Feral

Content Warning: Discussion of brain damage Discussion of death

If a psion pushes themself too far, they can cause enough damage to their brain that they lose all control. They gain unlimited access to any psionic techniques they previously knew, and will indiscriminately attack everyone around them. There is no cure for this state, and the only accepted treament is providing a swift death.

Fate Worse Than Death

The power of Psionics is fueled by metadimensional energy that floods the brain. Controlling this energy allows for superhuman feats, but every psion has a limit to how much control they can exert over such forces. Pushing past this limit is known as torching, and typically results in brain damage. In most cases, repeatedly torching kills the psion. However, if the damage is primarily within the frontal lobe, they instead become feral.
Feral psions attack anyone in sight with no concern for their own safety. They don't respond to their names or show signs they recognize their loved ones. They have incredible control over their psionics, giving them unlimited access to their techniques without fear of torching. With no ability to repair the damage that was done, the only accepted treatment is euthanasia.

Did you know?

Before psionics were understood, every psion either died or went feral. Ferals have been responsible for innumerable deaths throughout history, and fear of them bolsters bans of psionics and even psions themselves.

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Study & Experimentation

Studying feral psionic use has potential to unlock the secrets to risk-free psionics, but the Protectorate has outlawed examining live ferals. The concept is ethically questionable, and past attempts have always ended in tragedy.
Some ferals are the result of experiments. The Emerald Legion's attempts to improve psionics are notorious for this. These ferals often have access to more powerful abilities than they had in life, sometimes including abilities that haven't been seen before.

Controversy

There's periodic resurgence in demands to change the name. The argument is that "feral" is dehumanizing. People recall friends, colleagues, and family who died of the condition, and don't want to see the deceased reduced to such a bestial name.
Others are quick to point out that "feral" is meant to be dehumanizing. A feral psion is no longer the friend, colleague, or family member they once were. With no cure, people need to realize their loved one is already gone to make the next step less painful.

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If we follow the logic, the conclusions are grim.
Ferals compulsively use psionics with no ability to reason. This implies they are merely conduits for metadimensional energy. And what does that energy do? What techniques get used? None that are helpful, none that are benign. A feral only uses techniques that cause harm.
Further, what do they harm? No feral has been seen leveling vacant buildings. No. They only target living creatures. Their only purpose is to kill the people and animals that they encounter.
What else could this mean, if not that the metadimension wants us all dead?

— Lecture from a BSA Metapsionics professor

Information

Cause

Repeated overuse of psionics
Psionic experimentation (rare)

Treatment

None, euthanasia recommended

Symptoms

Non-responsiveness
Extreme violence

Parent

Metadimensional Extraversion Syndrome

Warning Signs

Several symptoms of frontal lobe brain damage will appear long before someone goes feral. These are typically expressed as sudden onsets of:

• Poor judgement
• Emotional disregulation
• Deteriorating speech patterns
• Irrational uses of psionics

Torching isn't the only potential cause of these symptoms. They should always be discussed with a doctor for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Author Commentary

Word Choice

I avoid describing feral psions as having "gone crazy", "mad", or "insane". In the real world, these words are used to paint people living with mental illness as being dangerous and irrational. This only serves to harm and stigmatize real people and real illnesses. I can find better ways to describe psychic zombies.