Abstract Existence

Summary

Abstract Existence is the state of being in which a character is said to be "abstract" in a certain sense by embodying certain ideas, concepts or principles. Such characters might be portrayed as the fundamental source of the concepts in question, as metaphysical representatives of such concepts, or even as the concepts themselves given sentience.

Possible Applications

The following abilities are not strict requirements for a character to possess Abstract Existence, however, they are each common enough to the point that you can expect an abstract character to possess one or all

• Omnipresence: Abstract entities might exist everywhere that their concept or theme resides, allowing them to be in multiple places at once.
• Cosmic Awareness: Characters might possess an intrinsic awareness towards that which participate in their concepts
• Non-Corporeal: Due to embodying a concept or theme, many abstract beings lack true physical forms, and are thus difficult to physically damage.
• Conceptual Manipulation: Abstract Entities might have incredible command over the theme or concept that they embody, as it is a part of their essence.
• Reliant Immortality: Due to being the embodiment of a concept or theme, an abstract entity will exist for as long as its concept does.

Types

Type 1: Exists purely as an abstraction. These characters lack a true physical form, and affecting them requires the ability to affect directly the abstraction itself, because eventual physical manifestations are merely avatars.

• Examples: Apocalymon (Digimon), Madoka Kaname, Eternity (Marvel)

Type 2: Embodies an abstraction, and can be resurrected or regenerate indefinitely thanks to it. Destroying the abstraction is required to permanently kill those characters, but they can still be affected without directly altering it.

• Examples: The Seven Great Demon Lords (Digimon), many Demons from Shin Megami Tensei.

Type 3: Embodies an abstraction, but the destruction of the former isn't needed in order to destroy or affect them. These characters do not rely on the abstraction to survive, but thanks to their affinity with it, they are able to manipulate it.

• Examples:

Type 4: Exists in a state that is uniquely "distinct" from the concepts they're known to embody, in the sense that the concepts are derived from the character and yet do not fully define the character's being. This type acts a sort of antithesis to Type 2 in that the concept is reliant on the continued existence of the character in question rather than the other way around, and as such the character could feasibly survive without the continued existence of the concept. This is not to be confused with a character that simply created concepts with Conceptual Manipulation, as the latter does not necessarily imply that the character is themselves abstract in any way nor that the continued existence of the concept is reliant on the continued existence of the character.

Notes

Like with Conceptual Manipulation, a character need not necessarily be stated to embody a "concept" specifically in order to qualify for Abstract Existence, provided that they exhibit all of the notable traits necessary to be considered an "Abstract Entity".

It's not unheard of for an entity that embodies a concept to embody a concrete concept instead of an abstract concept - such characters may still qualify for Abstract Existence provided that they match the criteria listed on this page. For a more detailed explanation on the difference between abstract and concrete concepts, you can watch the video linked here.

Limitations

• Abstract entities recurrently strictly embody a concept up to a certain level of reality.