Question 19

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

 

Is the meta vibe helped by the fact that my explanation for it was she got gifted by a red suited epic voiced by Ryan Reynolds named Fourth Wall?

 

 

"Well, I wanted to go by my real name, but—you know—copyright. So, yeah, I'm Fourth Wall, and you are…?" 

 

Following in my footsteps... I'm so proud.

 

* tears of joy *

 

I'm catching up….. 

[Edgedancer he/him]

That...sounds awesome. And also terrifying.

And, very silly goofy idea I'm toying with. So guys, tell me if this is "charmingly silly", or "storming stupid".

I still need to read the rest of Oregon-related...so. Silly idea that occurred to me.

Posting my progress of reading through the threads, much like Twi did for Sanders books...

But posting those thoughts in 'what Happened Outside of Canon', and 'In-Character' as Lyla. The crazy epic fangirl turns into a crazy Oregon fangirl.: P

Do it! Shiny Sparkle's eyes compel you.

 

I can help just off the top of my head

 

The three major ones:

 

Empire of Light: lead by Lightwards, aiming to conquer Portland and then the world and turn it into an undead paradise

Prominent members: Doctor Funtimes, Nighthound, Saccharine, Purple Phoenix

 

The Dominion: lead by Corpsemaker, aims to conquer the state of Oregon

Prominent members: Electro, Timeport, Upgrade, Toymaker

 

Thoughttown: lead by Altermind, aims to secure their dominance of Thoughttown and protect themselves from the other factions

Prominent members: Sightline, Voidgaze, Aldo

 

Smaller ones:

 

The Black Hand (?): sort of lead by Max, aims to overthrow Epics

Prominent members: Gordon, the Reckoners

 

Minor Epic Empire: lead by Zip, aims to conquer Portland

Prominent members: Mad Ballooner.... + others

Aldo is a member of the Empire.

 

 

Is the meta vibe helped by the fact that my explanation for it was she got gifted by a red suited epic voiced by Ryan Reynolds named Fourth Wall?

 

 

Why Kobold, you make it sound like this is a shameless exercise on my behalf to cultivate more upvotes for myself. 

 

Or maybe she was given a hat to be atop the fourth wall, by L.

[Quiver he/him]

"Well, I wanted to go by my real name, but—you know—copyright. So, yeah, I'm Fourth Wall, and you are…?" 

 

 

I'm catching up…..

 

 

Do it! Shiny Sparkle's eyes compel you.

 

Aldo is a member of the Empire.

 

Or maybe she was given a hat to be atop the fourth wall, by L.

 

The Magic Gun is gifted Epic powers.

 

[/headcanon]

[Edgedancer he/him]

 

 

The Magic Gun is gifted Epic powers.

 

[/headcanon]

I prefer Captain Amerika being a nerdy woman over being an agent of Hydra.

 

Actually it is powered by a Motivator.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Another very minor Epic faction in Portland is the Hotel, which I run. Lightbulb, Chess (whose death made me cry), Vine, Burnheart, and Cutcloud.

 

We planned that from the very beginning…..

[Chandrian]

So which user coordinates the Black Hand? I'd be potentially interested in joining.

[Kobold King he/him]

I'm catching up…..

 

 

At least I'll still have my kobolds.

[Blackhoof]

He'd most likely be in the Black Hand, assuming he agrees with how they work. If not, he may be alright with Thoughttown.

 

cool, although at the moment the Black Hand is pretty disorganized and I'm not sure Max wants to lead it anymore since the latest post when a whole mob of people were slaughtered by Electro. He still wants revenge but I think he was put off leading an open rebellion.

[Chandrian]

cool, although at the moment the Black Hand is pretty disorganized and I'm not sure Max wants to lead it anymore since the latest post when a whole mob of people were slaughtered by Electro. He still wants revenge but I think he was put off leading an open rebellion.

Still vigilante justice, though? I'd be up for that if there is any leadership for the group.

Edited June 2, 2016 by Bluefingers

[Edgedancer he/him]

Say Quiver, is there any chance we could start with a recap of some of the Dalles scenes by Lyra?

 

So which user coordinates the Black Hand? I'd be potentially interested in joining.

Mailliw, I think.

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Yep, that'd be me. I'm not entirely sure what I was doing with it anymore. Max is kinda wrecked right now. The Reckoners might keep it going, but I think the Black Fist is doomed.

[Comatose he/him]

Hey Chasmfiend, before we get going with Rainmaker and Chasmfiend's conversation, did you ever figure out the extent of his property enhancing powers?  What they can and can't do still seems pretty nebulous.  

 

I think I'll try my hands at an Upgrade post next.  Wish me luck.

[Edgedancer he/him]

Hey Chasmfiend, before we get going with Rainmaker and Chasmfiend's conversation, did you ever figure out the extent of his property enhancing powers?  What they can and can't do still seems pretty nebulous.  

 

I think I'll try my hands at an Upgrade post next.  Wish me luck.

I'm sure the post will enhance our reading experience.

[Quiver he/him]

Say Quiver, is there any chance we could start with a recap of some of the Dalles scenes by Lyra?

I'd probably start at the very start, just to keep things straight actually. If I do this, that is; still of two minds on the whole thing.

[Edgedancer he/him]

I'd probably start at the very start, just to keep things straight actually. If I do this, that is; still of two minds on the whole thing.

How about before you do the post by read you give us some of the Dalles scenes as a chance for us to bait you with gushing praise test run.

[The Swan Dragon he/him]

She hoped for her sanity's sake that he would fall in line quickly, and that he wouldn't be as big of an idiot as Thunderspear was.  

 

 

*Charred ashes fall to the ground*

 

*A heavenly voice calls out the ancient and godly word: Roasted...*

Edited June 2, 2016 by Weirdpersonx

[Quiver he/him]

How about before you do the post by read you give us some of the Dalles scenes as a chance for us to bait you with gushing praise test run.

Appealing to my ego is always a sure fire way to get me to do something...

[Clockwork he/him]

First, I would like to say that many people together have convinced me that Chasmfiend would not come to Corvallis because of his weakness. My answer to this; he doesn't know it. Whenever a storm comes along, he stays in the same place, and doesn't do strenuous activity that would cause him to realize that his powers where negated. He explains away the death of his beast that his fear causes him to lose control, rather than lightning be his weakness.

 

 

Hey Chasmfiend, before we get going with Rainmaker and Chasmfiend's conversation, did you ever figure out the extent of his property enhancing powers?  What they can and can't do still seems pretty nebulous.  

 

He can change properties of matter; make them denser, less dense, stronger, increase or decrease the melting/boiling points, etc.

[Comatose he/him]

He can change properties of matter; make them denser, less dense, stronger, increase or decrease the melting/boiling points, etc.

 

So, what are the limits of that power?  It's the etc. that is giving me pause.  Can he change literally any property?  Does it only operate on a sliding scale (harder/softer, stronger/weaker, higher boiling point/lower boiling point) or can he change properties at a whim (colour, texture, taste, smell).  What's to stop him from turning a stone into bread, or is that something he would be capable of?  Can he change the temperature of things too, or just the point at which they change states?  

 

My basic concern, and the concern other have, is that this power seems very broad, and I'm not sure what it can and cannot do.  You've given us a few examples, but you haven't defined any hard limits.  I know people were surprised by the melting and boiling point thing, and I just want to make sure we are on the same page going forward.  

 

I'd start by defining what you consider to be a "property".  Is he limited to only physical properties, or can he alter chemical or thermodynamic properties as well? Give us some clear cut limits, just to help us understand to precise scope of the power.  

 

For example, with Rainmaker's weather distortion power, I say that she can create any naturally occurring weather form within her range, and limit the effects of said weather pattern to the range of the distortion she has created.  For temperature, she can only make things as hot or as cold as what occurs naturally.  Similarly, her ability to produce winds and lightning are limited by what nature could produce, though she is able to distort the weather around her so the natural wind or lightning occurs in unnatural ways.  Her range is defined, and while she can do general things throughout her range (set temperature, precipitation, wind speed, humidity) more specific uses of the power require focus and an understanding of the space she is affecting (most easily achieved through sight).  

 

You'll notice some of these limits are nebulous, while others are hard.  They also let me tell if a feat is within or beyond Rainmaker's capacity.  Could she reduce the temperature of the area around her to absolute zero?  No, because those temperatures do not exist on earth.  Can she produce the giant hailstones she makes instantly or in doors?  No, because she needs to work the winds and manipulate the temperature and moisture in the air in order to make them, and the process of freezing the water in the air, and then blowing it upwards and downwards, takes a lot of space.  Even though she is incredibly powerful (kind of the point of her character in some ways) she still has limits.  What are Chasmfiends?  

[Chandrian]

First, I would like to say that many people together have convinced me that Chasmfiend would not come to Corvallis because of his weakness. My answer to this; he doesn't know it. Whenever a storm comes along, he stays in the same place, and doesn't do strenuous activity that would cause him to realize that his powers where negated. He explains away the death of his beast that his fear causes him to lose control, rather than lightning be his weakness.

If he doesn't think lightning is his weakness, what does he believe it is? Does he not reaize or refuses to believe he has a weakness? Throughout the trilogy, we see more or less every Epic with a noted weakness being aware of it, so I'm curious what the reason behind his lack of knowledge is.

[Clockwork he/him]

Ok, Comatose, thank you for explaining what you wanted.

 

It happens on a sliding scale (i.e. he could make something absolutely tasteless or overload your sense of taste, but couldn't make bread taste like fish) and only on physical properties (i.e. boiling/melting points, hardness, taste, etc.). Also, it gets harder to push the 'scale' the farther it goes; say, a doubling or halving a property makes it 5x harder to push. Say, making a person evaporate would be very hard, though it is possible. Making the water in a person is much easier, so is more likely to be used, though Chasmfiend likes evaporating people because it's flashy and usually scares the heck out of people. Also the mass matters; a double in mass would make it, say, 3x harder. So, while evaporating people is hard, evaporating a large tree is just about impossible without a considerable amount of time; he would have to continue pushing the slide, so the tree would have melted already anyways.

 

 

If he doesn't think lightning is his weakness, what does he believe it is? Does he not reaize or refuses to believe he has a weakness? Throughout the trilogy, we see more or less every Epic with a noted weakness being aware of it, so I'm curious what the reason behind his lack of knowledge is.

 

He refuses to believe he has a weakness. He has major Hubris.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

He refuses to believe he has a weakness. He has major Hubris.

 

That seems rather self-defeating, given the world the story is set in. If he remains in denial that he even has a weakness, it makes it that much easier for someone to set it off. What if he knows his weakness, but fakes another one? It won't mean he can hide his true weakness completely, especially in Corvallis, but it might make it easier for him to lay a false trail and cover if his true weakness is ever triggered in front of someone. 

[Mckeedee123 he/him]

It happens on a sliding scale (i.e. he could make something absolutely tasteless or overload your sense of taste, but couldn't make bread taste like fish) and only on physical properties (i.e. boiling/melting points, hardness, taste, etc.). Also, it gets harder to push the 'scale' the farther it goes; say, a doubling or halving a property makes it 5x harder to push. Say, making a person evaporate would be very hard, though it is possible. Making the water in a person is much easier, so is more likely to be used, though Chasmfiend likes evaporating people because it's flashy and usually scares the heck out of people. Also the mass matters; a double in mass would make it, say, 3x harder. So, while evaporating people is hard, evaporating a large tree is just about impossible without a considerable amount of time; he would have to continue pushing the slide, so the tree would have melted already anyways.

 

Am I allowed to be the millionth person to say that this is way too broad? I mean... just listen to me for a second, Chasm. On this forum, we hedge a lot. We honestly don't want to offend anyone by just absolutely shutting them down, and so because of that impulse we've just sort of kept compromising with this character, letting him retain his ludicrously strong powerset (I'm fairly certain that the Reckonerverse differs from most superhero universes in that strength derives mostly from versatility rather than outright "power" whatever that even means.) The fact that we keep coming up with tiny problems with the details of this character is basically just our way of subtly hinting that we want stuff changed. 

 

I just got back from a 14-hour shift at work and I'm sort of annoyed to see that Chasmfiend's powerset has come up again for the hundredth time. Please change it. I'm not even sure if I've bothered weighing in on this discussion before, but I think I speak for the majority of the RPers when I say that this guy just needs to be nerfed. Especially the "property changing" thing. It's not that we don't like you or anything. I'm only saying this because it needs to happen.

 

Or maybe I really am just talking to myself here, and I'm completely wrong about how people feel about this guy. I'd certainly feel like a complete tool for writing this little spiel in that case. I've done stuff like that before, I suppose.

Edited June 3, 2016 by Mckeedee123

[Comatose he/him]

Ugrade post up!  If I did something wrong let me know.  

 

 

Or maybe I really am just talking to myself here, and I'm completely wrong about how people feel about this guy. I'd certainly feel like a complete tool for writing this little spiel in that case. I've done stuff like that before, I suppose.

 

On a more general note, I think that we need to be a tad more stringent with newcomers. I really do understand why it's hard to do so — we all want to be nice, and it feels cruel to shut someone down. But as the RP grows, so does the need to institute ways to maintain the believability of the story, and I think being able to give a definitive "ba-dum-no" more often is going to become a necessity.

 

Personally, I do think Chasmfiend's powerset is a little broad and overpowered, which I believe I've mentioned before (if I was busy at the time or forgot to, I apologize).  That being said, it's not my character, and my personal preferences (which seem to mirror some of yours) aren't the be all and end all.  

 

I don't think the problem is how stringent we are, I think the issue (if there is one) is that there isn't a clear and consistent policy or procedure for accepting new characters.  Thus far, my understanding is that characters are submitted for general critique, and then individual GM's make the final call on whether or not to allow a character into the individual cities.  Twi, I've been assuming, has overriding veto power, but I'm not really sure about that.  

 

I know that, personally, for allowing people into Corvallis, I've felt a tension in determining what I can reject, because I don't always know if I'm doing what's best for the RP, or giving in to what my personal preference is.  Personally, I'd like everyone who wants to RP in Corvallis to have a chance, even if I'm not a huge fan of some aspects of the concept.  I also worry about overstepping my authority as a mere city GM in denying someone.  

 

The ultimate decision is up to Twi for what to do, but a little more structure when it comes to policy could be good.  I know we've kind of started putting something together with our ideas surrounding character quotas, but maybe it would be nice if we got some form of criteria for the GMs to give us some criteria for accepting or denying characters, or some kind of system that allows multiple people to express approval or denial.  

 

Thanks to both of you for speaking up and expressing concerns.  Personally, I think courtesy and respect is important, but it shouldn't silence opinions.  While I think everyone should be able to play a character they want to play, I also think one of the benefits of RPs like this is to provide space for people to receive critique and and help to grow as writers.  Silencing critique in the name of politeness kind of removes that opportunity.  

 

Ok, Comatose, thank you for explaining what you wanted.

 

It happens on a sliding scale (i.e. he could make something absolutely tasteless or overload your sense of taste, but couldn't make bread taste like fish) and only on physical properties (i.e. boiling/melting points, hardness, taste, etc.). Also, it gets harder to push the 'scale' the farther it goes; say, a doubling or halving a property makes it 5x harder to push. Say, making a person evaporate would be very hard, though it is possible. Making the water in a person is much easier, so is more likely to be used, though Chasmfiend likes evaporating people because it's flashy and usually scares the heck out of people. Also the mass matters; a double in mass would make it, say, 3x harder. So, while evaporating people is hard, evaporating a large tree is just about impossible without a considerable amount of time; he would have to continue pushing the slide, so the tree would have melted already anyways.

 

He refuses to believe he has a weakness. He has major Hubris.

 

Thanks for the clarification Chasmfiend.  The parameters are helpful.  Here's a few follow-up questions:

 

1.  What does "more difficult" look like?  I get that it takes more effort, but what is the cost?  Does he tire out?  What is his recovery time out?  

 

2.  While I appreciate the specificity, I'm still concerned about his ability to change the boiling and melting point.  I get that it is a property, but it's not one that I at least (and others) were contemplating when the character was originally accepted.  Even adding in that it takes a lot of effort, the ability to disintegrate people basically with a touch is a really powerful ability on it's own, and combined with his other abilities, it's kind of staggering.  I would suggest finding ways to limit the power.  Chasmfiend can still be powerful, what I'm concerned about is making sure he is interesting.  

 

One potential way to limit the power further (that would require a retcon) is to make it so he can only enhance the properties of non-living things.  He couldn't do the trick of evaporating people (but with his beast and sword he shouldn't have a problem killing them), but he could still manipulate his environment in interesting ways, and create interesting fight scenes.  

 

Another option could be to greatly increase the amount of time and energy it takes to alter something like boiling and melting point.  To evaporate someone like he did in his one post, maybe he has to concentrate for a really long time and maintain continuous contact?  Or maybe feats like that really tire him out, and after he has to rest and avoid using his powers to compensate?  These are just a few suggestions, not absolute things.  I'd really like feedback from more players and GMs before making a decision.  If there are any parts of the power you think I'm getting wrong, feel free to correct me, or bring up more limits of your own.  

 

I hope you don't feel ganged up on, or like I'm just jumping on the bandwagon.  I feel like I have been expressing these concerns all along, but we haven't actually gotten around to having a full discussion of things, but the other comments made me realize I may have not been clear enough.  If you feel like you have been misled, I'm sorry, and feel free to let me know.    

 

 

 

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Cog, did you ever see Summoner's character profile?