WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

[McCoy]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

 

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.

Other than setting a worm loose on the web to remove references to super abilities, it changed only memories.

[McCoy]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

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

For those who live there, they are in the same situation you are having found your hidden closet. From the outside, they are not that remarkable.

[jkwleisemann]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

Was it?

Unless all the gamers I know are in significantly worse shape than the average, yes. The human mind was not made to bear the weight of such horrors for long.

[Victim]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

 

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.

 

Probably.

 

But if it doesn't work, then failure will be obvious, probably inside of a week. It doesn't really matter what I decide in the context of the initial information; I'll be able to reevaluate in light of the robot army, giant monster, etc. In the it would take for me to practice safely using (and not using!) my powers - which seems like it'd be advisable regardless of one's choice, something would happen that would make the scenario moot.

[Korvar]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

 

If the problem is that humans fear metahumans, perhaps one wants to ease that fear - get people used to the idea of superheroes, and just how wonderful they are. Things like TV shows and Movies...

 

...maybe that explains all the superhero moves and TV shows on just now...

 

 

[teh bunneh]

There Art No Problems Which The Mighty Thor Cannot Solve!

 

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.

 

 

 

"Verily mortal, the Son of Odin hath ended global warming, solved world hunger, and brought about a lasting peace in the Middle East. How about if thou countest thine own f**king ballots and letteth me get some sleep?"

 

 

[OddHat]

Re: There Art No Problems Which The Mighty Thor Cannot Solve!

 

"Verily mortal, the Son of Odin hath ended global warming, solved world hunger, and brought about a lasting peace in the Middle East. How about if thou countest thine own f**king ballots and letteth me get some sleep?"

 

 

 

Ex-frickin'-zactly.

[Tasha]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

I would experiment with my powers and practice up in their use. Then I would probably go out and fight some crime.

 

 

After the vision, I would actively try to find others like me. The journal would probably have clues as to others who have powers. I would still want to fight crime. I know that there will always be people who would use their powers for gain and cause suffering in others. That's just human nature. So there would be super villains whether or not I decide to use my powers or not.

 

 

Learning later that a Dimensional Spanning Superpowered world conqueror had caused this 'amnesia' would make me feel very good about my decisions. Also a bit of worry about someone who could brainwash us in that way.

 

 

 

Tasha

[Hermit]

Re: There Art No Problems Which The Mighty Thor Cannot Solve!

 

"Verily mortal, the Son of Odin hath ended global warming, solved world hunger, and brought about a lasting peace in the Middle East. How about if thou countest thine own f**king ballots and letteth me get some sleep?"

 

 

 

That should be a tagline

[Marcus Impudite]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

Ah, it would seem Kansas is going bye-bye...

 

 

I know enough about myself to say that I'm a supervillain in my heart of hearts, so it seems more likely to me that Miss Psychic-Lady-In-The-Looking-Glass and whoever she works with/for would want to terminate me with extreme prejudice once they realized I had "awakened." I imagine I would have also planned accordingly before they "blue-pilled" me.

 

 

 

As for the Istvatha V'han part, I would secretly work to undercut her and her minions while they're distracted with the do-gooders and their allies...and possibly even make a back alley deal with Skarn The Shaper or Tyrannon for good measure.

 

[sinanju]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

First thing I do is find out for sure that I actually have the powers my journal claims I do. Which would consist of bursting in furious flame--good thing my lair is designed to deal with that!--and transforming into someone who look like a Greek God, albeit male instead of female like the character (Hell's Angel). With huge white angel wings. And engulfed in flame.

 

Then turn off the flame and study the journal some more. Apparently I have a small crew of crime-fighting allies. And my wife knows my secret identity. Cool.

 

 

The only thing the vision does is convince me that I've been colossally stupid to agree to this plan in the first place--or it was done to me without my knowledge or consent. Either way, once I've realized the truth there's no way in the world I'm going to go along with it again. There's no way the secret could remain secret even if I did agree that it was for the best.

 

Go forth! Go forth and snap my crime-fighting allies out of their trances. Fight crime! Reawaken the world to the truth.

 

[McCoy]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

The only thing the vision does is convince me that I've been colossally stupid to agree to this plan in the first place--or it was done to me without my knowledge or consent.

 

Done to you without your knowledge or consent.

 

[Blue Jogger]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

For your humble consideration.... What if you were a supervillian?

 

 

This may be my last journal entry. My mind has resisted the initial attempts, but I fear its seductive call will eventually lull even one of the greatest's mind to slumber. My only hope is that I will eventually succeed in defeating this most treacherous and perverted dream of normalcy.

 

Do not let these false doubts cloud your mind. Surely a mind as powerful as mine can not sleep forever. By the Dark Demons, I shall return, and I shall slay these accursed mind ****ers in their sleep. Read this book and regain your rightful throne. It's only delusions of grandeur if you believe their lies.

 

You must hurry, if you have escape your prision, even in a weaken state, you must prepare for doubtless others, those self-appointed do-gooders, are also trying to shake these curse off.

 

Now, this is our cunning Master Plan, think of this as my final refresher course. You might have to refine it, my mind is not what it used to be. Egads, I'm being humble, must... hurry...

 

[McCoy]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

For your humble consideration.... What if you were a supervillian?

If your notebook indicates you were a super villian, the post-hypnotic message still calls you a hero and appeals to your better nature.

[Balabanto]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

Well, my first goal would be to undo what was done. If that happened to virtually ANY of my characters, the response would be 'Who the heck is this, and why were they willing to psychically attack the human race?" Track them down. Hold them accountable in a court of law.

 

It's a great idea, but the way you have to run it is everyone builds a hero, and writes their background. And then you hit them with this first thing. Everything is "You think you know me." You secretly rewrite their disadvantages, and then you hit them with it. That guy who you thought was a villain? Now he's on your side.

 

That hero who used to be your best friend? Well, now he's working for the other side as a secret enforcer, because he believes that they're right.

[Drhoz]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

I'ld be out of my mind with rage, for a couple of reasons.

 

One : somebody has just made major changes to my self-identity.

 

Two : they offer no proof of their claims

 

Three : Even if there AREN'T any aliens invaders, demons, otherworldly threats or looming comic menaces to deal with, I like living in a world with High Strangeness (hooray for the Fortean Times) and spandex-clad cape-monkeys flying around violating the Laws of Conservation is pretty bloody strange.

 

Four : Also in the absence of alien invaders, demons, etc, the superpowered would be hugely useful to the world. A Teleporting paramedic would save dozens of lives a month. The European Space Agency would go nuts for the oppurtunity to hire a light-speed traveller to drop a few rovers off on Mars, if not just take a video camera and do the work herself. and so on.

 

Admittedly, I'ld probably want to avoid major cities for a while...

[SKJAM!]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

Talion's powers are uncontrolled/triggered in the first place, so if they come back the minute I start shaking off the post-hypnotic suggestions, there's not a lot I can do about not using them. My one comfort is that whoever did this to me zapped themselves in the process and may not have fully recovered. I might, however, carefully check my journal to see if my career was as awful as Talion's. If so, I'd have strong second thoughts about putting on a costume again until the invasion comes up.

[PhaseKitty]

Re: WWYD: Those Who Cannot Remember The Past

 

One day in your home' date=' where you have lived for however long you've lived at you current residence, you accidentally discover a hidden door.[/quote']

"Hi! Your name is Alice and here's your rabbit hole."

On the other side is a hidden closet / secret laboratory.

Yep, defanately down the rabbit hole. Cause it don't have room in the real world.

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,

So that's why my carpal tunnel hasn't gotten better; too much writing!

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).

To halibut with the powers, I want the physique!

Searched for super heros, paranormal abilities, or related terms on the net result in a lot of broken links.

Heck, searching the net for ANYTHING gives a pile of broken links. Nothing surprising about this.

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,

OK time to get fitted for a hug-myself coat. I'm obviously hallucinating everything. The universe can not possibly run on whim; which's what happens in a comicbook world. There must be laws of nature, that can't be ignored.

 

So, if I think I'm reading that metas are/were real, I'm reading what ain't there, so I'm nuts, so I'd better commit myself while I still have some shreds of sanity left.

 

And that kills off the rest of the WWYD. Sorry, but there's the voice of reality speaking. Happens to the best of us.

 

[The Weapon]

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?

 

OK, firstly I make sure that I have great anonymizsers before doing ANY research outside the lab.  I continue going to work until I can stage a realistic injury, witnessed by at least 2 people who know me.  I do all my work in the lab at times when nobody will notice my absence.  When I've trained up significantly and calculated how I can use my powers WITHOUT being found out, I do something that is totally unrelated to me as a test run.  Then I gradually work up to doing more noticeable things that, while good, have nothing to do with my real intentions.  After my heroic persona is established I start occasionally doing things that ACTUALLY change the world in the way I want it to change.  And some random shit to keep it cryptic.

 

After seeing spoiler:  He no it doesn't change anything.  Whoever these guys are they had the power to make people forget people being hostile to metas.  If they had they would have undercut the hostility since everyone would assume they're in the minority.  They have vast power and we have only their own word that they used it for the greater good, and aren't still using it. The only change is I assume these guys could be coming after me.

[The Weapon]

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.

It's clearly a temporary fix to keep the heroes (and many of the villains) out of action for a time.  That means whatever she's trying is going to happen soon, it's going to either destroy or neutralize the entire metahuman community.  After the effect wears off how many metas are going to be REALLY annoyed?  She doesn't care, either she's going to be gone, they're going to be dead, or she's going to be so powerful she can IGNORE hundreds of metas.  

 

Oh and I'm using "she" as a convenience, there's no reason to believe "she" is female or even human.

[bubba smith]

I agree with oddhat

I can do without writers who equate having super powers to having a vampire curse

as to the mind control

where do these  guys get off messing with my mind i'd like a few words with them STRONG words

[bubba smith]

it seems I killed this tread without meaning to some bubbamancy may be in order

[Christopher]

My current Character would propably be Whiteblade. Basically a alien energy lifeform/symbiont called Nymbis To, last survivor of a intergalatic empire from Stellar Generation Prime, found earth. In game concept it found a women trying to avenge the death of her father and they got a deal.

The philosophy of said empire (whose preserving is Nymbis sole purpose of existing) goes like this:

"Wherever there is life, there is also conflict.
Those that have power will be drawn into those conflicts.
Fearing and trying to prevent conflict will only create more conflict.
The only conflicts you can prevent are the conflicts you cause yourself.
That is the way of the Universe."

I would think that the effect that altered my memory would at least wipe Nymbis memory of everything that happened since it landed on earth. Wich is about what it keeps in the area of "current Working memory" anyway. It would unlikely affect it's memory of it's origins.

 

First (before putting on the Suit):

I would be slightly freaked out to have a second voice in my head. I do have a few minor psych comps., but hearing voices is not very likely to come up anytime soon.

There would propably be no journal or at least none in handwriting (I have such terrible handwriting, I write in block capitals only). File on a properly secured computer seems most likely.

I would also be slightly confused to find a idea called "Whiteblade" among my Character concepts wich bears striking similarity to what Nymbis is telling me.

Having a real life Lightsaber like weapon in my posession would help me beleive what Nymbis is saying by a lot. There might be a chance I damage some of my inventory swinging it. Luckily it has some non-lethal modes.

 

Then (after putting on the Suit):

 

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?

 

 

 

Nymbis would just point at the obvious violation of her phiolosophy. And that it never, in a billion life times would have agreed to that.

And then set out to get that women. Fear only leads to more conflcit. Right now the Conflict comes down in form of a very old Entity with a host body and a lightsaber.

 

 

 

later:

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.

 

 

 

If V'han is around in this universe, there is some chance Nymbis has fought her before. And her face might be one of the things it remmebered, even with the limited storage it has left (and entire philosophy takes up space). So chances are it identified her directly. So going on towards shattering that effect as fast and hard as possible would be way up on the "to do" list. "Looks like V is up to her usual tricks!"

 

If the two actually meet it would be intersting. Nymbis To people tried to go the path of "Benevolent Dicatator" before. It failed. Then they finally got thier phiolosphy (the way). Didn't prevent them from going down, but still was more successfull then anything tried before and since.
So for Nymbis V'han is "a immortal child that should finally get over that 'benevolent dictator' phase in her eternal life and accept those things nobody can change." She is only causing more conflict and every bit of peace she forces on her subujugated worlds will result in a equal amount of non-peace once her control is broken - wich it will be, no exceptions. if that girl needs a high energy spanking to get it, so be it!