Shards of a Broken Sun [Megaten/Shugo Chara/Exalted]

:3

Hmm... my primary thought, now that I'm coming out of beta-ing mode, is to broach Future/Not!Tadase? If they're talking labs and scientists then I can't imagine them not griping about him at least once since he has... somewhat blatantly interfered in psionic business on some level to have the school set up as it was.

Later though maybe, I mostly just don't want to lose the chance to bring him up, see if they heard about him.

I could be completely off-base of course.

[X] Clarify that you are not, in fact, escaping any scientists. Or homeless. Or… you're still putting your thoughts on Akane in order.
- [X] But go along anyway, to figure out what's happening.


Be helpful, but be honest.
 
[ ] Clarify that you are not, in fact, escaping any scientists. Or homeless. Or… you're still putting your thoughts on Akane in order.
Feeling like this, Amu wouldn't totally get overrun...right?
Not sure about tagging along or dragging her home yet. Latter might be a situation that ends up with Amu telling her parents about her powers.

Then again, her extra brain is chilling at home right now right?
 
[X] Clarify that you are not, in fact, escaping any scientists. Or homeless. Or… you're still putting your thoughts on Akane in order.
- [X] But go along anyway, to figure out what's happening.


Feels the most reasonable and the option that is both honest and gives us more information, but a part of me does want to take her home and give her a meal. Sure she and her friends have food, but they're implicitly homeless, home cooking probably isn't something she gets a ton of and she's pushing all the buttons that make me want to treat her like a stray kitten.
 
[x] Clarify that you are not, in fact, escaping any scientists. Or homeless. Or… you're still putting your thoughts on Akane in order.
- [x] But go along anyway, to figure out what's happening.


Was still tempted to drag her to Amu's home though
 
[X] Clarify that you are not, in fact, escaping any scientists. Or homeless. Or… you're still putting your thoughts on Akane in order.
- [X] But go along anyway, to figure out what's happening.
 
Never mind, misread on the homeless stuff, they do in fact have a house where they live.

However, I maintain that Akane absolutely has stray kitten/puppy energy, what with her having basically found us and deciding that we're going to be besties practically upon seeing us.
 
is to broach Future/Not!Tadase?
To help out a bit here, as I currently understand it that is actually an uncle of his, or something like that. So they aren't from the future, but I think they were a precog which explains why he was as he was as well.

They'd probably know a bit in various things though I imagine, they should at least be connected to a French psychic group (research group?) I think.
 
[X] Clarify that you are not, in fact, escaping any scientists. Or homeless. Or… you're still putting your thoughts on Akane in order.
- [X] But go along anyway, to figure out what's happening.
 
[X] Clarify that you are not, in fact, escaping any scientists. Or homeless. Or… you're still putting your thoughts on Akane in order.
- [X] But go along anyway, to figure out what's happening.
 
as dumb as it might be, already trying to figure out our Persona setting.

Like we can clearly already see elements of Amus Shadow (yellow eyes when she allows the Shugo Chara breathing room). But preliminary conclusions are that we're probably not directly dealing with any modern persona plot. It feels too early for the Phantom Thieves, I don't think we're going to Inaba, P3 feels thematically off at the moment but might still fit…

Most likely I think this is probably going to be OG based off the franchise instead of a 1-1 copy.

Hilarious answer, of course, is 'every persona game simultaneously'
 
I had a weird thought that this was going to turn into a Hinamatsuri cross. Obviously not, but it fits well with both the backstory and this group of homeless psychics.
 
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Then again, her extra brain is chilling at home right now right?
Yep. The vote was for Miki to be independent of Amu... and so she is. Not that the charas didn't regularly stray away even during the canon timeline.
However, I maintain that Akane absolutely has stray kitten/puppy energy, what with her having basically found us and deciding that we're going to be besties practically upon seeing us.
Without commenting on whether or not you're clearly right, Akane would absolutely claim that we're the ones with stray kitten energy, and whom needs to be taken home and fed and cuddled with.
To help out a bit here, as I currently understand it that is actually an uncle of his, or something like that. So they aren't from the future, but I think they were a precog which explains why he was as he was as well.
That is correct. My best guess is that, along with Ikuto and Utau's father, he's the guy who made the Chara system. Which I think is probably a good thing overall -- it's a reasonably harmless expression of psionics, for the most part, and you can imagine giving kids direct-control telekinetics or mind-control instead -- but it's only been mostly successful.
I had a weird thought that this was going to turn into a Hinamatsuri cross. Obviously bot, but it fits well with both the backstop and this group of homeless psychics.
Considering my history of crossovers, I probably have to clarify that no, it isn't. The only crossovers are with Exalted, as well as Persona 3/4 and all the things that that drags in by way of being the same actual timeline. Which you're welcome to discuss, but I'm not going to.
Most likely I think this is probably going to be OG based off the franchise instead of a 1-1 copy.

Hilarious answer, of course, is 'every persona game simultaneously'
Nooope... I haven't played any of the more recent ones, but this is a specific SMT world you find yourself in. Don't assume it's a specific (or even well-described) point on the timeline, though.
Like we can clearly already see elements of Amus Shadow (yellow eyes when she allows the Shugo Chara breathing room).
Amu's eyes, to be clear, are just yellow. Faintly luminescent with Ran and Su out, but yellow all the time. They have been since she was... six?

(Which is about the same age my own eyes changed from being blue to brown, or so I've been told.)
 
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as dumb as it might be, already trying to figure out our Persona setting.

Like we can clearly already see elements of Amus Shadow (yellow eyes when she allows the Shugo Chara breathing room). But preliminary conclusions are that we're probably not directly dealing with any modern persona plot. It feels too early for the Phantom Thieves, I don't think we're going to Inaba, P3 feels thematically off at the moment but might still fit…

Most likely I think this is probably going to be OG based off the franchise instead of a 1-1 copy.

Hilarious answer, of course, is 'every persona game simultaneously'
I have some thoughts on this, though they're a little speculative. But they have some basis I think the previous incarnation of this quest.

So as you noticed the yellow eyes probably mean something, though as @Baughn noted, she's had them for a long time. The thing is though, the Chara system is kind of like the 'Plus' to the Persona's 'Negative'. Where Persona are for instance about accepting what you are under the mask, the Chara are about reaching for your dreams and exceeding your current limitations. So where Persona are the malevolent manifestations of inner thoughts, Chara are arguably the blessed manifestations of ones inner thoughts. Curses vs Hopes if one wanted to overly stereotype it.

One can some what see this in the Shugo Chara series as well, as ones dreams can be rejected and disappear, or they can fall in to despair and curses and turn black and this latter does not do anything good to you at all...


So anyway based on this, Amu eyes are perhaps yellow for a similar like reason as usual in Persona stories, which is that it indicates something supernatural. But she may be a fair bit different from what one might otherwise expect from such a sign normally. So in this case her eyes are perhaps more luminous yellow, because she's basically using more power maintaining three chara in the world, which is both an expression of psychic powers as well as bringing more hopes in to the world.



PS, Amu arguably is a bit of a scary existence to Persona then just by being an antithesis, but also as she is actually capable of purifying and restoring lost and fallen dreams. The exact mechanics on how one would do that.... I think one can kind of guess, there's a reason she kind of freaks out @Nero200.
 
Nooope... I haven't played any of the more recent ones, but this is a specific SMT world you find yourself in. Don't assume it's a specific (or even well-described) point on the timeline, though.
I've got it, it's a cross with Persona trinity soul! :V

More seriously, I assume by the phrasing, you mean a specific SMT setting as opposed to a specific game?

If so and the main focus is on the 3/4 setting, does that technically include 2 or are we considering that as not having happened, since I want to say P3 does make some references to 2 beyond the obvious game within a game from the Hermit SL.
 
The thing is though, the Chara system is kind of like the 'Plus' to the Persona's 'Negative'. Where Persona are for instance about accepting what you are under the mask, the Chara are about reaching for your dreams and exceeding your current limitations.
A Persona is the face you show to the world. The mask, the way you protect your inner self from reality, the way you fool others. That's… Jungian, I want to say. It isn't a concept invented by the Persona series, nor does it pretend to be.

They do get weaponised, but in a way, that's always what a Persona is even in real life.

A Shadow is your innermost self, your true self, but also—at least in the game series, but also in reality to a less dramatic degree—the part you reject, and don't show the world. Shadows in the Persona sense happen when you also refuse to admit their existence to yourself. You push them out of your psyche, and they're typically not very happy about it—which probably also has to do with the shadow-stuff that congeals around it to give it shape and function, because the core concept of most Shadows is too simple for them to walk around.

A Chara is your idealised self. It's who you want to be, but aren't, and perhaps can't be. They don't need to be plausible, or even physically possible; the Chara bearer will construct one regardless. Implicitly, part is from the mind of their bearer. The other part must be from the collective unconscious.

In the preferred course of events, they only exist for a couple of years before fusing with the bearer and giving them what they wanted.

Kukai's is simple: He wanted to be better at sports, and got one that lets him enhance himself with telekinesis. The Chara is gone, but the telekinesis isn't.

Utau wanted to be anything except herself, and got two that were direct opposites to each other, but also very little like Utau. She's also the one with the least impact from the charas. Utau has an idea of how to handle things without them, even before they're gone.

Which they aren't.

Nagihiko… wanted to be a girl, and Nadeshiko's Chara is one, but their abilities don't extend to the level of granting that wish.

Amu?

She wanted to face the world in a different manner. She wanted to be confident, studious, artistic and like her mother, all things she isn't, or wasn't at the time. She wanted, specifically, a different mask. She started chapter one by explicitly rejecting the one she had.

Amu is a low-budget Wild Card, though not in the usual way.
 
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More seriously, I assume by the phrasing, you mean a specific SMT setting as opposed to a specific game?

If so and the main focus is on the 3/4 setting, does that technically include 2 or are we considering that as not having happened, since I want to say P3 does make some references to 2 beyond the obvious game within a game from the Hermit SL.
The main conflict will come from a specific game, but that game drags in an entire setting that includes Persona 3/4, and also admittedly 2.

Though considering the nature of that one, you shouldn't expect it to be directly visible.
 
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There probably won't be any update today, because I need to set up a new computer. In the meantime, here's some WIP artwork of Akane with Amu. Both of these need a great deal of further work.



But while the details of their appearance are off, I think the feelings are about right. You're lucky that Akane is the one you met, and not one of her friends.
 
Hmmm, I guess the question is what kind of interaction does one want with it.

- Go straight to the hide out and now be more involved with what's going on... though also thus having an entire group to go against if you don't agree with a particular opinion. Unclear how they'll react when they'll find out you're actually not quite like them in background.
- Try to get more information from Akane right now and explain your actual situation
- Drag Akane home and make sure all needs are fulfilled, while getting more time to tell your own story on your own issues with Megacorp Easter and their dangerous experiments and how you beat them up till they stopped. Also you can then introduce Miki and get her input and ideas on matters and make sure Akane has everything she needs, including sufficient food, clothing, care and interactions, etc.

The last seems interesting to me I guess, as it would let one control the interaction more as well as hopefully get more of an ally in Akane in the group. Less risk while more chance to try and build a relatable bridge. I guess I'll give a vote in that direction then, try and build a bridge to the other group a bit more carefully and hopefully avoid having to fight.


[X] Write-in Drag Akane home with you, explain you have a home still and talk about how her issues sounds relatable with your fight with Easter and the experiments they tried to do on you (your chara, who are you), and how you fought them and won to save everyone from their experiments. Introduce her to Miki and make sure she has everything she needs, food, clothing, etc.


Amu trying to act a bit more like a big sister. Surely with her experience with her little sister she can do it! Also making sure to coordinate with others rather then potentially getting in to more trouble then she can easily get out of. What if she made her little sister or parents worry!?
 
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[X] Write-in Drag Akane home with you, that way you can make sure Miki knows and you contact others to help, in case the problem is as bad as it sounds. Explain you have a home still and talk about how her issues sounds relatable with your fight with Easter and the experiments they tried to do on you (your chara, who are you), and how you fought them and won to save everyone from their experiments. Introduce her to Miki and make sure she has everything she needs, food, clothing, etc.
 
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