@paladindythe: You're right, I had forgotten about the familiars. This will require some thought. Let me get back to you on this.
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*Does some rewatching*
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In episode 9, Homura says that when a Soul Gem turns into a Grief Seed, it gives birth to a Witch and is destroyed. And Mami said that Witches sometimes are carrying Grief Seeds, which implies that a Witch doesn't always have one. Finally, the Grief Seeds are also called a Witch's egg, which fits with it being destroyed when the Witch hatches. So, my current hypothesis is that Witches reproduce by one of two ways: concentrating negativity taken from its victims into a new Grief Seed, which hatches when filled, or by splitting off familiars from its own power, which do the same thing, but are weaker and more numerous. When a Puella Magic takes an incomplete Seed from a dead Witch, she can place her own corruption in it, continuing the process of filling it up. I think a familiar wouldn't have enough power to create a Grief Seed until it reaches critical mass, when it would collapse the negative power that it is made of together with the power it has gathered, creating a new Grief Seed, allowing it to be reborn as a Witch.
(Major character development spoilers ahead, not just world building, so be warned)
As for the reactor/Intelligent Device thing, whether that works is up to you BA, but I think there's another question that we've been neglecting. Would any of the Puella Magi actually want to go through with it? I can't really see any of the girls being willing to let these complete strangers muck around with their Soul Gems, especially after the truth of what the Soul Gems truly are comes out. Besides having been burned on a 'too good to be true' deal before, each of the magical girls has their own reasons that they might not want to continue on like that. The way things are as of episode 10, I think that Homura would rather commit suicide than live on like that, attached to a Device/ Reactor once it is assured that Madoka is safe, and the loop is broken. Mami, well, we've seen what happens to her when she finds out about the Witch transformation. Sayaka will probably be the one that reveals that the witch transformation can occur, and once it reaches that point, I think Sailor Moon's magic would just destroy her like it does monsters of the week, as Sayaka isn't aware enough to desire purification, or possibly is too corrupted to desire it. If Sayaka is offered it, I think she might be the only one with a chance of accepting, though her self loathing at that point would cause problems of its own. Kyouko made a conscious decision to live only for herself, and is explicitly disillusioned with the sort of magical girl shown in tv shows, that lives selflessly and tries to help others.
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Stand between the Silver Crystal and the Golden Sea.
"Youngsters these days just have no appreciation for the magnificence of the legendary cucumber." --Krityan Elder, Tales of Vesperia.
...
*Does some rewatching*
...
In episode 9, Homura says that when a Soul Gem turns into a Grief Seed, it gives birth to a Witch and is destroyed. And Mami said that Witches sometimes are carrying Grief Seeds, which implies that a Witch doesn't always have one. Finally, the Grief Seeds are also called a Witch's egg, which fits with it being destroyed when the Witch hatches. So, my current hypothesis is that Witches reproduce by one of two ways: concentrating negativity taken from its victims into a new Grief Seed, which hatches when filled, or by splitting off familiars from its own power, which do the same thing, but are weaker and more numerous. When a Puella Magic takes an incomplete Seed from a dead Witch, she can place her own corruption in it, continuing the process of filling it up. I think a familiar wouldn't have enough power to create a Grief Seed until it reaches critical mass, when it would collapse the negative power that it is made of together with the power it has gathered, creating a new Grief Seed, allowing it to be reborn as a Witch.
(Major character development spoilers ahead, not just world building, so be warned)
As for the reactor/Intelligent Device thing, whether that works is up to you BA, but I think there's another question that we've been neglecting. Would any of the Puella Magi actually want to go through with it? I can't really see any of the girls being willing to let these complete strangers muck around with their Soul Gems, especially after the truth of what the Soul Gems truly are comes out. Besides having been burned on a 'too good to be true' deal before, each of the magical girls has their own reasons that they might not want to continue on like that. The way things are as of episode 10, I think that Homura would rather commit suicide than live on like that, attached to a Device/ Reactor once it is assured that Madoka is safe, and the loop is broken. Mami, well, we've seen what happens to her when she finds out about the Witch transformation. Sayaka will probably be the one that reveals that the witch transformation can occur, and once it reaches that point, I think Sailor Moon's magic would just destroy her like it does monsters of the week, as Sayaka isn't aware enough to desire purification, or possibly is too corrupted to desire it. If Sayaka is offered it, I think she might be the only one with a chance of accepting, though her self loathing at that point would cause problems of its own. Kyouko made a conscious decision to live only for herself, and is explicitly disillusioned with the sort of magical girl shown in tv shows, that lives selflessly and tries to help others.
-----
Stand between the Silver Crystal and the Golden Sea.
"Youngsters these days just have no appreciation for the magnificence of the legendary cucumber." --Krityan Elder, Tales of Vesperia.