
Summary
Nonexistent Physiology is the ability to paradoxically 'exist' but lack any identifiable characteristics of an existing object. Such a character, being, or object would generally be portrayed as having no physical formation whatsoever, existing only as empty space or in no space at all, or as a sort of "counterpart" to space that in some way "opposes" standard existence.
Types
1: Material Nonexistence: Characters or objects of this type exists outside of the normal scope of physicality; existing as some sort of mental "idea" or other unnatural state such as a spirit or a universal concept. Characters with this type are in a sense considered aspatial due to having no spatial expression to define them, in other words, possessing no physical bodies or forms. Because of this, characters of this type are most-often paired with Intangibility and Invisibility, though they might have other abilities as a consequence of their state of being, such as Abstract Existence.
2: Idealistic Nonexistence: In addition to existing outside the normal scope of physicality, characters of this type are considered "lacking" in metaphysical aspects of being as well. Characters or objects of this type are nonexistent at a conceptual level in the sense that they would not be defined or shaped by any concepts that make up reality. This type is comparable to Nonduality in the sense that the character or object in question exists in no dualistic setting.
Limits
- Characters might have limited interaction capabilities with existing objects
- Characters might be vulnerable to others with a similar state of being to them
- Characters might be vulnerable to Void Manipulation
Notable Users
- W.D. Gaster (Undertale)
- Oblivion (Marvel)
- Overvoid (DC)
- The Not-things (Doctor Who)
Notes
- A character being referred to as a spirit is not enough confirmation for them to be considered nonexistent. There are plenty of examples within fiction that describe elemental creatures or beings with physical bodies as "spirits" simply due to being inhuman or supernatural in other respects. In order for a spirit to qualify for Nonexistent Physiology, they must be shown to have no physical body that defines them.
- It's not unheard of for a nonexistent character to be able to create "proxies" for or of themselves that are demonstrated to have physical attributes. It's worth noting that this isn't strictly an anti-feat against that character's nonexistence, however, if they were to somehow "place themselves" into these proxies then they would likely lose the benefits afforded to them as nonexistent beings for at least as long as they are joined with them.
- It's possible for a character to start out as an existing creature or object and then be "changed" into a nonexistent figure after undergoing transformation or complete destruction of their body. However, in order for such a feat to count towards Nonexistent Physiology, it must be assumed that the character didn't simply "regenerate" back into an existing form but rather they managed to survive the change despite having no physical or metaphysical aspects of themselves left.