Apr 18, 2012

Collaborative Efforts in Perception

So I had been passing notes back and forth a while back with Manic Muse regarding ideas for experiments because... ahh... he asked for them? And there's this one thing he had been asking me to try out and... mmph... I guess I finally caved a bit. I mean, I've been given a number of reasons as of late to doubt his general level of sanity, but I'm still intrigued enough by his thoughts on perception to go along with it. Besides, I needed something to get my mind off of things and I don't want to play with that other thing anymore right now... so... here we are.

Anyways, he basically had these ideas about using Perception to do something akin to drawing energy from the Construct, or perhaps rather from the chaotic elements surrounding him, to basically gain special abilities. Which obviously sounds kind of farfetched and out there but... stranger things have happened, right? I dunno. It's still a suggestion of low-level super-powers, so that's kinda... nnnngh, yeeeeeah... I mean, on the one hand, I really liked The Last Mimzy. I like this idea that you could present high concepts to children at an early age before their perceptions of reality have solidified and give them a chance to excel far beyond the mental and physical capabilities of even the most able of modern man. I mean, a little girl basically taught herself to levitate and speak telepathically, simply by providing her with knowledge and changing her perceptions in an age of innocence. That kind of crazy level of perception alteration is right up my ally. And instances of people with "powers" or whatever within the mythos does seem to suggest that such things might be more plausible than you'd think...

But I'm an adult damnit! I'm already pretty damned convinced that I can not fly. Because if I could fly, I wouldn't need to worry about some tentacled douchbag that can't seem to handle climbing more than 3-4 flights of stairs on most days of the week. In fact, I'm pretty sure the only thing left to worry about if I could fly is like the Convocation or something. So hey, yeah, learning to do something like that would be fucking awesome, but I don't think it's gonna happen regardless of how much I try to "believe" that I can fly.

Still... there's potential validity to the argument... so I figured I could try something a little smaller scale. He mentioned one idea of being able to lift small pebbles or stop oneself from hitting the ground when you fall. So... low level telekinesis, basically. I didn't feel like putting myself through the stupidity of trying to Jedi-mind throw a rock, so I went with more the latter option. Basically an idea that you could catch yourself in the heat of a dangerous situation by slowly down time or something. So... bullet-time, I guess. And it's pretty simple to test, just spend some time jumping around and prat-falling, while believing really hard in yourself. That was... "basically" what I wound up doing.

A few hours of "exercise" later and I was pretty certain that this wasn't working out. But then, obviously I was skeptical from the start, so I feel like that was probably holding me back. So I figured I'd try a more in depth approach and really push the boundaries here. So I found myself a nice spot, sat down, and really, truly meditated on the idea for about half an hour or so. Trying to find my center and all that. Focus my thoughts and energy. I can do this. I believe!

I returned to my feet refreshed and determined. We were really going to do it this time. I am Not Afraid! I can Do This! Just keep telling yourself that. You have the power, you just have to draw it out. The potential for greatness lies inside of you, now is the time to let it out. No turning back. We're ready. Lets do this!

And then I stepped forward and basically flung myself down a flight of stairs.






....yeah, that didn't work.

So now I'm back on the rooftops trying the one where you make yourself heal faster. Because that would be really great right now.

27 comments:

  1. To be honest I don't know how my ability developed, I may have had my mind broken at a really young age and I have had years of practice, it is hardly surprising I am only just now pushing the boundries, maybe you should have tried the stone first.
    -Manic

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  2. That made me laugh do hard. I could actually be of some help to you.

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  3. Ok I'm struggling with this one.
    How... does perception make you heal faster? That's just stupid.

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    1. I'd do a piss poor job of trying to explain it... because I keep falling off into "What the Bleep Do We Know?" quantum mechanics bullshit half the time I start thinking about it. But essentially it's a process rewiring of the mind through your perceptions of reality. Perhaps kind of like how you could teach yourself to get over a fear of something by confronting it and realizing there's no danger in it. (Though something like that is much simpler if you're dealing with a fear of clowns or bunnies.)

      So... bouncing off Hakurei's comment below... presumably one actually could teach themselves to heal faster. But it'd probably require a lot more time than I have and a good deal of study.

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  4. You know why it's not working.

    You need to do this with DBZ logic. Stand on that rooftop shouting for a couple of hours.

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    1. I am confident that would destroy my voice. XD

      ....and alert Hotel Staff... <.<;

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  5. OH GOD.

    Fuck the ponies. THIS is what I will mock you with for the rest of your life.

    Make sure your next "experiment" doesn't kill you. Keep Updated.

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    1. If I thought those stair were long/high enough that hopping down them could have killed me, then I wouldn't have leaped down them.

      Where are you staying now by the way? I clearly need to come give you a hug or something.

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    2. Shade and I are moving. Nooooot sure if I can give away our location without his going on some condescending ramble about how I'm putting our whole operation at risk and how I'm gonna get us trapped on a loop again blah blah blah. Same old song and dance...

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    3. Security is an important thing to consider. Espically takeing recent events into account. I stand by my beleif that handing out our location is not a good idea.
      S

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    4. Understandable. I was mostly kidding anyways. I didn't expect him to tell me anything like that.

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  6. You threw yourself down a flight of stairs.

    ...


    You threw yourself down a flight of stairs.

    ...

    I'm offically disowning you now.

    See you around
    -Cage

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  7. Perhaps if the key is "the elements surrounding the Construct", then it works better whilst having Our Mutual Tallish Friend present during the experiment?
    Actually, if the key is the perception, maybe you'd just need to

    ... Scratch that. Probably best not to break the perception filter before doing something crazy.
    Although at the very least, it would mean you'd have a reason to fling yourself down a flight of stairs.

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    1. I think going along with Morningstar's suggestion of aid would be ever so slightly safer than trying it with the aid of the Construct. And I'm not super keen on that idea even, but it's basically pretty close to the same deal. So... maybe?

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  8. Ah, Gravity.

    Thou art a heartless bitch.

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  9. It's all in the details, really. Research exactly what happens when you heal naturally, and then manually take over the process and make it faster, the same way you can manually take over breathing.

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    1. I was going to give up on this idea entirely but... That. That right there makes sense to me. That should be possible.

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  10. Maybe you need to be in an actual life-or-death situation?

    Not saying I want you to hurl yourself off of a skyscraper or out a hotel window, of course, but my thought is that if this kind of 'awakening' did exist, you'd need more than just belief; you'd need a good, healthy dose of 'HOLYSHITIAMGOINGTODIE' fear, too.

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  11. Maybe you just need some help. Like. A situation where you are in danger. Panicked. Like someone ELSE throwing you down a flight of stairs. Maybe I can help?

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  12. "But I'm an adult damnit!" who just happens to have a fascination with cartoon ponies*

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  13. I think Gargoyle's doing all this to see if he can make us laugh. Laughter being the best medicine, blah blah blah. I have discovered his secret plan! Huzzah.

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  14. Okay I think it's been pretty well established that I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed but even I have to say that that was a stupid idea. I mean, I know I shouldn't judge but...seriously, you actually threw yourself down the stairs. Did you not see what happened when Buzz Lightyear did it in Toy Story?!?!?!

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    1. *checks arm* ...still attached.
      I think we're good.

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  15. You know the image of the wizard as a wizened old bastard whose spent his entire life studying musty tomes and meditating?

    Yeah. There's the whole "years of study" thing involved. Congratulations Gargy, you just tried to develop magic powers in a day. And this is why a LOT of magic gents use complex rituals with tools and circles and such. They focus power, and make it more like a construction project and less like forcing your will on the universe. Or more like they amplify the output of your will? Take your pick.

    Start with something small. People believed that Salt Circles could defend against evil. Think of an invocation to protect yourself, give it a shot. It's a question of will and visualization and not throwing yourself down a flight of stairs.

    Jumping Jesus Christ on Crutches, Gargy, I'm going to be laughing about this all night. Flight. *I* never figured out how people did that. Skilled mystics are a hard thing to find, and it's even HARDER to find someone who can actually affect the physical world. I mean, I'm the best in the world at what I do, and *I* have no idea how you'd try flying.

    I'm going to sleep. Stay intact, will you?

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    1. *checks arm again* ...still attached. *thumbs-up*

      But yeah, I kind of figured anything like that, if it were possible, would take a lot more effort/study and a lot more time. Think I touched on that idea once before but... memory. Meh. Don't have a lot of time though, so... working with what I've got. And that clearly wasn't enough.

      Think I can still try a couple of those things you mentioned though. And salt's pretty easy to come by.

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