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Blooming

Madoka's blurred face

Moonlight Syndrome (月幽病 Getsuyuubyou) is a disease featured in Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse. The disease is featured prominently in the game, and is the driving force behind the island's mysterious deaths and a facet of the islanders' culture.

Description and Underlying Cause[]

Moonlight Syndrome is a condition specific to Rogetsu Isle. The disease is caused by the unique natural conditions of the island, specifically the island's Resonance. Similar to how radiation can corrupt a person's DNA, the island's Resonance is able to disrupt and corrupt a person's Moon Song (aka, their soul), which leads to them contracting Moonlight Syndrome. Those with strong senses of personal identity are resistant to contracting Moonlight Syndrome.

It shows symptoms such as loss of identity or the sense of self, memory loss, sleepwalking, and "Dancing as if possessed" as the disease advances.

The condition is heavily tied to a patient's face, since one's face is a major point of identity for many. Patients lose their ability to recognize their own face, and their face becomes visibly distorted as the syndrome progresses.

The syndrome is called "Moonlight Syndrome" because patient behavior varies depending on the phase of the moon. When the moon is full, the patient would be calm, but often seek windows or rooftops to be exposed to the moonlight, they say that they feel like they recollect the memories they have lost while bathing in moonlight. When there is a lunar eclipse, their conditions worsen. They lose themselves even more, sleepwalk and sometimes become delirious.

Contracting the Disease[]

Methods of contracting the condition include, but are not limited to:

  • Prolonged exposure to deceased spirits and the island, especially by those with naturally weak senses of self or who are not trained in shamanism
  • Wearing masks which do not look like your own face
  • Participating in the Kagura dance as one of the performers
  • Exposure to a patient in either the Resonance or Blossoming stages

The condition is non-communicable between humans outside of the Resonance and Blossoming stages.

Treatment[]

The only way to cure Moonlight Syndrome is to restore a person soul, or moon song, to its original state or melody. Methods for doing this have been lost to history with the decline of the Guardians. As such, the condition is now incurable once contracted.

In general, those who have contracted Moonlight Syndrome are placed in care. Historically, the Guardians provided care, but in modern times, patients are admitted to the Rogetsu Hospital, where they convalesce for the remainder of their lives.

Symptoms can be mitigated to prevent progression through the use of sacred music and exposure to moonlight. Masks are another possible treatment venue, as patients lose their ability to recognize themselves in a mirror. Those in the earliest stages benefit from reminders of their life and memories, such as mementos or friends, though these quickly become useless as the condition progresses.

Treatment After Death[]

Those infected with Moonlight Syndrome in life continue to suffer from it in death, since the condition involves the corruption or degradation of a person's very soul and sense of self.

The risk of patients' souls becoming contagious after death is increased. As such, every person who dies with Moonlight Syndrome undergoes the face-cutting ritual to prevent their soul from "Blooming" and infecting others.

The Rite of Descent and Kagura dances are used to 'treat' undead souls suffering from Moonlight Syndrome, by either restoring the soul's original song, or by sending it on to the next plane to remove the hazard to the living.

Stages[]

There are four stages in the Moonlight Syndrome:

Budding[]

Budding is the first and most-common stage of the Moonlight Syndrome. The patients in this phase tend to be afraid of mirrors, water, or anything that can show their reflection. It is believed that they do so because they cannot recognize their faces, as if the reflection was showing someone else's face.

Breaking[]

In the second stage, victims of Moonlight Syndrome begin to lose their sanity. It starts with their increased paranoia and confusion about what's happening around them. They may also begin to start hearing voices or noises that no one else can hear. There is an increased loss of their sense of self, and significant loss of memory.

Resonance[]

In the third stage, a patient's soul song has become corrupted enough to being corrupting those around them and their faces appear physically blurred to others at times. The patient themselves is now a source of Resonance, which can amplify and exacerbate other patients suffering from earlier stages and cause their condition to worsen. For example: a "budding" patient may begin to "break" when near a stage 3 patient.

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Blossoming[]

Blossoming is the fourth and final stage of Moonlight Syndrome, and it is considered extremely dangerous. A fully Blossomed patient has completely lost all sense of self and become a void. Any person, healthy or otherwise, who looks upon a Blossomed patient immediately loses their own sense of self and is drawn into death. Little to nothing can be done to resist a fully Blossomed patient, who have historically caused mass death events amongst island residents.

Known victims[]

Rogetsu Hall

Haibara Infirmary/unknown

Outpatients

Survivors

Died in surgery

Trivia[]

  • The original name, Getsuyuubyou can be translated as "tranquil moon disease" or "secluded moon disease". Although no specific translation is pointed out, the name may refer to how patients enter a state of tranquility while viewing the moon. It might also refer to the disease's relation to lunar eclipses.
  • Luna Sedata Syndrome (the name for Moonlight Syndrome in the fan translation) is likely a fictional combination of the words "luna" and "sedate". These, in turn, are derived from the Latin words for moon (lūna) and calm/tranquil.
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