Observation

1. #1Observation

   Keys: humanity's power of understanding, human understanding, Cognition, Observation

   A concept originating from the Megami Tensei franchise.

   "Observation" (sometimes described as "understanding") is the ability humans possess to give structure to the formless. In this instance, "observation" has nothing to do with sight, but rather human perception. It is an extension of the philosophical concept of "qualia," or individual, subjective experiences. For example, the sensation of seeing color is not easily communicated, yet something humanity possess a shared understanding of. Likewise, gods and demons only exist because of this shared inability of humans to give proper definition to abstract concepts in general.

   Observation is a power inherent to the human race related to their understanding of the universe. Observation influences the forms of gods and demons as human understanding shapes the forms and personalities that these entities take, reflecting their current understanding of these concepts. This can also force gods and demons to undertake extreme changes if their understanding of these entities changes. Observation is so powerful it can even rewrite myths entirely alomg with retroactively altering the history and role of said god, as seen with the tyranical titan Cronus becoming the more benevolent harvest god Saturn when the Roman religion came along, or inversely, Krishna in the events of "Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse" once being a benevolent protector but being Observed into the insane, machiavellian villian he is in that game at some point. What shape the gods of a culture take and how powerful a god or its pantheon is is determined by how widespread said belief is. A god will always be bound to their duty and who they're believed to be. No matter what the individual god birthed by Observation may wish, they will always be a god or goddess of war, knowledge, ect., as their personality is at least partially shaped by the current understanding of said being.

   Of course, forms of communication are necessary in order for humans to share their observations with one another. But once framed by language, these concepts change in nature. In effect, they become bound by language, much like the shared understanding of the supernatural and how cultures percieve them.

   In the Persona series, Observation is known as Cognition, and is typically a far more key plot point than in the main series. As stated by Morgana, "There's no such thing as the 'real' world. The world can be freely remade, along with you and everyone else." Observation/Cognition is implied elsewhere as well to reshape reality and the things in it as well as gods and demons.

2. #2Human thoughts and demons

   Keys: creation of gods, Megnetite, Cognition, Observation, Magatsuhi · Secondary: energy of human thought

   Human thoughts are, in truth, a potent form of energy that manifest as contructs known as "demons". Demons are not purely evil beings despite the connotation of the word. "Demon" in the ontological sense merely means any supernatural being, good or bad. This can include even gods or angels, hence why beings typically considered good may be called a Demon.

   Human thoughts are comprised of pure information, which when condensed crystallizes as Megnetite, the matter that makes up the bodies of Demons. This may also be called Magatsuhi depending on the context or setting, in which case it manifests as a glowing scarlet energy that ebbs from a dying demon or can even be extracted directly from humans.

   Demons upon death have the Megnetite/Magatsuhi that makes up their bodies dissolve, scattering their essence to the universe. This strange substance of pure thought is also what contains a Demon's soul, and thus having the Magatsuhi of a slain demon may allow one to hold their powers.

   Demons are created by the universe in response to the common beliefs of humans or to accommodate for changes in society and belief. In this sense, Demons exist to be the checks and balances to human Observation, aiding in societal revolution or keeping the humans from controlling every aspect of existence without resistance. Though this is their base cause on an ontological level, a Demon may take any personality or shape or powers based on what myth created them, thus acting as a counterweight to the beliefs of mortals by giving humans something to believe in and not continually Observe new versions of reality.

Showing 2 of 2

1 file

• .jsonjson_lorebookrebuilt

  6.1 KBfirst seen Dec 2, 20253e59c3a47f6a9cc6

  Download