Possible David Power? Spoilers!

[Blackhoof]

Name: Protagonist

Primary Power: Plot Shot: Able to defeat any enemy with the luckiest and most unlikely of hits/shots, if doing so at that time is dramatic enough.

Secondary Power: Endless Clip: Never runs out of ammo when firing a gun, unless doing so would be dramatic.

Passive: Plot Armour: Never suffers any fatal wounds, supernatural luck causing not a single bullet or blow to hit them. Also shrugs off wounds that should be incapacitating to the arms or legs. Explosions, no matter the range, only cause dirt and a few scratches.

Weakness: Unconventional Author: If the Protagonist is within 100 yards of an author that has killed off main characters before, he or she loses their powers

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

Name: Protagonist

Primary Power: Plot Shot: Able to defeat any enemy with the luckiest and most unlikely of hits/shots, if doing so at that time is dramatic enough.

Secondary Power: Endless Clip: Never runs out of ammo when firing a gun, unless doing so would be dramatic.

Passive: Plot Armour: Never suffers any fatal wounds, supernatural luck causing not a single bullet or blow to hit them. Also shrugs off wounds that should be incapacitating to the arms or legs. Explosions, no matter the range, only cause dirt and a few scratches.

Weakness: Unconventional Author: If the Protagonist is within 100 yards of an author that has killed off main characters before, he or she loses their powers

I vote the range on his weakness be expanded to within 10 miles of George R. R. Martin.

[Edgedancer]

I vote the range on his weakness be expanded to within 10 miles of George R. R. Martin.

He's already always in the range of Brandon, so we'll never even notice he's an Epic.Appart from the fact that others couldn't gift to him anymore.  

One could also argue that GRRM doesn't so much kill main characters as he's killing glorrfied side characters to distract us from the main plot not advancing at all.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

He's already always in the range of Brandon, so we'll never even notice he's an Epic.Appart from the fact that others couldn't gift to him anymore.

One could also argue that GRRM doesn't so much kill main characters as he's killing glorrfied side characters to distract us from the main plot not advancing at all.

I think he just likes killing off characters. "Fiction's most notorious serial killer" indeed.

[Edgedancer]

I think he just likes killing off characters. "Fiction's most notorious serial killer" indeed.

Game of Thrones spoiler.

Honestly, looking at it objectively I don't think he's that deservant of that title. Sure, he's making it hurt by letting you know about those characters but he isn't really taking up stakes for his story at large. For one the deaths really only happen in the seven Kingdoms, which arguably is only one gigantic side plot to the Winter and Danerys storylines. On the other hand characters that aren't taking part in the game have a much higher chance of survival, especially Danerys would have died twenty times over, if she was dealing with the Lanisters and co.

That only becomes more apparent if one considers that the original title of the series isn't Game of Thrones but "A Song of Ice and Fire" which referes to some good old fashioned phrophecy. So yeah all these characters he's killing? Ultimately rather unimportant.

[Voidus]

Game of Thrones spoiler.

Honestly, looking at it objectively I don't think he's that deservant of that title. Sure, he's making it hurt by letting you know about those characters but he isn't really taking up stakes for his story at large. For one the deaths really only happen in the seven Kingdoms, which arguably is only one gigantic side plot to the Winter and Danerys storylines. On the other hand characters that aren't taking part in the game have a much higher chance of survival, especially Danerys would have died twenty times over, if she was dealing with the Lanisters and co.

That only becomes more apparent if one considers that the original title of the series isn't Game of Thrones but "A Song of Ice and Fire" which referes to some good old fashioned phrophecy. So yeah all these characters he's killing? Ultimately rather unimportant.

I'm inclined to agree, personally the deaths in ASOIAF tended to be a bit hollow for me, there's just not the same emotional punch that some other authors have.

In terms of pure numbers there are a number of sci-fi series that wipe out entire planets so he can't claim that title either. And there are also quite a few series that end with the death of literally every major character.

[Patrick Star]

I'm inclined to agree, personally the deaths in ASOIAF tended to be a bit hollow for me, there's just not the same emotional punch that some other authors have.

In terms of pure numbers there are a number of sci-fi series that wipe out entire planets so he can't claim that title either. And there are also quite a few series that end with the death of literally every major character.

 

Hodor Hodor.  Hodor?  Hodor; Hodor Hodor!  Hodor, Hodor Hodor Hodor Hodor Hodor?!  Hodor.

[Kobold King]

Hodor Hodor.  Hodor?  Hodor; Hodor Hodor!  Hodor, Hodor Hodor Hodor Hodor Hodor?!  Hodor.

 

I am Groot.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

What I wouldn't give to hear a political debate between those two.

[Kobold King]

What I wouldn't give to hear a political debate between those two.

 

* shrugs *

 

I am Groot.

[Voidus]

I am a stick.

[Patrick Star]

What I wouldn't give to hear a political debate between those two.

 

[coffeefueled]

I had a couple of thoughts. While we know epics can't be gifted, and can be detected, does that apply while they're unpowered - such as when suffering from their weakness? I doubt that's ever been tested.

And if that is the case, what if David's fear of water is a red herring and his actual fear is being an epic and suffering corruption? He then wouldn't actually benefit from or even be able to use any powers that he might have until he'd dealt with that fear, which he might never do.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

I had a couple of thoughts. While we know epics can't be gifted, and can be detected, does that apply while they're unpowered - such as when suffering from their weakness? I doubt that's ever been tested.

And if that is the case, what if David's fear of water is a red herring and his actual fear is being an epic and suffering corruption? He then wouldn't actually benefit from or even be able to use any powers that he might have until he'd dealt with that fear, which he might never do.

I doubt the circumstances would make a difference. Weaknesses don't affect other aspects of Epicness, like the corruption; even when exposed to their weakness, an Epic is still an Epic.

Furthermore, Calamity seems to want his Epics to use their powers to the point of total corruption. So why would he prey on a fear that would make David unable o use his powers, ever?

[coffeefueled]

I doubt the circumstances would make a difference. Weaknesses don't affect other aspects of Epicness, like the corruption; even when exposed to their weakness, an Epic is still an Epic.

Furthermore, Calamity seems to want his Epics to use their powers to the point of total corruption. So why would he prey on a fear that would make David unable o use his powers, ever?

Is there any evidence that weaknesses don't make a difference? I'd say that there's some suggestion they do - each time weaknesses have been triggered the epic seems to become uncertain, even regretful in some cases we've seen. They just generally don't live long enough, or have the weakness triggered long enough, for us to actually see any psychological change.

 

As to Calamity - that seems to be assuming that Calamity chooses what powers and weakness to give someone, rather than simply empowering them and their own mind/body sorting out how the power is then expressed (or not expressed as the case may be). All we've had on the powers that Calamity grants is that they're thematically appropriate, but that might not be a choice of his.

 

I also think he's got a somewhat different, and even possibly nobler (but more cowardly) motivation than simply trying to corrupt people and cause damage - but that's for elsewhere.

Edited May 14, 2015 by coffeefueled

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

Okay, I had another thought on the "David's real fear is becoming an Epic" front.

Nowhere else in the series does David exhibit a fear of being made an Epic. If becoming an Epic was indeed his greatest fear, it seems there would be at least one passage in Steelheart where he ponders what it would be like to become an Epic, how awful he thinks it would be, how he hopes he's never chosen for it. He never mentions this. Not once does he acknowledge it as a possibility until Regalia lets him know it's possible, and that is the only time we see him fear it--when it's actually about to happen. If becoming an Epic were David's greatest fear, I think it would have been mentioned earlier.

[Voidus]

Okay, I had another thought on the "David's real fear is becoming an Epic" front.

Nowhere else in the series does David exhibit a fear of being made an Epic. If becoming an Epic was indeed his greatest fear, it seems there would be at least one passage in Steelheart where he ponders what it would be like to become an Epic, how awful he thinks it would be, how he hopes he's never chosen for it. He never mentions this. Not once does he acknowledge it as a possibility until Regalia lets him know it's possible, and that is the only time we see him fear it--when it's actually about to happen. If becoming an Epic were David's greatest fear, I think it would have been mentioned earlier.

Excellent point.

So far, it's slightly more likely that his true fear is everyone finding out that he's secretly a brick made of porridge. 

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

Excellent point.

So far, it's slightly more likely that his true fear is everyone finding out that he's secretly a brick made of porridge.

Which he already faced by confessing it to Megan.

[Blackhoof]

and also, Brandon confirmed on the Reddit AMA that Epics cannot have weaknesses that render their powers useless (like an Epic that can breathe underwater whose weakness is water). And the way he phrased it sounded like he was thinking and then decided no at that moment. So David being an Epic whose weakness is being an Epic is a busted theory, I'm afraid.

[Paranoid King]

Now, is it possible that David was an "anti-epic" from the beginning? As such, when gifted epic powers, they are unable to take hold if he doesn't want them to. He'd also be able to calm down other epics and potentially keep them from using their powers.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

Now, is it possible that David was an "anti-epic" from the beginning? As such, when gifted epic powers, they are unable to take hold if he doesn't want them to. He'd also be able to calm down other epics and potentially keep them from using their powers.

 

But how could Calamity have made him into an Epic if he was an Epic all along? 

[Voidus]

But how could Calamity have made him into an Epic if he was an Epic all along? 

And again, how would he be able to be gifted powers at all?

[natc]

Clearly David is Calamity!

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles]

And again, how would he be able to be gifted powers at all?

 

More than that, if David were able to "calm down other Epics and potentially keep them from using their powers," why didn't he do this unconsciously in one of his many fights with Epics? It definitely would've come in handy against Fortuity, or Newton, or Obliteration especially. 

[Edgedancer]

More than that, if David were able to "calm down other Epics and potentially keep them from using their powers," why didn't he do this unconsciously in one of his many fights with Epics? It definitely would've come in handy against Fortuity, or Newton, or Obliteration especially. 

Then there's also slight signs of corruption showing with him in the first book, in which he was using Prof's powers a whole lot more than in the second book.