BoM/TWS Message Forum

> I think. Seuzz, Nostrum, imaj and the more magically inclined would
> likely have a way better idea of it than I do.

Why, I feel so welcome already!

Anyways, given my understanding of how the mask-mind band combo works, I could do better technobabble than Seuzz. No offense, sir,

For starters, let's assume Will Prescott and...let's say Cindy Vredenburg (hehe) have plotted a plan to...how about usurp Chelsea Cooper from the "queen bee of Westside" spot?...and are using the Libra Personae and its spells. At the moment, they have one mask with Chelsea's imago, one mind band with Chelsea's mental imago, and a combination mask-mind band. We're assuming that Will made everything, because he's the owner of the Libra (most of the time).

There are four actions that can be done (putting the mask, putting the mind band, putting the mind band then the mask, putting the mask-mind band combination), and two people that can do it (Will and Cindy). Each action naturally sets a reaction - putting the mask replaces physical imago, putting the mind band sets an overlay of the mental imago. A combination mask-mind band, thus, has to make two actions - one, to replace the physical imago, and then to set an overlay of the mental imago.

When putting a mind band, assume that the connection is made as if placing a USB - a computer automatically detects anything set on a USB. The mind band is essentially a flash drive containing the memories of the individual (the mental imago), plus a bunch of drivers. First, the "driver" that checks for human essentia (similar as how a computer detects if you're installing a flash drive, a smartphone or a peripheral, except done in reverse). If "human essentia" = TRUE, then the other drivers kick in. One of these drivers is the one that allows you to, let's say emulate the individual's personality; it is a separate part of the mental imago, which would be the cumulus of a person's memories, personality and thought processes. (Hence, why anyone that has Maria Vásquez's mind band placed upon, for example, given the right time, start thinking like her.) Naturally, since it's a USB connection, the "drivers" are installed almost immediately, and the peripheral is thus recognized and active - hence, you get the memories and personality almost immediately.

Now, what happens with a mask and a mind band? The actual answer would be "the ferrumen's fault", but let's expand that a bit. The mask works as a replacement device: it stores your physical imago and replaces it with the physical imago of the other individual. The mask, thus, works as a different peripheral, with its own set of connections. When you add the mind band, you're basically sticking that flash drive into the new peripheral. This causes an interference; the physical imago is replaced, but the mental imago cannot be replaced (else, it'd be basically like having an anima band), because a process within the mask interferes with it. The drivers are still installed to allow the mind band to be recognized, but you'll need some sort of shut down -> restart procedure, and the brain does that during REM sleep. Thus, when the body enters REM sleep, the mind band gets accessed, and the connection is established. This is why, at first, someone can't access the individual's memories. However, with subsequent use, the drivers are already "in", so it's merely a matter of an exercise to re-access them. (This would explain why someone like Blackwell, or Taylor, who constantly use certain masks, don't have this predicament.)

Now, what happens with Will? It can be its Sulva nature, or it can be just him, but Will is just naturally inclined to the Libra's magic.Cindy wearing the "Chelsea" mask + mind band would take one day to make a perfect impersonation, but could still harness some memories in a pinch. Will, on the other hand, ignores that process restriction, thus getting access to the memories in the mind band immediately. It's undefined whether it's a Sulva innate prodigy, a Sulva + Kenandandra synergistic prodigy, a Sulva/Kenan/personality trinity prodigy, or just a unique prodigy of Will being Will. However, there are two things that could make it easier for Cindy to access the memories - one (might be wrong on this one) is for Cindy to make the mind band AND the mask, since it's basically recognizing its creator, and two (less of a hassle), use the mask and mind band combo constantly. If Cindy only takes the "Chelsea" mask and mind band for brief moments, she'd keep all the memories fresh in her mind, thus assuming the impersonation almost instantly. The longer Cindy spends away from the "Chelsea" mask + mind band combo, the lesser is the probability that she can regain those memories immediately. (Even Will loses the memories on a mind band after some time, generally starting between 10 minutes from removal to 1 hour.) However, if Cindy were to wear the combo for many days, possibly even months, her brain could very well get accustomed so well that she could access those memories instantly. (That is, if new memories aren't uploaded - that'd require a REM sleep backup.)

Simplified? You need REM sleep to access the memories, because you can't access them easily after your physical imago has been replaced. You can do it if you put a mask after the mind band, because the access has been pre-established.

Do note, though, that there's anomalous data; you can harness a person's memories when wearing a mind band after wearing a mask. That is probably because the mind band is essentially accessing the person's mind through the "USB port" of the new physical imago; this is why both objects are removed when using the mask and mind band separately. Thus, the real problem here is the ferrumen, which has the locking process that prevents someone from accessing the memories in order to avoid replacing the individual's mental imago.

Is it clear enough? Or do I need a Trini to translate all of this?