Instructor: RainTurtle
Date: November 24, 2003 (Monday)
<RainTurtle> Good evening, ladies and gentlemen
<Kid_Energy> good evening Rain
<RainTurtle> The topic of tonight’s seminar is a Shield format
<RainTurtle> As usual…if you aren’t here for a seminar in rudimentary psionics, you might want to leave before things get too weird
<RainTurtle> It will come as no surprise that “Marshmallow” is a slang expression for the variety of shield format slated for discussion, tonight
<RainTurtle> I’m sure it has many other equally descriptive monikers
<RainTurtle> This format is very simple, which is one of its main strengths
<RainTurtle> It is also a bit on the “claustrophobic” side, and so might not be the best choice for people who do not like feeling confined….
<RainTurtle> …it can be “cozy”
<RainTurtle> Is there anyone in here unfamiliar with the confection known as a “marshmallow”?
<Kid_Energy> nope I know what it means
<Kelana> I’m familiar with it. Suddenly craving one or two now as well
<HackerX> I know what it is
<RainTurtle> (A sugar and gelatine candy which kids like to scorch over campfires…..)
<HackerX> very nice to eat
<RainTurtle> A small bit of language trivia: the name comes from a white flower whose root is gooey when cooked. Adding sugar to the cooking of such roots made an old-fashioned candy. I have some in my garden, although it is dormant right now
<RainTurtle> The related pink flower is a MuskMallow which can be cooked in a similar manner
<Aphanas> Interesting… I didn’t know that.
<soulshaker> What’s the name of the plant?
<RainTurtle> “Marshmallow”
<soulshaker>
<RainTurtle> For anyone who wishes to follow along and actually try this tonight, we’ll take it step by step in a small “palm-sized” shield….to protect your coffee-cup perhaps
<RainTurtle> (Has anyone’s coffee mug been under stress from too much telepathic input lately?)
* Mistyck ‘s has
<Aphanas> No, but I have a candle that could use some protection…
<HackerX> you’d be suprised
<soulshaker> Can a shield protect a… coffee mug from psychometry?
<RainTurtle> If you don’t want someone to Read the information imprinted on your coffee mug, just scramble the signals in its field
<soulshaker> Okay.
* Mannen raises hand.
<RainTurtle> The walk-through will use visualizations of the very basic sort, and we’ll set it to restrict telepathic input.
<RainTurtle> Mannen?
<Mannen> Since a marshmallow shield is usually quite thick, does it trap warmth?
<RainTurtle> Not usually, no.
<Yumper> Could it be programmed to?
<RainTurtle> In theory, yes
<RainTurtle> Any further questions before we continue?
<Kid_Energy> none here
<RainTurtle> Assuming that you have a “pool” of psi near your belly, as most people seem to, picture that pool as a pool of water
<RainTurtle> Further picture streams or pipes to carry such water to your hands, roughly parallel to, but not through, the major nerves and blood vessels
<RainTurtle> Concentrating on making a filter for telepathic input (like a water filter that gets yucky stuff out of your tap water, or a coffee filter that keeps the grinds from going in your coffee), send some of that psi through the pipe/stream and into a vaguely spheroid shape, making it thick and puffy
<RainTurtle> Put lots of oomph into it (It is sometimes easier to make the shape around the object to be shielded, to give your sub-c the idea of shielding that particular thing)
<RainTurtle> Of those of you actually trying it, do you feel anything when doing this?
<Yumper> yes
<Kid_Energy> yea
<HackerX> Sure, its sqwishy
<soulshaker> lil’ bit
<Aphanas> A bit of nerve tickling…
* Yumper raises hand
<Mannen> Yes; warmth and a “soft” semi-solid feel.
<RainTurtle> Yumper?
<Yumper> how thick should this be?
<RainTurtle> For coffee cup size, the shell would want to be as thick as your wrist, at least
<Yumper> excellent
<RainTurtle> For making a marshmallow “cocoon” around your body, you would want it a couple feet thick, ideally
<RainTurtle> Any of you seen the “Michelin Man” mascot? Preferably the old one? That’s the effect we’re going for, here
<Yumper> heh Sounds good
<RainTurtle> Put in three or four times as much oomph as you think it needs, and then think a duration for it. Imagining a timer, or an hourglass, can help here. Or “until such-and-such” (for cocoon, “until noon tomorrow, local time”…)
* Aphanas programmed it to stay until he turns off the lights tonight…
<RainTurtle> 🙂
<HackerX> I ate it
<RainTurtle> ok….
<HackerX> 😛
<Kelana> lol Hacker
* Yumper raises hand
<RainTurtle> Yumper?
<Yumper> If Enough energy is put into it, Is it possible for the shield to have a small visual effect? Because My water bottle seems to have an ‘aura’ around it
<RainTurtle> Quite so. If thick enough, it’ll fog a photograph, too
<Yumper> neat-o
* Aphanas raises hand…
<RainTurtle> Aphanas?
<Aphanas> Are there specific advantages for this shield form compared to others (such as reflective, etc). Is the major advantage that it is simple, or is there certain programming that tends to work better with a marshmellow construction?
<HackerX> Aphanas, I’d put this as a layer beneath a reflective as a back up
<RainTurtle> It’s main advantage is that it is simple….sometimes, a shield is needed when the concentration needed for fancy effects just isn’t there
<RainTurtle> And, it’s comfy to sleep in
<RainTurtle> Good plan, Hacker
<Aphanas> Heh… OK. I usually use this form for my constructs shield layer. Thanks.
<HackerX> If it gets through the reflective, then it slows it down
<RainTurtle> no problem.
<RainTurtle> Pop quiz: why has this form earned the nickname of “marshmallow”?
<Yumper> because its thick and fluffy
<Kid_Energy> sticky and tasty
<HackerX> because it tastes good?
<Kelana> because of it’s consistancy?
<Mannen> ’cause it’s thick, and “soft” in the way that it absorbs the energy from attacks, or other incoming signals.
<soulshaker> Thick, gooey, soft?
<Aphanas> Because it slows things down and is thick.
<RainTurtle> Very good. (Ever see the “five-hundred pound marshmallow” in Ghostbusters?)
<Yumper> heh yeah
<Aphanas> Heh… yep.
<Kid_Energy> yea
<RainTurtle> Also, a marshmallow works well as a visualization….either the feel or the appearance, or both
<RainTurtle> As Hacker mentioned, this makes a good back-up shield layer.
<HackerX> think marshmellow coated in chocolate
<RainTurtle> Excellent
<RainTurtle> Hmmmm Simple shield form resulted in a shorter-than-average seminar.
<Aphanas> Thanks very much for the class, Rain.
* Aphanas thinks his candle feels much more at ease now that it’s telepathically protected…
<RainTurtle> I guess this is it for tonight.
<Aphanas> 🙂
<Kid_Energy> thanks for the class Rain
<RainTurtle> You’re welcome…