Sure! So some plural systems like making a mental space where they can hang out and organize mental resources and snuggle and such. These things are typically called "mindspace" or "headspace". There are other names people use, but I can't remember 'em so meh. Mindspace is really nice to have as a retreat from the world sometimes, because nobody but headmates can ever get to you there. The problem is that it runs on your visualization abilities, which means that if you're aphantasic — if you can't visualize worth a damn — then your mindspace isn't very present or interactive. Another thing that can get in the way is if you're not very polyconscious, because the easier it is to let people run on their own in the background when they're not in front, the easier it is for them to contribute to maintaining the mindspace.

If I'm understanding you right, I think anyone who externalizes will be very good at being polyconscious even when merged, using the power as it works now. I'm not sure exactly how to manage a power for making it easier to visualize and imagine things... would you rather have that as its own thing, or an upgrade to the mental connection focused on having a more concrete mental space to hang out in?

Hmm. On reflection, I think you're right about the polyconsciousness. That on its own will help a bunch for us. As for the visualization, I think maybe an overall visualization upgrade would be better than a specific mindspace upgrade? Or maybe both? I'm not sure. It's hard, because there's the persistence thing separate from visualization to really make a mindspace stick, but also visualization would just be useful for all of us, especially Neo, who loves visual arts.

I'll think about it. I have a few ideas.

For your individual drawbacks and powers, you can mark them with your names, or pick symbols for each of you, or something else if you like. And I'm happy to help you figure out which ones you want to take individually and which ones you want to take as a group!

Thank you! That probably means we need to go through everything carefully again, though, try to find some inspiration. Hmm. So you're working with any useful information alongside us here, I'll explain a little about each of us. Sable leans toward ink and eldritch vibes, likes to shapeshift, would enjoy having an "animate liquid" form. She's not sure what to spend her externalization points on, but has a clear idea about her drawbacks. Maya's not sure about a drawback, and the main thing she's interested in is her ship form — maybe getting access to some of its nature in her humanoid form? Neo likes illusion powers and temporary conjuration. Probably she'll take the damsel drawbacks, because she directly kinks on Love Is A Battlefield. Ruby's into guns and engineering and hunting monsters and helping people, and we've got no idea what to get her as a drawback. And as for me, I might spend points on soulbound? No idea about the drawback. Maybe something could riff on my sadomasochism? Dunno.

Anyone who isn't sure where to spend their points can also leave them unspent. Unspent points stay with you as unrealized potential, and someday if it seems like the moment of your life when you'll most need another power, they might spend themselves on one—either something from the list, or something new. You won't get to choose when to spend them or what to spend them on, but you also won't be limited to just what's on the list or what you and I can think of right now.

Useful. Okay, that's worth keeping in mind. 

Sable moves Backchannel into her personal list. The girls also downgrade Not Like Other Girls to C, trying to save points. It really is rather situational. They also downgrade the Friends In set of perks to situational. Same with Princess And Dragon.

Hailey marks Personal Slipstream as just for her., and insists they take The Rescuer off the group list. Sable can claim it personally if she wants.

She also suggests they bump They'll Know up to A. It's not like they're going to be using any mentally-affection powers on people, and they prefer to have consensual effects on people anyway. That gets them to 97/91 on S→A, which is close but not good enough.

Any ideas for point savings or bonus drawbacks here? The big thing we're tempted to downgrade is Star-Straightened, which is very expensive, but if a fate issue turns up it's absolutely fucking crucial. Technically it's a really high-value situational perk, because if the world we go to doesn't have fate-based threats then those points were better spent elsewhere, but if our destination does have those threats then this is an essential protection. So I just don't know.

The question I ask in this kind of situation is: if you were writing the story of you, would you send yourself (or yourselves) up against fate? The narrative forces at work in your life will be very much based on what you yourself find narratively and aesthetically appealing - not necessarily where you would choose to go or what you would choose to do if you were steering your story from the inside, but what you would find satisfying and entertaining on the story level. Star-Straightened is most useful to people who start in worlds with fate problems that they want to break free of, people who want to focus on fate as a thing to find and change in the multiverse, and people whose narrative sensibilities disagree with their personal preferences about how much fate they want to see. That's not to say that you'll never see fate effects if you don't want to on any level, but they'll be much rarer that way, and you're likelier to find other ways around them if you really need to.

Anyway, I think I have something for that power you were looking for!

Name: Inner World - Cost: 2 ☐
The world of your imagination is a real, concrete, persistent place, which you can experience in parallel with the world around you—though you might find it easier to focus on one at a time. It makes an excellent setting for lucid dreams, telepathic conversations, and notetaking. Mental enhancements affect its size, depth, and detail; mental defenses guard it against intrusion. Your control over it will grow with time and practice.

Oh that's excellent. That's perfect. And good way to reframe the fate question. 

I think I have a somewhat more nuanced attitude toward fate than Hailey does due to some unpleasant exomemories of a troublesome prophecy. On the whole, we do not mind "positive" fates, but fate-as-threat is something we find highly unaesthetic in narratives unless there is a solid option to get a good ending for everyone we care about despite it. So, based on that and your advice, it sounds as though we are unlikely to run into fate-based threats that we cannot handle, even if we do not take Star-Straightened.

Additionally, I had a thought regarding my drawback. I am an essentially-obligate submissive whose most essential nature is devotion to her lovers. Could we perhaps frame something along those lines, like being compellable by my true loves, as a drawback? Perhaps with an exception for looking out for their best interest allowing me to flex an order?

Actually that gives me an idea too. The other girls are open-enough to the Damsel drawbacks that I'm considering a custom just-for-me drawback. Idea I had was what if we framed my muteness to be a drawback? Like "no speaking aloud, no making voiced sounds", or something like that?

I can try to come up with both of those! Though the muteness drawback might come out a little strange. I don't think it will be as simple as "no speaking aloud".

Okay now I'm just curious to see it. Sounds fun.

In the meantime they keep picking through the existing perks and drawbacks to see if there's anything else they want to adjust. Star-Straightened gets moved down to B, but after poring through everything else twice, they don't find anything else that shifts easily.

Okay, I've got something...

Name: Keys To Your Heart - Grants: +6 ☐
(Requires Love Is A Battlefield)
When you fall in love, you give away a key to your heart: a metaphysical bond that commands your absolute devotion. You have no control over this bond, and no way to revoke it. Anyone who holds a key to your heart can give you orders you are unable to refuse. You can delay or ask for clarification, but only to serve their interests, not yours. You cannot betray them in thought, word, or deed. Conflicting loyalties to different keyholders who are at odds with each other—or worse, conflicting direct orders asking you to do contradictory things—can cause a state of painfully frantic indecision, but ultimately the stronger relationship will win out. In the case of one person giving you orders that conflict with themselves or with that person's interests, you can reason through what they would want you to do in that situation, or ask them to clarify. You and those commanding you always instinctively know the difference between an enforced order and an unenforced request.

Maya immediately falls into front and flushes.

Oh. That is beautiful. Yes, that is absolutely my drawback. I adore it. That does suggest we will have to find a separate drawback for Neo, however, because Love Is A Battlefield will need to be part of the shared build to be available as a dependency there.

Originally it was settling toward needing Marionette as a prerequisite, but I steered away from that in case you wouldn't want to go that far.

I'm working on something for Neo too, though I'm not sure if it's going to come out right...

Ruby, do you have any thoughts on a personal drawback?

She tumbles into front (and into Maya's metaphorical lap) at the question.

Um. That's hard. I could maybe enjoy Mood Ring and Moodier Ring? Or maybe something that makes me have to defend people in need? Not sure.

Mood Ring and Moodier Ring can be nice to have, for someone who likes to be expressive!

I'm not sure about defending people in need; that sounds like it might get entangled with the Divine Mantle line if I tried to make a drawback for it, which wouldn't work very well here.

Probably I'll just go with Mood and Moodier Ring then. They're nice and simple. Together they're enough to get some of the combat-focused perks. I'll try to think of something better, though. Thanks so much for all this help! You're really great. ♡

I try! ♡

The girls move Dramatic Damsel, Love Is A Battlefield, and Seen With The Heart all into A-tier.

Seen With The Heart seems like essentially free points given the givens.

Maya makes Keys To The Heart the basis of her personal build and puts some thought toward what she might want to spend that on.