dorkytracksuit | psionics and fun

On reflection Dasraa had to say it felt kind of weird to be training someone. Mainly because he just never had before, but also because all the psionic training he'd ever personally witnessed had been forced and a way of breaking a lowbloods will and power. Dasraa didn't want to do anythinf like that to Sollux. He wanted to train him to help him get and feel some control over his powers and in his life. Still when it came to how to do that he had only the training they had given him to go by. True, he didn't intend to follow their curriculum exactly, still, it gave him a nasty feeling in the pit of his stomach that made him even more nervous about this whole thinf than he would have been otherwise.

Fortunately enough the battleship condesce was equipped for the perfect place for them to do this. An entire gym dedicated to combat training, and while it hadn't been built for paionics Dasraa intended to take full advantage of its large open space and padded floors and walls and well stocked equipment room. He turned to face Sollux, trying not to let his apprehension show.

"Now Sollux, are you familiar with any psionic training regimens or ideology?"

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Sollux shrugs his shoulders, trying not to let his apprehension show. Its strange being in the less homey section of the battleship - especially an area like this.

"Not really. I mean I watched a few grubtube videos in my day but that's basically it..."

"Grubtube?"

They didn't frequently suffer these anachronistic conversations normally, but sometimes Sollux would say words like grubtube and Dasraa would have no idea what he was talking about. He guess it really didn't matter either way, he had after all answered in the negatory. He shook off his confusion, looking to the side.

"Well I was trained in the fashion of Her Imperial Condescension's Eastern Psionic Compound, and so, unfortunately, that's also how I will be training you, but with some modifications."

He rolled up the sleeve of his right arm as he talked before showing Sollux the burn tissue on the inside of his forearm in the vague shape of a trident. It's similarity to the Ψ symbol was easy to notice.

Sollux winces at the sight of it. He rubs the outside of his arm in something like sympathetic pain.

"Fuck," he mumbles, frowning. He wants to say something about that but nothing really seems adequate. "What kind of modifications are we talking about?"

He pushes his sleeve down, feeling kind of uncomfortable flashing it around anyway. He frowns.

"A large part of the Eastern Compound's training program involves breaking the spirit of the psionics they are training in order to mold them into obedient slaves who would never disobey a highblood's wishes, or their own orders."

He hoped it went without saying why he would choose to alter that part of the curriculum.

"Oh." He frown becomes something more like a scowl, as he furrows his brow and glances away. Another reminder that troll society has always had it out for him. "Well, no shit, I guess."

He frowns, feeling vaguely inadequate at that reaction.

"It's not really important anyway, I was just trying to say, I've never done this before so I'm sorry in advance if it doesn't go as planned."

Sollux just shrugs it off, looking a little bit awkward himself.

"I don't care, dude, I mean you're like the best psionic I've ever seen and you're supposed to be like the best in the world so I'm pretty sure anything you have to share will be okay."

Oh jeez Sollux, don't make him blush, he's trying be mature and cool over here. He shrugs off the compliments like a boss, although, he might be smiling just a bit.

"Alright, well then, we'll just begin." he said, moving to sit on the floor and motioning for Sollux to do the same. "The three most important and most basic factors every psionic needs to understand and master are discipline, control, and concentration." He said, pausing afterwards and looking to Sollux to see if he understood.

Sollux sits down, sort of uncomfortably, showing just how foreign of an experience doing any sort of formalized learning is for him. He's never really had to be taught very much. He did his school feeds, yeah, but that was different than having someone give you personal attention.

"Well I'm fucked," he drawls, at least half joking. Probably.

The Psionic smirks at Sollux's response, but ignores him, continuing with his explanation.

"Discipline is knowing how and when to use your abilities, the appropriate way to respond to attacks and situations. It also means keeping your powers and your emotions, which influence them, in check." he says, giving Sollux 'a look.'

"Control is the ability to do complicated tasks, and the ability to use the exact right amount force, no more no less. Moving different things at different speeds at the same time, or multitasking your abilities all require an extraordinary amount of control."

"Finally Focus." he looked back to Sollux, finally finished with his explanations, "It's pretty straight forward, it just means you need to concentrate wholeheartedly on any task you set out to accomplish."

He hesitated, waiting a moment or two.

"Does that all make sense?"

All things he sucks at, he knows that much already. He furrows his brow.

"Yeah, basically. Pretty much 'don't do what you've been doing'."

His brows furrow, this is another one of those times he wishes Sollux was okay with touching so he could grasp him fondly by the shoulder or pat him on the back. Instead he opts to speak as affectionately as possible.

"Sollux, just because these things may not be what your used to does not mean you've been doing anything wrong."

He paused, trying to think of a way to get his point across.

"Our level of power is extremely unusual Sollux, for regular psionics these basics are the only way certain individuals can ever be capable of even the most rudimentary tasks."

No wait, that still didn't really make sense.

"...Your good at this already. Gifted, even, but you could be better, and you don't have to look down on how far you've already come to see what could use with a few improvements."

Edited 2013-02-07 07:45 (UTC)

He sighs and rolls his eyes a little, though it's in an accepting and almost affectionate sort of way. As if to say 'yeah ok dad'.

"Right," he says. "Well I mean it's not like anything on Alternia ever presented much of a challenge."

And that statement earns him a 'yeah, okay Sollux' look right back.

"Yes, I'm sure you never once had any psionic difficulties." said dryly despite the smirk on his face. "Which should make evaluating your strengths and weaknesses in regards to these three principles a walk in the park."

He holds up a hand, as though to silence the yet unspoken protests he knows is coming. "I know you've just said you aren't good at any of them, but if you didn't have some grasp you wouldn't be able to use your psionics at all. How do you stop yourself from destroying things when you are angry, even if you sometimes slip? How do you use your powers to grab and pull at objects, even if sometimes you can't? What leads you to fail and what leads to success?"

Sollux looks at him, his expression softening with some genuine bewilderment. He crosses his arms over his chest, frowning contemplatively.

"...I dunno," he says, uncertainly.

"Do you want to think about it for a moment?"

He's a bit confused by the totally teenager like response.

"Trying to do it right?" he tries, equally confused by this not being a rhetorical question.

psionics and fun

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