youre right in that research into psychic powers and the pollard scale is very new, yeah! but mental shields are, in fact, kind of everything - if i recall correctly, people levels 1 to 3 will always know when a telepath is trying to read their mind or when a telemetrist is spying on them, the same as a 4 or 5 would. level 1s are very susceptible to mental coercion & such, yes, but they still have to choose to let their mental shields down in some sense - even if that choice comes under coercion or threat of violence or what have you. even just hearing surface thoughts would require those shields to be let down. apologies if i’m not explaining the lore super well! button’s inability to resist ments at all or sense when theyre being affected by one is very much something specific to them and their level 0.
to go back to your original post & use your example - yes, a ment could force you to strangle your wife or brainwash you into blind obedience, but you have to let them in first. like the yoga cult nick talks about in chapter 5 - the empath leader in a sense brainwashed her followers into obedience, but she was only able to do so because she got them to lower their mental guards first. of course, vengeance doesn’t really care about this distinction: all norms are innocent and all ments are monsters, in their worldview. it doesnt matter to them that most ments don’t directly threaten norms, because they think ments existing at all is a threat
you very much have a point, though! the question of privacy and how to protect people from ments is a pretty big one for button, the story, and mb’s world in general. i can’t do much other than correct you on the specifics of the lore without getting into spoilers, though, apologies (and sorry if none of this makes sense at all)
Pick the hot sauce as your breakfast, then during the test, when you get the options on what you can do, choose to use the contents of the lunchbox as an improvised weapon, then either have 25 innovation or tell Sally to stay away from the air conditioning when using the improvise pepper spray
I just reached the most recent update and I think the story is fantastic so far :>>>
It’s kinda funny how I dropped this story a week ago cuz I thought it was “boring.” But after seeing its name pop up so frequently in recommended stories I gave it another go. And my god….it’s beautiful (T^T)
I was so conflicted between Kim and Glitch at first cuz Kim literally reminds me of Azula from ATLA (whom I Love very much) but in the end I opted to romance glitch cuz she was so nice and flirty.
I’m 100% sure this is a game I’ll replay over and over again once it’s done :DDDD
Well damn, this is great!!! Got to the end of the demo and literally growled when I got to the play again screen. Like damn, just get to an “Oh my gosh!” moment and pfth, the end for now. Uuuugh. Annnnywho, def keeping an eye on this. Will I get out of the funk I have lived in my entire life as a Zero, or continue to be a passive aggressive bitch to every ment I meet??? Who knows.
Damn this is great. Also getting serious Chaos Walking vibes from the MC’s mental abilities. so I’m rly hoping that’s how they end up using them like ‘Noise’ in chaos walking.
it’s so hilarious, I had so many laughs and smirks while reading the story xD I love it so far and Glitch is so sweet/funny and flirty xD I hope you won’t stop to update and finish the whole book, it’s fantastic <3
So far, this demo is the closest someone else’s writing can be a direct reflection to how my mind works. While, fortunately, I don’t have a miracle fruit-esque older brother to make my life either sweeter or straight up acidic, I do like the idea of having someone like Nick around. His presence is comparable to having a cat. Do I like cats? Yeah! Do I want to eat them? Absolutely. I will not elaborate any further.
My favourite MC is a confident and humorous button that is definitely built without any bias or narcissistic tendencies of mine, and I thoroughly enjoy his interactions with Ambrose! Them finishing each other’s terribly timed puns is just al bacio.
I have read until the recent public demo. As of now, looking forward to having my MC living as his triple-O seven dream. Including the possibility of him being dead. 68 years later, give it or take. Also if Nick allows him to die.
i don’t think there’s any official measurements, but i always place it as roughly: very short = 4’11 and under, short = 5’0-5’3, average = 5’4-5’9, tall: 5’10-6’0, very tall: 6’1 and over
Well you also have to take gender/sex into account as men on average are 7% taller than women which is a difference of a woman being 5’4 and a man being 5’8-5’9 (average heights in USA) so while 5’3-5’5 would be average height for a woman it would be short for a man and while 5’8-5’10 would be average for a man it would be tall for a woman.
Late to the party, but…I never played an IF where ALL the routes were so great in there own way with their own little things - its absolutely amazing. I can’t even participate in this poll because I’m sitting here hovering over every answer and I cannot choose one! It seams like every path has a potential RO attached to it, will there be a path with Kim?
ooooor
the metro route is it? I don’t know why but I was convinced for the longest time that behind the mask was Kim
