Prof's weakness

[Ragsiez]

Actually, it's not even failure. It's losing something competitive. He failed at killing David so it's not even at all failure. It's the competition of something simple. I don't think competition of other epics would render his powers.

He's careful and calculating so maybe luck is his weakness. Or or or ooh! Unpredictability.

Edited January 10, 2015 by Ragsiez

[AndrolGenhald]

If his weakness is unpredictability it seems like a stray bullet would kill him, which I seriously doubt.

I like the competition idea, but I feel like we might be missing something.

[my0t1]

I'm throwing another one here ....

 

 

His weakness is the fear of admitting he's vulnerable that he is weak some time.  

[dayman]

Profs weakness is tricking him. How about that. 

 

Seriously though, Prof should have told the crew his weakness if he was really all that concerned about going evil.

Edited January 10, 2015 by dayman

[Ragsiez]

Profs weakness is tricking him. How about that.

Seriously though, Prof should have told the crew his weakness if he was really all that concerned about going evil.

Oh? His group was infiltrated by Megan, which I think would be relatively easy for her, since she can make alternate reality. Why would you think he'd risk being sabotaged? He deemed that David was trying to sabotage the Reckoners group. Do you really think he can trust his crew? They're not even friends, they're just a group that goes along together without...y'know knowing each other. I don't think you'd tell your mates you barely know about your weakness. Also there's the risk of forced interrogation out of any captured Reckoners.

[Ragsiez]

If his weakness is unpredictability it seems like a stray bullet would kill him, which I seriously doubt.

I like the competition idea, but I feel like we might be missing something.

Oh, no no. I didn't mean accidental unpredictability. I meant when he's aware of the guy trying to do something...like a feint in boxing. You saw something coming but it hits you in another place.

Although the end-fight with Firefight...I don't think one time would render his powers to none but it weakens his powers.

It also says the sheilds he tried squeezing David or Firefight, were getting smaller and smaller...from my understanding.

[Fifth of Daybreak]

I just lent out my book, so I don't have the exact quotes and references, but on the lines of Prof never engaging of contests, we have Exel directly contradicting that. In their conversation when listening to the radio signal, Exel mentions that he once saw Prof lose to bluff in poker, and so they had empirical evidence he doesn't know everything. I could see maybe Exel saying this offhand as a joke, but it does seem to be a large disconnect between his story and Tia's. 

[A Joe in the Bush]

Page 186:

 

 

It could be that is his weakness, but he did it after becoming a Racketeer because he knew it was his weakness, but that's a bit far-fetched.

 

EDIT: Auto-Correct changed Reckoner to Racketeer. I like it.

Edited January 11, 2015 by The Only Joe

[junior]

Prof seems overly stuck on planning for everything.  If you can't plan for it, then it's not worth it.  On the one hand, it's good sense, particularly in the business that he's in (i.e. killing supervillains).  On the other, he sometimes seems just a touch obsessive about it.  And I got the impression that it was part of the reason why he was clashing with David.

 

 - David is a seat of the pants kind of guy.  Don't get me wrong.  David makes plans.  But he also improvises at the drop of a hat (something that Megan comments on at one point).  And one of Prof's conversations with David indicates that Prof has specifically *avoided* trying to recruit people with that particular talent in the past.

 - As already mentioned in this thread, Prof sat out the NASA random drawing contest.  There was presumably no downside to entering the drawing.  But he refused to do so simply because he doesn't like that sort of thing.  A random drawing is, by its nature, something that's impossible to plan around.

 - On one of the instances when David visits Prof while the latter is in seclusion, Prof is performing a simple chemical reaction that he used in the past to impress his young students.   Chemicals react in very specific ways when mixed, and that's something that can be planned for.  The suggestion is that he's using the familiar predictability to help himself feel grounded and return to his normal mind.

 

 

 

I don't think that Tia knows what Prof's weakness is.  I suspect that the usual epic paranoia about it applied even to him.  But I also suspect that - assuming she went to ground before Prof could kill her - she knows enough about him to figure it out using David's new revelations regarding the connection between weaknesses and fear.

[Edgedancer]

Prof seems overly stuck on planning for everything.  If you can't plan for it, then it's not worth it.  On the one hand, it's good sense, particularly in the business that he's in (i.e. killing supervillains).  On the other, he sometimes seems just a touch obsessive about it.  And I got the impression that it was part of the reason why he was clashing with David.

Prof usually is the first one to agree with David´s improvising and that is assuming he didn´t rush of already. As the book points out multiple time the two of them are similar and their tendency to rush into danger isn´t the exception to that.

Edited January 12, 2015 by Edgedancer

[A Joe in the Bush]

It's more that Prof is willing to rush off, since he's confident he can survive, but at the same time plans to make sure the others survive as well. If he was a lone-gunman, there would be a lot more attacks of opportunity.

[lyssie95]

I'm curious if a game of russian roulette would kill Prof

[junior]

In and of itself, I suspect he'd survive even if he pulled the trigger all six times.  However, I think we're generally on the right track here.  There's just something that we haven't figured out yet.

[Bronzeheart]

I've got an interesting idea. What if Prof's weakness is something like failing to protect someone that he cares for? It's possible that he has nightmares about the deaths of his students at the hands of another Epic and thus he is afraid of failing to protect others, which became his weakness after he gained his Epic powers. Following this tangent, what if Tia sacrifices herself in Calamity in order to bring about Prof's defeat? It was mentioned in Firefight that Prof and Tia have dated at some point in time, so he obviously cares for her in some way.

Edited January 14, 2015 by Bronzeheart

[Argent]

I think that's a little far-fetched. Maybe possible, but it doesn't fit in my mind.

 

At this point I want to fall back to something with "random chance". Somebody should ask Brandon if Prof can be recover from losing a game of Russian Roulette. 

[AndrewStirlingMacDonald]

Argent, that is an awesome question. I'm going to the Philly signing of Firefight; I'll ask him then. Let's hope it doesn't get RAFO'd.

[platy21]

I like the random chance idea, how would David be able to use something like that against Prof? The only thing that comes to mind is a firing squad type idea - thoughts?

[Argent]

Depends what exactly the weakness is. It might be as simple as "spray and pray" though I personally very much doubt it. 

[kuchapel]

I think its Luck...his weakness is a scenario where he has to rely or accept...luck...Faith...

 

(The book looks to be taking quiet a lot of time foreshadowing religion and faith - The faithful, Angel, 4 horsemen, David's unwavering faith in people being good inside, etc...)

 

 

To make him lose powers...you have to confront him with a situation where there is no logic...he has to trust his gut or luck or Have faith.

 

 

Unfortunately this could be hard for them...when your practically indestructible...there's not a lot of "lucky based" scenarios you can force someone into.

 

 

Ex:

 

A: Goes by professor, his identity is tied to his drive for logic.

 

 

B: feels most in control when experimenting (notice the experiments didn't calm him in fireflight as he claimed...but the science instead prodded him into using his powers) , or planning out details to a plan, and doing things his way and by the plan on a mission. (Not and exact quote)..."The Reckoners are not brave and fool hearty...they plan and execute detailed traps against minor epics"

 

 

C: Lost to a bluff...he lost a rather calculative and logical game to pure luck (not a loss of power as much as a foreshadow of character. Unable to  "bet against logic"

 

 

D: Appeared to be himself the most around David a "unpredictable, brash, go with his gut" kind of guy. That's why he keeps David around...his defiance of logic...his luck in SO many situations help prof stay normal.

 

 

E: Cant have faith in Meghan or Regalia being redeemable. All of his logic and evidence says otherwise. (Thus why he had to gift away his powers when David showed up to save Meghan...he couldn't do it himself when he realized he was wrong)

 

 

F: Why he trusted Meghan...her no nonsense love for planning and logic and hatred for improvising and luck was right up his alley.

 

 

G:  Finally...and yes its cheesy...there is no logic to love...he especially keeps Tia around to remind himself that some things cannot be explained...they just are.

 

 

 

As for why this insecurity : Just a bit of fan fiction...I think him and Tia were trying to have kids (notice the professors love for his kids... teaching...etc..) but eventually The sonogram showed there being problems....and he lost their child during pregnancy. Defying logic (they took all the right pills...and did all the right steps) and planting the insecurity of his inability to protect Tia and his child. Hes always had problem with "Bad odds" and its killing him that they are against him having a child...thus his emotional "Reach out and acceptance" of Calamity.

 

 

So....since we're pretty certain your powers are based on your fears....He is gifted the ultimate protection (force fields), Healing (even from the brink of death), Sonic vibrations (the sonograms telling him something was wrong) -that one's a stretch

 

 

I don't know... Too dark for a YA series? too mature for the teen crowed...probably. Easier answer is epic blew up his school and he got the powers to dig out the kids, protect them from falling debris and heal the injured. 

 

 

*Edit* Also...how much prof freaks out when meghan comes back and starts messing with his powers...david says it himself..."Epics freak out when you do things to them they cannot explain"...he kept trying to take the most logical approach *bubble squish* but saw real fear because it was illogically getting messed with (he couldnt comprehend the dimension powers)

Edited January 15, 2015 by kuchapel

[Izero]

Hi all, new member here.

I agree with the posts about the failure thing. Though I specifically think his fear is failing others.

For example, pre David, the reckoners only ever undertook small attacks, that could be well planned and wouldn't risk the other reckoners, also didn't want them to see him in a negative light. He only ever uses his powers to save or protect others, if he doesn't then his weakness is exposed. This is why he is a hero and started the reckoners, not because he genuinely is but because he has to.

It also explains the gambling thing, he was only letting himself down. I can't exactly remember the details of the coin slot thing, was he on a date - would losing mean he let Tia down in his own mind?

Edit - actually I thought I had contradicted myself with the gambling thing but maybe it was deliberate to not beat the other person? So that might mean being seen in a bad light isn't it, just the letting down.

Edited January 16, 2015 by Izero

[Edgedancer]

Hi all, new member here.

I agree with the posts about the failure thing. Though I specifically think his fear is failing others.

For example, pre David, the reckoners only ever undertook small attacks, that could be well planned and wouldn't risk the other reckoners, also didn't want them to see him in a negative light. He only ever uses his powers to save or protect others, if he doesn't then his weakness is exposed. This is why he is a hero and started the reckoners, not because he genuinely is but because he has to.

It also explains the gambling thing, he was only letting himself down. I can't exactly remember the details of the coin slot thing, was he on a date - would losing mean he let Tia down in his own mind?

Edit - actually I thought I had contradicted myself with the gambling thing but maybe it was deliberate to not beat the other person? So that might mean being seen in a bad light isn't it, just the letting down.

Prof definitely failed David and the other Reckoners, when he started to murder them. So this doesn´t seem that plausible either.

[Izero]

Very true, didn't think about that.. But maybe he has to believe he has, so in his rage he was blind to it. Once the force field was reversed, he snapped out of his rage and was able to think clearly thus bringing on his weakness and running. Too complex?

[AndrewStirlingMacDonald]

Prof definitely failed David and the other Reckoners, when he started to murder them.

This is definitely the best quote I've seen all day.

 

 

I think its Luck...his weakness is a scenario where he has to rely or accept...luck...Faith...

 

(The book looks to be taking quiet a lot of time foreshadowing religion and faith - The faithful, Angel, 4 horsemen, David's unwavering faith in people being good inside, etc...)

 

 

To make him lose powers...you have to confront him with a situation where there is no logic...he has to trust his gut or luck or Have faith.

 

 

Unfortunately this could be hard for them...when your practically indestructible...there's not a lot of "lucky based" scenarios you can force someone into.

 

 

As for why this insecurity : Just a bit of fan fiction...I think him and Tia were trying to have kids (notice the professors love for his kids... teaching...etc..) but eventually The sonogram showed there being problems....and he lost their child during pregnancy. Defying logic (they took all the right pills...and did all the right steps) and planting the insecurity of his inability to protect Tia and his child. Hes always had problem with "Bad odds" and its killing him that they are against him having a child...thus his emotional "Reach out and acceptance" of Calamity.

 

 

So....since we're pretty certain your powers are based on your fears....He is gifted the ultimate protection (force fields), Healing (even from the brink of death), Sonic vibrations (the sonograms telling him something was wrong) -that one's a stretch

 

 

I don't know... Too dark for a YA series? too mature for the teen crowed...probably. Easier answer is epic blew up his school and he got the powers to dig out the kids, protect them from falling debris and heal the injured. 

 

 

*Edit* Also...how much prof freaks out when meghan comes back and starts messing with his powers...david says it himself..."Epics freak out when you do things to them they cannot explain"...he kept trying to take the most logical approach *bubble squish* but saw real fear because it was illogically getting messed with (he couldnt comprehend the dimension powers)

 

I like the way your theory sounds, kuchapel. I don't know if your fan fiction is anything like reality, but it isn't out of the question - Brandon himself has said that the series bridges the gap between YA and actual adult themes, and it has definitely had some stuff in it that would've made me squirm as a teen... Megan's ressurection scene, for example....

Edited January 16, 2015 by AndrewStirlingMacDonald

[natiels]

I think this is on the right track.

Perhaps his weakness is related to his class of children.  Then again, I imagine that when Prof first got his powers, he may have just killed them all.

 

Here is my theory.  

Quote from the book here on page 240 (i am on the ebook so its hard to tell, it might be back or forward a page)

 

In the background, over the line, I heard a child crying. "Can you quiet her?" Prof snapped to someone.

 

Maybe this line was just to express Prof's annoyance and show how his attitude was being changed by using his powers, but I think it might be a clue to his weakness.  Crying children could definitely be part of his nightmares if he was at the school when it happened.

[Argent]

It's certainly a good line of reasoning.