Expanded Lore

[Opened Heart]

EXPANDED LORE

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• About X-Threats
• About Egg Hunters/Egglessness
• More About Character Transformations

A handy little guide for a clearer outline of things in canon, for those who want them! The guidelines are mainly facts of the world, whereas the tips are more for your convenience, and are flexible. A number of things listed in this thread were requested to be included, and if you have anything you’d also like to see expanded on, feel free to ask, and we’ll add it!

There are a few spots where chat event occurrences are referenced; for where to find those docs, check out the Event Archive!

[Opened Heart]

About X-Threats
(Be they NPCs, or you own characters!)

THE FACTS

+ X-Eggs are weaker than X-Characters, and can usually be cured with just a Cure (but they can require a talk down too for specific cases, if you want to). X-Characters need to be talked down first to some degree, though the degree of which is up to you.

+ X-etc are the embodiment of an anti-would-be self. That is, they were previously some form of would-be self (a simpler one, as in most cases they aren't Guardian Character Eggs), and have rejected that self for some reason in particular; usually, their themes are along these same lines, and their struggle is that of grappling with the concept of that dream being futile.
-- Ex, someone whose would-be self is to be someone famous and known by many (say, through their art) might turn X after their art goes heavily unrecognized at an event and someone tells them that they should give up. Their X-etc might play as forcing others to recognize them, or etc. Usually these can be interpreted however you like.

+ Depression =/= despair. Turning X is primarily the rejection of your would-be self. Negative feelings in general will not turn a person X.

+ X-eggs can nest together or be found together, or masses of them can form an X-Amalgam. They weren't in the series, but they're neat? They usually form a "skin" around them that holds them all together, which can be torn open.

+ X-Characters in large amounts can form a Mega X-Character. They're a 2-stage fight, in which the Mega needs to be defeated, and then they break apart into many X-Characters.

+ X-energy is a dark, gruesome purple mass; it can be used however you like, and however might be appropriate to the X-etc. Bullets, beams, sprays, debuffs... feel free to get creative! It can come in different textures, too, like swirling clouds or thick goop or whatever you're feeling.

+ The goal of X-etc is to make anyone around them feel just as terrible as they do, and to blacken the hearts of others in the same way that their own hearts are black. This affects those without Guardian Characters (that is, those with regular Heart's Eggs, the white kind) significantly more than those with, as they have no means of fighting it; so the likeliness of corruption spreading to regular people is much stronger than corruption spreading to actual player characters, unless it's very overwhelming and/or if the character already is on the verge of turning X (turning X of course is up to the player, and requires permission).

+ Those who have turned X and their Heart's Egg is on the loose are usually very zombie-like; contrasting with those with X-Guardian Character Eggs, who are still fully conscious and present, those with regular Heart's Eggs are generally somewhat dazed and will react only on instinct (be that following along with directions, or snapping out against someone). Their eyes are usually hazy and dark.

+ When cured, the Heart's Egg will turn white and return back to the heart of the owner. Sometimes, if they have a Guardian Character that will be born in the far future, they might pop out of the egg to thank the curer (see: Yuki Hatoba's Guardian Character; Ep4 of the anime, Ch6 of the manga).

+ Breaking an X-Egg has the same result as breaking any Heart's Egg.

+ When subjected to enough stress for a long enough time, X-eggs/characters can even self-destruct.

+ X-Guardian Characters and X-transformations are the most powerful of all X-forces, but they generally won't appear in regular rps, except in special cases (like events or if your own OC is X).


TIPS FOR PLAYING

+ X-etc should usually be plotted from their would-be selves onward! Sometimes that would-be self can be inspired quickly from the prompt of the AQ, or is dependent upon the AQ itself.

+ You're free to have your X-etc and their owner have their own mini character arc, if you like! You can keep it simple or go deep--you can also design anything either in plotting with the people you’re rping with, or design one based off of what might be interesting for their character(s)!

+ Everything has its own weakness! X-etc will never be all powerful. If you want to design a puzzle around this, still keep flexible with it.

[Opened Heart]

About Egg Hunters
(And, in turn, those without Heart’s Eggs in general)
(... this one's really long, sorry about that)

THE FACTS

+ Egg Hunters are those without Heart's Eggs, who previously had Guardian Character Eggs. In a good 80% of cases, they're comprised of individuals who broke their own eggs so that they could join; the other 20% or so is made up of those who had their eggs broken (either by another Egg Hunter, or by someone or something else) and are invited to join.

+ Because they lack Heart's Eggs, Egg Hunters embody those without dreams; they are are not emotionless, but due to being unable to dream, they can become that way. Those without Heart's Eggs have a severe deficiency in their ability to care about anything, and lack motivation, which manifests itself in different ways. For example: not caring if they attend school; not caring whether they eat something they like or don't like; not caring about whether or not they get hurt; not caring about whether or not they hurt others; not caring about the future; not caring about friends or family; not caring about feeling happy or unhappy; not caring to remember someone's name; not caring to remember someone or something in general; and etc. Though they can still manifest some care, it's minimal and generally only enough to get by.

+ Generally, if something can spur an Egg Hunter (or any eggless individual) to care about something, it can often in turn eventually spark a new wish, which will ultimately birth them a new dream, allowing them to recover.

+ The longer someone has gone without an egg, the more difficult this is, however, simply due to slipping further into a kind of numbness. Eventually, many are able to cope with this fact, and can develop base skills necessary to continue functioning in regular society, even if at a lower base level. They generally are those that try to cling onto the evidence of their previous dreams and follow through with their original intentions, even if the feeling of drive or passion for it is no longer there. These kinds of adults are often bland, fade into the background, lack ambition, and work menial jobs.

+ Egg Hunters are divided into ranks, based on the number of diamond studs worn in their ears; one stars (one stud) are the lowest rank, and can be defeated by most characters; two stars (two studs) are more difficult. Three stars (three studs) are the most elite members of the Egg Hunters, and cannot be taken on alone.

+ Anyone is allowed to make 1- and 2-star hunters for their rps. You can make recurring egg hunters, too, if you like, and even make them an official NPC! You can also make ex-Egg Hunters, or even reformed Hunters.

+ Egg Hunters generally come in pairs; there's the beater, and the breaker. Beaters carry Boule Locks, and transform with X-eggs in order to take down those who can fight with Character Transformations; breakers carry metal bats, and their primary purpose is to do the actual breaking of the Heart's Eggs. Sometimes the same pair will switch roles; it’s up to you!

+ Because they lack a Heart's Egg, Egg Hunters are not affected by most powers granted by Character Changes or Character Transformations; only physical contact can hurt them. However, if an Egg Hunter is transformed, they become completely vulnerable to all of it again, and can be hit.

+ X-eggs tend to follow Egg Hunters around, drawn to them in wanting to corrupt their heart, but generally left confused at the fact that there's no heart there to corrupt--this often sends the egg into a dormant state, which the Hunters then use to manipulate the egg into working with them. If/when the X-egg is no longer of use to them (if it's weak, or the hunter is defeated and the egg might be cured, or etc), the hunter will usually break the X-egg.

+ Most hunters have some kind of particular trait that acts as their coping mechanism for their heartlessness. Sometimes this is successful, and sometimes it isn't--not everyone can handle living without an egg, no less forcing it upon others, and are often severely disturbed by their inability to care about anything (see: Kimura, black route e7 chat event 2). Not all Egg Hunters stay or want to be Egg Hunters due to this (also see: girl on the train, black route e7 chat event 1). Some examples of coping mechanism seen in higher-level hunters are Asahi's ability to fake emotion, and KT's belief that he feels passion as a result of breaking eggs. These coping mechanisms are also sometimes related to their original would-be selves, before they were broken, as if they convince themselves that they still have or achieved that would-be self.

+ Another constant with any with a broken egg, Hunters still retain the abilities (and theoretically their 'level') as anyone else has--primarily, these come out in their retaining of an X-sense, and in the ability to character transform with other eggs, as any other ability would require their own Guardian Character. There has not yet been an example, though, of a Hunter transforming with another egg without the use of a Boule Lock, even among three star hunters.

+ Transforming with an X-egg fills the empty heart of those without Heart’s Eggs, but not in a way that actually allows them to feel; the only way to achieve this is to have an actual Guardian Character egg in their chest, be it X or not; at this point, all of the emotions that are both contained within that wish (or anti-wish), as well as the backlog of emotions that they have not had or have had in suppression due to their heartlessness will immediately rush back at them. Few hunters can handle this (see: purple route e7 chat event 1), and may face serious repercussions to their physical and mental health as a result. Generally, this is advised by the ranked members of the hunters to be not recommended, and is a rare case.

+ Transforming with a regular X-egg will grant an eggless character a consistent transformation; transforming with an X-Guardian Character will give a different X-transformation, themed after the Guardian character itself (see: Asahi's x-nari Faker from e5 chat event 1 vs the transformation of a hunter with X-Kong-Ji in purple route e7 chat event 1). If transformed with a regular Guardian Character (which is possible, yes!), this will also of course be a different transformation (though still themed after that Guardian Character).

+ Hunters and those without Heart’s Eggs have empty eyes, devoid of light and life, though some life can be faked with years of practice. They are generally somewhat monotonous in speech and dry in personality; some even have difficulty finding the will to speak or hold a conversation at all (see: Kokori; red route e5 chat event 3, late black route e7 chat event 1).

+ Hunters generally reek of a sulfur-like smell--that is, the reek of the dust of Heart's eggs. The more they've broken, the stronger the scent; if it's only one, though, it's usually very faint.

+ The leader of the Hunters is a man they refer to as The Diamond. Only three stars generally see him, so the others don't know much about him.

+ It is known that, as a group, the Hunters have been around longer than any of the three factions, though their members have only grown in number recently.

+ The mantra of many Hunters is that by breaking eggs, everyone is placed among the same playing field, starting from the ground up; both weaknesses and advantages are thus leveled out, leading all to have a fair chance at success. Guardian Characters are seen by most as a crutch; that a person was weak and needed aid in becoming strong.


TIPS FOR PLAYING

+ You can bring one Hunter into an rp, or a pair! ... Or a group, if someone really wants to get wrecked.

+ You're more than allowed to have your hunters break NPC eggs, or bring in one-off NPCs as plot points for your rp aside from the Hunter.

+ Though Hunters seem rigid outwardly and don't listen, in many it is only a defensive shell; many can be broken down in their own individual way, depending on how they feel about the state they're in now; 1-stars in particular are always still rookie and often uneasy about their state of being. It's known that a punishment for disobedient Hunters is that they're isolated and left with nothing but their own thoughts--because those thoughts are often ones that they are not okay with due to what losing their egg has done to them, and in being forced to stare those thoughts in the face, it hardens their will to see breaking as a distraction, as it focuses their suffering outwardly onto others, rather than within themselves (they're bullies, basically).

+ Every Hunter is different in motivation and mentality, so there's no one way to "help" them. Methods of real defeat are usually that of convincing them to stop hunting, or for them to birth a new wish.

+ ... They can also break a new wish if they get one, but that's unlikely. But it can totally happen.

+ Not all Hunters have to be inherently bad; every Hunter can have their own reasons for hunting, or they can just succumb to the mob mentality. Maybe some are only in it for their own protection. You can get as creative with this as you like, as well as with your hunter in general!

[Opened Heart]

More About Character Transformations
(A widely-requested info blurb)

FACTS & TIPS

+ Character Transformations at a base definition are the embodiment of the would-be self that the Guardian Character being transformed with represents. Personality-wise, they are somewhat different from Character Changes, in that the character still mostly has control over themself; whereas Character Changes are full-on changes usually out of their power, Character Transformations are more like the equipping of a change.

+ When transforming with Guardian Characters that are not one’s own, an interpretation befitting of the individual personally will come out in a Character Transformation; despite this, they are still feeling the energy and feelings of the would-be self that that Guardian Character represents: theoretically, someone else’s heart is inside of yours upon transforming with someone else’s Guardian Character.

+ Because of the above, experiencing different would-be selves with one’s own heart may or may not result in cooperation from between the character and the Guardian Character; if the would-be self is in conflict or is rejected by the character, the transformation will not be able to hold. Conversely, if the would-be self syncs very well with the character, the transformation will be especially solid; depending on the nature of the wish and the character’s relationship with their own wish, it could even be more solid.

+ Transforming with multiple Guardian Characters does not have to be with your character’s own Guardian Characters: it doesn’t even have to be with any of your own character’s Guardian Characters at all, or even two Guardian Characters from the same person! As a result, the possibilities are endless.

+ Because of this, however, transformations with multiple Guardian Characters can be very unstable, as they are a merging of two different wishes into one new and temporary being, requiring then the cooperation of not only the character and the Guardian Character, but also the cooperation of both Guardian Characters, too.

+ When designing transformations with multiple Guardian Characters, it can either be a merging of their individual designs, or the merging of their themes to create an entirely new theme (ex, Amulet Fortune).

+ Transformations with X-characters, if the character can transform with others, is possible.

+ Transforming with multiple X-characters, X-Guardian Characters, or an X-[/Guardian] Character and a regular Guardian Character, also possible.

+ Character Changing with other Guardian Characters, or X-Character Changing, are not possible; the transformations make up for this, though.

+ X-transformations are the embodiment of the anti-would-be self. Unlike regular transformations, they are usually harmful or toxic to the user when used often or for long durations.