To do:
FOREMOST: We know that the Group told the Team Captain there was something big, something more believable than an alien invasion. I need to ponder what would be the key. The obvious things, such as terrorism, may have to be it, because you don't actually "win" against the concept of terrorism.
The Group's true aim is quite simple. All they need to do is take all of these unfocused, undisciplined individuals, and aim them at a common goal. If this is done, then they will be too busy to fight amongst each other, causing further strife and chaos in a universe saturated with it. This is nothing more than a game, and a means of controlling these men and women. The genius is that they're getting them to buy in, so that there's no resistance.
There's more to be done, but I need to think more about it. This was just to get a couple more ideas down.
A thought for "super-depressed girl": She carries her sorrow like a bucket filled to the brim with water. Both hands struggling to keep it off the ground, she stumbles slowly along, sloshing out the sadness here and there, but never letting it all truly cascade out. Somewhere, she knows that if she were to let it all spill out, it would cause a mess, but at the same time, she doesn't want to cause that mess, and inconvenience everyone. Thus, she continues to carry, and wait for someone to relieve her of this burden that most people aren't even sure is a burden.
A thought for going now here fast: trust your words. They'll take you far.
Who recruited the Team Captain to the Group?
The most effective way to run a covert group, in my estimation, is to make sure it has no head, no central influence. That's really not possible, so we need to have a small cabal leading this decentralized organization, dedicated, devoted, obsessed with this power.
Delia and Jack Morrison are fraternal twins, raised in a normal environment by, shall we say, progressive parents. Their words were those, not necessarily of fear mongering, but more of expecting the worst. Staunch vegetarians, PETA supporters, members of Greenpeace, living off the grid, ready to believe in a world free of pain and suffering, Jack and Delia were raised to value all life, and to protect it at all costs. They would pray before dinner to some unlabeled energy in the sky, that helped create the plants they would soon consume. Once upon a time, the family would be called hippies. That time is now.
As they got older, and their parents started taking them on the missions, Delia and Jack started to truly believe, accepting what their parents said. However, growing up in such a homogenized environment, and being told that the worst was happening around them, started to screw with their minds. Not in a way that would drive them insane, but still enough to fundamentally set their view of the world.
Now and again, they would learn about history, and how catastrophe after catastrophe kept setting back society. After a point, they took it on themselves to try to prevent the next catastrophe. After all, with the advent of newer, better killing technologies, what could you expect but death and destruction? With the lessons they learned, they formed The Group, starting with several of the Greenpeacers and PETA members that felt those organizations didn't go far enough.
The Group is nominally headed by unpowered twins, Delia and Jack Morrison. Beyond that, they have a very flat organizational structure. Everyone else is in a tier below them, and each group is trained to operate either on its own, or as part of a group. The group is organized in cells of ten, and up to fifteen groups can operate in sync. This leads to the rough maximum of 150, the maximum number of people that a person can deal with and view as an actual human.
Until now, all of these groups were of normal humans, homo sapiens. The Group's original goal was to prepare for an inevitable destruction of the world's infrastructure due to an apocalyptic scenario, whether thermonuclear war, alien invasion, terrorism, anything. A simple, generic goal. As such, the Group is trained to deal with a multitude of threats, stockpiling, training, waiting.
The discovery of these powered individuals has changed everything. No longer content to wait for the oncoming pain and suffering, they are now taking a more active role. Delia and Jack view these powers, perhaps rightfully so, as the key to destroying the world. Thus, if they can control it, they can stave off armageddon for a little while longer.
Jack and Delia aren't necessarily well connected themselves, but there are members of The Group that are well connected. Some of these are deeply entrenched with the U.S. government, and alerted them to the presence of these new powered individuals. They've taken this information, and gone on a race against the government to find them as quickly as possible. The "strange news" sections of the internet are key to the search, and it's just a matter of who gets to whom first, and who speaks more convincingly. Let's be honest, these people are all quite imbalanced, and all they need is a kind word, a smile and a hug to feel accepted, which is what many of them want.
While the government focuses on browbeating, appeals to patriotism, and threats to friends and family, Delia and Jack focus more on convincing these people there's a mighty threat, without adding that the powers are the threat themselves. They've gathered some data, and realize that the pathological liar could be key to recruiting, if only they can find a way to get him. What they need is a person that he cannot lie to. Hence, the multiple personalities.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Character Sketch - Pathological Liar
Born to middle-class circumstances, Elvin Harper grew up in the 'burbs. His life was comfortable, even if he may have wanted for things he could never get. Elvin and his sister, Lea, got along fine, and though they may have fought, they learned to get along. He was an average student, an average friend; in short, an average person. All his life, Elvin hoped his life was nothing more than a lie. He just wanted more, and wasn't sure how to get it.
One day, he stole a candy bar, Hershey's finest. A small thing, but when his mother confronted him, two things happened. First, he shook his head and denied it, stating he'd been saving his allowance. Second, he heard her thoughts: "I know I raised you better than that."
Elvin kept it up for a couple of years. Cautious to take too much, he would walk in a convenience store, and walk after someone a little seedier than him. He would wait until the shopkeep's thoughts gravitated towards the other person, then pocketed something small. Then, he'd keep on walking for a few minutes, sure to leave before the other person did. Elvin mapped out a series of stores which he would haunt, making sure never to hit one twice in a row.
The suspicions grew stronger, but he was able to deflect them, especially his sister. Oh, so slow, Lea. What tripped him up, eventually, was puberty. Caught up in exploring his sexuality, he didn't realize that masturbation shut down his thought processes. So it was, in the bathroom, a stolen porn magazine nearby, his pants around his ankles, Lea barged in. It was pretty hard to find a way around this, and despite his best fabrications, he was somewhat lost, being unable to read their expressions, having relied so long on their thoughts, caught in the afterglow.
He was grounded for two weeks, and thereafter forced to work for free at the store for a year. That entire year, as he mopped, Elvin would scowl at the world, hearing the mindless rumble of the shopkeep, some old fat man that he couldn't care less about.
For her part, Lea tried to fix their relationship, but Elvin held a grudge. After the year was up, he continued working at the store, accumulating a little money, grinding a metaphorical whetstone, listening, listening, listening. He'd long since abstained from sexual pleasure, to keep his mind sharp.
Then, he realized, as he was hearing some old biddy's mental gossip about her young stud, as an elderly man came in, and they walked out arm in arm, that he would have his revenge. Elvin started working his tail off, i.e. cheating via the consensus of the entire class, all their minds coming up with answers. He found a way to get an internship at the state capital. Mysteriously, Elvin rose quickly through the ranks, a most nondescript aide, who seemed to know everything about everyone. During his senior year, a lobbyist found a way to gift to him, not his family, but him, a house of his own, which he moved into. Anything he wanted, he knew someone that knew someone that could give it to him. This unusual activity brought him to the attention of the Group.
The Group recruited Elvin Harper with a story so preposterous, only a pathological liar could believe it. As a matter of fact, the [Group Team Captain - Multiple Personalities - Team Captain personality] gave him a story that he believed completely, that he was working from: alien invasion. Elvin had never met anyone that could lie to him, and it never occurred to him that someone lied to [Team Captain personality]. He'd had most of what he wanted, but now, [Team Captain personality] wove a story which described just how Elvin could, and would, lose everything. Even a liar has to believe someone once in a while, and who else could tell he could read minds? He signed on, and disappeared.
El is in his late teens, and going prematurely bald, a side effect of both the mind reading and the stress of keeping these stories. He tends to dress discreetly, save for an expensive watch and high-quality shoes, two things that will demonstrate just how powerful he is, without making a big deal of it. His teeth are crooked, which makes his smile more a leer. If not for his teeth, he would be quite attractive. Average height, average weight, average everything. El is confident, to the point of excess, though not entirely persuasive (outright offensive at times). Everything for him is about the words, but he tends to put people off. If their thoughts do not mesh with their body language, and he reads them orrectly, they are thrown off. El eats saltpeter (and is there a drug with the side effect to lower sexual desire, not female birth control? Would it be better to show him start to take the pill, and watch him develop female secondary sex characteristics, and throw people off even more?) to suppress his sexual desires, with various effects.
One day, he stole a candy bar, Hershey's finest. A small thing, but when his mother confronted him, two things happened. First, he shook his head and denied it, stating he'd been saving his allowance. Second, he heard her thoughts: "I know I raised you better than that."
Elvin kept it up for a couple of years. Cautious to take too much, he would walk in a convenience store, and walk after someone a little seedier than him. He would wait until the shopkeep's thoughts gravitated towards the other person, then pocketed something small. Then, he'd keep on walking for a few minutes, sure to leave before the other person did. Elvin mapped out a series of stores which he would haunt, making sure never to hit one twice in a row.
The suspicions grew stronger, but he was able to deflect them, especially his sister. Oh, so slow, Lea. What tripped him up, eventually, was puberty. Caught up in exploring his sexuality, he didn't realize that masturbation shut down his thought processes. So it was, in the bathroom, a stolen porn magazine nearby, his pants around his ankles, Lea barged in. It was pretty hard to find a way around this, and despite his best fabrications, he was somewhat lost, being unable to read their expressions, having relied so long on their thoughts, caught in the afterglow.
He was grounded for two weeks, and thereafter forced to work for free at the store for a year. That entire year, as he mopped, Elvin would scowl at the world, hearing the mindless rumble of the shopkeep, some old fat man that he couldn't care less about.
For her part, Lea tried to fix their relationship, but Elvin held a grudge. After the year was up, he continued working at the store, accumulating a little money, grinding a metaphorical whetstone, listening, listening, listening. He'd long since abstained from sexual pleasure, to keep his mind sharp.
Then, he realized, as he was hearing some old biddy's mental gossip about her young stud, as an elderly man came in, and they walked out arm in arm, that he would have his revenge. Elvin started working his tail off, i.e. cheating via the consensus of the entire class, all their minds coming up with answers. He found a way to get an internship at the state capital. Mysteriously, Elvin rose quickly through the ranks, a most nondescript aide, who seemed to know everything about everyone. During his senior year, a lobbyist found a way to gift to him, not his family, but him, a house of his own, which he moved into. Anything he wanted, he knew someone that knew someone that could give it to him. This unusual activity brought him to the attention of the Group.
The Group recruited Elvin Harper with a story so preposterous, only a pathological liar could believe it. As a matter of fact, the [Group Team Captain - Multiple Personalities - Team Captain personality] gave him a story that he believed completely, that he was working from: alien invasion. Elvin had never met anyone that could lie to him, and it never occurred to him that someone lied to [Team Captain personality]. He'd had most of what he wanted, but now, [Team Captain personality] wove a story which described just how Elvin could, and would, lose everything. Even a liar has to believe someone once in a while, and who else could tell he could read minds? He signed on, and disappeared.
El is in his late teens, and going prematurely bald, a side effect of both the mind reading and the stress of keeping these stories. He tends to dress discreetly, save for an expensive watch and high-quality shoes, two things that will demonstrate just how powerful he is, without making a big deal of it. His teeth are crooked, which makes his smile more a leer. If not for his teeth, he would be quite attractive. Average height, average weight, average everything. El is confident, to the point of excess, though not entirely persuasive (outright offensive at times). Everything for him is about the words, but he tends to put people off. If their thoughts do not mesh with their body language, and he reads them orrectly, they are thrown off. El eats saltpeter (and is there a drug with the side effect to lower sexual desire, not female birth control? Would it be better to show him start to take the pill, and watch him develop female secondary sex characteristics, and throw people off even more?) to suppress his sexual desires, with various effects.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Character Sketch - Delerium Tremens
Daisy Tennant wasn't a mistake; children never are. It just happened that her parents, Mitch and Jill, did. Jill was a sophomore in high school, and Mitch was ready to go off to a D-II school on a football scholarship, when Jill confronted him. She pleaded, begged, implored him to stay with her, or to at least show some support. Mitch, ever the thoughtful individual, did his best not to roll his eyes before walking out on her and starting his new life alone.
Initially, Jill planned to bring the baby to term, then give it up for adoption (old religious habits die hard). Then, she held the child in her hands, small, wrinkled, two weeks premature, and was hooked. The desire to take care of a completely dependent being overrode her desire to be her own person. This desire lasted about six weeks, at which point abortion is completely illegal.
Her mother kicked the both of them out, but Jill managed to stay with her uncle, meanwhile getting a job at a local restaurant (The Pit, a fine barbecue establishment, now with the Pit Plate Special for $8.95). Given that her uncle was a worthless layabout, and a drunk, it was only a matter of time before Jill started to turn to the bottle, just as Daisy would turn towards the nipple.
The turning point was the year she would have graduated from high school and gone to some fine liberal arts college on a partial scholarship, when Mitch returned to Franklin, Tennessee. He came with a girl on his arm, to The Pit. His eyes on the blonde the entire time, Mitch didn't even recognize Jill, and Jill did her best to not say anything, as she waited on her tables, and tried to keep out of his way. She went to the back, looked in the mirror, and saw how she'd aged five, ten years.
As Daisy grew, so did the abuse. Her mom drank more and more as the looks and youth that one day would have taken her so far were stolen from her, given to this squalling youth that wouldn't shut up, no matter how many times she hit her. The uncle had passed from a failed liver a long time ago, perhaps the only source of stability that would have made her life a little better; she didn't even know about grandma, and grandma didn't care to acknowledge her family a few miles away.
Daisy's first drink happened at twelve, after a particularly brutal beating. It felt like mom had broken a rib. She had trouble breathing, but feared even more calling the authorities and getting taken away from her mom. There were a lot of Jack Daniels bottles with a fair amount of swig left. Daisy just picked one up and drank, then another, and another. She woke up in the morning, still in tremendous pain, but the key was that she could dull the pain enough to sleep, and wake up in the morning.
The beating continued, as Jill saw more and more of her father in that face. Both mother and daughter continued to drink. School had fallen by the wayside long ago, as had what few friends she'd fought to make. Now it was them, the TV, and the bottle. Then, Jill lost her job for cursing at and punching a patron that left her a small tip. The alcohol dried up soon thereafter, but the beatings didn't. Unable to deal with the stress of being a sixteen-year old, going through withdrawal, and these being "the best years of her life," Jill started shaking. Soon, the entire house shook, and it brought the entire thing down upon the two of them. When they found her, Daisy had been shivering, curled up, but alive. Jill fell atop the child she still loved, somewhere deep within, but couldn't express that feeling in a loving manner. Soon after, they brought Daisy to the Group.
Daisy has shoulder-length raven-black hair, same as her father; she used to have much longer hair, until she vomited and rolled into it a couple of months ago. It's growing back out. She's skinny from worry, skinny enough to see the abnormal protrusion on her rib cage where the rib never healed, if she would ever let anyone get close enough to take a look. Daisy is above average height for a woman, but slouches her shoulders constantly, awaiting the next blow she can't predict. She smiles around cats, and is in love with them, just as strays love her. Daisy's face is fairly gaunt, beautiful when she smiles, ugly when she's dour. Note this does nothing for her self-esteem.
Initially, Jill planned to bring the baby to term, then give it up for adoption (old religious habits die hard). Then, she held the child in her hands, small, wrinkled, two weeks premature, and was hooked. The desire to take care of a completely dependent being overrode her desire to be her own person. This desire lasted about six weeks, at which point abortion is completely illegal.
Her mother kicked the both of them out, but Jill managed to stay with her uncle, meanwhile getting a job at a local restaurant (The Pit, a fine barbecue establishment, now with the Pit Plate Special for $8.95). Given that her uncle was a worthless layabout, and a drunk, it was only a matter of time before Jill started to turn to the bottle, just as Daisy would turn towards the nipple.
The turning point was the year she would have graduated from high school and gone to some fine liberal arts college on a partial scholarship, when Mitch returned to Franklin, Tennessee. He came with a girl on his arm, to The Pit. His eyes on the blonde the entire time, Mitch didn't even recognize Jill, and Jill did her best to not say anything, as she waited on her tables, and tried to keep out of his way. She went to the back, looked in the mirror, and saw how she'd aged five, ten years.
As Daisy grew, so did the abuse. Her mom drank more and more as the looks and youth that one day would have taken her so far were stolen from her, given to this squalling youth that wouldn't shut up, no matter how many times she hit her. The uncle had passed from a failed liver a long time ago, perhaps the only source of stability that would have made her life a little better; she didn't even know about grandma, and grandma didn't care to acknowledge her family a few miles away.
Daisy's first drink happened at twelve, after a particularly brutal beating. It felt like mom had broken a rib. She had trouble breathing, but feared even more calling the authorities and getting taken away from her mom. There were a lot of Jack Daniels bottles with a fair amount of swig left. Daisy just picked one up and drank, then another, and another. She woke up in the morning, still in tremendous pain, but the key was that she could dull the pain enough to sleep, and wake up in the morning.
The beating continued, as Jill saw more and more of her father in that face. Both mother and daughter continued to drink. School had fallen by the wayside long ago, as had what few friends she'd fought to make. Now it was them, the TV, and the bottle. Then, Jill lost her job for cursing at and punching a patron that left her a small tip. The alcohol dried up soon thereafter, but the beatings didn't. Unable to deal with the stress of being a sixteen-year old, going through withdrawal, and these being "the best years of her life," Jill started shaking. Soon, the entire house shook, and it brought the entire thing down upon the two of them. When they found her, Daisy had been shivering, curled up, but alive. Jill fell atop the child she still loved, somewhere deep within, but couldn't express that feeling in a loving manner. Soon after, they brought Daisy to the Group.
Daisy has shoulder-length raven-black hair, same as her father; she used to have much longer hair, until she vomited and rolled into it a couple of months ago. It's growing back out. She's skinny from worry, skinny enough to see the abnormal protrusion on her rib cage where the rib never healed, if she would ever let anyone get close enough to take a look. Daisy is above average height for a woman, but slouches her shoulders constantly, awaiting the next blow she can't predict. She smiles around cats, and is in love with them, just as strays love her. Daisy's face is fairly gaunt, beautiful when she smiles, ugly when she's dour. Note this does nothing for her self-esteem.
Time Travel
Fuck time travel. We are not using going forward or backward in time, in any fashion. (Well, I have no problem with the natural forward progression, and flashbacks, and any other exceptions).z It's too often a crutch/reset button. I have no problem with altering the flow of time (gotta check the notes because we have someone that does that), but I cannot accept "Oops they killed the most popular character, let's bring them back to life by going back in time and making different decisions." Bullshit. We don't get to go back and make different decisions without repercussions. You want to do something different, go get revenge, or wipe your memory clean and forget.
Character Sketch - Amnesiac
Jason C. McMicheals had lived a pretty average life before his memories were taken away from him. He was a successful psychologist before the incident. He primarily dealt with children dealing with traumatic experiences. Even before the incident, he was able to alter the memories of his patients, essentially making them forget the trauma that these patients suffered. In his mind, this helped his patients, letting go of the past so that they could learn to lead healthy, productive lives.
Apparently, this was not beneficial for one of the Dr. McMicheal's patients. Due to a lack of a memory of the trauma, his young patient fell again into a cycle of abuse that brought him to Dr. McMicheal's in the first place. This patient, Anderson Joyce, was kidnapped at a young age along with his toddler brother. While in the kidnapper's hands, a choice was given to Anderson - would he chooose to save his brother life while sacrificing his own, or allow the kidnapper to murder his younger brother. Anderson chose the former, and watched the kidnapper savage molest and then kill his brother. Before any further harm could be done to him, the police managed to save Joyce where he was put under McMicheal's care. McMicheal then used his powers to alter the memories of Anderson, making him forget the incident. McMicheal advised Anderson's parents to destroy any memory of Anerderson's younger brother from the household, so that he may have a chance to have a normal life.
Unfortunately, a few years later, Anderson found some old family pictures while rummaging through family photos. Unable to remember the young boy by his side, he confronted his parents of the identity of the boy. His parents, thinking that he was well, confessed the doings of McMicheal's and revealed what had happened to Anderson. Anderson, who had been shouldering guilt all these years, but inexplicably not knowing why, flew into a rage. He began to obsessively search for past evidence on the case, and devised a plan to seek revenge on McMicheal.
Anderson then snuck into McMicheal's house bound his daughter and wife. As soon as McMicheal entered the establishment, Anderson presented him a choice- his wife's life or his daughters. McMicheal pleaded for Anderson to take his own life, but Anderson stated that his death would simply not just; McMicheal would have to have the memories that Anderson was robbed of. Unwilling to choose, Anderson took the choice from McMicheal and shot his daughter in front of McMicheal. Anderson then moved McMicheal and his wife to the scene of the kidnapping that had taken place years earlier. There, Anderson place a gun to his head and asked McMicheal one last question: would he sacrifice his life or his wife's. Anderson answered his wife's. Anderson obliged and shot his wife. He then whispered in Jason's ear, "now you will remember my memories," where then Anderson shot Jason in the stomach and left him to bleed to death.
McMicheal, unable to bear the guilt of his choice, choose to use his power to erase his own memories to at least die with a clean conscience. He then awoke, bleeding from the gut, absolved of a lifetime of memories but haunting by the now lifeless women that laid on the ground, unable to recognize her. He managed to undue his binds and make it to the street, where he was found a taken to the hospital. Without any memory or identification, he was labeled a John Doe.
He is tortured by the memories he keeps. Although his memory is wiped, he is still guilt ridden by his past, although he cannot explain why. At first, he became like a leech, stealing people's memories in order feel the void for his own. But he grew more and more frustrated as he realized that none of these stolen memories were his own or would explain his past. He then tried to steal the identity of people, live their lives. This fraudulent activity eventually caught the eyes of the authorities, which in turn the Group was notified of paranormal activity. He was eventually detained and imprisoned.
Apparently, this was not beneficial for one of the Dr. McMicheal's patients. Due to a lack of a memory of the trauma, his young patient fell again into a cycle of abuse that brought him to Dr. McMicheal's in the first place. This patient, Anderson Joyce, was kidnapped at a young age along with his toddler brother. While in the kidnapper's hands, a choice was given to Anderson - would he chooose to save his brother life while sacrificing his own, or allow the kidnapper to murder his younger brother. Anderson chose the former, and watched the kidnapper savage molest and then kill his brother. Before any further harm could be done to him, the police managed to save Joyce where he was put under McMicheal's care. McMicheal then used his powers to alter the memories of Anderson, making him forget the incident. McMicheal advised Anderson's parents to destroy any memory of Anerderson's younger brother from the household, so that he may have a chance to have a normal life.
Unfortunately, a few years later, Anderson found some old family pictures while rummaging through family photos. Unable to remember the young boy by his side, he confronted his parents of the identity of the boy. His parents, thinking that he was well, confessed the doings of McMicheal's and revealed what had happened to Anderson. Anderson, who had been shouldering guilt all these years, but inexplicably not knowing why, flew into a rage. He began to obsessively search for past evidence on the case, and devised a plan to seek revenge on McMicheal.
Anderson then snuck into McMicheal's house bound his daughter and wife. As soon as McMicheal entered the establishment, Anderson presented him a choice- his wife's life or his daughters. McMicheal pleaded for Anderson to take his own life, but Anderson stated that his death would simply not just; McMicheal would have to have the memories that Anderson was robbed of. Unwilling to choose, Anderson took the choice from McMicheal and shot his daughter in front of McMicheal. Anderson then moved McMicheal and his wife to the scene of the kidnapping that had taken place years earlier. There, Anderson place a gun to his head and asked McMicheal one last question: would he sacrifice his life or his wife's. Anderson answered his wife's. Anderson obliged and shot his wife. He then whispered in Jason's ear, "now you will remember my memories," where then Anderson shot Jason in the stomach and left him to bleed to death.
McMicheal, unable to bear the guilt of his choice, choose to use his power to erase his own memories to at least die with a clean conscience. He then awoke, bleeding from the gut, absolved of a lifetime of memories but haunting by the now lifeless women that laid on the ground, unable to recognize her. He managed to undue his binds and make it to the street, where he was found a taken to the hospital. Without any memory or identification, he was labeled a John Doe.
He is tortured by the memories he keeps. Although his memory is wiped, he is still guilt ridden by his past, although he cannot explain why. At first, he became like a leech, stealing people's memories in order feel the void for his own. But he grew more and more frustrated as he realized that none of these stolen memories were his own or would explain his past. He then tried to steal the identity of people, live their lives. This fraudulent activity eventually caught the eyes of the authorities, which in turn the Group was notified of paranormal activity. He was eventually detained and imprisoned.
Character Sketch - Paranoid Delusions/Delusion Projection
The key is that he does not know what is real and what is not, and has recently taken to believing that he is the only real thing. In essence, he is the sole deity of his own universe, and is thus, the most important person in that universe. Thus, he also believes himself the most important person, as if he dies, his world dies with him. The man knows that the delusions sometimes fight back, but thinks of it as just himself, or can't really understand what's going on.
Son of a biologist/atheist, strong proponent for evolution. He was taught to always question, to never take for granted things. Given that he was raised with a strong anti-religion slant, that he's now starting to feel like a god is causing a deep rift within himself, as the person he was and the person he is becoming are in constant struggle. He's not sure when it first started manifesting, because he's not entirely in belief that much of the world he lives in is unreal. Nonetheless, his ability to perceive is still quite impressive, as he'll note some small detail and be able to extrapolate from it. Unfortunately, much of his perceptions are of things not really there.
Somewhat withdrawn and constantly on guard, there are few things he trusts. Strong sources of light and dark, he is drawn to, because he knows for sure, for sure, these are things that he won't dream up (he is wrong). He also likes eating, another thing that can reveal whether or not something is real. Eating a delusion will just result in him eating nothing. The man has become very overweight due to this. He cannot stand this, and is only going along with the group because of the proposed cure. Of course, he's not entirely sure if this cure even exists, and feels they may just be using him, as everyone else is. Then again, this is a chance he's got to take, even if it turns out to justify his constant fear that it's not all delusions, and that it's all real.
The only person he trusts, Sheila, is his long-time partner, but not wife, as he refuses to get married and open himself up. Sheila knows him better than he knows himself. She'll go away after they fight, which is fairly often, but will always return after a few days. He's come to grips with the cooling off period, and is OK with that. She's his only friend, only confidant, and just another piece of his imagination. His belief in Sheila is unshakable, until she disappears before his eyes if/when he takes the drug.
Son of a biologist/atheist, strong proponent for evolution. He was taught to always question, to never take for granted things. Given that he was raised with a strong anti-religion slant, that he's now starting to feel like a god is causing a deep rift within himself, as the person he was and the person he is becoming are in constant struggle. He's not sure when it first started manifesting, because he's not entirely in belief that much of the world he lives in is unreal. Nonetheless, his ability to perceive is still quite impressive, as he'll note some small detail and be able to extrapolate from it. Unfortunately, much of his perceptions are of things not really there.
Somewhat withdrawn and constantly on guard, there are few things he trusts. Strong sources of light and dark, he is drawn to, because he knows for sure, for sure, these are things that he won't dream up (he is wrong). He also likes eating, another thing that can reveal whether or not something is real. Eating a delusion will just result in him eating nothing. The man has become very overweight due to this. He cannot stand this, and is only going along with the group because of the proposed cure. Of course, he's not entirely sure if this cure even exists, and feels they may just be using him, as everyone else is. Then again, this is a chance he's got to take, even if it turns out to justify his constant fear that it's not all delusions, and that it's all real.
The only person he trusts, Sheila, is his long-time partner, but not wife, as he refuses to get married and open himself up. Sheila knows him better than he knows himself. She'll go away after they fight, which is fairly often, but will always return after a few days. He's come to grips with the cooling off period, and is OK with that. She's his only friend, only confidant, and just another piece of his imagination. His belief in Sheila is unshakable, until she disappears before his eyes if/when he takes the drug.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)