#maybe personal cognitions? But they're mostly representations of a specific feeling...

[katsona-the-katsequel]

Doppelgängers

A list of the different personifications of aspects of oneself in Persona.

Shadow Self

Representation of the public cognition, person's desire, person's insecurities, and person's fear of public perception (everyone say: "thank you, Hiding in Private").

Distinguishable for their unnatural eyes.

Everyone develops one at some point in life (possibly during early teenage years).

Love to dunk on themselves, unless they're a Palace Ruler, then they dunk on everyone else... before dunking on themselves.

Must be battled and/or accepted by the individual they represent to disappear or become a Persona.

Can be found anywhere in the Expanse. If the issues the Shadow represents are too strong, they form a Dungeon to live in. If their desires become distorted, they form a Palace. Both structures attract regular shadows.

So tied to the individual that any harm done to the Shadow Self will be reflected on the real one. If the Shadow Self is killed, the real individual dies as well.

With the magic of science, can be forced into unstable artificial Personas.

Splitting

Shadows can be naturally split into more aspects of oneself if an inner conflict is too big for said Shadow to represent all of it.

Split into more specific aspects, Shadows gain more autonomy.

Some of the Shadows may want to obliterate the other Shadows if they have opposing aspects. This way the specific aspect gains more power inside the real person's psyche.

Under the Rumor Curse

Nyarly takes advantage of his domain to take control over Shadows and make them do his bidding.

Shadows basically thrive under the Rumor Curse, leaning more on their "public cognition" aspect.

Can lean on said public's perception to continue existing after the individual they represent dies.

Have a stronger desire to not only kill their real selves, but replace them as well.

The combination of greater autonomy and desire to replace the real versions grants them the ability to fight with Reverse Personas instead of transforming into bigger monsters.

May be formed regardless if the individual already has a Persona. Rumors about anyone exist regardless if they've figured themselves out, after all.

The opposite of a Shadow Self. Ideals are what an individual wishes they were and how they want to be perceived.

(EDIT: Shiori's Shadow wasn't born from the Rumor Curse. It was truly born from her subconscious and manipulated by Nyarly. Sorry about the mistake 🐧).

Ideal Self

SPECULATION ALERT: Might form as naturally as a Shadow, maybe even earlier than the teenage years. The moment a kid is asked what they want to be when they grow up, it's game.

SPECULATION ALERT: Unknown where they naturally reside, though it might be the Expanse as well.

Benevolent by nature, will always help their real self.

Can fight by summoning their own version of Personas.

(I don't have pics of P2's Ideal Selves, but they exist 😔)

Cognitive Self

Representation of how the individual is seen by a specific person.

Created from the perception of someone else, with no input from the individual.

Mostly found in Palaces.

Can be fought, but their power depends on what the Palace Ruler thinks of them and their death doesn't affect the real self.

Under the Rumor Curse

Lean more on rumors for their creation, rather than a single person's perception.

Can coexist in the physical world with the real selves.

Mostly come into being when the rumor is too contradictory to the real thing (like death rumors), unlike normal rumors that become part of a person.

Alternate Self

Come into being whenever there is an alternate timeline.

I suppose characters from P5X would count as this.

Anima/Animus

So far, has only been shown as a genderbent version of an individual.

They're not even called this, but I felt they needed a special distinction for lore-implication-reasons, and if Atlus can play loosely with Jungian terms, so can I.

Not even I know what's up with Theo.

Shapeshifters

Beings with the power to change their appearance to look like someone else.

Somehow both more AND less common than it should be.