Re: The Battle Majestic (Round 1 - Bubble Universe)
01-16-2010, 03:37 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by Baphomet.
Vexmagog's sensitive ears twitched and he stopped his trek through the grass. Is that...music? He turned towards the sound and strafed a few steps to the left to get a better view of the side street adjacent to the one he'd emerged from. He wrinkled his nose. Certainly not good music. And so quiet! Not something anyone could dance to. But, someone has to be playing it, and I doubt anyone has struck up an impromptu band. He smiled. I should ask my competitors if they want to strike up an impromptu band. He turned back towards the source of the sound and his eyes widened as a man came into view, who he recalled to be the one called Jacob Helix. He quickly made connection with the man's mind, and the words on the signs around him suddenly became readable. He put the idea of his intended first words to the man into the language center of his brain, then extracted the result before the rest of his gray matter caught on to it. His smile broadened as he recognized the dual meaning in one of the words. Then he really got to work.
The Capgras Delusion is a disorder where something, usually brain injury or the onset of mental illness, causes a person to suddenly and unexpectedly lose the emotional attachment they once had with the people around them. They find that all the alterations they'd been subconsciously adding to their loved ones' appearance go away, all the blemishes they'd overlooked suddenly become plain. The end result is that they no longer believe them to even be the same person, and find it more reasonable that they are some sort of body double put there to take their loved ones' place.
Vexmagog was familiar with this effect, and due to experience and his powers was skilled at the reverse: causing people to overlook whatever they might otherwise deem negative about him in order to foster in their mind a positive mental image, build an unexpectedly strong emotional bond. It was not as blunt as simply altering how they viewed his entire physical form--he would save that for later--and it generally resulted in a slight increase in trust and joviality; a feeling that the target already knew him, and they were not on bad terms. Of course, it would not work on a target who had already applied their own mental changes due to past experiences, but unless he'd been following him long, this man did not fall into that category. He walked briskly to the edge of the smaller park and hopped the short wall into full view of the man, making sure to look as non-threatening as possible. He waved.
"Hello!" he shouted down the street with a friendly tone. "I like your music. Want to join my band?"
Vexmagog's sensitive ears twitched and he stopped his trek through the grass. Is that...music? He turned towards the sound and strafed a few steps to the left to get a better view of the side street adjacent to the one he'd emerged from. He wrinkled his nose. Certainly not good music. And so quiet! Not something anyone could dance to. But, someone has to be playing it, and I doubt anyone has struck up an impromptu band. He smiled. I should ask my competitors if they want to strike up an impromptu band. He turned back towards the source of the sound and his eyes widened as a man came into view, who he recalled to be the one called Jacob Helix. He quickly made connection with the man's mind, and the words on the signs around him suddenly became readable. He put the idea of his intended first words to the man into the language center of his brain, then extracted the result before the rest of his gray matter caught on to it. His smile broadened as he recognized the dual meaning in one of the words. Then he really got to work.
The Capgras Delusion is a disorder where something, usually brain injury or the onset of mental illness, causes a person to suddenly and unexpectedly lose the emotional attachment they once had with the people around them. They find that all the alterations they'd been subconsciously adding to their loved ones' appearance go away, all the blemishes they'd overlooked suddenly become plain. The end result is that they no longer believe them to even be the same person, and find it more reasonable that they are some sort of body double put there to take their loved ones' place.
Vexmagog was familiar with this effect, and due to experience and his powers was skilled at the reverse: causing people to overlook whatever they might otherwise deem negative about him in order to foster in their mind a positive mental image, build an unexpectedly strong emotional bond. It was not as blunt as simply altering how they viewed his entire physical form--he would save that for later--and it generally resulted in a slight increase in trust and joviality; a feeling that the target already knew him, and they were not on bad terms. Of course, it would not work on a target who had already applied their own mental changes due to past experiences, but unless he'd been following him long, this man did not fall into that category. He walked briskly to the edge of the smaller park and hopped the short wall into full view of the man, making sure to look as non-threatening as possible. He waved.
"Hello!" he shouted down the street with a friendly tone. "I like your music. Want to join my band?"
Spoiler
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