Session 38

Chancel_Amyra
Chapter 6

[Etheric] Four minutes late is nothing to fret about.
[Knockwood] It is if you supposedly have Perfect Timing
[Knockwood] It means someone is screwing with us...
[BethL] I don't have that, RN does. I'm the foil upon which he shows off about it with.
[Knockwood] ...whoops, wait, that's Carrie. *smile*
[Etheric] Bad Knockwood, confusing character and player. Do I look like a 16-year-old girl to you?
[Knockwood] You look like black text on a white background. *smile*
[BethL] I need to type some stuff about the Conservatory. And more on Theresa's backstory. Bah. Bonds, need more bonds...
[BethL] Etheric - but your font! It's so curvy!
[Etheric] ]_]
[Random Nerd] Nice serifs, baby.
[Etheric] [_[
[JamesUrban] You type sexy.
[Etheric] ...
[BethL] age/keyboard/touch or peck?

[Knockwood] seRIFTS? The game in which Earth is split into a series of bad font choices?

So, it seems that the Chancel has a bone giant jackal-man, and also Otherkin.
So, what're you going to do about that?
[Theresa] (Okay, so, who cursed us? *ducks*)
[DanteE] (Let's find the furries and the mecha geeks now.)
[Theresa] *to the wolfman* "Can you think of some other kind of housing that you might like that doesn't involve slaughterhouses?"
"Why?"
[Theresa] "Because if it is plant-based, I can create it right here and you can have the time you want to think about your future. All nice and private-like."
"How about you make me a house that I can stay in for the time being, to keep the rain off my back, and so on, then."
[JamesUrban] "I'm thinking I've been thinking about this wrong. If we have fairy tale problems, perhaps a fairy tale solution might be in order. Something perhaps like a Blue Fairy who can restore humanity to those worthy."
[DanteE] "... Do they have those?"

• Theresa gets ready to...but then stops. "Umm, not to step on your toes, James. Housing is part of your Domain as well. If you would rather..."
  

[JamesUrban] "By all means proceed..."
[Theresa] (Lesser Creation of a house made of wood. Nothing fancy, but plenty of pacing room.)
[DanteE] (He's immune to DA now, right?)
[Random Nerd] (Whatever makes you think that?)
He blinks at the house.
[Theresa] (*facepalm*)
[Random Nerd] (Well, not exactly /blinks/. But shakes his head and backs up a step.)
"Did... did that just...?"
[DanteE] (How far are we from Kaerkoven?)
[Random Nerd] (You're about two miles from the city limits.)

• Theresa notices. "Oh dear...I need to remember to have people close their eyes first..." *to the wolfman, Irresistable* "Don't worry, it's magic, just like what changed you. Perfectly normal."
  

[DanteE] "For certain values of 'normal'..."
"So... this house is just like what changed me?"
[Theresa] "This house is related to it. Does that make you not like the house?"
He kicks a hole in the house. "I've had plenty of changes already, thank you very much."
[DanteE] "Do you want to be changed _back_?"
He starts shambling off, at a slow pace that still covers ground fairly fast due to his long legs. "Hell if I know."
[Brian] (When we said "give him a few days", we meant in game time. )

• Theresa frowns, mostly at herself. "I should have phrased that better."
  

[JamesUrban] (Lesser Div Realm, Is there an appropriate to the legends of our land fairy tale creature that changes monsters back to people?)
[Random Nerd] (Hmm. There are specific remedies in various folklores, but they're for a given situation, rather than being generic.)
[DanteE] (Last time, did we determine that this was a specific mythic creature?)
[Random Nerd] (So, like, some old wise woman in some story may know that to turn a werewolf back to a man, he has to put his human skin on before dawn, after he's heard his name spoken three times and responded to it.)
[Random Nerd] (Not specific. Shared traits with a few mythological creatures, but he isn't directly out of any particular story.)
[JamesUrban] (Ew. Ok, just trying to think.)

• Theresa paces some, muttering to herself, thinking.
  

[DanteE] "Could change this (house) to Fosters Home for Formerly Imaginary Friends..."
[DanteE] "Anyone wants to change back, they come here, and we'll talk."
[Theresa] "Or the Diplomacy Grove."
[DanteE] "... we need an expert on Amyran myth..."
Lesson, after being silent for a while, says "It occurs to me that you might already have the beginning of the organization you'd want for that..."
[DanteE] "Hm?"
[Carrie] "Your Bureau of Monstrosities, Lesson?"
"Perhaps, ma'am."

• Carrie smiles.
  

[Theresa] "Offering them jobs? Or maybe just a nod that being not human isn't the end of the world...good idea, Lesson."
"A bit of both, perhaps."
[DanteE] "Where are you headquartered now?:
"We don't really have a formal headquarters, yet. Would you like me to try to put one together, sir?"
[JamesUrban] "It is indeed a good idea, and a nice change from the violent solutions to problems I would expect from you earlier. You have my leave to take on this additional duty if you wish."
[DanteE] "Theresa, can you change the house into the new BoMHQ?"
[DanteE] "No sense wasting it."
[Theresa] "Sure..." *looks a little sadly at the hole in it* "How big would you like it to be, Lesson? Two story? Offices?"
L, to James, eyes lowered. "I have been trying to keep within the restrictions I have been given, Dominus."
to [Theresa] "Well, could you specify the exact nature of the job we'd be expected to fulfill?"
[DanteE] "And possibly a place for those who aren't part of the Bureau but are still looking for help."
S, quietly, to [Carrie] "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
[DanteE] "And don't forget a garage for their new vehicle. “

• Carrie turns to Samuel and responds in a whisper. "Do you have concerns?"
  

S: "Well, he's a /demon/. Are you sure he can be trusted?"
L aims a dirty look at S.
[DanteE] "We're using a carrot-and-stick approach...”
[DanteE] "If he behaves, he gets to live in a demon-free chancel, and sleep at night. If he screws up, James eats him."
The giant continues to recede into the distance.

• Theresa stands, thinking for a moment. "I'm not sure what all is needed. Although I keep thinking something that can take a lot of abuse, but not frat house..."
  

[DanteE] (Anyone else thinking of the firehouse from Ghostbusters?
S: "This /is/ the demon that killed about a dozen police a few days back and threatened the chief with a pair of rusty hedge-clippers, right?"
[DanteE] "We fixed that."

• Carrie frowns. "That was a reaction to circumstances which were caused by our own error."
  

S: "But /still/... I just don't trust it. Demons are never good news, and in my capacity as your advisor, I'd suggest against giving it any more authority."
Lesson starts walking over to where Samuel is.

• Theresa absentmindedly fixes the forest damage the wolfman causes, but far enough back that he doesn't get freaked.
  

[Carrie] "I have the utmost confidence in Lesson until he does something to shake that confidence, Samuel. Your concerns are noted."
[DanteE] "Lesson. Stop."
L: "Yeah. I think it's just that he wants a bigger piece of the pie for himself..."
Lesson stops.
William rolls his eyes in the background. Then, he seems to remember himself, stands up straighter, and coughs slightly.

• Carrie looks at Lesson. "I request of you that you do not shake my confidence. I am sure you can understand."
  

[DanteE] (LDiv Courage to find out what Wolfman is & isn't scared of)
[Random Nerd] (Scared of not figuring out what to do. Not particularly scared of physical danger.)
L: "Very well, ma'am."
Lesson gives Samuel a "Mom likes me best" look.

• Theresa walks around the beginning house, adding onto it. Puts a few bushes around it, but no flowers.
  

[DanteE] "Oh lord, we've become surrogate parents...”

• Carrie turns her back on Lesson, obviously deliberately, and looks up at the sky.
  

[JamesUrban] "Trust is earned and not freely given, and he has performed well so far. I have been impressed with the ability of my bit of essence to offset the general nature of Lesson's demonic heritage."
[DanteE] "You three (Lesson, William & Samuel) play nice.”
William touches the silvery sphere in his ear with one finger for a moment.
[DanteE] "Anyway... the direct approach would be to zap wolfman back into the professor.
[DanteE] "And while we're at it, we need to deal with Der Uberbunny back in the tower. While we still have a tower.”
[DanteE] "Monty gets much bigger and he'll have his own G-Well."

• Theresa coughs a little. "Wouldn't you say that we gave our word to give the Professor as much time as he needed to decide what he wants? We can go take care of Monty now."
  

[DanteE] (Does Wolfman cause DA?)
[Random Nerd] (No, but seeing him might put people in a questioning-reality mood that would make them more vulnerable if they saw an actual miracle.)
[Random Nerd] (But since he's not miraculous in nature, seeing him will only produce garden-variety freakouts and upsets, rather than actually altering people's mythic/prosaic perception.)
[JamesUrban] to Sam, "Do not let our decisions dissuade you from giving advice, I welcome your perspective on matters as well as Lesson's."
S: "Well, as far as I can tell, the demon is still a demon. His goals may be changed, but I'd be surprised if he'd be likely to carry on in a way you'd approve of."
S: "Surely some of the Code of Hell must have seeped into him in his time in the Infernal realm, and if even a trace of the idea that power justifies itself exists in him, giving him more authority will only precipitate a shift to amoral and autocratic behavior."
He swirls, and says to William "Great, now I'm starting to even /talk/ like you."
A silver sphere rolls out of the tatters surrounding Samuel's head-area, and rolls around his arm-tatters for a moment, before rolling back up.
[Theresa] "Sam, what would you say are the problems of the Wild Code, then?"
S: "Hmm..."
W: "If I may, the general issues with the Wild are unpredictability, and tendencies towards amplifications of already existent counterproductive traits in individuals, ma'am."
[DanteE] "'Counterproductive traits' like giving demons the benefit of the doubt? *smile*"
W: "More, the sort of thing that would lead an individual who previously was merely mildly peevish about a thing to utterly destroy it, perhaps. The Wild leads a man to act according to only his own nature, rather than making concessions to others."
W: "In extreme cases, behavior that's the equivalent of a solipsist may be found, although for a different reason."
[JamesUrban] "You must admit that has some similarities to Power Justifies Itself."
S waves in the breeze.
[Theresa] "Sam, another question, different topic...what _are_ those silver balls? If you can divulge that information."
S: "Tools."
[Theresa] *to Sam* "Ah."
[Carrie] "Yet, one can be true to oneself while still living in harmony with others. I should know."

• Carrie smiles serenely.
  

[DanteE] (What's Wolfman doing?)
[Random Nerd] (Wolfman has shambled off into the forest, out of your line of sight, although of course you can use divinations to find him.)
W: "There are certain similarities, sir. Historically, the Wild and Hell have gotten along rather well."
W: "At least, as well as /any/ Imperial factions get along."
W: "The difference, as I understand it, is the nature of the justification. To the Fallen, power self-justifies. To the Wild, /selfness/ self-justifies."
W: "But it could be that I'm mistaken. You, after all, have a connection to the Wild that transcends my own academic learning. Am I misspeaking?"
[DanteE] (So how does the new BHQ look?)
[Random Nerd] (Yes, how does it look, Theresa?)
[Theresa] It looks like a log house, but tough, like it might take a full frontal assault. It looks good but not in a pretty way, as this is a Boys House (hence the no flowers). Strong doors and the inside is pretty spartan at the moment. Desks and chairs in a handful of offices and the second story has a sort of dorm-like bunking system for people to stay in if they need help finding a place after changing. Or if Lesson and the B. just want to crash here.
[Theresa] "It's functional, but a bit spare. It's the people that make a house, usually."
[Theresa] *absentmindedly adjusts a few bushes outside the HQ* "Not sure. It's hard to put into words. It just seems to be to be myself. And that self has its rules as well."
W nods, and touches his earpiece again for a moment.
[Theresa] "It's a bit like trying to speak ivy to a mongoose, I guess. No sense of common ground, so to speak."
[JamesUrban] "I have not the depth of experience with personality beforehand, so it seems that I am finding myself, and in doing so perhaps act more impulsively than my Familia. I feel the strong tie to act on my feelings, but I also am dealing with Carrie's example of being true to oneself while heeding the advice and example of others. It is.. difficult."

• Carrie looks at James, pleasantly surprised. "I am glad that I have provided some example for you, Brother."
  
• JamesUrban nods at Carrie in acknowledgement of her remark.
  

[DanteE] "Think we should have a Home for the Changed as well?"
[Theresa] "Wherever you guys would like. We might want to spread word along the BB that people who have been changed in the enChanceling have a place they can go if they want to."
[DanteE] "It might help if the place was created with a shadow of Hope."
[JamesUrban] "Doing so might bring far more than this place can deal with. I believe it might become a small city, not that I am opposed to that naturally"

• Carrie then looks at the house. (Did we say I could create Hope in a location, to generally brighten the spirits of those who pass through there?)
  

[Theresa] "Then maybe just the Hope on the HQ, then? If need be, we can set up a halfway house somewhere else."
[Random Nerd] (Yeah, I think you can do that with a lesser creation and included preservation. Wouldn't be as strong an effect as directly making Hope in a person, but it'd still have an effect.)
[DanteE] (Theresa, did you actually create a halfway house for the halfway human, or just the Bureau HQ?)
[Theresa] (Bureau HQ, with bunks up on the second floor. For the B if they need a place to crash or if someone different stops by that needs a place to sleep, so forth.)
[DanteE] (And it occurs to me that Theresa's the only one of us that can create something tangible without straining...)
[Random Nerd] (Carrie could probably make inspirational books or something.)
[Theresa] (Dante - including Realm stuff?)
[DanteE] (Ayep. The car cost me 4 RMPs.)
[Theresa] (Dante - huh. You're right. Man. Good thing plant stuff is used in plenty of things...not good for stuff like cars, but still...)

• Carrie considers.
  

[Carrie] "Lesson, tell me. Do you believe my imbuing this place with Hope would aid your work?"
L: "I'm not sure. What would that do?"
[Carrie] "It would take up quite a bit of effort on my part, so if you're not sure, best to devote my energies somewhere else."
L: "Okay. Now, I was wondering. How do humans normally handle these sort of things?"
[DanteE] "What sort of things, specifically?"
L: "Well... changing from one sort of thing to another? Whatever the closest equivalent is."
[DanteE] "We generally _Don't_ do that...
[DanteE] "Except through the natural process of growing up, and that takes years."
[Theresa] "Depends on the person. Some take change well. Large changes make us a bit shaky. And some large changes break minds into tiny little pieces..."
L: "What's the closest thing to that that humans on this world do?"

• Carrie blushes.
  

[DanteE] "... sex-change operation?"
[Theresa] (Are we about to have The Talk with Lesson?)
L: "Oh, you do that here? How do they handle it?"

• Carrie clears her throat, still blushing. "There are certain surgical procedures which some go through to alter their appearance to the opposite gender -- it's really looked down on in polite society, though..."
  

[Carrie] "In general, this is only done in cases where the mind is out of sync with the body."
[Carrie] "Or so goes the theory."
L: "Well, that's the sort of thing we're talking about here, right? Being in the wrong body?"
[DanteE] "Basically, Lesson, while we go through minor changes, people generally don't go through changes as extreme as man-to-giant-wolfman.
[DanteE] "Except of course enNobling... and we handled that with ... heh ... typical aplomb."
William is trying very hard to not look like he's suppressing chuckles, but anyone with at least Aspect 1 can spot it.
[DanteE] "And I see that, William."
W: "Err, yes, sir."

• Theresa frowns, thinking. "I don't think so...I don't think he would say that he has always felt like a wolfman trapped in a human body. Although some of the other folks we know who want to be changed would probably say that they feel that way. This might be more along the lines of a tragic scarring accident."
  

L: "I thought he thought he was a human trapped in a weird body. At least, at first. He seemed to suddenly change his mind for some reason."
[DanteE] "You might be right, actually."
L: "So, should we handle this the way we'd handle the sex change thing, to keep it as close as possible to how humans would normally handle this sort of situation? Or would that be a bad idea for some reason?"

• Carrie coughs.
  

[JamesUrban] "The question being.. should we change them back, remove their memory of humanity, or reinforce their memory of humanity. Of the three, I believe the last is possible for me."
[Theresa] *absentmindedly, quietly* "I don’t think there's hormone therapy for werewolfism..."
[Brian] "If at all possible, we should get people in the state in which they would prefer being."
[DanteE] "Unless we get trumped by Kuzdu.”
L, to W: "Is this making any sense? Or is this one of those cultural things?"
[JamesUrban] To the aides "That would be a difficult undertaking that would perhaps best be performed by group effort, although I don't believe we've tried to do something together before or if it can be done. Are you aware of group efforts to bring about change?"
[Brian] "Lesson, you must remember: sanity is a prison. The less it makes sense, the better"
[DanteE] (Good one Brian.
L, to [Brian] "But I thought I was to avoid upsetting your humans?"
[Brian] "Upsetting humans is bad. We're not supposed to make people go insane. It's a big crutch."
W, with a slightly distasteful expression: "The demon's idea has a certain degree of merit, insomuch as some of the precautions and steps involved in that sort of change might be useful here. If you want it to handle the transformations for you, you may wish to supply it with reliable human psychologists and so on."
[DanteE] "Maybe, but no human counselor would be familiar with ... acute monsterism."
W: "I'm sure there are psychologists /somewhere/ who are. Some Dark powers have been known to change humans into other creatures. Perhaps you could make connections with such a Dark power and hire assistants from their chancel?"
[Theresa] (What kind of doctor is Carrie's dad?)
[Carrie] (I'm thinking a virologist, since they sent him in to investigate the plague.)
[Random Nerd] (Medical, specializing in infectious diseases, right, Etheric?)
[Carrie] (Correct.)
[Theresa] "Or perhaps we could strengthen some of our own shrinks with Realm so that they _can_ handle it."

• Carrie grimaces.
  

W: I’m sure that's possible, ma'am."

• Carrie frowns. "As much as I would feel... distaste for dealing with the Dark... He may have a point. They could know the best way to safeguard the minds of the changed humans of this Chancel."
  

[DanteE] "Don't forget... apparently the three-armed guys in the Bureau are transformed humans.”
[DanteE] (Aren't they here?)
[Random Nerd] (The arm guys are waiting in the transport vehicle.)
[JamesUrban] "I would guess the suicide rate for Dark psychologists patients might be higher than we would find acceptable."
[Theresa] (We haven't quite worked out the immigration policy yet. [g] But yeah, a Realm Div would find the best shrinks that we could strengthen for this work. Brian can pay them.)
[Carrie] (Note that Carrie is now making a decision in her own mind, that changed individuals still count as human.)
W: "Perhaps, but there must be psychologists in their worlds that don't agree with the Dark. Whether Dark powers would hire them out to you, of course, is a side issue."
[Carrie] "Indeed... I would hate to think what fee they would charge."

• Carrie shivers.
  

[DanteE] "Considering one of the tenets of the dark is individual destruction, I'm thinking ... no."
W: "The Dark may be objectionable in some aspects of their code, ma'am, but many of them are willing to do business, and are perfectly decent people by their own lights."
[Theresa] "Some pun there, William..."
[JamesUrban] "I'm thinking I dislike psychologists in general. They tend to move people to what's accepted as sane from their individual conditions."
[DanteE] "But those who _are_ aligned with the Dark could lie to us and then do the Dark's work right under our noses."
[Brian] "I hope you don't think they helped an alien overlord millennia ago..."
[DanteE] "Too much of a risk."
[JamesUrban] "I'm a lot more open to the idea today than yesterday."

• Carrie looks at Brian confusedly.
  

[Brian] "Don't ask. It's a whole rant."
[Random Nerd] (Don't you be knocking the Darklord Xenu, Imperator of Psychiatry!)
[JamesUrban] (Hail Xenu!)
[Brian] (What?! He's REAL!?)
[Random Nerd] (You know... I just /may/ make Xenu actually exist. Perhaps connected in some way to the Lost Five Hundred Years.)
[JamesUrban] (You could get sued....)
[Theresa] (Perhaps we should give him a different name, then, RN. )
[DanteE] "Does it involve, Thetans, atomic bombs, and glycol? "

• Carrie doesn't ICly know what a Thetan is...
  

[JamesUrban] "If we change them all back I don't see why they'd need much therapy at all."

• Carrie also thinks OOCly that the rest of your characters are awfully knowledgeable about Scientology.
  

[Brian] (Hey, Brian reads Tangency. That's where I learned about this stuff. )
[DanteE] "OK, but what would Kudzu think?"
[Carrie] "I believe that in allowing them to choose whether to make the change, we would be fulfilling his Code."
[Theresa] "That they should go with what feels the most right to themselves. Some of them would want to be turned back, some won't."
[JamesUrban] "I would be willing to assist, if that is possible."
[DanteE] "Right... but we can't do a global change, because some people might want their new forms."
[JamesUrban] "We simply change those who are non-human and want to be changed."
[Carrie] (Tell me, RN... What level of miracle would be needed for making a magical artifact able to change individual humans an unlimited number of times? Or would that be a Focus?)
[Carrie] (Actually, that gives me an idea... Hold on while I do the math.)
[JamesUrban] (OOC I'm not sure what the rules are on assisting miracles or group/collaborative miracles are.)
[Random Nerd] (Hmm. It'd take either a Focus, or a cunning idea.)
[Random Nerd] (I can't, offhand, think of a non-Focus way to do it.)
[Random Nerd] (Hmm. Perhaps if you bought some sort of Weird Science for the chancel to do it.)
[DanteE] (Hm... we all hope that out wants will become part of the world. If Carrie makes a thing that could amplify that Hope enough to pull it off ...?)
[Carrie] (Incidentally, you couldn't be sued because they don't admit publicly that Xenu is part of their copyrighted texts. They say it was made up by the media as a smear on Scientology that they never wrote.)
[Carrie] (Well, we do have that extra Chancel Point.)
[Theresa] (His Chancel has a volcano...)
[Brian] (Also explains the jet thing.)
[Theresa] (How much would the Focus cost?)
[JamesUrban] (Magical polymorphing blue fairy union.)
[Random Nerd] (Okay, let me stat up the focus quick.)
[Brian] (And OMG, L Ron Hubbard is a victim of DA!)
[DanteE] (Meanwhile... should we think up a Weird Science explanation for this?
[Random Nerd] (Lesser Change, 6. Simple, -1, for 5. One Person, -2, for 3. Limited selection of applications, -2, or single trick -3. Rarity, +1.)
[Random Nerd] (So, if you wanted to just be able to rehumanize people, 1 point. If you also wanted to be able to monsterize otherkinish people, 2 points.)
[DanteE] (Actually, wouldn't it be Weird Magic?)
[Carrie] (Weird Magic would work, but I'm thinking of getting this as a Gift.)
[Random Nerd] (Weird Magic could do it, but you don't have Regular Magic, do you?)
[Carrie] (Okay, I'll figure out which I want to do before next time, alright?)
[Random Nerd] (Alternatively, Weird Science could of course do it. It's the "Well, they laughed at me at the university, but I'll show them! I'll show them all!" sort of science. Or, rather, SCIENCE!)
[Random Nerd] (Okay, that's fine.)
[Carrie] (I figure this is Carrie's territory since it deals with fulfilling their hopes.)
[DanteE] (Hm... a Transmogrifier Box a la Calvin & Hobbes?)
[Brian] (HEEEE!)
[DanteE] (Only, y'know, sturdier than cardboard?)
[Brian] (Even _I_ laughed at me when I built the alien/human genome separator! But I sure showed myself!")
[Carrie] (RN, were you doing that houserule that lets you upgrade Gifts?)
[Random Nerd] (Yes.)
[Carrie] (I have a single character point to spend if I recall, so I could take the 1-point version now and the 2-point version later.)
[Random Nerd] (You can raise Gifts with character points, although they have to remain the same basic miracle.)
[Random Nerd] (Yes, you could do that.)
[Carrie] ( *nods* )
[DanteE] (Hold on...a Transmogrifier would have other uses as well. And it might be OK with the Wild, since your form is no longer a prison.
[DanteE] (And we live at a college. We could slap it together with parts from the various labs.
[Carrie] (Do we want to unleash Transmogrifiers on the world, though? A Gift, we know it's only used by us (or whoever gets a Focus, if it's put in a Focus).)
[DanteE] (Not the world, just Amyra. And we'd control it, right?)
[Carrie] (I was thinking Focus at first, but after that I thought, why not let Carrie handle this personally?)
[Random Nerd] (Making people free to turn themselves into other things /would/ be a Wild thing to do...)
[Carrie] (I suppose we could decide that we control it, but Weird Science isn't *necessarily* under someone's control.)
[Theresa] (Would the changed people cause DA?)
[Carrie] (I could prevent DA with a simple miracle, if I did it, and if it's the Weird Science, it won't.)
[DanteE] (Ah... preventing DA is a little closer to me than you, I think.)
[Random Nerd] (Well, if you make it a Weird Science, at the beginning only you guys will know that transmogrification is now possible. But from then on, it's possible for biologists or physicists to discover it.)
[Brian] (I say SCIENCE! because it's more interesting.)
[Carrie] (Actually, it's well established that Carrie can prevent DA. And what's Courage got to do with preventing dementia?)
[DanteE] (I figured the DA reaction is more like "Weirdness! EEK!")
[Brian] (I can prevent DA too! "Look at the pretty 4!")
[Random Nerd] (Etheric is correct. According to the definition of Hope that we've worked out, DA can be prevented with Hope miracles.)
[Random Nerd] (DA isn't about fear. It's about damaged perceptions.)
[Carrie] (Brian could do it with a Change, I think. Maybe.)
[Carrie] (Anyway... Do people want to get back in character or have I mostly killed tonight's session with my digression?)
[Random Nerd] (We still do need to define Numbers better. Would it work out well to discuss that soon?)
[Brian] (I may or may not have time; assignments and exam studying and other crap. However, if I'm online, chances are I can chat about it)
[Etheric] Whew. Good to get out from under those parentheses.
[Etheric] So what sort of Weird Science are you thinking of? Something like a Star Trek transporter, except, instead of moving, you end up changed?
[Knockwood] We're turning into the Dominae of Digressions...
[Rylenor] Could be Jekyll/Hyde type of potion.
[Knockwood] That could work... of course, for Mad Science Cred, it'd need to be a ray.
[Random Nerd] Can't go wrong with a ReEvolvoRay
[Etheric] Ray works better than booth for dragon otherkin, at least.
[lazarus] Oo! Anyone remember the Mario Bros. movie?! They had a chair with attached thingamy which did evolution and de-volution!
[Knockwood] BTW, could we use it on ourselves? Maybe I could be a dragon for a while.
[Random Nerd] Sure, you could use it on yourselves. For a Noble, being a dragon is basically FX.
[Random Nerd] It'd just make different things possible with different levels of aspect miracle.
[lazarus] It wasn't very Mario Bros... but it was a good movie. It was a kind of humorous dark movie.

[Etheric] Fun, if short. Favorite part: Plotting what to do about changed and otherkin. Least favorite part: Where did the Scientology reference come from, anyway?
[Random Nerd] Someone said something about not trusting shrinks. One thing led to another.
[Etheric] Ah, right.
[Knockwood] It was Brian! Brian did it!
[Rylenor] Yes, I won't take the rap just because I mentioned shrinks.
[lazarus] I made the reference. Expecting everyone else to give Brian blank looks.
[Knockwood] Then again, Scientology is goofy enough that even coming close to it makes for odd moments.
[Random Nerd] Hmm. What did you all think of the inter-NPC squabbling?
[lazarus] I like the NPC squabbling
[Rylenor] I enjoy some squabbling.
[BethL] Lesson's branching out in his personality. I liked the "Mom likes me best!" about Carrie toward Sam.
[Knockwood] Are we really surrogate parents to these guys?
[Rylenor] Mother Nature's not a stretch for some...
[BethL] *GRIN* Red in claw but not yet in tooth...
[Random Nerd] It's partly that, partly trying to get the VP to think that your department is the most effective one so you'll get promoted.
[Etheric] Oh, question. Do we want there to be Scientologists in the Chancel? I mean, there were probably some in Amyra before. And since your characters seem to have heard a lot of the common rumors I thought they might be high-profile there.

• Etheric had Carrie ignorant of it on purpose -- it isn't the sort of thing she would likely run into with her upbringing.
  

[BethL] We probably have some of any religion you can name in the Chancel. Christianity outside of the Chancel probably changed once we were removed. Heck we probably have some of Kudzu's cult.
[Etheric] That's an uncomfortable thought.
[Rylenor] I was taking alien overlords at face value. When you're out dealing with giants, it's possible aliens are around the corner.
[Etheric] Well, it is multitudinous.
[Knockwood] OK, I'm dealing with the wolfmen, gargoyles, high concepts walking among us and the world on a tree... but Xenu is too damn far.
[lazarus] [Etheric] we had established early on that Brian read Tangency. Thus, I figure he had heard some of the rumours from there.
[lazarus] Scientology "flamewars" are a former common thing there.
[Etheric] That explains how you all know so much. XD
[Random Nerd] Along with arguments about Bigfoot, breastfeeding, and astrology.
[Etheric] Myself, my father's a Scientologist.
[Random Nerd] Oh? Huh.

• Etheric likely threw you all for a loop there.
  
• Random_Nerd shrugs.
  

[lazarus] Eh. *shrug* to each their own. I can identify some reasonable things from the Scientology doctrine (reasonable like "could be good", not "sane" - I don't really consider any religion, mine included, fully sane).
[Etheric] Well, it's my understanding their training involves learning not to focus on extraneous things. I doubt any would read Tangency.
[Etheric] Heh... Sanity is a myth.
[Etheric] I don't think you'll find anyone on the planet who's fully sane.
[lazarus] Wild code already, I see
[Knockwood] Now THAT's a philosophy.
[BethL] No one ever gets out of it alive?
[Etheric] Out of what alive?
[Etheric] Sanity?
[BethL] Life.

• Etheric laughs. That makes more sense.
  

[Etheric] Laz, there are quite a few reasonable things, based on what I've read, and quite a few things that just leave me shaking my head or even offend me.
[lazarus] I admittedly haven't read much, but my highschool had a copy of Dianetics, so I started reading that.
[lazarus] It looked interesting.
[Random Nerd] So, about par for the course, religion-wise.
[Etheric] Well, I haven’t read that one. The one I've read cover-to-cover actually scared me quite a bit. It was their ethics manual.
[Etheric] Happened to be sitting on my dad's bookshelf when I was twelve.
[lazarus] Then again, I'm kind of insane in that I also want to some day read the whole Bible, as well as LeVay's Satanic Verses, plus stuff about the Golden Dawn, and Wicca from the progenitor thereof, as well as from other religions and philosophies. Oh yes, the Tao (whatever that book is). And so on.
[Etheric] Fun.
[Knockwood] Tao Te Ching. I think
[Rylenor] You're a deep thinker.
[Knockwood] on the bright side, the Principia Discordia is online
[BethL] I hear that if you dropped the Golden Dawn book from the top of the Sears Tower, it would make a divot all the way to the subway.... [g]

Beth


Chancel_Amyra
Chapter 6