Mentioned Characters: Kokoro

"Emotions turn like the seasons. Expressions bloom like flowers. The you I know, and the me you know―they echo in a never-ending symphony." Hata no Kokoro is a mask tsukumogami, also known as a menreiki. Legend has it that her masks were crafted by Hata no Kawakatsu at the request of Prince Shoutoku. Show me your emotions. I'll make sure they reach Hata no Kokoro.

Emotions What are emotions? They're not a phenomenon of the inner mind, nor a reaction to the outside world. They are you. Every other function of the mind is nothing more than a costume we force our emotions into. You can feign calmness or even empty-mindedness, but your emotions are always bubbling below the surface. There has never been a moment you were devoid of emotions. And as long as you live, as long as your heart beats, there never will be.

Panpsychism The world is built on consciousness. Our emotions are the building blocks. That's why we call someone's personality and habits their temperament. The movement, alignment, transformation, collapse, disappearance, and birth of emotions color the bullets of consciousness. You can't control your consciousness. Your consciousness controls you.

Personas There is no such thing as a real or fake persona. There is no "true self." Everything is true, and everything is false. Every version of me is me, yet I'm the only me. Maybe that's why I love them so.

The Stage A mask is a persona. But it's also a stage. Each mask is a single unit. Who will appear? When? Where? What bullets will they fire? The set of answers creates a mask, and each mask is bound to a series of sounds. The jump from 1D to 2D. From string to membrane. Within it, the fabric of life, the cosmos, and all things. The curtain falls.