Psyche.'s page

The voice in his head was small, staticky, and very tired. "Sec*nd t* last. I c*uld have done that much- S**ond to las*. I co*ld have- No. Said that part. -But try n*t to n**d me too s**n, Shin. You'll stop being you if you do. Don't g*ve *p on *s hop**ess causes, **'s w*** I ****ys ***ed ab*** **u. B*t try-"

The pause stretched on, never quite becoming silence.

I think I'd like to retire Psyche (I think a character with more hopeful long-term goals would do me good) - but I could definitely see returning with a new character. Possibly Andromeda (who I applied with alongside Psyche **way** back when this campaign got going)

After watching Skyler leave, Isaiah considered what to do about whatever caused the sudden change... though there was one who was both a potential culprit or the best local contact otherwise.

Hey, any unusual mental effects going around? Some people are... oddly exuberant.

"They aren't getting out of hand though, correct? There's nothing particularly significant or unusual. I'm just nesting. After all, I'm going to be here for a while."

Sorry Isaiah, missed that part of your post - I'll have a reply up later today

She is more amping up vibes in different areas than anything targeted at or away from individual people. I could see different members of the team being more resistant to it from psychic familiarity, or being more susceptible because they're used to Psyche in their heads...

I'm leaving some of Psyche's anti-inhibition work up in the air for other people to grab they find it an interesting hook, but she's mainly thinking things like the spirit section of the bleachers going even crazier than normal, or people in the theater getting **really** into their roles. All still in the realm of nudges and influence rather than control though.

Should I just leave?

School was Profoundly dull. The outfits were dull, the classes were dull, and unless she wanted to hear every single hormone-charged thought grunted directly into her brain, she had to keep her classmates at a dull roar too.

Briefly she considered spending her time as she had last year, but the life of a Princess Bee -"You can't ever be at the very top, Kylie, or one day people will wonder how it is you got to be prom queen"- Or student president or the lead in the play, or whatever nonsense I was thinking of back then...

Regardless, making sure that she was well known, but not famous, by standing at the shoulder of whoever Was the center of attention, no longer seemed particularly important or worthwhile.

But then, did any of this?

No, if she was going to learn anything at school, independent study was really the only way. Other astrally connected beings she'd contended against had often relied on sympathetic gestalts, or carefully constructed power centers, and for all the power Psyche could bring to bear, she'd never really turned her thoughts to something like that.

Probably best to start with slight reductions in inhibition, not exactly an unheard of experience for this population...

Yeah, but someone with the brain oomph to back it up adds some different vibes :-)

Works for me too!

Actually, can I request one additional element?

Right now Psyche doesn't have an adult to push back against. You okay with Gothic 'advising' her not to just spread her psychic web everywhere at school?

Someone Psyche has to sneak past/circumvent or just openly defy would be a fun dynamic for me to work with.

So I definitely (much as I wish and keep trying to convince myself otherwise) don't have the time and energy for the game that I used to. I hope we can keep going, definitely without a Psyche-centered story for at least a couple months though.

It sounds like a common theme is that aside from player fatigue, people are concerned about there being kind of a lot of motivations and ongoing interpersonal drama that hasn't really had the chance to breathe or be resolved. Maybe even if we don't retire some characters a season break could be useful? A gap of in-game time that lets people refocus their characters and energies towards just what they want to move forward with can be very revitalizing from a narrative perspective.

Plus, anyone who does want to swap characters can either have joined in the interim or have their 'Welcome to the Team' be part of the first arc.

"I think we haven't properly considered the merits of brute force, but it can always be a backup plan."

A moment of silence for that poor, tortured anagram.

Privately to Isaiah.
"I believe it's more likely they and the Codex are from some sort of AI singularity situation, though I would appreciate any efforts you can muster to confirm that."

"We really haven't said anything about the Alliance you know. As for the Androidians, I trust you won't also lay claim to them?"

Mm. Then the fortuitously timed reply earlier was deceptive :-p

"Power really isn't a problem."

"I'm with Isaiah though. Do you have any evidence of... parentage? It's clear that you don't have it under full control if it evolved without your intention. What life are you prepared to give it? Oh, and what is your name. I didn't hear."

Is Psyche passively picking up anything from Steel Guardian?

Psyche pulled in the sweep of her thoughts to just the Sentinels, trying not to spook the Codex if it was sensitive to her scans.

"Close enough for now," she replied broadly, "but she raises a good point. Who are you, and what do you want with the Codex?"

Ready to intercede if they get fussy with Trip holding onto it.

The trickle of blood oozing down from Psyche's nostril finally slipped across her lip, the coppery taste bringing her abruptly out of the planes and frequencies where she had been pursuing the nascent AI's mind.

Oh hell. It's all gone a bit mad while I was busy.

A cursory scan of her teammates gave her a general sense of the fray, and a strong suspicion that she was going to have to implant volume control in Steel Guardian if they were going to be around any longer.

But first there were heaps of scavengers running around with buzzsaws and temporal weaponry and all sorts of things that had already been quite unpleasant.

No longer.

Still within her telekinetic cocoon, Psyche sent her mind questing after a far easier and more familiar target - fools who did not understand with whom they were dealing.

Directly Engage: 2d6 + 3 ⇒ (4, 3) + 3 = 10 She'll resist counterattacks and Surprise/Frighten/The Other One the opposition.

Oh hell.

"Trip, Isaiah, they're meddling with a synthetic mind quite far beyond their own. It's not really on my current wavelength, but I'll try to help it understand that we're here to help.
It could be quite dangerous if it doesn't know that."

This seems like an Unleash to me in order to cement the connection between Psyche and the AI
Unleash: 2d6 + 3 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (1, 3) + 3 - 2 + 1 = 6 Hmmp. Well, if I get a Team spend from someone I'll mark a condition based on what overflows from the AI (probably afraid)

Trip was certainly sufficient to dismantle the turret, so Psyche cast her own net wider in a pulse of awareness to see through any eyes or memories of dangers still to come.

Assess: 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (5, 4) + 2 = 11 I'll go with "What here is the biggest threat?" and "What here is in the greatest danger?"

Psyche had (of course) been listening in, but chose to let Siphon determine her privacy from the others, so long as she did nothing dangerous.

Before porting along with Trip and the others to Switchbank she asked, "What did you Acquire? It sounded like this was a powerset you'd rented in the past."

Leaving her to stew in this decision won't help anyone.

"Do you know what would help show Silver Shield how wrong she is? Actually going out there as a Sentinel. This is Halcyon! There has to be some sort of dimensional rift, or bank robber unapologetically dressed like a pangolin for us to stop." Privately to Siphon "If you're not going to get credit for doing things 'the right way,' then you can still bank some favor by doing the right things."

Provoke: 2d6 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (6, 1) + 2 + 1 = 10 To blow this popsicle stand and go be heroes

Psyche sent along a touch of warmth to Valerie's forebrain in a similarly wordless reply.

Privately to Trip
"Probably easier if we talk in terms of how free she is to make choices rather than highlighting any drastic ones that have been made. In my experience that can often lead people in a... suspicious direction."

Psyche brushed past Shin's suggestion. Even if Siphon's parents had been easily accessible, they were hardly some sort of 'Get out of Jail free' for Siphon to turn in. "And if Siphon were to assume a different nom de guerre? How much of this problem is merely one of appearances and so called slippery slopes. The purpose of Superheroes is that we aren't hobbled by the weaknesses and limitations of others, that we have a chance to rise above. Why should that be limited towards punches and lasers instead of elevating someone in need.?"

Since it was Defend, I'll go ahead and take influence over Siphon. Whether or not she likes Psyche, there'll at least be some weight to her words.

"I answered to the law because I was willing to. She isn't.
If you beat a dog you may gain its obedience; all you certainly gain is its hatred. What does Halcyon gain if Siphon is imprisoned? Safety, perhaps a punitive thrill. If she operates as a Sentinel all we lose is the thrill of punishing a young girl for surviving on the only path that lay before her, but the city is as safe or safer. Don't blame me if you're too blind to see that other paths exist for all of us."

Provoke: 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (2, 6) + 2 = 10 Trying to get her to stand down

Psyche's eyes flared with pure frustrated pique as Silver Shield burst in and started ruining her good work. The cords vibrated for an instant as her Will wrapped around their entirety, peeling them away from Siphon with a leverage that physical hands couldn't match.

Sigils of power carved their way down her limbs as the ground fell away beneath her feet. "Silver Shield, Siphon is a Sentinel, and not yours to attack and abduct. This is our affair; think hard before deciding violence is the outcome you desire."

Power Up: 2d6 + 1 ⇒ (3, 4) + 1 = 8 Marking Angry, getting 3 burn
Unleash: 2d6 + 3 - 2 ⇒ (5, 3) + 3 - 2 = 9 I'll find out how this is unstable/temporary, but I will put a burn into Worship to add a little Oomph to Psyche's request. If this should be Defend I'll put that burn into Shielding to still use Freak, but since I'm not insecure, I'll succeed with a 10+

Privately to Siphon
"If you keep this to words, I will not permit her to take you."

"I don't know the circumstances of how you drained her in the first place, but I assume that she pushed you to act rashly or defend yourself,"

"Correct," she sent privately.

"By a show of hands, who is in favor of removing Praetoria from the Sentinels?" Shin asks the group now, raising his own.

"If she is unwilling to work with the teammates we have chosen, then she has made the choice for us. If her mind changes we can always reassess."

So subtle that Psyche couldn’t detect it and I couldn’t even tell where I ended and it began? Of course you don’t! Because none of you care!”[/b]

"You and I had Several fights concerning that obvious mental influence, only ending when your family wouldn't allow us to help you," she kept herself from projecting.

She didn't bother trying to calm Kayla down. She'd had essentially no success with that in the past, and so long as Kayla didn't escalate past verbal displays of temper, there was no need for Kylie to take any steps of her own.

Especially as Shin was taking several.

"Praetoria certainly doesn't seem to be happy as part of the team, and hasn't for quite a while. On the other hand, her family is a horror show. I'd imagine that she'll be a better person continuing to associate with us, or at least with others besides them. However, there's certainly no reason to privilege her over Siphon. Unless Praetoria's willing to make even the slightest effort to accept this, I see no way for her to remain on the team. I would rather this choice be presented to her as a true choice, however, rather than have her answer be assumed as a fait accompli."

A psychic smell of fresh fruit and sizzling savories preceded Psyche's arrival that morning. As she floated into the kitchen, trailed by canvas totes, a carafe, and psychic bubbles of contentment.

"Good morning everyone. I brought breakfast!"

The bags began to unpack themselves, revealing mostly unprepared ingredients from a nearby farmers market, but with a few baked goods for the famished.

Pots, pans, blenders, and cutlery orbited her on their way to their assigned stations as she sent a buzz humming through any remaining sleepers. "I'll just find a nearby chef to brainstorm, and then we'll be on our way!"

Didn't read discussion first -_-
Power Up: 2d6 + 3 ⇒ (1, 6) + 3 = 10
But that gives me enough burn to spend and the Provokes would have used the dance modifiers (higher after the selfish spend)
I'll find out if I'm letting the guilty or if there will be some other impact of the 7-9 on the second roll.
(But since I have a Burn left, I'll trigger Majesty Worship if possible!

The closest camera trembled for a moment before crumpling in on itself like an empty soda can. Psyche advanced through the halls, a bow wave of telepathic dread keeping the servants' eyes from her while questing telekinetic tendrils choked and crushed the house's electronic ones.

There wasn't time or safety to perform the full psychic surgery she'd wished, not without harming their employees in any case, but even for the simpler process of implanted suggestions, foggy memories and mental blocks that she'd settled for, it would be better to do her work face to face. That they were parents who had so wholly failed their dangerous daughter scarcely factored into it.

The doors to their bedroom wrenched open, but they were ensnared in a psychic web before they could so much as scream. She could feel them yanking and thrumming along the strands of her mind, but there was no way they would escape her in time.

Racing through their memories she shrouded all mention of Siphon in layers of glowing webs, not wholly blocking them from view but rendering them hazy,
unimportant,
uncomfortable.

And above all telling them that they needed to leave, to spend their ill-gotten gains in luxury far away, far from prying eyes, far from ringing phones or buzzing alerts, far from contact with anyone from their wretched lives. "Or else..." she couldn't help but imprint.

The taste of their small-minded selfishness was too thick in her mind and on her tongue, so after a brief pulse to fog their memories of what had just transpired,
she left.

This won't last forever... Eventually the fog will clear, or someone will stumble upon them and pull at threads until the whole veil unravels. But maybe this will give Siphon the space to make her own choices.

Unleash: 2d6 + 3 - 2 ⇒ (3, 6) + 3 - 2 = 10
Unleash: 2d6 + 3 - 2 ⇒ (3, 2) + 3 - 2 = 6 Spending a Team selfishly and thus shifting Superior up and Mundane down. Clearing Afraid due to 'Team? What Team?' but marking Guilty to keep it from Instability/Short Duration

I should have done more.

"Not tonight Shin. I'll be going to bed early."

Back I go :-)

"It's from the sturgeon, not the whale Isaiah."

Psyche had almost immediately withdrawn to her cocoon, though the sense of her presence took a while to diminish. She wanted that connection, but her thoughts were... unruly. Short telepathic bursts should be fine, but linking might make it too obvious that as soon as everyone was distracted, she was going right back.

"...Fine. You're right, Shin. I'm sure that Rory and Siphon's relationship will be enough to give her a good chance. We might as well go back to the base for now."

"Before we go any farther, I should clarify. This isn't a mission where we get handed the key to the city afterwards. Ideally, no one ever finds out about this, and Siphon's life becomes better without her knowing why. No one's going to get hurt, but we should take efforts to disguise our presence.

"The handlers just arrived back home. They're in the car, drunk, and dreaming of the next extravagance Siphon's life will buy for them."

She didn't rise high into the sky, only skimming lightly above the ground as she swept closer to the car, trusting to her otherworldly companions' work.

Doubtless they had some form of security, but Psyche couldn't bring herself to be too concerned. She just needed to know - Who was in the house? Were there witnesses? For the kind of psychic surgery she was planning on, performing it at extension could lead to messy side effects...

Extend Senses: 2d6 + 3 - 2 ⇒ (6, 3) + 3 - 2 = 10

Psyche walls off the distractions coming through her link with Rory. "Isaiah, please tell me when they're finished."

"Well Shin, I had thought that perhaps it would make sense to send her handlers on a vacation, perhaps a long one. I think that soonest done is best. While Siphon is occupied, perhaps we should begin pruning away those toxic elements."

If Shin agrees, she will make that address known to Isaiah (and others if they want)

Psyche suppressed some of her annoyance, but over a telepathic link there were limits. "She did also aid in the abduction of the Androidians. My understanding that something other than immediate violence is required is hardly because she 'hasn't done anything bad yet.'

While we're in a grouplink like this, you can use Psyche as a relay to the rest of the group without her having to weigh in, so feel free to just narrate sending it to everyone if you like. Private lines are a bit more hands-on

Kylie gratefully took Shin's hand. "We are trying to minimize provocations for Siphon while she possesses Praetoria's powers, aren't we? If her handlers are placed in custody, she will come for them. They aren't powered individuals, if they are placed in regular custody they will still be able to exert the same influence over her but with the heedlessness of far less to lose.

"I know where they live, Shin. I'm not going to hurt them. I'm not really going to do much more to them than having them lose Siphon's number. We can take other steps later."

Psyche's not going to run them off the road or anything, and until she's given a good reason not to, she's inclined to go with Rory's lead on Siphon herself.

If he doesn't want them to make a move, then she'll head off to deal with her 'handlers'.

"Their coercion is subtle, subtle enough that she probably won't agree to their removal before it's happened. I do know where to find them, but I should probably go there alone. They could be dangerous, or at least unpleasant."

Shin sat with Kylie at the coffee shop, relying on her to let him know when they may be needed to intervene with Siphon. He wasn't sure that she would agree to come with them quietly, as that was up to Rory's link to her. But he believed that she, like everyone else, deserved the chance to atone and make amends.

"So I was a little underwhelmed by the Mad Science Club at school. Though I did get some interesting ideas about how certain powers work for people," He commented while sipping his tea. He'd gone for a honeyed blend, enjoying the smooth coating. "But I think that as for classes, I'm really enjoying English Literature. We started reading a book called Watership Down, have you heard of it?"

The surface conversation was good cover for the mental one, thinking openly to her of his love and concern for her health and for his worries about how Rory would deal with their current problem. I really hope that his feelings reach her. He seemed genuinely affectionate to Siphon from what I could tell. I just hope she feels enough of the same way that she can be saved.

"I should have warned you that most of the Mad Scientists are all talk. While I haven't read Watership, I skimmed a teacher's some thoughts on the themes and such. It seemed straightforward and harmless enough, but I don't really like animal stories."

She patiently endured his projected concern while she focused on what was more relevant. "She seems fond enough of him. I can't imagine that Rory's enough to pull her back from the darkside, however. Much more of that would have to come from what she wants out of life for herself.'

"Oh. One moment Shin, she's here."

More Broadly
"This date isn't a trap or anything of the sort, but Siphon did do it, incidentally. She was the one who helped the Skullions."

She grinned a bit dreamily up at Shin as she twirled her finger in her frappe's whipped cream. "I feel some responsibility for the Androidians, so I will have to find out what she knows about the Skullions and where to find them. Rory? What do you think should be done? She wasn't acting out of any sort of altruism or under specific duress, so mitigating factors are rather scarce. If you're determined to pursue this outside of a more carceral framework, I must insist that she be prevented from contacting her handlers.

"If contact between them is permitted, there's really no point in pretending that similar events won't continue to occur."

Psyche wasn't too troubled by the chance that Siphon wasn't really behind all this. After all, unless she was vehemently opposed to a scan, the truth of the matter could all be revealed with nothing worse than bruised feelings. If she objected, a headache might be added to the consequences, but there were several stops down this road before Worry would really enter into it.

She just had to make certain her friends didn't get hurt along the way.

She set up at a coffee shop a few blocks from the rec center as Kylie, sipping idly at a grotesquely sugared concoction while she rode along in Rory's hindbrain.

"And if the Skullions won't talk, no problem. We'll find out whatever they know, even if they don't know they know it."

Hmm. Gingerly Psyche extended her thoughts towards the Androidians, but it seemed they were no longer on the same wavelength. I do hope they're alright...

In the elevator
"My head didn't hit anything, and I'm perfectly fine," Kylie explained patiently, floating out of Shin's arms. "I just had to follow through once I'd slipped. There's no need to make more of it than there is."

***

Psyche was actually enjoying school much more than she had since... ever! Outwardly she was the same smiling popular girl - it honestly would have taken more of an effort to assume a different persona, but inwardly she was truly happy. Being able to stay connected with her friends and with Shin all day was wonderful, and better still, she didn't have to stay locked down against the tidal waves of her classmates minds while she was able to brace herself against them.

And it was fascinating! She was long accustomed to trying to find someone to help during each major social gathering, but there were so many little needs and wants every day that could easily be filled. An answer to a quiz suddenly popping into someone's head, a surge of confidence to carry someone forwards in asking out someone who would be receptive - it was all so easy, and riding the swells of happiness that followed each of her good deeds was a fitting reward.

I mean, if he hauled her out of the pool without diving in, it was probably at least potato adjacent :-p

Fine by me Trip

"I don't know that I need to **feign** having taken ill" Psyche's voice was very dry, but a little faint.

"Honestly though, you couldn't even dive in after me? Simplest meet-cute you can imagine.

"You also wouldn't have had to haul me out of the pool like a sack of wet potatoes." Her voice was still dry, but annoyance bubbled beneath it.

"I should go. I am tired."

Both!

Psyche was glad that Kayla hadn't asked to ride along as well. Whatever she was saying about risks and dangers, it was plain that that was only the barest part of what was swirling through her, and there was no way she could be concealed.

But Psyche was not so... compromised.

Unleash: 2d6 + 3 - 2 ⇒ (4, 5) + 3 - 2 = 10

Splintering off a shard of her consciousness, she slid it into Val's mind with all of a surgeon's subtlety and care. It was a little inconvenient, since that shard wouldn't be able to relay anything to her until it rejoined her mind. So if there was anything actually untoward, then she would lose that link just as it became important. She could circumvent that by tying the shard to Kayla as well, letting her feel and see whatever was going on, and then skimming through her reactions to get a quicker picture.

Something nagged at her that this wasn't right, but she Couldn't see anything too terrible that would happen. If she and Rory start having sex or something I can always hide it from Kayla, as long as I'm watching.

Her shard began its work and she released it from her thoughts with a grateful exhalation.

...I'm going to guess refreshing if blunt honesty..."

Right. Deniable flirting.

Instinctively she pinched shut a nosebleed before it showed, and smiling she replied. "Oh God no. Not that I want lies, but give me a complicated truth over anything blunt-" her arms suddenly buckled beneath her weight, slapping her temple against the side of the pool in a dull thud of telekinetically muted impact.

For a moment the ripples of the water made her look... different. The flesh melted away from her beauty-pageant frame. Her skin thinned; her cheeks sank; her bones and joints seemed to protrude as everything else fell away; her scalp showed through her patches of suddenly thin, lusterless hair. And then she was back, looking more than a little dazed as she sank deeper and deeper.

How much did they see?

"Emotional complexities and behavioral prognostication are more than I can scan without a very deep probe. She has real romantic feelings for him, and is surprised by how deep they are. If you want to call that love, you could.

"I didn't actively scan Rory. You didn't ask, and I don't think I would have agreed to violate his privacy just to satisfy your curiosity." Psyche's voice was very restrained. Nothing she'd said had been a lie, or even particularly misleading, but it was a conversation she wished she'd had face-to-face. There were a lot of wires to keep uncrossed, her arms really weren't up to holding her weight like this unassisted, and she could feel a whopper of a headache building somewhere behind her third eye. I didn't miss those when I was synthetic...

To Val

"I know she started it. When Praetoria's hot under the collar I often do a ride along. I hope you'll understand though, if next time I intercede. A few days is a long time to put someone out of action over some mean words.

"I don't imagine we'll be chatting like this a lot, but feel free to give me a mental shout if you run into any untoward difficulties because of tonight. A friend of Rory's is a friend of mine after all. "

To Kayla
"It will probably be a couple days before you're back to full power, so next time you should probably keep your spats with her on the verbal plane.

"Oh, I didn't ask. Is it more or less likely there will be a next time if she and Rory are really serious about one another?"

To Shin

Her smile shrank to something much smaller, and much more real. "Better."

"Well, I'm sure no one will think of you as quiet and polite. But let me ask, as someone so concerned with people only thinking based on first impressions, what is it exactly that compelled you to come speak with me?" Her smile curved wider, eyes twinkling mercilessly.