Terms

Important terms from the Shadows House series. Unless said otherwise, these terms should be capitalized.

We do not claim these terms as our own.

Soot
A substance given off by Shadows when they feel negative emotions, or used when soot powers are activated. It has to be cleaned in a timely manner or else it will accumulate and turn into Scorches, beings that attack Living Dolls. The collected soot is heated and turned into soot charcoal, a key product of the Shadow House that is given to villagers in exchange for children to work at the manor.

Shadow
Faceless beings that are served by a Living Doll. They give off soot when feeling negative emotions in unique ways. Eventually, they can awaken a soot power. Their daily lives consists of training hobbies in special rooms, meeting with team members, and being an upstanding image of a noble. Those on special teams are given extra duties. They are in fact Morphs, fairies that mimic living things.

Living Doll
Humanoid beings that serve Shadows as their Face. Their daily lives consists of waking up early, taking part in cleaning, and attending to the needs of their master. After Debuting, they wear clothes called a Portrait when leaving their room with their master and is expected to only show their master's emotions, not being allowed to speak.

Uniform
Female Living Dolls usually wear a dark blue knee length dress tied with a dark pink string at the collarbone, it has loose sleeves tucked into dark blue cuffs at the elbow. On their feet are dark blue socks and white, button up ankle length boots with dark blue toes and soles. They wear a frilly white apron with large pockets and white cuffs on the sleeves when cleaning.

Male Living Dolls usually wear a white button up shirt with dark green pants tucked into white, knee high, button up boots with dark green toes and soles. When cleaning, they wear an attached collar on top of their shirt and a dark green vest. They are in fact humans with their memories of home erased.

Soot Suit
A special uniform worn during cleaning or messy jobs to protect the clothes from tearing or getting dirty. Comes with a robin mask that protects the eyes which is used in dark places.

Portrait
Special clothes worn by a Debuted Living Doll when outside their room with their Shadow master. They are designed to bring attention to the face with the white collars. Female Living Dolls wear a dress similar to their default wear with dark fishnets covering their arms and legs with a frilly layered white collar kept in place with a dark pink tasseled string. On their feet are dark blue shoes. Male Living Dolls wear a dark green shirt that buttons up at the back with loose sleeves tucked into cuffs at the elbow. An attached, layered square collar kept in place by a dark pink string is worn on top. They wear dark green shorts with black tights underneath and fishnet gloves on their hands. On their feet are dark green shoes.

Scorch/Clinger
Beings born from uncleaned soot that attack Living Dolls. When they get into the mouths of the Dolls, they suffer from soot sickness. (Both Scorch/Clinger can be used interchangeably)

Veiled Doll
Servants that wear veils to hide their face. They do tasks other members of the House do not do: daily manor cleaning, cooking, Doll maintenance on cleaning days, etc. Many are soot sack dummies that walk predetermined paths and do not react to others, acting only as a deterrence. Non-dummies are made of Living Dolls who failed their Debut, made to drink coffee to erase their memories.

Coffee
A special treat to Living Dolls, drinking it makes them intensely loyal to the House and motivates them. It contains Lord Grandfather's soot and in limited quantity, with Dolls only provided a spoonful during the Party of Delight every week when the effects begin wearing off. This term does not have to be capitalized.

Party of Delight
A weekly event where Living Dolls are given a syringe of special coffee and repeat the rules of the Living Dolls to strengthen their loyalty to the manor.

Children's Wing
Part of the Shadows House where the children live.

Star Bearers
Elite children in charge of the Children's Wing. The titles of the members will not need to be capitalized (Leader, secretary) though Relief and Research Teams will always be capitalized due to being special teams.

Relief Team
See: Star Bearer Teams

Research Team
See: Star Bearer Teams

Invitation
A formal letter from the Children's Wing manager. It is passed to a pair through the Star Bearers to inform them that they are to become an adult.

Adults' Wing
Part of the Shadows House where the adults live. They live in a more serious environment with four sectors to find work in.

1st/2nd/3rd floor
The floors of the Adults' Wing that reflect the adult's rank.

Children's Wing Manager
A special position for adults of the second floor. Those assigned to this are given the right to oversee the Children's Wing. They may provide advice and suggestions for the next team of Star Bearers, receive reports on the state of the wing, submit regular reports to the third floor, and conduct inspections if needed. Managers are not expected to work alone and it is common for one to bring one or two others to help with the work.

Obligation
See: Adults Life

Selection
An event for village children to be brought to work at the Shadows House. They are held twice per year at one of the main villages, with families from all over the island coming in and holding festivities. Participating children are usually 11-13 years old, with 13 being the max. They are allowed to return and re-participate for a chance as many times as they want as long as they are not over the age limit.