Difference between revisions of "Resonance"

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<Center>''"Um, you would be a Persona-user...and this resonance...'Yuki?'..."''</center><br>
 
  
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=Overview=
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The ability to summon a Persona or make use of a Shadow is not the only benefit these people may possess. Called resonance, it is a sort of sixth sense that can be parsed in a number of ways by other Persona-users or Shadow-Possessed... or not, sometimes, as the case may be. In some cases, even civilians can glean a bit of this sense from a Shadow-Possessed or Persona-user, but it isn't common. Some Shadow-Possessed or Persona-users gain additional powers from their understanding and manipulation of their resonance; these are all covered under [[Support Persona]].
  
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The ability to call a Persona to battle is not the only benefit of being a Persona-user. Persona-users are also able to discover a wide spread of secondary psychic powers stemming from their ability. The most basic explanation for all of them is that Personae call out to each other, and for this reason, experienced Persona-users and Persona-studying scientists alike refer to the phenomenon as "resonance." The most basic of these abilities is easy for even a freshly-awakened Persona-user to discover; the most advanced often only become apparent over years of living the life of the awakened. That said, resonance is a subtle thing; even the easiest manifestations often need to be pointed out to a neophyte Persona-user.
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This file intends to address the nature of resonance, how it can be detected, and how it can be concealed.
  
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=Reading=
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==Resonance==
  
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The simplest form of resonance, and the easiest for even the most novice Persona-user to discover, is that Persona-users can sense each other. A Persona-user can usually detect their fellows, even in a crowded room; Persona calls to Persona, and each tells their master who among them wields the power. But detecting even this simple resonance requires an eye for spiritual subtlety; even attentive new Persona-users often fail to notice the phenomenon until someone more experienced points it out. Even dormant Persona-users can be detected in this way.
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Resonance at its most basic level is a marker of a person or being that possesses supernatural powers. Civilians do not possess any resonance whatsoever. While demons and Shadows possess resonance, though, theirs cannot be detected by anyone other that those characters discussed in [[Support Persona]]. It's much easier, but by no means a certain thing, between Shadow-Possessed or Persona-users, as the Shadows or Personas call out to one another. It comes in a variety of ways, and is typically felt to fall under the broad 'five senses' by those detecting it.
  
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With some practice, reading resonance can also identify the presence of specific individuals, even from a distance. For more advanced resonance-users, it becomes more and more like mind reading; with practice, it becomes possible to guess at someone's Persona's abilities with resonance. The most skillful readers of resonance can tell what sort of person another is through the feeling of their resonance, and some true prodigies can even tell who one knows by detecting the familiar presence of others in one's resonance.
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==Detecting and Hiding Resonance==
  
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==Affecting==
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Detecting resonance is easy. The character receives a vague feeling, often colored by one of the five senses, of some aspect of the character's resonance. For example, a character who describes their resonance as feeling like 'a lamp at night' may give the impression of brightness, or may smell like ozone or night air. The possibilities are endless.
  
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Resonance can be used for more than simply detecting others. As time passes, one's Persona resonance begins to have an effect even on the ordinary people around them. This is an extremely subtle, very long-term effect in most cases, but because of it, a Persona-user who learns how to roll with what their Persona guides them to can find success even in ordinary life falling easily into their laps. Of course, it cuts both ways; having a Persona of a wise judge of the dead might do one well in a career as a judge, a police officer, or other careers where good judgement of others is useful, but it will probably lead to total failure if one's career is gardening. Furthermore, one must be cautious; using one's Persona for purely social functions can often lead to its combat abilities decaying, sometimes to the point of becoming completely useless for combat. People with certain types of evolved Personae who spend a long period of time relying on its social powers can even find their Persona reverting to its original state!
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For most Persona-users or Shadow-Possessed, this is merely the vague knowledge or feeling that a presence is very close by; unless the target is well and truly alone, it can be difficult to pinpoint, and even then, unless the user is a very talented "spotter" or the target is a very strong Persona-user, it can be missed. Two average Persona-users or Shadow-Possessed will quite likely not notice one another in the least.
  
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==Restrictions==
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There are factors that make sensing a target easier, of course. The more immediately dangerous a situation is, the more likely one is to sense something; one's sixth sense, like the other five, is more acute in the face of known imminent danger. The more intimately one knows the target, the more likely one is to sense a resonance; as a result, one often needs to know at least a modest amount about a person to begin sensing the resonance of their Persona or Shadow.
  
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Not all resonances are created equal. Some Persona-users are simply naturally not very perceptive of the resonance. In particular, Persona-users who require an Evoker to rouse their Persona from its slumber often have very weak resonance, and sometimes require spotters to tell them even when they're staring a dangerous Persona-user right in the face. To others, they often read as though their Persona were still dormant. By the same token, some Persona-users are naturally gifted at resonance-reading, and can detect things early in their careers that normally require life-long practice to pick up on.
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Thus, complete strangers will likely miss each other entirely, unless they are both tremendous talents; some sort of relationship, whether it's teacher to student, friend to friend, or even long-time enemy to enemy, will make this much easier. Even more esoteric relationships can sometimes have an effect; those whose Personas or Shadows are mythologically connected in some significant way (or in rare cases, are the very same figure) are much more likely to sense one another immediately, for good or ill.
  
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The natural extreme of this is spotter-type Personae, which can use their resonance to detect things that normally can't even be resonated, like ordinary people or completely nonliving objects, and often have much higher scanning precision besides. There are those who wield the opposite power, as well; some Persona-users are able to completely mask their resonance from others, even the eyes of powerful spotter Personae.
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Detecting resonance is consent-based, as is reacting to resonance. Not everyone has the talent, for one thing, and it is possible for another party to hide their resonance. Only detection-oriented support types, as detailed in [[Support Persona]], can override 'hidden resonance' of this type, and even they are overriden in turn by those of the obfuscation-type of their talent.
  
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Of course, OOC courtesy applies even to something like this; while resonance provides IC RP avenues that would otherwise remain closed, using it to detect the Persona or true personality of someone who would prefer to remain undetected is impolite. Please respect others' OOC wishes with regard to resonance reading. Similarly, most Persona-users have or can learn at least basic levels of resonance-reading. People wanting more advanced abilities should note this in their application.
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Civilians may at times pick up on aspects of a character's resonance. This always translates as 'a feeling about that person' rather than the more colorful results Shadow-Possessed or Persona-users receive. While this can be beneficial in some cases--someone with a relaxing resonance may find people around her pick up on her 'constant sense of calm'--it can be detrimental. Someone with a fearsome warrior-like resonance will have a hard time being a salesman.
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Hiding resonance is similarly easy. A character only has to focus on 'obscuring' themselves for a moment or two to rein in that aspect of their psyche. They simply fall off the radar completely for the vast majority of characters trying to seek them out. This, as mentioned, can be overcome by detection-oriented characters.
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==Additional Notes==
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* As implied by this file, Shadow-Posssessed function with resonance exactly as do more conventional Persona-users.
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* There is nothing about a particular character's resonance that labels them as specifically Persona-users or specifically Shadow-Possessed. Their status cannot be determined in this way.
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* Evoker users may possess and detect resonance as usual, as however their respective players desire. Their use of a tool does not dampen or affect their ability to detect or project resonance in any way.
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* Resonance is consent-based. Please be respectful of other people's wishes regarding resonance. Do not simply assume that you can sense that an individual is a Persona-user or a Shadow-Possessed; this is exceptionally rude, doubly so if one arbitrarily declares how the target's resonance feels without any discussion. The IC reason someone wouldn't be detected is up to the individuals at the scene, but resonance is not a sure thing, and so it's perfectly natural for someone not to notice another Persona-user or Shadow-Possessed without a compelling reason to do so.
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* Only support-oriented characters may have additional resonance abilities outside potentially detecting other Shadow-Possessed or Persona-users, and hiding their own resonance. Please see [[Support Persona]] for what this entails for these characters and [[Support_Persona#RP-Oriented_Abilities|RP abilities]] through [[Support_Persona#Combat-Oriented_Abilities|combat abilities]] what powers they may possess.
  
 
[[Category: Newsfiles]]
 
[[Category: Newsfiles]]
 
[[Category: IC]]
 
[[Category: IC]]

Latest revision as of 23:40, 15 October 2012

The ability to summon a Persona or make use of a Shadow is not the only benefit these people may possess. Called resonance, it is a sort of sixth sense that can be parsed in a number of ways by other Persona-users or Shadow-Possessed... or not, sometimes, as the case may be. In some cases, even civilians can glean a bit of this sense from a Shadow-Possessed or Persona-user, but it isn't common. Some Shadow-Possessed or Persona-users gain additional powers from their understanding and manipulation of their resonance; these are all covered under Support Persona.

This file intends to address the nature of resonance, how it can be detected, and how it can be concealed.

[edit] Resonance

Resonance at its most basic level is a marker of a person or being that possesses supernatural powers. Civilians do not possess any resonance whatsoever. While demons and Shadows possess resonance, though, theirs cannot be detected by anyone other that those characters discussed in Support Persona. It's much easier, but by no means a certain thing, between Shadow-Possessed or Persona-users, as the Shadows or Personas call out to one another. It comes in a variety of ways, and is typically felt to fall under the broad 'five senses' by those detecting it.

[edit] Detecting and Hiding Resonance

Detecting resonance is easy. The character receives a vague feeling, often colored by one of the five senses, of some aspect of the character's resonance. For example, a character who describes their resonance as feeling like 'a lamp at night' may give the impression of brightness, or may smell like ozone or night air. The possibilities are endless.

For most Persona-users or Shadow-Possessed, this is merely the vague knowledge or feeling that a presence is very close by; unless the target is well and truly alone, it can be difficult to pinpoint, and even then, unless the user is a very talented "spotter" or the target is a very strong Persona-user, it can be missed. Two average Persona-users or Shadow-Possessed will quite likely not notice one another in the least.

There are factors that make sensing a target easier, of course. The more immediately dangerous a situation is, the more likely one is to sense something; one's sixth sense, like the other five, is more acute in the face of known imminent danger. The more intimately one knows the target, the more likely one is to sense a resonance; as a result, one often needs to know at least a modest amount about a person to begin sensing the resonance of their Persona or Shadow.

Thus, complete strangers will likely miss each other entirely, unless they are both tremendous talents; some sort of relationship, whether it's teacher to student, friend to friend, or even long-time enemy to enemy, will make this much easier. Even more esoteric relationships can sometimes have an effect; those whose Personas or Shadows are mythologically connected in some significant way (or in rare cases, are the very same figure) are much more likely to sense one another immediately, for good or ill.

Detecting resonance is consent-based, as is reacting to resonance. Not everyone has the talent, for one thing, and it is possible for another party to hide their resonance. Only detection-oriented support types, as detailed in Support Persona, can override 'hidden resonance' of this type, and even they are overriden in turn by those of the obfuscation-type of their talent.

Civilians may at times pick up on aspects of a character's resonance. This always translates as 'a feeling about that person' rather than the more colorful results Shadow-Possessed or Persona-users receive. While this can be beneficial in some cases--someone with a relaxing resonance may find people around her pick up on her 'constant sense of calm'--it can be detrimental. Someone with a fearsome warrior-like resonance will have a hard time being a salesman.

Hiding resonance is similarly easy. A character only has to focus on 'obscuring' themselves for a moment or two to rein in that aspect of their psyche. They simply fall off the radar completely for the vast majority of characters trying to seek them out. This, as mentioned, can be overcome by detection-oriented characters.

[edit] Additional Notes

* As implied by this file, Shadow-Posssessed function with resonance exactly as do more conventional Persona-users.

* There is nothing about a particular character's resonance that labels them as specifically Persona-users or specifically Shadow-Possessed. Their status cannot be determined in this way.

* Evoker users may possess and detect resonance as usual, as however their respective players desire. Their use of a tool does not dampen or affect their ability to detect or project resonance in any way.

* Resonance is consent-based. Please be respectful of other people's wishes regarding resonance. Do not simply assume that you can sense that an individual is a Persona-user or a Shadow-Possessed; this is exceptionally rude, doubly so if one arbitrarily declares how the target's resonance feels without any discussion. The IC reason someone wouldn't be detected is up to the individuals at the scene, but resonance is not a sure thing, and so it's perfectly natural for someone not to notice another Persona-user or Shadow-Possessed without a compelling reason to do so.

* Only support-oriented characters may have additional resonance abilities outside potentially detecting other Shadow-Possessed or Persona-users, and hiding their own resonance. Please see Support Persona for what this entails for these characters and RP abilities through combat abilities what powers they may possess.

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