i don't know about the timeline, but here is a compilation of every time the acting method for Faceless is mentioned in lotm! i tried to only put in the relevant parts, but i'm adding a read more cause this still got pretty long,,,
"According to my experience, after you consume the Faceless potion, you have to remember this point—you can disguise yourself into anyone, but you are ultimately yourself."
Just after waking up this morning, my spirituality had completely stabilized. I discovered that although there aren't any signs of digesting the Faceless potion in me, I do have a certain level of harmony. This is a phenomenon that never happened after consuming the Seer, Clown, and Magician potions... [...]
Perhaps it's because I've always been acting as Klein Moretti. Yes... In a way, Sherlock Moriarty is just Klein's disguise—not someone else.
Although I've received many memory fragments and gained some of the original's feelings that previously existed, in essence, I'm still a guest from an alternate world. I am Earth's keyboard warrior, Zhou Mingrui.
I've been through so much in the last five months that sometimes I even think I'm Klein Moretti. [...]
However, I'm still Zhou Mingrui who's donning the skin of Klein Moretti... Someone who has never given up the idea of returning... [...]
After this period of contemplation and adjustment, he inexplicably felt that the gap between his spirituality and the potion had reduced significantly, and there were signs of them slowly blending together.
[...] you can disguise yourself as anyone, but you are ultimately yourself... This is likely a core principle of a Faceless's acting method. Once one forgets this point, it would be easy to forget yourself amidst the constant changes, eventually turning into a monster.
"You can disguise yourself into anyone, but you are ultimately yourself." This is the principle which Marionettist Rosago was made to remember... I originally imagined that "yourself" refers to my original identity, but from the looks of it, that's not the complete picture. What is considered as "yourself" requires serious thought... [...]
Does this correspond to the spirit of one's identity, to their true identity deep down?
Even back on Earth, Zhou Mingrui had worn a lot of facades, which formed a social persona. In a sense, this was a big part of what wasn't real.
Yes... When I become someone else, I take over their identity. In order to not be discovered, I have to disguise myself socially, which is the same as wearing a different mask.
When all the masks are taken down, there will be none left. What kind of "yourself" does a Faceless see at the end of the day?
Is this the deeper meaning behind "yourself" in that principle?
When I face my inner thoughts, overcome my fear, and challenge the impossible without reasons stemming from society, am I really acting as myself?
What can stimulate the digestion of the potion is a disguise on a deeper level. Is it being a true substitute for a person, becoming that person on a social level? Only when his relatives and friends are unable to find him for a long period of time does it prove that his disguise was a success?
In that case, the reason why I feel harmony with the Faceless potion is because I had previously disguised myself as Klein Moretti?
The first principle of Faceless is that you can disguise yourself as anyone, but you are ultimately yourself... The second principle is to have a disguise on a deeper level that fools everyone?
But to replace a person and become that person in a societal sense is quite evil just thinking about it...
Don't tell me that I have to find those kinds of people who have died in a foreign land but have a wish that has yet to be fulfilled?
Along the way, he summed up his previous experience, which was that "disguising yourself as someone else and obtaining feedback" was likely a main clause of the Faceless principles, second only to "you can disguise yourself into anyone, but you are ultimately yourself."
This is something a Faceless has to take note of when acting for real? To fully immerse oneself in the role, treating all emotions one receives as their own, but also never forgetting who they really are... This is difficult to accomplish. Failure to pay attention to it can result in an abnormal state of mind. And once a Beyonder's state of mind becomes abnormal, they won't be far from losing control...
For a Faceless to engage in real acting, it not only requires a flawless performance in terms of external appearances and habitual actions, but it also needs to maintain the core personality. Not many changes are allowed. As for personality, every person is different, so there must be a difference to a certain degree... [...]
When talking about the many masks we wear, it's not only about looks...
Sigh, a Faceless's change in appearance is very easy. The difficult part is apparently the mind. To act as a good Faceless, I'll have to cross many mental blocks. If I don't, then I'll have to spend a great deal of time to act as a real person for many years. My identity has to be recognized by everyone as I fully immerse myself into that character until I almost treat it like it's real... This is more challenging on my bottom line. It's crazy and warped.
To speed up my progress, I have to overcome a certain number of obstacles.
Soon, he found the source. This was similar to him playing role-playing games. In it, he could choose a female character, carefully choosing the facial features and attire of the character, allowing the beauty to please his eyes.
There was nothing kinky or embarrassing while doing this. On the one hand, he was viewing it from an angle of a god through the screen, making his attitude detached; and on the other hand, he was seriously acting and going through the plot. By combining the two perfectly and not distinguishing between them, he didn't have any aversion to it because he was playing a game.
This... Klein suddenly opened his half-closed eyes, feeling like this was the Faceless state he had been searching for!
He could act as anyone, but he was still only himself.
As he got into character and worked hard to act, he could detach his feelings and observe things calmly. By making comparisons, he could figure himself out and find his true self!
It's both getting into character and detachment... This is the actual application of the Faceless's main principle. Klein suddenly felt at peace as the remnant embarrassment coexisted with his changed attitude.
With a detached attitude, as though he was playing a role-playing game, he observed himself in the full-body mirror and tried hard to find any flaws.
Remember, you can only be yourself.
I cannot be influenced by the character I act as, because of prolonged acting... This will cause me to become lost and result in losing control!
He quickly reflected on himself and added his conclusions into the acting principles of a Faceless.
Klein changed his sitting posture and nodded to himself as he murmured inwardly, The greatest gain that I received was to establish the preliminary acting principles of a Faceless. It's to get into character and be detached, overcome any aversions, and to be careful about being too immersed in the role.
This way, by relying only on simple, ordinary, real acting, perhaps it will take a year or two to digest the potion. But for me, I should be able to fully digest it in about four to six months...
This also made him understand something else—many people could only be viewed from the surface, and it was impossible to imagine what they were like in private. For a Faceless to pull off a true disguise, they had to do meticulous investigations and have ample comprehension of the target. This was just like how a Magician never performed unprepared.
As he watched Gehrman Sparrow fly over, he was just about to greet and praise him when he saw the cold and gloomy expression.
Anderson instinctively made way and chuckled dryly, allowing Gehrman Sparrow to walk past him.
After returning to the Future via the star bridge, Klein held back his effusing emotions and watched Frank Lee walk over and give him a thumbs up.
"You're the craziest fellow I've ever met!
"You actually dared to board the Black Tulip alone and single-handedly challenge Admiral Hell. You even returned alive!"
Sorry, in terms of craziness, I'm far inferior to you... Klein thought in response.
At this moment, pirates with long or disheveled hair expressed their astonishment and amazement.
In such an atmosphere, Klein closed his eyes and felt his Faceless potion completely digest.
After completely digesting the Faceless potion, he came to a realization that one's self was an amalgamation of personality, experiences, knowledge, and social connections. His looks and build could be changed at will; therefore, as long as he knew who he was, he didn't mind using the word "state" to describe the characteristics of each of his different identities. After all, every Faceless change could be fixed without any additional maintenance.
This made him further understand the importance of the Faceless principle of ultimately "being yourself."
If he didn't keep this in mind and lost himself to the benefits brought about by his appearance, he would keep maintaining the corresponding appearance, resulting in him forgetting or even rejecting his former self, and he would gradually lose his identity!
Despite being someone she knows, just a change in looks and identity will be given a brand new form of treatment without any problems arising. This feeling is truly magical... As they chatted, Klein felt wistful as he felt that the additional Faceless potion he had consumed was quickly digesting.
