Post by Leafie on Sept 7, 2015 17:05:06 GMT
This glossary provides a number of terms that are important to the stories of either side! Take a skim, especially if you haven't played the games that this story is based on. Some terms may be repeated- this is because their definition varies depending upon the side of the story you are playing.
OKINA SIDE VOCABULARY
Dark Hour: The mythical 25th hour of a full day, occurring between 12:00 and 12:01 midnight. Within this period, Labyrinths form in Okina and Shadows materialize in unstable areas. Seems to only occur in Okina City for the time being, as outside areas such as Yasoinaba remain unaffected.
Shadow: A semi-sentient monster created from negative human emotions, repressed feelings or shattered dreams. Can take on many different forms with many different abilities, but all are extremely dangerous to humans and animals if approached. Their intelligence ranges from a mindless, insect-like drive to attack those who wander close to their territory to an advanced intellect that can allow mimicry and even communication with humans. Increased exposure to Shadows, even when in Transmogrified form, can cause a mental illness known as Apathy Syndrome in humans and animals.
Apathy Syndrome: A fast-acting depressive mental disorder that causes a total lack of care for oneself and the people around them. While simply manifesting as a lack of significant emotion and disillusionment at first, it steadily progresses to the point where a person loses all motivation and collapses into a comatose state, unable to move or care for themselves. Those in the later stages can sometimes be seen listlessly wandering through the city at night with no real goal. Doctors who have given the ill an MRI have concluded that the disease leads to a severe dopamine deficiency. Persona-users seem to have an immunity to this. The afflicted are mostly below the age of 20.
Persona: A being that is a reflection of a person's true self. Said to be a mirrored parallel to Shadows, it is a guardian spirit that assists those who have the potential in fighting Shadows and defending other humans. While a Persona bestows many powerful abilities upon a human, the two share a psychic link- if a Persona is damaged, its user will take equal retribution, and if a Persona is destroyed, its user will be left brain-dead. It can only be summoned during the Dark Hour. While most users are limited to one Persona, it's not unheard of for people to have multiples. Persona summoning is an extremely difficult feat to pull of naturally, so unnatural means such as Evokers and Plumes of Dusk have been used to make the process more streamlined.
Evoker: A shotgun-shaped device created for the safe and easy summoning of one's Persona during the Dark Hour. Since a Persona can only be summoned when its user is heavily stressed or otherwise feels to be in life-threatening danger, an Evoker is meant to simulate a life-threatening situation via its shape and the pressure it puts against one's skull, mirroring an attempted suicide in look and feel. While using one can be incredibly frightening and uncomfortable at first, it grows far easier with time.
Transmogrification: What happens to the majority of those who don't have the potential to use a Persona during the Dark Hour. A person's body will be fully encased inside a coffin-shaped box, rendering them unconscious and immobile, but also safe from potential Shadow attacks. Those who undergo Transmogrification have no memories of the Dark Hour.
Labyrinth: Appears during the Dark Hour. Buildings or areas with a sufficient amount of Shadows are transformed into Labyrinths at midnight, becoming much larger on the inside and holding complicated mazes. Often thoughts to form in order to ensnare and kill humans with the potential to use Persona, as well as to cause havoc in general.
Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon: Known as an ASSW for short, these androids are extremely close to being fully human due to the Plumes of Dusk embedded within their systems. Meant to be guardians for humans that can summon a Persona in order to protect against Shadows, they can range from being mostly robotic with a tinge of humanity to having a consciousness nearly indistinguishable from that of a human. That said, all of these androids can be reprogrammed and even have their Plume removed if need be.
Plume of Dusk: A mysterious, shimmering violet object that looks almost like an array of flattened feathers, hence the name. Said to have been pieces broken off from a legendary Shadow, they each seem to contain a personality or consciousness within. If implanted into any being with a consciousness, it can give them the ability to summon a Persona. Beware- these items have personalities of their own, and implanting one in a human can lead to multiple personalities and streams of consciousness, as well as resulting mental instability.
Persona Suppressants: Drugs that mitigate the abilities of an unstable Persona. After possessing a Persona through unnatural means for a large amount of time, it can often grow volatile and even attempt to harm other people or its own user. Can prevent the majority of the mental instability that comes with utilizing a Plume of Dusk on a human. While it is effective at making sure a person's Persona is kept under control, its side effects cause muscle atrophy and an inability to maintain internal homeostasis, which can result in severe illness.
INABA SIDE VOCABULARY
The Fog: A mysterious haze that drops over Inaba after repeated days of bad weather. It's rather toxic, but has a dampening effect on the mind- those afflicted by it rarely realize that they are at all until it's too late. Harmless in small quantities, but can cause lethargy, illness, delusions and even fainting when extremely heavy.
The Midnight Channel: An urban legend. It states that if you look into a TV at midnight when it's stormy outside, a mysterious and disturbing TV show will premiere, even if the TV is turned off. It's generally discredited, but in the past it's said to have been recorded on camera.
TV World: A bizarre pocket dimension that can only be accessed via a television. Perhaps it is the source of the Midnight Channel. Its central point is simply a base that looks like a film studio, but it grows and branches out depending on the people who enter- it seems to take on an environment that resembles somebody's mind and inner thoughts. It's constantly covered in the same thick haze that threatens Inaba.
Shadow: A physical culmination of negative emotion. These vanilla Shadows are branches and shards of Shadow Selves, working to siphon off essence and guard whatever new section of the TV World has been most recently created. While they are normally passive besides a Shadow Self's orders, they become very agitated when the haze lifts and attack on sight. Persona-Users also incite their anger, acting like beacons for them.
Shadow Self: The strongest types of Shadows found in the TV World, they are formed directly from the minds of its occupants. They are each bound to a specific person, and take on that person's form, taunting them over and over relentlessly. Denial provokes them, leading them to mutate and transform into something far more monstrous. Difficult to defeat and harder to off completely, it's said that they can only truly be vanquished if they are accepted and loved by the person they are bound to. They tend to irritatingly declare that Shadows are more valid representation of human emotion than humans themselves.
Persona: An accepted Shadow Self. When a Shadow Self is loved by the human it is bound to, it becomes tame and takes on an altered form. This "Persona" becomes a partner and friend to its human, representing their inner strengths and passions. While they are far stronger than most Shadows, their energy attracts Shadows in hordes and quickly incites a Shadow Self to take on its monster form.
OKINA SIDE VOCABULARY
Dark Hour: The mythical 25th hour of a full day, occurring between 12:00 and 12:01 midnight. Within this period, Labyrinths form in Okina and Shadows materialize in unstable areas. Seems to only occur in Okina City for the time being, as outside areas such as Yasoinaba remain unaffected.
Shadow: A semi-sentient monster created from negative human emotions, repressed feelings or shattered dreams. Can take on many different forms with many different abilities, but all are extremely dangerous to humans and animals if approached. Their intelligence ranges from a mindless, insect-like drive to attack those who wander close to their territory to an advanced intellect that can allow mimicry and even communication with humans. Increased exposure to Shadows, even when in Transmogrified form, can cause a mental illness known as Apathy Syndrome in humans and animals.
Apathy Syndrome: A fast-acting depressive mental disorder that causes a total lack of care for oneself and the people around them. While simply manifesting as a lack of significant emotion and disillusionment at first, it steadily progresses to the point where a person loses all motivation and collapses into a comatose state, unable to move or care for themselves. Those in the later stages can sometimes be seen listlessly wandering through the city at night with no real goal. Doctors who have given the ill an MRI have concluded that the disease leads to a severe dopamine deficiency. Persona-users seem to have an immunity to this. The afflicted are mostly below the age of 20.
Persona: A being that is a reflection of a person's true self. Said to be a mirrored parallel to Shadows, it is a guardian spirit that assists those who have the potential in fighting Shadows and defending other humans. While a Persona bestows many powerful abilities upon a human, the two share a psychic link- if a Persona is damaged, its user will take equal retribution, and if a Persona is destroyed, its user will be left brain-dead. It can only be summoned during the Dark Hour. While most users are limited to one Persona, it's not unheard of for people to have multiples. Persona summoning is an extremely difficult feat to pull of naturally, so unnatural means such as Evokers and Plumes of Dusk have been used to make the process more streamlined.
Evoker: A shotgun-shaped device created for the safe and easy summoning of one's Persona during the Dark Hour. Since a Persona can only be summoned when its user is heavily stressed or otherwise feels to be in life-threatening danger, an Evoker is meant to simulate a life-threatening situation via its shape and the pressure it puts against one's skull, mirroring an attempted suicide in look and feel. While using one can be incredibly frightening and uncomfortable at first, it grows far easier with time.
Transmogrification: What happens to the majority of those who don't have the potential to use a Persona during the Dark Hour. A person's body will be fully encased inside a coffin-shaped box, rendering them unconscious and immobile, but also safe from potential Shadow attacks. Those who undergo Transmogrification have no memories of the Dark Hour.
Labyrinth: Appears during the Dark Hour. Buildings or areas with a sufficient amount of Shadows are transformed into Labyrinths at midnight, becoming much larger on the inside and holding complicated mazes. Often thoughts to form in order to ensnare and kill humans with the potential to use Persona, as well as to cause havoc in general.
Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon: Known as an ASSW for short, these androids are extremely close to being fully human due to the Plumes of Dusk embedded within their systems. Meant to be guardians for humans that can summon a Persona in order to protect against Shadows, they can range from being mostly robotic with a tinge of humanity to having a consciousness nearly indistinguishable from that of a human. That said, all of these androids can be reprogrammed and even have their Plume removed if need be.
Plume of Dusk: A mysterious, shimmering violet object that looks almost like an array of flattened feathers, hence the name. Said to have been pieces broken off from a legendary Shadow, they each seem to contain a personality or consciousness within. If implanted into any being with a consciousness, it can give them the ability to summon a Persona. Beware- these items have personalities of their own, and implanting one in a human can lead to multiple personalities and streams of consciousness, as well as resulting mental instability.
Persona Suppressants: Drugs that mitigate the abilities of an unstable Persona. After possessing a Persona through unnatural means for a large amount of time, it can often grow volatile and even attempt to harm other people or its own user. Can prevent the majority of the mental instability that comes with utilizing a Plume of Dusk on a human. While it is effective at making sure a person's Persona is kept under control, its side effects cause muscle atrophy and an inability to maintain internal homeostasis, which can result in severe illness.
INABA SIDE VOCABULARY
The Fog: A mysterious haze that drops over Inaba after repeated days of bad weather. It's rather toxic, but has a dampening effect on the mind- those afflicted by it rarely realize that they are at all until it's too late. Harmless in small quantities, but can cause lethargy, illness, delusions and even fainting when extremely heavy.
The Midnight Channel: An urban legend. It states that if you look into a TV at midnight when it's stormy outside, a mysterious and disturbing TV show will premiere, even if the TV is turned off. It's generally discredited, but in the past it's said to have been recorded on camera.
TV World: A bizarre pocket dimension that can only be accessed via a television. Perhaps it is the source of the Midnight Channel. Its central point is simply a base that looks like a film studio, but it grows and branches out depending on the people who enter- it seems to take on an environment that resembles somebody's mind and inner thoughts. It's constantly covered in the same thick haze that threatens Inaba.
Shadow: A physical culmination of negative emotion. These vanilla Shadows are branches and shards of Shadow Selves, working to siphon off essence and guard whatever new section of the TV World has been most recently created. While they are normally passive besides a Shadow Self's orders, they become very agitated when the haze lifts and attack on sight. Persona-Users also incite their anger, acting like beacons for them.
Shadow Self: The strongest types of Shadows found in the TV World, they are formed directly from the minds of its occupants. They are each bound to a specific person, and take on that person's form, taunting them over and over relentlessly. Denial provokes them, leading them to mutate and transform into something far more monstrous. Difficult to defeat and harder to off completely, it's said that they can only truly be vanquished if they are accepted and loved by the person they are bound to. They tend to irritatingly declare that Shadows are more valid representation of human emotion than humans themselves.
Persona: An accepted Shadow Self. When a Shadow Self is loved by the human it is bound to, it becomes tame and takes on an altered form. This "Persona" becomes a partner and friend to its human, representing their inner strengths and passions. While they are far stronger than most Shadows, their energy attracts Shadows in hordes and quickly incites a Shadow Self to take on its monster form.
