near the end of the week

[thornsofmalkav]

Hokay. So. Me and Claudia have been talking and we've noticed we aren't being affected by the weird Song thing or even many of the side effects and one thing we both have in common is we're both pretty good at psychic protection--that is, shielding our thoughts and stuff--so we're pretty sure there's at least somewhat a psychic component to it.

I was thinking that maybe, even with the other precautions happening, it might be a good idea to teach anyone who doesn't know it yet how to do that psychic protection. At least the beginners version of it, if not the extra-strength version we both know.

Also...

[And here she hesitates, guilt warring with guilt. An entire year of not telling people something they really should have known, versus the desire to protect someone dear to her. But if she didn't name names, maybe that would be protection enough. And people should know. She was tired of covering for him, especially since as far as she could tell he'd never stopped doing it.

She wonders if he'll be mad at her after this. Fine. Let him be mad. She'll remind him that she could have used his name.]

Also, I kind of really think that everyone who can learn psychic protection should, for the simple fact that there are people among the Travelers who will listen in to your private conversations. Some of them will listen into every unprotected private conversation that passes through the network. Because they think they have a right or a need to listen to them.

I know. It's happened to me.

So. Yeah. I can't force any of you to learn this, but I think it's a really good idea. And I'm here to walk you through it over the network or I can go find you if you'd rather have an in-person lesson.

Comments

[claudiometer]

I'm willing to help too, if anyone needs help establishing or beefing up their mental firewalls and Thorne gets booked solid.

[thornsofmalkav]

Yes! She is very good at that shit.

[theflyingone]

Of course people would try to listen in. This happens physically as well. I even suspect that protecting a conversation on the network is really only a formality, like building a fence. You cannot trust that your defenses will be stronger than the person looking to get around them.

Was it anything serious? ...You do not have to answer my question if you do not want to.

Public -> Private (x2 protected)

[thornsofmalkav]

Yeah, I know I should probably expect this shit. But not everybody does, so I figured I should tell people.

[She quickly switches to protected.]

... I dunno, is who I slept with six Jaunts ago serious?

Re: Public -> Private (x2 protected)

[theflyingone]

It sows distrust, but it is a fact, and everyone should know it can happen. A parent does not keep the truth from their child that thieves exist just because they are afraid their child will distrust everyone.

[ As is his usual way, he continues an unprotected conversation next to a protected one, in the hopes it will mask any suspicious silences.

[ Private ]

That depends on how important it is to you, who you are comfortable knowing about it, and how you feel about how they obtained the information.

[chalicejoker]

...side effects?

And yeah, getting my defenses up wouldn't be a bad idea. Stops me from having to kick someone's ass for eavesdropping. I can block a little, but...

AHAHAHA speaking of which guess how she got spied on

[thornsofmalkav]

Um. I think some people are getting more violent?

Once you learn to block a little bit you can move onto blocking for both you and the person you're in the conversation with.

BEAUTIFUL

[chalicejoker]

So it's not just m--something is making people violent?

[It's not murderbug gotta murder? He's more relieved than he'd care to admit.]

I just want to shield myself for now. Might help defend more against Teruo's Song.

[shiroganeheir]

Someone's always listening. Reasons I don't use the network much.

People do not know how to leave others alone.

[There's a sharp, slightly-angry tone to her voice.]

Public -> Private (x2 protected)

[thornsofmalkav]

[... that's slightly worrying.]

Yeah.

[...

...

Going to privatize this.]

You okay? You want to go back to liminal together and talk about this shit?

Private

[shiroganeheir]

I'm fine. I just get tired of people not respecting each other.

I can't get to Liminal anyway.

[memoryandtheft]

Nothing like having your worst assumptions proven true to make a girl feel even more paranoid.

[thornsofmalkav]

... I'm sorry. I thought it would be better if people knew, so they could learn to protect themselves.

[memoryandtheft]

You're right. It is.

It'd just occasionally be nice to be proven wrong, you know?

[papacerberus]

Thank you, Thorne. I'm glad to know that I'm working towards the correct things. I also believe that Conditioning is helping fight the effects of the Corrupted Song. I don't believe I've mastered that enough to teach it, but it is another avenue for people to look into.

Is there a way to... test if I've got the psychic protection skill mastered, though?

[thornsofmalkav]

Have a psychic conversation with someone else and have a third person try to listen in on both of you?

Because when you've got it, like, fully mastered, you can protect other people's thoughts as well as your own.

[papacerberus]

I certainly don't have it mastered that far. Will anyone volunteer to help me test? It would probably better if the one I was speaking with hasn't begun learning, and the one who's listening has mastered many--just to be certain.

[It's pretty obvious that Lupa means to speak to everybody in that instance and not just Thorne.]

Knowing that I can eventually protect others is helpful, however. Thank you for informing me, Thorne. [A moment's pause.] Would that help with the corrupt Song? Has anyone been able to test that?

[naturaltwohands]

Thank you for the warning. I will protect my private conversations more forcefully.

And I can teach the simpler protection to anyone that needs to learn. I know some are even stronger than I, but I will happily share anything I know now.

[thornsofmalkav]

No problem. I'm just sorry I sat on the knowledge for so long.

[dino_zarf]

The extra strength version can help other people a bit, too. Not perfect, but if there's anyone who can't learn, it's something.

[thornsofmalkav]

Yeah. I've been using it whenever I can, to be honest.

[someonetocarry]

I think I probably ought to learn this, if I'm gonna try to help out the locals findin' this thing. What do I need t'know to get started?

[thornsofmalkav]

It would help if you've figured out any other network tricks like 'reading' the archives of sharing your senses?

[tobegood]

I don't think the song really works on me, because of what I picked up in Newport. But... someone's spying on us?

How do you know if you have psychic protection? Is there a way to test it?

[Imriel does, in fact, building on the mental barriers he'd needed to survive in Darsanga. But he's never had the means to know that for sure as a Traveler.]

[thornsofmalkav]

Well, someone was a while ago, anyway. They've spied on me a couple times.

I think maybe you and someone else could have a private conversation and another person could try to snoop on it? Just as an experiment.