Post by Libra on Sept 13, 2016 1:32:37 GMT
02. Terminology
Brush up on your definitions!
- DARK HOUR: The twenty-fifth hour in a day that occurs at midnight in Sakura-zai. Extremely dangerous, as Shadows are drawn to those who are both awake and immune to the freezing effect the hour has on most things. Sleeping during the hour is safe, and Shadows generally ignore frozen people as if they were not there at all. The environment becomes warped, the sky turning a sickly green and water turning an inky red color. Those who are immune often have the inclination to fall asleep, and staying awake and active during the hidden hour can be very taxing. As a side-note, electrical equipment ceases to function, meaning communication by means of cell phone or otherwise is rendered impossible.
- SHADOW: A being seemingly made from darkness itself, it is the opposite of a "Persona". Recorded as coming from the collective negative feelings of humans, they pursue and attack those who are awake while they are on the prowl, and seem to tamper with the psyches of those they come across that cannot fight back, causing a case of Apathy Syndrome and eventual death.
- PERSONA: The opposite of a "Shadow". Also made from human thought and emotion, these sentient beings are said to be an especially strong piece of the person whom they come from. Fighting alongside a person to defeat Shadows, they're commonly named after and derived from mythological characters. Each Persona possesses a different set of skills- one may excel at healing, another may be physically powerful and another might be able to see things invisible to the naked eye. Each has a telepathic connection to their master, meaning damage inflicted on a Persona is reflected onto a person. It is not known what happens to someone if their Persona is destroyed.
- EVOKER: A tool used to summon a Persona. A Persona only naturally emerges during a near-death situation that could mentally scar a person. To mitigate that, gun-like tools called Evokers are used to simulate a suicidal action and artificially trigger a Persona to emerge. Summoning a Persona can be jarring and sometimes painful when one's not used to it, so this is one's best shot at dealing with it comfortably.
- APATHY SYNDROME: This mysterious illness appears result of a non-immune human who has been consistently attacked and manipulated by Shadows and has not died. "Infection" appears to result in a decreased power of will, feelings of imminent doom and acceptance of one's eventual demise and their meaninglessness in the grand scheme of the world. They become drained of both physical and mental strength until reduced to inaction outside of what is necessary to survive. Medical professionals extrapolate that survival instincts, too, may eventually fade until the brain's medulla ceases to function.
- REVERSED: The state of a Persona-user whose natural Persona is of an Arcana that doesn't fit their own or is otherwise overpowering them and not listening to commands. Extremely dangerous, their Persona can call itself outside of the Dark Hour and can be volatile enough to hurt allies or bystanders. Reversed Persona-users are often those who suffer from intense trauma or emotional instability that renders their control over a Persona insufficient. Some wish to help them and find a way to properly control them, while others seek to actively isolate them and drug them so that they have no way to hurt others. Strong medicines exist that can cause your Persona to mellow out even when Reversed, but they typically also weaken the user's immune system dramatically.
- THE FALLEN: Only spoken about theoretically, a fallen is the concept of an "immune" human who has been consistently influenced by Shadows until they take on Shadow-like traits themselves. Said to be the fate of anyone who gets lost alone in the Dark Hour, only a vegetative body is left behind but the mind is said to possibly become something much more sinister- a Shadow whose power rivals that of a fully-fledged Persona-user.
- THE VELVET ROOM: Perhaps a hallucination, perhaps not. This mysterious place often appears in the dreams of those immune to the Dark Hour, and is said to look and feel different for every person. Despite its mysteriousness, its attendants are dutiful in helping the Committee fight Shadows and restore balance to Sakura-zai. Its residents speak in somewhat cryptic terms, and their abilities are relegated to the mind. They often make reference to the idea of a Persona and its connection to tarot cards. I hope you like fortune telling.
