Explanation:
Pashen is the concept that all reality is fictional, and that we are all our own Gods, capable of creating universes which are just as real as our own. In the Fineverse, it's also a state of mind which gives a character the power to create or alter a narrative. Think of it like Chim from The Elder Scrolls (which it is inspired by, thanks Todd), but with slightly different requirements. Pashen is made from the following three components:
Suffering
Passion
Hope
To achieve Pashen, one must experience each of its base components in extremely vivid detail, then come to the conclusion both that reality is subjective, and that what we create is just as real as the things created for us (by God, nature, etc.). If they are successful, they can create or significantly alter a narrative while in Pashen state.
Philosophy:
A story without suffering is boring, a story without passion is weak, and a story without hope is meaningless. If there is a God, he created us in his image, fleeting emotions and all. In at least that sense, God was just like us: a being in their own reality who achieved Pashen, and created a story full of life.
The philosophy of Pashen states that all of creation is this way. God has his own God, and we are our own Gods to our characters. There's an infinite series of layers of suffering, passion, and hope. Our expression of these feelings into art is how realities are created. What we, or anyone else creates from Pashen is as real to us, as we are real to God.
(Perhaps terrible things happen simply because we are fictional to God, and so he doesn't feel bad making us suffer for the sake of the story?)