Darkside
Darkside is less an organization than it is a loose collection of people who have reasons to stay in contact--information-seekers, loners, protectors who feel that the more 'established' groups have something to hide. Many of these individuals have the power of Persona--learning that it's unwise to try to face the dangers of the night alone, they band together under a generally informal structure. The members of the Darkside won't always agree--but no one ever claimed they had to. It remains that they'll tend to respect action far more than bluster. This group includes under its banner a number of individuals--but what most of them have in common is that they've found or been invited to the secret boards behind the Darkside network, run by a mysterious man known only as Baofu. Another growing group that falls under this banner, however, is a group of high-minded (and not-so high-minded) Persona-users, brought together by one Tatsuya Suou to protect the city of Sumaru from threats internal and external. They call themselves the Shinsengumi, and much like the rest of those who fall under Darkside's banner--they are rarely content to sit and wait when there are things that need doing.
Who Can Join?
Lone wolves, punks, computer nerds, musicians--the Darkside takes all kinds, though outcasts and others on the fringes are especially likely to gravitate here. All that's really required is a willingness to get up and do more than wonder--to act, to search. And, of course, the invitation, though those that merit it tend to earn it without even knowing what they're working toward.
- 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 bit different than those of other factions - bonds of leadership are nearly all informal and personal, rather than resembling anything of an 'official' command structure. Still, there are a couple of active members whose contributions attract respect, and who are willing to lead--reluctantly or not.
- Baofu (Hanged Man): Baofu makes a living by seeking out and selling information, no matter how dubious the means by which he acquires it. Smart and savvy, he occasionally masquerades as a drunkard to put people off their guard. He runs the underground website '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.
- 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.
