Mind Swapping at a Glance [Prep]

Hey, I had some thoughts on the whole mind-swap thing and thought it might be helpful for Katherine to kind of get the 30-second overview of being Adam.  Nothing in depth or anything intrinsic to his personality, just things that will be immediately obvious.  Might help everyone.  We've got time to think about these. Adam is twelve and short .  It's going to be pretty obvious when you've got to look up to everyone else (and their nostrils) but Adam is short even for a twelve-year-old.  Think barely over four-foot. You're Going to Heightened Awareness of Everyone's Emotional State  and it isn't going to make any sense because it is color coded.  Hope Solaris is feeling helpful.  On that note... You Have an Imaginary Friend and He is Nosy.   Prepare to have conversations with nothing while everyone looks at you funny. Your Powers Are Linked to Your Emotional State in a Really Direct Manner .  Feeling something won't make you accidentally fire something off, but they're more like engines to power the systems.  Not feeling Courageous?  Not going fly for very long.  As a quick key:  Truth is the Armor (transformed state, enhanced durability and strength) so just don't be Deceptive and you'll be fine there. Courage is the Shield (energy constructs and the ability to fly, since that is just an energy construct build around Adam).   Love is a Weapon of Some Sort , no idea what weapon since it hasn't come up yet and it takes a really particular frame of mind anyway (and the one time Adam did try to use something like it, it was in the really wrong frame of mind). Your Phone is Going to Blow Up with Texts from Concerned Parents .  Actual concern.  Not Eggplants. :P  Also controlling, but with different goals that probably what Harry is used to.  Probably going to worthwhile to swap phones for the duration of this craziness. Also, just as something fun, I will point out when Farscape did this episode they put print outs of who was possessing who so they (and the audience) could keep things straight.  Less a concern on our end, but maybe worth while in story to help with the confusion (also because I will work in a Farscape reference when I can).

So I was building a similar thread, but thought to see if someone had already started one before posting it. .... ------ Immediate post-game commentary at the Consortium, followed by my own fever dreams ... Harry-as-Adam having to try out for the play. Harry-as-Adam watching Adam answer his parents' questions. Harry-as-Adam having to deal with Adam's parents (who are already concerned about his behavior) and his little sister. Adam-as-Harry having to deal with Harry's parents and extended family. And probably worrying about his family. And Sol. Adam-as-Harry having to deal with Andy/A-10. Charlotte's bathroom concerns are partially addressed by the tech of Link's suit -- but that doesn't mean she's going to be comfortable dealing with just "letting go" ... nor, eventually, with ... handling ... the parts that need ... handling ... Charlotte-as-Leo having to deal with Taz. Everyone having to deal with classes and teachers and assignments not their own. Jason wondering if he has to go sleep in the cemetery, or can he sleep at home? More to the point, Jason having a woman's body ... which means access to a woman's body ... but OH MY GOD I CAN'T TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HAVING SOME *OTHER* WOMAN'S BODY. "I could never be a woman. If I were, I would do nothing but sit at home all day playing with my breasts." Steve Martin (b. 1945) American comedian - LA Story (1991) Jason is appalled (and intrigued) by what every freaking 17-year-old male instinct is telling him to do, even assuming that even makes sense with a ghost. Leo-as-Jason is now interacting with the nanobots. "Ha-ha!" But are they (or some of them) carrying around bits of Jason memory, Jason personality, Jason etc.? That should be interesting. And, of course, this is the moment that Alycia Chin will choose to confront her nemesis. (See also Li'lycia, Travelycia, Not-Dad ...) Leo-as-Jason having a chat with Numina -- or Pneuma. Leo-as-Jason dealing with the nanobot Doom attributes, fragmenting his personality and memory. Jason-as-Charlotte having a chat with Numina. Does Charlotte know what she has to do with Leo's parole / AEGIS monitoring? How does Charlotte-as-Leo interact with Pneuma, or Otto? Both in terms of social interaction (and I can see some serious freaking out on all accounts) as well as in a combat situation. That whole Heart Gauge thing is going to be completely out of whack. Harry having to deal with the VOICE in his head -- I really think it should be just him who can hear Sol. The telepathy still works. While at the dinner table / standing before the tribunal we can coach each other on what to say. It's just going to be ... awkward. (There is a certain value in being honest about what's going on, as was discussed. On the other hand, that we let ourselves get caught in such a conundrum may be seen as a weakness.) GAME THOUGHTS: LABELS: Those are internal orientations. They transfer. CONDITIONS: Those are internal attributes. They transfer. INFLUENCE: That's an interpersonal attribute. Does it transfer when the Influenced is not visually associating the Influencer with the body the Influencer is in? Probably, but maybe not automatically. ABILITIES: Those are body attributes. They stay with the body. (But can they be easily used? Is Charlotte going to know how to use Link's armor in battle?) TEAM MOVES: Those are internal attributes ... but they tie to the playbook mechanics, so they have a (delayed?) affect on the body when it is (we presumed) back in the proper ands. POTENTIAL: That seems a personal attribute, but if an advance is taken ... do we assume it's delayed? Or can we take Potential at this point, if we can't actually express it on our own Moves. MOVES: Some of these are personal, some are body attributes. E.g., Jason can't do his Nanobot stuff, but can he draw on his Sanctuary (and does he take a Doom check if he does?) [Alternately, can Leo-as-Jason draw on Jason's Sanctuary? How much of that control is biometric vs knowing the password?) ADVANCEMENT: Ditto. Can Jason-as-Charlotte use his Kirby Kraft? He should have access to "Been Reading the Files." Suggestion: It's all great fun, but suggest we avoid any Advancement or Combat (interpersonal conflict over dinner aside) until we're in our own bodies. Or else just sort of go with the flow As Things Make Consensual Sense.

In keeping with Mike's theme, a 30-second overview for Leo about being Jason Quill: People will know you : You have a certain amount of ... fame. Some of it -- a lot of it -- is cloying. It is almost all positive. People (tourists, mostly) will ask for your autograph. Other people will be a bit slackjawed, or go all fangirl/boi over their childhood hero. Smile and wave, boys -- smile and wave. There's a crazy-quilt of AI interactions : You know about these, but there will be some odd interactions between you and (not) Byron Quill, you and (not) Alycia Chin, you and (nanobots) Li'lycia. The latter is particularly interesting, both because of what she (and the bots) can do to you mentally, but because of what they carry about Jason that might get plastered onto your brain. There's that hoity-toity school to go to: Full of rich kids and prominent super-scions. None of them  sleep in a junkyard or couch-surf. (Actually, some of them might, but the vast majority don't.) There's a business to run : Jason doesn't do a lot of day-to-day with the Foundation, but he does occasionally get consulted, and he does have a pair of lawyers / business administrators. On the other hand, in theory, you have access to the resources of a major non-profit technical firm full of artifacts and hypertech samples. Etc. You can certainly pass any biometric scans ... There's a super-group to run : People are going to be looking at you  as the front man for the Menagerie. Just the job you didn't  want. You have a nemesis . I'm sure it will be great fun when Rossum kidnaps Charlotte in your body. Matched only by Alycia Chin showing up, and doing whatever she feels she needs to do to keep herself safe. At the moment, that probably doesn't include killing you, but it could still be interesting. Oh, by the way, we were working toward saving your "dad" . I don't know that there will be any opportunity for interaction with the real Byron Quill, Rusty Byrne, or, hell, Amir Quill. But I don't know that there won't be.

From a Meta perspective, I think it is going to be awesome playing Jason in Charlotte's "body". (Or maybe no quotes -- Jason dealing with Ghost Girl suddenly becoming human will either be really weird or much more calm than Charlotte would be.) That said, the idea of playing Leo inside of Jason's body would have also been awesome.  Comme ci, comme ça.

OH MY GOD, HOW DO YOU USE YOUR PHONE WITH THESE ICONS ARRANGED THIS WAY?  WHERE IS MY TWITTUBE APP? HOW CAN YOU NOT HAVE A TWITTUBE APP? YOU HAVE ANDROID? HOW DO YOU LIVE WITH YOURSELF? YOU HAVE AN IPHONE? WHERE'S YOUR PRETENTIOUS BLACK TURTLENECK? YOU HAVE A QPHONE? I ASSUME YOU'RE STILL A VIRGIN. I AM SO CHANGING THIS WALLPAPER  RIGHT NOW.

From a meta perspective, three of us should be focused on the aspects of the questions we were asked and answered, to provide the appropriate narrative "grass is always greener" motif: Adam , who has the easiest time on the team? Who has their shit together? Harry  What will Adam learn about how Harry's life is far less settled and together than he lets on? Ghost Girl , of the boys, who has themselves worked out? Has their eyes on the prize? Leo . (The most focused, anyway) What will Charlotte learn about Leo's life as to where his focus is (or where it should be), or how their life is not quite as obviously settled as Leo presents it? Jason , who do you envy the most? Charlotte (she's dead, and doesn't have to worry about this shit?) What worries and personal pains does Charlotte have that Jason will find difficult to deal with? By extension: What does Harry  learn about Leo's life -- the way his family operates, the experience of the Concord shard, the cosmic senses -- that changes how he sees his team mate? How does walking a literal mile in Jason's shoes affect Leo 's sense of rivalry? How is Jason behind the facade a lesser person -- or, alternately, a more admiration-worthy person?

*** Dave H. said: What does Harry  learn about Leo's life -- the way his family operates, the experience of the Concord shard, the cosmic senses -- that changes how he sees his team mate? "Leo" should be "Adam", I think?

Some general notes: The serious stuff first: we committed to a rendezvous with whoever was listening in the Sepiaverse. It is vital that we make that appointment , by hook or by crook. Leo will ask about people swapping phones so that the right person has the right phone, as long as the telepathy can be maintained so we can coordinate. If not, be mindful of the messages you read and send. Part of this is selfish, because Leo fears the social Götterdämmerung that Charlotte could unleash with his phone, since the Ponies are regularly tweeting and DMing him with their shenanigans. On that note! Some of us committed to an AMA with the Ponies . How's THAT going to go? Leo will certainly brief Charlotte on the need to go to school, do well, not call teachers a falsehood, etc. The Halcyon High South normies (Adam and Leo) now get to hang out at the swanky supers high together. Some Leo-specific notes: Link's powers stem from his brain and its applications. He also works from a brain-centric view of the self, so would be very curious to know how this whole mind-swapping process even works. Unfortunately, without that mutant intelligence, he's not equipped to analyze it. Maybe. Does Jason Quill have the same mutation? We're going to find out. The suit will not work for you at first, but you can wear it . It's easy-on, easy-off, can be worn for hours or days comfortably, feels like a fighter pilot's flight suit. The useful gadgets (like grappling systems and combination) work off subvocalized commands, retinal tracking, and brainwave scans, all of which need hours of practice to get right, or are just not going to happen without his mind. You can get the right answer the first time, if you know your topic . If his explanation of his powers is correct, his mutant brain will jump to the right answer out of numerous wrong alternatives, if it's something that could be reasoned through. This includes science, mathematics, or similarly well defined topics that you understand. It could also include things like mysticism, if "rules of magic" were strictly fixed. It's not a general-purpose intuition, just a way to jump to the end of a scientific endeavor. This should also get you through Chemistry class if you read the textbook once. The chip will affect this process in ways Leo doesn't understand or can't predict. The bots are closer than close with Leo . They will pick up immediately that "Leo" isn't himself any more, but won't understand why, and will probably be suspicious at first. Leo and his robots have always been honest with each other . Violations of that trust will stand out. Leo is not an outgoing guy and will have few friends at school. He's changed school almost once a year and had to move cross country every time, so he doesn't try to form long friendships. Because there's not too much here, here's a list of additional options to pick from. The chip in Leo's head is built to detect and correct brain damage. Mental possession probably looks very much like damage, so the chip will try to do its thing. Take a powerful blow to learn something from - or about - Leo's latent mind that he'd rather keep hidden, or didn't know, as the chip damages your psyche on its mission to restore the original brain pattern. Numina could be installed in the suit to help operate it. That should allow you to operate at near-full capacity, though probably not at all with Leo's usual fighting style. Choose whether the suit should be a help or a hindrance , and if a help, go with this option. Leo's social isolation isn't anything he actively does. He just keeps to himself, and other kids respond accordingly. Change his body language and attitude , and you may be surprised to see who talks to him at school - for good or bad. The people who know Leo the best are Pneuma, Numina, and Otto. Interact with them for assistance in managing his physical body and its needs without embarrassment (from them at least).  Pierce the mask if you want some insight into their relationships, past or present. Pneuma in particular is both human-scale and female, so may be most helpful here, but this may spark some old feelings or new complications. Provoke her to do something, if you want to try and change the parameters of their relationship, and think you can do some good thereby. Or comfort or support her and/or Numina, since they're both going through rough times and "something messed with my mind too" will certainly encourage a rapport.

*** Dave H. said: Charlotte-as-Leo having to deal with Taz. Jason is appalled (and intrigued) by what every freaking 17-year-old male instinct is telling him to do, even assuming that even makes sense with a ghost. Scientific curiosity: are Jason's male instincts even intact in a new body, or do they stay with the endocrine system in the old one? If Leo's stuck with Jason's libido, we're in real trouble. Leo-as-Jason is now interacting with the nanobots. "Ha-ha!" But are they (or some of them) carrying around bits of Jason memory, Jason personality, Jason etc.? That should be interesting. And, of course, this is the moment that Alycia Chin will choose to confront her nemesis. (See also Li'lycia, Travelycia, Not-Dad ...) See, this is what I'm here for. (There is a certain value in being honest about what's going on, as was discussed. On the other hand, that we let ourselves get caught in such a conundrum may be seen as a weakness.) In the interest of maximizing shenanigans, we have to pretend to be who we look like. Come up with whatever rationale that satisfies that goal. Leo pragmatically will want to tell people ahead of time, but will go along with the alternative if need be.

Bill G. said: *** Dave H. said: What does Harry  learn about Leo's life -- the way his family operates, the experience of the Concord shard, the cosmic senses -- that changes how he sees his team mate? "Leo" should be "Adam", I think? Yes, it certainly should be. What does Harry learn about Adam's life.  I imagine Harry is sort of immersed in the whole Gale family thing -- being thrown into another dynamic (that apparently works) would be an eye-opener. The serious stuff first: we committed to a rendezvous with whoever was listening in the Sepiaverse. It is vital that we make that appointment , by hook or by crook Absotively. *** On that note! Some of us committed to an AMA with the Ponies . How's THAT going to go Oh, God -- Jason is going to have to deal with the Ponies, only as Charlotte. Part of me thinks that this is an embarrassing moment, but one that calls for honesty.  I'm at least half-convinced that we need to be open with the HHL about this (as was noted last night, it's pretty good odds that some of them have faced  this trope before). If they are actually testing us to see how competent we are (if not setting us up to be called on the table for our sins), then they should  be supportive if we are handling it well. On the other hand, there are limits to this honesty . We have opponents (already) who would be happy to take advantage of this confusion, this weakening of our combat abilities, this distraction. It doesn't even have to be violent -- a hostile take-over by Rosa Rook with Jason not being able to correctly sign his signature would be a serious problem. So we can't be too  honest. (And, as Bill notes above, there's a certain dramatic necessity to deal with the comedic shenanigans of such a switch. ) (In-world, is this a common trope for super-folk? Have any of us with common contact with this world -- Harry or Jason -- heard of such instances? Is it something that the more with-it Ponies might accept, or even preemptively say, "Charlotte's walking funny -- OMG it's Jason trapped in Charlotte's body!") What I'm getting at here is -- who else do we (collectively or individually) tell? Is there a compelling reason to lie/pretend to Barbara and Hannah? Or to the Amari parents? Or to AEGIS (or Agent Waters)? Or to @PowerPony (even if we don't tell the others, she could be a powerful ally)? This ties into the question of, to what degree do we drop everything and tackle dealing with / reversing this? We seem to have agreed to go do the HHL thing. Is there a reason (assuming honesty with the parents) we don't all skip school tomorrow in order to work on reversing this (or determining when it will reverse itself, or if?)  *** Hey -- something everyone can blame on Charlotte  instead of Jason . Outstanding!

Scientific curiosity: are Jason's male instincts even intact in a new body, or do they stay with the endocrine system in the old one? If Leo's stuck with Jason's libido, we're in real trouble. There's actually some great science to be done here. Understanding how Charlotte's mind interacts with the armor (and the chip!). Jason understanding Charlotte's condition / power. Harry learning about Sol (and vice-versa -- hey, Sol is always peeved that there has only been one human host, and now he has a second one). Leo learning about the nanobots (which, even if he can't figure out how to make them do zany stuff, will still by their inherent programming provide some protection).  The switches for Charlotte and Jason are highly problematic -- we've seen that under the right circumstances, her mind can control a living body, but if she went from being a ghost to being the mind in charge of a living body, does that work? And how does a human mind like Jason's actually deal with being thrust into an undead framework? Answer = IT'S ALL MAGIC. (Charlotte gets to deal with the question of "do I like being in a living body?" from a completely different perspective.) To the question above, my guess (within the bound of made-up science, and bearing in mind that the switch was made BY MAGIC) that there is at least a lag time here. Jason's mental reflexes will still be those of a 17yo male of the species for some time at least. (This all begs the issue of how endocrinology even works  with a ghost, or whether ghosts are all  just canalized mental reflexes.) (One might as well ask how Charlotte will deal with Leo's hormones racing around her brain.) Even within questions of MAGIC, there are some fascinating experiments to see what this switch actually entailed. Sense of self, obviously, but how much in the way of memory (and how does that  work?), and then deeper stuff that gets into hormones and glands, and lizard brain reflexes. Have language skills transferred? Presumably we can all walk, so motor skills have socketed in with our minds just fine -- maybe Charlotte can control the armor just by letting her body do it. Does Leo now know judo, if he lets his (Jason's) body just do its thing? Presumably Adam won't have problems with the superspeed reflexes, aside from a certain amount of comic relief (no, really -- being an untrained speedster could be incredibly dangerous to oneself and others). 

Parenthetically, I think it was the right, best choice to go with "Players playing their characters in the other bodies," but, yeah, I would have loved to play Leo-as-Jason. Or seen Bill play Charlotte-as-Leo. Etc. A lot more delicate of an operation and more fraught ("My character wouldn't do that!"), but potentially illuminating.

On the flip side of a certain degree of reflexes / muscle memory having remained with the body (so that Adam doesn't inadvertently plow through a crowded sidewalk at 90mph, or trip and fall because he's so much taller all of a sudden), people might expect certain reflexes that they no longer have (Jason-as-Charlotte would be shit for doing judo -- but might not realize it until he tries). Or we may be overthinking all of this for a gag that won't last longer than a single episode and an awkward dinner with the HHL. But it's still fun doing so. UPDATE: I remember the stray thought that prompted this -- driving abilities. (Fortunately, the Quill hoverdisc practically drives -- and parks -- itself.)

It should probably last a little past the dinner proper, to allow for all this other stuff to play out. I am 100% on us maintaining a PG rating or thereabouts despite some of our speculation, but (for example) it would still be funny to have Leo yelling at Jason, "I'm taking a cold shower and cannot get this stupid t-shirt off!"

Bill G. said: It should probably last a little past the dinner proper, to allow for all this other stuff to play out. I am 100% on us maintaining a PG rating or thereabouts despite some of our speculation, but (for example) it would still be funny to have Leo yelling at Jason, "I'm taking a cold shower and cannot get this stupid t-shirt off!" Let's call it PG-13. :) 1. Thank you, Mike, for starting this. I think it will be invaluable, and we might want to break the "30-second guides" into their own reference thread once we have them all, since this is going to get LONG, I think.

Other thoughts. GAME THOUGHTS: LABELS: Those are internal orientations. They transfer. CONDITIONS: Those are internal attributes. They transfer. INFLUENCE: That's an interpersonal attribute. Does it transfer when the Influenced is not visually associating the Influencer with the body the Influencer is in? Probably, but maybe not automatically. ABILITIES: Those are body attributes. They stay with the body. (But can they be easily used? Is Charlotte going to know how to use Link's armor in battle?) TEAM MOVES: Those are internal attributes ... but they tie to the playbook mechanics, so they have a (delayed?) affect on the body when it is (we presumed) back in the proper ands. POTENTIAL: That seems a personal attribute, but if an advance is taken ... do we assume it's delayed? Or can we take Potential at this point, if we can't actually express it on our own Moves. MOVES: Some of these are personal, some are body attributes. E.g., Jason can't do his Nanobot stuff, but can he draw on his Sanctuary (and does he take a Doom check if he does?) [Alternately, can Leo-as-Jason draw on Jason's Sanctuary? How much of that control is biometric vs knowing the password?) ADVANCEMENT: Ditto. Can Jason-as-Charlotte use his Kirby Kraft? He should have access to "Been Reading the Files." Labels, Conditions, Influence, Team Moves, Potential, and some Moves will follow your "self".  Abilities and some OTHER Moves will stick with the body - to be judged on a kind of case by case basis. Jason, for example, as "been reading the files", but he doesn't have the clearance to access those files as easily, due to biometrics verification not working, how the hell do I type in passwords with ghost hands, et cetera.  Ditto the brain-based super-abilities he doesn't think he has. Advancements will be trickier. Really depends on what they are, to be honest. Something like "permanently cancel influence and raise a label" is no problem - other stuff might be. Suggestion: It's all great fun, but suggest we avoid any Advancement or Combat (interpersonal conflict over dinner aside) until we're in our own bodies. Or else just sort of go with the flow As Things Make Consensual Sense. Yeah... good luck avoiding combat. :)

Doyce T. said: 1. Thank you, Mike, for starting this. I think it will be invaluable, and we might want to break the "30-second guides" into their own reference thread once we have them all, since this is going to get LONG, I think. No worries.  Forethought is kind of my thing. The bad part of all this is I'm fairly mild on this little detour in comparison to everyone else's reaction to it.  I still think whatever comes out of this is going to be great, but I was just more interested in where things were going before the mind-swap.

Yeah... good luck avoiding combat. :) (It might behoove everyone to take a look at the character sheet of their character's host body, just to consider what abilities they might have / use.) (One interesting development from all this might be "Hey, I've never seen X use this ability this way ... I wonder what would happen if I try ..." and that actually influencing how X uses their abilities in the future.) (Or, as a side note, Adam saying, "Oh, hey, my previous experience in seeing how the universe is composed at the quantum level means it's easy  for me to see how to vibrate through walls. I don't get what your problem is, Harry ...")

*** Dave H. said: From a meta perspective, three of us should be focused on the aspects of the questions we were asked and answered, to provide the appropriate narrative "grass is always greener" motif: I really like this, Dave. Thanks for calling these out. Great thing to keep on my to-do list while this swap is going on. Bill said: The serious stuff first: we committed to a rendezvous with whoever was listening in the Sepiaverse. It is vital that we make that appointment , by hook or by crook. Did we set a specific time for that? Like... three days? Two days? I wasn't sure I don't have it in notes. Just want to make sure I keep it in mind. Unfortunately, without that mutant intelligence, he's not equipped to analyze it. Maybe. Does Jason Quill have the same mutation? We're going to find out. Leo does know Water's tie affected Jason pretty hard. It COULD be that the nanobots were at least in part B.Quill's way to solve the same problem that Rossum addressed with a chip in Leo's head. Huh. Are you going to have a chip-recording of GG after this? I think yes?  Leo may not be able to predict chip behavior because of the stuff the chip is governing/modulating in his own head. Being in Jason's head may give him the first real chance to think about that chip objectively. The bots are closer than close with Leo . They will pick up immediately that "Leo" isn't himself any more, but won't understand why, and will probably be suspicious at first. I'm playing it, as I mentioned in the last scene, that Pneuma knew something was off the second she walked into the room. Everyone's body language is wrong, but Leo and Jason's are both super-off - she's getting Leo-ness off Jason, and Leo's body language is way different. Hell, give her 10 minutes, she could probably sort out who's who from just watching everyone go through a buffet line. It'd probably take Otto a few more minutes. Charlotte socially interacting at school is delicious. I also REAALLY LOVE the idea of getting Numina into the suit to help Charlotte run it, if needed. Wouldn't be necessary at the moment (Charlotte should be able to run, jump, and punch reaaasonably well, though she won't have Leo's relevant moves), but it may be if some Big Thing happens.

*** Dave H. said: (Or, as a side note, Adam saying, "Oh, hey, my previous experience in seeing how the universe is composed at the quantum level means it's easy  for me to see how to vibrate through walls. I don't get what your problem is, Harry ...") See, the big thing isn't that Adam-as-Harry can vibrate through walls - it's that once he's done it, his folks will be SO HAPPY that Harry finally figured out how to do that, and will expect it, going forward. :)

The Sepiaverse rendezvous is scheduled at the speed of plot, we set no specific time for it.

Mike: The bad part of all this is I'm fairly mild on this little detour in comparison to everyone else's reaction to it. I still think whatever comes out of this is going to be great, but I was just more interested in where things were going before the mind-swap I would not want this to derail the things that were happening before this 5 was rolled, definitely. I trust the effect will wear off at at the proper comedic moment, and that such a moment will be in a play session or two. The GG and/or Harry swap might make some of the Sepiaverse work a bit more difficult, but we definitely still want to be working on that, etc. The Adam/Sol stuff won't be quite as easy to maintain (until Sol starts speaking in Harry's voice), but, again, I would expect this will be a temporary issue. Bill: It should probably last a little past the dinner proper, to allow for all this other stuff to play out. I am 100% on us maintaining a PG rating or thereabouts despite some of our speculation, but (for example) it would still be funny to have Leo yelling at Jason, "I'm taking a cold shower and cannot get this stupid t-shirt off!" Agreed, on all counts (or, as Doyce said, maybe PG-13). But, then, I think that's kind of how the game has gauged anyway, so I'm not too worried. 

Doyce T. said: See, the big thing isn't that Adam-as-Harry can vibrate through walls - it's that once he's done it, his folks will be SO HAPPY that Harry finally figured out how to do that, and will expect it, going forward. :) Of course. And that's comedy gold whether they know it's Adam in there or not. "But champ, just the other day you vibrated through a wall" vs "But champ, Adam didn't seem to have any problems vibrating through a wall when he had your powers." (Actually, wall vibrating is an Ability that was deliberately not taken, so I'm not sure how easily that's done. But the example still works.)

Mike said: Doyce T. said: 1. Thank you, Mike, for starting this. I think it will be invaluable, and we might want to break the "30-second guides" into their own reference thread once we have them all, since this is going to get LONG, I think. No worries.  Forethought is kind of my thing. The bad part of all this is I'm fairly mild on this little detour in comparison to everyone else's reaction to it.  I still think whatever comes out of this is going to be great, but I was just more interested in where things were going before the mind-swap. It's all kind of unexpected for me as well, but I think if we're mindful with it, it can be played for more than just laughs (though laughs there should be) - sometimes, getting an external POV can be helpful for looking at your own life; interacting with Harry's family versus his own for a day... realizing that he kind of misses Sol... especially when that was just progressing. There's some interesting stuff there. [SPOILERS] I see it going through, like, a 24 hour period, sunset to sunset or something like that, because magic. That feels like enough time to give everyone a slice-of-life with each other, without being too crazy. (edit to add:) I will also endeavor not to have that 24-hour period take 7 sessions. :)

*** Dave H. said: (Actually, wall vibrating is an Ability that was deliberately not taken, so I'm not sure how easily that's done. But the example still works.) Right. But if Harry can't do it and Adam can, then it's really more of a mental block than a flat-out lack of ability, which I'd always kind of assumed was the case.

*** Dave H. said: Parenthetically, I think it was the right, best choice to go with "Players playing their characters in the other bodies," but, yeah, I would have loved to play Leo-as-Jason. Or seen Bill play Charlotte-as-Leo. Etc. A lot more delicate of an operation and more fraught ("My character wouldn't do that!"), but potentially illuminating. As a complete sidenote, for "Actor who has to mimic another character's style", absolutely NO ONE does this better than Enver Gjokaj, as seen in Dollhouse . Now, full disclosure: that show and the creator are HUGELY PROBLEMATIC for a whole (unfortunately growing) list of reasons, but if you watch the thing enough to get everyone's tells, seeing Enver "do" the other actors/characters is... just... it's amazing. Especially because everyone else on the show gets similar opportunities, with wildly different levels of success/skill shown. It's criminal that guy hasn't gotten more work since then, because he's really amazing.

*** Dave H. said: (One might as well ask how Charlotte will deal with Leo's hormones racing around her brain.) Leo's such a bundle of nerves and stress, especially lately, that she may not even notice. Quantum Leap solved a lot of these larger problems with the "swiss-cheesed brain" metaphor and Bellisario's Maxim ("don't examine this too closely") - Sam could do the casual everyday things he needed in order not to blow his cover, leaving the plot of the week stuff as the challenge. For the same reason, I'm okay suggesting that all the mechanics stay in place and just remembering that fictional positioning is what triggers them, just like always. In other words, the rules already account for this situation, if we let them. For example, Leo can't work up the necessary fiction to trigger "unleash your powers" unless he practices first, and Jason can't read the files if there are no files or he can't access them - but if there are files, his or someone else's, he's got the necessary mindset and experience to do so. Our labels are tuned for our own powers anyway, and there's room to interfere further by inflicting conditions on us. It feels to me like we shouldn't complicate our lives as players, even if our characters' are screwed up.

^This.  The last thing I really want is to complicate things when fictional positioning really is the power of PbtA games.

Agreed! 

Doyce T. said: I really like this, Dave. Thanks for calling these out. Great thing to keep on my to-do list while this swap is going on. I left some options in my write-up for Margie that will hopefully do that for Leo. If anyone else wants to follow suit, I found that a good format - lay out a few optional-but-interesting avenues, and maybe a move that gets you there. Huh. Are you going to have a chip-recording of GG after this? I think yes?  Leo may not be able to predict chip behavior because of the stuff the chip is governing/modulating in his own head. Being in Jason's head may give him the first real chance to think about that chip objectively. Leo would consider it immoral/unethical to obtain an image of someone else's mind like that, unless Charlotte explicitly asked for it (and understood what that would mean).

I am completely happy with Bellisario's Maxim and letting the fiction drive what works and what doesn't. :-) 

Bill G. said: Leo would consider it immoral/unethical to obtain an image of someone else's mind like that, unless Charlotte explicitly asked for it (and understood what that would mean). I think that's where my disconnect in the whole situation is occurring.  The ethics of putting someone else into danger without their permission or ability to protect themselves is just--  It's so hard to put this into words, this is such an odd sci-fi scenario that trying to map realistic ideas to it makes me feel like I'm the "stop having fun, guys" dude that always pops up on the internet (which I might be in this scenario, not putting myself past that). Our characters are essentially mind-controlling one of their team mates.  Using them to communicate is a necessity at the moment, but how do you put them in harm's way without feeling like you're abusing them.  I'm probably overthinking this whole thing, but I just feel like sitting on our hands either trying to solve this situation or waiting for it to resolve itself it is the least invasive and controlling course of action.

Mike: Our characters are essentially mind-controlling one of their team mates. Using them to communicate is a necessity at the moment, but how do you put them in harm's way without feeling like you're abusing them. Interesting. If I follow, then Leo in Jason's body is effectively abusing that body if he puts it in danger ("It's Doctor Dread, attacking the city! Let's go, Menagerie!", or even "Let's drive over to HHL HQ"), let alone if it gets harmed. Is that what you're saying? An interesting twist on this that I hadn't really thought through (or really seen treated as a serious ethical issue in other examples of this trope).  A few thoughts (since I'll debate ethics at the drop of a hat): I take it as a given that anyone who lets their current host body get hurt or damaged in some fashion will feel horribly guilty about it. That's ties in with the premise above, but doesn't really get back to that primary imperative. ("I went into battle and now Harry is minus an arm -- I feels so bad that I didn't zig when I should have zagged" doesn't address "I should never have gone into battle at all.") My assumption (as Jason) is that if anything lethal happens to the body I'm in, my own consciousness / mind / soul / being is at risk, too. So there's a level of care there which, while not being centered on GG, extends to her. (Granted, it's possible that if a body gets killed, the minds swap back and the original owner dies, too, which would probably make someone feel even more guilty.) On a less lethal scale, it's still going to hurt, and body integrity is an instinctive thing, so he's not going to be treating his host body as an ectoplasmic weapon. (That still doesn't quite get to the core the ethical issue, however.) Mind-controlling (more properly body-controlling) a team mate in a "bad" way is an explicit act, and ignores that all  of us are in this situation through no intent of our own. Jason isn't manipulating GG; he's stuck in her body. Ditto GG in Leo's body. That doesn't mean Jason doesn't have to take care of her body (one reason he is not  being a teen-aged boy about it, because that would be unethical toward a team mate and friend), just that, again, the consequences of not doing so are, as far as he knows, impacting him as well. (GG is also capable of saying, "Um, Jason, no, that frontal charge on the machine gun nest -- just, no," and that should dictate what Jason does.) That said, if Jason were to suggest to Adam-as-Harry that he do something dangerous, he would not just want Adam's consent, but Harry's as well, if at all possible. For just this reason. It is probably not in fitting with the trope, but maybe (if the PCs think of this, if we decide this is important to RP) we need to discuss it and sort of ethically indemnify each other. "Leo, I trust you to take care of my body, but also do what you feel is the right thing to do, even if that messes me up somehow." Just some thoughts.

Mike said: I think that's where my disconnect in the whole situation is occurring.  The ethics of putting someone else into danger without their permission or ability to protect themselves is just--  It's so hard to put this into words, this is such an odd sci-fi scenario that trying to map realistic ideas to it makes me feel like I'm the "stop having fun, guys" dude that always pops up on the internet (which I might be in this scenario, not putting myself past that). Out-of-character, then: If you the player get to the point of "this makes me uncomfortable and I think it should not have happened", X-Card style, I'm fine with backing out of it and moving on, no question or justification needed. If you are at the point of "this makes me uncomfortable but I am willing to let it play through", that's understandable too. That brings us to... In-character, then: After Numina hears the situation, she spends a moment sharing a wry smile with the group. "It's scary, isn't it, knowing you have to depend on someone else to take care of your body." She spares a glance at Jason. "I hope, I honestly, earnestly hope, that each of you trusts the others. I've learned to trust you too. And if you do trust each other, you know that they'll do the right thing. We will all make it through this, together. Okay?"

[Ditto, on both bullets] A serious look on Ghost Girl's face is somehow different when it's Jason making the expression. He nods sharply, a little bob of the head, then glances over at his own body, giving a tight smile to Leo inside of it.

Bill G. said: Out-of-character, then: If you the player get to the point of "this makes me uncomfortable and I think it should not have happened", X-Card style, I'm fine with backing out of it and moving on, no question or justification needed. If you are at the point of "this makes me uncomfortable but I am willing to let it play through", that's understandable too. That brings us to... I have literally been banging my head trying to figure out why I don't like this whole scenario.  It makes no sense.  Rationally, all the points Dave made are perfectly logical, narrative correct, and genre accurate.  I should be able to nod and agree, but I just can't.  And it is causing me so much grief. I've been writing and re-writing my feelings literally all day about this, trying to come to a post that accurately and honestly expresses them.  I really wish I had some external force to blame this on like stress at work or the holidays or something, but it's this situations and my own neuroses.  The one that keeps cropping up is "I don't want to be the reason anyone doesn't have fun or doesn't enjoy this game."  To put it in a more direct manner for this situation: "I do not trust myself to not do something that causes Katherine to not enjoy Harry as a character or the game in general."  This is my social-anxiety spiraling out of control and makes my whole "let's do nothing until this situation resolves itself" comments make so much more sense in hindsight. Passiveness is totally the siren song my anxiety follows.  Being wrong and having someone else take the lead is comfortable.  I really tried painting myself as wrong earlier and it shows when I read back through that stuff.  I really, really just wanted someone to say, "Mike, you're wrong because <reasons>," and then everything would make enough sense for me to follow along. Bill to answer your question: this definitely makes me uncomfortable.  Being the cause of ruining others' fun is going to make me way more uncomfortable though, and everyone else seems to love this scenario so let's play it through.  Just expect me to be... disjointed (more so than I already do because sharing feelings is hard and I already feel like explaining all of this is making the game less fun for everyone and this is just a crazy viscous cycle of blaming myself).

Mike said: I have literally been banging my head trying to figure out why I don't like this whole scenario.  It makes no sense.  Rationally, all the points Dave made are perfectly logical, narrative correct, and genre accurate.  I should be able to nod and agree, but I just can't.  And it is causing me so much grief. Bill to answer your question: this definitely makes me uncomfortable.  Being the cause of ruining others' fun is going to make me way more uncomfortable though, and everyone else seems to love this scenario so let's play it through. The whole point of tools like the X Card is recognizing that discomfort doesn't have to make sense and you don't have to be able to articulate or defend it for it to matter. We didn't adopt that explicitly, but I think we're all on board with the principle of it:  our fun does not win over your discomfort . Leo's entire B plot for 5 sessions has been about this, how the powerful or the dominant do not get to take away your self-determination, and I believe that as a player too. I'm also not having fun, if you aren't feeling okay with something. I hope the others feel the same way.

The shorter version, aimed at the other source of discomfort (letting people down): I get my fun from gaming with the group. Not wanting to go along with a particular story element doesn't impact that fun, the most important fun. If I go out to eat with my friends, it doesn't matter to me that they don't want to go to this restaurant. Us being together is what I want, and I can get that anywhere we go.

We should always be comfortable discussing what's giving us the heebie jeebies about the game. This thing is supposed to be fun, after all. A couple thoughts. All respect to Pneuma, at a meta level, the hitch here isn't about the characters trusting each other, its about the players trusting each other, and (to Mike's point) themselves . Mike said: To put it in a more direct manner for this situation: "I do not trust myself to not do something that causes Katherine to not enjoy Harry as a character or the game in general." Dude this is almost exactly the thing I was dealing with/talking about ad nauseam  over here . Everyone is having such a good time here, and the characters are such an integral part of that, and everyone's diving in which such investment and authorship that it's really scary to mess with that, even if the dice say so.  Even checking with Dave, AND after getting his thoughts on that post I linked, I was still all but nauseous posting that thing with Li'lalycia yesterday, you know? And that thing with him and Sgt. Amari wasn't better - just because I thought I should shift labels and thought he was doing a Provoke. It's intimidating as hell , (and that's even with the fact I'm sort of easing myself into that by starting with Dave, because I know him better than anyone else). Would a body-swap thing even throw up a yellow flag if we were all doing DnD? Heck, even if it were a two-session swap in Dungeon World or the Star Wars game?  Something about this game, man... So where was I going with this? I get where you're coming from, and where the stressor is, I think .  Is there a way we/Katherine can make you more comfortable with being in Harry's body?  Does it help if I remind you death isn't on the table (unless you're Jason :) ) and any permanent maiming is going to be with full player buy-in? Some but not all options: We embrace the trope, approach it the same shallowish way something like Teen Titans would, and proceed with the laughs, acknowledging the smartest non-genre thing is to stay in a panic room until it wears off. Alternately (and I could actually easily do this with minimal prep) a Big Danger cuts into the planned events and makes heroics necessary, despite the risks, preferably right after or just as everyone agrees to postpone the dinner with the HHL and hide until this thing wears off. "We were going to be sensible, but now..." Bottle episode . I'd need to prep something different for this, but it's not like we don't have people willing to screw with the Compound, and I've got a few weeks. :) We just x-card this thing and be done with it. Sol freaks the hell out and does something outre that resets everyone, or EVEN EASIER I have the consequences of the 6- be something else entirely. We should not have to make one person be uncomfortable and bummed in order for everyone else to have fun - that is not us. There is no way we need that. Alternatives exist. We will find them. We're clever. [[oops I cross-posted with Bill]]

Someone around the table not having fun is no fun. Having someone around the table forcing himself to smile and pretend to have fun ... is not fun. Since a core item here is "I do not trust myself to not do something that causes Katherine to not enjoy Harry as a character or the game in general," I've asked her to opine. FWIW, I actually do understand this, or this particular aspect of your anxiety (cf. my comments elsethread about stepping on other characters schticks, or not wanting to RP other actual PCs in my Cutscenes for fear of mangling something). I respect your concern, even if I find that scenario highly unlikely, knowing both you and her (anxiety doesn't play on probability tables, as I very  much understand). Anyway, though as Bill says it's not necessary for it to "make sense," I want you to know that it doesn't feel irrational to me, just anxious. :-) 

I love that Bill and Dave and I all basically said the same thing. Oh, I just though of another alternative: Sol freaks out and clings to Adam's psyche like a crazed velcro-based spider monkey alien, so Adam doesn't swap. The swap order would shift. Adam, Pneuma(s), and Otto are in their own bodies, everyone else isn't, and THEN I attack the city. (The more I think about examples of this trope, the more I realize there almost always some kind of Big Danger that the heroes have to deal with even if they'd rather just hide until the madness passes. I don't know if that helps.)

I agree that the game is no fun if someone doesn't like what is going on. I'm more than willing to stop this if people are anxious about anything, but I think one of the advantages to the fate system is that bad things happen often and are dealt with in a sometimes amusing manner. I trust that Mike won't mess up Harry. You are a great player and he isn't too difficult. When in doubt eat or think of the most awkward teenager thing to say and then say it. And if all goes horribly wrong then that will be a good way to give Harry troubles, and I know Doyce has been searching for things to throw at him. Also keep in mind that we are telepathically linked so if there are any questions during game play then people can give advice as to how they would react. But again, I trust you to not kill Harry. And whatever happens I can roll with it

Also: if the end result is we x-card this and have the 6- do something else, I've been binge-watching Sense8 and am positive I can come up with other unintended effects from the mind-linking stones.

Doyce T. said: (The more I think about examples of this trope, the more I realize there almost always some kind of Big Danger that the heroes have to deal with even if they'd rather just hide until the madness passes. I don't know if that helps.) There's a Big Stressor, at the very least. I'm 98.3% certain that they did this on Bewitched (Sam and Darrin mind-swapping), just in time for a big advertising pitch to a major customer. Hilarity ensues!  97.4% certain something happened on I Dream of Jeannie,  too (probably just before Major Nelson has to undergo a big psych eval to determine if he can fly the next space mission). And, of course, Freaky Friday didn't involve a Kaiju menacing the city. :-) That said, as it happens,  Teen Titans did do this (but just between Starfire and Raven, who are the only two on the team not enslaved by the Puppet King -- actually, he traps the other three in puppets, while he takes over their bodies). It is "shallow" in terms of the characters not undergoing therapy afterward for the incredible violation that occurred, but it does do some nice character advance for the two ladies. But I digress ...

I've been binge-watching Sense8 and am positive I can come up with other unintended effects from the mind-linking stones

Doyce T. said: Bottle episode . I'd need to prep something different for this, but it's not like we don't have people willing to screw with the Compound, and I've got a few weeks. :) Okay nevermind I've got this option covered. S1:E19 - House Arrest The team bodyswaps their personalities, and the Quill Compound AIs run amuck without Jason's constant (totally unconscious) control. Long-abandoned remodeling systems go active, security protocols lock down, and something in cold storage is angry! B-Plot: The Ponies will not be denied, it's AMA time! Recurring guest star J.K. Simmons as the voice of Agent Waters; Nicole Beharie as PowerPony. Keith David's guest appearance as Thing In The Freezer nets him an MTV award nomination. (Note: Just assume I'm saving this for some session where Dave can't make it and I can knock Jason out.)

Okay, I think I have everything on lock at the moment.  Writing out my feelings was SUPER cathartic (though I admit I felt like I was about to vomit from stress right up until after I hit the Submit button).  Talking out my issues with my roommate and Bill (thanks again Bill!) when I got home earlier really helped out.  And the amount of support I'm getting from the rest of you guys literally had me in tears.  My self-image as a stern, taciturn robot* is going to take a big hit from all this. I'm in a good place at this point.  I even think I could go through the game as originally presented with only slightly second-guessing myself.  If no one minds, let's let that sit for couple of days until I come to a final decision (we've got ample time at the moment and I don't trust myself not to relapse back into panic in a couple of days).  It's hard not to think of myself as a hindrance in this, but knowing that things could change is really a load off my mind. Totally got to agree with you when you cited your GM notes, Doyce: it is hard not to feel like you are screwing up others fun when you interject something (regardless what the rules of the game tell you).  I really think I've been holding on to this game a little too hard (felt like a choke hold once I loosed up, admittedly).  Obsessive behavior is one of my other problems, and locking up on "this is the game, it must be how the game must be" can't be good.  I think I'm just going to turn off email notifications from the message board and enjoy the holidays for a couple of days (of course, I come to that conclusion once mine are over). Thanks again everyone for just being great friends during this episode.  You could have just thought, "Dammit Mike, don't be so dramatic" and just silently judged me (I'm still am going to think it, admittedly, but... baby steps.  Baby steps.).  Instead, you were all amazingly supportive and willing to help.  Thanks guys. * Man, Commander Data can be a big role model to a kid growing up with difficulty expressing emotions and understanding others'.  Funny enough, I heard one kid feeling a similar kinship with Dax the Destroyer due to him not getting metaphors and in the second movie Mantis revealing him feeling intense emotions without outwardly expressing them, and I totally get that.

[Still looking around for the damned +1 button so I can mash it a few dozen times.]  Relax easy, my friend.

Just wanted to let everyone know I've thought about it and I'm good now with the idea of the Freaky Friday scenario.  Hell, I even have an idea for Adam's outlook on this that I'm excited to play out.  Can't wait for next year. :D

Mike said: Just wanted to let everyone know I've thought about it and I'm good now with the idea of the Freaky Friday scenario.  Hell, I even have an idea for Adam's outlook on this that I'm excited to play out.  Can't wait for next year. :D Sounds good. Looking forward to what you came up with. :)

Mike said: Just wanted to let everyone know I've thought about it and I'm good now with the idea of the Freaky Friday scenario.  Hell, I even have an idea for Adam's outlook on this that I'm excited to play out.  Can't wait for next year. :D Cool! I can't wait, either. Oh, wait, yeah, I would kind of like to do the next week or so ... but I can't wait for after that! :-)