epistemological

Spoilery Information

Jon, as a member of the Magnus Institute, is 'owned' by an otherworldly malevolent being known as the Eye or the Beholding, which is connected to the fear of being watched or observed, of something or someone finding out your secrets or being able to see things you don't want them to see. It is one of several such Entities that influence his world.

The Beholding is the 'patron' of the Magnus Institute, with it's stated goal to study and observe, and the positions in the Institute actually confer certain abilities. As the Archivist, he is both more and less than 'human' and is slowly developing his abilities which all relate to knowing, watching, or otherwise obtaining knowledge. Specifically, he is actually somewhat sustained by learning about people's experiences around fear and the supernatural and will get sick if he does not read through a Statement after a certain amount of time.

There is also canon to support that he 'feeds' the Beholding through dreams. Most statements that he encounters are written, taken by the previous Archivist. But those he's taken personally appear to confer on him a connection with the person in question wherein he connects to their dreams related to that event and watches them experience their terrors over and over again. As of this point in canon, we don't have specifics on how that works. Some people posit that the real Archive is him, as such. More on that as details emerge.

Minor Abilities

Tape recorders (specifically those using magnetic tape) tend to turn themselves on around him.
...in fact, it appears that he can spontaneously generate them if necessary.
People recall their experiences with clarity, detail, and emotional depth when in his presence.
Reading through the statements act as experiencing them through the eyes/mind of the person who lived them. For more on Statements, check out the Statements FAQ.
Jon can read any language if what he's reading is aligned with his purpose (such as reading a statement). He will not 'know' the language afterwards, but during the reading, he will understand it as if it is English.

Main Abilities

Jon has two main abilities as shown in canon so far:

If he asks you a question, you will be compelled to answer it. The person might feel the compulsion if they're looking for it (apparently, it is a pleasant tingly sensation), or they may simply pop it out and no matter what it is, there's a certain amount of 'good feeling' that goes along with it. It's a very subtle ability and one that he does his best to keep off outside of dire circumstances/need, and he does seem to handle it with as much care as possible. The answer will be truthful, as far as they have the capacity to know what the truth actually is; he can't compel someone to give information they don't have and it tends to ignore hypotheticals.

That said, he can compel you to realize things you didn't previously realize; the example I can give is that he can clarify sight for someone who's had their understanding of a scene distorted by another power with pointed questions aka "what are you holding? who am I? where are we?" etc. Supernatural beings and beings that have protections of their own might feel it start and choke him off (or kill him before they'd have to answer it) but the actual, proper answer usually manages to come out of them eventually whether they like it or not. The only exception seems to be other, greater servants of the Eye.

There's no real more compelled or less compelled, and you'll know when and if he's using it if I capitalize the word Question or if it is noted that one of his ever-present tape recorders is fuzzing/staticky. It is, however a strictly audio related ability. It does not work in text conversation at ALL.
Occasionally, he just knows things. Little pieces of information will pop into his head occasionally. It will have to do with what he's working on, something he feels he needs to know, and it's not really something he can direct (at least yet). These pieces of information are SMALL, however, and not terribly exact: in one case, he knew that two people had worked together on something. In another, he knew when someone would show up at a particular location.

[3/28]He can See through illusion/the hidden. This ability boils down to being about to use an equivalent of Wizard's Sight from Dresden Files; he can see through illusions and see the truth of things. This ability will ALWAYS be a matter of contact, checking, and plotting; he will not use it without consulting with the mun in question. This ability was unlocked during the Barge In A Spin event.

Permission Form

Please fill it out per character. Feel free to mix and match as desired.
[largely for game-centered play, to keep track; meme play, feel free to just make your choice and run with it]

✔ YES! I consent to have Jon's ability in regards to asking questions work on my character. <font color=green><font size="2em">✔</font></font> <b>YES!</b> I consent to have Jon's ability in regards to asking questions work on my character.	✘ NO! My character is immune to Jon's ability in regards to asking questions of my character. <font color=red><font size="2em">✘</font></font> <b>NO!</b> My character is immune to Jon's ability in regards to asking questions of my character.
✔ YES! I consent to Jon's ability to learn random tidbits of knowledge regarding this character. <font color=green><font size="2em">✔</font></font> <b>YES!</b> I consent to Jon's ability to learn random tidbits of knowledge regarding this character.	✘ NO! My character is immune to Jon's ability to learn random tidbits of knowledge. <font color=red><font size="2em">✘</font></font> <b>NO!</b> My character is immune to Jon's ability to learn random tidbits of knowledge.

Please note that this will not be used for an excuse to 'godmod' or otherwise manipulate your character against your wishes; extremely probing questions or revelations should and always can be discussed beforehand (or retconned within a reasonable time frame afterwards) and it is not my intent to be abusive with this ability (nor is it in Jon's nature except under pretty extreme duress).

ETA: If you would like the ability to work but would prefer it not be used at all without direct request: ⚠ CAUTION! Please ask before using at all times.

Wards/Defenses

Jon is, canonically, an avatar and self-admittedly, a monster; his ability is not mental/psychic or magical. It is, effectively, a monstrous power caused by being changed by an eldritch god. As such, it functions much more like the powers of the gorgon than something like Jean Grey.

By which I mean that there most certainly ARE defenses, but magical wards don't really work.

It is an audio ability only, and only works in person; the power cannot be transmitted over technology and in fact he's more likely to glitch the communication so the sound warps by trying than anything else. Even the tape recorders can just record it; it won't work through them, but it does produce a noticeable fuzz and static when he uses it.
Completely ineffective on the deaf
Blocking his ability to speak effectively kills the ability; he has to talk to make it work
Earplugs would also work
...heck you can put your hands over your ears and shout 'NOT LISTENING' over and over and it'll work

If you would like the ability not to work on you in any way shape or form, the standard reasoning is just that you're from a different universe and for whatever reason, the Eye's power cannot touch/affect you and I am more than happy to abide by that decision. But unless the wards specifically block sound, it doesn't really work.

For the purposes of RP, please determine for yourself if his abilities work on your character and respond accordingly. I'm fine either way, and I'm just as happy to have him stymied by it as to have him have to face the consequences of asking the wrong question and getting the answer he shouldn't have been looking for. Just go by your comfort level and what you feel is best for your character.

If you don't register your opt in here, I consider it an opt out.

[code credit: found here]

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