttered her eyelashes.

“O-of course! I don’t mind that at all!” Umi’s pink cheeks quickly turned red at the contact of their hands. Eli let out a stifled giggle.

“So cute.” She thought to herself and got up, letting the hand go. Umi was confused at first, but immediately became stiff as a board when Eli took a seat beside her and laced their hands together. “Then this is okay too, right?”

“P-please don’t tease me…” Eli chucked and enjoyed the warmth of their hands rest of the ride to the Sonoda vacation home.

xXx

The scorching summer sun was at its highest peak, but that didn’t stop people from enjoying their fun under the blue sky. Umi was dressed lightly in casual clothes fit for the hot weather. The two had arrived earlier to the vacation home and were getting ready to go out.

Umi paced the living room as she tried to calm herself. Last night she had received a call from a certain purple haired girl to take Eli out on a date. A chill ran down her spine when she remembered what Nozomi told her. “If you make Elichi cry, expect punishment when you two get back.” She didn’t know how Nozomi could ever possibly find out if it did happen, but truth be told, she didn’t want to know.

“Sorry for the wait.” Umi stopped what she was doing and found herself staring at her wife. The white, one-piece dress she was wearing had the other mesmerized. Eli even had her hair down which, in Umi’s opinion, even more holy than the blonde already was. She was completely untouchable to Umi, just like when Eli walked down the aisle on their wedding day. “How do I look?”

“You look beautiful…” The words came out so casually that it had them both blushing. “L-let’s go!”

xXx

Hours have passed and Eli was currently pouting under the shade of the umbrella. Blue eyes stared intensely at a certain blue haired girl. This was supposed to be their moment to get closer to each other and it was completely ruined, all because Umi was too charming and grabbed the attention of other women. Eli was beginning to wonder if Umi have forgotten about her since she was currently too busy being surround by other girls in their revealing swim suits.

“Heyyy, why don’t you teach us how to swim?” One of the girls grabbed Umi by the arm and pressed it between her chest. Baffled, Umi wasn’t sure how to get away anymore.

Infuriated at the sight, Eli stormed off to the more secluded area of the beach. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but she didn’t want them to. That would mean she would admit that her marriage was nothing but in name. She sighed and found herself staring at the ring on her left and.

“You deserve someone who loves you.”

“Was Umi forced into their marriage against her will? Does that mean that Umi already had someone she loved? Does that mean I can’t be the one for her?” Eli wanted to disappear. Sure, maybe she was overthinking the meaning behind the words, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t be a possibility. She continued to be lost in thought until she felt a cold object press against her cheek and jumped in surprise.

“I was looking for you Eli.” Eli carefully scanned Umi’s face and found a trace of worry behind her amber eyes. She was touched at first, but gave a hum in response when she remembered how easily she was forgotten. “You should stay hydrated.”

“I’m fine.” Umi sat down beside her and frowned.

“Did I do something to upset you.” It seems she haven’t realized how hard Eli was trying to make their complicated relationship work.

“Not really. But you looked like you were having so much fun with those other girls so why don’t you go back to them.”

“I rather be here with you.” There was no longer any hesitation behind her voice. Umi wondered to herself when exactly did she get all this confidence. “Wait a minute. Are you jealous?”

“So what if I am?!” Eli shot up and shouted down at Umi. “What’s wrong with being jealous about other women hitting on the person I’m married to?! What’s wrong with being jealous when the person I fell in love with isn’t looking my way?!”

“Eh…? The person…you fell in love with…?” Umi wasn’t sure what to say; it was such a sudden confession and to make matters worse, because of Umi’s disability to see that she had hurt Eli made it hard to stomach. “Do you mean that?” Eli didn’t try to reply, instead, the tried to walk off again. But this time, Umi stopped her. She wanted to know if those words were true of not. “Eli.”

“Yeah…I love you…ever since that day you saved me from being taken hostage…”

“I see…” Umi soften the grip she had on Eli’s arm. “…I didn’t think you would feel about me that way…”

“You don’t have to think about it too much. It doesn’t matter-”

“It does.” Eli turned her body to get a look at Umi. “I’m an idiot for thinking all to myself and not sharing my thoughts with you. All this time, I kept thinking that you deserved someone better than me, so I…” Umi let out a sigh. “What am I saying…?”

“So what you’re saying is…” Eli trailed off.

“I…I can’t deny that I have been charmed by you…one too many times to be exact.” Umi cleared her throat. “And the first to do so…”

Eli felt like she was walking on air. It was a dream to hear those kinds of words from Umi. She was so happy that she couldn’t contain it and jumped onto the other, pulling each other into a big embrace.

xXx

Somehow, Umi found herself resting in Eli’s lap (much to the other’s persuading) while the other gently ran her fingers through her hair. She found it to be shameless to do such things in public, but she couldn’t find herself to say no after what Umi had done earlier. Eli’s fingers also felt good, but she wasn’t going to admit to that out loud.

“Hey, Umi?” Umi turned her head to look up at the blonde who did the same looking down. “Can I be with you tonight?”

“Okay.”

Eli couldn’t believe that this was happening. She sat on the bed they were going to share. The mere thought of what was going to happen next made her chest feel like it was going to burst. She put a hand to her chest and took deep breaths to slow down her racing heart. Umi was currently in the shower because she had suggested Eli take one first to get sand off her body.

The sound of the shower being turned off sent a put a sinking feeling in Eli’s stomach. Stripping out of her bathrobe, Eli slipped under the covers quickly. Umi stepped out of the bathroom with a towel covering her head to dry her hair.

“Are you feeling okay Eli?” Umi haven’t realized that her wife was completely bare under the covers.

“Y-yeah…” Eli’s face flushed when Umi sat at the edge of the bed. “H-hey Umi?”

“Yes?” Gentle amber irises locked with the other’s blue eyes.

“Kiss me.” Umi’s face exploded at the command.

“A-are you sure about that?! I-I mean…”

“If it’s you, I don’t mind.”

With eyes closed, Umi timidly moved closer to the blonde and slowly closed the distance between their faces, however, she stopped when their lips where only centimeters apart. Her heart was so loud she wondered if the other could hear it. She had hoped Eli would let her mentally prepare herself, but the other wrapped her arms around Umi’s neck and completed the kiss. Umi could have sworn she stopped breathing for a good two seconds. They pulled away with flushed faces and felt as if the room temperature went up a few degrees.

“Eli…” Umi’s face burned bright. “Is there a reason you’re naked in my bed?”

“I-I did say I want to spend tonight with you…” Eli’s face reflected Umi’s.

“S-such things are only after marriage!”

“Umi, we are married.”

“Ah…that’s right…I-I apologize…it’s just…I’ve never…done somethings like this before.” Umi hid her face behind her hands. “I just had my first kiss too…”

“Eh?” Eli blinked. “That was your first kiss too?” They looked at each other before bursting out into laughter.

“We’re a mess, aren’t we?” Umi gave her signature lopsided smile to Eli right before she was pulled onto the bed.

“I don’t care if we are. I want to be with you. That much I know.” Eli initiated another kiss. It was more natural feeling like they had already done it multiple times, despite being only their second one. Umi moved on top of Eli when the other tugged her closer, accidentally groping her breast in the process, and earning a moan from the woman under her.

The sound acted like a trigger, flipping a switch inside of Umi. Carefully, she removed the covers hiding Eli’s goddess-like body and studied every curve intensely. Eli immediately tired, but ultimately failed, to cover herself under the power gaze Umi gave. Umi began to press kisses against Eli’s neck, the sensation felt like fire against Eli’s skin. More and more, Umi made her way down towards the valley of her wife’s breasts.

“U-Umi…”

“You’re beautiful Eli.”

“Mou…you make this like it’s a second nature to you. Are you sure you’re not lying to me about this being you first?” Eli was utterly embarrassed and hid her face behind a pillow.

“Why don’t we find out?” Umi went back to kissing Eli’s body, except, she was going lower with each one.

“W-wait Umi!”

“You started this.” Amber eyes peaked from in between Eli’s legs, glowing in the dim lit room.

“Umi!” Eli’s voice hitched when she felt a kiss move up her inner thigh. Her body felt like it was on fire. Every touch she received from was just adding to the flames. “Don’t stop…”

“I want to burry myself…” Umi was faceplanted into her pillow.

The morning sun had risen while the two were still tangled in between the sheets. Eli pulled her lover closer and giggled into the other’s ear.

“Are you sure that was your first time?”

“Of course, it was!” Umi turned around. “I would never lie to you.”

“I know, but I won’t forgive you if you ever cheat on me.” Her smile sent a familiar chill down her spine.

“Y-yes ma’m.” The blue haired girl meekly responded.

“Good.” Eli rolled Umi onto her back and straddle her at the hips. “Now it’s my turn.”

“E-eh?” Amber eyes flickered when the blonde licked her lips.

“It’s not fair that you were the only one marking me.” Eli replied.

“P-please go easy on me…”

One day…one day I will write a complete NSWF story. That one day just isn’t today

[amboato]

Oh, here’s some fun facts about witches (since you can’t go on the wiki spoiler free yet).

Gertrud(Episode 2)

“The rose garden witch with a distrustful nature. She holds roses dearer than anything else. She expends all of her power for the sake of beautiful roses. Despite stealing the life-force of humans who wander into her barrier to give to her roses, she loathes the thought of them trampling the inside of her barrier.”

Charlotte(Episode 3, om nom nom)

“The witch of sweets. Her nature is tenacity. She desires everything. She will never give up. Though she is capable of creating infinite amounts of any dessert she desires, she is unable to make the cheese that she loves most. One could easily catch her off-guard with a piece of cheese.”

The following is a line from the official design notes for Charlotte’s labyrinth: “’It’s really a delicious cheese cake. My dying mother wanted to eat it, but maybe I should have cured her disease instead. However, that surely wasn’t appropriate.’”

H.N. Elly (Kirsten)(Episode 4)

Elly/Kirsten is unique as a witch, since she has two names, the first name being her “handle” and the second being her “real name”.

“The box witch with a covetous nature. She is a staunchly reclusive witch. Anything she covets she locks away within glass. The thoughts of her prisoners are laid bare, but one can strike her without thought without problems.”

In the design notes for the labyrinth, the following two lines are written: “’I have only one wish. Box up that memory.’” and “When the witch dies, the lights on the Christmas tree and merry-go-round short out. There’s a ‘basssh!’ sound.”

Anja (not a witch, but the familiar from episode 5)

“The scribbling witch’s minion, whose duty is to be naïve. She is a lost familiar who was separated from the witch while playing alone, absorbed in her daydreams. She possesses the ability to transform humans into balls; a human who has been transformed into a ball cannot revert to human form until he bounces against the ground once for each lie that he has ever uttered.”

Elsa Maria (Episode 7)

“The witch of shadow with a self-righteous nature. She continually prays for all of creation and drags all life equally into her shadow without breaking her posture. One hoping to defeat her must know the blackest anguish.”

In the design notes for her labyrinth, the following is written: “'I wish you, although not seen from me, to be happy.’” and “When the witch dies, the stained glass collapses and drops into the air. There’s a 'baaaaaaahn’ sound like from a pipe organ.”

Oktavia von Seckendorff (Sayaka’s witch, Final Timeline)

“The mermaid witch; it is in her nature to fall in love. Looking for the feeling that moved her so long ago, she moves with the entire concert hall. Her fortune only turns under the weight of memories and no longer moves toward the future. Nothing will reach her any longer. She will come to know nothing more. She simply allows no one to disturb her minions’ playing.”

Timeline 3:

“The mermaid witch. Her nature is to fall in love. The witch continues to dream of a guitar resounding in the middle of a concert hall, a deeply moving impression from past days. Repeating within that time with little but sure differences, her wheels of fate move around calmly.”

Oktavia’s design is, pretty obviously, a mixture of Sayaka’s knight theme and The Little Mermaid - the original, where the mermaid is rejected and commits suicide.

Fun fact, since grief seeds all have unique designs, we can tell that the grief seed Madoka gave Homura to clean her soul gem in episode 10 was Oktavia’s.

Patricia (victim of pipe bomb to the hoohah in Episode 10)

“The class representative witch. Her nature is to remain an onlooker. Using the spiderlike threads which she vomits forth, she created a school for herself alone within the sky of her barrier and endlessly acts out an ordinary daily student life there. If you ring the going-home bell, this witch will likely return to her house somewhere.”

From the design notes for her labyrinth: “'It’s raining again today. How long will I continue to be unlucky for?’” and “When the witch dies, it rains heavily. There is a sound like an aircraft crashing.”

Roberta (Episode 10)

“The birdcage witch. Her nature is rage. She continuously stamps her feet inside her cage, directing her rage at those who do not respond to her. This witch is extremely fond of alcohol, and her minions are also easy to burn.”

In the production notes, the following is stated: “A witch who lived for a long time as a magical girl. She is weak, as she was no longer a girl when she became a witch (mid-20s to 30s?). The form she takes in her barrier is how she would’ve turned out in the future (around 40s). What she desires is life. Enjoys alcohol and books.”

Design notes for her labyrinth: “'I wish for friends. Friends who won’t dislike me.’” and “When the witch dies, the bird cage is getting shot down and spilling a circular rain of blood.”

Kriemhild Gretchen(Madoka’s witch)

“Witch of salvation. Her nature is mercy. She absorbs any life on the planet into her newly created heaven–her barrier. The only way to defeat this witch is to make the world free of misfortune. If there’s no grief in this world, she will believe this world is already a heaven.”

The following is written for the version of her in the final episode: “The Witch of Despair. Her nature is direct petition. The mouthpiece for all the unfulfilled hopes of all spent magical girls. If a hope is born that can rewrite the universe, then at the same time, it is born from the mud of despair. Everlasting wailing fills her body, a continuously swelling, empty doll. At the end of a magical girl’s karma, this witch continues to swell to absurd sizes. And in the end, her body could even destroy the galaxy.”

Kriemhild is a figure from Norse mythology, while Gretchen is the name of Faust’s lover, who dies in the first part of the play and leads his soul to heaven in the second part.

Walpurgisnacht(Various)

“The stage-constructing witch (alias: Walpurgisnacht / real name: unknown); her nature is helplessness. She symbolizes the fool who continuously spins in circles. The witch’s mysteries have been handed down through the course of history; her appellation is 'Walpurgisnacht.’ She will continue to rotate aimlessly throughout the world until she completely changes the whole of this age into a drama. When the doll’s usual upside-down position reaches the top part of the witch, she completely roils the civilization on the ground in a flash through her gale-like flight.”

According to Urobuchi (the writer):“It has the destructive power to bring about natural disasters powerful enough to blow away an entire town, but originally it was a single witch. It’s a witch that has grown from the combination of countless other witches. Walpurgisnacht combines with other witches in the same way two powerful tornadoes are able to combine and become larger. It’s essentially a 'conglomeration’-type witch. Because it’s so powerful, it rarely shows itself.”

The following is written in her design notes: “’Everything in this world is fake. My life is nothing more than a drama that you penned. Please, prove it. ’Faust’ is on show.’”

Candeloro(Mami’s witch, appears only in the untranslated PSP game)

“The witch of dress-up. She has an inviting nature. A kind-hearted witch who dreams of ideal things. This witch can’t stand being lonely, and never lets visitors to her barrier escape.”

“The dress-up witch’s minions, whose task is to guide visitors. They invite humans who enter the witch’s barrier to her tea party. When they try to run away from her, the witch ties their hands and feet together. They are precious friends of the witch.” Look familiar?

Ophelia(Kyoko's witch, appears only in the untranslated PSP game)

“The witch of wǔdàn. Her nature is abandonment. A witch who eternally wanders with hollow footsteps within the fog. She can no longer remember what the horse that always accompanies her was.”

Ophelia’s name is probably a reference to the Ophelia in Hamlet.

Also of note is the bad ending for the PSP game, in which it’s implied that Homura becomes a witch and the following image is shown:

The runes read “Homulilly” and “Game Over”, respectively.

A few things:

1) Thank you for this! I hate that I can’t go digging around for info and stuff without spoiling Rebellion, so this is nice to have. 

2) Madoka having held onto Sayaka’s grief seed kills me, and then it kills me even more that she used it for Homura. 

3) I didn’t say this during the liveblog, but Patricia would be the witch that killed me because I HATE heights. 

4) I was wondering what happened if/when a magical girl made it past her girlhood and into womanhood. I guess Roberta lets us know that they are still bound to their contract with Kyubey, even if they are now a magical woman instead of a magical girl. 

5) I figured Walpurgisnacht was more than one witch, there’s no way one witch could be that powerful. 

6) Mami’s witch’s familiars are modeled after Madoka and Kyoko, SHUT UP!

7) Homura as a witch, scary thought.