fandomhigh | The Science of Psionics, Wednesday

Entry tags:

science of psionics

The Science of Psionics, Wednesday

"Next week, we graduate to telekinesis," Kerrigan said, as she paced idly into the room. "Today, we talk about the more... active... applications of telepathy. Passive telepathy we've covered - the discipline of listening in and knowing how the mind fits together. Active telepathy is a step beyond. It is when we start meddling."

She may have shot her TA ~~if she was there~~ a mildly amused glance there. "Hypnosis and other fields like it have been explored by humanity for millenia. The subconscious is a powerful place to reach into, provided you knock out - or pass by - the conscious mind. The subconscious controls where our ideas come from, how our body works, how we act before the idea has even manifested. Some scientists claim that all decisions are already made in the subconscious; any control we think we have over them is just an illusion."

She leaned against the desk. "Fertile ground for telepaths," she said. "We don't need to wave objects in someone's face to take out their conscious mind. We can slip past it - provided we're willing to navigate the maze that lives in all of your brain pans. Placing suggestions is an art form. You'd be surprised how complex these processes are - I can't just snap my fingers and make you cluck like a chicken."

Beat.

"Probably."

She was reassuring like that. "Smaller things are easier. A compulsion to go to a certain place, at a certain time. Being more inclined towards wearing a certain color in your wardrobe. But sometimes all you need is a small thing to affect a greater change, to throw everything off balance." She smiled. It was also not very reassuring. "Usually, the smaller the alteration, the more natural the change, the less likely anyone is to notice something has changed. A telepath specialising in suggestion is a lot like a surgeon. You won't know they've done their work until they've long gone, if you ever find out at all."

She tapped her fingers against the desk. "Three things today," she said. "First of all, as in every class, I want you to swap experiences. Theorise about the nature of compulsion. Discuss what you think you can do to stop invaders from tweaking your mind. Second of all, I have a movie for you that... discusses some of the processes involved in tweaking the subconscious. Finally, if any of you dare - I'm willing to give a practical example of a compulsion. Today, or during my office hours on Friday. Don't worry. It won't last more than a few minutes."

Ahahaha. Sure.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Like you're being compelled.

Yamanaka Ino

Raven

Karla

Blackagar Boltagon

Emma Frost ~~because this is clearly the result of a compulsion~~

Edited 2011-02-16 14:26 (UTC)

Ben Skywalker

Edited 2011-02-16 14:54 (UTC)

Cally

Jonothon Starsmore

Helen Haras-Uquara

Spock

Dana Scully

Try to look alert.

Yeah, no. Raven had Issues with being compelled to do things against her will (because it happened far too often~~, oh canon~~).

She made a point to strengthen her shielding and studiously took notes, but she wasn't really up for discussing it in public.

Ino was doodling flowers in a notebook and deliberately thinking non-controlling things because this topic in this classroom, she figured, could start an argument or two she wasn't in the mood to fight.

Ino? Ino had no problems with compelling people. Her specialty was possession and she was viciously proud of that skill and no one could tell her it was wrong.

So there. Or something. She kept her head down and continued to doodle her flowers.

Emma was paying very close attention! She was good at meddling, enjoyed it, and, as always, aspired to be better.

Oh, Cally looked alert. Not pleased, but she had no trouble with alert.

Have you ever experienced or implanted a suggestion before? Do you think it's possible to ward yourself against suggestions like that? Why do you think the mind is willing to 'pick up' stray ideas?

"It's part of my training," Karla said quietly. "And not anything I ever do for fun. But sometimes it's the only way to fix someone. And others, it's the only way to make sure they don't hurt anyone else."

She also glanced towards Emma ~~if she was there~~, thinking about Rene from Bon Temps.

Emma was proud of how they'd handled Rene without putting a bullet in his brain, thank you, and she gave Karla a half-smile as she picked up that thought.

"I could wave my hand and make you think you're a chicken," Emma offered helpfully. "My success rate is 100% with baseline humans, and I'd be happy to test it against those with a bit more talent."

Reassuring, Ems. Really.

"But the slight-of-mind are really the easiest. Make someone who's tired fall asleep, convince someone that a banana is a gun, things like that."

Ben nodded along with Emma. "We're taught that Force-suggestion will not really work on those who aren't weak minded, but I think it also depends on the strength of will of the Jedi. I don't use it on the island," because Anakin had delivered a blistering lecture about cultural differences, "but at home, a little nudge is a lot easier than a long conversation with a bored guard before I get let into a place I'm going to go anyway."

"Strength of will is key," Emma agreed immediately. "The more I want something to happen, the stronger I can lay the compulsion and make it harder for them to shake off. If you're focused, you can see the layers better, find the cracks and crevasses, and make it as much a part of them as breathing."

"The trick is to get it done quickly," Ben said, nodding. "Being focused, being fast, and being efficient is not easy."

Cally tried not to sound judgmental of other people's cultures when she answered, but it was hard to keep her distaste for the idea itself out of her voice. "Among the Auronar, using psionic gifts to influence the mind of another without permission is one of the first things we're taught is absolutely wrong, as much a betrayal as violating someone physically, if not more so."

"How, exactly, is it worse than hitting someone to get them to do what you want?" Emma asked, her distaste for physical violence easily apparent.

"Because hitting someone, while obviously wrong as well, doesn't affect their very identity in the way that manipulating their thoughts does. We believe that the mind is the core of the self."

"And if their self is wrong?" she asked, arching an eyebrow. "I've left people with compulsions before, to confess their sins or inflict self-harm every time they willingly contemplate hurting someone else. It's no different than court-ordered therapy or medication."

Pardon Cally while she looked a little sick at the second one. "If no physical means were available, our people might use telepathy to stop an individual from harming others, but a compulsion to inflict self-harm is punishment, not treatment."

"Consider it behaviour modification," Emma replied. "The only difference between that and those collars that shock dogs when they try to leave the yard is that a dog doesn't know what it's doing is wrong in the first place, and is therefore blameless. But if a society allows for such training measures with an innocent animal, why is it wrong to do the same to a human that deliberately chooses evil?"

Emma wasn't being deliberately confrontational...much. She was honestly curious and skeptical, because she really didn't see any difference.

Not exactly a helpful comparison for Cally. "That's barbaric as well! People here do that to animals?"

She oughtn't to be surprised; she'd had a similar conversation with Percy once about people abandoning animals.

"I can influence animals," Helen said with a shrug, "Pretty much can get them to do what I want. I don't think anyone's ever tried to make me do something. I don't know if that sort of thing could be warded off, not if it was very subtle. If it wasn't, you might be able to fight against it."

"Yes. Or something very similar, with drugs," Scully said, her voice clipped. "It's very unpleasant." And I will shoot anyone who tries it on me in here, she couldn't help thinking, then hoping no one picked up on that.

Stealing dreams and building ideas.

When she's pinged in.

Emma? Meddle?

The bright and innocent smile she'd given Kerrigan at that point suggested that Emma would never do anything like that.

...except when she needed to. Or when she was bored. Or...well, she was Emma Frost. Anyone who was surprised at her behaviour by now didn't pay enough attention.

She isn't actually expecting any of you to take her up on her offer, but she's watching on in amusement anyway.

Edited 2011-02-16 12:30 (UTC)

I swear to god, this annoying snotty nose thing better be the very last episode in this three-week nightmare of stacked seasonal illnesses.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The Science of Psionics, Wednesday

Sign In

Re: Sign In

Re: Sign In

Re: Sign In

Re: Sign In

Re: Sign In

Re: Sign In

Re: Sign In

Re: Sign In

Re: Sign In

Re: Sign In

Re: Sign In

Listen to the Lecture

Re: Listen to the Lecture

Re: Listen to the Lecture

Re: Listen to the Lecture

Re: Listen to the Lecture

Circle Discussion: Suggestion

Re: Circle Discussion: Suggestion

Re: Circle Discussion: Suggestion

Re: Circle Discussion: Suggestion

Re: Circle Discussion: Suggestion

Re: Circle Discussion: Suggestion

Re: Circle Discussion: Suggestion

Re: Circle Discussion: Suggestion

Re: Circle Discussion: Suggestion

Re: Circle Discussion: Suggestion

Re: Circle Discussion: Suggestion

Re: Circle Discussion: Suggestion

Re: Circle Discussion: Suggestion

Re: Circle Discussion: Suggestion

Re: Circle Discussion: Suggestion

Re: Circle Discussion: Suggestion

Film: Induction

Talk to the TA

Re: Talk to the TA

Talk to the Teacher

OOC