Question 11

[mail-mi he/him]

...Maybe it's time for another uber-long Random Stuff post.

 

I'm glad my thread is being put to good use.

[Kobold King he/him]

To be fair, a lot of the problems he's having comes from stretching physics, so it can both work on a large and a small scale. Then of course there's the problem that momentum isn't really a force but more of like the result of force being applied. Making some scenarios, like an object that's being pushed not moving a logic bomb. To keep it from moving she has to transfer the kinetic energy, before it starts moving the object but momentum doesn't exsist without a vector and for a vector to exsist we need movement so she she shouldn't be able to transfer the momentum from the object unless it moves but if it moves she can't have taken the momentum away from it, kolo?

 

Redlight's power would work a lot more straight forward.

 

Um... I can't say that I do "kolo," but I appreciate the input anyway. I still picture her more as an anti-personnel Epic than a fortification one, so I'll keep her restricted to people and Epics.

 

 

I'm glad my thread is being put to good use.

 

You posted a topic called "Random Stuff" on one of the most random and pony-obsessed communities on the Internet. I don't know what you expected.

[Comatose he/him]

A game of "Red light, green light" The Dalles won't soon forget.

 

In the interest of separating her from MV, I'm going to say no, her powers don't work on objects. So no stopping cars with her mind or freezing bullets in mid air.

 

 

I agree with Sanderson's First Law wholeheartedly. To do what the Question thread does best and apply it to ponies...

 

 

(Of course, "A Canterlot Wedding" also contained one of the best songs on the show, so I can't judge it too harshly. )

 

That is the best song!  I've been singing it like all week haha.  

 

 I love the part when Chrysalis is all "No I do not love the groom, for in my heart there is no room... " or something like that.  It would have been cool if they could have layered and harmoinzed with the two parts, kind of like My Eyes from Dr. Horrible, but I loved both music and lyrics, especially when the singer hit those gorgeous high notes.

 

 

Love the Chase post Winter!

[Blackhoof]

Seriously cannot wait for everything to settle down so Iconoclast can get some sleep. Got some good stuff planned, might make you feel sorry for him

[Voidus]

Oh, indeed. Any other author could have made a living off of the Reckonerverse alone--Brandon Sanderson's so awesome, what would be considered the crowning work of any other writer is just a single trilogy amid a sea of other great novels, and it's not even universally considered to be one of the better ones.

 

I definitely hope for spinoffs, even if they're just bonus shorts like Mitosis.

 

 

OK, so I hope nobody minds if I try to work out a small power issue I'm having with Redlight. I have it listed in her profile that she can stop people from moving, but not prevent them from using their powers. Earlier today I was trying to figure out the exact mechanics of what she does, and came to two different possibilities:

 

1. She jams motor signals, preventing conscious, muscular movement but leaving mobility powers unaffected.
2. She genuinely prevents any movement at all, essentially freezing people in place and instantly doing away with all their momentum, like MV. This power could even circumvent normal laws of physics, such as by suspending a falling man in the air with no support. Most Epic powers would be unaffected, but it would block any attempts at motion. So if she froze Obliteration he'd be able to drain heat but not teleport, and if she froze Impact she'd be able to impart momentum to objects she's touching but wouldn't be able to move herself.

 

Personally I prefer the second option for its versatility and overall coolness (though in the interests of full disclosure, I also like the fact that it makes it more difficult for a teleporter to kill every commander in The Dalles in a matter of seconds. ) I feel that this coupled with her range of about twenty feet would make her useful but not overpowered, and the fact that her abilities have not been seen in the RP as of yet gives me a little leeway with redefining them, but I'd like to hear feedback about this idea. I don't want anyone to feel I'm cheating or bending the rules at all, so by all means, raise any objections you can think of.

I'd love to see a more restricted version of MVs powerset, at the moment I'm really struggling to find a way to not make her the most OP character in the game, unfortunately most of the problems I'm having are how the power works with regards to people so you might be running into a few of the same problems

Speaking of I may as well raise the issues here in case anyone else has some ideas, I've been talking to Edge in a PM about how best to limit MVs powerset and we've not really come to any good answers, everything seems to have its own set of problems.

The question came up as to what would happen if MV used her abilities on a lightning bolt, since electricity is essentially the flow of electrons (Or more accurately the wavefront of a series of electrons but that's not particularly relevant) now my first thought was that she wouldn't even have time to target a lightning bolt in between it appearing and her dying so it's kind of a moot point but then I realized that the same problem applies if the lightning bolt strikes something she's already using her powers on (Say a wall of air in front of her) electrons have mass, albeit a very small amount and so have momentum so her powers should stop them and if her powers don't affect electron movement that presents its own problem since everything has electrons and if she froze all of something except its electrons the electrons would keep moving, generating a current and probably killing anyone she froze with her powers.

 

So poll the first: Should she be able to stop lightning bolts?

[Kobold King he/him]

I still don't understand the full implications of both sides, and I might change my vote, but for now, with the alternative being her randomly electrocuting people with her mind, I vote for her to be capable of stopping lightning bolts.

[Voidus]

I still don't understand the full implications of both sides, and I might change my vote, but for now, with the alternative being her randomly electrocuting people with her mind, I vote for her to be capable of stopping lightning bolts.

Well the obvious other limitation is that then if she used the power on herself she'd electrocute herself too so it's a double edged sword in that regard.

But yeah that was my thought too, I'm hoping to avoid MV killing people where possible and having her powers pretty much automatically murder anyone she uses them on would be somewhat difficult to deal with.   

(By the way, Edge sorry if I've massively misrepresented your points here, I think we've got some misunderstandings going on and I  get the sense that I'm missing the points you've tried to raise so feel free to correct me if I'm misrepresenting your side)

[Blackhoof]

I'd love to see a more restricted version of MVs powerset, at the moment I'm really struggling to find a way to not make her the most OP character in the game, unfortunately most of the problems I'm having are how the power works with regards to people so you might be running into a few of the same problems

Speaking of I may as well raise the issues here in case anyone else has some ideas, I've been talking to Edge in a PM about how best to limit MVs powerset and we've not really come to any good answers, everything seems to have its own set of problems.

The question came up as to what would happen if MV used her abilities on a lightning bolt, since electricity is essentially the flow of electrons (Or more accurately the wavefront of a series of electrons but that's not particularly relevant) now my first thought was that she wouldn't even have time to target a lightning bolt in between it appearing and her dying so it's kind of a moot point but then I realized that the same problem applies if the lightning bolt strikes something she's already using her powers on (Say a wall of air in front of her) electrons have mass, albeit a very small amount and so have momentum so her powers should stop them and if her powers don't affect electron movement that presents its own problem since everything has electrons and if she froze all of something except its electrons the electrons would keep moving, generating a current and probably killing anyone she froze with her powers.

 

So poll the first: Should she be able to stop lightning bolts?

 

yeah, I think she should be able to.

 

Her power is basically transferring momentum from one place to another, yeah? or stopping it entirely?

[Voidus]

yeah, I think she should be able to.

 

Her power is basically transferring momentum from one place to another, yeah? or stopping it entirely?

Transferring it from one place/object to another as long as she's touching one of them.

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Synesthesia is still around...   

Well she just left and I don't think flashpoint is about to go search out the Epic that just led an attack on TT. Speaking of which, I went to start an Altermind post and realized that I haven't written him since January 31st! The MEE attack on TT has been going on since January and it just ended and the attack in the MoNa hasn't even started.

[Edgedancer he/him]

Well the obvious other limitation is that then if she used the power on herself she'd electrocute herself too so it's a double edged sword in that regard.

But yeah that was my thought too, I'm hoping to avoid MV killing people where possible and having her powers pretty much automatically murder anyone she uses them on would be somewhat difficult to deal with.   

(By the way, Edge sorry if I've massively misrepresented your points here, I think we've got some misunderstandings going on and I  get the sense that I'm missing the points you've tried to raise so feel free to correct me if I'm misrepresenting your side)

The problem isn't so much that she'd electrocute herself but that using that whole momentum to zero defense should also stop her brain activity, freeze her to absolute zero and potentially let her crumble by momentarily removing the cohesive force in her body, if you do this. What I'm saying isn't that she shouldn't be able to affect electrones but that her power shouldn't be able to differentiate on that small a scale, because otherwise the large scale won't work.

[Voidus]

The problem isn't so much that she'd electrocute herself but that using that whole momentum to zero defense should also stop her brain activity, freeze her to absolute zero and potentially let her crumble by momentarily removing the cohesive force in her body, if you do this. What I'm saying isn't that she shouldn't be able to affect electrones but that her power shouldn't be able to differentiate on that small a scale, because otherwise the large scale won't work.

That's less an issue with the electron problem than the reference frame.

Not sure what you mean by differentiate, either she can affect electrons in which case she could stop lightning, or she can't in which case there's the lightning problem when she stops anything else. Whether the momentum from that electricity maps perfectly to other electrons is another question, my inclination would be that it doesn't so she wouldn't be able to redirect the lightning, just shift its momentum to something else.

[Edgedancer he/him]

That's less an issue with the electron problem than the reference frame.

Not sure what you mean by differentiate, either she can affect electrons in which case she could stop lightning, or she can't in which case there's the lightning problem when she stops anything else. Whether the momentum from that electricity maps perfectly to other electrons is another question, my inclination would be that it doesn't so she wouldn't be able to redirect the lightning, just shift its momentum to something else.

What I mean with differentiate is her powers looking at something like a human as one object and treat all parts of it relative to each other, so blood keeps flowing and electrones move just as they do normally.

With the system you're proposing reducing momentum to zero would also reduce heat and movement on an atomic scale to zero. Meaning she would only barely be able to use her power defensively at all, because she would cool down the object, her shirt for example, to absolute zero and just freeze herself to death.

[Voidus]

What I mean with differentiate is her powers looking at something like a human as one object and treat all parts of it relative to each other, so blood keeps flowing and electrones move just as they do normally.

With the system you're proposing reducing momentum to zero would also reduce heat and movement on an atomic scale to zero. Meaning she would only barely be able to use her power defensively at all, because she would cool down the object, her shirt for example, to absolute zero and just freeze herself to death.

Not if there was a reference frame involved, it would just reduce the temperature to the temperature of the reference.

So it would only stop momentum that is shared by everything in the body?

I don't even know how to begin differentiating various momentums like that, for one it would allow people to move perfectly fine so she couldn't use her powers to stop people at all. In fact I think it would pretty much just work on momentum provided by gravity and perhaps not even then.

[Blackhoof]

What I mean with differentiate is her powers looking at something like a human as one object and treat all parts of it relative to each other, so blood keeps flowing and electrones move just as they do normally.

With the system you're proposing reducing momentum to zero would also reduce heat and movement on an atomic scale to zero. Meaning she would only barely be able to use her power defensively at all, because she would cool down the object, her shirt for example, to absolute zero and just freeze herself to death.

 

that's a good point.

 

 

Not if there was a reference frame involved, it would just reduce the temperature to the temperature of the reference.

So it would only stop momentum that is shared by everything in the body?

I don't even know how to begin differentiating various momentums like that, for one it would allow people to move perfectly fine so she couldn't use her powers to stop people at all. In fact I think it would pretty much just work on momentum provided by gravity and perhaps not even then.

 

well you could just define her ability as stopping single "objects". So a person is one object, and maybe a lightning bolt isn't an "object" in the sense of her powers. If her powers don't work at the sub-atomic level, but they work at the atomic level, they would stop atoms (electrons in those atoms included) but not stop electrons, because they are too small and not connected in "atoms". 

[Voidus]

that's a good point.

 

 

 

well you could just define her ability as stopping single "objects". So a person is one object, and maybe a lightning bolt isn't an "object" in the sense of her powers. If her powers don't work at the sub-atomic level, but they work at the atomic level, they would stop atoms (electrons in those atoms included) but not stop electrons, because they are too small and not connected in "atoms". 

Still doesn't solve the issue with blood or nerve signals, the lightning bolt wouldn't be an object but if it hits something that is it becomes part of that object, electrons aren't really 'part' of an atom like that, in metals they're not really attached to any one atom at all they're in a free kind of flow.

[Blackhoof]

Still doesn't solve the issue with blood or nerve signals, the lightning bolt wouldn't be an object but if it hits something that is it becomes part of that object, electrons aren't really 'part' of an atom like that, in metals they're not really attached to any one atom at all they're in a free kind of flow.

 

oh yeah, i'd forgotten my chemistry classes, darn.

[Voidus]

So I just passed Brandons rep and it looks like Edge just passed Peters, the power of random insanity and the questions threads is indeed powerful.

[Kobold King he/him]

So I just passed Brandons rep and it looks like Edge just passed Peters, the power of random insanity and the questions threads is indeed powerful.

 

So powerful that we're now officially defined as an invasion.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

So powerful that we're now officially defined as an invasion.

You have no idea how badly I wanted to replace my entire response to that YoungBard guy with "JOIN US. BE THE HERD."

Also, there's a simple way to keep this game from getting too dark. It involves giving Protector Pug and her litter mates more screen time.

Edited May 11, 2015 by TwiLyghtSansSparkles

[Voidus]

You have no idea how badly I wanted to replace my entire response to that YoungBard guy with "JOIN US. BE THE HERD."

Also, there's a simple way to keep this game from getting too dark. It involves giving Protector Pug and her litter mates more screen time.

A method we can all get behind I think.

How likely would it be for everyone in the MEE to get one? I could do around a hundred pug viewpoints that way

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

A method we can all get behind I think.

How likely would it be for everyone in the MEE to get one? I could do around a hundred pug viewpoints that way

A...a hundred pugs?

I'm not complaining, not at all. I'm just imagining all the dog hair that would cover Portland when those pugs started shedding.

[Kobold King he/him]

A...a hundred pugs?

I'm not complaining, not at all. I'm just imagining all the dog hair that would cover Portland when those pugs started shedding.

 

And that, TwiLyght dear, is what happened in Portland.

[Voidus]

A...a hundred pugs?

I'm not complaining, not at all. I'm just imagining all the dog hair that would cover Portland when those pugs started shedding.

Need a dog-hair cleaning superpower? The MEE has an Epic for that

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

"And lo, the city of Portland was overcome with snorting. All Epics, even I, paused to watch as they tilted their heads not as one, but in a dozen different directions at once. 'Surely,' I said, 'no man could remain hateful or fearful after casting his eyes upon such cuteness!' 'Surely not,' said the one called Steelslayer.' And behold, all fear and corruption left me, and my mind was restored.'"

Basically, that many pugs would break canon because Obliteration couldn't see them and NOT be redeemed.