Force Field

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The term force field refers to a perceptual barrier that a system member (or sentient headspace) created voluntarily to distord perceptions of a specific member/group of members, often for protection purposes. It can affect any soma or any spot in the headspace.

Origin
A force field is mainly created by Gatekeepers and Protectors; it can also be supervised by Overseers, who are always keeping an eye on the headspace or the front.

Some sentient headspaces (such as a protective sentispace) may also create a force field to secure living beings in their headspaces (especially those with whom it shares a symbiotic connection).

This barrier is especially the work of ancient members/entities of a system, because using that ability channels a lot of energy, and requires a lot of practice. It may also be limited to some high power/hierarchy position, or even interpreted as a form of higher power/mystical ability.

Appearance
A force field can take many forms:


 * a distortion effect that makes it difficult to notice someone/something and stare at them/it;
 * a distortion effect that makes it hard to distinguish someone/something in a crowd or a place, even though the path is clear;
 * a magnetic or electric field that makes it uncomfortable to stand near someone/something;
 * a dark cloud or fog floating right on the focal point;
 * a blurred or indistinct shape on the focal point;
 * etc.

Purpose
The force field can be set for a wide variety of reasons:


 * to protect someone/something;
 * to give privacy to someone, particularly when sensitive information or vulnerabilities are shown;
 * to prevent going to some places, by hiding the entrance or path;
 * to avoid spoilers;
 * to show off the rank of a headmate (as maintaning the force field for symbolism requires energy and mastery);
 * to show the extent of a headmate's abilities as a deterrant to others;
 * etc.

Though, it often remains a mystery as to why the force field was set up, to avoid a protection breach by giving too much information to the system.

Consequences
⚠️ Trying to bypass the barrier of a force field (e.g, by voluntarily starring at it too long or standing near it a while) can cause a certain degree of headpressure, from light to severe. Symptoms may consist of dizziness, confusion, vision fading to darkness (until leaving the field), feeling like gravity pulling to the ground, headaches, etc.

As a result, it may be necessary that some kind of Protector or another member interviene, to quickly get the confused member out of the force field's influence.

Related Terms
A force field is not to be confused with:
 * the term oculosoma, which refers to a headmate appear similarly in a blurred or indistinct soma because of a soma attribute (and not a protection mechanism),
 * the influence of a mutalion (a headmate who changes the forms/vision/sensations/movements of nearby headmates, accidentally or intentionally, either temporarily or permanently).

History
This term and its flag were coined on October 2nd, 2023 by Pluralpedia user Oceanic-Lanterns.

The term describes the protection mechanism a member of their system had to create in order to conceal specific traumatic fragments from the front (who was investigating too much these fragments).

Gallery
Description: Flag (a digital drawing) showing a grey sphere, dark and luminous, in the focal point. It is over a light blue background. The sphere is surrounded by faded arrows in circles similar to a magnetic field.

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