WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

[McCoy]

One day in your home, where you have lived for however long you've lived at you current residence, you accidentally discover a hidden door. On the other side is a hidden closet / secret laboratory. There is no dust or decay, it does not appear to be abandoned. You find a super suit that you would swear you have never seen before, yet which fits you perfectly. There is a journal or notebook in what appears to be your handwriting, with cryptic references to powers and abilities you don't remember having, used to stop crime or assist in natural disasters, which you don't remember doing. Experimentation shows you do, indeed, have any powers mentioned in the journal (assume the same powers as your favorite / most freqently played character, with different Sx as necessary).

 

Searched for super heros, paranormal abilities, or related terms on the net result in a lot of broken links. Going to the library or otherwise looking for hard copies is -- interesting. Magazines and newspapers more than two weeks old spoke of metahumans as if they were real, and there was tensions between normals and metas that could escilate to violence. Those published in the last week refer to the "Super Civil War" as a hoax or LARP that got way out of hand.

 

Decide What Would You Do before looking at Part II in the spoiler.

 

 

If you have decided to use your powers or not, you do one day try on the suit. When you look in the mirror you see a woman you have never seen before standing behind you. You spin around and she isn't there, only in the mirror. She speaks. "This message was imbeded in your subconscious mind. We knew that some would be able to resist when we made everyone forget that metahumans existed.

 

"You are considering using your powers, seeing all the good you could do. We beg you not to. Humans fear the metahumans, not without reason, and try to control us. If we fight back a lot of good people will die. Many on both sides, far more caught in the crossfire.

 

"It does not matter how clever you think you are, or how confident you are that you can keep your abilities a secret. You use your powers, someone, sooner or later, will realize that such powers exist. If a critical mass of the population shakes off our suggestion that metahuman abilities do not exist, it will snowball.

 

"We cannot make you forget again, even if we remember our powers we have vowed not to use them again, for the same reason. We know it is difficult for you to stand by and do nothing when you could help, but please believe that your road of good intentions will lead to where such road always lead. The best thing you can do for humanity is to not use your powers. Please believe us." She fades away, and is no longer in the mirror.

 

Does this change what you would do?

 

[teh bunneh]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

 

 

 

 

"Obviously, she's saying this because she knows -- and doesn't want me to remember -- that I was one of the bad guys. But not to worry, my dear. My days of putting on this silly spandex suit are over. I've got bigger plans..."

 

"Next time I see this woman, I'm going to have to thank her for what she's done."

 

 

[Amber Nytstar]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

"Okay... According to this, I really can see auras, heal faster, and feel strong emotions from other people. So I'm not as crazy as my doctor says I am."

"Second soul discovered within my body shortly after I came into my powers?! 'Uncertain on whether soul was implanted in me or was splintered off mine. Definite cause of my case of MPD, and the alternate personality is not friendly to humans.'"

"I think I'd may have to show this journal to my shrink after all..."

(Note: Powers are Detect Metahumans - Passive, Sight; Regeneration- 1 body per turn, not on electrical damage; and passive empathy- character can sense the emotional state of those around her.)

 

 

"Okay... So giving this journal to the shrink is out. Maybe the best approach to reassembling my mind is having him help me discover what happened the day before I realized these powers.

Now, I can shield the empathy and ignore the Aura Sight but how the heck can I hide the fact that my body heals wounds a lot faster than a normal person?"

 

[caris]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

Ok, I just do not quite understand the first part. Is it supposed to be me or the alternate IDs of one of my characters that is experiencing this? I feel for any character’s that origins involve them not being human in the first place. Particularly super intelligent animals.

 

Basically, I would have to assume that each character would go back to using their powers however they saw fit in the context of their altered memories.

 

 

Pretty much every character I have would have the same reaction. “Well I hope I didn’t agree to this incredibly stupid and short sighted plan. What am I supposed to do if I have a kid and said kid inherits super powers? If I could gain super powers in unlikely accident accident X, surely someone some day would gain super powers in an unlikely accident. Guess, it is back to the library and see if I can track down this idiot woman and convincer just how stupid this idea was.

 

[JimLotFP]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

... somebody wanted supers out of the way for some sinister reason! Obviously! The only smart thing to do is find out who... and stop whatever it is they're doing.

 

... and if that isn't it, then somebody's playing a There’s No Place Like Springfield game with me... and they too must pay.

[Clonus]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

...This is total B.S. There's no chance whatsover that this plan will work with thousands of people with superhuman powers. They can and they will rediscover their abilities by random chance and new freaks will develop just as they did in the past if I'm living in a comic book reality. Whoever that idiotic woman is, she obviously had more power than sanity. I'm going to start looking for the others, though before I do anything else.

[jkwleisemann]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

I'd just like to pause and take a moment to consider (albeit *without* mentally imagining) a world full of gamers wearing spandex, superpowered or otherwise.

 

Ladies and gentlemen... whatever the normals did was *JUSTIFIED!!!* ;P

[McCoy]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

Ok' date=' I just do not quite understand the first part. Is it supposed to be me or the alternate IDs of one of my characters that is experiencing this? [/quote']

You IRL. None of your characters. The you that exist where Super Heroes and Aliens are only found in fiction and RPG's.

 

I feel for any character’s that origins involve them not being human in the first place. Particularly super intelligent animals.

Which is why "same powers . . . with different Sx as necessary." Being a super intelligent animal, or an alien, or a robot is not a power, it's a Special Effect.

 

Power Armor, your choice. Either you have the ability and workshop to build, maintain, and operate power armor, or you have the same powers as your armored charcter "naturally," with no OIHID limitation.

[caris]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

Which is why "same powers . . . with different Sx as necessary." Being a super intelligent animal' date=' or an alien, or a robot is not a power, it's a Special Effect.[/quote']

 

OK, I've never seen Sx as an abreviation for Special Effect before, I just thought you meant Sex and accidently dropped the e.

 

Well discovering that the 40+ years of age, 46" waist and other appearance issues are all a result of shape shifting will be nice.

 

 

Even more confused by why I would take on this appearance as a voluntary cover ID, particularly if any of the psych lims that Adonis have carry over.

 

[McCoy]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

Well discovering that the 40+ 46" waist and other appearance issues are all a result of shape shifting will be nice.

Do you know how long I'd have to diet to get down to a 46" waist?

[caris]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

Do you know how long I'd have to diet to get down to a 46" waist?

 

Insufficient data to answer the question. I'm afraid that I'd have to do more studies about your metabalisms current calorie expenditure, what level of calories used for the diet, what areas your body pulls fat from in what order, and what your current waist size is at the very least before I coud even begin to start calculating the answer to the problem.

[McCoy]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

Insufficient data to answer the question. I'm afraid that I'd have to do more studies about your metabalisms current calorie expenditure' date=' what level of calories used for the diet, what areas your body pulls fat from in what order, and what your current waist size is at the very least before I coud even begin to start calculating the answer to the problem.[/quote']

I don't either.

[OddHat]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

I'm Super Strong, Regenerate, I'm insanely lucky, and I am one sexy, sexy man.

 

And that's all Flesh, baby.

 

 

"Hey, pretty momma, just because you're only in my mind is no reason we can't get to know one another."

 

"Damn, she's gone. Guess it's time to go on out there and stop some Badness!"

 

"What was she saying?"

 

"Look! Rooftop!"

 

Three days later, the Civil War resumes. Confronted by the Psychic Girl who erased his memory in the first place, Flesh shrugs.

 

"Hon, the Earth gets invaded by aliens every other week, dimensional portals rip open every third day, and people crawl out of vats of chemicals daily with the power to shoot laser beams and a grudge against society. You couldn't even re-write reality enough to erase text in two week old magazines, let alone delete every species who wants to use Earth as a buffet with all the fixings. If the Supers hadn't woken up again, Humanity would have been lined up in the slave pens and slaughter houses of Mongo before next weekend. Now, why don't you just put down that destructo-beam and we'll talk?"

 

ZAPAPAPAPAP!!!

 

"Ouch"

 

 

[Blue Jogger]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

The sane response

 

I would leave a final note to myself:

 

"Don't... tempt me Frodo! I dare not take it. Not even to keep it safe. Understand, Frodo. I would use [these powers] from a desire to do good... But through me, it would wield a power too great and terrible to imagine." - Gandalf

 

I would then seal the enterance before my wife finds out. And desperately try to forget until the world needs heroes again.

 

 

The much more likely response

 

Tell my wife that I'm insane and kiss her goodbye. Change the colors of the ol' super suit (just in case someone remembers) and BE A HERO!

 

(Albeit probably much more secretive and cautious than my previous incarnation.)

 

[OddHat]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

Additional, and this is no criticism of McCoy's WWYCD.

 

 

 

The most aggravating part of the "if only the heroes would go away, everything would be better" meme is that it almost always assumes that the villains, aliens, monsters, actual literal devils and demons, eldritch forces, and other parts of daily life in a Comic Book world would somehow go away with them, as if there were a "Weird and Fantastic Aspects of Reality" off switch. It confuses the meta logic that "Super Villains exist for Super Heroes to fight" with the internal logic of the world, a logic that usually assumes (unless the writer is in an artsy mood) that the many threats Superheroes face are as real as anything else in the setting. Miller, Ellis, Moore, Gainman and Morrison have all produced great stories, but they all deserve a kick in their collective back sides for pissing this psuedo-literary meta nonsense all over my escapist sci-fantasy.

 

 

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

Continue life as normal, but moonlight occasionally as a HERO.

 

Especially when events really tick me off!!!

 

QM

[McCoy]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

Additional, and this is no criticism of McCoy's WWYCD.

 

 

 

The most aggravating part of the "if only the heroes would go away, everything would be better" meme is that it almost always assumes that the villains, aliens, monsters, actual literal devils and demons, eldritch forces, and other parts of daily life in a Comic Book world would somehow go away with them, as if there were a "Weird and Fantastic Aspects of Reality" off switch. It confuses the meta logic that "Super Villains exist for Super Heroes to fight" with the internal logic of the world, a logic that usually assumes (unless the writer is in an artsy mood) that the many threats Superheroes face are as real as anything else in the setting. Miller, Ellis, Moore, Gainman and Morrison have all produced great stories, but they all deserve a kick in their collective back sides for pissing this psuedo-literary meta nonsense all over my escapist sci-fantasy.

 

 

Looks like no one is willing to give up superheroing just because some chick in Lookingglassland says it's good for the species.

 

Which is good. Part Three was going to be Istvatha V'han shows up about a month later. Strange, except for hairstyle and skin color, she looks a lot like that woman in your mirror who spoke in first person plural.

 

[OddHat]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

Looks like no one is willing to give up superheroing just because some chick in Lookingglassland says it's good for the species.

 

Which is good. Part Three was going to be Istvatha V'han shows up about a month later. Strange, except for hairstyle and skin color, she looks a lot like that woman in your mirror who spoke in first person plural.

 

 

 

Good. Serves those that thought all Supers retiring was a good idea right.

 

To be slightly fair to Quesada and company, Civil War as a Skrull Plot does seem to be on the table, but considering the craptastic quality of the series it's not much comfort.

 

[Kevin Schultz]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

Self - Probably would get Icon's powers, as she's the one I'm currently playing. Assuming this was the case? I'd likely offer my services to the FBI or state police, actually. Like others have said - this was a request only to not be a hero, rather than a promise that all supervillian activity had been eliminated.

 

IF it could be shown that supervilians exist solely because superheroes do, then yes: I'd actually put down my powers. But that's going to be REALLY hard to prove in-game.

[Lord Fyre]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

I'd just like to pause and take a moment to consider (albeit *without* mentally imagining) a world full of gamers wearing spandex, superpowered or otherwise.

 

Ladies and gentlemen... whatever the normals did was *JUSTIFIED!!!* ;P

 

Was it?

 

As I am sure that whoever 'edited' my memory would be continuing to clean up the clues. I would need to find out what happened - starting with what every reference material that this hidden base/lab might have to offer.

 

I would do my best to understand what really happened. Then, assuming that I did not discover some kind of sinister plot or agency, I would need to really think about a question . . .

 

"Does the good of the many really transcend the good of the few?"

[Greywind]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

And how would you justify the alteration of the obvious hero bases, say like Avenger's Mansion, Four Freedoms Plaza/Baxter Building, etc., within the time frame of a couple of weeks?

[Lord Fyre]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

Looks like no one is willing to give up superheroing just because some chick in Lookingglassland says it's good for the species.

 

Which is good. Part Three was going to be Istvatha V'han shows up about a month later. Strange, except for hairstyle and skin color, she looks a lot like that woman in your mirror who spoke in first person plural.

 

I am fortuante that I composed my answer before reading too much farther into the tread, or I would have not bothered to answer.

[Victim]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

I figured that in this case, the phenomenon that erased people's minds and set up the current news stories, took down webpages, etc would also apply to super villains. Extra dimensional threats might have their memories of this dimension clouded, so they'd fight each other in some other realm. Otherwise, the superhuman coverup is doomed to failure rather quickly.

 

Whatever else I did, I'd become much more interested in the news, particularly from unorthodox sources. If other people are cheating, then there's no need for me to hold back. If there's tons of weird accidents now, then unconscious/uncontroled powers are probably causing lots of havoc.

 

Personally, I don't think I'd be a good super hero though. Having powers is only part of the deal. Without the power training, combat experience, situation awareness (mine is awful), ability to make good decisions in sudden crisis, legal knowledge or a vigilante friendly legal system (unlikely without the precedent of supers saving the world), information gathering ability, and other stuff I'm forgetting, my superheroing ability would take a massive hit. And getting that training and ability back now that superhero infrastructure doesn't exist seems rather difficult. So I'd expect that myself and most of gamers would pretty much be part of the problem as supers even without backlash from normal people.

[Hermit]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

One day in your home, where you have lived for however long you've lived at you current residence, you accidentally discover a hidden door. On the other side is a hidden closet / secret laboratory. There is no dust or decay, it does not appear to be abandoned. You find a super suit that you would swear you have never seen before, yet which fits you perfectly. There is a journal or notebook in what appears to be your handwriting, with cryptic references to powers and abilities you don't remember having, used to stop crime or assist in natural disasters, which you don't remember doing. Experimentation shows you do, indeed, have any powers mentioned in the journal (assume the same powers as your favorite / most freqently played character, with different Sx as necessary).

 

Searched for super heros, paranormal abilities, or related terms on the net result in a lot of broken links. Going to the library or otherwise looking for hard copies is -- interesting. Magazines and newspapers more than two weeks old spoke of metahumans as if they were real, and there was tensions between normals and metas that could escilate to violence. Those published in the last week refer to the "Super Civil War" as a hoax or LARP that got way out of hand.

 

I realize it all makes sense now. Quesada is a Skrull.

Uhm, sorry about that.

 

First, I freak out a bit. Most likely canidate to have the powers of is Gaze, a mentalist with an emphasis on Mind control related powers, which includes Mental Transformation. In short, something frighteningly subject to abuse. Even experimentation would not be done lightly.

 

However, when other bits like in the library became evident, I would have to find out, just have to. I'd turn the powers inward, and try to make myself remember, to break whatever mental barrier might be there. It's the ethical out.. the mind I might fry would be my own (Though, since technically no skill roll is required, I wouldn't have to worry about that).

 

If you have decided to use your powers or not, you do one day try on the suit. When you look in the mirror you see a woman you have never seen before standing behind you. You spin around and she isn't there, only in the mirror. She speaks. "This message was imbeded in your subconscious mind. We knew that some would be able to resist when we made everyone forget that metahumans existed.

 

"You are considering using your powers, seeing all the good you could do. We beg you not to. Humans fear the metahumans, not without reason, and try to control us. If we fight back a lot of good people will die. Many on both sides, far more caught in the crossfire.

 

"It does not matter how clever you think you are, or how confident you are that you can keep your abilities a secret. You use your powers, someone, sooner or later, will realize that such powers exist. If a critical mass of the population shakes off our suggestion that metahuman abilities do not exist, it will snowball.

 

"We cannot make you forget again, even if we remember our powers we have vowed not to use them again, for the same reason. We know it is difficult for you to stand by and do nothing when you could help, but please believe that your road of good intentions will lead to where such road always lead. The best thing you can do for humanity is to not use your powers. Please believe us." She fades away, and is no longer in the mirror.

 

Does this change what you would do?

 

It would depend on what memories came up after I unblocked myself completely.

[OddHat]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

I figured that in this case, the phenomenon that erased people's minds and set up the current news stories, took down webpages, etc would also apply to super villains. Extra dimensional threats might have their memories of this dimension clouded, so they'd fight each other in some other realm. Otherwise, the superhuman coverup is doomed to failure rather quickly.

 

 

The phenomenon failed to erase newspaper and magazine articles about Supers available in local public libraries, or the existence of your easily discovered Super-Lair. Crediting it with the ability to erase Earth from the minds of extra dimensional overlords, gods, demons, angels, cosmic entities, and alien armadas seems generous. Crediting it with the power to make sure that none of these ever re-discovers the Earth in the future, or that no one else ever falls into a swamp / get hits by lightning / encounters a time traveler / whatever and comes out with super powers? Forget it. If the phenomena were that good, you'd have never remembered in the first place.