Shards of a Broken Sun [Deprecated; see link in final post for remake]
- Thread starter Baughn
- Start date
- Crossover Sci-Fi
Hyacinthium
Writing about sad cannibals as we speak.
- Location
- Bedroom
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] "Unfortunately, I'm not the one filtering it, it seems to be a reflexive activation of a new ability you developed since I begun repairs. It Maydeactivate on it's own if you request it, but it's not responding to my own queries, at the very least, it seems to be trying to protect you though."
-[X]"But I'm not sure a partial deactivation is even possible and now is not the time to experiment and risk a total deactivation"
-[X]"But I'm not sure a partial deactivation is even possible and now is not the time to experiment and risk a total deactivation"
Monday's Turmoil 20
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
Unfortunately, I am not the one filtering it. It seems to be a reflexive activation of a new ability you developed since I began repairs. It may deactivate on your own if you request it, but it's not responding to my own queries. At the very least it seems to be protecting you. However, I am not sure if a partial deactivation is even possible, and right now is not the time to risk a full deactivation.
Not Exa? She'd done something else strange again?
Her heart fell. "You're right," she whispered. He was, and she hadn't thought this through. The last thing she wanted was to take the full force of that again… and did it really matter? If Nyarlathotep did get out of hand, where would she go?
She gathered her courage as best she could, staring up into the darkness. Waiting for its commands, in effect. Right now, pretending she'd go along was probably the best she could do.
Maybe she would. She didn't even know what it wanted yet.
"And then? What does it want?"
Amu shook her head, then grinned ruefully to herself. Sitting back to back with Miki, it wasn't like they could see each other, but neither of them were willing to forego the physical contact right at the moment. They'd be back to "normal" soon enough; Miki had shown up with the news that Teddy—their way out—would be here in less than ten minutes.
"That's the thing," she said. "I know what he asked for. I don't understand why he asked, but after thinking about it, I don't think it'd be a bad thing. Um, it's just... Miki, do you remember starting school? That spring, after the first two weeks, the thing that worried me most…"
She'd—They'd been seven, older than most of her classmates. That in itself hadn't been bad, but she'd already lost most of her friends the year before, because they'd started school before her. Of the ones that were left, none of them went to the same school as her, and her new classmates… nearly all of them already had friends, so she'd had no-one to talk to.
She'd pretended that didn't bother her, because she was older than the others… because she did have friends, in the class above hers, even if they never spoke anymore. It was enough to make the others leave her alone.
A pair of hands fumbled about, then grasped each other with desperate strength. These were bad memories; probably some of her worst.
"…I was lonely," Miki admitted. "So what, though? That didn't—I mean—"
"It didn't last," Amu said. "It was just two weeks, because we befriended Yui. Even if Yui-chan moved away the year after…"
"The way I remember it, she's the one who befriended us," Miki said lightly.
"Don't be mean." Amu pouted, chuckling a little. Miki was right, Yui had always been the one who didn't take no for an answer. She'd been the one to force friendship on a girl who didn't know how to make friends, not the other way around, and then her best friend for over a year. She hoped they were doing well, her and her brothers… or, at least, that they were surviving…
And just like that, the mood was broken.
She should call them. As soon as they got phone service back. Yui would be surprised, but she had to make sure they were at least alive.
"I'm sure they're doing fine," Miki said, a little too hastily. "Pretty much everyone is, and they're in Osaka, so they'll be fine. But why did you bring her up?"
Amu squeezed Miki's hand lightly. "Because of the way we befriended her."
She could feel Miki straightening up. Her sister was probably starting to connect the dots—after all, they'd both been there. These were as much Miki's memories as her own.
Amu had never felt very religious, but Mom had taken her to the local shrine more than a few times in the past. Every christmas, like clockwork, and every new year's—to give thanks—but also whenever there was some kind of special reason. The last time she'd ever gotten sick, to pray for her… she hadn't been there, of course, but she'd heard from Dad afterwards. Just before Ami was born, all three of them. A few other times.
And one time she'd gone there on her own, after two lonely weeks, to pray that she'd always have friends. They'd met Yui the next day.
Honestly, it had scared her. Mom had been quick to downplay it, telling her it was just coincidence, but she'd felt uncertain enough that she'd dragged Yui along the very next weekend to give thanks. Yui had been confused, and the dragging had very nearly been literal, but eventually she'd played along. That had also been the first time she'd met Yui's brothers, as the youngest one—still three years older—insisted on giving them an escort.
"You don't think…"
"Probably." Amu nodded; even if Miki couldn't see, she had a feeling she could tell. "I was talking to a god just minutes ago, even if it wasn't much like the way Mom explained them. The god of the shrine is probably real, just weaker. The thing is, Nyarlathotep wants me to free it. The shrine god, I mean. Not Nyarlathotep. Though it definitely wants that as well—"
She snapped her mouth shut, feeling a little embarassed at her poor wording. Behind her, she felt Miki getting alarmed.
"But, set it free? Wouldn't that mean—"
"I don't get it either. I guess it isn't so much enshrined as imprisoned, but if it helped us—twice, maybe—that means it's a nice god, right? Why would anyone imprison it?"
Miki shuffled a little. "That's one thing, but I'm wondering why Nyarlathotep cares. If it's really just that it doesn't like anyone being chained up, then maybe we're being too harsh on it. If there's some other reason…"
The two of them tried for a while to think of a reason, though without much luck. The shrine wasn't even supposed to have a powerful god, or one that was special in any way; just a simple, local one. Tokyo was full of places like that, so this one shouldn't be special. They'd need to go see for themselves, as soon as they could.
Eventually they were interrupted by Maya, who'd wandered over to tell them someone was coming.
Teddy turned out to be a slim blonde boy, a few years older than them—Utau's age, or close enough, with similarly good looks. That was where the resemblance stopped. Utau was always well-dressed, and was nice once you got past her exterior, if a little shy, but Teddy was… well, he was…
Amu tried her best to ignore his mode of dress, while Miki had no such compunctions. The flamboyant shirt, his stance—everything about him—
"Is that a rose?" She blurted out.
—There was a rose, stuck in his shirt—
"Do you like it?" He asked, smiling brightly. "Oh, but you must be Miki. I'm Teddy, your bear-y own taxi service. I have heard so much about you." Then, before Miki could respond, he grasped her hand and kissed it.
Peripherally, she could see Miki going completely scarlet before stumbling to one side. Most of her attention was fixed on Teddy, who had rounded on her and was bowing, knee bent, one arm held in front of his chest. He then raised his head and smiled brilliantly at her.
"Ah, but it would be a grave sin to welcome the one yet overlook the other. Who do I have the pleasure of meeting?"
So this is what being part of a car crash feels like, she thought. Her heart hammered wildly in her chest.
[ ] "I… Amu. You're Teddy?"
[ ] Grab Miki. Present a united front.
[ ] Make an excuse to check on Fumi.
[ ] Hide behind Maya.
[ ] Write-in.
A/N: Working on the "pacing" thing. Expect wild swings as I figure it out. C&C welcome, as always.
Not Exa? She'd done something else strange again?
Her heart fell. "You're right," she whispered. He was, and she hadn't thought this through. The last thing she wanted was to take the full force of that again… and did it really matter? If Nyarlathotep did get out of hand, where would she go?
She gathered her courage as best she could, staring up into the darkness. Waiting for its commands, in effect. Right now, pretending she'd go along was probably the best she could do.
Maybe she would. She didn't even know what it wanted yet.
———————
"And then? What does it want?"
Amu shook her head, then grinned ruefully to herself. Sitting back to back with Miki, it wasn't like they could see each other, but neither of them were willing to forego the physical contact right at the moment. They'd be back to "normal" soon enough; Miki had shown up with the news that Teddy—their way out—would be here in less than ten minutes.
"That's the thing," she said. "I know what he asked for. I don't understand why he asked, but after thinking about it, I don't think it'd be a bad thing. Um, it's just... Miki, do you remember starting school? That spring, after the first two weeks, the thing that worried me most…"
She'd—They'd been seven, older than most of her classmates. That in itself hadn't been bad, but she'd already lost most of her friends the year before, because they'd started school before her. Of the ones that were left, none of them went to the same school as her, and her new classmates… nearly all of them already had friends, so she'd had no-one to talk to.
She'd pretended that didn't bother her, because she was older than the others… because she did have friends, in the class above hers, even if they never spoke anymore. It was enough to make the others leave her alone.
A pair of hands fumbled about, then grasped each other with desperate strength. These were bad memories; probably some of her worst.
"…I was lonely," Miki admitted. "So what, though? That didn't—I mean—"
"It didn't last," Amu said. "It was just two weeks, because we befriended Yui. Even if Yui-chan moved away the year after…"
"The way I remember it, she's the one who befriended us," Miki said lightly.
"Don't be mean." Amu pouted, chuckling a little. Miki was right, Yui had always been the one who didn't take no for an answer. She'd been the one to force friendship on a girl who didn't know how to make friends, not the other way around, and then her best friend for over a year. She hoped they were doing well, her and her brothers… or, at least, that they were surviving…
And just like that, the mood was broken.
She should call them. As soon as they got phone service back. Yui would be surprised, but she had to make sure they were at least alive.
"I'm sure they're doing fine," Miki said, a little too hastily. "Pretty much everyone is, and they're in Osaka, so they'll be fine. But why did you bring her up?"
Amu squeezed Miki's hand lightly. "Because of the way we befriended her."
She could feel Miki straightening up. Her sister was probably starting to connect the dots—after all, they'd both been there. These were as much Miki's memories as her own.
Amu had never felt very religious, but Mom had taken her to the local shrine more than a few times in the past. Every christmas, like clockwork, and every new year's—to give thanks—but also whenever there was some kind of special reason. The last time she'd ever gotten sick, to pray for her… she hadn't been there, of course, but she'd heard from Dad afterwards. Just before Ami was born, all three of them. A few other times.
And one time she'd gone there on her own, after two lonely weeks, to pray that she'd always have friends. They'd met Yui the next day.
Honestly, it had scared her. Mom had been quick to downplay it, telling her it was just coincidence, but she'd felt uncertain enough that she'd dragged Yui along the very next weekend to give thanks. Yui had been confused, and the dragging had very nearly been literal, but eventually she'd played along. That had also been the first time she'd met Yui's brothers, as the youngest one—still three years older—insisted on giving them an escort.
"You don't think…"
"Probably." Amu nodded; even if Miki couldn't see, she had a feeling she could tell. "I was talking to a god just minutes ago, even if it wasn't much like the way Mom explained them. The god of the shrine is probably real, just weaker. The thing is, Nyarlathotep wants me to free it. The shrine god, I mean. Not Nyarlathotep. Though it definitely wants that as well—"
She snapped her mouth shut, feeling a little embarassed at her poor wording. Behind her, she felt Miki getting alarmed.
"But, set it free? Wouldn't that mean—"
"I don't get it either. I guess it isn't so much enshrined as imprisoned, but if it helped us—twice, maybe—that means it's a nice god, right? Why would anyone imprison it?"
Miki shuffled a little. "That's one thing, but I'm wondering why Nyarlathotep cares. If it's really just that it doesn't like anyone being chained up, then maybe we're being too harsh on it. If there's some other reason…"
The two of them tried for a while to think of a reason, though without much luck. The shrine wasn't even supposed to have a powerful god, or one that was special in any way; just a simple, local one. Tokyo was full of places like that, so this one shouldn't be special. They'd need to go see for themselves, as soon as they could.
Eventually they were interrupted by Maya, who'd wandered over to tell them someone was coming.
———————
Teddy turned out to be a slim blonde boy, a few years older than them—Utau's age, or close enough, with similarly good looks. That was where the resemblance stopped. Utau was always well-dressed, and was nice once you got past her exterior, if a little shy, but Teddy was… well, he was…
Amu tried her best to ignore his mode of dress, while Miki had no such compunctions. The flamboyant shirt, his stance—everything about him—
"Is that a rose?" She blurted out.
—There was a rose, stuck in his shirt—
"Do you like it?" He asked, smiling brightly. "Oh, but you must be Miki. I'm Teddy, your bear-y own taxi service. I have heard so much about you." Then, before Miki could respond, he grasped her hand and kissed it.
Peripherally, she could see Miki going completely scarlet before stumbling to one side. Most of her attention was fixed on Teddy, who had rounded on her and was bowing, knee bent, one arm held in front of his chest. He then raised his head and smiled brilliantly at her.
"Ah, but it would be a grave sin to welcome the one yet overlook the other. Who do I have the pleasure of meeting?"
So this is what being part of a car crash feels like, she thought. Her heart hammered wildly in her chest.
[ ] "I… Amu. You're Teddy?"
[ ] Grab Miki. Present a united front.
[ ] Make an excuse to check on Fumi.
[ ] Hide behind Maya.
[ ] Write-in.
A/N: Working on the "pacing" thing. Expect wild swings as I figure it out. C&C welcome, as always.
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Huh. So anyone have any idea what might be in that shrine?
It apparently likes Amu for some reason at least. Exaltations aren't something you can predict happening, at all, and if anything it should have known we'd die from Kagatsutchi collapsing down the line a bit... I'm curious. And that's probably going to end badly, but we're a Solar and they're made to bitchslap gods, and eventually Gods and Titans, so hopefully it doesn't go too wrong.
But why does It want the god or whatever it is, free?
It apparently likes Amu for some reason at least. Exaltations aren't something you can predict happening, at all, and if anything it should have known we'd die from Kagatsutchi collapsing down the line a bit... I'm curious. And that's probably going to end badly, but we're a Solar and they're made to bitchslap gods, and eventually Gods and Titans, so hopefully it doesn't go too wrong.
But why does It want the god or whatever it is, free?
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
It didn't. Everyone else gets a backstory, but Amu's past is a black hole. So I'm filling it in a little.
You can assume that everything I claim happened prior to Ran showing up is made up. That also means there are no spoilers available for purchase~
You can assume that everything I claim happened prior to Ran showing up is made up. That also means there are no spoilers available for purchase~
I'm not remembering anything about a Shrine. At least nothing with a Major Plot point, I would say minor as well, but my memory's pretty shot and its been a few years.
Edit: Or GM's fluffing out Amu's past, I like.
Ooooh, nice
So Nyarly is gunning for the neutral route? Interesting...
Like I keep saying, we can re-write reality eventually. We just need time, I hadn't expected Nyarly to realize that though... also how is this Neutral route?
I'm going to guess that whatever god's at that shrine, it's pretty helpful when they're restricted but if they get to do as they want for everyone it'll bring up complications. Probably something that comes up if it can do what it does for all of Japan instead of whoever can make it to the shrine.
Considering they helped Amu find friends, I wouldn't be surprised if they could do something like increase people's potential to awaken a Persona or something like that. Which would probably lead to a lot of Persona-users considering the danger out there.
Considering they helped Amu find friends, I wouldn't be surprised if they could do something like increase people's potential to awaken a Persona or something like that. Which would probably lead to a lot of Persona-users considering the danger out there.
That's why it's,invisitexted. Im trying to find ways to voice speculation without causing a fuss
But,Nyarly has no particular reason to free ancient gods. They've got nothing to do with him, unless he's attempting to add their power to his own
Now devouring them outright doesn't seem....at all feasible for him as he is, or even at the height of his power
But creating alliances by running a grassroots angle with Amu as his arms and legs is significantly more,plausible
Only reason for that that comes to mind though is to screw over the machinations of the Great Will and Luci, though
What else would he be able to.use to rally those sealed deities to his cause?
Edit: Looking forward to flashing back to the end of that convo, btw
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Giygas
Cutest Sawk i could find. Lucario is a nice extra.
[X]You feel the sudden urge to hug Teddy!
Baughn
Healing-type writer
- Location
- Dublin
I... am not sure I want to actually let you do that. At least, you need more of an excuse than that.
[X] "I… Amu. You're Teddy?"
Nobody is fully prepared for the glory that is Teddie.
Nobody is fully prepared for the glory that is Teddie.
Well, Teddy is...Teddy. He is beary charming to children .
Confused Amu, I wonder if that will work well on Teddy.
Giygas
Cutest Sawk i could find. Lucario is a nice extra.
It is the Sidereal exaltation fault!(I would have blamed Venus, but she has a very bad case of being dead.)
