The Synodiporia Psychic Network

Who's more charismatic: Jules or a bot?

[No context given.]

So, how do you deal with having had a stupid overlay?

[The agent was just disturbing. Mostly because she was so much older than Kitty, so it wasn't even so much an alternative reality as a possible future.]

So me and Armin were poking around Psychic abilities the other day, and we found a way to suppress emotions for a limited amount of time.

It works on all kinds emotions, including uncontrollable or distorted ones. [Like Hinamizawa Syndrome or panic attacks, but that's personal and thus restricted information.] So it can be really good for avoiding doing something you wouldn't want to do when not emotional.

If anyone wants to learn, I can teach it. It helps if you know how to restrict psychic traffic and access.

[She's bored. Once the novelty of his has faded, Sunday is just stiff and boring and without much that she could do that's fun.

So she has a plan to spice things up a bit.]

I'm going to give the natives prophetic dreams.

What should they see?

[The feed comes on at first to show just Leo sitting on a rock by the coast, a small, slim, but obviously well read book in his hands. He can barely get his words out in between laughing, but he is, just about, reading out loud.]

And then the goodly child turned to her parents and said, "by the will of the Godly Ones I shall accept the marriage chosen for me, and repent my disobedience. For having walked alone hand in hand with our neighbour's son I have known pleasures of the flesh that the Godly Ones warned us against, and brought dishonour on my family. Let my marriage to the priest's son prove to me that the soul is more beautiful than body or actions and bring me back to the light."

And so the goodly child was married to the priest's son, and they brought forth many children to the world. Every day, she repented for her sins with hard labour, and when she died the Angels came down and took her to live with the Goodly Ones in live and peace. But the neighbour's son, who never repented his sins, lived a life of shame and wickedness, and thought often of her hand in his, until the Goodly Ones smited him for his wicked ways. The Devils dragged him down to hell where--


Aaaaaaand that's enough of that. [Leo stops, abruptly, though there appear to be several pages left. He flicks through them, pulling a face.] Apparently illustrations of what happens in hell aren't sinful.

Show meeeee, [a cat's voice can be heard closer by. It probably is a cat, because the voice is closer to a protesting mreowwwww than an actual voice. She seems to be the source of the sensory streaming.]

Not a chance. I think I want to unsee them. [Leo closes the book, firmly.]

Boo. ...so what about that other book? [She looks at a book that reads 'the ABC of Virtues and Sins' on the front cover.

...but then the scene changes abruptly. Now the are in a sparse classroom. This time, Leo is perched on the side of the teacher's desk, the alphabet marked out on the chalkboard.] Now remember, the Goodly Cat is watching you, and if you make a mistake, we will know. Shall we start with the sins? [He uses a ruler to point at A, and then looks pointedly at the children as a cue.

The children start to sing.]

Adultery, Blasphemy, Coveting what is your neighbour's
Dancing, Envy, Fri-vol-ty
Gluttony, Heresy, Impatience, Jealousy
Keeping sins to yourself, Lust, Murder, Nudity.
Ogling and Pride,
Quailing before judgement,
Rebellion, Sloth, Torpor and Unbelief
Vanity, Wrath
Following a bad example
Yielding to temptation
running with the zealots.

[As the children sing, the view changes table legs and children's legs come into view until the streamer with one languid jump lands on a child's table, making the poor boy almost jump out of his skin. He soldiers on bravely with the song though, and the cat now marches around the tables, being watched anxiously out of the corners of the children's eyes. There's an odd sensation in the livestream (because that is what it is this time around), almost like she's distractedly snacking on the side.

At times, her eyes go back to Leo, who purses his lips thoughtfully.] Hmm... I guess that'll do... For now. [The threat hangs in the air for a moment, before he taps the A again with his ruler.] And now the virtues. [The children's eyes go forth and back between the cat and Leo, the actual teacher standing forgotten by the door, watching how her pupils are doing with some anxiety herself, but they launch into the next song without hesitation.]

Abstinence, Belief, Charity and Diligence, Equanimityyyyyyyyy
Forgiveness with-due-repentence, generosityyyyyyyyy
Humility, Industriouseness,
Justive, kindness, love,
Mercy and nurturing, Obedience
Prayer, quiet, repentance, sa-cri-fice,
Temperance and unity
vigilance and worship
always a good example
yearning for righteousness and zealous,

[and then the last bit is crowed with abandon and clearly under the impression that feeling is best expressed by volume,]

are we!

[Leo stares at the children for a moment, and then looks directly at the viewer.] Did the one to your left sound a little slow, Goodly Cat?