Jump to content

What if your fear is death?


kroen

Recommended Posts

You know, the thing most people fear. Not death by a specific means (poison, fire, water, etc.) but just plain dying no matter how. What would your weakness be? If you don't have a prime invincibility, then that basically means you have no weakness (because a bullet to the head kills pretty all Epics without a prime invincibility, and they have a weakess other than dying). And if you do have a prime invincibility, then doesn't that that mean, again, that you have no weakness at all? I don't think killing someone else in front of you would do the trick, especially if it's only your life you care about. Did Calamity simply chose not to made Epics out of such people?

Edited by kroen
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most people probably consider some deaths worse than others, so that whatever you would consider the worst would become your weakness. That said, if you are just scared of the idea of death in general and don't care how you go, then maybe being in a near death scenario for non PI epics, or being in a scenario where you should have died for epics with PIs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

or being in a scenario where you should have died for epics with PIs.

But Fridge Logic kicks in: if you are unkillable, then there is no such situation where you should have died (unless you acquired Epic powers lately and your subconsciousness still thinks bullets can kill you - if you're PI Epic long enough, then you don't even wince while boing shot at).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also, what if you were a parent whose greatest fear was your children dying, and then you became an Epic and killed your children in your Rending. 

 

1. Does that mean you faced your fears and somehow banished the darkness? that doesn't sound right.

2. What is your weakness now? your children are already dead.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also, what if you were a parent whose greatest fear was your children dying, and then you became an Epic and killed your children in your Rending. 

 

1. Does that mean you faced your fears and somehow banished the darkness? that doesn't sound right.

2. What is your weakness now? your children are already dead.

That presents an interesting problem (now I should say I didn't read Calamity yet): Can Epics be afraid of something not concerning themselves? Because being afraid of your children dying requires empathy and caring for other people.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But Fridge Logic kicks in: if you are unkillable, then there is no such situation where you should have died (unless you acquired Epic powers lately and your subconsciousness still thinks bullets can kill you - if you're PI Epic long enough, then you don't even wince while boing shot at).

ah, but then circular logic kicks in: if your weakness is situations that could kill you if you had no PI, then those situations are actually dangerous to you, and therefore the weakness still works.

And calamity takes away your powers because he's annoyed at your logical paradox.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ah, but then circular logic kicks in: if your weakness is situations that could kill you if you had no PI, then those situations are actually dangerous to you, and therefore the weakness still works.

And calamity takes away your powers because he's annoyed at your logical paradox.

But if in any life threatening situation you are vulnerable, then you don't have PI in the first place.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also, what if you were a parent whose greatest fear was your children dying, and then you became an Epic and killed your children in your Rending. 

 

1. Does that mean you faced your fears and somehow banished the darkness? that doesn't sound right.

2. What is your weakness now? your children are already dead.

 

I always figured that if an Epic's weakness was tied to losing someone, then that person would be probably the only one not targeted in that Epic's Rending. Regalia did say that Epics "usually" go after those closest to them, not "always." 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm pretty sure that no current epic doesn't age. This could mean that an epic with a PI and a fear of death would have to be made aware of their oncoming death by old age to trigger their weakness.

 

 

The idea of an Epic having a traumatized freakout and having his powers neutralized because you showed him a gray hair on his jacket amuses me to no end. :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's worth noting that Epics weaknesses aren't necessarily their greatest fear, just a fear. And statistically speaking most Epics could be killed by sticking them in front of a crowd and asking them to give a speech. :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's worth noting that Epics weaknesses aren't necessarily their greatest fear, just a fear. And statistically speaking most Epics could be killed by sticking them in front of a crowd and asking them to give a speech. :P

 

 

This is why most Epics don't rule their own cities. :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think there is a WoB that they can't have a weakness that neutralizes their power.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by this, do you have the exact wording of the WoB?

To go back to the idea of having a fear of death being your weakness but having a prime invincibility, logically speaking this should make your weakness essentially a moot point, however that is assuming rationality. Fear is not always rational.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What if your fear is something abstact? Take me for example: My biggest fear without a doubt isn't death itself, but rather the inexistence that follows (and let's not turn this into a religious debate; I'm an atheist, let's leave it at that). If I were an epic (PI or not) what would my weakness be? 

Edited by kroen
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We also know that there are weaknesses composed of links to a fear rather than the fear itself, Newton for example feared disappointing her parents but her weakness wasn't literally for her parents to be disappointed. It was being complimented, so simply reminding someone with a death fear that Epics still age and eventually die might be enough to trigger a weakness, or failing to believe that the Epic is truly immortal, etc.

 

 

I'm not sure what you mean by this, do you have the exact wording of the WoB?

To go back to the idea of having a fear of death being your weakness but having a prime invincibility, logically speaking this should make your weakness essentially a moot point, however that is assuming rationality. Fear is not always rational.

It's closer to: An Epics weakness cannot completely prevent them from using their power.
For instance you couldn't be an Epic with the ability to breathe underwater and have water as your weakness.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's closer to: An Epics weakness cannot completely prevent them from using their power.

For instance you couldn't be an Epic with the ability to breathe underwater and have water as your weakness.

 

Voidus, this is much clearer for me. Appreciate it mate.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think that an epic weakness is directly connected to a near death experience, so that would be the epics weakness, the thing that almost killed them not death itself.

Not always, that's the case for Megan and Sourcefield but as far as we know not for Steelheart, Newton or Prof

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

We also know that there are weaknesses composed of links to a fear rather than the fear itself, Newton for example feared disappointing her parents but her weakness wasn't literally for her parents to be disappointed. It was being complimented, so simply reminding someone with a death fear that Epics still age and eventually die might be enough to trigger a weakness, or failing to believe that the Epic is truly immortal, etc.

 

 

It's closer to: An Epics weakness cannot completely prevent them from using their power.

For instance you couldn't be an Epic with the ability to breathe underwater and have water as your weakness.

 

yeah, perhaps seeing another Epic die or be defeated (by anyone other than them) would trigger their weakness?

 

Which would be an interesting weakness to have.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...