#psience

[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.

[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.

[allislaughter]

Commission I did for @pythonmelon earlier this year of our OCs for a bigger project we have planned :>

[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??

[stem-sister-scuffle]

STEM SISTER SCUFFLE: ROUND 2 MASHUP 1

Jadzia Dax (Star Trek Deep Space 9) vs Futaba Sakura (Persona 5)

Jadzia Dax is an Astrophysicist and Xenobiologist!

Futaba Sakura is a Computer Scientist and Hacker/Programmer!

Why you should vote for each contestant:

Jadzia Dax:

"She does a lot of science in space — like xenobiology and physics — but is also the ranking science officer, so she covers a lot of fields. she is an expert in many scientific fields, leads a lot of other scientists, and is a badass starfleet officer who can f you UP in a fight. her alien species is a symbiotic set of species, so Jadzia’s got a worm named Dax in her and has access to all of Dax’s past hosts’ memories & knowledge, part of why she’s an expert in so many fields! but Jadzia, the host, also got multiple degrees in different fields before she was “joined” with her symbiote."

"She is a star trek science officer, so mostly space anomalies and stuff 😄 She is self assured and takes up space and just a joy to watch. All the bi girls love her 💜"

"First F/F kiss on TV"

"IMMORTAL WORM ALIEN WOMAN who has lived EIGHT LIVES and is GENDERFLUID but is CURRENTLY A WOMAN! She's great"

"She is the lead science officer on her space station! Got four degrees in astrophysics, exoarchaeology, exobiology and zoology. She is an amazing researcher! Jadzia is a Joined Trill, host to the Dax symbiont which has lived 300 years. Jadzia became a Starfleet officer and pursued her science studies before then becoming Joined, which means she also has the wealth of knowledge from Dax's multiple lives. She is an amazing scientist and also loves to have fun, and she's a genderfluid pansexual ICON."

Futaba Sakura:

"shes a 15yo autist who can take down the in-universe equivalent of anonymous in an afternoon. she has mommy issues"

"she is a silly goofy girl who can also pull insane feats of programming. she can hack into anything. she set up her own giant computer rig. she can remotely tap into people's phones."

"She is so blorbo! She’s very smart and funny, could use her powers for evil (and occasionally causes mischief) but uses them for good, cool character arc, just a silly little guy :)"

"she's silly i like her tetris shirt and she speaks in dorky references"

"technology (shes a hacker??) with a side of science (she has an interest in her mothers work in the field of cognitive "psience" as its referred to in-game!!) uhhh cant really explain stuff well but shes really epic and truly the hackergirl ever. shes cool enough that i partially based a character i recently made off of her tbh"

"Futaba is a traumatized shut-in that hates getting out of her room and interacting with people. She first contacts the heroes by hacking their group chat, asking for them to consider changing the heart of ""Futaba Sakura"".

Once they do, Futaba manages to confront her feelings and trauma and heal. She makes peace with the survivor's guilt she feels after the unfair death of her mother, who was a researcher/programmer before her.

Futaba does a lot of hacking for the sake of her friends, the Phantom Thieves. This also reflects in her Persona Necronomicon. She's the navigator/mission control of the group, not having combat abilities but being able to scan enemies to show their weaknesses.

Futaba's hacking also helps save the protagonist's life at one point. Like that's literally a huge plot point in the True Ending of Persona 5 and 5R. She's amazing."

"She is very good with computers and she helped the Phantom thieves with her hacking abilities"

[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

[samasmith23]

Futaba Sakura from Persona 5 Royal and Autistic Coding

I recently encountered a really phenomenal article analyzing how Futaba Sakura’s character from Persona 5 Royal effectively functions as autistic representation, even if the game’s developers didn’t intend for her to be so:

Speaking as an individual on the spectrum myself, I very quickly picked up on the autistic coding of Futaba given her strong special interests in computers & anime, as well as her difficulty in socializing with others. Plus, Futaba’s arc of voluntarily requesting a change of heart from the Phantom Thieves to overcome her suicidal depression & self-loathing shut-in status following her mother Wakaba’s alleged suicide had me on the edge of my seat. Witnessing Futaba enter the mindscape of her own palace in the cognitive world and not only realizing the truth that Wakaba actually did love her daughter and that the alleged suicide note uncharacteristically blaming Futaba for her death was just a cruel forgery (fabricated by the corrupt politician Masayoshi Shido’s henchmen who stole Wakaba’s cognitive psience research on the Meta-Verse before murdering her via mental-shutdown), but also seeing Futaba merge with her Shadow-self to awaken her own Persona and actively assist the Phantom Thieves in defeating the distorted false memories of her mother born from her own self-loathing was legitimately powerful! I related so hard to Futaba’s mental struggles and efforts to overcome her anxiety during the boss fight with Cognitive Wakaba here!

And even after defeating Cognitive Wakaba and clearing Futaba's palace, Futaba herself still maintains a lot of her autistic-coded traits despite no-longer isolating herself in her room 24/7 and being more socially interactive with her fellow Phantom Thieves (although she still does struggle with being out in public). It expertly avoids the ableist trap that's sadly commonplace in other media wherein a character is "cured" of their neurodivergence. Here however, Futaba not only willingly requested the Phantom Thieves to change the distortions in her heart, but all they did was help Futaba to find the stregnth and courage to overcome her feelings of self-loathing, depression and suicidality on her own. She's still the same socially awkward & tech-savy girl that she was prior to the "change of heart," but she's now chosen to embrace the best aspects of herself (which are a part of her neurodivergence) rather than imprisoning herself in a tomb of self-loathing (which was symbolized by her Meta-Verse palace being an Ancient Egyptian pyramid isolated in the desert that Futaba's Shadow was the Pharaoh of).

Also, Futaba may not be the only autistic-coded character in P5 Royal considering that my personal favorite cast member, Makoto Niijima, also struggles heavily with socially interacting with her peers despite her status as a highly committed Student Council President devoted to her studies (initially studying solely because it’s what society and the adults in her life expected from her, before deciding to utilize her passion for academic knowledge to help the oppressed out of her own personal sense of justice).

While Makoto is still my favorite P5 Royal character overall, Futaba Sakura is easily in the Top 3! And I choose to headcanon both characters as autistic!

[every-character-ever-poll]

TAKUTO MARUKI - Persona 5 Royal

PROPAGANDA (UNDER THE CUT):

The Persona fandom might pounce on me for this one, but Takuto is such a sweetheart! He's a cringefail malewife high school counselor! He's awkward, naive, and clumsy, he's the "how do you do, fellow kids?" meme. He's a great cook and he's always taking little sippy sips from his little apply juice box during his counseling sessions. That man sure loves his apples!

Takuto is the only adult in the game that's willing to support the teenage protagonist fully and enthusiastically from the get-go, no questions asked. He's tired and horribly traumatized but that won't stop him from trying to be a ray of sunshine for his students, all while repressing his own pain. He also goes out of his way to help total strangers. Basically he really thinks he needs to be the one giving and giving but never taking.

HOWEVER, he is not a pushover and this is important! He WILL speak up if he considers someone is being treated unfairly. He supports changing the system and believes in restorative justice for literally everyone except his One (1) sworn enemy which I think is funny.

Anyways, he might be a lovable dumbass but he is incredibly passionate about his research into cognitive psience. He could ramble on and on about it all day and I swear his eyes light up whenever you talk to him about it or show the slightest interest in it. You cannot convince me that man is neurotypical. Either way he seriously believes in his research's power to change the world for the better and will do ANYTHING to achieve it.

:)

[MAJOR SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ONWARDS] Sooooo if the protagonist helps Takuto with his research, he's eventually bestowed the power to rewrite the very fabric of reality with no warning! Of course, being who he is, Takuto decides to use this power to rid the world of pain, to erase everyone's memories of their trauma and bring their loved ones back from the dead, and create a reality that's easier for everyone according to himself!

My favorite thing about Takuto's writing as an antagonist is that his motivations never change. Yes, he goes to some fun and cool extremes to achieve his goal, but he never does anything for himself even now that he has the power of a god, and he still really believes he's only sacrificing himself for everyone else's happiness. He's a great example of thinking "the ends justify the means," and "the road to hell is paved with good intentions."

Even if the protagonist chooses to confront him, they both still respect and care about each other like they did before. Takuto is genuinely distraught when he hears the protagonist doesn't approve of his vision for the world, because he really does think this is all for the best. He's just brainwashing people to make them happy! He also has some cool religious symbolism going on. He's convinced that the universe chose him specifically to guide humanity into a better, happier world. He misses his wife, Tails. He is perfect.

[crystalmemoria]

I just realized I've never talked about my Royal Trio Roleswap AU here. It was something I started on a whim, but I've grown pretty fond of it even if it isn't anywhere near concrete yet.

Sumire is in Ren's role, Akechi is in Sumire's role, and Ren is in Akechi's role. This makes much more sense in context I assure you.

Putting this under "Keep reading" to avoid spoiling too much for people that don't know Persona 5 Royal and to save space.

Sumire is grappling with Kasumi's death, and due to unforeseen circumstances her appointment with Maruki had to be canceled so she never got actualized. She struggles with being a leader at first, but grows into the role as she gains more confidence and makes more bonds. She ends up being able to move past her guilt, and learns to love herself.

Akechi had a chance encounter with Maruki before his revenge plans were actually started, and Maruki's powers kicked in and made him forget the revenge plans entirely, locking him into pleasant mode. This has a massive ripple effect on the rest of the AU, and Akechi finds himself grappling with random bouts of pettiness he doesn't understand and a feeling he's supposed to be doing something very important.

Ren still has the encounter with Shido, but thanks to tech involving cognitive psience having progressed further (Thanks to Wakaba being alive later in the timeline than normal), Shido was able to learn that Ren had some kind of special thing about him, and he approached Ren with a deal involving throwing out the charges in exchange for his assistance. Ren had no idea what he was actually getting into, and now seeks revenge even as he's stuck going along with Shido's plans.

There's more, but this is the basic gist of it!

I've had a LOT of help with this AU though, the Shuake Official server has multiple people that helped me flesh it out when I was super stuck, so thank you!