Difference between revisions of "Midnight Channel"

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<center><i>"This world is filled with thick, heavy fog... How can you find something when you know not what you search for?"</i></center><br>
 
<center><i>"This world is filled with thick, heavy fog... How can you find something when you know not what you search for?"</i></center><br>
 
          
 
          
There is a popular story in Inaba that states that on rainy nights, alone, one can see their soulmate within the reflection of their turned off television set. Like many things in life, the truth is stranger.
+
==What is the Midnight Channel?==
  
For those with a Persona or a Shadow, the televisions of Inaba form a portal to a strange world, variably called 'the TV World' or the 'Midnight Channel'. This place is typically wreathed in heavy fog, and dangerous entities called Shadows (see [[Shadows#Wandering Shadows|Wandering Shadows]]) can be found roaming in the depths.
+
The Midnight Channel is a mysterious world accessible through the screen of any television set in the country town of Inaba.
  
Those who land in this place alone invariably end up generating a dungeon based on their repressed desires and thoughts that house their own personal Shadow (see [[Shadows#Personal Shadows|Personal Shadows]]). By themself, whether one has a Shadow, a Persona, or none at all, death is certain here without an outside rescue.
+
There's a popular story in Inaba that if you look into the screen of a turned-off television set at midnight, when it's raining, alone, you will see your soulmate. The reality is far more sinister.
  
The unsolved deaths of Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi in the spring of 2009, where their lifeless bodies were found dangling from the phone lines and a satellite dish respectively, paint a very definite portrait of the fate that awaits those who go unrescued.
+
Wreathed in fog, it is home to countless Shadows. It is here that the unfortunate will end up generating a dungeon crafted out of their repressed desires and thoughts which houses their very own Shadow, which seeks a confrontation with them. If they are not rescued quickly, before the fog fades away, they will die at their Shadow's hands.
  
==Overview==
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The deaths of Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi in early 2009 emphasize this outcome.
  
Why the Midnight Channel exists is not known, nor whether anything is responsible for its creation. It's not even certain how long it has existed. What is certain is that anyone who ends up in there alone will be placed in mortal peril. One person at least has already been known to use the Midnight Channel as a murder weapon, and it's doubtless that others in the years since have followed suit. Luckily, it's possible to prevent the death of an individual lost within by rescuing them.
+
==What is it like inside the Midnight Channel?==
  
The main area of the Midnight Channel is called by some 'the Stage'. It resembles a television studio, with walkways and metal frames all over the place. Floodlights are scattered here and there, though they do little but add some diffuse glow to the fog when it is present.
+
The Midnight Channel is cloaked in fog most of the time, which makes it difficult to see. A character needs special glasses to see more than a few feet in front of themself. It is easy to become lost in here.
  
The fog fades in and out within the Midnight Channel. When it is foggy in Inaba, it can be clearer within much of the Midnight Channel. These clearer days are dangerous for people without a Shadow or Persona, though, as they become murderous during these times. The fog also makes the use of special glasses necessary within the Midnight Channel and its dungeons, or else there's very little that can be seen.
+
Wandering Shadows are constantly roaming the Midnight Channel, and will attack Persona-users on sight. They will go berserk and attempt to kill anything they see when the fog fades away. When it is foggy in the real world, the fog fades in the dungeon, so it is important to rescue someone before the fog vanishes or they will die.
  
One odd quirk of the Midnight Channel is that several victims end up being seen on turned-off television sets at midnight /before/ they're pushed into the set. This seems to only play out for those who have gained a good deal of recent publicity in Inaba's local media, such as a TV interview or a newspaper article written about them. The connection between the two naturally has drawn speculation from some corners. In these cases, the victim's identity can often be discerned long before they vanish, as the picture becomes clearer with each passing night.
+
Resonance is dampened in the Midnight Channel. Spotter-type characters will have more trouble, with Teddie as the sole exception.
  
The day that an individual vanishes into the depths of the Midnight Channel, a short program airs on the turned-off TV set. Showcasing the victim's Shadow self, it takes the format of a promotional ad, and usually purports to tell 'the truth' about the victim, and often in a highly cruel fashion.
+
A 'central' area of sorts exists in the Stage, a large and stable location well-suited for people to meet up prior to exploration or rescue missions. It vaguely resembles the backstage of a television set.
  
==Accessing the Midnight Channel==
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Entrances to dungeons can be found here and there. These remain even after the Shadow has been defeated and can be re-explored. Ask players before using their former dungeons.
  
Any TV within the town limits of Inaba may be an access point to the Midnight Channel--so long as the person attempting it has a Persona or Shadow, and so long as the television is big enough for one to fit their entire body through it. Additionally, even those without a Persona or Shadow can access the Midnight Channel, but only so long as either someone with a Persona or Shadow is touching the screen while they enter, or if a Persona-user or Shadow-Possessed individual forcefully shoves them in.
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==How does a character enter the Midnight Channel?==
  
TVs outside of Inaba, even as much as a few inches, won't work at all. They're simply just like normal TVs.
+
Only characters with a Persona or Shadow can enter the Midnight Channel on their own. They can, however, push someone in who has no powers.
  
When someone with a Shadow or Persona touches a TV screen in Inaba, it ripples and becomes more like a semi-viscous liquid to the touch. It's easy, if someone is not prepared for it and doesn't fight against the pull, to become partially or completely sucked in if the TV is big enough. Luckily, it isn't hard to fight back.
+
Any TV will do, but a character will quickly find themself in a mysterious location, lost. If they do this on their own or are pushed in, they are likely to generate a dungeon. Traveling with a group appears to protect against this.
  
Whatever TV set one uses to enter the Midnight Channel determines where they will land. Thus, it's advised that people use the same set each time, as different ones will change where they end up. The nature of the Midnight Channel makes it difficult to find one's way, so changing the point of entry can be needlessly dangerous.
+
The only way to reach the Stage is through a large flatscreen TV for sale in Junes. No other TV will deposit a character in this location.
  
==Leaving the Midnight Channel==
+
==How does a character leave the Midnight Channel?==
  
Leaving the Midnight Channel is impossible by oneself, with a single exception to that otherwise iron-clad rule. If someone can manage to find the pathway, itself well-hidden and dangerous, they can escape the Midnight Channel via a one-way portal Mikage-cho (see [[Mikage-cho]]). Mikage-cho is not much of an improvement on matters for most souls endangered by the Midnight Channel, however.
+
There are a few ways, but note that a character who has generated a dungeon becomes lost and cannot escape the Midnight Channel until they have confronted their Shadow.
  
Other people, even rescuers, will need to find help from one of two sources. Teddie naturally will provide an exit under most circumstances, as long as he isn't harassed or abused in the asking. Another resource can be found by those with Personas or Shadows: the healing spring of the money-hungry fairy Trish can also be found in select places within the Midnight Channel. Aside from healing (for an obscenely high price), she'll also provide an exit, but the monetary cost is so great that most people typically prefer to ask Teddie, if they can find him.
+
* A character can ask Teddie to let them out, if they can find them. This requires that the character can reach the Stage.
 +
* A character can pay Trish, a fairy who has set up an exorbitantly-priced healing spring within the Midnight Channel (and elsewhere) to let them out if they find her spring, but it will cost them greatly (in terms of yen).
 +
* A character can find an exit leading to Mikage-cho, hidden deep in the Midnight Channel. This is extremely difficult to locate, and is a one-way trip. Then the issue becomes 'escaping Mikage-cho'. See [[Mikage-cho]].
  
==Dangers and Threats of the Midnight Channel==
+
==How does someone get pushed in?==
  
There are two main threats within the Midnight Channel: the Shadows that live there, and the navigational difficulties the place presents.
+
There are two avenues to getting pushed in. First, someone in Inaba can become a little too popular via the media. Prior to their disappearance, a series of vague images of a person show up on switched-off TVs at midnight; they become clearer over time. Then they really do disappear, abducted and thrown into the TV by an unknown person or persons.
  
Shadows exist throughout the Midnight Channel, though none are found in the connecting areas between the dungeons, only within the dungeons themselves. Unfortunately, 'within a dungeon' is exactly where those lost in the Midnight end up. For those without a Persona or Shadow, the Shadows within the Midnight Channel are harmless... until the thick fog finally clears. Once that happens, they all go berserk and seek to kill anyone they find.
+
The other is to simply make an enemy of someone with a Persona or Shadow who knows about the Midnight Channel and what it can do, who then decide to throw the character into the Midnight Channel for whatever reason.
  
Wandering Shadows naturally attack Persona-users, and will attack Shadow-Possessed too when the fog clears or if they are attacked by the Shadow-Possessed first. Large and powerful Shadows may also attack the Shadow-Possessed.
+
Once thrown in, a twisted advertisement starts playing on turned-off TVs at midnight, the one sure-fire way to know that someone is lost in the Midnight Channel.
  
Each person who generates a dungeon also generates their personal Shadow, which is also a highly potent threat. More information on these and their behavior can be found in [[Shadows#Personal Shadows|Personal Shadows]].
+
==What's the dungeon like? What's the Shadow like?==
  
Thick fog obscures vision within the Midnight Channel much of the time. Even with the special glasses, there are significant challenges for people finding their way around. Connections from one area to another are not immediately apparent, and much of the pathways form a maze that loops in on itself.
+
Dungeons will be like anything that is appropriate for the character in question. They are determined by the player.
  
Spotter-type characters (see [[Support Persona]]) also find themselves challenged. Their abilities to detect resonance and use telepathic communication are dampened (but not eliminated). Thus, it can take time to find someone lost down here and it a can also take time to find the shortest pathway to where they and their dungeon are located. On the flip side, the abilities of anti-spotters to hide themselves from resonance detection are amplified greatly, though they experience the same penalty to their telepathic abilities, if they have them.
+
Please see [[Shadows#Personal_Shadows|Personal Shadows]] for more information on this Shadow!
  
Thankfully, the sole friendly denizen of the Midnight Channel, Teddie, is adept in finding people, as long as he has one of their personal belongings, and can typically map a path for a rescue party.
+
==Can two or more people have a dungeon together?==
  
Dungeons can also have their own environmental hazards and traps, though this varies from dungeon to dungeon.
+
Yes. This happens when they're pushed in or made to enter in succession, or when someone follows after another character. What tends to happen is either a linked dungeon, with one leading right into the other, or a dungeon or just the Shadow itself embedded into the dungeon of the other character.
  
==Midnight Channel Dungeons==
+
==Are there any dungeon-running tips?==
  
Once someone enters the Midnight Channel alone, as stated above, a dungeon is formed. This happens regardless of whether they have a Persona, Shadow, or none at all. Some immunity is granted to those who have had a dungeon form before, but significant recent stress can cause the Shadow to awaken once more.
+
There are a few things that can make running a dungeon go more smoothly. First, where staff can support you:
  
Dungeons typically reflect in their construction in some way the core issue that the person has been repressing, and thus vary in their layout and what threats they pose to the would-be rescuers. Some dungeons might generate more traps and tricky mazes and puzzles, while others might be fairly straightforward affairs. Imagery also can change. Some dungeons may reflect very dark things, indeed, while others are more seemingly light-hearted (but no less dangerous).
+
* Submit a +request, telling staff that you're doing a dungeon, when you're doing a dungeon, and what you want your character's Shadow to do in combat. This helps us make sure the weather syncs up, that no one else is in there when you are, and that you've got a good build for your boss fight.
  
It's typical to catch snippets of memories or repressed thoughts of the victim while making passage through the dungeon. At the heart itself is usually where one finds the lost victim... and their Shadow.
+
That's it for staff! Next, here are a few tips for running a dungeon:
 
+
One peculiar quirk arises when two people (or more!) are forcefully pushed into or made to enter the Midnight Channel in succession, or when one person ends up in there alone to be followed by another, also alone. One dungeon is generated by the first person who entered the Midnight Channel. The secondary person (and tertiary, and so on) who follows does not gain their own individual dungeon, but their Shadow and elements of what their dungeon would have been like are incorporated into the primary dungeon.
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Dungeons are located at seemingly random locations within the Midnight Channel. Once their entrance has been located, they may be entered freely. It's strongly suggested that those who want to visit or otherwise use someone else's dungeon again gain OOC permission before doing so.
+
 
+
===OOC Tips on Running a Dungeon===
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+
Running a dungeon can be somewhat daunting, so here are a few tips for those who would like to run their character's Midnight Channel Dungeon.
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+
First of all, these are the bare essentials that staff needs from you to make things run smoothly (these should be submitted in a +request):
+
 
+
* Tell us the date you're planning to do your dungeon.
+
 
+
* Give us a general idea of what you'd like for your Shadow (and any other armor modes or other staff assistance you might need) so we can create stats and moves for it. Generalities are all that's needed; if you have some particular strategy in mind, this can also be helpful for us.
+
 
+
That's it for staff! Next, here are a few quick general tips for dungeon-running:
+
 
+
* Having a fair amount of relationships, reputation, and/or storybuilding with other characters helps. Involving whoever is able to show up somehow in the dungeon engages the character and the player. Even if you don't have this at your arsenal of possible hooks, try to draw characters (and players!) in. Make it fun both ways!
+
  
 +
* Having a fair amount of relationships, reputation, and/or storybuilding with other characters helps. Involving whoever is able to show up somehow in the dungeon engages the character and the player. Make it fun both ways!
 
* It's recommended (but not required!) to schedule out two days for your dungeon. Some players have done their dungeons in one night, but sometimes, it's good to have a day set just in case.
 
* It's recommended (but not required!) to schedule out two days for your dungeon. Some players have done their dungeons in one night, but sometimes, it's good to have a day set just in case.
 +
* If you have time and energy, write whatever you can in advance. It could be things like descriptions, attacks, anything you want to not feel pressured about that. You may not use any of it, as things are often up in the air, but it might be helpful.
 +
* Try choosing dates and times that work out for people you want to attend. It can make all the difference!
  
* If you have time and energy, write whatever you can in advance. It could be things like descriptions, attacks, anything you want to not feel pressured about. You may not use any of it, as things are often up in the air, but it does give you time to write out other things like reactions, character-specific hooks, and other things.
 
 
* Try choosing times that work out especially for people you want to attend. Sometimes the difference between a big crowd and a small crowd is the time of day!
 
 
</div>
 
</div>
 
[[Category: Newsfiles]]
 
[[Category: Newsfiles]]
[[Category: IC]]
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[[Category: Places]]

Latest revision as of 05:17, 11 February 2014

Contents

"This world is filled with thick, heavy fog... How can you find something when you know not what you search for?"

[edit] What is the Midnight Channel?

The Midnight Channel is a mysterious world accessible through the screen of any television set in the country town of Inaba.

There's a popular story in Inaba that if you look into the screen of a turned-off television set at midnight, when it's raining, alone, you will see your soulmate. The reality is far more sinister.

Wreathed in fog, it is home to countless Shadows. It is here that the unfortunate will end up generating a dungeon crafted out of their repressed desires and thoughts which houses their very own Shadow, which seeks a confrontation with them. If they are not rescued quickly, before the fog fades away, they will die at their Shadow's hands.

The deaths of Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi in early 2009 emphasize this outcome.

[edit] What is it like inside the Midnight Channel?

The Midnight Channel is cloaked in fog most of the time, which makes it difficult to see. A character needs special glasses to see more than a few feet in front of themself. It is easy to become lost in here.

Wandering Shadows are constantly roaming the Midnight Channel, and will attack Persona-users on sight. They will go berserk and attempt to kill anything they see when the fog fades away. When it is foggy in the real world, the fog fades in the dungeon, so it is important to rescue someone before the fog vanishes or they will die.

Resonance is dampened in the Midnight Channel. Spotter-type characters will have more trouble, with Teddie as the sole exception.

A 'central' area of sorts exists in the Stage, a large and stable location well-suited for people to meet up prior to exploration or rescue missions. It vaguely resembles the backstage of a television set.

Entrances to dungeons can be found here and there. These remain even after the Shadow has been defeated and can be re-explored. Ask players before using their former dungeons.

[edit] How does a character enter the Midnight Channel?

Only characters with a Persona or Shadow can enter the Midnight Channel on their own. They can, however, push someone in who has no powers.

Any TV will do, but a character will quickly find themself in a mysterious location, lost. If they do this on their own or are pushed in, they are likely to generate a dungeon. Traveling with a group appears to protect against this.

The only way to reach the Stage is through a large flatscreen TV for sale in Junes. No other TV will deposit a character in this location.

[edit] How does a character leave the Midnight Channel?

There are a few ways, but note that a character who has generated a dungeon becomes lost and cannot escape the Midnight Channel until they have confronted their Shadow.

  • A character can ask Teddie to let them out, if they can find them. This requires that the character can reach the Stage.
  • A character can pay Trish, a fairy who has set up an exorbitantly-priced healing spring within the Midnight Channel (and elsewhere) to let them out if they find her spring, but it will cost them greatly (in terms of yen).
  • A character can find an exit leading to Mikage-cho, hidden deep in the Midnight Channel. This is extremely difficult to locate, and is a one-way trip. Then the issue becomes 'escaping Mikage-cho'. See Mikage-cho.

[edit] How does someone get pushed in?

There are two avenues to getting pushed in. First, someone in Inaba can become a little too popular via the media. Prior to their disappearance, a series of vague images of a person show up on switched-off TVs at midnight; they become clearer over time. Then they really do disappear, abducted and thrown into the TV by an unknown person or persons.

The other is to simply make an enemy of someone with a Persona or Shadow who knows about the Midnight Channel and what it can do, who then decide to throw the character into the Midnight Channel for whatever reason.

Once thrown in, a twisted advertisement starts playing on turned-off TVs at midnight, the one sure-fire way to know that someone is lost in the Midnight Channel.

[edit] What's the dungeon like? What's the Shadow like?

Dungeons will be like anything that is appropriate for the character in question. They are determined by the player.

Please see Personal Shadows for more information on this Shadow!

[edit] Can two or more people have a dungeon together?

Yes. This happens when they're pushed in or made to enter in succession, or when someone follows after another character. What tends to happen is either a linked dungeon, with one leading right into the other, or a dungeon or just the Shadow itself embedded into the dungeon of the other character.

[edit] Are there any dungeon-running tips?

There are a few things that can make running a dungeon go more smoothly. First, where staff can support you:

  • Submit a +request, telling staff that you're doing a dungeon, when you're doing a dungeon, and what you want your character's Shadow to do in combat. This helps us make sure the weather syncs up, that no one else is in there when you are, and that you've got a good build for your boss fight.

That's it for staff! Next, here are a few tips for running a dungeon:

  • Having a fair amount of relationships, reputation, and/or storybuilding with other characters helps. Involving whoever is able to show up somehow in the dungeon engages the character and the player. Make it fun both ways!
  • It's recommended (but not required!) to schedule out two days for your dungeon. Some players have done their dungeons in one night, but sometimes, it's good to have a day set just in case.
  • If you have time and energy, write whatever you can in advance. It could be things like descriptions, attacks, anything you want to not feel pressured about that. You may not use any of it, as things are often up in the air, but it might be helpful.
  • Try choosing dates and times that work out for people you want to attend. It can make all the difference!
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