first chapter | open [voice + action]

[thirdarrow]

[ This is the first time Takakage has started a discussion instead of listening in and participating, so it took him a while to find the proper words for it.

Nevertheless, when he finally starts the transmission, his voice is quiet and confident, perhaps even a touch crystalline. ]

Hello, everyone. I am Takakage Kobayakawa, from the Land of the Rising Sun. You may also know me as MINTAKA from the previous Jaunt.

We have quite a few Persona users amongst us, myself included. Thus, I would like to propose that we meet and train together, so that those of us Investigating in future Jaunts will be able to pool our efforts together and use our gifts as a team. It will also aid in identifying Infiltrators, as I have noticed that our Personas also follow us if we take on alter egos. If you are partial to that idea, we can all share our abilities and compare what we are best at. I am aware that a few of us have also been Marked by Trumps, which may also change our Personas to some extent. That can be discussed as well.

As far as I know, I am the only Support Persona user in our midst, so it would be beneficial if you let me know, so I can best support you with what I can do. Noah is able to heal, scan surroundings, weaknesses, and detailed analysis - in addition to providing a psychic closed network which will be useful on stealth missions.

For those who have been Infiltrating with the Miners for the past Jaunt - may I also ask for your assistance? There was another Program with me, SAIPH - do you know if she is amongst us as a Traveler? I have something that belongs to her.

If you need me in person, I will be by the entrance next to the Trump phone. Thank you for your time.

[ True enough, he is seated on one of the stairs, with Noah floating above him in a stance similar to that adopted by guardian angels. ]

Comments

[stophamatime]

Even if it works, it's not like we have extra Evokers.

[The three people who brought theirs...all need to keep theirs for their own purposes, and the odds of one of them being convenient to borrow from when the shit hits the fan don't strike him as terribly high.]

[neverfeltthatway]

That's why I suggested it when Naoki mentioned teaching you to card summon - if you could do that, you might not need them.

[shiroganeheir]

[Naoto has been listening to this with increasing amounts of uncomfortableness, and finally speaks up.]

I have some reservations about it, to be honest. Handling firearms of the normal sort when one is not trained on them is difficult enough, but handling technology that can neither be replicated here nor understood seems extremely dangerous at best.

Given the correct things, I could likely replicate them, but I do not have the materials, nor the blueprints to do so.

[neverfeltthatway]

I've had training with firearms. And does anybody using them now actually understand how they work?

[A genuine question, not trying to prove a point.]

But we're not in a situation where we can avoid danger - no matter what we do. I'm a soldier - it's my job to put myself in danger to try and help others. This... this is no different.

[shiroganeheir]

I am certain they have more of an idea of their usage than someone who has never fought Shadows, yes. Evokers and Persona in my world are used for a very specific reason. Here, they can be used for other things it would seem, but still. Persona are dangerous if they are not controlled properly. If you get a Persona the hard way, it is much easier to control, but I highly doubt you wish to face all of your suppressed emotion. Trust me, it's ugly.

This is not my fight, so I will step out, however, I am not comfortable with it, for what that is worth.

[thirdarrow]

I can confirm this. Personas not acquired by way of contracts have the potential to reverse and consume the user instead. I would very much not prefer to do that as well.

[stophamatime]

[...thank you for making the point about uncontrolled Persona so he didn't have to do it and spill his mompain all over the network, Naoto. ;_;b ]

[thirdarrow]

I do understand how they work.

[neverfeltthatway]

[Bewildered at why Naoto is so angry with him all of a sudden, Armin's is glad to latch onto more solid ground when it's offered.]

Do you know what determines who is able to use it? [He flashes back to Naoto's anger for a moment, and while he doesn't quite understand...] Or whether it would be safe for someone new to try?

[thirdarrow]

An Evoker is designed to instil a sense of terror into the user. It works due to the Plume of Dusk inside the handgrip. This Plume is a fragment of an elder deity tied to the sea of consciousness, so it is impossible to replicate here.

[ A pause. ]

I acquired my Persona by way of a contract. However, the contractor is not here, so that avenue is closed. Forced awakening of Personas is very dangerous indeed, I would not suggest it.

[neverfeltthatway]

[Armin blinks, trying to keep up - but though he's been friends with persona users most of a year now, most of these concepts are going right over his head. Fuuka never talked about anything like this.]

...I'm not sure I quite understand. You can acquire your persona by way of contract, or by facing your shadow. But Fuuka... and Ken and Minako, I suppose, they use the evokers. Did they force the awakening of their personas?

[It doesn't seem like the way they use their personas is as dangerous as Takakage seems to be saying - but Armin doesn't understand the distinction. He really is just trying to understand.]

[thirdarrow]

[ That is a good question. ]

I am not sure. Perhaps it is a question better answered by them in person.

[ There were discussion of people having the potential to summon Personas, but he cannot remember too many details. ]

It seems the mechanics of Persona ownership varies across worlds, in any case.

[seestheworld]

[Minako has been listening to all this, and... what.]

You're... asking if people who regularly use Evokers understand how they work?

Besides, the item that powers them isn't available here, and if we're ever in a world where it is, we're probably going to have bigger things to worry about.

[neverfeltthatway]

Naoto implied that the technology was not understood, and thus was dangerous. That didn't really make sense to me, with you using them, so I was trying to clarify...

[Armin trails off. When he had heard mention of teaching the evoker summoners to card summon, it had made sense to ask if it was possible for others to use the evoker. But there are so many people answering, speaking about things he doesn't understand, and giving conflicting answers that he's only more confused now.]

[seestheworld]

[Minako is quiet for a moment, thinking. Then there's the impression of a sigh.]

In our world, most people can't use Personas at all. The ability is... kind of innate? There was an experiment someone did - I want to say ten years ago, but without knowing how time works here, it's hard to tell whether that's true. It was a little over ten years before the time I'm from.

[Or the last time she remembers, anyway.]

Anyway, that experiment unleashed a lot of Shadows - if you don't know what those are, then just think monsters for now - and something called the Dark Hour, which was basically a hidden twenty-fifth hour of the day. Most humans aren't aware of it, and of those who are, most can't handle it, at least not without any sort of training. The only people who can function normally are people who have the potential to summon a Persona, and only Persona users can use an Evoker. In fact, Persona users in our world need to use an Evoker.

[Or dramatic emoting in Takaya's case, but there are other issues there.]

Evokers work through fear. You're basically symbolically killing yourself, and the fear of that, along with whatever existing potential you have, is what lets you summon a Persona. It's not really something that can be taught, and it's absolutely not something that should be induced. I'm not sure if the ability existed before the Dark Hour, but while the Dark Hour existed, that was the most reliable way to find other Persona users.