Home » The Crystal Hall » Questions and Answers » Background and Backstory (What is reasonable to be known in WU)
| Re: Background and Backstory [message #56444 is a reply to message #56431 ] |
Sat, 07 April 2012 18:46   |
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 Nicky82
Messages: 1402
Registered: May 2011 |
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| Diane Castle wrote on Sat, 07 April 2012 20:41 | | Nicky82 wrote on Sat, 07 April 2012 01:10 | The question is actually quite interesting as it goes both way, taking Fey's family as an exemple, would be Fey find sexually attractive her father or her brother?
..... Ok, Fey is probably the wrong exemple, she turned into something that isn't even human (how do we know that Fae are subject to the Westermarck Effect?) and her glamour might ellict sexual attraction where none would otherwise be.
Ok, another exemple: Unicorn. Does she feel sexual attraction toward her brother? Is her brother sexually attracted to her?
The Westermarck Effect being invalidated by mutation (who know, biochemical changes that cause to be subconsciously registered as not being a family member or resetting the inhibition in the mutant... hey, genetic code does change at manifestation so the inhibition might become unnecessary) could easily result in some unconfortable situation and strained family relations.
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Given that the Westermarck Effect is supposed to be fully in place by the time kids are 6 or 7, it has to take into account lots of physical changes due to growth, puberty, visits from the booby fairy, plastic surgery, etc. (Assuming the hypothesis is even correct, and it doesn't need a lot more study.) So... what's the difference between your sister going off and having a truckload of plastic surgery until she looks like a playboy playmate, and having your sister go off and become an Exemplar? Case #1 is known, and (sadly) not that uncommon. (Examples: most playboy playmates, ...) I don't think that has any known consequences for this hypothesized effect, at least none in any literature I tried to look up. So I'm going to guess that becoming Exemplar beautiful won't do it either. And I don't see why becoming a mutant would invalidate any (hypothetical) Westermarck Effect in the mutant, since he or she will still see the fam as looking exactly the same as before.
If you want to run with a mutant who is controlled by his or her pheromones, or something like that, then you can ignore all such effects and all societal mores. But that could get kind of icky. (Suddenly I'm thinking of Woody Allen's 'Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Sex* But Were Afraid to Ask' and the chapter with the sheep. Eww.)
Diane
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I'm not in any position to speak with any degree of authority about WU mechanics of mutation but I would think that the Exemplar effect is a bit more than changing the shape and boosting strength, thoughness, reflexes, coordination, stamina, etc., I would think that it could involves also biochemical changes as well, this result in people around the Exemplar to subconsciously perceive her/him as a different person, hence the Westermarck Effect not applaying anymore.... it doesn't mean that anything is going to happen, after all people usually aren't ruled by pure instinct and incest is a very big taboo, it will just happen that there will be erotic dreams and arousal where none would have been there before (and there will probably be someone kicking himself/herself for it).
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| Re: Background and Backstory [message #56610 is a reply to message #45021 ] |
Wed, 11 April 2012 18:37 |
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Nicky82
Messages: 1402
Registered: May 2011 |
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I was wondering, Peeper has recived a cease and desist letter from Fey's lawyers, which is hardly surprising, but this makes me wonder about the legality of the poster that Sierra made?
Fey was still 15 at the time and it counts as nudity, wouldn't Sierra be liable of being sued for exploiting a minor?
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| Re: Background and Backstory [message #56611 is a reply to message #56610 ] |
Wed, 11 April 2012 19:32 |
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Sir Lee
Messages: 3059
Registered: May 2005
Location: São Paulo, Brazil |
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| Nicky82 wrote on Wed, 11 April 2012 19:37 | I was wondering, Peeper has recived a cease and desist letter from Fey's lawyers, which is hardly surprising, but this makes me wonder about the legality of the poster that Sierra made?
Fey was still 15 at the time and it counts as nudity, wouldn't Sierra be liable of being sued for exploiting a minor?
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1. It's not an ACTUAL nude, it just appears to be one. Fey was wearing beige lingerie at the shoot (cf. "Jade 4 - Bottle a Jinn")
2. There's a lot of blurriness there regarding "artistic nudes." It was a professional shoot, supervised by the school, which likely had to deal with this before (Fey isn't the first uber-hot teen model Whateley came up with, you know). They should have ironclad releases, chaperone reports, probably the entire shoot was recorded to document the fact that no hanky-panky was going on.
Don't call me Shirley. You will surely make me surly.
--
Sent from my Bugs Industries® bPhone™
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| Re: Background and Backstory [message #56981 is a reply to message #56972 ] |
Thu, 19 April 2012 04:43 |
Niknokitueu
Messages: 649
Registered: May 2011
Location: Swansea, UK |
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| curiousreader wrote on Thu, 19 April 2012 00:16 | Hello everyone I hope you had a nice day. I have a question for the gallery.
I think I remember either in this universe or another. That said speedsters have a hard time driving because of reaction times being tos hyped.
My question is this at what levels for Ex and Eng do persons start having problems as far as reaction time in their cars?
A side question to tag along, would be for those like Diz who can never turn off their PK fields, is their a way to rudgerdize a car them to drive? Would it even be worth it to do so?
Thank you and good evening.
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Hmmm. I don't think that speedsters would have a hard time driving. You try persuading your friends to join you in driving at 5 mph around a supermarket car park. The biggest problem you will find is boredom and its resultant inattention.
Yes you could end up speeding, but that is a matter of personal training. If you find it too slow driving, you can get out and run.
As to driving with a high-end PK field, whilst it would no doubt be possible to create a safely-operated mode of transport, it would be far cheaper to chauffer them around in a ruggedised box. Just think of how heavy a car would have to be to withstand 8 tons of force from the inside...
Have Fun!
Niknokitueu
Do, or Do Not. There is no Try.
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| Re: Background and Backstory [message #57042 is a reply to message #56986 ] |
Sat, 21 April 2012 07:56 |
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Cockle
Messages: 646
Registered: July 2011
Location: UK |
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| Sir Lee wrote on Thu, 19 April 2012 14:52 | | Niknokitueu wrote on Thu, 19 April 2012 05:43 |
Hmmm. I don't think that speedsters would have a hard time driving. You try persuading your friends to join you in driving at 5 mph around a supermarket car park. The biggest problem you will find is boredom and its resultant inattention.
Yes you could end up speeding, but that is a matter of personal training. If you find it too slow driving, you can get out and run.
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Heh. There's this passage in Diane's "The League of Extraordinary Women" where Willow mentions Buffy driving... she once got ticked 140mph... ABOVE the limit. Another Slayer says that driving at normal speeds is "like you're in a kiddie car. In a parade."
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I've seen that idea in some other Buffy fan-fiction. I think the view is that the finer reactions and control of the Slayer lead her to cut things much, much closer than any normal and sane person would dare. I could see the same being true of speedsters or the higher level exemplars.
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| Re: Background and Backstory [message #58534 is a reply to message #45021 ] |
Sat, 19 May 2012 16:55 |
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Nicky82
Messages: 1402
Registered: May 2011 |
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Question: what is the legal status of the Sorcerer Contracts?
Can an employer legally require a prospective employee to serve critical functions (i.e. bodyguard) or things like Non Disclosure Agreedments?
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| Re: Background and Backstory [message #58535 is a reply to message #58534 ] |
Sat, 19 May 2012 17:13 |
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BekDCorvin
Messages: 930
Registered: August 2005
Location: State of Confusion |
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| Nicky82 wrote on Sat, 19 May 2012 16:55 | Question: what is the legal status of the Sorcerer Contracts?
Can an employer legally require a prospective employee to serve critical functions (i.e. bodyguard) or things like Non Disclosure Agreedments?
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Magic enjoys (if that's the word) a rather odd relationship with the American, British and Canadian legal systems. On one hand, they don't recognize 'Magic' per se; on the other hand, they have to admit that there's something going on with all those weirdos. As with ghosts, they've rubber-stamped magic as 'an unexplained paranormal event'. The courts don't recognize Sorcerer's Contracts as valid or binding. BUT, people have the right to refuse to sign a Sorcerer's Contract, citing Religious convictions, or a simple unwillingness to recklessly endanger themselves by being exposed to an unexplained paranormal event. As one legal argument goes: Either the contract in an unexplained paranormal event, or it's not. If it IS an unexplained paranormal event, then the employer is endangering their employee by exposing them to potentially dangerous phenomena. If it's NOT, well then, what's the point? The employer is merely compromising their employees religious principles for no good reason.
At least, that's the way it works until it's overturned by the Supreme Court of the Whateley Universe, the other Canon Authors (TINCC)
To Be, or Not to Be; this is a question?
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| Re: Background and Backstory [message #58537 is a reply to message #58535 ] |
Sat, 19 May 2012 17:28 |
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Nicky82
Messages: 1402
Registered: May 2011 |
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| BekDCorvin wrote on Sat, 19 May 2012 23:13 | | Nicky82 wrote on Sat, 19 May 2012 16:55 | Question: what is the legal status of the Sorcerer Contracts?
Can an employer legally require a prospective employee to serve critical functions (i.e. bodyguard) or things like Non Disclosure Agreedments?
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Magic enjoys (if that's the word) a rather odd relationship with the American, British and Canadian legal systems. On one hand, they don't recognize 'Magic' per se; on the other hand, they have to admit that there's something going on with all those weirdos. As with ghosts, they've rubber-stamped magic as 'an unexplained paranormal event'. The courts don't recognize Sorcerer's Contracts as valid or binding. BUT, people have the right to refuse to sign a Sorcerer's Contract, citing Religious convictions, or a simple unwillingness to recklessly endanger themselves by being exposed to an unexplained paranormal event. As one legal argument goes: Either the contract in an unexplained paranormal event, or it's not. If it IS an unexplained paranormal event, then the employer is endangering their employee by exposing them to potentially dangerous phenomena. If it's NOT, well then, what's the point? The employer is merely compromising their employees religious principles for no good reason.
At least, that's the way it works until it's overturned by the Supreme Court of the Whateley Universe, the other Canon Authors (TINCC)
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So an employer can't require to sign a sorcerer contract (as in "If you want the job sign, if you don't then go, I'll take someone else.") to get a job?
If an employer tries and the prospective employee refuses to sign it, can the prospective employee sue the employer?
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| Re: Background and Backstory [message #58539 is a reply to message #58537 ] |
Sat, 19 May 2012 17:34 |
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BekDCorvin
Messages: 930
Registered: August 2005
Location: State of Confusion |
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| Nicky82 wrote on Sat, 19 May 2012 17:28 | | BekDCorvin wrote on Sat, 19 May 2012 23:13 | | Nicky82 wrote on Sat, 19 May 2012 16:55 | Question: what is the legal status of the Sorcerer Contracts?
Can an employer legally require a prospective employee to serve critical functions (i.e. bodyguard) or things like Non Disclosure Agreedments?
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Magic enjoys (if that's the word) a rather odd relationship with the American, British and Canadian legal systems. On one hand, they don't recognize 'Magic' per se; on the other hand, they have to admit that there's something going on with all those weirdos. As with ghosts, they've rubber-stamped magic as 'an unexplained paranormal event'. The courts don't recognize Sorcerer's Contracts as valid or binding. BUT, people have the right to refuse to sign a Sorcerer's Contract, citing Religious convictions, or a simple unwillingness to recklessly endanger themselves by being exposed to an unexplained paranormal event. As one legal argument goes: Either the contract in an unexplained paranormal event, or it's not. If it IS an unexplained paranormal event, then the employer is endangering their employee by exposing them to potentially dangerous phenomena. If it's NOT, well then, what's the point? The employer is merely compromising their employees religious principles for no good reason.
At least, that's the way it works until it's overturned by the Supreme Court of the Whateley Universe, the other Canon Authors (TINCC)
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So an employer can't require to sign a sorcerer contract (as in "If you want the job sign, if you don't then go, I'll take someone else.") to get a job?
If an employer tries and the prospective employee refuses to sign it, can the prospective employee sue the employer?
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Only if it's a requirement for employment. It constitutes an Infringement of Freedom of Religion in the first case, and reckless endangerment in the second.
Of course, I'm not a lawyer. I don't even play one on TV.
To Be, or Not to Be; this is a question?
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| Re: Background and Backstory [message #58540 is a reply to message #58539 ] |
Sat, 19 May 2012 18:03 |
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Nicky82
Messages: 1402
Registered: May 2011 |
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| BekDCorvin wrote on Sat, 19 May 2012 23:34 | | Nicky82 wrote on Sat, 19 May 2012 17:28 | | BekDCorvin wrote on Sat, 19 May 2012 23:13 | | Nicky82 wrote on Sat, 19 May 2012 16:55 | Question: what is the legal status of the Sorcerer Contracts?
Can an employer legally require a prospective employee to serve critical functions (i.e. bodyguard) or things like Non Disclosure Agreedments?
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Magic enjoys (if that's the word) a rather odd relationship with the American, British and Canadian legal systems. On one hand, they don't recognize 'Magic' per se; on the other hand, they have to admit that there's something going on with all those weirdos. As with ghosts, they've rubber-stamped magic as 'an unexplained paranormal event'. The courts don't recognize Sorcerer's Contracts as valid or binding. BUT, people have the right to refuse to sign a Sorcerer's Contract, citing Religious convictions, or a simple unwillingness to recklessly endanger themselves by being exposed to an unexplained paranormal event. As one legal argument goes: Either the contract in an unexplained paranormal event, or it's not. If it IS an unexplained paranormal event, then the employer is endangering their employee by exposing them to potentially dangerous phenomena. If it's NOT, well then, what's the point? The employer is merely compromising their employees religious principles for no good reason.
At least, that's the way it works until it's overturned by the Supreme Court of the Whateley Universe, the other Canon Authors (TINCC)
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So an employer can't require to sign a sorcerer contract (as in "If you want the job sign, if you don't then go, I'll take someone else.") to get a job?
If an employer tries and the prospective employee refuses to sign it, can the prospective employee sue the employer?
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Only if it's a requirement for employment. It constitutes an Infringement of Freedom of Religion in the first case, and reckless endangerment in the second.
Of course, I'm not a lawyer. I don't even play one on TV.
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What about this?:
| Quote: | <(Lancer) Well, if you know they're greedy, how can you ever trust 'em not to stab you in the back?>
<(Phase) If their only weakness is greed, you set up a contract so they get a lot more money if they don't betray you. One of the popular approaches is setting up a large IRA or 401K that's essentially in escrow. If they play it straight, they get a massive payout some time after they quit or retire or change jobs. Otherwise, all that money goes bye-bye. So it's never worth it for them to stab you in the back, because it costs them too much money. Another approach, which I don't particularly like, is the 'mutual assured destruction' approach: betray me, and my people will hunt you down and do even worse to you. Or, for some groups, it's the 'accepted curse': you agree to protect someone and if you betray them, the curse you have accepted goes into action. Given that we know Fey, a lot of people would be pretty damn scared that we could use that option. But I don't like the 'stick' options when there's a perfectly good 'carrot' option. If you lay it out right, you get a win-win situation, you can trust your people, and your people can trust you in turn.>
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| Re: Background and Backstory [message #58546 is a reply to message #58540 ] |
Sat, 19 May 2012 20:46 |
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Diane Castle
Messages: 2505
Registered: September 2007
Location: Oregon, USA |
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| Nicky82 wrote on Sat, 19 May 2012 15:03 | What about this?:
| Quote: | <(Lancer) Well, if you know they're greedy, how can you ever trust 'em not to stab you in the back?>
<(Phase) If their only weakness is greed, you set up a contract so they get a lot more money if they don't betray you. One of the popular approaches is setting up a large IRA or 401K that's essentially in escrow. If they play it straight, they get a massive payout some time after they quit or retire or change jobs. Otherwise, all that money goes bye-bye. So it's never worth it for them to stab you in the back, because it costs them too much money. Another approach, which I don't particularly like, is the 'mutual assured destruction' approach: betray me, and my people will hunt you down and do even worse to you. Or, for some groups, it's the 'accepted curse': you agree to protect someone and if you betray them, the curse you have accepted goes into action. Given that we know Fey, a lot of people would be pretty damn scared that we could use that option. But I don't like the 'stick' options when there's a perfectly good 'carrot' option. If you lay it out right, you get a win-win situation, you can trust your people, and your people can trust you in turn.>
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But that's a completely different setting. That's a situation where you're making a pact that requires some extreme manner of trust. When you're talking about an alternative being "I will kill you and everyone you ever met if you betray me" then you are WAY past the standard legal jurisdictions. That 'accepted curse' deal is for the situation where you are going to work as Devilmaster's personal bodyguard, or something that extreme.
However, the mere fact that Phase already knows about some of this stuff is... disturbing.
Diane
"WHO has deactivated my BEAUTIFUL frogs?"
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| Re: Background and Backstory [message #59808 is a reply to message #45021 ] |
Tue, 12 June 2012 16:47 |
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Nicky82
Messages: 1402
Registered: May 2011 |
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Ok, there has been recently a discussion about the Psi rating on the Envy and the Gilded Cage thread in the Story Feedback forum, thanks to Dr. Bender it has allowed to shed some light on that rating (up to that point we readers had several interpretations about the Psi rating meaning but no real knowledge about it), his answer have made many things clear but I still have some doubts so I have chosen to ask for more informations here rather than cloging the thread meant to be about the story with technical questions that aren't related to it. So far the Doctor have given this answers:
| Dr. Bender wrote on Mon, 11 June 2012 19:05 | Yes, Wiz and Psi rating have been discussed. In a nutshall, Psi rated mutants internally focus their energy, Wiz rated mutants focus their power externally. It's a slight difference that affects innate aptitudes but generally only matters to the science boffins. They both do the same thing but go about it differently.
Not to be confused with the PDP designation, which is short for Package Deal Psychic. Rather than an actual powers subset, it's actually a short form for a group of powers that commonly come together that mimic the classic powers of a super-powered 'psychic'.
Straight PSI-rated mutants trade the advantage of flexibility for several disadvantages, including a steep learning curve and the fact that their power draws on their own stamina. A Psi using their powers can become exhausted from continuous use, even to the point of unconsciousness and, perhaps in extreme circumstances, death from overexertion.
Wiz mutants have the problems of being a wizard, they can fail to cast spells, accidently create hobgoblins and such. Hobgoblins can be real Bugbears. 
Being Wiz/Psi doesn't make someone more powerful than their highest rating but it means they have more energy and different ways to express that energy. To use a boxing analogy, a Wiz/Psi 3 might be able to outlast a Wiz 7 and a have a few tricks up their sleeve the Wiz 7 doesn't but that won't matter a hill of beans if the Wiz 7 gets in a haymaker and lays the Wiz/Psi out cold.
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| Dr. Bender wrote on Mon, 11 June 2012 19:55 | | Nicky82 wrote on Mon, 11 June 2012 13:31 | So.... a Psi can learn using Telepathy, Telekinesis or some kind of ESP?
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Yes, a Psi can learn to use Telepathy, Telekinesis, ESP and many, many other uses for their power (much like a Wizard can learn many different 'spells'). Doing two different things at the same time is extremely difficult, though (also, double the power drain).
However, a straight TK rated mutant has their own advantages. For one, alot less steep a learning curve. A TK mutant can also lift their max weight all day long as long as they're conscious, they aren't reliant on a 'battery' to fuel their power.
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| Dr. Bender wrote on Mon, 11 June 2012 21:43 | | Nicky82 wrote on Mon, 11 June 2012 14:32 | Now the Don's power seems much scarier, how much power takes to use Telepathy, Empathy or other ESP compared to Psychokinesis?
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Depends on the target.
If you're using Psi, weight matters, inertia matters, resistance, etc. Receptive telepathy used on an open subject is easy compared to even small uses of Psychokinesis but if a subject is mentally shielded or closed it requires more of a mental probe, and thus takes more effort. Melting ice cubes in a room temperature setting would be somewhere between the two but boiling water would be much harder, comperable to pumping iron.
I's been said before but Wiz and Psi ratings are generally measured against max. force on one axis and recharge rate on the other. In other words, how much you can lift and how often you can repeat the feat.
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The questions that I still have are the following:
- What kind of stamina does Psi use?: When Hekate has been tricked by Diamondback into exausting her essence, in their Combat Final, she was so completely tapped that she could barely stand up, what is the realtionship between essence, Ki, stamina and whatever is called what Psi uses? And speaking of the possibility of dieing by overexertion, what are the causes? Stroke, neurons dieing of Total Cellular Starvation, what?
- Can a Psi use more than one power at the same time?: Some powers are rather passive (ESP, passive telepathy, maybe Pk shells), it wouldn't be unthinkable that Psi might be able to sustain several powers just like mages do, but it could be something like the PDP trait (EDIT: it was already answered, my bad, thanks to Khade for pointing it out)
- Can Psi improve with practice?: You know, things like larger reserves of power, faster recovery rate
- Can practice improve tricks?: Lower power requirements, greater effect, easier to sustain, etc.
- Does Sahar copy Esper knacks into her ESP trait or does she learn them as Psi knacks?
- Can ESP, Pk or Tp mutants learn completely different uses of their trait?: For exemple can a Kinetist having Telekinesis learn Electrokinesis/Pyrokinesis/Cryokinesis? Can a Telepath with Passive Telepathy learn Active and/or Coercitive telepathic knacks? Can an Empath learn other traits (i.e. Aura Sight, Precog, Paragon, Finder, etc.)?
- Could a Psi rating go undetected in presence of strong ESP or Wiz traits?: You know because the mutant already uses Magic or ESP, giving no hint that there's also a Psi trait?
[Updated on: Fri, 15 June 2012 13:41]
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