Ateliers
A recent topic entering public (supernatural) conscious via the Dark Side, Ateliers are not a new concept, but instead one that has been rapidly becoming more relevant as rumors of people falling victim to |vicious and unsettling bodysnatching incidents have begun to circulate.
The cognitive spaces known as Ateliers seem to be central to these rumors. Which begs the question...
What Are Ateliers?
An aspect of the Collective Unconscious, Ateliers exist in all people and represent the balance of a person's sense of individuality versus their connections to others and society – they are, essentially, a person's mind palace (but not Palace!). They are usually benign insomuch as they do not intrude on other supernatural spaces nor are they typically harmful to their owner. Ateliers' sole role is to represent - and maintain - a person's sense of individuality within an endless sea of interconnection.
Everyone has an Atelier, but every Atelier is different. As an Atelier is a reflection of its owner, each is as unique as a fingerprint. There are some simple rules that define how they appear however, their ultimately being a reflection of the individual and their connection to others being the most fundamental. A person with a strongly developed sense of individuality, for example, will have an Atelier that is largely reflective of their personality, their history, and the important things of their life. A person who lacks a strong, individual identity, on the other hand, will usually have a more indistinct Atelier that is ultimately more reflective of the culture and area in which they live, and - on occasion - the people who have had the strongest influence over their lives.
Finally: a person who has no sense of self, i.e. a person whose Shadow has been destroyed, consumed, or otherwise removed from the individual, has a barren and monochrome Atelier, having been deprived of the thing sustaining it.
This is the cornerstone for what an Atelier -looks- like. But there's other simple rules fundamental to an Atelier. Like, for example:
How do you get into one?
Accessing Ateliers
Ateliers exist as part of the nature of intelligent life, although they vary widely in their scope and thematics. In nearly all cases, they are simply there, the same as your spleen and the back of your ears. In some cases, they can be more easily found. Individuals who have recently had a sudden, radical change in their behavior leave a way in.
Getting into the Atelier is not a simple matter. First, you must find a Thread: something important to the individual. This is usually an item of specific personal adoration -- and it may not be the most obvious choice. A precious wedding ring might not be a Thread, while a memento of a regretted love or childhood pet might be. In some rare cases, an individual may be a Thread, although in such cases the individual holds the Potential as well. Whether this is a precondition or a side effect is unknown.
After finding the Thread, one must find the Eye: the Eye will be a location, a lonely one, that is or was important to the individual whose Atelier you seek. This location must be physically visited with the Thread in tow. A subtle change in the Thread's Resonance, usually perceived as an intensification of the Thread's "is-ness," proves that the two have met. (In the exceptional cases of a Thread being an individual, they may visit the location themselves. Typically, they will not notice anything.)
This completes the ritual: at this point, one can enter the Atelier. However, this in turn has its own complexities. You have to find a space where people are "Alone Together." There are nuances here -- it must be an enclosed area, which simultaneously holds the concepts of isolation and interconnection. Such places can be difficult to find, but there is a simple and elegant solution in the modern jungle: a net cafe.
These oases of connected solitude are usually open 24-hours, but it may take some courage to brave one. Here, the traveler enters the net cafe cubicle with the Thread and closes the door. With the Thread in hand, or near to hand, the aspiring traveler logs into a certain website simply called [AtelierNetwork.jp]. After a short wait -- helpfully tracked by the site itself -- the user may step outside of the place where they are, and enter the Fabric of Reality.
The Thread does not travel with you, and so the group can share one by one... though you may still need everyone to rent a cubicle. Otherwise, they might get wise.
The intentionality of this ritual effectively limits it to Persona Users or their immediate confederates. Individuals as Threads should be considered a "PC-exclusive" feature -- either as a shocking mischance leading to Transmutations, or as a point of tension and complexity.
Lesser Shadows - The Humors
Ateliers are benign. They are not, however, without a way to defend themselves. Known as Humors, these lesser Shadows populate - and are influenced by - the Ateliers they reside in, and serve as something like the white blood cells of an individual's psyche.
Humors can be divided into four separate categories defined by the roles they fulfill within the Atelier:
Flegmat (Phlegmatic) - Among Humor Shadows, the Flegmat types are the most passive. They tend to comprise the 'window dressing' of an Atelier's environment and represent the relative baseline of an Atelier owner's psyche. They are sensitive to small worries and disturbances that are usually too remote for one to voice in the real world. Capable of conversation, but not very assertive, they tend to get swept up by events around them. Despite this, their presence helps prevent most Homunculi from forming at all.
It's when a Homunculus does form with enough strength to eat the primary Shadow that they become seemingly helpless to the chaos around them. As a Homunculus' control of the Atelier strengthens, they begin to take on more twisted forms befitting the Homunculus in question. When it happens, they become the bellwethers to how close a Homunculus is to fully consuming the host's Shadow.
Sanguin (Sanguine) - Humor Shadows that represent a need for drive, action, or call for help that the Atelier owner struggles to manage, these are the real movers and doers of Humor Shadows. They all unilaterally desire to destroy a Homunculus by their nature, and can be convinced by Atelier visitors that they are there to help.
However, most will usually rouse up other Humors - especially Coleric - against intruders while acting as a 'leader' figure for small groups. Battles where a Sanguin Humor is present can be averted with successful negotiation, in these cases. While they do not fall into the sway of a Homunculus outside of the most dire of circumstances, it is nearly impossible for Sanguin Humors to deal with them naturally unless the emerged Homunculus is incredibly weak.
Coleric (Choleric) - Of the four types, these map most closely to basic mindless Shadows like those from the Dark Hour. Outwardly they act as mindless hordes, but a healthy psyche employs Coleric Humors in order to deal with any manner of foreign body intruding within one's Atelier. This means that conflict with numerous Coleric Humors is an inevitable part of exploring Ateliers in any circumstance.
Even if a Homunculus is active - a presence that stirs them to a panicked violent frenzy regardless - those from outside the Atelier register as enemies all the same. They cannot be reasoned with directly, but all Humor Shadows are capable of communication with each other, so a local Sanguin Humor can temporarily call them off. Their numbers replenish endlessly, so fighting them does no lasting harm to an Atelier's host.
Melanc (Melancholic) - These Humor Shadows are based on parts of oneself an Atelier owner dislikes. Self-doubt is healthy, in the correct dosage, and having them present is important for growth and self-improvement. They are also important moderating influences for Sanguin Humors in ordinary circumstances. Unfortunately, the presence of a fully-formed Homunculus outright hijacks and empowers these Humor Shadows to turn them into their direct lieutenants, using their self-criticizing rationales as a weapon against the rest of the Atelier.
Coleric Humors have a bad habit of not targeting them because they read as (and are) native to the Atelier, and thus it requires outside help to subdue them when a Homunculus is consuming the primary Shadow. Bringing them 'into balance' is an important step that needs to be taken en route to reaching and subduing an emergent Homunculus. Once subdued, any healthy Flegmat Humors can help prevent a Homunculus from regaining control of a Melanc Humor so long as the Homunculus is dealt with as soon as possible.
Instar Stages: The Life Cycle of a Homunculus
One might suspect that Ateliers function similarly to Palaces when infected by Homunculi, and it's understandable why a Persona User might believe it functions like Security Level. However, it is in fact far simpler than that.
The danger of an Atelier is proportional to the stage of development of the Homunculus.
It's been named 'Instar Stages' because functionally, a Homunculus is a parasite, attempting to subsume control over its host.
While it is a Cocoon, there is only the potential of danger. After hatching, it enters its first Instar phase. The host will begin to show subtle signs of the takeover, while the Atelier's denizens may attempt to fight off the Homunculus. Nearly always, the humors will lose this battle without outside intervention.
Within the second instar stage, the host will begin to show obvious changes as it assumes that aggressively idealized version of itself. During this phase, the humours will typically stop attacking the Homunculus, as they begin to become confused as to which is host and which is Homunculus.
The Coleric Humors are quite likely to attack any Persona User who comes near them as a perceived threat to the Atelier, as they sense some kind of threat. The Melanc Humors will begin to follow the commands of the Homunculus during this phase.
During the third instar stage, the Atelier becomes incredibly dangerous. The Homunculus has nearly taken over during this time, and nearly all Humors except the Sanguin will register them as the host. In reality, the signs will be absolutely clear. Something is wrong with the person. Confronting the person in question will always end poorly, as the Homunculus becomes paranoid and erratic in asserting they are the person in question. Outright aggression is quite common.
The Sub-Adult stage is the final stage before complete takeover of the host. During this stage, the Atelier and most of its denizens are under its complete control, and will rise to defend the Homunculus if threatened. The appearance of the possessed Shadow may show overt signs of degradation, such as distorted features or speaking with a voice that isn't its own.
This is the final chance to save the person in question's Shadow. Ridding the Atelier of the Homunculus will allow it to still recover, but at this stage it's become quite a feat given its ability to wield the humors against the Persona Users. If the Homunculus feels truly threatened, it will shed all pretense and empower itself by consuming Flegmat Humors to empower itself and become the monstrous 'other self'.
At the adult stage, the person's Shadow has been completely consumed, and there is no coming back from it. They are dead, and the body is under the Homunculus' possession, as the husk that was once a person is now a monster in human skin.
As for what it will do with it at that point, well, wouldn't you like to know?
Fabric of Reality
Ateliers are all about individuality versus connection. It stands to reason then that there must be something connecting them. Enter: the Fabric of Reality.
The Fabric of Reality is the name for the metaphysical space on which Ateliers reside; if Ateliers are great-but-isolated pieces, the Fabric of Reality is the thread that binds them all into a far greater tapestry of interconnection. Through the Fabric, Ateliers (individuals) are woven together to the whole, making it both a sort of liminal space of reality and an essential part of the Atelier system.
The Fabric of Reality is a core part of what makes Ateliers function, but it is also a space unto itself. The Fabric of Reality can be traversed and explored, with all its own wonders and hidden dangers within its sprawling, esoteric spaces. The explorable spaces of the Fabric are the 'threads' that connect Ateliers to one another; due to this, the Fabric isn't representative of any individual person or place, but is the general zeitgeist of humanity in all its myriad forms. As such, traversable spaces in the Fabric of Reality tend to be more aesthetically abstract, surreal, and sometimes downright eerie.
Persona Users can enter the Fabric of Reality through logging in to AtelierNetwork.jp at any given net cafe, just as they would Ateliers. Since the Fabric belongs to everyone in a very technical sense, Threads are not required to access it; those entering are drawn into a generic hub within the Fabric that abstractly represents the cafe they came from, almost always furnished with a door to the Velvet Room for the average Persona Users' convenience. From there, they can freely explore the Fabric. This is, like many other metaphysical spaces, a trying experience. Like Ateliers, the Fabric of Reality is populated by Humors; these Humors tend to be indistinct and much more representative of cultural perspectives than individual ones, and make traversal through the Fabric a dangerous prospect.
While technically a person could eventually reach an Atelier through the Fabric of Space, the network is so unfathomably vast and full of potential dangers that it would be an impractical choice at best, or the last choice you ever make at worst.
AtelierNetwork.jp
The mysterious website that enables access to both Ateliers and the Fabric of Reality. Its layout is simple but elegant: the main page is a white log-in button on a black background, and once logged in, there is another single button, this time red-on-gold, marked ACCESS ATELIER. Logging in and hitting this button after one has successfully completed a ritual is the final key to allow one to enter an Atelier.
Once one has successfully entered an Atelier for the first time, a webring-style image link appears at the bottom of AtelierNetwork.jp, and one can re-enter it by clicking on it. The central button is always the Fabric of Reality, which is already automatically linked once one logs into the site for the first time.
One may get the website address simply by asking Igor, though Igor claims he has nothing to do with its administration. Igor will explain that you choose your name and your password for yourself--though it's up to the website whether or not it accepts it. (In other words, you need to have a Persona. If you don't, the site will reject your account.) It's not necessary to go through Igor to get website access, though; anyone who has an account already can give out the site address.
For groups of people accessing an Atelier, it's not necessary for every single person to log in one by one. It's enough for the first person to log in, and then every subsequent person can enter the net cafe cubicle and click the ACCESS ATELIER button (or the webring link) for themselves. In this way, the unawakened may potentially enter an Atelier and/or the Fabric of Reality--though for their safety, this is strongly not recommended.
The Enantiodromia
There is something off in the Fabric of Reality. Regions of the interconnected Atelier network have begun to warp and darken, twisting the Fabric and its Shadows into something strange and disturbing.
The phenomenon is known as the Enantiodromia, and it is spreading.
Its origins are unclear but its effects are obvious: areas that have succumbed to the Enantiodromia are a sick echo of what they once were, the abstract architecture of the Fabric becoming something more explicitly abnormal and often dangerous on its own for the people who dare to try to travel through. Humors within these spaces are horrific and often confused and far more violent than its brethren outside of it.
In many ways, regions of the Fabric of Reality are not so dissimilar to Ateliers subjected to the will of a Homunculus. But most worrisome of all is the fact that the connections between Ateliers in spaces like these seem to be weakening -- as if the Fabric was somehow, in some abstract way, fraying.
It's unclear what is causing this affliction within the Fabric of Space; the most reasonable theory is that it has something to do with the emergence of Homunculi. But it is a real and present danger and, for those brave enough, a mystery that needs to be solved. Exploration of the Enantiodromia is extremely dangerous but potentially rewarding: in the way of all supernatural spaces, it comes with an abundance of treasure and meta-materials the subconscious craves, if someone can navigate its constant and surreal obstacles.
The deeper one delves into the Enantiodromia, the stranger and more unearthly it becomes. Regions of the Enantiodromia are walled off, preventing further passage, barriers that seem to open up the more Homunculi are dealt with.
What is the connection between Homunculi and the Enantiodromia? And just what is waiting at the epicenter of it all?
Well -- there's only one way to find out, isn't there?