The Sound of My Voice, 10-8-2014

[Boxilar]

I was kind of wondering when we'd see the "siren song" show up.

[JSStryker]

Yeah I was wondering that myself

[Dave]

Oh dear... here we go.

Berdine is likely to find this... instructive, I suppose. Or perhaps "fascinating" is more to the point.

[Opus the Poet]

Ohhh goody! a demonstration of a siren's powers of persuasion.

[Boxilar]

Well, the thing is, we've learned that the various paras have stereotypes/reputations that seem to be somewhat deserved. Mermaids are generally seen as Alpha social climbers, and Fae are just seen as freaking amoral nutjobs who will screw you up in passing without even meaning to.

Callista is apparently better than most fae, but she still did something pretty damned horrible In a fit of anger and shrank Dietzil unintentionally when she had an anxiety attack.

Jessie Gottlieb might have only been playing the Alpha bitch role to survive, but she apparently was playing the role that was expected of her.

Atsali is one of the sweetest and kindest people in the cast, but she is a Siren. And Sirens have a rep for being sexual predators. I think 'Sali is about to educate Burdine on why she can't just "ask a boy out". I'm guessing Atsali has some serious racial instincts to deal with when it comes to the opposite sex.

[TheDOCTOR]

Easy does it Atsali, you don't wanna scare off your friends. Or make them question thier Sexuality. But I think they'll get the point that you want aboy to 'like' you for YOU and not some spell you cast. Only the real "Jealous-types" would end up trying to call you a Sl*t, but you would have people like Jessie who can do damage control for you.

[cmdrpowers]

Oh man, this is going to be rough. Atsali is showing Berdine that she can have ANY boy she wants- or any person for that matter. It's kind of like being the rich girl- Atsali wants a boy who is attracted to her honestly; not because she can make him. It's a matter of trust, responsibility and power. Poor Atsali. And there will be some idiots who think she's a fool for not taking advantage of her Siren abilities. I just hope Berdine's not one of them...

[Radio365]

And Monica's at the Library.

Seems she' might have a bit of trouble at home to deal with.

[BruceBergman]

Something tells me she doesn't want to use her powers of persuasion to get a guy, she wants to do it the right way, and for the right reasons.

Because a relationship based on a faked Glamour Spell is doomed to failure when the spell wears off. And they always do. Just like when you marry for money - then the money tree dies and the business goes south, and so does the marriage.

[Boxilar]

I agree with everyone that says that Atsali wants to find a boy who like her for who she is and not what she is. That Siren song is powerful stuff, though. Ship loads of sailors lead to their deaths and all that.

That's the reputation Atsali is working against, and I think she wants Burdine to fully understand that.

[My2Cents]

Ouch, poor Atsali! She is going to be continuously doubting, double checking, and questioning herself in any relationship.

I wonder just how much a 'song' has to be a song to trigger the Siren Effect, what effects it can manifest (philia, agape, or eros, or is it more of a hypnotic effect), and how long the effect lasts. And most important, is it voluntary or just anytime she sings.

If it doesn't have to be an actual song and is involuntary invoked but short lasting -- well then small wonder Sirens are disliked as people find themselves doing many things the didn't to want by 'accident' (or not).

[oldmanmickey]

yea its hard to beat a siren in a debate or a singing contest.

[Elvis]

The hypnotizing Disney princess.

[KnightDelight]

Interesting. Berdine is about to learn the difference between vicarious living and stark reality. Well, paranormal reality anyway. It also looks like both sexes are entranced by the siren's song. I recall there being a bit of conjecture about that sometime back. It could also be that, when tying to get what she wants, a siren may unconsciously break into a bit of song. She may not be able to help it without practice and training. Similar to Shelly controlling her shape-shifting and killer impulses. In any event, it's clear Atsali knows how to siren-sing and she knows how to use it. Instinct or research I wonder? Perhaps a combination of both.

I also wonder, where are the adults of the various species who have already learned to control their instincts, thereby mingling with others in a civilized manner? Should there not be some around to conduct individual classes for each species? Beings who would be mentors for those like Atsali or the mermaids. Even for the Bears for that matter. Ursamorphs, despite seeming cute and nice, must have some bad/fatal instinctual habits that need to be controlled. Heck, even we comparatively "harmless" humans need such training lest we go around bludgeoning our playmates or stabbing them with the nearest sharp object whenever we're upset.

[Dave]

Oh man, this is going to be rough. Atsali is showing Berdine that she can have ANY boy she wants- or any person for that matter. It's kind of like being the rich girl- Atsali wants a boy who is attracted to her honestly; not because she can make him. It's a matter of trust, responsibility and power. Poor Atsali.

Bingo. She's clearly got the power. Fortunately, it's also clear that she has a strong sense of responsibility about it. I think she wants to be certain that she doesn't turn into the sort of stereotypical Siren that people seem to dislike so much.

I keep being impressed by Atsali. When we first met her she seemed like a typical (well, not really) headstrong teen, focusing on the moment and not thinking through the consequences. We saw a big moment of adultness when she said "Castela is part of my adventure, too", keeping her word not to abandon Castela even if it might have endangered her own chance of adoption. Now, she's tackling the "dark side" of her Siren heritage, resisting the temptation to go for what might be an easy conquest, until she can learn how to manage her power responsibly. She's definitely a young adult now, not a child in an adult's body.

And there will be some idiots who think she's a fool for not taking advantage of her Siren abilities. I just hope Berdine's not one of them...

I'm guessing not. Berdine seemed to be taking a real "moral high ground" in her heated discussions with Jessie, and clearly disliked the superficial social-climbing tight-shirt-flaunting girls at her own school... so I'd guess that she wouldn't be in favor of the idea of using powers of compulsion on another person for selfish reasons.

The fact that she's getting a dose of what it feels like to be compelled... well, when it wears off I think she'll appreciate just how used it could make a person feel.

Ouch, poor Atsali! She is going to be continuously doubting, double checking, and questioning herself in any relationship.

Yup. Any which go beyond the completely casual. There's always going to be that haunting question... "Is it real, or is it Mammarex?"

Not just in her mind, either... in everybody's. Even if she has a de facto "queen bee" status in the school now, people are sill going to wonder and gossip. Any relationship she gets involved in, is going to end up in the spotlight, and possibly the paranormal version of the tabloids. No wonder she wants to wait until the fuss about her dies down.

[Catawampus]

Fitting that we first see her traditional siren powers displayed when she's on an island. Do Berdine and Nadette have a mast and some wax handy?

It could also be that, when tying to get what she wants, a siren may unconsciously break into a bit of song. She may not be able to help it without practice and training. Similar to Shelly controlling her shape-shifting and killer impulses. In any event, it's clear Atsali knows how to siren-sing and she knows how to use it. Instinct or research I wonder? Perhaps a combination of both.

The other time when we saw her singing, when she was "stung by a bee", it seems to have been purely reflexive. But it's not clear whether or not that singing was the same type of singing, with the same effect on people. It didn't obviously affect Castela aside from waking her up.

I also wonder, where are the adults of the various species who have already learned to control their instincts, thereby mingling with others in a civilized manner? Should there not be some around to conduct individual classes for each species? Beings who would be mentors for those like Atsali or the mermaids. Even for the Bears for that matter. Ursamorphs, despite seeming cute and nice, must have some bad/fatal instinctual habits that need to be controlled. Heck, even we comparatively "harmless" humans need such training lest we go around bludgeoning our playmates or stabbing them with the nearest sharp object whenever we're upset.

Some of the youngsters have had elders to help keep them in line: Shelly has Phix, Monica has. . .well, she has about half the cast trying to teach her, and Calista has Monica now since her own parents apparently couldn't be bothered. We don't know anything about when or how Atsali was orphaned, so she might have had her parents already teach her about her potential sireny powers and drill her on how not to use them. Unlike Monica or Shelly, Atsali didn't just suddenly and unexpectedly become paranormal after already having grown up, so she's had time to learn how to be a proper siren as she grew up.

We saw a big moment of adultness when she said "Castela is part of my adventure, too", keeping her word not to abandon Castela even if it might have endangered her own chance of adoption.

Though only a few hours earlier she had temporarily abandoned Castela (whom she had apparently been assigned to watch over at the Library) so that she could impetuously charge off into an "adventure" with a total stranger, because she thought that that was how life was supposed to go. So she's still got a lot of childishness in her as well.

[Masterof7s]

Was wondering when this was going to happen.

[lake_wrangler]

All that has been said in this thread about Atsali sounds about spot on. What I find curious is the twins: it looks like Berdine has some pretty pent up issues, here, and Nadette is only now catching on to that (meaning Berdine has been good at hiding it so far).

Is Berdine desperate for a relationship?

Has she tried and been unsuccessful so far, or has she feared trying to begin with?

[My2Cents]

All that has been said in this thread about Atsali sounds about spot on. What I find curious is the twins: it looks like Berdine has some pretty pent up issues, here, and Nadette is only now catching on to that (meaning Berdine has been good at hiding it so far).

Is Berdine desperate for a relationship?

Has she tried and been unsuccessful so far, or has she feared trying to begin with?

Feared trying to begin with if she actually wants to live vicariously through Atsali. If merely unsuccessful she would be looking forward to catch the boy(s) ‘Queen Bee’ Atsali turns down or dumps.

[lake_wrangler]

Another thought I had was that it would probably be difficult for someone to love an ursamorph for "who they are", when "who they are" is so malleable...

I can picture something like this, happening:

- Honey, you know I love you, but... do you think you could make your chest a little bigger?
- Bigger? Bigger? HOW'S THIS?
*increases bust to beyond Atsali-esque, while ranting wildly*
*boy runs off in fear*

Or, since it is fair to presume there exists male usramorphs, for lack of knowing for a fact that there aren't:

- Honey, you know I love you, but... do you really have to go with the nerdy, bookish type? How about some more muscles...
- Muscles? You want more muscles?
*essentially turns into Hulk-like stature*
*girl runs off in fright*