[Spoilers] My theory on David -- I think he is...

[Mikanium]

I think David is an epic.    However, I also think he is autistic.    The social aqkwardness... The constant misuse of metaphors.  

 

I think he's an epic, I think his power is either mental in nature (Think how fast he figured out why they called Prof, Prof.     If it's not Metal, I think he has the ability to us the powers of other people around him.  

 

I don't think Megan(Firefight)  hid him when they were searching for him, I think he used her power unconsciously.  

 

I also think he 'borrowed' megans power when they used the dowser, because subconsiously he would never expect the dowser to show anything differernt.  

 

That's why he picked up the power that the professor gave him so fast.. Because it was not only transferred to him, but he took it.. or copied it..

 

And like giving powers, taking powers does not change your mental state.

 

Look up autism and how they misuse metaphors.   It's JUST like david did constantly throught the book.  

 

Thoughts?

[Gloom]

If David could copy or steal powers, why did he have barely enough power to stop a bullet when Lime Light was using almost everything he had to kill Steelheart? If David is an epic, why doesn't he exhibit any of the signs that epics typically exhibit when using those powers? If David is an epic, why didn't he steal Steelhearts powers when his life was in jeopardy? And finally, if David is an epic, knees is about the absolute worst epic name I've ever heard.

[ProfessorMLyon]

I sure hope that David isn't an Epic. I like the idea of him being a regular kid who manages to take down those more powerful than himself. It is a great story when the hero has nothing but his own normal abilities to win. That's why I hope Joel never becomes a Rithmatist.

[Oudeis]

And finally, if David is an epic, Knees is about the absolute worst epic name I've ever heard.

 

I agree. I don't think illusion is something so instinctive that he could cloak a machine he's never seen before when the screen wasn't even facing him, when he had no conscious knowledge that there was any reason to make it lie. If he instinctively uses powers to that level, there are literally dozens of times when he's near an Epic and would automatically use those powers to help himself in some way. Also, Megan would have noticed (and wondered) how the guards didn't see them if she didn't use her power; also, she was Epic jerk just afterwards, an indication that she HAD used her powers.

 

Also they did that on Heroes.

[happyman]

I think David's story would be much better if he was not an Epic.  I can see him sensibly allying with Epics in order to get stuff done, but I think his skill set should remain what it currently is:  analysis and intelligence.

[Mikanium]

He's Autistic. I'm telling ya! http://m.aut.sagepub.com/content/14/1/29.abstract

[Oudeis]

He's Autistic. I'm telling ya! http://m.aut.sagepub.com/content/14/1/29.abstract

 

Full-on autistic seems highly unlikely, as my understanding is that this is a very debilitating condition. I do buy the theory that he could have a mild, high-functioning form (something on the lines of Aspergers). Definitely not an epic, though.

[Mikanium]

Full-on autistic seems highly unlikely, as my understanding is that this is a very debilitating condition. I do buy the theory that he could have a mild, high-functioning form (something on the lines of Aspergers). Definitely not an epic, though.

 

You are correct, it's Asperger I'm speaking of.   Look at Sanderson's Third Law of Magic.  Expand on what you have........ I dunno.  To me there's something more.  Too many odd coincidences. 

[Oudeis]

Too many odd coincidences. 

 

Sorry, I have to disagree. It seems the only coincidence is "David picks up on the tensors quickly." I don't see how that's a bigger coincidence than can be simply accepted, and I don't see why he'd be any faster for stealing the power than being gifted it.

 

He's spent ten years obsessed with Epics and the Reckoners. Meeting a man he knows is in charge of one cell of the Reckoners, it's not a huge leap that it makes him think of the man who he knows leads the Reckoners as a whole, and makes the connection.

[ebyss]

I think David is a Smedry.

His Talent is is always using "bad" metaphors.

Edited October 2, 2013 by ebyss

[Arcanist Lupus]

I like how you're using David's skill with the tensors as evidence that he's an Epic, when the only (known) Epic to try and use the tensors was completely unable to.

 

 

And I know everyone likes the idea of meta-Epics, but the fact that gifters can't gift to Epics implies to me that Epic powers that affect other powers are unlikely.  It's like how Imbued objects are hard to affect by magic.

[Mikanium]

And I know everyone likes the idea of meta-Epics, but the fact that gifters can't gift to Epics implies to me that Epic powers that affect other powers are unlikely.  It's like how Imbued objects are hard to affect by magic.

.

 

I'm suggesting that maybe he's the opposite of a gifter.. A taker... Indian giver?   And that it shares the same immunity to the loss of a moral compass as the recipient of a power from a gifter does.   Look at battery guy (I'm bad with names),.   He does nothing BUT gift, and he's driven around in the trunk of a car.  His moral compass seemed fine.

 

There's something there.  I feel it in my bones.   I might be wrong about the what, but the clues are there.

Edited October 4, 2013 by Mikanium

[Oudeis]

I might be wrong about the what, but the clues are there.

 

Every clue you've pointed out ascribes convoluted theories to otherwise simple explanations. David is never once shown using a power he wasn't expressly gifted, and if he does instinctively take powers there are many occasions where he would have done so throughout the book that he didn't.

 

You claim that the reason he didn't trigger the Dowser is that his instinctive control is so god-like, he can perform an impossible illusion of something he's never seen before and that he cannot currently see, all without even knowing he's doing it, when it takes him hours to make the Tensors do anything at all. Also, the Tensors show us that you can FEEL it when you actively use a power; where was the sensation of crafting an illusion?

 

But I do think you're right about a mild form of autism. It makes sense that no one survives the Foundry as a fully-functional member of society.

[Mikanium]

Every clue you've pointed out ascribes convoluted theories to otherwise simple explanations. David is never once shown using a power he wasn't expressly gifted, and if he does instinctively take powers there are many occasions where he would have done so throughout the book that he didn't.

 

You claim that the reason he didn't trigger the Dowser is that his instinctive control is so god-like, he can perform an impossible illusion of something he's never seen before and that he cannot currently see, all without even knowing he's doing it, when it takes him hours to make the Tensors do anything at all. Also, the Tensors show us that you can FEEL it when you actively use a power; where was the sensation of crafting an illusion?

 

But I do think you're right about a mild form of autism. It makes sense that no one survives the Foundry as a fully-functional member of society.

 

Well, that's what theories are.. Theories. 

[happyman]

I don't believe for one second he is an Epic.  What he has is rather different: intelligence, allies and motivation.  Not to mention some good luck.  In the real world, these are far more useful than any single talent; it's how most people with real power get it.  With Epic's, it's different, but I think that the right person in the right place might be able to use these force multipliers effectively, especially with Epics as (admittedly very dangerous) allies.

[Shardlet]

CAUTION!!  The following post contains blatant grammatical nitpicking.  If you or those you love are prone to nitpick caused reactions such as bursts of anger, nausea, skin irritations, or death, please navigate away from this post.

 

  The constant misuse of metaphors. 

 

David does not use bad metaphors.  In fact, if I recall, he does not use a single metaphor in the entire book.  David uses bad similes.  A simile is, of course a comparison using a word such as like or as (e.g., David eats like a pig) whereas a metaphor draws a direct connection to something else (e.g., David is a pig).

 

This is not a criticism of you Mikanium.  The characters in the book erroneously used the term 'metaphor' to classify David's (cleverness?).  It may have even been intentional on Brandon's part (I hope).

 

This concludes the grammatical nitpicking.  If you have disregarded the caution at the head of this post, or have discovered an adverse reaction to nitpicking upon reading this post, please seek immediate medical attention as necessary.

Edited October 6, 2013 by Shardlet

[Oudeis]

http://xkcd.com/762/

 

Analogies are like sandwiches, in that I'm making one now.

[Mikanium]

I'm So Meta, Even This Acronym.