Seasoning

Seasoning is the increasing of potency of Yoki as a being ages. Seasoning appears as rings around the core of an awakened and can be seen in Yoki perception. It is synonymous with quantity and is part of the observed, particularly how much raw yoki (combined (engraved) or uncombined with the soul) is contained within a being. Seasoning represents how much time has been consumed by a body of yoki, and also how much physical change can be made in reality by a shade. Seasoning generally can be used to determine the age of a claymore or awakened at a glance although it can be wrong in the cases of the Vanguards and Cassandra. Any awakened older than 100 years old is considered seasoned and experienced since the seasoning can be clearly seen in its aura, making it harder to kill.  
As beings season, their bodies begin to change and improve. Weak spots are covered, extra appendages or modified appendages are created, attacking power is increased. Seasoning can be sped up by THUMA or temporarily through ingesting vanguard tears in the case of awakeneds (although it completely destroys their Yoki afterwards). Seasoning in actuality is the payment of time to engrave the soul of a yoki-user into its yoki, making the yoki evolve and gain new characteristics of the soul, and as a result, reflecting the changes made onto the body of the user.  Seasoning is also determined by the mindset of the user as the improvement most wanted by the user will be achieved. The ability to use time as payment for engraving is similar to Voice.  
Seasoning inherently require the consumption of time to occur. For this reason, theoretically, it is possible for an awakened's seasoning to cease entirely if they were stuck in a situation where they were entirely unable to eat. Yoki-using creatures consume time at different rates, rates of seasoning. If they eat more than they can "digest", the remaining time is kept in reserve for later consumption. Upon having no more time left in reserve, the being experiences hunger, and goes after food, entering Blood Mist if no food is found. Likely, if a being were to not be able to eat, it would enter a comatose state, not dead, but unable to function.  
Seasoning can happen slowly like with Cassandra gaining an indestructible head after seasoning 500 years when she started with an indestructible forehead or in short bursts like when Faith gained chained arms when she desperately needed to reach Grace.
Seasoning can occur by absorbing similar Yoki sources and integrating them into one's body through digestion if the two share the same Yoki source. Cassandra may have done this to Roxanne and Hysteria by eating them since they all shared Priscilla's Yoki (see canon wiki if you don't know about this). Seasoning also occurs when one force of yoki is subjugated by another, far stronger force, combining with it. Usually, this applies to the consumption of corrupt beings by awakened (Eva, Cassandra), becoming a voracious being. Eating too much of other yoki-users can result in mental instability, as essentially, each eaten piece still lives on, fragmented, as part of the one who ate them.
Seasoning can also occur by eating animal life, giving the body characteristics of some of the things the awakened eat. (ex. awakened from Mucha which eat poisonous animals become poisonous themselves.) (It took only 50 years to develop poisons)
*Double digit awakeneds season into single digit awakeneds in around 250 years
*Single digit awakeneds season into top 5 awakeneds in around 500 years
*Top 5 awakeneds season into abyssals in as long as 1000 years
*Abyssals may be able to season into Eternals after 10000 years.
Seasoning doesn't exist once a being becomes an Eternal and its yoki essentially becomes timeless, making the user appear to have an indeterminable amount of seasoning.
The time needed to season into a higher "class" of awakeneds is significantly less the more powerful the awakened is. In a fight between two equally powered awakeneds, the more seasoned one will generally win since it better protects its weak points, has improved attack capabilities, and has more experience.
Seasoning is determined by multiple factors. For a more in-depth dissection of seasoning rates and their significance, click here.Category:Terminology