Why did Megan get "Those" Powers

[kuchapel]

So if being a epic comes with these assumptions...

 

Weakness = Biggest fears

and

Powers = Some semblance of control over those fears (Regalia thought David would get water control powers because he was afraid of water) 

 

What could have given Megan reality controlling powers? 

 

 

Bonus question: If alt reality Megan was a human torch because Megan weakness is fire (her opposite) would alt reality Megan's (who's a human torch) weakness be reality? Loss of reality? Reality TV? 

[Redbird]

Probably reality tv, actually, that is a very interesting point.

[skaa]

I don't think Regalia knew that David was afraid of water. She wanted him to get water powers in honor of Waterlog, the Epic killed to make the spyril, which Regalia has seen David use. It's something she requested Calamity, not something she deduced. From what we've seen so far, the nature of an Epic's power does not necessarily relate to his weakness.

Edited January 22, 2015 by skaa

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

I like the idea of powers giving Epics control over their fears, but it's hard to say how electricity powers gave Sourcefield control over being poisoned. It might fit, what with it allowing her to become intangible and thus immune to poison, but it's a bit of a stretch.

Edited January 22, 2015 by TwiLyghtSansSparkles

[Kobold King]

Nor does it explain Newton's powerset--control over momentum and enhanced speed really have nothing at all to do with meeting a family's expectations. Not unless her family had some really strange expectations for their daughter.

 

I like the idea, but it seems like if it were true, we'd see a lot more direct correlation between weaknesses and powers. Nightwielder's the only Epic who could fit with this theory, and we have no idea why he's scared of sunlight in the first place.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

Nor does it explain Newton's powerset--control over momentum and enhanced speed really have nothing at all to do with meeting a family's expectations. Not unless her family had some really strange expectations for their daughter.

I like the idea, but it seems like if it were true, we'd see a lot more direct correlation between weaknesses and powers. Nightwielder's the only Epic who could fit with this theory, and we have no idea why he's scared of sunlight in the first place.

"You must deflect all bullets and outrun every foe while they appear to stand still before you!"

"So...you basically want me to be Neo from The Matrix?"

"Yes! Be Neo or we will cut you out of your inheritance!"

"Why can't you just want me to get good grades like everyone else's parents?"

My guess: skin cancer. It's UV light that causes his powers to short out.

[DataLoreHD]

When Megan regenerated, could she do the same thing as Scarlet Witch? "NO MORE EPIC!"

[Voidus]

Nor does it explain Newton's powerset--control over momentum and enhanced speed really have nothing at all to do with meeting a family's expectations. Not unless her family had some really strange expectations for their daughter.

 

I like the idea, but it seems like if it were true, we'd see a lot more direct correlation between weaknesses and powers. Nightwielder's the only Epic who could fit with this theory, and we have no idea why he's scared of sunlight in the first place.

Well given that WoB we got we know there's something weird going on with Nightwielder, UV light might not be related to his fears.

[Redbird]

Which WoB is that?

[Voidus]

Newan got it from a signing, I heard it through a PM, not sure if it's been posted anywhere though.

[kuchapel]

"You must deflect all bullets and outrun every foe while they appear to stand still before you!"

"So...you basically want me to be Neo from The Matrix?"

"Yes! Be Neo or we will cut you out of your inheritance!"

"Why can't you just want me to get good grades like everyone else's parents?"

My guess: skin cancer. It's UV light that causes his powers to short out.

 

OR.....

She was a youth with a troubled past who never got the acceptance she wanted from her parents...so she ran away...and was afraid of being caught. 

 

He greatest fear could be the idea that her parents did accept her and thus made her running away and all the trouble it caused pointless. So she continues to run and avoid being caught...but deep down inside fears that shell be accepted and it was all for nothing. 

[ChocolateRob]

Epic powers are based on dreams, weaknesses are based on nightmares. People's nightmares tend to be based around the one thing that they fear the most but their dreams can be a lot more varied and do not need to be based on something so specific (anything you hear can be caught in the subconscious and fire the imagination in odd ways), hence varied powers but only one weakness.

If Epic's powers gave them a semblance of power over their fears then a lot more of them would be learning to face their fears and breaking free of the corruption.

 

I imagine that to become an Epic you would need to have a combination of a deep seated fear that manifests in your nightmares and dreams of having some kind of powers. Many people may have nightmares and many may have empowering dreams but fewer would have both strongly enough.

 

I'm a light sleeper and I don't tend to remember my dreams very well. I don't get nightmares but I occasionally have nightannoyances, things that could be akin to nightmares but rather than generating fear them I get a detached sense of 'this is annoying, I wish it would stop bothering me'. I've sometimes had a dream of flying so I guess that would be my only power but a lack of nightmares would disqualify me from becoming an Epic. (I once had a nightannoyance of being lost in the backstreets of Damascus because I was up late playing Assassins Creed, not terrifying merely exasperating.)

[taveren]

maybe Nightwielder had skin cancer

[Wrath]

I don't think Regalia knew that David was afraid of water. She wanted him to get water powers in honor of Waterlog, the Epic killed to make the spyril, which Regalia has seen David use. It's something she requested Calamity, not something she deduced. From what we've seen so far, the nature of an Epic's power does not necessarily relate to his weakness.

 

When she said "I've been assured that they will be fitting" (or something along those lines) I figured that rather than water powers David was going to be given powers relating to his nickname of Steelslayer. At the time I thought he was going to get the power to control metal and raise the bridge out of the water or something.

[Dankworth]

When she said "I've been assured that they will be fitting" (or something along those lines) I figured that rather than water powers David was going to be given powers relating to his nickname of Steelslayer. At the time I thought he was going to get the power to control metal and raise the bridge out of the water or something.

 

She said that she'd  "...been promised that they will be 'thematically appropriate'..." (p.344) I thought he would get steel powers too and maybe he would have, if he'd accepted them.

 

Interesting thought; since he'd already faced down his fear of the ocean, would he have been able to pick up the powers without ever feeling the corruption, or would he have gotten it anyway, maybe with his weakness based off of his next-worst fear?

[Wrath]

Right, right "thematically appropriate." I listened to the audiobook version so it's hard to track down a single line for reference Thanks.

 

That is an interesting thought... I think we can somewhat safely assume that the weakness would either have been based on another fear or somehow re-activated his fear of water if David had actually become an Epic, because otherwise he turned down powers for no good reason.

[skaa]

That is an interesting thought... I think we can somewhat safely assume that the weakness would either have been based on another fear or somehow re-activated his fear of water if David had actually become an Epic, because otherwise he turned down powers for no good reason.

 

Which is why I think he still obtained powers anyway; he just didn't realize it in the book. I think David is the first Epic who was sane (and awake, unlike Dawnslight) from the start.

 

Prediction: David will start dreaming about being in water, but not being afraid of it. He won't realize the implications of this until he accidentally activates his powers later.

Edited January 30, 2015 by skaa

[Wrath]

Prof gifted him afterwards, though.

[skaa]

Prof gifted him afterwards, though.

 

A fact that I tackled in an earlier post.

[Ari]

Prof gifted him afterwards, though.

 

Whether that matters depends on if gifting is impossible to epics in general, or just epics that have gone through the Rending. It's definitely possible that David has powers lying dormant, although I think narratively it works better for the book if he did genuinely turn down the powers, the ability to do so being dependant on conquering your fear of your potential weakness would make a lot of sense with the things we discovered about Epics in Firefight.

[Smidge]

It could just be that Calamity chooses the powers that it gives people rather than there being any sort of rule to them like there are with weaknesses. So Nightwielder could be explained just by Calamity thinking it was a neat idea to give a guy with a fear of sunlight the power to block out the sun (perhaps because with any other powers he'd be a pretty lame epic with an obvious weakness).

[Lightning]

She said that she'd  "...been promised that they will be 'thematically appropriate'..." (p.344) I thought he would get steel powers too and maybe he would have, if he'd accepted them.

 

Interesting thought; since he'd already faced down his fear of the ocean, would he have been able to pick up the powers without ever feeling the corruption, or would he have gotten it anyway, maybe with his weakness based off of his next-worst fear?

 

When David was offered the powers, he felt them and called them tainted.  He had already overcome his fear, so what he was being offered was corrupt independent of any fear he might have needed to overcome.

 

So no, I don't think he would have been able to pick up the powers without feeling the corruption, because he had faced his fears and yet still felt the corruption inherent in the offer.  He rightly refused the "gift".

[Lord Tavash Shar]

I would disagree that the powers we have seen do not in some way compensate for or compliment an epics fears.

 

Mitosis - While his weekness was his music his dialogue was Pretty clear that he had liked playing at one point. Enough so to be Classically trained as a musician and probably imagined more then once the convenience of being able to be a one man band.

 

Newton - Her weekness was compliments and we notice that a large number of her powers were based around Running away from people and deflecting things. 

 

Steelheart - I don't know if you know to much about Bullies or jails. But there not nice to say the least. In both cases though before you can do much you have to establish what your relationship with others is and in most cases. You try to make them fear you.

Prison shanks are made of some crazy things and being able to turn a plastic spoon to steel would be very useful just before you user it. Add to that invincible skin and the rest of steelhearts powers and you have some one who would be top of the prison yard in under a few hours.

 

Firefight - When your in a situation like a burning house or lost in the woods. You would give anything to have made different choices. To just be some where else.

 

Conflux - Depending on where you live dogs being controlled with fancy things like electronic fences and shock collars can be very common and its very inconvenient when they stop working.

Phaedrus - While we do not know a lot about Phaedrus and his past yet. I'm personally betting on something tragic having happened to the school where he worked. At which point his powers are Amazingly well geared to rescue work. Dissolving rubel, Shielding from blasts, healing, and transferring his powers to others are all amazing powers.
Could you imagine what it would have been like to have some one with those abilities back on September 11? Or even in your local fire department?

Obliteration - The man thinks him self a Destroying angel of god, Before that he thought of him self as a servant of the Almighty. His powers are very appropriate for someone with those sorts of... Asperations. Complete with Glowing form when he is about to pass judgement.

 

In short I'm even more sure of an Earlier post of mine Here: http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/4192-theory-difference-between-epics-and-high-epics-spoilers/

[kuchapel]

I would disagree that the powers we have seen do not in some way compensate for or compliment an epics fears.

 

Mitosis - While his weekness was his music his dialogue was Pretty clear that he had liked playing at one point. Enough so to be Classically trained as a musician and probably imagined more then once the convenience of being able to be a one man band.

 

Newton - Her weekness was compliments and we notice that a large number of her powers were based around Running away from people and deflecting things. 

 

Steelheart - I don't know if you know to much about Bullies or jails. But there not nice to say the least. In both cases though before you can do much you have to establish what your relationship with others is and in most cases. You try to make them fear you.

Prison shanks are made of some crazy things and being able to turn a plastic spoon to steel would be very useful just before you user it. Add to that invincible skin and the rest of steelhearts powers and you have some one who would be top of the prison yard in under a few hours.

 

Firefight - When your in a situation like a burning house or lost in the woods. You would give anything to have made different choices. To just be some where else.

 

Conflux - Depending on where you live dogs being controlled with fancy things like electronic fences and shock collars can be very common and its very inconvenient when they stop working.

Phaedrus - While we do not know a lot about Phaedrus and his past yet. I'm personally betting on something tragic having happened to the school where he worked. At which point his powers are Amazingly well geared to rescue work. Dissolving rubel, Shielding from blasts, healing, and transferring his powers to others are all amazing powers.

Could you imagine what it would have been like to have some one with those abilities back on September 11? Or even in your local fire department?

Obliteration - The man thinks him self a Destroying angel of god, Before that he thought of him self as a servant of the Almighty. His powers are very appropriate for someone with those sorts of... Asperations. Complete with Glowing form when he is about to pass judgement.

 

In short I'm even more sure of an Earlier post of mine Here: http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/4192-theory-difference-between-epics-and-high-epics-spoilers/

 

agreed....a manifestation of their deepest desire for control. 

 

Slight tweak

Your under high stress.....you realize you have no control...and you snap!...boom your an epic. And whatever made you lose that sense of control is now your weakness. 

[Blackhoof]

I would disagree that the powers we have seen do not in some way compensate for or compliment an epics fears.

 

Mitosis - While his weekness was his music his dialogue was Pretty clear that he had liked playing at one point. Enough so to be Classically trained as a musician and probably imagined more then once the convenience of being able to be a one man band.

 

Newton - Her weekness was compliments and we notice that a large number of her powers were based around Running away from people and deflecting things. 

 

Steelheart - I don't know if you know to much about Bullies or jails. But there not nice to say the least. In both cases though before you can do much you have to establish what your relationship with others is and in most cases. You try to make them fear you.

Prison shanks are made of some crazy things and being able to turn a plastic spoon to steel would be very useful just before you user it. Add to that invincible skin and the rest of steelhearts powers and you have some one who would be top of the prison yard in under a few hours.

 

Firefight - When your in a situation like a burning house or lost in the woods. You would give anything to have made different choices. To just be some where else.

 

Conflux - Depending on where you live dogs being controlled with fancy things like electronic fences and shock collars can be very common and its very inconvenient when they stop working.

Phaedrus - While we do not know a lot about Phaedrus and his past yet. I'm personally betting on something tragic having happened to the school where he worked. At which point his powers are Amazingly well geared to rescue work. Dissolving rubel, Shielding from blasts, healing, and transferring his powers to others are all amazing powers.

Could you imagine what it would have been like to have some one with those abilities back on September 11? Or even in your local fire department?

Obliteration - The man thinks him self a Destroying angel of god, Before that he thought of him self as a servant of the Almighty. His powers are very appropriate for someone with those sorts of... Asperations. Complete with Glowing form when he is about to pass judgement.

 

In short I'm even more sure of an Earlier post of mine Here: http://www.17thshard.com/forum/topic/4192-theory-difference-between-epics-and-high-epics-spoilers/

 

I think you are stretching with some of those, although some certainly seem to work.

You stretched I feel with Steelheart, Conflux and Firefight, but the others seemed like they fit well.

 

But then consider Fortuity- what is the connection between being publicly humiliated by a pretty woman and the ability to sense incoming danger? Yeah, you could say "to sense the incoming situation/danger" but that applies to any weakness he could have. 

Or Sourcefield- there is literally no connection whatsoever between Kool-Aid and electricity.

 

I just think that while sometimes Calamity picks powers that seem to complement the weakness (Nightwielder being the best example) this is not often the case.