Log from #Classroom on Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 7PM EST: “Shielding (Revisited)”, hosted by Aerys:
[19:04] <Aerys> So tonight’s topic is shielding
[19:04] <Aerys> Shielding is an essiantial skill in psionics because it allows you to keep bad stuff from hurting you and they can help control some things like empathy and the such
[19:05] <Aerys> Tonight I will be discussing several basic shields and the creation of them and their applications
[19:05] <Aerys> Hello IIZard
[19:05] <IIZard> Hey there!
[19:06] * DragonAtma waves
[19:06] <Aerys> The shields that i will be discussing are bubble, marshmallow, chaos and variant, weave shield, and finally the stone/castle shield
[19:07] <DragonAtma> Ah.
[19:08] <TashRikil> mmkay
[19:08] <Aerys> Just a note these are pretty well known shields which means people and entities probably will have seen them before and will know how to deal with them but there is always the chance yours is well made enough that it will survive and you will be safe
[19:08] <Aerys> That is the goal we are shooting for so lets begin with the most basic of these
[19:08] <DragonAtma> Also, troublemakers may decide it may be easier to pester someone with no shield, even if yours is weak.
[19:08] * Aerys nods
[19:10] <Aerys> So a bubble shield is a shield that contains no programming except for to stay and protect the owner by being a punching bag. When making a bubble shield it is always a good idea to make them dense so that people can not just punch through them.
[19:11] <IIZard> Are they quite weak to piercing attacks?
[19:11] <Aerys> Just a side note… it is always a good idea to always at least try in making a shield and taking some time into its creation. One reason is that if any programming is added it has a better chance of sticking and another is if someone tries to destroy it by willing it away it is more likely to resist because it will be more “rooted”
[19:11] <Aerys> Not nessacarily IIZard but they certainly could be depending on the amount of energy in them
[19:12] <Cene> Wait, the astral is three dimensional?
[19:12] <DragonAtma> mmhmm
[19:12] <Forge> what am i missing this time
[19:12] <Akradai> Forge, a class 😛
[19:12] <Aerys> Some people think of it as 4 dimensional because they include time but i always see it as 3
[19:12] <Forge> oh well how far in
[19:12] <Aerys> Just started
[19:12] <Akradai> Just started
[19:12] <Akradai> lol
[19:13] <Forge> oh well then
[19:13] <TashRikil> hey. can you think of a good example of an effective bubble shield?
[19:13] <Aerys> So to create a bubble shield start off by making a psi ball and expanding it to the size of your body and a bit beyond. Then begin filling it with energy and making it quite dense and tough
[19:14] <Aerys> TashRikill I will put one up *here*
[19:14] <Aerys> Remember with this specific type of shield the denser the better
[19:14] <TashRikil> for those whom have seen the Matrix: these things can be effective. Neo stopping bullets was an example of a bubble shield.
[19:15] <Aerys> I always wanted to watch those movies i really should
[19:16] <TashRikil> modern ablative armor is also an excellent example.
[19:16] <Aerys> One way to think about how much energy to put into it just think about it like this. If i said i was going to shoot you would you rather have a paper shield or be behind the great wall of china inside a 30 inch thinck steel panic room?
[19:16] <Aerys> Any questions so far?
[19:16] <Cene> Can you put in too much energy?
[19:17] <Aerys> I want to say no but if you are in a combat situation you may burn yourself out to quickly
[19:18] <Aerys> But if you are just sitting back one day chilling and decide to make one then go for it
[19:18] <Aerys> lol
[19:18] * DragonAtma waves
[19:18] <Aerys> One thing though the more energy put in sometimes energy goes a bit crazy and you may have to more actively control it
[19:18] <Aerys> hi Frank_the_Bunny ?
[19:18] <Frank_the_Bunny> Am I in time?
[19:18] <Aerys> Any more question
[19:18] * Akradai noses Frank to his seat, since class is going on
[19:18] <DragonAtma> you’re only slightly late, frank.
[19:18] <TashRikil> you’re a touch late.
[19:18] <Aerys> If you want a log just pm me
[19:19] <Aerys> So i guess no more questions
[19:19] <Cene> So you can just put in as much energy as you want when you’re lazing around?
[19:20] <DragonAtma> within reason; overdoing it can lead to overburn, but that;s true for all energy working
[19:20] <Akradai> Mhmm very true
[19:20] * Akradai has burned herself before
[19:21] <Akradai> I will interject one point, however, Aerys. It is sometimes a bad idea to use your own energy to make a shield.
[19:21] * DragonAtma has as well, but in an emergency situation overburn can be the lesser of two evils…
[19:22] <Aerys> yeah
[19:22] <Aerys> just have some self control with it
[19:22] <Aerys> like dragon said it can burn you out if you go crazy
[19:22] <Aerys> So the next shield we will be covering is a marshmallow shield
[19:22] <Aerys> I know but this is just a beggining class
[19:22] <Akradai> hmm
[19:22] * Akradai is starting to wonder if you’re Sylar heh
[19:23] <Akradai> Sorry, my apologies, mind lapse. Continue.
[19:23] <Aerys> A marshmallow shield is a shield that is typically thick like a bubble shield but is programmed to disinigrate things that enter it
[19:23] <Aerys> who is sylar?
[19:24] <DragonAtma> (Sylar was PI’s original founder)
[19:24] <Aerys> They normally slowly digest the object entering that is why they are typically made bigger and thick kinda like a you guessed it a marshmallow
[19:25] <Aerys> Some people like to have the object be absorbed some people have it set to ground,or get rid of the energy,
[19:25] <Aerys> I will be going over both of those variations
[19:25] <Aerys> but first any questions?
[19:25] <TashRikil> i’m fine.
[19:27] <DragonAtma> no questions here
[19:28] <Aerys> Ok… So to make one start off with a psi ball and expand it so that you fit with in it and make it as big and as dense as you would like then you can begin to program it however you like. I will use the method of visualizing a drop down bar and clicking on slowly disenigrate and ground objects and then imagining the marshmallow shield actually doing this
[19:28] <Aerys> hello Vetr
[19:28] <Aerys> If you want a log of the class can you pm me
[19:28] <DragonAtma> Hey.
[19:28] <Aerys> *you can
[19:28] <Aerys> btw if you can scan i put the shield i just described *here*
[19:30] <Aerys> The other way you can make one is again by starting off with a psi ball and expanding it so you can get in it and then programming it to have the object absorbed. I will again use the method of drop down bar and click on the absorb and add energy into shield button and then imagining this happening
[19:30] <Aerys> Just a warning
[19:31] <Aerys> With that method if the energy it absorbs is something harmful it can really hurt your shield
[19:31] <Aerys> So if the energy is acidic it may just hurt your shield if you try to absorb it *shocking* i know
[19:31] <TashRikil> actually, no. acidic, not shocking. 😛
[19:32] <Aerys> Another note it is always a good idea to have someone scan your shield to see if it is actually functioning
[19:32] <Aerys> lol
[19:32] <Aerys> Any questions
[19:32] <TashRikil> yes.
[19:32] <Aerys> yes TashRikil
[19:33] <TashRikil> given the enormous proviso you just mentioned, why would anyone ever want to run a marshmallow absorbing shield?
[19:33] <Aerys> Some people may be on a power trip because they are new to psionics and may think it will make them invincible kinda like ATTACK ME BWAHAHA YOU CANT HURT ME BWAHAHGAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
[19:34] <TashRikil> are there any pros to go with the cons?
[19:34] <Cene> Maybe they could put something that filters out the bad energy outside of it? And wouldn’t absorbing energy make it stronger?
[19:35] <Aerys> While some people may have devoloped a way to have their shield be unaffected while some people just use a marshmallow shield over other shields so that it can slow things down and allow them to adjust properly
[19:36] <TashRikil> you know, i think Cene has an idea there. would that work?
[19:36] <Aerys> Well cene yes in theory but some people use very nasty things that if you absorb energy without a filter or something similar really can hurt your shield
[19:36] <Aerys> Yes some people do use filters
[19:36] <Aerys> But as with most things in the realms of magick/psionics it may or may not work
[19:37] <Aerys> But it is a very good idea if you are going to use an absorbing marshmallow shield
[19:37] <Aerys> Any more questions
[19:37] <TashRikil> i’m good.
[19:37] <Akradai> None so far
[19:38] <DragonAtma> no questions here
[19:38] <Vetr> A bit late in here, but I have one
[19:38] <Aerys> Honestly the absorbing marshmallow shield should really only be used if you are going to take heavy hits things that are not likely to have extensive programming that may hurt it if it gets absorbed
[19:38] <Aerys> Shoot Vetr
[19:39] <Vetr> It sounds like (since you’re using a construct for shielding) this is mostly for filtering out ambient energy and maybe stray bursts – sorry if you already covered what it’s for / why you’d use it – but I’d like to ask, what about direct, focused assaults?
[19:40] <Aerys> For an absorbing shield it those are the attacks it is designed for but the ground method may suffer if it is not very efficient
[19:41] <Aerys> So you could use an absorbing shield in the front of any other shields you may have to allow the most dangerous attacks to hopefully be absorbed and so that you can prepare for any other ones
[19:41] <Aerys> The grounding variant would be used more as an inner shield for things that may have strayed past any other shields you may have on top of it
[19:42] <Aerys> Does that answer your question?
[19:42] <Vetr> not quite – I meant to ask, why use a construct to shield for a situation where you might need that, as opposed to other defensive measures?
[19:43] <Aerys> Well a shield is just a good thing to have up in case any other of your defensive measures fail
[19:43] <Cene> You have to crawl before you walk? (Except I walked before I crawled)
[19:44] <Aerys> So did my uncle Cene 🙂
[19:44] <Vetr> ^^
[19:44] <Vetr> fair enough
[19:44] <Vetr> no other questions
[19:44] <Aerys> ok
[19:44] <Aerys> Now moving on to a chaos shield
[19:45] <Aerys> A chaos shield is a shield that is programmed to be able to change what it can do randomly and at any given moment
[19:45] <Aerys> For example it could be a bubble shield
[19:45] <Aerys> then a marshmallow
[19:45] <Aerys> then something else
[19:45] <Aerys> then back to bubble
[19:46] <Aerys> you guys get it?
[19:46] <DragonAtma> mmhmm
[19:46] <Cene> So you said you should get someone to scan them? *wonders if someone could scan her attempts sometime*
[19:47] <Cene> And sort of. How would it work exactly? Just make it change randomly at short intervals?
[19:47] <Aerys> yes
[19:47] <Aerys> Some people also use random intervals all up to you
[19:47] <Cene> How short intervals? Oh, some people.
[19:47] <DragonAtma> Having someone scan your work (shields or otherwise) is almsot always useful, as they may find something you missed
[19:48] <Aerys> in more advanced versions some people have it adapt to the type of attack that is coming on and some use fist size portions that change randomly and indepently from each other
[19:48] <Aerys> Depends on what you think would be effective Cene
[19:52] <Aerys> To create the shield start off again with a psi ball and yes again make it so you fit inside. then begin making it as dense as you would like and then begin to program it… the programming is a bit more difficult and i like to do it in parts. So the first thing is you have to decide what kind of shields you want in the chaos shield after that is decided program the shield like you would program that shield then program i
[19:52] <Aerys> t to have the ability to change… this is the part that most people mess up on… you can think of it kinda like giving putting a remote in it and this remote can change the “channels”,shield types, after that just start imbuing all of the other shield types that you want in there and then add a random timer ability and then have someone scan and make sure it is working
[19:53] <Aerys> Questions
[19:55] <DragonAtma> not form me
[19:55] <Cene> Other than if I’m doing it right, no. 🙂
[19:56] <Aerys> we will have some practice time soon Cene
[19:56] <Aerys> Now for a similar shield call a weave shield
[19:57] <Aerys> So this shield is woven together with strands of energy that each have different programmings on it
[19:58] <Aerys> the amount of strands and different types of programming is up to you
[19:59] * DragonAtma nods
[20:00] <Cene> So.. a spaghetti programming shield? *giggles*
[20:00] <Aerys> The way i like to make these is to make the different types of shields that i want like say bubble marshmallow and even a chaos shield and then I make them into giant squares and flatten them out and then i tear strands from all of them and then randomly pick two and weave them together kinda like lacing my shoes or braiding hair and put it around me and i just repeat the process
[20:00] <Aerys> Cene lol sure
[20:01] <Aerys> Another way i do it is to just begin making the shields and seeing them form noodles and then see them circling around me just randomly combining with each other and me
[20:01] <Aerys> any questions?
[20:01] <TashRikil> nope.
[20:01] <DragonAtma> no questions here.
[20:02] <Forge> nope
[20:02] <Aerys> Ok I think I am going to skip the stone/castle shield and go for the mirror shield so that there can be more practice time
[20:02] <Aerys> hi SetiAmon
[20:03] <Aerys> That ok with you guys?
[20:03] <DragonAtma> okay
[20:03] <SetiAmon> anyone here ever install a power supply
[20:03] <TashRikil> i’d really rather you not skip anything.
[20:04] <Aerys> So a mirror shield is a shield that can blast back whatever someone/something blasts
[20:04] <Aerys> I am just going to add it to the end
[20:04] <TashRikil> ok
[20:04] <Aerys> Well in theory
[20:04] <Aerys> It can do that
[20:05] <TashRikil> in practice?
[20:06] <Aerys> When I make it i normally use a psi cube and expand it and then get in it… Then I make the shield actually like a mirror except for that break really easy thing and then give it the ability to reflect things back
[20:06] <Aerys> A helpful visualazation is like magic cylinder from yu-gi-OH!!!!!!!!!!!
[20:06] <Aerys> Tash what?
[20:06] <TashRikil> you said in theory it reflects things. and in practice? 😛
[20:07] <Aerys> it should be able to
[20:07] <Aerys> Of course depends on if you put enough intent and will in it
[20:07] <Aerys> and whatever is getting shot at it does not disrupt the programming
[20:07] <Aerys> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vOvadKVlr4 magic cylinder
[20:08] <Frank_the_Bunny> :/
[20:08] <Aerys> except for instead of two cylinders i just visualize the one shield doing that
[20:08] <Aerys> Yes Frank_the_Bunny ?
[20:08] <TashRikil> mmkay. i suppose that works for some people. but your concept could be improved upon. said shields strike me as very vulnerable
[20:09] <SilentEcho> o.o
[20:09] <SilentEcho> theres a class going on?
[20:09] <DragonAtma> mmhmm
[20:09] <SilentEcho> welp, im out then
[20:09] <Aerys> yep
[20:09] <Aerys> lol
[20:09] <DragonAtma> >_>
[20:09] <Aerys> Why is that TashRikil ?
[20:11] <TashRikil> well. something could go in the out vent. and you said yourself… things set up to absorb tend to get their programming messed with.
[20:11] <Aerys> It does not really absorb it nessacarily the magic cylinder thing was just an example that i thought some people could find useful to kinda explain what it does
[20:12] <Aerys> Anyways
[20:12] <Aerys> Any questions?
[20:14] <Aerys> no i am guessing by the silence
[20:14] <Aerys> Ok so the final shield before practice is a stone/castle shield
[20:14] * DragonAtma shouts “NO! NON! NEIN! NEE! NEJ! NYET! LO! IIE! MINIME!”
[20:14] <DragonAtma> oops
[20:14] <DragonAtma> no quetsions here
[20:14] <Aerys> umm ok
[20:15] * DragonAtma goes to delete that old old alias, sorry about that
[20:15] <Aerys> This is a shield where you build yourself a psi tower / castle around yourself
[20:16] <Aerys> To build it start making some big psi stones
[20:17] <Aerys> Like 10 inches big and 20 inches thick and start piling them around you and using psi mortar to build a tower/ castle around yourself
[20:17] <Aerys> some people like to give the stones different programming abilities for an extra edge on it
[20:17] <Cene> Sounds like the long version of a personal space exercise that I was given. 🙂
[20:17] <Aerys> some people just like using the plain stones
[20:17] <Aerys> Lol
[20:17] * zacherys lets his imagination run wild with this one
[20:17] <Aerys> yes it is cene
[20:18] <Akradai> lmao zach
[20:18] <Cene> ‘You can visualize a tower or some people build it brick by magical brick, and that’s strong’
[20:18] <Aerys> Some people like to build a castle like that and then starting adding cannons and the such
[20:18] <Aerys> Any questions?
[20:19] <DragonAtma> What porevents fyou form just visualizing a well-built tower?
[20:19] <zacherys> LOL
[20:19] <Aerys> Nothing
[20:19] <Aerys> Just building it like that make it more “rooted” in reality
[20:19] <zacherys> what prevents someone from flying up the tower?
[20:20] <Aerys> Nothing but i am assuming you would use a roof
[20:21] <zacherys> and then blastimg the roof
[20:21] <DragonAtma> presumably the roof would be as thick as the walls
[20:21] <Aerys> you could add treachous traps and I would suggest making a thick roof
[20:21] <DragonAtma> it’d be silly to have nice thick walls and then go with a paper roof XD
[20:21] <Aerys> lol
[20:22] <zacherys> f the stone idea… tungsten steel all the way
[20:23] <Forge> in soviet russia, wall build you
[20:23] <Aerys> go for it
[20:23] <Aerys> alrighty give me a second here to start setting some things up
[20:23] <zacherys> LMAO forge
[20:24] <zacherys> do we get to shoot at you now?
[20:24] <Aerys> Actually this is where i shoot at you 😉
[20:24] <Aerys> Who will be participating
[20:25] <Aerys> for those of you who are curious
[20:25] * zacherys whould like to see what aerys thinks of his shields
[20:25] <Aerys> I will be building drones that will attack the shields you make
[20:25] <Frank_the_Bunny> grrrrrrrrr
[20:25] <Frank_the_Bunny> bring it
[20:26] <Aerys> Then after 15-20 minutes me and hopefully TashRikil will scan them and asses the damage
[20:26] <Frank_the_Bunny> assess
[20:26] <Aerys> Bunnies growl?
[20:26] <Frank_the_Bunny> And bark.
[20:26] <Aerys> thanks frank
[20:26] * Akradai giggles at Frank
[20:26] <Frank_the_Bunny> Asses are for #adult
[20:26] <Akradai> LOL
[20:26] <TashRikil> hmm
[20:27] <Aerys> So who will be participating?
[20:27] <TashRikil> i will.
[20:27] <Aerys> ok
[20:27] <Aerys> that is 2
[20:27] <zacherys> granted the shield I use for every day stuf is more advanced than what you mentioned.
[20:27] <Aerys> cene? zacherys ? Forge ?
[20:28] <Forge> hmm?
[20:28] <zacherys> bring it
[20:28] <Aerys> Will you be participating?
[20:28] <Aerys> Akradai?
[20:28] <Forge> i guess
[20:28] <DragonAtma> Unfortunately, I must go
[20:28] <DragonAtma> seeya, everyone
[20:28] <Aerys> see you
[20:28] <Akradai> Yeah in a few minutes
[20:29] <TashRikil> hmm. i barely see the point if we dont have some newbies participating
[20:29] * Cene nods
[20:29] * Forge stretches the wings
[20:29] <Aerys> Alright Cene
[20:29] <TashRikil> very well.
[20:29] <Cene> I will! (I was just distracted with other issues for a moment)
[20:29] <Aerys> We will be starting in about 5 minutes or whenever Akradai comes back
[20:29] <Aerys> How does that sound?
[20:30] <zacherys> brb, though feel free to start before I am back at my phone
[20:30] <Akradai> Go ahead and start, I’ll come in when I get back
[20:31] <Aerys> ok then
[20:31] <Cene> Great
[20:31] <Aerys> 20 minutes on the clock
[20:31] <Aerys> starting now
[20:31] <Aerys> wait
[20:31] <Aerys> sorry
[20:31] <Aerys> Make your shields please
[20:31] <Aerys> and tell me when you are ready
[20:33] <Aerys> you guys?
[20:34] <Frank_the_Bunny> hm?
[20:34] <Frank_the_Bunny> I think we’ve been ready
[20:34] <Frank_the_Bunny> .
[20:34] <Aerys> alright
[20:34] <Aerys> it begins
[20:34] <TashRikil> yeah. i’m certainly ready.
[20:35] <Cene> Oh, we’re starting now? (Read it wrong)
[20:35] <seren> Hello
[20:36] <TashRikil> i apologize in advance for the destruction of any drones.
[20:36] <Cene> Hello
[20:36] <Cene> Heheh. This visualization that I’m using is hilarious.
[20:36] <Aerys> hi seren
[20:37] <TashRikil> looks rather strange.
[20:38] <zacherys> back
[20:39] <Aerys> wb
[20:41] <Cene> Can I keep making/reinforcing my shields, or should I just leave them be?
[20:43] <Aerys> keep reinforcing them if you would like
[20:44] <TashRikil> you probably should reinforce them, especially in a fight
[20:45] <Cene> Okay. Just wondering, since you said assess the damage
[20:47] <Frank_the_Bunny> asses the damage. hehehe
[20:48] <TashRikil> mhmm. in a real fight, barring a serious overmatch, it’s a question of how much energy it takes to reinforce your shields and continue with attacks
[20:49] <Cene> That’s what I thought, so I’m guessing making new ones is fine too? Or would it be more efficient to just reinforce old shields?
[20:49] <TashRikil> frank, this drone was made with the intent to practice on the shields described.
[20:49] <TashRikil> it depends on what works for you. whatever you discover uses the least amount of energy and offers the most protection
[20:50] <Cene> *nods* Oh, so we’re not supposed to make new types of shields for this?
[20:51] <TashRikil> you may make new shields nobody has ever mentioned here. in fact if you can get creative i insist you do. 😛
[20:52] <zacherys> indeed
[20:52] <Cene> Okay. I was doing/starting to do some of that, but your comment to frank threw me off, is all.
[20:53] <Cene> Guess it’s about done though. Aww
[20:53] <zacherys> yep
[20:54] <Aerys> yep
[20:55] <Cene> yup
[20:55] <Aerys> Well actually some of the drones were meant soley for the these shields but others just had a destroy thing in mind
[20:57] <TashRikil> cene. how tired are you feeling?
[20:58] <Cene> Mmm, a tiny bit tired, as in a very tiny bit.
[20:59] <Cene> I was feeling more tired before this class.
[20:59] <TashRikil> ok.
[20:59] * Cene thinks that’s because it’s close to her bedtime.
[21:00] <zacherys> I assume it’s over now
[21:00] <TashRikil> it is zach
[21:01] * zacherys waits for the scanning to start
[21:02] * Cene waits while continuing to listen to calming music. 🙂
[21:03] <Aerys> Oh that is done with we are just about to announce the results
[21:03] <Aerys> You want to TashRikil ?
[21:03] <TashRikil> mhmm. we’re both pretty much in agreement.
[21:03] <TashRikil> it’s your class. you should do it sir.
[21:03] <Cene> Yay! *waits for better or for worse*
[21:04] <Aerys> ok than
[21:05] <Aerys> For Cene we saw several cuts but nothing too bad and the middle was weakened a bit
[21:05] <TashRikil> cene, i’ll point out you did far better than most newbs.
[21:05] <Cene> Middle being what? And thanks! So I didn’t do too much
[21:05] <Aerys> For akradai TashRikil and Frank_the_Bunny there was nothing to speak of
[21:06] <Aerys> Same with zacherys
[21:06] <Aerys> and we forgot to scan Forge
[21:06] <zacherys> LOL
[21:06] <Cene> *was wondering if simple was more efficient, though she didn’t make that much stuff*
[21:06] <zacherys> thats a big oops
[21:06] * Akradai apologizes but is drained atm
[21:07] <Aerys> one sec Forge sorry
[21:08] <Aerys> And Forge shield is fine except for a minor cosmetic tear
[21:08] * Cene wonders what you saw exactly, since she’s not sure if her shields did more stuff than ‘defend’.
[21:08] <Forge> oh cool
[21:08] <Aerys> I could pm you what i saw more specifically cene
[21:08] <Cene> Okay. 🙂

Posted By: Adara, Head Manager/Head Operator

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