Video (Holiday Spirit)

[frosty_mind]

[Emma's tone of voice is calm. Her body language is tightly controlled, and for those very good at reading it, troubled.]Well, the spirit of generosity was an interesting experience while it lasted. Is there anyone else with an interest in discussing their experience with it

Comments

Re: Video

[frosty_mind]

There was a city-wide outbreak of generosity on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday morning. I found myself ... surprised by the little opportunities to be generous that I would normally not only have neglected but never noticed in the first place.

Re: Video

[frosty_mind]

I'm not surprised that I failed to notice opportunities to do little things for strangers - I don't expect to notice everything. I'm surprised that wanting to find those opportunities, without even actively looking for them, made as much of a difference as it did.

[A soft chuckle.] I expect observation bias, even from myself - it's the degree which takes me by surprise. [OOC: and if anyone's good enough at reading body language, the extent of this also has her somewhat dismayed.]

[doeswhathewants]

So that was some kind of what? Spell? Mind control?

This place simply gets better and better.

[frosty_mind]

Subjectively, it felt like unsubtle emotional control - I was intellectually aware that the urges were unnatural, but that made no difference. According to the news, SERO is examining the Core, and AGI claims to think that magicians were responsible. I'm more inclined towards the former theory: the effects did seem stronger there.

I don't think it was mind control exactly, though it mimicked the results very well: my mental shields are good and very sensitive, and not only did they fail to mitigate the effect at all, they failed to notice there was anything to resist.

[doeswhathewants]

Oh! Are you psychic? Or telepathic? Or one of those other -ics? That's pretty cool. I've always thought it would be interesting to read other people's minds, body language is as close as I get, but at least that's something.

So then, that was maybe a defense mechanism by the Core? Or, or trying to interact with us like in that movie in the ocean- oh no, those were aliens. Nevermind.

Unless the Core is an alien.

[frosty_mind]

I'm telepathic, and it can be very interesting ... though I'm very very glad I already had good shields before I got here.

I think the Core is an artificial intelligence from the alien world we're currently visiting. I suppose that's close enough to an alien, unless you want to be nitpicky about biological versus technological aliens.

voice; private||very difficult to hack

[tiny_schemer]

Is it that difficult to be humble just for a few days? [There's laughter in his voice.]

Re: voice; private||very difficult to hack

[frosty_mind]

Honestly, what the effect caused me to do didn't bother me much, and neither did having been emotionally controlled by whatever mechanism. It's when the effect wore off and it sunk in how many little things I don't normally notice at all that I felt chagrined. Not that I did those things, not that I don't normally do them - though I may think about that later - but that I don't normally notice enough to even make a decision.

[tiny_schemer]

In other words, you feel humbled that you're not a very good person? [Oh, he is grinning. It's very audible.]

Re: voice; private||very difficult to hack

[frosty_mind]

It's been over half my lifetime since I've been under the illusion that I'm a good person. I feel humbled that I routinely overlook cheap ways to do good things. Not that I don't do them. That I don't even see them.

[reginagloriae]

It was [awful. She... she went outside during the Darkness to 'help'. The actions appalled her sense of survival.] something unusual.

[frosty_mind]

That it was.

I'm going to be interested to see how many people try to undo what they did under the influence - get their money back, literally or figuratively.

[reginagloriae]

It must be upsetting to them if they donated more than they could afford.

[frosty_mind]

Or even more than they wanted to pay once the effect wore off.