(05-19-2014, 08:37 PM)Lurker Wrote: Don't be concerned about what we may think, friend. We're here to help.

Typically, focus / concentration varies, but not only does it vary from person to person, but also within yourself. As you gain discipline, you'll find that it becomes easier to use less focus to project what you desire, but that can vary based on several conditions. I find I start to get loopy the more tired I get or the more energy I exert on projection.

There are three things you'll want to keep in mind:
- Physical needs
- Emotional balance
- Perspective awareness

Keep in mind that anything in bullets I say here are only guidelines. If you think of anything else, feel free to ponder if it's right for you, or experiment for new answers.

In regard to your physical needs, I'm talking about:

Spoiler

- Make sure you're eating healthily
- - Sufficent calorie intake
- - Good quality food and drink
- - Not too much and not too little
- - A gluten free diet may or may not be very helpful for you, but it's certainly worth looking into

Do not underestimate the power of a healthy diet. Your diet is everything you put into your body, and if it's all good, then you'll find yourself feeling... better, in general. Try drinking lots of water every day and indulging in every food group.

- Get proper sleep

Nothing much to this, really. Just sleep well and don't deny yourself the sleep you need. Sleep is extremely important, period.

- Exercise
- - If a gym is nearby you, maybe you should pay it a visit for either exercise or just to get some coaching on what you need
- - If you don't have machines, try pushups, crunches, squat thrusts, mountain climbers, chin-ups, and star jumps (aka jumping jacks), which can all be done using just your body
- - - Be sure to stretch properly before engaging in a workout
- - - Some of these are cardio and some of these are more for muscle, so keep that in mind
- - Biking is always a nice activity, and it can help you get the fresh air and sunlight you need
- - - Try going on mountainous areas or roads that incline or decline for a better result, since biking can be a lot of cardio, but working those pedals hard to go up a hill is better for muscle

Remaining strong of body is helpful in many ways, either psychologically or physically, and that strong heart pumping lifegiving blood through your body is all the more helpful the more powerful it is.

- Fresh air and sunlight
- - Oxygen is helpful for our bodies and minds
- - - If you decide to meditate, try simply opening a window and the curtains, and going outside at least once a day is profoundly beneficial, even if you just sit on a rock
- - Humans evolved on sunlight, and standing in it generates important stuff in our bodies
- - - Again, opening a window / curtain helps if you're not gonna go outside to meditate
- - - Vitamin supplements (like D3) are probably not a sufficent replacement for actually being in the sun, but maybe they'll help

These are just important givens. We shouldn't stay inside all the time not because it'd be super lame of us to do, but also because going outside is healthy for our bodies and minds.

To summarize, keeping physically in good shape will minimize distractions during meditation. Your strength will help you. Your breathing will be smoother, and your mind will be clearer. Ever try to think on an empty stomach? Eating well leaves you satisfied in that regard. Feeling faint or uneasy? Exercise, fresh air, and sunlight!

With all of these things accounted for appropriately, we can next examine your emotional stability.

Spoiler

Our emotions are the other side to all this. In a content or happy state, we are more clear of mind. If burdened with sadness, anger, fear, doubt etc., our distressed minds cannot function quite as well. While tending to your physical needs should help with being emotionally satisfied, there are some other things we can do to help.

- Find your center
- - If we become too excited in meditation, we may not be able to rally our focus to the ends we desire
- - If we become too relaxed in mediation, we may end up trancing out too deeply to concentrate on what we intended in the first place

Balance is key. Empty yourself of all thoughts, and construct a foundation. To meditate at the same time as you do other things is entirely possible (and necessary if you want to become really good at tulpamancing), but your other thoughts must rest on the foundation of your meditation. At the very bottom rests your meditative efforts, and atop that all other goals are secondary or tertiary. That means, get real good at multi-tasking, 'cause you'll be doing a lot of it, but practice just with meditation first and do not rush yourself.

- Friendship is magic
- - Hahaha, yeah, yeah, very funny, but seriously, friendship
- - - Humans are social creatures and being alone for too long can be harmful to your emotions
- - - Friends are a source of perspective and support, and should be taken EXTREMELY SERIOUSLY

Adding purpose to our inherently purposeless existence is extremely important for our self-fulfillment. One highly effective way of doing this is indulging in friendship. In others, we may defend ourselves from all the things that threaten us, including ourselves, should a friend be willing to help you correct your faults.

- Take a note from the Mane 6
- - Be generous
- - - Spend time with others (generosity of spirit)
- - - Earn an appreciation for the efforts of others and offer them your support for their pursuits
- - - Expect nothing in return, but appreciate every bit of positivity that comes your way
- - Be honest
- - - That means with yourself (for a genuine core is the strongest one) and with others (for a sincere person is often reliable and trustworthy, and it makes you a better friend)
- - - Question all things and settle for nothing but truth, for if you question your beliefs and they hold the test of skepticism, they will be all the more strong for it, and if they do not, then you will be all the more ingelligent for it
- - Laugh!
- - - If you haven't been high on life at any time so far, good sir, then now is the time to discover your whimsicality
- - - Cultivate your sense of humor 'til it blooms with life and splendor
- - Be kind
- - - Do not push yourself or others so hard, but don't push yourself or others too softly, either
- - - Be understanding of the reasons behind every action; there is a reason for everything, and if you strive for understanding of that reasoning behind the thoughts and actions of yourself and your peers, you will find that you're a much better person for it
- - Stand loyal
- - - Believe strongly in yourself and your causes, and exhaust all information to the challenges you face before giving up that information in favor of new, better information (a lesson on skepticism)
- - - Trust that your friends wish you well, and stand by their decisions if they are worth standing for, even if you don't agree with them, yourself

These are all fine points for cultivating your social life. People in general love to be listened to, and perhaps they may listen to you too if you listen to them. Dishonesty is in all probability the most common fault we as a race possess, and it comes in many forms, but it is often underestimated. Don't underestimate how important being genuine and true is. Humor is a wonderful tool for connecting with people, and should be treated as such. The kindness you give to others is likely to be returned to you, and you'll find yourself more supported that way. And, being reasonably steadfast in your beliefs and standing by your friends will naturally solidify your character and make it easier for others to stand with you.

Friendship is practically insurmountable. Never forget that. Without it, we are so much more likely to fail.

- Indulge in passions
- - Passions are the purpose we give ourselves, and are thus EXTREMELY IMPORTANT
- - - Just as you affirm your purpose with the passions your life revolves around, don't forget to affirm the purpose of others with the sharing of passions
- - - Actively seek out and explore new passions for the sake of depth and fulfillment

Another note on adding purpose to our lives, passions. Seriously, they're important. They bring fulfillment and stuff. So, like, yeah.

So, those are some pointers on emotional balance. It becomes so much harder to concentrate if we're distressed, so doing everything you possibly can to satisfy your emotional wants / needs is a very good idea. Not merely satisfying fickle wants, though, but digging down to your roots to discipline yourself into a stronger resolve and eliminate the greed that displaces our contentment. Always remember your discipline.

As a final note on the subject, a little patience goes a long way. It helps to focus on the present, and remain in the moment. Should you be troubled by the path ahead, be that a certain or uncertain one, seek enjoyment somehow in the journey, and simply pass your destination along the way. Do not strain yourself, and take your time. It took me two years to properly begin on projection, and I'm still learning new things to this day. That's another note - remember your humility as well.

Also, just as a note, I've got... uhh, ADHD, a touch of bi-polar, and I'm an Aspie (high-functioning autistic), so my mind used to be full of fuck, and I know what it's like to have many things on the mind at once and not be able to concentrate. Don't sweat not being able to concentrate on one thing at a given time, though it'll take some practice before you discipline yourself effectively. Just don't try and suppress your nature. Those who seek to suppress nature never succeed in doing so for long.

Finally, the perspective. This really isn't all that much to worry about if you're of sound mind, but it's worth mentioning anyway.

Spoiler

There are two ways we experience reality - actually, and virtually. Actuality deals with what occurs independent of our perceptions, and virtuality results from the way we perceive things. Both occur and are real, but we must understand their context.

For example (and I mean no offense to anyone who believes in the 'real Equestria' or the multiverse or astral proejction or anything, I'm saying this from a tulpamancing perspective so this is in that context):
WRONG: Twilight Sparkle is actually standing in my room. She came from Equestria and is in love with me.
RIGHT: I see Twilight Sparkle standing in my room. She's not actually there, but because she appears to have a mind of her own and I can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch her, I'm quite okay with this. She's still real to me (even if to no one else), and I love her all the same.

So long as you know the difference between actuality and virtuality, you are sane. Both are equally real to you and thus it doesn't have to matter to you whether or not she's actually there. You are welcome to indulge, then, and still live a normal life. Just don't go on a holy crusade trying to prove your pony is actually there as a tulpamancer, that would be terribly dishonest and make you insecure at your core or otherwise completely insane.

Also, get yourself a plushie. It apparently helps. Try and surround yourself in the image of the mare you want to see every day, even if you're gonna close your eyes when you meditate, and... yeah.

And, if you can control your dreams, use them. Dreams are extremely helpful for garnering perspective and such. When asleep, our minds are so much more... functional. While we can't learn much about knowledge-based subjects, we can use our heightened intuition in a dreaming state to piece together things we'd never figure out on our own in the waking world. Accounting carefully and rationally for the flaws in this method of study, it's entirely possible to learn much from our dreams.

In regard to your second question, I figure that'd depend on the person. I project while awake and control my dreams often while I'm asleep. That also takes practice. Note that the things I project in a waking state have nothing to do with what I dream about (really just toying with my sense of touch while awake is all I do), and that I prefer to keep the fantasy and whatnot to a dreaming state. This also helps to eliminate confusion of what's actual and what's virtual, and what's real and what's not. And, it also helps because it's so much easier to perceive and implement things in a dreaming state. This is scientifically true. It feels good to be immersed in not only the person / people / pony / ponies / whatever the hell you wanna see, but the environment and stuff too. So... yeah, dreaming's my preference. I prefer to go to places, rather than bring the places to me.

I mean, do you want Alice in Wonderland, or Wonderland in Alice?

Oh, yeah, and try focusing on her personality. It helps to separate her from you mentally if you concentrate on that. Otherwise, try focusing on the way she feels, curled up against you, her heart beating against your chest, breathing slowly in and out in unison with you. That can be helpful too.

Here's a helpful post on personality-building that I put on RLPV in regard to creating an RP character, but it's actually the formula I've noticed generates within the projections I see walking around my dreams all the time.

Spoiler

Hey, guys. As an appreciator of roleplay and an avid roleplayer, myself, I'd like to share with you a little trick or two for coming up with a convincing character. So, please, take a seat. Perhaps you'll learn something!

I used to help up-and-coming writers in my town. After a long time of passing down knowledge, I now pass it on to you.



"Here is my usual list for hypothetical character design. Master it, and you will be able to come up with convincing characters in a matter of minutes." - This is what I say to anyone I give this list to. This is extremely useful for roleplay not only for shoring up existing characters, but also on the occasion you need to come up with a supporting character on the spot, one that might become a main character later on, or something. When you need to keep multiple characters, their personalities, traits, etc in mind all at once, having an organized mindset is -very- helpful. In any case, here's the list.

CHARACTER NAME: Name of character.

CHARACTER APPEARANCE: A brief description of the character's appearance, without including any, say, scars he or she has gotten. Typically one paragraph, and we can save stuff like scars for the idiosyncrasies section.

CHARACTER DIAMOND: The four core traits of the character. The character diamond is created by writing down, like, twenty or thirty adjectives on a piece of paper (in your mind when you get better at this), and then hacking and slashing off adjectives until you're left with four fairly-general terms. These traits will -never- change about the character, but may be buried under much strife and flaw. Just as they cannot be the same, they shouldn't conflict with one-another, either, or someone's gonna be messed up in the head. If having trouble knocking off adjectives, try to arrive at one good, one bad, and two neutral core traits.

CHARACTER BACKSTORY: A description of the events of the character's life from conception up to present. A seperate list of traits developed over this backstory should be kept for reference.

CHARACTER TRAITS: A seperate list of traits for reference developed over the backstory which shrouds the core temperament of a character. Details about how these traits came to be should be in the backstory.

CHARACTER LIKES, DISLIKES, AND IDIOSYNCRASIES: Just some extra things to define your character. This section may or may not be optional.



So, for an example, let's name our character Mike Hunt.

He'll be a young white man with straight brown hair, who favors the color brown in his usual day-to-day attire. Not very strong, wears glasses, and very, very slim.

Let's say he's... kind, caring, compassionate, jealous, vindictive, devious, awkward, and mellow. That's a fair list of adjectives. Now, we can combine kind / caring / compassionate into... say, altruistic, and jealous, vindictive, and devious into vindictive, but awkward and mellow kinda stand on their own. Are they good enough? Well, awkward seems fine, but mellow can probably be a better word, so let's change that to 'composed'

So the character diamond ends up being: altruistic, vindictive, awkard, and composed. None of those traits conflict with one-another, but none of them are the same as one-another, so we have a decent mix here.

The backstory could be very simple or very complex. For simplicity's sake, let's get this over with in five paragraphs. For convenience, I've placed all (or most, if I missed some) character diamond traits in stars.

Let's say Mike was born to a single mother and lived for most of his life thus far in an urban apartment complex. He would *often try and help* out around the house when he could walk around, but any time he got punished for something, and was never told why it was wrong, he always wanted to get *revenge* on his mom. Even if it ended badly for him.

When Mike started school, his fear of punishment stuck with him, and while under perfectly normal circumstances he's quite *composed,* he didn't want to take the chance and get to know anyone. Thus, he never played tag with the other children, but he'd be a help to the friendly authority figures in the school, like teachers. This *awkwardness* led him to have poor reputation among the other students, who hadn't a care for their classes nor their teachers. As he grew, the other children would poke fun at him, and he would often return home with *bottled fumes*.

Thus, as a child, Mike was a sweet boy, albeit a troublemaker, since he was influenced and pressured by the schoolyard kids. Sometimes saying things he didn't intend to say or doing things he didn't intend to do made him feel ashamed (having matured from early childhood and having a better sense of right and wrong), since he wanted to help his mother, and not be a problem for her. This *awkward* clash of good decisions versus bad decisions ends up downplaying his *vindictive* qualities and upplaying his *composed* qualities, as he practiced being composed and wanted to be more like the role models he admired, like his teachers, leading him to be better at being *altruistic*.

As he was growing, Mike discovered he could vent his frustrations in the middle/high school drama club, leading him to further develop his *composed* trait, and downplay his *vindictive* side because of how much venting he was getting in. In the drama club, he met a girl, and they dated all the way through high school. Normally, this would have been highly unlikely due to how *awkward* he usually is, but being at the peak of his youth - little anger, lots of love to give and take, a community in which he feels welcome, that being the drama club - he managed to ask her out.

This wouldn't last, however, as she went on to college and Mike had to stay behind and help his mother, who was getting sick. Despite her promise to remain faithful, Jennie Talia ended up cheating on him, and this - in combination with being out of school and in the drearily repetitive world of the high school job market with no outlet for frustration - left him devastated. Not to mention that one of his co-workers, a Canadian jerk named Jack Mehov, is not making work easy for him. It's like he was really young again, away from all the girls and boys, only this time, he had no good role models to look up to. Maybe his mother, but she took long enough.

That'll do for a decent backstory. I like to make up something really basic - like, 3-5 paragraphs - and then add more to it on the spot as I RP. But, not everyone does that. Please note that I didn't delve too far into other characters over the backstory - I didn't even mention their names - but mentioned a few specific things about specific characters - like their names - at the end of the backstory, since that's -present day-. That's a good idea: Remain focused on the character whose backstory it is, but tie them in reasonably to other characters' present day situations.

After that, we have the traits list. I like to include any traits which might shroud a character's core temperament, or any traits that are not a part of core temperament, on this list. These traits would manifest over the course of the backstory. For Mike Hunt, it would be as follows:
- Fearful of consequence, which may lead him to shy away from certain things, upplaying his awkward side and possibly downplaying composed.
- Resistant to pressure, having dealt with it up through childhood, upplaying composed and downplaying vindictiveness.
- Contrite, as in any time he pities his mother and regrets having given her trouble in the past, when he didn't know any better, which downplays his vindictive side and upplays composed.
- Angry, having been perceptibly betrayed by someone he really cared for, which downplays altruism and upplays vindictiveness.

And so on.

Likes and dislikes don't necessarily have to have any connection to the backstory, or anything really, but a character can establish likes and dislikes over their backstory.

Idiosyncrasies include things like evident disabilities, conditions, maybe scars, stuff like that. Defining features and such.

Intelligent design is not simple. Perspective is so very important, and it will take time to garner the necessary wisdom.

There was a second part of the post that may or may not carry some relevance. Just look at it from a technical perspective for intelligent design rather than from a roleplayer's perspective. Like, when I go on to explain the myth that 'events take precedence over interpersonal relations,' you can take from it that you should focus less on the things you do together with your pony and more on the interactions you have when you do them.

Here's that section:

Spoiler

Now, theory is great and all, but roleplay just isn't complete with theory alone. Thus, I have a few things to say about common mistakes or misconceptions among quite a few roleplayers.

1. Myth: OOC is always bad.

Immersion is great. So, understandably, many RPers don't like to dot their RP with OOC gunk when they're trying to be immersed. However, OOC chats can help immensely in figuring out how things that can't be discussed ICly are gonna work, among other things. So, while -too much- OOC is certainly a bad thing when trying to RP, -too little- can also be bad. Not necessarily, but it can be. So, I wouldn't shy away from it.

2. Mistake: Events take precedence over interpersonal relations.

Where in a good book have you been invested in something that just lets things happen to characters instead of giving you relatable characters who endure their non-contrived trials or tribulations in a relatable way? Nowhere, of course! Some people like to think that if enough really crazy stuff happens to a character, the character is deep or epic or something. This isn't the case. You don't make a character to simply have things happen to them (unless of course you're doing something like satire or something with that character), you make a character to -live- in the world you put them in, and then everything that happens to them is something that happens to you, too. This is the essence of good roleplay, where you put yourself in the place of your character(s) and laugh, weep, triumph, buckle, love, and hate alongside them. Even if your character(s) doesn't even share your own views, you feel for them. So, focus on interpersonal relations, and have fun throwing your characters under the bus if it means certain interactions will take place, because that's what you'll remember - the interactions, more than the events.

3. Mistake: LOOKING FOR CONTACT WITH A BRIGHT FLASHING NEON SIGN!!

Looking for contact is when a roleplayer is looking to be approached. A common mistake I've noticed among -many- RPers is that they may break their own character in order to approach or RP with someone. I was in a tavern once on World of Warcraft, and I saw only two people in the place - a chaotic-evil warlock with their demon out and therefore no regard for the law or anyone's opinion, and a holier-than-thou priest who carries immense resentment for anyone who would insult or jeapordize the Light. Can you guess what they did? They engaged in idle chatter. Granted, it'd be fine for characters of that sort to roleplay with each-other under the right conditions, but they were just in a bar. I imagine, realistically, the priest would have moved away from the warlock just to breathe different air. Maybe if they really wanted to RP, they could have gotten into an argument, but no, it was just tavern talk.

So, don't be distraught if exchanges between your character and another are short, or if you only make brief appearances for a while. Coming in at the right time will prevent your character from being contrivedly desperate for attention when they probably have a thousand other things to do in a day. *grinds teeth* And not bragging about being the world's biggest hero while spending each and every day in a bar in the Mage District because no one RPs outside cities... *grumbles*

4. Mistake: Failing to recognize that a character has their own life and business to tend to.

As I mentioned above, some folks will often break character in order to RP when limited contact is available. But, I wouldn't tell you not to do something and then not give you a way to make up for not doing it, so here we are on number four.

Remember that your characters have things to do every day, just like you. So often, I see RPers who have this really elaborate backstory about being a really epic hero or something, and then all they do is hang around taverns. At least, that would be the case for some RPers in WoW. As far as ponies go, some ponies seem to be derping / moping / whatever around their favorite place to sit alone and think about things a liiiiittle too often to really be believable. Y'know? Granted, I haven't ever seen RP around RLPV, but this list isn't to criticize anyone in particular around here, just to get a few notions out in open which may or may not be the case for the purpose of discussion.

I also mentioned above that a focus on interpersonal relations should take precedence over events. This focus should also allow an RPer to judge how their character would react to the actions, appearances, or ideas of other characters. Take a look at your character's likes and dislikes. It may seem like a trivial section, but imagine an up-and-coming paladin were to see a really powerful-looking one praying at the altar in a cathedral. The up-and-coming paladin wouldn't attract much attention at all from the really powerful one, I suppose, but maybe they'll go and approach the powerful one. Then, they start to chat about their common likes and dislikes - being paladins, those are almost bound to be similar among them - and maybe the up-and-coming paladin could join their order or something, and start training under them, and then they develop a long and intimate friendship over training, and then can go and fight evil together. As you can see, good stuff can happen without breaking character, if you know the right characters to approach and the right ones to stay away from.

By 'stay away from,' I don't necessarily mean disregard as far as OOC goes. Or even IC. Perhaps instead of staying away from them, you could develop a rivalry between your character and another, or perhaps some sort of hatred. And there are plenty of ways to add depth to either of those things.

Remember: Every character has -something- in common, and every character is also bound to have disagreements with any other character. You can establish great interpersonal relations for any occasion - dramatic, comedic, romantic, you name it - by exploring similarities between characters, and then also by seeing how their differences interact, all without your character going unrealistically out of their way to contact other characters.

5. Myth: In order for my character to be special, they must have lots of unique and bizarre things happen to them.

Some people seem to be under the false impression that their character needs to be special. They do not.

Everything has been done at least once, so toss hopes of being completely original out the window. Making a relatable character is far more important than making a character special, and you can actually make a character special by simply making them different. They'll still have their defining characteristics, their hardships, their triumphs, and all that jazz, but you'll be able to relate to them more, as will everyone else.

Now, it's entirely plausible to say that a noble, royal, or otherwise top-dog character is quite fine, and done well it can actually be really cool. However, when -everyone- is a regal character, the normal people start looking like the "special" ones. Oh, the irony...

In any case, my point is that all you need to do to be special is be yourself, because some parts of you will always be conventional, and some parts will never be. Heck, that goes for -your- personality besides whatever character(s) your roleplay as, too. Mike Hunt isn't a "special" character with crazy superpowers or kingly riches or feats of science that would make Einstein look like a drooling toddler, he's just a normal guy. And, yet, there's plenty of opportunity and potential for great roleplay, character development, and other things in him.

...But, if you do decide to give a character all sorts of neat powers, try and explore ways you can limit them. Like, Discord's practically limitless power was thwarted because of his prideful underestimation of the M6. Granted, he -did- defeat them, but they managed to make a comeback without him noticing. He was too busy having fun. So, while he is a godly character, he's still an interesting one, and it's not limitations of his power that caused it, but flaws in his personality.

6. Myth: I can only play one character at a time.

I've been engaged in an RP with a friend of mine for, like, months. It's just the two of us, and yet we RP several characters at the same time, and have already started and resolved many plots, sub-plots, and... well, I'm having a boatload of fun. So much dimension and drama and comedy and all that jazz to this RP. Like, recently, a few nights ago or so, several of our major plotlines just crashed into each-other - several characters died, a hero became a villain, a villain redeemed themself, and it was one heck of a dramatic night. I can't really go into more detail without going on a six-page rant, so I'll refrain. My point is that you can play more than one character at once, which could solve numerous problems, among them being a lack of contact.

Granted, you can always pick a 'main' character, or something, but keeping other characters around is typically a good idea. Just remember to keep their personality and stuff in mind so you don't mix them up with another character of yours, and then you break their character.

7. Upplays and downplays, and their application.

Blowing things out of proportion - glorifying, demonizing, the works - can serve to make a situation funnier than it actually is, or more dramatic, or something. As long as nothing's overplayed. I'd recommend experimenting with this and seeing if you can find some ways to do it.

In that RP I mentioned above, between my friend and I, either of us will sometimes make references to certain things to establish a certain mood, or link certain songs for background music during a certain scene, or use certain descriptive language to blow something up immensely.

I'll give you some examples.

There was a scene where a mare at a bakery sent a character's son off to go fetch another mare, who she needed to talk with about something. This other mare had been staying in bed for, like, days following the death of her dearest beloved, under the care of the colt's father. So, when the colt arrived at the house, and nopony seemed to be there, I suddenly jumped into this detailed description of a sudden storm, linked this image and Rainymood, and made it out to be a creepy experience, just walking up the stairs, approaching the room where she had been sobbing, through the dark hallway. The reason for this was because I thought, 'hey, children are sometimes scared when they're alone, so why don't we make this a little more like the epic quest he thought he was being sent on by this other mare?' So, looking through the colt's eyes, we took him on a scary (but brief) journey into dark and foreboding territory through his father's deserted home, save the sobbing of the mare upstairs, on a quest from a damsel in distress who needed the help of a hero. Upplay!

Upplaying danger can also be really cool to do. If your character just brushes off, like, changelings or something like they're no big deal, they become uninteresting. When there are legitimate threats lurking around that could potentially kill (or worse) your characters, things get intense. There were numerous points during the RP between my friend and I where characters were limited or something (overwhelming magical energy from close proximity to a powerful source of magic preventing spellcasting, constricted and forced to listen to a villain monologue until the -last- second before something just barely saved their behinds, various lethal environmental dangers, etc) and the situations they were in were -way- more intense as a result. This was why the episodes with Discord were so cool, in Return of Harmony - he couldn't be stopped, and actually succeeded in conquering the M6 for a period of time. He was a legitimate threat that they just -barely- were able to overcome.

You can play with character fear versus actual threat for additional dynamic.

And then there are other times when something really silly is happening, and someone links some silly song to add to it, like this, and then we just have fun sending characters running all over each-other in hilarious ways in the given situation where it's warranted.

So, yeah, give upplay and downplay a shot, I'd say.

Anyway, yeah, try going to her. Lay back, lie still, breathe, and let your mind wander. If it doesn't want to focus on one particular thing, just keep thinking and let the train of thought roll along. You might stumble across something cool. Just don't become too excited or too relaxed, but I already went over that.

I suppose this post is sufficient for now. If you have any more questions or anything, feel free to ask.

Edit: Also, what NintendoKnight said. The less sensory input (brighter colors / lights, loud noises, etc) clogging your mind, the better chances you'll have. Ambient music helps drown out unwanted sounds that could otherwise be very distracting, and covering your eyes and laying still in a dark room is nice. Don't scratch any itches, don't move save to breathe, etc. It may be a little annoying at first to not scratch any itches you might have, but you get used to it. They usually stop if you leave them alone.

Try this song, and keep it nice and soft. It's very ambient, and I leave it on every night as I fall asleep.

Spoiler