31_days Jan 2013: Themes 17 and 18
It seems that I've been coming back really late these days! Yesterday I got in too late to write and post to 3 different places, so I just wrote and posted to the 31_days comm. Here's a bit of catch up.
Title: half conceal the soul within
Day/Theme: 17. “I’d always thought you were dangerous, but-” “I’m not as dangerous as you.”
Series: Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Characters/pairings: Kyuubey, Mami
Rating: PG
Content Notes: Kyuubey enjoys the company of a magic girl. Spoilers for Mami backstory and up to episode 9, warnings for alien ways of thinking
Tomoe Mami does this thing called "head scritches". Kyuubey's host body relays the sensation is pleasing, and so he leans into her hand.
"... When you approached me during the accident," Mami says, in a tone Kyuubey has learned to read as "confiding". He listens closely - it will help him in determining what sort of magic girl Mami is. "I thought you were scary." She scritches his head more. "But now... I hope you don't mind me saying you are cuddly."
"Not at all," Kyuubey replies. It's best that Mami remains ignorant of her frightening potential for fighting entropy.
Title: sugar for my sweet
Day/Theme: 18. if at the end of everything, there is love
Series: Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Characters/pairings: Charlotte, Madoka
Rating: PG
Content Notes: Charlotte wakes up in a very confusing place. Spoilers for the end of the series, Charlotte’s backstory.
Charlotte wakes up to stars and the taste of despair in her mouth.
Her first thought is to magick up some sweets, but she's not in her Puella Magi form. Without her wand, she flounders. Where is she? Where can she get sweets? What is this place?
Charlotte is sure that starry expenses of nothing don't have sweets readily available. She closes her eyes and breaths. She's a big girl now. She's a magic girl. She can handle strange and new situations. Even without sweets.
This time she sits up and properly opens her eyes. There's a girl before her, smiling gently. It's the smile that allows Charlotte to recognise her. While her clothes are different (not pink) and her hair is longer (still pink!), this is the girl who appeared to her just as the darkness began to overtake her Soul Gem.
"You... saved me."
"Isn't that what magic girls are supposed to do? We rescue each other!" The Soul Gem on her chest glints in the starlight.
"You're amazing," Charlotte can't help blurting out. "I don't know what you did to my Soul Gem but I feel loads better!"
"I'm glad to hear that!"
They smile at each other. The girl reaches out a hand, and Charlotte uses it to heave herself up. The ground has suddenly turned to soft, spongey cake beneath their feet. Sweets and lollipops dot the landscape.
"Where are we?" Charlotte wonders, as they start to walk hand in hand down a yellow cake road.
"Where would you like this to be?"
"Eh?"
"This is the world you've created."
"Me?" Charlotte turns her head in every direction trying to take in everything. "It looks like something I would make," she admits. "But I didn't know magic girls could do this!"
"You usually don't," the girl admits. "But after I've cleansed Soul Gems your magic seems to change. This place is pretty nostalgic for me."
"You've seen this before?"
"In another time that doesn't exist anymore." The girl laughs at Charlotte's expression, but not unkindly. "It's ok to feel confused! Sometimes my own powers confuse me too. You have more than enough time to figure things out."
"I guess..." Charlotte looks around at the happy colours that surround them. There are birthday candles too, which reminds her...
"Sorry, uh, you are...?"
"Kaname Madoka."
"You know a lot about this place huh? Do you know how to leave?"
Madoka stops under a candy cane. "Where would you like to go?"
"I need to get back home," Charlotte says. "My mother… she doesn’t have much time left in this world. I need to take care of her until… until…"
For the first time, Madoka's gentle expression frightens Charlotte. It holds too much compassion, the way that the doctors looked whenever they told Charlotte about her mother. It means nothing but bad news.
Madoka says, "Charlotte, you've left the world behind."
Charlotte drops the hand held in hers, and the world wavers around them. "But- but why?"
"Do you remember what happened before you came here?"
"I..." Charlotte squeezes her eyes shut, trying to block out Kyuubey’s words. “I…”
“It’s alright if you don’t want to remember.”
But the memory comes rushing back anyway. "Kyuubey told me that I could have wished to save my mother! And instead, instead… I wasted it all on a cake..." The taste of despair is rising in her mouth again.
"Despair is a powerful force, isn't it?" Madoka murmurs. Her voice, previously so full of life, is sad and sombre. Charlotte has to look, although she doesn't expect what she sees - Madoka is crying openly, tears flowing down her face. Charlotte touches her own face; it's wet too.
"If that happened to my Mama, I would feel the same," Madoka tells her, and this time Charlotte throws herself at Madoka and bawls. Soothing hands pat Charlotte’s back until all that comes out are shuddering breaths. Even then, Madoka still holds her.
Cloth is pressed into Charlotte's hand, and she takes it and blows her nose on it hard. Madoka giggles at the sound, and Charlotte has to giggle too; she also finds the sound of blowing noses funny. She doesn't have a handkerchief, so she uses a sleeve to mop up Madoka's face too. Madoka scrunches up her face. "I've never been able to cry prettily," she admits.
"Who wants to look pretty when they're sad?" Charlotte challenges. "Then you'll have to look sad all the time!" Realising that she is still in the circle of Madoka's arms, she sits right up. Madoka doesn't seem to mind that Charlotte has broken free. "Sorry to make you cry."
Madoka shakes her head. "No! I'm sorry for having to remind you about your mother." She touches Charlotte's hand, still clutching on to the handkerchief. "Do you still want to know why you are here?"
"I- I should, shouldn't I?" Charlotte scrunches her eyes close. "It's frightening!"
"One of my friends taught me such things are best talked about over tea and some snacks," Madoka states.
Something soft and squishy is placed in Charlotte's free hand. She cracks open an eye to find that a picnic blanket has been placed next to them, and Madoka is cheerfully shaking sweets from a lollipop tree. And in Charlotte's hand...
She opens it to find a perfect circle of cheese, nestled in her palm.
Madoka, having shaken down enough sweets, settles down with a tea cup in her hand. “Charlotte,” she says. “What do you know about witches?”
Title: half conceal the soul within
Day/Theme: 17. “I’d always thought you were dangerous, but-” “I’m not as dangerous as you.”
Series: Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Characters/pairings: Kyuubey, Mami
Rating: PG
Content Notes: Kyuubey enjoys the company of a magic girl. Spoilers for Mami backstory and up to episode 9, warnings for alien ways of thinking
Tomoe Mami does this thing called "head scritches". Kyuubey's host body relays the sensation is pleasing, and so he leans into her hand.
"... When you approached me during the accident," Mami says, in a tone Kyuubey has learned to read as "confiding". He listens closely - it will help him in determining what sort of magic girl Mami is. "I thought you were scary." She scritches his head more. "But now... I hope you don't mind me saying you are cuddly."
"Not at all," Kyuubey replies. It's best that Mami remains ignorant of her frightening potential for fighting entropy.
Title: sugar for my sweet
Day/Theme: 18. if at the end of everything, there is love
Series: Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Characters/pairings: Charlotte, Madoka
Rating: PG
Content Notes: Charlotte wakes up in a very confusing place. Spoilers for the end of the series, Charlotte’s backstory.
Charlotte wakes up to stars and the taste of despair in her mouth.
Her first thought is to magick up some sweets, but she's not in her Puella Magi form. Without her wand, she flounders. Where is she? Where can she get sweets? What is this place?
Charlotte is sure that starry expenses of nothing don't have sweets readily available. She closes her eyes and breaths. She's a big girl now. She's a magic girl. She can handle strange and new situations. Even without sweets.
This time she sits up and properly opens her eyes. There's a girl before her, smiling gently. It's the smile that allows Charlotte to recognise her. While her clothes are different (not pink) and her hair is longer (still pink!), this is the girl who appeared to her just as the darkness began to overtake her Soul Gem.
"You... saved me."
"Isn't that what magic girls are supposed to do? We rescue each other!" The Soul Gem on her chest glints in the starlight.
"You're amazing," Charlotte can't help blurting out. "I don't know what you did to my Soul Gem but I feel loads better!"
"I'm glad to hear that!"
They smile at each other. The girl reaches out a hand, and Charlotte uses it to heave herself up. The ground has suddenly turned to soft, spongey cake beneath their feet. Sweets and lollipops dot the landscape.
"Where are we?" Charlotte wonders, as they start to walk hand in hand down a yellow cake road.
"Where would you like this to be?"
"Eh?"
"This is the world you've created."
"Me?" Charlotte turns her head in every direction trying to take in everything. "It looks like something I would make," she admits. "But I didn't know magic girls could do this!"
"You usually don't," the girl admits. "But after I've cleansed Soul Gems your magic seems to change. This place is pretty nostalgic for me."
"You've seen this before?"
"In another time that doesn't exist anymore." The girl laughs at Charlotte's expression, but not unkindly. "It's ok to feel confused! Sometimes my own powers confuse me too. You have more than enough time to figure things out."
"I guess..." Charlotte looks around at the happy colours that surround them. There are birthday candles too, which reminds her...
"Sorry, uh, you are...?"
"Kaname Madoka."
"You know a lot about this place huh? Do you know how to leave?"
Madoka stops under a candy cane. "Where would you like to go?"
"I need to get back home," Charlotte says. "My mother… she doesn’t have much time left in this world. I need to take care of her until… until…"
For the first time, Madoka's gentle expression frightens Charlotte. It holds too much compassion, the way that the doctors looked whenever they told Charlotte about her mother. It means nothing but bad news.
Madoka says, "Charlotte, you've left the world behind."
Charlotte drops the hand held in hers, and the world wavers around them. "But- but why?"
"Do you remember what happened before you came here?"
"I..." Charlotte squeezes her eyes shut, trying to block out Kyuubey’s words. “I…”
“It’s alright if you don’t want to remember.”
But the memory comes rushing back anyway. "Kyuubey told me that I could have wished to save my mother! And instead, instead… I wasted it all on a cake..." The taste of despair is rising in her mouth again.
"Despair is a powerful force, isn't it?" Madoka murmurs. Her voice, previously so full of life, is sad and sombre. Charlotte has to look, although she doesn't expect what she sees - Madoka is crying openly, tears flowing down her face. Charlotte touches her own face; it's wet too.
"If that happened to my Mama, I would feel the same," Madoka tells her, and this time Charlotte throws herself at Madoka and bawls. Soothing hands pat Charlotte’s back until all that comes out are shuddering breaths. Even then, Madoka still holds her.
Cloth is pressed into Charlotte's hand, and she takes it and blows her nose on it hard. Madoka giggles at the sound, and Charlotte has to giggle too; she also finds the sound of blowing noses funny. She doesn't have a handkerchief, so she uses a sleeve to mop up Madoka's face too. Madoka scrunches up her face. "I've never been able to cry prettily," she admits.
"Who wants to look pretty when they're sad?" Charlotte challenges. "Then you'll have to look sad all the time!" Realising that she is still in the circle of Madoka's arms, she sits right up. Madoka doesn't seem to mind that Charlotte has broken free. "Sorry to make you cry."
Madoka shakes her head. "No! I'm sorry for having to remind you about your mother." She touches Charlotte's hand, still clutching on to the handkerchief. "Do you still want to know why you are here?"
"I- I should, shouldn't I?" Charlotte scrunches her eyes close. "It's frightening!"
"One of my friends taught me such things are best talked about over tea and some snacks," Madoka states.
Something soft and squishy is placed in Charlotte's free hand. She cracks open an eye to find that a picnic blanket has been placed next to them, and Madoka is cheerfully shaking sweets from a lollipop tree. And in Charlotte's hand...
She opens it to find a perfect circle of cheese, nestled in her palm.
Madoka, having shaken down enough sweets, settles down with a tea cup in her hand. “Charlotte,” she says. “What do you know about witches?”