#and no i do not view as madoka OR homura in the right

[natasha-in-space]

Finished my rewatch of Madoka Magica + Rebellion, and God.... I am so not normal about Madohomu. The way their fates are inherently intertwined with each other, the way their actions directly influence what choices they end up making, the way they both sacrifice themselves for one another... They are in my brain constantly.

The fact that it's Homura's countless attempts at saving her and suffering for her sake, that gives Madoka the courage and motivation to make the ultimate sacrifice and become a God. Homura's sacrifice for Madoka's sake pushing her to do the same with no hesitation or fear. While she spent the entire series being too hesitant and scared to do the right thing, at least in her own perspective. But Homura gives her the resolve and strength to do what's right, no matter how scary it is. Madoka is not scared anymore, now that she knows how much terror Homura went through despite how scared and hurt she was. If Homura can do so much for her sake, she can do this for her in return.

The fact that it's Madoka's unknowing confession to how much that choice of sacrifice has cost her, that pushes Homura to reject God Madoka's wish. Homura is willing to bear any suffering, as long as her beloved Madoka is happy. She was suffering in silence for so long in this new world, having to live in a reality without Madoka as she knew her. With nothing but her memories to be her comfort and her curse. But she pushed herself to go on for Madoka. As she always did. It's only when she learns of Madoka's true feelings in her labyrinth, does she gain the resolve to rebell against it all. To reject it. To do what's right. To ensure Madoka's happiness.

All of the choices they made that moved the narrative along was... for each other. And it's so incredibly tragic, because every single action they took shows how much they do love and care for each other. Even in different timelines, with different memories, in different worlds. They are connected. But their love became their downfall.

Madoka sacrificed her own happiness and life to ensure that everyone else - especially Homura - gets the life of peace and happiness they deserve. But it's a life she cannot experience, nor remember in her god-hood. Homura ended up betraying the wishes of the one she loves, accepting the fact that Madoka will hate her one day. She's not happy in the world she created as a demon. But it's a world where she knows Madoka has everything she wants. And that's good enough for her.

CAN YOU TELL HOW INSANE I AM ABOUT THEM

Can't wait for the upcoming movie, my god

[evergreenalice]

I'll never get over the fucking tunnel of love scene, it's just the best fucking scene I love it so much

first of all, it follows the objectively amazing scene between Homura and Sayaka

the song "Dream World" begins to play as the Clara Dolls chant "fort, da, fort, da" in the background, the meaning of this I'm too lazy to explain, and if you don't know why the words "fort" and "da" are important to Rebellion, just look it up, there are better explanations than I can give. What's important is that these words relate to Homura and Madoka, the Clara Dolls are an extension of Homura, and thus Homura is presumably thinking about Madoka

as we see Sayaka's cape flying away from their confrontation, Homura begins a monologue

we see Clara Dolls dancing on a pink spool, representative of Madoka (if you don't know why, once again, I request that you look up "fort da Madoka") so once more an indication of where Homura's thoughts currently are

we see two swans, generally a symbol of love (fun fact, because of this one scene the moment I see swans I instantly think of Madoka Magica)

we see Homura standing on the front of of the boat, one of her familiars standing in the boat, not doing anything notable, I bring this up to come back to it later, also it's just a good shot

the world shifts as Homura moves through it, remember, this is essentially her dream, the things that appear are from Homura's mind

we see a paper Kyoko standing on an arch asking us if we're enjoying the movie (thank you for asking Kyoko :) Indeed I am)

a tunnel rises from the ocean

Kyoko says this, displaying essentially the ideal life for Kyoko, her relationship with Mami is never soured, and they're still friends, and they're just doing good stuff, none of the darkness that exists in reality

we see Homura's annoyed, perhaps somewhat conflicted even, face

we enter the tunnel, and it's clearly meant to be a tunnel of love, remember, the things in this world are created from her thoughts, there is a reason for a tunnel of love being here and it has to do with Homura's thoughts, EVERYTHING in this tunnel is from Homura's mind, it existing, everything in it, and where it leads, are from HER thoughts, keep that fact in mind

Mami just outright states that everything is ideal

beautiful shot, nothing else to say

Sayaka outright asks if this is so bad. She has a very goofy face because Homura is annoyed with her, I love this detail "YOU'RE TOO LATE SAYAKA I'VE ALREADY DEPICTED YOU AS THE SOYJACK!"

Homura accidentally criticizing herself, however, once again, EVERYTHING HERE IS HOMURA, this is an argument with herself, she's not disagreeing with paper Sayaka, paper Mami, and paper Kyoko, because they don't exist, they're HER, everything they say are HER thoughts, SHE thinks that this is the ideal world, deep down she wants to stay here, and she hates herself for it, viewing it as weakness.

we cut to Homura kneeling beneath goddess Madoka, Homura views Madoka as a goddess, not just in a descriptive sense, but a prescriptive one. In her eyes Madoka is a perfect being deserving of reverence, her love for Madoka is yes, romantic, but also has undeniably religious elements to it

Homura reaching up towards the statue of goddess Madoka as she talks about her sacrifice, it's just, VERY religious, she's over here like "Madoka died for your despair, accept her into your heart as your lord and savior" and it's like, Homura, this is a really unhealthy way to view your crush

this flashes on screen "who is dreaming?" the reason these runes pop on screen at this point is because it's important to this scene specifically, Homura is essentially denouncing whoever is guilty of being, for lack of a better word, a sinner, so these runes prompt the question of who the "sinner" is, and of course, it is Homura

we cut to a boat on fire

we see little paper cutouts of people drowning, presumably the people who should be being saved right now but aren't

Homura caresses Madoka's legs very heterosexually, I will come back to this later

the Clara Dolls throw tomatoes at the statue and Homura while saying "god is dead" in German, this most obviously signifies the blasphemy of the sinner who created this world (Homura) it's also a Nietzsche quote (Nietzsche and Rebellion is a whole nother conversation though)

it's also worth pointing out that the Clara Dolls's antagonism towards Homura is likely symbolic of bullying, which considering the way Moemura acts, is almost definitely something she went through

remember that everything here is from Homura's mind, that tunnel of love didn't even exist a moment ago, it was created by Homura's mind, that includes where it led, Homura's mind created a tunnel of love while thinking about Madoka that led her to Madoka

Madoka jumps down and lands on Homura, she doesn't emote much, but we know for a fact that this caused A LOT of emotions in her. Remember that familiar I pointed out that wasn't doing much? Well once again, everything in here is part of Homura, representing a part of her mind

as Madoka sits up, we see the familiar excitedly dancing with sparklers, because well, gay

as I said I wanted to come back to the statue's legs later, this is why. Where Homura touched it is marked in inky black. Her devotion to Madoka, her love for her, represented by the caressing of her legs, has only dirtied the statue. She views her love as a dirtying force. And for a lesbian that canonically went to Catholic school, views herself as a demon, and her crush as a pure perfect goddess, that certainly has implications, internalized homophobia is only one possible reading of this scene, but it's the one I choose to go with.

that's the end, I hope you enjoyed!

[newkatzkafe2023]

i dont know if u did this already...!

Btw hi <33 its me ander :3 giving wholesome asks sometimes ♡

What about an Madoka!reader and Wukong being homura type of relationship? I just wanna read your troughts (troughs? Trought? How is it spelled hellnmdmsj) about it :3

Can even do an mini story about it i dont mind <33

You can ignore this if you did it already :3

I LOVE MADOKA MAGICA!!!!🤩 I LOVE THE ANIME, MOVIE, AND SONGS!!!! AND IM EXCITED FOR THE SEQUEL!!!!!🤩🤩🥳🥳

(Lmk Wukong) Next to Mk, you are his Priority, his queen, his love, his reason to continue on. He wants nothing but to please you and protect you because you bought him a brand new view of life. He couldn't admire you enough to be in your presence, to take care of you. To have you with him forever. He doesn't care who he has to sacrifice or disregard as long as he has you and Mk. Everything in his little world was fine🥰

(HIB Wukong) Safety of his family is his top priority, both yours and the children. You're very powerful in your own right, but your husband would usually quickly and brutally take care of the threat. So you don't ever have to step in. Of course, you tried to argue with him about this, but he would distract you with his affection and make sure you don't have to do anything. In his private time, he'll make you forget about everything bad , and he will take good care of you and everything.

(MKR Wukong) He's cares very much about two things in his life Fruity and you, He spends all his private time with you. You became a source of genuine joy, and he would do anything for you to make you proud of him. His biggest fear was losing you to the world who made him so miserable, I mean, he almost lost fruity to the demon king, so imagine what would happen if he lost you. That would be terrifying because that would be like losing his mid and sanity. Everyone will suffer, it doesn't matter, friend or foe, he's gonna burn the realms to the ground, just like he did to heaven.

(NR Wukong) His obsession with you makes everyone look concerned. You are his first and only love, and he would do anything for you. I really think he would fall into madness if he lost you somehow either in death or to someone else, the Scarier part is what he is willing to do to get you back even if it's gonna turn him into a monster. Just as long as he got you back, all is right with your little worlds.

(Netflix Wukong) He would break bones and cry blood for you. Your approval is his number one priority and goal, and his insecurities would kinda be his downfall because of that. Wukong would do anything to protect and have you by his side, which is why the quest for immortality was very important. So he can spend the rest of his existence with you, and nothing gonna matter. Nobody's gonna matter.

FEEL FREE TO REBLOG ✨️

[wazzuppy]

SPOILERS FOR THE NEW WALPURGISNACHT RISING TRAILER!!!!!

More analysis here.

Okay. So in this clip with Madoka and Homura dancing, Homura's eyes are clearly pink— just like her devil form. Her eyes gained that coloring after she took Madoka's godhood and its a visual indication of her power.

But in this clip of her looking in the mirror, her eyes are purple again. And she looks shocked.

She looks confused, like this is something that shouldn't be happening.

Now, what does this mean? I don't know. We've not seen enough of the movie to properly theorize, but I do think there's at least something we can gather from this.

First of all: her outfit is completely different. In the dancing scene, she has a black collar and black headband (one that's distinctly not the black one she usually has— note the silver stripe in the middle). But in the mirror, she has a white collar and is wearing Madoka's ribbons. She wore those ribbons after Madoka ascended to godhood, and also after Homura rewrote the world. When she and Madoka met again at the end of Rebellion, she gave her the ribbons back and doesn't wear them in the final few minutes of the movie.

So I think mirror scene may take place right after Homura reset the world, when she's becoming accustomed to her new powers and how they affect her. Maybe the beginning of the movie will show Homura's process of creating the new world?

Secondly, the hand mirror she has does not at all look like something she'd normally use. She's never been associated with the beach, ocean, or seashells before. But you know who has? Sayaka. Her witch form is based on a mermaid and her attribute in Magia Record is Aqua (water). So this is could be Sayaka's mirror and Homura somehow got her hands on it.

Next, the text surrounding it. "Dumme" is a German word that translates to stupid, and Venus is the Roman goddess of love. Regardless of if the mirror belongs to Sayaka or Homura, the message is the same— they're being called a stupid goddess. Stupid for loving.

Both these girls have a complicated history and relationship to their romantic feelings. Sayaka's reason for becoming a magical girl and eventual transformation into a witch were both kickstarted by her feelings for Kyosuke. As for Homura, she's pretty blatantly coded to have internalized homophobia and she views her feelings for Madoka as being evil.

I have no idea if this mirror or Homura's eye color will have any real significance, but I find it fascinating nonetheless.

[atamascolily]

Walpurgis no Kaiten Trailer #2 Breakdown

Aniplex dropped a 35-second trailer with new footage from Walpurgis no Kaiten, so let's take a look and see what we got!

Homura falls backwards in a stained glass cylinder that contains a spiraling staircase (we'll see the whole thing in a later shot). Note that this is the doppelganger because of her headband, and that the glass has Homura's distinctive diamond sigil on it, among other things.

We finally get our dance scene--not a pas de deux, but a waltz! Headband!Homura spins Madoka around, leading the action, and she appears to have taken Madoka by surprise. Note that waltzes also involve going in a circle.

I've talked before about how the doppelganger appears to be courting Madoka in the first trailer and how I think a Swan Lake-style "choice" might be forthcoming, so add this to the evidence pile. Madoka's voice over, "I will go with hope," also seems to suggest a choice.

I'm not sure where this is located, but I think it might be Madoka's house? A house, anyway. There are photos on the walls and chairs.

Doppelganger Homura is down so bad, y'all. And can you blame her? Also NOTE HER EYE COLOR HERE, HER EYES ARE RED, not brown (key visual) or purple (original Homura). Eyes are the window to the soul...

(Red eyes automatically make me think "Incubator", but I'm withholding judgement on that until we get more info.)

HELLO VISUAL METAPHOR!! Okay, so first off, we have a fan spinning in a circle, a cross-quartered circle with a closed eye at the center (!!!) surrounded by taped cardboard holding together a box marked with the emblems of "fragile, handle with care". I feel like that one speaks for itself.

(What do you want to bet that that eye opens.... EVERYTHING IN THIS WORLD IS SPYING ON YOU.)

Continuing the eye focus, here's a close-up on one of the Clara Dolls holding up a magnifying glass to enlarge their own eye. This is Ibari (Pride). Note the yellow flowers around the lower part of the glass and that Ibari's eyelash is similar in size and shape to the one on the box fan in the previous shot.

My guess is that the Clara Doll's role in this story is primarily as a group/decoration/background element rather than full characters in their own right (the chorus witnessing the action in a theater production, as it were), but I love how this shot turned out and would be happy to see more like this.

Doppelganger Homura (?) examines her reflection in a compact mirror. She has the headband, but her eyes are purple here, like the original. I think she's adjusting her appearance here--literally, if she can shapeshift--to match the original, especially since she's also missing the dark collar that characterized the doppelganger in the key visual. Note sure what is going on with her headband when I look more closely--it seems to stick out from one side of her head and doesn't lie flat??

The scallop shape and the "Dummee Venus" inscription are a little too on the nose in my opinion... Venus being the goddess of love and beauty who was born out of seafoam on a scallop shell. [Is there a Botticelli reference in the house? TBD!!]

I suppose this could be the original Homura here, but the context makes more sense for the doppelganger. Again, note the round/circle, and mirror imagery and focus on the eyes.

EDIT: I was wrong, "Dumme" is German for "fool", not a misspelling of the English "dummy", so this could be the original Homura after all. Although Walpurgisnacht is also a fool, so... I guess we'll see with more context, but I'm leaning towards Original Flavor Homura for now.

View of the spiral staircase from above... a circle combined with a straight line makes a spiral. Note that the surrounding glass has Walpurgisnacht's signature motif of "peacock tails", suggesting a connection between the doppelganger Homura and Walpurgisnacht, and that Walpurgisnacht herself appears as a circle on radar.

The staircase abruptly cutting off and going nowhere also seems like a metaphor, huh.

Balloons going free, compare to a similar shot in Rebellion where they are trapped in a glass dome where Kyouko and Homura have lunch (more on this in a bit). Boundaries and prisons are breaking down, magical girls/witches cannot be contained any longer.

"Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?" Devil Homura is torn down and overthrown. Interesting that one stocking is red-striped (or is that a ribbon wrapped around her from someone else) and the other is pure white--but with a black bow around the ankle.

Madoka enjoys a nice date with...??

(Note: this shot is in a different place from the one that immediately follows; I believe the two are deliberately juxtaposed to be misleading. More on this in a bit.)

God, I love this shot. Half a glass (glass half full, even) with their surroundings in miniature, and the glass is cracked and held together by threads of gold (kintsugi). The ring makes her a magical girl, the outfit is a Mitakihara middle school uniform, and her hair is green, so this is someone new.

also the diamond-shaped placemats juxtaposed with the circular saucer.

Hi, new character!! I have so many questions, but it looks like they really are in a teacup, or at least a different teacup--the old glass dome from Rebellion (or someplace similar) is full of trees and also flooded and now home to water lilies and lily pads.

Nagisa is spending quality time in the ball pit (insert DashCon meme here). And so is this new girl... my guess is human!Charlotte, but I don't have any evidence about that besides vibes and the way these two shots mirror each other.

I love this shot so much! Not sure what's going on, but there's Sayaka in her magical girl costume at the bottom.

Based on the similar backgrounds in these two shots, Madoka is either having tea with Mami or tea with someone else in the same space. Cake and dessert and birthday themes, a la Charlotte's labyrinth.

Feather pillows exploding on a modernist couch.

Kyouko on a pillar/table eating a piece of cake. Cranes and cityscape in the background at night.

Runes and the pages of a book. Witches coming out of a book? Or... something else? (see below)

Flash shot of Sayaka bandaged in a theater.

And here's Kyubey! On the shoulder of the pigtailed girl last seen with Nagisa, wearing the dark collar of the evil!/mirrorverse Mitakihara Middle School like the doppelganger in the key visual. Her eyes are hidden by her bangs and she's smiling. Piloe of books/records (alternate universes, if Magia Record imagery is anything to go by).

Whatever's happening, Kyubey is so in on it, lol.

The salamander representing Homura's dark orb (powers) is stabbed with some kind of metal, near a tea cup, causing it to disappear and explode. It then transforms into a shackle. That's probably not good.

(Whose arm, though? Homura is the most likely suspect, but we'll see.)

White feathers ascending to heaven, a circular vortex made of clouds and shining light, spinning, spiraling...

One of which is a mixture of black and white. This feels very significant, given my earlier predictions about "confronting one's opposite" and "people are neither nor good nor bad but a mix a both" being major themes.

Anyway, I'm sure I'll have more thoughts later, but that's my quick off-the-cuff reactions for now!

[mahou-furbies]

Closing thoughts on Magia Record Scene 0

Scene 0 has finally ended! Or the translation I've been following has been completed. To those who don't know, it tells the Madoka Magica story, but the point of view of a new character Mabayu, who for some reason keeps her memory through Homura's time loops and can move while time is stopped. And since we all know how the Madoka plot goes (right?), the main story here is the mystery of Mabayu having lost her memory of why she is already a magical girl.

(spoilers)

First things first, the whole premise conflicts with what I think is one of the core points of the Madoka Magica drama, that is, how Homura had to do her thankless time looping job all alone and became increasingly isolated because of it. But here it's "revealed" that she had a buddy all along, with whom she became very close friends and who is eventually cast as the reason why Homura is able to keep going on in the first place. The whole thing considerably waters down her devotion to Madoka, when most of the story is about how she bonds with Mabayu. And then there's also the inherent awkwardness of inserting a brand new nobody to the story you already know, to whom the characters you've known for a decade become the side cast.

Then again, that is the premise, so you just have to make peace with it if you want to enjoy the story at all. And in fact I like Mabayu a lot, so I'll take it, though I'll have to consider everything a non-canon super AU (even within the canon's actual AUs). There was also the other problem though that some of the stuff was kind of fanservicey, and not in the horny way but in the superficial "let's put the whole cast in maid outfits for no particular reason" way. But I was a fan of some of it, like Nagisa being un-witched in one time loop, so fine.

I don't know how much this is about what the story actually is and how much should be blamed on me not paying enough attention, but in the end I think there's still plenty of holes in the story. Like we learned how Mabayu became a magical girl and what how her personal magic power works, but I didn't understand how her memory doesn't reset through the time loops and why she can move when Homura stops the time. Also the way she erased other characters' memories was inconsistent, she had to cut Sayaka's memory all over again in each loop, but when she cut Mami's, the effect was carried to the next loop. And I guess it was explained how the final resolution worked (duh) but I don't think I quite understood.

That's a lot of complaints but I did have a decent time with this actually, and that is because I really like Mabayu. She's the kind of character I'd really like to see more in magical girl stories: low energy, kind of lazy and self serving, passive and loner but not in an edgy way, and it was interesting to see her grow to be more heroic. She also has a lovely voice, and it turns out the same actor also did Ha-chan whose voice is also great. She also had really good dynamics with the main cast, and I especially like growing friendship between her and Homura, they had good banter with Homura being super serious all the time, and their growing friendship was touching. And she had some interesting stuff going on with Sayaka and Mami too.

And while I complained about the whole premise being about rewriting canon, I also think there were some worthwhile additions. For example in this version Mami used to recruit other girls to become magical girls with Mabayu, and the guilt from that is a major reason for her breakdown when she learns the truth about witches. On one hand I prefer the version of a seemingly strong character actually being weak and emotionally unstable, like she's been through a lot and doesn't need a more noble reason for her breakdown, but I think the Scene 0 version is also interesting.

Ultimately the ending left me somewhat sour with how inconclusive it was. Mabayu cut herself from everyone's memories (including her own), but it feels like there's a ton of stuff about her that's not resolved. Like she's still able to move during Homura's stopped time and doesn't understand why, she's still a magical girl even if she doesn't remember it, becoming friends with Mami again doesn't lead much anywhere if she's going to die to Charlotte in a few days… If the idea is the bittersweet knowledge that Mabayu made a difference in the Homura-Madoka story but nobody can remember it, it doesn't work for me since I didn't really get what her contribution was. Or I guess it was pretty clear how important Mabayu's presence was for keeping Homura sane through all the failed time loops but that was like my number one issue with the premise, so maybe I'm just incompatible with the whole story to begin with.

Still I had a good time following this as the translations came out, I was eager to see where the plot would go and watching a short video every few days didn't require that much from me. Though I do think the story was too long for its own good and especially the early loops could have been condensed.

[tobiasdrake]

Don't mind me, I'm just going to go off on a tangent about Homura.

I've said this before but when you really break it down, what Homura did to Madokami was workplace automation. When you get right down to it, that's what she did. She automated the Law of Cycles so that it no longer required a human operator.

Automation is a hot-button issue right now because. Y'know. Capitalism is terrible and is seizing control of automation in ways that make all of our lives shittier. Computers are stealing our jobs and that's bad because our economy requires us to have jobs in order to live.

(Also because computers are stealing creative jobs that people want to do instead of life-destroying manual labor but that's a separate issue.)

But that's a problem of economics. Our economic system is not sustainable in the long-term, especially post-scarcity. We're already past its breaking point, and the rise of automation is accelerating the rate at which its ability to serve the population is breaking down.

In a vacuum, not crippled by a doomed economic system, automation is good. Being able to automate shitty jobs is good. Having (non-sentient) systems in place that provide necessary but unpleasant services so that real human people can enjoy life is good. Making life better for people is the ultimate goal of society.

Madoka's sacrifice to create and become Madokami was an amazing gesture of progress for Magical Girls everywhere. But it's also an unpleasant service. Pretty much any time the series ever talks about being Madokami, it's described as a miserable and lonely experience. In the show itself, as she's making the wish, Mami calls it a fate worse than death. Rebellion shows her arm covered in scars when she reaches for Homura during one of its metaphorical sequences.

Madoka outright tells Homura she wouldn't want that for herself in Rebellion. She doesn't understand the full context of the sacrifice she's made. But it is 100% a sacrifice she was coerced into by circumstance.

It's made complicated by the fact that Madoka herself feels crushed under mediocrity; A big part of her character arc is languishing in the hopeless feeling of wanting to be special but not being so. But. Like. So far as solutions to that problem go, deleting herself from existence so she can accumulate all despair in the universe inside herself and filter it into hope is a bit extreme?

What Homura did is basically an upgrade. The Law of Cycles, the thing Madoka created, the legacy of her great influence on the universe still functions. She just. Doesn't have to do the manual labor anymore.

Homura basically wrote an algorithm to let Madoka have the hours of her life (all 24 of them per day) back that she would normally have to spend in her office pressing the button. Based on everything we have ever heard about Madokami, in the series itself and in Magia Record, this seems like a net good for everyone with no drawbacks whatsoever.

Good job, Homura.

Now, if Madoka comes out and says, "Actually I really enjoy being Madokami and doing the work myself; That is what I, in clear-headedness and sober consideration, want to do with my life," then that changes the equation.

But based on everything that's been established thus far, Homura's choices aren't just understandable from her point of view; She's actually right in the grand scheme of things. Madoka created a system to rescue and heal the victims of Kyubey's predation at the cost of herself, while Homura rescued the one victim remaining.

[pinkberrypocky]

pmmm rewatch live notes: ep 6

my favorite part of this ep is kyoko playing ddr to the opening song (lies its all my favorite. this show is a masterpiece and every single scene, line, shot has meaning and adds to the story. literally this show is my everything)

Kyoko asks homura if they’ve met before when homura calls her by name and homura just says “perhaps, who knows” which should not be so funny to me

Homura tells madoka that if reasoning with a fool won’t work she’ll resort to more drastic measures which sounds like she is thinking about hurting madoka to meet her own ends but in actuality it means that she may be more forceful in keeping madoka out of magical girl business in order to save her

The opening ends with a scene of madoka and homura looking dramatically to reddish lighting 

Kyubey eats the fully black grief seeds which makes him at the top of the food chain the kyoko referenced

Wild how no one in the show comments on the fact that they collect food for him

They are like livestock to him

But livestock that raise themselves 

Magical girls becomes witches, different magical girls defeat the witches and fill the grief seeds with black, kyubey eats the grief seeds, and kyubey makes more magical girls

Kyubey even tells sayaka about how strong madoka would be and suggests that sayaka could ask madoka to make a contract to defeat kyoko for her which is so fucked up

Not important but it’s so silly to me how kyoko is dancing to the opening song at the arcade

Kyoko w a pocky stick in her mouth is such an interesting reference/allusion to cigarettes

She is corrupted, she is distinctly more adult (not age wise but mentally), she is a delinquent

Gold shines on the surface of the fight between kyoko and sayaka when sayaka returns the next day to try and track the familiar 

Madoka is always trying to get the magical girls to talk and work things out between each other because she believes that each of them deserve happiness and life

Sayaka so quickly jumps to being willing to kill kyoko which shows the instability of her ideals and morals once she is faced with the reality of the adult world

In this way madoka is more naive since she never loses her sense that all people are good and deserve to live

The argument madoka and sayaka have at the site of the fight is the first time we see sayaka coming to terms with and addressing the severity of the situation

She is overwhelmed by the badness that she sees in the world and becomes jaded, contending that she and mami are exceptions

Madoka cries and i think this is because she sees how sayaka is being changed not because she’s hurt (which i do think she is) 

When madoka comes downstairs that night to talk with her mom the lighting is green

A big difference between madoka and sayaka is that madoka believes that there can be multiple truths, both sayaka and kyoko can be correct and valid while sayaka believes that her view is the only morally just one

Which is why sayaka is so upset and spirals once she learns that not everyone ascribes to her philosophy whereas madoka continues to say that all the magical girls should try and work together

Madoka’s mom says that as you grow up the consequences for messing up get bigger and bigger which is ironic considering madoka is actually facing much higher stakes than her mom

The sky is yellow when sayaka goes to visit kyosuke and he is already gone from the hospital 

The lighting is red as she walks away from the hospital sadly and contemplates visiting him at his house

Red lighting continues as kyoko confronts sayaka outside kyosuke’s house

Kyoko sas that if sayaka wanted kyosuke to have to love her she could just break his bones so he would have no one else to rely on 

Objectively kyoko is right that it would be a more straightforward way to get kyosuke to be with sayaka but all sayaka sees are the ethical concerns

Kyubey gets madoka to intervene in the blooming rematch between kyoko and sayaka bc he knows there’s a good chance he can get madoka to make a wish if something goes wrong

Madoka panics and throws away sayaka’s soul gem to stop her from transforming and fighting 

Homrua immediately panics and disappears to go after it bc she knows from past timelines that the soul gem is the entirety of their being

The shrillness and hoarseness in madoka’s voice as she begs kyubey to save sayaka is so painful 

Homura has been a magical girl through all these timelines, does she even remember what it is to have a body and be human? No wonder she doesn’t feel or act human anymore

Madoka’s immediate reaction is sadness and crying, while kyoko’s is anger and violence 

Highlights the coping mechanisms of the two of them

Homura silently retrieves the soul gem and revives sayaka

Just like she silently slaves away time after time to save madoka in every timeline

[yuriswitch]

The way some people’s view of Homura flipped from that one line in Rebellion is on one hand an obvious example of a massive misunderstanding possible only for someone seriously lacking in media literacy, but there’s also a lot of  of ableism involved in it too. It just doesn’t make sense to hate her when you think about how she kept trying to save not just Madoka, but also Sayaka and Mami too, despite hundreds of near identical failures to get through to them. Only some who thinks of mental illness as something that justifies and explains everything “evil” would ever do such a 180 just because of  a single scene of Homura being desperate after a severe mental breakdown. And there’s also equally major bias towards Madoka as well, but either way Homura is a good girl that is right to continue her fight against Kyuubey and I won’t stand for anything else

/Kafuka

[raynos]

A Homestuck - Puella Magi Madoka Magica crossover

Summary:  On an Earth that seems reset to pre-SBURB normalcy, Dave Strider transfers to Mitakihara. There he finds the magical girl system, more universe breaking powers, and an Akemi Homura all too eager to fix her time abilities with his…

AU crossover fic that diverges just before Homestuck’s Credits and Puella Magi Madoka Magica’s Rebellion movie.

Teaser: "Talking about who people are..." One side of his cape was dropped and Blue popped back into view. "Who are you?"

"Dave Strider. Just in case you're the kind to add things to names, hold the -kun, and Strider-san's my - one of those guys back there."

Blue blinked at him before letting out a judgemental tsk. "I thought someone in a cape would be pretty cool, but turns out you're just a tough guy. Maybe it's all the red."

"Don't lump him in with me," Sakura groused, dropping the other side of his cape. "He's on my shit list right now, and you're not doing any better."

"Before Sakura gets you started, I keep hearing it from everyone but you. Are you really Miki Sayaka?"

Blue struck what must pass for a magical girl pose in this universe. "The one and only!"

[amortean]

— get to know lue!

what's your phone wallpaper: Haha uuuuuh....

last song you listened to: Brennende Liebe (it slaps).

currently reading: My chat log in FFXIV. One of my moots is messaging me while his kids head off to school.

last movie: Dune before it left Netflix back in March.

what are you wearing right now?: This nerd shirt (rear view) from an old Vsauce Curiosity Box.

how tall are you?: 5'3'' allegedly.

piercings / tattoos?: Just my ears. Would love to get a 2nd ear piercing, but that involves going outside 😔

glasses / contacts: Contacts. I have glasses, but I haven't worn them since the last time I updated my prescription. My eyesight is atrocious lmao.

last thing you ate?: Some strawberries.

favorite color: Purple. Everyone thinks it's blue because of Sheila, but it's actually purple (blue is a close second though).

current obsession: Sleep Token.......

do you have a crush right now?: *looks at bf I've been dating for 10+ years* U could say that.

favorite fictional character(s): Sister Michael from Derry Girls. Yotsuyu, Themis, and Fandaniel from FFXIV. Dr Orpheus from Venture Bros. Every single main character from Dishonored. Akemi Homura from Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

last place you travelled: New York last year for Christmas with my bf's family.

tagged by: @therealricksanchezpleasestandup TY STEFFU tagging: @renatvvs, @lotuskissed, @stellevatum, @irohthesecond

[dontlose-urgay]

Madoka Magica blew my mind

Just finished the 12 ep series and Rebellion movie.

& wow. I’m legit speechless.

I feel so happy and so sad at the same time.

Brilliant story, animation, soundtrack, writing, & characters.

I want Madoka and Homura to be together so bad❤️😭 I don’t know if they will be though! Since they stand for concepts that are completely at odds with each other but also completely the same in that their actions are both driven by love.

This anime introduced me to the tragical magical girl concept, and I honestly love it. The stakes are higher. It feels more real. It incorporates the fun of magical girls while inserting the unsettling truth of reality, evil, cosmic dread, and cosmic hope.

The biblical allegories were very blatant, with Madoka being a christ like figure and Homura being a lucifer figure. However, I think they both also stand for humanity. Being selfish and going after what you love could be see as good or bad. Being selfless and sacrificing all of yourself for love could also be seen as good or bad. I think both characters do both, just like humans can do both.

(Someone in this thread pointed out that calling Homura selfish after she saved Madoka hundreds of times is a bit unfair. I agree, if you are viewing her acts in that light. & Madoka could also be seen as selfish for leaving Homura behind, even if it is for the greater good.

I think regardless both girls had to make tough decisions that they thought were the right thing in the moment, because they loved each other. I think each of the girls’ decisions could be seen as selfish or selfless, depending on how you look at it.)

I feel like I noticed many Utena references too.

Anyway, I seriously can’t wait for the 4th movie, Walpurgis no Kaiten!!! I hope it comes out this year or next year. And I hope Madoka and Homura can have a happy ending.

[evergreenalice]

Hey so since you’re my main source of Madoka content that I thoroughly enjoy I thought I’d ask, how do you think a dnd session of them all would play out?

wow! this was a really surprising ask as this is actually something I've thought about on many occasions!

also, I am honored to be your main source of Madoka content

the first thing to answer here would be who the DM would be, the lyrics of Magia we know that Homura was a bookworm who really liked fictional settings, a trait that does not necessarily mean she'd be interested in DMing, I don't think it's hard to imagine she'd at least partially want though, though the issue is that early timeline Homura would be far too nervious to be a DM, and late timeline Homura wouldn't care enough. as such I assume Mami would be the next option, simply because she's the oldest and viewed as the leader and no one else particularly fits the role of DM any better

as for if everyone would be willing to play, I'm sure that Madoka and Sayaka be willing to play, and Homura would probably be willing to play just to make Madoka happy

as for Kyoko I'd say it really depends heavily on the timeline, though that kinda goes without saying

I imagine Madoka would be very happy to draw all of her friends' characters

as for the game itself, I'll start with Homura, early timeline Homura I would imagine would probably like roleplaying, but would be very embarrassed about it, trying to act in character but also being worried she might be overdoing it. late timeline Homura however would probably play very dry with pretty much no roleplaying as she's exclusively there for Madoka. for some reason I really easily imagine her playing a spellcaster, either wizard or sorcerer, I don't know why I think this, it just feels right.

Madoka, I can't really imagine being too much of a roleplayer, her characters probably wouldn't have too much personality for them, and she'd functionally just play herself. she could easily play any class though I can easily imagine Madoka picking a support class in hopes of being helpful

Sayaka would easily be the biggest roleplayer of the group, probably lawful good, I don't think I need to explain this take, she's pretty much playing a role for a lot of the anime. she'd probably be a paladin

Kyoko, if anyone would be a problem player, it would probably be her, probably playing a rogue, and often acting in ways that antagonize other players, though I imagine in most timelines she'd be willing to hear her friends out and play in a way to maximize enjoyment for everyone involved

and now Mami, the DM. considering the way she acts a role much like Sayaka does, and has a bit of a flair for the dramatic, I can easily imagine her settings being fleshed out, and having a great story planned out for her campaign, I can actually easily imagine her over planning her campaign, and watching as her players do something that completely derails everything she planned out and having to go back to the drawing board after some sessions

thank you for the question, always happy to answer questions about headcanons

[lemonsbakery]

one of the reasons i love madoka magica is because it toys with your views on what is selfless and what is selfish. Homura isn't inherently selfish, but what she did completely disregarded what everyone else wanted INCLUDING for the person who 'benefitted' from what she did. In Homura's eyes, what she did was right. She achieved her lifelong goal, and she kept madoka safe, but Madoka didn't want what happened at all to transpire. Its a very difficult concept to wrap your head around

like. Think of it like this. One of your loved ones continuously saves others at the expense of themself, their actions benefit everyone, and its what they want. Would you, as a close one to this person, stop them from what they were doing to protect them at the expense of everyone else that they are protecting? Would you go against the wishes of your loved one just to ensure that they are safe and sound? its. interesting to think abt, it's kind of similar to the trolley dilemma. i love madoka magica

[atamascolily]

I want to shed some light (heh) on the use of streetlight imagery in Rebellion, because it's another recurring visual theme (albeit more subtle than some of the others), starting with Homura's transformation sequence:

It's difficult to convey in a still, and I have no idea if it is intentional, but the angle and the framing always gives me war flashbacks to that one iconic sequence in Revolutionary Girl Utena:

(if you know, you know)

Although the background in the first photo is too blurry to make out, it looks like the lights of Mitakihara City in the background, as if we are viewing this from the park where Madoka and Homura have their heart-to-hearts. However, the lamp designs here are different, specifically lacking the old-fashioned wrought-iron filigree:

(oh my god, I just noticed the labyrinth in the middle right, this whole garden is just one elaborate metaphor, isn't it, AAAAAAAAAAAA)

Here's a closer look at them--interestingly, they don't seem to have changed much as a result of Homura's takeover.

We get a better look at the other lamps later on, illuminating a staircase as Homura monologues about witches. The symbolism here is obvious: Homura is descending into her psyche and these lamps are guiding the way.

Gosh, that wrought-iron filigree sure looks like a stylized salamander, doesn't it?

The old-fashioned look is well in keeping with Homulilly's general Victorian aesthetic, as well as Homura's apartment building from the TV series, which has an old-world European look to it in contrast to the shiny modernism of the rest of the city's architecture.

However, when Homura emerges back onto the city streets, the filigree has disappeared. This implies to me that it represents a part of her nature she is not yet consciously aware of, consistent with the other subtle uses of salamander imagery in the first half of the film.

Here, the lights are old-fashioned, but not to the same extent. They fit right in with the dream-like blending of inside and outside in this scene (which Homura does not even appear to notice).

We see the wrought-iron lamps again in the other descent into Homura's psyche in what I call the "Tunnel of Love" sequence. Not only do we get the lamps again, we also get the windows representing salvation/connection to the Law of Cycles/Madoka, scissors, and keys in sealed glass jars.

(As an aside, the blob in the middle sure looks a lot like the famous rabbit-duck illusion, which is an optical illusion famously used as an example of different modes of seeing --"seeing that" vs "seeing as"-- by the German philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, which is well in keeping with Rebellion's use of psychological imagery and German philosophy.)

As the original series takes pains to remind us, Homura's name is a homonym for "flame", so it makes sense to me that she would unconsciously gravitate towards flame imagery. These old-fashioned lamps are a more benign, focused version of the apocalyptic conflagration that destroys the city later on.

Note how the streetlights now resemble sewing pins--the primary weapon of the Clara Dolls.

Streetlight imagery also appears in the original TV series, although the focus is less on the lamps themselves and more on all the insects attracted to it (an obvious metaphor for magical girls):

It's fascinating how the same object can represent completely different things depending on context even within the same series.

[acaciapines]

So since you're doing a PMMM/HDM fic, what do you think Madokami view of HDM's version of Heaven and the Multiverse would be?

Some... ah... very different takes on the nature of divinity needless to say.

Presumably not the direction you're fic's going but I assume there could be some interesting thematic stuff with Homura's arc in Rebellion and HDM's anti-dogmatism/theistic themes.

unfortunately it has been many years since i read hdm so i dont think im the one to ask this to njdfkdfg i'd have to reread the entire series to give this a good answer bc i basically took what i liked of dust lore + daemons and forgot the rest. except mary and atal could never forget mary and atal best characters in the entire thing.

i will say that i think the very end of the fucking. which one is the last book amber spyglass? the end of that book where it's lyra and pan talking about building the republic of heaven where they are, having to be like. like living your life for the world you are in now, not for something that comes after, that might not even exist? i think madokami would like that.

i think its like...dunno. there is something to this idea of despite the heartbreak and loss all you can do is make the place you are right now happier, and i feel like that what madokami is trying to do--she isnt like, removing despair from the world entirely bc you cant do that. but shes like, hope, yknow?

honestly i think id have to rewatch madoka too i wrote the daemon au at the beginning of this year so im super not in a madoka canon mindset at ALL rn lol. there is for sure interesting stuff here! i am just...not the person to ask.