Rewards and Breakfast (5k1w)

[Anger, pain, fear, laughter—you habitually picked up on others' thoughts, making the manipulation of emotions second nature to you.

This showed in negotiations, and even more so in combat—turning gaps in other people's mental defenses into advantages of your own.

Clearly, your ability to do this stemmed from your already rich emotional awareness and experiences.]

[You have gained "Blade of the Mind":

By expending one use of "Poet's Inspiration," you can draw on your memories to evoke a particular emotion, such as satisfaction, fear, sorrow, anger, or calm... and infuse it into the weapon in your hand like a mental toxin. Lasts 1 minute.

When you hit someone with this weapon, the emotional toxin travels through the wound and directly affects their mind, changing their emotions according to the type of toxin, regardless of whether they have ever had a similar experience.

Only one emotion can exert an effect at a time, and that emotion deepens as the weapon deals more damage.

As time passes, the emotion gradually shifts through natural self-regulation.

Notes:

Why is violence the best way to resolve conflict? Because the more I slash you, the happier you become. Eventually, covered in wounds, you will be more than willing to sit down and have a good long chat with me.

Mind you, that's slashing with a blade, not lashing with a whip... though if that's what you want to do, that would be quite delightful too.]