| “ | Time did not freeze. You were just in a state of heightened perception. Had you remained in communion with your spirit for longer, you would have noticed objects moving, albeit very slowly.
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Spirit trance[1] is an ability all spectrals have that allows them to converse and interact with spirits under their control (whether they're spirits using them as a host or tools they're currently in contact with).
Primary Effects[]
During a spirit trance, the spectral and their spirit are pulled into a mental state wherein time seems to move at a slower rate, to the extent that it almost seems to stand still. In this state, the two are able to meet face-to-face. The meeting is purely mental in nature (with the spirit appearing in the form it would naturally assume outside of its host instead of its wispy true form), but both spectral and spirit can physically affect one another. If a spectral uses multiple tools at once or is a medium using a tool, the multiple spirits can similarly interact with each other[2].
During the spirit trance, the spectral still affects the physical world, albeit at an impossibly fast rate, and their actions and speech can still be perceived by external spectators.[3] However, the physical world isn't always tangible to the spectral, depending on the way physical objects appear inside the trance (for instance, when Max communes with Scrapdragon while standing in the Corner Store, the building around him gets warped by the trance, and Max is able to pass through the newly formed gaps in the walls and roof, which nonetheless are still present outside of the mental space).[4] As a consequence of perceiving time at a slower rate, the spectral's physical body can move much faster than it would outside of the trance. This allows for brief, but substantial, bursts of speed[5]. Additionally, time slows at the same rate for all spirit trances, meaning two spectrals in a trance near each other at the same time would be able to perceive the others' speech and movements at a normal rate[6], though this would not allow them to perceive or communicate with the others' spirits.
During trances, the surrounding area will appear warped to the involved parties. The "spirit worlds" experienced inside the spirit trance are not completely unrelated to the physical location the spectral is in; the spirit worlds more accurately imprint themselves on the environment, and they look like an alternate version of the area, with a distinctive flair that varies depending on the spirit. Each experienced world is unique to each spirit, and is often tied to the spirit's ability or nature in some fashion. In the case of multiple spirits (e.g. using multiple tools) the spirits will share a mental world, which combines the different spirits' themes.[7]. Furthermore, locations and inanimate physical objects have warped appearances inside spirit worlds, but most living entities are perceived as transparent shadows moving in slow-motion; this includes haunted tools.[8]
Known Spirit Worlds[]
- Scrapdragon: Appears as an almost apocalyptic world filled with piles of metal garbage and junk strewn about.
- King Catnine: Appears as a ruined South-American/Indian temple with stormy weather throughout.
- Lucifer: A dilapidated classical manor, sometimes with shadowy tendrils on the walls or a cage-shaped shadow. The ceiling gives way to a massive black hole due to the other resident.
- Eightfold: Manifests as a great library filled with all the books Eightfold has eaten.
- Muse: Seen briefly, seems to be a white void with sketchy spirals growing out of the ground like plants. Other people as well as some objects are depicted as doodles.
- Patchworm: A lush and dense jungle with a seemingly cobblestone floor.
- Ghost Train: A colossal factory with train tracks on the ground.
- Venus Guytrap: A Greco-Roman ruin coated in roses and other flowers.
- Flipflop: Appears as a dilapidated subway station, or the inside of a subway car.
- Peekaboo: A large mansion filled with old toys.
- Cherub: Appears filled with soft creamy clouds that glitter in pastel shades. It is described as having a "hazy, dreamlike glow".[9]
Gallery[]
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)Trivia[]
- While in spirit trance, the eyes of the spectral will begin to glow white. This effect can also be seen by non-spectrals.[10]
- For tool-using spectrals, the mental link required by the spirit trance breaks off if the spectral and the tool are too far apart[1], altough exceptionally adept spectrals can commune with their tool from a distance.[11]
- Spirit trances are weakened by physical movement on the spectral's partCite error: Closing
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References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chapter 3, Page 49
- ↑ Chapter 5, Page 239
- ↑ Chapter 3, Page 46
- ↑ Chapter 8, Page 32
- ↑ Chapter 5, Page 248
- ↑ Tumblr post
- ↑ Tumblr post
- ↑ "To clarify a thing because it might be a question that comes up: when you're in a tool's spirit world, if you're touching the tool, it looks and moves normally. If you're not, it's slowed down and translucent or integrated into the environment like all other living things are. Example: if Max dropped his bat in his sunset junkyard world, it would become see-through and fall extremely slowly. You'll see some more of this in the comic eventually. Hope that makes sense." - Zack Morrison in the post-script of Chapter 4, Page 94
- ↑ Chapter 8, Page 24
- ↑ Chapter 5, Page 34
- ↑ Chapter 4, Page 94
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