#psience

[wanderlust-psifang]

Prismatic Feeding

Using the prism is one of my favorite ways to conceptualize psi feeding. If you equate lifeforce with light then you are essentially allowing the electromagnetic force of the target to enter your body. Whether you do it with a tendril or with pore breathing is irrelevant.

As you can see from the picture below, a single source of light enters the prism, once in the prism the light is refracted and reflects in a rainbow of colors. Imagine for a moment that stream of light is lifeforce, the refraction (bending of the light) is the lifeforce feeding you, and the reflected light is the lifeforce filling your aura.

You can also utilize this concept as a way to understanding magical projection through feeding. You absorb the lifeforce per usual, but instead of the reflected light being absorbed into your aura you direct it towards a goal or into a charm, amulet, or talisman.* When the stream of light is being refracted it is the melding of lifeforce with the statement of intent, and upon reflection it is colored with magic.

Another thought experiment is to reverse the prismatic effect, namely pulling in the reflected light to refract it back into a single stream. This of course is not how an actual prism works, but for purposes of conceptual play it can be useful and fun. This can be a way to understand healing and using personal power.

Where the refracted light is now being pulled in rather then reflected out, it pulls from your aura and, refracted to a single point, the energy is thus directed at a target for healing. Psi, essentially, is the bending of light and sound through a focused mind.

Source: Pinterest, Fixthephoto

* "...a charm is worn to attract good luck; an amulet provides protection from danger; and a talisman is used to attract a particular benefit to its owner.", Llewellyn online article, Richard Webster

[txrxw]

objective fact.

I FUCKING LOVE PSI OMG

[humanculi]

[afterthelambs]

I'm not sure if I believe the "Wakaba Isshiki did unethical experiments" theory in the fandom, but I do think this is the biggest proof of it in-game:

Because how the hell would she know that?

The first explanation is that she did experiments by sending people into palaces and then testing what happens to them if the palace collapses. Which is messed up for obvious reasons.

The second explanation is that she did NOT test it, meaning she was just making shit up. Which is funny but also would make her a terrible scientist. This explanation is less believable because everything else about her research is too accurate.

There's also a theory that Wakaba did unethical experiments on Akechi specifically. I'm not sure I believe that, since the evidence for it is pretty shallow (like the featherman game scientist experimenting on grey pigeon). But this scene is once again the biggest argument you could make for that theory. The researcher in the image above refers to palaces by their correct term 'palaces', which they say was based on Wakaba's research. But that's only something you would know with firsthand experience of the metaverse. And the only person they know who could access the metaverse was Akechi (that we know of, but i dont think Shido would rely only on Akechi if there were other options).

So yeah this scene is very sus. It's most likely the writers didn't think too deep about the implications. There's no way they wanted Futaba's mom to be sketchy, right? But even if it's not intentional, the scenes and their implications still exist. So in conclusion those theories make sense, I get it, and I don't blame anyone for headcanoning them and having fun. And tbh anyone involved with cognitive psience was portrayed as some degree of unethical (maruki for example), maybe this is just on-brand

[ancient-day]

Cogpsi nerds are just like this, maybe.

[buqbite]

I'm growing increasingly suspicious of this guy. I don't think he's secretly evil, but it really seems like he's playing with fire here

[vashtijoy]

If I may be so bold as to ask: what's the Japanese term for "cognitive pscience"?

Hello! and apologies to all your fellow ask-senders who sent great asks and now are trapped down in essay writing hell, you are on the Heap

The original term we render "cognitive psience" is 認知訶学 ninchi kagaku. It seems to be pronounced the same as the standard 認知科学 ninchi kagaku (cognitive science), but the third kanji is different.

Futaba explains it for us:

Futaba 認知『訶』学な! 科学の『科』じゃないぞ、摩訶不思議の『訶』な! そこ大事。 ninchi kagaku na! kagaku no "ka" ja nai zo, makafushigi no "ka" na! soko daiji Cognitive psience, with a PSI in front! Less science, more supernatural. That's important.

Literally, it's "ninchi kagaku"! (cognitive psience) It's not the "ka" in "kagaku" (science), it's the "ka" in "makafushigi" (profound mystery)! That's important.

Here are the two kanji:

科—meaning "department, course or section", it crops up in words like 科学 kagaku, "science", 科目 kamoku, "subject (like in school)", and 科名 kamei, "family name (as in biology)".

訶—this one literally means "to scold"! But in combination, it gives us 魔訶 maka, a Buddhist term meaning "great"—which combines with 不思議 fushigi, "mystery", to give us Futaba's makafushigi—"profound mystery".

So this is a really cute translation—just like the original, the English phrase "cognitive psience" is pronounced the same, but written differently, and the meaning is even close. My hat is off to the translator who came up with it.

[p5x-theories]

Everyone keeps suggesting that Sojiro not owning LeBlanc means something bad happened to him but it could always mean that Wakaba never died in this universe

Haha, yeah! If we assume there really are counterparts to every P5 character in P5X's universe that have just lived different lives, the butterfly effect becomes super apparently really quickly: Goro Akechi lived a different life, which inherently means Shido, Joker, Okumura, Haru, Maruki, Wakaba, Sojiro, and Futaba's lives would all look pretty different right now, too.

[epitomees]

~ Takuto Maruki’s Tags ~

More will be added as necessary. 

[wyrdle]

Ikutsuki x Maruki and their cognitive psience x robotics research given form

Aka more cognitive psience yaoi shenanigans, now with robo daughter. Do you see my vision for this

[the-writer-machine]

I... think Futaba mentioned something like that.

So, probably.

I'm back, and I got an answer.

You died after a cognitive version of yourself shot you.

- @the-writer-machine

...

Cognitive? Like Cognitive psyience?

[symphonic-scream]

I have an au concept but no idea where to take it after. Like, an idea and a starting plot, but no idea for how it would resolve

It's got a bit of angst, some moderate body horror, and of course, themes of self discovery and queerness in there cause it's me

The idea? The thieves have all been part of a program where they've been in a facility and taking part in tests for years since they all showed potential, in the Persona way

They could leave for four days a month with permission, and had their own rooms they decorated, and were taken care of by Wakaba and Sojiro, with Tae Takemi on the med team

The program was about studying how having control of their persona affected them compared to those without the potential, and if there were ways to use that knowledge to impact society positively. The government promised each child in the program that once it was done, they'd be supported for life. School? Free. Expenses covered, for sacrificing their youth. Their parents or guardians also got a little bonus

Some had been there for years. Akira has been 2, Goro arrived at 4, Futaba 3, and Makoto 7. The last ones to join were Kasumi and Sumire at 11, and Haru, 13. They all get close over the years, and their rooms are covered in photos and stuff from their little excursions to malls or museums when allowed

The experiments were rarely painful. Mostly brain scans and other weird psience stuff. Then, they got word they were finally wrapping up with their group. Two others had ended recently, and them, Facility 5, were finally getting their final round of tests before being let free

Now, the range from 19 to 16. They're all so excited to be able to leave. Their lives are waiting for them, their families, their futures

So if course shit hits the fan. Someone messed with the tests, and a huge accident occurred. Instead of allowing them to see into the shadow world beyond, the two worlds were crushed together in the lab, for an hour. The lab techs' own shadows raged forth, some dying. Sojiro and Wakaba struggled to shut the power off, all the while the group of teens, well

Their bodies are forcefully fused with their personas. Changed, in painful ways. One of them didn't make it, and one of them, due to the violent nature of the second persona that had lurked behind his main one, lost control and wrecked part of the facility

The government decided to evacuate everyone besides the subjects, and sealed the facility for good. Sojiro, a weak Wakaba, and Tae fight them on it, and are trying now to get back in

They werent told the gov poured some kind of gas in there before sealing the place. So, the remaining subjects all wake up, forever changed, without a memory in their heads

So, that leads us to the main plot I have. They all explore the abandoned facility, gradually piecing together what happened, uncovering who sabotaged everything, and finding out who they all used to be. Remembering through photos, and slowly, as the effects of the gas leave them, memories resurfacing, and regaining themselves

They'd all have the golden shadow eyes. They have their persona's abilities, and some physical changes to resemble their persona

The one that died in the accident was Kasumi, and Goro lost control. He's not with them when they all wake up in their old living area.

That's all the ideas I have?? Like, of course I have mini blurbs for this bit, and some stuff like Makoto and Haru were lined up to move away together and get married. Akira and Goro were going to go to uni together, share an apartment. Ann was going to live with Shiho. Ryuji was excited to take his ma on a vacation, and Yusuke was going to travel for art inspiration

But, no idea where the plot would go after they start figuring out what happened and who sabotaged everything. Idk. Anyone interested in this??

[peristille]

"My "cognitive psience" is the study of people's hearts, and how they guide people's views of the world. Everyone comprehends the world in a different way, depending on their cognition...So basically, if one could tap into a person's "cognitive world"...One would even be able to alter how that person alters reality—in every way."

me when I beat up a counselor, watch me awaken my persona... eventually.

[aegagrusscholarship]

a SHITTON of crit cut-ins i drew all the way back in 2019

most of these guys aren't OCs anymore but i do want to do something with hinata and ariel (top two) again actually. they had the most in-depth stories

tl;dr ariel's childhood friend disappeared due to cognitive shenanigans. she's become a cognitive psience researcher in her adulthood in an attempt to get closure. hinata is a persona-user (i think they were a wildcard, i don't remember anymore) working as ariel's assistant. they weren't satisfied with just accepting the existence and use of their persona- they wanted to understand what the cognitive world really was, so they got into psience as well

since they were written to be in p5 they're both dealing with and being influenced by shido! have fun you two

[racinu]

eughhhh having a long hard think ab mothers in p5 but then i just remembered my idea for a zine ab mothers in nge,,,,,,, kinda wanna do it on p5 instead but also man nge,,,,,,,,,,,,

nge at its core is quite centered around mothers, especially yui, she kind of haunts the narrative too and god its so good. and theres also ritsuko’s mother and i just love her so much and oh my god her story and how she still exists through the mag i in a similar way to how yui still exists through unit 01,,,, and how asukas mother still exists through unit 02.

but also p5,,,,, i mean akechi, futaba and yusuke’s characters are at least partially about having lost their mothers. akechi wouldnt be who he is during the game if his mother hadnt died of course, he would still be a normal kid. he could be happy. maybe if she hadnt died he would end up being part of the phantom thieves. and maybe futaba would’ve been able to aid her mother with her research. she could become way more knowledgeable in the metaverse and cognitive psience. and yusuke probably wouldve never had madarame as even a teacher had his mother still been there. she couldve taught him instead and better than madarame did.

but the thing with p5 is that if these characters mothers had never died, they wouldnt be nearly the same character as they were in the game. their mothers are the main reason for the conflict in their lives and in turn, the reason they became phantom thieves. in the p5 universe, their mothers cannot be alive or else, especially in akechi’s case, the events in the game may never have happened.

in both nge and p5, mothers haunt the narrative and its characters. most of gendo’s actions are just a desperate attempt to bring yui back and reunite them. most of shinji’s actions are also due to an instinctual desire to be with his mother. wakaba’s research on cognitive psience is the main reason shido was able to know so much about the metaverse and manipulate akechi to do what he learned from that research. naoko created the magi and put herself into it and then died to her own selfish actions. yusuke’s mother created one of the most famous japanese paintings and died to madarame’s selfish actions and then had not only her work taken by madarame, her own child. and lilith is the mother of all human life. she’s also rei and the evas

god, i dont even know what to do with all this information. i dont even know where to start with a zine for either of these things. i didnt mean to write a whole thing rn either heh. im just thinkin ig

[elysianstars]

Persona 5 Playthrough Commentary, Part Six. Or should it be seven? Never mind, not important.

So I completed the casino palace, and the Things Which Happen When You Do That are certainly happening!

Seeing events from the game's opening, but with more context. I want to string that police officer up by his lungs. Good thing he cleared off before anyone else brought a gun into the picture (:

AKECHI. I knew something like this was coming but AKECHI. Also can we talk about the fact that two days previously, he asked Joker out to the jazz bar (despite his I Hate You tantrum), and spending that time together compelled him to suddenly learn a skill to REVIVE THE DEAD. But he still pulled the trigger.

I was right about that pancake thing with Morgana! And it turned out to be important!

I understood 90% of the explanation for why Joker didn't die. I did expect it to be a cognitive decoy they'd somehow set up. Lucky that Sae was decent enough to see most people as normal, not cash machines or whatever. And she's on our side now!

What is Maruki up to though. What's that guy doing, shuffling around in the background with his cognitive psience research. What's gonna happen since his confidant rank is maxed.

We're finally going after that bald asshole? Awesome. I've still got Haru's fiance in my sights too. And those police officers. Tired of being nice, I want to go apeshit.