Question Silver Discussion

I started to write this origin after I tried my hand at a Fall Combat Final thing for my character Argent. Let me know what you think of it, or if you see any blatant errors I can fix, before I start cleaning up the next chapter.

Only thing I see right now, is that it needs paragraph breaks. Actually gonna read it now...

...

Oh, you knew that already... Probably should have put that note on top?

...

Drugs are freaking me out a bit... Reminding me of Domoviye's Rose's parents' denial... Like they're drugging him to keep him docile and compliant and stuff... But that seems incorrect, they don't act creepily controlling... I'd need more backstory on the medicine to make sense of this...

What/who's Kaycee? Still don't know by end of chapt. 3...

Charon's parents aren't mutophobes. That's good. Who names their kid Charon, though?

Hm. The main gist of the drugs is that without them he is prone to extended fits of extreme focus that leave him dangerously exhausted. Not sure if I'm going to have anyone explain that outright in-story but depending on how it goes I might do it for clarity's sake.

Edit: I added paragraph breaks.

Let me guess Char's on the autistic spectrum, the fact that he doesn't like the drugs, tells me he's high functioning, and its probably over-zealously treated whatever form it is,

mhalpern wrote: Let me guess Char's on the autistic spectrum, the fact that he doesn't like the drugs, tells me he's high functioning, and its probably over-zealously treated whatever form it is,

You are very good at guessing (I mean, you are right). But it could be argued that his treatment was not so overzealous when it began so much as it was just zealous enough to keep him out of the hospital.

Quorry wrote:

mhalpern wrote: Let me guess Char's on the autistic spectrum, the fact that he doesn't like the drugs, tells me he's high functioning, and its probably over-zealously treated whatever form it is,

You are very good at guessing (I mean, you are right). But it could be argued that his treatment was not so overzealous when it began so much as it was just zealous enough to keep him out of the hospital.

I have ADHD, which is on the spectrum if just barely (I pace around a ton and can get distracted VERY easily unless I am zoned in on something), I know what its like the rare time I accidentally take my meds twice, I haven't done it in years but in that state I have to TRY to distract myself, all thought tangents just stop, that's the thing with the spectrum, if you try and dose out all the symptoms you get a very uncomfortable person, I would sue the doctor for malpractice, or just try to switch, the meds are supposed to allow the patient to function, not keep them from thinking. You portrayed it very well.

Malady wrote: Only thing I see right now, is that it needs paragraph breaks. Actually gonna read it now...

...

Oh, you knew that already... Probably should have put that note on top?

...

Drugs are freaking me out a bit... Reminding me of Domoviye's Rose's parents' denial... Like they're drugging him to keep him docile and compliant and stuff... But that seems incorrect, they don't act creepily controlling... I'd need more backstory on the medicine to make sense of this...

What/who's Kaycee? Still don't know by end of chapt. 3...

Charon's parents aren't mutophobes. That's good. Who names their kid Charon, though?

Common misconception about treating people with autism is that people don't realize that some signs of the spectrum are ok, actually can be a GOOD thing as they can think differently, Char's parents want him to be able to think like everyone else. I'd be a hypocrite if I said some medicine can't be a good thing, but it should never completely overcome the symptoms, if it does there's something seriously wrong. My guess is Kaycee is an inner persona Char's hiding

Quorry wrote:

mhalpern wrote: Let me guess Char's on the autistic spectrum, the fact that he doesn't like the drugs, tells me he's high functioning, and its probably over-zealously treated whatever form it is,

You are very good at guessing (I mean, you are right). But it could be argued that his treatment was not so overzealous when it began so much as it was just zealous enough to keep him out of the hospital.

I was wondering what his flavour of imbalance was.

Mister D wrote:

Quorry wrote:

mhalpern wrote: Let me guess Char's on the autistic spectrum, the fact that he doesn't like the drugs, tells me he's high functioning, and its probably over-zealously treated whatever form it is,

You are very good at guessing (I mean, you are right). But it could be argued that his treatment was not so overzealous when it began so much as it was just zealous enough to keep him out of the hospital.

I was wondering what his flavour of imbalance was.

generally speaking if it has to do with how someone thinks, its most likely autism of SOME variety, particularly when the brain is clearly capable.

I'm glad there's discussion going on, it makes me happy. Char's unique way of thinking will play an important role in his story and development (even more so starting this next chapter).
And he will never be medicated again, because his first 'power' has made that impossible. (unfortunate implications about his fate if he never manifested though :< )

Quorry wrote: I'm glad there's discussion going on, it makes me happy. Char's unique way of thinking will play an important role in his story and development (even more so starting this next chapter).
And he will never be medicated again, because his first 'power' has made that impossible. (unfortunate implications about his fate if he never manifested though :< )

Something is telling me that the parents were pushing the doctor for maximum safe dosage, every case on the spectrum is unique, the real trick is making the dosage just high enough for other coping strategies to be effective, there are only a few times when prescriptions should make someone uncomfortable, laxatives and chemo, also antibiotic giant pills when going down. There's probably a few others but none for Char's condition.

Well, an Automatic Personality, or something... How would a PSI experience sensing that... I guess like the equivalent in Red Card...

Were you the one who wanted RedCard ? ... No, that was amratner... And not even amratner, 'cause he/she was looking for Mr. Pumblechook...

Have you read Red Card, Quorry?

Hmm... I think I should expect similar personality traits? 'Cause robot girl and autisic-ish are possibly similar?

What's the new intelligence gonna be used for... Hmm... Waiting for more, 'cause this update seems to be just exposition for setting up stuff.

definately got the mental package....

Hmm I haven't read Red Card. How/where can I find it?

Look in the archives in my Sig. It's in the MHT one...

Okay, I finished Red Card. Nothing since February 2015, huh? Interesting, though, I can't help but draw parallels between Tara and Char. This will probably shape his characterization somehow, even if it is unintentional. Well, now that I've spent the whole day consuming someone else's writing, I should get started on the next chapter. Thanks for that recommendation, Malady.

Yeah. The similarities are why I brought it up, after all! ... You could subvert some things, like instead of making Silver romantically/sexually naïve, you do the opposite? ... Which might take it in places where you might not want to go... ... Well, at least Silver's been around humans her his whole life, so he knows about hyperbole and idioms...

Obviously the "something found" will cause problems, possibly Mithras as well, the girl is unnamed so less important, at least in Char's mind, she's background. To be honest I am looking forward to him/her telling the parents exactly why he hated the medicine, finding new, non-medicinal coping mechanisms might be interesting. We can guess his BIT is going to remind her of his imaginary cousin Kaycee. The biggest problem I see is that his parents have kept him from being moved ahead, now while this means there is more new information available, in theory, there's the problem of them realizing the expensive side-effect of the exemplar mental package, where energizes and regens need lots of fuel, devisors and gadgeteers need lots of parts, and so on, Exemplars need a tree's worth of paper to make them a month's supply of books....

Why read when you can write, why read about experiments when you can do them yourself? Utterly inefficient, but a lot more fun?

Also, internet.

Malady wrote: Why read when you can write, why read about experiments when you can do them yourself? Utterly inefficient, but a lot more fun?

Also, internet.

Well right now Char needs to find his interests, before experimentation, also some expeiments require excessively large equipment, or a high level Devisor/Gadgeteer, same deal with writing. Text books cost a lot online as well, and right now that's what he'll mostly be reading. Also clicking for the next page can be a hassle compared to just turning the page.

That is one weirdly chatty mask... No internal censor, or something... It might really suck as a date... No sense of personal space... ... How would internal Char wake up?? How much of Char's powers would it reveal if just asked about it???

Mask isn't exactly free with information, it just has no space for thoughts of its own, so when Char isn't active, it tends to voice everything. This trait may change over time as Char's powers grow in strength.

Feels very Glow, but how not Glow can such a multiple personality be? You've gotta hit certain points, after all??

Ah. Glow.... is that in the archive or is it canon? Where would I look for it?
I feel less than well-read -_-

whateleyacademy.net/index.php/original-t...glow-in-the-darkness
whateleyacademy.net/index.php/original-t...-the-darkness-part-2
whateleyacademy.net/index.php/original-t...-the-darkness-part-3

Also, totally didn't pick up on Ashworth and [Char as names that are thematically related to each other.

Hmm... I wonder how Char's new body looks, in relation to Kaycee's... Well, I guess we'll find out later.

Dice, for Eurydice, I guess. Well, I'll guess an AU where Ancient Greek Mytho names are popular due to reasons, like Pop Culture or something.

How do you pronounce Dice? Like the ones that you roll? Or like the latter half of Eurydice, or what? Meh, not like it's important?

I wonder... Eurydice and Charon... Will those names have Meaning... Like, Eurydice dying and Charon saving her or something... Hmm... Eurydice being afraid of snakes? Well, I guess I'll find out in the next installment(s).

So, Dice has a bike, not a moped, or motorcycle or something? Yeah. I just expected something more impressive to relate to “That isn’t a motor scooter.”.

What don't you like about your dialogue? It is a bit tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Feat...fDisembodiedDialogue at the end, but they're on the phone, so we've got environment down.

Hmm... She's about the Cult stuff... And that Greek Mytho name... Is she or her parents cult-related to some ancient Greek Cult??? Like a Modern Mystery Cult??? Possibly not.

And I missed this on first reading:

He dreamed of a silver pool that night, rippling slowly outwards, as around him shapeless figures moved in a deep white fog.

Random dream? Or Meaningful dream? Well, some else to note for the future.

Oh, I take it from your Thank You, that you read Glow, Quorry. Okay.

Hmm... Char doesn't have any focus, so is latching onto Dice to share her focus.

Oh, Dice was intended to be pronounced like the rolling kind, I intended it to be a nickname like Char's (his real name is Charon, ponounced Sh-are-un [or Sharn >_<], but the nickname is pronounced how it looks). I liked the name Dice, short for Candice, but I can totally roll with Eurydice. Funny thing, she was originally intended to be nothing more than background, but now she is being upgraded to an important role.
And Mithras' name is like that for familial reasons. (just on the subject of odd naming)

Yes, Glow. I liked it.

And of course all speculation will be addressed in-story.... eventually. I hope.

Actually the only reason I'm unsure about the dialogue is I'm not sure if I'm properly expressing the character of the speakers. I might be thinking too hard about it.

Quorry wrote: Actually the only reason I'm unsure about the dialogue is I'm not sure if I'm properly expressing the character of the speakers. I might be thinking too hard about it.

Hmm... If you don't mind, give out a small explanation of their character, and I / we'll see if they match up with the story?

All right, Dice is a carefree, adventurous teenager, who chases the things/people that interest her. Though, she often doesn't consider safety or the feelings of others.

Char's mask is a people-pleaser, always trying to leave a good impression while working towards Char's goals or purposes. Tends towards almost obnoxious cheerfulness, unless someone sets a different mood first.

Char himself never actually speaks out loud.

Char's mom is worried about him, doesn't have a clue what is going through his head, feels guilty about the past, etc. But in general she is a planner, and likes to have things happen just so.

I think that's it for those who have dialogue... are these adequate short character blurbs?

Quorry wrote: All right, Dice is a carefree, adventurous teenager, who chases the things/people that interest her. Though, she often doesn't consider safety or the feelings of others.

I guess that's carried through the disregard of minor illegalities? She is going on multiple trips, and is focused on the Cults topic, so I guess what you say is coming through.

Quorry wrote: Char's mask is a people-pleaser, always trying to leave a good impression while working towards Char's goals or purposes. Tends towards almost obnoxious cheerfulness, unless someone sets a different mood first.

Can't remember much of that, 'cause all I remember without looking back, is that he explores a lot.

Quorry wrote: Char's mom is worried about him, doesn't have a clue what is going through his head, feels guilty about the past, etc. But in general she is a planner, and likes to have things happen just so.

Can't remember much about the planner part, but the worrier part comes through with the section at the end of chapter 6.

Quorry wrote: I think that's it for those who have dialogue... are these adequate short character blurbs?

I'm fine with this, personally, but others might have things to say?

Woah. Eurydice POV. Nice!

Bike + Motor Scooter. Interesting. How come she has both? I guess she one of those adventurous people, so it makes sense to have adventurous stuff or something? ... Is Eurydice an only child? 'Cause this:

I met some actual magic people last year. Like, wizards. I’m totally serious. And they told me, well, not me, but their son

Was she over at someone else's house when she got that info, or her own house, and that 'son' is her dad? ... Well, I guess we'll find out later, 'cause that's a pretty spoilery plot point?

Oh, so not many people know that Charon's a mutant. OK. ... Hmm... Eurydice might be another mutant? ... Naming their child Eurydice might be a sign of a magic family instead of, or including, a weird one?

I see what you mean by "my typical style of leaving out details until they are important", 'cause I didn't know the mask was active until it was said. But, it works, I think.

Is Dice a gadgeteer? I mean those mods aren't that unusual for a hobby tinker but her conversational focus may be a bigger tell

Dice's status is in creative flux at this moment. It will be decided once I figure out my decided mutant occurrence density. Is two in the same smallish town fine? more? Ah, never mind. I've got this. All the things I have planned or unplanned will show up in due time.

What I'm really impatient about is Mithras. At this rate he won't have an active role for like at least five chapters. And he was like the first character named who wasn't the protagonist.

Quorry wrote: What I'm really impatient about is Mithras. At this rate he won't have an active role for like at least five chapters. And he was like the first character named who wasn't the protagonist.

You could try and veil his stuff is mysteriousness and then bring him in, and then we'll go like, "OH! So, that bit was that, and that was that, etc"?

Sounds near impossible, if you want us to know what's going on... Nevermind then?

Mithras... That's gotta be a codename. Who names their kid Mithras? Charon is at least better known? But, we've got people who'll name their kids... Well, weird names, so *shrugs*. And now I'm wondering how good / bad of a name it actually is...

And I'm assuming that Mithras is a guy, but it 'could' be a girl? But I find it unlikely...

Nice writing for the latest chapter.

Interesting set of effects. That creation of the mask, and using that to shield himself from over-stimulation of the senses, can be found in some really chewy fields of psychology, that of Multiple Personality Disorders, and, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

There was one description of someone with MPD, where there was one personality fragment that called itself "Robot". This maintained the biological needs of the person, but also acted as a shield from the abuse that was the main cause of her MPD. The "Robot" personality was the only one that was in contact with all of the others.

The parallel's with the levels of over-sensitivity associated with Borderline-Personality Disorder, and the unwanted side-effects of the coping strategies used to ameliorate that sensitivity, is very strong.

There was also a description in Neil Asher's Polity stories, where powerful AI's would have to create sub-minds, just to be able to communicate with human beings, as otherwise it would be too slow,

It's interesting to read about a version of this, that is based upon evolved sapients, as well as being a consistently realistic description of the effects of autism from the inside.

Some of the models of the personality found within the Germanic mysticism have multiple mask elements as their basis. Each being part of the overall personality, but each being tuned to operate upon a different level of perception of reality.

(Please note, that i am not suggesting that the "Ethereal Body", the "Astral body", or "Spirit Animals" do or do not exist. I've seen people get consistent results with this form of practise. While i have tried a lot of experiments around this, i have had limited success in practising the skills of communicating with those parts of my psyche. Just because i can't do it, don't mean that it ain't real. )

A nice literary example is the interpretation of Batman, as being a shaman communing with the spirit of the Bat.

All of this popped up in my mind, as i was reading the part where Char was able to perceive that Dice was actively using magic.

There's a nice set of sub-themes, covering the use of neophyte mage's as sacrificial manna batteries by unscrupulous more-experienced mages, as well as a large number of other underlying themes, that give a fascinating flavour to the story, and the characters.

Curious to see which way this story will go.

Definitely looking forward to the next part.

Whateley Fanfic - Silver Part 9 Notes:

***

She told herself it was just to confirm the power of his ability, to see if it was this mask was feeding her interest in him.

After that, I was expecting some kind of "I'm crushing on him"... Not the creepy hunter-ish:

But deeper down, her motivations were darker, less reasonable than simple curiosity. She wanted to see him vulnerable, this boy who, though careless, never faltered, never showed his core.

***

Watching from afar, or nearby, even asking him directly, she couldn’t tell what he was hiding. She knew the mask wasn’t as simple as charisma. It was a perfect poker face, revealing nothing the wearer didn’t want her to know. Most people would show parts of themselves they weren’t even aware of, if they were watched long enough.

Interesting!

So far, Charon Ashworth’s behavior had been too perfect, too in line with what he appeared to be. She hated that kind of lie. And that’s why she commanded, rather than asked, him to take it down.

Very informatively Interesting!

She clasped her hands together in front of her, lightly brushing the pointer finger of her right hand with her thumb. When he continued to hesitate, she let her left hand drop, leaving her right to hover awkwardly in front of her, still moving her thumb in slow circles on the nail of her finger. The finger twitched, and she thought, wouldn’t it be easy to just point at him, and make him do it. She remembered the last time she thought on those lines, and her thumb halted, then tucked into a fist that she slowly lowered to match her left hand.

Oh, she's got some mind powers or something!

Char had already decided. He would try it, and see how it went. Now was as good a time as any, better, in fact. His parents weren’t around to freak out, and he had someone with him to give him a focus if his senses overpowered him again. The only problem he could think of was how exactly to go about it. If he did it wrong, he would just activate his introspective state, and that wouldn’t be much use.

Finally, he worked it out, and took down the mask. It was more difficult than he had supposed. Since the day he realized he had it, the mask had been active any time he had to interact with someone. The longer he used it, the easier and more reactive its activation became. On this particular trip he had even been able to tell when Dice was watching him because it would activate on its own, influencing his posture, his expression. Several times, the same thing had happened when he wasn’t looking in her direction, meaning it could tell using factors aside from sight. To keep such a powerful part of his mind inactive on purpose felt unnatural, like holding back a sneeze until it faded away, leaving him blank. But the feeling passed, and there he was, in the forest. Just Char, barefaced with nothing to say.

Woah. A look into how his powers feel!

And she couldn’t see his face either, because he was holding a hand over his eyes and speaking downwards.

Autistic thing? ... Or does he know his eyes are creepy, as said below?

restrained she,

restrained, she

She took a long hard look into his eyes, then released him. He stood very still, then he closed his eyes and sat on the ground, his knees to his chest. She extended her right index finger, and spoke in a firm voice.

“Go back. Reactivate your mask. This is my request.” The nail on her finger sparked, showing a small, intricate circle on its surface, that just as quickly faded. Char stiffened, then sprang to his feet, anxiety plain in his demeanor.

“Okay, you’d better have seen all you needed right then, because I’m never doing that again. Do you understand?” He paused. “Did you just magic me?”

She has power(s)!

When Dice looked into Char’s eyes, she knew she had done something terrible in convincing him to remove his mask. They were the eyes of a dead person, blank and staring. His face was expressionless, and he made no move to remove himself from her grasp. Intuitively, she knew what kinds of emotions he must be feeling, but from sight alone she couldn’t see anything, and that was the scariest thing she had ever had to think about. This kid’s mask wasn’t some power, it was the part of him that controlled his entire exterior, and when it was gone, he was cut off. She had asked a person to turn off a part of their brain, and she wasn’t even sure what that entailed. Well, she wouldn’t let that hang over her if she could help it. Karma is the balance of good and bad deeds, so to make up for this unkind act, she would give something in return. Something that would build Char’s trust in her. So she decided to tell him about the magic in their town.

Char's eyes are usually creepy. Informative! Magic is Balance! ... Magic Town!

If Dice is a mutant, she has low level Gadget and possibly a Wiz rating, (could be taught magic), most likely a power that aids in perception, but again that can be trained, however NOT necessarily mind powers, you don't need them to do what she did, just a good understanding of psychology, and being able to read "tells" not even her getting Char to drop the mask is magic, in fact its more likely hypnotism, not magic- Maybe slightly aided by magic, but not magic entirely. Come to think of it, she may have a bit of an exemplar mental package and everything else is learned, as usually the level of skill in all that she demonstrates in this chapter requires years of study and practice, that unless she has a genius or near genius IQ she shouldn't be capable of.

Ok so she is NOT a mutant, just way more intelligent then she lets on.


Unfortunately she doesn't realize she's asking Char to do the impossible, that is pretend he's dumb. This is where both the autism and the exemplar trait work against him, anyone on the high functioning end of the spectrum, whether its OCD or ADHD or what have you, often become quick experts on subjects because they can only focus on a few subjects at a time or walking encyclopedias because they can't just focus on one or two subjects for extended periods of time, add a faster brain to the mix, and it doesn't matter what end of the spectrum, you would be a sponge for information that simply cant be saturated, and not trying to wouldn't be healthy.

Hmm... Metagene... Mutant Breeding Program now that Char's here?

The Mansion and the residents thereof

Interesting chapter title!

“Yesss- I mean, I’ll explain the basics to you then. Magic is when you use special energy stuff to make things happen. The energy is this kind of stuff you find some places, or you can make it yourself if you’re really good.” She stopped when she saw Char’s eyebrows raise. “Stop that, I know what I’m talking about. I just don’t like the ‘official’ terms.” She put air quotes on the word ‘official’. “If you really want to know, it’s called Essence. But I’m going to call it special magic energy.

Look at the one on my pinky nail. You know how long it took to get it just right? A year. Yep, one whole year redrawing that stupid thing every day, just so I can make light without a flashlight.

“A whole year. Well, I can write equally well with both hands now, so that’s something. I guess it didn’t help that I was drawing on my fingernails. Magic circles do not go well with curved surfaces.

That's dedication... Imagined emphasis on 'do' and 'not' makes it even better!

“Lights on. This is my request.”

That's really wordy... It'd suck if she had to use the light as a blinding weapon and had to say all that... But, I guess if it was just "Light!" Then it'd activate every time she said "light"...

Astrolomy Club

... Char's not questioning what that is? I guess he guesses that it's a mispronunciation, but of what?

this was done with the poise and delicacy of a ballerina writing a story on her own back, in cursive, with her foot. Or his. It might be a man ballerina. ballerino?

Malady wrote: Hmm... Metagene... Mutant Breeding Program now that Char's here?

The Mansion and the residents thereof

Interesting chapter title!

“Yesss- I mean, I’ll explain the basics to you then. Magic is when you use special energy stuff to make things happen. The energy is this kind of stuff you find some places, or you can make it yourself if you’re really good.” She stopped when she saw Char’s eyebrows raise. “Stop that, I know what I’m talking about. I just don’t like the ‘official’ terms.” She put air quotes on the word ‘official’. “If you really want to know, it’s called Essence. But I’m going to call it special magic energy.

Look at the one on my pinky nail. You know how long it took to get it just right? A year. Yep, one whole year redrawing that stupid thing every day, just so I can make light without a flashlight.

“A whole year. Well, I can write equally well with both hands now, so that’s something. I guess it didn’t help that I was drawing on my fingernails. Magic circles do not go well with curved surfaces.

That's dedication... Imagined emphasis on 'do' and 'not' makes it even better!

“Lights on. This is my request.”

That's really wordy... It'd suck if she had to use the light as a blinding weapon and had to say all that... But, I guess if it was just "Light!" Then it'd activate every time she said "light"...

Astrolomy Club

... Char's not questioning what that is? I guess he guesses that it's a mispronunciation, but of what?

this was done with the poise and delicacy of a ballerina writing a story on her own back, in cursive, with her foot. Or his. It might be a man ballerina. ballerino?

Questioning interupts the intake of information, also he has enough information to infer its astrology and astronomy in one.

I was just thinking ahead a bit, when I realized that I'm eventually gonna have to set in stone what year this is (a certain holiday, which day of the week it is). And that's going to have some effect on how much I disregard canon for the sake of story (the true power of fan fiction), I guess. I'd rather stay close to it, though. There's internet, so I can't go too far back. I'm wondering if there will be less problems if I go into the future. Any suggestions? Does anyone care?

Well, 10-20 years past G2, you've got Powered Armor being possibly common, and typically stronger than a EX-3?

You're planning to get Char into Whateley? 'Cause there's enough we don't know for this to still not contradict canon?

Yes, I plan to get him to Whateley.... eventually. Depends on how I introduce the other characters, really. Hmmm, I think far future (say 2027) would work, 'cause otherwise I'd have to explain why nobody mentions said other characters (they are sufficiently unique for that to be a concern, kinda. There's other reasons too. secret reasons). Also police in powered armor sounds fun.

Well, this is new. Interesting, and weird. I like the strangeness of the dialogue. It's creepy + funny + hints at disturbing.

Sparker powers! Throwing sparks off every time he touches things or something. Foster Kid... In Medias Res,

"Pasma says(.)"

Space out the paragraph with "It’s hot, ... towards the city." It feels really Wall Of Text.

I made the edits. Is it less wall-y now?

Quorry wrote: I made the edits. Is it less wall-y now?

Yep.

Mech cop

Ooo! Nice!

Now he’s barefoot, sprinting on the cracked asphalt, sparks flying every time his foot hits a shard of glass or a torn beer can.

...

My blood catches on fire when I bleed.

Oh. Nice power!

I’m Giblet. That’s cuz I can turn into little cubes of flesh, like giblets.

Strange power...

...

How will this relate to the Main Silver story?? I guess they'll move and hide out in Char and Dice's town?

He just likes books THAT much

Yes. Yes (s)he does.

Report Cards being the only record of learning, and you want those to be good, 'cause you don't trust your memory. Understandable.

Char for Library Assistant!

Hmm... What's her name gonna be? Hopefully something that doesn't connect back to his real name... Totally understandable if you want to keep that a surprise.

...

OH! The threads are gonna connect at Whateley? That'd make a lot more sense than the other group moving to Char's town?

***

Androgynous voice as well? How are Char's physical capabilities again? Then again, as an Exemplar, learning new skills, even ones as possibly complex as parkour, is easier?

... Is this the first instance of a full-on guy (body and mind are male) disguising himself as a girl in any Whateley Academy media? Ayla doesn't count, 'cause he's not physically fully male?

Ahh yes unconventional mutant power identification 101, Exemplars with mental package are often found in libraries, Energizers (and some regens) in all you can eat buffets, Gadgeteers and Devisors in junkyards, and so on.

Did Char just make Adds a nerd's wet dream? Does he even realize he did that?

mhalpern wrote: Did Char just make Adds a nerd's wet dream? Does he even realize he did that?

mhalpern wrote: Did Char just make Adds a nerd's wet dream? Does he even realize he did that?

o<o ahhh....
Did he? If so, it was wholly unintentional on both my part and his.
-Looking back over description
._. oh. I see what you mean.


Well, it is what it is. It's not like Adds will be going to his school or anything. Hard to do when you don't exist.

Quorry wrote:

mhalpern wrote: Did Char just make Adds a nerd's wet dream? Does he even realize he did that?

o<o ahhh....
Did he? If so, it was wholly unintentional on both my part and his.
-Looking back over description
._. oh. I see what you mean.


Well, it is what it is. It's not like Adds will be going to his school or anything. Hard to do when you don't exist.

She's still gotta meet people at the library. *Imagines something like the Comic Shop Girl sections of El Goonish Shive*

Malady wrote:

Quorry wrote:

mhalpern wrote: Did Char just make Adds a nerd's wet dream? Does he even realize he did that?

o<o ahhh....
Did he? If so, it was wholly unintentional on both my part and his.
-Looking back over description
._. oh. I see what you mean.


Well, it is what it is. It's not like Adds will be going to his school or anything. Hard to do when you don't exist.

She's still gotta meet people at the library. *Imagines something like the Comic Shop Girl sections of El Goonish Shive*

That is true. But maybe not so many as you'd think. As you may have gleaned from Miss Carsen and various lines of dialogue, the library isn't exactly bustling with people. I don't think I'll have a good opportunity to explain why in the story, but it mostly has to do with people using their free time to work on their magic, or other things (spoilers, that's what). The library has no magic books in it. So they don't visit, for the most part.

The only visitors are people staying in town for a short while (a rare occurrence) and the regulars, who are pretty much what you'd call nerds.

I can use this. You will have to see how.... in the indeterminate future.

Addy fights with a claw hammer??

PSI! Detection of percievers, like with the Visibility Spell, here: elgoonishshive.wikia.com/wiki/Nanase#Spells

You could just contain the image in a spoiler box, and links need the HTTP prefix to register as a link, also, the URL had a space in it.:

Okay, I added in the spoiler box.

Clark Kent/Superman philosophy to the next level aside even logic driven people wouldn't make that jump easily, unless they were at least androgynous to start with, or liked messing with people.

Quorry wrote: Okay, I added in the spoiler box.

... I actually didn't link to the actual image. Now I did...

Hmmm. Let's see if I can make it seem more plausible.
1. Char is somewhat androgynous. It just isn't too obvious, because it isn't in the pretty-boy way.

2. Char doesn't really like messing with people. He likes lying to them, if he thinks he can get away with it. He doesn't think he can get away with lying to Dice.

3. Char really likes improving on skills he's learned, going the extra mile on projects.

(let's see if I do this right)


5. Remember that part about his cousin? Some stuff went down then, and there are still effects. Which will be addressed.... eventually (man that word. it's everywhere)

Does it make sense? please let me know if it doesn't. I like making sense.

Quorry wrote: Hmmm. Let's see if I can make it seem more plausible.
1. Char is somewhat androgynous. It just isn't too obvious, because it isn't in the pretty-boy way.

2. Char doesn't really like messing with people. He likes lying to them, if he thinks he can get away with it. He doesn't think he can get away with lying to Dice.

3. Char really likes improving on skills he's learned, going the extra mile on projects.

(let's see if I do this right)

4. Stuff about how he thinks that may not get into the story [ Click to expand ] [ Click to hide ]

Char acts out of self-interest 90% of the time. the other 10% is when he thinks that being interested in someone else will be in his best interests. His mask acts friendly, but we've only seen fairly friendly people so far. Char doesn't give a crap about what people (in general) think about him. It's a remnant of years of not giving a crap about anything. He may recover this capacity, in time.
Char only seems to have forgotten about all those years not giving a crap. Actually, the memory of that time is what drives him to continuous self-improvement.

Char does not have a strong gender identity, though he doesn't think of himself as a girl just because he's disguised as one. Also, he hasn't actually worn any girl's clothing yet. This is tied to number 5.

5. Remember that part about his cousin? Some stuff went down then, and there are still effects. Which will be addressed.... eventually (man that word. it's everywhere)

Does it make sense? please let me know if it doesn't. I like making sense.

I hope that he gets over #2, thats less healthy than not caring, the question i now have is why doesn't he remember anything? There are only 2 reasons i can think of for that, repression for self defense, or external influence. I am willing to bet on the external influence side

Wait a minute, his cousin had mind powers didn't she, or at least an aura, one that 5yr old Char couldn't possibly cope with, and now Char thinks he has mind powers, did Kaycee somehow leave a BIT imprint on him?

Testing! It's well thought out... And now we know we'll be getting exposition!

Betting one of those senses is Essence? ... Maybe not...

Getting an apology is hard... Why Char doesn't like being called Charon might tie into the Kaylee thing...

To get an image, you encapsulate it intags... Like so.:



You need the link to the image file, though. Which I get from right-clicking the image from the Imgur link, and selecting "Copy Image Location."

Nice picture! at his regret! Awesome regret!

The change around works well, extra senses can be very useful, but it seems more esper than psychic

I know Esper is for ESP, for perception, which is more accurate, but what exactly is the difference between that and psychic?

I thought they were kinda synonyms...

Quorry wrote: I know Esper is for ESP, for perception, which is more accurate, but what exactly is the difference between that and psychic?

I thought they were kinda synonyms...

Espers generally deal with extra senses, Psychic abilities deal with the mind directly, wether its PK, mindreading or Manipulation, most psychic abilities are generalised as ESP traits when they are really psychic, simply because psychic variant is much rarer. ESP covers Astral projection, aura reading, clairvoyance, danger sense, gadgeteers (technically), new senses, precog, psychometer (as defined in the wiki it IS an ESP trait) and super senses. I left a few out but the biggest difference is that a Psychic can do stuff directly with their mind and an esper has more senses or enhanced senses

Oh, thanks. Well, he's an Esper then.

Powers so far:
Introspection (He can change his mind!)
Mask (He has a great poker face! And he's a passable conversationalist!)
ManySensory Perception (He can sense lots of things!)

btw it might be spoilery but is anyone interested in the original Char story (the one I mentioned way at the first post on this thread)? I mean, it has some Kaycee and Mithras related stuff.... I'm not sure how much of it is going to end up in this plotline. Should I wait until I've caught up to it, detail-wise? To preserve the reveals?

Quorry wrote: btw it might be spoilery but is anyone interested in the original Char story (the one I mentioned way at the first post on this thread)? I mean, it has some Kaycee and Mithras related stuff.... I'm not sure how much of it is going to end up in this plotline. Should I wait until I've caught up to it, detail-wise? To preserve the reveals?

If you want. 'Cause I'm interested. ... How spoilery is it, really? Kaycee appearing isn't a spoiler? (We already know she's alive, IIRC) ... Who's Mithras again?

If you're sure that it's not gonna happen, then I'd like to see it, as a WhatCouldHaveBeen, and then see how much better the new one is? Unless you don't want to do that...

Hmmmmmm yeah I think it'll be a whatcouldhavebeen. The Mithras spoiler is just about how he relates to Char, but really basic. He only shows up offhand.
So should I make a new story thread or just put a link to the doc or what?

Quorry wrote: Hmmmmmm yeah I think it'll be a whatcouldhavebeen. The Mithras spoiler is just about how he relates to Char, but really basic. He only shows up offhand.
So should I make a new story thread or just put a link to the doc or what?

I'd say to put it in a spoiler box in the first post? And then say that it's there in the author's note for the next chapter?

Or put a link in the first post and note in author's note for next chapter?

I put it up. Looking at it now, it's kinda funny how short it is.

Huh. The emotional diary thing reminds me of this:

www.fanfiction.net/s/9805735/1/A-Certain-Droll-Hivemind

[But, that's just the general format? Both the Argent Diaries and that story diverge from a general diary pretty rapidly! Cool!]

... If you want to read it, it's 45,632 words long, atm. ... If you want to download it, I'd recommend this: www.fanfictiondownloader.net/download.php

... Do you know if emotion... Okay, Emotion Diaries are a real thing... Then again, why not? You can make a diary for anything and everything...

***

Nice quick infodump for new readers!

***

Some pretty cool phrases and funny bits in there! Like this:

If I’ve learned anything from this, it’s way better to remember something and work it out quickly than it is to forget it and start having evil nightmares. Because, obviously, evil nightmares are bad for productivity.

the "is anyone looking" is definitely a variant of Danger Sense, I would not want to be hunted by someone with Char's powers, he's got the tools to be a near perfect tracker. And he's worried about not being a badass. Even without the Exemplar strength, once he masters his feelings (had to) damn.

Hmm... So that stuff with ESPer vs Esper, and EP vs. ESP... Perhaps make it a bit easier to figure out how to pronounce, with E.S.P-er, so then the individual letters are highlighted?

... Thermal 'Sight' allows for ogling, like Peeper? ... No note of that from Char... Is he asexual or is it just irrelevant?

Did his 'whiplash' damage the power like a burnout, I wonder...

Interesting update! ... Interesting picture! The tilted mouth makes it look like he's thinking something over, but the eyes seem sort of unfocused due to asymmetry or something?

... Oh! It's Charon's reaction to being called Charon instead of Char! ... You can't kill someone if you don't know how to do it. Truth.

I changed ESPer to ESP-er. it should be fine that way, since ESP is used as an abbreviation immediately before for context.

Thermal sight -would- allow for ogling (in a colorful, heat-gradiated way), except Char has no interest. I freely confirm he is asexual. Will not confirm or deny anything romantic though.

I just had a thought. The mask, when it acts without Char's input (only one instance so far), makes him a real philosophy zombie.

I am starting to think that Kaycee didn't do anything to Char, other than be a figure for him to obsess over, we know that what Mithras is describing is the drugs.

Nah, she did something. It just wasn't as clear to Mithras because Char stopped associating with him after she showed up.

So, the cousin is Kaycee, (Silversnick?)...
and Mithras isn't talking about his own cousin, right? Dice and Mithras aren't cousins, right? I got confused by Wicked Cousin, 'cause I thought Mithras doesn't like Dice.

Mithras, Charon and Pasma were all part of the nano orphanage! And Giblet, too!

Char's mutation isn't nanite-related?

... How did the kids die, if not from nanos? The mad scis didn't feed them plastic, did they?

Mithras doesn't like Dice, but he also doesn't like Char's cousin. It's just that the cousin isn't around anymore so there's nothing he can do about her.

Nah, only Pasma is from the nano orphanage. The sole survivor, who didn't reject the nanos. Mithras, Charon, and Giblet's abilities are all non-nano-related.

This isn't a super important plot point, but the other babies died because the nanos failed to work. What Mod meant, is that the nanos didn't kill them by malfunctioning, the babies died because their bodies rejected the nanos, which, being very pervasive in their systems, caused a fatal immune reaction.

Does that match the chapter? Is there anything I should go back and edit to make more sense?

Quorry wrote: Mithras doesn't like Dice, but he also doesn't like Char's cousin. It's just that the cousin isn't around anymore so there's nothing he can do about her.

Nah, only Pasma is from the nano orphanage. The sole survivor, who didn't reject the nanos. Mithras, Charon, and Giblet's abilities are all non-nano-related.

This isn't a super important plot point, but the other babies died because the nanos failed to work. What Mod meant, is that the nanos didn't kill them by malfunctioning, the babies died because their bodies rejected the nanos, which, being very pervasive in their systems, caused a fatal immune reaction.

Does that match the chapter? Is there anything I should go back and edit to make more sense?

Well... The passage makes it sound like they survived the rejection and that the only effect of rejection was elimination of the nanos through the faeces.

“Huh….” Modulant was temporarily lost in thought. “The odd thing is, the project was supposed to be a failure. Even before they could begin tests feeding you small amounts of plastic, the babies’ bodies rejected the nanos inside them.”

“Is that why they died? The nanos killed them?”

“No, they just pooped out all the nanotech.” She half smiled. “It was hilarious to watch those researchers trying to recover their tech from a bunch of diapers.” Her smile inverted itself. “It wasn’t funny at all to watch them scrambling to save their asses after their test subjects all died.”

... Is there something wrong with Mod's eyes? 'Cause in the pic, they're uneven, and she looks tired? 'Cause eyebags?

She also looks like a guy 'cause the breasts aren't that noticeable, and her face is angular?

Okay, the image is edited, and that line of dialogue should be clearer now.

I don't do so well with feminine features in my drawings... :l tried to fix best I can
Mod's not the healthiest individual, hence the tiredness. I think the word, haggard. Not sure if it's entirely apt.

Burnout? ...

Nice musing on the peace of being alone!

Vector sight... -> Vector control?

As always, enjoy... the picture! cause its too late to enjoy the chapter if you didn't already... :l

Lol! And Lol at that picture! Sad Mithras is sad.

Typo: "to and end"

Burnout?

Burnout. At this point, Char has no abilities that act on any part of him other than his brain/mind. So I wrote his burnout as the blood rushing to his head (taken to an extreme), among other things. It's almost a good thing it's localized that way, otherwise he wouldn't be able to get himself help, wouldn't be able to move.

I added a picture to the end of the latest chapter. You could go look at it there, or you could look at it here.

I've been spending a lot of time rearticulating ideas that have changed into a new document so I can keep consistency. It's going to be so long, I can tell. That's just how I roll. Other ways I roll include torturing my characters. But that is beside the point.

That and I have other things to do, means I may be late with a chapter this week, or I may spend my Saturday on it.

In my planning for the future of the story, I have unfortunately begun to return somewhat to my 'original' plan for Char. It's a bit.... convoluted, so I want to have another opinion on whether it's a good idea or not.

So I have to ask... is anyone here interested in helping me out with this? As in, would someone like to hear me out on my ideas for the direction of this and tell me if it sounds stupid or not. It isn't immediately relevant, but it has a lot to do with the end of the first major plot arc. I guess if you don't mind spoilers or want to help out, just PM me or something, so I don't have to clutter up this thread with that planning stuff.

Basically I'm just asking if anyone would like to have a private conversation where I tell them what I'm considering doing in the story, and they can tell me if it sounds great, go ahead, or if something is off about it and it might need work.

Pasma's testing is interesting! ... So, Carl's got some mind control going on... Interesting look into how Char was when he was younger.

Char getting blurry vision or something is really not good...

What is that picture at the end? Modulant and her son, I think? ... Modulant can manufacture projectors??

There are a few typos, but the only one I can remember right now is:

first, time -> first time

Ah, the picture is of Char and Kaycee actually. Mod has orange hair. Modulant's tech of choice is scanners and tools for machining parts for other machines, though she does dabble in other areas.

Hmm... In regards to your art for Silver, Quorry, how many measurements do you have of your characters? Like height, BWH, etc?

Hmmm, I don't have any measurements on hand, per se. That isn't how I've ever been able to draw. I have a sort of archetypal image of the character, and any measurements are based on that, not the other way around. Why, would you like me to write some up? I can do that.

Or is it that you are noting inconsistencies in the drawings? Because that is totally valid.

I thought it'd be a way for Kaycee to not look like Modulant in future drawings, but that's only if visual confusion between the two isn't just me.

And that if you're going for realistic art, which you might not be, you could use pictures of real people with the dimensions like you're characters to base them off of.

The sketcher style is cool as well.

Oh, I see. Sure, I'll try to keep that in mind, when I do more Kaycee sketches.

One reason Kaycee looks similar to Modulant though is they are of a similar appearance archetype, at least, they were when I drew that picture.

Realistic drawings are hard, and I've found that drawing from a picture doesn't work for me (as in, reality looks weird when I draw it). I've also had only rudimentary lessons when it comes to drawing. I've always doodled, but I only started seriously trying to draw people about two (ish) years ago.

Also, thanks, I'm glad you like my sketches (or the style)!

Nice new art style~! Cool how we only figure out what happened at the end!

From the art, that awakening looked really painful, with the red that I think is blood.

Well, [Spoilers] and [Spoilers] makes this all creepier, but the Narcissism and Char's parent's changes are very intriguing. Nice how he experiments with his senses.

The first pic reminds me of Homestuck-style.

The second pic... Kaycee's mom seems uncaring Businesswoman... Who's her dad?? ... Aaron seems angry, and Lara seems scared. Like the detail in the art! ... Is Aaron the younger sibling?

Now Char can tell them exactly what the medicine was doing to him. the ultimate red flag is when someone avoids their perscriptions, it means they don't feel they need it, or don't think the side effects are worth it. if it was something like manic depressents then it would be because they aren't recognizing the trap there the more manic someone allows themselves to be the harder the depression hits, however with the spectrum it tends to mean something different, that they work TOO well, I am a firm believer in combining medicine with non-chemical coping mechanisms, its harder for sure, but on the high functioning end of the spectrum, (when you are more inclusive in what you qualify as the autistic spectrum) that difference in how you think is part of self identity, Char never had the chance to develop his identity.

Malady wrote: Well, [Spoilers] and [Spoilers] makes this all creepier, but the Narcissism and Char's parent's changes are very intriguing. Nice how he experiments with his senses.

The first pic reminds me of Homestuck-style.

The second pic... Kaycee's mom seems uncaring Businesswoman... Who's her dad?? ... Aaron seems angry, and Lara seems scared. Like the detail in the art! ... Is Aaron the younger sibling?

Oh yeah, I've read lots of Homestuck. Not sure if that was a direct influence.

Kaycee's dad isn't all that important, also, since he is only connected to Char as an uncle by marriage, I don't have any specific features to give him. However, I think now that you've mentioned it, I'll add him in. Go check the picture again when the next chapter pops up. He'll be there. Aaron is the younger sibling of the two.

Thanks for paying attention to my art, I spend a lot of time on it :}

mhalpern wrote: Now Char can tell them exactly what the medicine was doing to him. the ultimate red flag is when someone avoids their perscriptions, it means they don't feel they need it, or don't think the side effects are worth it. if it was something like manic depressents then it would be because they aren't recognizing the trap there the more manic someone allows themselves to be the harder the depression hits, however with the spectrum it tends to mean something different, that they work TOO well, I am a firm believer in combining medicine with non-chemical coping mechanisms, its harder for sure, but on the high functioning end of the spectrum, (when you are more inclusive in what you qualify as the autistic spectrum) that difference in how you think is part of self identity, Char never had the chance to develop his identity.

I do want to address that, but at this point in time Char is not self-aware enough to confront his parents about it. Also, I'm having a devil of a time trying to find a plausible way to work it into conversation... It's really hard. Char's current attitude towards interpersonal interaction, namely, reactive, does not allow him to talk about things that someone else didn't bring up. Not that he really wants to, which is kind of the point.
It is also worth mentioning that he is by his own choice Not using his mask with his parents... so talking is exponentially more difficult.
I promise I will eventually handle this confrontation (sometime! aargh that word again) but I need to get writing and it's becoming a block. That, and my hells busy schedule.

Quorry wrote:

mhalpern wrote: Now Char can tell them exactly what the medicine was doing to him. the ultimate red flag is when someone avoids their perscriptions, it means they don't feel they need it, or don't think the side effects are worth it. if it was something like manic depressents then it would be because they aren't recognizing the trap there the more manic someone allows themselves to be the harder the depression hits, however with the spectrum it tends to mean something different, that they work TOO well, I am a firm believer in combining medicine with non-chemical coping mechanisms, its harder for sure, but on the high functioning end of the spectrum, (when you are more inclusive in what you qualify as the autistic spectrum) that difference in how you think is part of self identity, Char never had the chance to develop his identity.

I do want to address that, but at this point in time Char is not self-aware enough to confront his parents about it. Also, I'm having a devil of a time trying to find a plausible way to work it into conversation... It's really hard. Char's current attitude towards interpersonal interaction, namely, reactive, does not allow him to talk about things that someone else didn't bring up. Not that he really wants to, which is kind of the point.
It is also worth mentioning that he is by his own choice Not using his mask with his parents... so talking is exponentially more difficult.
I promise I will eventually handle this confrontation (sometime! aargh that word again) but I need to get writing and it's becoming a block. That, and my hells busy schedule.

Well he IS bottling up a lot of stuff, ok sure most things don't phase him, but those that do get bottled up.

Speaking of which, is his being largely unphased by stuff something he actively learned, a natural state, or an old coping mechanism? I learned how to do it actively though if its something that directly effects me, with potentially lasting effects, I cant do it and the extent Char shows the ability is impressive, if its a natural state its something to be afraid of Char because of, if its an old coping mechanism then I really worry about what happens when it finally breaks down.

Char's mind is slowly repairing itself, his masks are a part of that, they act upon his subconscious desires and intents, in ways Char himself has otherwise shut off the path to do so, in the process though some wounds may be opened up.

mhalpern wrote: Speaking of which, is his being largely unphased by stuff something he actively learned, a natural state, or an old coping mechanism? I learned how to do it actively though if its something that directly effects me, with potentially lasting effects, I cant do it and the extent Char shows the ability is impressive, if its a natural state its something to be afraid of Char because of, if its an old coping mechanism then I really worry about what happens when it finally breaks down.

Char's mind is slowly repairing itself, his masks are a part of that, they act upon his subconscious desires and intents, in ways Char himself has otherwise shut off the path to do so, in the process though some wounds may be opened up.

Char's ability to take the crazy crap being thrown at him unfazed comes from two things. The first is his highly adaptive mind. Char, despite his sensitivity, has an augmented level of control over his own sensory experience (Introspection, enhanced 5 senses, etc).
The second is a natural tactic that developed to ease the burden his medication put on him. If he refused to care about things, and let his surroundings flow through him (not letting them become a focus), he didn't feel the negative pressure of his medication forcing him into an unexcited state. Char is trying to fight off that self-conditioning. The masks help, somewhat.

Char's still gonna have a breakdown, but there'll be a whole lot more hell to go through before that happens. He has mental toughness to compensate for his physical weakness.

Oh! "What is 'good'?" Cool!

I guess that, in relation to food, "Would eat again" is 'good'. And you can't define if it tastes better in relation to anything else, if you have no memories to work from...

What is that movie? Made-up? ... Efficiency of Murder as a definition of good. Well, yes, for weapons...

And nice bit with the switch from words as thoughts to images! I guess that's what babies think in, 'cause they don't have words...

Kaycee! She knows how to talk to him! Giving him new words with precise definitions! Well, sorta. 'stylish' isn't precise?

And he's got a nickname! Charcoal! Eee!

“Oooh…” So ‘badass’ was like an ever better version of ‘cool’.

Aren't those supposed all a thing Char said? 'Cause Kaycee references 'cool' in her next line.

Her smile turned sly. Extending one arm, she set a finger on his forehead.

“How’d you like to be my first fan?”

OMG! 'Cause [Spoilers], this is terrifying! Even without [Spoilers], it's sort of disturbing?

Yeah, that memory felt less like "Image" and more "Scene". Cool to see that we experienced basically what Char experienced! New power, sorta... I guess it's sorta like Absinthe's Virtual Mental Room...

Still, he had the sneaking suspicion that his memories had been shuffled when he wasn’t looking. Every time he grasped a new piece of the puzzle, something snuck one away from his collection.

Well, that's not good...

And it seems like that memory simulation power is a mutant power, 'cause it tires him out... I wonder how his mom will react to her son sleeping on his floor...



Ooo! That first picture is colorful and trippy and symbolic! Nice!

That second picture, Kaycee somewhere, looking down on... Char, I guess. What is that structure, and the dark colors are making this seem... Well, Dark. Blue Electricity stuff? What's with the blackness behind her head? ... Could be Char, they don't look different now...

Oh, the 2nd picture is what I drew after listening to The Shadow of The Sun (a remix though). I had an image come to mind, of a black sun that cast shadows instead of light. Then, I thought it would be cool to put some black-light lens flare. That's the structure you're seeing. As for who's in the pic, I think I'll play my artist card and say .... both.

The thing about 'cool' and Kaycee responding to things can be chalked up to poor memory, or Kaycee just assuming that's what he's thinking and running with it. She'd totally do that.

....... that happened... I would say more but, I honestly can't tell if Kaycee intentionally over powered Char's mind or it just sorta happened.