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I have lasers on my shoulders

Consensus

Patron with Honors
And a heads up display that lets me target things.

I suppose I should back up and explain though... or rather, the thread would be fairly uninteresting if I don't.

When I was in middle school, I had a paper route. And when I'd trudge along at 4am, the streets were completely empty and I had nothing to occupy my mind - so I had to entertain myself. So what I'd do is play pretend. Back then, I had wolverine claws. And I could tell you if they were retracted or not.

My aim wasn't merely senseless destruction - the game was to create as much destruction for as little effort as possible. If there was a post with something heavy on top, I could slice it at the right angle so it would fall over onto two cars, smashing them 'but good'.

When I was a junior in high school, I started working as a busboy. Still hours of mindless work, but now it was in a crowded room - so I couldn't go around swinging my arms wildly, making 'snickity' noises and crashing noises. So I did what any self-respecting adult would do - I gave myself a 'superpower' to play with where nobody else could tell what I was doing. It was at this time that lasers grew out of my shoulders.

The targeting system worked like this - I would look at something and blink, and it'd be targeted. Then I'd just have to think 'fire!' (not the word, but... the command) and my lasers would shoot everything I'd targeted in order of targeting. As a busboy, I was keen on shooting the stems off of water goblets and wine glasses while diners were drinking. But my favorite things to target were lights, keyholes, and electrical outlets.

It's been 10 years, and I still have my lasers. When I'm walking down a street at night, I'll target all visible light sources - be it a light on top of a high-rise, or a street lamp three blocks away, or a car driving down the street - and I'd blow them all out and continue walking in darkness.

About a year ago, I began sharing this with people. I'd kept it a secret all my life, but I found it far too amusing - and I'm too shameless - to not share it. What amazed me was the reaction I got.

Most people looked at my like I'm crazy. Half of them then confessed their own 'super-power.' The other half strongly insisted they do nothing of the sort. Within a week, half of those (a quarter of the people I told about this, roughly) would come back to me, confess they were lying (or didn't realize it), and tell me their superpower.

Here's the rules I've figured out as far as what constitutes a 'super-power' -
1) It's a recurring fantasy - it's not a one-time thing
2) It's very personal to you.
3) It's based on your present surroundings - it's NOT 'daydreaming.'
4) It is NOT confused for reality - you KNOW it's just 'play.'

Let me give you a few examples from friends I've talked to:
A couple people told me that, when they ride in cars, busses, trains, etc, they look out the window and imagine themselves running alongside the vehicle. One person does this, except they're gymnasts, and do it more like spiderman (sans webbing).

My brother has an armored suit, a lot like Iron Man (though he'd never read the comics). It's impenetrable. It may be a form-fitting energy shield, I'm not sure - but be assured, if I asked him, he *would* be sure (you *know* your superpower). He also has a watch which can shoot lasers, missiles, and even a grappling hook. When he climbs stairs, he uses the grappling hook to pull him up the stairwell. He also has an 'energy key' which reads a lock, and produces something that fits it. Odd that he and I both fixated on keyholes...

One of my friends can 'phase' between two realities - one being our reality, the other being a nearly identical reality, except it's lovecraftian - the walls pulse with blood or hidden horrors, the moon is replaced by Cthulu, etc.

One of my friends can read minds.

Another can talk to animals.

Yet another 'flies', like a slow-moving space-craft through tunnels (instead of walking down hallways). I confess, when I heard this one, I realized I do it too.

I know a guy who has a photographic memory. Well, he doesn't, but his super-power is that he has 'record' 'play' 'fast forward' and 'rewind' buttons in his head, and he can record video or audio and play it back later. Oddly enough, as more and more people get cell phones with video, this 'super-power' is becoming real and commonplace.

My sister, when she was growing up, had a pencil that she'd hold out in front of her and 'redraw' reality with. She outgrew it when she was quite young, but was reminded of it (quite vividly) when I presented this set of anecdotes to her.

I know a young high-functioning autistic kid, and I asked him about this. He told me his superpower is that he has 'all superpowers.' Oddly enough, from hanging out with him and seeing him play, I know this to be true. He's always playing with his environment, be it making his arm a cannon that shoots hugs, or disappearing, or flying...

Disappearing! I have one friend who can become completely nondescript. He doesn't turn invisible, but he blends into a crowd such that nobody would remember or recognize him.

Oooh, my favorite may be Jesse. When he walks into an open courtyard, he has a team or two of snipers. He knows where they're located, and can call out shots to them on his radio. Fascinating!

I've made it a point since I discovered this to 'borrow' people's powers to try them out - though any way you cut it, the shoulder lasers are mine, and anything else I try *is* and *will always be* 'borrowed.' I've encouraged others to try out mine, as well - and some people really dig it. In the end, all I'm talking about is 'playing.'

Oh, one thing that surprised me was that there's a fairly common one that many people in my generation do - when they walk into a building, they size the building up for zombie attacks. Odds are good that you know where you'd go in the event of a zombie attack. This fits the rules I described earlier - it's a recurring fantasy, you don't confuse it with reality, and it's based on your current environment (okay, it's not always 'personal', but 3 out of 4 ain't bad).

I was shocked, listening to NPR one day. It was the one-year anniversary of the Virginia Tech shootings, and they were interviewing a gentleman who survived the sniper shootings in Texas in the 60s. He explained how, even today, when he walks into a courtyard or a library, he figures out where a sniper is likely to hide, and where he can find cover. It was, essentially, the inverse of my friend Jesse's power. Except, in this man's case, it wasn't play - it was hell. Why? Because the line between 'fantasy' and 'reality' was wholly blurred.

And that's a real source of neurosis, psychosis, stress, cognitive dissonance, anxiety, and so on. When you can't distinguish between fantasy and reality, you get fucked up. Sure, we have friends that size up buildings for zombie attacks, but imagine if one of them had actually *survived* a zombie attack! They wouldn't have 'fun' doing it anymore. If you've ever known a woman who has been sexually abused, taken advantage of, harassed, or otherwise victimized, you know what kind of effect this can have.

And when the war on Scientology began, I was fascinated reading about their 'superpowers.' The rundown for levitating an ashtray seemed awfully familiar - lifting it up while imagining you're doing it with your mind is no different than my brother climbing stairs while imagining his grappling hook is pulling him up them! Except the rundown works to convince you it's real. It works to blur the line between fantasy and reality. It's engineered to make you neurotic or even psychotic, to cause a break with reality.

So, I haven't posted this online before. Part of me is afraid it'll be taken as the cliche 'what would your superpower be?!?one!' post that every forum has - but the question is distinct from that. If I could choose a superpower, it wouldn't be shoulder lasers. But shoulder lasers are what I have. And don't have. Another reason I haven't shared it is because I'd love to use it in a work of philosophical fiction sometime, but the odds of me ever writing a book and getting published is so slim, and it's not on the top of priorities for my life.

Nonetheless, I am interested in feedback. Do you relate to this? Do you have any of these superpowers? And, in the case of ex-scientologists, does this characterization shed any light on auditing? Am I right in imagining that this is yet another example of how Scientology engineers people to go insane? Or am I way off? I honestly don't know, and really do want feedback.
 
Last edited:

EP - Ethics Particle

Gold Meritorious Patron
Too much to confront...

...big snip...

Nonetheless, I am interested in feedback. Do you relate to this? Do you have any of these superpowers? And, in the case of ex-scientologists, does this characterization shed any light on auditing? Am I right in imagining that this is yet another example of how Scientology engineers people to go insane? Or am I way off? I honestly don't know, and really do want feedback.

Definitely relate :unsure: :yes: but would have to write a LONG post to even get started! :nervous: :yes: :whistling: Maybe later...(check out the "procrastination" thread if you haven't already...) :p

Roy/EP
 

Div6

Crusader
When I was a wee tot, my BT's latched on to the idea that they were superman. I could fly, catch bullets with my teeth, etc. It was all a reflection back from my aesthetic mind, which was taking in all inputs (TV, comics, books, records, etc) and hybridizing them in such a way as to make life more interesting...I think everyone in my first grade class had it "goin on".

Its not unusual at all. Its in the Dianetic axioms....
 

byte301

Crusader
Mine is flying and on a bad day bouncing really far. lol I can also manipulate people with my mind. Nothing evil, just move out of my way, or slip on that banana peel if I don't like them, or go to another check out line at the grocery store.

I like the lazers too. Imma try that one. :p
 

Lovesnightsky

Silver Meritorious Patron
darn.

You guys are having all the fun!
Mine is so corny!
As a kid I used to walk around taking all the suffering away from people. :whistling:
 

Consensus

Patron with Honors
darn.

You guys are having all the fun!
Mine is so corny!
As a kid I used to walk around taking all the suffering away from people. :whistling:

HA! loser...

(you must have been a very empathetic child...)

edit: I did have one friend respond with 'I can have sex with women without them knowing it.' To this day, I'm not sure if that was a witty retort or a very intimate confession.
 

Lovesnightsky

Silver Meritorious Patron
That is one of the many things to love about you!

Thank you Feline :D

HA! loser...

(you must have been a very empathetic child...)

LOL
You have no idea... my secret goal was "when I grow up, I'm going to be saint and save the world." No wonder I fell into a cult, ok, into two cults. Empathy though, not really. I didn't feel their pain, I just wanted them to stop feeling it so they could be happy like I was.
 

byte301

Crusader
HA! loser...

(you must have been a very empathetic child...)

edit: I did have one friend respond with 'I can have sex with women without them knowing it.' To this day, I'm not sure if that was a witty retort or a very intimate confession.

If the guy's name was Eddie, tell him I knew it, I just didn't have time to comment on it since it was over so fast.
 

Carmel

Crusader
And a heads up display that lets me target things.

I suppose I should back up and explain though... or rather, the thread would be fairly uninteresting if I don't.

When I was in middle school, I had a paper route. And when I'd trudge along at 4am, the streets were completely empty and I had nothing to occupy my mind - so I had to entertain myself. So what I'd do is play pretend. Back then, I had wolverine claws. And I could tell you if they were retracted or not.

My aim wasn't merely senseless destruction - the game was to create as much destruction for as little effort as possible. If there was a post with something heavy on top, I could slice it at the right angle so it would fall over onto two cars, smashing them 'but good'.

When I was a junior in high school, I started working as a busboy. Still hours of mindless work, but now it was in a crowded room - so I couldn't go around swinging my arms wildly, making 'snickity' noises and crashing noises. So I did what any self-respecting adult would do - I gave myself a 'superpower' to play with where nobody else could tell what I was doing. It was at this time that lasers grew out of my shoulders.

The targeting system worked like this - I would look at something and blink, and it'd be targeted. Then I'd just have to think 'fire!' (not the word, but... the command) and my lasers would shoot everything I'd targeted in order of targeting. As a busboy, I was keen on shooting the stems off of water goblets and wine glasses while diners were drinking. But my favorite things to target were lights, keyholes, and electrical outlets.

It's been 10 years, and I still have my lasers. When I'm walking down a street at night, I'll target all visible light sources - be it a light on top of a high-rise, or a street lamp three blocks away, or a car driving down the street - and I'd blow them all out and continue walking in darkness.

About a year ago, I began sharing this with people. I'd kept it a secret all my life, but I found it far too amusing - and I'm too shameless - to not share it. What amazed me was the reaction I got.

Most people looked at my like I'm crazy. Half of them then confessed their own 'super-power.' The other half strongly insisted they do nothing of the sort. Within a week, half of those (a quarter of the people I told about this, roughly) would come back to me, confess they were lying (or didn't realize it), and tell me their superpower.

Here's the rules I've figured out as far as what constitutes a 'super-power' -
1) It's a recurring fantasy - it's not a one-time thing
2) It's very personal to you.
3) It's based on your present surroundings - it's NOT 'daydreaming.'
4) It is NOT confused for reality - you KNOW it's just 'play.'

Let me give you a few examples from friends I've talked to:
A couple people told me that, when they ride in cars, busses, trains, etc, they look out the window and imagine themselves running alongside the vehicle. One person does this, except they're gymnasts, and do it more like spiderman (sans webbing).

My brother has an armored suit, a lot like Iron Man (though he'd never read the comics). It's impenetrable. It may be a form-fitting energy shield, I'm not sure - but be assured, if I asked him, he *would* be sure (you *know* your superpower). He also has a watch which can shoot lasers, missiles, and even a grappling hook. When he climbs stairs, he uses the grappling hook to pull him up the stairwell. He also has an 'energy key' which reads a lock, and produces something that fits it. Odd that he and I both fixated on keyholes...

One of my friends can 'phase' between two realities - one being our reality, the other being a nearly identical reality, except it's lovecraftian - the walls pulse with blood or hidden horrors, the moon is replaced by Cthulu, etc.

One of my friends can read minds.

Another can talk to animals.

Yet another 'flies', like a slow-moving space-craft through tunnels (instead of walking down hallways). I confess, when I heard this one, I realized I do it too.

I know a guy who has a photographic memory. Well, he doesn't, but his super-power is that he has 'record' 'play' 'fast forward' and 'rewind' buttons in his head, and he can record video or audio and play it back later. Oddly enough, as more and more people get cell phones with video, this 'super-power' is becoming real and commonplace.

My sister, when she was growing up, had a pencil that she'd hold out in front of her and 'redraw' reality with. She outgrew it when she was quite young, but was reminded of it (quite vividly) when I presented this set of anecdotes to her.

I know a young high-functioning autistic kid, and I asked him about this. He told me his superpower is that he has 'all superpowers.' Oddly enough, from hanging out with him and seeing him play, I know this to be true. He's always playing with his environment, be it making his arm a cannon that shoots hugs, or disappearing, or flying...

Disappearing! I have one friend who can become completely nondescript. He doesn't turn invisible, but he blends into a crowd such that nobody would remember or recognize him.

Oooh, my favorite may be Jesse. When he walks into an open courtyard, he has a team or two of snipers. He knows where they're located, and can call out shots to them on his radio. Fascinating!

I've made it a point since I discovered this to 'borrow' people's powers to try them out - though any way you cut it, the shoulder lasers are mine, and anything else I try *is* and *will always be* 'borrowed.' I've encouraged others to try out mine, as well - and some people really dig it. In the end, all I'm talking about is 'playing.'

Oh, one thing that surprised me was that there's a fairly common one that many people in my generation do - when they walk into a building, they size the building up for zombie attacks. Odds are good that you know where you'd go in the event of a zombie attack. This fits the rules I described earlier - it's a recurring fantasy, you don't confuse it with reality, and it's based on your current environment (okay, it's not always 'personal', but 3 out of 4 ain't bad).

I was shocked, listening to NPR one day. It was the one-year anniversary of the Virginia Tech shootings, and they were interviewing a gentleman who survived the sniper shootings in Texas in the 60s. He explained how, even today, when he walks into a courtyard or a library, he figures out where a sniper is likely to hide, and where he can find cover. It was, essentially, the inverse of my friend Jesse's power. Except, in this man's case, it wasn't play - it was hell. Why? Because the line between 'fantasy' and 'reality' was wholly blurred.

And that's a real source of neurosis, psychosis, stress, cognitive dissonance, anxiety, and so on. When you can't distinguish between fantasy and reality, you get fucked up. Sure, we have friends that size up buildings for zombie attacks, but imagine if one of them had actually *survived* a zombie attack! They wouldn't have 'fun' doing it anymore. If you've ever known a woman who has been sexually abused, taken advantage of, harassed, or otherwise victimized, you know what kind of effect this can have.

And when the war on Scientology began, I was fascinated reading about their 'superpowers.' The rundown for levitating an ashtray seemed awfully familiar - lifting it up while imagining you're doing it with your mind is no different than my brother climbing stairs while imagining his grappling hook is pulling him up them! Except the rundown works to convince you it's real. It works to blur the line between fantasy and reality. It's engineered to make you neurotic or even psychotic, to cause a break with reality.

So, I haven't posted this online before. Part of me is afraid it'll be taken as the cliche 'what would your superpower be?!?one!' post that every forum has - but the question is distinct from that. If I could choose a superpower, it wouldn't be shoulder lasers. But shoulder lasers are what I have. And don't have. Another reason I haven't shared it is because I'd love to use it in a work of philosophical fiction sometime, but the odds of me ever writing a book and getting published is so slim, and it's not on the top of priorities for my life.

Nonetheless, I am interested in feedback. Do you relate to this? Do you have any of these superpowers? And, in the case of ex-scientologists, does this characterization shed any light on auditing? Am I right in imagining that this is yet another example of how Scientology engineers people to go insane? Or am I way off? I honestly don't know, and really do want feedback.


Thank you for sharing Consensus, I loved this post - still smiling this end :D

I can certainly relate to all of this. I've had this sort of stuff going on with me since I was a tiny tot - it's saved my life, given me strength and given me life.

Sorry that I can't or won't share my details or specifics - it's all too private and valuable and important to me, to open it up to any sort of scrutiny, ridicule or invalidation.

To me this stuff can't be compared to auditing - it's nothing to do with what auditing deals with, or could deal with - chalk and cheese IMHO.

I can totally accept and smile at your 1 to 4 above. For me it's like tapping into a power that's there for the taking, and while it's a game, it can put you into a different place and certainly change conditions. :coolwink:

Goodonya mate! :thumbsup:
Carmel
 

Consensus

Patron with Honors
I can totally accept and smile at your 1 to 4 above. For me it's like tapping into a power that's there for the taking, and while it's a game, it can put you into a different place and certainly change conditions.

Yeah, the 4 rules are my real innovation on this. The thing is, I really can't think of a good name for what-it-is-the-four-rules-describe. Any thoughts? Is there a german word for 'play' that would work? Or an ancient greek concept that's similar? I such at naming things, but I really want to have a word to describe this so people I've discussed it with can talk about it easier.

Also, it's worth mentioning that this is where 'confirmation bias' can really fuck you. If you imagine your power is the ability to change traffic lights or predict dice rolls, you're likely to notice when you're right and ignore when you're wrong. As a result, you may end up 'losing' rule 4 - and confusing your power with reality. Once you start doing that, you're on a slipper slope towards psychosis.
 

SchwimmelPuckel

Genuine Meatball
<snip> .. levitating an ashtray seemed awfully familiar - lifting it up while imagining you're doing it with your mind is no different than my brother climbing stairs while imagining his grappling hook is pulling him up them! Except the rundown works to convince you it's real. It works to blur the line between fantasy and reality. It's engineered to make you neurotic or even psychotic, to cause a break with reality. <snip>
I think you're on to something there! :yes: Certainly Scientology works tirelessly on persuading you to believe in OT powers and awesome abilities as a 'thetan'. That is really what scientology is all about.. The hope to be a god on earth.. Or elsewhere.. Hubbard dismissed the intire MEST universe as sort of hoax.. Not an optical illusion.. It just looks like one.

To 'play' with the idea of superpowers is natural.. More so when we were kids.. But we have all the popular stories and movies about superheroes. Superman, Batman and.. (hrrrmpff!!) Hancock..

Heh.. So will Will Smith start to think he can do without the stuntmen and computer graphics for the sequel? (I'm only half joking!)

:hattip:
 
Also, it's worth mentioning that this is where 'confirmation bias' can really fuck you. If you imagine your power is the ability to change traffic lights or predict dice rolls, you're likely to notice when you're right and ignore when you're wrong. As a result, you may end up 'losing' rule 4 - and confusing your power with reality. Once you start doing that, you're on a slipper slope towards psychosis.

This is a very good answer to the question 'does scn work?' I'm sorry to light this candle in this thread, but this makes a lot of sense to me.

Scn works to create or modify our fantasies to align with their purposes, and to this end it works very well indeed. Fantasies are great fun, and should be encouraged especially in children, but I never thought about them being used to control people. It is probably the most ingenious thing about the 'tech' that I can think of. I wonder if Hubbard purposely developed it this way, or stumbled upon it by chance. Either way the result is a fairly large group of people all working under the same or similar delusions.

Thinking back it seems that there was a turning point when people I knew would fully embrace the fantasy of scn tech. It was a personality change that came on quite suddenly, and they were very different people from then on. One day they were their old fun loving selves, and then over a very short time, hard core, no nonsense scn SOB. This usually happened after an auditing or course completion. Did anyone else notice this? Was this just the result of losing sight of 'rule #4'?

This is a great thread consensus. Thank you.

AWH
 

Axiom142

Gold Meritorious Patron
I have a superpower – I can make myself invisible.

But only if no one is looking! :)

Just kidding, I copied that one from the movie ‘Mystery Men’.

Seriously though, I’ve had numerous dreams where I could make myself invisible. In these dreams I usually end up in a room full of baddies who know I am there and are trying to catch me. Finally I came up with the brilliant idea of pressing myself up against the ceiling to avoid detection. Did I mention that I could also levitate?

Of course, in Real Life, I really do have superpowers, but cannot tell you what they are. I don’t want to reveal my true identity just yet.

Ax
 
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