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Empathy

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"When we have the wisdom to use mercy and compassion instead of force...we human creatures will finally be on the path to perfection."
― Leslie Thompkins (DC Comics)
"Those who have strong bond give off the scent of trust! But all I'm picking up from you two is the scent of fear, hatred and repulsion!"
― Tanjiro Kamado (Kimetsu no Yaiba)
"If you don't share someone's pain, you can never understand them."
― Nagato/Pain (Naruto)

The power to fully interpret and replicate the emotions, moods, and temperaments of others. Sub-power of Psionics. Variation of Telepathy. Opposite to Apathy. Not to be confused with just Emotion Manipulation or Telepathy. The User is called an Empath.

Also Called[]

  • Emotion/Empathic Perception/Senses/Inception
  • Emotion Induction/Contact
  • Emotion Sharing
  • Empath/Empathic

Fiction-Specific Terms[]

Capabilities[]

The user can fully interpret the emotions, moods, and temperaments of others without reading apparent symptoms, allowing them to understand introverts or discover one emotion is actually hiding another. They can attack someone in a personal and emotional way since they know exactly what emotion is flowing through themselves and can use this knowledge to play against them. Some users may learn to read emotional imprints left into environment or objects. Usually over time, an Empath's power grows to the point that they can manipulate emotions in others, and possibly use them to empower themselves. The user may learn to extend their power over/on vast numbers of sentient beings or reach extreme distances, even other levels of existence but this may be possible only if the user has an emotional link to those the search is already in effect on.

Applications[]

Techniques[]

Levels[]

  • Empathy: Sense, feel and understand the emotions of others.
  • Cosmic Empathy: Skilled empaths can feel other's emotions on a cosmic scale.
  • Omni-Empathy: At full power, empaths can feel the emotions of every single being in existence that has emotions.

Variations[]

Empathy has many branches of power, ranging from very weak to very advanced. As the user becomes more advanced, these branches may grow. Here are some levels that other empaths have displayed having/may gain:

  • Clairaudience: Some empaths have displayed the ability to not only feel emotions, but also "hear" the heightened thoughts associated with those specific emotions. This is probably due to the fact that both cortices (emotional and mental) so closely relate to one another. An example would be if an empath senses two spouses aiming a lot of hatred towards one another. The empath might get the echo of thought along with that emotion (E.g., "I can't believe he's cheating on me after all these years"). However, this is not to be confused with Telepathy. An Empath can only get visionary "echoes" related to certain emotions. They cannot read full memories.
  • Clairempathy: More advanced users of empathy have shown the ability to sense emotions over great distances such as cities, countries, continents, and other dimensions and planes (The Astral Plane AKA The Emotional Plane).
  • Clairvoyance: An empath can forge an emotional connection with another being. If that connection stays opens, the empath is able to sense when that person is in danger and is also able to locate them by their "emotional scent". To give you a better understanding of this, one could consider this the empathic version of "Vampiric Siring" (see "True Blood", "Buffy", "Moonlight", and "The Vampire Diaries" for an understanding of supernatural "Siring"). See also Sensory Scrying. Also, could be used to sense/feel/detect spiritual/demonic beings, as well as feel the danger within a place.
  • Empathic Force Manipulation: Empaths can manipulation an energetic and robust variation of Emotion Manipulation.
  • Empathic Summoning
  • Musical Empathy: Empaths gain various abilities based on the type of music one listens to and/or plays.
  • Spiritual Empathy
  • Tattoo Empathy: Empaths with tattoos which affects how they think and feel.
  • Telempathy

Associations[]

Used By[]

Limitations[]

  • In real life and in fiction, this doesn't have to be an actual power, but it can be a skill/ability that can be developed. However, in real life, it is highly unlikely that you could reach the level of empathy as addressed above.
  • Defenceless against beings that have no emotions, such as robots or users of Apathy.
  • Users of Empathic Power Resistance (Resistant)
  • Could be negated to users of Indomitable Will/Psychic Shield/Empathic Shield (highly resistant), Psychic Immunity and Empathic Shadow (impervious)
  • Emotion locked users are immune.
  • The user may suffer from a Sensory Overload due to absorbing too many emotions.
  • Cannot work on mindless beings such as users of Zombie Physiology.
  • May only be able to receive emotions.
    • Might get taken over and act on those emotions.
  • Inexperienced Empaths may find their powers completely useless in a fight.
  • May experience headaches.
  • May not be able handle large amounts of emotions at once.

Known Users[]

See also: The Empath.

Live Television/Movies[]

  • Isabelle Tyler (The 4400)
  • Lily Tyler (The 4400)
  • Cognitive Interpreter (Alphas)
    • Agnes Walker
  • Mima (Aruna's Magic)
  • Cordelia Chase (Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel)
  • Drusilla (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
  • Vengeance Demons (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
  • Empath Demons (Angel)
  • Krevlornswath of the Deathwok Clan (Angel)
  • Marcus (Angel)
  • Empaths (Charmed)
  • Maggie Vera (Charmed 2018)
  • Prue Halliwell (Charmed); temporarily
  • The Doctor (Doctor Who)
  • Isolus (Doctor Who)
  • Musa (Fate: The Winx Saga)
  • River Tam (Firefly/Serenity)
  • Aiden Lucas (Ghost Whisperer)
  • Beth Gordon (Ghost Whisperer)
  • Mary Anne Patterson (Ghost Whisperer)
  • Melinda Gordon (Ghost Whisperer)
  • Will Graham (Hannibal series)
  • Lydia (Heroes)
  • Sylar (Heroes)
  • Crybaby (K-12)
  • Angelita (K-12)
  • Ben (K-12)
  • Celeste (K-12)
  • Magnolia (K-12)
  • Fleur (K-12)
  • Lilith (K-12)
  • Dryad (Legacies); Limited
  • Tim Roth "Dr. Lightman" (Lie to Me)
  • Zeke Landon (Manifest)
  • Mantis (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
  • Emma DeLauro (Mutant X)
  • Tele-Empaths (Mutant X)
  • Chloe King (The Nine Lives of Chloe King)
  • Psycho Green/Trek (Power Rangers)
  • Darkseid (Smallville)
  • Dan Smithson (Species)
  • Sam Winchester (Supernatural)
  • Maya (Spirits TV series)
  • Betazoids (Star Trek)
    • Deanna Troi
  • Jedi (Star Wars)
  • Cara Coburn (The Tomorrow People)
  • CJ Ward (Tower Prep)
  • Vampires (True Blood)
  • Frost Sisters (The Gifted)
    • Esme Frost
    • Phoebe Frost
    • Sophie Frost
    • Mindee Frost
    • Celeste Frost
  • X-23 Children (X-Men Movies)
    • Rebecca

Comics/Cartoons[]

Video Games[]

  • Anita (Darkstalkers)
  • Vanitas (Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep)
  • Seraphine, The Starry-Eyed Songstress (League of Legends)
  • Mind Guardian (Legacy of Kain)
    • Nupraptor (Legacy of Kain)
    • Kain (Legacy of Kain)
  • Alex Chen (Life is Strange: True Colors)
  • Marcus (Reverse: 1999)
  • Black Doom (Sonic the Hedgehog)
  • Lillia, The Bashful Bloom (League of Legends)
  • Harrier Du Bois (Disco Elysium)
  • Gardevoir (Pokémon)
  • Hatterene (Pokémon)
  • Mesprit (Pokémon: Legend Arceus)

Anime/Manga/Manhwa[]

Literature[]

  • Tinisha Dolaira (The Young Guardians)
  • Kobe Shakur (Ripley's Bureau of Investigation)
  • Faes (Shadow Falls)
    • Hannah Brandon
    • Holiday Brandon
  • Derek Lakes (Shadow Falls)
  • Chameleons (Shadow Falls); via Species-Shifting to become faes
    • Kylie Galen
  • Axel (The Subject No. 1)
  • Jasper Hale (Twilight Saga)
  • Jessamine Hale (Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined)
  • Kaleb Helgusson (Kaleb)
  • David White (ONSET); via Aura Reading
  • Gallant (Worm)
  • Fatespeaker (Wings of Fire)
  • Sascha Duncan ("Psy/Changeling series")
  • Rehvenge ("Black Dagger Brotherhood")

Web Original[]

  • Olympia (SCP Foundation)
  • SCP-7841-ZA/SCP-7841 - V is for Violence (SCP Foundation)
  • Slenderman (Creepypasta)

Known Objects[]

Etymology[]

A twentieth century borrowing from Ancient Greek ἐμπάθεια (empátheia, literally “passion”) (formed from ἐν (en, “in, at”) + πάθος (páthos, “feeling”)), coined by Edward Bradford Titchener in 1909 to translate German Einfühlung.

Gallery[]

Anime/Manga/Manhwa[]

Comics/Cartoon[]

Literature[]

Video Games[]

Live Television/Movies[]

Português do Brasil
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