[quote=@Architect]
I like the idea, a lot actually. Just looking for a few clarifications.

So, essentially, we're playing figures or entities that are often mistaken for Angels of God, who are just people who willed themselves into existing post-death/enlightenment during life? So we're not all ancient, some of us are, and none of us were created by a single figure?

And what is it exactly we can do with Essence? Only one specific thing each Host, or a variety of things, with an overall effect on the Essence around us just by being there, i.e. each Host is capable of warping reality, but depending on their individuality, just being around Mortals cause them to feel and behave a certain way.

[/quote]

This is purely speaking academically, as this isn't happening at least right now:

The Hosts exist as a creation, deliberate or not, from the fountain of Essence, ie: God. In the same way you might find yourself with pent-up aggression and can choose to channel that aggression (sport, sex, whatever) or have it spontaneously build up and burst out of you, Essence works the same way. Had I spent more time on this, and had enough potential players, I would have allowed for 'ascension' - mortals that had generated so much essence that they became, metaphysically-speaking, indistuinguishable from Hosts. The Hosts can be either deliberate creations from God or kind of a byproduct of Essence. They are distinct from Mortals in that they understand Essence and can control it, at least to a point, so, yes, there is a point to which they could will themselves to being. It's worth saying that I've read enough philosophy to broadly disregard philosophy that is not based in logically proving things (as in maths) as 'nutters asserting gibberish', so I can't comment on Nietsche beyond the very basics, because I'm so discouraged from the topic as a whole.

If I give Hardly Divine another go, I'll try to be much clearer, but it's been hard for me to focus on this while also avoiding an infodump. This was based on a couple of things, but, particularly, The World Ends With You and Bayonetta. 

In The World Ends With You, which is [i]unbelievably[/i] tough to summarise, dead people with the sufficient quality of 'imagination' are thrust into 'the reaper's game', where they get to compete for their lives back over a series of missions: typically this involves erasing 'Noise' (negative emotions manifested in this extended plane of existence) but as the game progresses and characters scheme against each other, this develops somewhat. The Reapers are people who, having competed in the Reaper's Game, either don't want or haven't quite been successful in their attempt to get their lives back, but still get an 'honourable mention'. The overall game is based very much in the shallow metropolis of Shibuya in Tokyo, and while the players of the Reaper's game are invisible, they can interact with the overall mood and literal fashions of the city and the actual direct emotions of the living people in the city. Oh, and the whole Reaper's game is orchestrated by heavenly figures from another plane of existence who are basically bickering, and saying any more would be to spoil one of the best games I've ever played: if any of you has a Nintendo DS, I really really really recommend going on eBay and trying to find a copy of the game, because, while it has flaws, it is [i]astonishingly[/i] good with a fantastic and ambitious plot.

Bayonetta, meanwhile, is perhaps best explained with an NSFW video: [url=https://youtu.be/mj5aqXUSH6Y?t=702]this one[/url]. I was basically going for the general content of TWEWY with the style of Bayontta. If anybody wants me to give them a heads up when/if I try this again, let me know.