Darkside

"Get out of of here and don't come back. You don't belong here."

Darkside is less an organization than it is a way of life - that of the outsider, living on the bleeding edges of society. Some are gangsters, some are street punks, some just want to be left the hell alone. Although these kinds of people tend to be loners or run in small packs at best, the threat presented by Shadows has led a few people with fierce reputations, each gifted with the power of Persona, to arrange a network of informal contacts, sharing information and occasionally teaming up if something big is going down. After all, even in the darkness there's such a thing as a code - the world won't look out for them, so they've got to do it for each other.

Who Can Join?

Darkside could be said to have two faces: the inner and the outer. These are informal (and rather loose) groupings at best, with "members" belonging to either or both depending on circumstances and situation.

• The Darkside that faces inwards is made up of those seeking answers, no matter where that search will take them or what the truths they will learn might do to them. They are the ones that want to Know and Understand, to strip the mask from the world and look upon its naked face. Some of the more spiritually inclined (or the ones that think they're Grand Occultists) sometimes refer to this grouping by the term "Cincihna," after the Buddhist mudra of Understanding.
• The Darkside that faces outwards is made up of lone wolves, punks, gangsters, bikers, and assorted other badasses. The type of people who are less about criminality than they are about street smarts and getting through life by whatever means are necessary. This could be considered the "public" face of Darkside, if only because it is more likely to be noticed. Some of the odder sorts (see above) refer to this group by the term "Tarjana," after the Buddhist mudra of Threatening and Warning.

Facheads

Darkside facheads are a little different than other factions - there's no such thing as a strict command structure, after all - but a few people have enough of a reputation and sufficient street cred that when they talk, people listen.

• Baofu (Hanged Man): The man known only as "Baofu" makes a living by seeking out and selling information, no matter how dubious the means by which he acquires it. He runs the underground website 'the Darkside of Sumaru' (from whence the association takes its name), which many members use to keep in contact and to share gossip from across Japan.
  • An off-site IC forum is located here.
  • Baofu also keeps a mostly-IC blog, at this point largely related to local rumors and his opinions on how they should be handled in regards to Kotodama, here.
• Tatsuya Suou (Sun): A lone wolf with a habit of being in the wrong place at the right time, Tatsuya has a reputation on the street for getting things done in his own way. His motorcycle is as well known on the streets of Sumaru as his habitual red outfit. Despite his attempts to avoid entanglement, he is known to be fiercely loyal to those who can get past his cold demeanor and win his trust.