Blue Posted August 31, 2004 Report Share Posted August 31, 2004 A cosmic being of great power, we'll call him, the Omniscient, delivers and address directly into the brains of all living sentients on the planet... "You have become a violent race of violent ends. I have a means to solve this through use of my cosmic power." He then proceeds to select a few representatives at random, of which your character is one. To you, he says, "I have the power of the infinite. I can restore all beings of greater power than a normal human being back to their baseline selves. There will be no superpowered beings, neither hero nor villain. You will all be on equal footing again. But I will only do so with a majority consensus of the representatives selected." How would you vote? Would your vote be any different if your enemies said this would be a good thing and voted in favor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metaphysician Posted August 31, 2004 Report Share Posted August 31, 2004 Re: WWYCD #92 - Zero Sum Microman II would reply with some combination of "How, exactly, would this prevent the inequities man inflicts on his fellow man?" and "How dare you judge an entire race, rather than individuals!" IOW, no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted August 31, 2004 Report Share Posted August 31, 2004 Re: WWYCD #92 - Zero Sum Apex- "Thank you for the offer, but no." Recluse- Would wonder if this guy is really that much more powerful than the spiritual mystic stuff he's seen, but scratch his head and say "It's nice, but... who defines 'equal'? and ... it won't stop violence, just make it less flashy." Wildcard- "What are you, some kind of cosmic commie?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckg Posted August 31, 2004 Report Share Posted August 31, 2004 Re: WWYCD #92 - Zero Sum Starguard -- what Microman said, in plainer English. Baron von Darien -- "Define 'normal'. Define 'baseline'. You would strip our species of the capacity to produce *any* individuals of ability or talent greater than some arbitrary median? One wonders if your motives are less 'detached benevolence' than they are 'elimination of potential threats'." (note -- no, he doesn't make a practice of lipping off to omnipotent deities. What the Baron *is* trying to do is rig the vote to go his way, by headfucking the other jurors. ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Posted August 31, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2004 Re: WWYCD #92 - Zero Sum Basically, the Omniscient proposes to do away with superpowers. He does not seem offended by anyone's remarks and even states that he encounters ambivalence to his efforts across the known galaxies, and that is why he didn't arbitrarily perform the task. He does not propose to change people's behvior, prevent people from inventing new ways to do harm to one another, etc. He's just saying that if he could turn supervillains into plain ol' villains and all it would cost is your own superpowers, would you do it? And again, would your opinion change if suddenly the villains seemed to be in favor of it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoorWandering 1 Posted August 31, 2004 Report Share Posted August 31, 2004 Re: WWYCD #92 - Zero Sum Rocket man - vote for it. But then Rocket's a normal with a jet pack and an attitude. The fact that the bad guys, who are generally more powerful than he is are for the idea would not cause Rocket to loose much sleep over the issue. They must have their own problems. besides it would be fun to see all the modern supers suddenly at golden age power levels. I suspect Dr. Destroyer would retire and begin a career in advertising under an assumed name. I expect most MA's would vote for the change. Most bricks against. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supreme Serpent Posted August 31, 2004 Report Share Posted August 31, 2004 Re: WWYCD #92 - Zero Sum Omega - "You're...'the Omniscient'...and you have to ask us how we're going to vote? Why not telepathically poll everyone since you're so powerful and wise?" and various other comments/questions others have stated about 'what is equal/baseline/etc'. "Also - what's the real deal? You said you had the means to solve us being a violent race of violent ends. You have also given us the option of removing all superpowers (or other differences, depending on how earlier answers went). You have *not* however, said that these two things are necessarily related. Is this whole power thing just a sideshow - do you have other means to accomplish what you stated earlier? If so, what?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbsousa Posted August 31, 2004 Report Share Posted August 31, 2004 Re: WWYCD #92 - Zero Sum A cosmic being of great power, we'll call him, the Omniscient, delivers and address directly into the brains of all living sentients on the planet... "You have become a violent race of violent ends. I have a means to solve this through use of my cosmic power." He then proceeds to select a few representatives at random, of which your character is one. To you, he says, "I have the power of the infinite. I can restore all beings of greater power than a normal human being back to their baseline selves. There will be no superpowered beings, neither hero nor villain. You will all be on equal footing again. But I will only do so with a majority consensus of the representatives selected." How would you vote? Would your vote be any different if your enemies said this would be a good thing and voted in favor? Golden Eagle would point out the obvious to the Omniscient. "Since you call yourself the Omniscient, surely you understand the definition of consensus. Allow me to be the single voice of dissent that makes consensus impossible. Now go bother some other species, we have work to do." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Posted August 31, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2004 Re: WWYCD #92 - Zero Sum (Funny thing is, even as I made up the name, I knew someone would say that. "Shouldn't you know that already?") Just assume he says that out of courtesy he only broadcasts to human minds, he doesn't read them. And that he knows all about the present and past, not the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Mhoram Posted August 31, 2004 Report Share Posted August 31, 2004 Re: WWYCD #92 - Zero Sum Ballistic would vote no. He feels that there are too many superpowered non earth native threats that even with supervillians, supeheroes are needed to fight off the alien invasions, interdimensional invasions, mystic invasions ect. Terminal Velocity would vote no. Having powers is just too much fun. Black cat would vote no, commenting that if the vote is yes he shoud turn himself a normal human (whatever it was he started as) and live on earth to "show us how that would be better than what we have now) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted August 31, 2004 Report Share Posted August 31, 2004 Re: WWYCD #92 - Zero Sum Style - If this thing can eliminate the threat of Supernatural Evil, he's for it. AnimeGai - An AI inside of a light bee inside of a hologram. He wouldn't be asked. Flesh Gordon - "Say, this Omniscient dude has an excellent voice. Reverb and everything. I wonder if I could make my voice do that? My Cosmic Power. Mahy Cahhsmic Pahwaa. MY COSMIC POWER. Eh? I'm sorry, what was the question?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKJAM! Posted August 31, 2004 Report Share Posted August 31, 2004 Re: WWYCD #92 - Zero Sum Mask of Justice: No. After all, superpowers give their recepients options *other* than killing. Normal humans are perfectly capable of being violent all by themselves (Points to WWII, going on as he speaks.) Rock Bottom: "Uh, I notice you didn't say anything about superpowered aliens, or robots, or personifications of evil...." No. Calculus: "Most certainly not." He just got his superintelligence back, he's not giving it up. Kira Midori: "No!" She knows that her utopian future can only come about if mankind comes into its psychic potential. Talion: "Go ahead. Cure me if you can. Sucker." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitewings Posted August 31, 2004 Report Share Posted August 31, 2004 Re: WWYCD #92 - Zero Sum Shellrider: "First, I have some questions to ask." MD/Lara: "No." Princess Dawn: "Strip all magic from the souls of humanity? Never! The very concept is utterly obscene!" Blue Fire: "That would be unwise; in my experience, Novas as a class do more good than harm." Champion Wind: "We're barely getting started and you're already trying to shut us down? Get stuffed!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WhammeWhamme Posted September 1, 2004 Report Share Posted September 1, 2004 Re: WWYCD #92 - Zero Sum Flippant wants to vote yes. Just because changing the whole word to convenience him seems... petty... he would probably say no. (The selfish impulses are always wrong, right?) Sludge: _Is_ one of the villains, but he sure isn't voting for 'no powers'. He LIKES powers. Estatua: Superpowers barely saved earth from alien attack the last time. We _need_ them. There is no way he would condemn us to die from without, just to simplify internal conflicts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted September 1, 2004 Report Share Posted September 1, 2004 Re: WWYCD #92 - Zero Sum Good point in a standard Champions universe. Who is going to protect Earth from the two or three alien invasions it faces every year if there are no supers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackalope Posted September 1, 2004 Report Share Posted September 1, 2004 Re: WWYCD #92 - Zero Sum Would your vote be any different if your enemies said this would be a good thing and voted in favor? Peacekeeper is an alien, so this wouldn't apply to him. Compared to others of his species, he has no superpowers. He's about twenty times stronger than a human being, but that's true of his species, not just him. While his species could be seen as "violent" (not really though), there aren't any superpowered Urquat AFAIK. Iron Demon's Response: "Yes" What does he care? He's a supernormal. Unless Cosmic Boy alters the laws of physics so that combat enhancing drugs, explosive hand gernades, and other techno doo-dads don't work, he's got nothing to worry about. As for his enemies, I'm sure Foxbat is thinking the exact same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted September 1, 2004 Report Share Posted September 1, 2004 Re: WWYCD #92 - Zero Sum Oh, and whatever their foes vote wouldn't really change my characters opinions, though some would make a note of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farik Posted September 1, 2004 Report Share Posted September 1, 2004 Re: WWYCD #92 - Zero Sum Husky would vote no as well since this type of thing always results in the bad guys becoming more poweful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Watcher Posted September 1, 2004 Report Share Posted September 1, 2004 Re: WWYCD #92 - Zero Sum Warp: "Excuse me, but what gives you the right to impose this on anyone? We're a species of individuals, not some sort of hive, and individuals should be judged as individuals. Punishing everyone collectively for the sins of individuals would be a great injustice. And it would also be hurting people for no reason except because they're different. If you are so wise and advanced you should be beyond things like simple racism." Spectrum: Coolest Outcome? The encounter stimulates the memory of Spectrum, specifically the knowledge of the Progenitors downloaded into his subconcious, and he ends up summoning them to see who the hell dares to tamper so with humanity. Things have just gotten a lot more complicated. Mystic: Would point out that to impose such a sentence on humanity would be upsetting the natural order of the universe, and could have dire consequences not only for humanity, but perhaps for the cosmos itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caris Posted September 1, 2004 Report Share Posted September 1, 2004 Re: WWYCD #92 - Zero Sum Adonis – “Hmm… While you are at it will you be turning us into a single religion, sex, sexual orientation, race, type of Trek fan, and changing all the French into something else? I really don’t see where turning a minority into a copy of the majority is going to do anything to improve the situation.†Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanderer Posted September 1, 2004 Report Share Posted September 1, 2004 Re: WWYCD #92 - Zero Sum Nova "Absolutely NO. Superpowers are a a natural, healthy step on man's evolution, and way for the human race to better defend itself against the menaces of the cosmos. Removing an opportunity is never the best way to deal with its misuse. Go "help" other races, and leave mankind alone". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. MID-Nite Posted September 1, 2004 Report Share Posted September 1, 2004 Re: WWYCD #92 - Zero Sum The Living EGO: " I spent my whole life accepting that I was special and now you're going to make me ordinary. I think not. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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