[Triple_R]

I want to thank Kogetsu Shirogane, TreacherousFox, and Dr. Casey for their replies and reviews. Sorry for the exceptionally late reply, but I admittedly have had PPPL on the backburner for a bit. Hopefully, that'll change in a few days time.

Once I delve back into PPPL, there are some "canon story" routes left to handle, all picked up around Episode 7 or so of PMMM, IIRC. There is also, however, a more action-packed, fantasy story involving Madoka, Sayaka, and Homura joining Kyouko's Rebels against Emperor Jinnai which I have (largely) already plotted out to the end.

Do regular readers have any preference for where they'd like for me to go next?

In any event, I have a bit of a reply for Dr. Casey now.

Originally Posted by Dr. Casey

And so the Mami Lives route has come to its final and absolute end. It's been quite a journey; January 26th 2012 feels to me to be quite some time ago, the day the chapter containing the Mami Lives Prologue was posted. I have to admit, I've been spoiled by 16 months of Mami living... some of the future routes where she's nowhere to be found will seem sad... ><

Definitely. I can't think of many anime characters that left a stronger impression in just 3 episodes of content than what Mami Tomoe did. In spite of how little screen-time she had in the anime, I found it very easy and pleasant to write her, both for her dialogue and also for her narration in some scenes. And keep in mind that I'm not someone who's read all of the Madoka Magica spin-off works. The only other place where I've personally read additional Mami was in Oriko Magica, but that honestly had little impact on my writing of her (aside from action scenes, perhaps).

The anime alone gave Mami a wonderfully strong characterization in just three episodes, and it was a lot of fun to take that to places that the anime could never allow.

But though it's bittersweet to say our farewells to Mami, the chapter presented here was, as always, more sweet than bitter. I mean, I can't be too sad whenever I'm reading some new PPPL. This story rules, rumors say that there wasn't much panic on December 21st because people were too busy reading PPPL and forgot all about the end of the world.

lol, thanks a lot for a very clever and strong compliment.

The idea of Hitomi, along with every other person that lost their life as well, being revived and washing upon the shore of a nearby island is a very nice one. Madoka granted the world one of the warmest and happiest events it would ever know; it made me think of that mining incident a few years ago where all the miners escaped alive and well, something that should have been tragic but had an almost inconceivably perfect, happy ending. (Though the miners suing people a year or two later did spoil the magic some... :/ ) The line about the 'aliens did it' theory being not too far from the truth made me smile, too.

I thought it was the perfect way to segue into a Kyubey scene.

I always wondered if the mechanics or the reasoning behind sex restoring Soul Gems would ever be explained. The matter was tackled here in this chapter, and not only does it make perfect sense, it actually results in Pure Pink Pretty Lovers making more sense than the actual canon storyline, since it gives an extra reason for contracting only with teenage girls besides them being the most emotional creatures (a dubious claim to begin with).

I'm glad you appreciated it.

The "sex restores Soul Gems" aspect of my narrative admittedly has a "That's so very convenient..." feeling to it, but what I think can make it seem a bit more legitimate is how it now ties into "Here's the real reason Kyubey only contracts with adolescent girls."

Yeah, knowing as we do that Kyubey wants magical humans to eventually turn into witches, it makes sense that he wouldn't want humans to have an easy means of avoiding it (sexual relationships amongst themselves). By focusing strictly on adolescent girls, there's far less likelihood of magical humans avoiding Soul Gem corruption through sex.

Some may then wonder "Why would Kyubey agree to Kyousuke becoming a magical human, when even Kyubey must have known that him and Sayaka were likely to discover the sexual means of Soul Gem cleansing following that?". My thinking is that this is exactly what Kyubey wants, as it would pave the way to Madoka becoming a magical girl. Otherwise, Kyubey doesn't even get the energy that comes from Madoka becoming a magical girl (as we see with the "Normal Ending" for Mami Romance).

Linking the mahou shoujo world to ancient Greek and Roman mythology was great and just heightens the sense that the magical world played a role behind the scenes throughout every era of mankind. Ah, and cleansing the Soul Gem through sex was referred to as being 'relatively' safe, which denotes some degree of danger. Were you thinking of STDs or something with that quote?

I've considered adding a potential downside to the method to make it seem less easy/convenient. One idea I've considered is that if two magical humans have sex together purely for Soul Gem cleansing purpose (i.e. without the two having any strong feelings whatsoever for each other, even real friendship), then the process actually corrupts their Soul Gem rather than cleansing it.

But barring that, yeah, we'll just go with STDs.

Hippie Homura Harem! was a very interesting scene. Speaking to your partner about changing your relationship to an open one certainly isn't an easy thing to do... I think Sayaka might have had a stronger reaction were she the one dating Madoka, and might have needed more time, but thankfully Mami is more understanding of the situation. Of course, Madoka doesn't mention that she's been cheating on Mami since before she knew that sex restores one's Soul Gem... oh well, no point sweating the small details, I suppose. I'm not sure it was intended, but Mami's "But to be fair, I in turn may do the same..." seemed somewhat cold and had a little bit of a bite to it. I almost got the impression that Mami's spirits were rather dampened by the turn their relationship had taken... that might just be me, though.

I did intend for Mami to come off this way. It's important to remember what leads to this scene if you get it. One thing that lead to this scene was the end of the Beach weekend trip/date/vacation. At the end of that, Homura and Mami had quite the spat with each other. If you get "Hippie Homura Harem!", then that spat ended with Madoka handling it in a way that was displeasing and hurtful to Mami.

Mami's not dumb. Given all of what I just wrote, she knows that Madoka is thinking "Homura" even if Madoka isn't coming right out and saying Homura's name. And that reminds Mami of the sad end to the Beach weekend date (for those who get HHH!). I think it makes sense for Mami to feel challenged, and maybe even "one-upped", by Homura. Mami insists on the "concubine" terminology as a way of saying to Madoka - "At the very least, Madoka, I will be coming first in your life, as far as romance is concerned".

Mami's willingness to take "concubines" herself is rooted partly in a sincere concern for Kyouko, as a relative loner like Kyouko might otherwise have a hard time finding someone to Cleanse Soul Gems with through sexual means.

Musically Magical Mami... great read. I don't tend to care much for glitz and glamor and blinding lights in real life, but I enjoy them much more in fictional settings (Gritty and shady dance clubs, concerts, the idol scene, and so on), and this chapter was no exception. "Arigatou" is a damn good song and did a fantastic job at enhancing the mood and atmosphere of the scene, and I loved the piece of fanart used here. XD

Thanks! Mami's seiyu really does have a great singing voice, making this all that much more believable since that's also Mami's voice, of course.

Mami is very pretty there, and her chibified puella magi cheerleaders are adorable. The idea of Sayaka being a talent scout is an interesting one; she's probably the best-suited for the job out of the five mahou shoujos (well, six counting Hitomi). Either her or Kyouko, anyway, who I could see being skilled at such a job after she mellows out. Or even before then, I guess; "Try to enter the musical world or I'll break your arms and legs" is motivational too in its own way.

LoL!

"And it was my sincerest wish that I would be all the support that this bright, orange star would need." was a very nice line, and a good emotional climax to the scene. I also look forward to Clarami fangasming over the inclusion of Clara.

Given that Clara is a real life person, I was hesitant to give her many lines, but I don't think this much will hurt.

Minigame number nine! In the vein of Guitar Hero or Parappa the Rapper, you have to push certain buttons at the exact right moment to help Mami sing her song successfully. Worry not if you're no good at Guitar Hero; it's actually impossible to lose this minigame, the audience is so enamored with Mami that even if you miss every note and Mami sings every single word off-key, her fanbase won't even notice.

Somebody really should make your mini-games someday, even if they're stand-alone flash games.

I lol'd at much of the paragraph about Hitomi's relationship with Seto Kaiba. I agree with the prose that they would make a nice couple, but yeah, I got a good laugh at the mention of them never following the rules. You could probably write a spin-off comedy series (with all the seriousness of a 4koma or omake) about playing card games with Kaiba and Hitomi.

Green-haired Kaiba strikes me as a great match for Hitomi. I imagine it eventually being like Vegeta/Bulma in DBZ. And yeah, I think its pretty clear that Kaiba and Hitomi both like screwing the rules. One does it in children's card games while the other does it in teenage romances...

So Sayaka and Kyosuke were married New Year's Day 2062, eh... sounds like a perfect day and a perfect beginning to the year, and that's a beautiful fanart you found to help depict the moment.

That fanart and one other was actually a big part of my decision to go down a "Magical Boy Kyousuke" route. Fanart has always been a big inspiration for PPPL, so I hope the Madoka Magica fanart never stops coming!

Madoka and Mami probably could have chosen a better moment to have the deepest, wettest kiss they were capable of, though. As much as I enjoy imagining such a thing, that couldn't have good for poor Homura to watch. Hopefully Homura won't cry into her pillow for too many nights following that.

Actually, my thinking is that Homura didn't attend the wedding. You make a good point if Homura was there, though.

Glad you enjoyed the Phoenix Wright bit. Given that he was almost a surrogate father for Mami in PPPL, I felt he should have a nice final sendoff in Mami Romance.

Oh... and I've never watched He-Man, but the Skeletor theme is badass.

Thanks! "Skeletra" is admittedly not one of my more memorable witches, but I felt I should have at least one battle involving Puella Magi Madoka to make full use out of her becoming a Puella Magi in this "Perfect End".


And... that's all folks! Hopefully I'll have more PPPL up in a week or less.