writing chapter 2.7

“So what exactly are we talking about?” someone asked. “What kind of superpowers?”

“I went thru the list while it was happening,” Josh said, “and it was all the usual god-level superpowers and anything else you could think of. Our thoughts had power,” he explained, “and it just depended on what we wanted to do.”

People responded from the crowd.

“Like Jedi Knights.”

“Like the Bene Gesserit.”

“Like the Course in Miracles.”

“Like Harry Potter.”

“There are schools for each of these disciplines; realworld, too,” someone pointed out. “They’re skills. You can teach them.”

The angel told us to teach them, the girl said. The boy nodded, along with others in the crowd who could hear them in their heads. But teach them what?

The answer came from everywhere. How to be magic. How to develop your own superpowers. How to achieve enlightenment, how to rise above, how to achieve mastery, how to be god.

What’s the life of a student look like, tho?” someone said. “Wandering around with Yoda on your back, overcoming? Living like a monk, studying and meditating and never going out to party? Grim discipline? The Gom Jabbar? Nobody’s going to go for that.”

“Well, that’s true.” Josh admitted.

“But the skills we’d need to teach would have more to do with tuning in,” Portia said. “When we did the lifting thing earlier, that wasn’t just me, that was everybody.” They agreed. “It’s inside of you, but you have to be aware of it. So training could be anything that concentrates your thoughts, to begin with.”

Breathing exercises, meditation, affirmations, prayer, yoga, tantra, tai chi, martial arts, sufi dancing, said the voices in their heads.

Drugs, suggested the boy, mosh pits.

Extended orgasm, said Fairy from her labors in a room far above.

“Yes, there seem to be endless ways,” said Portia, thinking. “A blend of New Age and martial arts and spirituality, universal truth, even health and fitness. Also,” she broke off and looked around, “the Force. But I guess, with everybody being Scifi geeks, it’s nothing we’re not familiar with.” They all agreed.

“The angel told us to create the game we played,” said Josh slowly. “If we actually could make a videogame, and developed some martial arts training to go with it, and taught a philosophy and revealed secret teachings, and people could do mods and spread it around…”

“Yeah, and a comic book, too,” someone suggested.

“And a bunch of webcasts.”

“And a track at Dragoncon.”

The suggestions continued. Portia felt encouraged, and took out a notepad to scribble ideas on. Josh was psyched, his knees rattling up and down as he sat. The crowd shifted; it was time for another panel. There were a few people who got up to leave, and their places were eagerly taken by a new crowd at the door.

Some left thinking the whole thing must be a racket. Secret teachings(tm).