Put them in the meat grinder

I've talked about it a little before, but SVG is meant to really dive into the hypotheticals of Sateriasis' personality under the condition he isn't in contract with a demon. It gives him a chance at """"redemption"""" (because lets face it here he won't actually redeem himself whatsoever) while letting him explore more of his true self, if that makes sense? He slowly makes friends with the holy trio (since Homura and Madoka are absent, its just Sayaka, Mami, and Kyoko), but the itch to find Gumina and figure out what's wrong with her still persists regardless. He's generally unaware of the impact his actions have on the world, and once he realizes what he's actually done, he tries whatever he can to cover things up. This does not go well for him OR for other people. I mean, even in the case where he doesn't realize the sorts of atrocities he's committed in the past, they irrefutably continue to haunt him. Such guilt grows louder and louder over time and he gets really frantic as it becomes more obvious just how terrible of a person he really is. His plot TECHNICALLY takes place after (and in-between) the canonical events lodv (........ you'd think he'd be dead at this point, but no, there's specific reasonings for this that are a bit spoilery) so that whole mess lingers behind the scenes and eventually pops out at him at one point. I think mothys introduction for lodv questioning the morality/free will of Sateriasis fits well for the narrative overall, because now in THIS world he is given the choice (in an enviroment that doesn't control him) to think for himself. Even if his sins persist, will he accept fate and try to make up for it all? Will he force himself to forget about them entirely or rewrite the narrative in his own selfish favor? Can he even DO any of that in the first place??? What power does he hold over his own story, and can anyone stop him from simply lying his way out of his inevitable punishment? His environment definitely plays a huge role into this nonetheless as he's in a position where all of the women around him possess far more power than he does himself. Not just magically, but socially and mentally. Imo i feel like since he never really saw this in lodv (considering his mom died far before he could remember anything about her and how royalty in Beelzenia at the time functionally acted as a patriarchy), his perspective on gender roles and feminism would change rather drastically in this sort of scenario. He actually gets to see how awesome women are without stripping their willpower from them!!!!

Homura's role is also very notable, although I didn't draw her here 😭 since this happens right after wraith arc and before rebellion, Homura's really wrecked with the fact that Madoka is absent from her life and despite losing most of her memories Madoka remains a guiding light in her life. In a way, she both parallels and contrasts canon Duke Venomania as she searches for validation but only through genuine and kindhearted means. Lukana stays with her because Homura needs a friend who can keep her company, and she actually wants to help her reunite with Madoka. A similar case happens with Mikulia, but Mikulia's mainly there because Homura gave her a free place to stay and pretty clothes that Lukana made for her. I think the plotline of pmmm's main series doesn't highlight enough that Homura is indeed someone who gets scared when she doesn't have others to back her up (ex. Homura's breakdown when she admits to Madoka she's been going through a timeloop, she sounds admittedly like her terrified 14 year old self from the past when met with the reality that she's truly alone), and having her start from ground 0 in Asmodean forces her to go through that struggle head-on once more. Of course, her attachments here are a lot healthier than what Duke Venomania has!!! Instead of kidnapping everyone and abusing people in the basement, she simply considers the other girls as both allies and dear friends. They're able to move freely and aren't obligated to do anything for Homura. Lilien and Lukana have more time together here because of this too (shhhh i need to spread lilikana propaganda). Generally, the narrative is gonna poke at a lot of Homura's insecurities as a seemingly self-sufficent person. She's a 14 year old girl that has suddenly been made a Duke of a country she has no memory of. The security of predictability won't help her here. The time loop is gone.

The fact that both Sati and Homura make a lot of friends throughout their own narratives makes it SEEM like the whole thing should end up as a happy ending. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Curiosity drives Homura and Sateriasis quite strongly, I mean, they both lost pretty much all of their memories for some reason they can't quite put their finger on. They're in worlds completely unfamiliar to them, and the people they actually DO know (Madoka, Gumina) act really strangely compared to the groups they associate with at first. I mean, surely, there's got to be a reason for all that...